Booksmart Review -Olivia Wilde Gets An A+

Do you remember High School? What was your experience like? Do you have fond memories? Do you have painful memories? Did you spend most of your time studying or partying? Or did you do both? If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

We all have our own regrets when it comes to High School. Some of us wish we spent more time studying. And some of us wish we spent more time partying. The latter is how Molly (Beanie Feldstein) feels in “Booksmart”, the directorial debut of Olivia Wilde that just came out in theaters over the weekend.

Molly and her best friend since childhood Amy (Kaitlyn Denver) were both over-achievers in High School. They spent their free time in the library as opposed to parties. For years, they both believed that spending 100% of their free time studying would put them ahead of the rest of their fellow students, and into prestigious universities like Yale. That is, until the last day of High School when Molly finds out that even though she is going to a prestigious university, so is everyone else in High School apparently! Including the ones who partied! Molly realizes she and Amy could have been one of the “cool” kids and still been able to succeed in academia. They could have had their cake and eaten it too. But instead, they only had the cake and let it sit there for all the other high schoolers to eat.

Molly decides that she and Amy should spend their last night before Graduation going to the end-of-School-year party held by Nick (Mason Gooding), a boy she has a crush on. 

I won’t tell you what happens next. Even though you may be thinking “it’s a teen comedy! Most of them are pretty formulaic and generally have the same ending!” And you’re not entirely wrong. But in the case of “Booksmart”, it’s not about the destination, it’s the journey. A wacky, crazy, insane, hilarious, and heartwarming journey.

“Booksmart” is the funniest movie I’ve seen all year so far. And possibly the funniest movie I’ve seen all decade next to “Bridesmaids”. The characters were all memorable, layered, and believable. The script by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman was sharp, witty, and authentic. That last word, “authentic”, is what I would use to describe this movie. “Authentic”. This is one off the most “authentic” movies about High School. Anyone who has gone to High School can relate to this movie. And if you spent time in High School studying instead of partying and wish you could have partied more, you can easily identify with Amy and Molly.

Amy and Molly have the best onscreen friendship I’ve seen in a long time. Both Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein have this natural chemistry. You believe they’ve been friends since childhood. This is the perfect movie to see with your best friend.

I mentioned how this movie is “authentic”. Not just in its portrayal of High School, but also LGBTQ lifestyle. Amy, played by Kaitlyn Dever, is a Lesbian who has a crush on Ryan (Victoria Ruesga), a tomboy. When Amy finds out Ryan will also be at Nick’s party, she decided to join her friend Molly in going there. 

What I love about how the movie’s portrayal of Amy’s homosexuality is how normal it treats it. It’s not a huge part of her arc. Yes, she is trying to get together with a girl she has feelings for, and is hoping she too is a lesbian. But her homosexuality is not something she’s keeping to herself. She states right at the beginning of the movie she’s into women, and the movie just accepts it. Her parents, (played by the brilliant Lisa Kudrow and Will Forte who both need to be in more movies!) don’t even seem to mind! Amy’s feelings for another girl is treated with the same normalcy and genuine emotion as any heterosexual’s feelings in a movie. I wish more movies would portray LGBTQ relationships this way. 

The cast in this movie could not be more perfect. The standout for me was Billie Lourd as the drug-crazed Gigi. She steals every scene she’s in! She’s eccentric, strange, and captivating. In my humble opinion, she needs an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Gigi gets Amy and Molly into these drugs that leads to this drug trip that is easily the funniest scene in the movie! I won’t dare spoil it for you!

Jason Sudeikis (Olivia Wilde’s husband) gets many of the funniest lines in the movie as the principal of Amy and Molly’s high school.

I could go on and on. I could gush about this movie all day long. And you will too once you see it. As someone who recently finished college, “Booksmart” resonated with me. Not just with my memories of High School, both the good ones and the painful ones. But also with its themes of friendship and the stress of what the future holds. “Booksmart” is a movie for everyone. No matter what your background is or what your high school was like. And it’s a movie made by women. It stars women, was written by women, directed by a woman, and it’s about women.

If you are tired of sequels, reboots, remakes, and want something more original, I cannot recommend “Booksmart” enough. If you want to see more movies made by women and about women, you should go and support “Booksmart”. See it as many times as you would see “Avengers: Endgame”, and bring your ride or die. Booksmart is not only a good choice in the cinemas. It’s the smart choice. 

Taking Football To New Heights - Equal Playing Field Review

It’s hard to think of a time where gender equality and women’s issues were as heavily discussed in our culture as right now. The introduction of the “Time’s Up” Movement has caused a ripple of cultural introspection and soul-searching in regards to how society treats and values women. In November 2018, more than a hundred women were elected to Congress across America, making it the most women elected to Congress in the history of the United States. The past few years has seen much progress for women. But there is still much work to be done in many areas. Especially in sports.

In many parts of the world, particularly in 3rd world countries, women are still not allowed to participate in sports. Many of these countries still hold on to these archaic views of women in sports. But that hasn’t stopped these women. 


In 2017, 32 female soccer players (or “football” players as they are called in some countries) from 20 different countries climbed the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and played the highest altitude game of football in history. They then traveled to Jordan near the Dead Sea and played the lowest altitude game ever.

This historic moment is recalled in the new documentary “Equal Playing Field”, Producer and directed by Amirose Eisenbach. “Equal Playing Field” is a non-profit organization created to challenge gender inequality in sports and promote sports development for girls and women globally. 

