In addition to covering film for Women's eNews, Jennifer Merin writes the Cinema Citizen blog and is editor in chief for AWFJ.org, the website of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, a nonprofit organization of leading female film journalists in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. She is organization's president. She is also a member of the prestigious Broadcast Film Critics Association.
Go see this profile of the influential thinker. Another must-see opening this week is the drama “Wedding Doll.” But don't bother with Melissa McCarthy's latest negative caricature of female ambition in “The Boss.”
The film is a standout example of fine art as social advocacy. This is also a big week for the revered Belgian feminist filmmaker Chantal Akerman, who died by her own hand last October at age 65.
The movie is heading into U.S. theatrical and I hope it will stoke a global movement against this horrendous crime. Teen trafficking is also the subject of “Spirits' Homecoming,” inspired by Korean “comfort women” and opening March 25.
“The Little Prince” is another must-see movie opening this week. This first animated feature based on the Antoine de Saint-Exupery classic presents a delightfully feminist twist on the iconic coming-of-age fantasy.
This exquisitely realized French tragi-comedy tops my list of movie openers this week. I can also recommend “About Scout,” a femme-centric shoestring budget indie film about a teenager on a challenging road trip.
And as previously mentioned, “Trapped” is out March 4, to help everyone mull over the ruling that is now pending in the first major Supreme Court case on abortion restrictions in years.
This year's politically-generated niche buzz words for marketers have been women and people of color. The pressure is on. Let's hope it doesn't lead to films that pander to group expectations, but don't win any Oscars.
At age 53, the ever-agile and strong-willed Michelle Yeoh defies sexism and ageism as she once again stars in a martial-arts extravaganza. This time her warrior character is coming out of retirement.
Unfortunately this biopic is in limited release. But “Race,” about Jesse Owens, is in wide release and is terrific. The cast is mostly male but Carice van Houten's portrayal of Leni Reifensthahl, the Nazi filmmaker and propagandist, is stunning.
Even if this award-winning documentary about abortion clinics cannot affect the Supreme Court decision this June, it helps to clarify the issues and reveals legislators' voting records on abortion laws that threaten to close women's reproductive health care clinics.
