Girls in Movies, Monster and Otherwise
Aug. 26th, 2013 08:12 amI think I'm starting to come up with my own way of evaluating movies, which starts with the Bechdel Test (thanks, Alison!), uses a variation on![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hello_spikey's "man candy" criteria, and adds a few more items. It doesn't necessarily correlate with how much I like a film. It isn't an indication of overall quality. It's very individual, and if a movie doesn't have at least five of these things, it's probably not a movie that I'm going to be excited about seeing:
1. Does it pass the Bechdel Test? 1 point
2. Does it show positive female relationships? 1 point
3. Does it show female characters being smart? 1 point
4. Does it show female characters being awesome AND kind? 1 point
5. Are there any gratuitous female gaze shots of scantily clad pretty men? 1 point
6. Was there any non-bashing gay content? 1 point
7. Was I at any point pleasantly surprised or amused? 1 point
I like genre, but I'm not a fan of the straight-up horror movie genre. However there are some movies with those elements that strike my fancy. In the past week I've seen Kick Ass 2 which is about one kind of horror, and Warm Bodies, which is about an entirely different kind. I have thoughts. They aren't deep, but a few of them are superficially spoilery. My evaluations below.
( Warm Bodies was pretty much great... )
( Kick Ass 2 is absolutely ridiculous... )
I just got back from my annual Gal's Weekend with a bunch of pals from college, for which I am the designated film fest curator. That means that I show up with a dozen choices and the group whittles it down to maybe two for Saturday night viewing. It came down to Bride & Prejudice and Whip It this year.
( Bride & Prejudice, no surprise, follows a familiar and beloved story, plus so very pretty! )
( Whip It is a delightful trifle about alt-roller derby. )
( Bonus Attack the Block... )
hello_spikey's "man candy" criteria, and adds a few more items. It doesn't necessarily correlate with how much I like a film. It isn't an indication of overall quality. It's very individual, and if a movie doesn't have at least five of these things, it's probably not a movie that I'm going to be excited about seeing: 1. Does it pass the Bechdel Test? 1 point
2. Does it show positive female relationships? 1 point
3. Does it show female characters being smart? 1 point
4. Does it show female characters being awesome AND kind? 1 point
5. Are there any gratuitous female gaze shots of scantily clad pretty men? 1 point
6. Was there any non-bashing gay content? 1 point
7. Was I at any point pleasantly surprised or amused? 1 point
I like genre, but I'm not a fan of the straight-up horror movie genre. However there are some movies with those elements that strike my fancy. In the past week I've seen Kick Ass 2 which is about one kind of horror, and Warm Bodies, which is about an entirely different kind. I have thoughts. They aren't deep, but a few of them are superficially spoilery. My evaluations below.
( Warm Bodies was pretty much great... )
( Kick Ass 2 is absolutely ridiculous... )
I just got back from my annual Gal's Weekend with a bunch of pals from college, for which I am the designated film fest curator. That means that I show up with a dozen choices and the group whittles it down to maybe two for Saturday night viewing. It came down to Bride & Prejudice and Whip It this year.
( Bride & Prejudice, no surprise, follows a familiar and beloved story, plus so very pretty! )
( Whip It is a delightful trifle about alt-roller derby. )
( Bonus Attack the Block... )