nell minow – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

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.

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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!!!

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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.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 7, 2024: LATE BLOOMERS

June 2, 2024July 9, 2024 Jennifer Merin Anna Greenfield, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, Karen Gillan, Late Bloomers, leslie combemale, Lisa Steen, liz whittemore, loren king, Malgorzata Zajaczkowska, Margaret Sophie Stein, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, Vertical Entertainment

An unlikely friendship with a woman three times her age leads to personal growth for a struggling twentysomething in director Lisa Steen’s charming feature directorial debut, Late Bloomers. Starring Karen Gillan as floundering 28-year-old would-be musician Louise and Margaret Sophie Stein (aka Malgorzata Zajaczkowska in her native Poland) as Antonina, the testy Polish woman Louise unexpectedly finds herself spending time with and caring for, the film is a thoughtful take on what it really means to grow up.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 31, 2024: THE COMMANDANT’S SHADOW

May 26, 2024May 26, 2024 Jennifer Merin Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, commandant of Auschwitz, Daniela Volker, documentaries, documentary, Hans Jurgen Höss, holocaust, jennifer merin, Kay-Uwe Höss, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Maya Lasker-Wallfisch, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, Rudolf Höss, sandie angulo chen, The Zone of Interest, warner brothers

At a time when some U.S. public schools are shutting down lesson plans that run the risk of making White American children feel bad about the country’s history of enslavement and oppression, The Commandant’s Shadow is an especially timely reminder of the dangers of willfully turning a blind eye to history. Daniela Volker’s documentary about coming to terms with both personal and societal legacies is a compelling addition to the catalog of films about World War II and the Holocaust.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 24, 2024: QUEEN OF THE DEUCE

May 18, 2024May 18, 2024 awfj-admin 42nd street, Abhilasha Dewan, adult movies, animation, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Chelly Wilson, holocaust survivor, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, lgbtq, liz whittemore, loren king, nell minow, out and proud, Pam Grady, porn, Queen of the Deuce, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, Valerie Kontakos

If Chelly Wilson were a fictional character, odds are she’d be deemed “hard to believe” or “too over the top.” But the business-savvy, chain-smoking mom and grandma who came to the United States from Greece in 1939 and operated a string of adult movie theaters in some of the seediest parts of New York City in the 1960s and ’70s is 100 percent real. And, as chronicled in Valerie Kontakos’ documentary Queen of the Deuce, her story is fascinating.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 17, 2024 – BABES

May 11, 2024May 12, 2024 Jennifer Merin babes, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, filmnation, Ilana Glazer, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, michelle butreau neonrated, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, pamela adlon, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole

Pamela Adlon may be a Gen Xer herself, but she proves that she genuinely understands Millennials in her feature directorial debut, Babes. With its sometimes crude, sometimes sweet script co-written by uber-Millennial comedian Ilana Glazer (who also co-stars), Adlon’s New York City-set comedy follows main characters Eden (Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau) as they authentically navigate the messy glory of adult life, from motherhood and marriage to friendship and self care.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 10, 2024: THE IDEA OF YOU

May 5, 2024May 5, 2024 Jennifer Merin Anne Hathaway, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Ella Rubin, jennifer merin, jennifer westfeldt, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, May December, Michael Showalter, nell minow, Nicholas Galitzine, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, romcom, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, The Idea of You

If you can suspend your disbelief about the fact that anyone would wonder why a straight man in his 20s would find Anne Hathaway attractive, The Idea of You is a sweet, thoughtful romantic comedy about seizing your joy where you’re lucky enough to find it and ignoring the haters. And the film is undeniably Hathaway’s, thanks to her appealing performance as a 40-year-old divorced mom who’s scared to believe in her own happy ending.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 3, 2024: CATCHING FIRE: THE STORY OF ANITA PALLENBERG

April 28, 2024July 9, 2024 Jennifer Merin alexis bloom, anita pallenberg, betsy bozdech, biodoc, brian jones, Cate Marquis, documentary, jennifer merin, Keith Richards, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, magnolia pictures, mick jagger, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, rolling stones, sandie angulo chen, sandro sursock, scarlett Johanson, sherin nicole, svetlana zill

Blending frank interviews with a treasure trove of archival images and their subject’s own words, filmmakers Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill paint an incredibly intimate portrait of a 1960s and ’70s icon in Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg. As a model, actress, mother, muse, and more, Pallenberg lived a life that was turned up to 11 as she became an integral part of the group surrounding the Rolling Stones in their heyday but was never anything less than her own woman.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK April 26, 2024: IRENA’S VOW

April 21, 2024April 21, 2024 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, dan gordon, holocaust drama, Irena Gut Opdyke, Irena’s Vow, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Louise Archambault, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, Sophie Nelisse, truth-based

There’s no denying the fact that humans are capable of terrible cruelty; everything from the history books to the headlines of today’s newspapers makes that sadly, abundantly clear. But people are also capable of acts of tremendous courage and character. Such is the case in director Louise Archambault’s moving drama Irena’s Vow, which tells the story of Irena Gut Opdyke, a Catholic Polish woman who risked herself repeatedly to hide a group of Jews during the Holocaust.

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