Women's Voices for Change

Women's Voices for Change is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Alexandra MacAaron, Cecilia Ford
Rating Title/Year Author
7/10 Sister Aimee (2019) Alexandra MacAaron Samantha Buck and Marie Schlingmann's new film "Sister Aimee" is, by their own admission, 94.5% imagination. What "Sister Aimee" does have in spades is a truly marvelous cast. EDIT
Posted Oct 15, 2019
9/10 Judy (2019) Alexandra MacAaron At once a celebration of an iconic star's courageous last stand and a cautionary tale about a brilliantly talented young girl whose childhood was stolen by an industry that eventually abandoned her. EDIT
Posted Oct 15, 2019
9/10 Downton Abbey (2019) Alexandra MacAaron If you were among the millions of fans who suffered Downton withdrawal, by all means get thee to your local cinema this weekend. Downton Abbey, the movie, is bigger, if not exactly better, than ever. EDIT
Posted Sep 17, 2019
5/10 Vita & Virginia (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Lovely to look at, and the content is interesting from both historical and literary perspectives. But, the relationship at its center is never quite as all-consuming as it should be. EDIT
Posted Sep 17, 2019
9/10 One Child Nation (2019) Alexandra MacAaron Wang was aware that she might face resistance and actual danger as she uncovered the truth about China's one-child policy - 35 brutal years of the country's history that it now seems determined to forget. EDIT
Posted Aug 30, 2019
5/10 Otherhood (2019) Alexandra MacAaron There are smart, mature, women-centric originals on streaming services. But, there are been duds too. For every shining OITNB, Handmaid's Tale, and Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, there's the other end of the spectrum. In this case, it's called Otherhood. EDIT
Posted Aug 26, 2019
9/10 Blinded by the Light (2019) Alexandra MacAaron Today, the U.S. faces renewed divisiveness and hate as it grapples with issues of immigration, racism, nationalism, and xenophobia. With this in mind, "Blinded by the Light," Chadha's exuberant new film, provides a most welcome respite. EDIT
Posted Aug 26, 2019
8/10 Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Thanks in large part to Pamela B. Green's lovely and loving film, Alice Guy-Blaché is no longer behind the scenes. She is front and center, exactly where she should have been for the past century. EDIT
Posted Jul 25, 2019
9/10 Maiden (2018) Alexandra MacAaron If "Equal Pay for Equal Play" is such a newsworthy issue in 2019, imagine how much more difficult it was for female athletes to be taken seriously 30 years ago. EDIT
Posted Jul 19, 2019
7/10 Ophelia (2018) Alexandra MacAaron The new costume drama 'Ophelia' tells the famous story from Hamlet's on-again, off-again girlfriend's point of view. And then it turns it on its head. EDIT
Posted Jul 12, 2019
9/10 Late Night (2019) Alexandra MacAaron 'Late Night' deals with more substantive topics, like diversity, the #MeToo movement (and what it means when the workplace aggressor is a woman and her targeted subordinate a man), and especially ageism. EDIT
Posted Jun 19, 2019
8/10 Booksmart (2019) Alexandra MacAaron 'Booksmart' is a funny, entertaining, and very smart celebration of the deep friendship between two academically gifted girls who decide to make up for four years of non-stop studying with one epic night of partying EDIT
Posted Jun 6, 2019
8/10 Rafiki (2018) Alexandra MacAaron 'Rafiki' is visually compelling, and the story it tells, although by no means unfamiliar, so engaging that it's easy to overlook the film's very fine performances. EDIT
Posted May 28, 2019
6/10 Wine Country (2019) Alexandra MacAaron The cast and creative team are tremendously smart and talented. There are wonderful moments, but as delightful as they are, they feel like individual skits rather than a cohesive whole. A very pleasant roadtrip that could have been funnier. EDIT
Posted May 21, 2019
7.5/10 Long Shot (2019) Alexandra MacAaron Female presidents of the United States may be in short supply (or, sadly, in no supply) in the real world, but they've become surprisingly common on screens big and small. EDIT
Posted May 16, 2019
9/10 Knock Down the House (2019) Alexandra MacAaron As 'Knock Down the House' argues so compellingly, the United States of America cannot be a government by and for the people unless people are willing to step up and make it so. EDIT
Posted May 7, 2019
7/10 Someone Great (2019) Alexandra MacAaron Although parts of the movie may make you happy not to be a twenty-something anymore, the firm friendship between the three girls is believable and refreshing. EDIT
Posted May 6, 2019
