BY Women and Hollywood
Trailer Watch: Another Earth
This is co-written and starring Brit Marling. Opens July 20
Trailer Watch: What’s Your Number?
Do you think this will be the film that makes people believe women can be funny or is it the film that confirms that women can be as stupid as the guys.
The Arbor — Directed by Clio Barnard
Clio Barnard takes the documentary form and stands it on its head with The Arbor a look at playwright Andrea Dunbar and her family. Dunbar grew up a working class kid on an estate in Bradford,...
Tribeca 2011: Mama Africa
I first heard of Miriam Makeba on the awesome Paul Simon album Graceland (still one of the greatest), but I had no idea about her Miriam Makeba, the woman or Miriam Makeba, the activist. The Tribeca...
Tina Fey Goes to Google
If you want to hear her talk about her book and comedy this is a long piece with Eric Schmidt, the (former) CEO of Google. There is some laugh out loud stuff in here. h/t Mashable
Trailer Alert: Bridesmaids (The Dirty Version)
2 more weeks until Bridesmaids. I’m going to see it next week and I am psyched. This has potential cross over for male and female audiences. Here’s what Russ Fischer said on /Film: “This movie...
Book Excerpt: Seduced by Twilight by Natalie Wilson
Here is a taste from the Introduction, A Post-Twilight World from Seduced by Twilight I fully expected to hate Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga when I was dragged, kicking and screaming, to read it...
Interview with Paula van der Oest, Director of Black Butterflies (Repost)
Black Butterflies is the tumultuous life story of South African poet Ingrid Jonker who struggled desperately to gain the love of the men in her life. Her father (played by Rutger Hauer) was an...
The Writers of the Summer Movies
Notice anything in common? I found it interesting that two of them were influenced by Star Wars. It would be great to have some films about women that influence the next generation of screenwriters....
Meryl as Margaret Thatcher
Here’s another image from the set of The Iron Lady. Hoping it is ready for this coming Oscar season. Meet Meryl, the queen of the blues as new pictures reveal her latest role as The Iron Lady
Research Alert: Changing the Status Quo — Industry Leaders’ Perceptions of Gender in Family Films
Anyone who has been to a G, PG, or PG-13 (and of course R rated films but they are not included in this study) knows that when they look up on the screen there are many more male characters than...
Tribeca 2011: Turn me on, goddamit — directed by Jannicke Systad Jacobsen
While watching the delightful Norwegian film Turn me on, goddamit I couldn’t help but think back to another recent and unexpected delight — Easy A. Alma (Helen Bergsholm) is a 15-year-old...
Interview with Carice Van Houten, Star of Black Butterflies
I was able to interview Carice in Amsterdam as she prepared to head to the US for the world premiere of Black Butterflies tonight at the Tribeca Film Festival. Just a brief synopsis: (contains...
Cinema Verite directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini Airs Tonight on HBO
Film is about the first reality TV show and stars Diane Lane as Pat Loud. So I guess we can blame the death of civilization on PBS (how ironic) since they were the ones who aired An American Family...
Mel Gibson Speaks Out
Writer Allison Hope Weiner did a sit-down with Mel Gibson that was posted last night on Deadline. It is the first day time that Gibson has spoken out since the tapes of him screaming and threatening...
Nanette Burstein to Direct Nicole Holofcener Script
The news from the Hollywood Reporter is that Nanette Burstein (Going the Distance) will direct Unforgiving World a remake of a French film with a script written by writer/director Nicole Holofcener...
Interview with Paula Van Der Oest, Director of Black Butterflies
Black Butterflies will premiere on April 23rd at the Tribeca Film Festival. Also check out this interview with the film’s star Carice van Houten.
Cannes Directors Fortnight 2011: The Women
Here are the films directed by women from the 2011 Cannes Directors Fortnight. Out of a total of 21 films, seven are directed by women. That’s 33%. Not too shabby. (Descriptions from IndieWIRE) The...
Trailer Watch: The Help
This looks great. Opens on August 12.
Jodie Foster on Why There Are So Few Female Directors
I’ve been a bit hard on Jodie of late for her support of Mel Gibson and for taking a gig with Roman Polanski, but it seems she is taking one for the team when talking about why there are so few...
HBO To Screen Many Docs by Women This Summer
HBO announced their summer documentary lineup and there are many great looking women directed films — two from Liz Garbus — and others including one about Gloria Steinem directed by men....
Interview at the International Women’s Film Festival
Here I am in all my glory
The Jury Awards — International Women’s Film Festival 2011
The International Women’s Film Festival concluded last evening in Dortmund, Germany. Over 8,000 people saw movies, went to concerts, and went to workshops over the last five days. Pretty impressive...
Guest Post: Zeina Durra and Elodie Bouchez The Imperalists Are Still Alive! By Melissa Silvestri
From the opening shot of artist Asya (Elodie Bouchez) naked save for a machine gun and a hijab on her head, one can tell that The Imperialists Are Still Alive!, written and directed by Zeina Durra,...
Maren Kroymann — The German Meryl Streep
I got a bit of an inkling about how popular my fellow jury member Maren Kroymann was here in Germany, when at the opening night party a couple of people circled her, pointed their fingers and stared....
Good News: A.J. Cook and Paget Brewster Might be Heading Back to Criminal Minds
Less than a year after making the bone headed decision to cut A.J. Cook and then Paget Brewster from Criminal Minds it looks like they might be heading back into the BAU. The show did a really good...
