Avengers: Infinity War – Women Talk, Men Talk More, & Everyone Fights (Women & Men in the Movies No. 7)

Posted on October 31, 2018November 14, 2018 by admin

This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed, and interact with other characters, in the 2018 Marvel film Avengers: Infinity War. (Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story Superheroes the Avengers and their allies fight to defeat the seemingly all-powerful Thanos who is seeking out and stealing Infinity Stones. With these stones, he can alter life as we know it. SPOILERS: The ending of the movie and major plot ...

Terminator 2: Sarah, Action Hero, But… (Women & Men in the Movies No. 6)

Posted on October 17, 2018October 19, 2018 by admin

This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed and interact with other characters in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the sequel to my favorite movie, sci fi thriller The Terminator, which I wrote about last week.. (Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story A powerful computer network sends a cyborg back from the future to kill John Connor, the leader of the humans who defeat it, when he's a boy. The human resistance send...

The Terminator: Men Talk, A Woman Fights (Women & Men in the Movies No. 5)

Posted on October 10, 2018October 19, 2018 by admin

This week I look at how women are portrayed and how they interact with other characters in the sci fi/thriller classic The Terminator. (Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story A young woman, Sarah Connor, must flee from and ultimately fight a cyborg from the future intent on killing her. Chasing Bechdel (Does a named female character talk to another named female character about anything other than a man?) Who’s ...

Annihilation: Five Women And The Unknown (Women & Men in the Movies No. 4)

Posted on October 3, 2018October 19, 2018 by admin

This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed and interact with other characters in the 2018 suspense/thriller film Annihilation. (Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story Annihilation was written and directed by Alex Garland, who also wrote and directed last week’s movie Ex Machina. In Annihilation, Natalie Portman plays Lena, a biologist and professor grieving the disappearance/ presumed death of her husband o...

Ex Machina: If An A.I. Were A Woman (Women & Men in the Movies No. 3)

Posted on September 26, 2018October 19, 2018 by admin

This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed, and interact with other characters, in one of my favorite suspense/thriller movies, Ex Machina. (Find out more about 3 tests that guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story In Ex Machina, a programmer, Caleb, is thrilled and overwhelmed when he wins a week at the isolated mountain retreat and research compound of Nathan, the brilliant founder of the search engine company where Caleb works. Nathan wants Caleb t...

Set It Up: A Rom-Com Where Women Talk About Something Other Than Men (Women & Men in the Movies No. 2)

Posted on September 19, 2018October 19, 2018 by admin

This week I’ll look at how women characters are portrayed and how they interact in 2018 Netflix rom-com Set It Up. (Find out more about the tests mentioned below in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story Think Devil Wears Prada crossed with Parent Trap. In Set It Up, two assistants, Harper and Charlie, work long hours for horrendous bosses. When Harper orders a midnight second dinner for her boss but has no cash to pay for it she meets Charlie. Charlie has cash, so he swoo...

The Invitation: Psychological Suspense & Horror In Hollywood Hills (Women & Men in the Movies No. 1)

Posted on September 12, 2018October 19, 2018 by admin

This week I'll look at how women are portrayed and interact with other characters in the 2015 suspense/horror film The Invitation. (Find out more about 3 tests I'll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story Will is invited to a formal dinner party at a stunning, isolated Hollywood Hills mansion he used to live in with his ex-wife. On returning to his former home, Will struggles with memories of and guilt over his son’s death. His ex-wife Eden...

Women, Men, and Movies

Posted on September 5, 2018October 19, 2018 by admin

In my twenties I lived with a screenwriter. We were broke, but every week we went to the local second run theater and saw a movie. We also borrowed a movie on VHS tape at our library once a week. (Yes, VHS, it was that long ago.) We talked about what we watched, and I learned a ton about character, plot, and writing. And had fun. Sadly, I've yet to find anyone who likes to take apart a movie the same way. (When I tried it with the next guy I dated he said, "Can't you just enjoy the mov...

On Finding Enough Time

Posted on August 29, 2018 by admin

Because I’m working on a book about happiness, anxiety, and creativity I’ve been thinking a lot about time. As in, a lot of people, including me, feel anxious about not having enough time. By definition, being human and mortal means not having enough time. Most of us can think of more things to do than we could ever engage in during an average lifespan. Yet there are periods in my life when I’ve felt extreme anxiety over not having enough time and others when I’ve felt, in contrast, mor...

Real Bees In An Imaginary Garden

Posted on August 22, 2018 by admin

In front of me a woman and her husband face one another on their porch. They've just reunited after a long separation. The rows of worn floorboards between them and their halting, hesitant way of speaking tell me there's a lot no one is saying. Despite the wife's smiles and efforts to set her husband at ease, this isn't a happy reunion. To my left, barely within my peripheral vision, bees buzz angrily inside a beehive. I hope none of them gets out. The thought, or really more of a feeli...