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Trailer Watch: The Lady
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Love and Risk in Iran: Circumstance Written and Directed by Maryam Keshavarz
Here is a piece I wrote on Circumstance written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz for the Human Right Campaign’s Equality Magazine, for their Summer 2011 Issue. Making an independent film is always...
Poster Watch: The Lady
Here are the teaser posters designed by Shepard Fairey for The Lady starring Michelle Yeoh about the life of Aung San Suu Kyi. Film will premiere at The Toronto Film Festival. I hope to see...
Geena Davis in Conversation with Pat Mitchell
Check out this conversation of two female media icons from the Paley Center for Media. https://medium.com/media/4d27489cc07caf17804240a953eb5868/href
The Help Rises to Number One at the Box Office in Week Two
The story with Hollywood movies is that films open big in their first weekend and then drop off precipitously in their second weekend as a film opening takes the box office crown. That is not the...
Interview With Lone Scherfig — Director of One Day
One Day directed by Lone Scherfig tells the story of Emma and Dex played by Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. Two people who become friends and who stick it out even though there are times when they...
Trailer Watch: Toast — Directed by SJ Clarkson
Opens in NY on September 23rd and LA on October 7. Here’s the description: “TOAST is the ultimate nostalgia trip through everything edible in 1960’s Britain. Based on the heart-wrenchingly...
Interview with Marie Feret Star of Mozart’s Sister
15-year-old Marie Feret plays Nannerl Mozart the elder sister to Wolfgang in her father Rene’s Mozart’s Sister opening this week in the US. A prodigy in her own right, she was trained by her...
Look Who Is Selling The Debt
Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain — Interesting, since I’ve seen the movie, and I wouldn’t say that it is a movie that stars Helen Mirren or Jessica Chastain. It’s an action adventure...
Viola Davis Goes Big Time
Viola Davis fresh off her great and potential Oscar nominated performance in The Help is taking her “klout” score to the bank as she should. She’s started a production company and is getting...
More Toronto Additions
The Toronto Film Festival added to its already impressive lineup with some women directed films that I’ve been waiting for. There is a long awaited film from Nancy Savoca and Lynn Shelton’s...
Trailer Watch: Hysteria Directed by Tanya Wexler
Film is about the development of the vibrator and will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
Trailer Watch: We Need to Talk About Kevin Directed by Lynne Ramsey (UK Version)
Film Opens in the UK in October and in the US in December h/t In Contention
Which TV Show Do You Want to Watch?
The Controversy Over The Help
The Help has stirred up many emotions since it opened on Wednesday. But that hasn’t prevented the film from becoming a hit. It grossed over $35 million since it opened and already made back its...
Studio — A New Film Magazine Targeted at Women Launches in the UK
Does the world need a film magazine targeted at women? The women who created Studio Magazine in the UK believe we do. This is an online based subscription magazine and it definitely looks a bit on...
Key to Being Tom Cruise’s Next Co-star. Make Sure You Are 20 Years Younger Than He Is
I got one of those breaking releases this weekend and this alert told me that there were three actresses in the final running to play Tom Cruise’s star in his next film — One Shot. I usually...
Trailer Watch: Tanner Hall Directed by Francesca Gregorini and Tatiana von Furstenberg
This is Rooney Mara before she became The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Clothes desgined by Diane vo Furstenberg. Film opens September 9.
Women’s Films — August 12, 2011
Women’s Films Opening This Weekend The HelpAfter a long summer of superhero dudes and exploding machines, women are finally getting a one for our team. Actually, a second one. Remember Bridesmaids...
Rooney Mara Defends Teaser Poster for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
One of my favorite EW issues is about to hit my mailbox — the fall film preview issue. Yum. Can’t wait to take a more in-depth look at all the films coming down the pike this fall. One of the...
Cross Post: Going to See The Help at The White House by Carol Jenkins
If not for an invitation from Michelle Obama (you know, her people emailed my people) I might have missed seeing The Help. But a request for my presence in the White House screening room was too...
Gloria Steinem: In Her Own Words
Next Monday night, HBO will end its great summer documentary series with Gloria Steinem: In Her Own Words. It’s a film that really lets Gloria’s words throughout her life as a public figure to...
Why The Help Matters
After a long summer of superhero dudes and exploding machines, women are finally getting a one for our team. Actually, a second one. Remember Bridesmaids from May? Doesn’t that seem sooo long ago?...
New Poster for I Don’t Know How She Does It
Mark down September 16 for this one. I really liked the book when I read it some years ago. Trailer below
Guest Post: Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood, or Malice in Wonderland by Jennifer Frost
Whether known as the “duchess of dish” or a “gargoyle of gossip,” Hedda Hopper was a powerhouse of Hollywood’s golden age. Known mostly today for her famous hats — which led to titles...
Guest Post: How Jumping the Broom Made it to the Big Screen by Arlene Gibbs
Around seven years ago when I was a production company executive, producer Glendon Palmer and screenwriter Elizabeth Hunter pitched the idea of Jumping The Broom (JTB) to me. I loved it and told my...
Happy 100th Birthday Lucy
Today is Lucy’s 100th birthday. While she wasn’t the first groundbreaking female TV star (that honor goes to Gertrude Berg, and if you want to learn about her see Yoo Hoo Mrs. Goldberg), she is...
Allison Janney Talks About The Help
Can’t pass up a chance to share a conversation with...
The Whistleblower — directed by Larysa Kondracki and written by Kondracki and Eilis Kirwan
When I was growing up the thing that scared the crap out of me was nuclear war. For many years I was convinced that we were all going to radiated away. So when I saw Silkwood it resonated with me in...
Interview with Larysa Kondracki — Director of The Whistleblower
Women and Hollywood: How did you come up with the idea for the film? Larysa Kondracki: I am a Ukrainian Canadian, and the issue of sex-trafficking was very much being discussed in my community. My...
Toronto Film Festival 2011: The Women Directed Docs
TIFF unveiled its doc program and I have to say there are not too many female directed films. Usually there are way more women directed docs in film festivals because there are way more docs made by...
The Playboy Club is About Women’s Empowerment?
I am so not buying the shit being shoveled out about how the new NBC show The Playboy Club is about women’s empowerment. I wish I were a good enough writer at this moment to pen one of the...
Shaking Things Up at The Good Wife
Chck out the new provocative poster. Couldn’t be more excited for the new season
Check Out My Piece in the Guardian
I’m very excited that I had a piece published in the Guardian this morning. It’s on the gender wage gap in Hollywood. Check it out: Forbes list exposes Hollywood wage gap Please send it...
DC Comics Chiefs Address the Lack of Female Characters
It looks like one of the outcomes of Comic Con this year is that the co-publishers of DC Comics are addressing fans concern about the lack of female creators and female characters. According to this...
NewFest Crowns Winners
NewFest wrapped up at the end of last week and female directors got a bunch of surprises. Circumstance written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz was awarded the best film. The film opens August 26th....
As the Country Gets Ready to Implode — A Moment of Levity
All She Can — Co-Written and Directed by Amy Wendel
Luz wants to get the hell out of Benavides, Texas. The way she can get out is either through the Army or through a weight lifting scholarship to college. Her brother is in the Army and she has seen...
A December to Remember
I know that December seems really far away, especially since most of the country is sweltering, and while I’m sure I will hate my winter coat and my boots by December, I sure won’t hate the...
Venice Film Fest 2011: The Women in Competition
The Venice Film Festival rolled out its lineup this morning. There are 22 films in competition. Five are directed (or co-directed) by women. That’s 23% Wuthering Heights, Andrea Arnold (U.K.)Texas...
Toronto Film Festival Lineup Roll Out: The Women
Yesterday came the announcement of part (the galas and special presentations) of the Toronto Film Festival lineup. I am very excited because I will be covering the festival for the first time this...
Trailer Watch: Dirty Girl
Looks way better than I thought it would be. Kind of cute. I like the title because really what is a dirty girl? A girl who doesn’t act like she is expected? Is it a girl who is in touch with her...
Trailer Watch: Haywire
Steven Soderberg does a movie with a female lead who kicks ass. Her look reminds me a little (a very little bit) of Noomi Rapace in The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. Film stars Gina Carano, a well...
Producer’s Corner: Adele Romanski — The Myth of the American Sleepover by Serena Donadoni
It’s been three years since producer Adele Romanski was in the blue collar suburbs just north of Detroit with writer and director David Robert Mitchell trying to capture the fleeting moments of...
Kristen Stewart as a Way More Interesting Snow White
After Lily Collins’ docile Snow White showed up at Comic Con, not to outdone Snow White and the Huntsman debuted much darker photos making the film look way more interesting to me. The premise is...
Snow White Hits Comic Con
Hollywood descended on San Diego this weekend for the annual geek fest known as Comic Con. This is where the big tent pole films and high profile kicks ass TV shows come to make sure all the TV...
John Stewart Tries to do a Wambach
Just one more awesome post World Cup appearance by the team. I love how men have been behind this team. And by the way I literally ran into team player Heather O’Reilly last night in NYC and I’m...
Missing the Point: Daniel Craig Likes Tattoo Boob Poster Because Mara “Looks Great”
Daniel Craig was out shilling his new film Cowboys and Aliens and in between questions about his wedding to Rachel Weisz (the press is still incredulous that they dared do it privately) he was also...
Rachel Maddow Hosts Members of US Women’s Soccer Team
Rachel went all crazy fan last night as she hosted several members of the US women’s soccer team. It’s so great that the women are making the rounds of TV shows. Hope Solo and Abby Wambach were...
Guest Post: A Woman at the Typewriter by Susan Bernofsky
If you’ve ever seen a movie about a writer, chances are the writer was a man. Think the maniac with writer’s block in The Shining, or the novelist in Misery who is held prisoner by a fan from...
Thelma and Louise Panel in NYC
Hey all. I’m going to be on a great panel to talk about the 20th anniversary of Thelma and Louise. Details: Tue, Aug 2, 7:30 pm, $12, 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson Street THELMA AND LOUISE + PANEL...