Tag Archives: women

X-Men First Class gets B- (but kind of hates women and minorities)

The re-boot: what an intriguing concept. A production company just Etch A Sketches the previous narrative to start a new one.  One motive is the hope of re-invigorating a franchise that’s hobbling along; both Spider-Man and X-Men got their re-boots (Spider-Man hits next year) after weak third installments. Or maybe you just don’t want to spend the money to maintain your now-expensive lead actors and directors.  For the audience it’s almost like losing the lottery: you spend three films (over the course of a decade) investing in the characters and their narrative, only to be told you’ll have to re-invest (maybe that’s more like the stock market).  Fortunately X-Men First Class offers some legitimate incentives to do so, but it’s not without its flaws. Continue reading

Hanna trailer: Girls get to kick some ass

Big Daddy and Hit Girl were the shining stars of 2010’s Kick-Ass and the trailer released for Hanna shares similar qualities to Hit Girl’s violent badass tendencies

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Ginger Snaps Trilogy Roundup & The Problem of Genre Distinctions (part 4)

:read part 1, part 2, part 3:

Ginger Snaps: Complete Roundup

Though the final part of the Ginger Snaps trilogy is weak, it’s not Spider-Man 3 weak. Given the track record of horror film sequels, the entire trilogy stands up pretty well. The real strength of the series lies with the characters, specifically female lead characters. The male cast members are all supporting pieces to the story (though they play bigger parts in Ginger Snaps Back), so we get a fresh perspective as Brigitte and Ginger lead us through female territory: sisterhood, mother-daughter relationships, sex, menstruation, relationships with men, etc. Continue reading

Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (pt 3)

:catch Part 1 here and Part 2 here:

Now, about the third film.  Yes, Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning is set in the 19th century.  Yes, that sounds very silly.  How in the hell have two girls dealing with werewolves in the modern era  suddenly found themselves stuck in the mid-1800’s fighting werewolves at a Canadian trade post?  The answer: there isn’t really one.  Toward the latter third of the film there are allusions to reincarnation and curses passed through families, but the film doesn’t force this idea and there aren’t any time travel shenanigans.  It just is.

So I’ll say this: if you had never seen the first two films and watched this one, it could stand on its own – which is respectable. Continue reading