The Lip Film Club look back on the year that was and make their resolutions for the new one, answering the two most important questions on the lips of every cinephile: what was the best thing you saw in 2014, and what are you most looking forward to in 2015? JADE BATE 2014: One…
Read more
Ever wondered how the grisly footage of a fiery accident’s twisted aftermath graces your television on the evening news? Thank the appropriately termed “nightcrawler,” the professional that makes a living pursuing life’s many tragedies so that we may revel in their morbid trade. Such calamitous work demands speed, and bidding the most intimate and grittiest…
Read more
Hollywood rarely turns the camera upon itself. If it does, Oscar-bait biopics about dead actors and filmmakers are usually the way it goes. Maps to the Stars, David Cronenberg’s latest exploration into the grotesqueness of the human condition, depicts the horrors of Hollywood’s narcissistic psyche, relishing in showcasing the demonic egomania and envy that fuels…
Read more
Amy Poehler’s newly-released Yes Please is part memoir, part self-help book, part opportunity to peer into the Poehler family scrapbook. Dotted with photos, youthful creative writing attempts, and full-colour scans of personal mementoes ranging from college playbills to handwritten acrostic odes to Tina Fey, Yes Please is a bright and cheerful tour through Poehler’s life…
Read more
Everyone knows that complex and empowering female characters are difficult to find in mainstream films. But there are some who have stood out and become the changing faces of feminism in cinema. In this monthly column, Jade Bate looks at her favourite film heroines who are strong, empowering and kick ass. Female friendship is one…
Read more
Christopher Nolan has to be one of the most polarising filmmakers of the modern age. Just start a conversation in the presence of “Caped Crusader” fans about his Batman Begins, The Dark Knight or The Dark Knight Rises, and watch the sparks start to fly: those who liked the films, those who didn’t like them…those…
Read more
‘All too often representations of women’s strength overlook the cost of that strength, where it rises from, and how it is called upon when needed most.’ Roxane Gay, What We Hunger For Totalitarian nation state Panem is in chaos. When Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) shot her arrow into the force field of the second Hunger…
Read more
I was absolutely overjoyed when I was offered the chance to review My Old Lady. I think it was because I could get a credit on my resume out of the 2 hours of my life that otherwise would have been written off. That’s not true, those 2 hours weren’t a write off; I considered…
Read more
The Good Wife, as it proved even in its earliest seasons, houses some of television’s best and most complex female characters on television. In the current landscape of television, where women are so often subjected to roles defined by male characters, the show presents dynamic and layered women like Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) and Diane…
Read more
This Is Where I Leave You tells the story of four siblings who get together for seven days under the same roof for the first time in years following the death of their father. Sharing space the house they grew up in forces this family to confront their many issues and personal deficiencies. There is…
Read more
Sick to death of horror movie clichés like the helpless girl who gets axed to death by a crazed lunatic? Here are some alternative horror films that are both feminist friendly and loads of fun. Keep that Halloween-feeling going all the way till Christmas. Carrie (1976, dir. Brian De Palma) Brian De Palma’s original Carrie…
Read more
After revealing that I’m bisexual, I’m often asked three questions: “Do you think it’s a phase?”; “But… who do you prefer?”; and, “Have you and/or will you have a threesome?” (To be fair, this question is usually served with a drink, spilled on my dress.) Regardless of whether they’re asked by drunk strangers or a…
Read more
Have you ever had a sexual fantasy that you wanted to see portrayed on film? With all the adult entertainment out there, it can be difficult to find something that takes your fancy while still being female-friendly. Erika Lust, founder of XConfessions, sees a growing need for adult entertainment for people outside porn’s usual target…
Read more
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the film Gone Girl. Read on at your own risk. -Editor] Female villains in film, if well executed, make for interesting, complex and credible characters. As audiences, we do not see enough of them. Recently, a film adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel Gone Girl was released in theatres…
Read more
