“To The Bone” by Marti Noxon (2017)

A second week of first features

Good personages, dialogues, minority presence, and expression
Excellent direction
Top gender content and message

An eye-opener for those who (like me) are not familiar with this disorder and the way people affected with it see the world, applying a very different kind of logic…
Remarkable is that a boy was included in this mainly female universe
Pity that some personages were a bit too furtively sketched

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,6
Metascore 6,4
Roger Ebert 6,3
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,0
IMDB 6,8
TMDB 7,2
Critics average 6,4
Audience average 7,0

Cast: Rebekah Kennedy, Lily Collins, Dana L. Wilson
Director: Marti Noxon
Writer: Marti Noxon
Cinematographer: Richard Wong
Editor: Elliot Greenberg
Composer: Fil Eisler

“Land” by Robin Wright (2021)

A week of first features

Good script, personages, dialogues, direction, images,
minority representation, message, and expression

A simple message – helping others is a powerful way to help oneself – brought in a beautiful setting
“To survive you first have to die” could have been a second title

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,6
Metascore 6,2
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,4
IMDB 6,6
TMDB 7,4
Critics average 6,8
Audience average 7,5

Cast: Robin Wright, Demián Bichir, Sarah Dawn Pledge
Directed by Robin Wright
Writing Credits: Jesse Chatham, Erin Dignam
Music by Ben Sollee, Time for Three
Cinematography by Bobby Bukowski
Film Editing by Anne McCabe, Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

“Mouthpiece” by Patricia Rozema (mother-daughter relationships 29a/29)

“Mouthpiece”
by Patricia Rozema (Canada, 2018)

Good dialogues, direction and images
Excellent script and gender content
Top personages and message

A moving eulogy to mothers… but also more than that: the daughter is played by two actresses, not for a split-personality touch but to forge a mirror to the rich and complex person that was their mother… An emotionally rich movie

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,0
Metascore 7,3
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,6
IMDB 6,2
Average critics 8,0
Average public 6,9

Cast: Amy Nostbakken, Norah Sadava, Maev Beaty
Director: Patricia Rozema
Writers: Amy Nostbakken, Patricia Rozema
Music by Amy Nostbakken
Cinematography by Catherine Lutes
Film Editing by Lara Johnston

“Dirty God” by Sacha Polak (mother-daughter relationships 26/29)

“Dirty God”
by Sacha Polak (The Netherlands, 2019)

Good direction, images, gender content, minority presence and message
Excellent music and expression

The situations in which this young and once beautiful but now monstrous looking woman has to go through every day are so awful that you really wonder where she gets the strength to survive.
But what makes the story even more painful (!!!) is the stupidity of the world around her, of her world… At the end of the day, it might just be this hopeless stupidity that makes her unbreakable

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,4
Metascore 7,5
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,2
IMDB 6,4
Average critics 7,5
Average public 6,3

Cast: Vicky Knight, Katherine Kelly, Eliza Brady-Girard
Director: Sacha Polak
Writers: Sacha Polak, Susie Farrell
Music by Rutger Reinders
Cinematography by Ruben Impens
Film Editing by Sander Vos

“Lost and Delirious” by Lea Pool (mother-daughter relationships 25/29)

“Lost and Delirious”
by Lea Pool (Canada, 2001)

Great direction, images and music
Excellent personages, dialogues and gender content

“A hymn to teenage idealism and hormones” (Roger Ebert)
The usual Lea Pool’s family situations – difficult but crucial mother-daughter relationships and absent fathers – play a role in the background

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 5,4
Metascore 5,3
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,0
IMDB 6,9
Average critics 6,5
Average public 7,5

Cast: Piper Perabo, Jessica Pare, Jackie Burroughs
Directed by Lea Pool
Written by Judith Thompson
Music by Robyn Schulkowsky
Cinematography by Jeanne Lapoirie
Film Editing by Michel Arcand

“The Private Lives of Pippa Lee” by Rebecca Miller (mother-daughter relationships 24/29)

“The Private Lives of Pippa Lee”
by Rebecca Miller (USA, 2009)

Good personages, dialogues, images, and message
Excellent direction and gender content

The relationship between an adult and a child is the main aspect of this movie, just like that of Rebecca Miller’s preceding one. The child’s guilt is not always central but often mentioned.
Other recurring themes: a dysfunctional mother, running away, insanity along the mother line, crucial mother-daughter relationship, strangely unobtrusive role of the fathers (except in “The Ballad of Jake and Rose”)
The best Rebecca Miller movie until now / Fantastic female lead!

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,2
Metascore 4,9
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,4
IMDB 6,4
Average critics 5,6
Average public 6,4

Cast: Robin Wright, Alan Arkin, Mike Binder
Director: Rebecca Miller
Writers: Rebecca Miller
Music by Michael Rohatyn
Cinematography by Declan Quinn
Film Editing by Sabine Hoffman

“More Beautiful For Having Been Broken” by Nicole Conn (mother-daughter relationships 23/29)

“More Beautiful For Having Been Broken”
by Nicole Conn (USA, 2019)

Good personages, direction, images, and music
Excellent dialogues, gender content, minority presence, and emotional charge

Some far-fetched twists take the attention away from a beautiful story.

IMDB 5,9

Cast: Zoe Ventoura, Kayla Radomski, Cale Ferrin
Director: Nicole Conn
Writer: Nicole Conn
Music by Nami Melumad
Cinematography by Seth Wessel-Estes
Film Editing by Nicole Conn, David C. Eichhorn

“Little Forest” by Soon-rye Yim (mother-daughter relationships 22/29)

“Little Forest” by Soon-rye Yim (South Korea, 2018)

Good script, personages, dialogues, images and gender content
Excellent direction

A simple story, a very enjoyable movie
A milder movie in its political commitment than the previous “South Bound,” still the social angle is very similar in this story of a young woman – and her former classmate – who leaves the city to realize who she is.
This movie marks the social contrast between the city where others determine who you are and the countryside where there’s only you to do so. It also reinforces the original standpoint on the family that the precedent movie “South Bound” brought forward, in which the parents build for themselves an independent way of life, and stick to it even when their kids suffer from it. However, when they finally understand their parents’ choice, the children end up appreciating and valuing it.
Little Forest prolongs this theme: the mother has left her child without any apparent reason, and the child learns how to accept and honor her mother’s decision.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics —
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,0
IMDB 7,0
Average critics —
Average public 7,0

Cast: Tae-ri Kim, So-Ri Moon, Jun-yeol Ryu
Director: Soon-rye Yim
Writers: Seong-gu Hwang, Daisuke Igarashi (manga)

“Ava” by Léa Mysius (mother-daughter relationships 21/29)

“Ava” by Léa Mysius (France, 2017)

First Feature

Great script, direction and gender content
Excellent minority presence and message

This subversive coming-of-age story shows how impermeable to social norms a young girl can be.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,9
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,4
IMDB 6,7
Average critics 7,9
Average public 7,1

Cast: Noée Abita, Laure Calamy, Juan Cano
Director: Léa Mysius
Writers: Léa Mysius, Paul Guilhaume
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Cinematography by Paul Guilhaume
Film Editing by Pierre Deschamps

“Mouthpiece” by Patricia Rozema (2018)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#17)

Good dialogues, direction and images
Excellent script and gender content
Top personages and message

A moving eulogy to mothers… but also more than that: the daughter is played by two actresses, not for a split-personality touch but to forge a mirror to the rich and complex person that was their mother… An emotionally rich movie

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,0
Metascore 7,3
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,6
IMDB 6,2
Average critics 8,0
Average public 6,9

Cast: Amy Nostbakken, Norah Sadava, Maev Beaty
Director: Patricia Rozema
Writers: Amy Nostbakken, Patricia Rozema
Music by Amy Nostbakken
Cinematography by Catherine Lutes
Film Editing by Lara Johnston

“Rocks” by Sarah Gavron (2020)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#25)

Good script, direction, images, gender content, message and expression
Excellent personages
Top minority presence

Rocks is the name of a girl in her teens who has to care for her younger brother after their mother suddenly disappears,,, A story about surviving physically but also emotionally; a story about loyalty, loyalty towards family, loyalty towards friends…

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,8
Metascore 9,6
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,8
IMDB 7,6
Average critics 9,2
Average public 7,7

Cast: Bukky Bakray, Kosar Ali, D’angelou Osei Kissiedu
Director: Sarah Gavron
Writers: Theresa Ikoko
Music by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch
Cinematography by Hélène Louvart
Film Editing by Maya Maffioli

“Cuties” by Maima Doucouré (2020)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#32)

First Feature

Good personages, dialogues, music, gender content,
minority presence and message
Excellent direction

An 11-year-old girl is caught between the African traditions of her family and the modern-day world, between the childhood that she leaves behind and the unknown of becoming a woman and discovering her sexualized body
Note the enormous discrepancy between public and critics’ score!

