Women at the Box Office This Weekend

Opening today in wide release is the Meryl Streep musical Mamma Mia.
Here's my brief review: Just keep in mind when you see this movie -- and you should -- that the whole point of it is to let go and have fun. If you go in looking for anything serious you will be disappointed. I had a brief moment at the beginning of the film when I held my breath because it seemed so cheesy, but after a couple of minutes I just let go, relaxed and had a great time. The cast is first rate and Meryl does sing well. I loved Julie Walters as one of Meryl's best friends and former backup singers. To me, the highlight of the movie was when Meryl bared her soul to ex-lover Pierce Brosnan in The Winner Takes it All. I got a little misty. Don't leave before the credits because the whole cast does a hilarious music video all in 70s clothes. It is beyond hysterical.

Other Women-Centric Films in Theatres:
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
The Last Mistress
Brick Lane- continues to expand in CA, FL, Atlanta, MI, Las Vegas, Cincinnati, Austin, and Milwaukee
Sex and the City
Falling for Grace- opens in Palm Springs

Prejudice and Discrimination Against Women Artists

In another no surprise moment it seems that women painters, sculptors and other artists don't get sold for the same amount of money as their male peers.

Iwan Wirth who represents sculptor Louise Bourgeois said: "An artist's gender should have nothing to do with their market value. I see this happen with the major artists we represent, such as Bourgeois, Joan Mitchell and Eva Hesse, who are exceptionally high-ranking artists."

Love this idiot statement from art critic Brian Sewell:

"The art market is not sexist," Mr Sewell said. "The likes of Bridget Riley and Louise Bourgeois are of the second and third rank. There has never been a first-rank woman artist.

"Only men are capable of aesthetic greatness. Women make up 50 per cent or more of classes at art school. Yet they fade away in their late 20s or 30s. Maybe it's something to do with bearing children."

Can't believe this man is allowed to have a fucking job as an art critic. We have so much work to do.

'There's never been a great woman artist' (The Independent)

Did Hollywood Get the Message About Women?

Film historian Marjorie Rosen, author of Popcorn Venus, wrote an optimistic commentary in yesterday's Women's eNews saying that this summer the women onscreen are outshining their male counterparts.

She argues that the successes of Sex and the City, Angelina Jolie in Wanted, Kit Kittredge (not seen as a success at all) and Mamma Mia! (fingers crossed that it will do well) will hopefully make the male executives realize that women can be successful at the box office.

One can only hope. The most important point she makes is trying to get Hollywood to analyze the guy film flops in the same context as the women film flops. Wouldn't that be nice?

To put the situation into perspective, did any studio executive ever muse, after the shocking failure of last fall's Brad Pitt vehicle, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (domestic box office: $6 million; worldwide: $15 million), that it would be a smart idea to stop making movies featuring man-centric stories?

Did anyone have misgivings about boys-will-be-boys flicks when Wes Anderson's testosterone-drenched "The Darjeeling Limited," with Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and the Oscar winner Adrien Brody, opened the New York Film Festival last September, then broke down before ever gathering steam (worldwide: $15.5 million)?

And, on assessing the rotten global returns of George Clooney's "The Good German" ($6 million), Ryan Gosling's "Lars and the Real Girl" ($10 million) or Johnny Depp's "The Libertine" ($11 million), did even one among the new breed of female executives dare to whisper in the ladies room of that upscale industry watering hole, the Ivy: "Nix the guy pix. And bring back the women?"

George Clooney and Brad Pitt smaller film flops don't get the same scrutiny because they still make the bigger films like the Ocean's trilogy that bring in the bucks. Women don't have the same opportunities so their failures get scrutinized differently.

I wish I were as optimistic as Rosen that the successes this summer will lead to change.

Could It Be? Did Hollywood Execs Get The Memo?

Mamma Mia -- Feminist Creative Power on Film

I've been following the press leading up to the opening of Mamma Mia! this week and I have to say, while there have been some negative reviews (and I will be very interested to see if it is mostly guys who hate the film), the overall tenor of the press has been much kinder than it was to Sex and City. There are no nasty articles about any of the women's appearances, or the shallowness of American women for liking the film.

Some of the reviewers have questioned Streep for taking on this type of "light" role, but she has embraced it wholeheartedly, and clearly enjoyed the experience of working with an all female team.

So I can't help but wonder, did we conquer film sexism in the last month? Are women's movies going to be welcomed differently because of how nasty the treatment of SATC? Why is it that this movie --the second one this summer-- which seems poised to have women getting ready to see it with friends and daughters alike getting different treatment?

One reason I think is that most of the critics and blogger are distracted this weekend. When SATC opened it was the dominant film on its weekend (and we don't like women to be dominant at anything); Mamma Mia will be counter programming against the Batman flick.

But I am still wondering -- is Mamma Mia less threatening to the movie industry and the culture than Sex and the City was? Is it that Sex and the City had, well, sexy women and sex while asking some serious questions about our culture, while Mamma Mia comes off as a fun musical about a wedding?

The irony is that this fun musical about a wedding bucks every Hollywood convention, and it makes Mamma Mia one of the most feminist movies of the year. Way more feminist than SATC. It's got women power -- mature women power-- written all over it.

• All the creatives are women over 50.
  
• It stars women.
• Is written by a woman -Catherine Johnson.
• Is directed by a woman - Phyllida Lloyd.
• Is produced by a woman -Judy Craymer.
  

And, it's already a success overseas having made $24 million since its release a couple of weeks ago.

I think its going to open pretty big here. Hopefully at least $25 million this weekend. It already has a built in audience (just like SATC), the show has been running on Broadway for years, has played all over the world, and Abba has got to be the world's most well known band.

It's amazing that Universal Pictures gave these women the power they did to make this film, but not surprisingly, it was another woman, Donna Langley, the president of production at Universal who made the call to trust these women.

Here's some great info on the film's history from a recent NY Times piece:

Ms. Craymer said that she hadn’t been trying to make a feminist point when she first enlisted Ms. Johnson and Ms. Lloyd to help realize her notion of an Abba musical or when she started hiring people for the film. But somehow, as she sought to fill the movie crew with others who “got” the “Mamma Mia!” factor, she ended up with even more women, including the production designer, Maria Djurkovic; the costume designer, Ann Roth; and the editor Lesley Walker.

Ms. Lloyd agreed that “the female team thing” resulted from “personality and talent rather than, ‘Oh, we’re going to have an all-girls team.’ ” But, she added, “I think it was fundamental.” And she reminded Ms. Craymer of something that happened when they first started thinking about the show: “I remember you saying that you asked Benny and Bjorn what they felt about having a woman director, and they actually said they actively liked collaborating with women.” Ms. Lloyd went on to surmise that the men’s Scandinavian ease with women in positions of power informed the whole project.

So I guess it's progress that this film has escaped the sexist overtone of Sex and the City. But I'm still wondering why Sex rubbed people so bad.
The Mamma Mia Factor Times Three (NY Times)
photo credit: Fred R.Conrad/ NY Times
from left to right- Catherine Johnson, Phyllida Law, Judy Craymer

Vanity Fair = Girls and Women in Underwear

I'm a big fan of most of the writing in Vanity Fair but I get pissed off at how they dress -- or don't dress -- the women and girls in their photos. Each month they feature an up and coming young actress in a 50s style pose in their "vanities" section and lately I've noticed that each month the picture is quite provocative. Here's their description of the section. No wonder I have a problem with it.

