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Nic Cage’s Spider-Noir Trailer Just Blew The MCU Out Of The Water 

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Nic Cage's Spider-Noir Trailer Just Blew The MCU Out Of The Water 

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published

Confession time: when I heard that Nicolas Cage would be acting in a live-action Spider-Noir TV show, I thought it was the worst idea I had heard in a good, long time. Sure, Cage had done an excellent job voicing this Spider-Man variant in Into the Spider-Verse, but I always thought his casting was a bit of cheeky meta-humor. The idea of putting the 62-year-old actor in spandex and actually having him fight crime on a prestige TV show? Now, that seemed laughable in the worst kinds of ways.

Now, the trailer for this show (premiering on Prime Video on May 27th) has me eating a few healthy heaps of humble pie. It seems like Spider-Noir is going to find that elusive balance between being a superhero show and being (what else?) a noirish detective show. Similarly, it found just the right amount of humor, all while leaning into Cage’s quirkiest strengths as an actor. If the actual show can deliver the goods, then Spider-Noir is shaping up to be the rare Sony production with the potential to blow the MCU out of the water.

Letting Cage Be Cage

To my surprise and relief, one of the first things the Spider-Noir trailer does is address the fact that Nicolas Cage is seemingly too old to play a high-flying superhero. Instead of being a plucky hero suiting up for the first time, Cage plays a character who has happily hung up his spandex, leaving his wall-crawling days behind him. Now, though, with his city going to hell thanks to a Kingpin-like criminal (played by Silvio Manfredi), he returns to having two lives: private eye by day and spectacular superhero by night. 

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Spider-Noir

If the trailer is any indication, Spider-Noir also leans into Cage’s larger-than-life screen presence as one of Hollywood’s weirdest actors. He gruffs his way through some appropriately noirish lines (including an ironic “Because with no power, there’s no responsibility), but there’s also some of Cage’s wonderfully weird humor. When asked if he’s “going to be a dick about” starting his life anew, the actor replies, “Uh yes, actually, a private dick, to be exact!” It’s such a delightfully strange delivery of such a basic line, which gives me hope that Cage will be able to elevate the source whenever the writing is lacking.

The Anti-MCU Is Here

Spider-Noir

Based on the trailer, the writing for the show is solid and shows a remarkable amount of restraint. I feared that producers would try to jam Spider-Noir with Spider-Verse levels of chaos or otherwise try to one-up the MCU with multiversal superhero shenanigans. But the trailer makes it seem like the show will mostly be a grounded, noir-style story, one in which special powers are treated like something more than a bit frightening. That’s kind of an exciting prospect, really: a low-tech fictional universe where superpowers are treated with horror instead of reverence? It’s basically the anti-MCU, and I’m here for it.

Spider-Noir

Overall, the trailer did a gangbusters job of making a show I had no interest in seem like appointment television. I still have a few doubts about the show. For example, I think it’s super-cowardly to provide audiences with both color and black-and-white viewing options (if you wanna go noir, guys, then go freakin’ noir!). But this trailer presents a superhero show that is drenched in style, one that has found the perfect balance between humor, world-building, and even horror. Will it stick the landing, or will this show have its own long goodbye in the ratings? Fans and haters can find out together when Spider-Noir comes out on Prime Video on May 27th.


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10 Greatest Psychological Thrillers of the Last 20 Years, Ranked

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Florence Pugh as Alice driving in a desert with a distressed look on her face, several cars chasing her, in Don't Worry Darling

We all love a good mind game as the central cog of a story. It’s a major factor in why psychological thrillers remain a sought-after subgenre within the bigger thriller umbrella. Whether it’s self-inflicted psychological drama or actions by others, the stories in these films are utterly fascinating to watch unfold.

The 21st century has offered some of cinema’s greatest films, and psychological thrillers have flourished. We’re going to celebrate 10 films that have gone above and beyond to be the best psychological thrillers of the past 20 years. From a descent into madness through the lens of ballet to the mind games of a dangerous class war, these films epitomize the thriller. Spanning from 2006 to 2026, these 10 movies have shaped the genre in a variety of ways.

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10

‘Don’t Worry Darling’ (2022)

Florence Pugh as Alice driving in a desert with a distressed look on her face, several cars chasing her, in Don't Worry Darling
Florence Pugh as Alice driving in a desert with a distressed look on her face, several cars chasing her, in Don’t Worry Darling
Image via Warner Bros.

One film that fulfills the brief of a psychological thriller on screen is the truly fascinating Don’t Worry Darling. Directed by Olivia Wilde, the film tells the story of Alice (Florence Pugh), a 1950s housewife living in a utopian desert community called “Victory.” While her husband Jack (Harry Styles) works for the mysterious Victory Project, Alice discovers that their perfect life masks sinister, controlling secrets, leading her to question her reality. A story about a woman’s reality that is manipulated and gaslit, Don’t Worry Darling is a terrifying tale of control, autonomy, and patriarchal paranoia.

The primary plot of Don’t Worry Darling revolves around the oppression of women, with the Victory Project acting as a metaphor for extreme patriarchal control where men are in charge, and women are blissfully unaware or repressed. Using a highly polished, 1950s aesthetic to hide a dark, misogynistic, and dystopian reality, Wilde’s tale is a clear and present danger that we can see, but the characters, sans Alice, are blinded to the truth. Through unsettling imagery, you’re thrust into Alice’s mind as she descends into a fight against the literal man. Chris Pine’s near-perfect performance as Frank epitomizes the mission of the psychological thriller, working flawlessly against Pugh’s career-high. A technically gorgeous film depicting a masterful dystopia, the juxtaposition provides a Stepford Wives-esque atmosphere that makes the narrative even more twisted. Derivative or not, in terms of strong thrillers, it’s delectable.

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9

‘Nightcrawler’ (2014)

Jake Gyllenhaal looking intently in Nightcrawler Image via Open Road Films

Fervent individuals seeking recognition often go to great lengths to achieve their success — even if those lengths put others in danger. That’s the story for Jake Gyllenhaal’s Louis “Lou” Bloom in the brilliant Nightcrawler. Directed by Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler follows Bloom, a driven and unhinged loner and petty thief who discovers the lucrative underworld of Los Angeles freelance crime journalism. By monitoring police scanners, he films violent crimes and accidents to sell to local news stations, eventually escalating to manufacturing the carnage himself. A fascinating journey about an individual who can literally get away with murder through manipulation and a grift, Nightcrawler is a chilling thriller about a sociopath with an obsession with success.

Nightcrawler may be considered an undiscovered gem to some, but when you find it, it shimmers. In a career-best for Gyllenhaal, the film thrives on character-driven tension. Bloom is a riveting character study — a sociopathic antihero whose lack of emotional connection provides him the freedom to coldly manipulate individuals and situations. The film maintains its intrigue because you want to see how far Bloom can go and whether he might experience a downfall. And if he doesn’t, what does that reveal about others like him? A story about how news and consumers are complicit in creating a monster who feeds on tragedy, Nightcrawler continues to age like fine wine. Through a tense, neon neo-noir atmosphere, Nightcrawler is a sharp picture of an amoral narrative.

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8

‘Midsommar’ (2019)

Jack Reynor as Christian, looking stunned, with his bloodied face peering out from inside a disemboweled bear in Midsommar
Jack Reynor as Christian, looking stunned, with his bloodied face peering out from inside a disemboweled bear in Midsommar
Image via A24

The world of low-budget horror was given a boost after the massive success of Ari Aster’s brightly set Midsommar. A film in which nightmares are born, Midsommar chronicles Dani (Florence Pugh), a traumatized young woman, who travels with her toxic boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), and his friends, Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren), Mark (Will Poulter), and Josh (William Jackson Harper), to a remote Swedish commune for a midsummer festival. What begins as an idyllic summer retreat quickly devolves into a terrifying nightmare as the group becomes entangled in the rituals of a murderous pagan cult. A viscerally symbolic exploration of grief and the dissolution of a relationship, Midsommar gets your mind moving as your fears follow fast.

