Juan A. Ramírez

Only a handful of production companies inspire audience cheers when their name pops up in a movie’s credits. (Leo the Lion’s MGM roar comes to mind, but maybe that’s just fight or flight.) But you know when Killer Films’ rabbit hops onto the screen with its dartboard-target body that you’re about to get your indie world rocked. Recent hits like Materialists and May December are proof of this, but longtime fans of Todd Haynes and off-beat classics like Party Monster, Vox Lux and Kids can trace a long lineage of singular cinematic visions to the New York-based company, headed by producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler.This August, Killer Films celebrates 30 years of movie magic with a two-week series at the downtown arthouse Metrograph, with several in-person intros and filmmaker Q&As. Five of the seven films will screen in 35mm, including Todd Haynes’ I’m Still Here and Far From Heaven, Cindy Sherman’s (only film!) Office Killer, Mark Romanek’s One Hour Photo and John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Janicza Bravo’s Twitter-world masterpiece Zola and Todd Solondz’s controversial Happiness will be shown in digital format.(You can find a full schedule of screenings and special events on Metrograph’s website.)The history of Killer is inextricably linked to Haynes’ groundbreaking career: his first feature, Poison, was the company’s first production. Though it helped establish the emerging New Queer Cinema subgenre that brought us Gregg Araki, Cheryl Dunye and Gu

Moviegoing is back! Or at least AMC’s Lincoln Square cinema is, having quickly bounced back from a brief shutdown due to Monday night’s downpour, which caused a roof pipe to burst, flooding the lower levels of the multi-story building. The Upper West Side movie theater reopened in time for screenings Tuesday evening and will continue operations as scheduled, with only some auditoriums and areas on the bottom floor closed for cleanup. Cinephiles can return to debating the latest summer blockbuster over M3GAN and Jaws themed popcorn buckets without further concern. New York City experienced the second-wettest hour of its recorded history (after Hurricane Ida in 2021), with 2.07 inches of rain falling between 7 and 8 p.m. As photos and videos of the storm poured into everyone’s social media feeds, a widely shared video on TikTok showed a concessions counter at the Manhattan multiplex being badly beaten with water. Audiences had to be evacuated from the theater Monday night, though no one was injured. Located steps away from Lincoln Center, AMC’s Lincoln Square theater houses one of the largest IMAX screens in the world—currently treating audiences to around 75 feet worth of David Corenswet in the latest Superman—as well as a Dolby Cinema auditorium. Both the IMAX and Dolby halls were undamaged, but a few of the other screens and areas in the lower levels of the cinema remain shut. Refunds were automatically issued by AMC to ticket-buyers affected by Monday and Tuesday’s closure.

Summer would seem the ideal time to stroll through the city’s poshest neighborhoods to take in some fresh art, but gallerists need vacations, too! Luckily, the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) hosts its annual Gallery Walk right before most spaces shut down for August. The free event features some of New York’s best galleries staying open past their usual closing hours for some sunset art strolling and artist programming crafted especially for the evening. Typically only a Chelsea affair, this year’s Gallery Walk will also expand to include Tribeca spots for the first time. RECOMMENDED: The best galleries in NYC for works by established and up-and-coming artists Fifty-eight galleries—the most ever for this event—will stay open late on Wednesday, July 16, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with Van Leeuwen and Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream trucks doling out free scoops in both neighborhoods during the gallery walks. Luhring Augustine’s blockbuster double-showing of Salmaan Toor’s dreamy works have been on your coolest friends’ Instagram feeds for the past few months and closes a few days after the Gallery Walk. Start at the gallery’s Tribeca outpost, which hosts the Pakistani artist’s works on paper, then work your way up to its Chelsea space, which shows his paintings. Map: Courtesy ADAAChelsea Gallery Walk 2025 Along the way, check out Brooklyn mainstay Dustin Yellin’s trippy solo exhibition at Almine Rech, paired with Inès Longevial’s painted explorations of womanhood. Juan

