Days of Our Lives early weekly spoilers for the week of June 22nd through the 26th indicate we’ll see Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) horrified when the sins of her past come back to bite her. Meanwhile, Xander Cook Kiriakis (Paul Telfer) is trying to atone for his past sins. But it might not go well.

We’ve got exciting stuff coming the week of June 22nd, and as we always do on early edition day, we begin with what is happening the rest of this week on Days of Our Lives, then dive into next week’s action, which includes the kickoff of July sweeps starting on Thursday next.

Days of Our Lives: Johnny Learns Xander’s Confession and Philip Apologizes

All right, Wednesday, June 17th, we’ve got Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman) getting a confession from Xander. Looks like he’s working a 12-step type of program for his anger management therapy, trying to be a better man, as Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) advised. So, Xander admitted to Johnny that yes, the Titan team set him up.

I’m curious if Xander is going to keep Kate Roberts’ (Lauren Koslow) name out of it or if he thinks it’s okay to mention it since she told Roman Brady (Josh Taylor) the truth. We’ll see how Johnny reacts. He’s already stressed about Chanel Dupree’s (Raven Bowens) cancer. But Johnny’s pretty even-keeled. I tend to think he’s more upset about Kate’s involvement because it’s not like he had a high opinion of Xander.

DOOL Spoilers: Philip Visits Theo

Anyway, also on the Kiriakis apology tour is Philip Kiriakis (John-Paul Lavoisier) who goes to see Theo Carver (Cameron Johnson). And it could be that Philip’s apology is for Gabi Hernandez (Cherie Jimenez) falsely accusing Theo of blabbing the secret to him about the hidden bug. I’m curious to see if Philip will tell Theo that it was Anna DiMera (Leann Hunley) who told him on Days of our Lives.

Days of Our Lives: Chad & EJ’s Jealous Rivalry and Gabi’s Warning to Leo

Chad DiMera (Connor Floyd) and EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) are both jealous of each other’s relationships. Of course, Cat Green (AnnaLynne McCord) using EJ and isn’t really dating him. However, EJ thinks it’s real, so he’ll be sure to rub it right into Chad’s smug face.

And I think he’s going to rub it right back in EJ’s smug face that he and Belle Black (Martha Madison) are very happy together. But of course, we know that Chad is the one that Cat really wants and EJ is going to be crushed when all that comes out. But it’s not coming out for a while.

Gabi tells Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart) to take a whole step back. I’m sure this is about Gabi trying to keep Leo out of Javi Hernandez’s (Jacob Martinez) life. Gabrielle doesn’t want her primo to have to deal with Leo messing up his love life now that Javi is happily dating hunky firefighter Gus. But I don’t think Leo is going to back off.

Also, look for new Javi actor Jacob Martinez to debut on June 30th as we get into the next week of sweeps. Looks like Al Calderon might have already had his last air date by the way. But we’ll see. He landed a role on Brilliant Minds and an NBC prime time drama which unfortunately just got cancelled.

Days of Our Lives: Kristen’s Day of Reckoning and Ralph’s Medical Breakthrough

Thursday, June 18th, Johnny gets a warning from his murderous auntie, Kristen, and this may alert Johnny to Kristen playing some role in the attack on him by Sophia Choi (Rachel Boyd) that nearly killed him. Kristen’s day of reckoning is going to come in July sweeps.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wilhelm Rolf  (Richard Wharton) has promising news for EJ, who’s been frantic about Lexie Carver’s (Nikki Crawford) troubling symptoms. So Rolf ran a bunch of tests. He’s thoroughly checked out Lexie. And this week, Rolf shows EJ what he came up with. It’s a vial of some new super serum that Rolf concocted to address Lexie’s ill health and hopefully fix everything.

Paulina Price (Jackée Harry) and Theo are both there to support their sister Chanel as she gets her port surgery and then she is going to begin chemotherapy very soon. Although Paulina would still like Chanel to get a dose of Rolf’s super serum.

Maybe it would work on Chanel since she wasn’t terminal like Lexie was. Also, it is Abe Carver’s (James Reynolds) and Paulina’s Juneteenth wedding anniversary. And of course, Paulina is worried sick about Chanel and she doesn’t have her husband Abe there to support her. And naturally, he’s glad that Lexie’s alive again and still loves her. But that doesn’t mean his love for Paulina has just evaporated.

