Wow! that was a rant in the old style of rant...we have some commonalities:)
Well my husband, who shares this email thing with me...hence the
schitzophrenic name...also wants to see Starship Troopers. THe FX look
brilliant, but I have been ambivalent about paying to see this. I like
Verhoeven's work...esp Robocop, so I decided to take the gamble. The major
drawback to this film seemed to me the casting. I hate it when they cast
third rate American beauty kings and queens...as if we can all relate to that
vacuousness. Also one of the only actresses I recognized ruined
"Dragonheart." What is it with Hollywood casting an entire supporting cast of
Brits and throwing in lead American actors who both cannot do an accent to
save their lives and who really cannot act but add the beauty factor.
(GRINDING OF TEETH)
I appreciate your comments on both the need for a site for those of us
movie-philes, SF aficianados, and feminists. Hollywood ALWAYS has me on a
soapbox. I too own Faludi's backlash but haven't read it properly. I have
about 1000 other books competing for my attention. I took a film criticism
course that discussed the sci film, westerns and war films. WOmen are
generally either absent or killed off quickly (well let's not forget the
harlot with a heart of gold in westerns...ahhh!) That comment on women in
slasher films is also a good one. Sex always equals death. If you see two
going at it hot and heavy, you know a decapitation or slaughter isn't far
away. Speaking of horror/sf films (you'll take note my nickname is
grasshopper...aptly named as that describes my brain activity to a tee) Last
night i finally watched "Videodrome" a movie from 1982. Directed by David
Cronenberg (a man I love but don't know why.) and starring James Woods and
Debbie Harry. He raises some really interesting ideas in that movie about
violence as portrayed on tv and how it desensitizes people to violence inthe
real world. I also found it interesting that he depicts sadio-masicistic (sp)
gender roles...the woman of course being on the masicistic end. Angela Carter
wrote a book called "the Sadeain Woman" about the women in novels by the
Marquis de Sade. She examines the roles of women as both the victim and
victor. ANYWAY my point is...women tend to always be on the receiving end of
pain and torture...and so many movies love to show women in this light. TO me
this is just sick...and supports a rape culture. (or it feeds that culture
that perpetuates it.
well that's it for me...I'm very glad to hear from you Barbara...and thanks
for the warning about starship troopers...but are the FX good? Speaking of
Insect films, did you and your boyfriend happen to see "Mimic?
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu May 25 2000 - 19:07:06 PDT