7/10 The Unicorn Store (2017) Alexandra MacAaron This wacky and whimsical modern-day fairy story marks the directorial debut of Oscar-winner Brie Larson. Disenchanted artist Kit moves back in with her parents. One day, she's offered a real unicorn, provided she creates a life and home worthy of one. EDIT
Posted May 6, 2019
7.5/10 Juanita (2019) Alexandra MacAaron The radiant Alfre Woodard stars as a woman who is fed up - with her unemployed grown children, dreary job at a nursing home, non-existent love life. She finally stands up for herself, forging unlikely new friendships in a new community. EDIT
Posted May 6, 2019
8/10 Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019) Alexandra MacAaron In addition to her unforgettable performance, Homecoming pays homage to the black experience, blending allusions to African American history while celebrating Beyoncé's triumph as the first black woman to headline Coachella. EDIT
Posted May 6, 2019
7.5/10 () Alexandra MacAaron If you appreciate TED Talks, you'll enjoy this feature-length version by Dr. Brené Brown, a professor, researcher, and author of 5 NYT bestsellers. She argues that in order to live a courageous life, we have to give ourselves permission to be vulnerable. EDIT
Posted May 6, 2019
7/10 The Chaperone (2018) Alexandra MacAaron 'The Chaperone' is a story about a woman who is changing alongside a changing country, making discoveries about herself in late middle age. EDIT
Posted May 6, 2019
8/10 Wild Nights With Emily (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Presented first as a stage piece, 'Wild Nights with Emily' is an entertaining, quirky, and terribly clever exercise in "What if . . .?" EDIT
Posted May 6, 2019
8.5/10 Diane (2018) Alexandra MacAaron 'Diane' is an unrelenting portrait of real life, with all of its challenges and sadness, friends and family, and the inescapable truth that whatever we do, we are all headed to the same place in the end. EDIT
Posted Apr 9, 2019
8/10 The Invisibles (2017) Alexandra MacAaron 'The Invisibles' is a movie filled with compassion and bravery. We are left admiring the wherewithal of four brave young people who defied the odds and lived, as well as the generosity of friends, family and strangers who helped them. EDIT
Posted Mar 8, 2019
9/10 Capernaum (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Calling it a "good film" seems incongruous, given the tragic subject matter. But other words come to mind: wondrous, stunning, strangely and irrationally beautiful. A movie that forces you to see the invisible children on the fringe of society. EDIT
Posted Feb 12, 2019
8/10 Egg (2018) Alexandra MacAaron "Egg" is a film that will likely be appreciated by women more than men. (Not that the reverse ever stopped Hollywood from making a movie.) The entire film centers around women's choices and changing identities. EDIT
Posted Jan 29, 2019
6/10 State Like Sleep (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Katherine (Katherine Waterston) has woven a rich, complicated story to make up for her husband's seemingly random act of self-destruction. She's blocked the emotional fallout of her husband's death. Now, she's determined to face it. EDIT
Posted Jan 22, 2019
7.5/10 Rust Creek (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Many exploitive movies feature female victims who turn the table on their attackers. These often feel more like male fantasies than tales of true female empowerment. 'Rust Creek' is different. EDIT
Posted Jan 22, 2019
9/10 Nothing Like a Dame (2018) Alexandra MacAaron The premise sounds like a bit of a snore. Four octogenarians get together at a quiet country estate. They have tea in the garden, then go into the house when it starts raining. The end. There's very little action. But there's plenty of drama. EDIT
Posted Jan 2, 2019
7.5/10 On the Basis of Sex (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Ginsburg, affectionately dubbed "the Notorious RBG," has become a living legend of late. Nothing, it seems, from broken ribs to cancer, keeps her from her job. But, every legend needs a beginning. This is it. EDIT
Posted Jan 2, 2019
8/10 Roma (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Shot in black and white (Cuarón served as cinematographer as well as writer and director), it's an intense memory piece, dealing with the challenging subjects of class, race, and gender, in an evolving country without preaching or even taking a side. EDIT
Posted Jan 2, 2019
8/10 Mary Poppins Returns (2018) Alexandra MacAaron The long-anticipated Mary Poppins Returns may not quite live up to Disney's 1964 classic. But if you're looking for a reason to smile for two hours and ten minutes (which do fly by), you can't do much better. EDIT
