If there’s one weekend this summer you need to spend all your time at home, it’s this one.

Major streamers like Netflix, Prime Video and more have just dropped some of the season’s can’t-miss shows, which is why Watch With Us had to cancel our wedding yet again to make time to watch all of them.

Dramatic weddings? That sounds like Sweet Magnolias to us, and the rumors are true – the hit Netflix series is back for season 5.

There’s also a slew of new shows that will make you beg for more seasons, like Prime Video’s hit YA adaptation Every Year After and HBO Max’s queer coming-of-age tale, Proud.

‘Sweet Magnolias’ Season 5 – Netflix

The Magnolias are back, and this season, they’re ditching the Deep South for the Big Apple. Well, kinda – bride-to-be Helen (Heather Headley) needs a fancy wedding dress, and only Fifth Avenue can satisfy her cravings for haute couture bridal gowns. Meanwhile, Maddie’s (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) dream job at a Manhattan publisher turns into a nightmare, and she is soon booking a return trip home.

Related: A Guide to Prime Video’s New Steamy Rom-Coms, Shows — And Book Adaptations

Prime Video is investing in love with a wide variety of steamy rom-coms, star-studded TV shows coming this year— and a fan event to celebrate the upcoming YA titles. The streaming service announced on Thursday, April 30, that Prime Video was branching out with Obsessed Fest, which is described as “an inaugural summer tentpole event […]

Relax, fans – Sweet Magnolias is still largely set in Serenity, that cozy, too-good-to-be-real small town that makes Stars Hollow seem like San Francisco. Helen’s upcoming nuptials provide some of the drama, as does Dana Sue’s (Brooke Elliott) increasingly troubled marriage to hubby Ronnie (Brandon Quinn). Yet no matter what life serves them, the Magnolia ladies can rely on each other to weather any storm – and disappointing men – that cross their paths.

‘Every Year After’ Season 1 – Prime Video

It’s a new month, which means there’s another Prime Video adaptation of a massively popular YA novel to bingewatch. After last month’s hit hockey romance Off Campus, the streamer dropped the puck-less Canadian love story Every Year After, based on Carley Fortune’s bestselling novel, Every Summer After. It’s just as addictive as Off Campus, except it’s a little more serious than its YA peer.

Barry’s Bay is a picture-perfect small town, so why has Percy (Sadie Soverall) been away for almost a decade? Something drove her away, and it has to do with childhood crush Sam (Matt Cornett). When her mother, Sue (Elisha Cuthbert), dies, Percy has no choice but to go back to her hometown and face some demons from her past. Will she see Sam again? Does she even want to?

‘Proud’ Season 1 – HBO Max

Live fast, party hard – if Filip (Ignacy Liss), the main character in the new Polish-language series Proud, had a motto, that would be it. He’s young, he’s good-looking and all the guys he encounters either want to be him or hook up with him. But Filip’s hedonistic lifestyle grinds to a halt when his sister dies, leaving him to take care of her infant child. Filip’s never taken care of anyone before, not even himself, so he has his work cut out for him as a de facto dad with no stable income and a lifetime of making bad choices.

Can Filip be responsible? That’s the main question Proud asks, and it answers it by giving an honest portrait of an immature boy who slowly – slowly – matures into a man. It’s not an easy, straightforward path, though, and Filip realizes he has to rely on others for help. Proud consists of eight episodes at approximately 32 minutes each, and it’s just the right length to watch one of summer’s most surprising – and rewarding – dramas.

‘My Adventures With Superman’ Season 3 – HBO Max

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s … an overused pun connecting a certain all-American comic book character to season 3 of an animated TV show. Yes, My Adventures with Superman is back on HBO Max with a new batch of episodes starting on June 14.

This scene brings back Supes (voiced by Jack Quaid), Lois Lane (Alice Lee) and Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid) as they hang with new friends like Superboy (Darren Criss) and battle new villains like Cyborg Superman. One of the main plots this time around is The Reign of the Supermen, an adaptation of a very famous ‘90s storyline which sees several successors to Superman’s role as Metropolis’ primary defender.

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Advertisement

‘The Listeners’ Season 1 – Starz

Claire’s (Rebecca Hall) life is pretty ordinary until she hears a distant humming noise that completely disrupts her routine. No one else close to her can hear it – not her husband, daughter or her fellow teachers – except for Kyle (Ollie West), a student in her class who is also mystified about the noise. Both wonder where it comes from and why they can only hear it, but as they investigate the source of their disturbance, their initial curiosity gives way to an all-consuming obsession.

With its slow, steady pacing and emphasis on liminal space to conjure a strange, vaguely menacing mood, The Listeners is like an A24 movie stretched across four episodes. That might dissuade people from watching it, but those who enjoyed the recent horror hit Backrooms and the 1995 Julianne Moore film Safe should like this series. As the noise-plagued protagonist, Hall once again shows she’s one of the most underrated actors working today. She’s fantastic, especially in the scenes when her character is slowly losing her grip on her sanity.

It has been more than 15 years since the release of “The Social Network,” the biographical drama centered on the creation of Facebook, and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is back for its standalone sequel, “The Social Recoking.” Sorkin, who directed the sequel, wanted Jesse Eisenberg to reprise his role as Facebook’s co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg, but the actor refused. The role went to Jeremy Strong, who was eager to step into the role.

In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair, Aaron Sorkin discussed his upcoming movie, “The Social Reckoning,” the follow-up to 2010’s Academy Award-winning movie, “The Social Network,” written by Sorkin and directed by David Fincher.

Initially, Sorkin said he would only do the project with Fincher as the director. However, the director was busy with other projects, which led Sorkin to take on the role. He did, however, reveal that Fincher was the first person to read the script and also offered help in any way he could.

