Valerie Kalfrin
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valeriek109.bsky.social
Valerie Kalfrin
@valeriek109.bsky.social
680 followers 400 following 520 posts
Film/culture writer & screenwriter. Member, Alliance of Women Film Journalists & RT-approved. Words at Script, RogerEbert, The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, In Their Own League. Tell better stories. Tell stories better.
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valeriek109.bsky.social
Zootopia 2 brings the fun, fur, and scales, but also all the feels. :) Full review coming soon, but it really put a smile on my face. ##Zootopia2
This is a wide action shot of three characters from the animated film Zootopia 2. There's a mountain landscape in the background, and the characters are falling in the foreground, looking alarmed. From left, they are Nick, a red fox in white pants, a pink button-down shirt and a colorful tie; Gary, a blue snake with one fang and big yellow eyes; and Judy, a bunny with black pants and a blue jacket.
November 30, 2025 at 6:52 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
Found #RogerEbert in today's NYT puzzle once I noticed the theme, then worked backward to solve the films. Especially amused over what he called "An assault on the eyes, the ears, the brain, common sense and the human desire to be entertained." @ebertvoices.bsky.social
This is a screenshot from the New York Times crossword puzzle showing "Roger Ebert" as the answer to the following clue: "Pulitzer-winning critic known for his perceptive, sometimes sharply worded reviews, as seen in..." and lists the other related clues.
November 26, 2025 at 4:51 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
Director Dan Trachtenberg continues to rejuvenate the 1980s sci-fi action franchise PREDATOR with PREDATOR: BADLANDS, a surprisingly fun crowd-pleaser full of eye-popping imagery, clever fights, and entertaining chemistry. My @awfjorg.bsky.social review. awfj.org/blog/2025/11...
This is a medium closeup of a character from PREDATOR: BADLANDS. He's an alien hunter in a wooded area of tall trees and vegetation. He wears armored wrist guards, a chest plate, and shoulder pads and is in a defensive stance, facing the camera with what appears to be a spear or some type of rifle. This alien has yellow eyes and a mouth of mandibles like a crab, with flaps of fangs. It also has pulled back dark hair resembling dredlocks.
November 20, 2025 at 4:02 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
THE RUNNING MAN feels like it’s several steps behind the times. Despite a few good performances, this updated remake of the 1987 original is essentially a 1980’s action movie with capable action but sorely in need of biting satire. My @awfjorg.bsky.social review.

awfj.org/blog/2025/11...
This is a medium shot of actor Glen Powell in the film THE RUNNING MAN. Powell is a white man in his 30s. He is on the left side of the fram and waist-deep in water, with his hair and clothing wet as if he just dived below the water. He holds on to a concrete surface at the right, littered with some debris. The whole image has a yellowish glow from what appears to be fire at the top right, just out of frame.
November 20, 2025 at 3:57 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
#DieMyLove is a fever dream of a film, more about a character’s headspace than a propulsive (or cohesive) plot. While some might wonder just what's going on, those who see themselves in its portrait of depression will find parts haunting. My @awfjorg.bsky.social review. awfj.org/blog/2025/11...
This is a medium closeup of actress Jennifer Lawrence. She's a blond white woman in her 30s. In this photo, she's at a party, wearing a strapless gown (unseen), a thin necklace, and pearl dangling earrings with her hair pulled back. Her eyes are closed, and her head tilts back, with a rapturous look on her face. Confetti falls around her, and one piece sits on her lower lip, as if she's catching snowflakes.
November 17, 2025 at 5:25 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
My two cents: Fun writing in the NYT about the death of the penny.
This is a screenshot from the New York Times story by Victor Mather. It reads: "The American penny died on Wednesday in Philadelphia. It was 232. The cause was irrelevance and expensiveness, the Treasury Department said. "Nothing could be bought anymore with a penny, not even penny candy. Moreover, the cost to mint the penny had risen to more than 3 cents, a financial absurdity that doomed the coin. "The final pennies were minted on Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia. Top Treasury officials were on hand for its final journey. No last words were recorded. "In its heyday, the penny had immense cultural impact. It was the going rate for thoughts. It was a symbol of frugality, saved and/or earned. It Could sometimes be pretty and other times arrive from heaven. And how many ideas would ne er have come to light without a penny dropping?"
