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MacGuffin Spotlight
For the Ladies – I Married a Monster from Outer Space
While not what we typically think of as a “Woman’s Picture,” I Married a Monster from Outer Space is an interesting exploration of women’s fears about marriage in 1950s America. It’s a 1958 horror/science fiction movie directed by Gene Fowler Jr., and is a great…
READ MOREBird Watching – Ruba Nadda’s “Cairo Time”
Of the many reasons I wish I’d been in attendance at the Toronto Film Festival last month, the wide variety of films by women that were shown and celebrated is at the top. Six of the festival’s twenty gala presentations were for films directed by…
READ MOREAn Analysis – Hollywood’s “It” Comedies
There has been a trend of each year having an “it” comedy movie: the comedy that everyone ends up talking about, even at the year’s end. Now, there can be more than one great comedy a year, but there is usually only one that both…
READ MOREMy Five Most Anticipated Films for Awards Season
Predicting the movies that you will like is (let’s be honest) really, really fun. You take little details that you know about a movie and you find yourself excited beyond logic. Here are the upcoming films that have me most excited.
READ MOREAn Appreciation – The Wild Bunch
“Let’s go.” – Pike Bishop Two simple words, but to the men of Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch (1969), it means so much more. To them, it means taking a stand, helping one of their own in desperate need. And, most importantly, it means that…
READ MOREBird Watching – Ten Awesome Films by Women to Stream Right Now
I very much believe it is the duty of a true film fan to look around on a regular basis and make sure that the films you’re consuming represent a variety of voices. It is, obviously, one of the reasons I write this column. In…
READ MOREFor the Ladies – The Hard Way (1943)
Heterosexual romance often takes center stage in movies targeted to the ladies, but can also take a back seat to a more central female relationship. Portrayals of friendship are an important part of the women’s picture, but so are depictions of rivalry and duplicity. Add…
READ MOREAn Appreciation – Rear Window
If someone who has never seen a Hitchcock film asked me to recommend the one they should see first, I would pick Rear Window (1954). Not only is it highly entertaining and full of well-developed suspense, but it also incorporates everything that made Alfred Hitchcock…
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