God I love Eric and Brian at the Grindhouse.  Their events are always a blast: rare trailers, fun giveaways, and 35mm prints of movies like this week’s Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde and Black Fist (aka Bogard, aka Homeboy…), two insanely awesome blaxploitation classics that are rare enough to find and see, let alone on the big screen and with a rowdy audience of fellow cinejunkies.

Acknowledging the inauguration of our first biracial president in their own unique way, Eric and Brian chose, as they put it themselves, a film about a good-natured black man who turns into an evil white man. It was impossible to pass up the opportunity to see Bernie Casey as the titular Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde, but I honestly expected a mindless diversion that would find its appeal in campy dialogue and 70’s funkiness - who’d have thunk it’d be a surprisingly effective thriller, silly and velvet-groovy enough to ride the wave started by Blacula (both were directed by William Crain), but also well-acted and with great pacing, and a climax that worked on its own despite its obvious homage to King Kong (the Watts Towers make a great substitute for the Empire State Building).

Then came Black Fist. And with it, Dabney Coleman.

I dig Dabney Coleman. And yeah we love him in 9 to 5 and Cloak and Dagger, but seriously, his performance as Officer Heineken in Black Fist may have been his finest hour. It was enough to make me consider if I’d spent my entire life underestimating him. He was just that fucking awesome in this flick. As for the rest of it, a little slow getting started, but totally worth the patience - I dig a good REVENGE!!! flick.

Can’t wait to see what the Grindhouse rounds up next!