Mirren blasts Hollywood for ***** worship

[n2doc]

British actress Helen Mirren blasted Hollywood on Tuesday for worshipping "at the altar of the 18 to 25-year-old male and his penis," as she received an award for women in entertainment.

The star, famous for films including "The Queen," "Calendar Girls" and most recently "Red," also lashed out at those who praise her for being sexy at the age of 65, saying it was "bloody irrelevant."

"I resent in my life the survival of some very mediocre male actors and the professional demise of some very brilliant female ones," Mirren told an audience including some of the most powerful women in Hollywood.

"However, with all due respect to you many brilliant and successful women in this room, really not too much has changed in... Hollywood filmmaking that continues to worship at the altar of the 18 to 25-year-old male and his penis.

"Quite small, I always think," she added, to gales of laughter.

more

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/mirren-blasts-hollywood-for-penis-worship-2155107.html

[Anakin Skywalker]

1. Accurate observation and clever punchline! LOL

[Supersedeas]

9. i guess sexual derogation works both ways

both sexes

both as a meaningful point

and a punchline


So, are 18 to 25 year olds supposed for be 'large' when your 'stretched' to 70 plus?

Good joke....left them for stitches....stitches, Doc.

[Hannah Bell]

126. jeez. i guess you took it personally. you're 18 with a small penis, or

a mediocre hollywood actor, which is it?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. Wow, bitter much?

Does she ignore all of the utterly awful female actors that are getting by on their breasts alone? I thought she was above something this pathetically idiotic, but I guess not.

[Myrina]

5. ... that's her point!

.... if Hollywood and other media weren't so much like horny teenage boys thinking (& purchasing) with their dicks, women wouldn't have to look like porn stars to get anywhere in the industry, they would be lauded for their talent.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

47. So what does that have to do with this line?

"I resent in my life the survival of some very mediocre male actors and the professional demise of some very brilliant female ones"

Why would the mediocre male actors matter to her? Why wouldn't mediocre female ones matter more?

[NashVegas]

51. Very Mediocre Actors Will Take Any Role They Can Get

If it makes them a star, puts them in the Palisades and the blow (in both varieties) keeps coming.

They perpetuate the current system. Hollywood has blown chunks since 1985 or so with the relentless march of action movies.

Now, even movies that don't depict constant violence use violent camera work to suggest violence. It's freaking nuts.


====

disclaimer: there are also some brilliant ones who aren't all that discriminating, either. Before LotR, Viggo Mortensen was in stinker after stinker.

[MorningGlow]

70. The penis worship is twofold

1) Films are greenlit mostly by men (they choose films that only interest them), and 2) those money men are only interested in projects that will draw male moviegoers, because that's where the money is. It's common knowledge that women will go with a man to a "he-man movie" (action, violence, crime, superhero franchise) more frequently than men will go to a "chick flick" (any story with a woman protagonist, romance, etc.)

Thus, for every decent role for women, there are a brazillion roles for men (of all ages), meaning even the mediocre actors can get work; this situation has long been bemoaned in Hollywood, but it never seems to change.

[TNLib]

137. I think men like action movies but they love action movies with great characters and geat story

Most people do unfortunately the leading role is seemed to be always reserved for men. What if Lucas' original concept of the Luke Skywalker character held and Luke really was a female character. I'm willing to bet it would still have been a huge success and maybe even changed the stereotypical lead roles in Hollywood.

[Tansy_Gold]

6. Uh, no.

I think she was making that point very clear.



TG, TT

[seabeyond]

11. and why do you htink these lousy female actress that is all about boob, is there.... the male penis

and all its awesome glory and power

[Darth_Kitten]

12. Yes, a respected, Oscar winning actress would be so bitter.....

:sarcasm:

[Divernan]

13. Nice phallic symbol avatar image!

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Bettie]

17. Making an observation about the industry she's involved in

doesn't make her a man hater.

The fact is that the vast majority of mass market films these days are made primarily for consumption by men aged 18-25.

