Butching up movie postersWe all already know that the one-sheet for The Brave One is the Best. Jodie. Movie. Poster. Ever. But then I saw the Chinese poster and thought, “Hey, why did they replace Jodie Foster with Zac Efron’s 14-year-old blond cousin?”
After getting over my initial aversion to this airbrushed anomaly, I began to see the poster as a sentimental reminder of the tomboyish Jodie of yore. Remember her? She was all bell bottoms and skateboards and Shaun Cassidy hair. So adorable. So butch.
Which got me thinking about other famously butch movie posters. Which lead to research. Which led to the realization that, sadly, there aren’t that many butch/tomboyish images of women in film advertising. Certainly, the problem stems largely from the lack of these kinds of roles in mainstream film, period. But the ones I did find tended to fall into four main categories: dramas, action, sports and gay. Let’s work our way backward through the pack. The Gay: Clearly, films about or featuring gay women amp up the butch. Or, perhaps more accurately, they tamp down the stereotypically feminine. The Sports: If you can’t make a tomboyish poster about girls who play sports then, really, you’re just not trying hard enough. The Action: Another no-brainer in the tough women department. But apparently there is only one way to pose strong women with guns. Original? No. Fierce? Yes. The Dramas: Serious women sometimes wear pants. And scowls. And (I’m guessing) sensible shoes. This category can be broken down even further to just Charlize Theron films. That first one won her an Oscar, so I guess don’t de-butch it if it ain’t broken. And a final bonus category, for the sake of nostalgia: The late ’70s/early ’80s teen movies
That last one may be my favorite. So have I missed any of your butch favorites? Post your posters below. Submitted by on August 24, 2007 - 9:12am. |
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movie poster
Oops
Well, shoot. My apologies. The movie site where it was posted claimed it was Japanese. Imagine that, something wrong on The Internets. Thanks so much for the correction and the translation!
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Why I Don't Sleep Much: Dorothy Surrenders
Yes it's the Taiwanese version.....
.....of "The Brave One" poster.
That's the exact Chinese title of this movie here in Taiwan, with the exact tagline.
I Can't wait . . .
for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie poster - Molly Weasley is one bad ass mother. And that's all I'm saying.
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MELKOR: Got the shinies!
UNGOLIANT: Not enough shiny. Want more shiny!
MELKOR: You can't have 'em.
UNGOLIANT: Grar.
MELKOR: Eeek! *runs*
FEANOR AND SONS: We're gettin' our shinies back.
woah Jodie looks really hot
Snarkiness from the Snarkster
looking at the female action posters, I had the exact same thought that Ms. Snarker offered -
The Action: Another no-brainer in the tough women department. But apparently there is only one way to pose strong women with guns. Original? No. Fierce? Yes.
Perhaps those hollywood marketing boys like their women holding guns near their nether regions with that come hither stare... but i digress!
Thelma & Louise
This comment made me go a
This comment made me go a looking for the version you mention as I thought I remembered it myself and I found this (Spanish) one, is this the one you were talking about? Defintely a bit more butch than the smiling polaroid. Loving the tank tops!
http://www.carteles.metropoliglobal.com/paginas/pgrande.php?id=101387&caso=2
Posters
I already purchased one Dorothy featured on Dorothy Surrenders of Keira Knightley from Pirates of the Carribean that's now hanging in my cube at work. Next is The Brave One regular poster. Sheesh. Reading Dorothy's blog can put a pinch on the pocketbook.
I do like the Chinese poster, but the gun looks out of place. Jodie's eyes are looking ahead too, not where the gun is pointing. It looks like the gun was superimposed.
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"If you go flying back through time, and you see somebody else flying forward into the future, it's probably best to avoid eye contact." - Jack Handey
well, well...
Perhaps the poster is targeted at all the baby dykes who must have all come out of the woodwork since the phenomenal recent success of the Taiwanese lesbian film: Spider Lilies! When I surfed Youtube for Spider Lilies promotion and interviews, I came across a Q & A with the 2 actresses who played the lesbian protaginists, in a hall full of what looked like young students! Unfortunately I can't understand Mandarin, but they looked like they were having a whale of a time! Check it out, Mandarin speakers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ond2FCRWquM
btw, I like Jodie's butchy, slightly menacing stance - photoshopped or not!
does tv count?
if tv counts, how about the stills from 'Tipping The Velvet', used by the BBC to advertise the show (over here, at least)? Nan and Kitty in full boi drag - fantabulosa!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjC6zfCmTS0
Bad movie, but
Jamie Lee Curtis was pretty butch throughout.
Same goes for this one.
wholy unoriginality, batman!
A bit of a quibble
I don't think "tough" or "gaygaygay" necessarily equals butch.
So, ok Jodie... yeah, getting there in those images. Jada Pinkett in The Matix, definitely tomboyish. Hilary Swank and Girlfight, no arguments there. That High Tension poster, yep, looks good, as does Mariel Hemingway in the other thing. Charlize Theron in Monster, yes. Demi Moore in GI Jane - hm, she looks butch, and she's certainly tough in the movie, but I don't read her as butch. Milla Jovovich in The Messenger, yes. Anything featuring Kirsty McNicol, well, duh.
But the others, no. Sure, tough chicks with weapons is great... but it should be called "tough chicks with weapons" or (many of these) "kick-arse femmes".
This is butch:
And so is this:
And so is this:
...although it doesn't really show Zoe in proper kick-arse mode, and she's definitely a "femmy-butch".
Granted, none of these are official movie posters. There is a dearth of butch (or even quasi-butch) representations out there. Good job rounding up the ones you did.
Mmmmm
High Tensions and Little Darlings says it all! Oh how do you like my avatar for action!
And you can't forget the
And you can't forget the Keira Knightley movie Domino.
Tracie Thoms in …
TT
AEONFLUX
I love this poster!
drool
Despite this movie being rip off from Equilibrium and crappy special effects.. I gotta say that Charlize Theron is an eye candy with the dark hair as her eyes just look incredible.
*swoon*
I need you like a heart needs a beat,
I loved you with the fire, red now it's turning blue
Aeon Flux is based on an
oopz I forgot
..that its based on animated charact.. so sorry but Equilibrium is awesome Christian Bale is one of my top fave actors
I need you like a heart needs a beat,
I loved you with the fire, red now it's turning blue
After watching Inside Man
After watching Inside Man for the first time last night, which I enjoyed, I realllly miss a butchier Jodie.
On a related note- it'd be nice to see butch women in film that aren't in a situation where they have to carry a gun. Just saying.
I'm still cracking up so
Butch Babes
True, anything with a butch Kristy McNichol (is that redundant?) is totally hot. Where is she these days? Come back Kristy, we miss you! And bring that gorgeous pouty smile with you...
Love me a butch Linda Hamilton, and Sigourney Weaver a la Alien is a no-brainer. But at the risk of appearing clueless, who is in the third picture Trix posted? Beyond hot!! Point that thing at me, baby...and I'm not talking about the gun...
Firefly's Zoe
That gorgeous woman would be Zoe Washburn, from Joss Whedon's Firefly series - and the spinoff movie Serenity. She was a great character: very stong, brave and loyal, and a very butch straight woman.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_Washburne
Bad Girls
The Bandidas poster reminded me of one I had on my while years ago; Bad Girls -
=n_n=
i so much loved her here.. (sigh...)
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