Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates) has a difficult conversation about troubles in her personal life with her employer, Vera Donovan (Judy Parfitt) (Dolores Claiborne, Hackford 1995). 

by Megan Hess 
​When most people think "Stephen King," they think spooky and scary, not battered women and small-town domestic drama. Although King started out writing horror novels which often focused heavily on the supernatural, in recent years, he has shifted away from that, instead writing about horrors his readership is more likely to encounter in their lives. 
Dolores Claiborne is one of these books. Published in 1993, it tells the story of Dolores Claiborne, a woman isolated from her community for allegedly murdering her abusive, alcoholic husband, thirty years earlier. When the book begins, she has accused again -  this time of murdering her longtime employer, the sharp-tongued, senile, Vera Donovan. The 1996 film adaptation written by Tony Gilroy and directed by Taylor Hackford, has the same basic plot as the book, but adds an element absent in the book: the physical presence of Claiborne's adult daughter, Selina (Jennifer Jason Leigh), in real-time. Never one of King's most popular books, unfortunately (probably because it lacks the supernatural creepiness which many longtime fans love) the stellar film adaptation is similarly forgotten by many, when it should be not only remembered, but emulated. Bates named Dolores Claiborne as her favorite role so far from her decades-long career (appropriate, since King wrote the character with Bates in mind after seeing her play sadistic superfan Annie Wilkes in the screen adaptation of his novel Misery (Reiner, 1990). ) Besides the great performances in the film  (including a bone-chilling David Strathairn as Dolores' husband, Joe St. George), Dolores Claiborne encapsulates the depth and breadth of the platonic bond between women, and should be listed along with the other greatest female friendship films we have, like Thelma and Louise (Scott, 1991) or Steel Magnolias (Ross, 1989). 
Dolores and Vera (Judy Parfitt) have every reason not to be friends, and Dolores has every reason to kill her (not counting the millions Vera left to her in her will). Vera is a high-society lady with even higher standards for the way she wants things done, while Dolores is a working-class woman in her employ. The differing backgrounds and power imbalance almost ensures they will not have a relationship beyond employer\employee, but Dolores is able to meet Vera's demands, and sets herself apart from the other maids working to keep the Donovans' summer home in order - so much so that Vera asks her to keep up the house over the winter season.  
When Vera's husband dies in a car accident, she moves from her home in Baltimore to the island house, and has Dolores working for her year-round full-time. Even this does not cause their relationship to shift from purely professional to something more intimate. That comes after Dolores learns from Teenage Selina (Ellen Muth) that Joe has been targeting her sexually.
Dolores plans to go to the bank and withdraw all of the money she has saved up from working for Vera all these years, so that she and Selina can flee Joe, but the escape plan falls flat when she discovers that Joe has emptied the account. When Vera finds her sobbing at work, she gets Dolores to tell her everything, and the relationship between them begins to change. Vera indirectly hints to Dolores that the "car accident" her husband died in was no accident; she killed him for running around on her with other women. She suggests that Dolores does the same to Joe, because "husbands die every day, Dolores...They die...and they leave their wives their money..... An accident can be an unhappy woman's best friend." When Dolores tries to address Vera more formally, as she always has, Vera corrects her and says, "I insist that all women who have hysterics in my drawing room call me by my Christian name." These moments show that Vera trusts Dolores with more than just the state of her home, and even cares about her well-being.  She even gives her a piece of advice which gives her the courage to kill Joe, and, afterwards, to hold her head high and continue living and working in the town she grew up in: "Sometimes, being a bitch is the only thing a woman has to hold on to."
Dolores returns the favor later on by moving in with Vera after she has had a stroke and becoming her caretaker. She stays although Vera's moments of lucidity become more infrequent by the day. When the mailman finds Vera in a tumble at the bottom of the stairs and Dolores standing over her with a rolling pin, he assumes that Dolores threw her elderly charge down the stairs and then grabbed the rolling pin to finish her off. This hypothesis looks more likely when the investigators find out that, according to Vera's will made eight years before her death, Dolores will inherit everything she owned. However, Selina uses the strong bond between the two women to prove that her mother did not kill Vera Donovan. This leads Dolores to tell them the truth: sick of being infirm and insane, Vera pitched herself down the stairs. When Dolores tried to save her, she begged Dolores to finish her off, but died before Dolores could strike the killing blow. (She had no idea about the inheritance.)
Whether or not Dolores could have gone through with assisting Vera in ending her life if uninterrupted is up for debate. On one side of the argument, her devotion to Vera Donovan had caused her to do many unpleasant tasks over the years. Ending her pain would be just one more - and, if she truly loves Vera, she would want to ease her suffering. The film does not go very deep into how painful it must have been for Dolores to watch Vera's decline, but I would imagine the situation to be very difficult for both of them. We see Vera ordering Dolores around before her death, but it doesn't have the same punch as Vera in her prime. More often, it's Dolores giving her orders.  
Conversely, Dolores has made so many sacrifices for Vera already. In Selina's words, "There were other jobs...better jobs" but she stuck it out because she knew no one else would take care of Vera. Is it really fair of Vera to ask this of her now? How would Dolores feel afterwards? Killing a lecherous, drunken husband is one thing...but killing a best friend - even if they ask - is an entirely different scenario. Even if she felt like she had done the right thing for Vera, there would still probably be some guilt. 
Even though Dolores and Vera's relationship is only a piece of the film, it is one of the pieces with the greatest impact, and crucial to understanding the film in full. Dolores Claiborne shows a flawed, but admirable friendship. Vera and Dolores should not be forgotten, but lifted up alongside other classic parings of female friends. 
​


