By Robert Scucci
| Published 1 hour ago

I’ve got to say that my life is pretty good these days, as the biggest problem I’m having lately is looking up information about obscure sci-fi flicks on Tubi only to realize they all have multiple titles depending on the markets they were trying to reach. One such Fred Olen Ray film, 1995’s Cyberzone, loves to change the stationery, as it also exists as Droid Gunner and Phoenix 2. Really, none of these titles work, and I would much rather call it Blade Runner with Sex Bots, but that would be too on the nose.

The reason I constantly seek out schlocky, trashy B-movie titles like Cyberzone is because they’re just so fun and outside the box. You can expect that from any one of the over 200 Fred Olen Ray joints in his filmography, but this one is absolutely bonkers compared to 1988’s Terminal Force while still carrying the same sleazy energy that keeps bringing me back to his filmmaking.

Oh, Jack! Fetch Me My Sex Bots!

Cyberzone is a straight-up blast and wastes no time introducing us to Jack Ford (Marc Singer), a futuristic bounty hunter living in the year 2077. Fifty years prior, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake destroyed the West Coast, submerging California entirely and making Phoenix, Arizona, the busiest sea and spaceport on the New West Coast. Jack spends his days hunting down androids for chump change, but his life changes when he’s offered the gig of a lifetime. He’s summoned by the exceedingly wealthy Mr. Reginald (Cal Bartlett), who operates out of the same set used in Bio-Dome (1996).

Mr. Reginald lives in a fortified suburb, far removed from Jack’s stomping grounds, which are irradiated, polluted, and relegated to the dregs of society, where every man fends for himself. Mr. Reginald has deep pockets, and he needs help tracking down his four pleasure bots, which were stolen by an intergalactic smuggler named Hawks (Matthias Hues), who plans to deliver them to a crime lord named Chew’Bah (Robert Quarry), who lives beneath the newly constructed New Angeles, an alleged utopia that forbids any form of carnal pleasure. In Chew’Bah’s ideal world, he’ll have a monopoly on sex, drugs, and gambling, giving people what they want, but at a steep price.

Jack is reluctantly teamed up with a robotics expert named Beth (Rochelle Swanson) because he’s not trusted to bring the fembots back in one piece. The problem is that Jack doesn’t trust Beth to fend for herself in the futuristic ghettos, where bodies are sold as currency and she could easily be sold into slavery for $10,000. It’s a classic odd-couple setup because Beth claims to be fluent in martial arts thanks to her extensive simulated training protocols, but she dresses like a sheltered bureaucrat.

Since this is a Fred Olen Ray film, we know that Beth is actually an absolute smoke show, and when she’s forced to throw hands, she’s not only competent but frighteningly good at close combat, impressing Jack, who just wants to finish the job and collect his bounty.

The Humor Comes From Lack Of Enthusiasm

While it’s obvious that Cyberzone has taken more than a few pages from the Blade Runner playbook as far as its aesthetic goes, we get more of a buddy-cop experience here. Jack and Beth’s dynamic evolves into your typical romantic tug-of-war because they come from two very different worlds, but the real charm comes from Matthias Hues’ portrayal of Hawks, the most reluctant smuggler you’ve ever seen in a film.

When he first successfully captures the sex droids under the guise of “reconfiguring their oral programs,” he couldn’t look more bored. The only things he cares about are making sure his ship reaches its destination in one piece and collecting his fee. He’s surrounded by babes who will do anything he wants, and he brushes them off on several occasions because they’re distracting him from his navigation system. The look of frustration on his face is not only palpable but reliably hilarious every time this happens.

Beth’s shift from prude bureaucrat to smoking-hot femme fatale of the wasteland is sudden, but she leans fully into it when it’s time to deliver a proper beatdown, and her character arc is surprisingly satisfying when all is said and done. She evolves from a blissfully ignorant cog in a sanitized world into a ballsy heroine after finally catching a glimpse of how the other side lives.

As you would expect, the special effects in Cyberzone are crude, but they succeed in getting the job done. If anything, a big-budget production might actually take away from its charm. Thanks to its willingness to lean fully into its schlock and awe delivery instead of trying to be something it isn’t, Cyberzone remains a memorable outing because it embraces its sleaziness while operating within a familiar retro-futuristic framework that any sci-fi fan can get behind.

As of this writing, you can stream Cyberzone for free on Tubi.

Days of Our Lives excites as Gwen Rizczech (Emily O’Brien) just dropped a nuclear bombshell on EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) this week. And worse yet, he found out about it from somebody else that he hates, Paulina Price (Jackée Harry). And so now, EJ is furious that Gwen is planning to buy Salem University Hospital.

She’s trying to snatch it out from under her former co-conspirator and it’s about to get messy. You got to love EJ’s outrage over Gwen sticking up for herself and sticking a knife in EJ’s back.

Gwen’s Revenge Plan Takes Shape on Days of Our Lives

So, Gwen has been wanting to get revenge on EJ ever since he reneged on their financial deal for the miracle serum resurrection serum. It was Gwen who funded the secret lab project to help EJ and he promised Gwen a 50/50 split and they were expecting big millions of dollars in future sales.

And if not for her, EJ probably couldn’t have funded Dr. Wilhelm Rolf’s (Richard Wharton) secret resurrection research. And then once Lexie Carver (Nikki Crawford) was successfully revived, that’s when EJ turned around and he did her really dirty. Not only did he tell Gwen that it would be quite some time before they made any cash on the serum.

That’s fine. But EJ said the percentage of the proceeds that she was going to get would be far less than Gwen expected. And of course, EJ was smug because he thinks Gwen has no recourse. She’s got no way to come back at EJ and force him to give her what he promised, at least not in a court of law.

Gwen’s Devious Plot on DOOL

But ever since EJ announced that he was stabbing her in the back, Gwen has been busy plotting. First, she went and talked to Xander Cook Kiriakis (Paul Telfer)  about going in with her and buying the hospital. But of course, money is tight over at Titan thanks to Tony DiMera Thaao Phenglis) and Gabi Hernandez (Cherie Jimenez) corporate sabotage. However, Gwen has got a big fat divorce settlement from Dimitri Von Leuschner (Peter Porte) and she seems to be planning to use it to stab EJ right in the back to get revenge for his betrayal. But Gwen also knows that going to war with EJ is very dangerous.

The Dead Man’s Switch on Days

So, this week, Gwen went to her former best friend, Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart), because Gwen knows that he has wanted to get the scoop of the century and expose EJ’s shady dealings that he knows are going on down in that lab. So Gwen told Leo he can have all the dirty details of what EJ has been up to, but the terms of Gwen’s deal are that Leo cannot write the story until Gwen is dead or missing.

And it turns out she gave all the information to a third party. All the dirt on EJ and Rolf’s sketchy science is in her lawyer’s hands. The whole story is in a sealed letter that she left with her attorney. And that letter will drop right into Leo Stark’s hands if Gwen dies or if she doesn’t contact her attorney every 10 days.

Days of our Lives: Leo’s Worried about Gwen

So, this dirt that Gwen promised to Leo is a much bigger deal than just Rolf and EJ resurrecting Lexi. And immediately Leo was concerned that Gwen might be in danger. And Leo told Gwen, “Oh, okay. What you did? You set up a dead man’s switch.” That’s the thing in action movies where the villain like has a hand grenade taped to their hand. You know something where you have to hold the switch constantly or occasionally push a button or something or else the bomb detonates like in a case of death or incapacitation. So, Leo was intrigued but also worried.

And the best part I thought was when Gwen made a big confession to Leo. Gwen finally admitted to Leo that although yes, she’s mad about what happened with him and Dimitri, she knows that Leo is still the truest friend that she’s ever had. Gwen knows she can trust Leo to follow through if something happens to her. And of course, he’s hoping that Gwen won’t die. However, there’s also the chance that Leo could double cross her and maybe prevent Gwen from contacting her lawyer for more than 10 days, which would trigger the dead man switch so Leo can get the letter detailing EJ’s dirty deeds and publish it.

EJ Gets the News

It was big fun, I thought, also to see Madame Mayor Paulina personally deliver the news to EJ that the state medical board voted to censure him. Paulina said that is one step closer to stripping EJ of his hospital ownership, but he mocked her and said they can’t do it because they need another buyer.

And when Paulina said they have an offer on the table, EJ assumed it was Xander. And then he was basically laughing at her because EJ knows that Xander can’t afford to buy it. Paulina was so pleased to tell EJ that no, it’s not Xander, it’s Gwen who made an offer to buy the hospital. And he knows she’s got the money to do it. She’s got all those Dimitri dollars.

And after letting Leo know about the dead man’s switch, you know, just in case something happened, Gwen marched over to tell EJ that she’s returning the knife he stabbed her in the back with, and she’s doing it blade first. And since Gwen knows he’s dangerous, she let EJ know if anything happens to her, he will be ruined. But we also know he’s not going to let Gwen get away with betraying him, even though EJ betrayed her first.

The War Escalates on Days of Our Lives

But now the ball is rolling on Days of Our Lives. I can see him trying to wreak havoc on Gwen, especially if she moves forward with buying the hospital. And it appears that she still wants to let Xander in on that deal because she called him after confronting EJ. And of course, you know, he was feeling smug until she did this. Because Gwen and EJ didn’t have any legally binding contract because they were doing something dodgy.

But that also means that the blade cuts both ways and Gwen can also do whatever she wants. She knows Caleb Brady will support her purchasing the hospital. Anything to get rid of EJ. So, we’ll have to wait and see if it happens. However, I don’t think it will because the summer promo shows that EJ is still in control of the hospital because he fires a very shocked Sarah Horton (Linsey Godfrey). So, something may happen to slow up or prevent the sale. But even so, Gwen’s not going to stop.

Big Negotiation Coming Up

We know that she and Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) get together with Leo and Dimitri for an intense negotiation in the next few weeks. Leo and Gwen are now rekindled as besties. And of course, Leo has had to accept that Javi Hernandez (Al Calderon) has moved on with firefighter Gus (Michael Ocampo). So, when Dimitri comes back to Salem their dynamic is different.

There’s a little potential there. And it looks like Rafe, Gwen, and Leo are trying to get Dimitri to conspire with them. And it’s probably against EJ because Rafe still wants to take him down. He’s working with the FBI, and the ISA. So, it looks like they need Dimitri for some reason. And Leo may offer himself as a bargaining chip because he tells Dimitri, “If you won’t make a deal with Rafe, maybe you’ll make one with me.”

So, yeah, whatever they’re asking, if Dimitri winds up getting Leo back, he might agree to it. So, even if EJ manages to hang on to the hospital and block Gwen from buying it, that doesn’t mean she lost the war. Just that battle. So, wait to see, but it is about to get really, really messy between EJ and Gwen. And I can’t wait.

Allie Hayes’ hair was one of the notable book-to-screen changes in Off Campus — and there’s a reason for that.

“Her skin tones factored into it because once you start changing those hair colors, the skin tones change,” series hairstylist Debra Wiebe told Elite Daily in an interview published Wednesday, June 3, referring to actress Mika Abdalla, who brings Allie to life onscreen. “We enhanced the color to make it a bit more golden. Her highlights had more of a golden blonde tint, where Stephen [Kalyn]’s was lighter and more pastel.”

Off Campus is adapted from Elle Kennedy’s bestselling hockey romance series of the same name, in which Dean Heyward-Di Laurentis and love interest Allie Hayes both have blonde locks. In the Prime Video adaptation, Dean and Allie are portrayed by Kalyn, 28, and Abdalla, 26, respectively. 

Much like his book counterpart, Kalyn’s Dean had a bleached ‘do. Abdalla, meanwhile, kept her naturally dark tresses for the role.

“Sometimes those conversations go on before I’m in the room. When producers are casting, they put the two actors beside each other and decide on the look,” Wiebe told the outlet. “Then, we all had a conversation of, ‘Can we lighten her hair just a bit?’”

For Wiebe, giving Abdalla blonde highlights helped nod to the literary inspiration and distinguish the character from her BFF Hannah Wells (Ella Bright).

Off Campus season 1 highlighted Hannah’s love story with Dean’s hockey teammate Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli). Abdalla and Kalyn will take the reins in the already renewed season 2, after fans got a peek at their journey at the end of the first season.

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“I’m just really looking forward to digging deeper into who Allie and Dean are,” Abdalla exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of last month’s premiere. “They both, kind of, have these fronts, these personas that are hard to kind of crack through. They are kind of stereotypes of themselves. But in the books, as we know, there’s so much beneath the surface of Dean, and there’s so much beneath the surface of Allie.”

She continued at the time, “When it is time for our season, I’m excited to dig emotionally into that a little bit more, because, you know, we see Allie and Dean as their exteriors a lot in season 1. While that is fun, and they are super fun characters to play, I think as actors, selfishly, both of us are really excited to, kind of, like, get psychological.”

Off Campus season 1 is currently streaming on Prime Video, while season 2 recently started production.

Social media users are mentioning Klay Thompson while droppin’ mixed reactions to Megan Thee Stallion‘s latest song snippet.

RELATED: There He Go! Klay Thompson Takes To Livestream Following His Split From Megan Thee Stallion (WATCH)

More On Megan Thee Stallion’s Latest Song Snippet

Earlier this week, Megan Thee Stallion took to Instagram to share a video clip with her more than 32.7 million followers. Furthermore, the clip featured background audio of a woman repeatedly singing, “That man ain’t s**t.” This, while Meg appeared to be on a yacht alongside other women, rocking a multi-colored swimsuit.

As the beat dropped, Meg began rapping about putting “wifey s**t” to “bed.”

Peep the clip and song snippet below.

Social Media Users Mentioning Klay Thompson While Droppin’ Mixed Reactions To Megan Thee Stallion’s Latest Song Snippet

Social media users slid in TSR’s comment section and began mentioning Klay Thompson while dropping mixed reactions to Megan Thee Stallion’s song snippet.

More On A Recent Verse Where The Rapper Seemingly Mentioned Klay Thompson

Before Megan Thee Stallion’s latest song snippet, she seemingly mentioned Klay Thompson on a recent song feature. As The Shade Room previously reported, Megan recently dropped a feature verse on the remix to Bossman Dlow’s ‘Motion Party.’ In her verse, she rapped about not looking through phones and noted that if she catches her man cheating, she’s dropping deuces, seemingly referencing her recent breakup with Thompson.

RELATED: Over It? Megan Thee Stallion Seemingly Addresses Klay Thompson Split In NEW Song As Fans Decode Lyrics (PHOTO)

UPDATE — 6/4/26, 1:22 p.m. ET: Tyler Baltierra is clarifying his comments about Amanda Conner and Catelynn Lowell.

“I was not comparing addiction to adoption. I was comparing society’s empathy, awareness & understanding towards addicts and birthmothers,” Baltierra, 34, wrote via his Instagram Story on Wednesday, June 3. “This was in no way to ‘shade’ Amanda AT ALL. I would never shame anyone in recovery. If you listen to the whole episode, I say it multiple times how I wish her & her family nothing but healing.”

According to the Teen Mom star, his comments were a “simple observation of societal/cultural differences when it comes to how we sympathize with addicts who are suffering vs how we sympathize with birthmothers who are suffering.”

“I’m the first one to know the affects [sic] of addiction & the struggles that come along with recovery,” he added. “I’m proud of [Amanda] for seeking help & I’m rooting for her.”

Original story below: 

Teen Mom’s Tyler Baltierra is openly wondering why fans seem to be sympathizing with Amanda Conner following her arrest for an alleged DUI, but not with his wife, Catelynn Lowell, amid the challenges of adoption.

“One thing that always shocks me though is that the comments are, ‘She’s struggling and this is part of addiction and relapse is part of recovery and she’s going through a hard time right now. Please get better,’” Baltierra, 34, shared on the May 27 episode of the “Cate & Ty Break It Down” podcast. “All of this sentimental, empathetic, sympathizing, which is great. I think we as a society have learned more about what that looks like and how it affects people. I’m glad that society is more sympathetic.”

News broke on May 24 that Conner was arrested and charged with child abuse/neglect for allegedly driving under the influence with a baby in the car. She also was charged for allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road.

Days later, Conner broke her silence on the arrest, confirming that she relapsed after three years of sobriety.

Related: Teen Mom’s Tyler Won’t Talk About Daughter Carly Despite Hearing ‘Lies’

Tyler Baltierra is standing firm in his and wife Catelynn Lowell’s vow not to speak about their daughter Carly following drama with her adoptive parents. “Listen, if I attempted to address every rumor, media misinformation or conspiracy theory about us, I would never be able to stop,” Tyler, 33, wrote via his Instagram Story on […]

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“I have let you all down and I’ve let my family down,” she said via TikTok on May 27. “Just saying that out loud, just letting it be known, it’s just so uncomfortable, it’s shameful, I’m disappointed, I feel guilty, scared. I’m not perfect.”

Conner’s bond was set for $16,000. Following her release, she was ordered not to contact the alleged child victim.

In his latest podcast episode with Lowell, 34, Baltierra couldn’t help but point out the different comments Conner received compared to the times his wife has opened up about her journey with adoption. (Baltierra and Lowell placed their daughter Carly for adoption when they were both 16. Carly is now 17 years old and has no contact with her birth parents, per Baltierra and Lowell.)

“It’s interesting that we’re talking about a woman in recovery who relapsed and during that relapse, put her child in danger and herself in danger,” Baltierra claimed. “She gets this amount of empathy and sympathy because she is struggling with this addiction problem. At the same time, my wife will make a post — who is sober, a great mom — about how hard it is that she can’t see the baby she relinquished out of desperation for her birthday. The comments of that vs. this always blows my mind.”

He continued, “It’s just a representation of how adoption is still in the shadows and mental health in general of adoption. How is it possible that a woman who endangered her children because she’s a drug addict gets more sympathy and empathy over a birth mother who relinquished out of desperation, talking about missing her on her birthday?”

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Related: Teen Mom’s Tyler Baltierra ‘Heartbroken’ After Photos of Carly Leak Online

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Teen Mom’s Tyler Baltierra is “beyond heartbroken” to see photos of daughter Carly being leaked online. “To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. It’s literally heartbreaking & sad that people are still continuing to share pictures & now videos of Carly,” Baltierra, 33, wrote via his Instagram Story on Saturday, April 5. “The same people […]

Although Conner has not publicly commented on her arrest, she admitted in a TikTok video that she is currently dealing with the “consequences’ of her actions.

“It’s not going to be polished, it’s going to be authentic, real and what happens in my life when you relapse and do stupid s***, there’s consequence,” she said. “We’re not going to give up, we’re going to fight and we’re going to get back on track. So with that said, we’re going to get ready to go meet the lawyer, so stay tuned.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Nearly a year ago, Netflix released a fantasy animation film that became a global phenomenon. Nobody expected that a movie involving K-pop and demon hunting would dominate the streaming platform to the point that it would lead to recognition in both the movie and music industries. Many months have passed since its release, and it still dominates the Top 10 charts.

Throughout Netflix’s history, many titles have broken many records for the streaming giant. For example, Wednesday Season 1 is still the most-streamed show, with over 1.7 billion viewing hours since its 2022 release. Or how all three seasons of Squid Game dominate Netflix’s Top Non-English shows of all time, with the first season generating over 2.2 billion watched hours alone. But there’s another Netflix exclusive that broke a massive milestone, a record that it holds alone.

KPop Demon Hunters, an animated fantasy musical by Sony Pictures Animation, holds the record for a 50-week streak on Netflix’s Top 10 English Movies. As of writing, it sits at #9, between Remarkably Bright Creatures and Guess Who, but has never left the Top 10 since its release on June 20, 2025. Additionally, Kpop Demon Hunters is the most-streamed movie of all time, with over 541 million viewed hours, just under Red Notice‘s 454 million watched hours.

How ‘Kpop Demon Hunters’ Became a Global Phenomenon

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Kpop Demon Hunters follows a 3-member Kpop idol group called Huntr/x, who are also demon hunters. Tired of his plans getting thwarted, the demon king, called Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun), agrees to follow Jinu’s (Ahn Hyo-seop) plan of creating a demon boyband to weaken the demon hunters. Since its release, K-pop Demon Hunters has gone viral on social media for its K-drama-inspired storyline and worldbuilding. Not to mention, the songs were catchy enough to generate millions of streams, with “Golden” the most-streamed at 1.7 billion.

Additionally, the Kpop Demon Hunters was highly praised, earning a 91% Certified Fresh Critics’ Score and a near-perfect 99% audiuence score on Rotten Tomatoes. Collider’s Jeff Ewing gave Kpop Demon Hunters an 8/10 in his review, praising the animation, musical performances, and voice acting, but thought some of the lore was underexplored due to narrative reasons.

Netflix has confirmed that a sequel to Kpop Demon Hunters has been greenlit and is scheduled to release sometime in 2029, following its streaming success and award-season wins. A plot has yet to be announced, but according to KDH’s director, Maggie Kang, one of the things she wants to address if the film were to continue is the unanswered questions the first movie left behind.

Kpop Demon Hunters is available to stream on Netflix. Follow Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

June 20, 2025

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Runtime

96 minutes

Director

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Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang

Writers

Hannah McMechan, Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang, Danya Jimenez

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Producers

Michelle Wong

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By Robert Scucci
| Published 4 seconds ago

There’s nothing I love more than a generic plot that lets you lean into and have fun with its characterization. I’m not even being facetious here. I think it’s a model that works for commercial filmmaking because, if we’re being real, we’re all just watching the same movies over and over again with different titles. There are expected genre conventions that allow filmmakers to bust out a quick storyboard, get some great talent involved, and let them chew the hell out of the scenery.

1989’s L.A. Bounty is just another “lone bounty hunter looking for revenge” flick, but it works because Sybil Danning is serious as a heart attack in the lead role, and then she has to face off with Wings Hauser, who seems to be having just a little too much fun acting like a murderous psychopath.

You know all the beats going into this one, but you’ll want to stick around because the exchanges that happen between those beats make the entire viewing experience worthwhile. And at the end of the day, aren’t we all just trying to be entertained?

Mayors, Mobsters, And Murder

L.A. Bounty kicks off with the kidnapping of Mike Rhodes (Robert Hanley), who’s running for mayor in the next election. A lone bounty hunter, Ruger (Sybil Danning), intervenes, allowing Mike’s wife, Kelly (Lenore Kasdorf), to escape traumatized but safe. We learn that Mike was kidnapped by psychotic drug kingpin Cavanaugh (Wings Hauser), who spends most of his time painting portraits of nude women and killing people on a whim when he’s not moving unthinkable amounts of drugs to his cohorts.

When Cavanaugh learns that Kelly is still a loose end, he sends his men to ambush her, but Ruger is already one step ahead of him, and she’s pissed. This isn’t Ruger’s first run-in with Cavanaugh, but she’s hoping it will be her last. Previously, Ruger worked as a narcotics officer trying to take down the kingpin, but she resigned from the force after he killed her partner in cold blood, giving her current protection job more personal stakes than Kelly would like to be involved with.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Chandler (Henry Darrow) works closely with Mayor Burrows (J. Christopher Sullivan), who wants to know who’s behind the kidnapping. Being this close to the election, the only thing he cares about is saving face, and he doesn’t want the public, or any of his constituents for that matter, to think he had anything to do with his rival’s kidnapping.

Sybil Is Serviceable, Hauser Is Next Level 

While L.A. Bounty didn’t boost Sybil Danning’s career like she thought it would, she’s doing everything she’s supposed to be doing here. Ruger is a woman of few words, but she knows how to hold her own in action scenes. She convincingly portrays a jaded bounty hunter with an axe to grind, while still bringing plenty of B-movie energy to the forefront. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but she was clearly hoping this flick would be her ticket to action-thriller franchise stardom, which is quite the reach if I’m being brutally honest. The film’s $2.2 million budget leaves it rough around the edges, and she performs well within those limitations, so credit where it’s due.

The real star of the show in L.A. Bounty is Wings Hauser as Cavanaugh. He’s so delightfully twisted that it borders on comical, but the contrast between his personality and Danning’s makes for some genuinely entertaining moments. Cavanaugh thinks he’s some brilliant artist, but we don’t see what he’s painting until well into the third act, which makes you want to rewind the whole thing and revisit every scene set in his lair. Early on, when he’s philosophizing and talking about his evil plans, you build up an image in your head of beautiful photorealistic portraiture or some insanely detailed abstract art. What you finally get to see recontextualizes everything that came before because he’s laughably terrible at art.

The final action sequences have their limitations, but there are a few great kills that make the juice worth the squeeze. One thing I admired, which I’ve been thinking a lot about lately, is how we need to bring back the warehouse showdown. Sometimes all you need to make a low-budget action movie really pop off is a few practical explosions, a floor littered with shell casings, and a badass bounty hunter rocking the Atomic Blonde haircut decades before Charlize Theron ever did.

As of this writing, you can stream L.A. Bounty for free on Tubi.

It’s that time of year again, when ‘Love Island’ viewers gather daily to tune in as singles search for love in the Fiji villa. Last Thursday, ‘Love Island USA’ officially revealed the official cast for Season 8. Viewers quickly began discussing the Islanders, sharing who they were shippin together and rooting for this year.  However, one Islander didn’t even get the chance to make her Season 8 debut after her time on the show was cut short. Now, she has returned to social media to address the backlash surrounding her exit.

RELATED: Yikes! Social Media Reacts After Huda Mustafa Loses Huda Beauty Partnership Over Livestream Controversy (PHOTOS)

‘Love Island USA’ Removes Vasana Montgomery Before Her Season 8 Debut After Videos Allegedly Showing Her Using The N-Word Resurface.

Shortly after the cast announcement, videos of one contestant began circulating online. By Saturday, May 30, it was revealed that Vasana Montgomery’s chance to find love in Fiji had been cut short. According to TMZ, the Season 8 contestant was removed from the show after footage resurfaced that allegedly showed her singing the n-word in a song lyric. TMZ reports that the clip was allegedly a private video that had not previously been shared publicly. To note, NBC News adds that a second video showing Montgomery using a racial slur also surfaced within the past week.

As previously reported, two contestants from ‘Love Island USA’ Season 7, Yulissa Escobar and Cierra Ortega, were also removed from the show after their past use of racial slurs resurfaced online.

Vasana Montgomery Addresses The Backlash Following Her Removal From ‘Love Island USA’

Following the controversy surrounding Vasana Montgomery’s removal from the cast, she officially took to Instagram to address the backlash. In a statement shared to her Instagram Story, Vasana apologized for using a racial slur in resurfaced videos from her teen years. She took responsibility for her actions and said she has grown since then.

She wrote, “I want to address a couple videos from my teen years that have recently resurfaced. In those videos, I used a racial slur. There is no excuse for it, and I am deeply sorry. I am embarrassed and disappointed by my words.

I take full responsibility for what I said and understand why it has hurt and upset people. Since then, I have grown a lot as a person and taken the time to educate myself, listen, learn, and better understand the impact that language can have. That growth does not erase my mistake, and I am not asking anyone to excuse it.

I believe people should be held accountable for their actions, but I also believe in growth, learning, and becoming better. To anyone I hurt or disappointed, I am truly sorry.”

Social Media Reacts

Folks quickly reacted to Vasana’s statement in the comments. Some felt her removal was too extreme. They argued that she had been singing a song during her teen years. Others argued the word shouldn’t have been used at all. Furthermore, they said young actions still have consequences.

Instagram user @ therissashoww wrote, “I’ve seen this exact statement 1,000 times before 😂😂😂”

Instagram user @madithag added, “they only sorry when they get caught 😂”

While Instagram user @prettygirlll__c wrote, “They caught her before she even got on the villa, that was quick lol”

Instagram user @kash.ari26 wrote, “At least she is taking accountability for what she did cause honey if it was anybody else they wouldn’t have did it”

Instagram user @breenoelle_  added, “Yall we gotta start giving some people grace especially when they say it while singing a song .. as a black women I really don’t take offense … we’ve said plently of things in our younger self that wasn’t right. Understand people change”

While Instagram user @rains.song wrote, “Do teenagers not know right from wrong like….”

Instagram user @lavishladies_202 wrote, “I understand she was a kid right but it is well known as a racial slur. You know it wasn’t right when you used it but now you want to educate yourself about a word you already knew you shouldn’t say. Everybody should get a second chance but stop the BS. You knew it will hurt people but you said it anyways”

Instagram user @luvv.444jas added, “sorry cuz you said it or sorry cuz it resurfaced ?”

While Instagram user @lovee_niqua wrote, “She gone keep saying it. We dgaf ! NEXT. They don’t be sorry, they be sorry they get caught.”

RELATED: Cierra Ortega Breaks Her Silence Following ‘Love Island USA’ Exit Over Resurfaced Racial Slur Posts (VIDEOS)

War video games are a dime a dozen nowadays. Let’s face it: first-person shooters are absolutely everywhere, many of them lazy and subpar. A lot of consumers like this content, though, because shooters allow them to experience some of history’s deadliest battles in an immersive experience. Other times, they just want to shoot aliens, but hey, that’s fine, too.

Over the years, a lot of games have centred on war, aiming to let players feel the futility of it, control the flow of battle, or place them in the midst of the chaos, which isn’t exclusive to any one particular genre of game, either. To be honest, though, war games would never be where they are today without these masterpieces. For this list, we’re focusing only on video games that are grounded in real or plausibly real conflicts — meaning no sci-fi or fantasy elements — otherwise we’d be here all day.

10

‘Age of Empires II’ (1999)

Image via Microsoft

Age of Empires II completely changed the real-time strategy genre and offered a wide variety of choices to the player. The game is meticulously detailed and intricate, allowing players to build their civilization from the ground up via the gathering of resources, which they can then use to amass an army and wage war on rival empires. Each faction is based on a real historical empire or civilization. There are 13 in total, from Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Viking, Celtic, Teutonic, and beyond.

The game also has a whopping 30 single-player campaigns, with over 200 individual levels, all centred around various empires and their conflicts, both real and fictional. It’s a history lover’s dream, and a fantastic foray into the world of real-time strategy. The game still has an active community, and continues to generate buzz due to how monumentally impactful it was, and still is.

9

‘Medal of Honor: Allied Assault’ (2002)

Image via Electronic Arts

Medal of Honor is a pioneering first-person shooter franchise that was actually directed by Steven Spielberg himself, following the success of his 1998 World War II film Saving Private Ryan. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault is the third mainline entry in the franchise, and the first to be released for Windows. In this shooter, players take control of Mike Powell, an operator with the OSS (a precursor to the CIA), as he dives deep behind Axis lines in the Second World War.

The original game sees Powell assist Allied operations in Norway, Algeria, and France, using a variety of weapons at his disposal. Two expansion packs also came out, which take players to the Battle of Berlin, the Battle of the Bulge, Tunisia, and Italy. The gameplay is pretty simplistic, but that’s what makes it so brilliant. There isn’t much to be said in the way of story here; it just excels in how fun it is, besides the fact that it’s an early FPS that completely changed the genre. It might not be as good as some of the other games on this list, but it definitely deserves a spot.

8

‘Company of Heroes’ (2006)

Image via THQ

Company of Heroes is a real-time strategy video game that is widely seen as one of the best in the entire genre. It is set during World War II, specifically during the D-Day landings in Normandy. Two expansion packs were also released for the game, both of which take place at other points on the Western Front in the final months of the war, from the Battle of Chambois to Operation Market Garden.

The campaigns aren’t the only area it excels in, though–the game still has an active multiplayer community, which is very popular in the RTS fandom. Perhaps it’s the way that sacrifice is depicted in this game, or maybe it’s the red and blue line, allowing players to actually see the front being pushed back in real time, but it feels really immersive and tactical, as strategy games should. It won countless awards and even received a (admittedly terrible) movie adaptation. It’s absolutely a masterpiece, not just in its genre, but in the medium as a whole.

7

‘Valiant Hearts: The Great War’ (2014)

Image via Ubisoft

Valiant Hearts: The Great War was released to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the onset of World War I. Only, this game isn’t a shooter or an RTS. It’s a charming side-scrolling adventure/puzzle game following various characters. The primary focus of the game is Emile, a French farmer whose son-in-law, Karl, is deported from France when the war begins due to Karl being born in Germany. Karl is forced to enlist in the war, so Emile volunteers for the French Army to find Karl.

While the game’s controls are simplistic, the collectibles serve as interesting tidbits of history with a surprising amount of accuracy. Its visuals are a little cartoony, but it’s still able to accurately depict how horrific the First World War really was. Throughout the game, players will have to storm the trenches, avoid chlorine gas attacks, and save wounded civilians all across the Western Front of the war. What really makes Valiant Hearts: The Great War worthwhile is its emotional narrative, which hits with a swift gut punch of an ending. It’s a narrative masterpiece in all regards, which has no problem making grown men cry.

6

‘Rome: Total War’ (2004)

Image via Activision

Rome: Total War is the third entry in the Total War series of real-time strategy games. It also happens to be the best one. Total War has seen a few lackluster entries, but early on, they were really knocking it out of the park. As the name implies, the game sees players take control of a Roman Legion through various points in history, from the time of the Roman Republic to the age of the Roman Empire. ‘

Players will fight real historical battles against a variety of foes. Expansion packs even let players go up against Alexander the Great himself. Rome: Total War is another game that won a lot of awards, and rightfully so; it’s how a real-time strategy game should be, made even better by the fact that it puts the player in control of the famous Roman Legion, one of the most disciplined and tactical military forces of the Ancient World. It is one of the greatest war video games ever made, and one of the best RTS games, too.

5

‘Call of Duty: Black Ops’ (2010)

Image via Treyarch

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A lot of the early Call of Duty games could be considered masterpieces, but in terms of sheer narrative and technicality, the best has to go to Call of Duty: Black Ops. It’s one of the most complex stories the franchise has woven, with a huge and iconic plot twist that many still remember and reference to this day. It is set during the Cold War, following CIA operatives as they try to take down Soviet operatives during the 1960s. However, it also has levels set during the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Vietnam War, which defined the era.

