Nicolas Winding Refnis a filmmaker who has attracted as much criticism as he has praise, but nothing he’s ever been involved with could be accused of being dull. Refn’s polarizing style of highly mannered, methodical neo-noir storytelling might not be for everyone, but it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t have an eye for craftsmanship and can make visually arresting sequences. The prestige era of television has seen more movie directors dip their toes into the medium, and Refn first attempted to make that transition with his divisive Prime Video neo-Western Too Old To Die Young. Although that show had production values as excellent as one might expect from Refn, it felt closer to a collection of experimental movies than a cohesive series. However, Refn’s now-forgotten Netflix series Copenhagen Cowboyis a wonderful modern noir with striking narrative and aesthetic choices.
Despite the fact that he has often worked with English-language actors on films that are set in America or the United Kingdom, Refn is a Danish filmmaker, and Copenhagen Cowboy is his first Danish-language project since the Pusher trilogy starring Mads Mikkelsen, a spiritual, supernatural neo-noir set in Denmark’s criminal underworld and follows the young psychic Miu (Angela Bundalovic) as she avoids shady powerbrokers who attempt to utilize her abilities for evil. While it might be hard to determine how much of Copenhagen Cowboy is literal and how much is metaphorical, the fact that the series encourages such thoughtful discourse is proof of its value. Rarely does a show feel like it has both created its own language and refuses to tone down its excess.
Advertisement
Netflix’s ‘Copenhagen Cowboy’ Is Unlike Any Other Revenge Show
Copenhagen Cowboy is a refreshing take on the neo-noir genre because the series is unapologetic in its supernatural qualities and offers commentary about how fairy tales have obscured reality. Miu is considered to be a “good luck” charm, but that isn’t necessarily a virtue when criminal enterprises desire her powers for the sake of their own goals; ironically, being someone who has the ability to improve someone’s fortune has made her life even more dangerous. While Refn very much takes the mythology of curses, ancient rituals, and transformations seriously, there is also a metaphorical message about the way that the world preys upon young women; Miu is desired by characters like Rosella (Dragana Milutinović) and her husband Sven (Per Thiim Thim) because of her youth, which is itself a novelty within the dangerous world of drug dealing and money laundering. It’s a dynamic depiction of the terror felt by young women, but Copenhagen Cowboy turns the tables by giving Miu the power to lead the story and make her own decisions.
His new movie stars Sophie Thatcher and Charles Melton.
Advertisement
Although he became known for getting great performances from established movie stars like Elle Fanningand Ryan Gosling, Refn pulled off an amazing feat in assembling his cast for Copenhagen Cowboy, as it consists primarily of unknowns. There’s little time spent on exposition because of the mystical way in which the show’s logic operates, but Refn found actors who are able to bring history and humanity to his characters. Andreas Lykke Jørgensen gives a striking breakout performance because his character, Nicklas, is essentially the counterpoint of Miu; he shares her powers, but has become selfish and narcissistic because he grew up with privilege and has never had to learn to be independent. The legendary Croatian character actor Zlatko Burić, who just recently gave a great performance in Wonder Man, is perfectly cast as the shady lawyer Miroslav, who is willing to serve anyone in the underworld if it is for the right price; the eccentricity Burić brings to a truly strange performance indicates that Refn is self-aware of how inherently silly the world of Copenhagen Cowboy is, and is willing to lampoon its aura of self-seriousness.
Advertisement
‘Copenhagen Cowboy’ Is Auteur Television at Its Finest
It’s depressing to hear how many modern shows are created for viewers who only watch them passively, which makes it exciting that Copenhagen Cowboy is a visual masterpiece that is surprisingly beautiful, despite its ugly subject material. Given that Miu is a character in search of lightness when the world feels obscured by darkness, it makes sense that Refn’s directorial style would adhere to her perspective. Although it’s possible to enjoy Copenhagen Cowboy as a nearly silent experience, it’s made even more enthralling thanks to the amazing score by Cliff Martinez, who has worked with Refn on films like Drive and Only God Forgives.
Copenhagen Cowboy is a show that proves the virtue of streaming services like Netflix because it is a niche project aimed at a very specific section of arthouse cinephiles and doesn’t attempt to “soften” itself for the sake of appeasing the average viewer. At the same time, those who hadn’t previously been engaged with Refn’s work might find that Copenhagen Cowboy is a “gateway” experience that encourages them to look into his cinematic output. Refn has been rather open about the struggles he’s faced in finding funding for his work, especially given how much backlash he earned for something as divisive (albeit brilliant) as Only God Forgives. If anything, Copenhagen Cowboy indicates that he might have found his calling on television, as it’s a medium that best suits his priorities as a storyteller.
Pamela Anderson in a still from Barb Wire.Gramercy Pictures
Trust the late Roger Ebertto draw comparisons between a BDSM-tinged ’90s B-movie and the evergreen classic Casablanca. In his review of this film, Ebert evoked the simmering war romance starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman with the winking self-awareness that many argued was missing in the 1996 film. The movie in question was headlined by Pamela Anderson, shortly after she became a global icon thanks to her role in the hit television series Baywatch. However, unlike other starlets at similar stages of their careers, Anderson struggled to make the jump from television to movies. More recently, Sydney Sweeney has demonstrated that even her level of popularity can’t guarantee stardom. It took her several failed attempts to deliver a hit of The Housemaid‘s magnitude.
