Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search
Primetimer's Forums Are Here to Stay

Ms Blue Jay

Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    14.5k

  • Joined

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Ms Blue Jay

    I Heart You: TV Star Crushes

    in Everything Else TV

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    I wonder if the Tom Cavanaugh and dimples fans out there would like young Norm MacDonald.  I just rewatched Screwed (2000) and he was such a handsome, handsome, handsome man at that time.  His gorgeous eyes and smile, I think he's dreamy.

     

    Trevor Noah and John Oliver's dimples are absolutely killer.  Paying attention to what Trevor's saying is kind of hard.  It's so lilty and sweet and his face is so cute.  John's dimples kind of sliced through my heart.  Every time he would dance to "Danger" by Mystikal, I just......... Sigh.

     

    Andy Samberg makes me swoon.   A young Andy Samberg and a young Jimmy Fallon auditioning for SNL make me feel naughty!  And if you're not turned on by John Oliver dancing to "Danger", then I'm jealous of your self-control.

     

    sn.png

     

     

    • Love 3

    Best Movie Dance Sequences

    in Everything Else Movies

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    Thanks for listing all the examples, everyone, I had goosebumps reading the entire thread!

     

    Grease is a wonderful movie, I recommend it to everyone, just in case you haven't seen it.  The dancing scene in Unfaithful is quite sexy, but didn't see a clip of it.  There's also The Thomas Crown Affair.  I love the opening credits to Superbad where the boys dance to The Bar-Kays' "Too Hot to Stop".

     

    "Cuban Pete"  by Jim Carrey as The Mask is amazing.

     

     

    Biggie's "Hypnotize" by Julia Stiles.. yes, I thought this was cool once upon a time.  10 Things I Hate About You

     

     

    Michael Jackson's "Thriller" by 13 Going on 30.  This was mentioned upthread and is so adorable.

     

     

    Three way Tango starring Jenna Dewan in Take the Lead.  Mentioned upthread.

     

     

    Rain Man clip, "This is dancing"

     

     

    The Dream Sequence in The Big Lebowski - Just checked in, to see what condition, my condition was in.  (Kenny Rogers)

     

    • Love 1

    Best Movie Dance Sequences

    in Everything Else Movies

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    I'm not really much of a musical person but I would have to second 'Make Em Laugh' from Singing in the Rain.

     

    I always remember first seeing Archie Panjabi in East is East dancing;

     

    Wow...... I forgot that East is East existed.  Thank you for the reminder.  I feel like I even had the VHS at one point, but I don't know for sure.

     

    DollEyes, Magic Mike XXL was fucking amazing.  The dancing was just --- *kisses fingers*.  My vote for the best movie experience I had in 2015.

    • Love 2

    S07.E13: Judged

    in The Good Wife [V]

    But why would you stay married to man that you don't love, and you clearly want to have sex with other men, and their kids are very mature and grown up by now and aren't stupid....  Am I crazy?  Does Peter even live in that apartment?  There were always stupid reasons to stay with Peter in the past that barely held up, and those reasons are gone now.  What is a good reason to stay with him?  At least divorcing Peter would give some more honesty to the random men she kisses in elevators and the fact that she stomps around her house grieving over a man she was actually in love with.

    • Love 10

    S07.E13: Judged

    in The Good Wife [V]

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    vibeology, um, I love you?  I loved your whole post every word of it.  I would have quoted you but just consider that entire long post quoted.

     

    meisje:  So now Lucca's some sort of sociopath (guess Jason passed the secret-sociopath baton) who likes no one and has no friends and can't stand any human, apparently, since that is the only thing left that's left to try to make Alicia sympathetic. This keeps haunting this show: either only trying to find "worse" people to stand her next to, or retconning characters to have been as bad or worse.

     

    Yeah, uh, where the fuck did that come from?  So far in the short time we've seen her Luca has got along fine with Alicia and Jason (and Cary? I forget) and she fucked that singer-songwriter guy.  But her life is just so empty and all she wants is to be Alicia's friend!  Oh, Christ!  It's just like how every serial killer, asshole out there like Chandler Bing and Colin Sweeney and Michael J. Fox just LOVE LOVE LOVE Alicia even though she has no personality or outward emotion!  Oh she's just so goddamn irresistible!  Barf!

