The Sketch Lottery Team Takes On Black Belt Jones

The Sketch Lottery squad is back at it again, and this time they are hitting home with their subject choice. For those unfamiliar with exactly who The Sketch Lottery is and what they do, here is a brief synopsis. Basically they pick a subject, and anyone can submit a version of that subject that they have created. Once a persons piece is entered, they also get to nominate a character that is inserted into "the lottery". Every week a new character is chosen as a subject from the lottery, starting the fun all over again. So the more people who take on a character, the more choices are entered into the lottery... and the cycle grows and grows. They have tackled over 40 + characters so far, and the list of contributors keeps increasing! Our very own Tommy Lombardozzi and Joe Esq often submit pieces, and the best part about the whole thing is skill level and technique are not taken into consideration. You can create any version of the character you like, and it will be posted! Some real great versions end up being produced. This weeks subject is the one and only original blaxploitation kung-fu hero Black Belt Jones! BBJ was portrayed by Jim Kelly in two flicks, Black Belt Jones and Hot Potato... and he is the model for one of my favorite cinematic characters of all time, Black Dynamite! The submissions on this character are still rolling in, so check back at Sketch Lottery throughout the week to see what else people submit. My faves of the current submitted lot are after the jump... enjoy!

Black Dynamite Gets A Mini Series From IDW.. Watch Out Jive Turkeys !!!

You heard that right, all you kung-fu lovin' mofos... Black Dynamite is back, and he is doing it big! While we wait for director Scott Sanders and actor Michael Jai White to bring us another installment of the film franchise (rumor has it to be a ghetto western in the vein of Blazing Saddles) we have to make due with a 4 issue mini series from IDW. Following up the epic one shot graphic novel, Black Dynamite: Escape From Slave Island, we are getting a four issue limited series from writer Brian Ash, art by Ron Wimberley, and inks by the LEGENDARY Sal Buscema! The first issue hit stores this week, and hopefully the next three issues will be on time over the next three months (first issue Feb, followed by March, April and May). The comic is sure to continue the radical racial hi jinks and nonsense that the movie brought forth, and even kick it up a notch considering there is no limitations to budget in a comic book. In Slave Island BD had a fist fight with a SHARK... A GREAT WHITE SHARK!!! Now he takes on a villain by the name of Too Swole (really!). Can't wait to see what Ash and Wimberley have in store for my favorite anti-hero. Click here to order your copy on Amazon, or go to your local Mom & Pop comic store and pick your copy up! You can see the full press release and the first cover after the jump.

CCD Presents: Geoff Cain of Black Action Tees Live From the Floor of the 2013 NY Comic Con

One of the coolest things that I purchased the whole time I was at the 2013 NY Comic Con had to be the T-Shirts I picked up over at the Black Action Tees booth. Owner Geoff Cain makes some killer t shirts, and they tend to feature the forgotten and lesser known heroes that happen to be minorities. No Superman or Batman shirts here... there are plenty of booths selling those. Black Action Tees focuses on heroes like Black Lightning, Dragonfly Jones, and Black Dynamite... and I am happy that they do! I grabbed up three shirts, the Mike Tyson, Black Lightning, and Sam Jackson Bad Mofo shirts myself. I also chatted with owner Jeff and discussed just what makes his company stand out among the others in the crowd. Geoff explains his character choices, why he caters to bigger sizes (his shirts go up to 5XL!), and much more. Click here to head on over to their website and order something now! Check out some designs after the jump as well as the full interview....

CCD's 1st Look At Black Dynamite: The Animated Series

Black Dynamite may very well be the funniest movie I have seen in the past 10 years. A perfect exploitation movie in every sense of the word, with an awesome cast (Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, Arsenio Hall, Kym Whitley, etc,), some of the most racist slurs ever uttered on film, and a great directorial debut from my main man Scott Sanders (click here to see why he is CCD's favorite director!). If you haven't seen it, it is streaming on Netflix now. But you better get to it quick, because Black Dynamite: The animated Series is coming to Cartoon Network on July 15th!!!! Made by the dudes who brought you The Boondocks and voiced by the actors from the movie itself, this one is going to be epic!!!! Check out the trailer after the jump and beware of Kung Fu trickery, you moon crickets....

It's Times Like This That I Wish I Had A Crib In L.A.

I love NYC... god knows that's true. But the West Coast has the movie business on lock, and there is no shortage of movie related special events happening out in L.A. that I would love to attend. Case in point, this magnificent motherfucking 'Black Dynamite' event:

This is all in an effort to promote the new 'Black Dynamite: Slave Island' comic book... one that I am eagerly anticipating in the mail to review (thanks Jillian!!!). You got a screening of the movie (one of my all time faves) at 6:30 PM, The recording of a live podcast at 8:00 PM, and then a comic book signing to finish it all up with a bang at 9:00 PM. In the words of director Scott Sanders:

"Chris Hardwick will lead a panel that includes Michael Jai White ("Black Dynamite", co-writer), Byron Minns ("Bullhorn", co-writer), Scott Sanders (director, co-writer), Brian Ash (comic author, writer for The Boondocks) to chat about the making of the greatest Blaxploitation comedy of all time, and its extension into the comic world. There will also be a live music performance by the film's score-master Adrian Younge and The Black Dynamite Sound Orchestra."  

