liz whittemore – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 1, 2022: CLARA SOLA

June 25, 2022June 26, 2022 Jennifer Merin Ana Julia Porras Espinoza, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, clara sola, Daniel Castañeda Rincón, Flor María Vargas Chavez, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, magical realism, Marilyn Ferdinand., Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, Wendy Chinchilla Araya

The powerful need for expression and agency are at the heart of Nathalie Alvarez Mesen’s debut feature Clara Sola. The film centers on a 40-year-old Costa Rican woman named Clara (a mesmerizing Wendy Chinchilla Araya), whose deep connection to nature and animals seems to include the mystical ability to heal — but whose body and soul are constantly repressed, particularly by her devout mother, Fresia (Flor María Vargas Chavez). When Clara dares to test those constraints, the consequences are volatile.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 24, 2022: BITTERBRUSH

June 18, 2022June 19, 2022 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Bitterbrush, Colie Moline, cowgirls, documentary, Emelie Mahdavian, Hollyn Patterson, idaho, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, oam grady, sandie angulo chen

A unique coming-of-age story, Emelie Mahdavian’s immersive, observational documentary Bitterbrush takes viewers fully into a world many aren’t likely to have experienced. Following friends Colie Moline and Hollyn Patterson through their final summer herding cattle together on a remote ranch before life takes them in new, separate directions, it conveys emotions that are as big as the Idaho sky while maintaining a tight focus on the two young women and their relationship with each other.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 17, 2022: GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE

June 12, 2022June 13, 2022 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Daryl McCormack, emma thompson, Good Luck to You Leo Grande, jennifer merin, Katy Brand, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, Sophie Hyde

“Brave” is a word that gets thrown around a lot when it comes to acting, often when a performer — particularly a woman — dares to look unattractive on screen. Think Charlize Theron in Monster, Jennifer Aniston in Cake, and even Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones. Well, those ladies are all cowards compared to Emma Thompson, who boldly bares it all, literally and lovingly, in Sophie Hyde’s intimate drama Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 10, 2022: OFFICIAL COMPETITION

June 4, 2022June 5, 2022 Jennifer Merin antonio banderas, argentinian films, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Gastón Duprat, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Mariano Cohn, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Official Competition, Oscar Martinez, Pam Grady, penelope cruz, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, Spanish films

As long as there have been movies, there have been movies about making movies. Some are serious, some are silly; some are dark, some are light. One thing most have in common is that they always seem to bring those involved that particularly satisfying form of glee that comes from casting a critical light on something you have a complex relationship with. All of that is in play in Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat’s sharp showbiz satire Official Competition.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 3, 2022: THE JANES

May 28, 2022June 4, 2022 Jennifer Merin Abortion Counseling Service, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, documentaries, emma pildes, Heather Booth, jane collective, jennifer merin, Joanne Wolfson, Judith Arcana, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marie Leaner, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, Pam Grady, Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper, Rev. Patricia Novick-Raby, sandie angulo chen, The Janes, Tia Lessin

It would be nice if Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes’ documentary The Janes could be viewed strictly as part of the historical record — a detailed account of “how things used to be.” But with women’s right to choose still under relentless attack and Roe v. Wade seemingly on the brink of being reversed, this film about a group of young women who worked tirelessly in the late 1960s and early ’70s to help provide access to safe illegal abortions couldn’t be more timely.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 27, 2022: SINCE I BEEN DOWN

May 22, 2022June 4, 2022 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, documentary, Gilda Sheppard, jennifer merin, Kimonti Carter, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, passion river films, sandie angulo chen, Since I Been Down, three strikes laws

Both infuriating and inspiring, Gilda Sheppard’s documentary Since I Been Down lays bare the fear and institutional racism that drive so much of the United States’ criminal justice system — but also shows how education and understanding can open minds and turn lives around. Focusing on the story of Kimonti Carter, a Black Tacoma, Wash., man who’s been incarcerated for murder since he was 18, it demands that viewers think critically about race, power, rehabilitation, and justice.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 20, 2022 – FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK

May 15, 2022June 4, 2022 Jennifer Merin Alice de Buhr, betsy bozdech, Bobbi Jo Hart, Brie Brandt, Cam Davis, Cate Marquis, Cinema Citizen, documentary, Fanny: The Right to Rock, Jean Millington, jennifer merin, june Millington, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, Nickey Barclay, Pam Grady, Patti Quatro, sandie angulo chen

