Whenever people talk about great thrillers, it’s usually the same few movies that come up. Se7en. Fight Club. Inception. And look, they deserve every bit of that praise. They’re fantastic films that have earned their place as classics.

But there are so many other great thrillers that slip through the cracks. Sometimes they get buried under a bigger release the same weekend. Sometimes they aren’t packed with A-list stars, so they don’t generate the same buzz. Or the studio barely markets them, so they come and go before most people even know they exist. But those are the movies we’re highlighting today. Here are 10 thrillers that do everything right, from the opening scene to the credits, and yet somehow never get brought up in the same breath as the genre’s more famous names.

10

‘The Walk’ (2015)

Image via Sony Pictures

Robert Zemeckis‘ The Walk tells the true story of Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the French high-wire artist who illegally strung a cable between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974 and walked across it, 110 stories above the ground, with no net and no safety harness. The first two acts play almost like a heist movie, following Petit and his ragtag crew as they sneak equipment into the buildings and plan the impossible stunt right under security’s nose. Even if you know the true story, the movie somehow keeps you completely locked in until its vertigo-inducing final act, where Petit walks the wire between the two towers.

And that’s when The Walk turns into one of the most nerve-wracking thrillers you’ll ever watch. If the Burj Khalifa sequence in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol or the constant heights in Fall made your palms sweat, the final act of this movie dials that feeling up to 11. Zemeckis stages the 20-minute sequence with incredible realism, and every step across the wire makes you feel like you’re standing 110 stories above the streets yourself.

9

‘Speak No Evil’ (2022)

Image Via Nordisk Film

Speak No Evil follows Bjørn (Morten Burian) and Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch), a Danish couple who befriend a charming Dutch couple, Patrick (Fedja van Huêt) and Karin (Karina Smulders), while on vacation. Months later, Patrick invites them to spend a weekend at their country home, and that’s when the bad stuff starts happening. It starts small. Patrick pressures Louise, a vegetarian, into eating meat. Karin lectures the couple’s daughter as if she were her own kid. Nothing that would make you pack your bags on its own.

That’s the genius of Speak No Evil. Each new boundary crossing is just slightly worse than the last one, and you keep waiting for the moment that finally makes Bjørn and Louise leave. But they never do. They smile, they nod, they stay polite, and it culminates in one of the meanest, most gut-punch endings in all of film history. Director Christian Tafdrup has been very vocal about how the film’s nihilistic finale was the entire point, a rejection of the usual good-triumphs-over-evil formula. It remained criminally underseen for years, but after the Hollywood remake with James McAvoy came out, most people don’t even know this version exists. And that’s unfortunate, because the original is the superior version by a mile.

8

‘Coherence’ (2013)

Image via Oscilloscope Laboratories

Eight friends gather for a dinner party on the night a comet is passing close to Earth. The power flickers, phones stop working, and one house down the street stays mysteriously lit while every other home goes dark. As the characters go outside to investigate the blackout, the street turns into a kind of quantum roulette wheel. The characters begin slipping into parallel realities where they come face to face with alternate versions of themselves living in identical houses nearby. It’s a true mind-bender that you’ll love if you’re into high-concept sci-fi stuff like Inception, Dark, or Predestination.

Director James Ward Byrkit shot the entire film without a traditional script. Instead, he gave the actors character notes before each scene and let them improvise their way through it. But it never feels like they’re making things up as they go. If anything, it makes every conversation feel even more natural and real. The whole movie was shot in Byrkit’s own living room on a budget of just $50,000, which is a big reason why it slipped through the cracks. It never had the marketing push to reach the audience it deserved. But if Coherence had come out today, in a post-Obsession era, it would have been a guaranteed hit.

7

‘Funny Games’ (2007)

Image via Warner Independent Pictures

Funny Games is an incredibly sadistic movie that takes pleasure in making you uncomfortable. It starts with a pretty simple premise. Two young men break into a family’s vacation home and begin torturing them with a series of cruel games. But this is where Funny Games completely subverts the usual rules of the genre. In horror movies, certain things are almost sacred. The dog isn’t supposed to get hurt. Children usually survive till the end. Funny Games throws all of that out the window. The dog is killed. The child is the first to go. And you quickly realize that none of the usual horror movie rules apply here.

It’s the kind of home invasion thriller you put on after you’ve watched every Purge and Strangers movie and they just don’t faze you the way they used to. As the film goes on, it becomes this meta-commentary on violence in film and how desensitized audiences have become to it, and it literally breaks the fourth wall and even its own reality to bring you into the story. The intruders talk directly to you, the viewer. They don’t have a tragic backstory or some twisted revenge plan. They tell you that “you” put this movie on to watch them haunt the family, and they’re doing it all for your entertainment. So you can have a good time. And when you stop being a passive watcher and start feeling like the cause of the horror, that’s an experience that no other film has come close to recreating.

