This week, we trace the evolution of black American cinema from blaxploitation in the 1970s to what we’re calling "blaxplaining" in 2018. While blaxploitation sought to showcase black actors in dramatic, action-packed films, today’s blaxplaining centers on the challenges of being black in America. We examine three films — "The Hate U Give," "Blindspotting" and "Sorry to Bother You" — and ask if they accurately depict aspects of contemporary black life, or instead merely seek to make some black experiences more palatable to white audiences.
Discussed this week:
"The Hate U Give" (directed by George Tillman Jr., 2018)"Blindspotting" (directed by Carlos López Estrada, 2018) "Sorry to Bother You" (directed by Boots Riley, 2018)"Coffy" (directed by Jack Hill, 1973)"Slaves" (directed by Herbert Biberman, 1969)"Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song" (directed by Melvin Van Peebles, 1971)"The Devil Finds Work" (by James Baldwin, 1976)"Lady Sings the Blues" (directed by Sidney J. Furie, 1972)"Mandingo" (directed by Richard Fleischer, 1975)"Jaws" (directed by Steven Spielberg, 1975)"Hammer" (directed by Bruce Clark, 1972)"Truck Turner" (directed by Jonathan Kaplan, 1974)"Shaft" (directed by Gordon Parks, 1971)"Blacula" (directed by William Crain, 1972)"Proud Mary" (directed by Babak Najafi, 2018)"The Equalizer 2" (directed by Antoine Fuqua, 2018)"Super Fly" (directed by Gordon Parks Jr., 1972)"Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde" (Directed by William Crain, 1976)"Cotton Comes to Harlem" (Directed by Ossie Davis, 1970)"Mahogany" (Directed by Berry Gordy, 1975)We Back! (On Thursday)
We Are Tired of Sexual Harassment (and Sequels) | Season Finale
We Get Biracial
We Take a Knee
We Assess the Outrage over "Bodega" and Mother!
We Bow Down to Rihanna and Venus
We Debate NPR’s Greatest Albums by Women
We Have a Chappelle Show
We Care For Ourselves and Others in Trump’s America
We Grieve Charlottesville
We Discuss: Who Owns Stories About Blackness?
We’re Freaking Out About O.J. and Girls Trip
We Pick Science Fiction for Mitch McConnell
We Get Bodied Talking Jay-Z and Beyoncé
We Seek “Authentic” BBQ
We Revive Tupac and Side-Eye Sofia Coppola
We Celebrate Gay Pride — The Highs and Lows
We Said, He Said, She Said
We Watch 'Wonder Woman' and Do a Taxonomy of the Summer Jam
We Love the Beach, We Hate the Beach
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