Entertainment
Raunchy R-Rated HBO Series Brings New York’s Sleaziest Era To Life
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published

New York’s Time Square is a tourist attraction today, playing host to millions of visitors to enjoy the mecca of American consumerism. It wasn’t always that way. HBO’s hit series The Deuce, all about the rise and fall of the adult industry in New York City, which happens to coincide with the fall of the Mafia, and a massive, citywide crackdown on crime. It was put together by David Simon and George Pelecanos, both of whom know a little about award-winning street-level crime dramas since they were the creator, and writer, of The Wire.
The Time Period New York City Wants To Forget

The Deuce is only three seasons long. Each season covers a different time period, starting with 1971, jumping to 1977 for Season 2, and then a big leap to 1984. The actual plotlines are fictional, including James Franco’s dual role as twin brothers Vincent the bartender and Frankie the degenerate gambler. Vincent and Frankie is the way into the Mob’s expansion into the adult industry as both soon find themselves wrapped up running Mafia fronts. It’s a bit of a Trojan Horse as the real star turns out to be Candy, a former streetwalker turned director played by Maggie Gyllenhaal in what could be the best performance of her career.
The Deuce digs deep into the lives of characters operating on the fringe of society making it a great companion piece to The Wire. One scene will have you agreeing with a pimp, the very next will make you think that same character is the worst man on the planet. David Simon knows that people are neither truly good or bad, and when even the third-tier background character you took for granted decides that enough has been enough, you’ll appreciate all the time spent getting to know every nook and cranny of 42nd Street.
The Deuce Was The Last Of A Dying Breed Of Television

Characters age and change between seasons with each season premiere serving as an explainer of what happened in the years we didn’t get to see. It’s rare that a series aims to tell a short story, and is given the runway by the network to do everything it wants. HBO was happy to be working with David Simon, and it shows, with every episode bringing you back to the gritty, yet bright and lively streets of New York before the tourists arrived.
The Deuce doesn’t shy away from its dark subject matter. Vincent and Frankie’s involvement with the Mob spirals out of control and impacts their family, especially their brother-in-law, Bobby (The Wire veteran Chris Bauer),and runs afoul of their father, played by Armand Assante. Candy’s attempts at going legit often fail to raise up and empower the women around her. The only series that this mix of human emotion and violence can be compared to is, of course, The Wire.
The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Magic City, all came before The Deuce, and since the end of HBO’s look back at New York City, no one’s tried to tackle a show like it. Like the time period it covers, The Deuce is now a relic of a culture that’s been left behind by the mainstream.
Entertainment
Hold Onto Your Chimichangas: Marvel Is Officially Working On A New Deadpool Movie
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published

Once upon a time, it seemed impossible that we’d ever get a Deadpool movie. And we probably never would have if Ryan Reynolds hadn’t leaked test footage online, causing such a massive fan response that 20th Century Fox had no choice but to greenlight that first film. After they made one sequel, Disney bought Fox, and we got the crowdpleasing team-up Deadpool & Wolverine. At that point, the Merc With a Mouth was officially part of the MCU. This led fans to frantically speculate about when we’d get another movie featuring the raunchiest superhero ever made.
Historically, Reynolds has played coy with such questions, indicating that he wants plenty of space between Deadpool movies and that he thinks the character would work better in an ensemble than a solo film. It was therefore all the more shocking to hear the actor casually confirm over the weekend that Marvel Studios is working on a new Deadpool movie. That’s the good news for fans: we’ll be getting another solo movie featuring this popular character, probably sooner than anyone imagines. The bad news? Beyond the fact that the studio is working on it, there are basically zero details about this new movie.
The Merc With A Mouth Has Plenty More To Say

This information comes to us from Ryan Reynolds. Over the weekend, he was attending Fanatics Fest and dishing with his fans about all things Deadpool. He started talking about things from the character’s publication history that he would like to see in a future film. “There’s a few really deep cuts that I think are missing behind the movies. I think there’s a few deep cuts missing from some of the comics,” he said. “There’s certainly some stuff that, you know, I love that Fabian Nicieza wrote that is incredible. Gerry Duggan, who was a friend, was an incredible comic writer.” Nicieza co-created Deadpool, and Duggan was the writer for the 2013 Deadpool series.
