The radical notion that women like good movies
Red Tails (2012) I don’t see movies in the theatre very often. I know, for someone who co-founded and writes for a film site to say that is tantamount to treason. But, it’s true: there has to be a good reason for me to plunk down ten bucks (I’m a starving writer, friends!) to sit … Continue reading “Red Tails: Historic, Entertaining, Altogether Lacking Women…and Why that Is Okay”
If it wasn’t so offensive, it really would be funny. In fact, if you want a laugh, you really must check out The Guardian‘s article on the nominees, in which a picture appears (at the top) that you have to see to believe. The Director’s Guild of America (DGA) released their nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement … Continue reading “Once Again, the Director’s Guild Nominates All White Men”
This is a guest post by Anika Guldstrand. At this time of year, it’s only natural that we pull our favorite holiday films down from the shelf as one way to celebrate the season. Whether you prefer old or new classics, the holiday films are, for me, an intrinsic part of the holiday tradition. However, … Continue reading “Where Are the Women in Christmas Movies?”
When we think of war, we often think of soldiers, tanks, weapons and battlefields. But most wars breach boundaries, affecting civilians, mostly women and children. Soldiers, guerillas and paramilitaries use tactics such as rape, fear, murder and pushing people off their land. We need to shift our paradigm of war and look at how it … Continue reading “‘War Redefined’ Challenges War as a Male Domain and Examines How Violent Conflict Impacts Women”
This review by Megan Kearns previously appeared at her blog The Opinioness of the World. Imagine you walk into your home. An eviction notice awaits you. The government demands you relocate in order to dig up your land. If you choose not to leave, you receive death threats. This is the reality many Colombian civilians … Continue reading “Afro-Colombian Female Leaders Defy Death Threats to Hold Onto Their Land in ‘Women, War & Peace’s ‘The War We Are Living’”
Fire (1996) Fire is the first film in Deepa Mehta’s Elements Trilogy (Earth and Water follow). Made in 1996, it focuses on a middle-class family in present-day (funny how I still think of the 1990s as “present day,” despite the global changes of the past fifteen years) India. The film centers around two married couples–Ashok … Continue reading “‘Fire’: Part One of Deepa Mehta’s ‘Elements Trilogy’”
This morning I found myself reading old NYT news-alert emails, surfing Facebook, and, finally, browsing a slideshow from Entertainment Weekly called “Bodies of Work: 42 Unforgettable Nude Scenes” which was published earlier this month. (It was a productive morning, see?) We talk a lot at Bitch Flicks about female bodies in films (and especially in film marketing, … Continue reading “On Entertainment Weekly’s "42 Unforgettable Nude Scenes"”
This is a guest post by Megan Kearns. She also contributed reviews of Part 1 and Part 2 of Women, War & Peace. For the past year, revolutions swept across North Africa and the Middle East. Despite their vocal presence, the media didn’t initially display women’s involvement in the protests. The same could be said … Continue reading “Afghan Women Fight to Not Have Their Rights Bargained Away in ‘Peace Unveiled’ in ‘Women, War & Peace’ Series”
Written by Megan Kearns. Men often dominate the debate of war, negotiation and even peace. Only one woman had ever won the Nobel Peace Prize. Until now. Last month, three women won the prize, including Leymah Gbowee and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (along with Tawakkul Karman in Yemen) who fought for women’s rights and … Continue reading “‘Pray the Devil Back to Hell’ Portrays How the Women of Liberia, United in Peace, Changed a Nation”
The Mysteries of Udolpho, the first female gothic novel This guest post is written by Sobia. The very words “Gothic heroine” immediately conjure up a wealth of images for the modern reader: a young, attractive woman (virginity required) running in terror through an old, dark, crumbling mansion in the middle of nowhere, from either a psychotic man … Continue reading “The Madwoman’s Journey from the Attic into the Television – The Female Gothic Novel and its Influence on Modern Horror Films”
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”
This is a guest post from Megan Kearns. It originally appeared at The Opinioness of the World. When we discuss war and security, we don’t often explore its ramifications on women. Rape and sexual assault are common threats women face globally. But of all the artillery and tactics soldiers use, we rarely think … Continue reading “In ‘Women, War & Peace’s ‘I Came to Testify’ Brave Bosnian Women Speak Out About Surviving Rape as a Weapon of War”
