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Dissecting Halle - Introducing Dorothy Dandridge

I hate this damn movie.

Alright, the movie was fine.

I just hate that there is was a time when people like Dorothy Dandridge had the Hollywood experience she had.  It makes me so sad.

Sigh.

Anyhoo, the pic… Introducing Dorothy Dandridge…

I always kinda got the impression –- and I have no doubt made this up in my mind -– that Halle Berry somehow identified with the tragic Dorothy Dandridge.  I think Berry was close to this role.  She actually executive produced the pic.  Berry and Dandridge do share certain things in common:

their beauty - (they actually do resemble one another and have similar coloring)
their plight – lack of good, respectable roles
their problem – their beauty
tragic – there’s something tragic about them both
etc.

I could be making a mountain out of a molehill.  Could be that Berry recognized their physical resemblance and wanted to tell Dandridge’s story and decided to do a pic about it and nothing more.

As I watched this film, the 11th movie of this series, I have really begun to see Halle Berry the actress… who she is… what she does… how she has found success… blah blah blah –- things I will delve into further in the closing summary… when I prepare it… in 2012 (just kidding’ y'all).

Anyhoo, enough rambling.  I especially liked Halle Berry in this role.  She deserved the accolades.  Berry won a Golden Globe Award, a SAG award and an Emmy award for her portrayal of Dorothy Dandridge.  She was very, very good in the pic.  She played the role convincingly.  One of the things I liked about the film was the casting of Berry.  It was a sensible casting choice, at least from a physical standpoint. 

It would have been almost foolish for some other person to play Dandridge.  I always appreciate when SOMEONE (director, writer, producer, actor, whoever) takes care to ensure the actor charged with playing the role of a real life person, actually resembles the real life individual.  When this physical resemblance is absent, it just never works for me.  Ever.  The distraction of the ongoing analysis of the lack of resemblance takes away from the enjoyment of the film.  When they miscast in this way, it diminishes the credibility of the film, in my view.

When I was watching Berry, I thought I was watching Dandridge.  Berry was good in it -– everything from voice to physical movement.  It was a solid, splendid performance.  I enjoyed it.

I think there were two moments in the movie when I realized I was indeed watching Halle Berry; one was during an emotional scene -– it seemed as if I saw her play that scene the same way in a previous pic.  But this is negligible.

But when I saw that naked caramel ass propped up as Dandridge lay dead on the floor, I was at once reminded that I was indeed watching Halle Berry… do what she does.  It didn’t matter for that split second that the scene may have been credible… that it may have been exactly how Dorothy Dandridge appeared when she was found dead.  That didn’t matter.  The pattern did.  It is unfortunate. 

But these things are insignificant and none of them overshadowed a magnificent performance by Berry in the role.  In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have thought of Halle Berry.  But it’s okay. 

Berry did a lot of things good in this film; appropriate emotional expressions of sadness, despair, anger, indecisiveness.  Lots of good showings in some of her emotional scenes.  I thought they were well done:

When she received her child’s diagnosis
When Harold Nicolas is off to Paris
While she was speaking on the phone (really good, I thought)
When she has to leave her child; and goes on with her mother, to further her career
When she was singing in the club

etc.

Halle Berry understood this character and committed to her.  It was one of Berry’s best performances –- if not her best, I do believe.

[Speaking of executive producing –- wanted to give Halle Berry a shout out for her hand in executive producing, in addition to Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, Lackawanna Blues -– a fine, exemplary production; a great piece of entertainment.  Berry could be sitting around counting her stacks but at least she is trying put her dough into decent film projects and I applaud and commend… and thank Halle Berry for that.]

Dissecting Halle - The Rich Man's Wife / Jungle Fever

The Rich Man’s Wife, released in 1996, was another of Halle Berry’s earlier works.

Nothing much to say here.  Halle Berry showed up and did her job.  She played Josie Potenza, wife of… a rich man; a rich white man; a rich older, white man -- Tony Polenza (Christopher MacDonald).  This wasn’t the role to challenge Berry’s dramatic range.

