Although it might seem impossible, some movies are the closest thing to perfection that a cinematic effort can get. To most people, this impression is subjective, including the directors who make them. These creators are also avid movie fans, and most of their work is an homage to something they grew up loving and admiring. Over the last five years, there have been movies that have moved the boundaries of what’s been seen so far and have even given some big stars their well-deserved comebacks.
The beauty of film lies in the fact that movies are all in different genres and make people of different ages and sensibilities happy. The flawless movies on this list were released in the last five years and come in various genres and lengths, but serve the same purpose: they show why cinema is so great, so relatable, and so eternally inspiring to people all over the world.
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15
‘Godzilla Minus One’ (2023)
Godzilla standing in the ocean with a battleship in the foreground in Godzilla Minus One.Image via Toho
It might be surprising that a kaiju movie is on the list, since the Godzilla franchise in the U.S. has turned into a bit of an IP and doesn’t always get the highest quality adaptations and features. However, the first Japanese Godzilla movie since Shin Godzilla of 2016, Godzilla Minus One, was one of the most talked-about movies in 2023. Praised for brilliant and captivating performances, clever and grounded writing, and fantastic visual effects that surpassed most movies that year, Godzilla Minus One really is a perfect movie in every way. It was, as critics said, the first Godzilla movie where you cheer for the people and not the monster.
Godzilla Minus One shows the protagonist, a kamikaze pilot, Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), landing on the island of Odo for repairs on his plane. While there, he and the mechanics are attacked by a giant deep-sea monster resembling a dinosaur, which the locals dubbed Godzilla. Shikishima soon advances to Tokyo and settles there with a woman and child he finds homeless. As Godzilla advances toward Tokyo, Shikishima joins the experts fighting against the monster to stop it from destroying the entire city. It’s an amazing movie, no doubt about it, and a great testament to Japan’s enduring dedication to making Godzilla the scariest kaiju ever conceived.
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14
‘No Other Choice’ (2025)
Image via NEON
No Other Choice is the most recent Park Chan-wook feature film, starring Lee Byung-hun. Park and Lee have reunited after 25 years to make another future classic, backed up by Neon and widely praised by filmmakers and critics from all over the world. No Other Choice was based on the novel The Ax by Donald Westlake, and was inspired by the novel’s first adaptation, Costa-Gavras‘ French feature, The Axe; in fact, as the end credits roll on No Other Choice, a dedication “to Costa-Gavras” is shown on the screen. Just before the American premiere of the film, Park issued an invitation to all Fortune 500 CEOs to come and watch this film, as it was “dedicated to them.” Notably, No Other Choice was heavily snubbed with zero Oscar nominations.
No Other Choice follows a longtime employee of a paper company, Yoo Man-su (Lee), and he lives a comfortable life with his wife and two kids. One day, Man-su is fired along with several other middle-aged employees, with the higher-ups saying, “There was no other choice.” Man-su struggles to find work within his expertise, but when an opening comes up, he realizes that the only way to get the job is if he eliminates the competition. No Other Choice is a dark comedy/satire/thriller, and it’s a beautiful, uniquely South Korean feature. The impressive performances and the amount of humor infused into the characters’ desperation make it one of those movies that will make you cry and laugh. Lee stands out as this is one of his funniest roles to date, and Park considers No Other Choice a “lifetime project.”
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13
‘Conclave’ (2024)
Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence wears papal finery while walking away from men in similar attire in Conclave. Image via Focus Features
Conclave garnered a lot of attention in 2025, as people were rewatching it amid the death of Pope Francis. However, even when it first came out, the adoration for it was, just like the movie, quietly powerful. People were cheering for Ralph Fiennes to finally get his long-deserved golden statue at the 2025 Oscars, but alas, just like the Cardinals coveting the title of the Pope, Fiennes was robbed of the victory. Conclave is a thrilling movie without an ounce of action, and one of the best movies of the past five years. It can very easily be considered perfect from start to finish; yes, even the ending is.
Conclave follows the Cardinals in the Vatican, who seal themselves off from the world in the process of selecting the new Pope after the death of the most recent one. The protagonist is Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes), a man who tries to maintain fairness and nobility in the selection, though he’s often sabotaged in his attempts by other, more power-hungry Cardinals. It’s like Gossip Girlmeets the Vatican, in truly the best way possible. Conclave is also incredibly visually beautiful, with stunning photography and camerawork.
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12
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ (2022)
Pádriac looking at Colm in The Banshees of Inisherin.Image via Searchlight Pictures
Though Martin McDonagh had no effect on the stunning landscapes of Ireland, his choice of location can be deemed perfect by itself; the beautiful Aran Islands in Galway County made the ideal backdrop for a story about friendship. The Banshees of Inisherin is a black comedy-drama about two lifelong friends, Padraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), set in a fictional village called Inisherin. After reaching a breaking point, Colm decides to end his friendship with Padraic, who can’t come to terms with that. As Padraic insistently pursues Colm for an explanation, the latter retreats further, resorting to strict measures.
Farrell does such a wonderful job as Padraic that, in moments, viewers’ hearts could genuinely break for him. On the other hand, Gleeson’s stubborn and stoic portrayal of Colm may sometimes feel heartless through understated but powerful acting. The story explores the loneliness of life on a poor and barely populated island, but more than that, it shows how anger, honesty, and pride can be double-edged swords, even among lifelong friends. The soundtrack by Carter Burwell, McDonagh’s punchy script, and the genuinely fabulous performances from the entire cast make The Banshees of Inisherin one of the perfect movies of the last five years.
