Cool News
Quint weighs A SUM OF ALL FEARS and UNDERCOVER BROTHER and thinks...
Hey folks, Harry here with that man that makes you think seaman, that's right, the gargler of salt and the veritable pro-teen man.... QUINT! This time Quint is reviewing both of the big national releases that hit today. Both of which you should check out if ya get a chance. So without further ado, here's the lover of meat...
Ahoy, squirts! 'Tis I, everybody's favorite afro sportin' seaman, Quint, here with possibly the strangest double review I've ever written... These two flicks both open this weekend and on the surface are as different as North and South, East and West, Ben Affleck and Eddie Griffin. I know that you folks have been almost drowned in reviews of both these films on this site, so I'll keep 'em short and sweet.
SUM OF ALL FEARS
Yes, everybody is right. Go see this movie. Affleck finally does a role where he isn't playing a degree of himself. Not to say his other roles have been bad, it's just now he's proven he has some range.
The film is loaded with great characters and actors from Morgan Freeman (who seems to have a lot of fun with his wise old sage role that he's been trapped in for the last 10 years or so) to James Cromwell as the very human... scarily driven by emotion just like the rest of us... president of the US.
What director Phil Alden Robinson has smartly done is surrounded Affleck with some amazing seasoned vets of cinema. Now you have the young, burgeoning talent able to play off these amazing actors, instead of having to try to make it work with other young talents who might not have found their groove or stride yet.
Smart, fun, involving and at times breathtaking. This summer's off to great start. Sure there have been a couple that have hit slightly off target, but I've seen no misfires yet. The only problem with this film is the marketing... You bastards... I was lucky enough to have seen this a little while ago, before I saw the trailers and TV spots that give away the single biggest surprise in the film and I was floored when it happened... Grrrr. Marketing aside, this flick kicks some major ass. Go see this movie. It's well worth it.
UNDERCOVER BROTHER
Solid.
Solid means cool, baby, cool. If you've read Harry's review, you'd see what my review was originally going to be like. That bastard somehow picked up on my brainwaves and made every single point and connection I was planning on doing, but he's a quicker writer than I am, so he wins.
In short, Harry's right. You may disbelieve him, but I've seen this movie and as a lover of those great '70s blaxploitation flicks starring Pam Grier, Richard Roundtree, Ron O'Neal, Issac Hayes, Fred "The Hammer" Williamson and all those other amazing talents that you talkbackers will surely remind me of below, I can't help but love this movie.
They got it right. How could that be? It's actually a smart parody? A parody based on story and characters instead of just gags? No way!?!? What could that be like? What Blazing Saddles was to westerns, Undercover Brother is to blaxploitation films. Like Blazing Saddles, Undercover Brother's comedy can be appreciated on 2 different levels.
On one level it's a really funny movie on its own, so if you're not familiar with '70s Soul Cinema you can still enjoy the flick. BUT if you are knowledgeable about those classics kick-ass flicks, a whole new level of hilarity is open to you. Just like you Western fans who got all the little moments in Blazing Saddles (You'd do it for Randolph Scott! "Randolph Scott?!? Gasp! Raaaannnddoooolllpphhh Sccccooottttt!!!!"), you fans of blaxploitation flicks will see references and homage to all your favorites.
My row during this screening consisted of Harry, Father Geek, Patch, Saffron, Rav and the lovely Auntie Meat... Needless to say we are all very familiar with the world of Soul Cinema and all of our sides were aching after the film. I swear to God... I don't know how long the movie was, but I'd say there was maybe 45 seconds of the film where I wasn't laughing on some level, be it a low chuckle or a huge belly laugh.
Sure, there are moments that fall flat, but they never stand out because they're immediately followed by a recovery or some great sight gag that forces you forward so there's no time to dwell on that one gag that came off poorly.
The cast of this movie is fantastic. Chi McBride has amazing comic timing. You might only know him as the brooding principal of Boston Public, but do you remember him from Peter Jackson's The Frighteners? Yeah, that's him... The Black Ghost who died in the '70s that helps out Michael J. Fox? That's the one. Big fan of Chi and he doesn't fail me here.
