This film is getting some good (non-critical) buzz

Hell, even the H.Q.I.C. (15) dug it:

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=4&topic_id=5243461&mesg_id=5243461


Date flick all the way

Anyway, I know it's fun to read and TEE HEE at and all, but can we please keep the bullshit outta this post for once?

I think we're all pretty clear on where we stand with Mr. Perry, so it would be nice if we could just talk about the film

Thanks in advance
______________________________________________________________________
Clear Eyes
Full Hearts
Can't Lose
(unless y'all don't watch)

early show and some dinner to discuss...

very buppie of us i know
________________________________________
return to your home citizens

madagascar titties- (c) phontiggalo the rap jiggalo

I would never, ever hit a woman....but i'll beat a bitch (c) wifey

http://www.myspace.com/iltigo

>early show and some dinner to discuss...
>
>very buppie of us i know
Glad I know what to call it. LOL





----------------------------
"No really Nate, I don't think you're a gimmick. You deserved to win that Slam Dunk contest. Keep practicing and maybe next year it won't take you fifteen attempts to throw one down. Who's my little man?"

>Hell, even the H.Q.I.C. (15) dug it:
>
>http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=4&topic_id=5243461&mesg_id=5243461

I keed, I keed.

I knew what to expect from a Tyler Perry play, so my I enjoyed it throughly
I want to see what changes have been made for the movie
I want to see Jill do her thing and I want to support my homie Lamman Rucker

you know i'mma be all over this.

numbers. GOOD!

and stop actin like jamie's movie about terrorism is supposed to beat a damn movie starring the rock, about FOOTBALL, that was released at the start of the season and got a cute ass lil grl in it. and disney marketing? man, that's an L coming a from a ways away.

you just mad adam samberg's hot rod joint tanked like the bills.

Couldnt care less about Hot Rod but yes much worse than the Bills.

I was seriously surprised @ first that the WWE beat ILC and Alias but once he beat SNL and Stiller I realized you just cant lose with the ole family comedies.

Yeah, he'll speak on them when asked, but this isn't WWE-related product in any way, shape or form

This is all Disney

Vince would give his left grapefruit to produce a hit movie like this
______________________________________________________________________
Clear Eyes
Full Hearts
Can't Lose
(unless y'all don't watch)

Game Plan will be linked with WWE.

If that really were the case, then you'd see ads and promo spots for TGP all over WWE TV

You haven't

I've seen The Rock all over ESPN, a Disney company, not WWE

This is a Disney operation, bottom line



10/16 UPDATE: The Rock appeared on the opening of Disney/ESPN's Monday Night Football last night, a show that goes up against WWE Monday Night Raw, where he didn't appear
______________________________________________________________________
Clear Eyes
Full Hearts
Can't Lose
(unless y'all don't watch)

you're missing the point completely.

We Own the Night isn't getting great reviews, Michael Clayton might not capture the mainstream audience and I doubt Across the Universe and Elizabeth do all that much. I can't imagine The Gameplan will be THAT strong in week 3.

Producer-director-writer-actor Perry's appeal to African American audiences went from solid to spectacular Friday as the Lionsgate adaptation of his stage play was the No. 1 U.S. movie, opening with $7.6 million Friday from 2,011 theaters and the best per screen average. robert_duvall15.jpgPerry is now one of Hollywood's most reliable box office brands, again able to tap into a deep reservoir of comedic mayhem and melodrama that his moviegoers love seeing. This weekend, he was critic-proof, with reviewers generally rejecting his PG-13 film. But the 3-day estimate is still a comfortable $22M to $25M.

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/

to say it's a bit melodramatic is an understatement. I'm not a fan of his work, but I can see why people like him. One major flaw I see is the lack of finesse when moving from one emotion to the next, which works in musicals, but not so much in dialog-driven pieces. Despite the obvious bites of "The Big Chill," the story had potential, but it fell into that heavy-handed religious mode. It would help if he hired someone to adapt his screenplays, because what works on stage doesn't necessarily work in film. He's got the black dollar in his pocket. I just wish our audiences had higher standards.

but hey, some folks still enjoy his work regardless... good 4 him

Probably would have made a better cover story. My girl made me sit through Diary of a Mad Black Woman one Sunday afternoon and that one sucked, but I respect what he does because he's entirely self made.

talk about putting shit out on the mu'fucking table!!!!

And Sharon Leal is fucking gorgeous!!!

it should not be that hard ot discuss the state of black cinema with black people.

but, alas...

way too melodramatic in some scenes, but overall a decent movie...

seeing it tonite

...it didn't suck.

Jill Scott was great. I'd see her in something else.
God bless Janet Jackson, but honey cannot act.
Michael Jai White made his cartoon character work.

Nice to see a TP movie without kids.

Kind of hard to take Malik and Janet serious during their weeping scene.
Also kind of hard to believe that the sheriff was chilling in the service and on a mountain his whole life waiting for Jill Scott's character's big ass to show up.

I like TP productions.
There may be cheese, but there's a lot of Black people on screen and there's nothing wrong with that.

because I came down to visit my dad and his wife and my sister wanted to see it.....

and I really liked parts and pieces of it. There is a lot of stuff that is just amateur hour but there Perry has some things going for me that are going to have me looking out for his movies in the future.

The Good:
Tyler Perry-the actor. Mr. Perry's cash cow may be Madea but good Lord in Heaven (i've decided to incorporate more prayer since it works so well for characters in black movies) I hope to god he ditches the cross-dressing gag and just acts. He was EASILY the best male lead (not that hard going up against Malik Yoba and Michael Jai White) but more than that gave a downright good performance. He's got charisma and is able to pull off the dramatic work as well.

