Paradise Omeros
Video Installation. 20 mins.

Paradise Omeros Filmic triptych based upon Walcott’s work. Follows its young protagonist from St. Lucia to gritty urban England, and back again, exploring the unique and confounding experience of creolization—the psychological and linguistic impact of colonization, immigration, and globalization.  

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BaadAsssss Cinema
2002. 60 mins.

Directed by Isaac Julien With appearances by: Pam Grier Fred Williamson Gloria Hendry Quentin Tarantino Melvin Van Peebles

Grooved with funkin' music, pimpin' clothes, and superfly 'fros, "BaadAsssss Cinema" delivers on the promise of all things Blaxploitation. The documentary by Isaac Julien swaggers through the fertile period of "black films" from the 1970's and beyond to its influences in today's movies. Full of informative interviews, the genre's roots, rise, and fall is explored.

At the end of the 60's, the traditional blockbuster wasn't bringing behinds into theatre seats. But films like "Sweet Sweetback's Baad Asssss Song" and "Shaft" were filling theatres to raucous fan fare. Looking for a new cash cow, Hollywood quickly recognized the potential of this burgeoning genre and soon they started pumping out one after another. Small budgets and big returns meant the machine was happy and a culture had a new group of heroes who won through strength and charisma. Blaxploitation, convincingly explained as a savior to a struggling Hollywood, essentially covers a 5-year period. The genre even blended into horror with films like "Blacula" and kung fu with "Black Belt Jones".

The documentary does a good job of revealing the political themes that run throughout the films.

The Black Panthers, racial equality, and the all-mighty dollar are discussed with clarity and flare. The genre reached and it's demise with a double-barreled halt. Not everyone was happy with what was going on during the period. Sighting the prominence of racial stereotypes, the term "Black Exploitation" was created by the NAACP. The documentary delves into the aforementioned stereotypes. Pimps, prostitutes, and drug dealers populate the screen en mass.

Though these films displayed a new powerful force of resistance and triumph, some questioned whether the images portrayed on the screen fueled the fires of prejudice and ignorance. By 1975, Hollywood had started to take notice that audiences of all races had lined up for such films as "The Godfather" and "The Exorcist" in the preceding years. Combine this with the very vocal protests of groups like the NAACP and the fate of Blaxploitation was sealed. Hollywood turned in another direction and many of the actors who defined the genre were left on the outside again.

Great interviews with Pam Greer, Fred Williamson and others exemplify the status of the characters of the era. They were styling, memorable, and dealt with society on their own terms.

Icons like Foxy Brown and The Hammer are just as unforgettable today. And the actors who created them are just as cool as the day they hit the screen. Quentin Tarantino provides a good look at the influence of the genre today. His respect and admiration for the films of the period are obvious with every animated sound bite. In addition, historians look into the evolution of the genre and how it influences many of the films today. And something has to be said about the music. It's just sweet, as good as it gets. Samples from musicians like Curtis Mayfield, James Brown and Isaac Hayes chill throughout the film. Here's an accompanying soundtrack that should be required listening for every movie junkie. The styles, characters, and music provide an entertaining presentation of a topic filled with deeper social issues.

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