BY Women and Hollywood
Guest Post: Here Comes Superman…Again
This weekend marked the release of Man of Steel, the sixth Superman movie to be released since Christopher Reeve donned that iconic costume in 1978. You read that right — SIX Superman...
Box Office Report: The Bling Ring Starts Off Hot
Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring opened in five locations this past weekend and grossed $210,000 for a per screen average of $42,000. Not surprisingly, the film played very well with women...
Guest Interview: Geoffrey S. Fletcher: Writer, Director of “Violet & Daisy”
It may be argued that the 2009 drama Precious remains one of the most distinguishing female-driven films to be released within the last decade. Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, the haunting...
Weekly Update June 14: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Weekend The Bling Ring – Written and Directed by Sofia Coppola The Bling Ring may be the most anxiety producing film I...
Crystal + Lucy Awards Honor Laura Linney, Women of ‘Mad Men’ and More
Women in Film LA’s annual Crystal + Lucy Awards held earlier this week honored some amazing women and men who have championed women in their professional work as well as their personal lives....
Marti Noxon to Write Tomb Raider Reboot
Former Buffy The Vampire Slayer writer, Marti Noxon, has been brought in to write the script for MGM’s Tomb Raider reboot. Noxon most recently worked on an adaptation of The Glass Castle...
The Bling Ring – Written and Directed by Sofia Coppola
The Bling Ring may be the most anxiety producing film I have ever seen. I sat raptly watching it with deep concern over the state of young people today. Thankfully, I was with two young...
Trailer Watch: In A World… Written, Directed and Starring Lake Bell
Lake Bell’s directorial debut came out strong from Sundance with great reviews and winning the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Finally, we’ve now got a trailer for the film. This was one...
The Guardian Looks at the Lack of Gender Parity in UK Book Reviewing
Recently, The Guardian took on a pretty huge task. They assessed how many male and female reviewers as well as the authors were reviewed in the major UK book sections for a month in...
Amy Adams: A Lois Lane We Deserve
Reviews for the new re-imagining of Superman–Man of Steel–hit the internet earlier in the week. So far many are saying it’s a new version that is certainly worth checking out. But...
Trailer Watch: Haute Cuisine
Haute Cuisine is based on the true story of Daniele Delpeuche (Catherine Frot) and how she was appointed as the chef for Francois Mitterrand, the president of France. In Variety’s review of...
A Next Step Towards Gender Parity for Women Directors
A couple of months ago there was a big meeting at the DGA addressing the issue of the lack of opportunities for women directors. It took about a year to organize and was met with a positive...
Lauren Graham Adapting Her Novel into TV Series
Actress Lauren Graham (Parenthood, The Gilmore Girls) is adapting her bestselling debut novel, Someday, Someday, Maybe into a television series. Graham recently closed a deal with Ellen...
Trailer Watch: Teaser for Diana – Starring Naomi Watts
Check out the teaser trailer for Diana, starring Naomi Watts, as the iconic Princess Diana. The film focuses on the last two years of her life–looking at her activism and relationships with...
Women, Aging and Hollywood
In recent interviews, both Kim Cattrall and Susan Sarandon have both spoken about aging in Hollywood. Neither had good things to say about their experiences. Cattrall, who is in London starring in...
Trailer Watch: Red-Band Trailer for The To-Do List – Written and Directed by Maggie Carey
Maggie Carey’s The To-Do List is on our list of our most anticipated summer movies. The film stars Aubrey Plaza as Brandy, a recent high school graduate who decides to channel her scholastic...
Today’s Disconnect – Do Actresses Have Clout or Not?
Last week when I was in LA I read the following two articles on the same day. NY Times: On Newsstands, Allure of the Film Actress Fades and the Hollywood Reporter: Revenge...
Women Directed and Centric Films Playing at Human Rights Watch Film Festival
The Human Rights Watch Film Festival kicks off on June 13th with a great line up of women directed and centric films. Held in New York, the festival will be showing 18 documentaries and two fictional...
This is Not OK: Photoshopping Melissa McCarthy on The Heat UK Poster
Our most anticipated female centric movie of the summer, The Heat, is merely weeks away from its release. A U.K. promo image was unveiled for the film last week and Melissa McCarthy was looking very,...
Trailer Watch: Lifetime’s Anna Nicole – Directed by Mary Harron
The late Anna Nicole Smith has been one of the most fascinating and tragic celebrity figures. And Lifetime is telling her story. Anna Nicole, directed by Mary Harron, documents Anna Nicole...
Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara to Star in ‘Don’t Mess With Texas’
Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara are set to star in Don’t Mess With Texas. After a bidding war, Universal just made a deal for the script, written by John Quaintance and David Feeney, who...
Feminist of the Day: Joss Whedon on Lack of Female Superheroes
Joss Whedon has created some of our favorite female characters in his television and films. In a conversation with The Daily Beast, Whedon was asked why there’s such a lack of female...
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer Premieres Tonight on HBO
If one had any doubts about the vibrancy of international feminism today, one need only watch the new documentary Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer which premieres tonight on HBO to have those doubts fully...
The 2013 Tony Awards — Women Win Big
Even though I don’t get to the theatre as much as I used to, it will always remain my first love. And last night’s Tony Awards were a reminder to me of why I fell in love in the...
Weekly Update June 7th: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Weekend Tiger Eyes If you are a woman of my age, you grew up reading Judy Blume She was your touchstone. Now this weekend the first of her novels to make it to the...
Kathleen Kennedy on How Far Women Have to Go in Hollywood
President of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy was profiled as one of USA Today’s Innovators and Icons. She talks about her history in the industry, her new position and about minorities in...
