Antonio Fargas

Average customer rating:

Clásica!
Great Movie
Disturbing, poignant, yet beautiful....
Misunderstood
Absolutely a great movie

Pretty Baby
Starring: Brooke Shields , Keith Carradine , Susan Sarandon , Frances Faye , and Antonio Fargas
Director: Louis Malle
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Dreamers (Original Uncut NC-17 Version)
The Lover
Frivolous Lola
The Blue Lagoon and Return to the Blue Lagoon (Double Feature) [Region 99]
Girls Can't Swim

ASIN: B0000AUHQ6
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Amazon.com essential video

A semi-scandal upon its release in 1978, this Louis Malle film is set in a turn-of-the-century, New Orleans bordello and focuses on a girl named Violet (then-child actress Brooke Shields) whose imminent twelfth birthday signals her "readiness" to become a career prostitute. Typical of Malle, the outwardly forbidden nature of the story and relationships within are morally obscured by the immediate experiences and unqualified urges of the characters. The little heroine brings a distinctly youthful and innocent view to the milieu, and the introduction of a photographer (Keith Carradine)--who eventually marries Violet--in the brothel carries the suggestion that there is art and beauty to be explored there. Susan Sarandon is beguiling as Violet's mother, who seems to unfold in the cameraman's presence. The film moves a little stiffly, a little slowly, possibly from a heavy emphasis on period art direction and Sven Nykvist's moody if gorgeous photography. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Clásica!.......2007-05-09

No puede faltarte en la colección.
No es una película herótica si tomás en cuenta de que actua una niña de 10 años, más bien explora un sub-mundo insólito que es una terrible realidad.

Great Movie.......2007-01-12

Is a wonderful movie, great acting, great directing, and interesting era. Brook Shields was stunning.
The movie portrays a young girl growing up in a brothal in the old days. Its how they lived, and how life was than.Its a little suprising some of the stuff in it, but that was life than. Thats how we use to live. Its very educationl also. All in all it was a great movie.

Disturbing, poignant, yet beautiful...........2006-05-17

The beautiful young Brooke Shields plays 11/12 year old Violet, daughter of Hattie (Susan Sarandon) a New Orleans prostitute living and working in a brothel in 1917. Violet has been raised in the brothel and has not been to school and has known no other life or anything about the outside world. When she turns 12, her virginity is auctioned off. Brooke Shields' portrayal of Violet is poignant and beautiful. Her childish charms and innocence are so heart-wrenchingly sweet. The scene where she jumps up and down on the photographer's bed (very childlike) and asks him whether he will take care of her before throwing her arms around him and giving him small childlike kisses on the nose, forehead etc. and reciting that little rhyme really pulled at my heart strings! I just wanted to jump into the TV and give her a hug!! This, mixed with the seductive adult things that she also says in this scene (and others) is particularly poignant as we know that young Violet is merely reciting what she's heard from the prostitutes. The photographer also says that Violet doesn't know what she's saying. You just want to turn the clock back, hug Violet and give her a proper childhood! The photographer marries her because he's fascinated with her beauty, innocence and is concerned that she is only a child and should not be in a brothel becoming a prostitute. The part where he gives her a doll is poignant as she has already lost her virginity and it seems that he's trying to give back her childhood, sadly she's been exposed to too much, too soon in her life. Susan Sarandon and Brooke Shields are wonderful in this movie as well as Keith Carradine, the photographer. The art aspect & music soundtrack are amazing. This movie deals with a taboo subject seen through the eyes of a child as 'normal' which enhances poignancy and brings out the viewers maternal need to 'rescue' young Violet.

Misunderstood.......2005-04-23

Louis Malle didn't make this film to exploit the sexuality of children. There is such a reactionary curse on this film that few people dare to actually view it. Compare it to Kids (1995),there are very few similarities. This is an objective view of a true story 1910's New Orleans. 12 year old Violet lives in a world of sexual currency, everything is acceptable and out front. She passes no judgement on the prostitutes and johns that parade across her mother's room. This is the only life she has known, what could be possibly wrong when everyone is smiling and there is food on the table. The camerawork captures the tragic lyrical situation. Very little ugliness appears, only once in the film when Violet loses her virginity. Bellocq, the photographer she marries, only does so to protect her from losing the innocence she still has. This film has been deemed child pornography but first and foremost it is an accurate biography of a specific place in time. Malle with his French sensibilty portrays the brothel as almost a sanctuary, the people laughing and without malice. Violet's life is tragic not just because she is overexposed to a sexual atmosphere but because the world around her will eventually paint her extended family as ugly and criminal. She has yet to realize this because she perceives them as her home. Pretty Baby offers a very innocent look at prostitution. Susan Sarandon,Brooke Shields,and Keith Carradine are very lovely with their doelike eyes. This is a romanticized world, a far cry from the hardcore reality that we perceive now. I think women would be more openminded to actually view the film as a period piece and not some abomination of morality.

Absolutely a great movie.......2005-02-01

Great movies, like great literature, are capable of evoking a definite atmosphere, that of the time and setting of the story, the plot of which, then, almost loses significance. The atmosphere in this case is that of New Orleans at the turn of last century - a slight anachronism here sets the story in 1917 to match the timing of the closure of Storyville, New Orleans's red light district, located roughly between Rampart and Robeson, Iberville and St. Louis, of which nothing remains today. That atmosphere is well expressed by the music, especially that of the pianist in the movie, who is modeled after Jelly Roll Morton, a pioneer jazz pianist and composer, and plays his compositions. For the curious listener, I have listed here some of the works by Jelly Roll and when they get played in the movie:

3:30 - 4:45, Winin's Boy Blues #1
5:05 - 7:21, Tiger's Rag, from the typical NO repertory, including the tiger's roar
24:35 - 25:00, Jelly Roll
26:11 - 27:12, Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say #1
30:10 - 31:30, Winin' Boy Blues #2
38:39 - 43:20, (composing of ) King Porter Stomp, in the background when the Susan Sarandon character poses half-naked for the photographer
54:46 - 56:35, (Original Jelly Roll?) Blues, with clarinet and bass
1:47:15 - 1:49:15 Blues

We can add to this the sweet, though perhaps already outdated by 1917, music played by the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, with the nice Creole clarinet of Louis Cottrell, who used to play in the Preservation Hall.

It is impossible to underestimate the importance of New Orleans in the world of culture, since it can be stated, as Jelly Roll Morton did, that it was for the musical world what Florence of the 14th and 15th century was for the visual arts. The fact that such culture flourished in whorehouses instead at the courts of princes is thus just a reflection of the cultural level of racist American society - which should be proud of its lupanars - which has prevented its own great culture to be accepted by its puritanical obsession, which led to the disaster of prohibition and the present overfilling of prisons for acts, such as possessing marijuana, which are not criminal in most of the civilized world.

