HTF Review: Pam Grier "Fox In A Box" DVD Set (1 Viewer)

[Jason Perez]

Vibe - Fox In A Box Set, Featuring Pam Grier




Studio: MGM
Year: 1973 - 1975
Rated: Various – See Below
Film Length: Various – See Below
Aspect Ratio: Various – See Below
Subtitles: English, French, and Spanish
Audio: Various – See Below




Release Date:
December 13th, 2005



I expect some of you who read this review will hold an opinion contrary to mine about the trio of films to be discussed herein, and let me say for the record that I have absolutely no problem with that! Frankly, I encourage the formation and (respectful) voicing of your own opinions, and as I have said many times before, I think people’s divergent cinematic tastes are an important element of the expressive and wonderful art form that is film! With that mouthful said, I’ll get it right out in the open - I just do not understand some folks’ fascination with the so-called “blaxploitation” movies! And though it might not change my mind, I would love for someone as passionate about the genre as Quentin Tarantino is to try and sway me, so I might have a better idea of what those on the other side of the proverbial fence see in these types of films. What am I not seeing that is so wonderful and entertaining to so many others???

Before I move on, I want you to know that my indifference to these films is not because of what they do or do not say or imply about people of a particular background, or about one culture or another. Quite frankly, my indifference to films like, and including, those in the “Fox In A Box” set stems from my assessment that they are simply not good movies, and nothing more! Now I am all for tuning out in front of a mindless movie every now and again, and don’t mind seeing some T & A and violence in my movies, and these movies do offer a bit of both…but just about nothing else. In fact, to be perfectly honest, besides the charisma and raw energy that buxom leading-lady Pam Grier infused into this trio of revenge-themed films, there was not a whole lot left for me to appreciate. Now I’ll tell you why…


COFFY (1973)
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Rating: R
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English – Monaural; French and Spanish - Monaural

Let’s begin in earnest by discussing Coffy, which seems to be regarded as one of the most notable entries in the “blaxploitation” genre, if for no other reason than it kicked the career of the gorgeous and yet tough-as-nails Ms. Grier right in the hot pants! In the film, Grier plays the title character, a nurse whose younger sister becomes a horrible mess after taking some potent narcotics she gets from a sleazy drug pusher. Worse yet for our heroine, she finds out that the local police know the scum responsible, but refuse to take action because they are being greased to let the illegal operation continue! Knowing she is unlikely to get justice through proper channels, the sexy Coffy decides to take matters into her own hands by using her beauty to her advantage and posing as a lady of the evening, which she presumes will help get her close enough to the drug pushers to avenge her sister!

Honestly, there is not much else to the plot - it is basically a tale of revenge, tried and true, where much hinges on the likeability of the hero/heroine, how disagreeable the villain(s) are, and the picture’s sense of style. Now in terms of Coffy, I cannot say there is absolutely no entertainment value at all, but I thought the villain was pretty weak, as villains go, and the film struggles somewhat in the style department, especially in terms of visual appeal. Further, the story trudges along in a predictable and extremely over-the-top manner, the dialogue is rudimentary, the characters’ attire is gaudy and dated, and most of the acting not involving Pam Grier might as well have been done by me (meaning it is not good ). Obviously, each of these issues is troublesome enough on its own, but in concert, they make it rather difficult to really enjoy Coffy.

For my money, the key component of whatever little success Coffy does realize is the energy and physicality that Pam Grier brought to the title role, at a time when other females would not even dream of doing the things she was on film. Though her performance was definitely not spot-on either, Grier exhibited a raw but completely undeniable charisma and screen presence in Coffy, and her physicality certainly qualified her as a legitimate “action-hero”. Again, while hers was by no means an Oscar®-worthy performance, it is almost a shame that her spirited effort was squandered on a motion picture with so few redeeming qualities, especially as it relates to the mundane plot and by-the-numbers screenplay and cookie-cutter characters. Blaxploitation? I think that the people who got truly exploited here were movie patrons…


FOXY BROWN (1974)
Running Time: 91 Minutes
Rating: R
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English – Monaural

From what I understand, Foxy Brown was initially meant to be sequel to Coffy, although Jack Hill suggests (in his commentary) that “Foxy” was tinkered with and re-named as marketing strategies for the film evolved. This seems to make sense, since the film made it into movie houses so soon after Coffy. In any event, if the rumblings I have heard over the years are correct, than Foxy Brown is supposedly one of the “blaxploitation” genre’s crown jewels. While this may be true, I had already seen this film a couple of times over the years, and another viewing did not win me over, as it is on an even keel with Coffy, at best.

