Have you ever thought to yourself, “Hey, I wonder if the director of Billy Madison has a bunch of concert footage of ’90s alternative bands lying around?” Who hasn’t thought about that, right? The Best Summer at Sundance Film Festival is a documentary that answers the question. And while nobody may have asked for these materials, one cannot deny that they
Read MoreJoybubbles is quite a sincere opening for our Sundance Film Festival 2026 review coverage. Similar to the documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, this documentary explores the challenges of a man living with a disability as he seeks ways to connect. For Ibelin, it was through the fantastic gaming landscape of World of Warcraft. For Joe Engressia (also known as Joybubbles),
Read MoreI have to admit, the first season of Chris Hemsworth’s Limitless took me by absolute surprise. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I flicked it on and dived into it. Perhaps an adventure show, much in the vein of Bear Grylls or even Down to Earth with Zac Efron. What I got instead was an emotionally raw Hemsworth sharing
Read MoreSundance Film Festival 2025 wrapped this weekend, closing the door on another eventful year of amazing titles. The festival brought many films about individuals from every race, sexual orientation, disability, or gender identity. One can see the depth of quality from haunting discussions about disability in Life After to extravagant explorations about love and identity in the fantasy Rains Over Babel.
Read MoreSally is what one would hope for from a Sundance Film Festival documentary. The festival is typically ripe with programming engaging in social commentary and highlighting diverse perspectives. And who better to highlight than the first female astronaut to adventure into space? The documentary is broad-sweeping in scope, discussing Sally Ride’s early life as a tennis player to becoming a NASA
Read MoreMiddletown sees documentarians Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss return to another story about young people’s role in the future of politics and activism. While Girls State is a sufficient follow-up to the groundbreaking documentary Boys State, the second outing lacked the same energy despite the importance of the subject matter. Here, McBaine and Moss seem to be shifting gears, and instead
Read MoreThe Sundance Film Festival documentary Life After begins with a simple yet controversial question. Should a disabled individual or someone who is suffering have the right to die? Regarding the disability experience, finding stories about people who share my worldview is a priority. And to be honest, the question posed caused me unease. Discovering that documentarian Reid Davenport shared the same
Read MoreThe Cosmic Circus is thrilled to launch its first official year of covering the Sundance Film Festival. Our first piece highlights films that attendees and readers should possibly consider while exploring the festival. Last year continued the festival’s long history of bringing films that ignite conversation and acclaim. For instance, Sundance 2024 sparked mixed reactions to the ambitious AI romance Love
Read MoreThe Remarkable Life of Ibelin is the antidote to the dystopian view of technology that’s prevalent to day, and a loving tribute to a truly special man.
Read MoreWe continue our Fantastic Fest coverage with two of the most heartfelt experiences of the entire festival. Both have beautiful messages and were crafted with such love and care. The first is Dreamworks Animation’s latest effort, The Wild Robot, which sees the filmmaker behind How to Train Your Dragon tackle a new experience about parenting and raising children through the eyes
Read MoreI’m getting to that age where I look at the opportunities teenagers have today and think old person thoughts about what I missed out on as a kid simply because it didn’t exist yet. There’s an entire film program at a local high school where I live that invited me to be a guest judge for their annual film festival last
Read MoreIf anyone ever complains to you that there’s nothing new under the sun in the world of cinema, please kindly point them to the documentary Grand Theft Hamlet. This experiment from British co-directors (and romantic partners) Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane covers the gamut of human emotion, from triumph to tragedy, in its 89 minutes of infectious fun. The story behind
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