Days of Our Lives: Holly’s Collapse and Kristen’s Confessions

Holly Jonas (Ashley Puzemis) and Tate Black (Leo Howard) romantic interlude is interrupted. So, they were getting frisky while an annoyed Aaron Green (Louis Tomeo) and Ari Horton (Vico Escorcia) went kayaking. But then all the young people have a night outside under the stars by the fire. So this week, either Thursday or Friday, Holly is sitting outside with them. But she collapses and Tate catches her.

It could be that Holly maybe has gotten some of those same DiMera Enterprises Pharmaceutical pills that were problematic and caused Destiny Rowland (Sarah Bartholomew) and Clea to get sick. Or maybe Holly messed up and had a cocktail on top of her new anti-depressants. Maybe not even on purpose. You know, maybe she thought she was drinking juice.

Days of our Lives Spoilers: Lani Geills Kristen

Friday, June 19th, Lani Price (Sal Stowers) has some questions for Kristen. They’re hanging out at the DiMera mansion. And I wonder if Kristen might confess to her gal pal Lani that she did something that she can’t take back. However, I don’t actually think Kristen regrets trying to have Johnny killed.

I think Kristen’s only regret is that it didn’t work. And after the chat that Johnny has with Kristen, he’s going to alert EJ about something. So either Johnny figures out Sophia was working with Kristen or something that Johnny tells EJ will have him reaching that conclusion because Kristen is about to be in a whole heap of trouble.

Days of our Lives Spoilers: EJ & Kristen Face Off

Very soon, EJ faces off with Kristen and EJ is screaming in her face in a blind rage that she tried to murder his son. So also we’ve got Kristen getting snatched soon and I’m sure it’s a henchman working for EJ. We’ll see if she’s missing and presumed dead in July sweeps. Tate, Aaron, and Ari try to get Holly back in a good mood.

Something is clearly going on with her meds. Also, Lexie and Abe show up to the Juneteenth celebration in Horton Square, and Lexie is shocked to find out Juneteenth is his and Paulina’s anniversary. Theo, Lexie, and Abe run smack into Paulina at the event, and things could not be more awkward.

Days of Our Lives: The Chess Set Key and EJ’s Revenge

Also this week, Chad and Theo are checking out the chess set from Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo), and a key falls out of it right into Theo’s hand. The week of June 22nd through the 26th is going to be hot because July sweeps kicks off on Thursday the 25th, and there’s so much good stuff coming. We’re going to have Rachel Black (Lorelie Olivia Mote) crying to Kristen and Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) because she’s scared she will never get better and may end up like Sophia because the baby doctors couldn’t help her friend.

We’ll also have EJ punishing Kristen for the attack on Johnny. And when she goes missing, you know, to be honest, Brady might be relieved for his part. And of course, Rachel’s going to be upset. But long run, I think the kid is better off if Kristen’s not around.

Days of our Lives Spoilers: Roman Livid with Kate

We’re going to see Roman furious about Kate’s schemes and lies. Marlena told Kate that she’s really hoping they work through this rough patch. But fact is Roman may not forgive Kate this time. Theo and Chad try to figure out what the chess set key unlocks.

And Belle’s going to be in the loop on this as well because she and Chad talked about figuring things out. Sarah Horton (Linsey Godfrey) and Brady talk to Liam Selejko (Hank Northrop) about Destiny and Clea, and Brady’s going to be digging into DiMera Enterprises Pharmaceuticals.

And that may be why EJ ends up firing Sarah from the hospital and that should happen also during sweeps. Gabi gets the cash from Stefan Dimera’s (Brandon Barash) inheritance soon, and it looks like she’s going to relent and either give it to Xander and Titan, or Gabi may pay off their loan directly, and long-term that’s going to lead to more trouble.

Holly starts feeling funny because of her meds, and there’s a big scene coming soon with her raging at Tate at the hospital in front of Sarah. So, we’ll also see Johnny getting involved in this, and he’s helping from the DiMera Enterprises side.

Whew! Daphne Joy continues to speak about a situation that had social media in a frenzy earlier this month. After finding herself at the center of countless conversations online, the model and entrepreneur is now sharing her side of the story. And, she’s revealing how she reacted when intimate footage involving her unexpectedly surfaced on the internet. During a recent interview, Daphne got candid about the emotional impact of the leak, what she remembers about that night, and how she’s trying to move forward from the ordeal.

