Report: Television Violence Against Women On The Rise

Studies about pop culture are important because television helps to influence what we perceive as "normal" in our society. Today, the Parents Television Council reports an increase in depicted violence against women on television - which carry real life implications. More »

The Hangover: Funny, Racist, Sexist?

As previously mentioned, last week I saw new dick flick The Hangover. Was it (mostly) hilarious? Yes. Was it also problematic and offensive? Yes, yes. More »

Mohican Son

Wondering what happened to Madeline Stowe? Well, she's reinvented herself as a writer/director. Her first project: A drama about a woman (Weisz) attacked by Comanches and rescued by a frontiersman (Jackman). Hmm. [Variety]

Manic Pixie Dream Girls Are The Scourge Of Modern Cinema

The always-relevant Onion A.V. Club has coined a term for the type of movie girl-woman whom we've long despised: the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. The A.V. Club defines the MPDG as "that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." Our own Sadie had a fantastic rant about this particular kind of flighty creature, whom she termed "Amazing Girls," or, ideal muses whose beauty, sweetness and gentle, studied eccentricity renders them entirely docile. Of all the MPDGs listed by the A.V. Club, the most pernicious of these cinematic sweethearts is far and away Natalie Portman's irksome moppet in Garden State. More »

Portrayal Of Sexuality In Mamma Mia!: Insulting Or Inspiring?

Mamma Mia!, the rollicking Abba-fest that raked in $28 million at the box office this past weekend has been hailed by some as a feminist film because the writer, director and leads are all women over 40. In early July, MM co-producer Judy Craymer told the New York Times that the movie is, “about real women.” Well, I saw Mamma Mia! on Friday night, and though it's admirable that the trio of 50 to 60-something women (Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters) are shown as sexual, something irked me about the portrayal of their sexuality — the movie made them into caricatures. Perhaps criticizing an ABBA musical for painting in broad strokes is like negging a rave for playing seizure-inducing techno, but it bugged me that Streep, Baranski and Walters were all given choreography that involved grabbing their breasts and crotches repeatedly. It seemed to be mocking their lustiness rather than celebrating it. More »