'New Jack City,' Rodney King, and the 1991 Westwood Riot: After Dark

Alison Foreman

    Alison Foreman is a Features Writer at IndieWire covering and critiquing TV, film, and trends in Hollywood. Foreman describes herself as a journalist with a passion for blood, spectacle, and basic human decency. She's also the mad genius behind the midnight movie column IndieWire After Dark, offering fringe cinema selections for the streaming age late on weekends.

    As the former West Coast News and Curation Editor, Foreman affably managed the never-ending philosophical debate that is film and television recommendation. She championed IndieWire's ranking of the Best American Indies of the 21st Century, and has engaged in more debates about “Donnie Darko” and "500 Days of Summer" than she cares to admit.

    Foreman delivers rich nuance as a reporter and absurd asides as a writer; one time, she made Lily Tomlin laugh! Mostly known as Ali offline, Foreman started in video journalism in 2014, working as a broadcast news intern at "CBS This Morning" and later as a fact-checker with bylines at CNN and Refinery29. She interned on the production side of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Season 2 and was staffed on Showtime's "Our Cartoon President" Season 1.

    Foreman pursued a reporting fellowship at Mashable in 2018, before joining the newsroom full time in Los Angeles the following year. There she covered movies, TV, video games, and music, as well as web culture, tech, and science. Foreman earned her Bachelor of Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology, graduating from a computer science/liberal arts hybrid program and specializing in interactive media and experimental design. She also minored in social justice.

    In 2020, while at Mashable, Foreman was awarded Best Online TV Feature by the Los Angeles Press Club for her reporting on police procedurals and the Black Lives Matter movement. She was nominated for the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards twice for her reporting on diversity issues in 2021. Foreman worked as an associate editor at The A.V. Club in 2022; she is a member of GALECA. Foreman is committed to authentic and diverse storytelling — with a particular soft spot for queer voices, psychic vampires, and Garfield. The cat. Not the president.

    Follow Alison Foreman on X, Instagram, and other platforms @alfaforeman.

    Latest by Alison Foreman
    'New Jack City' (1991)
    After Dark
    Mario Van Peebles’ electric 1991 crime thriller arrived in Westwood just days after the Rodney King beating.
    Inside the Bruin Theatre on August 17, 2026
    Investigation
    The exciting new L.A. revival is already in turmoil over accusations that were public in Toronto for years.
    The late Tim Curry in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975)
    Obituary
    Known for "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Clue," and more cult classics, the electric performer was a patron saint of the midnight movie whose seductive impact can never be forgotten.
    Linda Blair in 'Exorcist II: The Heretic'
    Film Review
    David Kittredge conjures a true film lover's retrospective in this magical John Boorman documentary.
    'The Phantom Empire' (1935)
    After Dark
    Cowboys, space queens, and the secret history of… everything? This black-and-white 1935 selection reflects just how long Hollywood has been playing with genre.
    'Iron Lung' (2026)
    Commentary
    A derogatory term from video game criticism has crossed over to indie film discourse, and brought a poisonous idea about creative labor with it.
    The Bruin Theatre and an outside rental for Universal's "Fast and Furious" event on August 17, 2026
    Report
    The last attempt to bring back the Westwood landmark ended in a bankruptcy claim and civil litigation over the building's condition. Its new operators see things differently.
    Hayden Panettiere arrives at the premiere of 'Blonde' held at the TCL Chinese Theatre on September 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
    Commentary
    The late actress built her career around revealing complexity beneath familiar surfaces. Her tragic passing shouldn’t become the mystery that defines her.
    Maggie Mclean, Alia Shawkat, Dylan Meyer and Kristen Stewart at 'The Wrong Girls' Los Angeles premiere held at NELA Dispensary on August 05, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
    Filmmaker Interview
    "We didn't come here for anything," producer Maggie McLean told IndieWire, unpacking her and filmmaker Dylan Meyer's proudly imperfect stoner comedy 14 years in the making.
    'The Lord of the Rings' (1978)
    After Dark
    Round out IndieWire's Sequels Week, and After Dark's animated Tolkien marathon, with the unfinished epic from 1978.
    'Ken Russell's The Devils'
    Trailer
    55 years in the making, the Holy Grail of cinematic restorations hits U.S. theaters on October 16.
    THE WRONG GIRLS, from left: Kristen Stewart, Alia Shawkat, 2026. © Neon /Courtesy Everett Collection
    Film Review
    From Neon, Dylan Meyer's effervescent directorial debut is a breath of fresh air.
    Top of The Line Weekly
    A weekly digest that captures the best of our Top of the Line coverage.

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