Why women (secretly) love action flicks - continued

from previous entry

They Provide an Escape
Will the hero make the leap from one building to another? Will the bad guy get away with his devious plan? Can the predator ever really be stopped? While we can probably safely assume the outcome, it's fun to let your mind play along.

Typically, women spend a lot of time thinking. For some mysterious reason, men compartmentalize their thoughts much better than women do, as illustrated by their stress levels.

Action movies give us a sense of escapism from complex thought and from everyday living. Is this a gender-specific sentiment? No. But although men might see action movies as shoot-'em-up fun, for a thought-driven communicative woman, these films are like stepping into another world ... one filled with martinis instead of cosmos, guns instead of gossip, and the best way to communicate is often without words at all. Physical raw aggression or risk-free violence (except for the bad guy) will suffice for words.

For women, actions movies are the rare find that let them put their brains in standby mode. (When in real life, for example, might one discover an interstellar teleportation device that results in a fight against alien beings attempting to take over Earth, as is the case in "Stargate")? You'd think women could decompress with an old-fashioned rom-com, but the truth is, those often make us stress about different things (our romantic status, our looming age, etc.).

Many women fall prey to life's routine, becoming more akin to humdrum Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) in "True Lies" than her secret superhero husband, Harry (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Thus, action movies might be like Simon (Bill Paxton), the used-car salesman in the film who piques Helen's interest by posing as a spy leading a life of thrills. We know it's not the classiest way to use our time, but it sure is fun to step outside our own life sometimes and shake things up.

Action movies allow for vicarious living through attractive people with exciting lives. Over-the-top attire, exotic locales and exciting adventures are the raison d'etre of an action movie. They give the illusion of ease in doing incredible things .... without having to do much of anything.

Power Is Sexy
In movie math, attractiveness equates power. Let's face it: Villains are usually sexy (Lucy Liu in "Kill Bill" or Robert Patrick in "Terminator 2"). So are the good guys (Casper Van Dien in "Starship Troopers," or the ubiquitous Bond, James Bond). And, usually, they're fighting for the power to shift a situation's outcome in his or her direction.

Whether it is a reanimated supersoldier helping foil a terrorist attack (Jean-Claude Van Damme in "Universal Soldier"), a maniacal anarchist hell-bent on destruction (Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight"), or an FBI agent taking on the assassin who killed his family (Jason Statham and Jet Li in "War"), recklessness and heroics combined with charming faces and intense butt-kicking make for engaging cinema. Women like bad boys; they also like pretty boys. In an action movie, they get both. The muscles don't hurt, either.

Bonding Over Stallone
Most guys think it's hot when women appreciate an action movie, especially if it's one they also enjoy. That feeling of a shared connection lends itself to an increased sense of intimacy. And that's what women think is hot.

In the end, women like to be a part of the boys' club -- at least, temporarily. We know we like the men in our lives, and we know the men in our lives like action movies. Like any good social anthropologist (which is, by nature, most women), we want to be up-close-and-personal with our subject of interest. Action movies allow us to bond with the male species in their natural environment. It's our way of taking an interest in the men we care about. Plus, it gives us a great bargaining chip to get our man to come along the next time we want to see a chick flick.

Why women (secretly) love action flicks

I'll let you in on a secret. I tell people my favorite movie is "When Harry Met Sally." Actually, it's "Cliffhanger." Really. I've seen it countless times, but when it airs on basic cable, I can't do anything but watch. It's the first film that comes to mind for rainy day viewing -- and the last one I'll admit to having in my cinematic collection.

Don't get me wrong -- I adore cinematic masterpieces and I appreciate a chick flick as much as the next gal, but I know I'm not alone in saying that many women love action movies -- and it no longer needs to be a secret.

Ladies and gentlemen, whether you thought you or your partner was alone in this fetish, or if the whole notion is new to you, let me break it down. Here are five reasons why the chicas dig the action.

Yippee-ki-yay indeed!

Action Movies Are Like Exercise ... Without the Sweat
For the most part, men seem to like physical activity. Women, for the most part, don't. What we like are the results. And the adrenaline kick!

However, whereas most men invite moments of sporty testosterone expulsions, only the toned females out there prefer a good heart palpitation over a well-mixed cocktail. Yet, we still crave the endorphin rush (even if our thighs do touch while walking). So, although exercise can be a big pain in the backside -- sometimes, literally -- action movies are our way of getting the same intensely racing pulse, only we can scarf popcorn at the same time.

Action movies get our hearts pumping -- or, at least the good ones do. Much like any physical activity, the commotion in an action sequence keeps us engaged in the present, letting our minds take a much-needed rest. When Sarah Conner fought with the menacing metallic skeleton at the end of "Terminator," my focus was so invested in the moment, I forgot to breathe. Usually, the plot points are relatively simple, the happy ending is guaranteed and the scenes take you from a warm-up to great intensity, giving you an outcome that's a rush of adrenaline. (Much like ... well ... another physical activity that both sexes enjoy).

GI Jane Is a Better Role Model Than Barbie Dolls
As the saying goes, girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Meanwhile, boys are apparently made of some icky random stuff (including puppy dog tails and mollusks). In a fight to the death, who do you think would come out on top? (The tails of puppies, anyone? That's hard core.)

Ever since Ripley took on the out-of-this-world namesake in "Alien," women have been kicking butt in movies. The truth is, women like being thought of as strong and like seeing that represented on the big screen. We know we can't be Arnold, but we take pride that we're not the vexingly sissyish Kate Capshaw character in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", either.

Whether playing brawn (Jodie Foster in "The Brave One"), brains (Diane Kruger in the "National Treasure" series) or both (Carrie-Anne Moss in "The Matrix"), in a cinematic world that mostly portrays women as straight love interests and ingénues, action heroines prove that women can be a powerful presence. And as Angelina Jolie so amply demonstrated in "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," women don't have to deny their feminine virtues to break a sweat. We value our femininity, but we also respect someone who respects herself.

Why 'Star Wars' still fascinates many boys - continued

What I Episode 3 of our family saga: the second view. After three years of lobbying, Paul and I decided that Simon can manage to watch the first movie "Star Wars" again. (My kids say Lucas and call 1977 original fourth in the series.) Simon twice the age he was in this ill-fated first meeting, and he, as he has already stated many times, they are currently the only known children who have not yet seen at least the previous trilogy. We promised we would get from Netflix Simon after 6 th birthday. Last week, the magic disc arrived. Paul and I decided Saturday morning show. Thus, Simon would be a day to unpack.

The boy swallowed their breakfast at the hunks and wrapped in a blanket on the living room orange sofa. Paul popped in the movie. I went ahead. When I returned, Eli friend Dylan arrived. We came only to trash-compactor scene. Eli Max nodded to Dylan. Simon sat rapt, his eyes fixed to the screen. I checked to see if he blinks. Although Luke dove into a basket, a small creature popped periscopelike and looked around.

"Hey, this is the eyes," said Paul commended.
"This is one dianoga", said Dylan.
"What?"
"A dianoga. It turned out that the color of his eats."

Eli, Dylan, and Simon, which must be equitable, as well as concern about the film a deeper theme. Bear with me for some of the review here: At the climax the movie, Obi-Wan duels with Darth Vader, to gain time for Luke to go, and Han Solo that he had to flee their ship. Obi-Wan said Vader, that dear Alec Guinness British accent: "If you strike me down, I became more powerful than you can imagine, is possible." * He sees Luke, read, and Khan apparently, and then holds his light sabers to his forehead, namaste type. Vader strikes. Obi-Wan disappears, leaving his ratty old raincoat. Luke calls in horror as he and his friends make it to the deck of his ship, which is actually very close to the fight.

Simon, in the heat of the moment: "Why does Obi-Wan dies?"
Elijah: "He could be on the battlefield. It could have been over."
Dylan: "He could not have received the death star."
Simon: "But he could have killed Darth Vader!"
Dylan: "Then, Palpatine would have killed him. Palpatine and Vader with a more powerful".

The boys had to explain to me who Palpatine (and ally of Vader). In those days, because we often returned to the issue of Obi-Wan sacrifices. Paul suggested that the meta interpretation: the myths, the old wise to make way for his young protégé. Gandalf leaves Bilbo for a while, I said. Dumbledore leaves Harry. (Bad Simon: He knows the whole story of Harry Potter before he became a one-page or seen in movies. But that is another issue for another day.)

Simon did not totally agree with this explanation. He wanted Obi-Wan is dead because he had no choice. But he definitely got the idea that Luke is training to be an apprentice Jedi Knight: He taught me to Luke in the interim period between the corner: padawan. "As a landlord," Simon put it. I think maybe he is too padawan. He spoke of the "Star Wars" more than ever this week, but he does not lose his sleep. So what do you think, if we are brave Empire strikes back?

Why 'Star Wars' still fascinates many boys

Years ago, in a galaxy far, far away, about 2006, at our old house in DC-my husband and I let our little boy to watch "Star Wars." Eli was almost 6, and only a broken leg. We were at home, antsy, and despair. At the moment of weakness, we turned to the "Star Wars." We understand, like most indulgences, that the film will be feeling, and then pass.

Wrong. Our youngest son, Simon, who was not quite 3, could not sleep that night or for many days during the months that followed. He was obsessed. He talked about the movie on any relative, friend, babysitter or a child who will listen and many shops that will not be. He released trash-compactor scene. It is concerned with Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi sternness in and Darth Vader in the glittering malevolence. He sniffed out the plot twists in the rest of the endless saga of six films (who knows how), and desperately tried to work, why can Darth Vader Anakin Skywalker and Luke's father and could also cut off the hand of Luke. That little girl is sweet outcome Star Wars plot. Simon was not sweet. He feverishly. It is short-circuiting. Thanks to two hours of silly indulgence, Paul and I came to the conclusion of its neurons were melting.

In the annals of religious mother, the ante is upped ever that a real deviation in the upbringing of children. Perhaps, at nearly 3-year-old single viewing in 1977 fantasy film just came out. But it was a classic fairy tale of our family a second child, committed a sin, has expressed regret, and we hope to recover from. In the first of three episodes (unlike George Lucas, I know, to stop a trilogy), our youngest son falls from grace, then exposed to it should not be seen, since his older brother or sister. Secondly, the brain takes hold poison. And thirdly, the child will grow enough to win the experience, or at least, the meaning of it.

In Episode 1, in the agony of Simon's original fixation, I was interviewing child psychologist Edward Zigler. In mid-conversation on the topic, not really, I veered Off in my family "Star Wars ills. I was recognized as Dr. Zigler, but in that sad way, that is a bet on the remission of sins. Rather, on the other end of the line, I I heard only silence. And then he quietly said that I really made a mistake and that Simon, who probably should not watch more movies with violence or even questionable, because, well, years. That 2007 study conducted by the Seattle Children's Hospital, which binds violence on the screen images of aggressive behavior among boys (not girls) ages 2 to 5.

My husband, Paul, had already settled on Zigler in medicine. We drove Luke and Obi-Wan on Dora and Bob the Builder. But we can not steal Star Wars characters from our children's lives. Even long after the actual memory of the film was lost, and Eli Simon said, and played in George Lucas' world. When we refused to buy them a toy light sabers, their nurse rolled up newspapers in solid cones. Children crayoned them green, purple and yellow and bashed each other over the head, not quite Jedi type. With my friends, they dissected the business in the Hutt and Jabba furriness of the Ewoks, never mind that they appear in the later movies that my children have never seen. Office carpool a couple of months ago I was listening to, and someone else held a 6-year-old says about the details of the prequel films in more detail than he could describe his home. My children keep silent out of awe. Then our current Nanny took pity and gave them their "Star Wars" Fandex. Eli read all of this, card, cards, and Simon is absorbed by osmosis the facts, such as Emperor Palpatine another name (Darth Sidious).

As Lukas world this kind of control? My children and other loyalties. They swear to various superheroes will listen again and again the Greek myths, can tell you the history of David and Goliath, and love the Hobbit. But nothing, nothing, has irresistible pull of the galaxy in Star Wars. " Perhaps a combination of simplicity and multi-layer depth, good versus evil in the world more interdependent creatures opponent. Maybe all this boils down to Darth Vader, with his helmet and the terrible voice of James Earl Jones. Or, maybe, the magical element is a void space in the background.

My theory is composed of two components of a more mundane: the vast length and co-branding. However, hauling, and this is tiring for me, an adult, recently added to the prequels epic in Allure by creating more layers of the permutation. I'm not sure that the internal logic of Lucas' universe is, but he sure has a lot of moving parts. And many of them, for example, is excluded and Anakin turns into Vader, are artfully purpose lodge in the heads of small boys. Simon has recently banned the teacher say "Star Wars", with the exception of holidays, because the debate over the plot points were too loud. Outside of school, children are surrounded by movies' relentless marketing: birthday plates, cups, candles, Lego ships recent cartoon series. Our children of strangers "Related in part because they are friends of flaunting it.

to be continued..