mark duplass – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

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.

Reviews

THE GOOD AMERICAN FAMILY – Review by Susan Granger

April 30, 2025May 1, 2025 Susan Granger Christina Hendricks, Ellen Pompeo, Good American Family, hulu, Imogen Faith Reid, mark duplass

Autism and Adoption are two ’trigger’ words in today’s culture – and Hulu’s Good American Family delivers a double-whammy on both. “There are three sides to every story,” actress Ellen Pompeo explains. “Or six sides. Or nine. This is why art keeps us alive. Because everybody gets to see things their way – to make sense of them.” Branching out from her surgeon character Meredith Grey on ABC’s hit medical show Grey’s Anatomy, Pompeo tackles suburban supermom Kristine Barnett in Good American Family.

News

WEEK IN WOMEN: Aniston/Witherspoon’s MORNING SHOW sets Season Three Premiere – Brandy McDonnell reports

August 12, 2023August 13, 2023 Brandy McDonnell Apple TV+, Billy Crudup, Charlotte Stoudt, Greta Lee, jennifer aniston, Jon Hamm, julianna margulies, Karen Pittman, mark duplass, Mimi Leder, Nestor Carbonell, nicole beharie, Nicole Beharie and Julianna Margulies, reese witherspoon, The Morning Show, the week in women, twiw

Apple TV+ will premiere next month the highly anticipated third season of The Morning Show, starring and executive produced by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. In Season 3, the future of the network is thrown into question and loyalties are pushed to the brink when a tech titan takes an interest in UBA. Unexpected alliances form, private truths are weaponized, and everyone is forced to confront their core values both in and out of the newsroom. The Emmy-, SAG- and Critics Choice Award-winning drama, which has already received an early renewal for Season 4, is directed and executive produced by Mimi Leder.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 7, 2023: BIOSPHERE

July 1, 2023July 3, 2023 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, biosphere, Cate Marquis, ifc films, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, mark duplass, mel eslyn, motw, Movie of the Week, nikki fowler, sandie angulo chen, scifi, sherin nicole, Sterling k brown

“Life finds a way.” This classic line from Jurassic Park is referenced more than once in director Mel Eslyn’s Biosphere, and there couldn’t be a more apt way to summarize the story of this quirky, unexpected dramedy about two lifelong best friends (Mark Duplass, who co-wrote the film with Eslyn, and Sterling K. Brown) who may be the last people left alive on Earth after an unspecified planet-ending disaster.

Reviews

BIOSPHERE – Review by Jennifer Merin

June 26, 2023July 1, 2023 Jennifer Merin biosphere, mark duplass, mel eslyn, motw, Movie of the Week, scifi, Sterling k brown

Director Mel Eslyn’s Biosphere is a wonderful addition to the cannon of Mark Duplass-produced quirky and profoundly satirical films. Duplass and Sterling K. Brown deliver brilliant emotionally rich performances that embrace the sheer absurdity of the narrative as though it is absolutely real. They’ll turn you into a believer of the preposterous. And you’ll alternatingly laugh and tear up all the way

Reviews

BIOSPHERE – Review by Liz Whittemore

June 26, 2023September 4, 2023 Liz Whittemore biosphere, mark duplass, mel eslyn, motw, Movie of the Week, scifi, Sterling k brown

Two distinctly fleshed-out male characters complement one another with their genuine presence for each other. Writer-director Mel Eslyn and co-writer Mark Duplass give a duality to the dialogue that is beyond clever. Biosphere is an undoubtedly slick mashup of gender identity storytelling, politics, and faith in humanity. Breezy, charming, touching, and completely unexpected, Biosphere mixes hope, science, and comedy. There is nothing else like it. It is a weird and wonderful wow of a film, brimming with delicious feminist energy.

Reviews

LANGUAGE LESSONS – Review by Martha K Baker

November 4, 2021November 8, 2021 Martha K. Baker (Archived Contributor) language lessons, mark duplass, motw, Movie of the Week, Natalie Morales, pandemic, zoom movies

You know how Ted Lasso was exactly the series we needed to watch during the pandemic? Well, Language Lessons fits into that category, too, as it’s also about believing and healing, and it’s also funny and poignant and so well done. Credit goes entirely to writers and stars Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales. She directed the lovely little film.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK September 10, 2021: LANGUAGE LESSONS

September 5, 2021September 25, 2021 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech mcnab, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, language lessons, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., mark duplass, motw, Movie of the Week, Natalie Morales, nell minow, Pam Grady, pandemic narratives, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, susan wloszczyna, zoom movies

After the last year and a half, it would be understandable if someone read the quick summary of Natalie Morales’ Language Lessons — two very different people bond through a series of online chats and messages — and thought “A Zoom movie? No way!” But this intimate, heartfelt dramedy is so much more than that. It’s a carefully observed character study about friendship, privilege, and the power of a genuine connection, whether it’s virtual or IRL.

Reviews

LANGUAGE LESSONS – Review by Susan Wloszczyna

September 1, 2021September 5, 2021 Susan Wloszczyna language lessons, mark duplass, motw, Movie of the Week, Natalie Morales, pandemic narratives

At a time when so much of our country is filled with divisive politics and ugly, stupid and false rhetoric while selfish anti-vaxers and anti-maskers refuse to do the right thing, here comes along a charming balm of a two-hander in the form of director Natalie Morales’s Language Lessons, which she wrote with her co-star, Mark Duplass. It provides a perfect oasis of sorts from all the pain and agony of the news headlines of late. It also might be the best Zoom meeting you will ever experience as well.

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