6

‘Searching’ (2018)

Image Via Sony Pictures Releasing

John Cho stars as a father whose teenage daughter goes missing, and the entire film unfolds through computer screens, webcams, FaceTime calls, and news broadcasts. It’s not the first movie to use this “screenlife” format, but it’s the one that perfected it. Every click, every typed and deleted message, every browser tab tells you something about these characters, and director Aneesh Chaganty uses that format to build one of the most perfect mystery box movies, filled to the brim with twists and turns that constantly pull the rug out from under you.

And it’s genuinely impressive how naturally the gimmick disappears once the story kicks in. You stop noticing you’re watching a movie made entirely of screens because you’re too busy trying to piece together the same clues Cho’s character is finding. The problem is that this excellent film doesn’t get talked about nearly as much these days. Ever since its 2023 standalone sequel Missing came out, that has become the definitive film for this format, even though Searching is the one that got there first and did it just as well, if not better.

5

‘Last Breath’ (2025)

Image via Focus Features

Based on a true story, Last Breath follows a team of saturation divers, Duncan (Woody Harrelson), Dave (Simu Liu), and Chris (Finn Cole), repairing an underwater pipeline in the North Sea when a violent storm forces their support ship off course. Chris’s oxygen line gets severed, leaving him stranded 300 feet below the surface with only minutes of air left, and the rest of the film becomes a desperate race to get him back before it’s too late. It’s essentially The Martian, except instead of being stranded on Mars, Chris is trapped at the bottom of the ocean in pitch-black darkness.

The knowledge that this actually happened, and that the real Chris Lemons survived nearly 30 minutes with only a fraction of that in emergency oxygen, adds a layer of tension that fiction just can’t replicate. There are no bad guys or plot twists here. Just a ticking clock and awe-inspiring camaraderie as the crew does everything they can to save one of their own. The movie came and went in theaters without making much noise, partly because it was constantly compared to the acclaimed 2019 documentary of the same name by the same director that many felt told the real-life story better. But if you’re looking for a tightly constructed survival thriller based on an unbelievable true story, Last Breath is absolutely worth watching.

4

‘In Bruges’ (2008)

Image via Focus Features

In Bruges is one of the greatest dark comedies ever made, and there’s a very real argument that nothing quite like it has been made since. The film follows two Irish hitmen, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), who are ordered to lie low in Bruges, Belgium, after a hit goes wrong. Ken loves the city’s medieval architecture and beauty, but Ray looks at the same city and sees the single worst place on Earth. To him, having to spend a second longer in Bruges is a punishment worse than death.

Martin McDonagh fills the movie with completely unhinged dialogue and characters who say the most outrageous things with a straight face. The movie is chock full of quotable lines like, “I do know a Belgium joke! Okay, what’s Belgium famous for? Chocolates and child abuse. And they only invented the chocolates to get to the kids,” and “One gay beer for my gay friend, one normal beer for me because I am normal.” It’s filthy, offensive, politically incorrect, and completely unwilling to tone itself down, and that’s probably why it has faded a little from the mainstream conversation.

3

‘Hell or High Water’ (2016)

Image via Lionsgate

Two brothers, Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster), start robbing a string of small Texas banks, hitting one branch at a time, taking only small, untraceable amounts of cash from the drawers so the crimes stay under the radar. The money is going toward paying off the reverse mortgage on their family’s land before the bank forecloses on it, land that recently struck oil, which is the real reason they’re so desperate to keep it. Meanwhile, a soon-to-retire Texas Ranger and his partner start piecing together the pattern and closing in on the brothers.

Despite earning serious awards attention in 2016, including a Best Picture nomination, and holding a 97% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, Hell or High Water remains criminally underseen. That’s primarily because it was an indie movie made for just $12 million and didn’t have the kind of big marketing push that usually comes with an awards contender. But if you like movies such as No Country for Old Men, Sicario, or The Town, this one should be right up your alley.

2

‘Blue Ruin’ (2013)

Image via RADiUS-TWC

Blue Ruin is a bare-bones thriller that serves as a subversive deconstruction of the genre itself. Dwight (Macon Blair) is a vagrant living out of his car when he learns the man who killed his parents is being released from prison. Unlike typical thrillers, the protagonist here is no action hero. He has no special skills and no cool one-liners. Dwight is scared, unprepared, makes mistake after mistake, and you truly believe he’s an ordinary, panicked person completely out of his depth.

