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UNDERCOVER BROTHER review
From time to time I see a trailer that makes me laugh, then makes me think… This is a trailer movie. A TRAILER MOVIE. I hate those, those are the films that leave you disappointed saying things like, “God, all the funny bits were in the trailer!” “That was nothing like the trailer!” “God I wish the movie had been like the trailer!”
UNDERCOVER BROTHER had a trailer that raised my “It’s a Trailer Movie” flag. I loved the trailer. It made me want to see the movie bad. It had quotable lines, sight gags that killed and quickly drawn character sketches that could be wonderful in a feature length movie, but more often than not wouldn’t.
While my cynical, “It’s a Trailer Movie” flag was waving, I still wanted the movie to deliver what the trailer promised, which was a fun as hell seventies blaxploitation superhero set in the modern day.
I love Blaxploitation films. I love afros, the clothes and THE MUSIC. God, I just love the music of the era. Listening to the work of Isaac Hayes or Curtis Mayfield or Willie Hutch or The O’Jays or Roy Ayers or Joe Simon or The Delfonics or Bodie Chandler or Gordon Parks… There was just a style to it. A feel, a rhythm, a beat, a living pulse that just slipped cool into every room it ever played. That funk that felt like a tongue running over your spine.
Never mind the big swinging dicks of it all. Jim Brown, Jim “Dragon” Kelly, Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, Richard Roundtree, Ron O’Neal, Melvin Van Peebles, Isaac Hayes, Robert Hooks and the others… Playing characters with strong forceful names like BOLT, SLAUGHTER, SHAFT, SUPERFLY, SWEETBACK, BLACK BELT JONES, BLACK CAESAR, NIGGER CHARLEY, TRUCK TURNER and the rest. They were taking derogatory words used for hurt and empowering them for new reasons. Take Fred Williamson in THE LEGEND OF NIGGER CHARLEY. Story of a man finding a pile of gold buying slaves freedom and building a fighting force of powerful black men to free the rest. THAT’S HARDCORE! That isn’t a ‘ha ha’ thing, that’s some serious empowerment filmmaking.
Oh, and there were the women… My god the women that forced generations of mis-raised people to re-examine what sexy, desirable and fuckable was… and at the same time, these women were strong, powerful, badasses that you couldn’t mess with. I’m talking about women like Pam Grier, Tamara Dobson and Jeannie Bell. Mainly I’m talking about Pam Grier… COFFY, SHEBA BABY, FOXY BROWN, THE ARENA, BUCKTOWN and others.
These characters were nothing like the black characters we’d seen in film before. All at once they were screaming that it was sexy, cool and tough to be black, but worth every scraping minute of it. They walked to awesome music, kicked ass to even better beats and loved to songs that made ya swim.
Now, the trailer for UNDERCOVER BROTHER made me hope for a comedy as smartly ridiculous as BLAZING SADDLES or YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, but tailored for the Blaxploitation genre. (Psssst, that is exactly what the film turned out to be!) That’s what I dreamed of. Reality, I felt at best I was going to get I’M GONNA GET YOU SUCKA, which was fun, but was never a sum of its parts. It was always gags that I loved, but a story I could do with out. It didn’t add anything to the game.
Lastly, I was hoping it wasn’t… A TRAILER MOVIE.
HOLY SHIT! UNDERCOVER BROTHER IS THE FUCKING BOMB! THIS MOVIE KICKS THE SHIT SIDEWAYS AND THROUGH THE CRACKS OF AUSTIN POWERS’ CROOKED FUCKIN’ TEETH!
Ahem.
If you have a weak pubococcygeus muscle then you might just piss yourself laughing during this thing. This movie is gag funny. I don’t just mean there are funny gags, but I mean that it not only got me laughing, but would get me choking on the next laugh as it was coming out only to be interrupted by a pair of other laughs. Both Patch and Saffron (not the chat room one) were in similar spasms. In fact there were moments that caused us to have one of those superhero three-way handclasp rip a tooth out clench and giggle and shits type of laughs.
What I love is this movie was not scared about offending, being politically correct, none of that. Comedy never should. Comedy should be allowed to laugh about any and everything. There are no taboos, ever. Never are. Never should be.
Like George Miller’s classic MAD MAX 2 (aka THE ROAD WARRIOR) it begins with a montage of historical footage and a narration detailing the struggle for equality that the black people of the United States had been struggling to overcome. Leaders like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, the rise of Muhammad Ali and such. How the 70’s gave birth to a beautiful and powerful sexual and dynamic black image personified by folks like Richard Roundtree’s SHAFT, Pam Grier’s FOXY BROWN, Fred Williamson’s everything. However, this was lost… It dissolved into the Gary Coleman’s and Theo Huxtables and all the uncool whitification and downright embarrassments of the Black people (see Dennis Rodman). It turns out this documentary tells us, this wasn’t just the ravages of time or the natural evolution of culture. This was in fact the calculated work of THE MAN, WHITEY and the many other names this evil goes under to suppress the Black People of the world. They tell us of one last hope, a man that embodies the powerful spirit of the seventies black man… enter UNDERCOVER BROTHER.
That’s the hook, the mythology, the premise we’re asked to go with. Now, not all white people are in on this thing. Just as there are many unsuspecting black folks that have no idea of the struggle between the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. and THE MAN. This battle is happening on our streets, in our cities and behind the most secret levels of society that we can even barely imagine.
This isn’t just a parody, this is a funny as hell SUPERHERO MOVIE to boot. This isn’t just spy stuff, this is superhero stuff. I mean right now, give Malcolm D. Lee the reigns of LUKE CAGE: HERO FOR HIRE and let him go!
Oh, have I mentioned that Eddie Griffin is officially a superstar now? Oh yes, this man was not only born for this role, a role I hope to see at least 11 sequels to in the next 6 years. Yes, I loved it that much. As cool as he is as Undercover Brother, you have seen nothing till you see him become Anton Jackson, the whitebread mayo consuming slave of The Man’s corporation and addicted to Penelope Snow. And his soulless Blackman dance was perhaps one of the funniest frigging things I’ve ever seen, I was coughing pieces of lung all over the poor saps in front of me. He made Eddie Murphy’s classic white man dance extinct.
When you see what THE MAN’s plan is, the journey that Undercover Brother goes through to fight it, every scene with Billy Dee Williams, Chris Kattan, Denise Richards, David Chappelle, the oh my god giver to me Aunjanue Ellis as Sistah Girl (Fuck Halle Berry as FOXY BROWN, I want Aunjanue in the role!). Then there is Gary Anthony Williams as Smart Brother… he’s a real discovery, but the surprise. The one that you would never ever expect to knock you on your ass pissing out your nose like a dislodged fireplug is Neil Patrick Harris. Holy sweet sweetback! I couldn’t believe myself. Way to go Neil!
The gimmicks, the mythology created here, the laughs, the characters, the combat and the music all earned big applause. I mean, when you hear what the music is for Kattan vs Griffin, you’re gonna want to stand up and do a Rumplestiltskin! I mean it. I was just cheering and stomping my feet and I think I got halfway to China before I stopped. I never got to see Raquel Welch take on Pam Greir, so watching Denise Richard's fuck-me eyed White She Devil take on the lick her twice... mmmhmmm what a spice Aunjanue Ellis' Sistah Girl get down and at it was a moment to just cheer for. Oh... And James Brown... he's got magic legs. Oh... and Undercover Brother has the best pair of shoes ever! I mean ever. As in, holy shit, sell the children, I wanna pair!
Now admittedly, I love the blaxploitation genre. I’m the guy that was top bidder on a vhs dub of a copy of GOLDEN NEEDLES because it is one of the only Jim Kelly films I’ve never seen and it was a challenge presented to me by the ever elusive and challenging Patch. It was a gauntlet picked up and returned. Muahahaha, I can’t be thwarted when it comes to finding coolness! Speaking of which Joe Don Baker is the bomb in that flick. Sorry, must focus.
I love this film a way I’ve never really loved the Austin Powers movies. You see, Edwardian bullshit and crooked British teeth sex farce humor was never my bag baby. I enjoy the style of those film, and laugh at the audacity of the gags, but I never can shake that at its core, it is just Mike Myers playing like Peter Sellers, only 1/10th as funny. I saw the original Pink Panther films, they were better. At least, I thought so.
But here… I love Blaxploitation. Hell, I loved it ever since I was a child. When I was a little boy I used to trade MARVEL SUPER HERO cards for tv-spot trailers at conventions of 4 types of things. KUNG FU, BLAXPLOITATION, CARTOONS and PANTYHOSE Commercials in 16mm. Hey… I was young, but you have to admit, I was a cool fucking disturbed little boy! Hehehhe! Dad would assemble these trailer reels into what was called HARRY’S TRAILERS. There was also HARRY’S POSTERS… these were Kung Fu and Blaxploitation posters.
Somewhere inside my tiny 3 year old to 8 year old brain was a boy that knew this stuff was cool. Well, I’m 10 times as old as that 3 year old, and I went to that theater tonight and came out screaming to friends in my cel phone in Los Angeles, North Carolina, Seattle and even here in Austin… Screaming at them to go see this movie and lose their fillings laughing. By the way… special message… Dr Hfuhruhurr. RUN SEE THIS MOVIE NOW! IMMEDIATELY!
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But I'll probably still see it anyway. I just hope it's not too silly and stereotype-enforcing!
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Have you seen the movie?? No?? Then shut the fuck up until you do. This movie looks funny as hell and I'm giving Harry the benefit of the doubt. I know I'll see it on Friday.
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i think harry's taking this thing way too deeply. just watch it, laugh, and move on.
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Maybe I've been fooled.
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I really love that big red fuzzball, but does anyone else find it amusing every time Harry comes up with a new style of movie that defined his childhood? Not that I think he's lying, but after King Kong, Star Wars, blaxploitation, etc, ad infinitum (and nauseum, I'm getting a little suspicious; how many childhoods did he have?
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And this is the last review of yours that i'll be reading.
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it's hard to believe that any little kid would trade spidey for hong kong louie. Not that it's not possible, but where was the time with all the bruce lee, star wars, and horror film jizzing? That said, I have to say I wonder what intelligent black people will think of this movie. I'LL guarantee anyone that Roger Ebert will either like this movie a little bit (if it was done intelligently and not to make black people look UPN spokesmen) or hate it for it's stereotyping and ridicule. His wife is black just in case no one knew that. At any rate, this movie is putting some interesting issues on the table--the interacial dynamic. Everyone in this country grows up with these white ideals of beauty so when Dave Chapelle says "Is it everything I dreamed of" in response to Undercover's brother accomplishment of bedding the pretty white dunce known as Denise Richards, there's no real satire there.
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you know...
