Melinda

 (imdb)

 

MELINDA-1972-Frankie Parker (Calvin Lockhart; THE BEAST MUST DIE), conceited Karate asshole DJ meets and falls for Melinda (Vonetta McGee; in BLACULA the same year), an exotic mystery woman from out of town. While they have sex in his apartment, a guy jerks off in the hall. Later she's killed and Parker is arrested for her murder. His friend Tank (Rockne Tarkington; in BEWARE! THE BLOB the same year) gets him out of jail. Later after a woman who tried to kill him is murdered at his house, he goes on the run with his neglected ex-girlfriend Terry (Rosalind Cash; THE OMEGA MAN). It turns out Melinda was the ex-mistress of gangster Mitch (Paul Stevens; BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES) and she took something from him that he thinks Parker has. He has a henchman named Gregg (Ross Hagen). 

This messed up misguided blaxploitation movie is pretty tough going with its inane dialogue and outrageous acting until the whacked-out kung fu flying ending. Both Jim Kelly and Jeannie Bell make their screen debuts. Gene LeBelle in is there too. It's also the debut of director Hugh A Robertson, then a well-known editor (MIDNIGHT COWBOY, SHAFT). Theme song by Jerry Butler.

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Three Way

 

 

 (wikipedia)

THREE THE HARD WAY-1974-Record producer Jimmy Lait (Jim Brown), PR man Jagger Daniels (Fred Williamson) and Kung Fu guy Mr. Keyes (Jim Kelly) team up to rescue Jimmy's wife (Sheila Frazier) from the clutches of the racist madman Monroe Feather (Jay Robinson) and his mad scientist pal (Richard Angarola) who's created a secret formula to destroy all our black brothers and sisters. There's lots of fights and shootouts. Keyes gets help from his Asian friend (David Chow). Later Feather has a party where his Aryan troops all wear Guardian Angels like red berets. Despite the overwhelming numbers the trio invades Feather's citadel and destroy everything and everybody. Alex Rocco, Jeanie Bell, Irene Tsu and Roberta Collins have small roles. The weirdest part is the three topless women Jagger hires to torture a hit man. 

Director Gordon Parks, Jr. keeps the movie going at a fast pace despite the thin plot. It could have been better but seems the selling point were the three stars themselves. Parks' best-known film is SUPERFLY (1972). He made THOMASINA & BUSHROD the same year as THREE. He only completed one more film after this as he was killed in a plane crash over Kenya while making a film called “Revenge”. It was later finished by another director and re-titled THE BUSHWHACKERS. He was 44 years old.

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Black Belt Jones

BLACK BELT JONES-Black Belt Jones (Jim Kelly) is a Kung-Fu cop who beats up bad guys, makes loud noises and has terrible fights. Mob boss “The Don” (Andre Philippe) wants the land a karate school is on. It's run by Poppa Bear (Scatman Crothers) and his two sons. A black gangster named Pinky (Malik Carter) tries to horn in but Poppa's students beat him and his inept gang up. After the gang accidentally kills Poppa his daughter Sidney (Gloria Hendry) takes over the school. Later Pinky kidnaps a young student, so Jones puts together a team consisting of himself, Sidney, Poppa's son Toppy (Alan Weeks) and some female gymnasts! They dress as ninjas and infiltrate The Don's place and steal photographs and money to pay Clarence's ransom. After a ludicrous fight on a train car (the thugs just stand in line and get beat up), Jones turns the two gangs against each other. He also takes time to frolic on the beach with Sidney. The unintentionally funny climax takes place in a car wash where Jones beats up the bad guys amid a sea of soap suds (no one bothers using a gun)!

Despite being directed by Robert Clouse who made ENTER THE DRAGON the year before (also with Kelly) this isn't very well done. Maybe they were in a rush to play off the success of DRAGON and Kelly who pumps his fist a lot while doing a bad Bruce Lee imitation. A made in Hong Kong sequel showed up a few years year.

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Hard Riding

TAKE A HARD RIDE-1975-This is like a spagetti western mixed together with a blaxplotation movie and it kind of works.

Just before cattle boss Morgan (Dana Andrews) dies he entrusts a large sum of money to his hired hand Pike (Jim Brown) who promises to deliver it back home across the Mexican border. Bounty hunter Kiefer (Lee Van Cleef) gets wind of the journey and decides to go after the money. Along the way, Pike picks up a cigar smoking gambler (fellow ex-football player Fred Williamson), a widow (Catherine Spaak) and her mute Indian servant (Jim Kelly!). Later they also take in a little boy.

Kiefer teams up for a while with a preacher/gunfighter (Ronald Howard in his last movie role). Barry Sullivan is a local sheriff and Harry Carey Jr., Robert Donner and Charles MacGregor are also featured. There's a lot of gunfights but the short fight between Brown and Williamson is pretty bad.

Van Cleef (a really great screen villian) was a very busy actor in Europe in the mid '70's. Brown, Williamson and Kelly (and MacGregor) had all been in Gordon Park's THREE THE HARD WAY the year before. Williamson directed the first two of his many low budget movies in 1975, the seldom seen DEATH JOURNEY and the comedy western ADIOS AMIGO (co-starring Richard Pryor).

Director Antonio Margheriti (credited as Anthony Dawson) keeps things going at a good clip and even throws in some humor. Margheriti (who died in 1990) worked in every movie genre' including the cannibal gore of INVASION OF THE FLESHHUNTERS.

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