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,0
Metascore 6,7
Roger Ebert 10
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 2,4
IMDB 3,0
Average critics 7,9
Average public 2,7

Original title: Mignonnes

Cast: Fathia Youssouf, Médina El Aidi-Azouni, Esther Gohourou
Directors: Maïmouna Doucouré, Denny Shoopman
Writer: Maïmouna Doucouré (screenplay)
Music by Nicolas Nocchi
Cinematography by Yann Maritaud
Film Editing by Stéphane Mazalaigue, Mathilde Van de Moortel

“Working Girls” by Lizzie Borden (1986)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#33)

Good personages, dialogues, minority representation, and expression
Excellent direction
Top gender content

A day in the life of a sex worker…
but in the end, it’s not about sex, it’s all about power (Oscar Wilde), for it’s not enough for these men to pay for a woman’s body, they want to possess all of her… Of course, there’s no way they’re going to get anything else than what they paid for, and even if they pay more, as most of them offer, they won’t get more than her body.
A great mix of sex and gender roles…

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,2
Metascore —
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience —
IMDB 6,5
TMDB 5,7
Average critics 7,4
Average public 6,1

Cast: Louise Smith, Ellen McElduff, Amanda Goodwin
Director: Lizzie Borden
Writers: Lizzie Borden
Music by David Van Tieghem
Cinematography by Judy Irola
Film Editing by Lizzie Borden

 

“Oriana” by Fina Torres (1985)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#34)

First Feature

Good music, gender content, minority presence, and expression
Excellent images
Top direction

Among the many secrets an old hacienda holds – it’s not an horror film – a story of love and passion told through the eyes of three generations of girls/women.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics —
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,8
IMDB 6,7
TMDB 4,9
Critics average —
Audience average 6,5

Cast: Doris Wells, Daniela Silverio, Rafael Briceño
Director: Fina Torres
Writers: Antoine Lacomblez, Fina Torres
Music by Eduardo Marturet
Cinematography by Jean-Claude Larrieu
Film Editing by Christiane Lack

“In Bloom” by Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross (2013)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#35)

First Feature

Good script, personages, direction and images
Top gender content and message

A world of women in which men are either away at war or drunk.
The story of two girls who have just gone through puberty and are obliged to play their adult female social role without having the possibility of a “coming of age”
A good account of how the rich life of girls is transformed into a life of slavery as they become women, and a good representation of patriarchal rule in all its non-sense

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,2
Metascore 7,2
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,6
IMDB 7,6
Average critics 7,2
Average public 7,6

Cast: Lika Babluani, Mariam Bokeria, Zurab Gogaladze
Directors: Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Groß (as Simon Gross)
Writer: Nana Ekvtimishvili
Cinematography by Oleg Mutu
Film Editing by Stefan Stabenow

“Days of Gray” by Ani Simon-Kennedy (2013)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#36)

First Feature

Good personages, images, music and content
Excellent direction

Hats off to the director for having succeeded in showing a totalitarian society with less than 10 personages and not one word said!
Great costumes and use of objects
By the way, the movie is dated 2013 but it could have very well been filmed today, in our (not yet post) COVID-19 world.

IMDB 6,8

Cast: Viktoría Rós Antonsdóttir, Davið Laufdal Arnarsson, Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir
Director: Ani Simon-Kennedy
Writers: Hrafn Jonsson, Ani Simon-Kennedy, Cailin Yatsko
Music by Hjaltalin
Cinematography by Cailin Yatsko
Film Editing by Perry Blackshear

“Wander Darkly” by Tara Miele (2020)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#37)

Good script, personages, images and message
Excellent expression
Top direction

Deconstructing a relationship after a fatal accident / using death to recover life

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,4
Metascore 6,8
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,0
IMDB 5,7
Average critics 7,3
Average public 6,9

Cast: Diego Luna, Sienna Miller, Beth Grant
Director: Tara Miele
Writer: Tara Miele
Music by Alex Weston
Cinematography by Carolina Costa
Film Editing by Tamara Meem, Alex O’Flinn

“Guncrazy” by Tamra Davis (1992)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#38)

First Feature

Good script, personages, images, humor, gender content, and expression
Excellent direction

Another version of Bonnie and Clyde in which two individuals who haven’t been emotionally close to anyone before find each other and give meaning to each other’s life
Very good acting
Not a big success: is it because the main male character is impotent? 🙂

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 5,5
Metascore 6,9
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,2
IMDB 5,5
TMDB 5,2
Critics average 6,2
Audience average 5,6

Cast: Drew Barrymore, James Le Gros, Robert Greenberg
Director: Tamra Davis
Writer: Matthew Bright
Music by Ed Tomney
Cinematography by Lisa Rinzler
Film Editing by Kevin Tent

“Dirty God” by Sacha Polak (2019)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#39)

Good direction, images, gender content, minority presence and message
Excellent music and expression

The situations in which this young and once beautiful but now monstrous looking woman has to go through every day are so awful that you really wonder where she gets the strength to survive.
But what makes the story even more painful (!!!) is the stupidity of the world around her, of her world… At the end of the day, it might just be this hopeless stupidity that makes her unbreakable

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,4
Metascore 7,5
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,2
IMDB 6,4
Average critics 7,5
Average public 6,3

Cast: Vicky Knight, Katherine Kelly, Eliza Brady-Girard
Director: Sacha Polak
Writers: Sacha Polak, Susie Farrell
Music by Rutger Reinders
Cinematography by Ruben Impens
Film Editing by Sander Vos

“Grand Central” by Rebecca Zlotowski (2013)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#40)

Good personages, images and gender content
Excellent direction and music

Using a nuclear plant as background provides added tension and insecurity to a love story that is born out of the attraction between two bodies

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,5
Metascore 7,3
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,4
IMDB 6,2
Average critics 6,9
Average public 6,3

Cast: Tahar Rahim, Léa Seydoux, Olivier Gourmet
Director: Rebecca Zlotowski
Writers: Gaëlle Macé, Rebecca Zlotowski |
Music by Robin Coudert
Cinematography by Georges Lechaptois
Film Editing by Julien Lacheray

“More Beautiful For Having Been Broken” by Nicole Conn (2019)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#41)

Good personages, direction, images and music
Excellent dialogues, gender content, minority presence and emotional charge

Some far-fetched twists take the attention away from a beautiful story.

IMDB 5,9

Cast: Zoe Ventoura, Kayla Radomski, Cale Ferrin
Director: Nicole Conn
Writer: Nicole Conn
Music by Nami Melumad
Cinematography by Seth Wessel-Estes
Film Editing by Nicole Conn, David C. Eichhorn

“The Party is Over” by Marie Garel-Weiss (2017)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#42)

Good script and direction
Excellent personages, minority representation and message

Strong acting, elliptic end

IMDB 6,5
TMDB 6,1

Original title: La Fête est Finie

Cast: Zita Hanrot, Clémence Boisnard, Marie Denarnaud
Director: Marie Garel-Weiss
Writers: Marie Garel-Weiss, Salvatore Lista
Music by Pierre Allio, Ferdinand Berville
Cinematography by Samuel Lahu
Film Editing by Guerric Catala, Riwanon Le Beller

“Picture Day” by Kate Melville (2012)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#43)

Good script, personages, dialogues, direction, gender content and minority presence
Excellent message

A movie that penetrates you slowly while it builds its personages up thoroughly
A coming of age story that reaches deeper and goes further because it avoids superficiality and cliches
A movie that shows that intimacy is not a consequence of sex but of knowing each other

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,1
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,0
IMDB 6,3
Average critics 6,1
Average public 6,7

Cast: Tatiana Maslany, Spencer Van Wyck, Steven McCarthy
Director: Kate Melville
Writer: Kate Melville
Cinematography by Celiana Cárdenas
Film Editing by Dev Singh

“I Love You, Stupid” by Laura Mana (2019)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#44)

Good script, personages, dialogues and direction
Excellent gender content and message

The world of dating and sex in the 21st century through the eyes of a thirty-plus guy
One of the few movies that tackles the ‘masculinity problem’ without weighing too much on its toxic aspects

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 5,5
Metascore 0,0
Roger Ebert 0,0
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,0
IMDB 5,8
Average critics 1,8
Average public 6,4

Original title: Te Quiero, Imbecil

Cast: Quim Gutiérrez, Natalia Tena, Alfonso Bassave
Director: Laura Mañá
Writers: Abraham Sastre, Iván Bouso
Music by Javier Bayon, Luc Suarez
Cinematography by Sergi Gallardo
Film Editing by Paula González

“Palo Alto” by Gia Coppola (2013)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#45)

First Feature

Good direction, images, music, message and expression
Excellent personages and gender content

A boy and a girl are attracted to each other but do not know how to get closer
Besides, the movie shows with much nuances how difficult it is to be a teenager, when you don’t know who you are, what you want, and you are just as unsure of the others as you are of yourself

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,2
Metascore 6,8
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,4
IMDB 6,2
Average critics 6,8
Average public 6,3

Cast: Emma Roberts, James Franco, Jack Kilmer
Director: Gia Coppola
Writers: Gia Coppola, James Franco (book)
Music by Devonté Hynes, Robert Schwartzman
Cinematography by Autumn Durald
Film Editing by Leo Scott

“Fits And Starts” by Laura Terruso (2017)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#46)

First Feature

Good personages, direction, music, diversity and message
Excellent gender content

An ironic view on the world of writers (the successful ones and the others) in New York
At times a bit compelled (isn’t that inherent to irony?) but lots of surprising moments

IMDB 6,0

Cast: Wyatt Cenac, Greta Lee, Maria Dizzia
Director: Laura Terruso
Writer: Laura Terruso
Music by Jay Israelson
Cinematography by Benjamin Rutkowski
Film Editing by Robert Grigsby Wilson

“Planetarium” by Rebecca Zlotowski (2016)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#47)

Good script, personages, dialogues and music
Excellent direction

Fascinating movie, although I can’t really put the finger on why I couldn’t stop watching… Maybe it’s just because, as it is said in the end, it suggests expectations that you better not have, but that you should never losing hope.
Nice musical score

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 4,8
Metascore 4,4
Roger Ebert 5,0
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 4,8
IMDB 4,6
Average critics 4,7
Average public 4,7

Cast: Natalie Portman, Lily-Rose Depp, Emmanuel Salinger
Director: Rebecca Zlotowski
Writers: Rebecca Zlotowski, Robin Campillo
Music by Robin Coudert
Cinematography by Georges Lechaptois
Film Editing by Julien Lacheray

