Chris Messina – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

PRESSURE – Review by T.J. Callahan

May 27, 2026May 28, 2026 T. J. Callahan Andrew Scott, Anthony Maras, Brendan Fraser, Chris Messina, d day, Kerry Coon, Pressure, WW II

Pressure is the untold true story of D-Day or how a weather forecast changed the world. It’s 72 hours until the planned invasion of the beaches of Normandy, France is set to begin. The Allied forces are under Pressure to carry out the mission before their element of surprise is lost. But they didn’t know whether the weather would cooperate. Captain James Stagg, a meteorologist recommended by Winston Churchill, is brought in to advise General Eisenhower and immediately butts heads with Ike’s current forecaster Colonel Irving Krick.

Reviews

JUROR #2 – Review by Susan Granger

December 31, 2024 Susan Granger Amy Aquino, Chris Messina, clint eastwood, Gabriel Basso, hbo max, J.K. Simmons, Juror #, Kiefer Sutherland, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Zoey Deutch

While Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 is a compelling courtroom drama, the even bigger mystery is why Warner Bros. only briefly released it in 50 theaters before it began streaming exclusively on HBO Max. Free-lance writer Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) is summoned to jury duty in Savannah, Georgia on a murder case. The trial begins. After a night of drinking and arguing with her boyfriend, James Sythe (Gabriel Basso), Kendall Carter (Francesca Eastwood) leaves the roadside bar in a rainstorm. Witnesses saw them fighting and remember him chasing her out to the parking lot. Later, her corpse is found on rocks beneath a nearby bridge. Recovering alcoholic Justin is confused about the details of his own automobile accident that same night and confesses to his AA sponsor (Kiefer Sutherland) that he perhaps knows more than he’d like to admit.

Reviews

I.S.S. – Review by Susan Granger

September 3, 2024September 3, 2024 Susan Granger Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, Costa Ronin, gabriela cowperthwaite, I.S.S, John Gallagher Jr.

I.S.S seems remarkably timely now that two American astronauts – Sunita Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore, who took off for the International Space Station for an eight-day trip – may be stuck there until 2025 as the war between U.S.-backed Ukraine and Russia rages on. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s taut thriller envisions a halcyon time marked by American and Russia collaboration – when three astronauts and three cosmonauts are routinely performing various scientific tasks in their orbiting laboratory.

Reviews

AIR – Review by Nell Minow

December 20, 2023December 24, 2023 Nell Minow Air, amazon studios, ben affleck, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, jason bateman, matt damon, Michael Jordan, Nike, truth-based, viola davis, Warner Bros.

2023 will be remembered as the year of the movies that are consumer product origin stories. We’re used to seeing heroic stories of military figures, musicians, political leaders and activists, and, because movies are written by writers — writers. But in 2023 we had a remarkable number of movies with heroes or anti-heroes who were, well, capitalists. We saw the origin stories of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Blackberrys, Beanie Babies, and the proto-computer game Tetris, By far the best of the group, though, was the story of a sneaker, a shoe that would become so popular it would have, well, a massive cultural footprint.

Festivals Reviews

I.S.S. (Tribeca 2023) – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

June 14, 2023September 4, 2023 Valerie Kalfrin Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, gabriela cowperthwaite, I.I.S., International Space Station, Masha Mashkova, sci fi, Tribeca 2023

For most of its roughly 90 minutes, the sci-fi thriller I.S.S. creates a meaty, suspenseful story, exploring not aliens from other worlds but the monsters of distrust within ourselves.
The title is an acronym for the International Space Station, a real-life research facility orbiting the Earth where astronauts collaborate on research involving physics, astrobiology, and other disciplines. The station typically has a crew of seven and involves five space agencies from the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Europe.

Reviews

AIR – Review by Susan Granger

May 16, 2023May 21, 2023 Susan Granger Air, ben affleck, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, jason bateman, matt damon, Michael Jordan, Nike sneakers, Sonny Vaccaro, viola davis

Air recounts how Sonny Vaccaro convinced the then-rookie Michael Jordan to sign a unique endorsement deal that changed the retail sports-apparel industry. Insightfully scripted by newcomer Alex Convery and astutely directed by Ben Affleck (Argo), it’s really a sports fable, centered on the 1984 corporate culture at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. Back then, Nike was known for its running shoes which had zero impact on fashion. This underdog story begins as Nike’s basketball scout Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) searches for the next player to promote the footwear brand.

Reviews

AIR – Review by T.J. Callahan

April 6, 2023April 6, 2023 T. J. Callahan Air, amazon studios, ben affleck, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, jason bateman, matt damon, Michael Jordan, Nike, truth-based, viola davis, Warner Bros.

Air: A shoe is just a shoe until someone steps into it. It was 1984. Americans were doing the Jane Fonda workout. Prince Charles and Lady Diana became parents to a future king, Mr. T pitied the fools, Clara Peller asked “Where’s the Beef?” and Converse ruled the athletic shoe world. A little ol sneaker company in Oregon was out to change that.

Reviews

AIR – Review by Susan Kamyab

April 1, 2023April 1, 2023 Susan Kamyab Air, ben affleck, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, Damien Delano Young, jason bateman, matt damon, Michael Jordan, Nike, viola davis, Warner Bros.

I am so happy to say that this movie is not only a slam dunk, but it’s one of the best films of the year so far. I know it’s early to say that, but this particular A-list film is going to stick with audiences all year long. Directed by Ben Affleck, the film is about a sports marketing executive, played by Matt Damon, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball: Michael Jordan.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 4, 2022: CALL JANE

October 29, 2022October 30, 2022 Jennifer Merin Aida Turturro, betsy bozdech, call jane, Cate Marquis, Chris Messina, elizabeth banks, grace edwards, jane collective, jennifer merin, kate mara, leslie combemale, loren king, nell minow, Pam Grady, Phyllis Nagy, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, sigourney weaver, susan wloszczyna, Wunmi Mosaku

Based on the true story of the Jane Collective, a group of young feminist activists who facilitated underground abortions in the Chicago area in the late 1960s and early ’70s, Phyllis Nagy’s heartfelt Call Jane illustrates, clearly and empathetically, why access to safe, affordable abortions is an essential aspect of female healthcare. The movie may take place 50-plus years ago, but in a world where the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, the issue has never felt more timely.

Reviews

CALL JANE – Review by Loren King

October 24, 2022October 30, 2022 Loren King call jane, Chris Messina, elizabeth banks, Movie of the Week, moyw, Phyllis Nagy, sigourney weaver

As an accessible film with a solid lead performance, Call Jane is an important addition to the Janes’ story and a reminder of the power of collective action. It’s hard not to feel sorrow and anger when, at the end, the Janes celebrate Roe v. Wade and the dissolution of the group. But it’s also a call to action.

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