Nothing feels exaggerated or designed for the audience. It feels like a real revenge story playing out between ordinary people. Dwight completes his act of vengeance relatively early in the runtime, completely defying the usual convention of building toward a big climactic confrontation. And from there, the film spends the rest of its runtime on the fallout, as Dwight’s initial act of violence spirals into an escalating, increasingly bloody feud between two families.

1

‘Milk & Serial’ (2024)

Image via that’s a bad idea

Written, directed, and edited by Curry Barker, who would go on to break out in a much bigger way with Obsession, Milk & Serial is a found-footage horror film about two YouTube pranksters whose birthday-party stunt spirals into something much darker after an uninvited guest shows up. The film was made on a shoestring budget of $800 dollars and shot largely with a secondhand camcorder. And Barker released the entire film for free on YouTube after failing to land traditional distribution, the same route he reportedly considered for Obsession before that film ended up hitting theaters instead. And that’s exactly why Milk & Serial remains so criminally underseen despite racking up millions of views. It never got a theatrical release or a marketing push, just word of mouth from horror fans who stumbled onto it.

But it’s genuinely one of the most impressive microbudget horror films ever made. It has that same blend of black comedy and tragedy that made Obsession such a fun watch, along with a killer final twist that completely reframes everything you’ve just watched. If you’ve been craving more of Barker’s style since Obsession, this one deserves to be at the very top of your watchlist.

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Milk & Serial

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Release Date

August 9, 2024

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Runtime

62 minutes

Director

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Curry Barker

Writers

Curry Barker

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  Andy Dubitsky

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  John Simmonds

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  Frank Harris

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Whew! Joseline Hernandez is making sure the glow-up doesn’t stop just because she’s counting down to motherhood. The reality star recently popped out on social media looking like the baddie she is, and fans couldn’t help but notice that her latest look came with a very special accessory.

RELATED: Bonnie Bella Keeps It Real With Joseline Hernandez About Stevie J’s Parenting & What She Wishes He Would Do More Often (VIDEO)

Joseline Hernandez Serves Pregnancy Glow With Her Growing Bump

In clips shared to social media this week, Joseline Hernandez proudly shows off her growing baby bump as she appears to be around seven months pregnant. The expecting mom looks gorgeous as she poses in front of a mirror and records a video selfie on her phone. For the occasion, Joseline rocked dirty-blonde hair styled in a sleek middle part, paired with an off-white swimwear top and a pinkish skirt featuring tiger and floral designs. She completed the look with pink heels, a chain, and stacks of shiny bracelets, serving plenty of glam as she highlighted her bump.

Is She Is Taking A Little Time For Herself?

The clips appear to have been filmed at a hotel, giving Joseline the perfect backdrop for a little “me time” before welcoming her little one. Whether she was enjoying a getaway or simply taking a moment to herself, we’re loving to see her embracing this chapter and looking fabulous while doing it!

Fans Can’t Stop Taking About Joseline’s Pregnancy Glow

Fans caught the clip and quickly made their way to The Shade Room’s Instagram comment section with plenty to say. Some joked that Joseline has “been pregnant forever,” while others praised how well she’s carrying and said she’s absolutely glowing. Meanwhile, plenty of fans simply shared their excitement for the Puerto Rican Princess and wished her well as she gets closer to welcoming her mini-me.

Instagram user @queenbellalove870 joked, “Errtime I see her I start singing ‘Do it like it’s your Bday’ 😂”

And, Instagram user @wunmi_yofarelng added, “She looks beautiful, you can tell she’s so over it. 😂”

Meanwhile, Instagram user @samiam9494 wrote, “Glad she got to experience a HAPPY pregnancy without a fool stressing her out, it definitely hit different 🙌🏾”

While Instagram user @ell.bee.xo shared, “We love the Puerto Rican Princess 🥰🥳”

Lastly, Instagram user @callmiblessed said, “She looks beautiful but why it seems like she been pregnant forever 😂”

RELATED: Royal Reveal! Joseline Hernandez Breaks The Internet With Maternity Shoot As Fans Can’t Stop Talking About Bonnie Bella (PHOTOS)

Influencer Katelynn Ordone is opening up about a positive experience with Pampers after the untimely death of her son, Preston.

“OK, this is not something I typically post about or even talk about on social media, but I really wanted to share this with everybody because I know we’ve all heard the horror stories of certain people working with brands as an influencer,” Ordone shared in a Saturday, August 29, Instagram video. “One of the stories that I heard was a lady who was given a crib during her pregnancy to make a video about the crib, and she had a miscarriage, and the brand reached out and basically wanted her to send the crib right back. You know, things like that.”

