For Your Consideration: Aubrey Plaza, Best Actress, Ingrid Goes West

As those of us that follow the Oscar race know, Best Actress this year is a bloodbath with no clear frontrunner. You have Sally Hawkins for The Shape Of Water and Frances McDormand for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri out in front. Then names like Margot Robbie for I, Tonya, Saoirse Ronan for Lady Bird, Jessica Chastain for Molly’s Game, Emma Stone for Battle Of The Sexes, and even an actress you may know named Meryl Streep for The Post.

But there is one performance that deserves to be in the conversation that is sadly under people’s radar: Aubrey Plaza for Ingrid Goes West.

Aubrey Plaza is best known for her supporting turn as the deadpan intern April Ludgate on the comedy series Parks and Recreation. Aside from her scene-stealing quips, Plaza has shown hints of her dramatic capabilities with the way her character grows throughout the show as April goes from a misanthropic college student initially unsure of what direction she wants her life to go in before continuously analyzing her career choices.

Yet even if you are familiar with her work as April, you will not see a trace of her in Aubrey Plaza’s revelatory performance as Ingrid Thorburn, a mentally ill woman who’s a little too obsessed with social media, particularly Instagram, but turns to social media to find connection with other people since she lost her mother who was her best friend. Whenever Ingrid sees someone “like” something that she posts, she can easily mistake that for a meaningful relationship.

But in spite of the film’s colorful, seriocomic tone and the fact that Plaza is playing someone who has a mental illness, she almost never makes jokes at the expense of her character’s condition. She does get to showcase her rather acidic comedic delivery but she is also able to dig deep into the dramatic anxiety surrounding her character. Much of the drama being showcased in her performance is demonstrated through her expressive eyes.

*spoilers ahead*

During one scene towards the end where Ingrid tries calling Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen), her newfound friend, and starts to realize that Taylor has abandoned her, Plaza demonstrates her character’s sudden fear of solitude through her panicking eyes as well as her speech patterns that within seconds go from kindly to ferocious. When Ingrid is on the brink of loneliness, it’s as if she’s starting to crack like a porcelain doll.

Interestingly, it is the moments in the film when Ingrid is alone where Aubrey Plaza’s performance shines brightest. In those small moments, we get a grand sense of what kind of person Ingrid is because of how she is fixated on her Instagram feed and the various facial glances that Plaza gives as Ingrid goes from photo to photo range from crazily obsessive to euphoric happiness. She is able to tell us plenty about the person she plays without ever having to actually tell us anything.

Even in a scene where Ingrid and Taylor are singing “All My Life” by K-Ci and JoJo in a car, when Ingrid gets to the line “And I hope that you feel the same way too,” she has a look of yearning and uses the song as a way to channel her feelings. Like I said, the performance lives almost entirely in Plaza’s eyes. If she didn’t let us see the vulnerability behind Ingrid’s obsession or hadn’t shown how a liked post can make feel Ingrid feel loved and appreciated, Ingrid would’ve been portrayed as rather one-note.

It’s easy to be on the brink of caricature when an actor portrays a person with a mental illness. Admittedly, as much as I liked Silver Linings Playbook, I thought the two lead performances by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence were a tad too broad. But Aubrey Plaza manages to make Ingrid feel like a real person. Even if some of the things that Ingrid does to be appreciated aren’t agreeable, she still manages to be a complex characterization regardless.

A nomination for Aubrey Plaza would not only be a way to nominate her three-dimensional performance but also a way to honor her redefining year with Ingrid Goes West and her supporting turn on the FX series Legion which garnered her significant praise and a critics push for an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress In A Drama Series.

I know that the Academy has a rocky relationship with comedians going serious. For every Bill Murray that gets nominated, there’s a Jim Carrey that they’ll just never go for. But I ask that they overlooked their comedian bias and recognize Aubrey Plaza’s tremendous work. I’m sure Oscar favorites like Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Judi Dench, and even Jessica Chastain are terrific and are worthy of being in the Best Actress race. But they don’t just have to go for familiarity and Aubrey Plaza deserved to be welcomed into the Oscar club.

I, Tonya Red Band Trailer Propels Margot Robbie & Allison Janney As Oscar Frontrunners

The Tonya Harding true story is a fascinating one, and Craig Gillespie’s directing was expected to somewhat match the harsh reality of it. By the looks of this new red band trailer for I, Tonya, we’re lead to believe this is full-throttle drama, not holding back on the punches. A perfect trailer to have the Academy Awards conversation juicier than ever at this early time in the season – especially with the biopic status.

We also get a much greater glance at the two actresses (though Sebastian Stan might earn his credit), Margot Robbie and Allison Janney. Already hot prospects in the Oscar predictors circuit, I don’t have much hesitation in declaring both top of their respective categories if all goes to plan. Robbie is the bright, breakthrough actress on the cusp of greatness, and Janney is well overdue (a notion that repels me), so many runaway roles on film behind her, hard to believe she is Oscar-less thus far. I suspect the film’s tough trek to a Best Picture slot only makes their cases stronger. Good luck ladies.

Directors’ Weekend: The 10 Best Tim Burton Films

So here are the 10 Best Tim Burton films according to the collective bunch of you that voted. And a huge thank you very much indeed for taking the time to do so. In my humble opinion there are a few unexpected rankings making the cut, and a certain alien attack and tiny Alice nowhere to be seen. Here are the 10, counting down…

10. Corpse Bride (2005)

Much more compassion and warmth than the title of the stop-motion animated feature Corpse Bride suggests, this is a Tim Burton tale if ever we saw one. Mike Johnson co-directs with Burton, a rich, poignant, albeit dark, gloomy affair, the film comes alive through its seamless, familiar production (a la the Henry Selick directed The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach). Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter  are at hand voicing the unforgettable leads – who else? — Robin Write

9. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Tim Burton is forever pubescent. Not quite an adult, not quite a child, as evidenced in his movies that speaks to both. Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street stage musical debuted during Broadway’s pubescent phase, leaving behind the rigidly melodious Rogers & Hammerstein productions and riding the tidal wave of darker, more sexualized Broadway fare that embraced narrative over sing-alongs. Although the musical and film embrace melody, it is in a much more dire world, like Tim Burton’s mind. Burton’s faithful, gothic-inspired adaptation is summed up in two aesthetics: coal and blood. Despite its grim visuals a playful tone emerges until Burton does something out of his norm: he goes full melodrama. The last third of Sweeney Todd brims with death, heartbreak, and fleeting childhood innocence – perhaps his greatest fears. Burton’s unique sensibilities were practically destined for such a pairing. — Ian Nichols

6. Sleepy Hollow (1999)

The first of three films that wound up with exactly the same amount of votes is unquestionably one of Burton’s finest. Sleepy Hollow is a tremendous whole of its bold, beautiful parts, story-telling so swift and sinister, an array of excellence via the production design, costumes, cinematography and of course yet another cracking Danny Elfman score. Burton is in complete control of his material and creativity here, casting Depp in a somewhat comedic role works well, a supporting cast including Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, and Christopher Walken swallow up scenery, and there is Christina Ricci, radiant and era-fitting as only she can be. — Robin Write

6. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

What’s this? What’s this? There really is magic everywhere in the Burton-birthed Christmas-Halloween (out favorite holiday hybrid) tale, majestically directed by Henry Selick. The score and songs will linger in my head and heart for years, decades it seems, as we follow Jack Skellington and a whole host of monsters, ghouls, trouble-causers, inquisitive kids etc etc fathom the true meaning of both holiday seasons. The absurd, the outlandish, but also the essential message of morality, as well as the penetratingly accurate depiction of childhood, Burton has his glorious fingerprints all over this. — Robin Write

6. Batman Returns (1992)

After establishing the modern playbook for studio superhero movies (distinct casting for the heroes, top shelf established award caliber stars for the villains, big budget marketable soundtrack, noted director, etc) with Batman in 1989, Tim Burton came back three years later with the sequel doing what the second chapter always does; bigger, broader and sexier. Moving from the singular villain of Jack Nicholson’s pop art version of The Joker, Burton ups the ante – and the dark goth aesthetic – with Danny DeVito’s schizophrenic Penguin, Michelle Pfeiffer’s lusty Catwoman and Christopher Walken playing Christopher Walken by way of Conrad Veidt. With these dastardly devils and Michael Keaton returning as the titular crime fighter, Burton crafts a goofy memorable highwire affair that fits solidly into not only his canon, but that of the superhero as well. — Tobi Ogunyemi

5. Big Fish (2003)

Personally, the inclusion of Big Fish so high in the list was a surprise, where I expected potentially all the films prior on this very run-down to out-shine it. Regardless, yet again, Burton excels in visual story-telling, rarely does his replace the shadows and the darkness with dreamy colorscapes. There are elements of myth and make-believe on display here that make Big Fish more memorable than your average life recollection picture, and it has obviously won over audiences in this very list. — Robin Write

4. Ed Wood (1994)

So, Ed Wood is a film that for some strange reason, I never saw until just last week, even though I heard so many great things about it from various people, including praise from the guys over at the Flicksation Podcast. Eric Madsen especially loves it, and even said that Martin Landau is one of his favorite performances of all-time. So, what’s my opinion? I agree wholeheartedly on both Landau is fantastic, and the movie is too. I love that it was shown in beautiful black & white, and it features kooky performances that seem to match an Ed Wood directed film. If you don’t know who Ed Wood is, he was considered one of the worst film directors in Hollywood history, and his 1959 film Plan 9 From Outer Space is one of the reasons why. Ed Wood the film is the antithesis though of Ed Wood the director. Its confident, funny, and very entertaining. — Al Robinson

3. Batman (1989)

When this movie came out I was 7 years old, so I’ve always known of this, and it’s hard to imagine the new legacy of Batman on film without this one first. Before Tim Burton came to create the new image, the one we all had before it was of Adam West from the 1960s, where he’s a joking one and wearing greyish-blue colors. Michael Keaton on the other hand made Batman the true Dark Knight he really is, and wearing all black and looking and acting much more mysterious and dangerous. It’s the kind I always think of. The movie is really fun and full of great characters, including Jack Nicholson’s Joker, and a great soundtrack from Prince. Maybe my favorite thing about it besides the fight scenes and explosions, is the Batmobile, which is still the coolest thing Batman has ever driven. Badass Batman, badass indeed! — Al Robinson

2. Beetlejuice (1988)

A film Burton at one time had a hard time getting made, but he eventually won the powers that be over – even getting an approval to go with the title “Scared Sheetless”. With his dynamic, gothic outlay, and unique energy of filmmaking, once upon a time Burton was a powerful director. Beetlejuice is a firm favorite of die-hard fans, a story and execution so surreal, we are almost made to feel at home in among the madness. Vibrant, spooky, and very funny (Keaton in career best form, Davis, Baldwin, and Ryder all shine), Beetlejuice has stood the test of time as cult, tongue-in-cheek, immersive cinema goes. — Robin Write

1. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

A story about someone trying to fit in, Tim Burton took elements from other similar stories, mixing them with his imagination, and with the help of screenwriter Caroline Thompson, created Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp) to represent all those souls that want to be accepted. Edward is in awe at the world he discovers, the simplest things are extraordinary, as he grows intellectually and emotionally helped by the interactions he makes with people, especially Peg (wonderfully played by Dianne Wiest), Kim (Winona Ryder), and Jim (Anthony Michael Hall). This modern fairytale couldn’t be complete without the magnificent score by Danny Elfman, the gorgeous palette by cinematographer Stefan Czapsky, and production designer Bo Welch. Without doubt this is one of his most “Burtonesque” films, we can see all of his trademarks – the colors, the fantastical elements that characterize him – making it an unique film that cannot be reproduced better in other hands than Burton’s. — Joel Melendez

Rank and rant about your favorite Tim Burton films in the comments below

Au Revoir, Jeanne Moreau

Having recently delved into the cinematic year of wonder that is 1961, it was an easy selection to include the emotive turn from Jeanne Moreau from La Notte in my Actress Lead shortlist. In the same year the French actress made a cheeky cameo in Jean-Luc Godard’s Une Femme est une femme as Jean-Paul Belmondo simply asks her how it’s going with Jules et Jim. Moderato, Moreau responds. A subtle understatement if ever I heard one.

I can think back to my earliest memories of Jules et Jim, back when I perhaps couldn’t fully grasp the kind of bond the two male characters had, or when I was unsure how to pronounce (or spell) the name of director François Truffaut, and growing up to the prospect of perhaps meeting someone as hypnotic and fickle as Catherine. A unquestionable element of what makes Jules et Jim a genuinely great, no matter how many times I have re-watched it, is that Jules and Jim (no offense at all Oskar Werner and Henri Serre) are not the focus of the movie – Catherine is.

Audacious, magnetic, temperamental, the legendary Jeanne Moreau is bewitching beyond comprehension in her many guises here, I’ve fallen in love with Catherine over and over. And Moreau. The camera follows her and sticks to her like glue. Jeanne has long since earned the mantra iconic and the loving cliche that there is nobody quite like her. This loss is a sad one indeed, but a somber reminder of her enormous screen presence and my life-long affection of cinema.

Au revoir, Mademoiselle Moreau, je t’aime.