​



​

   


​

Written by Emmanuel Gundran

Creed (Coogler 2015) is the latest entry in the Rocky franchise that follows the son of the main character, Rocky Balboa's, rival Apollo Creed who wants to make a name for himself in the boxing world. Adonis "Donnie" Creed (Michael B. Jordan) grew up never knowing his boxing champion father Apollo, who died in the ring before Donnie was born. He decides to move from California to Philadelphia, home of the famous Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), to have Rocky train him to take on the undefeated champion "Pretty" Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew). While Donnie trains in Philly, he meets his next-door apartment neighbor and music performer Bianca (Tessa Thompson) who he falls in love with and supports as she continues to make music until her progressive hearing loss takes its full toll. Creed is not only a classic tale of the underdog fighting against all odds like the original Rocky (Avildsen 1976) but also one of inheriting and owning a legacy.

This film achieves being a great drama and a fitting continuation of the Rocky franchise. Creed follows a lot of similar beats to the original 1976 Rocky (Avildsen): they both start with the main character, Rocky/Donnie, living in obscurity and wanting to take on the undefeated boxing champion Rocky/Donnie seeks out the help of a reluctant former boxer to train to fight the champion, the champion seeks out the rising star, Rocky/Donnie, based on their name, and both films lead to a climactic match between the two boxers that ends with a moving speech from Rocky/Donnie. Creed makes itself a different film from Rocky, however, by continuing the story and legacy of Rocky Balboa. Longtime fans of the Rocky films will notice references to Adrian (Talia Shire), Rocky's wife who he met at a pet store, her brother and Rocky's best friend and roommate Paulie Pennino (Burt Young), and even a fun reference to a certain chicken-chasing scene from Rocky II (Stallone 1979). Most importantly though, Rocky doesn't serve only as a mentor to move Donnie forward in his career, as Rocky struggles with no longer living with the people he's loved for so long and deciding whether to fight Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma or die in peace.