Tasha Smith-I hate the sassy, domineering sista girl routine as a rule but she was able to infuse enough humanity and play the role w/ such freewheeling hilarity that it never felt one note or grating. Some of her work was downright hysterical. I'll look for her in the future as she took the role a lesser actress (I'm looking at you Mo'nique) could have used to sink the picture and in turn brought energy to a picture that is mostly people sitting around drinking and talking. and drinking. and talking. and talking and drinking. and crying. and drinking.

Jill Scott-Looking only slightly less ridiculous than Eddie Murphy's Sherman Klump and probably wearing his very same fat suit she is still able to give a pretty damn good performance. Her speech in the final act teeters between being overly melodramatic and absolutely honest and heartfelt. In the end she's able to sell the hell out of it. And she looked stunning in once out that ridiculous fat suit.

Sharon Leal-if Janet Jackson (more on her later) wasn't needed to get butts in seats she would be cast in the lead. Nothing groundbreaking here but she put in good work and is light years beyond Jackson in acting ability and would have run w/ the role that Jackson drags through the mud.

Mixed-
Tyler Perry-the director. Nigga Thou Art Loosed....from the theater! He's still not made the transition to film director and a lot of his blocking and direction reflects this. So we get scene after scene of people sitting down in a semi-circle talking arranged as they would be on the stage. The upside is that Perry will stay in his master shot longer than a lot of newer directors. He needs a really good DP (much like . He was paired w/ an adequate one on this and so the film almost looked like a film at parts but he needs someone with an eye. He's adept at the comedy even though there are a few times where it gets a little broader than it really needs to be and he has a foundation to grow on with the dramatic work. If he could master the art of subtlety and nuance he'd really be someone to watch. But it is going to be a long, hard road to hoe though. He needs to learn pacing as the movie kind of jolts along never flowing particularly smoothly. Again, his theater background isn't of great service. A good editor would help him immensely.


Bad-
Production Design-Shit. Pure shit. Production design should never pull you out of the movie. And here I couldn't stop staring at the ridiculously decorated sets. The interior of the supposedly romantic log cabin was about as far from romantic as you can get largely because it never felt real. Again Perry's theatrical background betrays him. His interiors look like theater sets which is never good. I hope with continued success and its rewards he'll be able to start putting that money back up on screen. Hopefully they won't blow the bulk of that money on candles as they did for this movie.

The three male co-stars-Richard Jones' character is so ridiculously evil I was waiting for him to twirl his moustache. Good Lord. Michael Jai White when not looking absolutely ridiculous sounds absolutley ridiculous. His 'dramatic' scene recalled his work in Spawn. Think about that. Malik Yoba is adequate in the lighter scenes but isn't equipped to do any dramatic heavy lifting.

Janet Jackson-She deserves a Razzie. If there is a god in heaven she would win the award for worst performance of the year. She is deadweight and given way too much to do. In ideal world she would have been cast as the girl serving coffee in the diner. She is the worst thing about every scene she is in and her sole acting talent seems to be her ability to get progressively get worse as the movie goes along. Janet Jackson. You are a pox on black cinema (I remember Poetic Justice).

It's a really mixed bag of a movie something a better writer/director could have done something great with instead we get a bad movie that has enough good elements that indicate Perry may grow into a decent filmmaker and actually make some genuinely good movies. Deeply flawed but still a lot of fun.

I went into this thinking "man, this is going to suck, but I feel like being entertained however briefly and nothing else looks good, so...."

and I was shocked that I actually found parts to be hilarious.

Some review said you'd laugh and cry and laugh, but I never felt like that emotional sad scenes were up to par with the hysterical nature of the scenes that made me laugh.

And yes, the definite stars of the show were Tasha Smith and Jill Scott. It's amazing how natural Jill was...I had a ready made excuse waiting for her, "Well Jill and Janet were so horrible because they aren't even really actresses, their talent rests in singing and entertaining so how could you expect them to be good actors?" but Jill doesn't need my charity, she really belongs on the screen.

Good for Sharon Leal, getting some work after Dreamgirls. Pretty girl, has acting talent to match, that's always nice.

Janet was horrible. That scene where she was yelling and crying about her dead kid was laughable, as was Malik's involvement with that scene...Not saying men can't cry but that shit came across as extremely corny.

I really liked the fact that the characters were wealthy as fuck and werent entertainers, I know in this day and age that shouldnt be a point of praise, but it struck me as cool that they were mega successful architects and business owners and writers. It did ring a bit weird that the 3 girlfriends would just up and let Jill Scott work in a general store for all that time, especially since the sale of just one of their Louis Vuitton purses could set her up nicely for a minute...I know they asked if they could help her and she said no, but come the fuck on.

Also sketchy was them even considering letting Ricahrd T Jones stay at the house before and after Jill Scott got there. You are obviously sleeping with a bitch, bring her here, and then tell your WIFE to drive? And all we're going to do is look at you disapprovingly and call the girl a slut? We aren't going to beat the fuck out of you and make you drive and find her? Horrible writing.

I wonder how much Tyler had to resist the urge to put in a girls-only sing-a-long with Janet and Jill briefly flexing their singing muscle...I admit I was kind of hoping something might pop off, just as a cute nod to the fans of Janet and Jill....

