On Foxes, Wild Things, Anvils and a Weekend of Film about Men (and Boys)
I think I’ve seen more good, sophisticated films about men this year than any other year in recent memory. That’s probably a strange thing to say in light of the fact that I’m always agitating for more good films about women, but I feel strongly that we’re in serious need of smart films about real, complex female AND male characters. So it feels rather serendipitous that I ended up spending this past Thanksgiving weekend watching good – or at least ambitious – films dealing with men, boys, and their relationships.
What a quadruple feature: Anvil! The Story of Anvil, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Where the Wild Things Are, and Goodbye Solo. I was so moved that I decided to jot down some notes on them…
Well, I’m pretty happy with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and not just because it’s one of the most hilariously bizarre animated films I’ve ever seen (it’s an ‘adaptation’ of one of my favorite picture books of all time that can only be considered a total reimagination), but also because it DARES to suggest something that most films never do: that girls like science, too.
