Post: #26

(01-23-2016 02:33 PM)Samseau Wrote:  I don't get why either Blacks or Whites care who wins the Oscars. All of it pretty gay if you ask me.

Yeah, but you're not a deeply-insecure narcissist who needs the adoration of millions of strangers to fill the screaming black hole of emptiness inside you.

Were the Oscars ever a sign of quality? Winners generally swerve between Heavy-Handed Political Correctness; The Concerns of Liberal of New Yorkers; Movies that Celebrate Hollywood; As A Reward For Long Time Service; or Populist Schlock. Sure, sometimes quality movies win awards, but it's always a coin toss.

I didn't see the Will Smith movie. Was his performance any good? His 90's work was basically him playing the same role in every film. This is the same reason why I always found Tom Cruise such a boring actor to watch. Then again, I could argue the same thing for Michael Caine's work from the 80's onwards, and he won in 1987 for a Woody Allen film where he basically played The Michael Caine Stereotype.

Oscars are kind of irrelevant in age where our stars lack Poise, Charm and Glamour, and the studios are more interested in churning out Toy-friendly Superhero movies anyway. Even increasing the number of Best Picture nominees to include more popular movies hasn't helped ratings - they have been steadily-falling, reaching the lowest levels since 2008 last year. They're a holdover from a dead age, and their only cultural cachet anymore is to be a category tag in Netflix.

I didn't even know 2014's winner, 'Birdman', existed. I've never heard anyone I know mention it, or read any critic talk about it. The Director made 'The Revenant', which I've heard discussion of everywhere this year. Bizarre.

Post: #27

It's always entertaining when the pozzie Left eats its own.

Post: #28

(01-23-2016 02:56 PM)brick tamland Wrote:  

(01-23-2016 12:26 PM)kleyau Wrote:  

(01-23-2016 11:23 AM)rudebwoy Wrote:  Another race thread!

I know. Spike, the Smiths, and the rest of these assholes keep starting racist shit. Maybe they will have a dream, someday...

What makes these people assholes or racist?
How much did you read about this campaign? I bet little.

One of Spike's main points is that 40 out of 40 acting category nominees in the past two editions have been white. But he doesn't condemn the Academy or the ceremony, rather saying the problem is that there are no minorities at Hollywood studios or TV networks who make the decisions as to what projects see the light of day.
As for the latter, in my opinion it is a difficult issue as it is determined by financial power, which obviously has always eluded the black population. This is a socioeconomic and political problem that will persist for centuries beyond our lifetimes.
I Googled 'which black actors deserved an Oscar nomination '?
Opinions vary but Michael B Jordan in creed, idris elba in beasts of no nation and will smith in concussion are some of those mentioned. I haven't seen any of these...

So you read all that shit by Spike but didn't watch the movies?

And you're all fired up about these amazing movies you didn't see?

Post: #29

I've seen a lot of media outrage about Idris Elba being snubbed. I watched Beasts of No Nation this week after reading all the controversy. I'm a fan of his portrayal as Stringer Bell in The Wire, but I have to say, he didn't really stand out for me in Beasts. He was fine, he did a good job with the accent, but his role in the film isn't even that substantive. He's kind of caught between being a lead and a supporting character. I thought the child actor whom the story revolves around was more impressive. I haven't seen all the other films nominated so I'm not sure where his performance ranks compared to some of the other nominees, but I wasn't blown away by his performance or role in this particular film.

The Oscars are a big scam anyways. I've have the good fortune of meeting some European filmmakers who have told me all about the work it takes to get your film into the Oscars. You need buzz, money and all kinds lobbying. Even getting your film seen by people in the academy is a huge achievement.

Most films out of Hollywood are garbage anyways. If you have the opportunity in your city, get out and support smaller movie houses or festivals that screen foreign films. I watch a couple of dozen foreign films a year (mostly European, but some Asian and Latin American) and I'd say at least 75% of them are better than most of what gets hyped by Hollywood.

There are great films being made every year, all over the world, but you have to go and look for them.

Post: #30

OP: You have just 12 posts on the forum and you have already started two different race threads. Why don't you take a break from all that and drop a data sheet? We are still waiting on that Zanesville info.

Post: #31

Don't know what race threads you're referring to. If this thread is considered one of them, then feel free to take whatever measure is necessary against me. Maybe I chose the title wrong, but it's a subject that's been heavily discussed, so I wanted to read what others on this forum thought on the subject.

