52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #21 The Substance (2024) [USA] by Coralie Fargeat
An actress at the precipice of her career’s decline is offered the Fountain of Youth and one dose of “The Substance.” This incredible piece of cinema by writer, director, and editor Coralie Fargeat is so much more than you’d expect from a feminist middle finger to aging and the underbelly of Hollywood’s misogyny—or any career,…
Read more
Speak No Evil (2024) USA
Speak No Evil (2024) Overview/Synopsis In this 2024 remake of the Danish thriller Speak No Evil (2022), two families—one polite and reserved, the other socially forward—meet during a holiday in Italy. After their initial vacation together, the socially forward couple, portrayed by James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi, sends a postcard inviting the polite couple, played…
Read more
52 FILMS BY WOMEN: #20 Never Let Go (2024) [USA] Produced by & Starring by Halle Berry
Never Let Go Starring/Produced by: Halle Berry Directed by : Alexander Aja Written by: Kevin Coughlin; Ryan Grassby USA (2024) Overview/Synopsis Going into Never Let Go, I was both excited and nervous. I was thrilled to see a Black leading lady carry a film, but I also wondered how the public would receive her performance.…
Read more
52 Films By Women – Step is Life by Amanda Lipitz (2017) USA
Advocacy#STEP #StepIsLife #BlackGirlMagic 2 women …(yes I must note Caucasian for specific reasons of intent and personal motivation) set out to tackle “American Blackness” and “Black history” Major Historical Event… #1 “STEP” Amanda Lipitz (Baltimore angst right after Freddie Gray verdict) And then #2 “Detroit” Kathryn Bigalow (The 1967 Detroit riots) Both films open this…
Read more
REC 3 – Genesis (2012) SPAIN
Til Death do you part!…no really, part or apart or in bloody pieces!!!! What a great way to take something beautiful and annoying (Wedding video taping) and turn it into a Terminator meets Dawn of the dead and Exorcist adrenaline ride! REC 3 picks up on the same story line by connecting the…
Read more
Vertige (High Lane) (2009) FRANCE
Vertige (High Lane) (2009) FRANCE VERTIGE (High Lane) (2009) French It almost made it to the main road of ‘good movies’ BUT there was a bad DETOUR. This french “Descent” knockoff had a chance; great landscapes, good camera work, remote location, attractive actors, who were really athletic (wow!?!?!) and can kind of act!?!? But overall…
Read more
GANJA & HESS (1973) USA
Some of you may have heard of this as Blood Couple and Black Evil, but for those of you lucky enough to have seen the original in theaters or the collector Director’s Cut of Ganja & Hess have had the privilege of seeing a deep and fascinating film that just so happens to be about…
Read more
The Woman (2011) USA
Not every “Villain” searches for redemption and not every “Woman” needs a man. An amazingly gruesome and touching indie horror has hatched from two great story tellers (Lucky McKee and Jack Ketchum). As a lover of horror and all things feminist, I am over the moon with THE WOMAN. The story feels as though it…
Read more
Chain Letter (2010) USA
This is definitely a mainstream film that fell short. There’s a great idea, some very cool cameos, yet the inconsistent pacing and plot holes cripple what could have been a new franchise. In the 2010 film Chain Letter the writers tries to tap into a great premise.Premise in a word or two: A HS kid…
Read more
Mutants (2010) FRANCE
Though being original is near impossible, it is refreshing to see new takes on old stories. In this french Zombie thriller a couple escapes deep into the snowy mountain finding shelter at a desolate hospital. The female lead Sonia (Hélène de Fougerolles) is a scientist who is desperately searching for a cure to stop her…
Read more