 | THE HOT PINK PEN is an advocate for women directors & screenwriters, creative filmmakers who are generally overlooked by the mainstream media. Even when their work is noticed, however, it's often misunderstood &/or rudely demeaned. THE HOT PINK PEN is now here to right these wrongs, & help women (& men) in audiences everywhere find wonderful films by women filmmakers. THE HOT PINK PEN: |
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Jan loved this swoon-inducing romance about star-crossed lovers living in a Twin-Peaksy town in the Pacific Northwest made extra moody by Carter Burwell’’s great soundtrack. Sure, so Edward’’s a “vampire,” but this isn”t a film about fangs & blood, it’’s about feeling overwhelmed by new passions dimly understood. Not yet seen by Rich. Click HERE for FF2 haiku.
23.Oct.09 
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Three years ago Kimberly Rivers Roberts was a young Black chick long on aspirations but short on opportunities. Then she came into miraculous possession of a video camera mere days before Katrina hit her New Orleans neighborhood, & it gave her unexpected courage to not only survive but prevail. Doc captures astounding “facts on the ground.” Bravo! Click HERE for FF2 haiku.
23.Oct.09 Reviews: T Read more Comments (0)
Spectacular performance by Del Toro with strong back-up from supporting cast somewhat undone by Berry, who doesn”t have sufficient intensity to hold the center as a widow coping with the violent death of her slightly too-perfect husband (Duchovny). Del Toro’’s an addict shaken clean by events. Click HERE for FF2 haiku.
16.Oct.09 Reviews: T Read more Comments (0)
April’’s biological clock is ticking so loud that she’’s unable to attend to almost anything else in her life, but by film’’s end she’’s learned to broaden her view of parenthood & open herself to genuine Tikun Olam. Hunt directs herself in lead role, eliciting warm performances from her very strong cast. Click HERE for FF2 haiku.
16.Oct.09 Reviews: T Read more Comments (0)
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Trouble the Water is the story of an aspiring rap artist named Kimberly Rivers Roberts who just happened to buy herself a cheap camcorder one day. According to the press kit, her intentions were totally mundane (“recording birthday parties and family moments”), although I suspect she had hopes of learning to use it professionally as well. But whatever she was thinking the day she bought it, the fact is that Kim had her camcorder at the ready just as storm clouds started building over New Orleans on August 28, 2005, and having the power to capture images of her reality helped turn Kim into Superwoman…
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03.Sep.08 Reviews: T Read more Comments (0)
Pen’s Points: cccc
Click here to download my FWA review as a pdf.
Éliane Weiss (Emmanuelle Devos) is just the kind of person you’d expect to see window shopping on a fashionable street in Paris. She’s a stylish woman in her early ‘40s, certainly attractive if not quite “a beauty.” Although devoted to her family, Éliane is a warm and affectionate elementary school teacher by day, and she also enjoys nights out with her gal pals. This is the woman she shows to the public; this is the Éliane everyone has known for years…
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27.Aug.08 Events: Metro Chicago Only, Events: Khaverot v' Khaverim, Reviews: T Read more Comment (1)
Preposterous plot (involving mysterious hospital bills) weighs down a number of excellent performances in this coming-of-age drama set on a small Nebraska family farm. Burrus is particularly moving as “Tully Senior,” a quiet man who hides his deep emotions under rigidly fixed habits. The sun shines when he finally smiles. More on TULLY.
07.Jan.08 Reviews: T Read more Comments (0)
August, 1984: Deborah Sykes goes missing. Winston-Salem police zero in on a black man, Darryl Hunt, who is quickly arrested, convicted, & imprisoned for life. It takes 20 years for North Carolina authorities to exonerate & release him. Compelling story, but the telling is too linear, literal & plodding. More on THE TRIALS OF DARRYL HUNT.
07.Jan.08 Reviews: T Read more Comments (0)
Probably sensing that this was her one shot as a lead, Kavner (“Brenda Morgenstern,” “Marge Simpson”) hits a homerun in this dramedy about a divorced mother of two who wants to be a stand-up comedienne. Mathis also shines as her teenage daughter. Ephron makes important points with wit and warmth. More on THIS IS MY LIFE.
07.Jan.08 Reviews: T Read more Comments (0)
Two out-of-control L.A. teens drink & shoplift, then experiment with drugs & sex, while their bewildered parents/guardians, obsessed with problems of their own & watching from the outside, try to figure out what’s “normal” for today’s adolescents. Hunter’s particularly impressive & both girls are strong, but Jan wanted more backstory. More on THIRTEEN.
07.Jan.08 Reviews: T Read more Comments (0)
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