Social commentary and riotous slapstick are combined in this vehicle for one of the original raunchy comedians, "Moms" Mabley. Moms plays the elderly Grace, who is fed up with the black elected officials of Baltimore. Tired of being sold out by her own people she becomes an outspoken activist and community organizer opposing the mayor and other high ranking officials.
One of the most amazing things about GRACE is that it is rated G. This is perhaps due to the inability to understand much of Mom's eclectic, raspy speech pattern. The ending begs for a sequel that was never made as Grace intends to continue her crusade into the nation's capital. Populated with many gifted African-American comedians who were rarely afforded film roles.
Starring: Richard Pryor, George Carlin, The Pointer Sisters, Irwin Corey
Director: Michael Schultz
Everybody is cleaning up and getting down in this classic comedy. The first disco slacker movie from the decade that brought you the tube top, the polyester suit and lots of good times. It's just a typical day in the lives of the employees, customers and passersby of a Los Angeles car wash, but what a day! There's a would-be robbery, an assembly line of the weirdest, baddest, shadiest characters you've ever met and lots of booty-bumping music to pass the hours till quitting time.
Friday is the rarest specimen of African American cinema: a 'hood movie refreshingly free of the semiseriousness and moralism of shoot 'em up soaps such as Boyz N the Hood, yet still true to the inner-city experience.
Scripted by rapper Ice Cube, Friday is a no-frills tale of a typical day in the life of a pair of African American youth in South Central. Cube plays Craig, a frustrated teen who endures the ultimate humiliation: getting fired on his day off.
Then unknown Chris Tucker plays Smokey, a marijuana-worshipping homeboy whose love for the green stuff lands him in predicament after predicament.
Sitting on the stoop of Craig's rundown home, the two hilariously confront a kaleidoscopic array of gangbangers, weed dealers, crack heads, prostitutes, scheming girlfriends, and neighborhood bullies--all of whom, it should be noted, come off as sympathetic even as they are being caricatured, a true achievement in the crass, "booty call" environment of '90s African American comedy
Jamal Jeffries is one basketball star who stirs up heat both on and off the court. This player's got game, girls and attitude to spare. But when one confrontation too many gets him booted out of the league, Jamal is going to need a lot more than a good agent to get him back on the courts. He's going to need brains, creative ball-handling, and just the right shade of lipstick. Jamal's only chance to get his game back is to join up with the other league- the women's basketball league. With coerced support from his reluctant agent and a heavily padded sports bra, Jamal transforms himself from the bad boy of basketball to its newest female role model: Juwanna Mann!
Starring: Miguel A. Núñez Jr.
Director: Jesse Vaughan
Encoding: Region 1 (US and Canada only)
Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen
Rated: PG-13
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Features: Theatrical trailer(s)
Commentary with Director Jesse Vaughan and star Miguel A. Nunez, Jr.
Whoopi Goldberg and LL Cool J lead a strong cast in Kingdom Come, one of those the-whole-family-comes-together comedy-dramas that celebrate the transcendent power of love. When the surly patriarch of the family dies, relatives descend upon his widow (Goldberg): his recovering alcoholic son Ray (Cool J) and his wife Lucille (Vivica Fox from Independence Day), who have been unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant; the incompetent other son Junior (Anthony Anderson, Big Momma's House) and his jealous wife Charisse (Jada Pinkett Smith) and their three rambunctious boys; the over-religious sister (Loretta Devine) and her shiftless son; and assorted other eccentric characters who generally turn the reception and funeral into a series of squabbling indignities--the kids even wrap the hearse in toilet paper. The movie's script is modest at best and loaded with forced plot points--to no one's surprise, all problems are resolved in an orgy of forgiveness--but the cast handles the material with sincerity and grace. Goldberg rises to the top as the stoic Mama Rae, lacing her bland lines with a dry and biting wit. Cedric the Entertainer (The Original Kings of Comedy) and singer Toni Braxton round out the cast.
Rudy Ray Moore, star of the cult hits Dolemite, The Human Tornado and Petey Wheatstraw, returns to his R&B roots in this incredible September, 2000 live performance at Wetlands, N.Y.C.
Backed by vocal group The Raytones and a solid Blues band led by Jimmy "Mr. Motion" Lynch, the man who taught American how to rap is back to show us how to sing the Blues.
