Hellbound Train

Hellbound Train is such a crazy, fascinating artifact on many levels: a great piece of amateur cinema, a great example of early Black Cinema, a great example of American indie filmmaking, and a great piece of religious propaganda, all rolled into one. Made in 1930, Hellbound Train was made by James and Eloyce Gist, Black …

When We Were Kings

Documentaries are everywhere, about every possible subject, and most of them are basically glorified Wikipedia entries designed for people too lazy to read a book; people with attention spans so short, filmmakers have to throw in every trick in the book, from snazzy animations to energy-boosting soundtracks, to keep you from bailing on your stream. …

Purlie Victorious (aka Gone are the Days!)

It's hard to deny the accusation of systemic racism in Hollywood when you watch a film like Purlie Victorious- it's such a sharp criticism of America, done in such a hilarious way, and so clearly still-relevant today that the only answer to the question why have I never heard of this great movie? is so …

Black at Yale: a Film Diary

Here's a virtually unknown and amateurish 20th Century documentary that packs a 21st Century punch: Black at Yale, Warrington Hudlin's student project that chronicles how little progress our country has made in matters of race since that film was released in 1974. I say "amateurish" only because it's a simply-made film on a shoestring budget. …

Jungle Fever

While most people are falling over backwards trying to prove how not-racist they are.... excuse me, "anti-racist"... Spike Lee was forcing America to confront itself through the drama of human life decades before anyone uttered the word "woke." Jungle Fever is one of his best, the simple story of a Black Man and an Italian …