Name five favorite feminist/women-oriented movies

[obamanut2012]

And post a short synopsis.

I have a lot, which is why I suggested keeping it at five.

1. Iron-Jawed Angels

"Defiant young activists take the women's suffrage movement by storm, putting their lives at risk to help American women win the right to vote."


2. Circumstance

"A wealthy Iranian family struggles to contain a teenager's growing sexual rebellion and her brother's dangerous obsession." (Persian with English subtitles)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumstance_%282011_film%29

3. You Again

"When a young woman realizes her brother is about to marry the girl who bullied her in high school, she sets out to expose the fiancée's true colors."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Again


4. Bend It Like Beckham
"The daughter of orthodox Sikh rebels against her parents' traditionalism by playing on a women's football (soccer) team."


5. I Can't Think Straight
"a 2007 romance movie about a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent, Tala, who is preparing for an elaborate wedding. A turn of events causes her to have an affair and subsequently fall in love with another woman, Leyla, a British Indian."

[hollysmom]

1. Thank you

I don't see many films, but I have added these to ones I want to see now.

I see more television and I really don't think TV is a good forum that it was decades ago with Maude and Rhoda, etc. Comedy that opened people's eyes. Now we have people like the Kardashians or the women on USA or Lifetime that have their stories center on their love life.

[Skittles]

2. Fried Green Tomatoes featured very strong women

yes INDEED

[one_voice]

12. Love that movie...

Steel Magnolias too.

[Turbineguy]

3. Atlas Shrugged?

[obamanut2012]

4. YOU PLAYED THE AYN RAND CARD!!!

[Neoma]

5. Exorcise the demons!

[thelordofhell]

6. The Alien Quadrilogy

Sigourney Weaver was bad-ass in those movies

[obamanut2012]

8. Good one! (well, four)

[thelordofhell]

7. Thelma And Louise

[kdmorris]

9. Thelma and Louise!

"An Arkansas waitress and a housewife shoot a rapist and take off in a '66 Thunderbird."

Still waiting for the film version of "A Thousand Splendid Suns". By the author of "The Kite Runner". The book was great... hope the movie is as good.

[CurtEastPoint]

10. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

'74 Ellen Burstyn. Very strong woman, newly widowed, making it on her own.

[kestrel91316]

11. My fave: Nine to Five, starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, and

Lily Tomlin. I know it's a comedy, but there's a lot of truth in it.

[Zen Democrat]

13. Silkwood comes to mind. Norma Rae and Places in the Heart. Reds. And for fun, Kill Bill.

[longship]

14. Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy

I know that it's graphic and the violence against women, especially the main protagonist, Lisbeth Salander, is distasteful at times. But as a statement of empowered women, Salander's, although unconventional solutions, have a sense of justice. It is the way she views it also.

You'll either like these, or hate them. But I think they deserve at least an honorable mention especially due to their focus on a fiercly independent woman fighting a world that is utterly crashing down upon her. That's what makes them compelling reads.

Just my opinion, and my nomination.

Hopefully, some will take the venture.

1. Män Som Hatar Kvinnor (translated: Men Who Hate Women) published in English as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

2. Flickan Som Lekte Med Elden roughly translates to the English title, The Girl Who Played with Fire

3. Luftslottet Som Spränges in English is published as The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

The movies were originally done in Sweden with the same names. Skip the English language remake and go for the subtitles or dubbing of the Swedish language. Plus Noomi Rapace is great as Salander. The rest of the cast is also good.

The English version of the first, although closer to the book, has weak casting, IMHO, especially Salander. Rooney Mara just doesn't pull off Salander's physicality, the way she moves and acts. Rapace plays it like she's an eternally coiled spring, which is what the books portray.

The books are great if you give them a chance.

Thanks.

[obamanut2012]

18. Good answer!

I've seen the Swedish films, and prefer the first one to the American version, although that was fine.

Lisbeth is a very interesting and complex character, even my Dad, after watching the US version of GWADT, said, "She's kick ass!"

[Lucy]

15. Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."

One of my favorites.

[obamanut2012]

19. I juat watched that recently

Jennifer Jason Leigh, imo, has been severely underrated over the years.

[DURHAM D]

16. Whale Rider

[obamanut2012]

20. One of my favorite movies EVER

[tammywammy]

17. The Contender

Joan Allen has an excellent performance, I thought she should have won the Academy Award that year. It's one of my all time favorite movies.

[Whisp]

21. Here's some I like:

Aeon Flux
sci-fi
...is a mysterious assassin working for the Monicans, a group of rebels trying to overthrow the government.
Directed by Karyn Kusama. Starring Charlize Theron.

Bound
Corky, a tough female ex con and her lover Violet concoct a scheme to steal millions of stashed mob money and pin the blame on Violet's crooked boyfriend Caeser.
Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon and Joe Pantoliano

Cutthroat Island
Swashbuckling film with Geena Davis.

