The film about the famed Riggs vs. King match shows how little has changed: This week brings Battle of the Sexes, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the team that brought us the Oscar-winning Little Miss Sunshine, about the 1973 tennis match between the best female player in the world at the time, Billie …
Dolores, a new documentary about the co-founder of the United Farm Workers, sheds light on one of the many important female figures of change in the 20th century who have not gotten their due. You know who coined the famous slogan “Si se Puede”, or YES WE CAN? No, it wasn’t Cesar Chavez, and it wasn’t …
New this week in limited release is a documentary from director/producer Amanda Lipitz called Step. In a new all female charter school called Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, or BLSYW, the step team is influencing the members’ lives both on and off stage. The film follows these girls as they are empowered by their families, …
Director Kathryn Bigelow not only excels at leaning into difficult subjects from the recent past, she thrives on it. With both The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, she knew she would be courting controversy by bringing to light aspects of the Iraqi War and the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and she did it anyway. Here …
If you are Canadian, and you love art, you’ve heard of Maude Lewis. If you love a story of determination, creativity, and fearlessness, you’ll love “Maudie”, the story of her artistic life that has been brought to the big screen. Helmed by longtime director Aisling Walsh, and starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke as Maud and Everett …
CINEMA SIREN INTERVIEW: Director of Megan Leavey Gabriela Cowperthwaite talks about female directors, female soldiers, the freedom of documentaries, and the gift of animal loyalty. Coming this weekend is a film based on the real-life experience of a female marine and her canine companion. Review is HERE. I spoke to director Gabriela Cowperthwaite about her experience: Leslie Combemale …
A powerful love story opens Friday, but it’s not a traditional romance or the usual Rom-Com fare. It’s the story of the love between a woman and her dog. To be more specific, it’s the story of two war heroes who find the kind of love with each other that saves them both. Megan Leavey is directed …
I just got back from seeing Wonder Woman, a movie that for me was by far the most anticipated of the year. It isn’t because there aren’t some wonderful, highbrow, meaningful stories being released at Oscar season in October and November. It’s because Wonder Woman is only the 4th live-action film with a budget of $100 million dollars ever directed …
You may not imagine that you’d be hankering to see a romantic comedy in Hebrew this weekend. I’m here to tell you, this new indie, directed by Israeli-American director Rama Burshtein, and starring luminous stage actress Noa Koler as well as Israeli heartthrobs Amos Tamam and Oz Zehavi, will win you completely, and put a …
This weekend the new independent film Wakefield opens, starring the unstoppable acting juggernaut, Bryan Cranston. It is a performance where he spends most of the movie by himself, and yet it’s tense, exciting, and represents the sort of character arc that keeps audiences connected and engaged. Writer/director Robin Swicord is best known for adapting literary …
