Pencil This In: Black Dynamite At The Music Box Theatre

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 13, 2012 4:40PM

Scott Sanders's 2009 film Black Dynamite worked well as both an homage to and spoof of the blaxploitation films of the 1970s. Sanders and Michael Jai White (who starred as the title character and co-wrote the screenplay) intentionally left in "mistakes" such as boom mikes creeping into scenes, bit players speaking their stage cues aloud and beating up on stunt dummies during fight scenes as a tribute to the low budgets the filmmakers of the movies that inspired Black Dynamite often found themselves having to work around. White, Sanders and co-screenwriter Byron Minns also get the afros, platform shoes, and hypersexualized and aggressive alpha male characterization of the film's protagonist down pat. Roger Ebert, in his three-star review of the film, said it "looks and sounds so much like 1970s blaxploitation that anyone who might find it while cable surfing could be excused for assuming it is one."

The Music Box Theatre, as part of their "New Cult Canon" series, is screening Black Dynamite Friday, June 15, at 8 p.m. Sanders will participate in a Skype-assisted Q&A and attendees will get a sneak peek at the first episode of the Black Dynamite animated series, debuting on Adult Swim July 29. Advance tickets are available online for $10; they'll be $12 at the door the night of the screening.

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