Events

The Events category is dedicated to the various cons and events attended and covered by Cosmic Circus writers. This includes film festivals, comic cons, and other significant one-time or recurring events dedicated to movies, shows, and other related pop culture entertainment.

Clarissa movie review banner, with BFI London Film Festival
EventsFilm FestivalsMovie ReviewsReviews

‘Clarissa’ Review: A Beautifully Shot Subtle Example of Slow Cinema | BFI London Film Festival 2026

Latoya Austin ,  ,  5 min read

Clarissa is the eponymous character, played by a luminous Sophie Okendo, who is transplanted to modern-day Lagos in this tale of societal interaction interspersed with class dynamics, loosely based on Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway novel from 1925. Sensuous and slow-paced, Clarissa embraces the Nigerian landscape to make it a central character amongst a stellar cast. However, the subtle direction and restraint

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Rome Film Fest 2026 showcased Marvel's VisionQuest series with a sneak peek at episode 3 (photo by Uday Kataria)
EventsFilm FestivalsNews & RumorsSpeculative Space

‘VisionQuest’ Screening & Episode 3 Sneak Peek at the Rome Film Festival

Uday Kataria ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  7 min read

Marvel Television’s VisionQuest is finally here to conclude the WandaVision trilogy, and the studio is pulling out all the stops. Paul Bettany and Ruaridh Mollica swung through Italy to screen the first two episodes of VisionQuest (and a sneak peek at episode 3) at the Rome Film Festival on Thursday night. I happened to be in Bologna the day before, so

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Lady Gaga Mayhem Requiem album cover with dark, masked figure and smoky background.
Concert ReviewsEventsReviewsTheatre & Live ShowsTV & Streaming Series Reviews

‘Mayhem Requiem’ is a Transcendent Reinvention of Lady Gaga’s Magnum Opus

Uday Kataria ,  ,  ,  7 min read

Amidst the ruins of her opera house, Lady Gaga has crafted something entirely unique: a dramatic farewell to her 2025 album Mayhem, reimagined as a futuristic, post-apocalyptic swan song for the ages. Mayhem Requiem is an entirely new take on an already critically acclaimed album, characterized by moody synthesizers and stripped-back production that allow Gaga’s incredible voice to shine through the

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The Hunger Games on Stage theatre review with a circular performance area and audience seating.
BooksEventsReviewsTheatre & Live Shows

‘The Hunger Games: On Stage’ Review: An Awkward, Interpretive Dance-Filled Mess

Uday Kataria ,  9 min read

The Hunger Games is one of the most popular young adult franchises in the world, spanning five incredible books and six popular films. Naturally, some creative individuals thought the stage was the next frontier for Katniss to conquer. The Hunger Games: On Stage debuted in London earlier this year in a purpose-built theater in Canary Wharf. As a massive fan of

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Primetime Movie review banner Robert Pattinson
EventsFilm FestivalsMovie ReviewsReviews

‘Primetime’ Review: A Stylish Descent Into Network TV | Fantastic Fest 2026

John Dotson ,  ,  4 min read

Primetime is the type of film that could easily have been a disaster. It’s a very difficult task to put the audience against someone who is catching child predators. Especially since Chris Hansen has done work beyond the network juggernaut To Catch a Predator to help reduce child trafficking at home and abroad. However, since the documentary Predators, there has been

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Wild Horse Nine movie review, starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell
EventsFilm FestivalsMovie ReviewsReviewsStellar Picks

‘Wild Horse Nine’ Has Chemistry and Heart | Fantastic Fest 2026

John Dotson ,  4 min read

Wild Horse Nine is another Martin McDonagh movie that finds remorse in the scummiest of scumbags. In In Bruges, McDonagh made two unlikely hitmen hilarious and somehow empathetic, mostly through the performances of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. His new film, Wild Horse Nine, does something similar. The film follows two men in a tedious profession and the friendship they have

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Ha-Chan Shake Your Booty Movie review banner
EventsFilm FestivalsMovie ReviewsReviews

‘Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!’ Elevated by Rinko Kikuchi’s Performance | TIFF 2026 Review

Maxance Vincent ,  ,  4 min read

Within the first second of Josef Kubota Wladyka’s Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!, the American filmmaker of Polish and Japanese descent immediately grabs our attention with large (and maximalist) title cards that announce a boisterous theatrical event. Divided into six chapters (plus an epilogue), Wladyka follows a Japanese dancer named Haru (Rinko Kikuchi), who competes in ballroom competitions with her boyfriend Luis (Alejandro Edda). A story

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Carrie Prime Video series 2026 preview of first two premiere episodes
EventsFeaturesFilm Festivals

‘Carrie’ Feels Fresh in First Two Episodes | Fantastic Fest 2026

John Dotson ,  ,  4 min read

Mike Flanagan gave a two-episode sneak peek at his new take on Stephen King’s Carrie, showcasing the first two episodes to Fantastic Fest audiences. All eight episodes of Carrie will premiere on Prime Video on October 7, 2026. This new vision is one of the first collaborations between Flanagan and Prime Video, and at first glance, it seems like a healthy start. Since

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Beware Boiúna movie review banner
EventsFilm FestivalsMovie ReviewsReviews

‘Beware Boiúna’ Review: Great Creature Feature, Almost | Fantastic Fest 2026

John Dotson ,  ,  4 min read

Beware Boiúna might be a creature feature, but it is very much a slasher film. Like films such as Friday the 13th or goofy slashers like some of the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels, we know right away who will live or die the minute they start speaking. The difference is the person holding the knife is a snake, and her

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