Tag: movies

  • Favourite Films Directed by Women

    Favourite Films Directed by Women

    It’s awards show season!

    Once again many of this years’ nominees are looking overwhelmingly white and male. Even with Golden Globe wins this past weekend for films like Moonlight and actors like Viola Davis and Donald Glover, it’s equally important for women to be given chances to shine behind the camera as well.

    It’s high time we shone a light on some seriously talented female individuals who’ve directed movies across a huge cross-section of genres. Here’s my top 10 films

    Virgin Suicides

    Directed by: Sofia Coppola

    Based on the 1993 best selling debut novel of the same name by American author Jeffrey Eugenides, the film tells of the brief lives of five teenage sisters in a middle class suburb near the outskirts of Detroit during the 1970s. After the youngest sister makes an initial attempt at suicide, her sisters are put under close scrutiny by their parents, eventually being confined to the household, which leads to their increasingly depressive and isolated behaviour.

    13th

    Directed by: Ava Duvernay

    A 2016 American documentary by director Ava DuVernay. Centered on race in the United States criminal justice system, the film is titled after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which outlawed slavery (unless as punishment for a crime). DuVernay’s documentary argues that slavery is being effectively perpetuated through mass incarceration.

    Whip It

    Directed by: Drew Barrymore

    American sports comedy-drama film based on the novel Derby Girl. Tells the story of teenager from the fictional town of Bodeen, Texas, who joins an all-female roller derby team.

    Clueless

    Directed by: Amy Heckerling

    A coming-of-age comedy film loosely based on Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’. Cher, a high school student in Beverly Hills, must survive the ups and downs of adolescent life. Her external demeanor at first seems superficial, but rather it hides her wit, charm, and intelligence which help her to deal with relationships, friends, family, school, and the all-important teenage social life.

    You’ve Got Mail

    Directed by: Nora Ephron

    Two business rivals who despise each other in real life unwittingly fall in love over the Internet.

    Bend It Like Beckham

    Directed by: Gurinder Chadha

    A comedy about bending the rules to reach your goal. Set in Hounslow, West London and Hamburg, the film follows two 18 year olds with their hearts set on a future in professional soccer.

    Bridget Jones Diary

    Director by: Sharon Maguire

    Bridget Jones is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her many imperfections. As a New Year’s Resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. The fireworks begin when her charming though disreputable boss takes an interest in the quirky Miss Jones. Thrown into the mix are Bridget’s band of slightly eccentric friends and a rather disagreeable acquaintance who Bridget cannot seem to stop running into or help finding quietly attractive.

    Wayne’s World

    Directed by: Penelope Spheeris

    Adapted from a sketch of the same name on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, Wayne’s World is a wacky, irreverent pop-culture comedy about the adventures of two amiably aimless metal-head friends, Wayne and Garth. From Wayne’s basement, the pair broadcast a talk-show called “Wayne’s World” on local public access television. 

    The Matrix

    Directed by: Lana and Lilly Wachowski

    In the near future, a computer hacker named Neo discovers that all life on Earth may be nothing more than an elaborate facade created by a malevolent cyber-intelligence, for the purpose of placating us while our life essence is “farmed” to fuel the Matrix’s campaign of domination in the “real” world. He joins like-minded Rebel warriors Morpheus and Trinity in their struggle to overthrow the Matrix.

    American Psycho

    Directed by: Mary Harron

    A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.

    — — —

    My list is just the smallest slither of talent that’s been festering around Hollywood for decades and as you can tell the range of stories being told is incredible. In my top 10 we have ‘fluffy’ rom-coms, comedy, sci-fi, documentary, satire and thriller; we have women from both the US and UK; trans women and women of colour. You have women directing men and women telling female narratives, both serious topics and feel good tones.

    And this list doesn’t even count the women in foreign cinema particularly in South East Asia or South America, up and coming directors like Mira Nair (Queen of Katwe), So Yong Kim (Lovesong), and Amma Asante (Belle), and the hordes of independent artists online making short films for YouTube or Vimeo.

