You guys may not know this, but Blaxploitation will be making a return to the theaters next month when Sony Pictures releases the new movie, Black Dynamite, starring Michael Jai White, on October 16, 2009.  Black Dynamite is a satirical take on the Blaxploitation action hero, and the film’s official site describes the plot of the movie as follows:

When ‘The Man’ murders his brother, pumps heroin into local orphanages, and floods the ghetto with adulterated malt liquor, Black Dynamite is the one hero willing to fight all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House.

Now you all know how I generally feel about Blaxploitation parodies.  WORLD OF HURT largely exists as a response to films like I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and Undercover Brother, whose biggest laughs (if that word can be used for Undercover Brother) seemed built around jokes about giant Afros and platform shoes.  However, despite the humorous direction, Black Dynamite seems to take, from everything I’ve seen and heard, the film’s creators have a deep respect for the genre, so I’ll reserve my final judgment until I’ve had the chance to see the movie myself.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a vested interest in Black Dynamite’s success.  The bigger their audience, the more people will be out there looking for information, or content, concerning Blaxploitation, and as “The Internet’s #1 Blaxploitation Webcomic,” I’d like to think that I’m in a position to provide them with that.   I admire the fact that Black Dynamite is bringing an excitement and awareness to Blaxploitation that I’ve never seen before.  These cats have obviously done their homework on this long-overlooked, and underrated, film movement.  All the details of the movie, from the costumes, the music, the trailers, and even the film stock, look right and feel right.

The film’s creators have also done a fantastic job in marketing and promoting Black Dynamite.  Their grind has been nothing less than impeccable.  They built strong word-of-mouth by becoming regular fixtures at various film festivals this year, where Black Dynamite earned “Official Selection” status at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival.  The movie’s director, Scott Sanders, has developed a strong presence on Facebook, and Black Dynamite himself has built solid followings on Facebook and Twitter by posting status updates and tweets in character: (Typical tweet: “Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez? Black Dynamite does not want to tweet about preteen cartoon shit.” or “Gotta remember to pack my travel nunchucks for Comic-Con this weekend.”)  Additionally, a viral ad campaign and website has been introduced around Black Dynamite’s mission of fighting drug dealers who try to push dope on children, appropriately titled: Fight Smack In The Orphanage (FSITO).  I mentioned this briefly in last week’s blog entry about The Top Ten Blaxploitation Villains.

Recently, I received a media kit from the Black Dynamite staff that included a DVD featuring all three (3) FSITO public servics announcements, “FIGHT SMACK” stickers, a syringe-shaped pen (clever), and a black “FIGHT SMACK IN THE ORPHANAGE” t-shirt.   The t-shirt is a size “Large,” with a suggested retail price of $30.  You can see what it looks like here.  (It’s the black one that Michael Jai White is rockin’ on the left.)

Now, where other cats would be content to send out endless tweets or Facebook status updates about Black Dynamite, like broken homing beacons, if I’m gonna hustle for something, then I’ve gotta keep my hustle RIGHTEOUS, ya hear?  Therefore, I’m offering my readers a chance to win the “Fight Smack In The Orphanage” t-shirt with the first ever WORLDOFHURTONLINE.COM HARD-ASS TRIVIA CONTEST!*

All you have to do to win is answer the following questions and e-mail your responses to me at worldofhurtonline@yahoo.com by Monday, September 28, 2009, under the subject heading “Hard-Ass Trivia.” I will draw the winner from the first five (5) correct entries I receive by that date.  The winner will be announced on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009.  Here are your questions:

1.  In 1994, this Black Dynamite cast member played one of the leads in an Academy Award-winning film.  The name of the  character he played was later used to launch a successful restaurant chain.  Name the actor and the restaurant.

2.  Which of the cast members of Black Dynamite had a recurring role as “God,” and on which television show?

3.  Which Black Dynamite cast member has portrayed two (2) separate DC Comics characters?  Name the actor and the two characters.

4.  Which Black Dynamite cast member starred opposite Blaxploitation legends Pam Grier, Robert Hooks, Isaac Hayes, Melvin Van Peebles, and Spartacus‘ Woody Strode, all in the same film?  Name the actor and the movie.