RELATED: Daphne Joy Opens Up About Feeling “Misunderstood” While Clapping Back At Critics In New Interview (VIDEO)

Daphne Joy Shares Her Side Of Viral Leak

While appearing on the ‘Pillow Talk’ podcast, Daphne responds to questions about whether she knew she was being recorded in the now-viral footage. “No, I wasn’t,” she responded. She went on to explain, “That’s why the details of it are kind of…” before Ryan jumped in and added, “Illegal,” causing both of them to laugh. Daphne admitted the situation brought her to tears, saying, “I cried about it… I’m moving forward.” When Ryan asked if she remembered the exact night the footage was recorded, Daphne said she only remembers it “kind of vaguely,” adding, “I saw it when you saw it. I was just like, ‘Woah!’“

She Opens Up About Watching It

The conversation didn’t stop there. Daphne revealed that she never actually sat through the entire video, explaining that she only skimmed through portions of it instead. She also shared that she was confused when she started seeing social media comments calling her a “talker” and an “eater,” admitting she didn’t understand what those terms meant. Later, Ryan shifted the conversation to her dating life and asked how she plans to approach relationships moving forward, noting that he’s concerned about her ending up with the wrong type of man again. Daphne appeared to agree with the sentiment, responding simply, “I know.” Skip to the 35:00 mark to watch, here.

So, What Exactly Was Daphne Joy Referring To?

Roomies, if you were wondering what exactly Daphne Joy was talking about during her recent interview, here’s the backstory. Earlier this month, social media erupted after explicit footage allegedly showing Daphne Joy, Diddy, and male escort Sly Diggler surfaced online and quickly went viral. The leaked clip sparked widespread discussion across blogs and social platforms, with many users weighing in on what they saw in the video.

Adding fuel to the conversation, DJ Vlad later backs the footage as authentic, saying Diggler previously confirmed to him that he recorded the encounter on his phone. However, Vlad notes that it remains unclear how the footage ultimately leaked online.

RELATED: Trending Status! Social Media Is STILL Cuttin’ Up After Daphne Joy Drops New Twerking Video & Addresses AI Question (WATCH)

Ariana Grande’s emotional moment on stage in Los Angeles quickly sparked speculation among fans.

Many assumed her tears were connected to her recent breakup with Ethan Slater, but a family insider claims the truth is far more complicated.

According to the source, the singer has been carrying emotional wounds that go back years, and one particular event forced her to confront painful memories she had long tried to leave behind.

When Ariana Grande became visibly emotional while thanking fans during a recent concert, many linked the moment to the end of her relationship with Ethan Slater.

The pair, who met while filming “Wicked,” were together for roughly three years before reports surfaced that they had quietly ended their romance months ago. While the breakup attracted widespread attention, a family insider told the Daily Mail that it was not the main source of Grande’s current struggles.

Advertisement

“It has been on-again, off-again. We didn’t know the last ‘off’ was going to be the final ‘off,’ but here we are,” the insider explained.

According to the source, the relationship had become increasingly unstable over time, with periods apart growing longer as the years passed.

“I’m not saying she and Ethan were toxic, but they should definitely have ended things earlier. They weren’t connecting, not vibing,” the source said.

The insider added, “The relationship was not serving either of them, they knew it, but neither one of them wanted to pull the plug. No one wanted to say it was over, but it was over, and it had clearly been over.”

Advertisement

The source insisted the breakup was hardly a surprise to those closest to the singer, noting, “We all saw that one coming, and that’s not why things are hard for her now.”

The Documentary That Reportedly Changed Everything

According to the insider, Ariana Grande’s emotional struggles intensified after the release of the 2024 documentary “Quiet on Set,” which examined allegations involving children’s television programming during the years she worked for Nickelodeon.

“She’s really hurting… and it’s hard to watch for anyone who really loves her,” the source said. “She loves hard, she follows her heart, and she’s had a lot of trauma. That’s made the last few years so hard for her.”

Advertisement

The insider claimed the documentary forced Grande to revisit aspects of her early career that she had never fully processed.

“You want to know what the worst thing has been for her? The thing that sent her off? The Quiet on Set documentary,” the source revealed. “It really f-cked with her head, in a very big way.”