There was some screaming, defiance, fear, blah blah blah.  And in some way, shape or form –- she was, yet again, undressed (there was a photograph of her in which she appeared partially clothed, covered by a sheet, I believe it was).  Not one –- but two -- white male lovers (MacDonald, and Clive Owen).  Same old.  Same old.

Jungle Fever -- Halle Berry’s first film role! 

Berry had three or four scenes in this 1991 release.  She played Vivian, a crackhead and girlfriend to Gator Purify (Samuel L. Jackson); fellow crackhead. 

Gator Purify??!!  Yeah, okay. 

Anyway, the pic…

I’ve seen the pic a few times and I have never liked Berry in the role.

My only comments about the portrayal:  “a little much… just a tad… juuuuuuust a tad.”

[I thoroughly enjoyed Samuel L. Jackson in this role!  He was perfectly cast; perfectly.  Good, Spike.]

Of course it wouldn’t be in keeping with Spike Lee’s um, other self(?), if in the film Vivian did not utter the words, “Eat my pussy!” – for no real reason.

Dissecting Halle - Catwoman / Boomerang

Catwoman, released in 2004, was absolutely ridiculous.

Halle Berry holds the honor and distinction of capturing 2004’s Razzie Award for Worst Actress.  This award was well deserved.  In the pic, Berry was prancing around like a bug and reciting her lines as if she were a 16-year-old child. 

That was weird.  I wondered why she delivered her lines that way.  Oh well.

Overacting.  Bad acting.  Next...

How time flies.  Hard to believe Boomerang (1992) was released 16 years ago!

non descript performance

not exactly a scene stealer

did her job

nothing to say

but I’ve always enjoyed the pic and almost all of the performances in it (Geoffrey Holder, Eartha Kitt, Grace Jones, Robin Givens, Eddie Murphy immediately come to mind).

Dissecting Halle - Monster's Ball

I’m starting with the most talked about aspect of Monster's Ball.  I feel like I should at least mention it.  I think it is even more talked about than another aspect of the production –- Halle Berry’s Oscar win.

That Sex Scene

This sure was a big deal.  It still is.  People are very vocal about it.  I never thought it was that big a deal… comparatively speaking.

It may come down to what people are looking at when they see it.  Are they seeing Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton or are they seeing Leticia Musgrove and Hank Grotowski?

If you look at this as Leticia and Hank, the sex scene was unremarkable, really.  We might buy that that the black woman, Leticia Musgrove, is grieving and that the thing she needed to “make her feel good” at that moment was a sexual liaison with Hank Grotowski, a white man who views her as filth; or at the very least, who has historically viewed black people as filth. 

If we accept this premise, then their sex was well, sex.

This is unlike seeing them as Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton.  These are two distinctly different perspectives.

If the scene’s critics view it as appalling (for whatever reasons), that’s fine.  This scene is no more appalling than the imagery that is routinely put forth -- and accepted -– by black people themselves; images that are created and furthered by our own hand (and not necessarily some corporate hand or some white powerbroker’s hand).  For all the ish, the industry gives us, we, as participants (the movers and shakers, the players and the accepting audience) are complicit in the presentation of unspeakable images of black people.  There are lots and lots of things that black people do in front of and behind the camera that are far more appalling than this sex scene.  Our support of such imagery is appalling.  There is still a lot left to be desired in the entertainment industry (film, TV, music, etc.) as far as the presentation of our images.  Placed in this context, the sex scene was not a big deal to me.

And the fact that Berry won an Oscar and her character had sex with a white man, is of little consequence, since I don’t buy the assertion that she won the Oscar because she had sex with a white man.  I just don’t.

So, she was having sex with a racist.  Was he still a racist?  Or was he reformed; eventually, coming to care for (and love?) Leticia?  For argument’s sake, let’s say he was a racist -– or an otherwise loathsome, depraved individual.  More than a few black women have sex with vile, depraved black men every single day –- IN REAL LIFE.  These women lay up (knowingly and happily) with criminals (murderers, rapists, thieves, drug dealers), angry men, misogynists, unconscious people, hatemongers, homophobes, those without reverence for the elderly...  These same women very often place their own children in harm’s way by placing them in the company of such men.  This is a very big deal.  This… is appalling.

