Features
Pick of the Day: “Loving Highsmith”
“Loving Highsmith” assumes that you are familiar, to some degree, with the work of author Patricia Highsmith — or at least the numerous screen adaptations of her novels, such as...
September 2022 Film Preview
The festival scene is heating up this month, with Venice, Telluride, and Toronto premiering a bevy of potential awards contenders. Thankfully, there’s also plenty to look forward to screening...
September 2022 Television Preview
Whether September means returning to school or returning to work, there are a number of shows premiering that our Women and Hollywood readers are sure to devour. From documentaries and dramas to...
Pick of the Day: “Everything I Know About Love”
“Everything I Know About Love” is a platonic love story as full of longing and heartbreak as any romance. The series adaptation of Dolly Alderton’s best-selling memoir charts the...
Choreographer to Watch: Victoria Caro of “The Kissing Booth” and “Riverdale”
At just 21 years old, Victoria Caro is already a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. She began dancing competitively at the age of seven and learned more about the world of acting through...
Pick of the Day: “Bad Sisters”
I’m pleased to confirm Sharon Horgan has made yet another slam-dunk of a show. She’s following up “Catastrophe,” “This Way Up,” “Motherland,”...
Pick of the Day: “The Legend of Molly Johnson”
At first blush, “The Legend of Molly Johnson” comes across as a white feminist story. It sets itself up as a Western about a heavily pregnant woman who can shoot as well as any man and...
Under the Radar: Jacqueline Priego Speaks the Truth with “PinkSlipped”
Some content becomes more timely with age, as is the case for “PinkSlipped,” the 2018 web series created by writer, director, and actress Jacqueline Priego. With Chicago as its backdrop,...
Pick of the Day: “Girl Picture”
I wish I had come of age in the world of “Girl Picture.” Alli Haapasalo’s Sundance award winner follows three 17- or 18-year-old young women as they begin to figure out who they are...
Pick of the Day: “A League of Their Own”
I am sick to death of franchises and reboots, so I was a little bit trepidatious about Abbi Jacobson’s update of one of my favorite movies ever, “A League of Their Own.” (I...
Pick of the Day: “Emily the Criminal”
“Ingrid Goes West,” “The Little Hours,” “Black Bear,” “Happiest Season,” “Legion” — Aubrey Plaza has delivered some truly smart,...
Finally, Some Real Talk: Podcast Picks
With bad news hurtling toward us on the daily, we need an escape, and we need to be seen. When media, positive or negative, revolves around a singular demographic, it can make anyone on the margins...
Pick of the Day: “Memory Box”
Family secrets always seem to get spilled during the holidays, don’t they? They definitely do in “Memory Box,” Joana Hadjithomas’ semi-autobiographical drama centering three...
Quote of the Day: Connie Britton On Making Sure Her “White Lotus” Character Had Her Own Journey
“The White Lotus” star Connie Britton has earned a fifth Emmy nomination, this time for her performance as Nicole Mossbacher, a wealthy hotel guest at the titular exclusive Hawaiian...
Pick of the Day: “Resurrection”
“Resurrection” is an unapologetically gonzo movie that would absolutely not work without Rebecca Hall. But, luckily, Hall does deliver a career-best central performance as Margaret, a...
August 2022 Film Preview
From horror-thrillers to coming-of-age stories, animated pics, and docs, there’s something for everyone to look forward to in August. The month starts off strong with “Mija,”...
August 2022 Television Preview
As we head into the second half of summer, what could be a better new show for Women and Hollywood readers to check out than Abbi Jacobson’s spin on “A League of Their Own”?...
Pick of the Day: “Alma’s Rainbow” 4K Restoration
You know how when you were a teenager, you felt out of control in your changing body, your emotions were a rollercoaster, and you were convinced your parents just didn’t understand what you...
Pick of the Day: “Harley Quinn”
From “Batman: The Animated Series” to the Michelle Pfeiffer-starring “Batman Returns” to the “Dark Knight” trilogy to “Birds of Prey,” I have long...
Quote of the Day: “P-Valley” Creator Katori Hall Calls for More Stories About Abortion
On this past Sunday’s episode of “P-Valley,” Katori Hall’s Starz drama about a Mississippi strip club’s performers and patrons, a couple characters decided to travel to...
Writer to Watch: April Shih of “Mrs. America” and “Undone”
With credits like “Mrs. America,” “You’re the Worst,” and “Undone” under her belt, April Shih has managed to strike a seamless blend of humor, drama, and...
Pick of the Day: “Rap Sh!t”
Issa Rae is back with another nuanced examination of women’s friendships, ambition, and sex lives with “Rap Sh!t.” The HBO Max comedy is set in the music industry and tells the...
Pick of the Day: “Queen of Glory”
Written, directed, and led by “The Chair” scene-stealer Nana Mensah, “Queen of Glory” is a charming film exploring the concept of home, warts and all. For Sarah (Mensah), a...
Pick of the Day: “Good Madam”
“So we should pretend not to be here even though we are?” This is what young Winnie (Kamvalethu Jonas Raziya) asks her mother, Tsidi (Chumisa Cosa), when she moves into her grandmother’s...
Pick of the Day: “Murina”
When we spoke to Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović about her feature directorial debut during its run at Cannes last year, she told us, “It was important for me to portray both the [evolution] and...
Pick of the Day: “Fire of Love”
A love letter to intrepid scientists and their shared passion, “Fire of Love” burns bright. When Katia and Maurice Krafft died in a volcano eruption, the French couple left behind...
