Africa Speaks! (1930)

Starring:

• Harald Austin
• Paul L. Hoefler
• Lowell Thomas

IMDB.com
Hear the hoof-beats of the gnus and see a young boy chased down and killed by a lion (sans the screams)was what "Africa Speaks!" promised, and delivered. Filmed on the Colorado African Expedition of 1928, headed by Paul L. Hoefler, this film rose above the 'jungle-graph' films of the past---"Chang" excepted---because of the sound and not the views of the Dark Continent offered, albeit most of these were new views that some of the critics debated over whether or not some of them were staged. It contained: a locust swarm that devoured everything but the expedition camera; a visit to the duck-billed pygmy tribe in which the females of the tribe had discs inserted beneath their lips when very young and, as they grow older, larger discs replace the previous discs; an antelope---called and spelled illampa in the film---that jumps forty feet backward or forward when frightened and some slow-motion shots are used. "Africa Speaks!" showed Africa to be both dangerous and noisy.

In order to bring this important early sound era documentary into proper cultural and natural historic focus, one must bethink of the prodigious changes that have altered the face of Africa as well as its humanity and fauna during the more than 70 years since the film's production. One can only imagine the reaction of a 1930 audience which viewed the extraordinary events presented and filmed by Colorado-based explorer Paul Hoefler, including the death and mealtaking by a family of lions of one of Hoefler's expeditionary native assistants, total decimation of the expedition's surrounding flora by a massive winged horde of locusts, and remarkable animals and people of many varieties. Narrator Lowell Thomas' somewhat casual comments of events that could not have been greeted in such cavalier fashion at the time they occurred can be offputting, and his attempts at whimsy consistently fall as flat as the veldt being traversed, but withal the narration provides a raft of historically fascinating data. Hoefler's book of the same title, published shortly after the release of the film, differs insofar as the expedition actually travelled from east to west, rather than the reverse, but for purposes of visual impact actual events were edited in order to produce dramatic action.

Bill Cosby: Himself (1983)

Starring:

• Bill Cosby:

IMDB.com
"Himself" is one of Mr. Cosbys standup routines with parts about the weekends children going to the dentist and many other normal situations.

Absolutely hilarious, you won't be able to stop laughing. Bill Cosby is a comic genius! I grew up with this movie, and it's one that will live on in my family forever. Brilliant! Whether he is talking about dentists, parenthood, or his own childhood, Mr. Cosby draws us into his stories, and enthralls us with his tales of "brain-damaged people." His stories touch our hearts and remind us of the good times of our own childhood, adolescence, parenthood, and life in general. This is definitely a show that everyone should see, if not own for their own collections. I've shown it to countless people, and not a single one has not liked it. Usually we go around quoting it for a few days. There is so much goodness in Mr. Cosby's humor, and it's something I think that we need more of in the world today.

Pimps Up, Ho's Down (1999)

Directed by:

• Brent Owens

IMDB.com
This HBO documentary looks at the lifestyle of the modern day pimp, without any condemnation or real depth. These swaggering men (and one woman) discuss how they control their 'hos' as if they were regular businessmen. Although no regular businessman would dress in their flamboyant style which seems a parody of those 'Blaxploitation' characters in the 1970's movies. We see them preparing, with great seriousness of purpose, for 'The Pimp of the Year' competition, while guest star Ice-T tells of how proud he is of his pimp background, which he sees as little different to the record or film industry. Pointedly, violence towards the women is never addressed. All we see is a troupe of apparently adoring (and often skanky looking ) acolytes. As far as we learn from this, the prostitutes need a good pimp to look up to and 'take of them'. These fellows wax philosophical about their calling while seemingly lacking any moral view. Having said all that, the pic is lively and colorful, with a lot of amusing characters on display. Remember---never make eye contact with your pimp.