Female Leads to Follow This Fall by Alyssa Sheffield

ELLAs work hard, but we love to have fun and need relaxation too. Welcome to Entertainment and Cinema inside ELLA Inspires Magazine! This exciting new arena inside our publication will include movie, theater, television reviews, and MORE! Here you will learn about underrated classics you should be watching plus get the scoop on new releases with female leads making moves in entertainment.

The Woman King starring Oscar®-winner Viola Davis, is an epic historical film about the Agojie; the all-female elite warrior unit who protected the African kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century (also referred to as the ‘Dahomey Amazons’). The talented Viola Davis stars as a general who trains the next generation of warriors. I had not heard much about this film until earlier this summer, but I promise I am not exaggerating when I say that watching the trailer for the first time actually gave me goosebumps. This is a movie I am greatly anticipating (and not just because I am a huge fan of Viola Davis). Not only does the casting look amazing, it’s also written and directed by women, and is also based on true historical events about a group of amazing women. I’m sold.

She Hulk: Attorney at Law is a new Disney+ Marvel series that started streaming on August 18th. Tatiana Maslany plays Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner aka The Hulk. Jennifer or She Hulk has all the massive strength that the Hulk does, but she still retains her intelligence while transformed. If you’re not really into superheroes and I’m starting to lose you, at least consider watching the trailer. I didn’t expect much at first honestly, though I am a bit of a comic book nerd. But watching the trailer was very exciting not only as a nerd but as a woman.

She Hulk frankly looks like a powerhouse woman trying to overcome the challenge of being 6 ft 7in and green while succeeding as a young lawyer. And while I don’t have to deal with being literally green, having a lot on your plate and balancing your work and personal life as a woman is definitely something I can relate to.

This series feels very ‘character driven’ without an overly grandiose superhero setting (so far no talking raccoons or blonde Norse gods). Jennifer is introduced to the audience as a capable and intelligent lawyer, that also struggles with the insecurity - both emotionally and financially - of your typical millennial young professional that’s starting out and trying to pay off student loans. It is almost too relatable honestly, especially for a Marvel series. I don’t want to spoil anything, but some brief highlights from the pilot include:

• Jennifer/She-Hulk raging at some cat callers the first time she transforms. Their terrified screams as they ran away were super satisfying to watch; my sister and I high-fived.

• Bruce Banner trying to train Jennifer on how to control turning into a Hulk says, ‘The triggers are anger and fear.’ She responds, ‘Those are, like, the baseline of any woman just existing.’

Aside from those specific examples, the overall feeling of this series, so far, is that it was written for me; rather than your average male Marvel fan, and that’s pretty cool honestly. The show has two talented female directors and the head writer is also a woman. And it shows. Of course there’s no way of knowing how the rest of the series will turn out, but I remain hopeful.

Currently streaming on Disney+New episodes added on Thursdays

Alyssa is an avid writer, bibliophile, photographer, and entrepreneur/maker. When she is a not at home watching movies with her dog Marty, she enjoys traveling, board games, and the beach.