    There’s more work to be done but there’s already great advocates for women via the Geena Davis Institute and the recently launched Alice Initiative. The future seems bright for women behind the camera, I only hope Hollywood gives them the recognition one day too.

    — — —

    This was my top 10 but I’d love to hear what some of your own favourites are too. So, shout of some badass women in the comments!

    Ria Xx

  • Revisiting Bridget

    Revisiting Bridget

    I was about 12 when the first Bridget Jones movie came out.

    Aside from vaguely remembering the ‘All By Myself‘ scene and Geri Halliwell’s official single, I don’t recall much about it at the time. Shoot forward a couple years and I’ve obviously since watched the film in full multiple times, I know all the references. It’s only now, however, in my mid-twenties, also a working woman, also single, that I think ‘Wow…Now, I get it.’

    (more…)

  • Top 5 Friday | Favourite Female Directors

    female-directors

    One of the articles I included in my last Sunday Share Out post was a brilliant post by Vulture on the female directors out there already killing the game in the movie industry. After the lack of diversity at the Oscars this year and in celebration of Women’s History Month I decided to break down my five favourite, inspiring female directors…


    AVA DUVERNAY

    Watch: Selma (2014), This is the life (2009)

    I’ve personally nicknamed her the oncoming storm and potentially the woman who could single handedly change Hollywood. Duvernay has already taken steps to shake up the establishment in an active way we haven’t really seen before by a female director. A vocal activist for the black community, she’s also advocates for diverse cinema through ARRAY Now and is the first black woman to direct a film nominated for Best Picture.

    GURINDER CHADHA

    Watch: Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Bride and Prejudice (2004), Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008)

    You may not know her name but it’s likely that if, like me, you were a British teenager growing up in the early to mid 2000s you’ll know her work. Chadha specialises in underdogs and unconventional heroines who are always equal parts cringe-inducing (Georgina in ‘Angus, Thongs…’) and endearing (Jess in Bend It Like Beckham). Her movies are not only fabulous fun they have incredible heart and soul, and despite the romantic bent of most of her filmography there’s still a huge focus on family and female friendships in her movies.

    SOFIA COPPOLA

    Watch: The Virgin Suicides (1999), Lost in Translation (2003), Marie Antoinette (2006)

    It’s a hard job carving your own path when you come from a Hollywood dynasty like the Coppola’s and yet Sofia Coppola seems to have done so with incredible ease. Her strength lies in aesthetics – candy colours, pastel hues, dreamy sepias form the backdrop of her filmscapes. Coppola has a knack for making even the mundane feel beautiful and exploits the manic pixie dreamgirl trope so very well.

    JULIE TAYMOR

    Watch: Frida (2002), The Tempest (2010), Across the Universe (2007)

    The absolute powerhouse that you probably have never heard of. Taymor was the first woman to win a Tony Award for Best Director for her work on The Lion King musical and already had a long established theater career before being recognised for her film work. Her movies follow the vein of her theatrical world, experimental, aesthetically beautiful in the most fantastical sense, Taymor’s back catalogue is an exercise in how amazing her imagination and ingenuity is.

    LANA WACHOWSKI

    Watch: The Matrix (1999), V for Vendetta (2006), Sense8 (2015)

    One half of the Wachowski siblings and Lana remains to be one of the more prominent figures in the realm of science fiction film-making after helping head up The Matrix franchise. Though the emphasis in this list is very much focused on film, personally for me her greatest work and achievement is the brilliantly evocative and diverse Netflix original series Sense8.

    NOTEWORTHY RUNNERS UP: Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect), Amma Asante (Belle), and Mary Harron (American Psycho)

    Over to you! Who are your favourites on my list? Who are your favourites on the original 100?

    And are there any directors who have been missed off/need to be recognised?

    Ria