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11
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)
Rooster (Miles Teller) and Maverick (Tom Cruise) crouched in the snow, spying on an enemy air base in Top Gun: MaverickImage via Paramount Pictures
With so many sequels, prequels, and spin-offs overtaking Hollywood over the past five to ten years, the fact that a legacy sequel like Top Gun: Maverickwas going to be one of the best movies of that year hadn’t occurred to anyone. Except, well, maybe director Joseph Kosinski, leading man Tom Cruise, and the studio heads who approved it. Maverick isn’t only great, but it can be very well argued that it’s one of 2022’s movies that is perfect from start to finish. Real airborne stunts and performances, brilliant action choreographies and directing, and some cheesy, but lovable characters really made Maverick the action masterpiece that Cruise and the crew can be proud of.
Top Gun: Maverick follows the previous movie’s protagonist, Maverick (Cruise), aka Pete Mitchell, as he returns to the Top Gun training school as a teacher. There, he sees the son of his deceased flying partner Goose Bradshaw, Rooster Bradshaw (Miles Teller). Rooster dislikes Maverick, but the two bond over their time at the Top Gun academy. Their relationship, however, is secondary to the exciting main plot, which is training Top Gun pilots to drop bombs on an unsanctioned uranium enrichment plant before any enemy countries get their hands on it. With some great ensemble moments and intense flying scenes, Maverick turns into an incredibly fun and exciting movie that will keep you glued to the screen.
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10
‘Aftersun’ (2022)
Frankie Corio as Sophie and Paul Mescal as Calum laying by the pool looking up at the sky in a still from Aftersun.Image via A24
The loss of someone close can feel like the ground’s been swept away from one’s feet. Aftersun takes viewers through a father-daughter story while slowly, with some hints but just enough not to notice, pulling the ground away from them. Charlotte Wells‘ tribute to her father is so beautifully depicted that the only way to describe the movie’s impact is through the famous line, “Life imitates art.” This coming-of-age drama follows 11-year-old Sophie (Frankie Corio) on a holiday in Turkey with her dad, Calum (Paul Mescal). Sophie records most of the vacation with her camera and uses the footage as a grownup to rewatch and reminisce.
Sophie’s dad, Calum, tries his best to be open with her but exhibits signs of mental anguish that she (unsuccessfully) attempts to fix. In Aftersun, Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio’s dynamics and chemistry are natural; Mescal hasn’t been in a lot since his debut in Normal People, but Aftersun will surely be one of his best-remembered movies.Charlotte Wells’ directorial debut is one of the best movies of the decade and a beautiful way to capture a relationship that will, to her, remain eternal.
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9
‘Past Lives’ (2023)
Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro walking together in a scene from Past Lives.Image via A24
The concept called inyeon is an idea that a current relationship between two lovers is impacted by the relationships they had in over a thousand past lives. This is the driving force behind Celine Song’s devastatingly emotional debut, Past Lives, starring Greta Lee and Teo Yoo. They portray Nora and Hae-sung, two childhood friends from Korea who become separated after Nora’s family moves to the US. They find each other online after twelve years and rekindle the relationship, but life and fate separate them once again for another twelve years.
In the present time, Nora is married to Arthur (John Magaro), and their relationship seems to be stable and well. When Hae-sung reaches out to Nora again, they agree for him to visit her in the US. Arthur notices a shift in Nora’s behavior while she’s forced to navigate her feelings for him and Hae-sung. The pressure of what could have been is a haunting idea for many, often wondering “what if” about someone, trying to understand if what they have now could or should be different. In a heartbreaking final scene, Past Lives concludes a beautiful but sad story about the multitudes of love.
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8
‘Anora’ (2024)
Custom Image by Federico Napoli
The character posters forAnora featured all the characters announcing the movie in a different genre. For example, the poster with Mikey Madison says Anora is a “Cinderella story,” while Karren Karagulian‘s poster says it’s a drama, and Yuri Borisov‘s says it’s a tragedy. It’s a brilliant detail in an already pretty elaborate and layered drama that still depicts a very classic story. Anora won Best Picture, Sean Baker won Best Director, and Madison won Best Actress for Anoraat the 2025 Oscars, and though the sweep was surprising, it was very well-deserved. Just the final five minutes of the movie are a film in themselves, showing a completely different yet anticipated side of our fierce and feisty protagonist, Anora.
Anora follows the eponymous Anora, a stripper in an NYC club who prefers to go by Ani. Ani has Russian heritage, and when a young heir to a business mogul, Ivan (Mark Eydelstein), requests a girl who speaks Russian, his and Ani’s paths cross, and the two start spending time together. Ani falls for Ivan, but when he hears his parents might be coming to the US, he vanishes, and Ani’s left to look for him with his goons. It’s a thriller, a drama, a comedy, a tragedy in many ways, and a modern fairytale depending on who you ask; the layers of Anora are worth examining in several rewatches.
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7
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)
Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) protecting Joy (Stephanie Hsu) and Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) in Everything Everywhere All at Once.Image via A24
The ultimate winner of the 2023 Oscars, Everything Everywhere All at Once is a rare offbeat movie that won over mass audiences and most movie critics. It’s not a story that’s easy to retell since it tackles many important topics, from self-discovery and mental illness to disrupting tradition and finding a place to belong. Still, EEAO caused a shift, giving prestigious awards to Asian actors for leading roles, a welcome addition to the wonderful world of film and TV.