“Getting To Know You” by Joan Carr-Wiggin (2020)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#48)

Good personages, dialogues, direction, gender content, message, and expression
Excellent script

An interesting game of mirrors with one woman having to choose between two men on the one hand, and one man having to choose between two women on the other hand, all of it taking place in the same space and within a couple of days.
Fine acting by Natasha Little

Rotten Tomatoes Critics —
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience —
IMDB 5,7
TMDB 6,0
Average critics —
Average public 5,9

Cast: Natasha Little, Rupert Penry-Jones, Rachel Blanchard
Director: Joan Carr-Wiggin
Writer: Joan Carr-Wiggin
Music by Kenneth Harrison
Cinematography by Bruce Worrall

Also by directed by Joan Carr-Wiggin

“The Sky Is Pink” by Shonali Bose (2019)

Favorite 52 movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#49)

Good personages, humor and gender content
Excellent script, dialogues, direction and message

After one hour, you wonder what is still to be said in the second hour of the movie, but surprise, it gives you the best part, bringing the personages and their relationship closer
Some insipid songs make the score most annoying
A movie that has been well liked by the public, but not so by critics

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,1
Metascore 5,5
Roger Ebert 0,0
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,8
IMDB 7,5
Average critics 3,9
Average public 8,2

Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim
Director: Shonali Bose
Writers: Shonali Bose, Juhi Chaturvedi (hindi dialogue) | 1 more credit »
Music by Mikey McCleary
Cinematography by Andrew Alderslade, Nick Cooke, Kartik Vijay
Film Editing by Manas Mittal

“Promising Young Woman” by Emerald Fennell (2020)

Favorite (52) movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#50)

First Feature

Good dialogues, humor and message
Excellent script, direction and expression
Top images, music and gender content

Because the system takes the side of the perpetrator, she decides to take justice into her own hands…
A brilliant construct… will probably become a classic

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,0
Metascore 7,2
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,6
IMDB 7,5
Average critics 7,6
Average public 8,1

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie
Director: Emerald Fennell
Writer: Emerald Fennell
Music by Anthony Willis
Cinematography by Benjamin Kracun .
Film Editing by Frédéric Thoraval

“Little Miss Sunshine” by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton (2006)

Favorite (52) movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#51)

Good script, personages, humor, direction, images, minority representation and message

An ‘existential’ comedy over an extended dysfunctional family, set as representing the ‘natural state’ and put in contrast with the fake and illusionary surrounding world that is imposed as representing normality

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,7
Metascore 8,0
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,6
IMDB 7,8
Average critics 8,2
Average public 8,2

Cast: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear
Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Writer: Michael Arndt
Music by Mychael Danna, DeVotchKa
Cinematography by Tim Suhrstedt
Film Editing by Pamela Martin

“Mickey And The Bear” by Annabelle Attanasio (2019)

Favorite (52) movies screened between Aug 20 and May 21 (#52)

First Feature

Good script, direction, gender content, and message
Top minority presence

Good first feature about an 18-year-old girl who has to chose between caring for her father (a veteran with PTSD) and a life of her own

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,7
Metascore 7,9
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,6
IMDB 6,6
TMDB 5,6
Average critics 8,1
Average public 6,6

Cast: Camila Morrone, James Badge Dale, Calvin Demba
Director: Annabelle Attanasio
Writer: Annabelle Attanasio
Music by Angel Deradoorian, Brian McOmber
Cinematography by Conor Murphy
Film Editing by Henry Hayes

“Flowers From Another World” by Icíar Bollaín (1999)

A week of first features

Good script and direction
Excellent gender content and message
Top minority representation

A good balance between drama and comedy

Rotten Tomatoes Critics —
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,2
IMDB 6,9
TMDB 4,7
Average critics —
Average public 6,3

Original title: Flores de Otro Mundo

Cast: José Sancho, Luis Tosar, Lissete Mejía
Director: Icíar Bollaín
Writers: Icíar Bollaín, Julio Llamazares
Music by Pascal Gaigne
Cinematography by Teo Delgado
Film Editing by Ángel Hernández Zoido

“Guncrazy” by Tamra Davis (1992)

The work of Tamra Davis (3/3)

First Feature

A Weekend Treat!

Good script, personages, images, humor, gender content, and expression
Excellent direction

Another version of Bonnie and Clyde in which two individuals who haven’t been emotionally close to anyone before find each other and give meaning to each other’s life
Very good acting
Not a big success: is it because the main male character is impotent? 🙂

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 5,5
Metascore 6,9
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,2
IMDB 5,5
TMDB 5,2
Critics average 6,2
Audience average 5,6

Cast: Drew Barrymore, James Le Gros, Robert Greenberg
Director: Tamra Davis
Writer: Matthew Bright
Music by Ed Tomney
Cinematography by Lisa Rinzler
Film Editing by Kevin Tent

“36 Fillette” by Catherine Breillat (1988)

Tribute to Catherine Breillat

A Weekend Treat!

Great script and images
Excellent dialogues, personages and direction
Top gender content

A movie announcing three of Catherine Breillat’s favorite themes: women’s sexuality; lies and sex; age and sex.

In her urge to discover sex, a 14-year-old girl provoques the world around her while going through unbearable frustrations, not knowing how to deal with her desires… until she gets to the “other side” and finally loses her virginity.
Not a ‘pleasant’ movies (the dialogues!) but a powerful one!

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,1
Metascore —
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,6
IMDB 6,0
Average critics 8,0
Average public 6,3

Cast: Delphine Zentout, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Etienne Chicot, Diane Bellego, Jean-Francois Stevenin, Olivier Parniere
Written and directed by Catherine Breillat
Music by Jean Minondo
Photographed by Laurent Dailland
Edited by Yann Dedet

“Working Girls” by Lizzie Borden (1986)

Good personages, dialogues, minority representation, and expression
Excellent direction
Top gender content

A day in the life of a sex worker…
but in the end, it’s not about sex, it’s all about power (Oscar Wilde), for it’s not enough for these men to pay for a woman’s body, they want to possess all of her… Of course, there’s no way they’re going to get anything else than what they paid for, and even if they pay more, as most of them offer, they won’t get more than her body.
A great mix of sex and gender roles…

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,2
Metascore —
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience —
IMDB 6,5
TMDB 5,7
Average critics 7,4
Average public 6,1

Cast: Louise Smith, Ellen McElduff, Amanda Goodwin
Director: Lizzie Borden
Writers: Lizzie Borden
Music by David Van Tieghem
Cinematography by Judy Irola
Film Editing by Lizzie Borden

“Wander Darkly” by Tara Miele (2020)

Good script, personages, images and message
Excellent expression
Top direction

Deconstructing a relationship after a fatal accident / using death to recover life

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,4
Metascore 6,8
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,0
IMDB 5,7
Average critics 7,3
Average public 6,9

Cast: Diego Luna, Sienna Miller, Beth Grant
Director: Tara Miele
Writer: Tara Miele
Music by Alex Weston
Cinematography by Carolina Costa
Film Editing by Tamara Meem, Alex O’Flinn

“Getting To Know You” by Joan Carr-Wiggin (2020)

Good personages, dialogues, direction, gender content, message, and expression
Excellent script

An interesting game of mirrors with one woman having to choose between two men on the one hand, and one man having to choose between two women on the other hand, all of it taking place in the same space and within a couple of days.
Fine acting by Natasha Little

Rotten Tomatoes Critics —
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience —
IMDB 5,7
TMDB 6,0
Average critics —
Average public 5,9

Cast: Natasha Little, Rupert Penry-Jones, Rachel Blanchard
Director: Joan Carr-Wiggin
Writer: Joan Carr-Wiggin
Music by Kenneth Harrison
Cinematography by Bruce Worrall

Also by directed by Joan Carr-Wiggin

“Rails And Ties” by Alison Eastwood (2007)

Two features by Alison Eastwood (1/2)

First Feature

Good personages, direction and message

A melodramatic story with a message that reminds us that it’s our capacity not to obey the rules and follow our instinct that make us human

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 4,6
Metascore 4,4
Roger Ebert 6,3
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,8
IMDB 6,7
Average critics 5,1
Average public 6,8

Cast: Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden, Miles Heizer
Director: Alison Eastwood
Writer: Micky Levy
Music by Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens
Cinematography by Tom Stern
Film Editing by Gary Roach

“Days of Gray” by Ani Simon-Kennedy (2013)

Two features by Ani Simon-Kennedy (1/2)

First Feature

Good personages, images, music and content
Excellent direction

Hats off to the director for having succeeded in showing a totalitarian society with less than 10 personages and not one word said!
Great costumes and use of objects
By the way, the movie is dated 2013 but it could have very well been filmed today, in our (not yet post) COVID-19 world.

IMDB 6,8

Cast: Viktoría Rós Antonsdóttir, Davið Laufdal Arnarsson, Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir
Director: Ani Simon-Kennedy
Writers: Hrafn Jonsson, Ani Simon-Kennedy, Cailin Yatsko
Music by Hjaltalin
Cinematography by Cailin Yatsko
Film Editing by Perry Blackshear

“I Love You, Stupid” by Laura Mana (2019)

International update

A Weekend Treat!

