Black Hooker Movie Review

It's about time huh? This was one of the first "gems" I got to see and On Bounce TV's Sugar streaming service ( did I mention there's a lot to choose from now). Anyway, this is another flick from the blaxploitation film era with dual titles, the alternate being Street Sisters. I don't understand the latter since only one hooker is the focus. This 1974 indie flick is set in a mostly rural town (on yeah, there are no big names attached to this one) where a young lady who grew up on a farm gives birth to a biracial child. Instead of going with someone light skin and wavy hair, they did the Alan Willis (from the Jeffersons TV series) only they used some one who looked more like one of the Beach Boys. The woman's religious parents are forced to raise the bar while she breezed in every so often pushing some vintage whip, dragging on a cigarette. While the boy loves his family, he would rather hang out with Mom father than work on the farm. Since no farm means no place to stay, the young man ventures out into the city. Along with his grandparents, he leaves behind someone special. With a few twists and turns, this isn't a complete waste of 90 minutes. However, if you plan to make this a couch surfing session, I'd recommend something of substance like Five on the Black Hand Side or The Landlord.

Is Netflix Becoming What BET Should Have Been?

I'm not talking about the early days when viewers had a nice mix that included news, international culture, real entertainment, a blaxploitation movie, and a couple of throwback sitcoms (at least not in marathon format).  Those were truly their glory days and I won't dwell on the past since it can't be changed.  Personally, I still can't forgive them for changing the popular sitcom. The Game, for Seasons 4 and 5 and then making it watchable in the last 1-2 seasons. BOO!

However, things seem backwards as one of the top TV writers, Shonda Rimes, shocked many when she decided to terminate her long-relationship with ABC for Netflix earlier this month.  While I'd been a fan of many streaming services, it's just in recent I've realized that we still have the power when it comes to consumer numbers.

Perusing the channel, I see many straight-to-DVD titles, indie flicks and projects by veterans like Marlon Wayans.  Last night I realized that 2016's biographic, I Called Him Morgan is not something anyone can just boost from YouTube.  Either pay one of the big names $3-5 to stream for the next day or so, or cough up a couple more dollars and get set for several budgeted date nights (shout out to you cheap asses, I co-sign 100%).

So between streaming services like Netflix, Hulu (which shows older episodes of my new fav, Power), and Bounce TV's Brown Sugar (BTW. I'm back and they finally got their act together), there's almost no need for cable.  Most reality shows are monotonous and predictable, even when they call themselves being shocking.  The truth is that they are more degrading than anything (though I'm not mad at those who capitalize).

In short, if you want to save some money, fire your cable provider!

Brown Sugar Update

According to at least one commenter, I give Bounce TV a hard time.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  I mean, the station comes on digital and cable, they edit movie titles that contain the N word and their original programming , from what I've seen, depicts us in a positive (but sometimes dull) light.

However, I must say that they do listen to their critics.  Not long ago, I signed up for the Bounce streaming service and gave what I thought was an honest review.  This was due to the fact that commercials gave little information about the then-new product.

So several corny (and non-informative) TV commercials later, I have to say that the inventory has greatly improved.  They've added hard-to-find joints like The Spook that Sat by the Door and I believe I even saw Pipe Dreams and Mean Johnny Barrows.  I mean, a person can scroll for hours ....if there using the right device.

Now my problem is not the selection but the service itself.  They've fluctuated from a one-month trial to a one-week trial.  Ordering from the website or Google/Amazon.  One time, I had a movie load perfectly and play with no buffering on my smartphone but I couldn't get that on my Chromebook to save my life.  Then there's billing.

According to their customer service, there is no continuous billing protocol.  Without giving away too much information, Google can only do so much in terms of choosing the right card?  In reading through the reviews, I wasn't the only person not getting service beyond the initial billing period  (maybe this is why they stopped airing commercials with Pam Grier and Fred Williamson - as they're two examples of blaxploitation actors that do receive residuals from their work).

But like I said their customer service does come through.  I dealt with a charming (no sarcasm) person named Foxy Yazmin, it took time to find out that the system may still have a bug or two.  At one time, you could access a personal account via the website to see payment methods but going through a 3rd party seems to be more hassle than it's worth.  Yet, I stand true by my promise to return sometime in the future.

Jim Brown Fans Tune into Bounce TV Tonight

If the summer heat is too much to deal with, Brown Sugar Saturday night has you covered with a blaxploitation triple threat.  Starting with Black Gunn (1972), Take a Hard Ride (1975 with Fred Williamson), and I Escaped from Devil's Island (1973).

