Black Dynamite, by Michael Davis – Straight No Chaser #137
October 16, 2009 Michael Davis 23 Comments
I seldom review movies and I never review movies, which are directed or star friends of mine. I’m of the opinion that professional critics are asshole-failed directors, writers or actors.
When it comes to anything artistic I’m in the ‘I like what I like’ category. This from a guy who has written curriculums for art schools and has some fairly impressive ‘arts’ degrees.
Education aside, I simply like what I like and think that people should like what they like and not be swayed by any ‘critics’ opinion. One of my favorite movies is a film called the Big Bus. I saw this more than 20 years ago (when I was 2) and I remember I CRIED like a little bitch because I was laughing so hard. MAN, to me that was the funniest movie ever.
Another movie I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants was Dirty Work. Neither The Big Bus nor Dirty Work had any chance of winning an Oscar. In fact I think there’s a law that makes it a crime to even mention Oscar in the same sentence as either of those movies.
It should be clear from those two examples that I like what like. If that does not drive the point home this will, my favorite movie of ALL TIME is My Best Friends Wedding.
I’m a 6 foot 2 -200 plus pound straight Black man from the hood and My Best Friends Wedding is my all time favorite movie.
Citizen Kane?
Nope!
Seven Samurai?
Nah.
The Godfather?
Sorry.
The Bicycle Thief?
Not today.
My Left Foot?
Duh, I told you I was straight.
Team America?
Close but no.
To me the greatest movie ever made is My Best Friends Wedding.
If that does not say to you, I like what I like then you are as dense as the GOP thinking that they will get the Latino vote after casting NO votes for the very first Latino appointee to the Supreme Court.
I’m a friend of Michael Jai White who stars in and is the driving force behind Black Dynamite, which opens nationwide today.
As I stated earlier, I never review movies that feature friends of mine but this movie is SO outstanding and funny I broke my own rule and glad I did so.
As I’ve said, I like what I like and I liked, no I LOVED this movie.
This is the funniest movie I’ve seen in my adult life. I laughed so hard I nearly spit coke (the DRINK) all over the people in front of me. This movie is so freakin funny that even white people laughed at stuff they would never admit they think is funny about Black people. Yes, there was white people there it was the Hollywood premiere and there was free food and drinks at the after party…duh.
I heard a white guy say after the movie that he thought the movie was ‘good’ but could have been ‘great.’ It’s my sincere belief that if he had asked a Black person to explain some of what he clearly did not understand he would grant the movie the ‘great’ tag.
I’m not kidding when I say this, if you are white and have Black friends go with them to see this movie. Oh, if you are a member of the GOP don’t ask Michael Steele, his ass will be more stumped than you. The VAST majority of this movie is funny to everyone-but there are some instances where being black makes the joke even funnier.
To paraphrase the great poet J.J. Evans, ‘Go see this movie it’s (wait for it, wait for it)…
Dynamite!!!
Jeremiah Avery
October 16, 2009 - 12:27 pm
I usually have the mentality of “to each their own” as well. Some films I shake my head when some people rave about them, but then I remember they probably do the same about what I like so I just let it go.
I’ve never taken a critic’s opinion as the definitive answer to “will I go see this film or will I go see something else?”. They’re paid for their opinion and I could not care less about it. I’ll read the plot summary, see a trailer or two and then make up my mind. If a friend gives their opinion as to whether I should see it or not, that may have more credence since they would know my interests better than someone who saw it for free and got paid to write “it sucks”.
It’s insulting when these high-brow twirps denegrate a comic-related film and its fans but yet can quote obscure movie trivia and know some films frame by frame. I’m the geek for comparing a comic-derived film to its source material? Go screw yourself!
MOTU, sometimes I do have those moments where I go “should I be laughing at this?”. Doesn’t make much sense but sometimes I think that my laughing at the same thing may be perceived as insulting since I may not be viewing it in the same context as others. If it’s funny to me, I’ll laugh. Just a shame to have to look around either before or after to see if that was a good thing.
Vinnie Bartilucci
October 16, 2009 - 1:10 pm
The Big Bus is a lost treasure. Check that – it’s NOT lost, it’s out on DVD! Sweet!