For those in attendance, this initially seemed like nothing more than the actor’s wishlist of things he’d like to see in some hypothetical, future sequel. However, he ended his thoughts with a quiet bombshell of an announcement: “There’s stuff upcoming. There’s eventually, you know, remotely another Deadpool film. It’s going to be great.” Upon this announcement, The Hollywood Reporter reached out to their sources close to Marvel Studios. Those sources confirmed that the movie is in very early development and that no writer or director is currently attached to the project. It’s possible the movie will tackle the comics stories Reynolds alluded to, but he was vague (possibly deliberately so) about exact details.
More Superhero Team-Ups Await

When and how Deadpool appears again in the MCU will likely depend on the resolution of Avengers: Secret Wars. That Doomsday sequel is supposed to reset the whole cinematic universe, paving the way for recasting characters and making it so that certain groups (like the X-Men and the Fantastic Four) have always been there. This may allow for a new version of Deadpool, one who has experience with the various iconic Marvel heroes. Alternatively, his uncanny ability to break the fourth wall might make him one of the only characters who understands that all of reality has been rewritten around him.
Of course, we can always cross our fingers he ends up in an adjacent multiverse, allowing for a big-screen adaptation of the infamous comic Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe. Hey, a fanboy can dream, right? At any rate, we’ll likely know a bit more about the Deadpool movie by the end of the year. Until then, fans can enjoy their overloaded plates full of Marvel entertainment like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday. Just be sure to take a page out of Deadpool’s book and leave room for some chimichangas!
Entertainment
Bear Brown Gets Order Against Man Involved in Brother’s Search
Solomon “Bear” Brown has been granted a temporary civil protection order against a man in Washington for alleged stalking and harassment in the weeks after his brother’s tragic suicide.
“My eldest brother Matt recently ended his life,” Bear claimed in a July 2 court petition obtained exclusively by Us on Tuesday, July 21. “A witness reported seeing Matt‘s body floating down the Okanogan River; however, the volunteer search and rescue organization was unable to locate him.”
The former reality star claimed a man who was involved in a private search and rescue group allegedly located Matt’s body.
Bear claimed not to know this individual – who Us has chosen not to identify – aside from his association with the local Washington town and the recovery of his brother. He does, however, allege the man “vaguely claims to have been a very close friend of my brother – has since the search incessantly attacked me online, including on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.”
Bear requested the court schedule a hearing for a full protection order, which was subsequently granted and set for later this month.
“The incessant — and increasingly unhinged — attacks are extremely concerning. He has posted dozens of videos on social media, spewing hate, and vitriol against my family,” he alleged, per the documents. “In particular, he has targeted me repeatedly, making all manner of bizarre and strange claims, including that I sent people to harass his family – even though I do not even know this individual – and publicly defaming me by bizarrely claiming that I was responsible for the Palmer Fire in 2020.”
The Palmer Fire was a wildfire that began on August 18, 2020, in Okanogan County, Washington, scorching a total of 17,988 acres of timber, brush, and grasslands.
“After appearing for 14 seasons on the Alaskan Bush People reality TV show, I have become a recognizable personality; unfortunately, what comes with being recognizable is unwarranted criticism from fans, followers, and naysayers,” Bear continued in the docs. “The best way to handle it is usually to ignore it, which is what I try to do. However, I am afraid that [his] behavior has become too erratic and dangerous to ignore.”
Bear claimed that a July 1social media post from this man “is perfectly representative of why I have become afraid for my life.”
He also asked the court to include protection orders for his ex-wife Raiven, mother Amora, brothers Noah, Josh, Gabriel, and sisters Snowbird and Rain.
He also requested the court to order the man to “stop posting, publishing, sharing, or encouraging the disclosure of any personal identifying information of me, my family members or any other protected person,” in addition to removing all information from the internet that has already been posted.