Creed excels as a story of creating a legacy and planting seeds in a garden one never gets to see. All his life, Donnie has been anxious of being the son of famous boxer, Apollo Creed. He grew up in an environment separated from both of his birth-parents. Apollo died in the ring (as was portrayed in Rocky IV (Stallone 1985)), and Donnie's unknown mother, who bore Donnie illegitimately, died shortly afterward. Apollo never realized the impact that he would have on his son's life, but because of the neglect that Donnie had throughout his life, Donnie hides his last name under a pseudonym, "Johnson." However, when his parentage is leaked out to the press, he decides to finally own his family's legacy while proving to the world that he has potential apart from his famous name. Even Donnie's stepmother and Apollo's widow, Mary Anne, supports Donnie's decision to take on the "Creed" name by restitching Apollo's old boxing shorts with the names "Creed" and "Johnson" on the front and back respectively. This is a great moment in the film, as it symbolizes the name that Donnie puts forward to the public and the person he really is behind the fame of being a Creed. With the continuation of the Rocky franchise and themes of making a name for oneself while respecting the legacy of the past, Creed definitely worth checking out for Rocky and film fans alike.

Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) brandishes his gun in Gran Torino (Eastwood, 2008). 

by Megan Hess
Making a connection between Clint Eastwood and feminist theory might seem like a bit of a stretch, but the two do actually have some areas of overlap. The actor/producer/ director who gained notoriety for male-dominated Westerns and action flicks has diversified his resume, with more female-inclusive films like The Bridges of Madison County (Eastwood, 1995) Million Dollar Baby  (Eastwood, 2005). A versatile, phenomenally gifted talent, Eastwood can both praise masculinity and critique it. In Gran Torino (Eastwood, 2008), he does both.  
Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a grizzly curmudgeon, recently widowed and clinging to his spot in the "old neighborhood," even though it has moved on without him. An influx of immigrant families has turned the all-white neighborhood into a space of - in Walt's eyes - uncomfortable diversity. Walt avoids his Hmong neighbors until he catches their youngest son attempting to steal his prized possession, a 1972 Gran Torino in mint condition. Despite this initially negative event, Walt and Thao (Bee Vang) eventually build a mutually beneficial relationship.
​Gran Torino has two major themes: race and masculinity. As Walt teaches Thao how to be a man, his own beliefs about manhood become evident. Walt's cultural immersion shapes the way he sees normative male behavior and gender roles, and influences much of the racially derisive language and behavior which he discards by the end of the film. Gran Torino praises positive male relationships while showcasing the negative effects of toxic masculinity.
Gender studies scholars use the term "toxic masculinity" to refer to the damaging pressures of patriarchal manhood. It speaks to the rigidity of male gender roles - which Paul Kivel calls the "Act Like a Man Box" -  and the negative effects of that rigidity. Recent psychological and medical research has linked male adherence to traditional masculine gender norms with the following: loss of intimate friendships, increased rates of depression, and decreased life expectancy (Lanius & Hassel, 45). Even men who appear to fit into the " 'Act Like a Man' " box with ease are affected; they may feel anxiety about maintaining  their status, or use it to police other members of their gender who deviate from social norms. 
Walt exemplifies this. A physically imposing veteran with a garage full of tools, cars, and guns, he fits into the " 'Act Like a Man Box' " well, and never worries if he's not performing maleness satisfactorily. However, toxic masculinity has poisoned him.  He isn't particularly proud of his time serving his country - as evidenced by the fact that he keeps all his war memorabilia, including a Silver Star medal, boxed up in the basement -  and keeps his emotions strapped down under a thick sheet of anger and cynicism.
Whether intentional or unintentional, the writers behind Gran Torino make reference to another famous onscreen character trapped in the "Act Like a Man Box:" Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando).   Eastwood's character and the A Streetcar Named Desire (Kazan, 1951 ) antagonist share a last name, a fondness for alcohol, and a history of military service - World War II for Stanley, and the Korean War for Walt.  For all their similarities, the two characters differ in how they treat women. Although an unabashed racist, Walt never ventures into sexist territory, and he always targets other men with his anger and violence - never women - unlike his brutal, misogynistic counterpart. 
Walt's newly forged relationships with other men counterattack the effects of toxic masculinity. Stepping into the mentor/father role for Thao requires that he release the chokehold he has had on his emotions since the war, if not from a very young age. He also learns to trust the priest who his wife confided in before her death. The positive effects of a strong social circle on Walt's life shows the importance of male friendships.
Many people work together to combat the detrimental effects of the social construction of manhood. Unfortunately, all the hard work cannot erase toxic masculinity from society instantly. Gran Torino proves that men don't just have to learn to live with its presence. Little things - like friendship - can start deprogramming damaged men trying to live up to an unattainable model. 