EEAO follows Evelyn Quan Wong (Michelle Yeoh), a laundromat owner whose relationships with her husband, father, and daughter are all strained in some way. When she starts becoming different versions of herself from parallel universes, she realizes it’s on her to save existence itself. There’s a genre for everyone in EEAO; Ke Huy Quan is exceptional in the stunning action portions of the sci-fi movie, though Michelle Yeoh doesn’t fall behind. Stephanie Hsu also brings a relatable character as Evelyn’s daughter, an immigrant child with set traditions and rules in place where parental love should be. A masterclass in genre-bending, Everything Everywhere All at Once is still as relevant as it was years ago.
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6
‘Flow’ (2024)
Cat sitting on a boat in animated film Flow (2024)Image via Baltic Content Media
Flow is a powerhouse film, most notably because of how it was made, and then because of its unique concept. This animated feature by a Latvian director and animator, Gints Zilbalodis, won the Best Animated Feature Oscar and was nominated for Best International Feature Film. Fun facts about this movie include it being entirely made in the free, open-source 3D software called Blender, not having a storyboard concept, and no deleted scenes; the animals that are introduced throughout the film were Zilbalodis’ practice of rendering and observing the animals from different perspectives, which shaped Flow into a moving story about cooperation and found family.
Flow follows a small black cat in a post-apocalyptic world where water rises occasionally and floods the entire area. The cat fights for survival by hunting and running away from other animals, before it reluctantly joins forces with a Labrador dog, a capybara, a lemur, and a secretarybird. They float around on a boat and learn how to live and work together, forming a tight-knit group of animals. Flow has no words spoken throughout its 85-minute runtime, though the sound designer’s cat did “borrow” its meows to the cat in the film; there’s also a beautifully composed original soundtrack. Flow is a visual feast and an adventure for all ages, a truly beautiful feat of animated film.
If someone were to make a list of the most consequential TV shows of all time, it would be hard to leave True Detective out of the top 10. When the first season of HBO’s crime thriller arrived all the way back in 2014, it didn’t take fans and critics long to realize that the studio had produced yet another masterpiece. The pairing of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson left viewers around the world in awe, and their reunion later this year in a new Apple TV project remains one of the most anticipated of 2026. Following the breakout success of True Detective Season 1, every streaming service has taken a turn trying to replicate the magic of the show, and Apple TV settled on Smoke as its True Detective replacement last year.
Smoke co-stars Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett as a troubled detective and an enigmatic arsonist who follow in the footsteps of two serial arsonists wreaking havoc on the city of Umberland. The show premiered last June and wrapped up its first season in August, but despite widespread appreciation from both critics and audiences, it hasn’t yet been picked up for a second season. In addition to Egerton and Smollett, Smoke also features other stars like Rafe Spall and John Leguizamo in key roles, and the show was written and created for TV by Dennis Lehane. Although it’s quickly approaching a full year since Smoke premiered on Apple TV, the show is still in the streamer’s top 10 in several countries around the world. Fans of the series are doing their all to ensure that it gets a Season 2 renewal, but the chances of this happening grow dimmer by the day.
These television artists were posthumously recognized for their work, and the awards they received were testaments to their lasting legacies.
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What’s the Worst Season of ‘True Detective’?
Most fans would agree that the second season of True Detective is the weakest in the series, and this is reflected in the poor scores of 47% from critics and 31% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. This is a far cry from the 91% and 92% scores held by Season 1. The show managed to turn things around in Seasons 3 and 4, but while they’re still held well above Season 2, they still didn’t capture the same magic of Season 1. Early reports indicate Nicolas Cage has been tapped to star in Season 5 of the show, which would certainly bring a spark back to the franchise.
Check out the first season of Smoke on Apple TV and watch True Detective on HBO Max. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.
Isn’t it so annoying when crime thrillers promise everything and end up delivering nothing? High stakes and shocking twists sound great until one realizes that the actual story starts collapsing under all that. A good crime thriller, that’s why, has to strike a very delicate balance. Twists and turns can only take things so far if the characters feel one-dimensional or if the beats of the story don’t add up.
That’s because shock value might grab attention, but it can never sustain it, and the sooner showrunners understand that, the better. For every half-baked story, though, plenty of others get things exactly right. This is a list of such crime thriller shows that come dangerously close to perfection.
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10
‘Banshee’ (2013–2016)
Antony Starr impersonating Lucas Hood in ‘Banshee’Image via Cinemax
Bansheeis a crime thriller that embraces chaos like no other. The series takes place in the fictional town of Banshee in Pennsylvania, where a recently released master thief (Antony Starr) assumes the identity of a murdered sheriff named Lucas Hood. The story revolves around Hood trying to keep up the charade while secretly continuing his criminal life. Most people would assume that these stakes are high enough for the show to create a sense of tension. However, Banshee keeps expanding its central conflict by introducing new characters, including the ex-Amish crime lord Kai Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen), along with Hood’s partners Job (Hoon Lee) and Sugar Bates (Frankie Faison).
Every season features new threats, while the town serves as a pressure cooker of violence that can explode at any moment. Banshee fully commits to its over-the-top premise and is packed with brutal hand-to-hand fight sequences, intense shootouts, and pulpy storytelling. The show can feel ridiculous at times, but it never stops being entertaining thanks to the depth it gives to its characters and their relationships. The series is one of TV’s most underrated crime thrillers and remains a true hidden gem.