Under the temporary order, the man has to stay at least 1,000 feet away from Bear and his family. Part of the reality TV star’s request also includes a court ordered evaluations for both mental health and drug and alcohol, and that he surrender any and all firearms he may own.
Bear pointed to a concerning comment on the man’s most recent TikTok video.
“[It stated] with regard to me, returning to Washington to attend my brother‘s funeral that he is ‘locked and loaded, waiting with my dog,’” he wrote in the petition. “This rises above the behavior of some immature, petulant, blowhard, who will eventually tire himself out and occupy himself with the next shiny thing that catches his attention. This is an active threat to harm me with a firearm.”
He added, “I genuinely fear for my life. I likewise fear for the safety of my family members who will be around me while we attend my brother‘s funeral. I do not know what to expect, other than his own representation that he is ‘locked and loaded’ – and all that statement plainly implies.”
Bear said in docs that he also contacted the local police for any guidance and a deputy acknowledged that the man in question “may indeed pose a danger,“ and encouraged him to file a request for protection order.
Bear also claimed that this man has publicly posted his cell phone number — along with phone numbers of most of his family members — and as a result his family has since been “subjected to an onslaught of unwanted text messages and phone calls, severely disrupting our daily lives, our privacy and our sense of safety.”
The former reality star also alleged that this individual “very recently engaged in increasingly strange, hostile and disturbing behavior involving my deceased brother, and my family. After locating my brother’s body [he] filmed and posted images of my brother‘s deceased body from the knees down, which I found deeply inappropriate and upsetting. He then took possession of my brother‘s truck, displayed it as a so-called memorial in town, allowed people to vandalize it in the name of ceremony, and repeatedly refused to return it when asked, even stating that he intended to keep it.”
Bear also alleged that this man “used copyrighted intellectual property and my brother‘s image to create and sell T-shirts, claiming the proceeds were for charity to help the family, yet we have not received any of those funds.
“When confronted about returning the truck or profiting from images that do not belong to him, [he] becomes enraged, abrasive, insulting, and threatening,” he continued. “Over time, his conduct toward me in particular has become increasingly aggressive, spiteful and unstable, including demanding an apology video from me despite my having done nothing to warrant one.”
Bear claimed when he arrived in Washington on July 2 to assist with his late brother’s funeral arrangements and cremation, he was within miles of this individual.
“His most recent posts are threatening and unhinged, including statements that this was my ‘last chance,’ [and] that he was going to make me ’pay.’ Based on this escalating pattern of behavior, I am genuinely concerned that he may attempt to assault me or shoot me, and I fear for my safety and the safety of those around me.”
Because the man had not yet been served with court papers, Bear’s temporary protection order was reissued by the court on July 14 and the next hearing is set for July 28.
Entertainment
Netflix’s Gruesome New 8-Part Sci-Fi Thriller Just Hit 24.3M Hours Streamed
Netflix subscribers have shown they still have an appetite for ambitious international genre stories. Human Vapor, the streamer’s new eight-episode Japanese sci-fi thriller, racked up 24.3 million hours viewed, landing in Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English TV rankings shortly after its debut. It’s another reminder that some of the platform’s most compelling original series continue to come from outside Hollywood.
Premiering on July 2, Human Vapor revives a little-known Toho cult classic from 1960, but don’t expect a straightforward remake. Instead, the series borrows its central supernatural concept and builds an entirely new mystery around it, combining crime drama, political conspiracy, body horror, and science fiction into a thriller that’s as interested in corruption as it is in spectacle.
What Is Netflix’s ‘Human Vapor’ About?
The first scene features an action-packed moment: a well-known television professor is interviewed during a live broadcast when a mysterious force suddenly attacks him, causing him to explode right in front of the audience. The tragic incident gives birth to a new mysterious character called the Human Vapor, who can transform into gas and kill victims from inside.
