Silver-Screen Sexism?!?!

Isn’t it strange, You think you are innocently chowing down on butter popcorn and taking pleasure in watching a flick unfold on the silver screen, but in reality you are being told how to view yourself and others!? According to Mulvey, Hollywood movies are just an extension of patriarchy in which female characters appear flat and unimportant. Although this may be the case in some films, I don’t believe it is a constant that always applies.Yes, those shots she speaks of in which close-ups of women’s faces and legs are splashed across the screen do border on sexual objectification.
However, look at all the films made today that focus on women who are empowering, strong, and more than just one-dimensional.( Recently Jennifer Connelly played a headstrong journalist in Blood Diamond, a film which depicted the diamond infused civil wars that rocked Sierra Leone in the 90’s). Of course there are still the high school-teen movies that dish out nothing put cheesy jokes and inappropriately clock-stopping long shots of female curves. You know the scenes: in which the hot chick is prancing down the hall in slow-motion, some unknown wind source is blowing delicately through her mane of perfection, all while some corny music plays in the background. Even though these phony scenes project an unnatural image of beauty to teens, I feel as though these vignettes of unreal life have become a big joke and now are only done to make a mockery of the film itself. It is sort of like the film is saying to the viewer, “Yeah, here we have inserted the typical, expected scene in which a girl is praised for her body, not brains…deal with it…savor it…you knew it was coming!”
While this does bother me to a certain extent, I feel the best way to deal with it all is to have a sense of humor. Ironically today there are girls/women lining up to be admired simply for their beauty and/or sexuality. Look at Girls Gone Wild, Top Model, and any pseudo reality show! Okay, so I know these two examples I mentioned differ in regards to their nature, but when you get down to it, aren't they both about women making themselves a commodity? ! Now, is it years and years of patriarchy and sexist media that has pushed these women to want to willingly behave in such a way ? You decide.
After watching Spielberg’s “Minority Report” and Reading Mulvey I see a connection when it comes to females being the “victim” in need of a “rescue” in films. The female precog, the most talented/intelligent of the three, needs help from Cruise’s character. Although she is responsible for almost controlling the fate of Cruise’s future, she is still weak, at risk of dying, and fits right into the “damsel in distress” role. It was refreshing to see that she was not sexualized and played up with make-up for the role, but her helplessness and vulnerability were still there in full force. I guess some may say that my argument lacks validity because the other 2 male precogs were just as pathetic. Yes, this is true. But, I wonder why did she have to be the one "couch-jumping Tom" was dragging around like an old dust mop to help him not commit a murder. Is it positive or negative that she was the one that held the most power of the 3? I mean essentially hasn’t he used and abused her all these years through Precrime and now isn’t he just using her again so his ass will be saved? Hmmm, was this movie really about gender-power struggles…male/female relationships…equality (or lack of)…After all?