| Author | Message | ||
     Carey AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Carey Post Number: 2447 Registered: 05-2004 Rating: |
The greatest show on earth. The most super-fabulous, splenderocious, Mega-magnanimous event of the year. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Ray "Jamie Fox" Charles vs Mary "Mo’nique" Jones. - Don King It’s a photo finish but the cream came out on top! Who won? But first, let’s get the preliminary fights out of the way. I am still alive. I mean, I watched the movies "Precious" and "Ray" and I am still here. That must make me a special kind of survivor. I don’t feel compelled to shoot heroin or rape my daughter. My white neighbors still wave at me as they pass by. I don’t know what they are saying about me in their homes, nor do I care. A Precious lived down the street from me. The rumors and whispers surrounding the father of her children have stood the test of time. We called her father, Icewater. The other day I passed by the welfare office. I spotted several Mo`niques exchanging Newport cigarettes. I knew some of them – I waved and kept driving. Last week I accompanied my granddaughter to her school. Ms. Cornrolls, the schools receptionist , greeted me with a smile. I returned the favor and threw in a hug. I’ve coached teenage thugs. I know their mothers and fathers. I am still alive. "Precious" and "Ray" are movies. Can we move forwards? Did Mo`nique kill the part of Precious Jones!? Did she not waver in that role? Wasn’t she the epitome of every abusive mother in the world. What is it about comedians that allows them to capture human emotion with such drop dead conviction? Jamie Fox was Ray Charles. While watching "Ray" I witnessed Jamie morph into Ray Charles, one of the greatest R & B singers of all time. In every detail, Mo`nique captured my vision of the quintessential angry, hostile, vicious, manipulative, cunning and insecure women. She took me there. Ray Charles was a drug addict and a womanizer. I understand Ray Charles addiction to heroin. I also understand the resentment Mary Jones had for her daughter, however, I do not condone either’s behavior. I am sure neither individual signed up for the road of ignorance, therefore, I refuse to convict them for their character flaws or lay total blame at their feet. Mary Jones said "I did what my mother told me". Social mores, through general observance, develops the forces of law. Yes, even the gut-bucket behaviors of child abuse, drug abuse and ignorance, become the accepted norms of many societies and cultures. I few days ago, a friend of mine told me that Mr. So-n-So was a good man. I asked her how she knew that. She paused, then said "well, he had a good job and tired to show his son’s how to be men". I asked her if she’d ever been in his house. She said it was a dirty mess. She went on to say there were rumors of him abusing his wife. Rumors mind you, but she did notice his wife’s soft steps when in the company of her husband. My friend was married to this man’s son. She said he was the worst SOB she’d ever known. He abused her for 30 years. Mo `nique (Mary Jones) did what her mother told her. She pointed a finger at Precious and said, "It’s this bitches fault, she made [my man] leave. She let him have her. She made him leave, who else is gonna love me!?" Jamie Fox’s portrayal of Ray Charles was one of the best performance I `ve seen in my lifetime. The scene in the welfare office with Mariah Carey (Ms. Weiss) and Precious was grand theater. Mo `nique’s acting in that scene was probably the best performance that I `ve ever witnessed by a black actress. No, not probably, it was the best performance I ‘ve ever seen. I’d argue against any contenders. The storyline about the underachieving black youth has been beat to the ground. We’ve seen the knight in shining armor rescue the inner city school. The movie "Precious" tore that page out of the book and took it to another level. Paula Patton, who played the part of Ms. Rain, anchored that "Welcome Back Kotter" classroom, with an ease of an actress with an acting resume much larger than hers. It could be argued that Jamie Fox had a wonderful supporting cast of well known seasoned actors, which could have made his role easier to perform. However, I tip my hat to the entire cast of "Precious". I didn’t see one performer overact. In fact, I didn’t know Lenny Kravitz played the part of Nurse John until I saw the credits. I don’t know. "Precious" vs " Ray" ...? Mo `nique vs Jamie Fox? Question-Question-Questions??? | ||
| Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 8340 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
These are two odd films and performances to compare. How come nobody is pushing the girl who played Precious for an Oscar? Or is it that everybody believes she wasn't acting? | ||
| Carey AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Carey Post Number: 2449 Registered: 05-2004 Rating: N/A |
"These are two odd films and performances to compare" I agree Chris, but I am talking about the scope of the actor's ability to make the character believable. Not only that, but their ablity to project heartfelt emotions. Then, I consider how well they project different types of emotions. It's easier to "do" angry, than it is to do, lets say, compassion or indifference. Mo'nique was manipulative, ruthless and deceitful, in a shrewd and cunning way. Her acting was flawless. "Odd" speaks for itself but yet there are basic pleasures we hope to receive from watching any type of movie. I do not believe these two films are that far apart from each other. The actress that played Precious didn't have to project many different types of emotions/feelings. Plus, many of her scenes were carried by a narrative voice. It was her voice but little acting is required to do that. | ||
