Oh, the ’70s, back when a jive turkey was the last thing you wanted to be but being called a brick house was a compliment.
If there’s one woman who knows all about the colorful era, it’s Pam Grier, the former screen siren known for playing strong, sexy, street-smart protagonists in popular black films like Foxy Brown, Coffy and Sheba Baby.
“It was a movement,” Grier, 67, now says of the films in her heyday. “Characters like Foxy and Coffy showed how a woman could be a lady and still be able to defend herself. We were trying to be expressive and progressive.
If there’s one woman who knows all about the colorful era, it’s Pam Grier, the former screen siren known for playing strong, sexy, street-smart protagonists in popular black films like Foxy Brown, Coffy and Sheba Baby.
“It was a movement,” Grier, 67, now says of the films in her heyday. “Characters like Foxy and Coffy showed how a woman could be a lady and still be able to defend herself. We were trying to be expressive and progressive.
- 11/18/2016
- by janinerubensteinpeoplemagcom
- PEOPLE.com
Bounce TV has unveiled plans for Brown Sugar, a subscription-video-on-demand streaming service with a large collection of African-American movies. The service, which launched Thursday, features an extensive library of iconic black cinema, unedited and commercial free, such as “The Mack,” “Foxy Brown,” “Shaft,” “Dolemite” and much, much more.
Read More: Blu-ray Exclusive: Pam Grier’s Got Company In Clip From Blaxploitation Action Film ‘Sheba, Baby’
Brown Sugar curates its extensive library into a series of fun themes for the enjoyment of its consumers, such as “War in Harlem,” “Foxy Mamas,” “Jive Ass Turkeys” and “Good Cop, Bad Cop.” The films in question also feature many actors that were emblematic of the era, including Jim Brown, Richard Pyror, Billy Dee Williams, Isaac Hayes, Yaphet Kotto, and more.
Actors Fred “The Hammer” Williamson and Pam Grier, as well as rapper and producer Rick Ross, act as the official ambassadors of the service and tout its bona fides.
Read More: Blu-ray Exclusive: Pam Grier’s Got Company In Clip From Blaxploitation Action Film ‘Sheba, Baby’
Brown Sugar curates its extensive library into a series of fun themes for the enjoyment of its consumers, such as “War in Harlem,” “Foxy Mamas,” “Jive Ass Turkeys” and “Good Cop, Bad Cop.” The films in question also feature many actors that were emblematic of the era, including Jim Brown, Richard Pyror, Billy Dee Williams, Isaac Hayes, Yaphet Kotto, and more.
Actors Fred “The Hammer” Williamson and Pam Grier, as well as rapper and producer Rick Ross, act as the official ambassadors of the service and tout its bona fides.
- 11/17/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Movember Movies is a series of posts dedicated to moustaches on film and the men who wear them. If you enjoy reading this, please consider donating to our Movember campaign! In honour of Billy Dee Williams, who didn't get much respect in our Movember poll, I decided to take a look at one of the more underrated films in his filmography. Although the man is obviously best known for his role in the Star Wars series, he got his first big opportunity with the football drama Brian's Song followed by some blaxploitation flicks in the early '70s, which is where the 'stache first took shape. In Nighthawks, however, we find him starring in an early '80s buddy cop film alongside Sylvester Stallone, who has some pretty gnarly facial hair of his own. That's right, Lando and Rambo together on screen... I think we can all agree that "Lando...
- 11/27/2012
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Though I missed his book signing in NYC this past Thursday (had a screening of my own film – hallelujah!) all film, and Black film (and music) lovers have to go out and get Donald Bogle’s new book on the turbulent life of Ethel Waters, entitled Heat Wave.
If you’ve somehow never read any of Bogle’s books, he’s the preeminent historian on all things Black film. I spent a geeky but fulfilling summer of my youth reading his work, which includes:
Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks: An Interpretative History of Blacks in Films; Brown Sugar: Eighty Years of America’s Black Female Superstars; Blacks in American Film and Television: An Illustrated Encyclopedia; Dorothy Dandridge: A Biography; Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television; Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood.
If you’ve read ‘Bright Boulevards…’ in particular, you learned a lot...
If you’ve somehow never read any of Bogle’s books, he’s the preeminent historian on all things Black film. I spent a geeky but fulfilling summer of my youth reading his work, which includes:
Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks: An Interpretative History of Blacks in Films; Brown Sugar: Eighty Years of America’s Black Female Superstars; Blacks in American Film and Television: An Illustrated Encyclopedia; Dorothy Dandridge: A Biography; Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television; Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood.
If you’ve read ‘Bright Boulevards…’ in particular, you learned a lot...
- 2/19/2011
- by Curtis the Media Man
- ShadowAndAct
In my quest to figure out good Xmas and Kwanzaa gifts for my people this year, I realized we always recommend movies, DVD’s and VODs, but I’ve seldom read about good books here on S&A. So, I’ve compile a great list for of Black cinephile-based books for the filmgoing audience. Some you’re definitely familiar with, others maybe not, but nonetheless here it is:
Donald Bogle’s books
I’ve been reading Bogle’s books for 20 years now, so considering I’m just on the precipice of my (eek!) mid-30’s, that’s saying a lot of the amount of Black film knowledge that he’s imparted to the masses for decades.
Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks
Arguably Bogle’s greatest, if not simply his best known book, “Toms…” is the definitive study of American Black film images going back to the beginning with Birth of...
Donald Bogle’s books
I’ve been reading Bogle’s books for 20 years now, so considering I’m just on the precipice of my (eek!) mid-30’s, that’s saying a lot of the amount of Black film knowledge that he’s imparted to the masses for decades.
Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks
Arguably Bogle’s greatest, if not simply his best known book, “Toms…” is the definitive study of American Black film images going back to the beginning with Birth of...
- 12/19/2009
- by Curtis the Media Man
- ShadowAndAct
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