Women in Film

I had intended to address this issue before the Academy Awards, but unfortunately that was the week I flaked out and I never got it written. While I'm not out to claim gender-bias or demand some sort of affirmative action, I am dismayed every year by the lack of nominations for female production staff in certain categories. I'm all for nominating the best examples in each category, but it seems to me that there are either very few women working in certain areas of film production, or they are not working on the best (or most visible) projects.

We already know about the lack of nominations for female directors. So far, there have only been three: Lina Wertmuller in 1976 for the Italian Seven Beauties, Australian Jane Campion in 1993 for The Piano, and Sofia Coppola in 2003 for Lost in Translation. I know there are plenty of wonderful female directors out there, so this disparity could be contributed to the fact that many of the films taken on by female directors seem are concerned with smaller stories. While many of them are acclaimed, they lack a certain grandure that automatically elevates their work to Oscar consideration. For example, Kimberley Pierce showed great promise heading Boy's Don't Cry, but an independent film about a gender-confused teen, while likely to gain awards attention for the performances, is not the kind of film that generally enters into the Best Picture arena. Perhaps Pierce will have greater luck with her upcoming Stop-Loss, but that depends on the quality of the film, a public embracing of the current social commentary in the subject matter, and it sticking in viewers minds all the way to December. Not likely.

Far more disturbing is the seeming complete lack of female candidates in most of the technical fields. The writing categories have nominated plenty of women, and female writers seem to be involved with just as many esteemed projects as the male writers. In the past 15 years, there have been 22 nominations for female writers and 7 of them have won. There are also a plentitude of nominations in the art/set direction and costume design categories: at least 20% of the nominees in art direction are female, with that number rising closer to 85% in costume design. I find it interesting that there are so many male fashion designers, but that women costume designers in film seem to outnumber them handily. Clearly women are represented well in many ways.

But this parity doesn't run across the technical board. If I were involved in filmmaking, as I have often imagined myself to be, my main areas of interest would be directing, editing, cinematography or musical score. So I was extremely saddened to see so few women represented in these categories, at least over the last 15 years, and I would suspect, in the history of the Academy Awards. I've already talked about direction, so let's examine editing, which is the actual cutting of the film. It establishes the pace, reactions, mood, and film historians have often said it is the editing of a film that creates the meaning, not the shots themselves, but their arrangement. Over the last 15 years, there have been 12 nominations for women in the field of editing, out of a possible 75. That's about 16%. Not horrible, but not sufficient to me. Three of those nominations have been for Thelma Schoonmaker, Martin Scorcese's longtime editor, and that makes me wonder whether it's her actual work, or her association with Scorcese pictures (always in the Oscar contention pool) that get her consistently nominated. Of the remaining 9 women nominated, 3 are foreign editors working on foreign films (one underneath a female director), and 3 more are working on independent projects, outside mainstream filmmaking. That leaves only 3 women film editors that were nominated for their work on studio projects in the last 15 years (who are not Thelma Schoonmaker). Does that mean there are very few women editors working within the studio system, or just not very many good ones?

In the category of score, only two women have been considered, with a total of 4 nominations. Rachel Portman has been nominated three times, for 1996's Emma, 1999's The Cider House Rules and 2000's Chocolat. She won for Emma and became the first woman to win an Oscar for musical score. The only other female nominee is Anne Dudley, who also won, in 1997 for The Full Monty. It think it is important to note that both of their wins came in years when there were two song categories, Original Dramatic Score and Original Comedy or Musical Score. They both won in Comedy or Musical Score. (And just as an additional note, the winners in Dramatic score for each of those years were Gabriel Yared for Best Picture winner The English Patient in 1996, and James Horner for Best Picture winner Titanic in 1997.) I just refuse to believe that there are no other accomplished female composers!

