This week we discuss Coffy! Can this movie blast its way to our 1973 Movie of the Year?
Coffy is 91 minutes long…so there you go folks, our 1973 Movie of the Year, for being nearly the conically perfect runtime. We can just run the award over to Ms. Grier’s house any time. Literally anytime.
Coffy is a simple nurse until her little sister is preyed upon by local drug-selling enthusiasts. Seeking revenge, she finds she has a knack for sort of disassociating and entering a dreamlike state where she is hyper-violent, ruthless, and—it must be said—very cool. Watching this movie makes you feel very American.
Over the glorious 91 minutes Coffy, both film and character, swing wildly in tone and focus, going from comically gratuitous nudity, to looney tunes style violence, to emotionally devastating scenes of people fruitlessly begging for their lives or being dragged to death behind a car.
At the center of the tornadic violence, nudity, race commentary, gender messaging, shotguns, and tears is Pam Grier. 1973 Pam Grier is on the short list of the most beautiful women to ever exist, and the other women on the list are just different years of Pam Grier.
The camera loves Pam Grier, the podcast loves Pam Grier, but Gene Siskel called her performance wooden and awkward. Is this vile calumny to stand? We get into it!
Abortion is healthcare
While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S.
The Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what's best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn't be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
1. Shout Your Abortion is a campaign to normalize abortion.
2. Don't Ban Equality is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet. And five.
5. Choice.crd.co has a collection of these resources and more.
You can also find links to all of these resources and more info at podvoices.help
