As a follow up to my lament on women in film, here is a list of movies that - as a moderate feminist - I can comfortably watch. Two notes of explanation. First, I made up the term "moderate feminist". Feminism is a clumsy term we use for basically anything having to do with women. The weak version is fluffy puffy let's feel good about women without it actually meaning anything. The strong version touts women as absolutely the same as men excepting anatomy, while saying under the breath that we all know women are actually far superior to men in every way.
As a moderate feminist, I believe that women are absolutely equal to men, but men and women hold different roles and responsibilities. The ultimate potential for both man and woman is as a perfect compliment to the other.
Perhaps moderate is a misnomer. My view may be seen as quite radical by some. Maybe it is not a half-way between on the scale I set out, but rather a third point all together...
Regardless, I don't have a better name right now.
The second point of explanation. Because of my definition of moderate feminist, you will notice that some of these films portray woman as wife and mother. Some of the these films portray woman as independent and successful. And some of these films portray women as wife, mother, independent, and successful. I am satisfied with all three.
Movies for the Moderate Feminist
Amazon Queen
A Man for All Seaons
Anne of Green Gables
Contact
Cranford
Driving Miss Daisy
Fiddler on the Roof
Howl's Moving Castle
Incredibles
It's a Wonderful Life
Little Women
Million Dollar Baby
Mona Lisa Smile
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Much Ado About Nothing
October Sky
Pride and Prejudice (1995 version)
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Thin Man series
To Kill a Mockingbird
Waking Ned Divine
Whale Rider
What movies would you add?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
When Being a Woman Meant Something
I have been at a low boil for some time about the portrayal of women in movies. Blockbuster hits constantly reinforce the women as objects syndrome.
One recent offender is Iron Man. On the near completely male-dominated screen, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) stands out as a level-headed, competent secretary - a protege of the profession, really. Be astounded as she completes the most complicated and arduous tasks by following very detailed, step-by-step directions from a man.
(I will refrain from mentioning reporter Christine (Leslie Bibb), whose sole purpose on the screen is to display her ... well, let's just say it's not her cunning intellect.)
So I was pleasantly surprised when we watched Cranford last week. Cranford is a TV mini-series (made in 2007) based on Elizabeth Gaskell's novels, written in the 1850s. The series is about the lives and relationships of the residents of a small town in 1840s England. Women get a larger share of the screen time. But that's not as important as what that screen time shows. A variety of vices and virtues - town gossip, loose flirtations, and rigid propriety mixed with sincere compassion, neighborliness, strong wills, compentency in society and intellect - creates women of depth and diversity. Women who are actually like the women I know, and the woman I'm trying to become.
Okay. Okay. I know it's an unfair comparison. The men in Iron Man are nearly (though not quite) as flat and inestimable as the women. Victorian literature arguably pays more attention to character development than Marvel comics. The audience and expectations for each is completely different.
Still. It makes me wonder what ground we have gained in the last 150 years. Or lost.
One recent offender is Iron Man. On the near completely male-dominated screen, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) stands out as a level-headed, competent secretary - a protege of the profession, really. Be astounded as she completes the most complicated and arduous tasks by following very detailed, step-by-step directions from a man.
(I will refrain from mentioning reporter Christine (Leslie Bibb), whose sole purpose on the screen is to display her ... well, let's just say it's not her cunning intellect.)
So I was pleasantly surprised when we watched Cranford last week. Cranford is a TV mini-series (made in 2007) based on Elizabeth Gaskell's novels, written in the 1850s. The series is about the lives and relationships of the residents of a small town in 1840s England. Women get a larger share of the screen time. But that's not as important as what that screen time shows. A variety of vices and virtues - town gossip, loose flirtations, and rigid propriety mixed with sincere compassion, neighborliness, strong wills, compentency in society and intellect - creates women of depth and diversity. Women who are actually like the women I know, and the woman I'm trying to become.
Okay. Okay. I know it's an unfair comparison. The men in Iron Man are nearly (though not quite) as flat and inestimable as the women. Victorian literature arguably pays more attention to character development than Marvel comics. The audience and expectations for each is completely different.
Still. It makes me wonder what ground we have gained in the last 150 years. Or lost.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Okay. On three. 1 ... 2 ... CLICK! hehehe
One of Abe's hobbies is to take random sneak photos of me.
The result:
The result:
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Last week, we met my parents at Brevort Lake in the UP (upper peninsula of michigan, for those non midwesterners out there) for a few days of camping.
