MAYOR PETE – Review by Martha K Baker

Video-recording a modern campaign for President of the United States requires agility. The campaign itself, of necessity, demands consistency and, thus, repetition — not always the making of a vibrant documentary. The filmmaker and editor have to select reportage that engages. The same for the candidates themselves. Mayor Pete presents the candidate, Pete Buttigieg from beginning to end of that 2020 campaign. Instead of being the report of a man now in the White House, it is the biography of a political career in its adolescence, heading nicely toward greater success.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Awkwafina and Karen Gillan Reunite for SHELLY – Brandy McDonnell reports

Jumanji: The Next Level co-stars Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) and Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy) are set to reunite for the action-comedy Shelly, described as a high concept film that combines high school nostalgia, comedy and action, with a tone that is a mix of Mean Girls and Barry.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Amazon reboots A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN – Brandy McDonnell reports

Amazon has tossed out a series order for its reboot of A League of Their Own months after wrapping production on the pilot. Abbi Jacobson (Broad City) and Will Graham (The Onion News Network) created the series, which is billed as a reinterpretation of Penny Marshall’s 1992 feature film starring Geena Davis

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Viola Davis Inks Deal with Amazon –Brandy McDonnell reports

Amazon Studios has signed an exclusive first look feature production deal with Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions. The deal puts the streaming service in business with one of the most acclaimed and honored actresses of her generation. Davis has been working with Amazon on the upcoming comedy Troupe Zero, which co-stars Allison Janney and Jim Gaffigan.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Julia Roberts talks BEN IS BACK, Motherhood and #MeToo – Brandy McDonnell reports

Julia Roberts, mother of three, is earning praise for two standout performances this fall in Ben is Back,now in theaters, and in her first foray into television in Amazon’s acclaimed conspiracy thriller Homecoming, where she stars as a government-sponsored caseworker counseling soldiers back into civilian life.

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