amy poehler – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

WEEK IN WOMEN: NBC Special Celebrates Carol Burnett’s Birthday – Brandy McDonnell reports

April 18, 2023April 22, 2023 Brandy McDonnell Aileen Quinn, amy poehler, Bill Hader, Bob Mackie, carol burnett, cher, Ellen Degeneres, JULIE ANDREWS, kristen wiig, Laura Dern, lily tomlin, marisa tomei, nbc, peacock, Sofia Vergara, Steve Carell, Susan Lucci, tracee ellis ross, twiw, week in women

Paying tribute to a beloved national icon for her birthday, NBC will celebrate Carol Burnett’s illustrious career with Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love. The two-hour special will air at 8 p.m. ET/PT April 26 and will stream next day on Peacock. Filmed at Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles, the star-studded special will feature an A-list lineup of musical performances and special guests, who will come together to share their love for one of the most cherished comediennes in television history.

Reviews

LUCY AND DESI – Review by Martha K Baker

March 8, 2022March 9, 2022 Martha K. Baker amy poehler, biodocs, carol burnett, desi arzaz, i love lucy, Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, lucille ball, Lucy and Desi, motw, Movie of the Week

Aaron Sorkin’s feature film, “Being the Ricardos,” studies a tumultuous week in the production of “I Love Lucy” with trips

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK March 4, 2022: LUCY AND DESI

February 26, 2022March 9, 2022 Jennifer Merin amy poehler, betsy bozdech, biodocs, carol burnett, Cate Marquis, desi arzaz, i love lucy, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, lucille ball, Lucy and Desi, mariyn ferdinand, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, susan wloszczyna

If watching Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in Being the Ricardos left you craving even more details about the lives of one of Hollywood’s most famous TV power couples, director Amy Poehler has you covered. Her documentary Lucy and Desi is simultaneously informative and intimate, telling the fascinating story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s lifelong love for each other and how it was both fueled and frustrated by their shared passion for showbiz.

Reviews

LUCY AND DESI – Review by Loren King

February 21, 2022February 26, 2022 Loren King amy poehler, biodocs, carol burnett, desi arzaz, i love lucy, Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, lucille ball, Lucy and Desi, motw, Movie of the Week

If Being the Ricardos, despite Nicole Kidman’s and Javier Bardem’s Oscar nominated performances, didn’t convey the seismic impact of the personal and professional partnership of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz on the entertainment world, then and now, the corrective is the documentary Lucy and Desi. Amy Poehler directed this treasure of rare, candid photographs and film clips including home movies that traces their careers, marriage and creation of the groundbreaking TV comedy I Love Lucy. Poehler lets the story unfold largely in their own words, through film footage and audio recordings.

Reviews

LUCY AND DESI – Review by Susan Wloszczyna

February 21, 2022February 26, 2022 Susan Wloszczyna amy poehler, biodocs, carol burnett, desi arzaz, i love lucy, Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, lucille ball, Lucy and Desi, motw, Movie of the Week

As a card-carrying Baby Boomer, I watched the ground-breaking sitcom I Love Lucy as well as the reruns that continue to be recycled throughout the TV universe to this day. Why? Because the multi-talented Lucille Ball was one of my female idols growing up. The reason? Unlike the moms on such family comedies as The Donna Reed Show, Leave It to Beaver or, heaven forbid, Father Knows Best, they were domestic goddesses who wore pearls and frilly aprons while happily caring for their broadcast clans. However, on-air, Lucy wasn’t so keen on being a housewife. But Lucy desperately wanted to be an entertainer like her musical husband Ricky.

Festivals Reviews

LUCY AND DESI (Sundance FF 2022) – Review by Leslie Combemale

January 25, 2022January 25, 2022 Leslie Combemale amy poehler, being the ricardos, documentary, i love lucy, Lucie Arnaz, Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, Lucy and Desi, sundance film festival 2022

Director Amy Poehler;s documentary Lucy and Desi can arguably be called the definitive work on these sitcom trailblazers and first popular interracial couple in Hollywood. Fans of the gorgeous redheaded powerhouse called ‘The Queen of the Bs’, and the man who was both a brilliant producer and a magnetic performer who popularized the rhumba in the US, will learn lots of new information from the subjects themselves and love every minute of it.

Reviews

MOXIE – Review by Martha K Baker

March 10, 2021March 13, 2021 Martha K. Baker Alycia Pascual-Peña, amy poehler, Hadley Robinson, Lauren Tsai, motw, Movie of the Week, moxie, netflix, Sabrina Haskett, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, susan wloszczyna, Tamara Chestna

When the principal of Rockford High describes her student body as having moxie, two juniors roll their eyes and implore, “Is she 100 years old?” Moxie is a soft drink created in in 1876 by Dr. Augustin Thompson. He designed the prune-based drink to give the drinker gumption, like pep from Pepsi.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK March 12, 2021: MOXIE

March 7, 2021March 28, 2021 Jennifer Merin Alycia Pascual-Peña, amy poehler, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Hadley Robinson, jennifer merin, Lauren Tsai, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, moxie, nell minow, netflix, Sabrina Haskett, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, susan wloszczyna, Tamara Chestna

Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, and David Hogg notwithstanding, not every teen is ready to fight for justice and equality on a national — or international — scale. Director Amy Poehler’s charming Moxie, based on the YA novel by Jennifer Mathieu, will speak to the kids who want to make a difference but aren’t quite sure they’re meant for the spotlight.

Reviews

MOXIE – Review by Susan Wloszczyna

March 2, 2021March 13, 2021 Susan Wloszczyna Alycia Pascual-Peña, amy poehler, Hadley Robinson, Lauren Tsai, motw, Movie of the Week, moxie, netflix, Sabrina Haskett, Tamara Chestna

Never would I think that a teen-aimed movie would cause me to Google how many R’s are in riot grrrl. But leave it to Amy Poehler to introduce a rage-filled femme-forward music movement spin-off of punk from the ‘90s to the Covid-19 generation. In Moxie, she shows up both in front of the camera as a semi-cool mom of an introverted high-schooler and behind it as it director. But the focus is on Hadley Robinson as her daughter Vivian, who is trying to define herself while facing the task of writing a college essay.

Reviews

MOXIE – Review by Jennifer Merin

March 1, 2021March 6, 2021 Jennifer Merin Alycia Pascual-Peña, amy poehler, Hadley Robinson, Lauren Tsai, motw, Movie of the Week, moxie, Sabrina Haskett, Tamara Chestna

Amy Poehler’s very refreshing coming of age dramedy in which a diverse group teen girls bond, form a secret and subversive club to support each other in fighting back against male bullies — two totally objectionable but very popular football players, in particular — in their school and challenge the policies of the over zealous female principal who turns a blind eye to the pervasive problem.

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