Post: #32

(01-23-2016 01:36 PM)ryanf Wrote:  

(01-23-2016 12:16 PM)Cobra Wrote:  It's cool to discuss race openly. I don't think we do it enough on the forum in an intelligent and reasonable manner.

Let's be real here. While I agree that the "affirmative action" messaging is not really productive for black actors in the long run, let's not use this to give the selection process and judgemental ability of the Academy more credit than it deserves insofar as pandering to some agenda like they always do instead of choosing good films.

If I'm not mistaken, the forum rules are against race trolling, not necessarily racial discussions. Which this doesn't seem to be, although I'd obviously defer to mods on that one.

I'm not referring to the rules but actual practice of discussing race on the forum. Some members in my opinion have an issue discussing it objectively without going into the "affirmative action is wrong because of x" narrative or something else that is on the far side of the spectrum. I'll explain further in my next post.

Post: #33

(01-23-2016 03:40 PM)AnonymousBosch Wrote:  Oscars are kind of irrelevant in age where our stars lack Poise, Charm and Glamour, and the studios are more interested in churning out Toy-friendly Superhero movies anyway. Even increasing the number of Best Picture nominees to include more popular movies hasn't helped ratings - they have been steadily-falling, reaching the lowest levels since 2008 last year. They're a holdover from a dead age, and their only cultural cachet anymore is to be a category tag in Netflix.

The film critic Pauline Kael sensed this was the direction things were going in the seventies, when she saw Star Wars:

Quote:One of the biggest box-office successes in movie history — probably because for young audiences it's like getting a box of Cracker Jack that is all prizes. Written and directed by George Lucas, the film is enjoyable in its own terms, but it's exhausting, too: like taking a pack of kids to the circus. There's no breather in the picture, no lyricism; the only attempt at beauty is in the image of a double sunset. The loudness, the smash-and-grab editing, and the relentless pacing drive every idea out of your head, and even if you've been entertained, you may feel cheated of some dimension — a sense of wonder, perhaps. It's an epic without a dream.

"Star Wars," p. 714. 5001 Nights at the Movies (1982)

Post: #34

(01-23-2016 05:16 PM)debeguiled Wrote:  

(01-23-2016 03:40 PM)AnonymousBosch Wrote:  Oscars are kind of irrelevant in age where our stars lack Poise, Charm and Glamour, and the studios are more interested in churning out Toy-friendly Superhero movies anyway. Even increasing the number of Best Picture nominees to include more popular movies hasn't helped ratings - they have been steadily-falling, reaching the lowest levels since 2008 last year. They're a holdover from a dead age, and their only cultural cachet anymore is to be a category tag in Netflix.

The film critic Pauline Kael sensed this was the direction things were going in the seventies, when she saw Star Wars:

Quote:One of the biggest box-office successes in movie history — probably because for young audiences it's like getting a box of Cracker Jack that is all prizes. Written and directed by George Lucas, the film is enjoyable in its own terms, but it's exhausting, too: like taking a pack of kids to the circus. There's no breather in the picture, no lyricism; the only attempt at beauty is in the image of a double sunset. The loudness, the smash-and-grab editing, and the relentless pacing drive every idea out of your head, and even if you've been entertained, you may feel cheated of some dimension — a sense of wonder, perhaps. It's an epic without a dream.

"Star Wars," p. 714. 5001 Nights at the Movies (1982)

At least the first Star Wars had a plot. The last Star Wars was just dues ex machina after dues ex machina. None of it made sense, none of the charecter motivations made sense, it was just trash pulp fiction.

Post: #35

(01-23-2016 04:02 PM)Nemausus Wrote:  I've seen a lot of media outrage about Idris Elba being snubbed.

He performance might be good, or it might be average, but you'll never get an honest appraisal by the media.

The problem is Idris Elba is the Current White Liberal Face of Acceptable Blackness - meaning black but not too black - conforming to White Liberal Notions of Wealth, Power, Education, Charm, and Sexual Attractiveness that particularly lends itself to a boyfriend / husband fantasy, (in which the White Reporter or SJW would collect much narcissistic supply for her tolerance and open-mindedness at being his partner).

This means any time Progressive Casting for a previously-white character is mentioned, the CWLFOAB will be shoe-horned into the conversation by Liberal Girls as the best candidate for the job.

After a while, it's such a media cliché you begin to suspect he's the only Black Actor they know, but remember, they're Totally Not Racist!

This is why Elba is suggested to play both James Bond, (international movie icon of mass appeal), and Doctor Who, (UK television show of limited appeal), without seeing the disconnect in logic.

