I just started playing a (super awesome) video game that has brought up a similar discussion with a friend. -If- you have a female lead who is strong and independent, not a bitch, but also sexy, does that immediately make it sexist?
Your Entertainment Pet Peeves
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How about Jade from Beyond Good and Evil? She was strong, independent, and clever... yet she still pulled off a Team Mom vibe anytime she was around the kids. No bitchiness, just a strong sense of justice with a small bit of sass.
I think it really depends upon how they treat her sexuality. Bayonetta is in many ways a step forward, if you can believe it.I just started playing a (super awesome) video game that has brought up a similar discussion with a friend. -If- you have a female lead who is strong and independent, not a bitch, but also sexy, does that immediately make it sexist?
- Her limbs are exaggerated, but the rest of her is in proportion (and she actually has HIPS). She is slender, but also defined (I.E. her legs look powerful without turning in Chun-Li). She even has a more mature look, like someone in their mid-30's. Most developers are shy to break out of the mid-lower 20's.
- She doesn't move like a sultry stripper... but rather like a graceful dancer, showing off some surprising power.
- She drips sexuality, but she is THE MASTER of it, as opposed to having her sexuality defined by what she can do for others. I think the lollipop imagery shows this best: Most games would have given her large, phallic ones to play to the obvious. Instead, she has tiny, dum dum style lollipops... and STILL makes it look sexy.
- NONE of her relationships with the male characters revolve around romance or sex, but she is able to do this WITHOUT coming off as a frigid ice queen, which is often used in other stories to prevent reducing women into objects or tools... by completely removing their sexuality. She comes off as more bemused by Cheshire's antics: She acknowledges and even toys with his male sexuality, but doesn't use it to genuinely hurt him.
- There are few, if any, lesbian overtones to make up for the lack of male/female relationship, despite having a reoccurring female nemesis. This helps keep her from falling into the exploitation zone.
I mean really... Bayonetta may have lots of skin and imagery, but it was actually pretty mature about it. It could have been a lot worse.
This is the reason why the Boy Scouts of America rarely, if ever, let Hollywood use their uniforms or name. They are pretty serious about how the uniform needs to look and if it doesn't look perfect, they pull their support. That's why you have groups like the Junior Woodchucks in Duck Tales.
That's the kind of lollipop I want to see a girl licking
fade
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Those are good examples, but for every 1 of those, there are 100 Olivia Bensons (never wrong, no balancing character flaws, practically openly man-hating).
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Urg, that was to Charlie. I hate the reply button under the post. It implies that you're replying to that post. I fall for it subconsciously all the time.
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Also, I count Ripley in the first movie. In the sequels, esp. the one with Winona Ryder, she starts trending to Olivia Benson territory.
And it's not like the Law and Order conglomerate doesn't know how to write balanced characters. Most of the males are. Goren was the best they wrote. He was nearly always right, too, but saved by having character flaws, like being practically insane. (I'm forced to watch Law & Order because my wife is a cop)
---------- Post added at 02:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:31 PM ----------
Urg, that was to Charlie. I hate the reply button under the post. It implies that you're replying to that post. I fall for it subconsciously all the time.
---------- Post added at 02:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:32 PM ----------
Also, I count Ripley in the first movie. In the sequels, esp. the one with Winona Ryder, she starts trending to Olivia Benson territory.
And it's not like the Law and Order conglomerate doesn't know how to write balanced characters. Most of the males are. Goren was the best they wrote. He was nearly always right, too, but saved by having character flaws, like being practically insane. (I'm forced to watch Law & Order because my wife is a cop)
I may need Olivia Benson explained. I've only seen 5 or so episodes, and she seemed like an OK character. Any character can get on your bad side after 250 episodes.
Yeah, I think Olivia has just been derailed as of late (namely, ever since that time she was nearly raped). Her partner is just as bad, as he hovers around full-on corrupt cop nearly 90% of the time now.
Weeds did it in half the time.
I call this Captain Janeway Syndrome: Essentially, the writers don't believe the viewers will respect and connect with a female authority figure unless she is infallible. If she's wrong even once, she loses her status as a driving force in a story.
P
Philosopher B.
Pet peeve: TV shows with fat slob-men who are married to skinny women. Damn you, Jackie Gleason.
I'll do you one better: TV Shows where the husband/male lead is never allowed to be right and the wife/Female lead is ALWAYS right, even if she gets to be horrible about it. I'm looking at you, EVERY SITCOM SINCE THE 80's.
figmentPez
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Eureka has had zero usless time travel episodes. Every singe incident of time travel has had lasting repercussions in the world. Certainly, only two people remembered the season one finale's alternate future, but that lingering memory remains a central part of Henry Deacon's character, especially his relationship with Jack Carter. Also, even though Jack later had his memory wiped, he still partially remembers, and that's shaped his relationship with Henry and with Allison.
The next time travel episode, with Jack living a Groundhog Day like time-loop, ended up with a major character dying.
Then there's the current season, which started with time travel altering the past and that change has yet to be undone. Five characters remember the alternate present, and have to live with the, sometimes difficult, changes.
Exception to the rule, and I happen to like even pointless time travel episodes, but I love Eureka for being brave enough to shake things up.
It's more like 4 now. We're unlikely to ever see the guy from the past again, as they've written him off the show. Kinda like how they wrote off the IMMORTAL at the end of the previous season.
figmentPez
Staff member
I stand by my headcount.
Jack, Allison, Henry, Jo and Fargo. Five. I already wasn't counting Dr. Old Spice because he never lived in the original present, and has left as well.
I stand by my headcount.
