movie review

Reviews of films that depict the female experience from every facet; girlhood struggles, working women, gender inequality and everything in between.

Wild Child: a Feminist Masterpiece?
[WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD] In case you are unfamiliar, the movie follows the story of Poppy Moore; a Malibu girl thrown into a British boarding school- 'Abbey Mount'- after a streak of misbehaviour. She tries her hardest to get kicked out and return to the glamourous lifestyle she left behind. In her efforts to get kicked out, she begins a romance with the dashingly handsome Freddie Kingsley and begins to learn the true meaning of friendship. As she puts it, 'Isn't it ironic how my ticket out of here just might be the reason I want to stay?'.
By Hannah Macdermott5 years ago in Viva
EYES WIDE SHUT— A Take on Women’s Sexuality
“You know why women used to get married. It was the only way they could lose their virginity and be free to do what they wanted with other men. The ones they really wanted.”
By Vaibhav Bhosle5 years ago in Viva
Pretty Woman
The beloved romantic comedy that is often considered a cult classic that pushed Julia Roberts to super stardom & really is her trademark film was a tad bit sexist. It made prostitution or sex work seem glamorous (if I could be really honest). I know the 90s were a great time for Hollywood they dished out romantic movies (Titanic , Sleepless in Seattle) horrors ( Misery) and anything else that would sell. Pretty woman is often described as a Cinderella story where a rich businessman by the name Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) who has probably has trouble finding woman comes to save the day & gives Vivian Ward a sex worker in Los Angeles played by Julia Roberts a new lease on life.
By Mary Skies5 years ago in Viva
Female Rites
If you’re a fan of the coming of age or rite of passage film you’re in good company. Who can’t identify with the traditional ‘passage’ from adolescence to adulthood? From the iconic 80s Stephen King adaptation Stand by Me, to Jeff Nichols’ recent Mark Twain-like caper Mud, Richard Linklater’s three- hour epic Boyhood to Shane Meadows’ gritty Brit flick This is England, these brilliant movies often have enduring appeal because their themes and journeys are easily identifiable for all members of the audience.
By Jules 5 years ago in Viva
Stereotypes Subliminally Taught in Disney Films
Disney has been making animated films for kids since Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs was released in 1938. Kids have been growing up with these films since then and have been looking up to characters in these movies as role models. By watching these types of movies during a young age when kids are easily influenced by the media, it is evident that these films have had an important part of the development of particular stereotypes.
By Annie5 years ago in Viva
3 Empowering Romantic Comedies Where the Girl Doesn’t Give Up Her Life for a Guy
If you’re looking to get your popcorn and your favourite glass of wine and sit down for some sappy, happy, good ol’ rom coms this weekend, then check out these three that won’t have you doubting your career choices or urban lifestyle.
By Fay Thompson5 years ago in Viva
The "Little Women"
A movie recommendation I would give to people who enjoy timeless stories like Pride and Prejudice would be Little Women. I would recommend the 2019 version of Little Women, not because of the glorious actors that breathed life into a host of different characters, but the intense emphasis placed on women's voices. Similar to Pride and Prejudice, Little Women gives a refreshing and dousing wind to the hidden thoughts, cries, and wants of women that echo the internal anguish of modern women today. Further, within this film, it is not just women bound by the squandering fists of 19th-century societal demands of decency and righteous expectations.
By T & J W.5 years ago in Viva
Decid(h)er
In a world of NFTs, fake news, and quarantine mind melt, it is difficult to know what is real. As I reflect back on the few strange in-door months of 2021, I wish I could have done something real to honor the women in my life during International Women's Month. I particularly fell short celebrating the incredible Black women that I know. Some of these women I have worked for, some of them have been colleagues, others lovers and still more friends. All of them have been my teachers and all of them lift my experience on this planet.
By Ro Roquemore5 years ago in Viva
Let’s talk about Moxie
You know when you were sixteen and you still believed that you can change the world? Life was limitless and you had a deep certainty that with just the right words and the right actions you could make a difference. Leave your mark on the world.
By Brave Duck6 years ago in Viva
Inspiring Movies With Women That Make You Go, Grrrrrr
Are you ready to go down a rabbit hole? Don’t worry, we’ll start with some easy ones. Let me share movies that I love and some I don’t but definitely think are worth watching.
By Melanie Charles6 years ago in Viva
Movie Review: 'Burn it All'
“Why are you so angry?” “Calm down” “Why are women are so emotional?” These are just a few of the trigger phrases for women that have persisted through the years. Insecure and clueless members of the male gender have used these phrases to deflect the feelings of women since time immemorial. The new action-suspense thriller, Burn it All uses the tropes of the thriller genre to show a woman who is just over it. She’s over the patriarchy, she’s over being talked down to, and she’s just over the misogyny of men in general.
By Sean Patrick6 years ago in Viva
Wolves in sheeps clothing
The perpetrator of the confidence trick is called a "Con Artist" or simply an "Artist" and the intended victim is known as the "Mark".
By Raoul DeLuca6 years ago in Viva