Cinema 2017 Half-Time Report: Movies 3/4

Here are 8 more recommendations movie-wise from the pre-summer, awards season era of this year. 2017 has uncovered some gems for me personally, and a lot of you too by the looks of things. How many of these have you seen:

Get Out

The last time I spoke highly of a horror film, it was writer/director David Robert Mitchell’s truly terrifying It Follows in 2014. And right out of the bat, first-time writer-director Jordan Peele – yes, that Jordan Peele from Comedy Central’s “Key and Peele” – etches his name into horror movie history with this disturbing and darkly humorous flick about an interracial couple, played by Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams, who visit the latter’s parent’s house, only to be confronted with a family that kidnaps black men and robs them of their livelihood to benefit their disturbed relatives. What resonates with me is the cultural subtext – the moment Chris asks “why black people?”, only to hear that because blacks are a fad, Peele’s satire rings through – that even white liberals, with good intentions, can fall prey to racism. —– Jonathan Holmes @MisterBrown_23

Divines

My wife so happened to be fed up of the coming-of-age movies when we sat down to watch this one, or else she would have raved about it too. I think Divines, brutally and beautifully directed by Houda Benyamina, transcends the mere notion of a self-discovery movie. The picture has teen life at it’s grittiest, asks many questions about the poverty-stricken areas (of Paris in this case), it delves into your future, and what you’re prepared to do about it. Drug-dealing and skipping school are plot devices here, and relevant ones, Divines also shines a warm light on young friendship, family failings, betrayal, and dealt with in such a realistic manner is the minor glimmers of attraction. Moving, paced to perfection, and captivating as hell – this is also superbly acted on all fronts, the central character of Dounia in particular is brought to life by Oulaya Amamra with emotive bite and passion. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

T2 Trainspotting

Sequels tend to annoy me. Sequels done 20 years after their iconic predecessor even more so. Sequels done 20 years after their iconic predecessor during such money-grabbing, style over substance times actually scare me. Which is why it is so freaking refreshing to watch something featuring across the board acting that respects the original characters, writing that tributes the story-line in organically developing persons and histories, and directing providing actual direction; a mature homage to the core meaning of the narrative instead of a visual race towards outdoing. Twenty years down the line, our heroes have evolved And so have we alongside them. They are a mirror of you and me, and we are all older, wiser, fatigued, but still painfully flawed. —– The Greek

Bi-mil-eun eobs-da (The Truth Beneath)

When director Lee Kyeong-mi finished the script for this sophisticated, unusual political thriller, she knew her hardest battles were yet to come. A) She needed funding for a female-lead thrill ride in a male-dominated industry, and B) she needed an actress whose popularity would secure financing in a male-dominated industry. Enter South Korea’s box-office heavyweight: Son Ye-jin. With Son at her side, the money came in, and this heartbreaking, unnerving, and sometimes gruesome thriller hit the big screen to critical and box office success. But The Truth Beneath isn’t merely a “South Korean thrillers.” Although we’ve seen myriad fathers and pseudo-father figure do-gooders fight sadomasochists, The Truth Beneath squares on Yeon-hong (Son, fearlessly exploiting the emotional spectrum) and her missing daughter. She’s not helpless, but she’s not well-equipped as she sifts through daughter’s mysterious disappearance. She’s naive, but catches on quickly, going places and following leads the police seem to dismiss. But while her politician husband remains consumed by his campaign, The Truth Beneath reveals a woman’s relationship with her family–and to the power-hungry world in which she lives–as complex, unpredictable, and necessitating rebellion. —– Ian Nichols @iantilnic

Hounds of Love

Hounds of Love marks the written and directed debut of Ben Young – and it’s quite a master stroke of a first feature too. An Australian production, the movie centers on the crime-couple John and Evelyn White, who appear to be responsible for the disappearance of missing girls. A local girl is approached by them, at first friendly, lure her into their home where she is captured and tied to the bed. The harrowing, and mercifully surprising, events that follow shape the unknown near-future for our victim, but also shines a spotlight into the eyes of the deranged couple as their bricks start to crumble. Young incorporates some fine motion pacing, and crams in a couple of his favorite music track as effective narrative aids. Some remarkable acting too, with the trio of Emma Booth, Ashleigh Cummings, and Stephen Curry, all dazzling. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Alien: Covenant

So, you’re telling me Ridley Scott came back to the greatest sci-fi film franchise that he himself created? I’m in a thousand times over and then some. As someone who felt unfulfilled coming out of Prometheus, Alien: Covenant blew away my expectations of what it could have ever been. Something that was missing from the original Alien and its processor Aliens was the world building element. They were very confined to their own stories. Meanwhile both Prometheus and Covenant have answered some of my most burning questions yet also leaves me fiending for another sequel. Embracing its’ horror roots Covenant has a new doomed crew who finds the devious and unnerving David, played by Michael Fassbender. New additions to the crew unveil the horror of the creation of Xenomorphs and the lengths that some will go to achieve their ambitions, however terrible they may seem. Alien: Covenant is a fun ride and a worthy addition to the franchise. —– Mike Austin @MuzakWeeWoo

Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2

Perhaps the biggest trap any sequel can fall into is the notion that the second go-around has to be bigger than the first; only to forget that it also should be better. Writer-director James Gunn deftly avoids this by keeping his focus on this motley crew of bounty hunters and misfits that have come together from the first installment and now try to work out how to stay together as a family – Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is discovering his heritage through his long-lost father, Ego (Kurt Russell); Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is dealing with her psychotic sister, Nebula (Karen Gillian), as well as the damage done to her by their father, Thanos; and Yondu (Michael Rooker) is coming to terms with what he means to Quill. There’s plenty of humor and terrific visuals (Visual Effects, Sound Mixing and Art Direction feel like shoe-ins for the Oscars), including a breakout sequence set to Jay and the Americans “Come a Little Bit Closer”, but what makes this superhero space opera one Marvel Studios’ finest installments to date is the attention to character and building further on this cosmic universe Gunn has created. —– Jonathan Holmes @MisterBrown_23

76 Minutes and 15 Seconds with Abbas Kiarostami

Renowned Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami passed in 2016, but his legacy of proximal relationship dramas that were genre- and narrative-bending pieces of contemporary art. Kiarostami’s friend, Seyfolah Samadian, compiled “home movies,” creating a structureless documentary–a series of moments with Kiarostami. These fleeting peeks into the venerated Iranian director’s days are unspecial, yet entirely invigorating. Kiarostami’s notes in poetry books and his own poetry. His art installations of towering trees or his woodland film lectures. His rain-on-a-windshield photography and the short film of geese on the overcast ocean shore. This movie is a voyeuristic doc-eulogy to the late director and the love-labor of art and artists. Creativity’s potential hides in every day’s every minute and Kiarostami aggressively exorcised it from the night of mundanity. —– Ian Nichols @iantilnic

What are your thoughts on these selections. Again, what have we missed? Stay tuned for the last 8.

Cinema 2017 Half-Time Report: Movies 2/4

It feels as though the deep dramas, cringey horrors, and black comedies are three of the freshest produce on the market these days – lucky for us the next few fall into those boxes. If you haven’t seen the following movies from this year, you have some work to do:

Free Fire

I had the absolute pleasure of watching the movie Free Fire opening night and I could not have loved the film more. From director Ben Wheatley, Free Fire is an explosive and witty action/comedy that had myself and theater howling with laughter. A fast-paced Edgar Wright like action film, that focuses on a black-market gun deal that goes horribly wrong and a gun fight that breaks out to try and ensure both sides get what they want. Fun alliances are formed and a tremendous cast with standouts from Armie Hammer, Sharlito Copely, and Brie Larson help drive the hilarious shoot out forward. The most surprising thing about Free fire is everything takes place on one set for almost two hours, incredibly Wheatley manages to keep your attention for what is basically an hour-long action sequence of guns, one liners, and gravity defying 80’s hair. Treat yourself, watch Free Fire! —– Mike Austin @MuzakWeeWoo

Chavela

Chavela fits snugly into the bio-documentary format, but it bursts at the seems. Regaling us with pictures, recordings, and old interviews with the most renowned Mexican singer in history, Chavela Vargas, the film’s directors (Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi) don’t go for the narrative jugular–they don’t have to. As an out lesbian and gregarious lush, Vargas was a towering figure who needs no emphasis. She and the stories her friends tell as talking heads are bold, shocking and remembered with wit only found in patrons of bygone nightclubs and cabarets. If you begin Chavela knowing nothing about its subject, you’ll end Chavela deeply in love with the earth-quaking performer. If you were already in love, well, it will be devastating to part with such an enamored film. —– Ian Nichols @iantilnic

U-ri-deul (The World of Us)

To adults, the world of children can be a most perplexing place; to children, it may be even more so. Beyond and before the social rigours of rural Korean society, of the world of adults, of a social stratum to which she can never aspire stands the 10-year-old protagonist of Yoon Ga Eun’s The World of Us. A new friendship over summer vacation promises new hope for this ostracized girl, until those rigours rear their unwelcome heads as a new reality re-emerges: the real world. This is an uncommonly astute film, Yoon’s original screenplay demonstrating a remarkable grasp on the qualities of childhood interrelationships that is matched by the performances of her exceptional young cast. A bona fide work of dramatic excellence. —– Paddy Mulholland @screenonscreen

Umi yori mo mada fukaku (After the Storm)

Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda writes and directs a family drama so soothing and sensitive in all the tensions and pain it depicts that it becomes one of the most tranquil film experiences of the year. The literal storm and shelters provide a wonderful physical narrative, but of course also cater for the inner struggles of them all. Ultimately for the main character Ryota, he is also to claim back some scope of himself with his mother and sister, as well as strengthening the bond with his son, and accepting what has become of his relationship with the boy’s mother.. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Dao khanong (By the Time It Gets Dark)

Welcome to the stage, Anocha Suwichakornpong! Everyone’s favourite new Thai auteur delves into that most essential of topics in the cinema of South-East Asia: her nation’s troubled political history. A thesis on the act and the importance of remembering, and on that of representing such remembrances, By the Time It Gets Dark is a beguiling piece with as much ephemeral power to enchant as it possesses enduring power to disturb. As another voice to a rather minute chorus, Suwichakornpong’s presentation of the past and its ever-more-dwindling hold on the present is a vital contribution to cinema’s statement on the history of this region, and the breakthrough work from a filmmaker likely destined to become one of the medium’s most influential voices in its upcoming years. —– Paddy Mulholland @screenonscreen

The Keepers

True Crime documentaries, TV shows, and podcasts are all the rage these days. But Netflix’s The Keepers proves to be the most surprising yet. What begins as an inquisition into the unsolved death of a Maryland Catholic nun in the 1960s becomes an investigation into systemic sexual abuse at a Catholic girls school in the heart of Baltimore. The Keepers snakes through a disturbing murder mystery and a deplorably unacknowledged sex scandal. Throughout we’re intrigued by the mystery, disturbed and heartbroken over the abuse, horrified by suspects’ haunted lives, and finally driven over the edge by institutional inaction. These seven hours of captivating truth-telling are a tempest of emotions–accomplishing affects few theatrical releases have this year. —– Ian Nichols @iantilnic

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore

Man oh man, is this movie a ride and a half. One of the most surprisingly entertaining films this year, like a splash of cold water just when you need it. This is actor Macon Blair’s first venture as a writer and director, and this is no beginners luck. Not only does he write with flair and chronic black humor, he also carpenters his own material like a true craftsman. In casting Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood in roles I would bet were written just for them (and parts I suspect they always wanted but never knew), there is clearly some method to all the madness. Netflix hits another home-run, then, in distributing this to our screens, I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore is a haphazard riot throughout, switching pace and posture on its own terms. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

The Eyes of My Mother

And then Hitchcock met Lynch and by their powers of their individual brands of lunacy combined, together, they birthed a love child, forever caging its unhinged beauty in an eternal black and white torment of an ephialtes. Said legacy is a splendidly flawed, demented photoplay of utter chaos that miraculously finds itself in perfect emotional harmony amidst a psychological disarray the magnitude of which can only be assumed since its actual truth is, in truth, unthinkable. —– The Greek

Let us know the films you think stood out in 2017 so far. 16 more to come shortly.

Cinema 2017 Half-Time Report: Performances 2/2

Acing. Star quality. Going above and beyond. Breaking through. Genuinely surprising us. However you want to spin it, there have been some illustrious screen presences over the last 6 months from various men and women. Here are the rest of just a handful of those that stayed in our thoughts: 

Emma Booth in Hounds of Love

Suburban dreams with the man you love simply can’t be fulfilled with a clear conscious and wits about you when you team up to kidnap girls and deflect the relationship you might have with your own absent spawns. While John White (Stephen Curry) is a vicious, haphazard nutter, his wife Evelyn (Emma Booth) has a deep-seeded longing to escape the shackles of a life caving in. But it is not easy, swaying back and forth between the psychotic lifestyle and the pure need to be happy, Booth is nothing short of brilliant in every frame. Edgy emotions, layers of thoughts plastered across her face, actions of a desperate woman. Her actions are unforgivable, but you’re not human if you don’t sympathize with her before the end. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman

After glimpsing a taste of her in “Batman v Superman”, fans get to see the legend (finally) get her close-up after 75 years of waiting, and it was well worth it. Gadot doesn’t just look like Diana of Themyscira, she really understands who this character is: whereas Batman is a man who lives within the shadows, Wonder Woman is defined by her compassion, as well as being a demigod who can absorb energy through her cuffs. When we see her trying to convince Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) that Ares is behind World War I, or fawning over a baby in dreary London, you buy her sincerity, her naivety because we believe her; a feat that’s very difficult to pull off, but she does it almost effortlessly. Like with Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, or Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Gadot was born to play this role and she is Wonder Woman. —– Jonathan Holmes @MisterBrown_23

Breeda Wool in Erasing Eden

Beth Dewey’s indie drama Erasing Eden attempts to throw a bride-to-be onto the intoxicating tracks of a journey to something resembling self-discovering or finding her moral strength. Breeda Wool as Eden is something of a surprise here, and I say that given the peanuts budget (to which Dewey achieves some dazzling images), the actress appears to leap out of her depth, delivering a truly endearing, engaging performance. Even more impressive given that following what would seem to be a beating, Eden can hardly speak let alone find her way home. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Catherine Keener in Get Out

To think that the woman from the 40-Year-Old Virgin attempting to make Steve Carrell sell his action figures would turn in a performance in Jordan Peele’s Get Out that would be my nightmare fuel for the past few months is not lost on me. In fact, I welcome these role reversals from actors who seem to be type casted, it’s refreshing. Catherine Keener plays at first what seems to be a fun loving and approachable mother turns quickly into a cold and bone numbing hypno-therapist with a far more insidious agenda. Lead actor like Daniel Kaluuya is effective directly because of the powerful character take from Keener and both work well of each other. Keener evokes much like the rest of the cast a sense of unease and tension that explodes in the climax. I hope to see much more of this strong supporting role from Keener as she is perfect in Get out. —– Mike Austin @MuzakWeeWoo

Adrian Titieni in Bacalaureat (Graduation)

We are in familiar territory here, or should I say familial, with Graduation, the latest gritty, social drama from Romanian maestro Cristian Mungiu. Wanting the very best for his daughter in tough economic times, the father (Adrian Titieni) begins a journey with ethics and good intentions, but as we discover his own infidelity, and eventually losing his morals as he becomes more and more desperate, he finds his path is now bumpier than ever. Titieni is in pretty much every scene (not unlike the Dardenne’s Rosetta perhaps), brandishing both a determined energy, and something of a stubborn vitality – bleak, of course, but compelling to watch. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Cast Ensemble in It’s Only the End of the World

