ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

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Reviews 

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

Valerie Kalfrin , , , , ,

Thor: Love and Thunder has the verve of a glam-rock musical, full of Guns N’ Roses riffs, bursts of lightning, and technicolor travels along the Rainbow Bridge. But its core is the tender idea that we all crave and need love, even if it hurts to lose it. Taika Waititi, who blasted new energy and humor into the staid superhero with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, returns at the helm of this often-loopy vessel and still loves absurdity. Yet the humor works better here.

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Reviews 

JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION – Review by Susan Granger

Susan Granger , , , , , , , , ,

Jurassic World: Dominion marks the return of the human characters who propelled previous sequels. Problem is: as a result of frenzied storylines, numerous gargantuan species and too many bumbling characters, there’s no emotional connection. And when two savage CGI apex predators finally grapple, it’s over a puny deer carcass. Perhaps this cautionary tale heralds the extinction of the once-beloved Jurassic franchise.

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Reviews 

JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

Valerie Kalfrin , , , , , , , , ,

Director Colin Trevorrow keeps the globe-hopping action moving at a brisk pace, likely so viewers don’t ask many questions. The action sequences are effective, easy to track and edited with a blend of wide and closer shots, some with teeth snapping right at the screen. Yet the story lacks teeth: There’s no cohesion, or satisfying setups and payoffs. It’s enough to drive some dino fans buggy.

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Reviews 

JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION – Review by T.J. Callahan

T. J. Callahan , , , , , , , , ,

Dinosaurs are chasing Bryce Dallas Howard again and this time she’s wearing flats. The good: double the dinosaurs, plenty of action, nostalgia, more snarky Jeff Goldblum, and strong and smart female characters that are the equal of men. The not so good: multiple meh storylines, cheesy acting, and not enough people get eaten. You know that’s what the public really wants.

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Reviews 

ONWARD – Review by Brandy McDonnell

Brandy McDonnell 0 Comments , , , , , ,

“Onward” represents a huge leap for director/co-writer Dan Scanlon over his previous Pixar feature, the passable “Monsters University,” because it feels personal – and it is. He based the core story on his own experiences growing up without his father, who died when the filmmaker just was a baby, and those emotions resonate throughout the film.

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Reviews 

THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART – Review by Brandy McDonnell

Brandy McDonnell 0 Comments , , ,

For fans who have waited through five years and two spinoffs to find out what happened after aliens made of Duplo blocks landed in Bricksburg and declared “we are here to destwoy you,” the sequel picks up right where the first film left off and quickly constructs a whole new universe of possibilities.

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AWFJ Movie of the Week, June 8-14: JURASSIC WORLD

Nikki Baughan 0 Comments , , , , , , , , ,

Opening June 12, AWFJ’s Movie of the Week is Jurassic World a film which surely needs no introduction. Fourteen years after the third film in the original trilogy, we return to the dinosaur theme park to find that technology has evolved to the extent that nothing can possibly go wrong… Read on…

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Movie of the Week 

AWFJ Movie of the Week, July 28-Aug. 3: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Sandra Kraisirideja 0 Comments , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Opening Aug. 1, AWFJ’s Movie of the Week is Guardians of the Galaxy, the Marvel Studios franchise, with its 2017 sequel recently announced at Comic-Con. Directed by James Gunn and co-written by Nicole Perlman, the film is filled with eye-popping CGI and spectacle. It has just the right mix of action, comedy and heart that makes for a super successful superhero movie. The cast is led by Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, and Benicio del Toro, and features the voice talents of Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper. Read on…

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