Aster’s masterpiece is a psychologically torturous story, but a deliciously juicy one at that. Midsommar is a journey through emotional turmoil. The scares come as Dani comes face to face with grief, trauma, and toxic codependency, so when she finds a slight solace, everything changes. The film depicts how emotional manipulation can drive an individual to dark places by tapping into the greatest fears and vulnerabilities. As soon as Dani feels a sense of belonging, her ultimate decision may be shocking at first, but given the history, it becomes warranted. The jarring juxtaposition of a subversive visceral horror in bright daylight gives Midsommar the legs on which it dominates. A slow-burning thriller, it has so many wonderful elements to dissect that prove just how brilliant and influential a project it is.











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Collider Exclusive · Horror Survival Quiz
Which Horror Villain Do You Have the Best Chance of Surviving?
Jason Voorhees · Michael Myers · Freddy Krueger · Pennywise · Chucky
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Five killers. Five completely different ways to die — if you’re not smart enough, fast enough, or self-aware enough to avoid it. Only one of them is the villain your particular set of instincts gives you a fighting chance against. Eight questions will figure out which one.

🏕️Jason

🔪Michael

💤Freddy

🎈Pennywise

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🪆Chucky

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01

Something feels wrong. You can’t explain it — you just know. What do you do?
First instincts are the difference between the survivor and the first act casualty.





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02

Where are you most likely to find yourself when things go wrong?
Setting is everything in horror. Where you are determines which rules apply.





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03

What is your most reliable survival asset?
Every survivor has a quality the villain didn’t account for. What’s yours?





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04

What kind of fear is hardest for you to fight through?
Knowing your weakness is the first step to not dying because of it.





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05

You’re with a group when things start going wrong. What’s your role?
Horror movies are brutally clear about who survives group situations and who doesn’t.





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06

What’s the horror movie mistake you’re most likely to make?
Honest self-assessment is a survival skill. Denial is not.





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07

What’s your best weapon against something that can’t be stopped by conventional means?
Every horror villain has a weakness. The survivors are always the ones who find it.





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08

It’s the final scene. You’re the last one standing. How did you make it?
The final survivor always has a reason. What’s yours?





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Your Survival Odds Have Been Calculated
Your Best Chance Is Against…

Your instincts, your strengths, and your particular way of thinking under pressure point to one villain you actually have a fighting chance against. Everyone else — good luck.

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Camp Crystal Lake · Friday the 13th

Jason Voorhees

Jason is relentless, but he is also predictable — and that is the gap you would exploit.

  • He moves in straight lines toward his target. He doesn’t strategise, doesn’t adapt, doesn’t outsmart. He simply pursues.
  • Your ability to keep moving, use the environment, and resist the panic that freezes most victims gives you a genuine edge.
  • The Crystal Lake survivors were always the ones who stopped running in circles and started thinking about terrain, water, and distance.
  • You think like that. Which means Jason, for all his indestructibility, would face someone who simply refused to be where he expected.

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Haddonfield, Illinois · Halloween

Michael Myers

Michael watches before he moves. He is patient, methodical, and almost impossible to detect — until it’s too late for anyone who isn’t paying close enough attention.

  • But you are paying attention. You notice the shape in the window, the car parked slightly wrong, the silence where there should be sound.
  • Michael’s power lies in the invisibility of ordinary suburbia — the fact that nothing ever looks wrong until it already is.
  • Your spatial awareness and instinct to map every room, every exit, and every shadow before you need them is precisely the quality Laurie Strode had.
  • You are not a victim waiting to happen. You are someone who already suspects something is wrong — and acts on it.

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Elm Street · A Nightmare on Elm Street

Freddy Krueger

Freddy wins by getting inside your head — using your own fears, your own memories, your own subconscious as weapons against you. That strategy requires a target who can be destabilised.

  • You are harder to destabilise than most. You’ve faced uncomfortable truths about yourself and you haven’t looked away.
  • The survivors on Elm Street were always the ones who understood what was happening and chose to face it rather than flee from it.
  • Freddy’s greatest weakness is that his power evaporates in the presence of someone who refuses to give him the fear he feeds on.
  • Your psychological resilience — the ability to stay grounded when reality itself becomes unreliable — is exactly the quality that keeps you alive here.

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Derry, Maine · It

Pennywise

Pennywise is ancient, shapeshifting, and feeds on terror — but it has one critical vulnerability: it cannot function against someone who genuinely stops being afraid of it.

  • The Losers Club didn’t survive because they were braver than everyone else. They survived because they faced their fears together, and faced them honestly.
  • You ask the questions others avoid. You look directly at what frightens you rather than turning away.
  • That directness — the refusal to let fear fester in the dark — is Pennywise’s worst nightmare.
  • It chose the wrong target when it chose you. You are exactly the kind of person whose fear tastes like nothing at all.

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Chicago · Child’s Play

Chucky

Chucky’s greatest advantage is that nobody takes him seriously until it’s already too late. He exploits the gap between how something looks and what it actually is.

  • You don’t have that gap. You take threats seriously regardless of how they present — and you never make the mistake of underestimating something because of its size or appearance.
  • Chucky relies on surprise, on the delay between recognition and response. You close that delay faster than almost anyone.
  • Your instinct to treat every unfamiliar thing with appropriate scepticism — rather than dismissing it because it seems absurd — is the exact quality that keeps you breathing.
  • Against Chucky, not laughing is already winning. You are very good at not laughing.
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7

‘Parasite’ (2019)

Parasite - 2019, Song-Kang-ho eating with family upstairs in the fancy house
Parasite – 2019, Song-Kang-ho eating with family upstairs in the fancy house
Image via CJ Entertainment
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The mastery of Bong Joon Ho’s black-comedy psychological thriller lies in the tension built in the claustrophobic atmosphere. The Academy Award-winning film Parasite explores extreme class disparity and social inequality as the Kims, a poor family, skillfully infiltrate the household of the Parks, a wealthy family, by posing as unrelated, highly qualified individuals. Subverting the traits of a home invasion story, Parasite inflicts psychological class warfare through a morally ambiguous narrative where both families serve as parasites to one another. Filled with shocking twists and mental and social entrapment, Parasite is meticulously crafted, providing sharp commentary in flawless fashion.

A brilliant genre-bending thriller, Parasite’s seamless movement from dark comedy to terrifying drama is achieved through its tonal shifts and striking twists. As the struggle to survive becomes literal, the social commentary and the effects class and wealth have on an individual are tackled head-on. Depending on your personal vantage, you may begin identifying with one family, only for your own morality to be questioned by the end. It’s how Bong captures and retains your attention from start to finish. His direction is precise and purposeful. Every frame is filled with subtext and metaphor, in which each camera movement and blocking tells its own story. Parasite’s scenic design plays a fascinating role in the storytelling. Whether tightly trapped in a small home or basement or in the vast expanse of a mansion, the physical presence of each creates its own mind games. Social disparities, envy, and anger rise to the top, setting up an enhanced psychological thriller like none before it.

