Entertainment
The 15 Best Dad Movies Of All Time
By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated
It’s not a particular genre like science fiction, fantasy, or drama, but there’s no denying the power of a great dad movie. Dad movies are perfect for men of a certain age, but what exactly makes a movie a dad movie, is up for debate. After going through countless films, I think Dad movies are about competent men excelling through their devotion to duty, personal ethics, a particular set of skills, and overcoming the odds.
That and movies where you can fall asleep in the middle and still enjoy the third act. Dads love a good nap!
These are the 15 best Dad movies of all time.
15. Rudy
Al Bundy once scored 4 touchdowns in a single game to win the city championship for Polk High against their rival, Andrew Johnson High. A lot of Dads out there think they can still go, one last time, and win the game. No movie gives hope to the underdog like Rudy.
Starring Sean Astin before he carried Frodo into Mordor, Rudy is the true story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruttiger, the undersized football player who lacks the grades to make into Notre Dame. By devoting himself to his goal, Rudy earns the grades he needs, and walks onto the Fighting Irish. Even then, he never makes it to the field.
Until the very last play, of his very last game as a Senior.
The beauty of Rudy is that it’s not really a football movie. You can know nothing about the gridiron and still lose your mind cheering by the end of the film. Pursuing a dream with everything in you, letting nothing stand in your way, that’s universal.
14. Ocean’s 11
Sauve, sophisticated, and able to outsmart everyone, George Clooney’s Danny Ocean is what every Dad sees when they look at themselves in the mirror. As a gentleman thief, Clooney drips cool in every single shot. Add to that the rest of the crew, and what guy hasn’t wanted to knock off a Vegas casino with the boys?
It’s the crew, including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernice Mac, Elliot Gould, and Dan Cheadle, that turns Ocean’s 11 into a full-on Dad movie.
They may be thieves, explosives experts, pickpockets, and con artists, but they look out for each other. It’s unconventional, but it’s a bond of brotherhood and male friendship that every Dad wants to have with the boys. That and heist movies are fun, and Ocean’s 11 is such a breezy, light watch that it’s impossible to not enjoy yourself. Ocean’s 12 was a step back, and Ocean’s 13 was a return to form, but nothing beats the first film.
13. The Blues Brothers
It started with a harmonica and a dream. Dan Aykroyd turned his love of blues music into The Blues Brothers, a Saturday Night Live sketch with John Belushi, and then, in 1980, they took to the big screen with the greatest movie about getting the band back together. On a mission from God to save an orphanage, Jake and Elwood Blues tear up the state of Illinois, resulting in an unforgettable chase through a mall and the largest pile-up in movie history.
It’s fun, it’s frenetic, and along with a love for history, most Dads start to appreciate the blues as they get older. The Blues Brothers has a killer soundtrack and cameos from classic blues musicians, and then soul singers Aretha Franklin and James Brown, among many, many other cameos. Steven Spielberg, Carrie Fisher, Paul Reubens, Joe Walsh, John Candy; it’s a who’s who of the late 70s and early 80s.
Teaching your kids to appreciate The Blues Brothers is a rite of passage.
12. Major League
“Just a bit outside.” “He leads the league in most offensive categories, including nosehair.”
As Dads, we love running movie quotes into the ground. Combined with baseball and a team of underdogs, Major League is a perfect summer movie for Dads. Bob Uecker’s commentary alone is worth rewatching it for the 50th time. Chances are, there’s a new throwaway joke or visual gag you’ll pick up on.
Charlie Sheen as “Wild Thing” Ricky Vaughn is the role he was born to play, while Major League is a reminder of why he became an A-list star in the first place. And if you don’t start stomping your feet and singing Wild Thing during the playoff game against the most hated team in baseball, the New York Yankees, then you are clinically dead.
Major League is nearly 40 years old, and the comedy still holds up. It’s better than a lot of today’s comedies; even if the Cleveland Indians no longer exist, it’s a timeless dad movie you can throw on and endlessly quote all Summer long.
11. The Fugitive
In the 90s, Harrison Ford achieved peak Dad movie. Air Force One, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, it was an incredible run. The best of the best, though, is 1993’s The Fugitive.
As the wrongfully accused Dr. Richard Kimble, Ford’s charismatic swagger takes a backseat to his frantic escape from the clutches of Tommy Lee Jones U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard. The sewer-drain standoff between the two is so good, it helped win Jones an Oscar.
The Fugitive is one of the leanest movies ever made. There’s no extra padding anywhere. It’s a man on the run from the feds, trying to solve his wife’s murder. That’s it. It’s two hours long, but feels shorter. The moment the prison bus breakout happens, The Fugitive hits the gas and doesn’t let up.
Like Taken, every Dad has people in their life that if something happened to them, they’d risk everything. Dr. Kimble goes headfirst down a waterfall, hunts down his wife’s killer, uncovers a conspiracy, and does it all while avoiding the U.S. Marshals. When we tell our families that nothing would stop us, we like to think we’d be Dr. Richard Kimble and that we’d look as cool as Harrison Ford.