If spending a childhood immersed in some of the movie culture that Harry claims to have grown up in leads to stupid behavior and gooing your pants over films like this... then I'm glad I spent every lunch watching "Space Camp". I'm not saying that this movie is necessarily going to be bad... but geeez...sometimes reading Harry review shit like "Drop Dead gorgeous" and then having to mull through Harrys childhood memories of re-enacting beauty pageants and crying at miss america... well...it gets to be a little much. -
May 29, 2002 3:02:37 AM CDT
Harry Here: Childhood - Passions - Loving Film and whatnot...
by headgeek
I can't presume to suppose what you folks' childhoods were like or currently are. However, mine was very different from most everyone I knew. My parents considered me a sociological experiment involving media of all sorts. Comics, Pulps, Films, Television and all that. As a child, I often saw films that just about everyone would consider inappropriate for people below the age of 18. Hardcore violence, sex and horror. Musicals, science fiction, fantasy, film noirs, mysteries, cartoons (disney to bakshi's x-rated types), grindhouse films, drive-in films, Art films, foriegn films, everything. As a young child I latched on to just about all of it, but the more visceral usually gained my attention most. So horror, violence, science fiction, sex and cartoons were usually what filled my interest. As a result I was allowed to collect in these areas, learn about them. Instead of slapping my hands and saying "You'll never see a zombie movie again!" They took me to see the next zombie movie. They conspired with my interests. If you ever happen to meet someone that knew me at conventions all over the country, they can recount tales of me running around with a Playschool CHAINSAW reenacting scenes from TX CHAINSAW MASSACRE or tell you about me slamming my hands on a table and saying to someone, "MAN, YOU COME RIGHT OUT OF A COMIC BOOK!" I had a very indulgent, very memorable and very impressive childhood which forever has colored my personal perception of the world around me. I never lost that eagerness to see the next zombie film or the next blaxploitation flick or the next science fiction film, because I never had parents that said, GROW UP. Instead, I grew up never having been repressed from my passions. As for why am I so happy about all these movies coming out right now? Well, frankly because I'm seeing a lot of movies that are kicking my ass. I don't go into these films looking to pick them apart, I go in hoping to love them. Willing to let them sweep me up. It's up to them to drop the ball and make me come reeling out it screaming MUTHERFUCKERS MUST PAY! Due to my back injury I re-aggravated towards the end of last summer, I haven't been going to as many movies as I used to... Frankly it isn't very comfortable, but as my legs re-strengthen (and the are) with my back healed (it is) I will most likely be stumbling into more films that I will loathe. I don't look forward to finding these turd blossums. Frankly, I hardly ever like writing about them. Simply because to paraphrase Jim "the dragon" Kelly, "Don't waste my time with it. When they come, I'll be too busy looking for something goooood!"
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Now if someone would release Black Belt Jones on DVD, my life could be complete. By far the best blaxplotation film ever. I need a Pinky Fix "Choose money or my honey -- SHIT!!!! I rather be dead than give up that bread. You could take away my groin, but don't take away my coin. Mama Pinky didn't raise no fools!!!"
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I'm a little nervous after he liked Spirit and this.
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May 29, 2002 4:15:22 AM CDT
This movies seems like a black rip-off of Austin Powers...
by double_helix
Ahhhh, I just love another recycled concept, almost as much as I love all that reverse racism in black culture! - - - - - -- - - - - --- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - -- - - - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - --- -I expect this film will make a ton of cash though. The black market is just begging for a film starring blacks, and this looks to have standards a little higher than usual. Add to that, the current fascination white suburbia has with black culture, and this film will make enough money to guarantee a few sequels. Reverse racism sickens me though. I watch those ridiculous "Def Comedey Jams," and practically every joke is about how hard done the black man is. Give me a break all ready! Then they pretend that beautiful white women can't get enough of their cocks... A white comedian could never get away with the kind of racism that black comics do. In film, they'll never have a beautiful black woman enjoy the pleasures that only a wealthy white man could provide. (I hope Mike Meyers pushes the envelope with Beyonce Knowles)'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''Thanks to buddy cop films like Beverly Hills cop, and Rushour, THE STUDIOS HAVE IT FIGURED OUT! APPEAL TO AS MANY RACES AS POSSIBLE IN A FILM AND YOU WILL MAKE A KILLING. THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS was painfully obvious in it's attempts to draw in american teenagers of every color just through their advertising... It's hard being a white man these days, and It's only going to get tougher!
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honky! holy mackarel. -81666
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....is does it make you cry in a bathroom stall?!!
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I never understood reverse racism. Sure it refers to when a minority acts racist towards a majority race, in this country's case, white individuals, but that is just plain racism. I don't care what race you are (I am a minority) if you are prejudiced against someone because of their race then you are racist, simple.
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At age 3, I loved the song, "She's got LEGGGSSSS, and she knows how to use them!" Also, LEGGS pantyhose came in the white easter egg style containers, and my mom after buying LEGGS pantyhose, would always give me the empty egg thing. The commercials had cool (at the time, 1974) glittery sort of animated shimmery light stuff (if memory serves) coming off the magic eggs containing the pantyhose. And the song was a favorite jingle to this 3 year old. So it wasn't so much a pantyhose fetish by a 3 year old, as much as it was a favorite song. At the same time I loved the songs to DIG DIG (the mine song from Snow White), Ramblin' Man, Spider-Man theme, Hulk theme and I believe PINBALL WIZARD had come out that year (though that might have been the next year) I was only 3.
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But both agreed it'd be rental. I'm not going to chance spending $8 and sitting in a theater full of morons for THIS movie. L8r
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I liked the review. I am going to see UB, but this just strengthened my resolve to do so.
Now let me go drink an orange big gulp. -
I saw it on Monday and enjoyed it a lot. It's been a while since there's been a good, silly comedy that has no goals other than to make you laugh a lot. In fact, this movie already seems superior to what I have seen of Austin Powers 3 (the movies share a screenwriter in Michael McCullers, by the way). The movie's jokes about race are clever and funny in the way that Chris Rock's standup is....they make their point through humor rather than preaching and are so relentlessly good-natured that no one could possibly be offended. Like Rock, I see this movie appealing to a broad audience too, both whites and blacks. They left the ending of the movie open for a sequel, and I could definitely see it becoming a franchise. The characters are that appealing. And yes, Neil "Doogie Howser" Patrick Harris was quite funny.
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May 29, 2002 8:28:32 AM CDT
The trailer is very funny and this will be the sleeper hit of th
by bigtuna
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May 29, 2002 8:36:04 AM CDT
Why can't a movie by and about Black people get a decent rev
by brooklyn bred
Idiots like Double Helix and the rest of his Klan, that's why! Look it's simple. If the movie appeals to you then come in and discuss it. If not then like the Colored signs only used to say, STAY THE F**K OUTTA' HERE!
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Well, if you're a fan of the music from SHAFT'S BIG SCORE, our man Gordon Parks wrote those sweet lyrics and composed the notes to accompany! By the way, your retort of the cracker above in regards to Whitey and that lovely women of color hot sheet action. Fall down funny. Way to put someone in their place. Julia Styles is a tough one. I mean Kirk kissed Uhura, but he was under alien control the whole time. Poitier did nail Katharine Houghton though, and while not particularly famous, i think she was pretty hot! But Denzel wasn't given Julia, that was kind of a rip.
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Harry, I don't always see what you see in certain movies, but I don't think film has ever had a more constant, faithful lover. Which is a long way of saying, you didn't say a bloody word about Denise Richards's swirling ass. Christ, man, don't you have any standards?
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May 29, 2002 9:38:14 AM CDT
"See, i wanted to trust you, and i wanted to trust you, and i wa
by xthecrovvx
...but the more i see on this movie, the more it still looks like utter shit. Being clear, though, I'm also a fan of the genre this thing is trying to spoof. A more casual one, yes, but still a fan. And personally, i thought I'm Gonna Git You Sucka was pure genius, that thinned out near the end, but doesnt hurt the movie as a whole at all. I could go into the deeper reasons for me being totally turned off by this movie, but thats just not worth it. I just think it looks like this movie has nothing going for it except two hot women walking around as eye candy, which isnt a bad thing, per se. It helped The Scorpion King enough, for sure. But aside from that, nothing, except a surprisingly glowing review from Harry. Well, Harry, I honestly dunno. Obviously, this weekend, when it comes time to lay down the $6.50 for a movie, it'll be for Sum of All Fears a long way before i set foot into this one. BUT, I think after all this time, i've got to give you the benefit of a doubt. I think i'll find my way into this one sometime during the weekend, and maybe, somehow, by some miracle of logic, i'll end up liking it.However, one quick question before i stop my ranting here, if Mr. Headgeek's still sitting around watching this board....how's Chi McBride in this movie? He's the guy playing Undercover Brother's boss, apparently, and so far, he's the only one with talent i've seen in the whole trailer. OK, I'm done. Revolution is my name.
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Folks, this movie is just fucking smart as hell. John Ridley was the screenwriter on THREE KINGS and U-TURN. Not exactly spoof material those. And Malcom Lee is Spike Lee's cousin and made a damn nice little drama. These aren't just hacks going at it. As for UNDERCOVER BROTHER's boss? He's pretty cool, but seriously... David Chappelle's CONSPIRACY BROTHER and Gary Anthony Williams' SMART BROTHER characters are great. Just great. There were 3 black film critic acquantances of mine on the other side of Father Geek and they were cracking up the whole time. One said to me, "We're gonna have to see that again, we laughed over too many lines." AMEN on that one. If you like funny movies, they don't come much funnier!
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I love ya, big guy, but you're a little confused. Maybe you had a pantyhose commercial fetish when you were three--I'm not arguing that (although I am shuddering just a little at the mental pic). However, those commercials certainly didn't use the "She's Got Leggs" song. As you obviously know as a good Texan, ZZ Top wrote the song with those lyrics in 1984--the song "Legs" appeared on their album "Eliminator". It's true that the song was used to sell Leggs pantyhose, but not until after 1984, obviously. Now I know for a fact you are 30 years old (or darn close), which means one of three things is going on:
1. You are combining two separate memories into one.
2. You really had a pantyhose fetish at age 12, not age three.
3. You are attempting to lie about your age and make the public believe you're a hip young kid running this site instead of a grown man.
Personally, I believe the first one, as it's the least silly/creepy. And we all know Harry is never silly nor creepy.... -
Well, first off, way to go me, for ruining a perfectly good Tool quote :-P...it's supposed to be "I want to believe you, and i wanted to trust you, etc, etc, etc..." but, it's 9 am...sue me. Second, about the whole race issue of this whole movie...this is part of those deeper issues i brought up before. Personally, a lot of what i saw in the trailer is precisely the type of shit people do not need to see. As it is, there's this new weird animosity from black people towards white people, especially as far as relationships go, so seeing a black woman be pissed off at the thought of Eddie Griffin and Denise Richards going at it isnt helping at all...maybe in the film itself, there's some sort of irony to it, but on the surface, it comes off as the new stereotype. And I never liked the idea that your "blackness" is confirmed by how much soul you have. I had to put up with enough of that shit in high school, trying to tell ignorant classmates that preferring Trent Reznor and the Deftones to Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G. isnt going to make my skin any less brown in the near future. And i have a bad feeling this movie could be just chock full of stuff like that that's just gonna piss me off, and reinforce some of the ideas that people have been trying to get rid of for years, and add fuel to some of the new ones. Just maybe i'll get proven wrong, but ill tell ya, i dont have much hope. Revolution is my name.