It’s Call of Duty, so of course the gameplay is pretty basic: run around and shoot things, and the same is true for the multiplayer. However, the cinematic scale of the campaign is pretty awesome, whether it’s running across the rooftops of Kowloon Walled City, base jumping off the Ural Mountains, or escaping Soviet gulags. Most importantly, it expertly captures the deep-seated paranoia that was rampant during the peak of the Cold War, and the espionage that was constantly going on between the global superpowers. President John F. Kennedy even makes an appearance in this game. It’s the best Call of Duty game by far, and definitely earns a spot on this list.

4

‘Spec Ops: The Line’ (2012)

Image via Darkside Game Studios

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When the trailers for Spec Ops: The Line first came out, everyone kind of assumed it would be another bland third-person shooter with very little substance; they couldn’t have been any more wrong. Set during the ongoing Middle East Crisis, the entire game is set in Dubai, which has been mostly abandoned after being hit with a catastrophic series of sandstorms. American military commander John Konrad, returning from Afghanistan, volunteers his force to help with relief efforts, but his PTSD only makes things worse. He declares martial law in Dubai and begins committing horrific crimes against the survivors still trapped in the city, turning the place into a war zone. Sent in to stop Konrad is Delta Force operator Martin Walker and his team.

The game is actually based on the classic book Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (note the name similarity), which also served as the basis for the film Apocalypse Now. Thus, it has a distinct and clear anti-war message. As the game progresses, Martin begins experiencing telltale symptoms of PTSD and is forced to make horrifying choices. The white phosphorus scene in this game became infamous for its brutality, forcing players to confront their morality. Gradually, the game’s hints devolve from run-of-the-mill tooltips to messages like “Do you feel like a hero yet?” It pulls no punches, and though it’s based on a fake event, the backdrop is a very real crisis, and its anti-war subtext clearly places it into the war genre.

3

‘Battlefield 1’ (2016)

Image via EA

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Battlefield 1 is set during the First World War, and is pretty near perfect on all levels. Like the rest of the games in the franchise, players can take on a ground infantry role, but can also drive land vehicles, fly planes, and sail in warships in massive multiplayer matches of dozens of players. The cinematic scale of this game is absolutely unreal, with maps ranging from the Western Front to the Middle-Eastern Theatre of the war, and even including a DLC set during the Russian Revolution.

The campaign does a pretty good job, too, following five distinct individuals from five different parts of the war. Here, players will drive a tank through the muck of the Hundred Days Offensive, scale the slopes of Monte Grappa, storm the beaches of Gallipoli, and ride with Lawrence of Arabia as he ambushes the Ottoman forces. Everything about this game is so intoxicating because it’s fun, unique, and visually stunning. There are very few players who don’t stop to watch a flaming zeppelin come crashing down in the middle of a match. Battlefield 1 is everything that a first-person shooter should be, and should aspire to replicate. It’s also the only shooter of its kind set in the First World War.

2

‘Ghost of Tsushima’ (2020)

Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment

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Ghost of Tsushima is an action role-playing game set during the First Mongol Invasion of Japan in 1274. Players take on the role of Jin Sakai, a samurai who is on the front line of the Mongol landing on the Northern Japanese island of Tsushima. The sole survivor of a great battle, Jin must abandon his honor and his samurai code to retaliate against the Mongols, often striking from the shadows during the night.

While it isn’t a typical genre for a war game, the fact that a war is the main backdrop of the story, and that it’s so prevalent, definitely makes it qualify for this list. The open world is huge, gorgeous, and there are plenty of side quests and activities to keep players entertained. Better yet, nothing fantastical happens in the story. Yes, some characters are made up, and some historical details are exaggerated, but the content otherwise remains firmly grounded in reality. It is one of the best open-world games to come out in recent years, with people still praising it to this day. That movie adaptation can’t come soon enough.

1

‘This War of Mine’ (2014)

Image via 11 bit studios

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This War of Mine is by far the single most depressing video game of all time. In this side-scrolling survival story, you’re not an elite soldier on the front lines, and you’re not an officer commanding their troops; you’re an ordinary civilian, struggling to survive in a besieged city. Though the setting is fictional, it’s based on the Bosnian War and the Siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s. The final cut of this game is by far the best version. There’s the typical survival mode, but there are also three story episodes to… well, perhaps “enjoy” isn’t quite the best word.

The game is based on survivors’ testimonies, so it really bears some impressive emotional weight. Sometimes, players are left with no choice but to do objectively awful things — it’s hard to help the starving child that comes to your door when you don’t have any food yourself. This game definitely makes players feel the desperation, to the point that they may need to make some really terrible choices, such as stealing from an elderly couple just to get some medicine to heal your dying ally. As good as this game is, it’s absolutely devastating with its anti-war message, but it’s arguably what makes it the best war video game masterpiece of all time.