City of Women

I was watching The Upside of Anger (2005) again recently when it occurred to me that I should set out another list of women actors besides the one posted on March 25. It will soon follow, but this movie is really worth seeing, and it's set in Metro Detroit. Joan Allen is superb, as is Kevin Costner in his new low-key comedic style. It's a really sweet and funny film.

Before I move on to the list, poet Amy Spade was in town for a few days visiting from California, and we caught up on Tuesday evening. She also agreed to a moving interview, which we conducted at Ye Olde Tap Room at Charlevoix and Alter, in her rental car, and in Mexicantown. We ended up with ten detailed pages of notes which I'll turn into one or two full posts at some point. We've been friends since 1999; she's lived in New York City and San Francisco since she left Detroit in the spring of 2001. She'd be on the list of cool women poets.

Cool women actors, a partial list:

Joan Allen
Drew Barrymore
Kim Basinger
Annette Bening
Helena Bonham Carter
Judy Davis
Kirsten Dunst
Jodie Foster
Lauren Graham
Marcia Gay Harden
Holly Hunter
Scarlett Johansson
Diane Keaton
Nicole Kidman
Jessica Lange
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Laura Linney
Andie MacDowell
Frances McDormand
Radha Mitchell
Juliann Moore
Michelle Pfeiffer
Sarah Polley
Parker Posey
Julia Roberts
Kristin Scott Thomas
Chloe Sevigny
Sissy Spacek
Charlize Theron
Lily Tomlin
Kathleen Turner
Naomi Watts
Sigourney Weaver
Debra Winger
Kate Winslet
Reese Witherspoon

This list barely reaches back to the 1970s, and others will come to me, no doubt. Still, not a bad sampling of talented film actors. Hats off to them all.

Arrivederci!