The latest in the spate of cross-over hits to have started their life at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, A24 will produce the American premiere of Natalie Palamides’ one-woman show, WEER. The four-week engagement will be the first long-run program at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre, which will reopen in September after being dark for two years.Tickets are on sale now at CherryLaneTheatre.org, or at the theatre’s box office, newly reopened today.In WEER, the award-winning clown-comedienne plays both sides of a dueling Gen X couple – literally: one half of her body the man; the other, the woman. Reviewing its Fringe debut last year, Time Out’s Andrzej Lukowski called the “gloriously ridiculous ’90s rom com” a “virtuoso piece of batshittery from Palamides.”Palamides writes, directs and performs in the show, describing it as, New Years Eve 1999. Star Crossed Lovers. A Quarrel at the strike of midnight. Expect to see split-in-half wigs, costumes and fake chest hair in the “hysterically funny but weirdly poignant hour.”Opening night is set for September 28, with performances scheduled through October 19.Tickets range from $30–$109 and are available now at CherryLaneTheatre.org, though there’ll also be A$24 rush ticket deal for every performance (more than one ticket available per show, but how could we resist the nod?).Palamides hit the indie mainstream when Netflix picked up her sell-out special Nate for distribution. The Pittsburgh native has won a slew of Edinburgh awards, which

The Williamsburg coastline will look a little different on Saturday, August 2, when local food festival Smorgasburg partners with Suntory, Japan's premium malt beer, to present "Japan Meets Brooklyn – Matsuri," a one-day celebration of Japanese food, drinks and culture. The free event will take over the outdoor food market’s 90 Kent Avenue space from 11am to 6pm this Saturday.The matsuri (Japanese for “festival”) will build on Smorgasburg’s intense fanbase—it is the country’s largest weekly open-air food market, after all—to present six special guest vendors and a handful of activities designed to bring Brooklyn a dash of the Rising Sun. RECOMMENDED: This popular food festival is taking over the Seaport for the first time ever this yearSuntory is going out for the event, with a garden section doling out their signature Kami-Awa “Creamy Foam” pour and an exclusive curated omakase set, pairing a tasting of three beers with snacks from three vendors.Need some carbs beyond that beer-filled bless? The fair will have plenty of freshly baked buns, with stands from Greenpoint’s Taku Sando, matcha and onigirazu (sushi sandwiches) from Tokuyamatcha, and temaki sets and assorted sandos from a partnership between Nami Nori and Postcard Bakery.Habble will provide karaage chicken and Wagyu beef "sushi," and the sweet-toothed can take refuge with kakigori (shaved ice) from Tonchin US, or head to Let’s Bounce, purveyors of New York’s bounciest cheesecakes and cream puffs.But it is all fun an

Though much is in flux in Los Angeles right now, there’s at least one thing to celebrate: the way Angelenos celebrate! As a longtime leader in nightlife news, Time Out recently polled thousands of people in hundreds of the world’s best cities to find out where these denizens of the planet’s top-tier global spots flocked for their partying needs. With its legendary neighborhoods and thousands of subcultures, it’s no surprise the City of Angels ranked as one of the nightlife capitals in the United States. RECOMMENDED: The 9 best live music venues along Sunset BoulevardTime Out’s survey was inclusive—ragers and wine bars, sober clubs and dingy dives, supper clubs and listening bars—and asked readers to rate both their city’s quality and affordability. The final tally saw Los Angeles nab sixth place, behind New York, Miami, New Orleans, Chicago and the overall winner, Las Vegas.Sin City actually took the top global spot, dethroning last year’s winner, Rio de Janeiro, which this year didn’t crack the top ten (these things do happen!), and beating out other major metropolises like Madrid and Paris.Back on west coast news: The movie capital of the world gained a solid 75-percent approval rating from the locals we spoke to, a number that checked out (though not without some questions of, Hmm, maybe the real partiers were out partying when we asked) with our panel of experts.With its diverse areas and comers-and-goers, Los Angeles is always on the move. Still, while its three-quarters