Performing songs from his recent CDs Hully Gully Fever and Hip Shakin Papa, Rudy Ray draws on a repertoire 55 years in the making. Along with the R&B classics "Ready, Willing and Able" and "Do You Call That a Buddy?" are originals like "Hully Gully Fever" and "Angels on Earth," as well as liberal doses of Rudy Rays (in)famous rap comedy.
Here are both sides of Rudy Ray Moore - the soulful R&B crooner and bad, bad Dolemite - together in one unforgettable live show!
Starring: Yaphet Kotto, Rosalind Cash, Rudy Ray Moore, Kirk Calloway
Director: Arthur Marks
From the director of Friday Foster and J.D.'s Revenge comes a free-wheelin', fast-dealin' look at life in the ghetto - Chicago style. Filled with "comedy, fantasy, engaging characters [and] an excellent cast" (The Hollywood Reporter), The Money Hustle "boils over with talent" and stands tall as a "considerable accomplishment" (Variety)! Fast, funny and downright funky, this film's got it all and a little more - just like anybody who's able to do the "monkey hustle" itself.
Everybody's got a scam goin' on in this small Chicago hood - but nobody's got it goin' quite like Daddy Foxx (Yaphet Kotto). He's so smooth, he teaches flim-flam 101 - how to score, scam, jimmy and jam and get over on anyone - even another hustler! But when the Chicago expressway threatens to express its way right through his turf, Foxx and all the other monkey hustlers know they will have to band together...or the only place left to do their deeds will be between six stripey lines on a blacktop!
This hip-hop comedy from Roc-A-Fella's film division stars Beanie Siegel, Memphis Bleek, and Jay-Z as part of a crew of thieves who take an inept young upstart under their wings. Unfortunately, the crew itself isn't exactly a highly polished operation, and the crew's capers result in comic mishaps far more often than actual thefts. Featuring lively performances and music from its stars, "Paper Soldiers" is a lighter look at life in the inner city.
You don't have to be a dope smoker to appreciate the free flowing humor of Cheech & Chong's second movie. This is their funniest movie and was a big box office hit. It captures the spirit of 1980(the year it was released in) perfectly, which was a world before AIDS, widespread herpes, and massive corporate firings (downsizing). Pure cotton candy for the brain. Their later films had haphazard plots, this has enough of one to keep the action moving along at a steady clip. Paul Reubens featured before he hit it big as Pee Wee Herman. Plenty of laughs, good enough to watch every few months.
There are a lot of strong feelings about this movie. Many people hate it, many people love it. To be frank, it's pure Cheech & Chong, the stuff that made them famous on their 1970's comedy albums. It has no plot, like the classic "Up in Smoke" or their later bombs, it is really just a long sketch show. If you like Cheech and Chong's humor, it's on display at it's best here. Of course, most people who see this expect a sequel to "Up In Smoke", where it disapoints. It's not a pot-adventure comedy, although the drug theme runs strong. If you liked their classic comedy albums, you'll probably enjoy this.
Director: Tommy Chong
Encoding: Region 1 (US and Canada only)
Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen
![Black DVD's 4U : Starring: Yaphet Kotto, Rosalind Cash, Rudy Ray Moore, Kirk Calloway
Director: Arthur Marks
From the director of Friday Foster and J.D.'s Revenge comes a free-wheelin', fast-dealin' look at life in the ghetto - Chicago style. Filled with "comedy, fantasy, engaging characters [and] an excellent cast" (The Hollywood Reporter), The Money Hustle "boils over with talent" and stands tall as a "considerable accomplishment" (Variety)! Fast, funny and downright funky, this film's got it all and a little more - just like anybody who's able to do the "monkey hustle" itself.
Everybody's got a scam goin' on in this small Chicago hood - but nobody's got it goin' quite like Daddy Foxx (Yaphet Kotto). He's so smooth, he teaches flim-flam 101 - how to score, scam, jimmy and jam and get over on anyone - even another hustler! But when the Chicago expressway threatens to express its way right through his turf, Foxx and all the other monkey hustlers know they will have to band together...or the only place left to do their deeds will be between six stripey lines on a blacktop!
Run Time: 1hr 30min](/id-1343/ImgUpload/N_532642_1273584.JPG)
