Review: "Wonder Woman"

by Chris Feil

The absurdly long wait for Wonder Woman to arrive on the big screen is officially over with the arrival of Patty Jenkins’s stellar adaptation. Gal Gadot may have been the all-too-brief bright spot of last year’s Batman v Superman, but in her own story she emerges as a hero for the ages.

While this is yet another superhero origin story, Wonder Woman’s conviction keeps its more common beats alive. Gadot’s Diana is raised to be a warrior among the Amazons, with a strong sense of true justice, under the watchful eye of her mother Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) and trainer Antiope (Robin Wright). On the otherwordly arrival of earthly spy pilot Steve Trainor (Chris Pine), Diana sets out for a righteous battle with destiny on the World War I front.

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The No Longer Mighty Patty Jenkins

Hi folks, Glenn here wanting to discuss the troublesome case of Patty Jenkins.

As you may have heard, the Monster director was all set to take over the director’s chair for Marvel’s Thor 2, but things got derailed within the last 24 hours and now Jenkins is out citing that old chestnut of “creative differences” and will be replaced by somebody else, presumably quick smart since the film has a release date of November 2013.

As much as I adored Thor, the fate of its sequel is far from the biggest concern to come out of this news. No, I am more worried about what will happen to Patty Jenkins, the woman who broke through in 2003 and helped win Charlize Theron an Academy Award. Since directing Monster, Jenkins hasn’t made a single feature film and has seemingly fallen prey to the terrible female director curse that also afflicted Kimberley Peirce (Boys Don't Cry... 9 years between films) and Courtney Hunt (Frozen River... 4 years and counting). Why can’t these breakthrough indie women who were responsible for providing Oscar wins and nominations not get secondary projects up and running? Oh sure, Jenkins directed some TV recently – Emmy nominated for The Killing – but Thor 2, as strange as it sounds, was to be her return to films and I was mighty excited. 

An even more disappointing angle to the story is that Jenkins’ appointment was a significant notch in the ever-fluid trajectory of the plight of female directors in Hollywood. Not since Mimi Leder and Deep Impact has a woman been given the job of directing such a big property (or none that I can think of) and now with Jenkins out of the game, I wonder where that leaves her. “Creative differences” tends to be code for “difficult to work with”, doesn’t it? I have no worry that Marvel will find a suitable replacement for Thor 2, but wasn’t the idea of a Jenkins-helmed Thor sequel just curious and curiouser? While Sofia Coppola is making movies about Hollywood thieves, Julia Leigh is caressing controversy with Sleeping Beauty (my review), Phyllida Lloyd paints beige portraits of Margaret Thatcher, and Kathryn Bigelow does everything but give James Cameron a run for his money, it was nice to know someone of Jenkins’ status could be given the keys to such an important vehicle. What could have been will now never be realised.

I do wonder, however, what other left of centre female director choice could Marvel make for Thor 2. Maybe Mimi Leder could be brought back to big budget blockbusters? Perhaps Lisa Cholodenko is secretly just biding her time to direct a superhero movie? And you just know Gillian Armstrong has nothing to do right now. 

Who would you like to see direct Thor 2 if only they’d be given the chance?

We Need To Talk About Linking

MTV Tom Hiddleson singing the praise of his new Thor 2 director Patty Jenkins. He just loves Monster (2003) and Kenneth Branagh assigned it to him as prep before Thor 1; how weirdly coincidental.
Go Fug Yourself has kind words for Amanda Seyfried and hilarious words for Justin Timberlake.
Awards Daily Sasha thinks this has been a weak year for cinema -- I'm guessing because of the lack of consensus on a single masterpiece. I'd say the opposite. I can't get over how good this year is. It's so exciting to be looking at an awards season that might not have a frontrunner. Consensus makes it boring. Bring on the passionate discussion of what is "Best" please!

Acidemic in praise of crazy "chicks of death" dangerous women from Flash Gordon (1936) through Rosemary's Baby (1968) to Trouble Every Day (2001)
Reelizer How beautiful is this poster for The Iron Giant by Kevin Tong? Me want.

"The Iron Giant" © illustrator Kevin Tong

Movie Morlocks Kimberly from Cinebeats on Werner Herzog's excellent adapation of Nosferatu starring Klaus Kinski. Such a good movie. 
MNPP JA loves Carey Mulligan and thinks you do, too. Exciting projects she's lining up. 
/Film taking storyboarding to the next level with Darren Aronofsky's Noah's Arc movie.  

Ultra Culture bitches about Rotten Tomatoes in order to praise Terri (which was recently nominated for one of Gotham's prizes)  
Towleroad Zachary Quinto to play a gay ghost on American Horror Story. 

Empire offers up a final We Need To Talk About Kevin poster with "Joker" coloring. I love movie posters but when a movie makes this many and keeps changing it up I start to worry that they don't know what they're selling anymore. 

Finally...

The Lost Boy thinks that Viola Davis is going to win the Best Actress Oscar. That seems to be going around. Here she is at the Women in Hollywood Awards.

The imagination is so potent. And that's really why we're actors because it's the power of transformation, the power of not being you, of going into a world that is different but ultimately real. And I always felt I had that I had that power even as a little black girl with the afro and using the crisco for moisturizer for my skin. I always felt that everything was possible. That I always had the power to be anything i wanted to be.

As I was walking the red carpet someone asked "What sets you apart from everyboy in the room?"

"Well... I'm black."

[Laughter] and then she launches into an honest and beautiful speech about Cicely Tyson "throwing her a rope" as a young dreaming girl and the need for stories about women of color in the movies. She is awesome.