Xavier Dolan’s latest shines the spotlight on Gaspard Ulliel, Nathalie Baye, Vincent Cassel, Marion Cotillard, and Lea Seydoux; Pierre, mother, brother, sister-in-law, and sister, respectively. After countless years, successful playwright Pierre’s homecoming throws this insignificant small-town family into a tailspin. Cotillard quails and mediates; Cassel explodes from frictive insecurities; Seydoux reaches out to the brother who was never around, and Pierre’s mother cautiously adores her returned son. Igniting flames of emotions, the cast holds their audience captive to blistering explosions and crippling intimacy. The film itself has its demons in pacing and blunt metaphors (like, really really obtuse), but its ensemble is a human-made wonder. —– Ian Nichols @iantilnic

Florence Pugh in Lady Macbeth

Florence Pugh’s dominant performance in Lady Macbeth (this is more Emily Brontë than William Shakespeare by the way) is reminiscent in tone and delivery to the cold, front-line kind of role we use to see the likes of Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck et al chew up in their day. It’s a compliment, sure, but the subtlety and under-lying repression and suffering that Pugh’s character has to endure requires a certain poise and grace – necessities which the young actress seems to carry under her wing so seamlessly, it’s an impressive display even at her most wicked and vengeful. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 2

Just because an action movie character is a man of few words and lets his fits do the talking, doesn’t mean the performance isn’t considered fine or even great (see: Matt Damon as Jason Bourne). In the tradition of Clint Eastwood’s Will Munny or even this year’s Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, John Wick has an ugly history associated with his profession that he is trying to escape. When he buries his guns, his suits, his currency underneath cement in his home, he’s trying to bury his demons, his past life; only to have to dig up his old ways and return to the life of an assassin at the behest of Italian crime boss Santino D’Antonio who has him under a “marker” or a blood oath. It’s the kind of role that relies on how a character reacts to each situation he or she is faced with, rather than speaking about it, and Reeves has never been better as ex-hitman who wants peace, but knows that he’ll have to spill more blood to do so. —– Jonathan Holmes @MisterBrown_23

Riley Keough in Lovesong

The last time I saw Riley Keogh in action was Andrea Arnold’s American Honey last year (and she was a scene-stealer I might add), proving once again this young actress has an effortless range in her arsenal. Miles away from that magnetic turn, with the natural acting muscles alone, Keogh shows a character in Lovesong that carries the weight of a swelling heart on her sleeve, all the while struggling with an absentee husband and coping with motherhood. Pining for a long-time girl buddy (Jena Malone in another memorable supporting role), Keogh is now verified leading lady material, strolling her way closer to the front of the queue of that generation of actress domination. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

So that’s the performances wrapped up for another half-year. Go on, then, what did we miss?

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Cinema 2017 Half-Time Report: Performances 1/2

And so we move onto the performances of 2017 we’ve loved in the first half. Obviously we can’t cater for all tastes, but there are some real corkers here. See them for yourself if you haven’t already. Here are the first 9 to wet your whistle:

Hugh Jackman in Logan

It’s fitting that the Aussie’s final turn in the role that made him a star 17 years ago in the first “X-Men” film just happens to be his best performance to date. The man they call the Wolverine isn’t the same as he was all those years ago: the adamantium that was pumped into his body when he was transformed into a weapon by Col. William Stryker is slowly killing him. His healing abilities don’t heal as quickly as they did in the past. He and the Professor hide out in an abandoned plant south of the border, away from the rest of the world which no longer worries about the mutant problem. And all the years of slashing and killing has finally begun to catch up with old man Logan, but still has one last battle to fight, caring for a young mutant girl who is to be captured or killed at all cost. You can see the ragged, wear-and-tear written all over him, the prospect of being the last renegade hero/cowboy around in an era that has no use for his kind anymore. Jackman handles these themes of mortality and fading away with resounding grace and panache. Well done, Wolverine – law down the claws, you’ve earned your rest. —– Jonathan Holmes @MisterBrown_23

Taraneh Alidoosti in Forušande (The Salesman)

I have no debate with Shahab Hosseini gathering his Best Actor prize at Cannes, but the shout-out to the superb Taraneh Alidoosti in The Salesman now comes with a much greater significance. While her husband Emad deals with the assault in his own way, Rana suffers much deeper than the scars that mark her body. Alidoosti’s anxiety-riddled figure is not just a victim, shadowing fear and resentment, Rana is still a strong woman, a mental state of clenched fists and gritted teeth, unafraid to show the inner bruising of her plight. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

James McAvoy in Split

An actor performing as 23 different people, in anyone else’s hands, would either be a gimmick or so over-the-top cartoonish that we just couldn’t take the rest seriously. The Scottish actor puts on an actor’s showcase by playing the character of Kevin, a man who has multiple personalities living in his head, ranging from “Hedwig” a nine year-old boy with yellow socks, to “Miss Patricia”, a British nanny with a dark edge to her, to “Dennis”, a disturbed pedophile who kidnaps three teenage girls to be sacrificed to the 24th personality, dubbed “The Beast” – completely straight. He treats each personality as if they were characters themselves: “Barry” represents the bridge as which personality gets their moment in the sun; but also is trying himself to be the dominant figure who gets to assume Kevin’s well-being; in contrast to “Dennis”, who wants to give into his voyeuristic, more violent tendencies and assume supremacy over Kevin’s body. It’s a terrific showcase of knowing how a character ticks and feels, and McAvoy does all of this while never forgetting his character is one twisted individual. —– Jonathan Holmes @MisterBrown_23

Roland Møller in Under sandet (Land of Mine)

As the above opening scene of Land of Mine depicts, even at the end of war the pain lingers, manifesting itself in many different ways. For Danish sergeant Carl Leopold Rasmussen (Roland Møller), his post-war mission involves supervising a clan of young German prisoners of war, who are ordered to the Danish coast to remove in the vicinity of two million land resulting from German occupation. Rasmussen resents and cares not for these boys, but as the horrific task lasts and lasts, he finds himself standing their corner, and showing true heart in the face of adversity. Møller handles the transformation with grace and humanity. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Fan Bing Bing in I Am Not Madame Bovary

Possibly the unlikeliest scenario to beget such an entertaining film in Feng Xiao Geng’s I Am Not Madame Bovary, as a maybe-married woman perseveres for over a decade against the arcane bureaucracy of China’s political system to claim what appears to be merely an inexplicable sense of personal dignity. And many would argue an equally unlikely source for one of the year’s best performances in lead Fan Bing Bing, known to many as no more than a clothes horse at Cannes (albeit an astonishingly beautiful one). It’s a plum character for Fan, her best yet, and she responds in perfect form, finding space within a somewhat inscrutable role for the many minor modulations crucial to its identity, and then unleashing the devastating force of its pent-up emotion in the stunning closing act. —– Paddy Mulholland @screenonscreen

Kika Magalhães in The Eyes of My Mother

Eerie farm houses in the middle of nowhere are formidable traditions of horror stories on film, and with Nicolas Pesce’s intoxicating, lurid The Eyes of My Mother, we also venture deep into the landscape of a grieving young woman. The withdrawn yet serene Francisca is played by Kika Magalhães with such a sinister poise, the chills come from the calm, and even suggested, motions and gestures. Through the faint but subconsciously over-powering way of speaking, and implying with the eyes. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Michael Fassbender in Alien Covenant

The only marketing Alien: Covenant needed apart from the inclusion of Xenomorphs was three words: two Michael Fassbenders. Sold you right? Fassbender plays both returning android David from Prometheus and also newcomer to the franchise Walter. David the ever devious and disputant to authority figures and Walter the strict and regimented leader of the Covenant crew come to a head in a two-hour slug fest of wits. A comparison of the two androids can be equated to the sides of our human brains. Walter represents the right side, facts, reasoning, and analytic while David is far more left side oriented, free thinking, intuition, and creative. As an audience member, this realization in the theater made me even that more engrossed. Slowly as the intentions of David are revealed your mind races to connect the subplots of Covenant and previous entries to franchise. David is far more mad scientist that one could’ve hoped and it is absolutely engrossing to see Fassbender and Scott take the character in this direction. —– Mike Austin @MuzakWeeWoo

Alice Lowe in Prevenge

Writing, directing, and playing the lead role herself, Alice Lowe has achieved a one-of-a-kind with Prevenge – a no-holds-barred revenge movie that is genuinely funny. Darkly funny, sure. And I say revenge, Lowe’s pregnant protagonist takes it upon herself to lash out at various characters that make her detest list (no spoilers here, go see for yourself). The motives for such hasty acts may even ring a bell with all of us. Lowe is terrific throughout, be it deadpan, attempts at being scary, or simply questioning the strange procedures life throws at us. Bizarre, very funny, and a riot in all. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Dafne Keen in Logan

We see the young actor early on casually eating cereal and looking at the title character as if he’s an alien from another planet. At the end, she’s quoting the last lines from “Shane” as she’s saying goodbye to a friend and establishes herself as a star on the rise. As I stated before, this is Jackman’s show, but Keen matches him beat for beat as an orphan mutant who, like her predecessor, has rapid healing abilities, adamantium claws and a skill for killing. She, like Logan, is looking for peace from what the powers-that-be made her into, but succumbs to her violent nature by way of being a kid who’s just starting to see her place in a world that thinks mutants are all gone. The tandem between her and the title character plays like a road movie between a parent and a child who are struggling to connect with each other, and Keen, in her debut role, plays off Jackman’s weary renegade by giving him something to fight for after so much bloodshed while trying to come into her own. —– Jonathan Holmes @MisterBrown_23

The second lot of actresses and actors coming shortly, so in the meantime why not share your star turns this year in the comments.

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Cinema 2017 Half-Time Report: Moments 1/2

And the whistle blows for half-time on the 2017 year of cinema. This halfway series will highlight 2017 so far in Moments, Performances, and the Movies themselves – as recommended by myself and some friends of the film buff corner. A welcome, too, to Teresa, fresh from Cannes to make her first contribution here. So, here are 7 memorable sequences to kick us off:

Prepping The Meal from The Bad Batch

In a film as a whole that trips over, and sometimes fall into, its own holes, the opening sequence of The Bad Batch, free of dialogue but full to the brim with atmosphere, is showy film-making from Ana Lily Amirpour. Lyle Vincent’s cinematography captures the vast landscape, photographically and in mindset, of the dystopian setting in fine, composed style. The heat and the wind you can almost feel. And the harrowing events that proceed are alarmingly fitting in a world of savage normalcy. A broken, swinging light see-saws the captive Arlen (Suki Waterhouse) between shadows and shimmers with a simple range of dazzling depth and angsty anticipation. A true shame the rest of the picture could not quite hold up to this promise. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Young Love from Juste la fin du monde (It’s Only the End of the World)

In one of many isolated moments, Louis (Gaspard Ulliel), reunited briefly with the family he has not seen in years, reminisces of an old lover. Given the slight change in pace for Dolan with this more composed, grounded film, the flashback moment races through the narrative as an energetic, yet tender, poignant wedge. Shot with hazy, semi-hidden sunlight peeping through into the intimacy of the youngsters, we witness their romantic engagements as though experiencing it ourselves, strands of hair brushed back, flesh exposed, passionate kissing. With Dolan’s reputation for effective story-telling music choices somewhat subdued this time out, the short sequence’s use of Exotica’s addictive “Une Miss s’immisce” is a home-run. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Monkeying Around from The Square

The Square was the big winner at Cannes this year but we all should consider it as the big winner of films as art in this first half of 2017. Each scene is charged with a socio-cultural and political critic that floats balanced with the reflection about the human condition and the role of art. The beauty of it culminates with the creation of that meritorious environment of performance art brought to life by Terry Notary and his interpretation of a wild ape. What begins with something funny and joyful, quickly turns into something disconcerting and uncomfortable, causing anxiety. The man becomes the “beast”, the dining room becomes a jungle and the guests become preys. The irony in this (not forgetting that Notary is the movement choreographer in the Planet of the Apes films) plus the sarcastic tone of the film, channels the wanted message by exploring the limit of the pair action-reaction and questioning what distinguishes the human being from the animal. —– Teresa Amorim @Tresocas

Logan, Meet Laura from Logan

The moment that head rolls across the gravel, we, the audience, realize a buzzing introduction to the young girl, Laura, who can clearly fight her own battles. And Logan looking on recognizes that fighting style and vigor with an unnerving glare. The violence is excessive, sure, but neither slapstick nor gratuitous, instead it’s frenetic, pulsating brilliance in it’s quick-fire motion – credit to director James Mangold who appears to have really gone for broke here. The survival instinct landscape that Logan has long since been battling with is evident in the fierce fight scene – down to Wolverine-a-like Laura’s shrieks as she slays and swipes, illustrating a struggle and a pain through the child’s eyes that is keeping with a world of conflict. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Do The Right Thing from Hounds of Love

Ben Young’s unnerving, brilliant debut Hounds of Love, not only takes us to the 1980s Australian suburbs, but also intimately, disturbingly portrays a couple, Evelyn and John White (Emma Booth, Stephen Curry) responsible for missing girls in the area. Vicki’s (Ashleigh Cummings) abduction is harrowing throughout, but the moment she has to endure her mother crying her name while still captive is heart-stopping. Evelyn, holding Vicki at knife-point with a hand over her mouth, is breaking at the seams – knowing the true morality of this awful situation, and she knows too well what its like to not have your kid around. Cummings’ plea through her eyes is mesmerizing, and Booth is simply devastating from every pore in portraying woman who has to dig so deep with her next life-altering decision. —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Space Breakout from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2

There are some scenes that, for some reason, just go well together, even though you can’t really pinpoint why, through either the lyrics or the music, it works so well. Sometimes the only valid explanation you can give for why it works can be summed up into one simple sentence: “It’s cool”. Seeing Yondu, Baby Groot and Rocket bust their way off a Ravenger ship; the former’s flying arrow killing every last person that betrayed him; all set to “Come a Little Bit Closer” by Jay and the Americans is just simply that: It’s cool. The choice of music for the scene in particular just feels right, and it shows off just how gifted writer/director James Gunn is with choosing music as a backdrop to a scene. —– Jonathan Holmes @MisterBrown_23

Rita Comforts Claire from Tower

The horrific shootings at the University of Texas, Austin, on 1st August 1966 are innovatively memorialized in Tower, a documentary that acts beyond a mere reconstruction with actual footage and moving story-telling via animation traced over live action film known as rotoscoping – see Waking Life or Waltz With Bashir. In such an essential account as this you could pick one of many, many moments. The film’s poster depicts one such heart-warming moment, when one of the first to be in the line of fire, a pregnant student named Claire, believes her time is up as she lays helpless baking in the Texan heat. As many were terrified to help Claire, one savior runs into the open target zone, with shots still being fired, and lays close by Claire. Rita risks her own life to simply talk to the injured young woman, keeping her hope alive. Not only does the gun crime issue ring true today, Tower also has ample displays of astonishing humanity, making this all the more relevant.  —– Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

7 more to come – not to mention a whole host of movies and performances to catch up on. In the meantime, hit the comments section.

