Latest news with #GeenaDavis
Tatler Asia
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
Female action heroes: 8 women who redefined courage long before ‘Ballerina' pirouetted in
Geena Davis as Samantha Caine/Charly Baltimore in 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' (1996) In The Long Kiss Goodnight , Geena Davis showcased how seemingly contradictory identities can coexist within one complex woman. Her transformation from a sweet suburban schoolteacher into a lethal CIA assassin explored themes of identity and self-discovery through explosive action, predating the amnesia-spy thriller trend by years. Her character's journey from inexplicable knife skills to full assassin mode, culminating in the explosive Niagara Falls finale, showed that female action heroes could be simultaneously nurturing and deadly, domestic and dangerous. Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' (1991) Linda Hamilton's transformation of Sarah Connor remains one of cinema's most dramatic character evolutions. From targeted waitress to hardened warrior, Sarah redefined what maternal protection could look like when the stakes involve preventing humanity's extinction. The character's strength lies in her complete commitment to an impossible mission: her escape from Pescadero State Hospital and assault on Cyberdyne Systems showcase not just physical prowess, but also strategic thinking and determination. Sarah embodies the terrifying power of maternal love channelled into relentless action, proving that mothers can become the most formidable protectors imaginable. Zhang Ziyi as Jen Yu in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' (2000) Zhang Ziyi's breakout performance in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a masterclass in playing a character who is equal parts captivating and infuriating, which is exactly what made Jen Yu so unforgettable. Jen is the ultimate rebellious prodigy: a young woman who refuses to be confined by society's expectations and has the martial arts skills to back up her defiance. Ziyi brought an incredible mix of grace and determination to the role, making every fight scene feel like a dance and every emotional moment hit like a punch. She wasn't just leaping rooftops or slicing through a bamboo forest for spectacle—every move was a fight for the right to choose her destiny. Uma Thurman as Beatrix 'The Bride' Kiddo in 'Kill Bill: Volume 1' (2003) Uma Thurman's Bride transformed personal tragedy into a masterpiece of vengeance. Waking up from a four-year coma to discover the massacre of her wedding party and the loss of her unborn child, Beatrix Kiddo channels her grief into the most stylishly brutal quest for justice ever captured on film. The Bride's iconic yellow tracksuit and Hattori Hanzō sword became symbols of determination. Her single-handed destruction of the Crazy 88 at the House of Blue Leaves delivered spectacular action and illustrated how personal loss can fuel extraordinary strength. The performance is pure cinematic magic—violent, beautiful and unforgettable. Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa in 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015) Charlize Theron's Imperator Furiosa commandeered Mad Max entirely. In a franchise literally named after its male protagonist, Furiosa became the true driving force, both behind the wheel of her War Rig and as the heart of the story. Furiosa represents defiance in its purest form. Her rebellion against Immortan Joe's tyrannical regime to liberate his 'Five Wives' transforms her from war captain to freedom fighter. Her prosthetic arm isn't portrayed as a limitation but as a testament to her resilience, challenging conventional depictions of disability in action cinema while delivering some of the most spectacular vehicular combat ever filmed. Angelina Jolie as Evelyn Salt in 'Salt' (2010) Angelina Jolie gives life to Evelyn Salt, a CIA operative who is accused of being a Russian sleeper agent and goes on the run to try to clear her name. What makes Jolie's Salt fascinating is that the role was originally written for a male protagonist, with Tom Cruise initially secured for the lead, before the script was ultimately rewritten for the actress. The film's central question—is Salt truly loyal or is she the perfect double agent?—keeps audiences guessing until the end. But it's Jolie's committed performance and those brutal action sequences that make the movie work. She took a role designed for a male action star and made it completely her own, proving that great characters transcend whoever they were originally written for. Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Wang in 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' (2022) Michelle Yeoh's Oscar-winning performance as Evelyn Wang revolutionised the action hero archetype by proving that extraordinary power can emerge from the most ordinary circumstances. This stressed laundromat owner's journey from mundane family struggles to multiverse-saving hero redefined what strength looks like. Evelyn's greatest battles aren't won through violence but through radical empathy. Her famous 'fanny-pack fight' and culinary combat skills showcase inventive action choreography, but her ultimate victory comes from choosing kindness over destruction. She represents the evolution of female action heroes from warriors to healers, proving that sometimes the greatest strength is knowing when not to fight. Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro in 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina' (2025) Brought to life by Ana de Armas, Eve Macarro in Ballerina promises to be the most elegant yet deadly addition to the action hero pantheon. The ballerina-assassin, trained by the secretive Ruska Roma organisation, isn't just stepping into the John Wick universe—she's poised to steal it entirely. What makes Eve extraordinary is her unique blend of grace and lethal precision. Driven by a deeply personal quest to avenge her father's murder, she represents the evolution of the female action hero: technically skilled, emotionally driven and so formidable that even John Wick himself is sent to hunt her down. Ballerina 's narrative twist positions her not as a sidekick or love interest, but as a force so powerful she becomes the hunted protagonist in her own right. NOW READ These new horror movies prove the slasher genre isn't dead 'Mission: Impossible': 7 stunts that redefined high-stakes action cinema 10 wealth-gap relationships in film that actually worked out Credits This article was created with the assistance of AI tools