Eddie Griffin... He never really caught my eye before. Sure, I'd seen some of his stuff, but he never terribly impressed me... until this movie. He captures all the strutting charm, the inherent bad-ass-ness of those '70s Black Gods, but in a very funny way. His leading role as Undercover Brother could have easily gone too far or not far enough, but Griffin struck the perfect balance.
Dave Chappelle. God, how I love Dave Chappelle! He's easily one of the funniest people out there today. Half Baked is so under appreciated it's not even funny. Sure, like Jack Black, he's been in some bad movies, but when he's on, he shines and Chappelle shines in this film as the Conspiracy Brother.
Smart Brother, played by Gary Anthony Williams, is awesome. Sistah Girl, played by Aunjanue Ellis is... grrrrr... mighty foxy. BILLY DEE "FUCKING" WILLIAMS is in this movie! Sweet Jesus, Billy Dee! The man is a God and he's in the movie... Sure, sometimes when he's in the background he seems kinda lost like he doesn't know where he is, but when he's in the spotlight he turns on all that charm and charisma we glimpsed in Empire and Jedi. You also got James Brown who is what? 67,958 years old? How the fuck can he still move like he does? He just radiates coolness and soul...
Chris Kattan is the main underling below "The Man." Kattan can be hilarious, he can also be annoying. Depends on the material. He has some great moments in this film (especially his inner struggle with his own love of black culture), but he doesn't make the movie.
Doogie Howser is... simply... incredible... How the FUCK did that happen? Neil Patrick Harris owns by the time this movie is over. When the end credits role, I bet you anything you agree with me. He's funny during the movie, but then... Sweet Mary Mother o' God... He... When he... Oh, I can't ruin it... Go see this movie!
What's really funny is that this film makes the point of unity between races better than most serious films with a racial equality message. We can all be bound by the cool. It's possible for us blue-eyed whitey devil cracker honkies to see the funk, live the funk, BE the funk. The way Undercover Brother and his team work together is a shining example of that. It is the funk that binds us.
As you can see from the above, I'm quite taken with this film, to the point that the review is little more than geeky blubberings strung together with ...'s. If you have a funny bone at all, if you like to laugh, what the hell are you waiting for? I'm definitely going again. If it holds up like I think it's going to, then Undercover Brother is going to hold a very special place on my DVD shelf, next to my happy movies like Big Lebowski, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas... The movies I can put on at any time, no matter what mood I'm in and find my laughing place.
Well, that's it from me. I know I said I'd be brief and I was... for the Sum of All Fears review at least. Of the two, my favorite is Undercover Brother just because I know it's a movie I'll watch over and over and over again. Sum of All Fears is a better movie, by a long fucking stretch it's a better movie, but by design Undercover Brother is a helluva lot more fun. Essentially, they are both shining examples of how good a film can be in their particular genres.
It's about time for me to push off, squirts. 'Bout time I went shark huntin'. I'll be back shortly, though with some more reviews, interviews and in-depth coverage of one of the coolest looking new film festivals around. 'Til that day, this is Quint bidding you all a fond farewell and adieu... May the Funk be with you.
email: Eels are nature's condoms!!!
-
+ Expand All
-
Is Undercover Brother better than I'm Gonna Get You Sucka!, the defining blaxploitation parody?
-
I love movies :-) I really do. First Spider-Man. Then FRIGGIN STAR WARS and now THE SUM OF ALL FEARS. Not as good as the previous two, but a different film to be sure. Undercover Bro looks funny, but I ain't seen the damn thing yet.
-
I'm sorry, but that film was lame. crap. rubbish. It did make me laugh twice though. Not a "defining" movie in anyway, except how NOT to make a COMEDY ;-)
-
This had a number of good laughs sprinkled throughout, but a lot of slow sections as well. I give it no better than a "C" or "C+" at the most.
