Posted on 06/17/2018 8:15:20 AM PDT by EdnaMode
Oceans 8 currently sits at a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes. Thats enough for a fresh rating, but perhaps not as high as the studio or the stars of the film had hoped for. Well, if you talk to a couple of the actresses involved in the female-led heist film, they have an idea why that might be a lack of diversity among the film critics.
The issue of white men dominating film criticism is a bit of a hot-button issue over the last week or so. Ever since a report was published that shined a light on the fact that white men make up the vast majority of critics on Rotten Tomatoes, people have been speaking out, hoping that more underrepresented people would get their chance to contribute to the film criticism conversation.
READ MORE: Sandra Bullock Says Actresses In The Ghostbusters Reboot Literally Walked Into A Firing Squad
And during an interview recently (via Telegraph), Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett, previously mentioned stars of Oceans 8, agree with that sentiment. It would be nice if reviewers reflected who the film is for, like children should review childrens films, not a 60-year-old man, said Bullock. I guess his opinion would be kind of skewed.
She continued, saying she would like there to be balancing out the pool of critics so that it reflects the world we are in, like we are trying to reflect the world that I live in and my friends live in.
Its not just all men. I love men, I want to be at the table with men but I also want to be invited to the table that the men are at, she added. I dont know, but lets see, lets try it.
READ MORE: Oceans 8 Is Familiar, But Still Sparkles With Cinematic Delights [Review]
When Blanchett was asked about if she believes Hollywood is getting better about featuring films that tell female stories, she continued the film criticism conversation by saying, Its Hollywood but its also the media, because a studio can support a film and its the invisible faces on the internet, and often male reviewers, who can view it through a prism of misunderstanding, and so I think that is a really big part of the equation.
This idea that films should be reviewed by critics that are the target audience isnt receiving universal praise, however. On social media, the discussion has been varied, with many stating that diversity is needed but Bullock and Blanchetts assertion that certain films should be reviewed by certain people isnt the answer.
Film critic Alison Willmore summed it up on Twitter, saying, Maybe reviews of OCEANS 8 would have skewed more positive if itd been majority women-identifying critics reviewing it. Maybe not! If you need to erase the opinions of female critics who didnt like it in order to make this argument, its not a good one. Women arent monolithic!
Alison Willmore ✔ @alisonwillmore The push for greater diversity in criticism should come on the basis that more people from more backgrounds should be heard weighing in on a film, not on people arguing their movie obvi would have done better critically you can't know that and it shouldn't matter
Alison Willmore ✔ @alisonwillmore "This movie isn't for you" is the same argument an angry teen boy uses when telling me why I shouldn't get to weigh in on SUICIDE SQUAD. It's also an argument whose end point is that there should never be bad reviews, because that just means the critic wasn't the right audience
Well, the men who go to movies aren’t, generally, interested in estrogen-fests.
I have no problem at all with female movies or female led movies - so long as the story makes sense.
Divergent, I thought, was a good example of that.
I think Ocean’s 8 could work very well - but Ocean’s 11 was about suave scumbags who would use any trick to get the money. I’m sure in Ocean’s 8 (even though I haven’t seen it) the women are only scumbags because of the patriarchy, aren’t really interested in the money (because greed is bad) and just want to perform some social justice AND will do it all without seducing any men (because that plays into the patriarchy)
She was good in the last Thor movie. More powerful than Thor. I don’t think many men had a problem with that. Was an awesome movie.
How does she explain that?
Ill tell you what Kate, get an original thought and maybe I will come watch a movie that is female led. Maybe the acting wasnt up to par? Maybe the story has been done to death?? I just have to laugh, as I did when I read that Meghan Markle had complained that she wasnt getting parts because she is part Black. Youll have to ask Halle Berry about that, Meghan. Maybe its because you are a mediocre actress? I guess mediocre actress shouldnt have anything to do with the Oceans 8 fiasco, what with Blanchette and Bullock in it. Nope, not interested in another Hollywood retread simply because it has lots of women in it.
The In-Laws (1979) with Alan Arken and Peter Falk
Tomatometer: 90%
Audience: 82%
The In-Laws (2003) with Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks
Tomatometer: 34%
Audience: 40%
Nope ... it isn’t just because of gals ... sometimes the origional is just too good for anyone to do anything but make a pale and poorly received imitation.