On the drive up, Abe & I saw numerous roadside ads for the "Mystery Spot." We ended up driving right by it, so we decided to see what it was all about.
The plaque at the "Mystery Spot" just said this: "In the early 1950s three surveyors stumbled across an area of land where they surveying equipment didn't seem to work properly. As they continued their research of this land, they noticed a constant feeling of being light headed. Later, realizing that their queasiness and problems with surveying equipment only occurred in an area about 300 feet in diameter they felt they had discovered a 'Mystery Spot'."
For only $7 we could have gone on the guided tour to the spot. We declined.
Abe, Mom, and Dad on the boat out to Mackinac Island.
While biking around Mackinac Island (no cars allowed), my shoelace got caught in the chain of our tandem bicycle. It's a lot harder to stop for emergencies when 2 people are driving.
Lake Michigan beaches are gorgeous! The lake temperature was a bit too - refreshing - for my taste, but still fun.
We rented a boat to go fishing on Brevort Lake. The worms we used measured longer than our biggest catch.
Yum. Smoked fish jerky fudge.
On the drive up, Abe & I saw numerous roadside ads for the "Mystery Spot." We ended up driving right by it, so we decided to see what it was all about.
The plaque at the "Mystery Spot" just said this: "In the early 1950s three surveyors stumbled across an area of land where they surveying equipment didn't seem to work properly. As they continued their research of this land, they noticed a constant feeling of being light headed. Later, realizing that their queasiness and problems with surveying equipment only occurred in an area about 300 feet in diameter they felt they had discovered a 'Mystery Spot'."
For only $7 we could have gone on the guided tour to the spot. We declined.
Abe, Mom, and Dad on the boat out to Mackinac Island.
While biking around Mackinac Island (no cars allowed), my shoelace got caught in the chain of our tandem bicycle. It's a lot harder to stop for emergencies when 2 people are driving.
Lake Michigan beaches are gorgeous! The lake temperature was a bit too - refreshing - for my taste, but still fun.
We rented a boat to go fishing on Brevort Lake. The worms we used measured longer than our biggest catch.
Yum. Smoked fish jerky fudge.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
4 and counting
Last Sunday Abe & I celebrated our 4th anniversary. Actually, we celebrated on Saturday, because Abe is usually in church-related meetings all day on Sunday so we don't see each other.
We went to the park/lake for a picnic and swimming. We took the back roads home and found a yummy shake stop and got a raspberry shake. We probably would have done other fun things but when we got home we both fell asleep in the middle of the living room floor for a few hours.
Because it's our anniversary I will claim the right to make a few sentimental comments about our marriage.
...okay, I just spent a long time trying to write out said sentimental comments, and I'm not doing so hot...
Instead I'll just say that I am very, very happy with Abe. I'm pretty sure he returns the feeling.
Our picnic.
Us, looking happy at 4 years. Isn't Abe's hair awesome?
Celebrating our beach ball victory. We brought a beach ball to play with in the water. Except that there were constant winds of 30 mph. So every time we tried to hit the ball it would fly to the shoreline and we would have to chase it down and bring it back out to the water. The sunbathers looked at us with pity. We finally devised a game where we stood about 3 feet apart, both facing the wind, and sort of tapped the ball back and forth to each other - basically tapping it forward and letting the wind blow it forcefully back to the other person. We had a goal of getting 20 hits without the ball touching the water. An hour later, in a moment of calm winds, we succeeded.
We went to the park/lake for a picnic and swimming. We took the back roads home and found a yummy shake stop and got a raspberry shake. We probably would have done other fun things but when we got home we both fell asleep in the middle of the living room floor for a few hours.
Because it's our anniversary I will claim the right to make a few sentimental comments about our marriage.
...okay, I just spent a long time trying to write out said sentimental comments, and I'm not doing so hot...
Instead I'll just say that I am very, very happy with Abe. I'm pretty sure he returns the feeling.
Our picnic.
Us, looking happy at 4 years. Isn't Abe's hair awesome?
Celebrating our beach ball victory. We brought a beach ball to play with in the water. Except that there were constant winds of 30 mph. So every time we tried to hit the ball it would fly to the shoreline and we would have to chase it down and bring it back out to the water. The sunbathers looked at us with pity. We finally devised a game where we stood about 3 feet apart, both facing the wind, and sort of tapped the ball back and forth to each other - basically tapping it forward and letting the wind blow it forcefully back to the other person. We had a goal of getting 20 hits without the ball touching the water. An hour later, in a moment of calm winds, we succeeded.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Anyone need some lemongrass?
