I don't know about you, Miss Kitty, but I feel so much yummier.

Name: Catwoman, Aka Selina Kyle, played by Michelle Pfeiffer
Origin: Batman Returns, by Tim Burton, 1992
Why: It's actually hard to go back to the roots of my obsession with this character and this movie, but let's see... I guess that, being a bit of a super-hero obsessed geek, I've always appreciated the fact that she was a strong female character in such a male-dominated environment, and also that the writers and Burton really took the time to make her a rich, deep, layered character as opposed to just an accessory, like most females in super-hero movies. Of course she was incredibly sexual and an object of lust, but she kicked ass! I guess the whole transformation from Selina Kyle, the shy and bullied secretary, to Catwoman is a really strong feminist allegory. She goes from being ignored to rolling with the big guys, and she does that by proving that she is a match for them in both strength and intellect, the acceptance she receives isn't obtained by fulfilling men's expectations. Of course she uses her seduction as a ruse, but mostly as comic relief, and I've always loved the fact that her costume reflected that perfectly: it is outrageously sexual (at the time quite shocking I believe, referencing S&M codes that blatantly) but without showing any skin, she keeps it all hidden: it is a perfect metaphor of the character. Plus the fact that they ignored all the origin stories from the golden age of comics and the TV show made it something else entirely, the fact is that we never actually find out where all these sudden powers come from, apart from dying! I guess that's what I love about her, she leaves behind her meaningless life, metaphorically dies, and is reborn into everything she always wanted to be, yet she is still the same person, she had those powers all along. And since the fact that she dies or not is never really confirmed, we can only assume that the only difference between her former and her new self is just that she got rid of all of society's and people's expectations and is just determined to have it her way, and I believe that's another point which makes her a strong feminist icon. Plus it is perfect since it makes her an ideal match for Batman: truly she has no super-powers, she is just a normal person who found a way, through assuming a persona as a super-hero, to deal with her inner duality and struggles. The movie portrays that perfectly, all the main characters are haunted by this duality, and they all handle it in many different ways, to different levels of success of course. The Penguin and Max Shrek having clearly chosen the wrong side which led them to their end, and Selina being on the edge of the sword, hesitating the whole time.
In the end she doesn't make it of course, she is too obsessed with revenge, and I believe that last scene really shows what an understated actress Michelle Pfeiffer is, she looks perfect for the role, a modern crazy version of an HItchcock blonde, and she depicts insanity perfectly yet making you believe that there's still good in her, going from extremely sweet and lost to just batshit crazy, and that the scales are always moving, and that they could stop on any side, at any time. So, add to the incredible acting a superb set design, a great script, an iconic costume which will be remembered in the history of cinema, and Burton being, in my humble opinion, at his best, managing to create a fast-paced action movie which is still touching and often really sad, you then get a movie which is still one of the best super-hero movies of all times, and one of my personal favorites.
Let's just add that everyone should stay clear of that atrocious Pitof version with Hale Berry, and please, don't ever mention to me that skanky low-budget porno flick outfit of hers made of belts, it's best to just forget it ever happened!
Now, being a huge fan of Chris Nolan, I can only hope that he'll include Catwoman in the third installment of his Batman franchise, I'd be very interested in seeing what he does with her... Fingers crossed!

I know stealing a foot is weird. But, hello, living in a house where a foot is available to be stolen is weird.

Name: Claire Fisher, played by Lauren Ambrose
Origin: Six Feet Under, HBO
Why: Well, first of all the TV show was incredibly well written, acted and had a really unusual tone, and its characters were all rich and well developed, and the storylines were compelling on so many levels.
At first I was obviously drawn to her mum, the incredible Ruth Fisher, and her brother's girlfriend Brenda, so she was always this character in the background that I knew I liked but never really favored or preferred, exactly the way her character started out on the show, the little sister standing at the back whom no one really notices although she's desperately trying to get people's attention....
It's only as the show went on and on, and actually sank into pure gloom (I mean, people who have watched them all will understand what I'm talking about, it's always been about death and a funeral home, but seriously, series 4 and 5 just really crossed over to the dark side... Nate's wife disappearance, anyone?) she was a constant and welcome funny relief. As soon as she enrolled in art school I couldn't help but love her, so many of the anecdotes she faced rang true and she just sailed through it with her usual detached and sarcastic tone which made for really good TV moments.
Then, when she show neared its end it all became clear that it actually had been seen mostly through her eyes and telling her specific story.
The last episode left her facing her future and destiny, and it was as though all the previous stories just led up to her departure and explaining where she came from, like a prequel to "The Claire Fisher Show" if you will.
The last scene was just incredible, her driving away on the road in her Hurst and suddenly seeing all of their future lives flashing before her eyes until their deaths, and also making the most of the amazing soundtrack: "Breathe me" by Sia.
This specific still was taken from the last episode, and I believe this scene is when they're just about to have a funeral for her brother Nate and she asks her boyfriend to drive her around just to get out of the house and get some air. I guess I liked the fact that she always came across as strong and a bit of a smartass in the show and that suddenly in that scene she was just really fragile, quiet, and you could understand that in the end she really loved that family she was always bitching and complaining about.
I believe we can all relate to that, can't we?

