The best kinds of films are those that make the audience think about the real world. In the particularly contentious environment we live in, escapism is becoming less and less of a viable option. Luckily, the globe has no shortage of filmmakers interested in reminding their audience of where we're going and where we've been. One of those filmmakers is American director, Ira Sachs whose new feature, The Man I Love is easily one of the most beautiful, emotional, and heartbreaki

This year's AFI Fest in downtown Hollywood had some of the most anticipated films on record like Ray Gunn, Wildwood, Wild Horse Nine, and more. One of the hardest tickets to get among the festival's slate was the Behemoth! by Tony Gilroy due to its A-list cast of Pedro Pascal, Olivia Wilde, Will Arnett, etc. Anticipated to be one of the drama features of the year and the best lead performance of Pascal's career, did Behemoth! really live up to its titular hype at AFI Fest? B

This past week, AFI Fest has been raging on in downtown Hollywood, screening either the American, Californian, or world premieres of some of the industry's most anticipated releases. One of the festival's most star-studded premieres this week was The Mosquito Bowl by Peter Berg, a new film from Netflix that tells the true story of a football game that was played by marines days before their deployment to World War II's Battle of Okinawa. But even with a star-studded cast, a b

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

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines "phobia" as "an extreme or irrational fear." However, you could argue that Thalassophobia, or fear of the ocean is completely rational. Despite exploring it for hundreds of years, humanity has visually explored less than 0.001% of the deep ocean according to NOAA. Covering the majority of our globe, the ocean is a vast blue abyss with danger looking around every corner, and it only gets more sinister the deeper you go. For those who

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

When developers Shinji Mikami and Tokuro Fujiwara of Capcom released the first Resident Evil game in 1996, nobody could've predicted it would later become one of the biggest media franchises of all time; expanding beyond video games into comics, novels, and most notably: feature films. Starting with the first titular film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson in 2002, there have been six additional movies since, becoming the third highest-grossing video game film series of all time

We all know what it's like to feel trapped. Maybe you've been on an elevator that broke down or squished between people on a crowded subway car, even if it's just for a few seconds, being stuck in one place is never a comfortable feeling. Even worse however, is being trapped mentally or emotionally in a situation of your own making. For Kaylin Allshouse's Still Ohio, that snare takes the form of a dying relationship that manifests in the form of something much more sinister..

"Everyone always talks about the power of love, but nobody talks about the power of spite." Have you ever done something you knew was wholeheartedly wrong, just for the sake of getting even? As much as we hate to admit it, we all have. But did your deed spiraled so far out of control that it ends up ruining the lives and reputations of those around you, including yourself? This is exactly the kind of story that dominated this year's Sundance Film Festival, being one of the h

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

Sometimes you can go from the top of your game to the plateau of mediocrity. For those who grew up "gifted kids," navigating success as an adult can be a challenge when you go from "good for your age" to just "average." Few films understand this better than Isabel Hagen's On A String, which won Best Screenplay at last year's Tribeca Film Festival. Over the course of 80 minutes, it presents a raw look at modern womanhood as well as the frustration of being undervalued and over

There will never be another Anthony Bourdain. A chef, author, and true global citizen, who understood that a trip to the local hot dog stand could be just as meaningful as a meal at the French Laundry. Through his TV shows, Parts Unknown and No Reservations, Bourdain showcased cuisine from the hidden, underrepresented corners of the world, appreciating not only taste and history, but the true power of food: how it brings people together. In 2018, Anthony Bourdain died by suic

If you've been to a movie in the past month there's a good chance you've seen the trailer for One Night Only, and if you live in a major city there's an even better chance that you've seen a billboard or two. For the past few weeks this film's advertising has been downright inescapable and as of this weekend it is finally in theaters. While having the style of a stereotypical rom-com, One Night Only comes with a twist that movie-goers are labeling "stupid" at best and "offens

Eighteen years since the end of the original series and twelve since the end of its sequel series The Legend of Korra, the Avatar: The Last Airbender series finally makes a triumphant return with its first feature length film! This time around the stakes have never been higher, not just for the characters but for Nickelodeon and Paramount. Despite having a veracious fanbase, it's been a long time since the prime of the series. Have the viewers from a decade ago outgrown this

[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

Cinema has been a part of queer culture since pictures first began to move. Over the past few decades audiences have witnessed queer stories evolve from being the butt of the joke to taking up the spotlight. Now more than ever, stories of gay and transgender people matter in the American cinema landscape, and there are no shortage of brilliant projects to choose from. One new independent short attempts to showcase a seldom-seen point of view: a trans lesbian story told by a t

[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

This year it'll be a decade since the release of Moana, Walt Disney Animation Studio's biggest hit since Frozen. I still vividly remember being in middle school, going to see Moana in theaters and being blown away by the beautiful animation, iconic soundtrack, and elevated retelling of the classic Hero's Journey. It's hard to argue against the movie's obvious merits. This week, less than ten years after the original film came out, the live-action Moana sailed into internation