Seeing too many movies seems to have stripped my creativity. I feel exhausted at the prospect of trying to compose something original and creative. So, no fiction tonight.
Two nights ago we watched Zombieland (2nd time for me, first for Todd. The first time I saw it with Dwaine, who coincidentally visited last night). The second movie we watched was Taxi Driver, one of those movies one ought to see, and it is a movie referenced in so much of pop culture. The fascination with the loner male-- this movie is a key notch on the continuum from some John Wayne movie which I've never seen (I know this because Roger Ebert says so) to The Master, and Joaquim Pheonix's awkward anti-hero.
Are there movies about women that explore this inability to connect? Or is this a primarily male thing? Surely there are women who experience post-traumatic stress, who are unable to develop meaningful relationships. Also surely, it rarely plays out in gunplay.
I'm sure there are movie examples of this, just none I can think of at the moment, except maybe Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Modern examples? Anyone?
Today we saw Skyfall and again I am struck by how powerful Judi Dench's take on M is. As women's roles go, this is platinum. She is not a woman playing a man in a man's world. She never lets one forget she is a woman. A powerful, remorseless, driven woman, with a great deal of responsibility and not necessarily with clean hands.
