From her starring role in the legacy sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to turning Wednesday Addams into the role she was born to play on Netflix, Jenna Ortega has had an impressive rise to stardom in her first few years on-screen. However, as is the case with most young actors learning their trade, she has also been part of some disappointing projects. In 2025, both of Ortega’s big-screen releases were frustrating let-downs, although the wasted potential of the underwhelming horror fantasy flick Death of a Unicorn looks like a stroke of genius compared to her other flop, Hurry Up Tomorrow.

Starring Ortega alongside Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, Hurry Up Tomorrow promised to be a mind-bending thriller following “a musician plagued by insomnia is pulled into an odyssey with a stranger who begins to unravel the very core of his existence.” Instead, fans received one of the worst movies of the year, with critics awarding the film a dismal 14% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, hilariously writing, “On second thought, let’s fast-forward to the workweek.” In Jeff Ewing‘s review of the movie for Collider, he wrote, “Characters aren’t given sufficient depth, story beats are repetitive (we get it, you’re stressed walking out to perform), and it’s too late by the time it gets going in the final act.”

Despite all of this, Hurry Up Tomorrow has found itself some streaming success this February, becoming one of the ten most-streamed movies on Starz in the U.S. In fact, at the time of writing, the film is the second-most-streamed title behind Nnamdi Asomugha‘s 2025 drama, The Knife. Directed by Trey Edward Shults (It Comes at Night), Hurry Up Tomorrow is the lowest-scoring project across film and TV in Ortega’s career to date, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Could ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ Find Box Office Success?

Hurry Up Tomorrow wasn’t just one of the worst-reviewed movies of 2025; it was also one of the biggest box office flops of the year. Against a reported production budget of $15 million, the film returned just $7.7 million worldwide. In U.S. theaters, the movie opened in over 2,000 locations in a highly underwhelming first weekend. So bad was this opening that, in just two weeks, the movie had been dropped from almost every location, finally playing in 124 theaters before data stopped being produced by its fourth weekend.

For the latest streaming stories, stay tuned to Collider.

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Release Date

May 16, 2025

Runtime

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106 minutes

Director

Trey Edward Shults

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Writers

Reza Fahim, Trey Edward Shults, The Weeknd

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Producers

Kevin Turen, The Weeknd, Harrison Kreiss

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Jason Statham has made a career out of punching, kicking, and glowering his way through action movies — but The Beekeeper might be the one where everything finally clicks. Now streaming for free, the high-octane revenge thriller has surged in popularity as viewers discover (or revisit) what many are calling the most entertaining performance of Statham’s career.

In The Beekeeper, Statham plays Adam Clay, a quiet man living off the grid who keeps to himself — and his bees. But when a kind-hearted woman he befriends becomes the victim of a devastating scam that leads to tragic consequences, Clay is forced back into a world he tried to leave behind. And that world is bigger, darker, and more powerful than anyone realizes.

What makes The Beekeeper stand out from Statham’s many action outings is how confidently it leans into its pulpy, almost comic-book premise while still delivering bone-crunching, grounded fight scenes. The movie knows exactly what it is: a slick, mean, unapologetically violent thrill ride built around Statham’s no-nonsense screen presence.

Alongside Statham, the cast also includes Emmy Raver-Lampman as Agent Verona Parker, Josh Hutcherson as Derek Danforth, Bobby Naderi as Agent Matt Wiley, Minnie Driver as Director Janet Harward, and Jeremy Irons as Wallace Westwyld.

Was ‘The Beekeeper’ Worth Watching?

Collider’s Nate Richard hailed the action and cheese on display in the movie, noting the sheer amount of buzzy puns:

“The Beekeeper is made for a very specific audience. Those who don’t want their action paired with a large quantity of puns and cheese won’t find much here. The title alone hints at this being much more of a throwback to the action movies of a different era. Where the Mission: Impossible and John Wick franchises have excelled at pairing breathtaking action with top-notch world-building, The Beekeeper isn’t trying to do that. It just wants its audience to have the time of their lives on this wild ride. It’s an action movie with plot beats that might make certain audience members raise their eyebrows and scoff, but it will have Statham devotees smiling, laughing, and cheering in their seats.”

