Off Campus star Mika Abdalla and ex-fiancé Jake Short are speaking out exclusively to Us Weekly regarding a controversial resurfaced podcast clip that’s been making waves online following their split.

“We’ve seen a conversation around clips of us together when we were in a relationship, and people making harmful and inaccurate assumptions about our dynamic,” read the joint statement from Abdalla, 26, and Short, 29, about the resurfaced conversation from a 2024 episode of “The Sit and Chat” podcast. (In the video, Short made a joke in reference to Abdalla that some social media users have since dubbed controversial online.)

The former couple noted to Us that they “were in a loving, respectful relationship for five years” and “it’s hurtful to see playful moments dissected in a way that does not reflect the respect and love we had and still have for each other.”

The exes put on a united front just days after Us broke the news of their split after five years together. In a statement to Us, a rep for Abdalla said, “Because of the immense curiosity about Mika’s personal life and in light of numerous erroneous reports, I can clarify that Mika and Jake are no longer in a relationship.”

Related: ‘Off Campus’ Cast: Who the Prime Video Stars Have Dated in Real Life

The Off Campus cast has, similar to their fictional counterparts, have found success in their personal dating lives. Based on the Off Campus book series by Elle Kennedy, the show, which premiered in May 2026, follows an elite ice hockey team — and the women in their lives — as they “grapple with love, heartbreak […]

The spokesperson noted that Abdalla and Short continue “to support each other as friends,” adding, “I’d ask that Mika’s and Jake’s privacy be respected at this time.”

The former couple started dating after they met on the set of Sex Appeal in 2021, even getting engaged before parting ways. Abdalla,
has since been focused on her career following her breakout role on Prime Video’s Off Campus.

Based on the Off Campus book series by Elle Kennedy, the show, which premiered in May, follows an elite ice hockey team — and the women in their lives — as they “grapple with love, heartbreak and self-discovery — forging deep friendships and enduring bonds while navigating the complexities that come with transitioning into adulthood,” read the official synopsis.

Season 1 is centered around the “sexy and fun ‘opposites attract’ romance between quiet songwriter, Hannah and Briar University’s all-star hockey athlete, Garrett.”

Ella Bright and Belmont Cameli led the first season, with Allie and Dean (Stephen Kalyn) being next in line. Before production kicked off on season 2, Abdalla spoke to Us about the support for the show.

“Since the cast was announced, I feel like there’s been theories circulating online, and it’s been really interesting to read it,” she shared about the book to TV show changes. “I for sure think people are going to be at least surprised.”

Abdalla specifically addressed the surprise introduction of Hunter Davenport (Charlie Evans) — despite him not being linked to Allie in Kennedy’s version of the story.

“It was really important to have that scene to slow down what was happening between Allie and Dean. I want to see them kind of go. I want to see them really separate,” Abdalla hinted. “Allie just got out of a long-term relationship. She can’t do what she always does. … I really like the edition of the Hunter story line drama. They need to grow as individuals. And so I really want to see Ali and Dean grow separately in season 2.”

The actress was thrilled to see what would come next for Allie and Dean.

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Abdalla expressed excitement at the chance to explore more of the fictional couple’s relationship.

“I’m just really looking forward to digging deeper into who Allie and Dean are. They both kind of have these fronts, these personas that are hard to kind of crack through. They are kind of stereotypes of themselves, if that makes sense,” she told Us. “But in the books, there’s so much beneath the surface of Dean and there’s so much beneath the surface of Allie.”

Abdalla continued: “When it is time for our season, I’m excited to dig emotionally into that a little bit more. [We] see Allie and Dean as their exteriors a lot in season 1. And while that is fun, and they are super fun characters to play, I think as actors, selfishly, both of us are really excited to like, get psychological.”

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 12 seconds ago

For the most part, I’m a big fan of the Russo Brothers. Some of their non-Marvel work has been pretty lackluster (like The Gray Man and The Electric State), but they still deserve kudos for bringing us superhero cinema like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Before that, they also directed some of the best episodes of Community, arguably the greatest sitcom ever made. So, for all my misgivings about modern Marvel, I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard they’d be directing Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. If anybody could breathe life back into this franchise, it’s going to be the guys behind the last two MCU projects anyone cared about.