Good script, personages, dialogues and direction
Excellent gender content and message

The world of dating and sex in the 21st century through the eyes of a thirty-plus guy
One of the few movies that tackles the ‘masculinity problem’ without weighing too much on its toxic aspects

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 5,5
Metascore 0,0
Roger Ebert 0,0
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,0
IMDB 5,8
Average critics 1,8
Average public 6,4

Original title: Te Quiero, Imbecil

Cast: Quim Gutiérrez, Natalia Tena, Alfonso Bassave
Director: Laura Mañá
Writers: Abraham Sastre, Iván Bouso
Music by Javier Bayon, Luc Suarez
Cinematography by Sergi Gallardo
Film Editing by Paula González

“Nobody’s Watching” by Julia Solomonoff (2017)

International update

Good personages, direction, images and content

An Argentinian celebrity comes to New-York to get rid of what made him famous in his country, only to find NY and its anonimity too difficult to survive
An existantialist movie in which nobody’s watching… but everyone is a mirror

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,4
Metascore 7,9
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,2
IMDB 6,6
Average critics 4,8
Average public 6,9

Cast: Guillermo Pfening, Rafael Ferro, Paola Baldion
Director: Julia Solomonoff
Writers: Christina Lazaridi, Julia Solomonoff
Music by Sacha Amback, Pablo Mondragón
Cinematography by Lucio Bonelli
Film Editing by Pablo Barbieri Carrera, Karen Sztajnberg, Andrés Tambornino

“The Party is Over” by Marie Garel-Weiss (2017)

International update

Good script and direction
Excellent personages, minority representation and message

Strong acting, elliptic end

IMDB 6,5
TMDB 6,1

Original title: La Fête est Finie

Cast: Zita Hanrot, Clémence Boisnard, Marie Denarnaud
Director: Marie Garel-Weiss
Writers: Marie Garel-Weiss, Salvatore Lista
Music by Pierre Allio, Ferdinand Berville
Cinematography by Samuel Lahu
Film Editing by Guerric Catala, Riwanon Le Beller

“Mickey And The Bear” by Annabelle Attanasio (2019)

a week of first features

Good script, direction, gender content, and message
Top minority presence

Good first feature about an 18-year-old girl who has to chose between caring for her father (a veteran with PTSD) and a life of her own

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,7
Metascore 7,9
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,6
IMDB 6,6
TMDB 5,6
Average critics 8,1
Average public 6,6

Cast: Camila Morrone, James Badge Dale, Calvin Demba
Director: Annabelle Attanasio
Writer: Annabelle Attanasio
Music by Angel Deradoorian, Brian McOmber
Cinematography by Conor Murphy
Film Editing by Henry Hayes

“My 20th Century” by Ildikó Enyedi (1989)

Two works by Ildikó Enyedi

Good script, direction, music and gender content
Excellent images

A series of vignettes taken in different places with themes running through like science and gender: Edison, light and telegraph, women’s rights, sex and lies… easy to watch, difficult to understand

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,9
Metascore 8,1
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,8
IMDB 7,1
Average critics 8,0
Average public 7,5

Original title: Az én XX. századom

Cast: Dorota Segda, Oleg Yankovskiy, Paulus Manker
Director: Ildikó Enyedi
Writer: Ildikó Enyedi
Music by László Vidovszky
Cinematography by Tibor Máthé
Film Editing by Mária Rigó

“Gabrielle” by Louise Archambault (2013)

Good personages, dialogues, music, gender content and message
Top minority representation

Thanks to its actors and actresses, from this movie emanates purity, transparency and simplicity

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,8
Metascore 7,0
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,6
IMDB 7,0
Average critics 6,9
Average public 7,3

Cast: Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, Alexandre Landry, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin
Director: Louise Archambault
Writer: Louise Archambault
Music by François Lafontaine
Cinematography by Mathieu Laverdière
Film Editing by Richard Comeau

“Promising Young Woman” by Emerald Fennell (2020)

a week of first features

Good dialogues, humor and message
Excellent script, direction and expression
Top images, music and gender content

Because the system takes the side of the perpetrator, she decides to take justice into her own hands…
A brilliant construct… will probably become a classic

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,0
Metascore 7,2
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,6
IMDB 7,5
Average critics 7,6
Average public 8,1

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie
Director: Emerald Fennell
Writer: Emerald Fennell
Music by Anthony Willis
Cinematography by Benjamin Kracun .
Film Editing by Frédéric Thoraval

“Palo Alto” by Gia Coppola (2013)

a week of first features

Good direction, images, music, message and expression
Excellent personages and gender content

A boy and a girl are attracted to each other but do not know how to get closer
Besides, the movie shows with much nuances how difficult it is to be a teenager, when you don’t know who you are, what you want, and you are just as unsure of the others as you are of yourself

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,2
Metascore 6,8
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,4
IMDB 6,2
Average critics 6,8
Average public 6,3

Cast: Emma Roberts, James Franco, Jack Kilmer
Director: Gia Coppola
Writers: Gia Coppola, James Franco (book)
Music by Devonté Hynes, Robert Schwartzman
Cinematography by Autumn Durald
Film Editing by Leo Scott

“Dirty God” by Sacha Polak (2019)

Good direction, images, gender content, minority presence and message
Excellent music and expression

The situations in which this young and once beautiful but now monstrous looking woman has to go through every day are so awful that you really wonder where she gets the strength to survive.
But what makes the story even more painful (!!!) is the stupidity of the world around her, of her world… At the end of the day, it might just be this hopeless stupidity that makes her unbreakable

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,4
Metascore 7,5
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,2
IMDB 6,4
Average critics 7,5
Average public 6,3

Cast: Vicky Knight, Katherine Kelly, Eliza Brady-Girard
Director: Sacha Polak
Writers: Sacha Polak, Susie Farrell
Music by Rutger Reinders
Cinematography by Ruben Impens
Film Editing by Sander Vos

“Planetarium” by Rebecca Zlotowski (2016)

Best movies seen in 2020

Good script, personages, dialogues and music
Excellent direction

Fascinating movie, although I can’t really put the finger on why I couldn’t stop watching… Maybe it’s just because, as it is said in the end, it suggests expectations that you better not have, but that you should never losing hope.
Nice musical score

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 4,8
Metascore 4,4
Roger Ebert 5,0
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 4,8
IMDB 4,6
Average critics 4,7
Average public 4,7

Cast: Natalie Portman, Lily-Rose Depp, Emmanuel Salinger
Director: Rebecca Zlotowski
Writers: Rebecca Zlotowski, Robin Campillo
Music by Robin Coudert
Cinematography by Georges Lechaptois
Film Editing by Julien Lacheray

“Iron Jawed Angels” by Katja von Garnier (2004)

Best movies seen in 2020

Good script, personages, direction, images and message
Excellent dialogues
Top gender content

Good TV movie, with a surprising musical choice

Rotten Tomatoes Critics —
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,4
IMDB 7,5
Average critics —
Average public 7,0

Cast: Hilary Swank, Margo Martindale, Anjelica Huston
Director: Katja von Garnier
Writers: Jennifer Friedes (story), Sally Robinson (teleplay)
Music by Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek
Cinematography by Robbie Greenberg
Film Editing by Hans Funck

“How to Build a Girl” by Coky Giedroyc (2019)

Best movies seen in 2020

Great humor and images
Excellent dialogues and direction
Top gender content

How to lose yourself… and find yourself again… and lose yourself again… You know the feeling? A very original coming-of-age movie… Enjoy!

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,5
Metascore 7,0
Roger Ebert 6,3
Rotten Tomatoes Audience —
IMDB 5,4
Average critics 6,6
Average public 5,4

Cast: Beanie Feldstein, Emma Thompson, Alfie Allen, Paddy Considine, Sarah Solemani, Laurie Kynaston, Lucy Punch
Director: Coky Giedroyc
Writer: Caitlin Moran
Cinematographer: Hubert Taczanowski
Editor: Gareth C. Scales
Composer: Oli Julian

“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” by Eliza Hittman (2020)

Best movies seen in 2020

A Weekend Treat!

Great script, personages, images and message
Excellent direction
Top gender content

A movie about a 17-years-old young girl who has to deal with a pregnancy that wasn’t planned and that she doesn’t want
A movie about girl power, without much glamour, just girls doing what has to be done
A quiet but intense movie

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,6
Metascore 9,2
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,8
IMDB 7,2
Average critics 8,9
Average public 7,0

Cast: Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin
Director: Eliza Hittman
Writer: Eliza Hittman
Cinematographer: Hélène Louvart
Editor: Scott Cummings
Composer: Julia Holter

“The Taste Of Others” by Agnes Jaoui (2000)

Best movies seen in 2020

First Feature

Good personages and content
Excellent script and direction

A good comedy about how we all are victims and sources of prejudice
Another underlying aspect shows the complex relationship artists have with success, which sharply contrasts with how an industrial relates to it.
“One of the delights of “The Taste of Others” is that it is so smart and wears its intelligence lightly.” [Roger Ebert]

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,9
Metascore 7,8
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,8
IMDB 7,2
Average critics 7,7
Average public 7,5

Cast: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Anne Alvaro, Christiane Millet, Agnes Jaoui, Gerard Lanvin
Directed by Agnes Jaoui
Written by Agnes Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Bacri
Music by Jean-Charles Jarrel
Cinematography by Laurent Dailland
Film Editing by Hervé de Luze

“Live Twice Love Once” by Maria Ripoll (2019)

Tribute to Maria Ripoll (3/3)

Good personages, humor, direction and images
Excellent script

An excellent script in which all aspects, even the most insignificant ones, play their role
Good performances

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 5,4
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,0
IMDB 7,2
Average critics 5,4
Average public 7,6

Cast: Oscar Martínez, Inma Cuesta, Mafalda Carbonell
Director: Maria Ripoll
Writer: María Mínguez
Music by Arnau Bataller
Cinematography by Núria Roldos
Film Editing by Nacho Ruiz Capillas

“Little Miss Sunshine” by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton (2006)

A weekend treat!