The case leads detective Kenji Okamoto (Shun Oguri) back to work, while reporter Kyoko Kono (Yû Aoi) sees the attack herself. The pair has a complicated history and is getting more and more involved in each other’s investigation as they find out more murders. The issue doesn’t turn out to be a supernatural serial killer case but becomes something unpredictable and more significant. The Human Vapor is systematically targeting people connected to the mysterious White Center, an organization whose buried secrets stretch back decades and tie together politicians, organized crime, law enforcement, and a long-forgotten meteorite disaster.
Although Hollywood usually creates a negative impression of remakes, Human Vapor cleverly avoids the pitfall of remaking the 1960 film scene-for-scene. The 1960 original Human Vapor, directed by Ishirō Honda, tells the story of a man who became a victim of a scientific experiment and began using his powers to commit thefts, while relying on tragic love. The adaptation on Netflix retains the memorable supernatural theme but tells a completely different story, turning it into an eight-episode thriller about a conspiracy.
Rather than relying on nostalgia, writers Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, Hellbound) and Ryu Yong-jae build an entirely new mythology that explores institutional corruption, revenge, and the abuse of power. The project also represents a behind-the-scenes milestone as the first collaboration between Netflix and Toho, the legendary Japanese studio best known worldwide for Godzilla. It’s an ambitious partnership that modernizes one of Toho’s lesser-known properties without abandoning its tokusatsu roots.
‘Human Vapor’ Balances Body Horror With an Expansive Mystery
The gruesome opening sequence makes it easy to assume Human Vapor is primarily interested in shocking viewers. While the series certainly embraces graphic body horror, that’s only one piece of a much larger puzzle. The investigation gradually introduces journalists, corrupt officials, yakuza figures, livestreamers chasing internet fame, and survivors connected to the White Center’s dark past. Every new character expands the conspiracy rather than distracting from it, allowing the mystery to grow organically across all eight episodes.
The title villain also stands apart from many modern genre antagonists. Played by model Uta Uchida in his acting debut, the Human Vapor is an unsettling presence who often says very little, making his quiet demeanor almost as unnerving as his ability to drift through the air before violently dispatching his targets.
Visually, the series blends practical effects with CGI to bring the gaseous transformations to life. While some digital effects are more convincing than others, the show consistently finds inventive ways to build suspense, turning everyday smoke, steam, and lingering clouds into reminders that the Human Vapor could be anywhere.
Netflix Continues Finding Global Genre Hits
Netflix’s Human Vapor is yet another case of its content surpassing geographical borders and reaching audiences across the globe. The show is similar to Hellbound, Parasyte: The Grey, and several other recent Asian genre productions in that it trusts its audience to understand unfamiliar contexts and appreciate original storytelling without diluting it to make it more universally relatable.
This conviction is what distinguishes the series from a host of competing shows. The audience is presented with neither yet another crime drama nor another superhero story, but with a breathtaking mixture of film noir, sci-fi, political thrillers, horror films, and emotional dramas. Its strong streaming performance suggests subscribers are responding to exactly that kind of originality. By transforming an overlooked 1960 cult film into a sprawling modern conspiracy thriller rather than a nostalgia exercise, Human Vapor demonstrates that some of the best reboots don’t try to recreate the past — they use it as a starting point for something entirely new.
Entertainment
Maury Povich looks back on Jim Carrey satirizing him on “In Living Color” during ‘viral’ fertility controversy
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The legendary talk show vet takes EW inside the pop cultural flash point that was his and wife Connie Chung’s attempts in the early 1990s to have a child.
Entertainment
Celebs Who Moved Away From Los Angeles: Kirsten Storms, More
Several A-listers have decided to say goodbye to Los Angeles and grow roots elsewhere.
Years after This Is Us came to an end, for example, star Chrissy Metz relocated from the City of Angels to Nashville.
“I was in L.A. for 21 years, but my family is in Florida, where I’m from, and during the pandemic, I could drive to them from here,” Metz explained to People in April 2025. It’s just a better quality of life here. Everything is 15 minutes away, and it’s just so much less stress.”
