Search Results for “movie of the week” – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 17, 2020: CHICHINETTE: THE ACCIDENTAL SPY

January 12, 2020January 12, 2020 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments betsy bozdech, chichinette, how i accidentally became a spy, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, marina antunes, marthe cohn, maryann johanson, motw, Movie of the Week, nazi germany, nicola hens, nikki baughan, Pam Grady, Sheila Roberts, the accidental spy

Telling your story — bearing witness to your own life and those of the people you’ve loved (and lost) — is one of the most powerful things someone can do, especially when they’ve lived through historic events. But it’s not always easy, as we learn from watching Nicola Hens’ engaging documentary Chichinette: The Accidental Spy about former WWII spy Marthe Cohn, who, now nearly 100 years old, still travels the world sharing her experiences with others.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: January 10, 2020: THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES

January 5, 2020January 12, 2020 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments alison reid, anne innis dagg, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, documentaries, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, loren king, maryann johanson, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, sandie angulo chen, Sheila Roberts, susan wloszczyna, woman who loves giraffes

What’s not to love about a passionate, confident Canadian scholar who fought her way to Africa in the 1950s to study the animals she’d loved since she was a toddler? As chronicled in Alison Reid’s engaging documentary The Woman Who Loves Giraffes, the story of Dr. Anne Innis Dagg is full of warmth, intelligence, and — above all — spunk.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 3, 2020: SPEED OF LIFE

December 29, 2019January 5, 2020 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments ann dowd, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, david bowie, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz manashil, liz whittemore, Marilyn Ferdinand., marina antunes, motw, novie of the week, Pam Grady, Sheila Roberts, speed of life, susan wloszczyna

What if, instead of being a space oddity, the infinitely creative David Bowie was actually a time and space oddity, and his passing literally ripped a hole in the universe? That’s the intriguing premise of Liz Manashil’s charming indie dramedy Speed of Life, which centers on an avid Bowie fan named June whose life takes a very unexpected twist after Bowie’s untimely death in 2016.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK December 27, 2019: The Best of A Banner Year

December 21, 2019December 21, 2019 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments after the wedding, always be my maybe, anthropocene, be natural, family, for sama, honey boy, honeyland, Maiden, motw, Movie of the Week, one child nation, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, roll red roll, team motw, the nightingale, tigers are not afraid, woman at war

Late December is a good time for a Movie of the Week recap: 38 of our selections have been femme-helmed, and all are about women — biodocs about influential game-changers like Tracy Edwards, Toni Morrison and Dr. Ruth, as well as narratives about complex fictional power players such as Claire in The Nightingale, Molly in Late Night and Orna in Working Woman. With inspiring stories about women’s struggles for equality and other key issues, AWFJ’s #MOTW roster shows the range and high level of achievement of women working in film. Here Team #MOTW presents our favorites. Wonder what’s in store?

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK December 20, 2019: WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL

December 15, 2019December 19, 2019 awfj-admin 0 Comments betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, documentaries, film criticism, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, loren king, marina antunes, maryann johanson, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki baughan, rob garver, sandie angulo chen, Sheila Roberts, susan wloszczyna, what she said the art of pauline kael

In an era in which a cacophony of critical voices competes for potential moviegoers’ time and attention — and yet not nearly enough of those voices represent the diversity of the public they’re speaking to — Pauline Kael’s iconic status seems like even more of an achievement. Her remarkable career is the subject of Rob Garver’s insightful documentary What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK December 13, 2019: THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN

December 8, 2019December 15, 2019 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments array, Ava DuVernay, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, jennifer merin, Kathleen Hepburn, liz whittemore, loren king, marina antunes, maryann johanson, Pam Grady, Sheila Roberts, violet nelson

A chance encounter brings two women together for a day that neither could have anticipated in Kathleen Hepburn and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers’ drama The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open. Authentic in every way, from the gritty cinematography to the convincing performances, it’s documentary-like in its frank honesty.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK Dec 6, 2019: PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

December 1, 2019December 15, 2019 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments Adèle Haenel, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Céline Sciamma, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., marina antunes, maryann johanson, nell minow, nikki baughan, Noémie Merlant, Pam Grady, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, sandie angulo chen, Sheila Roberts, valeria golino

A picture is worth a thousand words — and leads to a thousand longing glances — in writer/director Celine Sciamma’s passionate drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Set in remote mid-1700s Brittany, it follows the increasingly intense relationship between painter Marianne (Noemie Merlant) and her unknowing subject, Heloise (Adele Haenel), who has just left sheltered convent life.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 29, 2010: HALA

November 24, 2019November 30, 2019 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Geraldine viswanathan, Hala, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., marina antunes, maryann johanson, minhal baig, motw, Movie of the Week, Sheila Roberts

Just like romcoms, coming-of-age dramas often feel so familiar that it’s easy to be tempted to write them all off as trite or predictable. And then along comes a smart, engaging film like “Hala,” which brings fresh energy to the whole genre simply by reminding us how many diverse coming-of-age stories we haven’t yet heard.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 22, 2019: SHOOTING THE MAFIA

November 17, 2019November 25, 2019 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, documentary, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, letizia battaglia, loren king, marina antunes, maryann johanson, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki baughan, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, Sheila Roberts, shooting the mafia

Anyone who’s ever winced at the mob violence and manipulation in The Godfather will quickly realize it has nothing on the real-life crimes of the Italian Mafia, as captured through Letitzia Battaglia’s talented eye and focused lens. The fearless photographer is the subject of Kim Longinotto’s fascinating documentary Shooting the Mafia.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 15, 2019: ATLANTICS

November 10, 2019November 13, 2019 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments atlantics, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, loren king, maria antunes, Marilyn Ferdinand., maryann johanson, mati diop, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, netflix, Pam Grady, senegal, Sheila Roberts

Dreamy and full of unexpected twists, Mati Diop’s narrative debut Atlantics — Grand Jury Prize winner at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival — is simultaneously a tender tale of star-crossed lovers, an eerie ghost story, and a gritty procedural. That unusual combination keeps it surprising and engaging throughout and underlines writer/director Diop’s notable talent.

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