Of those starring in The Watchmen are Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Patrick Wilson — not two actors you’d expect to see as superheroes, so I’m really excited for this movie. According to Wikipedia, The Watchmen “remains the only graphic novel to win a Hugo Award. . . and is also the only graphic novel to appear on Time Magazine’s 2005 list of “the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present.” I may have to check it out before seeing the movie. Also from Wikipedia:
Watchmen depicts superheroes as real people who must confront ethical and personal issues, who struggle with neuroses and failings, and who—with one notable exception—lack anything recognizable as super powers. Watchmen’s deconstruction of the conventional superhero archetype, combined with its innovative adaptation of cinematic techniques and heavy use of symbolism, multi-layered dialogue, and metafiction, has influenced both comics and film.
Now the casting of Morgan (Edward Blake/The Comedian) and Wilson (Nite Owl) makes much more sense and I can see either of them portraying these kinds of characters with aplomb (not to mention the eye candy factor…). I even kind of like Silk Spectre’s costume, it seems no more ridiculous than her male counterparts, especially the blue glowy dude in the speedo (Doctor Manhattan, played by Billy Crudup). Watch the trailer below:
–I wonder if they used “frickin’ sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their frickin’ heads?” Sadly, all they could find were sea bass. Scientific American reports on how a laser illuminates fragile dinosaur footprints.
Here’s a well-done mashup fan video for Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter Series. In it you’ll find all sorts of fun clips of Gerry Butler from 300, Attila, Phantom of the Opera and Dracula 200 as well as clips from The Lost Boys, Alexander among others. Music is “Just Like You Imagined” by Nine Inch Nails, which you might recognize from the 300 trailers.
Spoilers follow, so be warned if you haven’t yet seen Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.
This week’s Danger Gal Friday profile is on Marion Ravenwood from the Indiana Jones saga. Twenty-seven years ago, Karen Allen took on the role of feisty heroine Marion Ravenwood, proprietor of a bar in Nepal, and returns to that character in the recent Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull movie.
Marion challenged stereotypes from the beginning by owning a bar on the edge of civilization, and even out-drinking the men there. All through the first movie Marion constantly stood up to Indy and her actions followed her own compass.
With this new movie, we get a rare glimpse of a woman’s lifespan and see that Marion is still considered important even though she’s no longer the ingénue. In fact, it’s clear from The Crystal Skull that Marion has really come into her own, created a life for her and her son even though Indy left her. I think she let Indy off a little easy, but I have to admit that even I would have a difficult time staying angry at the likes of Indiana Jones.
I agree with the Women In Hollywood blog that Marion’s character was a “much more realistic foil and partner for Indy than the women who followed.” WIH reminds us of some of the great roles for actresses in 1981 when that first Indy movie came out, such as Silkwood, Norma Rae, 9 to 5, Yentl – and I would add to that Empire Strikes Back. I think these kinds of roles set the bar for me of what I expect from Hollywood when it comes to female characters in movies. As a young girl at the time I was spending afternoons pretending to be Princess Leia and Marion Ravenwood. I’m not seeing these kinds of roles for women currently, and hope that changes soon.
Multiple Universes sums up perfectly why Marion’s character is one hundred ways to awesome:
If there’s one thing cooler than the return of Indiana Jones to THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL then it’s the fact that his first, and best love interest Marion Ravenwood will be accompanying the adventurer for the first time in 27 years. Sure Indy’s gotten busy with a Shanghai chanteuse and a Nazi spy in that time, but none of these ladies had the moxie of this hard-drinking, hard-punching tomboy. As personified by the raven-haired Karen Allen in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, Marion Ravenwood became an icon of female derring-do as she got herself into one fix after the other between basket chases, devious monkeys and slithering Egyptian snakes.
I’m glad that Steven Spielberg and George Lucas haven’t watered down Marion at all in the new movie. The Feminist Spectator points out that:
. . . Karen Allen, returning as Marion, has fun representing a middle-aged woman who’s more than a domestic help-mate for Indy. She drives their get-away cars over cliffs, confident that they’ll all survive; she delights in fighting off evil physically and intellectually; and she never cowers in the face of the fearsome or revolting challenges that confront Indy’s party on their way to the story’s happy finale. Watching her take such energetic good fun in being part of the crew brings a welcome point of female identification to the typically masculine (and male) action story.
The Feminist Spectator didn’t so much appreciate the happily ever after ending, specifically the “conservative conclusion in marriage,” but I don’t see this as any sort of “taming” of Marion. I see it as two soul mates finally getting it that they’re happier together than apart. Since we get to see Indy appreciate a very active Marion in this second movie, I’m confident these two will continue on other adventures together. Karen Allen might love to nest and knit, but I can’t see Marion sitting back while Indy has his adventures. I also can’t see Indy wanting her to miss any of the action either.
As an aside, I’d love to see a comic, or even another movie, showing what adventures Marion has had in the intervening 27 years.
The Feminist Spectator also points out that Cate Blanchett’s character is an interesting one in her own right, and is not simply a one-dimensional foil for Indy:
Likewise, Blanchett’s villain, with her silly black helmet-hair and her icy blue eyes—however ridiculous the character or her recycled Cold War conflict—provides a fun display of female power and ingenuity. With two women in central roles—one good, one bad—the Crystal Skull offers more gender balance to the action-adventure plot.
Just like Montag, I think that “Indiana Jones without Marion Ravenwood is like a Reuben sandwich without sauerkraut.”
I can’t believe it’s Thursday already! Where did the week go. This week I’m copycatting my list idea from my friend SciFiChick. Check out her great list.
1. THE SCARLET EMPRESS by Susan Grant
2. THE GHOST BRIGADES by John Scalzi
3. SAXONS, VIKINGS, AND CELTS: THE GENETIC ROOTS OF BRITAIN AND IRELAND by Bryan Sykes
4. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER AND PHILOSOPHY: FEAR AND TREMBLIG IN SUNNYDALE by James B. South and William Irwin
5. A TARNISHED HEART by Leslie Dicken (a re-read, because she’s my critique partner)
6. LORD OF THE FADING LANDS by C.L. Wilson (she’s in my writer’s group)
7. NOT WITHOUT HER FAMILY by Beth Andrews (she’s in my writer’s group)
8. MATTERS OF THE BLOOD by Maria Lima
9. A HUNGER LIKE NO OTHER by Kresley Cole
10. THE OUTBACK STARS by Sandra McDonald
11. THE DIAMOND AGE by Neal Stephenson
12. THE MORCAI BATTALION by Diana Palmer
13. MONA LISA OVERDRIVE by William Gibson
I’ve been asked to give my Battlestar Galactica theory a name, and I’ve dubbed it The Aurora Theory.Battlestar Revealed has a great theory available as well, and some of the points are congruent with my own. Here’s a quick run-down of the articles I’ve posted so far on what I think is happening with the show.
There’s a great post and conversation going on today over at Galaxy Express about the nature of Science Fiction Romance.
Specific topics include heat levels (i.e., how much sexual detail should SFR novels contain?), parenting issues (specifically showing more heroines who are also mothers), how to interest female teen readers with a goal of keeping them as adult SFR readers, and a call for a more varied ethnicity in the subgenre.
I’m glad that Steven Spielberg and George Lucas haven’t watered down Marion at all in the new movie. The 