Since 1992, the magazine’s Vanities section has opened with a full-page portrait of a promising young star. In September 2006, we tweaked the format: the Vanities opener now features an up-and-coming actress in a 50s-style pinup shot. These shapely ingénues are on the cusp of fame or have just hit it big; they have names you need to know and faces you won’t have trouble remembering. Here’s a look at all the bombshells who’ve struck a playful pose in the new retro style.

This month's cover on the "new" Hollywood put me over the edge. The young women of the new wave were featured on the cover in their underwear, and were featured inside in lovely dresses. The young men of the new wave were fully clothes at all times. Let's remember that these young women by default get to be role models for other young women and girls.

Am I being too harsh?

Hollywood Feminist of the Day: Holly Hunter

Men can continue to have vibrant, stimulating careers up into their 60s, and that’s not true for women,” she explained. “Once an actress gets to be over 37 or 38, then you really begin to see you’re being offered roles and cast opposite a big movie star. You’re playing his wife, and he’s cheating on you with someone else. The story doesn’t depend upon on your thoughts and actions.

Powerful TV women must face backlash (MSNBC)

Gurinder Chadha Directs New Film for Tween Girls Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

I am a big, big fan of Bend it Like Beckham, the film that introduced us to Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley and made all my friends who know nothing about soccer appreciate it at least a little. The film was a huge world wide hit and was directed by Gurinder Chadha who has also directed Bhaji on the Beach and Bride and Prejudice.

Chadha spent a couple of years following Beckham in Hollywood trying to get a couple of films off the ground including the adaptation of Dallas starring John Travolta. Don't think we'll be seeing that one soon.

Chadha's back in England and is a new mom having given birth to twins at 47. She has just directed a tween comedy Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging about the ups and downs of a 14- year-old girl, based on the book by Louise Rennison. Film is financed by Paramount and looks to be like a Harry Potter for girls. It opens in England on July 25th.

Here's a quote from Chadha on her responsibility to the young women who love her films.

My films do have a big following among young girls, and I want to instill confidence in them, a sense of self-appreciation - to make them feel they can be spirited and say what they feel. It is important to say that the vast majority of 14-year-old girls aren't involved in knife crime. They're more innocent than we know. So now, becoming a parent, I want to make films that recreate childlike wonder. And I'm going to do it!'

Gurinder Chadha talks about Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (The Telegraph)
photo: Christine Parry

One Person CAN Make a Difference

Cynthia Good, founding editor of Pink Magazine, didn't just gripe to herself about the "Men Working" signs. She did something about it. She wrote complaint letters to the mayor of Atlanta and the governor of Georgia and SHOCKER! the signs are being replaced by "Workers Ahead."

'Men At Work' signs to disappear in Atlanta (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Powerful Women on TV Get Called Names- Shocker!

We all know the mantra, women can play strong on TV, yet they are the girlfriend, wife or mother (if they are there are at all) in the movies. But, it shouldn't surprise anyone that powerful women on TV get called the same names that powerful women in real life do. We like our TV women tough, but not too tough to make anyone uncomfortable. The ones that push the boundaries (usually the ones on cable) get called the names.

In anticipation of the Emmy nominations this week some of the actresses who play strong women on TV like Glenn Close and CCH Pounder spoke out in an MSNBC piece talking about their characters (which both incidentally appear on FX.).

From Close: “That kind of language is prevalent for women in positions of power,” Close told msnbc.com. “They’re labeled bitches, spinsters, sexless. It’s still out there. There have been all kinds of studies that women are more attractive if they’re self-effacing and non-aggressive. Under those circumstances, I love playing this character.”

If you haven't seen Damages you gotta get season 1 on DVD (season two will premiere in 2009). Patty Hewes, Close's character, is tough and morally ambiguous -- well, she's actually rotten and mean but you can't really always tell. That's why I love her.

Power to you, Glenn!

I also love the quote from CCH Pounder who has endured the sexism and craziness as the new commander on The Shield. The final season of The Shield will begin airing later this year.

“When women appear to be taking positions that previously represented a man’s domain, men have to do everything, and I mean everything, to keep those women in their place,” Pounder explained. “It’s a struggle to keep the long-held tradition that it’s a man’s world alive, so the word ‘bitch’ is just a minor part of the many putdowns and undermining of women that goes on.”

Bottom line is that no matter if it’s national leaders or fictional characters, there seems to be a double standard when men and women act in power-seeking ways.

Powerful TV women must face backlash (MSNBC)
Close photo: Remand Garr/PR Photos

Hollywood Feminist of the Day: Minnie Driver

I hate the idea of reaching a certain age and being put in this box that forces actresses to become these battle-axes who speak out against youth culture. F--- you! Every woman gets stronger and progressively more beautiful as she ages, and I swear that television is representing that as a direct countermovement to magazines and movies. On the other extreme, young women get squashed into hideous roles showing most of their bodies and become infantalized. We need to start celebrating who we are and where we're at instead of loading up on plastic surgery to survive.

Who knew Minnie was such a kick-ass feminist?

from an interview with the Hollywood Reporter
photo: Rounder Records

My Favorite Women Centric Shows Premiere Tonight

You gotta love the TNT. First, you can always watch Law & Order anytime. And tonight, in this pathetic sea of a summer, finally comes the premiere of two of my favorite shows -- The Closer and Saving Grace. Both shows totally rock and are led by two of the current TV greats, Kyra Sedgwick and Holly Hunter. I always knew that Holly Hunter was a great actress, but Kyra Sedgwick has just blossomed as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson. The first two seasons she had a really hard time with the men under her command, but last season the team really came together and she leads them with authority and trust. I think her leadership style is quite interesting.

What I love about Brenda is that she is so kick ass as an investigator and a total disaster in her personal life. I guess disaster might be a little strong, but she has issues. Last season she got engaged to FBI agent Fritz Howard (played by Jon Tenney with a great sense of humor) and he really helps keep her calm. I love the fact that she hid her cat from her landlord because pets weren't allowed, but never could remember that the cat was a girl.

Saving Grace is a totally different story. Grace is just a whirlwind. She and the show never calm down. Holly Hunter is so skinny and little as dedicated cop Grace Hanadarko who loooves her booze and sex. She also has a guardian angel who is trying to help her deal with her ambivalence with God and her guilt over the death of her sister in the Oklahoma City terrorist bombing. Just like Rescue Me is so tied to 9-11, Saving Grace's soul is tied to the Oklahoma City bombing.

Anther interesting aspect of Saving Grace is the lifelong friendship between Grace and Rhetta, a deeply religious forensic scientist, played by Laura San Giacomo. They love each other in a non judgmental way which is rare in life, and rarer on TV. Last season they introduced Lorraine Toussaint (who starred in creator Nancy Miller's Any Day Now) as the new police captain who also has a long term friendship with Grace. All three women support each other and don't compete.

Check out my interview with Saving Grace creator Nancy Miller.

You gotta watch these shows. The Closer is on at 9 and Saving Grace at 10. Both on TNT.