Good script, personages, humor, direction, images, minority representation and message

An ‘existential’ comedy over an extended dysfunctional family, set as representing the ‘natural state’ and put in contrast with the fake and illusionary surrounding world that is imposed as representing normalilty

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,7
Metascore 8,0
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,6
IMDB 7,8
Average critics 8,2
Average public 8,2

Cast: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear
Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Writer: Michael Arndt
Music by Mychael Danna, DeVotchKa
Cinematography by Tim Suhrstedt
Film Editing by Pamela Martin

“More Beautiful For Having Been Broken” by Nicole Conn (2019)

Good personages, direction, images and music
Excellent dialogues, gender content, minority presence and emotional charge

Some far-fetched twists take the attention away from a beautiful story.

IMDB 5,9

Cast: Zoe Ventoura, Kayla Radomski, Cale Ferrin
Director: Nicole Conn
Writer: Nicole Conn
Music by Nami Melumad
Cinematography by Seth Wessel-Estes
Film Editing by Nicole Conn, David C. Eichhorn

“Nowhere Boy” by Sam Taylor-Wood (2009)

First Feature

Good personages, dialogues, direction and music (8)
Excellent script (9)

A good movie on the ‘formative’ years of John Lennon in Liverpool
Strong acting, especially the two mothers

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,9
Metascore 6,7
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,4
IMDB 7,1
Average critics 7,5
Average public 7,3

Cast: Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff, David Threlfall, Thomas Brodie Sangster
Written by Matt Greenhalgh
Directed by Sam Taylor-Wood
Music by Alison Goldfrapp, Will Gregory
Cinematography by Seamus McGarvey
Film Editing by Lisa Gunning

“Unlovable” by Suzi Yoonessi (2018)

Good script, personages, dialogues, and music (8)
Excellent content (9)

A movie about how people who did not learn how to receive and give love can’t build any (realistic) relationship
A young female sex addict and a man with mental health issues help each other out
A movie that entertains while providing content; a movie I was thankful to have seen

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,8
Metascore 7,7
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,8
IMDB 5,7
Average critics 7,8
Average public 6,8

Cast: Charlene deGuzman, John Hawkes, Melissa Leo
Director: Suzi Yoonessi
Writers: Charlene deGuzman, Sarah Adina Smith, Mark Duplass
Music by Christopher French
Cinematography by Moira Morel
Film Editing by Kai Davies

“The Sky Is Pink” by Shonali Bose (2019)

Good personages, humor and gender content
Excellent script, dialogues, direction and message

After one hour, you wonder what is still to be said in the second hour of the movie, but surprise, it gives you the best part, bringing the personages and their relationship closer
Some insipid songs make the score most annoying
A movie that has been well liked by the public, but not so by critics

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,1
Metascore 5,5
Roger Ebert 0,0
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,8
IMDB 7,5
Average critics 3,9
Average public 8,2

Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim
Director: Shonali Bose
Writers: Shonali Bose, Juhi Chaturvedi (hindi dialogue) | 1 more credit »
Music by Mikey McCleary
Cinematography by Andrew Alderslade, Nick Cooke, Kartik Vijay
Film Editing by Manas Mittal

“Cuties” by Maima Doucouré (2020)

First Feature

Good personages, dialogues, music, gender content,
minority presence and message
Excellent direction

An 11-year-old girl is caught between the African traditions of her family and the modern-day world, between the childhood that she leaves behind and the unknown of becoming a woman and discovering her sexualized body
Note the enormous discrepancy between public and critics’ score!

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,0
Metascore 6,7
Roger Ebert 10
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 2,4
IMDB 3,0
Average critics 7,9
Average public 2,7

Original title: Mignonnes

Cast: Fathia Youssouf, Médina El Aidi-Azouni, Esther Gohourou
Directors: Maïmouna Doucouré, Denny Shoopman
Writer: Maïmouna Doucouré (screenplay)
Music by Nicolas Nocchi
Cinematography by Yann Maritaud
Film Editing by Stéphane Mazalaigue, Mathilde Van de Moortel

“Picture Day” by Kate Melville (2012)

Good script, personages, dialogues, direction, gender content and minority presence
Excellent message

A movie that penetrates you slowly while it builds its personages up thoroughly
A coming of age story that reaches deeper and goes further because it avoids superficiality and cliches
A movie that shows that intimacy is not a consequence of sex but of knowing each other

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,1
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,0
IMDB 6,3
Average critics 6,1
Average public 6,7

Cast: Tatiana Maslany, Spencer Van Wyck, Steven McCarthy
Director: Kate Melville
Writer: Kate Melville
Cinematography by Celiana Cárdenas
Film Editing by Dev Singh

“Village Rockstars” by Rima Das (2017)

Good script, personages, images, content
Excellent direction

The life of a young girl who dreams of having a guitar
A serene movie in which children possess the rural Indian landscape
interesting scene when the girl gets her first menstruation
A movie predominantly made by Rima Das and her family, and if you’re patient enough to get to the end of the credits, you’ll see how extended her family is 🙂

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,0
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 9,3
IMDB 7,2
Average critics 8,0
Average public 8,3

Cast: Bhanita Das, Basanti Das, Boloram Das
Director: Rima Das
Writer: Rima Das
Music by Preetom Dutta
Cinematography by Rima Das
Film Editing by Rima Das

“Mouthpiece” by Patricia Rozema (2018)

Good dialogues, direction and images
Excellent script and gender content
Top personages and message

A moving eulogy to mothers… but also more than that: the daughter is played by two actresses, not for a split-personality touch but to forge a mirror to the rich and complex person that was their mother… An emotionally rich movie

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,0
Metascore 7,3
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,6
IMDB 6,2
Average critics 8,0
Average public 6,9

Cast: Amy Nostbakken, Norah Sadava, Maev Beaty
Director: Patricia Rozema
Writers: Amy Nostbakken, Patricia Rozema
Music by Amy Nostbakken
Cinematography by Catherine Lutes
Film Editing by Lara Johnston

“The Seduction of Mimi” by Lina Wertmüller (1972)

A weekend treat!

Good dialogues, humor, images, music and minority presence
Excellent direction

A chaotic and talkative script in which the political message is drowned in an individual love and sex story, but a dynamic direction that surprises the viewer every step of the way
Women are depicted as victims of men who are only guided by sex and honor
Fantastic final ‘sex’ scene

IMDB 7,4

Original title: Mimì metallurgico ferito nell’onore

Cast: Giancarlo Giannini, Mariangela Melato, Agostina Belli
Director: Lina Wertmüller
Writers: Lina Wertmüller
Music by Piero Piccioni
Cinematography by Dario Di Palma
Film Editing by Franco Fraticelli

“Manto” by Nandita Das (2018)

Good script, personages, direction, music and message
Excellent dialogues and minority representation

IMDB 7,4

Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rasika Dugal, Tahir Raj Bhasin
Director: Nandita Das
Writer: Nandita Das
Music by Babli Haque, Sneha Khanwalkar, Raftaar
Cinematography by Kartik Vijay
Film Editing by A. Sreekar Prasad

“In Bloom” by Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross (2013)

Facets of Patriarchy

First Feature

Good script, personages, direction and images
Top gender content and message

A world of women in which men are either away at war or drunk.
The story of two girls who have just gone through puberty and are obliged to play their adult female social role without having the possibility of a “coming of age”
A good account of how the rich life of girls is transformed into a life of slavery as they become women, and a good representation of patriarchal rule in all its non-sense

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,2
Metascore 7,2
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,6
IMDB 7,6
Average critics 7,2
Average public 7,6

Cast: Lika Babluani, Mariam Bokeria, Zurab Gogaladze
Directors: Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Groß (as Simon Gross)
Writer: Nana Ekvtimishvili
Cinematography by Oleg Mutu
Film Editing by Stefan Stabenow

“A League of Their Own” by Penny Marshall (1992)

War movies directed by women

A weekend treat!

Good personages, dialogues, humor, images and gender content
Excellent direction

Could have been a bit shorter but really worth watching

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,8
Metascore 6,7
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,2
IMDB 7,3
Average critics 7,0
Average public 7,8

Cast: Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Tom Hanks
Directed by Penny Marshall
Written by Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel
Based On A Story by Kim Wilson
Photographed by Miroslav Ondricek
Music by Hans Zimmer

“Grand Central” by Rebecca Zlotowski (2013)

The work of Rebecca Zlotowski (3/3)

A weekend treat!

Good personages, images and gender content
Excellent direction and music

Using a nuclear plant as background provides added tension and insecurity to a love story that is born out of the attraction between two bodies

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,5
Metascore 7,3
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,4
IMDB 6,2
Average critics 6,9
Average public 6,3

Cast: Tahar Rahim, Léa Seydoux, Olivier Gourmet
Director: Rebecca Zlotowski
Writers: Gaëlle Macé, Rebecca Zlotowski |
Music by Robin Coudert
Cinematography by Georges Lechaptois
Film Editing by Julien Lacheray

“Planetarium” by Rebecca Zlotowski (2016)

The work of Rebecca Zlotowski (2/3)

Good script, personages, dialogues and music
Excellent direction

Fascinating movie, although I can’t really put the finger on why I couldn’t stop watching… Maybe it’s just because, as it is said in the end, it suggests expectations that you better not have, but that you should never losing hope.
Nice musical score

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 4,8
Metascore 4,4
Roger Ebert 5,0
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 4,8
IMDB 4,6
Average critics 4,7
Average public 4,7

Cast: Natalie Portman, Lily-Rose Depp, Emmanuel Salinger
Director: Rebecca Zlotowski
Writers: Rebecca Zlotowski, Robin Campillo
Music by Robin Coudert
Cinematography by Georges Lechaptois
Film Editing by Julien Lacheray

“Fits And Starts” by Laura Terruso (2017)

The work of Laura Terruso (1/3)

First Feature

Good personages, direction, music, diversity and message
Excellent gender content

An ironic view on the world of writers (the successful ones and the others) in New York
At times a bit compelled (isn’t that inherent to irony?) but lots of surprising moments

IMDB 6,0

Cast: Wyatt Cenac, Greta Lee, Maria Dizzia
Director: Laura Terruso
Writer: Laura Terruso
Music by Jay Israelson
Cinematography by Benjamin Rutkowski
Film Editing by Robert Grigsby Wilson

“Iron Jawed Angels” by Katja von Garnier (2004)

A German week

The work of Katja von Garnier (3/4)

Good script, personages, direction, images and message
Excellent dialogues
Top gender content

Good tv movie, with a surprising musical choice

Rotten Tomatoes Critics —
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,4
IMDB 7,5
Average critics —
Average public 7,0

Cast: Hilary Swank, Margo Martindale, Anjelica Huston
Director: Katja von Garnier
Writers: Jennifer Friedes (story), Sally Robinson (teleplay)
Music by Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek
Cinematography by Robbie Greenberg
Film Editing by Hans Funck

“How to Build a Girl” by Coky Giedroyc (2019)

My Year’s Favorites (Aug. 2019-July 2020)

Great humor and images
Excellent dialogues and direction
Top gender content

How to lose yourself… and find yourself again… and lose yourself again… You know the feeling? A very original coming-of-age movie… Enjoy!

