Today I take a break from the more recent hollywood releases. I don't have any left to review except the less and less recent Melinda and Melinda. So, I bring you a look at a couple more pieces of well-known black cinema (this time from the 70s). One is justified, the other isn't. Both by the same director (who also later directed Krush Groove). I hope you enjoy.



Car Wash
Review by Jon Waterman

Zero stars

Did you ever wonder what it might be like to work in the fast-paced, thrill a minute world of the car wash? Or, if you have or currently do work in a car wash, have you ever wondered why they haven’t made a movie about your crazy, unpredictable life on the job? If you’re like me, the answer to these questions is a resounding “No.” But that doesn’t always stop things like this from being made. You can only imagine the kinds of crazy madcap misadventures these guys will wash through today!

Joel Schumacher (costume designer and writer of “Sparkle”) penned this extremely lackluster, completely unfunny script. The movie boasts a decent sized cast, and Schumacher doesn’t know what to do with any of their characters.
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+++++++++


Cooley High
Review by Jon Waterman

***

The film tells the story of a group of friends living in 1960s Chicago. It follows their joys and struggles while living in the projects, going to school, and attempting a social life. Everything’s going about as well as it can where they live, until they get caught up with some criminals. Two of the friends get falsely arrested for stealing a car. When they’re released from jail and the true criminals aren’t, they have to find some explanation or else there’ll be hell to pay once those bad guys get out.

This movie is very unusual and interesting, not because of the issues it deals with, but rather the ones that aren’t mentioned at all. The approach of “Cooley High” is to show the audience what life is like within the small world of these teenagers. Although the movie takes place in the mid-1960s, there is virtually no mention of the Civil Rights Movement or its leaders.
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