The radical notion that women like good movies
Lt. Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana) in Star Trek Into Darkness Written by Megan Kearns | Warning: Spoilers ahead! Yes, I am a Trekkie. I’ve been a huge fan of Star Trek ever since I was a kid. The camaraderie of Star Trek: The Original Series, the intellectual and moral conundrums on Star Trek: The Next … Continue reading “Does Uhura’s Empowerment Negate Sexism in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’?”
Days of Our Lives, one of four surviving daytime soap operas on television. Written by Janyce Denise Glasper for our theme week on Infertility, Miscarriage, and Infant Loss. Since 1998, Nicole Walker, played by the very talented Arianne Zucker, has been the scheming, manipulative, alcohol twirling villainess of fictional Salem, Illinois on Days of Our … Continue reading “‘Days of Our Lives’: Punishing Nicole’s Fetus”
House of Cards poster Written by Amanda Rodriguez The first season of Netflix’s House of Cards set the tone for an amazing series, populated with nuanced characters, conflicting motivations, and a whole hell of a lot of awesome scheming. When the primary antihero, Frank Underwood, brilliantly portrayed by Kevin Spacey, addresses the camera, breaking the … Continue reading “Claire Underwood: The Queen Bee in ‘House of Cards’”
The 12th Annual Lunafest Written by Janyce Denise Glasper I truly enjoyed the 12th Annual Lunafest–nine short films for, about, and by women filmmakers which has one hundred percent of proceeds benefiting local charities including breast cancer research and nonprofit women’s organizations. From five to eighteen minutes long, these nine diversified, honest, and beguiling films … Continue reading “A Big Hurray! Lunafest 2013: Short Films For, By, and About Women”
Written by Amanda Rodriguez I unabashedly adore Guillermo del Torro’s Pan’s Labyrinth. It’s beautifully rendered between two dark, cruel worlds. Our heroine, Ofelia, wants to escape the foreignness and brutality of her new life as the stepdaughter of “The Captain,” a cold and violent military officer hunting down rebels as part of Franco’s fascist regime … Continue reading “"You won’t be the first pig I’ve gutted!": The Women of ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’”
Gender, Family and Globalization in ‘Eat Drink Man Woman’ by Emily Contois Foreign Film Week: Red, Blue, and Giallo: Dario Argento’s ‘Suspiria’ by Max Thornton Sexism in Three of Bollywood’s Most Popular Films by Katherine Filaseta BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival Realistic Depictions of Women and Female Friendship in ‘Muriel’s Wedding’ by … Continue reading “Foreign Film Week Roundup”
Guest post written by Nadia Barbu. In the 1960’s and 70’s, the regime of Romanian communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was considered one of the more liberal in the European Soviet block, and maintained diplomatic relations with Western countries (US President Richard Nixon visited him twice; the Queen of England bestowed upon him a knighthood). Of … Continue reading “Foreign Film Week: The Accidental Feminism of ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’”
Kerry Washington “Mammy, Sapphire, or Jezebel, Olivia Pope Is Not: A Review of Scandal“ by Atima Omara-Alwala Many writers and film critics have written about the three usual archetypes that black women have fit into in popular culture representation. And it is through this prism Scandal is viewed. The Jezebel, who is very sexually promiscuous; … Continue reading “Women of Color in Film and TV: The Roundup”
Pam Grier was the first black woman to be on the cover of Ms. Magazine (August 1975). Jamaica Kincaid wrote the article, “Pam Grier: The Mocha Mogul of Hollywood.” Written by Leigh Kolb[Warning: spoilers ahead!] The first time I saw Pam Grier in a film, I blurted out, “Why isn’t she in everything?” I first saw Grier … Continue reading “The Unfinished Legacy of Pam Grier”
Written by Megan Kearns. Yelling to the Skystruck a visceral chord with me. I related to it in a way I often don’t with films. I’m not a biracial woman growing up impoverished, who turns to selling drugs as a means of survival. But I grew up with an absent father and a single mother … Continue reading “Women of Color in Film and TV Week: A Girl Struggles to Survive Her Chaotic Homelife in ‘Yelling to the Sky’”
Written by Megan Kearns. When people watch movies, they often think it’s just entertainment. That they don’t really matter. But media impacts our lives tremendously. Films reflexively shape and reflect culture. Feminist commentary is vital. It might seem like they don’t but the Oscars matter. The Oscars are the most visible celebration of filmmaking in … Continue reading “2013 Oscar Week: Feminism and the Oscars: Do This Year’s Best Picture Nominees Pass the Bechdel Test?”
Written by Amanda Rodriguez. I liked Disney Pixar’s Brave well enough. It’s pretty enough. It’s a story about a mother and daughter, and there was no romance, both of which are nice; though, as I’ll show, neither are as uncommon as they might initially appear. I didn’t find the feminist qualities of this movie to … Continue reading “2013 Oscar Week: ‘Brave’ and the Legacy of Female Prepubescent Power Fantasies”
