Minority Mindset

I love seeing characters grow and get stronger with awesome power-ups, but honestly, some of the coolest anime characters start at the top! They’re already incredibly powerful when we first meet them, and that’s what’s so captivating. They can be someone the main character looks up to, or a huge obstacle in their way. They instantly grab you with their sheer strength – strength they often spent years building before the story even began, which is just amazing!

Inspired by George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg, this show offers a fresh perspective on the world of the Seven Kingdoms. Instead of focusing on powerful royal families vying for the Iron Throne, it centers on a humble knight who, while skilled with a horse, is short on money after his mentor’s death. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms follows the adventures of this knight and his young apprentice as they travel the land. Many viewers already believe the premiere episode showcases scenes that are as captivating as those in the original Game of Thrones series.

It’s no surprise to me that the season’s strongest episodes—this one and the first—focused on sewing, letting the queens simply be drag queens without unnecessary interference. However, this isn’t a great episode because of the challenge itself; it’s overly complicated, unpleasant, and feels like the producers were trying to make up for denying Vita a win in the first episode. What makes this episode good is the fantastic cast and how much fun they have interacting with each other. The song performances were bad, the scripted scenes were awkward, and the challenge is just strange. Ultimately, the success of this season depends on the queens, not gimmicks, and if the producers can avoid messing things up, the rest of the season should be really enjoyable.

I’m so excited to be here this week, soaking up all the energy of the festival! It’s incredible to see all the amazing movies, parties, and stars gather in this ski town for the last time after 45 years. I’ll be watching as incredible people stop by our studio on Main Street for portraits with Sinna Nasseri, and I can’t wait to hear the insightful conversations with Vulture writers Fran Hoepfner, Jason P. Frank, and Angelica Jade Bastién. And of course, I’m looking forward to a Ketel One espresso martini (or maybe a few!) from the fantastic bartenders. I’ll be sharing all my favorite moments and the latest news right here and on social media, so be sure to follow along!

I’m so excited about this new Kingsman movie! It’s a prequel, taking us all the way back to World War I with Ralph Fiennes leading the charge. It’s definitely a spy thriller, but it doesn’t shy away from showing the realities of the war. And honestly, there’s one scene in particular that I think is genuinely one of the greatest ever filmed – it’s just that good!

Rafael Manuel’s Filipiñana feels like a unique and captivating newcomer at the Park City festival. It stands out with its precise, stylized approach, offering a refreshing contrast to more conventional, heartfelt films. It’s a movie that demands your full attention and willingness to observe—not because it’s slow or confusing, but because it’s constructed entirely from carefully considered details. (Influential director Jia Zhangke produced the film and mentored Manuel, who also worked on Jia’s recent acclaimed film, Caught by the Tides.) In Filipiñana, even small things—like the way a golf club is held, a piece of fruit lying on the ground, or a simple look—can be surprisingly suspenseful, moving, or breathtaking.

The film’s title, One in a Million, hints at both incredible luck and the overwhelming scale of displacement. While Israa and her family survived a dangerous journey – a fate many others didn’t share – it also acknowledges that they are just one family among millions uprooted by war. Directors Azzam and MacInnes, who lived in Damascus when the conflict began in 2011 and later fled to London, tell Israa’s story. Upon arriving in Cologne, the family finds a modest but welcoming home, and Israa starts school where she’s met with kindness and curiosity. But as time passes, things become more difficult. Israa feels increasingly scrutinized and begins to push back against her family, especially her father, Tarek. They were once very close, but now he seems stuck in the past and unable to adapt to their new life. The typical challenges of adolescence are amplified for Israa by the cultural differences she experiences both at home and with her peers.