     

    And how can Luca just assume that Alicia's some kind of broken hearted schoolgirl victim because of the THROES of Jason's PASSION are just so DESTRUCTIVE?  Oh my god, Alicia's a grown fucking woman!  And Alicia, why are you not divorced already, ho?!  (Sorry; apologies)   Peter lost the fucking campaign!

     

    And Alicia admitting she hates her kids!  Yeah I already knew that you asshole!  Finally you say it!  Oh god I hate her

     

    And suddenly Alicia forgives Eli out of nowhere?  Why?  Because she kissed Jason in an elevator?  What kind of storytelling is this?

     

    Maybe Eli Gold will get a spin-off or Alan Cumming will find a fantastic new show or something.  This is all I have left to hope for.

    • Love 11

    Super Social Analysis: Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and LGBT in Movies

    in Everything Else Movies

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    You mention Focus, a movie that was talked about when it was released about being a rarity in depicting an 'interracial' couple, but ignore the main issue that it is a rarity.

     

    What does it matter if the interracial love story in Focus was a rarity?  My point is it was a box office success, rare or not.   The fact that it's "rare" only makes the box office results more impressive, not less.

     

    I get that there are racist movie studios and producers out there.  I've never disagreed with that.  You keep pointing to examples like Hitch not casting Cameron, or Focus being so rare as big issues.  They are not big issues to me when I'm only talking about the box office results, not whatever racist studio decisions might happen beforehand.  I think that these studios are out of touch and make stupid decisions (to continue on absnow54's point).

     

    I think it's "burying your head in the sand" to think that the success of Star Wars and Avatar doesn't spell out something great in terms of female action stars and minority actors having movie star potential and bankability.

    • Love 1

    Super Social Analysis: Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and LGBT in Movies

    in Everything Else Movies

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    And I said that audiences are more prepared to pay money to see movies with white guys. It's a comparative statement, so simply listing some things that were successful is not really relevant. Which made more money, Bridesmaids or The Hangover?

     

    Neighbours ($252 million) starring some white men made the same amount that Bridesmaids ($255 million) did.  Sex and the City made $350 million.  So does that help prove my point that people are willing to spend money to see females in comedy in equal value? 

     

    My "listing things that were successful" IS relevant.  Avatar co-starred a black woman playing an alien, it didn't star 2 white men.  Star Wars starred a white woman and a black man.  These are facts.  These are the highest grossing movies of all time and are facts.  Audiences were prepared to spend money on these movies regardless of the race of the stars and so it's my evidence for why I disagree with your statement.

     

    As i see it, the truth is that a lot of Americans, and people of other nationalities, still have problems with race. You are surely aware of that, as we all are, particularly after some of the events of the past few years. It seems to pervade every aspect of society, yet somehow movie audiences are immune? You don't think that a movie starring Matt Damon or Leonardo Dicaprio wouldn't make more money than an identical movie starring Will Smith or Idris Elba? I think that it would, sadly.

     

    I disagree with you.  Unfortunately, you've created an impossible hypothesis where there will be no such test where an identical movie would star two different men to see how much one would make over the other.  While Concussion made no money, Focus profited more than $100 million and Will Smith has proven time and time and time again how bankable he is.   The Revenant has made a comparable profit.  The Martian, for some reason , has made about 6 times as much, but Will Smith's movies have made just as much profit in the past (on more than one occasion).

     

    We can blame Hollywood and producers all we like, but when audiences have shown they're more prepared to pay money for a movie when it stars a white guy, what can you do?

     

    The major difference between us is you literally write "What can you do?"  I say it's already being done.  The Hollywood movie world is already very diverse and actors of different genders, race, sexuality etc. make money for the film industry and there is no turning back.  Unfortunately the Oscars do not reflect that reality and do not recognize minorities in great roles as often as they should, which is why people are beyond frustrated.  

     

    As for Eva Mendes, there's nothing wrong with her being cast as the lead in that movie. But the story is that they had Cameron Diaz cast in that role, and decided not to go with her after Will Smith signed on to lead.... Now why do you think that might have been? You don't think that's shit?

