Mack's Recommended Movies by Women

Wreck-It-Ralph
Jennifer Lee (Co-writer)

This movie is amazing and it is cool to see a non-romantic love story. It is about love, but friendly (or maybe even parental) love, which I feel women know best. Also, no wonder we get a kick butt woman character, a kick but women is writing this.

The Lord of the Rings (all) and Hobbit (all)

Fran Walsh (Co-screenwriter)

Does this sound familar, "No man can kill me." "I am no man." Tolkien did write some really good women characters but Fran Walsh helps the actresses bring them to life with awesome lines, the quote about is just one of them.

Hook

Malia Scotch Marmo (Co-screenwriter)

Grama Wendy, Moira the mother, Tinkerbell, and even the amazing little girl Maggie. Why are they all so awesome? Oh, Malia Marmo the co-screenwriter. This movie has one of the best Mom moments ever at the end. Also, let's be honest, Peter is only as good as Tink. And Grama Wendy gets a deserved award for establishing the orphanage.

The Matrix

Lana Wachowski (Co-director and co-writer)

No wonder Trinity is not just a flat character, she is deep and real. She in some ways is the main character. Also, instead of the girl locked up in the tower needing saving it is the man, Morpheus, and who is coming to save him? Not just Neo, but Trinity who is actually more experience then Neo at fighting and navigating the Matrix.

Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines

Kristy Guevara-Flanagan (Director)

The whole point of this documentary is awesome women. This covers the idea of female superheros, like Wonder Woman, and tracks their influence throughout the twentieth century. This movie interview tons of woman and is so inspiring and up lifting that by the end you will feel like you are a super as Wonder Woman.

District 9

Terri Tatchell (Co-writer)

This is the only Alien movie that I know of that has true emotion and sympathy for the Aliens. They are the minority and we are treating them very poorly. “Support non-human rights.” Terri Tatchell in an interview talked about the way she wanted the Aliens to look because she wanted you to see the emotion in their eyes. This is not a guy movie, Giant Aliens verses Giant Robots, this is us learning to understand they rights of all people, even if they are aliens. However, viewer discretion is advised because like real racial discrimination, it can get very violent and vulgar.

Frozen

Jennifer Lee (Co-director and Screenwriter)

You've seen it, you love it, but did you know a woman wrote and directed it. Is it making sense now?

A League of their Own

Penny Marshall (Director) / Kim Wilson (Writer, story)

Only a woman could have made this film. It is about the first women’s baseball league that was formed while men where away at World War II. Penny Marshall beautiful exposes the big sexist problems during that time period and fills us with hope by the end of the movie as women begging to be recognize as the powerful people that they are.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Gloria Katz (Co-writer)

This movie to me seems a little post feminist, because the woman character in this movie is just a big joke. I suppose that the co-writer may just be trying to laugh off the inequalities of the past. 

Silent House

Laura Lau (Co-director and Co-writer)

This movie address a very serious problem and reveals it as the horrific twist at the end. This movie is based off a real story and things like this actually happened. One thing that makes this one a viewer discretion advised list is that it happens in one continuous shot and so it feel real, and thus so much more terrifying.

Becoming Jane

Jane Austen (writer, letters) / Sarah Williams (Co-writer)

See what a sexiest society can do to a life. This was not a good time to be a woman. At one point in the film a group is talking and Jane gets an idea and excuses herself and begins writing. Her mother says that she writes and a so called noble woman says “is there something that can be done about that?” Nice, I wish that I could say it does not get much worse than this but unfortunately it does.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Jane Austin (writer) / Deborah Moggach (Screenwriter)

Austin bring her powerful and deep female character to life, fulfills the dream of Virginia Wolf, but at great cost. Also, the screenwriter makes sure that they story can be told wonderfully in just a short time, but still doing justice to Elizabeth Bennet.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Suzanne Collins (Writer)

You know this story and see the power of this woman character. It is just too bad that a woman did not direct it.

Legally Blonde

Amanda Brown (Writer)

Being married to a Woman Law student I know that they are amazing people. Here is this movie we see some slimy men, but also some great men, and most of all we see some of the best of woman.

The Woman in Black

Susan Hill (Writer, book) / Jane Goldman (Screenwriter)

I suppose to be fair we need to address some of the most evil of woman. It would be unfair for a man to write this story but Susan Hill and Jane Goldman get to show off their amazing story telling skills and scary you. But, not all the woman in this movie are demons, at the very end of the movie we get quite the opposite, a glorified wife, mother, an angel.

