MaxFly

Still waiting for a Will, Denzel team up... with Halle Berry thrown into the mix...

Weeeessssttttt Wiiiiiinnnnnggggg!!!

Congratulations Kev!

Thanks for the love TopDawg. You hit it right on the head. It's about the humility that comes with the thankfulness for salvation. Like you said, people are supposed to be able to see Christ in you without you even having to speak about your beliefs. Unfortunately, sometimes we get so caught up in our external appearance, hoping to appear righteous, that after some time, that may well be what matters to us the most. We end up reflecting and magnifying ourselves, not Christ, even if that wasn't our goal. Salvation ends up becoming more about us and less about what Christ did for us... and when that becomes the case, there's no need for humility... and we completely miss the mark. Aight... I'm gonna go back to watching your Bulls mollywop the Heat... good times...

I'm willing to bet your gaydar is reliable Julie.

Both are very good reviews. I do think that the second missed the mark a little though... I don't think that Will has been, or is being lifted up as a beacon of Christian virtue, nor do I think that he was really making attempts to put himself on that pedestal in "Ms. Holly Roller." His references to his dealings in Christianity are meant to serve as a sharp contrast to "Ms. Holly Roller's" previous lifestyle, and thereby, point out the absurdity of her dogmatic behaviour. It's like you're back in high school, and for your entire high school career, you've been a solid B student, and a friend of yours has been a D student. Suddenly, halfway through senior year, your friend realizes how much he or she has wasted their time in school, suddenly becomes fervent in their studies, and becomes an A student... They then proceed to tell you that you need to study harder and that you aren't performing well... and even worse, in a condescending manner. Ephisians 2 says: "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." To that extent, the author of the second review is right. Works are secondary when it comes to salvation in Christianity... The ironic thing is that this is what Will seems to be pointing out. The person he's referring to has been doing dirt her entire life, but now seems to boast in their righteous living and her beliefs. It would do her well to remember that she is saved by grace because of faith, and not through her works. A certain level of humility needs to be exhibited on the part of Christians. Our witness can either bring people closer to God or push people further away.

Pretty tight... Favorite Masta Ace joint of all time is Acknowledge.

Things have really died down. Very little to talk about right now.

Too good to be true.

I was watching Hardball last week (incidentally, that was a sucky week for Chris to be on vacation) and Bob Johnson called in and complained about how derogatory and denigrating Imus's comments were. He expressed that Imus should have been fired right away and was taken aback that he wasn't... This is Bob Johnson, former CEO of BET... Think BET uncut a few years back... :shakehead:

I agree.

That's a great score. I had 600 or something like that, lol.

...or just post your scores.

This game is pretty addictive. If you're on a deadline, studying for a test, or have friends that you like to see every now and then, don't play this game. Otherwise, have fun. :wiggle: http://www.handdrawngames.com/DesktopTD/ We should also set up a JJFP "Group Score" to see how others have done and to see what sorts of mazes they've built.

That's great. So and interview technique then... I'm not so much interested in whether you believe Will Smith can write or not. That's superflous information at this point. I'm more interested in the way you set up your question. A direct question would have been "We know you've worked with Will Smith in the past. There's word that you wrote his rebuttal to Em on his latest album. What's the deal?" The thing about your question is that it intimates the broad notion that Will can't write... not just the particular point that you and others don't believe that he wrote those specific lines. I believe you when you say that you wanted to get that across. The problem is that much more is let on than just the fact that you may have inside information relating to that particular track. Most readers or listeners will likely think, "Philaflava must me saying this because he knows Will Smith is wack... he can't write rhymes like that..." How many people are really going to think "Philaflava must have inside information on this particular track and worded his question like that to get a response." I don't believe that you're out to assassinate Will. I think that the way you worded your question does unintentional damage though... and caters particularly to people who already have a less than positive view of Will as a rapper.

I think we need to diffentiate between what we simply want to see (hey, it'd be cool if Will Smith and Tom Cruise did a movie together) and whether what Will is doing is best for his career. He was just named the biggest draw in Hollywood. The named a weekend after him... Two time Oscar nominee... several other awards... Obviously he's doing something right, and his "cred" is at an all time high. He's a great actor in his own right. He's shown that he can have chemistry with just about anyone and draw viewers in by himself, or with an all-star cast. He shouldn't do a movie with another big name just because we think it'd be cool or just for the sake of doing it. The right script needs to come along... both need to be right for their roles.