Incidentally, Sweeney is attached to star in and executive produce a remake of the cult classic sci-fi movie Barbarella, which was a direct influence on Anderson’s 1996 film. Directed by David Hogan, the movie was set in a “future” 2017 where Anderson’s character is pulled into a political conspiracy during a civil war. Perhaps this is what reminded Ebert of Casablanca. Awarding Anderson’s movie two-and-a-half stars out of four in his review, Ebert also commented on the film’s portrayal of sex and wrote, “The movie has been rated ‘R’ for ‘nudity/sexuality.’ There is some nudity, mostly weirdly lit. The sexuality involves various forms of foreplay to violence. There is nothing resembling eroticism, except for the dialogue ‘she’s as tender as Tuscan veal’.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
Advertisement
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
Advertisement
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
Advertisement
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
Advertisement
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
Advertisement
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
Advertisement
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
Advertisement
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
Advertisement
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
Advertisement
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Advertisement
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
Advertisement
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
Advertisement
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
Advertisement
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
Advertisement
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Advertisement
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
Advertisement
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
Advertisement
When To Watch Pamela Anderson’s Superhero Movie on Prime Video
Audiences of a certain generation would have guessed by now that we’re talking about the movie Barb Wire, which wasn’t, in fact, based on Casablanca. It was based on a Dark Horse Comics character, and was a major box-office bomb. Barb Wiregrossed under $4 million worldwide against a reported budget of nearly $10 million. The movie now holds a 28% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “Barb Wire could’ve been fun camp, but Pamela Anderson can’t deliver her lines with any dramatic or comedic impact.” The movie will debut on June 1 on Prime Video for a new generation to discover. Anderson has attempted to shed her past image in recent years, most prominently with an acclaimed performance in the film The Last Showgirl. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Us Weekly has affiliate partnerships. We receive compensation when you click on a link and make a purchase. Learn more!
When the weather hits that sticky ‘I can’t possibly wear jeans today’ phase — which for me is anything over 70 degrees — I become completely dependent on easy-going dresses that require zero thought yet still make me feel cute and pulled together. This smocked maxi dress is the piece I immediately reach for the second the temperature starts creeping into the ‘humid before 9 a.m.’ zone.
What I love most is that this popular maxi somehow manages to feel breezy and comfortable without looking sloppy. It has that effortless throw-on-and-go energy that works for literally everything: coffee runs, beach weekends, backyard dinners, errands and those random plans you forgot about until an hour before.
Advertisement
Get the Grace Karin Smocked Floral Maxi Dress for $33 (was $40) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
The Grace Karin dress is designed with lightweight fabric, which moves beautifully without clinging. Additionally, the relaxed fit makes it ideal for those unbearably hot summer days when anything remotely tight feels offensive.
When the 90-degree temperatures set in, comfortable dresses aren’t just a want — they’re a non-negotiable. Does that mean passing up on style? Never. The best sundresses feel like your favorite loungewear yet still have boutique-worthy style. Imagine it: soft fabrics, flattering silhouettes and eye-popping prints. Keep scrolling to shop our roundup of 17 comfy-chic […]
The spaghetti straps, milkmaid bodice and cinched waist give this maxi dress that go-with-the-flow energy that keeps me coming back for more. It also provides a flattering fit, thanks to the A-line silhouette. Oh, and another nice surprise was realizing that this sundress has pockets. That’s right — pockets!
The editor-approved find is also incredibly versatile, depending on how you style it. I’ve worn it with flat sandals and a straw tote for the daytime, then swapped in gold jewelry and platform wedges for dinner later that night. It’s one of those magical wardrobe pieces that somehow works, whether or not you’re trying.
Amazon shoppers are just as obsessed with the details as I am. One reviewer pointed out how the “smocked bodice was very flattering and the maxi length was perfect for the beach.” They also love the fabric, calling it “soft and breathable” enough to stay comfortable in the heat.
Advertisement
Another reviewer compared the fabric to a T-shirt material that “drapes beautifully,” adding how it’s versatile to take from hot days to the office without “freezing” in it.
If your wardrobe is missing that one easy summer dress you can throw on repeatedly, snag this Grace Karin number while it’s discounted. It’s breezy, flattering, versatile and exactly the kind of piece that makes getting dressed in a heat wave feel significantly less annoying.
Get the Grace Karin Smocked Floral Maxi Dress for $33 (was $40) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
And just like that, it’s dress season once again! Whether you’re headed on vacation or you’re looking for easy, throw-on-and-go styles you can wear from now until September, we scoured Amazon for the top 17 spring-to-summer dresses — and everything is on sale for a limited time only. Expect breezy tiered midis for patio lunches, […]
Netflix is adding a major chunk of the Rocky franchise on June 1, with Rocky, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, andRocky Balboa all joining the streamer. Together, the wider franchise has become one of the most iconic sports sagas in movie history, with the original run and follow-ups through Creedturning Rocky into a billion-dollar franchise. The films tell the story of Rocky Balboa, a scrappy underdog boxer from Philadelphia who ends up fighting the World Heavyweight Champion, Apollo Creed.
The Rocky movies star Sylvester Stallone (First Blood) as Rocky Balboa, the Italian Stallion; Talia Shire (The Godfather) as Adrian, Rocky’s wife; Burt Young (Chinatown) as Paulie, Adrian’s brother; Carl Weathers (Predator) as Apollo Creed, Rocky’s greatest rival and later friend; Burgess Meredith (Grumpy Old Men) as Mickey, Rocky’s trainer; Mr. T (The A-Team) as Clubber Lang, Rocky’s ruthless challenger; Dolph Lundgren (Universal Soldier) as Ivan Drago, the Soviet fighter; and Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us) as Robert Balboa Jr., Rocky’s son.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Collider Exclusive · Oscar Best Picture Quiz Which Oscar Best Picture Is Your Perfect Movie? Parasite · Everything Everywhere · Oppenheimer · Birdman · No Country
Five Oscar Best Picture winners. Five completely different visions of what cinema can be — and what it can do to you. One of them is the film that was made for the way your mind works. Ten questions will figure out which one.
🪜Parasite
🌀Everything Everywhere
☢️Oppenheimer
Advertisement
🐦Birdman
🪙No Country for Old Men
Advertisement
01
What kind of film experience do you actually want? The best movies don’t just entertain — they leave something behind.
Advertisement
02
Which idea grabs you most in a film? Great films are driven by a central obsession. What’s yours?
Advertisement
03
How do you like your story told? Form is content. The way a story is shaped changes what it means.
Advertisement
04
What makes a truly great antagonist? The opposition defines the protagonist. What kind of opposition fascinates you?
Advertisement
05
What do you want from a film’s ending? The final note is the one that lingers. What do you want it to sound like?
Advertisement
06
Which setting pulls you in most? Where a film takes place shapes everything — mood, stakes, what’s even possible.
Advertisement
07
What cinematic craft impresses you most? Every great film has a signature — a technical or artistic element that makes it unmistakable.
Advertisement
08
What kind of main character do you root for? The protagonist is the lens. Who you choose to follow says something about you.
Advertisement
09
How do you feel about a film that takes its time? Pace is a choice. Some films sprint; others let tension accumulate slowly, deliberately.
