Movies from director Michael Dennis now available on VHS or DVD. Only $15 per copy postpaid while supplies last!*

THE REELBLACK MOTION PICTURE MANIFESTO

(Samples available in the Screening Room)

Along with being the head of the screening collective Reelblack Presents, Michael Dennis has been one of the city's premier black filmmakers, striving to pull viewers away from the likes of Soul Plane. These two screenings-which play as part of the Philly Fringe-chronicle a heaping helping from Dennis' oeuvre, which is hard to pin down. Dennis likes to mix fiction with documentary, or in the case of the mock doc The Story of Breakout, give them a shotgun wedding. A parody of MTV puff pieces and the hip-hop community in general, Breakdown tells of the would-be star (John Canada Terrell, best known as the smooth operator from She's Gotta Have It), a McDonald's employee turned absurdly prolific underground rapper, known for the dubious quality of his music and his general incompetence. The short features faux interviews with Schoolly D and MC Breeze, just two of the many members of the Philly music scene who pop up in Dennis' films. King Britt, Floetry, Ursula Rucker and Jill Scott appear doing the real thing elsewhere in A Taste of Lady Alma, about the soul chanteuse, and Jazzyfatnastees: In Process, which examines the girl group alongside their most famous creation, the weekly female-centric Black Lily evenings. Well-meaning fiction shorts like 1994's The Hardest Part and 2003's Next Tuesday round out the evening, as does 1989's Who Is Chris Rock?, which was the first doc on the comedian. Caught fresh-faced, pre-SNL and often sitting uncomfortably on a sofa with his somewhat disapproving mom, Rock goes off on Bill Cosby (with special ire reserved for Fat Albert) while people on the street jarringly shoot perplexed looks at hearing his name. At least Rock's declaration that "everything is funny" still remains part of his worldview. --Matt Prigge, Philadelphia Weekly.

"Michael Dennis is our local Spike Lee and it's time folks know it."

--Yanina Carter, Philadelphia New Observer

PHILLY BOY: A MOVIE ABOUT M.C. BREEZE

(Trailer available in the Screening Room)

Voted 2002 Film Of The Year by the users of phillyhiphop.com, PHILLY BOY is the feature-length film biography of the legendary M.C. Breeze. He was the first rapper to be banned from radio due to the controversial lyrics of his Old School classic "Discombobulatorbubulator." This movie traces his rise from local block party phenomenon, to starting his own record label in the mid-80s and eventually signing to M.C. Hammer's record label and performing the theme song to the movie ROCKY V, under the name Joey B. Ellis. When Hammer's fortunes fell, so did Breeze's, but he overcame personal obstacles to be a driving force in the local music community, inspiring others to go for their dreams. Color/65 minutes.

Visit MCBreeze.com for more info on this living legend.

THA PHILLI BLAZE EMCEE BATTLE #1

"20 Emcees...No Mercy." Filmmaker Mike D. Documents the first of promoter Tim Savage's underground rap shows. Features over 20 of Philly and NYC's best rappers battling head-to-head; with ciphers and an appearance by the legendary Cold Crush Brothers. 90 minutes.

visit Thablaze.com

CHUCK D. SPEAKS

Rebel without a pause and Public Enemy frontman brings the noise in this exclusive video filmed in 2001 at Michael Coard's HIP HOP 101 at Temple University. Chuck breaks down how he founded public enemy, his connections to Philly and the future (or death) of the music industry in this uncut 2 1/2 hour speech.

RAINBOW THEATER 2004 SHOWCASE

We're making it easy for parents and families to order copies of this DVD filmed by Reelblack/Syncopation of the "3 Musicals by Kids." show in the Summer of 2004. This title is available in the DVD format only.

"If you don't know, now you know."

--Notorious B.I.G.

*price includes postage inside the US only. Please add $5 per DVD for Great Britain and Japan. Sorry, we cannot provide quantity discounts. Please send a check or money order payable to:

Reelblack Inc.

P.O. Box 12302

Philadelphia, PA 19119

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