     

    Eva Mendes and Cameron Diaz are both Latina women.  Cameron.... yet another perfect example to show you a Latina woman who has had top billing in some extremely high grossing comedies: The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, There's Something about Mary just to start with the 1990s.   I guess you're implying that Cameron's blondeness would have driven the racists away.  If the movie starred Will and Cameron, I'd say it would have made more money, because that's 2 stars instead of 1.  Maybe the studio that did Hitch was too shortsighted to see that, but I'll argue the audience would have been more than fine with paying for the movie.  That is a studio decision and not an audience one.  I don't think Focus (Will Smith and Margot Robbie) suffered from much racism this year.   It made a few more million than Trainwreck, which starred 2 white leads.

    • Love 3

    Super Social Analysis: Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and LGBT in Movies

    in Everything Else Movies

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    Regarding The Mindy Project, four seasons in this day and age is a pretty good run.  Not cancelled yet.  My point was that there are examples of Asian and Latino people in starring roles, like Jane the Virgin, even if their ratings aren't as good as say, Empire, which stars a huge cast of black actors.  The shows exist.  Fresh off the Boat, black-ish.  There are no white men in starring roles on these shows.  CW also has iZombie which stars a white woman in an ACTION role with a cast of actors of colour supporting her.  It also has Crazy Ex-Girlfriend where the male lead is Asian.  The shows exist everywhere, you turn on the television and they're there.  All of these shows are in their second season or renewed for a second season.   I don't really like being told that Asian and Latino people cannot star in something when there are so many examples to the contrary.

     

    What will be interesting is to see how he DC comic films perform since they're comics with built in fan bases and they aren't afraid to cast POC or produce a women led action film, while Marvel has been comfortably playing it safe

     

    Marvel on Netflix has Jessica Jones which is an action show starring a white woman.

    Next Marvel on Netflix will have Luke Cage which is an action show starring a black man.

    I'm confident that these shows are / will be successes.  JJ's already been renewed for Season 2.

    • Love 2

    Super Social Analysis: Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and LGBT in Movies

    in Everything Else Movies

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    You don't see where they factor in?  They factor in when you say the following:

     

    when audiences have shown they're more prepared to pay money for a movie when it stars a white guy,

     

    Bridesmaids and Sex and the City do not have a white man in the starring role.  They play 5th or 7th wheel in these movies.  In Orange is the New Black, a huge hit for Netflix, a white man might play the 20th most important part.

     

    They factor in where you say the following:

     

    Asian and Latino people can only be supporting players.

     

    An Asian woman stars in The Mindy Project.

     

    I'm also curious what performances by Idris Elba you thought were one-note.  The Wire?  Luther?  

     

    When it comes to Dwayne Johnson, Will Smith and Denzel Washington, they have the sort of charisma that can also transcend everything. But even then, they're too often subject to shit like the producers of Hitch deciding they had to cast Eva Mendes as the female lead rather than a white woman.

     

    I'm sorry, but this charisma stuff is nonsense.  You say that people pay are more prepared to spend money on movies with white men in the starring role, I show you examples of the opposite, and you say this charisma argument as if for these 3 particular men race doesn't matter.  It's a circular argument.   Apparently when people of colour star in a box office hit, those examples can all be dismissed because of reasons like "charisma" or "Star Wars".   Why is it "shit" that Eva Mendes was cast in the female lead?  Why do you need a white woman in that role?  Why would that be expected or the default?  Why was that a bad thing that that movie was subjected to?  The movie was a success.  So in the end it doesn't matter and it's another great example of a Latina being in a near-starring role in a movie that made money.

     

    Audiences don't need to be proven anything.  They've shown, with their money, that they will go to see the movies they want regardless of the race of the stars.

    • Love 11

    Super Social Analysis: Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and LGBT in Movies

    in Everything Else Movies

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    In regards to whitewashing movies, the depressing explanation is that it sells. We can blame Hollywood and producers all we like, but when audiences have shown they're more prepared to pay money for a movie when it stars a white guy, what can you do? That's the name of the game, after all. If you don't make money, you don't last long in the movie business.

    Black people can only be in movies about gangs, slaves or Tyler Perry. Women can't headline action movies. Asian and Latino people can only be supporting players. None of this should be true, but audiences have demonstrated that, too often, it is. You need to get into cultural norms and the history of your society to find the explanation, and it's not an elusive one. Non-white people were second class citizens in every way until the 1960s, it can hardly be a surprise that a lot of people still see them that way.

