Britney sells more records than Prince, so that means Britney is better? Hey, I'm using your logic.

SCNDLS said:

1. Since you didn't get the memo, I'm a very single black man.

2. Uptown Saturday Night was directed by actor/film maker Sidney Poitier.

missfee said:

You don't have to agree with me, misfee, and that is okay, but I stand by my statement. I am sure Spike was grateful for the funds he received for his previous films, and I appreciate that he was able to complete them. Let's not forget, Spike is pretty harsh when criticizing other directors/filmmakers, and although I appreciate and respect Spike and his creativity and success of a few of his films, I don't have to always agree with his criticism of other filmmakers/directors. Point is, all the ones he criticized, were the same ones that backed up his films.

However, I do agree with Spike when he makes his point about Hollywood moguls who don't invest in certain types of films by Black filmmakers/directors, especially when he feels that Hollywooe would back a film with a quickness, that displays negative Black stereotypes, i.e, Blacks in roles as drug addicts, drug dealers, criminals, prostitutes, housekeepers, illiterate characters, etc., before they back a film which has Blacks in positive roles.

My point about Spike with a begging cup, was not to be taken literally, it was only to make the point that if you want to have total control of your own sh*t, then build yourself that empire where you can control your own sh*t, and don't have to always look for investors to push your product. It's fine if he does not like the type of characters Tyler has in his film, but early in Tyler's career, he was playing to a specific audience that could relate to those characters. Now he is on top of his game, and although I don't like some of Tyler's characters in his tv shows or films, mainly because it reminds me of roles that Blacks were only allowed to play back in the day, but I've seen about two of Tyler's films that I was impressed with, and I have this feeling that after watching the two films that I actually liked, I have the feeling tat Tyler will go further into making movies, past the "chitlin" circuit.

Maybe in the beginning of a filmmaker's career, I can understand where you may need financial help, but Spike's been in this business for a long time now. Tyler just got here, and Tyler own's his own studio, movie set and controls his own sh*t, not to mention can give financial backing to other filmmakers.

.

2elijah said:

okay can we just agree to disagree then???

TonyVanDam said:

I know you're black, that was tongue in cheek. Because that's the typical attitude of white film execs, "Just give 'em 'hood films' cuz that's all they'll go see anyways." Bill was still in it. You're the one who brought Bill up in the first place regarding his work. So why are you now pointing out he's not a director? Then why'd you bring him up???

And what about the rest of my post:

So, my question, since you OBVIOUSLY missed it, is: Do you REALLY believe that NEITHER Cosby or Spike reached all of those people you listed?

And are you saying in your other post that the only way to reach those people is by making a "hood" film? My, my, how white of you. What exactly is a hood film?

You're not a linear thinker are you.
[Edited 10/28/09 16:17pm]

missfee said:

Absolutely, no problem, and by the way... I love your signature line.

SCNDLS said:

Cosby? Hardly.

Yes, I missed The Cosby Show as much as the next person (especially the first 3 seasons). But lets be dead honest, a real-life family like THAT TV sitcom family neither existed in the hood. See where I'm getting at?!?

Spike? Here and there.

Yes, he did with Clockers & He Got Game. But that's it. Both were serious dramas, NOT comedies. But at least He Got Game was very entertaining. Clockers wasn't entertaining.

And also, Spike made Clockers was more in the case of talk at black folks than to black folks (a mistake that Tyler Perry would never had done with any of his films).

TonyVanDam said:

I know you're black, that was tongue in cheek. Because that's the typical attitude of white film execs, "Just give 'em 'hood films' cuz that's all they'll go see anyways." Bill was still in it. You're the one who brought Bill up in the first place regarding his work. So why are you now pointing out he's not a director? Then why'd you bring him up???

And what about the rest of my post:

So, my question, since you OBVIOUSLY missed it, is: Do you REALLY believe that NEITHER Cosby or Spike reached all of those people you listed?

And are you saying in your other post that the only way to reach those people is by making a "hood" film? My, my, how white of you. What exactly is a hood film?

You're not a linear thinker are you.
[Edited 10/28/09 16:17pm]

TonyVanDam said:

I loved Clockers!!! Hated the "25th Hour" too long and too boring.
[Edited 10/28/09 18:34pm]

missfee said:

Clockers was interesting. But just wasn't entertaining, IMO. And I was disappointed with the film's ending.

