Here is what else movies have taught me: They rarely get women right. Forced kisses and (most) spankings are no longer freely, carelessly, dispensed, but the power dynamic they represent remains. Instead of lonely male heroes, we sometimes get cartoons of female empowerment, with aspirational princesses and one-dimensional warriors brandishing the same old guns and poses. Sometimes these women have adventures; at other times, they resemble the classic movie wife, mainly there to support the man, except now wearing spandex instead of an apron. Their second-rate status speaks to much that is wrong with movies, yes, but the fault is scarcely the movies’ alone.
Manohla Dargis

PRESENTATION