UNFAIR RACIAL

CLICHÉ ALERT

!SPOILERS AHEAD!

THE UNFAIR
RACIAL CLICHÉ ALERT
Deadicated to Scatman Crothers

"I've seen this in the movies before! The black guy dies!"
-Harry Block (played by Orlando Jones): EVOLUTION

LEGEND

1990s

1990s: THE DECADE OF THE FACE POSTER! TOTAL RECALL (1990) HORROR / THRILLER Carolco Pictures Screenplay: Ronald Shusett, Dan O'Bannon, Jon Povill, & Gary Goldman Director: Paul Verhoeven Producer: Buzz Feitshans & Ronald Shusett In the future, the only black guy - on Earth or Mars - is Benny, the jive talkin' cabbie (actor/writer/director Mel Johnson Jr.). He's a bad guy and gets drilled to death by Arnold, who is trying to protect his hispanic woman, but mainly himself. Yes, the secretary at Rekall is also black, but she's a bit part and you know it; having less than 60 seconds on the screen.

TERMINATOR 2 (1991) HORROR / THRILLER Carolco Pictures Screenplay: James Cameron & William Wisher Jr. Director: James Cameron Producer: James Cameron The only black guy - Joe Morton (also dies in THE ASTRONAUT'S WIFE) - nobly blows himself up to save the future and to avoid being shot to death by L.A. cops. - In Fact, to save time let's just say that, if you are a male minority in an Arnold Schwarzenegger SF/Horror movie, then you are probably not a good guy, most likely a bad guy, and Arnold is either going to kill you himself or leave you for dead. On The Other Hand: If you are a female minority, then Arnold is going to kill the all minority men and keep you for himself. Unless of course, he is already protecting a white woman, in which case you are threatening his white woman and you are going to die. Unless of course, he has already killed all the male minorities who were threatening his white woman in the first place.

ALIEN 3 (1992) HORROR / THRILLER 20th Century Fox Screenplay: David Giler, Walter Hill, & Larry Ferguson Director: David Fincher Producers: Gordon Carroll, David Giler, & Walter Hill One white survivor plus the evil corporate big wigs at the end - who weren't really in any danger in the first place. They were all white except for one token Asian man among them, who is a walk-on extra who doesn't speak. There was a flap among some Asian columnists for the movie makers having portrayed the only Asian man in the entire series (at that time) as one of the bad guys.

JURASSIC PARK (1993) HORROR / THRILLER Amblin Entertainment / Universal Pictures Screenplay: Michael Crichton, David Koepp Director: Steven Spielberg Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Gerald R. Molen The only black character, Samuel L. Jackson, dies nobly. Only the white wealthy people survive.

THE FEAR OF THE FACE! THE FEAR (1995) HORROR A-Pix Entertainment, Inc. Screenplay: Ron Ford & Greg H. Sims Director: Vincent Robert Producer: Richard Brandes Alone in a cabin to discover their true fears, a mess of white people die because of ghosts from their past. The black couple are the only ones killed without explaining what evil things they did in the past to deserve it. Only white survivors.

THE FRIGHTENERS (1996) HORROR WingNut Films / Universal Pictures Screenplay: Peter Jackson & Frances Walsh Director: Peter Jackson Producers: Peter Jackson & Jamie Selkirk The only black guy, Chi McBride, is a dead guy - one of the ghosts. All the living are white. Even as a ghost, Chi still dies! In prior movies by Director Peter Jackson, the minorities lived - and there was a lot of them. This was his first Hollywood financed Horror movie, and his first to get an UNFAIR RACIAL CLICHÉ ALERT. Odd, huh?

FEAR OUR FACES AND GUNS! FROM DUSK TILL DAWN (1997) HORROR Miramax Films / Dimension Films Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino Director: Robert Rodriguez Producers: Gianni Nunnari & Meir Teper Despite the largely interracial crowd (African, Hispanic, Asian) including SALMA HAYEK, the only survivors with any screen time, are white. Cheech Marin, who played many different characters in the movie, dies several times. He finally makes an appearance at the end, but his last character was never involved in the story in the first place. He doesn't die, but George punches him in the mouth.

FINALLY! A MOVIE POSTER THAT'S ACTUALLY ABOUT, WHAT THE FREAKING MOVIE IS ABOUT! CUBE ~ (1997) HORROR / THRILLER Téléfilm Canada / Viacom Canada Screenplay: André Bijelic, Vincenzo Natali, & Graeme Manson Director: Vincenzo Natali Producers: Mehra Meh & Betty Orr Though not made or funded by Hollywood (it's Canadian), this otherwise fine movie still follows the same old formula. There is only one black guy (Maurice Dean Wint), one racially set apart minority at all, actually - all the rest are white. Maurice was cast as the only bad guy: and what happens to bad guys in these movies?

MY FACE FEARS RED! RELIC (1997) HORROR Paramount Pictures Screenplay: Amy Holden Jones, John Raffo, Rick Jaffa, & Amanda Silver Director: Peter Hyams Producers: Gale Anne Hurd & Sam Mercer The first victims of the creature in RELIC are all Hispanic. The first victim in the Museum is a black security guard who gets it while smoking pot on duty. Tico Wells is a black cop trying to save the rich white people and he dies nobly. The only Asian man (Chi Moui Lo: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) is a bad guy trying to steal a white person's job. Only white survivors.

