NB: After gushing about RT17’s Bollywood Romance panel, we invited author Sonali Dev and guest poster Asha Ganesan to provide some recommendations for those who missed the panel. Award winning author, Sonali Dev, writes Bollywood-style love stories that let her explore issues faced by women around the world while still indulging her faith in a happily ever after. Sonali’s novels have been on Library Journal, NPR, Washington Post and Kirkus Best Books lists. She won … Continue reading Bollywood Film Recommendations from Sonali Dev and Asha Ganesan →
Sarah: Am I the only one who gets a little zing! of excitement with the production company logo and music at the start of a movie? I think it’s a leftover reaction from going to a movie as a kid – which was a Big Deal of excitement. Carrie S: Clothes! Elyse: My fashion goals are to have a cape like Dorothy’s. Carrie S: Three minutes in and I’m already in love with Jane Russell. … Continue reading Smart Bitches Movie Matinee: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes →
Our Smart Bitches Movie Matinee pick this month is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the classic featuring Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe, and some seriously iconic song and dance numbers. There’s a lot to examine in this film, too, especially if you’ve been listening to the You Must Remember This podcast series on “Dead Blondes.” The Marilyn Monroe section takes up three episodes, and they touch on this film briefly. I’ve seen this movie once, a long time ago, and … Continue reading May Movie Selection: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) →
Your Name is an anime film that has been a huge hit in Japan, China, and South Korea. You could watch it with a keen understanding of Japanese culture and Shintoism, both of which I lack. Or, you could watch it with two middle-school girls at the end of a very long day, with a solid case of PMS. The verdict from the girls: “The movie is pretty, but it’s very confusing.” The first part of Your … Continue reading Movie Review: Your Name →
Although it’s no longer a new release, I feel compelled to write a review of Kong: Skull Island if for no other reason than to inform our readers that Tom Hiddleston’s clothes stay on all the way through the movie. This is a fun popcorn movie that offers two hours of carnage, a smidgen of comedy, and a feminist heroine. It is not deep and it does not make any sense whatsoever. It delivers what … Continue reading Movie Review: Kong: Skull Island →
Monday night, The Bitches gathered around our TV sets to watch To Walk Invisible, a PBS drama about the Brontë siblings. Since we all live in different time zones, we gathered around our individual sets, but there was still a certain camaraderie in the air as we asked each other, “Why do these children have flaming halos over their heads?” and yelled, “Branwell, you ass!” at our screens. The Brontës were a brilliant but troubled family … Continue reading Movie Review: To Walk Invisible →
I promised you all that we would give you our thoughts on the new live-action Beauty and the Beast, and here are the spoilery thoughts of me and Elyse. Elyse and I? Both of us. The top part here is pretty spoiler-free, and then we get into the details, but we’ll mark when that starts. Elyse: So I loved it. LOVED IT. Would watch again a thousand times. I know intellectually it was not perfect and … Continue reading Movie Review: Beauty and the Beast →
Sarah: One of the reasons we started this feature was to both explore romantic comedies, a film genre that isn’t appearing in theatres much at all anymore, and to explore the films we love to see if they still hold up. With this film, so many people I know and respect adore this movie that I know it should be very good. “Can I play?” “You nice?” Redheadedgirl: “I told you I was nice! I’m … Continue reading Smart Bitches Movie Matinee: Love & Basketball →
Time for our March Smart Bitches Movie Matinee pick! This one is rather obvious, since it’s March and there’s some talk of basketball this time of year. But I’ve also never (to my own embarrassment) seen this movie, and I am so excited about it. Love & Basketball came out in 2000, but based on reviews I’ve been reading, it holds up marvelously as a story and as a romance. HuffPo published an oral history of … Continue reading March Movie Selection: Love & Basketball (2000) →
Sarah: Watching Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong. 1 hour, 18 minutes. perfect It’s sad that 2 hours is often too much of a commitment for me. I’m embarrassed admitting that. This was written and directed by Emily Ting, so I’m giving Emily all the credit for all the things I like. And so far there’s a lot. Carrie: This movie is basically the exact same movie as the Chris Evans one only without the purse … Continue reading Smart Bitches Movie Matinee: Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong →
After we watched Saving Face for the SB Movie Matinee in October, I favorited a bunch of films in the suggestions area. Since then, my algorithm suggestions have been getting better and better. Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong showed up, and when I saw it on a few “best of” lists, I had to add it to our schedule. This film was written and directed by Emily Ting, and it sounds adorable. Here’s the synopsis: In this sparkling romance, Ruby … Continue reading January Movie Selection: Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (2015) →
