THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU – Review by Leslie Combemale

At the core of The Mandalorian and Grogu is the celebration of found family, as well as the ever-present power we as individuals have to tell a new story about ourselves, to change our fates and how others see us. The father/son aspect of the film was beautifully rendered, and again, largely performed between a man obscured by a helmet and a puppet, and yet it feels poignant and believable. Is it all done while remaining decidedly “family friendly”? Yes. But given how unfriendly the world feels right now, that seems like a gift of the Jedi.

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THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU – Review by Susan Granger

The Mandalorian and Grogu is a big-screen spinoff of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, which made its debut in 2019, introducing a brawny, fully-armored, bounty-hunting Mandalorian warrior Din ‘Mando’ Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his tiny, always hungry ward Grogu, resembling a Baby Yoda. Director/writer Jon Favreau begins with some fast-paced, high-octane sequences leading into the New Republic’s Colonel Ward dispatching Mando-the-mercenary to capture an evil Imperial warlord.

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AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH – Review by Susan Granger

In the cinematic art of world-building James Cameron has no peer: Avatar: Fire and Ash continues his mythic exploration with motion-capture and digital effects. In Avatar & its Way of Water sci-fi sequel by the mid-22nd century, humanity has depleted Earth’s natural resources – so the Resources Development Administration (RDA) dispatched former U.S. Marines-turned-mercenaries to a distant lushly bio-diverse moon called Pandora in the Alpha Centauri system.

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DUST BUNNY (TIFF 2025) – Review by Liz Braun

Experiencing Dust Bunny​ is a little like falling into the greatest children’s book ever. The visually stunning modern fairy tale is all about Aurora, a 10-year-old plagued by a monster under her bed. Late one starry night she sees her mysterious neighbour slay a dragon, so she decides to hire him to dispatch that thing lurking under her floorboards. The monster may well have eaten Aurora’s parents …​ The mysterious neighbour — he’s an assassin — agrees to help Aurora, although like most adults, he does not believe in monsters under the bed. He doesn’t believe those monsters eat people, either, but he soon comes to value Aurora’s point of view.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Sigourney Weaver’s Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement – Brandy McDonnell reports

Iconic American actress and three-time Academy Award nominee Sigourney Weaver is receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, set for Aug. 28-Sept. 7 in Italy. A BAFTA and Golden Globe winner, Weaver has created a host of memorable characters, both dramatic and comic, ranging from Ripley in Alien to Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist. Born and educated in New York City, Weaver graduated from Stanford University and went on to receive a master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama. Her first professional job was in Sir John Gielgud’s production of The Constant Wife, working with Ingrid Bergman.

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MASTER GARDENER – Review by Susan Granger

If you’re a Paul Schrader fan, perhaps you missed the dramatic thriller Master Gardener the third in his God’s Lonely Man trilogy that started with First Reformed (2022) and continued with The Card Counter (2021). Using the metaphor of gardening – how it calms the mind and mends the soul -Schrader centers this character-driven film once again on a tormented man in turmoil, writing “The seeds of love grow like the seeds of hate” in his journal, trying in vain not to allow the secreted skulls and swastikas to surface.

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AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER – Review by Susan Granger

It’s been 13 years since James Cameron’s Avatar was released. And it’s well worth the wait to see his $350 million Avatar: The Way of Water, demonstrating how he uses cinematic technology to create a new, fantastical Na’vi realm on a distant moon called Pandora. Working with James Cameron, screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver have developed an emotional arc for each motion-captured character. The result is compelling, fully digital sci-fi, highlighted by cinematographer Russell Carpenter’s dazzling visual effects, particularly the breathtaking deep-sea sequences.

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AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER – Review by Diane Carson

Avatar: The Way of Water highlights spectacle plus heady issues. For thirteen years, the much-anticipated sequel to Avatar has required intensive production work. Now, Avatar: The Way of Water rewards the long wait with an extravaganza of special effects cinematic spectacle. And as the title announces, a great deal of action takes place in and around water with thrilling play, risky adventures, and rousing combat.

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CALL JANE – Review by Martha K Baker

In Chicago in 1968, housewife Joy Griffin watches the Democratic National Convention on television. She sees police officers, their heads capped in “blue brain buckets,” beat protesters against the Vietnam War. The noisy news establishes the political climate in 1968, but whispers surround the issue of abortion in the pre-Roe era of Call Jane, a well realized look at reproductive history.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 4, 2022: CALL JANE

Based on the true story of the Jane Collective, a group of young feminist activists who facilitated underground abortions in the Chicago area in the late 1960s and early ’70s, Phyllis Nagy’s heartfelt Call Jane illustrates, clearly and empathetically, why access to safe, affordable abortions is an essential aspect of female healthcare. The movie may take place 50-plus years ago, but in a world where the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, the issue has never felt more timely.

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