SCNDLS said:

Cosby? Hardly.

Yes, I missed The Cosby Show as much as the next person (especially the first 3 seasons). But lets be dead honest, a real-life family like THAT TV sitcom family neither existed in the hood. See where I'm getting at?!?

Spike? Here and there.

Yes, he did with Clockers & He Got Game. But that's it. Both were serious dramas, NOT comedies. But at least He Got Game was very entertaining. Clockers wasn't entertaining.

And also, Spike made Clockers was more in the case of talk at black folks than to black folks (a mistake that Tyler Perry would never had done with any of his films).

TonyVanDam said:

You used the word "reached" in your original post which to me means, well, reached or exposed to. You didn't say that the criteria was that for people in the hood to watch it meant that the Cosby show had to be set in the hood. Which don't make a lick o' sense.

My point is that the Cosby Show reached people IN the hood (whatever that means) regardless and offered a different view that it was in fact possible to go beyond the hood. Sorry, but it's assinine to believe that people in the hood only want to see that condition depicted in the movies they see and that because of their socioeconomic status they are incapable of comprehending or wanting anything else, both in their entertainment and in real life.

TonyVanDam said:

What else would you had Mekhi Phifer's character do? He had to leave town.

SCNDLS said:

The Cosby Show resonated with people "in the hood" because it showed what COULD be...not what WAS! The reality of what WAS...was far removed from what COULD be... because they neglected to address what IS.

That is why it was the success that it WAS! After the success of the Cosby show and it's spinoff A Different World...Hollywood became disinterested in portraying what could be with education, hard work and dedication but began deliberately focusing on what MIGHT be, with shortcuts and forgetting where we came from!

Tyler's work focuses on...where we've been...where we are...and where we can go...when honestly dealing with the realities of what IS!

SCNDLS said:

The Cosby Show resonated with people "in the hood" because it showed what COULD be...not what WAS! The reality of what WAS...was far removed from what COULD be... because they neglected to address what IS.

That is why it was the success that it WAS! After the success of the Cosby show and it's spinoff A Different World...Hollywood became disinterested in portraying what could be with education, hard work and dedication but began deliberately focusing on what MIGHT be, with shortcuts and forgetting where we came from!

Tyler's work focuses on...where we've been...where we are...and where we can go...when honestly dealing with the realities of what IS!

That's your opinion and I don't agree because the Cosby show WAS and IS a reality for a lot of blacks. .

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

That's your opinion and I don't agree because the Cosby show WAS and IS a reality for a lot of blacks. Besides, that still doesn't mean that it didn't reach people in the hood which is what Tony was saying in his post.

And Tyler's work DEFINITELY doesn't represent me or most of the people I know so you might wanna just speak for yourself if that's YOUR reality instead of using "we" as if that's the de facto black experience cuz it isn't.

missfee said:

If I remember that character correctly, he was one of the villains.

Spike Lee is Right! Tyler Purrry is a minstrel show. His had dozens of plays and movies and they are all the same. Most of his movies would be decent if they just lose the sterotypical characters. Tyler needs to get with the times. It's 2009 not the early 1970's when black exploitation movies were all we had for black entertainment.

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

That's your opinion and I don't agree because the Cosby show WAS and IS a reality for a lot of blacks. Besides, that still doesn't mean that it didn't reach people in the hood which is what Tony was saying in his post.

And Tyler's work DEFINITELY doesn't represent me or most of the people I know so you might wanna just speak for yourself if that's YOUR reality instead of using "we" as if that's the de facto black experience cuz it isn't.

The question I get from a lot of my fellow artists (who are black and college-educated and have some connection to the entertainment biz) is:

What if Tyler Perry just can't write any better? I mean, the real gripe might not be with his refusal to do better. It might be that Tyler can't imagine or craft anything better than the formulaic mess he puts out.

SCNDLS said:

I agree with every word of this. Did you see Something Else, SCNDLS? I loved Sanai Lathan character in that movie. I want to see more of that.

Vendetta1 said:

I liked that movie too. Sanaa has really been in a lot of good, well-rounded "black" movies, the exception being TP's The Family that Preys, can't believe Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard were in that mess.

SCNDLS said:

If Kathy, Alfre and Angela Bassett(who was a prominent actress at some point) acted in his movies, you know the agency didn't knock on their doors for a looooong time.