The documentary, “Equal Playing Field”, tells the stories of these strong, courageous women, the struggles they faced, and the obstacles they had to overcome. Not just in sports, but in their personal lives as well. Many of these women endured the worst life has to offer: poverty, discrimination, sexual assault, abuse, and so much more. But soccer is where they feel alive. Even though the countries they grew up in discouraged them from playing, they did not listen. They followed their passions and did the impossible. 

The director and producer of this film, Amirose, has faced her own struggles. Her mother passed away in 2014 from cancer. Amirose decided to leave her job at AMC Movie Talk to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a filmmaker. Even though Hollywood has not been a welcoming environment for women filmmakers for decades. But despite this, Amirose persisted and attempted the impossible. Just like the women in this documentary, Amirose listened to her heart instead of society. She traveled halfway across the world to tell these women’s stories. 

The film is beautifully shot by Thomas Shawcroft, who fills every frame with beauty and authenticity. The score by Charles Goodan gives the film so much personality and soul. It would have been easy to just give the movie royalty free background music. But Charles Goodan’s music actually helps you to experience the film. 

As I am writing this, the film has only been shown at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theater. It has not yet been announced where it will be screened next, or when it will be given a wide release. But if it ever plays near you, whether it’s in your local theater or it appears on Netflix, I highly encourage you to watch this. Whether you’re a fan of sports, a fan of traveling, care about gender equality, or just love films that inspire you, you will love “Equal Playing Field”. It takes you on this journey with these remarkable women and leaves you with a sense of hope and optimism. It inspires you, and makes you feel better about the world. There are many obstacles in the fight for equality. But “Equal Playing Field” gives us hope that we are closer than ever to reaching our goal towards making the world an Equal Playing Field. 

Let The Wookie Win - A Tribute To Peter Mayhew, The Man Behind Chewbacca

Peter Mayhew, the man behind Chewbacca, has passed away. His family confirmed his passing on May 2nd in a statement they released on social media.

Since his passing, fans have been sharing tributes all around the world. It’s hard to put to words what this man mean to us. But it’s worth a try.

George Lucas created Star Wars as a fantasy set in space. However, most of the main characters were human beings. Lucas wanted to add an “alien” character to remind the audience that this takes place in another galaxy. That’s where Chewbacca originated. Chewbacca was a Wookiee who did not speak English. He communicated with roars and grunts. Despite this, Chewbacca had so much personality that made him easy to understand and sympathize with. He was like a giant dog. He was cuddly, furry, fierce, and loyal. 

The reason Chewbacca is like a dog is perhaps because George Lucas based Chewbacca off of his own dog, Indiana (why does that name sound familiar?). Lucas said his dog Indiana would sit with him whenever he wrote a script or whenever he drove in the car. She was his co-pilot. Just like how Chewbacca was Han Solo’s co-pilot. 

But he was so much more than a pet. He was the voice of reason for Han. He helped keep Han on the straight and narrow. If Chewy hadn’t convinced Han to turn the Millennium Falcon around and help the Rebels in their assault on the Death Star, it is doubtful the Rebels would have succeeded. And the Galaxy would still be under the Empire’s rule. 

After Han Solo’s tragic passing in The Force Awakens, Rey became the new captain of the Millennium Falcon. And Chewbacca remains the co-pilot. He remains as loyal and supportive to Rey as he was to Han. He helps take her to find Luke Skywalker, and he takes her to Kylo Ren. He’s always there to protect her, but he trusts her to make her own decisions. Rey spends The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi looking for her parents. But Chewbacca is the father figure she needs in her life.

Chewbacca was an animal. But he had this humanity. This soul. This heart. This warmth. That made him feel real.

That was Peter Mayhew. Lucas was looking for a tall person to play the Wookiee. Mayhew was given the role due to his incredible height. 

Mayhew played Chewbacca in all three films in the Original Trilogy, briefly in Revenge of the Sith, and one more time in The Force Awakens before finally retiring from the role and passing the bowcaster to Joonas Sutaumo.

Chewbacca has managed to stay popular for four decades and has managed to be endearing for three generations of Star Wars fans.

While Sutaumo has done an amazing job portraying Chewbacca, it will always be Peter Mayhew’s role. It will always be his creation.

I’ve been a Star Wars fan since I was 10 years old. Chewbacca has always been one of my favorite characters.

In the Expanded Universe novels, long before Disney changed the canon, Chewbacca died by being crushed by a moon. When I heard of this, I cried. I cried as if a family member died. Even though this was a fictional character, he was real to me. And it’s because of the heart Peter Mayhew brought to him.

 I met Peter Mayhew when I was 12 years old at Star Wars Celebration in Los Angeles. He could not have been kinder. Meeting him was a dream come true.

Years later, when The Force Awakens was filming, I sent him a friend request on Facebook. He accepted it.

During filming of The Force Awakens, Harrison Ford broke his leg on the Millennium Falcon.

When I started attending college, I auditioned for a couple of their plays. I sent Peter Mayhew asking him to wish me luck. And he replied “Good luck. I would say break a leg, but that’s what I told Harrison! LOL!”

Peter Mayhew loved his fans. He loved going to conventions to meet with fans and make their dreams come true. Right to the very end.

Chewbacca was cool. But Peter Mayhew was cooler. 

Peter, thank you for everything. Thank you for showing your love and appreciation to your fans for so many years. Thank you for all the joy you’ve given us. 

May the Force be with you, Chewbacca.