Advertisement
10
What do you want to feel walking out of the cinema? The best films leave a mark. What kind of mark do you want?
Advertisement
The Academy Has Decided Your Perfect Film Is…
Your answers have pointed to one Oscar Best Picture winner above all others. This is the film that was made for the way your mind works.
Advertisement
Parasite
You are drawn to films that operate on multiple levels simultaneously — that begin in one genre and quietly, brilliantly migrate into another. Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is a film about class, desire, and the architecture of inequality that manages to be darkly funny, deeply suspenseful, and genuinely shocking across a single extraordinary running time. Your instinct is for cinema that hides its true intentions until the moment it’s ready to reveal them. Parasite is exactly that — a film that rewards close attention and punishes assumptions, right up to its devastating final image.
Advertisement
Everything Everywhere All at Once
You want it all — and this film gives you all of it. The Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the most maximalist films ever made: action comedy, multiverse sci-fi, family drama, existential crisis, and a genuinely earned emotional core that sneaks up on you amid the chaos. You are someone who responds to ambition, who doesn’t want cinema to choose between being entertaining and being meaningful. This film refuses that choice entirely. It is overwhelming by design, and its overwhelming nature is precisely the point — because the feeling of being crushed by infinite possibility is exactly what it’s about.
Advertisement
Oppenheimer
You are drawn to cinema on a grand scale — films that understand history not as a backdrop but as a force, and that place their characters inside that force and watch what happens. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is a film about the terrifying gap between what we can do and what we should do, told with the full weight of one of the most consequential moments in human history behind it. You want your films to feel important without feeling self-important — to earn their ambition through sheer craft and the gravity of their subject. Oppenheimer does exactly that. It is enormous, complicated, and refuses easy comfort.
Advertisement
Birdman
You are drawn to films that foreground their own construction — that make the how of the filmmaking part of the what it’s about. Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman, shot to appear as a single continuous take, is cinema examining itself through the cracked mirror of a fading actor’s ego. You respond to formal daring, to the feeling that a film is doing something that probably shouldn’t be possible. Michael Keaton’s performance and Emmanuel Lubezki’s restless camera create something genuinely unlike anything else — a film that is simultaneously about creativity, relevance, self-destruction, and the impossibility of ever truly knowing if your work means anything at all.
Advertisement
No Country for Old Men
You are drawn to cinema that trusts silence, that refuses to explain itself, and that treats dread as a form of meaning. The Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men is a film about the arrival of a new kind of evil — implacable, arbitrary, and utterly indifferent to the moral frameworks we use to make sense of the world. It is one of the most formally controlled films ever made, and its controlled restraint is what makes it so terrifying. You want your films to haunt you, not comfort you. You are not interested in resolution if resolution would be dishonest. No Country for Old Men is honest in a way that most cinema never dares to be.
Advertisement
Advertisement
How Successful Was the ‘Rocky’ Franchise?
It’s hard to overstate just how successful the films ended up being, from truly humble beginnings. The original Rocky films alone grossed roughly $1.27 billion worldwide across six movies, from Rocky through Rocky Balboa. When you include the Creed trilogy, the wider Rocky/Creed franchise rises to about $1.93 billion worldwide.
The original 1976 Rocky was the real miracle, as it cost about $1 million and grossed around $225 million worldwide, which is ridiculously successful given the fact it was essentially an indie. It also won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing at the Oscars, while Sylvester Stallone became only the third person at the time to be nominated for acting and writing in the same year.
Rocky II made about $200 million worldwide, Rocky III made about $270 million, and Rocky IV made about $300 million, making the middle stretch of the franchise especially huge commercially. By that point, Rocky wasn’t just the on-screen underdog, he was almost the face of America as he single-handedly ended the Cold War, or so the film attempted to depict. Rocky V dropped hard with about $120 million, but Rocky Balboa rebounded respectably with about $156 million.
Then Creed gave the franchise a second life. Creed, Creed II, and Creed III grossed roughly $174 million, $214 million, and $274 million worldwide, respectively, with Creed III becoming one of the highest-grossing entries in the entire franchise.
Amid their continued strained ties with the royal family, sources have suggested that Prince William will take a “much harder line” with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when he becomes king.
William and his brother haven’t been on speaking terms, particularly after the duke made several damaging accusations against the royal family following his exit from the firm and relocation to the U.S.
Prince Harry and William’s father, King Charles, reportedly wants them to settle and is said to have launched secret plans to bring the quest to fruition.
Advertisement
MEGA
William will reportedly not take things lightly with his estranged brother, Harry, and his wife, Meghan.
Reports have earlier claimed that the Duke of Sussex has reached out to his elder brother but heard nothing back, meaning they’ve not been able to settle their long-running feud, with sources even suggesting William is “done with the drama.”
Now, royal experts have claimed that the future king will take a “much harder line” against his brother and sister-in-law, who have continued to use their royal titles to make money and promote a “faux royal” lifestyle.
“William will take a much harder line with Harry and Meghan when he’s king,” the insider told the Daily Mail.
Although the nature of such a hardline stance wasn’t discussed, many members of the royal family have reportedly raised eyebrows over how the Montecito-based couple continues to pose as royals despite dropping their working roles since 2020.
Advertisement
The Future King’s Silence Is Said To Be ‘A Strategy’
MEGA
William has grown famous for his no-nonsense approach to duty, even distancing himself from disgraced uncle Andrew following reports of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
With his brother, things will likely not change even as the duke prepares for a trip to the UK for an Invictus Games event this summer.
In a chat with Fox News Digital, royal expert Helena Chard explained that the Prince of Wales is willfully “ignoring the circus” and is “done with the drama.”
When Harry last visited the UK to check on his father after getting wind of his cancer diagnosis, both brothers still didn’t meet, nor did they talk, as William continues to build a “wall of silence” between them.
“This feels like a permanent royal reset,” Chard shared. “But William’s silence isn’t a mystery. It’s a strategy.”
Advertisement
“William regards his brother as totally untrustworthy,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams also told the news outlet.
King Charles Taps Aide To Help Bring The Brothers Back Together
Mirrorpix / MEGA
Meanwhile, Charles is reportedly keen to see Harry and Willian reunited and has set a secret plan in motion to actualize this goal.
