All-Black STEEL MAGNOLIAS Film In The Works- Page 7

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 6:12pm

EW gave it a B+ and had some nice words for the Queen, but that's the only review I've seen.

[Jungle Red]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 6:45pm

The Queen is going to be the Queen.

As Oprah would say, "This is a role she was BOOOOORN to PLAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 6:51pm

Well Oprah just did a masterclass episode with two extreme homophobes so I don't really care to hear anything she has to say for a little while.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 7:53pm

Just over an hour! Although, I probably won't start watching it until an hour or so after it starts.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 8:23pm

Is it racist to hope Queen Latifah throws herself on Shelby's coffin and screams "Not My Baby!!"?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 8:36pm

I don't think so. Also, thanks for the spoiler alert! Jeesh!

[Jungle Red]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 8:55pm

I wonder if the moved the big house in the beginning of the movie to the projects.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 9:55pm

^ I fail to see the humour. Fvckingracistretard

[Jungle Red]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 10:18pm

Ya win some, ya lose some.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 1:11am

Anyway, did anyone else watch? It mostly lived up to my expectations. I thought the Queen was just marvelous and I thought all the other ladies were great, too. I feel like Phylicia Rashad had the least amount to do and it took me a while to warm up to Jill Scott, but all in all, I loved it.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 1:34am

I'm taping it now and will watch it tomorrow. I will say thatI can't wait for someone to do a YouTube mashup of the two movies.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 8:53am

In my opinion it was a MAJOR snoozefest. If ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 10:43am

Have to agree. Not really funny, and though well enough acted, almost devoid of real surprise. I would've cast Alfre Woodward as M'Lynn. Latifah was okay, but the role didn't seem an easy fit. Woodard is much closer to the Harling idea of this mother (saw the originals, Rosemary Prinz played the role on stage). As with the original film, however, it was too busy by half. It's one thing to open up a claustrophobic play, another to make sure it's constantly moving. A lot of the stuff with the men felt distracting. The strength of the material lies in the beauty shop scenes, and whenever that's trusted the story's point of view is sharpened. It's about what happens there, and everything else becomes boilerplate and far soapier than any moment in those salon chairs. Nothing wrong with this adaptation, but nothing to make it required viewing (or invite multiple viewings).

Updated On: 10/8/12 at 10:43 AM

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 10:50am

There were some unkind words for Condola Rashad in some of the reviews...and I thought she was the best thing in the movie. Completely unsentimental. A little flinty. She was terrific.

Posted: 10/8/12 at 10:58am

i do not understand the love for Queen Latifah.
She is tone-deaf, has no emotion in her face and delivers her lines in every movie the SAME EXACT way... there is no tone, quality or dimension to any of her performances.
you can look at Living Single-Chicago-Hairspray-Steel Magnolias and Taxi- and her countless horrible films and it's all the same emotionless toneless diatribe.

The only good thing she did was her first rap song in 89' 'Ladies First'-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLB5bUNAesc

and even in that- she's using that same lifeless monotone delivery

I have no idea why she keeps getting work.
Updated On: 10/8/12 at 10:58 AM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 11:13am

I have no idea why she keeps getting work.

Because she wisely produces the projects she's in. She is one of the producers of this Lifetime adaptation of STEEL MAGNOLIAS.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 12:42pm

STEEL MAGNOLIAS is the gay GONE WITH THE WIND. You just don't mess with it.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 12:58pm

STEEL MAGNOLIAS is terrible. Just terrible. It will never, ever be good. Not in any iteration. Black, white, Asian or other. It's just dreadful. I mean...I like it. The same way I like Funyuns.

Updated On: 10/8/12 at 12:58 PM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 1:44pm

I don't understand the non-love for Queen Latifah. But then again, I don't understand the love for The New Normal, so there you go.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 1:55pm

Latifah is not a good actress. She's had some good performances in a few films (SET IT OFF being her best, by far) but every movie he does she just seems extremely uncomfortable and totally unwilling or unable to "let go" and really become the character she's playing, so they all seem the same and very one-note. There are films where it works for her, like in that hilarious BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE or even CHICAGO where she doesn't need to display a range of emotions. But when asked to do that, I feel she completely fails.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 2:00pm

I have to agree that SET IT OFF was by far Latifah's best performance.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 2:02pm

Clearly you guys have never seen Last Holiday.

[tazber]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 2:05pm

I love the Queen too. She's one of those personalities that doesn't really need to "act". She just needs to do a sassier version of herself and I'm happy

You know who is an excellent actress though? Mo'nique.

Seriously, her performance was volcanic and ultimately heartbreaking in Precious.

That ranks near the top of completely unexpected turns I've ever seen. I had no idea she had it in her. I wish she'd act more.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 2:05pm

Baby, you know I don't eat nothin but my Lean Cuisine.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 2:13pm

I found Latifah incredibly effective playing very much against type in STEEL MAGNOLIAS. I was skeptical when I heard she was playing M'Lynn and not Truvy, but she really pulled it off.

For the record, I'd say her best work was a few years ago in the HBO movie LIFE SUPPORT, where she won a Golden Globe for playing a recovering drug addict who becomes an AIDS activist in the black community.