Review: The Salesman

Without it yet being an actual problem, watching this felt like Asghar Farhadi has become a bit too self-aware, dangerously close to falling into the black hole of his own creativity. A tad too stylized, a lashing too structured, The Salesman is still a profoundly personal movie, anthropocentric to almost a fault without ever crossing that line; a fine balance the filmmaker has proven to be masterful at keeping.

The story is simple, held elegantly against the backdrop of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman; a play in which our heroes are portraying the main characters as a recreational activity. The protagonists’ plight is being juxtaposed with that of Willy’s and Linda’s, elevating the sudden darkness befalling their happiness to an allegory pertaining the small; those innocuous details that can either support or break a union in the aftermath of a domestic crisis.

Much like Willy’s burden of mediocrity, Emad is being defined by his own perceived inability to successfully tend to his wife, Rana, in the aftershock of an attack that quickly adorns their skin with wrinkles of instability. Cracks appear, on their walls of their home, the build of their marriage, the very foundation of his mental equilibrium and in the process of his wife’s healing, the tables are slowly being turned.

Rana lifts her chin in subtle pride as she dusts the burden of self-pity off her bruised shoulders and ventures to reestablish herself in a state of weightless normalcy. All the while, Emad seems to be caving under the pressure of his own contradicting duality — a man who desperately seeks to regain control of a suddenly derailed life, a husband needing to protect, shield and amend in vengeful anger while, simultaneously, mending in kindness, fear, and worry. Two people journeying through life side by side are now being torn to opposite poles in a way subepidermal enough to have you fearing for their relationship without even realizing at what point exactly you reached that emotional status.

Farhadi’s signature move, it would seem.

My personal gripe. The Salesman cuts deep without pushing — a beautiful movie featuring some stellar acting by almost everyone involved, no argument there. However, and much to my disappointment, I found it falling short during the third act.

Emad’s inner turmoil leads to many spasmodic, irrational reactions from the beginning of the tale but during the last part of the film, the character becomes unrealistic, like the final scene had been already filmed and Farhadi needed to mold something out of nothing to just get us there.

Underwhelming finish aside, the overall outcome is still worth of tremendous praise, even if, for some of you who might end up sharing my views, it finishes not in thunderous applause but a thoughtful sigh of contentment.

Genre Blast: Westerns

 (This series is a challenge for all film nerds. I call out the film genre and five favorites, and then you tell me what I missed. Let’s see see if we can come up with a definitive catalog. Ready?)

 Genre Blast: Westerns

 The western genre is one that has long passed its due date but refuses to die. It has been serialized, romanticized, mocked, and reinvented so many times yet remains the staple genre for displaying stories of noble intentions and rugged individualism.

To qualify, the film must have a clearly defined good guy(s) and bad guy(s) – preferably within the proximity of a horse and/or some prairie grass and grand vistas. The pioneer spirit is paramount and the stakes are high, with some form of justice – or injustice –just over the horizon.

Here we go, and in no particular order:

McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman), 1971

Altman’s revisionist western turned the genre inside out, but the basic formula of the little guy vs. “the man” remains true. John McCabe and Constance Miller take on corporate spread to the strains of Leonard Cohen. Divine.

Red River (Howard Hawks), 1948

The daily travails of the cattle drive up the Chisholm Trail – and there are many – are made worse by tensions between the boss (John Wayne) and his adopted son (Monty Clift). The fact that Wayne and Clift hated each other in real life likely added to the authenticity. Hawks’ film is the pinnacle of the classical period of the genre.

The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah), 1969

Peckinpah was fed up with how violence was portrayed on the screen, especially in westerns, so he made a film to examine, among other things, what it was like to get shot. It’s 1913, the Old West is on its way out and it isn’t going quietly. A landmark of poetic carnage.

Little Big Man (Arthur Penn), 1970

Jack Crabb’s satiric and tragic odyssey through many of the legendary events in the West was also one of the first films to move the needle of favoritism in the direction of Native Americans, culminating in the Battle of Little Big Horn. Changing social conscience and the Vietnam War permeate the tone of Penn’s film.

Hell or High Water (David Mackenzie), 2016

Who would have thought that a film from 2016 would make this list? All the classic elements are present in this timely tale of two brothers making one last stab at saving their family ranch while being pursued by two Texas Rangers. With its themes of oil rights, reverse mortgages and deeply embedded, matter-of-fact racism, it’s the new Western for the 21^st Century.

This is a huge genre with thousand of possibilities. OK, I’ve shown you mine; now you show me yours. What are your favorite Westerns?

 

Emma Watson Can’t Be A Feminist And Have Boobs

It was incomprehensible how much weight Emma Watson put upon her slender shoulders when she embarked on the inspirational United Nations speech in 2014. I was in on the HeForShe campaign immediately – sold! But, three years on, she ought to pay attention to the kids on Instagram, they have such noble, worldly, well though-out advice to offer such a clueless, uninspiring individual as the actress-formerly-known-as-Hermione. Of course, I jest (for those of you about to leap from your high, high horses and throttle me to death), though it could be argued that I have little reason or right to attempt to defend Miss Watson from the degenerate viewpoints that were scattered across one particular photograph of the 26 year-old on Vanity Fair’s Instagram page. Opposing arguments are compelling though, regardless of their given nature or direction, and it may not in the end be down to what rights or reasons we have for such provoking thoughts.

View this post on Instagram

Maturing from Hermione to Belle in @beautyandthebeast is a true coming-of-age story for @EmmaWatson: "I couldn't care less if I won an Oscar or not if the movie didn’t say something that I felt was important for people to hear." Read the full cover story at the link in bio. Photograph by Tim Walker.

A post shared by Vanity Fair (@vanityfair) on Feb 28, 2017 at 10:02am PST

I personally feel you have the right to an opinion on a celebrity’s image (whether that makes me like you any less is debatable) – by default they have kind of afforded the invitation to do so – though that is certainly not their primary business in most cases. Neither do the reasons for spouting out an opinion of someone, or indeed merely a photograph of them, have to follow a certain code. What I will say though is I disagree without hesitation to those that claim “She’s not mature enough for that look.” or “Sorry but this doesn’t suit her, girl you’re too classy for this.”, and even the more profoundly put “So she has to show tits to demonstrate she is not a child anymore? #womanfail” or “I had such respect for the fact the she has always refrained from using her body to promote herself. Show us your brain, not your underboob.”. Hmm. I’m not quite converted. A further comment, “She’s already famous why she have to tale off close” perhaps warranted a little more thought in its delivery #GrammarNazi.

Maybe I’m the cowardly asshole for not defending Emma’s honor on Instagram when she’s electronically attacked (if you can call “Belle didn’t show her titties in #beautyandthebeast” an attack), but it is my right to refrain from banter with trolls and the droll for many a reason. It’s tempting though, very much so. I would like to avoid the nothingness of some of the remarks (“I don’t get why we need to promote Belle topless”; “Never remember any Disney Princesses being so naked.”) and remind them that Emma Watson is a British actress who played the part of Belle, in spite of popular, cherished opinion, she is not an actual Disney Princess. Nor did she know magic when she was 11 years-old, or dare I suspect she has never broken into celebrity houses and robbed them. Good old Instagram and the new Vanity Fair cover shoot are only the recent cherry on the critical cake – similar brands of opinion are out there, you don’t need to look far.

Being interviewed by the BBC with (the Beast) Dan Stevens, the Beauty behind Belle, assured yet bewildered, hit the nail on the head when she said “It just always reveals to me how many misconceptions and what a misunderstanding there is about what feminism is”. Many of those commenters on Instagram (and elsewhere no doubt) voiced their views with their feminism halo intact, but honestly appear to be so far off track you can hardly see them for the trees. “Feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality.” Watson goes on to exclaim, “I really don’t know what my tits have to do with it. It’s very confusing.” – it is confusing, she’s right, and Emma’s one smart broad (insert your own misconceptions and misunderstanding of my humor here). I’m just a blabbering outsider when it comes to issues as powerful as these, but they still mean something to me.

I am not too concerned Emma Watson turned the role of Mia in La La Land. I am encouraged that she helped develop Belle from the passive character of the animated version of Beauty and the Beast (we can discuss the activeness of women in fairy-tales another day). I was also super-intrigued by the Maya Angelou books Mom & Me & Mom she left randomly on the London underground. Nor do I mind (and please forget I am a warm-blooded male) that she chooses not to wear a fucking bra under an open white crocheted jacket as the center-piece of a lavish, beautiful photo shoot by Tim Walker. In fact, two or three of my screenplays written over the last 10 years or so have been with her in mind. A successful actress from childhood, a feminist who turned to a sideline as a U.N. ambassador, established an incredible awareness campaign HeForShe to get men on board, she’s a self-declared pain in the ass, a decent human being with real strength and poise, who might even turn you down should you want to take a selfie with her. She has her reasons. And a right. Emma Watson has long since earned my respect that’s for sure. Over and over. The very first person I followed on Twitter I might add. Quite an honor, wouldn’t you say Emma?

photo by Tim Walker

Genre Blast: Movies About Movies

This series is a challenge directed at all film nerds. On a regular basis, I’ll call out the film genre and five personal favourites, then you tell me what I missed. Let’s see see if we can come up with a definitive catalog. Ready?

Because it looked like Oscar would once again express its undying self-love when handing over six Academy Awards to La La Land recently, this might be as good a place as any to start our challenge now the dust is settling.

To qualify, the film must be about filmmaking and the joys and sorrows therein. It also includes films where movies have a major psychological impact on one or more characters in the film, either as a motivator or filmic equivalent to a lifeline soundtrack.

Here we go, and in no particular order or preference.

8 ½ (Frederico Fellini), 1963

Oh, the agonies of the film director! Fellini’s journey through the mind of a film director’s struggle with his 9^th film (hence the title) is the quintessential movie about filmmaking as seen through the Fellini kaleidoscope. Pressures from all sides mount until we reach the joyful conclusion and realize what a diamond has been created.

Holy Motors (Leos Carax), 2012

While the film is open to a variety of interpretations, I think Carax does for actors what Fellini did for directors. The title character – appropriately named Oscar and bravely played by Denis Lavant – goes from appointment to appointment in a variety of incarnations into situations that can only be described as “nuts”. Ah, the fractured psyche of the actor hurtling from role to role.

The Player (Robert Altman), 1992

Who else in the film business would have more reason issue death threats than the abused writer? Altman’s version of Michael Tolkin’s stiletto-sharp indictment of Hollywood is a crazy quilt of conniving and cameos that reveals something new at every viewing.

La Nuit Americaine (Francois Truffaut), 1973

The title of Truffaut’s valentine to cinema – and “B” movies, at that – is a term that refers to filming a scene during the day so that it appears to be taking place at night by means of a filter – Day for Night. A glorious score by Georges Delerue underlines Truffaut’s intentions here, that despite the challenges, creating illusion through filmmaking is nothing less than a joy.

Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore), 1988

Exposure to films and the cinema-going experience make for some major personal building blocks for any movie lover, whether we realize it or not. Tornatore reveals just how great that impact can be in the emotional final act when memories of a childhood spent in a movie theater come flooding back thanks to a gift from an old friend and some pieces of film snipped and censored by the parish priest. Not a dry eye in the house.

OK, I’ve shown you mine; now you show me yours!

Film Honors: 1977

My own personal choices for the year. They reflect not just necessarily what I think is the best or essential cinema, but perhaps resonate with me or inspire, both at the time, and still today. Subject to alter choices if new viewings are worthy enough. Other published Film Honors posts can be found at the menu at the top of the page.

Actress Support

Leslie Browne (The Turning Point)
Melinda Dillon (Close Encounters of the Third Kind)
Tatiana Papamoschou (Ifigeneia)
Donna Pescow (Saturday Night Fever)
Vanessa Redgrave (Julia)

Actress Lead

Isabelle Adjani (L’histoire d’Adèle H.)
Anne Bancroft (The Turning Point)
Shirley MacLaine (The Turning Point)
Irene Papas (Ifigeneia)
Gena Rowlands (Opening Night)

Costume Designing

Annie Hall
Ifigeneia
Julia
L’histoire d’Adèle H.
Star Wars

Set Designing

Eraserhead
Ifigeneia
L’histoire d’Adèle H.
Star Wars
Suspiria

Score Composing

Dario Argento, Goblin (Suspiria)
Tangerine Dream (Sorcerer)
Mikis Theodorakis (Ifigeneia)
John Williams (Close Encounters of the Third Kind)
John Williams (Star Wars)

Screenwriting Original

Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman (Annie Hall)
John Cassavetes (Opening Night)
George Lucas (Star Wars)
Aleksander Scibor-Rylski (Czlowiek z marmuru)
Neil Simon (The Goodbye Girl)

Screenwriting Adapted

Luis Buñuel, Jean-Claude Carrière (Cet obscur objet du désir)
Michalis Kakogiannis (Ifigeneia)
Alvin Sargent (Julia)
François Truffaut, Jean Gruault, Suzanne Schiffman (L’histoire d’Adèle H.)
Christopher Wood, Richard Maibaum (The Spy Who Loved Me)

Actor Support

Mikhail Baryshnikov (The Turning Point)
Edward Fox (A Bridge Too Far)
Ben Gazzara (Opening Night)
Alec Guinness (Star Wars)
Jason Robards (Julia)

Cinematography

Giorgos Arvanitis (Ifigeneia)
Gilbert Taylor (Star Wars)
Luciano Tovoli (Suspiria)
Haskell Wexler (Bound for Glory)
Vilmos Zsigmond (Close Encounters of the Third Kind)

Picture Editing

Cet obscur objet du désir
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Ifigeneia
Star Wars
Suspiria

Actor Lead

Richard Burton (Equus)
Richard Dreyfuss (The Goodbye Girl)
Kostas Kazakos (Ifigeneia)
Fernando Rey (Cet obscur objet du désir)
John Travolta (Saturday Night Fever)

Special Effects

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Rabid
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
Star Wars
Suspiria

Sound Designing

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Eraserhead
Saturday Night Fever
Star Wars
Suspiria

Cast Ensemble

Annie Hall
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Ifigeneia
Star Wars
The Turning Point

Director

Dario Argento (Suspiria)
Luis Buñuel (Cet obscur objet du désir)
Michalis Kakogiannis (Iphigenia)
George Lucas (Star Wars)
Steven Spielberg (Close Encounters of the Third Kind)

Motion Picture

Annie Hall (Woody Allen) USA
Cet obscur objet du désir (Luis Buñuel) France / Spain
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg) USA
Czlowiek z marmuru (Andrzej Wajda) Poland
Ifigeneia (Michalis Kakogiannis) Greece
L’histoire d’Adèle H. (François Truffaut) France
Opening Night (John Cassavetes) USA
Star Wars (George Lucas) USA
Suspiria (Dario Argento) Italy
Voskhozhdenie (Larisa Shepitko) Soviet Union

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Blast out your bests and worsts from 1977 in the comments below. Have you seen all of these movies? Have I missed any of your favorites?

