Rating:  Summary: She's the meanest DVD in town! Review: "Coffy" (1973) made Pam Grier a star, "Foxy Brown" (1974) clearly shows why Grier became a star. "Foxy Brown" simply distills Grier's star qualities and uses them to their fullest potential, and by star qualities, I'm not just referring to her ample bosom. In "Foxy Brown" Grier is an abused, violated madwoman out for revenge at all costs, she doesn't just chew up the scenery, she obliterates it. But that's exactly why we love Grier. She's beautiful, sultry and she can kick a whole lotta ass! As far as I'm concerned, she IS the screen's original action heroine and this vehicle best showcases her talents as an action star. Unlike "Coffy," "Foxy Brown" doesn't give Grier much chance to flex her acting muscles, but it features Grier down and dirty: Foxy ransacks apartments, beats up hostile lesbians, gouges eyes, burns men alive, emasculates (literally and figuratively), and even pulls firearms out of her perfectly coifed afro. "Foxy Brown" is lurid, wildly sadistic, absolutely over-the-top and a cult film classic for those very reasons. "Coffy" may be the better film, but "Foxy Brown" is more enjoyable. So how does "Foxy Brown" fare on DVD? Well, the disc is an absolute revelation. Not since the film's theatrical debut has it looked this good. The previous full-frame transfer used for the videocassette and laserdisc was atrocious, featuring jaundiced flesh tones, excessively saturated colors, dark murky interiors, ruined compositions, and horrifically over-enhanced edges. The new, anamorphically-enhanced widescreen transfer is luminous. Compositions are correctly preserved with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, no more distracting headroom and a bit of picture information is added to the sides. The interiors now reveal wood paneling, earth-toned wallpaper and maroon curtains, unlike the previous transfer which rendered almost everything black or dark brown. The flesh tones are finally natural and the film's colors are brought down to a comprehensible saturation level, but don't worry, the 70's fashions are still a bright kaleidoscope of tawdriness. The sharpness is pleasing; edge-enhancement never rears its ugly head and the film's skies are at last blue. Gone is the olive and yellow sunlight. Film grain is noticeable in some dark scenes and there are a few source defects. Considering this is a low-budget exploitation film made in 1974, the source element is almost pristine. Compression on the disc is not so pristine, however. Some dark, shadowy areas and dissolves are frequently subject to tiling artifacts, but for a retail price of only $14.95, who can complain? Supplements include the amusing theatrical trailer ("Foxy's got guts: no ifs, ands, or buts!") and an enlightening commentary track by director Jack Hill who repeatedly describes the toils of working with AIP (American International Pictures) on this film, which he has said was one of his worst film-making experiences. The monaural sound on the disc is commendable; dialogue is always intelligible and the bass level makes Willie Hutch's score sound just as funky as it was 27 years ago. Jack Hill created Pam Grier her own sub-genre with "Coffy" and "Foxy Brown" and when she left it after 1976's dismal "Friday Foster," no one took her place...no one ever could. "Foxy Brown" is the ultimate Pam Grier action vehicle, a blaxploitation classic and a great DVD! If you have only seen "Foxy Brown" on videocassette or laserdisc, you haven't seen "Foxy" at all.
Rating:  Summary: Pam at her best Review: She's as sexy as she is streetwise. Pam Grier truly kicks ... in this classic 1974 blaxploitation film. She's back this time ready to crush the mobsters responsible for her boyfriend and brother's deaths. It takes some undercover prostituting under the direction of Miss Katherine for Foxy to get even. The climax toward the end is hilarious! Without giving it away, Foxy "cuts" those mobsters down to size. This is my favorite Pam Grier movie and hopefully it will become yours,too. A must see.
Rating:  Summary: Dis movie rox my sox cause dat pam gurl is in it.... Review: i love pam gurl cause she is the hottest black gurl alive and i am black too and i rarley get to see da hot gurls........TARA BANX AND PAM GRIET ARE DA HOTTESTA GURLSA IN DA HOLLA ENTIRA PLANETA! will u marry me kizzol.....i love u gurls......i love da part with dat guy and that part with that other person!!!!..EAT ROX MAI SOX MAHON!!!1
Rating:  Summary: A Kick in the Head Review: Ignore all the blather about "blaxploitation" and "camp", this is two-fisted B-action movie with an involving story, a kickass performance (from Ms. Grier) and joltingly brutal scenes of action violence. Getting a hoot out of the period costumes and attitudes is great, but anyone who enjoys a fierce action film will probably be blown away by this flick, which plays like an episode of 'Starsky & Hutch' directed by Paul Verhoeven. At times it seems that the sleazier and more violent a scene gets, the more craft and skill writer/director Jack Hill brings to it. What audiences thought about it at the time of its original release can only be imagined, but almost any modern viewer is likely to be stunned as Foxy goes up against a degenerate bunch of sleazoids and realistically (and literally) takes them apart. Still strong to this day, 'Foxy Brown' makes most modern action flicks look like episodes of 'Matlock'.
