Brewster's Millions (1985)

"Brewster's Millions" (1985) is a comedy film starring Richard Pryor, based on the 1902 novel by George Barr McCutcheon under the same title. Walter Hill was responsible for directing, and Herschel Weingrod and Timothy Harris wrote the screenplay. Additional cast members include John Candy, Lonette McKee, Stephen Collins, Jerry Orbach, and Pat Hingle. The movie was a box office success, earning over $48 million on a $15 million budget. How ironic the difference is almost the same amount Montgomery Brewster had to spend in the movie.

Director: Walter Hill

Writers: George Barr McCutcheon, Herschel Weingrod, Timothy Harris

Starring Richard Pryor, John Candy, Lonette McKee, Stephen Collins, Jerry Orbach, Pat Hingle, Tovah Feldshuh, Hume Cronyn, Joe Grifasi, Ji-Tu Cumbuka, Peter Jason, David White, Jerome Dempsey

Storyline

After losing his position as a minor-league pitcher, Montgomery Brewster (Richard Pryor) learns his great-uncle has left him $300 million. To inherit it, Brewster must spend $30 million in 30 days under a complicated set of rules forbidding him from donating too much to charity or retaining new assets when the period is up. Unable to share details about the will's odd conditions with anyone, Brewster sets out to spend his money under the stern eye of paralegal Angela Drake (Lonette McKee).

Diamonds of Kilimandjaro (1983)

Starring:

• Katja Bienert
• Antonio Mayans
• Aline Mess

blackhorrormovies.com
Really more of an adventure (although admittedly not very adventurous) tale than horror, DOK is piss-poor in any genre. It's a Tarzan rip-off from Spanish sleaze-meister Jesus Franco, meaning it's an excuse for non-stop nudity, bad dubbing, and little else. Katja Bienert is the ever-topless "white goddess" who has lived for years in darkest Africa since crash landing as a child with her godfather, who insists on being called "big white chief". The Africans here are basically sheep, blindly worshiping the white people who fell from the sky, or else they are the few who (rightfully) distrust the white people and are thus portayed as blood-thirsty savages. Given the blood thirst, though, there's surprisingly little gore or violence; just one mild decapitation (as far as decapitations go). The tribesmen in skull masks could've been somewhat creepy, but they weren't put to good use...or to any use, for that matter. Exploitation flicks are bound to be tasteless and offensive, but they should never be as dull as this lump of coal.

Blood Tide (1982)

Starring:

• James Earl Jones
• José Ferrer
• Lila Kedrova

blackhorrormovies.com
In the hindsight of DVD release-dom, James Earl Jones receives top-billing in this cast of C-grade stars, but as for the movie itself, he’s relegated to supporting status to Martin "Cobra Kai" Kove of Karate Kid fame and Lydia “Too Close for Comfort” Cornell. Why do Darth Vader like that? Jones plays a Shakespeare-spewing, shallow ass of a treasure hunter who verbally abuses and intimidates his young, ditzy, white trophy girlfriend (Cornell). He ends up on an island where they sacrifice virgins to a sea monster who appears on screen for all of 20 seconds. Kove comes to the island looking for his sister, who happens to be a virgin. Oops. Jones eventually helps Kove save his sister from being sacrificed, only to sacrifice himself in classic black co-star fashion as he blows up the monster (I believe his last words are "Get out!", although he has plenty of time to escape with the "heroes"). How noble. The lesson: Don't date white women.