Indeed, I find that there is not much difference between the two films, as far as the basic premise is concerned. Essentially, Pam Grier gets wronged, goes after the lame villains who victimized her, and ends up triumphant before the credits roll. Oh yeah, her top comes off as well . There, did I miss anything? Well, I suppose some of you may want a few more specifics, so I will be happy to oblige. As the film opens, we see that the man in Foxy’s life is a former police officer that has had plastic surgery to conceal his true identity from those who wish him harm or death, including the criminals he put away. We also see that the couple is trying to put the ghosts of the pasts to rest, and carry their relationship forward into future they hope will be better and brighter.

Well, since this is a drama, you can pretty much bet your life that this is the point where something has to go wrong for Foxy and her beau. In this instance, that something involves the lovely Ms. Brown’s brother, who an awful lot of cash to people who are more than willing to inflict bodily harm if they don’t get paid back (with interest, of course). The trouble starts when this desperate fellow begins to suspect that the “new” man in his sister’s life may actually be her old boyfriend, despite significant differences his physical appearance! After reaching this conclusion, Foxy’s brother decides to act in his own self-interest, and sell his knowledge about Foxy’s boyfriend, which he presumes will help him settle up with those he is indebted to. I probably don’t need to tell you that the boyfriend expires very shortly thereafter, and that his demise sets Foxy out to exact revenge on those responsible…would you have expected anything less?

In my opinion, it all feels too familiar, especially coming on the heels of viewing Coffy, but Foxy Brown is probably even worse a film than the former. Once again, Pam Grier is the backbone of the film, and she really does give it her all, but every other aspect of the film pales in comparison to her effort. Specifically, the screenplay has a rough, almost unfinished feel to it, the dialogue is generally banal, and the majority of the actors are quite wooden. It goes without saying that people’s tolerances vary, but the violence in Foxy Brown was quite a bit more graphic than that in Coffy as well, with one scene in particular being painfully repugnant even for a sick bastard like me!

Undoubtedly, some of these issues are a result of the production company’s apparent lack of concern for turning out a quality product, as Jack Hill reveals in his audio commentary, but it is highly unlikely this carbon copy of Coffy would have been too much better even if it had been allotted a bigger budget and more time to craft the screenplay. There is no question that Pam Grier is an iconic figure, and again, I will freely admit that I could be missing the boat on “blaxploitation” films, but that Foxy Brown is regarded as a classic by some folks mystifies me.



SHEBA, BABY (1975)
Running Time: 91 Minutes
Rating: PG
Aspect Ratio: Anamoprhic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English – Monaural

Here we go again - Pam Grier starring in yet another film (the third in three years) where someone close to her takes a beating, and she resolves to bring street justice to the perpetrators as only she can! As was the case with Foxy Brown, Sheba, Baby is basically Coffy with a different set of circumstances. More specifically, in this film, Grier plays a Chi-town gumshoe named Sheba Shayne, whose father is on the business end of a mob assault. After receiving this disturbing news, Sheba heads back home to check in on dear old dad, and more importantly, to pay back the hoods responsible for beating him senseless. Of course, the people responsible are not just going to roll over in the face of Sheba’s meddling in their business, and try to inflict even more pain and punishment on her than they did on her father. In response, Pam Grier’s character again calls on her ultimate weapon - her sexuality - to cause her marks to slip up, in hopes that she can rub them out first!

If this story sounds familiar, that is because it is the same old thing, just like many of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s early movies were. Like the “muscles from Brussels, however, I suppose Pam Grier was good enough at what she did early in her career to keep fans coming back for more! And while this is probably the weakest film in the box set, it still serves to exemplify how in addition to being so unbelievably sexy, Pam Grier just radiates toughness and tenacity. Though she is no Zhang Ziyi, Grier really is quite plausible in the action sequences! Her acting and line delivery actually improved a bit in this film as well, and she really seemed to be having fun playing Sheba Shayne. Like the other two films discussed above, however, this one is just not that enjoyable overall, because the rest of the characters surrounding Grier are mere caricatures, the dialogue and most of the acting is really cheesy, and the story is rehashed, with plot holes big enough to drive a Hummer through.