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Denzel never got Julia, but he did bang Milla Jovovich in HE GOT GAME, if I remember correctly. Then again, I think that was offscreen, and sadly, I CAN'T THINK OF ANOTHER SINGLE FUCKING EXAMPLE. Sad.
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ask wesley if its every thing he dreamed....
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Well, just seconds after i post about not having much hope, Mr Headgeek posts. Hmm.....well, at this point, im certainly pretty curious. Still seeing Sum of All Fears first, though, but im curious. Plus, really, you know something's up when Harry's actually slumming it in a TB board to defend it. Should do it more often, man. OK, now i go somewhere and shut up.
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Yo Gimpers, Because a movie has racial references - does not make it racist. The two are not interchangable. There is nothing incorrect about racial references - racial histories and experiences differ. So try not to tell people how they should make movies, be them comedies or satires (which this film clearly is), when you don't share that cutural experience. Feel free to disagree, but I have neither the time, nor interest in discussing the problems with your theories. The truth is, you sound like you make racial judgements - for good or bad (and in the end, they're always bad), and you hate yourself for it. So you compensate by rationally defending that what you emotionally support. Doesn't work pal.
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Come to think of it, i cant think of any other movie where a black guy got a white girl, either. Hell, its really pathetic when the only other example i can think of is that black soldier dude getting Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch......Yeah it counts....sorta. Bye now.
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May 29, 2002 10:43:48 AM CDT
In spite of the black involvement and star power, this is one of
by fatpaul
It just looks like a bad Saturday Night Live sketch. Making fun of Blaxploitation films doesn't give it any points, because those movies are just too easy to make fun of. We all know that they were silly, and we all know that most movies made in the seventies were silly. A better statement is made by films like Dead Presidents, which emphasize the violence and grace of Blaxploitation. In Undercover Brother's defense, the jokes I've seen are actual jokes rather than just the pop-culture references that have replaced jokes in most modern comedies, but they still aren't funny.
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As far as I know, Denzel Washington has a self imposed rule about this, don't ask me why. He had the Pelican Brief's script changed to remove the love scenes (which were there in the book). Note that he also wouldn't kiss Julia at the Oscars, though I think that was because his kids were watching, and wouldn't like to see him kissing anyone other than his wife. As for Undercover Brother, I liked Neil Patrick Harris in Starship Troopers, and Eddie Griffin was the best thing in Deuce Bigalow. So I might give this a shot, but I can't help feeling that it's the kind of film you go see if everything else is sold out. I think it'll gain an audience on video.
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May 29, 2002 10:50:38 AM CDT
Denzel had a love scene in "Mighty Quinn" I believe with a white
by bigtuna
Mimi Rogers i believe.
I remember Denzel even commenting that he was upset they edited the scene quite a bit. I know it was a million years ago but still... -
The larger percentage of white Americans are poor. We call them white trash, and they are grossly underrepresented in American film. There are a few filmmakers who focus on the underpriveleged whites, Larry Clark and Matthew Bright to start with, but Hollywood avoids the subject almost entirely. A few white men may run this country, but the rest of us are just trying to get by.
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I myself was waving the exact same flag Harry spoke of, except I never really got a huge kick out of the gags in the trailer. Comedies are a bag of tricks anyhow, and its impossible to give a review that would sum up the universal opinion of the movie. Whatever though, I have too much free time on my hands, and as long as I'm not being lured into a dirty bear trap (Big Momma's House) then I'll be there.
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Alright, Harry. I'm game. I was probably going to see it anyway. I too was amused by the trailer. But your rave certainly makes me put the thing in a whole new perspective. One thing worries me though. Chris Kataan. I've never thought he was funny except for the mr. peepers character when it first came out and the occasional immitations he did. On the whole though, I don't find him that funny. I hope he does bring down any of the flick. So, Harry, how often is he in it, and is he funny enough to hang? I mean, I've looked passed things like this before. I never thought Rob Schneider was funny either, until I saw Deuce Bigalow. A very funny movie with more Eddie Griffin hijenx.
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I'm Gonna Get You Sucka! Chris Kattan was born for this role! Eddie Griffin is one million times funnier than Richard Pryor! Seriously, I have a feeling that this movie is probably going to be a little funnier than some people expect, but come on now. And BTW, what did Vincent Price do to deserve getting punched in the face?
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C'mon Harry, where were the Dolymite references? Rudy Ray Moore is a bad man. This aside, while I delight in the over-the-top style of Blaxplotation films as much as the next lowly caucasian, why do I have the sneaking suspicion this film will be frequented by "white guys trying to be cool". These of course are the same knuckle draggers who define the pinicle comedy as "Austin Powers". Quite frankly, neither Austin nor the Undercover Brother are at the top of my list. While I readily had the same "trailer flag" alert
Harry did, I confess that's enough to keep me away. -
If you want to see black dudes banging white chicks, may I direct you to the nearest porn section of your seedy neighborhood video club. There's a fetish for ya. Even lesbian interracial. Is this good or bad? I really can't tell. And yes, I'm from a so-called "minority", and yes, I'm coming for your daughters. Or girlfriends. Or life-size standees of Counselor Troi.
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Harry LOVES EVERYTHING. if it's on the silver screen, the tv screen whatever, he loves it. if it's new, it's groundbreaking, amazing, breathtaking. if it's old (as in two weeks ago), it's a classic that can't be missed. if the next Matrix was 2 hours of strobe lights and midgets doing backflips to out of date techno music, he would hail it is a modern masterpiece of post-modern avant garde genre action cinema and encourage everyone to see it several times before their heads explode. my heart goes out to those who, like Jar Jar Binks, can maintain a ridiculously sunny and enthusiastic spin on everything they see or hear.
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It's been far too long since the last time I saw a good 'gag' movie, and blaxploitation kicks ass. If it's anywhere near as good as I'm Gonna Get You Sucka! then I'm so there! *** Good review Harry, and good to see you in the talkbacks defending it.
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May 29, 2002 12:17:40 PM CDT
Harry, I had no intention of seeing this-you sold me! Great job!
by tarl_cabot
Sounds fun. I'll check it out now. This better be good!
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Its like all you folks that dislike Star Wars or LOTR, you join the talkbacks to bitch (I'm a bit of a hypocrite ;) ) Still, I love a good comedy. Who liked Zoolander?
I thought that film was excellent in a purely comedy type of way. Talkbackers have got to learn to stop taking someones opinion so seriously. -
So what you're telling us Harry is that you're the Tom Strong of media. Instead of sealing you up in a gravity chamber, your folks locked you in the basement alone with a TV and a subscription to some comic books, only letting you out to go to the movies.............feeding you Twinkies through a pneumatic tube. It all makes sense now.
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Don't forget Enter the Dragon, 1973. The blaxploitaton character in that one sleeps with something like three women in one night! Okay, so maybe they were asian, but still not black.
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May 29, 2002 12:51:02 PM CDT
You guys ever notice that Harry either really LOVES a movie or r
by blue devil
Harry, come on. This movie isn't going to be the funniest thing on the planet. At most, it'll have a couple of chuckles and/or laughs. I'm sorry, but I just can't take your reviews seriously anymore (I've been burned too many times). I'd be nice if you gave a lukewarm review of a fim every once in a while. Personally, I walk out of 90% of movies thinking "that was okay, not bad, just not very good". That's exactly what I thought of Insomnia, Ocean's Eleven, Harry Potter and even Episode II. Though I must admit, I thought Spiderman was terrible. Changing Peter's focus from protecting and caring for Aunt May to wanting to impress Mary Jane was just the tip of the iceberg for me.
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Harry, I dare you to write one review without utilizing exclamation points. Just one, as an experiment. I fucking dare you.
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I'm not sure whether or not I will see this movie. In a way, I almost wish movies with plotlines built on racial tensions would just go away. People talk about how it can get a dialog going but typically it just fractures people into two camps that scream at each other. The Crovv came closest to my feelings in that it tends to inflame the worst of our natures. Read the TB carefully. Racist ideas fly from both sides (although some racist attitudes are now allowed and even lauded by the Moral-Powers-That-Be circa 2002). Wait now, there's a movie I'd pay money to see... An action movie pitting yesterday's Good Ole Boys fighting to the death with today's 'Civil Rights' leaders. Of course, for most of us, it would be like the ending to Animal Farm - They might be able to tell each other apart, but we sure wouldn't.
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Harry you suck. At first I thought I was going to read a little something about this movie that would maybe convince me to see it, but no. Instead I read through several paragraphs of the history of Black explotation films and your views as a white man about the repression of the black culture. Well I take that back I read the same two paragraphs about the movie and the history of black explotation films over and over. If you are going to write crap please limit it to a few paragraphs and make sure that they each say something different. In closing is your love of afro's the reason you have a big red one on your face?
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Robert Townsend's "Hollywood Shuffle"? That movie is one of the greatest ever concerning the representation of blacks in film by white producers and directors. Are you guys down wit dis film? This seemed the appropriate forum in which to pose the question. Lemme know!
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and anyone with any sense (other than Horny young boys) will stay away from this because of her.
She is the worst actress in Hollywood right now right behind Tara Reid .
Didnt they do this movie already . It was called, Im Gonna get ya sucker? -
Seriously, I mean, you have reviews of movies that I want to see before everyone else.
But when you put pornographic references in your reviews, it creeps me out. -
I LOVE WATCHING MORI GETTING PUNCHED IN THE FACE OVER AND OVER AGAIN!
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White trash is under represented? Have you watched TV, or seen a movie in the last 30 years? TV is full of white trash, you have your classic sitcoms, like Roseanne and the Bundys, and most of the people apprehended on COPS are white trash. Daytime television caters almost exclusively to white trash, and on cable there's WWF and skinemax.White trash is the life blood of the music industry. At the movies, any thing with Burt Reynolds or Slyvester Stallone or Marky Mark has trailer park written all over it. But what about this year's Big Movies? In Spider-Man, Peter Parker and MJ were made much poorer that they ever were represented in the comics.But for my money, the Ultimate White Trash film is Star Wars.Oh my God- they may have just as well named it HillbillIes in Space. Your main character has no father , the mother has no idea who the father is,and they live as slaves, owned by an alien junk dealer on a hot, flat desert planet that is not unlke Arizona in July.He does go off to become the biggest badass in the galaxy, but not until he dons a shiny black suit that makes him look like a walking Trans-Am. Then there's his estranged son, who's also a greasemonkey and garbage picker . When he's not tending to the moisture farm, he's out shooting wamprats with his buddies. And then there's the other characters: what about Han? Broke and unemplyed,hanging out all day at the local sleazy dive with his best friend, a big hairy guy that doesn't say anything. The only thing missing in the Mos Eisly bar was a Union Jack nailed to the wall. And Han, with his fashionable mullet, wouldn't look at all out of place with a wife beater T-shirt. This is getting to be a long post, I just wanted to make my point that you don't have to look far to find not only represntation but glorification of white trash culture.
