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‘The Janes’: Inspiring Documentary about Pre-Roe/ProRoe Activism

Directors Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes mix archival footage from the 1960’s with modern-day interviews in The Janes, thereby creating an illuminating and extremely topical documentary. The Jane Collective was a group of Chicago women who provided care to thousands of women in the years immediately prior to the Roe versus Wade decision of 1972.… read more.

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POTUS on Broadway: Chaos. Comedy. Seven Women Doing It All!

You clean up his messes, you make excuses, you do his job, and then you wake up and do it all over again.

Women with brilliant comedic timing take center stage in the current Broadway hit POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. This raucously relevant play reminds us of the work required behind-the-scenes to ensure that America’s POTUS – aka the President of the United States – appears in total self-control at all times (especially on camera).… read more.

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Growing Up is a Beast in Domee Shi’s ‘Turning Red’

When 13-year-old Meilin Lee gets too emotional, she suddenly finds herself inhabiting the body of a giant red panda. EEK! This first feature-length film by Pixar director Domee Shi – winner of the Oscar for Best Animated Short of 2019 for the beloved film Bao – earns a solid rating of 4.5 for its universal message coupled with the beauty of its animation.… read more.

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Julie Benko Triumphs as Standby Fanny Brice in ‘Funny Girl’

Since the official opening of the long-awaited Broadway revival of Funny Girl on April 24th – the first Broadway revival of Funny Girl ever after over fifty years – the theatre community has spent significant energy debating Beanie Feldstein’s performance as Fanny Brice (the starring role).

Guest Post by Mara Sandroff

Beanie has the mixed blessing of following BARBRA STREISAND – one of the world’s most legendary performers – who shot into the entertainment stratosphere like a rocket when she was nominated for a Tony as Fanny in 1964 (Bab’s first starring role on Broadway), and then won an Oscar in the film adaptation of Funny Girl in 1969 (Bab’s very first Big Screen performance).… read more.

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‘Down in the Delta’: Maya Angelou’s Legacy Includes This Timeless Gem

Maya Angelou’s directorial debut, Down in the Delta (1998), tells a story of the Sinclair family’s history (in the tumultuous past) and solidarity (in the treacherous present). Under her insightful direction, every member of the large shines. (SAT: 4.5/5)

Maya Angelou’s directorial debut, Down in the Delta (1998) opens in a poor Chicago neighborhood where Rosa Lynn (Mary Alice) does her best to care for her drug-addicted daughter Loretta (Alfre Woodard).read more.

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Sexy, Terrifying Film from Boy Harsher with a Killer Soundtrack

The Runner is a short experimental film. It’s worth watching if you’re into nebulous horror, gory makeup effects, MTV’s behind-the-scenes features, or the eighties as a general vibe. It’s also an album, with the added nomer (Original Soundtrack), by dark synth-pop duo Boy Harsher, comprised of vocalist Jae Matthews and producer Augustus “Gus” Muller.… read more.

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