The Cherry Lane Theatre, an intimate space tucked in Manhattan’s West Village—which has also been a brewery, a silo, a box factory and a gay bar—will reopen this September under the leadership of indie film studio A24. Though it will officially reopen on Monday, September 8, the first announced event will be held on the following Sunday, September 14, with the first installment of a new screening series called Sundays with Sofia, hosted by New York-born filmmaker Sofia Coppola. RECOMMENDED: You can catch a free outdoor film festival on one of New York’s best beachesThe writer-director, an Oscar winner for the seminal 2003 film Lost in Translation, will present and discuss some of the movies most important to her, beginning with Adrian Lyne’s Foxes. (The cult 1980 coming-of-age drama, starring Jodie Foster, focuses on a group of teenage girls in Los Angeles, familiar territory for fans of Coppola’s gorgeous variations on this theme.) The 167-venue will then empty out onto the precious Commerce Street for a block party after the screening. Coppola’s last two films, On the Rocks (2020) and Priscilla (2023), were made by A24, and though the company did not produce The Bling Ring (2013), it was the fourth movie it ever distributed. The indie wunderkind is expected to loop in many of its returning talents to Cherry Lane’s programming. A24 purchased the historic space in 2023, and it has remained shut since. But the company has announced that it will present theatrical productions,

Few places in the United States have as strong a claim to the country’s history than Massachusetts, home to witches, Harvard and Wahlbergs. WorldAtlas recently took stock of its excellent culture, releasing a list of what they consider the Bay State’s 12 best museums. Shockingly, only two of Boston’s dozens and dozens of museums (three, if you include Cambridge, which I strongly advise against) made the list.The round-up might be immediately controversial at the local clam chowder haunt for what it leaves out, but no one can say it doesn’t cover an impressive amount of ground, from historical homeplaces to industrial icons and world-class fine art galleries.So MFA, Boston and Paul Revere House-heads, start reaching for that stiff drink. The rest of you, grab your Dunkin’ and let’s hit the road. For the sake of a clean and clockwise itinerary, we’ll lay these out in a circuit starting and ending in the capital. These are the best museums in Boston, according to WorldAtlas:  Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston)One of those remarkable museums whose architecture almost surpasses its collection, the Gardner opened in 1903 in the style of a 15th-century Venetian palazzo, with what later became one of the country’s most Instagrammed interior courtyards. Centuries later, in 2012, another Italian influence came via Renzo Piano’s adjacent modernist wing. Its impressive collection boasts works by masters like Matisse, Titian, Botticelli and Sargent alongside letters and books by Dan

Hamilton’s 10th anniversary celebration rages on! The blockbuster musical is making at least 1,000 seats available to fans for only $10 through its digital lottery for a special matinee performance on Wednesday, August 6. Registration is open now through July 31 at noon ET, and it's the only way to access tickets for the performance.Broadway’s Richard Rodgers Theatre will be the room where it happens on August 6, which marks the tenth anniversary since Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash-hit retelling of the country’s founding moved uptown from its 2015 debut at the Public Theater. An invite-only evening performance that Wednesday will serve as a fundraiser for the Immigrants: We Get the Job Done Coalition. The audience for that will comprise previous company members, celebrity friends and sweepstake winners, and is expected to raise around $3 million for the group of 14 nonprofits. RECOMMENDED: The best Broadway shows to see right nowFans can enter the lottery by visiting Hamiltonmusical.com/lottery or via the musical’s official app. Only one entry per person, for up to two tickets, and no purchase is needed to enter. All will be notified between 1pm and 4 pm on July 31, with winners having two hours to claim and pay for their tickets. (Be smart! Don’t share images of your tickets or entries and risk having them stolen.)This is only the latest celebration announced for the musical’s tenth anniversary, with the New York Yankees announcing that the first 10,000 attendees of its August

