I like superhero movies. I really do. They’re fun and fast and the costumes are faaaa-bulous. Straight men in stretchy fabric and capes – this is better than figure skating! This summer’s heroic roster includes Iron Man, Batman and The Incredible Hulk. And as great as those crime fighters are, they’re also a reminder that when it comes to superhero movies, no women need apply – this is man country.

New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis recently opined on the lack of women heroes and women— period — in today’s big budget blockbusters. Could this be the realization of Warner Brothers exec Jeff Robinov’s decree that the studio would not make any more movies with female leads? Dargis thinks so:

“Nobody likes to admit the worst, even when it’s right up there on the screen, particularly women in the industry who clutch at every pitiful short straw, insisting that there are, for instance, more female executives in Hollywood than ever before. As if it’s done the rest of us any good. All you have to do is look at the movies themselves — at the decorative blondes and brunettes smiling and simpering at the edge of the frame — to see just how irrelevant we have become.”

Ouch, but true. … continue reading

Over the weekend, while lazily flipping the channels, I stopped on some dragon movie and before I could click away, a familiar face caught my eye. Is that? Could that? Hey, that's Piper Perabo. Yes, indeed, it was Piper and she was starring in George and the Dragon, a 2004 movie loosely based on the Crusades-era legend of a knight who slew a dragon to save a princess.

I ended up watching the last third of the film, not because it was any good but because I kept being astonished by who popped up next. Not only was Piper in the film but so was Patrick Swayze, James Purefoy, Michael Clarke Duncan and Tony and Golden Globe-winning actress Joan Plowright. Geez, did they all lose a bet to the director?

Which, of course, got me thinking. How many other good actresses have bad films lurking on their resumes? And by bad, I'm not just talking bombs or flops, and I'm not talking early work when they were desperate to be in anything. Instead I'm talking the "I'm pretty famous, but I've still got to pay the rent" kind of bad. These are the movies they clearly made for the paycheck. These are the movies they hope no one will notice. So let's point them out and laugh … in a nice way. … continue reading

With all the advanced technology in the world it's only a matter of time before robots take over the planet. I'm sure you are all thinking the same thing: Without human beings how will the robots stay entertained? Answer: remake movies, of course!

(Actually I was really thinking, "Would dating a lesbian robot be easier than dating a lesbian human?" Yes, if the robot can transform into a U-Haul.)

Here are movies with hot chicks recreated by robots:

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Now that Sarah, Lori, Karman, Dara and Jill have made video blogging the Hot New Thing at AfterEllen.com, I broke down and gave in. Yes, I, too have gotten myself a camcorder and slapdashedly taught myself how to cobble edit together a video blog, co-hosted by me and my friend Sarah Pecora (who was also on my panel rating the Top 15 Hottest Butches), talking aimlessly (and hopefully, a bit humorously) about a subject we hold near and dear to our hearts: people like us of color in entertainment!

Sarah (left) and Malinda (right) explain themselves

Since this is our first video blog, please bear with us while we goof around with the technical details and learn how to light ourselves properly (yes, I see the huge shadow looming behind Sarah's head — oops!). We also do not yet have a name for our vlog, but we do have a suggestion for what we'd like to call it, and we hope you'll contribute your ideas, too.

For our inaugural episode, we offer you a wrap-up of some of the women of color we saw in TV and film this summer, namely: … continue reading

A couple of stills from Tim Burton's update of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd set to be released in January 2008, have been making the internet rounds.  Theoretically I'm ambivalent about the project — it's in keeping with a current trend of remaking classics I'm generally skeptical about.  But never mind.  Some women I'd go see in an animated musical about a maggot-infested corpse rising from the grave in a quest to become a bride (er, hang on), and one of them is Helena Bonham Carter.  Here's a still from Sweeney Todd:

Yep, that's Johnny Depp with the straight razor. And I already love the Burtonesque feel to the set.  If you're not familiar with this project, Burton, Depp, and Carter have reunited to remake the tale of madness, murder, and suspiciously delicious meat pies. Carter will be adding yet another demented female role to her resume as Mrs. Lovett, the woman whose meat pies become the toast (pastry?) of London with the addition of a very special secret ingredient.  You know, the one that made the BBQ so fine in Fried Green Tomatoes.

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But my admiration for Carter goes far beyond her penchant for quirky roles in some of my most beloved movies.