After the monster success of 1995’s Mortal Kombat adaptation, British director Paul W.S. Anderson was looking to make something more mature. He went with a screenplay that had been floating around at Paramount for some time — Event Horizon. Anderson made changes that both streamlined the story and darkened the tone, transforming it into something more explicitly horror than sci-fi. The result was an inspired blend of Ridley Scott’s Alien and Clive Barker-influenced splatter horror — and a cult hit that traumatized a generation.

Aside from the film’s remarkable gothic production design and no-holds-barred approach to gore, its secret weapon proved to be the late Sam Neill. Fresh off his iconic role as Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, Neill went darker than most audiences had ever seen him go before (provided that they hadn’t seen Possession), and produced images that some audiences at the time found impossible to shake. Today, 29 years after its initial release, the cult horror hit is waiting to be discovered by a new generation of fans on Tubi.

What is ‘Event Horizon’ About?

Image via Paramount Pictures

To the uninitiated, Event Horizon begins very much like paint-by-numbers ’90s sci-fi, right down to the comically simple explanation of experimental wormhole space travel. The year is 2047, and the long missing spacecraft Event Horizon has reappeared on the interstellar map. A small crew is dispatched, along with scientist Dr. Weir (Neill), to recover it and determine where it has been for the past seven years.

The film’s inspired wrinkle is that, in the course of its space-time travels, the Event Horizon ended up going to hell itself — and it brought some Satanic energy back with it. The film’s largely negative reception and box office failure most likely came down to this big, bloody swing, as well as bait-and-switch marketing; today, the internet is flooded with stories of people who went to see what they expected to be a Star Trek-style adventure, only to be surprised by something more akin to Hellraiser in space.

Today, ‘Event Horizon’ Is Considered a Diabolical Cult Classic

Once the rescue crew (featuring solid performances by Laurence Fishburne, Joely Richardson, and Jason Isaacs) discovers the truth about where the Event Horizon has been, the film becomes a hellacious roller-coaster ride, featuring some of the nastiest gore any mainstream, MPAA-approved horror film had featured up to that point. One character’s gruesome experience with decompression is shown in vivid detail, while other crew members are vivisected and hung on hooks. And, in the film’s most infamous sequence, the fate of the ship’s prior crew is shown in a quickly edited video featuring eyeball plucking, rape, disembowelment, and more.

Famously, Anderson’s initial cut of the film ran closer to 130 minutes than its extant tight 96. Fans have clamored for years for the release of the uncut footage, which Anderson says was even more graphic; Isaacs even alluded to the presence of “porn stars and amputees” on set during the filming of the truncated hell orgy sequence. Unfortunately, the footage is now believed to have been destroyed or lost due to poor storage conditions, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Even in its 96-minute form, Event Horizon remains a frightening and incredibly rewatchable slice of horror. And a major factor in its power is Neill’s performance of Dr. Weir. Trading on audiences’ impression of him from Jurassic Park, Neill weaponizes his natural charm beautifully as he transforms from science nerd to demonic entity, becoming the film’s eyeless, grinning villain about halfway through. It’s one of the late actor’s most memorable performances, and the film itself has only in recent years received the praise it was due. New viewers or those looking to dive back into the “infinite terror” can stream Event Horizon free today on Tubi.

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Event Horizon

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Release Date

August 15, 1997

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Runtime

95 minutes

Director

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Paul W. S. Anderson

Writers

Andrew Kevin Walker, Philip Eisner

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The creator of the most acclaimed Star Wars TV series and the star of the most successful Star Wars TV series are joining forces for a movie that decidedly does not take place in a galaxy far, far away. Andor‘s Tony Gilroy‘s new movie, Behemoth!, is hitting theaters this winter, and its first teaser has been released, with The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal front and center.