BlackDynamiteMovie.com has a convenient “Cast” page with the names and photographs of each actor, and the characters they play. (Look under the “About” tab.)  After that, you’re on your own, my friends.

Good luck!

- JEP

* (DISCLAIMER: Neither this contest, nor WORLDOFHURTONLINE.COM are affiliated with, or officially endorsed by, the makers of Black Dynamite, Black Dynamite, LLC, BlackDynamiteMovie.com, Sony Pictures,  Apparition, Ars Nova, or Destination Films.  All responsibility for selection of the winner and distribution of prizes rests solely with Jay Potts and WORLDOFHURTONLINE.COM.   It’s just my way of giving away free swag.)

I tend to get a little long-winded in my Friday blog posts, so I’m gonna keep this short and sweet.  Today, you don’t need to be sitting in front of your computer screen reading what I have to say about Blaxploitation.  You need to be out there experiencing it for yourself at your local movie house, because the new film Black Dynamite opens nationwide today. 

Remember, if this flick does well, then we can bring more attention we can bring to this genre that we know and love so much. 

So what are you waitin’ for?  If you’re at home reading this, you need to be headed out the door and if you’re at work, score some tickets from Fandango and avoid the lines.  Either way, quit draggin’ ass and get gone. 

…

…

GET!!

- JEP

Yesterday was a HUGE day for me, A) because it was my birthday and my fiancee, among other wonderful gifts, gave me Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon: A Livelong Vision Of The Heroic, and B) WORLD OF HURT received a mention on CNN.com.  I spoke with CNN journalist, Lisa France, on Wednesday about the new movie, Black Dynamite and its potential to spark renewed interest in the Blaxploitation film movement.  [My conversation with her also underscored why I think journalists are so freakin' cool.  (Heck, I'm marrying one!)  The first thing Ms. France did was apologize for calling a few minutes past our appointed time, because she had to take a call from Hulk Hogan. Yes, the Immortal, Say-Your-Prayers-And-Eat-Your-Vitamins Hulk Hogan.  And she said it in the same matter-of-fact manner you reserve for asking a co-worker if they want a cup of coffee.]

Ms. France quoted me in her article, “‘Black Dynamite’ pays homage to blaxploitation films”, which included a hotlink to WORLD OF HURT.  As a result, I enjoyed the highest daily traffic this site has ever seen.  I’ve been really rooting for the success of Black Dynamite, and I was a little disappointed that the initial release of the film was not as widespread as I had hoped.  I’ve enjoyed riding on the double-knit polyester coattails of Black Dynamite’s $100 suits, and I definitely think it can, and already is, doing a lot to bring new fans to the movement.  Search out some of the interviews with Michael Jai White or director Scott Sanders and you can hear the passion in their voices for this film and the movement that became known as “Blaxploitation,” particularly when you hear them lament the absence of any Fred Williamsons, Jim Browns or Pam Griers in films today.

If you don’t have the luxury of living in some progressive, major urban center with a vibrant arts community (I ain’t namin’ no names, Columbia, South Carolina, but you know who you are), then do your part to bring Black Dynamite to your town and click on the fancy, color coordinated widget below:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

- JEP

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the music of Blaxploitation is inextricable from the Blaxploitation film experience.  The music defined the film movement as much as any of the fashion, dialogue, or the recurring visual or thematic motifs.

With his soundtrack and score of Ivan Dixon’s 1972 film, Trouble Man, Marvin Gaye delivered what some consider to be his finest album.  Isaac Hayes earned an Oscar for his “Theme From ‘Shaft’” in 1972.  James Brown delivered the imminently funky soundtrack for the Fred Williamson vehicle, Black Caesar, which is still sampled by hip-hop artists today.

When Michal Jai White, Byron Minns, and director Scott Sanders were putting together their new film, Black Dynamite, an homage to Black action films of the 1970s, they enlisted Adrian Younge to write the soundtrack.  Adrian Younge follows in Blaxploitation’s unique, and proud cinematic tradition, of having a single artist  craft the entire soundtrack.  Younge wrote, composed, and performed every song on the album, with the exception of the final track, “Dynomite (Suckapunch Re-edit),” which features the loopy, Tom Jones-esque vocals of Sir Charles Hughes.  Younge receives powerful assists from singers, such as Loren Oden and Toni Scruggs, and is backed up on several cuts by musicians like Jack Waterson on drums, and WORLD OF HURT regular C.E. Garcia on electric bass and electric guitar.  (If you’re lucky, you may be able to find them on tour, performing live as the Black Dynamite Sound Orchestra.)

