Tag: Woman Director

Have you been waiting for Can’t Hardly Wait?

Photo of the cast of Can't Hardly Wait

Can’t Hardly Wait

Directed by Harry Elfont & Deborah Kaplan
Written by Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont

The review:

Wowee, does this standard multi-character teenage comedy capture a time.* While it’s great to reacquaint yourself with people who once were around a lot and have faded,** I’m not sure this is the greatest use of your movie-watching time.*** But if you, like me, can never resist a teen comedy and you haven’t yet seen this, well, you’ve got some homework.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*My teen years encompassed 1987–1994 and aside from Say Anything in 1989 not one teen comedy was released while I was actually a teenager. This, in my memory, is the first after the drought.
**Jennifer Love Hewitt, Seth Green, Sean Patrick Thomas, Jenna Elfman. (Ethan Embry I just saw in a minor role in Blindspotting. He was great in that. A little so-so in this.)
***Though it’s a teen comedy before cell phones plus the 1990s clothing is so fun to remind you that you are glad you aren’t wearing it any longer.

Questions:

  • What did you think of the wrapup text that tells you where everyone is?
  • If you had to dress like one of the characters, which would it be?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

At one point, there’s a distant shot showing someone doing flips in the party’s yard. That’s actually Ethan Embry. In addition to acting, he was an award-winning gymnast from a very young age.

Other reviews of Can’t Hardly Wait:

Text says: Nobody drink the beer. The beer has gone bad! --Can's Hardly Wait. Read the three-sentence movie review 3SMReviews.com

The Watermelon Woman is a Bushel of Fun

The Watermelon Woman

The Watermelon Woman

Directed by Cheryl Dunye
Written by Cheryl Dunye

The review:

A few months ago I watched Nisha Ganatra’s Chutney Popcorn and was charmed by it’s 90’s indie energy;* so it was for this film, an imperfect, yet incredibly engaging story of a video store clerk on a quest to find out more about a Black actress from the 1930s. While the production values are low, the charisma is high, and this film is funny.** While it’s a Good film for anyone to watch, it’s Recommended if you were of a certain age (say, 16–30) in the mid-90s, have an interest in new Queer cinema, or are curious about what’s up with that mysterious 1930s actress Cheryl is so interested in.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Free via Kanopy. It’s also streaming for free right now on the Criterion Channel
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*And yes, the many markers of the 90s were part of its charm for me.
**”Welcome to the Center for Lesbian Information and Technology.” (CLIT) (Ha!)

Questions:

  • What are you willing to forgive in shoddy filmmaking as long as something else is present?
  • What’s your favorite low-budget movie from the 1990s?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

(None because they are both too spoiler-y)(Here’s one from a New Republic article.)

Dunye made The Watermelon Woman on a shoestring budget of $300,000—about one tenth of which came from an NEA grant. The film received limited attention when it was originally released in the U.S., but that didn’t stop it from generating controversy when Michigan Republican Pieter Hoekstra cited it as inappropriate use of government funds. He tried unsuccessfully to get his colleagues in Congress to deduct Dunye’s $31,500 grant from the NEA budget, citing NEA funding for a series of gay and lesbian films that “most Americans would find offensive” and referring to The Watermelon Woman specifically as “patently offensive and possibly pornographic.”

Moira Donegan, New Republic

Other reviews of The Watermelon Woman:

The Watermelon Woman

13th Shows Exploitation

13th

13th

Directed by Ava DuVernay
Written by Spenser Averick, Ava DuVernay

The review:

DuVernay lays out a convincing case that exploitation of a phrase in the amendment that abolished slavery (except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been convicted) has continued to enslave Black people in the US since the amendment was adopted. It’s a stylish documentary, with great graphic design* and camera angles of talking heads that aren’t just static head shots. But it also packs a repeated punch** and leaves a lot of room for thinking.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*It looks like old-timey posters
**For me the dialog of the current occupant of the White House overlaid with footage from the Civil Rights Movement was particularly striking. Also, the point that was made that you can talk about the lives of many white leaders without discussing the FBI, but this is impossible to do for Black leaders.

Questions:

  • What needs to be dismantled or rebuilt first?
  • What was something that struck you in this film?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The filming locations and production design of the interviews, with brick walls and industrial equipment represent labor that, according to DuVernay, “has been stolen from black people in this country for centuries.”

(I was particularly taken with the building where Angela Davis was interviewed. What was that gorgeous decaying space? I watched the Oprah/Ava conversation (available on Netflix) and learned it was an abandoned train station in Oakland, California.)

