nell minow – Page 4 – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK December 5, 2025: ADRIANNE & THE CASTLE

November 30, 2025December 10, 2025 Jennifer Merin Adrianne & the Castle, Adrianne Blue Wakefield St. George, Alan St. George, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, documentary, Filmhub, Havencrest Castle, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, nell minow, sandie angulo chen, Savanna Illinois, Shannon Walsh, sherin nicole

A tale of powerful true love with shades of Grey Gardens and Winchester, Shannon Walsh’s documentary Adrianne & the Castle introduces viewers to Alan St. George and his beloved wife, Adrianne Blue Wakefield St. George. The film shares the fascinating story of how, in their years together before her premature death, the couple transformed an Illinois home into an elaborate, 63-room sanctuary where their every artistic whim could be indulged.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 28, 2025: THE TALE OF SILYAN

November 23, 2025November 25, 2025 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Macedonian films, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, Tamara Kotevska, The Tale of Silyan

A stoic Macedonian farmer finds himself face to face with a changing world in Tamara Kotevska’s sobering but also hopeful documentary The Tale of Silyan. As the story of Nikola and his unexpected bond with an injured stork unfolds, Kotevska draws parallels to a traditional Macedonian myth in which a young man is cursed by his father to become a stork after refusing to help on the family farm.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 21, 2025: RENTAL FAMILY

November 16, 2025November 17, 2025 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Brendan Fraser, Cate Marquis, Hikari, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, nell minow, Rental Family, sandie angulo chen, Searchlight Pictures, sherin nicole, twiw, week in women

The power of human connection is the underlying theme of Japanese writer/director Hikari’s sweetly poignant dramedy Rental Family. Starring Brendan Fraser as a struggling, middle-aged American actor who’s become isolated while hustling for work in Tokyo and ends up taking an unusual (but based in fact!) job to help make ends meet, the film is a timely reminder that we’re all more likely to thrive when we feel seen, heard, and valued by our fellow humans.

Commentaries

Horror Movies and Kids: A Scary Combination — Betsy Bozdech, with Brandy McDonnell, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow and Liz Whittemore

October 30, 2025 Betsy Bozdech age appropriate, betsy bozdech, brandy mcdonnell, halloween, jennifer merin, liz whittemore, nell minow, scary movies

In 2019, a survey conducted for the streaming service Tubi revealed that the average age at which people see their first horror movie is 10 years old. While that doesn’t necessarily mean that all kids are in the same boat, we’ve all noticed members of the PG crowd at decidedly R-rated movies. What’s the level of fear they experience during these movies, and how do onscreen blood and gore influence their social expectations? Our members weigh in.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK October 31, 2025: LITTLE AMELIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN

October 26, 2025October 30, 2025 Jennifer Merin Amélie Nothomb, animation, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Cathy Cerda, GKIDS, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, Liane-Cho Han Jin Kuang, Little Amelie or The Character of Rain, liz whittemore, Loïse Charpentier, Maïlys Vallade, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, Victoria Grobois, Yumi Fujimori

The world reveals itself to be full of wonders to a very unusual girl in director Liane-Cho Han Jin Kuang and Maïlys Vallade’s vibrantly hand-drawn French animated film Little Amelie or the Character of Rain. As the title character interacts with the people and places around her, she sees and understands them in ways unlike anyone else — but she also struggles to navigate the big feelings that come with being a child.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK October 24, 2025: RATIFIED

October 19, 2025October 28, 2025 Jennifer Merin Andrea Miller, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Deborah Riley Draper, documentary, Eileen Davis, Equal Rights Amendment, ERA, Jennifer Carroll Foy, Jennifer McClellan, jennifer merin, Kati Horning, leslie combemale, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, pbs, phyllis schlafly, Ratified, Sabaah Folayan, sherin nicole, Ting Ting Cheng

More than 100 years after it was initially introduced, the fierce fight for the Equal Rights Amendment wages on…and on…and on. The persistence and determination of the dedicated people — mostly women, naturally — who are committed to making the ERA part of the U.S. Constitution is thoroughly captured in Sabaah Folayan and Deborah Riley Draper’s documentary Ratified, which is ultimately as frustrating as it is compelling and informative.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK October 17, 2025: THE MASTERMIND

October 12, 2025October 12, 2025 Jennifer Merin Alana Haim, betsy bozdech, Bill Camp, Cate Marquis, Hope Davis, James Mooney, jennifer merin, josh o'connor, Kelly Reichardt, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, The Mastermind, Worcester Art Museum

Moody and thought-provoking, writer/director Kelly Reichardt’s compelling drama The Mastermind tells the story of a not-quite-heist-ready would-be art thief in Massachusetts in the early 1970s. Featuring a stand-out performance by star Josh O’Connor and impressively authentic production values, this 2025 Cannes Palme D’Or nominee memorably explores ideas related to identity and purpose as its main character struggles to escape the weight of suburban ennui.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK October 3, 2025: THE LIBRARIANS

September 28, 2025September 30, 2025 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, book banning, Cate Marquis, documentaries, jennifer merin, Julie Miller, Kim A. Snyder, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Moms for Liberty, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, sandie angulo chen, sarah jessica parker, Suzette Baker, The Librarians

If news stories about fear-driven book bans leading to bare school library shelves leave you gnashing your teeth, you will love/hate watching The Librarians. Director Kim A. Snyder’s timely, important documentary follows the brave, determined folks who are on the ground fighting for kids’ right to read the types of stories that might lead to pearl clutching by some adults but ultimately offer young people powerful new ideas and the chance to feel seen and understood.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK September 26, 2025: FRENCH LOVER

September 21, 2025October 10, 2025 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, french films, French Lover, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, Lisa-Nina Rives, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Omar Sy, romcom, sandie angulo chen, Sara Giraudeau, sherin nicole

Kind of like a reverse, more empowered Notting Hill, director Lisa-Nina Rives’ appealing French romcom tells the story of the unlikely connection between a mega movie star and a regular person who is a matter-of-fact waitress/chef who’s not particularly intimidated by the trappings of fame. While you can’t exactly claim that it reinvents the romcom wheel, French Lover is sweet, fun, and refreshing in the way that Rives portrays her leading lady a clearly in control and rarely compromises who she is or what she wants.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK September 16, 2025: LIVE A LITTLE (LEVA LITE)

September 13, 2025September 16, 2025 Jennifer Merin Aviva Wrede, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Embla Ingelman-Sundberg, Fanny Ovesen, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, Live a Little, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Odin Romanus, Oscar Lesage, swedish films

Swedish writer-director Fanny Ovesen makes her feature debut with the thought-provoking drama Live a Little, which follows two young women on a long-anticipated backpacking adventure through Eastern Europe — a trip that starts out full of promise but is all too quickly tainted by doubt and fear after a night of partying leads to one of them waking up naked in a stranger’s bed, with no memory of what happened.