The source said Grande initially tried to avoid watching the series altogether.

“She didn’t want to watch it, was going to avoid it, and then it became so huge, and it did a number on her.”

Advertisement

According to the insider, the documentary caused her to rethink experiences from her teenage years in a way she never had before.

“It really triggered her, knowing how she had been used, when she was a teenager, and not even realizing how much she was being used,” they shared. 

Ariana Grande Confronted Painful Nickelodeon Memories

Grande was only 16 years old when she landed the role of Cat Valentine on “Victorious.” She later reprised the character in the spin-off series “Sam & Cat.”

During that period, Nickelodeon produced additional online content tied to the shows, including comedy sketches and web-exclusive videos featuring cast members.

Several of those clips have faced criticism in recent years because of their suggestive nature. According to the insider, revisiting those videos as an adult was deeply unsettling for the singer.

Advertisement

“Seeing herself at 16 trying to milk a potato on a bed, that f-cks you up when you’re older and you rewatch it and are like ‘oh that was to make old men get off,’” the source said.

The insider added simply, “That’s a lot for anyone.”

The renewed focus on those clips reportedly brought back emotions Grande had never fully dealt with, leaving her struggling to reconcile her childhood fame with how some of that content is viewed today.

Ariana Grande Faces Growing Concern About Her Health

As the singer launched her first tour in seven years, fans began expressing concern over her appearance and energy levels.

Social media discussions intensified as videos from performances circulated online. Many questioned whether Grande was struggling physically or emotionally.

Advertisement

The insider firmly denied suggestions that she suffers from an eating disorder and instead pointed to stress as a major factor.

“Ari doesn’t eat when she gets stressed, and then she loses weight, and then people make comments, which makes her more stressed, and then she doesn’t eat. It’s a vicious cycle,” the source explained.

The insider also criticized public scrutiny surrounding Grande’s appearance.

They said, “It’s weird that people feel like they can make comments about her body. You wouldn’t say that to someone on the street, why is it okay to say it about Ariana Grande? It’s just weird to me.”

Advertisement

The source also rejected suggestions that the shorter schedule for the Eternal Sunshine Tour was connected to lingering fears from the 2017 Manchester Arena attack.

“It started long before Manchester,” the insider said.

Searching For Peace While Staying In The Spotlight

Despite the emotional challenges, Ariana Grande continues balancing a demanding schedule that includes touring, promotional appearances, and preparations for her upcoming album, “Petal.”

Those closest to her reportedly believe she would benefit from slowing down. “People around her have told her to rest, to relax, to take care of her mental health,” the insider shared.

The source added, “She doesn’t need to be working as hard as she is. But she feels that working is part of her self-care.”

Advertisement

Finding balance remains difficult for someone whose career has defined much of her life.

“What she needs is peace. But what does it take to be at peace? Because she wouldn’t be happy to take her money and go live in obscurity,” the insider said. “That wouldn’t give her peace. But the stadiums and the movie premieres and the constant talk about her weight isn’t peaceful too. She’s got to figure that out.”

For now, those close to Grande say she is actively focusing on healing.

“She’s doing a lot of therapy now, a lot of working on herself. She is practicing self-care, meditating, praying, taking stock of herself,” the insider explained.

Advertisement

According to the source, she is also prioritizing healthy habits and leaning on trusted loved ones as she moves forward.

They concluded, “She’s eating, good meals, healthy meals. Writing music in her downtime, processing things, healing from it all. She’s really trying hard to be in a healthy place, and she’s got a support system who is helping her a lot.”

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 7 seconds ago

The hottest genre in literature right now is dark romantic fantasy, or romantasy as fans have called it, and often it can combine with another genre, urban fantasy. When you take the witches and werewolves out of the forest and out of the middle ages, put them in the heart of a city, you get urban fantasy. As popular as it is, urban fantasy television shows have fallen out of favor, and even one of the most successful book series of all time, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, was unable to get a decent adaptation. It’s so different in fact, that even Butcher told fans to treat it as an alternate reality. 

Who You Gonna Call?

The Dresden Files aired a grand total of 12 episodes  on The Sci-Fi Channel in 2007. Starring Paul Blackthorne (Known now as Quentin Lance from Arrow) as Occult Detective Harry Dresden. Based out of Chicago, in the novels, Harry often finds himself at the center of supernatural power struggles. They could be economic, political, or over an ancient relic, the point is, the world of The Dresden Files novels is dense with layer upon layer of intrigue and hundreds of characters to keep track of. 

