"...the first decade of the 21st century can be viewed as a singularly male-dominated era in American cinema."
December 10, 2012 8:42 AM Subscribe
New York Times Magazine "Hollywood Issue": Hollywood’s Year of Heroine Worship. Accompanied by an online web series of 13 original, short films: Wide Awake, each starring an actress whose performance helped 'define the year in film.'
The shorts were directed by fine-art photographer Tierney Gearon. Behind the Scenes. Photo slideshow: Hollywood Heroines.
Q&A with A.O. Scott. Mentioned in his article: The Bechdel Test
Previously on MeFi, Michael Calleri and the Niagara Falls Reporter
The shorts were directed by fine-art photographer Tierney Gearon. Behind the Scenes. Photo slideshow: Hollywood Heroines.
Q&A with A.O. Scott. Mentioned in his article: The Bechdel Test
Previously on MeFi, Michael Calleri and the Niagara Falls Reporter
It's a great idea, and I like it for that alone.
But the execution? I dunno. The form factor of very short movies like this is that they tend to be confusing, pretentious and have the aesthetics of perfume commercials or a slightly more creative airline company.
posted by MuffinMan at 9:36 AM on December 10, 2012
But the execution? I dunno. The form factor of very short movies like this is that they tend to be confusing, pretentious and have the aesthetics of perfume commercials or a slightly more creative airline company.
posted by MuffinMan at 9:36 AM on December 10, 2012
It's a start in the right direction. But given that the last two movies I watched did not have one single female actor on screen in the whole entire movie I think we still have a way to go.
posted by ErikaB at 9:50 AM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by ErikaB at 9:50 AM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
Which movies?
There's Lawrence of Arabia, famously.
There are probably a number of play adapations that would qualify - i.e. Love! Valour! Compassion!
Glengarry Glen Ross is all-male except for one unimportant line of dialogue delivered by a coat check woman in the background.
posted by Egg Shen at 10:19 AM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
There's Lawrence of Arabia, famously.
There are probably a number of play adapations that would qualify - i.e. Love! Valour! Compassion!
Glengarry Glen Ross is all-male except for one unimportant line of dialogue delivered by a coat check woman in the background.
posted by Egg Shen at 10:19 AM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
Oh, come on, those films are hardly contemporary.
posted by Apocryphon at 10:29 AM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Apocryphon at 10:29 AM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
Zero dark thirty, in fact, as has been noted, deals with trying to do something good--getting Osama Bin Laden--by employing questionable means--water boarding, thus showing the moral complexity of the way we live. That notion, and that film, I had read, similar to the film Lincoln, which also dealt with trying to do something good (abolition) by questionable political means.
posted by Postroad at 10:52 AM on December 10, 2012
posted by Postroad at 10:52 AM on December 10, 2012
Not to completely derail the thread, but the two 100% female-free movies I watched were Indie Gamer: The Movie (2012) and Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010).
To bring it back on topic, I have seen several articles recently that basically say "Hunger Games grossed lots of money! Sexism is dead!" Which is as silly as declaring racism dead because Obama.
It's definitely a good start, though. And I am glad that this continues to be an active topic of public discussion, because it's the only way that things will ever change.
posted by ErikaB at 11:37 AM on December 10, 2012
To bring it back on topic, I have seen several articles recently that basically say "Hunger Games grossed lots of money! Sexism is dead!" Which is as silly as declaring racism dead because Obama.
It's definitely a good start, though. And I am glad that this continues to be an active topic of public discussion, because it's the only way that things will ever change.
posted by ErikaB at 11:37 AM on December 10, 2012
What could be manlier than glorifying torture with the lie that it led to the killing of bin Laden?
Zero Dark Thirty: new torture-glorifying film wins raves. Can a movie that relies on fabrications to generate support for war crimes still be considered great?
posted by homunculus at 1:15 PM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
Zero Dark Thirty: new torture-glorifying film wins raves. Can a movie that relies on fabrications to generate support for war crimes still be considered great?
posted by homunculus at 1:15 PM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
ErikaB, I believe Edmund McMillen's wife Danielle is present in several scenes of Indie Game: The Movie, and is a major force in his artistic life.
posted by JimBennett at 1:53 PM on December 10, 2012
posted by JimBennett at 1:53 PM on December 10, 2012
I don't think films in general are anywhere near depicting fairness to gender equality, but I don't think a documentary and a Finnish film are exactly representative of "Hollywood".
posted by P.o.B. at 2:03 PM on December 10, 2012
posted by P.o.B. at 2:03 PM on December 10, 2012
Nearly didn't see that Lena Dunham reference coming but then I did.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:26 PM on December 10, 2012
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:26 PM on December 10, 2012
Greenwald: But what makes all of this so remarkable is that the film's glorifying claims about torture are demonstrably, factually false. That waterboarding and other torture techniques were effective in finding bin Laden is a fabrication.
As usual, Greenwald doesn't point out anything that is "demonstrably, factually false" except to relate anecdotes by people who are not exactly unbiased witnesses. Feinstein. Panetta. Levin. All Democrats who gain politically by saying torture can't be justified. (I happen to agree that it can't, but as sources they're all pretty partisan.)
Has some actual evidence presented itself from an unbiased source who does not have something to gain politically from his or her testimony?
posted by zarq at 2:42 PM on December 10, 2012
As usual, Greenwald doesn't point out anything that is "demonstrably, factually false" except to relate anecdotes by people who are not exactly unbiased witnesses. Feinstein. Panetta. Levin. All Democrats who gain politically by saying torture can't be justified. (I happen to agree that it can't, but as sources they're all pretty partisan.)
Has some actual evidence presented itself from an unbiased source who does not have something to gain politically from his or her testimony?
posted by zarq at 2:42 PM on December 10, 2012
I haven't seen Zero Dark Thirty, but Unthinkable gives an interesting perspective on torture and as a really solid film deserved more than a direct to video release.
posted by P.o.B. at 3:52 PM on December 10, 2012
posted by P.o.B. at 3:52 PM on December 10, 2012
A key would have been nice, so I'd know which film the actress was in.
posted by surplus at 3:22 PM on December 11, 2012
posted by surplus at 3:22 PM on December 11, 2012
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What could be manlier than glorifying torture with the lie that it led to the killing of bin Laden?
posted by Egg Shen at 9:01 AM on December 10, 2012 [3 favorites]