Reports suggest the monarch is deeply troubled by their rift and has made it “mission number one” for his newest aide, Theo Rycroft, to bring them back together and mend their strained relationship.
Although Rycroft only joined the firm earlier this year, reports claim he has earned the trust of the monarch and is described as a calm operator who’s highly skilled in very sensitive situations.
King Charles’ Aide Plans To Set Up A Meeting Between Prince Harry And William During The Duke’s Invictus Games In The UK
MEGA
According to the Daily Mail, Rycroft is hoping to kick off actions when Harry lands in the country in July for his Invictus Games event, and would first set up a meeting between him and Charles before encouraging William to join them.
Sources close to Rycroft say he believes the situation is “f-cking ridiculous” and is dead set on “urgently” resolving the issue for Charles’ sake.
Advertisement
“He thinks it’s time to knock their heads together,” the insider said. “Theo’s a very reasonable guy and incredibly nice, and he completely gets that this is a source of great pain to the king and wants to help him resolve it. He sees his job as helping the king resolve it.”
Prince William And King Charles Are Reportedly Clashing Over Harry
MEGA
It remains to be seen how things will go, as there are still talks of how the king is being careful and doesn’t want to double-cross his eldest son.
Sources told Heat World in April that William remains adamant on not extending an olive branch to Harry, even though his father has taken a much more forgiving outlook on his younger son’s past missteps.
“Charles is at the point where he wants to forgive Harry and find a path forward, but William simply won’t hear of it, no matter what his father says,” an insider said.
“It’s becoming a huge battle because William has a ton of influence behind the scenes, and the fact is that many people within The Firm agree that Harry and Meghan are poison, so Charles doesn’t have a lot of support for bringing them back in,” they continued.
Advertisement
The situation with Harry’s security is said to also be causing some clash between Charles and William, who think the duke is getting “what he deserves.”
Trace Cyrus is calling out his sister Brandi Cyrus for renting him what he claims is a “mold infested” home.
“Alright, story time guys. I’ve tried to be really f***ing nice,” Trace, 37, said in the first of many videos shared via his Instagram Stories on Friday, May 29. “So, I was renting this house from my lovely sister Brandi — happy belated birthday — a mold infested f***ing home. This is just one of the many problems since I moved into this house.”
He continued, “It’s been problem after problem. I just got clean water f***ing recently. I didn’t even have clean f***ing water. I’m sleeping on a f***ing air mattress downstairs. The reason I can’t put out my f***ing album or music this summer like I was planning? I gotta f***ing move again. Brandi doesn’t want to refund me my money. Wow. How many members of my family are just gonna go completely bats*** crazy and be pieces of s***? It just never ceases to amaze me, the way that I’m treated by my own family is absolutely f***ing disgusting. F*** you!”
“Since my earliest memories all I can remember is being obsessed with you and thinking you were the coolest person ever,” Trace wrote of his adopted father at the time. “I wanted to be just like you. The day you adopted me was the happiest day of my life. Sadly the man that I wanted so desperately to be just like I barely recognize now. It seems this world has beaten you down and it’s become obvious to everyone but you.”
He continued at the time, “You may be upset with me for posting this but I really could care less at this point. Me and the girls have been genuinely worried about you for years but you’ve pushed all of us away. Noah desperately has wanted you to be a part of her life and you haven’t even been there for her. That’s your baby girl. She deserves better.” (Us Weekly reached out to reps for Billy Ray for comment at the time of Trace’s post.)
In follow-up videos on Friday, Trace was able to calm down after issuing another fiery post, calling out his sister for allegedly avoiding any direct lines of communication.
Katie Bates is opening up about experiencing family strain after addressing an incident from her childhood. “I’ve been getting flooded with messages like this from people who are genuinely concerned for me so I want to answer this as honestly as I can,” Bates, 25, wrote via her Instagram Story on Wednesday, May 20, when […]
Advertisement
“Alright, the last video was me at about a level 3. Brandi, don’t hit up anyone else to f***ing do your talking for you. If you want to talk, call my f***ing phone, but I’m not playing nice anymore. I don’t give a f*** who the f*** you are — family, friends, it doesn’t f***ing matter — no one is f***ing me over anymore. Do the f***ing right thing or this is about to get real entertaining just f***ing wait, I promise.”
He added, “OK guys, I’ve chilled out a little bit. I got in the sauna, I meditated, I had to atroproject to the spiritual realm to make sure my mammy up in heaven was looking down in complete disgust at Brandi’s actions — she’s tuned in, she’s well aware, so that marks me happy.”
Us has reached out to Brandi’s rep for comment but did not hear back at the time of publication.
Sitcoms arguably aren’t what they used to be. While there are some great new ones, many sitcoms today rely on inspiration from ones that came before them. Some of them are even outright copies, spinoffs, or sequels. There have been some near-perfect sitcoms that changed the game and inspired others, like Friends and Seinfeld. But there are also forgotten ones that, rather than make a mark, have fallen into obscurity despite being so good, and likely used as references for shows we see today.
Fans have either forgotten about them entirely, forgotten how good they were, or simply stopped talking about them. With many of these shows still available to stream, they’re worth a second look. Whether you’re watching again decades later or for the first time, you might be surprised at how much you love them.
Advertisement
10
‘Small Wonder’ (1985–1989)
Three small children in ‘Small Wonder’Image via Metroland Video Productions
If there was ever a sitcom from the ’80s that is ripe for being remade today, it’s Small Wonder. The show was so far ahead of its time that the premise might seem more believable today than it did back then. Ted Lawson (Dick Christie) is a robotics engineer working on a humanoid robot designed to work as a domestic servant in homes with disabled children. Before pushing it to market, however, he brings the Voice Input Child Identicant (V.I.C.I), played by Tiffany Brissette, home with him. He calls her Vicki and integrates her into his family as a testing ground. The idea is to pass her off as a real girl.
The humor comes in Small Wonder when guests stop by, including the nosy neighbors who always pop in unexpectedly, and Vicki’s robotic nature draws suspicion. She does not express emotion, of course, and takes things literally. Sometimes, she even malfunctions. Small Wonder is one of the greatest ’80s shows nobody remembers. It’s downright hilarious, and a premise that could totally work today with a humanoid AI robot character, if a network were so inclined to bring it back. Even though the show aired 96 episodes across four seasons, Small Wonder has just become a blip in memories.