Cannes Film Festival Lineup: The Women
I don’t know what Thierry Fremaux was smoking but whatever it was he should pass it around to other film festival programmers, because this year the Cannes Film Festival has four films by women in...
Sally Field to Take on Mary Todd Lincoln in Spielberg Biopic
Looks like Sally Field will have an opportunity for a third Oscar if this movie turns out as good as it sounds. Field takes on the female lead of Mary Todd Lincoln In Steven Spielberg’s biopic of...
Catherine Zeta-Jones Reveals Bi-Polar Disorder
I can’t recall the last time an actor of the stature of Zeta-Jones talked about health issues that didn’t have to do with some kind of addiction or an eating disorder. Yesterday, Zeta-Jones’...
Trailer Watch: Monte Carlo — Co-written by Maria Maggenti
Film Opens July 1
International Women’s Film Festival: Day One
So here I am in lovely Dortmund, Germany at the International Women’s Film Festival. This is how they say it in German: Internationales Frauenfilmfestival. Everyone has been so amazing. I feel like...
Women Are Just Not Fundamentally Funny: John Belushi
Since I am traveling I haven’t been able to watch the Oprah from yesterday which was a SNL reunion that included Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Tracy Morgan, Tina Fey and Dana Carvey. Jane Curtin seems...
Blogging Advisory
I’m on my way to the International Women’s Film Festival in Dortmund, Germany. I’m going to be on the jury. I will hopefully be blogging about my experience as a jury member and will try and...
Woman Power Fuels Disney Channel’s Lemonade Mouth
This Friday, Disney Channel will launch a new feel good TV movie, Lemonade Mouth about a tween band that comes together and motivates kids to stand up for themselves. The press material says: “As...
Trailer Watch: Daydream Nation
It arrives in select theaters May 6 and on DVD and Blu-ray May 17.
SNL, Helen Mirren’s Boobs and Older Women’s Sexuality
Something bizarre happened on TV this weekend. While Helen Mirren was supposed to host SNL, it turned out the show was hosted not by Mirren, but by her boobs. This week’s episode of SNL highlighted...
Guest Post: An Evening with Tina Fey — Queen Bossypants By Ashley Van Buren
Tina Fey was (quite literally) infectious last Friday night while signing copies of her book, Bossypants. Despite feeling under-the-weather, Fey signed books for the 1,100 people (including 30...
Dawn Hudson Gets Appointed CEO of the Academy
The big news yesterday was the appointment of Film Independent’s chief Dawn Hudson as the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Reports said that post Oscars the folks at the...
Scarlett Johansson and Gwyneth Paltrow and Other Celebs Stand Up for Planned Parenthood
As the budget battle continues one of the last sticking points is Title X funding which covers family planning funding (and not abortion funding.) The government could be shut down tonight because...
The White House Project — Epic Awards
Last night I attended The White House Project (an organization that I was the first director of) for their annual EPIC Awards. EPIC stands for Enhancing Perceptions in Culture and it honors how...
Kristen Schaal Gives Women the Republic of Vagistan
Kristen Schaal continues to rock it as the Daily Show chief women’s correspondent. Highlight — “women would never walk in the desert for 40 years. One of us would have the good sense to ask...
Tina Fey is Knocked Up
Last month Tina Fey weighed in the The New Yorker with an excerpt from her recently released semi-memoir Bossypants that she was struggling to decide whether or not to have a second child. I’m sure...
Soul Surfer
Soul Surfer tells the true story of professional surfer Bethany Hamilton who was attacked by a shark as she was surfing on a regular day when she was a teenager. The shark took her arm but did not...
Hanna
Saoirse Ronan has built herself quite a diverse career and she’s still a couple of years shy of 20. She’s done comedy with Michelle Pfeiffer in Amy Heckerling’s never released in the theatres...
Women Theatre Directors Talk About Working in Seattle
Great piece in the Seattle Times (with a video below) on how strong a town Seattle is for women theatre directors. Here’s a comment from Kate Whoriskey who runs the Intiman Theatre about how things...
Must Watch Video: When Harry Met Sally 2
Funniest thing I’ve seen all week. I hope they do things this good when Mirren hosts Saturday Night Live this week. https://medium.com/media/2d8c030d99c5ce90fe4e2976df7743d8/href When Harry Met...
Meg Ryan to Make Directing Debut
Here’s another actress looking for her next act. Meg Ryan is going to direct Into the Beautiful from a script by Anne Meredith. Variety says it is a contemporary “Big Chill.” Wendy Finerman...
San Francisco International Film Festival: The Women
The San Francisco International Film Festival takes place April 21 — May 5. There are a bunch of women directed films on the docket. They are listed below. Ticket are on sale now here. Producer...
A True Quote
Here’s a quote I heard from a colleague that was said by an agent who handles writers: When looking at representing a male or female writer who are both the same age and have equal talent the...
The Misogyny Machine That Rules Hollywood Comedies
Some days I wake up thinking that things can’t be really as bad as I think they are, then, I see a story like Tad Friend’s piece in this week’s New Yorker on Anna Faris and the state of...
Trailer Watch: The Imperialists Are Still Alive! — Written and Directed by Zenia Durra
Films Opens on April 15 and will also be on VOD