I've been quit surprised by how much I enjoy The Hunger Games and I'm really looking forward to the last part in November.


I'm not sure of your age group, but were you ever into the 80's cartoon Jem?

I've been quit surprised by how much I enjoy The Hunger Games and I'm really looking forward to the last part in November.


I'm not sure of your age group, but were you ever into the 80's cartoon Jem?

I vaguely remember it, but I was probably a little bit too old to watch many cartoons by then.

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Reality Internet Personality

Ah, ok. That negates my next question then. lol

I've been quit surprised by how much I enjoy The Hunger Games and I'm really looking forward to the last part in November.


I'm not sure of your age group, but were you ever into the 80's cartoon Jem?

I vaguely remember it, but I was probably a little bit too old to watch many cartoons by then.

Youre never to old for cartoons! Especially not if they are good.

If you haven't already, I would suggest watching the Avatar series, they are amazing, also from a Feminist perspective.

I vaguely remember it, but I was probably a little bit too old to watch many cartoons by then.

Comic books then?
Modesty Blaise is a British comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by author Peter O'Donnell and illustrator Jim Holdaway in 1963. The strip follows Modesty Blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talents and a criminal past, and her trusty sidekick Willie Garvin.

Noticeable that it is popular but not seen by many as particularly feminist.

Comments

Well yeah, if you look at the reviews as one sentence sound bytes on wikipedia, non of them really mention it as feminist. But if you look at the actual full reviews, ALL OF THEM talk about the feminist aspects of this movie.

From the New York Times:

Much of the film is spent with the women, and eventually Max, on the rig as they race across the desert away from the painted fighters on their tail. Furiosa, seeking redemption for untold sins, has made it her purpose to bring the wives to "the green place" — an idyllic haven she was taken from as a child.

The wives, played by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton and Zoë Kravitz, are all ethereal, spiritual beauties. Though physically perfect and visibly unmarked by the harsh conditions of the land, as Immortan Joe's property, their collective trauma is more insidious. When they fight back and jump in to help their more grizzled and skilled travel mates, they do so without fear or hesitation.

Looking almost sturdy in comparison, it is Theron who steals the show as the steely-eyed, one-armed, and aptly named Furiosa. Her fierce and unwavering commitment to her self-assigned mission propels the sparse narrative and invigorates those around her, when death often seems like not just the easier option, but probably the more appealing one, too.

From Forbes:

Even when Max goes from a bystander to an aggressive participant, the focus remains on Theron’s would-be rescuer, and all of her charges are given agency and sympathy. You may have heard that George Miller brought in Vagina Monologues author Eve Ensler to consult on the film and wow does it show. Fury Road is not a film that just uses the notion of human sex slavery for topical seasoning and/or an excuse to show quivering young girls half-naked in shipping containers or cages. It is very much about the notion of a world that has ditched most of the remnants of so-called civilized society yet has kept the patriarchal system that keeps women under the thumb of arbitrarily designated male rulers and consigns them to be no more than (often unwilling) breeders. If you’ve read me for any length of time, you’ve heard me whine about the quantity and quality of female characters in mainstream motion pictures. Mad Max: Fury Road is everything I say I want.

From The Wrap:

Theron matches his performance throughout, creating an Amazonian warrior whose intensity is only increased when she makes a smoky eye reach all the way to her hairline. Theron and Hardy have one of the screen’s most powerful man-on-woman fights since “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” and at no moment does one ever think that Theron is at a disadvantage against this worthy opponent.
(Despite the testosterone on display here, it’s girl power that fuels a great deal of “Fury Road,” with some indelible moments provided by a talented ensemble of actresses both young and more experienced. Going into more detail would mean revealing more of the plot.)