Behemoth! is Gilroy’s return to the big screen, his first feature film in 14 years. In the teaser, Pascal stars as Alex Serian; he’s a world-renowned cellist who’s been on the road for the better part of two decades, living out of a suitcase as he hops from country to country, continent to continent. Now, however, he’s returned home to Los Angeles to work on film scores. Not everyone’s happy to see him: that includes Alex’s brother (Will Arnett) and his ex (Olivia Wilde). However, new love may be blossoming, in the form of his colleague Nadia (Eva Victor). How will it all unfold? You’ll have to hit the theater on December 4 when Behemoth! makes its debut, courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.

Who Is Tony Gilroy?

The son of playwright Frank D. Gilroy (The Subject Was Roses), Gilroy began his career as a screenwriter on projects like The Cutting Edge, Dolores Claiborne, and The Devil’s Advocate. He penned 2002’s The Bourne Identity and became a mainstay in the franchise, writing the sequels The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. He subsequently made his directorial debut with the acclaimed legal thriller Michael Clayton. His follow-up, Duplicity, garnered less attention, and he returned to the Bourne franchise to write and direct the Jeremy Renner-led The Bourne Legacy. He then signed on to help re-write and re-shoot the Star Wars film Rogue One; he would then be given full rein to create the spin-off series Andor, which earned rave reviews, above and beyond what any previous Star Wars project had accomplished.

Behemoth! had some casting issues before finally being committed to film. It was originally set to star another Star Wars alum in the form of Oscar Isaac, but he left the project before filming began, and was replaced by Pascal. David Harbour was cast as his brother, but also dropped out, overwhelmed by the final season of Stranger Things; Arnett eventually took over the role.

Behemoth! will debut in theaters on December 4. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

By Robert Scucci
| Published 16 seconds ago

I have a running theory about Netflix, and it’s that the introduction of countless podcasts, many of which fall into the true crime wheelhouse, has created a demand for similar content. As you already know, Netflix has plenty of true crime docuseries that run the gamut from critically acclaimed masterpieces like Evil Genius (2018), to so-so entries like What Jennifer Did (2024), to controversial dramatizations in the Monster anthology.

Now, I can’t say that correlation necessarily means causation, but it certainly seems like anybody listening to true crime podcasts who has migrated to Netflix instead of whatever podcast app they used before has probably been pointed toward films like 2025’s The Paradise Murders, which is Lifetime TV’s attempt at hopping aboard the psychological thriller gravy train.

I can’t think of any other reason this abomination is currently sitting at #4 in the Netflix Top 10 for movies. It has to be algorithmic. People who used to listen to Last Podcast on the Left or Behind the Bastards are now letting their macabre preferences be known to the streaming giant, and Netflix seems to be grabbing whatever content it thinks might be adjacent to those tastes and throwing it into the feed. But I’m just a guy theorizing over here.

Netflix has so many solid psychological thrillers available right now, The Girl on the Train (2016), Side Effects (2013), Single White Female (1992), and the criminally underrated Pacific Heights (1990). But what do I know, because that’s also where you can watch punishers like The Glass House (2001). In other words, you can easily get lost looking for the perfect thriller to queue up on a rainy day. If I have any influence over my readers whatsoever, though, let this be your warning: The Paradise Murders is straight-up garbage.

Three Couples, Four Deaths, Zero Thrills

In The Paradise Murders, we’re introduced to Emma (Kayle Raelle) and Jake (Mo Sehgal), who are finally taking their long-overdue honeymoon. Emma is a workaholic who needs to disconnect for a week, and Jake books the trip to the resort she used to visit all the time as a kid. Upon arrival, they meet a number of interesting characters, including Sarah (Taija James) and her outwardly aggressive husband Tom (Christopher Dover). Emma and Jake immediately hit it off with Sarah, but they have their reservations about Tom, who seems like a loose cannon waiting for the right incident to set him off.

We’re also introduced to a third couple, Isla (Boyana Avdjieva) and Jarrod (Richard Goss), who only seem to know how to act suspiciously and always show up at the worst possible times, making them look guilty from the second they first appear on screen. Joining the mix is Lee (James Wiles), a resort employee who appears to have developed an attraction to Emma, who feels a connection to him because of her fond memories of the resort.

