Men In Black 2 (2002)

In Men In Black 2 Michael pokes fun at everyone thinking he’s from another planet. While he insists that he can be “Agent M” Zed blows him off saying they are still working on that “alien affirmative action program.”

Michael Jackson’s Ghost (1996)

While this is technically a long form music video it did appear in theaters. Michael Jackson’s Ghosts was directed by film director and special effects guru Stan Winston    and released along with select prints of the film Stephen King’s THINNER. It was released a year later internationally on VHS.

Captain EO (1986)

In this exclusive film for Disneyland theme parks directed by Francis Ford Coppola Michael is a spaceship captain leading ragtag crew of on a mission to deliver a gift to a wicked alien queen, the Supreme Leader.  The plot line was pretty much an excuse to string together several Michael Jackson music videos and dance sequences but no one was complaining.

The Wiz (1978)

In the musical remake of The Wizard of Oz Micheal Jackson played a Scarecrow with serious soul despite not having a heart. Though he did nearly as much singing and dancing as he did acting it’s still hands down Micheal’s best performance in a movie.

1) After talking to several people (and this is my own opinion as well), the overwhelming reason to watch The Wiz is the King Of Pop, Michael Jackson. He was perfect as The Scarecrow looking for a heart; sweet, vulnerable, a loyal friend–just as people close to Michael knew him in real life. Seeing him dance quadruple circles around Diana Ross as they “eased on down the road” induces chuckles…thinking of all that beautiful talent no longer with us induces a tear (or many).

2) The songs! I am serious when I say I still see references to the songs in The Wiz at least once or twice a week on Facebook, Twitter, or somebody’s blog. They transcend generations…my neighbor just told me her three year old daughter knows every single song in the film. “You Can’t Win”, “Home” (which you can’t help but cry on unless you’re made of stone), “Ease On Down The Road,” “He’s The Wizard,” and “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News” are all classics for the annals of history. With just the songs alone, it is a film that a family that encompasses any age can enjoy.

3) The overwhelming excess of the 70′s embodied in the film. Where to begin? It was directed by Sidney Lumet, who I’m quite certain was paid a billion dollars to be involved. The screenplay was written by Joel Schumaker (yes, of the “Batman” franchise). New songs were written by the mighty duo of Ashford and Simpson and the freaking World Trade Center used as the set for “Oz”! Costumes were designed by Oscar De La Renta and Norma Kamali (the sweatshop girls working for the evil queen could have easily stepped off today’s runway in their finery) and at any given time there were up to 135 crew members actively working on the set, not to mention hundreds and hundreds of extras. For all the money that was obviously a blank check budget for the film, it has at the very least endured as a very, very solid Black film classic that everyone knows and loves.

4) The performances of much loved icons in our community. Yes, Diana was unarguably waaaay too old for the role of 24-year-old Dorothy. But once you get past that, you can see that she really tried to do the role justice. Michael Jackson–’nuff said. Lena Horne as Glenda The Good Witch…etheral and beautiful, a sight to behold; really, could you imagine anyone else playing that role? Nipsey Russell as The Tinman is the bridge from an older time that was full of tap-dance and soft shoe, and he is a treasure of a time capsule that helps us to remember that history, our history. Mabel King, the momma from “What’s Happening” showed us another side to her that we’ve never, ever seen with Raj or Rerun. And the carryovers from the Broadway play helped fill in the holes to help keep some of the charm and magic that made someone want to bring it to the big screen to begin with (for example Ted Ross as The Cowardly Lion). And Richard Pryor as The Wiz? Check and mate.

5) The message. In it’s unique way, The Wiz gave us a message that has been told since ancient times; everything you ever need in life is already inside of you, just waiting to be discovered. The Lion showed bravery by fighting for his friends, The Tinman showed heart by feeling sadness or sympathy for his friends, and The Scarecrow made all of the smart suggestions that propelled them forward. They were all so busy trying to get to someone that would get them all the easy answers, not for one second slowing down and realizing that what they were looking for they already had the entire time. Sound familiar?