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Who the hell are you to speak for the entire black community and think everyone of us feels the same. That's why it's called racism and sterotyping. I mean you claim to watch Def Comedy Jam and every joke is about reverse racism???? I don't know what episodes you've seen, but I've seen plenty, and that sh!t you talkin is in the minority of shows, please speak what you know, and don't assume. "They" or "We" or however you want to refer to us does not pretend that white women can't get enough of of us or our dicks, no you put that comment or whatever you want to call it on the white media, and Hollywood, who is the biggest fueler or racism in this country, and throughout the world. Over 93 percent of black men stay with black women, and only f#ck black women despite what is seen on tv or in media. Don't put white women on this high pedestal, as if black men can't resist them.
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Lets see.
The injustice of the last 300 years.
"Black" people: Slavery, KKK, Jim Crow laws, mass poverty, negative stereotypes in the media, Gangs, Lower socioeconomic status.
"White" people: Deff Comedy Jams.
Your right, You've got it rough Double Helix. -
May 29, 2002 3:32:44 PM CDT
I wouldn't call Harry an idiot for his sense of humor, but h
by lenny nero
We all go a little crazy sometimes.
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Totally agree with you regarding "Hollywood Shuffle". Now THAT is one funny movie. I borrowed the tape from a friend once and probably watched it about 4 times in a one week period. (Hey, I had more free time then.) Those of you who think that "I'm Gonna Get Ya Sucka" is the epitome of this kind of movie, Blaxploitation spoof, really need to check out Robert Townsend's masterpiece. This movie also does far more than just spoof one genre of film. Townsend takes on everything from casting calls to movie review shows. True he never lived up to the potential he showed in this movie, Cough,Meteorman,Cough, but I can't hold it against him because of "Hollywood Shuffle". Peace.
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You guys, you've criticized everything from the man's opinions, to his hairstyle, to his spelling and punctuation, to his job. Leave 'im be. It's his site and he has a right to his own opinion on his own site doesn't he? Come on. If you like the sight, stay, read, and enjoy. If you don't like the site, move on to something else. Some of you say you've referred to Harry either giving extremely good reviews or extremely bad reviews about things. Okay, you've noticed. If you don't like, avoid Harry's reviews. Quit bitchin' about it in any case. Jeez... I think it's a pretty cool site. I don't like everything I see on here, and I don't agree with half the reviews after seeing the films, but hey, give a counterpoint and move on. Don't bite the hand that feeds. If you want go start your own site with your own talkback dedicated solely to bitchin'. Guarantee you'll get a lot of company, and maybe we can begin to sift through all the nonsense spouting a-holes over here. Just ease up. If you don't buy into what I'm saying, actually read through the above talkback posts and just see how many people actually had something constructive to say as compared to how many people bitched about Harry. Doesn't seem the least bit stupid to anyone else?
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Why is it that everyone acts like Blade wasn't the best comic book movie to date and responsible for the others that followed? Before that car wreck X-Men, the day walker was kicking ass and taking names.
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Townsend should have expanded the film noir section, maybe even developed him into a feature character. "doin' the nasty- and I like- doin' the nasty" His career seemed to stall out when he tried to be the next Cosby, damned shame.
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I'm not beefing about your reviews or opinions, I find such things ludicrous. But I just went through ten minutes of popup HELL! They were spawning faster than I could close them down. I'm surprised the whole system didn't crash. I don't mind the advertising, it helps with the bills and keeps the site looking nice, but God, man! there are limits! Get that shit under control! AD out
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May 29, 2002 5:08:05 PM CDT
Townsend failed cuz Meteor Man and the Parent 'Hood sucked c
by virgil sollozzo
On the subject of Undercover Brother, I 'll probably see this, but the one major problem i got with this shit is The Black males' reaction to UB sleeping with the white girl. Now I like white girls, as I like girls of all races, but as a black person, IT IS HIGHLY OFFENSIVE TO BE PORTRAYED AS FAVORING WHITE WOMEN. Once again, white women are beautiful as are all women, but what the fuck are they trying to say about black women by having them drool over him fucking denise richards like he fucking won a nobel prize, just cuz she's white. Notice they werent in awe because of how good denise richards looked, but because she was white. Let me tell you guys, white girls sleeping with black guys is a very common thing in this world of ours, but i dont know any black guys who brag over the achievement as if it has more signifigance than when they screw a girl of any other race. To presume that black men universally revere white women as sex goddesses is highly arrogant, and I am offended for all black women. And the fact that this gag was probably put in by a black person makes it all the worse. That said, Eddie Griffin is only funny in stand-up, and that motherfucka owes me 7.50 for a little piece of shit called "Double Take". I will be dragged, no doubt , to see this by one of my white friends, who would probably love to see this while faded." Come on man, he's black , and he has an Afro, and hes spouting all kinds of outdated jive,m it'll be cool." As a black man with an afro I will no doubt leave the theater offended and a little disturbed, after having been sporadically amused.
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I'll tell you...I saw it last night and it really is laugh out loud hysterical. And everyone in the audience agreed...we missed a lot of the lines because people were laughing too hard. Now I loved the first Austin Powers...despised the second one. Undercover Brother is better than Austin Powers as a whole...it IS very cartoonish...but that's what makes it funnier. Conspiracy Brother, Smart Brother, The Chief, Lance the white intern, White She Devil, Sistah Girl, Mr. Feather...all of them are great characters. Chris Kattan is hilarious...more so than normal...and Doogie Howser rocks! If you liked the trailer...which was very good...that is only the start. The fact that most of the jokes in the trailer are the weaker ones should tell you something. It's only the tip of the iceberg.
Now when is the Undercover Brother Theme gonna be up on Kazaa?! -
Miracle. I want to see Undercover Brother only because movies like this (stuff that looks like it came out of an SNL skit) always intrigue me. Though Pootie Tang and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka will always be truer to the old school because they look to have cost about 1/3 of Undercover Brother's budget. Combined. As to "Blade" being the best comic/hero adaptation ever, oh please. Four people knew who Blade was before that movie came out. Blade could have been fighting the Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man with salad tongs and no one would have known that it wasn't in the comic. And if he HAD done that, it would have been more entertaining than the schlocky villain-having, just a LITTLE too cool for its own good (kicking the serum into Frost's head? I'm sure it looked feasibly cool on the storyboards, but in the movie it looked like a fan-film,) entertaining but easily forgettable nugget that Blade 1 was. Now Ghost World...
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That was hilarious.
I love it when a talkback makes me LOL. -
I accept your hatred and contempt as one would a badge of honor.
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May 29, 2002 6:18:42 PM CDT
XTheCrovvX - I will not tolerate.......movies like "Undercover
by elgyn6655321
"Undertow" is still their best album.
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I reacted to something I personally found offensive, and with good reason. Oh let me guess, i bet you were busting a gut at the thought of black men congratulating each other over fucking white girls. " I mean its so funny! You know thats SO how black guys are about white girls. I mean come on, our women are so much better!" Is that how you reacted to the joke, Chapel? I'm not baiting the joke was about race to begin with, and it was unfounded and offensive.
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May 29, 2002 7:01:37 PM CDT
I, strangely, feel I need to defend Harry for liking everything
by hktelemacher
Because I like damn near everything I see also. But that's because I don't see every movie that comes out. Thanks to this and other websites with trailers, reviews and news bits, I know enough about the movies that come out to know which ones I will and will not like. Sometimes I'll make a mistake, like with Spiderman, but because I know my tastes so well and can discriminantly sift through all of the internet movie stuff, I pretty much know everything that will appeal to me. Harry may give glowing reviews to everything he reviews, but he's not reviewing every movie that comes out. I mean, the "current" reviews up right now still include Jason X, which came out a month ago. Also, having no expectations for crap like Jason X and seeing it for free would incline one to give it a decent review if it was at least barely watchable. Harry is forthcoming with what he likes, and if one reads enough of his reviews then one can also learn to translate his orgasmic geek speak into an accurate gauge of a movie's quality. Sometimes, like with Blade 2, he's so far off the mark it's scary, but then again, that particular review was an exception. If only the movie kept the promise he made. I don't know how many movies Harry sees per week, he may see all of them, but I myself would only be inclined to take the time to write a review if a particular film exceded my expectations or fell wildly short. Since Harry is in his own employ, why would he waste his time writing review after review that pointed out how mediocre and ineffectual the majority of the week's releases are? A good review is fun to write because it keeps the experience alive in your head and if you're passionate about movies then it gives you a chance to spread the word and a bad review is fun to write to knock hell out of a movie that wasted 2 hours of your life. We don't have to agree with Harry or anyone else, but just because Harry writes about what he likes rather than what was just mid-level half-compacted garbage doesn't make him a sell out. There's plenty of bad blood and shit talking elsewhere on this site that it's a relief to see enthusiasm once in a while, especially in blue letters, even if I don't agree. As for Undercover Brother, I was on the fence until now. Screenwriter John Ridley is one of my favorite current novelists, but his past scripts (Three Kings, U-Turn) were rewritten by the directors, and when Ridley did direct a feature (Cold Around the Heart) it had it's moments, but couldn't escape the film noir cliches because Ridley had no directorial style and the acting was mediocre at best, so a compromised John Ridley is only as good as the director - so I was still unsure about whether or not to shell out the money until reading Harry's review. I might regret it, but it sounds like a genuinely funny flick. Harry's Blade 2 review made me throw my money away, but his review for Brotherhood of the Wolf last year really got me excited and say what you will, I fucking loved that flick to death. As for all the racial stuff - Undercover Brother is satirizing a specific genre of film, and white people who get upset about being made fun of are assholes who can't take a punch. That goes for every race or religion - prejudice is such a real presence in this life that making it a taboo subject only perpetuates it, because people are afraid to say anything at all. Joking about it doesn't cultivate it. People who believe in their own racial superiority shouldn't have a voice not only because their message is wrong, but also because it's just not interesting. It takes a smart person to be truly funny, and I'd like to think that majority of smart and funny people are smart enough to take no stock in bigotry and funny enough to combat it through humor. If the jokes are truly clever and inventive, then it works in my book, no matter whose PC thug feelings get hurt. In today's entertainment industry, there's no true malice at work. The sensitive state of this country wouldn't allow a movie that honestly perpetuated blatant racism. I definitely see it differently through my white eyes - but jokes about lame ass whitey don't rub me any particular way if they have more going on than just pointing and laughing. To bring in another topic from today, I don't think anybody is offended about the whole Maria Poppins issue being a Latin twist on things, it's just a stupid idea in the same sense that a straight British remake would be just a needless testament to the industry's unoriginality. What's worse is it seems like one that Warners is pandering to a specific demographic, something inherently more racist than the material itself could ever be. Undercover Brother looks more like a movie about the humor, rather than the issues. Besides, no movie with Chris Kattan can ever be about "issues".
