Weekly Update for December 13: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You

FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING

Black Christmas – Directed by Sophia Takal; Written by Sophia Takal and April Wolfe

Hawthorne College is quieting down for the holidays. But as Riley Stone (Imogen Poots) and her Mu Kappa Epsilon sisters – athlete Marty (Lily Donoghue), rebel Kris (Aleyse Shannon), and foodie Jesse (Brittany O’Grady) – prepare to deck the halls with a series of seasonal parties, a black-masked stalker begins killing sorority women one by one. As the body count rises, Riley and her squad start to question whether they can trust any man. Whoever the killer is, he’s about to discover that this generation’s young women aren’t about to be anybody’s victims.

Find screening info here.

Bombshell (Opens in Limited Release; Opens Wide December 20)

“Bombshell”

“Bombshell” is a good movie, yet I am politically ambivalent about it. It’s a #metoo movie told by white men. Maybe this is what white dudes can do to show they are allies – okay, I guess. The gist of the film is about how the women of Fox News took Roger Ailes down. Great performances all around from Charlize Theron, who looks scarily like Megyn Kelly, to John Lithgow as the gross, leering Ailes. Big shout out to Kate McKinnon, whose character, Jess, calls out exactly what Fox News is. It’s a shame that with what these women, including whistleblower Gretchen Carlson (played by Nicole Kidman), went through, the network is still such a cesspool. (Melissa Silverstein)

Find screening info here.

What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael (Documentary) (Opens in LA; Opens in NY December 25)

“What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael”

It may be surprising to some folks not steeped in 20th-century film history that, arguably, its most famous critic was a woman. Pauline Kael was hugely influential. She wrote for The New Yorker and was loved and hated by many filmmakers during the ’60s and ’70s. She argued. She was outspoken and appeared on TV many times to duke it out with other critics. While she had movies she adored and movies she loathed, she clearly loved being a critic. She helped launch careers. She took film seriously and wrote beautiful criticism. “What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael” really brings the wonder of this woman’s opinion to life. (MS)

Find screening info here.

Rabid – Directed by Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska; Written by Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska, and John Serge (Also Available on VOD)

“Rabid”

Aspiring fashion designer Rose Miller (Laura Vandervoort) has her dreams turned into a nightmarish reality when a freak accident leaves her horribly disfigured. After receiving a miracle procedure involving an experimental skin graft from the mysterious Burroughs Clinic, Rose is transformed into the beauty of her dreams. But nothing comes without a cost and Rose begins to feel terrifying side effects that tear at her last threads of sanity. What price will Rose have to pay to have everything she ever wanted? It may just cost her her humanity.

Seberg – Written by Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel

“Seberg” is inspired by true events about French New Wave darling and “Breathless” star Jean Seberg (Kristen Stewart), who in the late 1960s was targeted by the FBI because of her support of the civil rights movement, and romantic involvement with Hakim Jamal (Anthony Mackie), among others. Seberg’s life and career are destroyed by Hoover’s overreaching surveillance and harassment in an effort to suppress and discredit her activism.

Colewell (Also Available on VOD)

In tiny Colewell, Pennsylvania, the residents gather at the post office for mail and gossip, while the days pass quiet and serene. That is until news comes that the office is to close, and beloved clerk Nora (Karen Allen) is left to fight for her job and reflect on the choices she has made that kept her in Colewell for so many years.

Spiral Farm

When two outsiders arrive on an isolated intentional community, 17-year old Anahita (Piper De Palma) begins to question her role at home, and what a future out in the world-at-large could be.

Kitty Party

Fooled by witty con Jasmine, four simplistic housewives pledge to get revenge and take back what belongs to them during a chucklesome trip.

Mardaani 2

Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani Mukerji) locks horns with the devil incarnate, a young and remorseless serial killer who is raping and murdering young women.

FILMS MADE BY WOMEN OPENING

Cunningham (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Alla Kovgan

“Cunningham”

“Cunningham” traces Merce Cunningham’s artistic evolution over three decades of risk and discovery (1944-1972), from his early years as a struggling dancer in postwar New York, to his emergence as one of the world’s most visionary choreographers. The 3D technology weaves together Merce’s philosophies and stories, creating a visceral journey into his innovative work. A breathtaking explosion of dance, music, and never-before-seen archival material, “Cunningham” is a timely tribute to one of the world’s greatest modern dance artists.

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Alla Kovgan.

Find screening info here.

In God I Trust – Directed by Maja Jacob; Written by Maja Jacob and Paul St. Amand (Opens in Toronto December 14) (Available on VOD December 17)

Redemption, violence, and faith define a young black man, a reckless white nationalist, and a pair of traveling vacationers during a random encounter within Northern Idaho.

Find screening info here.

TV PREMIERES

Well Groomed (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Rebecca Stern (Premieres December 17 on HBO)

“Well Groomed”: Cattle Rat Productions

“Well Groomed” offers a rare look into the lives of dog owners who are dedicated to transforming their poodles into living sculptures. It delves deep into an all-consuming subculture of America where the motivation to win drives them into devoting their lives to the competition. The documentary follows a group of determined dog groomers who are driven to succeed while facing a series of challenges in each of their personal and professional lives over the course of a year. It will also offer a peek into their limited time outside the ring, where they groom other people’s dogs, care for their own pets, and test out new designs on their show dogs.

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Rebecca Stern.

Twice Upon a Time – Written by Nathalie Leuthreau and Guillaume Nicloux (Premieres December 19 on Netflix)

Vincent (Gaspard Ulliel) and Louise (Freya Mavor) were once very much in love, but they split up some months ago. By chance, Vincent comes into possession of a box which allows him to revisit his time with Louise. Will he get a second chance?

VOD/STREAMING RELEASES

“Abominable”

After She Wakes (VOD, December 13)
Ice on Fire (Documentary) – Directed by Leila Conners (VOD, December 16)
2 in the Bush: A Love Story – Directed by Laura Madalinski; Written by Laura Madalinski and Kelly Haas (VOD, December 17)
Abominable – Directed by Jill Culton and Todd Wilderman; Written by Jill Culton (VOD, December 17)
And Two If by Sea: The Hobgood Brothers (Documentary) – Written by Carly Hallam, Christopher Gessner, Justin Robert Purser, and Daniel Tosh (VOD, December 17)
Endzeit – Ever After – Directed by Carolina Hellsgård; Written by Olivia Vieweg (VOD, December 17)
Ghost Fleet (Documentary) – Directed by Shannon Service and Jeffrey Waldron (VOD, December 17)
Lucy in the Sky (VOD, December 17)
Sequestrada – Written and Directed by Sabrina McCormick and Soopum Sohn (VOD, December 17)

#VOTEFORWOMEN THIS AWARDS SEASON

Credit: WIF LA

You’ve probably seen the Golden Globe nominations — but you won’t have seen any women writers or directors recognized in any of the feature categories. We’ve heard the excuse that if there aren’t many women nominated, then there just weren’t that many of them doing work worthy of it. This past year has brought us so much fantastic work from women both in front of and behind the camera, that the same tired excuses simply can’t be true.

That’s why Women and Hollywood, Women in Film Los Angeles, and New York Women in Film & Television have teamed up to launch the #VoteForWomen campaign. Click here to find out how you can participate to spread the word about talented women behind the scenes of this year’s award-contending films. And be sure to amplify the message that there is an abundance of women whose talents should be recognized this awards season.