More info:
Interview with Holly Hunter (Philly News)
Just a Minute with Kyra Sedgwick (Reuters)
Phot credits: Holly Hunter- Jeff Riedel, Kyra Sedgwick- Focus Hollywood/PR Photos

Interview with Nancy Miller, Creator and Executive Producer of Saving Grace

Nancy Miller has worked on some of the most female-centric shows on TV. The list includes Profiler, Any Day Now (which she created) and recently The Closer. Last year her newest creation Saving Grace premiered on TNT. Grace is one of the most interested and wild characters ever to appear on TV. She sometime looks like a train wreck waiting to happen but always manages to pull herself together. What's also interesting about Saving Grace is that Miller really questions issues of spirituality, in some ways challenges the audience to think uncomfortably about God, which is so rarely seen on TV. I love this show, and I love the incredibly honest and revealing answers that Miller has given below. This is one of the best interviews we've had.

Women & Hollywood: There has never been a character quite like Grace on TV before. The only other character in the same ballpark to me is Christine Cagney from Cagney & Lacey. Why did you want to write a character that threw out all the illusions and stereotypes so much so that some people have a hard time relating to Grace.

Nancy Miller: I think, I hope, that there are parts of Grace that people can relate to. I came very honestly to this character...not thinking about what she "should" be...not thinking about what Hollywood has often deemed female roles to be.... not thinking politically correct or any of that crap -- just total raw honesty, about a woman who leads her life with no illusions of perfection about herself - or anyone else. If there are extreme sports...Grace leads an extreme life... right to the edge of all those places most of us are too afraid to go. I well understand this show is not for everyone.

W&H: Did you create the character with Holly Hunter in mind?

NM: I did not create this role for Holly. I could never have dreamed so big. But what Holly has brought to Grace, has made her better, stronger, smarter, than anything I could have ever done alone.

W&H: Grace is clearly in pain on so many levels particularly related to the death of her sister in the Murrah Building bombing. What is it about the pain that fuels Grace?

NM: Yes, Grace feels pain in different areas of her life. If it fuels her, she does not run on this alone. Love, sex, humor, danger, fun, are all aspects of Grace's life that fuels her as well. The pain in her life hurts - but it also helps her to see the flip side of that, and crave the fun even more.

W&H: It's very rare to see a woman so comfortable with her sexuality. Have you gotten any push back on the starkness of Grace's sexuality?

NM: Grace is a very sexual creature. Again, not a show for everyone. But Grace, and I, make no apologies about Grace's sex life. Should she have an affair with a married man? In my opinion, no. And we may address that at some point. But Grace is a sexual being because of who she is -- not because of what happened to her by Father Murphy. Is that all mixed up in there? Sure. But it does not define Grace, or her sex life.

Grace is not a one-man woman. She doesn't lie about it, she is honest about it -- it is the men who can't handle that. People have said some stuff but I usually shut 'em up fast with something like: "Well, I never heard anyone talking about Tony Soprano and all the women he slept with." It is still a double standard in this and many things in our country when it comes to men and women. But Grace loves sex. Period.

W&H: I love the relationship between Grace and Rhetta. They love each other completely and are not in competition. You also created another female friendship in Any Day Now. As a person who writes women's relationships so well why are there so few series that show true female friendships?

NM: There are few shows about the friendships between women because mostly men buy the shows who get on the air. I don't think it's deliberate, I just don't think they realize the dramatic relationships between women, how much fun they can be. I also blame women writers.... We need to write more about this kind of stuff. Add it to our scripts, don't make it an afterthought that can be cut. Make it central to the story you are telling.

W&H: Why is cable so welcoming of female led shows?

NM: I think cable is much smarter on the whole about everything. Cable trusts the writers and creative talent they have hired. Cable allows us to bring more of our vision to the screen, without a ton of interference. Cable is much much braver. They know that their numbers, ratings, can be smaller, and that it may be easier to find that audience with women. I really don't know -- I just thank God for cable!

W&H: Women writers still make up less than a third of TV writers. Why do you think that the numbers are still so low and what can be done to improve the numbers?

NM: Women have to keep fighting and keep writing. Keep banging and knocking down doors. And when you get the chance to hire somebody -- remember diversity in color, religion, gender. When I watch the Emmys and a show wins a writing award and a bunch of white men get up there to accept the award - I am embarrassed for them. It tells me immediately that their show is very narrow-minded, and honestly -- run by some very insecure white guy. Until I had my own show, I was always the only woman in the room. Things are changing slowly. But women should not be given a freebie either -- work hard, prove you are as good as the boys, make them have to hire you because you have talent and a work ethic that will make them weep.

W&H: You are the creator, executive producer and writer of Saving Grace. What advice would you offer to women who have a perfect idea for a TV show and want to get into TV.

NM: You have to go for it -- and never give up. When people tell you no, keep looking until you find the person who will tell you yes. Build relationships. Nurture them. The assistant today is the studio executive of tomorrow. Know your craft. CRAFT. Different from talent. I didn't know story structure until I had my own show on the air...which is not a good thing. To sum it up: if you know you have a good idea, don't quit until you find a home for it.

Amazingly helpful insights.
photo credit: Erik Heinila

Women at the Box Office This Weekend

Opening this weekend in NY, LA, Washington, DC and Minneapolis is The Stone Angel written and directed by Kari Skogland and starring Ellen Burstyn.

The Stone Angel tells the story of a dying woman looking back at her life, her choices and how they effected her family. Ellen Burstyn plays the older Hagar Shipley, a woman clearly ahead of her time, who followed her heart and not societal conventions. Newcomer Christine Horne plays Hagar as a young woman, the daughter of the most prominent man in town, who instead of following daddy's rules went off and married Bram Shipley a hot-headed dreamer with no prospects of supporting his wife. Hagar quickly learns was it was like to be living on the other side when her father cuts her off, yet she continues to believe that someday she will win her father's love and respect back. Suffice it to say that doesn't happen, and it makes Hagar quite bitter and she takes out her bitterness and disappointment on her son Marvin (played as an adult by Dylan Baker). As she realizes her life it coming to an end, Hagar finally comes to terms with herself and her son in a way that sets both of them free.

Great performances from Burstyn, Dylan Baker and Christine Horne. The film is quiet and at times a little too slow. The NY Times ad from last Sunday had Ellen Page in it (since she's hot now), but you will be disappointed if you expect to see a lot of her. She has a very small part. The film really belongs to Burstyn and Horne.

Other Women-Centric Films in Theatres:
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
The Last Mistress- limited
Brick Lane- continues to expand in Scottsdale, CA, Denver, CT, Washington DC, MD, VA, southern FL, NJ, Long Island, Portland, OR, and Philadelphia
Sex and the City
A Previous Engagement - opens in Palm Springs- read interview with director Joan Carr-Wiggin:
Water Lillies- opens in SF- read interview with director Celine Sciamma:

Interview with Kari Skogland, Director of The Stone Angel

Women & Hollywood: The Stone Angel is a beloved book in Canada. Were you nervous about taking this well known book to the screen?

Kari Skogland: Absolutely. It is studied in high school and University and everyone in Canada has a love/hate relationship with it, as well as preconceived notions of who Hagar, the lead character, is or isn't. It's a tough read as well and when it came out in the 1960s, it was considered to be quite a feminist book with spiritual questions and was banned in many areas. My daunting task was to turn this epic story told as one woman's stream of consciousness, into a cinematic one, as well as to update her to modern times.

W&H: You tell a very moving story about a woman taking stock of her life and realizing that some of the choices she made, especially relating to her son Marvin, were quite hurtful. What can Hagar's search for peace teach the rest of us?