In these films, generally speaking, women are there to be gazed at by the men. They are, honestly, eye candy for the men. They do not need intellect or anything else except to be a size zero with double D breasts.

Helen Mirren is an older woman and recalls when film was more about telling stories than about looking at "hot babes".

There are women who are brilliantly talented but have virtually no careers because they do not fit into the sex kitten role.

In this day and age, Bette Davis and Katherine Hepburn would have gotten nowhere because they weren't "pretty" enough, regardless of their talent.

That is the point.

But, if you choose to see man-haters behind every bush, so be it.

[Coventina]

21. +1

:thumbsup:

[theHandpuppet]

24. +2

"Man hater". Tired old slur used to quash any protests from women who have the audacity to point out the obvious.

[Balderdash]

133. Right on!

:)

[badgerpup]

42. Umm...

Katharine Hepburn was drop-dead gorgeous :wow:...and a beautiful woman up until her death.

Bette Davis, I'd have to agree with you...she was what I'd call striking.
Attractive (in the sense that she definitely pulls the attention!), but not classically "pretty".

She certainly had stones though...I read that she did her own make-up for "Whatever happened to Baby Jane?" because the make-up man didn't have the guts to make her look that raddled and ugly...
it would have cost him his career (or so he feared). :thumbsup:

Which just goes to prove your point all over again...:shrug:

[NashVegas]

52. Yes, She Was Gorgeous

But she wasn't prettied up or sexed up for male consumption. You wouldn't see her on the cover of Maxim, you wouldn't see Esquire(?) editors fawning over a two minute video where all she did was lay in bed and blink.

[niyad]

101. in "first wives club", goldie hawn's character (an actress) says there are three roles for women in

hollywood, "sex kitten, district attorney, and driving miss daisy" alas, looking at most films, she is pretty much correct.

[Divernan]

23. Not a man hater, just someone who's studied Freud.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Sometimes a chainsaw is just a chainsaw. And sometimes a bone is just a bone. But not always.

[Name removed]

46. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JuniperLea]

79. I think your post needs a picture...

[krabigirl]

40. I think that is her point,

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

60. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[WolverineDG]

67. if it weren't for the focus on 18-15 year old males & their penises

no actress would be able to get by on her breasts alone.

dg

[dipsydoodle]

3. And there was me thinking

***** can't be Palin : there would need to be more than five *s to get cabbage.

[htuttle]

That Dame's always got something smart to say

And I always enjoy hearing it.

[tigereye]

4. she is so cool!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

7. Rock on, Helen !!

:headbang:

[Darth_Kitten]

8. Right on, Helen!

:D

[myrna minx]

10. God I love her.

:loveya:

[BoneDaddy]

14. Could you imagine

If the scenario was the reverse. The depth of the double standard in DU is staggering

[Name removed]

29. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Upton]

43. You're right of course..

if the situation were reversed, many of the same folks now congratulating Mirren would be playing the victim and screaming about misogyny.

[Hello_Kitty]

56. But scenario isn't reversed. What Mirren said is true.

Hollywood is all about da boyz.

[BoneDaddy]

130. Never disagreed

with the orignal premise but the delivery and the rompfest that occurred on this thread by the frequent and ignorant members of DU who are quite clear in their dislike of men.

[Pacifist Patriot]

61. If the situation were reversed I wouldn't be living in an authoritative patriarchal world.

That would be fine with me.

[Scout]

69. +10,000 n/t

[niyad]

103. agreed!!!!!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

111. indeed.

[BoneDaddy]

123. YOu would be living in

a matriarchal dominated world where you would be the very people you complain about now. What don't you see or get?

[Pacifist Patriot]

136. Actually I quite favor a world in which the genders appreciate...

their differences and how they are wonderfully compatible where the power is creative and transformational rather than authoritarian and oppressive. I was being pithy. Trust me, I both see and get it.

