Movies

James Cameron Says ‘Wonder Woman’ Is a ‘Step Backwards’ for Women in Hollywood

Complains about objectification. Wonder Woman Director Patty Jenkins Responds.

James Cameron was asked about strong female characters and the recent success of Wonder Woman in an interview by The Guardian on Thursday. In a move that surprises only people who have never heard a story about James Cameron, the Terminator director came across as incredibly arrogant and self-congratulatory

All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood’s been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided. She’s an objectified icon, and it’s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing! I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backwards. Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit. And to me, [the benefit of characters like Sarah] is so obvious. I mean, half the audience is female!

So he thought Wonder Woman was a “step back” but he got it right with Sarah Connor. OK, the interviewer asked the obvious question.: Why does Hollywood have such a problem creating strong female characters? Cameron was as perplexed as anyone.

I don’t – I don’t know. There are many women in power in Hollywood and they do get to guide and shape what films get made. I think – no, I can’t account for it. Because how many times do I have to demonstrate the same thing over again? I feel like I’m shouting in a wind tunnel!

Poor James Cameron. The rest of the world just doesn’t get it. How many times does he have to show us? I almost feel bad for the guy. Wonder Woman Director Patty Jenkins on the other hand, was not as impressed.

There are two things to note here. The first is: I actually think it is worthwhile to discuss the idea of unrealistic beauty standards set by some female action heroes. Just because we love Wonder Woman is no reason to not look at some of the problematic aspects of how women are portrayed in general.

The second is that Sarah Connor is a phenomenal female action hero. Easily on my Top 5 list. Another one of my Top 5? Ellen Ripley. Largely because of her work in the Cameron-directed Aliens. James Cameron is legitimately great at writing and directing female action heroes.

He just also happens to be a giant egotistical jackass.

Wonder Woman (2017)

‘Wonder Woman’ Just Passed ‘Spider-Man’ to Become the Highest-Grossing Superhero Origin Movie of All-Time

According to website Box-Office Mojo, Wonder-Woman broke another record, becoming the highest-grossing superhero origin movie ever. With a projected cumulative box-office of $404,008,376, the Amazon princess slipped by the former champion, 2002’s Spider-Man, which ended its run with a cumulative total of $403,706,375.

While Wonder Woman is already in first place, it isn’t quite done making money and should build on its lead over the next few weeks as it slowly moves out of theaters.

The record does come with some caveats. The totals are not adjusted for inflation, and many sequels to superhero movies have made more. But they have never adjusted for inflation and sequels always make more — that’s why they are counted separately. By the only metric that anyone in Hollywood cares about, Wonder Woman is the champion.

source: Box Office Mojo

Woman Has Best Reaction to the End of Rogue One of All Time

I remember when I was a kid, and we went to see The Empire Strikes Back. When Darth Vader uttered the famous line, “No. I am your father” — the entire theater erupted in pandemonium and shock

That doesn’t happen anymore. The Internet killed the spoiler.Trailers routinely ruin key moments in the film in order to put butts in seats. And fans obsessively uncover secrets and share them — often before the film was even released.

But what if that wasn’t the case? What if you went into Rogue One blind, having no idea that its ending dovetailed directly into the beginning of A New Hope? Thanks to one anonymous teen and the genius who thought to film her, we finally know how someone would react..

How she avoided the spoilers until the film hit the home market, we will never know. But the look on her face is the purest expression of fan joy and wonder that I have ever seen.

I envy her.

‘Hidden Figures’ Inspires Historic Education Exchange Program for Women

The State Department looks to the movie for inspiration as it brings 50 women working in STEM fields in Africa and Latin America to the United States.

Hidden Figures, the 2016 movie about the black female mathematicians who made NASA’s space program possible, was an unexpected breakout hit last year for Fox. But even more unexpected was how it was received by nations around the world.

The movie was so popular, that it inspired a groundbreaking publicly funded exchange program, #HiddenNoMore, that is bringing 50 women who work in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) from 50 different countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America to the United States.

Shortly after Hidden Figures was released, the U.S. State Department was deluged with requests for the movie at embassies around the world. In April and May alone, the film was requested in an unprecedented 80 overseas locations.

It’s incredible popularity caught the eye of Stacy White, office director of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program. “We really wanted to build on the momentum,” White told The Hollywood Reporter. So the #HiddenNoMore program was launched.

Participants will fly to Washington D.C. in October where they will attend a special screening of the film at National Geographic. Then, the women will break into groups and spend three weeks meeting with organizations that promote STEM programs for women and girls, including universities and the Girls Scouts.

The  program will conclude in L.A, where Fox will hot a two-day event on the studio lot. “Our goal is to get people from diverse communities talking about these issues,” White told THR., “that are vital to long-term U.S. security and prosperity.”

Women Are Recreating an Iconic Wonder Woman Scene via #WWGotYourBack

Can you hold a sword on your back while walking and dancing in a fancy dress? The Internet demands answers.

Gal Gadot weaving through a room of enemy soldiers in a slinky blue dress with the God Killer sword nestled between her shoulder blades was one of the most striking visuals from both the Wonder Woman trailer and the movie itself. But is that really possible? Could you carry a sword in a form fitting dress? Facebook user Eva Wei decided the only way to find out was to try it — for science.

Eva Wei
Eva Wei

So, Anna-Karin asked if the sword in dress-scene from Wonder Woman was plausible. I promised to give it a serious try, so I took my regenyei onehander and shoved it down my sheer chiffon dress. It worked.. surprisingly well. The sword sits pretty decent and I can walk and dance in it without that much of a fuss. I also think it could be drawable if it was just 10 cm shorter (which I estimate WW’s sword to be) so that also kind of works. So the verdict is that the scene is actually surprisingly plausible.

But like all science, the results are not valid unless they are reproducible. So the hashtag #WWGotYourBack was born. Dozens of photos of women in dresses with swords tucked in the small of their backs are now flooding Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and beyond. We’ve picked a few of our favorites below.

https://twitter.com/TabulaRasaCos/status/873017738951892992

 

Some women didn’t have a sword (for shame!) … so they  improvised.

https://twitter.com/MzShastaLibra/status/872976438286315521

 

 

 

Wonder Woman's Shield

Weaponsmiths Forge Wonder Woman’s Shield

The forgemasters at Man At Arms tackled Wonder Woman’s shield this week, likely to tie in with the new movie. They chose to recreate the shield from Batman vs. Superman, instead of the shield featured in her solo movie. That may be because the new shield is incredibly ornate and not strictly a product of the forge.

Still, it’s an amazing piece of work. They end up with a shield that is quite a bit more than a prop. It looks like it could easily survive a medieval battlefield. I guess what I am saying is…

I want one.