sandra oh – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

CAN I GET A WITNESS? (TIFF 2024) – Review by Leslie Combemale

September 16, 2024September 16, 2024 Leslie Combemale Ann Marie Fleming, Can I Get A Witness?, canadian films., sandra oh, TIFF 2024

Given the speed with which we are destroying our environment, our future is bleak indeed, and that’s certainly true if Can I Get A Witness? is any indication. For the film, Canadian writer/director Ann Marie Fleming reunites with Sandra Oh, who voiced a character in her 2016 animated feature Window Horses. Oh plays Ellie, a mother on the brink of her 50th birthday, who is reflecting on her life and relationship with her daughter Kiah (Keira Jang). Time is running short for her. She’s expected to take her own life on her birthday.

News

WEEK IN WOMEN: Jessica Yu’s QUIZ LADY comes to Hulu – Brandy McDonnell reports

October 3, 2023October 12, 2023 Brandy McDonnell 20th Century Studios, awkwafina, hulu, Jessica Yu, Quiz Lady, sandra oh, the week in woman, twiw

Jessica Yu’s Quiz Lady, a hilarious and heartfelt comedy from 20th Century Studios, will premiere Nov. 3 exclusively on Hulu in the United States. Starring Awkwafina and Sandra Oh, the original film about a dysfunctional family and the game show that just might be the key to their salvation also will stream on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ under the Star banner in all other territories.

Festivals Reviews

QUIZ LADY (TIFF 2023) – Review by Tara Karajica

September 19, 2023September 21, 2023 Tara Karajica awkwafina, Disney/Hulu, Jen D’Angelo, Jessica Yu, Quiz Lady, sandra oh, TIFF 2023

Jessica Yu’s latest film, Quiz Lady, is an amusing, fast-paced and flamboyant comedy that doesn’t let your thoughts wander away, but has you instead focused just like when you are about to answer a question on a quiz, much akin to the title character, the “quiz lady” of the film, Anne Yum. Quiz Lady makes for an effervescent, colorful and delightful watch and Jessica Yu does marvels on the silver screen.

Festivals Interviews

Jessica Yu talks QUIZ LADY (TIFF 2023) – Tara Karajica interviews

September 19, 2023September 19, 2023 Tara Karajica awkwafina, Disney/Hulu, Jen D’Angelo, Jessica Yu, Quiz Lady, sandra oh, TIFF 2023

Helmer Jessica Yu directs Sandra Oh and Awkwafina in her latest outing for Disney/Hulu, Quiz Lady. The film deals with sibling dynamics and how, at the end of the day, no matter how different they are, they end up loving each other. “I think what they go through actually ends up reminding them of how much they have shared together in life and how much they actually appreciate each other. We don’t really see that many comedies about sisters and so, that was attractive to me,” Yu comments.

Reviews

TURNING RED – Review by Lauren Anderson

March 22, 2022March 28, 2022 Lauren Anderson (Archived Contributor) animation, domee shi, pixar, Rosalie Chiang, sandra oh, Turning Red

Turning Red is Disney/Pixar’s latest film about a Toronto teenager who discovers her uncontrollable ability to turn into a red panda whenever she experiences strong emotion. At its core, the animated feature is a metaphor for puberty. But as Disney/Pixar films are wont to do, it reminds us it’s good to embrace who we are instead of dampening our “red pandas.”

Reviews

TURNING RED – Review by Leslie Combemale

March 12, 2022March 13, 2022 Leslie Combemale animation, domee shi, pixar, Rosalie Chiang, sandra oh, Turning Red

Pixar’s new animated feature Turning Red is an absolute delight from start to finish. The studio’s 25th feature is a celebration of so many things, including female friendship, self esteem, personal growth, the millennial experience, motherhood, and Chinese culture, all while bringing both mom and dorky teenaged-girl realness. Helmed and co-written by Chinese-Canadian Domee Shi, Turning Red also the first Pixar film officially solo directed by a woman. When Shi took her idea for the movie to Pixar, her pitch was “it’s a girl going through magical puberty and turns into a giant red panda”. It might not sound particularly complex or nuanced, but Shi and her team have brought a tremendous amount of meaning and depth to what is a funny, wild cinematic ride. It also allows girls and women, especially those of Asian descent, to be fully seen onscreen.

Reviews

THE CHAIR – Review by Susan Granger

September 1, 2021September 1, 2021 Susan Granger Amanda Peet, Annie Julia Wyman, jay duplass, Nana Mensah, netflix, sandra oh, series, The Chair

This ‘Back to School’ month is the perfect time for Netflix’s new college-set series The Chair, starring Sandra Oh (Killing Eve, Grey’s Anatomy) as Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim, the first female head of the English department at (fictional) Pembroke University. A prestigious “lower-tier Ivy,” Pembroke has always favored its rich, white students and faculty, so the newly elected Chair faces not only gender prejudice but also racial bias. A single mother, she’s raising an adopted daughter, Ju-Ju (Everly Carganilla), with the help of her widowed, Korean-speaking father (Lee Ji-Yong).

Reviews

THE CHAIR – Review by Martha K Baker

August 24, 2021August 28, 2021 Martha K. Baker (Archived Contributor) Amanda Peet, Annie Wyman, sandra oh, The Chair

In The Chair, Amanda Peet and Annie Wyman created not only a rom-com but also a horror show. While a cord of romance threads through the story and humor tickles its plot, the horror closes in on reality. The Chair brings tears of joy and fear as it recognizes the ardor of literature in modern campus life amid the odor of cancelation.

Reviews

OVER THE MOON – Review by Carol Cling

January 9, 2021 Carol Cling animation, audrey wells, cathy and, glen keane, over the moon, Philippa Soo, sandra oh

For a movie that spends so much time on the lunar surface, Over the Moon proves stubbornly earthbound. This CGI-animated musical, which marks the directorial debut of veteran animator Glen Keane, boasts plenty of eye-popping colors and frenetic action. It’s a pleasant enough voyage — but hardly an earth-shaking one.