I was pretty throw by Sweet Sweetback, to be completely honest, I didn't know tons about the movie to start with. I expected something a little more straightforward, but MAN! There was some pretty manic editing here. I think there were a few times where I got pretty confused as to what had been going on. I can't really tell if that's a huge problem. The movie has got a pretty neat style within it, and I was able to follow it mostly. Pacing, like most low-budget movies it seems, was definitely lacking. This movie DRAGGED. There are a fuck-ton of montages. Some of Melvin's songs are awesome. A few I recognized through Quasimoto's the Unseen. But I wished the movie was a bit easier to watch because I enjoyed watching it for the most part. When figuring in the context of how Van Peebles made this crazy mess, it is actually pretty incredible. A minimal budget, casting amateurs. It was a bit like a crazy Cassavetes flick. At one point on the special features, Van Peebles claims its the first independent film. I DUNNO 'BOUT THAT! But watching Van Peebles talk about the film was great. It's pretty impressive how much of the film he made on his own and a testament to the man. As an actor, well, he seems to do the job of looking pretty stoic and cool. And having a bitchin' moustache. Apparently, he only has six or so lines in the whole movie. That is probably true, despite that, the number is still pretty shocking to me. That also means one sixth of his lines were "FUCKING." But Van Peebles definitely had a focused vision in the film and even if it comes out a little bit muddied, it's definitely one of a kind.
This guy was my favorite. I hope it's obvious why.
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