carol – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK December 26, 2025: HO HO HOLIDAY VIEWING

December 21, 2025December 21, 2025 Jennifer Merin babette's feast, betsy bozdech, carol, Cate Marquis, its a wonderful life, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, nell minow, Round and Round, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, THE FAMILY STONE, The Holiday, THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT, while you were sleeping, WHITE CHRISTMAS

During this celebratory cope and hope holiday season, good movies provide respite from the world’s day to day worries and they deliver insight into the ways in which we might make progress in overcoming them. And so we take this opportunity to present — for your escape from stress and for your viewing enjoyment — Team Movie of the Week’s richly varied list of highly recommended movies for your ho ho holiday watch roster. Team MOTW’s choices feature romance, comedy, thrills and an abundance of good food. We’ve selected films that are upbeat, inspiring and spirited, although not all are directly connected to traditional holiday celebrations. Read our mini reviews of all the selected titles, punch up the trailers and pick the titles that most appeal to you. Or, better yet, watch them all.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK December 27, 2024: HO HO HOLIDAY VIEWING

December 22, 2024December 22, 2024 Jennifer Merin A CHRISTMAS CAROL, BABETTE'S FEST, betsy bozdech, carol, Cate Marquis, happiest season, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, LOVE ACTUALLY, nell minow, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, THE BISHOP;S WIFE, THE FAMILY STONE, THE SILENT PARTNER, WHITE CHRISTMAS, YOU;VE GOT MAIL

As the year draws to a close in late December, and holiday spirits of hope for the new year prevail, include viewing movies with family and friends as part of your seasonal celebrations. Good movies provide respite from the world’s worries — or, as an alternative, they deliver insight into ways we might over them. And so we present for your viewing enjoyment Team Movie of the Week’s richly varied list of recommended movies for your ho ho holiday viewing. The MOTW roster features romance, comedy, thrills and an abundance of good food. Team MOTW has selected films that are upbeat, inspiring and spirited, although not all are directly connected to traditional holiday celebrations. Read our mini reviews of all the selected titles, punch up the trailers and pick those with the greatest appeal. Or, better yet, watch them all.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK December 15, 2023: HO HO HOLIDAY VIEWING

December 10, 2023December 10, 2023 Jennifer Merin anna and the apocolypse, babette's feast, betsy bozdech, carol, Cate Marquis, comfort and joy, elf, its a wonderful life, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nightmare before christmas, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, period of adjustment, preacher's wife, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, sound of music, while you were sleeping

December — and especially this December — is a very good time to seek a bit of seasonal levity in the form of favorite flicks for a bit of respite from the world’s worries. And so we present for your enjoyment AWFJ’s wonderfully varied list of recommended movies for your ho ho holiday viewing. The roster features romance, comedy, thrills and lots of food. Team MOTW has selected films that are upbeat, inspiring and spirited, although not all are directly connected to traditional celebrations. Wonder what’s in store?

Interviews

Eva Vitja on researching and reframing Patricia Highsmith in LOVING HIGHSMITH – Nadine Whitney interviews

April 18, 2023April 21, 2023 Nadine Whitney carol, documemtaries, Gwendoline Christie, Loving Highsmith, Marijane Meaker, Patricia Highsmith, Tabea Blumenschein, tom ripley

Swiss filmmaker Eva Vitja Loving Highsmith takes us through the contradictions of famed but reclusive author Patricia Highsmith. Highsmith’s reputation as a difficult and anti-social woman who battled with depression and social ostracism for her sexuality and later with some deeply controversial views is given a new prism through which to view and understand Highsmith’s mercurial nature.

Lists Reviews

AWFJ Chooses Movies with Levity for Ho Ho Holiday Viewing

December 12, 2020January 15, 2026 Jennifer Merin babette's feast, best man holiday, carol, charlie brown christmas, christmas story, comfort and joy, elf, holiday watch list, its a wonderful life, meet me in st louis, nightmare before christmas, period of adjustment, while you were sleeping

December — and especially this December — is a very good time to seek a bit of seasonal levity in the form of favorite flicks. And so we present for your enjoyment AWFJ’s wonderfully varied list of recommended movies for ho ho holiday viewing. The roster features romance, comedy, thrills and lots of food. We’ve selected films that are upbeat, inspiring and spirited, although not all are directly connected to traditional celebrations. Wonder what’s in store?

Reviews

CAROL – Review by Loren King

December 18, 2018December 22, 2018 Loren King 0 Comments carol, cateblanchett, Patricia Highsmith, Phyllis Nagy, rooney mara, Todd Haynes

Carol begins in the days leading to Christmas — all those reds and greens!— because the lonely season is a fitting time for two longing souls to meet and fall in love. Carol is a Christmas movie: the melancholy, the longing, the flashes of joy and anticipation, the rushes of despair. And, finally, hope — as a new year unfolds and love steps out of the shadows.

Commentaries Reviews

Listening With My Heart: 16 Movies to Remember from 2015 — Chaz Ebert Comments

February 16, 2016March 2, 2019 Chaz Ebert 0 Comments 99 homes, Amy, brooklyn, carol, diary of a teenage girle, end of rhe tour, grandma, he named me malala, inside out, Miss You Already, room, sembene, seymour, son of saul, straight outta compton, where to invade next

“Room” “99 Homes,” “He Named Me Malala,” “Miss You Already,” “Brooklyn,” “Amy,” “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” “Sembene!”, “Carol,” “Grandma,” “The End of The Tour,” “Son of Saul,” “Seymour,” “Inside Out,” “Where To Invade Next” and “Straight Outta Compton.”

Commentaries Interviews News Women on Film

AWARDS INTELLIGENCER: Rooney Mara Revered by Cate Blanchett and Todd Haynes – Quendrith Johnson reports

February 13, 2016 Quendrith Johnson (Archived Contributor) 0 Comments awards intelligencer, carol, cate blanchett, oscars, rooney mara, Todd Haynes

To hear fellow Oscar-nom, two-time winner Cate Blanchett, gush about her Best Supporting Actress and Carol consort Rooney Mara, is almost

General Archives Reviews Women on Film

CAROL – Review by MaryAnn Johanson

January 15, 2016 MaryAnn Johanson 0 Comments carol

The first beautiful thing about Carol is its sheer perfection as a movie. As an example of how filmed storytelling

EDA Awards General Archives Member News News Women on Film

SPOTLIGHT Tops Annual AWFJ EDA Awards Winners 2015

January 12, 2016December 20, 2016 awfj-admin 0 Comments 2015 EDA Awards, carol, Mad Max Fury Road, spotlight

SPOTLIGHT, and more SPOTLIGHT. The Alliance of Women Film Journalists’ members honor the fine film that celebrates the achievements of journalism with four EDA Awards. CAROL and MAD MAX: FURY ROAD get some love with two EDAs each. And the other 17 categories are claimed by a wide and surprising range of winners. See the full roster, including the AWFJ’s critical choices for best nudity and actress most in need of a new agent.

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