I was surprised to see Tyler be the strongest male lead acting wise, I thought I would have to stifle laughter going into the movie, trying to *Really* believe that he was married to a gorgeous lady like Sharon Leal, but wow he did a great job, didn't over or underact, it was nice.

Is it weird that I didn't really notice a huge difference between fat suit Jill and end-of-the-movie/regular music star Jill? Like obviously there is a big difference weightwise, but it never really registered for me other than the one scene where she was at the cafe with the sheriff and was wearing tight clothes, and the lingerie scene...but the physical impact of her weighing her normal self at the end was lost on me, because I didnt really register the difference, maybe I'm the only one though...

It annoyed me that they were dealing with real issues, but then Tyler, ever reminded not to offend his meal ticket, the church-going sector of ticket-buyers, would have his characters saying "butthole" instead of "asshole". Minor gripe, but it pissed me off nonetheless.

THe best acting job Michael Jai White did was look drunk as fuck in the bar scene. I dont know if he didnt go to sleep for a day before filming that scene or what, but his eyes had that 'drunk look' to him, and I thought his eyes did a better acting job than all of the male leads (excluding Tyler) put together.

a la Waiting to Exhale.

>>I admit I was kind of hoping something
>might pop off, just as a cute nod to the fans of Janet and
>Jill....


>>THe best acting job Michael Jai White: I thought his eyes did a better
>acting job than all of the male leads (excluding Tyler) put
>together.

LOL!

had a huge argument with a girl i was dating b/c i REFUSED to see this. she said i was being close-minded b/c i had never seen any TP work. i looked up a few clips of his work on youtube and it solidified my desire not to go. then i saw that rotten tomatoes had given his last movie like 28%. no thanks...the tomatometer has never led me wrong...
___

myspace.com/spiritequality

"the aim of an argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress" - Joseph Joubert, essayist, 1754-1824

I guess I'm willing to give her more of a pass simply because the weight of the movie is not on her

Meaning, her character's not the emotional center of the film

Jill Scott's character is

^^^ She's asked to carry the film emotionally more than Janet, imo, even with that alleged "corny" breakdown scene with her and Malik Yoba (imo, the scene went on about 2 minutes too long but otherwise was ok)

As the straitlaced professor, Janet's character wasn't really asked to do much except play the "straight man" to everyone around her, particularly Tasha Smith

And because of that I really didn't find much fault with her performance

But yeah, everything else you wrote here was spot-on

And again, it reinforces my notion that what Tyler does, he does EXTREMELY well, and that's present "raw" and (at times) over-the-top emotion

From an emotional standpoint, he's one of the best storytellers out there

And from a plot, dialogue, and visual standpoint, he's not one of the best

(and yeah, we know, we get it, thanks)

I mean, this movie is almost designed like a sitcom (actually, more like one of his plays), in that you have moments and lines that are there for the sole purpose of eliciting applause or agreement ("Tell em, girl!") from the audience

Emotional audience participation, even in a movie theater, is key to his appeal

In other words, you shouldn't be going to a Tyler Perry film to see the cinematography or the intricate plotting

^^^ Not a diss, btw

Because that whole plot device of having the big girl get off the plane in lieu of the "friend," then having the big girl drive in the snow while asking Jesus to guide her trip (and also save her marriage while He's at it) is one of the shittier pieces of writing I've seen in a long time

Like, why couldn't Jill have just missed the plane by getting stuck in traffic or some other reason? I would have had no problem believing, for example, that Jill just missed the plane because she had to run a series of ridiculous errands for her lame husband, some evil, manipulative shit that he had her do to ensure that she would miss that plane

Anything other than the flimsy, "have the evil white dude complain about the fat black woman, then have her no-good husband not have her back and instead ogle the thin brown girl next to him instead" scene that we got

And again, knowing Tyler's steeze, I understand *why* it's there, but that doesn't mean that it *should* be there, because it was bad

And on a related note I'm not sure you'd see a character like Richard T. Jones' in another film except a Tyler Perry one

That's bad if you're looking for a character with some subtlety, but good if you're looking for a guy to (loudly) boo in a Tyler Perry film

I wonder if Richard watched any tapes of The Rock when he was a heel in WWE in preparation for the role

In any event, aforementioned plot issues aside, I enjoyed myself for the most part, though the movie could have been trimmed by about 20 minutes. And on a personal note I'd like to thank Mr. Perry and his D.P. for the shots of Jill Scott's pretty-ass toes... I'm just sayin'...

Here's hoping that in the future his filmmaking skills catch up to his emotional storytelling skills...
______________________________________________________________________
I have no remorse
So check me out in The Source

Richard T. Jones was pretty damn ridiculous. Not only could I not believe that he would do what he did, but I couldn't see a woman, even one with the self esteem issues Jill's character had putting up with him. And I REALLY couldn't see her friends letting him do that.

He was straight out of a Terry McMillan book with that one.

Could I see him saying all of that at once? No! But in watching the movie, I saw my guy in real life on some "M**** would say some shit like that!"

And, Jill's girls handled it their own ways. Angela had some of the best lines in the movie voicing her opinion on the subject!!!

*throws on I'll Be Missing You*

*SEES Sting and Faith Evans warming up on stage*

NOOOOOOOOOOPE!

And The Rock still layin' dat smacketh-downeth on Markie Mark's candy ass... TALK ABOUT IT!