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,5
Metascore 7,0
Roger Ebert 6,3
Rotten Tomatoes Audience —
IMDB 5,4
Average critics 6,6
Average public 5,4

Cast: Beanie Feldstein, Emma Thompson, Alfie Allen, Paddy Considine, Sarah Solemani, Laurie Kynaston, Lucy Punch
Director: Coky Giedroyc
Writer: Caitlin Moran
Cinematographer: Hubert Taczanowski
Editor: Gareth C. Scales
Composer: Oli Julian

“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” by Eliza Hittman (2020)

MY YEAR’S FAVORITES (Aug. 2019 – July 2020)

Great script, personages, images and message
Excellent direction
Top gender content

A movie about a 17-years-old young girl who has to deal with a pregnancy that wasn’t planned and that she doesn’t want
A movie about girl power, without much glamour, just girls doing what has to be done
A quiet but intense movie

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,6
Metascore 9,2
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,8
IMDB 7,2
Average critics 8,9
Average public 7,0

Cast: Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin
Director: Eliza Hittman
Writer: Eliza Hittman
Cinematographer: Hélène Louvart
Editor: Scott Cummings
Composer: Julia Holter

“The Taste Of Others” by Agnes Jaoui (2000)

MY YEAR’S FAVORITES (Aug. 2019 – July 2020)

First Feature

Good personages and content
Excellent script and direction

A good comedy about how we all are victims and sources of prejudice
Another underlying aspect shows the complex relationship artists have with success, which sharply contrasts with how an industrial relates to it.
“One of the delights of “The Taste of Others” is that it is so smart and wears its intelligence lightly.” [Roger Ebert]

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,9
Metascore 7,8
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,8
IMDB 7,2
Average critics 7,7
Average public 7,5

Cast: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Anne Alvaro, Christiane Millet, Agnes Jaoui, Gerard Lanvin
Directed by Agnes Jaoui
Written by Agnes Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Bacri
Music by Jean-Charles Jarrel
Cinematography by Laurent Dailland
Film Editing by Hervé de Luze

“Parisienne” by Danielle Arbid (2015)

French Week

Good personage, direction and minority presence
Excellent music

The journey of a Lebanese young woman who tries to survive as a student in Paris
A movie that includes a university lecture on ugliness
Appealing, mysterious female lead

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,6
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 5,8
IMDB 6,7
Average critics 6,6
Average public 6,3

Original title: Peur de Rien

Cast: Manal Issa, Vincent Lacoste, Paul Hamy
Director: Danielle Arbid
Writers: Danielle Arbid
Cinematography by Hélène Louvart
Film Editing by Mathilde Muyard

“Buffaloed” by Tanya Wexler (2019)

2019 was a good year!

Good dialogues, humor, direction
Great gender content and minority representation

It’s probably the first time such a (typical bad guy) role has been written for a young woman … and Zoey Deutch brings it to a top level

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,5
Metascore 6,1
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,8
IMDB 6,1
Average critics 6,7
Average public 7,5

Cast: Zoey Deutch, Judy Greer, Jermaine Fowler, Jai Courtney, Jermaine Fowler
Director: Tanya Wexler
Writer: Brian Sacca
Cinematographer: Guy Godfree
Editor: Casey Brooks
Composer: Matthew Margeson

“Little Forest” by Soon-rye Yim (2018)

The work of Soon-rye Yim (5/5)

Good script, personages, dialogues, images and gender content
Excellent direction

A simple story, a very enjoyable movie
A milder movie in its political commitment than the previous “South Bound,” still the social angle is very similar in this story of a young women – and her former classmate – who leaves the city to realize who she is.
This movie marks the social contrast between the city where others determine who you are and the countryside where there’s only you to do so. It also reinforces the original standpoint on the family that the precedent movie “South Bound” brought forward, in which the parents build for themselves an independent way of life, and stick to it even when their kids suffer from it. However, when they finally understand their parents’ choice, the children end up appreciating and valuing it.
Little Forest prolongs this theme: the mother has left her child without any apparent reason, and the child learns how to accept and honor her mother’s decision.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics —
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,0
IMDB 7,0
Average critics —
Average public 7,0

Cast: Tae-ri Kim, So-Ri Moon, Jun-yeol Ryu
Director: Soon-rye Yim
Writers: Seong-gu Hwang, Daisuke Igarashi (manga)

“South Bound” by Soon-rye Yim (2013)

The work of Soon-rye Yim (4/5)

Good humor and minority presence
Excellent direction and message

Mr. Choi Guevara, a anti-establishment movie director, fiercly attacks the state and the way it corrupts all individuals. With his family, he escapes the system by migrating to an island that he has to protect from developers and corrupt politicians. The choice he has made will be used as main theme for Yim’s next movie “Little Forest.”

IMDB 6,7

Cast: Yoon-seok Kim, Yeon-su Oh, Han Yeri
Director: Soon-rye Yim
Writers: Hyeon Na (screenplay), Hideo Okuda (novel)
Music by Dalpalan, Young-gyu Jang
Cinematography by Yong-kyou Cho
Film Editing by Jae-beom Kim, Sang-beom Kim

“The Private Lives of Pippa Lee” by Rebecca Miller (2009)

The work of Rebecca Miller (4/5)

 

Good personages, dialogues, images and message
Excellent direction and gender content

The relationship between an adult and a child is a main aspect of this movie, just like that of Rebecca Miller’s preceding one. The child’s guilt is not always central but often mentioned.
Other recurring themes: a dysfunctional mother, running away, insanity along the mother line, crucial mother-daughter relationship, strangely unobtrusive role of the fathers (except in “The Ballad of Jake and Rose”)
The best Rebecca Miller movie until now / Fantastic female lead!

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,2
Metascore 4,9
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,4
IMDB 6,4
Average critics 5,6
Average public 6,4

Cast: Robin Wright, Alan Arkin, Mike Binder
Director: Rebecca Miller
Writers: Rebecca Miller
Music by Michael Rohatyn
Cinematography by Declan Quinn
Film Editing by Sabine Hoffman

“Viceroy’s House” by Gurinder Chadha (2017)

A Weekend Treat!

Great personages, images and minority presence
Excellent script and message

The multi-layer approach brings the viewer close to the personal drama through the (somewhat weak) romance between a Muslimah and an Hindu, to the community level inside the Viceroy’s house; to the national level with the political problems involved with the partition; and briefly to the geopolitical level… Smartly done!

The weak romance story is offset by a good depiction of the historical and political events surrounding the departure of the English from India.
At one moment in the movie, the partition of India is compared to that of Palestine and of Ireland, other British colonies that have suffered greatly. Unfortunately, Chadha does not dig deeper into the subject…

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,0
Metascore 5,3
Roger Ebert 6,3
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,2
IMDB 6,7
Average critics 5,9
Average public 7,0

Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson, Michael Gambon, Manish Dayal, Simon Callow, Om Puri, Lily Travers, Huma Qureshi
Director: Gurinder Chadha
Writer: Gurinder Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges, Moira Buffini
Cinematographer: Ben Smithard
Editor: Valerio Bonelli, Victoria Boydell
Composer: A.R. Rahman

“Ordinary Love” by Lisa Barros D’Sa & Glenn Leyburn (2019)

2019 was a good year!

Great script, personages, gender content and minority presence
Excellent message

How powerful can ‘ordinary love’ be for both partners, the one who is sick and the one who has to care for the other

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,7
Metascore 7,3
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,2
IMDB 6,6
Average critics 7,9
Average public 6,9

Cast: Liam Neeson, Lesley Manville, David Wilmot, Amit Shah
Director: Lisa Barros D’Sa. Glenn Leyburn
Writer: Owen McCafferty
Cinematographer: Piers McGrail
Editor, Nick Emerson
Composer: David Holmes, Brian Irvine

“How to Build a Girl” by Coky Giedroyc (2019)

2019 was a good year!

Great humor and images
Excellent dialogues and direction
Top gender content

How to lose yourself… and find yourself again… and lose yourself again… You know the feeling? A very original coming-of-age movie… Enjoy!

