http://www.nme.com/news/film/black-p...ollars-2259605
I saw that. I'm hoping that A Wrinkle In Time does well, too. But I haven't heard too many people express interest in it.
I don't know anything about "A Wrinkle In Time". What is it about?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Oz
It's based on a children's fantasy book. I'm not sure about the plot. Oprah produced it and Ava Duvarnay is the director for Disney Studios. I'm not much into children's fantasy but I might go see it just because I love Ava Duvarnay, who is strong and outspoken about improving the lives of less fortunate black people in the US. This was a huge opportunity and I don't want them to use it as an excuse to deny someone else like Hollywood typically does.
Do you mean the way they deny Mo'nique?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Oz
You can go six degrees in any direction and find somebody connected to somebody who Mo'Nique has an issue with [[or vice versa). I'm not dissing her at all, but the only side that ever comments about her situation is her. With that being the case, I'm not going to assume that she's objective in how she describes her predicament. Google how many people in Hollywood have had a problem working with either Oprah or Lee Daniels and your search will come up with one name. I could be wrong, but that suggests that she could be at least part of the problem in that troublesome dynamic. And if she was a pain in the ass of benefactors, do you think somebody else will take a chance on her?Quote:
Originally Posted by marv2
I didn't see Precious but I presume she did as fantastic a job as her Oscar suggests. It's twice as hard for a sister to win anything, so he had to have done great to earn it. With that being said, what roles do you think she is missing out on? She's adept at playing the over-the-top character in Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins and the angry welfare mom in Precious. The first made $42 million and the second made $47 million. Neither of those is a blockbuster return. And I submit that few people watched either film because she was in them.
Don't get me wrong; Hollywood is racist as f***. Look at the roles Halle Berry has had since Monster's Ball. Octavia Spencer has an Oscar and another nomination but she was low-balled on her latest movie until co-star Jessica Chastain went to producers and demanded that they do right by her. It took a white actress to hold out for them to pay her five times what they originally offered, which is BS. Thank God she had that support. So, Hollywood is a garbage town and movies are a trash industry. So you either toe the line or you don't work, as wrong as that is.
But Mo'Nique is not going to star in a movie about a sexy super spy or a romance-comedy. She's going to get offers in smaller budget movies and those producers are going to offer her small salaries because they can get somebody else for those roles for less money. I feel for her, but if she signed a contract for $50 thousand for Precious and demanded more money after it became a hit. Had it lost money, she wouldn't have given anything back so I have no sympathy for her whining about that.
I'm not even an Oprah fan, but I'm not taking sides in that dispute because my intuition is there is probably blame to go around.
"Precious" was a great movie. I did not think I was going to like it but I did. Mo'nique is a great actress, as well as a great comedian. She deserves more than she's been offered. Did you know that she did the movie "Precious" for only $50,000?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Oz
I am very happy that "Black Panther" has succeeded beyond expectations.
Yes. She took that amount because she thought that it was fair when she signed the contract. If it lost $5 million, she wouldn't have given any back. So in my mind, you get paid what you sign for. With that said, it's not fair that she can't get paid commiserate to get talent and on that, we can agree.Quote:
Originally Posted by marv2
Personally, I think that Gabby Sidibe has as big a complaint as Mo'Nique over her lack of offers since Precious, if not bigger. Lee Daniels did put her on Empire, though.
On one hand, I'm very happy that it became a cultural and artistic touchpoint and is making history. On the other, I'm mad that it took until 2018 to make a movie like it when black people spend a greater percentage of their loot at the movies than anybody, only to be taken for granted. Which takes us back to Mo'Nique, I guess.Quote:
Originally Posted by marv2
I remember 40 years ago this year, they made this big hub bub over the film "The Wiz" and how it cost over $100 million, etc. After it flopped, there were no more all black cast big budget movies. What he got after that were Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy films every now and then. My problem with all of this including Mo'nique and Gabby's situations is that there is more than enough money and audiences out there to go around!Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Oz
I hate when I hear the term "you have to play the game". I've been hearing it my whole life. If you have the talent and drive to do a certain thing, you should not have to play games and grovel to achieve.
There's not a lot that you can do in some situations. If black people united in support of each other, we'd have literally none of the problems we face. We control enough money and enough votes that we could demand criminal justice reform, fair voting laws, quality education and something more akin to social equality.
All that it would take is unity. Don't spend money if there is an area of contention. Period. Stop eating at Denny's and Hardees until they make more than cosmetic changes to address the racist issues that have dogged them for decades. Stop purchasing insurance from companies that charge us more. Boycott banks that have different lending standards and charge different interest rates to us. Stop buying Nikes until the price comes down. Don't buy from H&M or shop at any major retailer who has been shown to profile black customers EVER again. Support black businesses, even if it costs more [[and charge less to deserve that support).
And vote. Every election, in greater numbers than any other demographic, for the same candidate whether you believe that's the guy you prefer or not. That sounds counterintuitive, but it's important. Politicians take us for granted because we are selfish in how we vote and our voting is split up. If we all voted the same way, change would be swift and politicians would kiss our asses to get the vote.
We've been playing by their rules since Reconstruction. The reason Dr. King and Minister Shabazz were taken from us is because they were leaders and America wants us all working against our common interests. Change that dynamic and within two election cycles, you'll see the America that all of the protest marches in history have been begging for. It's time to stop begging and start demanding.
Jerry,thank you,thank you...this is what i've been saying for years,we as blacks have been conditioned to hate one another since[1619]and we still do it,what i'm saying is as you pointed out with all the money in the black community that is being spent and we're still beggin,i've mentioned that with folks like-spike-oprah-tyler perry we could have our own studio to make films that relate to us,but no this one don't like that one and so on,so i don't wanna hear about this artist not winning or not getting paid..let's get it together.
Jerry you are so right!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Oz
It is incredible. At my age, I am just really understanding that. I personally have never been that way and did not recognize that there are more than a few people out there that have that "crabs in a bucket" mentality. I have cheered so many people on in my lifetime, that it is just a natural thing for me to want to see people succeed. Unity has been a problem. Getting people to bond together for more than a single issue or more than a short period of time has been a challenge.Quote:
Originally Posted by arr&bee
And it will continue to be i'm afraid,now about the film itself...outstanding,well acted good storyline great costumes,the best[marvel movie by a mile[and i like marvel movies]i would see it again as superhero movies go,i highly recommend this one,i just hope that the sequel is up to the task.
I enjoyed it a lot. The story line was uniquely African-American in its approach. The villains in James Bond movies all want to either rule the world or steal billions of dollars. But this one was angry but... well, I won't spoil it. But there has been a lot of debate on the web about whether he was right. Black Twitter was divided between Team T'Challa and Team Killmonger, which tells you that many would take up his cause. Interesting.
I'm votin for Jerry. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Oz
marv,my brother,remember that crabs aren't trying to pull one another back...they're trying to get out.Quote:
Originally Posted by marv2