“Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” Review

Year: 2023 Director: Lana Wilson Runtime: 138 minutes By Morgan Roberts It is difficult to talk about “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” without acknowledging the normalization of the sexualization of girls – literally children – and young woman. Present day knowledge and perspective has given us the license to not explain away or ignore our gut feelings. Brooke Shields, as an actress and a model, was … Continue reading “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” Review

TV Series Review: Prime Video’s Swarm

Year: 2022 Episodes: 7 (~35 minutes) Creators: Donald Glover, Janine Nabers Stars: Dominique Fishback, Narine S. Brown, Chloe Bailey, Damson Idris, Kiersey Clemons By Tom Moore Writer Janine Nabers (“Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce”) and “Atlanta” creator Donald Glover come together to craft a twisted concoction for Prime Video that acts as a horrifying character study of fandom and showcases the incredible prowess of Dominique Fishback. … Continue reading TV Series Review: Prime Video’s Swarm

Femme Filmmakers Festival 7 Review: Public Relations

Year: 2022 Runtime: 22 minutes Director/Writer: Elle Jae Stewart Actors: Elle Jae Stewart, Marcus Henderson, Chloe Paige Flowers By Valerie Kalfrin  Billed as the proof-of-concept pilot for a series, the short “Public Relations” packs a lot of soapy drama into 22-minutes but leaves little room for developing its characters or caring what happens next.  Creator Elle Jae Stewart (The American Theatre of BEing Documentary) stars as Chelsea, a … Continue reading Femme Filmmakers Festival 7 Review: Public Relations

A white woman in her thirties with shoulder-length blonde hair stands at home plate. She holds a baseball bat, wears a uniform and blue ballcap, and has a determined look.

“Maybe I can take up this space in the world”: Geena Davis on “A League of Their Own” and helping others be seen

Feminist pop culture icon and activist Geena Davis reflects on how “A League of Their Own” and other roles gave her confidence and purpose. Continue reading “Maybe I can take up this space in the world”: Geena Davis on “A League of Their Own” and helping others be seen

Fantasia Film Review: Sissy

Year: 2022 Runtime:  102 minutes Director: Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes Writer: Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes Cast: Aisha Dee, Hannah Barlow, Emily De Margheriti, Daniel Monks, Yerin Ha, Lucy Barrett, Shaun Martindale, Kane Senes By Harris Dang “Sissy” (2022) tells the story of Cecilia (Aisha Dee), a wellness guru who has a strong following on social media, as she promotes positive contentment and harmonious … Continue reading Fantasia Film Review: Sissy

“A Very British Scandal” and the Public Slut-Shaming of the Duchess of Argyll

By Morgan Roberts In the Prime Video anthology, “A Very British Scandal” (2021), the tumultuous marriage and scandalous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll takes center stage. The marriage between Ian Campbell (Paul Bettany) and Margaret Whigham (Claire Foy) was passionate yet volatile from the start. Campbell cheated on his second wife with Whigham in order to be granted a divorce. The marriage … Continue reading “A Very British Scandal” and the Public Slut-Shaming of the Duchess of Argyll

TV Review: “Roar”

By Morgan Roberts In the new AppleTV+ series, universal womanhood issues are tackled in varying metaphorical ways. “Roar” (2022), the new anthology series from Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, has everything from a woman becoming invisible to others to a woman falling in love with an abusive duck to a woman sitting on a shelf like a trophy. Flahive and Mensch previously wrote and produced … Continue reading TV Review: “Roar”

Women’s History Month Spotlight: Lynn Shelton

By Morgan Roberts There are a number of women who are trailblazers behind the camera, but none as remarkable as Lynn Shelton. Raised in Seattle, Shelton’s earlier career was in editing for work in the area as well as creating experimental short films. In 2003, Shelton saw Claire Denis at Seattle’s Northwest Forum. At the talk, Denis discussed her start in directing and how she … Continue reading Women’s History Month Spotlight: Lynn Shelton

Why We Still Need International Women’s Day

The 8th March is International Women’s Day, a day devoted to celebrating the achievements of women all across the globe and throughout history. I wasn’t aware of the fact that International Women’s Day had been running for so long, apparently “It began life as National Women’s Day in the United States back in February 1909” which is astonishing to me as I had been under the impression that it was a recent thing. Continue reading Why We Still Need International Women’s Day