After spending more than two decades as Dr. Richard Webber on Grey’s Anatomy, James Pickens Jr. has earned the kind of name recognition that precedes him anywhere he goes. But when I sat down with him, he told me I could call him “Jim,” and what stood out wasn’t his résumé; it was his calm, grounded energy. He’s worked with directors like Steven Soderbergh, Oliver Stone, and Barry Levinson, but he’s the kind of guy who makes you forget all that within a few minutes of talking.

Best known for her iconic turns in Little Shop of Horrors and Pushing Daisies, Ellen Greene returns to the screen in Beatrix Is Invisible, a poignant short film by writer-director Alex Farias that premiered at the 2025 Palm Springs International ShortFest, where it won the Audience Award for Best Live-Action Short. In the film, Greene stars as Beatrix, a grandmother and widow struggling to feel seen in a world that seems to have moved on without her. Surrounded by color and life, Beatrix’s inner world is one of quiet turmoil, a contrast Greene captures with her trademark warmth and emotional precision.

Filmmakers Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb have long had a knack for finding meaning in nostalgia. From The Rock-afire Explosion to Butterfly in the Sky, their documentaries explore how communities and passions take root in unexpected places. With their latest film, The Spirit of Halloweentown, they turned their focus to St. Helens, Oregon, the real-life town where the 1998 Disney Channel Original Movie Halloweentown was filmed and that now transforms into a Halloween destination each year.

When Emmy-winning producer Bernie Su invited actor Tohoru Masamune to lunch to discuss a new project, Masamune knew it would be something unconventional. The two had previously collaborated on Artificial, Twitch’s first scripted interactive series, which earned Su an Emmy and cemented his reputation for pushing narrative boundaries. Now, Su’s latest venture, Whispers, takes that experimentation even further—merging artificial intelligence with real-time audience participation.

When Luger exploded onto the scene at Fantastic Fest, its tight, gritty energy felt both spontaneous and deeply personal. The Spanish thriller, co-written by Santiago Taboada and Bruno Martín, follows two small-time thugs caught in a violent spiral after a simple job goes disastrously wrong. But behind the chaos lies a story forged in friendship, late-night writing sessions, and sheer creative willpower.

When The R.I.P. Man hit the indie horror circuit, few expected it to carve such a distinct niche for itself. The low-budget British slasher, about a killer whose gruesome dental condition drives him to murder, earned praise for its unnerving atmosphere, sharp editing, and striking performances. At the center of it all are Owen Llewelyn and Jasmine Kheen, who bring opposing energies to a story that balances terror and humanity in unexpected ways.

Jazz Securo’s path from the roar of the octagon to the quiet intensity of the director’s chair feels almost cinematic in itself. Known around the world as one of combat sports’ most recognizable announcers—his booming introductions have echoed through Madison Square Garden and Dana White’s Contender Series—Securo now brings that same conviction and presence to filmmaking with his debut feature, Thy Will Be Done. The dark thriller, inspired by films like Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, follows Detective Stefani Bennett as she uncovers a string of deaths that blur the line between divine judgment and mortal sin.

Few films have carved out a cult following quite like The Boondock Saints. Written and directed by Troy Duffy, the 1999 crime thriller about Irish-Catholic vigilantes Connor and Murphy MacManus grew from a scrappy indie into a cornerstone of cult cinema, spawning a sequel and maintaining a fiercely loyal fanbase for more than 25 years. Now, Duffy is bringing fans back to the beginning with The Boondock Saints, Volume 1: Blood Origin, his debut novel that traces the untold story of the brothers’ rise.