Jim Brown has a lot in common with my favorite, Bernie Casey, as they always played solid characters on screen and got their start playing professional ball.  Of tonight's trifecta, I recommend Black Gunn.  It's filmed in L.A.'s west side, has an interesting plot, and the leading lady is the late Teresa Graves of Get Christie Love.

Hopefully, you'll enjoy the little bonus I threw in at the top, 1967's Riot. 

Brown Sugar Streaming Review

You've most likely seen the commercials and wondered what's up, as there's not much to be found online. Is is really like Netflix for black folks? Being the blaxploitation movie junkie that I am, I decided to give the free trial a shot.  

Will this rare movie ever make it Bounce TV's new streaming service?

So the sign-up process is pretty cut and dry.  I load this onto my Chromebook mainly because the memory won't have to fight with Adobe CC on my laptop for space.  Plus the device is less than a year old and because it's so finicky about what a person can download, there's room for a streaming service.

At four dollars a month, it's half the price of Hulu (with commercials) but in viewing the inventory, it takes a moment to see if it's worth THAT much.  Brown Sugar has the standards (the Superfly and Shaft trilogies), along with some flicks that are seeing new life like ABAR, the Black Superman and my favorites Willie Dynamite and Hit Man with Bernie Casey.


Upon second glance, I notice a few that aren't familiar but I remember that movies like Black Starlet have alternate titles (Black Gauntlet).  This was the case in one of my favorites that I don't own, Black Sister's Revenge, also titled 'Emma Mae' in the Brown Sugar catalog.  So what is my conclusion?

Basically, if you like to collect (VHS tapes included), this might be a waste of money.  Or, if you have a great relationship (as in you don't mind the interruptions) with YouTube, you can take a chance on movies that may be there one day and gone the following week.  If you're Amazon friendly, I've always had good service with Gateway Cosmetics and other vendors that specialize in Black movie sales.

Brown Sugar streaming is great for the binge watcher with no space for a bunch of discs or watches in the peak hours.

As far as the experience itself goes....it was Saturday and its me with the Chromebook.  I look up a movie from 1968 with Max Julien that I think I saw but not 100% sure.  It takes a moment to load, so I go get snacks (3-5 mins).  Upon return, I recognize the opening theme but sit for the first 5 minutes.  Not even into opening scene, there's buffering.  Okay, things take time and this movie is as old as I am so let's refresh.

Ten minutes in, there's no semblance of a plot and the thing is buffering when I remember that I never saw Charleston Blue.  It's not in Brown Sugar's inventory so off to YouTube I go where I get a clean picture with few interruptions and it costs...ZERO.  Not condoning bootlegging but if someone knows of a standing store in the L.A. where legit blaxploitation movies are sold, hit me up!

Anyway, I do have a suggestion.  Why not add the indie flicks that Bounce used to air before they got 90-early 2000s sitcom fever.  Seriously, I love Half and Half too but remember the show only aired for three seasons and was definitely affected by the writer's strike near the end.  Fine @ss Lamman Rucker made those episodes watchable before its unfortunate demise.

Okay, digressing here.  I'm really digging indie movie like the ones Aspire shows in the afternoon but my favorite from the early days of Bounce are Drop Squad, The Stick Up Kids, and the one where a pre-nose job Kerri Washington was a window dresser/booster.  Sorry (hangs head but snickering).  

So Bounce, what's up?  Can we get something different since you don't quite have 100 movies in your catalog (more like 75 as of Feb 2017)?  About a third of those are shown on network and basic cable from time to time, so maybe faster load times.  I've had a similar experience with Google so I'm not knocking your efforts, just suggesting a little fine tuning for the long run.

Blackenstein is coming on Bounce TV tonight

 If you're tired of dealing with crazy holiday traffic and looking for something different to get into...the 1973 blaxploitation classic Blackenstein is here to the rescue.  In case you didn't know Bounce is now available on Spectrum/Time Warner.

Truth...I've never seen this one in its entirety but I think the trailer is pretty enticing.  Get yourself a bag of Chicago-style popcorn, a little something to drink or whatever will make you forget about Thanksgiving.  Enjoy!

Happy Fright Day Y'all

Who knew Mac from Night Court had it in him?
 In case you don't have Bounce TV...