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9
‘Top of the Lake’ (2013–2017)
Elizabeth Moss looking to the side, sitting with her back against an interior brick wall in Top of the Lake.Image via BBC
Top of the Lakeis the definition of quality TV. The story begins with the disturbing disappearance of a 12-year-old girl who is revealed to be pregnant in the opening moments of the show. Elisabeth Moss stars as Detective Robin Griffin, who becomes entangled in the investigation while she is in town to visit her dying mother. She believes that this will be yet another missing-person case, but little does she know that it will quickly unravel into something much darker. Top of the Lake is a slow-burning psychological drama that constantly plays with the audience’s expectations.
The investigation takes its sweet time to unfold and exposes complex systems of power and misogyny that exist within this community. The deeper Robin digs, the more the case becomes intertwined with her own unresolved trauma. Top of the Lake strikes the perfect balance between layered character work and a mystery that keeps getting increasingly addictive. In Season 2, the story moves to Sydney and continues Robin’s journey several years later. However, the show never lets go of its willingness to explore difficult themes. This isn’t a conventional thriller series by any means, but one that forces the audience to question their own role in systemic injustice.
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8
‘Rubicon’ (2010)
Image via AMC
Rubicon deserves way more appreciation than it gets. The political thriller follows intelligence analyst Will Travers (James Badge Dale),who works at the shadowy New York-based organization called the American Policy Institute (API). The story picks up when Will’s mentor and father-in-law dies in what appears to be a staged accident, and Will knows he needs to get to the bottom of what really happened. However, what pulls him deeper is a pattern hidden across crossword puzzles in multiple newspapers. At first, Will thinks it’s a coincidence, but when he begins to connect the dots, he realizes that the mystery is far more complex than he initially thought. All of a sudden, he suspects he is being watched and notices small inconsistencies in his everyday interactions.
Rubicon breaks away from the typical thriller beats by slowing the narrative down. Most of the action in the story happens in offices through conversations, data, and Will’s personal analysis of the situation. However, that pace only adds to the show’s constant sense of uncertainty. Rubicon thrives on this ambiguity, where the audience and Will don’t know who to fully trust. The show taps into the very specific fear of being exploited by those in power, and that’s exactly what makes its central conspiracy feel so plausible. Unfortunately, Rubicon was canceled after Season 1 before it could give its characters the long-term arcs they deserved. Even then, though, the show is a must-watch for anyone looking for sharp writing and a compelling mystery.
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7
‘Mare of Easttown’ (2021)
Julianne Nicholson sitting on a park bench with Kate Winslet’s head on her shoulder in ‘Mare of Easttown’.Image via HBO
Mare of Easttownmight be a miniseries, but it feels more complete than several long-running shows that lose the plot after the first few seasons. The crime thriller follows Detective Marianne “Mare” Sheehan (Kate Winslet), a local hero whose life is falling apart right when a teenage mother is found murdered, while another young girl remains missing. Mare is then forced to confront a complicated case as the town both relies on her and constantly questions her competence. What makes Mare of Easttown so special is how it connects the detective’s personal and professional lives. As her investigation deepens, she is forced to confront her friends, family, and neighbors to find answers.
All of this unfolds as Marianne copes with the suicide of her son, deals with an increasingly strained relationship with her daughter, and is involved in a custody battle over her grandson. The case is yet another factor that contributes to her downward spiral and makes the story feel emotionally heavy. The fact that nearly everyone is connected to the murder in one way or another makes the whole thing all the more unsettling. Mare of Easttown is a masterclass in building suspense and delivering payoffs that are actually worth the patience. By the end, the show is no longer a whodunit. Instead, it tells a much more complex story about loss and community.
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6
‘Dexter’ (2006–2013)
Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) holds a camera at red string representing blood on ‘Dexter’.Image via Showtime
Dexterflips the crime thriller formula on its head by making the audience root for the bad guy. The series is set in Miami and follows Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a forensic analyst by day and vigilante serial killer by night. The show revolves around this constant balancing act as Decter juggles his jobs and relationships while also targeting murderers who have escaped justice with chilling precision. The show could have easily leaned into the shock value of it all. However, it chooses to focus on Dexter’s psyche and how his life begins to unravel over time. Each season introduces a new adversary for the protagonist, but what’s interesting is how these killers mirror him in different ways.
The show moves smoothly between Dexter’s complicated personal relationships, especially his sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), who unknowinglygets close to the truth. Dexter is especially compelling in how it forces the audience into an uncomfortable position. Dexter’s internal monologue pulls viewers deeper into his mind, and that moral conflict becomes the driving force of the story. There’s no denying that the show really shines in its first few seasons compared to its later installments. Despite that, though, it still remains one of the most iconic crime thrillers of its time.
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Collider Exclusive · Taylor Sheridan Universe Quiz Which Taylor Sheridan Show Do You Belong In? Yellowstone · Landman · Tulsa King · Mayor of Kingstown
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Four worlds. All of them brutal, complicated, and built on power, loyalty, and the price of survival. Taylor Sheridan doesn’t write heroes — he writes people who do what they have to do and live with the cost. Ten questions will reveal which one of his worlds you were made for.
🤠Yellowstone
🛢️Landman
👑Tulsa King
⚖️Mayor of Kingstown
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01
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Where does your power come from? In Sheridan’s world, everyone has leverage. The question is what kind.
02
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Who do you put first, no matter what? Loyalty in Sheridan’s universe is always absolute — and always costly.
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Someone crosses a line. How do you respond? Every Sheridan protagonist has a line. What matters is what happens after it’s crossed.
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Where do you feel most in your element? Sheridan’s worlds are as much about place as they are about people.
