women in movies

My interest in Marilyn is interest in how the dilemma of gender culminates in one person so perfectly

| Henna Timanttimetsä

What is spoken of her and why. What do people want to know, what is of interest for anyone in a beautiful woman. What do we pay attention to and why she is seen via her sex which seems to dictate all she can do, how she can be and must do, how she must do to make an effect. She is an effect, a special effect on the set. That is her purpose. Her value seems pretty infinite despite she is ripped off her value as a multi talented person. Her value is partly in the tragedy of not having achieved enough professionally that she is diminished no matter what she accomplished and modelled to be something  to which she contributes voluntarily because it seems she had no other choice. This no other choice to succeed but via the sexual part of a blond shell is part of the puzzle for me. To have a lot but be limited as an artist by the system and the way women are seen.

Those are the terms to succeed is like a plan given. Do as you are told and this is what is wanted of you. This is what the public wants to see, you are for yes only (I mean eyes), to pleasure others. Why is this what is thought the public wants or are we so simple-minded it really is what we want? It puzzles me still although it is clear in a way that the public is infinitely narrow-minded and seeks to be entertained in the simplest of ways. That is also what gossip is all about. That is also the trap in to which entertainment industry constantly steps: repeating the same imagery and narrative which is luring, attention seeking, fabulous visually and repeating the gender roles and stereotypes as if nothing ever changes, and yes things do change slowly. Something else than the real life and not so much.

My interest is in how someone is talked about. What becomes of this tale which is continued, passed forward. What is the story people like to give, they believe it themselves, what are their motives, what is the truth and what are the reasons for telling the story. Who knows the truth and who is a reliable witness. Because what is being said and what is the reality can be very different from each other so much so that surreal is the reality. What people believe is the truth is bound to bias and what is wanted to be seen as the truth. How personal experience of someone is true and what is the value of telling this personal view forward.

A person who is dimensional but does not show all of her dimensions is infinitely interesting obviously applies to women. To believe women are able to achieve excellence takes work for some men and women. Simplicity and less are easier to believe to be true and accept than someone who is much. Much is difficult to control and tolerate.

To be a woman of action does it still mean denying femininity?

| Henna Timanttimetsä

As it happens women who pursue work that requires/means physical stress measured as getting dirty, sweaty, working with your hands wearing overalls, mask and gloves, lifting things, moving and making something that needs one to work with whole of body adding problem solving to work are thought to lose something of their femininity. Rationality and innovation with capable hands is for some reason not something women have. Idea of what women are and can be still lives in the 20th century dragging behind infuriating. Women who are doing something that is not traditionally their area to work at, to be expert at without question is seen obscure like an absurdity in every day. Strangely work for women which is to be for some reason clean, neat, ‘easy’ and allow cute clothes is really an invention of the modern times and place that used to belong to upper class women who at best did nothing but things that were strictly theirs for some reason by nature, by their gender and by their class, so a privilege. Nowadays to me privilege is to be able to do work that one desires to do and most people want to work. To be absolutely idle to which we in our easy living fantasy dream about, is hopefully just a dream and an impossibility. Those unemployed rarely are happy about their idle existence.

Nature is regularly referred to when talking about women. Women are physically weaker than men and division is made clear what are chores for women. Strength and power are male characteristics physically and mentally which as such is an appalling stereotype and false. Men feel attacked and put down when women enter work that traditionally is labelled for men. This I have experienced many times myself. My work effort as my capabilities are diminished and questioned over and over. Here applies again the strange truth how people do not believe other than their bias and what they think is true. That unchangeable solid truth of theirs is so unwavering it can be changed only by huge amount of proving, maybe not even then. How slowly our world changes even though our technological advancement is rapid. Even those who have high degrees in science to my surprise are very biased what comes to women in science and art. That slowly movable wall strikes as what the fuck is it there for. Such highly educated people who hold dear the world order of theirs where just to have a Ph.D. is enough to tell how knowledgeable, refined, correct and justifiable they are and see their points of views unchangeable and undeniable. Offence is to follow, no doubt, when questioned.