10. The Great Escape
There was some discussion here at Giant Freakin Robot about which Steve McQueen movie to include. The Magnificent Seven? The Thomas Crown Affair? Bullitt? The best of them is The Great Escape, the 1963 war epic about Allied Prisoners of War escaping from behind German lines.
Loosely based on the true story of a British breakout during World War 2, The Great Escape is so good; even if you’ve never seen it, you’ve seen movies and shows that have taken bits and pieces of it. Dads love history, and World War 2 history is so popular that the History Channel existed for years on nothing but shows about the war.
The Great Escape combines the setting with award-winning performances, and Steve McQueen doing Steve McQueen things, this time on a motorcycle, to become one of the best dad movies of all time. The cast list is a who’s who of the era’s greatest male stars, including Charles Bronson, James Garner, Donald Pleasance, Richard Attenborough, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., David McCallum.
The Great Escape isn’t the easiest watch on this list, but it’s filled with men doing the right thing and continuing to fight. They never lose hope.
9. Braveheart
Dads love history. Dads love epic battle scenes. Even if it plays a little fast and loose with the real history of William Wallace, Braveheart is fun. Alright, that may be a strange way to describe a movie where the hero is eviscerated, but you will get goose bumps at Mel Gibson’s battle cry, “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!”
Dads want to protect their family. That’s the basis for a lot of these Dad movies: to William Wallace, every Scot was part of his family. He waged war for his country, and he re-shaped the history of England through sheer force of will. Even while being tortured to death, he refuses to back down on his principles, refuses to submit to England, and how can you not get moved by that scene?
What you don’t know about Braveheart is that it got a legacy sequel, Robert the Bruce, with Angus Macfadyen reprising his role as….Robert the Bruce. It was barely released outside of England, lacks the over-the-top bombast of Braveheart, and you’re better off re-watching Mel Gibson’s Best Picture-winning historical epic for the 20th time.
8. Kevin Costner
Trying to find the greatest Dad movie out of Kevin Costner’s filmography is impossible. Is it Dances with Wolves? Tin Cup? Field of Dreams? The Bodyguard? Bull Durham? The Untouchables? Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves? The hill I’ll die on is that Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is an incredible movie and I’m not the strange one for loving it.
That’s not even counting Horizon: An American Saga or all of his work on Yellowstone. There’s something about Costner’s acting style that makes him the perfect middle-aged (or uh, older) man. He’s able to be stoic, but emotionally vulnerable, strong but tender. Kevin Costner is America’s Dad.
That said, he was unable to act with a British accent (I’ll admit Mel Brooks was right), but Costner is singlehandedly working to bring back the Western. There’s nothing more American, and few genres are more beloved by Dads than the Western. Once he finishes his Horizon Saga, it might be the greatest modern Western.
Until then, pick a random movie from his IMDb (except The Postman), kick back, and relax in the presence of the ultimate Dad.
7. Goodfellas
In 1990, The Godfather Part 3 was overshadowed by another Mafia movie, Goodfellas. It was more frenetic, with a focus on one Wise Guy who breaks with the family: Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill. You could argue that Joe Pesci steals the film as Tommy DeVito, who’s funny like a clown, but it’s all about the rise and fall of Henry Hill’s cocaine empire before he becomes a stool pigeon.
There’s something about the world of the Mafia that’s appealing to Dads. Is it the freedom to do, mostly, what they want? Is it the brotherhood of Made Men? Is it that a life of organized crime seems more exciting than going to the office each day to pick up that phone and make sales calls? Whatever the reason, you can’t deny their success.
Goodfellas has aged as well as The Godfather, and there’s even a large chunk of the audience that thinks it’s better. It’s not, but they can think that. What it does contain is the greatest shot in movie history; so good, it’s referred to as “The Copa Shot.” Henry Hill walking his girl, Karen through the Copacabana is a two and half minute long tracking shot that took an unimaginable amount of skill and coordination to pull off.
It looks amazing, and it sums up everything great about Goodfellas: Ray Liotta’s performance as Henry Hill, the extravagant Mafia lifestyle, power, and freedom.
6. The Hunt For Red October
If a Dad doesn’t have a pile of Tom Clancy books in the house, is he really a Dad?
Tom Clancy novels are engineered in a lab to appeal to Dads. CIA Analyst Jack Ryan is highly competent, dedicated to his job, and knows more than his bosses. It’s middle-aged escapism, and you know what? It’s awesome.
The first novel, The Hunt for Red October, is also the best movie, starring Adam Baldwin as Jack Ryan and Sean Connery as the renegade Russian Captain Marko. It’s filled with men sacrificing everything for honor and doing what they know is right for their country, even as their country is trying to stop them.
Submarine movies are few and far between. The Hunt for Red October perfected the military sub-genre…get it?…..it’s a sub-genre of military movies but also….they are on a sub. I thought it was funny.
