BY Women and Hollywood
The Help Rises to Number One at the Box Office in Week Two
The story with Hollywood movies is that films open big in their first weekend and then drop off precipitously in their second weekend as a film opening takes the box office crown. That is not the...
Interview With Lone Scherfig — Director of One Day
One Day directed by Lone Scherfig tells the story of Emma and Dex played by Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. Two people who become friends and who stick it out even though there are times when they...
Hollywood Feminist of the Day: Elizabeth Olsen
This younger Olsen sister has a lot to say about about how Hollywood depicts young women onscreen. Here’s what she had to say: A lot of times with female relationships and young women [in the...
The Hedgehog Written and Directed by Mona Achache
The Hedgehog is a very unexpectedly touching film. It starts off jarringly, with 11-year-old Paloma (Garance Le Guillermic) sick and tired of watching her self possessed family decides she is going...
Trailer Watch: Toast — Directed by SJ Clarkson
Opens in NY on September 23rd and LA on October 7. Here’s the description: “TOAST is the ultimate nostalgia trip through everything edible in 1960’s Britain. Based on the heart-wrenchingly...
Interview with Marie Feret Star of Mozart’s Sister
15-year-old Marie Feret plays Nannerl Mozart the elder sister to Wolfgang in her father Rene’s Mozart’s Sister opening this week in the US. A prodigy in her own right, she was trained by her...
Melissa McCarthy Gets Some New Gigs
The Melissa McCarthy express is keeping on rolling. She has just signed up to host the 2nd episode of SNL, and she was signed on for a new film called ID Theft with Jason Bateman. The big news about...
Film Independent Fellows for 2011 Screenwriters Lab: The Women
Sponsored by the Writer’s Guild of America West, the Lab is taking place now through September 18 in LA. The mentors include Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body), Mary Sweeney (Baraboo), and Meg...
Look Who Is Selling The Debt
Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain — Interesting, since I’ve seen the movie, and I wouldn’t say that it is a movie that stars Helen Mirren or Jessica Chastain. It’s an action adventure...
Viola Davis Goes Big Time
Viola Davis fresh off her great and potential Oscar nominated performance in The Help is taking her “klout” score to the bank as she should. She’s started a production company and is getting...
More Toronto Additions
The Toronto Film Festival added to its already impressive lineup with some women directed films that I’ve been waiting for. There is a long awaited film from Nancy Savoca and Lynn Shelton’s...
Trailer Watch: Hysteria Directed by Tanya Wexler
Film is about the development of the vibrator and will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
Guest Post: Money and Independent Film, Climbing the Financing Mountain by Elizabeth Dell
There was a time when all I wanted to do was make my first movie. And when sweat, tears and a lot of luck turned into a movie, all I could think about was getting it out into the...
Trailer Watch: We Need to Talk About Kevin Directed by Lynne Ramsey (UK Version)
Film Opens in the UK in October and in the US in December h/t In Contention
Which TV Show Do You Want to Watch?
The Controversy Over The Help
The Help has stirred up many emotions since it opened on Wednesday. But that hasn’t prevented the film from becoming a hit. It grossed over $35 million since it opened and already made back its...
Studio — A New Film Magazine Targeted at Women Launches in the UK
Does the world need a film magazine targeted at women? The women who created Studio Magazine in the UK believe we do. This is an online based subscription magazine and it definitely looks a bit on...
Guest Post: Why I Made This Film By S. Caspar Wong
I’ve been called brave twice in my life. The first time, I left a comfortable, cushy lawyer job and followed my dream of becoming a filmmaker. The second time is after people watch this film. I...
Key to Being Tom Cruise’s Next Co-star. Make Sure You Are 20 Years Younger Than He Is
I got one of those breaking releases this weekend and this alert told me that there were three actresses in the final running to play Tom Cruise’s star in his next film — One Shot. I usually...
Trailer Watch: Tanner Hall Directed by Francesca Gregorini and Tatiana von Furstenberg
This is Rooney Mara before she became The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Clothes desgined by Diane vo Furstenberg. Film opens September 9.
Women’s Films — August 12, 2011
Women’s Films Opening This Weekend The HelpAfter a long summer of superhero dudes and exploding machines, women are finally getting a one for our team. Actually, a second one. Remember Bridesmaids...
Rooney Mara Defends Teaser Poster for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
One of my favorite EW issues is about to hit my mailbox — the fall film preview issue. Yum. Can’t wait to take a more in-depth look at all the films coming down the pike this fall. One of the...
Cross Post: Going to See The Help at The White House by Carol Jenkins
If not for an invitation from Michelle Obama (you know, her people emailed my people) I might have missed seeing The Help. But a request for my presence in the White House screening room was too...
Gloria Steinem: In Her Own Words
Next Monday night, HBO will end its great summer documentary series with Gloria Steinem: In Her Own Words. It’s a film that really lets Gloria’s words throughout her life as a public figure to...
Why The Help Matters
After a long summer of superhero dudes and exploding machines, women are finally getting a one for our team. Actually, a second one. Remember Bridesmaids from May? Doesn’t that seem sooo long ago?...
