The radical notion that women like good movies
This cross-post by Didion originally appeared at Feminéma. Okay, you know me: I have the whole snarky thing down. I’ve never even seen Forrest Gump or Titanic. I can barely bring myself to watch a trailer for a film starring poor Katherine Heigl. I’d rather re-watch that 2-hour, grueling, and explicit film about illegal abortion … Continue reading “Guest Writer Wednesday: Guilty Pleasures: Practical Magic (1998)”
The Good Patriarch: The Descendants, directed by Alexander Payne This is a guest post from Stephanie Brown. The Descendants is a movie about patriarchy, about husbandry and fatherhood as verb and action rather than noun and abstraction, about stewardship and responsibility. It implies that being a responsible and engaged and aware man is the key … Continue reading “The Descendants: Oscar Best Picture and Indie Spirit Best Feature Nominee”
This is a guest post from Soraya Chemaly. How many movies have you watched in which rape is a notable, if not integral, part of the plot? Not sure? Well, I started thinking about it and poked around. The short list I compiled is at the end of this article. Amazing, right? I personally have … Continue reading “‘The Invisible War’ Takes on Sexual Assault in the Military”
This guest review by Molly McCaffrey previously appeared at her blog I Will Not Diet. I’m thrilled that it’s finally Oscar season, and I get to see DOZENS of outstanding movies between now and Sunday, February 26th when I’ll walk the red carpet with The Help‘s Viola Davis and The Ides of March‘s Ryan Gosling … Continue reading “Why We All Need to See Young Adult, a.k.a. How Diablo Cody Shines a Light on the Cost of Beauty”
This is a guest review by Juniper Russo. My three-year-old daughter is a short-haired, bluejean-wearing feminist who will eschews the princess genre as “impractical and silly” and views “dinosaur movies” as the zenith of modern cinematography. “We’re Back” and “Fantasia” get honorable mentions in her book, but her favorite film by far is “The Land … Continue reading “Animated Children’s Films: The Land Before Time”
In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s awards season. We all know that some awards are better than others, and that the best picture is rarely the best picture (Crash as the 2005 Academy Award winner, for example). As flawed as film awards are, however, they are a good way to take our cultural temperature; they … Continue reading “Golden Globes and Independent Spirit Award Nominees”
Cross-posted at Shakesville. THIS LOOKS GREAT!!! (That was sarcasm.) Here’s the trailer for a fun new movie—coming in January to a theater near you!—from Ron Howard, starring (big voice) Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, and (little voice) Queen Latifah, Jennifer Connelly, and Winona Ryder, about the conundrumpredicament dilemma (!) in which Vaughn finds himself after discovering … Continue reading “Guest Writer Wednesday: THE DILEMMA Preview”
