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compact disk are much better than tapes
I know that it is possible to buy malcolms speechs on tape, but it would be nice to have them put on cds, that way they could last forever.

An excellent documentary of his life and character
This documentary was a materpiece it had all the actual footage.His speeches, his interviews with the press, even him laying in a casket.He was a wonder leader and mentor. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie   

Editorial Review

James Brown, the venerable "Godfather of Soul," has the mountainous highs and cavernous lows of his life examined in this lively installment from the A&E Read more

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Excellent Career Retrospective
Unlike so many biographical documentaries, this videocassette covers theartist's entire career to date. The typical presentation concentrates on"the hits". "James Brown - The Godfather Of Soul"provides insight into the development of his music in general, thanks inpart to comments from Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, and biographer BruceTucker. For the already initiated the very rare stills which permeate theproduction,plus the c. 1969 live clips of "Please, Please,Please" and "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" shouldmake it more than worthwhile. (Looka here - How about a future expandededition with long excerpts from the 1968 TV Specials? Just kidding...).

FANTASTIC FROM THE GODFATHERSUPERBAD
JAMES BROWN IS THE MAN.this is a Solid Video Tape.Great Footage&Interviews.You Hear The Grand History of The Hardest Working Man in Show Business.His Impact on Music Around The World is TImeless.It'sGreat Having This Video Reflecting on a Man Who Wasn't Afraid Too Say I'MBlack&I'M Proud.FOr Me He is Way Underrated.Because He is The Mozart OfHis Time.SO Many FOlks Have Rocked His Style it Ain't EvenFunny.&Sampled Him Too Death in Music&in Style.He is a True One ManShow&Still SUPER BAD! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie    3. TV Shows   

Editorial Review

Comedian Chris Rock makes a raucous return to his stand-up roots in this HBO special filmed at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater.Despite his manic and profane delivery, Rock's comedy is often rooted in traditional subjects for comedians: family relationships, misunderstandings between men and women, and observations on how childhood has changed.But he takes his material right to the edge, proving himself to be a sharp-eyed satirist.Serious and timely issues, such as school shootings or children being neglected by partying parents, are tackled by Rock, who's not afraid to slip in a serious point while being hysterically funny.His defense of President Clinton against his accusers is a good example of how Rock's material is almost always bound to offend someone: he slices through the self-righteous rhetoric of the impeachment spectacle, but even the behavior he defends comes in for ridicule with jokes that are extremely funny as well as extremely coarse.The pace of this one-hour show is uneven, and some viewers will no doubt find Rock's penchant for using profanity as punctuation tiresome.But those who like intelligent comedy with a hard edge will find much to laugh at in Read more

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Reviews (54)

The Funniest Man in America -- Time Magazine
Clocking in at just over one hour
Another Classic
This was just as funny as Bring the Pain. Chris Rock does better at stand up than he ever did in sketch comedy or movies. He is a natural social commentator and that's what makes a great comedian. Brilliant!

Chris Rock is a funny guy
I have enjoyed most Chris Rock movies and so I decided to check out one of his comedy acts.For the most part, it was pretty funny.$5,000 bullets, "crazy" kids, bad parenting and more - it hit on a lot of great subjects.Some of his subject matter was a little much for me, and make no mistake about it, this would easily be an "R" rating if it were rated for the generous helping of profanity in the act.Other than that, I thought it was okay. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Performing Arts - Concerts    2. Pop    3. Spoken / Comedy / Radio Shows    4. Standup Comedy   

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Superb Documentary!!
This is a superb documentary of a great, but complex man Malcolm X.It's a must see!! ... Read more

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Editorial Review

Based on Chester Himes'snovel, this film marked actor-writer Ossie Davis's directing debut. Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques play Himes's volatile police detectives, Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson, who are on the trail of white men who pulled an armed stickup at a Back to Africa rally in Harlem. The money belongs to the poor people who paid for a chance to return to the motherland--but was it really a stickup? Or is the flashy preacher at the center of the Back to Africa movement (Calvin Lockhart) involved in a scam to rip off his own people? The plot drags; the best part of the film are the performances (as well as spotting cameos by such actors as the then-unknown Cleavon Little) and the on-location shooting in parts of New York where a camera had rarely ventured previously. Redd Foxx shows up in a small part as a ragpicker that led to his role in TV's Read more

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Reviews (10)

It Got Soul!
Cotton Comes To Harlem is a movie produced in the time of Black Exploitation films.Fortunately, this movie doesn't fit the mode. It got a lot of soul and laughter.A very good cast.