Advertisement
9
‘Raising Hope’ (2010–2014)
The Chance family staring ahead in Raising HopeImage via Fox Network
Back in the early 2010s, Raising Hope was a witty sitcom with an unbelievable premise. James “Jimmy” Chance (Lucas Neff) has a one-night stand with a woman who turns out to be a serial killer. When she is later sentenced to death, Jimmy learns that she is pregnant and gave birth to his daughter. Now, he has sole custody of Hope (Bayley and Rylie Cregut). At just 23 years old, Jimmy knows nothing about raising a child, so he seeks the help of his family, including his mother, Virginia (Martha Plimpton), and father, Burt (Garret Dillahunt).
The family is working class, Virginia holding down a job as a maid, and Burt running a lawn care/pool cleaning business. But they do the best they can. Airing for four seasons, Raising Hope leans into absurdist humor that combines laughs with sweetness. It has often been compared to Malcolm in the Middlein its tone. It’s one of those classic 21st-century sitcoms that is worth revisiting, helping define what would become a new generation of the genre.
Advertisement
8
‘Don’t Trust the B—- In Apartment 23’ (2012–2014)
Krysten Ritter and James Van Der Beek looking confused in a tub in Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23Image via ABC
There are still some die-hard fans who continue to express their anger for Don’t Trust the B—- In Apartment 23 ending so soon, naming it among the great sitcoms that were canceled too soon. There was some chatter recently about the show following the death of James Van Der Beek, who plays a fictional version of himself in the series. The story centers around Chloe (Krysten Ritter), an irresponsible young woman who cons others into sharing rent. She takes their money up front, then terrorizes them until they leave, declaring the deposit non-refundable. But when she meets small-town, naïve June (Dreama Walker), she can’t seem to get this woman to leave. June is so dejected about her situation, so starved for meaning in her life, that she’ll put up with just about anything.
So begins an unlikely friendship between two very different ladies, like a gender-swapped odd couple pairing. Praised for the acting and snappy dialogue, even called one of the most exciting new series in the year of its debut, Don’t Trust the B—- In Apartment 23 received rave reviews, but got cut from the primetime lineup before it really had the chance to shine. It’s one of those shows that would probably have done better on a streaming platform.
Advertisement
7
‘Get a Life’ (1990–1992)
Chris talks to his dad in the kitchen in Get a LifeImage via Fox
You have probably long forgotten about this short-lived Fox sitcom that stars Chris Elliott as Chris Peterson, a 30-year-old man-child who delivers newspapers and lives above his parents’ garage. He gets in lots of trouble, a man of his age shouldn’t, much to the chagrin of his parents. This includes his father, who is played by his real-life father and comedian Bob Elliott.
The show was far more disturbing than your cookie-cutter sitcom, plotlines often involving Chris dying, only to be resurrected in the next episode, much like Kenny in South Park. Elliott has a way about him, his comedic styling absurd and spastic, which was challenging for viewers (and network executives) to wrap their heads around compared to other, more wholesome sitcoms on the air at the time. But some who look back now think Get a Life was one of the most clever, underrated sitcoms made because it completely went against the grain.
Advertisement
6
‘Smart Guy’ (1997–1999)
Tahj Mowry questions Taylor Negron on the witness stand in a courtroom in Smart GuyImage via Walt Disney
While Young Sheldon is a prequel series to The Big Bang Theory, there’s no denying that it, and other shows like Malcolm in the Middle, drew at least some inspiration from the success of shows like Smart Guy. In this late ’90s sitcom, Tahj Mowry plays T.J. Henderson, a child prodigy who is pulled from fourth grade and placed into high school because of his genius-level IQ. This doesn’t necessarily sit well with his two older siblings, including his underachieving older brother Marcus (Jason Weaver). T.J. has a rough time adjusting to being among pubescent kids much older than him.
Airing for three seasons, Smart Guy isn’t just about a smart kid; it’s also a story about fitting in when you’re different. With the kids raised by their widowed single father, the sitcom has lots of heart. It was one of the few at the time centered around a middle-class Black family as well.
Advertisement
Collider Exclusive · TV Medicine Quiz Which Fictional Hospital Would You Work Best In? The Pitt · ER · Grey’s Anatomy · House · Scrubs
Advertisement
Five hospitals. Five completely different ways medicine goes sideways on television — brutal, chaotic, romantic, brilliant, and ridiculous. Only one of them is the ward your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out exactly where you belong.
🚨The Pitt
🏥ER
💉Grey’s
🔬House
Advertisement
🩺Scrubs
Advertisement
01
A critical patient comes through the door. What’s your first instinct? Medicine under pressure reveals who you actually are.
Advertisement
02
Why did you go into medicine in the first place? The honest answer says more about you than the one you’d give in an interview.
Advertisement
03
What do you actually want from the people you work with? Who you want beside you under pressure is who you are.
Advertisement
04
You lose a patient you fought hard to save. How do you carry it? Every doctor who’s worked a long shift has had to answer this question.
Advertisement
05
How would your colleagues describe the way you work? Your reputation on the floor is usually more accurate than your self-image.
Advertisement
06
How do you feel about hospital protocol and procedure? Every institution has rules. What you do with them is a choice.
Advertisement
07
What does this job cost you personally? Nobody works in medicine without paying a price. What’s yours?
Advertisement
08
At the end of a long shift, what keeps you coming back? The answer to this question is the most honest thing about you.
Advertisement
Your Assignment Has Been Made You Belong In…
Your answers have pointed to one fictional hospital above all others. This is the ward your instincts, your temperament, and your particular brand of dysfunction were built for.
Advertisement
Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center
The Pitt
You are built for the most unsparing version of emergency medicine television has ever shown — one that puts you inside a single fifteen-hour shift and doesn’t let you look away.
You need your work to be real, not romanticised — meaning over drama, honesty over aesthetics.
You find purpose inside the work itself, not in the chaos surrounding it.
You’ve made peace with the fact that this job takes from you constantly, and gives back in ways that are harder to name.
Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center demands exactly that kind of person — and you would not want to be anywhere else.
Advertisement
County General Hospital, Chicago
ER
You are the person who keeps the whole floor running — not the most brilliant in the room, but possibly the most essential.