6

‘Get Out’ (2017)

Daniel Kaluuya smiling for a crowd in Get Out
Daniel Kaluuya smiling for a crowd in Get Out
Image via Universal Pictures
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The world of horror forever changed thanks to Jordan Peele’s groundbreaking Get Out. Generating terror through mental manipulation, paranoia, and social commentary rather than just physical gore, Get Out put a new face on the psychological horror of being trapped, gaslit, and losing autonomy over one’s own mind and body. The masterpiece tells the story of Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), a Black photographer who visits his white girlfriend Rose Armitage’s (Allison Williams) family estate for a weekend. While the family, namely her parents, Dean and Missy (Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener), appear outwardly accommodating, Chris begins to notice deeply disturbing behavior and uncovers a horrifying conspiracy where wealthy, elderly white people abduct Black individuals to transplant their own consciousness into their bodies. A tight, suspenseful, and layered story, Get Out offers a well-defined satirical critique of modern liberal racism, forcing viewers to ponder their own personal realities.

Get Out is masterfully uncomfortable for everyone involved. Get Out’s story is built around mind games and pushing its targets into isolation and despair via the sunken place hypnosis. There, it serves as a metaphor for racial exploitation and loss of control. As Peele alerts you to his narrative mission, the darker the thriller becomes, subverting typical horror tropes along the way. The horror is built around the psychological trauma of being invalidated, with the family’s “liberal” pretenses masking their dark, menacing secrets. Gaslighting is an easy sign of manipulation, and Get Out makes it more terrifying than ever. Peele has described his film as a “social thriller,” and there’s yet to be a more accurate depiction. Thanks to this masterpiece, if you see a teacup with a spoon, it’s best to get out!

5

‘Gone Girl’ (2017)

Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) standing in front of a missing poster in 'Gone Girl.'
Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) standing in front of a missing poster in ‘Gone Girl.’
Image via 20th Century Studios
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As a highly anticipated film adaptation, many fans of Gillian Flynn’s novel knew what was coming, but seeing it realized enhanced it. Directed by David Fincher, the big-screen adaptation of Gone Girl chronicles the mysterious disappearance of Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) on her fifth wedding anniversary, as her husband, Nick (Ben Affleck), becomes the prime suspect due to his suspicious behavior and a deteriorating marriage. Through meticulous plotting, it’s soon revealed that her disappearance may be tied to an act of revenge. A fascinating game of manipulation and the terrors of media sensationalism, Gone Girl is a twisted thriller that pulls the worst out of humanity as psychological traps are proven to be an endless game.

Many psychological thrillers keep the mind playing with the characters, but in this story, with an unreliable narrator, Gone Girl forces you to question everything and everyone. In doing so, the thrill ride is more unrelenting the more that is unearthed. A fervent story of deception, revenge, and sociopathic behavior, the character-driven drama builds tension through shock. At its core, Gone Girl examines trauma, narcissistic personality traits, and the dark consequences of societal pressures on mental health. Through Fincher’s signature cold take, he perfects the deteriorating individuals as the situation becomes more unsettling. Both Pike and Affleck’s performances are revelatory. It may be her best performance to date. Many films have tried to capitalize on the success of Flynn’s story, but very few have even come close. ​​​​​​​

4

‘Saltburn’ (2023)

Jacob Elordi as Felix in 'Saltburn'
Jacob Elordi as Felix in ‘Saltburn’
Image via Amazon MGM Studios
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Very few films took the world by storm quite like Saltburn. Written, directed, and produced by Emerald Fennell, Saltburn tells the tale of Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), an awkward scholarship student at Oxford who becomes dangerously obsessed with a wealthy, aristocratic classmate, Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). After an invitation to spend the summer at his sprawling family estate, his initial admiration spirals into an unsettling, manipulative quest to take over their lives and wealth. A fabulously sick and twisted story, Saltburn pushes the psychological thriller to unimaginable depths through an unsettling amount of obsession and desire. An intense watch, Saltburn keeps you hooked through its standout story and exceptional character studies.

Set against a mid-2000s backdrop, Saltburn centralizes the topic of duality. Many of the characters hide their true selves behind social etiquette or false personas, but as their secrets are unearthed, the facades are dropped, and their downfalls come to fruition. Saltburn capitalizes on traumatizing and delightfully disturbing, keeping viewers on their toes. The unpredictability of its delicious twists redefines relationships and journeys, lending itself to a masterpiece of storytelling. Through Fennell’s guidance in opulent imagery and a dreamlike vision, Saltburn’s provocative social satire shines through. It’s an uncomfortable look at the lives of the wealthy who work to maintain their luxurious lifestyles. Then, through Oliver’s eyes, his mission was to topple them. As an antihero, he may be calculating, but it’s mesmerizing to see him in action. We may all see ourselves in Oliver in terms of societal jealousy, but by the end, if you’re still enamored with him as Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor” plays, it’s because Keoghan was so magnetic. Saltburn remains a cinematic game changer. ​​​​​​​

3

‘The Invisible Man’ (2020)

Elisabeth Moss looking up with a concerned expression in The Invisible Man.
Elisabeth Moss learns seeing isn’t quite believing during The Invisible Man.
Image via Universal Pictures
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The themes of emotional manipulation and gaslighting take a classic story and bring it to the 21st century. Perfectly directed by Leigh Whannell, the classic H.G. Wells novel The Invisible Man is recontextualized from a general horror story into a sci-fi psychological thriller with a modern edge. The story follows Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss), who escapes her abusive, wealthy scientist boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). After Adrian supposedly commits suicide, Cecilia is haunted by an invisible presence she believes is him. She soon deduces that he faked his death to gaslight and terrorize her, forcing her to fight back against an unseen foe. A terrifying example of toxic relationships and how they truly never leave us, The Invisible Man reinvented the familiar into something hauntingly accessible with a modern perspective.

Though Whannell does sprinkle jumpscares when warranted, The Invisible Man uses mental scares to serve as an allegory for domestic abuse through the themes of trauma, gaslighting, and paranoia. Then, using a brilliant science fiction element, the power of invincibility represents the lingering, inescapable control of a toxic partner. Whannell traps his viewers inside Cecelia’s brutal predicament. In doing so, the shots are often framed with empty space to capture the growing anxiety and doubt. A performance-driven film, Moss, who already had a profound resume, does her greatest work in The Invisible Man. Her forced descent into insanity resonates because she finds the raw emotion with ease. An underrated gem that was muddled amid a messy release period, The Invisible Man is a must-watch in today’s social climate.

2

‘Black Swan’ (2010)

Natalie Portman as Nina as the Black Swan performing on stage with a male dancer in Black Swan.
Natalie Portman as Nina as the Black Swan performing on stage with a male dancer in Black Swan.
Image via Searchlight Pictures
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Passion and obsession never looked so stunning as they did in Darren Aronofsky’s masterpiece thriller Black Swan. Infusing body horror into the rich psychological thriller, Black Swan chronicles Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a dedicated ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose obsessive quest to play the lead in “Swan Lake” drives her into madness. It tackles themes of perfectionism, artistic obsession, and a fracturing sense of reality as Nina struggles to embody both the innocent White Swan and the dark, sensual Black Swan, all while seeking artistic success and validation. A captivating depiction of one artist’s descent into madness, Black Swan is a fervent character study into disturbing desperation and mental destruction.

Black Swan is a no-holds-barred deep dive into the dangers of a rapid mental breakdown created by the environment one is thrust into. Using intense surrealism, hallucinations, and body horror, Aronofsky captures the ballerina’s paranoid perspective, creating an unreliable narrator out of her. Black Swan may focus on ballet, but it serves as a broader examination of the mental cost of achieving greatness in the arts. Constantly comparing herself to her rival, Lily (Mila Kunis), it becomes the fuel to the already smoldering fire. Aronofsky’s vision, filled with haunting shots, mirrors, and visceral bodily imagery, pushed the viewer into an anxious, disoriented state. Portman delights, giving a full-throttle performance that easily earned her an Oscar. Though we can only hope that Portman’s journey to achieve perfection here was nothing like her character’s, Black Swan remains a top-tier thriller. ​​​​​​​

1

‘Inception’ (2010)

Arthur running through a revolving hallway in Inception
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Arthur engages in the infamous ‘hallway fight’ during ‘Inception’.
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
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Christopher Nolan is a prolific director. His body of work, spanning multiple genres, has established him as one of the greatest visionaries of our generation. Given the confines of this list, Memento missed the list, but had it been the entire new millennium, it would have been paired alongside his exceptional film, Inception. Set inside a blistering dreamscape, Inception follows Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a skilled thief who extracts corporate secrets by infiltrating people’s dreams. To clear his criminal record and reunite with his children, he is offered one final, impossible job: “inception,” which means planting a new idea into a target’s subconscious. Weaving an intense psychological thriller with a heist narrative, Inception explores the human psyche’s inner landscape, using dreams as a setting for a thriller about grief, memory, and the fragility of reality.