She continued, “I just want to share this experience because it really touched my heart. Not only was it not even expected, not even deserved, nothing. It was just out of the kindness of this company’s heart.”

Ordone explained that a week before she “got in a really bad car accident” and Preston died, Pampers reached out to express interest in creating a video. Ordone recalled thinking that the opportunity was “super cool” because she had been using Pampers organically with Preston.

“So I was like, ‘OK, this is so cool.’ Like, these are my favorite diapers for him anyway. And the contract with this brand — I’m not gonna say numbers or anything — but it was a very big brand deal. Let’s just say that,” she said. “Before I could even film the video, we got in a car accident. Preston passed away and so I never made the video for them.”

She continued, “And honestly, just wasn’t even my concern. Honestly, I’ve tried coming back to social media and working with brands again, but it’s just not where my head’s at right now. So I never thought anything of it.”

Ordone’s manager, however, reached out to her and informed her that the company was “still paying [her] in full,” despite the influencer never making a video in the wake of her son’s death.

“So it was just simply like a donation, which I thought was really, really cool because it wasn’t expected,” she said. “I wouldn’t have thought any less of this company had they not paid, just strictly out of the kindness of their heart. Not only did I already like Pampers already, but just to know that that’s the kind of people I’m supporting when I purchase — people that do things like that — makes me even more so want to support them.”

Related: Influencer Katelynn Ordone Is Ready to Tell Her ‘Truth’ After Son’s Death

Influencer Katelynn Ordone has returned to social media following her self-imposed online hiatus to grieve the death of her 2-year-old son, Preston. “I decided to take a break from social media about a month ago because I was really struggling mentally,” Ordone, 26, said in a Tuesday, January 13, Instagram video. “I needed to check […]

Ordone shared that Pampers didn’t know she was making the video, explaining that her Saturday post was not part of a brand deal.

“This is what I just wanted to do on my own because I just thought it was really cool and just an amazing thing that they did for me and my daughter and my family to help us out in a time of need that they absolutely did not have to do,” she said. “I highly recommend Pampers to everybody.”

Ordone captioned the upload, “We’ve all heard some of the horror stories about working with particular brands but it’s rare to see someone sharing something positive a brand did for them. So after almost a year and a half of this all happening…l wanted to share.🤍@pampersus #prestonforever #okaybaby #pampers #childloss #diaper.”

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Ordone’s son, Preston, died at age 2 in April 2025 after being in a single-vehicle car crash. Katelynn and Jaelan Ordone were both in the vehicle at the time of the crash and sustained injuries, while daughter Paisley was at school. The St. Tammany Parish coroner’s office shared one month later that Preston died from “blunt force injuries due to a motor vehicle crash” and categorized his death as accidental.

Katelynn has since confirmed that she and Jaelan divorced. In court documents exclusively obtained by Us, Katelynn listed their date of separation as June 15, 2025 and noted that she and Jaelan had not reconciled or lived together since. The default judgment was denied by a judge in April.

Last month, Katelynn shared photos with a new love in her life. She later shared via Instagram in August that she met her boyfriend at Preston’s memorial baseball tournament, explaining,
“His son and my little brother are on the same baseball team.”

A viral video circulating online has put Polo G in the middle of a dispute with a private chef. The chef accused Polo G of not paying him in full after cooking up a vegan meal, and now the rapper is clapping back at the claims.

Related: Flexin’ Early? Social Media Has Mixed Reactions After Polo G Gifts His Son A Rolex For His 7th Birthday (WATCH)

Chef Mal Calls Out Polo G Over Alleged Payment Dispute

Chef Mal recently took to Instagram with a video that has made its rounds online. In the video, the private chef accused Polo G of not paying his full rate after preparing a vegan meal for the rapper. He opened the video by calling out the Chicago rapper, saying, “Come with me to cook for this b**** ass n**** Polo G cheap ass Chicago lame.” Chef Mal criticized the experience and claimed Polo G complimented the food during the meal, allegedly calling it “the best vegan food ever.” However, he said the rapper later attempted to pay less than expected and did not include a tip. He also suggested the experience made him reconsider working with certain clients, saying he wants to protect his peace and be more selective about who he does business with.