New Poster for I Don’t Know How She Does It
Mark down September 16 for this one. I really liked the book when I read it some years ago. Trailer below
Interview with Octavia Spencer of The Help
Octavia Spencer has the breakout role of her lifetime as Minny Jackson in The Help. She talked about the film and how important it is for women to support women’s films. I have to say that even...
Guest Post: Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood, or Malice in Wonderland by Jennifer Frost
Whether known as the “duchess of dish” or a “gargoyle of gossip,” Hedda Hopper was a powerhouse of Hollywood’s golden age. Known mostly today for her famous hats — which led to titles...
Feminist Quote of the Day: Brit Marling
When talking to the Salt Lake City News about the whole “it girl” thing: When women enter the scene, they’re a commodity, and when men enter the scene, they’re actors. She hit it right on...
Kathryn Bigelow Goes Political For Next Film
It was announced in January that Kathryn Bigelow’s next film would be on the hunt for Bin-Laden. The story clearly changed when Bin Laden was killed. The ending was set and the stakes got higher....
Guest Post: How Jumping the Broom Made it to the Big Screen by Arlene Gibbs
Around seven years ago when I was a production company executive, producer Glendon Palmer and screenwriter Elizabeth Hunter pitched the idea of Jumping The Broom (JTB) to me. I loved it and told my...
Happy 100th Birthday Lucy
Today is Lucy’s 100th birthday. While she wasn’t the first groundbreaking female TV star (that honor goes to Gertrude Berg, and if you want to learn about her see Yoo Hoo Mrs. Goldberg), she is...
Allison Janney Talks About The Help
Can’t pass up a chance to share a conversation with...
The Whistleblower — directed by Larysa Kondracki and written by Kondracki and Eilis Kirwan
When I was growing up the thing that scared the crap out of me was nuclear war. For many years I was convinced that we were all going to radiated away. So when I saw Silkwood it resonated with me in...
Interview with Larysa Kondracki — Director of The Whistleblower
Women and Hollywood: How did you come up with the idea for the film? Larysa Kondracki: I am a Ukrainian Canadian, and the issue of sex-trafficking was very much being discussed in my community. My...
Interview with Amy Wendel — Director of All She Can
In All She Can Luz wants to get the hell out of Benavides, Texas. The way she can get out is either through the Army or through a weight lifting scholarship to college. Her brother is in the Army and...
Toronto Film Festival 2011: The Women Directed Docs
TIFF unveiled its doc program and I have to say there are not too many female directed films. Usually there are way more women directed docs in film festivals because there are way more docs made by...
The Playboy Club is About Women’s Empowerment?
I am so not buying the shit being shoveled out about how the new NBC show The Playboy Club is about women’s empowerment. I wish I were a good enough writer at this moment to pen one of the...
Shaking Things Up at The Good Wife
Chck out the new provocative poster. Couldn’t be more excited for the new season
Check Out My Piece in the Guardian
I’m very excited that I had a piece published in the Guardian this morning. It’s on the gender wage gap in Hollywood. Check it out: Forbes list exposes Hollywood wage gap Please send it...
Oprah to Receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
Next February at the Academy Awards, Oprah will be awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. It’s not an award they give every year, just when the Academy feels they have a worthy...
Chicken and Egg Pictures Announces 2011 Grants
Chicken and Egg Pictures supports women filmmakers who are telling the tough stories. They just gave out their latest round of grants. One of the the organization’s co-founders filmmaker Judith...
Sexism Watch: New NASCAR Show Title
There are not many days when I open an email and read the title of a potential TV show and do a double take. That happened to me yesterday when I opened my daily email from the folks at Vulture to...
DC Comics Chiefs Address the Lack of Female Characters
It looks like one of the outcomes of Comic Con this year is that the co-publishers of DC Comics are addressing fans concern about the lack of female creators and female characters. According to this...
NewFest Crowns Winners
NewFest wrapped up at the end of last week and female directors got a bunch of surprises. Circumstance written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz was awarded the best film. The film opens August 26th....
Marion Cotillard Takes on Sexism
Sometimes the easiest way to make people aware of sexism is to make fun of it. This video cracked me up. https://medium.com/media/2d8c030d99c5ce90fe4e2976df7743d8/href Forehead Tittaes w/ Marion...
As the Country Gets Ready to Implode — A Moment of Levity
All She Can — Co-Written and Directed by Amy Wendel
Luz wants to get the hell out of Benavides, Texas. The way she can get out is either through the Army or through a weight lifting scholarship to college. Her brother is in the Army and she has seen...
A December to Remember
I know that December seems really far away, especially since most of the country is sweltering, and while I’m sure I will hate my winter coat and my boots by December, I sure won’t hate the...
Venice Film Fest 2011: The Women in Competition
The Venice Film Festival rolled out its lineup this morning. There are 22 films in competition. Five are directed (or co-directed) by women. That’s 23% Wuthering Heights, Andrea Arnold (U.K.)Texas...
Toronto Film Festival Lineup Roll Out: The Women
Yesterday came the announcement of part (the galas and special presentations) of the Toronto Film Festival lineup. I am very excited because I will be covering the festival for the first time this...