Literally built through the exploration of the mind, Inception is driven through the mental navigation Dom and his team embark upon as deep-seated emotional turmoil comes to light. As the lines between illusion and truth blur, the dangers of being trapped in one’s memories are heightened. The mind heist serves as a means for Dom to move on as he’s stuck within his own subconscious. Nolan’s ability to force the viewer to question whether the characters are in reality or a dream is a hallmark of the narrative’s psychological suspense. Through groundbreaking visual effects and high-concept action, all anchored by a profound story, Inception emerges as a wholly immersive thriller that has left a lasting legacy. That final shot is still debated today.


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Release Date

July 16, 2010

Runtime

148 minutes

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Inception

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NASCAR Driver Had ‘Severe Illness’

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Former NASCAR Driver Chase Pistone Dead at 42 Family Confirms

NASCAR driver Kyle Busch has died after being hospitalized with what his family called a “severe illness.” He was 41.

“We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport’s greatest and fiercest drivers,” NASCAR said in a statement via X on Thursday, May 21. “We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire motorsports community.”

The organization released a longer statement minutes later on behalf of the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR, saying it would provide more information as it becomes available.

“Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch,” the statement began. “A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans. Throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, Kyle set records in national series wins, won championships at NASCAR’s highest level and fostered the next generation of drivers as an owner in the Truck Series.

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Former NASCAR Driver Chase Pistone Dead at 42 Family Confirms


Related: Former NASCAR Driver Chase Pistone Dead at 42, Family Confirms

Former NASCAR driver Chase Pistone has died at age 42, his family confirmed on Monday, March 2. A cause of death has not yet been revealed. “Well my young brother and best friend is gone,” his older brother, Nick Pistone, wrote via Facebook on Monday. “I’m broken hearted and don’t know if I’ll ever get […]

The statement continued, “His sharp wit and competitive spirit sparked a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating the proud and loyal ‘Rowdy Nation.’ Our thoughts are with Samantha, Brexton and Lennix, Kyle and Samantha’s parents, Kurt and all of Kyle’s family, Richard and Judy Childress, everyone at Richard Childress Racing, his teammates, friends and fans. NASCAR lost a giant of the sport today, far too soon.”

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The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion was scheduled to compete at the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, but his hospitalization led to his withdrawal. Richard Childress Racing, Busch’s team, announced on Thursday that Austin Hill would take his place in the race.

Busch’s family first broke the news of his illness in a statement via X on Thursday morning.

“Kyle has experienced a severe illness resulting in hospitalization,” they wrote. “He is currently undergoing treatment and will not compete in any of his scheduled activities this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. We ask for understanding and privacy as our family navigates this situation.”

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Greg Biffle Former NASCAR Opponent Kasey Kahne Breaks Silence After Tragic Accident


Related: Greg Biffle’s Former NASCAR Opponent Breaks Silence After Tragic Accident

Greg Biffle’s former NASCAR rival, Kasey Kahne, has broken his silence regarding the racing legend’s untimely death. “The impact of [losing] Greg has been immense,” Kahne posted via X on Thursday, December 25. “From all the heartfelt posts I have read to our waiter tonight at dinner; everyone that knew him has lasting impressions. Greg […]

The family did not specify what Busch was suffering from.

RCR also released a statement via X asking for prayers and privacy for Busch’s family.

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“Kyle Busch’s health is our upmost priority and he and his family have the full resources of RCR behind them,” the statement read. “Kyle is an integral part of our organization and we wish him a safe and speedy recovery. His No. 8 Chevrolet will be ready and waiting for him. We’re thankful to Austin Hill for stepping in to drive the No. 8 Chevrolet this weekend. Please keep Kyle and the Busch family in your prayers, and help us respect the family’s privacy at this time.”

Busch is survived by wife Samantha as well as the couple’s son, Brexton, 11, and daughter, Lennix, 4.

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Kyle’s last Instagram post was a tribute to Brexton, who celebrated his birthday on Monday, May 18.

“Happy Birthday Brexton!!!” he wrote alongside a carousel of photos. “Your mom & I are so proud of who you’re turning out to be! You’re the best kid on & off the track, you amaze us every day. Keep doing what you’re doing and there is no limit to what you’ll accomplish! Love you buddy!”

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Mackenzie Shirilla of “The Crash” was worried about death penalty, call from jail reveals

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She was convicted of murdering her boyfriend Dominic Russo and their friend Davion Flanagan in a July 2022 car crash.

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Matthew McConaughey’s Extremely Graphic Netflix Thriller Kills When Least Expected

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Matthew McConaughey’s Extremely Graphic Netflix Thriller Kills When Least Expected

By Robert Scucci
| Updated

Here’s some free advice for anybody who doesn’t like living outside of a jail cell or a coffin. If you hire somebody to commit crimes on your behalf, the kind of crimes that result in the death penalty if you get caught, make sure you properly vet the person you’re working with. Because they don’t in 2011’s Killer Joe, and everything goes exactly how you’d expect. The crime in question is murdering a family member to cash in on their life insurance policy, and the desired criminal is actually a cop who moonlights as a contract killer.

I’d call Killer Joe a comedy of errors, because it certainly feels like it falls into that territory, but make no mistake. This movie goes beyond dark, and most of the humor, outside of Matthew McConaughey’s pithy observations, is situational. Here we have two would-be criminals who are too cowardly to do the deed themselves, but don’t have the funds to outsource it, culminating in the kind of family-annihilating disaster that could only truly be captured with a gritty Southern Gothic aesthetic.

It Won’t End Well For Adele

Killer Joe 2011

Killer Joe boasts a stupid-simple premise, but it doesn’t take much to understand the stakes. We’re introduced to Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch), a young drug dealer who owes $6,000 he doesn’t have to his supplier, Digger Soames (Marc Macaulay). The reason he owes money is because his abusive mother, Adele, stole the drugs he was supposed to sell and kicked him out of the house. Confiding in his not-so-bright, trailer park-inhabiting father, Ansel (Thomas Haden Church), who’s also not on the best of terms with Adele, his ex-wife, Chris comes up with what, in his mind, is the most logical plan: kill Adele, collect her $50,000 life insurance policy, and split the money evenly with Sharla (Gina Gershon), Ansel’s current wife.

The problem is that Chris and Ansel are profoundly stupid and unwilling to carry out the dastardly deed themselves. Chris has a solution in the form of “Killer Joe” Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a respected detective with a dark streak and secret double life as a contract killer. The terms of the deal are simple: Joe kills Adele, her insurance payout goes to Dottie (Juno Temple), Chris’ younger sister and the sole beneficiary of the policy, and everybody splits the money.

Killer Joe 2011

Here’s where things get very messy. Joe demands a $25,000 advance and has very strict operating rules since his day job puts him on the right side of the law while his extracurricular activities could land him in a whole heap of trouble. Unable to pay the advance, Chris and Ansel reluctantly agree to use Dottie as his “retainer” because she’s allegedly a virgin and Joe is very interested in her, with the promise that everybody will go their separate ways once the deed has been done.

