After the critical and commercial success of The Godfather franchise - an Italian actor couldn't be taken seriously unless he was toting a gun
The Godfather sequels, Casino, Goodfellas, A Bronx Tale, Scarface, et al did well - but in each case, Italians were only seen as Mobsters.
The Sopranos seems to have closed this cycle of the Italian as a Mobster.
(Although shows like Jersey Shore do little to rehabilitate the rest of their social image.)
Boys In the Hood spawned numerous stories of gritty urban life.
While Boys was an After School Special - Menace To Society was the ish.
But really - I know all about the hood.
I'm sick of the hood.
In fact, all of my work is dedicated to eradicating as many of the problems in the hood as possible.
I wish that there was no Hood.
And now we have the critical and financial success of the The Bigness and her crew.
And now people leave comments chastening me when I say that this was really a Casting Oscar - that Big Mo' was really just playing herself.
That she doesn't really walk around with those 'greasy hurrry ham hocks' showing in real life or on the Red Carpet.
I guess I just have to accept that some people can only accept Blacks who fit this mold and celebrate them as having achieved some great feat.
I guess I have to accept that the Tyler Perry model is going to be the norm for the next twenty years.
13 comments:
Yes you do! I have yet and will never see the movie Precious. To quote my favorite comedian Paul Mooney "The Devil made the move Precious".
The Bigness LOL and little chubsie ubsie on Precious made me want to earl. It's all part of the big girls are attractive thing when really it's just women morbidly obese.
This is another time when you realize how much you don't control the media. Someone else is driving these images and it's backed up by the ignorant people who think telling the worst of Blacks is keeping it real. That's why I just tune out the ignorance as I'm sure my mother tuned out Menace to Society & NWA & Rap music as a whole.
You 2 old crows remind me of those gentlemen in the balcony of The Muppet Show.
You guys need to stop looking through blue contacts. First, there are millions of women around the world that do not shave their legs, Uncle Black. What does that have to do with anything. And, what parts of Mo'nique's performance were reminiscent of her own life? I mean, you tell us because you must be on the inside.
And look, do yawl hate horror movies or army flicks? Wait, don't answer that. You probably hate the ones in which the black person gets killed in the first scene :-)
You guys just have a fetish for Miss Piggy and can't come to grips with it. I don't know much but you boys are using a bunch of screwed up logic. Shame on you!
I wouldn't be surprised if the both of you date exclusively white women. LMBAO
@ FreeMan - But in Menace and with NWA, they were trying to get away from that reality.
Didn't Easy move to the IE as soon as he made a little change?
Wasn't Jada trying to get Cain and his crew away from their environment?
Each told the story - neither celebrated it.
@ Carey - Yeah I've played in the snow... a lot.
FreeMan doesn't like the snow.
Her unshorn legs are just as unkempt as her character's.
She's a beast in real life and a beast on screen.
And do I really need to do a series of posts on the health dangers of obesety?
I too have yet to see the movie Precious. I'm going to see it soon though to see if it really is as great a movie people say it is. On the off chance that it sucks, well...I'm a glutton for punishment.
LOL @ Bigness
@Carey - Brother I can count on one hand how many times I have shaken a white person's hand period. I don't like any form of snow whether that be the cold, cocaine or white women!
C'mon don't compare this to horror flicks as that's not a slice of any one race's life. When you watched Schlinder's list did Spielberg try to pass it as a American story or a Jewish story. Now we got some Black guy saying this is a slice of American History when it's the glorifying the worst and I mean absolute worst of Black society. Even if it's a slice it's a very thin slice but now watch after this there's going to be social groups named after Precious as all these 1%ers come out the woodwork.
You guys are off da chain! LMAO
"you guys need to stop looking through blue contacts" Im taking that one CareyCarey! Classic!
Those legs are photoshopped by haters! C'mon what woman is going to leave the house with those legs?