From IGN:

Theron makes up for this as Furiosa, whose past is filled in just enough that we come to realize why she would betray Joe in the first place. Thankfully, there’s never even a hint of a love story between Max and Furiosa. And why should there be?Fury Road frequently subverts such expectations. Not that any Mad Max fan would anticipate (or want) romance for the character, but Miller works hard to keep the viewer off-balance in general. A particular arc involving one of The Wives sets up a storytelling trope, then does a 180-degree turn away from that, then sets up another trope before doing yet another 180.

From the Guardian:

Once captured like Max, and turned into a gladiatorial warrior in Joe’s service, Furiosa is now furious at his patriarchal tyranny; she is escaping, taking with her an improbable phalanx of scantily clothed young women, the “breeders” the warlord wishes to make the mothers of his children (they look as if they are heading for an edgy Australian Vogue photoshoot). Max and Furiosa are heading for a spectacular showdown with their oppressor, and must also deal with Joe’s mercurial, shaven-headed footsoldier Nux, played by Nicholas Hoult.

From the Telegraph:

Fury Road’s alpha male is, in fact, a woman: the rogue soldier Imperator Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron, who masterminds the escape while Max rides shotgun. Furiosa is one of the toughest, most resilient action heroes in years, with a metal prosthetic arm that hints at past trauma and a steely gaze that sees more on the way. Like Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in the Alien films, the character is informed by her sex but not defined by it, and Theron superbly embodies her stoicism, nerve and resolve.Few people, surely, were expecting robust feminism from the new Mad Max film – yet here we are, and Theron’s character is far from the only instance of it. See also Immortan’s escaping wives, who may be young and sylphlike, but are the opposite of damsels in distress, and play an instrumental part in their own dash for freedom.

So perhaps you should read the reviews first before you make claims about what the reviews actually say.

...

So perhaps you should read the reviews first before you make claims about what the reviews actually say.

Its also one of the only movies I think I've ever seen that has old grey haired women doing stunts on trucks and fighting the bad guys.

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Reality Internet Personality

If this character is being favourably compared to Alien's Ripley, that is fine with me. But I never ever saw Alien as being a feminist film. What it did portray was a gutsy character that just happened to be female. Rather a big difference. .

Yeah, but that by itself is a feminist statement, because its set against countless movies that portray women as hapless beings that constantly need a guy to get them out of trouble they stumbled into.

You'd think that asking movies to portray women as capable human beings whose sole existent isn't to support the male hero isn't asking for much, but Hollywood apparently disagrees, and which is why its so refreshing when a movie, like Mad Max, gets it right.

My life heroine is Jane Fonda, Barbarella

Oh dear.

The film was both a box office and critical failure on its release.[23] Variety‍ '​s review stated that "Despite a certain amount of production dash and polish and a few silly-funny lines of dialogue, Barbarella isn't very much of a film. Based on what has been called an adult comic strip, the Dino De Laurentiis production is flawed with a cast that is not particularly adept at comedy, a flat script, and direction which can't get this beached whale afloat."[24] Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 73% of 44 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 6.3/10. The site's consensus reads: "Unevenly paced and thoroughly cheesy, Barbarella is nonetheless full of humor, entertaining visuals, and Jane Fonda's sex appeal."[25]

Jane Fonda Thinks it's the worst role she ever played.

Edi Falco is one of my heroines:)

What it did portray was a gutsy character that just happened to be female. Rather a big difference.

Watch Alien again then, Ripley, even before the creature appears, questions Dallas, tries to prevent Ash opening the airlock to let the Alien in because she works out the signal is a warning. Also is portrayed as a character who is NOT subservient to men, just because they are men. Watch the engine room scene, Brett and Parkers reaction, to me was always because she was a woman not because she was an officer.

I have to admit at the end of the film I had to think why I was surprised that the only survivor was a woman.

It might not have been made as a "feminist" film, but I believe thanks to Sigourney Weaver's portrayal that is what is became, she was a strong female actress cast in a strong female role.

If that had been usual in Hollywood we would not be having this discussion now.

Ahh yes Barbarella, not sexist at all of course.

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"Unevenly paced and thoroughly cheesy, Barbarella is nonetheless full of humor, entertaining visuals, and Jane Fonda's sex appeal."