The Beekeeper 2 doesn’t yet have a firm release date, but with production underway, Statham fans can look forward to seeing Adam Clay back in action soon. The Beekeeper is currently streaming, for free, on Tubi until the end of this month.

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Release Date

January 12, 2024

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Runtime

105 minutes

Director

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David Ayer

Writers

Kurt Wimmer

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The 2026 Rock the Country Festival will no longer play in Anderson, South Carolina, after multiple musicians dropped out of the concert.

Anderson County administrator Rusty Burns told local newspaper The Post and Courier on Friday, February 6, that the two-day show was canceled. Burns further claimed that he wasn’t given a specific reason why the festival canceled its South Carolina shows.

Rock the Country is described as “a festival for the people” featuring performances from Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Jelly Roll and Blake Shelton. The festival was scheduled to stop at eight towns across the United States this summer.

While Rock the Country has not publicly addressed shuttering the South Carolina dates, the festival’s website and social media pages have since been updated to highlight its remaining seven shows. The festival is currently scheduled to begin in Bellville, Texas, on May 1-2 before heading to Bloomingdale, Georgia, later that month. Performances are also scheduled to take place  in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Ashland, Kentucky, Hastings, Michigan, Ocala, Florida, and Hamburg, New York.

Related: Breaking Down Rock the Country Festival Drama After 4 Artists Drop Out

Months before the Rock the Country festival crosses the United States, three of its named performers have all dropped out. The annual festival, consisting of an eight-city tour featuring sets from popular music artists, initially featured Ludacris, Morgan Wade and Carter Faith among the star-studded lineup. The trio of artists have since quietly canceled their […]

Hours before the Anderson show was scrapped, Shinedown revealed that they no longer planned to play at any of the shows on the tour.

“Shinedown is everyone’s band. We feel that we have been given a platform to bring all people together through the power and music and song,” an X statement read. “We have one BOSS, and it is everyone in the audience. Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide.”

The band added, “With that in mind, we have made the decision that we will not be playing the Rock the Country Festival. We know this decision will create differences of opinion, but we do not want to participate in something we believe will create further division.”

Shinedown — featuring Brent Smith, Zach Myers, Barry Kerch, Eric Bass and Jasin Todd — previously denied any political motivation contributed to their initial decision to perform with Rock the Country.

“We are an apolitical band, but the knives have come out. It’s crazy, and to be honest, I had no idea,” Kerch, 49, said, on the “Vinyl Road” podcast in January. “It was just, ‘Hey, here’s an offer. It looks like a cool lineup, and it’s a mix of country and rock [artists].’ We took the offer … and then, all of a sudden, we found out this [has] got some political leaning to it. I don’t care, I’m just going to play a show. You keep your politics to yourself.”

Kerch further stressed that neither he nor his bandmates knew the festival was “Kid Rock’s thing.” (Kid Rock, 55, is a noted supporter of President Donald Trump and the Republican party, and is also set to headline Turning Point USA’s alternative halftime show during Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8.)

Shinedown isn’t the only artist to back out of Rock the Country — Carter Faith, Morgan Wade and Ludacris have similarly walked away from the shows.

“Lines got crossed, and he wasn’t supposed to be on there,” a rep for Ludacris, 48, told Rolling Stone earlier this month, claiming his inclusion was a “mix-up.”

Fans are holding their phones extra close, trying to figure out who the deep-voiced man is in Remy Ma’s video. Rem was on a livestream serving face while a man’s voice could be heard in the background. Now, folks want her to come to the front and spill the tea.

RELATED: Snatched & Serving! Remy Ma Shuts Down Timelines After Flaunting Curves In Fiery Bikini & Icy Temps (PHOTOS + VIDEO)

The TL Wants Answers After Mystery Voice Pops Up In Remy Ma’s Livestream

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and Remy Ma is already setting the vibes. The ‘Conceited’ raptress popped out on a livestream dressed in red, clearly ready for love day. While fans were living for her beauty, others switched into detective mode, trying to figure out who the mystery man was in her videos. It’s hard to catch exactly what he was saying or if he was even in the room — but the way Remy kept looking off to the side had fans working overtime to crack the case!