Advertisement

Talking about the premise of the movie, Sorkin said, “‘The Social Network’ was about how Facebook was invented, and ‘The Social Recoking is what it’s become.”

Jesse Eisenberg Vehemently Refused The Zuckerberg Role

According to Sorkin, his first instinct was to approach Jesse Eisenberg to reprise his role as Mark Zuckerberg. “I felt like it belonged to him, and he was certainly battle-tested,” he said. Eisenberg was nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and BAFTA Awards for his portrayal of the Facebook founder.

In an interview in 2011, Eisenberg said while playing the role, he “developed an even greater affection” for the character. “So even if the character is acting in a way that hurts other characters, you still have to understand and ultimately sympathize with all of that behavior,” he said.

For the sequel, however, Sorkin said he tried to convince the actor for three days to come back, to no avail. “He simply did not want to be conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore, that he has his problems with the guy,” the director explained.

The Actor Changed His Tune About Zuckerberg

While Sorkin didn’t reveal many details about his conversation with Eisenberg, he further added, “he doesn’t like kids coming up to him in airports with business cards that say ‘I’m CEO, b-tch’ for him to sign.”

In 2025, Eisenberg said he no longer wanted to be associated with Zuckerberg, saying that the CEO “evolved into somebody obsessed with avarice and power.”

Advertisement

He also shared that he disagreed with Zuckerberg’s political views, stating, “These people have billions upon billions of dollars, more money than any human person has ever amassed. And what are they doing with it? Oh, they’re doing it to curry favor with somebody who’s preaching hateful things.”

Aaron Sorkin Found His New Zuckerberg

I love that everyone is complaining about jeremy strong when he literally fits older mark zuckerberg better and jesse eisenberg is also in his 40s pic.twitter.com/Z5750MUWS8

— Ryan’s Fortress 🍿 (@RyansFortress) June 11, 2026

Sorkin revealed that he first mentioned “The Social Reckoning” to Eisenberg at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. At that same event, he ran into Jeremy Strong, and they got to talking. When the screenwriter mentioned that he was working on a sequel to “The Social Network,” the actor said that he would be interested in the role of Zuckerberg if Eisenberg passed on the opportunity.

Strong told Variety in 2025 that he would approach the role just like any other, “with empathy, with objectivity, with care.” He agreed to take on the project, as he was fascinated by the material and thought it was one of the greatest scripts he’s ever read.

Advertisement

When asked whether he’d reach out to Zuckerberg, Strong replied, “no comment,” adding that he did not have a social media presence.

“He showed up on his first day, and when he said ‘good morning’ to me, he was already talking like Mark,” Sorkin said about Strong.

Aaron Sorkin On The Challenges Of Writing The CEO

“The Social Reckoning” will focus on the 2021 Facebook leak by whistleblower Frances Haugen. Documents showed Facebook knew the platform had harmful societal effects, including political polarization, misinformation, and negative effects on mental health, but failed to take sufficient action as they conflicted with the business’ interests.

Advertisement

According to Sorkin, one of the challenges was writing Zuckerberg like any other character and disregarding his personal views about him. “I can’t judge Mark Zuckerberg while I’m writing it. You’ve got to write the character like they’re making their case to God why they should be allowed into heaven,” he explained.

“The Social Reckoning” hits theaters on October 9, 2026.

Postmodernism is a term that’s a little hard to define, and the word can mean different things depending on what medium you’re talking about, but postmodernist literature is what’s being stuck to here. It is indeed (and unsurprisingly) a movement that came about after modernism, with postmodernism being a bit more abstract and willing to tackle confounding things in life to an even greater extent than modernist works might’ve.

There’s also some really interesting language used throughout most great postmodernist novels, and it’s therefore not too surprising that some rank among the very best – and most important – books of the second half of the 20th century. Postmodernism, as a literary genre, really came about in the 1950s, and was probably at its peak in the subsequent two decades, with many (but not all) of the following novels, which can be considered among the best postmodern books ever written, being from that time.

10

‘Mason & Dixon’ (1997)

Image via Henry Holt and Company

There is probably a Thomas Pynchon book you’re expecting to see here, even if you’ve not read it, because it’s kind of infamous (one that got a shout-out in Knives Out, of all places). And it will be here, a little later. For now, though, here’s another Pynchon novel: Mason & Dixon. This one’s challenging, but not so much because of its disturbing content, as other Pynchon novels are more confronting, as well as probably more confounding when it comes to things like narrative.

The story in Mason & Dixon is almost straightforward, at least by Pynchon’s standards, being a story within a story about Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, who, in the 18th century, surveyed parts of North America together and established the Mason-Dixon line. The perplexing part of Mason & Dixon is the language used, as it’s done in a way that does some combination of homaging and parodying the literature of the time in which it’s set, but once you get used to that style, it’s a compelling read. Hell, it’s compelling in a weird way even if you don’t 100% get used to that style.

9

‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ (2003)

Image via Doubleday

Just to show that a book doesn’t have to be grim, confusing, and aimed at an adult audience to technically be postmodern, here’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Sure, it’s not as “important” or “classic” as some of the other books mentioned here, but it could work as a great introduction to unconventional literature, for younger readers. It’s postmodernism, but with the postmodernist training wheels still on (postmodernist wheels are like, triangles, or something, and there are two and a half wheels per set, because **** you, that’s why).

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is about a teenage boy who observes the world in a unique way, and what happens when he becomes fixated on solving the murder of a neighbor’s dog. The first-person narration here is really what carries the whole book, and makes it stand out, as does the use of maps and other images used throughout; they help make this somewhat postmodernist, and also, they help elevate what’s an already solid mystery novel into something of a modern classic.

