Written and directed by Emilie Blichfeldt, The Ugly Stepsisteris a subversive body horror that twists the familiar tale of Cinderella and gives us a psychological beauty-is-pain ride that is as explosive as it is encoming. What I love most about period pieces is their ability to explore societal expectations, for women especially, that still reflect our present day. The Ugly Stepsister is gruesome and sees the title character going through a number of painful procedures and actions to marry the prince. As a woman, I found it a painful yet astute exploration of manufactured beauty and its horrifying results. 485864

Every once in a while, a film comes along that touches you in the most unexpected ways. The Wedding Banquet, a laugh-out-loud comedy that has a big heart,is one such movie. A remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 film, director Andrew Ahn’s version — which he co-wrote with James Schamus, the original film’s co-writer — maintains the premise but makes the story entirely his own. The ensemble cast is impeccable and has fantastic chemistry and comedic timing. The combination of cast and storytelling makes for an emotionally gorgeous, hilarious, and touching film that you’ll want to rewatch over and over again.

While they are probably best known for having directed Captain Marvel, writer-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck show us what they can really do with the stylish, action-packed Freaky Tales. The film tells multiple stories that merge into one by the end, and while it doesn’t fully deliver on this premise or answer questions about its supernatural moments, it more than makes up for it with its high energy, grit, and characters that are easy to root for.

A private show from an iconic artist is probably at the top of an impossible-to-realize bucket list for anyone who has a deep personal connection to a musical act. And what if you could bring back together a band that broke up years ago, a shot of nostalgia straight to the heart? In The Ballad of Wallis Island, one man has the means to achieve this dream. It just doesn’t go exactly the way he expects.

The Sundance Film Festival is officially leaving Park City, Utah. The independent film festival was founded by legendary actor Robert Redford in 1978. The festival was originally run in Salt Lake City, before expanding to Park City, Utah in 1981. Since then, the festival has become known for its competitive and prestigious independent film programming. This year's Sundance Film Festival ran in Park City and Salt Lake City from January 23 to February 2, and selected Atropia for its U.S. Grand Jury Prize.

The 2025 Oscars are right around the corner, but after being at the Sundance Film Festival, we’re thinking ahead to what 2026 will look like for potential nominees. Sundance has long been a launch pad for independent filmmakers and movies to be picked up for distribution. In years past, films like Past Lives, Brooklyn,and CODA, the latter two both won Best Picture, have been nominated in multiple categories.

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival was another success. With 88 feature-length films vying for attention, the festival was once again a bastion for independent filmmakers. From romantic thrillers to gruesome horrors and quiet meditative films, the beloved festival (which is eyeing other locations as potential host cities post-2026) has a bit of something for everyone. Jurors announced the winners of Sundance in each category, and the ScreenRant team saw 25 films over the course of six days, so there were a lot of movies to choose from.

The Sundance Film Festivaloffers a wide variety of films to see, from brand-new, boundary-pushing horror movies to incisive comedies and heart-wrenching dramas. Every year in January, thousands of people descend on Park City, Utah to be the first to see what could become some of 2025's biggest movies. Because it highlights independent cinema, though, there are also some major discoveries to be found alongside anticipated new releases.

The 2025 horror film The Ugly Stepsister has been compared to The Substance. Making Oscar history as the 7th horror movie ever to be nominated for Best Picture, The Substance was one of the breakout hits of 2024. It featured Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, an aging actor whose fitness series gets cancelled, and she resorts to taking a black-market drug in order to regain her younger body again. The film received praise for its original storyline, and mixture of humor with more shocking gore.

The iconic fairy tale of Cinderella is getting a wild twist with the Sundance hit, The Ugly Stepsister. The movie hails from Norwegian writer/director Emilie Blichfeldt in her feature directorial debut, continuing her trend from her short films of tackling the theme of what beauty means to a modern society, and how it impacts femininity. Blichfeldt spent nearly 10 years working to bring the movie to life, five of which were specifically focused on developing the script for the project after initially coming up with the concept.