Kill Bill, La Femme Nikita, Wonder Woman, FILMS GONE WILD: What’s in our Kick Ass Women in Films library?
Kill Bill, La Femme Nikita, Wonder Woman, FILMS GONE WILD: What’s in our Kick Ass Women in Films library?
So, I’m doing that thing we sometimes do because we are stir-crazy or we have too many thoughts in our heads, we’ve been inside our homes or apartments for awhile, we need to shake things up, change some stuff around, etc.
Some of us rearrange the furniture. Some of us repaint a room or two. get a new haircut, Start a new diet. Something!
If you still have a Blu-Ray/DVD library like I do, maybe you rearrange THAT.
Of course, that is exactly what I did. Everything WAS in the living room and dining room (There are quite a few films in our library.) and all of it was in alphabetical order. Well, I went crazy and I pulled all of the horror and thriller and sic-fi films and moved them upstairs to The Gore Room.
The Gore Room is the house’s home for horror – and guests, if they stay with us. There are film posters and stills and there might be the head and feet foreman of the victims from THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE up there.
Add to this group of films…
But that’s not what this column is about. No, what this column is about is something I also thought I might tweak as part of this weekend’s irrational inspiration. On one of the bookshelves, we keep our Blu Rays/DVDs in, is a small section of films that my wife Justina and I love that feature women kicking some ass. Some with their fists, some with an arsenal, and some with their wits and wit. And some with…all of the above.
Pondering this group of films and whether or not I should add to it, I thought it might be fun to hear from the FilmsGoneWild.com readers and hear your thoughts and suggestions. I can’t say that there is a definitive idea my wife Justina Walford and I have about what would qualify a film for this section, so take a look at the list below and decide for yourself what seems like it should be invited to this movie party of bad-ass women, killer chicks, and females who left their “give a fuck” in the car.
Now, you might come up with some films that are already in the library at IdleWild Manor and it’s possible you’ll get me in trouble with Justina because I will be inspired to buy a bunch of Blu Rays when now is not the best time for buying shit like that. We’ll see, won’t we?
Go to the comments section and weigh in. I looking very forward to seeing what you come up with…
ANNA
CHOCOLATE
THE DESCENT
THE DESCENT 2
GUN WOMAN
KILL BILL 1
KILL BILL 2
LA FEMME NIKITA
THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE
LADY BLOODFIGHT
LADY KUNG FU
LADY VENGEANCE
THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT
MAY
MS. 45
TANK GIRL
THRILLER – THEY CALL HER ONE EYE
THE VILLAINESS
WANDERING GINZA BUTTERFLY
WONDER WOMAN
X-CROSS
Kill Bill, La Femme Nikita, Wonder Woman, FILMS GONE WILD: What’s in our Kick Ass Women in Films library?
Hmm, I have a few ideas, though I will also say if genre doesn’t matter, I do think Joan Allen in The Contender kicks major political ass, handing it to Gary Oldman’s Republican, at least morally.
Now, on the level of truly kicking ass, Atomic Blonde, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Widows are fairly mainstream yet potentially compelling options.
I love the very underrated The Contender and couldn’t agree more!!!
I was going to suggest one you already have: The Long Kiss Goodnight. So great!
Uhhh…. Fury Road is the first thing that comes to mind.
My personal hero of all time: Ellen Ripley / Sigourney Weaver from ALIEN + ALIENS (but def NOT any other Aliens movie after the first two, though..!).
Also while we’re speaking of Ellens: I’d like to submit Ellen Page in HARD CANDY, which is another feminist film every single young girl should see and learn from (sorry not sorry about your peens, pedophiles)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Supercop, Thelma and Louise; Scream; Captain Marvel; Terminator 2; From Dusk Till Dawn
-Come Drink With Me
-Female Prisoner 701 Scorpion (and sequels, specifically Jailhouse 41)
-Coffy
-Foxy Brown
-Lady Snowblood
-The Big Dollhouse
-The Big Bird Cage
-Female Yakuza Tale
-Sex & Fury
-Girl Boss Guerrilla
-Haywire
-Faster Pussycat Kill Kill
– uhhhhhh Aliens
Good god. But there are so many. I’ll echo a couple of previous posts first and then make some suggestions.
Echoes:
-Aliens series (I love them all personally, so go crazy)
-Mad Max: Fury Road (Should be in everyone’s cabinet)
-Lady Snowblood (I don’t actually enjoy these but if you already own kill bill…)
-Hard Candy (Sweet jesus this one! Yall need to own this, and if you haven’t seen it, you’re in for a fucking TREAT!)
Compliments:
-Descent is fucking great. A perfect 1-2 punch.
-Tank Girl. One of my all time faves and the movie personally responsible for making my sister who she is today.
-Chocolate, fucking AMAZING. Though it’s got a really slow start.
-Long Kiss Goodnight. So good. Also played a part in my sisters upbringing.
-Need to check a couple of the rest of those out.
Suggestions:
-Machine Girl (Duh)
-Alita: Battle Angel (Both versions. The original OVA is like $50 on DVD so good luck with that, but the recent Rodriquez/Cameron version is top fucking notch and sticks super close to the original.)
-Ghost in the Shell (Not 2.0, Not the live action. They just recently did a 25th anniversary version. Get that.)
-FLCL OVA (Pretty rad but an OVA so maybe skip)
-R.O.D OVA (Stands for Read Or Die, also great but also an OVA so maybe skip)
-Legend of Korra (Full on TV show but 100% fits the bill)
-Annihilation (I mean…all female cast of badasses)
-Serenity (Ensemble but some fucking exceptional female roles)
-Shape of Water (Gurl goes after that fishy D and doesn’t give a fuuuuuuuuuuuuck)
-Run Lola Run (In my top 10)
-Gravity(?)
-Death Proof (Duh)
-Ghostbusters 2016 (Sorry, not sorry. Loved it.)
-Heroic Trio and Heroic Trio 2 (Michelle Yeoh, young and being badass)
-Butterfly and Sword (Again with Yeoh)
-Cutthroat Island (Gina Davis was on a roll there for a bit)
-The Old Guard (Just hit netflix but 100% fits.)
-Raging Phoenix (Also with Jeeja made right after Chocolate, most people completely missed it.)
I’m sure I could sit here all day and add more. Japan is really into badass women as you know and love them. I left off several anime series for obvious reasons. Almost every Miyazaki film, but I think you mean it in a more directly violent way. Michelle Yeoh has had a long career of being badass and violent. Gina Davis has more I could have mentioned. Charlice Theron is really on a kick right now too. She’s kinda becoming the lady Keanu or modern Gina Davis. Might as well put all that martial arts training to good use while she still can right?
Fun times.
TEETH: body horror that chews through male rape culture
9 TO 5: old and white but oh so right
CHOCOLAT & LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE: both films conquer male patriarchy (and female oppression) via food & an outsider’s passion
WONDER WOMAN: a ‘gal’ who has no need for a man to save her or f*ck her and is still all woman, all hero
PAM GRIER in EVERYTHING
DEATH PROOF: the 3 women in the second half are every gear-head girl’s revenge fantasy come to life
Oops, sorry – you already had Wonder Woman, my bad!