You show up, do the work, absorb the losses, and come back the next day without needing the job to be anything other than what it is.
You care about patients as individual human beings, not as cases to solve or dramas to live through.
You believe in the system even when it fails you — and you understand that emergency medicine is about holding the line just long enough.
ER is television about endurance. You have it.
Advertisement
Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, Seattle
Grey’s Anatomy
You came to medicine with your whole self — your ambition, your emotions, your relationships, your history — and you have never quite managed to leave any of it at the door.
You feel things fully and form deep attachments to the people you work with.
Your personal and professional lives are permanently, chaotically entangled — and that entanglement drives both your greatest disasters and your most remarkable saves.
You understand that extraordinary medicine often happens at the intersection of clinical skill and profound human connection.
It’s messy at Grey Sloan. You would not have it any other way.
Advertisement
Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, NJ
House
You are drawn to the problem above everything else — the symptom that doesn’t fit, the diagnosis hiding underneath the obvious one.
You’re not primarily motivated by the patient as a person — though you are capable of caring, even if you’d deny it.
You work best when the stakes are highest and the standard answer is wrong.
Princeton-Plainsboro exists to house one extraordinary, impossible mind — and everyone around that mind is there because they’re smart enough to keep up.
The only way forward here is to think harder than everyone else in the room. That is exactly what you do.
Advertisement
Sacred Heart Hospital, California
Scrubs
You understand that medicine is tragic and absurd in almost equal measure — and that the only sane response is to hold both of those things at the same time.
You are warm, self-aware, and funnier than most people in your field.
You use humour to get through terrible moments — and at Sacred Heart, that’s not a flaw, it’s a survival strategy.
You lean on the people around you and let them lean back. The laughter and the grief are genuinely inseparable here.
Scrubs is a show about learning to become someone worthy of the job. You are still very much in the middle of that process — which is exactly right.
Advertisement
5
‘The New Adventures of Old Christine’ (2006–2010)
Christine smiling with her son while sitting at the kitchen table on The New Adventures of Old ChristineImage via CBS
Advertisement
Julia Louis-Dreyfus gets so much attention for her roles in Seinfeld and Veep that her work in The New Adventures of Old Christine is overshadowed by these career-defining roles. But the CBS sitcom aired for five seasons and was arguably just as good in its own charming way. In it, she plays Christine, a single mother trying to balance her career with raising her son. She also has to deal with the complicated, albeit friendly, relationship with her ex-husband Richard (Clark Gregg), who has a new, younger girlfriend also named Christine (Emily Rutherford), hence the name of the show.
The sitcom also stars Hamish Linklater as Christine’s brother Matthew and Wanda Sykes as her best friend Barb. It’s a relatable story of a single mother trying to keep up with it all, from the seemingly perfect other moms at her son’s private school to her ex’s younger girlfriend. Adding to the humor, however, is Christine’s self-absorbed nature and insecurities. Funny, witty, and beautifully written and acted, given the high-profile talent at the center of the show, it’s a wonder why The New Adventures of Old Christine was canceled.
4
‘My Wife and Kids’ (2001–2005)
Damon Wayans in My Wife and Kids as Michael Kyle.Image via ABC
Advertisement
Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin star in this sitcom about a wealthy Black family led by Michael (Wayans). But his wife Janet (Campbell-Martin), son Michael Jr. (George O. Gore II), and daughters Claire (Jazz Raycole, Jennifer Nicole Freeman) and Kady (Parker McKenna Posey) really rule the roost over him. That dynamic leads to much of the comedy on the show.
The ABC sitcom, which aired for five seasons and came after Wayans’ forgotten ’90s sitcom Damon, is wholesome, comedic fun. While the show got a lot of attention when it was on the air, in the two-plus decades since it ended, it has been largely forgotten. Wayans has tried his hand at sitcoms again, including in Poppa’s House, in which he starred with his real-life son Damon Wayans Jr. But My Wife and Kids is the sitcom that really put him on the map in the genre, and showed how he could translate his sketch comedy experience from shows like Saturday Night Live and In Living Color into a 30-minute weekly comedy.
3
‘Better Off Ted’ (2009–2010)
Ted (Jay Harrington) and Veronica (Portia de Rossi) talking in front of a frozen Phil (Jonathan Slavin) in ‘Better Off Ted’Image via ABC
Advertisement
This short-lived satirical sitcom features Ted (Jay Harrington), a head of research and development at a fictional company, often breaking the fourth wall to address the audience about the ridiculous things going on at his work. A workplace comedy like no other, Better Off Ted stars Portia de Rossi as Ted’s supervisor and Andrea Anders as his co-worker and love interest, Linda.
Despite being praised for its witty and satirical humor and being counted among the best 2000s sitcoms, Better Off Ted only lasted two seasons, after which it completely fell off the map. The victim of low ratings, it’s the type of sitcom that might have done better on a streaming service. Aside from the daily antics, it’s also a powerful message about evil corporations, how they can do things like sway politics, and the lengths they’ll go to manipulate people and make money.
2
‘Head of the Class’ (1986–1991)
Head of the ClassImage via ABC
Advertisement
Head of the Class is about history teacher Charlie Moore (Howard Hesseman) and his class of gifted high school students. The show changed for its final two seasons with Billy Connolly taking on the role following Hesseman’s departure. Revived for HBO Max in 2021, the new version only lasted a single season before it was canceled and outright removed from the streamer.
That short-lived revival was the last time anyone heard about Head of the Class beyond mention is the Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. That’s because Dan Schneider, who went to create and produce several Nickelodeon kids’ shows, starred in the series. Beyond that, however, Head of the Class is worth remembering as a lovely glimpse into high school life for students who aren’t exposed to the mainstream curriculum and have their own unique experience.
1
‘Herman’s Head’ (1991–1994)
The top of a man’s head looking up at four people inside the skull in Herman’s Head.Image via Fox
Advertisement
Often credited with being a precursor to the animated movie Inside Out, Herman’s Head is a hilarious sitcom about Herman Brooks (William Ragsdale), a research assistant working for a magazine publisher. Viewers get to see what’s going on in Herman’s thought process through actors who represent his most dominant personality traits: sensitivity, lust and hunger, anxiety, and intellect and logic. They are constantly at odds with one another while Herman tries to make pivotal decisions. A few others pop up when the situation calls for them, like jealousy and even once God, played by the late Leslie Nielsen.
