Politics & Current Events
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So Public Radio International gave Think Like A Man good reviews...
I was listening to it this morning and they said it was really funny. They gave it a much better rating than the new Zac Efron movie and Darling Companion with Kevin Kline/Diane Keaton. They even said Think Like A Man would be very funny for guys. I know PRI is not a movie review powerhouse, but it made me wonder how many White rom-com fans will go see a rom-com movie with a Black cast. And no Tyler Perry is not involved in this one.
Re: So Public Radio International gave Think Like A Man good reviews...
FWIW, the trailer didn't impress me, but I'd still go.
trailer
Thank goodness Chris Brown is only in that 5 second clip apparently. I have a hard time with his presence.
Too bad we can't tar and feather people.
But I don't like rom coms so Chris Brown or no, the chances of me seeing it are slim to none.
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In college, I would have gone to see this. I went to a lot of movies.
Now, only if the reviews are stellar---I feel like a lot of movies with all black casts are either 1. Ridiculous (like a good portion of white cast or mixed race movies. Madea=Paul Blart Mall Cop at least from previews.).
Or 2. Seem to be marketed as an insider movie for black people--especially relationship movies. I think I feel excluded by the preview? I certainly can enjoy movies about people slightly different than me. But, since I don't see more than a dozen movies of any kind during the year, it doesn't generate the excitement to see them. I think it's marketers assuming other people would not enjoy a movie about black folks which just ends up being a chicken or egg thing.
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I don't think there is anyway for an all black cast to have crossover appeal regardless of the topic. Red Tails, a war movie, didn't get much traction this year, and those typically do well.
I don't know what an insider movie is.
This list of "great Black movies" was interesting, but I'm irked by the term "Black movie".
And it made me want to watch Friday.
IMDB:Greatest Black Movies
Because Red Tails looked like it sucked diik and balls, that's why. Plus, George Lucas is a chode.
Also, whose dumb ass idea was it to sell that movie with modern hip hop music? The marketing for that movie was just bad all around and the trailer looked like shiit. I say this as a lover of all things WWII and war movie related. It also came out the same weekend as Underworld Awakening and in January which is notorious shitty movie dumping grounds.
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I didn't see it, lol. But I do know Miracle at St. Anna, was a great book and the film was also well done. That also didn't get a lot of traction. I can't really name a movie with an all black cast that has held crossover appeal, and while there are a lot of sucky movies out there every black movie doesn't fall into that category (not that you are suggesting that is the case).
Actually, at the risk of sounding like I'm trashing every black war movie, I would fight with you on Miracle at St Anna. It was a decent movie, I guess but it was a very bad war movie. It wasn't very realistic and the scenarios didn't make much sense. Also the storyline was a bit nonsensical.
I do agree that not many all black cast movies hold crossover appeal. But I do think some have, especially looking at that list. However, I do think we own some of that issue when we behave as if only black folk can tell certain stories, write about certain topics, and direct certain movies. I have to wonder if we didn't shoot ourselves in the foot with all that hoopla over whether Spielberg should be allowed to direct The Color Purple. And we continue to do so now.
Honestly, I wish they'd do more movies with interracial casts. But I'm also gratified to see that there are a lot more movies with interracial casts. I'm also happy to see more movies casting black folks in non-race specific roles.
So maybe we aren't moving as fast as we'd like to be in Hollywood but there have been some major improvements of late and I'm happy to see it.
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I should really watch "In the Heat of the Night." When I was interviewing for my new job, the search committee couldn't quit talking about how that movie was filmed in their town.
I don't disagree with this but the reality is still that no matter how great the movie is I still don't think an all black cast would be widely watched. I guess I don't understand the argument that if we want crossover appeal we have to only create great movies. It is not like there is not a lot of ridiculous stuff out there. While I am absolutely annoyed by the whole Tyler Perry Medea era, he hardly corners the market on silliness. Bridesmaids comes to mind. Hangover. Hot Tub Time Machine. Bad Bosses. And of course I am sure people will come in to tell me I have no sense of humor.
Okay I did laugh at Hangover, but I am pretty sure I was intoxicated when I watched it.
Red Tails was awful. Miracle at St. Anna was just OK.
I hate that Think Like A Man is getting decent reviews because I am anti-Steve Harvey and that stupid book.