Happy B-Day Music Tribute

Early Prince recording with local band 94 East.  This is similar to upbeat tempo electronic beats found in a lot of 1980s R&B tunes.  Not sure if his boy Andre Cymone or other pre-Revolution musicians are on this but it's still lovely nearly 40 years later.

If you saw the Saturday night blaxploitation block on Bounce, you're better than me because I fell asleep a little more than halfway.  Now, if you understood Mean Mothers, then you deserve a treat because the beginning (with Aunt Esther's husband as a pimp/dealer) had nothing to do with the rest of the movie.  Can't say if it was so bad it was good because the budget was less than what's in my bank account.

Check Out Bounce TV Tonight for Blaxploitation Classics

Maybe not classics but movies that got some serious dust on them 'cause I ain't never heard of Mean Mother (1974) or The Murder Gang (I used to love the Brown Sugar on Saturday nights until Bounce got stuck on the same ol, same ol.  So just on a whim, I decided to look at what was doing for Sat. (since I really have nowhere to go anyway) and got a nice little surprise.

Truth, the plot didn't say much so I decided these trailers (with a crazy score playing in the background) would entice you to step away from cable for a few hours.  Oh yeah, if the topic of professional women gets under your skin, this may not be your type of movie.

RIP Ken "White Shadow" Howard

It's been a strange day and I'm still shocked. Went in for a smog check and tune up and left with a DOA Volvo. Back to topic...Only 71 years young and such an illustrious career.  White Shadow was probably the first drama to deal with mostly Black youth and issues like V.D. (remember that term?)

Anyway, I never understand why, 35 years after its last airing, that repeats of the White Shadow were never shown in repeats.  Most of the topics are still relevant today and the retro factors even more interesting.  Maybe Bounce TV will get an idea...

Other TV Stations that Air Blaxploitation Movies

One good thing about last week’s discussion was that people were reminded that BET no longer shows old Black movies. Though the demographic has shifted, somebody under the age of 25 with a trade school education might appreciate the moral lesson that Cabin in the Sky delivers. For all the years I’ve been around, I don’t think they have shown any movie that starred Roscoe Lee Browne.

Anyway, Bounce TV alone is worth investing in and installing a digital antenna. I got an old-school (remember the rabbit ears?) one for less than $12 at Best Buy. It worked better than the fancy things that were $25 and up. In most cities, This TV is another digital channel that shows pre-blaxploitation era movies and others that aren’t too violent or “pulp”.

If you have cable, TV One and Aspire are good sources but Turner Classic Movies is turning out some gems. For a minute there, they seemed to be stuck on 1972’s Trouble Man with Robert Hooks but over the holidays, I got a real treat.

Before the recession hit my humble yet dysfunctional home, I would peruse the Amazon lists for the most rare blaxploitation movies. Some were disappointments but others, like Black Girl are worth the search. Abar, the First Black Superman was a nice surprise although the acting was mostly subpar and there were no known names attached.
The story is about a doctor who is making a serum that gives one super strength. While his intentions may have been good, he moves his family to a White (but looks like Inglewood/Baldwin Hills or Culver City adjacent) neighborhood. Neighbors are less than friendly but somehow when things get rough, a group of Black bikers comes to the rescue…not once, but twice in 20 minutes. The good ol’ doc suddenly gets the bright idea to recruit the leader, Abar, to moonlight as his personal bodyguard.

Although the constant presence of bikers wears down some of the White folks from protesting in front of the Black family’s yard, a few are relentless but get their just reward. Plus there’s a couple of other surprises I won’t let out. More people need to look to the late Jamaa Fanaka for making quality films on a budget, especially in the age of #oscarsowhite.

Should Bounce, BET, and TVOne pull everything Cosby?

As of last night (7/7/15) BET's Centric channel (which is supposed to target Black/AA women) was the only place to find The Cosby Show.  Yesterday, Yahoo reported that Bounce TV pulled 'Cosby', a lesser-known sitcom with the star as a blue collar worker with a somewhat cranky disposition. He's older and not as much fun as Dr. Huxtable but once again Phylicia Rashad played his wife, he has kids as well as racially diverse neighbors (the late Madeline Khan also starred).

If this were the case, it would mean that Fat Albert, Cos, The Bill Cosby Show (show that ran from the late 60s to early 70s that was recently shown on one of the digital television channels), The New Bill Cosby Show, The Cosby Show and Cosby would be a thing of the past as far as TV viewing goes.