Irrespective of the last few statements, I suspect that most Pam Grier fans will enjoy having this flick on hand. Bottom line, Sheba, Baby is a film constructed for two purposes – to make a profit and to let Pam Grier do her thing, as only she could! As I mentioned before, Grier is as tough, charming, and sexy as ever in Sheba, Baby, and her acting is better, but the film will probably not be of interest to those looking for something more than another gritty performance from Pam Grier. For whatever it is worth, if I had to watch one of these three films, I’d stick with either Coffy or Foxy Brown, in that order. Simply put, the third time was not the charm for this premise…






SO, HOW DOES IT LOOK?
Unfortunately, when these films were released on DVD, MGM declined to go the extra mile and give Coffy an anamorphic widescreen transfer, and that has not changed with this repackaging of the film. Honestly though, Coffy doesn’t look nearly as bad as I would have feared a non-anamorphic transfer of an older low-budget exploitation flick would have. That being said, you can still tell the film is now a vintage work, as a moderate amount of grain, spots, and minor print flaws are visible throughout the feature, giving the film a rather gritty look, which is probably appropriate for the subject matter, since the film is supposed to represent how things are in the streets.

On a slightly more positive note, colors are surprisingly vibrant and well drawn, and flesh tones bear out the subtle differences in the actors’ pigmentation. Although shadow detail is not impressive, the slightly above-average black level does give the image a degree of depth, and while not terrific, fine detail is not too murky either. All things considered, this is transfer is not too shabby, but in my opinion, a little spit and polish would not have hurt (an anamorphic transfer really would have been nice). Then again, this film is darker by nature, so perhaps a Lowry Digital type of restoration would have robbed the film of some of its atmosphere – it probably depends on your point of view.

Presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1), Foxy Brown also looks really good on DVD! To me, the most notable aspect of the transfer was that the image was very clean, and free from distractions and major print damage. Colors are also bold and bright, particularly primaries, and whites are crisp. Further, there also appeared to be very little edge enhancement present, and I noticed no ugly compression artifacts during the film, which is always nice!

While not abundant, shadow delineation is slightly more pronounced than it is in Coffy, and backgrounds also boast a greater amount of detail as well, likely as a result of the anamorphic enhancement. To make a long story short, this is a fine transfer of a film made the year I was born (1974), and it is highly probable that Foxy has never looked better on home video.

The final film in the set, Sheba, Baby also gets the deluxe anamorphic widescreen treatment, but it still looks the worst for wear of the three by far. As with the other two films, colors are well drawn, but black level is somewhat uneven on this disc, so detail is swallowed up in some of the picture’s darker scenes. Unfortunately, the image also contains quite a bit more grain and video noise than Foxy Brown or Coffy do, and I noticed a few distracting instances of edge enhancement and artifacting as well. Not good, especially when compared against the transfers for the other two films in the set!




WHAT IS THAT NOISE?
On the whole, the soundtracks present on these three discs can best be described as adequate for Coffy and Foxy Brown and disappointing for Sheba, Baby. All three films contain monaural audio tracks, and while not particularly dynamic, the former two at least manage to present dialogue, music, and effects clearly, and have decent dynamic range and frequency response. Just don’t expect the spaciousness, separation, or low bass response of a well-mixed 5.1 channel track, because you will be sorely disappointed – this is a largely front-and-center affair. They are capable for what they are though, and I have certainly heard much worse monaural soundtracks to older, low-budget films over the years.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned above, the soundtrack for Sheba, Baby is another story! To be specific, the high frequencies have a tendency to sound shrill on occasion, and the rest of the audio information has a flat, lifeless quality to it, particularly music and effects. The only good news is that you can still hear most of what the characters are saying without undue effort, but that is about the only positive comment I can make, as the track gets muddy whenever music or effects compete with dialogue in the mix.

I honestly cannot remember the last time I was distracted by the presentation of a film’s soundtrack, but Sheba, Baby was a rather tough listen. Coupled with the poorer image quality, I would have to say that Sheba, Baby is an unremarkable disc, from a technical standpoint.


EXTRAS, EXTRAS!!!


COFFY

Audio Commentary
The commentary track for Coffy is submitted by director Jack Hill, who turned out to be a very energetic, engaging, and informative speaker. Not being a fan of the film, I was expecting to really suffer through this commentary (yes, I always listen to the whole thing), but I must say that I was fascinated by Mr. Hill’s account of the process of getting Coffy made.