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May 29, 2002 7:04:17 PM CDT
HARRY, THIS MOVIE ALREADY CAME OUT LAST YEAR, AND WAS NAMED, "PO
by sith witch
What is the difference. How come no one showed any interest in that one, but this clone is getting all the attention?
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May 29, 2002 7:53:19 PM CDT
JASON X GETS A GOOD REVIEW, BUT RESIDENT EVIL IS CONSIDERED TRAS
by 81666
WHAT THE FUCK!? -81666
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Still waiting for his Star Wars review...
This Undrecover Brother movie does look funny... I'll keep this high recommendation in mind.. -
May 29, 2002 8:28:43 PM CDT
EDDIE GRIFFIN A SUPERSTAR? "UB" AND "THE NEW GUY" AREN'T WO
by notchjohnson
I think Eddie Griffin is great, his appearances on the Howard Stern Show are off da hook. But, Harry, EDDIE IS A SUPERSTAR????? SOON, LIKELY, BUT NOT NOW. Eddie is more of a "Wait for Video" Superstar than anything else. As for "trailer movies," Eddie Griffin was in the ALL-TIME TRAILER MOVIE, "Deuce Bigalow" I counted 2 or 3 laughs from seeing the movie other than just watching that full trailer they played to death for months. Eddie's movie "Double Take" had the same problem....lots of funny stuff in the trailer, but that's it. And he's now in "The New Guy," which will turn a profit ONLY because it cost about $30 to make (D.J. Qualls of "Road Trip" isn't exactly hitting $25 million-per-film just yet.) "Undercover Brother' will make another GREAT DVD buy at Wal-Mart or Target, but not the type of film I have to rush to see. Notch out.
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Chris Kattan every making a funny film. Painful, yes- but funny? I'll believe it when I see it.
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May 29, 2002 9:19:41 PM CDT
Eddie Griffin is a poor man's Chris Tucker who is a poor man
by drago2002
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May 29, 2002 9:45:19 PM CDT
A couple movies that come to mind where black guys/girls get som
by misterwinkie
1) Jackie Brown...well..Pam Grier doesn't necessarily bang him...but she did get with the bonds man. 2)Way of the Gun....Taye Diggs got with that white chick and supposebly got her pregenant...3) Black and White...this movie has tons of interacial lovin....4)A Bronx Tale...young white guy + young black girl= trouble....5)Save the Last Dance....yes unfortunately I saw this....6)I cant remember but was it in White Men Can't Jump or some other movie with Wesley Snipes or someone....getting it on...I can't remember...I apologize. There are tons more I am SURE...but with only seconds to spare and all...this is all I can manage...any others?
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but theyre only funny when there is some basis for them. That joke to me just has a "what the fuck, where did that come from?" quality. And thats the only thing I've seen that offends me about it , so yes i will pay 9 bucks to support Dave Chapelle and Chi McBride and do a tiny ass part to secure them future work, and enjoy this project for what its worth, since Ive seen AOTC and Spidey already. So if thats stupid, deal with my stupidity and shut the fuck up. I assume youre so fucking hip since you saw fit to label Eddie an "Uncle Tom" for his image, which I remind you, is a comedy act. So why are you so offended by Eddie Griffin's Stepin Fetchit act, just one minstrel caricature next to those of the other popular black comedians, but ohhh, that joke about white girls is just all in good fun, right?
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Don't forget Tim Blake Nelson's "O" where Mekhi Pfieffer and Julia Stiles do some ferocious humping. Or Shakespeare's othello in general for that matter.
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May 29, 2002 11:38:31 PM CDT
Let me tell yo, bruthas, eat yo vitamins, say yo prayers, and re
by dr_jownz
This film is not Da Shit. It is just shit.
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Yeh, uh im digging a hole for myself, by presenting a thoughtful criticism of an unfounded, stupid joke. And youre presenting yourself with high esteem by being a bitter, hypocritical, loser, incapable of answering the quite valid question I asked you, instead just responding with "Duh, you're stupid." I stated my reason for having a small problem with it, and yes i will still see it. You know why? because i dont have to agree with every aspect of a film to enjoy it. Because Dave Chapelle is funny. Because im not you, trying to keep my hard-earned 9.50. Because Im a kid and i dont earn shit. Because I can replace that 9.50 as easily as scratching my ass. You think this movie will completely suck, fine, dont go see it and save your prescious 9.50. But dont you dare to call me stupid just because i will see it, because ill take an I.Q test with a fucking ape like you any day of the week, Mr. Chapel. Yes , I'm stupid for thinking enough to see that a so-called joke is baseless and inane, therefore rendering it unfunny and just offensive . Funny how youre reactionary enough to see through Eddie's "Uncle Tom" act, but the jokes in the movie are "just jokes". I await not an intelligent rebuttal, but what else, an onslaught of sophomoric put-downs. Funny how no one else but you has shit to say about the apparent outright stupidity of my post. You know why? because they probably dont care, or maybe theyre just rational people who fully understand what i was trying to say.
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Don't ridicule Harry for liking a movie. If you are basing your movie-going choices on Harry's or anyone else's reviews you are making a HUGE mistake. Harry is just giving you what is called and OPINION. Try forming your own someday.
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This movie looks fucking stupid and you all should know that. Can't Hollywood do any better than this? Corky Romano, Sorority Boys, like why are all comedies have to be low brow movies for well...low brow people. And before one of you jumps down my throat...NO, not every movie has to be serious, but at least have a plot and/or plausible story.
And that poster who had good things to say about Robert Townsend's Hollywood Shuffle is right. It's a smart and funny film. I just didn't know that I wasn't the only one who has seen that flick. -
Get your head out of your Ass Harry...I'm waiting to the the undercover brother sponsorship ad fly across the screen.
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who is a poor old senile man on crack's immitation of the someone who did a bad immitation of someone who kinda reminded him of the old Eddie Murphy.
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You're both idiots! Two obvious intelligent Black men arguing over a movie while other races sit back and enjoy the show. Stop it!
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http://www.panicware.com/product_pshelp.html
(Pop-Up Stopper -
All the SW and Spidey worshippers(even though I am one, but not taken to the extreme, so to speak) are having mental breakdowns due to Harry's loving something that should by all the laws of internet geek nature, be deemed crap. I saw the making of Undercover Brother on HBO and BET, and some of the lines and jokes were revealed....and the stuff is hilarious, seriously. Harry is dead on with what he's saying about it. There's one joke with UB and Sistah Girl going down some Batman-like tubes that is almost Simpsons-quality in its humor(yeah, that's saying a lot, but it is). As one of the few black guys that post frequently on this site(I'm sure there are more of us on here) I don't feel obligated to say it's a good movie because it's a quote unquote "black film", but I'm just saying.....Austin Powers was looked upon back in '97 as a stupid concept, now it's achieved cult status among some people.....ya never know.
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Okay, I don't buy Harry's little childhood backstories. I think they're B.S. And yes, I too have been somewhat dissapointed in films that Harry raves about. However, I like reading Harry's reviews. Why? Because they are fun. And for those of you who can't stand how he takes forever to start talking about the movie, a word of advice. JUST SCROLL DOWN! Oh, and just so you know, Harry isn't ALWAYS wrong.
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no, i haven't seen the movie. (and yes, I am white.) but from the trailer i can tell that this is the next in the disturbingly long line of movies intended by White Hollywood to be appealing to black audiences that is nothing more than an extended sequence of jokes based on race. the RUSH HOUR movies, for instance...what the fuck!? how could people enjoy a Chinese guy and a black guy throwing racist one-liners at each other for the duration of TWO FILMS? this looks no different. from what i understand, the primary creative team is black on this one, but you know that somewhere up the line a white guy is responsible. "hey, weren't there lots of Blacksplosion movies in the seventies? is that the word? anyway, let's do a spoof of that, featuring lots of jokes about how black people and white people are different!" just because (luckily) the stereotypes presented aren't particularly harmful doesn't make them anything more than stereotypes, plain and simple. and besides all that, how is it that Eddie Griffin is getting good roles and Orlando Jones is stuck being, at the "highpoint" in his mainstream acting career, the straight man to Eddie Griffin? Jones is leagues funnier but his humor isn't as obnoxious so I guess it doesn't carry over to wide audiences like Griffin. anyway, here's hoping (futilely) that this movies bombs and Hollywood starts making positive movies about minorities or at least addresses the race issue in a meaningful, non-patronizing way. fuck this movie. and Harry, man...come on. you run an important film site. have a little self respect. yes, people are allowed to like whatever they want to. but UNDERCOVER BROTHER? maybe it's time to let Moriarity handle all the reviews.
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Billy Dee Williams is in this movie?! Does he have Colt 45? If he does, I'll check it out. If not, maybe I'll see it on DVD. Although the Big Gulp scene in the previews ruled.
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You have some very strong opinions about a movie that hasn't come out yet.This is what I love about reading AICN messageboards. How so many of you try to sound intelligent, but the evident ignorance ruins the attempt. At least, Harry has seen the movie. Me, I don't know whether the movie will be good. i'll decide for myself.
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Just curious- why it is OK for Undercover Brother to poke fun at white stereotypes, but not black ones (i.e. that they're all after white women)? Blazing Saddles did it; was that not funny either? I'm just confused as to why the joke bothers you.
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Its the fact that I dont see the foundation for that particular stereo type. Make jokes about dancing, fried chicken, hip-hop, ebonics, whatever. Fine.I'll laugh.
But this whole white girl thing I just dont get. I know no black men who favor white women over all others. Im not denying that such men exist but it probly aint enough to warrant makes a sweeping generalization. Yeh Blazing Saddles was funny, but it was set in a time where black men were supposed to be kept away from white women, because there was a fear of black male sexuality among members of the white race. So that made the jokes in Blazing Saddles funny. In UCB, it just aint. -
...even if it does have Chris Kattan in it. I just don't like any of the SNL guys at all. Anyways, I'll see it within a few weeks, hopefully this TB will still be here then.
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This might sound too highly analyzed, but I don't know if many of you realize the true reason for Dave Chapelle and the chief's response to Eddie hittin' off a white chick. (Virgil hit apon it without realizing it) It's not because all black men desire white chicks, at least not over any other race. It's just that over the 300+ years blacks were brought to this country, black men were NEVER allowed to fraternize with white women. Whether that was through the media, or in everyday life. (likely, they would have been beaten until death if caught.)
The same is not said for white men and black women, cause afterall, a lot of slave owners raped their black women slaves, so it's not seen as such an unsightly thing to do. (Plus you must remember, most movies are made for one primary audience: White males. So it's easier to see white males with black women rather than the other way around, as it looks like they're losing their own to black men otherwise.)
Even now, to some extent, some people look down on black men having anything but a platonic relationship with a white woman; saying that they "Sold out" or a many number of other insults. (Many coming from black women, actually)
So once Eddie comes in, they all act as if they were never allowed to take the cookie from the cookie jar, and he somehow miraculously managed to do so without getting a beating.
