Friday, September 25, 2015

#42Movies, Day 15: Strong Female Characters

Speaking of Joss Whedon (video)... this list could be much, much longer:

Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
and
The Peacemaker (1997)

...but it still wouldn't be long enough. Let's talk after the trailers.


https://youtu.be/CUXQ4oNux_A


https://youtu.be/QG8O3Cr9kEs

Earlier this week, parody news site The Onion ran an article titled "Screen Actors Guild Develops Retraining Program For 30-Year-Old Actresses Aging Out Of Workforce." It's a spot-on satire, and it's as painful as it is funny.

Because it's true: Hollywood today has very little use for actresses over thirty. (Even less for non-white women who want to play lead roles, but that's another topic.) Even as TV viewers flock to shows like The Good Wife and Orange is the New Black and anything from Shonda Rhimes, movie producers still shy away from from female protagonists for bogus reasons we need to banish for good.

Politics aside, these are two highly entertaining films. Long Kiss Goodnight is one of our go-to holiday movies, even with the uncomfortable moments which probably weren't as bad pre-9/11. And Peacemaker not only has a classic Hans Zimmer score—it's one of my favorite soundtracks for writing—it also has fun with its Kidman-Clooney, brains-versus-brawn buddy pairing. Director Mimi Leder really doesn't get enough credit for working humanity into her action pictures (Deep Impact is another of my sentimental favorites. ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE MAN).

Curtis

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