Dont Be A Menace: 30 Years, 10 Funniest Scenes

Today is the 30th anniversary of The Wayans Bros. Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood. An long outlandish title that everyone just calls Don't Be A Menace. If you ask me this spoof of 90's "hood" movies, is a top 3 film from the Wayans family. And the best spoof ever created by the family. 

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka kickstarted Keenan Ivory Wayans career, which led to the classic sketch show In Living Color. He bought his family along for the ride.

While Scary Movie put Shawn and Marlon into the stratosphere of pop culture in the early 2000's. By the way, I think they will bring the franchise back to glory with the upcoming sequel Scary Movie 6.

Don't Be A Menace though took from the foundation of I'm Gonna Git You Sucka while laying the groundwork for Scary Movie, and is overall a better film. While making the most complete spoof ever. In honor of the film here are ten of the funniest scenes.

10. Liquor Store

A funny scene not only for the line and antics. Also for the social commentary regarding the profiling of young Black men particularly in Asian owned stores. While other races rob them blind, showing the Wayans are as smart as they are funny.

9. You Are Not The Father

A few years before the talk show Maury became famous, for its paternity test episodes. The Wayans may have gave him the idea, with this simple yet funny scene.

8. Grandma

An old grandmother thats battle tested and an "OG" of the streets. Testing her grandson, when I first saw this scene I thought it was the craziest thing ever.

7. Hotep Jungle Fever 

Before Hotep was a word, the Wayans took aim at seemingly pro Black men who are attracted to women of other races. Highlighting the walking contradiction some of these guys are.

6. Father & Son Talk

Imagine having a talk with your father, and he purposely gives you all the bad advice in the world. Thats this scene lol.

5. Sunday Sermon

Another social commentary riff. This time on pastors who seem to have it all, while their congregation struggles. Comedian Lester Barrie also gave this scene his all.

4. Stomping Toothpicks Boy

In a spoof of a scene taken right from the 1993 film Menace II Society. Even using the same actor, The Wayans offer the most childish "beat down" ever.

3. Father & Son Haircut

In one of the first displays of how "off the wall" the world in the film is. Ashtray played by Shawn Wayans has a talk with his father, who he is actually older than. Taking from Boyz 'N The Hood, the bonding scene produces strange topics. 

Not only that Easter eggs for eagle eyed viewers like plastic slip covers over everything. Which was a running joke in Black households, especially if the household is ran by the grandparents.

2. Gang Initation Scene

A true upside down on the idea of a gang initiation. Jump Roping?

1. Officer Self Hate

Another character spoofing Boyz 'N The Hood. Bernie Mac steals the show as a self-hating Black man who happens to be a police officer. He has no problem sharing how much he hates himself and asserting his power as a cop. Though its played for laughs perfectly, it also sheds light on a serious issue.

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The Movie Theater Experience Isn't Dead

 

If you're a frequent reader of this blog, then you know I am a huge movie buff. I've been seeing alot of Doom and gloom articles about the state of movie theaters. Predicting one day they will no longer be around, as more and more people prefer streaming. Now I won't lie the theater industry does look bleak right now.

Theaters were hit with the pandemic in 2020, and as the industry slowly crawled up from the gut punch that gave. Then came a left hook of the Hollywood strikes with the writers and actors union respectively in 2023. 

Even before the pandemic and the strikes, there was a problem that still exists today. Hollywood isn't supplying adequate movies to fill theaters. They moved everything to streaming with the exception of big budget movies, namely superhero films. Which after Avengers: Endgame began experiencing consumer fatigue. You'll get a drama here and there, family films, and belated sequels. But romantic comedies, comedies, and other genres are few and far between. Theaters have resorted to playing classic films for anniversaries or just because, to help stop the bleeding.

Add the prices of concessions and its easy to see why theaters are struggling right now. However, New Year's Day I went to see the Stranger Things Finale in theaters and it was packed. And the concessions was busy handling the multiple showtimes, and more people were coming in as we were leaving for their showtimes.

Everyone enjoyed themselves and ate their concessions while watching the closure of a beloved show. A show they could have easily watched at home, but wanted to experience in a theater. 

Hollywood should take heed, movie theaters aren't dead. You have to give people a reason to come to the movies. Not just for the tent pole films, but in general. When I saw two "old" films I grew up on 1985's The Last Dragon on a Sunday night in October and 1990's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on a Sunday afternoon in August. Both theaters were packed!

People enjoy the experience, there just hasn't been much to experience lately. And that falls on Hollywood, yes Netflix disrupted the industry but much like linear TV Hollywood didn't put up much of a fight.

If movie theatres were to cease to exist, eventually people would turn on the streaming only model in droves. Much like the current backlash brewing against these subscription models and consumers not actually owning any media.

I personally think the days of huge megaplex's may be numbered, but the coziness of theaters are still desired. Grabbing your insanely marked up bag of popcorn, overpriced drink and watching a movie on a huge screen with the lights lowered. Is an amazing experience that can survive, it just needs to be fed.

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People Of Earth Gone Too Soon

 

January 2nd is National Science Fiction Day, the same day as Isaac Asimov one of the greatest sci-fi writers birthday. To celebrate I'm gonna honor a sitcom that was gone too soon.

2016's People Of Earth was an ensemble comedy on the TBS network. It followed a support group in Beacon, New York known as "starcrossed". All the members need support from their various alien abductions. Skeptical at first journalist Ozzie Graham, slowly starts to believe the members of the support group.

Then he slowly starts realizing he may have alot in common with this group. And learns first hand there's more out there than planet earth.

The sitcom had that same dry humor made popular by The Office. And started building its own mythology throughout its episodes. It was outlandish but believable. It lasted for two seasons, and a third was planned and developed before TBS changed course and abruptly canceled it.

It had a small but loyal following during a time people were starting to chuck the deuces to cable. Which is a shame because the sitcom deserved so much more. You can't even watch it on streaming unless you pay for the episodes individually, which is an even bigger crime. So much story potential lost, People Of Earth was gone too soon.

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