TheBoost

If I could kill one famous person, it would be Jenny McCarthy.

That dumb whore was in "Time" last week, and while the article was balanced, the fact it's balanced between the views of an uneducated nude model who changes her opinion with the seasons and the overwhelming consensus of real scientists with evidence, I can't help but think 'balance' in itself isn't always a good journalistic goal.

Bingowings said:

I do think there is a degree of male flesh blindness on this thread.

The main area in this genre where gender prejudice really kicks in is with age and I think that will eventually change as people become equally ageist towards men and women (the idea of a middle aged man being cast in Doctor Who is almost unthinkable at least to the suits at the BBC now, sadly).

Bing's got two good points here.

I think I need to rewatch "Wolverine" and pay close attention to the hot throbbing man-flesh I may have missed the first time through.

I can't believe I just typed that.

I also think he's right that there's increasing sexy-ism bias against men in movies as well. Steve McQueen couldn't be an action star today, with his weak chin and skinny arms.  It's a pity that instead of women being less objectified as society advanced, they're being more unrealistically objectified... but so are men so maybe there's a kind of fucked up equality.

Seriously... Doctor FREAKING Who has to be young and sexy? Isn't he like, a magic grandpa? And Tom Baker looked like a tall lawn gnome and he was the best!

xhonzi said:

Boost said:

I was 17 when it came out, and I had a man thing for Natalie Padme.

Now I'm 29...

You aged 12 years in 10.75 years?

I've had a hard life.

(or I misremembered when TPM came out and am bad at math. Whichever is more likley)

Bingowings said:

I think the nearest thing to Willis in Die Hard 4, Ford in Indy IV etc was Ripley 8 in Alien 4.

I think you're right, age can count for a lot.

Willis, Segal, Stallone, Chan, and Ford are all in their 70s, and you can buy them as asskickers.

If a woman looks over 32 she can only be a grieving mother or an evil social climber.

Gaffer Tape said:

It gets even creepier.  Back in 2007 when Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out, WB tried to do the same thing to Emma Watson in its poster (and she was, like, 16 at the time).  People did notice, cried child sexualization, and Watson's, um, artificial enhancements were removed.

 

Really?!?!?

EEEEwwwww!!!

On a related note, I watched TPM the other day and had a creepy realization. I was 17 when it came out, and I had a man thing for Natalie Padme.

Now I'm 29, and she's what, 14 in that movie (?), and just remembering having a thing for her made me feel all creepy like I needed to go buy a white van.

vote_for_palpatine said:

2) How can this be undone or remedied? The vast majority of people seem to okay with it - filmmakers, filmgoers, and most importantly the actresses themselves.

With a fan-editor mentality, I wonder if Blade 3 would have gotten one better review, made less more dollar, or sold one less DVD if the 90 second "Jessica Biel in the shower" sequence wasn't in it. I doubt it.

I like Biel. She has an ass that don't quit. But that shower sequence just made me feel dirty, and perhaps a bit bored. IMHO it added nothing to the film and wouldn't have been missed. In a film as mediocre as Blade 3, that's saying something.

On the other hand, Catherine Zeta-Jone's ass in "Entrapment" when it went under the lazer was the only thing that movie had going for it.

Damn somebody turned on the snark right quick.

Calm the fuck down, I just posed the question.Though we might have a discussion that's not kneejerk and assy... I even put a "?" in the thread title.

I don't just mean that the chicks are sexy. Most movie stars are. I was thinking about the near fetishism of how they are presented.

Is Christian Bale a good looking dude? Hell yeah. Is he ever shown as a sex object in "Batman"? No. Does the camera ever pan lovingly over Hugh Jackman's ripped and strong and sweaty shoulders? It doesn't.

When the camera showed Batman's latex ass in "Batman 4" it was mocked for years. When the camera gets all sorts of closeups of Catwoman's, Elektra's, Lara Crofts, Halle Berry in that Bond flick, chick from Underworld, Sue Storm's asses it's business as usual.

I didn't consider Kill Bill (I totally hated that flick, didn't see 2).

Inspired by the interesting discussion on the "Racist Movies" thread, this got me thinking.

Do you suppose it is possible to make an action/adventure movie with a female hero where how sexy she is isn't a factor?

I think the only films that even try are the "Alien" films.

Rambo is shirtless and sweaty in most of the movies, but the camera never lingers sexily on his biceps or thighs like it does on say, Lara Croft or Ashlie Judd in Aeon Flux. In "Long Kiss Goodnight" when Geena Davis realizes she's an action hero, she starts getting sexier.

Of the many bad moves in the PT, one of my least favorites has to be the Padme "slashed by a tiger now I'm in a bare-midriff" moment in AOTC. 

In the new Star Trek, Uhura is a competent and exceptional officer, but she's also super hot and they make note of that on many occasions.

Can a woman in an adventure film not be defined by how sexy she is?

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Ferngully- The Last Rainforest

Not a bad film, but if it wasn't a musical it would have been infinitly better and a whole lot less dated.

And I hate Robin Williams.

This thread is now about Elves!

honzi said:

C3PX said:

In fact, we've seen and heard all of them doing far worse things than we have ever seen Darth Locke or his followers do.  

 Did you see Tuesday's episode?  DL shows up to the temple, a place where people are seeking refuge, offers a "join me or die" ultimatum and then proceeds to kill everyone still there.

Wanton Murder is pretty bad in my book.  Pretty hard to forgive.

 Yeah, but didn't the 'good' Others genocide the Dharma Initiative?

Bingowings said:

When did Iraq attack America?

They attacked Kuwait and Iran but never America.

The last nation state to attack America was Japan.

