Women Heroes in the Movies...

[johnsemlak]

I think you're rather overstating the case. Other than action (war/western/whathaveyou) movies, what other genre regularly has no female characters? And the action movie audience is overwhelming male, so that's hardly surprising.

...

That said, yeah, most movies are LED by a man.

I guess that's the point I was making.

 

[JoeGKushner]

If teenage boys didn't want to see Catwoman, who the hell do they think their audience is wth Hale Berry in black leather showing off her figure? The lesbian aliance of America?

 

[JoeGKushner]

Here's what I'd like to see in the big screen:
- A Wonder Woman movie that adapts the George-Pérez-reboot from 1987 (including Wonder Woman chopping Deimos' head off with her tiara.
- A Batgirl movie with Barbara Gordon and Cassandra Cain playing the mentor/pupil angle.
- A Vixen movie played as an action movie akin to Shaft. C'mon, she's a superhero AND a supermodel!

If the person doing the Wonder Woman movie could treat it as good as say, Spiderman or the X-Men, as opposed to say, Daredevil or Elettra, then what would the person defending Catwoman have to say for herself? "Okay, I admit it, the movie sucked."

 

[Vchan]

I think that people get carried away with the 'female' part of the 'female lead'

It is, with a few exceptions, assumed that in a female character strong=sexy. So when they do a casting call for a 'strong' character, they start with their cup size...

I think, a female lead would do better in a situation where they concentrated less on the sexuality, and more on ability, intelligence, style and plot.

 

[Particle_Man]

They should cast Becca Swanson

They should cast Becca Swanson in a movie. "Standing at 5'9" tall and weighing in around 240 lbs., she sports 27" quads, 17.5" arms, and 17.5" calves."

"WHAT ARE YOUR BEST LIFTS?

843 lb squat, 501 lb bench and 650 deadlift, my best total is 1912 lbs."

See her at: http://www.ftvideo.com/genex/profiles04/beccas.htm

 

[S'mon]

I think the "guys are threatened by a woman who is strong and just want sex appeal" stuff is garbage. At least, it is for me. I'd rather watch Linda Hamilton single-hand-pump the shotgun and put a blast into the evil terminator in T2 than watch Cameron Diaz vamp her way through a Charlie's Angels fight scene. That's not to say I dislike Cameron Diaz, but I'd rather see her in something that isn't trying to sell me on her as an action hero.

I agree 100% with this. A lot of it is credibility - James Cameron knows how to make a movie with credible butt-kicking female leads; Ripley in Aliens or Sarah Connor in T2. Most current directors don't. Xena was cool because even though the show was usually extremely campy, Lucy Lawless does look like she can credibly kick butt - and there are some brilliantly visceral & non-campy Xena episodes. That's why for me a show like Witchblade works whereas the likes of Alias & Dark Angel definitely don't. Witchblade's lead looks credible in the role of a warrior, the other shows' leads don't. If they maybe cast some 5'10" Xena types rather than skinny Ally McBeal type waifs in these superheroine roles at least they wouldn't start with such a huge credibility deficit.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

That's why for me a show like Witchblade works whereas the likes of Alias & Dark Angel definitely don't. Witchblade's lead looks credible in the role of a warrior, the other shows' leads don't. If they maybe cast some 5'10" Xena types rather than skinny Ally McBeal type waifs in these superheroine roles at least they wouldn't start with such a huge credibility deficit.

Funny, I never had a problem with Dark Angel. I suppose it's because the premise was founded on super-science. I wasn't being asked to believe that a slip of a girl could beat up the weekly villains, I was being asked to believe that a genetically engineered metahuman with superior muscle density, reflexes, bone density, nerve pathways, etc.--who happens to look like a slip of a girl--could beat up the weekly villains. And I bought it. Completely different setup from Charlie's Angels.

 

[Staffan]

If the person doing the Wonder Woman movie could treat it as good as say, Spiderman or the X-Men, as opposed to say, Daredevil or Elettra, then what would the person defending Catwoman have to say for herself? "Okay, I admit it, the movie sucked."

Rumor has it that Joss Whedon's going to be heaviliy involved in the Wonder Woman movie. When it comes to writing strong female characters, Whedon's pretty good.

 

[ddvmor]

As long as he's left to do his own thing. Although I have to say that I'm not sure I can picture Wonder Woman doing... er... Buffy-Speak.

I can't help thinking that he's better suited to long-term series with their character development. Serenity should be ok as he's had half a season to mold the characters... but can he do it in a 2 hour movie?

 

[Hand of Evil]

Good script very important but directors are not what they use to be, producers are now more involved than ever before but POP still rules, Catwoman was seen as an engine for Hallie Berry, Elektra for Jennifier Garner, why because they were HOT and MARKABLE and who made them that way? Yes, maybe it was us with our googles: Jennifier nude but it could be they were thrown at us like Linsey Lohan. Then there is Million Dollar Baby, female boxer movie by Clint starring Hillary Swank, gee I have not heard of Hillery for a very long time, think it was the New Karate Kid and look, Oscar nods and is that not a female hero?

Hollywood has issues but it is that anything can be sold in that town and as long as there are fools and they have money...

Beware the buzz, it is just noise, no action needed.