Last movie watched...

[Professor Bear]

Starbuck whose character doesn't even get a name and is defined by who she will fuck.

Don't knock it, she's made a career playing that character.

[TordelBack]

Disney is no stranger to this type of controversy and they do have a responsibility (and power to effect change) towards licensees.  It's their product, after all, and how the licensees present that product reflects on Disney.

True they do have a responsibility, but I just can't see a toy license agreement that insists that all characters must be produced, or none - it seems unduly harsh, or at very least would reduce what licensees are prepared to pay (although apocryphally Lucas Licensing used to insist that Darth Vader appear in every wave of Hasbro toys, leading to the current Darth Vader Mountain that afflicts us all).  The attitude problem needs to be fixed at the point of manufacture and sale - diversity needs to be offered to consumers in an attractive way, rather than this narrowly imposed definition of what boys and girls should like.

If I were to pick a toy-fight with Disney it would be over the disparity between its pretty laudable modern depictions of strong independent young women on the screen, and their appearance in toy form. Merida's transformation to blushing well-groomed princess has been disgraceful - I don't think even her mother ever wanted it to go that far!   (Again, there are decent Meridas out there, just not in the core budget ranges).

[von Boom]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I don't know what it is about this film, but as I get older I tend to enjoy it more and more.

[pictsy]

True they do have a responsibility, but I just can't see a toy license agreement that insists that all characters must be produced, or none - it seems unduly harsh, or at very least would reduce what licensees are prepared to pay (although apocryphally Lucas Licensing used to insist that Darth Vader appear in every wave of Hasbro toys, leading to the current Darth Vader Mountain that afflicts us all).

It's hardly harsh when the character in question is part of the main line-up.  Especially when this reflects very badly on the companies involved.

The attitude problem needs to be fixed at the point of manufacture and sale - diversity needs to be offered to consumers in an attractive way, rather than this narrowly imposed definition of what boys and girls should like.

I completely agree that attitudes need to be fixed and that point of manufacture starts with licensing agreements and ends with retailers.  It is sad to see this still going on and it sends a very bad message to children.

If I were to pick a toy-fight with Disney it would be over the disparity between its pretty laudable modern depictions of strong independent young women on the screen, and their appearance in toy form. Merida's transformation to blushing well-groomed princess has been disgraceful - I don't think even her mother ever wanted it to go that far!   (Again, there are decent Meridas out there, just not in the core budget ranges).

I actually signed the petition that helped lead towards Disney conceding on the changes made to her.  My other niece is very into Disney Princesses (she is very 'girly' in stark contrast to her cousin) which is obviously fine but their representations have never sat comfortably with me.  The idea of Merida being part of the Disney Princesses filled me with hope that it would present a more three dimensional representation of young women to girls and boys.  The changes Disney made were massively disappointing and just solidified my distaste and cynicism towards the company.

I don't necessarily think that direct marketing to girls is entirely necessary.  We enjoy the products and we're happy to consume them, we don't need them 'marketed' to us, we just need it to be accepted that we can like it too.  The same goes in the other direction with Bronies and their like.  I have a deep respect for Bronies who fly in the face of 'social norms' because they enjoy a TV program that's apparently for 'little girls'.  They don't need My Little Pony merchandise 'marketed' to them for them to enjoy it.

Again, sorry for going on so much about this topic.  Obviously this issue hits close to home for me. 

[shaolin_monkey]

Yeah, Brave is a cracking film. Me and my girls have seen it several times now. It's so good to see this wee lass fighting for her independence, and right to do as she pleases. Such a great message for my girls. I agree re the doll, and surely in making her more of a twee princess doll Disney lost what should have made the character do popular in the first place? Poor marketing. Tut tut etc.

[Steve Green]

I'm not sure if poisoning your parent is *that* great a message to take away.

[The Legendary Shark]

Once these 3d printers start taking off you'll be able to have any action figure you want, either by order from a "licensed" company, a pirate shop or make your own.

[pictsy]

Once these 3d printers start taking off you'll be able to have any action figure you want, either by order from a "licensed" company, a pirate shop or make your own.

http://sandboxr.com/
Slightly relevant, I think

[Theblazeuk]

Reading more into this, WOW. Idiocy. That Paul Dini moment mentioned earlier sprang to mind...

As a Boy(TM), I would have been very irritated to not be able to find a Gamora figure. Leia came with a gun!

[TordelBack]

Leia came with a gun! 

Indeed - in fact the original Hoth Leia in particular was one of the best realised of the core characters, and as (I then thought) the leader of the Rebel Alliance a key character in my games.  Incidentally, I still obsessively collect figures of her Mam in all her innumerable costumes*, which I suppose is my own strand of bronyism.  They're just so much  more interesting than pouty Anakin v.37.   

A quick read of the famous Lego Lady Scientists Set product page gives the lie to the idea that people (and their parents) actually want to be pitched these narrow visions: 

We're sorry it's not available – it's proven to be an overwhelmingly popular set. We're investigating if we can make more.

Finger out time, Lego.


*Having had to restrict and further restrict and then pretty much abandon my decades-old SW figure habit, I limit myself to Padmés, astromechs, new (i.e. no previous version) alien species and EU/Concept characters: still impossible to keep up, mind.   

[Dandontdare]

even newly empowered Computer Engineer Barbie needs a bloke's help with the technical side of the job: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/nov/19/-sp-barbie-can-be-a-computer-engineer-but-only-with-help-of-a-man

This has apparently been withdrawn since the backlash

[JamesC]

When I was a kid I thought playing with girl characters was for sissys.
I now understand how stupid that was but I haven't forgotten the way I felt at the time. I'd have been mortified if someone bought me an Evil Lynn or a She Ra (not that we could afford Masters of the Universe). These feelings go back as far as I can remember so I'd obviously been successfully indoctrinated into my gender role by 3 or 4.

[The Legendary Shark]

Dracula Untold. Another one that I found a lot better than I expected. The only thing I didn't like was Charles Dance, which is a shame because he's generally very good. In this, though, I just don't think he's scary enough. If only they could have got Christopher Lee to play that part - although I suppose he's getting too old for this acting lark.

[TordelBack]

Raved extensively about this somewhere upthread when it was in the cinema, but just watched it again on DVD: How to Train Your Dragon 2 - damn, what a great film this is.  With the exceptions of a weak closing monologue and a diminished role for the terrific Astrid, it's just superb, visually and emotionally.  The more I see of him, the more I love Hiccup as a character - such an unswerving vision of how things should be, and commitment to bringing it about, despite all the usual human failings, is pretty rare in a kids' film.  In any film, really. 

One of its many remarkable achievements is a big staged battle that doesn't look like Jackson's Lord of the Rings.  Don't see many of those this past decade.

Redub the closing shot and it's 10/10.  And the prospect of a third one in 2017, cannot wait.

[Karl Stephan]

Raved extensively about this somewhere upthread when it was in the cinema, but just watched it again on DVD: How to Train Your Dragon 2 - damn, what a great film this is. 

Loved it too, if only for the visual effects. There are so many crappy CG movies about. This one stands out from the crowd.

Last movie I watched was the Boxtrolls. The story was predictable and corny. I'd recommend it for the stop frame animation though - top notch.