A clever way to show how much processing goes on in our brains before we do or say anything, Herman’s Head was cancelled due to low ratings. But it deserved more attention and remains one of the best ’90s shows you probably haven’t seen. The show did come up in recent pop culture when an episode of Only Murders in the Building opens with a character watching an episode of the show.
Michael B. Kaplan, Adam Markowitz, Karl Fink, Roberto Benabib, David Landsberg, Bill Freiberger, David Babcock, Cheryl Holliday, Diane Wilk, Andy Guerdat, Don Demaio, Rich Singer, Tim Maile, Barry Stringfellow, Steve Kreinberg, Graham Yost, Douglas Tuber
The Lisa Vanderpump vibe is strong in her brand-new bar, Gigolo, located inside her new Las Vegashotel. The moody and mysterious bar officially opened to the public on Friday and The Blast was there to check it out. Let’s just say … it did not disappoint one little bit.
If you’re a Vanderpump fan, this is a must visit for you. The Vanderpump Hotel is now open and taking reservations.
Caesars Entertainment
The moment Vanderpump fans have been anxiously waiting for is finally here! The Cromwell has been “Vanderpumped” and transformed into The Vanderpump Hotel. On Friday, the stylish bar inside the hotel opened to the public and it was worth every second fans had to wait for it.
Named in honor of Vanderpump’s beloved pup, Gigolo, who many may remember from her time on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” this is not your typical hotel bar by any means. The 62-inch-tall sculpture of Giggy stands proud on one side of the bar and lounge, with Vanderpump accents and style all around.
Advertisement
According to a press release sent to The Blast, “Giggy holds a special place in Lisa Vanderpump’s heart, and at the center of Gigolo stands a playful sculptural tribute to him.”
Giggy, who was a constant sight by her side on and off camera for many years, inspired the creation of The Vanderpump Dog Foundation. “The Vanderpump Dog Foundation has been instrumental in writing and passing animal cruelty laws, has saved more than 3,000 dogs in California alone and has aided thousands more worldwide,” the press release continues.
Gigolo Is A Total Vibe, As One Would Expect From Lisa Vanderpump
The Blast | Melanie VanDerveer
The bar, along with the hotel, was designed by Vanderpump Alain, Vanderpump’s and her business partner Nick Alain’s design company. Every detail has been no doubt “Vanderpumped” and brings a feeling of glamour and sophistication.
Gigolo seats 50 guests in multiple types of seating — the bar, tables and chairs, couches — and has decor that matches the vibe completely. With Vanderpump Alain’s signature bespoke aesthetic, crystal lighting, deep red oversized chandelier shades, and much more, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy a delicious signature cocktail and fabulous-feeling relaxation.
“To commemorate my beloved Gigolo, our lovedog who inspired The Vanderpump Dog Foundation, creating a bar in his honor has always been a dream of mine,” said Lisa Vanderpump,” according to the press release.
Advertisement
“He has meant so much to us and to so many others, and to see a giant statue of him in Las Vegas is a meaningful moment for me. The other meaning of Gigolo is also something we had a lot of fun with – creating a dark, sultry space with a wink and plenty of sexy undertones. I think it will be a welcome respite to guests and visitors, nestled into the bosom of The Vanderpump Hotel.”
Sip Into Luxury With Vanderpump’s Signature Cocktails
Nikki Ryan Photography
Of course, Gigolo wouldn’t be complete without a signature cocktail list that compliments the decor, ambiance, and style of the space. The menu promises conversation-starting drinks with trendy names and refined flavor profiles.
Drinks include, Talk Dirty To Me, a martini for two with an oversized skewer stuffed with olives, Slow Burn, a blackberry-flavored Old Fashioned smoked with hickory, Hush Hush, a drink that requires customers to spill a secret into a tiny envelope that is locked into the Vanderpump Vault, as well as the Pump & Bump, Pumptini, Giggy Tonic, and signature Vanderpump Wines.
“Lisa has the extraordinary ability to develop lounges that not only attract guests but build a genuine sense of connection,” said Sean McBurney, Chief Commercial Officer and Regional President of Caesars Entertainment, according to the press release. “Every concept she creates becomes the place to be and be seen. Gigolo delivers exactly that: a fun, intimate bar that reflects Lisa’s authenticity, brings her personality to life and reinforces the hotel’s identity as a must-experience destination.”
A New Reality Show Is Being Filmed In The Hotel
Caesars Entertainment
Vanderpump isn’t just launching The Vanderpump Hotel — she’s also filming a reality series centered on its opening. The new limited series reality show will give a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to open a hotel in Vegas with the famous Vanderpump name.
The “Vanderpump Rules” spin off will share how the “RHOBH” alum took The Cromwell and “Vanderpumped” it into her own.
Advertisement
The official Bravo description of the show reads, “Lisa Vanderpump has been ruling over the Las Vegas Strip for years now, with three hotspot restaurants serving up chic cocktails in her signature whimsical settings. Now she is expanding her Vegas empire through the opening of her high profile namesake hotel.”
It continues, “In this limited series, we follow the behind-the-scenes dash to make the property worthy of the Vanderpump brand. LVP shares what inspired her newest enterprise and pulls back the curtain on the down-to-the-wire drama.”
Will you be watching the reality show and visit the hotel in Vegas? Find out more on the hotel’s website.
The Blast Visited The New Hotel And Bar
The Blast | Melanie VanDerveer
When The Blast visited the hotel a few weeks ago, it was still very much in “Vanderpumping” mode but visiting on Friday night was a whole different experience. From the carpet to the decor around every bend, the hotel has now been officially “Vanderpumped.”
If you’re a fan of Vanderpump, you’ll immediately catch the vibe from the moment you walk through the doors. Elegance meets trendy, where bold design, luxe details, and a touch of Lisa Vanderpump’s signature glamour create an unforgettable escape on the Las Vegas Strip.
Advertisement
Check out our videos of the hotel and the bar on The Blast’s social media pages. And stay tuned for more Vanderpump news and excitement.
