about the blog...

First off, thank you for finding this little corner of the internet. I’m hoping this blog will stir up debate and I look forward to reading the comments you should all post…
It is hard for me to think of an area in my life where films haven’t had some sort of impact. Going beyond simply enjoying films, I genuinely see movies as a kind of lens that informs and adds interpretation to so many life experiences. A powerful film, just like a powerful book, stays with you, allowing you to extend your experiences, to escape, to learn, and to reflect.
True, this is a pretty idealistic view of films. True, movies’ real purpose is to make money and for the most part they do it by manipulating our emotions or filling our heads with illusions of grandeur. Film is just a medium, and movies are products. But throughout the process there is also intent.
The role of film criticism then is to judge how well that intent was executed – does the movie work? But that isn’t the only question film critics can/should be asking. Another important question is "whose intent/product are we critiquing?”
In the world of feminist film theory, this question reigns supreme, and in trying to better understand films and feminist theory I thought it would be interesting to try it out myself – to write some thoughts down and see what people think. Traditionally it seems as though film criticism, especially a perspective like feminist film criticism, doesn’t extend far beyond academia. Sure there are famous film critics writing to the masses, but we tend to think of them more as film reviewers. My goal here is to try and find a place where the two can meet – trying to recognize the intention behind feminist film theory, and the accessibility of film reviews.
Feminism is a lens for understanding how society works, but it also strives to change the parts of society that work in unequal ways. Sorry if this sort of explanation seems too basic, but what I’m trying to say is that there is a conversation between the theory and action of feminism, and using films as my topic I’m hoping this blog can work as a voice in that conversation, and maybe in the process get the word out about some interesting flicks.
Thanks again for stopping by,

Danny