What is hip and cool and why do we pay attention to the at the moment hip and cool phenomenons and trends knowing they do change all the time and the most hip and cool are those who do their thing disregarding the fashion of hip and cool? Do you know what I mean? For example making applications for the sake of making applications is a now-thing, but it is probably over quite soon, because who actually needs them. More important would be to ask why be hip and cool when you can be thoughtful, innovative, active maker, do many things in your life disregarding do they make you a fortune, things that have other kinds of meanings than what they appear outside and not do because it is your place which is decided by others but because you want to.

To my surprise younger generations to me are very often not taught to do basic chores at home at all. If it is so that parents do every day nuisance such dishes and cleaning for their kinds, boys and girls, how does it change our world of work? Will we have maids to do those inconvenient things that are dirty and low, unappreciated work chores? Robots?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/what-exactly-does-its-a-mans-world-mean_b_7454660.html?utm_hp_ref=tw “It’s a shame our society generally fails to teach girls to have higher expectations and boys not to feel threatened by their realization. The worst part about people’s responses to the suggestion that we find ways to address women’s needs in public spaces was the reality of many women’s low expectations and desire not to offend anxious and angry men.”

What makes an action movie masterpiece?

| Henna Timanttimetsä

It can be argued just as anything and is. As it is questionable for many is the genre of action movies in its variety an art form and can it even be talked about in critical academic context for example cultural influences of action movies, what is important, valuable, interesting and worthy of research and looking into. In a time of mass production of movies to rise cultural discourse about action movies may raise a question of what for, they all seem very much alike, work from an entertainment factory where muscles and fast cars are getting the most attention, use of power, fire arms and force of a solitude man interests a wide audience. The visual information in movies does have a massive role. What kind of impact, one can guess. To me action movies at their best represent an image of our time especially those movies which clearly pay attention to political conflicts, solving environmental and humanitarian catastrophes and showing way to the future. Interesting is the machinery behind blockbuster movies which seems paying attention to making the most profit and the contrast there can be between the world view of such movies as Alien and The Terminator and Hollywood, the plastic, entertaining Hollywood.

The true events in world history have been effectively used in many action films, true intentions, true motives which have caused wars and conflicts speculating the rest. My interest lies in the action where oppression, wrongdoings and ill intentions of politicians and business men are fought back and there are actual results: the bad guys lose and get punished accordingly. Maybe action movies reflect our hope for real action men and women who do instead of having speeches, to explain their success. Best of the genre in my opinion mix science fiction, future vision, pay attention to gender roles and today’s world ideological and economical mess, telling our future prospects if we do not wise up. Terminator 1 begins with a scene where cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) emerges naked from the future to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) future mother of John Connor. At the same time to stop the plan of machines’ to assassin Sarah Connor Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) finds his way through a time machine to save Sarah.

To answer to the question what makes an action movie masterpiece is quite similar as what makes any movie a masterpiece, a classic, image of its time and mentality, morals, events, what it is to be human living this time and think what future will bring. Masterpieces are of course difficult to define as they are complex packed with meaning references and questions, also some answers. Visually and artistically masterpiece has to fill criteria of excellence, excellence that serves the story and philosophy of that movie pushing boundaries of what action film can be, what a movie can be and tell. It is faithful to the message, giving and telling something essential of our time and of us. As Terminator is very much a mainstream kind of series of movies, it is extraordinary in its preciseness and  visuals that strike to tell true kind of story.

Other reason why Terminator 1 and 2 and Alien movies interest me as works of art and important movies of our time is that the one who wants to save the world and works her ass off to do so is a woman. Romance is cut to the minimum or erased completely. There is only the mission to save something worth while and there is no other way, threat is so big and it is a nuclear war, destruction of mankind and AI having control and power. It is not obsessed, it is necessary to act and start to think our responsibility for saving life on earth. The meaning of these action-science fiction movies is not to bring on fire arms and show endless killing. They are to show what one person can do.