52 Films by Women Vol 7. 32. COCAINE BEAR (Director: Elizabeth Banks)
Leave the ‘D’ out. Genre not gender should determine a director’s suitability for a project. If a woman can handle action, give her a franchise. If she has a talent for comedy, match her with the funniest people in Hollywood. If she has a flair for horror, let her remake The Omen . Or should that be O-Women? Oh women! Cocaine Bear is a welcome example of a director paired with a subject based on her sense of humour. As an actress, Elizabeth Banks’ signature roles have been presenters who suffer from delusions of relevance; they feed off snark bait - see The Hunger Games and Pitch Perfect . As a director, she shines the spotlight on others. Cocaine Bear isn’t just high-concept – grizzly bear becomes addicted to A-class drugs, inflicting B-movie carnage. It is high concept. The bear doesn’t want anyone messing with their trip. Portions of legs are severed from bodies. Bellies are punctured. Blood spills. A posterior is scratched – the bear is way too handsy. Internal organs pulled...