Jack Ryan movies have stopped, but the character lives on through Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan series starring John Krasinski, the latest actor to take up the mantle. Maybe someday we’ll finally get a Jack Ryan as President movie. Or Rainbow Six. Now that would be fun.
As for The Hunt for Red October, it’s 42 years old, which is also the age of its target audience. It’s been considered a classic since the day it was released. Which is impressive, since it’s all subplot. Get it? Subplot? Alright, fine, next entry.
5. Top Gun
It’s impossible to talk about the greatest Dad movies without taking the HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE.
Top Gun turned Tom Cruise into a star, made the Navy cool, redefined action movies, and forever changed how Hollywood filmed planes.
The opening five minutes set the mood, from the orchestral Top Gun theme right into Kenny Loggins ’ DANGER ZONE over footage of planes taking off and landing on an aircraft carrier. If you ever get the chance to see it in the theater, you have to. The 1986 blockbuster is still one of the best-looking films ever.
Part of what makes a film a great Dad movie is seeing competent men doing their jobs better than anyone else, proving their doubters wrong, and looking awesome in the process. Tom Cruise’s Maverick does all of that, while also piloting the cutting-edge F14-A Tomcat at speeds we can barely imagine.
Top Gun is a great example of how men make friends. Maverick and Ice Man despise each other, but not really, because when the chips are down, they are on the same team working for the same goal. How many men made a lifelong friend on the playground by getting into a fight? That’s how we operate.
Top Gun: Maverick is another great Dad movie, but nothing will ever capture the feeling of the original.
4. Gladiator
“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the North, general of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”
That has to be one of the greatest movie quotes of all time. Russel Crowe goes hard in his delivery, and thanks to his Oscar-winning performance, Gladiator is an all-time great movie. In the year 2000, it had been decades since swords and sandals epics were considered blockbusters. Gladiator changed that.
Everything that makes a great Dad movie is here: a skilled, talented father out for revenge over the death of his family, an entire civilization that wants him to fail, and he wins them over with his never-give-up attitude. Russell Crowe understood the assignment. He refused to do a love scene with Lucilla, knowing that it would undercut the mission to avenge his wife if he slept with another woman.
That’s green flag behavior and more evidence that Gladiator is one of the best Dad movies of all time.
The sequel…not so much. Maybe we’ll come around on it in a few years, but it’s hard to top Maximus Decimus Meridius mission for vengeance, in this life or the next.
3. Die Hard
It’s the greatest action movie of all time. It single-handedly redefined the entire genre, and it turned Bruce Willis into a movie star. Die Hard is one of the 80s greatest Dad movies. Willis’ John McLane isn’t a special forces operative; he’s not a secret agent trained to kill; he’s a New York City cop who finds himself in the middle of a hostage situation.
Using nothing but his wits and a never-say-die attitude, he turns the tables on Hans Gruber, saves the day, and maybe wins back his ex-wife. It helps that it’s filled with great quotes you can annoy your family with for days after watching the movie.
The first two sequels are also great films, Die Hard With A Vengeance, the third film, includes Samuel L. Jackson. The chemistry between Jackson and Willis is electric. The only thing holding it back from being on this list is, well, Die Hard. The original is a nearly perfect movie.
Die Hard only misses out on our top spot because the next two films are peak “Dadcore.”
2. The Godfather
The Godfather is one of the greatest Dad movies of all time.
Wait, I have to actually explain why The Godfather is so good? Seriously? Who hasn’t seen Francis Ford Coppola’s epic saga of the Corleone crime family?
The Godfather is so good it forever changed how the Mafia is viewed, forever changed crime movies, and without The Godfather, we never would have been able to endlessly quote Goodfellas and The Sopranos.
Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, James Caan, Robert Duvall, all of them turn in all-time classic performances. These men didn’t break the mold for Mafia crime movies; they created the mold. Dads love Mafia movies. These men, this film, it’s responsible for all of them.
Dads also love quotes, “Take the gun, leave the cannoli.”
A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can’t be a real man,” and of course,
“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
The Godfather gave us the greatest lines in the history of movies. The Godfather is over 50 years old, and no Mafia movie since has been able to replace it. You’ve got Goodfellas, you’ve got Scarface, Casino, The Irishman, all great, but nothing beats the original.
1. Master and Commander: Far Side Of The World
Historical? Check. Men fulfilling a duty to God and country? Check. Men forming bonds under fire in the worst situations? Check. Skilled and talented men proving their worth time and time again? Check. A dumb dad joke in the middle of the film? Check.
Russell Crowe? Also check.
Master and Commander: Far Side of the World is the greatest Dad movie of all time.
The 2003 naval epic completed Russell Crowe’s trifecta, starting with Gladiator, then A Beautiful Mind, and ending onboard the British warship Surprise, off the coast of 19th-century Brazil. Tasked with protecting British shipping lanes, the Surprise needs to hunt down the French privateer, Acheron, before it cripples the war against Napoleon.
