ALL POSTS
Guest Post: Pondering Nora Ephron, You’ve Got Mail: The Film That Made Me Love Film
“When I was a boy, I saw the first Star Wars in theaters and it changed my life,” our film professor told us. “I sat there in the dark theater and the sounds and images consumed me; it was the...
Trailer Watch: Compliance
Film opens August 17th.
Gone Fishing
See you next week
NBC Throws Ann Curry Under the Bus
In the days since Ann Curry departed as co-host of the Today show after a year in that position I have become more and more disgusted at her treatment in the press by the people who run NBC. Steve...
Julie Taymor Talks About Why She Took on The Lion King
Here she is talking to former Disney chief Michael Eisner at the Aspen Ideas Festival https://medium.com/media/4d27489cc07caf17804240a953eb5868/href
Trouble Brewing on the London Stage: Women Demanding More Roles
A groundswell is brewing in London over the lack of roles for women on the London stage. It started due to the fact that a bunch of plays recently produced at the Hampstead Theatre, the Globe, the...
TV Trailer Watch: Steel Magnolias
A full cast of African American women in this version of Steel Magnolias. Queen Latifah takes on the Sally Field lead role. Also stars Alfre Woodard, Jill Scott, Phylicia and Condola Rashad and...
Helen Mirren Calls for More Women Directors
Helen Mirren received the lifetime achievement award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival this past weekend. She used the opportunity to call for more female directors in the...
Academy Names 176 New Members
In an attempt to diversify its membership, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 176 people to become members. There are just under 6,000 members of the full Academy. Keep in...
Cross-Post: Oscar Flashback — Nora Ephron
“It is true that you are wiser when you are older. That is true. The wisdom arrives at the same moment your mind is a blank. It’s a very ironic confluence of things. It’s kind of...
Media Alert: Op-ed in Washington Post
In case you haven’t seen my tweets and Facebook posts from the weekend, I had an op-ed piece in the Washington Post yesterday. Please check it out if you haven’t: Memo to Hollywood: Women go to...
Indiewire Alert
Hey folks. Indiewire was effected by the storm outage in Virginia this past weekend. Looks like things are back up to normal. Thanks for your patience.
Julia and Jennifer Cover New Magazines in Anticipated March Movies
Julia Roberts gets ready to hit the big screen in a big way as the evil Queen in Mirror, Mirror on March 30 and Jennifer Lawrence will take her bow and arrow to the masses as Katniss Everdeen in the...
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Beasts of the Southern Wild is the perfect example of how to make a movie in this new post recession world. Take a great script, make it for a price and then let the movie stand on its merits. And...
Interview with Amy Ziering — Producer of The Invisible War
The Invisible War continues its roll out this weekend. It should be on your must see list. Producer Amy Ziering who made this film with director Kirby Dick talked about the film with Women and...
What’s Up With Magic Mike?
Magic Mike opens tomorrow. I didn’t get an invite to a screening (maybe someone at WB thought I wouldn’t be interested but I am) so I can’t say anything about the content but I have to take...
The Princess Archetype in the Movies
What kind of “princess” is better off in the woods than at home? A princess who is more like the archetype of Artemis than of Aphrodite. In three recent films, we’ve seen a shift in the...
Sexism Watch: Another Movie List Leaves Off Women
So tired of reading these lists that don’t include any women. This time it is AMC’s film site which offers up a list of the 50 top directors of all time. There is not one single woman who could...
Personal Reflections on Nora Ephron
When I heard that Nora Ephron passed away I sent an email out to a bunch of people in the business asking them to send me their thoughts. Some knew her, most didn’t, but still loved her. Here...
Cross-Post: A Heroine’s Journey
The world has moved on but I’m still obsessing about why, for the second time in three years was there no films directed by a woman in the main competition at Cannes this year. I mean I know...
Nora Ephron: In Her Own Words
This is from her book I Remember Nothing What I Won’t Miss Dry skin Bad dinners like the one we went to last night E-mail Technology in general My closet Washing my hair Bras Funerals ...
Roundup of Pieces on Nora Ephron
Here are some of the pieces on the death of Nora Ephron. Nora Ephron: A Life of Voice and Detail (Time) Diablo Cody on How Nora Ephron Blazed a Trail for Female Filmmakers (The Daily Beast) Lynn...
Fall TV Trailer Watch: Nashville Created by Callie Khouri
Finally Connie Britton is out front and center in this new show from Thelma and Louise writer Callie Khouri Fall TV Pilot Preview: ABC’s ‘Nashville’ (Hollywood Reporter)
Nora Ephron Dies at 71
I’m sitting here reeling from the news that Nora Ephron has died. No one even knew she was sick and now she is gone. The loss to movies, and especially to women in movies, cannot be...
Could Middle of Nowhere Be a Game Changer?
I had the privilege last week of attending the LA Film Festival gala of Middle of Nowhere written and directed by Ava Duvernay. If you recall, Ava is the first African American woman to win the best...
Quote of the Day: Director Jennifer Fox — “To The Degree That, If I Have A Choice, I’m Going To Only Work With Women.”