Jack, Allison, Henry, Jo and Fargo. Five. I already wasn't counting Dr. Old Spice because he never lived in the original present, and has left as well.
Oh Right... I stand corrected!
Ohhh. AshBURNer!
Pet Peeve: Spanish Movie Titles.
The ghost and the Darkness = Garras (Claws)
Resident Evil = El huesped Maldito (The cursed guest)
What lies Beneath = Revelaciones (Revelations)
Ocean's Eleven = La gran estafa (The great scam)
Ocean's Twelve = La otra gran estafa (The other great scam)
White Noise = Mensajes del más allá (Messages from beyond)
Total Recall = El vengador del futuro (The avenger from the future)
The Italian Job = La estafa maestra (The master scam)
The longest yard = Golpe bajo (Low punch)
The Green Mile = Milagros Inesperados (Unexpected miracles)
Anyone know why they do that?
The ghost and the Darkness = Garras (Claws)
Resident Evil = El huesped Maldito (The cursed guest)
What lies Beneath = Revelaciones (Revelations)
Ocean's Eleven = La gran estafa (The great scam)
Ocean's Twelve = La otra gran estafa (The other great scam)
White Noise = Mensajes del más allá (Messages from beyond)
Total Recall = El vengador del futuro (The avenger from the future)
The Italian Job = La estafa maestra (The master scam)
The longest yard = Golpe bajo (Low punch)
The Green Mile = Milagros Inesperados (Unexpected miracles)
Anyone know why they do that?
Say it all. Latin american spanish movie titles!
of course, we have a lot of that in spain, but less and less each year.
(what has been done more is adding a subtitle. I still remember how angry I was as a little kid, when I knew enough english to understand the original title, because Toy Story was called Toy Story (juguetes).
Wasn't Shaun of the Dead called Zombie Party in Spain? I'm pretty sure that's the best English to Spanish movie title ever.[/QUOTE]
That's what it says in my double Dvd pack of "Zombies Party" and "Arma Fatal"... But that's because Shawn de los muertos vivientes loses all it's pun and, for some reason, most comedy titles still HAVE to sound like fun. For a classic example, look up how Mel Brooks films are translated in spain. Most of them involve the word "locura".
Just like "Los caballeros de la mesa cuadrada y sus locos seguidores", AKA, "Monty Python and the holy grail".
Villians who get enraged when the hero fights back. Most recent example is in X-men Legacy where the villians are "trying" Rogue for murder because she killed some of their people while they were trying to exterminate all life on Earth. Issue was only redeemed because Mike Cary had Magneto call them out on their bullshit.
R2-D2's
Not the one in Star Wars, but all the imitators that followed. Just the needlessly added, cute, normally robotic, comedy relief, that will turn out not to be funny.
Bubo from Clash or the Titans.
Twiki from Buck Rogers.
7-Zark-7 from Battle of the Planets.
OK, it has bugged me for a long time. Since my examples are from the 70's-80's.
--The Tachikomas from Ghost in the Shell are close in character to this. I just think most odd tech in Anime falls into talk like a 7 year old girl.
Not the one in Star Wars, but all the imitators that followed. Just the needlessly added, cute, normally robotic, comedy relief, that will turn out not to be funny.
Bubo from Clash or the Titans.
Twiki from Buck Rogers.
7-Zark-7 from Battle of the Planets.
OK, it has bugged me for a long time. Since my examples are from the 70's-80's.
--The Tachikomas from Ghost in the Shell are close in character to this. I just think most odd tech in Anime falls into talk like a 7 year old girl.
I ask politely, what should they sound like in your opinion?
Infant Immortality - The kid never, EVER dies. The same thing goes for dogs. Space marines and big game hunters get killed almost without a fight but a little kid will always survive. Entire cities will be destroyed by nuclear explosions, killing many babies, but you will never actually see one die. I have found this cliche to be most prevalent in American movies for some reason. There are some exceptions, however. Good old John Carpenter.
Also, the good scientist who turns evil because of an experiment has been done so much that it's a worn cliche. As Brock Sampson once asked, "What is it with you dicks? The minute an experiment messes up you sell yourself a pair of tight pajamas and become a professional pain in my ass."
Also, the good scientist who turns evil because of an experiment has been done so much that it's a worn cliche. As Brock Sampson once asked, "What is it with you dicks? The minute an experiment messes up you sell yourself a pair of tight pajamas and become a professional pain in my ass."
I ask politely, what should they sound like in your opinion?[/QUOTE]
It is just an irritant that Killing Machines talk like pre-pubescent girls.
I ask politely, what should they sound like in your opinion?[/QUOTE]
Not children.
Except this is explicitly the fault of the fansub groups: Most people who buy anime watch it with the Japanese voice track and subs, which is what they can get for FREE within a week of the air date of the show thanks to fansub groups. Most fans aren't willing to buy what they can get for free, unless they believe buying it will help it get broadcast (90% of anime will NEVER be broadcast in the US due to cultural mores). That means that it IS unprofitable to do a dub track unless your planning on selling the series to a network for broadcast, because most people aren't buying it for the dub and they can get the subs for free.
This is entirely a situation that anime fans have created themselves.
Also: Uwe Boll.
that vast majority of buyers are actually buying for the dub, something not offered to them for free. the sub only crowd buyers are actually something like 10% of the market give or take. I don't have the reported stats in front of me but they are available for viewing on the internet. while piracy rates high on the reasons for sub only, there is also the issue that anime is no longer "en vogue" and dubs in general are really not profitable at all period. much like every other industry only the giants can afford to spring for the bells and whistle on their product. this is why the only real dubbing licenser left is funimation.
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