Leslie Combemale – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

NOMADLAND – Review by Leslie Combemale

October 22, 2020October 23, 2020 Leslie Combemale 0 Comments Charlene Swankie, choe zhao, frances mcdormand, Middleburg Film Festival, nomadland

the film examines the phenomenon of travelers going across the country in search of work, through the lens of a widow named Fern (McDormand), who lives in her van. Other than co-star David Strathairn, who plays a fellow nomad, the secondary characters are played by real people on the nomad community. McDormand, Zhao, and crew members lived out of vans during production. The result is a film that is beautiful and sad and unique. It will blow you away.

Reviews

REBECCA – Review by Leslie Combemale

October 22, 2020October 23, 2020 Leslie Combemale 0 Comments armie hammer, ben wheatley, da[hne du maurier, kristin scott thomas, Lily James, netflix, rebecca

Director Ben Wheatley’s new incarnation of Rebecca is a valiant reinterpretation that is truer to Daphne Du Maurier’s book than it is to the Hitchcock film. While some might argue that a new version of the story is unnecessary, it fills the holes in our imagination as to how the tale plays out, etching into our minds how the flawed romantic characters get out of a jam.

Festivals Reviews

BLITHE SPIRIT (Middleburg FF 2020) – Review by Leslie Combemale

October 14, 2020October 18, 2020 Leslie Combemale 0 Comments blithe spirit, Edward Hall, isla fisher, judy dench, Leslie Mann, Middleburg Film Festival, noel coward, Piers Ashworth

A new film adaptation of Noel Coward’s famously ‘spirited’ 1941 play Blithe Spirit is coming to a (insert however the hell we’ll be seeing movies in December) near you, starring pretty pretties Isla Fisher, Dan Stevens, and Leslie Mann, and the Middleburg Film Festival offered a drive-in screening of this fluffy farce, this celebration of cynicism, on the fest’s opening night. Screenwriter Piers Ashworth reinvigorates the story with a more female-friendly, feminist bend, and one character who is decidedly more sympathetic, although the story still takes place in the 30s, with all the attendant style and panache.

Reviews

ON THE ROCKS – Review by Leslie Combemale

October 14, 2020October 25, 2020 Leslie Combemale 0 Comments Bill Murray, Jenny Slate, motw, Movie of the Week, on the rocks, rashida jones, sofia coppola

As much as I’m a proponent of female filmmakers, I’ve never much been one for the movies of Sophia Coppola. With On the Rocks, that has changed. I loved the film, and believe it’s one of the best vehicles in Bill Murray’s career. Sometimes his shtick brings attention to itself to such a degree that we become removed from the story or whatever is happening onscreen. Not so in On the Rocks. On the contrary, he gets so far out of his own way, his portrayal brings us all the more into the story. He is an unqualified marvel.

Interviews

Julie Taymor on THE GLORIAS and Female Collectivity – Leslie Combemale interviews

September 29, 2020September 30, 2020 Leslie Combemale 0 Comments alicia vikander, gloria steinem, julianne moore, julie taymor, Lulu Wilson, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, the glorias

Julie Taymor has been making films in Hollywood since way before the recent uptick of (finally) hiring female filmmakers, so she knows a thing or two about fighting, or perhaps better to say, subverting the patriarchy. Her new film The Glorias takes audiences through the life (so far) of political activist, writer, and feminist organizer Gloria Steinem. Given the p*ssy-grabbing hot mess America has become in the last 4 years, the film is landing right on time.

Reviews

MISBEHAVIOUR – Review by Leslie Combemale

September 24, 2020September 26, 2020 Leslie Combemale 0 Comments Gugu Mbatha-Raw, keira Knightly, leslie manville, loreece Harrison, misbehavior, miss world 1970, motw, Movie of the Week, truth-based

At its core, Misbehaviour is a crowd pleaser, and that’s a good thing. All over the world, things have been especially tough on women lately. The film also has strong, inspiring messages, mostly based in the idea that ‘well-behaved women rarely make history’, and that it is essential to upend the status quo if it keeps members of society down.

Festivals Reviews

BEANS (TIFF 2020) – Review by Leslie Combemale

September 11, 2020September 13, 2020 Leslie Combemale 0 Comments beans, canadian films., Kahnawake First Nations Reserve, Kiawentiio, mohawk, oka crisis, Rainbow Dickerson, TIFF, toronto international film festival, tracey deer

Framed by a challenging era in Canadian history, Beans is a good film for mothers and daughters to watch and discuss. Friendship, family, and standing your ground, as complicated as that can, are amplified from a female lens, and from the voice of a woman director who knows the story from personal experience. We could use more of these films to help guide girls through their self discovery, and help families support them on their journey.

Reviews

STUNTWOMEN: THE UNTOLD HOLLYWOOD STORY – Review by Leslie Combemale

September 10, 2020September 12, 2020 Leslie Combemale 0 Comments Alyma Dorsey, Amy Johnston, April Wright, Debbie Evans, Jadie David, Jeannie Epper, Julie Ann Johnson, Mollie Gregory, Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story, Zoë Bell

You’ll learn from Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story. Because of the personal anecdotes and perspectives from stuntwomen of multiple generations, demonstrations of how some stunts were and are done, and the show of authentic passion, expertise and enthusiasm these women have for their craft, the film is always entertaining and fascinating.

Reviews

TENET – Review by Leslie Combemale

September 8, 2020September 13, 2020 Leslie Combemale 0 Comments Christopher Nolan, Elizabeth Debicki, John David Washington, kenneth Branagh, Robert Pattinson, tenet

Fans of writer/director Christopher Nolan are not strangers to bent time, trippy constructs in physics, or highbrow filmmaking. Unfortunately, all that wizardry can’t make up for the lack of character development and mental gymnastics required to buy into and stick with the story of Tenet.

Reviews

CRITICAL THINKING – Review by Leslie Combemale

September 3, 2020September 4, 2020 Leslie Combemale 0 Comments Carla Berkowitz, chess, critical thinking, John Leguizamo

The joy and pride that permeate this story of chess coach T. Martinez’ intellectual heroism in Critical Thinking are like a healing salve to the bleakness of our news cycle. That we can be inspired by a teacher and kids who rise above a system built to deny them, is all the reason we need to celebrate the film.

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