Humor at its finest
This is the funniest movie I have ever seen in my life.Only Richard Pryor ever made me laugh harder.Rex Reed, the movie critic whose tongue was sharper than a sword, said that you needed to sit through two showing in a theatre so you could hear the lines you missed because people were laughing so hard.He was right.

Electrifying Inner-City Comic Thriller
Director Ossie Davis delivers not only a taut police thriller but a film that inserts the concerns of the civil rights movement circa 1970 in a fascinating way.Filmed on actual locations the film just exudes authenticity and atmosphere.For a film that keeps it real I found it interestingthat the film's score was composed by Galt McDermott of "Hair" fame(?!).Another minor quibble is that the violence in the film was at times over-the-top.Godfrey Cambridge as Gravedigger Jones and Raymond St. Jacques as Coffin Ed Johnson make an engaging pair.They assume their duty as New York police detectives is to protect their people from predators whether they be black or white even if at times they are at odds with their white captain.Calvin Lockhart is deliciously smarmy as Reverend Deke O'Malley who bilks his congregants out of cash for a bogus back to Africa scheme.Judy Pace is seductively evil as Iris, O'Malley's main squeeze.Redd Foxx is underutilized here as a junk dealer but his character does prove integral to the film's plot. ... Read more

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Editorial Review

Despite rave reviews as one of the most stylish and intelligent detective pictures in a number of years, this 1995 adaptation of Walter Mosley's novel never found a mass audience. Too bad, because Carl Franklin's film is nearly perfect in every way, from its rich, shadowy look to its depiction of life in post-World War II black America (L.A.-style) to the acting of Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, and others. Washington plays Easy Rawlins, an aircraft factory worker who is laid off only to find his true calling: as a private eye, albeit an unlicensed one. Hired to find a missing woman, he becomes entangled in a complex but satisfying case involving sex, corruption, racism, and of course money. Top-notch from top to bottom--and Cheadle is dangerously funny as Easy's best friend, a killer named Mouse. Read more

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Reviews (26)

Very good performances hung on not much substance.
Devil in a Blue Dress (Carl Franklin, 1995)
this movie rocks, man!
very good script adapted from a great writer's novel. great casting and amazing performances by all the actors. the directing, editing and the shooting are also too good to not mention it here. this is a perfect noir genre movie, very dark and moody but also got pretty funny sometimes. i enjoy it very much.

Tooo good for words
I usually could talk for hours about how good I think Denzel Washington is, and I could talk even longer about a great movie but this is different it was too good. Maybe it was the surprise of it that made it have more impact, as I had only ever heard whispers about it before until I saw it on the shelves of my local DVD rental store. Positively one of the best private eye films ever. All technical aspects of the film were surperb, soundtrack excellently placed, Denzels performance was magical and supporitng cast brillianlty chosen.
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Editorial Review

Although he passed away too early at age 47, Nat King Cole presents areal challenge to biographers limited to 50 minutes. He is portrayed here--and accurately so--as a heroic figure who was cursed with amazing talent and charisma. His life became a series of conflicts, each one followed by an even greater triumph. The initial conflict was between Cole the jazz pianist and Cole the pop crooner. He was destined for jazz immortality--even the great Art Tatum would watch him play--until the night (as legend has it) a drunken fan called out for a vocal number. "I sang the way I felt and that's just the way it came out," Cole would later explain. Jazz heavies outwardly resented his defection to pop stardom. Cole faced both violent racist whites, who felt threatened by his mass appeal, and hostile African Americans, who considered him a traitor--Thurgood Marshall, then of the NAACP, publicly called him an Uncle Tom, and stores pulled his records off the shelves in Harlem. His only response to such battles was reaching even greater commercial heights: huge hit records fronting full orchestras, his own television show (which he was forced to cancel due to sponsor backlash), major films, red-carpet European tours. Even his beloved cigarettes, which he claimed made his voice more velvety, would take his life at a young age. Read more

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Good video, but way too short
I liked watching this video. But Nat King Cole had an amazing life and as the reviewer said, his whole story just could not be told in 50 minutes. Itdoes cover the highlights of Cole's career, but doesn't really have thetime to elaborate on them. But it is a nice tribute to the latesinger/musician/composer. It features interviews with Maria Cole, Nat'swidow; daughter singer Natalie Cole; his friends, and business associates.One other thing, the date of this video is 1997, not 1987, as Amazon.comhas listed, so it is rather recent. A better video is the UNFORGETTABLEdocumentary from 1988, but if you don't want to spend a lot of money, thisvideo will suit just fine. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie    3. TV Shows   