CBS News
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Anne Tyler on a writer's "selfish motive" to explore other lives
Novelist Anne Tyler was once described as a writer who likes to break America's heart. "Oh, dear! Well, don't you think life kind of breaks your heart?" she said. Stories about life breaking your heart, and how love can sometimes mend it, have made Tyler a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, and a best-selling author for six decades. In 1977, she told The New York Times, "It does matter to me that I be considered a serious writer. …. A serious book is one that removes me to another life as I am reading it. … It has to be an extremely believable lie." "I don't remember saying that, but I believe every word of it still!" she laughed. "The fact that it's a lie is a very important part of what makes it not real life, don't worry! And the fact that it's a believable lie makes you say, I am actually being another person right now." The people who live in Tyler's two dozen books have touched countless readers: "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant," "Breathing Lessons," "A Spool of Blue Thread," and "The Accidental Tourist," which became a critically-acclaimed film with William Hurt as a travel writer who hates to travel, and Geena Davis, who won an Oscar for playing the woman who shows him that love is possible for those willing to take a chance. Bestselling author Anne Tyler. Her latest novel is "Three Days in June." CBS News Tyler said, "What makes me keep going as a writer is a more selfish motive, which is, I'm just always wanting to know what it's like to be somebody else. … I feel almost deprived that I have just this one life; I have to be greedy and reach out and see, Well, that guy I just passed in the street, he said that strang thing, what is it like to be him? It's just self-indulgence to sit and write all day and pretend I'm somebody else." "I love listening to people" Tyler grew up in a quiet Quaker community in North Carolina. She would tell herself stories to fall asleep at night: "I would fold my knees up and that would be my desk, and I would be a doctor seeing patients, and I would whisper these conversations. And it always ended with my brother in the bed across the room shouting out, 'Mama, Anne's whispering again!'" Something her readers have long heard about, but never seen: her "blue box," full of hand-written notes to herself. I asked, "Is it fun for you to page through the blue box and go, 'Oh, I forgot I thought about that'?" "Yes," she said. "But we should never page through it too often, because then it won't be surprising." CBS News The box is filled with ideas and snippets of conversations overheard in grocery stores or coffee shops that she might slip into a book. "I love listening to people; I like to hear them nattering on," she said. "That's why the pandemic hit my writing career very hard! Because I love to just be walking down the street and you hear somebody say two words, as I go on, I think, I wonder what that was about? And that's where stories begin." No place is more associated with Tyler than Baltimore, Maryland. It's where she and her late husband, Iranian novelist and psychiatrist Taghi Modarressi, raised their two daughters. So, why does she keep returning to Baltimore as a setting for her stories? "Laziness," she mused. "You seem to have a love for the setting," I said. "But face the fact that if I wrote about somebody in New York, I'd have to find out a bunch of things about New York," Tyler said. "And here I am! But I don't know why it is that I feel there's sort of more there there in the average Baltimorean than there are in people in other places." "I'm going to be writing this [next] book forever" Knopf Tyler's latest book, "Three Days in June," details a long weekend in the life of a school administrator, bookended by the loss of her job and her daughter's wedding. At one point the book's main character, Gail, says, "I'm not the kind of woman who dreams of doing things." I asked Tyler, "If you could pretend to be anybody, why choose the assistant headmistress at a school in Baltimore, versus a movie star or a head of state?" "You think that's bad – the current thing I'm working on, the guy remodels kitchens for a living," Tyler replied. "I don't know! I've often asked myself, if I want to be somebody else, why not somebody heroic and crusading out in the world? But I don't get to choose. I always say novels are like olives in one of those tall, thin bottles. You just get out an olive that's on top. This is the one that comes next." But the lives of her characters, and the jobs they have, are anything but humdrum. "And there is a beauty in the acceptance that people have over their own lives," I said. "Sometimes people just end up in a place like Baltimore." "They make a life there!" she laughed. Now, at age 83, Anne Tyler says she'll keep doing what she has always done: listen, think, and write about people who might shatter your heart, or stitch it back together. Asked how many more books we might expect from her, Tyler replied, "Well, I'm going to be writing this [next] book forever, and when I finish it, if I do finish it before I die, I will rewrite it. And if I'm still not dead, I will rewrite it again, because I'm not going to bring out another book. I'm horrified that I have 25 books in a list in the front of this latest novel." "Isn't that a joy, Anne? Twenty-five books?" I asked. "No!" she said. "My next-door neighbor many years ago said, 'You do churn them out, don't you?'" "That comment clearly lingers in your mind." "It's engraved there, yes!" she laughed. READ AN EXCERPT: "Three Days in June" by Anne Tyler WEB EXCLUSIVE: Watch an extended interview with Anne Tyler For more info: Story produced by Ed Forgotson. Editor: Ed Givnish.
