The radical notion that women like good movies
Crazy Bitches Versus Indulgent Little Girls: The Binary of Mad Women in Girl, Interrupted by Sarah Domet At its core, Girl, Interrupted strives to be a feminist film. However, I find the film’s representations of “mad women” problematic, particularly the ways in which mental illness becomes so closely linked with eroticized otherness. And here is … Continue reading “Women with Disabilities Week: The Roundup”
We’re the Millers When I heard that We’re the Millers was a drug smuggling comedy with a fake family at its center, I knew I would have to check it out. Marijuana has become a trademark of arrested development for men in film, so I was excited to see a comedy that dealt with drug/petty … Continue reading “The Women of ‘We’re the Millers’: Brats and Strippers”
For some reason, Netflix keeps giving me a list of Sports Movies I Might Like. It took me about nine years of scrolling through the list to find a single Sports Movie featuring a woman—A League of Their Own (which is also the only woman-centered film Complex included on their list of “25 Best Sports … Continue reading “Call for Writers: Women in Sports”
Love Is All You Need film poster. Written by Janyce Denise Glasper Amongst the lush beautiful paradise of scenic Italy, a wedding is underway in Oscar-winner Susanne Bier’s Love Is All You Need or as the original title translates–The Bald Hairdresser. Danish, English, and Italian languages weave a trilingual story about Ida, a mother of … Continue reading “In The Hardest Of Moments, Susanne Bier Proves That "Love Is All You Need"”
Outstanding Comedy Series 30 Rock (NBC): “Goodbye Forever, 30 Rock“ by Max Thornton The Big Bang Theory (CBS): “The Evolution of The Big Bang Theory“ by Rachel Redfern Girls (HBO): “Girls and Sex and the City Both Handle Abortion With Humor” by Megan Kearns Louie (FX): “Listening and the Art of Good Storytelling in Louis … Continue reading “2013 Emmy Nominations: Get Your Feminist Commentary Here!”
Written by Robin Hitchcock Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, and a billion other dudes in White House Down. I swear there are chicks, though. Even though I’m running into the risk of painting myself into a month of themed posts about the women in dumb-but-entertaining movies about ‘MERICA, I have to write about the few, the … Continue reading “The Women of ‘White House Down’”
World War Z movie poster Written by Amanda RodriguezSpoiler Alert As someone who read and enjoyed Max Brooks’ novel World War Z, I confess that I was doubtful that the film version (also entitled World War Z) could do the complex, multiple perspective, international, decade-long “oral history” justice. Turns out, I wasn’t wrong. The sociopolitical … Continue reading “The Strong Yet Traditional Women of ‘World War Z’”
Julia Roberts in My Best Friend’s Wedding This is a guest post by Mab Ryan. I saw My Best Friend’s Wedding when it premiered in 1997. At the time, I thought it was an interesting reversal of the rom-com convention that the leading lady always gets her man. Instead, the leading lady was the villain, … Continue reading “Wedding Week: ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ Is a Right-Wing Nightmare Interpretation of Women”
Steve Martin and Kimberly Williams-Paisley in Father of the Bride This is a guest review by Mab Ryan. Father of the Bride (1991) is aptly named, as its focus is not on the wedding itself or the couple involved but on the titular character’s neuroses and journey to maturity. The wedding is the backdrop and … Continue reading “Wedding Week: ‘Father of the Bride’ Values Relationships With Women”
Movie poster for Man of Steel This guest post by Natalie Wilson previously appeared at the Ms. Magazine Blog and is cross-posted with permission. Amy Adams is amazing as Lois Lane in Man of Steel. Her version of Lois is fearless, witty and wise. Diane Lane and Ayelet Zurer as the respective mothers of Superman … Continue reading “‘Man of Steel’: Wonderful Women, Super Masculinity”
Written by Robin Hitchcock Debra Winger and Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment Terms of Endearment has a lasting reputation as a melodramatic, emotionally-manipulative chick flick. This is a film that grossed over $100 million (an even more significant benchmark in the early 80’s) and won five major Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director and … Continue reading “‘Terms of Endearment’ IS NOT a Melodrama”
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’?”