Here is the real travesty. In the areas of cinematography, sound mixing, and visual effects, there have been absolutely zero female nominees, at least in the last 15 years, and probably in the history of the Oscars. (I'll have to continue researching to be sure. 15 years seemed a long enough time span to begin with.) The only woman nominated in Sound Editing is Anna Behlmer with a whopping 9 nominations to her name. However, she is only one part of her sound editing team, which usually includes at least 2 other men. How is it possible she is the only woman in Hollywood involved in Sound Editing? Seriously, there are no other women on any of the effects teams. And no women cinematographers??? Really??? Cinematography involves the lighting and any movement of the camera. Again, I refuse to believe that there are no competent or accomplished women out there who work in this field.

So, with these interesting discoveries under my belt, I have decided to keep a look out for women working in any of these areas and make a note of it. Occasionally I may introduce them to you, like "Hey, check out the awesome cinematography in such-and-such." Because I'm adamant that there have got to be women somewhere working in these fields, I'm gonna have to put my money where my mouth is and find them! I'm at least going to keep track of current releases so that come Oscar time next year, I may have an actual debatable opinion about who should be nominated in the technical categories, and whether some of them should be women.If anyone out there notices some kick-ass technical work done by a female filmmaker, lemme know!

Oh, That Guy!

New ongoing feature! So we've all had that experience of watching a movie and seeing some random minor character and thinking, "Ahhhh! Who is that guy?" And if you're anything like me, that persistent question nags at you for the remainder of the film until you remember where you've seen that actor before.

So in acknowledgment of the great, uncelebrated character actors who fill the background of our films, I'm going to start introducing them. First up:

JOHN SLATTERY

John has a long history of being "the other guy" in television shows, starting with the role of Amy's ex-husband on "Judging Amy," then Dennis Martino, the principal who kept Carol away from Ed on "Ed," and most recently Eva Longoria's love interest, Victor Lang on "Desperate Housewives." He also has an active film career, the most notable being Julia Robert's long distance boyfriend in Mona Lisa Smile (2003), the father in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004), and the man leading the bond tour in Flags of our Fathers (2006). And if none of these sound familiar, here's a list of other roles:

*Charlie Wilson's War (2007)...............................Henry Cravely
*"Mad Men" (on AMC) (2007).................................Roger Sterling (9 episodes)
*Underdog (2007)......................................................Mayor
*"Jack and Bobby"(2004-2005)............................Peter Benedict (18 episodes)
*The Station Agent (2003).....................................David
*Bad Company (2002)............................................Roland Yates
*Traffic (2000)...........................................................ADA Dan Collier
*"Sex and the City" (2000).....................................Bill Kelley (2 episodes)
*"Law and Order" (1998, 2000)..............................Arlen Levitt (2 episodes)
*"Will and Grace" (1999).........................................Sam Truman (2 episodes)
*"From the Earth to the Moon" (1998).................Sen. Walter Mondale
*Eraser (1996)..............................................................FBI Agent Corman

100 Favorite Movies, Part 2

And the list continues....

• 90. MONSTERS, INC. (2001) - Pixar never fails to amaze me with it's ability to look at stories from an original point of view. Billy Crystal and John Goodman provide the voices to Sully and Mike Wazowski, two monsters whose job is to come out of closets and scare children. But the concepts of scaring being a power source, monsters scared of children, the magical doors, and a great chase scene on a conveyor arch, are such a refreshing bit of cinema. Monsters, Inc. is funny and sweet and has the cutest cartoon kid ever in little Boo.

• 89. REAR WINDOW (1954) - One of Hitchcock's best creates a throughly engaging and suspenseful thriller out of Jimmy Stewart and a pair of binoculars. He's basically a peeping Tom, but the observations of his neighbors (including Miss Torso and Miss Lonelyheart) are touching and clever, and the mystery of Mr. Thorwald's wife is riveting. This film makes voyeurs of us all.

• 88. BILLY ELLIOT (2000) - The short truth is that star Jamie Bell just steals my heart. His Billy is a terrible boxer with a dead mother, a dementia-addled grandmother, and a brother and father who are suffering through one of the most awful mining strikes in British history. But just watch his face and body light up as he dances! He charms my pants off! In ballet teacher Julie Walters he finds a surly, entertaining surrogate mother, and just try to resist Jamie Bell when he smiles!

