Author: Amelie Lasker

Amelie Lasker joined FF2 Media in early 2016 after graduating from Columbia University where she studied English and history. She has written plays and had readings for Columbia’s student-written theatre company Nomads, edited the blog for Columbia’s film journal Double Exposure, and worked on film crews and participated in workshops at Columbia University Film Productions. She spent junior year abroad at Cambridge University, where she had many opportunities for student playwrights to see their work produced. 

FINDING YOUR FEET (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker

Co-written by Meg Leonard, Finding Your Feetfollows Sandra (Imelda Staunton) when her husband of thirty-five years leaves her for a mutual friend. Lost and heartbroken, Sandra moves in with her adventurous and charming estranged sister Bif (Celia Imrie). It’s rare to see a movie with a cast of characters who are almost entirely retirement age or older, and it’s even rarer to see these characters portrayed in full depth. What results is a fun and poignant development on romantic comedy. (AEL: 4/5)

TOMB RAIDER (2018): Review by Amelie Lasker

“Lara Croft” (Alicia Vikander) leaves her home in London in search of the island off the coast of Japan where her father disappeared seven years ago. In an ensuing action-adventure story that soon expands far beyond her family, Lara’s bravery and stubbornness are tested over and over again. (AEL: 3/5)

ITZHAK (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker

Alison Chernick’s documentary Itzhak celebrates the life and work of world-renowned violinist and teacher Itzhak Perlman. With glimpses into Itzhak’s married life, Jewish heritage, and warm circle of friends, Itzhak is a charming portrait of a beloved musician. (AEL: 4/5)

WEREWOLF (2016): Review by Amelie Lasker

The debut film from writer and director Ashley McKenzie, Werewolf is the story of “Nessa” (Bhreagh MacNeil) and “Blaise” (Andrew Gillis), who are trying to get through a methadone program and to escape their small town. The film is at many times hard to watch, but its nuanced character development makes it a story worth telling. (AEL: 4.5/5)

THE OPERA HOUSE (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker

In documentary The Opera House, writer and director Susan Froemke tells the story of the Met Opera and the people who built it and love it. In this unexpectedly personal account, we get charming insights into opera stars’, house managers’ and executives’, and architects’ experiences. Froemke has created a fascinating picture of how art and humanity survive across time and place. (AEL: 4/5)

FOREVER MY GIRL (2018) Review by Amelie Lasker

Written and directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf, Forever My Girl tells the story of country music star “Liam Page” (Alex Roe). Tired of his fame and generally uninspired, Liam returns to the small, close-knit town in Louisiana that he abandoned abruptly years ago. While undoubtedly a romance, Forever My Girl is also a story of forgiveness, grief, and family. It’s a success of its genre. (AEL: 4/5)

MY ART (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker

When Ellie leaves her New York bubble of gallery shows and art students to housesit upstate for a summer, she is surprised by the discoveries she makes, in friendships and in artistic projects alike. With a casual pace and some particularly poignant and funny moments, My Art is a quiet enjoyment. (AEL: 3.5/5)

THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker

Written by Susan Coyne based on a book by Les Standiford, The Man Who Invented Christmas re-imagines the classic novel A Christmas Carol. Though not as full of fantasy and pathos as the original story of A Christmas Carol, Dickens’s personal journey makes for a charming Christmas movie. (AEL: 3.5/5)

COOK OFF! (2007): Review by Amelie Lasker

In the ensemble-mockumentary vein of 2000’s Best In Show, Cook Off! is a comedy about a cooking contest, in which a group of finalists compete for the million dollar prize. For a movie that depends on light wit, it doesn’t help that many of the jokes fall flat. (AEL: 2.5/5)

NOVITIATE (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker

A debut narrative feature from writer and director Margaret Betts, Novitiate explores the secret world of nuns and would-be nuns, and of what motivates their choice to stay in convents their entire adult lives. The movie is set in the the 1960s, when convents were dealing with the changes issued from the Pope, collectively called… Continue reading NOVITIATE (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker

HUMAN FLOW (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker

Linger on people as they walk, hold their young children, tell their stories, and often cry. It becomes incredibly difficult for the audience not to address their reactions to it. Empathy on this scale is only an ideal, but the documentarians of Human Flow make an impressive attempt at reaching it. (AEL: 5/5)

WOODSHOCK (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker

In Woodshock, written and directed by Kate and Laura Mulleavy, Theresa deals with the recent death of her ill mother. Her grief has a darker side to it: she helped her mother in suicide using some of the very materials she sells in her day job at a dispensary. Woodshock is a quiet psychological thriller, and it creates more mysteries for us than it resolves. (AEL: 4.5/5)

CHASING CORAL (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker

Co-written by Vickie Curtis and from Jeff Orlowski–director of the award-winning documentary Chasing Ice—Chasing Coral is an engagingly crafted climate exposé. The film has a focus on the ways in which climate scientists publicize the importance of their work. It follows coral and ocean scientists and documentarians as they record the bleaching and dying of… Continue reading CHASING CORAL (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker

THE REAGAN SHOW (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker

The Reagan Show–co-directed by Sierra Pettengill–documents President Reagan as he navigates the personal and public tensions of negotiations with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The filmmakers find a strange humor in their portrayal of Cold War politics. Composed almost completely of footage of Ronald Reagan taken within the White House and of news broadcasts from the… Continue reading THE REAGAN SHOW (2017): Review by Amelie Lasker

CEZANNE ET MOI (2016): Review by Amelie Lasker

Snippet. (AEL: x/5) Review by FF2 Intern Amelie Lasker with comments from FF2 Senior Contributor Stephanie Taylor Review. © Amelie E. Lasker (4/7/17) FF2 Media Q: Does Cézanne et Moi pass the Bechdel-Wallace Test?  Yes, but only technically… Emil Zola is the head of a large and fractious household. His mother “Emilie Zola” (Isabelle Candelier)… Continue reading CEZANNE ET MOI (2016): Review by Amelie Lasker

RADICAL GRACE

Editor’s Note: Seen at the 2016 Athena Film Festival. Follow this link for additional screening information. No theatrical release date has been announced yet for Radical Grace, but hopefully that will happen soon! ************************* Written and directed by debut documentary filmmaker Rebecca Parrish, Radical Grace tells the story of the US nuns who have been… Continue reading RADICAL GRACE