I don’t think we’ve ever had a thread like this before. Let’s give it a whirl!
What are your favorite movies with either 1) a predominately black cast or 2) black leads. These are the only conditions. Comedies, drama, horror, musicals…they are all allowed. Bonus points for providing reasons.
In no particular order:
The Color Purple (everything is perfect in this movie. I watched it last night for the millionth time) The Wiz (shut up) Crooklyn (provides a glimpse into urban family life; very realistic characters and experiences) The Last Dragon (whenever I feel down on myself, I start thinking “You are the last dragon” and I start glowing) Trading Places (hilarious comedy. A true classic) Eve’s Bayou (highlights a culture that is rarely shown, beautiful cinematography, beautiful actors) Waiting to Exhale (just a very funny movie. Angela Basset was incredible in it) Raisin in the Sun (WILL-IE!!!) Mahogany (Do you know where you’re going to?)
Ray - one of the best bio pics ever. Boomerang - Eddie Murphy and young Halle Berry vs. Robin Givens The Great White Hype - a hilarious (but all too true) boxing movie 41 Rifles - there’s a lot of heat in Jim Brown & Raquel Welch’s love scene Hollywood Shuffle - very funny and with something to say. The spoof of Siskel & Ebert, “Sneakin In the Movies” was worth the price of admission itself. The Last King of Scotland & Hotel Rwanda - true to life movies that scared the hell out of me.
Uptown Saturday Night
Let’s Do It Again - Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby - Light but fun 70s comedies
Trading Places - Murphy at his best
Blazing Saddles - “Hey! Where the white women at?”
Star Wars - Vader’s black, right?
Hooper: Always some white boy gotta invoke the holy trilogy. Bust this: those movies are about how the white man keep the brother man down, even in a galaxy far, far away. Check this shit: You got cracker farm boy Luke Skywalker, Nazi poster boy, blond hair, blue eyes. And then you got Darth Vader, the blackest brother in the galaxy, Nubian god! Banky Edwards: What’s a Nubian? Hooper: Shut the fuck up! Now… Vader, he’s a spiritual brother, y’know, down with the force and all that good shit. Then this cracker, Skywalker, gets his hands on a light saber and the boy decides he’s gonna run the fuckin’ universe; gets a whole clan of whites together. And they go and bust up Vader’s hood, the Death Star. Now what the fuck do you call that? Banky Edwards: Intergalactic civil war? Hooper: Gentrification! They gon’ drive out the black element to make the galaxy ‘safe’ for white folks. And Jedi’s the most insulting installment! Because Vader’s beautiful black visage is sullied when he pulls off his mask to reveal a feeble, crusty, old white man! They tryin’ to tell us that deep inside we all wants to be white! Banky Edwards: Well… isn’t that true?
(Hooper pulls gun and shoots Banky) Hooper: Black rage! Black rage! I’ll kill every motherfucking last one of you!
The first movie that came to mind to me was Blankman. I know, I know, not a particularly grand cinematic feat, but one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen.
Black Orpheus - breathtakingly great movie. Watermelon Man - hilarious - Kafka’s Metamorphosis as racial farce. Round Midnight and Ray - 'cause I’m a music guy.
Ooh, and Carmen Jones, too.
Foxy Brown (she cuts off his dick and gives it to his girlfriend-- how can you not love that?)
Crooklyn (Man, that was exactly what it was like growing up in NYC at that time.)
I want to but both Claudette and Sounder but I haven’t seen either movie since I was young and I’m not sure how they hold up.
It wasn’t a theatrical release (but instead was an HBO original film) but I quite enjoyed “Something the Lord Made” starring Alan Rickman and Mos Def, about the heart research done by Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas. And I usually hate biopics, especially the ones that are supposed to be inspirational, but this was really good.