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,5
Metascore 7,0
Roger Ebert 6,3
Rotten Tomatoes Audience —
IMDB 5,4
Average critics 6,6
Average public 5,4

Cast: Beanie Feldstein, Emma Thompson, Alfie Allen, Paddy Considine, Sarah Solemani, Laurie Kynaston, Lucy Punch
Director: Coky Giedroyc
Writer: Caitlin Moran
Cinematographer: Hubert Taczanowski
Editor: Gareth C. Scales
Composer: Oli Julian

“Beau Brummell: This Charming Man” by Philippa Lowthorpe (2006)

The work of Philippa Lowthorpe (2/3)

Good script, personages, dialogues, images and music
Excellent direction

Just as in The Other Boleyn Girl, the story of a personage – this time a man – who succeeds in charming a powerful man and acquires fame and richness, but overplays his hand and loses everything.
Excellent cast

IMDB 7,1

Cast: James Purefoy, Hugh Bonneville, Phil Davis
Director: Philippa Lowthorpe
Writers: Simon Bent (screenplay), Ian Kelly (biography)
Music by Peter Salem
Cinematography by Graham Smith
Film Editing by David Thrasher

“Lost and Delirious” by Lea Pool (2001)

Teens & Sex / A Weekend Treat!

Great direction, images and music
Excellent personages, dialogues and gender content

“a hymn to teenage idealism and hormones” (Roger Ebert)
The usual Lea Pool’s family situations – difficult but crucial mother-daughter relationships and absent fathers – play a role in the background

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 5,4
Metascore 5,3
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,0
IMDB 6,9
Average critics 6,5
Average public 7,5

Cast: Piper Perabo, Jessica Pare, Jackie Burroughs
Directed by Lea Pool
Written by Judith Thompson
Music by Robyn Schulkowsky
Cinematography by Jeanne Lapoirie
Film Editing by Michel Arcand

“Stupid Young Heart” by Selma Vilhunen (2018)

Teens & Sex

Great script, personages, direction, images and minority presence
Excellent gender content and message

Just like Little Wing, Stupid Young Heart depicts the difficult life of a teenage girl who tries to find her place in the chaotic world in which she grows up
The movie begins slowly but gather emotional speed as the parameters fall into place, and leaves you, despite the perturbing story, on a positive though fragile note, just as in Little Wing.

IMDB 6,3

Cast: Pihla Viitala, Ville Haapasalo, Aamu Milonoff
Director: Selma Vilhunen
Writer: Kirsikka Saari
Cinematography by Lisabi Fridell
Film Editing by Yva Fabricius, Michal Leszczylowski

“36 Fillette” by Catherine Breillat (1988)

Teens & Sex / A Weekend Treat!

Great script and images
Excellent dialogues, personages and direction
Top gender content

A movie announcing three of Catherine Breillat’s favorite themes: women’s sexuality; lies and sex; age and sex.

In her urge to discover sex, a 14-year-old girl provoques the world around her while going through unbearable frustrations, not knowing how to deal with her desires… until she gets to the “other side” and finally loses her virginity.
Not a ‘pleasant’ movies (the dialogues!) but a powerful one!

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,1
Metascore —
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,6
IMDB 6,0
Average critics 8,0
Average public 6,3

Cast: Delphine Zentout, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Etienne Chicot, Diane Bellego, Jean-Francois Stevenin, Olivier Parniere
Written and directed by Catherine Breillat
Music by Jean Minondo
Photographed by Laurent Dailland
Written and Directed by Catherine Breillat
Edited byYann Dedet

“But I’m A Cheerleader” by Jamie Babbit (1999)

Teens & Sex / First Feature

Great humor, directio, images and music
Top gender content and message

A good comedy about homosexuality

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 4,9
Metascore 3,9
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,6
IMDB 6,6
Average critics 5,4
Average public 7,1

Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Clea Duvall, Cathy Moriarty, Rupaul Charles, Michelle Williams
Directed by Jamie Babbit
Written by Brian Wayne Peterson
Music by Pat Irwin
Cinematography by Jules Labarthe
Film Editing by Cecily Rhett

“Lovely Rita” by Jessica Hausner (2001)

Teens & Sex / First Feature

Great script, personages, direction, images and gender content
Excellent message

A girl – who does everything ‘wrong’ because of her impossibility to communicate what she feels and what she wants – loses her only friend while discovering the excitements of sexuality, a real break in the boredom of the home and school aimless routine.
A first feature about a girl who tries to escape the world imposed on her (home + school), a theme that recurs in Jessica Hausner’s following movies.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics —
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,0
IMDB 5,8
Average critics —
Average public 5,9

Cast: Barbara Osika, Christoph Bauer, Peter Fiala
Director: Jessica Hausner
Writer: Jessica Hausner
Cinematography by Martin Gschlacht
Film Editing by Karin Hartusch

“Ava” by Léa Mysius (2017)

Teens & Sex / First Feature

Great script, direction and gender content
Excellent minority presence and message

This subversive coming of age story shows how impermeable to social norms a young girl can be.

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,9
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,4
IMDB 6,7
Average critics 7,9
Average public 7,1

Cast: Noée Abita, Laure Calamy, Juan Cano
Director: Léa Mysius
Writers: Léa Mysius, Paul Guilhaume
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Cinematography by Paul Guilhaume
Film Editing by Pierre Deschamps

“Life Partners” by Susanna Fogel (2014)

Teens & Sex / First Feature

Great script, personages, dialogues. direction, images and gender content
Top minority presence

Two long-time best friends come into adulthood in very different ways
A coming of age story that avoids stereotypes

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,1
Metascore 5,7
Roger Ebert 6,3
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,4
IMDB 6,2
Average critics 6,0
Average public 6,3

Cast: Leighton Meester, Gillian Jacobs, Adam Brody, Gabourey Sidibe, Beth Dover, Abby Elliott, Mark Feuerstein, Kate McKinnon, Greer Grammer
Director: Susanna Fogel
Writer: Joni Lefkowitz, Susanna Fogel
Director of Photography: Brian Burgoyne

“Sword of Trust” by Lynn Shelton (2019)

Tribute to Lynn Shelton 1965-2020

Great dialogues and direction
Excellent personages

Entertaining movie on a timely subject: fake news or the post-truth era

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,4
Metascore 7,0
Roger Ebert 6,3
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,8
IMDB 6,2
Average critics 6,9
Average public 6,5

Cast: Marc Maron, Jon Bass, Michaela Watkins, Jillian Bell, Toby Huss, Dan Bakkedahl, Lynn Shelton
Director: Lynn Shelton
Writer: Lynn Shelton, Michael Patrick O’Brien
Cinematographer: Jason Oldak
Editor: Tyler L. Cook

“Nowhere in Africa” by Caroline Link (2001)

Tribute to Caroline Link (2/3)

Great script, personages, dialogues,images, music and content

A wealthy Jewish couple and their daughter leave Germany to escape the Nazi regime and become farmers in Kenya under British rule
An authentic (and very actual) movie about what it means to be(come) a refugee
High ratings!

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,5
Metascore 7,2
Roger Ebert 10,0
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,4
IMDB 7,5
Average critics 8,2
Average public 8,0

Cast: Juliane Kohler, Merab Ninidze, Lea Kurka, Matthias Habich, Sidede Onyulo, Karoline Eckertz
Written and Directed by Caroline Link
Based On The Novel by Stefanie Zweig
Music by Niki Reiser
Cinematography by Gernot Roll
Film Editing by Patricia Rommel

“Double Happiness” by Mina Shum (1994)

A weekend treat!

Impressive First Features

Tribute to Mina Shum (1/3)

Great personages, direction, minority presence and message
Excellent gender content

Straightforward story of a young Canadian woman of Chinese origin who is torn between obeying her father and lving according to traditions on the one hand, and leading an independant life and following her dreams and instincts on the other hand.
As in her next movie, the father perpetuates the patriarchal (Confucian) role model and has the most to lose, namely his honor, whereas the mother would accept the wishes of her daughter, was it not for her duty to blindly follow and support her husband

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,1
Metascore —
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,2
IMDB 7,0
Average critics 7,3
Average public 7,1

Cast: Sandra Oh, Stephen Chang, Alannah On
Director: Mina Shum
Writer: Mina Shum
Music by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet
Cinematography by Peter Wunstorf
Film Editing by Alison Grace

“The Assistant” by Kitty Green (2019)

Impressive First Features

2019 was a good year!

Good images and message (8)
Excellent direction (9)
Top gender content (10)

The story of a young woman who works for a big producer – we never see him, never hear his name, but there’s no doubt about who he is…
A movie where nothing happens but the tension takes you right from the start and does not let go…
The photography made me often feel as in an Edward Hopper painting
Hats off!

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,5
Metascore 7,7
Roger Ebert 10,0
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 4,0
IMDB 6,0
Average critics 8,4
Average public 5,0

Cast: Julia Garner, Matthew MacFadyen, Dagmara Domińczyk, Kristine Froseth
Director: Kitty Green
Writer: Kitty Green
Director of Photography: Michael Latham
Music: Tamar-kali

“What They Had” by Elizabeth Chomko (2018)

Impressive First Features

Great script, direction, images, gender content and message
Excellent personages and dialogues

Substantial but flowing family drama with great acting
Excellent first feature!
“So many feelings are wrapped up in a story like “What They Had.” ” [Monica Castillo]

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,3
Metascore 6,9
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,8
IMDB 6,6
Average critics 7,7
Average public 7,7

Cast: Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon, Robert Forster, Blythe Danner, Taissa Farmiga, Aimee Garcia, Josh Lucas, Jay Montepare, Jennifer Robideau
Director: Elizabeth Chomko
Writer: Elizabeth Chomko
Music by Danny Mulhern
Cinematography by Roberto Schaefer
Film Editing by Tom McArdle

“Wayne’s World” by Penelope Spheeris (1992)

A Weekend Treat!