That’s not the case for the television series, which adapts a case of the week format, and never even skims the surface of the real appeal of Butcher’s novels. Another change is Bob, an intelligent spirit, manifests as Terrence Mann, while in the novels, he’s an invisible spirit who enjoys working through Dresden’s cat (Terrence made it work, but that was the only star tof the character’s changes!). Book plots sort of appear, if you squint and tilt your head, you’ll see “Storm Front” and “Fool Moon” in two episodes. Why The Sci-Fi Channel decided to option the novels and then throw them out is a complete mystery. Fans knew the series was in trouble even before the pilot ever aired.

The Dresden Files Aired Out Of Order

The pilot, “Storm Front,” was developed as a two-hour movie of the week to serve as a backdoor pilot into launching the series. That never happened. Instead, the third episode aired as the first episode of the series, and the pilot was butchered to one-hour and aired as Episode 8. Studios airing shows out of order used to be a common occurrence, notably with Fox messing around with Dollhouse and Enlisted, but this was a whole new level of interference. 

Paul Blackthrone at least fit the mold of Harry Dresden and gave it his all. If anyone were to adapt the current novels, the older, wiser version of Harry would perfectly fit Blackthorne’s performance. The problem is that he started out as younger, a little bolder, little more daring, and not quite as beaten down by the politics of the supernatural world. As a case of the week urban fantasy, The Dresden Files is fun, as The Dresden Files brought to life, it’s one of the worst adaptations of all time. 

Urban Fantasy Needs To Be Saved

Jim Butcher, author of The Dresden Files, warned fans that the series would be different and to not treat it as a direct adaptation of his novels. Even with that warning, fans were upset that Bob was a literal ghost, Officer Karrin Murphy was now Connie Murphy and a completely different character, and they decided to not tune in. With low-ratings, The Dresden Files was mercifully canceled months after airing. 

In the last decade, urban fantasy is in the same neglected place as it was back in 2007. A resurgence thanks to What We Do In The Shadows and Lucifer, proved to be short-lived, with only Supernatural truly catching on. The Buffy revival was canceled in pre-production, Carnival Row would come back if we lived in a just world, and The Winchesters could have been something great if given time to grow. At any moment, The Dresden Files could be attempted again, especially with the continued popularity of the novels, which will, supposedly, come to an end with the 25th book. 

In the meantime, you can watch The Dresden Files series for free on Pluto TV, Tubi, Plex, and The Roku Channel.

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 18 seconds ago

Summer means going to the beach, pool parties, blockbuster movie releases, a debate over the Song of the Summer, and baseball. America’s pastime enters the halfway mark in early July when it doesn’t have to share the spotlight with any other sport. Baseball movies have fallen away over the last two decades, but in the 90s, they were everywhere. Angels in the Outfield, The Sandlot, Little Big League, Major League II, A League of Their Own, and the one that took every elementary school by storm, Rookie of the Year. Now that it’s on Netflix, a whole new generation is learning that if you break your arm in the right place, you too can help the Chicago Cubs win the World Series. 

Rookie Of The Year Is Pure Wish Fulfillment

Rookie of the Year stars Thomas Ian Nicholas as Henry, a Little Leaguer who trips, launches himself into the air, and busts his arm. The healing process enhanced his muscles and now he can throw a baseball over 100 MPH with amazing accuracy. Tossing a 12-year old onto a professional team is absurd, but this was 1993, and honestly, the real-life Chicago Cubs would have done the same if it got them to the World Series. 

The plot of the film is paper thin with an important life lesson about family, but Thomas Ian Nicholas does a great job holding everything together with a constant look of amazement on his face. Henry can’t believe he’s playing for the Chicago Cubs, and with his hero, Chet Steadman (Gary Busey). All that goodwill goes away when he realizes the Cubs have an incompetent manager, played by the director, Daniel Stern, and his own dad is conspiring to send him to the worst team in Major League Baseball, the one place no self-respecting athlete should go, the team everyone hated for good reason: The New York Yankees. 