The Internet Is Clockin’ The Background Noise

After LiveBitez dropped the clips of Rem, the comment section went crazy. Some folks couldn’t get over how good Remy was looking, while others swore the mystery voice belonged to Eazy The Block Captain, who has allegedly been dating following her split from Papoose in 2024.

Instagram user @realbigstacks wrote, “Rem really that girl 😍” 

Instagram user @mstelisha2u wrote, “Well it ain’t PAP.” 

While Instagram user @heyyy_jaiiiii wrote, “I mean does it matter?” 

Then Instagram user @el.papi.gordo_ wrote, “Thats Eazy the block captain voice…. i’m a battle rap watcher… his voice is very distinct… Case closed.” 

Another Instagram user @_cream_irish_ wrote, “Oh that’s easy 😂😂😂😂” 

Instagram user @jengermartin wrote, “She definitely can do better than that loud mouth Easy.” 

Then another Instagram user @_safizzle wrote, “no more Eazy Block?”

Lastly, Instagram user @icanb wrote, “It’s that dude with the braces 😂” 

Been That Girl, Still THAT Girl!

Remy Ma has been keeping her foot on necks lately. She sparked reactions in January after dropping some winter content on Instagram, posing in nothing but a fiery bikini and a fur coat. Bawdy snatched, face card lethal, poses on point! Fans immediately clocked Rem for serving a look even in freezing temps. Peep her photos below.

RELATED: Whew! Claressa Shields Sparks Reactions After Weighing In On Papoose & Remy Ma’s Divorce During Interview (WATCH) 

President Donald Trump claims there are new “clues” in the ongoing search for Today cohost Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother, Nancy.

“I’ll give you a little statement — I think we’re doing very well in that regard,” Trump, 79, said while speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Friday, February 6. “You’d be surprised to hear that. I think we’re doing very well, meaning we have some clues I think that are very strong and I think we could have some answers coming up fairly soon.”

The president continued, “I’m not talking about a search, I’m talking about a solution. We have some things that will maybe come out reasonably soon from [the] DOJ or FBI or whoever that could be — could be definitive. A lot has taken place in the last couple of hours. A lot of things have happened in regard to that horrible situation in the last couple of hours.”

Nancy, 84, was first reported missing on Sunday, February 1, after she failed to appear at church service. She was last seen on Saturday, January 31, by her daughter and Savannah’s sister, Annie. She is described as 5-foot-5 and 150 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. The case is being investigated as a crime.

Related: White House Sends Support to Savannah Guthrie’s Family Amid Search for Mom

The White House is sending prayers to Savannah Guthrie‘s family as her mom, Nancy Guthrie, remains missing. “The search for Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, is ongoing, and authorities are requesting assistance from the public,” read a message shared via the official White House X account on Tuesday, February 3. “Anyone with information is urged […]

“Something unusual at that house occurred that made us go, ‘Wow, something’s wrong here. Something doesn’t fit,’” Pima Country Sheriff Chris Nanos exclusively shared with Us Weekly on Monday, February 2. “We’re gonna pull all the stops and go at all angles. We really do hope it’s a search-and-rescue mission and we find her and she’s safe and sound. But it would be unjust if we didn’t look at what’s in front of us and go, ‘We need to act.’”

Nanos added at the time, “This is an 84-year-old lady who is safe in her own home asleep, and she is taken. And that should never happen.”

The family has also acknowledged the existence of various ransom notes in connection with their mother’s missing person’s case, including a “new message” addressed by the FBI on Friday.

“The FBI and County Sheriff’s Department are aware of a new message regarding Nancy Guthrie,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a statement via X. “Investigators are actively inspecting the information provided in the message for its authenticity.”

“We live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her,” Savannah said while flanked by her siblings, sister Annie and brother Camron, in a social media video, speaking to her mother’s would-be abductors directly.

