QUEUE THIS!

Happy 4th of July!  Like me, I'm sure most of you reading this in the States are busy at the family bbq taking wagers on who will be maimed before day's end, so I'll keep this short.  In honor of our nation's birth, I've rounded up a nice bunch of movies that tell very American stories in a variety of American settings, directed by some of our best American female directors.  If you take a break from the sun, or need to take cover from the barrage of illegal fireworks in you neighborhood (speaking from experience here), I hope you'll queue up some of these great American movies:

Shut Up & Sing (dir Barbara Kopple & Cecilia Peck, 2006 DVD)  Netflix says: "The documentary centers on country music's The Dixie Chicks and their nationwide vilification over critical statements they made about President Bush in 2003. Over a three-year period, the singers went from darlings of the industry to political targets, receiving constant death threats and being demonized by the national media and denounced by their fans."

High Art (dir Lisa Cholodenko, 1998)   Netflix says: "Magazine editor Syd is stuck in a dreary relationship with her boyfriend when she befriends her upstairs neighbor Lucy, a well-known photographer whose live-in actress girlfriend is struggling with a drug addiction. Lucy fascinates Syd, and the pair hit it off. But when Syd calls on Lucy to do an assignment for the magazine, their friendship soon grows into something much more."

Clueless (dir Amy Heckerling, 1995)  Netflix says: "This fresh adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma follows the misadventures of meddlesome Beverly Hills high schooler Cher, who gets more than she bargained for when she gives a fashion-challenged student a makeover."

Union Square (dir Nancy Savoca, 2011)  Netflix says: "Jenny has been avoiding her family -- especially her sister Lucy -- for years, and is on the brink of marriage when Lucy erupts back into her life. With her own world in crisis, Lucy soon manages to upend Jenny's as well in this smart Bronx comedy."

Meek's Cutoff  (dir Kelly Reichardt, 2011)  Netflix says: "Set in 1845, this drama follows a group of settlers as they embark on a punishing journey along the Oregon Trail. When their guide leads them astray, the expedition is forced to contend with the unforgiving conditions of the high plain desert.

QUEUE THIS! is a weekly post by Destri Martino that appears on the Broad Humor Blog every Thursday morning. The goal of the post is to get more women-directed films in Netflix queues in order to make a sizable impact on Netflix analytics and buying patterns; thus, getting more films by women directors distributed and seen, and generally heightening awareness about this often overlooked pool of talent. View the past two QUEUE THIS! posts here and here.