The Second Best Baseball Movie Of 1993

Rookie of the Year was a huge hit at the box office, earning $50 million and becoming a staple of sleep overs and school movie days. The numbers aren’t available, but as anyone who lived through the 90s will tell you, this movie was everywhere. It’s still well-remembered today, but it’s not the best baseball movie of the 90s. It’s not even the best baseball movie of 1993. 

In April of 1993, timed with the start of the baseball season, Disney released The Sandlot. The coming of age story set in 1962 resonates deeper than the pure wish fulfillment of playing for the Chicago Cubs. The Sandlot didn’t make as much money, wasn’t as popular with the elementary school crowd, but over time, it’s been properly recognized as one of the greatest baseball movies, greatest coming of age movies, and best kid movies of the 90s. 

Rookie of the Year is currently streaming on Netflix, where the first week it was available, it was ranked in the top 10 Kids Movies. Kids today don’t get the same type of sports movies that 90s kids did, but they can still appreciate the breezy fun of a Little Leaguer tossing 100 MPH fastballs.

By Robert Scucci
| Published 45 seconds ago

You know what’s a pretty good indicator that a movie is going to be a total disaster? When it’s called Def-Con 4 (1985), suggesting that we’re in a profound state of imminent danger, which would actually be DEFCON 1. Everything about this movie is as misguided as its title, but like a trainwreck, or a crash-landed space station, it’s impossible to look away. The film starts out as a space-based Cold War thriller, but somehow ends up traversing the wasteland like Mad Max. Watching these genres collide is jarring because there are so many different ideas and set pieces competing for attention.

For a film shot on an $800,000 budget, it’s actually pretty impressive how many scenery changes there are in Def-Con 4. But here’s the counterpoint: it’s pretty obvious why this one only earned a little over a million dollars at the box office, barely breaking even on its production budget. Even worse, the film has an abysmal 19 percent Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes across more than a thousand ratings, and in this case, the numbers don’t lie.

Having sat through the whole thing out of morbid curiosity, I can’t in good conscience recommend Def-Con 4 to anybody who actually wants to watch a decent movie. But if you’re willing to stick around for something fueled almost entirely by raw potential, you may find yourself wondering what other kinds of work writer-director Paul Donovan was involved with. That road eventually leads to LEXX, one of the raunchiest sci-fi series of all time.

That’s A Lot To Unpack in 88 Minutes

Def-Con 4 opens with one of the most wonderfully misguided bits of Cold War optimism you’ll ever see, assuring viewers that the ultimate nuclear defense system has made global conflict “unthinkable.” Naturally, within minutes, the world is on fire. Set aboard the orbital weapons platform Nemesis, the film follows astronauts Cecil Howe (Tim Choate), Eva Jordan (Kate Lynch), and Walker (John Walsch) as they watch helplessly from space while escalating tensions between the United States and Soviet Union erupt into full-scale nuclear war. Cut off from Earth and unable to determine if anybody survived, the crew is eventually forced back to a planet they barely recognize.

Once on the ground, Def-Con 4 shifts into full post-apocalyptic mode, introducing a wasteland populated by desperate survivors, paranoid militias, and enough homemade armor plating to make George Miller blush. Along the way, Howe crosses paths with world-weary survivalist Vinny McKinnon (Maury Chaykin), the imprisoned J.J. Jameson (Lenore Zann), and the increasingly unstable Gideon Hayes (Kevin King). What follows is a low-budget but surprisingly ambitious mix of nuclear paranoia, survival thriller, and dystopian sci-fi that feels like somebody tossed The Day After, Escape from New York, and a VHS copy of Mad Max into a blender and hoped for the best.

Ambitious To A Fault

As much as I wanted Def-Con 4 to succeed, it was pretty much doomed from the start. Like most lower-quality Mad Max clones, it’s undone by its own overambitious worldbuilding. The film constantly asks you to bite off more than you can possibly chew, and then, when you’re begging for something to wash it all down, it busts out the hotdog cannon to finish you off.

It’s not that any of its plotlines are difficult to follow either, which is what’s most tragic about Def-Con 4. The story beats are perfectly serviceable, but they never have time to fully develop before we’re onto the next thing. I could see it working as a movie closer to the two-hour range, where its conflicts actually have time to meaningfully gestate, but they don’t, so everything feels rushed in the worst possible way.

