// Category Archive for: Feminism

The Notorious Bettie Page

By Less Lee Moore

Called “the greatest pinup model that ever lived” by pinup photographer Art Amsie, Bettie Page was nothing if not an enigma. The now-iconic images of her alternate between sweet, sassy cheesecake shots and those fetish photos and films that were brought before the Kefauver Hearings of the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency in the mid-1950s. It is this contrast and conflict that director Mary Harron examines in her 2005 film, The Notorious Bettie Page.

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I’m The Real Victim Here: I Spit On Your Grave Remade and Revisited

By Michelle Patterson

Victimhood has had an ironic stranglehold on cinema since the medium’s very inception. The “woman’s picture,” along with the romantic comedy and action-adventure genres, tap into the potential for an audience to live both vicariously through the film and also fully explore their empathetic side. The horror film has also allowed this to continue for over a century now.
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Apocalypse Later: A Military Woman’s Story

By Anonymous

Recently there was a great article in Time about the unique challenges faced by female military veterans. Without going into extreme depth or summarizing/paraphrasing the article completely, the gist of the article discussed the widespread prevalence of sexual assault within the military by male members upon female members. While I don’t remember the statistics and percentages off the top of my head, the stories and figures were rather troubling to me.
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PJ Harvey, Let England Shake

By J Howell

If there’s one thing that can be said about Polly Harvey, it’s that she is full of surprises.

While a detailed discussion of the breadth of Harvey’s compelling body of work is beyond the scope of this review, it’s fair to say that while her music has always been inhabited by an often harrowing multitude of characters, the protagonists are generally embattled on an intensely intimate level. Just as often those same characters could arguably be described as victims.
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Anna Waronker, California Fade

By Less Lee Moore

Singer/songwriter Anna Waronker has surrounded herself with talented musician friends for her second full-length album, but no voice rings as clear as Anna’s own. Her lovely alto is the shining star in this collection of tunes on which she also plays piano, guitar, synths, and more. Waronker has a real gift for harmonies and melodies; these skills become particularly gratifying in the way she crafts the endings of her songs, as they transcend the typical fade out or repeated chorus, and transform the entire song into something better than the sum of its parts. Additionally, Waronker’s vocal and string arrangements are beautifully crafted.
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The Adventures Of Miss Flitt: Q&A With Designer Beth Hahn

By Chelsea Spear

In the late 2000s, knitwear designer Beth Hahn took the knitting world by storm with her series, The Adventures of Miss Flitt. Blending steampunk-friendly Victorian style, elegant knitwear designs, and an addictive narrative, the series follows the adventures of Emma Flitt as she traverses 19th century Brooklyn to find her sister. Her travels take her to seedy vaudeville theaters, pickpockets’ dens, and—in the most recent edition—to a most spooky séance. Ever the master storyteller, Hahn weaves her story through a series of simple-yet-gorgeous and thoroughly wearable cardigans, berets, overskirts, and other accessories.

On a chilly weekend in early January, I took virtual tea with Beth Hahn to find out more about her knitting endeavors.
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A Goddess At The Console: Q&A With Mary Edwards

By John Lane

In another era, Mary Edwards might have been a behind-the-scenes songwriter in the famous Brill Building, that renowned stable of musical artisans that included Goffin & King, Laura Nyro, and a host of others. Instead, in this era, we are lucky to have singer/songwriter Mary Edwards in clear view. Her music is characterized by a smooth charm that draws upon soft-pop, jazz, and funk, framed with a soulful voice that is reminiscent of Dionne Warwick in her prime; her attitude reflects an almost guileless enthrallment with music and the sometimes subtle, gifted influences that can become songwriting fodder. I caught up with Mary upon the recent release of her latest album, Console.
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The Big, Bad World Of The Good Wife

By Less Lee Moore

Alicia and Peter Florrick

At first, preview spots for CBS’s The Good Wife looked less than promising: another press conference, about another cuckolded wife of a politician. Even the casting of dashing Chris Noth and long-absent-from-TV Juliana Marguiles didn’t appeal to me.

Then there was the name of the show itself: The Good Wife. It just seemed . . . stuffy.

I started catching bits and pieces of the show by accident. Despite my misgivings, it was actually intriguing, on par with the best episodes of Law & Order (Rest In Peace). Then one night I was flipping channels and there was Alan Cumming as conniving political campaign manager Eli Gold, bitching out and out-bitching some snarky-looking teenage girl. Suddenly, I was hooked.

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The Corin Tucker Band, 1,000 Years

By Laura L.

If there’s one word to describe Corin Tucker, that’s punk rock. OK, that’s two words.

A few more words to describe Corin Tucker—post-riot grrrl. For those familiar with Tucker from her late, great band, Sleater-Kinney, one might expect a more guttural sound from her new band on its debut album, 1,000 Years. While there’s a definite punk edge on some of the tracks, this album often showcases the softer side of Corin Tucker. Those accustomed to Corin Tucker’s vocal trademarks will likely be surprised, and hopefully pleased, by the songs on this album.
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Sister Smile (Suor Sorriso): The Tragic Tale Of The Singing Nun DVD

By Hanna

Suor Sorriso, also known as Sister Smile, is a cult classic in a lot of ways; it has also served to revive interest in the real-life “Singing Nun,” also known as Jeannine Deckers. There has been a demand for Sister Smile on DVD for some time; many viewers will be watching this film for its position in cinema history. Whatever its cinematic merits, though, I found the almost entire lack of factual accuracy or congruency difficult to surmount.
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