November 14, 2025 at 12:05 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
Grand, sumptuous, and passionate, @realgdt.bsky.social's #Frankenstein is a heartbreaking vision of hubris and humanity where we least expect it. It's marvelous. My @awfjorg.bsky.social review. awfj.org/blog/2025/11...
This is a medium closeup of actor Jacob Elordi as the creature in FRANKENSTEIN. He wears a hooded black cloak of fur and patched fabric. All that is visible of his face are his eyes and the top of his nose. His skin has a grayish-blue tint, and he looks off to the right.
November 7, 2025 at 6:57 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
The #Netflix documentary #ThePerfectNeighbor offers a limited perspective, relying largely on police body-cam footage, but it's nevertheless propulsive with frustration and dread. More in my @awfjorg.bsky.social review.
awfj.org/blog/2025/11...
This is a wide shot showing a sparse apartment patio. A somewhat heavyset White woman with chin-length blond hair, a black tank top, baggy shorts, and sandals holds a paper "No Trespassing" lawn sign in her hand. She talks with a Black woman wearing a sheriff's deputy uniform. The deputy takes notes.
November 6, 2025 at 2:41 AM
valeriek109.bsky.social
Go see #Frankenstein in the theater before it's on Netflix. It's marvelous. 👏👏👏 @realgdt.bsky.social. Full review coming soon.
This is a medium closeup of actor Jacob Elordi in character as Frankenstein's creature. He wears a huge cloak that looks patched together of fabric and fur, with a hood like a shroud. Cloth is across his nose and mouth. The skin around his eyes is bluish gray. His dark eyes dart off to the right. This is a wide shot of actor Oscar Isaac as Dr. Victor Frankeinstein in his lab. The lab is rather gothic in decor. To the far left is a huge electric generator that looks like a battery with red coils. To the far right is a huge stone carving of what appears to be the Greek goddess Medusa, her mouth open in a scream. In the center of the room is a platform with a wooden cross-like backdrop. There's a body (not fully visible) strapped to the cross. Looking up at this is Isaac. He is a man in his 40s with chin-length dark curly hair. He wears dark trousers with suspenders and a long-sleeved dirty white shirt. This is a medium closeup of actor Mia Goth as Elizabeth. She sits at a dining table with an empty plate and a wineglass in front of her. She holds a blue fan open in her right hand. She wears an off-the-shoulder blue gown and a double-strand blue choker. Ms. Goth is a white woman roughly in her thirties with brown hair pulled back in a bun. She has a steady, direct look on her face. Framing her face are curved blue feathers, almost like the hood of a robe. Sunlight from the window behind her shines through the open fan. This is a photo from the production of the film "Frankenstein." Director Guillermo del Toro is on the left. He is a Mexican man in his 60s with salt-and-pepper shaggy hair, a mustache, and a beard. He wears dark-framed glasses, a red scarf, and a dark jacket with a tan elbow patch. He is gesturing above the model of a corpse tucked into a ball on a round table. To del Toro's left is actor Oscar Isaac, who portrays Victor Frankenstein. He is a Hispanic man in his 40s with chin-length dark curly hair, dark trousers with suspenders, a long-sleeved white poufy shirt, and a red scarf or tie, hung low. Members of the crew are out of focus but in the background.
November 1, 2025 at 10:27 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
Spotted on the other site.
This is an illustration that says, "How to keep yourself safe from vampires this Halloween" across the top. The illustration shows a bald, gray vampire with spindly fingers and a black cloak in a doorway. "Can I come in?" he says. The blond white woman in a white dress with poufy sleeves inside the house says, "I don't know. Can you?" A caption across the bottom reads: "Cursing quietly, the vampire backed away, foiled yet again by the English teacher's pedantry."
October 31, 2025 at 2:16 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
The thriller #AHouseofDynamite a sobering warning about what we take for granted and a grateful tribute to those who monitor our defenses. An intense and draining watch—and a larger existential story about the senselessness of it all. My @awfjorg.bsky.social review. awfj.org/blog/2025/10...
This is a medium closeup of actor Rebecca Ferguson, a white woman in her late 30s or early 40s. She has shoulder-length blond-brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. In this scene, she wears a tailored light-blue suit with a white T-shirt-style shirt. She is in the White House Situation Room, which has a wall full of large screens and monitors with radar images of the world and so on. She is on a landline phone with an intense look on her face.
