D Pizz - "...Please believe this was only enabled because of T Perry's success with his Madea franchise..."So Mr Perry has more in common with Jackie Robinson, MLK, and these guys
Okay, I see that point (But I still can't stand his movies and all of the overacting.)
come on UBJ, the plays suck, the movies are OK. Overacted yes, but did you see B.A.P.S.? with academy award winner Halle Berry? Next time you complain about Tyler Perry, go watch B.A.P.S. and you'll be happy to see Mr Oprah in drag as often as he likes.
ReplyDelete@ brohammas - Halle Berry? She was good in Losing Isiah and as the crack head in Jungle Fever - other than those two, she is just okay. Her Oscar for Monsters Ball was just an Affirmative Action gift.
ReplyDeleteTP's movies are just HIS idea of the Black middle-class. I'm sure as he becomes more assimilated into the real middle-class, those views will have more depth and be more varied.
[It's funny - When I lived in a neighborhood near the golf course, DPizz lived on the eighth fairway. I went to a small college on the North Shore of Oahu - He went to USC (and UCLA for grad school). But he calls ME a snob?]
But as I said... I can't stand TP's movies. They only show the aspirational side of the Black middle-class.
Finally someone admits that Halle's award was a fluke. I admit I was distracted by the good looks but she is an average actress. Why is it that no one went to see Devil in a Blue Dress (an excellent film). But you can hear all the black folks at work talking about getting tickets to see Tyler Perry Films. What does he have that has black folks foaming at the mouth for his films. Don't get me wrong I'm not in the hate on Tyler camp. I just want to know what the magic is all about??
ReplyDeleteI like TP's movies...they remind me of my family and sometimes I just gotta laugh.
ReplyDeleteJust saw The Family the Preys. I thought it was really pretty good. Probably his best yet in my opinion. Check it out if you haven't already.
Guys, I follow Tyler's movies and plays because it's my contribution to the belief that supporting "one of our own" will eventually allow others the ability to hit mainstream America by the wallet.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit, most of his plays are poorly acted but at the same time they're written for me to understand the jokes, the humour, the clothes and the old songs his casts performs most times.
@ Ojo - Yeah... it's the whole Jazz/Black thing. Many think that anything besides ghetto/suffering is non-Black.
ReplyDelete@ SjP - I haven't seen that one (Preys) all the way through.
I was hoping that TP could expand beyond all of the bafoonery that seems to be the only image of the Black family put forth by main stream media.
But when someone Black continues those stereotypes, it irks me.
@ Debo Blue - I think that supporting one of our own in a lower standard prevents progress (and incentive) to take the next step.
His movies all seem the same to me, just set in a different environment.
It's like having to repeat the 5th grade every year.
But as this post was supposed to imply - maybe he has (had) to put up with some mess in order to lay the foundation for the next generation (much like the Pullman Porters for the Black middle-class).
ReplyDeleteDude, this post and not stating my comments in full context is pretty unfair. To address your sarcasm and exaggerated comparison to civil rights luminaries, if there was a pantheon of Black achievement in Media and Entertainment, yes, I would probably put T. Perry in it and for sure Bob Johnson. You may decry the content they push out, but there are other aspects to what they have achieved - wealth creation, organizations that employ many blacks and others, forging inroads into an industry that is fairly closed, dissemination of at least some Black images in media and some content that is relevant to a lot of Blacks, etc.
ReplyDeleteWhat does my educational background have to do with being a snob? I'm not trying to demean T. Perry or B. Johnson by imposing my subjective view of what is good and bad content. This is what you are doing. I'm not trying to use my own personal standards to judge what should and should not be put out to the audience. I don't feel like looking up the word snob, but what you are doing here seems closer to snobbery than anything having to do with where I live or educational background. Why do you feel it was even necessary to include this information? How is it even relevant? I'm not the one being critical of T. Perry or B. Johnson?
Again, I reject your basic premise that T. Perry's movies demean Blacks. This is simply your personal opinion. To a lot of Blacks these are characters, situations, etc. that they can relate to. And from the one movie I saw, the messages, themes and values espoused in his movies are fairly positive. Just because these movies don't meet your tastes, does not mean that they are not worthy to anyone else and I think the audience, through their box office attendance and ratings for his shows has already decided this.
@ DPizz - This isn't being sarcastic (or sardonic) at all.
ReplyDeleteI just stated that I see the point of sometimes having to do what someone else may want before one gets to do what they may truly desire. Paying one's dues is often a neccessary evil.
My first sentence says that I can see THAT point.