Jennifer Merin – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 26, 2024: THE FABULOUS FOUR

July 21, 2024July 23, 2024 Jennifer Merin Amazon MGM Studios, Ann Marie Allison, bette midler, he fabulous four, Jenna Milly, jocelyn moorhouse, Key West, Megan Mullally, sheryl lee ralph, susan sarandon

Sure, it’s hard not to think that making The Fabulous Four may have been an excuse for its quartet of stars — the legitimately fabulous Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Megan Mullally — to get together and have fun in Key West, but so what? There are far worse reasons to make a movie, and the end result is a light, breezy female friendship comedy that feels kind of like Bridesmaids crossed with Book Club and celebrates the lifelong bonds between women.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 19, 2024: WIDOW CLICQUOT

July 14, 2024 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, biopic, Cate Marquis, Champagne, Erin Dignam, Haley Bennett, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Napoleonic Wars, nell minow, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, Sam Reilly, Thomas Napper, Tom Sturridge, Veuve Clicquot, Widow Clicquot

If movies like Big Night and The Taste of Things leave you craving a fabulous meal, then Widow Clicquot is likely to send you scrambling for the nearest bottle of bubbly. Director Thomas Napper’s carefully observed historical biopic — which boasts a powerful performance by star Haley Bennett — tells the engrossing, wine-drenched tale of the birth of France’s world-famous Champagne label Veuve Clicquot in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In the end, you’ll likely want to raise a toast to those who brought this tale of a grande dame of history to life.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 12, 2024: TWICE COLONIZED

July 7, 2024July 9, 2024 Jennifer Merin aaju peter, betsy bozdech, canada, Cate Marquis, Denmark, greenland, Indigenous culture, inuit, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, lin alluna, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, sherin nicole

Twice Colonized chronicles the life and activism of Aaju Peter, a revered Inuit feminist lawyer who has fought for equal rights in Canada, Denmark, Greenland and around the world. She is amazingly charismatic and her story is fascinating. Director Lin Alluna has done a wonderful job of telling it. Be prepared to be inspired!!!

Reviews

THE END OF AMERICA – Retroview by Jennifer Merin

July 6, 2024July 6, 2024 Jennifer Merin anne sundberg, end of america, naomi wolf, political documentaries, ricki stern

The End Of America presents the ten step blueprint that Hitler and other dictators used to subvert democratic process and put an end to personal freedoms. It compares, step by step, events leading up to establishment of the Third Reich with what has happened in the United States in recent years. Very convincing. Very scary. Should be required viewing for anyone old enough to vote or join the army. Caveat emptor. Voter beware. Watch for NOW.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 5, 2024: SISI & I

June 30, 2024 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Countess Irma Sztáray, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Frauke Finsterwalder, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, Sandra Hüller, sherin nicole, Sisi & I, Susanne Wolff

Brilliant actresses Sandra Huller and Susanne Wolff give powerful performances in director Frauke Finsterwalder’s fascinating historical drama Sisi & I. As it chronicles the complex, complicated relationship between Austria’s legendary Empress Elisabeth (Wolff) and her faithful companion, Countess Irma Sztáray (Huller), in the final few years of Sisi’s life at the end of the 19th century, it explores themes of duty, friendship, and devotion — with fabulous period costumes.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 28, 2024: DADDIO

June 23, 2024June 23, 2024 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Christy Hall, Daddio, Dakota Johnson, Dickson Hinchliffe, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Phedon Papamichael, sandie angulo chen, sean penn, sherin nicole, sony classics

Two strangers make an unexpectedly meaningful connection in writer-director Christy Hall’s feature debut, Daddio. Play-like in the simplicity of its setting and focus on dialogue, this “two hander” drama is a fascinating character study that features nuanced, memorable performances by stars Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson as, respectively, a brash New York City cabbie and the pensive passenger he picks up at JFK airport to drive into Manhattan.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 21, 2024: GREEN BORDER

June 16, 2024June 16, 2024 Jennifer Merin Agnieszka Holland, Belarus, Gabriela Lazarkiewicz, Green Border, Maciej Pisuk, motw, Movie of the Week, Poland, syrian refugees

Harrowing in its brutal depiction of the way that refugees from Africa and the Middle East are treated by authorities on both sides of the vicious barbed-wire fence between Belarus and Poland, Agnieszka Holland’s riveting drama Green Border begs viewers to pay attention to the tragic consequences of dehumanizing the vulnerable people who need help the most. It’s a difficult film to watch — which is exactly why it needs to be seen.

Interviews

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: Creating Mythic Characters – Jennifer Merin interviews

June 13, 2024June 17, 2024 Jennifer Merin Bethany Antonia, emma d'arcy, eve best, fabien frankel, hbo max, House of the Dragon, matt smith, Ryan Condal, Steve Toussaint, tom glynn-carney, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

HBO Max’s series House of The Dragon creates its own fantastic universe around a cast of mythic characters who weave themselves into the fabric of an immensely complicated and twisting history. The series doesn’t shoot in sequence, so Keeping track of where they are in the tale and in their personal character arcs must be a daunting task for the actors. At a recent press conference, I had the opportunity to ask them about the choices they’ve made to help them with their journey.

Reviews

GREEN BORDER – Review by Jennifer Merin

June 10, 2024June 15, 2024 Jennifer Merin Agnieszka Holland, Belarus, Gabriela Lazarkiewicz, Green Border, Maciej Pisuk, Poland, syrian refugees

Polish director Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border is a documentary-like geopolitical drama about a group of disparate refugees who are seeking asylum from political unrest and poverty in their various homelands. The ‘Green Border’ referred to in the title is a no go zone on both sides of a barbed wire fence that demarks the border between Belarus and Poland. It is a border that refugees from oppressive countries in Africa and the Middle East are desperate to cross because they expect to find safe passage through Poland to freedom and a better life in the European Union. However, they find that safe passage is elusive, if not impossible. Because neither Belarus nor Poland wants them, they are brutally rejected by violent border guards that are commissioned by the virulently right wing xenophobic governments on both sides of the barbed wire.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 14, 2024: GHOSTLIGHT

June 8, 2024July 9, 2024 Jennifer Merin Alex Thompson, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Dolly De Leon, Ghostlight, jennifer merin, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, Keith Kupferer, Kelly O’Sullivan, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, Tara Mallen

The crushing weight of grief and the healing power of theater are explored with touching authenticity in Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s poignant dramedy Ghostlight. As it gradually reveals the heartbreaking loss at the center of its main characters’ lives, the film shows how the impact of that loss has left them all reeling, unable to move forward until one of Shakespeare’s most iconic plays helps them find a way to process it together.

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