Sometimes there SHOULD only be one.
Especially when, as in the case of the Ghostbusters remake, ordinary people may look at it and see an arbitrary substitution like all lady leads with no real reason why besides the desire for it.
Meghan Markle was at best a C actress, just check her credits on IMDB, she was never much. Best gig she has was her limited role in the TV show “Suits”. She was just a good actress.One of dime a dozen in Hollywood, at least she got a few gigs, more than most.
That remake was terrible, it was never as good as the original and should never have been made. It was painful and awkward to watch.
Cate was entirely too ugly to be Galadriel.
Because Brie Larson, the "star" of this upcoming bigt budget Disney film recently attacked all White men in an unhinged rant:
Brie Larson: I Dont Want to Hear What a White Man Has to Say
I dont need a 40-year-old white dude to tell me what didnt work about A Wrinkle in Time. It wasnt made for him! I want to know what it meant to women of color, biracial women, to teen women of color.
Does this stupid broad even know that the book was written by a White female? Any White male who goes to see "Captain Marvel" needs to turn in their Man Card at the door.
Many of them are.
It isn’t necessarily that the actors in the new movies aren’t good, but that with classics (especially comedy) they were frequently good AND perfect for their roles.
Screen chemistry is neigh on impossible to manufacture.
Add in that modern Hollywood is exceptionally capable at the mechanics of movie making but lackluster at story telling and it’s a recipe for disaster.
(I joke that Bay and Jackson are going to collaborate, and for the first time bring exploding screen flare to the big screen)
Several months ago I had the opportunity of watching the original movie serial of “Captain Marvel” made during the early 1940’s. It was campy and fun to watch, it was about 3.5 hours long and worth seeing.
You can catch it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdElOYs9kWo&t=11s
I have no intention of going to a female Captain Marvel, it will be full of SJW crap and PC, so I will leave it someone else to see it.
Brie Larson, like so many others in Hollywood, is a lost soul and beyond the ability to think and reason. Disney took it in the shins on “A Wrinkle In Time” as they have on “Solo”, if they continue then their film business will suffer greatly to my delight.
Good scream chemistry at best is a hit or miss in most movies.
The best screen chemistry, in my opinion the best ever, was that between William Powell and Myrna Loy, 16 movies together, a record that will never be broken.
I never cared much for a lot of the Spencer Tracy-Katherine Hepburn pictures, some were great, some were not.
In any event I rarely see much real good chemistry in today’s films.
1. They never see the dirt, grime, grease, or pet hair that a woman will notice and immediately clean.
2. When they misplace something, they never lift anything up to see if the item they are looking for could possibly be under it, ie., a newspaper, or stack of papers.
Its not just all men. I love men, I want to be at the table with men but I also want to be invited to the table that the men are at, she added.”
Why, because women are inferior, and you can’t feel equal unless everybody jumps through their own asshole to give you unearned advantages?
Women in their roles as wife and mother are absolutely essential to civilization. Any dipwad could be CEO of MS; only a woman can be a wife and mother. Instead of making life unlivable for men, why don’t you feminist shit goblins turn to the essential duties that only a woman can perform?
Or continue in your absolute selfishness and let civilization go right down the oubliette, like a pack of malicious three-year-olds.
“(I joke that Bay and Jackson are going to collaborate, and for the first time bring exploding screen flare to the big screen)”
Don’t even want to know who “Bay and Jackson” are.
Is this a ‘thing’ now, in Hollywood? If a movie sucks, it’s NOT that the movie sucks...it’s that someone is out to get them?
The guy who directed the recent Hans Solo movie, which bombed, also went on a rant toward the AUDIENCE he was trying to draw to the movie; insulted them, etc.
Just shut up and ACT, ya trained monkeys! So sorry to see Cate getting into this. She’s a better actress than most.
LOL! Those two were hilarious!
Alienating the male fan base of Marvel films is a really terrible idea. Women alone will not propel Captain Marvel to a box office success.
Yeah that seems to be what is happening. Attack the audience and/or critics instead of take responsibility for making a bad movie.
I was invited to see ‘Ocean’s 8’ last week. Luckily my Mom got sick and needed my help that day.
Win/Win, now that Mom is fine. ;)
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