Black women have sex with white men every day.  Black women have sex with dishonorable men every day.  But this particular depiction presented on the silver screen is not a constant theme in film.

If it were a black man who murdered a mother of four at an ATM machine who was having sex with Leticia, would it be less appalling?  Or does white racist make it more appalling?  Both depictions, if shown continuously, would be considered negative images –- images that shape and influence worldwide perception of black people.   

What was worth noting about the sex scene was the length and direction of the scene.  Most sex scenes are really, kind of muted; not this one; it was very vibrant; very explicit -– more explicit than most, I’d say.  And it was unusually long -– longer than most.  And in terms of pure acting, Berry was very good in the scene.  Also, it was, after all, Leticia who intiated -- and wanted -- sex with Hank. 

Oscar

People are mad because Berry won the Oscar and had sex with a white man (while Denzel won an Oscar for being a crooked cop).  It is thought that perhaps they should have won Oscars for other portrayals.  I disagree.  I think Oscars should be awarded to actors who demonstrate greatness and achievement.  This should be rewarded with no regard to whether the characters are positive and uplifting or defeated and flawed.

We don’t always need to lift up the race in film.  Jeez!!!!!!!!!

The fact that she won an Oscar for this performance is also a topic for discussion.  Though Berry won for her portrayal of Leticia Musgrove in Monster’s Ball, the question is, was the performance Oscar worthy?  Halle Berry demonstrated skill, strength, talent and did all that could legitimately be asked of her.   

Berry was undeniably good in this film.  She executed the performance with proficiency and skill.  Frankly, a lot of lesser talented actresses would have been unable to do what Halle Berry did there.  She was convincing, natural and realized the promise of her acting prowess.  She understood the character completely.  What did Berry do? 

She played the character as if she were not acting.  We can see she understood the character because she was emotional; and yet restrained.  I saw no overacting.  I thought she was unafraid to be vulnerable.  She does this sometimes and I like when she does this. Berry was unafraid to take risks.  Actually, the sex scene was a risk; a big risk.  I credit her for her willingness to do that (and in so doing, open herself up to criticism because of this choice).  She is also smoking in the pic and did handle that with some realism.  And drunkenness probably is not easy to play.  I thought she did that pretty good.  Not perfect.  But good.  She is also, once again, without makeup.  (Some might view that as a risk, actually).  LOL

Anyway, I thought Berry gave a solid performance in the film.  Was it Oscar worthy? 

In my view, an actor is worthy of an Academy Award when their work is incredible… outstanding… exceptional.  I don’t know that I would characterize Halle Berry as incredible in the film.  She was good.  So, I don’t necessarily believe her performance was Oscar-worthy.  Did she deserve to win that year?  Well, one has to ask this looking at her performance in comparison to the other nominees.  I don’t know.  I only saw Sissy Spacek in In The Bedroom.  I plan to watch the others… someday.

Some notable good scenes, I thought

• Visiting hubby in jail for the last time
• When she was in the middle of the rain soaked road with the dying boy
• The moments in the scene leading up to the point that Hank “made her feel good”
• In the hospital, when they announced her son, Tyrell, died
• The sex scene seemed pretty real to me

I don’t necessarily think that when an actor cries on cue or displays an emotion that is called for (like grief, etc.) means that it was effective.  It is not enough that these things are expressed; what matters is how these emotions are expressed.  I think Berry did this very well.

Not-so-good scene

• Yelling at her son, Tyrell (Coronji Calhoun; who I hated didn’t like in the role).  There was something unreal about it.