8

‘Underworld’ (1997)

Image via Scribner

The idea of the “Great American Novel” has been a thing for so long, and the search for it has been so built up, it might well never be a thing. There might well never be a definitive “Great American Novel.” That doesn’t stop there from being contenders, though, with Underworld by Don DeLillo being at least worth considering… and it was even linked to the idea of the “Great American Novel” as early as the year it was first published.

What Underworld does narratively might not sound too wild, since it’s about the baseball that was hit by Bobby Thomson in 1951: the one in the so-called Shot Heard ‘Round the World. It’s about that baseball over the years, and the different people who obtained it at some point, but after the prologue dealing with the New York Giants vs. Brooklyn Dodgers match, Underworld jumps forward to the 1990s, and then each part of the book goes back 10 or so years, until things are back in the 1950s. That structure is very postmodernist, as is DeLillo’s general style, not to mention the sprawl and different tangents of Underworld. It’s huge, strange, overwhelming, and almost always very impressive, as a novel.

7

‘Lolita’ (1955)

Image via Olympia Press

You probably know what Lolita is about, and it is, but it’s also very different, in practice, than how some people like to describe it. On one hand, Lolita is easier to read than you might expect a book with such subject matter to have, as it is equal parts witty and poetic. But then it is somehow darker and more uncomfortable than you might be prepared for, and you’re already going to be prepared for something dark and uncomfortable.

It might be the fact that Lolita is funny and horrifying without it feeling like two different books clashing that makes it such a harrowing read. You’re always yanked around, and you feel like you’re being tormented, toyed with, and sometimes controlled by the book’s narrator… a man who infamously exerts control over the young girl he calls Lolita, all while attempting to manipulate other characters alongside those he’s telling his story to, too. The effect is dizzying, impressive, and hard to read, but persevering through this particular book is ultimately worth it.

6

‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’ (1984)

Image via Harper Perennial

Of course The Unbearable Lightness of Being is postmodernist, with a title like “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” and all. This is a book about a womanizer and the two women who have had the biggest impact on him, though he does have many more women in his life, and he’s far from a likable protagonist (it doesn’t feel like he’s supposed to be, either, but this still might be a turnoff for some readers).

Well, actually, that synopsis applies to the movie adaptation of The Unbearable Lightness of Being. The book is also somewhat about those things, but is a lot more poetic and kind of dreamlike, de-emphasizing what narrative there is here while often being more concerned with philosophical ideas and other musings on life and love (or a lack thereof) more generally. It’s better – and more readable – than all that might make it sound, promise.

5

‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ (1969)

Image via Dell Publishing

Slaughterhouse-Five tackles so many genres at once, which is impressive, considering it’s not a long book, by any means. The first edition came in at under 200 pages, but in that time, Slaughterhouse-Five is about World War II, time travel, and trauma, being a satirical book, a work of science fiction, and a war novel (plus some other things, probably) all at once.

It’s the novel for which Kurt Vonnegut is best known, and it’s also up there among the greatest books of the 20th century, however you might be willing to define it; whatever category it gets slotted into. While The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time might be more approachable, Slaughterhouse-Five is also a good novel to read if you want a (relatively) gentle introduction to postmodern literature, mostly just because it’s quite punchy and a good deal shorter than some of the other books mentioned here. Speaking of longer books being mentioned here…

4

‘Infinite Jest’ (1996)

Image via Little, Brown and Company

…Infinite Jest. Hoo boy. This could be the final boss of postmodernist literature, in the sense that it’s unlikely anyone will write something simultaneously as long, unwaveringly ambitious/strange, postmodernist, and genuinely good in the foreseeable future. For starters, there are so many footnotes throughout Infinite Jest that if you exclusively read those footnotes, it still might take quite a bit longer than some full-length novels (based on the uncut audiobook of Infinite Jest being eight hours longer than the audiobook that only features the main novel, with the footnotes not being read).

And you might think that’s well and good and all, “But what is Infinite Jest actually about?,” you might be asking. Whatever you want it to be; whatever you end up thinking it’s about is what it’s about. It is as postmodernist as things get, while still being actually readable and often surprisingly entertaining. It’s a classic that feels like it has to be read, and yet it also feels very hard to actually recommend. Jest, so confusing.

3

‘Gravity’s Rainbow’ (1973)

Image via Viking Press

One of the things that gets brought up quite often, when talking about Gravity’s Rainbow, is how it broke the Pulitzer Prize jury the year it came out. Now, it’s not the only time there was some kind of dispute, and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was not given out for a certain year, but it’s still interesting. Sorry if it’s something you already knew, but hey, it is a good way to summarize and succinctly explain the notion of Gravity’s Rainbow being challenging and very much not for everyone.

It’s a wild novel that manages to be incredibly long (more than 750 pages, and closer to 900, sometimes, depending on an edition’s formatting) and also remarkably dense, with plenty of sentences you’ll feel tempted to read again and again to make sense of them. If sense is even something that can be made here. And then there’s the matter of trying all those sentences, pages, and wildly different episodes together. It is postmodernism squared, and then some, but very much worth tackling whenever you find yourself with quite a bit of free time on your hands.

2

‘House of Leaves’ (2000)

Image via Pantheon

The style of House of Leaves is often the story, even more than a book where a distinctive style is used to tell the story. House of Leaves tackles psychological horror in a unique way, and in a manner that could only really be done as a book. If you want a movie that scratches the same itch as some of House of Leaves, there is always Backrooms, and also a rather famous mod for Doom II called MyHouse.wad is almost like a video game adaptation of parts of House of Leaves.

But even with these, it’s mostly just parts of the novel that are represented in these works from different mediums. There are different sorts of horror in House of Leaves, long tangents, supplemental material that helps the overall book (even if such parts aren’t always 100% necessary to read in their entirety), and countless smaller stories told through footnotes. You’ve also got the wild formatting that has to be seen to be believed, and it’s bonkers enough in that department that you probably couldn’t even do an audiobook version of House of Leaves, let alone make it into some kind of movie.