When Sarah dies under mysterious circumstances, everybody immediately becomes a suspect. Jake falls under scrutiny because he was missing from his room around the time Sarah was found dead by the pool. It’s also revealed that Sarah’s diary might hold the key to identifying her killer, and all signs point to Tom, who, despite being the primary suspect in his wife’s murder, is somehow still allowed to wander the resort and catch some rays.

None Of This Makes Sense

In fact, that’s the entire problem with The Paradise Murders. There’s a possible murder at a luxury resort, and everybody just goes about their business as if nothing happened. Sure, it’s suggested that occupancy is lower after the incident, which conveniently means fewer extras wandering around to complicate things, but the guests who are still there don’t behave like real people.

For one thing, Emma and Jake become convinced that all flights home have been canceled and they’re stuck at the resort until everything gets sorted out. Then where did everybody else go? Did they just walk home? More importantly, everybody should be considered a suspect. Jake doesn’t even have an alibi for where he was when Sarah was murdered.

Statistically speaking, Tom is the obvious suspect, yet he comes and goes as he pleases. Emma, meanwhile, gets caught snooping by hotel staff and detectives alike. At face value, her intentions are pure, but she’s still interfering with an active murder investigation, only to be told to go back to her room without consequence when she’s done.

And don’t even get me started on Isla and Jarrod. They’re constantly acting menacing, even when there’s no reason to, and the whole thing feels like a giant red herring. For a hot minute, I thought maybe they were actually the heroes trying to warn everybody about the “real killer.” Don’t get this twisted, that’s not what happens, and the real ending is somehow even worse.

Why The Paradise Murders is streaming on Netflix, a company that could afford to spend half a billion dollars on Stranger Things Season 5, is the question of the year for me. Are they so hard up for content that they’re scraping made-for-TV movies from Lifetime to fill out the catalog? Are psychological thrillers really that hot now that true crime shows like Last Podcast on the Left have firmly planted themselves in the streaming landscape? I’m sure there are countless moving parts involved in licensing movies, but this one is such a proverbial turd in the punchbowl that it makes me wonder who thought it belonged in Netflix’s lineup.

Or maybe I’m just getting cynical in my old age and have been spoiled by way too many great thrillers, which is why The Paradise Murders is performing so well on Netflix right now. That’s the real mystery I’m trying to solve, and this might be the one that claims my life when I dig too deep and find answers to questions I shouldn’t be asking.

THE PARADISE MURDERS SCORE

Joe Amabile, commonly known as “Grocery Store Joe” from “The Bachelor,” recently shared a concerning health update on his social media account. In a heartfelt video, the 40-year-old reality star revealed that doctors have discovered what they believe to be an early-stage brain tumor following a Prenuvo full-body scan. In the video, Amabile expressed that he’s finding it difficult to process the news but is leaning on his friends and family for support during this challenging time.

Amabile, who also went on to appear in “The Bachelor in Paradise,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and Amazon Prime’s “The GOAT,” gave his fans a medical update on July 13 and revealed his doctors found a “blueberry-sized lesion” in his brain that appears to be a tumor. Amabile explained that the next step is for him to get brain surgery to get the lesion removed for testing.

The “Bachelor” alum admitted to struggling with the news, adding that it caught him by surprise. “I think it’s one of those things where you’re like, ‘Oh, something like this never happened to me,’ and here I am,” he said. “They say it’s really early stages. I hope they are able to get it all, and I’m fine. But I will keep you updated.”

Joe Amabile Gets Support From His Wife, Other Public Figures After Revealing Health Update

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Amabile got even more candid in his Instagram caption, saying that the past month had been challenging for him and his family.

Despite the sad news, the TV personality said he was relying on those around him to get through it. “I’m doing my best to stay positive during this time and am lucky to have a lot of support from family and friends,” he wrote.

While he admitted to going back and forth about whether to share the news online, he decided to reveal it to be honest with his fans. “Onto a new journey,” he added.

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Amabile received support from a handful of other public figures, including Wells Adams, who wrote, “Love you, brother. You got this, and we’ve got you.”