Related: Donald Trump Reacts to ‘Terrible’ Disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s Mom

President Donald Trump is weighing in on the high-profile disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie. “I think it’s terrible,” Trump, 79, told reporters inside the White House Oval Office on Tuesday, February 3. “I’m gonna call her later on,” the president added of Savannah, 54. “I think it’s a […]

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In the wake of Nancy’s terrifying disappearance, the president has promised Savannah and her family that the federal government is “deploying all resources” to assist the ongoing search.

“I spoke with Savannah Guthrie, and let her know that I am directing ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote via his social media platform Truth Social on Wednesday, February 4. “We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely.”

The FBI is currently offering a $50,000 reward for any information that leads to Nancy’s recovery and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved.

Oop! Things got a little awkward after Paige Hurd appeared on The Crew Has It podcast and addressed her relationship with former Power Book II: Ghost co-stars Michael Rainey Jr. and Gianni Paolo.

Related: What Happened? Michael Rainey Jr. & Gianni Paolo React To ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Co-Star Alix Lapri’s Arrest In Georgia

Paige Hurd Confronts ‘Power’ Co-stars Michael Rainey Jr. And Gianii Paolo

In a recent interview on The Crew Has It podcast, Michael Rainey Jr. and Gianni Paolo sat down with their former co-star Paige Hurd for a candid conversation. While discussing what she has been up to lately, Hurd shared that she is currently busy planning her wedding. Gianni asked if he and Michael were invited to the big day.

Hurd took that moment to confront the pair, responding, “I didn’t know you two would want to come.” She went on to explain that Gianni had removed her from his Close Friends list and that she learned from a fan that Michael had unfollowed her on social media.

She then asked both men, “When was the last time I spoke to you?”

Michael remained mostly quiet, while Gianni pulled out his phone to check their messages. Hurd also pointed out that the trio had plans to link up during Paris Fashion Week but never connected, despite being in the same building multiple times.

Social Media Users

Soon after the clip went viral, fans took to Instagram to share their thoughts.

One user, @93thug_life, wrote, “They both liked her and she thought they just wanted to be her friend. She was blindsided, that’s wild 😳🥺.”

Another user, @sashaleigh, commented, “I thought maybe he unfollowed her while he was with Hailee! It prolly was cause of her engagement now that I think about it 👀.”

User @4c.vay added, “Oh this intenseeeeeeee 😩😂.”

Meanwhile, @mattyplatty_ wrote, “Tbh, would y’all invite y’all coworkers to your wedding??? Acting is just another job.”

Another fan, @raysoflove_21, shared, “Based on only seeing this clip and feeling the energy, I’m not sure why sis even went to the interview.”

User @iamyanidadon added, “I feel like this conversation shoulda been had off camera 🥴.”

@royalaniek commented, “Men being men acting like they didn’t do anything wrong.”

While @micjones.13 wrote, “If she’s getting married, it’s really not that deep.”

And @driveciara added, “She don’t even realize that boy like her.”

Paige Hurd Prepares For Marriage To NBA Player Royce O’Neale

As the conversation continues online, Paige Hurd remains focused on her next chapter.

The actress is preparing to marry NBA player Royce O’Neale. The couple announced their engagement in People magazine in March 2025 after O’Neale proposed during a romantic dinner in Cabo in February.

According to People, the two met in early 2024 and made their relationship Instagram official in January 2025. The Phoenix Suns forward shared that he had admired Hurd for years, having grown up watching her in TV shows and movies.

Related: Aht Aht! Paige Hurd Addresses Pregnancy Speculation After Poppin’ Out In Holiday Photos With THIS NBA Player

Nick Jonas and Glen Powell share an unexpected brotherhood they never saw coming.

“I’m here at Jimmy Fallon, just performed ‘Gut Punch,’ but before the performance I was changing into my outfit,” Jonas, 33, said in a Thursday, February 5, Instagram video from backstage at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “A lot of times, a brand will lend you something for a big TV performance or something like that.”

According to Jonas, he slipped on a borrowed pair of jeans and found an expired plane ticket in the back pocket.

“I’m, like, ‘Who could this plane ticket belong to?’ I open it up, and of course it belongs to Glen Powell of all people,” the Jonas Brothers singer said. “Glen Powell, my friend. His plane ticket. He wore these pants before me. It’s the brotherhood of the traveling pants.”

