Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life: SXSW 2023 Review

Year: 2023 Runtime: 80 minutes Director: Dan Covert Writers: Amy Dempsey, Dan Covert, Erik Auli, Tara Rose Stromberg By Joan Amenn Nominated for a Grand Jury Award at this year’s SXSW, “Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life” is an intriguing look at an artist who has managed to create ubiquitous images and yet, remain relatively unknown. Geoff McFetridge’s work can be seen everywhere from movie titles … Continue reading Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life: SXSW 2023 Review

Editorial: There Are More Female Directors Than Gerwig and Coppola (And We Need to Learn Their Names)

There was a recent post on Twitter asking for the film community to name a female filmmaker but not name famous directors Sofia Coppola or Greta Gerwig. Sure, people were able to name other directors. However, I was struck by the fact that there are truly so many women working behind the camera, but only a few are widely known by audiences. Continue reading Editorial: There Are More Female Directors Than Gerwig and Coppola (And We Need to Learn Their Names)

Mental Health Awareness Month, Retrospective Review: The Virgin Suicides

You wouldn’t imagine a film titled “The Virgin Suicides” (1999) would be beautifully atmospheric and dreamlike. Or maybe you would if you knew it was written and directed by Sofia Coppola who is known for brilliantly capturing an atmosphere with her films whether it’s the 1990s in Los Angeles with “The Bling Ring” (2013) or our collective memory of a lavish queen with “Marie Antoinette” (2006). Coppola’s directorial debut is a tale about five young girls who commit suicide and perhaps more poignantly, the neighborhood boys who are obsessed with them. For as much as it’s a film about mental health and girlhood, it’s also about collective memory and the impact that a few people can have on a community.  Continue reading Mental Health Awareness Month, Retrospective Review: The Virgin Suicides

Mental Health Awareness Month Review: “Somewhere”

Let me tell you why I love Sofia Coppola so much: she’s interesting. She is unbothered by box office returns; she is loyal to her vision. Here is a woman who has had a keen understanding of Hollywood since her earliest memories–she plays the baby in “The Godfather”, for crying out loud! She is a keen observer of life, of human nature, and–as a consequence, I suppose, of growing up around the glitz and glam of Hollywood–the repercussions of copious amounts of glitz and glam. 

In keeping with this month’s theme of Mental Health, I thought it’d be appropriate to write about a woman’s depiction of a man’s mental state in La La Land. “Somewhere”, which won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, offers very little in terms of plot and intrigue. Continue reading Mental Health Awareness Month Review: “Somewhere”

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 46: The Beguiled

Sofia Coppola’s American Southern Gothic film, “The Beguiled” (2017), is an atmospheric drama that takes place at a girls’ school in Virginia in 1864. The American Civil War rages around the house, ever-present despite the lack of action. The film features a trio of talented blonde women — Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, and Elle Fanning — in addition to Colin Farrell. While it’s not the masterpiece that some of Coppola’s other films like “Marie Antoinette” (2006) or “The Virgin Suicides” (1999) are, it’s a moving and aesthetically beautiful portrait of women in wartime. Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 46: The Beguiled

Appreciating Sofia Coppola & The Lasting Effect of The Virgin Suicides

Despite having the name Coppola, which some would consider to be a shoo-in within the film business, Sofia Coppola has made an imprint all on her own. As a prolific female writer and filmmaker, she’s brought intellectually stimulating, beautiful stories to life. Continue reading Appreciating Sofia Coppola & The Lasting Effect of The Virgin Suicides