#thalmus rasulala

[weirdlookindog]

Blacula (1972) - Italian Photobustas

[gotankgo]

Pam Grier as Friday Foster (2975)

[of-fear-and-love]

Pam Grier in Friday Foster (1975)

[felicereviews]

Friday Foster (1975) 90 minutes, Rated R

I loved this one. For many reasons. The main reason being Pam Grier is so likable and wonderful and confident and in charge. No victim mentality here. She's up for it and engaged in her life choices and owning the screen.

I don't know who is paying attention but I'll remind readers that I am working my way through 2 books on cult films and one box set of 52 cult movies. None of the box set selections have made it to the blog yet. The book '100 Cult Films' is a good guide through what should be mentioned in the genre. Meaning I have substituted film after film - watching the selection in the book then watching and blogging about the selection I find more appropriate. But the 'TCM Underground' book - well - it's just got more class, more Va Va Va Voom, and less sexual violence. And, of course, I am listening to the TCM podcast this season which just so happens to be on Pam Grier.

So I was ready for Friday Foster, expecting more grit and violence but there was no revenge drama here. Just a professional photographer living her life who witnesses an assassination attempt and has to solve the mystery by stealing a milk truck and a hearse (loved those scenes).

And Pam is her usual and wonderful self but you know who else is tops? Yaphet Kotto! He is her friend and a private investigator and he is so dang funny! Considering the last time he was in a movie on this blog it was a very serious role I was tickled at how much I laughed at every scene he was in. One scene, he's chasing the bad guy, played by Carl Weathers, and he ducks down for cover and then says out loud, 'What am I doing here?' Like - really? Why are you chasing down a bad guy with a gun? Really good comedy - in the moment - laughing at himself.

Of course Friday has her two lovers - one a senator and one the 'black Howard Hughes'. She enjoys herself both times - seems happy and sexy. She fends off the neighborhood pimp who is constantly showering her with gifts to get her to work for him declaring that his girls are 'covered under a health plan'. (They seem happy too - the prostitutes I mean).

Scatman Crothers plays a minister, Eartha Kitt is a fashion designer, it's just a wonderful display of black culture at that time in history.

Have to mention Friday's little brother played by Tierre Turner. I had trouble finding his name on the IMDB page but that's it. Turns out Tierre is still working as a stuntman and actor - way to go. He was 15 when he made the movie but he looked younger. And he collects gifts for Friday and then re-sells them. Someone says, 'so you're a hustler' and he says, 'no - black capitalism'. Or something like that. He's just taking care of business is all. He was an underdeveloped character - like why is Friday living there with him and no parents? When does he go to school? Bla bla. But Friday Foster is a blaxploitation movie (said with all the admiration for the genre one can emote) - and that genre didn't always have all the ends tied together. Such is life.

I thought about substituting Friday Foster for Foxy Brown or Coffy but no - I'll leave this one in the cult series. It's a solid movie bringing in all the tropes of blaxploitation plus comedy. Really enjoyable.

As I was posting the hashtags - I realized another repeat player in cult cinema - Paul Benjamin. He played the senator in this film was in Across 110th Street also - playing the main guy who robs the mob. These sorts of discoveries are why I love blogging about movies.

[erstwhile-punk-guerito]

[cinemaquiles]

Um clássico da TV Americana: "A autobiografia de Miss Jane Pittman" (1974)

[gancanagh]

"Kunta Kinte. Behold, the only thing greater than yourself."

Roots (1977)

[ogtombrown]

                                                                Blacula

           When watching Blacula I expected a comedy based on the title and the trailer, and while the film does start out a little campy, it quickly turns serious. Although it's humorous when someone yells "Blacula" for the first time in the movie, the rest of the movie is portrayed as straight horror and grows rather gloomy. Director William Crain is listed by Wikipedia as "one of the first black directors to achieve commercial success" after graduating from a prestigious film school. The screenplay by Joan Torres and Raymond Koenig, who appear to have only ever written it for this film and its sequel, Scream Blacula Scream, is essentially a Dracula retelling that takes place in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. The film has a funk soul vibe that is propelled by Gene Page's peppy rhythm and blues score and resembles a Gothic romance.