October 29, 2025 at 6:27 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
The academic potboiler #AftertheHunt spends too much time with star Julia Roberts instead of the character who sets the plot in motion. Its buzzwords about diversity, truth, and ethics feel more superficial than probing. My review at @awfjorg.bsky.social. awfj.org/blog/2025/10...
This is a medium closeup of actors Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield. Both are facing the camera and inside a building with stately brick walls and white trim around the windows. Julia is a white woman in her 50s with wavy blond hair just past her shoulders. She wears a light blue sweater, a blouse with a pointed white collar, and a long gold pendant. She looks upset and stunned. Andrew is a white man in his late 30s or early 40s. He has dark brown hair, a trimmed beard and mustache. He wears jeans, a black belt, and a dark blue button-down shirt unbuttoned halfway. He looks irritated and imploring, resting his right hand on a ledge behind him.
October 27, 2025 at 4:38 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
The NYTimes "Connections" crew definitely had Netflix and mythology on the brain...
October 20, 2025 at 8:40 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
For those protesting today, stay safe. Stay proud. Stay peaceful and loud. #NoKings (Art courtesy of Alt National Parks Service)
October 18, 2025 at 3:12 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
#Roofman hypes its true-story roots but might have worked better as a documentary. Short on cause and effect, it leans on Channing Tatum's considerable charm instead of fleshing out the motivations and flaws of its main character. My @awfjorg.bsky.social review.
awfj.org/blog/2025/10...
This is a medium shot from the film ROOFMAN. Channing Tatum, a White man in his late 30s to early 40s, sits in an employee break room inside a Toys R Us store. The store's rainbow-colored logo is partially visible along the rear cinderblock wall, along with a small paper sign that says "Lost & Found." Tatum has close-cropped dark brown hair. He has a muscular build and wears a loose, grimy white T-shirt. He is eating open jars of baby food and drinking from the open top of a coffeepot.
October 14, 2025 at 2:24 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
Jane Goodall, who died this week at age 91, filmed an interview with Netflix earlier this year for the long-form series #FamousLastWords, with the understanding it would be released after her death. As ever, she's an inspiration. More here. www.netflix.com/tudum/articl...
This is a medium closeup of Jane Goodall, an environmentalist and primatologist. She is a White woman in her 90s with long white hair pulled back in a ponytail. She wears a green turtleneck and a pendant with a silver outline of the content of Africa. She has dark eyes, a warm gaze, and gestures with her arms as she speaks. This is a quote from Jane Goodall's interview that reads: "In the place where I am now, I look back over my life. I look back at the world I've left behind. What message do I want to leave? I want to make sure that you all understand that each and every one of you has a role to play. You may not know it, you may not find it, but your life matters, and you are here for a reason. And I just hope that reason will become apparent as you live throughout your life. I want you to know what, whether or not you find that role you're supposed to play, your life does matter, and every single day you live, you make a difference in the world. And you get to choose the difference that you make."
October 3, 2025 at 4:43 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
The drama #Swiped peeks behind the scenes of the dating app Tinder, where a bright young woman who helped launch its success finds she can’t avoid misogyny and sexism. Unfortunately, viewers might want to "swipe left" on this film. More in my @awfjorg.bsky.social review. awfj.org/blog/2025/09...
This is a closeup of actress Lily James, a White woman in her 30s with golden brown hair past her shoulders. The angle of the photo looks up from below at her gazing down at her Apple smartphone. She has a concerned look on her face.
October 3, 2025 at 4:31 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
The revolution might not be televised, but it rages on in #OneBattleAfterAnother, a kinetic and often darkly comedic film about political stances and personal consequences. More in my @awfjorg.bsky.social review. awfj.org/blog/2025/10...
This is a medium closeup of actor Leonardo DiCaprio from the film "One Battle After Another." He is a White man in his 40s with flowy brown hair to his ears and a mustache and goatee. He wears a red plaid bathrobe over a T-shirt and is seated driving a car. He's looking at the rearview mirror anxiously. Green beads dangle from the rearview mirror. This is the poster for the film "One Battle After Another." The poster shows a road in the Southwestern United States across the bottom, a huge profile of actor Leonardo DiCaprio facing left. Mr. DiCaprio is a White man in his forties with brown hair and a mustache and goatee. In the foreground is a young woman in her early 20s. She is of mixed race with curly hair pulled back in a ponytail. She wears a leather jacket, flowy skirt to her knees, socks, and chunky hiking boots. Her hands are cuffed, and she holds a handgun.