As you would expect from this arrangement, nothing goes according to plan. Joe very quickly marks his territory by seducing Dottie, who often says cryptic things suggesting she knows about the entire murder plot even though nobody told her about it. She even recalls an incident from infancy when Adele allegedly tried to kill her. Joe’s presence is intrusive, invasive, and aggressive, and he’s hellbent on not only finishing the job, but also running off into the sunset with Dottie if he can help it.

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Alright, Alright, Alright … 

Everything goes horribly wrong for Chris, Ansel, Sharla, and Adele in Killer Joe while Dottie, naive enough to not know any better, sits in horror on the sidelines. Loyalties are betrayed, motives are revealed to be dubious, and the third act gets so violent, among other things, that it’s hard to maintain eye contact with the screen but equally hard to look away. If you’re not quite picking up what I’m throwing down, here’s a spoiler-free hint: the most upsetting sequence in this movie involves a bucket of fried chicken, Matthew McConaughey’s performative Southern charm thinly veiling his sadistic tendencies, and everybody at the table trying to act like they didn’t completely screw up what should have been an incredibly simple job.

Killer Joe is a uncomfortable viewing experience, and every character in it is the worst person you’ve ever met. They’re so stupid, though, that you can’t help but laugh at their misfortune, of which there is plenty, when everything begins to backfire and they have nobody to blame but themselves.

As of this writing, Killer Joe is streaming on Netflix.


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K. Michelle Drags Tamar Braxton After Naming Her As Verzuz Pick

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Rihanna Seemingly Addresses Baby Rumors, Talks "Little Pouch"

Whew, Roommates! K. Michelle still isn’t letting up on Tamar Braxton. Fans know they have been beefing for a minute, and it looks like the smoke isn’t clearing anytime soon. Even though K. still isn’t cool with her, she’s now suggesting that they do a Verzuz together, and of course the internet is seated waiting to see if Tamar accepts.

RELATED: K. Michelle Gets Real About Why It Took Her Husband 10 Years To Marry Her (VIDEO)

K. Michelle Keeps The Pressure On Tamar Braxton With Verzuz Talk

Okay, so BOOM! K. Michelle recently sat down with Shannon Sharpe and chopped it up about her career, love life, and beefs. While chatting with Shannon, K. seemingly spoke about her issues with Tamar Braxton and she didn’t hold back. When Shannon asked if she’d do a Verzuz, she said she was definitely down. Then, when he asked who she would face off with, she didn’t drop any names, but fans quickly caught the subliminal shade. “Probably the muppet.” She continued, “I’ve been quiet on your attack, so get up there and do your Verzuz little lady.” 

From there, she kept going in, saying Tamar has spent years acting like she was better than her, but she’s the one who keeps getting caught up in a lot of different situations.

“She’s suppose to be so much better than me […] as an elitist and Black person and she’s so refined, but she’s the one with teeth knocked out sleeping with married men, not me!”

More About K. & Tamar’s Long-Simmering Beef

K. Michelle and Tamar have literally been going at it for 40 days and 40 nights. K. shared her side of their beef during her 2025 interview with Cam Newton. She told Cam Tamar keeps poking at her behind the scenes, and she ‘s tired of her speaking on her name.

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“All because you ain’t got no edges. All because your sister really star. This is what this is really about. All because the man that you loved tried to talk to me before you, in the middle of you, and after you. She continued, “All because I’m from the country, but you are the bumpkin. It is always something with this loud mouth coyote.”

K. Sets The Record Straight On Where She Stands With Porsha Williams

K. Michelle has been airing out her past exchanges recently. She also set the record straight on where she stands with Porsha Williams after they previously traded words on social media. The ladies went back and forth after K. reacted to an episode of ‘RHOA.’ That led Porsha to step in and tell her to bring that energy to her “front door.” THat’s when K. fired back and accused her of allegedly being intimate with her ex. Now, K. Michelle says she’s open to clearing things up with Porsha.

“When it comes to her, I feel like she feels like it’s her show or whatever.” She continued, “So hopefully, you know I’m always open. Especially in this type of arena and things you have to forgive.”

She also said she doesn’t have any ill feelings towards her. “I don’t hate her. That’s not that.” 

 

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RELATED: K. Michelle Shocks Fans After Admitting She Was In Love & Intimate With R. Kelly But “Wasn’t The Woman He Wanted” (VIDEO) 

What Do You Think Roomies?

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Sexy, R-Rated 90s Sci-Fi Thriller Is A Gritty, Female RoboCop 

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Sexy, R-Rated 90s Sci-Fi Thriller Is A Gritty, Female RoboCop 

By Robert Scucci
| Published

Not all RoboCop imitations are created equal, but I keep watching them whenever I get the chance because some are a whole lot of fun. Upgrade (2018) takes a classic revenge-thriller approach not unlike the John Wick movies, while films like Nemesis (1992) lean hard into shadow government conspiracies and all-out cybernetic warfare. 1995’s The Demolitionist does some heavy lifting of its own by asking the question we’re all dying to have answered: what if RoboCop was a smoking hot blonde, and every villain was so comically evil that you could fully switch your brain to the off position?

I recently reviewed Future Force (1989), and the biggest problem I had with that film was how unlikeable its protagonist (portrayed by David Carradine) is. He’s a fascist police officer who carries out the “law” as oppressively and aggressively as possible without ever considering the consequences of his actions. The Demolitionist is the exact opposite, which allows it to go as ultra-violent as its $1 million budget can afford, and you never once have to question who you’re rooting for.

The Demolitionist 1995

It’s a simple good gal versus very bad guy story, and it’s such an enjoyable watch because of how simple it is.

Girl Gets Dead, Pumps Bad Guys With Lead

The Demolitionist kicks off by introducing us to “Mad Dog” Burne (Richard Grieco) and his little brother and right-hand man, “Little Henry” (Randy Vasquez), two street criminals who are comically evil. They escape from death row and kill everybody in their sight on the night of their well-deserved execution and immediately go back to their old tricks, which mostly involve assaulting women and shooting their guns in the air. Working undercover, Alyssa Lloyd (Nicole Eggert), along with her partner Daniel Dupre (Andras Jones), has been trying to take down their gang. When her cover is blown, Mad Dog kills her, and that’s the end of that. Or so he thinks.

The Demolitionist 1995

What Mad Dog isn’t prepared for, however, is Doctor Jack Crowley’s (Bruce Abbott) Lazarus-style project, which allows Alyssa to come back from the dead with advanced healing powers, superhuman strength, and enhanced reflexes. The project is funded by Mayor Eleanor Grimbaum (Susan Tyrell), who’s also comically evil, though mostly for political reasons. She knows Mad Dog’s antics are tanking her approval ratings, and all she cares about is the upcoming election.

With all of that setup out of the way, The Demolitionist becomes a supremely fun action thriller because the formula is completely locked in. We’ve got the well-meaning but God-playing scientist, the corrupt politician bankrolling his crime-stopping project, the criminal ringleader who’s so blatantly horrible, and finally Alyssa Lloyd, who’s hellbent on revenge and equipped with a brand-new, perfectly form-fitting tactical suit that highlights all of her best physical attributes, along with a bunch of cool future tech to help her along the way.

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The Demolitionist 1995

As Alyssa takes on her new alter ego, The Demolitionist, she actually feels morally conflicted in a way similar hero archetypes in lesser films rarely do. Her arc plays out firmly on the right side of history because the villains she’s fighting are so over-the-top that you never once question her moral compass. When she’s put in compromising positions, though, like having to choose between saving a girl who accidentally picked up a grenade or continuing to chase the bad guy, she chooses the latter, forcing her to wonder if she sold her soul just to help Jack fulfill his primary objective: shoot bad guys.