Works Cited
Lannius, Christie, and Holly Hassel. Threshold Concepts in Women's and Gender Studies: Ways of Seeing, Thinking, and Knowing. New York: Routledge, 2015. Print. 

​

​

By Emmanuel Gundran

Source Filmmaker is a significant piece of software within the past five years that enters gamers into the world of film. Source Filmmaker is a 3D filmmaking software developed by Valve Corporation that was originally used solely for their promotional videos for games such as Team Fortress 2 (Valve 2007), and Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve 2009). Those, such as Bay Raitt, one of Valve's filmmakers, who previously worked on blockbusters "realized that movies could be made much more efficiently, and with more creative freedom." So they worked with Valve since 2005 to build a storytelling tool within Valve's source engine. This would eventually become Source Filmmaker. Until July 27, 2012, only Valve's filmmaking team had permitted access to the software, but on the same day that Valve released their Team Fortress 2 (2007) promotional video "Meet the Pyro," they finally allowed the software to be used for beta testing so it can be released to the public for free.

After the software was released for free use, players got a taste of the unique features that it uses to make Internet videos. Source Filmmaker blends the experience of playing a video game with making a 3D animated film. When making a film in Source Filmmaker, the user loads a world map straight out of one of Valve's games to use as their setting then places character models into the map to serve as their actors. The user can then choose a character to control and move around the map and in front of the camera. Plenty of aspects of production and post-production are present such as framing and reframing shots, positioning actors in front of the camera, configuring lighting, inserting and cutting shots, and adding special effects and music. Source Filmmaker also includes features exclusive to 3D animation software such as fully-animating character models and props.

​Having learned and mastered Source Filmmaker's tools, many users have created plenty of masterful films through them. Valve has even encouraged players to take advantage of the software by holding an annual Source Filmmaker film festival called the Saxxy Awards. The awards are divided among five different genres: action, comedy, drama, shorts, and extended films. One out of four nominees in a given genre is chosen for the Saxxy Award, and then one overall winner is chosen among the nominees of all five genres. The 2015 Saxxy Award's last overall winner was "Turbulence," an entry from the "extended" category that sets the characters of Team Fortress 2 (Valve, 2007) in a fierce airplane race. 

Fans of Source Filmmaker have even gone beyond the assets that Valve has given them and done so much more with the software than Valve had likely expected. Using 3D modeling software, users have made additional assets for others to download from Valve's Steam Workshop and use in their projects. These assets range from unique maps, character models, textures, and even music. Not only were fanmade assets created for Valve's properties like Team Fortress 2 (Valve 2007), Portal (Valve 2007), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve 2012), and more, but also for games and series outside of Valve such as Five Nights at Freddy's (Cawthon 2014), Splatoon (Nintendo 2014), and Undertale (Fox 2015). Valve's inclusion of fans into the filmmaking process and the fans' passion for creating and sharing with others have contributed to Source Filmmaker's success and a big step for entering gamers into the film industry.

Works Cited:

Source Filmmaker. "Introducing the Source Filmmaker." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 27 Jun 2012. Web. 11 Apr 2016

Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lily) teaches Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) how to fight properly in Ant-Man (Reed, 2015). 