There aren’t enough movies being made about sailing ships. Master and Commander did it better than any movie before or since, with an eye for historical detail that will forever delight every history buff Dad. Life on a ship was harsh, brutal, and the sequence where the Surprise is stuck in the middle of the ocean due to a lack of wind, is the type of truly depressing historical detail that Hollywood usually leaves out.
The friendship that forms between Crowe’s Jack Aubrey and Paul Bettany’s Stephen Maturin in Master and Commander is the ideal male friendship. They begin a little rough with each other; we question if they even like the other man, but over time, they form the type of bond that’s only forged in fire. And dad jokes.
“The lesser of two weevils” is the type of stupid pun that comes out of nowhere, but you’ll laugh right along with Maturin as Aubrey relaxes a little in the middle of mutiny, storms, and a crafty French opponent. For the Dads upset we never got a sequel to Master and Commander, don’t worry, it’s based on the novels by Patrick O’Brien. Pick those up, and you’ll be able to experience the whole history of Aubrey and Maturin against the backdrop of naval warfare in the 19th Century.
In a just world, Master and Commander would be on the 20th movie in a franchise by now.
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Basgiath is looming in the near distance, and readers won’t have long to wait to return to fantasy’s most terrifying War College. Rebecca Yarros has officially announced the latest addition to her bestselling fantasy series that promises to take fans back to the world of dragon riders, and it’s going to bring us something we’ve been waiting for since the very beginning: Xaden’s Threshing Day.
Sharing the announcement with fans, Fourth Wing creator Yarros wrote: “Welcome to Conscription Day, Cadets! I’m thrilled to share the title and cover of my next book (not book four!) in the Empyrean series: Threshing Day! This collection contains thirteen threshing stories about some of your favorite characters and their dragons.”
Yarros also teased the deluxe edition’s artwork, calling the illustrations “seriously… all so gorgeous,” before reassuring international readers to watch for release updates from their local publishers. Closing the announcement, she wrote: “I hope this gives you a fun trip back to Basgiath while I’m writing book four! So grab your leathers… The dragons are waiting!”
The series follows the life of Violet Sorrengail, a young woman who expects to spend her life among books as a scribe before her imposing mother, a general, forces her to enroll at Basgiath War College, where candidates will train to protect the kingdom of Navarre as dragon riders.
Is There a Fourth Wing TV Series?
Not yet — but there soon will be. Prime Video is now officially bringing Fourth Wing to series, to be produced by Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society, with Meredith Averill serving as showrunner and executive producer. Lisa Joywill direct the first episode and also executive produce, while Yarros is involved as an executive producer alongside Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo. Jordan has already explained that he wants to deliver for fans on every level.
“We are making sure that this is going to be a exciting show that delivers on all of the things the fans want and some of the things that they won’t be expecting either. But trust me, I know how beloved this franchise IP is and we’re diligently… We’re in the lab, we’re cooking up. We got it. It’s coming. It’s early stages, but I feel how much people care about this one. It’s not lost on us.”
Threshing Day goes on sale on September 29, 2026, giving Fourth Wing fans a chance to revisit Basgiath while they await the next mainline novel in the blockbuster fantasy series.
Entertainment
I Play Rocky Trailer Reveals the Inspiring Story Behind Sylvester Stallone’s Greatest Fight : Coastal House Media
A major Marvel rumor is making waves online, with reports claiming that Adam Driver is being lined up to play Magneto in Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated X-Men reboot.
The casting rumor quickly gained traction after surfacing through industry scoopers before spreading across social media, Reddit, and several entertainment news outlets. While Marvel Studios has yet to confirm the report, Driver’s name has rapidly become one of the most talked about possibilities for the iconic mutant leader.
If the rumor proves true, Driver would become the third major actor to portray Erik Lehnsherr on the big screen, following legendary performances by Sir Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender. The role is widely considered one of Marvel’s most complex characters, requiring an actor capable of balancing both villainy and sympathy, something many fans believe Driver has consistently demonstrated throughout his career.
Adding even more excitement to the speculation is the timing. Marvel Studios is expected to return to Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con later this month, and many insiders believe the presentation could serve as the stage for the studio’s first official X-Men casting announcements. While rumors continue to point toward Hall H as the place where Marvel could unveil its new mutant lineup, the studio has not confirmed that any X-Men casting announcements are planned, making the speculation just that for now.
Recent reports have suggested Marvel is assembling a fresh roster of mutants following the events of Avengers: Secret Wars, with younger actors reportedly being sought for characters like Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, and Nightcrawler. Veteran actors are still believed to be in the mix for legacy characters such as Magneto and Professor X, making Driver’s rumored involvement a believable fit if Marvel chooses to go that route.
Magneto, Marvel
Driver is no stranger to blockbuster franchises, having portrayed Kylo Ren throughout Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy while also earning Academy Award nominations for Marriage Story and BlacKkKlansman. His ability to portray emotionally layered characters has made him a longtime fan favorite for several Marvel roles.
For now, however, fans should approach the rumor with caution. Marvel Studios has remained silent regarding its X-Mencast, and numerous names have been linked to the reboot over the past year without becoming official.