We had some shrimp in our freezer that needed to be used, so I looked for a new and interesting shrimp recipe online. I found this recipe for Vietnamese Shrimp and Pork Crepes from Epicurious. After all, with this dish I could use up my old shrimp while only having to purchase a few other ingredients, such as coconut milk, mint, lemongrass, pork, fish sauce, Asian rice flour, and mungbean sprouts. Easy!
So it took 2 hours, 3 mixing bowls, 1 cutting board with a very good knife, a blender, 2 frying pans, and a wok, but on Friday night we enjoyed our first ever taste of Vietnamese cuisine. Or at least, an approximation of Vietnamese. It was quite delicious, actually. I would recommend making this recipe if you want a real food experience. It is not for the faint of heart. I don't think anything featuring fish sauce can be.
Getting ready to put together my crepe. Properly hydrating is very important. 75% of injuries from crepes are caused by inadequate hydration.
With my water levels balanced, I commense crepe making. The first step is to tear off a large piece of lettuce.
Next, carefully place the crepe on the torn lettuce leaf.
Sprinkle some fresh mint onto the crepe. Basil and cilantro can also be used. But don't forgo the mint - I think it is essential to the taste. (Although we didn't use basil or cilantro, so how would I know. But the mint really tasted good. And you can use the leftover mint leaves in lemonade. Looks classy and tastes yummy.)
Wrap the lettuce leaf around everything.
Dip in fish and lime sauce (so good! I promise!) and consume before the lettuce wrap completely falls apart.
By the way. Lemongrass comes in packages of, like, 50 stalks, and I only needed one. So if anyone is in the market...
So it took 2 hours, 3 mixing bowls, 1 cutting board with a very good knife, a blender, 2 frying pans, and a wok, but on Friday night we enjoyed our first ever taste of Vietnamese cuisine. Or at least, an approximation of Vietnamese. It was quite delicious, actually. I would recommend making this recipe if you want a real food experience. It is not for the faint of heart. I don't think anything featuring fish sauce can be.
Getting ready to put together my crepe. Properly hydrating is very important. 75% of injuries from crepes are caused by inadequate hydration.
With my water levels balanced, I commense crepe making. The first step is to tear off a large piece of lettuce.
Next, carefully place the crepe on the torn lettuce leaf.
Sprinkle some fresh mint onto the crepe. Basil and cilantro can also be used. But don't forgo the mint - I think it is essential to the taste. (Although we didn't use basil or cilantro, so how would I know. But the mint really tasted good. And you can use the leftover mint leaves in lemonade. Looks classy and tastes yummy.)
Wrap the lettuce leaf around everything.
Dip in fish and lime sauce (so good! I promise!) and consume before the lettuce wrap completely falls apart.
By the way. Lemongrass comes in packages of, like, 50 stalks, and I only needed one. So if anyone is in the market...
End of Summer Tournament
Last weekend we had an End of Ultimate Summer League Season Tournament. We played three games to 15, from 10am until 4pm. It was a hat tournament, which means that teams are made on the spot, basically from a random draw (although you can request to be grouped with up to 4 others). Our team ended up being pretty stacked with experienced players, so we went 3-0, and were the tournament champions.
Thanks to Leah, here are some photos from the tournament.
I often clear about 2 inches when I jump to catch the disc.
Abe's ups are obviously more impressive.
Abe in perfect execution of the Flying Ninja.
The league had a burrito, watermelon, and beer party after the game. But I only got 1 piece of watermelon, so on the way home I made Abe stop so we could pick up a watermelon of our own. It was so worth it.
My wounded knee from diving in a dirt patch. I always dive in the exact same spot. This knee is constantly regenerating new skin.
Abe with a similar injury.
Thanks to Leah, here are some photos from the tournament.
I often clear about 2 inches when I jump to catch the disc.
Abe's ups are obviously more impressive.
Abe in perfect execution of the Flying Ninja.
The league had a burrito, watermelon, and beer party after the game. But I only got 1 piece of watermelon, so on the way home I made Abe stop so we could pick up a watermelon of our own. It was so worth it.
My wounded knee from diving in a dirt patch. I always dive in the exact same spot. This knee is constantly regenerating new skin.
Abe with a similar injury.
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