His wife, Serena Pitt, added, “You’re so strong, and we’re going to get through this together. I love you.”

Dylan Efron also chimed in, adding two red heart emojis.

Joe Amabile Isn’t The Only Reality Star Who Opened Up About Frightening Findings After Undergoing Testing

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According to a previous report from The Blast, MTV veteran and “Jersey Shore” star Snooki also opened up about her doctor’s concerns after she underwent testing.

In a January 2026 TikTok, Snooki said that he had to have an “uncomfortable” procedure done after doctors found “cancerous cells on the top of my cervix.”

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The mother of three said she was “terrified” to hear the news because it meant she’d have to undergo another procedure. “It’s scary, but we have to get it done because cervical cancer is nothing to joke about,” she said.

Snooki Wanted To Share The News To Encourage Other People To Take Their Health Seriously

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Later in the clip, an emotional Snooki said that if the second procedure produced more unfortunate news, she’d likely have to undergo a hysterectomy—a surgical operation that removes the uterus.

As she continued, Snooki admitted that processing the news was difficult for her; however, her primary reason for sharing was to encourage others to get tested regularly and to stay on top of their health.

“Just making this video to spread awareness to make sure you get your pap smears. And if your doctor calls you to do it again, do it,” she said. “Make sure you’re fine and prevent all the bad things that could happen, like cervical cancer.”

How Did Snooki Cheer Herself Up After Learning She’d Been Diagnosed With Cancer?

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Weeks later, Snooki revealed she’d been diagnosed with Stage 1 cervical cancer, according to PEOPLE, but she said she wasn’t letting the news weigh her down.

“Everything’s going to be fine. I’m going to tackle this and get it done,” she said, adding that, like Amabile, she was relying on her village for support.

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“A lot of women go through it silently without anyone to talk to and they’re scared by themselves. And that was me until I decided to upload the video about what was happening with me,” she said.

And while she was upset by the news, she admitted in a recent interview that she engaged in retail therapy to lift her spirits.

“… I was like, ‘You’re a bad b-tch, you’re going to be fine, you tackle everything,’” she said. “… [I] spent, like, thousands of dollars. Then, after that mental breakdown, I was like, ‘Alright, let’s get this done,’” she added, revealing she spent her hard-earned money on handbags from Louis Vuitton and Gucci.

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Margaret Qualley and Jack Antonoff‘s split continues to draw public attention, largely because the couple appeared highly committed to each other after their marriage.

Now, sources claim the duo’s opposite personalities caused a major clash in their relationship, which ultimately led to their breakup.

This comes after Margaret Qualley called out reports that she and Jack Antonoff separated over “trust issues” in their three-year marriage.

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A new report suggests that Qualley and Antonoff’s marriage encountered difficulties due to fundamental differences in their personalities.

An insider close to the situation told People Magazine that the estranged couple held different perspectives on life, which ultimately strained their relationship.

“Margaret has a light, very positive energy. She’s warm, upbeat and always tries to see the best in people,” the source said. “Jack tends to be more serious. They just look at life differently.”

“Their personalities weren’t the best match in the long run,” the insider added about the duo’s separation.

With the pair now separated, the source noted that Qualley is putting all her focus into her career, as she loves acting, and it’s the one thing that consistently makes her happy.

“She genuinely loves acting and gets excited about every new project. That’s always been a huge part of who she is,” the source told the publication.

They continued, “She’s the happiest when she’s working, and right now, she’s just looking ahead and focusing on what’s next. She’s spent years building her career and is excited to keep doing what she loves.”

How The Couple’s Split Rumors First Started

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Speculations surrounding the estranged couple’s marriage began after fans noticed that Antonoff appeared at a high-profile event without Qualley. Some social media users started questioning if the pair were still together.

As is the norm with celebrity relationships, online theories quickly snowballed into claims that the pair had separated and why the separation occurred.

In no time, the unfounded rumors gained traction and spread across several social media platforms. Some anonymous posts online suggested that the couple were having longstanding problems behind the scenes.

Although none of the allegations were supported by credible evidence, they were widely shared across social media, fueling even more discussions among fans.