• 87. RUNNING ON EMPTY (1988) - Had he not tragically dies at the age of 23, River Phoenix would have been one of the best actors around, and this is the film that is a constant reminder of that fact. His parents are underground activists, wanted for a Vietnam protest bombing that went awry, and Phoenix, a senior in high school, now faces a future that either requires him to give up his dream of Juliard, or never see his parents again. This delicately layered story about a close family with a horrible burden to bear provides wonderful performances from not only Phoenix, but Christine Lahti and Judd Hirsch as his parents.

• 86. HARRY POTTER SERIES (2001-present) - I can't choose just one!!! This is such a wonderfully fun and endlessly inventive tale about magic, loss, education, choices, bravery, dreams, family and friendship. J.K. Rowling gave us one of the greatest and most imaginative stories of all time, and these film adaptations are a beautiful representation of her work. The relationship between Harry, Ron and Hermione is the warm, gooey center of the whole crazy ride! (And if pressed, I'd have to say that the most recent Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is my favorite of the films so far!)

• 85. BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (2002) - How can you not love a film about an Indian girl who is torn between her loving, but traditional parents, and her desire to play soccer? The blending of these two radically different worlds is often amusing, and provides a less familiar example in the underdog sports genre. The three leads (Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) are all engaging, and the surreal shot of our heroine's relatives, in full Indian garb in the middle of the soccer pitch, is truly fun!

• 84. WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (1971) - Oh, how I loved this movie when I was a kid! A morality tale for children (don't be greedy, don't watch too much television, stop chewing gum) that takes place in a chocolate factory - how could kids stay away! Casting Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka was an inspiration, the musical arrangements are great (especially the Oompa Loompa's refrain, which has entered the pop culture lexicon), and the opening montage depicting the making of chocolate is perhaps one of the greatest opening credits sequences ever.

• 83. PETER PAN (2003) - I only recently discovered this live action remake of the classic story and was overwhelmed by it's lovely visuals and spot-on performances. This adaptation recognizes the on-the-cusp of puberty attraction between Wendy (the luminous Rachel Hurd-Wood) and Peter (a devilishly charming Jeremy Sumpter), and has Wendy confronting Peter about his denial of growing up. It also contains a magically uplifting musical score, plenty of pirate fights and my favorite execution of the infamous "I do believe in fairies!" scene!

• 82. CHASING AMY (1997) - Clerks was fresher and Mallrats perhaps funnier, but Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy has a heart far superior to either. The hopelessly complicated, and yet still romantic, story of a man who falls in love with a lesbian has to tread carefully through a landmine of sexual politics, homophobic slurs and confusing sexual identities, but comes out the end having said something very real about the search for love and the fragility of relationships.

• 81. PLEASANTVILLE (1998) - The movie looks like a satiric throwback to '50's sitcoms. But when modern day teens Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon are transported into this black and white world, an examination of the rewards and costs of personal freedom and a range of emotions shakes up the town of Pleasantville. It's important to remember that while things may be "cleaner", "nicer", and more "pleasant" in a black and white world, feeling shitty or ecstatic is a lot more valuable to the human experience.

100 Favorite Movies Part 3

100 Favorite Movies, Part 1

I had actually assigned myself this project long before this blog ever came into existence. I was reading through some critic's webpage and found a Top 100 list. The idea of actually cataloging and ranking a list of 100 movies intrigued me and I had a rough draft done way back in November. However, it required much editing, and honestly, it's really hard to decide what your 100 favorite films are. The first 30-40 were easy. I know which films I really love. But trying to decide if I like Terminator 2 better that West Side Story, well that's just hard. How do I know? I'd say I like them about the same, depending on my mood. But that sort of thinking is not conducive to list-making, so after several weeks of reorganizing little slips of paper in ever changing orders, I finally have a relative Favorite 100 Movies List.

You should know that I take watchability into account here. This is not a list of the 100 Best Films of All Time - some of these honestly aren't that great. But these are the films I come back to repeatedly or have somehow earned my undying love and devotion. That's just gonna have to be good enough for you. I'm going to break the list up into 10 installments of 10 so that this blog entry doesn't last until eternity. And to be fair, after about #80, there are probably 50 movies that I like about the same, but I only had room for 20 more, so here's what made the cut....