Production Designer to Watch: Beth Mickle of “The Suicide Squad” and “Drive”
As a production designer for dozens of projects representing a vast array of genres, Beth Mickle is no stranger to adapting her vision on the fly. Whether it’s joining an independent film with very...
Pick of the Day: “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song”
Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller pay tribute to the man born with the gift of a golden voice in “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song,” a documentary exploring the origin story and...
Pick of the Day: “Mr. Malcolm’s List”
Are you a fan of “Bridgerton,” but wish it hadn’t clumsily acknowledged its color-blind casting with a nonsensical “one interracial romance solved racism forever”...
July 2022 Film Preview
The Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade is a brutal reminder that the rights of freedom and bodily autonomy are never truly won and that the fight for basic human rights remains ongoing....
July 2022 Television Preview
As networks and streamers return to nearly pre-pandemic levels of content, July offers a broad variety of summer popcorn dramas and light-hearted comedies, plus a few spin-offs and prequels to round...
Book Excerpt: “Nora Ephron: A Biography”
The following is excerpted from Kristin Marguerite Doidge’s “Nora Ephron: A Biography,” which is available now. Reprinted with permission from the publisher, Chicago Review...
Pick of the Day: “Olga”
An Olympic hopeful finds herself torn between her own dreams and a sense of duty to her country, family, and friends in “Olga,” a drama steered by a revelatory performance from real-life...
Pick of the Day: “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”
If only we all could have a Leo Grande as we’re exploring our sexuality, in whatever form that may take: experiencing a sexual awakening, hoping to spice things up in the bedroom, simply...
Under the Radar: Alanna Brown Explores Love & Resilience in Rwandan Genocide Drama “Trees of Peace”
As has been well documented in the decades following the gruesome Rwandan civil war, the Tutsi minority ethnic group and moderate members of the Hutu ethnic group were subjected to unimaginable...
Exclusive: Cattlewomen Joke About Their Style and the Kardashians in Exclusive “Bitterbrush” Clip
“Bitterbrush” is heading to theaters and on demand following an acclaimed festival run that included screenings at Telluride, Visions du Réel, and San Francisco International Film...
Coming of Age at Any Age: Crowdfunding Picks
Sometimes it feels like we are always coming of age with each new stage of life. We come of age as young people, sure, but we come of age again when our circumstances change and when we change...
Pick of the Day: “Tahara”
Named for the Jewish ritual of preparing a body for burial, and set at a funeral, “Tahara” is an intelligent teen comedy about a close female friendship on the brink. Carrie (Madeline...
Pick of the Day: “The Janes”
If they were capable of experiencing basic human kindness or compassion, I’d say the six conservative Supreme Court Justices — or any staunch anti-abortion lawmaker — should be...
Costumes and Drama: Podcast and Web Series Picks
Costume dramas come in and out of style in the culture at large, but they’re always in style in my heart. This week’s picks are all series created by artists, filmmakers, and critics who...
Pick of the Day: “Watcher”
Ahead of “Watcher’s” world premiere at Sundance, writer-director Chloe Okuno told us that she’s “always admired true psychological thrillers that are dedicated to...
Quote of the Day: Arden Cho on Pay Inequity for Asian American Actors & Turning Down “Teen Wolf” Film
When actress Arden Cho’s name was noticeably absent from the returning cast list published earlier this year for the “Teen Wolf” revival film, fans were left questioning if she...
June 2022 Television Preview
Summer is finally here. For some, this means days on the beach or sunning by the pool, but for others, it means watching everything you can get your eyeballs on in the comfort of your air-conditioned...
June 2022 Film Preview
From first crushes to mature flings, coming-of-age stories set in the U.S. and abroad, and an Afrofuturist musical, June has plenty to offer everyone. Genre pics lead the pack. June 3 marks the...
Pick of the Day: “Fanny: The Right to Rock”
An adoring fan letter to trailblazers who have yet to receive their due, “Fanny: The Right to Rock” shines a well-deserved spotlight on a history-making rock band from the ’70s....
Under the Radar: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers Seeks Empathy with “Kímmapiiyipitssini”
When Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, an award-winning writer, director, and actress, was developing her most recent feature documentary about substance-use disorders and harm reduction, she wasn’t sure...
Pick of the Day: “Angelyne”
“I am not a woman,” says Emmy Rossum in the early moments of “Angelyne.” “I am an icon.” An affectionate, thoughtful tribute to LA’s Billboard Queen, a woman who...
Watch: Bella Ramsey Shares Her Passions in “Catherine Called Birdy” Clip, Lena Dunham Directs
After 13 years in development, we finally have a glimpse of Lena Dunham’s adaptation of Karen Cushman’s 1994 historical YA novel, “Catherine Called Birdy.” Teen Vogue...
Cannes Reminds Us (Again) of How Much It Is Holding the Film Industry Back
Last week I was wondering why I was feeling so calm and then I realized that I wasn’t preparing to go to Cannes. For several years before the pandemic, I joined the annual pilgrimage to...
Composer to Watch: Aiko Fukushima of “Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles”
Not everyone can trace their career back to the town of their birth, but Aiko Fukushima’s origin story starts in the Japanese town where Yamaha, Kawaii, and Suzuki were all produced. “I started...
Pick of the Day: “The Essex Serpent”
I have not read “The Essex Serpent” by Sarah Perry, so I don’t know if the snake it’s named for is real, a metaphor, regional folklore, or some combination of the three. I do...