Movie review - "Badasss Cinema" (2002) ***

During the 1990s it was not very PC to think much of blaxploitation, but what goes around comes around and now blacploitation is popular again. It's a tricky thing - the films did involve black empowerment, gave many jobs to black directors and writers and especially actors... but were full of misogny and negative stereotypes of blacks. Part of the problem were there weren't that many other black films being made. I've read through Variety during these years and Hollywood loved blaxploitation - it was like, at last! a genre guaranteed to make money! And it was, regardless of quality, until the bottom dropped out of the market. Problem was - no more black movies, until things picked up in the late 80s again.

This doco is a worthy look at the genre with some classic interview subjects incuding Pam Grier, Fred "The Hammer" Williamson (whose career dived when he refused to play characters who died and didn't get the girl), Samuel L Jackson, Gloria Hendry, Quentin Tarantino, Elvis Mitchell (a NT Times movie critic - who is black) and Tupac's mother. They place a little too much emphasis on the importance of Jackie Brown in the filmmaking lexicon - does anyone remember that film nowadays? Ditto Original Gangstas. I mean, I know they feature old blaxploitation actors but I think Ice Cube, Ice T, Spike Lee, Tupac, etc are more of the modern day descendants (complete with similiar controvery).