The Blu-ray.com Community Top 25 Urban Films of All Time (Read Rules)

[CZAR]

Starting another Community contest to overlap my current Horror one. This one is simple. List your top 25 Urban/Black films. We had discussions on what films are Urban/Black films in another thread. Ill make it simple. Just look up Urban films on IMDB etc.....and that should tell you. However I am gonna exclude Historic Slavery/War related films. I want a real Urban feel to this so please do not include films like Glory, The Color Purple etc.....Also use your best judgment and try to list films that fit into the Urban category. Most films with predominantly black cast or films about black culture, black society etc.....but excluding Slavery and historic type Black films.

How does it work? It's easy. You come up with a list of what you think are the Top 25 Urban/Black Films of all time. Based on how they place on your list, the movie will receive a certain amount of points. The Top 20 films on your list will be scored accordingly:

1. 20 Points
2. 19 Points
3. 18 Points
4. 17 Points
5. 16 Points
6. 15 Points
....
12. 9 Points
13. 8 Points
14. 7 Points
15. 6 Point

Every movie placed after the 20th spot will also receive 1 point. So essentially, you only have to rank the Top 20 while putting the remaining 5 in no particular order.

RULES
1. You may base your list on best/favorites Urban films or however it works for u. To me best/favorites go hand in hand for the most part. It doesn't matter how bad the film may be perceived by everyone else this is your opinion only so dont be afraid to list what u feel u want to list!

2. Movies can be in multiple genres as long as the film is considered a Urban/Black film. If a film is listed that isnt considered a Urban/Black film I wont count it and that spot will get a zero. So please use your best judgment and do some research to see if it fits.

3. TRILOGIES or SERIES DO NOT COUNT AS ONE. It was quite aggravating in one of the other threads to see somebody's number 1 film of all time be: The Original Star Trilogy or The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. These are 3 films, not 1. So if you put the Friday Franchise as your number one Urban film of all time, I won't count your list. List each film separately in its own spot please. Simple as that!

4. Do NOT put multiple movies at the same ranking. Don't put 3 films at the number one spot then start the list at 4 following it. Put only ONE film at each rank, or I won't count your list.

5. Since this is for fun and discussing movies should be fun, be respectful of each other. If somebody has Blankman at number 1, who cares? The point of the thread is to find out what the community as a whole thinks is the top Urban film of all time.

6. Deadline: September 25th, 2016 12am PST. I wont take any lists after this. So make sure you get it in before then. This should be plenty of time to make a list.

This should be fun and looking forward to the turn out! Got Em!!

[Batmon77]

Is The Warriors Urban?

Please clarify.

Urban being synonymous with Black street culture?

Is The Fresh Prince from Bel Air Urban?

Do u trust Imbd?

[DanTheMan]

Reserved. Not all of my picks are gonna be "amazing" or anything, as there are many I haven't seen yet, but this should make for an interesting topic.

Malcolm X
Do The Right Thing
Higher Learning
Straight Outta Compton
Bad Boys II
City of God
Top Five
Freedom Writers
Selma
Don't Be A Menace
Juice
Get Rich or Die Tryin'
Hustle & Flow
Poetic Justice
Lean On Me
Class Act
Coffy
Bad Boys
Foxy Brown
ATL
Drumline
Gridiron Gang
Love Don't Cost a Thing
Notorious

[Batmon77]

Imbd has The Color Purple, Glory, and Eve's Bayou as Urban.

Seriously?

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

Is The Warriors Urban?

Please clarify.

Urban being synonymous with Black street culture?

Is The Fresh Prince from Bel Air Urban?

Do u trust Imbd?

Urban/Black Films. Again with it being a predominantly black cast although other races can be involved in the film. I wouldnt count Warriors because it doesnt fall into that. Got Em!!

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by CZAR

Urban/Black Films. Again with it being a predominantly black cast although other races can be involved in the film. I wouldnt count Warriors because it doesnt fall into that. Got Em!!

Amistad = Urban?

Black yes.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

Imbd has The Color Purple, Glory, and Eve's Bayou as Urban.

Seriously?

Originally Posted by Batmon77

Amistad = Urban?

Black yes.

I think I am not gonna allow Historic Slavery films? What do you think? While they are black but it really doesnt fit Urban/Black. Got Em!!

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by CZAR

I think I am not gonna allow Historic Slavery films? What do you think? While they are black but it really doesnt fit Urban/Black. Got Em!!

Thats on you.

But I think Urban is really a subset of Black Film.

