How I Almost Lost My Eye and Went Blind (or, Learning to See)

I’m five years old, in the first grade, and I can’t see a thing. Nothing. Just blackness. But I can hear my mom. She’s crying, almost hysterical, and trying to do her best to hold it together. The doctor in the emergency room is explaining stuff to my mom that I’m having trouble understanding, but I know what it means when he says that I may lose the eye, and if that happens, there’s a good chance I’ll go blind. And I’m freaking out. Completely freaking out. But at the same time, I’m holding a lot of it inside, because in my five year old mind I know that I’ve got be strong for my mom, because if she sees me break down, she’s going to break down even more, and between her and our alcoholic neighbor who drove us to the emergency room, I can’t handle any more adults around me falling apart. So, I do my best to remain calm, even though the doctor is whispering to my mom that there’s a good chance I’ll be blind.

Friends (or, Contemplating the Connections of Humanity)

I don’t want to get all mushy and sentimental, because those of you that know me know that I’m not either of those things. Okay, maybe I am a bit mushy in the literal sense, in that I need to lose weight, and therefore parts of my body have a squishy consistency, and if you want to point out that sensitive subject, be my guest. But I’m definitely not one of those mushy emotional people. I like to keep most of my emotions bottled up inside, where they can eat away at me over the years, like a slow-acting poison (but that’s a topic for another time). Still, the last several days have been very emotional for me, and in sorting out my feelings, I felt compelled to write a few things down.

Remembering John Callahan

Part of me wants to believe that John Callahan willfully chose this weekend to pass away at the age of 60. With his bold, confrontational, hilarious and unabashedly wicked sense of humor, John Callahan died on the weekend leading up to the twentieth anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Did I mention that John was a quadriplegic?

BAMF Blaxploitation Archive – TAKE A HARD RIDE

BAMF’s Blaxploitation Archive is a collection of reviews originally written in the 1990s that appeared in the pages of BadAzz MoFo. This review and many others have been reprinted and collected in BadAzz MoFo’s Book of Blaxploitation, Volume One, which is now available for purchase.

TAKE A HARD RIDE 1975 director: Anthony M. Dawson; starring: Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, Jim Kelly, Lee Van Cleef, Katherine Spaak

BAMF Blaxploitation Archive – THE BLACK GESTAPO

BAMF’s Blaxploitation Archive is a collection of reviews originally written in the 1990s that appeared in the pages of BadAzz MoFo. This review and many others have been reprinted and collected in BadAzz MoFo’s Book of Blaxploitation, Volume One, which is now available for purchase.

BLACK GESTAPO 1975 (a.k.a. Ghetto Warriors) director: Lee Frost; starring: Rod Perry, Charles Robinson

Vonetta McGee – Rest in Peace

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of actress Vonetta McGee at the age of 65. McGee rose to fame in the late 1960s, and came into her own during the 1970s after appearing in some of the best blaxploitation films of the era. She had memorable roles in such classic films as Melinda (one of the best blaxploitation films of all time), Blacula, Shaft in Africa, Detroit 9000, and Brothers, where she gave an Oscar-worthy performance as a thinly-veiled Angela Davis. The role of Cleopatra Jones was originally written for McGee by Max Julien. McGee and Julien were a celebrated couple during the 1970s, and appeared together in Thomasine and Bushrod, a western written by Julien (the image above is of McGee and Julien in Thomasine and Bushrod).  Many people remember her for her role in Clint Eastwood’s film The Eiger Sanction, or her memorable performance in Alex Cox’s Repo Man, and die hard spaghetti western fans know her from Sergio Corbucci’s The Great Silence (one of the greatest entries of the genre). In 1986 she married actor Carl Lumbly, and they were together until her passing last week. Along with actresses like Gloria Hendry, Pam Grier and Rosalind Cash, Vonetta McGee helped usher in a new era of how black women were portrayed in film.  McGee was a talented actress whose contributions to the world of film and television will live on through her impressive body of work. May she rest in peace.

Feeling Constipated (or, First thoughts about the Thor and Green Lantern movies)

In the last few days promotional images for both the upcoming Thor and Green Lantern movies have been released  (no doubt in the hopes of creating an advance buzz before next week’s San Diego Comic Con). Based on the images alone, the best way to describe how I’m feeling about both of these movies is “constipated.” That’s to say I don’t give a shit.

PREDATORS

The classic 1987 sci-fi action flick Predator gave us more than its share of memorable lines, most notably what would eventually become the title of future-governor Jess Ventura’s book, I Ain’t Got Time To Bleed. Sadly, this sequel, while entertaining enough to offer an escape from whatever summer heat wave may be plaguing you, doesn’t have any moments comparable to “I ain’t got time to bleed” or even “If it bleeds, we can kill it.” But considering how disappointing Predator 2 was—not to mention the extremely excretable Aliens vs. Predators movies—this latest installment comes as something of refreshing surprise. And by “refreshing” I mean that when it’s really hot out, and you want to see a movie that requires almost no thought, while providing plenty of action and special effects, all within the confines of an air-conditioned movie theater, a film like Predators is exactly what you need. Plus, it co-stars Walton Goggins and Danny Trejo, which provide more than enough reason to watch it.

Introducing MISSING REEL

I’m pleased to part of a great new web series, MISSING REEL. Fans of grindhouse flicks and cult movies will love this show, as we explore some of the best exploitation movies ever made.

Talking Dirty with Dr. No-Love

Dear Dr. No-Love, I just started dating this woman recently, and was pleasantly surprised when she had sex with me after only three dates. So far we have had sex four times, and while the sex is good, there is a potential problem—she likes to talk dirty. Honestly, I haven’t had that much sexual experience with women, and I’ve never had one who likes to talk dirty. I don’t know how to respond, if I should respond, or how to even broach the subject. What should I do?