Last night’s Oscar ceremony saw Hollywood’s rich and famous come out for a night of partying and celebrating the year’s best films. As it's happened for most of this year’s award season, some celebrities chose to spread a more political message regarding the sexual harassment scandals that have plagued Hollywood for months. One of the most talked about movements was Time’s Up, which led to the creation of a million dollar fund to help women, either in the entertainment industry or not, fight harassment in the work place.
Emma Watson has been a prominent supporter of Time’s Up, having donated a million pounds to the UK’s version of the project, which saw many actresses and actors don all black and sign a letter pledging to fight against sexual harassment all over the UK and Ireland, for the BAFTA’s. However, Watson decided to take it a step further and wear the movement in a different way: a tattoo on her forearm. Despite what were surely good intentions, the internet was sent for a spin has the tattoo sported a not insignificant grammatical error. It was spelt as ‘Times Up’ like the hashtag that popularized it online, which, as we all know, is not how the phrase would be written out IRL - it would be Time's Up, with an apostrophe. While many were quick to jump on the bandwagon and criticized the actress, others defended her and said everyone needed to calm down as it was most likely not a permanent tattoo anyway.
Should everyone be so upset over a small spelling error on someone else’s arm? At the end of the day, Emma Watson is still making a difference anyway she can and if that means a little spelling error now and then. In a few weeks the (probably/possibly temporary) tattoo will wear off, but her impact will still be felt. That’s what matters.
Debrief Films By Female Directors To Be Excited About In 2018
1. A Wrinkle In Time
Based on the book of the same name by Madeleine L'Engle, a movie adaptation directed by Ava DuVernay is on the way and if you haven't watched the trailer/seen that incredible Time magazine cover, you need to get on board because it's really exciting. It's a fantasy adventure film starring Oprah, Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon and with this film Ava DuVernay has become the fourth woman and first African American woman to direct a film with a budget of more than $100 million. 23 March 2018
2. The Spy Who Dumped Me
Directed by Susanna Fogel, The Spy Who Dumped me is a comedy with Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon starring as BFFs who find out that the guy who dumped one of them is - wait for it- a spy. At the moment we know very little else about the film beyond the fact that Mila wears a blond wig at some point but we'll keep you posted.
3. Lady Bird
Greta Gerwig's directorial debut comes in the form of Lady Bird, the already hotly anticipated coming of age story that we all wish existed back when we were still in school. In short, it's a beautiful film about a young woman who likes to go by the name Lady Bird who is trying to navigate all of the usual suspects: her mother, her best friend, going to college, sex and, well, herself. 16 February 2018
4. Blockers
Kay Cannon who wrote the screenplays for the Pitch Perfect films is the director behind this comedy about three parents who find out about their daughters' plan to have sex on Prom night (otherwise referred to as a Sex Pact, apparently) and try to stop it happening. ILeslie Mann is in it and she's great. 6 April 2018
5. The Darkest Minds
This is another book adaptation that you're going to want to get familiar with real quick. Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and starring the incredible Mandy Moore, Amandla Stenberg and Gwendoline Crisitie, The Darkest Minds is all about the 2% of kids in America who survive a crazy disease and end up developing superpowers. It's got a bit of a Hunger Games meets Divergent vibe if you ask me. 14 December 2018
6. Can You Ever Forgive Me
Get ready for another dose of comedy fave Melissa McCarthy in this Marielle Heller directed project. She stars as the best-selling celebrity biographer Lee Israel (the film's based on her memoir, you see) who was well known for profiling big shots like Katherine Hepburn and Estee Lauder back in the 70s and 80s. That ism until she lost her groove and ended up selling forged letters and stuff. October 2018
7. High Life
Celebrated French director Claire Denis has only gone and directed her first English language movie. It's a sci-fi drama starring none other than Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche and Mia Goth and pretty much focuses on a group of convicts who are sent to explore a black hole (knowing that they probably won't be returning from space alive) in return for having their jail sentences reduced. It's about a father-daughter relationship, it's about family, it's about home, it's about the unknown.
8. You Were Never Really Here
And finally we have a thriller directed by Lynne Ramsay that promises to be the sort of thing that lingers in your mind for a while after watching. You Were Never Really Here is about a private 'contractor' who is tasked with recovering a teenage girl who's gone missing. It's pretty dark and violent and intense but packed a resounding punch at Cannes last year. 9 March 2018
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.