Starship Troopers would be just as off in terms of the Iraq war.

 (If you were referring to my post)

I was kinda making a joke.

The  bugs from Troopers attack and destroy Buenos Aeries. In retaliation Earth for some reason invades Avatarworld.

skyjedi2005 said:

Just like Christopher Nolan having batman wiretap all gotham is supposed to be a condemnation of Bush Patriot Act.

I've heard people call that movie an overwhelming defense of Bush's wiretapping and whatnot. 

xhonzi said:

TheBoost said:

 Oh. So you're intepretting "Avatar" as an Iraq War analogy?  I think that's stretching the material a bit.

Really?  I have no doubt that Avatar was meant, by Cameron and most other people involved, to be an Irag War analogy.

No doubt whatsoever.

OK, I just read that Cameron make some remarks where he explcitly states that was his goal. But he sure did a piss poor job of it.

Everything the Iraq War is about is absent. Iraq is not based on some touchy-feely environementalism and a failure of two peoples to communicate. Even the staunchest opponents of the war wouldn't make that claim.

Now, if Avatar it was set in the Starship Troopers universe, and after the bugs destroy Buenos Aires THEN humans go  invade Avatarworld as retribution, that would be a better analogy.

But just having a character say "there's some resource we want" and using the term "shock and awe" doesn't impart some kind of powerful political meaning into the film.

I declare "epic fail" if Cameron thought he had something relevant to say on Iraq.

Akwat Kbrana said:

So...Romeo must Die is a racist film because the two protagonists didn't kiss at the end of the film?

Really? Really?

 I think they're refrencing what is seem by some as a de-sexifying of Asian men in American movies.

Asian men can kick some ass, but they cant get the girl (look at Jackie Chan).

I've heard people make the claim, but I've never given much thought to how true it might be.

For what it's worth, does Jet Li or Jackie Chan (or any other Asian dude) ever get the girl?

TV's Frink said:

You guys never mentioned that LOST is a wrestling show.

 Now that you mention it, I think everyone who goes to ZombieLocke's side should have to wear a black t-shirt with "mIb" on it, and get new entrance music.

skyjedi2005 said:

It remind me of people who said empire strikes back was racist because Lando was black and was a traitor to Han a white man.

Whenever I hear that, I like to point out that Lando is the only character in ESB who actually tries to fullfill his responsibilities. 

skyjedi2005 said:

TheBoost said:

skyjedi2005 said:

Even Cameron has become an apologist with AVATAR.

 

And Cameron needs to get his wimpy politics out of my entertainment. To imply that forced relocation and genocide is bad makes me sick.

I was not referring to the angle of the native americans but that it made as some claim al quida seem like the good guys and they are the enemy.  The thing with stealing oil from Iraq is mostly a lie anyways we don't get all of our oil from there.

Now i'm not sure i agree with the point of cameron siding with our enemies, he is just pointing out that innocents and civilians are all killed in war.

 Oh. So you're intepretting "Avatar" as an Iraq War analogy?  I think that's stretching the material a bit.

xhonzi said:

I'm having hard time believing that Sayid, Claire, and Sawyer would actually join the Dark Side of their own free will.  Yes, I know that they've all lost the person they cared for most in the world.  Yes, I know that they blame people on the other team (Sayid blames Ben, Claire blames Kate, Sawyer blames Jack) but would they seriously trade-in their immortal soul?

 

What has the "Good" Side ever done to convince anyone they're good?

They've constantly lied, murdered, lied, hid the truth, engaged in deceit, insisted they should be trusted, tortured, and imprisoned people, all while lying and refusing to tell the truth.

I'd throw in with ZombieLocke if the other option were those douches in the temple.  

skyjedi2005 said:

I love the film True Lies.  Hollywood people don't have the balls to make a film like that these days.  Even Cameron has become an apologist with AVATAR.

 Seriously. You just cant get any bad-guy Arabs in the mainstream leftist media anymore, not like the good old days. On an unrelated note, when does the new season of 24 start?

And Cameron needs to get his wimpy politics out of my entertainment. To imply that forced relocation and genocide is bad makes me sick.

ferris209 said:

I'm absolutely sick of the "racist" moniker. Can't we all just enjoy each races respective eccentricities and general habits without it being deemed "hateful" when it certainly is not. I loved "Blazing Saddles" and I now believe that movie is the pinnacle of our time in which the races could lay all past beside and have fun without some idiot coming along and destroying the fun in the name of political correctness.

 I don't get this statement.

If someone points out that Mickey Rooney in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" it a blatant racist carictature, or that "District 9" that on the surface condemns racistm but is about as hateful towards Nigerians as it could fit into 90 minuts is a little troubling, are they ruining the fun in the name of political correctness?

No one says THEY are PC.  "PC" is the term I use when someone else object to something I like. 

Ripplin said:

^Agreed. The new name is stupid. I was thinking of that the other night. They're trying to be "cool", I guess. Or "hip", possibly.

 I think they wanted something they could trademark.

On the otherhand SyFy makes me think of syphillis.

ABC said:

TheBoost said:

I think Superman Returns was probably worse than anything in the Prequel Trilogy.

 Not mentionning it looked like pretending to be a "remake" of the 1st.

In the other side, John Ottman's score for this is not far from "Gorgeous".

 It was a fine score, but Singer's desire to use the themes from the Christopher Reeve films only kept reminding me that I wasn't watching those, superior films

I think Superman Returns was probably worse than anything in the Prequel Trilogy. Kate Bosworth's Lois was worse than Hayden's Anakin. Luthor's plot made less since than Republic Poitics. Superman was less likable than the Jedi. The action was worse than Jar Jar's humor.