Much like the visuals and story elements of the film, Adrian Younge’s music for Black Dynamite straddles a line between humor and homage.  The lyrics to a number of the songs provide a humorous, deadpan, point-by-point narrative of the films’ events.  In this regard, the soundtrack reminds me of James Brown’s vocal work for Black Caesar, which often repeated what was occurring onscreen, like the captions in a Silver Age comic book.  At other times, Younge’s lyrics can serve as a surrogate for the audience (Somebody broke into Jimmy’s pad/Are they still here?/Sucka could be anywhere in the song, “Jimmy’s Apartment”) or Black Dynamite’s conscience (I miss the best brother I ever had/Oh, now I’m back/So I’ve got to kill that jack, yeah in “Jimmy’s Dead”).  Basically, the lyrics from any song with the word “Jimmy” in the title are guaranteed to deliver a chuckle or two.  However, when you strip away the lyrics,  as with the instrumental version of “Jimmy’s Dead,” you will find in the soundtrack to Black Dynamite, a  beautiful, soulful body of work with a remarkable fidelity to the era it is intended to evoke.

Reading the liner notes, you discover that Younge’s attention to detail extended far beyond the songs themselves, but to how those songs were created and recorded.  He used analog recording techniques, not digital, and to the extent possible, every piece of equipment used to record the album  was created prior to 1979.  The very fact that Younge includes liner notes beyond lyrics and a laundry list of thank-yous is another welcome throwback to the days of vinyl.

Black Dynamite co-writer, Byron Minns,  also stars in the film as Black Dynamite’s confidante, “Bullhorn.” His voice is the first thing you hear, and he sets the tone for the rest of the album by hollering out to the listener: I wanna tell you a STOO-ry/’ Bout a friend I had/He’s a mean muthafucka/And he’s SUPERBAD. He delivers the line and the rest of a short verse about Black Dynamite in an uncanny Rudy Ray “Dolemite” Moore impression which segues seamlessly into the husky, soulful vocals of LaVan Davis, who contributes vocals on several other tracks as well. One of my favorite moments is when Davis climbs a register to deliver the line after, “Better watch them politicians/Trying to shrink y’all n***** dicks,” in a soaring falsetto.  It’s funny, but it’s a natural vocal flourish that fits perfectly into the song.  It also encapsulates the focus on humor, craft, and attention to detail that is a hallmark of every aspect of Black Dynamite.

Another aspect of the Black Dynamite soundtrack that I appreciate is that it’s not some crass commercial effort by some huge media conglomerate to load a soundtrack with their hot artists or justify the A&R costs of the new talent they’re developing under the heading “Songs From And Inspired By The Major Motion Picture [FILL IN THE BLANK].  What the hell is “inspired by?”  Inspired by the desire for royalty checks?  Inspired by a need to stay relevant before they kick you off the label?  Most of the songs you find on today’s soundtracks aren’t even in the actual movie, unless you stay until the very end of they final credits or if you electronically filter out the background noise during some crowd scene, you MIGHT be able to hear a snippet from some Macy Gray tune.

The Black Dynamite soundtrack is available through Wax Poetic Records, and it’s not the sort of album you want to pop into your iPod while you’re running around doing errands.  In the tradition of the soul albums that inspired it, it’s the kind of album that you want to put on your stereo and LISTEN to while you flip through the well-illustrated liner notes.  The layered live instrumentation, with everything from Younge’s breathy, jazzy flutes to the mournful hum of the Hammond organ, bear repeated listenings and deserve your full attention.   The highest praise I can offer for what Younge created is to sayI played it back to back with a best of Willie Hutch CD, and the transition from Hutch, who gave us the soundtrack to The Mack, to Younge, was flawless.  It felt like I had dropped the needle on the second half of a double album featuring the best of ’70s soul.

To find out more, check out the Wax Poetics site, and for nice insight into the history of the album and Younge’s process, you might want to check out this mini-documentary about the Black Dynamite score.  Like the album itself, it is well done, with great attention to detail, and I highly recommend it.

- JEP