Doodles and Doings

 Well summer is drawing to a close with fall fast-approaching. And I have some exciting news to share.

 As I've previously mentioned, our friend Jenny Checcia has had her first book of poetry published. Along with being filled with striking and tender poems, this touching tome (titled The Bridge) is peppered with some awe-inspiring artwork - including some doodles by yours truly.  

To promote the book's release, Jenny and I participated in a quirky Q&A that you can view here.

The Bridge is now available in paperback, and all proceeds will go to the starvation-fighting charity The Hunger Project. You can buy it now at JennyCheccia.com. 

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In other news, Critical Mob has also posted my contributor profile, and there you can find all of the reviews I've done for them thus far, including my latest - a positive review for Gus Van Sant's rough-around-the-edges romance, Restless.  

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And over at the Film Stage, I recently had the good fortune to interview Anne Sewitsky, the director of a Norwegian comedy that I absolutely adored called Happy Happy. (Read my review here.)

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In the coming weeks -- aside from some editorial projects that are still hush-hush -- I'll be covering NYFF (the New York Film Festival), taking in films that have drawn notice at Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, and Venice.

Of course, you easily can keep up with all my reviews by following me on Twitter.

One Day and Internet Fame

So it's been an absulutely crazy week. 

Last Thursday I showed Jordan Raup Editor-In-Chief of The Film Stage a piece I'd written on Lone Scherfig's One Day. He was wholly supportive and after some brainstorming we came up with a fitting title:

Why 'One Day' is the Most Toxic Romance of the Year. 

Not a review but a feminist evisceration of the film's offensively sexist themes, we posted immediately and the article quickly drew notice -- much to my surprise and delight.

On Friday, the feminist pop culture blog Jezebel asked for permission to republish the piece there. With Jordan and my approval, it was up by Friday night, which as a big Jez fan was very exciting. Through the weekend it was consistently their most popular post, with upwards of 250 people reading it at any given moment. Their message board and ours lit up with impassioned arguments and discussions ranging from sexism in film to the value of film criticism. By now over 52,000 people have viewed the piece, and I've lost track of all the twitter accounts, blogs and tumblr accounts that have reposted 'Why...' in parts or included links.

But here are some of the highlights I've found:

• Healthkicker used my piece as a springboard to discuss the bigger issue of sexism in chick flicks. 
• Both Feminist Film and Cineboobs reposted my article's opening with a link to Jezebel - which links to The Film Stage.
• On MSN film critic extraordinaire Kate Erbland referenced and linked my article which she said showed "deep complexity and thought."
•  CNN's film critic Mark Rabinowitz fervently defended my piece and my chosen vocation in a heated thread of the Film Stage's comment board.
• Guardian journalist Hadley Freeman tweeted my article to her 5,000 followers!
• And perhaps you're not truly viral until Oh No They Didn't republishes -- without permission and without a byline.(Here one of the more rewarding comment strings were a series of people who remarked they were surprised they read the whole lengthy piece on a film they never planned to see.)

 Overall, I'm in awe of the response to this article, which began as an enraged journal entry. The outpouring of passion, support, praise and defense that has come from friends, family, colleagues and total strangers has been overwhelming and deeply humbling. I'm glad to see that an issue that means so much to me has struck such a chord, and I want to thank all of you who have read my piece, commented on it, shared it or linked it. This has been an extraordinary experience.


And lastly, I'd like to thank my husband and partner in crime, Zach Symons, who encouraged me that this was an argument worth perusing with humor and vigor.

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If you find anymore surprising/exciting links to my piece, please do share!

I'm a published illustrator now. *

Recently my friend, talented writer Jenny Checchia, asked me to contribute some of my sketches to her first book 'The Bridge,' a collection of poetry whose proceeds will go to the hunger-fighting charity The Hunger Project. I gamely sent off an array of doodles (many created with Crayolas) for her to choose from, and three (of my favorites)have made the final cut!

 'The Bridge' is currently available in its Kindle Edition at Amazon and Barnes and Noble for only $5! 

The paperback edition will hit online stores in September. Get your copy today. 

*To be clear this image is not my work - you have to buy the book for mine.

Shamefully Delayed Update

Hey gang.

So, it's been nearly five months since I've given any kind of updates on this page. And the simple reason is we've been pleasantly swamped!

Zach's been busy on sets for projects we're to keep mum on at present, and I've been tearing it up cutting shorts, and writing all kinds of film-related features.

But here's what I can share:

Over at The Film Stage, we've started a new column called Now Streaming, which I curate. Each week, the Film Stagers check out what's hitting theaters that weekend, and seek out corresponding features you can enjoy at home on Netflix's streaming service. If you're like me their Instant Watch selection can be overwhelming, so let us help you cut through the clutter.

Aside from being the unofficial Senior Hunger Games Correspondent, and arguing that Jeff Bridges'beard deserves an Oscar, I've had the opportunity to review some wonderfully wild films. Some of my favorites so far:

Earthwork : The underseen gem of a biopic

Win Win : Tom McCarthy's winsome small town drama


Happy Happy : The daffy Norwegian comedy reminiscent of the Coen Bros.

Troll Hunter :The devilishly droll Norwegian adventure - which is currently in theaters!

Orgasm Inc. : The shocking doc about the big bad Pharma industry

Marwencol : The bittersweet doc about the healing power of art


I Saw the Devil : The deeply creepy Korean revenge thriller 

Also, I singled out some great Valentine's Day viewing for lovers and haters alike, took the Weinstein's to task for re-cutting The King's Speech, and had the thrilling opportunity to converse with How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor about his directorial debut, Happythankyoumoreplease, which I adored [My review, plus the interview Part One; Part Two]

Then a few months back, I also became a film critic for Critical Mob, a super chic discovery site that features capsule reviews, then provides a wide range of recommendations across all forms of media. For a taste of its greatness, check out my reviews for Super 8 and Bridesmaids.

(Zach & I also hit our third wedding anniversary somewhere in there.)

Okay. So I think that's puts us up to date. Whew! I'll try to keep up on site maintenance, but you can also keep up with me on Twitter!

The Film Stage: The Best of Dec/Jan

Yikes! It's been a busy couple of months, here's some highlights from my Film Stage work:

I've been penning a weekly column breaking down the Spirit Award nominees.

Put together a rainbow of reading suggestions for your holidays travels.

Revealed my top 10 films of 2010.

Lamented the oddity of film marketing.

And laid out my favorite picks for The Hunger Games.

As ever keep up with me @ The Film Stage or on Twitter.