“I ate a FOOT, that was it.”
“Watch out, he’s got a broken candle!”
I saw the trailer for Black Dynamite and was hooked. It seems to follow the one rule I maintain is tantamount for spoofs – any spoof film must be a good example of the genre it’s spoofing if it had no jokes. If Young Frankenstein had no jokes, it’d be a damn fine Frankenstein movie, so too with High Anxiety and Blazing Saddles.
Alas, it’s not playing near enough me to catch it in the theaters (tho I’m seriously considering a road trip) but it comes out on DVD November 17 so there’s not long to wait.
MOTU
October 16, 2009 - 2:08 pm
Vinnie,
If ANYONE would know about the Big Bus it would be you! I’m o my way to buy that sucker NOW. Thanks for the heads up!
MOTU
October 16, 2009 - 2:35 pm
Jeremiah,
Denys Cowan and I went to see a re-release of GONE WITH THE WIND. It was playing at Radio City Music Hall and we really wanted to see it on the big screen. Political problems with the movie aside-it’s a hell of a film.
Denys and I were the only two Black people in the theater. When the first slave showed up on screen we mocked surprise and said loudly in our best black voices, “What kind of shit is this?” The crowd sat silent and you could feel their shared embarrassment. I said “Relax people, it was a joke.”
The outburst of laughter was overwhelming. Clearly they got the joke then but it was also clear that if we had not announced it was a joke some in the crowd would have felt uneasy to say the least. I laugh at anything I think is funny at a movie-Hell I was once kicked out of a theater for laughing to loud. During the famous scene in The Elephant Man when he shouts ” I AM A MAN!” I told my date.” Yes, he’s the Elephant Man…duh.’ She spit orange soda all over herself and that started me cracking up at my own joke, which I seldom do.
MAN-I still tear up at that. So long story short, don’t look around to see if what you are laughing at is ‘OK’ to laugh at. If YOU mean no malice towards anyone it’s most likely just funny.
Marc Alan Fishman
October 16, 2009 - 2:59 pm
MOTU! Was it Coke or Cherry Coke? I recall you prefer the cherry, no? I can’t wait to see this tonight. Also, I’ve got to know about the RSVP… so, hit a brotha’ back now, ya hear?
Martha Thomases
October 16, 2009 - 3:28 pm
DC Cab!
Alan Coil
October 16, 2009 - 4:03 pm
Roger Ebert said:
“I’ve seen a lot of 1970s blaxploitation films, and I’m here to tell you that “Black Dynamite” gets it mostly right, and when it’s wrong, it’s wrong on purpose and knows just what it’s doing.”
He liked it.
MOTU
October 16, 2009 - 5:12 pm
Marc,
It was a regular coke. I live for the day when they serve the Cherry Coke I love at the movies. Dude-give me until Monday on the RSVP. I’m trying to move some stuff but need a bit more time.
MOTU
October 16, 2009 - 5:25 pm
Alan,
Well, of course he liked it. His wife is black and she clued him in on all the inside jokes. 😉
All kidding aside as much as I want to dislike Mr. Ebert along with all his ilk I find myself liking him. He’s got a real cool quality about him that I find… likable. It may be because he sees merit in films even when they don’t have sub titles are or directed by child molesters.
He gets the joke about crude movies and seldom likes something just because it has ‘Oscar’ buzz. Also he IS married to a black woman. I forgot what Black award show I was at but Sinbad was the host and was working the crowd. He stopped at Mr. Ebert’s seat and started messing with him. Mr. Ebert was sitting next to his wife when Sinbad asked; “Who’s this sitting next to you?” Mr. Ebert said; “That’s my wife.” Without missing a beat Sinbad said. “Two thumbs up!”
Alan Coil
October 16, 2009 - 8:37 pm
Roger Ebert is also a helluva thinker, and a helluva writer. He writes every week on his very own blog.
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/
Mike Gold — If you are not already reading Ebert, he wrote this about O’Rourke’s Bar:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/09/orourkes_was_our_stage_and.html
And for anyone who might care, he wrote about being an alcoholic:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/08/my_name_is_roger_and_im_an_alc.html
Marc Alan Fishman
October 16, 2009 - 10:36 pm
MOTU, for you, and ONLY you… I give you until Monday good sir. And if you come to my hood… I got your hook up on the cherry coke.