If you heard that David Bowie told Rolling Stone in 1999 that a group popular in the 1970s was “one of the finest f–ing rock bands of their time,” who would you guess he was talking about? Led Zepplin? The Who? Deep Purple? Wrong, wrong, and wrong. He was heaping praise on Fanny, the groundbreaking all-female band formed by Filipina sisters Jean and June Millington, whose story is told in Bobbi Jo Hart’s rousing documentary Fanny: The Right to Rock.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK April 22, 2022: PETITE MAMAN

April 17, 2022April 23, 2022 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Céline Sciamma, french films, Gabrielle Sanz, jennifer merin, Joséphine Sanz, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Nina Meurisse, Pam Grady, Petite Maman, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, Stéphane Varupenne, susan wloszczyna

Quietly emotional and tenderly sincere, Petite Maman is a poignant tale about loss, connection, and growing up. Blending gentle fantasy elements with grounded, naturalistic performances, writer-director Céline Sciamma tells the story of 8-year-old Nelly, whose parents take her with them to clear out her mother’s childhood home after the death of her beloved grandmother. To her surprise, she finds much more waiting for her there than her mother’s old books and playthings.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK April 11, 2022: WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR

April 10, 2022April 16, 2022 Jennifer Merin anna cobb, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Daniel Patrick Carbone, Jane Schoenbrun, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, susan wloszczyna, we're all going to the world's fair

Eerie and melancholy, Jane Schoenbrun’s horror-tinged drama We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is both a coming-of-age story and an examination of teens’ use of media and technology. It’s not always easy to watch, but it’s also very hard to look away as main character Casey (Anna Cobb) gets caught up in a creepy online role-playing game whose boundaries and impact are problematic at best and extremely dangerous at worst.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK April 8, 2022: COW

April 3, 2022April 9, 2022 Jennifer Merin andrea arnold, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Cow, documentary, jennifer merin, liz whittemore, loren king, Magda Kowalczyk, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen

It’s easy to look at a black-and-white dairy cow and imagine rolling green pastures, picturesque farmhouses, and buckets of frothy fresh milk. In other words, the picture book version of bovine life. The reality is quite different. A fly-on-the-wall (or fly-on-the-haunch, actually) look at the day-to-day life of a cow on a dairy farm in Kent, England, director Andrea Arnold’s unflinching documentary Cow captures that reality in a way that’s both moving and meditative.

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#FemaleFilmCritics24365

Lynn Venhaus @venhauslynn ·

6 Jun

Sounds fun! MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 10, 2022: OFFICIAL COMPETITION https://awfj.org/blog/2022/06/04/movie-of-the-week-june-10-2022-official-competition/
#AWFJ #FemaleFilmCritics24365

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Alliance of Women Film Journalists #AWFJ @awfj ·

7 May

What's at risk with reversal of #RoeVsWade? Watch #Happening, a #movie with tremendous relevance. Of the moment and riveting. SEE IT!
Review by Jennifer Green, ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS. We are #femalefilmcritics24365 https://awfj.org/blog/2022/04/28/happening-review-by-jennifer-green/ @jen4green @FemaleCritics

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Alliance of Women Film Journalists #AWFJ @awfj ·

11 Apr

Want to know what #movies to watch this week? Check out http://AWFJ.org's list of female helmed and femme centric films opening April 11 – 17, 2022, compiled by Margaret Barton-Fumo https://awfj.org/blog/2022/04/10/opening-april-11-17-2022-margaret-barton-fumo-reports/ @MarBarFu @FemaleCritics #FemaleFilmCritics24365 @aboutdocsguide

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Alliance of Women Film Journalists #AWFJ @awfj ·

15 Feb

Congrats to #TheAutomat and director #LisaHurwitz
The Automat is @AWFJ's #MovieOfTheWeek! A must-see #Documentary with pure NY nostalgia and delightful @MelBrooks. Opening at @FilmForumNYC

https://awfj.org/blog/2022/02/12/movie-of-the-week-february-18-2022-the-automat/ @AWFJ #AllianceOfWomenFilmJournalists #FemaleFilmCritics24365

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Alliance of Women Film Journalists #AWFJ @awfj ·

4 Feb

PARIS IS IN HARLEM (@Slamdance 2022) Review by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas https://awfj.org/blog/2022/01/31/paris-is-in-harlem-slamdance-2022-review-by-alexandra-heller-nicholas/ via @awfj @suspirialex
Alliance of Women Film Journalists we are #FemaleFilmCritics24365

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