FWIW, I'd give "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" an A. -
Batty, what previous 2? Spidey and AOTC? Or do you mean previous 2 Jack Ryan films? If the latter, there have been THREE previous ones, not 2. Just wasn't sure what you meant...
-
Don't know where you live, but our theater was busting out laughing every minute or so. Oh my god... so utterly hilarious. Then again, I celebrate all the glory of 70s black culture. The best concert(s) I have ever been to in my life have been George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars' 6-hour-long-no-set-break shows, I see any and every Blaxploitation film I can get my greedy little hands on... I LOVE it. P.S. - I adore the wee connection to Darktown Strutters (possibly one of the most entertaining original blaxploitation films of the old era) in the whole Fried Chicken aspect of the movie. Mmmmm, good!
-
I still prefer The Hunt to Red October. But I wasn't too keen on the Harrison Ford films. They were kinda boring and dragged a lot.
-
I've never cared for Eddie Griffen either, but the early rumblings has me taking notice. I only hope there will be a sequel.
-
I'm going nuts, I need sleep.
-
Undercover Brother may very well turn out to be everything Quint and Harry say it is. But let's all light a candle for (and go rent or buy!!!) POOTIE TANG. Where Undercover Brother seems to be a big mallet over the head that, YES, THIS IS A BLAXPLOITATION PARODY IN THE AUSTIN POWERS MOLD, Pootie Tang did it more subtly. Did it parody blaxploitation? Yes. But it did so by bringing that form of film into 2001 and making it a blaxploitation film of it's own era. Then, it added comedy. Unlike Undercover Brother, Pootie Tang isn't a throwback to Truck Turner, Sweet Sweetback, or Super Fly. He's the new model. Look at how cheap Pootie Tang looked. Look how a supposed international superstar still hangs out with the same three broke-ass idiots on the same run-down street corner every day. Look at Dirty Dee, and (most blatantly,) the rich white villain played by a respectable older B-list actor. As I said, perhaps Undercover Brother may be good, but if you haven't seen the misunderstood gem that is Pootie Tang, you don't know what you're missing. Cole me down on the panny sty.
-
Thanks for the recommendation; it got shitty reviews.I'll have to check it out now...
-
May 31, 2002 11:05:52 PM CDT
I am by no means pro-Affleck, but how many times does this guy h
by hktelemacher
His part in Dazed and Confused is enough to give him good geek credibility, but his performances in Chasing Amy, Dogma and most recently Changing Lanes have been really good. I know many of us aren't willing to overlook Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Forces of Nature, Reindeer Games and others (I had to do an IMDb search to remember those movies) but his performances have always been passable even in otherwise shite movies. All I'm hearing lately with Changing Lanes and Sum of All Fears is that "Affleck's proven himself now." He proved himself long ago, his failing is that 75 % of the roles he picks are in mediocre movies. He's capable of good performances if he has the right script and/or the right director. Michael Bay can't pull a good performance out of anyone because knew they're in a Michael Bay movie. At least Kevin Smith can keep enough of a leash on him so that the crazed ADHD Affleck of the View Askew commentaries doesn't show up on film. I know we all want to see him fail and spin wildly out of control E! True Hollywood Story style, but it seems like he really has to make up for a bad movie twice as hard as most other actors. The real defining moment on these boards will be next year after Daredevil, with the possibility of Affleck mercilessly gang raping many collective childhoods.
-
SOAF is a disgrace to the book. I can't believe Clancy bought off on this. Are we so PC that we can't shape the movie to the book and thus reality. The Nazis have absolutely no power, influence or backing by a gov't anymore. Fundamentalist Arab/Muslim Terrorists do! Clancy is an excellent writer and his books have a unique sense of foresight (anybody read Debt of Honor--9/11 prediction anyone?). Hollywood has no backbone to point fingers at real terrorists, they rag on a 40-year dead one (because in PC land, everybody hates the Nazis!) But paint the picture true and someone will be offended. "But your stereotyping all Arabs/Muslims!" they will say. Bullshit, it will show how THE fundamental Arab terrorists try to kill the Western Culture. Out here.