How F'n unbelievable does that sound? Black Dynamite himself & Bullhorn are gonna be up in this bitch!!! God damn... I wish I could get out there!!! Hey Scott, can you send Cream Corn with the helicopter for me? Please.... Grrrr. Anyway, we met Scott at last years NYC Comic Con and he was the man. He gave us a long ass interview and signed a bunch of preview comics for us (that we gave away to you guys!!!) and proved to be one cool dude. Good luck with the event guys... and if you are in the L.A. area, make this happen!!!!

All of this takes place on April 4th @ Meltdown Comics, 7522 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca 90046

OMG... Black Dynamite: Slave Island Is Upon Us

We told you guys awhile back that Ape Entertainment & Ars Nova were making a comic book adaption of 'Black Dynamite'. 'Black Dynamite' is one of my favorite movies of the past five years and makes me cry laughing every time I watch it. So when we were at the NYC Comic Con and found out there was going to be a comic entitled 'Slave Island', you know I was in. It's been a few months with not much news... until I got this email yesterday from Black Dynamite's main man (and dead sidekick) Bullhorn:

Bullhorn here to make the way clear, for the baddest comic book of the year!

BLACK DYNAMITE: SLAVE ISLAND will make you see the light
based on the film written by Byron Minns, Scott Sanders and Michael Jai White!
Brian Ash of The Boondocks is the author of this book
and the artist Jun Lofamia gives Dynamite his look!

It's the coolest comic on paper, if you know what I mean
cause BD's the toughest muthaf*cka that the world ever seen
Whether hustle or tussle, you know who's gonna win it.
Hell, I bought thirteen copies, and I ain't even in it!


So if you're lookin’ for some action and a comic that’s out of sight
make sure you pick up SLAVE ISLAND featuring … BLACK DYNAMITE!

If you seen Black Dynamite, you know that Bullhorn and his rhyming speeches are some of the best part of the movie. Kudos to Ape Entertainment & Ars Nova for wording their press release in the manner of one of the characters from the movie!!! They also included what seems to be the official cover art for the book, which is due April 4th, 2011.

Make sure you get to your local Mom & Pop comic shop and support 'Black Dynamite' you jive ass turkey... this is going to be epic!!!

CCD Interviews The Man Behind Black Dynamite, Director Scott Sanders

So all week long I have been regaling you guys with stories about the 2010 NYC Comic Con, one of our first major events that we were granted press passes to cover. There was so much going on and we tried our best to hit up all the things that interested us. Early on in the day Friday we walked past the Ape Entertainment booth and my heart almost stopped... I was staring at a Black Dynamite comic book!!!

Holy. Fucking. Shit. Now this is something I was really happy to see. If you read this blog, you know of my fascination with Black Dynamite. I freaking love that movie... and then fresh off the announcement that there would be a Black Dynamite Cartoon (we covered that here), we would also get some further adventures of every ones favorite Super Negro... and Surviving Slave Island??? Yup, I'm in. As I began to explain how excited I was to Sam, I realized he was not as enthusiastic as me. Immediately I knew why he wasn't as excited as me: He had not seen the movie. As we broke into a classic "What? You haven't seen it? What..." conversation, a gentleman behind the Ape Entertainment table interrupt us. He said "Hi guys, I'm Brent. If you want to have him watch the movie, why don't you guys stop by our panel tomorrow night. We are showing the whole movie plus 10 minutes of the cartoon." Holy. Fucking. Shit. I wasn't missing this for the world.

The whole next day was spent anticipating the 8pm Black Dynamite panel. Brent told us there would be a special give away and appearance, and I was wondering just who would be there. Would it be Cream Corn, Bullhorn, The Fiendish Dr Wu... or BD himself, Michael Jai White? When we got downstairs, come to find out that it was going to be the creative team speaking at the panel. Director Scott Sanders, musical editor and composer Adrian Young, and soundtrack supervisor Andres Torres of Wax Poetics. Now I was really psyched, cause we were about to get some real behind the scenes info, and I couldn't wait to hear what the guys had to say. Check out our footage of the actual panel here.

Once the panel was over, they went into 10 minutes of the Black Dynamite cartoon footage, which was phenomenal. Very over the top and crazy. Then the film was shown. I thought Sam was actually gonna have a heart attack from laughing so hard. The whole room was buzzing with laughter. After the film, they announced that Scott would be sticking around to sign some limited edition black & white variant covers of the #1 issue of Black Dynamite. Sweet. We waited to the end to ask Scott some questions as only my crazy ass could think of. Check out the video:

Very cool dude... and honest as hell. The fact that he looked up Moon Cricket in the dictionary proves his dedication to the racist comedy awesomeness that is Black Dynamite. Great dude, and he was even gracious enough to inscribe my #1 variant with "I thought I told you honkies in the CIA that Black Dynamite was out the game..." So Fucking Cool!!!

