Entertainment

In Just 3 Minutes, Tom Hanks Completely Stole This Overlooked Crime Movie From Pedro Pascal

Published

3 hours ago

25 February 2026

The 2024 action-comedy Freaky Tales is a unique and hilarious anthology that brings together the lives of a handful of very different characters during one unusual night in Oakland, California, in 1987. Amid the cast of talented actors, including Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, and Dominique Thorne, is a remarkable cameo from Tom Hanks.Arriving completely by surprise, he delivers a monologue that’s one of the film’s more captivating moments. While his appearance happened as a favor, it turned out to define the movie in many ways.

Tom Hanks Appears as a Video Store Clerk in ‘Freaky Tales’

The scene in question comes almost halfway through the movie, during the segment Born To Mack. Clint, played by Pascal, walks into a video store where the clerk (Hanks) is watching the basketball game that becomes pivotal toward the end of the film. An exchange about the game’s score leads to a conversation about underdogs and why we find them so compelling. Hanks, wearing thick-rimmed glasses and a shirt for a real-life Oakland donut shop, launches into his top five underdog movies.

The 15 Funniest Movies of 2024, Ranked

‘Pretty girls should always smile!’

He begins with the “obvious” choice, boxing classic Rocky, declaring that “it’s best just to get it out of the way.” He then lists Hoosiers, The Dirty Dozen, and The Verdict, before withholding the number one spot when he learns that Clint is not there for movie recommendations, but the private poker game in the back room. He does hint that it’s a 1979 film that Roger Ebert called “a cinematic miracle”, which fellow movie geeks will inform you refers to the drama Breaking Away.Clint is perplexed by the entire conversation, simply wanting to gain access to the poker game, and invokes the ire of the clerk by confessing he hasn’t seen most of the movies that are in his top five. It’s a delightful tonal pause in the film, but also one that is in keeping with its themes.

The Scene Was Pure 80’s Nostalgia From an Icon of The Decade

It might seem odd that the multi-time Oscar winner would appear in a scrappy independent anthology, but the actor has some connections to both the film’s creators and its setting. Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck worked with Tom Hanks on the TV series Masters of the Air, and wrote the cameo for him after learning that the star is something of a legend in Oakland, where the film is set. Growing up in the area, Hanks has publicly professed his love for the city’s baseball team, the Oakland A’s, and features on a mural in the city next to Too $hort, the musician who also stars in and executive produces the film.

The appearance is also a nod to a decade when the actor became a star. While he would become famous for prestige dramas such as Forrest Gump and Saving Private Ryan in the 90s, the 80s were where he became a household name with comedies that defined the cinematic era. Offbeat concepts like Big, The ‘Burbs, and Splash could be said to be in the ballpark of what Freaky Tales is inspired by, where reality and fantasy meet to create a fascinating story.

Tom Hanks’ Speech Fits Perfectly With The Themes of ‘Freaky Tales’

Pedro Pascal burning a paper in a diner booth in Freaky Tales — Pedro Pascal in Freaky Tales

The cameo also serves as something of a rallying cry for the movie’s characters, all of whom are battling overwhelming odds of some description. Clint himself is trying to break free of a life of organized crime; while in other chapters, Barbie (Dominique Thorne) and Entice (Normani) are looking to prove themselves as rappers on a big stage, and Tina (Ji-young Yoo) and Lucid (Jack Champion) are looking to defend themselves against attacks from Skinheads. As Hanks’ character says in his speech: “That’s why we love the underdogs, it’s a projection of ourselves. We’re all just a bunch of losers. We cannot kill Darth Vader, we cannot win a rumble against The Soc’s, and we definitely cannot beat L.A. And yet, the underdog believes they can achieve the impossible.”

By the time the movie ends, the film’s various underdogs have done just that, almost motivated by that assessment. Hanks is seen as a comforting voice in Hollywood history – he’s played Santa Claus, Mister Rogers, Walt Disney, and many other figures we associate with authority or hope in the world. As such, he’s the perfect person to offer this rallying cry, even if it is delivered in a more sour tone than we are used to.

The scene turned out to be one of the standout moments of Freaky Tales, as the surprise and affection many of us have for Hanks is fostered in the neon-lit walls of a video store. For a film so affectionate about the past, who better than one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars to underline its message.Freaky Tales is available to stream on HBO Max in the U.S.

