Every year in the heart of Hollywood, dozens of incredible features and short films make their California or world premieres at the TCL Chinese Theater for AFI Fest. A staple of tinsel town, The American Film Institute is celebrating its fortieth year of the festival this week. One of the first films to get the red carpet treatment was Anna Biller's newest feature, The Face of Horror after its bombastic premiere at last month's Toronto International Film Festival. But are aud

On June 15th 2018, Elizabeth Holmes was sentenced to eleven years in prison for fraud. The former CEO of the now defunct bio-tech company Theranos, Elizabeth and her ex-partner, Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani defrauded investors out of $700 million after it was revealed the blood test device they developed never actually worked. The meteoric rise and fall of Theranos is quite possibly the biggest Silicon Valley scandal in recent memory. It has been nearly a decade since Holmes crashe

[the following review contains minor early spoilers] For the film nerds of the world, one of 2026's most anticipated release was Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Digger, led by none other than Tom Cruise. With a budget just shy of $200 million, the star power of Cruise, and one of the world's leading directors at the helm, Digger seemed like a safe bet for one of the year's most successful films. However, the movie's opening this past weekend told a different story. Not only has it f

The world can't seem to agree on a lot these days, but through all of the tireless arguments and debates, one universal truth has always prevailed: don't fuck with kids. It is every parent's worst nightmare finding out that their child is being taken advantage of by someone with sinister intentions. With the rise of the internet in the 2000's, that threat became 10 times more credible. When paranoia was at an all time high, Dateline NBC saw a golden opportunity for their late

The film industry is a tricky, cutthroat business, and nobody understands that more than the creatives who work in it. For the vast majority of people working in film, the smallest modicum of success can take years. But imagine finally making it to the top of that mountain, being told by one of tinseltown's top studios that your movie is officially in development. Now imagine spending thousands of hours with your team writing, filming, being on set all in the pursuit of your

[The following review is spoiler-free] I can still fondly recall the night of December 16th, 2021, the opening night of Spider-Man: No Way Home. As a seventeen year old AMC employee, I marveled at the crowds of people rushing into the theater in everything from T-shirts to head-to-toe costumes. People of all ages flooded our tiny suburban theater, from long-time fans to young children, all eager to see their favorite character's latest adventure. To this day it is the single

[the following review contains spoilers for a 3,000 year old story] 2026 has been a banner year for high-profile releases. Toy Story 5, Disclosure Day, and Supergirl all have come and gone and it's only July! But no matter who you are, there's no denying that the most-anticipated film this year was none other than Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. So much so that tickets started going on sale a full calendar year ago, and sold out soon after! This weekend, after over a year o

[the following review contains light spoilers] It's a bird! It's a plane! It's one of the most anticipated movies of the year! On June 26th, the DCU's Supergirl finally flew into theaters after months of serious hype. Everyone from superfans to casual movie-goers eagerly awaited the newest iteration of Kara Zor-El. But despite a mammoth budget and no shortage of star power, the results have been far more mixed than anticipated. But is this due to legitimate criticism or do w

American History X is an infamous film centering around hatred and how it can grow like a cancer even in countries (once) as progressive as the United States. What may be even more infamous however is what went on behind-the-scenes during the making of the film. Director, Tony Kaye has never been shy about expressing his disdain for the studio executives, distributors, and one particular cast member who in his opinion, robbed him of his intended creative vision. In retaliatio

[the following article contains spoilers] Regardless of your thoughts on the series, there's no denying that Sam Levinson's Euphoria is one of the most iconic shows of the past decade. With amazing music, cinematography and performances, Euphoria created a unique aesthetic of its own. It got to the point where fans didn't mind waiting ages for the next season to drop. The legend of Euphoria ended this past Sunday night when the finale aired, closing the book on one of HBO's

Walls yellowed with age, stained beige carpet, the ever-present low hum of fluorescent lights, rooms that seem to go on for miles and miles in an endless maze. The thought of being completely alone is dwarfed by the much more terrifying reality that...you aren't. This is the internet phenomenon known as "The Backrooms," a horror concept focusing around liminal spaces that are as strange as they are familiar. Spawned all the way back in 2019 from an image board on 4chan, it ha

In the mere two weeks since its release, Lionsgate's Michael Jackson biopic, Michael has been the top grossing movie in the United States. Despite a gargantuan budget between $165-200 million, the film has already managed to double that at the box office. Given the legendary status of its subject, this is far from unexpected but an achievement nonetheless. But despite it's commercial success, it is one of the most divisive films in recent memory; adored by fans, loathed by cr

[The following review contains minor spoilers] When it comes to transgressive black comedies, they’re usually my bread and butter. Kristoffer Borgli’s previous film, Dream Scenario starring Nicolas Cage proved to be a perfect exercise in toe-the-line comedy, while also being largely inventive with its style and structure. In The Drama, Robert Pattinson’s Charlie, and Zendaya’s Emma are the happy wed-couple to be. That is, until they drunkenly admit the worst things they’ve

Few character actors in Hollywood have had a career as illustrious as Randall Park. From ABC sitcoms to Marvel blockbusters, Park has done it all. His most recent project, Brian , just premiered last night at South by Southwest. Playing the father of a volatile, emotional teen, I was able to speak with Park this week about his latest role, upcoming projects and the importance of on-screen representation. Randall Park, Ben Wang, Edi Patterson. Credit: Tibrina Hobson/Getty Imag

This week saw the release of South by Southwest's most spellbinding documentaries: Bayan Joonam's Phoenix Jones: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero, telling the story of one of Seattle, Washington's most notorious local figures. Considering himself a crime-fighting vigilante, Ben Fodor patrolled the streets as Phoenix Jones for over a decade before retiring for a career as a delivery driver. After the premiere of his documentary, I was lucky enough to sit down with th

2026 is going to be one of the biggest years for movies we have seen in a long time. For most people, their most anticipated releases are Avengers: Doomsday, Toy Story 5 or Dune: Messiah , but for me that title belongs to Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride! which finally saw its theatrical release this past weekend in theaters across the United States. With the promise of a unique, original story in a world full of reboots and sequels, audiences awaited Gyllenhaal's next project

With SXSW kicking off next week, it's time to look back at the standouts from last year. Premiering almost exactly a year ago at the 2025 South by Southwest festival, Fucktoys was one of the event's most talked-about movies. As it traveled, screening at dozens of festivals around the globe, Fucktoys got the honorary title of "the best film of 2025 with no distributor." A bittersweet label it still holds to this day. Written and directed by Annapurna Sriram, who also stars as

This year's Academy Awards is going to be an especially contentious competition, but this does not only apply to the nominated features. The 98th Oscars has quite the list of nominees in their Best Live Action Short category, namely Jane Austen's Period Drama, The Singers, and Meyer Levinson-Blount's Butcher's Stain , which tells the story of an Arab man in Israel who is falsely accused of removing hostage posters, causing him to fight for his career and proclaim his innocen

This Valentine's Day weekend, audiences finally saw the arrival of one of 2026's most highly anticipated films: Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights , starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. Based on the 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, this beloved classic is no stranger to being adapted for the screen. Whether it be for a feature film or a mini-series, Wuthering Heights has been retold countless times, as far back as 1939. This tale of forbidden love and class disparity in 18th

With each passing day, we draw closer and closer to the 98th Academy Awards. In addition to rewarding the best features of the past year, the Oscars also pays attention to animated and live action shorts. One of the most pleasantly surprising nominations this year is Jane Austen's Period Drama by Steve Pinder and Julia Aks, who also served as lead actor. The film is a comedy that pokes fun at men's ignorance of female anatomy, no matter how expensive their education might've