I love action movies. But I am no fan of Michael Bay, although admittedly his latest (The Island) does look rather appealing. Those who know me are aware of my deep love for Hong Kong cinema, old school John Woo (Face/Off was his last great movie in that mold), Robert Rodriguez, Johnnie To, James Cameron and so forth. When action films are done well they can wonderfully meld the brainlessness of pop entertainment while giving us something deeper and more complex to consider. Great action films do that. Mr. and Mrs. Smith was a great popcorn flic almost in this style. I'd written a pair of action films with a strong female lead (the same one for both) in this vein. If there was ever a sequel for Mr. and Mrs. Smith I'd love to be the one to write it, the possibilities are endless.
Still there is something to be said for the new flux of female action heroes invading the cinemas. It's something Hong Kong has done for as long as their cinema has been alive. And frankly, I love it. I love writing strong women. It's what I do.
I really need to write a film with a strong, Latina as the lead. Woo hoo, watch out!
3 comments:
I have a great Latina director/producer contact for you when you finish it.
I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you write these strong women roles. Seriously, I think it's so great. I know the stats on how many films have women as a lead, and it's dire...A friend of mine recently won a contest, and they told her she was the only one who had made the action protagonist a woman!
So thank you, on behalf of the planet!
-Lis
P.S. What Hong Kong movies would you recommend to a neophyte?
Well I have to thank women like yourself, my closest friends, my mother, sister and aunts for setting such a wonderful example. The Ballad of Joaquin Murrieta has strong women "heroes" in the script, though by nature the Western is male dominated genre. There are two great female roles in that one - which my co-writer and I are really proud of. Strong in their own right, but symbols of loss and hope for the protgonist.
As for HK movies: The Killer and Hard Boiled (John Woo), Once Upon a Time in China (Tsui Hark), Chungking Express (Wong Kar Wai), Heroic Trio (Ching Siu Tung (sp?)), Infernal Affairs (Mak and Lau), Rouge (Stanley Tong), In the Mood For Love (Wong Kar Wai)... Whew! That should get you off to a good start (a good mix of martial arts, gun fu, romance, sci-fi and drama - sometimes all in one film!)
And once you've gone through a few of those Shaloin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle are a must.
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