By Megan Hess

When released last week, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Snyder, 2016) created a divide between fans and critics. The glowing amateur reviews contrasted with the professional views which opined that the film could be better. 
Along with critiques came the inevitable comparisons to Marvel. DC and Marvel's competition has lasted for decades - both on and off-screen - and most would say  Marvel wins over DC with their films (not just the ones made by Disney) - both in quantity and quality. However, DC has an edge on Marvel in one area: their women. 
Batman v. Superman didn't need Wonder Woman, yet the writers chose to include her anyway. DC recognized the fan frenzy over Wonder Woman, and rewarded it by giving the character her own solo movie, set for release in 2017. Comparing this to Marvel' s consistent denial of fan requests for a Black Widow stand-alone film - although they compromised with Captain Marvel (2019) - it's clear who knows how to utilize their female characters to full advantage. 
​Those people who only watch the Marvel movies and don't read any comics would think that they don't have a lot of female characters, when, actually, the opposite is true. Marvel has more than enough women they could move off the page and onto the movie screen, but they choose to use only a handful of them. The majority of Marvel films embody tokenism, or the practice of including one or two minority figures in order to appear diversified. In fairness to Marvel, they outclass DC in terms of racial/ethnic diversity. Then again,  they have produced many more films; perhaps DC just hasn't had the chance to catch up yet. 
​ Gender-specific tokenism is more commonly known as "The Smurfette Principle." Feminist writer Katha Pollitt invented the term in a 1991 New York Times magazine article. After noticing a disproportionate female-to-male character ratio on children's television programs, she analyzed  the effect that lack of adequate representation  has on young female viewers. The message which comes from having only one or two women in a show's principal cast of characters mirrors the words of Simone de Beauvoir in The Second Sex: "She [the woman] is defined and differentiated with reference to man....she is the incidental, the inessential, as opposed to the essential. He is the Subject, he is the Absolute - she is the Other" (Freeman 255).  In Pollitt's words: "Boys are the norm, girls the variation; boys are central, girls peripheral; boys are individuals, girls types. Boys define the group, its story and its code of values. Girls exist only in relation to boys" (Pollitt 1).

Natasha Romanoff, a.ka. "Black Widow," (Scarlett Johansson) the Smurfette of the Avengers team, prior to Avengers: Age of Ultron (Whedon, 2015).

Out of all of Marvel's leading ladies, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlet Johansson) gets the most "Smurfette-ed." First introduced in Iron Man 2 (Favreau, 2010) Romanoff got the distinction of being the single XX chromosome-carrier on the Avengers team when Avengers (Whedon, 2012) was released in 2012.  She accompanied Cap through Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Russo & Russo, 2014), and reunited with the guys for Avengers: Age of Ultron (Whedon, 2015)...where she finally got a female companion in Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch. Age of Ultron changed things in other ways for Natasha; it began to explore her complicated and painful backstory, supplying a possible avenue of exploration for the solo movie fans still clamor for. 

Even though Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lily) is Hank Pym's (Michael Douglas) biological daughter, and much more qualified than Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), she still doesn't get to wear the suit - at least in this movie (Ant-Man, Reed, 2015).

 Marvel has made improvements, attempting to have more superheroines and less Smurfettes in its recent projects. Yet, males still outnumber women characters in every movie, and they still choose to make more movies focused around men (like the majority of films that get released each year) instead of adding female-centric projects. Why should Captain America get 3 movies when Black Widow has none? The creators at Disney and other studios behind the MCU should take a look at the way Fox handles another Marvel property: the X-Men franchise. While male characters still make up the majority of the cast, it makes a better attempt at gender parity than anything in the MCU - especially with X-Men: Apocalypse (Singer, 2016) which adds Psylocke (Olivia Munn) and Jubilee (Lana Condor) - as well as younger versions of Storm (Alexandra Shipp) and Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) - to the film franchise. 

Works Cited
Freedman, Estelle, ed. The Essential Feminist Reader. New York: Modern Library, 2007. Print.
Pollitt, Katha. "Hers; The Smurfette Principle." The New York Times Magazine. 7 April 1991. Web. 23 March 2016.