100 Kick-Ass Female Film Characters – Part VII

A girl can spend years and years of her childhood in the wilderness in preparation for avenging her mother’s death. A woman can come face to face with a deadly alien that has wiped out her entire crew. Ten more inspirational female characters, whether they are protecting your family from a natural disaster, super-equipped to destroy the undead, or even nursing a man through his past and to his end. Learn from these females, as life takes its toll you can still have the lust for dancing across the streets of New York to Bowie’s “Modern Love”.

Hanna Heller – – – Hanna (2011)

Joe Wright’s swift shift in direction (in both technique and genre) displays his comfortable ability to produce a rather compelling action thriller. Saoirse Ronan is the MVP here though, still on the journey from childhood to adulthood, the actress is both ice cold and sympathetically warm in her characterization of Hanna, a girl who grows in the wild. Her father is ex-CIA (Eric Bana), and he has dedicated much of his time training Hanna into, well, an assassin. Cate Blanchett better watch out. And anyone who gets in Hanna’s way. Either on the run or chasing, Hanna has to survive in a world she is not accustomed to, befriending another teenager girl and her family, when not knocking seven bells out of guards and killers. Still somber and sedate at the end, Hanna soon gets her revenge. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Ellen Ripley – – – Alien (1979)

For four decades Sigourney Weaver has gone from saving the world from alien devastation to a ghostly apocalypse. Whatever her role is savior, leading lady, or just a bad-ass Weaver has prove herself to compete with and even outmatch her male counterparts. Ripley from the Alien franchise is arguably her most recognizable role and by far her most impressive work. She went into hand to hand combat with a twenty foot Xenomorph queen and she ultimately destroyed it not once but twice. Weaver kicks ass and instills a sense of confidence to those follow her, that with her on their side victory is not only a possibility but an inevitability. – – – Mike Austin @MuzakWeeWoo

Kitty Foyle – – – Kitty Foyle (1940)

The film Kitty Foyle is not literally The Natural History of a Woman as its sub-title might suggest, but it certainly narrates heavily, though completely accessibly, on the social standing and gender life roles expected in those times. Kitty’s story is told partly in flashback when she was an aspiring teenager, and also in the present were her dilemma appears to be choosing whether to run off to her old flame, or marry the new man in her life, a doctor. Their meet cute as she pretends to faint after setting off the store alarm is a great moment. Kitty has a turbulent events and a critical society seemingly against her, but the strength of the woman is never in doubt, ultimately making her own way and decisions. Ginger Rogers, as you have never seen her before, is perfect, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress, and setting off sartorial trends back in the forties. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Felicia – – – Shampoo (1975)

Felicia is having a rough day. True, her husband is having an affair but outside of financial concerns and public appearance, which matters little as she is doing everything she can to guard her own claim. Her paramour hairdresser seems set on jumping the bones of every female he encounters, including her husband’s mistress and her own daughter. Lee Grant operates in a measured and barely contained frenzy as she swarms from one location to another, preparing for a “political thing” in Hal Ashby’s political satire that culminates at a banquet on the night of Richard Nixon’s election to the Presidency. Grant deftly, and hilariously, maneuvers her character through a minefield of lust, jealousy and the determination to maintain control in a rapidly deteriorating situation. Audiences may have been a bit baffled by Ashby’s intentions with Shampoo, but they certainly recognized Lee Grant’s Felicia, the matron desperately clinging to the last vestiges of authority. “The headboard. The headboard, honey…Could you put your hand up there…and hold it? That’s right, because.That’s… That’s… Jesus! Oh! That’s right. Jesus H. Christ!”. – – – Steve Schweighofer @banjoonthecrag

Idun Karlsen – – – Bølgen (2015)

For those not familiar with Norwegian, the English-language title of Bølgen might tell you more about what is essentially a disaster movie. The Wave depicts a small town in danger from a potential avalanche, and then devouring tsunami. As catastrophe strikes, our protagonist Kristian, a geologist who predicted the event, sets out to reunite with his family. His wife Idun (Ane Dahl Torp) works at the local, and grand, hotel. As Idun, a colleague, and some guest, attempt to flee, the gigantic wave arrives too late and engulfs the hotel, killing many, and trapping others. Having found her son Sondre, Idun goes into full survival-mother mode. In a pivotal scene, Idun is forced to hold a man under water, who whilst panicking for his life was drowning Sondre. It’s a tragic moment, killing to save a life, but you understand exactly why she had to do it.  – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Alice – – – Resident Evil (2002+)

 Full disclosure: I think the Resident Evil movies — save the third, Extinction — mostly suck, but Jovovitch’s Alice, the former security specialist at the UMBRELLA Corporation turned super-heroine thanks to the T-virus and a freedom fighter against the hordes of the undead, is the best thing about these movies. Thought these movies she’s handling all sorts of weaponry that would make Rambo blush, handles herself in fights as well as Jason Statham and she does all her own stunts, including running down a building with a harness in Apocalypse! In other words – she’s the baddest zombie-killer this side of Ash Williams…and even he might just be impressed by her level of skill slaughtering the undead. – – – Jonathan Holmes @MisterBrown

Hana – – – The English Patient (1996)

In my view, The English Patient is a movie that is just not the sum of its magnificent parts. It looks gorgeous throughout, Gabriel Jared’s score is mmesmerizing and then there is the luminous Juliette Binoche – a deserving Oscar winner, one of nine amidst a very generous Academy hand-out. Binoche’s Hana, a nurse in Italy during World War II, is a natural vessel of kindness and spirit, who tends to the patient of the title (who is not English, but Hungarian it seems). Just about keeping her wits about, Hana discovers old secrets, shares a love story with Kip, and administers a final, heavy dose of morphine at her patient’s request – a heartbreaking moment of brilliance from Binoche. In that final, beautiful shot as she leaves the dwelling, Hana has an undefeatable glory and a poise even through the undeniable heartache and struggle. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Ofelia – – – Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

With Babel (Alejandro González Iñárritu), Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón), and Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro), 2006 was a dominant year for the cinema of Mexico. And strong depictions of females in varying forms, but the real heroine though was 11 year-old Ivana Baquero’s portrayal of Ofelia in del Toro’s majestic, dark fairy tale of sorts. Ofelia, suspected to be the reincarnation of Princess Moanna, is a bright hope in the shadows of war and fantasy. Embroiled within a labyrinthine garden, a strange but vivid world, occupying creatures and wonders, Ofelia is tasked by a faun creature to, in turn, find a key from the belly of a toad, retrieve a dagger from a child-eating monster, and bring her newborn baby brother to the labyrinth. Although she may regret the harsh consequences, Ofelia is somewhat defiant at times, still swayed by innocence, temptation, and a good heart. Surrounded by the brutality of the adult world, her mistakes, if you like, represent an admirable independence and bravery. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Margaret Hall – – – The Deep End (2001)

The fierceness of a mother’s love is on full display in The Deep End, and it’s one of Tilda Swinton’s most underrated performances. When Margaret Hall discovers that her son, Beau (played by Jonathan Tucker), is not only gay but in a relationship with a seedy nightclub owner named Darby Reese, she immediately tells him to stay away from her son. Goodness knows that this upper middle class family couldn’t be rocked by such an unsavory character! When Darby dies in a scuffle with Beau, Margaret hides his body in a cove without hesitation, and then she encounters a blackmailer. The whole thing spirals out of control. The aspect of a woman protecting her child is obviously not a new theme or motif in a film, but Swinton delivers a performance of such quiet intensity and unwavering loyalty, that you can’t help but cheer for her no matter how questionable her actions. – – – Joey Moser @JoeyMoser83

Frances Halladay – – – Frances Ha (2013)

Noah Baumbach’s muse Greta Gerwig gives it her all in possibly their finest collaboration. Frances is a New York dancer, whose best friend Sophie is about to embark on a new life, forcing Frances to reconsider her own life status. A little bit hopeless, a little bit vulnerable, Frances is all guns blazing with free spirit and a zest for life. In the wake of struggling as a dancer, no money, no permanent residence, and a friction in her tight friendship with Sophie, the sprightly Frances stands tall, on her own two feet, and pursues a change in fortunes, via Chinatown, Sacramento, Poughkeepsie, even Paris, before returning to New York City. Her magnetic personality and big smile withstand the social turbulence she encounters. And we can’t help but wish her all the best. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

* * * * *

100 Kick-Ass Female Film Characters – Part V

There’s a deep moral message somewhere in the deep dark notion that if we are good to each other, look out for one another, we may well have to embark on all manner of troublesome, melancholic occurrences to get there. Cruel, I know. Some may even die trying. Some left exhausted, or grieving. Some glorious, or victorious. Whether it be going out of your way to support a friend in need, driven by fierce emotion, or inflict violence or physical force as a way to protect a community, or struggle to uphold companionship, means, your family’s class obsessions, during tough times. These characters, these women, whatever it is they do, however great or grim, their actions change what you feel about them.

Otilia Mihartescu – – – 4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile (2007)

There’s a grand human subtely to Otilia’s kick-ass status in Cristian Mungiu’s extraordinary 4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days). A film so entangled in mortal sacrifice and suffering, you might have to take a step back to appreciate what Otilia abides here – huge credit given to the no-holds- barred turn from Anamaria Marinca. When her university student dorm-mate Găbița (Laura Vasiliu) is pregnant, Otilia springs into action to support her weary friend arrange an illegal abortion – a huge, huge no-no in Romania in the late eighties. But with an understandable chip on her shoulder. Otilia scrounges from other students soap and cigarettes; she asks her boyfriend for money, but is uninterested in attending his mother’s birthday meal later; she begs, haggles, lies to find another hotel when the initial reservation is not to be found; and then has to sweet talk the irrational a-hole Mr. Bebe (Vlad Ivanov) who is to perform the procedure on Găbița. As things snowball, the repulsed Otilia has meaningless sex with Mr. Bebe when they don’t have enough money. As many of the day’s horrid little events are spawned from Găbița’s lies, it is a wonder Otilia continues to be so supportive – but she does. Even as far as disposing of the small bloody fetus. Later, when visiting her boyfriend, the whole emotional events channel a hole in her relationship which she is not shy to vocalize to him. In the film’s final scene, Otilia and Găbița reconvene in the hotel restaurant, Otilia tells her that they will never talk about this again, and the film ends with her turning to look directly at us. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Mrs. Robinson – – – The Graduate (1967)

“What’s that you say, Mrs Robinson?” Even though we never learn her first name, few film characters have had the cultural impact as Anne Bancroft’s icy, determined predator armed with a cigarette holder, martini glass and minimal conversation. An old family friend and wife to Mr Braddock’s business partner, it’s as though she’s laid in wait for Benjamin to grow into prey ripe for the picking. When Benjamin takes a shine to her daughter, however, everything goes off the rails. Bancroft takes command of every scene in which she appears, always dominant, sounding matter-of-fact, even slightly bored by the whole ordeal that is Benjamin twisting in his dilemma. In Bancroft’s hands, Mrs. Robinson is not a soulless villain, however – we catch flashes of emptiness and longing, even of her protective maternal instincts. Ultimately, it is hypocrisy that undoes Benjamin’s trust in his parents’ world and his charted path, and Mrs Robinson’s hypocrisy that lights the fuse of his final rebellion. – – – Steve Schweighofer @banjoonthecrag

Miho – – – Sin City (2005)

In Frank Miller’s graphic novel adaptation Sin City (co-directed by Robert Rodriguez) “The Big Fat Kill” chapter features Miho (played with sullen glory by Devon Aoki), a kind of slick ninja kitten not to be fucked with. When a small town is as corrupt as this one, with former police heroes and the mob seemingly on the same side of bad, the local enforcers, including a bunch of prostitutes and perhaps-hero Dwight, someone has to be stealthy and swift to clear up the mess. Deadly Little Miho. Her initial presence in this indulgent noir is exhilarating: a hand is chopped off, swords pierce heads, and slices one other clean off. Rendered in black and white with splashes of color (gushing blood appears to be fluorescent white) makes such action sequences more graceful than gratuitous. Miho later saves Dwight’s ass a couple of times, pulling him up as he sinks into liquid tar, and silently sneaking up on the mercenary confronting Dwight before sticking it to him and twisting. “Miho, you’re an angel. You’re a saint.” – Dwight’s voice recalls, appearing more melodramatic than macho. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Amber – – – Green Room (2016)

You shouldn’t like a young white supremacist such as Amber, but by the end of the film, after she’s killed off a bunch of neo-Nazis and their flesh-eating dogs and escaped severely injured but still alive, you kind of do. Amber is an interesting character because if she hadn’t found herself trapped in the titular green room with the band, she probably would’ve been trying to wipe them out too. But because things didn’t turn out as expected, she’s coaxed into forging a union with them for the sake of survival, and so in herself represents the fluidity of human behaviour. Surprisingly, she becomes one of the heroes of the film not because she drastically develops a moral conscience, but simply because she’s the best of a bad bunch. Moreover, she’s pretty badass at executing an ambush and wielding heavy weaponry around. – – – Rhiannon Topham @rhiannontopham

