so, the nerd girls article on newsweek said, “Today’s girl geeks are members of the first generation to have been truly reared on technology. They grew up on gender-neutral movies like “Hackers” and “The Matrix.”

okay not to be picky but how is The Matrix gender neutral?  that movie is cool, but from a gender standpoint it drives me NUTS!  Trinity kicked 100% ass in the first scene of the first movie, but it was straight downhill from there.  by the end of the film she was reduced to a helpless outsider, who could only help the desperate situation by LOVING A MAN.  give me a break.

watch for it girls!  there’s movies and shows all over the place that have females who are kick ass part of the time, but take a back seat whenever the hero man enters the room.  oh, or they fall in love.  you know, you totally can’t be a strong woman once you’re in love, right?

as if!

Totally veered off topic - that’s the cause for this edit and short post. I’ll just say, “Yes! I agree! Trinity does not count!” (She’s welcome to fall in love, but I really don’t see how being in love can impact her intelligence in one fashion or another.)

There are not that many female role models in action movies, but if you really look you can find them. “Tank Girl” is a much more interesting version of a post-Apocalyptic hero than Mad Max any day, and Mila Jovovich has taken on more than one role; “Ultraviolet” and “The Fifth Element” as well as the Resident Evil series, although my favorite role of hers was as the Klezmer-singing punk rocker in “Dummy,” with Adrien Brody. Linda Hamilton stepped up to the plate in the “Terminator” series, even though the role started her out as a helpless victim. So if you look you can find them.

However, my favorite heroines are not the kick-ass females, although they are fun to watch. I prefer to see women that overcome other obstacles in their lives in a way that manage to make everyone’s lives better and show that they are still smart and have integrity. A few examples: “Amelie” and Juliette Binoche in “Chocolat” fill that bill. I also like Jennifer Connolly in “Blood Diamond” as an example of a woman who actually impacts the lives of a whole continent with her research and writing skills.

I really wish Hollywood would make more roles like that available, although with this weekend’s record-setting “The Dark Knight” and all the buzz about Heath Ledger’s role and all the baggage that came with it that scenario might not be first on their minds.

ohmigod I watch Amelie at least four times a year.  I adore it like a crazy person.

you know what else I watch all the time for no apparent reason?  Singin’ in the Rain!  I know it’s a million years old but Debbie Reynolds character in that movie is this kick-ass career girl who’s just doing her thing and WINNING and if the love interests happen, they happen.  but nothing shakes her.  I think strong female roles come in waves… the industry just keeps trying to ignore the fact that good writing = good women, and we have to remind them every so often.

The firefly series kicks ass.

I didn’t see “blood diamond”.  It looked depressing.  should I change my mind?

Not much of a tech movie, but if I’m going to throw in my vote for semi-recent female lead, I’m going with Kill Bill; I dunno about you all, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s hard not to say a chick star with a katana is hot. Maybe that’s just me, but I totally agree on Trinity taking the back seat in The Matrix… pretty hard to call that gender neutral, though “Animatrix” may have a short about a “chosen” female. Also… seems nobody else commented on this, so might I just say, as fake as it is, “Hackers” is pretty much the shit, especially the quoting of the Hacker Manifesto.