They continue to sexualize Berry:  She is sleeping nude (yeah, it was hot, but she still could’ve been sleeping in a nightgown); the… ahem… lively sex scene (of course, there was another sex scene between them; one that probably hasn’t gotten a lot of attention.  It is the scene in which his head falls between her legs, out of frame, and presumably his tongue is, er pleasuring her lady parts); those tight, little tops.  And we see another example of “white man saves Halle Berry.”  And that black bra shows up yet again.  {They love her in that damned black bra].  LOL.

Dissecting Halle - Things We Lost in The Fire

I liked Halle Berry in the movie, Things We Lost in The Fire, which was released, less than a year ago, in 2007.

Widowed mother of two Audrey Burke (Halle Berry) was distraught and grief-stricken throughout most of the film, since her husband, Brian Burke (David Duchovny), was killed in a senseless murder.

Berry was definitely believable as a bereaved widow.  I thought she played needy, emotionally lost, deeply saddened, acting out… all very well.

I thought Berry’s portrayal was very natural.

I think even her most staunch critics have to concede that Berry played the role convincingly, giving us a true to life, consistent performance.

This is work she can truly be proud of.

Dissecting Halle - Gothika

Gothika was released in 2003.  Halle Berry, who played brilliant criminal psychologist Dr. Miranda Grey, was well-prepared for the role and I found her to be believable and realistic throughout the film.

Halle Berry was convincing in this starring role; which did allow her some range.  Some.  I am glad she accepted the role because I think it was a departure and the role really did enable her to showcase her talent.  This performance in this genre allowed Berry to demonstrate that she can act and can be effective.

Berry’s never-ending screaming in the pic was a little much.  While this wasn’t the greatest role or performance, I thought Halle Berry was pretty good in the film.  I also saw it as an opportunity for her to expand her acting range; which, if it were already more expansive, would have led to a more enthralling performance in this movie.

There is, however, unequivocal proof that Halle Berry is an actress… or at least, a professional.

That kiss.  LOL.

Now, that’s an actress – remaining professional and composed even as Charles Dutton (who played Berry’s husband, Dr. Douglas Grey) swallowed her face during their open-mouth kiss.  (Yucky).  Though Dutton attempted to devour her face, Berry emerged from the kiss poised and cool, if not horrified. 

The chunked out and much older Dutton and Berry made for… an odd -- and unbelievable -- pairing.

I liked Gothika.  And I liked Halle Berry in this pic. 

They insist on undressing Halle Berry.  Berry did appear nude.  But she was not filmed in a sexually suggestive manner.  There was a prison shower scene – and at the end of it Berry is laying wounded on the floor; naked, in a fetal position.  None of her goods were visible.  "They” just insist on having Berry provocatively shot.  And finally, this film represents another instance in which a white male is attracted to Halle Berry's character. 

Hollywood.  Very interesting; the business, the industry… the power.

Dissecting Halle - Executive Decision

Executive Decision – released in 1996.  In it, we see Halle Berry playing Jean, a flight attendant on a hijacked airliner.  She surreptitiously assists American agents onboard the aircraft in their quest to overtake the middle eastern terrorists.

The role – and it was a small role – called for little more than two emotional responses from Berry.  Be terrified.  Be courageous.

And she did this.

Throw in a moment of grief; oh, and another beat down; but I’ll get to that.

I preferred Berry as defiant.  The terrified thing didn’t work for me.

I got to wondering and it occurred to me that it must be really difficult to pretend to be terrified.  Lots of actors do it but to do it successfully must require a certain level of skill; else you come out looking like an emotionally distorted caricature.  It is easy to exaggerate terror or underplay it, I think.

I figure, as the moviegoer, I am to feel terrified right along with the actor – if the actor does his job. 

In this film, I was highly aware of Berry’s characterization.  It just didn’t work for me.  One may argue that the scenes were short and quick and she didn’t have the time or momentum to execute terror.

Maybe.  I’m not an actor, so I know little of these things.

Or maybe a skilled actor can give us terror when the script or director says, “Give me terror.”

Berry and the beat down.  In Swordfish, Stan (Hugh Jackman) pushed her out of his trailer and she hit the ground like a ragdoll.  In Executive Decision, Nagi (David Suchet) knocked the hell out of her.  He hit Jean so hard, he totally knocked her block off. 

