The radical notion that women like good movies
Written by Robin Hitchcock. The Journey of Natty Gann When I was a young girl, I was obsessed with the trailer for The Journey of Natty Gann (for which I will issue a spoiler warning, although I find it dubious that a Disney family film could be spoiled): I remember popping in my VHS copy … Continue reading “The Journey of Natty Gann: Family-Friendly and Feminist-Friendly!”
Mmm…empty calories. Like The Help? Guest post written by Natalie Wilson, originally published at Ms. Magazine. Cross-posted with permission. If Kathryn Stockett’s novel The Help was an angel food cake study of racism and segregation in the ’60s South, the new movie adaptation is even fluffier. Like a dollop of whip cream skimmed off a multi-layered … Continue reading “Women of Color in Film and TV: The Terrible, Awful Sweetness of ‘The Help’”
Scandal Guest post written by Nakeesha Seneb, originally published at Structured Breakdown. Cross posted with permission. I think Shonda Rhimes, and her writing round table, are some of the most prolific storytellers of our times. Yes, I said prolific and I’m going to stand by such a big SAT word. Prolific actually means producing much … Continue reading “Women of Color in Film and TV: ‘Scandal’ Pilot: Loosen Up Your Buttons, Baby”
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?”
Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron star in Snow White and the Huntsman Guest post written by Carleen Tibbetts. Despite the various twists on the classic fairy tale, there is a definite constant in Snow White: women are their own worse enemies. The storyline is essentially the same: jealous, vain stepmother wants to oust stepdaughter who … Continue reading “2013 Oscar Week: Matriarchal Impositions of Beauty in ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’”
Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron star in Snow White and the Huntsman Guest post written by Carleen Tibbetts. Despite the various twists on the classic fairy tale, there is a definite constant in Snow White: women are their own worse enemies. The storyline is essentially the same: jealous, vain stepmother wants to oust stepdaughter who … Continue reading “2013 Oscar Week: Matriarchal Impositions of Beauty in Snow White and the Huntsman”
“It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.” – W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk Written by Leigh Kolb When I first wrote … Continue reading “Race and the Academy: Black Characters, Stories, and the Danger of Django”
Women and Minorities Snubbed by TV Academy’s Hall of Fame by Chris Beachum via Gold Derby Lena Dunham and Democratic Nudity by Ta-Nehisi Coates via The Atlantic Diablo Cody on the Challenge of Directing While Raising a Toddler, and Women in Film (Q&A) by Jordan Zakarin via The Hollywood Reporter The Liz Lemon Effect by … Continue reading “Bitch Flicks’ Weekly Picks”
Written by Amanda Rodriguez True confession: 1985’s Red Sonja was my first lesbionic crush as a small child of four. I was in love with this strong Amazonian woman with her long red hair and big ol’ sword. It may be her fault that I wanted my dark brown hair to turn red and … Continue reading “"No man may have me": ‘Red Sonja’ a Feminist Film in Disguise?”
“Period stories are a no-brainer: There’s blood, there’s surprise, there’s drama. And more often than not, a whole lot of comedy.” – Vanessa Matsui Written by Leigh Kolb In 1978, Gloria Steinhem’s “If Men Could Menstruate” appeared in Ms. She says, answering the question of what would happen if suddenly women stopped menstruating and men began: … Continue reading “Go With the Flow: On-Screen Menstruation and the Crankyfest Film Festival”
This is a guest post by Barrett Vann. Several weeks ago, I was trawling the internet for reviews of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, when I came across this one, by Rhiannon at Feminist Fiction. In it, she says: The film was … a retelling of one of the oldest, most classic, and so most … Continue reading “Classic Literature Film Adaptations Week: Gendered Values and Women in Middle Earth”
Movie poster for The Uninvited This is a guest post by Nadia Smith. [contains spoilers] When I told a horror-fan friend in his early twenties that I was writing about The Uninvited, he said he had seen it. This came as a surprise, since it’s mostly older viewers and film historians who are aware of … Continue reading “Classic Literature Film Adaptations Week: ‘The Uninvited’ (1944) and Dorothy Macardle’s Feminism”