Low-Budget, Scenery-Chewing, B-Movie Fun

The Demolitionist is not a satire like RoboCop, and it’s not preachy with its messaging. It’s a simple story about a woman who’s killed, turned into a soulless killing machine, and driven by revenge, only for her conscience to occasionally remind her that she’s no longer the person she used to be. That’s all you need to know to enjoy this movie, and that’s all this movie aspires to be.

The Demolitionist 1995

There are plenty of practical effects holding the action sequences together, and nearly every bad guy you see on screen is somehow cheesier than the one before him. When every villain has names like Boxer, Hammerhead, Skin, Ram, Wolf, or Lipps, you know exactly what kind of leather-jacket-wearing, bandana-sporting, switchblade-wielding, gun-toting maniacs you’re about to deal with.

My favorite bad guy, however, has to be “One Eye” (David Anthony Marshall), yet another Snake Plissken wannabe floating around this subgenre. His finest moment comes after he gets shot in the butt by our hero and dragged back to Mad Dog’s home base, only to learn the bullet contains a tracking device while everybody, including a smiling, uncredited Bruce Campbell, giggles with delight.

The Demolitionist 1995

If you like your action thrillers hot, violent, and packed with walking, talking stereotypes who shamelessly lean into every single genre trope imaginable, The Demolitionist should be the next thing you watch on Tubi, where it’s currently streaming for free.

The Demolitionist 1995


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Adam Driver On ‘Very Intimate Moments’ With Scarlett Johansson

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Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver on the set of 'Paper Tigers'

Actress Scarlett Johansson had nice things to say about Adam Driver, and now it seems he is returning the favor! The “Jurassic World Rebirth” actress first worked with the “Star Wars” actor on 2019’s “Marriage Story” before teaming up with him again on 2026’s “Paper Tiger.” The comments come on the heels of Lena Dunham and her 2026 memoir “Famesick,” in which she alleged that the actor threw a chair in her direction after she forgot her lines and screamed in her face while they were filming the hit HBO comedy “Girls.”

Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver on the set of 'Paper Tigers'
SteveSands/NewYorkNewswire/MEGA

In 2019’s “Marriage Story,” Johansson starred opposite Driver in the acclaimed Noah Baumbach drama that follows two parents navigating a tumultuous custody battle amid their divorce. In September 2025, she told PEOPLE magazine that it was “great” working with the “Paterson” actor.  

“I love Adam as a person, and he is an absolutely extraordinary actor,” she said at the time. “If I could make every movie with Adam Driver, I would.”

Scarlett Johansson Recalls Their ‘Brutal’ Scenes In ‘Marriage Story’

Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver on the set of 'Paper Tigers'
SteveSands/NewYorkNewswire/MEGA

In 2019, she opened up to As If magazine about how “brutal” some of their scenes were to film. “We spent two entire days screaming at each other, brutally screaming and fighting for two full days,” she shared at the time.

“It was exhausting, but if I didn’t have as strong an actor as Adam to take all the stuff I was giving him, I would have been lost,” she added. “For me, working with other actors is a really important part of what I do … it’s everything.”

In “Paper Tiger,” she isn’t married to Driver, but the two did share a few scenes together. “I would’ve loved to have had even more scenework with him, I love working with him,” she told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the film’s premiere at the Cannes film festival last week.

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Adam Driver Recalls His ‘History’ With Scarlett Johansson On ‘Paper Tiger’

Adam Driver and Miles Teller at the 'Paper Tiger' photocall at the 79th Cannes Film Festival
KCS Presse / MEGA

While speaking to Collider about his relationship with his “Paper Tiger” costars, Driver praised Miles Teller, who is married to Scarlett Johansson’s character in this film, as “very generous and prepared.”

“Scarlett, I’d worked with before, so we immediately had a history and a familiarity that we didn’t have to work at that,” he continued. “And it really, honestly, wasn’t a big thing to work out with Miles. He was very forthcoming with how he related to the script, and I was too.”

Adam Driver Describes Filming ‘Some Very Intimate Moments’ With Scarlett Johansson On ‘Marriage Story’

Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver on the set of 'Paper Tigers'
SteveSands/NewYorkNewswire/MEGA

He went on to discuss their working relationship on “Marriage Story,” which he described as a “challenging shoot” due to their intense argument scenes.

“We had some very intimate moments on Marriage Story — on set, to be clear. That was a challenging shoot, and a lot of people were being very generous in the shooting of that,” he explained. “So, I felt immediately familiar with Scarlett. She’s great.”

“She’s another actor where she’s not only thinking about her character, she’s thinking about the culture on set and making sure that the whole system is operating,” he continued. “She’s generous, she’s prepared, she’s awesome, awesome to work with.”

While filming “Girls,” Dunham alleged that Driver could be “verbally aggressive” toward her and even once “hurled a chair at the wall” next to her when she forgot her lines.

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“I remember doing a fight scene with Adam and how scary it was to meet someone so totally present with such absence,” Dunham wrote. “Late one night, as we practiced lines in my trailer, I found that mine were suddenly gone. I knew I’d written them. I’d known them only minutes before. But when I opened my mouth, all that came out was a stammer — until finally, Adam screamed, ‘F-CKING SAY SOMETHING’ and hurled a chair at the wall next to me. ‘WAKE THE F-CK UP,’ he told me. ‘I’M SICK OF WATCHING YOU JUST STARE.’”

While promoting “Paper Tiger” at the Cannes Film Festival, Driver was asked if there was any truth to her allegations. “I have no comment on any of that,” he said, as per Deadline. “I’m saving it all for my book.”

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11 Years Later, This Stellar 7-Part Historical Drama Is Already Considered a Classic

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Mason (Jon Hamm) in 'Beirut'

11 years since its finale, it’s hard to find many shows that even brush up against the greatness of Mad Men. Released during the peak of the prestige television boom, airing the same year as The Sopranos‘ conclusion and one year prior to the start of another AMC masterpiece, Breaking Bad, Matthew Weiner‘s historical drama, lasting seven seasons across 92 episodes, is still a worthy binge in 2026. With the series now available on HBO Max, it’s never been easier to be fully immersed in the world of advertising in New York City during the 1960s. Its lead star, Jon Hamm, who plays the inscrutable but captivating Don Draper, is one of television’s hottest stars thanks to the hit Apple TV series, Your Friends and Neighbors. Mad Men signaled the beginning of a remarkable career, as well as a profound evolution of the medium.

‘Mad Men’ is a Novelistic Examination of the American Dream

Mad Men‘s brilliance stems from the boldness of its concept and execution. Where contemporaneous prestige dramas were set in worlds of organized crime, the drug trade, and fantastical kingdoms, Mad Men‘s central storylines centered around meetings with clients, corporate finances, and family stability. Weiner and his writers refused to hold viewers’ hands, throwing you into this intricate and opulent world of advertising. Because of the alluring nature of the offices of Sterling Cooper and the intrepid lives of each employee, audiences wanted to be privy to the jargon and inner-workings of this world. Executed with superb confidence, exemplified by its subtle tone and thematic explorations, Mad Men turned office chatter and restrained emotionality into riveting action that keeps you clicking on the “Next Episode” button. The level of depth, thematic grandeur, and general ambiguity of its intentions are novelistic.

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Mason (Jon Hamm) in 'Beirut'


Jon Hamm Gave His Best Performance Since ‘Mad Men’ in This Exciting Spy Thriller From the Creator of ‘Andor’

Complete with that sepia filter.