[BoneDaddy]

139. Then why can you not

see the opposite of patriarchy (the negative feminine) when it presents the origins of it's ugly head right in front of your face?

[Pacifist Patriot]

144. Why can you not recognize a pithy comment?

:shrug:

I rather suspect you're preaching to the choir, but just can't appreciate it.

[BoneDaddy]

145. You think I am preaching to the choir?

Wow, we must live in alternate realities. It is, however, hard to judge intention, nontheless a pithy commment. Tone and intention is hard to decipher in text.

[Le Taz Hot]

93. I disagree.

And if you know my history at all you know I have no qualms about calling sexism when it's from women. The "victims" (for lack of a better word) are women who are not young/ghoulishly skinny/large-busted/face-lifted/botoxed, or otherwise tortured in order to be able to practice their art. I'm not sure I see any victimization of the 18-25 year olds. Furthermore, promoting talentless actresses because they have the "right" physical features cheapens the craft.

[lukasahero]

100. If reality were reversed, then maybe your reverse sexism claim would have merit

You just can't stand it when women stand up for themselves, can you?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

110. thats really well stated!

[Name removed]

124. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

109. LOL. yes, to point out sexism in hollywood is clearly a double standard

:eyes: :puke:

[BoneDaddy]

125. Pointing out sexism is one thing

using it to escalate the continued hate towards men by pretty much the usual suspects is not ok.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

128. continued hate towards men? really? 95% of rape victims are women

and there is continued hatred towards men? what planet do you live on?

[BoneDaddy]

131. Nice try

Whether or not 95% of women are victims of rape has no correlation on whether or not a number of women on DU hate men. Take a logic class.

[Name removed]

134. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

138. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

141. wtf are you talking about? why would i hate men? i dont have to hate men

to know that i live in a misogynistic society.

[Bluenorthwest]

16. This woman has had an absolutely towreing career

Her excellence is established with decades of work, all of it better than the work before. Her looks at her age might be irrelevant, but her contributions to culture and craft are most relevant. Helen Mirrin is a great artist. She is as good as it gets. And she's totally correct about Hollywood.

[Gaedel]

22. Helen Mirren is an excellent actress

But she is barking at the moon on this one.

Movies are made for the demographic that buys the tickets.

If they want to see plastic-boobed bimbos, that is what they will get.

Probably why I rarely go to see a movie.

If you stock your store with stuff you like, you will go broke.

If you stock your store with stuff your customer base likes, you will make money.

[lame54]

37. If you stock your store with things people want...

you'll be run out of town by Wal-Mart

If you stock it with things Wal-Mart won't carry - you have a chance

[NashVegas]

Avatar. Titanic

The two highest earning single movies, EVER. Both love stories to appeal to teen girls.

[Pacifist Patriot]

65. Are the Harry Potter films geared towards 18-25 year old males?

I'm suspecting not.

They just jumped to mind because they are the most recent films I've gone to see that were sold out.

[Gaedel]

82. The other demographic

Kids.

Most of the movies that i have seen in the last fifteen years have been kids movies that i took my grandkids or niece to see.

The only movies since 2000 that I have seen on my own were the LOTR trilogy.

The last three Harry Potter movies don't make any damn sense in and of themselves and you won't have the foggiest idea of what is going on unless you have read the books.

[lukasahero]

102. Are the Harry Potter movies made in Hollywood?

Oops. Try again.

England has a different standard of film-making.

[Pacifist Patriot]

116. Try again? Why?

I tend to favor British-made fare which is why I've seen "Death at a Funeral" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795368/ but wouldn't bother with "Death at a Funeral" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1321509/. The British film industry doesn't seem to have the same problem Mirren blasts Hollywood for (at least not to the degree), which was my point. They don't pander to the demographic she cites and do just fine.

[lukasahero]

132. My apologies

I have re-read the thread and now (:blush:) realize you were saying exactly the opposite of what I thought you were saying. Sorry. Really. You and I agree entirely.