Beside the music, there are great moments in this movie. Brooke Shields, besides being pretty, has an interesting role, oscillating between her behavior as a future [prostitute] and that of an immature girl, with a lot of innocence - which incidentally is to be found among all those ladies certainly despised by the pseudo-moralistic mainstream, that same one which seems so popular these days in the US. The Madam looks like a true character, a worn out woman with distinguished manners who keeps up with absinthe and cocaine (not without some humor, as when she says: "there are only two things you can do in a rainy day, and I don't like playing cards!"). And I am sure that the character of the distinguished photographer existed in reality, since I remember having seen an exhibition of pictures of such ladies taken in New Orleans at that time (in spite of the howling of some who wanted to label it degrading and censor it). Add to this the great photography, and the intelligence of Louis Malle, who has always used Jazz in a respectful way, as in "Elevator to the Gallows" with the music of Miles Davis and "Murmur of Heart" with that of Charlie Parker - the latter exploring an even more controversial subject than "Pretty Baby", that of an incest with the mother, in a poetic way.

The only reason I am not giving this movie five stars is because I would have loved to see more of the Jelly Roll Morton character. One has almost to strain his/her ear to listen to his composing of the masterpiece "King Porter Stomp" while the photographer tries to take pictures of Hattie (Susan Sarandon). Perhaps some viewers may prefer Sarandon's naked tits over Morton's playing, but that's not my case!

But on the whole this is a great movie and is to be recommended heartily to everybody, perhaps especially to Americans who generally know close to nothing of the great culture which has been created in the very places their society has systematically despised, by people which are still often considered as an inferior "race" (whatever that means).

The Celluloid Closet (Special Edition) [Region 99]

Average customer rating:

A Must-See if You're Human
Hollywood's Homophobia Exposed
An interesting and informative on the history of the portrayal of gays in the movies
Above average movie
a valuable documentary

The Celluloid Closet (Special Edition) [Region 99]
Starring: Lily Tomlin , Tony Curtis , Susie Bright , Arthur Laurents , and Armistead Maupin
Director: Rob Epstein , and Jeffrey Friedman
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community: Before Stonewall
After Stonewall
Paragraph 175
The Times of Harvey Milk 1984
Out of the Past: The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Rights in America

ASIN: B00005AWR9
Release Date: 2001-05-29

Amazon.com essential video

Author Armistead Maupin (Tales of the City) wrote Lily Tomlin's narration for this superb documentary, based on a book by the late Vito Russo, about Hollywood's treatment of homosexual characters in the 20th century. Never pointing a finger at anyone in the film community, The Celluloid Closet presents clips from more than 100 mainstream features (including The Children's Hour, Advise and Consent, The Boys in the Band, and The Hunger) that speak loudly in their respective images of gays and lesbians. The film makes a persuasive case for patterns of sexual mythology in Hollywood, such as presenting homosexuals repeatedly as tragic, helpless figures redeemed only through death or as back-street monsters cavorting in the shadows. Things change, of course, and clips from more recent films by gay and lesbian filmmakers suggest a more vital, diverse, autobiographical approach. There are lots of great interviews with screenwriters (Gore Vidal), filmmakers (John Schlesinger), actors (Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg), and others to enunciate the major themes. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

What "That's Entertainment" did for movie musicals, THE CELLULOID CLOSET does for Hollywood homosexuality, as this exuberant, eye-opening movie serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of the role of gay men and lesbians have had on the silver screen. Lily Tomlin narrates as Oscar®-winning moviemaker Rob Epstein (The Times of Harvey Milk and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt) and Jeffrey Friedman assemble fabulous footage from 120 films showing the changing face of cinema sexuality, from cruel stereotypes to covert love to the activist triumphs of the 1990s. Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Curtis, Harvey Fierstein and Gore Vidal are just a few of the many actors, writers and commentators who provide funny and insightful anecdotes.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

A Must-See if You're Human.......2007-05-04

Where do I start? THE CELLULOID CLOSET is wonderful...it details the history of the portrayal of homosexuality in Hollywood. As a bisexual, it reached me on an almost cellular level because it was outlining something that I already knew. It's something that everyone should see in order to understand the true pervasiveness of heterosexism in our society. It also shows where a few of those roots may have come from - mainly censorship.

In the thirties, the Catholic Church in cooperation with the U.S. government instituted the Hays code, which put strict censorship limits on Hollywood films. This contributed to homosexuality being a taboo subject, and created a world in which generations were to grow up - one where homosexuality was coded, ignored, marginalized, and portrayed negatively if there at all. Society was stunted.

This pain is an inextricable part of the film, but it also manages to be entertaining and eye-opening for straight audiences. I'd recommend it for people who don't quite understand how pervasive homophobia and heterosexism are in our society. If you don't get it by watching this film, I'm not sure that I can help you.

Hollywood's Homophobia Exposed.......2007-03-19

In his groundbreaking book, The Celluloid Closet, gay activist Vito Russo argued that Hollywood's past harbored an abysmal record of portraying gay people on screen. Images of GLBT people in countless films of the classic era have subtly or not-so-subtly managed to malign, condemn, or misrepresent gay people in a manner that, in retrospect, is utterly mind-boggling. Using interviews and especially film clips, Mr. Russo's basic argument is well supported in this excellent 1996 film adaptation of his book.

The documentary includes in-depth interviews with screenwriters Jay Presson Allen, Arthur Laurents, Gore Vidal, Paul Rudnick, Barry Sandler, Mart Crowley, and writer / actor Harvey Fierstein, as well as actors Tony Curtis, Shirley MacLaine, Antonio Fargas, Susan Sarandon, Tom Hanks, Whoopie Goldberg, Harry Hamlin, writer Quentin Crisp, director John Schlesinger and others.

The film begins by demonstrating the early prominence of the Hollywood "sissy". Shirley MacLaine observes that, "The sissy made everyone feel more manly, or more womanly, by occupying the space in between". But the relatively innocuous sissy soon gave way to Hollywood's penchant for presenting GLBT culture as a shadowy world of villains, subversives, and the mentally ill. The best we could hope for was that some sympathetic director might tone down the images of gays as sick and evil, a rendering that was more or less dictated by the censorship codes that were in force for much of the first hundred years of Hollywood history. By the late 1940's, Hollywood's version of gay people was as unrealistic and damaging as any propaganda ever wielded against any minority, anywhere, and the film proves that Hollywood maligned, marginalized and demonized an already disenfranchised minority. As Lily Tomlin says early on in the narration, "Hollywood, that great maker of myth, taught straight people what to think about gay people, and gay people what to think about themselves".

The powers that be were not content merely to ridicule us with the Franklin Pangborns and the Edward Everett Hortons of the art deco era. In the late 1940s and 1950s, Hollywood "grew up" and allowed "more realistic" depictions of gays and lesbians - which meant that for the next twenty-five years or so, we were portrayed as deviates, murderers, child molesters, or - if we were lucky - just plain seedy characters living on the fringe, almost always menacing, and never to be trusted. This period was followed by the "breakthrough" films of the late sixties - including such controversial attention-getters as The Killing of Sister George and The Boys in The Band. Meanwhile, lesser-remembered but influential films like Walk on The Wild Side, Advise and Consent, and The Detective continued to present us as pathetic and self-hating, occasionally benign but almost always sick. The most sympathetic storylines could be expected to paint us as hopelessly unhappy and maladjusted "problems of society," instead of simply showing us as what we are - people. One of the more brilliant sequences in the film employs a lengthy string of film excerpts to show how the word "faggot" has been casually bantered about the silver screen, in a manner that would have brought outrage had Hollywood dared utilize such a pejorative term in such a pervasive manner for any other minority. During this same period, Great Britain had a slightly better track record, with such genuinely sympathetic films as Victim and The Trials of Oscar Wilde.

