Catwoman: The Fetish

[eumelia]

As I have stated previously, working in a DVD rental shop has it's up and downs, the ups is that I get to watch movies all day, the down is that my curiosity sometimes demands that I view movies I have avoided for years and now having the chance at a free viewing I go ahead and get myself killed by said curiosity.
I don't want to get angry.
Really.
Okay so that's a lie, I enjoy the righteous rage bubbling up at moments such as What the Fuck was that fucking Catwoman movie about?!
Yeah, I watched Halle Berry's "Catwoman".
Did DC sue them in the end, I don't recall.
When I first heard about the movie I thought "excellent, Selina is finally getting a flick of her own" it never bothered, as it did for other people, that Catwoman was black, what bothered me was the fact they got a comic book actress to do her.
I'm sorry, but Ororo Munroe cannot be Selina Kyle, forget the fact that they're two completely different characters... they're from totally different universes!
Aside from the fact that the movie just sucks! And that Halle Berry lacks any verisimilitude in anything she does, that movie portrayed Catwoman as an Sn' M Dominatrix, which again, is excusable, since that whole fetish thing is quite apparent... do Bruce and Selina ever kiss without their masks on? In "Hush" when Batman reveals himself to Catwoman, she keeps her goggles on and in that arc when Bruce is stripped to have his wounds tended to he keeps the cowl on and again, Catwoman has the goggles.
But the movie took a wee bit too far, since it's just a mask and a top that covered her breasts, the midriff is completely exposed and can we please quit with the whole sexual posing in movies! I mean in comic books they're, to quote Jessica Rabbit, "Just drawn that way".
Hold on, is that a fucking excuse?

Fuck. No.

So Halle Berry struts around in a poorly designed costume with high heels and a whip that is way too long.
And Selina Kyle is dressed in a full body suit, with cowl, metal claws, flat (thank you GD) flat boots and I'm just really glad that while she's buxom, she's at least not defying gravity in *that* sense anymore, she's almost as tall as Bruce nowadays, yeah Catwoman rocks, but not the Halle Berry one.
She sucks!
Of course the only think we can blame Ms. Berry with is bad acting... very bad acting.
Whoever designed the ripped pants, heels, stupid looking masks, those really unflattering gloves and waaaaaay too "flattering" shirt was obviously inspired by mid-nineties Selina, where she was but falling out of her costumes.
Plus, it was purple. Which is just not a good colour.
It's obvious the wardrobe of both Ms. Cats were designed by men.
It's also obvious that both the men who designed these two Feline Fatals have a thing for Punishment.
One can understand why Batman is so damn attracted to Catwoman.
I mean Vicky Vale, Talia and even Ms. I-will-kill-to-get-this-scoop-and-no-Farm-boy-is-going-to-stop-me Lois Lane, doesn't have that "oomph" Selina has and let's face it, Bruce needs someone who can kick his ass everyone in a while... after all, he's such a Sub.

Comments

eep rant

[tempestbreaker.livejournal.com]

Halle Berry. Mighty zod I HATE Halle Berry. I'm not going to call her a bad actor. That would imply that she, you know, acts. EVERY SINGLE MOVIE that she's in, she's the same thing. "I am sassy and angry black woman." She NEVER has any difference. And she's bad at it too. I think "Die Another Day" would have been a pretty strong bond flick....if she wasn't in it or died within the first 3 seconds of it. As far as I'm concerned, she completely ruined Storm in the movies. Storm is not "I'm a sassy and angry black woman." No, storm is "I am an african queen and I have dignity." Grr.

rant over. EEP! :)

[hakuzo.livejournal.com]

I agree... I was very dis-appointed with the whole movie.

[lord-dingsi.livejournal.com]

And Selina Kyle is dressed in a full body suit, with cowl, metal claws, flat (thank you GD) flat boots and I'm just really glad that while she's buxom, she's at least not defying gravity in *that* sense anymore, she's almost as tall as Bruce nowadays, yeah Catwoman rocks, but not the Halle Berry one.

I so hear you on that. All I've seen of the HB Catwoman movie were the trailers and some publicity stills and... well, it killed every desire to actually watch the movie. I also disliked HB's portrayal of Storm. Also also, I disliked the tendency to give Storm, as a character, horribly stupid lines of dialogue (the infamous toad-struck-by-lightning example). Wasting potential twice. Grr.