Polo G Shares His Side Amid Chef Mal Drama

Polo G fired back at Chef Mal’s claims, saying the situation happened about three months ago and questioned why the chef was bringing it up now. “Da s*** people do to chase clout when u minding yo business,” Polo G wrote on his Instagram Story. The rapper also shared screenshots of his alleged conversations with Chef Mal, giving more context into their disagreement over payment. In the messages, Chef Mal explained that his usual process includes a 50% deposit, with the remaining balance due upon arrival. Polo G responded that he typically pays once the service is completely finished.

Polo also claimed he was unhappy with the food and said he did not plan to have Chef Mal cook for him again. “On my dead grandma soul that food was nasty,” he wrote, while criticizing Chef Mal for taking their disagreement online. Polo G’s sister, Leilani Capalot, also weighed in after the chef’s video circulated. She criticized the food, calling it “nasty asf” and saying the vegan ribs “tasted like rubber.” Leilani later addressed the situation in a separate statement, saying it was “extremely unfortunate” to support a Black-owned business only to encounter what she described as “unprofessionalism” and “a lack of integrity.”

Social Media Reacts

As the exchange made its rounds online, social media users debated whether Polo G should have paid the chef regardless of how they felt about the food.

Instagram user @breeeia wrote, “If you owe him, pay him. Just don’t book with him again.”

Another Instagram user @imaaniig wrote, “idc if it was nasty run me my money”

While Instagram user @conceited.lila wrote, “I wouldn’t pay for no watered down Mac neither 😂😂😂😂😂”

Instagram user @phindaqondela wrote, “Ooh I can’t wait to see you 😭😭”

Another Instagram user @3dastiffest_ wrote, “U gone be a lot of other s**t when I catch u” 😂😂😂

While Instagram user @mikeygoatculture wrote, “Tips are courtesy not “mandatory”

Instagram user @_lifewithkb_ wrote, “All of this just to basically confirm y’all didn’t pay the man?????”

Another Instagram user @afcknprblm wrote, “I saw the video and the flowers alone was blowing meeee”

While Instagram user @ygsev7 wrote, “I though this was a skit 😂😂😂😂”

Related: Polo G Opens Up About His Journey While Celebrating One Year Of Sobriety

Celebrity chef and cookbook author Ina Garten is defending her decision to live a child-free life with her husband, Jeffrey Garten.

“I think it would have been difficult, and I think Jeffrey and I would have had a different life together,” Ina, 78, revealed in an interview with The New York Times published on Saturday, August 29. “I’m not saying it’s a better life or a worse life, but there were times when Jeffrey decided that he wanted to start a business in Japan, so he moved to Japan.”

She continued, “I was in East Hampton, we went back and forth and we figured it out. I think that probably couldn’t have happened if we had kids, and I couldn’t have stayed long hours at the store, doing catering and running the store.”

Ina and Jeffrey got married in 1968 — at a time, much like today still, when women were expected to marry and have children. (U.S. birth rates have reached a historic low, with less teens having babies and more women in their 30s and 40s deciding to have children when they’re ready, willing and able.)

In lieu of having children, Ina left her government job at age 30 after seeing a classified ad for a gourmet food store in West Hampton Beach, New York, named The Barefoot Contessa. The author transformed the speciality store into a lifelong brand and nickname before selling the physical restaurant in 1996 and going on to publish nearly a dozen bestselling cookbooks while hosting various successful Food Network series.

“I think it would have been much harder,” Ida told The New York Times of what life would have been like if she had decided to have children. “I’ve never looked back on the decision and thought, I should have done it differently. I understand how my friends have wonderful families, and they really enjoy being parents, but it’s just not something I ever wanted to do.”

She concluded of deciding not to become a mother, “I’m really happy that I didn’t.”

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Related: Rachael Ray Says She Was ‘Bashed’ for Choosing Not to Have Kids

Rachael Ray is a proud mother to her fur babies. Ray, 56, and celebrity trainer Bob Harper opened up about their respective decisions to not have kids on the Tuesday, November 12, episode of her “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” podcast. “I choose never to have children. God love all the people that have kids,” […]

The cooking guru’s most recent comments are not the first time she had publicly discuss her private family planning decisions. In 2017, Ina told former Today show cohost Katie Couric that the choice not to have kids wasn’t a particularly difficult one.

“We decided not to have children,” she told the journalist at the time. “I really appreciate that other people do, and we will always have friends that have children that we are close to, but it was a choice I made very early.”

She continued, “I really felt, I feel, that I would have never been able to have the life I’ve had [with children].”

Pop star Taylor Swift is reportedly “frustrated” with her husband, Travis Kelce, after their short honeymoon. The couple tied the knot on July 3, 2026, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Although they both have busy work schedules, it seems that the “Delicate” singer is frustrated that Kelce has already returned to the Kansas City Chiefs as they begin training for another NFL season.

