If there is such a genre as ‘Mystical Femme,’ and there really should be, French writer/director Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire belongs in it, placed at the top. Winner of the Queer Palm and Best Screenplay at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, the film features magnetic lead actresses whose chemistry with each other is …
**NOTE: I wrote a Queen & Slim review for the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, part of which is included below. I urge you all to see this film, which is written and directed entirely without studio influence, contribution, or alteration or notes from any white folks. This might not sound like a big deal, …
It’s really unfortunate that so few studio films directed by women are released each year, not least because it puts so much pressure on female filmmakers that have been graced with (read: exhausted themselves get to) the rare opportunity. Fortunately, one of the most anticipated of these, Charlie’s Angels, is a frothy, entertaining delight, and …
In director Marielle Heller’s new film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers says, “If it’s mentionable, it’s manageable.” Though he often explained his philosophy of life in ways both children and adults could understand, this quote truly speaks to the thoughtfulness and intensity with which the iconic television host of …
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound is in theaters right now, and deserves your money, and your undivided and likely novice attention. Film lovers who seek it out will be schooled and love every minute of it. First responses to the cavalcade of directors and sound artisans director/producer Midge Costin offers, in succession as …
Have you heard about Thor: Ragnarok and What We Do in the Shadows director Taika Waititi’s latest film? Maybe you’ve seen a trailer for a film that takes place in WW2, featuring a boy in a Nazi Youth uniform getting advice from an absurd-looking Hitler and thought, “Hell, no. That’s inappropriate!” If I told you …
Releasing through HBO, director Erica Gornall’s new documentary Saudi Women’s Driving School examines the changes in the lives of women in Saudi Arabia resulting from a lift of the driving ban. As of June 24th, 2018, women could apply for licenses. Before that day, the country had been the only one in the world in which women …
Created by Charles Addams, The Addams Family has had a long and storied career, starting with their appearance in the New Yorker as a first single-panel cartoon in 1938. The characters have since been represented in a 60s television show, a film series, several animated series, and even a Tony-nominated Broadway musical. It was set …
Dilili in Paris celebrates the beauty and much of the best of the Belle Epoque and the city of lights, but renowned director Michel Ocelot’s latest animated feature also examines philosophical and political subjects relating to race, class, gender, and art. Well-spoken and filled with politesse, Dilili is a New Caledonian mixed-race Kanak child with …
Imagine a post-apocalyptic Stand By Me where queer girls rule and save the day, and you have a vague idea of the aesthetic of the Canadian uber-indie thriller Riot Girls. The film is filled with up-and-coming female filmmakers, including director Jovanka Vuckovic, writer Katherine Collins, producer Lauren Grant, and a host of other below-the-line artists, including cinematographer Celiana …