What does insider black movie mean?
I am not making the argument that we should only make good movies. I'm saying that you can't expect a shitty movie to pull in a huge gross no matter who is in the cast, especially if it's released at a bad time of year or up against stiff competition.
Also, I know you didn't just put Bridesmaids and the Hangover on a par with Hot Tub Time Machine, Bad Bosses (which didn't do well) and Tyler Perry movies. My feelings are all kinds of hurt.
The way the movie industry works is for directors and producers to use a small budget to build an audience for the types of movies they want people to watch and then consistantly do that until they have a following. That's how slasher flicks came back in vogue, how Tarantino and Robert Rodriquez became rich, etc and exactly how Tyler Perry became huge.
And I would argue that every time an all black cast movie does decently with an audience that's exactly what happens. More and more all black cast movies are being made which means they are getting an increased following, which in turn, opens up more opportunities for more of these films and then opens up a wider audience for them.
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I'm hurt too. Bridesmaids and the Hangover were great. *whispers* "I've got first watch."
I did not like that movie. at all.
And HAB I know I will get heat for suggesting the beloved movies Hangover and Bridesmaids were anything but awesome. However I am just not a sh!t in the street kind of girl! : )
I just saw Love Jones on cable earlier this week. I fell in love with that movie all over again. ::sigh::
No, cause that looked like it was going to be awful.
But you know what *was* funny that other people didn't like? Kingdom Come. "HA! JESUS got the knob!" Here's the trailer. It's some total buffoonery.
"I'm not entirely confident which end that came out of."
Also, Maya Rudolph was in Bridesmaids. HOLLA!
The primary issue I have right now is the almost common place of featuring black actresses with white love interests but still very, very few black actors with white love interests unless that's the theme of the movie.
I think featuring black men for favorably and not just the Will Smith non-threatening types, particularly in relationship roles would do a world of good to race relations.
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I agree with Jflute. I remember my dad making us watch Do The Right Thing and paying attention to how black people and white people interact outside of our small world of South Dakota. It was very moving. I always remember the D batteries and Smiley putting the picture of Malcom X and MLKJr in the pizza joint at the end.
I saw Red Tails and was so disappointed. It was horrible. I have met the actor who played the drunk pilot before. He's very little. There is a picture of us on Facebook if you go back a few years.
Zuma Zoom
It was actually one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. We re-watch multiple times a year. It's really quite fantastic.
I saw that it got bad reviews on IMDB, though.
eta: And it looks like it was because people were comparing it to the British version, which I may have to watch now.
Kingdom Come looks fuuucking hilarious!
I wanted to see Death at a Funeral but I never got around to it. Same thing with The Lottery. I adore Loretta Devine.
Have you seen Deliver Us From Eva because I loooooove that movie.
I also like Something New but I think I'm biased lol.
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Based on the many many many many conversations Jflute and I had about it over the course of our dating/engagement/marriage, he finally concluded that I didn't get it because I didn't grow up in an urban area and so didn't experience the conflicts of such environment and that's why the movie didn't work for me. And since you grew up where I did, maybe that's why you don't like it either.
I love Bridesmaids. I didn't expect to when I went to see it.
OMG! The part where she's inspecting the kitchen??? I die from laughter. DIE! Something New is OK. I didn't get why she was all worked up. Date him, don't date him.
Oh and Cadillac Records. However, it wasn't a good movie lol. But I adore the music and the clothing. Fashion porn, yo.
Now I'm off to listen to some Muddy Waters.
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I pull quotes from Love Jones all the time. I remember thinking that was going to be MY LIFE. All I had to do was get the hell out of Nashville.
Eva was crazy. Plus, you'd be out of your damned mind to pass up a chance to stare at LL for 108 minutes lol.
As for something new, her parents were crazy. And she was too. I loved the part where she flipped her shiit because he asked about her hair. Although I was mad for the director fronting like that was her natural hair either.
That's the one thing Hollywood refuses to do and that's mess with black folks' hair. I love, love, love that Zoe Saldana is blowing up but I can't tell you how many of her movies I've had moments where I thought, child, please. Ain't no damned way an assassin stopped to flat iron her hair before going back out to find the people who killed her parents. Also, you know good and damned well that isn't what her hair looks like wet. REWIND!
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