Monique Jones – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

IF I TELL YOU – Review by Monique Jones

August 19, 2026August 28, 2026 Monique Jones

Tessa Blake’s If I Tell You If I Tell You is quietly intense, skillfully telling the story about the aftermath of a sexual assault from the victim’s family’s perspective. In particular, the young son, Michae, is at the center of the story, and through his eyes, we see how his mother’s rape affects her, Michael’s father and grandmother and, of course, Michael himself. The film dives into the serious issues, but doesn’t give definitive answers. However, it does remind viewers of at least one truth: the perpetrator is the one who should be on trial for their actions, not the victim. The victim can only do their best when emotionally grappling with their experience, and not every victim will react in the same way. But victims should be held with empathy.

Reviews

FREEFALL: A RECKONING FOR BOEING – Review by Monique Jones

August 13, 2026August 18, 2026 Monique Jones 737 MAX, aviation, Boeing Corporation, Dreamliner, Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing, John Barnett, Mark Bailey, motw, Rory Kennedy, whistleblower

If you’re already afraid of plane travel, Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing will make you ready to book your travel on trains and ships for the rest of your life. I’m half-joking, but I’m also half-serious; the film doesn’t give you a good sense that everything has changed for the better at Boeing, which has been at the center of recent deadly crashes. Indeed, following the case of whistlebower John Barnett, his death and the congressional response Boeing had to accusations of profits over people reduces any possible goodwill anyone might have had towards the company.

Reviews

THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING – Review by Monique Jones

August 5, 2026August 9, 2026 Monique Jones andrew patterson, Angelina LookingGlass, beekeepers, bees, honey, Matthew McConaughey, The Rivals of Amziah King

Even though the film is listed as a contemporary western crime thriller, the thrills don’t really start until halfway into the film (not counting the very early shock of a brutal, but comical accident early in the film). Yes, the first half is setting up the sense of community and camaraderie that serves as a foundation for the second half. But the first half might come across as wandering as well as a little twee and precious when it comes to the “jovial southerner” stereotype the film really hangs its hat on.

Reviews

READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN – Review by Monique Jones

June 29, 2026July 5, 2026 Monique Jones Arash Marandi, Azar Nafisi, Daisy Miller, Eran Riklis, Golshifteh Farahani, Pride & Prejudice, Reading Lolita in Tehran, The Great Gatsby, University of Allameh Tabatabei

Reading Lolita in Tehran is a wonderful film about Iranian women who are using literature as a guide to their own personal revolutions against the tightening oppression of the Iranian regime. Set after the 1979 revolution and continuing through changing administrative dictates until the late ’80s, the film gives insight into how women have reacted to the increasingly oppressive government and how they fight to retain their own agency, even at their own personal peril. Reading Lolita in Tehran shows that being yourself and holding true to your ideals can be one of the most revolutionary things a person can do.

Reviews

HONEYJOON – Review by Monique Jones

June 3, 2026June 6, 2026 Monique Jones Amira Casar, Ayden Mayeri, Honeyjoon, Lilian T. Mehrel

Lilian T. Mehrel’s Honeyjoon is a funny and heartfelt film about the pains of growing beyond the life of a loved one who has passed on. The film is about a mother and daughter who are figuring out how to move on after the one-year anniversary of the man they call husband and father. But there’s also a stealthy conversation about how Iranians who escaped the Iranian Revolution of 1979 can find a way to live again despite the “slow goodbye” (to paraphrase the film) they’re experiencing with their country.

Reviews

MAGIC HOUR – Review by Monique Jones

May 4, 2026May 10, 2026 Monique Jones Brad Garrett, Daveed Diggs, greenwich entertainment, Katie Aselton, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Magic Hour, mark duplass, motw, Movie of the Week, Susan Sullivan

Magic Hour can be a powerful release for viewers who feel that film can help process the wildness of grief. The film shows how hard it can be to let go, and I think that can give some viewers a feeling of comfort. Too often, film and TV portray grief as something easy to get over, but it’s refreshing to see Magic Hour show the struggle in finding a “new normal” after death.

Reviews

THE CHAPLIAN AND THE DOCTOR – Review by Monique Jones

April 13, 2026April 19, 2026 Monique Jones Betty Clark, documentary, end of life, Highland Hospital, Jessica Zitter, palliative care, The Chaplain and the Doctor

The American health system is a mess, to put it lightly. A good chunk of the mess comes from the racist and xenophobic views embedded within the medical system. This film shows how palliative care patients come up against discrimination and almost indestructible red tape. Chaplain Betty Clark, who is the daughter of sharecroppers and whose great-grandmother was born into slavery, and Doctor Jessica Zitter, a holocaust survivor, have a relationship that is forged, in part, because of their shared generational trauma.

Reviews

STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE – Review by Monique Jones

April 6, 2026April 12, 2026 Monique Jones Amy Goodman, Carl Deal, Democracy Now, documentary, juan gonzales, Steal This Story Please, Tia Lessin

Amy Goodman’s commitment to humanizing the subjects of her stories exemplifies how one person can make a difference by using their voice to inspire others to stand up for what’s right in the world. Goodman might look like a small, frail woman, but she has inner mettle that would put the most Alpha male to shame. She is, in a word, a badass. She’s an amazing reminder that your voice is important to the world–you never know how far your voice can reach until you use it.

Reviews

THE BLUE TRAIL – Review by Monique Jones

March 22, 2026March 28, 2026 Monique Jones brazilian films, Denise Weinberg, Gabriel Mascaro, magical realism, Miriam Socarras, Rodrigo Santoro, the blue trail

The Blue Trail has a lot of high points, most notably how it treats concepts like aging. Just because you have reached “elderly” status doesn’t mean life stops. In the film, 77 year old Tereza (Denise Weinberg) comes into her own, avoiding state sanctioned retirement and relocation to an elder ‘colony’ and instead learning more about herself and what she wants out of the rest of her life.

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