Hey everybody welcome to Cinefix Recommends, the show were we curate a list
of our favorite things based on all the things that are out there right now.
This week we're talking about 'Wonder Woman'.
(Sound) Now 'Wonder Woman' is out and everybody seems to love it.
So what we're gonna talk about today is our favorite female heroes.
And we're not specifically talking about superheroes now.
We're just talking about our favorite female heroes in general.
Just these smart, brave, and courageous heroes
from all the movies that we know and love over the years, and TV shows.
Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list, so
let us know what your favorite heroes are in the comments down below.
So, without further ado, here are some of our favorite female heroes.
- What's up guys?
My pick for a kick ass female is actually the movie 'Leon'.
Stick with me.
Obviously, Leon, he's sort of the main character of the movie.
But I would say Mathilda, played by "Natalie Portman",
is equally important and in many ways the true protagonist of the film.
I really love this movie.
It's one of my favorites of all time in terms of Luc Besson's body of work.
It is the greatest of all time, it's the best movie he's ever done.
If you think it's the 'Fifth Element', I'm afraid you're incorrect.
Nonetheless, Mathilda in 'Leon' is a really inspiring character because there's
a lot of complex issues going on.
She goes through a lot in that film,
not the least of which her sort of tweenage sexual awakening.
And where she projects those energies is very complex, a little bit hard for
some people to watch.
But I really love Mathilda because she's got chutzpah.
I mean, that character, she really, she goes for it.
She definitely is tenacious, she's brave, she's clever.
She finds a way to outsmart people.
So I really think that she sets a really good example in some ways and not others
in terms of being an inspiring example for young ladies and for older ones.
If you've never seen Leon known usually in the United States as 'The
Professional' you should definitely watch it.
As I said it's one of my favorite movies of all time.
And by the way, I have a honorable mention pick here
another movie about a character named Matilda this time called 'Matilda'.
This one is a lot more family friendly, but I love that movie.
I loved it since I was a little kid.
I think it's really fun, it's got a lot of fun characters in it.
And it's also about a young woman learning to kind of find her own inner strength and
actual power.
So it's a fun movie, it's a great book.
And you should definitely check that one out too if you're looking for
movies about inspiring, powerful women.
- So I couldn't pick just one favorite female hero.
I had to pick two because these two in particular are a very big deal to me.
The first one is of the more modern era, which is 'Veronica Mars'.
That first season of 'Veronica Mars', to me,
is the most perfect season in television I've ever seen.
And it's got everything to do with its heroine.
Doesn't have any special powers, other than her father is a private investigator,
she's learned a few tricks along the way.
The way that she outsmarts people, thinks two or
three steps ahead, is not some crazy screenwriter's fever dream.
It's literally what a high school kid would do in this situation if they
had these skills.
I know many reasonable people who call it the best TV season they've ever seen.
If you want to check out a female hero who is so near and dear to me and
millions of others, 'Veronica Mars' is a cannot miss.
But as I like to think of the fact that every generation likes to think it's
discovering something.
And whether that's raunchy sex comedy or a women who's kicking ass.
I'm always reminded of the era of the 20s and
30s when women were actually very prominent in film.
And I realize that they're really underrepresented now in front of and
behind the camera.
But back then that was not the case, and
one of my biggest heroes in Hollywood who I've recent discovered is "Anita Loos".
You've never heard of her.
"Anita Loos" was a screenwriter,
she's one of the very first screenwriters in the history of Hollywood.
She was writing for the studios from her little ranch up the coast and
came to L.A. just as silent films were turning into talking films.
She wrote a little diary of a character called 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'.
This little serial was published in something like 'Harper's Weekly'.
It got bound and was a best seller.
Became a Broadway play in the 1920s and then was turned into the 1952,
I want to say, film that starred "Marilyn Monroe" as Lorelei Lee.
"Marilyn Monroe" is not just a pin up.
And it's hard for me to think of that growing up having seen so
many images of her, but not seeing her movies.
She is a wonderful comedic actress and this character, Lorelei Lee, puts it all
out there as being this sort of, flighty bimbo who loves material wealth.
When really what's she's doing underneath the surface is outsmarting and
out thinking every man around her.
Once again, using her wiles, but also using her wit and her charm and
her grace in a way that gets her ahead, with a great twist at the end of the film.
Women have been around for a long time, as it turns out, in movies.
And particularly powerful ones, and you wanna go way back.
'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' is a classic, and you will love it.
It is very modern, and it travels through time very, very well.
(Sound) - So there have been a lot of big movies
that have been led by female characters here recently.
"Furiosa" from 'Mad Max'.
"Rey" and "Jyn Erso" from the 'Star Wars' movies.
But one that really stands out for me is 'Moana'.
Now granted, this movie has been just parked on my brain for
the last little while, cuz I've got a daughter.
She's two and a half.
She just discovered this movie and there's like
a 70% chance that 'You're Welcome' is stuck in my head at any given moment.
But Moana is a really good movie and a really good character.
She's strong and she's brave and she's proactive.
And most importantly, in my head, she knows exactly who she is.
Even with her family wanting her to stay home and take her place there,
she knows that that's not for her.
She proves that to be a leader,
you have to be honest about who you are to start with.
And that to help your community and your people,
you really have to have a strong sense of self, before you can do anything else.
And it's a really great message and I don't mind that seven times out of ten
I've got one of those songs stuck in my head, at all.
Now, if I can quickly mention a second one, honorable mention style,
I'd like to mention "Clarice" from 'Silence of the Lambs'.
Now what's fun about "Clarice" and "Moana" is I
think you can say the same things about "Clarice" as you do about "Moana".
She's got a lot of inner strength, she's very confident in her own skills.
She's fighting the expectations of the agency that she's a part of.
And ultimately, she relies on what she knows to be true and to be right.
And it's a really scary trip that she goes on,
but ultimately she's got the strength within herself to handle it.
So, go rewatch 'Silence of the Lambs', and double feature it with 'Moana' and
it'll all make sense.
(Sound) - All right everybody, so again,
those are just some of our favorite female heroes.
Let us know who your favorite female heroes are in the comments down below.
Let us know what you thought about 'Wonder Woman' as well.
Click like to subscribe.
We will see you next time.
And thanks for not giving me shit about the wardrobe change.
(Sound)