Other reviews of 13th:

13th

See You Yesterday is a Balance

See You Yesterday

See You Yesterday

Directed by Stefon Bristol
Written by Fredrica Bailey & Stefon Bristol

The review:

It’s a delicate balancing act, this movie, what with trying to have a fun caper (two teenagers build time machines!) and also addressing police shootings (they are trying to save a family member).* It succeeds at this task, managing to balance the wonder of time travel with the horrors unnecessary death.** Plus, it’s always good to see a determined girl who loves science on screen.***

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*This week has been an heightened one for watching depictions of police interactions on screen.
**While watching, I was cataloging the number of swears, because this would be a good film to show in school. The level of swearing sunk that, but in hindsight, I’m guessing most schools wouldn’t show a movie depicting police shooting and unarmed man, no matter how much fun the science stuff is.
***There’s a fun cameo in this film too!

Questions:

  • How would you end this film?
  • What did you think of the clothing choices of C.J. and Sebastian?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

In the school scene, Mr. Lockhart is reading Kindred by Octavia Butler, a book about an African-American woman who travels back in time to pre-Civil War America and has to deal with the injustice and oppression of slavery.

I have read Kindred and it’s great! Highly recommended!

Other reviews of See You Yesterday:

See You Yesterday

Song One: Music and Emoting

Song One

Song One

Written and directed by Kate Barker-Froyland

The review:

This film is a must-see for people who like to watch Anne Hathaway emote, like quiet films with lots of time for thinking, or perhaps would like a tour through concerts of indie musicians playing in NYC/Brooklyn circa 2015.* It’s a great film for twining pain (a brother in a coma) with the pleasure of connecting through music. It also had me reflecting about the sounds around us and how they often go unnoticed.**

The verdict: Good

Cost: $1.99 via Redbox On Demand. Arrrgh! Have just discovered it’s on Hoopla and I could have watched it for free!
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Essentially, this is the perfect “me” movie.
**Plus, after watching this, Emma. and the TV series Love Sick I’ve concluded that Johnny Flynn plays essentially the same character every time. But he’s picked a good character to play.

Questions:

  • Which was the most interesting relationship in this film: Franny and her mother, Franny and her brother, Franny and James Forester
  • How did Franny’s anthropologist training influence her attempts to bring her brother out of the coma?
  • Why is this called Song One?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The steel guitar that Johnny Flynn’s character James Forester is often seen with is his own guitar and is featured in many of his music videos.

Other reviews of Song One:

Song One

Zoe Deutch Sparkles in Buffaloed

Buffaloed

Buffaloed

Directed by Tanya Wexler
Written by Brian Sacca

The review:

Zoey Deutch flexes her I’m-a-legit-actress-not-just-an-offspring-hack muscles* using not only tons of charisma to make us like a tough-gal character, but also also employing a Buffalo-style accent.** While Deutch is engaging, the story swings and misses a few times,*** though does a great job at illustrating the problems with regulation in the American debt collection system. Overall, this was a solid film with a lot of engaging performances**** and a reminder of why it’s best to avoid debt whenever possible.*****

The verdict: Good

Cost: $1.80 via Redbox
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*She’s the daughter of director Howard Deutch and actress-director Lea Thompson. Once I learned who her mother is, I had a moment of “well of course she looks familiar!” I’ve enjoyed her in a bit role in Everybody Wants Some! and as a the lead in Before I Fall, which was a movie I enjoyed quite a bit and I feel like not many people watched. She was also the assistant in Set it Up, which was one of a bevy of solid Netflix rom-coms I watched in the summer of 2018.
**I will leave it to the residents of Buffalo to determine how well she did at said accent.
***That Deutch’s Peg Dahl becomes part of the problem is where the story lost me. I can only cheer on a debt collector for so long, despite how very likable she is.
****Judy Greer! Plus, Jermaine Fowler was of interest.
*****I mean, universal healthcare would help, for one. No one should be harassed by debt collectors for trying to maintain their health.

Questions:

  • At what point did Peg Dahl make the wrong move?
  • What parts of this movie did you find believable? Unbelievable?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Most of the suits Peg wears were purchased at Goodwill.

Other reviews of Buffaloed:

Buffaloed

Becoming Captures a Time

Becoming

Becoming

  • Directed by Nadia Hallgren

The review

Nadia Hallgren takes us along on Michelle Obama’s book tour in Becoming, a movie that is both a nostalgic trip back to 2008–2016 and an illustration of why so many people admire the former first lady.* For a ninety-minute film it packs in a lot: the planning of and excerpts from her tour, behind-the-scenes footage of her daily life on tour,** discussion of her life before politics, her role as a politician’s wife, and even short bios on a few of the teenagers who participated in chats with Obama while on tour. The pacing drags near the end, but for anyone interested in Obama’s life, or how intelligent and graceful women live their lives, this is a must-see film.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Further sentences:

*There was a lot to like in this film, but I think my favorite parts were watching the audience reactions as she talked.
**Favorite scene: when her brother asked about the placement of her belt. It was a great illustration of what fashion means for men vs. for women. Also: funny.

