Penitentiary

Even though it sags in the middle, this is a really fun and stylish little prison film.

Ridiculous and over the top but still somehow manages to have some depth to it.

I was pleasantly surprised by this (I thought it was going to be awful).

Passes the time.

Don't let the summary fool you. It may sound like the worst movie of all time, but it's really a hilarious mixture of The Warriors, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Rocky. A bizarre ride into a funk party-prison. Boxing, jail-rape, hookers, shivs, fat transvestites, random bearded hippie playing a keyboard in the prison yard. God this film is weird as hell. Damn decent grindhouse.

This is a weird one. It's shot in a gritty, almost documentary style and feels largely improvised. On the other hand it's completely ridiculous; like it's set in an alternative reality prison with a constant funk party/boxing match. It makes you wonder what the crew was smoking and it takes a while before you're tuned to it's frequency. I wouldn't call it a good film, but it (along with the sequel) is definitely something different and worth a watch for blaxploitation aficionados.