Blog Archives
February 2019 in Films
I really didn’t watch very many films in February. Mostly being soooo tired because of the bad weather, traveling a lot, and the fact that most movie theaters in February were still full of 2018 holdovers that I’d either already seen or didn’t want to see. That said, I did have some favorites that I watched and as always you can see those after the cut.
Movie Quote of the Day – But I’m a Cheerleader, 1999 (dir. Jamie Babbit)
Megan: I thought you could teach me how to be a lesbian, what they wear, where they live. You know.
Lloyd: Megan, we can’t help you with that. There’s not just one way to be a lesbian. You just have to continue to be who you are.
A Year With Women: 103 Essential Films By Female Filmmakers
Find out more about A Year With Women here.
Lately I’ve become more and more frustrated with the various “best ever” lists that have been released because they rarely feature films by women, or if they do it’s usually one or two films. I think this is more a reflection of those who are polled for these kinds of lists, as well as a compounding of history on itself. For so long films by men have made up the bulk of the film canon and I think people are afraid to add new films to these revered lists. I also think many people haven’t seen very many films by women, or if they have it’s always the same handful of films. In an attempt to create a better, more inclusive list of great films by women, I polled over 500 critics, filmmakers, bloggers, historians, professors and casual film viewers, asking them to tell me what films directed (or co-directed) by women are essential viewing. Some people only responded with as little as five votes, others submitted hundreds of films. In the end, I received over 7,000 votes for 1,100+ different films. After tallying up this data, with ties factored in, I then had a list of 103 essential films directed by women.
Movie Quote of the Day – Itty Bitty Titty Committee, 2007 (dir. Jamie Babbit)
Sadie: Look, Anna, what we do is really simple. We reclaim public space for women.
Anna: Why, though?
Shulamith: Because it’s important. Most people don’t realize how important it is. You may or may not have noticed that the public arena is entirely dominated by phallocentric imagery, chauvinistic political leaders, male fantasies of women. Most women aren’t even aware how much it affects them.
the diary of a film history fanatic 