Movies

So it's officially October, and what better way to start off Spooky Season than binge-watching some intensely scary movies. Better yet, since we are all about recognizing women in the film sphere, how about a list of some women-directed films that are sure to make your skin crawl. We covered all the bases, some supernatural, some disgusting, some nostalgic, but these are six horror thrillers that you can stream at home in anticipation of All Hallows Eve.  The Love Witch Directed by Anna Biller; released November 11, 2016 If...
Karen Dalton is a name that more fans of Blues and Folk music should know, but don't. Revisiting the early 1960s folk-music scene that sprung from Greenwich Village in film, can feel like well-trodden territory, and musicians such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Woody Guthrie are considered folk music legends. Karen Dalton sprung from the same era, but never quite received her due. Passing away in 1993, the guitarist and banjo player had been an underground favorite slowly gaining popularity over the last 50...
DATING & NEW YORK Written and directed by Jonah Feingold Out September 10 In a world where meeting a potential partner in-person seems almost impossible, Dating & New York dramatizes today’s most common method for mingling-hooking up on dating apps. The romantic comedy follows Milo (Jaboukie Young-White from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah) and Wendy (Francesca Reale from Stranger Things) as they embark on a casual, friends with benefits relationship- no feelings, just sex. Writer/ director Jonah Feingold presents their story as a modernized fairy tale set in New York City with imagery...
  LANGUAGE LESSONS Written and directed by Natalie Morales Out September 10 Natalie Morales, the actor, has been gracing our screens for more than a decade (Parks & Recreation, Battle of the Sexes, Dead to Me), but Morales the director is having a moment: Language Lessons, which she co-wrote and stars in with Mark Duplass, is one of the two features she helmed during lockdown. It’s the quiet, intimate flipside to Plan B, the chaotic quest movie she directed for Hulu, and both are must-sees. Much of Language Lessons’...
On September 8th, at the 78th annual Venice International Film Festival, Jamie Lee Curtis received the Lifetime Achievement Award. In anticipation of the final two installments in the Halloween franchise, Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022), Curtis will be reprising her role as protagonist Laurie Strode.  When asked about Curtis’ career, Alberto Barbera, Festival Director, stated: “To date, her extraordinary four-decade career reminds us that true talent, combined with intelligence, wit, endurance, and sheer grit, are the hallmarks of this true and unforgettable star.” The...
In its latest curated collection, the Criterion Channel highlights the work of the “Queen of Paris” herself, Josephine Baker. The actress, dancer, activist, and French Resistance hero was born in St. Louis on June 3, 1906 but achieved international fame in France, where she spent most of her adult life and built her legendary entertainment career.  Baker started out in Paris’ illustrious cabaret halls, where her magnetic persona soon elevated her to the silver screen. With her 1927 film debut, Siren of the Tropics, in which...
 Photo: photofest Discovered by Howard Hughes at 18 and poised to become Universal Studios’ answer to Marilyn Monroe, Mamie Van Doren made a name for herself in the ’50s playing big screen bad girls. Now 90 and as daring as ever, Van Doren opens up about sexism, censorship, and that time she almost hooked up with Marlene Dietrich.  “Mamie Van Doren is a Hollywood icon. Tough as diamonds, she is the very last of the platinum blond studio starlets—appearing in 41 films between 1951 and 2002—and she...
      The first peak at the new Princess Diana biopic, Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart as the late princess has debuted.  Spencer is set over three days during Christmas at the royal family’s Sandringham Estate in 1991 as Diana decides to end her very public and troublesome marriage to Prince Charles (Jack Farthing). Spencer is directed by the celebrated Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain, who is also known for his direction on the acclaimed 2016 movie Jackie about former First Lady Jackie Kennedy.  Despite her death nearly 25 years ago,...
Written and Directed by Marion Hill. Out Now  Newlyweds Bertie (Idella Johnson) and Fred (Lucien Guignard) have just moved to the South of France and seem to have it all. But Bertie’s depressed after the loss of her mother and struggling to adapt to her new life as an American expat. As a last resort, Fred decides to invite Lane (Hannah Pepper-Cunningham), who once dated both Bertie and Fred in a polyamorous relationship, into their home. But Lane and Bertie didn’t part on the best of...
  “Guess the Carney is out of the cage!” exclaimed Birds of Prey actor Jurnee Smollett. The actor, who starred as Black Canary in the 2020 Harley Quinn vehicle, confirmed that her character will be getting her own stand-alone sequel, in a tweet last Friday.  Guess the Canary is out of the cage! 🤪 So excited to finally embark on this adventure with my creative soul sis @MishaGreen. 🖤💛 #blackcanary #dinahlance #lettttssssssgoooooo ahhhhhhhhh!!!!! https://t.co/GocuNdEn6E — jurnee smollett (@jurneesmollett) August 20, 2021   The project will be helmed by Misha Green who...