However, my respect for these guys really went down a few notches when they made a recent appearance at SXSW London. The two were hosting a headline session called “Building Artistic Universes Without Borders,” and it didn’t take them long to start talking about their upcoming Marvel movie. At this point, Joe Russo made a startling statement: “We are back to phase zero. This is starting over from scratch. We want to make sure everybody feels like this isn’t leaning on anything from the past.” With respect to this acclaimed creator, this quote makes me want to ask a simple question of the Russos: just how stupid do you think fans really are?

You And The Cap’n Make It Happen

Obviously, the Russos aren’t going to spill too many beans about the upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday. Anthony Russo admitted that he and his bro were “exhausted” after Avengers: Endgame came out because there was a seven-year push to get that film off the ground. They were eager to move on and do new things, but writer Stephen McFeely gave them an unspecified “creative idea that reignited [the project], and I can’t talk about that creative idea, because it’s the basis for Doomsday, but that [idea] all of a sudden broke the skies open for us, and we saw all new kinds of possibilities with that idea.”

That’s when Joe Russo chimed in about Doomsday being a way to go “back to phase zero” and “[start] over from scratch. We want to make sure everybody feels like this isn’t leaning on anything from the past.” When he said this, it felt a bit like I was having a stroke. While we won’t know what McFeely’s cool idea is until Doomsday hits theaters this December, it’s clear that the Russos’ upcoming MCU film is leaning on things from the past in every possible way. For example, the movie is bringing back Chris Evans’ Captain America in a shameless attempt to put butts in seats.

He’s Gonna Take You Back To The Past

Robert Downey Jr. is returning, too, but instead of playing Iron Man, he will inexplicably be playing Doctor Doom. His return is even more shameless, and this is the second time Marvel Studios had to deliver dump trucks of cash to get Downey back after his contract ran out. Ironically, we were going to have a fresher villain in the form of Jonathan Majors’ Kang, but Marvel needed to replace Majors after he was convicted of assault and harassment. Downey may very well dazzle in this role, but it’s wild to hear the Russos say they aren’t “leaning on anything from the past” while bringing back the man who kickstarted the MCU in 2008. 

That also extends to the growing army of cameos in Avengers: Doomsday. So far, we know that we’ll see heavy-hitting MCU legacy actors like Chris Hemsworth, Sebastian Stan, and Tom Hiddleston. We’ll also be getting Thunderbolts actors like Wyatt Russell and David Harbour, some standalone heroes we haven’t seen in a hot minute (like Simu Liu and Letitia Wright), and all of the Fantastic Four actors (including Pedro Pascal). Perhaps most excitingly, we’ll see the return of classic X-Men actors like Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Hugh Jackman. 

Making The Fans See Red

Believe it or not, that’s just a tiny fraction of the returning Marvel actors that we know about. Obviously, the prospect of seeing so many heroes onscreen is exciting; it’s the cinematic equivalent of just dumping out the entire toy box and having madcap crossover adventures. But by definition, jamming as many returning MCU characters into a film as humanly possible is the opposite of “starting over from scratch,” a statement made by one of Marvel’s most successful directors as he gets back on the horse for one last ride into a superhero sunset.

Ironically, this empty attempt to market Avengers: Doomsday to the masses has made me more anxious about the film than ever before. If the Russos have something to say, they can just say it instead of making vagueposting statements that sound like lazy AI slop. Furthermore, they can promote their blockbuster film without outright lying to us and saying that a film built on endless legacy character cameos and made by returning Marvel directors “isn’t leaning on anything from the past.” Clearly, these guys think their fans are idiots, which leaves us with a depressing question: if this is how dumb they think the audience is, just how incredibly stupid will the movie actually be?

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 13 seconds ago

You know how Jabba the Hutt periodically punishes people by throwing them into the Sarlacc Pit? This method of execution is evidence of just how sadistic this crime lord really is. He doesn’t want to give anyone a quick death via blaster or via those cool Gamorrean axes. No, he wants those he punishes to languish in isolation, fear, and general misery, all of which makes every moment until death that much more excruciatingly painful. Well, I’ve never been executed by Jabba the Hutt, but I do have a lot of experience hanging out in a place defined by isolation, fear, and misery: it’s X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Most of my time on X is hellish for all the reasons you’d expect: monetized rage dominates your feed, while boring bluechecks pay each month to ensure we all have to see their room-temperature-IQ tweets. Every now and then, though, you find something on X that makes all the suffering worth it. For example, I learned the other day that the worst Star Wars movie almost became a black comedy because George Lucas wanted a Phantom Menace podracer’s entire family to get a dramatic introduction, just to make it weirder when he blows up! 