Here's some "Clooney Ether" from deadlinehollywooddaily.com:

>SUNDAY AM: Everyone knew Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married would do well at the box office this weekend. But certainly not $21.5 million, well enough to double the gross receipts of Triple-A List star George Clooney's adult legal drama Michael Clayton. How abundantly clear that Clooney's domestic popularity as an actor isn't what the media or Hollywood thinks it is. After all, his Warner movie is one of the best reviewed this early fall (90% on Rotten Tomatoes). But except for his ensemble movies -- the franchise Ocean's 11, 12 & 13 or A Perfect Storm or Batman & Robin-- not one George Clooney-starring movie has ever opened big at the domestic box office despite plenty of hype. But he keeps getting hired as the top salaried star of pics especially at Warner because he's considered a big name internationally. Such is the decision making of Hollywood.

Producer-director-writer-actor Perry's appeal to African American audiences went from solid to spectacular as the Lionsgate adaptation of his stage play was the No. 1 U.S. movie with the best per screen average ($4,550 Saturday) in its 2,011 theaters. Perry is now one of Hollywood's most reliable box office brands, again able to tap into a deep reservoir of comedic mayhem and melodrama that his moviegoers love seeing. This weekend, he was critic-proof, with reviewers generally rejecting his PG-13 film.

Disney's family fare, The Game Plan started the weekend in 4th place. But The Rock in his 3rd weekend in release overheated Saturday matinees and overtook both Clooney and Phoenix and Wahlberg. The Game Plan's weekend gross was $11.5 million from 3,128 venues, bringing its cume to $59.4 million.

My box office analysts expected Warner's R-rated Michael Clayton, which expanded into 2,511 theaters this weekend, to be the No. 1 film. Instead, this full-frills studio movie with its expensive ad campaign was only #3 (and even #4, according to some studio estimates) after making $11 million from 2,511 runs.

Neck and neck with it was the R-rated We Own The Night, which Sony at Cannes paid a bargain $11 million for the domestic rights from Mark Cuban's 2929 Productions. This thriller starring Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg finished #4 with $11 mil from 2,362 plays. Reviews of the pic were mixed, and awareness so-so despite a sharp ad campaign. I'm told 51% of the audience was male, and 58% were under 30.

After a disappointing debut last weekend, DreamWorks / Paramount's The Heartbreak Kid managed 5th place. The Ben Stiller starrer eked out $7.4 million this weekend from 3,233 dates, down 47%. Its new cume is $26 mill.

In only 6th place, Universal's PG-13 Elizabeth: The Golden Age opened amid media attention and Oscar buzz since Cate Blanchett is one of Hollywood's most celebrated actresses now. The costume drama's opening box office of $6.1 million from 2,001 dates was lower than the studio would have liked but similar to Pride And Prejudice. It attracted an older audience with 2/3 over age 35.

As for the rest of the Top 10, Universal's war thriller The Kingdom with Jamie Foxx placed 7th, entering its 3rd weekend in release taking in $4.5 million from 2,836 theaters for a new cume of $39.9 mil. At No. 8 was Sony / Revolution's Across The Universe, directed by Julie Taymor and featuring The Beatles hit songs (since Sony controls that music catalogue). Thanks to teenage girls seeing the romantic pic, it started its 5th week in release squeezing out another $4 million from just 954 venues for a new cume of $12.9 mil. Resident Evil 3 from Sony / Screen Gems snagged the 9th spot starting its 4th week in release. With a new cume of $48 mil, the sci-fi pic scraped together $2.6 million from 2,249 dates. Fox/Walden's underperforming kiddie fantasy holdover The Seeker climbed up to No. 10 after Saturday matinees to take in $2.1 million from 3,173 theaters for a new cume of only $7.1 million.

Among newscomers, Yari Film Group's The Final Season made $665K from 1,011 runs, Sony Picture Classics' Sleuth took in $50K from 9 dates, and MGM's Lars And The Real Girl ended the weekend with $85K in 7 theaters in 7 venues.
______________________________________________________________________
Clear Eyes
Full Hearts
Can't Lose
(unless y'all don't watch)

That is, make smart, mature movies for adults. And she's taking shots at him for it. Nikki Finke is an idiot.

But in this case I don't think it helped that Clooney's movie was released by the studio whose head just allegedly decreed that he would no longer greenlight movies with female leads

But yeah, her shameless cheerleading for certain cats (Johnny Depp) and unwarranted dissing of others (Clooney) can get grating
______________________________________________________________________
Clear Eyes
Full Hearts
Can't Lose
(unless y'all don't watch)

and he almost ruined the batman franchise.

As someone else pointed out, he makes smart, mature movies for adults. Adults don't go to the movies that often.

His movies don't do numbers in line with his public image and stature in the media. But it's not like studios are spending $100 mil on his stuff. Who thought Good Night and Good Luck was going to do numbers? I don't even think he did. And people who thought Michael Clayton would be the #1 movie are just delusional.

Whether you think he is responible for that Batman movie tanking (come on, it wasn't his decision to put the nipples on the batsuit!), Clooney today is clearly not Clooney from back then. Just like Johnny Depp today ain't the Johnny Depp that did Nick of Time, or Jamie Foxx today ain't the Jamie Foxx that did Help Up. Those things stay on the resume, but they've all grown into completely different people as actors and stars.

RED
http://arrena.blogspot.com

Clooney today is clearly not Clooney from back
>then. Just like Johnny Depp today ain't the Johnny Depp that
>did Nick of Time, or Jamie Foxx today ain't the Jamie Foxx
>that did Help Up. Those things stay on the resume, but they've
>all grown into completely different people as actors and
>stars.

i can't wait until tyler perry feature some white folks in a film, so he can finally win over white folks...like spike did.

