Jane Austen once described the protagonist of her 1815 novel, Emma, as “a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.” What she meant, of course, was that the spoiled, scheming Emma Woodhouse isn’t exactly a Jane Bennet, or even an Elizabeth. But for over 200 years now, there’s been something irresistible about her story: the miscommunications, the mess-ups, the comedy. In multiple interviews, de Wilde has said that her goal wasn’t to modernize Austen's story but to humanize it. And though there’s a lot to...

At long last Disney/Pixar has an openly gay character…or so the story goes again. Actress, director, producer Lena Waithe will voice the character of Officer Specter, a cyclops policewoman, in Disney/Pixar’s latest film Onward (in theaters March 6). Waithe is an out and proud lesbian who hasn’t shied away from making her sexual orientation known. After all, this is the same woman who completely owned the MET Gala back in 2018, rocking a ginormous floor length rainbow flag cape. Waithe made history in 2017 by becoming the...

Ellen Page’s documentary, There’s Something in the Water, which premiered at TIFF last fall, is coming to Netflix on March 27. It discusses the very dangerous consequences of environmental racism in Canada, specifically Nova Scotia. Inspired by the acclaimed book by Ingrid Waldron, social scientist and professor at Dalhousie University, There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities uses Nova Scotia as a case example of environmental racism in Canada. There were so many powerful moments that appeared in the trailer. One part...

The Photograph, starring Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield, is the first Black romantic film of the decade—premiering on Valentine’s Day, smack dab in the middle of Black History Month. Setting the tone for representation of Black love by Black creators under any other circumstance would be daunting, but The Photograph exceeds expectations by simply just being a regular, degular love story. The film seesaws between two generations of love: Christina (Chante Adams) grappling between her love for her southern hometown sweetheart, Isaac (Y’lan Noel) and her...

Leslie Knope has filled many a binder with good ideas, but perhaps her best idea is Galentine’s Day, a day for ladies celebrating ladies. Here at BUST, we love nothing more than celebrating rad women, and we especially love it when they show up on our screen. So grab your friends, some wine, and your snack of choice and unwind with some of our favorite flicks about female friendship, as chosen by our staffers. Waiting to Exhale Featuring a star-studded cast filled with legendary actresses such as...

After Suicide Squad failed with DC fans, with its weird plot and “Hot Topic” aesthetic, many fans left the theaters with a new love for Harley Quinn, the zany, loveable anti-hero, while others were disappointed in her portrayal. Easily the best part of the 2016 film, the fan-favorite left a lot to be desired and many women wanted her character explored more. Thankfully, this fourth-wall-breaking character is getting well-earned praise and spinoffs. Her adult cartoon tv show Harley Quinn premiered in 2019. So, when DC announced that...

The LodgeDirected by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala Out February 7 The Lodge is a terrifying nightmare, that plays like a disturbingly twist on The Parent Trap. From the directors of Goodnight Mommy, Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s, The Lodge follows a family who retreat to their remote cabin over the winter holidays for some quality time together. When the father (Richard Armitage) has to go back for work, he leaves his children, Aidan (IT’s Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh) with his new girlfriend, Grace (Riley Keough). Trapped in the lodge by...

Attending the Sundance Film Festival is a great way to check out what’s going to be relevant for the coming year. This trip I watched twelve films in four days. Sounds like a lot, but with 118 feature films screening at Sundance this year, I barely scratched the surface of all that was being offered. Here is a guide to a few key films that we think will make an important mark on our culture this year.   Never Rarely Sometimes AlwaysDirected & Written by Eliza Hittman With...

I first saw Sophia Lillis onscreen as Beverly Marsh in Stephen King’s film adaptation of IT. The performance resulted in the actress' nomination for the MTV Movie Award for The Most Frightened Performance, and rightfully so — because this girl can act. The second time was in her latest project, Gretel and Hansel, which I watched in a cinema alone. The film, based on the Brothers Grimm fairytale, is a coming-of-age story about a 16-year-old named Gretel, who is kicked out of her home alongside her brother, Hansel,...

The Assistant Dir. and written by Kitty Green Out January 31  The Assistant is undoubtedly a thriller, but don’t expect any fast-paced action or hard-to-follow twists—the most horrifying parts of Kitty Green’s debut feature film are the details, exchanged glances, and charged subtext. For an hour and a half, we follow twenty-something post-grad Jane (Julia Garner) as she works her personal assistant job: arriving to the office first and leaving last, answering emails and phone calls, ordering lunch for a team of patronizing men. With dreams of becoming a...