Agnes Varda reflects on her life and art in this stylish blending of archival footage, reenactments and cinematic inventions that add up to be a remarkably poignant and inspiring documentary. Yes, for Varda, life is a beach. Read more>>

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No girls need apply, and the “bravery” of the small-boobed woman. No wonder a gal might want to fly away… Read more »

The Story of Soraya M. brings to light the harrowing practice of the stoning to death of women who’ve been accused of adultry. It’s actually done–yes, in this day and age–in a number of nations, but this particular incident occurred in rural Iran in 1986. Read more>>

The release date of Shohreh Aghdashloo’s new film “The Stoning of Soraya M.,” could not be more propitious. As the world watches Iran in the throes of what may be another revolution — and finds a new Iranian heroine in Neda Aghan Soltan, who died in the streets of Tehran and again and again on YouTube and on TV screens around the planet — this film, based on the nonfiction book by journalist Freidoune Sahebjam, presents us with two other, real-life examples of courageous Iranian women: Soraya (Mozhan Marnò), a young woman at the cruel mercy misogynist Islamic law, and her aunt, Zahra (Aghdashloo), who dared to ensure that her story was known to the outside world. Read more »

Time supposedly flies when you’re having fun, which is probably why “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” makes you feel as though you’ve been trapped in the theater for days, being assaulted by toys posing as gigantic metal machines. Read more »

Unfortunately, the slogan “more than meets the eye” does not apply to the slam-bang action sequel “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

Back in 2004, Jodi Picoult wrote a provocative novel based on a news story about a real-life couple (Mary and Abe Ayala) who decided to conceive a baby specifically to be a compatible bone marrow donor for Anissa, their older, leukemia-stricken daughter. An ethical debate erupted and that’s the genesis of this misguided concept. Read more »

The huge box office success (US$ 356 million, if you’re counting) of My Big Fat Greek Wedding made Nia Vardalos one of the few women in Hollywood whose name can green light a movie. In two new movies releasing this summer–My Life In Ruins and I Hate Valentine’s Day, Vardalos emerges as a slimmed down version of the vivacious Greek-American gal with whom audiences have fallen in love. But she’s tired of discussing her weigh, and prefers to comment on her commitment to help women get ahead in moviemaking and the good cause she‘s adopted: adoption of children from foster care. Read more »

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