Scott also signed four copies of the #1 variant preview issue for you guys... the CCD readers!!! There were only 500 of these special covers made up, and it was strictly for the NYC Comic Con. All you have to do to win one is add your favorite Black Dynamite quote in the comment section below. The 4 best quotes will get the issues... Thanks to Scott Sanders for making such a great movie and being so cool to a couple of dudes with a small time (but up and coming!!!) blog and thanks to Brent and the whole Ape Entertainment team for the extra books and tickets to the screening. I can't wait till the BD cartoon and comic book come out!!! 



Check Out The Black Dynamite Panel From The NYC Comic Con 2010

Check out these really cool videos featuring Black Dynamite director Scott Sanders, music editor & composer Adrian Young, and Andres Torres of Wax Poetics, who oversaw thee soundtrack. These guys are the ones who brought the flavors of the film together from behind the camera and reveal some intresting tidbits about the behind the scenes events. I think Black Dynamite is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen... and honestly, so do the critics. It currently has an 85% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a hell of alot better than a bunch of other movies. Not bad for a movie with hardly no big screen release and strictly word of mouth promotion. If you haven't seen it yet, it is available on Blu-Ray or DVD, or on Netflix Instant Streaming. Enjoy the panel clips, and tell us what your favorite Black Dynamite line is in the comment section below.







Check back tommorow for our One on One interview with Scott Sanders... CCD gets the scoops son!!!

And Now A Word From Our Sponsor, Anaconda Malt Liquor...

Thanks to the ever vigilant Joe Esq and the blog Warming Glow we have news that there is going to be a Black Dynamite cartoon coming to Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network. Holy. Fucking. Shitballs... let that sink in for a minute. Michael Jai White's ode to blacksploitation movies of the 70's is side splitting hysterical in it's over the top humor and absurd fight scenes. Just check this clip for proof:

Your telling me you don't want to see that in cartoon form? I do, I do... the original is available on Netflix instant streaming, and we will keep you posted on the rest of the cartoons developments. So, you looking forward to this show? Tell us in the comment section below... and shut the fuck up when grown folks is talkin!!! (Black Dynamite voice)

DVD Release for Tuesday February 16, 2010

Law Abiding Citizen - (Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx)

This movie is a walking contradiction. On one hand, its completely far fetched and rediculous. The fact that a prisoner can be responsible for such an ongoing, eloborate crimal conspiracy while incarcerated is just to much to believe. On the other hand, ITS A F$%CKING MOVIE... It's supposed to be far fetched and rediculous. If you can move past the lack of logic presented in the movie, this flick is highly enterataining. Foxx is great as a career driven D.A. who is only concerned with his conviction rate. Butler is masterful as a dad who wants revenge on the system and the criminals responsible for murdering his family. You will be on the edge of your seat as Butler works his way through the people on his hit list. The action is fast paced and the death scenes will leave you satified.... by the end of this flick you will be rooting for Butler no matter how many people he kills. Give it a shot...

Black Dynamite - ( Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, Arsenio Hall)

Holy shit, this movie is hilarious. I have watched it approximately 10 times this past week, and the reason why is simple: Michael Jai White nails this part. Retro is always being done, but rarely does anybody get retro so right. Styled and shot in the blaxploitation style of the 70's, this movie features a quality ensemble cast filling all the stereotypes of 70's cinema. White is Black Dynamite, a hustler who used to work for the CIA (The MAN) and is now keeping crime on the straight and narrow... crooked "whitey" cops, Italian mob drug lords, pimps, hoes, pimps and more pimps!!! White uses his coolness, some kung fu and a big ass pistol to wreak havoc on THE MAN and avenge his brothers death. A fun romp down memory lane, this is a absolute must watch that needs to be in every cinephiles collection. These are the kind of movies that used to be playing on the "Forty-Duece" in NYC and inspired a generation of filmakers like Quentin Tarantino to have fun with his movies. The anaimated sex scene in the middle of the flick is worth the price of admission alone... Get this one loaded into your DVD player ASAP.

The Ladykillers - ( Alec Guiness, Herbert Lom and Peter Sellers)

It is no secret that Peter Sellers is my favorite actor of ALL TIME... but before he was Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movies, he starred in this hilarious heist comedy with Ben Kenobi himself, Sir Alex Guinness. Herbert Lom, who was also a huge part of the Pink Panther series, also guest stars in this wonderful dark comedy. The movies centers around a gang of con artists put together by Guinness to rob a rail station. The gang rents a room from an older lady to use as a headquarters, and after successfully robbing the station are figured out by their lodge master. Forced to silence the old lady, hilarity ensues as the criminals decided who will kill her... double crosses, murder and mayhem are on the menu for these cons. Really funny and dark, this is a great oppurtunity to see Sellers and Guinness in roles before the ones we know them for. 

Also on DVD/BlueRay: Cabin Fever, Goodfellas 20th anniversary, Clint Eastwood: 35 Films in 35 Years at Warner Brothers, Halo Legends, Coco Before Chanel

Now get out there and buy some movies!!!!