George Lucas Is Crazier Than You Ever Imagined

When The Phantom Menace came out, some old-school Star Wars fans were annoyed by a gentle retcon to the lore. In A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi insists that Anakin Skywalker was already an amazing pilot when they first met. But in TPM, we see that the closest thing to a starfighter that Anakin has piloted thus far is a podracer. Later, he finally does fly a starship, but it’s tough to see him as a great pilot in these scenes because the movie goes out of its way to confirm that Anakin is mostly just barking orders at R2-D2 and mashing random buttons like your little brother trying to play Street Fighter II.

However, in fairness to Star Wars creator and Phantom Menace director George Lucas, the podracing scenes were probably the second coolest thing about this first prequel (first place obviously goes to the big lightsaber duel at the end). Anakin seems that much more impressive once you see how dangerous podracing is; after all, we see one podracer, Ratts Tyerell, die a fiery death after he accidentally crashes into a wall. In the final cut of the film, this death isn’t played for laughs. But in a downright demented deleted scene, Lucas had his entire family watch him die after the announcer wished them luck!

Dying While Your Whole Family Watches

Okay, let’s be real: when I say that Ratts Tyerell’s family watched him die, what are you envisioning? Some doting parents, maybe a single, supporting family? No, my friend, it’s so much worse. His wife is there, his two older kids, and even his newborn baby! How do we know it’s a newborn? The weird, two-headed announcer specifies that she came straight from the hospital to watch her husband race. She and the kids look at Ratts with mixed hope and worry as he speeds off to what would ultimately be his final podrace. This makes his death darkly amusing while making Ratts one of the best Glup Sh*ttos in Star Wars history.

In case you don’t know, “Glup Sh*tto” is a term for obscure characters that only hardcore Star Wars fans care about. These characters usually have tons of bizarre lore, and Ratts Tyerell is no exception: in the books, we find out that his son, Deland Tyerell, was so traumatized by his father’s death that he created the Ratts Tyerell Foundation. This organization’s sole purpose was to expose how dangerous and often illegal podracing was. His efforts were successful, and podracing was ultimately banned from the Core Worlds. This likely increased galactic interest in starship racing, which would have benefited Han Solo: canonically, he became a successful starship racer after Return of the Jedi.

An Explosive Star Wars Death

Weirdly enough, the creation of Ratts Tyerell and the decision to have his whole family (including three kids!) watch him die has made me respect George Lucas even more. In the middle of writing an epic trilogy that would straddle two millennia and change sci-fi forever, he still found the time to give a meaningless character the darkest, funniest death in the entire franchise. You know that weird noise Ratts makes right before he dies, the one you can’t stop laughing at? That was the earnest, painful cry of a man who would never even get to cradle his newborn child in his arms. Not so funny now, is it, you monster?!

(Psst. Just kidding. Ratts Tyerell dying while his whole family watches is funny as hell and should have been in the final film!)

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 15 seconds ago

There are few alien creatures in Star Wars that fans hate more than the Ewoks. Some despise these little dudes because such happy-go-lucky care bears seem out of place in Return of the Jedi, the climactic final act of a very serious film trilogy. Others look down on Ewoks because they represent George Lucas’ pretty blatant shift from storyteller to toy salesman. Some of the more hardcore fans, meanwhile, resent the Ewoks because they took the place of fearsome Wookies that were written into previous versions of the script.

Admittedly, the Ewoks are annoying in Return of the Jedi: they’re just so cute and so weirdly stupid that it’s mind-boggling to think they could, Viet Cong style, overcome the best of the Empire’s highly-trained, highly-armed Stormtroopers. However, outside of that movie, the Ewoks can be pretty funny, especially when they engage in very weird, very public displays of horniness. Don’t believe it? Then it’s time to travel back to a long, long time ago, to a special Halloween episode of the Today Show in which a drunken Ewok kept humping Al Roker’s leg on live television!

Meet The Galaxy’s Horniest Ewok

If you don’t usually watch the Today Show, I don’t blame you. Most of the time, the show is all about vapid people exchanging empty smiles while they discuss even emptier topics, all to avoid offending their target demographic: elderly people who have become one with the couch. Every now and then, though, this aging talk show delivers us a moment of off-kilter brilliance. That’s exactly what happened in 2009, when the Today Show aired a Halloween special that was all about Star Wars. We get to see Al Roker dressed as Han Solo, which would honestly be reason enough to watch this surreal clip from a bygone era. 

This whole segment was lighthearted, which is likely why producers included a couple of Ewoks. The Ewoks were hilariously out of character, acting a bit more like Gremlins as the hosts demonstrated how to get the decorations and wine just right for a Halloween party. Things get even weirder when one of the Ewoks approaches a host, only to be told, “down, boy, down! Down. Sit, sit! Good dog.” While you are still reeling from the weird space racism, something wild happens: the chastised Ewok tries to run away with a martini while the other one apparently starts groping one of the hosts. “What’s he doing behind me?” she cries, before noting “they’re awfully frisky.”

When He Can’t Stop Establishing Dominance

Believe it or not, all of that weirdness was just an appetizer leading to the main course. The brown Ewok who had been seemingly grabbing butts earlier starts demonstrating his moonwalking skills to a delighted Al Roker. When Roker points out his moves, the Ewok one-ups things by doing the freaking stanky leg. He continues dancing as he shuffles towards the man and, without warning, starts dry-humping Roker’s leg! After the critter backs off, a chuckling Roker can only say, “I feel so dirty.”

Insanely enough, the brown Ewok wasn’t done making everything as perverted as possible. He gets down on the floor and begins doing push-ups. When a guest points out the creature’s calisthenics, he stops doing push-ups and starts passionately humping the straw-covered floor. This is the final “straw” for Roker, who jokes that his guests from Better Homes and Gardens must be excited to witness all this before he cuts to a commercial.

Honestly, this is probably my favorite Star Wars media of the last 20 years. Everything just gets stranger as the clip goes on, and it’s amazing to see the Ewoks as we’ve never seen them before: drunk, handsy, and obscenely horny. It’s very obvious that Al Roker was expecting none of this, and it’s hard to stop laughing while he gets molested by the most hated alien in all of Star Wars, all on live television. However, I can’t help but question the Today Show hosts’ knowledge of this galaxy far, far away. Roker shouldn’t have been so impressed by moonwalking. After all, on the forest moon of Endor, all walking is moonwalking!

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is seeing the funny side after an influencer was left scratching her head over the star’s latest product endorsement.

Taking to TikTok on Tuesday, June 2, influencer Katy Napier (@happyyellowco) shared a video of herself coming across the Jumanji actor’s personal care brand Papatui.

In the footage, which subsequently went viral with more than five million likes, Napier showed the products as well as an ad of Johnson, 54, which featured his bald head.

“Don’t give up on your dreams,” Napier said in the clip. “The Rock is selling shampoo and conditioner, and he’s bald.”

Related: Dwayne Johnson Unveils His Skincare Brand Papatui: ‘I’m Hyped’

Kayla Oaddams/WireImage Dwayne Johnson is breaking into beauty. Johnson, 51, announced his new men’s grooming line, Papatui, via an Instagram video shared on Wednesday, March 7. “I am so excited … I’m hyped to finally be able to share this really amazing news with you guys after years in development and years of testing this […]

Text overlaying the video doubled down on the sentiment. It read, “Go for it.”

Two days later, Johnson humorously clapped back with a video response posted via his social media accounts.

Johnson stitched Napier’s video with a clip of himself wearing his long locks in character as Maui for the live-action Moana movie.

“Ok this made me belly laugh.. HARD 😂😂😂 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 🤜🏾🤛🏻,” Johnson captioned the post. “And hey, sometimes a Demigod’s radiant and ravishing hair needs shampoo/conditioner 😜🪝 You’re Welcooooome 🎶Love ~ Maui 🪝”

Proving there are no hard feelings, Johnson added, “Ps ~ I got a little gift coming your way, @happyyellowco 😉🥂.”

@happyyellowco

Dream big. #therock #dwaynejohnson #bald #shampoo #dreambig

♬ original sound – Happyyellowco

It’s not the first time Johnson’s Papatui brand has raised eyebrows with shoppers.

When the brand launched in March 2024, some people made similar jokes about buying shampoo and conditioner promoted by a bald man.

“Boy, this man has no business in the shampoo department,” one puzzled TikTok user joked at the time, while another quipped, “I’m not gonna buy shampoo from a hairless man!”

Related: Happy Birthday, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson! His Biggest Moments

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has laid the smackdown on the WWE and Hollywood for nearly 30 years. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Enter your email Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly Deal of […]

Speaking to GQ, Johnson revealed that he decided to launch the personal care brand after years of being asked about his skincare routine.

“The interaction is always the same when it comes to [asking about my skin routine],” Johnson told the outlet at the time. “They start looking around like, ‘Hey, can I ask you: What do you do?’ I wanted to get guys in the space of being comfortable owning our skin care and our self-care because we like to think — we try our best, by the way — to own all these other areas.”

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He added, “I’m certainly no expert, but I’ve been lucky enough to have access to some of the best.”

The former WWE wrestler has also never been one to shy away from joking about his lack of hair.

In April 2017, Johnson joked via X, “I’m not bald because I went bald. I’m bald because my hair is a cross between an afro and hair from a Lama’s ball sac.”

It’s a wonderful time to be a horror movie fan. Last weekend at the box office, despite it only being the second theatrical weekend for Pedro Pascal‘s The Mandalorian and Grogu, the latest Star Wars movie was beaten by two fresh new horror stories, both from the minds of YouTube stars. In second place on the domestic charts with a $27 million haul was Curry Barker‘s viral domestic horror Obsession, which boasts a breakout performance from Inde Navarrette.

In first place with an opening weekend return that broke several records was A24’s Backrooms, led by Renate Reinsve and Chiwetel Ejiofor, which has catapulted the name Kane Parsons into superstardom. Now the youngest director to hold the #1 spot at the North American box office, it’s clear that horror films have perhaps never been more popular. This isn’t only true for fresh ideas, as the horror phenomenon of today is helping propel some of the genre’s classics into the streaming charts, including a film that broke an impressive record itself.

The film in question is The Silence of the Lambs, Jonathan Demme’s adaptation of Thomas Harris’ novel that holds a huge Academy record. 35 years since it first debuted, The Silence of the Lambs is still the only horror movie to ever win the Best Picture prize. It is also one of only three movies in the history of the Oscars to sweep the “Big Five” categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Featuring genre-defining performances from Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs is a must-watch for any fan of the genre. Right now, the movie is one of the ten most-streamed on Tubi in the U.S.

‘The Silence of the Lambs’ Was Also a Major Box Office Hit

Similar to the projected success of Backrooms, The Silence of the Lambs was a major horror hit at the box office. Against a reported budget of just $20 million, the film earned an eye-watering $275 million worldwide, split between a domestic haul of $130 million and a further $145 million from overseas markets. The movie opened at #1 in the U.S. in early 1991, lasting a month at the top spot until the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.

The Silence of the Lambs is one of the most-watched movies on Tubi. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming stories.

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Release Date

February 14, 1991

Runtime

119 minutes

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Director

Jonathan Demme

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Writers

Ted Tally, Thomas Harris

Producers

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Edward Saxon, Kenneth Utt

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Kim Zolciak’s estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, allegedly dated a model who appears to have been in close proximity with the couple’s children.

According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Thursday, June 4, Biermann, 40, invited the woman on a family trip to Florida earlier this year.

“Over Spring Break 2026, [redacted] was invited to Panama City Beach with KJ. His dad planned to take his children, plus Kroy and I discussed, via text, the sleeping arrangement and additional logistics of the trip,” a letter written from the mother of a girlfriend of one of Zolciak, 48, and Biermann’s sons claimed. “I did not find out until after the trip that Kroy’s girlfriend also went. This is a concern due to the apparent poor influence of his girlfriend. Although many of her sexual content has been removed from the internet recently, I did see the photos before their removal. This woman is not someone who should be around teenage kids or giving any advice on their behavior.”

In the letter, which was first reported by TMZ, the unidentified individual wrote, “My daughter knows that she is not allowed to be around the girlfriend for extended time. I would assume Kroy would feel the same way about me taking one of his children on a trip with my family, if I had an OnlyFans male model as my guest.”

Us Weekly has reached out to Biermann’s attorney for comment. It’s unclear if Biermann has engaged in any relationships with individuals associated with OnlyFans or if this was a generic example provided.

The author of the letter also expressed why she wanted to write something to the court-appointed guardian who makes custody recommendations in Zolciak and Biermann’s divorce.

“The purpose of this letter is not to support the Biermann children being removed from the care of either parent,” the letter stated. “It is my hope that these children are able to have both parents as a part of their life, if possible.”

Zolciak and Biermann — who share KJ, 15, Kash, 13, and twins Kaia and Kane, 12 — have been entangled in a public legal battle ever since they filed for divorce in May 2023. Although the pair briefly reconciled a few months later, the divorce was back on by August 2023.

In March, Biermann requested sole custody of their minor children after the pair had previously agreed to a joint custody arrangement, according to court docs.

A judge approved a temporary parenting plan where the kids would remain in Biermann’s physical custody.

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Related: Kim Zolciak Claims Ex Kroy Biermann Lied About Her Neglecting Kids: Report

Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Kim Zolciak is reportedly fighting her ex, Kroy Biermann, over his claims that she neglected their children. According to a report published by TMZ on Friday, May 22,  Zolciak — who temporarily had her custody suspended three weeks ago — filed court docs claiming that the decision was made without […]

In her latest court documents, Zolciak — who is also the mom of daughters Brielle Biermann, 29, and Ariana Biermann, 24, whom Kroy legally adopted in 2013 — claims her estranged husband has been engaged in sexual relationships “with multiple women in recent months,” including with a female who has stayed at his residence and on vacation with children allegedly present.

Zolciak claimed in court documents that her children reported on multiple occasions “not seeing [Kroy] for hours on end, but hearing him engage in sexual acts with his girlfriend of the moment.”

Kroy testified that the woman was merely a “friend,” per court documents.

Trying to find fast-paced movies will often turn up movies that are a little more recent, in the overall scheme of things. Not every film, but the average film nowadays is going to be a little snappier and faster overall than, say, the average movie 60 years ago. You can have a preference, and it’s not like one approach is better than the other… more just the difference is there, and that’s that. It has been acknowledged.

Now, with older movies, there are some that are fast-paced. The ones below are all at least 60 years old, at the time of writing, and stand out nowadays for just how well-paced they are. The newest film here came out in 1966, the oldest is from 1931, they’re from various genres, and yet they’re all united by how well they hold up in terms of pacing, and how surprisingly easy they are to watch, even if you’re more used to how modern-day films move.

10

‘Rope’ (1948)

Image via Warner Bros.

There’s a gimmick at the center of Rope, but it’s a great gimmick, and also one that’s more than sound enough to sustain the film for the entirety of its runtime. Said runtime certainly isn’t long, but even then, Rope passes by quicker than you’d expect, as its 81 minutes pass by almost in real-time, with the premise involving two young men who try to get away with what they believe is the perfect murder.

The murder happens right at the start, then they hide the body, and then they host a party for people who know their murder victim, challenging themselves as to whether they can keep that dead body hidden the whole time. It was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and he finds every opportunity he can to make the whole thing exceptionally suspenseful, with the long takes that make up Rope (it’s pretty much nothing but long takes, with less than a dozen cuts in the whole film) also ensuring it stays engaging and highly thrilling throughout.

9

‘Some Like It Hot’ (1959)

Image via United Artists

It’s tempting to get hyperbolic whenever it comes to talking about Some Like It Hot, with it being probably the best Marilyn Monroe movie, and also potentially being the funniest film Billy Wilder ever directed. When it comes to whether it’s Wilder’s best movie, that’s a little harder to determine, since he was also very capable of putting out great dramas, and then you’ve also got oddities like Sunset Boulevard, which successfully rides the line between comedy and drama.

With Some Like It Hot, though, the focus is pretty much entirely on delivering laughs, with the whole thing being remarkably farcical and just non-stop with all the jokes it’s willing to throw at you. In lesser – but still fairly capable – hands, Some Like It Hot would merely feel like a comedy that was good for its time, but today, it can very much still be viewed/enjoyed as a flat-out great comedy.

8

‘Seven Samurai’ (1954)

Image via Toho

Hyperbole is also hard to avoid when talking about Seven Samurai, which was one of the first truly great action movies done on an epic scale, and still remains one of the best to this day. It’s got a very straightforward story about assembling a team to take on a looming threat, preparing for an eventual battle, and then showcasing that battle as it plays out across much of the final act.

The whole thing is neatly divided into three compelling acts, with all the action holding up, and all the dramatic beats still being, you know, successfully dramatic and all. It’s all effortlessly done, and though Seven Samurai is long, it flies by without ever feeling boring, being worth highlighting pacing-wise because of just how long it keeps things moving for.

7

‘Casablanca’ (1942)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Casablanca has one of the very best screenplays ever written, with the quality of that writing ensuring everything moves at a great clip, with the dialogue being immense and the number of memorable characters proving surprisingly high. The two main players, though, are ex-lovers who get reunited quite suddenly during World War II, but their lives have both changed quite a lot, and one of them has a challenging moral decision to make about his future.

And among all that romantic melodrama, Casablanca is also quite exciting as a World War II movie made while said war was being fought, and having a decent amount of genuinely good (and not distracting) humor, too. That it all builds to one of the best endings in movie history is, strangely enough, icing on the cake, because Casablanca could’ve completely tripped over itself in its final 10 minutes, and it would still be worth watching for the breathless and timelessly engaging 90-ish minutes that came before.

6

‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962)

Image via Columbia Pictures

Like Seven Samurai, Lawrence of Arabia is an exceptionally long movie, but the hours do indeed pass by faster than you might expect. It’s a monumental film about T.E. Lawrence and what he did during the First World War, which ends up being a lot, even if most of the events of the movie only take place over about a year or so, which isn’t exactly long by the standards of the epic genre.

You don’t need to convey a person’s entire life, though, to make a character study on such a scale work. Lawrence of Arabia does paint a compelling portrait of its central character, and then also succeeds at providing a ton of spectacle to go alongside it. If you only ever watch a single epic movie that was made more than 60 years ago… well, you could make it Lawrence of Arabia. Or Seven Samurai. Hopefully, you can watch two or more, because missing out on one would be a shame.

5

‘M’ (1931)

Image via Vereinigte Star-Film GmbH

One of the earliest “hunt for a serial killer” movies, much in the same way the previously-mentioned Seven Samurai helped codify/define action movies, M is easy to get wrapped up in while also appreciating how influential it ultimately was for the genre it belongs to. The serial killer here is one who’s targeting children, and he’s considered dangerous enough that basically everyone (people from differing sides of the law, in other words) teams up to try and find him.

There’s a bit more to M beyond that, as where it eventually ends up is undeniably interesting and thought-provoking. What it’s going for in terms of intensity and heaviness does indeed still feel intense and heavy, and the whole thing’s paced in a way which feels admirably relentless, all to an extent you don’t often see in movies that are nearing 100 years old.

4

‘Bringing Up Baby’ (1938)

Image via RKO Pictures

Bringing Up Baby is one of those movies that took a while to get the appreciation it deserved, and so maybe it was just too fast-paced and wild for its time. They made a movie that was too funny, or at least too relentlessly funny, even by screwball standards. And this really is the ultimate screwball comedy, being about as anarchic as they come, perhaps even more so than Some Like It Hot, which was also about two decades older.

The premise of Bringing Up Baby involves two mismatched people crossing paths and then getting into a series of misadventures together, plenty of them involving the titular Baby, who is a leopard. If you’re of the opinion that older movies can’t be as funny as newer ones, then Bringing Up Baby is the kind of older film that may well help you see the light, so to speak.

3

‘North by Northwest’ (1959)

Image via MGM

Just over a decade on from Rope, Alfred Hitchcock made another film that feels particularly well-paced, all these years later: North by Northwest. Now, including those and no other movies by Hitchcock shouldn’t suggest that there weren’t any other movies of his that have solid pacing, even by today’s standards… it’s more just that these two are particularly snappy (and, in any event, “best pacing” is a different thing from “best movie”).

North by Northwest is one of the first great spy movies, or at least one of the earliest that feels, more or less, in line with what you’d expect to see in more modern-day spy/espionage movies. It’s also perhaps Hitchcock’s ultimate “wrong man on the run” movie, and it escalates so well throughout, with numerous great set pieces, just the right amount of humor/levity, and a perfectly utilized cast, too.