The first light at the end of this bleak tunnel began in the 1970s with the emergence of more daring independent productions. In the past thirty-five years, hundreds of "Indy" GLBT films have catered to an ever-growing audience of gay people, who refuse to accept the malignant depictions that mainstream films have shoved down our throats for the better part of a century. Instead, GLBT viewers flocked to see more accurate representations of themselves than ever before, in films such as A Very Natural Thing, Making Love, Beautiful Thing, It's My Party, Jeffrey, It's In The Water, Parting Glances, Bargirls, The Watermelon Woman, Claire of the Moon, The Laramie Project, and Ma Vie en Rose.

For a while, Hollywood responded to our newfound and respectable popularity by producing a few movies that tried not to offend GLBT people and, at the same time, hold on to a straight or mixed audience. Frequently, it was the results that were mixed, not the audience. GLBT audiences went hoping to finally see accurate depictions of themselves, and straight audiences stayed away in droves. The big budget "gay" Hollywood films sometimes worked fine (Wilde, Philadelphia, Gods and Monsters, Personal Best, and, well, The Celluloid Closet all spring to mind), but, as often as not, Hollywood's attempts to woo a gay audience while holding the interest of heterosexuals just didn't work at all. The Birdcage, Stonewall, Kiss Me Guido, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, In and Out and Flawless were all either too bland, too banal, too full of stereotypes, or too patronizing. Many were as insulting as the "sissies" of days gone by. For a while, it didn't seem possible to make a gay film that could manage to entertain straight audiences yet not insult its gay audience at the same time. Many of us began to demand more. The formula for GLBT entertainment had to be able to appeal to everybody, or what good was it? And how can the GLBT community ever reap the benefits of accurate portrayals of our lives on film, if we are the only people who see them?

As if in answer to these questions, since the release of The Celluloid Closet, an even more radical trend has emerged, that is, the inclusion of positive gay images in otherwise mainstream heterosexual movies. It started subtly; such films as Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Color Purple, Personal Best and As Good As It Gets finally arrived at a place we needed to be all along, presenting realistic, positive images of gay people, carefully integrated into the plots of otherwise heterosexual movies. This has been supplemented by gay movies that, thanks to their critical acclaim, have reached a wider mainstream audience (The Wedding Banquet, Swoon, The Living End). Now that the floodgates are open, I believe that this trend will be unstoppable. We have already had an Academy Award winner for Best Picture (American Beauty) that managed to present realistic gay people while condemning homophobia, and all within the context of a predominantly heterosexual plot. And the Academy's snub of Brokeback Mountain didn't keep a largely heterosexual audience from seeing it, loving it and, most importantly, learning from it.

This past year has seen even more gay characters inserted into otherwise heterosexual plotlines; Capote, Quinceñera, Shortbus, Infamous, Running With Scissors and The Night Listener all had gay characters who were central to the plot. Hopefully this trend will continue, and as GBLT people integrate themselves more fully into society, so too will their images be seamlessly added to American cinema.

An interesting and informative on the history of the portrayal of gays in the movies.......2006-09-16

I had been intending to see this documentary pretty much from the time it first came out until recently when I finally did see it. I was both pleased and surprised that it completely restricted itself to an analysis of the images that appeared onscreen and disappointed that in the end not much was really said of any depth. So, I was in the odd state of being relieved that it was not a bad film like it had the chance to be (by delving into speculations about the sex lives of famous Hollywood personalities) but that it wasn't quite as good as I hope it would be.

I had wondered beforehand if the film would cover such topics as the frequent speculation about Cary Grant and Randolph Scott (for which there is amazingly little evidence; the basis for their having been lovers seems to rest almost exclusively on their having roomed together for many years); the rivalries between the Cole Porter set in Hollywood and the Noel Coward set; efforts to hide the bi-, homo-, or pansexuality of actors such as Errol Flynn, Robert Taylor, Laurence Olivier, Danny Kaye, Tyrone Power (all of whom were in fact one of the three); or the proclivities of various actresses. In fact, there was astonishingly little comment on the sexual orientations of the various people in Hollywood. Instead, the entire film deals almost exclusively with images on the screen and only on the screen. This, however, turns out to be far more interesting than a voyeuristic plumbing of the sex lives of the stars. Being a movie buff I had, of course, seen a number of obviously gay characters in the movies. Joel Cairo in THE MALTESE FALCON is merely one of the better known. The documentary is at its finest when it unearths many gay and lesbian images from films of the twenties, thirties, forties, and fifties, decades in which self-censorship limited what could be shown in the movies. Some of these images will be familiar to anyone who has seen many films, such as Mrs. Danvers in REBECCA (those it should be pointed out that even as it is the movie tremendously mutes the lesbianism that is far more blatant in the novel). Many others will be far less familiar. The number of scenes with unmistakable homosexual scenes will, I believe, surprise most people who have seen a lot of movies. The most interesting moment may have been when Gore Vidal admits that he and William Wyler decided that Ben-Hur and Messala had been lovers. Stephen Boyd was informed of this and he acted his half of the relationship with this in mind, while Wyler and Vidal decided not to tell the rather conservative Heston of any of this.

In the end, limiting the discussion of homosexuality to the images on the screen somewhat limited the scope of the documentary. I'm not quite sure what ultimate point they were trying to make, unless it is the somewhat trivial one that gays have been treated negatively in the movies, though that has improved somewhat in recent years. Not knowing what their ultimate goal in the film was, I can't say whether they achieved it.

Still, despite an ambiguity at the heart of the film about what they were trying to accomplish, this remains a very interesting film. It is narrated by Lily Tomlin. At the time of its first presentation on HBO the story was widely circulated that she had informally agreed to come out of the closet at the time the film was first shown. At the last minute she seems to have a change of heart. She remains to this day the most poorly closeted person in the United States. To me this points to a perhaps even more interesting story: the way that actors and actresses and directors have stayed closeted over the decades. For every Rupert Everett and Ian McKellan there have been forty actors to stay closeted. That ongoing struggle between maintaining a public image while living a very different life privately is one I find fascinating.

All in all, this is a very good documentary. I definitely recommend it.

Above average movie.......2006-08-14

This movie is about how homosexuals has been portrayed in movies over time. In the early years they were made fun of. Mostly men being sissies. But that didn't seem as bad as when the '50s and early '60s when they were shown as pathetic creatures who lived a miserable existence and deserved to die. How hard it must have been if you were gay or lesbian growing up in those times! Then the '70s and early '80s they were mostly villains. Finally we are starting to make realistic films of gay life. And I for one sees that as a good thing.

It's a good movie for historical information and for open minded people.

a valuable documentary.......2006-07-09

To me, this film is worth owning, not just renting to see once. One only wishes it could be updated continually, especially to include 2005's Brokeback Mountain. However, it has so many gems that I recommend it for gathering so much history together.