[NashVegas]

119. They Were Financed in Hollywood

[LanternWaste]

72. I see this less as barking at the moon, and more an appeal to the audiences sense of art

Hence the difference between "art" and a commodity. One is based on the love and passion on a craft, the other simply a means to generate profit.

The two quite often overlap... in literature, in music and in film. So I see this less as barking at the moon, and more an appeal to the audiences sense of art.

[trotsky]

18. Well, that's where the money is.

Yeah, I totally understand what Mirren is getting at but this is really no different than bible-bangers blasting Hollywood for being against "family values." Hollywood doesn't have an agenda - like any other industry, what they are after is MONEY. And 18 to 25-year-old males bring their penises to movies and pay a lot of money to do so. Sucks, but there you go.

[Divernan]

25. As opposed to bringing dates to movies!

[seabeyond]

48. but see, fact check. it isnt reality. it isnt what brings in the money. nt

[trotsky]

58. So you're telling me that a purely capitalist industry...

DOESN'T want to maximize profit? :shrug:

[seabeyond]

59. i imagine it is more the aged men creating these fantasy movies

convincing themselves that it is wanted, when reality and profit suggests otherwise.

again

google

[LanternWaste]

73. Hence, post-production marketing.

Hence, post-production marketing. "We do not think this movie will be very popular, so let's sex it up in the promo spots we buy" (Paraphrasing Madison Avenue just prior to the release of The Godfather, Cries and Whispers, Fiddler on the Roof, and All The Presidents Men, among others).

I think many people do not realize that there are artists working in the industry-- writers, actors, cinematographers, directors, etc. who have absolutely zero interest in one or the other demographic-- they simply wish to make a Good Film. I think many, many people are conflating the producers, accountants, and marketing departments with people actually making a film.

[trotsky]

76. Uh huh.

Tell you what, you google and provide the proof.

Otherwise I'm going to assume that a business seeks the best profit, which is what a business does. You go ahead and argue otherwise.

[seabeyond]

84. i am not good at googlin, but it is not a "secret"

Yet, in defiance of its own economic interests, Hollywood continues to produce far more R-rated movies than G-rated movie--and even promises a bumper crop of exceptionally graphic teen-oriented movies this year.

Paul Kagan Associates performed the study of the film industry at the request of the pro-family Dove Foundation of Grand Rapids, Mich. "While the movie industry produced 17.4 times more R-rated films than Grated films from 1988 to 1997," the study concluded, "the data shows that G-rated films produced 8.35 times more profits per film than R-rated movies."

The study included 2,380 movies--all theatrical releases rated by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) that appeared on 800 or more screens in the United States during the decade under examination. The 800-screen minimum meant that art and foreign-language films were excluded. When calculating revenues and profits, the study included income from TV broadcasts, home-video rentals and video sales in addition to theater receipts.

http://www.singlearticles.com/hollywood-makes-r-movies-a285.html

There are several theories as to why box office receipts have been down in recent years, all of which we've discussed many times. Lynda Obst, a producer at Paramount Pictures, has an interesting essay blaming the industry's obsession with the teenage boy demographic. The problem isn't that teenage boys have stopped going to the movies per se, but that studios end up pulling out all of the stops (huge budgets, huge marketing efforts) for this demographic, so naturally they're setting themselves up for big falls. Teenage boys will still go to the theater if the film is good, but if it's not, they have plenty of entertainment alternatives on a Saturday night. Furthermore, the internet and faster word of mouth can sink even the best-planned marketing campaigns, so there's no hope in drawing viewers to a bad movie. The industry should take heart from what Obst argues, that there's no one trend, technological or social, hurting the movie industry. Instead, the industry has bloodied itself by spending millions going after a single demographic. This is made worse by the winner-take-all aspect of the movie business. On any given weekend, a film that is even slightly better than the next best alternative will dominate ticket sales. If the industry diversifies their target demographic and learns that it can't just pull people to a theater by marketing, they should be able to improve their returns.

http://www.techdirt.com/article.php?sid=20060501%2F1931242&threaded=true&sp=1

[trotsky]

90. I'm inclined to believe that the "pro-family Dove Foundation" is a little biased.

Sorry. Not big on right-wing theocratic organizations for reliable data, especially >10 year old data.

