Like many people in the last few weeks, I started watching The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix and ended up binge-watching it because it is just that good. The seven-episode limited series follows the rise of chess master Beth Harmon from her learning to play from the janitor at her orphanage to playing the Russian world champion. I … Continue reading
On October 9th, Netflix released The Haunting of Bly Manor, a followup to last year’s The Haunting of Hill House. Whereas Hill House was inspired by one of my favorite books by Shirley Jackson (I’ve written about my love of her here), Bly Manor is loosely based on another one of my all-time faves—The Turn … Continue reading
This week #CancelNetflix was trending on Twitter in response to the release of a French film by Afro-French director, Maimouna Doucoure, Mignonnes, or as it is called here in the U.S., Cuties. The film focuses on an eleven-year-old immigrant from Senegal who becomes “fascinated” by a dance troupe and their provocative style. Those who want … Continue reading
Today the third season of Orange is the New Black debuts on Netflix. Although my affection for the hit series is waning, it does important work bringing the experiences of incarcerated women, women of color, poor women, and LBGTQ women onto the radar of a large audience. In some research I’ve been doing, I’ve been watching many … Continue reading
In 1991, My Girl, starring Anna Chlumsky, Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Macaulay Culkin, brought audiences precociousness, adorable coming of age tropes, some bizarre funeral home stuff, and so much crying. By the mid-90s it was playing every summer on TBS or TNT or whatever, just waiting for me to learn about becoming a woman … Continue reading
I saw the Veronica Mars movie and I wanted to write about it, but I couldn’t find my way into what it was that I really loved about it. Then, I was walking the dog and something not that uncommon happened–two dirtbags yelled something really disgusting at me from their parked car. In my quaint … Continue reading
Happy International Women’s Day! This morning I watched Girl Rising for the first time in a year and was just as moved as I was when I saw it in theaters. I’m spending the rest of my day doing edits on an essay about the feminicide and my dissertation prospectus about American schoolgirls in narratives … Continue reading
So, as I wrote about last year (Girls and Oscar Night 2013), given the general shortage of great, serious roles for girls in the film industry, 2013 was a good year for girls in film. (And for me, as I won the Oscar pool with my friends. 🙂 ) 2014, not so much. This year … Continue reading
Exciting News: Girl Risingis coming out on DVD! Preorder your copy today for its March 4th release. Although the DVD is for home use only, you can check out the Girl Rising webpage for information about educator’s or institutional copies if you want to use the film in your curriculum. It would be great for … Continue reading
Yesterday afternoon, my sometimes-collaborator, always-friend Megan (whose reviews you can read at Review To Be Named) and I went to see Frozen. Because I’ve been otherwise occupied, I hadn’t kept up with the buzz about the film and so I didn’t really know what to expect. Overall, I loved it a lot. There are some obvious … Continue reading
Ph.D.s and Pigtails 