16 November, 2008

Two things

First, quite a good run-down of Tender Morsels over here, even though Ken admits this is 'a story that really didn't appeal to me'. He goes on (with my emphasis):
And the honest kicker is that I’m not exactly sure why it didn’t appeal to me. Is it because I was never a too much of an outsider, is it because I’ve never suffered any real abuse, or is it simply because as a male I had a more difficult time relating to the mostly female cast. Whatever the reason, I can say that it’s not the fault of the book or its writing, but of my relation to it (hey, sometime it happens this way).
Which is admirably honest of him, I think.

And then, in a magazine called Inside Film: for Australian content creators (content creators'—brrrr!), there's an interview with Robert McKee, the storytelling-teacher, who's written a script for a thriller, with Sharon Stone likely to be cast in the lead role.
According to McKee, they need 'two more superb male actors and we will fight like crazy to raise twenty, thirty million dollars to make that and it will be an uphill battle, but I've been through it many, many times. The one thing I do not write is commercial. I'm not able to do that. Madness is very dark, and it has a female protagonist. When you have female protagonists in screenplays it's a huge problem. It's so much harder to raise the money. If necessary, we will bring the budget down to something between five and ten million and make it for that.'
'It's hard work,' he adds, 'and it can be heartbreaking but if you believe in what you're doing, you can't do otherwise.'

Sigh.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Margo
depressing isn't it? "Empire" movie magaize had an article a few issues ago listing 'the 100 greatest movie characters of all time' (as voted by readers) and only 12 of them were women. There really are very few female protagonists in the movies. I believe the idea is that while women will go see movies about men, men will not go see movies about women. I guess this reflects the slightly skewed place society is in re: gender equality - that while women are fully able to participate in the 'male' sphere, there hasn't been an equal effort by males to be involved in the 'female' sphere.

19 November, 2008 19:29  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

All I can say is that I'm about three-quarters through Tender Morsels and feeling absolutely ravished by it, luxuriating in it. It's so rich and strong and heady and intoxicating (rather like being ravished by a bear, perhaps??) LOVING it doesn't capture the absolute delight I'm feeling.

And I guess, I am a woman, and I must admit that part of the satisfaction is the rich femaleness of the magical brew you've cooked up. So poor Ken, if he feels shut out -- it's his loss.

But, oh, the envy... I wish I could write like that!

20 November, 2008 10:51  
Blogger Among Amid While said...

Thank you for your comments, Kate and Kate C. You're right, Kate C, it is men's loss that they can't come at women's stories. And I'm glad Tender Morsels is working its magic on you!

22 November, 2008 10:08  
Blogger Among Amid While said...

Sorry, that should say, it is men's loss if they can't come at women's stories. There are, of course, plenty who can.

22 November, 2008 10:10  
Blogger J m mcdermott said...

Okay, so what does the reviewer mean when he identifies himself as a male. I suspect he's not referring to the emotional content, in fact, because men and women both face the same cruelties in the world, and can both be victimized by people and social systems. Thomas Kinkaid, painter of cornball emotional cheeseballery, does - if I understand correctly - qualify as male. Nicholas Sparks is male. Male directors make plenty of small town, weepy movies. Etc. Etc.

I suspect what this reviewer is actually trying to communicate is that he prefers stories that have more external adventure elements, like his confessed guilty pleasure of a cable-series starring Noah Wyle with limited production values and intentionally unquality writing.

The gender terms he uses are a short hand for a different equation entirely.

Ultimately, that's the terminology that is damaging. Male=unemotional, external adventurist. Female=emotional, psychological drama.

In other words: bad reviewer! Don't use gender stereotypes to clumsily communicate an idea that is completely unrelated to gender! That's the kind of crap you'd expect from the dumb, lowest common denominator marketing mill at Hollywood!

09 December, 2008 11:54  

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