1

‘Libra’ (1985)

Image via Viking Press

It was hard limiting this whole ranking to only featuring two Don DeLillo novels, a little like how it was also hard including “only” two Thomas Pynchon ones. They’re not necessarily the grandfathers of postmodernism, but they’ve both been active for decades, and they’re also living legends in the sense that both have had works published in the 2020s (even if those books haven’t quite been as great as either author’s best works).

With DeLillo, White Noise deserves an honorable mention, but it’s Libra that’s his greatest novel overall. Even if it’s not as aggressively postmodern as Underworld, nor as sprawling, it is DeLillo’s most compelling novel, alongside being the hardest to stop thinking about, once you’ve read it. It’s the best story concerning the John F. Kennedy assassination (and there have been quite a few), and also one of the most paranoia-inducing novels of, potentially, all time. Sorry if that sounds a bit hyperbolic, but it really is something (very) special.

David Beckham was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first soccer player to receive the honor. He was surrounded by family and close friends, including his wife Victoria, and three of his four children. Notably absent was his firstborn, Brooklyn Beckham, amid reports of a rift within the family.

Brooklyn cut off all contact with the Beckhams several months ago, but not before releasing a lengthy statement accusing his parents of controlling his life. David and Victoria have since attempted to reconcile with their son to no avail.

On June 12, David Beckham received the 2,849th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame under the Sports Entertainment category. It was a momentous occasion for David, who joined other athletes honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in the past, including Shaquille O’Neal, Billie Jean King, Muhammad Ali, and Magic Johnson. David, however, was the first soccer player to receive a star.

Speaking during the ceremony, David said the moment felt “surreal.” “I’ve always been a dreamer, but I could never have imagined that an honor like this would come to a working class English soccer player like me,” he said.

David is widely regarded as one of the most iconic soccer players of his generation, playing for top clubs such as Manchester United and Real Madrid. He retired from the sport in 2013 and is the co-owner of the U.S. Major League Soccer team Inter Miami CF.

Brooklyn Beckham Skipped The Ceremony

Tom Cruise was in attendance to honor David, and in his speech said, “His is a Hollywood story: a boy who believed in something bigger than himself, had to work for every opportunity he received, and went on to influence his sport, shape culture around the world, and create opportunities for generations who followed.”

Other celebrities present included Eva Longoria and James Corden. David’s family, including his wife Victoria and children Cruz, Romeo, and Harper, were also there to support him. Brooklyn, however, was nowhere in sight.

In January, the eldest Beckham child posted a lengthy note on Instagram Stories, accusing his parents of being controlling and undermining his relationship with his wife, Nicola Peltz, as The Blast previously reported. Before ending his message, he wrote, “I do not want to reconcile with my family.”

Harper Beckham Was Seen Outside Her Brother’s Home

According to Page Six, Harper was seen arriving in an SUV outside Brooklyn’s L.A. home shortly after David’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony concluded. She was wearing the same pink dress she wore at the event.

An insider, however, said that Brooklyn and Nicola were out of town, and Harper left shortly thereafter. The youngest Beckham sibling’s visit may have been another attempt at reaching out to her brother.

In February, Harper also mentioned Brooklyn in a Valentine’s Day post honoring her three brothers. She posted a black-and-white photo of her younger self alongside Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz, adding the text, “I love you all so much, words can’t describe it,” and tagging all three.

David Beckham Refuses To Talk Publicly About Rift

In an interview with Variety, David talked about his Hollywood star, his career, soccer, and his relationship with Victoria. When asked how they keep their relationship solid despite being constantly scrutinized by tabloids, the former athlete said that although they have busy schedules, their relationship and their family always come first.

“That’s our priority, and that’s what makes it work when you’ve been together for so long. Our priority will always be our family,” David explained.

When the topic went to the reported rift in the family, David was quick to say that he didn’t want to address it. “I’m sorry to stop you there, but that’s a private matter. That’s one thing that I don’t want to talk about,” David said.

David And Victoria Beckham Have Repeatedly Reached Out To Brooklyn

According to reports, Brooklyn blocked his parents on social media in December 2025 and stated that any future communication should be conducted only through his lawyers. He also asked them to stop tagging him on social media posts.

In March, on Brooklyn’s 27th birthday, both David and Victoria took to social media to share birthday greetings for their son. The husband and wife posted on their respective Instagram Stories, sharing photos of themselves during happier times with Brooklyn and greeting him a happy birthday. “I love you so much,” Victoria wrote.

In an interview with WSJ in April, Victoria touched on the topic, but didn’t go into specifics. “We’ve been in the public eye for more than 30 years right now, and all we’ve ever tried to do is protect our children and love our children. And you know, that’s all I really want to say about it,” she said.

With 2019’s The Irishman, director Martin Scorsese and star Robert De Niro reunited for another movie dealing with the history of organized crime in America. This was a seismic event, as the two artists were perhaps most associated with the mob movie, and their last collaboration had been 1995’s Casino, another sprawling mob epic based on real events. Even more encouraging was the return of De Niro’s Casino, Goodfellas, and Raging Bull costar Joe Pesci, and even better than that, Al Pacino would be working with Scorsese for the first time. The movie arguably became the defining mobster film of the 21st century, and the central trio made it even more meaningful, with one caveat: their age.