Shoshanna Dreyfus / Emmanuelle Mimieux – – – Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Whatever you think about Quentin Tarantino on any given day, there is no question about his imprint of character on his audience. A simply terrific performance by Mélanie Laurent portrays one of Tarantino’s finest, well-rounded characters, but more prominently here she has bigger balls and motivation than most of his male characters. Inglourious Basterds flips a portion of history on its head, which begins with Shosanna narrowly avoiding being picked off by the Jew Hunter, and closes with her, under the assumed alias Emmanuelle, burning the Nazi Germany big-hitters to their bones. I will never forgive Tarantino for the fate he chose for Shosanna after all we went through with her, but the big screen footage of Shosanna informing the Nazi audience they are being killed by a Jew is priceless. Fuck you Landa, Goebbels, Hitler et al. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Evey Hammond – – – V for Vendetta (2005)

This is perhaps an odd choice because, in the film adaptation of the Alan Moore graphic novel, she was more of a damsel in distress, but as the film movies to its middle section, she undergoes a physical and mental transformation which would break most people: Evey ends up captured by Norsefire’s state police and is given an ultimatum: surrender the whereabouts of the vigilante known as V, or face a firing squad. From there, her hair is shaven off, stripped of her clothes and tortured daily in an attempt to extract the information out of her, and she still refuses to do so. Evey is released, only to learn her grueling ordeal was done by V himself in order to shed her from her fears. The moment where V takes her to the roof of his hideout pad in the rain, she realizes, despite how much animosity she holds for him for what he did, that she is a much stronger person because of it. It’s an incredible transformation in less than 10 minutes of screen-time, and it sets up the tail-end of the movie as the choice to end Parliament and the fascist state police Britain has been living under lies in her hands. – – – Jonathan Holmes @MisterBrown_23

Imperator Furiosa – – – Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Ferocious. Guileless. Strong. The most compelling feature of Charlize Theron’s Furiosa is not just how impeccably devastating she can and will be for any situation, but it is where that devastation resides from. The most compelling feature of Furiosa is her compassion and how her emotions guide and fuel her – consider some of the most iconic scenes of George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, when Max first steals her war rig and comforts her cargo, The Wives, instructing them to keep moving unless everything around is capable of killing them. Trusting in Max to help their cause to such a degree that they become a well oiled machine. On the final stages to what they thought was the oasis of the Green Place and of course, her screaming in anguish at realizing the truth of her destination. Furiosa’s amazing strength doesn’t come from her incredible ability to shoot enemies down and rip off their faces; it comes from her capacity to care for those who need her strength in the first place. – – – Tobi Ogunyemi @spaceliontobi

Rita – – – Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

The world was recently introduced to a relatively newcomer to the action genre, Emily Blunt’s Rita in Edge of Tomorrow took the world by storm. Initially the movie didn’t receive much traction pre-release and yet post release Blunt solidified herself as a badass female by whipping Tom Cruise into shape. As the leader of the human resistance against a self aware alien race, Blunt slashed and shot her way to become the “Angel of Verdun”. Even at the most dire point of the film Blunt demanded herself to be allowed to end the conflict proving her capabilities to lead a film. The future is incredibly bright for Emily Blunt and we can sure expect her in leading roles for years to come. – – – Mike Austin @MuzakWeeWoo

Rose DeWitt Bukater – – – Titanic (1997)

Rose DeWitt Bukater is a kick-ass character because she was a woman in a man’s world, dealing with a lot of emotional turmoil. Her decisions were made for her including having to be with a man in Cal Hockley that she didn’t love, and didn’t even want to be with. Also, she had to keep her opinions on this and moving to America to marry him to herself. This made her suicidal. But then she met Jack Dawson, who helped give her the strength to decide for herself to say no to this, and instead choose to be with Jack. She fell in love with him, and decided to stand up for herself against her mom and Cal, the consequences of this being serious and even dangerous. He tries to kill Rose and Jack. But it didn’t really matter, because they were also dealing with an even bigger problem in that their ship was sinking and going into the icy cold water. In the end, she survived even this, got rescued, and went on to have a long and fulfilling life. She discovered her inner strength during a time of crisis, and managed to come out the other side a happier and more confident person. – – – Al Robinson @AlRob_MN

Maria Braun – – – Die Ehe der Maria Braun (1979)

Anyone who can execute the line: “I’m really the best you’d be fucked by although I doubt you will ever get the chance when I’ve kicked you in your bloody old prick in your bloody balls which will drop off.” in her best English deserves to be on this list. The tragically short film career of the great New German Cinema film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder included a masterstroke with Die Ehe der Maria Braun (The Marriage of Maria Braun) that was two-fold – for one, a fascinating, unforgettable female character, and then, a thoroughly captivating performance by Hanna Schygulla. The Maria Braun marriage occurs in the very first scene, amidst a war-time bombing. From here the story is set for a journey of paradoxical loyalty and self-sufficiency, the domineering Maria has to, over the years, acclimatize to the horrors of war and post-war, as well as digging the way for her own life progress while her husband Hermann is off fighting and presumably dying. Maria garners wealth and do-well lifestyles, owing much to not just her blatant sexuality, but her cunning intellect. She may take a couple of men into her bed but she bluntly pledges herself more than once as a married woman to Hermann. I mean, Maria kills a lover for him. Ultimately, whether this is being true or not, the long-term devotion contributes to Maria’s downfall in the end – “I never said I wanted to have it easy.”. A remarkable woman however you look at her. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

100 Kick-Ass Female Film Characters – Part IV

Kick-ass female film characters can help catapult the rights of women all over the world. They can spend the weekend fighting for their own stability. They can grieve with age and alcohol. Have you fight and kill in her honor. Run a hell of a long way to save your ass. They can bring us violatory revenge on their sexual abusers. And they can also cut your dick off. Welcome to Part IV, make yourselves comfortable.

Lisbeth Salander – – – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Adapted by Steven Zaillian from the Stieg Larsson novel, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo got the David Fincher treatment, released just two years after the Swedish film. Comparisons between Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara are understandable, but being in love with the latter and being something of a Fincher fanboy I want to here to endorse the 2011 version of Lisbeth Salander. Smart, introverted computer hacker, under some dodgy legal guardianship, heavily pinned down by emotional and sexual abuse, this is a character with endless depth and strength. Assisting (and background checking) Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) to investigate the disappearance of a girl decades earlier, Lisbeth appears self-sufficient, her punk / goth demeanor, distinctly-shaped black hair. In the meantime, oozing slick, super-cool, Salander dons a disguise in Switzerland, has a subway punch-up, takes a wicked vengeance on her horrid guardian, permanently branding him a rapist via a tattoo, and later rescues Blomkvist from torture and imminent death. She may ride off alone and jilted at the film’s close, but Lisbeth has long since earned the audience’s loyalty. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Lisbeth Salander – – – Män som hatar kvinnor (2009)

No offense to Rooney Mara and her gritty work in David Fincher’s American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but Noomi Rapace did it first. Surely, there were moviegoers that had a serious case of ‘been there, done that’ when Fincher’s version rolled into theaters around Christmas of 2011. Lisbeth Salander is the type of character that everyone has an opinion of, and it’s virtually impossible to play that character without drowning out everyone else’s opinion. Noomi Rapace is a fierce animal as Lisbeth in the original version that was released in 2009. Her troubled past almost flashes across her face in every moment of the film. She could be ready to lash out at you or about to slink back into the shadows to the safety of her glowing computer screen. Sorry, Rooney – the original was better. – – – Joey Moser @JoeyMoser83

Sandra Bya – – – Two Days, One Night (2014)

The Dardennes brothers set up the brilliant Two Days, One Night in a matter of moments, your commitment to Sandra (Marion Cotillard) is immediate, a woman faced with losing her job through the votes of her co-workers – they in turn would lose their thousand Euro bonus if she remains. Sandra is vulnerable and in dire mental health, but is in control of her own destiny. She has a supportive husband, and two kids, Sandra has plenty to live for, but poverty is a destructive barrier. With little left in the tank she still manages to find the strength to walk the streets of her town to approach her colleagues. She is a generous, straight-up woman, she can understand the sensitivity of the situation and everyone’s own social dilemma. Through all the heartache, near-misses, and sheer fight, Sandra achieves her goal, but in a final moment of redemption can stroll onward and upward, taking her own future by the balls. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Isadora Duncan – – – Isadora (1968)

Bias alert: Vanessa Redgrave is my favorite actress and her performance as Isadora Duncan in Karel Reisz’s severely mishandled film is arguably her best. Duncan was Mother Earth to the free spirit movement of both personal conduct and artistic expression that became iconic to the counterculture in the 60s, and Redgrave’s performance is nearly as fearless – and flawless – in its execution. The role was a labor of love for the actress and follows Isadora from her beginnings as a can-can girl in the US to her emergence as a revolutionary in the art of dance across Europe and Soviet Russia in the 1920s, touching on a series of love affairs as they suited her aesthetic and socio-political tastes. The thirty-one-year old Brit actor, Redgrave, shines as the young and fearless Isadora, whether on stage or in bed or anywhere in between. She truly astonishes as the aging, drunken diva past her prime speaking French with an American accent or tearfully reminiscing about the deaths of her children in a freakish auto accident. One of film history’s finest performances. – – – Steve Schweighofer @banjoonthecrag

Maud Watts – – – Suffragette (2015)

What great power and significance lies in the women’s rights movement early in the twentieth century, depicted through the story of the women’s suffrage in Britain, a film directed by Sarah Gavron and written by Abi Morgan. The devastatingly good Carey Mulligan heads a terrific cast (including Meryl Streep and Helena Bonham Carter), playing laundress Maud Watts, who bit-by-bit builds a determined and unbreakable force to defend the oppressed women of the day’s society. Maud speaks out to parliament, spends time behind bars, jeopardizes her marriage and custody of he son, is outcast by those she knows, loses her job, and partakes in a horrific hunger strike. Her ruthlessly taking a hot iron to the hand of her sexually violating male employer is a metaphor for the triumph of women as well as a moment to applaud in its own right. Maud refuses to play dead, risking everything for the greater good of the female demographic. Her actions and those of the women fighting the same battle soon changed history forever. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Lola – – – Lola rennt (1999)

Eighteen years ago, a German experimental low budget movie called Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run) garnered significant international success and made names out of leading lady Franka Potente, and director Tom Tykwer. He wrote and filmed the movie in less than a year, and the work tempo and energy clearly transferred to the movie. The movie is split into three almost identical passages, a nod to video game format. Each version differs by a few choices Lola makes, influencing the outcome of each segment. Lola Rennt is set in Berlin in the late 90’s, a time of great change following German re-unification. She passes many building sites, showing a city being reborn, a bit like the running girl getting a new life in each new scene. Lola runs as fast as she can to save her slow-witted boyfriend, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) from gangsters, and only has 20 minutes to do so. As you might imagine, the first two attempts end badly, building the suspense for life three. All of her energy is kinetic, ever faster, ever more frantic. The mix of animation and live action works to good effect to underline the video game feel. Potente was not very sporty, a smoker, but that makes her all the more accessible and her determination means you’re rooting for her to make it. The tick tock of the clock running down is the constant reminder that the 20 minutes are almost up. Run Lola run! – – – Henny McClymont @GingerHenny

Lucy Burrows – – – Broken Blossoms (1919)

One of the greatest actresses of the era, Lillian Gish, reminds us of the heavy subject matter as well as the timeless entertainment the silent age of cinema provided. In 1919, D.W. Griffith and United Artists brought the tragic tale of Broken Blossoms to the screen. A tale of the young Lucy Burrows, longing to escape the torrid life her physically abusive father, Battling Burrows, a boxer, drags her through. Lucy meets a Chinese man, Cheng, also on the journey of self-fulfillment, and such an impact she makes on him, he falls in love with her. His devotion to Lucy is clear to see, he does his best to take care of her. When Lucy takes drastic measures to protect herself, Cheng and her father cross paths, resulting in the kind of tragedy Shakespeare could have penned – two men fighting for Lucy Burrows, even after she has departed. So sad the stuff of legends. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Margot Tennenbaum – – – The Royal Tennebaums (2001)

The unfluctuating, cold as ice deadpan delivery of every utterance. The thick kohl eyeliner and full length fur coat. Margot is the elusive enigma simultaneously at the edge and heart of the Tenenbaum family, the outcast as well as the eccentric darling. Not only does she give rise to the cultural understanding that chain smoking and flat denote a certain magnitude of ‘coolness’, but the psychosexual melancholy which is so far ingrained in her regular self lines the very fabric of her being and seethes from the plays she writes. Her carefree dalliances abroad may seem like rebellious promiscuity, but Margot is actually something of a champion of sexual freedom. – – – Rhiannon Topham @rhiannontopham

Kate Miller – – – Dressed to Kill (1980)

Brian DePalma’s iffy Psycho-ish reboot can boast one thing unequivocally: twenty minutes that contain a grand and brilliant performance by Angie Dickinson as Kate Miller, a classy housewife with an uncontrollable predilection for cruising for hookups in the best places. Most of her performance is contained within a long sequence that begins as a back-and-forth cat-and-mouse game in a museum, moves on to post-coital bliss only to be shocked back into reality and guilt, and eventually panic that leads to her obligatory demise in an elevator. And all of it told without dialogue, only by expressions that register on Dickinson’s face. It’s a performance I never expected from this actor who somehow, late in her career, managed to snag the part of a lifetime and run with it. – – – Steve Schweighofer @banjoonthecrag

Beth – – – Hostel Part II (2007)

At the start of the gory sequel of Hostel, Lauren German’s Beth is merely an art student on vacation, but by the end she is beheading a callous bitch so children can play football with the head. Eli Roth has a certain grotesque appeal in his writing and directing of Hostel Part II, keeping the same messed up tone as the first, where hostel reception boys scan passport photos for sex / fatality trafficking auctions. When Beth’s two friends are scalped and scythed, she is entrapped and attempted to be tortured and raped by an American businessman Stuart, but finds it in herself in a deep, dark place none of us would want to encounter, to turn the tables on him. Beth lures Stuart into the chair himself, chaining him, sticks a needle in his ear, before offering the sick, twisted fucks that run this murderous operation her wealth in return for her freedom. In response to the order she must kill, and Stuart’s c-word insult, Beth slices off his genitals and hurls them to the dogs – as a man my eyes watered. Beth is branded with the Elite Hunting tattoo, in a conclusion that marks a very fucked up can’t beat them, join them notion. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

100 Kick-Ass Female Film Characters – Part III

Female of all ages prove their worth on film in this third chapter of the kick-ass series. They take a beating and a fall to fend for your family and friends. As care-givers, as sisters, daughters, mothers, they open the eyes of children, buttons or not. Unable to fulfill relationships, they can break a boy’s heart, or corrupt and manipulate them. They can also apply bloody, violent force against their opposers – both calculated and by instinct. Let’s go.

