Odie Henderson
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odienator.bsky.social
Odie Henderson
@odienator.bsky.social
1.3K followers 200 following 3.6K posts
Author of BLACK CAESARS AND FOXY CLEOPATRAS: A HISTORY OF BLAXPLOITATION CINEMA. Still the Boston Globe's chief film critic for now :) Former RogerEbert.com critic. Also former IT Diva (reformed). Black, bi, badass. View are my own! NSFC and GALECA member.
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odienator.bsky.social
Odie Henderson @odienator.bsky.social · Feb 19
I wrote a book on Blaxploitation Cinema! Ya damn right! It's called BLACK CAESARS AND FOXY CLEOPATRAS: A HISTORY OF BLAXPLOITATION CINEMA. Available at bookstores, libraries and even an audiobook (read by moi). If you want to get a copy, ask yo' mama!
The cover of my book BLACK CAESARS AND FOXY CLEOPATRAS: A HISTORY OF BLAXPLOITATION CINEMA.
odienator.bsky.social
Yuck! AN AMERICAN IN PARIS is on TCM. Not even Gene Kelly can save that dreadful script (which won a freakin' Oscar) and that ballet at the end is pretentious torture that goes on for 30 minutes longer than THE BRUTALIST. One of my least favorite musicals ever--and I love musicals.
February 15, 2026 at 1:23 AM
Reposted by Odie Henderson
stevensantos.bsky.social
White people have so long defined free speech as getting away with saying childish, witless insults. Real people are fighting for their lives and this is what they're fighting for.
michaelhobbes.bsky.social Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 8h
No. This guy isn’t even a Democrat and fat-shaming is not what people mean when they talk about ‘dark woke’ or ‘woke 2’.

slate.com/news-and-pol...
In January, Florida Rep. Randy Fine made a typically bigoted post on X about his colleague in the House of Representatives, Ilhan Omar. The post was in conversation with a specious right-wing conspiracy alleging that Omar's net worth had increased, nefariously, through a variety of unspecified means-perhare cryptically linked back to her Somali heritage. Fine asserted that to "solve all this," Omar ought to be "denaturalized and deported." The ugliness of the comment prompted Rick Wilson-former Republican strategist, he of the magnanimous Lincoln Project-to step forward. In earlier eras of discourse, the Lincoln Project attempted to coalesce an anti-Trump movement by appealing to our better angels; brandishing Sorkin-ish platitudes about the Soul of America. (There is a Lincoln Project-to step forward. In earlier eras of discourse, the Lincoln Project attempted to coalesce an anti-Trump movement by appealing to our better angels; brandishing Sorkin-ish platitudes about the Soul of America. (There is a reason the rganization name-checks the 16th president.) But Wilson took a much different approach here. Rather than addressing the content of Fine's character, Wilson homed in on something else: The congressman is very, very fat. "Hunting you with harpoons and whaleboats would solve all this," said Wilson, parroting Fine's diction. Among the responses threaded below Wilson's retort, one is an edit of promotional materials for a 2011 television adaptation of Moby-Dick. In it, Fine has been photoshopped in place of the whale. It goes without saying that for a very long time, fat-shaming a politician was previously verboten in the liberal playbook. I also do not possess the wherewithal to cast judgement on whether Fine —who has expressed some genuinely bloodthirsty sentiments about Palestinians— deserves to be bullied in ach a way. But what I can say is that, right now, we are in the midst of a marked pivot in the way the Democratic Party interfaces with its opposition. The shift in attitude hasn't been firmly diagrammed; instead, what's going on here is mostly subconscious, like a collective unlocking of forbidden territory.
February 14, 2026 at 7:19 PM
odienator.bsky.social
"My name is Cupid Valentino, the modern day Cupid."

Happy Valentine's Day from Odie 3000.

