Showing posts with label FUN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FUN. Show all posts

Penguin Books Wants to Give YOU a Gift for Its 75th Anniversary!

Today marks Penguin Books' 75th year of publishing, and to celebrate, Feminist Review is giving one of our readers a Penguin Book of their choosing. Entering is simple: just leave a comment below by midnight tonight telling us which of these 75 Penguin Books paperbacks you would like if your name is randomly selected as the winner.

Make sure to include your name and a valid email address where we can contact you. This giveaway is open to all of our readers.

Additional entries can be gained by:
1) Tweeting or blogging this giveaway. (Leave the link to your tweet or post in the comment.)
2) Sign up to follow Feminist Review on Twitter.
3) Follow Feminist Review on Facebook's Networked Blogs
4) Subscribe to Feminist Review's blog feed
5) Add us to your blog roll

Thanks to everyone who commented! The winner will be announced August 1st.

Eco Friendly Lunch Box Giveaway

This month Feminist Review is giving one of our readers a chance to win an Eco Friendly Lunch Box, courtesy of EasyLunchBoxes.com. EasyLunchBoxes.com supports a healthy and green lifestyle by providing products that reduce waste, save time, and encourage you to eat home-cooked food that is more nutritious than store bought lunches. The prize includes a container set and one lunch bag (you choose the color!). It's great for kids and adults alike, so join the waste-free lunch movement!

Here's how the giveaway works:
Enter by leaving a comment below by July 25th telling us about how your own eco-ethic relates to women. Make sure you include your name and a valid email address where we can contact you if you are the winner. This giveaway is open to all of our readers.

Additional entries can be gained by:
1) Tweeting or blogging this giveaway. (Leave the link to your tweet or post in the comment.)
2) Sign up to follow EasyLunchboxes and Feminist Review on Twitter.
3) Follow EasyLunchboxes and Feminist Review on Facebook's Networked Blogs
4) Subscribe to Feminist Review's blog feed
5) Add us to your blog roll

The winner will be announced August 1st.

Knight and Day

Directed by James Mangold
20th Century Fox



I’ve read almost universally bad reviews for Knight and Day, and I read most of them before I saw the movie. I don’t usually read reviews of a movie before I see it, because I don’t want my opinion to be tainted; in this case, they might’ve been, because I went into the movie with hyper-low expectations. That may have played a hand, because I actually really enjoyed the movie.

In the world of most critics, this admission will mean I’m a sell out and have no taste whatsoever, but I’m getting to the age where I don’t care anymore. I’m not a studio plant, and I don’t love everything, as I get accused of so often when I admit liking a movie that bombs. I like what I like, I hate what I hate, and I’ll tell you why for both.

For starters, Knight and Day did a lot of things very right, like the casting. We all think Tom Cruise is a little bit crazy in real life, and whether you believe any of the hype or not, that’s what his public image has become. But here’s the thing about actors: they’re acting. And their personal beliefs shouldn't be a factor. Here, Cruise plays a wacky, at times out of control, spy. By embracing some of the stereotypes he has come to represent he’s saying, “I’m in on the joke.” It’s the best move he could’ve possibly made, and I haven’t enjoyed him this much in many, many moons.

Cameron Diaz is also perfectly cast as the neurotic female lead. She’s become well known for her high-strung roles, and here she is frequently given the chance to use that squealing and panicking for laughs. She gets a better story arc, unlike some of her other perma-wackos, like her character in Being John Malkovich, for example. Amazing movie and she’s great in it, but she doesn’t get the chance to change much in that. Here, we’re treated to seeing her character learn how to literally roll with the punches and find some long-missing fulfillment in her adventure as she learns how to handle herself and even begins to feed off of the danger she is surrounded by. (The more discerning viewer will look for character symbolism involving the car she is working on in the film.)

One of the greatest complaints about Knight and Day is that there is a device used to take us from scene to scene wherein Cameron Diaz’s character is drugged, meaning we miss out on some of the action of how they get from point A to point B. As a feminist, it would’ve bothered me for its potential date rape allusions, but after the first time, Diaz’s character asks to be drugged, so that pretty much solved my problem of her having her free will taken away. There's also a conclusion to the whole drugging thing that will bring closure to any one that still finds it troublesome.

The best thing about Knight and Day for me was the escapism. Beautiful locations shot well with some great action pieces is the definition of a fun summer popcorn movie. I do believe I’ll have to catch this again in theaters. That’s how much I liked it. All I wanted was to have fun and this movie delivered, and then some. I say, go see it. Just let yourself go and relax and try to forget the actor's personal lives and all the critics telling you to hate it. If you do hate it, hate it for your own reasons, and not because someone told you to on a movie review site.

Review by Audrey M. Brown

Excerpted from Born for Geekdom

The Season of Second Chances Giveaway Contest

This month Feminist Review is giving one of our readers a chance to win a signed copy of Diane Meier's The Season of Second Chances, courtesy of Interpersonal Frequency LLC. This feminist coming-of-age novel focuses on Amherst College professor Joy Harkness' rediscovery of herself while renovating a newly acquired Victorian house and establishing herself in a new community.

Here's how the it works:
Leave a comment here by May 25th telling us about a time you got a second chance. Make sure you include your name and a valid email address where we can contact you if you are the winner. This giveaway is open to all of our readers.

Extra entries can be gained by:
1) Tweeting or blogging this giveaway. (Leave the link to your tweet or post in the comment.)
2) Sign up to follow Feminist Review on Twitter.
3) Follow Feminist Review on Facebook's Networked Blogs
4) Subscribe to the blog feed of Feminist Review
5) Add us to your blog roll

The winner will be announced June 1st.

Gilmore Girls Giveaway Contest

For the first time ever, Gilmore Girls: The Complete Series is available for download (with a two-week exclusive on iTunes), and Seasons 3-7 are even available in HD.

This month Feminist Review is giving one of our readers a chance to win a unique keepsake from the groundbreaking show, courtesy of Warner Bros: a coffee mug from Luke's and the Dragon Fly Inn. (Fans can also purchase the mugs from the WB shop.)

Here's how it works:
Leave a comment here by April 25th telling us who your favorite Gilmore Girls character is and why. Make sure you include your name and a valid email address where we can contact you if you are a winner. This giveaway is open to all of our readers worldwide.

Extra entries can be gained by:
1) Tweeting or blogging this giveaway. (Leave the link to your tweet or post in the comment.)
2) Sign up to follow Feminist Review on Twitter.
3) Follow Feminist Review on Facebook's Networked Blogs
4) Subscribe to the blog feed of Feminist Review
5) Add us to your blog roll

The winner will be announced May 1st.