     

    Romeo Must Die, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Rush Hour x 3 movies, Harold and Kumar x 3 movies, The Fast and The Furious series x 7 movies starring Vin Diesel, Star Wars Force Awakens stars a white woman, a black man, and a Latino man, the Tomb Raider series, The Hunger Games, The Divergent series, Salt made 293.5 million USD, Zoe Saldana was a big part of Avatar, so was Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, the Sex and the City movies, Bridesmaids, Will Smith in everything (Focus and Concussion just this year), Master of None, The Mindy Project, How to Get Away with Murder, Scandal, Marvel's Jessica Jones, The Best Man Holiday, Creed, it can happen again and again and again and again and some people don't want to be convinced.  There is a lot of television and movies out there where a white guy is nowhere in the starring role, or plays second fiddle to someone you claim cannot make money.

     

    There seems to be a confusion here between what makes money and what gets nominated for an Oscar.  The Best Picture nominees this year weren't the same as the highest grossing movies.  White men are at the centre of almost every single Oscar nominated film but not at the centre of what is a hit at the box office.  It's not the same group of 8 movies.  3 in the Top 10 Box Office hits this year were Star Wars, Furious 7, and The Hunger Games.  If you want your film to be nominated for an Oscar, sure, put a lot of white men in it.  If you want your film to make money, then the recipe is much more in the air.

    • Love 6

    Big and Little Anticipation

    in Big Little Lies

    So, I finished the book!  And I love, love, loved it.  I really recommend it.  I want to devour all of Liane Moriarty's other books now!  Apparently they are also adapting another one of her books, "What Alice Forgot" into a movie starring Jennifer Aniston.

    • Love 1

    S01.E09: Finale Part 1

    in Project Runway: Junior [V]

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    Oh, I just thought that was your design aesthetic.  

     

    You know when people say "I just choked on my ---" and it's such a cliche.  Well I'm sorry, but I actually did choke on my spit from this.  It was marvelous.   I thought the same thing, and you managed to get your joke to fit the show we're posting about, oh my word.

     

    I like Samantha least as a person but yes I liked her collection the most.  Not really because I could ever wear it, but I thought it was the most innovative and fashion forward.  I'm using those words lightly, because they're adolescents.  I liked how Zachary was so ambitious. 

     

    I did not GET Maya's for the life of me.  Goodness.  Did not understand that.  It looked like bargain basement Chanel.  Is that too mean?  And Peytie's hodgepodge, I mean, good on her, but I've never been a Boho woman.

     

    I'm starting to get annoyed by the Cosmo judge.  "Samantha, your collection can't just be -- (lists 4 or 5 things that Samantha managed to fit into two pieces)."  Oh it can't?  Why the fuck not?  Jesus.  Like sometimes, Ralph Lauren will do an ALL eveningwear collection.  Or sometimes, Michael Kors will do an ALL safari-inspired casual collection.  Again, why the hell not, this isn't the 1980s when everyone wore a tuxedo to the fashion shows and LaCroix showed couture.  (I'm guessing).  Like fuck, this is real life, how many galas do you all go to on the regular?  I want to see fashion, not a bathing suit to start the show and a wedding dress at the end.

     

    I guess I like Christian, because he's meaningful and just doesn't parrot the others, and I like Hannah, because she's sweet and harmless.  The other two can leave anytime.  

     

    Zachary's mother was amazing.

    • Love 1

    Tune!: Best TV Moments Involving Music

    in Everything Else TV

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    First season of Gossip Girl used music amazingly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ4wVwEJeqI

     

    I was coming here just to post this.  Shivers up my spine.  No matter how many times I play it, I'm just awed.  And it's actually Season 2!

     

    Gossip Girl is really my favourite example of this phenomenon, so I'll do a few more.  I'm purposely picking plot points that aren't as spoilery as some others I could put!

     

    Lily Van Der Woodsen has her own daughter Serena arrested, to the amazing "Heart's a Mess" by Gotye.

     

     

    Crazy model Agnes burns burgeoning designer Jenny's clothes, to Kings of Leon's "Be Somebody".

     

     

    A nostalgic scene set at Thanksgiving, to Sebastien Tellier's beautiful "La Ritournelle"

     

    • Love 1

    S15.E08: Hollywood Round #2

    in American Idol

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    You're welcome awaken.