Of course it was, another enjoyable romp, what else could it be seen as?

Jane Fonda Thinks it's the worst role she ever played.

Told you has she?

No us. In a TV interview:)
Barbarella (1968) Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xo6FaypcpY
Anita Pallenberg played the evil Queen.

Yeah, but that by itself is a feminist statement,

Only in your opinion, I disagree. I take it I have your permission to do that? Seems these days I have to apologise for living around here.

Not just my opinion. Also the opinion of a lot of the reviewers, feminists and basically everyone with working senses to see the rampant sexism in Hollywood.

And we all know why. They know from experience what sells to the general public and what doesn't. Therefore they are providing what the people want. Now if you want to say that they are perpetuating the view that women are "hapless beings that constantly need a guy to get them out of trouble they stumbled into", that is also your opinion. Perhaps you might question why the vast majority of the world wants to think and believe that.

Hardly. There isn't one successful formula for making box office hits, and many of the most spectacular box office hits were from movies that actually challenged conventional wisdom. If anything, formulaic Hollywood movies are boring and repetitive, exactly because they follow some formula and you've seen the formula before. Sure, some formulas work for a while, but all of them get overturned sooner or later.

Furthermore, thinking based on past experience is a rather flawed method. If all your movies are sexist, and all of your movies sell well enough, you might assume that people want to see sexist movies. But then you don't account for the fact that there are hardly any alternatives, and most people will prefer a sexist movie over no movie at all.

Well Мишель, we all know who's Xmas card list you are angling to be on. I have never been and never will be. Good luck.

Its interesting to see how discussions on the internet all follow a particular pattern. If we talk about politics in general, its only a matter of time before someone invokes Godwins law and accuses someone else of being a Nazi/Hitler. And when we talk about feminism, its only a matter of time before someone accuses, if its a women, of being hysterical and overreacting, and if its a guy, that the sole motive of supporting feminist views is to get on the good side of women. Well, thanks for providing more evidence of this pattern.

But no Chris, I'm not saying these things because I'm angling to be on anyone's Christmas card list. Indeed, if I wanted to be on peoples Christmas card lists, I would probably be better off supporting the opposing view. It would be much easier and I would get a lot more Christmas cards.

I will agree with that but if people didn't want to watch it, Hollywood would go out of business.

Again, with no alternatives...Besides, its fair to say that sexism is so ingrained in our society that most don't even notice that most movies are pretty sexist in their portrayal of women. Its the norm and no one questions the norm.

Ah the great unwashed, the morons on the street who are as thick as two short planks.

You really aren't in the position to act condescending towards the rest of the human race.

Ooops touched a nerve there, sorry.

Meh, not really. That comment said more about yourself than about me.

Another heroine.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1618290/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm.

Shalmashi comes from a family with Iranian-Kurdish heritage, but was born in France and raised in the Netherlands. She is one of the most promising filmmakers in Kurdistan and the Netherlands. She wrote and directed several awarded movies. In 2013, the City of Los Angeles officially recognized her 'outstanding achievements'. Beri Shalmashi graduated at the prestigious Netherlands Film Academy and received her MA at the Utrecht School of Arts. Shalmashi won the ECHO Award 2008, rewarded with a scholarship at the UCLA. Shalmashi adapted the bestseller 'The house of the mosque', an epic story about Iran during its revolution, to be directed internationally acclaimed director Bahman Ghobadi. Shalmashi is writing her own debut now, a film set in the whirlwind-boomtown Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, where she tutored at the Salahaddin University's Faculty of Arts

"Home is where most of your shoes are." :)

If you are in Gothenburg Sweden May 23, visit the Bio Roy and meet amazing Beri Shalmashi.
The topic is العنف ضد المرأة meaning Violence Against Women.


In whirlwind-boomtown Erbil, Iraq, there is a restaurant called Eskilstuna with Swedish food:)

My life heroine is Jane Fonda

Hanoi Jane Fonda?!