• 100. BRICK (2006) - My affection for this film has only grown each time I watch it. I love listening to the quirky, if unrealistic, dialogue. I enjoy the murky plot with elements of film noir, but amusing winks as the filmmakers fill their canvas with unexpected scenes and plot points. And most of all, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a revelation as the fully realized and sympathetic anti-hero.

• 99. FREAKY FRIDAY (2003) - It's the watchability factor, I'm telling you. This is a film that never fails to make me laugh, plus it's one I can always watch with my mom - and she is hard to please. Lindsey Lohan used to have so much promise, and Jaime Lee Curtis is a riot, fully committing to the role of teenager with a glee few actresses could match. And, God help me, I even love the music.

• 98. YOU'VE GOT MAIL (1998) - Ultimately, I think it's watching the seasons pass that gets me. A perfectly chosen soundtrack takes us from the orange, school-supply buying hopefulness of fall, to the bleak, sentimental winter, and into a bright romantic spring. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are charming and perfectly suited for each other. I love the idea that you can say things with words in emails that you can't ever say in person. And have I mentioned that the scene of Kathleen remembering her and her mother "twirling" always makes me cry?

• 97. STRANGER THAN FICTION (2006) - Will Ferrell can play straight and still be funny. Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson lend support as the literary minded intellectuals with an infinitely clever knowledge of writing and all it's facets. The visuals are creative in representing the interior landscape of Ferrell's mind. And Maggie Gyllenhaal is the perfect blend of sweetness and spice as the revolutionary baker.

• 96. SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (1998) - I'm a sucker for Shakespeare, it must be said. And to watch this mish-mash of "Romeo and Juliet" and "Twelfth Night" thrown into the dingy world of Elizabethan theater is to revel in Shakespeare. It's funny, tragic, romantic, bawdy, complex, intelligent, and passionate. Complete with excellent score, a realistically imagined England, a stellar cast and a hopelessly flawed Shakespeare, played to inspired effect by Joseph Fiennes.

• 95. SCREAM (1996) - I'm not a big fan of horror movies, so this is saying a lot. I think it's mainly the nostalgia that gets me, as every time I watch this I am reminded of my youth and how much Em and Heather worshiped this movie. Finally, a horror film in which the characters know they are in horror film! And I have never heard such giddly crass dialogue as the poetic filth that frequently spews forth from the mouths of these film savvy characters.

• 94. SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995) - This will not be the last Jane Austen adaptation to hit my list. I love repressed tales of love thwarted by social conventions, and Ang Lee's English-language debut about two very different sisters - passionate and open Marianne (a radiant Kate Winslet) and reserved and kind Elinor (Emma Thompson) - is a lovely study in romantic differences. Elinor has the steadfast heart to love Edward (Hugh Grant) even when he appears lost to her forever, while Marianne falls heedlessly in love with the roguish Willoughby, only to be taught a lesson in heartbreak and make a happier match with the gentle Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman). A little suffering, and then all is well!

• 93. RUDY (1993) - Uplifting sports stories about determined underdogs almost never fail to please me, but Rudy is a real charmer. Sean Astin is completely winning as he doggedly follows his dream of playing Notre Dame football. He reminds us of the power of heart and conviction and ultimately wins over everyone in the film. And it is a rare sports story where the big game climax has nothing to do with the score, and everything to do with Rudy just getting to play for 10 seconds and sack the quarterback. The end of this movie, with Rudy being carried off the field by his team, always gets me bawling.

• 92. LORDS OF DOGTOWN (2005) - I've heard the documentary Dogtown and the Z-Boys is better than this, but I've yet to see it. As it is, Lords of Dogtown is just fun as we watch three ordinary boys from poor Venice neighborhoods develop and revolutionize the sport of skateboarding as the summer drought leads them to skate empty swimming pools. The direction by Catherine Hardwicke is colorfully creative in looks and tone and it features a great supporting performance by Heath Ledger. And it must be said, this film's '70's era soundtrack kicks ass!