I've lived some so I will keep my real opinion out of it.  However, I doubt Oprah or Tyler Perry will want to syndicate these shows on OWN or anywhere else.  What do you think?

Honoring Black History Month on Digital TV

Last week, I had the pleasure of seeing St. Louis Blues on the Movies! Channel.  This black and white stars Nat King Cole as an aspiring singer and songwriter who is torn between making money in secular music and following in the footsteps of his preacher father.  I won't give away much more but stirring the pot in a oh-so-sexy fashion is Eartha Kitt, who also has a unique relationship with Ruby Dee (Cole's main boo).

If the selection at the above link doesn't whet your appetite, there is also the Bounce network, The Turner Network, and possibly Lifetime. In the meantime....

Missing My 80s Sitcoms...Thanks Time Warner!

Over the weekend, I had my popcorn ready to get into some real nostalgia, even though I finally got my digital TV situation under control and can now see Bounce TV.  My cable listing showed that Gimme a Break was coming on TV One...twice in one evening.

Right after the What's Happening reruns went off, I waited to see my Nell Carter...here it is....damn, on comes the Good Times theme song.  I've seen enough of Jimmie Walker to last a lifetime!

For those who may not remember this was a sitcom before Cosby but broke down stereotypes in its own way.  The late Nell Carter played a sassy maid to Dolph Lungren (who passed in the middle of the series' run) and his three daughters in suburbia. 

While she was overweight and mostly less than glamorous (but she did try from time to time), that character was more real than the Jeffersons' Florence Johnston.  Instead of comebacks, she gave the family real advice when the time called for it and seemed to have a little more heart than most domestic technician (Mrs. Garrett from "Diff'rent Strokes/Facts of Life is a close tie).

Here is an episode with the late Whitney Houston during her modeling days. Hopefully TV One will get it together by this weekend.

 

I Miss Bounce TV

A few weeks ago, illness forced me to leave my hole in the wall and live in a house where every tv has Time Warner cable, which does not carry several stations that specialize in old movies.  Now, I get free rides to the hospital, a view of the mountains...in fact, just about everything is free since I don't write as often.  But this does not mean that my mind has stopped working...not counting the occasional brain fart.
) I didn't see '12 Years...' though I like Chewitel and Brad Pitt mostly because I didn't want to.  I'm glad a deep chocolate sis is getting love but why cant she be loved as a lawyer, damn good mother or something else?  This is not to say that hoes, slaves, crackheads and maids are not worthy but Clair Huxtable was along time ago!

Then the minute the powers finish raving about "the red Ralph Lauren dress", here comes Aisha Tyler.

People that trip me out the most are the ones with REALLY ethnic names (as in starts with De or La or ends in esha/isha/ishia, etta or other combination) but run real fast to the other side.

Anyway, besides being not funny, I don't know much about this chick except she has a White husband.  I tried when she did Talk Soup some yrs. ago.

So in getting to my point, there's been nothing on TV to watch while I recover.  Oh yeah...reruns of I Love Lucy, Dragnet, shows from the 70s and the occasional hour-long program dedicated to bacon and other delectable treats I can't eat.

New Shows From Bounce TV

 I still love Bounce network even though their last attempt at original programming left me a little dry (seems others felt the same because its been about a year and no mention of either show returning).

Anyway, I love a good roommate sitcom and you can't tell me Laverne and Shirley wasn't funny back in the day.  I once even read that before they became really famous, Wendy Williams and MO nique were supposed to do a buddy-buddy show before they fell out for good.  Hopefully, Bounce will get the rights to The New Odd Couple with "Lamont Sanford" and Ron Glass (Black dude from Barney Miller).

Yes, roommate shows are nice but why do I get the feeling that My Crazy Roommate is a copycat of Half and Half?

The show about half-sisters who live and try to get along in the same apt. bldg. was one of my favorites and I hate that Rachel True was maligned because she only spoke the truth about these up-and-coming networks.

So politics and racism aside and back on topic, I see the multi-colored eclectic-style apartment (I liked Mona Thorne's place better) with the lighter female as bourgie, a little too uptight and other characteristics that remind me of DeeDee Thorne.  Then there is the darker one with curly hair but a lot more attitude but still an outcast of sorts.

Hmmm....I'm going to stick around to see where this goes.

BRKDWN is news geared towards a younger demo.  It also has a lot of scripted dialogue that goes on behind the scenes.  I don't love or hate it but I do think it needs a little work.

