The radical notion that women like good movies
Movie poster for Vamps Vamps, the new indie film directed by Amy Heckerling and starring Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter (the upcoming star of the TV show Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23) takes the vampire genre and turns it into a fun, feminist celebration of youth culture and female friendship. The film is … Continue reading “Movie Review: How ‘Vamps’ Showcases the Importance of Women Friendships”
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 guest review by Megan Kearns appears as part of our theme week on Animated Children’s Films. An intelligent, strong-willed, female protagonist. Who reads books. And seeks adventure. With a heroine like Belle, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, must be a feminist-minded film. Right?? At first, I thought so too. But appearances can be deceiving… Hailed … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: Despite an Intelligent Heroine, Sexism Taints Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’”
Disney Pixar’s Brave, in theatres June 2012 This is a cross-post from The Opinionesss of the World. A few days ago, Disney’s Pixar released its trailer for its newest animated film, Brave. Why is this such a huge deal? Why am I so freaking excited to see it?? Because out of the 12 films Pixar … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: Why I’m Excited About Pixar’s ‘Brave’ & Its Kick-Ass Female Protagonist…Even If She Is Another Princess”
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 guest post by Nine Deuce also appears at her blog Rage Against the Man-Chine. I know, I’m the last person in the industrialized world to see Avatar, but I waited for several reasons. First, I was under the impression that it was based on a video game, rather than the basis for a video … Continue reading “Avatar: Only Slightly Less Imaginative Than a Bruce Springsteen Song”
Mainly though, the movie’s release has reminded us of all the supposedly simple and universal the show portrayed so well, the things that shouldn’t be notable in today’s movies and TV, but somehow are: a platonic male-female relationship, a strong friendship between teen girls who never came to blows over looks or boys, a willingness to hold its heroine accountable for her flaws, and above all, an amazing father-daughter relationship.
I was excited to see Gravity for a long time. A female-centric sci-fi film? Yes, please! I adore Sandra Bullock. Even when she stars in shitty movies, I don’t care. I unapologetically love her. While people envision her as a comedian (and yes, she’s incredibly funny), I’ve always thought she had the potential to shine in more serious roles (sidebar, 28 Days is one of my favorite films).
But the best part of Gravity? It offers us a different kind of female hero.
Europa Report Poster Written by Amanda Rodriguez Ecuadorian Sebastián Cordero’s Europa Report is a new kind of movie. The film centers around an unprecedented trip to one of Jupiter’s moons, Europa, based on evidence that the moon could perhaps support life. The movie does blend a documentary style with thriller, science fiction, and even horror … Continue reading “‘Europa Report’: For the Love of Sci-Fi”
Lena Dunham and the cast of Girls Written by Stephanie Rogers. Dear Lena Dunham Haters, I’m sick of the Lena Dunham hate. I’m not referring to the criticisms of Dunham, which are—in most cases—valid and necessary critiques of her privilege, especially how that privilege translates into her work. The first season of Girls in particular … Continue reading “Let’s All Take a Deep Breath and Calm the Fuck Down About Lena Dunham”
Movie poster for Silver Linings Playbook Written by Stephanie Rogers. It went down like this: My sister and I were visiting my mom for Thanksgiving in the tiny but lovely and water-surrounded town of Solomons, Maryland. This was like a four-day adventure, and after spending one day eating, another day sleeping and watching football (don’t … Continue reading “‘Silver Linings Playbook,’ or, As I Like to Call It: FuckYeahJenniferLawrence”
Resident Evil DVD Cover Feminist film discussion so often turns to the Bechdel Test—for the uninitiated, it asks if 1) a movie has more than one female character 2) if two female characters have a conversation 3) if that conversation is about something other than a man—that it is easy to forget the test is … Continue reading “The Resident Evil Series Proves The Bechdel Test Does Not Measure Quality”