The Irishman technically spans from the mid-1940s to the 1990s, and De Niro is in nearly every scene throughout the film. The actor was 74 at the time of production, leading to the adoption of controversial “de-aging” technology, which could clean up wrinkles, age spots, and anything else that might make you think you’re looking at a 74-year-old man. But the realities of age and the inconsistency of the visual effects led to an early scene that damaged the movie’s credibility to many: an allegedly middle-aged De Niro kicking a grocer on the sidewalk. We see all of De Niro’s body, including some elderly fragility and leg-shaking, and the scene’s failure to hit its necessary effect might have weakened the impact of the whole film.

‘The Irishman’ Gave Viewers a Young De Niro Who Wasn’t

The Irishman begins at the end, with union truck driver and mafia hit man Frank Sheeran (De Niro) stuttering through the details of a 1970s road trip and then going back even further through multiple layers of flashbacks. Like a lot of Martin Scorsese mob epics, it’s a long movie, but it lacks the trademark snappy, jagged energy of something like Goodfellas or Casino. Instead, it’s a haunting story of an old man looking back, telling half-true stories and recalling his divided loyalties between Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) and mafioso Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci, playing a real-life character as he did in Casino). Unlike, say, The Godfather Part II (which also starred Pacino and De Niro), The Irishman didn’t recast for the younger versions of its characters. One unintentionally funny bit has Pesci calling a visibly elderly De Niro “kid.”

Because Scorsese and De Niro’s history of collaboration goes back to 1973’s scrappy gangster classic Mean Streets, the passage of time is visible in their work. In Mean Streets, De Niro played Johnny Boy, a wildly energetic screw-up whose recklessness drags Charlie (Harvey Keitel) and others into a spiral of unpaid bills and violence. And movies like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Cape Fear took their partnership to new and deeper levels, with De Niro finding new modes and often disturbing personalities (Frank, who frames his murders as regular old contract work, may be the most disturbing). Viewers who’ve seen Scorsese’s other movies know what young Robert De Niro looked like – and it’s not how the de-aging effects make him look in The Irishman. There’s a disconnect, and it’s not helped by scenes like him attacking the grocer.

The Grocer Scene Paid Homage to Martin Scorsese’s ‘Goodfellas’

Image via Netflix

The grocer scene in The Irishman is actually a trope in Scorsese’s mob movies: the explosion of violence in a mundane setting to show how organized crime coexists with polite society. Specifically, it’s echoing a scene from Goodfellas, in which Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) beats down a man who has assaulted his girlfriend. In the Goodfellas scene, the camera pans to follow Henry walking up to the man, and then stands still for about thirty horrific seconds as he attacks him with a pistol. Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus called it the most violent scene he’d ever filmed, according to Glenn Kenny’s making-of book Made Men.

In The Irishman, Frank (who by this point has been welcomed into the Bufalino crime family) is driven to violence by finding out his daughter Peggy (Lucy Gallina) has been harassed by a local grocer. Like Goodfellas, this scene takes place in broad daylight, with a simple wide shot that lets the violence play out in sickening detail. But a 70-something De Niro is going to have a different physicality than young Ray Liotta, and as he pushes his victim through a glass door and kicks him on the sidewalk, the effect isn’t exactly horrifying. The camera stands still on De Niro shuffling, without a lot of drive. While his performance in most of the movie is able to be threatening because of his dull affect and use of guns, this scene comes off more sad and pathetic—which might have been the point.

Why the Scene (and the De-aging) Works for ‘The Irishman’

Image via Netflix

The focus of the scene is not just on Frank’s ability to act violently in the public eye, but on Peggy’s recognition of the man her father truly is. We see Peggy eventually grow into a young woman (Anna Paquin), whose suspicion and fear of her father becomes the moral engine of the movie. And the final note of the beat down, in which Frank steps on the grocer’s fingers, is only heard as the movie cuts to Peggy’s reaction, which sells the horror of the moment (even if De Niro’s leg wobbles a bit beforehand).

While critics of the movie suggest Martin Scorsese could have filmed the scene in a different manner to accommodate De Niro’s age, that would have gone against the intention of the scene. Same with using a stunt double and plopping De Niro’s face on it. Believability wasn’t the goal of The Irishman. It was to spend a lifetime with De Niro as Frank Sheeran, to show the ravages of age and the regrets of a life of violence, as well as the malleability of memory, effectively summing up Scorsese’s career. Casting others to play the middle-aged versions of him or other characters would have diminished the effectiveness of the theme, even if it made scenes like the grocer beating more believable.

Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid shut down the speculation that Travis Kelce is distracted by his upcoming wedding to Taylor Swift amid NFL training camp.

“Listen, he has been here most of the offseason if not the whole offseason. He’s been around. It is good to have him here,” the longtime coach, 68, said of Kelce, 36, in a press conference on Friday, June 12. “He did the mandatory camp and [did] a nice job there. It’s good to have him back in and rolling.

Reid added that Kelce is “very excited” for the upcoming football season and is doing his part to get ready for it amid the plans of his and Swift’s nuptials. (Swift, 36 and Kelce announced their engagement in August 2025 and are expected to wed this summer.)

“You see no distractions with that and the wedding,” Reid explained. “It’s like when I got married my wife did everything, so I just kinda followed her lead on it.”

Andy joked that he just “showed up” to his wedding to wife Tammy Reid adding maybe that Kelce is “doing more” than him.

“But he looks like he is pretty focused on this job,” he said.

When asked if he was going to Swift and Kelce’s wedding Andy joked that he “can’t talk about it.”

One day before the Chiefs coach’s remarks, Kelce made a surprise appearance at Swift’s induction to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Kelce was not expected to attend the event as the Chiefs are currently in the middle of mandatory minicamp which ended on Thursday, June 11.

While Swift walked the red carpet solo, Kelce joined his fiancée inside the ceremony Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on Thursday. In addition to the football player, the pop star was joined by parents Andrea and Scott Swift, brother Austin Swift and Travis’ mom Donna Kelce.