KS: Such a great question! This story is very much a dialogue with god and spirituality. Hagar questions and rebels against the god she is taught is vengeful, a god where a woman's sexuality and independence is somehow a bad thing - she rebels against false pride but because of the legacy of family and community, she falls victim to it and makes well intentioned but, ultimately, destructive choices. On set we all were continually applying "the Hagar effect" to our own lives as a sort of check list and I certainly have made adjustments and am conscious of when I fall off the rails. Her truth and discovery is that God is love and love is unconditional. Bram and she were in love - outside forces that she bought in caused her to withdraw her approval of him- and therefore put conditions on his love for her. It destroyed him, them, and her life as she applied her 'conditions' to her sons.

W&H: Hagar was clearly a woman ahead of her time. She spoke out, had a mind of her own, followed her heart and clearly did not want to live the life her mother did. Yet it turns out that her pride and love led to a very unexpectedly difficult life for her and her family. Talk a little bit about the character of Hagar and how she is unique from the type of woman we usually see on screen today.

KS: What Ellen Burstyn and I both loved about this woman is that she is strong, archetypal, vulnerable and yet made of steel. She is wonderfully flawed. She survives the best way she knows and fails. Her redemption comes when she accepts the love she feels. That's such a terrific inner journey, filled with depth and humanity.

It's not often you see a woman who isn't a traditional victim; or the flip, smart side kick. I think most women portrayed in films are truthfully various versions of the silent films of the 1920's; i.e. - a woman tied up on the rail tracks with the train coming, or tied up on the logging company conveyor belt headed for the buzz saw!

Generally women characters are imagined by men, and that is not to say men can't imagine a female character, but they have to do their research to get it right, just as a female writer has to avoid stereotypes when writing the male characters. We as women have to be more vocal about it as well - we need to support female driven stories and films because if there is no financial upside, there is no way to get our stories out there. That's my call to action ladies!!!

W&H: The numbers for women directing films here in the US are brutally low. Why do you think women continue to struggle in this area and what has your experience been?

KS: I am so fortunate to be able to make my living as a director given my gender - kind of against the odds. I have to say I've never paid attention to limitations set by others, and perhaps that’s why I've been lucky enough to continue to work. Truthfully, it's about trust whether you are a man or a woman. A financier or a producer needs to know that I will get them there on time, on budget and with a great film. My creative vision is obviously paramount, but it's a blend of sensibilities and stamina, so, one has to always be working on skills.

I've always taken risks. Some work out better than others but, I always learn something I can bring to the next project and I try never to get discouraged. Women will continue to struggle until gender is secondary to skill. I don't think it is a conspiracy by the way, I think it is just a pervasive norm that keeps dropping the women off the list. Work begets more work so, if women aren't working their way up the ladder particularly in the more visible genres like "action", then developing the skills that will allow a studio, actor, producer or financier to trust them becomes difficult to achieve. Sort of a chicken and egg issue scenario. There's no specific solution other than to continue to prove oneself and be a bit "bloody minded" about accepting the word "no".

W&H: I've heard from a variety of people that there are financial resources available through co-production deals and government funds for film made by Canadians based on Canadian material. Is that true? And if it is do you think that having these funds available makes it easier for Canadian women directors?

KS: Yes, there are financial resources around the world so having other passports is a good thing, but I don't think the numbers reflect any difference. I do have to say I've been given many opportunities to work on projects that are not traditionally directed by a woman which leads me to other projects because my Canadian passport gives producers access to some government money at which point the gender issue tends to dissolve...

W&H: What's next for you?

KS: Fifty Dead Men Walking, a political thriller set in the late 1980s in Northern Ireland. I wrote, directed and produced and I am blessed with another great cast: Sir Ben Kingsley, Jim Sturgess, Kevin Zegers, Nathalie Press and Rose McGowan. It's very different from The Stone Angel. The story is tough and edgy, loads of action which I love to do. It's ultimately about doing the right moral thing when everyone around you -- even the good guys are not -- even if it costs you everything, including your life. War is a place of many shades, none of which are easy to decode. I guess I am drawn to exploring the truth as we discover it in ourselves under extreme conditions.

The Stone Angel opens today in NY, LA, Washington DC and Minneapolis.

News Briefs

• LA Times writer and new blogger Patrick Goldstein talks to the diva of HBO docs Sheila Nevins who was recently admitted into the Academy.
  

• Kristin Scott Thomas will make her Broadway debut this fall as Arkadina in a new production of Chekov's The Seagull (Broadway World)

• Podcast Interview with Lisa F. Jackson, director, The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo (Zoom-in-Online)
  

• Tovah Feldshuh will star in the world premiere of “Irena’s Vow,” a new play by Dan Gordon about an unsung wartime heroine in Nazi-occupied Poland, opening Sept. 22 at New York’s Baruch Performing Arts Center. (Variety)
  

• Natalie Portman talks about her work for FINCA International, how she balances her activism with her career as an actress, and her advice on making a difference. (Huffington Post)
  

• Helen Mirren received the career achievement prize at the second Roma Fiction Fest this week. (HR)
  

• The Secret Life of Bees directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and starring Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo will world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
  

• The Duchess starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes about Lady Georgiana Spencer will also premiere at the Toronto Film Fest.

Hancock: Super man, Super woman, super chic???

Here is guest post from screenwriter, and author Amy Ferris. (warning- spoilers included)

Maybe it’s just me.

I want to preface this by saying that I liked the movie Hancock. Much more than I thought I would. I like Will Smith. He’s smart and sexy and has a great face. And I really like that guy Bateman. Talk about smart and sexy and wow, what a great, great face – he’s funny, and charming and easy, in other words - effortless.

And for a good chunk of the movie I could relate to Charlize Theron. I could relate to her being a mom (although, truth be told, I don’t have kids, but I could relate to her balancing children, husband, life…), I could relate to the Thursday night meatball and spaghetti dinners (although…another truth, my husband is a vegetarian, so we don’t eat meatballs. I eat meatballs, I actually sneak eating meatballs, but that’s another story…), I could relate to her relationship with her husband (finally…need I say more?). And she’s a wonderful, gorgeous, talented actress. Truly. She lights up the screen.

But, and this is again, maybe just me – I could not relate at all when she turned into Super Woman. You know how Superman runs into a phone booth, spins, and boom – head to toe costume, cape, slicked back hair? I can only imagine this Super Woman dashing into a Sephora store, putting on every black kohl eyeliner and hair straightening balm imaginable, and once all that make-up is meticulously applied, she explodes out and lands in H & M, where, in a flurry, manages to try on, and buys (or borrows) a “skintight” black “to the belly button” low-cut tee, skintight black pants, and matching “to the knee” leather boots.

And then of course, all dolled up in her Superwoman ensemble, she goes toe to toe with Hancock.

My husband, who was now sitting on the edge of his seat, (prior to her costume change, he was casually leaning back eating popcorn) says audibly, “God. Jesus. Whoa.” I turn to him, and tell him to sit back, and eat the popcorn.

My point is: I thought Charlize Theron was pretty cool to begin with. She was a mom, a wife, she had a career, she loved her family, she had emotional issues, she had secrets, and she made love to her husband. This to me is a superwoman. I am at a point in my life when getting out of bed can seem miraculous. Before all the black kohl eyeliner, I thought she was beautiful and simple, and smart, and elegant – and a bit disheveled, and had qualities that most women can relate to. Except for the long legs. Most women I know are hoping that Spanx comes out with a leg lengthener along with the tummy tuck and thigh reducer.

