This past weekend was a busy one. My three boys, Noble (6),
Royal (5) and Knight (3) were invited to a birthday party for a friend of
theirs. The party was at the local movie theatre and because we were in the
process of moving, I almost didn’t go. I
changed my mind because movies always make me feel better when I am stressed
out.
The party was great. Friends, family, pizza, cake and
popcorn were on the menu. What I didn’t order was the poor acting in the film.
I am passionate about acting. I teach it, I do it and I watch it. This
particular movie was EPIC.
It was said to be visually stimulating and with celebrity voice talents. Well, regarding those two issues, they were right.
This is where I had my problem. I can describe it in one
word, Beyoncé. Listen,
I don’t mind Beyoncé performing at the super bowl or at the VMA because that's what she does. I do have a problem and what was very
disturbing was her performance in this film. She is not an actress. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love when actors can do it all. The triple threat is the ultimate goal, but I only love it when it is done right. When you are good at something, do it, when you are not, take some lessons. Her voice is
not good for animation or live action films. Her voice has no inflections,
different pitches or even emotion in it. I was disappointed.
I then thought about, WHY? Why was she chosen to be this
character in this film? Then I had an answer. She was cast to attract the black
population to watch this film. Hollywood thinks that if they attach a famous black name to something then their profits will go up. Well, they might just be right
about that, but for the small minority of the population that still value
performance over just a name, this type of casting is insulting.
I titled my blog, “Pay no attention to the story behind that
explosion," because that is all that movies have turned into. Movies in this
century have become, big blockbuster expulsions with lack luster stories.
Oh, did I mention that I didn’t really like the film. I
didn’t really hate it either.
Enrika M. Sissle
Judging by the trailer, I'd have to agree with you that I'm not impressed. I remember seeing previews on t.v. to promote the movie and couldn't believe the amount of famous names being featured. It was almost overwhelming and a bit obnoxious. I've seen a few movies featuring Beyonce, particularly Dream Girls, and thought she did a really great job in it. However, in a movie aimed for younger audiences, I can't imagine her voice as animated and youthful. The audience might struggle to relate or believe the character-similar to you! It'll be interesting to see what the box office sales and film reviews are after the movie circulates. I wouldn't be surprised if Beyonce was meant to target the black population. However many names in the industry can be used as an example. It's hard to differentiate casting from audience expectations and industry standards. Thanks for the blog post!
ReplyDeleteYes, I actually feel offended that Hollywood thinks that "blacks" will flock if Beyonce is in it.
DeleteHello Enrika,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to start off by saying that this blog post is absolutely hilarious. I greatly appreciate your raw honesty and humor, which is refreshing to read. Based on the trailer you posted and all of the other trailers that I saw of EPIC, the movie seemed really lame. EPIC appears to be a remake of the 1992 children’s film Fern Gully that I absolutely loved as a kid. 20th Century Fox clearly tried to pull a fast one on the American public, by putting a star studded cast together to support their lame attempt to re-tell a story. I have not seen EPIC but based on the trailers and snippets I have encountered, your assessment of the lack luster and boring storytelling seem to be accurate.
Now, regarding the main subject of your post Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Carter, who I affectionately call “The Queen” (no pun intended with her character Queen Tara). I have been a Beyoncé fan for many years, and have enjoyed watching her grow from her days with Destiny’s Child, to her amazing solo career. I appreciate her dedication to her work, her passion for music and life, her work ethic, how fiercely she guards her private life, and how she continues to push herself as a musical artist. I have written several posts on my blog www. Medi8tor.blogspot.com about her in the articles “Legal Controversies” and “The $50 Million Dollar Woman”, and have a lot of her music on my blog. As much as I love her, and pray to God every night that I have the opportunity to somehow go to The Mrs. Carter Tour this summer, I completely agree with your assessment of her acting skills.
Beyoncé is a wonderful singer, a fierce fashionista, a great symbol of women’s empowerment, the perfect blend of sassy sweet, the poster child for the working mother, deeply connected to her heritage, loved by her family and friends, and one of the biggest celebrities in the world. But this botched acting career has got to stop! Carmen was cool, Austin Powers was fun, Fighting Temptations was cute, in The Pink Panther she played herself, Dream Girls barely counted as an acting role, in Cadillac Records she improved her chops but was definitely overshadowed by the incredible cast in that film (You cannot be in a movie with Jeffrey Wright and suck), Obsessed was a glorified lifetime movie, and EPIC well…I guess that is an obvious fail.
In my opinion, Beyoncé more than likely did this movie to have a project that Blue Ivy can watch. Although this was a cute idea, especially Beyoncé is so new to motherhood, perhaps EPIC was not the best idea to express that love; maybe she should have written a song instead. This obviously was a foe paw by “The Queen,” and the ploy behind 20th Century Fox’s casting Beyoncé is exactly as you stated, “ She was cast to attract the black population to watch this film.”
Unfortunately, the suits in Hollywood think that they can throw a famous Black name in a racially imbalanced movie, and believe that it will be enough to draw box office dollars from our community. Sadly, some Black people will support a film for that reason, but based on the increasingly tragic amount of Tyler Perry’s productions, as well as that God awful Disney’s “Princess and that Frog,” it is safe to say that the minority majority population does have standards for our art, and we still require decent storytelling no matter who they cast as a lead.
Great post and I will be sure to visit again soon!
Yes, I good storyline and plot will last longer than one liners and jokes.
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