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Advertisement

Related: ESPN Drops Major Hint About Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s Wedding Date

Before Travis Kelce officially returns for his 14th season with the Kansas City Chiefs later this year, the superstar tight end has another milestone on his calendar: getting hitched. Kelce, 36, and his fiancée, Taylor Swift, plan to get married “before training camp,” ESPN’s Chiefs insider Nate Taylor reported on Tuesday, March 10.  The Chiefs […]

Taylor was being honored alongside Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss, Kenny Loggins, Alanis Morissette, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart and more. She was the youngest-ever female inductee, beaten only by Stevie Wonder, who was inducted at age 32.

During her speech, the “I Knew It, I Knew You” singer thanked her family for their support all these years.

“It was easy to choose songwriting over everything else in my life, but it couldn’t have been easy for my parents and my brother to just pick up and move our entire family from Pennsylvania to relocate to Nashville so that I could hone my craft in the songwriting capital of the world,” she said, per Variety. “But after making obvious that this was not even remotely a temporary phase their teen daughter was going through, they uprooted their entire lives to move me to Music City. And even though words are supposed to kind of be my thing, I will never be able to express my gratitude to you guys for doing that for me. You’re the reason I’m here tonight.”

Invincible burst onto screens in a wave of bright colors and epic action brilliance that quite frankly stunned its entire audience. The series centers around the young Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), who finally gains his superpowers after his 17th birthday and desires to follow in his superhero father’s footsteps — only to discover that his father isn’t as heroic as he once believed. While its story and adult animated action are both unapologetically brutal and brilliant, there are quite a few epic animated sagas that have the superhero icon beat.

Brilliant shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender — often hailed as not only one of the world’s finest action animations but one of the greatest animated series, period — and the new fantasy epic, The Mighty Nein, which wields emotionally driven storytelling and expansive lore, are just two action shows that embody the genre just right. On this list are eight shows that prove that while Invincible may be a quality animated standout in the action genre, there exist many that are even better.

1

‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’ (2019–Present)

Image via VIZ Media

This global anime phenomenon delivers impeccable action sequences and brilliant storytelling. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is set in Taisho-era Japan, centering on the tender-hearted teen Tanjiro Kamado (Natsuki Hanae), whose life is ultimately changed when he returns home after a day away to find his entire family slaughtered except for his little sister Nezuko (Akari Kitō), whose survival is due to her unexpected transformation into a demon. With an impressive determination to rid the world of demons permanently and return his sister to her former self, Tanjiro joins the secretive Demon Slayer Corps.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is well known for its incredible animation and is considered all the more brilliant for its fantastic battles. The anime has not only perfectly captivating fight sequences but also meaningful storytelling that is capable of drawing out sympathy from its audience towards its absolutely horrid villains. Compared to a hit series like Invincible, which features great animation for a Western TV show, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba wields story, animation, and crazy action that the Prime Video series can’t quite live up to.

2

‘Primal’ (2019–Present)

Image via Adult Swim

Primal is once again great proof that dialogue isn’t always necessary when delivering insane amounts of brutal action. The series follows the caveman Spear (Aaron LaPlante) and his unlikely bond with a Tyrannosaurid dinosaur named Fang as the duo traverses across a brutal primordial world in a bid for survival and adventure.

Set in prehistory, Primal is rife with dangers that lead to some of the most captivating action scenes seen on television. The pure violence featured in the show is sometimes unyielding and nail-bitingly unflinching. The show holds a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score for both seasons, as audiences have consistently hailed it for its bold experiment in storytelling. Both Primal’s animation and action sequences are beautifully brutal, as they portray a life of everyday survival in a world of monsters and mayhem. Invincible may have the series beat in dialogue and heavy plot, but Primal brings to screens a pure visual narrative that masterfully resonates with audiences, keeping them thoroughly hooked.

3

‘The Mighty Nein’ (2025–Present)

Image via Prime Video

This character-driven animated adaptation brings to the screen an insane amount of great fantasy action. Set in the same universe as the underrated The Legend of Vox Machina, The Mighty Nein adapts Critical Role’s second D&D campaign. Its story centers on a group of unrelated outcasts who find themselves forced together by circumstance and a growing, unyielding bond of reluctant friendship as they find themselves with mutual enemies.

Filled with entertaining adventure, The Mighty Nein gifts audiences a series rife with heists, outrageous brawls, and battles against fanatical mages. The series may be new, having debuted in 2025, but fantasy action lovers have already raved about the show’s notable high quality. While the series shares a space with Invincible on the platform Prime Video, The Mighty Nein wields a deeper lore with more expansive worldbuilding that Invincible can’t compare to. For fans of the superhero series, The Mighty Nein is just as adult-oriented, but with a richer, more immersive setting that’s worth investing in.

4

‘Teen Titans’ (2003–2006)

Image via Warner Bros. Animation

Teen Titans is a beloved DC series that remains a defining animated action staple of its era. This Cartoon Network hit follows the Teen Titans, a group of superhero apprentices who set out on their own, tackling evil to keep their home, Jump City, safe.

Teen Titans may be getting up there in age, but for the three years it was on air, it captivated a diverse array of viewers, with not only its incredible action but also its extremely catchy theme song. From the show’s genuine humor, animation style, and expressive visual gags to intense mood switches and stylized action scenes, Teen Titans brought to screens a truly unforgettable work of fiction. The show’s character development is quite impressive, while its more serious themes were able to cultivate a wide-ranging fanbase. Shows like Invincible would simply not be a thing without quality childhood gems like Teen Titans. With an edge that outshines newer animated series and a cultural impact that dubs it a classic, Teen Titans stands as an enduring animation that is truly unforgettable.