• 91. THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (1999) - Sofia Coppola's directorial debut is eerily evocative of a specific time, place and mood. In telling the story of five sisters who all committed suicide, the film wisely sees the girls from the point of view of the neighborhood boys who were fascinated by them. It is a chillingly erotic, yet hypnotic look at the mystery of loss and the unknown. It also features amazing sequences perfectly scored with Heart's "Magic Man" and "Crazy on You," and a wonderful film score by Air.

100 Favorite Movies Part 2

Check This Out

SLC PUNK! (1998)


As part of my ongoing quest to find you guys new movies that I think you will like, here's Matthew Lillard. This actor, more than any other, always makes me think of Emily and Heather and Junior High and loving and quoting Scream. ("I always had a thing for ya, Syd!") So in that spirit, let me recommend SLC Punk!, a lovely little indie film starring the very same Matthew Lillard! (Also stars Michael Goorjian, who was Justin on "Party of Five," and Devon Sawa and Jason Segal - "How I Met Your Mother's" Marshall!) Basically, it follows the adventures of Stevo (Lillard) and Herion Bob (Goorjian), the pioneer punks of Salt Lake City, Utah in 1985. Having just graduated from college, they decide that the best way to give the establishment the finger, is to not use all of their newly-acquired education, and rather waste the entire year, sitting around and going to punk parties. Sounds like a good plan, but after four hardcore college punk years, the steam is starting to run out of the movement and Stevo and Bob begin to question the values of anarchy and disorder, especially after Bob falls in love with Trish (Annabeth Gish).

It takes awhile for the film to fall into a chronological story-telling momentum, instead starting with a series of vignettes demonstrating punk culture, detailing why it is necessary to go to Wyoming to get alcohol, espousing urban legends about the dangers of acid, breaking down the social order of Salt Lake City gangs, and Stevo explaining to his parents why he has dyed his hair blue and shaved it into a mohawk. Each of these asides is narrated by Stevo, often talking directly to the camera, and Lillard's style is perfectly at ease in enthusiasticly depicting this world. What really makes the film work is that Stevo and Bob are both smart. Bob is called Heroin Bob because he doesn't use drugs, not the other way around; he's actually afraid of needles and preaches against recreational drug use. Stevo may have a loud and grandiose style, but he is able to coherently explain his beliefs to both his parents and the audience, and often acknowledges the inherent contradictions contained in the punk philosophy. And some of Stevo's favorite conversations are with a hippie about order vs. chaos - he actually thrives on intellectual debate.


What I love about this film is the accurate depiction of that lost feeling after college. You've grown up, rebelled against your parents and their values, filled your head with new ideas and new information, found a new life direction, and then that fails you too. Where do you go from there? It's a confusing time, when you feel so enlightened and excited about new ideas, only to have no place to go with them. I can identify with that feeling, even though I have never entertained the idea of punk and anarchy. And in Matthew Lillard, we finally find a performance that marries his goofy, energetic persona with a new depth that demonstrates his weight as an actor. And even though I've focused on the more serious aspects of the movie, it's really funny, filled with kinetic energy and zanily hilarious anecdotes.

Have You Seen This?!?!?!?

Please watch and discuss.



Okay, first off, it does look as of all four men from the finale will be back. Mr. Big, Steve, Harry and Smith, plus Stanford and Anthony. YAY!!! That is a big relief!

However, WHAT THE HELL DO THEY THINK THEY ARE DOING TO STEVE AND MIRANDA??? Charlotte gets to finally get pregnant, but Steve cheats on Miranda???? AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

I understand that the movie is all about discrediting the myth that life is "Happily Ever After" once you fall in love and get married. I'm all right with that. However, I think Carrie and Big and Miranda and Steve already went through a lot of major ups and downs on the show, and I don't wanna see their relationships destroyed now!!! But, the movie was written by Michael Patrick King, the executive producer of the show and in charge of writing a lot of the great episodes, so I'm just gonna have to trust that he knows what he's doing.

But if he doesn't, he'd better watch out for the mob of angry "Sex and the City" fans coming after him with meat cleavers.....