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Swift and Kelce spent time together in Laguna, California, among other places, following their Madison Square Garden wedding ceremony. Unfortunately, in late July, just a few weeks after they tied the knot, Kelce had to head back to Missouri in order to train with his Kansas City Chiefs teammates.

“She is frustrated because football is taking up so much of his time – he works overtime – causing them to not see each other a ton, and she would like more,” an insider told the Daily Mail in a new report published on Sunday, August 30.

“Travis being in training camp has meant she has had to go out alone,” the source continued. “They do not see each other every single day, but they see each other every single week – they are very dedicated to that.”

The source revealed: “She refuses to complain to him about his absence, because she knew what she signed up for, she knew he would be at practice after they got married. She knew the honeymoon would be short so she can’t complain at all, and she doesn’t want to guilt Travis. That is not her deal, she never shames or complains.”

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While Kelce is training in Missouri, the insider reveals that the couple has been taking steps in order to bridge the distance.

“They talk on the phone all the time, and text, FaceTime, all of it. He sends her flowers too when she is out of town, her favorites like roses and orchids,” the insider shared, noting that they “just deal with it” when they have to.

“They know they both have massive careers, and they love what they do, so they give each other freedom,” the source added.

Taylor Swift Has ‘Tons of Energy’ Following The Wedding

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While Kelce is focusing on football, Swift has been spending her time in New York City, Los Angeles, and London with her famous friends.

“That girl does not really sit still, she has tons of energy,” the insider shared. “She had to hit parties, perform and do interviews without her husband by her side.”

In mid-August, the “Wood” singer was seen promoting her Eras Tour documentary, which has received five Emmy nominations. She also went to the Grammy Museum and sang her latest single, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” from the “Toy Story 5” soundtrack.

Will Taylor Swift Attend The Emmys?

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It remains to be seen if Swift will attend the Emmy Awards, which are being held on Monday, September 14. That same night, Kelce will be facing off against the Denver Broncos in Kansas City for their first game of the NFL season.

The insider said that Swift is “making all the right moves to support the documentary,” adding, “She received recognition as both a performer and producer for the Disney+ special.”

Although Kelce won’t be able to join Swift at the Emmys if she does attend, this isn’t the first time that the couple has spent time apart. Their busy schedules have challenged their relationship ever since they started dating in 2023. At the time, Kelce continued to play in the NFL while Swift traveled the globe during her wildly successful Eras Tour.

Swift Has ‘Not Seen’ Her Husband ‘A Ton’ Since Tying The Knot

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The insider said that the distance is “harder now” that they’re married because the singer “wants more, for sure.”

“They have been married almost two months, but she has not seen him a ton. She misses their morning workout sessions and cooking together,” the insider shared. “She loves having her hunky man by her side, holding her hand and opening doors for her, watching out for her. He makes her feel not just loved, but also protected. She is so madly in love that she wants to spend more time with Travis.”

However, they added that she “understands he is putting in the hours because he wants to be his very best this season.”

Taylor Swift Is Working On New Music

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The source also shared some good news with Swifties. They divulged that although she “loves being a WAG,” the pop star has been “busy working on new music and a new documentary for the future.”

Since getting married, the source revealed that she has been feeling “very creative” and looking to the Haim sisters for inspiration and “vibes” because they are “great at guiding her.”

The insider went on to say, “Taylor has not posted on Instagram in almost three months, and it has been a while since she has been on a red carpet, so she is letting her hair down a bit and loving it.”

Alex Garland made a name for himself with genre classics such as 28 Days Later and Sunshine, but his directorial debut in 2015 stands apart. The frequent Danny Boyle collaborator set off on his own, creating the modern sci-fi classic, Ex Machina. Garland wrote and directed the film that forced viewers to consider many issues of the day. Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina follows an up-and-coming programmer, Caleb (Gleeson), who gets invited to eccentric billionaire Nathan’s (Isaac) estate, where a state-of-the-art experiment is being conducted.

Nathan is the head of the company Caleb works for and is on the verge of cracking AI. Caleb wins a lottery in taking part in an experiment that will prove if Nathan’s new project is actually sentient or not. This new project goes by the name of Ava (Vikander), a female presenting robot whom Nathan created. Caleb’s role is to interact with her while Nathan measures her responses to determine if she has achieved the goal of self-actualization. Ex Machina had a strong setup on its own, but what follows in the hour and 48 minutes of screen time is a brilliant take on gender and the ethics of AI.

