Monday, September 15, 2008

Top 5 Actors

Me and a friend were just having this debate so I thought I'd share my picks.

My Top 5 Actors (in no particular order)

1) Denzel Washington - Besides being gorgeous, he can transform himself to any character. He bring intensity to his roles that you just cant get with all actors. When he does a movie, you KNOW its gonna be good.

2) Al Pacino - The Godfather. Devil's Advocate. Nuff said.

3) Samuel Jackson: Alot of people think he's a one dimensional character but Samuel has had some very diverse roles. Caveman's Valentine? Changing Lanes? Awesome!

4) Tom Hank - What I love about Tom Hanks is that he, along with Denzel Washington, are among the few actors that actually look and feel like different people with their roles. His roles in Big (one of my fav ol school movies), Philadelphia, and Forrest Gump are played so well that you dont see Tom Hanks, you see the character.

5) TIE: Sean Connery and George Clooney - 007 and Ocean are two older white men that I'd roll in the hay with (lol). But they also make some of the best movies.

Honorable Mention: Don Cheadle, Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind), John Travolta, Johnny Depp, Forrest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland), Morgan Freeman, Willem Defoe (Boondock Saints), LL Cool J

Good But Don't Really Care For: Wesley Snipes, Nicolas Cage, most rappers and athletes who TRY to act (the rappers do a better job of acting on their albums and in reality than in movies)

I like Will Smith but he will never have roles like Denzel because he doesnt embody his roles. All of his characters are him. When he does a movie, you see Will Smith. He acts like himself, which isnt really acting. You're supposed to transform into the character and in my opinion, I dont think Will Smith fully does that in his roles. I'm not saying he's a bad actor because he IS good. But, he'll only get certain roles because he doesnt fully get into his characters. I liked him in Ali but I still felt like it was more Will than Ali. Thats my opinion.

I was in love with Terrence Howard but after reading an article and hearing something from someone who actually spoke with him, it kinda turned me off from him. The article I read started off telling about him cheating on his wife, AGAIN. I dont like cheaters. You shouldnt get married if you know you gonna be stepping out. It defeats the purpose of the whole institute of marriage. Then my friend told me about how during a conversation he had with him, they talked about why Terrence doesnt like Black women. Not just a dislike but it was almost to the point of a hatred for Black women. Why? He gave the common reasons men wanna complain about Black women: controlling, demanding, not supportive, loud, ghetto, blah blah blah. Sure, he looks comfortable on screen with Black women but as soon as the director yells CUT, he's ready to haul ass and doesnt wanna be anywhere near them. Its called acting. A few bad apples have messed it up for the rest of us. A good man finds a bad woman and she scars him. Now he's corrupted and he treats all subsequent women as bad apples. Then he does it to a good woman. Now she's corrupted and the cycle starts all over again. Some men dont wanna continue the cycle and so they go the route of the white woman. I just can't look at Terrence Howard the same anymore. Taye Diggs is in the same boat.

Enough about the men. I'll get to the females later....

Friday, September 12, 2008

Discover the Darkness

There is an exhibit going on at Atlantic Station called Dialogue in the Dark in which you experience "a day in the life of a blind person". You get a walking stick and go thru the exhibit with a group. You're led by a visually impaired person and its completely pitch black. You cant see your hand in front of you. It was scary at first cause you're going thru these large open rooms of total darkness. Each room is setup like a familiar place. You have to feel your way around to find out where you are. There are also sounds and smells to help you. Everything is real so it makes the experience real. For instance, there was one room we went in and people were yelling out what they were finding. I found a store freezer and when i opened it and felt around, I found milk, cheese, eggs, and juice. People were finding pots and pans, magazines, shopping carts, pasta, rice, coffee beans (you can smell them), a cash register and conveyor belt. Yeah, we were in a grocery store (one guy joked that we were in the Publix downstairs). It was fun and exciting but also kinda scary as we went from room to room. You meet a couple of people as you go, all of whom are visually impaired. At the end, there is a cafe where you can order non-alcoholic drinks (still in the dark) and the bartender was visually impaired as well. Our guide was named Roxanne. She was alot of fun. She lost her sight in 2002 from a disease. She's from Virginia and she says that Atlanta is more "blind-friendly" than VA. When she lost her sight, she said she only cried for about an hour and then got over it. I'd be crying for days. See, just closing your eyes and walking around isnt like what they go thru. When you close your eyes, you can still see light thru your eyelids. When you lose your sight, its complete darkness. You cant see the sunlight but you can feel the warmth on your face. It really makes you appreciate your own sight and respect those who dont fully have it. I recommend this exhibit to everyone. I plan to go back again myself.

For more info check out http://www.dialogue-in-the-dark.com/