DVD/Blu-ray: Pick a Disney Prince, Redistribute Mad Men Emmys
Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at 8:00AM Eight questions for the comments related to this week's DVD and BluRay releases. Please do play along with your answers. The more the merrier. We want to see inside your movie brain!
Aladdin the Disney classic is rereleased
Q1 Rank the raven-haired Disney Princes*
Aloft Starring Jennifer Connelly who is five years older than Cillian Murphy and plays his mother.
Q2 Can you explain Jennifer Connelly's career post-Oscar?
Dope the Sundance hit about geek teens obsessed with 90s hiphop. Very funny if too long / scattered
Q3: Favorite 90s hiphop artist?
The Gallows in which a high school play is the key catalyst for horror
Q4: Aren't they all?
San Andreas Disaster strikes California
Q5: The Rock is on his way to rescue you. Describe the scenario!
Tomorrowland In which optimism about the future via Americana of the past struggles to make a grand movie in the present.
Q6: On a scale of 1 to 10 how much do you hate it when characters narrate their own adventure direct to camera?
TV Seasons: Wayward Pines (S1), The 100 (S2), Bates Motel (S3), The Following (S3), Mad Men (Final Season)
In 8 seasons Mad Men won just 16 Emmys. Which sounds like a lot until you realize that of the other three dramas which are tied for first place with four wins, it's almost the least awarded (Hill Street Blues: 26; The West Wing: 26; LA Law: 15). Hell Game of Thrones which has only won Drama once and been on fewer seasons than Mad Men already has 26 Emmys so maybe it'll be the most Emmy-winning ever by the time it completes its run.
Q7: f you had to redistribute Mad Men's 16 Emmys in house where would they go?
S1: Six Emmys - Drama Series, Writing, Art Direction, Cinematography, Hairstyling, Main Title Design
S2: Three Emmys - Drama Series, Writing, Hairstyling
S3: Four Emmys - Drama Series, Writing, Casting, Hairstyling
S4: Two Emmys - Drama Series, Hairstyling
S5: Zero Emmys
S6: Zero Emmys
S7.1: Zero Emmys
S7.2: One Emmy - Lead Actor
*Yes Kocoum counts. He was supposed to become the chief which is basically the ruling class which is the Princes.
Aladdin, Disney, Jennifer Connelly, Mad Men, TV
Reader Comments (22)
I voted for Eric (I love me some Nordic man!). Aladdin was second.
Let's be honest the reason Mad Men doesn't have as many emmys as Hill Street Blues or the West Wing is because they faced way stiffer competition. If Mad Men had gone up against the shows Hill Street beat, Mad Men would have 30+ emmys.
I think one of the biggest and most egregious crimes against Mad Men is that Janie Bryant never won for costume design. Her costumes were not simply gorgeous, they were complex expressions of character and mood, as so wonderfully documented in Tom and Lorenzo's "Mad Style" column.
Deborah -- hear hear. At least 2 of those 16 shoulda been hers.
I've been asking that same Q over the last 10 yrs.
Mark -- which one?
How coincidental that this Mad Men question arises just as I've begun rewatching season four, which reminded me of the brilliance of "The Suitcase" for which both Hamm and Moss should have won Emmys.
I love these kinds of posts! So much fun
1. Eric hands down. I have some very inappropriate memories as a child because of him lol
2. Can anyone even bother? I think Connelly, with the bare bones exceptions of Requiem, Waking the Dead but especially Dark Water, is one of the most boring modern actresses to ever grace the screen. She exists in a category of working actresses ( others being post-Bridget Jones Zellweger, post-Mulholland Drive Naomi Watts) who just can't inhabit anything. I'll be in the grips of my biases suggesting Anne Heche as a suggestion for all their wasted parts, but until she gets cast in something amazing I ain't gonna stop.
3. Lil' Kim without a muthaf***in' doubt.
4. Speaking of which I recently re-watched Jawbreaker which lead me to Rebecca Gayheart being awesome in Urban Legend. Best guilty pleasure horror villain ever.
5. Emphatically NSFW :D
6. Around a 4 or 5. It can work sometimes but more often than not, it usually annoys the hell out of me. Not everyone can be Christina Ricci in The Opposite of Sex or George Sanders in All About Eve. Towering voice over narration.
