Monday 21 November 2016

Girl Week: The Leading Ladies of 2016

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For the second year running, king of blogathons Dell at Dell on Movies is dedicating this week to movies with female protagonists. It’s Girl Week! From 21st - 27th November he’s aiming to post every single day, so be sure to bookmark his blog if you aren’t already to check his posts out. Dell has been kind enough to ask us all to contribute to this special week, so I thought I’d put together a list of my favourite leading ladies of movies released this year, so far at least!

It was actually quite shocking looking through my film journal for the year and seeing just how few of those movies have a woman in the leading role. Nonetheless, there are a few, and plenty others I haven’t actually seen yet, so let’s kick this off shall we?

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Amy Adams (Nocturnal Animals, Arrival)
I didn’t think I would love an Amy Adams character any more than Mary in The Muppets. That probably sounds sarcastic, but I love that movie so much. So no, I didn’t think she could top that for me, and then November came along and brought not one, but two movies with Amy Adams as the lead, and she plays completely different roles in each. Susan in Nocturnal Animals is cold, and cruel, whereas Louise in Arrival is warm and kind, someone we can look up to. November 2016 shall forever be remembered as Amy Adams month in my eyes.

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Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn & Kristen Bell (Bad Moms)
Too many times it’s been said that women can’t be funny. When the trailer for Bad Moms came out though I felt apprehensive. After the deeply disappointing How to be Single, this looked like the typical comedy where the only funny moments are in the trailer. Yet I think Bad Moms surprised a lot of people in the end. It’s funny from start to finish, with several scenes that had me holding my stomach to stop it from aching. Not only does this movie have an all-female leading cast, it has some great supporting actresses too!

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Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)
We can always count on the ever wonderful Meryl Streep to put on a good performance. Whilst Florence Foster Jenkins won’t make my Top 10 Movies of 2016 list, it’s still absolutely worth a watch just to see Meryl Streep do what she does best. It’s guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, and I still can’t comprehend just how difficult it must be to deliberately sing badly when you actually have an amazing amount of talent in that area.

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Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane)
Until this year I’ve only seen Mary Elizabeth Winstead in smaller roles, and it wasn’t until after watching 10 Cloverfield Lane that I recognised her at all. She really holds her own as the leading character in this thriller. After being rescued/kidnapped and locked in a bunker, Mary plays a fighter trying to discover the truth, rather than a damsel in distress waiting to be rescued. It looks like she’s landed a big role in Season 3 of Fargo next year too, so I’m looking forward to that!

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Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon & Leslie Jones (Ghostbusters)
Maybe it’s because I’d never seen the original (I have now) but I felt indifferent about the announcement of a remake of Ghostbusters. There was a lot of noise about an all-female cast and a lot of upset hardcore Ghostbusters fans, and then a rush to score the movie as low as possible days before it was even released. I loved it, for the record, and I watched the extended version with my family over the weekend and still loved it. Point proven, women are funny as hell!

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Ellen Page & Allison Janney (Tallulah)
Tallulah is a movie that makes me so grateful for this blogging community, because I don’t think I would have even heard of it otherwise. I’d read glowing reviews and sometimes that’s all I need to go out (or stay in actually, this was on Netflix) and watch a movie straight away. Ellen Page might be the lead in this heartbreaking story about motherhood, but her co-star Allison Janney gives a performance just as strong.

So there you have it, my favourite leading ladies of the year so far. I’m sure if I re-visited this list at the end of year I’ll be adding at least Felicity Jones to it! Don’t forget to check out Dell’s blog to see his Girl Week posts.

20 comments:

  1. I love Kathryn Hahn to bits - she needs to be in more tv and film. Just more Hahn.

    Nocturnal Animals is a that stays with you. I needed closure on it though. Adams was brilliant. I'm yet to see Arrival.

    There is nothing those Ghostbusters can do!! They are invincible.

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    1. The world needs more Kathryn Hahn! I had no idea she was so funny until I saw Bad Moms. I've only seen her in smaller roles before. More Hahn comedies please!!
      I really hope you enjoy Arrival :)
      - Allie

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  2. I am so excited to see Nocturnal Animals. Not around here yet. Amy Adams is always amazing! And she's having another helluva year.

    Good call on Mary Elizabeth Winstead as well. She was great!

    As for Ghostbusters...just...ugh... I grew up on the original. I've seen both 1 and 2 dozens of times each. This one just didn't work for me. Too action-y and loud. Just another superhero movie. Glad you like it though. It had its moments early on.

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    1. I absolutely understand your feelings on Ghostbusters. I think if I'd seen the original(s) years ago and rewatched them loads, I'd feel differently, too. I think Kate McKinnon made it for me, I have such a girl crush on her!
      - Allie

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  3. I haven't checked out any of those movies yet :( Really need to catch up!

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    1. Oh no!! Book yourself a movie marathon, stat :)
      And I would definitely recommend Arrival above all others.
      - Allie

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  4. What a great group of ladies! Especially glad to see some more love for Ghostbusters. I had fun with that one. Haven't seen many of the others, but 10 Cloverfield Lane was amazing. Great post. And thank you so much for participating!

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    1. Thanks for hosting Dell! It was a perfect excuse to rave about my favourite ladies. I can't wait to read everyone else's posts this week :)
      - Allie

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  5. Tallulah! I love that you included that movie.

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    1. SUCH a good movie. I think it was your blog that put it on my radar in the first place actually :)
      - Allie

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  6. Nice collection of modern film that shows that despite the over preponderance of CGI by the numbers kiddie junk and male dominated landscape good roles for women are out there if you dig around.

    Well I don't know if Ghostbusters falls under that but I'm prejudiced since I hated the first one, I fell asleep TWICE in the theatre when I tried to watch it so I'm not bothering with this one.

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    1. I love your honesty Joel! I watched the original after seeing the remake and wasn't thrilled by it to be honest, maybe it just hasn't aged well.
      I can definitely see why people are giving the remake some stick, but not the outright hatred and rating it as low as possible on every review site out there :(
      - Allie

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  7. It would be incredible if Hahn scored some noms for Bad Moms - she is such a great actress and she was really incredible in this movie

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    1. Oh that would be amazing! I hope if nothing else it leads to some bigger roles for her, she was the star of Bad Moms!
      - Allie

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  8. Mary Elizabeth Winstead was truly amazing in 10 Cloverfield Lane. Such a revelation! I enjoyed the new Ghostbusters, but like you I haven't seen the original. I hope to see Bad Moms soon, I'm sure it's a lot of fun.

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    1. I think that's definitely a theme! My family got together to watch it and the feelings were quite mixed, the newbies loved it :)
      - Allie

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  9. Awesome picks and women! Absolutely loved Mary in 10 Cloverfield Lane and the new Ghostbusters. I can't wait to see Arrival. Amy Adams, as always, seems like she's had an amazing year. :D

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    1. She's just an absolute star, and she seems like a really nice person too. She's starring in a TV Show next year called Sharp Objects which sounds pretty interesting :)
      - Allie

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  10. You should go see Smashed. It's this indie movie where I first saw Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a dramatic role, and she is fantastic in it. I will put those two Amy Adams movies on my list! I haven't heard of it until now. Also, there is going to be an Enchanted 2!

    Thank you for this list Allie! There are so many here I have yet to see. Tallulah too, is new to me. :)

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    1. Oh my goodness, Smashed has some of my favourite actors in, how have I never even heard of it before? Thank you so much for putting it on my radar!
      Enchanted 2 is going to be AMAZING. I think we have to wait till 2018 though :(
      Tallulah is a beautiful movie, I really hope you enjoy it if you decide to watch it :)
      - Allie

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