While I maintain that Def-Con 4 isn’t 19 percent bad, it’s not exactly a diamond in the rough either. In terms of raw potential, it’s an impressive feat when you consider its financial limitations. But if less attention had been focused on worldbuilding and more on characterization, we’d have a pretty fun adventure on our hands. It’s still a fun watch, but ultimately underwhelming when all is said and done.

As of this writing, Def-Con 4 is streaming free on Tubi.

By Robert Scucci
| Published 17 seconds ago

Over the years, I’ve changed my stance on whether movie adaptations need to remain materially faithful to their source, and generally speaking, I’m all about filmmakers taking creative liberties. Stanley Kubrick’s version of The Shining is a prime example because it’s a bona fide horror classic, and it doesn’t necessarily take away from your enjoyment of Stephen King’s novel. You can read the book and enjoy it for what it is, and then appreciate Kubrick’s vision in bringing the story, inspired by King, to life through a visual medium, complete with his own artistic signature on it.

I think this is how it should be. Nobody wants to hear a cover song that sounds exactly like the original. When done right, you get to enjoy two different versions of the same thing. In most cases, I see no downside.

At least, I felt this way before watching 2009’s Dragonball Evolution.

I need to come 100 percent clean here and admit that not only do I know nothing about the Dragon Ball series, I don’t really know anything about manga or anime in general. Here’s why that matters. When an intellectual property with a legacy as far-reaching as Dragon Ball gets adapted into a film, it’s insane to think that decades of lore could fit into a single feature-length movie. No reasonable person should expect that.

But it should represent the source material in an appealing enough way to leave curious viewers like myself asking for more. After sitting through Dragonball Evolution on a dare, I can safely assert that this film did not accomplish that.

Let’s Just Evaluate This Dumpster Fire At Face Value

Going into Dragonball Evolution with zero expectations other than “you’re going to laugh your ass off at how bad this is,” I had an open mind. It’s rated PG, so clearly mass appeal was a priority, meaning I wasn’t expecting anything ultra-violent or any particularly dark imagery. I was maybe expecting a family-friendly adaptation of a beloved franchise that could serve as a solid entry point for casual viewers. At the very least, if done well, it could have been a competent stand-alone film that taps into Dragon Ball canon without overwhelming somebody like me, who doesn’t want to absorb entire universes just to enjoy a single piece of media.

Instead, we get Goku (Justin Chatwin), who looks and acts like a cross between the “Dude, You’re Getting a Dell!” guy and Jessie Pinkman from Breaking Bad. Not Aaron Paul, the actor. Jessie Pinkman specifically. He’s a reluctant hero who trains under the guidance of his grandfather, Gohan (Randall Duk Kim). On his 18th birthday, he’s given a Dragonball with four gold stars in it and told that there are six others just like it, each with a corresponding number of stars. What Goku and Gohan don’t know, however, is that the Namekian Demon King Piccolo (James Marsters), with the help of his loyal henchwoman Mai (Eriko Tamura), is hellbent on collecting all seven Dragonballs and willing to kill everybody in his path to get them.

Goku has a crush on Chi-Chi (Jamie Chung) and stares at her for awkwardly long stretches in class before accidentally revealing his powers to her while she’s trying to open her locker. It’s implied that he has powers he can’t display in public. He’s also a pretty well-trained fighter, but apparently can’t do that in public either. To illustrate this point, Goku gets into a “fight” at Chi-Chi’s party that mostly involves him cleverly dodging his bullies so they inadvertently beat themselves up. I could get that from any Steven Seagal movie and walk away from it way more entertained. 

Anyway, Piccolo kills Gohan, and Goku very flatly says, “I will avenge you,” before setting out to find Master Roshi (Chow Yun-Fat), who trained his grandfather but needs to be brought up to speed on Piccolo’s antics. From this point on, Goku becomes acquainted with ninja garb that looks like a Scorpion costume you’d find in the Spirit Halloween bargain bin. Dragonballs are located thanks to Bulma (Emmy Rossum), who, when we first meet her, claims to have no idea what a Dragonball is, but seconds later reveals that she has a custom-made device specifically designed to track them that she had been developing for years. 

Goku goes “Gahhh!” but it sounds more like my 5-year-old when he’s pretending to be angry and stomping on his block towers.