5

‘Batman: The Animated Series’ (1992–1995)

Image via Warner Bros. Animation

This legendary DC series is a high-quality classic that set the gold standard for animated action TV hits. Batman: The Animated Series centers around superhero icon Bruce Wayne/Batman (Kevin Conroy) as he prowls the crime-ridden streets of Gotham City, tackling various terrible villains.

Despite its age, Batman: The Animated Series is a quality landmark series widely regarded as one of the greatest cartoons of all time. The show is definitely one of the best benchmarks for superhero storytelling and won multiple awards, as it’s consistently praised for its sophisticated narrative and atmospheric art style that appeals to both kids and adults. Compared to a modern icon such as Invincible, the DC series still ranks above it, with great storytelling, impeccable action, character development, and the late Kevin Conroy’s brilliant performance as the leading man.

6

‘My Hero Academia’ (2016–Present)

Image via Studio Bones

My Hero Academia is a global phenomenon anime hit that ranks high in the superhero genre. The series is set in a world where almost everyone wields a superpower known as a “quirk.” In this colorful world of amazing powers exists the young Izuku “Deku” Midoriya (Daiki Yamashita), a boy who is in the very low percentage of people who are quirkless. With a striking determination to be a hero, Deku’s life abruptly changes when the hero he idolizes gifts him a quirk of his very own after he displays a brief bout of brilliant heroics.

My Hero Academia is an emotional wild ride of pure epic brilliance. The series has received widespread praise for its reinvigoration of the superhero anime genre, with its countless wholesome scenes and masterful action sequences. With an iconic soundtrack to boot, MHA has been lauded as an emotional journey that wields quite a few epic battles that place all that’s important on the line. Featuring themes of resilience, bravery, and heartfelt friendship, My Hero Academia is truly in a realm of its own.

7

‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (2005–2008)

Image via Nickelodeon

This Nickelodeon hit animated series is one of the best TV shows of all time. Avatar: The Last Airbender is a fantasy action series set in a world of elemental magic, centering on 12-year-old Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen) — the world’s current Avatar — and his friends Katara (Mae Whitman) and Sokka (Jack De Sena) on a quest to ensure Aang masters all four existing elements needed to save the world from the terror brought on by the Fire Nation.

Balancing heartfelt character development, rich worldbuilding, and themes of destiny, war, and redemption, Avatar: The Last Airbender delivers an animated series that completely captivates. The show has consistently been called one of the best animated series brought to screens, receiving praise for its thematic depth, nuanced storytelling, and complex characters. The show may be a cartoon, but its cinematic action sequences and meaningful depth appeal to an incredibly wide-ranging audience. While Invincible is one of the best in the superhero genre, Avatar is notable for its transcendence in the youth fantasy genre entirely.

8

‘Blue Eye Samurai’ (2023–Present)

Image via Netflix

Standing as one of Netflix’s finest animated gems, Blue Eye Samurai is a relatively new series that offers a feudal Japan action saga with an epic twist. Set in the Edo period, the series follows a mixed-race female samurai, Mizu (Maya Erskine), born to a Japanese mother and a foreign European father, whose prominent blue eyes have been a cause for torture and discrimination by the people around her. Hiding her identity as not only a mixed-race individual but also a woman, Mizu wanders Japan as a sword master, seeking revenge against the white men who she suspects fathered her and ruined her mother’s life.

Blue Eye Samurai is a Netflix series that is, honestly, horribly underrated. The show not only features incredible storytelling but also almost unparalleled action sequences that leave viewers on the edge of their seats. The series doesn’t shy away from gore, as duels are often bloody and incredibly swift. While exploring themes of prejudice, identity, and the cost of hatred, Blue Eye Samurai delivers a truly enthralling series rife with striking animation, complex storytelling, and maturity.

Advertisement

Blue Eye Samurai

Advertisement

Release Date

November 3, 2023

Showrunner

Advertisement

Michael Green, Amber Noizumi

Directors

Jane Wu

Advertisement

Writers

Michael Green, Amber Noizumi

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Whether it be revolutionary technologies that reshape the human experience or vast, intergalactic worlds light-years away, there is an inherent joy and fascination with sci-fi storytelling that has made it a staple of cinema ever since the early days of the medium. These sci-fi films prove to be that much more striking and memorable when given a massive blockbuster scale and stature to bring their visions to life, with many of the most acclaimed and recognizable sci-fi success stories crossing over into the luxurious $1 billion club.

These massively successful titans of the sci-fi genre have taken a myriad of different paths to box-office success, whether it be continuing the impact of beloved film franchises or utilizing craft and technology to bring a striking original vision to life. While not every sci-fi film that has made $1 billion is of overwhelming high quality, the very best of this selection have proven to be some of the most recognizable and acclaimed sci-fi films of their respective eras.

8

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)

Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

Spider-Man was a massively popular character long before his introduction into the MCU, with a deep-rooted history of iconic film outings and iterations of the character for each generation. Spider-Man: No Way Home effectively taps into the long-lasting history of the character, bringing back iconic villains and heroes from Spider-Man films of the past to create a glorious love letter to the character’s live-action blockbuster history.

While a lot of the box-office success of the film can be attributed to the highly anticipated and memorable return of iconic Spider-Man actors Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, it certainly helped that the film had its fair share of great action sequences and emotional story beats. It sticks to what makes the fundamentals of Spider-Man so enticing as a superhero, building upon the development and arcs of previous MCU films, and acts as the definitive outing of the character in the MCU and one of the best Spider-Man films to date.

7

‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)

Image via Marvel Studios

Acting as a culmination of over a decade’s worth of films in the wider multiverse of MCU filmmaking, it isn’t exactly shocking that Avengers: Endgame made box-office records and was at one point the highest-grossing film in box-office history. The film stands as a love letter to the MCU as a whole, with callbacks and references to each film leading up to this point while still telling a sprawling, highly entertaining action film that gives each character a moment to shine.

