Tag: The Human Tornado

The Human Tornado (1976)

THE HUMAN TORNADO (1976) **1/2
I have mixed feelings about this sequel to Dolemite
Sometimes it sucks and sometimes it is outta sight
Rudy Ray Moore returns as our title character and he’s fine
He’s truly one of a kind and his bluntness will blow yo’ mind
He’s grown on me since he made a terrible first impression
Both Dolemite and The Human Tornado a better expression
He’s not what earns The Human Tornado a mixed review
I promise that I like Dolemite and Rudy Ray, I really do!
It’s that rat soup eating motherfucker redneck racist sheriff piece of shit
He drags the movie into the mud and his every scene’s just like a cesspit
Character’s named Sheriff Beatty, played by J.D. Baron in his film debut
Somebody should have kung fu kicked him to death, but they never do
His all-out redneck assault often brings The Human Tornado to a halt
Not sure if that’s writer Jerry Jones or director Cliff Roquemore’s fault
Enough about that, how ’bout “Glorya De Lani” as Hurricane Annie
Her glorious breasts distract from Rudy Ray Moore’s big fat fanny
She contributes her fair share to some of the best nudity in screen history
I’d trade her nude for every redneck sheriff scene and it’s sure no mystery
Glorious Gloria Delaney and her breasts returned as Peaches in Penitentiary
What else can be said but yes, God bless the breasts of the Twentieth Century
Dolemite seeks out the sleazy crime boss’ sex pot wife and their sex wrecks the set
Nympho gives Dolemite the info he wants so many times none of us will ever forget
Dolemite takes out anonymous henchmen in a flurry of speeded up kung fu kicks
The Human Tornado truly has everything, a gay blade and a guy with karate sticks
We can’t neglect Ernie Hudson early in his career or Lady Reed and Lord Java in the cast
Funky music, funky hair, miles of nudity, loads of vulgarity, mostly a blast from the past

Disco Godfather (1979)

DISCO GODFATHER

DISCO GODFATHER (1979) *1/2

I kept having flashbacks throughout DISCO GODFATHER.

I asked myself several times, “Am I tripping balls or have I not seen this film a few hundred times?” Then, I said, “I know, I know, this is my first time watching it, but it still feels like I have seen DISCO GODFATHER before.” Later, “It’s only a movie. It’s only a movie. It’s only a movie.” Finally, “I’ll have my revenge. I’ll write a review.”

The plot: Rudy Ray Moore plays retired cop Tucker Williams turned nightclub owner and famed DJ “Disco Godfather.” His nephew Bucky (Julius J. Carry III) gets hooked on angel dust and it warps him something fierce. Tucker decides to return to his roots and wipe out this angel dust plague. See what I mean about having seen DISCO GODFATHER before?

After the dust has settled so to speak on this movie, I mostly remember the Disco Godfather saying “Put your weight on it!” It feels like Mr. Disco Godfather says “Put your weight on it” a million times. Apparently, it’s actually only 24 times that he uttered that infamous line. I am shocked and thoroughly disappointed.

“Put your weight on it” still, though, ranks among the greats in the cinematic annals of lines / incantations / mantras.

Cheech & Chong said “Man” 285 times in UP IN SMOKE, far out, man. Characters say the name “Carol Anne” 121 times in POLTERGEIST III. With their lesser weight, both UP IN SMOKE and POLTERGEIST III had to make up for it through sheer volume of repetition.

We also cannot forget “With great power comes great responsibility” from the Sam Raimi SPIDER-MAN films (originally from the comic books written by Stan Lee). From what I understand, this phrase has become known as the Peter Parker Principle. To be honest, I have not ever written much on the SPIDER-MAN films because “Weird Al” Yankovic already criticized the first Raimi SPIDER-MAN magnificently with “Ode to a Superhero,” which is set to the tune of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” Here’s the part about “With great power comes great responsibility”:

“With great power comes great responsibility / That’s the catch phrase of old Uncle Ben / If you missed it, don’t worry, they’ll say the line / Again and again and again.” Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought, “Weird Al,” and you wrote “Ode to a Superhero” after just the first SPIDER-MAN film.

Anyway, through the virtual magic of searching the Internet, I found a link to Rudy Ray Moore’s “Put Your Weight on It” in song form. Rudy Ray Moore and the Fillmore Street Soul Rebellion released a single in 1971 with “Put Your Weight on It” the B-side to a monologue and “Easy Easy Baby.” Hold on for about 2 minutes, 43 seconds, I must cast aside this “Weird Al” playlist that started by listening to “Ode to a Superhero” and instead listen to “Put Your Weight on It.” I’ll report back very soon with my findings.

Holy bat shit, Robin, I found a version that’s 4 minutes, 55 seconds. It’s from the Rudy Ray Moore Singing Album “The Turning Point,” from 1972. I’ve got Mr. Rudy Ray down for saying “Put your weight on it” 21 times. I did not count the “Keep your weight on it,” which he seems to say about as many times as the name of the song. I’m not going back for another listen any time soon.

Moore (1927-2008) was a multimedia “ghetto expressionist” (his preferred nomenclature for his act) who recorded his first comedy album “Below the Belt” in 1959. Moore debuted the Dolemite character in the early 1970s and he released albums with titles like “Eat Out More Often” and “This Pussy Belongs to Me.” He then successfully financed the motion picture DOLEMITE in 1975, followed by THE HUMAN TORNADO and THE MONKEY HUSTLE in 1976, PETEY WHEATSTRAW in 1977, and DISCO GODFATHER in 1979. He’s been called “The Godfather of Rap.” Dolemite unleashed lines like “You no-business, born-insecure, jock-jawed motherfucker” and “I’m gonna let ‘em know that Dolemite is my name, and fuckin’ up motherfuckers is my game.” This influence on subsequent generations of black entertainment is undoubtedly why DISCO GODFATHER seemed so old hat and overly familiar watching it for the first time in 2020.