7. Don't watch it so I can't contribute :(
1. Shang, just based on the visuals provided.
2. Jennifer happens to be in an age group with lots of stars bigger than her, so the fight for the same roles was fierce. Plus, she had a couple of kids and her Oscar speech was a dud -- those two things couldn't have helped.
3. Salt and Pepa, undoubtedly.
4. I was in one of the worst high school plays ever mounted. It was a horror to some, but hilarious to me.
5. I am standing on the highest branch of a tree about to be sucked into a giant sinkhole. The sinkhole will pull in anything that gets too close, so the Rock has to swing down on a rope from a helicopter hovering a safe distance away and snatch me out at such a high speed that we don't get sucked in. It's a very Tarzan-esque rescue. He loses his grip on my arm, but manages to keep hold of the sturdy bracelet he gave me in one of the opening scenes of the movie.
6. Ferris Bueller narrated well, but I think it's pretty hard to get right.
7. I've never seen any Mad Men, but any fool who saw the commercials could tell you that the costumes, makeup, hair, and art direction/production design were top notch.
AMANDA & CASH -- thank u. i love when people playing along. people aren't playful lately *sniffle*
but cash does this mean you haven't seen the disney films? #confused.
also you both need to fix #7 THAT AIN'T RIGHT.
1. Aladdin, for sure, as he was one of my first crushes.
2. I know everyone hates the phrase "Oscar curse," but I do think there's a thing as winning an Oscar too early in your career. There's also the fact that she missed in 2003-a second nomination, especially in lead, would have helped.
3. Umm...
4. I had to do special effects for the girlfriend of the boy I was secretly crushing on, so yeah, my experiences weren't the best with high school plays.
5. The Rock is rescuing 17-year-old me from doing the special effects for that play and convinces me to do the special effects for his films.
6. 4-I'm not saying it's always bad (the George Sanders trope listed above is a good example), but I like it better when it's a side character doing it rather than our main protagonist.
7. Okay, so I have seen Mad Men, so I'll go with:
Series-3 (Seasons 1, 3, and 4)
Hamm-2 (Seasons 4 and 6)
Moss-2 (Seasons 4 and 6)
Hendricks-1 (Season 5)
Jones-1 (Season 3)
Costume-2 (Seasons 1 and 5)
Directing-2 (Seasons 3 and 4)
Writing-2 (Seasons 3 and 4)
Main Title-1 (Season 1)
1. I don’t like any of them. I think Beast, Hercules, and Prince Philip way outrank these raven-haired princes.
2. Connelly’s post-Oscar career is a dud because she has no personality, gave a boring speech at the Oscar’s, and for a performance that beat much more impressive work from Winslet, Mirren, and Tomei.
3. MC Hammer
4. The problem with most high school films is that they take themselves too seriously. I know that this is a problem with most teenagers, but why do the films have to adapt their own protagonists’ flaws?
5. I don't care for The Rock much, but I wish I could have saved his French bulldog (did you hear that it got poisoned?).
6. I hate direct-to-camera narration like Ellen Ripley hates aliens. 100!
7. Redistribute? This series needs more Emmys. I think Hendricks and Moss need at least one Emmy, the costumes deserve Emmys for Season 2 and Season 6. The casting of guest actors was always superb, especially season 5, which brought Julia Ormond, Embeth Davidtz, and Teyonah Parris. Plus, every season had at least one episode worthy of a writing win. And no directing wins AT ALL???
I would have given Emmys to Hamm, Moss, Slattery, Hendricks, Harris, Morse, Ormond, Cardellini, Miss Blankenship and also to Kartheiser and Wolk who were nominated.
It's interesting to notice that Six Feet Under never won an Emmy for any of the leads. Shame! Shame! Shame!
1. Naveen
2. Her career was strange pre-Oscar. As others have mentioned she's a very specific kind of actress that can be great in some things but the range is limited. Think Rachel McAdams today.
3. How hard is this? I want to say Ice Cube, but he straddles the late 80's/early 90's. For a true 90's artist, I'll say Naughty by Nature.
4. High school movies are rarely good, but they're almost always re-watchable because we all can relate to at least one of the characters or experiences.
5. Home invasion nightmare scenario. Rock busts in and slow tortures them.
6. Some of my favorite movies utilize this - American Beauty, Fight Club, multiple Scorsese's, Blade Runner, Momento, Budapest Hotel, etc. The only one I can think of that really doesn't work for me off the top of my head is The Great Gatsby.
