I am a movie junkie. One of my simple pleasures is to roll over to my favorite multiplex, buy myself a large tub of buttered popcorn, sit in the middle of the third of fourth row from the screen and happily munch away while checking out a movie. I attend five to six a year at my local multiplex in addition to my ever growing DVD movie collection. 
I love Black cinema. I grew up in a time when I had Black oriented movies pop up briefly during the 70's 'Blaxplotiation' era, then watched them disappear until Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It hit the screens in 1986. Because of that experience, I have a deep appreciation and desire for seeing my cultural experience and stories realistically portrayed on the silver screen and actors who reflect my ethnic heritage. African-American oriented movies have priority for my movie going dollars and being added to my DVD movie collection. When those movies debut I try to see them on either the first or second weekend of their release.
So TransGriot readers, this is my personal Top 25 favorite Black films of all time and ten that made my Honorable Mention list. I'm going to revisit this topic during the 2008 Oscars and see if my thoughts have changed. Feedback is welcomed as well. Here's the list (2007 version)
1-Any Oscar Micheaux filmed movie. Without Oscar, there is no Black film industry.
1A-Carmen Jones
2-Imitation Of Life
3-The Color Purple
4-She's Gotta Have it
5-Malcolm X
6-Cooley High
7-Love and Basketball
8-Purple Rain
9-Cleopatra Jones
10-Coffy
11-Cotton Come To Harlem
12-Soul Food
13-Waiting To Exhale
14-Madea's Family Reunion
15-Brown Sugar
16-The Best Man
17-School Daze
18-Hollywood Shuffle
19-Shaft
20-Shaft (2000)
21-The Wiz
22-The Wood
23-Barbershop
24-Friday
25-Dreamgirls
Honorable mention
1-Boomerang
2-Set It Off
3-New Jack City
4-Love Jones
5-Harlem Nights
6-House Party
7-Deliver Us From Eva
8-Beauty Shop
9-Drumline
10-Jason's Lyric
11-Super Fly
12-Sweet Sweetback's Bad Ass Song
13-The Brothers
14-Hav Plenty
15-Foxy Brown