I'm old enough to remember when both Denzel Washington, (the 80's version), and Taye Diggs, (the late 90's version), were both repeatedly put forward for Bond. (Note that the more streetwise Samuel L. Jackson was hugely popular in the mid-90's but never championed by the Media).

Next time I hear a fat SJW pontificating on Bond or Doctor Who, and Elba comes up, I'm going to ask her to name one other Black Actor she thinks could also play the role well.

The CWLFOAB is basically the straight female version of the Eternal Feminist Fantasy of being seen as Right On by always being shown to be having a concerned discussion about Feminism with a Black Woman in a Wheelchair. (Seriously, check out the last 40 years of their comics sometime).

Post: #36

Just looking at things objectively I don't see any standout films with black actors or directors this year anyways. Creed was ok for the nostalgia factor but it was just another Rocky movie. Stallone and Jordan were good in it but it wasn't anything special. There are quite a few genuinely good black leading men out there but I would not count Will Smith amongst them anyways. Denzel is a legit good actor but he's chosen to do more schlocky action stuff the past few years which is fine. Idris Elba is good too but he's not very prominent or memorable for most audiences.

I didn't see Chi-Raq and probably never will since it's another Spike Lee "joint" ie SJW trash. Spike Lee was also the guy who got all up in Clint Eastwood's shit about not having enough black people in Flags of our Fathers. If you recall Clint did two films during that time Flags of our Fathers which was about the U.S. side of the war and Letters from Iwo Jima entirely from the perspective of the Japanese military on Iwo Jima.

Both were portraying real life events from people who actually lived and fought during that time so inserting token actors into units where there was no integration to begin with would have been fucked up to say the least. Can you imagine random black faces popping up in the tunnels in Iwo Jima? I'm pretty sure the Japanese imperial army did not have someone who looked like Will Smith there.


Spike Lee has always been full of shit and a hypocrite and takes himself way too seriously. I can name a few of his films which actually portrayed various non white and non black races in a pretty bad way. He seems to have no problem with that when it's turned on other people.

Fuck him.

Post: #37

Forgive the trollish sound of this question, but is it safe to say that acting just might be a white-people endeavor...for the most part?

I'm not saying there aren't great black actors, but perhaps the lack of black nominees is just simply due to the fact that it is a "white" artform and they are heavily over-represented.

Post: #38

(01-23-2016 07:16 PM)TigerMandingo Wrote:  Forgive the trollish sound of this question, but is it safe to say that acting just might be a white-people endeavor...for the most part?

I'm not saying there aren't great black actors, but perhaps the lack of black nominees is just simply due to the fact that it is a "white" artform and they are heavily over-represented.

There is some truth to that. There are certain countries which dominate acting. The U.K. produces the bulk of great actors and that's mostly due to the strong Shakespearian roots in their plays. U.K. actors generally come up on stage. The stage weeds out the bullshit actors pretty quick. The U.S. has broadway and various comedy groups which also cultivates talent.

There aren't many minorities getting involved on stage to begin with. Someone could point to limiting factors behind that. However, it's likely that it does not attract minorities to participate to begin with since it's not culturally appealing. The ones who do have become wildly successful though. Samuel L. Jackson came up on stage.

There aren't many countries that have this type of tradition when it comes to acting.

Post: #39

http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/...m-and-race

Post: #40

(01-23-2016 08:13 PM)LeeEnfield303 Wrote:  http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/...m-and-race

The article will also never break down the number of Jewish producers, directors, writers, and actors in Hollywood ever who are counted amongst the white majority. There's definitely a statistical overrepresentation there. Hollywood is mainly a Jewish institution really.

Post: #41

(01-23-2016 03:40 PM)AnonymousBosch Wrote:  I didn't even know 2014's winner, 'Birdman', existed. I've never heard anyone I know mention it, or read any critic talk about it. The Director made 'The Revenant', which I've heard discussion of everywhere this year. Bizarre.

AB, 'Birdman' or 'The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance' was a fun movie - I think you would enjoy it. Shot in just 30 days director Alejandro Iñárritu insisted the film be made to appear as one continuous shot.

Post: #42

(01-23-2016 05:16 PM)debeguiled Wrote:  

(01-23-2016 03:40 PM)AnonymousBosch Wrote:  Oscars are kind of irrelevant in age where our stars lack Poise, Charm and Glamour, and the studios are more interested in churning out Toy-friendly Superhero movies anyway. Even increasing the number of Best Picture nominees to include more popular movies hasn't helped ratings - they have been steadily-falling, reaching the lowest levels since 2008 last year. They're a holdover from a dead age, and their only cultural cachet anymore is to be a category tag in Netflix.