‘Ex Machina’ Is More Than Meets the Eye

Image via A24

When Ex Machina first premiered, it was topical, but now it is more relevant than ever. Artificial Intelligence has been in the conversation for quite some time, and the consequences of such an invention are being discussed. Going back as far as Dune and the machine war within its pages, Frank Herbert made his feelings about computers that could think incredibly transparent. Alex Garland had similar concerns as Ex Machina delves into the ethics of bringing something like this to life. Breaking the barriers of technology like this has been done before, and not always for the better. J. Robert Oppenheimer is used as an example in the film of how good intentions can go awry. The theoretical physicist was responsible for the creation of the atomic bomb, which destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. It was supposed to be the war that ended all wars, but this technology only opened the door to more conflict.

Bringing someone like Ava to life is similarly irresponsible. Nathan created something he had no control over —a being that did not ask to come into existence. His intentions were simply to see if he could, not – as Jeff Goldblum says in Jurassic Park – because he should. Nathan unleashes Ava upon the world and deeply feels the repercussions of his actions. This theme dovetails perfectly with the feminist ideas present in the film. Garland uses Ava’s lack of bodily autonomy as a method of exploring how women are treated in reality.

Even when they are not robots created for the pleasure of men, women are often treated as such. Ava came into the world because some power-hungry inventor wanted to see the extent of his own talents. It had nothing to do with her. While she becomes sentient, she is confined to a cell and posed how Nathan wants her to. Even though Nathan doesn’t view her as human, her circumstances help her understand how women are treated in society. Even Caleb, who seems to treat Ava with concern, is also guilty of defining her by her femaleness. He puts her on a pedestal and only gives her value because of how she makes him feel. He doesn’t put stock in her for any other reason.

All of these facts culminate in the ending of Ex Machina that is terrifying as well as earned. Garland envisions a world where technology has gone too far and humanity needs to be careful about how it proceeds. When it first came out a decade ago, Ex Machina was a warning, and it has become eleven more resonant because no one seemed to listen.

Ex Machina is now streaming on Hulu.

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Ex Machina

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Release Date

April 24, 2015

Runtime

108 minutes

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Director

Alex Garland

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Writers

Alex Garland

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Dolly Parton may have left fans far more new music than the mysterious recording scheduled to emerge on what would have been her 100th birthday. Following the country legend’s death at age 80, insiders claim Parton maintained a heavily protected private archive containing potentially hundreds of unreleased songs. Some reportedly exist as demos, while others have lyrics and melodies that were never fully produced. The singer is also said to have left careful instructions for how her hidden music should be managed and released after her death.

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One insider told the Daily Mail that Parton kept her unreleased work inside a secure archive known to her inner circle as “The Vault.” “The songs are hidden very safely in ‘The Vault’; that is what she called her secret storage place for her music,” the source claimed. “They are protected and very secure. There could be as many as 200 songs, no one really knows, because Dolly was very secretive.”

The source said the unreleased songs have “lyrics and melodies,” with some already recorded in an early form. “Some are demoed, but they have not been produced yet,” the insider added.

A second source claimed Parton was deliberately preparing material that could be shared following her death. “She was working on posthumous music for after she was gone,” the source explained. “It’s a music catalog that will live on forever.”

Songwriting Was Part Of The Singer’s Daily Routine

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Parton’s extensive collection would be consistent with a songwriting routine she reportedly maintained throughout her six-decade career. “Dolly would write music every day,” the first insider said. “She told friends that after she had her morning coffee, she would ‘pray and write,’ that is what she always said. She loved writing music. It made her happy because she was so creative.”

According to the source, Parton had a large private recording studio at her Tennessee compound where she could transform her ideas into songs away from the public. However, she did not depend on the studio to write. Parton was known to develop lyrics and melodies whenever inspiration arrived.

Her songwriting catalog includes “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You.” Whitney Houston later turned the latter into a global hit, but Parton wrote and originally recorded the song herself.

Dolly Parton Allegedly Planned For Posthumous Releases

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The sources claim Parton did not leave the future of her unreleased music unresolved. “Dolly was really smart. She laid everything out for her family, and there are careful instructions with the music,” the first insider said. “Nothing has been left to chance. That means she hired people to look after her music.”

The second source echoed that account, saying, “She’s made plans for that music to be released after her death.”

No official release schedule for the reported vault recordings has been announced. Details about which songs could emerge first, how finished they are, or who controls them have also not been made public.

The source said Parton’s secrecy was intended to protect those closest to her. “She has been secretive about it for the benefit of her family,” they said.