I see no reason Will wouldn't take less money or give up some money in order to make a good movie if he needed to. His status as a 25 million per movie actor doesn't mean that he is limited to 25 million per movie. Actors like Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise have worked with great directors and actors in the past, while still making a lot of money. Their salaries didn't hamstring the production of their movies. No reason Will Smith can't be the same.

I've heard all of these criticisms as well... first, let me say that this was primarily an action movie based almost exactly on Frank Miller's comic book. No one should have gone hoping to see Gladiator... or, for that matter, Alexander... The stylized feel of the movie was striking, and if the movie did need a redeeming quality (which it doesn't), the cinematography alone would be enough. As for substance, I'm not sure what we were looking for, but there's only so much one can do with such a fixed plot and a fixed time contraint. The 1962 version was full of "substance" and character development, and is still one of the worst movies I've ever seen. On the other hand, 300 is great if you take it for what it is. As for the perceived prejudice... we have to dig into our history. Much of the Persian army was made up of asian, middle eastern and african slaves who had been enslaved and forced into service under Persian rule. If the Persian army had been made up of mostly white actors, people would instead be complaining about a lack of accuracy. Incidentally, I really didn't like Sin City either.

Will gave up some of his salary for Ali in order to have the movie done properly. I don't think he would allow the amount of money he pulls in to, in any way, limit the quality of the directors or actors he works with, especially now that he's doing a lot of his movies through Overbrook. As Big Willie noted, a primiere director may not necessarily be the best director for a given movie. Will shouldn't work with big name actors or directors for the sake of working with them, especially if they don't fit the movie. We may very well end up with big names but a poor movie.

Philaflava, I'm interested in why you layed down that paticular premise on the way to your question. I take it you believed that you were using a journalistic technique, looking to get a response from Skillz, but you have to realize that, whether purposefully or indirectly, you were putting down another artist. The very comment implies that not only you, but most others in the industry know that Will Smith either isn't man enough to write a rebuttal, or doesn't have the necessary skills to wite an effective one... and that it's almost a surprise if he did manage to write those rhymes. The problem is that, even with Skillz' reply that Will Smith did write his rhymes, the reader is left with a less than favorable impression of Will Smith's ability simply based on the way you worded the premise of your question.

I still don't get how we've come to the conclusion that he's surrounded by yes men. Tim himself has said that Will hasn't fully agreed on everything with every director he's worked on. If he were surrounded by yes men, why does he continually end up working with these directors, especially now that he has a larger say in who the director is, heading up Overbrook and all.

I don't necessarily agree. I think we have too small a sample size to make any definitive statement on the issue. Will got along quite well with Muccino and Pursuit of Happyness was an excellent film... One of Will's best in fact. I've also heard that Will and Andy Tennant got along well and agreed on most things Hitch... and that project came out well too. And there's Michael Mann... and will worked with Sonnefield for MIB and that came out pretty well... to the point where he wanted to work with him on a sequel... Incidentally, the fact that Will and his directors don't agree on everything doesn't mean that they don't get along.

Yeah, ladies loved the movie for obvious reasons... but if there isn't enough violence in the movies for some of you guys, I don't know what to say. The plot was pretty stringent, and considering the movie is loosly based on actual historical events, that's understandable... The action was top notch, and the stylized settings really lent it that comic book feel that the director was going for... I've heard people complain about the blood looking fake, but that was done intentionally... both for the comic book feel, and from what I understand, if the blood had been done realistically, either the number of fight scenes that could have been shown would have had to have been dramatically decreased or the movie would have had to accept an NC-17 rating. People have complained that some of the speeches were over the top as well, but I thought they were great. "This is where WE hold them! This is where WE fight! This is where THEY die! Remember this day men, for it will be yours for all time!" "Spartans, lay down your weapons!" Persian gets speared from distance and falls off his horse... "Persians, come and get them!" "Give them NOTHING, but take from them...... EVERYTHING!!!" (that's gangsta...) Narrator: "Dawn. Whips crack. Barbarians howl. Those behind cry FORWARD!!!!! Those in front cry BACK!!!!!!"

I'm sorry, I don't understand. Could you elaborate... I haven't had a chance to buy the DVD yet, so I haven't seen the bonus feature in question.

Yeah, it was a great movie... I left the theater wanting to dropkick an usher, stick my umbrella in his chest, and yell, "For Sparta!!!!!" I didn't have anything that would substitute as a shield though, so I put the urge aside... but yeah, great movie...