‘Beau Is Afraid’ review: Joaquin Phoenix goes to hell in Ari Aster’s horrifying, hilarious Freudian odyssey
The first time a mother and son are separated from each other is painful yet inevitable. While childbirth is frequently considered a violent experience for... Read More
Sophia Ciminello
Sophia is a lifelong film enthusiast who considers herself a scholar of Best Actress winners, the films of Paul Thomas Anderson, and 1970s cinema. She hosts and produces the podcast "Oscar Wild," where she celebrates her love of cinema with retrospectives, deep dives on all 23 Oscar categories, and interviews with directors and creatives. She thanks her mother for her love of Old Hollywood and her father for letting her stay up late to watch the Oscars when she was in preschool. Her favorite Best Picture winners are All About Eve and Ordinary People. You can follow her on Twitter @sophia_cim.
Interview: Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović on the power of resilience, thematic connections to ‘The Little Mermaid,’ and shooting ‘Murina’ by the sea
Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović understands the power and resilience of young women. Her short film, Into the Blue, follows a 13-year-old girl who flees her abusive... Read More
‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance’ review: We come to this place for Magic (Mike) and one final strip across the pond
Nicole Kidman’s AMC ad is a new kind of national anthem for moviegoers and people who are generally savvy when it comes to pop culture.... Read More
‘80 for Brady’ review: Four living legends take the ultimate girls trip to the gridiron in this heartfelt retirement comedy
Drinking tea, standing on a ladder, and purposefully knocking a bowl of chips over may seem like unnecessary tasks to complete at the start of... Read More
Interview: Production Designer Florencia Martin on recreating the architectural kaleidoscope of 1920s Los Angeles and the cinematic jewel boxes of ‘Babylon’
Florencia Martin knows Los Angeles. As a production designer, she recreated the suburban sprawl of the 1970s San Fernando Valley in Licorice Pizza and the... Read More
‘Babylon’ review: Here’s to the fools who dream; Damien Chazelle’s epitaph for cinema is the evil b-side to ‘La La Land’
When Mia begrudgingly attends a party at the start of Damien Chazelle’s magical, much-discussed film La La Land, she stares at her reflection in the... Read More
Cinematographer Roger Deakins (‘Empire of Light’) on his latest collaboration with Sam Mendes, being his own camera operator, and the movie that makes him cry
Empire of Light may be the title of Roger Deakins’ latest collaboration with Sam Mendes, but it’s also a fitting descriptor for his dazzling body... Read More
Interview: ‘White Noise’ production designer Jess Gonchor on recreating the 1980s, colorful product placement, and designing that bright, stocked supermarket
Since Don DeLillo’s hit novel White Noise hit the shelves in 1985, readers have imagined how the settings like the supermarket, College-on-the-Hill, and the Gladney... Read More
Interview: Maria Schrader on the power of portraying working mothers onscreen and the weight of telling the bombshell story at the heart of ‘She Said’
When The New York Times published the report on Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault allegations in 2017, 82 additional women gathered the courage to share their... Read More
‘Personality Crisis: One Night Only’ review: Martin Scorsese music doc looks at the absurd and the sublime of elusive, forever cool New York Dolls frontman David Johansen | NYFF
Martin Scorsese has a knack for documenting New York institutions and illustrating the inner lives of the city’s singular characters. From the brash young Mafiosi... Read More
Interview: ‘Gladiator II’ Cinematographer John Mathieson on Reuniting with Ridley Scott and Continuing the Legacy and Lore 
Interview: Alan Menken and Glenn Slater on Creating the Songs and Score for ‘Spellbound’ and the “Perfectly” Cast Rachel Zegler 
2025 Oscar Predictions: BEST PICTURE and BEST DIRECTOR (November) 
Interview: John Lithgow on ‘Conclave’ Being a Career Highlight, Oscar Buzz and Comparing Director Edward Berger to David Lean [VIDEO]