With San Diego Comic-Con just around the corner, fans may not have to wait much longer to learn who will lead the next generation of Marvel’s mutants. Whether Adam Driver ultimately dons Magneto’s iconic helmet remains to be seen, but if the Hall H rumors prove accurate, the official reveal could be just days away.
NLE Choppa never fails to keep the internet talking, especially when it’s time to step into a new music era. Throughout his career, the rapper has become known for his wild fashion choices, eye-catching visuals, and risqué lyrics that keep fans talking with every rollout. Now, he’s once again shaking up the timeline after debuting a bold new look while teasing his upcoming album.
RELATED: NLE Choppa Sparks Debate After Addressing Clips Of Him Flirting With Other Women In Front Of His Fiancée (VIDEOS)
NLE Choppa Shows Off His New ’Do Across His Socials
Over the weekend, NLE Choppa popped out on Instagram wearing a white Chrome Hearts tee, leather pants, and a maroon pixie wig. The rapper debuted his new “Shiloh” era while teasing his upcoming album and shared the meaning behind the transformation.
He wrote, “Introducing SHILOH…
Shiloh: Tranquility, Peace, & Gods gift. The Light Bringer
Maroon Hair Color: Renewal Of The Mind
But Still Desporado
I’ve turned my back on this lane, but here is my return!
Eyes out my rear view l’ve seen my influence shape the music we hear today.
Time To Reclaim The THRONE
IM READY !!!!
#Shiloh444 #ALBUMREADY.”
Over on X, NLE Choppa shared more photos wearing the maroon pixie wig while posing in the studio with a leather jacket. He kept the caption simple, writing, “Keep yo peace Shiloh…”
Social Media Reacts
Folks gathered under The Shade Room Teens’ comment section as many began to react to NLE Choppa’s new look. Many shared their thoughts on the hairstyle, while others questioned what to expect from his new era.
Instagram user @latrell.tremayne wrote, “Cmon 27 piece!! 💁🏾♂️ 😍 😂 “
Instagram user @fatbellyjam added, “ Anita Choppa, or NLE Baker??”
While Instagram user @_jayeedoll wrote, “Pls nle i cant keep defending you 😭😭”
Instagram user @lukebucurr_ wrote, “Bro done changed his avatar so many times”
Instagram user @aliiyahmone added, “I wonder about him … what goes on in his brain when he does these things 👀 😂 And I ain’t trying to say nothing wrong. I just want to know how these things come about.”
While Instagram user @4xfettii wrote, “First he was young boy then Kirk Franklin then Tupac now he Tory”
Instagram user @_kyla.jade wrote, “I would be so mad if this was my bd”
Instagram user @banksbig4 added, “Pooh Shiesty Gon Have A Field Day With Ts”
While Instagram user @yafav_scj wrote, “Nah I think I’m starting to love NLE 😭😭 he’s so random”
What Can Fans Expect In This Era From NLE Choppa?
While fans await new music from NLE Choppa, it seems like the rapper is stepping into his next chapter, ready to come back stronger than ever. It’s been nearly two years since NLE Choppa released a full-length project. Since then, he’s kept fans fed with projects like SLUT SZN and installments in his Shotta Flow series while continuing to evolve both personally and creatively.
Lately, the rapper has been very vocal about his personal growth and sobriety journey. Back in May, he wrote on X, “I didn’t realize how much smoking weed was hindering me until I stopped.”
He later followed up with more reflective posts, including “Excuse me for forgetting who I was,”
Based on his recent messages, 2026 appears to be a year of growth and reflection for the rapper. He even recently hit the studio with his daughter, Clover, to create a bop for the kiddies.
RELATED: NLE Choppa Clarifies His “Intimacy” Preference Amid His Risqué Song Teaser Going Viral
What Do You Think Roomies?
By Matthew Swigonski
| Published
There’s just something about buddy cop movies that makes them so entertaining. From the heaping helping of cheesy one-liners to the eventual uncovering of some nefarious conspiracy, the buddy cop recipe might remain the same, but it’s tried and true. Although it might be overlooked, the Netflix original film Spenser Confidential is an entertaining addition to the genre.
A Modern Take On A Classic Character
Don’t let the Netflix original title fool you, Spenser Confidential is based on a character that has been decades in the making. First introduced in 1973 in the novel The Goldwulf Manuscript, by author Robert B. Parker, Spenser has been around the block once or twice. As a detective, he’s as hard-nosed as he is intelligent.
Parker wrote 40 novels detailing the adventures of the witty detective until his death in 2010. Since 2013, author Ace Atkins has taken over the detective series. With nearly 50 years of Spenser material to work with, Netflix decided to green-light a film adaptation of Atkins’ novel Robert B. Parker’s Wonderland in 2018.
Mark Wahlberg Is Spenser
In March 2020, Netflix released Spenser Confidential on its streaming platform. The film is directed by veteran director Peter Berg, who has directed films such as Lone Survivor, Patriot’s Day, and Mile 22. The screenplay is penned by screenwriters Sean O’Keefe and Brian Helgeland.