             Because the movie portrays itself as something lot lighter and sillier and fills itself out with song and dance routines, it makes for a generally perplexing viewing experience. But, William Marshall does a fantastic job as the hero, and the result is a solid Supernatural Horror/Vampire film with Blaxploitation origins. The dark vampire movie Blacula was made in the 1970s, and one of the most obvious differences between then and now is that it was actually played straight. This isn't Rudy Ray Moore in a cape. When I discovered that this was a horror film, I was really shocked.

          So, this guy escapes and begins sucking blood all over El Lay in genuine horror murder scenes. The plot is the same as in Dracula, but the soundtrack features far more wah-wah guitar, bass, and horns. A slick, alluring vampire who can transform into a bat and wears a cape goes about his business and develops an obsession with a woman (Vonetta McGee, who also plays his wife from three hundred years previous). There is no Van Helsing in this case, but there is a curious police detective (Thalmus Rasulala) who begins to think outside the box as he investigates this bizarre trail of bloody bodies.

            I appreciate how seriously this film takes things. This is enjoyable. William Marshall gives his all in the major role, even if inexperienced director William Crain struggles to keep the camera in focus. At the time, Marshall was a theatrical veteran who performed in everything from Carmen Jones to Shakespeare. He was close to 50 years old. His commanding screen presence and thunderous voice make the ground slightly tremble whenever he speaks. No matter how ridiculous some of his lines may be, Marshall has a job to do and is determined to do it well.

[invisiblekatanaartwork]

Artist’s Blog #140 - Blacula (1972)

Blacula, One More Crossed Off the List

I won’t reread last week’s blog to confirm this, but I don’t think I mentioned how I wouldn’t have watched Blacula if I hadn’t first seen Scream Blacula Scream. You can check last week’s blog if you want, but let’s move on. I watched the sequel for two reasons. First, Pam Grier; second, this exploration series was on my list. Honestly, Blacula started slow and wasn’t very engaging, so I probably would have stopped after the first 15 minutes. However, since I had already watched the sequel, my expectations rose, and I finished the film. Now, let’s dive into why I’m glad I did.

Suicide by Sunlight: Blacula Has a Bold Ending

Occasionally, a vampire movie introduces a fresh concept to the classic tale, and Blacula does exactly that. While I’m no vampire film expert, I’m unsure if this idea had been used before, but the lead vampire actually wants to die. Not only that, he tells the Van Helsing-like character he won’t need his crucifix, then boldly walks into the sunlight. When I first heard this line, I assumed the crucifix simply wouldn’t affect him. Instead, he walks into the sun, and in a trippy 1960s kaleidoscope sequence, he melts away as the credits roll. Honestly, the last 10 minutes of Blacula are the best.

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I didn’t want to spoil this twist. We usually see Dracula reveling in his immortality and bloodlust, but Blacula takes a different approach. The story presents Count Blacula trying to stop the slave trade, run by Dracula himself. Dracula retaliates by turning him into a vampire and locking him in a coffin, forcing him to suffer eternally, craving blood he couldn’t have. This unique punishment for a vampire was a perspective I hadn’t considered. Also, Blacula explores the burden of immortality. He loses his wife—would you curse your loved ones by converting them, or watch them age and die? Wrap your dome around that.

Superhuman Strength and Pimp Smacks by Blacula

Another quality Blacula shares with Dracula is his superhuman strength, something Christopher Lee portrayed well but Bela Lugosi did not. You might picture Dracula as frail, but it makes sense for the count to have some strength. Maybe he weakens if he hasn’t fed in a while? I’m not sure. Regardless, Blacula demonstrates this strength when he pimp smacks a man into a wall—something only The Nature Boy Ric Flair could pull off in real life. Additionally, bullets have no effect on him. People shoot at him, but he just stares coldly and keeps advancing. A crossbow, I imagine, would be more effective.

