Ellen Page

A lot of people may criticize Juno, saying that it’s an unrealistic portrayal of teen pregnancy (and these are valid claims) – but it’s hard to deny how awesome Ellen Page was in that movie. She’s funny, clearly smart and a very talented actress and she definitely deserves some FBomb love.

Born Ellen Philpotts-Page on February 21, 1987 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The daughter of a teacher and a graphic designer, Ellen Page took an interest in theater from a young age. She performed in her first local production in the fifth grade and won Canada’s prestigious Gemini nomination for her role in the made-for-TV movie Pit Pony in 1997. The busy actress went on to appear in several Canadian television series, including the Pit Pony spin-off, Trailer Park Boysand ReGenesis, as well as the award-winning film Marion Bridge.

Though Page was first introduced to American audiences in the Lifetime TV movie Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story, she received her first real publicity for the provocative 2005 indie thriller Hard Candy. Her haunting performance as a 14-year-old victim-turned-attacker caught the attention of director Brett Ratner, who cast her as Kitty Pryde in Page’s first big-budget feature, X-Men: The Last Stand.

But it was Ellen Page’s 2007 performance as a pregnant teen in the much heralded indie dramedy Juno that put her in the international spotlight. Her quick wit and hidden vulnerability as the wise and innocent Juno McGuff earned the young star an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

via Biography.com

Juno Trailer

Whip It! Trailer

Roman Polanski

I have never seen the Pianist or Chinatown, but I know that Roman Polanski is a lauded director of ingenuity. But I also know him as a dispicable rapist.

He is currently behind bars in Zurich, the decision of whether or not to allow him to go free on bail still hanging in the air for the next 2-3 weeks. What angers me even more, however, is not just his violation, but also Hollywood’s reaction. Many big-name celebrities such as Robert De Niro are avidly speaking out in support of him; in their eyes, his artistic talents apparently transcends his pedophile nature. By the time Natalie Portman announced her support, I had to accept that world has come to an end.

Why is no one speaking out against Polanski? Are Hollywood celebrities really that dumb as to remain silent to an obvious act of harrassment? Why are self-proclaimed feminists such as Meryl Streep, Keira Knightley, Kate Winslet and Ellen Page keeping quiet? I don’t know if their silence comes from the fear of insulting one of the most lauded directors in the history of Hollywood or ignorance. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Raping a thirteen-year-old girl is wrong -it has been, it is, and it will always be wrong. Artistic talent, social status, or economic power have no power to justify what is clearly a violation of a woman’s right to self.

No one is boycotting Polansky’s films or questioning his genius (if some are, it’s on individual basis) -only Justice is doing its duty to preserve rights of the victim. When Polanski walks out of the prison, we are putting ourselves in prison of injustice: we are telling young boys and girls that rape is acceptable -that rapists can roam about streets and that justice will never serve them right. That is certainly not the world I believed it to be, not the world I want to be a part of, and definitely not the world I want my future children to live in.

"Whip It: Be Your Own Hero"

Jos at Feministing already has a great review of Whip It posted, and I don’t want to ruin the plot for those readers who have yet to see the movie.  Here’s
a review in brief: Go see it.  Now.

I went to the local premiere with my 11 year old sister’s Girl Scout troop.  It was the best Girl Scout field trip ever — I’m so glad that the troop saw such a pro-girl movie.  Whip It’s plot is based off the young adult novel Derby Girl by Shauna Cross, who also wrote the screenplay.  The book’s influence is clear: exposition, character development and the plot arc all play like a YA novel, not a
traditional movie. Whip It is unusual in that it pauses the action to take its time talking about feelings, relationships and real life. My fellow audience at the premiere reflected the demographic at which Whip It is squarely aimed: namely, teenagers and young women, with a lot of mothers and daughters in the mix.

Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page and Kristen Wiig in Whip It!

And what a movie! It’s probably not going to win any awards for brilliant dialogue or stunning cinematography, but it does win the Young Feminist Award for Not Making Viewers Feel Like Crap.  How refreshing for young women to have a movie with realistic relationships and characters, not a faux-feminist movie (Jennifer’s Body, I’m looking at you) that panders to the male gaze. True, the dreaded f-word is never uttered, though it lurks behind every quip, high-five and punch thrown on the derby rink.  We look Ellen Page’s mousy-looking, fierce-acting character Bliss Cavendar in the eyes, not her body.  Bliss lives in a blue-collar, suburban Austin house that looks shockingly like a real home.  Bliss’ friendship with BFF Pash (the adorable, hilarious Alia Shawkat) resonated with me and my friends.  The best dynamic was between Bliss and her mother, played by the hysterical Marcia Gay Harden.  The tired movie trope of Rebellious Daughter Gets Caught moved beyond cliché in a moving scene that showed fully developed characters with a complicated yet devoted relationship.

