The radical notion that women like good movies
Here are the pieces for our series on Motherhood in Film and Television–all in one place! Thanks so much to all the writers who contributed reviews. ———- Nine Months Forward, Three Centuries Back by Tyler Adams: Nine Months, contrary to all expectations, is not about pregnancy. It’s about a man coping with a pregnancy. Yes. … Continue reading “Motherhood in Film & Television: The Roundup”
This is a guest post from Erin Fenner. Rosemary’s Baby, the Roman Polanski 1968 adaptation of the novel with the same name, uses minimal effects. While it is a horror story about the mother of Satan’s child, we only briefly glimpse the arm and eyes of the feature’s supposed monster. And, while the plot against … Continue reading “Motherhood in Film & Television: ‘Rosemary’s Baby’”
Jamie Lynne Grumet on Time Recently there’s been major hullabaloo about Jamie Lynne Grumet, the 26-year-old California mom who proudly posed on the cover of Time magazine breastfeeding her 3-year-old son. Ridiculed, condemned and completely unorthodox, this shocking image continues to reverberate across the globe. A similar effigy from the 1976 film Carrie has lingered … Continue reading “Motherhood in Film & Television: ‘Carrie’”
Violet (Emily Blunt) and Tom (Jason Segal) I’ve never planned a wedding and I’ve never been engaged. Yet I can relate to the The Five-Year Engagement’s premise. My dream is to move to NYC and become a writer. While my partner is incredibly supportive of me, he loathes NYC and has a life in Boston. … Continue reading “‘The Five-Year Engagement:’ Exploration of Gender Roles & Lovable Actors Can’t Save Rom-Com’s Subtly Anti-Feminist Message”
We decided that, in honor of Mother’s Day, May would be the perfect month for our Motherhood in Film and Television series. Many films and television shows don’t do a great job of portraying mothers; they’re often shown as either entirely absent from their children’s lives or completely overbearing nurturers–an example of what we like … Continue reading “Call for Writers: Motherhood in Film and Television”
Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy Warning: if you have not watched up to Grey’s Anatomy Season 7, spoilers ahead! Abortion is healthcare — a routine, normal and legal medical procedure. Yet most films and TV don’t ever broach the subject. Their characters don’t get abortions, people don’t talk about abortion. That’s … Continue reading “Reproduction & Abortion Week: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Advocates Abortion and Reproductive Rights”
What’s Love Got to Do With It? by Candice Frederick Bassett’s was not only one of the defining performances for women in cinema; it was also one that became a benchmark for actresses of color. Her riveting portrayal role was further punctuated by the remarkable writing. Many lead roles for women of color since then … Continue reading “Biopic and Documentary Week 2012: The Roundup”
Serial killer Aileen Wuornos, immortalized in an Oscar-winning film and two documentaries This is a guest post from Gabriella Apicella. Aileen Wuornos was executed for killing six men. She is as infamous a serial killer as Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, and Charles Manson. Her notoriety was secured with the Oscar-winning film Monster: brave and complex, … Continue reading “Guest Writer Wednesday: Two Documentaries about Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer and Life and Death of a Serial Killer”
Bee Movie (2007) This is a guest post from Nicola Mason. While shopping one day recently, I happened upon and purchased Bee Movie, the 2007 animated film featuring characters voiced by Jerry Seinfeld and Renee Zellweger. I had taken up beekeeping a few months before—had a hive of some 10,000 bees in my backyard—and I’d … Continue reading “Guest Writer Wednesday: Bee Movie”
March is Women’s History Month. In honor of that, we’ve decided to feature reviews of biopics and documentaries about women. Many biopics about women tend to focus on their relationships and love lives exclusively, in a way that biopics about men usually don’t. So, we’d love to read reviews that praise these films, but feel … Continue reading “Call for Writers: Biopics/Documentaries About Women”
The Good Patriarch: The Descendants, directed by Alexander Payne This is a guest post from Stephanie Brown. The Descendants is a movie about patriarchy, about husbandry and fatherhood as verb and action rather than noun and abstraction, about stewardship and responsibility. It implies that being a responsible and engaged and aware man is the key … Continue reading “The Descendants: Oscar Best Picture and Indie Spirit Best Feature Nominee”
When I look at the sloppy homemade label on my screener of 50/50, it looks like it says, “so-so.” Despite solid reviews and the year-end awards nominations, that pretty much sums up how I feel about the movie.
