Reviews of movies and TV focused on women
Forget and Forgive is a 2014 Canadian film about a cop with amnesia. It stars Elisabeth Röhm, Tygh Runyan, Neil Napier, and Vivien Endicott Douglas.
Detective Anne Walker (Elisabeth Röhm) is in the middle of a murder investigation when she is attacked and left for dead because she won’t reveal the location of a witness to the crime. Continue reading “Review: Forget and Forgive”
Joy stars Jennifer Lawrence, with Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Edgar Ramirez, Isabella Rossellini, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Elisabeth Röhm and Dascha Polanco. We’ve seen the names Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro together in films before and it has meant Oscar nominations for Jennifer Lawrence when we do. This film is her 3rd with director David O. Russell.
I’m not sure we need to know much beside the pedigree listed in the first paragraph, but here’s the synopsis for the film:
Joy is the wild story of a family across four generations centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love, pave the road in this intense emotional and human comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise facing a world of unforgiving commerce. Allies become adversaries and adversaries become allies, both inside and outside the family, as Joy’s inner life and fierce imagination carry her through the storm she faces.
Joy tries to teach her children humility. “Don’t ever thing the world owes you anything because it doesn’t,” she says. “The world doesn’t owe you a thing.”
We need more of this attitude in the world today. There doesn’t seem to be a shred of humility anywhere in the United States. In the film Joy overcomes insurmountable obstacles to become the founder of a family empire.
The film is loosely based on the real-life Joy Mangano, who appears regularly on the Home Shopping Network selling items as like the “JOY FleXassage™ Body Massager Pillow with Neck Massager” and her Huggable Hangers, which are HSN’s all-time most popular product.
The story was written by Annie Mumolo and David O. Russell.
Look for it in theaters on Christmas day.
Today I celebrate two intelligent, talented, and inspiring actresses who have starring roles in two new TNT pilots.
Jennifer Beals will be in Proof, which is described as a supernatural medical drama. Beals will play a surgeon. The executive producer is Kyra Sedgwick.
Julia Stiles will star in Guilt by Association. This story is based on a book by former prosecutor Marcia Clark. Stiles plays a Deputy DA in the LA County District Attorney’s office. Rose Rollins and Elisabeth Röhm are also in the cast.
I love this news from TNT. I love that new shows are developed that star such awesome women. I love that they are coming from a cable network. I can’t wait to see both of the pilots and hope the shows are picked up for many happy seasons with Jennifer Beals and Julia Stiles at the helm.
Doing the happy dance over the possibility of two more female lead dramas on my TV each week.