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At first glance, the glossy aesthetic of Mad Men paints a nostalgic glow of a romanticized period, particularly the early ’60s, prior to John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the Vietnam War. While the series is deeply immersive and handsomely crafted as a period piece, Weiner and his writers undermine the veneer of innocence and prosperity every episode. Don Draper (an alter ego to his real identity, Richard Whitman) and his colleagues create and sell dreams to consumers, but their own lives are unfulfilled. Mad Men underscored that America has always been better at marketing its morals and values than they are at abiding by them. The series is unflinching in its commentary on class, racism, and office sexual harassment that legend-makers tend to minimize, without ever feeling too heavy-handed for the audience.

‘Mad Men’ is a Brilliant Character Study About Unknowable People

Anchoring this profound series is Jon Hamm in his breakthrough performance as Don Draper. His turn on Mad Men was so groundbreaking that most prestige dramas are still aspiring to reach his level of charm, gravitas, and taciturn moodiness. A man of contradictions, Don’s aspirations and goals are indecipherable across the show’s seven seasons. He seems to value family and strong morals during the day, but as the clock turns midnight, we see him engaging in adulterous affairs. Does he take pride in his trade as the creative director of Sterling Cooper, or does he just use the position as a vessel for his emotional expression? His sullen demeanor and standoffish aura signal that he’s perpetually miserable with the life he’s made for himself, despite all the luxuries to his name. However, considering he took the place of a deceased soldier in the Korean War, guilt understandably runs through his DNA.

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What takes Mad Men to the next stratosphere of excellence is its remarkable supporting cast, which is on par with any drama before or since. As a performer, Elisabeth Moss went toe-to-toe with Hamm every episode, from her scene-stealing character, Peggy Olsen, starting as a timid secretary, to her ascent up the corporate ladder to becoming an accomplished copy and creative editor. The outwardly vulnerable and determined Peggy is the needed foil to the reticent Don. Each character arc is marked by triumph and tragedy, with the complex dynamics of Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), Betty Draper/Francis (January Jones), Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks), and Roger Sterling (John Slattery) rich enough to carry shows on their own.

In the end, Mad Men extends beyond the trials and tribulations of Sterling Cooper and the tumultuous domestic life of Don Draper. As a story about aspirational, often morally corrupt, people who find success and failure in a capitalist world, the series captures the American experience with as much austerity and nuance as any show in history.

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“Elsbeth” season 3 concludes with Patti LuPone-led homage to cabaret and a heartwarming proposal

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EW breaks down the musical high and emotional lows of the final episode of “Elsbeth” season 3.

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‘Ghosts’ Showrunners Confirm Season 6 Time Jump After Shocking Finale Cliffhanger [Exclusive]

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"Across the Pond" - Coverage of the CBS Original Series GHOSTS, scheduled to air Thursday, May 21 (9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured L to R: Brandon Scott Jones as Isaac, Rebecca Wisocky as Hetty, Utkarsh Ambudkar as Jay, Rose McIver as Samantha, Richie Moriarty as Pete, Betsy Sodaro as Nancy and Román Zaragoza as Sasappis. Photo: Bertrand Calmeau/CBS ©2026 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for the Season 6 finale of Ghosts.

Just like that, the first hour-long finale for Ghosts has officially come and gone. While Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) landed some pretty major wins in the thrilling and chaotic climax of the two episodes, Season 5 also leaves us on one of the most emotional cliffhangers we’ve ever had. When complications keep Pete (Richie Moriarty), Jay, and Kyle (Ben Feldman) overseas longer than they intended, Pete’s heroism in the fight to save Woodstone leads to him completely disappearing before the trio can make it home. Where he’s gone, and what that disappearance means, is something we’ll have to ponder all summer until the series returns in October.

To unpack the wildly eventful pair of episodes — and get a taste of what’s to come — I sat down with showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman. During our conversation, we spoke about why they chose to solve some of Sam and Jay’s more expected cliffhangers with Sam’s movie script and saving the mansion, making that bonkers lore drop with “Fancy Nancy,” and what to expect from Season 6’s opening holiday specials. The pair also confirmed that there will be a time jump, breaking tradition from previous season finales.

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After a few weeks of financial and commercial struggles for Sam and Jay as they dealt with the domino effect of benefiting from Trevor’s job without actually paying taxes on his income, the finale hands each half of our favorite living couple a huge win. In “Across the Pond,” Jay, with a little help from Kyle, Pete, and Halloween’s mummy ghost, Amenhotep (Farhang Ghajar), gets the proof they need to declare Woodstone a historic landmark and prevent Evercreek from tearing it down and building a data center. Meanwhile, Sam stands up for herself after a rousing and heartfelt pep talk from the ghosts — and in doing so, manages to not only sell her movie script but also guarantee that she gets to be the one writing it.

“We wanted to give them a win,” said Joe Wiseman when asked about delivering these two high-stakes moments for our heroes. “We spend a lot of time putting them in situations where they have financial difficulty or other types of difficulty, and that’s because that makes compelling stories, and those issues often don’t go away immediately,” he explained. “But by the end of the season, we wanted to end it on a mostly positive note. We were obviously heading toward a very heavy cliffhanger, so we thought that would be set up well by having a moment of joy and victory before we see Pete disappear.”



















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Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Personality Quiz
Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like?
Paul Atreides · Captain Kirk · Princess Leia · Ellen Ripley · Max Rockatansky

Five iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one.

🏜️Paul Atreides

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🖖Capt. Kirk

Princess Leia

🔦Ellen Ripley

🔥Max Rockatansky

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01

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How do you lead when the stakes couldn’t be higher?
The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you.





02

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What is your greatest strength in a crisis?
The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails.





03

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What is the thing you’d sacrifice everything else for?
Your deepest motivation is your truest compass.





04

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How do you relate to the people around you?
Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are.





05

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You’re facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do?
How you respond when you’re the only one who sees it defines everything.





06

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What has your heroism cost you personally?
Every hero pays. The question is what — and whether they’d pay it again.





07

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How do you feel about the rules of the world you’re in?
Every hero has a relationship with the system. What’s yours?





08

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When everything is on the line, what keeps you going?
The answer is the most honest thing about you.





Your Hero Has Been Identified
Your Sci-Fi Hero Is…
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Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.


Arrakis · Dune

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Paul Atreides

You carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you’re capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.

  • You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
  • You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn’t ask for but can’t escape.
  • Paul Atreides is not simply a hero — he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
  • That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won’t, is exactly you.


USS Enterprise · Star Trek

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Captain Kirk

You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you’ve always believed there’s a third option nobody else has thought of yet.

  • You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously.
  • Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it.
  • Kirk’s genius isn’t tactical — it’s human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction.
  • That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours.


The Rebellion · Star Wars

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Princess Leia

You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you’re fearless, but because giving up simply isn’t something you’re capable of.

  • You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable.
  • You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you’ve never looked back.
  • Leia is not a supporting character in her own story — she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion.
  • That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you.


The Nostromo · Alien

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Ellen Ripley

You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone’s hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters.

  • You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself.
  • Ripley’s heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn’t have a speech — she has a flamethrower and a plan.
  • You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn’t there.
  • When it counts, you don’t flinch. That’s everything.


The Wasteland · Mad Max

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Max Rockatansky

You have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.

  • You don’t ask for help, don’t need validation, and don’t wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
  • Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute — but it’s earned in silence and tested in action, not in words.
  • Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting.
  • That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours.

