[the following review is spoiler-free] For the past nearly two decades, Aziz Ansari has been a prominent figure in TV, Film, and stand-up comedy. From Parks and Recreation to Master of None , Ansari has proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with in terms of acting and writing, but this month he expanded his resume by releasing his feature directorial debut, Good Fortune , which he also wrote and produced. Starring Seth Rogan and Keanu Reeves, Keke Palmer, and Sandra

One of the best things about the Chicago International Film Festival, aside from the fact that it’s essentially held in my backyard, is that it more often than not has a lineup that overlaps heavily with TIFF. It gives me a really great security blanket to prioritize some of the films that couldn’t squeeze into my Toronto schedule. One of the biggest misses for me this year at TIFF was Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams . This film without a doubt takes my top choice of films I saw

Academy Award-winning writer and filmmaker, Charlie Kaufman is back with a brand new project! In collaboration with writer and poet, Eva H.D. How to Shoot a Ghost starring Jessie Buckley is one of 2025's most talked-about short films after premiering in Venice last month. This week I had the immense privilege of speaking with Kaufman and H.D. about their new film, AI in the industry, and the truth behind a supposed new film with Spike Jonze... Rua: "Good morning you two, it i

[the following review is spoiler-free] In the pantheon of modern filmmakers, few are as decorated or fabled as Gus Van Sant. Over the course of his long career he has made everything from indie darlings to Academy Award winning biopics. Elephant, My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting , these are only a few of the iconic projects Van Sant has led, but he hasn't directed a feature film in seven years...until now. This year's Venice Film Festival saw the release of Dead Man's

My first press screening at my first Chicago International Film Festival was the Cannes-premiered, French animated film, Arco . The film follows a young boy, Arco, who lives in the year 2932, and accidentally travels “back in time” to 2075 via a magic rainbow cape, and forms a friendship with a girl his age, Iris, as they bond over similar familial disputes, albeit with some lost in time period translations. Actress Natalie Portman serves as a member of the primary dubbed voi

[the following review is spoiler free] When it comes to the current state of the film world, few voices are as unique and visionary as Greek director, Yorgos Lanthimos. Ever since his 2009 feature, Dogtooth , he has remained one of the most exciting filmmakers in Hollywood, with each project being more daring than the last. Lanthimos has been on quite the streak as of late, making a new feature every year since 2023. The latest being Bugonia , which has screened at a whoppi

As the week continues, the 61st Chicago International Film Festival rages on, showing new and exciting films from all around the world. This year's international feature competition is showcasing some truly singular works from countries like Italy, Tajikistan, Brazil, Germany, Spain etc. One country that has always had strong, prominent films is Japan. This year's Japanese entry is Chie Hayakawa's Renoir , which received the immense honor of premiering at Cannes this past Ma

Last week saw the official start of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival, one of the largest film events in the United States. This year over 180 new movies are set to be screened, one of those being Yellow Veil Pictures' new folk horror feature Mother of Flies , which recently got picked up by streaming platform, Shudder. Largely made by the same three people, the film is a testament to what can be achieved with a passionate team and a strong vision. Toby Poser as So

Filmmaker, Kalu Oji is one of the most promising emerging voices in new Australian cinema. His new film, Pasa Faho has its world premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival this Saturday, and I had the pleasure of conducting an interview with Oji regarding this film, and the future of Australian cinema.  Eric: " I was so impressed with the cast’s ability to play off of each other so naturally, so I was curious about your process in casting not only who was right for

This past January, the talk of the Sundance Film Festival was Geeta Gandbhir's The Perfect Neighbor , an American documentary about the murder of Ajike Owens. Murder documentaries are dime-a-dozen, but what makes Gandbhir's film so unique is that it's told almost exclusively via raw police bodycam footage over the course of two years. The film captured the attention of millions upon its arrival to Netflix on Friday, quickly shooting to the #1 spot on the platform. So let's ta

In 1980, famed children's author, Roald Dahl wrote his novel, The Twits . A 87 page story about a comically wicked couple, Mr. and Mrs. Twit who play devious tricks on each other as well as their pet monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps. To this day it is considered a British classic, receiving a royal commemorative postage stamp in 2012. Recently, The Twits was made into a Netflix animated film with a star-studded cast, premiering to millions on October 17th. But after polarizing crit

Back in 2021, I was working in an AMC theater in the suburbs of Boston when a new horror movie came out from Blumhouse. This film was Scott Derrickson's The Black Phone , and while nothing about it was particularly original, it stuck with me. At 17, I would spend my work shifts catching the last 20 minutes of movies before cleaning up spilt popcorn in the aisles, and to this day I think the third act of The Black Phone is one of the best in recent years. With a stellar unexp

This year's Toronto International Film Festival was one for the books, with probably the most sprawling, diverse slate the festival has ever seen. Out of the hundreds of films that premiered at TIFF this year, one of them was Hulu's Swiped , a biopic about Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of Bumble and co-founder of Tinder. Starring Lily James and Dan Stevens, the film deals with the harassment Wolfe faced while at Tinder, and the obstacles she overcame to become part of the m

It would seem for the past several years Hollywood has been in the midst of a murder mystery frenzy. Heralded in by the Knives Out franchise and sustained by – well that would also be the Knives Out franchise. Ever since 2019, the fingerprints of the murder mystery film have weighed heavy on the brains of cinematic audiences everywhere and Hollywood has certainly tried to fulfill those demands. There are the reliably quirky Knives Out mysteries courtesy of Rian Johnson, Kenne

Disney's Tron changed the game when it first came out in 1982. Written by Steven Lisberger and Bonnie Macbird, it was bold, new, and had a unique visual style that turned it into a cult classic. Since the 80's audiences have witnessed the release of two additional films, Tron: Legacy in 2010 and this year's highly anticipated, Tron: Ares . Being the first franchise installment in fifteen years as well as including a star-studded cast, the pressure was on for Tron: Ares , bu

This year's New York Film festival had no shortage of exciting new projects by some of the best creative minds the industry has to offer. This year, the film that received the honor of closing out the festival was Bradley Cooper's latest directorial project, Is This Thing On? starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern. But after just a few minutes of sitting in the theater, the question I found myself asking was, “Is this thing working?” After Cooper directed the formally adventu

In 1998, the world was shook by a deeply disturbing crime drama that would soon join the club of films you watch once and never again. This film from nearly three decades ago was American History X by English director, Tony Kaye, who up until that point had been known for his prolific work in commercials and music videos, most notably for artists like Soul Asylum, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Johnny Cash. For the first time since 2011, Kaye is out with a new feature film:

This year's Venice Film Festival like always, introduced the world to a slate of new, incredible films by some of the entertainment industry's top figures. That's to be expected of one of the top film festivals in the world. While Venice is known for showing features, it also showcases a wide array of short films from around the world. This year, one of the most notable shorts was How to Shoot a Ghost by Eva H.D. and Academy Award winner, Charlie Kaufman. Marking a triumphan

In 2017, legendary actor Daniel Day-Lewis starred in Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread , his last film before going into retirement. The news that he would no longer appear on screen came as a devastating blow to millions of film lovers, but luckily for them, this retirement would be short lived. This year's New York Film Festival saw the release of his latest project, Anemone , which he co-wrote with his son, Ronan, who served as the film's director. But after debuting w

[the following review is spoiler-free] I’m not sure if I’ve ever been more terrified walking into a screening than Chris Stuckmann’s...