The radical notion that women like good movies
Don is being closed in on this season. Written by Leigh KolbAt the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio, in 1851, Sojourner Truth said, But man is in a tight place, the poor slave is on him, woman is coming on him, he is surely between a hawk and a buzzard. Over a hundred years later, the … Continue reading “‘Mad Men’: Gender, Race, and the Death Knell of White Patriarchy”
Days of Our Lives, one of four surviving daytime soap operas on television. Written by Janyce Denise Glasper for our theme week on Infertility, Miscarriage, and Infant Loss. Since 1998, Nicole Walker, played by the very talented Arianne Zucker, has been the scheming, manipulative, alcohol twirling villainess of fictional Salem, Illinois on Days of Our … Continue reading “‘Days of Our Lives’: Punishing Nicole’s Fetus”
Guest post written by Jo Custer. The lifecycle of documentaries aspiring to global visibility begins each year at Sundance mid-January and ends in December when Oscar nomination voting begins. Of the five nominated this year, four premiered quietly at Robert Redford’s House of Docs, while The Gatekeepers — a series of interviews with former heads … Continue reading “2013 Oscar Week: Academy Documentaries: People’s Stories, Men’s Voices”
When Mary Todd Lincoln, played by Sally Field, first appears in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, I got nervous. With a weary voice and a far-off manner, she analyzes one of Mr. Lincoln’s dreams as a portent of doom. Looks like we’re getting the “batshit crazy” take on Mary Lincoln, I thought. Sally Field as Mary Todd … Continue reading “In Praise of Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln”
This is a guest post by Tom Houseman. Movie still from The Great McGinty Since the 1990s the sight of female politicians, both in real life and in films and television shows, has become more and more common. Women are making great strides in the American political landscape—when new congressional representatives are sworn in in … Continue reading “Women in Politics Week: Politics Is a Man’s Game: The Trope of the Great Woman in Early Hollywood Narratives”
Written by Rachel Redfern. Foul-mouthed and frazzled, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (eternally known as Elaine from Seinfeld), stars as United States Vice-President, Selina Meyer, in the Emmy Award-winning HBO political satire, VEEP. The show focuses on Dreyfus’ character, a woman who wants power, but resides in a fairly weak place, politically, having to hide in the shadows of … Continue reading “Women in Politics Week: Political Humor and Humanity in HBO’s ‘VEEP’”
CJ Cregg (Allison Janney) in The West Wing Guest post written by Pauline Holdsworth. CJ: They beat women, Nancy. They hate women. The only reason they keep Qumari women alive is to make more Qumari men. Nancy: What do you want me to do? CJ: How about suggesting that we sell the guns at … Continue reading “Women in Politics Week: "The Women of Qumar": Feminism and Imperialism in ‘The West Wing’”
Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) in Election Guest post written by Carleen Tibbets. Warning: Spoilers ahead. Election, the 1999 film directed by Alexander Payne and based on the novel by Tom Perotta, chronicles type A personality Tracy Flick’s (Reese Witherspoon) quest to become student body president and the unraveling of her social sciences teacher, Mr. McAllister … Continue reading “Women in Politics Week: A Lady Lonely at the Top: High School Politics Take an Ugly Turn in ‘Election’”
To say that Aung San Suu Kyi, political prisoner and General Secretary for the Burmese National League of Democracy is one of the world’s most powerful and inspirational women would not be a stretch. Leaving the safety of England and the care of her family she endured 15 years of house arrest in her non-violent … Continue reading “A Review and An Interview: ‘Aung San Suu Kyi: Lady of No Fear’”
Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises [source] While The Dark Knight Rises has had a more mixed reception than Christopher Nolan’s previous two entries in his Batman trilogy, everyone, even President Obama, can agree that Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman was the best thing about the movie. Slate’s Alyssa Rosenberg calls her, “the best … Continue reading “‘The Dark Knight Rises’s Catwoman: a (Shhh!) with a Heart of Gold”
This review by Carrie Nelson previously appeared at Bitch Flicks on September 1, 2011. It contains spoilers about the first four seasons of Mad Men. 1960s America saw its share of emerging social and political movements—the civil rights movement, second wave feminism and anti-Vietnam activism, just to name a few. And in June 1969, the … Continue reading “LGBTQI Week: "Limit Your Exposure": Homosexuality in the Mad Men Universe”
Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), Richie (Larry Matthews), and Rob (Dick Van Dyke) in The Dick Van Dyke Show This is a guest post from Caitlin Moran Before Mary Tyler Moore tossed her beret to the Minneapolis sky as Mary Richards, she was the sunny princess of sitcom wives and mothers as Laura Petrie on The … Continue reading “Motherhood in Film & Television: Laura Petrie of ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’”