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5 MUSICAL MOVIES WE LOVE: The Five Heartbeats

1. The Wiz (1978)
Two names: Michael Jacskon and Diana Ross. Need we say more? This black remake of the Wizard of Oz is one of those films every black person has seen not once, but more likely, twice.

2. The Color Purple (1985)
The Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation of Alice Walker’s unforgettable book about a young African-American’s coming of age is still one of the most difficult to movies to watch. But that’s exactly why it has become an essential film in the African-American film lexicon.

3.Love Jones (1997)
The black romantic comedy about a young black writer who falls in love with a young black photographer has a cult-like following amongst the black bourgeoisie. Love Jones still sets the standard for black rom-coms (and the soundtrack was major).

4. Boyz N The Hood (1991)
In 1991, a young unknown film director named John Singleton took Hollywood by storm. How did he do it? He made a film about young black men growing up on the streets of Hollywood’s own backyard, in South Central, Los Angeles. Boyz In The Hood was such an iconic film, Singleton was nominated for a Best Director Academy Award, the first African-American to ever receive such an honor.

5. The Best Man (1999)
A beautiful cast of African-American actors — including Nia Long, Tamala Jones, Taye Diggs, and Morris Chestnut — were cast to star in this romantic comedy about a novelist’s book and the trouble it stirs amongst his close circle of friends who have reunited for a wedding.

6. Coming To America (1988)
From the opening scene of Eddie Murphy’s comedy about an African prince who moves to Queens to find a wife, the jokes don’t stop. Few films going on 25 years, especially comedies, maintain their funny. Coming To America, does the opposite and gets funnier with time.

7. Do The Right Thing (1989)
In recent years, Spike Lee’s major-studio film debut has gained notoriety for being the movie President Barack Obama went to see with the First Lady Michelle Obama on their first date. But before that little factoid was known to the world, Spike’s film about a day in the life of a group of residents living in Brooklyn told a story of race of which few outside of New York knew about.

8. A Raisin In The Sun (1962)
Lorraine Hansberry’s poignant piece of work about a family struggling to make ends meet went from the stage to the silver screen almost seamlessly. With a cast that boasts Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee, the original A Raisin In The Sun is not only a classic black film, it’s a classic film in any category.

9. Cooley High (1975)
Released near the tail end of the Blaxploitation era, Cooley High became one of the most important films of the 1970′s. The story of a group of young black men living life to the limit only to see their lives shook by a series of unfortunate events is both funny and heart wrenching. Cooley High showed the good, the bad, and the ugly of young black men in America in the tumultuous 1970′s.

Related:25 Reasons We Love “A Different World”

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We wholeheartedly disapprove of any more tinkering with the beloved film franchise. We’re still trying to get the memory of those “Special Editions” from the late 90′s out of our heads, not to mention those three prequels.

However, we couldn’t help but wonder what black movies would be fun to watch in 3D.

We don’t expect to ever see these films converted to 3D.  In all honesty, we don’t really want to see them in 3D, but we thought these would be pretty entertaining and funny to watch with the added third dimension.

1. Breakin’ (1984)

Hey… If they can make Step Up 3D, why not Breakin 3D?

2. Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (2006)

Technically, we already saw this one in 3D since we were at the concert, but who wouldn’t want to see Erykah Badu’s wig blow off during her performance in 3D?  Or what about The Fugees’ reunion?

3. Undercover Brother (2002)

This hilarious and extremely underrated movie was great in its original incarnation, but imagine Eddie Griffin’s monstrous afro wig in 3D.  The opening sequence alone with the orange soda and the car doing a 360 would almost be worth doing the 3D conversion.

4. Belly (1998)

We still maintain that this is one of the worst movies ever made.  No amount of 3D trickery could improve Nas’ acting, but Hype Williams’ hyper-stylized film would be even more visually compelling in 3D, especially that opening sequence…

Click here to watch!

5. Do The Right Thing (1989)

Two words:  Rosie Perez.  Two more words:  Ice cubes.   Ya dig?  Sho’nuff!

