Carl Craig Movies
- 2006
- PG
- Add Lil JJ's Almost Grown Variety Show to QueueAdd Lil JJ's Almost Grown Variety Show to top of Queue
Lil JJ, the star of Nickelodeon's hit sitcom Just Jordan hosts this kids' variety show, offering up performances by the young celebrity as an actor, rapper, and dancer. The show also features guest appearances by other teen stars such as nNocent and Lil Tre. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lil' J.J.
The proprietor of a beauty salon that serves as the one remaining thread that ties her community together finds her last bastion of unity threatened by eminent domain in Barbershop director Mark Brown's adaptation of Shelly Garrett's hit stage play Beauty Shop. Jenny (Vivica A. Fox) owns a modest neighborhood beauty parlor that is hugely popular with the folks who reside on her street, but mom-and-pop businesses are going belly-up all over the place and lately a corporate giant has been clamoring to set-up shop on the block. Despite formidable pressure from the Department of Water and Power, however, Jenny refuses to accept the offer made for her shop and decides to test her luck against the DWP in the local courthouse. Monica Calhoun, Kym Whitley, Darrin Henson, and Terrence Dashon Howard co-star in an underdog comedy that shows just how fierce some people are willing to fight in order to maintain their sense of community. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vivica A. Fox, Kym E. Whitley, (more)
Subtitled "The Definitive Reason Why Men Are Dogs", Book of Love is a mockumentary following the lives of three L.A. bachelors (Eric K. George, Anthony "Treach" Criss, and (Richard T. Jones) as they recover from a series of unhealthy relationships. The team of average Joes are no match for their manipulative girlfriends (Robin Givens, Mari Morrow, and Salli Richardson) , however, and the over eager men are taken for all they're worth. It's this manipulative, self-serving treatment that drives the young bachelors into behaving like "dogs" themselves. Directed by Jeff Byrd, Book of Love was produced by both BET Studios and 5th Gear Entertainment, and eventually released by Strange Fruit Films. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric K. George, Salli Richardson, (more)
Rapper/ actor Ice Cube directed this urban comedy-drama about African-American single mother Diana (Lisa Raye), who aims for a career as a broadcast journalist. To finance her education, she works as a stripper at the raucous Players Club, run by hustler Dollar Bill (Bernie Mac). When naive Ebony (Monica Calhoun), Diana's young cousin, also signs on at the club, Ronnie (Chrystale Wilson) attempts to lead Ebony into prostitution, creating conflicts, while club deejay Blue (Jamie Foxx) begins dating Diana. This film is Ice Cube's feature directorial debut; he also scripted and appears in a supporting role. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- LisaRaye, Bernie Mac, (more)
Hip Hop duo Kid & Play return in the second follow-up to their 1990 screen debut House Party. Kid (Christopher "Kid" Reid) is taking the plunge and marrying his girlfriend Veda (Angela Means), while his friend Play (Christopher Martin) is dipping his toes into the music business, managing a roughneck female rap act called Sex as a Weapon. Play books the ladies for a concert with heavy-hitting promoter Showboat (Michael Colyar), but when they decide to fire Play and hire a new manager, he has to figure out how to deliver them to the show or face the wrath of Showboat's female security force. Play is also in charge of arranging Kid's bachelor party, but while he's setting up a bash to end all bashes, he discovers that his three younger cousins have just arrived in town, and Kid's former flame Sydney (Tisha Campbell) has shown up hoping to put a halt to the upcoming nuptials. Multi-platinum rap act TLC appear as Sex as a Weapon, while Play's cousins are played by the members of the R&B group Immature. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher "Kid" Reid, Christopher "Play" Martin, (more)
Small-time crook Johnny Stewart (Damon Wayans) decides to go straight to win a beautiful girl (Stacey Dash), and to prove it, he joins the mailroom of the credit-card firm for which she works. Needing money to impress her, Johnny steals a credit card, goes on a shopping spree and wins the girl. The story isn't over though, because a security guard who caught his theft on videotape is blackmailing Stewart to join his own credit-card ring. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Damon Wayans, Marlon Wayans, (more)