Poor Halle.  Now, I can’t wait to see her kick some azz.  Does she do that in the X-Men series?  I’ve not seen it.  Ain’t that superheros and stuff?  Since superheros kick azz, I expect she will.  I saw Catwoman but barely remember it.  I know she kicks some azz in that – doesn’t she?  Anyhoo, I’m rambling…

Finally, because of one particular scene in this film, Berry is the recipient… ta dum… of a WOOD AWARD!  Halle Berry joins Beyonce as the second recipient of this not-so-prestigious award presented by THE BLACKACTOR.COM.  See next post.

Dissecting Halle - Swordfish

Swordfish, released in 2001, is the third installment in the Dissecting Halle series.  Halle Berry is the same as she was in the previous two films highlighted for this series, Die Another Day and Perfect Stranger.  The films selected for the Halle Berry highlight have been selected completely at random.  Turns out, the first three are the same pic, featuring Halle Berry in the same role.  LOL.  I previously viewed Die Another Day before I began this series, but I had not seen Perfect Stranger or Swordfish.  So, this is all unraveling for me for the first time.  Damn, I picked prolly three of her worst – one after the next.  I know y’all done wit me.  LOL.

The good news?

We know Halle Berry is better than what we’ve seen so far.  This means, the better stuff is yet to come.  That’s good.  Thank God; cuz I’m bout done with this bi---.  Oops.  Halle, I didn’t mean it.  I didn’t.

Commonalities of the first three pics

In all three pics, we have:

     Halle – the sex kitten – focus on her as sexual, hotness
     Halle – sex or other physical intimacy with white men – three pics – four men
           Pierce Brosnan, Bruce Willis, John Travolta, Hugh Jackman
     Halle – hot dresses, often red, always fitting

In two of the pics, we have:

     Halle – driving a red (or variation of red) sexy, shiny, perfect car
     Halle – mouth open, so she can be sexaaaaaaaaaay for us (tee hee hee)
     Halle – unmistakable camera focus on her azz
     Halle – black lingerie – black thongs, black panty/black bra

{sigh}

Anyhoo, lemme get this out of the way before I go any further…

Halle Berry’s performance…  Halle Berry didn’t have a whole lot of screen time.  Nevertheless, I thought she was just fine in the pic.

There are two things I want to point out in the pic.

The Azz… again

The first time we meet our sexiness, we hear vrrrrrrrroooooooom, as she is driving that fast, red convertible leaving a trail of dust behind her.  Ginger (Halle Berry) exits the car -– wearing a salacious, fitting, red mini-dress (and high heels) and approaches a ratty old trailer occupied by Stan (Hugh Jackman).  Our goddess gives us beautifully sculpted, shapely, bronze legs and a perfectly made up face, the open mouth and the perfect hair.

I liked her hair in this pic.  I really, really liked her hair in this pic.  I prefer her with short hair.  I – oops.  I digress.

Moments later, our flirty sex kitten proves to us that she can swing a golf club.  So she sets the golf ball onto the tee –- of course she had to bend over to do this and it was at that moment -- though we couldn’t see her azz -- we could imagine its presence, since the dress was a mini-dress and when she bent over we were only an inch or two away from what was under the dress.  And so she steps up to the tee; assumes her golfer’s stance; shakes and wiggles her azz for us as she gets into position and prepares to make the shot.  Then she swings the golf club and hits the ball… um, somewhere far.  This shot, served no cinematic purpose whatsoever and does nothing to move the story forward.

The purpose of the scene – for us to want look at her azz.

{yawn; tired; tired of seeing this}

There was something noteworthy, however, about Swordfish.  Y’all know what it was.

I suppose the industry decided Halle Berry wasn’t quite legit -- since she hadn’t yet shown tit.  So, in order to be initiated into the A-list club, she needed to show us her ta tas.  I figure white men wanted to see them and the industry, one way or another, demanded this of her.  I figure she went along with it to secure her place as an A-lister.  She definitely ain’t the only one.  Many top actresses expose their breasts.  Hell, they all do.  It’s hardly a big deal anymore.

