So, the Golden Globes happened.
Let’s hope that Avatar’s big wins don’t repeat themselves at the Oscars — I’m not a huge fans of colonialist jerk-fest Pocahontas re-makes, even if they are visually stunning. Or, as our own Sady put it, Basically, this movie seems very much like some guy – let us call him, for legal reasons, “Phlames Phlameron” – sat down and was like, “well, I like Star Wars. And I like masturbating to old copies of National Geographic. If only there were some way for me to combine these interests!”
Sady also points out the always-fun rape glorification at the Globes. And of course, there is the fashion-related after-discussion, which I usually love, except when it gets into talking about who looked fat and who didn’t, and when commentators really exit reality with observations like “You don’t put a big girl in a big dress. That’s rule number one” — about Christina Hendricks. Who admittedly has large breats, but could hardly be qualified as a “big girl.” Not that there’s anything wrong with being a big girl, but words mean things and, I mean, look at her:
Also, Monique has hairy legs and everyone makes stupid comments.
At least there were a few highlights, and at least there was Ricky Gervais. Did anyone else watch?
“Let’s hope that Avatar’s big wins don’t repeat themselves at the Oscars — I’m not a huge fans of colonialist jerk-fest Pocahontas re-makes, even if they are visually stunning.”
It could easily be argued that Avatar effectively critiques the colonnialist America, and that is why it is so popular worldwide. Not everybody reads the Na’vi as native Americans – in fact I think that may substantialy be a purely American reading.
I never watch the Golden Globes or any awards show for that matter. It’s too painful, I reckon. But I did see Avatar. LAME! It was a good movie as far as…well, the CG. Hated the story line. I thought it would be epic just for Sigourney Weaver and James Cameron [Aliens=♥], but I was sadly mistaken.
Well, sure. But considering that it’s an American movie made by an American director, that isn’t really such a stretch.
Can we please not use “lame” in the comments here as some sort of synonym for bad? I’d link to a post at FWD/Forward that explains why it’s ableist and harmful, but the site is currently down, so, you know. Thank you.
LAME!
Excuse me? Scusi? I think you meant to use a non-ablist term like “boring”, instead.
Not everybody reads the Na’vi as native Americans – in fact I think that may substantialy be a purely American reading.
Oh, please. Bows and arrows? War paint? Breechclouts? Braids and Mohawks? War whoops? After awhile, you just wanted to yell at the screen, “All right, WE GET IT already!”
“Not everybody reads the Na’vi as native Americans – in fact I think that may substantialy be a purely American reading.
Well, sure. But considering that it’s an American movie made by an American director, that isn’t really such a stretch.”
Yep, but to non-Americans (we do exist y’know) it is clear that the Americans portrayed in the film are symbolic as, well, Americans. The Na’vi are everyone else.
I don’t think the Na’vi are very representative of Brits.
Sorry to break it to you guys, but Ricky Gervais is a big fan of the rape jokes. Seems hardly anybody ISN’T, these days.
@Lynsey
Also bad fat jokes. He’s super self- and fat-hating. I don’t have much respect for him anymore.
Christina looked amazing in that dress. More amazing than the dark colours she usually wears on the red carpet.
HOOOOORAY!!!! Unshaven legs!!! Mo’Nique representing! This literally made my day and will make me prouder to wear my unshaven legs with formal wear. Hairy ladies unite!
I particularly liked Gervais’ comment introducing Mel Gibson..
And enough with Avatar. Yes, Cameron spent WAY too much time and money on it. Ok, we get it. Can Tarantino get a little appreciation??
OMG!!! Christina Hendriks ROCKS that dress! So. Awesome. :)
And yeah. Big breasts do not a big “girl” make. She isn’t waifey by any means, but she has a definite hourglass figure. Whatever the heck her size is. (And I adore her as an actress, too. :) Thank you for posting that picture — I generally just ignore awards season because I honestly can’t stand the storm of criticism leveled at most of the women attending them. Oh, and unless things have changed a LOT, they really don’t give the technical awards any air time. As a costumer — Boooooo!
But somehow not enough money to hire a decent screenwriter or a graphic designer to find him a font other than Papyrus.
The big girl comments regarding Hendricks might have something to do with the fact that the producers of Mad Men had her put on (and keep on) weight to play her role. Either way, she looks amazing.
And what’s the problem with Avatar? I mean, isn’t that what Marines do? We smile and laugh while we murder the innocent and destroy the beautiful, everybody knows that. I know that’s what I did the whole time I was in a combat zone. I couldn’t wait for my opportunities to get outside the wire and murder some indigenous peoples to fuel the greed of my corporate overlords. Besides, the story made perfect sense. Of course a corporate executive high powered enough to be trusted with sole control of a massive operation on another planet would be so dense and clueless. No way he would recognize the potential of a new biological networking technology unknown to any other corporate entity. Nope, fuck it, lets burn it all down to get the rocks underneath, and we’re not horizontally drilling either, because fuck those blue savages, that’s why. Seriously, how could anyone have a problem with that story?