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How do you feel about operating in the grey? Nobody in a Sheridan show has clean hands. The question is how they carry the dirt.
06
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What are you actually fighting to hold onto? Every Sheridan character is fighting a war. The real question is what they’re defending.
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How do you lead? Authority in Sheridan’s world is never given — it’s established, maintained, and constantly tested.
08
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Someone new arrives and tries to change how things work. Your reaction? Every Sheridan show has an outsider disrupting an established order. Sometimes that outsider is you.
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What has your position cost you? Nobody gets to where these characters are without paying for it. The bill is always personal.
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When it’s over, what do you want people to say? Sheridan’s characters all know the ending is coming. The question is what they leave behind.
Sheridan Has Spoken You Belong In…
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The show that claimed the most of your answers is the world you were built for. If two tied, both are shown — you’re complicated enough to straddle two Sheridan universes.
🤠 Yellowstone
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🛢️ Landman
👑 Tulsa King
⚖️ Mayor of Kingstown
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You are a Dutton — or you might as well be. You understand that some things are worth protecting at any cost, and that the modern world’s indifference to history, to land, to legacy, is not something you’re willing to accept quietly. You lead from the front, you carry your family’s weight without complaint, and when someone threatens what’s yours, you don’t escalate — you finish it. You’re not cruel. But you are absolute. In Yellowstone’s world, that combination of ferocity and loyalty doesn’t make you a villain. It makes you the only thing standing between everything that matters and everyone who wants to take it.
You thrive in the chaos of high-stakes negotiation, where the money is enormous, the margins are thin, and the wrong word in the wrong room can cost everyone everything. You’re a fixer — the person called when a situation is already on fire and needs someone with the nerve to walk into it. West Texas oil country rewards exactly what you are: sharp, adaptable, unsentimental, and absolutely clear-eyed about what people want and what they’ll do to get it. You’re not naive enough to think this world is fair. You’re smart enough to be the one deciding who it’s fair to.
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You are a Dwight Manfredi — someone who has served their time, paid their dues, and arrived somewhere unexpected with nothing but their reputation and their wits. You adapt without losing yourself. You build loyalty through respect rather than fear, though you’re not above reminding people that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Tulsa King is for people who are still standing when everyone assumed they’d be finished — who find, in an unfamiliar place, that they’re more capable than the world gave them credit for. You don’t need a throne. You build one, wherever you happen to land.
You carry the weight of a system that is broken by design, and you do it anyway — because someone has to, and because you’re the only one positioned to do it without the whole thing collapsing. Mike McLusky’s world is for people who are comfortable operating where there are no good options, only less catastrophic ones. You speak every language: law enforcement, criminal, political, human. That fluency makes you invaluable and it makes you a target. You’ve made your peace with both. Mayor of Kingstown belongs to people who understand that keeping the peace is not the same as being at peace — and who do the job regardless.
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5
‘The Killing’ (2011–2014)
Joel Kinnaman and Mireille Enos in The KillingImage via AMC
The Killingis the kind of crime drama that creates tension through its setting. The show takes place in a constantly rainy Seattle and follows homicide detectives Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman) as they investigate the murder of a teenager. The case seems pretty straightforward initially, before it slowly expands into a complicated web of political conspiracies, dark secrets, and a never-ending list of suspects. However, the story isn’t a standard procedural. It focuses just as much on the victim’s family as they deal with grief, along with the detectives and the cost of their jobs.
The show doesn’t want to give the audience quick answers because the entire point is to sit with that unsettling feeling of not knowing what comes next. The Killing is committed to realism and explores the far-reaching consequences of crime. Not to mention that it doesn’t present Linden and Holder as typical heroes who swoop in to save the day. The fact that they are flawed and often make questionable decisions out of desperation only adds to the believability of it all. The Killing isn’t always comforting or even satisfying in its resolutions, but that’s exactly why it stays with the audience long after the credits roll.
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4
‘Ozark’ (2017–2022)
Jason Bateman looking to the side, about to get into a car in Ozark.Image via Netflix
Ozarkis essentially a show about how one bad decision can spiral into a lifetime of consequences. The series follows financial advisor Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman), who is forced to relocate his family from Chicago to the Lake of the Ozarks after a money-laundering scheme for a Mexican drug cartel goes horribly wrong. However, this survival attempt quickly takes a dangerous turn as Marty and his wife Wendy (Laura Linney) find themselves involved with local crime families while also staying under constant pressure from cartel leaders and the FBI.
The narrative puts the characters and the audience in a world where the threats and betrayals just keep getting worse. Marty and Wendy are forced to adapt almost constantly, and that drives the plot forward. Wendy’s journey, in particular, is one of the highlights of the show because she starts operating out of fear that slowly turns into ambition and a ruthless power for hunger. Ozark is a complex show with no easy heroes or villains. It’s rooted in relatable family dynamics but takes those emotions a step further by exploring the psychological toll of crime.
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3
‘Quarry’ (2016)
Jamie Hector and Logan Marchall-Green in Quarry.Image via HBO
Quarryis a crime thriller that does everything right, so it’s unfortunate that it slipped under the radar. The series is set in 1972 and follows Mac Conway (Logan Marshall-Green), a Marine returning home to Memphis after serving in Vietnam. However, instead of being welcomed back, Mac finds himself ostracized due to his rumored involvement in a wartime massacre. As he struggles to reintegrate into civilian life, Mac is approached by a mysterious figure known as The Broker, who recruits him into a network of contract killers operating along the Mississippi River.