Average customer rating:

"Naked Gun" through Ebony Eyes
Great Black Cinema
Im gonna get you laughin
How did he go to the bathroom with all that stuff on???
Great Movie but disappointing DVD package

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
Starring: Jim Brown , Bernie Casey , Robert Colbert , Marilyn Coleman , and Ja'net DuBois
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Hollywood Shuffle
Harlem Nights
The Last Dragon [Region 99]
CB4 - The Movie
A Low Down Dirty Shame

ASIN: B000053VBC
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Amazon.com

From Keenan Ivory Wayans, the man who brought us Jim Carrey (initially just one of the bunch on Wayans's television comedy-sketch show, In Living Color), comes I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), a comedy spoof on the blaxploitation films of the 1970s. Wayans plays Jack Spade, an army private just returning from the service. He comes home to find his younger brother June Bug dead of a overdose of gold chains (an "O.G.") He vows revenge, and with the help of some of the neighborhood's old school heroes including Flyguy (Antonio Fargas), Kung Fu Joe (Steve James), Hammer (Isaac Hayes), Slammer (football star Jim Brown), and John Slade (Bernie Casey), Spade wages a war against Mr. Big, the neighborhood crime lord. In the tradition of Airplane! and Naked Gun, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka pokes fun through satire and offensive comedy. The film also features some of the players that would end up on In Living Color and has appearances from such varied actors as Clarence Williams III, Eve Plumb (better known to most as Jan Brady), and Chris Rock as a rib-joint customer. --Shannon Gee

Description

A hilarious Soul Cinema send-up, this ultra-slick, urban action comedy blows 70's blaxploitation movies right out of the 'hood! Featuring the very funny Wayans family (Keenen, Damon and Kim), Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas, Isaac Hayes, Jim Brown, Ja'net DuBois, David Alan Grier, Kadeem Hardison and Chris Rock, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka is a perfect "mixture of nostalgia, silliness and genuinely unpredictable humor" (The New York Times). Jack Spade, a goody-goody war hero with medals for short-hand, returns to the ghetto to discover that his brother, Junebug, has OG'd (Over-Golded on jewelry). Jack swears revenge against the local gang boss, Mr. Big, and sets off to enlist an army of Shaft, Superfly and Black Caesarlook-a-likes, that is. They don't come easy, cheap or youngbut they do have nice clothes and enough firepower left in them to practically destroy Mr. Big's Big Brim Bar where the bad guys wearyou guessed itbig hats!

Customer Reviews:

"Naked Gun" through Ebony Eyes.......2007-03-10

This movie takes 70's blaxploitation and makes good clean fun of them. It is the Naked Gun through ebony eyes. You will recognize every single one of these characters from something you've seen before. Included are appearances by Antonio Fargas, Jim Brown, and Isaac Hayes.

Great Black Cinema.......2007-01-15

This movie stands the test of time and is still as hilarious today as it was when it was released. You will laugh out loud as the ridiculousness and fashion excesses of the 70s are mocked. Keenan really outdid himself with this one. "Huggy Bear" wearing gold fish filled glass heeled shoes after coming out of jail is too hilarious for words.

Watch and enjoy.

Im gonna get you laughin .......2006-08-15

Rarely will will you find a movie with this many laughs from beginning to end. The cast is amazing from Issic Hayes to Bernie Casey and the laughs and the sight gags just keep on comming. I compare the humor in this movie to the likes of Airplane and Police squad it,s that funny. Like all super hero movies this has a moral and a message which is even funnier that the plot.I would highly recomend this movie to any one who needs some serious laughs.It,s rared R for a reason mainly the language but that is part of the movies charm. The language does not really offend it just is.

How did he go to the bathroom with all that stuff on???.......2005-09-14

The best way to sum up this film is by saying that this is one of the funniest movies I have seen. This film ranks right up there with Airplane and Blazing Saddles. And by that I mean that after watching this film you will find yourself quoting lines from this film for years to come. I first saw this film over 15 years ago and to this day I still find it hilarious. Even though I have seen it many times and I know all the jokes I still laugh at them. This film is that funny. This is the Wayans Bros. back when they first got started and were at there best. This film is a parody of every blaxploitation film ever made. And it is funny picking out refernces to the different films. Also keep an eye out for cameos from various actors. And always pay attention to things that are happening in the background. 15+ years later and I am still finding things happening in the background that I missed before. So order this film sit back and be prepared to laugh so hard that you cry.

Great Movie but disappointing DVD package.......2004-11-09

One of the funniest I've ever seen. One of the funniest movies of the 80's. But the DVD quality is horrible. Since its not an anamorphic transfer the quality is grainy. The DVD only has 3 gigs of data so that means the movie was compressed. You would think a greatly written and acted movie would have a commentary and extras features. Not on this!! This movie deserved better treatment.

Average customer rating:

A Walk Back in Time
Funny
Very funny as long as you don't take it too seriously.
Editor eview needs a TOILET FLUSHING OF A REVISION
Car Wash vs. The Wash

Car Wash
Starring: Franklyn Ajaye , Sully Boyar , Richard Brestoff , George Carlin , and Irwin Corey
Director: Michael Schultz
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Let's Do It Again
Cooley High
Uptown Saturday Night
A Piece of the Action
A Piece of the Action / Uptown Saturday Night

ASIN: B00008CMRM
Release Date: 2003-05-06

Amazon.com

Richard Pryor's face is plastered all over the cover of Car Wash, but don't be fooled. This slight comedy, made in 1976, is an ensemble piece much like Robert Altman's or Alan Rudolph's all-star movies in that there are a lot of familiar faces who have relatively little screen time or business to attend to. Set in smoggy Los Angeles, the film opens with a radio announcer's voiceover, "Hey, hey, L.A. It's a brand new day." And the camera pans the street, zooming in on the Dee-Luxe Car Wash, which is owned by the ultimate cheapskate, Mr. B (Sully Boyar). In rapid succession, we're introduced to a dizzying array of characters who all work or hang out at the car wash: drag queen Lindy (Antonio Fargas), brothers Floyd and Lloyd who want to be in show business, a hip brother, an angry brother, a taxi driver (George Carlin), cashier Marsha (Melanie Mayron), and a plethora of "types" who wash, dry, and polish everything in sight while making time to make time. Car Wash doesn't do much or have a lot to say, the laughs aren't particularly original, and the actors don't have much to do save for Fargas, whose role as a drag queen was groundbreaking because the character wasn't discriminated against or killed at the end. Even Richard Pryor is wasted in his single scene as a wealthy preacher named Daddy Rich. Car Wash, which was written by mainstream director Joel Schumacher (Batman and Robin, Falling Down, The Client), is ultimately uneventful. Its revival on DVD is puzzling because it looks about as faded, dated, and undistinguished as a rusty old car. --Paula Nechak

Customer Reviews:

A Walk Back in Time.......2007-06-04

I bought this DVD to bring back good memories of my father and I watching this movie on KTLA back in the 70's. My father saw them filming the movie down at Sixth and Alvarado in L.A. and he loved to watch it with me on late night TV. It is just pure classic 70's movie making and a lot of fun to watch and some good laughs.