I remember when the film was released.  I didn’t really know what it was about or even who was in it.  All I remember was the yapping and buzz about the film -– that it would feature Halle Berry baring her breasts.

And so she did.  And it was really kind of interesting, the way it happened and all.  I just had to chuckle.  I found the scene pretty comical, because, all of a sudden -– there they were -– out of nowhere.  BOOBS!!!  Poof!  BOOBS!!  ROTFLMAO.

Her boobies were shown to us for no other reason than for us to gaze upon them.  There was absolutely no cinematic reason for us seeing them.  The scene was so bogus.  It was crystal clear that the shot was contrived -– and completely disconnected from the story’s needs or dictates.  And so it is interesting to note that when Halle Berry ultimately decided to give the world tit, the scene –- its very existence driven by shock value –- was cheapened.  If she were going to expose her breasts, it would have been nice if it had happened some other way.  Oh well.

The scene opened with Stan (Hugh Jackman) walking up to Ginger, who was sunning.  He approaches her as she is reclining in a beach chair, clad in bikini bottoms, reading a book –- which is up against her chest.  Stan calls her name, she lowers the book, and BAM!  There they were.  LOL.  I was like, “Oh.”  I  mean, they totally came out of nowhere.  LOL.  The previous scene ended.  And then this, the boob scene -- which lasted less than one minute -- it was so… so… sudden.  Boom.  Breasteses.  LMAO. 

And I watched the scene; absurd as it was.  I watched her say her lines.  I watched him say his lines.  It was idiotic and juvenile; he -- like a boy gazing upon his first boobies.  And she, unsuccessfully going against the grain, coy and nonchalant, masquerading as if she were not topless, and speaking to a man who was startled to see her bare breasts before him.  In the end, though, she grinned -– as if triumphant -– as if pleased, pleased that she moved him (caused him to bump into a chair, like a boy might) by showing him some tit.

I guess there’s a third thing I wanted to mention.  There was the scene where we see her disrobing down to matching black panties and bra.  (See photo on post).  This scene was cinematically relevant.  But still.  Nevertheless, it is a scene showing Halle Berry stripping taking off her clothes.  The viewer could have gotten the relevant information out of the scene in any number of ways.  But... oh well.  I’m just sayin’.

And yes, one other thing about the boobies.  It is interesting to note that the first time she showed us boob, the person who was "treated" to the boobs was a white man; not a black man.  I’m just sayin’.

Q:  For Goddsakes, theblackactor.com, WHAT IS THE NEXT HALLE BERRY film you will be highlighting?

A:  theblackactor.com:  HelifIknow; whatever is next in the Netflix queue, I suppose.  I’m not sure yet.  I haven’t looked.  I hope it’s one of those that show her as a woman –- and not as a gotdam slab of sex.

Geez!

Well, with the first three pics highlighted, I’m sounding like a broken record broken record broken record broken record; I mean, skipped CD skipped CD skipped CD skipped CD skipped CD skipped CD skipped CD skipped CD skipped CD skipped CD skipped CD skipped CD skipped

It’s not my fault.  It’s Halle Berry’s!

And my last two cents...

Yes; I get the notion, if you got it, flaunt it.  I also understand that Halle Berry is beautiful and sexy and all those things and why not get paid for it.  Okay.  I suppose my personal viewpoint is that a woman's sex appeal is often -- if not always -- limited when it is obviously contrived.  It's not really sexy; but instead, clown-like.  I do believe, the most compelling manifestation of a woman’s sexual persona calls for some modesty.  After all... it’s far more sexier; is it not?  I think so.  And I’m not talking about prudes, or women walking around looking matronly -– cuz that ain’t cute.  I… Anyhoo, I'll refrain from burdening readers with my personal musings about things not related to the blog.  LOL.

Dissecting Halle - Perfect Stranger

Overall, I thought Halle Berry was pretty good in Perfect Stranger, which was released last year, in 2007.

