In our contemporary film space, two things are true.
But optimistically, 2019 sawa record number of films directed by women.
And 2020 promises to be a banner year for female-directed films, particularly in the action/blockbuster space.
It made tons of money and blasted straight into our cultural consciousness.
But, to paraphrase another Marvel phrase, what if another 2008 Marvel film took off instead?
Would we get a cinematic universe of brutal, grim, unrelenting action?
Image via Lionsgate
Would the MCU films feel a little more like the dearly departed Netflix/Marvel world?
What would AlexandersAvengers: Endgamefeel like?
But Bigelow, bolstered by her absolutely game cast, dares to go deeper.
Image via 20th Century Fox
But Utah is torn and troubled.
Hes grown to – dare we say – love Bodhi.
So Utah resists his obligations.
Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
It is… astonishing cinema.
My favorite MCU films tend to be the smaller, self-contained, single-character-driven, genre-entrenched ones.
Boden and Fleck take their cues primarily from one of our golden ages of action cinema: The 1990s.
Image via Warner Bros.
But Boden and Fleck have more nuance on their minds, and I for one am grateful.
But the cathartic joys ofWonder Womandont just lie in its action.
Are there any flaws in the film?
Image via United Artists
But in practice, Amirpour and her thrillingly down-to-clown cast (Momoa!
Reeves!Carrey!Suki Waterhouse, instantly iconic!)
take some cerebrally thrilling swings, connecting more often than not.
Image via Annapurna Pictures
The titular Speed Sisters are an incredible group of all-female street racers based in occupied Palestine.
And Fares renders these life-or-death odds in startling clarity.
Car races are routinely, almost nonchalantly interrupted by mortar explosions that feel inches away from the participants.
Image via First Run Features
And what do these participants do?
Thriving with each other.
And theyre all wrong.
Image via Lionsgate
The film starsChristina Applegateas Dawn, a teenage, drug-addicted prostitute getting by on the underground streets of LA.
This is a cool thing because its an excellent reminder that art is never static.
Image via Concorde Pictures
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