Funny.......2007-05-12

One of the best black comedies of the 70's....can't go wrong with this on, check it out.

Very funny as long as you don't take it too seriously........2007-01-30

Always enjoy this film whenever I see it. It's still very funny, and more so if you just sit back and enjoy it. It's not a masterpiece; and I don't think it was meant to be one. Just a funny, enjoyable movie. The Amazon editorial reviewer obviously tried to read too much into it.

Editor eview needs a TOILET FLUSHING OF A REVISION.......2006-12-19

THIS MOVIE IS A CLASSIC, 10 STAR MOVIE WITH ALL THE GREAT COMEDIANS OF THEIR TIME AND EVEN TO LATTER GENERATIONS. THE EDITOR FOR THIS MOVIE CRITIQUE SAID THAT "THIS MOVIE IS NOT ORIGINAL??" HELLOOOO THIS WAS MADE IN THE '70S! OF COURSE THIS MOVIE AND IT'S MATERIAL IS ORIGINAL, KIND OF A NOO BRAINER AND WHOMEVER GAVE THAT CRITIC HER JOB SHOULD CTIQUE THEMSELVES ON WHY IN THEE WORLD THEY GAVE HER THE POSITION.

SOMEONE SHOULD TELL THAT CRITIC, PAULA SELF-CHECK OR WHATEVER, THAT SHE HAS NO IDEA AS TO WHAT SHE IS TALKING ABOUT AND IF PEOPLE ALL OVER BELIEVE CRITICS LIKE HER, THAT SUCH TIMELESS MASTERPIECES SUCH AS THIS MOVIE "IS NO GOOD," EXCELLENT OR EVEN A DECENT MOVIE FOR THAT MATTER, NO MOVIE WORTH WATCHING WOULD GET ANY ATTENTION SO JUDGING FOR YOURSELF WOULD BE "THEE" BEST OPTION.

Car Wash vs. The Wash.......2006-10-27

I still see "Car Wash" on TV and this will always be a classic! I was excited when I saw the ad for "The Wash" with Dre and Snoop because I thought it was a rendition of "Car Wash." Buuuuzzzz! Wrong answer, "The Wash" was an excuse. The only thing having to do with "Car Wash" was that it was filmed in the same style in the same location, not a remake! "The Wash" stank! 'It' needed a WASH, with a second and third coat of soap and still wouldn't match up to what I though was a remake. It's cool that the casting department used Rich for "Daddy Rich" as it worked as a vehicle to promote the movie, and ultimately allows Rich to make the cameo of all cameos. The real star of this movie is Bill Duke, now a director in his own right, as the truth and maybe the anger and frustration of every black man on this planet named Abdullah. That character comes to mind daily at my current job and I try so hard not to go off on folks. Car Wash represented people in an ensembled-scripted environment at a real location. If you don't know what an ensemble is, think of, "Who's Line Is It Anyway?" An All-Star freestyle session given a few lines to set the pace, and the actors take it from there and beyond. Several directors have tried and failed, I'm glad this one is the example of the classics. Others I recommend are, "After Hours," "Friday (all 3,)" "3 Strikes," and a couple more I can't think of right now. As for The Wash, if you haven't seen it, don't bother unless you can see it for less than a dollar.

Average customer rating:

Buy it only for the original.
Nice Being Able To See Both Films
Somebody needs to shoot the producer
3 TO 4 STARS!
Me And Charlie McGee...

Firestarter Movie Collection
Starring: David Keith , Drew Barrymore , Freddie Jones , Heather Locklear , and Martin Sheen
Director: Mark L. Lester , and Robert Iscove
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Carrie (Special Edition)
The Rage: Carrie 2
Stephen King's: Sometimes They Come Back
The Night Flier
Stephen King's Cat's Eye

ASIN: B0001FVDQ4
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Customer Reviews:

Buy it only for the original........2007-02-13

The first firestarter was a great film, but the uneeded sequel sucks. Buy this only for the first.

Nice Being Able To See Both Films.......2006-12-29

Let's, see; how to explain this? If you are a real Stephen King fan, you might not like either version of Firestarter as neither version is like the book, but I've read the book which is quite long and if everything that was in the book was put into a movie, that movie would be about six hours long. However the original 1984 version of Firestarter comes close to the book in many ways, but its problem is that the movie could have been just a little longer and filled in a bit more of the background.

The new movie does that, but it's a form of revisionist history. Things happen in the 2nd movie differently from the original movie, and from the book as well. For the purist, this is not quite a good thing. I sat through the movie saying "now that didn't happen like that," that didn't happen that way," and so on, comparing the differences and not quite enjoying the film. The problem is, the second film is not all that enjoyable as the star of this film is no longer the cute Drew Barrymore nor are the other actors up to the quality and caliber of the ones in the first movie.

Somebody who has never read the book (which is one of King's better books) or seen the first movie, might enjoy Firestarter 2, which is more a strange combination of the Scanners and X-Men movies than a Stephen King piece. As science fiction stories go, it's okay; and despite what the DVD cover says, this is a science fiction story and not anything supernatural. It's not bad, but it could have been so much better. I give it three stars. Look at this film first, then compare it with the original film; then you decide which is the better film.

Somebody needs to shoot the producer.......2006-07-10

Now I have seen my share fo good movies and read some really good books and I have to say that of all the books and all the movies, Stephen Kings orignal Firestarter has to be one of my absolute favorites. I have read this story enough to know it backwards and forward. It is a story that I have a invested a lot of time viewing and reviewing. So when I learned that there was going to be a sequel I had really high expectations.

In the sequel we are first introduced to how Charlie lost her mother. This is something that avid Firestarter followers will see as a studio seen pitch to add drama and effect to a story that is needs none. Not to give the story away for fan but it can be safe to say that the writers, and the directors didnt bother to research the book or the storyline enough to know how this happened out in the original. Had that time for the research been done it would have probably been accepted. Secondly we are introduced to a group of survivors of the original experiment. This is something that is a direct contridiction of the original book, becuase there were only 2 survivors and they married, raised a child, and then killed. Other then that there were no Lot Six survivors, in the movie. In the book however there were 2, on man that was kept in a small room on an island compound, and of course Charlie McGee.

Finally and this is what I found the most distrubing, the charater played by George C. Scott, (John Rainbird) has been re introduced in to the story, He is no longed the cold calculated killer that burned to death in the barn from the last story, now he is a scientest. Not just any scientest he is someone that is some how part of the Lot Six program. A program that was has not spawned several children that have "special" abilities.

According to the book and to the orignal movie, the reason that they wanted Charlie in the first place was because she was the only person that had any abilities as a result of the Lot 6 Experiment that didnt tax the body physically. That was why they wanted her to begin with. She was supposed to be used as a weapon. A weapon.

If you are going to re make a movie at least read the original. Case in point "Back to the Future."

3 TO 4 STARS!.......2005-04-05

First of all, the movie is quite good overall! i wouldn't of expected anything like what it actually was. It's not a horror, scary movie, therefore not a film for someone looking for a scary movie!!!