In contrast to Die Another Day, I suppose Halle Berry was a little older and a little wiser for this role.  She was much, much better in this pic.  I thought Berry gave a smarter, more reliable performance.

I thought her portrayal of journalist Rowena Price was credible.  Oh, I can’t really think of any glaring missteps.  I could nitpick about wooden moments.  Why nitpick into nonsense, or split hairs unnecessarily?  I liked her enough in the pic.

Sometimes a performance is poor.  Sometimes it is adequate.  Sometimes it is good.  Sometimes it is great.  Sometimes it is beyond great.

I just wanna ask one question…

Did the following serve any cinematic purpose whatsoever?  Did the scene move the story forward in any meaningful way?  In the scene, the following happens:

The camera shows us Rowena’s naked back.  She’s rifling through a “lingerie drawer” filled with panties and bras.

Okay.

Tonight’s selection?  The obligatory black thong.  And so we watch as the thong rises up above her legs on their way to their final destination; her lady spot.

Immediately, the camera pans to her azz.  She’s dressed now; bending down; reaching for her shoes.  So we see her azz – which is prominent in the frame – poking through that snugly, fitted, pretty red dress.

Oooooooooh.  Sexay.

The scene ends with Rowena spraying perfume on her inner thighs; left thigh; right thigh.

End of scene.

Then there’s the next scene –- when, now all dolled up, she enters a room wearing the pretty red dress, on her way out for her date with Cameron (Gary Dourdan).  We see Rowena talking with Miles (Giovoanni Ribisi) and the camera pans to her azz not one time, but two times while she is talking to him.

Okay; so, we know she has a fit figure; a panty drawer; we know she wears thongs; has a shapely azz; and sprays perfume onto her inner thighs in preparation for a date (or an up-against-the-wall, sexual liaison; but whatever).

And…

Had we not known these things could we still have understood her character and her character’s place and motivation in the story?

I’m just askin’.

The year? -- 2007
Oscar winner
Golden Globe winner
Emmy Award winner
SAG Award winner (two times, at that)
Large body of work
Net worth in the tens of millions of dollars (isn’t it?)
Over 40

… and she stiiiiiiiiilllll poking her azz out?

Still?  Now?

Some may cry for her, saying this is what Hollywood is giving her.  Not me.  Not at all.  Not Halle Berry.  Not now.  Sorry.

SMH.

Sass fo you Azz - My girl, Regina

My girl, Regina King -- the sassiest sass that ever was.  LOL.

I’m just yappin’.  I expect to profile her on the site one day.  I can’t really speak intelligently about her, since I’ve only seen about a half dozen of her movies.  So, I’m just speaking from what I’ve seen.

Oddly, I like her.  Under normal circumstances, I probably wouldn’t dig what she often does.  Yet there is something about her that’s endearing to me. 

I still try to figure out why I like her.

Is she an attractive person and so all is forgiven?  I’m sure the sociologists and the psychologists and such have proven that people who are perceived as attractive get better treatment by the world.  Do I perceive her as attractive and so forgive her transgression?

The answer is no.  At least not consciously.  I mean, yes; she is attractive but this acknowledgement doesn't make her sassiness forgivable.

Then I asked if she does sass better than some others do sass.  Is there a good way, a bad way, a better way or a worse way to do sass?  Does she do it well –- better than others?  Is that why I like her?

Maybe.

Could it be that in her sass I see my friends, acquaintances, cousins and co-workers -- pieces of me, even?  Is it that her sass is not contrived or over the top -- but really is a part of her real life persona, and so, being a black woman, I see some kind of parallels between us?

I think this is a strong possibility.

Does her sass make me laugh, I asked?

Yes; very often it does.

I liked her in Ray...  Did that showing make all her sass forgivable? 

Hmmmm.  Maybe.

Maybe it’s a combination of all of the above.  Maybe it’s something else.

Though there are other sasstahgirls, I think my favorite sasstahgirl is Regina King.  Yup.  I think I want her to be my friend.

See the Sass post, y’all.