‘THE SUPER COPS’ FINALLY GETS DVD RELEASE

As a kid I used to be sure to stay up — even on a school night — to catch this whenever it played on the Late Show. With that ritual long dead, it’s probably been thirty years since I’ve seen this terrific, underrated, 1974 urban actioner that’s based on a true story and stars David Selby and The Great Ron Liebman.

What I mostly remember is loads of action and the fact that the entire production was shot on location. At the time, the burnt out buildings, vacant lots filled with trash, grit, grime and turtlenecks didn’t feel like a throwback. That was simply what Brooklyn looked like. It was still a cool look, though, and will look even cooler today. The reason for this is obvious when you realize “Super Cops” is directed by Gordon Parks, the man responsible for helming the timeless “Shaft” (1970) and its first sequel “Shaft’s Big Score” (1972).

For the life of me I can’t understand why Liebam wasn’t/isn’t a bigger star. You’ll probably recognize him from his recurring role on “Friends” or his memorable, Oscar-nominated role as the fish-out-of-water union organizer in “Norma Rae.” Besides “The Super Cops,” another showcase for this versatile actor’s talents is 1981’s “Zorro, the Gay Blade,” where he practically steals the show as the ruthless Captain Esteban. You can’t watch his hilarious work and ever hear the word “peoples” the same way again.

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HERE COMES DISH:  NETFLIX FLUBS ENTICE COMPETITION

Here we go:

At a press conference scheduled for Friday, Dish Network is expected to announce its entry into the streaming-video market via a Blockbuster-branded service that could emerge as a rival to the recently troubled Netflix.

Variety reports that the title for the press event, “A Stream Come True,” suggests such an announcement. Per the trade, the invitation promises the introduction of “the most comprehensive home entertainment package ever.”

Meanwhile, Netflix’ stock was off around 10% on Tuesday.

And guess who has Dish? *points to self with both thumbs*

‘FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS,’ ‘SMURFS’ WILL BE SONY’S FIRST ULTRAVIOLET TITLES

If you recall, “UltraViolet” is also known as The Cloud, a service that stores your purchased films online so you can access them from anywhere. It’s also known as the service that will save the flailing home video market.

Why would we purchase not-very-good movies online for what is likely to be a price of around $15 to $20 when we can stream all we want for month for $10?

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I have long argued that contemporary U.S. entertainment offers a much greater variety of ideas and points of view than conservatives usually seem to realize, pointing out that many TV shows, movies, and music releases convey very sound values and ideas that traditionalists and lovers of liberty should appreciate.

But there are still plenty of times when the producers of even good series that aren’t usually political (in contrast to, say, the intensely political Law and Order) have to take their jabs at the dangerously ignorant boobs they see as populating Middle America. Two crime dramas in the past week have done just that.

Last week’s episode of The Closer, on TNT, set up a typical serial killer story but with an obviously political angle: the people being killed were all female illegal immigrants. Even more pointedly (spoiler alert), it turns out that the murderer is an agent of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) who chooses them as his targets because their lack of documentation makes it less likely he’ll be caught.

The point of all of this is absurdly obvious, intended to suggest that illegal immigrants are unfairly singled our for abuse in the United States and made extremely vulnerable by their lack of legal status. Of course, the fact that they are in the country illegally ought to indicate (to any person with common sense) that they are taking known risks and that changing the laws to relieve people of the consequences of their own recklessness is not a reasonable position. (more…)

“I’m looking through you, where did you go? I thought I knew you, what did I know? You don’t look different, but you have changed. I’m looking through you, you’re not the same.” — Lennon/McCartney: “Rubber Soul,” 1965

When Sonia Sotomayor was nominated in May, I wrote a satirical essay for Big Hollywood called The ‘Magic Latina’. The title was a send up of the “Magic Negro,” or “Magical Negro,” a fictional stereotype common in film and literature. The “Magic Negro” has been criticized by white and black commentators alike. Blacks, most famously Spike Lee, but many others, view the role as ultimately degrading. As Rita Kempley, writing for DVRepublic, said about the “Magic Negro,” “What’s the deal with all the holy roles?” The core of the critique is that the characters are given special powers and/or underlying mysticism. It is not that the characters per se are so bad.  The perception is that this kind of character, the selfless and powerful, insightful, and sometimes magical being, is always black, has no “interior life”, and is always serving white people. To name a few at random, they include such famous stars as Hattie McDaniel (“Gone with the Wind”), Sidney Poitier (“The Defiant Ones”), Morgan Freeman (“Shawshank Redemption,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Bruce Almighty”), and Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix”). (more…)

Boy, did I ever kick a hornet’s nest with my tongue-in-cheek Archie Bunker-on-steroids BH post, “My Secret Life as a Conservative Republican.” Lefties called it Reaffirmation With Senator Smalley, which I expected. But Righties nearly wet their pants in fear, which I did not expect in the least. Where’s the pioneering spirit, self-confidence and gutter-level humor that founded this country?

People, this is OUR Fortress Hollywood! This is OUR sanctuary! Since when the hell do we care about what demagogues like Keith Olbermann think or say? Or any other mental tinfoil hat Lefties like Garofalo for that matter? It’s like Churchill worrying about Hitler calling him a fat cigar-chomping drunk! Who won that fight, and why? And who was in the right, despite all the insipid name-calling?

Time to grow a pair, people. It’s also time to raise the stakes. Now, I’ve heard from some contributors here at BH that it is really bad in Hollywood in places. That people might even lose their jobs if they spoke up like I do here. If true, that’s McCarthyism at its worst. Fortunately, that’s not my experience. I still have great relationships with people in the biz who could care less about politics. All they care about is finding great scripts or literary works to adapt, and telling great stories on film.

And that is where the battle really needs to be fought: on their playing ground. An insurgency of ideas, if you will. Example. Just under the Big Hollywood sign today, I saw the banner “TNT’s ‘The Closer’ Thrives on Strong Moral Foundation.” That PJM-linked article describes how The Closer, a show that portrays the border, the illegals situation, and even the cops themselves in very gritty and realistic fashion, is the top-rated scripted show on ad-supported cable since its inception. (more…)

The movie business is not generally kind to women when they pass the age of 40, and Julia Roberts (now 41) is learning that lesson the hard way. The former Pretty Woman has returned to the big screen this weekend in Tony Gilroy’s Duplicity (Universal), and one prominent blogger wrote this headline:

Duplicity soft: Julia’s Comeback? Audiences Say Go Back

Julia Roberts and Clive Owen star in the fun, smart DUPLICITY, from writer/director Tony Gilroy

Roberts’ last starring role was in 2003’s Mona Lisa Smile ($63.8M domestic), and since then she has become a full-time Mom. Overall, she has 8 movies on her resume that have reached $100M in the US with her as a lead (I’m not including the Ocean’s Eleven franchise). Her most successful string of movies started in 1997 with My Best Friend’s Wedding ($127.1M cume) and ended with her Oscar winning performance in Erin Brockovich ($125.6M cume). During that span, she starred in 6 movies, generating an average of $115M in domestic box office.

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