Me And Charlie McGee..........2005-03-12

Drew Barrymore is not bad at all as little Charlene "Charlie" Mcgee. She's afflicted with pyrokenesis (starting fires w/ her mind) handed down to her by her mum Vicky (Heather Lockleer) and dad Andy (David Keith), who were both injected with an experimental serum by a secret government organization called "The Shop". Now Charlie is on the run with dad, trying to escape the clutches of the nefarious shop operatives who've already killed mum! Unfortunately, an assassin named Rainbird (George C. Scott) wants Charlie for his own demented reasons. Along with Capt. Hollister (Martin Sheen), Rainbird plans on exploiting Charlie's powers, then killing her with a quick blow to the head! He's a sick one! As much as I like Drew Barrymore in this, FIRESTARTER has it's lame moments of pure cheese, like when Mum's oven mits burst into flames, whatta riot! Or when flaming mannequins (shop agents) fly through trees at Charlie's instigation during the blazing climax! Still, it's not a terrible movie, just not a classic. Then, there's FIRESTARTER 2: REKINDLED, a nearly 3 hour sequel that suffers from a bloated storyline that could have easily been squeezed into an hour! Charlie's all grown up now, and suffering from nightmares from her past, as well as that pesky burning thing. She is unaware that Rainbird (Now played by Malcolm McDowell) is alive (?!) and still infatuated with her. He's also raised up a small army of kids with various psychic abilities (sort of a bratty version of Village Of The Damned). These kids are being trained as weapons of course, and will ultimately face Charlie in an all-too-whimpy showdown. Dennis Hopper (Night Tide, Blue Velvet) is also in this as Richardson, a clairvoyant with the personality of day-old oatmeal. REKINDLED has far more smoke than fire, and seems almost endless to sit through! It's more or less a freebie tacked on to the infinitely superior original. So, grab some marshmallows and roast 'em by the TV screen! Enjoy...

Average customer rating:

"Could Have Been Better"
RIGHT ON! SWEET SISTAH!
She Isn't Some Lame Wonder Woman
Dreaming Big
Cleopatra Jones

Cleopatra Jones
Starring: Tamara Dobson , Bernie Casey , Brenda Sykes , Antonio Fargas , and Dan Frazer
Director: Jack Starrett
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Espionage | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Blaxploitation | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

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4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Sheba, Baby
Get Christy Love
Let's Do It Again
Cooley High
Cornbread, Earl & Me

ASIN: 6305308799
Release Date: 1999-03-30

Product Description

A buxom beauty, undercover narcotics agent Cleo Jones is the principal operative in a covert scheme to eradicate an international drug trade. But she is pulled away from important business when a phony raid on her boyfriends ghetto halfway house puts the rehabilitation center in jeopardy. Cleo will soon discover the source of her domestic troubles: Mommy, a raunchy underworld eccentric with a collection of Amazonian women as sexual slaves. Former model Tamara Dobson made her feature film debut in this 1970s Blaxploitation cult classic. Title theme song by Joe Simon. Additional music by Carl Brandt and Brad Shapiro

System Requirements:
Starring: Tamara Dobson, et al. Edition Details: Region 1 encoding (for use in US and Canada only) Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Special Edition Number of discs: 1

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Special agent Cleopatra Jones (Tamara Dobson), six feet two inches of sinewy fighting fury clad in layers of runway chic fashions in bright rainbow colors, strolls up a sand dune and orders the destruction of a Turkish poppy field. Thousands of miles away, an L.A. drug lord named Mommy (Shelley Winters hamming it up with garish wigs and lecherous leers) screeches as her life blood burns away and lures Cleopatra stateside to plot her demise. A product of the "blaxploitation" explosion of low-budget thrillers featuring black heroes in the 1970s, Cleopatra Jones may not be the best of the batch but revels in the most outrageous fashion sense. Cleo looks great in furs, pantsuits, ponchos, turbans--a new outfit every scene--and drives a sleek black Corvette with a personalized license plate: "CLEO." It's a shame that the producers dropped the exotic potential of a globetrotting super-agent for an L.A.-bound gangster film, which is entertaining in a comic-book way but rarely reaches the energetic levels of the gritty Pam Grier action pictures Coffy and Foxy Brown. Bernie Casey is a role model of dignity and action as a neighborhood activist, and a garishly overdressed Antonio Fargas delivers a suitably flamboyant performance as Mommy's pusher Doodlebug. The glamorous super-agent flew off to Hong Kong for the 1975 sequel, Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

"Could Have Been Better".......2007-03-28

The movie was okay. If you like movies from the 70's, then this is another flick to add to your collection. Tamara Dobson is definitly
one tough sista.

RIGHT ON! SWEET SISTAH!.......2007-03-05

Simply one of the best, fun and campy, cult films of the 1970's. Even today 2007, this movie is alot of fun. Rest in peace Tamara Dobson, you were and always will be "a whole lotta woman!"

She Isn't Some Lame Wonder Woman.......2007-02-19

As bad as a man as Shaft is, he wouldn't play with Cleopatra Jones if he thought for one minute she was on her last nerve, and it was shredding fast.

Tamara Dobson portrays a special agent who is busting up a drug pipeline from Turkey to the United States that is operated by Mommy (Shelley Winters). I hope I don't ruin the ending for you, but keep in mind the movie isn't titled, Mommy.

I always found the film a parody of James Bond and the other tough white heroes back in the day who would gently set the lady aside before punching out the villains, with the hero capturing her heart in the end. Cleopatra Jones disarms the bad guys with her charm, but is also cooking up some knuckle sandwiches to take them out with when the time is right.

Dobson does a great job in a role that may have been nearly impossible to pull off well. Such over-the-top characters have to be difficult to portray - there is a fine line between acting well or making the character the buffoonish Rambo - but Dobson does a great job.

The DVD cover is a pretty poor updated version to the original artwork. The movie is from 1973, not 2003 and the artwork should make that point.

If you are looking for a movie that packs a punch, run quickly away from the usual suspects and get Cleopatra Jones.

Dreaming Big.......2007-01-12

This film brought back a lot of great memories for me. I enjoyed seeing Tamara Dobson on the screen playing the heroine that all teenage girls of the time enjoyed watching. She was smart, pretty with her own sense of style.

Cleopatra Jones.......2006-12-22

This DVD is awesome!!!

I recommend this DVD to anyone who likes action and 1970s blacksplotation movies. Eventhough this movie came out a few years before I was born, I enjoyed watching every moment of this DVD.