7. Hendricks would clearly get a couple, but none for costume design in 7 years? Weird. I'm just going to assume without looking that GOT has dominated this category.
1. Li Shang. Although he's not a prince. Though everyone has something... Eric's second. *lol* at his face (well everyone's face) when Ariel brushed her hair with the fork. Priceless.
What about Kuzco? Or Prince Charming from 1950's Cinderella?
2. A bad post-Oscar career can happen to a lot of winners. Connelly isn't the first and won't be the last. Plus there's always the chance of a "comeback" nomination. Or not.
3. Eh... I don't know. Does Missy Elliot count?If my native Country Germany counts, it'd be Die Fantastischen Vier without a doubt. They're fun.
4. a dark "A Midsummer Night's Dream" would be cool...
5. The Rock coming to safe me of all people? Nah....
6. Hmmm... a 3. Voice narranting works in most cases for me. I can live with it. It's just amazing in Adaptation., like everyone and everything's amazing in that movie.
7. I haven't seen most of Mad Men, but it surely deserves Emmy's for Production Design, costume design, Opening Title design and score. Acting wins all around in season one. (that's actually the only season I've seen fully...) Yeah, shame on me....
N -- I have only seen some of the Disney movies. I have no grasp on some of those characters, and personality affects hotness.
Sawyer - Actually, Game of Thrones has only won the Emmy for Costume twice (in 2012 and 2014). Shows that have dominated the category include The Tudors and The Borgias, which probably points to the reason why Mad Men never won the Emmy for Costume (not far enough in the past for them). Mad Men was egregiously not even nominated for its final year in costuming and it was the first year they split the category into Fantasy/Period and Contemporary (American Horror Story won the former, Transparent won the latter).
I think Christina Hendricks should have beaten Maggie Smith in 2012 easily (The Other Woman was her submission, but she was terrific throughout) and I think John Slattery should have won in 2011, when he submitted Hand and Knees, but also had an amazing season (Peter Dinklage won that year though, and he's terrific, though I might have preferred that Dinklage won the following year when he had Blackwater). Elisabeth Moss is a tough one because the Lead Actress winners have been terrific (and she was in Supporting the year Kyra Sedgwick won), but she definitely should have won at some point.
I do, however, have to agree with Mike Troutman that Mad Men had the misfortune of competing in years with a lot of competition. I wouldn't have given Bryan Cranston 4 Emmys personally, but I understand why the Emmy voters did. He is THAT good on Breaking Bad. So are Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn (though I do think one apiece should have been enough there). There was also Homeland in its first couple of seasons, The Good Wife has some incredible stretches, Lost and Damages were around during the first few seasons of Mad Men, a lot of great TV. Also, Mad Men is not a show for everyone (I have a really hard time convincing a lot of my friends because they can't get past how slow it is). It's probably my favorite drama of all time, but it's a really tough sell...
1) Shang. Lots of homosocial bathing...
2) A lot of interesting projects that must have looked good on paper but just didn't pan out in one way or another (Creation, Virginia, Noah etc). Personally, I think three of her first four projects after the win - Hulk, Dark Water and Little Children - are among her best films, and Dark Water is her very best performance, so I find it frustrating. She's great, sometimes... Still, playing a character called "Virginia Gamely" in Winter's Tale does not augur well.
3) At the time? Coolio. I was a kid! Pfeiffer gave him cred! Other varied excuses!
4) I was once in a play about an anthropomorphic measle, so yes.
5) A splinter in my pinkie.
6) Depends - it is just restating things the visuals are already telling me? Stop it!
7) Not sure I totally understand the question, but Christina Hendricks needed an Emmy for season 4 and "The Other Woman," Vincent Kartheiser should have got one for season 5 and "Signal 30", and Janie Bryant should have got one for - well, almost any season, but how about season six: the breakdown of a marriage told through costuming?
Aladin who is adorable
Q1: I'd go Eric, Aladdin, Naveen, Li Shang, Kocoum. Probably. Maybe switch Eric and Aladdin around depending on the day of the week.
Q2: Why even speak of this? Ugh. It just makes me angrier that she won in the first place.