Keenen Ivory Wayans wrote, directed, and starred in this hilarious parody of blaxploitation films in the comedy I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Jack Spade (Wayans) returns home from a hitch in the army to find his brother Junebug has died from an overdose of gold chains, leaving his widow Cheryl (Dawnn Lewis) and mother Ma Bell (Ja'net DuBois) alone to fend for themselves. Ma throws two inept thugs (Damon Wayans and Kadeem Hardison) sent by the evil white guy Mr. Big (John Vernon) down a flight of stairs. Junebug owes $5,000 to Mr. Big for his gold-chain addiction and tries to force Cheryl into prostitution to pay off the debt. Jack recruits his old friend to go after Mr. Big to seek revenge. John Slade (Bernie Casey), Hammer (Isaac Hayes), Slammer (Jim Brown) Kung Fu Joe (Steve James) and the former Pimp Of The Year Flyguy (Antonio Fargas) join up with Jack to avenge his brother' death. Chris Rock makes a brief appearance as the annoying customer who risks his life by irking rib joint owner Hammer. Funny and fast paced, the writing, acting, sight gags and cameos by Robert Townsend, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III, Eve Plumb (Jan from The Brady Bunch), Kim Wayans, and Gary Owens makes this a must-see for any comedy fan. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keenen Ivory Wayans, Bernie Casey, (more)
This satirical look at the ambivalent relationship between Hollywood power brokers and African-American performers marked the writing, producing, and directing debut of Robert Townsend. The filmmaker also stars as Bobby Taylor, a struggling actor looking for his big break despite his family's and co-workers' reservations about his chosen career path. While working a day job flipping burgers, Bobby heads out to insulting cattle calls where white casting agents pass judgement on whether he seems "black enough." Meanwhile, he imagines himself playing Sam Spade, Rambo, and other movie heroes rather than the stereotypical roles actually available to him. When Bobby actually does win one such pimp-daddy part, however, he is forced to choose between accepting work that opens doors, but ultimately demeans him and returning to obscurity with his principles intact. Hollywood Shuffle's enormous supporting cast includes a wealth of black actors, from then-unknowns such as Damon Wayans to veterans such as 227 star Helen Martin. Self-financed and filmed on scraps of hand-me-down celluloid, the film helped establish actor Townsend as a director of note and also kick-started the career of co-screenwriter and co-star Keenen Ivory Wayans, who would cast Townsend in his own directorial debut the following year. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Townsend, Anne-Marie Johnson, (more)
- 1973
This early '70s effort from veteran exploitation director Greydon Clark attempts to create a more socially conscious variation on the blaxploitation genre, but devotes most of its time to thrills of the most lurid variety. The story begins with Jim (director and co-writer Clark), a liberal-minded white Vietnam vet witnessing the death of a black soldier. He returns home and attempts to deliver the fallen soldier's posthumous Purple Heart to the soldier's family. In the process, he angers Makimba(Tom) (Tom Johnigarn), an angry militant who was the soldier's brother. Jim and Makimba's paths continue to cross as the two deal with their problems: Jim struggles to decide whether he should settle down with the prim and proper Nancy (Jacqueline Cole) or live with the free-spirited Bobbie, and Makimba develops an ever-growing anger towards white society as he is hounded by racist white cops, Lt. Stans (Aldo Ray) and Sgt. Berry (Jock Mahoney). Tom is finally driven over the brink and takes action, resulting in a tragedy that changes both men's lives forever. Despite the serious nature of the story line, the film that resulted is an exploitative affair that takes every opportunity to titillate the audience with plenty of sex and violence. As a result, its attempts at social consciousness went ignored, but its salacious moments went over well with the drive-in crowd. Director Greydon Clark later revisited the blaxploitation genre with the even more exploitative Black Shampoo. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