The film critic Pauline Kael sensed this was the direction things were going in the seventies, when she saw Star Wars:

Quote:One of the biggest box-office successes in movie history — probably because for young audiences it's like getting a box of Cracker Jack that is all prizes. Written and directed by George Lucas, the film is enjoyable in its own terms, but it's exhausting, too: like taking a pack of kids to the circus. There's no breather in the picture, no lyricism; the only attempt at beauty is in the image of a double sunset. The loudness, the smash-and-grab editing, and the relentless pacing drive every idea out of your head, and even if you've been entertained, you may feel cheated of some dimension — a sense of wonder, perhaps. It's an epic without a dream.

"Star Wars," p. 714. 5001 Nights at the Movies (1982)

Fuck, if she thought A New Hope had relentless pacing she probably would've thought Force Awakens was pure amphetamine. That film dispenses with the double sunsets and quiet moments altogether.

God save us from people who mean well. -storm

Post: #43

I heard the Academy is actually considering changing "things" to be more diverse.

I expect viewership will continue to drop.

I also expect it to still be disproportionately Jewish, the new diversity will come out of the ordinary whites' share

Post: #44

(01-23-2016 08:31 PM)El Chinito loco Wrote:  

(01-23-2016 08:13 PM)LeeEnfield303 Wrote:  http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/...m-and-race

The article will also never break down the number of Jewish producers, directors, writers, and actors in Hollywood ever who are counted amongst the white majority. There's definitely a statistical overrepresentation there. Hollywood is mainly a Jewish institution really.

Jewish control of mass media goes beyond Hollywood and movies and extends to music, TV, newspapers and even books. It seems insidious to me that's why I'm not keen on movies or TV anymore.
This information is easy to find. Just Google "list of Jewish controlled _________" (Hollywood studios / TV networks / newspapers etc.).

Post: #45

The Oscars have been a "White American" award show for years. America was racist at some point. Really racist. When I say really racist, let's be real here. There are other racist people in the world. Like an Asian guy being racist against an Indian guy because they think Indian guys do x instead of y or even the reverse. However, they coexist and do so peacefully in a lot of countries around the world including the United States. They may even crack jokes at each others' unique behaviors over a beer. That's healthy and there are many societies and even communities in the world that function in this manner. I've got friends that are of every race imaginable and I will not miss an opportunity to make race jokes. It's because I cherish their friendship, not because I'm being racist.

The issue with America was that it was societal racism, not individual, that was indoctrinated into the culture systematically for years. I mean, making white people think they're better and ensuring black people think they're not. It was fucked up and it still does a number on some black people today as well as some white people. I'm neither white nor black, so I've had the opportunity to recognize and observe it for over 20 years, let's say from a outsider's perspective. The whole thing makes white people overly politically correct. The other day in a bar a white girl that I just met started off with "Oh, I'll say this, but I don't want to sound racist." Let me provide a better movie example. Remember when Jerry Mcguire said "I love black people; I'm Mr. black people." One of my favorite lines, but it shows Jerry's guilt and also him qualifying himself to sound "not so racist." It's a representation of the society we live in.

So the idea that remnants of racism aren't left over in American society would be denial. On the other end of the spectrum, people can scream "affirmative action" is wrong all they want and as bad as it is, discussing it doesn't do jack shit to change the race infused societal atmosphere in America. That can only come with respecting each others' backgrounds for what they are instead of framing them into some liberal race narrative that the Academy has an active hand in. The Idris Elba example by AnonymousBosch is a great example of how liberals fit their idea of a black man into a narrative. Sure men like that exist but the overwhelming majority of black men that I know and even my friends ain't like Idris Elba, even though one or two come really close.

Speaking of backgrounds, the truth is that there are unique experiences related to American culture that are captured in movies. For example, Godfather, showing immigrant experiences in addition to the mafia theme, which everyone here knows but also "Boyz n' the Hood," which shows experiences in the hood which some people in the country didn't know about and some people act like didn't exist. Which one got the Oscar? The truth is that the Oscars have been representing unique experiences for years and while they have progressed in the sense that there are now black actors getting awards, it hasn't really progressed to the point that it recognizes all facets of American culture, which includes black experiences as well as white and at this point. However, it has done a good job of representing lots of other assimilating identities which are not even race related (southern, texan, new yorker, mormon). The fact is that there were a lot of great Oscar worthy movies with black actors and directors this year maybe even proportionally higher than prior years. So it's obvious bias exists both based on our history as a nation, the makeup of the academy judges as well as quality of the movies.