V for Vendetta
A shadowy freedom fighter known only as "V" uses terrorist tactics to fight against his totalitarian society.
Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman and Rupert Graves

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (Tom Robbins book)
Sissy Hankshaw is born with enormous thumbs that help her hitchhiking through the US
Uma Thurman, Lorraine Bracco and Pat Morita

[EC]

22. Domino

and DOA Dead or Alive. Both action movies.


on edit: You can add D.E.B.S. and Ultra Violet to the list.

[obamanut2012]

27. I admit to having a fondness for D.E.B.S.

[Starry Messenger]

23. Great subject for an OP.

Last edited Mon Jun 25, 2012, 03:33 PM - Edit history (1)

1.) Reds. Even though it's the story of John Reed, it is also the story of Louise Bryant and Diane Keaton is a perfect foil for Warren Beatty. Lots of tough broads in the film including Maureen Stapleton as Emma Goldman.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reds_%28film%29

2) Frida, for obvious reasons. Love her, loved the movie. If you love art history, you will groove on all of the other artists like Tina Modatti and David Siquieros who are referenced.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frida

3.) The Snapper. A young Irish girl gets herself "up the pole" and refuses to name the father, to the great scandal of the neighborhood busybodies. It's the second installment in Roddy Boyle's "Barrytown" trilogy. It's classic and all of the women are screamingly funny in it.

4.) Little Women, 1994

Kind of self-explanatory, but I love Jo March.

Geeze, I made myself cry watching that again!

5.) I'm having a hard time picking a fifth one, so I will reserve until inspiration strikes.

edit: Cold Comfort Farm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Comfort_Farm_%28film%29

[Rowdyboy]

24. The Color Purple, Steel Magnolias and The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All...

are all favorites of mine Certainly Fried Green Tomatoes would be on my list along with Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. All feature strong women who overcome the worst that can be thrown to them. They all have true endurance.

Thats a decent start.

[Zorra]

25. The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, The Color Purple, Personal Velocity,

A League of Their Own, Iron Jawed Angels, (and of course Fried Green Tomatoes and Thelma and Louise.)

Too tired to post synopses of the films.

[no_hypocrisy]

26. Harold and Maude

Legally Blonde
Private Benjamin

[Whisp]

32. Harold and Maude - classic.

one of the few I rewatch every few months.

[tru]

28. television- Mrs. Bradley Mysteries

Diana Rigg can do no wrong.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

29. Underworld

Selena is highly intelligent as she unravels the political intrigue and betrayals within multiple factions with sometimes overlapping agendas.

[yesphan]

30. Born Yesterday.

1950 version.

I guess I need 4 more.......

[obamanut2012]

31. LOVE that movie!

Two interesting facts about Judy Holliday:

1. She had a genius-level IQ, and

2. Used her experience as portraying "Billie Dawn" to "act dumb: when in 1952 she was called to testify before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee to explain why her name had been linked to Communist front organizations. Because of acting like a cliched "ditzy blonde," she escaped the Blacklist (although she was informally blacklisted from television because of the taint of her appearing before SISS).

[rwsanders]

33. Not movies, but...

Wicked had great strong female characters.
And in Star Trek The Next Generation K'Ehleyr was such a great female character that they struggled for ever after trying to find one to live up to her.

[obamanut2012]

35. Ro Lauren, who also started in TNG

I also loved Captain Janeway. Seven of Nine was also a very interesting character, except for that effing catsuit they made her wear almost the whole time (as well as not putting Troi into her science blues until almost the end).

[Neoma]

34. {proof}

The Alien Quadrilogy...

Well... It's hard to find them in my DVD collection. My husband has a bunch of horror movies that I simply do not touch...

[Tx4obama]

36. A few older ones with strong women

Sister Kenny
Film: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038948/
Summary: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038948/plotsummary
Elizabeth Kenny's Bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Kenny

Blossoms in the Dust
Film: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033407/
Summary: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033407/plotsummary
Edna Gladney's Bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edna_Gladney

Eleanor, First Lady of the World
Film: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083875/
Summary: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083875/
Eleanor Roosevelt's Bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt

Pinky
Film: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041746/
Summary: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041746/plotsummary

A Woman of Substance
Film: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085114/
Summary: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085114/plotsummary

[obamanut2012]

37. I've only seen the first and the last

I need to check out the library and Netflix for the others.

[The Green Manalishi]

38. The first 'Terminator'

Seriously. She was the real center of it, and the truly strong one.

[Firebrand Gary]

39. The Associate (Whoppi Goldberg & Diane Wiest)

[masmdu]

40. Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds, Alien

[efilon]

41. Norma Rae, Silkwood, Steel Magnolias