Think about it....... -
looking at it like that its kinda funny now. Thanks.
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Has anyone seen that movie
CORNMAN: AMERICAN VEGETABLE HERO?
Cause the scene in U.B. where the chicks are fighting and then they randomly show up in the shower ....happens in Cornman.... its the same joke! I smell a lawsuit! -
And I think you're all a bunch of racist crackpots with absolutely no clue (Californians, I bet.) Not leave me alone while I count my big pile of money. Ha ha.
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The movie has an 81% thus far on Rotten Tomatoes getting 21 out of 26 reviews rated as 'Fresh.' Harry is one of many who have enjoyed this film so far.
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One of the highlights of my 'Star Wars 1978 Holiday Special' tape is the Sheer Indulgence commercial with it's jingle: "Got real panties in my pantyhose-AHH! It's Sheer Indulgence!" That and the menacing Imperial officer, who rips the head off Lumpy's stuffed bantha, has his stormtroopers trash the kid's room, interrupts the Boba Fett cartoon- the only bit of actual quality- and has the unmitigated gall to tell Lumpy, "Go and clean up your room!" This is a talkback arguing the quality and validity of Undercover Brother, which is insane. But whoever compared Star Wars to white trash is absolutely right. Holy crap, somebody remake Star Wars in the South! Han Solo drives a Freightliner and has a hairy Mexican pal he rescued from the border patrol named Chewie! Luke kisses his sister! Charlton Heston as Yoda! Oh my god this is perfect...I'm writing the script right now! Lucas better not sue me, because he ripped off Hidden Fortress in quite the same way. You know what? This post is, I think, almost completely off topic. Oh well.
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like i said, NO, i haven't seen the movie. and therefore i'm not presenting particular opinions on this particular film and its particular content. (and i'm not even going to dwell on how this is probably basically the same movie as five others that have been released in the past decade. hollywood repeating itself? nah.) my point was simply that this is obviously another film that uses racial stereotypes as...well, from what i can tell from the trailer, a basic conceit. i'm not saying this movie's not funny. i'm sure there are parts that would have me laughing my ass off. ALL I'M SAYING is that this is an unhealthy trend that basically capitalizes on less harmful aspects of a serious social problem. i'm not talking about Undercover Brother. i'm talking about Hollywood and how they get away with racism so long as it's good-natured. they could be producing movies like DO THE RIGHT THING that responsibly address the concept of racism. but instead we get UNDERCOVER BROTHER. sure, it's just a dumb summer comedy movie. sure, it's even a loving spoof of an important period (THE most important period) of black cinema. but there's still more than that going on, and that's the problem i wanted to address. THAT'S what people ought to be thinking about.
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There's been lots of hoopin' and hollerin' on this TB about what degree of seriousness that the "black man/white woman" issue should be given in this farcical, slap-stick comedy. As an American man of mixed heritage (mostly African, but a few Crackers here and there in the lineage), just let me say that YES, it is many of my boyz dreams to bag a White Chick - even a much uglier one than the Mahogany Babe he was with right before he dropped her for L'il Miss Ivory. Hey, that's just the way it is, so don't hate the playa, hate the game.
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May 31, 2002 6:28:19 AM CDT
Movies that have made me laugh out loud in the last two years:
by sub-moxy
1) Ghost World 2) The Royal Tenenbaums 3) Pootie Tang 4) The Man Who Wasn't There /// If any genre is dead, it's comedy. There are so few laugh-out-loud comedies being made, cause everything is just SO tired. Maybe I just don't have much of a sense of humour, but it's so rare that a movie will make me laugh uncontrollably like the "Spinal Taps" of the past. Movies are either vulgar or just embarrassing in their comedic attempts. We need more Wes Andersons. More deadpan - god, how few screenplays will give that an opportunity these days. This movie itself looks like another lame retread. And how unfunny is Eddie Griffith? At least it sounds like it isn't another fucking "Tomcats". I'll take "Dude, Where's My Car" any day over another misogynistic, racist, pathetic attempt at begging for a cringe. But, eih. Why bother arguing. What are the odds I'll even remember this movie tomorrow. Like all the others. Remember Black Knight? Me neither. [Btw, Pootie Tang is one of the most underappreciated films in years. I'm glad to see a few other people recognize it as such.]
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Pud, are you okay? You might want to check into some therapy. Yeah, I'm sure all the LOTR books were part of a secret plot to spread the Aryan racist worldview. Idiot...
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May 31, 2002 9:26:30 AM CDT
For the love of god will someone buy Harry a prostitute?
by triumph the dog
He obviously needs some desperately. Between this review and its continous return to how "sexual" blacksploitation stars are and his notorious "Blade" review we are clearly dealing with a man who is so obsessed at "getting some" that it is perfecting his work.
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Did you see that movie with the sexy, powerful black guy who got laid? HELL NO! Cause Holly wood dosn't make em anymore!(and don't say Shaft case Sam never got laid) Undercover Brother was funny but if you check out the Web Cartoon that it was based on, He was never a buffoon! As always it's the black woman (Sistah Girl) who is the powerful one who keeps the clownish black men in line. In the cartoon U.B. dupes White She Devil into working for the brotherhood. He dosen't fall victim to her flat-assed charms. I'm down with Sweet Sweetback gimmi some of that Love and a Bullet shit. That looks like a film where brothaz can let their nuts hang.
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I have REFUSED to see that new, so-called Shaft movie, ever since I heard that Shaft doesn't score with the ladies...what's up with that!?! That's half of Shaft (the other half being sticking up for his brothers), and which half do you think Shaft enjoyed more?
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Denise Richards MAY be white but she is more HISPANIC to me. Yes I know that some say that there a black hispanics and White hispanics. I think that they should have gotten a WHITE actress to play the part....
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May 31, 2002 12:49:42 PM CDT
To the guy who's crowing over what the reviews say........
by axelfoley
All it proves is that they don't what the fuck they're talking about either. That doesn't get us anywhere, does it? -
You are correct, Hollywood should make films, with out all the sterotyping when it comes to minorities. Hollywood is so clueless, and in fact a teacher of mine addressed this situation, and why it is. He worked in hollywood and said most are ideas of clueless white males, who happen to run Hollywood, anyway they feel the need to make cultural aspects of races so the audience of minorities well feel a kinship with the character, but in actuality since about 1% of white execs actually know any black people or any non white minority on a personel they attempts are sterotypical and sometimes downright offensive. Not to mention some Hollywood execs are racist and like to put negative images out of other races, especially Blacks. Will things ever change in hollywood to the point where a film can get made without resorting to sterotyping and racial references???? Probably never, well I don't think as long as I'm alive one will come out. Change will come when minorities head up movie studios, and share in the creative aspect of films, but until then, movies like this won't be the last for a long time.
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I mean, c'mon, this website is fun for getting news and rumors about upcoming projects, but when it comes to reviewing films, Harry doesn't have a lot of credibility. Slobbering enthusiasm for every movie ever made does not tell the public much about whether or not a movie is any good. This film stars Eddie Griffin, Chris Kattan and Denise Richards and is called "Undercover Brother." Sounds like crap to me.
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I got Harry's back on this one. I caught a matinee of Undercover Brother with my partner in moviegoing crime, Boobs, and we both loved it.
I was primed for this one like Harry. Love the parodies. And love the '70s Blaxploitation, especially Pam Grier. And screw anyone who disses Jackie Brown. There, I said it. Boobs, being a German/Polish white-bread mayonaisse-loving chick from Chicago, was going only for the hot shower scene between Snow and Sista Girl. I got more than I expected, she got a nice surprise. We both laughed our asses off.
One thing though Harry. I love the Austin Powers movies just as much, and watching UB I felt a familiar strain in the humor. Check your credits, accolades go to co-writer Michael McCullers, who also contributed to The Spy Who Shagged Me and the upcoming Goldmember. McCullers is the guy Keenan Ivory Wayans needs to ring up when he does the punch-up on the humor quotient in his Scary Movie 3 (Episode One, Lord of the Brooms).
I'm gonna see Undercover Brother again, and I am totally looking forward to Goldmember. And Harry, I wouldn't worry too much about Halle Berry's take on Foxy Brown. Between Ellis and Knowles, she'll have two great post-modern takes on the powerful Sista to riff off of.
-- Trader Groucho -
"Just curious- why it is OK for Undercover Brother to poke fun at white stereotypes, but not black ones (i.e. that they're all after white women)? Blazing Saddles did it; was that not funny either? I'm just confused as to why the joke bothers you."
For everyone else who DOESN'T get it, Undercover pokes fun at a whole BUNCH of stereotypes: 1) Conspiracy-theorist whites who think that blacks are taking over 2) Conspiracy-theorist blacks who think "the Man" is keeping them down. 3)People who believe there is sucha thing as a sell-out "oreo" brothers 4) White "she-devils" who only want one thing 5) Self-conscious black women who think white women only want one thing 6) People who think black men only want one-thing...etc., ad infinitum...
My favorite episode of the old web-toon was when UB went to rescue Jim Brown from the Man's mind-control. He HAD to be controlled because there was no other rationale for his viewpoints and wife-beatingss. When UB found out that Jim Brown was really just f-ed up in the head; he just turned around and went home. It was classic! The webtoon satirized ALL sides of the spectrum.
Get the picture? Now go SEE the picture, and just laugh...! -
... really disappoint me. And to all of those who say that "Undercover Brother" is a "Pootie Tang" rehash - please (I'm tempted to use strong insults, but I'm trying to be nice). What's so similar about the two? UB is simply a dude who's stuck in the 70s, recruited to fight in a secret war in the present. Pootie was... well... just an idiot. Pootie tried to be a comedy, where most people who've seen bits of UB can tell that it's more of a satire than "Pootie...", which seemed like garbage to me, but I admit, I've never seen it. I just might check it out now to see if it is as bad as I've heard. UB is the type of comedy where, though it may seem cartoonish on the top, really speaks to some serious issues that Blacks and Whites alike have to deal with. Interracial relationships and how they're viewed, Black men and the police ("Behing every good Black man, there's..."), and a myriad of other dynamics are dealt with in this movie, albeit in a comedic way. Face it, there's no way a serious movie about race can be made and put out anymore, because it won't bring in the big bucks - which is what rules Hollywood. Many of our own Black people wouldn't go to see it because it's not a comedy (a serious problem amongst outselves)and many whites are afraid to because they may either fell shame, embarassment, or guilt, and no one goes to the movies to feel bad. To dismiss this movie as "it looks like crap" without delving deper into it's meaning is a mistake. Making it a comedy was a smart move because now Black people will see it and many Whites as well because of the Blaxploitation feel (face it - some of the biggest lovers of the era are White). I'm able to look through the surface (I've also watched the online episodes) and see the deeper meanings, and I think the movie touches on them well. That said - Harry, could you please start up a TB on Monday for folks who've SEEN UB so we can see their take on the movie after it's come out? I have a feeling a lot of these naysayers and "it's gonna suck" psychics who know a movie before they see it are going to be pleasantly proven wrong... quote THE RAYVEN... nevermore.