Steven Atkins
October 16, 2009 - 10:40 pm
My first experience with Blaxploitation was on late night cable.
SUPERFLY (which solidified my love of Curtis Mayfield’s music), BLACK CAESAR, and COFFY (which solidified…well, maybe I won’t use THAT word…my love for Pam Grier) played back to back in one night.
I became a fan. My enthusiasm lasted until I watched BLACK FIST (featuring a pre-MIAMI VICE Phillip Michael Thomas in THREE SEPARATE ROLES).
That movie almost did me in.
Steven Atkins
October 16, 2009 - 10:47 pm
Martha Thomases said: “DC Cab!”
Wow. I remember seeing that in some kind of Double Feature thing in Florida.
The other film was MY MAN ADAM.
However, if you want to go the Joel Schumacher path, I have two words for you:
CAR WASH.
Mike Gold
October 17, 2009 - 7:29 am
When he first joined up with the Sun-Times, Ebert was shanghaied into one of those “visit the high school writers” things and was assigned to me. He went over my stuff, gave me a half-dozen pointers I remember to this day, and a hell of a lot of much needed encouragement.
A decade later I was able to return the favor by arranging an interview with Harvey Kurtzman. I asked him who this was for (he was also writing for Esquire and other magazines at the time) and he said “oh, somebody. I don’t care. I just want to interview Harvey Kurtzman.” Pretty cool.
Between those two events, my then-former radio partner Eliot Wald co-produced his original teevee show with Gene Siskel. The pilot was called “Coming Soon To A Theater Near You,” and that was the ONLY thing wrong with it. I went to an early taping, and the four of us — Ebert, Siskel, Wald and me — spent about a half-hour talking comic books. Movies … never mentioned.
MOTU, Roger’s wife is most certainly black, but she’s also a tough and effective lawyer. My guess is that HE explained shit to HER, too!
As for my incessant name-dropping, I am now leaving my place to go into Manhattan to hook up with Terry Jones and Kim Howard Johnson. That’s pretty cool, too.
Alan Coil
October 17, 2009 - 1:47 pm
Dear Mister Gold,
You suck.
Have a great time.
Mike Gold
October 17, 2009 - 2:25 pm
Talk about mixed messages!
Marc Alan Fishman
October 17, 2009 - 2:47 pm
Oh yeah Mike? Well once I had lunch with Linda Gold. Gene Ha came over to Unshaven Comics’ studio for pizza! … and… I MET John Ostrander once!
…Take that?
Mike Gold
October 17, 2009 - 9:09 pm
I’ve had lunch with Linda Gold as well. And Gene Ha gave me a wonderful back massage. And I’ve FED John Ostrander hot fudge sundaes at the ORIGINAL, real honest-to-crap Dove Candies ice cream parlor.
Oh, and the Terry Jones and Kin Howard Johnson thing was fantastic.
Alan Coil
October 17, 2009 - 11:42 pm
Mr. Gold,
You still suck.
Glad you had a great time.
Alan Coil
October 17, 2009 - 11:45 pm
By the way, Mike, write a book, willya? Tell the world how a relatively unknown person like yourself met so many interesting people, and all the great things you have learned from them.
(And when I say you are a relatively unknown person, I definitely do not mean to denigrate you. I’m just saying you are not well known.) ((Unless you’d LIKE to be known as Chicago’s Paris Hilton.))
Mike Gold
October 18, 2009 - 12:29 pm
I’d change my name to Chicago Hilton, but it brings back memories. Besides, it’s already taken.
If you want to meet and talk to crlebrities, get out in the media where you can do them some good. I did it through working on a newspaper WHILE being on radio WHILE being involved in a high-profile long-term news story… starting when I was 18.
MOTU
October 19, 2009 - 5:56 pm
I know Halle Berry.
HA!!
Martha Thomases
October 20, 2009 - 5:09 am
Then there was the time Norman Mailer and William Burroughs were at my house for dinner. John’s lasagna is THAT good.