Reel Women

At the annual CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas this week, the MPAA released its annual report of box office statistics. Among its findings, most moviegoers are women. But if women are making up the majority of moviegoing audiences, then why are we still underrepresented in film? Perhaps the answer lies in other recent alarming statistics about women both behind and in front of the scenes. Somethi

Eliza Hittman's debut feature, 'It Felt Like Love,' follows 14-year-old Lila, who watches longingly as her more developed and experienced best friend hooks up with boyfriends as she herself is painfully trapped in that teen purgatory of "not quite." After meeting a college boy named Sammy, Lila's seemingly harmless lies about her own experience take her into new, dangerous and exceedingl

The new documentary 'Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me,' chronicles the Broadway legend and actress as she takes the stage to sing some of Stephen Sondheim's classics, boldly faces her own mortality, and continues to defy conventions both as a woman and as an older woman in the entertainment industry -- and she makes it look so damn effortless with her brassiness, her courage, and her relentless honesty. S

This week, James Franco, the multi-hyphenate talent and student of all things art, finally chimed in on the ongoing shenanigans (Shia-nanigans?) of Shia LaBeouf -- from his plagiarism of Daniel Clowes, to his plagiarized apologies for his plagiarism, to his bizarre public appearances wearing a bag over his head declaring "I AM NOT FAMOUS ANYMORE," among various other ridiculous things. F

News broke this week that indie darling and 'Frances Ha' star Greta Gerwig is headed to CBS to write, produce and star in the new sorta-spinoff of 'How I Met Your Mother,' titled 'How I Met Your Dad.' Cue surprising controversy as fans lashed out at the precious star: is she selling her soul to the home of lesser cable programming, or is this an opportunity for Gerwig to line her pockets and make

Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer -- better known for their spoof comedies like 'Meet the Spartans' and the recent 'Hunger Games' riff, 'The Starving Games' -- try their hand at found footage with 'Best Night Ever,' an attempt to level the gender playing field with a plot similar to 'The Hangover.' Rather than follow around a quartet of men on their outlandish adventures through Vegas, however, th

It's that time of the year: time for top 10 lists, time to start gearing up for awards season, and picking the contenders and ensuring we shout their names in all caps from behind our laptops, and a time for critics to champion our favorite movies and performances -- which is why I think it's time to take a look back at my favorite female-centric (and gender politic-centric) films and female performances of 2013.

Neil LaBute's 'Some Velvet Morning' stars Alice Eve as Velvet, a high-priced escort treated to a surprise afternoon visit by her former love interest, Fred (Stanley Tucci), who has just left his wife. But as the afternoon progresses and the history between the two comes into focus, a darkness blooms. This clever, jarring film examines the expectations placed on women, the roles we choose for ourse

'S#x Acts' ('Six Acts'), the Israeli drama so provocatively named as to immediately and directly conjure the title 'Sex Acts,' follows teenager Gili, a new high school transfer who sets about trying to charm the boys at her school by seducing them. Her story is told in chapters, punctuated by sexual encounters that escalate in their increasing intensity and discomfort. 'S#x Acts' is a subtle film

Your imaginary best friend/girlfriend/not-so-imaginary idol Jennifer Lawrence is making the press rounds to promote 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' this week, and home girl is being asked your typical redundant questions by the pop press -- What is up with your hair cut? What's it like to have an Oscar now? What is up with your hair cut? What's it like to work with such amazing actors? What is y