Blacula is Dracula's Soul Brother

burnmp3s — Sat, 24 May 2008 18:22:19 -0800

Shaft was so cool that he had his own theme song. Shaft walked across the street whenever he wanted to. Shaft was a complicated man. But not all Blaxploitation heros were Private Dicks. They could be a Pimp, a Power-Hungry Criminal, a Coke Dealer, or a Male Prostitute. One was a Former Green Beret, one was a Bounty Hunter, and one was a Prize Fighter. Some were Foxy Ladies, such as Vigilante Nurses, US Special Agents, or Escaped Convicts. They might even be a Karate Master or a Vampire. The stars of the Blaxploitation era, among them Richard Rountree, Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, Jim Kelly, William Marshall, Tamara Dobson, Rudy Ray Moore, Jim Brown, and Ron O'Neal, were some of the first legitimate black film stars. They came after the first major black film actor, Sidney Poitier, and before later stars like Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy. When the era ended in the mid 1970s, so did most of their careers. Although many stayed in show business as actors, none found many significant starring roles in later films. One of the most distinctive characteristics of the genre is the music. Other than Isaac Haye's theme to Shaft, Curtis Mayfield's Superfly soundtrack is probably the most famous. Other major artists such as James Brown and Marvin Gaye wrote soundtracks too. In fact, nearly every Blaxploitation film had a decent soundtrack. The Blaxploitation genre itself lasted only a few years. Since then, there have been many parodies, in the form of brutal satire, nostalgic throwbacks, modern genre spoofs, or random pop-culture references. Quentin Taratino is probably the most vocal advocate of Blaxsploitation films, going as far as to cast Pam Grier as the lead in Jackie Brown. John Singleton also directed a "remake" of Shaft starring Samuel L. Jackson, but his version managed to drain all of the charm and groove out of the original. Although some recognize the political statements that the films made, and the subtle impact that they made to today's culture, as a whole the Blaxploitation films continue to get no respect.

Blaxploitation Friday Movie Fun

sourbrew — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 08:49:10 -0800

Many of you have probably heard of "Superfly" with its classic poster, and iconic soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield. However, you might not have heard of some other Blaxploitation films. For Instance "The Black Gestapo" which mixes NAZI aesthetics with the roving bass of a tight funk beat, or perhaps even more ludicrously the 1992 underground Blaxploitation tribute film "Gayniggers From Outer Space".

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Blacula is Dracula's Soul Brother

Blaxploitation Friday Movie Fun