Early in “Brainwashed,” filmmaker and cinema studies professor Nina Menkes quotes author James Baldwin when she says, “Nothing can be changed until it is fixed.” But before a broken system can be fixed, it first needs to be acknowledged. That’s Menkes’ job, and she does it so well that her lecture — which forms the basis of the movie — should be seen by everyone.
As a substitute for a Feminist Film Studies 101 class, “Brainwashed” gets the job done a lot more quickly and cheaply than if you registered for grad school. In sharing her academic talk, “Sex and Power: The Visual Language of Oppression,” Menkes gives us a base from which to understand the visual language of movies. She interviews seminal theorist Laura Mulvey, who popularized the concept of the “male gaze.” And she talks to a range of filmmakers, academics, and performers, who expand on what that concept has meant to them professionally.
As a substitute for a Feminist Film Studies 101 class, “Brainwashed” gets the job done a lot more quickly and cheaply than if you registered for grad school. In sharing her academic talk, “Sex and Power: The Visual Language of Oppression,” Menkes gives us a base from which to understand the visual language of movies. She interviews seminal theorist Laura Mulvey, who popularized the concept of the “male gaze.” And she talks to a range of filmmakers, academics, and performers, who expand on what that concept has meant to them professionally.
- 10/20/2022
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
As the #MeToo movement continues to resonate, filmmaker Nina Menkes has unveiled details about her forthcoming documentary Brainwashed and the all-female team behind it. The feature docu exposes common cinematic techniques that disempower women and girls. Produced, conceived and directed by Menkes, the film is slated for completion in mid-2021 and will be entered for festival consideration.
The docu gives incisive commentary on films from the 1940s through the present. Using key scenes from A-list directors, Menkes spotlights how filmmakers employ framing, lighting, visual effects and camera angles to disempower women while appearing to glamorize them. These cinematic techniques for disempowerment have been dubbed “The Menkes List.”
Maria Giese and Summer Xinlei Yang have boarded the project as co-producers. Giese is the DGA member who instigated the groundbreaking 2015 industry-wide federal investigation of sex discrimination in Hollywood. Yang is an independent producer and founder of Summary Productions. Giese is also featured...
The docu gives incisive commentary on films from the 1940s through the present. Using key scenes from A-list directors, Menkes spotlights how filmmakers employ framing, lighting, visual effects and camera angles to disempower women while appearing to glamorize them. These cinematic techniques for disempowerment have been dubbed “The Menkes List.”
Maria Giese and Summer Xinlei Yang have boarded the project as co-producers. Giese is the DGA member who instigated the groundbreaking 2015 industry-wide federal investigation of sex discrimination in Hollywood. Yang is an independent producer and founder of Summary Productions. Giese is also featured...
- 10/9/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The Presence will be released by Lionsgate on DVD, Digital Download and On Demand October 4th and the film stars Oscar winner Mira Sorvino. Also starring are Justin Kirk ("Weeds") and Shane West (A Walk to Remember). The film involves a woman alone in an isolated cabin, who becomes possessed by a malignant spirit. Sorvino's character, only known as The Woman, begins to behave strangely when her boyfriend, Kirk, comes by to check on her. Let the ghostly sparks fly on DVD in just a few days.
This is director Tom Provost's first feature film as director and some horrorphiles might recognize Provost from his screenplay and writing credit on Under Suspicion, starring Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman. Under Suspicion was nominated for Best Picture in 2000 at the Oscars and here, Provost continues with the more thrilling side of genres. Special features for The Presence are inside.
Release Date: October 14th,...
This is director Tom Provost's first feature film as director and some horrorphiles might recognize Provost from his screenplay and writing credit on Under Suspicion, starring Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman. Under Suspicion was nominated for Best Picture in 2000 at the Oscars and here, Provost continues with the more thrilling side of genres. Special features for The Presence are inside.
Release Date: October 14th,...
- 9/27/2011
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Alrighty, kids! Settle in for some good old fashioned ghost-ridden spookiness by way of this exclusive clip from Lionsgate's upcoming spooker, The Presence!
From the Press Release: A hauntingly romantic ghost story comes alive this fall as Lionsgate releases The Presence on DVD, Digital Download and On Demand. Starring Oscar® winning actress Mira Sorvino (Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Mighty Aphrodite, 1995), the film also features Justin Kirk (Showtime’s “Weeds”) and Shane West (A Walk to Remember). Written and directed by Tom Provost (Under Suspicion) and executive produced by The Blair Witch Project co-creator Daniel Myrick, The Presence's DVD premiere includes a “making of” featurette, audio commentary with the writer-director, and storyboards with commentary. The Presence will make its chilling debut on October 4th.
Looking to escape the pressures of everyday life, a woman (Sorvino) travels to a secluded cabin in the woods. She’s not alone, though,...
From the Press Release: A hauntingly romantic ghost story comes alive this fall as Lionsgate releases The Presence on DVD, Digital Download and On Demand. Starring Oscar® winning actress Mira Sorvino (Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Mighty Aphrodite, 1995), the film also features Justin Kirk (Showtime’s “Weeds”) and Shane West (A Walk to Remember). Written and directed by Tom Provost (Under Suspicion) and executive produced by The Blair Witch Project co-creator Daniel Myrick, The Presence's DVD premiere includes a “making of” featurette, audio commentary with the writer-director, and storyboards with commentary. The Presence will make its chilling debut on October 4th.
Looking to escape the pressures of everyday life, a woman (Sorvino) travels to a secluded cabin in the woods. She’s not alone, though,...
- 9/21/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
With October just around the corner (Can you believe it? Where has this year gone?), it seems fitting that some good old fashioned ghost stories get cooking to send a few tingles down our spines. Will The Presence do just that? Read on for details and to watch the official trailer!
From the Press Release: A hauntingly romantic ghost story comes alive this fall as Lionsgate releases The Presence on DVD, Digital Download and On Demand. Starring Oscar® winning actress Mira Sorvino (Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Mighty Aphrodite, 1995), the film also features Justin Kirk (Showtime’s “Weeds”) and Shane West (A Walk to Remember). Written and directed by Tom Provost (Under Suspicion) and executive produced by The Blair Witch Project co-creator Daniel Myrick, The Presence's DVD premiere includes a “making of” featurette, audio commentary with the writer-director, and storyboards with commentary. The Presence will make its chilling debut on October 4th.
From the Press Release: A hauntingly romantic ghost story comes alive this fall as Lionsgate releases The Presence on DVD, Digital Download and On Demand. Starring Oscar® winning actress Mira Sorvino (Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Mighty Aphrodite, 1995), the film also features Justin Kirk (Showtime’s “Weeds”) and Shane West (A Walk to Remember). Written and directed by Tom Provost (Under Suspicion) and executive produced by The Blair Witch Project co-creator Daniel Myrick, The Presence's DVD premiere includes a “making of” featurette, audio commentary with the writer-director, and storyboards with commentary. The Presence will make its chilling debut on October 4th.
- 8/2/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
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