Trailer Watch: Netflix’s Orange is the New Black – Created by Jenji Kohan
Netflix is continuing to add to their growing original programming with Orange is the New Black created by Jenji Kohan (Weeds) and based on Piper Kerman’s memoir. It’s their first female...
Quote of the Day: Gina Torres on Hollywood Sexism and Sci-Fi
The ladies at The Mary Sue shared a quote from the awesome Gina Torres, star of Firefly and Suits, about the industry’s sexism and sci-fi. I walk into a room, and for this industry, I’m...
Trailer Watch: Blackfish – Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite
The official trailer for Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Sundance hit, Blackfish, was recently released. Intense is the only way to describe it. It feels a lot like The Cove about dolphins in...
Jennifer Lawrence to Produce/Star in Susanne Bier’s Rules of Inheritance
Jennifer Lawrence is taking it to the next level. She is set to star in and produce The Rules of Inheritance based on Claire Bidwell Smith’s memoir of the same title. The story centers...
AM Homes Takes the Women’s Prize for Fiction
In a year with some extraordinary books on the short list including the presumed favorite Hilary Mantel’s Bringing Down the Bodies, AM Homes has become the 5th American in a row to take home...
The Hobbit Gets Some Female Power with Evangeline Lilly
The next installment in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy is already being anticipated and Entertainment Weekly got a sneak peek at a brand new female character played by Evangeline Lilly....
Kristen Stewart’s Two Upcoming Indie Roles
Post Twilight and post Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart has booked two indie roles. The first is in Camp X-Ray, a political drama, in which Stewart will be starring. She’ll play a...
Trailer Watch: Short Term 12 – Starring Brie Larson
Short Term 12, starring Brie Larson, is about Grace, a twentysomething, working at a foster care facility, alongside her co-worker boyfriend (John Gallagher Jr.). Grace is excellent at her job but...
Women in View Releases Report on the Status of Women Working in TV in Canada
Women in View, a national non-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing the Canadian media industry by strengthening gender and cultural diversity both on screen and behind the scenes...
Women’s Prize for Fiction Snags New Sponsor
The Women’s Prize for Fiction has just snagged a major sponsorship deal with liquor company Baileys. Starting in 2014, the prize will be known as the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction....
Women and Hollywood is Going to London
Great News. We’re taking the show on the road again. This time to London. It’s been a very busy spring and we are so excited to kick the summer off with a trip to London...
WGA Announces 101 Best Written TV Series – See the Women Written Shows on List
The Writers Guild of America just announced their 101 Best Written TV Series list. There are few women written shows on the list and none within the top ten. (To clarify- we have listed the...
Interview with Katie Aselton – Director and Star of Black Rock
Black Rock is every woman’s worst nightmare. You go out on an adventure with friends and then things go horribly wrong and you are running for your life. Katie Aselton gives us a film where the...
Hollywood Feminist of the Day: Busy Philipps Gives Some Real Talk on Body Image
The always hilarious Busy Philipps, star of Cougartown, recently sat down on Amanda de Cadenet for her show The Conversation. The two had a frank talk about breastfeeding,...
Marvel Releases New X-Men Comic Series with All Women Cast
Here’s some cool news, Marvel has just released a new X-Men series…with an all female cast led by Storm (played by Halle Berry in the films). The first comic in the new series, X-Men #1,...
The Hollywood Reporter’s Emmy Drama Actress Roundtable
Last week, The Hollywood Reporter released their kickoff Emmy roundtable–highlighting the achievements of actresses in a drama. Some of our favorite women were on the panel which consisted of...
Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Florence Welch Headline Feminist Benefit Concert
Chime for Change, an organization that promotes education, health and justice for women founded by Beyonce, Salma Hayek and Gucci designer, Frida Giannini, held a concert Sound of Change...
Geena Davis Speaks About the Lack of Opportunities for Women in Hollywood at the MPAA
Last week, in a conversation with Rep. Rosa DeLaura, D-Conn., Geena Davis spoke to the Motion Picture Association of American about the lack of opportunities and the dismal statistics for women...
Lois Smith, Jessica Hecht and Paula Vogel Among the Honorees at The 4th Annual Lilly Awards
The Committee for Recognizing Women in Theatre along with Julia Jordan, Theresa Rebeck, Marsha Norman, and Tim Sanford have announced the honorees for the 4th annual Lilly Awards. The...
Jean Stapleton – An Appreciation
All in the Family is without a doubt one of the seminal shows in TV history. It was a sitcom that defined our times. It was about a country that was struggling — and still is...
Weekly Update May 31: Women Centric, Directed and Written Films Playing Near You
Films About Women Opening This Weekend Hannah Arendt – Directed by Margarethe von Trotta Hannah Arendt was a complicated woman and director Margarethe von Trotta has made a complicated film...
Guest Post Rerun: American Mary Sets Out to Modify the Way You Think About Women in Horror
Originally published on October 30th. American Mary opens in limited release today and is available on VOD. In short, our film American Mary proclaims that she is the story of medical student Mary...
Feminist of the Day: Patrick Stewart Talks Violence Against Women
Sir Patrick Stewart has always been an outspoken advocate on violence against women speaking out at conferences and organizations. This past weekend, Stewart was at Comicpalooza in Texas. When...
Watch This: BBC’s Up The Women – Written by and Starring Jessica Hynes
Premiering tonight on BBC Four is Jessica Hynes’s (star/co-writer of the cult hit Spaced) Up The Women–a sitcom set in 1910 about suffragettes. Up The Women is BBC Four’s first...
Glenn Close to Join Guardians of the Galaxy
The amazing Glenn Close is about to join Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy as head of the Nova Cops–a space police force. Our friends over at The Mary Sue broke Close’s casting...