Your second link basically confirms the "high risk, high reward" philosophy of business. Doesn't dispute the issue at hand either.

Try again?

[seabeyond]

92. that is why i dont bother. all you have to do is type in teen age boy demographics

and there is site after site. but to find it all layed out to be totally acceptable doesnt seem to work. that is an independent study. dove f used the study. a person can be clever enough to seperate the two. but wont matter. because you will be a waste of my time.

[trotsky]

94. Because we all know that if you find it on the Internet, it MUST be true.

:eyes:

[seabeyond]

95. oh fuck... bah haha. glad i didnt waste anymore time. reality, the big movies, avatar, titantic,

HUGE hits, not of that group.

apple pie 37, just covers cost

btw, reading the reasoning for the mens club hollywood to continue making these movies????

you. they do just what you do. they ignore the studies. they ignore the info. they ignore the results and childishly say

nu uh

[trotsky]

96. But you did waste more time. Matrix, Transformers, Pirates, Batman, Star Wars.

HUGE hits, part of the group. All of them multiple films because they were so successful.

[seabeyond]

99. women enjoy as much as men. the die hards, harrison, bourne identity

that is not what they talk about the male teen demo. apple pie

[trotsky]

104. American Pie grossed over 100 million.

On a budget of what, maybe a couple of million. Then you have the sequels that added to the pile. You seem to be coming around to my side as you waste your time. Now you're reclassifying movies that ARE targeting the young male demographic and saying that they DO have more appeal than you gave them credit. Good job! You are starting to realize how it really works in Hollywood.

[seabeyond]

107. no. you just refuse to get the info to understand the dynamics. i am not playing the

game to all empower the male sexuality cause that is the only way he/you seem capable of identifying your manhood.

it really does not matter how it is presented, you want a certain belief system. which is the argument with the whole male dominated hollywood issue

[trotsky]

113. Ta da!

Making it personal. Right on cue.

it really does not matter how it is presented, you want a certain belief system

I suggest you take a really good look in a mirror. Or you can keep wasting your time. You do seem to enjoy that.

[seabeyond]

115. the funny in what you say

is it is not a personal attack. boys and men hold it up as a trophy, and absolute truth and soceity/media ahs perpetuated it the last decade or more. it is only when a female repeats it that the boys/men see it as an insult. if they do it, they high five each other and grab their balls in comfort.

isnt it funny

the way that works

[trotsky]

118. No, it's not a personal attack, it's a broadbrush smear.

But it's OK for you to do it, evidently.

[seabeyond]

122. uh uh. nt

[trotsky]

127. Sucks when you can't win on facts and have to resort to those tactics.

Uh huh. Now make sure you get your last word in before it kills you.

[John Kerry VonErich]

117. 100% Right

And this came from a woman who was in Caligula

[NashVegas]

121. LMAO

She probably regrets that.

[John Kerry VonErich]

143. Actually there was suposedly been a remake she was in

You Tube it

[madrchsod]

19. she`s right and....

she still is hot.

[Blue_Tires]

20. i'd worship her altar any day...

[mopinko]

26. love her.

and agree. what a great joke, too.

[qb]

27. You go, Helen!

:bounce:

[The Backlash Cometh]

28. Helen Mirren. I'm definitely a fangirl when it comes to that lady.

Okay, fanwoman.

[Scout]

30. curious why you felt you needed to use * instead of penis?

is penis a dirty word on DU? anywhere?

[n2doc]

31. I figured that a thread title should be less aggressive

just me, probably.

[Nye Bevan]

33. So you find the word for that body part to be "aggressive".

Psychologists would probably find that interesting.

