The radical notion that women like good movies
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”
Frida (2002) I’ll confess to being a little bit obsessed with Frida Kahlo. A copy of her journals sits on my bookshelf. A postcard of one of her numerous self portraits gazes at me from a bedroom wall. A quote from the movie about her life made an appearance in my wedding ceremony. Hell, I even named … Continue reading “Biopic and Documentary Week: Frida”
Another Earth (2011) This is a guest post from Diana Fakhouri. I haven’t cracked open a math book since 2005, so excuse me for glossing over Another Earth‘s astrophysical ambiguities. Fortunately, the film is less concerned with the space/time continuum than May/December romance, leaping from Orwellian tragedy to Nicholas Sparks rom-dram in under 100 minutes. … Continue reading “Indie Spirit Best First Feature Nominee: ‘Another Earth:’ From George Orwell to Nicholas Sparks”
This guest review from Travis Eisenbise first appeared at Bitch Flicks in March 2010. If Pixar shit into a bucket, it would still be box office gold. Fifteen years ago Pixar catapulted itself into a movie-making monopoly with Toy Story. Since then they’ve continued to rehash the same predictable (and often adorable) story lines about … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: Up”
This is a guest post by Rhea Daniel. Madame Adelaide Bonfamille, a wealthy retired opera singer, lives in Paris with her cat Duchess and her three kittens Marie, Toulouse and Berlioz. Edgar the butler is surprised to learn that Madame, with no living relatives, plans to bequeath her entire estate to her cats and he … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: Anthropomorphism and Sexism in Disney’s The Aristocats*”
“For the people who used to be ten years old, and the people who are going to be ten years old.” — Director Hayao Miyazaki on Spirited Away The films of Studio Ghibli provide their viewers with a rich variety of female characters from warrior princesses to love-struck adolescents, curious toddlers to powerful witches. These … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: Magical Girlhoods in the Films of Studio Ghibli”
Sleepaway Camp by Carrie Nelson The shock of Sleepaway Camp’s ending relies on the cissexist assumption that one’s biological sex and gender presentation must always match. A person with a mismatched sex and gender presentation is someone to be distrusted and feared. Though the audience has identified with Peter throughout the movie, we are meant … Continue reading “Horror Week 2011: The Roundup”
This piece by Natalie Wilson previously appeared at Bitch Flicks on October 13, 2010. Cross-posted at Ms. Magazine Warning: spoilers Vampires have become so common in contemporary texts that they have lost some of their bite. With most of them falling into the emo, brooding, love-struck and angst-ridden variety (Edward of Twilight, Damon of … Continue reading “Horror Week 2011: Let This Feminist Vampire In”
The whores in horror are the signature flesh of the slasher flick. Women in this genre have long been given the cold shoulder: cold in as much as they are often lacking for clothing. Often a female character’s dearth of apparel becomes prominent at the pivotal point of slaughter: in cinema, women dress down to … Continue reading “Horror Week 2011: The Sexiness of Slaughter: The Sexualization of Women in Slasher Films”
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) This post by Jeff Vorndam is republished with permission. The horror movie genre has historically exalted the objectification of women. In slasher movies, teen exploitation flicks, and even seemingly innocuous thrillers, women are cast for the purposes of screaming and disrobing. The antithesis within the horror/thriller genre is the … Continue reading “Horror Week 2011: The Silence of the Lambs”
This cross-post originally appeared at Fem Threads. Allison didn’t last long, but managed tothrow something at Don on the way out. Ed. Note: This post is part of FemThread’s “Mad Women” series. We also write about Joan, Peggy and Betty. Enjoy! –TC It was a code of Don’s from the very first episode of Season … Continue reading “Mad Women: The Secretaries in Mad Men”
This cross-post by Tami Winfrey Harris previously appeared at Fangs For The Fantasy and What Tami Said. Vampire Pam saying, “He can do it; I’m wearing my favorite pumps.” How much gender fail and homophobia can one pack into a brief online essay? Screenwriter Brian McGreevy takes a break from doing keg stands at … Continue reading “‘Mad Men’ Week: Hey, Brian McGreevy: Vampire Pam Beats Don Draper Any Day”