Yes I did read the fuller reviews. But overall I'm not tempted to go and see it, just not my type of movie. Although I did enjoy the Alien series.

Like Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in the Alien films, the character is informed by her sex but not defined by it, and Theron superbly embodies her stoicism, nerve and resolve

If this character is being favourably compared to Alien's Ripley, that is fine with me. But I never ever saw Alien as being a feminist film. What it did portray was a gutsy character that just happened to be female. Rather a big difference.

Ripley's character was very nearly quite different to how she appeared in the final cut.

If you recall the plot of Aliens, Ripley has been drifting in space for 57 years, in which time her daughter (10 years old when she left) has grown old and died. Leaving aside the issues that humanity has apparently taken a massive step backward in geriatric care, the final cut of the film has Ripley accepting this news fairly nonchalantly.
But in the original script and a deleted scene (probably on YouTube somewhere despite 20CF's attempts to have them all purged) we see Ripley's heartbreak at missing her daughter's entire life despite promising to be back for her 11th birthday.
This scene changes the dynamic of the movie and Ripley's character from bad-ass action hero to grieving mother suffering emotional transference. Especially the part where she rescues and adopts Newt, a sequence which seemed irrational in the film as it appeared but makes far more sense once you know the reason why Ripley might grow so suddenly attached to an orphaned girl.

Does that make her character stronger or weaker? I don't know...

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

Sorry Julie didn't mean anything bad about my comment . ! parent can bring there kids up good . I only mean it more as in a marrage or a couple it's not just 1 parents job but both

caring for children ! is it not a 2 person job caring for your kids !


Erm..

I was also going to mention how Capitalism relies on the undervalued work of women. Jobs like caring for children, the sick and the elderly that underpin civilisation and contribute highly to a countries GDP are not valued or even accounted for in Capitalism.

It's this part of Ess post i'm refering to and more to the point this part

I was also going to mention how Capitalism relies on the undervalued work of women. Jobs like caring for children

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Well I went to see the new Mad Max movie, and it was pretty much like all the others. A roller coaster adrenaline special effects action move. It was pretty bonkers and yes, it is a feminist movie.

I haven't seen it but hang on there 1 sec why do you say this ?

Women reveling to much of them selves ?

The man is the Hero and protects the women ?

The men are in control ? ( Mad Max 3 it was Tina Turner who was the big bad boss !!)

So if the world goes to skit you females are not going to expect us guys to protect you's from the baddies . ( Bloody hope not , you want woman's lib then learn how to protect your self's )

Mind you i did see a female getting arrested in that bikie massacre in Texas !!

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This scene changes the dynamic of the movie and Ripley's character from bad-ass action hero to grieving mother suffering emotional transference. Especially the part where she rescues and adopts Newt, a sequence which seemed irrational in the film as it appeared but makes far more sense once you know the reason why Ripley might grow so suddenly attached to an orphaned girl.

Does that make her character stronger or weaker? I don't know...

That depends on how it is done. I think its a mistake to assume that a strong (woman) character means acting like a total sociopath. I think a strong character is not necessarily an emotionless killing machine that kicks ass but lacks all the other characteristics that make us human.

Ask yourself, if you woke up one day and you would be told youve been gone for 57 years and in the meantime you missed out on your daughters entire life, wouldn't you be sad? Heartbroken even? I know I would be. Showing that your action hero grieves over the loss of family or loved ones doesn't make them weak.

What would make them look weak is when the movie makes grieving over a dead loved one a persons sole defining character trait, making every subsequent scene with that character somehow about the fact that she lost someone.

Another very strong lady:)
Julia Caesar - Annie from Amörka (1967). No typo:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcehpihFmBM
"Annie fråm Amörka" is a song with Swedish and English lyrics to "The Yankee Doodle Boy" and in October 1967 released on single by Julia Caesar with Sven-Olof Walldoffs Orchestra at the Odeon.