Release Date: April 4, 2025
Runtime: 107 minutes
Director: Advertisement

Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Writers: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
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Producers: Poppy Hanks

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Nick Cannon Takes Five of His Kids to Dinner in West Hollywood

Published

7 minutes ago

25 February 2026

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Nick Cannon
Wild ‘n Out With His Kids … at Craig’s!!!

Published
February 25, 2026
7:11 AM PST

BACKGRID

Nick Cannon had his hands full with his kids Tuesday … taking them to dinner at a famous Los Angeles hot spot — though he couldn’t manage to get his whole brood together.

The actor and rapper was spotted leaving Craig’s — a well-known joint in West Hollywood — with five of his children … several pizza boxes tucked under his arm and a bag in hand.

Unclear if the crew ate at the restaurant or if Cannon just took everyone to quickly pick up takeout … but, either way, it seems Cannon was on full dad duty.

While Nick almost certainly had a lot on his plate with five kids … that’s less than half of the children he has.

As you know … Nick is the father of 12 kids — his son Zen passed away in 2021 when he was just 5 months old — and he’s talked quite a bit about his active parenting.

DECEMBER 2022

TMZ.com

He once revealed he’s like Santa Claus on Christmas Day … bouncing around between houses, with gifts in tow, to see all of his children.

Five kids this time … but, we can’t wait to see Nick pull up with all his children one day. Stay tuned!

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Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos welcome “Live” studio audience back after 2-day absence amid local drama

Published

21 minutes ago

25 February 2026

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“The View” also broadcast without a live audience this week during a major New York City blizzard.

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Alan Ritchson’s ‘Reacher’ Comedy Replacement Is Proving Critics Wrong on Prime Video

Published

33 minutes ago

25 February 2026

NewsAdmin

Alan Ritchson is now one of the biggest stars in the world thanks to his blockbuster performance as Reacher in Lee Child’s hit Prime Video series. The show has aired three full seasons in the last few years, with one more expected to come later this year. Ritchson has also branched out to other non-Reacher projects in the last few years, especially in 2024, when he teamed up with Henry Cavill for The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The WWII action epic comes from director Guy Ritchie, but despite the massive star power behind it, it flopped at the box office. Ritchson also teamed up with Hilary Swank for Ordinary Angels, shortly after he starred in Fast X. It’s unclear if he will reprise his role as Aimes in the final Fast & Furious movie, which will be released in 2028.

Last year, Ritchson strengthened his Prime Video partnership with Playdate, the action comedy co-starring comedy legend Kevin James. The film follows a man who has recently been let go from his job and decides to become a stay-at-home dad. Things go south when he accepts a playdate invitation from another stay-at-home dad who turns out to be much more of a loose cannon. Playdate was billed as a much more comedic Reacher replacement that still allowed Ritchson to flex his action muscles, but the film was panned by critics and audiences alike, earning scores of 23% and 57% from reviewers and fans on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, despite these poor reviews, the thriller is still in the Prime Video global top 10 more than two months removed from its premiere. It continues to prove the doubters wrong.

When Does Alan Ritchson’s Next Movie Come Out?

In just a few weeks, Ritchson will shift to the biggest streaming service in the world with Netflix for his new sci-fi action thriller, War Machine. The film follows the final remaining recruits of a grueling special ops boot camp who encounter a dangerous threat from beyond this world that they could not possibly have prepared for. The sci-fi thriller has been set for release on March 6, and it’s already been hailed as one of Netflix’s most ambitious action movies ever. The film co-stars Dennis Quaid and Esai Morales, and it was directed by Patrick Hughes.

Check out Playdate and Reacher on Prime Video and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates and coverage of Ritchson’s future projects.

Release Date: November 12, 2025
Director: Advertisement

Luke Greenfield
Producers: Jeff Sussman, Kevin James, Neil Goldman, Alan Ritchson, Dan Spilo, Mark Fasano, Sean Patrick O’Reilly, Jeffrey Greenstein, Nathan Klingher, Jason Benoit
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Tom Hardy’s 2-Part ‘Wuthering Heights’ Miniseries Is Aging Like Fine Wine as Book Fans Rebel Against New Movie

Published

48 minutes ago

25 February 2026

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Wuthering Heights is among the all-time classics that always find an audience with every new adaptation. Each generation has a favorite version of Emily Brontë‘s classic, as filmmakers ranging from William Wyler to Emerald Fennell have taken their own approach to the iconic novel. The latest in the line is Fennell’s version starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, which is a sizzling, dark, stylized reimagining of the beloved story.