Deep Impact

Mimi Leader (Director)

This movie is an end of the world movie, but unlike some man made end of the world movies, instead of focusing on the destruction we get to see the people and the relationships. Mimi Leader is not just some behind the scenes person she is the director and has the final say. This is a very well made movie.

Big

Penny Marshall (Director) / Anne Speilberg (Co-writer)

I want to be careful because I don’t want to sound sexist myself but it is the mother in this movie that is so real and amazing. She really does need her son to be okay. The other thing that needs to be said about this movie is that it is awesome and way fun to watch. Woman know how to direct movies.

Enough Said

Nicole Holofcener (Writer and Director)

Strait up written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, no co- anything here. This is a real chick-flick, forget Nicolaus Sparks this is Nicole and her movie is by far one of the best rom-coms that I have ever seen.

The Secret World of Arrietty

Keiko Niwa (Screen Play) / Mary Norton (Writer, book)

No I don’t speak Japanese but I am pretty sure that Keiko is a woman. This story is about a girl who loves her father and mother but still has a lot to learn. She goes on some of the biggest adventures ever, but that’s not hard when you are only an inch tall. A wonderful movie for kids and adults, entertaining and has wonderful life lessons. Plus, there is something just so fun about seeing them go through all the cracks and crevasses in the house.

Casper

Sherri Stoner (Co-writer)

There seems to be a trend here, when you want to good female character like Kat, then you need a good female writer. Also, Bill Pullman, the dad, is looking for his wife in the afterlife and what he finds is heavenly.

Beauty and the Beast

Linda Woolverton (Writer)

Now I really feel like I am repeating myself. Bell is awesome because Linda Woolverton is awesome.

Lars and the Real Girl

Nancy Oliver (Writer)

This movie is so important. It is a tale about hurt mind. His mother dies giving birth to him and that makes it hard for him to be okay with human touch, but with the right woman doctor and the right co-worker, also a great woman, he will be on his way to a better and more comfortable life.

Harry Potters

J.K. Rowling (Writer)

From what I hear even though other people directed the movies, Joanne (Rowling) had a lot of say in what happened in them.

Iron Monkey

Elsa Tang (Co-writer)

I am not sure if you have seen a kung fu movie but it may be time to. In this movie it is not just the men that get to kick butt, but a really graceful kung fu masteress.

Juno

Diablo Cody (witer)

Now if you have not seen this movie then it may be time to see just how awesome a teenage young woman can be. June is quirky, hilarious, and able to capture human emotion in an authentic way. I promise that you love the things she says and how she says them.

The Little Rascals

Penelope Spheeris (Writer and Director)

The little boys in the movie are kind of at a loss of what to do about women, you know the He-man-woman-haters club. But at the end the only hero that can save the day is a woman.

Batman Forever

Janet Scott Batchler (Writer)

There has never really been a set woman for Batman, there is no Louise Lane. Yet, still somehow he finds love interests. In this movie she is much more than a love interest, she actually makes so really cool and down to earth decision like choosing Bruce Wayne over Batman, which was a mature and responsible decision. Sometimes female character don’t get this amount of thought and sense.

Sherlock Holms: A Game of Shadows

Michele Mulroney (Co-writer)

I am not sure exactly what is going on here other than a good movie co-written by a woman. But perhaps there is something to be said about Sherlock’s woman disguise, perhaps a little woman envy? Or maybe it was just hilarious.

Ever After: A Cinderella Story

Susannah Grant (Co-writer)

This was one of the first movies that my wife and I ever talked about and in almost exact words she said, I love this movie because the woman saves her own but. Indeed she does, multiple times. This is no doe eyed, innocent princess, this is a smart woman who is dedicated to the cause of good for all people in England.

Edward Scissorhands

Caroline Thompson (Co-writer)

Only a woman should get the awesome privilege of writing a character who is willing to take her Avon produces to the most haunted house around and when finding a monster, she brings him home and cares for him.

101 Dalmatians

Dodie Smith (Writer, book)

Should women have the opportunity to write even female animal characters? I think that Dodie Smith makes Perdy a wonderful character.

A Walk to Remember

Karen Janszen (Screenwriter)

I am glad that a woman had a say in this movie because the book was written by a man and the movie directed by a man but it is the young woman in this story that changes the young man for the better and Karen Janszen got to write the screen play for this movie and make this movie even better.

P.S. I Love You

Cecelia Ahern (Writer, book)

We often follow a man through his hard times and trials, but what about woman. This book made into a movie invites us to follow a woman who is going through possible the hardest thing you ever could go through, the death of your one true love.

Wayne’s World

Penelope Sheeris (Director

 As it turns out women have a sense of humor as well and they are really funny.