Qualley and Antonoff, who got married in August 2023, have generally kept their relationship away from the spotlight. That privacy left room for speculation to flourish once the rumors began circulating.

Fans Speculated Infidelity And Trust Issues

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As the breakup rumors spread, some online accounts escalated the conversation by alleging that infidelity and trust issues had contributed to the supposed split.

These claims appeared to stem largely from anonymous gossip rather than verified reporting, yet they were repeated widely enough to attract significant attention. Despite the growing online conversation, no credible outlet reported evidence supporting the cheating allegations, making the claims largely a product of internet speculation.

It’s unclear why these rumors gained traction so quickly, but the “Maid” actress was clearly affected by it and decided to do something about it immediately.

In a statement by her representative, Qualley shut down the cheating rumors vehemently, citing that the allegations are unfounded.

Margaret Qualley’s Representative Firmly Denied The Cheating Claims

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As the rumors continued to gain traction, Qualley’s representative issued an unusually direct response to curb the damage of the unfounded rumor.

The statement rejected claims that infidelity or trust issues had played any role in the actress’s relationship with Antonoff, calling the reports “false.” By addressing the allegations head-on, Qualley’s team sought to put an end to the speculation before it spread even further.

As reported by People, the statement read, “The narratives running in the press about Margaret and Jack are categorically untrue. There are no trust issues. There was no infidelity or anything outside of respect and partnership in this relationship.”

Furthermore, the statement acknowledged that the pair “have deep love and care” for each other and that people spreading false rumors about them do not know them. The rep also encouraged the public to respect their privacy.

The decision to issue a public denial underscored just how widespread the false claims had become.

Where Does Margaret Qualley and Jack Antonoff’s Marriage Stand Now

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On July 8, 2026, People confirmed that the pair have made the mutual decision to be separated. However, another insider claimed to the outlet that the couple is still trying to “figure things out.”

Despite the breakup, sources close to the couple have described their split as a situation being handled with care and respect.

This is evident in Qualley’s representative’s statement urging the public to stop spreading misinformation about the pair.

While fans may continue searching for answers about what led to the separation, both stars have largely chosen privacy over publicly discussing the details of their marriage.

By TeeJay Small
| Updated 1 hour ago

If psychological thrillers are your game, you owe it to yourself to watch the 2014 smash-hit film Gone Girl. Actually, scratch that, you should watch Gone Girl even if psychological thrillers are your least favorite thing in the world. This film, which adapts the Gillian Flynn novel of the same name, is one of those movies that will make you stare on in horror as your jaw hits the floor, leaving you unable to look away. For a time, the only way to catch Gone Girl was with a physical copy or a digital rental, but it finally just landed on Netflix, so it should jump to the top of your watch-list immediately.

Gone Girl was adapted for the screen by Gillian Flynn and directed by auteur filmmaker David Fincher. In case you’re not up on your iconic filmmakers, Fincher is responsible for such classics as Fight Club, Zodiac, and The Social Network. He’s also currently working on helming the Quentin Tarantino-penned Adventures of Cliff Booth as well as Squid Game: America for Netflix.

A Media-Friendly Turn For The Worse

The film centers on the strained marriage of teacher Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike). Amy is locally famous for being her parents’ muse in a series of children’s books, so it makes massive headlines when she suddenly disappears without a trace. Police investigators and media journalists swarm the Dunne home, while the general public reacts with disgust at Nick’s apathetic response. Before long, this woman’s disappearance is a national news story, reminiscent of many true crime cases of missing women slain by their romantic partners.

Through a series of flashbacks, memory sequences, and non-linear storytelling, we get glimpses of Nick and Amy’s marriage. We see their whirlwind romance and honeymoon phase, as well as their slow decline into marital malaise. We cringe as the pair lose their jobs and are forced to move in with Nick’s family, and recoil as we learn that Nick has been engaging in an affair with a student. Meanwhile, a blood sample found in the Dunne household reveals that a struggle took place, and that Amy has recently become pregnant.

