Frustrations of a Female Viewer

I've been frustrated for about a day after a conversation I had with a gal friend at lunch yesterday. 

The topic stemmed from the idea that some men aren't interested in watching a show that stars mostly women (such as "Girls" or "Orange is the New Black") because they couldn't relate to the female characters. The conversation included us talking about how the male viewers must not feel represented and therefore find it hard to find a reason to be interested in it. Then we discussed the last time either of us had felt actually "represented" -or could relate to someone- in a movie or show we liked. Both of us came up with examples that were male characters. When I pointed this out, my friend said "Yeah, but it's because we have no choice."

While I knew this was already true before hand, it made me that much more frustrated. Women don't get the luxury of having so many mainstream-audience movies, where we are represented and/or well written and powerful, that we can just shrug new ones off. In fact, when one or two are finally made, we throw a freaking party because it's so rare. Nearly every movie or show on TV that's for a mainstream audience (meaning not a special interest group like "just women," "just men," but for ALL people) stars mostly men, and if we get a lady in there somewhere, we should be happy about them throwing us a bone. 

We are expected, as women, to be ok with most main characters being male. We are expected, as women, to relate to these male characters with no question. But ask a man to do the same for a female character? Forget it. There are so many other choices out there for a man to watch where guys, just like him, do cool stuff. Why would he want to see a show of all women he has never had to try to relate to? He might have to step outside of himself and see a female perspective YET learn he can STILL relate to these characters, but when you don't HAVE to do that... Why go to the trouble?

How about because we ladies do it all the time, because we have to. And men who refuse to step outside of their comfort zones in this way are the reason why more awesome female driven shows don't exist. And what's really upsetting there is most guys who are like this don't care that those shows aren't getting made bc it doesn't affect them. So the power to see this situation change is in the hands of the people who don't care if it ever does. This is why I am so frustrated. 

I am not claiming to be uncovering something new here. It's something tons of people already have written much more eloquent pieces about. This is just my personal frustration right now.

I am not saying male characters are bad and I can't relate to them. Quite the opposite! But female characters can be just as relatable and great for both genders, too, if given the chance, but they hardly ever are. 

2013 Oscar Noms: Reactions of a Fangirl

Time for some caps lock, guys, and you know they're coming. Here is the full nominee list I am using. Let's do this:

CATEGORIES PEOPLE KIND OF CARE ABOUT:

• LES MIS is a Best Pic nom! Excited and surprised that's become my favorite for this season, I think. 
• DJANGO for Best Pic as well, surprised kind of but also happy. Will this get Leo in a seat at the Oscars??? I don't think so and that makes me want to die. 
• 9 BP NOMS and I have only seen 4, ugh. (LET'S JUST SIDENOTE THAT I LOVE LINCOLN AND ARGO ALSO THERE'S THAT.) I guess I can see Silver Linings easily enough but I am not interested in any of the others really fml. 
• HUGH JACKMAN LANDS HIS FIRST OSCAR NOM FOR LES MIS AND DEF SHOULD HAVE BC HE WRECKED ME GUISE, JUST WRECKED ME, TEARS AND SNOT EVERY WHERE ajsdlkfjaskdfv afdgh
• But DDL will win instead so wahhhhhh (even though I love him, too ... win/win I guess...?) 
• Also, just read an article about JOAQUIN PHOENIX yesterday and how he hates the Oscars so CONGRATS DUDE ON YOUR NOMINATION.
• Oh Denzel surprise didn't see you thar!
• Seen NONE of the movies where are lovely main lady noms come from but my girlfriend JESSICA CHASTAIN is in there so WOO HOO I guess. 
• OH LOOK BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR THIS SHOULD BE WEHRE LEO- wait wut?
• WHAT?
• WUT IS THIS ..? SHOCKING NO LEO DICAPRIO IN THAT CATAGORY OHGOD WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?
• this girl. this girl would have thought. 
• I am so far beyond being ragey about this by now that I just feel a piece of my soul die each year Leo isn't nominated when he should have been so... basically yeah. 
• Each time Leo doesn't get nominated for a great role, it means the Academy has created another horcrux. 
• OH BUT CHRISTOPH WALTZ FROM DJANGO IN THAT CATEGORY? Even though he was arguably the star of the movie? OKAY THAT MAKES SENSE NO BIG DEAL Kasj gkadfhjknsghunfairrrrrrr
• FML bc Leo ain't gonna be at the Oscars look fly in a suit. 
• LOOKING SO FLY UGH
• ANNE HATHAWAY got a nom, OF COURSE, for my fave, Les Mis!!! Hopefully she'll win bc I am so over Amy Adams. I love her but I don't get why people think she's this great actress ..(.I've NEVER been very impressed with her. Just in Junebug and in Catch Me If You Can. The. End.)
• Wow 5 animated noms... snore. 
• Now for the Directing SNUBS, er... I mean Noms. LOOK, NO BEN AFFLECK. AND NO QT? Ok, fine QT, this was not his best work (though it may be one of my personal faves), but BEN... I just think he deserved a nom for Argo over some of the others lifeofpi or beasts, I loved it. Seriously. srsly. ALSO NO HOOPER FOR LES MIS. Just realized...w ut?

AND NOW CATEGORIES NO ONE CARES ABOUT BUT ME! 

• ANNA KARENINA IS IN CINEMATOGRAPHY AND COSTUME OH GOD EXACTLY WHAT IT DESERVES. It was such a beautiful movieeeeeeeee
• (Remember when I had hope for Keira to have an Oscar nom this year? PAHAHA, welp. At least I am not disappointed bc I didn't expect. And won't expect one for a while since she's decided to do that Adam Levine movie with the worst title in history, "Can a Song Save Your Life?" the answer is NO)
• Ugh and I just love Les Mis in costumes, and Lincoln... and I know I was the only one who loved LAWLESS.. but I WISH it were in that category as well bc those costumes were great. Hardy in a cardy 5ever.
• Hey look, documentaries happened this year...
• Argo for film editing... Lincoln too, even though that movie was super long. It didn't feel that long... no Django bc let's be honest, Django WAS too long. but i still loved and enjoyed it calm down sheesh
• ANNA KARENINA FOR SCORE ALSO OH GOD MY HEART.  My love affair with Dario Marianelli knows no bounds. 
• And of course, the only reason they added a song to Les Mis is so they could be nominated for an Oscar and it has paid off. HUGH PLEASE PERFORM IT AT THE CEREMONY OKAY? OKAY.
• AVENGERS GOT A NOM bahahahah forgot that was a thing, guys, I totally did. Yay tech awards, I guess. 
• At least QT got a writing nom. And so did Moonrise, which I am rooting for for my fran who loves that movie. 

THE END. 

Tolkien Snob: Thoughts on The Hobbit

I went into this movie with very low expectations because of all the soap boxes I got onto during the development of this movie (especially the announcement that it was going to all of a sudden become a trilogy). For the most part, my biggest problem with what I KNEW Peter Jackson was going to do was make The Hobbit NOT about the hobbit, Bilbo, thus making a movie that's more about how bright and shiny Middle-earth is than it is about my favorite character. How could Bilbo actually be overshadowed in his own story when he's the title character?! It was an infuriating idea, but was something I knew would happen and I prepared myself for it.

Spoilers below I guess. 

In the end, here are my thoughts on the film:

The Hobbit should be The Hobbit, but since I knew it wasn't going to be about that going in, I lowered my expectations and so it was ok. I liked it. I loved parts. I disliked parts. It's more about the Rise of the Shadow in Middle-earth than The Hobbit storyline, but again. I already knew that was going to happen. Also, anything that gives Andy Serkis more "screen time" can never be a bad decision. When Gollum happened I had too much of a fangirl reaction to be normal. I love Andy Serkis and I am not ashamed.

Had I not been a Tolkien fan, this movie would have dragged on and on. I loved the beginning because there was Frodo and old Bilbo, but then the introduction of all the dwarves took forever. I did end up liking them all much more than I expected, save for Thorin who I didn't like at all, though I wish I had. Regular movie-goers (opposed to book nerds) probably felt like dozing the entire beginning. They wanted a journey, but we were still in Bag End an hour after the film started.

The last fight scene was so over-the-top slow-motion dramatic I am sure you could hear my eyes rolling. The pale orc was way overdone as well. I hated all that extra stuff that basically just added fake tension and minutes to the film. Hated it. It didn't add anything for me because it felt regurgitated and contrived. If PJ had been able to present that extra stuff in a better way, maybe a more original way than cookie cutter bullcrap from LotR, maybe I could have dealt with it. And if they had added something to Thorin's character other than just making him seem petulant and bitchy, sure that would have been good, too. But it did not work. Not for me, and many others at least. I know it was trying to beef up their story, but it didn't add what it should have. 

Also, it was unnecessary because as cool as the dwarves are, they aren't supposed to be the stars, so beefing them up to overshadow Bilbo was never going to work for me. But I had at least hoped what they did would be better than what it actually turned out to be. Azog, the pale orc, just needs to GET OUT. 

That's not to say I wasn't surprised by how much I loved some of the dwarves. I really enjoyed them. Especially Bofur and Bilbo's exchange near the end. I felt that and it was so sweet. It's really just all the extra stuff they added and tweaked for Thorin that pissed me off. Like... do we really need a history lesson at the campsite with a flashback of Thorin's life while he broodingly pouts across the way? We've seen that before PJ! Find a new trick. Ugh, PJ is such a sap and overly self indulgent and he reminded me of that at ever turn.

However, I enjoy it for the most part, and especially these:

• Gollum was the best part of this movie. 
• Gandalf was absolutely badass. 
• Bilbo was precious, but as I suspected, there was not enough of him.   
• There was Frodo at the beginning and he checked the mail and I died.