Page 19 - The Holiday Issue San Diego Woman Magazine

Fearless Females in Films movie, which was my

favorite of 2015.

Redbox.com
Every year around this time, many of us get down in the dumps. It's likely a combination of
the changing weather sweeping in, my kids inevitably picking up some illness from school, and
holiday dread.
But then we'll watch a movie that features a woman so kick-butt that we instantly feel better
and inspired. Hey, if SHE can battle a villain across the space-time continuum, then surely I can
survive dueling runny noses for a week!
So here’s some motivation for others out there who might be starting to feel that familiar fall
funk. I’ve got 5 female movie characters for you who all kick butt and take names.

lead mathematician (yeah, I think that's
responsible for help- gonna be a thing) be- Deanna (Melissa
ing our country win tween her and Stark. McCarthy) in Life of
the Space Race and the Party – I’d say that
ushering in the use of perhaps even more
computers. impressive than physi-
cally kicking butt is be-
ing able to kick butt at
life in general. Deanna
had not been doing
that — in fact, it was
The Wasp in Ant- more like the opposite:
Man and the Wasp Katherine Goble she’d dropped out of
– Evangeline Lilly has Johnson (Taraji P. college and given up
made a career out of Henson) in Hidden on her dreams because
playing women who Figures – Right now, Imperator Furio- of her husband, who
are not to be messed the movie First Man is sa (Charlize Theron) proceeded to ask for
with, from Kate in theaters, and it stars Shuri (Letitia in Mad Max: Fury a divorce the second
Austen on LOST to Ryan Gosling as Neil Wright) in Black Road – Recently I’ve their teenage daughter
Tauriel in The Hobbit Armstrong, the first Panther – Move over, found myself wishing left the nest. Now, as
trilogy. As the Wasp, man on the moon. Tony Stark. There’s a that Furiosa was a a middle-aged mom
she supplies both the But if you see Hidden new genius in town, real person. But alas, with no identity of her
brains and the brawn Figures, then you'll and her name’s Shuri. she’s confined to a own, Deanna decides
required to save the know more about She’s Black Panther’s post-apocalyptic des- to reclaim her life and
day when baddies the unsung heroes little sis, and she de- ert landscape, where starts by enrolling at
are trying to steal her of NASA: the Afri- velops all of the amaz- she rebels against the the same university
father’s high-tech lab can-American women ing techs in Wakanda, cruel dictator Im- as her daughter. Yes,
(yes, they’re actually who supplied the ex- including her broth- mortan Joe, makes off this movie is a com-
trying to steal the traordinarily complex er's energy-redirecting with his five (!) wives, edy, but there’s also
entire lab… you’ll get calculations to make suit. She was my fa- and attempts to bring an important and
it when you watch it). the United States' vorite character in the down the patriarchy heartwarming message
Sure, Ant-Man (Paul space missions, in- film, and I know I'm with the help of a lon- buried in there, and
Rudd) helps, but it’s cluding Armstrong's, not the only Marvel er named Max (Tom it’ll be clear by the end
pretty clear who’s possible and success- fan who can't wait for Hardy). I’ve still never that Deanna definitely
really in charge. ful. Johnson was the the inevitable tech-off seen anything like this kicks butt.
Which female movie characters inspire you?

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