As someone who shaves her legs, I just have to say: lay off the hairy-legged women, eesh! I hate how it’s framed as “forgetting to shave” instead of, you know, a positive, individual choice.
@Henry: That made my day. I couldn’t get over how, over 100 years in the future, in a society that can travel through space we somehow lost the ability to horizontal drill, or even tunnel. That unobtainium has a ridiculously high profit margin – if we can afford to tunnel for coal, we could afford it for that stuff.
Also, where were all the ethnoecologists? Somehow a mining corporation managed to get to another planet (with no multi-national government backing..okaaaay), and didn’t at least think to bring along a cadre of scientists to determine what other resources (medicinal plants, etc.) they can exploit? I mean, this is not maximum evil, here!
One thing that is too transgressive to defend without arousing the moral outrage of the beauty police is the natural woman’s body. The scary, the scandalous, the forbidden. I hesitate to disclose that I only shave my legs when I feel like it. But some are brave. Go Monique!
That’s one perspective among many. I do feel like outside of the States, this movie has been largely interpreted as a critique of modern-day American foreign policy. I saw it with a bunch of Eastern European movie and theater folk – and that’s what we talked about afterward. So I would agree with earwicga, people respond to this movie differently, and there isn’t a right response or a wrong response.
My problem with the GG’s was this whole “let’s put Taylor Lautner at The Hurt Locker table, he’ll glam things up.” I mean, seriously? The hell? Jeremy Renner >>> Taylor Lautner. Why do I even need to point this out to anyone?
This is all beside the fact that Kathryn Bigelow most likely eats dudes like Lautner for breakfast.
@Natalia: Oh, I didn’t mean to imply that the two perspectives were mutually exclusive. Of course there was criticism of U.S. foreign policy in the movie (mercenaries, “shock and awe”). My point was that the parallels between the Na’vi and American Indians were so heavy-handed as to become ludicrous.
I am really pissed off that Avatar (which has great box office, but is otherwise crap) won Best Director. If James Cameron beats Kathryn Bigelow (who directed The Hurt Locker, which was universally acclaimed by critics) for Best Director at the DGAs and/or the Oscars (neither of which, incidentally, a woman has ever won) I will be thoroughly disgusted.
As for the attitude that women “need” to shave their legs- and armpits and pubic hair- to be presentable in public, let alone sexy, while men (despite usually being hairier) are perfectly loveable and fuckable just the way they are, I say fuck that sexist shit. Yes, men shave their faces, but women don’t usually get hair there. If a woman does have the slightest bit of peach fuzz, you can rest assured mainstream American culture calls for her to be thoroughly humilitated and run for caustic chemicals to burn it off.
Sigh, people are so bleeding politically correct these days. Next thing you know we’ll have those people with IQs less than 70 requesting the term “moron” not be used to mean something bad.
Hey, struckdown, you’re right!Moron is offensive. And here’s what Cara wanted to link to for good measure.
I hope it’s just the lighting, but Ms. Hendricks seems to have an “undead” look going there.
I hope it’s just the lighting, but Ms. Hendricks seems to have an “undead” look going there.
It’s interesting how some of the defenders of Mo’Nique frame it as “her husband must like it so it’s okay.” And the haters say “her husband doesn’t look so happy.”
Like it’s all about what her husband wants.
“Undead” how? She’s a redhead and naturally pale. In any role I’ve ever seen her in she’s been pale. As a naturally pale woman myself*, I applaud her decision not to fake a tan. If you are seeing other signs of zombie-ism that I am missing, like signs of decay, I’d like them pointed out. Thx.
* I do not tan. Pretty much, cannot. I get sun, I turn pink. I get sunburned, I peel, I don’t get brown. My *freckles* get bigger, but I don’t get overall color. It has gotten more and more that way as I age, too. I generally resent the expectation that I should take time, effort, and probably money to alter my natural skin tone, as well as increasing my chances for skin cancer. (Not so much saying that anyone here has, but it has been expressed to me before IRL.)
Laurie:
In this photo Hendricks looks positively translucent, like a vampire who hasn’t had dinner. Could be my monitor, or too much Twilight coverage.
My mom’s a redhead, so I understand that red-heads can’t tan. And orange skin would look pretty strange with red hair. (I don’t tan much either, sis is naturally dark, and bro can’t be left out in the sun.)