The radical notion that women like good movies
The idea for THE DREAMERS came to me over time. I saw it in the periphery of my vision as I woke up at 4 a.m. to go work the opening shift at my day job. I felt it pulling at the hem of my secondhand cargo jacket as I biked the heinous Chicago streets from one six-hour shift to another. I heard it in the stories and anecdotes of my fellow artists and friends as they struggled just like I did. It got to the point where I felt like I was being haunted.
Palo Alto is what would happen if Mean Girls had a major collision with American Beauty. The picturesque neighborhoods with the homes of the screwed up parents of the main characters was entirely reminiscent of American Beauty. The parents’ self-absorption was stunning at times. And every time April’s high school girl classmates talked, it was like nails on a chalkboard (cue: Mean Girls’ Regina George, Gretchen Weiners, Karen Smith WITHOUT the comedy).
This is a Roundup of all pieces that appeared during our theme week on Representations of Older Women in Film and Television.
Television vs. the Movies: Which Does Better by Women? by Lisa Wade at Pacific Standard Women’s Films and Social Change by Maggie Hennefeld at Highbrow Magazine Girls on Film: 8 femme-centric movies from the Toronto International Film Festival by Monika Bartyzel at The Week Toronto: ’12 Years a Slave’ Wins Audience Award by Etan Vlessing at … Continue reading “Bitch Flicks’ Weekly Picks”
Masthead for Chicana From Chicago, Christine Davila’s blog This is a guest post by Christine Davila. If you hear someone utter, “Kids These Days,” it’s usually in a disapproving tone toward the younger generations’ fresh attitude or their breaking with tradition (or their tendency to speed while driving). When I think about Kids These … Continue reading “Millenials These Days”
Farewell, My Queen Written by Erin Tatum. Farewell, My Queen has been on my to-watch list for a while. I’m a sucker for the opulence and pretty costumes of period pieces. Really, you could assemble the worst cast imaginable and I’d probably still watch to drool over the outfits. The narrative chronicles events in Versailles … Continue reading “Queer Infatuation in ‘Farewell, My Queen’”
DVD cover of Heart Like a Wheel This guest post by Melissa Richard previously appeared at Bitch Flicks on March 29th, 2012. Coming from a family of amateur drag racers (and a family where women outnumber men), it’s no surprise that my super-duper #1 female idol as a kid was Shirley Muldowney. A three-time National … Continue reading “Women in Sports Week: Blast from the Past: Jonathan Kaplan’s ‘Heart Like a Wheel’”
Written by Rachel Redfern As a spin-off from last week’s discussion about the female characters and the rise of the male anti-hero on TV, I thought that today I would point ten of the most interesting female characters on television within the past ten years (although I’m sure there are many more out there), many … Continue reading “10 Fascinating Female TV Characters Who Are Often Overlooked”
Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in ‘The Heat’ Written by Megan Kearns. I was extremely excited to see The Heat. Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, both of whom I love, headlining a comedy? As a huge fan of Bridesmaids, seeing self-proclaimed feminist Paul Feig direct another lady-centric comedy got me giddy with excitement. AND with … Continue reading “Am I the Only Feminist Who Didn’t Really Like ‘The Heat?’ Or Why I Want My Humor Intersectional”
Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers Written by Lady T. A year ago, I began writing a series called “Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Consent Issues,” looking at specific episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that included a major plot point related to consent, rape culture, and sexual violence. What I found was illuminating. The … Continue reading “‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and Consent Issues (Seasons 1-2)”
This is a guest post by Jessica Freeman-Slade. As much as they contain all the elements of great cinema—gorgeous photography, lighting, costumes—weddings are hard to capture on film because their machinations and motivations are so terribly complicated. Even a film like Father of the Bride can’t distance itself from the fact that weddings are logistical … Continue reading “Wedding Week: You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You: ‘Muriel’s Wedding’ and the Promise of Bridal Transformation”
Weddings and wedding movies are big business. Most little girls (or so the media tells us) dream of their wedding day. What dress they will wear, the bridesmaids, the music, the food, the cake and the groom. Oftentimes it’s an extension of the princess fantasy. Movies and TV shows (The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Say Yes to the … Continue reading “Call for Writers: Wedding Movies Week”