Related: See The Jonas Brothers Groovy Style on ‘The Tour’

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Powell, 37, subsequently had thoughts about sharing soiled jeans with Jonas.

“They didn’t wash these for you?!?” Powell wrote in the comments section. “I feel like the Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants should incorporate some sort of hygiene pact.”

Jonas and Powell’s friendship dates back to 2015, when they costarred in Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens.

“I love Ryan and Brad [Falchuk]. They’re just hilarious,” Powell recalled to Variety in March 2016 of playing Chad Radwell on the Fox cult hit. “The beauty of that character is he’s not really a character that fits into the plot necessarily. He’s just a guy who’s there to make you laugh so that’s why I kind of love him so much.”

The Chad Powers star added, “There’s no real plot pressure. There are very few plot scenes that you need to cloud your brain with. Chad was just there for fun and it just worked because it’s so well-written.”

As for Jonas, he played Boone Clemons on Scream Queens.

“The show’s full of surprises,” Jonas teased to Billboard ahead of season 1’s 2015 premiere. “It’s not what you expect. Maybe you expect it, but it’s not what you expect as a whole for the show. It’s one of those things where he tries to keep the audience on their toes and he does a very good job.”

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Related: Happiness Continues! The Jonas Brothers Over the Years: Photos

Band of brothers! Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas and Nick Jonas were lucky enough to have built in bandmates growing up — and fans can say thank you to their parents, Paul and Denise Jonas, for raising such beloved stars, too. After growing up in New Jersey (alongside younger brother Frankie Jonas, a.k.a. The Bonus Jonas), […]

While Jonas only appeared in season 1 of Scream Queens, Powell returned for the show’s second season. Powell has remained booked and busy since wrapping Scream Queens with a steady slate of film and TV roles, while Jonas has prioritized his music career.

“It was, kind of, just snapshots of life,” Jonas teased of his new album, Sunday Best, during an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers earlier this week. “[I wanted] to give people a window into my world over the last two, three years and some experience that I’ve had. The title stems from a lyric about ‘dressing in your Sunday best, going to church as a kid.’”

He continued, “Our dad was a pastor, I grew up singing in church, and so there’s lot of gospel [and] soul influences in this music, which is something that I’ve always had in my music. I leaned in a bit further and got to work with some incredible collaborators to make an album that I’m really proud of.”

There are dozens and dozens of ’90s movie characters that have become icons. Fans will quote them daily, dress as them for Halloween, and have generally elevated them to pop culture royalty status. Think of characters like Cher from Clueless, The Dude from The Big Lebowski, or Vincent and Jules from Pulp Fiction. This list is not about those characters. Instead, it’s about those characters that are just as equally charming, quirky, scary, or otherwise indelible that have somehow become forgotten through the passage of time.

These also-rans are played by some of the greatest actors of the era in films by eclectic and talented directors. The pictures themselves range from underrated gems to massive blockbuster successes, and yet none of these characters are as celebrated as they should be. These are ten of the greatest forgotten movie characters of the ’90s, unique figures worthy of your acknowledgment and praise.

10

Dusty (Philip Seymour Hoffman) in ‘Twister’ (1996)

Image via Warner Bros.

Character actors were eating well in the ’90s. Almost every action blockbuster featured an expanded supporting cast that was filled out by rising stars and supporting actor mainstays. The 1996 disaster thriller Twister was no different, and none of that film’s supporting characters are more colorful than Dusty, the excitable storm chaser played by the singular Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Before Hoffman became the preeminent talent and Oscar winner he was known as, and long before he tragically passed away too young, he was burning up the screen in supporting roles that roasted most of his higher-profile co-stars. Movies like Scent of a Woman, Boogie Nights and Patch Adams all benefited from Hoffman’s presence, and his boisterous, boundless energy made Dusty a lovable sidekick.

