‘The Five-Year Engagement:’ Gender Roles Exploration & Lovable Actors Can’t Save Rom-Com’s Subtly Anti-Feminist Message

Posted on May 3, 2012 by

Originally published at Bitch Flicks.

I’ve never planned a wedding and I’ve never been engaged. Yet I can relate to the The Five-Year Engagement’s premise. My dream is to move to NYC and become a writer. While my partner is incredibly supportive of me, he loathes NYC and has a life in Boston. So what do two people do when their careers take them in two opposite directions? Who yields? Who compromises? That’s what the romantic comedy The Five-Year Engagement explores.

Violet (the AMAZING Emily Blunt), a psychology PhD grad, and Tom (Jason Segal, who I will forever think of as HIMYM’s adorbs Marshall), a sous chef in an upscale restaurant, are madly in love. They get engaged and begin to plan their wedding with comedic results. When Violet gets a fellowship in another state, trials and tribulations strain and challenge their bond.

I was uber excited to see it. I mean, a film with Emily Blunt, Jason Segal, Alison Brie, Chris Pratt AND Mindy Kaling?? I’m in! Blunt and Segal, who are friends in real-life, have an easy rapport and an effortless chemistry. The movie shines when it focused on wedding preparations: San Francisco vs. London for the wedding locale, religion in the wedding, including Tom’s “Jewish drawer.” While the beginning and ending were cute, albeit predictable, the movie dragged on. But what bothered me most was the subtle implication that feminism strains relationships.

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My 2-Year Blogiversary!!

Posted on May 1, 2012 by

You know when you’re going about your business…doot da doot. When all of a sudden…you realize you missed something. Something huge. Well two weeks ago, I missed my 2-year blogiversary!! Um, that’s 2 years of feminist vegan awesomeness!

I started this blog because I had a lot of opinions. (Seriously, you don’t even know the half of what transpires in my brain!) Numerous articulate, passionate, funny, thought-provoking feminist and vegan blogs and sites could be found in the blogosphere. But hardly any existed that were both feminist AND vegan. So I launched The Opinioness of the World to share my thoughts, advocate for change, and spark dialogue on gender equality and living cruelty-free.

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Reproduction & Abortion Week: ‘Girls’ and ‘Sex and the City’ Both Handle Abortion With Humor

Posted on April 27, 2012 by

Originally published at Bitch Flicks as part of their “Reproduction and Abortion Series.”

Vacillating between vitriolic condemnation and laudable praise, Lena Dunham’s Girls has dominated pop culture dialogue. I eagerly anticipated the series premiere. Yes, the show depicts economically privileged characters. Yes, the incredibly white and homogenous cast should be more diverse. And yes, staff writer Lesley Arfin is absolutely a racist asshole who’s bullshit must be called out. All of these rightfully scathing critiques are not only valid but crucial. But a mere 2 episodes in, Girls portrays potentially nuanced female characters with candid dialogue on sex, friendship, aspirations and relationships. And abortion! Huzzah!

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Reproduction & Abortion Week: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Advocates Abortion and Reproductive Rights

Posted on April 27, 2012 by

Originally published at Bitch Flicks as part of their “Reproduction and Abortion Series.”

Abortion is healthcare — a routine, normal and legal medical procedure. Yet most films and TV don’t ever broach the subject. Their characters don’t get abortions, people don’t talk about abortion. That’s why I’m thrilled about Christina Yang’s abortion storyline on Grey’s Anatomy.

As I’ve shared before, I love the hospital drama. Is it melodramatic? Of course. Is it over the top? Absolutely. But Shonda Rhimes has crafted a show with not only a woman at the center, not only an incredibly diverse cast with open auditions for characters, but a female friendship at its core. Surgeons Meredith Grey and Christina Yang transcend best friends. They are each others’ soulmates…and frequently say so, telling each other and others that the other is “their person.”

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Reproduction & Abortion Week: ‘American Horror Story’ Demonizes Abortion and Suffers from the Mystical Pregnancy Trope

Posted on April 27, 2012 by

Originally published at Bitch Flicks as part of their “Reproduction and Abortion Series.“

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Warning: if you have not watched all of American Horror Story Season 1, there are massive spoilers ahead!

American Horror Story co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk wanted to create a TV series that truly scared people. And they’ve definitely succeeded in their goal. But why the hell are they so afraid of abortion and women’s reproduction?

Inspired by The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby and The Shining, the creepy, eerie and phenomenally acted and well-written show follows the Harmons — cellist Vivien (Connie Britton), psychiatrist Ben (Dylan McDermott) and their daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga) — as they move from Boston to Los Angeles to heal over past traumas of a stillbirth and infidelity. They move into an old haunted mansion in this “violent, erotically charged horror story about a troubled family.”

American Horror Story sucked me in immediately. Besides passing the Bechdel Test many times, strong, clever, interesting women abound. The performances by Connie Britton, Jessica Lange, Dylan McDermott, Frances Conroy and Taissa Farmiga are outstanding.