| Thumper Veteran Poster Username: Thumper Post Number: 881 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: |
Hello All, You know Carey, funny you should start this thread because I was thinking the same thing...sort of. I started comparing all of the movies I have ever seen where the actor/actress morphed into the character so that I forgot that the character in the movie was a character and not a real person. There is about a handful of acting performances that should be the yardstick that all acting should be measured against. My list: 1.) Olivia de Havilland in Gone With The Wind. It took me YEARS to realize that Melanie Wilkes was a character. When I saw the movie, I saw Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard and Melanie Wilkes. de Havilland performance was perfection. 2.) Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice. Streep was magnificent! 3.) Morgan Freeman in Street Smart. I could not wrap my mind around the fact that this was the man that I use to see on that old PBS program, The Electric Company. I know people have been writing about pimps and dealers and that don't really know what they are writing about, because Freeman's pimp was SCARY! You don't know how many times I wanted to write these urban authors and tell them to go and rent Street Smart to see how a pimp is suppose to be. He was robbed of that Oscar. 4.) Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple. You have to admit that even now when you look at Whoopi and all of the roles she has done, Celie stands apart from the rest. Her performance was FLAWLESS 5.) Jamie Foxx in Ray. As you said, PERFECTION! I believed I was some sort of time machine looking at Ray Charles live his life, so much so that at the end of the movie I jumped in shock when I saw the REAL Ray Charles. Like I had a mind burp, "oh, that's the real Ray Charles". Now, I can add Mo'nique to that list. Man, I remember reading the book and wanting to beat the hell out of Mary. But here's what Monique did that I think put her ahead of the Foxx just by a hair, she realized my image of the character. With Foxx's Ray, I knew what Ray Charles looked like and how he sounded. With Mo'nique her Mary, I thought, only existed in Sapphire's and mine minds. Monique breathed life into that sad, miserable, self centered, hateful excuse for a human. She brought Mary's motivation for Precious's abuse to the floor so that I could at least understand it, recognize it and still despise it. How many movies and books that we have seen and read that promoted the mindset of black female characters just like Mary? They are not as violent or evil as that skank but the damage that they do to their children; thereby, or society is just as destructive! You've seen 'em and know 'em: the ones who can't do anything without a man, who have left their children because they need a man, no matter the character of the man. Now, they have the nerve to take this foolishness nationwide. Like the other day, I was watching Judge Judy. Carey and two of your neices was there. Your neice X was suing neice B because neice B was sleeping with neice X's boyfriend. Neice X is working supporting herself, her children and boyfriend, who aint the father of none of the 5 kids. Your neice B is going to school for nursing and she started going with the boyfriend months ago and its time for boyfriend to leave neice X-with her old 30 years old self. Neice B is 19. Anyway, neice B keyed neice X's car. She sho did and aint ashamed about it, because boyfriend was driving it. So, Judge Judy asked neice X why did boyfriend have her car? Well, neice X explained, she let him have the car, he drops her off at work and picks her up, because he's watching her baby (he's not the father). Why can't he get a job, the judge asked. It's our arrangement. Why don't your arrangement call for him getting a job and supporting himself, Judge Judy asked. Neice X hunches her shoulders. Why would you have a man that's not your baby's father, watch the baby? Can you explain that to me? Nope, neice X had not a word of reason to say. She just stood there looking retarded. Hence, another Mary Jones. Then neice B, she luuuvvs him and its time for the old heifa to step off. Another Mary Jones. All this over a "man" who aint working, cant support himself , who is 3 chapters short of being less than a poor excuse of a man!! Insane, but without the Mary Jones in the black community, the "less than a man" boyfriend will always be less than a man, but as long as their self esteem and self validation remains in the gutter nothing will change. | ||
| Carey AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Carey Post Number: 2451 Registered: 05-2004 Rating: N/A |
Ouuuuu Thump, that last part was good. I actually followed it from begining to end. Reaaly, there were triffling women (cousins), sleeping with the same nasty scum bag. These women had a bunch of babies (at an early age) that dirt ball did not father. Slick Willie, that we don't even know has a willy, has a job picking up one of the lunatic cousins, and dropping her off. Neither "Mary" can explain why they are acting like damn fools. They only know dey love dem some worthless nig*a. The first part of your post was acutally even better. I agree, you killed it, Mo'nique wins by a nose, for all the reasons you mentioned. She brought it home from an image of a fictional character. Jamie Fox had Ray charles. Of course though, I don't know if I am feeling all of your first 5 picks. I will say that I am riding with your pick of Whoopi. Damn, to think that after all these years it took an old crow like you, for me to find out that Celie is not a grown-ass Whoopie. So Danny glover ain't really married to Whoopie? But really, I have to give more thought to the rest of your list. I may come back with a list of my own. But first, Mau Mau Freeman's role in Street Smart, WILL NOT be one of them. |