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Just got back from seeing 'Undercover Brother' and it was by far the funniest movie I have ever seen in my life. Harry was spot on with this review. It is a MUST SEE for any fan of comedy, hell anyone who likes movies.
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To GwymWeepa:
The idea behind "reverse racism" is that up until the 1970s, racism was defined (by white folks) as whites disliking people of color (and Jews, of course). During the 1970s, the white majority became aware, for the first time, in a big way, that some (or many) blacks do not necessarily care for their white brethren. It was discovered that the sullen expressions on the faces of many people of color, which had been pasted on since God knows when, actually masked an unspoken dislike of the white man. This unspoken dislike became highly verbal, and physical, by the end of 70s, when people of color started yelling and shooting back. But since racism had been defined for the past 100 years as whites discriminating against people of color, the idea that people of color might not always think kindly of whites came to be called reverse racism. It still is, 30 years later. For many whites, it was and remains unthinkable that people of color would harbor any ill will toward the white majority, their (past) masters. This same thinking allowed Crayola to innocently label a light-pink crayon as "Flesh" into the 70s. It also allowed newspapers to define minority suspects as black or Negro while white suspects were simply labeled -- suspects. Newspapers, including the ones I have worked at, used to exclude black/brown wedding announcements in favor of white ones, again right up into the 70s. Racism is embedded. And it will remain so until the "browning" of America is completed, in another generation or two. Or three. Then a term like reverse racism will have lost its meaning. Of course, we also know that people of color think and act racially toward one another, with the lighter-hued "lording" it over the darker-skinned, using defamatory terms to define these perceived differences. I have long known the term "high yellow" but only recently learned the term for blacks of moderate color with a rosy blush. Red-something. Redskin? I can just imagine what a dark-skinned individual is called. So I guess racism itself will never completely go away. But as for the term reverse racism, this will disappear once the white majority disappears. -
This movie was funny. So what if Harry's gushing over it. Can you name five good comedies in the past two years? And I don't think he's ever really claimed to be a critic. Fucking good movie. Ballsy, and just funny. I wish Hollywood would make more movies like this.
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So i read the review here yesterday and said to myself maybe this will be a great funny movie denise richards is hott and any movie with dave chappelle has to be somewhat funny and i will admit that the movie had its funny moments but definately not enough to spend 9 bucks on and as i left the theatre i realized that it was a crappy movie. Not only was it crappy but it was like watching an extended version of BETS comicview where they just keep on trashing white people. I would love to make a movie called White power and have african americans portrayed as thugs, slaves, thiefs or any other stereotype true or untrue and see what would happen, their would be riots all over America but its cool when black people make fun of white people, if anything black people are more racist than anyone else. I am not by any means racist and i dont mean to offend anyone but that shit pisses me off yeah Ok the idea of "The Man" could have been true maybe 30 years ago but times have changed today and shit is not like that anymore. If white people could make the same type of jokes against black people that would be fine with me but why is there is a double standard? i can deal with white jokes in fact i LOVE white jokes i think when people on comicview or on UPN shows make them it cracks me up cause a lot of it is true but to base a whole movie on it and just keep shoving it down our throats for an hour and a half is not my idea of entertainment. At least if the jokes were smart and funny i wouldnt mind either but they werent, they were trite and predictable and lame. Am i wrong? i really dont think so.
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Black or White, if you refuse to have sex with someone based simply on their color then you are a racist. I am a white male who loves coffey in his cream and the black guys that I know all love to obtain that "white prize". Personally, I hope that you ladies contiue this debate on racisim/sex/blaxpoitation indefinitily. It just means that there is a rainbow of women out there waiting for a man to come along, either black or white. Besides, most of you morons, BLACK AND WHITE, need to realize that racisim is not about color: ITS ABOUT MONEY. People with money use the common bond of race with their poorer cousins as a means to distract the poorer MAJORITY into focusing their attention away from the fact that the rich are robbing them blind. It happens with blacks and whites. Do you really think that Jay-Z, Puffy, et. all these new money rappers are living now in the conditions they grew up in? HELL NO! They're sitting at the country club or $500 a plate restaraunt right next to the old money rich white guy. Only when people realize that money is the dividing issue in the United States and that the dividing line is not black/white but rich/poor will you get the end of racial prejudice and inequality.
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Let's face it.. AICN has started to do it for the money... Harry has praised every damn film that has had banners on this site. I have totally lost my faith in AICN. It is very interesting to see what Harry has to say about JASON X, which has had banners all over the place.
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It isn't reverse racism. It's just racism. And if you see this film you support it. Period. Any rationalization about it being satire so it's okay is nonsense. /// None for me thanks.
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Jun 03, 2002 12:24:59 AM CDT
BECAUSE OF AICN'S POPULARITY, MORE AND MORE STUDIOS ARE SEND
by double_helix
WOW, IMAGINE ENTERTAINMENT HAS REALLY DONE IT THIS TIME! Too bad, EVERYBODY knows that you guys are now posting on AICN... Don't worry, you're not the only studio who is resorting to this cheap tactic. This is no different than Sony's attempt to include employee testimonials in their own advertising! Sadly, this is going to become more and more of a trend on everybody's favorite GEEK WEBSITE. The marketing budgets of many studios now include massive web promotion funding, and yes, that includes PLANTS! More and more executives are starting to realize that the internet provides them with a powerful soapbox, and there AINT a bigger soapbox than AICN! @ @ @ @@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @@ @ @ @@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I've seen this film, and while it's not entirely bad; it has a few solid moments, it's not worth a trip to the box office. It's rental... all the way. A racist version of Austin Powers is what many expected from first glance, and it certainly wasn't far from the truth! Blaxploitation parodies are WAY TOO SIMPLE TO WRITE... WHY EVEN BOTHER? It would be like devoting an entire film to KUNG-FU PARODY! Oh wait... Kung Pow... SNL wouldn't even touch a sketch like this because it's been done to death... Eddie Griffin didn't make me laugh once. Yes, Eddie... you have a bright smile and you are in a few annoying costumes... (once again think bad SNL) I really love Chapelle's stand-up, and he is a terrific presence on film. THe man was HILLARIOUS in HALF BAKED. He doesn't dissapoint here; in fact, him and Dougie Howser save this film from STUART SMALLEY territory...The worst part about this film is that it PULLS PUNCHES! Mid-way, they realised that it might be time to appeal to the white market... However, they are not redeemed. It's stupid, simple racial humor and I've heard it all before. SADLY, THERE ARE PLANTS IN HERE, GUSHING OVER A FILM THAT IS NO BETTER THAN, " A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY." WOULD YOU PAY 12 BUCKS FOR THAT!?!? I know that we're desperate for comedy... Why else would I have wasted two hours of my life seeing this peice of crap? I ONLY HOPE YOU HAVE THE WILL POWER TO WAIT FOR "FUBAR." It's a Canadian film about heavy metal bangers... and it should be coming soon... AINT IT COOL NEWS HAS SEEN IT'S DARKEST HOUR... This, and many other forums, have plants (should be called weeds) everywhere... It's time we cut them down!
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I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard in a movie theater. I hardly agree with Harry and his reviews but he hit the nail right on the head this time. Undercover Brother is a great movie, it has action that makes Austine Powers look like a G rated movie plus the comedy timing was perfect...
My first time saying this but Great Review Harry!!!!
Best movies I seen so far this summer is Spider-Man and UB.
CriPPleR -
for giving me the biggest laugh I've had in a LONG time. Nothing brings a smile to my face more than anonymous geeks (like myself, admittedly) trying to make desperately politically correct (or desperately politically incorrect) statements about race. I went to see Undercover Brother over the weekend and I (a bi-racial male over the age of 21) was in hysterics the whole time. The white people in the audience were laughing. The black people in the audience were laughing. Everybody was laughing. This "Eddie Griffin is the next Stepin Fetchit" shit is bullshit. And to get into a debate over race relations on a website like this one? That's like arguing about the war on terrorism on MTV.com. You all probably just finished your first year in college (if that) and you were really impressed by your Intro to Sociology professor and so everything's a racist conspiracy... or you failed out of Intro to Sociology and the dumb, faux racist comments you're making are just a way of getting back at the professor. You're all full of shit.
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The movie was funny...But I gotta say dammit! As a black woman I am so tired of bm/ww couples acting like I'm going supposed to get pissed! And dammit! this movie ain't helping, on that front. :-P Granted, there are lots of insecure sistahs who DO get pissed (not fitting social standards of beauty AND STILL having much of our Afro-centric beauty jacked, twisted, and dimissed are pretty damn valid reasons..collegen injections anyone?)...BUT there are also, many (like myself) who could give a crap... That said, I'm bracing myself for the onslaught of white people quoting lines from this film...Please, spare me the torture...
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...WHITE TRASH HARRY... Doesn't have the same emotional impact, but I hope you get my point just the same.
Yeah, I know you love blaxploitation, but I have to wonder why you picked the one that has a horrendously offensive word in it's title to print...in bold...multiple times...
Perhaps, one day the world will get to a point where we'll be knowledgable enough (read "universal love w/o a trace of racism left") to be able to use whatever words flippantly and not offend. But we ain't there yet. -
Jun 03, 2002 11:15:25 AM CDT
Harry, I've got some swamp land, life insurance, and the who
by kromike
After all, you're so gullible. Do you pop happy pills before you see a movie? Or do you have a special arrangement: you get in free = write a gung-ho positive review?
UB was a complete, utter waste of time. Not even funny from a camp perspective. Not worth the matinee price that I paid, not worth a DVD rental 6 months from now, not worth seeing mutilated on cable/broadcast TV 2 years from now, and not even worth using the script for toilet paper.
Honestly, you need to stop writing reviews on your laptop AS (not after) you're watching the movie. Your review of Blade2 was way over the top, and then some (to be honest, you gave me the heebie-jeebies with that one). I think you drooled over AoTC ONLY because you got to see that super-secret hotel preview. As Hudson would say, whoopee-fucking-do.
And now this...UB NOT a trailer movie? Shirley, you jest.
Suggestion - go look up the definition for "objectivity". Stop being such a Trekkie Geek who-tends-to-love-anything-with-such-and-such-actor/actress-no-matter-how-utterly-awful-the-plot/dialog/acting/etc-is. -
If you think it's just about money your fooling yourself. It has a lot to do with color, features, language.. etc. People who are racists are just plain ignorant. And this doesn't just apply to Black or White, let's not forget that America is a melting pot of culture, Black, White, Asian, Hispanic. All races feel some sort racism, some more than others. There will always be some kind of racism, because there will always be ignorant people. Sad but true.
