matt smith – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON – Review by Susan Granger

August 23, 2022August 27, 2022 Susan Granger hbo, House of the Dragon, matt smith, Miguel Sapochnik, Milly Alcock, Rhys Ifans, Ryan Condai

So many people wanted to see HBO’s debut of House of the Dragon that they crashed the streaming service! Set in Westeros nearly 200 years before Game of Thrones, this pulpy, 10-episode prequel is based on George R.R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood – both of which it offers in abundance. The plot revolves around an earlier civil war for the Iron Throne, waged largely among various factions of the silver-haired, incestuous Targaryan dynasty, ancestors of Dragon Queen Daenerys Targaryan, played by Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones. It’s all about family rivalry.

Reviews

MORBIUS – Review by Susan Granger

April 5, 2022April 5, 2022 Susan Granger Jared Leto, marvel comic universe, matt smith, Morbius, vampire

Just how bad is the Marvel origin story of Dr. Michael Morbius, the conflicted scientist with a rare blood disorder who mixes his plasma with that of vampire bats? Pretty bad… Michael (Jared Leto) and his best friend Milo (Matt Smith) share this mysterious illness which has left them debilitated, forced to walk with canes. Determined to find a cure, Mobius takes off for Cerro de la Muerte in the misty mountains of Costa Rica, where thousands of vampire bats dwell. Flimsily scripted by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, the formulaic saga is directed by Daniel Espinosa, who stages overly shadowy action sequences.

Reviews

MORBIUS – Review by T. J. Callahan

March 31, 2022March 31, 2022 T. J. Callahan Jared Leto, marvel comic universe, matt smith, Morbius, vampire

Jared Leto is in disguise again. He’s been The Joker and Paolo Gucci and now he’s part of the Marvel Comic Universe as Morbius — Dr. Michael Morbius, that is — a biochemist who is on a mission to cure a rare blood disorder with which he, himself, is afflicted. He develops a serum that’s a mix of human and bat DNA that looks like it’s going to be a miracle cure, but there’s one really noticeable side effect.

Reviews

OFFICIAL SECRETS – Review by Susan Granger

September 23, 2019September 28, 2019 Susan Granger 0 Comments katherine gun, kiera knightly, martin bright, matt smith, official secrets

While South African writer/director Gavin Hood is best known for “X-Men Origins” and “Wolverine,” he relishes ethical dilemmas like “Eye in the Sky” about drone strikes and this story of a government official who decides that the public’s right to know about deception is worth breaking the Official Secrets Act.

Reviews

OFFICIAL SECRETS – Review by Laura Emerick

August 30, 2019August 30, 2019 Laura Emerick 0 Comments Gavin Hood, katherine gun, Keira Knightley, martin bright, matt smith, official secrets

In 2003, while the American media batted around the possibility of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and some outlets even helped to advance the Bush administration’s march to war, Britain faced its own press-related crisis that didn’t receive much coverage outside the United Kingdom.

Reviews

OFFICIAL SECRETS – Review by Martha K Baker

August 26, 2019August 30, 2019 Martha K. Baker 0 Comments Gavin Hood, katherine gun, kiera knightly, martin bright, matt smith, official secrets

With a mostly crackerjack cast and an important recent history story to tell, Official Secrets should be better. Seeing it matters, for it speaks about lies, governments, wars based on lies, and a whistleblower with integrity. It must be watched with one eye on its significance, another on its weakness.

Reviews

OFFICIAL SECRETS – Review by Jennifer Merin

June 22, 2019 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments Cinema Citizen, Gavin Hood, katherine gun, kiera knightly, matt smith, official secrets, truth-based narratives

If you like spy scenarios and courtroom dramas, and are interested in sorting out truthful reporting from fake news, Official Secrets, a truth-based narrative about English security whistleblower Katherine Gun, will surely satisfy. It’s entertaining and informative, and its release is quite timely.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 10, 2019: Mary Harron’s CHARLIE SAYS

May 5, 2019July 2, 2019 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, charles manson, charlie says, guinevere turner, hannah murray, liz whittemore, loren king, marianne rendon, Marilyn Ferdinand., marina antunes, mary Harron, maryann johanson, matt smith, Merritt Wever, motw, movieof the week, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, shiela roberts, sosie bacon

Bringing a female gaze to one of the 20th century’s most notorious criminals and the influence he exerted over his zealous followers Mary Harron’s Charlie Says is a compelling look at the power of community and the need to belong. By focusing her film on the women around Charles Manson, rather than directly on Manson himself, Harron shows us how that need can lead to delusion, denial, and destruction.

Reviews

CHARLIE SAYS – Review by Loren King

May 1, 2019July 2, 2019 Loren King 0 Comments charles manson, charlie says, hannah murray, marianne rendon, mary Harron, matt smith, Merritt Wever, morw, Movie of the Week, sharon tate, sosie bacon, the family

Two new feature films mark the 50th anniversary of the still- disturbing, endlessly fascinating Tate/LaBianca murders that shook the tony enclaves of Los Angeles to the core in August, 1969. Quentin Tarantino’s star studded Once Upon a Time in Hollywood will get more attention. Mary Harron’s Charlie Says, with its focus on the women in Charles Manson’s “family” who committed the heinous murders, may be the more interesting.

Reviews

CHARLIE SAYS – Review by Jennifer Merin

May 1, 2019July 2, 2019 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments charles mansion, charlie says, hannah murray, marianne rendon, mary Harron, matt smith, Merritt Wever, motw, Movie of the Week, sosie bacon

Charlie Says is a truth-based narrative that explores the lives and mindsets of the vulnerable young women who were key members of Charles Manson’s ‘family’ and were brainwashed into complete acceptance of his warped philosophy–and into following his orders in daily life and in the unimaginably brutal 1969 slayings of actress Sharon Tate and friends who had gathered at her Los Angeles home.

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Alliance of Women Film Journalists @awfj ·

"#TheLostKing is far from perfect but it is witty, vaguely edifying, and very British." @LizBraunSun reviews director Stephen Frears' latest, starring the always luminous Sally Hawkins: https://awfj.org/blog/2023/03/18/the-lost-king-review-by-liz-braun/

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Alliance of Women Film Journalists @awfj ·

ICYMI: @MarBarFu brings us #AWFJ's weekly look at movies made by and about women. For March 20-26, here's a run down of what's hitting theatres or streaming: https://awfj.org/blog/2023/03/18/opening-march-20-to-26-2023-margaret-barton-fumo-reports/

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Alliance of Women Film Journalists @awfj ·

Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczyńska‘s #Fugue is finally getting a long-overdue limited US cinema release. Our own @suspirialex takes a look at this portrait of a woman in crisis: https://awfj.org/blog/2023/03/20/fugue-review-by-alexandra-heller-nicholas/

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Alliance of Women Film Journalists @awfj ·

We had to wait decades for Nicolas Cage's very first western (Butcher's Crossing) but then only 1 year for his second - #TheOldWays. @susangranger reviews the latest from @PrimeVideo: https://awfj.org/blog/2023/03/20/the-old-ways-review-by-susan-granger/

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Alliance of Women Film Journalists @awfj ·

"Documentary-like in its candor, [#TheWorstOnes] is also touchingly tender as it captures a memorable summer in its characters’ lives." Our Movie of the Week (#MOTW) team reviews the #Cannes2022 #UnCertainRegard winner from Lise Akoka & Romane Gueret: https://awfj.org/blog/2023/03/18/movie-of-the-week-march-24-2023-the-worst-ones/

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