In December 2025, Joe Manganiello and fiancée Caitlin O’Connor relocated to their hometown of Pittsburgh.
Months later, Kirsten Storms reflected on moving from L.A. to Tennessee, calling it the “best choice.”
Scroll down to see which celebrities chose to move away from Los Angeles:
Entertainment
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Widow Suing His Mom
Tenisha Warner, the widow of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, is reportedly suing his mom, Pamela Warner, for $1.2 million in alleged unpaid prenup promises.
RELATED: Tenisha Warner, Widow Of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Shares First Public Message Since His Passing (PHOTO)
Tenisha Warner, Widow Of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Is Reportedly Suing His Mom For $1.2M In Alleged Unpaid Prenup Promises
According to TMZ, Tenisha Warner is suing Pamela Warner, as Pamela reportedly is the successor trustee of the Warner Family Trust. Per Tenisha, Malcolm-Jamal allegedly agreed to provide her with numerous financial benefits, disclosed in their prenuptial agreement. Per the outlet, they reportedly signed the prenup in May 2022, just days before they got married.
Specifically, Malcolm-Jamal reportedly agreed to maintain a $1 million life insurance policy on himself, with Tenisha as the sole beneficiary. However, he did not purchase or maintain the policy. Additionally, she says Malcolm-Jamal failed to give her annual tax-free payments of $16,000. Furthermore, she says Malcolm failed to fund a Roth IRA for her or to pay her a $5,000 monthly salary. This, for her allegedly “serving as his chief of staff and assistant” during their marriage.
Per the outlet, Tenisha says she is owed “at least $1,276,042.46.” Additionally, according to her, $1 million is owed for the life insurance policy; more than $50,000 is owed for the missed anniversary payments; more than $30,000 is owed to her IRA; and she is owed $195,000 in unpaid salary.
Per TMZ, Tenisha believes Malcolm’s estate does not have enough funds to cover her demands. Therefore, she reportedly wants a court to allow her to recover the money from a family trust. While she waits, she reportedly would like the court to bar Malcolm-Jamal’s mom from handing out money or property from the trust.
Social Media Weighs In Widow Suing For $1.2M In Alleged Unpaid Prenup Promises
Subsequently, Tenisha’s demands and reported suing of Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s mom, Pamela, sparked reactions in TSR’s comment section.
Instagram user @stashi876 wrote, “They’ve been married since 2017 and he made his mother executor of the family trust. That tell me everything I need to know. I think the only obligation is to his child but I think she’s mad he left everything to his mother”
While Instagram user @darkskin.keishaaa added, “Thinking that his wife isn’t entitled to anything is crazy work”
Instagram user @thapurplebutterfly wrote, “Death + Money + Relatives = Mess 😢”
While Instagram user @simplyherlifestyle added, “Being a wife does not automatically override Trusts and Wills that are in place prior the death of a spouse. Many wealthy people do not include a spouse, children, family or friends…”
Instagram user @chandranajaee wrote, “Mama over the estate and there is legal documentation stating she’s owed the 1.2 and as his wife and mother of his children she’s owed that either mama obey by the legal documentation or get sued she had a full year to solve the problem and didn’t so the wife sued and personally ion think she wrong”
While Instagram user @dr._qumar added, “This is fair, that was his wife and they were married for 8 years and had a child together. If it’s part of the prenup she deserves it”
Tenisha Warner’s Suing Of Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Mom Arrived Amid The 1-Year Anniversary Of His Passing
According to TMZ, Tenisha Warner filed the lawsuit against Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s mom on Monday, July 20. The date: a year after her husband drowned.
As The Shade Room previously reported, Malcolm-Jamal Warner was reportedly swimming in the waters of Costa Rica when he drowned and died from asphyxia. Subsequently, it was revealed that no lifeguards were on duty while they were in the water. Furthermore, at the time, a second man was reportedly taken to a local facility in critical condition.
Notably, reports conflicted on whether Malcolm-Jamla’s 8-year-old daughter was also in the water at the time of the incident.
