with women in contrasting positions of passiveness and submissiveness

That may be a cached impression. I doubt my viewing habits are typical, but a competent heroine who kicks ass is rather typical in contemporary movies, I think.

Men are not sexually objectified as often. .. This is most visible in advertising because it's the place where men are portrayed as specifically male rather than as people

You contradict yourself. Your second sentence basically says that men are sexually objectified.

Besides, a great deal of advertising is dedicated to portraying women as.. .specifically feminine :-)

The huge problem is that women's perceived value can never exceed the ease with which they can be objectified.

Says who?