The radical notion that women like good movies
Alyson Hannigan as Lily Aldrin in “How I Met Your Mother” Pregnancy brain. Momnesia. Preggo ladies be cray-cray. Call it what you want, but the idea that pregnant women lose their minds while their hormones go whack is a popular stereotype based on questionable evidence. Some mothers recall feeling forgetful during their pregnancy, while others … Continue reading “"Pregnancy Brain" in Sitcoms”
Alyson Hannigan as Lily Aldrin in “How I Met Your Mother” Pregnancy brain. Momnesia. Preggo ladies be cray-cray. Call it what you want, but the idea that pregnant women lose their minds while their hormones go whack is a popular stereotype based on questionable evidence. Some mothers recall feeling forgetful during their pregnancy, while others … Continue reading “"Pregnancy Brain" in Sitcoms”
Written by Rachel Redfern. Foul-mouthed and frazzled, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (eternally known as Elaine from Seinfeld), stars as United States Vice-President, Selina Meyer, in the Emmy Award-winning HBO political satire, VEEP. The show focuses on Dreyfus’ character, a woman who wants power, but resides in a fairly weak place, politically, having to hide in the shadows of … Continue reading “Women in Politics Week: Political Humor and Humanity in HBO’s ‘VEEP’”
To say that Aung San Suu Kyi, political prisoner and General Secretary for the Burmese National League of Democracy is one of the world’s most powerful and inspirational women would not be a stretch. Leaving the safety of England and the care of her family she endured 15 years of house arrest in her non-violent … Continue reading “A Review and An Interview: ‘Aung San Suu Kyi: Lady of No Fear’”
Growing up, my little brother was an enormous James Bond fan. He rewatched the films repeatedly on video; he developed an encyclopedic knowledge of all the villains, plots, and gadgets from reading his glossy making-of books; and, in an anecdote our mother never tires of retelling, he wanted to be Bond “without the kissing.” Thanks … Continue reading “The Sun (Never) Sets on the British Empire: The Neocolonialism of ‘Skyfall’”
Disney logo with Death Star Last week, one of the only news items to penetrate the horrifying coverage of Hurricane Sandy’s devastation and the nerve-wracking anticipation for the US Elections was the surprising, perplexing, but exciting news that Disney was buying Lucasfilm and planning to release Star Wars Episode VII in 2015. It was like a … Continue reading “Disney Buys Star Wars: A New Hope for Women and Girls”
Warning: Spoiler Alert It seems an obvious sort of review to talk about the unexpectedly large presence of motherhood in Looper, but while I expected to have plenty to say on the movie’s women (or lack thereof) I was not expecting to see motherhood played out in such a diverse way. It’s just not something … Continue reading “The Unexpected Portrayal of Motherhood in ‘Looper’”
This is a guest post by Margaret Howie. With the release of Taken 2, Liam Neeson impersonations are all over the internet again. You’d think that we had all been starved of Neeson material, but it was only back in January that his Man vs. the Wild movie, The Grey was released. Along with it … Continue reading “The Neeson Identity: What the Release of ‘The Grey’ Got Wrong About Men”
This is a guest review in conversation by Bexy Bennett and Amanda Civitello. Lady Van Tassel (Miranda Richardson) As a director, Tim Burton specializes in eerie, off-kilter films that frequently skirt the edge of light horror with a distinctive aesthetic; 1999’s Sleepy Hollow is one of his earliest forays into the genre. Starring Johnny Depp, … Continue reading “Horror Week 2012: ‘Sleepy Hollow’: Deeply Shallow”
Rock of Ages Warms Your 80s-Loving Little Heart With a Cheesy Two-Hour Music Video by Candice Frederick Even though its finest moments all boil down to well-intentioned, high energy karaoke numbers, and its script (co-written by Justin Theroux) left more cheese in the recipe than what was called for, Rock of Ages is still great … Continue reading “Women and Gender in Musicals Week: The Roundup”
This review by Cali Loria previously appeared at Bitch Flicks as part of our Emmy Week 2011 series. Not since E! has any one thing on television been so damn exclamatory. Glee! celebrated its everyman song-and-dance style before its slushy flying face-offs ever aired. After a Journey-style breakthrough and myriad episodes featuring pop music gone … Continue reading “Women and Gender in Musicals Week: ‘Glee!’”
This review by Cali Loria previously appeared at Bitch Flicks as part of our Emmy Week 2011 series. Not since E! has any one thing on television been so damn exclamatory. Glee! celebrated its everyman song-and-dance style before its slushy flying face-offs ever aired. After a Journey-style breakthrough and myriad episodes featuring pop music gone … Continue reading “Women and Gender in Musicals Week: Glee!”
