The radical notion that women like good movies
Daniel Schlachet and Craig Chester in Swoon This is a guest review by Eli Lewy. Richard Loeb (Daniel Schlachet) and Nathan Leopold (Craig Chester) are enamored with each other. Yet their life is complicated. For one thing, they are two men engaging in a homosexual libidinous relationship in the 1920s, and secondly, they are burgeoning … Continue reading “LGBTQI Week: Swoon”
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 guest piece by Melissa McEwan is cross posted with permission from her blog Shakesville. ———- Fatsronauts 101 is a series in which I address assumptions and stereotypes about fat people that treat us as a monolith and are used to dehumanize and marginalize us. If there is a stereotype you’d like me to address, … Continue reading “Guest Writer Wednesday: Fatsronauts 101”
There aren’t many female-centric films that opened last Friday (only one…boo) or coming out this Friday. But I’m so excited to FINALLY see Snow White and the Huntsman. Now, that might surprise some of you, considering I complained that this version of the Snow White story, no matter how much of a badass action-fantasy retelling, … Continue reading “Women-Centric Films That Opened Friday, May 25 and Opening Friday, June 1”
Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) in Terminator 2: Judgment Day Mothers are supposed to be everything to everyone. Sadly, society often stigmatizes, vilifies and demonizes single mothers. Single moms are blamed for “breeding more criminals.” Single parenthood is criminalized and “declared child abuse.” On top of that, “almost 70% of people believe single women raising children … Continue reading “Motherhood in Film & Television: Is Terminator’s Sarah Connor an Allegory for Single Mothers?”
Rory and Lorelai Gilmore are the Gilmore Girls This is a guest post from Friederike Wunschik The two main characters of Gilmore Girls are a mother-daughter pair: Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. There are two things the viewer is told almost instantly: they are only 16 years apart and actually have the same first name (though the … Continue reading “Motherhood in Film & Television: Being a Good Mother in ‘Gilmore Girls’”
The Great Lie (1941) This is a guest post from Erin Blackwell. My mother used to sit me down to watch movies in front of a small black-and-white TV in our Southern California living room, not far from Hollywood, where she’d spent the happiest years of her childhood. Watching movies was part of a wide-ranging … Continue reading “Motherhood in Film & Television: ‘The Great Lie’”
Cierra Ramirez (Ansiedad) and Eva Mendes (Grace) in Girl in Progress When I was growing up, I never felt like a child. With her continuous string of bad boyfriends, I always felt like I was the one taking care of my single mother and myself. I couldn’t wait to leave home and start a new … Continue reading “‘Girl in Progress:’ Female-Centric Film Tackles Strained Mother-Daughter Relationships, Single Motherhood and Navigating Adolescence”
Bully (2011) This piece is from Monthly Contributor Carrie Nelson. Growing up, I was never one of the “cool” kids. Far from it – I had a few close friends, but I also spent a lot of time by myself, reading and writing and daydreaming about movies I wanted to make someday. I also never … Continue reading “Bully: Documentary Review”
Movie poster for The Lady This piece by Jarrah Hodge is cross-posted with permission from her blog Gender Focus. French Director Luc Besson’s new biopic The Lady is a moving portrait of the life of Burmese activist and political leader Aung San Suu Kyi. However, for a movie that clearly has a political goal (to … Continue reading “Guest Writer Wednesday: ‘The Lady’ Makes the Personal Political”
Kerry Washington and David Ramsay in Mother and Child This is a guest post by Candice Frederick. While many continue to castigate the HBO series, Girls, for its lack of female diversity (with good reason), I’d like to look back at a 2009 film which gave voices to an assortment of female characters, a gem … Continue reading “Reproduction & Abortion Week: Mother and Child”
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”