“Mr. Warner was playing with his daughter at the seashore at one point. He then left her out of the water, and he and a friend of his entered the sea. It was at that moment that they were swept away by the current, and the friend managed to get out. However, Mr. Warner was unable to get out and was pulled out by several people on the beach. He received care from Red Cross officials, but was pronounced dead at the scene,” Page Six reported.
In September 2025, Tenisha broke her silence on her husband’s passing, per The Shade Room. She revealed that she was launching a foundation to honor his legacy.
Then, also in September 2025, Pamela Warner confirmed that Malcolm-Jamal’s daughter was safely onshore when the fatal incident occurred.
“They were in the water, I think maybe chest-deep at, even at that — maybe waist-deep,” she explained, referring to his friend. “There was an undertow, and my son was not an experienced swimmer. He did not know how to deal with an undertow.”
At this time, Tenisha Warner has not shared a message amid the news of her lawsuit. Meanwhile, on Monday, June 20, Pamela Warner paid tribute to her son.
RELATED: Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Mom Shares Update On His Daughter While Setting Record Straight On Details Surrounding His Death
What Do You Think Roomies?
Entertainment
Forced Daughter To Have Stepdad Baby
An Oklahoma woman was convicted of child sexual abuse after she allegedly forced her 11-year-old daughter to have her husband’s baby, without medical care. Cherie Walker was found guilty on six counts of child neglect.
RELATED: UPDATE: D4vd Accused Of Having “Significant” Amount Of Child Sex Abuse Images On Phone
Oklahoma Woman Convicted Of Child Sex Abuse
According to KJRH, Walker was convicted on one count of enabling child sexual abuse and six counts of child neglect on Friday, July 17.
A Muskogee County jury recommended that she serve life in prison after her husband raped and impregnated her 11-year-old daughter, per KFOR.
Dustin Walker pleaded guilty to six counts of child neglect as well as one count of sexual abuse of a child under 12. A judge sentenced him to life in prison in June. He also received another 43 years for the child neglect counts, according to News On 6.
Cherie Walker And Dustin Walker Were Arrested Last August
The Shade Room reported last August that Walker and her husband, Dustin Walker, were arrested after the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office discovered that the child had given birth at home.
A DNA test confirmed that Mr. Walker is the baby’s father. Furthermore, he is the 11-year-old’s stepfather.
Prosecutors alleged that Mrs. Walker forced her daughter to have her husband’s baby at home without any medical care. They also argued that she failed to protect her daughter from her husband.
The Child Hadn’t Been To The Doctor For One Year
In addition to not receiving medical care while giving birth, the child had no prenatal care.
She also hadn’t seen a doctor in more than one year, and Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson said she was traumatized.
“This child is traumatized,” Hutson said. “She’s been through a horrific ordeal. Not only has somebody gotten her pregnant, but she gave birth at home without medical assistance, and this will be her life for the rest of her life.”
Cherie Walker’s official sentencing will be at a later date.
Michelle Justus is the child’s grandmother and was also charged with child neglect. Her trial reportedly begins on July 23.
RELATED: Say WHAT?! 14-Year-Old Allegedly Forced To Be Surrogate For Oklahoma Couple’s Twins
What Do You Think Roomies?
Entertainment
“America’s Got Talent ”onstage mishap nearly derails country band’s performance
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Judge Mel B was visibly surprised.
Entertainment
Jennifer Lopez’s Forgotten, Extremely R-Rated Sci-Fi Horror Will Scramble Your Brain Into Confetti
By Robert Scucci
| Published

Confession time: I’ve only seen two films starring Jennifer Lopez. I’ve seen 2003’s Gigli, because why wouldn’t I? And one of my girlfriends made me watch The Wedding Planner, which is why I ended up marrying an entirely different person years later. I don’t have any real reason to not follow Jennifer Lopez’s career other than the fact that she’s really just not on my radar, and she doesn’t typically star in the kinds of movies I seek out. I know she’s good in rom-coms, and she’s been praised for her more dramatic roles, but that’s not the frame of reference I was working with when I recently fired up 2000’s The Cell, which is a total nightmare-fueled fever dream that’s more reminiscent of films like Altered States or Beyond the Black Rainbow than anything else.