Though Whip It at times seems like pure feminist fantasy, the best part of that escapism is the derby action.  It’s quite satisfying to see female aggression, competition and sportsmanship manifest on the screen in the crunch sound of bodies colliding with the floor — or each other.  The cinematography has plenty of close ups on butts, thighs, chests and clashing bodies, but the action never veers into exploitation.  Though Johnny Rocket, the announcer (a slimy Jimmy Fallon) alludes to men’s voyeuristic thrill in watching fishnet-clad “girls” brawl and skate around — “I don’t know whether to break it up or break out the video camera!” — the movie places the power with the women themselves.  In a scene with roller girls Eva Destruction and Rosa Sparks in a hot tub (sadly, the movie’s only allusion to roller derby’s significant LGBT presence), Eva informs a leering, intruding man that he can get lost, and he does.

the team

So gather up your best gal pals and go en masse to see a movie about female friendship that’s best enjoyed in the company of others, even if it’s ultimately about individual empowerment.

couldn't find an image online...so here's my copy! yayayayyy

Every so often, a magical thing happens. I open the mailbox and buried beneath bills that have no relevance to me and the catalogues that try to sell me more useless crap, there is Bust Magazine. Today was one of those days. 

But today was even more magical for two reasons (2.5 really):

1) Ellen Page and Alia Shawkat are on the cover to promote Whip It!, and therefore are interviewed (ashdklfjasldkfjalkdsfh!!!!). In addition to my love for these young women in general, they also represent the brilliance of Juno and Arrested Development. Clever writing just doesn’t get any better than in these two pieces of artistry. 

2) The article after the cover interview: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – an account by a teenage feminist on the state of teenage feminists in the nation today (we exist, it’s true! yay acknowledgment!) 

2.5) I am quoted in this article. Cuz I know stuffs about the teenz who want equality. This also effectively accomplishes item #236 on my bucket list: to be in some way relatable to Ellen Page, so if I ever meet her I can claim a legitimate connection. And also, bragging rights. To show how likely I thought this ever happening would be, #237 on my bucket list is to successfully levitate. My bucket list is ranked in likelihood of my procrastinating, lazy ass ever accomplishing each task. 

So I can cross that one off. Sweeeeeeet. 

So, firstly, Ellen Page and Alia Shawkat. 

Ellen Page = love

God they are wonderful. I would like to copy and paste the entire article here so you can all just swim in its deliciousness, but I think that crosses the line of plagiarism. And I know about plagiarism. My school drills the evils of plagiarism into our soft, moldable minds daily. We are taught to worship Diana Hacker, goddess of the MLA citation. Our library has a book on clear display that explores in depth the evils of plagiarism and how to avoid it. (One was don’t photocopy shit then say you wrote it. Obviously, I immediately photocopied that page, wrote “by Julie Zeilinger” and giggled to myself. Alone. In the library. SOCRE 1 FOR JULE) 

Anyway fave quotes: 

Advice for misfit high schoolers:

Alia: That you’re cool. High school has nothing to do with real life. 
Ellen: I know it sounds cheesy, but be yourself. If you don’t like French new wave movies you don’t have to pretend like you do.

On sexiness: 

Ellen: It’s about openness and being honest and feeling good in your skin. To me that’s sexy. I don’t feel pressure to look that way. But sometimes I feel weird pressure, because if you’re not that kind of sexy, then that means you don’t want the boy to kiss you because you’re not wearing the thing for that boy. But then, I know a lot of guys who don’t find that sexy.

Alia Shawkat

Do they consider themselves feminists? 

Ellen: Yeah, sure, of course, definitely. Wouldn’t you think everybody would be a feminist? It’s annoying there has to be a label for something like that. Ultimately, I’m a humanist. But if someone asks it as a yes-or-no question, I’d have to say obviously. I hope that everyone would be. 

The biggest issues young women are dealing with today:

Ellen: I think absolute media saturation is just horrifying. Making young girls feel like they’re not good enough to propel them to consume more is so sad. You see girls who just don’t like themselves or feel like they need to be prettier or skinnier. 

And once more for good measure, the trailor for Whip It, the movie these girls are both promoting, that comes out Friday (that i’m about flipping out over):

As for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” … the digital copy isn’t up yet so I can’t link to it! Bummer! Essentially 18 year old Carmen Rodi examines what teenage feminists are up to these days, such as forming Feminist Alliances, starting magazines and blogs (oh hey…) and joining other humanitarian groups. A great point she makes is how basically teenage feminists are often told that they are gay – both in the insult way and in the literal, if you’re a feminist you’re a lesbian way, which scares a lot of would be teenage feminists away. Carmen pretty much summed it up: “It’s so sad to think of how people are creating an environment where wanting equality is something embarrassing.”

Which is exactly it. I mean every time I tell people I have a feminist blog, they look at me like “oh hey, I’d hide that if I were you.” When I tell them it’s called the fbomb the looks don’t get much better (very much to my amusement, I must admit). 

Shame culture, go away. You make my life, full to the brim of healthy and expressive behavior, seem shameful and that irks me. 

Seriously, everybody, pick up a copy. In addition to these articles, this mag has articles like “(DIY) Mad Mend” a piece on folk legend Buffy Sainte-Marie, and tons of other awesome stuff. A really great issue.

I love Ellen Page. If they made a movie that consisted entirely of her eating soup and talking to a cat, I’d see it. And I’d love it. I’m weird, moving on. 

Drew Barrymore directed, and joining Ellen are Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig and Alia Shawkat (Maeby from Arrested Development!) 

Totally girl-centric (not just that but super-talented girls, as well) and looks like it paints these girls as passionate and powerful. I’m psyched! 

Thanks to Appetite for Equal Rights for the heads up!