Wuthering Heights is a multi-generational, gothic tale of destructive love and revenge between an orphan, Heathcliff, and Catherine Earnshaw, his soulmate. Since the two can’t be together because of the class divide, Catherine marries Edgar Linton for social status. To take revenge on the family, a scorned Heathcliff returns years later to systematically destroy them. Each filmmaker adapts the story to the times, either leaving or adding parts, while the themes of love, revenge, and class divide remain relevant and the most relatable parts of the tale.

While Wyler’s 1939 version is considered a classic and Fennell’s is the latest, there’s a version of the tale that is closest to the original book – BBC’s 2009 British television adaptation starring Tom Hardy as Heathcliff and Charlotte Riley as Catherine Earnshaw. The two had an amazing chemistry with Hardy’s brooding take on Heathcliff, and even turned into an off-screen romance as the two got married after the two-part British drama came out. It seems like while Fennell’s version is captivating a global audience, fans of the Hardy-led adaptation are enjoying the series on PVOD.

Wuthering Heights is among the top 20 PVOD titles on Apple TV, according to FlixPatrol, and is doing particularly well in Australia, securing the #3 spot. The series has no critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, but it does boast a respectable audience score of 84%. The miniseries also stars Andrew Lincoln as Edgar Linton, Kevin McNally as Mr. Earnshaw, Burn Gorman as Hindley Earnshaw, Sarah Lancashire as Nelly Dean, and Rosalind Halstead as Isabella Linton, among many others.

Emerald Fennell’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ Is Captivating Audiences in Theaters

With source material as strong as Wuthering Heights and a talented director, Fennell, the Robbie and Elordi-led movie is being appreciated globally. While the internet is full of debates about Fennell’s interpretation, the movie has earned $152 million globally, by far, on an $80 million budget. The gothic romance has divided critics and audiences, who gave it 77% and 59% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively. The site’s consensus says, “Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights might not be the stuff of high literature but it is a visually vibrant pleasure.”

Meanwhile, you can check out Hardy-led Wuthering Heights on PVOD platforms such as Apple TV and Amazon. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Release Date: 2009 – 2009-00-00
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Network: ITV1
Directors: Coky Giedroyc
Writers: Advertisement

Peter Bowker

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The Greatest Western Trilogy Ever Made Is Being Removed From Streaming

Published

1 hour ago

25 February 2026

NewsAdmin

The Western may not dominate Hollywood the way it once did, but it’s never truly left the cultural conversation. In recent years, creators like Taylor Sheridan have revived the genre through modern sagas like Yellowstone and period-driven stories like 1883 and 1923. Even awards-season contenders like 2025’s Train Dreams have proven there’s still room for dusty landscapes and emotional reckonings on the big screen, not to mention modern classics like True Grit and 3:10 to Yuma — ironically both remakes of older westerns.

But long before prestige cable and neo-Westerns, there was one trilogy that reshaped the genre entirely — a trio of films that every cowboy epic since has been chasing, and now, that trilogy is about to disappear from streaming. The Dollars Trilogy — A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly — is officially leaving Prime Video on February 28, giving fans less than a month to revisit one of cinema’s most influential runs.

Directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, the trilogy didn’t just popularize the Spaghetti Western — it redefined what a Western hero could look like. Eastwood’s cigarillo-smoking antihero, the “Man With No Name,” first rides into town in A Fistful of Dollars, a gritty tale of gang warfare in the border town of San Miguel. The sequel pairs Eastwood’s drifter with a rival bounty hunter in pursuit of a dangerous outlaw, before The Good, the Bad and the Ugly perfected the formula.

How Good Is ‘The Dollars Trilogy’?

Collider’s Blu-ray review stated that The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is pure cinema — not necessarily profound in theme, but undeniably masterful in execution, stretching style, sound, and image into something unforgettable. The review emphasized that the film demands to be seen big and heard loud, praising high-definition releases for enhancing Leone’s grand, operatic style. While Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West may be his crowning achievement, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly stands only a breath behind — one of the defining Spaghetti Westerns and an essential piece of film history.

This is one of the great Spaghetti westerns, and though Leone’s next, Once Upon a Time in the West, is his masterpiece, this is only spitting distance from that. This is an absolute must-have.

The Dollars Trilogy leaves Prime Video at the end of February.