Essential Viewing For Any Thriller Fan

I won’t give away too much of the mystery here, because you should really go into this one as blind as possible. But, suffice is to say, the evidence keeps mounting that Nick is responsible, even as he and his legal team attempt to drum up support from the public and prove his innocence. Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike offer tour de force performances as Nick and Amy, while the rest of the cast is expertly complimented by Neil Patrick Harris, Carrie Coon, and Tyler Perry. This is the movie that convinced me Tyler Perry has the same unexpected dramatic acting chops as Adam Sandler, when he’s not busy throwing on a dress and making fart noises to the camera.

I recall enjoying this movie when it first came out, but revisiting it today put it on another level for me. In a world dominated by true crime stories, Gone Girl is the perfect modern mystery, highlighting the role that the media, the public, and the police play in shaping narratives. If you’ve got a Netflix subscription, be sure to pull up Gone Girl today. Just don’t make the mistake of putting it on during a first date … or even a fifth anniversary celebration with your spouse.

By Jennifer Asencio
| Published 43 seconds ago

Last month, Giant Freakin Robot reported that Colin Cunningham, who played King Vortigern on The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin, was nominated for a British Columbia Leo Award for his role on the show. The Leo Award is similar to the Golden Globes, in that it honors both movies and series for technical excellence in categories ranging from Best Show to Best Costuming, with a focus on Canadian talent. Cunningham has worked in the Canadian TV market, including on the series Falling Skies, making him eligible for the award.

The Pendragon Cycle is about the youth of Merlin, in the days before he was even advisor to Uther Pendragon, Arthur’s father. In fact, Colin Cunningham’s episode, “A Fatherless Child,” is the one that chronicles the two legendary men meeting as Uther’s brother, Aurelius, attempts to rally all the regional kings of Briton under one banner to fight off invading Saxons. Cunningham’s character, King Vortigern, has been working with the Saxons, much to his own detriment. Vortigern demands Merlin’s counsel but is such a tyrant that Merlin refuses to work with him. However, Vortigern is more of a tragic figure than an evil one, a king who is simultaneously trying to do the best for his people while doing absolutely the wrong thing.

A Powerhouse Performance Finally Getting Its Flowers

Cunningham’s performance was tear-jerking from beginning to end as he wrestles with the new world that has come to his doorstep, making the character a formidable opponent for Tom Sharp’s Merlin. This made it one of the most dramatic episodes in the entire series, not to mention a wonderful follow-up to a somewhat middling premiere. The entire series was excellent, and I have written reviews of nearly the entire series, rating it an average of 4.5 stars.

Despite the high production values, compelling script, and excellent performances by a mix of experienced actors like Cunningham and Steve Varnom (who played King Custennin in episodes 5 and 7) and newcomers like Sharp and Alex Laurence-Phillips, The Pendragon Cycle started its life being snubbed by critics. It also premiered on Daily Wire+, a niche streamer that is mostly conservative news and controversial personalities, which was the main reason given by many pundits who didn’t want to judge the show on its own merits.

Fortunately, the Leo Awards did judge the show on its own merits and found a way to honor it through Cunningham’s role. While Americans were shooting off fireworks for the 250^th, Cunningham was busy winning the Leo Award for Best Lead Performance in a Dramatic Series. So, while the series still, as of this writing, has no Rotten Tomatoes score, it has already racked up one award, which, if awards are being honest, should be the first of many. It also makes a stronger case for making a second season, especially given that the first season ended with a major time jump that left a lot of questions unanswered.

Congratulations to Colin Cunningham on earning this award, and to the entire production cast and crew of The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin, for hard work finally recognized. If the sword wasn’t in the stone, I’d raise it in cheers.

By TeeJay Small
| Published 1 hour ago

If you’re tuned into NBA news at all, you’ve likely already heard the announcement that LeBron James is leaving the Lakers and entering into a free agency. This news is quite shocking for basketball fans, since the 41-year-old baller has spent the last eight seasons playing for Los Angeles, and the last two playing alongside his own son. While this shakeup is bound to produce headlines for the coming months, I’m a bit more concerned about the forthcoming bidding process, since the last LeBron free agency devolved into a who’s who of celebrity cameos and absurd promises.