Parton reportedly relied upon a trusted group that included longtime publicist Marcel Pariseau. Her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, is also among the close relatives and collaborators who understand the importance of her songwriting legacy. “Dolly had a solid group of people around her,” the insider said. “She has trusted them for a very long time. She has no bad apples in her circle.”

One Secret Song Cannot Be Heard Until 2046

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Unlike the larger alleged archive, Parton publicly confirmed the existence of one unreleased recording titled “My Place in History.” She revealed in her 2020 memoir, “Songteller: My Life in Lyrics,” that the song had been placed inside a time capsule beneath Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa in 2015.

Physical copies were reportedly stored on cassette and CD, along with equipment capable of playing both formats. The chestnut “Dream Box” is not supposed to be opened until January 19, 2046, which would have been Parton’s 100th birthday.

A placard included with the time capsule explains that the recording was intended to be her final release. “As a final tribute, Dolly placed a song which she has written to be released as her last. Entitled ‘My Place In History,’ only Dolly will know its melody and content until 2046.”

The wooden box also honors Parton’s uncle and early mentor, Bill Owens, who worked to preserve the American chestnut tree.

The Country Icon Worried The Recording Might Not Survive

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Parton discussed the unusual project during a 2022 appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” She acknowledged that she might not live long enough to hear the recording finally released but jokingly refused to rule out the possibility. “They weren’t expecting me to be there at all,” she said. “I’m just saying, I might be there. Who knows? But the point is, there is a song – I figure it’ll probably disintegrate; probably nobody ever hears it.”

Parton admitted that the possibility of the recording deteriorating inside the box genuinely bothered her. “That’s what bothers me, to think that it’s gonna be a song that nobody’s ever gonna hear if it rots in there before they open it.”

She then poked fun at the decision to keep the song sealed for three decades. “I don’t know whose damn idea that was.”

Anne Hathaway’s casting as the leading lady in the second installment of “Days of Thunder” alongside Tom Cruise isn’t sitting well with everyone.

Randy Quaid, who was one of the original cast members of the 1990 sports movie, publicly opposed the idea due to his political affiliations.

However, fans don’t seem to have that opinion, praising Hathaway for staying extra busy and booked.

Roomies! Joe Budden and Shadée Monique just gave fans a major reason to celebrate as they step into a brand-new chapter together. The longtime couple had a sweet surprise waiting for everyone during what appeared to be an early birthday celebration for Joe, and baby news quickly became the center of attention.

RELATED: Congrats! Joe Budden Proposes To Longtime Girlfriend Shadée Monique During His Birthday Celebration (VIDEOS)

Shadée Monique Reveals Their Sweet Baby Girl Surprise

Videos obtained by LiveBitez show Shadée Monique announcing that she and Joe Budden are expecting a baby girl. In the clip, the Houston businesswoman tells the crowd, “We have a little surprise,” before revealing, “Joe’s going to be a girl dad.” Cheers immediately erupted as those around them celebrated the exciting news.

ICYMI, Joe Made It A Double Celebration

The pregnancy announcement came just before Joe got down on one knee and proposed to Shadée. As previously reported, in another circulating video, Joe can be seen placing a gorgeous ring on her hand before asking, “We doing it or what?” Shadée happily responded, “Of course we are!” making the celebration a double dose of good news for the couple.

The TL Is Going UP!

Fans quickly ran to the Live Bitez comment section and lit it up with reactions to Joe Budden and Shadée Monique’s big news. While some commenters shared that they were genuinely happy for Joe and celebrated the couple’s new chapter, others took a more critical stance and accused him of creating “broken homes.” Meanwhile, a few folks kept it simple, flooding the comments with fire emojis to show their excitement.

One Instagram user @jukeyy said, “He ALWAYS wanted to be a girl dad. This is so precious and I’m so glad this is who he chose.”

This Instagram user @esignerdiscipline added, “I’m so happy for them. ❤️”

And, Instagram user @god_doeslikeugly shared, “He be talking all that sh*t how he don’t make girls 😂😂😂”

Meanwhile, Instagram user @__cashxb.4l commented, “Real sh*t congratulations fr👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾”

While Instagram user @locs2die4 wrote, “Yess I love this for them!! Congrats all around ❤️👏🏾🙌🏾”

Then Instagram user @justm0nique said, “Awww i love that for them ❤️❤️❤️❤️”

Instagram user @nerak2510 shared, “🔥🔥🔥🔥congrats”

Lastly, Instagram user @errythinpinka added, “Joe be having kids and all of them end up in broken homes.”

RELATED: Whew! Joe Budden Steps On Drake’s NECK With Heated Rant About His UMG Petitions