If ever three women roared, they’re Viola Davis, Cate Blanchett and Daisy Edgar-Jones. If you love movies, as well as powerful, talented women, the big screen has just unveiled an embarrassment of riches.
Let’s start with the most understated and surprising one. I didn’t particularly want to see Where the Crawdads Sing—and no I hadn’t read the book. Even the trailers didn’t entice me. Thank goodness my angels did. A spectacularly beautiful movie to watch, it takes place in the marshlands of North Carolina. A little-known corner of our country that is as gorgeous as it is surprising. The movie could have been a travelogue. Instead, it is a low-key, understated tale that will grab you by the heartstrings. A coming-of-age story about a young girl, played by Daisy Edgar Jones, who was abandoned by her abusive father and worthless mother and somehow survives almost literally alone in the marshlands. She endures abuse, abandonment, betrayal, sex, and even an alleged murder. As the trailers describe it “Where the Crawdads Sing” is a beautifully haunting story of one girl’s quiet resilience in a film that floats across multiple genres: thriller, romance and, ultimately, survival story.” Indeed.
Then There’s THE WOMAN KING
Once again, I might have passed on The Woman King except that I love Viola Davis. I decided that if she wanted to be a Woman King, why the heck not? Plus, it got rave reviews in its Toronto International Film Festival premiere that called the story a mix Hollywood entertainment with a story of social and historical significance. To say the least. Honestly, I can’t remember a movie where I literally was on my feet at the end clapping, laughing and crying. The story deals with the ugliness of the slave trade in Africa in the 1800’s. The unusual element was that black tribes were fighting against each other to sell their countrymen to the white slavers. Enter the women. Fierce, fanatical, choose your adjective. And even when they were told to stand down by their young king, the fanatical women simply faded into the background then roared back stronger than ever. And then there is Angela Davis. As one reviewer said of her “Davis is stellar. She seems to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders with a single glance.” Another reviewer declared “It’s an action epic that is sure to make everyone stand up and cheer!” She was right. I did!
And finally… TÁR
When is the last time you sat through a 210-minute movie and wished that it didn’t end? Enter TÁR and Cate Blanchett. Just know that if Blanchett doesn’t earn the Academy’s Best Actress award for her performance, it will be a historic travesty. TÁR follows a revered classical composer/conductor, Lydia Tar, the first woman to be lead conductor of a major German orchestra, in the weeks leading up to a career moment of completing the fifth of the five Mahler adaptations. A field dominated by white males. At the end of the two-and-a-half-hour movie, you’re forced to come to grips with one reviewer’s conclusion: “Whether someone is corrupted, flawed, or uses the wrong language, it’s rare that someone is evil through and through. A fall from grace story is a tale as old as time. But in an era where many audiences are looking for signals from the filmmaker to whether a certain behavior is condoned, TÁR instead presents a character fully, not to make a statement, but solely to make a portrait in unexpected ways.” If you love movies, do yourself a favor and spend 210 minutes watching a movie you will never forget. Promise.
Three roaring women you don’t want to miss!
While we are praising remarkable women, real and fictional, check out my series, The Olive or Twist Saga. Four remarkable and unforgettable women are paired with a quartet of men who are snazzy in their own right.
Want more powerful women (and men)? Don’t miss our Authors’ Billboard set:
Unforgettable Courage
My book in the Box set is: The Courage to Triumph
“Caught in a hotbed of White Supremacist activists, both Ava and Luke become the targets. This last book in the series is a nail biter. Not only because of the constant danger but because Luke and Ava have to decide if they have what it takes to love one another. Torrid love scenes, racial violence, snappy dialogue and unforgettable characters. A typical Taylor Lee high octane book.” J John Reviews
USA Today Best Selling author Taylor Lee writes Suspenseful Mystery Thrillers – with a heavy dose of Sexy to Sizzling HOT Romance.
In the five years that she has been writing, Taylor has written more than forty books. Her eight, series track her Special Operatives, Covert Agents, Cops, Firefighters and other iconic heroes and heroines, through the harrowing situations that make up their lives. From human trafficking rings to corrupt politicians, Taylor investigates the underbelly of society and the criminals who flourish there.
Taylor says: “From the residue in my personal blender of mixed races, cultures and world views, my characters emerge. It comforts me to know that while evil slinks in the shadows, the “good guys and gals” of the world sniff it out – and snuff it out.
My characters are arrogant alpha males and the feisty women who bring them to their knees – and vice versa… They fight hard, love hard and don’t mince words. They are dangerous men and women in dangerous times. Love, passion and ridding the world of evil? What’s not to like?
