Friday, June 21, 2019

Movie Review: Shaft












Not one minute of PC (unless to mock it) in the entire movie. Notable for that, alone.
Samuel Jackson's Shaft is a fantastic throwback to 2000, at that. Other than the backstory intro, we don't even get him for about half an hour, but he's worth the wait. Usher pulls off being his estranged millennial offspring with just the right mix of skinny jeans OREO snowflake, and chip off the old block. And when you finally get Richard Roundtree, direct from 1971, they didn't trot him by for just a cameo, they bring him back to be m*****f****n' SHAFT. Solid.

The plot has a beginning, a middle, and an end, it gets from A to Z with the right mix of harsh and humor, and it's fun to watch. Overall, I give it a solid B. Not a B+, not a B-. In a year-plus that's been a desert of D- and F movies, that's saying something.

And as a warning, this movie is as un-PC as anything Mel Brooks ever did in his prime. Thank the maker. It's rated R, meaning it's not for any kids, ever. Trust the MPAA on that one. If your kids are in late high school, it's nothing they haven't heard. If they're in middle school or younger, leave them home. Unless they're Simpson kids living in Springfield, or kindergarteners from South Park, or you tick all the human trash parenting boxes in Jeff Foxworthy's signature monologue section,this flick is not for them.

You want to wait for this on cable or the shelves as a BD, I get it. I've never been very good about that.

My rating: that Shaft is still a b-a-a-a-d mo(shut your mouth!)




And I'd tell you about MIB International in upcoming days, but Silicon Graybeard has already done that on his blog. Go read SiG's review instead of waiting for mine. I doubt I'd disagree anyhow.

10 comments:

James said...

The only shaft flicks I remember watching were as a kid,early 70's with Mr. Roundtree and on TV so probably cut a bit.The fact he is still alive and brought into this flick will get me to watch it,when it's online.

ghostsniper said...

You spelled "shut yo mowf" wrong.

June J said...

Wife and I going to see MIB International tonight. Good review at the link.

Dan said...

Samuel L Jackson has never worried about being PC.....but since he's black he never actually had to worry about it. But try making a movie like this starring/directed by anyone BUT a black person and you'd be able to hear the SJW's howling all the way to the moon.

SiGraybeard said...

Thanks for the heads up on this one. I was vaguely aware it was out but nothing else about it. Sounds worth it.

And thanks for the link back on MIB. Since I think you liked Ragnarok as much as I did, I think you'll like this one.

Anonymous said...

https://youtu.be/NlMT-oEIQuo

and this too .... https://youtu.be/pLgJ7pk0X-s

Anonymous said...

more Ukelele goodness .. for the teens


https://youtu.be/iaHRJ8FVuiI

Aesop said...

@SiG,

It was the least I could do.
A good review of a movie I'll catching later this week anyways, so you really saved me the trouble.

Kalliste said...

I started watching it... there's a highly PC moment at the beginning when a Muslim kid smacks down the white bully for the young black kid's benefit, they then high five about defeating the evil white. I think you were watching a different movie to me.

Aesop said...

Yeah, no. Watch the other two hours.
Jackson going off on his "Gap clothes-wearing, Don Lemon-looking Oreo" son was an epic rant.

People shouldn't get wrapped around the minutiae unless they're not old enough to see the movie.
And don't expect either side's PC b.s. to get a straight run. It's Shaft, FFS.