Borderlands (Zev Berman, 2007): 6.5/10

The Magic Flute (Ingmar Bergman, 1975): 7/10

La Guerre Est Finie (Alain Resnais, 1966): 7/10

Speed Racer (The Wachowski Brothers, 2008): 8/10


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Sunday, January 06, 2008

More about Diablo Cody

This article from Cinematical about Diablo Cody (I have such a love-hate relationship with Cinematical; on the hate side, they're often abjectly misogynist -- remember the Katherine Heigl debacle? -- and they kiss Cody's ass more than any other blog I currently read) give me even more reason to wrinkle my nose at everyone's fawning over Juno.

In short: Diablo Cody, even though she came to fame through her blog about her experiences stripping, and subsequent book deal about the same subject, is no longer allowing people to ask her about her time stripping during interviews. Actually, it's questionable whether it's Cody's decision, or Fox Searchlight's. In any case, this gives me pause.

On one hand, Cody's made her career on her sexuality and stripping, even though I have even more problems with that; she's admitted that she only started stripping so she'd "have something to write about," and her writing on the subject reeks of slumming (how disrespectful to women who actually have to strip to live). She brought to a broader public that a woman can be in-your-face sexual and still talented and smart.

But now, she won't talk about it. Apparently, there are Fox Searchlight handlers at all her interviews, and if you get even close to the topic, they shut the interviewer down. I've heard talk that there were even nude photos of Cody on her blog, but they mysteriously disappeared once she got a book deal. So apparently, a woman can be sexual and smart, but only if she refuses to talk about her sexuality once she makes it big. I don't at all agree with the ine of questioning AMC's Peter Bart put to Cody ("When are you going to be a normal woman and have children?" among them, according to Cody), but why should she be so offended at the questions about stripping? It's salacious and borderline dirty for a male interviewer to ask her about it, to be sure, but she has admitted that she would only be in her current position because of her blog/book. Where is the line between shame and modesty? Diablo Cody honestly seems like a cool, talented woman; I just wish she wouldn't keep giving me reasons to dislike her.

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Comments on "More about Diablo Cody"

 

Blogger Bob Turnbull said ... (9:49 AM) : 

Did Peter Bart really say that? I'm gonna have to do some googling, 'cause if that's true it's stunningly insulting. To just about everyone...

I enjoyed "Juno", though not quite as much as many of the critics. It was over-written at times (that etch-a-sketch line was good, but the "doodle that can't be undid" and "home-skillet" additions just killed it) and the music was a bit too precious (though I loved the duet by Cera and Page at the end). But there are some great lines, Juno has a nice character arc and I like how they twisted your expectation on Jennifer Garner's character.

It also helped reinforce my thought that Michael Cera is a terrific comedic actor.

 

Blogger dana said ... (9:53 PM) : 

You know, that's what, according to the Cinematical article, Cody said he said. So I got this information third-hand! Let me know if you came up with anything more substantial.

And I rather liked your writeup of the film, but I'm still not convinced :]

 

Blogger Bob Turnbull said ... (11:01 PM) : 

What? My pithy comments didn't completely turn you around on the film? Damn, I must be slipping...B-)

The little googling I did on Bart's comments all pretty much pointed back to the Cinematical article, so I guess we'll have to wait and see if that section shows up in the televised interview (this coming weekend?). I just hope he meant it as a joke and couldn't quite pull it off...

 

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (12:18 AM) : 

I like what you have done here I think your Diablo cody article is cool. You must like to blog eh.

 

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