Tapped to star as the titular character was frequent Berg collaborator Mark Wahlberg. The longtime actor may not be known for being the world’s greatest actor, but he can certainly play the role of a foul-mouthed determined cop. Actors Winston Duke, Alan Arkin, Bokeem Woodbine, and Iliza Shlesinger help round out the cast.
Teaming Up With Hawk
Spenser Confidential follows Spenser after he is sentenced to prison after assaulting police captain John Boylan (Michael Gaston). But after he does his time, it appears that the former cop has put his past behind him and moved on. Spenser is released from prison and finds a place to stay with Hawk (Winston Duke), an up and coming MMA fighter.
However, things take a messy turn when Boylan is murdered, making Spenser a suspect in the case. To make matters worse, another detective also winds up dead shortly after. Smelling something fishy going on, Spenser decides to investigate the case himself.
A Predictable But Satisfying Outing
Unbeknownst to Spenser, his impromptu investigation catches the eye of a small group of dirty cops. With the help of his friend Hawk, Spenser must quickly unravel the mystery before the dirty attempt to tie up loose ends.
For most diehard Spenser fans, Spenser Confidential might seem like a bit of a letdown. The plot is slightly watered down to fit into the 110 minute runtime. With little to no surprises in the story, the movie can also be predictable at times.
Despite its predictability, the movie is an enjoyable experience to sit back and watch Wahlberg and Duke play off of each other. The duo work very well together in their respective roles. Shlesinger is also a breath of fresh air, utilizing a surprisingly effective Boston accent in a comedic role.
While not groundbreaking, Spenser Confidential is a fun buddy cop movie. With solid performances and a decent amount of action, there’s plenty to like about this movie. Maybe it’s not the best film out there, but it is certainly worth a watch.
SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL SCORE
By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated
Babylon 5 was intricately plotted out from the very beginning; this is made clear in the eighth episode of Season 1, “And The Sky Full Of Stars,” which not only calls back to the pilot episode, “The Gathering,” but also lays the groundwork for a grand conspiracy. It was one of many episodes written by creator J. Michael Straczynski and has become a fan favorite thanks to the performance of both Michael O’Hare as a captured and tortured Sinclair and Christopher Neame as the sadistic interrogator Knight Two. It also gets to the heart of an early series mystery: what did happen at the Battle of the Line to end the Earth-Minbari War?
The Earth-Minbari War
There’s no secret that Earth was going to lose against the Minbari. Humanity’s technology was no match for the Minbari ships, and yet, the Minbari surrendered to Earth. As mentioned in “The Gathering” by one of the Minbari, Sinclair has a “hole in his mind” and can’t recall one day during The Battle of the Line. That’s what the unnamed Knight One (Judson Scott) and Knight Two (Neame) have arrived at the station to find out. They have the theory that Sinclair has been compromised and is a Minbari Sleeper Agent.
By abducting Sinclair and putting him in an elaborate digital reconstruction of Babylon 5, Knight Two wants to torture the information out of the Commander. Using pain and psychological warfare by walking Sinclair through his military career, up to the day so many of his comrades died, Knight Two relentlessly digs at the truth (and chews the scenery with a purposely hammy performance), when Sinclair gives in, dives into his missing memory, and recalls his time on a Minbari ship where he met the Minbari Grey Council. And Delenn was there.
Michael O’Hare’s Favorite Episode
“And The Sky Full Of Stars” was one of O’Hare’s favorite episodes, and for good reason. He had brothers who served in the military and wanted to respect the real danger that comes from serving your country. The incredible moment where he’s turning and seeing his comrades killed, over and over with each turn, was a bit of stage direction suggested by O’Hare himself.
The wham moment of the episode, which reveals Delenn (Mira Furlan) being there while Sinclair was a Minbari prisoner, would go on to impact the rest of Babylon 5. Up to this point, Delenn had been the most reasonable of the ambassadors, a representative for the Minbari Religious Caste, and at no time gave a hint that she was directly involved with the Grey Council. With one lift of a hood, everything fans thought they had figured out regarding Human/Minbari relations went right out the window.
Originally, Walter Koenig was supposed to take on the role of Knight Two, but his health prevented him from being available for filming, resulting in the character of Bester being created for him. Patrick McGoohan, creator and star of the legendary sci-fi series The Prisoner was the second choice, but he was also unavailable. It all worked out, as Christopher Neame’s performance was so good, it’s still praised by fans to this day.
Babylon 5 eventually revealed the entire mystery behind the Grey Council and the Minbari, along with Sinclair’s ultimate destiny, but it took awhile to get there. Since there was always a story in place, unlike other sci-fi shows that claimed to have a plan when none existed, “And The Sky Full Of Stars” is able to pay off what came before, set up what comes later, and, in retrospect, stand out for laying all the pieces in front of the audience before they even knew the puzzle existed.
Growing Pains alum Ashley Johnson revealed she was almost kidnapped as a child while filming the hit ‘90s sitcom.