October 3, 2025 at 4:23 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
Godspeed, Dr. #JaneGoodall. #RIPLegend.
This is a quote from The Jane Goodall Institute as follows: "The Jane Goodall Institute has learned this morning, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, has passed away due to natural causes. She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States. Dr. Goodall's discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world. This is a screenshot of a photo of a young Dr. Jane Goodall, here a young White woman in her 20s or 30s. At the left of the image, she is crouched in profile against a rock in a jungle clearing. She wears a khaki short-sleeved shirt, shorts, and brown sandals. Her blond hair is pulled back in a ponytail. Dr. Goodall's right arm is outstretched in front of her, and a baby chimpanzee with black fur and a pink face at the right of the frame is reaching out to touch her hand. The text above the photo is from a man named Eric Alper, who writes, "Dame Jane Goodall has passed away at 91. A pioneer, a dreamer, a voice for animals and the planet. She taught us to see ourselves in chimpanzees and hope in nature, and the world feels less friendly without her."
October 1, 2025 at 6:28 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
An absurdist comedy about petty grievances among neighbors and the assumptions we make about them, #TheFrenchItalian is very much a New York story. Yet even someone not in the city will appreciate its less-than-charitable dynamic. My @awfjorg.bsky.social review. awfj.org/blog/2025/09...
This is a medium-wide shot at a party in an apartment. A man sitting in an armchair looks up at a woman holding court from the arm of the chair. She is White in her thirties with long brown hair past her shoulders and wears a reddish dress with a black plaid pattern. She holds a wineglass and has her left leg resting on the arm of the nearby couch. The other guests, about a dozen people, listen to her story with a mix of shock and eagerness.
September 26, 2025 at 6:04 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
"[W]ith only one eye, you know that Pigeon is looking at you. And it’s very important to me not only that kids be seen, but that kids realize that they are seeable... And so the Pigeon is always interested in you." Author @mowillems.bsky.social @slate.com . ❤️these books.
slate.com/culture/2025...
September 24, 2025 at 8:41 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
Nice! I bought a US Colonial Marines patch for my teen son. It's on his army jacket with the Predator, of course. Along with this one.
September 22, 2025 at 12:53 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
The nearly wordless #TIFF documentary #Aki turns like a kaleidoscope, as director #DarleneNaponse follows five seasons on First Nations land in Ontario, capturing an array of beauty we miss glued to smartphones and other screens. My @awfjorg.bsky.social review.
awfj.org/blog/2025/09...
This is a snowy landscape with heavy snow on the ground, a gray sky, and snow-dusted evergreens in the background. In the center is a domed building with a high roof and a pole jutting from the center. It is on First Nations land in Ontario.
September 18, 2025 at 5:31 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
The #TIFF50 drama #Forastera is at times too subtle for its own good, with an ambiguity meant for mystery that saps its emotional impact. More in my review at @awfjorg.bsky.social .
awfj.org/blog/2025/09...
This is a closeup of a teenage girl and an older man in a living room. The girl is in the foreground and is White, with straight brown hair past her chin. Her eyes look off to the right. She wears a top that shows a thin black strap on her right shoulder and white fabric across the body from her left shoulder. Behind her seated on a white sofa is a White man roughly in his sixties or seventies. He wears a white button-down shirt and has white hair, a white beard, and a white mustache. He is slightly out of focus.
September 18, 2025 at 5:19 PM
valeriek109.bsky.social
The #TIFF drama #TheSonandtheSea is a delicate film about young men in crisis that offers a heartening solution that feels organic and true, thanks to director #StromaCairns and newcomer #JonahWest in a moving performance. More in my @awfjorg.bsky.social review. awfj.org/blog/2025/09...
This is a medium closeup of a white man in his early 20s flopped on a bed in a mess of a bedroom. He has tousled short blond hair, a thin mustache and beard, and wears a white tank top undershirt. There are pillows and bunched bedcovers and clothes around him. The window to the right of the image is open about a few inches. He has his arms across his torso and looks toward the camera.
September 18, 2025 at 4:52 PM