Vacation Vixen: Pam Grier

To paraphrase Kit Porter, “Damn, baby girl. Damn.”

Gun it

Now, don’t get me wrong, I liked “Inception.” It was like one of those M.C. Escher paintings from you college dorm room came to life, spun around a dozen times and then spit out that guy from “Titanic” and that gal from “Juno.” Also, who doesn’t love Ellen Page in an assortment of neckerchiefs? But what I really want is a little lady action. Sure Marion Cotillard gets to brandish a weapon here and there. But I crave is the big, bad-ass ladies with even bigger guns. I mean, damn Michelle Rodriguez, damn. So now the only question is, old school or new school? Decisions, decisions.

OLD SCHOOL

Gail DavisAnnie’s got not one, but two guns. As it should be.

Jane FondaWell now, Ms. Ballou, I like the way you point that thing.

Marlene DietrichThis is her just hanging at the shooting range in leather pants.

Pam GrierShe wasn’t called Foxy Brown for nothing.

Audrey HepburnAdmittedly, this is just adorable. I mean, a sun hat – come on.

NEW SCHOOL

Zoe SaldanaModern girls know how to double-fist it, too.

Noomi RapaceNo American version needed, thank you very much.

Milla Jovovich & Ali LarterTwo girls, one shotgun. So much better.

Yvonne StrahovskiIn my dream scenario Agent Sarah Walker and Agent Annie Walker meet and compare, um, guns.

Angelina JolieYes, I know, we already had a lengthy discussion about sodium content this week. But Ebert gave “Salt” four stars, and I want it to do well this weekend. Ladies first, ya know.

So, ladies – old school or new school? Or is it just fun to be schooled, period?

My Weekend Crush

I need more Pam Grier in my life. I know she is on “Smallville” right now, but I can only bring myself to watch one teenage show on the CW at a time and right now that honor goes to the one with the vampires. Though I’m thrilled Pam is still on TV somewhere. She is just too fun not to be. One of the (many) great disappointments of “The L Word” was that Mama Chaiken couldn’t find something better for Kit to do than the requisite “baby girl!” each episode. Sure, there were the Ivan Aycock and Sunset Boulevard relationships. But there was also the alcoholism, the manny, the self help philanderer, the homophobic son, the Papi experiment, the armed robbery, the near homicides, the armed Angelica – need I go on? And then all too often she was relegated to being sassy head shake or the comforting hug giver. But Pam is, of course, capable of so much more. In fact, anyone who can effortlessly pull a gun out of her afro deserves more. Her bad-ass bona fides come from a career of kicking ass and taking names in blaxploitation films. Still even with her minimal dialog on TLW, Pam projected warmth, humor, spunk and strength. I mean, it’s not everyone who can walk down a hallway like this. Work it, baby girl. Happy weekend, all.