The Cell is absolutely insane, and I’m saying this with love. At its core, it’s telling a simple enough story once its fiction is established, but it’s the photography, cinematography, score, makeup, and set pieces that truly push this thing to the next level. What starts out as a straightforward investigation quickly turns into a full-blown, kaleidoscopic descent into madness as seen through the subconscious of a schizophrenic serial killer.
Inception Meets Altered States

When we’re first introduced to Jennifer Lopez’s Dr. Catherine Deane, she’s seen working alongside doctors Henry West (Dylan Baker) and Miriam Kent (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) on a new technology known as the Neurological Cartography and Synaptic Transfer System. The technology allows her to enter a comatose patient’s mind and talk to them, with the end goal being to convince them to wake up. Her current patient, Edward Baines (Colton James), whose parents are funding the research, has a rare form of schizophrenia, and it’s her job to reach him and bring him back to reality.
We’re then introduced to Carl Rudolph Stargher (Vincent D’Onofrio), a serial killer who has the same rare form of schizophrenia that Edward has, fueling his constantly escalating killing spree and making him a danger to society. No sooner is he caught by the FBI than he falls into a coma as well, which introduces us to two very important key players: Carl’s latest, yet-to-be-found victim, Julia Hickson (Tara Subkoff), and FBI Agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn), who’s been trying to put Carl behind bars for as long as he can remember.

Knowing that he’s racing the clock due to Carl’s MO of throwing his victims into a cell that slowly fills with water, Peter seeks Catherine’s help and convinces her to use the Neurological Cartography and Synaptic Transfer System to infiltrate the killer’s mind, allowing him to find where a hopefully still-alive Julia is being held captive. Things don’t go as planned, however, as Catherine enters Carl’s mind only to bear witness to the ongoing nightmare that awaits her inside it.
When the data suggests that Carl is overpowering Catherine, Peter enters the killer’s mind, not only to gather the intel he needs to save Julia from a slow, agonizing death, but also to give Catherine the mental fortitude to overcome Carl’s influence over her psyche before he fully takes over and destroys her physical body too.
A Total Trip From Start To Finish

What happens inside Carl Rudolph Stargher’s mind while he’s comatose and Catherine and Peter are running through it is something you need to see to believe. My first thought was how much the visuals during the trippier sequences were strikingly reminiscent of Ken Russell’s Altered States. The idealized final form Carl has trapped inside his subconscious (King Stargher) wastes no time letting the viewer know just how troubled the man is, but not in a way that excuses all of the horrible things he did while still fully conscious and somewhat in control of his faculties.
As Catherine peels back layer after layer of his psyche, the whole world they’re living in consumes your entire being as if you’re experiencing these insane moments yourself. It’s the same kind of immersion I felt when I finally sat down and watched Beyond the Black Rainbow. Each sequence melts into the next, and just when you think you’ve had enough, we get sent back to the lab, where doctors West and Kent are toiling away to make sure nobody actually dies in the real world.

While a total mind-melter, The Cell was met with middling reviews, currently boasting a 46 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes against a slightly more favorable 57 percent approval rating on the Popcornmeter. It’s worth noting that Roger Ebert not only gave the film four out of four stars, but also placed it on his “Best 10 Movies of 2000” list.
That’s all to say that The Cell may not be the kind of movie you seek out for a casual viewing. You save movies like this for one of those days when you feel like getting a little weird and need something a little edgier than your typical serial killer procedural. I can’t think of anything more perfect than spending a couple of hours inside one man’s sick mind while his next victim is all alone, wondering if she’ll be rescued before she drowns.

As of this writing, The Cell can be rented or purchased on demand through YouTube, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and Fandango.
Entertainment
JaNa Craig Slams Kenny Rodriguez’s Interview Detailing Split
Love Island USA’s JaNa Craig broke her silence on ex-boyfriend Kenny Rodriguez’s tell-all interview detailing intimate details about their failed relationship.
