By Joan Amenn Five years. That’s all we got. Five years of inspired insanity with Jim Henson and his creative team behind (and below, literally) the Muppets. It’s so hard to choose favorite episodes among so many moments of musical and comedic genius but there are some that seem to be especially loved among fans, and who isn’t a fan of the Muppets? Below are … Continue reading Top 5 Favorite Women Guest Stars on “The Muppet Show”
Year: 2023 Runtime: 108 minutes Writer/Director: Marija Kavtaradz Actors: Kęstutis Cicėnas, Greta Grinevičiūt By Caz Armstrong Caution: There are some spoilers below. “Slow” is a Lithuanian film about asexual relationships, gracefully upheld by a reverence for physicality. Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas) is a sign language interpreter hired to help a class of deaf students take dance classes with teacher Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė). A relationship begins between … Continue reading Review: Slow
By Nadine Whitney Australians call her “Our Nic.” She’s the girl in “BMX Bandits” or the face of a popular hair dye campaign in the early 1980s. She’s best friends with Naomi Watts who played a girl who turns down a date with Tom Cruise in a 1990 Lamb roast ad. She was the face of television shows that kept the nation glued to the … Continue reading What it Means to an Australian to See Nicole Kidman Honoured with an American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award
Year: 2023 Runtime: 83 minutes Director/Writer: Marie Amachoukeli-Barsacq Actors: Louise Mauroy-Panzani, Ilça Moreno Zego, Abnara Gomes Varela, Fredy Gomes Tavares, Arnaud Rebotini By Joan Amenn There is nothing like the intimacy of the love between a mother and child, even when the woman in question is not biologically the child’s mother. “Ama Gloria” is a beautifully shot character study of a remarkable woman, Gloria (Ilça … Continue reading Cascadia International Women’s Film Festival Review: Ama Gloria
Year: 2023 Runtime: 97 minutes Director: Brittany Snow Writers: Becca Gleason, Brittany Snow Actors: Courtney Eaton, Francesca Reale, Thomas Mann, Dave Bautista, Joel McHale, Gina Rodriguez, Kid Cudi By Nadine Whitney “I want to be okay with me” – Riley Writer and director Brittany Snow’s debut feature “Parachute” is an intimate and impartial examination of the difficulty in dealing with persistent mental health issues and … Continue reading Review: Parachute
By Caz Armstrong “Civil War” (2024) takes us on an exhilarating and violent ride across a not-too-distant America torn apart by civil war. Morgan Roberts has written a great review of it here but the film opens the door to discussion about women in conflict and female photographers. Women have been on the front lines as long as there has been recorded conflict. Look at … Continue reading “Civil War” and Women in Armed Conflict
Year: 2022 Runtime: 92 minutes Director: Vera Drew Writers: Vera Drew, Bri LeRose Actors: Vera Drew, Griffin Kramer, Lynn Downey, Kane Distler, Nathan Faustyn, David Liebe Hart, Phil Braun By Taylor Hunsberger Right out of the gate I can tell you that Vera Drew’s “The People’s Joker” is the most original and interesting piece of media I have seen in years. What Drew has managed … Continue reading Review: The People’s Joker
Year: 1934 Runtime: 105 minutes Director: Frank Capra Writer: Robert Riskin, Samuel Hopkins Adams (based on his short story) Actors: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Jameson Thomas, Charles C. Wilson By Joan Amenn This film is the stuff of Hollywood legend. It was shot in just a few weeks with lead actors who did not even want to be on set. One of them … Continue reading Pre-Code April: It Happened One Night
Year: 2023 Runtime: 73 minutes Writers/Directors: Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach Actors: Mélinée Leclerc, Clotilde Hesme, Laetitia Dosch, Esteban, Patrick Pineau, Claudine Acs, Jean-Marie Fonbonne, Antoine Momey, Scarlett Cholleton, Alenza Dus, Anais Weller, Milan Cerisier, Nahil Mostefa, Pietro Sermonti, and Anna Parent By Joan Amenn If anyone were to say to me that animation is for children, this is one of the films I would show them … Continue reading Animated April Review: Chicken for Linda!
Year: 2024 Runtime:100 minutes Director: Thea Sharrock Writer: Jonny Sweet Actors: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan, Timothy Spall, Hugh Skinner, Alisha Weir, Paul Chahidi By Joan Amenn “This is more true than you think.” Take two of the best actresses working today, add one supporting actress whose work is gaining notice and toss in a toxic paternal relationship in the 1920’s and you have … Continue reading Review: Wicked Little Letters
In Their Own League 