Average customer rating:

dont confuse it man
Pimpin' Ain't Easy
Unique Perspective.
Pimpin' since been pimpin' since been pimpin'
Not happy

American Pimp
Starring: Roscoe Orman , Antonio Fargas , John S. Dickson , Clarence Sims , and Kenny Redd
Director: Allen Hughes , and Albert Hughes
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

American Pimp - Raw Outtakes and The Hard Truth (with Official CD Soundtrack)
Pimps Up, Ho's Down
The Mack (New Line Platinum Series)
Willie Dynamite
The Pimp Game: Instructional Guide

ASIN: 630601232X
Release Date: 2000-10-17

Amazon.com

There's a fascinating film to be made about the pimp culture and the myth of the outlaw sexual entrepreneur. American Pimp, a slick and entertaining but rather timid documentary by filmmaking brother act Allen and Albert Hughes (Menace 2 Society, Dead Presidents) isn't quite it, but it's a captivating document nonetheless. Flashy, garrulous real-life characters with names like Charm, Rosebudd, Too $hort, C-Note, and the "internationally known" Bishop Don Magic Juan take over their interviews with silver-tongued charm, spinning self-aggrandizing, often contradictory stories of life in the trade. The Hughes never challenge those contradictions and give only token representation to the women in the life (who have either bought into the myth or are too cowed to say differently). Apart from a few unguarded statements by less cagey subjects, the film avoids the seedy flip side to the so-called benevolent relationship between pimp and "ho." More to the Hughes' point is the fluid relationship between media image (as celebrated in such blaxploitation classics such as The Mack and Willie Dynamite) and street image. Simultaneously embracing and decrying their outlaw status, these pimps transform themselves into peacocklike fashion statements inspired by the very images they find so denigrating. They are undeniably dynamic characters playing out a bizarre fantasy of wealth, power, and swaggering sexuality, but if the film shows the cracks in their masks, it never manages to reveal the men under the money or expose the fallacy behind the fantasy. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Urban auteur filmmakers, the Hughes Brothers (Menace II Society, Dead Presidents) hitthe mean streets with an "incredibly entertaining and charismatic" (Shout) expose on real-life pimps. A "snappy, stylish documentary" (The New York Post) containing "blunt, raw power and stylistic energy" (The Hollywood Reporter), American Pimp is "a primer on pimp craftand culture" (Shout) that takes you into the shadowy world of prostitution, "putting on the screen everything you ever wanted to know about pimps" (Nuart). Cutting straight to the heart of the world's oldest profession, this intimate portrait of infamous "mack-daddies" like Filmore Slim, C-Note, Gorgeous Dre and Rosebudd is eye-opening and shocking. From the dirty streets of New York, L.A. and San Francisco to the "Player's Ball" in Milwaukee, you'll walk the boulevard ofbroken dreams and hear every heart-wrenching story and hilarious anecdote. It's an exclusive ride you've never experiencedand won't soon forget.

Customer Reviews:

dont confuse it man.......2006-08-28

Your opinion of this movie should not be influnced by the people it represents
Pimps suck, thats true but this documentary does not
It is a lot of spittin game, which sometimes comes out looking like the pimps are being glorified. But this is what these pimps are like, this is how they con and make their money, its a 24/7 thing for them.
Are they always telling the truth? of course not, but the documentary is an accurate representation of what some pimps are like (albiet on a superficial level) and the philosophy they preach

Pimpin' Ain't Easy.......2006-08-13

Regardless of your opinion on prostitution, pimps, streetwalkers, ho's, etc., this is a fantastic film. Incredibly insightful and very enlightening. It will truly open your eyes to a cultural phenonemon like no other. This film is a must see. Check your morality/superiority at the door, open your eyes and ears, and learn something.

There are a lot of pimp movies out there, but this is the one you need to see.

Unique Perspective. .......2006-01-11

I really don't understand how anyone could call this a glorification of much of anything. There's no glamour here, just reality. American Pimp is exactly what it purports to be- an expose of the illicit world of prostitutes and their masters. It manages to surprise us by revealing that the hookers and pimps have a symbiotic relationship. It manages to surprise us by revealing that pimps have with their hookers a symbiotic relationship that is both quasi-paternal and quasi-marital. The "employees" of the dynamic often seem to not fear their employers who they instead idolize. This conflicts with our default position in regards to workers of the sex trade which is that they are objects of oppression and misfortune. We forget the fact that many of those who chose to sell their bodies do so by choice. As to whether we can label them as being masochistic personalities or not is another matter entirely, yet, even if this was the case, it would not contradict personal choice having something to do with their decision making. Many of the pimps on display here are not crazed drug addicts who batter women as a hobby. They possess varying levels of understanding regarding the business aspects of their profession. There is an elaborate subculture within this underworld that I first became aware of after reading about the life of Billie Holliday. There is a complexity and nuance which defies our stereotypes and, thus, mandates study.

Pimpin' since been pimpin' since been pimpin'.......2005-08-27

For all you squares, lames and suckaducks out there hatin' on the pimp game are just mad cause you can't do it. Do you know how much of art pimpin' is? Hell, if pimpin' was so easy damn everybody would be doing it. A pimp gots to hard on his hoes, but show compassion espicially to his bottom bitch. Pimpin' aint never going to die its gone evolve and multiply. My uncle was a pimp, on the street they called Ruby Red, but we called him Uncle Reggie. I remember hearing him on the phone one day talking to one of his hoes and he said "Bitch if you ain't got my money prepare for the slaughter and when she get old enough I gone recruit your daughter!" I knew you had to be a powerful man to lock someone up without physical chains. In the immortal words of Milwaukee's Pimpin Ken (a legend) "When the last hoe fall, pimpin still gone be standin' tall!"

Not happy.......2005-07-07

The Movie is great, but the used DVD is garbage. The DVD skips and stutters. I feel like I got taken to he cleaners.

The Richard Pryor Collection (Which Way is Up?/ Brewster`s Millions/ Car Wash/ Bustin` Loose)

Average customer rating:

richard pryor collection
Which Way is Up
Richard Pryor Fan
Entertaining!
Good Movies, Bare Bones Treatment

The Richard Pryor Collection (Which Way is Up?/ Brewster`s Millions/ Car Wash/ Bustin` Loose)
Starring: Franklyn Ajaye , Sully Boyar , Richard Brestoff , George Carlin , and Irwin Corey
Director: Michael Schultz , and Walter Hill
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

A Piece of the Action / Uptown Saturday Night
Let's Do It Again
Claudine (1974)
Silver Streak
Richard Pryor - I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!! (Uncensored)

ASIN: B000BUE5FA
Release Date: 2006-02-07

Customer Reviews:

richard pryor collection.......2007-03-29

I love this product and the service was great, it came in a timely fashion

Which Way is Up.......2007-03-19

This is my favorite movie. It is hilarious. This is a real gut buster. I reccomend this movie to everybody to watch.

Richard Pryor Fan.......2007-03-17

If you like Richard Pryor, you'll love this DVD. Pryor plays three different characters in "Which Way is Up" and every character is a riot! His interaction with the children in "Bustin' Loose will have you in stitches! The only reason this doesn't get five stars is because of "Brewster's Millions", which I did not find quite as funny as the other three movies. Three great and one decent Richard Pryor movies all on one DVD---you can't beat it for the price.

Entertaining!.......2007-01-09

Though I could not (and still cannot) get this DVD to play in my DVD player of choice, when I did have the opportunity to set it up in another room it was pure enjoyment. Richard Pryor was born to make laughs.

Good Movies, Bare Bones Treatment.......2006-02-09

As you may know, comedian Richard Pryor passed away in December of 2005 following a massive heart attack. The award winning funnyman had also been suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. On February 7th, Universal released a four movie collection titled The Richard Pryor 4-Movie Collection. Universal re-released Bustin' Loose on DVD last year as part of their Soul Cinema collection, so I was a bit curious as to why this film was being released on DVD again.