There is a much wider spectrum of Black images that can be seen in the independent film arena and Black cinema. It's a distortion to only look at mainstream box office. Most mainstream stuff is just that, designed for the masses. I think there are probably some White people that look at what mainstream Hollywood puts out with scorn as well - even though they may not have the same issues you do with how their race is depicted.
It's worth noting that this was not a big studio picture and I don't think anyone thought this was going to blow-up the way it did. This pic was looking at a limited and art house release until Oprah blessed it. Apparently, it was so compelling that it crossed over.
You are constantly smashing T. Perry and BET for the imagery they put out that you, and many others, subjectively disapprove of. First, you don't give them any credit for their trailblazing accomplishments. They have established the economic viability of Black images in filmed entertainment. From this, other programming can come forth e.g. TVOne is only possible because somebody else proved the economic model. Further, B. Johnson is establishing a more upmarket channel. Second, I think you should reserve some of your criticism for the audience. They have consistently chosen the programming and films you disparage, over, arguably, more quality product. A lot of this stuff IS ill-conceived or approved for the wrong reasons, but a lot is CHOSEN by the audience. Additionally, while I'm not a big fan of T. Perry's entertainment product, his portfolio of films and tv programming cover a far wider spectrum of Black images than you give him credit for. Lastly, the real gatekeepers of film and tv production and distribution are not Black. Your comments consistently undervalues the difficulty of trying to put ANYTHING on at all.
Well well well, I second everything Dpizz said :-).
@ DPizz, do us a favor and click on Freeman blog. Him and UglyblackJohn are doing a tag team on this topic. I think Freeman's readers need a bump of your finely worded comments. *chuckling*
@ D Pizz - "The Hurt Locker" was a small film too.
From this small film to TP's movies - why we always gotta' be ghetto?
The film "Skin" looks to be good.
UbJohn, it's not always ghetto. That's what I'm saying. There is a whole world of Black cinema out there that is not ghetto, it just doesn't get put on a mainstream track with lots of money behind the production, distribution and marketing because....NOBODY GOES TO SEE IT! That's what I mean when I say the audience chooses what gets put out more often than not and THEY deserve a great deal of your anger. There's little that can be done if White audiences decide to go see Precious and blow-up and choose not to see something you might consider more worthy which then get relegated to the Black cinema circuit (e.g. Historically Black Colleges and the smallest theater in all the Magic Johnson theaters across the country).
With respect to T. Perry, I don't really see his stuff, but he's put out a couple of movies now with middle/upper class Black characters. I think he has one that's about to come out soon. To be fair, his full portfolio goes well beyond only ghetto.
@ CareyCarey, I will take a look at Freeman's blog, but I don't think I will participate. UglyBlack's blog is enough for me; I have to watch my blood pressure.
@DPizz, I hear what you are saying to UBJ, and this same arguement transends to "good" books. It's about money and the sign of the times.
I don't know if you are a reader of novels, but if you are, you've probably noticed or heard that "good" black literature is hard to find (these days). Of course "good" is subjective, but again, money talks, and Zane, poorly written street lit and "you go girl", are becoming the loudest voices on the block. Why? Because people are buying it. It's a new generation of half baked ideas, soft solutions, and instant pleasure. "Text me, I don't have time to talk or read a book"
Side note. You sound as if you might attend film festivals. I've been to Telluride.
Oh, that was a good one. Re: blood pressure. Well I don't know about your blood pressure, but if you happen to go by my man Freeman's blog, you might have to take your thinking cap, and your boxing gloves and your medicine *lol*.
See, I owe freeman. He sent UBJ my way, and it's been my pleasure.
@ D Pizz - As I've stated earlier; TP is WalMart.
Both provide average products to the masses.
I ain't mad at him - that's his gig.
I just don't think it should be celebrated as good art or as an exclusive brand.
It's a common product for common people.
@Carey & DPizz - All I talk about is fluffy things that encourage optimism and kumbaya. LOL yeah I know sometimes I can get on people's nerves so you might want to look though the window but don't buy.
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