Hosts - Ol girl is cute and has personality but IMO, multicolored hair went out with Kelis.  The guy is kind of just sorta there...maybe.  This could be why the female sometimes talks superfast.

Supporting characters - As a former member of Team Chunk, I have to say this.  If you're going to have a big girl on there, show her some love.  Get clothes that fit and weave that's not matted or weird looking.  A big sweet dark Chunky Bar in bad wrapping though funny like Shirley the waitress from Whats Happening.

Though I hate they debuted with RayJ but I appreciate them spreading the message on politics, cancer, and college ball.

Should Blacks Stay Away From Reality Shows?

Since I've been without cable for going on two yrs. now, I've gotten deep into cooking shows when there's nothing else on.  Though I love to cook, I hate the predictability of reality shows.  Particularly those that star 
Gordon Ramsay.

Just found out that former MasterChef competitor Josh Marks allegedly committed suicide.  Not long ago, the 26-year old had an altercation with police and it has been said that he suffered from a mental disorder.

Coming from someone who deals with addiction and other destructive behaviors from various family members, a reality show is the last place he should have been.  Even if he was talented (though he lost to a blind competitor), needed the exposure or money.

Reality TV is one thing I do not miss with cable services.  Recently, while in recovery, I skipped through many marathons of Hollywood Exes, R&B Divas, and too many too count.  I got my NeNe fix back when she had a medium-length weave and bell pepper nose.  I'm not even going to discuss Basketcase Wives.

However, it did start off innocently enough with Real World back in the early 90s.  I even made plans to join the San Fran (1993-94) cast but found getting that audition tape was at the bottom of my priorities.  Now I think had hat come to fruition, I would probably be another stereotype that would not have the resource to turn things around for the better.

Though it's been argued for more than a decade now but the question remains, Why even support these shows? The ones that try to not be violent are dull, other were bust at the starting gate (e.g. Who Wants to Marry a Midget) and truthfully, nine times out of ten, when you've seen one person sing, you've seen them all sing.  Little Asian men that sound like Barry White or blue-eyed blondes that can wail like they grew up in a Baptist church are nothing new in L.A. or other major cities.

So while Bounce TV may not exactly read my mind or show the old blaxploitation movies I want to see, every day of the week...I will always respect their choices.  I discovered the Aspire network while I was recovering and I have to say I'm pretty impressed at the strides Black Hollywood is making when it comes to showing positive images.

Will Bounce TV Take a Stand Against Russy?

What I think about Russell Simmons money.

I haven't seen the entire travesty of a video and I will not share it here.  However, I've seen enough to know that drugs really fries brain cells.  Though I've had my own issues to deal with in the past few weeks, I've noticed that I haven't seen those Rush Card commercials on Bounce TV.

Yeah, everybody's got bills to pay but I've heard many not-so-great things about celebrity-endorsed debit cards and how they take advantage of regular folks trying to get ahead.  Particularly the Russell/Kimora Simmons Rush Card.  I went on YouTube to find a testimonial but none in the immediate searches got to the point in the first 3 minutes of viewing.

Hopefully, Bounce TV will stop running these commercials and in the meantime, you can check out this 411 on debit card account fees and what is legitimate.  Courtesy of the Federal Reserve Consumer site.

Happy 76th B-Day, Mr. Cosby

If you have digital TV, you will see that this man made many contributions long before Dr. Huxtable came along in the 1980s.  Though he has come under fire for telling the truth about certain communities, I'm glad he's one of the few living legends around today.

As an avid DTV watcher, I can find his old movies and Fat Albert cartoon series on Bounce, I Spy reruns on NBC, but I have a hard time getting the channel that shows The Bill Cosby Show (1970).  Personally, I don't hear much about this show or why it was taken off the air.  So below is an episode with Cicely Tyson as his blind date.

Norman, is That You?

Yep...back to actual reviews.  This 1976 classic stars Redd Foxx, Pearl Baily and a really young Michael Warren as the son reluctant to come out of the closet for a man who spent years calling poor Lamont Sanford a dummy...but he got the ladies.

Another one they never show on the Black stations but here is a spoiler alert that would definitely need editing.

Waylon Flowers and Madame (yep, the puppet from Solid Gold) have a cameo where Ms. M comes out in blackface and sings in "jive".

It was funny but then again, I've never been a PC person.



 This movie was also inspiration for the Sanford and Son episode where Lamont and Rollo visit a gay bar.  Enjoy!