The Richard Pryor 4 Movie Collection features the following films-Which Way Is Up, Brewster's Millions, Car Wash, and Bustin' Loose. This is a good collection of Pryor's funnier films. The bad thing about this collection is the bare bones treatment. There is no booklet, there are no new bonus features (as a matter of fact there are no bonus features at all), and there aren't even four discs. The movies are packaged on dual sided discs with two movies on each side of one disc. Each film is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1).

As for the movies, you may have seen them before on DVD. Which Way Is Up? was released on DVD in the past but has been out of print for awhile. This was one of Pryor's funniest vehicles. In this film he plays three different characters. Many critics have said that Eddie Murphy was inspired by this film because in later films Coming To America, and The Nutty Professor he juggled multiple roles. In this film Pryor stars as three different characters. Pryor stars as Leroy the orange picker, Leroy's father, and he stars as the minister who sexed up Leroy's wife while he was away working. Leroy himself also falls in love with another woman and finds himself juggling relationships.

Car Wash is a classic film with a host of guest stars. Pryor wasn't the star of Car Wash despite his name usually getting top billing in cover art. It's an ensemble film about people working at a popular car wash. Antonio Fargas (Starsky & Hutch), Bill Duke (Menace 2 Society) and George Carlin (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure) co-star in the film.

Bustin' Loose ushered in a new era of Richard Pryor films. This ushered in the family friendly Richard Pryor (although there is still strong language in the film). Richard Pryor stars in this film as a man on parole with the threat of going back to jail held over his head. He doesn't have much time but he has to transport Cicely Tyson and a group of rag tag youths across the country.

Brewster's Millions is a very popular Pryor film although it's considered a dud by many. In this film Pryor has inherited a lot of money, but to get the money has to spend $30 million dollars in thirty days. There is a catch. He can't purchase anything large like a house. It's a fun film and John Candy co-stars.

The set just comes across as cheap when you look at other movie collections that Universal has released in the past year. The Alfred Hitchcock Collection, and special editions of To Kill a Mockingbird, The Sting and The Deer Hunter seem so precious, unique, and effort filled. This set just seems thrown together. If you already own these films on DVD, keep your single disc sets. This collection is so bare bones it deserves to be in the bargain basket. What else is tragic about this movie collection is once again no bonus features. This is at least the third incarnation of Car Wash on DVD. So many of the people involved in the film are still alive and working in the industry. It would be great to get some kind of commentary or bonus featurette for this film one day. Also, since Richard has passed, it would have been nice if they held up this set's release to include some kind of tribute to Richard.

The bottom line is if you already own these films keep your single discs. If you don't own these films, this is a reasonable way to purchase all of the films.

Average customer rating:

still banging
Compelling
Cornbread Earl and Me
"One of the Best movies out there
Superb !!!!!!

Cornbread, Earl & Me
Starring: Moses Gunn , Rosalind Cash , Bernie Casey , Madge Sinclair , and Jamaal Wilkes
Director: Joseph Manduke
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Sports | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | African American Cinema | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Cooley High
Claudine (1974)
Let's Do It Again
Sparkle
Uptown Saturday Night

ASIN: B00005N7Z4
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Description

He had all the right moves to put the ball away...until the cops put him awayfor good. UCLA All-American and NBA Rookie Of The Year Keith Wilkes and Academy AwardÂ(r)* and Golden Globe** nominee Laurence Fishburne III give spectacular debut performances in this "touching...sensitive and gripping movie" (Cue) that's "guaranteed to take your emotions for a reckless ride" (L.A. Herald-Examiner)! Step into the court with Cornbread, Earl And Me...you'll be glad you did. Wilkes is "Cornbread," a promising high school basketballer who has what it takes to shoot himself right out of the ghetto...until two cops mistake him for a rapist and gun him down in cold blood. But when the police attempt to cover up their mistake, strong-arming the community into silence with threats of jail time and violence, it's up to Cornbread's 11-year-old brother Wilford (Fishburne) and his pal Earl (Tierre Turner) to find the courage to speak the truth and clear Cornbread's name. *1993: Supporting Actor, What's Love Got to Do With It **1995: Actor, "The Tuskegee Airmen"

Customer Reviews:

still banging.......2007-03-20

The movie was excellent. The best thing I liked about my purchase was that I got it in less than a week. I was able to give it to my mother who has found Amazon to be a great place to buy all the old movies she use to watch as a child.

Compelling.......2007-01-29

Great movie for the entire family. Lots of good moral and character lessons on this flick. It's not about race. It's about doing the right thing and standing up for the truth.

Cornbread Earl and Me.......2005-06-10

Way back then, when I was a child growing up in Guyana, South America, I saw this movie on big screen. It touched an entire audience that night and I am happy to have seen it on Amazon.com. I am now lucky to be able to buy it because I have often thought about this movie, about the nice kid whom everyone called Cornbread. I remember both him and his basketball which was replaced that fatal day with a bottle of soda pop when he was shot. I can never forget this story, because it is indelibly encraved into my mind and I turned out pretty good, now living here in America. These movies are the real classics of all times, only...no one every says so! I rate this movie a classic and I am sorry Amazon.com. I love you but you don't have a buttom to rate a true classic of our time!

"One of the Best movies out there.......2005-05-16

One of the most shining examples out there of the blackploitation era is this film; You have a dilemma, and you have a solution. A young brother just about to go to college on a basketball scholarship was killed by the cops thinking that he was a suspect; All the witnesses of the crime get intimidated with the exception of one young brother played courageously by Laurence Fishburne, who tells the story just like it is even after he and his mother were intimidated by the prosecution. Most of the witnesses were intimidated and denied what actually happened. But Fishburne's character unbought and unbossed told Cornbread's story simply and saved the day;If you ever want to see a film and come across a situation that needs clarifying, THIS is the film to see;

Superb !!!!!!.......2003-10-23

I remember when I had saw this movie when I was a little girl and I had saw it on BET last year this is a great movie it is sad but it is still good I enjoyed this movie and I would recommend anyone who enjoys blaxploitation movies would enjoy this movie this is a great film about a little boy and his friend Cornbread he was a great basketball player and he had just recieved a scholarship to go to a college to play basketball and had dreams of becoming a pro- basketball player and one day a white cop accidentally shoots him and he dies and a big contorversy stirs in this small towm and causes havoc and trouble for everyone and really takes a toll on his friend and
makes it hard for him to cope with his loss but eventually things get better and then he goes on with his life but he never forget about his friend "Cornbread" . This is a touching heartwarming film that would make you just want to cry so therefore when you watch this movie be sure to have some tissue on hand. I would recommend anyone who is fond of dramas to purchse this video!!!!

Average customer rating:

extreme disappointment
Pam Grier is hott
Blaxploitation at its sexiest.
It's not "Leave It To Beaver"
Afro-fuelled 70's street drama

Foxy Brown
Starring: Pam Grier , Antonio Fargas , Peter Brown , Terry Carter , and Kathryn Loder
Director: Jack Hill
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000053VBA
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Amazon.com essential video

Pam Grier, the voluptuous queen of blaxploitation movies (and the foxy title character of Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown&l