Q3: I will typically go more towards R&B like TLC, Salt N Pepa, En Vogue, 702, SVW, Brownstone and so on, but for pure hip-hop? I do think Tupac was the best overall, but Queen Latifah's "Just Another Day" and Warren G's "Regulate" might just be in my top 10 favourite songs of all time. Maybe. Definitely the former, at least.
Q4: School plays are a horror all their own.
Q5: I'm actually rather agnostic on The Rock. I find his personality very much like a puppy begging you to like him and I'm not keen on puppies. And then his films? Well, i didn't bother with SAN ANDREAS or FURIOUS 7 or really anything he's made in a very long time.
Q6: Sometimes it works (see the previous reference to THE OPPOSITE OF SEX or TO DIE FOR), but usually it's around an 8.
Q7: Not so much redistribute as just give it extras. If it were up to me it'd have some directing and costume nods + a cinematography one just once. Jon Hamm would have an earlier prize. January Jones would have won for season 2, Kiernan Shipka would've won the guest Emmy for season 7.2, Elisabeth Moss would have won one and I wish Vincent Kartheiser had at least been nominated just once.
I love these posts, but this is my first time participating!
1) Li Shang, Kocoum, Aladdin, Eric, Naveen.
2) Jennifer Connelly feels like a lack of good opportunities. Or the parts she's really excelled in, like Requiem For A Dream, A Beautiful Mind, Dark Water, He's Just Not That Into You (seriously, her tag at the end is exceptional) are films where she's not the main focus, for one reason or another.
3) Jurassic 5
4) Get Over It was certainly a horror in Kirsten Dunst's otherwise stellar teen star career.
5) I'm Mandy Moore's character in Southland Tales.
6) I'm a 5. It works better for me on TV, for whatever reason.
7) I'd redistribute Mad Men's Emmys as follows:
S1: Costume Design
S2: Best Series, Costume Design, Best Actress (Elisabeth Moss)
S3: Best Writing (Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency), Best Director (Shut The Door, Have A Seat)
S4: Best Writing (The Suitcase), Best Actor (Jon Hamm),
S5: Best Series, Best Supporting Actress (Christina Hendricks), Costume Design, Art Direction, Best Writing (Signal 30), Best Supporting Actor (Vincent Kartheiser)
S6: Guest Actor (James Wolk)
S7.1: Zero Emmys
S7.2: Best Supporting Actress (January Jones, The Milk And Honey Route)
1. I know he's a villain, but Gaston from Beauty and the Beast is my write-in vote.
2. Jennifer Connelly had so much smolder in the '90s (The Hot Spot, Career Opportunities, Mulholland Falls, and she was the best thing about Inventing the Abbotts) that I wonder if all that heat simply evaporated once she hit her 30s. (Her ample bosom seemed to disappear, too, but that's neither here nor there.) She had a provocative wild-child air that Angelina Jolie once had, but Jolie nevertheless has been more successful reinventing herself as a Mother Teresa figure (cartoonish-looking albeit still stunning and intriguing). Connelly atrophied, and her choice of roles -- and performances therein -- reflects that in large form.
3. Favorite '90s hip-hop artist, hands-down, is Tupac and/or Salt-N-Pepa. (They're terrific live.)
4. Have you ever seen Once Upon a Mattress? (Think Seven.)
5. The Rock's *wink, wink* raising and lowering of his eyebrows could airlift anyone out of any potential danger.
6. Tomorrowland was such a bore, but V.O. *can* work wonders when used purposefully and sparingly (think that closing scene in The Hours). And I co-sign the brilliance of Christina Ricci's V.O. in The Opposite of Sex ("I don't have a heart of gold,..and I don't grow one later, okay?).
7. Janie Bryant most definitely should've won an Emmy for season one or two and season five, six or seven of Mad Men. Those clothes did wonders for tone setting and character shading. I also will reserve the remaining redistributed lot for the (largely unsung) actors, giving Emmys to John Slattery for season one; Jon Hamm and January Jones for season two (i.e. the Don Draper reveal); Melinda McGraw ('Bobbi Barrett') for season two (seriously, best guest star/recurring character of the entire show); Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss (The Suitcase), and Kiernan Shipka (The Chrysanthemum and the Sword) for season four; Christina Hendricks for season five (The Other Woman); and January Jones for the last season.