9

The Collector (Billy Zane) in ‘Demon Knight’ (1995)

Image via Universal Pictures

The ’90s were a transitional period for horror, and while the decade had its fair share of hits, it was absolutely overflowing with cult classics. Demon Knight, the inaugural feature film to come out of the spectacularly spooky horror television series Tales From the Crypt, is a solid midnight movie that can be loads of fun. A great deal of that fun comes from Billy Zane‘s performance as the movie’s supernatural big bad.

As the demon-leading villain who sets off a siege against the unfortunate residents of a boarding house, Zane completely understands the assignment. The ever-underrated actor vacillates between over-the-top theatrics and genuine, sinister villainy, and has a ball with all of it. Zane was one of the ’90s slimiest movie villains, best known for playing the rich and callous cuck in Titanic, and the Collector in Demon Knight gave him the opportunity to play with every weapon in his arsenal.

8

Drexl Spivey in ‘True Romance’ (1993)

Image via Warner Bros.

Gary Oldman was one of Hollywood’s favorite Brits to cast as villains in the ’90s, and several of those roles have deservedly become icons. From the titular performance in Bram Stoker’s Dracula to the pill-popping corrupt cop in The Professional, his place in the villain hall of fame is assured. Counted among those iconic heavies should be the dreadlocked drug dealer Drexl Spivey in the cult action classic True Romance.

Though he only features in a couple of scenes in the film, Spivey leaves a lasting impression thanks to some very memorable lines courtesy of screenwriter Quentin Tarantino and Oldman’s typically committed performance. It’s the biggest scene-stealing character in a film filled with scene-stealing characters, and a testament to Oldman’s admirable ability to make the most out of any role, screen time be damned.

7

Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman) in ‘Matinee’ (1993)

Image via Universal Pictures

Matinee is Joe Dante‘s most personal movie. A nostalgia-tinged love letter to monster B-movies set during the Cuban Missile Crisis, it was well-reviewed but failed to make much impact at the box office, which is unfortunate because it’s a sweet and heartfelt coming-of-age story. At the center of it is John Goodman’s energetic performance as the fictional filmmaker Lawrence Woolsey.

A showman at heart, heavily inspired by the real-life filmmaker William Castle, Woolsey enjoys shocking audiences and loves a good gimmick. Far from a heartless huckster, though, he’s played with genuine warmth and charm by Goodman, who should have gotten more award notice for the performance. Alas, he’s never been nominated for an Oscar, and that is one of the most egregious oversights in Academy Awards history.

6

Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh) in ‘The Hudsucker Proxy’ (1994)

Image via Warner Bros.

The Coen Brothers have created a cavalcade of memorable characters, and their output in the ’90s was, without exception, character-driven heaven. The Hudsucker Proxy was a major failure for the filmmaking duo at the time, and remains one of their most underrated features, which is unfortunate because it features hilarious character work from Tim Robbins, Paul Newman, and, especially, Jennifer Jason Leigh.

As fast-talking news gal Amy Archer, Leigh channels the spirit of screwball comedy mavens Rosalind Russell and Katharine Hepburn. She’s quick with a quip and delivers her dialogue at warp speed, only slowing down when she gets her heart broken in this delightful confection of a film that homages Preston Sturges and Frank Capra. While some critics derided the performance and character as a broad caricature at the time, in retrospect, it’s been proven to be a performance of comedic precision and perfection.

5

Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) in ‘Sleepy Hollow’ (1999)

Image via Paramount Pictures

Before his career devolved into personal drama and diminishing returns, Johnny Depp was a pretty reliable presence on screen, delivering some of the quirkiest leading man performances. His work with Tim Burton during the ’90s began with his iconic role as Edward Scissorhands, progressed through the Oscar-winning biopic Ed Wood, and culminated in the truly underrated Sleepy Hollow.

As Ichabod Crane, Depp is a one-man circus of idiosyncrasies. In the film’s version of the character, he’s a constable sent to investigate a series of murders in the titular town. He’s a character who values logic and reason over superstition, using a variety of forensic techniques to investigate. Ichabod is also prone to fainting and hysteria, with Depp eschewing any action hero characteristics, instead portraying Crane as if he were a frightened, fragile child.