Questions:

  • Did seeing this film change how you thought of Michelle Obama?
  • What was the most interesting behind-the-scenes moment?

Other reviews of Becoming:

Becoming

The Photograph is a Good Slow

The Photograph

The review:

Stella Meghie’s The Photograph is a slow buffet of pleasure that is delightful for the person in the mood for not much happening, and probably tedious for everyone else.* It’s also a movie that hinges on the back and forth of conversations, rather than actions.** I’m here to champion love stories in two eras, Louisiana and New York City, the gorgeous faces of the leads, because if we can make the same action film forty-two times a year, surely we can find room for a languid romance.

The verdict: Good

Cost: $1.425 due to Redbox promos, but actually free because I used a gift card.
Where watched: at home
(When I first introduced it, who could have imagined this category would have a long period of redundancy.)

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*I was quite happy: I’d had some wine, enjoy love stories, LaKeith Stanfield, and was interested to catch up with Issa Rae. (I don’t have HBO, so haven’t seen Insecure.)
**The other film directed by Meghie, The Weekend, was similarly slow and conversation based. Oh wait, she also did Everything Everything. That had a little more action, but it also was adapted from a novel.

Questions:

  • How well matched do you think Sara and Michael are?
  • What do you think the odds are of Lil Rel Howrey breaking out of his small-bit sidekick role. (I’ve seen him play this role in Get Out, Brittany Runs a Marathon, and this.)

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The one there isn’t good enough to be a favorite, so instead read this interview with director Stella Meghie.

Other reviews of The Photograph:

The Photograph

Beanie Feldstein Dazzles in How to Build a Girl

How to Build a Girl

The review:

Beanie Feldstein has been on my radar since her supporting work in Neighbors 2* and I don’t think any other actress could pull off the brash (and somewhat fantasy-based) confidence of Johanna Morrigan/Dolly Wilde in Coky Giedroyc’s How to Build a Girl. This is the rock star trajectory movie** but with a teenage girl as its center*** and with the job in question rock critic, not rock star.**** While the film itself is predictable (see: rock star trajectory) that doesn’t make it any less fun.

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $6.99 (a VOD price point I can afford!)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Don’t think Neighbors 2 is for you? You might reconsider when you read my list.
**Humble beginnings; early failures; early success; wild success; drinking and drugs; moment of truth; better understanding of life and their place in it.
***And having a teenage girl at the center of a music-focused movie means this is an automatic Recommended movie. There aren’t enough portrayals of girls making music.
****This brings up inevitable comparisons to the other teenage rock critic movie: Almost Famous. This is smaller in scope and more focused on the rock critic herself and not the bands she reviews.

Questions:

  • Can we have a rock star movie without the rock star trajectory, or would there not be enough plot?
  • Was there a point when you weren’t on Dolly’s side anymore? If yes, when?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

There wasn’t anything good, so I’ll tell you that Caitlain Moran wrote the screenplay and the book on which this is based. Her book How to be a Woman is incredibly funny, especially for women born around 1975, when she was born.

Other reviews:

The Half of It is a Fully Great Movie

The Half of It

The review:

Alice Wu’s charming and moving The Half of It is a 100% fully great movie, and it’s very good-ness has me wondering why it’s been 16 years since her first feature.* Things this film does well: captures the environment in “Squahamish,” Washington;** catching the small feelings of longing that aren’t quite kept hidden; being funny and poignant; starting with a situation that wasn’t a good idea, and kept getting worse, all the while not turning me away from choices made by characters. If you like subtle performances, movies about teenagers, movies about small towns, or movies with Becky Ann Baker,*** cue this movie up tonight!

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences

*Saving Face was released in 2004. The time between movies directed by women can be maddening.
**Good job, New York State! You pulled off Washington’s overcast and green environment like a pro.
***Mrs. Weir in Freaks and Geeks and also Lena Dunham’s mom in Girls. She plays a high school teacher in this film.

Questions:

  • What other films can you think of that involve beginning voice-over narration tell us that things aren’t going to work out?
  • What’s your favorite small-town movie?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The opening monologue is the story told by Aristophanes in Plato’s Symposium. Aristophanes was a comedic playwright at the time of Socrates and Plato and is considered the greatest Greek comedic writer. The Symposium is a dialogue about a dinner that Socrates attends. During dinner Socrates, in typical fashion, begins to ask questions of his host and the other guests. The dialogue centers on the topic of love, each interlocutor attempts to answer the question what is love? Aristophanes’ story tells of how humans use to be whole and the gods got jealous and split us apart. We spend our lives searching for that other half. According to Aristophanes, our other half could be someone of the same or opposite gender.

Other reviews:

The Half of It