Li Lai • Mediaversity Reviews

Reintroducing myself and Mediaversity. Supporting emerging TV/film critics from underrepresented backgrounds since 2016, we grade TV and movies on inclusiveness. We're in this marathon for the long haul. Completely independent, consider donating ✌🏻 Either monthly: www.patreon.com/mediaversity...

Best Entertainment Blog By an Individual Not Tied to an Organization The Film Maven. Nominated as one of the best independent entertainment blogs. I can't believe it. I started the site as a way to write in my downtime. This validates SO much about why I do this. TheFilmMaven.com

The Seattle Film Critics Society is proud to announce the nominees for the 2026 PNW Short Film Award: Dicks-A-Thon dir. Dylan Young Katya dir. Timofey Pozhitkov Oh Whale dir. Winslow Crane-Murdoch Roll Modelz dir. Oliver Rodriguez Dickson & Yahir Tzec-Carrasco Scout's Honor dir. Isabel Pask

NEW REVIEW — Even if the comments are brief, whitesplaining Inuit culture (without any Inuit characters in the film) is going to get the side-eye from us. #Whalefall www.mediaversityreviews.com/film-reviews...

W Magazine: "You’ve been on #TheView with a panel of women discussing the day’s topics for almost 20 years. What keeps you coming back?" Whoopi: "A good check." www.wmagazine.com/culture/whoo... via @candicefrederick.bsky.social

NEW REVIEW — This is the week for spooky fall viewing!! And if you're like me, and horror isn't your thing, #ATalentForMurder makes a lovely alternative: spine-chilling without the fright (although, beware snails 🤢) www.mediaversityreviews.com/film-reviews...

'The film was originally slated to have a wide theatrical release, but the month before, its release was trimmed down to a one-week run. Two days before its release, Amazon again cut the theatrical release down, this time to three days at 125 theatres.' OH. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_G:_...

These are the nominees for @seattlecritics.bsky.social's PNW Filmmaking Award, aka the ONLY award that spotlights cinema from this region. As a bonus, see them on the big screen @siffnews.bsky.social Nov 13-15 with post-screening Q&As with the filmmakers! youtu.be/xK2388GHApE

I wrote about Once Upon a Time in Harlem and the virtually lost art of Black cultural debate in today's social media era. My latest for @salon.com: www.salon.com/2026/10/19/w...

Sad news. My father-in-law introduced us to each other once a long time ago. He was a lovely guy.

While at Busan International Film Festival, I spoke with Michelle Yeoh for @letterboxd.social about her career and process, particularly how rarely she ever got to rehearse any of those iconic action sequences before doing them.

NEW REVIEW — I adored #YourMotherYourMotherYourMother and found it to be stylish, moving, and inclusive. Our writer, Anthony Marcusa, shares his take: www.mediaversityreviews.com/film-reviews...

Basically, go to: Settings > Content Controls > AI Contributions Then select: Human authors only Human narrators only Human artists only Human translators only Then toggle off: Deep search only

If I ever say something this wildly out-of-touch, please take me out behind the woodshed.

NEW REVIEW — Does anyone really think making critical movies about awful people is helping the world? I agree with #Musk's message, sure, but its ~$20M budget could've gone somewhere else, or highlighted someone deserving of a real platform www.mediaversityreviews.com/film-reviews...

i'm dying to watch this steaming pile #StreetFighter

Yayyyy #TheDiplomat Season 4 is out on Netflix! Excited for a decently made show again, it's been awhile. If you're starting from scratch, I'm jealous—here's my review of the first few seasons www.mediaversityreviews.com/tv-reviews/2...

Made this masterpiece/nightmare to say I did a podcast with the great Matt Lynch (AKA Seattle’s bad boy of movies) about YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING. Had a fascinating conversation about that and everything else in Seattle moviegoing this week📽️ Listen here: seattlemoviesdaily.beehiiv.com/podcast/s/se...

Few recent films have been as trhilling or difficult to write about as YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING, but I took a shot at it. www.micahrickard.com/film/you-can...

NEW POST — My final #VIFF2026 dispatch is here! These films question cultural inheritance, weighing what’s worth passing on to the next generation, and what should be left behind. #Agridulce #SendTheRain #StrongSon mediaversityrev.medium.com/viff-2026-as...

Tasveer Film Festival is running Oct. 13th-18th in Seattle. I wish I could check it out more, but I'm still catching up on #VIFF! Still, I saw a lovely short film #AmericanFabric — it's screening at 4:30–7:19pm at House 03 (Tasveer Film Center, 4812 Rainier Ave S) ❤️ Trailer: vimeo.com/1133307325

NEW REVIEW — Every once in awhile, we dig into some of TV's most enduring shows and consider how they've shaped audiences' views of women, people of color, and queer characters. How does #LawAndOrder stack up? @colorwebmag.bsky.social writes: www.mediaversityreviews.com/tv-reviews/2...