I would also disagree that "acting" is some kind of white institution. That's kind of like saying that athletics are a black institution. It comes from a lack of knowledge about other cultures and the rest of the world. East Asian and South Asian cultures, the latter which I'm familiar with, have great traditions in theater and acting. Some are very unique. Just because Shakespeare was popular and did very significant things for the stage, doesn't mean he was the most significant or the biggest one. He was just the most well documented one since the West kept records and power over the related narrative. Records and documentation in non-western countries are pretty much non-existent. For example, where I was born in India, there was a tradition of stories about warriors with a code of honor (Vadakkan Paattu) that were passed down by song throughout the generations. The remnants of this exist but I'll be sad to see it go and I was honored to at least have born in that culture and have been part of that community. I love Shakespeare but there are equally solid if not stronger traditions around the rest of the world as it relates to theater and acting. Asian cultures will study Shakespeare but not the other way around as much. That's a result of our education system but knowing the vast amount of knowledge out there and denying it anyways doesn't make sense to me.

Look, I enjoy understanding white American culture as well as black American culture. Let's just stop pretending that they're both the same. While they may have similarities, and liberals want to categorize them in the same bucket, it bothers the shit out of me that people especially in the manosphere buy into it. The fact is that the overwhelming majority of Academy judges don't relate or identify with anything non-white, which is a function of who they are rather than racism. I mean, there is such uniqueness to black American culture in a lot of facets that people don't recognize it, or more so, refuse to recognize it. And liberals are afraid that if they talk about it, they'll be deemed racist. They'd rather take the safe route and promote films that are about something that they can relate to or have characters in them that they can relate to, rather than being objective. If they come out and say "Hey look, I relate more to that story than this one," they'll be deemed racist. They are afraid of that. Taking the subjective route will satisfy the majority of their audience anyways; why give a fuck about objectivity and true American culture? That's all it is. I mean, god forbid we become objective for once and see the beauty in what's unique and recognize it for what it is rather than fit it into some frame that we're "supposed" to since that's what we are familiar with. I hate liberals and those that say they're conservative and act liberal. This is just another manifestation of that tired old message.

Rant over.

Post: #46

We should boycott the NBA since there's not much representation of whites.

13% of the US population is black. The NBA in 2015 was composed of 74.4 percent black players, 23.3 percent white players, 1.8 percent Latinos, and 0.2 percent Asian.

I don't see whites, Latinos nor Asians complaining.

Racists blacks hate facts and statistics. I would love to tell them NBA will change to be more "diverse". LeBron have to step down and give space to Jose or Jing.


Not going to prolong this political debate. Keep in mind friends, family and relatives make mistakes all the time (like voting Democrats) and you shouldn't blame them for thinking different (irrationally) than you. This AffirmativeActionOscars is a joke. Spike Lee is a racists cunt but seems to be a good professional. He directed many movies including two who I liked very much like 25th Hour (2002) and Inside Man (2006). He's going to continue with his racist ramblings and won't stop me from seeing his movies.

Just move on and don't waste your time with ignorant and irrational people's ideologies. They do it because they're ignorant, not because they're bad people.


* Please mods, don't ban me for replying to this Trap Thread.

Post: #47

If I made a movie. I would want the biggest return on that investment.

Post: #48

(01-24-2016 10:39 AM)fugly1000 Wrote:  If I made a movie. I would want the biggest return on that investment.

Then do as James Cameron did with Titanic (according to David Farland, anyway): surreptitiously introduce various other races and cultures in drive-by references and throwaway scenes, don't slam minorities into lead roles for no reason. When you look over the film, shit though it might be, it had mass worldwide appeal for a reason: it had Kate Winslet's glorious young naked body it had actors from all over Europe, and even a few Turkish and Indians as well. DiCaprio's buddies are Irish and Italian. He wins his ticket from a couple of Germans(?) Winslet becomes friends with fatass American Molly Brown. There are scenes below decks featuring more Irish and Scottish actors. And so on. But because of the time and setting, Cameron didn't go casting fucking Will Smith as the black lower-class lover of a white girl on the ship: that would have had, shall we say, unfortunate consequences in real life.

Milton Friedman used to say discrimination is its own punishment -- but the comment applies equally to discrimination in favour of one group to cackhandedly "fix" historical guilt over discrimination against that group.

God save us from people who mean well. -storm