Film & TV Friday: Scarlett! Stahp!
In Disney's live action Jungle Book, Idris Elba and Scarlett Johansson played two of the villains. Now, one of them is set for a major villain movie role, while the other is acting like one in real life. Let's get into it on Film & TV Friday.
The news
Scarlett is cis
Let me start by saying that I think Scarlett Johansson is a terrific actor. I've thought so since way back when in Ghost World, and have continued to think so ever since. However, she sometimes makes bad, bad, bad choices. One recent example was her taking over an Asian woman's role in the live action Ghost In The Shell adaptation. Now, she's slated to play a trans man in biopic Rub & Tug, directed by Rupert Sanders, the same dude who directed GITS. The backlash was swift, and Johansson citing known abuser Jefferey Tambor in her defense of the decision was... not wise. You may say "but I don't know any actors who are trans men!" Well, have you considered that their opportunities to shine are extremely limited? They also never get cast to play cis roles, and even trans roles go to cis actors. Argh.
Fast And Idris
On a much brighter note, Idris Elba has been tapped to play the villain in the upcoming Hobbs and Shaw spinoff from the Fast & Furious franchise. This casting just made this film even more attractive, in multiple meanings of the word.
Wide Release Films Opening This Weekend:
| Film | # of Theaters |
|---|---|
| Ant-Man and the Wasp | 4,206 |
| The First Purge | 3,031 |
Source: BoxOfficeMojo
Also opening this week, in limited release before going wide next week, is the well reviewed Sorry To Bother You, which looks awesome. The Ant-Man films are the only MCU films I don't watch, because of my bug phobia clashing with extreme close-ups of bugs. Which is a real bummer, as I hear they're fun.
TV Show Premieres This Week
| Show | Season | Country | Network or Service | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharp Objects | 1 | US | HBO | Sunday | 9:00PM EST |
| The Outpost | 1 | US | CW | Tuesday | 9:00PM EST |
| Harlots | 2 | Some Countries | Hulu | Wednesday | 3:01AM EST |
| The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants | 1 | Worldwide | Netflix | Friday | 3:01AM EST |
Source: The Futon Critic
Sharp Objects looks super interesting, and probably super dark. The Outpost may be fun, or crap, or both.
Trailers
Very, very few new trailers this week. I wonder if they're saving them for Comic-Con.
Juliet, Naked
British romcoms always seem more charming, don't they?
Skyscraper
Another trailer for The Rock's Die Hard.
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Film & TV Friday
I don't see what the problem is for Scar Jo, all the trans people flipping out have no answer to this question. Can you act? Thats what it comes down too
How can you prove you can act if you're not given the opportunity? Your point would be valid on a level playing field where trans actors got the same opportunities as cis actors.
Jared Leto won an Oscar for portraying a trans. No one batted an eye. The trans actors i have never even heard of, it is most likely because they are not as good as an actor as them. There might be some exceptions but there is no need to have a trans actor when someone with more talent and rep can do it better
Maybe not the best presentation of probably the worst example you could cite.
Sorry i cant keep up with the lingo of every PC noun out there. I did not remember the amount of uproar for Leto, maybe because social media wasn't as big.
And I get that some roles should have other ethnicities in the main role, but if it has been happening, why is no one making their own movie with all these checklists that you have?
a: PC lingo
b: checklists that I/we have
Without those fundamentally wrong assumptions, we might have a civil discussion.
However, to answer your basic question: Because making a film and getting it seen is a lot more work than you seem to think.
Meant to reply to the OG comment, but I know exactly how difficult it is to create a film. What I am saying is, if there is so much backlash then why aren't known filmmakers using transgenders to fill these roles? If it is such a problem, why would a company and studio take on that risk to alienate their audience? Love Simon, a straight male played a gay male, where was the backlash?
Plenty of people batted multiple eyes when Leto was cast, when the film came out, and when he won. And, again, you're ignoring the opportunity differential. Plus the history, same director, same actor. Or are you claiming there are also no Japanese actors good enough to have played the role in GITS?
This is the exact same rationale people have used to cast white people in middle eastern and Asian roles. It has always been bullshit.
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