Having her wear black eyeliner and skin tight clothing is not my idea of a superwoman, or superhero.

I wonder if a woman had directed this movie, if she would have made Charlize’s spirit -- her heart, her passion, her commitment the very qualities that made her super. I understand all the subtext, the need for sexiness, and theatrics – I understand the need to make people seem larger than life. I understand the need for a make-up artist. I do. But I think the message could have been a bit louder had she stayed exactly who she was, and manifested her dormant power, proving that equality between men and women is not because a woman is wearing high heels and therefore can look a man straight in the eye, but because she has the ability to kick ass barefoot.

- Amy Ferris is an author, a screenwriter, a television writer and a journalist, she lives in Pennsylvania and New York.
photo: Albert L. Ortega/PR Photos

Hollywood Feminist of the Day: Maggie Cheung

For starting the Women Innovation and Dream Fund to help financing 10 university women with financial backing and mentoring. Now we just need someone to write a good part to bring her back into theatres. Her last film was the recovering drug addict in Clean in 2004.

China Daily

Differences of Opinion

I always find it interesting to note that differences between male and female writers about issues. Movies are no different. We all remember Manohla Dargis' piece that started off our summer of anger at the status of women in films and here are the titles of two different pieces that I read this week. The first is from the women at Dolly Mix a British feminist pop culture site and the second is from male film writers at the Boston Globe.

"Where are the lead women in the summer movie line-up?" and "A surprisingly strong summer for women"

Here's what the guys at the Globe think:

Every year around this time we hear the complaints: There aren't enough good parts for women, actresses are relegated to decorative supporting roles, the movies have become a man's world. We beg to differ, at least for the moment.

Here's what Dolly Mix had to say:

Did you want to see a movie with a female lead this summer? Well, too bad. I was looking at my movie listings trying to find something to see last night and I was struck by the lack of female leads in the summer blockbusters. Struck, but not surprised.

Granted, the Globe guys are looking beyond the big box office movies. But come on, maybe men really are from Mars and women from Venus.

It just cracks me up.
Where are the lead women in the summer movie line-up? (Dolly Mix)
A surprisingly strong summer for women (Boston Globe)

Interview with Donna Deitch, Director of Desert Hearts

Donna Deitch will be presented with a career achievement award tonight in LA at Outfest which has nurtured and featured gay, lesbian and transgendered images and films for 25 years. Deitch has had an illustrious career as a director but is best known for adapting and directing the seminal lesbian film Desert Hearts.

She answered some questions for Women & Hollywood about her career and issues related to women directors in Hollywood.

Women & Hollywood: What does this award mean to you?

Donna Deitch: I have a huge regard for Outfest and their Legacy Project. The Legacy Project preserves and archives gay, lesbian, transgendered and bisexual film and they also preserve and restore films that are in disrepair. This year they restored Word is Out and last year they restored Parting Glances. These films have not been able to be viewed in their original and glorious presentation. Each year they choose another film and restore it as well as reaching out to filmmakers all over the world to archive their films for posterity and for research.

W&H: Let's talk about Desert Hearts. Many people feel it is a seminal film that defines lesbian films that came after.

DD: I don't think it defines anything but itself. I don't think that one film can define anything. I think that one of the boundaries that Desert Hearts pushed was the crossover into the mainstream audiences. I wanted it to cross over. I didn't want it just to be viewed by gay and lesbian audiences. Part of the reason that I chose a very archetypal approach to a love story is that I wanted people to have a knee jerk reaction into rooting for these two to get together which is what you want in a love story. You want an emotional investment in the love story and to root for the two characters to get together.

W&H: Your film was unique in its time because you raised the million dollars to make it through parties and events.

DD: I structured my fundraising like a Broadway backers party. When I began I didn't know anyone who had any money to invest. So I reached out to all of my friends and contacts all over the country and wrote letters. This was a networking process that went on month after month and then year after year. It took 2 and half years. It began in NY. The first thing I did was talk to Gloria Steinem and she asked me if I made any other films and I had a made a documentary Women to Women about hookers, housewives and other mothers, and I showed it to the women at Ms. Magazine. At the end Gloria asked how she could help and I said she could put her name on an invitation that will be sent all across the country.

W&H: Did you approach Jane Rule (author of the book that Desert Hearts is based on)?

DD: A friend has given me the book and I wrote to Jane.

Here are some excerpts from Deitch's letter to Rule and Rule's response (the letters are from 1977):

"My interest in making films about women is not for the consumption of the women's community exclusively, but rather for all women and ferless men too...My objective in making a film about lesbians is not that we are the best of all possible women, but that we are real, sympathetic, beautiful, intelligent human beings capable of good and bad and acheiving a balance between the two."

Response from Jane Rule: "I have been leery of what a film maker might do with such a book, and finally a couple of years ago I told my agent not to encourage offers because I simply didn't want to deal with the commercial pressure of people wanting to cash in on the women's movement in blue movie style. Your letter seems to me an unexpected reward for my stubbornness.

My concern would never be a 'faithful' presentation of the book, which is, as a book, complete in and as itself. The only point of a film would be a new imagining forth of the central energies of the book, that is a new work which is yours, not mine. My refusal to share those energies with people in the past has been my conviction that none of them were either capable or interested, you are obviously both."

W&H: When you first read Desert Hearts did you know you wanted to make it into a film?

DD: I knew instantly but then I read it seven times in a row. I was in Mexico at the time and read it and read it and read it. I wanted to make a lesbian love story to begin with. It wasn't as though I was searching for a book from which I could then adapt. It was coincidental that my friend had given me this book.

W&H: You wanted to make a lesbian love story because?

DD: It was missing for me. I wanted to make a film that was a love story between two women that did not end with a suicide, a murder or a bisexual triangle. And that hadn't happened.

W&H: Then you segued into TV directing for a number of years.

DD: That was after Oprah Winfrey hired my to do the miniseries The Women of Brewster Place. That launched me into TV directing world which was a big surprise to me. I didn't even know it was out there.

W&H: Can you talk about the differences between directing features and directing TV.

DD: There is a difference between directing for hire and directing as an independent filmmaker. There is an artistic and power difference between directing for hire and directing your own work. Directing episodic TV is a form of directing that doesn't exist in any other form of film or tv. That's because in one hour dramas every 8 days there is a new director. You have 7 days of prep and 8 days of shooting and while you are prepping the other person is shooting. It's a machine, and that machine is owned, operated and driven by the executive producer and that person is 99% of the time is the writer and creator of the show. It is their vision, and you are there to execute their vision and the stronger and better the show is, the stronger and better is the vision.

W&H: Why are there still so few women directors working in Hollywood and why does it seem to be getting worse and not better?

DD: It's not that people are unwilling to talk about it. They are constantly having these meetings. We need to get to the bottom of this and understand it because if we can't understand it entirely then we can't get past it Understanding it is the first step. Is it just a simple as that women are still second class citizens and that as second class citizens we don't get to be directors and presidents?

W&H: Why can women be successful as producers?

DD: Because producers don't really run the show. Producers are not executors of a vision.

W&H: You are also working on a film called Blonde Ghost.

DD: It is is screenplay that I wrote and it is the story of the most infamous catcher (a Jew who goes out and finds other Jews living underground and turns them over to the Gestapo) in Berlin during World War 2. This young, beautiful woman Stella was hiding underground and she was caught and tortured. She then escaped and was caught again and they made her an offer she could not refuse. This is a story of choice and addresses one of the huge questions -- what would you do to survive?

