2015 has come to a close, and every film critic and blogger has already put together their “end of year” lists. Alas, I still don’t have access to a few of my most anticipated releases as of this writing (The Revenant and Anomalisa in particular), so I can’t make my full “top films” list yet (edit: I have now. It’s right here). However, I feel comfortable putting together a “top stuff” list. Here are some of my favorite film elements of the year. (more…)
It’s no secret that women are quite often poorly represented in cinema, especially big budgeted summer blockbusters. If you look at the last five summers, most years feature an embarrassing 1 to 2 major movies in which women have prominent roles. Even when a woman is featured, she is often sexualized, one-dimensional, or in a supporting role (mother, daughter, girlfriend) to the main male protagonist.
Fortunately, the tides are starting to slowly shift, as Hollywood realizes that literally half of their potential audience are, in fact, women. Overall, the summer of 2015 has been an improvement, with several movies featuring very well-written female characters. Here’s a look back at some of the films of the summer, both the good and the bad. (more…)
Backseat Directing 