AWFJ Women On Film - “Salt” - Review by Susan Granger

Angelina Jolie could turn out to be the #1 action star in the world. She’s that good in a
role written for Tom Cruise but rejected by him as being too similar to that of Ethan Hunt
in the “Mission Impossible” franchise. Read more »

Reviews and Criticism, Women on Film - Susan Granger

AWFJ Women On Film - Elizabeth Allen Talks “Ramona and Beezus,” Filmmaking and Women In Hollywood - Jennifer Merin interviews

“Ramona and Beezus,” based on Beverly Cleary’s beloved book, is likely to be the family film success of the summer season. The film is all about sisterhood and the love that develops between and binds siblings.

Cleary’s novel is a kids’ classic, so well-known and beloved, adapting it for the big screen could be problematic. Director Elizabeth Allen says she was actually quite concerned about doing it the right way — especially because she feels so personally connected to the book. Read more »

Interviews and Profiles, Women on Film - Jennifer Merin

AWFJ Women On Film - “Ramona and Beezus” - Review by Susan Granger

For 60 years, six-to-12 year-old children have enjoyed books by Beverly Cleary, so it’s
actually quite surprising that it’s taken this long to bring any of them to the big screen. Read more »

Reviews and Criticism, Women on Film - Susan Granger

AWFJ Women On Film - Iconic Women In Film - Diana Saenger comments

Years ago the word Hollywood conjured up images of glamour, legend and famous actresses and actors. Movie fans clamored for movie magazines that had in-depth stories about the stars’ lives and couldn’t wait to see them on the big screen. Movies were designed around star power and if the plot was exceptional – it was added value to the experience. Read more »

Essays and Features, Women on Film - Diana Saenger

AWFJ Women On Film - “Inception” - Review by Tricia Olszewski

Christopher Nolan’s concept is as irresistible as its execution. Read more>>

Reviews and Criticism, Women on Film - Tricia Olszewski

AWFJ Women On Film - “Inception” - Review by Susan Granger

Just as James Cameron fashioned a far-distant world in “Avatar,” Christopher Nolan has created an even more intriguing inner world in this terrifying new sci-fi thriller. Read more »

Reviews and Criticism, Women on Film - Susan Granger

AWFJ Women On Film - “The Girl Who Played With Fire” - Reviewed by Tricia Olszewski

The strikingly original character Larsson brought to life is, alas, already getting predictable. Read more>>

Reviews and Criticism, Women on Film - Tricia Olszewski

AWFJ Women On Film - “The Girl Who Played with Fire” - Review by Cynthia Fuchs

In The Girl Who Played with Fire, Lisbeth is no longer the sometimes mesmerizing sidekick. Instead, she’s the very obvious, and less mesmerizing, center. Read more>>

Reviews and Criticism, Women on Film - Cynthia Fuchs

AWFJ Women On Film - “The Girl Who Played With Fire” - Review by Susan Granger

Like Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium” trilogy, you need to read/see “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” in order to understand this sequel. In the first movie, crusading Stockholm business journalist, Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) enlisted the help of a punk, pierced-and-tattooed computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), to solve a 40 year-old cold case. Read more »

Reviews and Criticism, Women on Film - Susan Granger

AWFJ Women On Film - How Movies Repaint the Image of the American Families - Carrie Rickey comments

If Norman Rockwell were alive today, when there’s a smorgasbord of options for building a clan, his picture of the American dinner might resemble the post-nuclear family of The Kids Are All Right, Lisa Cholodenko’s comedy opening Friday. Here are two lesbian mothers, their two teenagers - each the offspring of one of them - and the sperm-donor dad gathered around the picnic table, getting to know each other over burgers and chips 18 years after bio-dad’s deposit at the sperm bank.Read more>>

Essays and Features, Women on Film - Carrie Rickey