Axios
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Your guide to NWA's biggest summer festivals and events
The unofficial start of summer — Memorial Day weekend — is just one week away. And that means it's time to mark your calendar and make plans so you don't miss what NWA has to offer this season. Here are our ideas: 🍗 Bentonville BBQ Festival — Sample BBQ from pitmasters from nine states. May 31 at The Momentary. Get tickets. 🎡 Mudtown Days — Lowell's flagship community event is back June 6-7, with live music, games and a carnival. 👗 Bentonville Fashion Week — See local designers' work June 6-8 at Thaden School. Get tickets. 🎸 Gulley Park concert series — Enjoy free live music from local bands at Gulley Park in Fayetteville on each Thursday night from June 12-July 24, with the exception of July 3. 🎬 Bentonville Film Festival — The festival founded by actor Geena Davis is back for its 11th year June 16-22 with film screenings, panels and some free community events. Get tickets. ⭐️ Freedom Festival — Celebrate Juneteenth on June 21 at Luther George Park in Springdale. 🤠 Rodeo of the Ozarks — June 25-28 in Springdale. Get tickets. 🏳️🌈 Northwest Arkansas Pride weekend — Stay tuned for a schedule, but the largest LGBTQ celebration in Arkansas is set for June 27-29 in Fayetteville. 🍇 Tontitown Grape Festival — This long-running festival continues with a carnival, live music and, of course, spaghetti dinners Aug. 5-9. 🎈 Soar NWA Festival — Check out colorful hot air balloons and take a tethered ride Aug. 15-16 at the Benton County Fairground in Bentonville. Get tickets. 🎟 Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion summer concert series — NWA's largest concert venue has artists like Jason Aldean, Goo Goo Dolls and The Black Keys coming to Rogers this summer. See the lineup and get tickets. 😎 Bentonville First Friday and Fayetteville's Sundays on the Square — Catch these seasonal, free, kid-friendly community events that take over the downtown squares with live music, vendors and activities. 🎵 Railyard Live — This concert series is happening throughout most weekends all summer at Butterfield Stage in downtown Rogers. General admission tickets are free with some paid table seating options. 🍷 Art of Wine — Mark your calendars for a one-day food and wine festival July 11 at Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville. Get tickets.
Axios
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Bentonville Film Festival returns with celebrities, Arkansas filmmakers and diverse voices
The Bentonville Film Festival is heading into its second decade next month with a new category for Arkansas filmmakers, event organizers announced Tuesday. The big picture: The festival, founded by actor Geena Davis, features films, panel discussions and events in an effort to promote representation in the film industry. The event brings celebrities and professionals in the industry to Bentonville, gets eyes on films made by and starring people of diverse demographics and hosts free community events, including last year's screening of "Barbie" at The Momentary. Organizers are not yet revealing which stars will take part in this year's "Geena and Friends" — arguably one of the most popular annual events — in which female actors reimagine famous movie scenes starring men. What they're saying: While the film and television industry has made lots of progress in on screen representation, the lack of diversity among behind the scenes roles like directors, editors and cinematographers is "abysmal," Davis told Axios on Tuesday during an event at Skyline Cinema in Bentonville. "The idea of what we're doing should apply universally," she said. "My contention is that in general, in front of and behind the camera, the film and television community should reflect the actual population, which is half female and incredibly diverse, and so we're trying to show how important and right and impactful and entertaining that can be. " Context: Davis also started the Geena Davis Institute in 2004, originally focusing on research and advocacy around women in the industry and then expanding to more underrepresented groups, including people of color, diverse body types, the LGBTQ community and people with disabilities. The intrigue: The new "Homegrown" section highlighting Arkansas filmmakers will likely continue in future festivals, festival president Wendy Guerrero said Tuesday. Allyson de la Houssaye, who first connected with other filmmakers at the 2015 festival after moving to Bentonville from Chicago, will debut her documentary, "Ridge to River: The Arkansas Traverse," which follows nine cyclists across the state as they stop at places along the Trail of Tears and a former Japanese internment camp, she said during the event. The festival has always had connections with local aspiring filmmakers, Davis told Axios, and film production in the area is growing. The latest: The 11th Bentonville Film Festival — the fifth fastest growing film festival in North America — will also feature familiar faces like Al Roker, who will be hosting a sneak peek and discussion of his new animated series "Weather Hunters," and Lucy Liu, star of "Rosemeade," which will be screened, Guerrero said. The new science, technology, engineering art and math (STEAM) sessions announced Tuesday will include panel discussions on technology in filmmaking like AI tools to help with storyboarding, she told Axios. If you go: The festival is June 16-22 at various venues including The Momentary, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Skylight Cinema and Thaden School Performing Arts Center. Tickets start at $250.
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
Geena Davis reflects on decades in the spotlight and debuts her children's book
Known for iconic movies like 'Thelma & Louise,' Geena Davis is now debuting her first children's book, 'The Girl Who Was Too Big for the Page,' which she wrote and illustrated.