On the real Urban is a funky description which wasnt around during the 70's.
Music and Film had this moniker applied way after the Civil Rights movement.
The title faded away on the Billboard charts. Its too limiting. There are many "country" films w/ Black folk that sits outside the description.

I get Boyz N The Hood.....but lumping it w/ Sounder, Roots, or Glory erases the nuances of Black Film.

I wouldnt put Whitney Houston w/ NWA, even though they are Black, have hits in their respective genres, and were in somewhat the same era.

[CZAR]

Great points. I am gonna adjust the rules on the OP. Got Em!!

[CZAR]

Yo Batmon take a look at the OP and tell me if that sounds about right. Got Em!!

[Batmon77]

Got em!

[Troll2fan]

1. Boyz n the Hood
2. The Five Heartbeats
3. Lean on Me
4. Friday
5. Juice
6. New Jack City
7. Menace II Society
8. Jason's Lyric
9. Harlem Nights
10. Colors
11. Sugar Hill
12. Class Act
13. Higher Learning
14. Deep Cover
15. South Central
16. Fresh
17. 187
18. CB4
19. House Party
20. Clockers
21. The Wood
22. Shaft ('71)
23. Above the Rim
24. Hustle and Flow
25. Do the Right Thing

[Hucksta G]

I always just thought urban meant inner city.

[DanTheMan]

Would Freedom Writers count? It's certainly urban, though there's a balance in the cast of African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Caucasian. Just wasn't sure if that would qualify with what the topic is looking for.

A similar themed film I included is Lean On Me, which I know has to qualify as it's a predominantly African-American led cast.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by DanTheMan

Would Freedom Writers count? It's certainly urban, though there's a balance in the cast of African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Caucasian. Just wasn't sure if that would qualify with what the topic is looking for.

A similar themed film I included is Lean On Me, which I know has to qualify as it's a predominantly African-American led cast.

Lean On Me definitely counts. I wouldnt include Freedom Writers though. Got Em!!

[esteban²]

I might have to skip this one, since I don't know what qualifies as 'urban'. To me that term is 'street culture'. Not necessarily linked with persons who are black. Maybe the word has a whole different meaning where I live? I can think of many foreign movies that would count. I tried to make it clear for myself with all the titles that showed up above, but can't see any connection between some of them. And when I see what good or not to include, it's even more confusing. *scratch head* Like to add my lists, but ... Maybe it will become more clear to me as the posts add up.

[Batmon77]

Originally Posted by esteban²

I might have to skip this one, since I don't know what qualifies as 'urban'. To me that term is 'street culture'. Not necessarily linked with persons who are black. Maybe the word has a whole different meaning where I live? I can think of many foreign movies that would count. I tried to make it clear for myself with all the titles that showed up above, but can't see any connection between some of them. And when I see what good or not to include, it's even more confusing. *scratch head* Like to add my lists, but ... Maybe it will become more clear to me as the posts add up.

Exactly but Urban became synonymous w Black culture as a way of ghettoizing art.

Deathwish is Urban in the general sense but it was termed to sell a particular movement/style.

[CZAR]

Originally Posted by esteban²

I might have to skip this one, since I don't know what qualifies as 'urban'. To me that term is 'street culture'. Not necessarily linked with persons who are black. Maybe the word has a whole different meaning where I live? I can think of many foreign movies that would count. I tried to make it clear for myself with all the titles that showed up above, but can't see any connection between some of them. And when I see what good or not to include, it's even more confusing. *scratch head* Like to add my lists, but ... Maybe it will become more clear to me as the posts add up.

Basically just list any film that you think fits under Urban terms with a predominantly Black cast. Exclude Slavery films and Historical films. That should make things easy. This link below should help although there are a few films on there like Glory and so fourth that I wont accept. But more films then not on there do qualify. Got Em!!

http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054431555/

[Batmon77]

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

[ArmyOfDarknessAW]

I'm not sure if I still understand the whole definition for this. Urban shouldn't mean black culture right off the bat right? Wouldn't something like Stand and Deliver be urban? I mean if Lean on Me counts than surely Stand and Deliver does even if instead of a black cast it is a Hispanic cast in an inner city school. Also how about something like Hard Ball? Sure the lead is white, but the entire movie is about coaching an underprivileged group of kids in the inner city. It deals with gangs and the kids needing a good influence.

It seems to really segment an already smaller section of films by requiring the cast to be mostly black.

Another one that just popped into my head is Spare Parts. In many ways it fits the urban film while also being family friendly.