Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Alice in Wonderland

Fabulous! What a cool movie for girls. And boys. And men and women, for that matter. I have no complaints or concerns whatsoever. Here are some gender-related thoughts I had:

- The trouble everyone has dealing with Alice's ever-varying size was interesting. She is always too big or too small. I have no idea if the film meant for that concern to be a commentary on expectations for the female appearance, but I thought it was a compelling theme. Would they be so concerned about a boy being the wrong size (particularly too BIG?) I don't know, but maybe not.

- The White Queen is a wonderful character. She is sweet and good, but just enough over the top that it goes from a stereotype to a gentle parody of a kindly princess.

- I don't care what the rest of the world says about gender not mattering, it IS easier for me to look to a brave protagonist as a role model if she's a female. Particularly, I noticed, if she's a female around my age.

- There was a lot of talk about thinking impossible thoughts. In fact, Alice needed to think these impossible thoughts in order to break free of her social obligations outside of "Underland." The film stopped just short, I think, of making Alice's turn from marriage to business too easy. The idea of dreaming impossible dreams allowed them to acknowledge just how difficult it would be for a Victorian era young woman to do what Alice does.

- This is another film where a particularly cool female character sees her dad as a role model more than she does her mother. I'd love to see a movie someday where a girl looks to her badass mom to set an example.

That's all. See this movie. You'll love it.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Eclipse

These stories are probably criticized more for gender portrayal than almost any other book or film I can think of. Because I was prepared to be annoyed I actually found myself finding GOOD gender decisions in this movie. Here are some thoughts.

- I don't have a problem with Edward and Bella's young engagement. They're both young. In fact, she's older. They're just stupid teenagers - it's not sexist.

- Edward's "I would get your father's permission" speech and general chivalrous behavior are for sure annoying. But there's actually a REASON for this. He's from 100 years ago. Also, one could argue that this is a huge improvement on how modern movie boys treat women. (Superbad, for example. Come to think of it, any movie with Jonah Hill in it.)

- Edward and Jacob constantly get in each others' faces over Bella. This is annoying, no denying it. I got tired of watching Bella try to break up their fights.

- Bella is weak, no doubt about it. However, this is more excusable than it is when women are portrayed as frail in other movies, because the boys are immortal/supernatural in some way, and she is a human. The female vampires are in no way physical inferiors to the males.

- It is very cool and very rare to see a physical fight in a film between men and women or, particularly, between one man and one woman. We had both in Eclipse.

- The gender ratios in this movie are actually pretty good. There are equal numbers of female and male vampires. The werewolves are a different story, but it's very interesting that, for the first time in history, a female joins the pack. Also, the film goes out of its way to show the bravery of a woman who is not a "spirit warrior" but finds a way to use her humanness to save her husband and tribe.

- Bella's rhetoric is solid. She decides to be with Edward instead of Jacob because, in her words, she feels "strong" as part of his world. She also says that when they get married she "at least" wants to hyphenate her last name. Very interesting and very different from the book Bella who swoons over the idea of being "Mrs. Cullen."

- The movie goes out of its way to show Bella's hard-headedness.

- Bell is not eye candy for guys. She wears a flannel shirt and jeans in just about every scene. At the same time, she is the sexual initiator. Can you think of another film for teens that meets both of these criteria? I can't.

- I love creep-tastic villain leader Jane.

- This movie definitely passes the Bechdel test.

I wonder if the filmmakers were hyper conscious about these choices because of the criticism of the books.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Salt quote from Vanity Fair

"Salt was developed with a male actor in mind, specifically Tom Cruise, who was attached to play C.I.A. operative Edwin Salt. After Cruise...took a pass, the script found its way to [Angelina] Jolie. Writing for a man, then swapping gender, is, as it turns out, the best way to create an utterly liberated hero, a character with none of the tropes that writers, even if they don't mean to, fall back on when creating a role for a woman."

Super interesting. If I were a screenwriter, I would try this as a tactic to make my characters nuanced and unexpected.

I'll definitely need to see this movie.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Date Night

This is a movie about marriage, above all else. And a really solid, fun, true-to-life one at that.

The premise is: a middle-aged, happily married couple from New Jersey begins to doubt if they have enough excitement in their lives. That worry is quickly put to rest when, during a dinner in the city, they are mistaken for a different couple with lives that you might call TOO exciting.

What I really loved about this film is the nature of the marriage they portray. This couple tries really, really hard to be good to one other. They schedule a regular date night and GO despite being so exhausted they can hardly stay awake. They somehow manage to be funny and still talk nicely to each other. They have sweet little traditions. Etc. When their adventure begins, then, they are already a team, ready to take on whatever comes their way. One perfectly representative moment involves each of them driving a getaway car at the same time (also the cars are connected...you have to see it, I guess). They also each get a chance to shine in different instances. Claire (Tina Fey), at one point, wraps her husband Phil's (Steve Carell) coat around her hand and punches through a glass door to get information off of a computer. And Phil bravely orchestrates the final showdown that gets the bad guys arrested.

But they're not Mr. and Mrs. Smith, here. They also both also have moments of indignity and panic. After keeping his wits about him and getting himself and his wife out of a deserted boathouse, Phil vomits in the street. Likewise, Claire has a couple of freak-outs Phil has to talk her down from. And a scene where they BOTH have to do an erotic dance is priceless.

I also love that it's a tired female police officer that figures out exactly what's going on and saves the day. Not only did it mean a good role for a good actress that could have easily, EASILY been written for a man, but it also drove home the point that this movie is about regular men AND regular women doing the best they can. Just like real life.

(Let me just pause and wonder out loud of we have Tina Fey to thank for a lot of these decisions. Her presence alone in a film seems to almost guarantee a more equitable and realistic portrayal of females.)

Finally, what made this film moving to me way beyond what I expected was Steve Carell's character. He is just an excellent husband. Phil Foster subtly demonstrates love and consideration for his wife and family at every turn. For example, he goes to Claire's book club and participates wholeheartedly, only to find out later that she doesn't even read the books! And toward the end of the film, when he gives a monologue about wanting to do more around the house and with the kids and wanting to be seen as useful, not incompetent, it is just pitch perfect. That moment made me think, "Damn. There are some really good men in the world."

Also, at least when Fey and Carell are involved, there seem to be some really funny movies.