Style and Cool Cape in Blacula

Both Blacula and Scream Blacula Scream feature some impressive transformation scenes and floating effects, consistent with the cheesy coolness of 70s horror. The 70s also brought us cool cars and even cooler fashion, which are front and center in Blacula. While watching, I couldn’t imagine anyone wearing a cape outside of medieval times, but if there was another era that could pull it off, it was the 70s. As Blacula strolled through nightclubs in his Dracula garb, I wondered if people would have dug his cape. Right on cue, a character asks, “Hey brother, can I buy that cape off of you?” Right on, man.

From Sanford and Son to Blacula: 70s Icons

One of my all-time favorite shows to this day is Sanford and Son. I mentioned it in another blog somewhere but, my brother and I took a road trip to TN and bought a 50s Ford door for some S&S art I did. It was a great time, and you can see the art here. Anyways, Blacula features 2 actors that had small roles in Sandford and Son. One played a heart fund rep who laughs about someone having 5 heart attacks a day and also Skeeter Mathews, a crooked gambler that Fred swindles. This was Thalmus Rasulala and the referenced episodes are “Fred’s Cheating Heart” S3 E17 and “Jealousy” S2 E4. Thalmus also was the assistant director of Steven Segal’s Above the Law, which you can read my blog on here. He played the Van Helsing character named Dr. Gordon Thomas in Blacula.

The other was a lady named Emily Yancy who played Nancy in Blacula. She was an attractive lady with a cool afro that played Lamont’s love interest who was suspected to be (unknowingly to Lamont) his sister in “Sanford and Son and Sister Makes Three” S2 E11. In Blacula, she was a photographer and victim of the count. On a side note, Nancy had a dark room in her house where she developed her pictures. This was cool to see. She slid a curtain across the kitchen and worked on her photos. It was here that I, to my current knowledge, first saw the idea presented that a vampire’s image won’t show up in pictures. Anyway, the retro dark room was cool to see. I don’t recall seeing one of these in a retro movie before. 

On to the Next Exploitation Film

All in all, I most likely will never watch either of these films again. Neither of them was bad, they were on my list of exploitation films to see, and now they have been crossed off the list. On to the next exploitation film. I think, as far as this genre goes, I’m going to revisit The Big Bird Cage next. I don’t know. We’ll see where the free streaming services take me for my next retro movie adventure. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading an artist’s thoughts on Blacula. I invite you to follow my art journey on social media, visit my website, and consider supporting and buying my work here. If you liked this blog or the movie, please share. Also, feel free to comment, especially if you are a Blacula fan. Peace. 

#blacula #70smovies #popartstyle #vintagehorror #pamgrierfan #artblog #movieblogger #retroblog #classicmonsters #horrorfilmhistory  

[ulkaralakbarova]