Each job drags Mac into a world where morality is blurred, and soon enough, he is trapped in a web of violence, corruption, and manipulation with no way out. The show isn’t driven by constant action because it focuses more on the slow yet inevitable unraveling of the protagonist. The show was canceled after just one season, but despite its short run, it feels complete in its vision and execution. Quarry’s strong writing and immersive period detail are a masterclass in storytelling and deserve a lot more applause than they get.
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2
‘Gomorrah’ (2014–2021)
Salvatore Esposito and Marco D’Amore talking next to a body of water during a grim day in GomorrahImage via Fandango
Gomorrahis a story about pure evil. The crime thriller is set in Naples and follows Ciro Di Marzio (Marco D’Amore), a loyal member of the powerful Savastano clan, led by ruthless boss Pietro Savastano (Fortunato Cerlino). However, when Pietro is arrested, the entire power structure begins to collapse and triggers a brutal internal conflict between the old guard and the next generation led by his son, Gennaro “Genny” Savastano (Salvatore Esposito). Ciro finds himself constantly choosing between loyalty and power as alliances shift and members of the clan start betraying each other. However, it’s interesting that the show manages to portray all this chaos without ever romanticizing crime.
Gomorrah makes it a point to convey that it’s a show about flawed people operating in a system that is practically built on violence. The writing constantly subverts expectations, and none of the characters are given any plot armor. This constant sense of unpredictability drives the story forward and keeps the viewers hooked till the very end. The best part about Gomorrah is how lived-in and authentic the show feels. The narrative builds tension organically instead of relying on spectacle, and that elevates Gomorrah from another typical crime story to an unsettling exploration of power.
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‘Mindhunter’ (2017–2019)
Holt McCallany sits in a car, smoking and wearing sunglasses in Mindhunter.Image via Netflix
Mindhunteris a crime thriller that traded action for psychology, a gamble that definitely paid off. The show is set in the late 1970s and follows FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), along with psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), who interview imprisoned serial killers in an attempt to understand their behavior and use those findings to solve active cases. The exercise soon takes a dark turn as the detectives become increasingly immersed in these conversations and start to mirror the same manipulative tendencies that they are studying in all these killers. Their personal lives begin to intersect with the emotional toll of their work, and that’s where the emotional weight of the show comes from.
The interviews, of course, are the highlight of the show. They feel less like conversations and more like psychological chess matches where both parties are constantly sizing each other up. The show portrays real-life serial killers, including Edmund Kemper (Cameron Britton) and Jerry Brudos (Happy Anderson), with chilling precision, which adds a layer of authenticity to the story. Mindhunter is the perfect example of a show that is meticulous in its storytelling. Its slow-burn approach might feel a little too restrained at first, but it’s exactly what pulls the audience into this unsettling world.
Schwarzenegger, 36, sparked an unexpected social media debate on Tuesday, March 31, while thanking her “golden retriever husband” Pratt, 46, for building a dollhouse by hand for their children. (The couple share daughters Lyla Maria, 5 and Eloise Christina, 3, and son Ford Fitzgerald, 16 months. Katherine is also a stepmom to Pratt and ex-wife Anna Faris’ son, Jack.)
“I’ll never understand when women say, ‘I don’t need my husband,’ when I very much in fact do need my husband because who else would build our daughters a doll house,” she wrote via Instagram.
Fans debated her post in the comment section, with numerous people insisting that there was underlying — and likely inadvertent — sexism in her suggestion that a man was needed to build a child’s dollhouse. One Instagram user went so far as to call out the post’s “Handmaid’s Tale vibes.”
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“Wives and women can build doll houses, too,” one person pointed out, with another adding, “My 70 year old mother builds things for grandkids. This is not specific to men.”
Yet another user argued, “Unfortunately, we [women] say that [we don’t need husbands] because we get tired of waiting for them to do the project. Which then forces us to just do it.”
Others defended Schwarzenegger’s intentions with the post, with a user insisting, “Omg these comments are ridiculous. 🙄 What a sweet thing he is doing that his daughters will remember forever.”
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“Let’s be honest, he could easily afford someone to do it for him. Kudos @prattprattpratt there’s a lot of love your daughter will feel when you do it yourself,” a commenter pointed out.
Us Weekly has reached out to Schwarzenegger’s spokesperson for comment.
Schwarzenegger has frequently discussed her and Pratt’s parenting style since they tied the knot in 2019. Speaking exclusively to Us Weekly in September 2025, she revealed that the couple try to get “back to the roots” of their ‘90s childhoods by limiting the use of electronics in their house.
“I would say storytime is a really great part of our parenting journey,” she told Us. “We don’t really do a lot of electronic stuff in our house. So, we try to have our kids be outdoors and be creative and really kind of go back to the roots of how we all grew up.”
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The author added, “Storytime and book reading is such a big part of our daily routine every single day. Our kids want to read books morning, noon and night. And I feel really like this is such a sweet time that you know your kid comes up to you and says, ‘Can you read me a story? Can you read me a story?’ So, I’m really excited just being in that space now as a mom.”
Katherine was born and raised in Los Angeles by her parents, action movie icon Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalist Maria Shriver. However, Katherine has refused to rule out moving her family out of Hollywood someday.
“I can see myself moving anywhere that my mother, father and my siblings would also move with my husband and I and my children,” she told Fox News Digital in November 2025. “So wherever that is, we can have a team huddle and all decide collectively where we’d like to go.”
