Netflix Watch Instantly Pick of the Week - 2/27/12

Bucktown

From 1975, Bucktown is the story of a man named Duke Johnson, who returns to the little craphole of Bucktown to bury his deceased brother. He then finds himself re-opening his brother's nightclub, which goes well for about three seconds before the local redneck sheriffs come rolling around looking for their kick backs and bribes. Instead of paying off the cops, Duke stands against them and soon calls in some help from the "big city" to come in and help get rid of these greedy, racist cops. But what happened after this, even Duke couldn't see coming. A story about the corruption of power and the strength (and frailty) of loyalty and friendship, Bucktown is a kick ass blaxploitation flick featuring great performances from Fred Williamson and Pam Grier, as well as a pre-Apollo Creed version of Carl Weathers.

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Netflix Watch Instantly Pick of the Week - 2/20/12

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 sets itself apart from other documentaries and films about the black power and civil rights movement by the simple fact that it was filmed and presented by a group of Swedish journalists. During those years reflected in the title of the film, these inquisitive Swedes went to America to learn about the civil rights movement, filming it all and speaking with people ranging from Stokely Carmichael to the average dude living in the ghetto. Split into nine chapters, one for each year, this is not a definitive or complete look at the civil rights movement, but instead is very much like a mixtape, giving you a select group of choice, hand picked tracks to give a strong impact and overall feel of the time period. This is an interesting look at a very tumultuous time of our country's history from a very outsider-ish perspective, and it makes for a very well done and interesting documentary film.

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Netflix Watch Instantly Pick of the Week - 2/13/12

When We Were Kings

Winner of the Best Documentary Feature at the 1996 Academy Awards, When We Were Kings is a film about the great 1974 Rumble in the Jungle, in which young boxer and world heavyweight champion George Foreman took on an aging former champ in the form of Muhammad Ali. The documentary is comprised mostly of footage from the days leading up to the fight, followed by the fight itself, as the cameras followed around both Ali and Foreman. With the fight taking place in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), the politics and landscape of that country are brought into focus through the prism of this fight, along with the Civil Rights struggle in our own country from that time and what Ali and Foreman meant to the people en masse. Fascinating, well made and above all else entertaining, When We Were Kings is a great way to spend 90 minutes on the Netflix Watch Instantly service.

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Netflix Watch Instantly Pick of the Week - 2/6/12

Detroit 9000

From 1973, this blaxploitation classic features a pair of interracial cops investigating an armed heist that turns out to be far trickier than they initially thought, sending them on a wild path through both Detroit's criminal underground and political scenes alike, with everything in between. What makes Detroit 9000 special is that it manages to transcend its genre and works simply as a great film and not just as a piece of exploitation cinema. Great music, good acting, interesting characters, good writing, Detroit 9000 has it all, with plenty of 70's style to spare.

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