Great dialogues (8)
Excellent humor, direction and music (9)

Great musical performances by Tia Carrere

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,8
Metascore 5,7
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,2
IMDB 7,0
Average critics 6,7
Average public 7,6

Cast: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Writers: Mike Myers, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner
Music by J. Peter Robinson
Cinematography by Theo van de Sande
Film Editing by Malcolm Campbell

“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” by Eliza Hittman (2020)

Great script, personages, images and message (8)
Excellent direction (9)
Top gender content (10)

A movie about a 17-years-old young girl who has to deal with a pregnancy that wasn’t planned and that she doesn’t want
A movie about girl power, without much glamour, just girls doing what has to be done
A quiet but intense movie

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,6
Metascore 9,2
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,8
IMDB 7,2
Average critics 8,9
Average public 7,0

Cast: Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin
Director: Eliza Hittman
Writer: Eliza Hittman
Cinematographer: Hélène Louvart
Editor: Scott Cummings
Composer: Julia Holter

“The Half Of It” by Alice Wu (2020)

Great script, humor, and direction (8)
Excellent dialogues and content (gender + minorities) (9)

A clever mix between a high school romance, a bullied Chinese nerd, lesbian love, and Rostand’s Cyrano’s triangular relationship transposed today, with lots of film and literature references… Makes Fred Schepisi’s Roxanne (1987) suddenly age overnight 🙂
Alice Wu’s second feature, the first one Saving Face was made in 2004.

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,6
Metascore 7,5
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience —
IMDB 7,2
Average critics 7,5
Average public 7,2

Cast: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Collin Chou, Wolfgang Novogratz
Director: Alice Wu
Writer: Alice Wu
Cinematographer: Greta Zozula
Editor: Lee Percy, Ian Blume
Composer: Anton Sanko

“Live Twice Love Once” by Maria Ripoll (2019)

2019 was a good year!

Good personages, humor, direction and images (8)
Excellent script (9)

An excellent script in which all aspects, even the most insignificant ones, play their role
Good performances

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 5,4
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,0
IMDB 7,2
Average critics 5,4
Average public 7,6

Cast: Oscar Martínez, Inma Cuesta, Mafalda Carbonell
Director: Maria Ripoll
Writer: María Mínguez
Music by Arnau Bataller
Cinematography by Núria Roldos
Film Editing by Nacho Ruiz Capillas

“Booksmart” by Olivia Wilde (2019)

2019 was a good year!

First Feature

Good personages, dialogues, direction and content (8)

Begins just like any other high-school movie, but the surprises pile up quickly
Fun!

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 8,3
Metascore 8,4
Roger Ebert 10,0
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,0
IMDB 7,2
Average critics 8,9
Average public 7,6

Cast: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Mason Gooding, Skyler Gisondo, Victoria Ruesga, Billie Lourd, Molly Gordon, Jason Sudeikis
Director: Olivia Wilde
Writers: Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katie Silberman
Cinematographer: Jason McCormick
Editor: Jamie Gross
Composer: Dan Nakamura

“Sword of Trust” by Lynn Shelton (2019)

2019 was a good year!

Good dialogues and direction (8)
Excellent personages (9)

Entertaining movie on a timely subject: fake news or the post-truth era
Great personages

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,4
Metascore 7,0
Roger Ebert 6,3
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,8
IMDB 6,2
Average critics 6,9
Average public 6,5

Cast: Marc Maron, Jon Bass, Michaela Watkins, Jillian Bell, Toby Huss, Dan Bakkedahl, Lynn Shelton
Director: Lynn Shelton
Writer: Lynn Shelton, Michael Patrick O’Brien
Cinematographer: Jason Oldak
Editor: Tyler L. Cook

“Wild Nights With Emily” by Madeleine Olnek (2019)

2019 was a good year!

Good script, humor and content (8)
Excellent dialogues (9)
Top personages (10)

The chaotic cuts and use of music make it sometimes difficult to follow, but what a
pleasure to be immersed in Dickinson’s life through her writings!

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,3
Metascore 7,4
Roger Ebert 8,8
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 6,6
IMDB 5,9
Average critics 7,8
Average public 6,3

Cast:  Molly Shannon, Amy Seimetz, Susan Ziegler, Brett Gelman, Kevin Seal
Director: Madeleine Olnek
Writer: Madeleine Olnek
Cinematographer: Anna Stypko
Editor: Anthony Clemente, Lee Eaton

“Little Joe” by Jessica Hausner (2019)

2019 was a good year!

Excellent direction and images (9)
Top music (10)

A movie about the consequences of genetically modifying our environment
Bold visual and musical combination, very special score by Teiji Ito

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,4
Metascore 6,0
Roger Ebert 5,0
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 5,8
IMDB 5,9
Average critics 5,8
Average public 5,9

Cast: Emily Beecham, Ben Whishaw, Kerry Fox, Sebastian Hülk, Goran Kostić
Director: Jessica Hausner
Screenplay: Géraldine Bajard
Writer: Jessica Hausner
Director of Photography: Martin Gschlacht
Editor: Karina Ressler

“Troop Zero” by Bert & Bertie (2019)

2019 was a good year!

First feature

Good personages, dialogues, humor and direction (8)
Excellent content (9)

 A girl who pees in her bed, a ‘fat’ latina, a black rebel, a boy who’s half a girl, a girl who lost one eye… a broad spectrum of minorities who have to compete against the norm (= ‘normal’ children) 

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 6,5
Metascore 5,9
Roger Ebert 6,3
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 8,2
IMDB 6,9
Average critics 6,2
Average public 7,6

Cast: Viola Davis, Mckenna Grace, Allison Janney, Milan Ray, Jim Gaffigan, Mike Epps, Ashley Brooke, Johanna Colón, Charlie Shotwell
Director: Bert, Bertie
Writer: Lucy Alibar
Cinematographer: James Whitaker
Editor: Catherine Haight
Composer: Rob Lord

“Last Ferry” by Jaki Bradley (2019)

2019 was a good year!

First Feature

Good script, personages, dialogues, direction, images and content (8)

Elliptic but well constructed story, emotionally interesting; good dialogues

IMDB 7,1

Cast: Ramon O. Torres, Myles Clohessy, Gabriel Sloyer
Director: Jaki Bradley
Writer: Ramon O. Torres
Music by Jim Brunberg, Benjamin Landsverk
Cinematography by Alexa Wolf
Film Editing by Ramon O. Torres, Nadia Zoe

“The Luzhin Defence” by Marleen Gorris (2000)

A Tribute to Marleen Gorris (4/5)

Good script, personages, direction, images, and content (8)

Good performances

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 5,9
Metascore 6,4
Roger Ebert 6,3
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,2
IMDB 6,9
Average critics 6,2
Average public 7,1

Cast: Emily Watson, John Turturro, Geraldine James, Stuart Wilson
Directed by Marleen Gorris
Written by Peter Berry
Based On The Novel by Vladimir Nabokov
Music by Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography by Bernard Lutic
Film Editing by Michiel Reichwein

“Last Ferry” by Jaki Bradley (2019)

Week of First Features

Good script, personages, dialogues, direction, images and content (8)

Elliptic but well constructed story, emotionally interesting; good dialogues

Rotten Tomatoes Critics —
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience —
IMDB 7,1

Cast: Ramon O. Torres, Myles Clohessy, Gabriel Sloyer
Director: Jaki Bradley
Writer: Ramon O. Torres
Music by Jim Brunberg, Benjamin Landsverk
Cinematography by Alexa Wolf
Film Editing by Ramon O. Torres, Nadia Zoe

“Swept From The Sea” by Beeban Kidron (1997)

Movies of the ’90s

Good dialogues, music and content (8)
Excellent direction (9)
Top images (10)

A movie made some 20 years before the so-called refugee crisis of today and that shows that, then as now, immigrants are only acceptable when they are… dead!
Appreciated by the public, but not so by the critics

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 5,1
Metascore —
Roger Ebert 5,0
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,8
IMDB 6,8
Average critics 5,1
Average public 7,3

Cast: Rachel Weisz, Vincent Perez, Ian McKellen, Kathy Bates, Joss Ackland
Directed by Beeban Kidron
Written by Tim Willocks
Music by John Barry
Cinematography by Dick Pope
Film Editing by Alex Mackie, Andrew Mondshein

“Great Moments in Aviation” by Beeban Kidron (1994)

Movies of the ’90s

Good dialogues, direction, images, music, and content (8)

A black female lead in a predominantly white cast (see the poster!)
A very agreeable movie with lots of surprises
The last scenes probably meant to reconcile all the facets of the film were not really necessary

Rotten Tomatoes Critics —
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience —
IMDB 6,5
Average critics —
Average public 6,5

Cast: Rakie Ayola, Vanessa Redgrave, John Hurt, Jonathan Pryce
Director: Beeban Kidron
Writer: Jeanette Winterson
Music by Rachel Portman
Cinematography by Remi Adefarasin
Film Editing by John Stothart

“The Taste Of Others” (Le Goût des Autres) by Agnes Jaoui (2000)

The films of Agnès Jaoui (1/4)

First Feature

Good personages, content (8)
Excellent script, direction (9)

A good comedy about how we all are victims and sources of prejudice
Another underlying aspect shows the complex relationship artists have with success, which sharply contrasts with how an industrial relates to it.
“One of the delights of “The Taste of Others” is that it is so smart and wears its intelligence lightly.” [Roger Ebert]

Rotten Tomatoes Critics 7,9
Metascore 7,8
Roger Ebert 7,5
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 7,8
IMDB 7,2
Average critics 7,7
Average public 7,5

Cast: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Anne Alvaro, Christiane Millet, Agnes Jaoui, Gerard Lanvin
Directed by Agnes Jaoui
Written by Agnes Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Bacri
Music by Jean-Charles Jarrel
Cinematography by Laurent Dailland
Film Editing by Hervé de Luze