Under the Radar, consistently one of the most exciting theater and performance festivals in New York City since its launch in 2005, has announced six highlights from its upcoming roster, ahead of a full announcement this fall. Its 21st edition will take place in over 20 venues across the city from January 7-25, 2026.In keeping with the festival’s eye toward the best of U.S. and international experimental performance, it will continue to explore dance, music, theater, film, opera, conversation and stagecraft through works by NY-based artists Narcissister (in her first-ever proscenium presentation), The HawtPlates, Kaneza Schaal, Lisa Fagan and Lena Engelstein, as well as European virtuosos Cherish Menzo and Mario Banushi. RECOMMENDED: Free dance performances are back in Battery Park City next monthBooted from its longtime home at the Public Theater in 2023, citing budget cuts, the festival has impressively managed to stay afloat through on-your-feet thinking from founder and artistic director Mark Russell, who has since spread its near-monthlong programming across several of the city’s arts institutions.In 2026, these will include Performance Space New York, NYU Skirball, The Performing Garage, HERE Arts Center and Live Artery | New York Live Arts. (Beyond today’s initial announcement–more details below–there will also be performances at Lincoln Center, La MaMa, The Chocolate Factory Theater and more to be announced.) Under the Radar is applying its curatorial sense of trust i

Battery Dance Festival, the city’s longest-running free public dance festival, will next month begin its 44th edition with the re-opening of the Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park on Saturday, August 9. The following week will bring five nights of dynamic premieres and performances from 16 local and international companies, all set against the spectacular New York skyline. The Battery Dance Festival is a chance for New Yorkers to experience the best of the international dance world right on their turf, for free. RECOMMENDED: The best dance shows in NYC, from ballet to hip hop and contemporary performance Located near Manhattan’s southern tip, the park was closed for a two-year pause in a coastal resiliency effort to protect lower Manhattan from storm surges and sea level rise. On August 9, the Battery Dance company will celebrate its reopening with a one-hour program featuring Indigenous performer Marie Poncé and tap-dancer John Manzari, accompanied by a live band. The company will then present the Turkish-Dutch choreographer Rutkay Özpinar’s Frontiers, with Limón Dance Company capping the evening with the 1964 classic, A Choreographic Offering. Typically bringing together over 12,000 attendees (plus some 35,000 virtual ones), the festival proper will then run from Tuesday August 12 to Saturday, August 16 on Rockefeller Park, a bit further up the city’s west side. Eight New York companies will present a plethora of works, classic and new, alongside eight international companies haili

Several singular sensations have now been announced to be part of the upcoming one-night-only benefit concert celebrating 50 years of A Chorus Line. Sunday, July 27 will see the landmark musical return to its Broadway home, the Shubert Theater, to raise money for the Entertainment Community Fund, exactly five decades (and two days) after it opened in 1975.The Fund’s Board Chair Annette Bening, season highlights Jennifer Simard (Death Becomes Her) and Mandy Gonzalez (Sunset Boulevard), and Gilmore Girls’ Lauren Graham are among the latest names to have just joined the lineup, along with triple-threat talents Ariana DeBose and Bebe Neuwirth. Whether those last two will get the chance to show off their award-winning dancing chops remains to be seen, as their involvement—and most details surrounding the concert—has not been specified.The glitzy event will be directed by Baayork Lee, an original cast member from the Pulitzer winner’s off-Broadway debut at the Public Theater a few months before its instant success skyrocketed it uptown. Lee has overseen virtually every major production since, preserving Michael Bennett’s original vision, and his and Bob Avian’s choreography. She’ll replicate their work here as well. RECOMMENDED: The best Broadway shows to see right now, from new plays to musical classicsIts storied history has allowed several major talents to share its story, many of whom will also participate in the concert, including Donna McKechnie and Kelly Bishop—who won actin