Lorraine Bracco – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

RICH FLU – Review by Susan Granger

June 18, 2026June 20, 2026 Susan Granger amazon prime, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, Lorraine Bracco, mary elizabeth winstead, Rich Flu

Scrolling through ‘new releases’ on Prime, you may stumble across a survival satire titled Rich Flu – but its catchy title is the only thing recommending it. Conceived by Spanish director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia and several co-writers, it’s a dystopian thriller about a global pandemic that only affects the very rich. Billionaires, then millionaires – all over the world are dying from a mysterious plague that turns their teeth a shiny, shimmering white.None of it makes much sense.

Reviews

NONNAS – Review by Susan Granger

May 28, 2025May 28, 2025 Susan Granger Brenda Vaccaro, Drea de Matteo, Enoteca Maria, Jody Scaravella, Joe Manganiello, Karen Giordano, Linda Cardellini, Liz Maccie, Lorraine Bracco, netflix, Nonnas, Stephen Chbosky, susan sarandon, Talia Shire, vince vaughn

Feel-good films are few and far-between these days, so discovering Nonnas was an unexpected delight. Nonnas was inspired by the true story of Jody Scaravella who, after the death of his mother, opened a restaurant called Enoteca Maria. Always captivated by watching his Italian mother and grandmother (‘nonna’) in the kitchen, the words of comfort that touched inconsolable Joey (Vince Vaughn) the most were: “You need to feed your grief. It’s your only way through.” .A middle-aged M.T.A. mechanic living in Brooklyn, Joey knew nothing about opening and running a restaurant when he impulsively bought the run-down Staten Island property in 2007 and recruited four elderly ‘nonnas’ to cook authentic, traditional Italian dishes.

Reviews

NONNAS – Review by Lynn Venhaus

May 9, 2025May 11, 2025 Lynn Venhaus Brenda Vaccaro, Drea de Matteo, Enoteca Maria, grandmothers as the cooks, Jody Scaravella, Joe Manganiello, Karen Giordano, Linda Cardellini, Liz Maccie, Lorraine Bracco, netflix, Nonnas, Stephen Chbosky, susan sarandon, Talia Shire, vince vaughn

Lasagna Della Nonna, Polla Alla Cacciatora, Polpetta, Burrata and Capuzzelle are on the menu at Enoteca Maria. On screen, in the charming Nonnas, you can imagine smelling the basil and garlic, and tasting a flavorful meal that will feed your soul, made from time-honored family recipes. To honor his mother and grandmother, Jody Scaravella wanted to share the pleasures of Italian American cuisine at a restaurant where breaking bread would create a sense of home. The comedy Nonnas is based on his bumpy true story of opening a convivial trattoria on Staten Island in 2007, with a lively group of local grandmothers as the cooks.

Reviews

THE BIRTHDAY CAKE – Review by Susan Granger

July 27, 2021July 30, 2021 Susan Granger Clara McGregor, Ewan McGregor, Jimmy Giannopoulos, Lorraine Bracco, mafia, mob movie, Shiloh Fernandez, The Birthday Cake, Val Kilmer

Set in Brooklyn, this mob film begins with the 10th anniversary of Giovanni’s father’s death. Giovanni (Shiloh Fernandez) dutifully goes home and dons a suit to continue the family tradition of delivering the titular cake, baked by his widowed mother Sophia (Lorraine Bracco), to the home of his Uncle Angelo (Val Kilmer), the local Italian/American Mafia boss.