Britton, who co-headlines the first season, wanted Vivien “to be somebody that was accessible, somebody who was strong and not victim-y. Which is something that’s always really important to me, no matter what I’m playing.” Britton almost didn’t play Tami Taylor in the TV show of Friday Night Lights didn’t want to merely play a coach’s wife on a show “dominated by men” and have her character “fall into the background.”Murphy has called the bravura Constance (Jessica Lange) a “survivor” and according to Britton, he called Vivien “‘a heroic character’ and describes American Horror Story as a horror for women.”

A horror for women? Sounds promising. Ahhhh but not so fast! If the show is for women, why do we see women objectified, conflating sexualized images with rape, assault and violence. And why the hell is it obsessed with demonizing abortion and pregnancy??

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Abortion Depictions in Pop Culture: Why “Reproduction and Abortion Week” At ‘Bitch Flicks’ Is So Crucial

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

Abortion is healthcare — a routine, normal and legal medical procedure. 1 in 3 women will get an abortion in her lifetime. Yet we rarely witness film and TV characters obtaining an abortion or even talking about abortion.

It’s “Reproduction and Abortion Week” at Bitch Flicks (my virtual home away from home!). All week-long, the feminist film and media site is featuring posts and reviews analyzing and critiquing the portrayal of abortion, contraception and pregnancy in film and TV.

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Pledge to Go Veg: It’s VegWeek 2012 April 23rd-29th!

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

“There are 52 weeks in a year, so why not make at least one of them meat-free?”

That’s the premise behind VegWeek, a “7-day celebration highlighting the many benefits of choosing vegetarian foods—for our health, the planet, and animals.”

Started by Compassion Over Killing, a nonprofit animal advocacy organization working to end animal abuse and promote veganism, in 2009 in Takoma Park, Maryland, Maryland Senator Jamie Raskin became the first person to take the Veg Pledge. And he’s remained a vegetarian to this day! After a Mayoral Proclamation was issued to recognize VegWeek in Takoma Park, it expanded to the state of Maryland, California, Virginia and Washington DC before going nationwide this year.

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Actor Loretta Devine’s Appalling Defense of Chris Brown’s Domestic Abuse of Rihanna

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

I have to admit, I’m pretty much addicted to Bravo. I especially adore the adorbs Andy Cohen and his nightly talk show Watch What Happens Live. While the show is great for a silly laugh, I was disturbed by something that happened last week.

Last Tuesday, Cohen asked guest Loretta Devine about Chris Brown since they starred together in the movie This Christmas. Considering the rumors swirling around a Rihanna/Chris Brown reconciliation, Cohen asked Devine if she thought Brown deserved a second chance with Rihanna. She replied:

“I don’t think they ever split up…So there.”

While Devine’s speculation shocked Cohen, I found it horrifying but not surprising. Many people don’t leave immediately after they’ve been abused. It may take them several attempts before they finally leave. And sadly, many return to their abusive partners.

But it was what Devine said next that truly disgusted me:

“Well love is love, you know? And he wasn’t the first one to hit somebody. Uh oh, I’m in trouble now…Well they acted like he was the first man to hit somebody.”

Um, excuse me? Did I hear that wrong?? Not the first man to hit a woman?! So that somehow excuses his appallingly abusive actions?! What. The. Fuck. I mean stop, just stop this bullshit nonsense.

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Posted in Gender-Based Violence, TV, Women and Gender | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

‘The Hunger Games’ Review in Conversation Part 1: Female Protagonists, Body Image, Disability, Whitewashing, Hunger & Food

Posted on April 23, 2012 by

As I’ve written before, I love The Hunger Games, both the book and film adaptation. We desperately need more strong female protagonists like Katniss Everdeen on-screen. The riveting young adult series contains many complex social issues. But just because I enjoyed it, doesn’t mean the film didn’t suffer some problems. As we both love talking about films, Amber Leab, Bitch Flicks Co-Founder & Editor, and I decided to post a Hunger Games Review in Conversation for Bitch Flicks.

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Top Chef’s 7 Best Vegan Recipes

Posted on April 23, 2012 by


Happy Belated Earth Day, Everyone!! Earth Day is a celebration of our planet and how we are all connected (The Lion King’s Circle of Life is echoing in my ears right now!). It’s also a reminder that our actions impact the world around us.

On previous Earth Days, I’ve shared tips to go green and be eco-friendly. One easy tip is to eat more vegetarian and vegan cuisine. The farming industry massively contributes to global climate change due to the plethora of toxic waste produced.

As a huge foodie, I love watching Bravo’s Top Chef. While most of the dishes prepared are laden with meat and dairy, once in a while, a vegan dish (or entire vegan episode!) appears. Huzzah! It may not happen often but we vegans can find our food and lifestyle reflected in mainstream media.

So here are 7 critically-acclaimed — recipes that won or were finalists in Quickfire or Elimination Challenges awarded by Top Chef judges — vegan recipes:

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