Release Date: December 22, 1966
Runtime: Advertisement

161 minutes
Writers: Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni, Sergio Leone, Mickey Knox
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Producers: Alberto Grimaldi

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‘Father Knows Best’ Star Lauren Chapin Dead at 80

Published

1 hour ago

25 February 2026

NewsAdmin

‘Father Knows Best’
Lauren Chapin Dead at 80 After Cancer Battle

Published
February 25, 2026
5:44 AM PST

Lauren Chapin — who played the youngest child, Kathy “Kitten” Anderson, on the beloved 1950s TV show “Father Knows Best” — has died.

Her son, Matthew Chapin, announced the news on social media Tuesday evening, writing … “After a long hard fought battle over the past 5 years, the time has come. My mother Lauren Chapin passed away from her battle with cancer tonight.”

Lauren kicked off her acting career with an uncredited role in 1954’s “A Star Is Born” starring Judy Garland as well as the CBS series “Lux Video Theatre” before being cast as the precocious Kitten in ‘FKB.’

“Father Knows Best” ran for 6 seasons, and after it ended, she appeared on an installment of “General Electric Theater” alongside Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows as well as the 1976 comedy musical “The Amorous Adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.” She also returned for a ‘FKB’ reunion and Christmas special in 1977, and played Ace’s mom in 1980’s “Scout’s Honor.”

She took a decades-long acting hiatus before snagging a recurring role in the family drama “School Bus Diaries” in 2016.

Lauren had a difficut life, claiming her father sexually abused her as a child. She also dealt with substance abuse and legal woes, and was addicted to heroin until she was 25, according to the Orlando Sentinel. She was also married and divorced by the age of 19.

Reflecting on her past woes, she told the Sentinel in 2001 … “The most important thing is not that we have a past. But it’s what we do with the present that counts.”

In her adult life, she managed artists, including her daughter, Latin pop singer Summer Healy-Chapin. She also worked as a counter manager for Guerlain perfume in Florida in 2001 and was heavily involved in her church.

She wrote 2 books helped raise more than $2 million for underprivileged and abused children as well.

She was 80.

RIP

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Demi Lovato Shares Self-Care Routine In Preparation For Tour

Published

1 hour ago

25 February 2026

NewsAdmin

Demi Lovato at the 14th Annual LACMA Art + Film Gala 2025

Demi Lovato is giving a glimpse into her daily routine in preparation for her “It’s Not That Deep Tour,” which kicks off in April. This comes after the singer canceled several tour dates, citing she needed more time to rest and focus on her health before taking the stage once again.

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Demi Lovato Shares The Challenges Of Touring

Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA

Lovato is getting ready to entertain fans on stage once again, a couple of years after saying that she wasn’t sure she would ever go on tour again. The singer-songwriter completed the “Holy Fvck Tour” in 2022, which took a toll on her.

Lovato talked to People about her past statement, saying that the reason she wanted to stop touring was because of “how taxing it can be on the body, on the mind.” Regardless, she has now decided to go back on the road for her fans.

Despite knowing how tiring touring can be, Lovato said that the outcome is rewarding. “It’s the feeling when I see a fan crying through a smile because they’re so excited to be there,” she shared.

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The former Disney star said she is left speechless whenever she sees fans enjoying her music. “As hard as touring can be, it is so much fun, and that’s what I’m looking forward to is the connection with my fans,” she added.

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The Singer Is Training For Peak Performance

MEGA

Lovato, who is now 33 years old, has been training her body in order to be in tip-top shape for her tour. She has been religiously going to the gym for several months, adding that she does a lot of cardio exercises. “I’m doing a lot of cario so I’m not out of breath when I sing and dance at the same time,” she explained.

Moreover, the “Sorry Not Sorry” singer also exercises specific areas of her body, as she has back issues that she wants to take care of before her tour. “I have some back issues and getting my glutes and my quads strong so that I’m protecting my body,” Lovato said.

Lovato is also religiously rehearsing, sharing how excited she is for the tour, adding, “I can’t wait!”

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Demi Lovato Is Mentally Preparing As Well

Steven Bergman/AFF-USA.COM / MEGA

Apart from training her body, Lovato is also mentally preparing herself by making sure she remembers all the lyrics to her songs, something that she, at times, forgets due to her ADHD, a diagnosis she shared with The New York Times in 2021. “Turns out I have ADHD, but I’m not bipolar,” she told the publication, correcting a prior diagnosis she once thought she had.

