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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Oh, How I Miss Thee, Isaac Hayes...


Okay, so I just watched "Truck Turner" for the umpteenth time. Why? Yes, the plot is wholly ridiculous, and unbelievable, but the fact that it is so ridiculous is what makes it watchable to me. It also has a pimp with the worst perm in history (Yaphet Kotto is a pimp as well). That makes me watch, and also the fact that Nichelle Nichols aka Uhura (whose birthday was this week, she's 77) was going around calling everyone "nigga" like she was saying it for the first time. It sounds terrible....but ol' girl was looking great in her forties, yes?

But I really like it because of Isaac Hayes. He just had so much charisma...he was not good looking in any conventional sense at all, but was a master of smoothness, game, and charm. And that voice! He also seemed like a good guy with a genuine sense of humor...I am still lamenting his passing, and when I read who was at his funeral last year, it looked like a who's who list of Hollywood and music; he was obviously loved by many others as well.

For your viewing pleasure--"Truck Turner"--please catch it on cable this month and in January or below...I read that a new Truck Turner is in development--why does Hollywood insist on screwing with perfection?

The trailer:

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

i gotta watch more old movies. it's on my to do list. i have some free time today maybe i'll watch this on your page. thanks there are so many videos on youtube. since my laptop got sick i've been downloading movies in parts to my mp3 player.

clnmike said...

I am a fan of his music but I was a bigger fan of him on the screen, he had an appeal that was impossible to ignore, he really should have done more work.

Max Reddick said...

Yeah, Truck Turner is one of my guilty pleasures as well. But I remember growing up in Memphis, and Isaac Hayes and his image being ubiquitous throughout the city. In fact, for a while I attended school with his children.

But Memphis had much love for Isaac. As a child, to me he was the very epitome of cool. He just seemed to always have it in control. Always glad to speak to another fan.

Sergio said...

Truck Turner is a f------g masterpiece. Love it, love it, love it! I hadn't heard there were plans to do a remake. But believe me it won't happen, like that remake of Foxy Brown with Halle Berry that was announced a few years ago that went nowhere. THANK GOD!

And filmmakers back then knew their movies. The shootout at the end of Turner was clearly influnced by the shootout-in-a-materinty-ward sequence in Sam Fuller's rarely seen film Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street. Filmmakers today don't have that sense of history or film knowledge.

Ash said...

wow, this looks great. i'm about to watch. love blaxploitation movies!

Ash said...

Just finished watching. I must say, the best part was when he takes the fried chicken from her mouth and kisses her. No one does romance quite like Truck Turner.

Invisible Woman said...

@mlm: yes, Black films from the 70's are a definite MUST.

@clnmike: you know, i was thinking the same thing while watching--i wish he would have done more film too, but at least we have the classic chef character from south park.

@max: he was so very, very cool. and the man had to be grounded to be where he was and choose to stay in memphis instead of going hollywood. i heard he had about a dozen kids...is that true? probably all made to that sexy-voiced music of his, haha

@sergio: "Truck Turner is a f------g masterpiece" LOL!

there are few films i watch repeatedly, but this is one of them. i'm sorry, but i would have had to put a hit out on halle if she tried to step into foxy's shoes, straight up.

you know, i haven't seen sam fuller's film either (hangs head) but i do know that last scene is very familiar, and i have seen some slight variations on it. at least i know now where it originated from...thanks for that. will now go and try to rent it.

Invisible Woman said...

@ash: hey! so glad you saw it! :-) i actually wrote about how he ridiculously seduced a woman like annazette chase with chicken and beer on my blog here if you'd like to check it:

http://invisible-cinema.blogspot.com/2008/08/holee-sht.html

I tripped off that too :-)

Sergio said...

"i haven't seen sam fuller's film either (hangs head) but i do know that last scene is very familiar, and i have seen some slight variations on it. at least i know now where it originated from...thanks for that. will now go and try to rent it."

Don't worry about it. Hardly anyone has. It was orginally made for German TV back in the early 70's. It was never released in the States and only seen on bad VHS copies or sometimes screened or film revival theaters or film festivals. Totally bizzare but definiately worth seeing. They gave Fuller very little money and complete freedom and he went nuts.