Back to topic, movie looks ok, I'll spend the $8.50. -
Jun 03, 2002 4:36:42 PM CDT
One week, and a misquoted Tool song later, my take on this thing
by xthecrovvx
OK, seeing as AOL wants to be a bitch, and crash right when im in the middle of writing a near-dissertation size review of this movie, I'll have to do a quicker sorta gloss-over review....in short, its sorta like what happened when Blade 2's House of Pain scene wasnt the orgasm-inducing thing of beauty that Harry made it out to be(that honor goes to the final Blade-Nomak fight..damn that was brutal...but, im off topic), this movie wasn't AS funny as Harry would lead you to believe, but at the same time, I was still surprised at how funny this movie actually was. I still have to take issue with certain bits(ill get to them in more detail at some point, when the whackos at aol put down the "Boot 'em off" button long enough for me to write it out again) but i was also surprised how self-aware the movie was. This isnt one of those god-awful black movies where it's just a string of stereotypes put together to look like it's quality cinema (yer damn right i'm looking at you Next Friday). This is more or less as everyone's been saying, a black Austin Powers, but far more skewering of the typical stereotypes than Austin Powers, even while falling victim to a couple. Like Austin Powers, though, 90 percent of the time, the hero still comes in second to other elements in the movie...specifically the visual jokes, some of which work(ex: Eddie Griffin's dead-fucking-on imitation of the "O'Hara's treachery" scene in Enter The Dragon), some of which dont(I dont get what the aversion to miracle whip/mayo was about...nobody, and I mean NOBODY eats a cold sandwich with hot sauce), a scant few of which will piss some people off(pretty much anything involving Sistah Girl's reaction to Penelope Snow/White She-Devil)....all around, its nowhere near as bad as it looks from the outside, but its also nowhere close to perfection. So, in the end, I'm pleasantly surprised, but certain things still irk me....in closing though, i'll offer the two things that stick with me from the movie the most, which are also the two things that, for me, take some of the sting out of some of the more offensive things in the movie...for one, is the aforementioned line from Chi McBride, in which he claims the Brotherhood will make things better for "black people of all races", which the Brotherhooddd didnt get, until he told em "think about it!!"....personally, i think that line belongs at the very end of the movie...wouldve been a PERFECT capper to everything that winds up happening...the second, though, is not as direct, but for some reason, this got the message of "we're all human" across to me better than anything else in the film....its been advertised since the first trailer, but in the middle of the Sistah Girl/White She-Devil fight, they end up in the shower together, still going at it, and it turns into a Playmate photo shoot of sorts...whats not made so clear by the trailer is that while those two fight, two of White She-Devil's henchmen are fighting with Undercover Brother, until all three of them set eyes on what's going on in the shower...everything stops, they watch, the white guys get a couple of beers, UB gets a tub of popcorn, everybody sits down, and chills out for a good 3 minutes, united in the shared human need to see the opposite sex as close to naked as possible...yeah, its shallow....but, in the end, what i got from it is basically, we're different...but not THAT different...and thats a moral if i ever saw one...Revolution is my name....and hey, this turned out longer than i intended...
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i had with a couple of other honky friends... was to rent either a white Dodge full size van or some kinda winnebago, or maybe even suburban, chip in and buy ourselves a Sony digital video camera, grab our Sex Pistols and Enigma CD's and hit the road to make a documentary, "White Trash Tour 2002: The Great Southwest" or something like that. starting in the LA area, we'd hit Thousand Oaks, Corona, Barstow, Laughlin, Lake Havasu, Bishop, Salt Lake City, uh... and so on and so forth. It was a fun idea at least.
and we woulda been sure to hit as many sushi bars as possible because (A) sushi kicks ass and (B)imho the American sushi bar really is White Culture Off the Record.
being sicilian, it's the least i coulda done to alleviate the cinematic injustices towards mah people!!!
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Some of my favorite movies include Dirty Work, Zoolander, and of course Saving Silverman. I'm a fan of movies that most people say are terrible, and I have high hopes for UC! I'll probably love it.
I'm a mime! -
Pootie Tang's satire cult shall continue to grow while Austin/UC fans will out grow those spoof/parody movies.
Pootie's director, Louis C.K., deserves a director's cut of the Tang. Check out his short films dvd: www.louisck.com -
Ahem...Why on earth would anyone take the time to bookmark this website, read the scoops faithfully, then spend time telling Harry how his opinions don't live up to your expectations...How lame do you come off? The man loves film - he loves each and every corner of the art form. If you don't agree with each of his subjective views, then fine. Disagree. But be a grown-up about it, and stop disparaging the author for having his opinions. You don't like 'em? Don't read anymore. Simple.
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Ahem...Why on earth would anyone take the time to bookmark this website, read the scoops faithfully, then spend time telling Harry how his opinions don't live up to your expectations...How lame do you come off? The man loves film - he loves each and every corner of the art form. If you don't agree with each of his subjective views, then fine. Disagree. But be a grown-up about it, and stop disparaging the author for having his opinions. You don't like 'em? Don't read anymore. Simple.
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I always saw the term as a kind of "Mommy, he hit me back!" mentality. Think about it.
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Should I be afraid? Should I be very afraid?
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...everyone needs to shut the hell up and go see the movie. In my opinion, this is the funniest damn movie to come out since 'The Big Lebowski'. Like so many have said before...if you haven't seen it yet, the shut yer pieholes! Happy trails:)
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Racist or not, this movie sucked the shit out of my ass. I may have chucked once or twice, but its creativity and likability is somewhere south of Batman & Robin. Unless your under 12 years old, you've seen all this before, and in much better form. Don't believe anything else you read here. It HAS to be the work of studio plants or outright bribery. There simply is no other explanation.
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It sucked. It sucked badly. There were some ha-ha moments, but not enough of em to keep my nuts from falling asleep through most of it. Completely stupid ending that went nowhere and meant nothing. This was a "trailer movie" by definition which Harry gave. I can't believe Harry would give this a leg up of "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" which is by FAR a better film that carried me through a full 90 minutes without thinking about what groceries I needed to pick up the next day or whatever... how about "Amazon Women From the Moon" and "Hollywood Shuffle"... these were excellent films which touched on all the humor that this farce attempts to achieve. Enough... this movie is lame and Harry is quite lame in endorsing it. I'm really starting to question whether he's lost his mind or is getting paid. Glad I downloaded this and didn't was $10... I've decided to screen all movies before I go see them. Everyone should do the same.
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Jun 05, 2002 4:59:17 PM CDT
I hope they make a sequel. Oh and by the way, only the Man would
by brooklyn bred
I saw it with my girlfriend and we both enjoyed it. And yes we are Black. I felt it made fun of racism while underlining society's problems and hang ups about skin color. In my opinion if you have a beef with this movie you saw yourself in it and got pissed. I've never been a fan of Eddie Griffin's before but I think he did a superb job as the ghetto avenger UB and while her name escapes me, the beauty of gorgeous woman who played Sistah Girl does not! DAMN that woman is fine. Forget white she-devil and her plastic face, give me Sistah Girl! Well since people will probably blast me for UB the thumbs up I might as well say FU2
ahead of time. -
Harry, I respect your love of film and value your opinions, but I wonder why you rely so heavily on vulgarity in expressing yourself. For someone of your influence, it is not only inappropriate, but barbaric. You write like a drunk teenager speaks. And having seen photographs of you, I find your labelling of certain actresses as being "fuckable" not only ridiculous, but most unsettling.
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UB is really liked by the critics. I am happy to see that many people enjoyed UB as much as I did.
77% Fresh over at Rotten Tomatoes
-CriPPleR
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/UndercoverBrother-1114476/ -
The movie is about a stupid nerdy white guy who envies black people so much, due to their inherent greater coolness than whites, that he wants to change their race. If you can't see that as racist, I have no idea how to communicate with you. (And if it follows true to form with most predominantly black cast films, every white in the film will be comic relief, a moron, corrupt, or a combination thereof.) As you loved to make a point of reversing this, if the movie had a white hero and a black villian, a black villian who wanted to change all white people black because he envied white people and the sole point of the main (or only) black chick in the film is as a sexual object for the white guy to nail, every black and Liberal rights group would go nuts. As you would, probably. This is racist. Period. It isn't funny. It isn't right. And you aren't hip or cool or racially aware if you accept this. You're a racist. This PC "acceptable" racism is wrong.
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odietamo,
It really is not that serious.
I went to see this movie with my friend(white), sister(black), brother and law(black), friend(white)friend(white), friend(black), friend(asian)
We all had a blast. No one felt it was raciest at all. Just a really fun movie that poked fun on both sides...
-CriPPleR
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Come on peoples, it doesn't look that good. It looks like just like another one of those stupid comedy movies with jokes that only a three year-old can laugh at. I really don't think it's worth seeing. Oh well, LOTR won MTV's award for best movie of the year, and that's all that matters...
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Undercover Brother was a critique of the many ills faced by oppressed Afrikan people (of all races). Although there were unmistakable traces of misogyny (never acceptable), the entire theme of the movie certainly is not worthless.
For those ill-informed persons among us who do not have a clear definition of racism: the power by one racial group to deprive another racial group of social, political, or economic advantages or parity. As one person quite succinctly stated, if someone is angry regarding this film, it is because that person sees him or herself portrayed in it.
I would add that although I prejudged the film as being exploitative solely based upon the trailer, I was pleasantly surprised upon seeing it to discover a theme that promotes cooperation among people who hail from different experiences.
Recognition of our common humanity, cooperation, and genuine compassion are some rudimentary prerequisites needed to transform our communities and world into mutually sustainable habitats.
The social commentaries addressed by the film merit a closer examination of what the writer and director were really attempting to convey. In the final analysis, people from adversarial groups, with divergent perspectives, had joined forces to combat a universally oppressive conglomerate. Such a united stand could never be bad, according to that old patriot, Patrick Henry.
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If you are not into blaxploitation pics you would probably wouldn't like this film. The movie had me laughing my ass off, but it had a few dead spots during the movie. I think the weakest part was Billy D. Williams (to my dismay). His character was reduced to the level of Jar Jar Binks. Some of the content was downright offensive to both Blacks and Whites. You pretty much get what you paid for with this film.
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Jun 13, 2002 5:02:13 PM CDT
just yesterday i saw a group of black girls loudly ridicule a bl
by yankeessuck
you can't push for equality and be 'anti-white' at the same time! and to make matters worse, virtues such as education, success, literacy, manners, and compassion are all considered 'white' qualities! what?!! ***** so anyways, the girls chase the boy and yell at him, "git yo' proper english and yo' gameboy outta' dis neigbohood! y'all don't belong here! hahahahahaha."
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This summer's become a real bitch to sort out...I can't decide which film to praise most and which film to bash most. How about this..."YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE SUCKS." That works for me.
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Reverse racism?! Come now, When the majority of media images depicts the peace loving, and open minded European American as "less than" or "subhuman", then you can bitch and whine like a helpless girl on a school yard with a skinned knee. "Suburbia's current fascination with black culture", for the record white people have always been fascinated with black culture. Thats why were such a commodity(slavery, rock&roll, tanning salons, fashion) to you. This country, this world doesn't belong to white's anymore than it belongs to black's, so try to leave your myopic world view out of your shallow and labored film reviews. And if you really believe white guys have it tough these days... thank your ancestors & forefathers.
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