W&H: You've also been working on the Desert Hearts sequel.

DD: I don't want to say too much because I am writing it. It's unconventional as a sequel. It is not the follow-up to the two characters and their next steps. Its about the world of "Desert Hearts" and it's going to take on many more characters. It will be set in NYC in the late 60s. The two characters will be in it. The screenplay will hopefully be done by the end of the summer.

My other project is coming from my partner Terri Jentz' book Strange Piece of Paradise. Terri is working on the screenplay right now. It's a true crime memoir and it will also be finished at the end of the summer.

W&H: You just got back from a trip to Zambia. What were you doing there?

DD: I was there with Equality Now and Gloria Steinem and we attended a female sex trafficking conference. Equality Now works to help pass laws that protect women and girls with the idea that if you have laws you can enforce them. It was one of the most extraordinary and illuminating experiences of my life.

One From the Heart: Outfest Achievement Award Winner Donna Deitch LA Weekly

Interview with Kimberly Peirce, Director of Stop-Loss

Sometimes films have the power to make change in the culture. That seems to be the case with Kimberly Peirce's film Stop-Loss about a soldier who returns from his time in Iraq hoping to be discharged having done his time, only to find out he is being sent back against his wishes. It is a powerful drama about the human consequences of war that so often get missed. Here is my review: Stop-Loss.

Since the release of the film Peirce has spent many months traveling the country, showing the film to raise attention about this issue. Her recent appearance at the National Press Club provoked national press coverage about this policy that is unknown to most of the country. Women & Hollywood spoke with Peirce about the cultural impact of her film.

Women & Hollywood: How do you believe movies can effect change in our culture?

Kimberly Peirce: Movies can be an incredibly powerful art form. The medium itself is powerful because you are creating a whole world and engaging people in a story. The way we release movies is powerful -- we create events and people go to see them in a theatre with others and talk about it. The way we do the advertising is also powerful. The medium itself and the way it is communicated to the culture has profound ways of engaging people and therefore effecting change.

W&H: You could have released this film and then moved on to your next project, but it seems you have become a spokesperson for this issue. Why?

KP: It's very interesting because it is similar to what happened on Boys Don't Cry. It's not so much that I start with the issue, I start with a character. My little brother fought in Iraq and it profoundly effected my entire family. My mother, sister and I were dealing with the fear you have when one of your loved ones is in combat. I was thinking about how it would change him. I went around the country and interviewed soldiers and their families and saw what they were going through. I have been showing the film to people -- soldiers and non soldiers-- and they are being moved and are saying to me "oh my god this has to be stopped," or "I didn't know about this thank you for teaching it to me." So in a way the movie is just a continuation of a basic curiosity and a need to communicate.

W&H: So you've created a cultural conversation about this issue?

KP: Yeah- it's really exciting. We have over 1,000 comments on the sound off website. I am very much a believer in telling a story honestly, emotionally and believably. People are saying thanks for making a movie we can relate to.

W&H: Most of the films about Iraq have struggled at the box office. Do you think there is a disconnect between the war and the country?

KP: I don't believe there is a full disconnect. I believe that in some ways these movies were not marketed correctly. If you had marketed them correctly they would be bringing in more people. When I took my movie around to 24 cities I had packed screenings and 90% of the audiences stayed for the q and a. Soldiers stood up and told their stories. They loved being emotionally moved. I believe that America does want stories that move them.

I've also heard criticism that there is Iraq war fatigue. I don't buy it at all. If you tell them the movie is going to be non-stop warfare they're not going to go, it's too threatening. But when you deliver a movie about people coming home and human emotions, they'll go and they'll love it. There is an appetite for that. I think that the reporting on Iraq and not making the stories personal has numbed the audience out.

Also, we put a certain expectations on the films that are not the broad comedies or the big commercial movies and I don't think they should be competing (with each other). I do think there is a vast audience for entertaining, engaging human stories but that audience should not be compared to the audience that is going to the broad comedies. When you release them at the same time and there's a competition as to who is number one at the box office, it's really kind of missing the point. They are not the same thing. They have totally different functions and I feel really passionately about that because what ends up happening is that the films get a bad rap and I think that it's much more complex than how people are explaining it.

W&H: So is there a general problem in marketing smaller dramas?

KP: Most of the time the public is not thinking about how many theatres a movie is in, what the per screen average is and they shouldn't be. But somehow this obsession with the box office is unfortunately skewing things.

W&H: How do movies that are a little different get seen in this box office obsessed world?

KP: I think they need a little more time meaning trying to open big quickly certainly works for high concepts and for big movie star movies. But we've seen over and over and over the movies that tell a story can do fantastic in the marketplace but they take a little more time to find their audience and to grow. When we were in the theatres we were finding an audience and were growing but there was this race against time simply because of the nature of the release pattern. I found that when I connected with my audience they loved it and just needed a little bit more time. Once the reviews came out and people understood how moving it was then it resonated. Subsequent to the opening weekend our audience started to emerge.

W&H: Talk about the status of women directors in the business.

KP: I wish that the numbers were higher for women directors. I think that women have found that they are getting the farthest in creating their personal visions when they are writing their own material. I co-wrote this film on spec. I interviewed soldiers and put together the material and images cut to rock music. When I gave it to the studio there wasn't that question about whether a woman could do this it. I managed to cut through all those questions by writing it on spec. My next movie will be a romantic comedy inspired by outrageous and hilarious stories. I think making genre movies is fantastic. I want to make wildly commercial movies that appeal to audiences so I see no limitations for a man or a woman. You just need to be a disciplined and great artist. We are in the entertainment business we gotta make them laugh and cry.

Stop-Loss is out on DVD today.
More info: Stop-Loss

Backlash Everywhere

Two important pieces on the regression of rights and the consistent backlash of feminism need to be read. What's going on, or has it been going on for so long and gotten so bad that we are all finally noticing?

It started with Katha Pollitt's May piece in The Nation Backlash Spectacular excoriating Washington University for giving Phyllis Schlafly (I thought I would never write this woman's name on my site) an honorary degree and then was followed up by The Guardian's Kira Cochrane's piece Now, the Backlash last week.

Here's some of the pop culture references from the pieces

Pollitt: There are more powerful female Hollywood executives than ever, but as Manohla Dargis pointed out in a splendid rant (her word) in the New York Times, the movies are relentlessly male-focused: the conventional Hollywood wisdom is "Women can't direct. Women can't open movies. Women are a niche." Culturally, there's misogyny wherever you look: Grand Theft Auto IV, which offers players the opportunity to have sex with prostitutes and kill them, got rave reviews and is expected to have $500 million in sales its first week out.

Cochrane: That intense scrutiny of women's bodies is one trend in pop culture. Another related one is the current obsession with women as mothers, a trend being played out all over our cinema screens - in films including Juno, Knocked Up, Baby Mama, Happy Endings, Waitress and Smart People. It's also being played out in the gossip magazines. In the past few years we have seen Jennifer Lopez paid a reported $6m (£3m) for exclusive pictures of her with her twin babies; Angelina Jolie is expected to clear $10m if she agrees to pose with the twins she will give birth to later this year.

The message that these images strike home is that women's worth is directly tied to childbearing, the constant images of mothers are a siren call for women to get back into the home, and yet we're also seeing more and more blame put on mothers.

