Celebrating MLK in style

It’s something of a family tradition to watch movies to celebrate MLK day. In the past, we’ve covered such classics as Shaft and Mario Van Peeble’s Posse. But I don’t think we’ve ever sat down to celebrate with a movie as great as the one we watched this year: Bruce Leroy, the Last Dragon.

About ten years before Wu Tang clan, Bruce Leroy was already mixing Black urban culture with chinese Kung Fu flicks. Bruce Leroy is a kung fu master in Harlem in the height of the 80s — he falls in love with a disco diva who supplies the hilarity of the 80s pop video sound track. The whole movie is produced by Berry Gordy and Motown Records. It’s just … awesome. At one point one of the characters dances the robot in order to escape from being tied up. It also featured William H Macy in one of his earliest and smallest roles.

Anyway, I’m posting about it here, because Gabriel did me proud and *loved* this movie. He was completely riveted when we watched it last night, and threw a tantrum when I took him out halfway through to put him to bed. Then, we I started it up again during the day today, he put his Elmo aside (!) to watch the end with me. Hopefully he’ll continue to have such _excellent_ taste as he grows older.

Here’s a taste of the movie, courtesy of YouTube: