Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales underwent a procedure to remove a small spot of cancer from his nose, he revealed at Carolina’s minicamp on Tuesday, June 9.

Canales, 45, said that it was a spot of basal cell carcinoma that was discovered during a routine screening two months ago.

“It’s a good reminder not to take these things for granted,” Canales told reporters. “It was a basal cell type of skin cancer in a small spot, and they were able to get it off. So I’m really appreciative.”

Basal cell carcinoma is a highly curable and common form of skin cancer. It often presents as a “slightly transparent bump on the skin” and is usually found on parts of the body that receive the most sunlight, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Related: Gordon Ramsay Reveals Scar From Skin Cancer Surgery: ‘Not a Face Lift’

Gordon Ramsay is opening up about a recent health scare. “Grateful and so appreciate for the incredible team at The Skin Associates and their fast reactive work on removing this Basal Cell Carcinoma thank you !” Ramsay, 58, shared via Instagram on Saturday, August 30, along with photographs of the cut and stitches he received […]

Canales said his mother also dealt with skin cancer in her 40s, which made him diligent about using sunscreen.

“You can imagine a Southern California kid playing outdoor sports and then getting into coaching, right?” Canales said.

Canales is entering his third season as Panthers head coach, his first such opportunity in the NFL. After going 5-12 in year one, he led Carolina to the playoffs in 2025-26, where the Panthers lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round.

Dave made headlines in January when passages from the 2022 book he coauthored with his wife, Lizzy Canales, resurfaced. The book, titled, “This Marriage? The Question That Changed Everything,” goes in-depth about what Dave called the “secret life” he was living, which included infidelity.

“I would be out with my friends and take my ring off, acting like I was single depending on who was around,” Dave wrote. “This didn’t happen all the time, but I left a crack in the door for deceit.”

Related: Deion Sanders Reveals Mystery Illness After Weeks of Speculation

Deion Sanders offered an update about his recent health struggles after weeks of mystery.  Sanders, 57, revealed he recently underwent surgery for a cancerous tumor on his bladder during a press conference at the University of Colorado on Monday, July 28.  The NFL Hall of Famer, who has been the head coach at the school […]

Dave and Lizzy got married in 2006 and they share four children: Ashby, Ben, Bea and Amaya.

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“I cheated on Lizzy for the first time at my bachelor party one month before we got married,” he added. “From the start of our relationship, I was binge drinking and going out with my friends, without Lizzy. Before I was ever unfaithful to her, I was already there in my mind. Bad habits combined with addiction made it hard for me to resist temptation.”

The couple opened up about their marital problems in an effort to help other couples going through similar situations.

“We had to really think about how exposed we would be as a couple who already existed in a very public profession,” Dave wrote in the preface. “Sharing our scars meant being willing to tell people the truth of how our marriage failed.”

By TeeJay Small
| Published 15 seconds ago

If you were to run up to a stranger on the street and ask them who portrays Din Djarin, they’d probably say “What? Who are you?” If you really pressed them about it, they’d eventually offer the name of Hollywood A-lister Pedro Pascal. While Pascal does provide the voice of the Mandalorian throughout the Disney+ show, he rarely suits up and cradles Grogu these days. Instead, that responsibility falls squarely on a man by the name of Brendan Wayne, who just happens to be John Wayne’s grandson.

Thanks to a profile in Variety, we now know that Brendan Wayne is responsible for bringing the physicality of Din Djarin to life in most episodes of The Mandalorian. If you’re looking to spot him specifically, just keep an eye on Mando’s neck, as well as his cowboy stature. Per Wayne himself, “I have the longest neck, so I have a little more space between my cowl to the cape … You see the angles when [Mando] sits at his hip, there’s a reason why people are like, ‘That looks like John Wayne.’ It’s because it’s me. That’s just my natural resting body.”

Brendan Wayne Honors The Cowboy Code

Wayne apparently auditioned for the role back in 2018, where he met with series director Jon Favreau and Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni. As the story goes, Wayne suited up for a screen test, and offered some prudent advice about how an actual cowboy would walk, talk, and gun down aliens among the stars. His cowboy experience comes primarily from his mother, whom he says insisted upon honoring the “cowboy code” in his childhood home.

In case you’re not familiar with John Wayne, he was an iconic western actor from the golden age of Hollywood. He often portrayed cowboys or folk heroes in his work. Though his films are lesser known to modern audiences, Wayne remains a symbol of old Hollywood, especially for fans of the classics and film historians. If you’ve got living grandparents, bring up John Wayne to them and watch as they light up with memories of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and El Dorado.

The Suit Makes The Man, But The Man Makes The Suit!

Obviously, Pedro Pascal is responsible for donning the armor any time Djarin removes his helmet to deliver a steely-eyed line to the camera. Still, the characters’ creed insists that he leave his helmet on at all times, so body doubles such as Brendan Wayne are responsible for wearing the full 62-pound costume throughout most shoot days. Back in the first season of The Mandalorian, Pascal wore the suit much more often. These days, there’s no need to pay his Marvel-sized salary for scenes where his face won’t be on camera.

The added benefit of having Pedro Pascal out of the armor is job security for people like Brendan. As he explains in his Variety profile, his renewed contract “gave my children and us some peace of mind.” During the first two seasons of the show, he would still bartend on the weekends, just to ensure he’d have a steady paycheck if Disney didn’t need him. These days, he’s walking ten paces and drawing down on aliens on a fairly regular basis. He says “It was life-changing. Even as just an actor, I got to create a character on a show who is literally defining an era of Star Wars.”

So the next time you’re looking for a fun fact, or dogging out your pals at a Star Wars trivia event, be sure to keep this one in your back pocket. Turns out The Mandalorian isn’t just a fresh take on a western format, it also employs a fresh version of a western icon.

Scooter Braun attended game 4 of the NBA Finals alongside girlfriend Sydney Sweeney — but they didn’t sit courtside with other A-listers.

Braun, 44, revealed in an Instagram comment on Thursday, June 11, that Sweeney, 28, “surprised me with tickets” to the game, which is why they didn’t sit in celebrity row at Madison Square Garden.

The New York Post claimed that Sweeney was “pushed off” the court in a headline published on Thursday, which is what prompted Braun’s explanation.

The music mogul further explained that the seats Sweeney purchased were “in the same section” as Braun’s dad and brother. Sweeney bought the tickets “so I could share it with them,” he added.

“Let’s keep things positive and get One more!” Braun’s comment concluded.. “Greatest game of all time. Can’t stop smiling.”

The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs during Game 4 in NYC on Wednesday, June 10. Eagle-eyed fans were quick to clock Braun and Sweeney seated a few rows behind Taylor Swift, who attended the game with two of the Haim sisters and Mariska Hargitay.

Wednesday’s game was the closest Braun and Swift have been since their years-long business dispute started in 2019. At the time, Braun acquired Swift’s masters from her former record label, Big Machine.

Swift famously slammed Braun when discussing the situation on social media. In the years that followed, Swift started rerecording her backlog, creating Taylor’s Version of several albums — including Fearless, Red, Speak Now and 1989 — before obtaining ownership of her original catalog.

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Scooter Braun is inserting himself in this narrative, one Taylor Swift likely never asked him to be a part of. Braun, 43, took to his Instagram Story on Tuesday, August 27, to reshare TMZ’s upload of pics from Swift’s trip to Rhode Island with her friends. “How was I not invited to this?!?” Braun wrote, […]

Swift announced in May 2025 that she had successfully bought back the rights to her music.

“I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow,” she shared at the time. “A flashback sequence of all the times I daydreamed about, wished for, and pined away for a chance to get to tell you this news.”

Swift continued, “All the times I was thiiiiiiiis close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through. I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away. But that’s all in the past now.”

The singer noted that she has been “bursting into tears of joy” after hearing the good news.

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“I really get to say these words,” she added. “All of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me.”

When asked for a response to Swift’s business win, Braun stayed diplomatic.

“I wish everybody the best,” he told TMZ.

DJ Akademiks and Lil Baby have had a rocky relationship for years. Their issues reportedly began around 2022. Akademiks frequently criticized Lil Baby’s music following the release of ‘It’s Only Me.’ He also believed songs contained shots aimed at him. Over time, the tension seemed to cool. Akademiks even gave some of Lil Baby’s newer music positive reviews. However, things seemingly shifted again when Akademiks resumed criticizing Lil Baby’s music and standing in the industry. As of 2026, Akademiks was upset after he alleged that Lil Baby’s assistant snuck him over his public comments about the rapper. The pair were also linked to a potential boxing match through Adin Ross. However, the event never came together. Now, the feud appears back in the spotlight after a recent video seemingly reignited tensions between the two sides. 

RELATED: DJ Akademiks Clears The Air After Viral Post Suggested He Fueled Rumors About Kai Cenat’s Ex Gabrielle Alayah & NBA YoungBoy (VIDEOS)

DJ Akademiks Goes Off After Lil Baby Seemingly Mentions Him In A Video

On Tuesday, a video of Lil Baby went viral on social media after the rapper seemingly mentioned DJ Akademiks in a behind-the-scenes clip from his latest music video. In the clip, Lil Baby reportedly said, “F*** Akademiks, that n**** the feds.” DJ Akademiks quickly reacted on X, writing: “Half of Atlanta rappers documented on audio tape talking to cops, including half the n***** he still calls ‘twin’… is this n**** stupid? If I’m the feds… Young Thug the lieutenant, I report to him.”

DJ Akademiks Shades Multiple Atlanta Rappers As He Continues Responding To Lil Baby

With no letup in sight, DJ Akademiks continued firing off posts aimed at Lil Baby while also bringing other Atlanta rappers into the conversation. In additional tweets, he appeared to accuse several rappers of cooperating with law enforcement and suggested they should have a group name before doubling down with more remarks.

He wrote, “Before I let a rat lover like Lil Baby ever call me the Feds I quit hip hop. U gon call ur fellow Atlanta rappers rats before u talk bout big Ak if it’s the last thing to do. U young thug gunna Gucci. Yall need a group name.”

Akademiks later added: “Lil baby. And the Atlanta rat rappers ain’t finna escape. Imma make sure of it. Detective Gucci. Lieutenant young thug and sergeant Lil baby. We on yall a** now.”

While he claims he isn’t referring to every Atlanta rapper, noting that artists like 21 Savage and Future aren’t included, Akademiks later took the drama to his livestream. There, he claimed several Atlanta rappers called his phone asking to be left out of the situation. According to Akademiks, they told him they have love for him and agreed with some of his points, but wanted him to ease up on the Atlanta talk. He claimed they told him: “They [all] said, ‘F*** Baby, you’re saying the truth, but don’t make it a full Atlanta thing.’”

Akademiks alleges many Atlanta rappers called him to say they’re on his side amid his ongoing feud with Lil Baby

“They [all] said ‘f*** Baby, you’re saying the truth but don’t make it a full Atlanta thing’” pic.twitter.com/soyuky55RK

— Kurrco (@Kurrco) June 10, 2026

Social Media Weighs In On The Feud 

Folks quickly gathered under The Shade Room Teens to react to DJ Akademiks’ posts. Some defended Lil Baby. Others felt Akademiks made a few valid points. Many also shared their thoughts on the ongoing feud.

Instagram user @happythoughts8441 wrote, “Lil baby got say one word just to have ak on a rant lol baby really the goat 😂”

Instagram user @bjfrmdabottombackup2 added, “Ak still mad wham cameraman exposed him for getting slapped wit his security there and they didn’t do nun 😂”

While Instagram user @gpeezy._ wrote, “He been moving diff since he got the OVO chain”

Instagram user @howardmiyah53 wrote, “I blame y’all for making AK think he’s the sponsor of hip-hop 😭 y’all agreeing with man when this man got a weird case behind him”

Instagram user @smartelyk_2.0 added, “Can u go outside by yourself?Ask yourself that question while you online before you start popping off….WE DONT BELIEVE YOU AK 😂😂😂”

While Instagram user @kill_dagme wrote, “I can’t stand AK but Atlanta rappers do got a track record of snitching 🤷🏾‍♀️ “

Instagram user @classiqdevine wrote, “dont mention my husband. @gunna dont worry, i got this 💯”

Instagram user @jordancheyenne._ added, “21 savage not even from america like gone fr 😭😭😭”

While Instagram user @_ pyrexlivin._ wrote, “when ak is wrong hes WRONG, but when hes right…hes right 😭🙏🏽”

RELATED: DJ Akademiks Says He’ll ‘Fight’ Lil Baby For Free Or For Money: ‘I Will Choke You To Death’

By Robert Scucci
| Published 41 seconds ago

I don’t know about you, but when I think of Milla Jovovich, I think of the first Resident Evil (2002), which I quite liked, and then the rest of the Resident Evil movies, which … yeah. The point is that I never paid much attention to her career outside of that franchise and maybe a couple of other bangers like The Fifth Element. She just wasn’t on my radar, so I probably missed out on a bunch of great films, like 2007’s .45, a straight-up crime thriller centered on a domestic abuse-fueled revenge arc carried out by Jovovich’s character.

It’s a lean thriller that has a lot going for it, but it isn’t without issues when it comes to structure and characterization. The chemistry between Milla Jovovich and Angus Macfadyen is reason enough to check this one out, but I’d be lying if I said the third act wasn’t frustrating as hell, which I’ll get into soon.

Couples That Sell Guns Together, Don’t Have Fun Together

.45 is the story of Kat’s (Milla Jovovich) volatile relationship with her small-time criminal boyfriend, Big Al (Angus Macfadyen). Big Al likes to think he calls all the shots, but Kat isn’t innocent in her willingness to move guns and other stolen wholesale items out of their New York City apartment. Always coming and going is Vic (Sara Strange), Kat’s ex-girlfriend, who never sticks around for long because Big Al is a loose cannon, and because she still has feelings for Kat that she’s trying to work through. One of Big Al’s frequent collaborators, Reilly (Stephen Dorff), is also in love with Kat and only continues to work with him so he can stay close to her.

Vic and Reilly both keep tabs on Kat and Big Al’s relationship because Big Al is incredibly territorial and abusive, both physically and emotionally, and they want to make sure she’s safe. It’s demonstrated pretty quickly that Kat isn’t safe at all after Big Al sees her interacting with Jose (Vincent Laresca), a rival criminal she’s secretly selling guns to on the side. Though Big Al doesn’t know about Kat’s side hustle, he completely flies off the handle when he sees her lighting Jose’s cigarette becuase he interprets it as her flirting with the man. The scenes that follow are not for the faint of heart, as they contain some brutally effective depictions of domestic abuse.

Trapped in an abusive relationship she’s afraid to leave out of fear for her life, Kat is approached by Liz (Aisha Tyler), a representative from a local battered women’s support group who also develops feelings for her. Clearly in distress over her living situation, Kat is afraid to make the changes she needs to make, prompting Vic, Reilly, and Liz to help her come up with a plan that will remove Big Al from her life once and for all.

The Most Difficult Parts To Watch Are The Best Performed

The real meat and potatoes of .45 is the dynamic between Big Al and Kat. Their relationship is beyond toxic, and neither of them are innocent. While they’re both criminals, Big Al is more often than not in the wrong, which becomes obvious through the way he treats his girlfriend. Kat loves to push buttons and antagonize people, especially Big Al, when she feels it’s warranted, but nobody deserves to have hands laid on them the way she does once Big Al starts to spiral. Everybody sees it but her. She’s so locked into this lifestyle that she has no idea what her next steps should be.

The abuse sequences are difficult to watch, to say the least, but they’re acted superbly. Kat is a strong woman struggling to break the cycle of abuse, and when things hit critical mass, you can see every conflicting emotion written across her face. She can either stick with the devil she knows or take her chances elsewhere, which could put her in even more danger if Big Al actually follows through on some of his more unhinged threats. Angus Macfadyen is also the perfect loose cannon, doing a superb job channeling that small-ball, “If another guy even looks at you, I’m going to kill you both” kind of energy.

Where .45 loses points, however, is its quasi-mockumentary setup, which strips the film of much of its suspense. Throughout the movie, we get testimonials told in hindsight from Kat, Reilly, Vic, Liz, and even Big Al’s mother, all discussing the relationship dynamic. This is almost always a bad move in a thriller, especially when half the tension comes from wondering whether somebody is going to get killed. Since they’re all talking about these events after the fact, it’s reasonable to assume they’ve already made it out of the situation that drives the central conflict.

Another aspect that rubbed me the wrong way is how fixated everybody is on Kat. They’re all crushing on her hard, talking about how much they love her and how badly they want to be with her. There is eventually a payoff to all of this, but the whole thing reminded me of that Frasier episode where Frasier’s ex-fiancée Diane, who left him at the altar during her Cheers days, shows up in Seattle after writing a play about their relationship in which every single character talks about how amazing she is. The supporting characters here often feel too one-dimensional to fully support an otherwise complex story about the toxic relationship connecting them all.

Still, .45 is an effective thriller about a criminal couple who can barely hold it together while everybody on the sidelines waits for one of them to get thrown in jail or killed. The strong chemistry and characterization between its two leads are reason enough to tune in, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about some of the supporting characters knocking the film down a couple of pegs.

As of this writing, you can stream .45 for free on Tubi.

Karmelo Anthony’s case continues to spark conversation online. Now, videos circulating on social media show members of his family reacting to his 35-year prison sentence. One viral clip follows his grandmother, Toni Hayes, after she left the Texas courthouse, while another shows Karmelo’s mother, Kayla Hayes, continuing to defend him and push for justice.

RELATED: Karmelo Anthony Supporter Reportedly Arrest For Unlawfully Carrying A Weapon Following Viral Protest Confrontation (WATCH) 

Karmelo Anthony’s Grandmother Speaks Out Following His 35-Year Sentence

A now-viral video featuring Karmelo Anthony’s grandmother, Toni Hayes, has sparked conversation across social media. In the footage, Toni heads toward a vehicle and chants, “Prejudice!” “Racist!” and “Biased!” as supporters and protestors gathered outside the Collin County Courthouse in Texas. Many of Karmelo’s supporters quickly joined in and repeated Toni’s chants. Before leaving in the vehicle, Toni said, “They sent that message that they can do whatever the f*** they want to do.” While supporters shouted, “We love Karmelo! We love him!” 

Karmelo’s Mother Continues To Defend Him After His Verdict

Along with the viral video of Karmelo’s grandmother, clips from his parents’ interview with CBS News have also gained traction across social media following his prison sentence. During the interview, Kayla Hayes said she knows her son isn’t a murderer and insisted that he would never hurt anyone. “I know my son. My son is no murderer.” Kayla continued, “My son didn’t intend to hurt anyone. My son was defending himself and that’s what hurts so bad.” She also said that her family and Karmelo’s loved ones will keep fighting for justice on his behalf. “We’ve just been praying and keeping the faith.” 

Karmelo’s Attorney’s Formally File Notice Of Appeal Following 35-Year Prison Sentence

Shortly after receiving his 35-year prison sentence, officials transferred Karmelo Anthony to a Texas state prison. A new mugshot shows Karmelo with a noticeably different appearance, including a shaved head and what appears to be a sleeveless prison-issued tunic. Officials moved Karmelo from county jail to state prison on Wednesday, June 10, where he will begin serving his 35-year sentence in the death of Austin Metcalf.

Meanwhile, Karmelo and his legal team have continued to challenge the outcome of his case. His attorneys filed a notice of appeal, and a lawyer Mike Howard said in a statement that the defense believes the court must consider additional issues moving forward.

“After the conclusion of the trial yesterday, we gave the court our official notice that Karmelo Anthony is filing an appeal. We believe there are several important issues for the appellate courts to consider. An appeal is the next part of the legal process and a right afforded every American,”

RELATED: UPDATE: Karmelo Anthony’s NEW Appearance Has Social Media In Shock Amid State Prison Transfer (PHOTO) 

By Robert Scucci
| Published 28 seconds ago

It’s easy to forget that post-apocalyptic thrillers existed before 1979’s Mad Max because George Miller not only perfected the formula, but successfully built out decades of wasteland folklore that most modern counterparts don’t hold a candle to. There are some gems out there, however, like 1975’s A Boy and His Dog, as well as some rough concepts that are great on paper but fumble the execution, like 1978’s Deathsport.

Deathsport has all the trappings of a solid, low-budget, post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, but it doesn’t quite have that x-factor that George Miller’s vision proved itself to have. It’s got laser-equipped dirt bikes known as Death Machines and clear power structures at play, but it’s lacking that “every man for himself” vibe portrayed so well in the Mad Max films. But for something made with a $150,000 production budget, Deathsport isn’t without its charm, and there are plenty of bright orange, accelerant-fueled practical explosions to fill the barren scenery with some pretty solid action spectacle.

Let The Games Begin!

Deathsport takes place “a thousand years from tomorrow” after the Neutron Wars have turned the world into a Mad Max-style wasteland. The story follows legendary and curmudgeonly Range Guide Kaz Oshay (David Carradine), a wandering warrior who gets captured by the city-state of Helix and thrown into the brutal spectacle known as Deathsport, which basically involves riding around on dirt bikes with lasers that go “pew pew.” While participating in the game, he teams up with fellow Range Guide Deneer (Claudia Jennings), who has been captured while escorting a group of refugees across the desert away from Lord Zirpola’s (David McLean) deadly regime. The two quickly form an alliance after learning that a young girl named Tara has been taken by mutant cannibals during Deneer’s capture.

After surviving torture, prison, and a rigged Deathsport match filled with unsanctioned landmines, Oshay and Deneer escape Helix and head into the wasteland. Along the way, they rescue Tara, evading pursuing Death Machine riders every step of the way. Meanwhile, Oshay is driven by a personal vendetta against Ankar Moor (Richard Lynch), the man responsible for his mother’s death.

Ultimately, Deathsport is a pretty straightforward tale of two badass drifters escaping an oppressive city-state, rescuing a kidnapped child, and settling an old score in the process.

Proves A Concept George Miller Perfected

While George Miller is far from the first person to explore the wasteland with the Mad Max films, it’s clear to me after watching Deathsport that he’s the one who changed the post-apocalyptic subgenre forever. Deathsport’s fatal flaw is that it throws us into a state of disrepair and then tries to cram a thousand years of societal breakdown into an 82-minute runtime, while Mad Max shows us the beginning of the end and builds out the lore from there. It’s a brilliant way to set up a franchise, whether Miller knew it at the time or not.

It’s worth noting, however, that David Carradine couldn’t have been a more perfect pick for the lead role, as he had already starred in 1975’s Death Race 2000, a brilliant satire that centers around similar gameplay. For my money, Death Race 2000 is the superior film because it’s so tongue-in-cheek that it has you smiling wryly at the fact that everybody thinks it’s socially acceptable to commit vehicular manslaughter so long as it’s gamified in an arena setting.

Deathsport is definitely rough around the edges and plays like a more stripped-down, proto-version of Mad Max, but it’s also a neat look at cinematic history from this era. Economic recession and fuel rationing had a lot of progressive filmmakers worrying about the then-current state of the world, which resulted in an influx of this type of movie over a very short amount of time, with Mad Max leading the charge once it unexpectedly burst onto the scene in 1979.

If you’re looking for a familiar spin on the by-now very popular cinematic setup that the Mad Max universe has dominated for decades, you can stream Deathsport for free on Tubi as of this writing and enjoy a very similar story from a wholly different angle.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 22 seconds ago

It’s hard to imagine Dakota Fanning in the Star Trek universe (although we’d kill to have her get a cameo in Strange New Worlds). However, we got the next best thing in 2017 with the Fanning-starring dramedy Please Stand By. It’s the kind of movie that will make you laugh and cry (sometimes at the same time), and you can now stream this ambitious indie film for free on Tubi, YouTube, and Pluto TV.

A True Star Trek Fixation

What’s the premise of the movie? Dakota Fanning plays a young autistic woman who brightens up her days living in a San Francisco group home by fixating on Star Trek, her one true passion. Eventually, Paramount holds a screenwriting contest, and Fanning’s character gets ready to mail in her mammoth 450-page Trek script in the hopes of winning the $100,000 prize.

When she misses her chance to mail it, she decides to deliver the script herself, resulting in a Quixotic quest that we do not doubt Mr. Spock would have deemed “fascinating.”

Please Stand By is a dramedy in the truest sense of the word, and most of what will make you alternate between laughing and crying comes from Dakota Fanning’s powerhouse performance. As a young autistic woman, she is particularly vulnerable to scams and swindles, and the movie offers an unflinching look at the many dangers she faces once she steps outside of the familiar environment of the group home.

But the movie finds a lot of comedy in her character’s love of Star Trek, leading to occasional broad comedy scenes (our favorite involves a police officer who wins her trust by speaking to her in Klingon).

An Exercise In Earnestness

Star Trek infuses the entire film in ways both subtle and obvious, and it’s difficult not to view Dakota Fanning’s self-appointed mission as her own Away Team trip to unfamiliar lands. Much like Kirk or Picard before her, she must leave an area where she is safe and knows everyone around her and venture into a strange new world full of exotic characters and bizarre situations.

She’s not literally going where “no one has gone before,” of course, but she’s going where she hasn’t gone before, and the film offers a very wholesome theme that this kind of inner journey is just as valid as external ones.

And speaking as huge Star Trek nerds, we were pleasantly surprised by what a love letter this movie ended up being to the franchise started by Gene Roddenberry. In the hands of a different writer, Dakota Fanning’s character could have been a mean-spirited satire of Star Trek fans as awkward nerds who don’t really understand anything outside their favorite fictional world.

Fortunately, she comes across as someone who is both earnest and guileless, and we are left with the impression that it’s better to be a pure-hearted fan that doesn’t understand the world than to be like the honorless petaQs who take advantage of her.

A High-Water Mark For Dakota Fanning

In the hands of director Ben Lewin and screenwriter Michael Golamco, Please Stand By delivers the kind of heartwarming story that makes us smile through our tears.

Critics didn’t fully know what to think of it: on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently has a 58 percent rating from critics, who collectively deemed that Dakota Fanning gives it enough of a Star Trek focus to put a new spin on familiar coming-of-age beats. Audiences, meanwhile, gave the film a 70 percent rating, and that number is likely to go up now that more fans can stream the movie from multiple touchpoints.

Interestingly, the movie has a fairly explicit connection to Star Trek: Dakota Fanning is joined by Alice Eve, who plays her sister. As you may remember (though if you blocked it out, we wouldn’t blame you), Eve played Carol Marcus in the J.J. Abrams film Star Trek Into Darkness. Actor and Comedian Patton Oswalt is also in the film, and five years after this movie was released, he played a minor Trek role by lending his voice to an episode of Picard.

Long story, not very short, Please Stand By is a great film filled with wonderful actors and headlined by what may be a career-best performance from Dakota Fanning. It’s simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming, and it has enough of a geek focus to keep even the most jaded Star Trek fans entertained. And if you’d like to experience it yourself, no transporter is necessary.

As of this writing, Please Stand By is streaming for free on Tubi, Pluto TV, YouTube, and Fandango at Home.

By Sean Thiessen
| Published 27 seconds ago

Tom Cruise’s name is nearly synonymous with stunts. These days, he is best known for his high-flying antics in Top Gun: Maverick and for his long-running role in the Mission: Impossible franchise. But in films like the 1993 thriller The Firm, Tom Cruise flexes not his muscles but his dramatic chops, and his gripping performance is streaming now on Paramount+.

It Took A While, But A Dream Team Was Assembled

Based on author John Grisham’s novel of the same name, The Firm is a taut legal thriller packed with riveting twists and moral dilemmas that make the genre so compelling. Tom Cruise stars as Mitch McDeere, a fresh-faced Harvard Law School graduate who takes a cushy position at a prestigious law firm. The pay and perks come at the cost of grueling hours, which Mitch spends discovering that the firm is not as interested in upholding the law as it is bending it. When the shady dealings of Mitch’s new employer yields a body count, the FBI approaches Mitch to help take the firm down.

Tom Cruise anchors The Firm, joined by Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter, Ed Harris, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Hal Holbrook, David Strathairn, and Gary Busey. The shimmering ensemble turns in a set of powerhouse performances under the direction of legendary filmmaker Sydney Pollack.

However, the cast of the film almost looked very different. Charlie Sheen and Jason Patric were early contenders for the role of Mitch, but producers Scott Rudin and John Davis wanted to go bigger. As the budget nearly tripled from $15 million to $42 million, Rudin and Davis asked Tom Cruise to lead The Firm.

Saturday Night Fever director John Badham and Die Hard director John McTiernan were both in the running to helm The Firm, with Tom Cruise even expressing interest in sitting in the director’s chair. Politics and personalities turned the situation into a mess, and Paramount Communications president Stanley Jaffe handpicked Sydney Pollack to direct.

Gene Hackman did not join The Firm until the film was already deep into shooting. Meryl Streep was considered for Hackman’s role, but John Grisham fought the gender swap, delaying casting.

A Transitional Period For Tom Cruise

The Firm eventually made its case in theaters on June 30, 1993. Fueled by the star power of Tom Cruise and the rest of the film’s ensemble, The Firm surged to a $270 million gross, the highest for an R-rated film all year. The Firm also became the highest-grossing adaptation of a John Grisham novel ever made.

During The Firm’s opening week, John Grisham and Michael Crichton accounted for the top six books on the New York Times paperback bestseller list. In 1993, Crichton also saw the biggest adaptation success of his career with the release of Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park.

The writers were not the only ones having banner years in ‘93. The Firm was nominated for two Academy Awards. Holly Hunter was up for Best Supporting Actress, and composer David Grusin was nominated for Best Original Score. Tom Cruise had previously been nominated as an actor for 1990’s Born on the Fourth of July, and would later be recognized for Jerry Maguire and Magnolia.

Performances from the cast of The Firm were, to many critics, the best component of the movie. Tom Cruise and Holly Hunter were particularly celebrated, but the film’s screenplay left many critics and audiences wanting more.

Adapted by David Rabe and Robert Towne, the screenplay for The Firm takes a bit of the stink off of the protagonist that Grisham crafted in his novel. Though Tom Cruise still delivers a compelling performance, some argued that polishing the film’s main character zapped energy, suspense, and ethical conundrum from the story.

The Firm was one of the last movies Tom Cruise made before Mission: Impossible; only Interview With the Vampire separates them. The Firm is arguably the end of an era in Cruise’s career, delivering the final performance of Cruise as a young man and paving the way for his image as a more adult actor.

The Firm may not be the most famous Tom Cruise movie, but it is a gripping entry in his vast and varied filmography. His career looks different than it did in 1993, but his commitment to great movies has never changed. Action star Tom Cruise is awesome, but we will also have a soft spot in our hearts for the Tom Cruise of movies like The Firm, and we can visit him anytime on Paramount+.