4

Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates) in ‘Dolores Claiborne’ (1995)

When it comes to Kathy Bates and Stephen King, the character of Annie Wilkes, the obsessive fan in Misery, looms large. While that character rightly earned the actress an Academy Award, her titular role in another King adaptation, Dolores Claiborne, should be just as lauded. It’s a tense psychological drama about the bond between a mother and daughter and the trauma that tests it. Dolores may not be as colorful a character as Annie, and Bates’ performance may not be as showy, but it’s just as emotionally impactful, if not more so.

Set on a small Maine island, the film focuses on Dolores, whose involvement in the death of an elderly woman for whom she was the caretaker spurs a re-connection with her grown daughter, Vera, that reopens old wounds. Both mother and daughter were subject to abuse from Dolores’ husband, but while Dolores has lived with it and the repercussions of it, Vera has all but completely repressed her memories of it. Dolores Claiborne is one of King’s most heartfelt stories, and the lead character is one of the most fascinating and multidimensional in ’90s cinema. She’s brought to vivid life by Bates in a tour-de-force performance that has been overshadowed for far too long.

3

Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) in ‘Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai’ (1999)

Image via Artisan Entertainment

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One of the most idiosyncratic and underrated crime films of the ’90s, Jim Jarmusch‘s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai focuses on a reclusive hit man who adheres to a strict warrior’s code while carrying out kills for the mob. While clearly indebted to crime films like Le Samouraï and Branded to Kill, it is distinctly a Jarmusch film in every way. Forest Whitaker‘s lead performance as the titular character is a brilliant depiction of the kind of quiet violence and strict morals often depicted in filmic assassins, but rarely ever as successfully as done here.

Whitaker has made a career out of playing characters who operate on both sides of the law, but are often colored in moral shades of grey as opposed to black and white. His quiet intensity and imposing figure have always served him well in these kinds of roles, but he wasn’t given proper award recognition until he fully inhabited Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. Arguably, he should’ve gotten far more notice before then, particularly for Ghost Dog, who speaks far more softly but is just as compelling and capable of violence.

2

David Jason (Jeff Goldblum) in ‘Deep Cover’ (1992)

Image via New Line Cinema

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Jeff Goldblum‘s career in the ’90s is mostly defined by his eccentric performances in blockbusters like Jurassic Park and Independence Day, but his best performance, by far, came in the completely forgotten Bill Duke-directed crime film Deep Cover. It stars Laurence Fishburne as an undercover cop in the Los Angeles drug trade, where he meets Goldblum’s corrupt attorney and drug trafficker. Even when the film covers some familiar territory, it’s never anything less than immediately compelling thanks to the two lead performances.

Goldblum is dynamic as hell, playing a milquetoast character whose taste for the underworld only causes him to become greedier and more violently unhinged. It’s an especially astounding performance for anyone who generally only associates Goldblum with his more recent comedic persona. He gives layers to his character that make him alternatively sympathetic and deplorable, and it’s always fun to watch Goldblum go full dark.

1

Edgar (Vincent D’Onofrio) in ‘Men in Black’ (1997)

Image via Columbia Pictures

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Maybe it’s because of the diminishing returns of the sequels, or that the original film seems much smaller now in comparison to the career of its most major star, but Men in Black never gets enough credit for being such a clever, funny and perfectly executed blockbuster. It’s visually dynamic, has a great mix of practical and digital effects and, most of all, a terrific cast. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are perfectly mismatched as odd couple partners, and the severely underutilized Linda Fiorentino gives tons of dimension in her supporting role. As for Vincent D’Onofrio, he should’ve won a damn Oscar for his brilliant villain performance.

As a giant alien bug wearing a local yokel’s skin as a suit, D’Onofrio’s work as Edgar is full-bodied. He walks and talks in a way that makes you fully believe there’s a 20-foot-tall cockroach inhabiting his body, and he’s scary, funny and weird in all the best ways. Edgar set a bar for future villains in the Men in Black franchise that none have come even close to touching, despite being played by some very talented actors. It’s a testament to how committed D’Onofrio is in the role, creating a blockbuster villain that has no real comparison, yet somehow is not continually listed among the greatest of all time.