A gangster, Nino, is in the Cash Money Brothers, making a million dollars every week selling crack. A cop, Scotty, discovers that the only way to infiltrate the gang is to become a dealer himself. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Nino Brown: Wesley Snipes Scotty Appleton: Ice-T Garald “Gee Money” Welles: Allen Payne Pookie: Chris Rock Stone: Mario Van Peebles Selina: Michael Michele Duh Duh Duh Man: Bill Nunn Park: Russell Wong Old Man: Bill Cobbs Kareem Akbar: Christopher Williams Nick Peretti: Judd Nelson Keisha: Vanessa Williams Uniqua: Tracy Camilla Johns Frankie Needles: Anthony DeSando Reverend Oates: Nick Ashford Prosecuting Attorney Hawkins: Phyllis Yvonne Stickney Police Commissioner: Thalmus Rasulala Don Armeteo: John Aprea Master of Ceremonies: Fab 5 Freddy D.J.: Flavor Flav Frazier: Clebert Ford Prom Queen: Laverne Hart Fat Smitty: Eek-A-Mouse Biff: Gregg Smrz Teacher: Erica McFarquhar Singer at Wedding: Keith Sweat Gigantor: Max Rabinowitz Woman in Hallway: Marcella Lowery Judge: Manuel E. Santiago Prosecuting Attorney: Ben Gotlieb Reporter: Thelma Louise Carter Reporter: Linda Froehlich Bailiff: Christopher Michael Recovering Addict: Kelly Jo Minter Recovering Addict: Tina Lifford Recovering Addict: Erik Kilpatrick Assistant DA: Ron Millkie Kid on Stoop: Harold Baines Kid on Stoop: Sekou Campbell Kid on Stoop: Garvin Holder New Year’s Eve Band – (Guy): Teddy Riley New Year’s Eve Band – (Guy): Aaron Hall New Year’s Eve Band – (Guy): Damion Hall Singers – Spring – (Troop): Rodney Benford Singers – Spring – (Troop): John Harrell Singers – Winter – (Levert): Gerald Levert Singers – Winter – (Levert): Sean Levert Butchie The Doorman: Jimmy Cummings Courtroom Spectator (uncredited): Akosua Busia Prostitute in The Pool (uncredited): Lia Chang Gangster Standing at Bar (uncredited): Jake LaMotta Barber (uncredited): Larry M. Cherry Brides Maid (uncredited): Cynthia Elane Girl in the Window (uncredited): Toni Ann Johnson Connie The Waitress (uncredited): Candece Tarpley C.M.B. Member (uncredited): Chris Thornton Film Crew: Director: Mario Van Peebles Story: Thomas Lee Wright Music Supervisor: Doug McHenry Screenplay: Barry Michael Cooper Casting: Pat Golden Production Design: Charles C. Bennett Director of Photography: Francis Kenny Casting: John McCabe Editor: Steven Kemper Unit Production Manager: Preston L. Holmes Costume Design: Bernard Johnson Original Music Composer: Michel Colombier Music Supervisor: George Jackson Associate Producer: Fab 5 Freddy Associate Producer: Suzanne Broderick Associate Producer: James Bigwood First Assistant Director: Dwight Williams Stunt Coordinator: Jery Hewitt Stunts: Danny Aiello III Stunts: G. A. Aguilar Second Assistant Director: Joseph Ray Production Supervisor: Brent Owens First Assistant Editor: Kevin Stitt Camera Operator: John Newby First Assistant Camera: Gregory Irwin Second Assistant Camera: Myra-Lee Cohen Additional Camera: Ed Hershberger Steadicam Operator: Ted Churchill Production Sound Mixer: Frank Stettner Boom Operator: Keith Gardner Cableman: Rosa Howell-Thornhill Art Direction: Barbra Matis Art Direction: Laura Brock Art Department Coordinator: Roberta J. Holinko Set Decoration: Elaine O’Donnell Script Supervisor: Cornelia ‘Nini’ Rogan Makeup Artist: Diane Hammond Assistant Makeup Artist: Ellie Winslow Hairstylist: Larry M. Cherry Hairstylist: Aaron F. Quarles Wardrobe Supervisor: Barbara Hause Wardrobe Supervisor: Jane E. Myers Wardrobe Assistant: Jill E. Anderson Gaffer: Charles Houston Rigging Gaffer: Martin Andrews Best Boy Electric: Val DeSalvo Key Grip: Robert M. Andres Best Boy Grip: Paul Wachter Dolly Grip: Tom Kudlek Property Master: Octavio Molina Assistant Property Master: Laura Jean West Assistant Property Master: Kevin Ladson Charge Scenic Artist: Jeffrey L. Glave Construction Coordinator: Raymond M. Samitz Special Effects Supervisor: Steven Kirshoff Special Effects Coordinator: Wilfred Caban Second Unit Director: Jeff Lengyel Second Unit Director of Photography: Jacek Laskus Second Unit First Assistant D...

