F

Flavorwire

Film

Guess What: Hollywood’s ‘Bridesmaids’ Revolution Never Happened

By Jason Bailey on

Hey, remember back when Bridesmaids came out, and everybody was all, “It’s your social responsibility to support female-driven comedy,” and then it was a hit, so yay for funny ladies? And then The Hunger Games came out, and everybody was all, “It’s your social responsibility to support a female-driven blockbuster,” and then it was a hit, so yay for lady ass-kickers? Well, as it turns out, none of that mattered a lick, because according to a study released yesterday by the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, female representation in popular films is at its lowest level in five years. So thanks for nothing, Hollywood. … Read More

Photography

A Photographer’s Hauntingly Simple Statement About Gun Violence

By Julia Pugachevsky on

In the midst of America’s endless mass shooting epidemic, and at a time when “bleeding ex-girlfriend” shooting targets exist and Jim Porter has taken over as president of the NRA (here’s what you need to know about this guy), we need to start thinking differently about guns and their impact. Australian artist Sonia Rentsch’s Harm Less is a powerful, wildly creative collection that offers visual poetry to both the pro-gun set and the rest of us, who have yet to see any beauty in wielding a weapon. Click through to see these arresting images, and be sure to check out Rentsch’s website, full of equally stunning photographs. … Read More

Books

The Funniest, Meanest Reviews of Dan Brown’s ‘Inferno’

By Emily Temple on

Today is undoubtedly a day of celebration for the publishing industry, because it marks the release of Dan Brown’s newest Robert Langdon novel, Inferno. Needless to say, the book’s expected to do rather well — Doubleday is printing four million copies — but (surprise!) the critics are less than enthused. After the jump, the funniest reviews and meanest jabs to make you chuckle into your highbrow nonfiction (or ignore while you’re waiting in line at the bookstore). … Read More

Art

Gorgeous Comic-Book Collage Portraits of Women

By Emily Temple on

The portrayal of women (and non-gender normative characters in general) in mainstream comic books has long been a subject of discussion and controversy — not least because of their ludicrously unrealistic physical portrayals. It’s easy to see echoes of this in the work of Montreal-based artist Sandra Chevrier, spotted over at HiConsumption – Chevrier covers the faces of her subjects in the pages of comic books, leaving only their mouths or eyes to assert their femininity. The result is beautiful and more than a little thought-provoking. Check out Chevrier’s lovely collages after the jump, and then be sure to head on over to her website to see even more. … Read More

Media

What Bret Easton Ellis’ GLAAD Rant Gets Right (And What It Gets Wrong)

By Tyler Coates on

Out has published a long rant from novelist and occasional Internet provocateur Bret Easton Ellis that covers at length the following subjects: Jason Collins, the former NBA player who came out as gay two weeks ago with a controversial Sports Illustrated cover story, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the organization’s annual media awards, openly gay actor Matt Bomer, a defense of AIDS jokes, and the phenomenon he calls “the Gay Man as the Magical Elf.” Strap in folks, because there’s a lot to parse in this nearly 3,500-word screed in which Ellis places himself at the heart of a great debate about the nature of today’s gay man — a topic on which the writer seems to play both sides. … Read More

Television

Exclusive Video: A Morning at ‘Arrested Development’s’ Bluth Banana Stand

By Jason Bailey on

We’ve got less than two weeks till the debut of Arrested Development’s long awaited, eagerly anticipated fourth season on Netflix, and the network is kicking its promotional machine into high gear. Their cleverest promo tool: the Bluth’s Original Banana Stands that are popping up across the country (and across the pond), giving away frozen bananas in anticipation of the May 26 debut. Here in New York, the first banana stand opened up Monday morning, so your intrepid film editor grabbed a video camera and headed down to talk with some AD fans about who they’re looking forward to seeing again, what they love about the show, and how they’ll be consuming the fourth season when it all shows up early that fateful Sunday morning. … Read More

Web

What’s On at Flavorwire: Links You Need to See

By Lillian Ruiz on

Some things, like this Great Gatsby/Mean Girls meme mash-up, are just perfect. There’s a Robocop statue going up in Detroit, because that’s just what the city of Detroit has been clamoring for. Astronaut Chris Hadfield is the best thing to happen to space travel in a long time; we celebrated his… Read More

New York

Flavorpill Guide to This Week’s Top 10 New York Events

By Mindy Bond on

For our (unconscionably high) rent money, the best thing about living in NYC is its endless supply of fun, odd, and inspired cultural events. But with so many options, it can be hard to know where to even begin planning your week. To help you make sense of it all, Flavorpill Deputy Editor Mindy Bond shares the very best of what’s on offer this week. It’s just a taste of what you can find on the new Flavorpill, so if you like what you see, be sure to sign up. … Read More

Film

Flavorwire’s Guide to Movies You Need to Stream This Week

By Jason Bailey on

Welcome to Flavorwire’s streaming movie guide, in which we help you sift through the scores of movies streaming on Netflix, Hulu, and other services to find the best of the recently available, freshly relevant, or soon to expire. This week, there’s good stuff from Kristen Bell, Greta Gerwig, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Helen Mirren, Felicity Jones, Sarah Polley, Julie Christie, and the Star Trek crew; check them out after the jump, and follow the title links to watch them right now. … Read More

San Francisco

Flavorpill Guide to the Week’s Top 10 SF Events

By Bonnie Chan on

San Francisco is home to a breathtaking diversity of cultural events. Between our fair city’s world-class museums, restaurants, bars, art galleries, music scene, festivals, and clubs, between all that is weird and quirky and purely San Franciscan, there’s something going down, somewhere, every single day of the year. Check out our Flavorpill social discovery engine, where you can create and share events with friends, and follow our carefully curated editors’ picks. Below, you’ll find Flavorpill’s top picks for this week — just a little bit of help as you set out into this beautiful wide world of SF’s happenings.  … Read More