"Don't you supposed to be some kind of a player or something?"

youtu.be/b5HyMZdrNLY
Happy Valentine's Day
YouTube video by Outkast - Topic
youtu.be
February 14, 2026 at 7:02 PM
odienator.bsky.social
On this episode of COLUMBO that takes place on THE LOVVVVVE BOAT, the guy from QUANTUM LEAP and BLUE VELVET is framed for a murder committed by THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. Columbo must solve the case while battling seasickness. Directed by the star of THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE.
February 14, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Reposted by Odie Henderson
812filmreviews.com
A really fantastic and personal piece by @odienator.bsky.social about BOYZ N THE HOOD.
Praying for that fool: ‘Boyz N the Hood’ turns 35 - The Boston Globe
Globe film critic Odie Henderson reveals why he loves John Singleton’s Oscar-nominated masterpiece.
www.bostonglobe.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:02 AM
odienator.bsky.social
Sue me, but it still sounds like "chi-chi-chi! Ha-Ha-Ha!" in those movies! Happy Jason Day!
February 13, 2026 at 8:42 PM
odienator.bsky.social
RuPaul's Drag Cat! You betta work!
A photo of a grey cat laying in his bed. Behind him is a photo of a cat that looks just like him and is wearing a blonde wig.
February 13, 2026 at 4:45 PM
odienator.bsky.social
We also have a bracket at the Globe! Vote in our Olympics movie bracket. We're on round 2. Movies that are still in the running include BLADES OF GLORY, COOL RUNNINGS and MIRACLE.

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/11/a...
Bracket: Vote for the Greatest Olympic movie of all time in the Reel Olympics, Round 2 - The Boston Globe
Discover the best Olympics-themed movies with The Reel Olympics! Vote for your favorite and see which film will win Globe gold.
www.bostonglobe.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:28 PM
odienator.bsky.social
Everybody wants to be a cat...🎶
February 13, 2026 at 3:03 PM
odienator.bsky.social
A better Heathcliff to spend your weekend with:

youtu.be/9LLb8EBU9nQ
Heathcliff (intro)
YouTube video by Mill Creek Entertainment
youtu.be
February 13, 2026 at 2:52 PM
odienator.bsky.social
My 10 unconventional romances piece is in the paper today. As promised, I'll tell you what they were:

HAROLD AND MAUDE
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
THE FLY
STARMAN
HER
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
THE ANNIHILATION OF FISH
ELECTRIC DREAMS
WITNESS
LADYHAWKE

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/11/a...
From ‘Her’ to ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,’ here are 10 unconventional movie romances - The Boston Globe
Want something different for your Valentine’s Day movie?
www.bostonglobe.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:40 PM
odienator.bsky.social
I have four articles in the paper today, but this is the one of which I'm most proud. BOYZ N THE HOOD turns 35 this year, so I wrote an anniversary tribute.

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/13/a...
Praying for that fool: ‘Boyz N the Hood’ turns 35 - The Boston Globe
Globe film critic Odie Henderson reveals why he loves John Singleton’s Oscar-nominated masterpiece.
www.bostonglobe.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Reposted by Odie Henderson
markharris.bsky.social
This is the way. When they come at us, we come back at them twofold. Raise that Pride flag every time they take it down. If they prevent that, surround the park with Pride flags. Ruin their petty little lives until they shit rainbows. Never stop. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/n...
N.Y.C. Officials Reinstate Pride Flag at Stonewall After Federal Removal
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:56 AM
odienator.bsky.social
I was going to do a ranking of 007 theme songs at the paper, but I decided against it because i didn't want to be aggravated. But this would be in the top 10. They did Gladys wrong--she's the only singer of a Bond theme song who isn't mentioned in the opening credits.