2

‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (1966)

Without a doubt, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is one of the easiest-to-like Westerns ever made. You could see it belonged to such a genre, and then also see its runtime as three hours, and feel subsequently hesitant to actually watch the thing, but it’s very much worth devoting all that time to, in any event, because it’s such an effortless viewing experience.

The premise here involves three men racing each other across the desert, all while the American Civil War is going on, each of them in pursuit of a small fortune in gold that’s purportedly buried somewhere. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a perfect entry point into the Western genre, for anyone largely unfamiliar with that kind of film, and it’s honestly barely aged a day in the 60 years since it first came out.

1

’12 Angry Men’ (1957)

Image via United Artists

If you try to describe 12 Angry Men to someone, it might not sound like much, but it’s all in the execution here, where what’s seemingly simple becomes something closer to sublime. That’s a bit of a floaty and/or pretentious way to put it, but at its core, 12 Angry Men is about a bunch of guys sitting in a room and talking. They’re the members of a jury, and the trial they’ve sat through is an undoubtedly high-stakes one, but still, it’s probably not enough to make it sound riveting.

Things are helped by just how good the dialogue is, how strong all the performances are, and how well the whole thing is helmed by Sidney Lumet, who was, quite surprisingly, making his directorial debut here. 12 Angry Men is up there among the most enthralling drama films of all time, and one of those shining examples of how, if you know what you’re doing, you can make a perfect movie out of the most straightforward of premises.

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12 Angry Men

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Release Date

April 10, 1957

Runtime

97 minutes

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Director

Sidney Lumet

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Writers

Reginald Rose

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Medical examiner Dr. Veena Singh reportedly planned on testifying that three of Bryan Kohberger‘s victims experienced an increased level of pain before their murders.

According to court documents obtained by People on Friday, June 5, Singh found that Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen “endured a high degree of pain and/or suffering prior to their deaths as a result of the injuries.”

The medical professional also found that Ethan Chapin “experienced a high degree of pain and/or suffering prior to his death as a result of the injuries inflicted but to a lesser degree than the other decedents.”

Autopsy reports stated that Goncalves, Mogen and Chapin suffered from fatal injuries while laying in bed asleep, per the outlet. Kernodle, who was not asleep at the time of her death, fought back against her killer as she was stabbed 67 times.

Related: The Most Disturbing Takeaways From Unsealed Idaho College Murders Documents

Details of the Idaho University murders have been released after more than two years following Bryan Kohberger’s July 2025 sentencing hearing. More than 300 investigatory records were released via the Moscow Police Department after a previous gag order was lifted. The unsealed records reveal that during his first interview with police in December 2022, Kohberger […]

Chapin, Kernodle, Mogen and Goncalves were found dead in their shared home in Moscow, Idaho on November 13, 2022. There were two survivors from the incident: Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke. Weeks later, Kohberger, 31, was arrested in connection with their deaths at his parent’s property in Pennsylvania.

Singh ultimately did not testify in the case because of Kohberger’s plea deal. In July 2025, Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. The arrangement allowed Kohberger to avoid the death penalty and he was not required to reveal details of the murders.

Kohberger was ultimately sentenced to four consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole, plus ten years for burglary. He has been behind bars at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho, since July 2025.

Related: Kaylee Goncalves’ Father Scolds State for Releasing Graphic Forensic Reports

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The murderous actions of Bryan Kohberger continue to haunt the families of his four victims, as the state of Idaho stirs up fresh heartache with the continued release of graphic court filings. Most recently, Idaho officials made public forensic reports containing previously unreleased details. In them, medical examiners noted in vivid detail just how Kohberger […]

Goncalves’ parents are still trying to wrap their minds around what happened to their daughter and have unanswered questions for Kohberger.

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“I would ask him, ‘Why? Please, please, please. Do you not think that our family has been through enough?’” Kaylee’s mother, Kristi Goncalves, told the Daily Mail in an interview published on Thursday, June 4. “Do you not think what you did to our daughter — when we found out that you stabbed her 38 times with a seven-inch KaBar military model knife, 24 times to her face, to her head, 11 times to her chest and neck, and three defensive wounds as she sat up in that bed, and she fought for her life? … Can you just tell me why? I’m a mother, and you have a mother, too. Can you please just tell me why?”

Kaylee’s father, Steve Goncalves, also wants an explanation.

“That’s all you would have to do. Explain to us how that happened and what other weapon you used,” Steve told the outlet.