Filmmaker Magazine did an interview with documentary director Jennifer Fox on the eve of the 2012 POV season. Her film My Reincarnation kicked off the 25th season last week. She shares some very...
Lynne Meadow Celebrates 40 Years as Artistic Director of Manhattan Theatre Club
Lynne Meadow has been a force of New York theatre for the last 40 years. She has taken the Manhattan Theatre Club from the Upper East Side to Broadway. She was the first women accepted into the...
Indiewire Looks at the Potential Fall Festival Releases
My colleagues at Indiewire have taken an expansive look at 50 films that they would love to see hit the festival circuit this fall. There are some very interesting women’s films on the list. (All...
Trailer Watch: Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry Directed by Alison Klayman
Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry opened the Human Right Watch Film Festival in NY and will be in theatres on July 27th.
Happy 40th Birthday Title IX
This past weekend was the 40th anniversary of Title IX. This is a big deal. What most people don’t know is that Title IX is not an actual law — it is one section of the of the Educational...
Brave Scores $66 Million Opening Weekend
Brave from Pixar opened up at $66 million this weekend. Here’s a great quote from Grady Smith from EW in his box office roundup: For the third time this year, following strong openings from The...
Trailer Watch: Celeste and Jesse Forever — co-written by Rashida Jones
Looks adorable. Opens August 3.
The Invisible War
There are some movies that just gut you. They just hit you hard and twist until you are a spent rag ready to get up and fight against all the injustices that have just been witnessed. The Invisible...
Women and Hollywood Named One of the Top 100 Websites For Women by ForbesWoman
Check this out — for the second year — Women and Hollywood makes the cut of the top 100 website for women by the editors of ForbesWoman. This is what they have to say about Women and...
Barbra Streisand To Get Back Behind The Camera
Newflash. Babs is going to get back behind the camera. According to Showbiz 411, Barbra Streisand who has not directed a film since The Mirror Has Two Faces in 1996 is getting ready to direct Oscar...
Thinking About the Ending of Girls
I’ve been on the road so I didn’t have a chance to comment on the finale of Girls. First thing I want to report on is that every single meeting I have had during the run of the show no matter...
Trailer Watch: Anna Karenina
My favorite book comes to the big screen again. This version opens November 9.
Brave — The First Female Pixar Heroine
The first time you see Merida’s red curly hair flowing in the wind as she rides atop her horse going full speed at the beginning of Brave you immediately know that this is not your typical...
Interview with Susan Youssef, Director of Habibi
Susan Youssef’s film Habibi played at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival. Women and Hollywood: In the press notes you say your film was funded 100% through grants. Can you give advice to other...
Kristen Stewart is Top Earning Actress in Hollywood
The woman with the most Oscars is not the highest paid woman in Hollywood. According to Forbes, that honor goes to Kristen Stewart who this year will have two monster hits with the current Snow...
Trailer Watch: First Real Trailer For Breaking Dawn Part 2
Looks like Bella finally got some energy. I guess once she became a vampire it was ok for her to run outside and not fall over her own two feet. Becoming a vampire clearly makes you less clumsy. Film...
Maleficent Starts Production
Here’s the first image from the Angelina Jolie starring movie written by Linda Woolverton. Description: “the untold story of Disney’s most beloved villain, Maleficent, from the 1959 classic...
Win a Pair of Tickets to the World Premiere of Political Animals Starring Sigourney Weaver
One lucky New Yorker (sorry everyone else) over 21 will have the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to the world premiere screening and party for the new USA mini-series starring Sigourney Weaver...
The Human Rights Watch Film Festival
One thing that many people before me have taken note of is that film festivals have become the only way some films get seen in this new world of limited distribution. No where is that point clearer...
Quote of the Day: I Wanted To Give Girls Something To Look At And Not Feel Inadequate
This is what director Brenda Chapman thought about when created the character of Merida — the first female Pixar lead — which opens on Friday. Fairy tales have gotten kind of a bad...
Trailer Watch: Two Days in New York — Written and Directed by Julie Delpy
This is Delpy’s follow-up to 2 Days in Paris. Opens August 10 in theatres.
Girls Season One Ends: Check Out This Interview with Lena Dunham
The first season of Girls came to a close last night. This pop culture tour de force has become the zeitgeist hit of the moment. I am beyond impressed with what they have accomplished. I am on the...
Women’s Films Opening — June 15, 2012
Your Sister’s Sister I saw Your Sister’s Sister back at the Toronto Film Festival in September. I really liked it. I highy recommend it. The film is the story of sisters Iris and Hannah played...
Athena Film Festival 2013 Request for Submissions Now Open
Films have power. They create conversation. They reveal truths. They inspire. But for far too long, Hollywood has told only half the story: what is missing are the stories of women as change agents...
Barbra Streisand Raises Awareness of Women’s Heart Disease
Streisand held a huge fundraiser at her home last night to raise money for women’s heart disease. She has endowed the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai hospital in LA. Did you...
Women at the 2012 LA Film Festival
The LA Film Festival starts this weekend. There are many women directed films as part of the Festival. Festival Director Stephanie Allain talked about the importance of having a...