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She continued, “I’d like to go anywhere where we can just be around a lot of animals, me personally. But I feel like I can get that fix sprinkled in with having my home base be around my family.”
“Because there’s nothing that is more important to me than being able to be in close proximity to my parents and to my siblings,” she concluded. “And to be able to have that for our children is such a huge blessing and a gift. A gift that I can’t get anywhere else.”
Katherine is one of the former California governor’s five children. Arnold shares four — Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher — with ex-wife Shriver and son Joseph Baena with Mildred Baena.
2026 has been a big year already for Cillian Murphy, who made his long-awaited Peaky Blinders return in the Netflix sequel film, The Immortal Man. Murphy has officially been playing Tommy Shelby for over 10 years now, and while the ending of The Immortal Man seems as if he’s ready to leave the role behind, it’s impossible to rule out a return further down the line. Murphy is still one of the hottest names in Hollywood right now, thanks to his first Oscar win for his performance in Oppenheimer. This Christopher Nolan-directed WWII epic collected some serious hardware at the 2024 Academy Awards. Murphy has starred in numerous big projects over the years, but one of his most underrated films came out in 2019, when he featured in the underseen action movie Anna.
Written and directed by Luc Besson, Anna co-stars Helen Mirren, Luke Evans, and Sasha Luss. The film tells the story of Anna Poliatova, a woman with striking beauty who becomes one of the most deadly assassins in the world. Anna has understandably been compared to John Wick, and while the stellar action makes this an apt comparison, its plot is much more similar to Charlize Theron’s Atomic Blonde. Anna has a few streaming homes in America, but it’s primarily available to watch on Prime Video. It’s also streaming for free on the Roku Channel, which can be watched by anyone, even without an account. However, in international markets, Anna is streaming on Starz, where it’s become one of the top 10 most popular movies in several countries. It’s also a VOD hit on Apple TV as one of the platform’s biggest purchases.
These television artists were posthumously recognized for their work, and the awards they received were testaments to their lasting legacies.
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What Is Cillian Murphy Working on Right Now?
Cillian Murphy is in the middle of filming his new prison drama right now, which will be directed by Damien Chazelle. The first look at images of Murphy on set surfaced online last week. It will also star Daniel Craig. Murphy has also been tapped to reprise his role as Emmett in A Quiet Place Part III, which will be released in theaters everywhere next summer. Director John Krasinski recently shared the first-look photo from behind the scenes of the film, which is now in production ahead of its July 30, 2027, premiere date.
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Check out Anna on Prime Video or the Roku Channel in America, and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates and coverage of Murphy’s future projects.
Of the many actors to find success in this decade, the world seems most pleased about the recent triumph of Brendan Fraser. Lovingly dubbed the “Brennaissance” by his millions of fans, Fraser finally reached the summit of his emotional return to Hollywood in 2023, when he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, in his first nomination no less, for his starring turn in The Whale. Not one to rest on his laurels, Fraser has since turned in several great performances, including an underrated tearjerker in Rental Family.
With excitement running high as fans guess what another Mummy movie might involve, it seems many are returning to the film that started it all to get them in the mood. At the time of writing, 1999’s The Mummy is one of the most-watched movies on Hulu in the U.S. Directed by Stephen Sommers, this fast-paced fantasy adventure drew a mixed response from critics at the time, illustrated by a middling 63% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus on the site reading, “It’s difficult to make a persuasive argument for The Mummy as any kind of meaningful cinematic achievement, but it’s undeniably fun to watch.”
Against a reported budget of $80 million, The Mummy defied a mixed critical reception with a huge global haul of $418 million. Split between $157 million in domestic revenue and a further $261 million from overseas markets, the film recently added to its total in 2024, when it returned to theaters for its 25th anniversary. A synopsis reads:
“The Mummy is a rousing, suspenseful and horrifying epic about an expedition of treasure-seeking explorers in the Sahara Desert in 1925. Stumbling upon an ancient tomb, the hunters unwittingly set loose a 3,000-year-old legacy of terror, which is embodied in the vengeful reincarnation of an Egyptian priest who had been sentenced to an eternity as one of the living dead.”
The Mummy is streaming on Hulu. Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for more streaming news.
From star-studded moments in Beverly Hills celebrating a captivating new fragrance from Christian Dior Parfums — crafted by Dior perfume creation director Francis Kurkdjian — to a hydrating, skin-smoothing formula from Marini SkinSolutions, this Hot Stuff roundup covers all the bases. Think: buzzy beauty events, noteworthy clothing store openings and standout launches that deserve a spot in your spring routine.
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On the social scene, Joe’s Jeans — alongside creative director and celebrity stylist Dani Michelle — toasted the opening of its flagship store in Beverly Hills. The celebration drew a stylish crowd, including Stassi Schroeder, Rocky Barnes and Dr. Deepika Chopra, among others.
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Beyond fragrances, several personal care standouts have also caught our attention. A clean, volume-boosting mascara from Sweed — used on Gisele Bündchen by makeup artist Jenna Anton — is quickly becoming a must-have.
Keep scrolling to check out what else is on our radar lately:
Some thrillers vanish so quietly that even an A-list lead can’t stop them from slipping through the cracks. That’s pretty much what happened with Night Hunter, the grim 2018 crime thriller led by Henry Cavill. It never became much of a mainstream talking point, but streaming has a habit of rescuing exactly this kind of movie. Now Paramount+ viewers are giving it the sort of attention it missed the first time around.