Posted Jan 2, 2019
9/10 Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) Alexandra MacAaron In recent years, we've seen a number of anti-heroes, but it's rare to have an anti-heroine. Lee is an unlikely heroine, to say the very least. And, as Lee, Melissa McCarthy is simply marvelous. EDIT
Posted Nov 13, 2018
8/10 All About Nina (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Eva Vives has made an important and powerful film, against some odds. She's a woman and Hispanic. She refused to make Nina "nicer." It isn't surprising that funding was hard to come by. EDIT
Posted Nov 10, 2018
9/10 What They Had (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Elizabeth Chomko and her stellar cast have created a particularly tender film about a terrible disease. EDIT
Posted Nov 10, 2018
7.5/10 Love, Gilda (2018) Alexandra MacAaron 'Love, Gilda' is finely crafted, interesting, and entertaining. It's well worth seeing, but will leave you wanting more. EDIT
Posted Oct 9, 2018
8/10 Kusama: Infinity (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Yayoi Kusama waited most of her life for the recognition, fame, and fortune that she sought when she first came to New York in 1958. Today, at age 89, she is the top-selling female artist in the world. EDIT
Posted Sep 26, 2018
9/10 The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018) Alexandra MacAaron The film is a powerful protest against any dogma (in this case, fundamental Christian) that is quick to brand people and their behavior as either righteous or sinful. EDIT
Posted Sep 6, 2018
9/10 The Wife (2017) Alexandra MacAaron "Behind every great man there's a great woman?" In this case, it would be more apt to say, "Behind every great man there's a far greater woman who has given up who she was and what she did to ensure his greatness." EDIT
Posted Sep 6, 2018
8/10 Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Delightful is the perfect way to describe 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.' And, with everything going on in the world today, you could do worse than devoting two hours to being delighted. EDIT
Posted Jul 25, 2018
7/10 Whitney (2018) Alexandra MacAaron A powerful reminder of Houston's beautiful voice and tragic end. But, a late-in-the-game accusation shamelessly provides new tabloid fodder, and oversimplifies her very complicated journey of self-destruction. EDIT
Posted Jul 17, 2018
7/10 Boundaries (2018) Alexandra MacAaron The writing is smart and funny, the scenery along the Pacific coast is glorious, and the performances are all topnotch. It was a labor of love for the director, and her close connection to the material is apparent. EDIT
Posted Jul 11, 2018
9.5/10 Leave No Trace (2018) Alexandra MacAaron A quiet movie filled with heart and hope. Will Debra Granik make us wait another eight years for her next narrative film? I certainly hope not. EDIT
Posted Jul 3, 2018
9/10 Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018) Alexandra MacAaron This touching tribute to Fred Rogers, the world's most unlikely celebrity, left many audience members in my local indie movie house (this reviewer included) smiling through tears. EDIT
Posted Jun 19, 2018
8/10 Ocean's 8 (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Ocean's 8 passes the Bechdel Test. Yes, it tells us, it's possible for a group of smart and talented women to come together for a reason other than men. This is progress. (It may involve criminal activity on an epic scale, but it's still progress.) EDIT
Posted Jun 12, 2018
8/10 Tiny Shoulders, Rethinking Barbie (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Has a piece of plastic even been so politically charged? No, argues filmmaker Andrea Blaugrund Nevins in this interesting and entertaining documentary. EDIT
Posted Jun 5, 2018
6.5/10 Book Club (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Watching these four phenomenal leading ladies put their all into the film is a rare and wonderful treat. However, the script isn't worthy of them. But maybe it will open the door for more (and better) movies with older actresses. EDIT
Posted May 29, 2018
8.5/10 Tully (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Cody and Reitman have really broken ground with their portrayal of motherhood here. It isn't soft-focused and sacred, but neither is it laugh-out-loud funny. In Tully, motherhood is messy and noisy and difficult as hell. EDIT
Posted May 10, 2018
4/10 I Feel Pretty (2018) Alexandra MacAaron Toward the movie's end, Schumer's Renee delivers a powerful speech about women feeling confident in their own skin. But, she's doing so in order to sell cosmetics. So much for finding the beauty within. EDIT
Posted Apr 24, 2018