Erin – – – You’re Next (2011)

Erin appears to be merely along for the ride when invited and arriving at the parental house of her boyfriend Crispian. The social occasion caters for many, the mother, father, and their grown up sons and daughters, and their respective partners. As a brotherly squabble breaks out at the dinner table, the infliction of shocking violence begins as one brother is killed via a crossbow fired from outside. As all bedlam and terror breaks lose the family are plucked and killed one by one. In the middle of the flutters of utter anguish, Erin appears to be the most clued up – alert, assertive, quickly taking action, and holding off her own personal panic that devours the house. When grabbed through a broken window, Erin draws first blood from the demented killers, each clad in what appear to be children’s mask of a lamb, a tiger, a wolf etc. As people trapped in the house are slaughtered, Erin is stabbed, finds glass shard in leg, is shot, hurls herself through a window, is bitten, but brutally fights back. Part of Erin’s heroic, inventive instincts mean one villain is bludgeoned to death with a meat mallet, while another has part of his head literally blended with a food processor. The film, with all its gutsy gore and ferocious manner, feeds into the human longing for vengeful violence against unimaginable evil doers. Thanks largely to Sharni Vinson’s tenacious performance, the movie certainly showcases the kick-ass female character to its fullest, essentially executing a story-line with that premise directly in mind. Perhaps the film-makers had something to get off their chests. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Amy Dunne – – – Gone Girl (2014)

“I’m so much happier now that I’m dead.” The minute we hear these lines coming from Nick Dune’s missing, perhaps dead wife, the entirely of David Fincher’s thriller/drama/pitch-black satire on how media sensationalizes tragedy, changes. We not only hear how she put the events in motion, we also hear her reasoning for it, as well as, perhaps, an insight into the plight of women and feminism in the form of an archetype, the “Cool Girl”. The story transforms into a battle of wills between two people who have gone from an idealized vision of a happy and content marriage, to an ugly, rotting corpse of what’s really left between them. Pike’s Dune isn’t likable. She’s a calculating, near-sociopathic bitch who takes the term, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” and gives it a disturbing and shocking new meaning. And that’s the point, in a nutshell: Gillian Flynn, the film’s screenwriter and author of the book of the same name, wrote this character as all great writers do: as people. Sometimes they can be great, and other times they can be like Amy Dune: bad to the bone. – – – Jonathan Holmes @MisterBrown

Summer Finn – – – (500) Days of Summer (2009)

Summer’s kick-ass credentials arise from her refusal to shake off her principles and slight stubbornness by conforming to societal expectations of relationships, and isn’t the faintest bit interested in settling down as the ‘girlfriend’ of a ‘boyfriend’ – she doesn’t do labels because she has reservations about love and relationships. Neither oblivious nor smug about her allure to men, Summer simply gets on with her life each day at a time. She’s a refreshing character because her life doesn’t revolve around her sexuality and appearance; they’re a part of the package but aren’t the essential components. Plus, her catalogue of indie attributes was the motivation for a new wave of kitsch hipsters across the land: she loves The Smiths, she quoted Belle & Sebastian in her high school yearbook and she likes day trips to IKEA. – – – Rhiannon Topham @rhiannontopham

Mary Poppins – – – Mary Poppins (1964)

One of the great musicals, heck, one of the greatest films ever made, provides us with one of the most comforting, thrilling characters ever seen on screen. Mary Poppins (a super, uncannily majestic, affectionately ferocious Julie Andrews) arrives to tend to the children of wealthy parents, too preoccupied to give them their full attention. Poppins is unorthodox in her methods of child-minding, as well as her means of transport, and provides a prickly reception to those who meet her. First impressions of stern and strict don’t last though (unlike the original book), the awe-inspiring, poignant coat of warmth and care she leaves in her path is enough to melt the human heart. Mary Poppins, with the poise of a guardian angel, an idol for children and adults alike, oozes so much love and magic through her meaningful methods – that chores work best through song, being transported from Edwardian London to animated rural setting, the literal bond of laughter and levitation etc – before she is off and gone with the wind. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Coraline Jones – – – Coraline (2009)

An animated youngling but no less deserving than any other fleshy submission, Coraline trespasses fiercely into heroic territory by giving the middle finger to an artificially galvanised happiness in favour of her dry reality and all that it entails; the good, the bad, even the unfathomably ugly. How many of us wouldn’t be tempted to just allow our awareness to freefall into the fabricated euphoria of the rabbit hole, letting go of the dull and the bitter once and for all? How many wouldn’t grab the chance to make everything permanently… perfect? And this is exactly where this little azure-haired 11-year-old fighter towers over you and me – by proving that when we catch ourselves envying the greenness of the grass on the other side of the fence, all we have to do is to just lovingly garden our own freaking foliage to blinding, emerald brilliance. Really, it’s that simple. Well, that, and to avoid sewing buttons into our eye sockets but, you know, I’d like to think that’s kind of a given. – – – The Greek

Éowyn – – – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

J. R. R. Tolkien created the character of Éowyn, and countless others, in his epic fantasy compendium, long before Miranda Otto brought her to live on screen in Peter Jackson’s extraordinary trilogy. Not until the third installment does Éowyn really get her teeth into the action. Having to somehow be advised by other characters, including Aragorn to whom she holds a special place in her heart, that her female duties are with the people back home. Éowyn, with her huge spirit and brave soul, is listening to nobody shackling her good intentions, she armors up and travels with Merry to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Her crowning moment comes after seeing her uncle Théoden mortally wounded by the witch-king riding a fell-beast. Éowyn stands herself between her uncle and her enemy, quickly severing the head of the fell-beasts before being out fought by the witch-king – “No man can kill me.” Intervening Merry gives the upper hand back to Éowyn – “I am no man!” before jolting her sword full force through the witch-king’s head. Théoden witnesses with pride. Although disguising herself as a man, it was far better that Jackson and his team allowed the audience to know of her identity, rather than trying to surprise us with the gender reveal. Éowyn may not be chosen by Aragorn in the end, but that was ultimately his loss. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Dame Marjorie “Maude” Chardin – – – Harold and Maude (1971)

When asked to write about a kick-ass female character, why did I choose Maude – an 80 year old lady? Maude is one of the most life-affirming characters there is. The film introduces us to the surprisingly energetic woman, who despite her age is trying new things to life to the fullest. In the film she acts as a symbol of adventure, showing Harold who at so young has already become bored. Maude is at a point in her life where she doesn’t care what others think of her, and believes in the philosophy of “you are as young as you feel.” Against all conventions, she is not your usual old lady. That is why, she is a kick-ass female character. – – – Thomas Pollock @FilmMasterT

Marquise de Merteuil – – – Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

Marquise de Merteuil has transcended Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ book Les Liaisons dangereuses and the following play by Christopher Hampton, before Glenn Close took on the role with immaculate disposition in Stephen Frears’ marvelous film version – also adapted for the screen by Hampton. Accompanied by the remarkable John Malkovich and magnetic Michelle Pfeiffer, not to mention Philippe Rousselot’s photography and James Acheson’s costumes, Merteuil shines in Close’s hands – a villainous, relentless woman of stealthy wit and power. Looking to take vengeance on her former lover, arranging the seduction the virgin Cécile, Merteuil enlists sometimes lover Vicomte de Valmont into her torrid plans. His unexpected love for Madame de Tourvel turns the cogs of human impulse on its head, but Valmont being embroiled heavily already in Merteuil’s wicked games means this does not end well. Merteuil subtly pushing people into the wrong arms and places is soon her downfall. Although a disgraced Merteuil’s schemes are later revealed to the entirety of Paris, she remains a character that echoes a dangerous intelligence and unequivocal influence. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Pina – – – Roma città aperta (1945)

Roberto Rossellini’s Roma, Citta Aperta (Open City) is known for two things: kicking-off the groundbreaking Italian Neorealist Movement that changed international cinema forever and, second, launching international recognition of “la Lupa”, Anna Magnani, who Rossellini called “the greatest acting genius since Eleanora Duse” and who already had a well-established acting career domestically. In the film, Pina (Magnani) is caught between occupying fascists and Nazis and resistance fighters in WWII Rome while trying to maintain a normal semblance of life, including marrying her fiancé by whom she is already pregnant. Yet all attempts at normalcy are constantly challenged, even threatened. Pina tries to maneuver her way through the entangled web of informants and betrayals to save a simple family life, and it’s Magnani’s fiery presence on the side of human decency that anchors the film’s moral core as she takes on everyone from friends and family to the clergy to the oppressors themselves. Anna Magnani was “salt of the earth” – powerful, unglamorous and in a class of her own. – – – Steve Schweighofer @banjoonthecrag

Ree Dolly – – – Winter’s Bone (2010)

Jennifer Lawrence’s breakthrough role in Debra Granik’s gritty, compelling Winter’s Bone is arguably her finest. As teenage Ree stuck in rural America, taking it upon herself to look after her brother, sister, and mentally unstable mother, here is a character dealt a very rough hand, but will not be backed into a corner without a fight. On the verge of losing their home because of the long time absent father, Ree wants only to protect her family from this hardship, but is determined to, and kind of pushed towards, finding proof of either their father’s disappearance or his death. Stepping into the neighborhood of drugs and violence, and amidst all the threats on the family’s livelihood, Ree is assaulted by the hostile folk she seeks out for answers, but gets to her feet again and digs a little deeper. The horrific truth uncovered paradoxically settles the waters, and we can take solace in the resolution with a handful of hope, that Ree can return to teaching her younger brother and sister the basic survival skills they might need to survive. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

100 Kick-Ass Female Film Characters – Part II

Like many of the great film characters in cinema, the need and act for survival are crucial – and that is prominent in the next ten female characters on our list. Whether it be in the emptiness of space, or on the ground of the streets, women (and girls) do what they need to keep going. Some take a beating, both physically or mentally or both, but just about keep their wits about them and get their feet back on the surface. Their determination shines through any notion of be aided or abetted by the male contingent, or an unwillingness to reveal who they are underneath. This next ten is also book-ended by great casting through actresses becoming pregnant – don’t say I don’t make this interesting.

 

Selina Kyle / Catwoman – – – Batman Returns (1992)

Once a force to be reckoned with, Michelle Pfeiffer has sunk her teeth into some juicy roles. One of her most memorable was to join Tim Burton as he returned to his own revival of the Batman franchise as none other than Catwoman – and the somewhat bipolar secretary Selina Kyle. A small debt is owed to Annette Bening, who was originally set for the part but fell pregnant. Pfeiffer was just meant to be. When Selina is pushed through a window by her corrupt boss, a bunch of cats seemingly gather around her – and the rest is comic book history. Latex-suited-up, she may lose a couple of squabbles with enemies or allies alike, and become unmasked at the story’s close, but Catwoman remains the phenomenon with the biggest, shiniest balls. And a catty attitude to boot. The Christmas setting only adds to Catwoman’s allure it seems. Even with the bold, brash characters of Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), Penguin (Danny DeVito), and also Batman / Bruce Wayne (a thankfully recurring Michael Keaton), it has always felt like Catwoman’s movie. Batman returns, sure, but the delicious Catwoman reigns supreme – the final shot of her illustrious silhouette only exemplifies this. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Diana Prince / Wonder Woman – – – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

The concept of Batman and Superman spitting their dummies out to turn on each-other is a ridiculous one. But still Zack Snyder managed to attract a marvel of a cast including Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne – but hardly a grand use of character between them. Step up Gal Gadot as Diana Prince, who although has to spend two and a half hours witnessing the mayhem – and by that I do include Bruce Wayne’s sleaze – finally brings some much-needed venom and glory to this mess as Wonder Woman. Blowing Batman’s monstrous voice and Superman’s distracting emotional side out of the water, Wonder Woman arrives to kick some serious ass and show these small boys how it is done. It is a wonder, indeed, that one dynamic character can mark such a super-cool and influential motion picture appearance while our beloved Batman and Superman struggle to muster a breath of redemption between them. Whether the stand-alone Wonder Woman movie can build on this is yet to be seen. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Katniss Everdeen – – – The Hunger Games (2012)

Katniss Everdeen is the toughest person in a world full of tough people. She lives in a world where a citizen uprising led to a totalitarian government, and now a yearly game is held where children are forced into battle with each other in which the winner is the last one alive. For Katniss it’s a no-win situation, because she’s good natured at heart, and doesn’t want to kill anyone, but has to in order to survive. Before the games start, there is first a reaping, which is the selection process when one boy and one girl are picked as the representatives of their district. Katniss is not selected, but her younger sister Primrose is. In order to save her sister, Katniss volunteers in her place. What makes Katniss Everdeen a kick-ass character is that she’s not only smart and knows how to survive in the games, but also the fact that she’s willing to sacrifice herself to allow for her sister to live. It’s a very brave and noble gesture, and it ends up being the first tough decision of many more to come afterwards. – – – Al Robinson

Anna Schmidt – – – The Third Man (1949)

While working as an actress in Vienna, Anna fell head over heels in love with a guy that turned out to be not that great, pretty awful actually. His best mate, Holly Martins, develops romantic feelings for her while trying to unravel the shady circumstances surrounding said mate’s death. But Anna’s loyalty to her beloved, even upon discovery of his wrongdoing, never wavers. Not to condone falsifying official documents for illegal entry to a country (spoiler) but that shows a lot of courage from a vulnerable woman living in a nation rendered indigent in its post-war fragility. She is a woman of stoic loyalty, rejecting Martins advances with aplomb, and that final scene is one of the finest examples of metaphorically flipping the bird there’s ever been in cinema. – – – Rhiannon Topham @rhiannontopham

Ryan Stone – – – Gravity (2013)

You’re in space, your shuttle is broken. The rest of the crew is already dead, your commanding partner’s corpse is floating forever into weightless oblivion, and you’re alone, so freaking alone and scared, the only sound thing to do is just break down and cry while waiting for the inevitable oxygen depletion. Yet, with no reasonable way of surviving, Dr. Ryan Stone still manages to drive it home in the most stunning rebirth parable that has ever come to life on film. Being such a unique story about a woman’s journey to personal deliverance, feel free to gush over not only Bullock’s astrodoc, but this beautiful movie itself. Talking about kick-ass ladies, this film has a womb in which the heroine grows, it forms a safeguarding placenta around her, lovingly nourishing and healing the pain away until Stone is well and truly ready to let go of her emotional shackles and emerge crying and wobbly-legged into wet existence, with the first gasp of a newborn blinking against the first light. In a rare case of silver screen transcendence, the character isn’t the only ferocious female subject worth mentioning; Gravity itself is. – – – The Greek