At times, Lovato says her mind wanders in the middle of a song, and she loses her focus. “I’ll see a poster in the audience or something, lose my focus and forget the words to my own songs,” she shared.

Lovato has also released nine albums to date, and because she’s had to learn the lyrics of so many songs over the course of her career, she sometimes forgets the words.

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The Singer Shares The Difficulty Of Being Apart From Her Husband

ADM/Capital Pictures / MEGA

Another challenge Lovato will be facing once her tour starts is being away from her husband, musician Jordan Lutes aka Jutes, whom she married in 2025.

According to the singer, they make an effort not to be apart for longer than two weeks. Lutes, she says, will go and see her for the first month of her tour, but the succeeding dates may be more difficult, as he himself will be on the road.

“So we’ll be away from each other for a little bit longer than two weeks, which will be a little difficult, but I’ve got my fans to keep me company, and it’ll be great,” Lovato shared.

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911 Audio Reveals Person Unable to Enter Katherine Short’s Bedroom: Report

Published

2 hours ago

25 February 2026

NewsAdmin

A reported 911 dispatch call is shedding new light on how Martin Short’s daughter, Katherine Hartley Short, was discovered dead in her home.

TMZ reported on Tuesday, February 24, that it had obtained audio in which a police dispatcher noted that the person who called 911 said they were at Katherine’s home in the Hollywood Hills but unable to enter a bedroom on the property.

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Us Weekly that officers responded to a radio call of a possible suicide attempt on Monday, February 23, at 6:43 p.m. The LAPD said responding officers found a deceased female at the location. A cause of death has not yet been determined.

Martin’s family confirmed Katherine’s death in a statement to Us on Tuesday. She was 42.

“It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short. The Short family is devastated by this loss and asks for privacy at this time,” the actor and comedian’s rep said. “Katherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world.”

Martin, 75, adopted Katherine with his late wife, Nancy Dolman. The couple also shared adopted sons Oliver, 39, and Henry, 36. Nancy died at age 58 in August 2010 after a battle with ovarian cancer.

Some of Katherine’s neighbors in the Hollywood Hills remembered her on Tuesday, with a next-door neighbor describing her as a “great neighbor and gardener.”

“She was very nice, but this is a quiet neighborhood, and to be fair, we don’t see too many neighbors usually out,” said another neighbor, who added that Katherine was a respectful neighbor who didn’t throw parties and wasn’t loud.

Martin previously opened up about the impact of his wife’s death on the Short family.

In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, the Only Murders in the Building star said “it’s been a tough two years” for his children.

“This is the thing of life that we live in denial about, that it will ever happen to us or our loved ones, and when it does, you gain a little and you suffer a little,” Martin said at the time. “There’s no big surprise.”

In 2014, the Emmy winner shared more details about how he and his family remembered Nancy after her death.

“[Nancy] had once said to me, ‘I don’t want a funeral and I don’t want a memorial. Throw a party, or not.’ She just was so irritated that she was losing this battle, she didn’t want to think about it,” Martin said on The Meredith Vieira Show. “So I just followed her wishes. We went up, we had a party with about 30 close friends and family. She was cremated. The kids and I went into a boat, we sprinkled the ashes into the water, and we jumped into the ashes.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

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Hilary Duff Addresses Ashley Tisdale Drama, Lindsay Lohan Feud on ‘Call Her Daddy’

Published

2 hours ago

25 February 2026

NewsAdmin

Hilary Duff
Comin’ Clean About ‘Toxic’ Mom Group
…And Past Lindsay Lohan Feud!

Published
February 25, 2026
5:52 AM PST

Call Her Daddy

Hilary Duff is comin’ clean about the “toxic” mom group fiasco that took the internet by storm last month … and is even addressing past drama with Lindsay Lohan!

The “Roommates” singer reflected on all the drama — new and old — on her Wednesday appearance on “Call Her Daddy.” She first recalls her teenage “nemesis” Lindsay … who she was often pitted against back in the early aughts — and with whom she was notoriously involved in a love triangle with the late Aaron Carter.

But, the singer and actress confirmed any beef with LiLo was buried way back in the day … saying they came to an understanding one night at the club and even took a shot together!

Onto more recent drama … HD addresses the buzz kicked off by Ashley Tisdale saying she was part of a judgmental mom group — that fans assumed included Hilary, Mandy Moore and Meghan Trainor — and said she “felt used” and “sad” about the whole scenario

Hilary noted people didn’t have to “connect very many dots” and pushed back at the narrative, explaining … “It sucks to read something that’s not true, and it sucks on behalf of six women and all of their lives.”

