leslie combemale – Page 2 – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 10, 2026: READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN

July 5, 2026July 5, 2026 Jennifer Merin Arash Marandi, Azar Nafisi, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Daisy Miller, Eran Riklis, Golshifteh Farahani, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, marjorie david, monique jones, nell minow, Pride & Prejudice, Reading Lolita in Tehran, sandie angulo chen, The Great Gatsby, University of Allameh Tabatabei

It’s been more than 20 years since writer/English professor Azar Nafisi’s memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran became a New York Times bestseller — and nearly 50 since Nafisi began living through the events that inspired it. But her powerful story of politics, prose, and female perseverance under the shadow of Iran’s oppressive regime in the 1980s and ’90s feels extraordinarily timely in Israeli director Eran Riklis’ compelling adaptation which focuses on Nafisi as the main but includes other women’s stories that illustrate the many ways in which women have suffered in Iran since the revolution: Some were arrested and imprisoned, others were beaten, many have tense relationships with the men in their lives. The movie, like the book, makes it clear that the situation in Iran is complex and complicated: Nafisi loves her home and wants to believe it can have a better, brighter, more enlightened future — a sentiment that will likely feel all too familiar to many U.S. viewers these days.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 3, 2026: MARY OLIVER: SAVED BY THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD

June 28, 2026July 4, 2026 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, John Waters, kino lorber, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Mary Oliver, Mary Oliver: Saved By the Beauty of the World, Molly Malone Cook, monique jones, nell minow, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Sasha Waters, Stephen Colbert

Even if you’re not someone who reads poetry regularly, odds are you’ve heard the line “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” If so, congratulations: You know Mary Oliver’s work! But there was so much more to Oliver’s own wild and precious life than that one oft-quoted excerpt from The Summer Day, as director Sasha Waters makes clear in her thoughtful documentary Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World. Oliver found such profound insights in being in the natural world, and whose poems touched so many. In Sasha Waters’ documentary, a range of famous figures read their favorite Mary Oliver poem or speak about knowing her, including John Waters, Stephen Colbert, Oprah Winfrey, Helena Bonham Carter and Steve Buscemi. Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World explores Mary Oliver’s work and her life, with copious examples of the former, often accompanied by lovely nature imagery, and the latter accompanied by archival footage and stills taken from the poet’s very private and quiet personal life, in this fine, informative and immersive biography of the poet.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 26, 2026: COUTURE

June 21, 2026June 21, 2026 Jennifer Merin Alice Winocour, angelina jolie, Anyier Anei, betsy bozdech, couture, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, monique jones, nell minow, paris fashion week, sandie angulo chen

Fashion often feels far from fabulous in writer/director Anna Winocour’s Paris-set drama Couture, which takes a frank look at what goes on behind the scenes in the world of impossibly chic designer dresses and elite runway models. But as it weaves together the stories of three different women — an up-and-coming director, a brand new model, and a make-up artist with big dreams — it creates a memorable fabric of emotion and experience.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 19, 2026: GOAT GIRL (LA NINA DE LA CABRA)

June 14, 2026June 14, 2026 Jennifer Merin Alessandra González, Ana Asensio, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Goat Girl, jennifer merin, Juncal Fernández, La Niña de la Cabra, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Lorena López, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, sandie angulo chen

A young girl living in Madrid in the late 1980s learns a lot about life in writer/director Ana Asensio’s charmingly poignant Spanish drama Goat Girl (aka La Niña de la Cabra). Maintaining a child’s-eye view throughout, Asensio captures how challenging it can be to make sense of the world around you when you’re just 8 years old and beginning to understand that grownups don’t have all the right answers.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 12, 2026: HONEYJOON

June 7, 2026June 8, 2026 Jennifer Merin Amira Casar, Ayden Mayeri, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Honeyjoon, Inés Gowland, jennifer merin, José Condessa, leslie combemale, Lilian T. Mehrel, liz whittemore, loren king, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, sandie angulo chen

Part mother-daughter comedy, part grief drama, part generational clash, and part travelogue, writer/director Lilian T. Mehrel’s charming, poignant Honeyjoon tells the story of two women in mourning whose complicated feelings — for themselves, for each other, and for the loved one they’ve lost — must be sorted out before they can move forward. The fact that it’s all happening while they’re in the gorgeous Azores Islands both helps and hinders their journey.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 5, 2026: GEORGIA O’KEEFFE: THE BRIGHTNESS OF LIGHT

May 31, 2026May 31, 2026 Jennifer Merin Alfred Stieglitz, betsy bozdech, cargo & releasing, Cate Marquis, claire danes, documentary, female artists, Georgia O'Keeffe, Georgia O'Keeffe: The Brightness of Light, hugh dancy, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Paul Wagner, sandie angulo chen

American visual artists don’t get much more iconic than Georgia O’Keeffe, the pioneering modern abstract painter whose iconic images have adorned walls everywhere from prestigious museums to college dorm rooms. In his thorough documentary Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light, director Paul Wagner tells her fascinating, nearly century-long life story, following her and her evolving art from the plains of the Midwest to the New Mexico high desert and everywhere in between.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 29, 2026: NESTING (PEAU A PEAU)

May 24, 2026May 24, 2026 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Chloé Cinq-Mars, French Canadian films, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, loren king, monique jones, Nesting, Peau a Peau, Rose-Marie Perreault, Saladin Dellers, sandie angulo chen, Simon Landry-Desy

A new mother’s unresolved trauma leads to intense distress in writer/director Chloé Cinq-Mars’ gripping French drama/thriller Nesting. As it explores the impact of postpartum depression, the film paints a painfully relatable picture of what it’s like to lose your sense of self once part of that self becomes a needy, vulnerable creature that seemingly can’t be satiated, no matter how much you might love it or sacrifice for it.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 22, 2026: ASK E. JEAN

May 17, 2026 Jennifer Merin Ask E. Jean, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, documentaries, donald trump, E. Jean Carroll, ivy meeropol, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, sandie angulo chen

For anyone who hears the name “E. Jean Carroll” and thinks “that woman who sued Donald Trump,” do yourself a favor and watch Ivy Meeropol’s engaging documentary Ask E. Jean sooner than later. Because, yes, Carroll did do that, but she’s also done so much more (let’s just say that you don’t get nicknamed “the female Hunter S. Thompson” for being boring), and she deserves to be just as well known for all of that, too.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 15, 2026: MAGIC HOUR

May 10, 2026May 11, 2026 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Brad Garrett, Cate Marquis, Daveed Diggs, greenwich entertainment, jennifer merin, Katie Aselton, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Magic Hour, mark duplass, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, sandie angulo chen, Susan Sullivan

It’s tricky to discuss Katie Aselton’s poignant relationship drama Magic Hour without revealing the story twists that give it such a powerful emotional punch. The writer-director-star crafts the first act of her film very carefully, setting viewers’ expectations and then challenging them. The result is both romantic and touching, with memorable performances by Aselton and co-star Daveed Diggs and a gorgeous, haunting setting amid the singular landscape of Joshua Tree.

Reviews

MAGIC HOUR – Review by Monique Jones

May 4, 2026May 10, 2026 Monique Jones Brad Garrett, Daveed Diggs, greenwich entertainment, Katie Aselton, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Magic Hour, mark duplass, motw, Movie of the Week, Susan Sullivan

Magic Hour can be a powerful release for viewers who feel that film can help process the wildness of grief. The film shows how hard it can be to let go, and I think that can give some viewers a feeling of comfort. Too often, film and TV portray grief as something easy to get over, but it’s refreshing to see Magic Hour show the struggle in finding a “new normal” after death.