-
that everyone, not just in PC land, hates the Nazis. Just because there is a new threat doesn't mean we should fondly look back at the Nazi era. "Ah, those wacky fascists. They were okay, really, deep down . . ."
-
there wouldn't have been an 'in living color', and most likely no Damon and Marlon movies, hence no '...while drinking your juice in the hood', and THAT was freakin' hilarious. no 'Scary Movie', no Fire Marshall Bill, NO HOMIE THE CLOWN! so, maybe it wasn't all that funny, but it was neccessary.
-
Would not recommend it to anyone. Poor depiction of US and Russian politics under fire (Idiotic). Plot holes the size of Baltimore. Plus a bogus tag line, "27,000 bomb and one is missing". The bomb in question is an old bomb from the 70's that no one knows about. As shown in the first Minutes of the film. Don't go. Its lame and dumb.
-
Better than the book.
-
Enjoyed them both quite a bit. Sum of All Fears keeps you on the edge of your seat, sure parts of it may be unbelievable, but that's okay -- this is a movie for fuck's sake. However, it didn't hold a candle to the greatness that is Undercover Brother. Funniest film I have ever seen, still laughing my ass off over it.
-
Jun 01, 2002 4:12:21 AM CDT
Sum Of All Fears & Undercover Brother??????? How In The Hell Did
by the founder
I mean two Summer movies relesed on the same day that are pretty good??? Yes it's true, they both are good, even though I didn't see Undecover yet, but I've heard from a few people that it's good, yes!!!!! Hollywood needs to stay in this direction. So far the Summer Films have been pretty decent, but AOTC was so mediocre, but it was a great movie visually!! I don't know how anyone can come down on SOAF, this was a good movie, even the local critic, who usually hates everything loved SOAF and Undercover Brother. SOAF was light years better then AOTC and as much as I hate to say it, it even beat Spidey a tiny bit, but not by much. Sure SOAF has some weak plot points, but they aren't bad or distracting, and this movie is never dull or slow, and this is how a movie of this genre should be, and it's much better then Clear & Present Danger, and Patroit Games, I've never seen Red October with Baldwin as Ryan, so I can't comment, but something tells me it's slightly better. Well if anyone has a chance to see or is unsure about seeing SOAF, then take my word for it, it was a good movie, and I'm sure the negative reviews are in the minority.
-
With the farmer from "Babe" sitting in for Martin Sheen -- Saw it Friday night, God, so boring! Can we stop making movies with guys in Russian General uniforms standing around long tables, please? Please -- So boring! It made me wanna see techno-thriller "Red October" on TBS again. The romance - unlike "Spider-Man" - is lousy. Affleck only kisses his girlfriend so his beeper or phone will ring -- How many times has Affleck done this in movies? So boring! There is no action to speak of -- They nuke Baltimore, it's over and done with in three minutes and we're back to the extras in Russian General uniforms -- So, so boring -- There are no good fight scenes. Affleck fist-fights a bad guy for thirty seconds before cops show up and drag the bad guy away -- I'm not kidding! -- This thing was such a bore -- Save your money, wait for "Red October" to show up on TBS.
-
is that the creator of Pootie Tang and the writer and director of the film, comedian Louis CK, got royally screwed over when it came time for the studio to release the film. They took the movie away from him, re-edited it, added annoying and superfluous voice-over narration and stock footage, and then dumped the movie into a handful of theaters with zero promotion. It would be nice if Louis could release a "director's cut" version of the movie on DVD the way he intended, but he doesn't own the rights to any of it and Paramount isn't about to do that for a movie that made so little money. But Louis CK is hilarious and I hope he gets to do a movie someday that comes out the way he intended.
