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Women and Action Films

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Source: London Times
Nov 6 2005
John Harlow, Los Angeles

Goodbye Hollywood hunks, hello superbabes. Women action heroines are now more popular with cinema audiences than traditional granite-jawed heroes. Film studios are skipping over a generation of “sensitive” young men and turning to Oscar winners such as Catherine Zeta-Jones, Charlize Theron and Halle Berry to woo audiences back to the multiplex.
A report for Warner Bros said a female superhero will generate about 25% more in box office receipts than a man in tights. “Young men have realised they prefer to spend two hours in the dark with a wild woman than a man,” said the report.

But the rise of the cinematic superbabe is worrying campaigners for family- oriented films. “These women are both more sexually aggressive and, helped by special effects, much more rawly violent than John Wayne or Arnold Schwarzenegger used to be,” said a spokesman for Plugged In Movie Review, a syndicated conservative radio programme.

“The old-school heroes would just gun a baddie down and then make a banal quip. The women, aided by invisible wires, keep kicking you in the head until you crumple. It’s more realistic in a way and some of them are just terrifying.”

A case in point is Aeon Flux, a Japanese comic character about to be brought to athletic life by Theron. The former model describes Flux as a “strong free-thinker”. Teenage boys are more likely to be attracted by her scanty clothing and big guns.

The film, to be released in Britain in February, will be followed by a tidal wave of post-feminist fury. Milla Jovovich, the Ukrainian model, will beat up zombies in Resident Evil: Afterlife; Kate Beckinsale will hunt werewolves in Underworld: Evolution; and Berry will play Storm again in X-Men 3. All three films are expected to earn a lot of money.

All this may be bad news for Hollywood’s vintage action heroes Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone who are all planning to revive their muscle-bound alter-egos.

Film executives have long been fretting about a lack of young male action stars.

“Many young men think playing an Arnold-type role is silly and could not do it without a patronising smirk,” said a veteran agent. “That is why today the action women of Hollywood are glowing.”

Do you think this is valid?
I'd like a qui-gon jinn please with an Obi-Wan to go.

Red heads ROCK. Blondes do not rock. Nuff said.

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I BELIEVE THE REPORTER IS CORRECT. LOOK AT JAPANESE ANIME. MOST OF THE HEROES ARE FEMALE. ANIME HAS BEEN GAINING MORE AND MORE POPULARITY AROUND THE WORLD OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. COULD THIS JUST BE A FAD ??? SURE, BUT THAT WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE AUDIENCE OR LACK THERE OF.

"I'VE GROWN TIRED OF ASKING, SO THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME..."
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Originally posted by: PSYCHO_DAYV
I BELIEVE THE REPORTER IS CORRECT. LOOK AT JAPANESE ANIME. MOST OF THE HEROES ARE FEMALE. ANIME HAS BEEN GAINING MORE AND MORE POPULARITY AROUND THE WORLD OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. COULD THIS JUST BE A FAD ??? SURE, BUT THAT WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE AUDIENCE OR LACK THERE OF.


The article was more about live action films than Japanese anime.

I must admit though, the critical and box office failures of Catwoman and Elektra seem to disprove the articles, especially alongside the success of stuff like Batman Begins, Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean.
I'd like a qui-gon jinn please with an Obi-Wan to go.

Red heads ROCK. Blondes do not rock. Nuff said.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v72/greencapt/hansolovsindy.jpg
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What? Aeon Flux is a japanese comic character? Isn't it a bad MTV animation from the early 90s? Which got it's own live action film in 2005, which is going to BOMB? Like, Pluto-Nash-BOMB?
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
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Apparently that is a mistake in the article, Ric. I had somehow thought it was a comic before the MTV series, but it says nothing of the sort on Wikipedia.

4

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Originally posted by: Han Solo VS Indiana Jones
Originally posted by: PSYCHO_DAYV
I BELIEVE THE REPORTER IS CORRECT. LOOK AT JAPANESE ANIME. MOST OF THE HEROES ARE FEMALE. ANIME HAS BEEN GAINING MORE AND MORE POPULARITY AROUND THE WORLD OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. COULD THIS JUST BE A FAD ??? SURE, BUT THAT WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE AUDIENCE OR LACK THERE OF.


The article was more about live action films than Japanese anime.

I must admit though, the critical and box office failures of Catwoman and Elektra seem to disprove the articles, especially alongside the success of stuff like Batman Begins, Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean.

I have to agree. One example of this is the horrible "Stealth".
After seeing the preview, I looked at my dad, and said, "Is there somthing wrong with this?"
I don't want to sound anti-Women, which I'm not, but it really got on my nerves when;
1.There was a black guy,
2. A white guy,
3. And a Woman.