Johnson, 42, recalled the terrifying experience during the Wednesday, July 8, episode of her “Weird Kids” podcast, detailing that members of the show’s live studio audience would stand close to actors as they exited their trailers.
“I’m walking with my mom and I just remember some guy hops out of the line and he grabs me up and starts booking it,” Johnson, who joined the cast as a six-year-old when she began portraying Chrissy Seaver, said. “He ended up, clearly, going to jail. He had a gun.”
The child star, who currently works as a television voice actress, added that on-set security helped her avoid a very dangerous situation. “All I remember is, like, there was security that somehow got on him after some time. The security comes out, they wrestle him down [and] I just remember flying around in the air,” she told her podcast cohost, Taliesin Jaffe. “I was clueless as to what was happening but I was very upset and they were talking to me about it after.”
Tracey Gold’s experience filming Growing Pains wasn’t always filled with laughs. While playing Carol Seaver on the Emmy-winning comedy series, Gold, 55, said “fat jokes” made about her character ultimately had a lasting impact on her real-life physical and mental health. “In the beginning, the Carol Seaver and Mike Seaver [played by Kirk Cameron] relationship […]
Johnson added that she was unable to process the moment as a child, recalling her surprising response to crew members who checked in on her. “I just said, ‘I think I’m going to be in trouble … he took one of my shoes,’” she said. “I had one slipper [and] it wasn’t my shoe, it was wardrobe’s shoe. They got him … [security] saved me.”
The actress also claimed that prior to the almost-kidnapping, a fan of Growing Pains sent in a letter that threatened deadly consequences. “[It read] ‘I am coming to set and I am going to bring a gun and I am going to murder some of the cast,’” Johnson recalled.
Johnson joined Growing Pains, which starred series regulars Kirk Cameron, the late Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Jeremy Miller and Tracey Gold as well as guest star Leonardo DiCaprio during its final season, in its fourth season.
It ran on ABC from 1985 to 1992 and centered on the Seavers, a family with close bonds both on-screen and away from the cameras.
Cameron, 55, said in an interview with Today two days after Thicke’s death following a heart attack at age 69, that the Seaver family felt like a real family. “We laughed and cried together, shared birthday celebrations, Christmas parties, holidays and worked together with the crew as a team to make a really special TV show,” he told the outlet at the time. “We weren’t just a TV family. In many ways, we were a real family.”
Few movie monsters have remained as iconic as the Xenomorph. Ever since Ridley Scott‘s Alien introduced the “perfect organism” in 1979, the creatures have evolved through different hosts, producing countless variations across movies, comics, novels, and video games. Despite those changes, however, the franchise’s monsters have always shared one defining characteristic: the same horrifying life cycle.
Marvel’s preview for Alien: King Killer #4 suggests the franchise is about to challenge that idea. Rather than allowing Xenomorphs to evolve naturally through new hosts, the upcoming issue teases beings intentionally engineered from human, synthetic, and Xenomorph biology, revealing the unsettling truth behind the series’ mysterious Three Kings.
‘Alien: King Killer’ Reveals What the Three Kings Really Are
The preview of issue #4 opens with Idris, Aisha, and Zain traveling to the Institute where their story first began. Hoping to uncover the truth behind the Xenomorph outbreak on Sovryn, the siblings return to the abandoned scientific facility where Idris admits he hasn’t set foot since childhood. From there, Alien: King Killer shifts into a revealing flashback. The scientist responsible for creating the Three Kings addresses the young siblings as his “children,” explaining that they were never meant to be ordinary humans. Instead, he proudly describes them as “human, synthetic, Xenomorph” lifeforms, engineered to become “warrior-leaders capable of colonizing the harshest of planets.”
The revelation reframes everything readers have learned about the Three Kings throughout the series so far. Rather than simply surviving the Xenomorph invasion because of experimental enhancements, the preview suggests they were created as part of a much larger vision for humanity’s future. According to their creator, governments dismissed the Xenomorph threat as another obstacle to interstellar expansion, while he believed the species represented humanity’s next evolutionary step. He even declares the Three Kings to be “the first generation of the future” and models for what humanity must become if it hopes to survive.
The preview stops short of revealing where those experiments ultimately lead, but it offers plenty of ominous hints. As the Institute descends into chaos during the flashback, readers get a glimpse of the horrors lurking within the facility, teasing that the truth behind the Three Kings may be even darker than they imagined.
Alien: King Killer #4 is available now from Marvel Comics and at your local comic shop.
Shania Twain has revealed she declined an invitation to Taylor Swift’s wedding due to her tie to Swift’s ex Harry Styles.
“I would have done anything to be at Taylor’s wedding,” Twain, 60, said in an interview with Canadian entertainment outlet ETalk, published on Tuesday, July 14. “I would have done anything, and that would have been really lovely for me to be there — but I was with Harry.”