-
Don't kid yourselves, this is an action movie, not a "thriller". In action movies, nukes are plot points. In thrillers, things like the NUCLEAR BOMBING OF BALTIMORE have consequences. Sadly, Ben Affleck is not an action hero. You know it's a dark day for cinema when reviewers get wistful for the "passionate" acting of Harrison Ford. (Yes, I actually saw that word in a review yesterday) PS - The Founder, who said, "I've never seen Red October with Baldwin as Ryan, so I can't comment, but something tells me [SOAF is] slightly better," is freakin' idiot. "Something" tells you that? Why don't you see the movie or keep quiet?
-
Jun 01, 2002 11:06:36 AM CDT
Eddie Griffin, Dave Chappel, Chris Tucker, Chis Rock all the sam
by black ceaser
Is there any other fucking way for black folks to be funny in movies other than to be fast talking, loud mouthed high pitched voiced, illiterated sounding buffoons? How about someone who can do a deadpan, or dissapear into a character like Peter Sellers. Is there a black comic out there known for his intelligence? Basically there's Eddie Murphey and a whole pack of minstrals. Orlando Jones could be good but he usually resorts to bugging his eyes and looking frightened ala Stephin Fetchit. Undercover Brother, to me promotes just what it's supposed to be skewering. If you really want to see what it should have been, go to www.urbanetertainment.com and look at the web series it was based on. With U.B. the movie I detect the evil manipulations of THE MAN!
-
i loved SOAF! there is something a bit more disturbing when its your home-town being vaporized, I'm from Baltimore, very disturbing, very good
-
i loved SOAF! there is something a bit more disturbing when its your home-town being vaporized, I'm from Baltimore, very disturbing, very good
-
Hey bob. Don't go see it if you're of that mindset. It would be, as you say, a "boring political thriller". Myself, on the other hand, completely enjoyed it, though I will admit it's no Red October. I'm just not the biggest fan of the other 2 movies. Couldn't get into the groove with them. Then again, I haven't gone back and rewatched them in years. Mayhaps it is time. But I though SOAF was enjoyable, nonetheless. Not for you, bob, but enjoyable for me.
-
If your looking for another Peter Sellers black or otherwise dont hold your breath we may never again see another comedic genius such as him. He also played bufoons. Peter Sellers himself was smart but the characters he played for the most part were not. I also dont think the lack of intelligent characters is limited to black comics either. We are living in the times of Jim Carrey, Robin Williams and the Farrely brothers. Subtlety is a lost art. Not to mention that the list of comics you listed are primarily stand up comedians, and their personas right or wrong reflect what works in a stand up routine. Sure they have been in movies but I wouldnt call them actors. I think your giving Eddie Murphy too much credit. He hasnt done anything worth seeing in over a decade. Orlando Jones shows a lot of promise. In real life he is one of the smartest guys youll ever meet and is starting to make better choices of roles now that he has gotten his foot in the door.
-
Jun 01, 2002 1:21:33 PM CDT
Jeez CREAMERY BUTTER, Don't Get To Upset, I Never Saw "Red O
by the founder
-
Rdog, I didn't mean that I or anyone else should like the Nazis. What I meant is that because everybody hates them the Hollywood types wouldn't be afraid of casting them as the bad guys (instead of being true to the book and reality and making Arab terrorists the bad guys). And Evil whatever--if Clancy was so cozy to the right wingers then he definately shouldn't have bought off on Hollywood changing the bad guys. Right wingers are usually not afraid of painting the truth. Its the left wing crowd who is always worried about being PC and hurting someone's feelings. It seems more like in this case Clancy caved to the Hollywood crowd. By the way did anybody see Insomnia? I thought it was pretty good, but not as good as the reviews are making it. Robin Williams was kind of a boring villian and man, Pacino (who normally I love in any movie) is looking old! Overall though it was alright. I loved the Alaskan scenery. Out here.
-
Jun 01, 2002 8:54:37 PM CDT
"When Affleck keeps getting work, the terrorists have won."
by naughty_sauce
I'm a fan of Affleck's work, but I thought that line was hillarious.
I don't know why so many people hate the guy.