I Don’t Know Who This Is For

We now know that live-action anime adaptations can capture the minds, hearts, and imaginations of the masses. Most recently, One Piece made waves on Netflix while staying faithful to the source material in a way that’s not intimidating to newcomers who are just looking to get their feet wet. It’s not an unattainable goal by any stretch of the imagination, and if the right talent puts the right amount of care into a project, you should expect nothing less.

Dragonball Evolution offers nothing to latch onto. It doesn’t matter if you’re a diehard fan going into it, and it doesn’t matter if you know nothing about Dragon Ball. It’s a stand-alone movie, and there was plenty of fertile ground to sift through in search of a meaningful story and a hero’s arc I’d actually care about. For a movie that reportedly cost around $30 million to make, you’d expect somebody close to the original IP to be on the payroll making sure its legacy stayed intact.

Ironically, series creator Akira Toriyama was brought on as a creative consultant, but much of his input was reportedly ignored. It’s a double-edged sword because the short-term loss was that director James Wong and company took a chainsaw to his pride and joy. The flip side is that the movie was so poorly received that Toriyama’s interest in the franchise was rekindled, eventually leading to his involvement in later projects like Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and Dragon Ball Super.

While I freely admit that I’m the last person you should ask about Dragonball Evolution’s merits as an anime adaptation, I am a movie fan, and I can tell you there are no redeeming qualities here. It feels like the Dragonball name was tacked onto a lackluster script, and the studio thought that would be enough to launch a cinematic universe that could compete with the MCU. Instead, we’re left with Justin Chatwin publicly apologizing for starring in the film because he knows what he did.

DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION SCORE

As of this writing, Dragonball Evolution can be rented or purchased on demand through YouTube, Fandango at Home, and Amazon Prime Video.

Bunnie Xo opened up about her journey to motherhood months before her separation from husband Jelly Roll.

“I just want women to know it doesn’t matter what age you are when you’re ready to be a mom, be a mom and when you’re able to be a mom, be the best mom that you can be,” Bunnie, 46, exclusively told Us Weekly in January. “God, you know, gave me Bailee to do a run-through to make sure because my biggest fear was that I was always going to inflict trauma on my child like my parents did to me.”

Jelly Roll, 41, welcomed daughter Bailee, 18, and son Noah, 9, before marrying Bunnie in 2016. (The country singer has primary custody of Bailee, whom Bunnie helped raise throughout her relationship with Jelly Roll.)

“I never wanted to have kids, and raising Bailee has really showed me that, ‘Hey, maybe I actually can do this,’” Bunnie told Us. “Granted, you know, everybody gets some sort of trauma in their life, whether it’s on purpose or not, but I think I might be able to crush this mom role, and to be able to do it with my husband is going to be really amazing.”

Related: Jelly Roll’s Daughter Called Bunnie Xo Her ‘Fav Person’ Prior to Divorce Filing

Jelly Roll’s daughter, Bailee Ann DeFord, previously called her father’s estranged wife, Bunnie Xo, her “fav person.” Bunnie, 46, was the subject of an Instagram grid birthday tribute posted by Bailee Ann, 18, in 2023. “Happy birthday to my fav person, my idol, my mentor, the most gorgeous woman i know, a kick ass business […]

At the time, Bunnie and Jelly Roll were undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments to expand their family.

“We are keeping it very close to our chest,” Bunnie teased to Us of her fertility journey. “I always say, repeatedly, that the world loves to ruin beautiful things. … So, we’re excited.”

Nearly five months later, Us confirmed on Monday, June 15, that Jelly Roll filed for divorce from Bunnie after 10 years of marriage. Per the divorce docs, the pair separated last month.

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Advertisement

“The husband would respectfully show unto the court that these parties are unable to live together successfully as Husband and Wife,” the court documents read. “Plaintiff charges that the parties have suffered irreconcilable differences as would entitle either of them to a divorce in the event they execute a Marital Dissolution Agreement that provides for an equitable division of the parties’ assets and apportions responsibility for payment of the parties’ debt.”

While neither Jelly Roll nor Bunnie have publicly addressed their breakup, Bailee addressed the situation in a candid social media video.

“I am disgusted at how invested everyone is in a very clearly private family matter. It’s fkn crazy,” she wrote via TikTok in a video published Tuesday, June 16. “Go on somewhere y’all. Worry ‘bout your house — not mine. I’m not speaking on it — yet.”