Editorial Review

John Singleton, at the age of 23, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his debut film, Read more

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Reviews (98)

Excellent Movie With a Strong Message
Boyz n the Hood was one of the most important movies of the 1990's. It is both an excellent movie about life in the mean streets of the inner city as well as a reinforcer of the moral values needed to turn around the situation in Urban America where youth gangs run rampant. During the course of the story, it offers much needed commentary on the
A modern classic for ALL races and ages!
This is truly a BRILLIANT movie in that it lets one have an unvarnished look into how the "real" hood is really like.For me this was nothing less than educational.I could see how individuals may be caught in a web of circumstances and locale (the hood) which they are powerless to escape or ignore.This is more than just a movie, it is a powerful statement by a visionary director that tears the stereotyes down, and exposes the humanity of the characters.When watching the movie, I could clearly relate to the characters and feel their pain and anguish --- these were not just thugs and criminals from a poor neighborhood, but humans with hopes, feelings and aspirations, just like you and me.What more can I say, except: BRAVO!

More than crime
This is not only a thrilling story on the life of a group of African Americans but it also captures the reality of the streets of L.A. As you watch the movie you see the life surrounding this group of black friends. You truly become attached to the characters and begin to feel that they cant do anything to escape the struggle they have been in since they were born. Ice Cube the main character plays a gangbanger who is living the life of a criminal, from fights on the corner, to drive by shootings.
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Editorial Review

Samuel L. Jackson makes a gleefully updated John Shaft in JohnSingleton's homage to (Read more

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Reviews (92)

GOOD MOVIE
This was an entertaining movie, which is more than I can say for some other movies that get rave reviews.I guess everyone sees things differently, therefore, form different opinions.Compared to Shaft of the past, this one doesn't stack up, but I don't think the intent was to compare.
good movie
This movie has a lot of meaning behind it. The actors put on a really good show. Movie is lacking special effects but that does not hurt the quality in any way. Story keeps on unfolding in unexpected ways.
Could have been so much better!
I have to say that I am not familiar with any of the old Shaft episodes, or had had any other contact with the character apart from this movie so I cannot make any comparisons to other sources, nor can I take part in discussing the technicalities and the specifics like other reviewers have.Therefore, coming from someone that did not "know" of Shaft prior to the film I have to say... that I was rather disappointed!
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Reviews (5)

Patty Duke's best TV movie
I have watched this tape about 5 times and I still enjoy it.BRING IT TO DVD, for goodness sake!My VHS tape won't last much longer.

My first understanding of what racism is
This is one of my favorite tv movies of the seventies which is about racism in the south. The performances of the two lead actors are excellent. Patty Duke won a richly deserved Emmy Award for her role showing that her Oscar for the 'Miracle Worker' was not just a fluke. Al Freeman Jr. should of have won as well but that's Hollywood. This film opened my eyes to the real world showing me how ignorant people can really be. Unfortunately, things have not changed much since its release, however, it's still a great film to watch and analyze!

The Best TV Film of 1970
Granted, I am biased in that I have been a long-time fan of Ms. Duke's, dating back to 1962.But I am objective enough in my observations as a student of film, and a video producer myself, to realize - and highly recommend - the excellence of this splendid television production, adapted from the novel by David Westheimer. Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie    4. TV Shows   

Editorial Review

When a pal of detective John Shaft is murdered in a bombing (and $250,000 in cash turns up missing), New York's coolest private eye finds himself caught in the middle of a power struggle between black and white gangsters over the numbers racket in Queens. Directed by Gordon Parks (who does a brief cameo as a croupier in an illegal casino) and written by Ernest Tidyman (both of whom did the original Read more

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Reviews (10)

Can You Dig It?
Shaft's Big Score is a decent sequel, but the pacing is a bit slow at times. You can't beat The Theme From Shaft, but Big Score has got some tight music in it, keepin' it funky for the Private Dick whose a brotha man. Bumpy and Willie, my two favorite characters are back, and Bumpy is still tolerating Shaft while Bumpy maintains his hilarious disrepecting of him. About midway through is one of coolest scenes ever-Shaft is getting worked over backstage at a nightclub by Mob goons while the shots cut back and forth between busted jaws and writhing exotic dancers. The whole scene is scored with a heavily funky tune about the fuzz comin' 'round and what you gonna do when the mace comes down. Obviously, then you gotta just disrespect the Man and check this movie out.