BTW, SOAF is a good movie. Right behind Red October in the Jack Ryan series. Although Baldwin is still the best Ryan (with Ford being the worst IMO...it's like the dude forgot how to act or something). -
I couldn't have said it better myself. When will Hollywood feel it is once again okay to depict villians without the PC ramifications in mind. Why do the muggers always have to be one hispanic, one black and one white. God forbid the judge on screen isn't an African American woman. I myself am not a WASP, but I am still offended that white protestants are the only group Hollywood feels comfortable teeing off on. When will someone point out how unfair that is without being labelled a racist bigot? As for the Arabs, is it really just a coincidence that all the hijackers on 9/11 happen to be young male Muslims? Why is it wrong to depict terrorists as such in movies? I hate Nazis as much as the next American, but it did almost ruin the movie for me.
-
Since when is this guy considered a critic. Studios quote him so much now because he creams over every damn film.Larry buddy newsflash! you don't have to like every film and you don't have to marry every woman you date!...Grand Rapids Michigan, you're on the line!!!!
-
Sorry but THE CUM OF ALL QUEERS, whoops SUM OF ALL FEARS wimped out and delivered the most anti-climatic Bomb Blast that they hyped in the trailers! I mean after the blast was done, we were all saying...What?? Thats it? I mean it wasn't that I was itching to see Burning Bodies but man at least give us something more hardcore then a helicopter crashing down, and cars flipping over...I felt like I was watching Twister 2 for a split second, IT was boring but MAN was UNDERCOVER BROTHER a instant gem classic fucking funny as hell film! I will seeing it again tommorrow with a bunch of friends! The funniest movie since Friday of it's kind and I hope it becomes the word of mouth big hit of the summer and knocks Austin Powers flat on his ass!
-
Jun 02, 2002 4:45:19 AM CDT
Sirwanksalot And Smurfette Would It Make You Feel Better If The
by the founder
it's unfair to have the white male as the villian. You both are trying to make a point about being Hollywood being to PC, and not wanting to offend anyone that's non white, but did either of ever took the time out to think that it's white males that are always the heroes in movies, but of course that's not a problem, because it's unbelievable that a non white can be a hero, and they are good to be used as the villian, and degrade their image. God forbide that an Arab or Muslim can be a hero in a film, but it's peaches and cream for them to be the classic terrorist. Hollywood has sterotyped every non white race to what they belive and think they should be, and sitting in a movie or watching tv, and seeing the whites as the hero or victims all the time, while your race is depicted as criminals and drug dealers, servents or terrorists, well it's gets hurtful after a while. Blacks has been sterotyped for so long that I would rather not see them in a movie in a sterotypical role, and yes I would rather see the white hero, and the white villian. I don't know why either of you are up in arms about it, its not like the white man's image is being degraded by Hollywood, h.e.l.l I don't see what's to complain about, your peeps get all the cool @ss roles, and movies.
-
The Secret Service Whisked John Waters to Safety
-
Six words: "I'll show you my Dark Saber!" I know it was Tim Meadows as Billy Dee, but can't you just HEAR Lando saying that?
-
Jun 02, 2002 5:37:01 PM CDT
Founder: Complaining there are not enough black leads in movies
by smurfette
Trust me, if Hollywood thought they could make more money casting a black in the lead, they would. They just don't have the same box office draw. The handful of exceptions work often and are well compensated. You could draft an all white NBA team, but I doubt they would win a ring. It's all business. There's no conspiracy.
-
I saw it Saturday. I thought that there were some funny lines, and a few funny scenes. Richards was hot as usual, and luckily she supposed to act badly. She nailed it for perhaps the first time in her career. Although, I suppose she wasn't so bad in Wild Things. Anyways, I loved about a quarter of it. I suppose that's still better than most comedies you see come out these days. Needless to say though, I was somewhat dissapointed after so many rave reviews. To give you an idea of what level this film reached... I guess I'd put it in the same league as Half Baked. Had that same feel to it. Had the same humor. I didn't think it was as funny as Half Baked though. Go figure. It definately was not as funny as Harry made it out to be. Oh and 'Sucka was funnier. If you had to rate it on a scale of recent mindless comedies... It was better than American Pie 2, the Scary Movie(s), and anything else I've seen of late. Not a whole lot comes to mind when I think comedies these days. Nothing impressionable. One more comparison being thrown around by many: Austin Powers. Was it as funny as Austin Powers? Not quite. And to give you an idea of my frame of mind, I never thought Austin Powers was all that funny. And do I like Blaxploitation films? Sure do. Blacula and Black Belt Jones were some of my all-time favorites.
