Bonnie & Maude

Join us for a discussion of Kathryn Bigelow's most adrenaline-fueled features, Point Break (1991) and The Hurt Locker (2008). We'll draw a through-line from her cartoonish surfer action flick to the gritty war drama that earned her an Oscar. Along with director, writer, and musician Aviv Rubinstien, we trace the recurring themes of her films, her varied visual styles, and hone in on her aversion of being referred to as a Female Director. She is a Director, point break.

Bonnie & Maude is taking part in Brooklyn Academy of Music's 24-Hour Movie Marathon on Sept. 5th. Twenty-four hours of movies! Will we lose our minds? Find out how you can contribute to kids' arts education and our slow descent into madness, from the comfort of your own couch.

Donate here!

Listen to the first half of "You Are Hair," a live variety show we mounted earlier this year to root into the subject of female hair as seen in movies, television, and pop culture. Revel in the power of the pixie cut, as seen in Beyonce and Miley videos. Realize that you're not the only one who experienced Little Mermaid hair envy. And that side-shave haircut you see everywhere? It once stood for something...does it still?

The live audio used in this episode was originally recorded at Littlefield in Brooklyn, NY on March 11, 2014.

Featuring: 

Tessa Brown (Hiphopocracy, @tessalaprofessa)
Aisha Harris (Slate, @craftingmystyle)
Cassie Wagler (Romantic Friendship) 

Videos from these presentations can be viewed here

Part 2 coming next month!

We talk Disney's Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie's cheekbones and Long Lasting Lipstick. To give us the fairy tale perspective, our guest is Tabled Fables Podcast co-host Sophie Bushwick, who adds context on the varied history and mixed morals of Sleeping Beauty as told by Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault.

While we appreciate that Maleficent subverts some stale tropes like "true love's kiss" and actually puts its female characters in center of the action, we find some of the more adult themes of this PG film quite troubling. 

Plus: Why do we need villain origin stories in the first place? And why does it always gotta be about revenge?

--

Outro Music: "Once Upon A Dream" (theme from Sleeping Beauty) sung by Lana Del Rey

In this bonus mini episode, we talk about Anne Hathaway's latest incarnation of Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, and our guest David Archer tells a touching personal story about how Michelle Pfeiffer's deranged Catwoman scared him as a child. Plus: What's David's beef with a blonde Selina Kyle, anyway?

We discuss Batman Returns as an introduction to a three-part '90s Batman Sequels Podcrawl with our podcast pals Read It And Weep and Proudly Resents. 

We've encountered two other cinematic takes on Catwoman since the 1992 Tim Burton-directed film. But Michelle Pfeiffer's hyper-sexual and winking performance is still as fresh as ever in this convoluted Christmas story, where its trio of villains outshine Michael Keaton's caped crusader.

Plus, meet the East Coast's utmost Catwoman expert David Archer. He walks us through the history of the character from her inception to her ever-evolving costumes and motives for vengeance.

Remember to listen in on June 12th to Read It And Weep's take on Batman Forever (1995) and on June 19th for Proudly Resents' discussion of Batman & Robin (1997).

To those for whom the phrase "light as a feather, stiff as a board" sends shivers up the spine: our newest episode deconstructs The Craft -- a staple of '90s slumber parties and one of the most problematic portrayals of teen girl empowerment. 

We speak to Lyra Hill (previously a guest for our Cabaret discussion) about her thoughts on The Craft from the perspective of a Pagan, a feminist, and a filmmaker. Lyra is in the final stages of completing the short film Uzi's Party (teaser) and it was a thrill to get a first look at the project and dig into her theories on possession and its ties to performance and femininity. 

In a further exploration of the 'working women' conversation started in Episode 20, Eleanor speaks with Dave Itzkoff, author of the revealing new book Mad as Hell: The Making of Network and the Fateful Vision of the Angriest Man in Movies. He shares some of on- and off-set anecdotes about screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky and star Faye Dunaway, and they ponder the lasting impact of Network, whose commentary on women in the workplace preceded concepts of "lean in" and "glass ceiling."

Many female movie characters have jobs. But what makes a "working woman" movie? Along with our guest, writer/producer/dramaturge Meg Sweeney Lawless, we focus on two unforgettable, hard-nosed working ladies in two classic films: His Girl Friday (1940) and Network (1976). Both films are dark comedies that offer behind the scenes looks at the world of news media, but we leave feeling very differently about its female leads -- why? What makes Rosalind Russell's fast-talking dame so different from Faye Dunaway cool and calculating Diana? You'll be surprised to discover that they have more in common than a first glance would suggest.

Hated by most critics upon its 1999 release, The Woman Chaser is a lost gem, available only on VHS or bootleg. Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld, The Tick) is a car salesman craving artistic release as an independent filmmaker in this neo-noir that walks the line between comedy and tragedy. The film hits every mark on the misogynist checklist in its path to illustrate masculine discontent.

Despite its many wrong turns, Kseniya and Eleanor were mostly charmed by the unusual tale of a cinema-loving lug and were intrigued by our guest Caroline Golum's surprising personal connection to the film. Viewing it as a child on late night television, free of feminist judgment, this tale of a man chasing a cinematic dream provided an erotic charge for young Caroline and  artistic inspiration for her future filmmaking and film programming.

---

Live Show Alert!

Bonnie & Maude Presents: You Are Hair -- an evening of edutainment on the subject of women's hair in television, film, and pop culture. 8PM / March 11, 2014 / Littlefield in Brooklyn, NY

More info here

---
Leave us a voicemail with your suggestions and thoughts: 530-628-3379

---

Closing music: "Bacoa" by Les Baxter