But I ADORE the recent Catwoman costume design. The goggles. The fact that it covers her from head to toe. The massive I-can-stomp-you-into-a-mushy-MESS boots. That it's black. That it looks "thick", meaning the colouring is advanced enough to make it look like it's NOT just airbrushed onto her skin. And, yes, I even love the S&M influences. But it's amazing what a difference high heels or spiked boots can make, because (to me) things like that are closer to the cliché of a dominatrix. Whereas the boots -- I tend to associate them with punk and Doc Martens and general kickass-ness.
I think I have read a nice comparison between the old (purple) and new costume, written by kkglinka, who is a catwoman expert, I reckon. :) She said that the difference was not so much in the sexualization -- the "new" Catwoman is still a very good-looking, curvy, sexualized figure -- but whether the costume's "message" was "I'm all soft and feminine and welcoming" or "I'm threatening and hard-edged and still sexy, but don't touch me or I'll kick your sorry ass". (I think I still have a link somewhere, probably in comics_meta, if you're interested.)


Oh, um, and I don't remember how I found your journal -- it was really late yesterday... but I'm pretty sure you were linked somewhere, WFA or GW.org or something like that. And then I looked at your interests and that you meta about comics and feminism and the like and I was "Whee! Friend her!" and here I am.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I'm interested in the link, please.

I'm still very new to comic books, picking up things here and there since I only discovered their genius through Sandman, so I'm now reading a whole lot more, thus writing about it.
My absolute Fave is "Batman" though "X-Men" are taking over over the past few months.

I love the current costume, because, as I've said, while it's still sexualized, it's not flimsy and *sigh* prostitute(?) looking.
I love Selina, if there was a comic character I'd do it'd be her... and Harley... okay and Bruce too :)

[lord-dingsi.livejournal.com]

Linkie (http://community.livejournal.com/comics_meta/1295.html). :)

I love Selina, if there was a comic character I'd do it'd be her...
Nguh yes. And Desire from "Sandman". And Dick Grayson. And... uh, yeah, there are more options than you'd think. Heh.
Harley needs more love. ♥

My absolute Fave is "Batman" though "X-Men" are taking over over the past few months.
At least in Internet Fandom, I kinda started with Batman... but then the Sandman books ATE MY SOUL.
Still, though I certainly have my preferences (Vertigo, mostly), comics as a whole are just too awesome to strictly limit oneself to one genre/series. So much to see, so little time... *sighs*

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I lean more towards Death meself, but yeah Desire is just so... desirable :) I can personally see Cillian Murphy play hir in real life.

Indeed Vertigo is the best, thought DC itself is awfully square and Marvel has more characters that I like since most of the best characters come from "Batman" and the rest are kind of... well, I dare say dated.

Do you like Alan Moore?

[lord-dingsi.livejournal.com]

Oh. First I went "... Cillian Murphy? Who?". Then I looked for some piccies and went "OH CILLIAN MURPHY". He's awfully pretty. In some pictures, he looks very... undeniably male, but in others, quite androgynous. It could work. Mmmh.

Alan Moore... well, I've read The Killing Joke, Watchmen, and a friend lent me From Hell a while ago. I have great respect for his works, and so far didn't find a book by him that I disliked, but I don't see him as a favourite author, either.

Top Ten, though, is one of my favourite comic books. Jeff Smax rules. So do Jack Phantom and Peregrine. *g*
A pity it didn't make it past the second trade (to me, the spinoffs don't count)...

[cziganybriella.livejournal.com]

I loved The Watchmen. Have you discovered the wonderful world of The Invisibles. I'm a hard-core Vertigo reader but I occasionally dabble in DC. I hate Marvel.

I would also recomend transmetropolitian. My little heart fell in love with Spider.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

The Watchmen was the first comic book that really made me go "Yikes!".

No, I haven't read The Invisibles, who writes it? Moore?

Indeed Mr. Jerusalem is one sexy SOB.

[darkamber.livejournal.com]

Oh, I so detested the Catwoman movie! What a huge disappointment! It's got nothing to do with DC's catwoman, whatsoever. And the costume! Agh! Major sucakge! I think the costume designer confused Catwoman with Cat Claw...

Found your LJ via http://womenincomics.blogspot.com/