tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25895692.post613288772973853596..comments2023-10-15T05:01:43.528-07:00Comments on Bamboo Killers: We are women of actionEmily Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02163221455899041141noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25895692.post-72100353526144801672013-04-10T08:14:17.881-07:002013-04-10T08:14:17.881-07:00Erhum, thought i'd rephrase this better.
Ok s...Erhum, thought i'd rephrase this better.<br /><br />Ok so. I like seeing female action heroes. The modern day division of the sexes is exactly that, a modern day thing. It started with plowing, apparently. Cause it takes strength to do that, combine that with the increased amount of children during the agricultural period, and so woman stayed at home to raise children (and be pregnant) and men worked the fields to plow.<br /><br />Previously, during our hundreds of thousands of years of hunter gathering. Men (mostly) didn't hunt while woman gathered. Both genders did both, and the tribes (modern ones) that have both genders hunting together have the highest success rate for their hunts. <br /><br />Having said that, I take a Dungeons and Dragons approach to characters and fight scenes. You can be strength based (think Arnie or Stallone) or dexterity based (think Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan), but you do actually need a bit of both and I do think the current trend in female action heroes neglects the strength stuff a bit.<br /><br />Still I feel like I gotta stand up for skinny people here a bit... I was 125lbs in high school (57kgs), 6 foot tall and I won shot putt both senior years. Force = mass x acceleration. So if you're fast enough, then you don't need mass. (both would be best of course). So a chick beating up a guy twice her size... unusual, but not impossible. <br /><br />ps:- Yeah i'm like a mutant or something, but it is possible.<br /><br /><br /><br />Duggyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02307182401906593267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25895692.post-30154857109081513362013-04-10T07:12:19.210-07:002013-04-10T07:12:19.210-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Duggyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02307182401906593267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25895692.post-80154853553403016922013-04-02T11:58:00.452-07:002013-04-02T11:58:00.452-07:00I believe a lot of female writers and directors ju...I believe a lot of female writers and directors just need to know they CAN write and direct action - or anything they please. As someone who's employed several female writers (for radio commercials) I've usually have to assure them that they were hired for their expertise so they should just write it how they see it and, if they must. apologise for not being "girly" later. This article was spot-on, in my view: http://jezebel.com/5983756/ive-spent-12-years-surrounded-by-hollywood-peen-where-are-the-women-directors monkeymind2000https://www.blogger.com/profile/05769979630458087972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25895692.post-8610609801919837712013-04-01T20:33:53.669-07:002013-04-01T20:33:53.669-07:00I only brought up Shane Black (not as a comparison...I only brought up Shane Black (not as a comparison) but just as an example of someone who doesn't have any expertise in weaponry or fighting techniques...but someone who delivered the type of tone and characters that seem to really entertain action audiences. Well, Charlie's Agngels did really annoy me so you're not totally alone. You can only stretch believability so far. These 90 pound girls decide to only fly through the air and disable bad guys instead of using guns (just because Drew Barrymore doesn't believe in violence). I think the trend has to do more with bankability of the stars and try to put eyecandy for the viewers. But, I admit I do like the sexy sleek type of action hero now. Kate Beckinsdale and Daniel Craig look better than the obvious muscle bound hero. Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01117955244109045919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25895692.post-57774285127724371732013-04-01T09:47:13.363-07:002013-04-01T09:47:13.363-07:00JD: I don't think the woman in an action movie...JD: I don't think the woman in an action movie is inherently a cliche anymore than the man in a romantic comedy is a cliche. It's a character for better or worse. Sadly, it's often for worse, as you point out.<br /><br />Monique and Lisa - good luck. Kick its ass.<br /><br />Paul, I think it comes down to believability. Fight scenes require as much thought as any other scene, and when they're written by someone who knows the terminology, they tend to be better and more creative. And I should clarify, I was not comparing myself to Shane Black. I would never. The man is a genius.<br /><br />As for the size of the hero, the T1000 works because he's a robot. He can be any size and still be believable. When you have a woman with spaghetti arms holding up a huge gun and beating up dudes twice her size without any real explanation, I just find that hard to believe. It's harder for me to enjoy a story when I'm constantly rolling my eyes at the unrealistic expectations.<br /><br />But that's me. Clearly that doesn't bother everybody.<br /><br />Emily Blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02163221455899041141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25895692.post-43596463395410174732013-03-30T12:05:30.605-07:002013-03-30T12:05:30.605-07:00Emily,
I think you are focusing on the wrong thin...Emily,<br /><br />I think you are focusing on the wrong thing. You might very well be more well-versed in gun and fighting techniques than even Shane Black, but that's not what's important in action films. In fact, I would say the action part of the writing is the least important part of it. They have amazing action teams these days that can dream up of the most amazing set pieces. We go to movies because we want to feel a certain way. Fans love Dirty Harry movies and vigilante movies like that Jodie Foster revenge movie because they want to feel a sense of justice. Certain action writers that I love happen to have captured the very tone, story premise and characters that I'm interested in. As for the sleek female action heroes, I think it's an interesting trend. The best terminator villain was the sleek one in the sequel. He was skinny, but he looked really fast. James Bond realistically is a lot smaller and weaker than his villains, but the movies are trying to sell you cool and a fantasy lifestyle of intrigue. Those small female action heroes may give up about 100 pounds, but they are presented as if they are faster and more athletic than inefficient goons that can't even get a punch or shot off.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01117955244109045919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25895692.post-21631788510025183242013-03-29T07:45:54.693-07:002013-03-29T07:45:54.693-07:00I am contemplating trying out my first action scri...I am contemplating trying out my first action script! Lisa Aldinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05423334732254639943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25895692.post-78216937053851201612013-03-28T11:56:45.077-07:002013-03-28T11:56:45.077-07:00I think people generally like to watch "women...I think people generally like to watch "women who can kick ass" because they're unexpected, they go against the gender stereotypes for female characters. Sadly, however, this has become just another Hollywood cliche. At one time, kick-ass women were rare and remarkable - Ripley in Alien, Sarah Connor in Terminator 2, etc. But at this point it's become another overused character type that is often thrown into scripts without the writer taking the time to make them unique and interesting. To surprise us these days a kick-ass woman needs to have a little more depth. (Or she needs to be unusual in some surprising way. i.e., Hit Girl from Kick-Ass, who shocks the audience because of her age.)<br /><br />If you're looking for a good actress who kicks ass on TV right now, put Ivana Milicevic on your list. Her current role on Banshee has her busting heads in a decidedly not-girly way. Her fight scene in episode eight is brutal and epic. (And maybe it goes without saying, but if you're not watching Banshee, you absolutely need to do so asap.)J.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02995414177457625903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25895692.post-90009939082712095322013-03-26T11:56:12.958-07:002013-03-26T11:56:12.958-07:00I love action movies, even the dumb ones. Case in ...I love action movies, even the dumb ones. Case in point, I sat through Cowboys & Aliens all the way to the bitter end. I'm eagerly awaiting the day Hansel & Gretel is available on Netflix. And I have involved fantasies of getting into fights with guys and kicking ass (that's normal, right?). I'm attempting my first action spec - success of execution still to be determined but it sure is more fun to write than a drama.<br />Momohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17697293134515088133noreply@blogger.com