Rating:  Summary: Beautiful...but deadly! Review: Ahhh, this movie is a lot of fun. Lots of action, snappy dialog, and loads and loads of funk. All of this and Pam Grier...a beautiful woman who wasn't afraid to show it...this is your basic revenge story, with Foxy going after the drug syndicate that killed her boyfriend and her brother. What's really funny is this syndicate is mainly comprised of a creepy female leader, her pretty boy, philandering, racist boyfriend/number 2 in charge, and two sadistic, incompentent henchmen. Not much of a gang, but they do manage to throw in a few more guys here and there. All in all, a fun movie of this genre, better than most. To miss this one "would be a tragedy of the most diemensional proportions."
Rating:  Summary: THE ORIGINAL FOXY BROWN !!!!!!-"SUPERBAD!!!!!! Review: YES , COMPARED TO TODAY'S FILM STANDARDS , THIS FILM WAS CHEAPLY MADE WITH OVER THE TOP 70'S FASHION-AND POOR ACTING TO ADD-BUT A CLASSIC ! NONETHELESS- IT FEATURED THE SUPERSEXY AND BEAUTIFUL PAM GRIER- THE MOVIE STARTS WITH THE TANTALIZING GRIER DANCING TO THE "THEME FROM FOXY BROWN" AND THEN THE STORY OF REVENGE FOR HER BOYFRIEND AND BROTHER'S DEATH-FOXY GOES UNDERCOVER AS A HIGH PRICE CALL GIRL SERVING JURY DUTY-THE END OF THE FILM IS EXPLOSIVE AS FOXY SPORTS ONE OF THE BIGGEST AFROS EVER SEEN ON FILM! "A PIECE OF THE 70'S IN A TIME CAPSULE CALLED DVD"-A CLASSIC NOW AND AMAZINGLY EFFECTIVE IN IT'S TIME-BEAUTY, ACTION AND COMEDY - WHAT MORE COULD WE ASK FOR?
Rating:  Summary: Bodacious Review: This movie flat rocks. I love Black explotation movies, and this one is near the top. Pam Grier has so much sex apeal and attitude she takes over this movie like a run away train. Loads of fun.
Rating:  Summary: A Kick in the Head Review: Ignore all the blather about "blaxploitation" and "camp", this is two-fisted B-action movie with an involving story, a kickass performance (from Ms. Grier) and joltingly brutal scenes of action violence. Getting a hoot out of the period costumes and attitudes is great, but anyone who enjoys a fierce action film will probably be blown away by this flick, which plays like an episode of 'Starsky & Hutch' directed by Paul Verhoeven. At times it seems that the sleazier and more violent a scene gets, the more craft and skill writer/director Jack Hill brings to it. What audiences thought about it at the time of its original release can only be imagined, but almost any modern viewer is likely to be stunned as Foxy goes up against a degenerate bunch of sleazoids and realistically (and literally) takes them apart. Still strong to this day, 'Foxy Brown' makes most modern action flicks look like episodes of 'Matlock'.
Rating:  Summary: cool-ish Review: Not bad 70's time capsule.Not quite as enjoyable as it should be though as it tends to drag quite a bit in places.15 minutes or so cut from it would have probably made it a sharper film.Needless to say the hairstyles and the wardrobe are hilarious.As is some of the dialogue.Worth a look.
Rating:  Summary: Hidden Treasure Review: Both at the time of it's 1974 release--and today, this movie has received harsh criticism from critics too eager to consign it to history's trash heap. This is rather unfortunate because the low-budget screenplay has much to offer American society. Yes, there is a large amount of violence and sexual scenes throughout Pam Grier's star vehicle, but "blaxploitation" movies were not designed to show the world as pristine and sweet. Instead, the gritty plot (and ironically, the retrospective filming tecniques) remind the audience that the world isn't always safe and there are people who do have a "rough life" but can and do hold their own in that world. On top of that, the protagonists actively dedicate themselves to stopping the injustice without appology or compromise. For the cultural studies or social scientist, the film also shines by allowing us to see race, socioecconomic status and gender issues continously explored throughout the release. Even if wardrobe and props look severely dated, the screen play's plot (and subsequently raised "food for thought") has kept it's relevancy. When Foxy goes undercover in Ms. Katherine's harem, she finds the clients are white male politicians, a commentary on power exploitation that ironically resurfaced with Anita Hill's treatment before the US Senate Judiciary Committee many years later. Indeed, when Foxy is fighting men, the antagonist is usally white, ecconomically poweful, and sexually lecherous. At the same time, both a reference to disabled people as "cripple" (disability rights had not yet permeated the nation in 1974)and caricature of most lesbians (sans a sympathetic bystander in the bar)as evil and sadistic virtually guarantee this movie cannot ever be classified as a "politically correct" production. Individuals watching this feature need to take the above scenes with a grain of salt. Still, despite portions of the screen play, and over the top 70's fashion, it is a cut far above such white "camp" as the 60's Batman feature film or the 1992 introduction to Buffy. If you want strong women, get a hold of this movie.
|