You take everything... And I'm empty!

Second in line is Mrion Cotillard as Luisa Contini in "Nine".
I know that not many of you actually saw this because everyone likes to hate on musical and stuff, but this one was actually pretty enjoyable!
I have to say Cotillard never really was on my radar until "La môme" aka "La vie en rose", because she used to do pretty shitty french movies, and then even thought she actually had a big break being cast in american blockbusters such as "Big Fish" from Tim Burton she never really struck me as an interesting character, and then...
I must say the most fascinating aspect of her performance in "La Môme" is the physical one, as far as voice and acting goes I think she was a bit over the top, but then she was in a string of good movies, "Nine" and "Public Enemies" to name a few.
I guess in this particular one what struck me is the amount of "retenue" with which she interprets the role, she was really good at depicting Luisa, who was an actress and gave it all up to be a muse and the wife of a famous director. I also love the idea that it is a lesson of old european retenue compared to the openly sexual portrayals offered by Nicole Kidman, Fergie, Penelope Cruz and Kate Hudson.
The scene where she sings "My husband makes movies" was incredibly touching, but she saves the best for last until the end, when she realizes that her husband is just an abusive liar, and that her whole life was a lie, I haven't quite recovered from the way she delivers that line "You're just an appetite, and the day you'll stop wanting things you'll die. You take everything, and I'm empty". I guess we've all been there!
I also thought the way it was intertwined with the song "Take it all" was really clever, to have such a beautiful, poised and classy goodbye scene mixed up with a dirty cabaret scene was a work of genius.
You really got the feeling she had reached her limit, given it her best, and that she was exhausted and couldn't give any more....
I guess for some reason that struck a chord in me, and I found the image of her soul-baring strip-tease quite haunting.

And then there was one....

So, this is the first post of this blog. I"m hoping it'll shape up to be everything I hope it'll be!
Basically the concept of this is to talk to you about characters or fictional women who made an impression on me and stuck with me long enough to want to share it with you all.
I guess the starting point had to be this drawing of Demi Moore as Erin Grant from "Striptease" in 1996. I don't know exactly what made me draw this, but all i know is that at age 14 I felt the need to illustrate this character. And people, I don't want to be blowing my own horn but look at this! I think I did pretty well for a 14 year old, and yes, you have to overlook the face which is totally out of proportions and even a bit manga-esque but come one! Shadows on the back! They weren't that bad, were they?
Well, I guess this is a pretty random first post, because even Demi as a person or Erin her character are a pretty weird choice, but I guess for me it was the starting point of something. I've noticed at an early age that a character, often female, would struck a chord in me at a certain point and would make an impression so big it would stay with me and make me want to put it down on paper later...
I think what brought me to being interested in Erin is that she was the first of a string of heroines from the nineties, stars of some fauxh clichéd sexy thrillers, and that the sexy and naughty appeal of their performance interested me as a 14 year old as a taste of the forbidden. God knows this movie is pretty lame by modern standards, but at the time Erin, shaking her tittays to some Eurythmics soundtrack and bagging Burt Reynolds as a pervy congressman who just wants to be covered in vaseline and wear a cowboy hat/boots combo was pretty risqué....
I guess as a teen I saw a woman of the nineties, I think the message was that sexuality should not be feared, and that in a primal and sexist way those who can use it are fortunate and therefore should take advantage of it to get themselves out of tricky situations...
My memories are foggy, but I guess it had a proper moral, because I think in the end she chose her daughter and her family rather than money and power...
Oh well, there goes all my nineties ideals....

The start of something new...

Welcome all! And welcome to my blog!