[n2doc]

34. I'm sure they would find me very interesting

:P

[snooper2]

50. Yep, you wouldn't want to offend

...


never mind :rofl:

[Nye Bevan]

32. Oh my god. You spelled out the "p" word.

You really did.

[brooklynite]

35. If that's the case, then someone's missing a business opportunity...

I assume that studios make the movies they think people want to see.

nb - In 1996, Bob Dole was going to make a campaign speech pointing out how box office demand showed people wanted quality (vs trashy) pictures, until his advisers realized that if this was true, there wasn't really a problem he could complain about.

[edbermac]

36. Wasn't she in Bob Guccione's porn film Caligula?

Kind of a strange comment considering that and several nude scenes she's done in other films.

[Pacifist Patriot]

63. Yep, she and the well known porn actors Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud and Malcolm McDowell

I don't think she's exactly stating an opposition to nudity in film in her remarks.

[Whisp]

38. Helen! wow. lol. I so agree! good for saying it out loud.

[terrya]

39. Dame Helen Mirren is just freaking awesome. Recommended.

I love her.

[Edweird]

41. So, basically, she's mad at biology?

[seabeyond]

49. biology suggest we must worship the penis? really? i know that is the bill being sold to all of us

but pretty damn sure it has nothing to do with biology.

[Edweird]

57. 18-25 yr olds are horny, like porn stars and spend money foolishly.

Predictably, things are marketed to them in order to separate them from their money.

[LanternWaste]

75. And perceiving that Madison Avenue markets things

And perceiving that Madison Avenue markets things "in order to separate them from their money" is being mad at biology precisely how?

[lolly]

44. "The Market" doesn't account for everything

Or doesn't anyone remember "Titanic?"--Granted, not the most intellectual movie ever made,but definitely big box office, and definitely NOT geared to the 18-25 year old macho dude set.

Yes, the movies geared to that group make money. But so can movies geared to other groups. The problem is that those making the decisions are 40-something men who are, by all indications, stuck in the 18 year old mindset. So the big-explosions-plus-big-boobs moves are the ones that get approved and bankrolled.

[NashVegas]

55. Avatar, Too

It had action in it to draw the boys, but basically it's a teen love story.

James Cameron is not stupid. Every blockbuster he ever made had a strong female lead.

Alien/Aliens

Terminator

The Abyss

Titanic.


nuff said.

[Prophet 451]

66. Got it in one

Sir Terry Pratchett once said that there were two types of people in Hollywood: The actors, directors, make-up people and so on who actually do things and the other lifeforms. Unfortunately, you have to deal with the other lifeforms first.

Hollywood is, obviously, about making money (and the industry as a whole has never made a yearly profit). The other lifeforms know that marketing something to a young male and his genitals is virtually certain to make it's costs back. So are projects by certain directors or stars (although that isn't bulletproof, see Shyamalan). Other projects, that require more thought or complexity, are more risky. So the rationale is that it's better to greenlight "American Pie 37" which is almost certain to make it's money back than to greenlight something like "Memento" that might well fail.

[hootinholler]

45. Let me say unequivocally

That no one worshiped my 18-25 Y.O. penis.

Back in the day, that is.

-Hoot

[1badjedi]

53. Hmmm........

I cannot remember the name of the movie but she was in something when she was younger where she was nude most of the film. Not just topless either but the full monty. So once upon a time she was not above the worship she now deems pathetic.

Just sayin'.

[LanternWaste]

74. The one does not deny the other.

I used to smoke three packs a day when I was younger. I now deem my actions pathetic. The one does not deny the other.

Just Sayin' Part II

[WCGreen]

62. I love that woman....

[Prophet 451]

64. Badly articulated but she has a point

I say "badly articulated" because the way she made her point was just as sexist as it would have been if the genders were reversed.

But she does have a point. Hollywood focuses too much on one particular demographic, not to the exclusion of all else but certainly to their expense.

[CBGLuthier]

68. She makes some wonderful points. Now here she is from my third favorite movie she was in

She was wonderful in Excalibur and magnificent in The Long Good Friday.

