Jennifer Merin – Page 2 – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

BELLA! – Review by Jennifer Merin

August 12, 2023August 13, 2023 Jennifer Merin barbra streisand, Bella Abzug, Bella!, hilary clinton, Jeff L. Lieberman, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, lily tomlin, Marlo Thomas, motw, Movie of the Week, Nancy Pelosi, shirley maclaine

Bella! And, yes, be sure to include the exclamation point in the film’s title because the subject of Jeff L. Leiberman’s well researched and beautifully crafted documentary deserves emphatic punctuation. Bella Abzug (1920-1998) was a champion of civil rights for women in every aspect of our lives. She was the feminist activist politician who fought fiercely to enact laws to establish and protect equity in the workplace, in government representation, in family matters — all of the women’s civil rights that we are now at such high risk of losing in our nation’s current regressive climate.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK August 11, 2023: KING COAL

August 7, 2023August 21, 2023 Jennifer Merin appalachia, betsy bozdech, Bobak Lotfipour, Cinema Citizen, curran sheldon, documentaries, elaine mcmillion sheldon, jennifer merin, king coal, motw, Movie of the Week, Requisite Media

It’s very tempting to dismiss the coal-mining industry of Appalachia as the stubborn relic of an outdated era — the last gasp of the original Industrial Revolution that refuses to make way for newer, more environmentally friendly options like solar and wind energy. But to do so is to ignore the reality that coal still plays a major role in many Americans’ lives, a fact that Elaine McMillion Sheldon conveys powerfully in her lyrical documentary King Coal.

Reviews

KING COAL – Review by Jennifer Merin

August 1, 2023August 8, 2023 Jennifer Merin appalachia, Cinema Citizen, curran sheldon, documentaries, elaine mcmillion sheldon, king coal, motw, Movie of the Week

King Coal is a serenely meditative, exquisitely lyrical cinematic celebration of a specific American community and culture that is oft misunderstood. Appalachian filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon’s hybrid documentary is a personal memoire in which she combines archival and current observational footage with creative storytelling to take us deep into the region where she spent her childhood and still has family roots. It is an area where coal mining rules the economy, the politics and local tradition. As the film’s title indicates, coal is king.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK August 4, 2023: BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

July 31, 2023July 31, 2023 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Between Two Worlds, Cate Marquis, Emmanuel Carrère, Florence Aubenas, french films, Hélène Lambert, jennifer merin, Le Quai de Ouistreham, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen

Juliette Binoche shines as a writer caught between honesty and authenticity in director Emmanuel Carrère’s compelling drama Between Two Worlds. Based on the non-fiction book by French journalist Florence Aubenas, the film explores what happens when an undercover writer with the best of intentions about sharing the realities of working-class life gets closer to her subjects than she planned, threatening both her objectivity and her connection to the community she’s come to feel a part of.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 28, 2023: SUSIE SEARCHES

July 24, 2023July 27, 2023 Jennifer Merin Alex Wolff, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Jamie Broadnax, jennifer merin, Kiersey Clemons, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, Sophie Kargman, Susie Searches

Part Only Murders in the Building, part Nancy Drew, and part Wednesday, Susie Searches is a charming, appealingly quirky little mystery with some genuinely surprising twists. Stylish and well-acted, this story about an earnest, ambitious armchair detective (played by Kiersey Clemons) marks the feature directorial debut of Sophie Kargman, who co-wrote the screenplay with William Day Frank based on their 2020 short, also titled Susie Searches, in which Kargman originated the title role.

Reviews

SUSIE SEARCHES – Review by Jennifer Merin

July 18, 2023September 4, 2023 Jennifer Merin Alex Wolff, Kiersey Clemons, motw, Movie of the Week, Sophie Kargman, Susie Searches

Susie (Kiersey Clemons) has a secret crush on Jesse (Alex Wolff), the most popular boy on campus — he’s an internet influencer for the commonsense spirituality he delivers with gurulike self-assurance. When Jesse disappears, Susie embarks on a mission to find him. She’s smarter and more persistent than local authorities, and discovers critical information that leads to solving a case of kidnapping. And as a result of her sleuthing, she not only gets to hang out with her main crush, but she gets wide attention and validation from her peers and the media.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 21, 2023: WAR PONY

July 15, 2023July 17, 2023 Jennifer Merin Ashley Shelton, betsy bozdech, Bill Reddy, Cate Marquis, Franklin Sioux Bob, Gina Gammell, jennifer merin, Jojo Bapteise Whiting, LaDainian Crazy Thunder, Lakota, lakota nation vs united states, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, momentum pictures, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, oglala, pine ridge, Riley Keough, Sprague Hollander, War Pony

Coming-of-age dramas don’t get much more authentic than Gina Gammell and Riley Keough’s War Pony. Born out of the two women’s deeply personal, long-standing relationship with the Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation, the film follows two young Lakota men as they deal with the ups and downs of their daily lives. In the process, it offers a frank but tender look at the realities of contemporary life at Pine Ridge.

Lists

SOLIDARITY: Films About Labor Unions and Union Organizers – Jennifer Merin reports

July 11, 2023September 4, 2023 Jennifer Merin caesar chavez an american hero, harlan county usa, made in dagenham, matewan, norma rae, on the waterfront, sag-aftra, salt of the earth, silkwood, WGA

While millions of movie lovers and fans whose lives are shaped to some extent by cinema are watching to see how the WGA and SAG/AFTRA union negotiations will play out, this is an opportune time for a first, second or umpteenth look at movies — narrative and/or documentary — that center on labor negotiations for union members to attain fair wages, job security, worker benefits and safe conditions — all of the core issues at the heart of the WGA and SAG/AFTRA demands — in a wide range of industries that shape our lives as much as the movies do. Here are the titles and trailers for suggested films to watch, listed in no particular order. Enjoy!

Reviews

WAR PONY – Review by Jennifer Merin

July 11, 2023July 20, 2023 Jennifer Merin Ashley Shelton, Bill Reddy, Franklin Sioux Bob, Gina Gammell, Jojo Bapteise Whiting, LaDainian Crazy Thunder, Lakota, Lakota nation, motw, Movie of the Week, oglala, pine ridge, Riley Keough, Sprague Hollander, War Pony

War Pony is an exquisite narrative feature from first time directors Gina Gammell and Riley Keough. Set on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, the film centers on two young Oglala Lakota men who are using all of their innate smarts to find opportunities to overcome the overwhelming hardships they face — poverty, abandonment, cultural disenfranchisement. The beautifully crafted film has an authenticity that is absolutely captivating.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 14, 2023: LAKOTA NATION Vs. UNITED STATES

July 8, 2023August 21, 2023 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, black hills treaty, Cate Marquis, documentaries, ifc films, jennifer merin, jesse short bull, lakota nation vs united states, landback movement, laura tomaselli, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen

Does any part of you still doubt that the United States’ relationship with the Indigenous people who called North America home long before anyone ever thought of naming it “America” in the first place is based in duplicity, theft, and genocide? If so, then watching Laura Tomaselli and Jesse Short Bull’s compelling Lakota Nation Vs. United States will make it crystal clear that, as one interviewee eloquently puts it, “Fundamentally, the intent of the United States is to gain access to native land.” Lakota Nation Vs. United States is an ardent call for justice.