Twain was referring to her musical role in opening Styles’ 12-show residency at London’s Wembley Stadium, which overlapped with Swift’s July 3 wedding to Travis Kelce inside New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
“Taylor Swift invited me to her wedding and I couldn’t go because I was already committed to Harry’s shows. I was already committed,” the “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” hitmaker quipped. “If Harry ever gets married and he wants me at his wedding then … he’s going to have to ask me more in advance.”
Taylor Swift celebrated her 2026 American Music Awards nominations from afar as the ceremony took place without her. The pop superstar, 36, skipped the Monday, May 25, awards show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Swift leads the pack of AMAs nominees this year. Her eight nods include Artist of the Year, […]
As the ETalk host pointed out, Swift, 36, and Styles, 32, dated from 2012 to 2013, making Twain’s prior engagement all the more awkward. “It’s just kind of funny that it happened that way,” the country singer said in response.
Twain wasn’t the only celebrity to miss out on seeing Swift exchange vows with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, also 36, in a ceremony that attracted 1,000 of the couple’s closest family members and friends. Swift’s former bestie Blake Lively, as well as Margaret Qualley, the estranged wife of Swift’s musical collaborator Jack Antonoff, and Swift’s former pal Lorde did not attend the star-studded nuptials.
Shania Twain David Becker/Getty Images
Those who did witness the pair, who began dating in the summer of 2023, tie the knot include Selena Gomez, Jessica Alba, Gigi Hadid, Hugh Grant, Karlie Kloss, Paul Rudd, Seth Meyers, Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris and more. On the groom’s side, Brittany and Patrick Mahomes, George Kittle, Kareem Hunt and other high-profile NFL players also joined the fun.
A source exclusively shared with Us Weekly three days after the ceremony that the venue was utterly transformed. “The entire wedding had an enchanted garden-inspired vibe,” the insider told Us before revealing that the wedding’s color palette was soft blush and light peach. “There was light peach drapery everywhere as you entered, blush and white florals, tons of lush greenery, huge trees and candlelight throughout.”
Taylor Swift Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
The smaller details were equally impressive, with the source also confirming that cocktail drink napkins, signs and custom handkerchiefs were all monogrammed with “T&T” initials.
Entertainment
‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ Creators Drop Perfect Response to Gerard Way’s Shock Gaming Confession
There are some games that have become so ubiquitous it almost feels impossible to avoid them. Whether you’ve sunk hundreds of hours into them or simply watched friends romance vampires and wizards on social media, Baldur’s Gate 3 has become one of those rare RPGs that broke out of gaming circles and into mainstream pop culture. Three years after its release, it’s still finding new fans and dominating conversations whenever someone mentions Dungeons & Dragons.
That made one recent concert moment especially entertaining. My Chemical Romance has always had one foot planted firmly in nerd culture, with frontman Gerard Way openly embracing everything from comic books to tabletop gaming throughout his career, even co-creating The Umbrella Academy. So, when a fan brought a Baldur’s Gate question to one of the band’s shows, it seemed like a safe bet that Way would have opinions about one of gaming’s most beloved releases. The opposite is true.
Gerard Way’s ‘Baldur’s Gate’ Confession Caught Larian’s Attention
During My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade tour stop at Wembley Stadium, Way spotted a fan-made sign asking whether he had played Baldur’s Gate 3, but Way admitted his history with the series actually stops with the original game. “I only played Baldur’s Gate 1,” Way told the crowd. “Not that I probably wouldn’t have liked 2 or 3. I did play the Icewind Dale expansion, but I just ran out of time.” Way then turned the question back on the audience, asking if Baldur’s Gate 3 was actually worth playing. The crowd responded with loud cheers, prompting the singer to laugh before recalling just how influential the original game had been for him. “The first one was a lot of fun,” Way said. “It was the closest thing at the time to playing D&D.”
Videos of the exchange quickly spread across social media, where they eventually caught the attention of Larian Studios itself. Rather than a quick celebration of yet another celebrity acknowledging the game, the developer decided to make Way an offer. In a pair of posts on X, Larian jokingly asked how the My Chemical Romance frontman had managed to miss its critically acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons RPG before following up with an invitation. “Gerard, there’s a Baldur’s Gate 3 code with your name on it if you fancy trying it,” the studio wrote. “Lots of love, Larian xoxo.”
The revelation that Way simply hasn’t had time to get to Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t entirely surprising, considering Way has spent years balancing music, comics, writing, and numerous creative projects, and the band started touring again in 2022 after just shy of a decade apart. But when he finds the time, Baldur’s Gate 3 couldn’t be a more perfect game for the My Chemical Romance frontman. Way’s love of fantasy and tabletop games has never exactly been a secret, and references to Dungeons & Dragons have appeared throughout the band’s history. Now, thanks to Larian’s very public invitation, there’s a good chance the singer may finally find the time to see what all the hype has been about.
- Released
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August 3, 2023
- ESRB
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M
- Developer(s)
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Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Larian Studios
- Franchise
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Baldur’s Gate
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From blockbuster blowups to slow-burning rivalries, these celebrity feuds show that sometimes the real drama unfolds behind the scenes.
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