THE MONKEY HUSTLE (1976)

 After you watch all of the classic films Rudy Ray Moore starred in, and you need more of his greatness in your life, you get to this one. Sadly Rudy is not the main character here, that is portrayed by Yaphet Kotto(aka the black guy from ALIEN) who does a good job even if he isn't anywhere near as flamboyant or outrageous as Mr. DOLEMITE. Overall this is an entertaining look at what the Chicago ghettos may have been like back in the days before rap music and gangster-chic became the only things many black youths emulated and you could get away with running scams on people because there weren't cameras recording everything you do all day long like there are today. Afetr about a half hour or so Rudy Rau finally shows up after what feels like a long time and is sporting some of his sweetest outfits here. He plays a pimp named Goldie who initially you think may be the bad guy but the idea of hating Rudy Ray is just absurd so they turn him into a not-so bad guy who ends up helping out our heroes who include a group of young people trying to save the town from having a highway built through it. So basically this has the same plot as 90% of the comedies made in the 80's. There's also a similar coming-of-age vibe as stuff like COOLEY HIGH and that WHAT'S HAPPENING show so that's cool for some retro 70's thrills. Though if you're looking for action-packed blaxploitation full of nudity and violence you will need to look elsewhere.

DISCO GODFATHER (1979)

 Rudy Ray Moore's movies are all pretty amazing but by the time he got to the end of the 70's and made his 5th and final feature film he decided to change things slightly by throwing in a strong anti-drug  message into the mix of silly kung fu revenge and proto-rapping. Rudy plays the title character whose nephew Bucky freaks out on some angel dust. This part is obviously the basis for the set-up in the 2009 BLACK DYNAMITE film. Carol Speed also shows up to play his sometimes girlfriend? Rudy also seems to be trying really hard with the dramatic acting this time out with varying degrees of success. You have to love him for being so dedicated to a role while wearing silver high-heeled shoes and some outfits that could possibly make Freddie Mercury blush. The fashions are one of the big highlights. The disco music is ok but the main tune played gets a little repetitive after a while. It's a shame Mr. Moore didn't really get to star in any more similar films after this one but I guess the 70's were his decade to shine. AKA THE AVENGING GODFATHER

THE HUMAN TORNADO (1976)

 I think I'd first seen the trailer for this on the old BEST OF SEX & VIOLENCE VHS tape way before seeing the whole movie but I knew I had to search it out from that. Rudy Ray Moore returns to do some early example of rapping, do stand-up and kick lots of ass in this sequel to DOLEMITE. It's the rare example of a sequel being technically better than the original with everything from the wonky kung-fu(Rudy even flies a bit) to the ridiculous rhyming turned up just a little bit more. Evil white people get massacred in sped-up fight sequences, thunder and earthquakes happen when Rudy gets busy with the ladies, there's gun-fu and lots of time is taken up with nightclub routines. Ernie Hudson(the black Ghost-Buster) shows up in an early role and we get to see a totally bare-assed Moore on display. Good times unless you're not a Rudy Ray Moore fan in which case you stink and you will hate this!

One of the greatest blaxploitation flicks and one of the greatest blaxploitation trailers!:




Rudy Ray wants you!:

DOLEMITE (1975)

           

       
                             "you know I don't wear no fuckin' cotton drawers!"

 DOLEMITE might be the greatest blaxploitation movie ever made. I say this because when people think of the genre of blaxploitation films they imagine this movie. Even people who have never seen this, or even heard of Dolemite, still think of this movie! That's some pretty powerful shit right there! Movies like BLACK DYNAMITE owe everything to this film, in fact everyone who spoofs black 70's movies(MADTV etc.) owes this film, hell even Ol Dirty Bastard inserted himself into clips from this to make his very own music video. Almost every other goddamn line of dialogue in this film is quotable. Maybe the only negative thing I can bring up is that, like many of the black films from this time, they spend a little too long in the nightclub setting. Also Mr. Rudy Ray Moore's stand-up act is not exactly the most hilarious set you could hope to see and it drags for a little bit. Besides this though everything works for an all-time classic example of an exploitation film. The acting is mostly terrible, but not on purpose like those new prefab-"cult" movies, and is a big part of the charm. D'Urville Martin as arch-nemesis, evil-pimp Willie Green actually does the best job out of anyone. The "Hamburger Pimp" character has to be a real junkie or he deserves an Oscar for this performance. The "kung-fu" is hilariously awkward and most of the kung-fu ho's are not exactly beauty queens but if you can't find enjoyment in a film like this you might be a terrible human-being.
 The sequel to this THE HUMAN TORNADO is technically slightly better but I have to give it to this one for historical purposes.