zulubeat Reviews

Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin' (1971 TV Special)

This Was The King At His Earliest and Rawest

[10/10 · 18 July 2008]

How could anyone call this material dated? It is priceless, timeless and unmatched. It was also his first performance recorded for an album. I love it.

The skits are masterpieces! I learned about politics, religion, relationships, etc., all from Richard Pryor. He brought it to you real....and real funny.

He and Carlin set the standard for comedy. They were unafraid to delve into any area. This DVD is 20th century history and should be placed in a time capsule along with other significant items like the Rubix cube, The Watergate Tapes, and the Ford Pinto, etc. to ensure an accurate portrayal of the 1970s in America.

The King is dead but not forgotten.

Little Tough Guy (1938)

Very Thought Provoking Movie

[7/10 · 20 January 2007]

This film gives great insight as to how life was for many "street" kids in NYC right after the depression and it is eerily similar to the plight of street kids in NYC today. The "dead end kids" is an awesome name. They are wanna be thugs; Violent, aggressive, uneducated, beligerent, witty and daring. One kid even wears a yankee baseball jersey with # 3 on the back just like the kids wear Derek Jeter jerseys today.)

Up until a few years ago, the lower east side was a similarly tough area, except it was inhabited by mostly people of color. Gentrification began in the 90s and has since transformed the lower east side into an affluent, yuppie filled, unaffordable place to live for the average citizen of any color in NYC.

While watching the movie, I listened to the street-slang and trouble-making behavior of the "dead end kids", and I couldn't help but saying to myself that this would be a so called "hood" film if it had been made today, like "Juice" starring Omar Epps and Tupac. Funny how the names and faces have changed, but the story is still the same.

Being from NYC myself, I felt suspended in time while watching it. My Mom was 2 and my father(may he rest in peace) was 11 in 1938.

Citizen James (2000)

I worked on this movie

[20 January 2007]

I was the Boom Mic man for this film. It was made in the summer of 1995 in and all over Central Brooklyn, NYC (The Historic "Slave Theater", Bed Stuy, Brownsville, etc.

Doug E Doug was very funny and very talented. My father loved him in "Hanging with the Homeboys" and would always tell me how good that movie was. Cool Runnungs was also a very good film.

Doug E Doug had me laughing so hard in many of the scenes, that I was struggling to hold the Boom still! The lead female was beautiful as anything and I wonder if she's done any films since. (I also met this fine honey on the last day of filming). What a memorable experience!

One of these days I hope to actually see the finished product!