Perry has been at this movie thing for a relatively short time. And considering how many movies he's put out, he's the last person we need to worry about being given a chance.

But if all he's gonna do is remake his stage plays, is "growth" the right word to use?

RED
http://arrena.blogspot.com

___

myspace.com/spiritequality

"the aim of an argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress" - Joseph Joubert, essayist, 1754-1824

we have to get out of simplistic racially based ways of viewing things. obviously, independence day (with a black lead) grossed more internationally than any clooney film you could care to name. there's something else at work. it is generically called 'broad appeal' (whatever the f--k that is). there's certainly an argument that hollywood has conditioned the world to view films with predominantly white casts as having 'broad appeal' (even though whites make up less than 10% of world population, last I checked). but the fact that clooney is white alone ain't enough to trump TP. i'd be willing to wager his film is actually (gasp) better made, but i can only judge both films by their trailers (which is what lures me into movies in the first place, more times than not). the fact that TP's current film appears to have no central conflict leads me to suspect that it would be a clusterf--k, which is why I'm avoiding it.
___

myspace.com/spiritequality

"the aim of an argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress" - Joseph Joubert, essayist, 1754-1824

1. europe and austrailia/NZ have bigger film audiences than say, oh...the Sudan.

2. white faces are much more palatable around the world than black ones. hollywood films with white folks make more than asian films with asian folks in china, india and japan. dispute? thought not.

3. stop thinking like a child about race. "white people are the minority"...good grief.

4. sample size?

>*throws on I'll Be Missing You*
>
>*SEES Sting and Faith Evans warming up on stage*
>
>NOOOOOOOOOOPE!
>
>And The Rock still layin' dat smacketh-downeth on Markie
>Mark's candy ass... TALK ABOUT IT!


easily one of the funniest things i've read on here in awhile. almost a better basa than basa

Money makes it happen.

NO MATTER what you think of TP productions, you have to think that the gatekeepers will want to embrace more Black filmmakers in hopes of tapping the next TPerry.

For that alone you have to give dude credit.

I say kudos.

it ain't like eve's bayou 2 is finna get greenlit on the strength of this.
___

myspace.com/spiritequality

"the aim of an argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress" - Joseph Joubert, essayist, 1754-1824

the entire cast, especially the STAR, of eve's bayou came from the same kinds of bad black films that you bitches always whine about constantly...

sam jackson had to have his star quality recognized by doing bullshit before he got a chance to shine in a well written black film...and the black audiences that loved him in BAD BLACK MOVIES followed him to eve's bayou...just like black audiences will now follow jill scott in whatever the fuck she chooses to do next, whether it be another bad black movie or a cameo in a corny ass wes anderson flick, which will have you corny motherfuckers fall over yourselves at the supposed novelty of it.

even morgan freeman had to do the same kinda shit that would embarrass you hankyheaded fools before he got to be God. and black folks still support the dude.

Sam got his breakthrough being in good black movies and shit like Sea of Love and Ragtime. Plus, he was doing theater.

You can try to use whatever logic you want to cop pleas for Perry. The fact remains that dude is just not good.

>Sam got his breakthrough being in good black movies and shit
>like Sea of Love and Ragtime. Plus, he was doing theater.

he was doing theater? no shit. so was malik yoba in all these years since new york undercover went off. and now he's gonna get better film offers because of who...

> You can try to use whatever logic you want to cop pleas for
>Perry. The fact remains that dude is just not good.

fuck if i care...he doing numbers and gettin black folks jobs.

all that other shit is for losers who confuse lack of talent with artistic integrity. them shits ain't the same, doggie.

spike's filmography >>>>>>>>> TP's.

come on, now...

besides that, sam has worked with a wide range of directors. you make it sound like sam was on the chitlin circuit before eve's bayou.

further, you act like the success of any old black movie leads to more black films being made that diverge from the original...scary movie's 100 million dollar box office didn't lead to a diverse rush of black films being greenlit. your argument is wild ahistorical.

spike's tendency to generate profit from meager budgets through the late 80's didn't necessary lead to a rush of greenlit films either (hollywood shuffle was financed on credit cards, not studio charity).

TP's success will lead to TP getting more TP projects greenlit.

it would be different if he set up a production company and started developing other people's projects...you'd be better off arguing hypothetically that he might do that (not much good came of spike's executive producing run in the early 90's...i still groan at the thought of new jersey drive).
___

myspace.com/spiritequality

"the aim of an argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress" - Joseph Joubert, essayist, 1754-1824

>spike's filmography >>>>>>>>> TP's.
>
>come on, now...

why would i debate with you?

I doubt that we're going to see better, higher-profile work from the stars of this movie. I disagree with you, but I'd like to be wrong.

Malik Yoba has been doing more than theater in the intervening years, and he deserves to get more work.

Richard T. Jones definitely deserves to be seen more. I see he's in the Sarah Connor Chronicles coming up. Cool. I doubt we'll ever see him carrying a major movie.

Michael Jai White has already had his time in the sun come and go.

Jill Scott already has the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. As it is already filming, I doubt she got that based on the performance of Perry's movie. But maybe they saw a cut of it earlier and cast her based on that. Maybe.

These men at least have been working consistently over the last few years. It would be nice if being in one Perry movie turned their careers around. But what about the leads in his other movies, all of which have done numbers, as they say.