The film has been charting on Paramount+ and was recently highlighted as one of the platform’s stronger-performing movie titles. Its ranking has moved around, but the bigger point is that it’s clearly being rediscovered. That’s not too hard to understand. Dark serial-killer thrillers tend to do well at home, and Cavill’s name gives the movie a fresh hook for viewers scrolling past it now.
The cast includes Cavill as Marshall, Ben Kingsley as Cooper, and Alexandra Daddario as Rachel. It’s a nasty, twisty movie with a much bleaker edge than some fans might expect from Cavill. But that’s also why it’s working as a sleeper hit. Paramount+ subscribers are clearly in the mood for something dark, and Night Hunter is benefiting from that.
We pay tribute to the talents who helped define Hollywood.
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Is ‘Night Hunter’ Worth Watching?
Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com stated that Night Hunter is the kind of thriller that thinks being darker automatically makes it deeper. The film throws viewers into a nasty story about a serial killer, broken cops, and vigilantes, but instead of feeling tense or smart, it mostly feels ugly and exhausting. It wants to explore moral gray areas, but its version of that is mostly just making everyone unpleasant.
“The most annoying thing about a movie that’s simultaneously as preachy and grim as Night Hunter isn’t that it’s ideologically repugnant, but that it’s also dramatically inert and actively unpleasant. I, myself, am a Stanley Tucci man (he is money in the bank, except maybe in the Hunger Games movies), but even I cringed when he, as the stereotypically overworked Commish, tries to take a swing at Simon (That guy killed a half dozen of my guys, and some had families!). Testing the limits of good taste in otherwise formulaic grimdark entertainment is one thing, but pushing against those boundaries for its own sake is just tiresome.”
Night Hunter is streaming now.
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Release Date
August 29, 2019
Runtime
95 minutes
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Writers
David Raymond
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Producers
Kevin Scott Frakes, Nadine de Barros, Larry Harding, Nasrat Muzayyin, Zorin Finkelsen, Francesca Dutton, James Lancaster, Mitesh Parikh, Niraj Parikh, Gaurav Talwar, Pulak Parikh, Rob Wood, Mark Catton, Rick Dugdale, Sundip K. Bhundia, Steven Ashley, Peter Aitken, James Milligan, Chris Pettit, Alastair Burlingham, Buddy Patrick, Robert Ogden Barnum, Dave Hansen, Tony Parker
Lindsay Hubbard has taken a big step forward with her ex-fiancé Carl Radke amid all of the drama within the Summer House cast.
Lindsay, 39, and Carl, 41, teamed up for an Uber Eats campaign on Saturday, April 4, poking fun at the shocking fallout of Summer House costars Amanda Batula and West Wilson confirming that they are dating.
The clip plays into Amanda’s estranged husband Kyle Cooke telling a reporter this week that “Carl’s a mess” over the whole ordeal. The tongue-in-cheek ad sees Lindsay offering her former partner a tissue as he weeps over the big Summer House news.
“Is this [tissue] soft enough for you?” Lindsay asks while taking Carl’s hand.
“Can confirm, Carl is A MESS,” Lindsay joked in the caption.
As Summer House fans flooded her comment section, Lindsay revealed, “I unblocked him for this.”
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The unblocking is a big step forward for the former couple since Carl confirmed to Us Weekly way back in February 2025 that Lindsay blocked him on all social media shortly after their split. (Carl announced he’d called off his wedding to Lindsay in September 2023.)
Carl Radke and Lindsay Hubbard in January 2026.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
“I’m blocked on social media, so I’ve kind of taken that as understood,” Carl revealed at the time. “[I’ve been] blocked since the breakup.”
Meanwhile, Amanda and West stunned the Bravoverse on Tuesday, March 31, by revealing that they are dating despite both repeatedly denying any romantic chemistry. (Amanda and estranged husband Kyle split in January after four years of marriage.)
Amanda Batula appeared to be adhering to “girl code” after Ciara Miller split from West Wilson — just months before Amanda confirmed she was dating West. Amanda, 34, exclusively told Us Weekly in January that she didn’t think West, 31, was “marriage material” — at least not for Ciara, 30. When asked whether West or […]
“We’ve seen the growing online speculation, so while this is still very new, we wanted to provide some clarity,” Amanda and West wrote in a joint statement. “It was never our intention to purposely hide anything. Given the complicated relationship dynamics involved and the scrutiny that comes with being on a reality show, we needed a little space to process things privately before speaking on it.”
They went on, “We’ve shown up for each other as friends over the years, through all the highs and lows, and what’s developed recently was the last thing either of us expected. Our connection grew out of a genuine, longstanding friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care.”
“As our feelings evolved, we wanted to take time to understand exactly what we were feeling,” they added. “We also recognize that this has had an impact beyond just us and never wanted our actions to cause any hurt or be perceived as careless. We truly appreciate the understanding and respect as we navigate this.”
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The news sent shockwaves through the Bravoverse — with Summer House cast members past and present, Andy Cohen and other Bravolebrities all weighing in.
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While West’s former love interest Ciara Miller has yet to comment on the controversy, Kyle assured fans he was “good” during an interview on Wednesday, April 1.
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“I appreciate people checking in. I’m actually really worried about Amanda, if I’m being honest,” he said. “I talked to [Amanda] last night, and I understand people have all sorts of opinions, and I’m not justifying any behavior, but, like, from what I’m seeing, she’s getting cyberbullied.”
He went on, “I just feel bad. Amanda knows that what she did was wrong, and she’s trying to come to terms with it, but she is not [doing] well.”
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