I just started Blazing Saddles on Starz, and yep, the cut out the N word. I am two minds about it- clearly Mel Brooks and crew were not racists. And it was funny- back then, but now it is even worse that "fuck’. But- it hurts many people.
So I ask you my fellow SDMBers- should the N-word be in all its nasty glory in Blazing Saddles on Cable TV, or is it okay to censor it?
Any kind of censorship of this nature has to be justified by a very, very compelling reason. Do I think it was OK to censor the n-word in this instance? I think whoever made that decision is completely incompetent and should be fired. It not only lacks any justification whatsoever, it also ruins one of the movie’s best jokes (unless you’re thinking of a different scene that the one I’m thinking of).
As a movie lover I absolutely loathe busybodies who go around butchering films, whether it’s for puritanical reasons or shortening them for commercial TV.
I think a preface that explains the context, and Richard Pryor’s participation, would be a good thing, but I definitely wouldn’t edit it. But easy for me to say.
Just rewatched the Hudsucker Proxy. It remains my favorite Coen Brothers film, despite its commercial failure. It’s just so good hearted and stylish. The trademark Coen cynicism is there, but it’s balanced with idealism, and every shot looks fantastic.
Fun fact- the beautiful art deco skyscraper models were supposed to have been destroyed after filming, but wound up sold instead and featured in The Shadow, several Batman movies, the ‘90s Godzilla, and, oddly, Bewitched.
Cleavon Little was terrific, though. He wins my award for best comedic line in almost any movie:
“Hey, where’re all the white women at?”
I can picture my Dad almost falling out of his chair when this line was delivered. It’s not just that he antagonizes the KKK, it’s just such a great choice for a line.
Dispicable Me 4 - RT audience gave it 87% as it’s a by the numbers IP doing it’s thing. Critics gave it 56% seeing it as a naked cash grab adding nothing interesting to the franchise but extra merch (Super Hero Minions? For why?). My 11 year old son liked it, but I’m with the critics on this one. Not even a catchy tune or interesting villain, nearly everyone was just there for the paycheck.
Logan Lucky - For years I have tried to get everyone I know to watch The Wild & Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, Johnny Knoxville’s documentary about a family of Appalachian people and their modern struggles. The film shows poverty, but also the worries and trials of a unique subculture. Logan Lucky is about essentially these people committing an Ocean’s Eleven bank heist. My wife and I enjoyed it and would recommend it…
Was it at least better than any of the other sequels? DM 1 was great, but DM 2 and DM 3 were solidly in the “terrible, naked cash grab” territory. The first Minions movie was mildly fun; the second one (The Rise of Gru) was back to terrible again.
Far worse. I enjoyed the series and have even seen most of the Minion spin offs and thought them watchable. I’d leave DM4 to completists and those with enthusiastic children. My 11 year old liked it, and he was closer to the target market than a crusty middle aged cinephile so, you know, it depends.
I went in with low expectations but quite enjoyed it, particularly seeing Craig in this role. Like Oceans 11, the plot requires extraordinary levels of perfect execution and timing, but it’s a fun ride.
The best part for me, a northerner raised in the south, is I knew people like every character in the film. The unsettling “beautification” of the child for the pageant is creepy but, sadly, realistic.
Right! Even Adam Driver seemed like a real person rather than his usual ‘Manikin with a Speak & Spell’. Before this film I believed the only thing that can act on Channing Tatum was his six pack, but he delivered a blue collared flawed character the audience could identify and connect with. And the little girl played by Farrah Mackenzie is going places, we will see her again.
I am against editing the language of any pre-exisiting movie/TV show. However it originally released is how it should be shown, especially on a premium pay cable channel! I get that broadcast networks have to edit things, but pay cable should absolutely not be doing that.
High Anxiety (1977). I’m on a kick of watching mostly comedies right now and this is a Mel Brooks creation that I had not seen in a long time, and just remembered it as a crackpot comedy about Brooks playing a psychiatrist who had been hired as the new director for the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous.
I’d forgotten that it was dedicated to Alfred Hitchcock and it mostly spoofed his classic movie Vertigo, but the story line also cleverly interweaved some of the classic scenes from Spellbound, Psycho, and The Birds. Maybe not the very best of Mel Brooks but it was still pretty funny.
My Name Is Nobody. (Prime — Free with Limited Interruptions) Scanned this thread on election night, and chose this, hoping for something to take my mind off depressing reality. It worked okay: watched it straight through without grimaces or eye rolling.
It’s not a Sergio Leone film, but supposedly it was his concept, and he shot a few scenes. Score by Morricone, kind of self-mocking?
I’m a Leone fan, but have mild problems with his movies, apart from Once Upon a Time in the West. However, this was fine goofy fun. The slapstick style may have been an influence on the Coen’s Buster Scruggs short.
