The radical notion that women like good movies
Anita Sarkeesian of the Web site Feminist Frequency, a site that analyzes pop culture from a feminist perspective, recently completed her fabulous, six-part video series on Tropes vs. Women. She explains that, “A trope is a common pattern in a story or a recognizable attribute in a character that conveys information to the audience. A … Continue reading “Tropes vs. Women Spotlight”
Some scary-looking pumpkins. Confession: I love horror films. Sometimes I endlessly scroll through Netflix in search of the film that will most scare the shit out of me. Of course, many horror films subject their women characters to endless torture, brutal deaths (usually as punishment for engaging in sexual relationships with men), and gratuitous nudity … Continue reading “Call for Writers: Women in Horror Films”
This is a guest post from Marcia Herring. I’d like to start this review with a confession: Atonement is the second book in my long history of reading that has made me so angry, so upset, that I literally threw it across the room. My anger was directed at the narrator, Briony Tallis, who I … Continue reading “Best Picture Nominee Review Series: Atonement”
Ah, Mad Men. I have such mixed feelings about the show, which is part of the reason I haven’t written about it here. Yet.* With seasons 1-4 now streaming on Netflix, and with the fifth season premiering sometime in 2012 (delayed while star Jon Hamm inked a 3-year, 8-figure deal), now is a good time … Continue reading “YouTube Break: Peggy Olson on Women in the Workplace”
So why don’t we know more women in art? It’s a case of omission, of erasing women and their contributions out of history. A stunning film 40 years in the making, “!Women Art Revolution” seeks to fill that gap by combining “intimate” interviews along with visceral visual images of paintings, performance art, installation art, murals and photography.
Movie-Made America by Robert Sklar I came across this interesting piece from Movie-Made America: A Cultural History of American Movies, in which author Robert Sklar talks about a fairy-tale aspect of acting (being “discovered”), the patriarchal foundation of casting, and the behind-the-scenes women of the 1910s and 1920s. I’ve added some links to the original … Continue reading “Quote of the Day: ‘Movie-Made America’”
X-Men First Class, 2011, Matthew Vaughn =”center”> The X-Men franchise. I’ve been a fan of this ragtag team of mutants since the first movie was released (afterwards diving into the world of comics). The movies, along with their source material, have always been clear in their metaphorical status: These are not just mutants, these are … Continue reading “Guest Writer Wednesday: ‘X-Men First Class’: I Like it, but WTF?”
This cross-post first appeared at Rage Against the Man-chine on June 11, 2010. Davetavius and I consider ourselves the world’s foremost authorities on watching movies for reasons other than those intended by their producers. As such, we go way beyond just watching “cheesy” (whatever that means) movies, 80s movies, or kung fu movies (which I … Continue reading “Guest Writer Wednesday: The Blind Side: The Most Insulting Movie Ever Made”
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010) Most reviews of the documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work begin by describing how the film opens–with a close-up shot of Rivers’ face, without make-up. This is, of course, a metaphor for the goal of the film (to get behind the facade) and an acknowledgment of what … Continue reading “Documentary Review: Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work”
The September Issue (2009), directed by R.J. Cutler. Fashion is a bit of an anomaly in capitalist enterprise, in that its major players are primarily women and gay men. Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, is the “single most important figure in the 300 billion dollar global fashion industry.” The September Issue chronicles the assembly of … Continue reading “Documentary Review: The September Issue”
Below is an excerpt from an interview that Feministing recently conducted with Rachel Maddow. Definitely read the amazing interview in its entirety. Chloe Angyal: Why did you decide to make a documentary about the assassination of Dr. Tiller, and why did you feel so strongly about doing a larger-scale production about the anti-abortion movement? Rachel … Continue reading “Quote of the Day: Rachel Maddow”
The first installments of Disembodied Women focused on film posters that use close-ups of women’s backsides and bare legs to promote movies, and one that illustrated the removal of the woman’s head entirely. This post gives examples of film advertising that uses women’s airbrushed stomachs, and in several instances, divorces pregnant women from the rest … Continue reading “Disembodied Women Take Four: … Look Closer”