MY FACE FEARS BLUE! DEEP RISING (1998) HORROR Hollywood Pictures / Buena Vista Screenplay: Stephen Sommers Director: Stephen Sommers Producers: John Baldecchi, Mario Iscovich, & Laurence Mark All the black people were also bad people so they die. All the Asians were wealthy Asians so THEY die. Basically, anyone who is not white dies. Actor/Model Djimon Hounsou (Vivo) not only dies trying to take over a ship in this sea-movie, but a year earlier played an African Slave Trader (Cinque) in AMISTAD (1997) who commandeers a slave ship and later demands that the white slave owners of early America return him to his home country and freedom - so he can continue the family business (!) (that family business of enslaving human beings continues to this day. Thanks John Quincy Adams!)

OUR FACES ARE SOMEWHAT APPREHENSIVE ABOUT GREEN ALIEN RESURRECTION (1998) HORROR / THRILLER 20th Century Fox Screenplay: Jean-Pierre Jeunet Director: Joss Whedon Producers: Bill Badalato, Gordon Carroll, David Giler, & Walter Hill In the 4th and worst installment of the series, all male humans regardless of race are bad guys. All the women or those appearing to be human females are confused and victimized. Still, of the 4 survivors, all are white. As with every ALIEN movie, all black folk were cast in body count roles.

MY FACE GIVES AWAY THE SCARIEST PART OF THE MOVIE STRANGELAND ~ (1998) HORROR / THRILLER Snider Than Thou Productions Inc. Screenplay: Dee Snider Director: John Pieplow Producers: David L. Bushell & Dee Snider Twisted Sister frontman, Dee Snider, kills off the only major African American character (Amal Rhoe) in the first few minutes of this film. The rest of the town seems to be all white. Hispanic actress, Elizabeth Peña, plays a white woman. I didn't realize that until we see her all white sisters. (?)

MIMIC (1998) HORROR / THRILLER Miramax Films / Dimension Films Screenplay: Matthew Robbins & Guillermo del Toro Director: Guillermo del Toro Producers: Ole Bornedal, B.J. Rack, & Bob Weinstein The black cop, Leonard, (played by Charles Dutton - Also dies nobly in ALIEN3), dies nobly while saving the white couple.

PHANTOMS (1998) HORROR / THRILLER Miramax Films / Dimension Films Screenplay: Dean R. Koontz Director: Joe Chappelle Producers: Steven A. Lane, Michael Leahy, Robert Pringle, & Joel Soisson Only the white folk survive. The one black man - Clifton Powell, the one Asian woman - Valerie Chow, and the one Latino man - Micael DeLorenzo, get slaughtered, though nobly.

OUR FACES ARE BORED WITH THIS MOVIE VIRUS (1999) HORROR / THRILLER Dark Horse Entertainment / Universal Screenplay: Chuck Pfarrer & Dennis Feldman Director: John Bruno Producers: Gale Anne Hurd Sherman Augustus' character, Richie Mason, nobly sacrifices himself so that the white couple can escape on the rocketsled he built.

OUR FACES ARE DULL EYED AND SLACK-JAWED. WHY IS THAT GOOD FOR THE MOVIE? THE ASTRONAUT'S WIFE (1999) HORROR / THRILLER New Line Cinema Screenplay: Rand Ravich Director: Rand Ravich Producers: Andrew Lazar The only black actor who doesn't have a bit part, Joe Morton (who also died nobly in TERMINATOR 2), gets to die nobly again while trying to save the earth.

DOGMA (1999) THRILLER View Askew / Lions Gate / Miramax Films Screenplay: Kevin Smith Director: Kevin Smith Producers: Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier The only living black people in the movie, a street gang, get killed by a shit demon. The dead 13th apostle come back to earth - Chris Rock - is already dead and must return to Heaven. SALMA HAYEK (also dies in FROM DUSK TILL DAWN), the muse, also returns to heaven. Only white people remain.

MY FACE IS CURIOUS ABOUT BROWN THE GREEN MILE (1999) THRILLER Warner Brothers Screenplay: Frank Darabont Director: Frank Darabont Producers: Frank Darabont & David Valdes Only one black man in the whole movie (Michael Clarke Duncan) and he happens to be on death row. So guess what? And the argument that Steve killed off the character in the story doesn't work here either. See THE SHINING as to why.

BY DA END OF DA 1990S, MY FACE DIDN'T SELL TICKETS LIKE IT USED TU. TIME TU DRY A NEW LINE UFF VERK! END OF DAYS (1999) HORROR / THRILLER / MYSTERY Universal Pictures Screenplay: Andrew W. Marlowe Director: Peter Hyams Producers: Andrew W. Marlowe, Bill Borden, & Armyan Bernstein CCH Pounder plays Margo the cop. The only black woman or minority person in this movie, she gets shot to death by Arnold because she is evil and is threatening the white woman that Arnold is trying to protect. This is not a spoiler since black people in Arnold Schwarzenegger SF/Horror movies are always bad or victims or both and wind up dead. Come to think of it, you really can't spoil an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie with the UNFAIR RACIAL CLICHÉ ALERT. It would be a surprise if it DIDN'T happen!

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