One of the most culturally talked-about moments of 2026 was the Super Bowl Halftime Show performed by Bad Bunny. Despite the political opposition from the far-right groups, who considered his choice as non-American (even if Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States), the fifteen-minute show was a success. …
The end credits confirm genAI was used for parts of Titanic Ocean. This is a disgraceful choice by writer-director Konstantina Kotzamani because it insults all the hard work of her cast and crews. This is especially unforgivable because the young actresses had to do a large amount of underwater work …
The Difficult Bride is rare on two counts: it is a Bangladeshi film, and its director, Rubaiyat Hossain, is a woman. It is rarer still for being both incredibly supportive and furiously critical of its heroine, who is also both a traditional woman (getting married very young) and a modern …
In 2018, the Chilean duo Cristóbal León & Joaquín Cociña made a splash with their creepy animated film, La Casa Lobo (The Wolf House). It became a sensation, especially during the pandemic, even leading to their invitation to contribute to Ari Aster’s Beau is Afraid. Two years ago, their sophomore …
Does anyone have reverence for Griffin Dunne’s Practical Magic? Scratch that – did anyone actively ask for a sequel to Practical Magic? Because, as far as I’m concerned, Susanne Bier’s Practical Magic 2 has no genuine justification for existing. It’s a toothless, unfunny, dull “comedy” that proves the detractors of …
The Singaporean director Nelson Yeo is a fascinating new name in the country’s younger generation. In 2023, he presented Dreaming & Dying (Hao jiu bu jian) at the Cineasti del Presente in Locarno. Two years later, he took his shorts Durian, Durian to the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and Through …
Regardless of one’s takeaway from Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, it’s hard for any normal person not to feel sorry for the crew. First the planned cinema release was scrapped in favour of unceremonious streaming on Paramount+. Then the whole film was leaked by a hacker, which is likely why …
Sally’s girls have grown up, and she’s successfully kept them away from magic. Despite their own innate powers, the girls believe that magic is nothing more than fairy tales, and they don’t live in constant fear of the curse. Ignorance is bliss, until it isn’t. Kylie has fallen in love, …
The Owens women have a very long history of magic in their blood. Magic is a curse their ancestor, Maria Owens, placed on them. Almost three hundred years ago, she was sentenced to hang for witchcraft by the man she loved, the father of her child. As she faced her …
The Owens family is an interesting study. A family of bloodline witches who are born with incredible power and a powerful curse. We first met them in Alice Hoffman’s book Practical Magic. Sister Sally and Gillian face evil and learn to love more, not less. In Hoffman’s book, we go …
For years, Morfran has been the Dark Lord ruling over Ruthven with his Dark Lady Ravana. But lately it’s all gotten a little ho-hum, and he’s feeling like he needs something more from life than beheading his enemies and torturing dissenters. So he decides to make a run for it, …
For more than two hundred years, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in town. What a perfect opening line. Immediately, you are drawn in. Who are the Owens women? Why are they blamed for everything? Why not the Owens men? You have to keep …
The Greek director Konstantina Kotzamani has a massive short film haul in her career, most of which have played at the world’s central events. Washingtonia premiered at the Berlinale. Yellow Fieber and What Mary Didn’t Know were at Locarno. Electric Swam was at the Venice Film Festival, and Limbo was …
Seven years after the controversial The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars returns to the big screen with the faint whimper of a broken lightsaber. In the years since the conclusion of the Skywalker saga, Star Wars has continued largely through Disney+ streaming shows. The best of these is Andor by …
The existence of art for art’s sake is always wonderful to see. It might not necessarily meet the moment or fill a need, but people have gone to some trouble to create it and this hard work and good cheer is always fascinating. The Man I Love is precisely just …
In A Kiss of Crimson Ash, we bounce between four main characters: Taara, the new queen; Garjan, her new husband; Bhediya, his mistress; and Roland, a thief. Their relationships shape everything that happens in A Kiss of Crimson Ash. The Goddess has chosen them to save the empire; if they fail, all …
In the Stonewater Kingdom, the Omens are the true rulers. There is a king, but of much greater import is the Abbess in Aisling Cathedral and her Diviners who receive portents from the Omens. The interpretation of these portents decides everything that happens in Stonewater, from the spring planting to …
When someone writes, directs and edits their own film, this can be a promising sign of an expert knowing exactly how to deliver the idea they have in their head. It can also be an exercise in the worst kind of self-indulgence, the kind that brooks no feedback and maintains …
One day Zahara’s twin sister Annica walked out the front door and vanished. Not in the “was kidnapped and never seen again” way but in the “walked right out of existence” way. After Annica left the house on April 16th, 1994, the only person in the world who remembers her …
Amara Jones hates angels. You would too if you’d watched them kill countless humans over the past five years without missing a beat. Demons are just as bad, but at least you expect it out of them; they’re from Hell. But Angels are supposed to be the guardians of humanity. …