[saturdaynightmatinee]

CALIFICACIÓN PERSONAL: 4.5 / 10

Título Original: Bulletproof

Año: 1988

Duración: 93 min

País: Estados Unidos

Dirección: Steve Carver

Guion: T.L. Lankford, B.J. Goldman. Historia: T.L. Lankford, Fred Olen Ray

Música: Thomas Chase, Steve Rucker

Fotografía: Francis Grumman

Reparto: Gary Busey, Darlanne Fluegel, Henry Silva, Thalmus Rasulala, L.Q. Jones, etc

Productora: Cinetel Films, Bulletproof Productions

Género: Action

TRAILER:

[cantsayidont]

Haterating and hollerating in the 1970s:

SKIN GAME (1971): Tasteless, offensive, completely unfunny comedy, set in 1857, starring James Garner and Louis Gossett as con artist partners Quincy and Jason, whose preferred scam is having Quincy sell Jason as a slave and then immediately help him escape so they can split the proceeds of the "sale." When Jason is enslaved "for real," Quincy has to come up with a scam to get him out, with the help of a persistent con woman (Susan Clark) who's decided she's his new partner. Inexplicably well-regarded by critics — Leonard Maltin gives it three and a half stars out of four — it's indefensibly dreadful, serving mostly to illustrate how bad BLAZING SADDLES might have been without the involvement of Richard Pryor; SKIN GAME screenwriter Peter Stone's idea of a comic setpiece is having a cartoonish caricature of real-life abolitionist John Brown break up a slave auction just before Quincy can collect his biggest-ever profit from selling Jason. Appalling. CONTAINS LESBIANS? Nix. VERDICT: The pits, and Garner's normally charming laconic patter only makes it worse.

VANISHING POINT (1971): Existentialist road movie about a delivery driver named Kowalski (Barry Newman) — eventually revealed as a disillusioned Medal of Honor recipient and ex-cop, expelled from the San Diego police force for stopping another cop from raping someone — who becomes a fugitive after accepting a bet that he can deliver a souped-up Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Franscisco in less than 48 hours. Pursued by police across four states, Kowalski finds himself an outlaw celebrity thanks to a blind DJ called Super Soul (Cleavon Little), who christens him "the last American hero." More of a mood piece than an action movie, with Newman effective as the doomstruck Kowalski, who already has at least one foot in the grave. (The UK cut includes a crucial penultimate scene with Charlotte Rampling as a rather sinister hitchhiker, dropped from the original U.S. release.) Not entirely satisfying on its own terms, but its pretensions set it apart from the usual drive-in fare, and it boasts some evocative visuals and an interesting, mostly diegetic gospel soundtrack. It's also far less abrasive than the thematically similar RUNAWAY TRAIN (1986). CONTAINS LESBIANS? No, and the movie's worst scene has Kowalski nearly carjacked by a pair of grotesquely stereotyped gay men whose car has broken down on the highway. VERDICT: Worth a look, but stick with the longer UK "extended" version.

WILLIE DYNAMITE (1974): Dreadful blaxploitation movie about a slick New York pimp called Willie Dynamite (Roscoe Orman), who finds a gay rival pimp (Roger Robinson) trying to cut him out of the action just as one of his girls (Joyce Walker) is tempted to leave the life at the urging of social worker Cora (Diana Sands), who wants to bring Willie down with the help of her assistant DA boyfriend (Thalmus Rasulala) and a bitter cop (Albert Hall). Silly and over the top for a while, the movie then makes a lurching shift to clunky morality-play melodrama, leading up to a laughably contrived uplifting finale. Awful songs with heavy-handed lyrics by director Gilbert Moses don't help; Curtis Mayfield he was not. CONTAINS LESBIANS? Nope. VERDICT: Only for blaxploitation completists.

[of-fear-and-love]

Title cards for Friday Foster (1975)

[visplay]

Chris: I have seen Blacula several times before and this time on Svengoolie, a classic 70’s horror film and a great choice for Svengoolie, this film has many interesting scenes, Watch: When Free.

Richie: It’s a classic, I love it, Watch: When Free.

[antoniorichardsonblog]

Watch "Blaxploitation Clip: Bucktown (1975, starring Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, Thalmus Rasulala)" on YouTube

[lastchancevillagegreen]

The Twilight Zone Season 5 Episode 33: The Brain Center At Whipple’s

Richard Deacon and Thalmus Rasulala (billed as Jack Crowder in the credits)