Good Film!!!
Can you dig it!Gotta love the action in this one.Better than the first one!!!

Hot!
Of all of the movies that I own, I keep coming back to the Shaft movies.I wish that they could have made more of them.Don't listen to others, this one is just as good as the first one!
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Editorial Review

And what a day it was: nearly 60 jazz musicians, gathered on a Harlem street one morning in 1958 for what photographer Art Kane rightly, if immodestly, calls "the greatest picture of that era of musicians ever taken" (incredibly, it was also Kane's first professional shoot). Like Ken Burns's Read more

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Reviews (15)

A Great Teaching Tool in Harlem
I bought the VHS Tape years ago with the poster of the photograph and have used it to teach about Jazz in my music classes.I am purchasing the DVD for easier navigation for specific instruction.However, the best thing is using the internet to go to the photo at www.harlem.org.There the kids can click on any person in the photo and find all sorts of info about the artist, the instruments, the music, and CDs available. And thanks to Amazon.com, when you click on a CD or album, you can get to hear a sample of the music.The kids love it!

Beyond wonderful
For just about everyone, but specifically jazz lovers, this account of the memorable photograph in Harlem in the late 1950's and is really a necessity, and also a wonderful record of the great jazz musicians of the 40's and 50's.This is like visiting the famous who you'd have loved to have been your friends.

very good.
yeah both these are good but its really all about thephoto. great to see some of milt hinton's cine footage from the day and other fotos too. the stories are all good from the musicians interviewed even if the photographer does come across a bit of a pratt sometimes. well worth it if you are a jazz fan or appreciate modern history. ... Read more

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Subjects:  1. Comedies    2. Movie    3. Performing Arts - Concerts    4. Television    5. V/a Compilations   

Editorial Review

In the opening minutes of Read more

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Reviews (32)

Thank youPam for aBlaxploitation classic!
Maxim magazine lists Coffy as number 7 on its list of the 50 best B-movies of all time, and there can clearly be no mistake about its status as a B-movie. Pam Grier shines in this hilarious action-packed blaxploitation flick where she first got her name as a 'black pin-up queen' during the early 70's. It is apparent after watching this film that no one remembers this for the bad-acting and dialogue, but for Pam Grier herself she is one mean sister.
My Favorite Movie...
This is probably my all-time favorite film, and I think it's because everything seems to work right: the atmosphere, the music(especially the title song "Coffy" with the classic refrain "Coffy is the color/Of her skin"), the gags, the actors, Pam Grier, everything. I especially like director Hill's choice to film some of the sleeziest parts of Los Angeles in order to tell the story; we see Watts, downtown, Malibu.
PAM GRIER IS FABULOUS!!!! A GODDESS!!!!
This, together with "Foxy Brown", are my two favorite Pam Grier films. Pam Grier kicked butt on both films. Not only she is a great actress, she was and still today IS a total sex goddess!!!!"Coffy" always gets me in the end. After all these men used her, and abused her, after she gets her revenge, kills them all, and at the final scene, the picture of Pam walking alone at the beach, and the song, always gets me. There are times in our lives that in one way or another, we go thru that.
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Editorial Review

Whether or not you've seen the Oscar-award-winning feature film Read more

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The True Story of 'Glory' Continues
This is a rather well-done video that nicely supplements the film 'Glory.'It provides a number of historical insights into the famed 54th Massachusetts Regiment, along with some footage that did not appear in theoriginal film. ... Read more

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Reviews (5)

Total cheese!!!
Who wrote this script?What a terrible way to end the Shaft dynasty. Total cheese!!!
Who wrote this script?What a terrible way to end the Shaft dynasty. Diamond Shaft
Save your money unless this is the last movie in the set for your collection. ... Read more

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Reviews (3)

hmmm.....
this movie was alright. too much of a blaxploitataion film, but otherwise ok. why didnt anyone catch him tho?

What?
That word was how i felt after i watched this.A lot was left out as far as the plot was concerned.It was somewhat interesting but i expected more.Overall it just didn't do it for me.But once again, if you are a collector i suggest you purchase it, Otherwise sit back and read a book.

Mediocre action movie!
Leroy Jackson is one bad moutha!!!He's wanted by the Mafia, the FBI, drug dealers, and many others!!!Read more

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