“Before I call my lawyers, I would like to make a cute little statement,” Craig, 29, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Monday, July 20, sharing her thoughts on comments Rodriguez, 26, made during the Monday episode of “The Journey Podcast.”
“To the person who thought it was a good idea to send me a cease and desist and go on a whole ass podcast and make up straight f***ing lies, very ballsy of you. How f***ing insane. But if you wanna f***ing play, let’s f***ing play,” she continued. “I think you should give me permission to drop all the text messages … You know everything you said was a f***ing lie. All of our — all of my friends — know it was a lie so I’m not even stressing.”
Craig went on to claim that she “spared” Rodriguez and his public image in the wake of their July 2025 breakup, adding that she has simply been minding her “business.”
“You thought that was a good idea? Alright, b****, let’s f***ing play,” she added. “Also, how about you tell your 99-cent lawyers to answer the f***ing phone because what you’re not about to do is ever think you could come for me and get away with it.”
In a separate clip, shared on Tuesday, July 21, Craig told her fans that she won’t be watching the podcast as she had seen “enough clips” online. She also claimed that she “threatened” to call the police on Rodriguez.

Jana Craig, Kenny Rodriguez Ben Symons/Peacock
“He knows for a fact that I threatened him to call the cops,” she alleged. “That’s the last thing I said to him. Before I was gonna call the cops, he piped the f*** down and then I left and that’s it.”
She also claimed she’s “never assaulted anyone” after Rodriguez alleged she was “physical” the night she found an alleged racist text message on his phone.
“Never in my life have I assaulted anyone. I would never do such a thing,” she claimed.. “There were no daily arguments. We were fine. Obviously we argued because we were a couple, but it wasn’t daily. We were perfectly fine. It’s literally all a lie. I never begged his family for him back.”
Elsewhere in the podcast, Kenny opened up about his statement, saying, “It was a text message with a friend that I had before [the show] and I did say a statement where I generalized and I take full accountability. It doesn’t represent the person that I am.”
He added, “I take full accountability for it. I think it’s a bit unfair. I think it’s a bit unjust. I have black friends, I’ve dated black women before. I couldn’t deal with the disrespect anymore. I understand it could hurt people, yes, and I apologize for that. That doesn’t define me.”
Rodriguez also said, “I made a statement that I’m not proud of, and I take full accountability for it. But I think it’s a bit unjust to take that situation and to have that define me and run with that.”
Through tears, he continued, “Kordell [Beckham] reached out to me and that’s the one person that I have the utmost respect for.” He claimed Beckham, 24, was the only Love Island USA season 6 cast member who he was in touch with after the incident.
Beckham then entered the chat on Monday, posing via Instagram, “@KennyRodriguez We not even gon get on how you sat on that podcast and lied the entire time, but what we not gon do is lie like I condoned anything you did/said. After YOU called me I got that ass and we haven’t spoken since. Shout out my sis JaNa love you for life girl. And keep my mf name out your mouth I don’t fw you bro.”
Craig first opened up about their split in July 2025.
“Hi my loves. Thank you for all your love & support. It means the world to me,” she wrote at the time. “As you know, Kenny and I [are] no longer together. Please know that I have seen all the breakup theories and none have matched up to how terrible, disgusting and disappointing it truly is. Discovering that someone you loved isn’t who you thought they were and that the relationship you thought you were building hasn’t been genuine since day one has been truly devastating.”
Rodrouez then put out a statement of his own.
“Breakups are never easy, especially in the public eye. Sometimes, despite how deeply you care for someone, you come to the hard truth that the relationship was not something that could last long-term,” he wrote at the time.
After seeing his statement, Craig made it clear that they were not on as good of terms as Rodriguez made it seem.
“Stfu you manipulative liar,” she wrote back at the time. “You not taking accountability and telling people the type of person you really are is insane to me!! My first statement was me being nice. Do not piss me off.”
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