Reviews, News, & Interviews

In honor of being invited to join AWFJ, the Top 10 Movies of 2017, as directed by women!

By Leslie Combemale | February 17, 2018 | Comments Off on In honor of being invited to join AWFJ, the Top 10 Movies of 2017, as directed by women!

In celebration of this wonderful honor, this first post by Cinema Siren in 2018 will be the Best Films of 2017, but ONLY include films directed by women.  It’s thrilling to say most of these would already be on my top ten, and that is definitely a sign of the times.  There are several films that were …

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The real-life Heroines of the Netflix Short Documentary Heroin(e)

By Leslie Combemale | February 17, 2018 | Comments Off on The real-life Heroines of the Netflix Short Documentary Heroin(e)

Sometimes it just takes seeing people actively making a difference, approaching what they do with a balance of realism and tenaciously optimism, to remind us we really can change the world, even if it’s in some small way.  The women of the documentary short Heroin(e) are saving lives and helping people change their circumstances every day.  Watching them is …

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Greta Gerwig Talks Lady Bird, the Great New Coming-of-Age Film: Film Review and Interview

By Leslie Combemale | February 17, 2018 | Comments Off on Greta Gerwig Talks Lady Bird, the Great New Coming-of-Age Film: Film Review and Interview

If I were making a movie with two women playing mother and daughter, Oscar nominated Saoirse Ronan of Atonement, and Brooklyn,  and Emmy and Tony Award winner Laurie Metcalf of Toy Story, Roseanne, the Steppenwolf Theater and at least 14 Broadway and off-Broadway plays, would be on my dream list.  Apparently Greta Gerwig agrees. Before the beloved Indie actress, writer …

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Animation Insiders Demand an End to Sexism and Harassment in the Animation Industry Today

By Leslie Combemale | February 17, 2018 | Comments Off on Animation Insiders Demand an End to Sexism and Harassment in the Animation Industry Today

A letter was sent today by 217 women and non-gender conforming folk to over a dozen studios demanding change and an end to sexual harassment and sexism in the animation industry.  Included on the list of recipients are executives at Disney, Sony Pictures Animation, Cartoon Network, DreamWorks Animation, and Warner Bros. Signatures are from people …

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The Glorious Labor of LOVING VINCENT; film review and interview with the co-directors

By Leslie Combemale | February 17, 2018 | Comments Off on The Glorious Labor of LOVING VINCENT; film review and interview with the co-directors

Loving Vincent is the first fully oil painted feature film.  The brainchild of two filmmakers who have worked in animation, special effects, and live action, the film breaks new ground, while being visually stunning and driving a story about the last few weeks in the life an artist who died penniless but is now one of …

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Professor Marston and the Wonder Women Review: Great Hera, it’s Hot!

By Leslie Combemale | February 17, 2018 | Comments Off on Professor Marston and the Wonder Women Review: Great Hera, it’s Hot!

Such timeliness!  Such hotness! Such consent!  Yes, the story of the man and women behind the making of Wonder Woman, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, written and directed by Angela Robinson, is being released this weekend. Wow, is it a fun, fascinating look at folks in the 1940s getting their freak on!  Well, not really. It’s true that …

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TROPHY: A Great but Gut-Wrenching Documentary Explores the Complicated, Controversial World of Trophy Hunting

By Leslie Combemale | February 17, 2018 | Comments Off on TROPHY: A Great but Gut-Wrenching Documentary Explores the Complicated, Controversial World of Trophy Hunting

Trophy, an exploration of the economics and conservational impact of big game hunting, recently released in theaters, is not easy viewing. This is especially true for those predisposed to having a strong opinion on the subject. Co-directors Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau aim, however, to get a conversation going with conservationists and animal lovers around …

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BIRTHRIGHT: A WAR STORY Review and Exclusive Interview

By Leslie Combemale | February 17, 2018 | Comments Off on BIRTHRIGHT: A WAR STORY Review and Exclusive Interview

Coming to an art house near you this weekend is the documentary Birthright: A War Story.  It is directed by award-winning journalist and filmmaker Civia Tamarkin, and co-written and produced by award-winning filmmaker Luchina Fisher.  Why do we need another documentary on what seems to be about the pro-life verses pro-choice argument?  Tamarkin, when I spoke to her, …

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Battle of the Sexes Movie Review: Learn How Billie Jean King Changed Tennis Forever

By Leslie Combemale | February 17, 2018 | Comments Off on Battle of the Sexes Movie Review: Learn How Billie Jean King Changed Tennis Forever

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 …

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DOLORES Documentary Review and Advice from The Lifelong Rebel and Activist

By Leslie Combemale | February 17, 2018 | Comments Off on DOLORES Documentary Review and Advice from The Lifelong Rebel and Activist

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 …

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