It's a real burden being right so often.

Mal ,'Bushwhacked'


Buffista Movies 7: Brides for 7 Samurai  

A place to talk about movies--old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.


Jessica - May 24, 2010 8:46:58 am PDT #8444 of 30000
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset

According to the mouseover text, PSTIBU 2 passes!

"SHE TALKS TO THE ROBOT QUEEN ABOUT EXPLOSIONS."


Vonnie K - May 24, 2010 9:21:01 am PDT #8445 of 30000
Kiss me, my girl, before I'm sick.

I think what the test is good for is demonstrating that most movies are about men, even movies with a lot of female characters. It's a starting point for a longer conversation about gender on film.

And Jessica nails it on the head. It's not the only thing about movies that matters and often not even the most important thing, but I find myself consciously looking for it in every media I consume. I find I have a lot less patience with TV series that fails the test episode-after-episode than I do with movies. (If you have 22 hours over a year to tell your story instead of just two hours, you better have some women in your show other than as passing love-interests.)


Typo Boy - May 24, 2010 9:31:14 am PDT #8446 of 30000
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.

You know I don't think Justified passes. At the very least most episodes don't pass. Because while women do talk about stuff other than men, women almost never talk to each other about anything, and the one extended woman to woman conversation we have seen was between an ex-wife and current girlfriend about the ex-husband current boyfriend. I have not seen the latest ep though ...


Kathy A - May 24, 2010 9:35:17 am PDT #8447 of 30000
We're very stretchy. - Connie Neil

Over the weekend, SyFy was showing Aliens, which I still maintain is one of the best feminist movies made in the post-Gloria-Steinam era. It totally fulfills that test, because of all of the various women in it (not just Ripley, but Vasquez, Ferro, Dietrich) as well as Newt and the Alien Queen, and the fact that there is no overt romance in it at all.


Laga - May 24, 2010 9:43:20 am PDT #8448 of 30000
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.

We've been watching a lot of westerns lately and so far they all fail.


Frankenbuddha - May 24, 2010 9:55:04 am PDT #8449 of 30000
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"

I would probably go see Punching Stuff Until It Blows Up 1 and 2

They need to be on a triple bill with this: [link]


Sean K - May 24, 2010 9:56:01 am PDT #8450 of 30000
You can't leave me to my own devices; my devices are Nap and Eat. -Zenkitty

I watched Heat again the other night, which fails the test, even though it features a number of strong female characters whose stories are pivotal in the film. They just don't get any scenes with each other. When Pacino's wife does have dialog with another female character, it's with her daughter about her no good biodad.


Fred Pete - May 24, 2010 9:57:45 am PDT #8451 of 30000
Ann, that's a ferret.

I saw The Unforgiven over the weekend, and it might be a Western that passess the Bechdel test. Although it's easier if "Ma" counts as a name. Rachel and Ma spend quite a bit of time (just the two of them as well as with men joining in the conversation) talking about who Rachel's birth parents are.

I've also started watching Red River. About halfway through, a second woman has yet to show up. And the first woman appears to have died (offscreen) after barely two minutes onscreen.


flea - May 24, 2010 10:00:11 am PDT #8452 of 30000
information libertarian

iCarly passes! Okay, it is not a movie. Other kiddie shows I have seen too much of: Dinosaur Train mostly fails (is "Mrs Pteranodon" a name?); Electric Company passes; Caillou fails (male POV character; grandma and mom (no names) mostly discuss Caillou); Clifford passes (Emily Elizabeth and Jutta discuss school stuff); Sid the Science Kid passes (teacher Suzy talks to Isabella and Mei about science); Sesame Street - dunno, are there any female puppets besides Abby Cadaby, and does she talk to Maria or anyone ever?; Thomas the Tank Engine fails (one girl train); Avatar passes (Toph and Kitara discuss things besides Aang, I think); Arthur passes (lots of good female characters doing stuff).

What I find depressing about children's TV is that almost all of it has a male main character. Every show I mention above does except iCarly, which is specifically aimed at tween girls.


§ ita § - May 24, 2010 10:02:01 am PDT #8453 of 30000
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

Rachel and Ma spend quite a bit of time (just the two of them as well as with men joining in the conversation) talking about who Rachel's birth parents are.

Isn't one of her birth parents male?