TMZ.com

She even addressed her husband Matthew Koma getting involved in the drama — it’s all in the clip.

As we told you … Ashley’s rep assured us the internet was twisting the “High School Musical” star’s words … but it seems Hilary took it as personally as her fans!

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10 Years Later, This Giant Monster Movie Is the Best Sci-Fi Kaiju Movie Since ‘Godzilla’

Published

2 hours ago

25 February 2026

NewsAdmin

Anne Hathaway as Gloria scratching her head with the monster behind her doing the same in Colossal

When the word “Kaiju” enters a conversation, most people tend to think of Godzilla. The King of the Monsters’ debut in 1954 was both iconic and chilling, especially since he was meant to serve as an allegory for the horrors that nuclear warfare could bring upon the Earth. While there have been some valiant attempts, very few monster movies come close to capturing the blend of allegory and spectacle of Godzilla. That all changed in 2016 when Nacho Vigalondo delivered one of the strangest yet unique monster movies with Colossal.

Colossal follows the life of Gloria (Anne Hathaway), a writer struggling with her alcoholic tendencies and the end of her relationship. At her rope’s end, she travels back to her hometown of Mainhead, New Hampshire, where she takes up a job at a bar run by her childhood friend Oscar (Jason Sudeikis). Around the same time, a massive reptilian monster starts ripping through Seoul, South Korea. It’s revealed that the monster is connected to Gloria’s actions; if she dances, it dances, and if she walks, it walks — though it ends up causing more destruction in the process. What really makes Colossal a standout is how it uses the monster as a metaphor for alcoholism and its destructive effects.

Colossal was a turning point in Anne Hathaway’s career. While she’d previously played a literal princess in The Princess Diaries, a struggling journalist in The Devil Wears Prada, and impressed fans with her turn as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, Colossal lets her tap into her inner messiness to play Gloria. Gloria’s alcohol issues, much like the monster stomping through Seoul, make a mess of her life. She loses her job, her boyfriend, and is directly responsible for causing untold damage halfway around the world. Part of the draw of Colossal is watching Hathaway play a character who’s the complete opposite of her usual roles, and nailing it in the process.

If Hathaway’s performance in Colossal is a surprise, then no one was prepared for the extremely dark turn Sudeikis takes as Oscar. Midway through Colossal, it’s revealed that Oscar can control his own massive avatar, a giant robot. It’s also revealed that he is a monster himself: he bullies one of his friends, Joel (Austin Stowell), for showing romantic interest in Gloria, and starts verbally belittling her as she begins to gain control over her monster. It’s a pattern that fits an abusive relationship to a T, and it’s utterly shocking to see the man who would later play the incredibly kind Ted Lasso play such a despicable human being. Yet it also shows that Sudeikis has incredible range as an actor.

Godzilla wreaks havoc across a reddening sky in 2014's Godzilla.

The Godzilla Film That Made Giant Monster Movies Cool in America Again Has a New Streaming Home

The movie stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Bryan Cranston.

An Indie Studio Owes Its Success to ‘Colossal’

Though Colossal turned out to be a surprise hit when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2016, it faced opposition from Toho, the studio behind the Godzilla films. Toho sued Colossal‘s distributor, Voltage Pictures, in 2015, alleging that publicity materials included images from Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla and that Voltage was attempting to make an unauthorized Godzilla knockoff. Nacho Vigalondo didn’t help matters, as one of his quotes describing Colossal was used as fuel for Toho’s legal fire:

“It’s going to be the cheapest Godzilla movie ever, I promise. It’s going to be a serious Godzilla movie, but I’ve got an idea that’s going to make it so cheap that you will feel betrayed.”

Toho and Voltage eventually settled out of court, which turned out to be a boon to the indie world. Following its TIFF premiere, Colossal was scooped up by NEON, which has become one of the world’s biggest independent film distributors. NEON’s list of films includes Academy Award winners like Parasite and Anora, as well as sleeper hits like Hulu’s Palm Springs. None of it would be possible without Colossal, which shows that Godzilla isn’t the only giant monster that can rule the movie screen.

Release Date: Advertisement

April 6, 2017
Runtime: 109 minutes
Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Producers: Advertisement

Dominic Rustam, Nahikari Ipiña, Nicolas Chartier, Russell Levine, Zev Foreman