documentary series – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

HARRY & MEGHAN VOL I – Review by MaryAnn Johanson

November 29, 2022December 9, 2022 MaryAnn Johanson british royal family, documentary series, Harry and Meghan, Meghan Markle, netflix, Prince Harry

American actor and activist Meghan Markle — now wife to Prince Harry, second son of the current King of England (how is that still really a thing?!) — makes an allusion here to the cheesy American dinner-theater spectacle Medieval Times, as she explains how she kinda thought everybody was sorta kidding about how she had to *checks notes* curtsey to the Queen. Which is super relatable to me, who has also enjoyed American Renaissance festivals for the goofy storybook nonsense and yet is endlessly astonished to find that real people walking around on this green Earth today genuinely genuflect to this shit.

Reviews

GUTSY – Review by Susan Granger

September 13, 2022September 22, 2022 Susan Granger Apple TV+, chelsea clinton, documentary series, gutsy, gutsy women, Hillary Rodham Clinton

If you’re a devoted Hillary Clinton fan, curious about how her daughter Chelsea grew up and/or a diehard feminist, perhaps this breezy docuseries if for you. As for me, I wanted it to be so much more…for them to delve much deeper into the inspiring issues…and to not to be so superficial.

Based on the Clintons’ best-selling 2019 The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience, each of the eight 40-minutes episodes involves a series of interviews centered on a specific theme: Gutsy Women Have Rebel Hearts, Gutsy Women are Forces of Nature, Gutsy Women Refuse Hate, Gutsy Women Seek Justice, etc.

News

WEEK IN WOMEN: Hillary and Chelsea Clinton’s docuseries GUTSY on Apple TV+ – Brandy McDonnell reports

September 8, 2022September 16, 2022 Brandy McDonnell Apple TV+, chelsea clinton, documentary series, gutsy women, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the week in women, twiw

Gutsy, the anticipated eight-part documentary event following Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton as they celebrate the gutsy women who inspire them is streaming on Apple TV+ as of September 9. Based on the Clintons’ acclaimed New York Times bestselling book, The Book of Gutsy Women, the docuseries features Hillary and Chelsea as they embark on a thought-provoking journey to speak with pioneering women artists, activists, community leaders and everyday heroes who show us what it truly means to be gutsy.

Reviews

THE LAST MOVIE STARS – Review by Susan Granger

July 25, 2022July 25, 2022 Susan Granger Brooks Ashmanskas, documentary series, Ethan Hawke, hbo, Joanne Woodward, laura linney, Paul Newman, The Last Movie Stars

Ethan Hawke’s searing six-part HBO Max documentary, The Last Movie Stars, delving into the tumultuous marriage of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. The Last Movie Stars not only examines the complexity of the Newmans’ marriage but also shows how the trajectory of their individual careers influenced, affected and challenged their bond.

Festivals Reviews

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY (Sundance FF 2022) – Review by Martha K Baker

January 24, 2022January 24, 2022 awfj-admin bill cosby, documentary series, showtime, sundance film festival 2022, W. Kamau Bell, We Need To Talk about Cosby

Among the many significant aspects of W. Kamau Bell’s analysis of Bill Cosby is Bell’s timeline. Bell addresses the issue of Cosby because both are Black and both comedians, albeit one a seeming role model and the other once a fan. Who better than Bell to talk about the comedian who went from America’s Dad to a pervert?