RED
http://arrena.blogspot.com

I think you forget sometimes that not everyone here hates Spike. In fact, I think most people here have always been a fan of Spike's work. Jungle Fever was flawed but very good. If Tyler Perry was making films of the same quality as Jungle Fever (never mind the subject matter), I doubt these conversations would ever take place.

>he was doing theater? no shit. so was malik yoba in all these
>years since new york undercover went off. and now he's gonna
>get better film offers because of who...

Jury is far from in on this. Malik Yoba was working before this movie, and not just theater. And I'm sure he'll continue to work. But it remains to be seen if he'll get better film offers.

As far as the rest of the cast of Eve's Bayou, let's not get sidetracked with Sam Jackson. Lynn Whitfield, Debbi Morgan, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Diahann Carroll, Jurnee Smollett, etc. Which ones got their big break in bad black movies? They all done them, but which ones first got noticed in them?

RED
http://arrena.blogspot.com

how many times do black folks in the industry have to start out doing nigga shit, get recognized for being finacially feaseable, get hated on by white film critics who can't relate and embarrassed hankyheads, CROSSOVER, start doing shit white folks enjoy and then get patted on the back by those same scared niggas?

quickest turnaround i saw for that one was terrence howard's pimp. now, that dude is rollin'. man, that was fast.


furthermore, what EXACTLY are we always debating here? can someone pinpoint the problem for me?

1. you don't want tyler perry's hustle to stop, right?

2. neither of us think he's a good filmmaker.

3. i don't care about his filmmaking so much as he gets asses in seats and hires black casts and crew, who will then be able to turn around and do shit THEY WANNA DO and start another cycle of black employment and creativity. eventually, some little PA that was birthed by tyler perry will produce the kinda clever, quirky bullshit you niggas are dying to see. then, the whole world will know..."see black folks can do subtle, quirky comedy, too"...whatever, nigga. you wanna see that bullshit? write it...direct it...stop fuckin whining. and maybe karma won't kick you in the ass and black audiences will want to see your quirky black folk movie, because you know damn well white folks ain't gonna see it.

4. the state of black film does not begin and end with tyler perry anymore than white folks shit begin and end with kevin smith. why behave like it does? that's what i don't understand.

>4. the state of black film does not begin and end with tyler
>perry anymore than white folks shit begin and end with kevin
>smith. why behave like it does? that's what i don't
>understand.

Kevin Smith is one of thousands of white filmmakers of note.

Tyler Perry is one of a handful of black filmmakers of note.
Perry has a much greater weight and proportional significance in the discussion of blacks in the movie business, for better or worse.

What's not to understand?

RED
http://arrena.blogspot.com

>>4. the state of black film does not begin and end with
>tyler
>>perry anymore than white folks shit begin and end with kevin
>>smith. why behave like it does? that's what i don't
>>understand.
>
>Kevin Smith is one of thousands of white filmmakers of note.
>
>Tyler Perry is one of a handful of black filmmakers of note.
>Perry has a much greater weight and proportional significance
>in the discussion of blacks in the movie business, for better
>or worse.

absolute garbage. spike, gray, fuqua, lemmons, singleton, hughes bros, hudlins, wayans, the van peebles, etc. do not and should not have to answer to the creative decisions of tyler perry...EXCEPT in the minds of scaredy cat ass nigga who let themselves get boxed into that type of thinking.

>absolute garbage. spike, gray, fuqua, lemmons, singleton,
>hughes bros, hudlins, wayans, the van peebles, etc. do not and
>should not have to answer to the creative decisions of tyler
>perry...EXCEPT in the minds of scaredy cat ass nigga who let
>themselves get boxed into that type of thinking.

Why would I debate you on this? It's not like it represents anything I said.

RED
http://arrena.blogspot.com

>how many times do black folks in the industry have to start
>out doing nigga shit, get recognized for being finacially
>feaseable, get hated on by white film critics who can't relate
>and embarrassed hankyheads, CROSSOVER, start doing shit white
>folks enjoy and then get patted on the back by those same
>scared niggas?
>
>quickest turnaround i saw for that one was terrence howard's
>pimp. now, that dude is rollin'. man, that was fast.
>
>
>furthermore, what EXACTLY are we always debating here? can
>someone pinpoint the problem for me?

All I'm waiting for is proof that the successes of Tyler Perry's movies themselves are getting black dramas greenlit. You're giving me conjecture.

>
>1. you don't want tyler perry's hustle to stop, right?

I don't care. On one hand, he's a black man making money, but on the other, he's a black man making money with substandard films.

>
>2. neither of us think he's a good filmmaker.
>
>3. i don't care about his filmmaking so much as he gets asses
>in seats and hires black casts and crew, who will then be able
>to turn around and do shit THEY WANNA DO and start another
>cycle of black employment and creativity. eventually, some
>little PA that was birthed by tyler perry will produce the
>kinda clever, quirky bullshit you niggas are dying to see.
>then, the whole world will know..."see black folks can do
>subtle, quirky comedy, too"...whatever, nigga. you wanna see
>that bullshit? write it...direct it...stop fuckin whining. and
>maybe karma won't kick you in the ass and black audiences will
>want to see your quirky black folk movie, because you know
>damn well white folks ain't gonna see it.

a) don't think I'm not trying to do my own thing.
b) I care about the quality of the films, for the reason that bad films beget more bad films (and also for the reason that I had to sit through some of them, and I want those hours of my life back). If studios see you can get a decent return on a lesser investment of money/quality, they will operate at that low standard for as long as they can.