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‘Ghosts’ Showrunners Unpack Pete’s Disappearance and “Fancy Nancy”

"Across the Pond" - Coverage of the CBS Original Series GHOSTS, scheduled to air Thursday, May 21 (9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured L to R: Brandon Scott Jones as Isaac, Rebecca Wisocky as Hetty, Utkarsh Ambudkar as Jay, Rose McIver as Samantha, Richie Moriarty as Pete, Betsy Sodaro as Nancy and Román Zaragoza as Sasappis. Photo: Bertrand Calmeau/CBS ©2026 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
“Across the Pond” – Coverage of the CBS Original Series GHOSTS, scheduled to air Thursday, May 21 (9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Pictured L to R: Brandon Scott Jones as Isaac, Rebecca Wisocky as Hetty, Utkarsh Ambudkar as Jay, Rose McIver as Samantha, Richie Moriarty as Pete, Betsy Sodaro as Nancy and Román Zaragoza as Sasappis. Photo: Bertrand Calmeau/CBS ©2026 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Image via Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

As far as the cliffhanger Season 5 does end on, Ghosts has officially entered uncharted territory. Ending a season with the implication that we might lose a beloved character is not entirely new for the series — Season 2 sees someone get sucked off, Isaac gets yanked into the dirt in Season 3, and by the end of Season 4, Jay has accidentally signed up for a one-way ticket to hell. While Ghosts will certainly find a way to bring Pete back (Moriarty has made no moves to leave the series), this is the first time we actually see one of our ghosts disappear.

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When asked about finally going there with Pete, Joe Port explained that this possibility was set up from the inception of his ghost power. “This is something that we’ve touched upon, is Pete’s jeopardy when he’s gone from the property for too long and starts to disappear,” he told Collider. “The few other times that he’s been worried about making it back, he’s made it back just in time. So, we were waiting for a moment to have him not safely make it back, and then, obviously, the end of the season felt like the right time to do that, especially coupled with Pete, in a very Pete fashion, stepping up and sacrificing to help save Woodstone and Sam and Jay.”

While it leaves the season on a somber note, Port and Wiseman are not treating this moment like the end of a fan-favorite character. Instead, the writer duo is excited to dig into the mystery of what’s actually happened to Pete and the possibilities that finally pulling the trigger on this Chekhov’s gun opens up for the show. “So, now we’re left in an interesting position, which is figuring out what that means and where did Pete go, and what will happen to him? So, it’s left us with a lot of fun questions,” said Port.

Pete’s disappearance is far from the only major plot twist of the episodes. When it comes down to declaring the house a historical landmark, the missing piece of the puzzle arrives in the form of Woodstone’s most iconic basement ghost​​​​​​, Nancy (Betsy Sodaro). When asked what they look for in terms of story wiggle room for adding a lore drop like the reveal that our beloved dirt troll was once a princess, Wiseman revealed that her “Fancy Nancy” backstory was an idea they’d been wanting to deploy for multiple seasons. “So the idea of Nancy — we called it ‘Fancy Nancy’ — came up probably a few seasons ago as we were talking about, like, ‘Okay, what was her backstory?’ And I’m glad we waited because it feels more impactful,” said Wiseman. “I’m glad we waited for a story where it could have a huge consequence for Sam, Jay, and the house. We thought it’d be a surprising ghost, whose stature was substantial enough that it would designate the property as a historical property.”

Ultimately, all of the pieces came together perfectly in the Season 5 finale, allowing Wiseman, Port, and finale writers Akilah Green, Skander Halim, Brian Bahe, and Greg Worswick to find the funniest and most satisfying way to finally pull off the big reveal. Wiseman continued:

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We didn’t always see her as a princess, but it seems, as we were breaking out the story, that that was a funny detail, and it just felt like the right time. It felt like we had this funny idea, and then we had a story that was colliding with it, where it could provide a satisfying solution, and I think that’s why we did it. [Betsy’s] so funny, and flashbacks are always fun to do. Our crew is so good at costumes and sets and props and all that stuff, and it really enriches the series and makes it feel special. It’s fun.”

What To Expect From ‘Ghosts’ Season 6

For the first time since the gap between Seasons 1 and 2, Ghosts will jump forward several months when Season 6 officially premieres in October later this year with a 1-hour Halloween special. While Port did not confirm or deny whether we’d get to see Sam filming her holiday rom-com in Joan’s (Taylor Ortega) old stomping grounds — or even Hollywood North, aka Vancouver, as a nod to Ghosts itself filming in Canada — he did confirm a time jump is on the books. “We’re very familiar with filming in Canada. We shoot Ghosts and now Eternally Yours in Montreal,” he laughed. “So, yeah, we are going to do a time jump because when we come back, we’re starting with a Halloween special that’s, like, an hour-long Halloween special. So, we’re going to pick up several months after the finale and catch up with what’s been going on, and catch up on what’s happening with Sam’s movie and what’s happening with the ghosts, and what has become of Pete, if anything. So, there’s a lot to divine.”

With such a significant jump on the horizon, anything could happen at Woodstone — including some major relationship shifts. When asked about the ever-evolving romances on the show, Wiseman played his cards close to his chest, but revealed that the end of Season 5 sets up some interesting potential conflicts for two of our favorite couples. “It seems like Thor [Devan Chandler Long] and Flower [Sheila Carrasco] have kind of been sort of trucking along. Again, we’re very early in the writing process. We’re on day three. But obviously, it seems like we may want to put a couple of obstacles in their way,” he teased. “Flower has this new position as ghost representative; perhaps that’ll somehow affect them. We hinted at that in one of the latter episodes, where Thor was kind of rattled because he felt like he wasn’t important enough. Perhaps that thread will play through.”

Meanwhile, Pete’s disappearance leaves his relationship with Alberta (Danielle Pinnock) up in the air. “Alberta obviously is going to be very affected by Pete disappearing,” Wiseman told Collider. “We bring up questions of when do you move on? How do you know? What do you do? Etc., etc.” Though updates were sparse on fan-favorite pairings like Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) and Trevor (Asher Grodman), Nigel (John Hartman) and Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones), or Joan and Sasappis (Román Zaragoza), Wiseman promised plenty of juicy interpersonal drama ahead, saying, “We’re going to continue all those storylines. We agree with you. It feels like ghosts have nothing to do and they’re all trapped in a house together; it seems like they would be coupling up and hooking up.”

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Despite Season 6’s unique rollout, Port and Wiseman confirmed that production plans aren’t all that different from years past. They’ve officially opened the writers’ rooms for both Ghosts and Eternally Yours and are planning to film both shows concurrently, with cameras expected to begin rolling at the end of the summer. The season premiere will officially serve as both their first hour-long premiere and first hour-long Halloween special. “We’ve never done that before for Halloween, so that’s going to be very exciting,” said Port. While Wiseman couldn’t reveal any plot details, given the early stages of the writing process, he did confirm that both specials will serve as the beginning of the season rather than separate standalone pieces. He explained:

“They are going to be specials, but they’re not going to be standalone. We are going to be addressing the Pete cliffhanger. We’re going to be addressing everything. It’s just going to be wrapped up into an hour-long Halloween and Christmas episode. These aren’t specials in that they’re freestanding. They’re official canon in respect to the timeline that they’re in. As far as what’s going to happen, obviously, they’re going to be big and fun. They’re always fun. Hour-longs are fun. Like I mentioned, we’re only day three into the writers’ room, but we already have a ton of really interesting ideas flying around.”

Ghosts Season 6 has not set an official release date yet. All previous seasons are available now on Paramount+. Stay tuned at Collider for more updates on all things Ghosts.


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Release Date

October 7, 2021

Directors

Christine Gernon, Jaime Eliezer Karas, Katie Locke O’Brien, Nick Wong, Jude Weng, Pete Chatmon, Richie Keen, Alex Hardcastle, Kimmy Gatewood, Matthew A. Cherry, Cortney Carrillo

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Writers

Emily Schmidt, John Timothy, Lauren Bridges, Sophia Lear, Guy Endore-Kaiser, Rishi Chitkara, Julia Harter, Skander Halim, Zora Bikangaga

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    Samantha Arondekar

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    Utkarsh Ambudkar

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