Odessa A’zion – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MARTY SUPREME – Review by Susan Granger

December 17, 2025December 19, 2025 Susan Granger Abel Ferrara, Fran Drescher, gwyneth paltrow, Josh Safdie, Kevin O’Leary, Marty Supreme, Odessa A’zion, timothee chalamet

Set in 1952, Marty Supreme revolves around cocky ping-pong prodigy Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet), an obnoxious, self-serving, self-confident con man whose reckless schemes propel him far from his Lower East Side, New York roots, much to the chagrin of his mother (Fran Drescher). Problem is: In the United States, table-tennis champions don’t make money, so Marty must sell shoes in his Uncle Murray’s (Larry ‘Ratso’ Sloman) store, where he has sex in the stockroom with his childhood sweetheart Rachel (Odessa A’zion), who is married to unsuspecting Ira (Emory Cohen).

Reviews

UNTIL DAWN – Review by Rachel West

April 24, 2025April 24, 2025 Rachel West David F. Sandberg, Ella Rubin, horror, Maia Mitchell, Michael Cimino, Odessa A’zion, Peter Stormare, Until Dawn, video game movies

A competently directed studio horror film with a lot of good elements, Until Dawn entertains horror fans thanks to a fun time loops concept drawn from its video game inspiration. It doesn’t quite come together in the most satisfying way and the ending feels a bit rushed. However, audiences looking for some cheap thrills and mindless entertainment could do a lot worse in the echelon of video games-turned-movies, it’s not bad. Given the sequel hinted at in the ending, filmmakers should take note to ramp up the tension and monsters more on the second round.

Reviews

SITTING IN BARS WITH CAKE – Review by Pamela Powell

September 7, 2023September 7, 2023 Pamela Powell Audrey Shulman, bette midler, Martha Kelly, Odessa A’zion, Ron Livingston, Sitting in Bars with Cake, yara shahidi

Sitting in Bars with Cake blindsided me in the first act as the story, initially thought to be a superficial one about young women in iconic Hollywood locations attempting to meet men, becomes a deeply meaningful and poignant tale about friendship and life. Inspired by author and screenwriter Audrey Shulman’s life, Cake delivers layers of heart and humor drizzled with just the right level of sweetness that leaves you completely satisfied as the final credits roll.

SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT July 2023: Jennifer Esposito, Actress, Baker, Teacher, Director of FRESH KILLS

June 30, 2023June 30, 2023 Jennifer Merin Blue Bloods, Emily Bader, Fresh Kills, George Lorus, Jennifer Esposito, Jennifer's Way Bakery, mafia, Odessa A’zion, spotlight, staten island, Tribeca Film Festival 2023

“Fresh Kills isn’t at all autobiographical, yet it’s all me, says first time writer/director Jennifer Esposito. “I did take pieces of people I grew up around and I used the essence of where I grew up to inform the characters’ world, but every character has some part of me in them. Staten Island, where I grew up and where the film takes place, felt very repressed and claustrophobic to me so that really influenced me when writing. The essence of the film is simple – it’s finding a voice in a world that tells you not to have one and I’ve felt that way my entire life.”

Festivals Reviews

FRESH KILLS (Tribeca 2023) – Review by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

June 14, 2023June 30, 2023 Alexandra Heller-Nicholas Annabela Sciorra, Emily Bader, female-centric, Fresh Kills, Jennifer Esposito, mob film, Odessa A’zion, staten island, Tribeca 2023

Named after the Staten Island landfill of the same name, Fresh Kills is a satisfying up-close-and-personal twist on the traditional New York mob movie by actress-turned-filmmaker Jennifer Esposito. Seen through the eyes of quiet, watchful Rose (Emily Bader), this primarily 1990s set family crime drama focuses on her intense and sometimes fraught relationship with her mother Francine (Esposito) and older sister Connie (Odessa A’zion) as their lives are thrown into disarray in the aftermath of her father’s involvement in organized crime.