     

    Heejun was an absolute sweetheart the entire show, actually.  But when he ran into Cowboy, as is evident, he was emotionally demolished.  He lists what I feel are very rational reasons for why he simply could not get along with Cowboy, who was clearly trying to steamroll the other three.   Phillip Phillips (the season's winner) and Heejun (9th place) were friends thoughout the whole competition and the Cowboy was nowhere to be seen/remembered after that, so I think that speaks for itself.

    • Love 2

    Super Social Analysis: Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and LGBT in Movies

    in Everything Else Movies

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    http://www.avclub.com/article/heres-depressing-montage-white-actors-non-white-ro-231504

     

    Here’s a depressing montage of white actors in non-white roles

     

    By Caroline Siede @carolinesiede Jan 29, 2016  5:40 PM

     

     

    Also, just as a personal aside, I'm never going to get behind Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's reasoning for having Jane Krakowski play a Native American woman.  You can say "You just don't get the joke" at me until you're blue in the face.  Or "jokes shouldn't have to be explained, because I'm Tina Fey."  Or, well "Jane Krakowski is just so talented, and there aren't really any Native actors" (yes, I've heard all of this shit.)  I really don't want to hear it anymore.

     

    This reminds me of that movie "21", about a bunch of Asian students from M.I.T. who ripped off the Vegas casinos.  And who suddenly became white by the time their story was adapted to Hollywood film.

    • Love 2

    Romantic Comedies

    in Everything Else Movies

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    This is always a good topic to bring back, Craphole Island.  I was going to start listing stuff, but if I started that list, it would be 100 movies long.  So I'll just focus on one theme.  In honour of the late Brittany Murphy, I'll point out some of her lesser known films that I enjoy and that also fit this topic.

     

    1.  Sidewalks of New York, 2001, directed by Ed Burns.

    This is a movie I've always liked.  It was released just 2 months after 9/11 so I don't think it's as well known.  It's about a few intertwined couples in New York.  Actors like Brittany Murphy, Heather Graham, and Rosario Dawson act in much more subdued than usual roles against Stanley Tucci, David Krumholtz and Ed Burns himself.  I always like movies that seem to really mimic real life.  It's subtle and mockumentary style in tone.  It's just a sweet, simple movie that I always liked.

     

    2.  Just Married, 2003, Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher

    This is just a lighthearted 'romp' from when these two were dating.  Don't expect some amazing filmmaking -- it's just goofy and fun.  A couple that gets along brilliantly gets married plans to go on a beautiful, picturesque honeymoon through Europe but everything that can go wrong, does.

     

    3.  Love and Other Disasters, 2004

    Now this is an interesting one.  This one is a very "posh", fashionable, London, England-based romantic comedy.  Brittany actually plays British here, and not that I'm a great judge of it, but I think she does a good job.  It's very stylish because her character works at Vogue, plus lots of cute European men.  Just my kind of movie.

    • Love 1

    Plastic Surgery Run Amok, or Renee Zellweger: What Were You Thinking?

    in Everything Else Movies

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    Sandra does - she's such a fantastic looking woman.  Extraordinary, literally.  I never see women who look like her!  I also love her movies and her charm.

     

    Meg was always liked for being 'cute' and 'moppet-like' and I think that's a dangerous precedent.  Seems she doesn't want to grow old gracefully.  It's like former child actors who don't receive the same attention later on; that's a dangerous recipe.

    • Love 1

    Plastic Surgery Run Amok, or Renee Zellweger: What Were You Thinking?

    in Everything Else Movies

    · Edited by Ms Blue Jay

    Yeah, Kate looked so messed up, and she's so beautiful usually.  She almost looked like she was having trouble opening her eyes and speaking - she was all puffed up and her lips looked weird!

     

    I'd say about 95% of all famous actresses have had the requisite nose job, which already sucks (IMO) but I come to expect that.  But then some of them get really addicted.  I think Courteney and Kate just follow what their family are into.    

     

    Would love to see her with a Sandra Bullock-like career these days.

     

    I am a big fan of Sandra Bullock so don't take this the wrong way, but I think she's definitely had some Botox, which I don't even blame her for.  I am a big fan of the movie Two Weeks Notice (2004 I think).  Hugh Grant does a DVD commentary with her and he said something like "Why do you look so weird in this movie?  You look Asian."  First of all, that's racist.  And second of all, embarrassingly, I think he's referring to her Botox but doesn't seem to realize it.

×
×
  • Create New...