6. Jungle Fever (1991)

This is a highly unlikely pick, but just think about the infamous “Taj Mahal” scene in 3D.  Bonus points if they do that scene in “smell-o-vision” too.

7. Friday (1995)

There isn’t much action in this classic film that would warrant it being in 3D, but given the subject matter, if you smoked a little weed before watching Friday in 3D, we can’t help but think it would be a fun experience.   Not that we condone smoking the illegal plant…  We’re just sayin…   We also think “smell-o-vision” would be a good addition to this one too, especially for John Witherspoon’s bathroom scene and any scene where Smokey or Craig light up a joint.

8. The Last Dragon (1985)

The Last Dragon with all of its choreographed fight scenes would be pretty damned fun to watch in 3D.  Imagine Sho’Nuff & Bruce Leroy’s final fight in 3D and tell us that this isn’t a good idea!

9. The Wiz (1978)

The Emerald City sequence.  Need we say more?

Would you want to see your favorite movies converted to 3D?  If so, which ones?

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Wow… Ashanti’s really going through with her role in the upcoming The Wiz play. On-or-off Broadway, the former Murder Inc. songbird definitely needs another big splash if she’s still trying to be in this music/entertainment game.

Check out Ashanti at the 2:20 mark:

R&B star Ashanti [click here to read] will ease on down the road to her first theater role this summer in a New York-staged revival of “The Wiz.”

The Grammy winner will star as Dorothy in the African American version of L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz,” which begins in June as part of the “Encores! Summer Stars” series at New York City Center [click here to read].

For the full story, click here! Share thoughts in the comments section. Check the celebs gallery below:

No good will come of the unholy union that is “T-Wayne.” I can assure you.

Imagine you’re some young skripper, bartender or aspiring Superhead being wooed at 3:30AM by Teddy Ruxpin Pain with promises of being put into a mansion in his home state of Wis-Cain’t-Sing.

See… You can feel that hot-ass grill breath, can’t you?

[Note: I had a Teddy Ruxpin that broke. "Red & Yellow & Blue" sounds a lot like "Silver & Gold: Da Derrty Version" after Ted's been kicked around the project apartment for a bit. "You can make new Hennys for days and days when you mix them up in diff-er-ent ways..."]

Between Wayne being too cool to read and this “Wiscansin” shit, I think T-Wayne is going to influence the children to run away and join the damn minstrel show circus.

Oh, shit! That’s where I’ve seen this T-Pain nigga before he started “sangin’” through that plastic dick. He the damn rangmaster at Niggling Brothers Circus. [That'd be the most threatening minstrel show competitor to the Universoul Circus not named Flavor of Love.]

Damn, they got winged monkeys flying around and everything! T-Pain has regressed Negro kind back to the days of “The Wiz,” when we weren’t yet allowed to vote… for Shirley Chisolm. That’s not a place I’m trying to go back to–not for some skrippers. I don’t care how “fuego” they may be.

My main gremlin Lil’ Weeziana sounds like he just came out of appendectomy or some shit. For this, I’m well-pleased to finally have a visual for this song. I’m sure it’s a direct contrast to the near-comatose state Wayne must have been in during the recording process. He can’t fool me with all that dancing around and shit like he wasn’t halfway to ’98 B.G.-status in the booth spilling Tussin PM all over someone’s Crispy Asian Chicken carpet.

Sorry, B-Gizzle. The junk never leaves you alone. Neither do the haters.

For realsies, though. I didn’t understand a single word of Wayne’s verse. Don’t take my word for it, but he may have referenced his face tattoos and some Mexican lady cleaning “house sheets?” If he was pumping any of their usual Save-A-Ho propaganda in these trying financial times I’d like to remind the children that trickin is trickin–even if you got it. Don’t let the Lollipop King and the nigga who fell in love with a skripper tell you any different.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Still needing Consuela to change your house sheets? ron@ronmexicocity.com

P.S.: T-Pain in that top hat looks like he should be the icon for a “Monopoly”-esque ghetto board game called “Bad Credit.”