NEW FEATURE — I had a wonderful first outing to #VIFF! After seeing 20 movies, I'm working on my capsule reviews and would like to share my first dispatch, which gathers thoughts on Native films: #Ceremony #TurtleIslandRap #SmudgeTheBlades #Seventeen mediaversityrev.medium.com/viff-2026-in...

Go watch each and every one of these. It’s an outstanding group of nominees. Filmmakers scheduled to attend every screening. Definitely get your tickets ASAP. My full review of AGAIN AGAIN (if you’re interested): www.sgn.org/story/166184...

Introducing the five finalists of the @seattlecritics.bsky.social Pacific Northwest Awards! These films will be playing at the SIFF Film Center November 13-15. 🎥 A SIMPLE MACHINE 🎥 POWWOW PEOPLE 🎥 AGAIN AGAIN 🎥 THE JOYLESS ECONOMY 🎥 THE LIFE WE LEAVE More info & tickets: siff.info/sfcs26-bs

@seattlecritics.bsky.social announces nominees for this year's Pacific Northwest Awards (aka the *only* award to spotlight PNW filmmaking excellence): #AgainAgain #TheLifeWeLeave #TheJoylessEconomy #PowwowPeople #ASimpleMachine. Seen 'em? Have a favorite? I know mine 😏 www.siff.net/sfcs?blm_aid...

every single sci-fi movie, for some reason:

they did the thing

5 films in 1 day = 🫠 In order of preference, they were #ALongWinter #ElephantsInTheFog #InAlaska #Ceremony #TurtleIslandRap #VIFF26

another VIFF banger. great documentary, currently doing the festival circuit right now and releases in north america early next year. see it if you can, incredibly uplifting i needed to experience the spirit these kids have so much rn letterboxd.com/aurahack/fil...

Whew, #SchoolOfDefectors at #VIFF26. I cried a lot 🥹😂😭 Great doc about North Korean defectors in a South Korean boarding school. Harrowing stories, brilliant kids. Executive produced by Daniel Dae Kim.

First mid-movie walkout at VIFF ... sorry #Clarissa 😬 I was excited by the star-studded cast and Mrs. Dalloway premise, but I kept falling asleep. On the other hand, #YourMotherYourMotherYourMother blew my mind last night. I loved it 😍

Spent the morning driving up to Vancouver and I'm now seated for my first ever #VIFF screening, #FrankAndLouis 👀 Very excited for this one

NEW REVIEW — I'm kicking off my first-ever #VIFFest with Filipino Canadian docu-hybrid #FirstComesLoveNakabingwit, a heartfelt look at the trials of tribulations (and compassion) that comes from being in an interracial relationship, premiering tomorrow: www.mediaversityreviews.com/film-reviews...

Very happy with my Oct 1 addition to the kitchen

Not to hijack this beautifully written #NAZA review by @812filmreviews.com, but this line made me go YES: "How many stories must be told from the wolf’s perspective before it stops hunting?" Basically the entire reason I started Mediaversity (and why the rating system is the way it is)

Lovers of weird, eclectic, & thoughtfully-programmed cinema rejoice! @nwfilmforum.bsky.social, Seattle’s nonprofit independent art house cinema, is making a big expansion: starting Monday, they’ll be open for all seven days of the week📽️ My story @thestranger.com: www.thestranger.com/arts/the-nor...

A deeply profound post from @lizhynes.bsky.social primarily addressed to cishet men, but words that should be read and processed by all. Screenshotting just the ending here, but those words hit the hardest if you've read the ones that lead up to it. lizhynes.substack.com/p/free

Here for any and all Buddhist impermanence content

i thought about this old tweet tonight and how nothing has ever aged better

We opened AYE CAESAR, my play about AI & Elder loneliness. A dream come true to have my words on stage. People laughed, snickered and, yes, even wiped some tears! It's a short run. 9 shows left. 2 shows tomorrow, Monday for our theatre friends & creatives. Don't miss it! eldritchtheatre.ca/ayecaesar

The film is written, directed, and co-stars Hitoshi Ozawa, a legendary Yakuza actor who is a villain in Yakuza 0, who got his fellow legends involved. This was his passion project inspired by one of his best friends, a trans woman, and he worked with the community for representative casting.

More grid memes 🥲 From @nytimes.com, The 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

"It’s the kind of movie about evil billionaires that evil billionaires would enjoy, which makes it the worst kind of movie about evil billionaires." @williambibbiani.bsky.social is one of the greats