But have you ever seen Age of Consent? She co stars with James Mason and makes a challenging role her own.

[walldude]

71. Good for her.... Judging from the amount of

Comic Book movies coming out this summer, I'd say she was right. She kicked ass in RED. And being sexy at 65 is not "bloody irrelevant" it's proof actresses can have a long career without plastic surgery.

[Norrin Radd]

91. RED was also comic book movie, for those who weren't aware.

[walldude]

97. Anyone who saw it knows.. it started with the DC logo

[BlueCheese]

77. She has a valid point.

On the other hand, the huge majority of actors in Hollywood (female or male) are extremely good-looking. That's also skin-deep worship, isn't it?

[bomberman]

78. What a stupid thing for her to say

I think she might have some issues she needs to deal with.

[live love laugh]

88. That or somebody else is oblivious to the truth. nt

[petronius]

80. It seems her comments were tailored for a particular audience, and to get a cheap laugh, and so lost

a lot of the power they could have had. I'd say that she picks out only a sliver of the problem, which is really that mainstream movies are made to maximize profit, and the female-targeted offerings are just as insipid and merchandise-focused as the male-targeted varieties. Thus, a lot of mediocre actors of both sexes prosper on sex appeal, and a bunch of brilliant actors (writers, directors, etc) are out in the cold. Hollywood doesn't worship penises, it worships dollars - and it will continue to make crap as long as sufficiently big chunks of the public continue to buy crap.

IMO, specifying mediocre male actors, and going for the little penis joke, really robbed Mirren's comments of their force...

[w8liftinglady]

81. The funny thing is,Mirren was also in "The Passion of Ayn Rand"

....don't ask me how I know
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140447/

[sendero]

83. Gee...

.. Hollywood has been out of ideas for a decade, I don't watch much of the crap coming from there and I don't know how anyone with 2 brain cells could either.

A little escapism is fine but why do they have to keep dredging up the superheros of the 50s and 60s and ruining them, totally missing what they are about?

Thank god that most of the good movies that have been made in the past are available on DVD, because I couldn't care less to watch any of the crap coming out of Hollywood now.

[newtothegame]

85. Thanks for your brilliant world perspective, Hollywood actress .nt

[lukasahero]

106. Helen Mirren is NOT a Hollywood actor - she's a British actor

She would not have had the success she has had if she were - that is part of her point.

[seabeyond]

108. you have streepe. the thing that hollywood refuses to admit is the draw of the older

female even when presented with facts....

[K8-EEE]

86. Honestly I don't get the economics of Bruce Willis and Tom Cruise

Leaving age & gender aside Demi Moore, Angelina Jolie

It seems like most of their movies tank money wise - yet they just keep getting paid more.

[lukasahero]

105. Ack - sorry - posted in the wrong place. eom

[Starbucks Anarchist]

87. She's right.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

114. YOU reverse sexist you. next think you will tell me is that its gay who are oppressed

not straight. its people of color who are oppressed not whites.

how dare you.

bastard. :P

[ooglymoogly]

89. If only the young used this magnificent lady as a role model

instead of Brittany et al. We might not be in the mess we are in.

[lukasahero]

98. Couldn't love her more or rec this high enough

Go Helen!

[gulliver]

112. Saw her in two versions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"...

...and one version of "As You Like It." She is completely incredible. Can't wait to see what she does with "The Tempest."

[flvegan]

120. I hate it when my penis is left out.

[Stevenmarc]

129. Hollywood would have more brilliant actresses if it had more brilliant female producers & directors

More female cash will make it less penis driven

[Starbucks Anarchist]

135. Has anyone heard of the Bechdel Test?

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20408121,00.html

It also fits in with what Mirren was talking about.

[snooper2]

140. Penis thread is still going

:rofl:

Thanks everyone :)

[seabeyond]

142. so is the boob thread with a 6 yr old latched on.

hey

needed some lighten up threads.