-
Smurfette, your anolgy of equating the lack of whites in the NBA with lack of black leading men is kinda bogus. I have no idea why there are so few whites in the league. Is it physical? Sociological? Psychological? Whatever the reason, in theory at least, ANYONE with the goods can become an NBA player.
But when it comes to movie stars, the powers that be, have already decided that blacks can't put fannies in seats. Thus, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. If you aren't considered to be the type of actor who will appeal to middle America, you get fewer shots at quality projects with good scripts and good directors. Inevitably, the projects are less artisticaly commercially successful, and the cycle stars again. "We can't put him him a A-List picture, because he doesn't attract a big enough audience!" But he doesn't attract a big enough audience because he's never been shown to his greatest advantage in a prestige picture.
Nobody said it was a conspiracy to keep black actors down. But it IS socially myopic and in the long run, it's bad for business. -
Sirwanksalot, how is the "freedom" to cast minorites in the roles of villians supposed to a better artistic choice than using poor, put upon white males? Aren't both cliches, and thus, poor artistic choices? What would be your suggestion? Why don't you write your hero P. J. O'Roarke and ask him what a viable answer would be. -
Jun 04, 2002 5:14:23 AM CDT
Mimi, there's no need to get defensive and take shots at us.
by smurfette
If America were as open minded as you seem to think, then why didn't a good AA film like Soulfood or The Best Man break box office records? Why do they do absolutely NO BUSINESS foreign? For whatever reason, America(and, seemingly, the rest of the world) likes its leads young, muscular, male and white. It's a trend. In the Twenties it was women who ruled the box office. And they got paid the most and the best roles. Hollywood follows the dollar. It's a little thing called free market Capitalism. Period. They give Shaq millions because he fills the seats. They give Cruise millions because he does the same. We're all green to the CEOs. Deal with it.
-
Nice try Smurfette. But trying to pass off opinion as fact, just doesn't cut it. Please show me the empirical evidence showing that the general public has some aversion to non-white motion picture leads. You can't continue with the circular argument that this must be the case because most A-list movie stars are white. How can you judge the attitudes of the public at large concerning minority leading men, when so few minority leading men are given the chance to be seen? That's merely an assumption with no evidence to support it. How do you know that the public wouldn't like seeing more minority leads?
Btw, You considered my disagreements to be potshots? Geez. If you think my relatively gentle tone is disgreeable, you may wish to reaxamine you decision to post on public boards.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 439 total posts 165 posts
- WTF HOLLYWOOD: SOLARBABIES -- 144 total posts 142 posts
- Herc’s Seen Tonight’s Return Of THE WALKING DEAD!! Discuss Also DOWNTON ABBEY, FEAR FACTOR, PAN AM, ONCE, SIMPSONS, DYNAMITE, LUCK, SHAMELESS, BAIT CAR, THE GRAMMYS And More!! Sunday Is Sweeps Day 11!! -- 153 total posts 138 posts
- Avid Comic Reader Hercules Does Battle With Tedium During Kevin Smith’s COMIC BOOK MEN! -- 55 total posts 47 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 196 total posts 45 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 60 total posts 36 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 127 total posts 36 posts
- I am The Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day! No, I’m the Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day! -- 35 total posts 35 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 513 total posts 29 posts
- The Sensorties Revisit The Friday Docback (And Still Smell)!! DOCTOR WHO Story #7 Again, The Coming Of Season/Series 7, And More!! -- 117 total posts 26 posts