The other big gossip-magazine trend is for women to be depicted as "mad". Over the past few years we've seen a massive media obsession with women who are considered to be out of control - Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse, Lindsay Lohan and, to a lesser extent, Paris Hilton - and it's hard to avoid the sense that people want to watch these women's story arcs reach the same conclusion as that of their predecessor, the former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith, who died of an overdose last year.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that the is a consistent and persistent backlash. We need to keep fighting and not get complacent about anything.

Women Directors Meet and Organize

Any regular reader of this blog know that lamentable pathetic statistics of women directors in Hollywood. The women directors have been trying to organize for years to get same movement in these numbers. Now that the numbers are continuing to go backwards, I think they're really pissed and are organizing again. Veteran TV director Rachel Feldman held a meeting in her home last week and submitted this report.

On July 2, 10 women met at the home of Rachel Feldman, DGA director and WGA writer, to discuss changing the world for woman in media in several different ways. Undaunted by 30 years of things only getting worse for women behind the camera in Hollywood and the issues that their employment disparity breeds, these ten women from a variety of perspectives; academic, creative and non-profit, put their heads together. Crystal Allene Cook who runs the the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media suggested examining the similarities between our issues and connecting our struggles under an umbrella alliance. Actress and activist Susan Davis, spoke about her documentary “Invisible Women” - which highlights the age discrimination issue for actresses. Lindsay Horvath from NOW would like to put some muscle behind our issues and help to create a media event making our struggles loud and clear to the industry and to world, who don't yet seem to hear, care or want to understand the relevance of our issues.

We represent 53% of the population and 65% of the financial resources in the US. By 2010, women between the ages of 40-60 will be the largest demographic in America. We are tired of being underrepresented, misrepresented and discriminated against. Our goal is to flood mainstream media with our brilliance and do nothing less than change the society we live in. Soon, we will figure out our next step.

Stay tuned.

Hollywood Feminist of the Day: Charlize Theron

Charlize co-stars in the mega hit Hancock and she said a bunch of interesting things in recent interviews.

On women in film: 'People just aren't willing to see conflict, or ugliness or the more flawed side of life through a female character's eyes. I mean, can you imagine a woman playing Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver? When Robert De Niro does it, it's fine, [but] people are very uncomfortable about seeing that through a woman's eyes. We aren't allowed complexity.' (The Guardian)

On gay marriage: Everyone should have equal rights, especially when it comes to love. But it broke my heart that my friends couldn't do it. I have two girlfriends who are getting married today: I always felt like I wish I could give them my right to marry. And today they get to have that." (The Age)

'I like the way I look. I celebrate that. I don't make excuses for it' (The Guardian)
Standing tall (The Age)

Dara Torres - Pushing Boundaries

Couldn't resist this: At 41, Torres swam faster than any US woman ever in the 50 meter freestyle. The woman in second place was 20 years younger.

One reporter called her Hillary in the pool. Awesome.
After turning pool into fountain of youth, Torres set for Games (USA Today)

The First Original Play by a Woman at the National Theatre

How is this possible? How can it be 2008 and that a woman has never had an original play produced at the National Theatre in London. Sadly, this is true, but the record will fall this summer when Rebecca Lenkiewicz's new play Her Naked Skin about the suffragettes will open on July 24th.

Here are some quotes from The Guardian piece on Rebecca:

And it seems appropriate, under the circumstances, that suffragettes should be striking a blow for freedom at the Olivier. Nicholas Hytner, the National's artistic director, admits the absence of female playwrights seems 'extraordinary' but points out that it would be easy to misrepresent the situation. 'The context is that there are not many original plays at the Olivier by writers of either sex,' he says. 'It is a theatre that requires a particular set of skills: a muscularity of rhetoric, theme and imagination that will reach a thousand people.'

Hytner said:

Of the 1,000-1,500 unsolicited plays he receives each year, 'only one out of five is by a woman'.

Women: write more!

'I wrote the play because I felt the suffragettes had been forgotten. They suffered so much. I admired their comradeship, strength and old-fashioned pluck. Girls with guns, girls with bombs - but never wanting to hurt anyone.'

None the less, she believes that women are still trapped today, though in a 'different way'. She was particularly shocked by the way the suffragettes were force-fed in jail. 'Anorexia is the modern parallel - women trapped by body image. It is all about wanting to control the body. Women's bodies, through the ages, have been so much more used and abused than men's.' And she says firmly: 'Feminism has regressed a lot recently. On the news and television... there is so much woman as object.'

Can't wait for this to come to NY! If you are looking for a great movie on the suffragettes now pick up Iron Jawed Angels. I love that movie.
Turning the tables (The Guardian)
photo: Richard Saker

More September 12th Madness

The good news is that according to Nikki Finke Warner Brothers is going to spend $25 to $30 million in prints and advertising for The Women opening on September 12th. This clearly means more people will be able to see it. I am waiting with baiting breath for my screening invitation.

The bad news as I've mentioned before is that two other women centric films open that weekend -- Towelhead and The Duchess (see this post: September 12th Just Got Really Busy

The worse news is that it seems that Tyler Perry's newest movie The Family That Preys is also opening that weekend. I wouldn't care so much if the film didn't star Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodward as best friends whose families are falling apart. Film also co-stars Sanaa Lathan, KaDee Strickland and Taraji P. Henson.

This is just crazy.

Another Perspective on Wall-E

This take on Wall-E comes from the awesome Kathy Najimy (who just happens to be a fan of Women & Hollywood.)

I have a small part in Pixar's Wall-E. I found it to be a great film for girls. It is one of very few animated hits (Number 1 opening weekend) ) that stars a female Heroine. Eve is a robot who comes to earth, after the planet is overrun by trash and no human life is left, seeking life forms. She finds one and above all else (weather, love, etc.) is dedicated to her job of returning it to space. She is strong, purposed, fierce, powerful and dedicated. In essence she kicks ass.

Eve is a fantastic example of a strong non-compromising, female character for girls. (One of the best I have ever seen and as the mother of an 11 year old girl-- I have seen them all and am frequently disappointed-- I LOVED EVE!) The thing that impressed and delighted me the most is that Eve is one of very few female animated characters that isn't female identified by red lipsticked lips or a big pink bow in her hair or long false eyelashes or high heels to indicate she is female. She is, instead, a sleek white round ipod looking character that could be any gender. I applaud Pixar for not drawing or writing her in the usual gross, stereotypical manner. She is strong and in charge and saves the day.

Wall- E is a trash compactor left to clean thing up on Earth. He falls for Eve (sans eyelashes) for who she is-- -- and she is who she is with no apologies. Flawed, powerful, dedicated to her purpose and well...the hero. Wall-E is a great film that speaks courageously to the environment, the future of our planet, as well as depicting its lead male character as warm, funny, caring and sensitive (and into musicals)! And its lead female character as the confident, fantastically fierce woman in charge. That they find love together with neither "acting their gender" is a glorious relief and something I have never seen in a film before.

Thanks Kathy
photos: Walt Disney Pictures

Review: Kit Kittredge - An American Girl

Way back in the 70s the role model options for little girls like me who hated Barbie and played outside all day were quite limited. But I remember learning about the depression through the musical Annie. I remember Hooverville and the cheery optimism of Annie singing Tomorrow (which I belted out all day long.) Annie was our Kit Kittredge. Today, girls are inundated with many choices -- too many -- and I imagine that as a parent (which I'm not) it's probably a breath of fresh air to give your daughter (if have $100) an American Girl doll to play with rather than a Barbie (which coincidentally happens to be made by the same company -- Mattel.)