>
>4. the state of black film does not begin and end with tyler
>perry anymore than white folks shit begin and end with kevin
>smith. why behave like it does? that's what i don't
>understand.
>

I don't. I myself just hate it when people try to justify the quality of TP's films because he's black, Christians, or black and Christian (and when those same folks start back-hand slapping Spike Lee, Johh Singleton, etc. in the process).
>

same usually wack stuff that was being over produced before Tyler Perry came in.

The only real difference between that stuff and his is that TP flicks take time out somewhere in the sixth reel to praise Jesus.

>same usually wack stuff that was being over produced before
>Tyler Perry came in.
>
>The only real difference between that stuff and his is that TP
>flicks take time out somewhere in the sixth reel to praise
>Jesus.

nah, the only difference is mass black audiences prefer a different aesthetic and you boho hipster niggas are too good to relate on that level.

>nah, the only difference is mass black audiences prefer a
>different aesthetic and you boho hipster niggas are too good
>to relate on that level.


^^^My sentiments exactly^^^

there are 40 million black people in this country. obviously all of those people aren't going to see TP movies or they'd gross 200 million. what is this 'mass black audience' crap about? for one thing, TP's demo is primarily female, last I checked (and one gender ain't 'mass'). besides that, you can't homogenize black people. nor can you paint any TP critic into a convenient 'boho' box (whatever the hell a boho is...i love when people toss around a word they can't define).

black people purchase a disproportionate amount of the movie tickets sold in the US (I've seen figures as high as 50% quoted). so, if 12 million black folks see 'spider man', is spider-man more appealing to the 'mass black audience' than TP? i guarantee you, if you want to play this populist game, your argument is gonna get turned into mud.

just say 'i like TP, you don't'. it's easier and actually can be proven.

edit: am i the only one that jokes and calls every black romantic film of the past 9 years, love jones pt 27 or the best man pt 35?
___

myspace.com/spiritequality

"the aim of an argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress" - Joseph Joubert, essayist, 1754-1824

but we don't have as many alternatives to those sorts of films as "mainstream" audiences do, which is the problem. It's the same thing with black radio: where there a _balance_, there would be less of an issue over the content and quality of what reaches the masses.

As for us "boho hipsters" being "too good" for things that appeal to the "mass black audience", that's a very poor generalization. I'm hardly a boho or a hipster; I'm just someone who appreciates good cinema, well-made films.

Putting affluent black characters in front of a camera, having them not say too many bad words, and praising Jesus in reel six is not enough for me when the tones of various scenes are unbalanced, everything is pitched - in earnest - at an over-the-top melodramatic level, shots don't match, simple comedy routines that have been standard since the days of Charlie Chaplin are poorly executed because of the ineptitude of the director, cinematographer, and/or editor, the acting is poor, and the story is unbelievable (different, as I noted in GD, from "unrealistic").

There is no good reason why I should support Tyler Perry simply because he and I share a ethnic catagorization. There have been, are, and will be better black filmmakers.

each generation of copy gets progressively worse.

RED
http://arrena.blogspot.com

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rD5OIpZHSMk

went to see it opening night. minus the extended bantering, comments and laughter of all the negroes in the theatre, i was very entertained.

what i hated:
that the characters were extremes and the connections of the families/couples were weird and uncertain. were they all college friends? or what? there wasn't enough historical context.

tyler's character and that moving out situation. it was so fast and unbelieveable, they should have just caught him as he was packing up his stuff to stay at his mothers or something.

jill scotts character seemed to find comfort very quickly for an emotionally and verbally abused woman. they should have shown more dates as time passed or something. more of her working on her issues.

what i loved:
all the characters were comfortable to well off. they were all professionals with real life careers. yes, do better black audience. being a hair washer at kiki's salon until your 65 doesn't count as a career. own that bitch.

the interactions that came up were real, secrets, lies, deception... arguments and underlying issues, abusiveness, control and money

the movie actually gave couples ADVICE on how to work through your problems instead of just presenting the problems for entertainment

the movie showed the importance of communication and patience and that couples actually do get through tough times together, not every marriage ends in divorce but no one ever asks those people how they did it

overall good movie, i'd see it again!!

First off the man can't write a well developed character to save his life. He still writes caricatures. I also think the seeing black people doing well on screen is passe now.

I have some other crtiques of the movie, but seemingly none of that matters. His movie was the top grossing movie of the weekend, and I'm really not feeling the typical TP argument.


----------------------------
"No really Nate, I don't think you're a gimmick. You deserved to win that Slam Dunk contest. Keep practicing and maybe next year it won't take you fifteen attempts to throw one down. Who's my little man?"

especially given my current situation....

It was great. Far from perfect. But way better than I thought it would be. And its about time that nukka took that dress & wig off.

It was good, in my opinion. I thought the first half was very cliched and preachy, but the second half of the movie redeemed it for me. I thought Janet did a good job, and so did Jill. I didn't hate any of the performances. It was cool.

was i the only one that thought old girl who got her tubes tied on the low got off REAL easy????????

That was a very low thing to do
But for the sake of time, I believe her punishment was minimal
That alone would end most marriages
**************************************
<--- Master of Metrosexuality
http://blackgirlsdontdate.blogspot.com
Black Girls Don't Date - Coming soon!
***************************************

No way I could stay with her afterwards. That Betrayal is just TOO big to dismiss & hug-out.

That is all!