It’s an oft quoted line that the best sports movies, and particularly boxing movies, are the ones that aren’t actually about the sport itself. Obviously, we’re thrilled when we watch the fighting scenes, the training montages, the highs and the lows and the inevitable triumph, but ultimately, they only really work if we buy into the characters. This is a key example of that particular trope, and it understands it completely. It’s a sports drama, sure, but it’s also a Depression-era survival story about a man trying to keep his family together when, quite literally, all hope appears to be lost.
Cinderella Man comes to Netflix on June 1, bringing Ron Howard‘s $108 million boxing drama back to streaming. The film tells the true story of James J. Braddock, who was a former heavyweight contender, and whose career seemed over and done with before he staged one of the most unlikely comebacks in sports history. During the Great Depression, Braddock returned to the ring because he and his family desperately needed the money, with glory a secondary thought to survival.
Cinderella Man stars Russell Crowe (Gladiator) as James J. Braddock, the struggling boxer fighting for a second chance; Renée Zellweger (Chicago) as Mae Braddock, his wife; Paul Giamatti (Sideways) as Joe Gould, Braddock’s manager; Craig Bierko (The Thirteenth Floor) as Max Baer, the heavyweight champion; Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz) as Mike Wilson, Braddock’s friend; Bruce McGill (Collateral) as Jimmy Johnston, the boxing promoter; and David Huband (Cube Zero) as Ford Bond, the fight announcer.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Collider Exclusive · Oscar Best Picture Quiz Which Oscar Best Picture Is Your Perfect Movie? Parasite · Everything Everywhere · Oppenheimer · Birdman · No Country
Five Oscar Best Picture winners. Five completely different visions of what cinema can be — and what it can do to you. One of them is the film that was made for the way your mind works. Ten questions will figure out which one.
🪜Parasite
🌀Everything Everywhere
☢️Oppenheimer
Advertisement
🐦Birdman
🪙No Country for Old Men
Advertisement
01
What kind of film experience do you actually want? The best movies don’t just entertain — they leave something behind.
Advertisement
02
Which idea grabs you most in a film? Great films are driven by a central obsession. What’s yours?
Advertisement
03
How do you like your story told? Form is content. The way a story is shaped changes what it means.
Advertisement
04
What makes a truly great antagonist? The opposition defines the protagonist. What kind of opposition fascinates you?
Advertisement
05
What do you want from a film’s ending? The final note is the one that lingers. What do you want it to sound like?
Advertisement
06
Which setting pulls you in most? Where a film takes place shapes everything — mood, stakes, what’s even possible.
Advertisement
07
What cinematic craft impresses you most? Every great film has a signature — a technical or artistic element that makes it unmistakable.
Advertisement
08
What kind of main character do you root for? The protagonist is the lens. Who you choose to follow says something about you.
Advertisement
09
How do you feel about a film that takes its time? Pace is a choice. Some films sprint; others let tension accumulate slowly, deliberately.
Advertisement
10
What do you want to feel walking out of the cinema? The best films leave a mark. What kind of mark do you want?
Advertisement
The Academy Has Decided Your Perfect Film Is…
Your answers have pointed to one Oscar Best Picture winner above all others. This is the film that was made for the way your mind works.
Advertisement
Parasite
You are drawn to films that operate on multiple levels simultaneously — that begin in one genre and quietly, brilliantly migrate into another. Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is a film about class, desire, and the architecture of inequality that manages to be darkly funny, deeply suspenseful, and genuinely shocking across a single extraordinary running time. Your instinct is for cinema that hides its true intentions until the moment it’s ready to reveal them. Parasite is exactly that — a film that rewards close attention and punishes assumptions, right up to its devastating final image.
Advertisement
Everything Everywhere All at Once
You want it all — and this film gives you all of it. The Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the most maximalist films ever made: action comedy, multiverse sci-fi, family drama, existential crisis, and a genuinely earned emotional core that sneaks up on you amid the chaos. You are someone who responds to ambition, who doesn’t want cinema to choose between being entertaining and being meaningful. This film refuses that choice entirely. It is overwhelming by design, and its overwhelming nature is precisely the point — because the feeling of being crushed by infinite possibility is exactly what it’s about.
Advertisement
Oppenheimer
You are drawn to cinema on a grand scale — films that understand history not as a backdrop but as a force, and that place their characters inside that force and watch what happens. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is a film about the terrifying gap between what we can do and what we should do, told with the full weight of one of the most consequential moments in human history behind it. You want your films to feel important without feeling self-important — to earn their ambition through sheer craft and the gravity of their subject. Oppenheimer does exactly that. It is enormous, complicated, and refuses easy comfort.
Advertisement
Birdman
You are drawn to films that foreground their own construction — that make the how of the filmmaking part of the what it’s about. Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman, shot to appear as a single continuous take, is cinema examining itself through the cracked mirror of a fading actor’s ego. You respond to formal daring, to the feeling that a film is doing something that probably shouldn’t be possible. Michael Keaton’s performance and Emmanuel Lubezki’s restless camera create something genuinely unlike anything else — a film that is simultaneously about creativity, relevance, self-destruction, and the impossibility of ever truly knowing if your work means anything at all.
Advertisement
No Country for Old Men
You are drawn to cinema that trusts silence, that refuses to explain itself, and that treats dread as a form of meaning. The Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men is a film about the arrival of a new kind of evil — implacable, arbitrary, and utterly indifferent to the moral frameworks we use to make sense of the world. It is one of the most formally controlled films ever made, and its controlled restraint is what makes it so terrifying. You want your films to haunt you, not comfort you. You are not interested in resolution if resolution would be dishonest. No Country for Old Men is honest in a way that most cinema never dares to be.
Advertisement
Advertisement
How Successful Was ‘Cinderella Man’?
Unfortunately, for such a well-crafted and intimate sports drama, the film wasn’t a success commercially by any means. It grossed around $108.5 million worldwide against an estimated $88 million budget, which means it likely struggled once marketing costs and theater splits were factored in. So, box office-wise, sadly, it wasn’t a hit. That’s not to say the film didn’t get any love at all, though.
Critically, it fared a lot better. It has an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score, a 69 Metascore, and earned three Oscar nominations, including Best Supporting Actor for Paul Giamatti. All in all, it’s one of those familiar tales of a prestige movie that wows the critics but fails to find an audience until it lands on streaming.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login