In case you don’t recall, LeBron James previously announced a free agency ahead of the 2010-2011 NBA season. During that time, every team in the association was chomping at the bit to poach the decorated basketball champ, whether they could afford him or not. Some truly insane offers hit the table, alongside video promotions like “Please Stay, LeBron.” The video in question featured a bevy of hyper-local Cleveland micro celebrities, spanning radio station DJs, TV personalities, and politicians, begging LeBron to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers to the tune of 1985’s “We Are The World.”

Cringe ‘Em If Ya Got ‘Em

Unfortunately for the Cavs, James ultimately wasn’t swayed, but that was far from the only promotional stunt deployed to tug at his heartstrings. A few years back, I wrote on this very website about the bizarre Sopranos reunion video in which James Gandolfini and Edie Falco beg LeBron to join the New York Knicks. The video, which was considered lost media for over a decade, surfaced on the web back in 2024, and serves as the only reprisal of Gandolfini in the Tony Soprano role since the HBO series concluded in 2007. An extended version of this video supposedly exists as well, featuring Robert De Niro, Chris Rock, Spike Lee, and others.

While LeBron James was an invaluable asset back in 2010, I have a feeling that his current superstar status will invite far more of these celebrity hostage negotiations in the coming year. Since the aforementioned videos were produced, James has won four NBA championships, nine MVP honors, and two Olympic gold medals. He also tops the league as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, having accumulated more than 43,000 career points. He even won Worst Actor at the 42nd Golden Raspberry Awards, though that doesn’t do much to hype up his on-the-court performance.

For a normal NBA all-star, the 40-something age bracket would be a career death sentence. For LeBron, it’s a shimmering green light on the horizon, letting every team in the NBA know that they could be the association that gets his final years. Most teams are already priced out of his eight-figure salary, so it stands to reason that they’ll try to entice him with more pandering content.

So, what’s next? A cover of “Not Like Us” by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu? A Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish collab? An offer to change the Chicago team’s name from the Bulls to the ‘Brons? For now, it’s anyone’s guess, but I’d recommend bracing for some gale-force cringe in the meantime.

By Robert Scucci
| Published 26 seconds ago

While your mileage may vary, I’ve always been a fan of Blaxploitation parody because of how unhinged the humor is and how willing everybody is to commit to the bit. Lee Frost’s The Thing With Two Heads (1972), Rudy Ray Moore’s Dolemite (1975), and Juel Taylor’s They Cloned Tyrone (2023) are all essential viewing if you’re looking for a solid entry point into the genre, but there’s one hidden gem that I never hear getting enough love after finally sitting down and watching it critically: 1988’s I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.

It’s Keenen Ivory Wayans’ directorial debut, and you can tell he was hungry because there must be hundreds of jokes jammed into its 89-minute runtime. It never lets up for even a second. It’s a masterclass in physical comedy, raunchy humor, and the kind of racial humor where everybody on screen is having the time of their lives trying to make the funniest movie they could possibly throw together with a $3 million budget.

The Gold Chain Epidemic And Its Subsequent Fallout

As overtly slapstick as I’m Gonna Git You Sucka may seem on the surface, it gets most of its laughs from playing everything straight-faced. The whole movie takes place in Any Ghetto, U.S.A., where we’re introduced to our hero, Jack Spade (Keenen Ivory Wayans). He learns that his brother Junebug overdosed on gold chains and is disappointed that both his mother Belle (Ja’Net DuBois) and sister-in-law Cheryl (Dawnn Lewis) don’t want him to exact revenge. Their logic is simple: they already lost Junebug, and they can’t go through the pain of losing another family member.