Even as the MCU continues to have new entries and build-up anticipation for the next Avengers film, it’s difficult to imagine any other film in the MCU coming close to the complete global dominance and cultural impact that this iconic finale had. It has stood as a towering achievement for what is possible not just within the MCU but in extended-universe storytelling in film as a whole, proudly known as one of the defining blockbuster successes of the 21st century.

6

‘Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens’ (2015)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

While legacy sequels are all the rage nowadays for bringing back hardcore fans and continuing the stories of beloved films, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was truly the first film to succeed in this regard, bringing a classic franchise into the modern age. Releasing over 30 years after Return of the Jedi and over a decade after Revenge of the Sith, this monumental return to the Star Wars franchise was received with overwhelming excitement and praise from long-time fans.

While Disney’s handling of Star Wars as a brand has arguably been muddied and not nearly as impactful in the decade since its release, it’s hard to ignore just how impactful The Force Awakens was, not just for sci-fi blockbusters, but blockbuster filmmaking in general. It still holds the record for the highest-grossing film at the North American box office and is held in much higher regard than the two sequels that it would receive.

5

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (2022)

Image via 20th Century Studios

Releasing 13 years after the previous blockbuster juggernaut, Avatar: The Way of Water certainly had a lot to live up to in terms of legacy and anticipation following the highest-grossing movie of all time. James Cameron‘s groundbreaking marvel of visual achievement and technological advancement made perfect use of the time since the last film’s release, with masterful top-notch CGI visuals that are still unmatched by any other high-budget blockbuster of the modern era.

The beautiful underwater sequences make the absolute most of both the groundbreaking motion capture technology as well as the absolute limit of 3D filmmaking at a blockbuster scale. Cameron’s style of filmmaking has such a distinct vision in terms of pushing blockbuster filmmaking to its absolute limits, with The Way of Water perfectly encapsulating what sci-fi blockbuster filmmaking is capable of. While the Avatar franchise will surely continue to deliver memorable sequels in the coming years, The Way of Water is important for proving to audiences that Avatar was far from just a one-time success story.

4

‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)

Image via Marvel Studios

While a lot of the praise and prominent success of the MCU’s finale is largely attributed to the brilliance of Avengers: Endgame, it is arguably even more impressive that Avengers: Infinity War was able to set the stage and stand as its own cinematic event without feeling like only half of a complete story. The impact and success of Endgame wouldn’t have been nearly as large without Infinity War setting the stage and proving the quality of bringing together all corners of the MCU into one explosive blockbuster event.

Even today, the film still stands as one of the most ambitious superhero movies ever made and a landmark title in the MCU’s success, with inherent charm and pacing that gives it an edge over Endgame in terms of standalone quality. A lot of the greater success and individuality of the film can be attributed to how it centers around the looming threat of Thanos (Josh Brolin), with each hero finding their own way to try and stop his conquest of universal destruction.

3

‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ (2016)

Image via Disney

While the actual trilogy of mainline Star Wars films under Disney had a relatively rocky reception from fans, one of the absolute best things to come out of the Disney era of Star Wars was being that much more willing to experiment with spinoffs and standalone stories, with the best example being Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Its entry into the $1 billion gross club can certainly be attributed by continued excitement from The Force Awakens the previous year, but that doesn’t take away from the strength and effectiveness of Rogue One as a standalone experience.

This dynamic adventure of a rogue group of resistance fighters uniting for a mission to steal the Death Star’s plans proves to be all the more effective thanks to its high stakes, entertaining characters, and emotional action-packed climax. Even with the occasional hiccups like distracted de-aging CGI, the film proves to be leaps and bounds ahead of Disney’s other Star Wars efforts and has aged tremendously in the decade since its release.

2

‘Avatar’ (2009)

Image via 20th Century Studios

It’s impossible to discuss the topic of sci-fi blockbusters without talking about James Cameron’s Avatar, the film that currently holds the record for the highest-grossing movie of all time and manages to be just as groundbreaking and visually striking today as when it was released 17 years ago. The film ushered in a wave of 3D filmmaking in the wake of its success, as its revolutionary utilization of the technology not only helped it achieve massive box-office success, but completely redefined for many audiences what film was capable of.

Avatar proved to be a generational, must-watch experience that was pushing the medium of filmmaking forward with its brilliance, standing tall as a culmination of Cameron’s exceptional career and creating a sprawling, mesmerizing sci-fi world. This perfectly directed sci-fi epic is often the first film that comes to mind when considering massively successful sci-fi films at the box-office, made all the more impressive that it achieved this as a completely original film, not a part of a pre-existing franchise.

1

‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)

Image via Universal Pictures

Jurassic Park is an interesting case when it comes to its inclusion in the $1 billion club, as while it didn’t earn $1 billion during its original box-office run, it would make it over the edge thanks to various re-releases over the years, with it now standing at $1.1 billion grossed worldwide. However, Steven Spielberg‘s sci-fi adventure masterpiece is still one of the most important and highly acclaimed sci-fi blockbusters ever released, being massively influential for the entire genre and featuring revolutionary visuals that still hold up over 30 years later.

The film proved to be so overwhelmingly successful as a worldwide phenomenon that it once held the title of the highest-grossing movie of all time at the box office, a mantle that it would hold until the release of Titanic 4 years later. Still, the film’s substantial legacy grows with each passing year, as it’s the oldest film to have grossed $1 billion and has seen a myriad of spinoffs and sequels that have further defined its cinematic legacy.

Advertisement

Jurassic Park

Advertisement

Release Date

June 11, 1993

Runtime

Advertisement

127 minutes

Writers

Michael Crichton, David Koepp

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement