Tag Archives: genderist

My Favourite Screenwriter (That You Might Not Have Heard Of) Emily Blake

While avoiding other work, I was looking for something to read. I came across this.

Full disclosure: I was one of the 30-odd people who got coverage from Emily this year. I`d never met her, but the coverage for a good cause idea was something I wanted to get behind. (She did it for puppies, people! Puppies!)

Her coverage was incredible. The absolute best that I got from anywhere, and I paid A TON of monies to A TON of people for coverage (I`m assuming most people did not help puppies with my monies. Just guessing). I agreed with pretty much everything she said. I wrung a great rewrite out of her notes that got the script in question into the hands of some interested producer-folk. I hope I thanked her profusely enough (…but I doubt that I did. I feel like I should at least add her to my xmas card list. Or send her cookies. Or something.)

Her post is a couple of months old now, but I found myself thinking back and wondering if I (because the world revolves around me, obviously) was one of the people who did the thing with the characters that she referenced that a LOT of writers did. I definitely didn`t do it consciously, but I really wanted to write a very male script with that story- very much a one-hander. Though the female characters are important to the plot (and not bimbos in any sense), the lead male was the most important thing in the universe to me as I wrote it. And maybe that comes through in the work. Maybe I was sloppy and am now making excuses for myself. I dunno.

I haven`t looked at that script in a while, with my head buried in other things, but I hope I didn`t do the thing that I`m always railing on people not to do. But maybe I did. Maybe this whole blog is just a really long apology…

But the one thing I really wanted to say that stood out about Emily`s notes was that she was one of the few people who didn`t question the veracity of the female supporting characters in the narrative. I got a lot of notes questioning why these women were so alpha or a-type or strong or, maybe, even one reader might have used the word bitch or bitchy… I don`t recall specifically (I got A LOT of coverage on that script, no joke). But there was a lot of whys in my head about that question reoccurring.

I just kept thinking well, why can`t women fight for their families without being called names or branded with labels? When a family member is threatened, do all women just need to just cry and go to bed? (Yes, movie that shall remain nameless, I`m looking with disappointment at you.)

But Emily had none of that. She totally got it. And I`ll forever be grateful. In short, Emily Blake rocks. You can read more of her blog-a-liciousness at bambookillers.com.

 

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Why I Love Emma Thompson, Explained In One Paragraph

From The Hollywood Reporter`s Actress Roundtable

Are there roles you won’t play?

THOMPSON: Well, apart from the muff shot and things like that — but let’s not go there (laughter) — there was a patch of time when I was in my 30s and just started [being offered] a whole string of roles that basically involved saying to a man, “Please don’t go and do that brave thing. Don’t! No, no, no, no, no!” That’s a trope, the stock woman who says, “Don’t do the brave thing.” I said no to all of them. I’m so proud.

The first step to solving a problem is admitting the problem. There it is. Now let`s all start to fix it.

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What The What oh That Thing About Sarah Silverman

Does this headline tell you anything?

Sarah Silverman’s Bad Career Move: Being as Dirty as the Guys

Sigh. It’s not going away, is it? Subtle discrimination and lowered expectations are alive and well, as illustrated in Variety this very morning. Witness this quote regarding Sarah Silverman:

“Despite all manner of career-friendly gifts – from her looks to solid acting chops – she’s limited herself by appearing determined to prove she can be as dirty and distasteful as the boys …”

The article goes on to ask why she’s making fun of rape and make a wish kids and the Seaward – which are all valid questions. After all, comedians are doing their job when they best hold up a mirror to society and make us question thoughts, actions and behaviours. If that’s what a comedian is doing, whether I approve of their message or not, it’s all good to me. It’s fair to question these things.

So… Let’s take a moment and go back to the comment above. Remember a while back when the whole rape joke thing came out against Tosh.0 or whatever that guy is called? (Full disclosure- neither of these folks are my favourite comedians, so feel free to correct me on anything that doesn’t seem right…) I read a lot about the incident, and I don’t recall one reference to whether or not Tosh was handsome/smarmy/smarmsome. He was a guy doing a job, and people either agreed with him or they didn’t.

When male comedians get written up, there’s often a reference to whatever funny looking traits the men have, but it’s generally not the second sentence of the article. And the writeups generally aren’t as condescending as this one is. I think the “Aww sweetie, leave that to the boys” tone is maybe not entirely intentional, but that’s how it reads. So, um, not sure why that’s OK to publish in a legit publication…?

Regardless, I wish all the luck to Sarah Silverman with her new special. She’s gonna need it, as it’s obvious that talent isn’t quite enough for you to make it if you’re just a lady in the business of funny…

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Joss Whedon Is The New Black

Joss Whedon is the opposite of a misogynist. Which sounds crazy mostly because so many of his peers flex that muscle when they need to… Which, let’s be honest, seems like it happens more often than one might think necessary. Yeah, I’m dancing around this aspect of this topic a bit. I’m not calling anyone out, specifically, but ask yourself- When was the last time you witnessed a genuine 3D female character in a big Hollywood movie? I mean one that wasn’t rendered by VFX- one that had a brain and a heart and maybe even an important job to do that mattered a lot to the world of the story…?

Go ahead. I’ll wait. I’ll find something to read…

…Anything? Odds are better than Vegas that Joss Whedon had something to do with whatever you’re thinking of. Which is great, but sad in that his dedication to equality on screen is so singular that he can actually be identified by this trait. Sure, lots of other folks do this too, but the mighty Joss does it so consistently. He doesn’t do Damseling (more on that later) and it’s so refreshing that it’s not just his work ethic, but his own life philosophy.

Which all serves to show us Joss Whedon speaking at Make Equality Reality introducing the idea of “genderist” (because things should just be called what they are) and generally saying sane, sensible things. Refreshing.

For some bonus Joss, a great set of interviews with Joe Utichi that includes this quote:

“I dislike agendas; I like obsessions because obsessions are part of what make us individual and exciting. Agendas – not so much.”

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