Letters to the Editor
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Good question, and for the answer...
...I'd suggest posing the question to the millions of women who, through buying tickets for the men-blowing-things-up movies, help insure their dominance in the marketplace. Big action films are the lowest common denominator that crosses all demographic lines, thus getting the biggest overall reward. Every sector of society casts a vote for it with their dollars.
My other thought is that the sentiment behind this piece may be a false ideal. Throughout history, the worst, dumbest, least-challenging entertainments have always been the most broadly successful (there are always exceptions, of course). The best films by and about women are only modest financial successes, but then, so are the best films about (and by) men. The issue to me is not so much about the lack of one gender as the lack of quality vehicles for artistry in general. Do women really want a greater role in the production of junk? Is power and visibility a fair price for perpetuating mediocrity?
I'm an intelligent mid-30s guy who likes good drama, but also likes good fantasy, and I saw Iron Man yesterday and enjoyed it a lot. And I also lament the dreck that makes up most of Hollywood produces, but it's insulting to everyone involved, not just women--and it marginalizes honest, artistic stories of both men and women. And when stories of substance do come along, and they focus on men--'No Country for Old Men', for example--should they be chastised for not telling everyone else's story, instead of just their own?
So we can look at the issue through only the lens of absent women, or we can look at the issue together and ask, why is there so little room for good, smart, meaningful entertainment that respects the substance of both genders? Because when you raise the level of intelligence and artistry in a work, things like gender equality and respect almost always follow.
I don't expect anyone else to be telling my story for me. If a story that's important to you isn't being told, then do what it takes to go tell it. Bad movies are just the final product, the outcome, of society's power structures and education. Complaining about the end result will never have the impact of working for change at the source.