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October 30, 2003
Blaxploitation II
I only want to mention this briefly, because I've got enough grief dealing with a little culture war that I've enjoined over hiphop. But my prediction is that we are on the verge of a second-coming of blaxploitation.
I was cruising imdb this evening riffing off Leon Issac Kennedy and doing something I haven't done in a while which is 2 degrees of separation with Vivica Fox. This is the game in which you can connect every black person in Hollywood. What's also surprising is that you find some of the same whitefolks associated with those blackfolks. It's a very interesting circle of circles.
At any rate, I found something surprising. The first was, when you look at it, Eddie Murphy has only really been in 7 really good flicks. (48 Hours, Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop) Those came in rapid succession; three movies, three years 82-84. Then nothing really until Coming to America in 88, then Boomerang in 92. Now Boomerang didn't count as a major hit but it was his funniest movie ever, period, no contest. Nutty Professor in 96, Life in 99. That's it.
Now imagine this. It's scary, but imagine it anyway. DMX is going to make a film based on a book by Donald Goins. There's a lot of Goins books out there and they are tailor-made for a new wave of blaxploitation films that are gangsta rapper's paradise.
OK. I just wanted to poison your mind with that thought. If you don't think it's going to happen, then you obviously haven't played 2 degrees of separation with Vivica Fox, or you have no idea how popular Leon Issac Kennedy used to be.
Posted by mbowen at October 30, 2003 10:53 PM
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Comments
You're not counting Shrek and Mulan. And Bowfinger had it's moments. Not a great movie, but not a bad one, either.
Posted by: BTD Greg at October 30, 2003 11:26 PM
Interesting take on Eddie Murphy. I would have named Trading Places, both B.H. Cop movies, Coming to America, and Bowfinger. I'll have to see Boomerang.
I enjoyed your whole blog. I have linked to yours via Blogroll; if you'd like to link back to my
blog, I'd be delighted.
Regards,
Stephen, "The Commissar"
Posted by: The Commissar at October 31, 2003 06:14 AM
Come on Cobb, Life is one (if not the) funniest movies ever. There are few comedies that I can (or will) watch over and over and still laugh. That one is truly and underated classic.
Posted by: walter at October 31, 2003 10:04 AM
I had a different version of this which mitigated my point somewhat. I've lost a lot of stuff to MT this evening - writing up a storm.
I happen to think that Dr. Doolittle perfectly exemplifies an Old School Family, and yes Life is a very good, very funny movie (but I saw the preview and missed some scenes with Cicely Tyson that were missing from the final cut). I think I wrote something about that way back when - Hollywood had no idea how to market the film.
Anyway Eddie has about 37 entries on imdb, whereas Sam Jackson has over 70.
Posted by: Cobb at October 31, 2003 11:33 AM
Havn't seen Dr Dolittle so i will trust your judgement on that. I will add to your point that Hollywood has no idea how to market Black Film or TV. Witness what they did to Soul Food on Showtime. They don't think the Old School stuff will sell and they love selling the Nigga stuff to the white kids. Of course, if some of us had the power in Hollywood i don't think teh situation would be much different.
Posted by: walter at October 31, 2003 01:23 PM
It would be different enough to notice and it would make sensitive critics like us happier than we are.
Posted by: Cobb at October 31, 2003 08:09 PM