Ellen Peterson / “The Gamin” – – – Modern Times (1936)

Perhaps there is nothing like the defiance of out-witting the law to stand, head held high and eat the bannana you have just stolen. Ellen, the poor, penniless young woman in Charlie Chaplin’s immense Modern Times does not endorse crime or wrong-doing, but rather shaking a fist at society’s shackles and live life with a smile and spirited determination. Paulette Goddard and Chaplin had a great on-screen chemistry here, providing the audience with one of the first wonderful meet cutes in fictional history. Even dressed in her rags and splashed with dirt, Ellen (or The Gamin’) brings with her a warm glow of optimism wherever she goes. Like Chaplin, she is mischief and spontaneous, her spirited aura of adventure goes a long way in teaching the Little Tramp a thing or two – a perfect alliance forms quickly. Ellen, in all her down-to-Earth wisdom, survival instinct, and willing to make the world a better place, could certainly teach us a thing or two on how to live today, not just 1936. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Rebecca Morgan – – – Sounder (1972)

Martin Ritt’s adaptation was probably the first realistic rendering of life as a black sharecropper family in the oppressive South during the Great Depression. Tyson’s steely performance makes Rebecca Morgan the heart and soul of the family when her husband and father to her son is hauled away on a minor crime charge and she has to take control of their survival. This was the role that made the world take notice of Cicely Tyson as the acting powerhouse that she is – and remains to be – today. When Nathan is spotted in the distance, hobbling up the road home after his release from the chain gang, it’s Tyson’s full speed, arms wide sprint to his arms that steals the emotion of a scene that includes both a child AND a dog (Sounder). Tyson was only the second African-American woman to be nominated for Best Actress by Oscar, an honor she had to share with Diana Ross, but her performance in Sounder towers above all others that year. – – – Steve Schweighofer @banjoonthecrag

Sarah Connor – – – Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

If there was a Mount Rushmore of badass movie females, Linda Hamilton’s face would be every single president! You know who she is, Sarah Connor! First introduced to us as a timid character in the original Terminator and she evolved into a militaristic, cunning, and altruistic mom interested solely in the protection of her son and the fate of the future planet. Over a decade preparing herself for Judgment Day becoming a master tactician and extensive knowledge of firearms and explosives. All this knowledge proved even too much for her as the machines took over the world, but instilled the Messiah like figure of Sarah Connor for future fighters. Linda Hamilton opened the door for more women to step into the action role and is renowned for her impact on the industry. – – – Mike Austin @MuzakWeeWoo

Jane Craig – – – Broadcast News (1987)

It’s still mind-boggling to think that James L. Brooks wrote the role of Jane Craig in Broadcast News for Debra Winger (who became pregnant before production), because Holly Hunter embodies Craig so believably, it’s as though no one else could be her. Craig is real-world kicking ass: afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted, one story at time. She’s so kick-ass, she makes it obvious why they would choose a 26-year-old as managing producer even in the midst of Draconian cutbacks. And like Rick in Casablanca, she puts ethics over love. Movies about workplace romances tend to be insipidly sappy; movies about professional ethics tend to be pedantically preachy. Broadcast News very improbably, very watchably threads the needle, and if you’re wondering why more movies don’t follow, it’s because they don’t have a Jane Craig. To paraphrase Joan Cusack’s character, except for socially, Jane’s our role model. – – – Daniel Smith-Rowsey @smithrowsey

Rosetta – – – Rosetta (1999)

On paper, a teenage girl from a trailer park, with barely a pot to piss in, and a drunken mother, might not seem to be the most exhilarating of movie experiences. This is the Dardenne brothers though, a remarkable film-making duo who bring the realism of social struggles to cinema with consummate perception and depth. What also makes Rosetta a gem is Cannes Best Actress winner Émilie Dequenne as the title heroine. Rosetta, down-trodden, but extremely determined – ruthlessly so – has both survival and escape on her mind. Struggling to hold down a job so she can earn a living and look after her useless mother, Rosetta fights (quite literally) her way through her tough day-to-day routine, running (quite literally) from dilemma to new job to wherever she can find salvation or personal fulfillment. Finding work at a waffle stand, a co-worker, Riquet (Fabrizio Rongione), never quite makes friend material – in fact Rosetta hesitates to save him when he falls into water, and later rats him out to the boss when she discovers he is conning him. Cruel, but a dog eats a dog if it has to. Rosetta is hard as nails, gutsy as hell, she can tend to period pains with a hairdryer, and carry heavy gas canisters all by herself. But she is human, a young girl, close to breaking, but mentally stronger than most – when she falls to the ground at the film’s close and sobs, frustrated by it all, she’ll get back up and on her feet again, we just know it. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

100 Kick-Ass Female Film Characters – Part I

I think you get the point of this series. Although we ought to have a good selection of those female characters that literally kick ass (or punch faces, shoot guns, leap from buildings, kill monsters etc etc), we also dive a little deeper, and dig out those characters that define Kick-Ass in other familiar ways. Very effective, tough, influential, powerful, aggressive, exciting, can also be applied to the more abstract, or mental, aspects of a character – could reflect their life status, impact on someone else, the grand affection of love, survival, independence. Here’s a starter for ten:

Scarlett O’Hara – – – Gone with the Wind (1939)

As a mere child watching movies, and God as my witness, I first found Scarlett O’Hara to be a little self-centered and stubborn, something of a feisty brat. I still loved her though. I discovered of course that Scarlett is much, much more than that – an iconic, important, epic character, full of depth and strength, from a likewise motion picture experience. Given the time the film depicts she is without racial agenda, has an unabashed resilience, she is a strong-willed woman, a fool for love and carrying a natural survival instinct. In Gone with the Wind, a grand movie set in the American South during the civil war, Scarlett has to endure the conflict and tragedy around her. Determined to maintain the family cotton plantation following the death of her mother, and then eventually her father, Scarlett experiences a seemingly unrequited love, is widowed at a young age, helps deliver a baby, later suffers her own miscarriage, and then the death of her young daughter Bonnie Blue. Not to mention the turbulent romance with Rhett Butler, which is misunderstood by audiences as the be-all and end-all of the movie. It is not. Scarlett O’Hara (the outstanding, mesmerizing, incomparable Vivien Leigh) is a platform for female characters of the the past, the future, and today, her fist clenched vows and undefeatable spirit make her one of the strongest, most influential characters in cinematic history. Frankly my dears, we do give a damn. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Jeanne d’Arc – – – La passion de Jeanne d’Arc (1928)

Carl Theodor Dreyer’s silent classic is considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, and a lion’s share of the credit must go to Maria Falconetti’s landmark performance that towers above nearly all screen performances, before or since. Her Joan is made all the more real by the spare sets, expressionistic lighting and intense camera angles which outline and compliment every glance. We never doubt her character’s convictions through her trial and confession and feel the futile satisfaction that comes when she ultimately recants her confession, knowing that by doing so she seals her fate to the stake. The secret to Falconetti’s performance is not so much the religious connection as it is loyalty to one’s own beliefs and self worth. Her emotional journey to this realization is what makes the film so moving, and we see and experience every emotion thanks to the skillful interpretation of this great actor – it was only her second screen performance and her last. Truly astounding and evocative work. – – – Steve Schweighofer @banjoonthecrag

Ma / Joy – – – Room (2015)

Seven years is a long time to be away from your parents, your friends, the world you once knew. It’s a far more unimaginable experience when you’re kidnapped as a teenager, kept in a shed, and routinely raped. Joy (a remarkable, Oscar-winning Brie Larson) somehow maintains a wondrous spirit, developing and maintaining her role as a mother, a protector, in the most dour, horrific of circumstances, to the now 5-year-old Jack (a spirited turn from Jacob Tremblay). They share the enclosed space, the skylight keeping them from total darkness – a bed, a bathtub, a toilet, a cupboard, make-shift kitchen, a TV. Ma’s optimism goes beyond heavenly, building a make-belief world for her boy’s sanity, and when she has had enough and plans the escape, she has to somehow give comprehension about the real world that exists outside the room. When eventually free, the struggles in re-adapting are tough for Joy too, even in her former family home. A challenge to the senses nobody can understand – even for a mother of such true devotion and strength. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Nurse Ratched – – – One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

The unsurpassed symbol for the manipulation of power. Nurse Ratched isn’t kick-ass in the revered traditional sense, but her calm yet steely and patronising tenor is enough to strike an overwhelming fear in those she wants to fear her. She demands authority from even the sickest of patients, and with a grotesque dexterity for evil but otherwise blank expression devoid of all emotional investment or empathy, her wishes are eventually granted. The obdurate sphere of arbitrary omnipotence in which Nurse Ratched brews her fatal schemes is filled with a calculating callousness and a penchant for institutional corruption which more closely resembles the fantastical sadism of comic book villains rather than the commonplace bitterness of fellow drama antagonists. – – – Rhiannon Topham @rhiannontopham

María Álvarez – – – Maria Full Of Grace (2004)

What a refreshing discovery Catalina Sandino Moreno – winning Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival and earning an Oscar nod with AMPAS for her terrific turn in Maria Full of Grace. The Colombian actress plays a teenager, Maria Álvarez, struggling to support family, working a shitty job, and then falling pregnant to a boy she knows there is no future with. Pushed to the edge, Maria takes on the risky task of a drug mule, having to swallow down tens upon tens of drug capsules and flying to New York City with another girl. After a dodgy moment at U.S customs, complications arise during the “passing” of the drugs, and Maria makes life-changing choices that were never part of this desperate plan, though are will-intended and noble. Her last minute decision to stay in America and not return to her home in Colombia may be the hugest, bravest she has to make. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Sonmi-451 – – – Cloud Atlas (2012)

This choice for bad-ass females in film is an odd choice but stay with me here: Sooni is a human clone who works as a server for a fast food joint in a dystopian Neo-Seoul in 2144, who discovers the very reason for her existence is a form of cheap labor for the powers-that-be and eventually becomes a target for extermination. She is rescued by Hae-Joon Chang a rebel freedom fighter (man, the Wachowskis love their stories dealing with uprisings!) who shows her what happens to her kind as they are slaughtered and recycled for the other clones’ food intake. Horrified with the truth, she joins the resistance and broadcasts her experience and her manifesto. My reasoning for her inclusion here is two-fold – first, in film, the white, male protagonist is usually the “chosen one” that leads some sort of rebellion against an unjust and oppressive system (see Kirk Douglas in Spartacus, Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments etc), so it’s utterly refreshing to watch a person of color, let alone a woman, being the centerpiece of a section of a film which deals with rising up from an oppressive system. And second, even though she is ultimately captured and executed, her story and her words echo through time as a record of what was left behind for another group of people, in another dystopian future, where her manifesto has become scripture, and is worshiped by the tribe.

Jonathan Holmes @MisterBrown_23

Michelle – – – 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

A huge dilemma for Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and the audience watching the movie 10 Cloverfield Lane, is whether or not the suspicious, paranoid Howard (John Goodman) is protecting her from an apocalyptic, hostile environment, or holding her captive in the daunting underground bunker. Having been in a car accident, Michelle wakes up in a concrete cell, unable to get free. The introduction of Howard and his informing her that the Earth is in fact uninhabitable after it was attacked only adds to her anxiety. Michelle has her eye on the ball though, attempting to escape, playing along with the habitational routine, discovering a missing girl was kept here, manages to avoid death by perchloric acid, and assembles her own biohazard outfit. When Michelle does wriggle free, she finds she can breath the air, only to be tracked by an extraterrestrial ship that omits a deadly gas – and her human survival instinct help her fight back. As open-ended as the finale is, our heroine earns the title as she turns her car toward further alien activity on the horizon. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA

Cora Papadakis – – – The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

Before she landed the role of Cora in the remake of the film noir classic. Jessica Lange was primarily known for her work on 1976’s King Kong. After Cora, Lange’s career took off like a rocket, eventually garnering her the triple crown for acting, and it was this role that lit the candle. Lange brought an earthy hunger and reckless nature to Cora who, determined to escape from her domestic drudgery, plots with her new fling (Jack Nicholson) to dispatch her slovenly husband and live lustily ever after. It’s basically Lange at the controls from the initial seduction scene and subsequently famous sweat-and-flour dusted tumble in the kitchen to the actual murder. With every glance, sigh and stance, Lange’s Cora aches with obsession for a single goal – to feel alive again. A star was born with King Kong, but an acting powerhouse made her presence known here. – – – Steve Schweighofer @banjoonthecrag

Amelia – – – The Babadook (2014)

You think lifting cars with your bare hands to save your trapped baby is a big deal? Well, meet Amelia, an exhausted, distraught widow, who takes her motherly love pledge to the absolute extreme by expelling a putrid demon out of her just as it is about to guide her own hands into massacring her petrified son; making us all look like amateur parents in the process. How? By grabbing onto the fraying emotional bond she shares with her troubled offspring and riding it all the way to salvation like a boss. Not badass enough for you? How about then getting all up in the face of malevolence, whipping the beast down to absolute submission and keeping it in her basement as a freaking pet? And for the parents reading, please consider that not only is she a single parent but said offspring is a challenging, loud, insomniac 6-year-old and not once, not once! was she even tempted to let The Babadook just… babysit for a while. – – – The Greek 

Mindy Macready / Hit-Girl – – – Kick-Ass (2011)

In the vast depth of cinema it is very rare to have an eleven-year-old girl vindictively utter the c-word and slice off limbs so effortlessly – thus having certain audience members kicking up a stick. Children grieve and develop in different ways. As played so ruthlessly by little Chloë Grace Moretz, crime-fighter Hit-Girl bursts onto the screen with real vigilante purpose in Matthew Vaughn’s sadistic black comedy Kick-Ass. Her alto ego Mindy Macready proves to be a product of her surroundings and upbringing, where her father Damon (AKA Batman-look-a-like Big Daddy) raised her to be tough and prepared – he was once a cop, set-up by a Mafia boss, resulting in his wife, and Mindy’s mother, taking her own life. Teaming up with the Kick-Ass of the title Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), Hit-Girl goes full-throttle honoring her father’s well-intended legacy by exacting revenge on her enemies (I mean, seriously, she kicks a lot of ass here). There’s more to mere violence in this girl’s tale though, abound by a thoroughly ruffled and hazardous upbringing, losing a mother, and then a father in a strikingly poignant farewell. – – – Robin Write @WriteoutofLA