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Gutsy Gals on Film: Movies Featuring Determined Heroines

VIDEO/ACCUSED
The Accused
Jodie Foster gives an award-winning performance as a rape victim who finds the courage to prosecute not only her attackers, but the bystanders as well. (R)

DVD/ADAM’S*
Adam’s Rib
Katharine Hepburn stars as an attorney waging war in the courtroom against her husband, played by Spencer Tracy. (NR)

DVD/ALIEN*
Alien
Sigourney Weaver is Ripley in this science fiction thriller that still puts you on the edge of your seat twenty-five years after its release. (R)

DVD/AUNTIE*
Auntie Mame
Rosalind Russell stars as the elegant free-spirit who takes care of her young nephew. (NR)

DVD/BEND*
Bend It Like Beckham
Jess is a talented soccer player who idolizes David Beckham, but her traditional Sikh parents do not approve of her playing the sport. (PG-13)

DVD/ERIN*
Erin Brockovich
An award-winning performance from Julia Roberts as the tough single mother who inadvertently discovers the truth behind the illnesses in one community. (R)

DVD/GONE*
Gone With the Wind
Vivien Leigh won an Academy Award as the unforgettable southern belle Scarlett O’Hara, who refuses to surrender…to anyone. (G)

DVD/LA FEMME*
La Femme Nikita
In this French film, Nikita is spared the death sen-tence for her crimes and instead is recruited by the government to become a highly-skilled assassin. (R)

DVD/LEAGUE*
A League of Their Own
An all-star cast is featured in this movie about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during WWII. (PG)

DVD/LEGALLY*
Legally Blonde
A lighthearted film in which Reese Witherspoon decides not to let other people’s preconceived notions of her stand in her way. (PG-13)

VIDEO/MOLL set
The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders
Alex Kingston (from NBC’s ER) gives a memorable performance as the resourceful and feisty Moll. (NR)

DVD/NORMA*
Norma Rae
Sally Field received an Academy Award for her portrayal of a courageous southern textile worker who helps to unionize her factory. (PG)

DVD/OUT*
Out of Africa
Meryl Streep glows as the famed novelist Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) who begins a new life with her husband in Africa and finds true love with another man. (PG)

DVD/OUT*
Out of Sight
Jennifer Lopez plays Federal Marshal Karen Sisco, who becomes entangled with a career criminal (George Clooney). Based on the Elmore Leonard novel. (R)

DVD/SILENCE*
Silence of the Lambs
Unforgettable, award-winning performance by Jodie Foster as rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling. (R)

DVD/THELMA*
Thelma and Louise
Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon play two women who feel forced to take extreme measures when their lives suddenly spin out of control. (R)

DVD/WAR*
War of the Roses
Kathleen Turner stars in this black comedy that ex-plores the extremes a divorcing couple will go to in order to get their share in the division of assets. (R)

DVD/WHALE*
Whale Rider
Keisha Castle-Hughes gives a tender performance as a young Maori girl trying to convince her grandfather that tribal leaders must not always be men. (PG-13)

* Indicates the title is also available on video

NR = Not Rated

Prepared by Nicole S., September 2004
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