Author of 'American Psycho' Disses Female Director: Is Sexism Still Alive In Hollywood?

by SodaHead Celebs Posted 2012/12/07 16:00:00

Related Topics: Kathryn Bigelow, Bret Easton Ellis, Zero Dark Thirty

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	Yes	314 votes	86%
	No	52 votes	14%

"American Psycho" author Bret Easton Ellis is at the center of another Twitter controversy. This time, he's taken on "The Hurt Locker" director Kathryn Bigelow, (who's new film "Zero Dark Thirty" is already receiving rave reviews) and the way that Hollywood patronizes female directors.

Bret said that "Kathryn Bigelow would be considered a mildly interesting filmmaker if she was a man but since she's a very hot woman she's really overrated." He believes that Hollywood patronizes female directors by considering their work more impressive just because they are women.

He continued by pointing out some of what he considers to be her weaker output, including "'Strange Days,' 'K-19 The Widowmaker,' 'Blue Steel,' 'The Hurt Locker,'" adding "Are we talking about visionary filmmaking or just OK junk?"

"Zero Dark Thirty," the story of the team responsible for the death of Osama Bin Laden, is already receiving rave reviews, with an amazing average score of 96/100 on Metacritic. Do you think sexism is still alive in Hollywood?

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codenamev 2012/12/08 03:05:26

Yes

+17
It's not just the attitudes; it's the creators as well. Is Meryl Streep the only woman in Hollywood who still gets good roles? It seems like most areas of the entertainment industry are a big boys club. Bigelow didn't win for THE HURT LOCKER because she's a woman; she won because it was the right choice. Thankfully, there are people like Joss that have the right idea:

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More polls by SodaHead Celebs

♪♫Cyn-♥-Music♬♩ 2012/12/11 09:28:26

Yes

Another obvious question....

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QC 2012/12/11 04:20:47

Yes

Sexism, racism, you name it; if a person is not a white male they get additional kudos...

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moviebuff 2012/12/11 04:04:40 (edited)

Yes

Freaking ass wipe! if all women were to boycott the movies altogether the whole industry would be bankrupt. He is jealous because no one has spoken of him in a while. His best known movie is American Psycho, how long ago was that again? exactly. He also said that he hated Avatar!.........AVATAR!! and before that he dissed Les Miserables. He is working on the canyons with freaking lindsay lohan and a porn star named james deen, seriously no weak imitation can ever be as good as the real James Dean. The canyons? get over yourself.

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««Gingey, the Master Debate... 2012/12/11 00:33:00

Yes

+1
It's so obvious too. Look at most action or comedy movies released this year. Now tell me, what percent of the leads are female? I guarantee that it will be less than 20%. Last I checked, women were 50% of the total population.

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Twinky 2012/12/11 00:11:37

Yes

+2
"To make a woman adorable, one successful female screenwriter says, “You have to defeat her at the beginning. It’s a conscious thing I do – abuse and break her, strip her of her dignity, and then she gets to live out our fantasies and have fun. It’s as simple as making the girl cry, fifteen minutes into the movie. Relatability is based upon vulnerability, which creates likability.”

The Bechdel Test, established in 1985 by the cartoonist Alison Bechdel and her friend Liz Wallace, is a way of examining movies for gender bias. The test composes three questions: Does a movie contain two or more female characters who have names? Do those characters talk to each other? And, if so, do they discuss something other than a man?

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katywon to Twinky 2012/12/11 02:05:04

you are so right

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richard.maloney.7 2012/12/10 23:08:14

No

just another way to grab some head lines for the movie

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txtumlin 2012/12/10 22:20:11

Yes

WILL ALWAYS BE! Such is the fairness participle in men!

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Resp 2012/12/10 18:54:27

No

"Disses" are not gender specific and apply to everybody.

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MissAshley 2012/12/10 13:51:30

Yes

+2
What a douche

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mblack 2012/12/10 04:28:24

Yes

+4
sexism, racism, and other ism's are still rampant.

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Derbyhat 2012/12/09 19:31:49

Yes

+3
There are many women who have outclassed their male counter parts with their work. Ida Lupino is just one. Who? Look it up and you will be the wiser for it!

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VenomHalos 2012/12/09 19:12:58

Yes

+2
Of course

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whateverbabynevermind 2012/12/09 19:12:30

Yes

+3
I think it's still alive in most places, no matter how much we try to deny it by demonizing feminists. Even if it includes preferential treatment for women, it's still sexist.

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★earthbound_misfit★ 2012/12/09 17:59:58

Yes

+2
The irony of Hollywood (and the world in general) is that women have to be pretty to be noticed, but yet when they are, that too is used against them to claim they don't have any real talent.

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mallobarb 2012/12/09 17:47:39

Yes

+1
PINK BINGO ELEPHANTS

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sundance 2012/12/09 17:45:31

Yes

+1
Is this a question that actually needs asking? Further, I would have used his exact words to describe his skills as well. American Psycho, was no cinematic masterpiece either. Sounds like a typical case of ego driven chauvinism to me...Just a thought...

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TasselLady 2012/12/09 14:26:09

Yes

+1
I would tell the Author of "American Psycho" to go jump off a cliff and land in a pool of sharks.

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Kigan 2012/12/09 14:04:40

Yes

+1
Absolutely - and they don't even try to hide it.

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Waiting in the Wings 2012/12/09 13:12:49

Yes

+1
Alive and well. http://bechdeltest.com/

Take the Bechdel Test: in order to pass This test a film needs to: 1. It has to have at least two [named] women in it 2. Who talk to each other 3. About something besides a man. It's surprising how many movies fail this easy test.

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Kelli Freeman 2012/12/09 07:34:16

Yes

+1
Sexism, just as racism is alive everywhere... Reverse sexism and reverse racism - just the same... If only it would all come to an end, we could just stop living lives surrounding these awful subjects... I love American Psycho, the book, the movie... Especially the movie... It's one of my favorites! I do understand what he means, perfectly. Sexism and racism are reversed in many cases. It is truth that women and minorities are favored simply because they are just that... However, it is still true that both women and minorities are NOT favored simple because they are just that...

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burning... to Kelli F... 2012/12/10 10:59:10 (edited)

+1
Why even use a phrase like "reverse racism/sexism"? Isn't it all the same regardless? Using either phrase implies that it isn't, because there's definite white/male domination in society therefore it's not at the same level. Not that a term like "racist" is very precise to begin with...

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Kelli F... to burning... 2012/12/11 00:30:45 (edited)

Yeah, I suppose... it's just a way to explain it, though it is truly ALL THE SAME. Racists and sexists exist on every level.

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Meng 2012/12/09 07:16:59

Yes

+2
But I see his point. I think you are misinterpreting what he is trying to say. Sexism is alive in nearly every profession, and entertainment professions in particular. I am a teacher, in which there is very little sexism, but I am also a DJ. There is tons of sexism in DJing--not only in the music itself (tracks like "Ass and Titties") but also amongst the actual DJs getting gigs. Many people won't take a female DJ seriously. They have to be a superstar DJ like DJ Rap or Babyanne for many guys to take them seriously, and even then, as they are both models, many are just going because it is sexy. Then you have DJs like Heather Heart, who refuses to play "all-girl" DJ events, or even listed as a female DJ, simply because she prefers to be judged on her skills and not her gender. Here's another query: how many fat female DJs can you name? None. Not one. However, there are tons of fat male DJs (Sneak, Danny Tenaglia). I am not by any means saying that these women got to where they are because of their good looks. What I'm saying is that there are other women who did not make it big, because of their bad looks. Now, how many fat or ugly women directors can you think of? They exist, just not in the spotlight. Next, how many fat or ugly male directors (Woody Allen, Pet...

But I see his point. I think you are misinterpreting what he is trying to say. Sexism is alive in nearly every profession, and entertainment professions in particular. I am a teacher, in which there is very little sexism, but I am also a DJ. There is tons of sexism in DJing--not only in the music itself (tracks like "Ass and Titties") but also amongst the actual DJs getting gigs. Many people won't take a female DJ seriously. They have to be a superstar DJ like DJ Rap or Babyanne for many guys to take them seriously, and even then, as they are both models, many are just going because it is sexy. Then you have DJs like Heather Heart, who refuses to play "all-girl" DJ events, or even listed as a female DJ, simply because she prefers to be judged on her skills and not her gender. Here's another query: how many fat female DJs can you name? None. Not one. However, there are tons of fat male DJs (Sneak, Danny Tenaglia). I am not by any means saying that these women got to where they are because of their good looks. What I'm saying is that there are other women who did not make it big, because of their bad looks. Now, how many fat or ugly women directors can you think of? They exist, just not in the spotlight. Next, how many fat or ugly male directors (Woody Allen, Peter Jackson, Rob Reiner...). In that interview, Ellis doesn't say that Bigelow is a bad director, or that she doesn't deserve the accolades she has rightfully earned. He doesn't mean that she has earned the Oscar by being a woman, or even by being a "very hot woman", but that, like other beautiful women, she was catapulted into the spotlight for being a very hot woman that won an award, rather than just a woman who won an award. I don't necessarily agree with him here, I think that "The Hurt Locker" was a wonderful film (I also enjoyed "Strange Days", and "Blue Steel" was quite good), but I see his point.
(more)

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jennie 2012/12/09 06:00:09

Yes

+3
It's everywhere insecure men are.

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Jezebel 2012/12/09 04:50:31

Yes

+5
Not just in Hollywood: EVERYWHERE.

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Krissy 2012/12/09 00:19:22

Yes

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Yes -_-...

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Lee 2012/12/08 23:56:00

No

No. I see someone not liking another person & talking smack on them, sure he's being an ass and sounds a bit jealous but it's just another stupid fued. So tired of all the 'isms'.

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Christopher Kirchen 2012/12/08 23:25:57

Yes

Perhaps, but so what? The author has the right to decide who directs his movie...on ANY basis.

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Sexuallobster 2012/12/08 23:19:14

Yes

+3
I agree that often an attractive female sometimes gets more recognition for less work than a less attractive woman, but that simply isn't the case here, hell I loved the Hurt Locker and I didn't know who the director was at all, nevermind their gender.

This guy just generally seems pretty douchey.

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Azshade to Sexuall... 2012/12/09 00:00:45 (edited)
MOMMA THOMAS 2012/12/08 22:32:47

Yes

DUH!

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The Potato Princess 2012/12/08 22:18:04

Yes

+2
Anyone who thinks there isn't a lot of sexism in Hollywood is very confused and may want to lay down to clear their head.

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Michael... to The Pot... 2012/12/08 22:26:55

+2
I'm doing that right now.

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Bulbasaurus Rex. 2012/12/08 21:46:13

Yes

+5
Of course it is. Sexism is alive EVERYWHERE.

I'm ashamed of myself right now for loving the novel and film American Psycho.
"I like to dissect girls, did you know I'm utterly insane?"

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David (oYo) 2012/12/08 21:15:27

No

+1
No she was probably rubbish.

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Lorenzo 2012/12/08 20:38:43

Yes

+4
The Hurt Locker is an extraordinary ,tense, well acted , brilliantly directed film.
American Psycho is a piece of pop trash. I'll take Bigelow's work any day over that trash.

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Jensenmk to Lorenzo 2012/12/08 20:45:32

+1
Seriously!?!

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Lorenzo to Jensenmk 2012/12/08 20:52:16

Yes, seriously. And Zero Dark Thirty is even better than The Hurt Locker.

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Jensenmk to Lorenzo 2012/12/10 10:48:18

The Hurt Locker was typical hollyweird with little to do with reality; straight fiction just like American Psycho.

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