Taking matters into his own hands, Jack sets out to get revenge against Mr. Big (John Vernon), the crime lord responsible for the gold chain epidemic, and seeks out John Slade (Bernie Casey). Reluctant to return to his crime-fighting ways, John Slade has a change of heart and helps Jack assemble a team of vigilantes, each with their own idiosyncrasies and special skills. We’re introduced to Kung Fu Joe (Steve James), Flyguy (Antonio Fargas), Slammer (Jim Brown), and Hammer (Isaac Hayes), and together they set out to restore peace to Any Ghetto, U.S.A., though they know they’re going to have to bust out the big guns when the going gets tough.

Makes The Kind Of Gags That Don’t Announce Themselves As Gags

I’m Gonna Git You Sucka wins some serious points because it knows it’s a comedy but doesn’t patronize the audience when things push into increasingly silly territory. My favorite sequence in the entire film is when Belle gets into a fight with a bunch of aggressive patrons at a diner and goes into fully berserk mode. During this brief sequence, Ja’Net DuBois is swapped out with a white stunt double sporting a tight afro and a mustache, looking more like Gene Shalit than a middle-aged Black mother. The joke lands so well because nobody acknowledges it or mentions it again. It just happens, and then we’re onto the next gag.

Similarly, whenever Mr. Big’s hapless henchmen, Willie (Kadeem Hardison) and Leonard (Damon Wayans), step out of line, they’re escorted out of whatever building they’re occupying. They’re asked if they want to take the back door or the stairs, always choosing the latter right before they’re thrown down them. On its own, this recurring gag is funny, but the real clincher is that everybody in this universe understands what the setup means and goes along with it anyway as if there’s no other way to handle things.

Everything about I’m Gonna Git You Sucka is wildly impractical, but it’s done this way because the only thing that matters is chasing laughs. Don’t even get me started on Hammer’s suiting-up montage when a rampage is imminent, and how horribly wrong it goes when he thinks he finally has enough weapons on his person.

If you’re looking for a straight-up jokefest that isn’t afraid to go full ridiculous, look no further than I’m Gonna Git You Sucka. It may very well be my favorite thing the Wayans brothers have worked on, and it’s for good reason. They tried to make the funniest Blaxploitation film they could with the resources they had on hand, and they succeeded in every measurable way I can reasonably think of.

As of this writing, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka is streaming for free on Tubi.

I’M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA SCORE

Severance‘s Adam Scott is desperate to find his missing son in the serial killer thriller The Whisper Man. He’s in a race against time to find out how his son’s disappearance is linked to the crimes of a long-imprisoned serial killer, and it may already be too late. You can dive into the mystery in the first trailer for The Whisper Man, which will premiere on Netflix this summer.

In the trailer, Scott plays Tom Kennedy, a widowed crime writer whose life is shattered when his eight-year-old son disappears. He’s forced to turn to a man he hasn’t spoken to in years: his father, Pete Willis (Robert De Niro), a retired police detective. Together, they piece together that the boy’s disappearance may be connected to a serial killer, the titular Whisper Man, who’s been imprisoned for decades. But if the Whisper Man is in jail, who has Tom’s son? Can he be saved before it’s too late? You’ll have to find out when The Whisper Man premieres on August 28.

Who Are the Creatives Behind ‘The Whisper Man’?

In addition to Scott and De Niro, The Whisper Man also stars Michelle Monaghan (True Detective), Michael Keaton (Batman), John Carroll Lynch (Zodiac), and Hamish Linklater (Widow’s Bay). It is directed by New Zealand’s James Ashcroft, who sent shivers up spines with the psychological thriller The Rule of Jenny Pen last year, and is set to helm the Emilia Clarke chiller When Darkness Loves Us for next year. The script is by horror veterans Ben Jacoby (The First Omen) and Chase Palmer (It).

The Whisper Man is based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Alex North. It is produced by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, Angela Russo-Otstot, Michael Disco, and Kassee Whiting, and executive produced by Marcus Viscidi, Tim Connors, and Alex Leb.

The Whisper Man will premiere on Netflix on August 28. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

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The Whisper Man

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Release Date

August 28, 2026

Runtime

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106 minutes

Director

James Ashcroft

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Writers

Ben Jacoby, Chase Palmer, Alex North

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