Challenger-

I know there's lot of hate for TP but he's still getting better. Personally, I give it 3 stars. This movie flowed much better than the other movies and the humor fit this movie better than it did in the other films.

Out of all of TP's plays, this was the one I always knew would be a decent movie. The Madea plays can work as movies but TP should start allowing some other writers assist in the adaptation.




"Being the bigger man is overrated." -- Huey (The Boondocks)

"But today's black leaders, I'm afraid, have become leading blacks. And don't ever confuse leading blacks with black leaders." --Dr. Julia Hare.



http://www.myspace.com/dozingoff

good LORD Tyler can you at least give her a believable hairstyle?

check out shmear moore's fake corn rows in Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

if i wasn't so into his pro-black church,
pro marriage agenda, i probably wouldn't
dig it as much...but since i am, i'm
glad i went.

also, jill scott's acting was standout,
and the movie had some humorous moments.

as a movie, WDIGM was good, but not great,
but as a piece of art that affirms mainstream
black america's outlook, its dope.

now that i've seen a couple of dude's movies,
its obvious to me his success it mostly built
around his ability to make movies that reinforce
mainstream black folks ideals and aspirations
about themselves, as well as deal with issues
we care about in a funny, almost shmalzy way.

tyler perry will never be spielberg, but as long
as he keeps making art that emotionally connects
with his audience and the stuff that's on their
minds, he'll keep winning all day.


WWW.TYPEILLYPRESS.COM <-- buy product
http://blog.myspace.com/mtorez <--- recent exploits

<--- SOUTHSIDE NEFERTITI # 3
art by PENCILISM (ye'en ready!)

i'd even buy that dvd once it drops

sort of a cinematic version of 'roc'?
___

myspace.com/spiritequality

"the aim of an argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress" - Joseph Joubert, essayist, 1754-1824

I thought that was going to be remade

Also, even though it was billed as a "Street Romance" (WTF) on its poster, you could consider Poetic Justice one

Well, an unintentional romantic comedy, I suppose

Anyway, Pac was a mailman, Janet worked in a beauty salon (or did she own it? I don't remember if she or Tyra Ferrell's character did)
______________________________________________________________________
I have no remorse
So check me out in The Source

Black Orpheus Love Jones Brown Sugar and IMO Mo Better Blues

I did not want to see this movie and even argued with my girl about not going. After she threw the "you never wanna do what I wanna do" argument in my face, I conceded.

The movie was very good, easily one of the best I've seen in a while.

Blue Collar or low-management professionals? And is "musician" considered working class?

Black Orpheus is great, but if you're counting foreign films, then there's a boatload of African movies about the working class.

RED
http://arrena.blogspot.com

Because a lot of traditional working class jobs have been eliminated, and given the historical axiom of "Last-hired/first-fired" I don't think there could be a modern African-American working class movie. Let alone a romantic comedy. Low-wage, yes! But working class? Not so easy...

i usually hate black movies too.

You guys are really, really, really, mad.



----------------------------


O_E: Your Super-Ego's Favorite Poster.



"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "Cosmic Slop"

http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/2781528/2/istockphoto_2781528_ntsc_floating_stacks_of_money.jpg

First, for Janet's character to have been involved in something as tragic as being the cause of her child's death, that part just wasn't given the proper attention.

Also, TP's wife getting her tubes tied was sorta grazed over when you really think about it. More focus was placed on the fact that she was a workaholic.

And as for Angie and Marcus, the fact that she cheated on him was sorta just thrown out there as almost a joke. I don't believe it was ever revisited.

But at the same time, I can understand that since the film focused on more than one couple, there really wasn't enough time to do each couple's story justice. However, that's where the film was lacking for me.

Although I'm a fan of his work, I don't believe that this one was his best. I actually enjoyed Daddy's Little Girls more, but that's just me. Not a bad flick, though. It just had significant flaws.

I enjoyed it. Out of the 4 male leads I thought Tyler was by far the best. I would like too see him do some more dramatic stuff. Janet .... well she could have been better. Jill was good as the abused wife. Perry has come a long way since his debut film, Diary of a mad black woman which was a horrendous film that was only watchable due to Kimberly Elise's performance.

I have not seen Daddy's Little Girls and I really don't want to. What is that girl's name Union. Oh yeah Gabrielle (Lol) she is supposed to be a gogo dancer right. She ain't much of an actress. WDIGM is probably Perry best film to date.

"Being the bigger man is overrated." -- Huey (The Boondocks)

"But today's black leaders, I'm afraid, have become leading blacks. And don't ever confuse leading blacks with black leaders." --Dr. Julia Hare.



http://www.myspace.com/dozingoff

I did not know that but it is still a bad film (grade D). It is watchable and Madea does make you laugh. K. Elise is such a good actress she should be a star. She looks amazing. She is 40 and could pass for 28. IMO her acting ability is right up there with Angela Bassett.





>
>"Being the bigger man is overrated." -- Huey (The Boondocks)
>
>"But today's black leaders, I'm afraid, have become leading
>blacks. And don't ever confuse leading blacks with black
>leaders." --Dr. Julia Hare.
>
>
>
>http://www.myspace.com/dozingoff

but this is no Adam Shankman-like revelation either.

"Comfortably mediocre" is the line I used in GD. First half is horrible and virtually unwatchable. Second half is surprisingly interesting and much better done. "Comfortably mediocre" is therefore an overall average. Acting is uniformally dismal all around, save for Sharon Leal and (at times) Jill Scott.