I'm not anti any of those, but how stupid could the creaters of this "flim" be? Its such a blatent example of the black guy, the white guy and the female...........trying to cater to 3 diffrent groups.
I'm tired of it....thats why I love flims like Star Wars, or Pirates of the Carribean, and BatMan, because its not trying to make a political statment, its simply,

A movie.

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Thanks! And I'm proud to say, I'm no where close to the age of 18.
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Originally posted by: WESHALLPRESERVE
Thanks! And I'm proud to say, I'm no where close to the age of 18.


What is that supposed to mean?
"I don't mind if you don't like my manners. I don't like them myself. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter evenings."
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Sex doesn't matter in action films. Plot does. The granddaddy of female-centred action films (or should that be grandmother? ), Aliens, worked because it had a storyline that worked. Stealth was weak because they took W.D. Richter's original script and pretty much pissed all over it. Anyone who wants to point to a trend of women as action stars is pretty much blowing smoke out his anus.

Princess Leia: I happen to like nice men.
Han Solo: I'm a nice man.

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Can someone please tell me what's so bad about women in action films?
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It seemed from reading the above posts that some have a problem with the women in the action films.
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Ummm...I dont think you did......read GundarkHunter's post. Then you might, just might be able to understand.
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I wonder if they made "Supergirl" today would it have been a bigger hit? My guess is Yes. then again with "Superman" coming next year could a "Remake" of "Supergirl" be very far??! IMO the New Supergirl (if its remade) should be played by ether:
Jessica Alba

or

Alyssa Milano


I think its just normal that Women Action Stars sell most of the tickets because there Pretter to look at. IMHO.
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I don't have anything against women being the hero in action films, so long as the story is really good. In Aliens, as someone metioned before, the movie did well because the story was good. The skip over to AVP, the hero was supposed to be a woman and the story was crappy. If they'd have stayed close to the comic series, the movie would have worked IMO.
"Who's scruffy-lookin'?" - Han Solo
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Exactly. In all honesty, we've gotten to a point where gender doesn't matter in action films. I could point to several examples of action films carried by women or placing women in supporting roles where they're not treated like scenery, but unless the film actually has something going for it in the first place i.e. plot, solid characterisations, etc., nobody's going to see it.

Princess Leia: I happen to like nice men.
Han Solo: I'm a nice man.

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Women in action films is nothing new. If anyone here has ever seen a 30's-40's serial, they had the "serial queens". Women who were the stars in an action/adventure film. Some of them were 'damsels in distress', but many were also action stars too. Then you have Alien and such films as that. The only problem I have with women in action films is when they set up a "hot chick" to be the center of the film only because the plot is weak, such as Barb Wire and Tomb Raider 2. Basically a well-written film shouldn't matter if the star is female or male, it will still be good.
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Originally posted by: Han Solo VS Indiana Jones
Originally posted by: PSYCHO_DAYV
I BELIEVE THE REPORTER IS CORRECT. LOOK AT JAPANESE ANIME. MOST OF THE HEROES ARE FEMALE. ANIME HAS BEEN GAINING MORE AND MORE POPULARITY AROUND THE WORLD OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. COULD THIS JUST BE A FAD ??? SURE, BUT THAT WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE AUDIENCE OR LACK THERE OF.


The article was more about live action films than Japanese anime.

I must admit though, the critical and box office failures of Catwoman and Elektra seem to disprove the articles, especially alongside the success of stuff like Batman Begins, Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean.


THE HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS NOTICE "TRENDS" LIKE ANIME, AND THEN RIP IT OFF BY MAKING "LIVE ACTION ANIME."

"I'VE GROWN TIRED OF ASKING, SO THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME..."
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yeah, i've noticed that too. you could say that aeon flux was done in the style of anime when it was done as a cartoon. And the trend in Hollywood since business' took over has basically been to find something that sells really well and copy it. I personally can't wait til people who actually love movies and understand them start running the studios and kick the business idiots out. It'll happen...eventually. If you guys look at what's coming out in 2007 and beyond, not too many sequels and spin-offs scheduled right now. Lets hope it stays that way. You can go to comingsoon.net to see for yourself.
"Who's scruffy-lookin'?" - Han Solo
"I wish my lawn was emo so it would cut itself." -sybeman
"You know, putting animals in the microwave is not a good idea. I had to learn that one the hard way." -seanwookie
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Originally posted by: GundarkHunter
Exactly. In all honesty, we've gotten to a point where gender doesn't matter in action films. I could point to several examples of action films carried by women or placing women in supporting roles where they're not treated like scenery, but unless the film actually has something going for it in the first place i.e. plot, solid characterisations, etc., nobody's going to see it.


You are correct.
I'd like a qui-gon jinn please with an Obi-Wan to go.

Red heads ROCK. Blondes do not rock. Nuff said.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v72/greencapt/hansolovsindy.jpg