I saw Kit Kittredge at a screening where the girls in the audience were breathless with excitement. They were just too cute sitting down in the front row talking to the screen like they were seeing their friends, so cute that even the curmudgeon reviewers in the room cracked a smile. The film is adorable, really how can I have a problem where the opening montage includes photos of Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt who reside on the bulletin board in Kit's treehouse. What I loved about Kit is that she is the girl in charge. You hardly ever see girls so strong and confident. There is no doubt that she is the leader and her group of friends (boys and girls) looks to her for all decisions. While she's dealt some serious blows throughout the film -- her dad loses his business and is forced to leave town for a job, her family takes in boarders to help pay the rent -- she still soldiers on with her desire to be a reporter. I mean what 9-year-old knows what she wants to do and has enough moxie to show up at a major city newspaper and demand that the editor read her story. Her confidence in herself is infectious whether you are 9, 49, or 69.

A.O. Scott wrote in the NY Times this weekend about taking his daughter and her friends clutching their dolls to see the film. It seems that girls across the country are bringing their dolls with them. Cute. But let's put a little perspective on this. A month ago women were vilified as materialistic and stupid for wearing their Manolo Blanick's to see Sex and the City. One month later it adorable and empowering that girls are bringing their dolls with them to the movies. It just says to me that we love our girls like Kit to be strong, smart and bold (like Girls Inc. says) but not our women.

Kit Kittredge is a film that boys and girls should see and honestly, any parent who lets their son see something else because it's a "girls movie" is just plain wrong. Boys need to see girls in strong roles even more than girls do. I hope that we will see lots of dads and their daughters -- maybe it will spawn a take your daughter to a movie day.

This creative team on this film is infused with women power. Kudos to Patricia Rozema, the Canadian director who respected the kid actors and was also to get great performances from the adults who include Chris O'Donnell, Julia Ormand, Stanley Tucci, and the great comedian Joan Cusack. The film is produced by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Lisa Gillan who runs Julia Roberts film company (Julia is an executive producer). It is written by Ann Peacock based from the stories by Valerie Tripp.

film opens across the country today on 1800. It will really need support to compete against Hancock and the other big summer films.
photo: Cylla von Tiedeman

The Producers of Kit Kittredge Talk About Making the Film

I always love to here from the creative film people about how they got a film made. Kit Kittredge is produced by all women and several of them including Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Ellen Brothers (president of American Girl Doll) and Lisa Gillan attended a Q&A.

It was kind of strange to have a person who is a corporate brand leader talk about producing a movie but since everything is about marketing these days it was illuminating to see the impetus for taking the dolls to the screen.

I'm one of the people who really doesn't know much about the American Girl doll. For those others of you out there is the doll desert, here's what they are from the woman who runs the brand.

Ellen Brothers: American Girl is a 22 year old business all about celebrating girls. It's all about about developing products and experiences for girls that generations can share. If you go to one of our stores there are manners classes and cooking classes and muffins with mom and all sorts of things you can take with you. American Girl is about the emotional connection. Our audience is girls 3-12 and we have about 92% awareness of the brand and if you're not we have zero.

Manner classes? Cooking classes? I think that kind of regressive. How about climbing on the jungle gym classes?

Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas: I was aware of it because of my niece. I was always aware of the characters and knew they were more than a doll. American Girl, to me, was in a league of its own. There were toys and then there was American Girl, and the only reason I say that is that it's history come to life. What other product shows you history through the eyes of a nine year old? What was so impressive to me is that they vet everything. They have a whole department that historically looks at what life was like for a nine year old so you are looking at history through the eyes of a child, and sometimes you need to look back to see where you are going. Whether its Kit or Felicity when dealing with war, or Julie dealing with divorce -- each one of these girls is thinking how am I going to get through this.

How do you make sure that it is up to your standard?

EB: you control every single detail. We were very respectful of entertainment because in a girls eyes we have sold over 120 million books and these characters live in a girls imagination. We were very concerned that when we picked an actor to play the lead that forever more she would be that character so you have to make sure that you control all the details. I was so impressed when Elaine and her team came in to talk about this. She could have been interviewing for a job that's how well she knew the intellectual property and we always start with the story and then the doll. We start with the story first, the values we want to infuse, and then decide what the characters is going to look like and Elaine knew that to its core. We were pretty sure that we found the right partners and we made three TV movies in o4, 05, 06 and the logical extension of the success of those was to move to feature films.

EGT: We also knew that there was no family audience in TV. With very little media we sold 1 million units and what what that told us that while advertisers are not going to pay a lot to reach a family audience in TV, there is a family audience in features. And while others audiences are dwindling and coming and going what I kept on saying to anyone who would listen is this could be a movie because it's a family movie. I don't think its just for girls. I hope boys go and hope dads go. I know that our target is girls but I think its empowering for kids. It tells kids you can get through it. If a movie can entertain and educate a little bit, hallelujah.

We never say when it's a movie for boys or men that we need to get women and girls to attend, but when it's a movie for girls or women we say we need to get the male audience in. How can we overcome these stereotypes?

EGT: It's hard because this is American Girl. It bothers me to no end. I've given lots of interviews where I've said why does the success of Sex and the City limit or define an audience? The female audience has been there. For 15 years it was there with Julia (Roberts, an Executive Producers on this film) and everyone says oh it's just because it was Julia, then it was Sandra Bullock, then it was Reese Witherspoon, then it was The Devil Wears Prada and Chicago. We are always the exception why can't we just be the rule? I just don't understand it. Now they are saying that we are Sex and the City for little girls. No, we're a good movie. I don't like being the exception. I think the female audience has been there. I think that Julia Roberts did define it for our generation for 15 years, but before her there was Barbra Streisand there were always women there. It exists, it's healthy we have to feed it. And we have to stop treating every movie like its the definition or the end.

Why Kit's story?

Lisa Gillan: Kit is very popular and it's a time period that kids don't know very much about and are fascinated with. There is no technology and it opens up a world that their grandparents lived in and there are fascinated by little things that we at our age take for granted like typewriters. When Abigail first sat down at the typewriter she said: "where's the screen? and then how do I delete?" Kit's story was also expandable. We have a young boy who's a co-star. Valerie Tripp (the book writer) made these characters real. What we tried to do was dramatize it and honor her work as best as we could but expand it. It's hard because the 12 million girl fan will bust you.

EB: We love the way that the depression, 1934 Cincinnati, resonates with what we are going through today. It's about losing your home, relying on family and friends to get through, it's about loss, and we just thought that when we were putting this movie together a year ago we thought there were wonderful links that girls would understand. You can't ignore the relevance.

9 year old girls are strong and powerful and soon after that they lose a lot of that power. Why did American Girl pick 9 as the age of the dolls?

EB: I think that's one thing the founder of the brand Pleasant Rowling did. She didn't really understand what she was doing but took girls seriously. Now we look at the tween market which has 220 billion dollar in discretionary spending. No one was marketing to them 22 years ago when American Girl started. They decided not to pander to them. The books are written at a second grade reading level, and the whole premise is to compare and contrast points of American history that is taught in public schools. We've never done TV advertising. We market through catalogs and the catalogs are a real emotional hook because moms and girls keep them in their houses. There is an emotional connection.