youtu.be/ItDMFnCQT-o
Gladys Knight - Licence To Kill (Proms in Hyde Park 2018)
YouTube video by BBC Music
youtu.be
February 13, 2026 at 12:21 AM
odienator.bsky.social
I also wrote about SCHOOL DAZE's best musical number as part of my 11 Great Musical numbers piece at the Globe.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/11/a...
“Straight and Nappy/Madame Re-Re’s Beauty Salon” from “School Daze” (1988) All Spike Lee movies are musicals under the skin, but this actual entry in the genre features this brilliant satirical number about the serious topic of colorism. At a fictional HBCU, two groups of women wage a “West Side Story”-style dance battle in a beauty salon. Bill Lee’s (Spike’s dad) lyrics to “Straight and Nappy” are wickedly funny, and choreographer Otis Sallid’s moves put recognizable stars like Jasmine Guy and Tisha Campbell through their paces. Give us another musical, Spike!
February 12, 2026 at 11:30 PM
odienator.bsky.social
38 years ago today, SCHOOL DAZE came out. One of the few movies I've changed my mind about; I gave it two stars back in 1988, but now I'm fiercely protective of this movie. I think it's the last time Lee spoke exclusively to a Black audience. I wrote about it in back in 2009.

youtu.be/VLGm0rTAd3U
E.U. - Da Butt (1988) 4k Upscale
YouTube video by Upscale King
youtu.be
February 12, 2026 at 11:27 PM
odienator.bsky.social
I can't stand ANY version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND, so this made me vote for the movie with the star of Olaf's White As Hell Christmas Special (that ran before COCO) and Satan herself, Adele Dazeem. Damn you, bracket!
mousterpiece.bsky.social Josh Spiegel @mousterpiece.bsky.social · 2d
Today in the second round of the Walt Disney Animation Studios bracket, two sisters go up against a girl, a mad tea party, and a lot of silliness.

1️⃣ <a href="https://poll.blue/p/kWcp1E/1" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky">Frozen
2️⃣ <a href="https://poll.blue/p/kWcp1E/2" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky">Alice in Wonderland

📊 Show results
February 12, 2026 at 7:53 PM
odienator.bsky.social
Just read the damn book.
February 12, 2026 at 4:47 PM
odienator.bsky.social
Opening in Boston today.
odienator.bsky.social Odie Henderson @odienator.bsky.social · 4d
PILLION is very, very good. Surprisingly sweet and unabashedly raunchy. Skarsgard and Melling sell this often hilarious and bittersweet story of a shy bloke whose heart (and other parts) belongs to Daddy.

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/10/a...
In ‘Pillion’, a shy bloke’s heart belongs to daddy - The Boston Globe
Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling star in a bittersweet rom-com about BDSM.
www.bostonglobe.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:47 PM
odienator.bsky.social
Thanks to everyone who answered my "unconventional romance" thread on here yesterday. Here's what I put together for the Globe. I'll list the 10 movie titles in a post on Friday after this runs in print.

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/11/a...
From ‘Her’ to ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,’ here are 10 unconventional movie romances - The Boston Globe
Want something different for your Valentine’s Day movie?
www.bostonglobe.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:28 PM
odienator.bsky.social
Whoo hoooo!
February 11, 2026 at 2:47 PM
odienator.bsky.social
I also interviewed PILLION's director, Harry Lighton, at the Globe.

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/05/a...
Coolidge Breakthrough Award winner Harry Lighton debuts ‘Pillion’ at the theater Feb. 9 - The Boston Globe
The director’s new "dom-com" stars Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling.
www.bostonglobe.com
February 10, 2026 at 4:52 PM
odienator.bsky.social
PILLION is very, very good. Surprisingly sweet and unabashedly raunchy. Skarsgard and Melling sell this often hilarious and bittersweet story of a shy bloke whose heart (and other parts) belongs to Daddy.

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/10/a...
In ‘Pillion’, a shy bloke’s heart belongs to daddy - The Boston Globe
Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling star in a bittersweet rom-com about BDSM.
www.bostonglobe.com
February 10, 2026 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by Odie Henderson
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
I mean, fuck these guys for removing the Pride flag from the Stonewall Monument, but also, fuck those guys.

The queer history of Stonewall isn't changing.

The queer people of today aren't changing.

Fuck off, haters.
February 10, 2026 at 4:12 PM
odienator.bsky.social
OK folks! I put together a list of "unconventional" romantic movies for my next article. But I wonder if I'm being either too weird or too conventional.

So, what is your idea of an "unconventional" romantic movie? Rom-com or otherwise.
February 10, 2026 at 2:40 PM