awfj-admin – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MARSHALS – Review by Susan Granger

April 3, 2026April 5, 2026 awfj-admin Arielle Kebbel, Logan Marshall-Green, Luke Grimes, Marshals, Spencer Hudnut, Taylor Sheridan

Taylor Sheridan’s hit neo-Western series Yellowstone ended with Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) selling the Dutton ranch for a nominal fee to Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and the Broken Rock Indian Reservation, keeping a small parcel, known as East Camp, for himself, his Native wife Monica (Kelsey Asbille) and their son Tate (Brecken Merrill). Set awhile later, Marshals begins as Kayce’s old Navy SEAL buddy, Pete Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green), asks him to join a Montana-based tactical unit that’s part of the U.S. Marshals.

Reviews

DEMBA – Review by Diane Carson

April 1, 2025April 2, 2025 awfj-admin Demba, Mamadou Dia, senegalese films, Washington University African Film Fest 2025

In his second feature film, Senegalese writer/director Mamadou Dia’s Demba challenges viewers in unexpected ways in a story alternating neorealist and hallucinatory elements. Demba invites and deserves rapt attention for its chronicling of the interconnected, troubled lives of Demba Lam, his colleagues, son Bajjo, and the modest community. The opening, extreme long shot of the rundown northern Senegalese Matam City Hall, identified in on-screen titles, effectively sets the scene. Clearly having seen better days, the shabby building serves as a metaphor for Demba who emerges from the front door, following a young man (he’ll be recognized later as Bajjo) who says, “I did not ask to be picked up.” Looking defeated, Demba does not respond.

Reviews

BUBBLE & SQUEAK – Review by Nadine Whitney

February 7, 2025February 8, 2025 awfj-admin Bubble & Squeak, dave franco, Evan Twohy, Himesh Patel, Matt Berry, Sarah Goldberg, Steve Yeun

Bubble & Squeak is the epitome of the term “your mileage may vary.” If you get on Twohy’s chaotic wavelength, you’ll have a lot of fun. But if you prefer your chaos to be minimally controlled it’s more likely you’ll bounce off the film relatively quickly. Which is a shame because the film unquestionably picks up near its conclusion.

Lists

OPENING Dec 30, 2024 to Jan 3, 2005 – Margaret Barton-Fumo

December 30, 2024December 29, 2024 awfj-admin female centric films, female directed films, opening films

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists highlights movies made by and about women. With a vigilant eye toward current releases, we maintain an interactive record of films that are pertinent to our interests. Be they female-made or female-centric productions, they are films that represent a wide range of women’s stories and present complex female characters. As such, they are movies that will most likely be reviewed on AWFJ.org and will qualify for consideration for our annual EDA Awards, celebrating exceptional women working in film behind and in front of the camera.

Reviews

TAMALA 2010: A PUNK CAT IN SPACE – Review by Diane Carson

August 6, 2024August 12, 2024 awfj-admin 2K restoration, animation, japanese films, t.o.L., Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space, trees of Life

Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space follows a multi-universe, time traveler. Tamala introduces herself in 1436 Verona, Cat Earth, before a jump to 2010 Meguro City, Tokyo, and, later, 2032 Shanghai, China. Stories of the elusive cat Tatla, symbol of the ancient cult of Minerva, offer tantalizing ideas as Tamala, perhaps Tatla’s reincarnation, seeks her real mother. Through pouring rain and surrealistic dreams, cats and dogs fight on Planet Q, as officials impose martial law in Hate City. Elsewhere, Tamala’s seductive eyes grace a multitude of products in an unabashed capitalist critique: Colossal Conglomerate Catty & Co. controls 96.725% of the world GDP.

Lists

Opening June 17 – 23, 2024 – Margaret Barton-Fumo reports

June 16, 2024June 23, 2024 awfj-admin female centric films, female directed films, opening films

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 24, 2024: QUEEN OF THE DEUCE

May 18, 2024May 18, 2024 awfj-admin 42nd street, Abhilasha Dewan, adult movies, animation, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Chelly Wilson, holocaust survivor, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, lgbtq, liz whittemore, loren king, nell minow, out and proud, Pam Grady, porn, Queen of the Deuce, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, Valerie Kontakos

If Chelly Wilson were a fictional character, odds are she’d be deemed “hard to believe” or “too over the top.” But the business-savvy, chain-smoking mom and grandma who came to the United States from Greece in 1939 and operated a string of adult movie theaters in some of the seediest parts of New York City in the 1960s and ’70s is 100 percent real. And, as chronicled in Valerie Kontakos’ documentary Queen of the Deuce, her story is fascinating.

Reviews

MEAN GIRLS – Review by Leslie Combemale

January 10, 2024January 15, 2024 awfj-admin angourie rice, Jenna Fischer, Jon Hamm, mean girls, paramount, Renee Rapp, Tim Meadows, tina fey

Remember, humans, it’s our kindness and empathy that matter, not the meager power or pretty meat sacks what leverage in our social interactions. This update, co-directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr, with a book by ’04 screenwriter Tina Fey, drives that message home far better than its predecessor. I’m not sure this Mean Girls update will become a classic, per se, but it’s certainly more than just an entertaining diversion. It’s one hell of a vehicle for the cast, and also a fun message movie about belonging, personal responsibly, sense of self, and the value of friendship. This one just happens to come dressed in pink.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 10, 2023: A PLACE IN THE FIELD

November 5, 2023 awfj-admin A Place in the Field, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Don DiPetta, jennifer merin, Khorri Ellis, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, Mishel Prada, motw, Movie of the Week, nikki fowler, Nikki Mejia, sherin nicole

As intense international conflict again dominates the headlines with tragic stories of loss and suffering, director Nikki Mejia’s feature debut, A Place in the Field, feels particularly timely. Her contemplative, emotionally resonant drama about Giovanni Scuderi (Don DiPetta, who also co-wrote the film), a former soldier grappling with unresolved feelings of guilt and grief that kick into high gear after the death of his best friend, puts a very human face on the long-lasting trauma of war.

Reviews

INVISIBLE BEAUTY – Review by Loren King

September 4, 2023October 25, 2023 awfj-admin Bethann Hardison, Bethann Management, documentary, fashion industry, Frédéric Tcheng, Iman, Invisible Beauty, Kadeem Hardison, motw, Tyra Banks, Tyson Beckford

Invisible Beauty belongs among the great fashion documentaries of recent years. Like Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel and The Gospel According to André about André Leon Talley, Invisible Beauty profiles a fashion insider who is also an outsider. Trailblazer, innovator, activist and all around legend Bethann Hardison co-directs this look at her life and career with Frédéric Tcheng (Halston, “Dior and I). But it’s no vanity project. Candid, thoughtful and reflective, the film is much like the memoir that Hardison is writing throughout the film.

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