Honestly, there is a lot of interesting discussion about everything from casting the film, to how Hill gave his actors freedom to provide input into the film, to the “blaxploitation” genre itself. I am not going to spoil any of it by offering my usual highlights, but suffice it to say that if you are a fan of films like Coffy, you owe it yourself to give this commentary track a listen!


Trailer
The trailer for Coffy is included.



FOXY BROWN

Audio Commentary
Jack Hill also provides the commentary track for Foxy Brown, and although his comments come less frequently than they did with the track for Coffy, he still has much to say that would be of interest to fans. For instance, Mr. Hill reveals that the screenplay was written rather hastily, and he also talks a bit about how certain aspects of the film were changed as the marketing strategies evolved.

Finally, Hill offers some interesting insight into the casting process, and even chats a bit about the picture’s enduring popularity. Bottom line, although I enjoyed Hill’s commentary for Coffy more, I did find this one interesting as well, and since I do not count myself in with those who enjoy Foxy Brown, I have to imagine fans of the film would really get a lot out of it.


Trailer
The trailer for Foxy Brown is included.



SHEBA, BABY

Trailer
Drum roll, please….the trailer for Sheba, Baby, which has definitely seen better days, is the lone extra included.


BONUS DISC

Vibe Magazine Presents - Pam Grier: Super Foxy Featurette
In this nearly 17-minute featurette, several celebrity Pam Grier fans, such as actress Vivica A. Fox and rappers Foxy Brown, Common, and T.I., gush over Ms. Grier, and how important and inspirational her work was to them. Some of the things the speakers mention are the multi-faceted characters Grier played – they were utterly sexy, as tough as any man, and yet very family oriented; the groundbreaking nature of her work; how energetic and organic her early performances were; and, in their opinion; and how her work made it possible for actresses like Halle Berry and Vivica A. Fox to have the notoriety and opportunities that they have now.

Oh yeah, a couple of the participants take the time to note how nice Pam Grier’s “boobies” are, and they are even shown in all their glory, as if to verify the speakers’ statements! So much for the classy tribute! In all seriousness though, there is not a lot of real depth to this featurette, but it is nice to know Pam Grier has the respect of those she has inspired.


Vibe Presents – Blaxploitation to Hip-Hop Featurette
Vivica A. Fox, Foxy Brown, Common, and other prominent members of the Hollywood and hip-hop communities return for another 17 minute featurette on the significant impact Pam Grier’s films have had on the hip-hop genre over the years. For instance, the influence of Pam Grier’s films on hip-hop music is covered, beginning with their helping African-American composers to get more work scoring films, as is the fact that Hollywood accepted making films with black females in leading roles in part thanks to Pam Grier. This is essentially a companion piece to the previous featurette, and despite some lengthy discussions about tangential points like how “blaxploitation” fashions are coming back into style, it is a bit more thoughtful and interesting, but only slightly so.

Promotional Materials
There is a really brief promo for Vibe Magazine on the bonus disc.



SCORE CARD

(on a five-point scale)
Films: :star: :star:
Video: :star: :star: :star:

Audio: :star: :star: :star:
Extras: :star: :star:

Overall: :star: :star: :star:



THE LAST WORD
You already know I am not too big on these films, and I understand that not everyone feels the same way, so I want to close by talking more about this set’s value than my perception of the films. Basically, if you enjoy this trio of films, and have not added them to your collection, than this “Fox In A Box” set would probably be a worthwhile purchase, as you can scoop them (and the bonus disc) all up for a relatively small amount of cash.

For those unfamiliar with these films, on the other hand, each of the trio tells the same basic story, only the specifics are different. As such, I found it rather tedious to watch them within a short timeframe. Further, with the exception of the raw charisma and energy exhibited by Pam Grier, the films all have a laundry list of problems that make it hard to recommend a blind purchase.

The last group of folks I need to address are those who may have already purchased these motion pictures on DVD, as they have been available for some time. To you, I would say that if you already own the “Soul Cinema” discs, this is essentially a repackaging of them, so the only real reason to even consider purchasing this set is to get your hands on the bonus disc. Given the lack of participation from Pam Grier, however, and the somewhat fluffy nature of the extras available on the bonus disc, I certainly would not re-purchase these three films for it.

So, fellow movie lovers, where do we now stand? Well, since this is essentially a repackaging of three previously released DVDs with a lackluster bonus disc, I would say that only those who really like the trio of films included need open their wallet. If you are unsure about buying these films, or already own them, spend your money on another title or two…you can never have too many DVDs!!!


Stay tuned…and happy New Year!!!