The run up to the Oscars is dominated by best-of lists, and - with few exceptions (including the Women Film Critics Circle Awards) - most of those lists end up looking just about the same: dominated by men, featuring only a small handful of female performers. Which is why it was so exciting this past weekend to see The New York Times list of the year's best. While not quite chock full of women, the list does draw attention to some fine filmmaking and performances by women that are not likely to draw attention at the major awards ceremonies this year. If you missed any of these in the theaters last year, you'll want to make sure to add them to your DVD queues this year. Highlights after the jump...
In the week leading up to the release of the film Revolutionary Road, there was quite a media ballyhoo about Kate Winslet reading Betty Friedan's 1963 feminist classic The Feminine Mystique to prepare for her role as April Wheeler, as well as Winslet's declaration (albeit tepid) that she is a feminist ("I think I probably am. I mean, not in a bra-burning way. But I think I am a feminist, yeah.") Now that the film is in theatres, the connection between the film and feminism has continued to be the subject of much conversation. Over at HuffPo, blogger Melissa Silverstein goes so far as to write that the film "should be required watching for all young women who think that feminism is irrelevant." But in all this talk about feminism and Revolutionary Road, there hasn't been much dialogue about film's relationship to its source, the 1961 Richard Yates novel of the same name, or the way that the character of Frank Wheeler has been re-imagined. Casting a critical eye on the way the novel has been adapted calls into question just how revolutionary the film really is... More after the jump...
Warning: Major spoilers ahead for both novel and film.
I would be remiss for not mentioning The Spirit, Frank Miller's PG-13 cleavagefest opening tomorrow. The Spirit features the longest roster of female talent in a comic book adaptation this whole year, but it's sadly a bunch of overstylized nostalgia - and a desperate amount of pandering eye candy for fanboys. And, according to Miller, this is all in the name of restoring manhood! More after the jump....
This post has been delayed due to a series of Midwestern airport misadventures, but here's the round-up of last week's trailers: Beyonce in Obsessed, Paul Rudd in I Love You, Man, and Hugh Jackman in X-Men Origins: Wolverine... after the jump!
The Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC) have announced their list of 2008 award winners. The WFCC awards recognize films by and about women that reflect the lives of women as well as positive images of women on screen. It's a far more diverse list than anything you're likely to see from other critics this year - and it even includes a bonus hall of shame! The full list of awards after the jump...
If you haven't heard about While She Was Out, you're definitely not alone. This low-budget horror/thriller written and directed by Susan Montford opened in just a handful of theaters this weekend, and I was one of the two people who showed up to see it during an opening night showing in NYC. It's a pretty sure bet that this would have gone direct-to-DVD if it didn't have Guillermo del Toro among its ten (!) producers. But I'm glad it did make it to theaters, because despite its shortcomings, While She Was Out is actually worth a look.... (more after the jump).
More (rumored) news on the Twilight sequel now that Catherine Hardwicke is no longer the director. Nikki Finke's got an inside line that Summit has offered Chris Weitz the chance to direct New Moon - and potentially Eclipse, if both films could be made back-to-back. Weitz is the writer and director of About a Boy, producer and uncredited director of American Pie, and the director for The Golden Compass adaptation. According to Finke, sources claim that Summit liked the look of The Golden Compass, but the real reason this deal might be in the works is that Weitz is an old buddy of Summit's president of production.
Do you ever get the feeling that the Hollywood old boy's club is just being replaced with a newer boy's club?
More after the jump... including irrational behavior from a male director!
Looks like I got a little too excited on Friday about the current state of affairs for female directors... By now you've probably heard that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke has been fired from the blockbuster teen vamp franchise and will not be directing Twilight's sequel New Moon. There's also bad news for Lexi Alexander and Darnell Martin, who had lackluster opening weekends at the box office.
The breakdown after the jump, along with my call for more crappy female directors.
Freelance wordslinger, consultant, contributor to Bitch since 2003.
What I'm reading:
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion. Re-reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. Also, Wonder Woman and DC's completely awesome new Secret Six series.
What I'm listening to:
I like the new Glen Campbell album a lot.
What I'm watching:
Movies: If it's a smart comedy, a thoughtful drama, or an even-handed documentary, I'm probably in. If it has a zombie, a werewolf, a bionic woman or someone wielding a sword, I'm definitely in. TV: BSG, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, Torchwood, The Amazing Race, the NCAA basketball tourney. DVD: The Wire, Buffy, Firefly. Other: My roommate's cats.
The run up to the Oscars is dominated by best-of lists, and - with few exceptions (including the 
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Facebook
In the week leading up to the release of the film Revolutionary Road, there was quite a media ballyhoo about Kate Winslet reading Betty Friedan's 1963 feminist classic The Feminine Mystique to prepare for her role as April Wheeler, as well as Winslet's declaration (albeit tepid) 
