The middle installment of a movie trilogy is by far the hardest to get right. In the case of sequel follow-ups that aim to capitalize on smash-hit originals, they face the daunting task of being compared to what was likely a universally adored box office hit. When it comes to the mid-section of set, pre-determined trilogies that unfold with one narrative vision, the second film is forced to play a bridging role without the luxury of introducing viewers to the world nor delivering the grand conclusion of the story at large.
However, there have been a number of mid-trilogy movies that have thrived in their station. Many of them excel by doubling down on the defining qualities of their predecessors, but others recontextualize central themes, make bold tonal changes, or even shift genres entirely to rise to a new level. From classics of superhero cinema to invigorating horror gems, and even to one of the greatest movies ever made, these middle chapters mark triumphant high points of the trilogies they belong to.
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‘The Godfather’ Trilogy (1972-1990)
Image via Paramount Pictures
Heralded by many as being the greatest movie sequel of all time and entrenched in the conversation of the finest picture ever made, The Godfather Part II is a dazzling crime epic defined by its ageless thematic resonance, astonishing cinematic craft, and its ability to build on its astonishing predecessor. Running as both a sequel and a prequel, the 1974 masterpiece switches between new Corleone crime family boss Michael (Al Pacino) as he seeks to expand his empire, and the rise to power of a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) in the criminal underbelly of early 20th century New York.
Its dual narrative imbues it with an ambition and drive that not even its masterful 170-minute predecessor can match, but it also eclipses The Godfather with the depth of its thematic convictions. In many ways, The Godfather Part II is a two-pronged character study of gangland morality, the isolating corruption of power, and the sacrifice of aspiration. Granted, anyone who claims The Godfather is the greater film can certainly mount a compelling case, but The Godfather Part II weaves one of the most arresting visual experiences in cinematic history as well as a dark descent into the intricacies of the human condition that explores power, faith, and enterprise against the backdrop of the brutality of the American dream.
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The ‘Blade’ Trilogy (1998-2004)
Legendary vampire hunter Blade fends off a mob of hungry assailants with duel pistols. Image via New Line Cinema
Released in 1998, Blade helped pioneer the wave of superhero cinema that audiences have enjoyed in the 21st century. Anchored by Wesley Snipes’s captivating performance, it successfully brought one of the most interesting and beloved comic book characters to life on the big screen with a ferocious marriage of action intensity and Gothic horror that embraced the grit of its R-rating. Endowed with Guillermo Del Toro’s impressionable visual style and penchant for Gothic allure, Blade II took those defining qualities and enhanced them.
When a mutation gives rise to a new form of savage and primitive vampires known as the “Reapers,” the titular vampire hunting superhero enters an uneasy alliance team of vampire warriors to eradicate their mutual enemy. The visceral action choreography blends beautifully with Del Toro’s trademark aesthetic to create an absorbing and deliciously dark action-horror propelled by its savvy integration of practical effects and CGI. With 2004’s Blade: Trinity dwindling as a calamitous misfire, Blade II has overcome its initially mixed critical reception to stand as the defining highlight of the trilogy, one that many today still regard as being one of the most visually striking and tonally captivating superhero movies ever made.
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‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy (2012-2014)
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
The Lord of the Rings is the greatest film trilogy cinema has ever seen, an engrossing fantasy epic of ceaseless perfection that achieves the rare feat of having all three of its movies being classic masterpieces in their own right. Ten years later, audiences were taken back to the realm of Middle Earth with Peter Jackson returning to adapt J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, though the decision to make it another monumental trilogy raised some eyebrows given its source material’s much smaller story. This issue became apparent in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, with the finale’s strenuous efforts to fulfill its 144-minute runtime producing an underwhelming conclusion that saw many dismiss the trilogy as a whole.
However, while they’re not comparable to the brilliance of The Lord of the Rings, the first two installments in the trilogy do deliver a lively brand of wondrous adventure as they follow Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and the dwarves as the trek through Middle Earth to reclaim the kingdom of Erebor. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is particularly vibrant with its energetic pacing, effervescent set pieces, and its brilliant realization of the dragon, Smaug(Benedict Cumberbatch). While still flawed, it is the movie in the trilogy that best captures the story’s adventurous spirit and fantasy world-building while striking an invigorating marriage between inviting fantasy fun and mythic suspense.
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Collider Exclusive · Middle-earth Quiz Which Lord of the Rings Character Are You? One Quiz · Ten Questions · Your Fate Revealed
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The road goes ever on. From the green hills of the Shire to the fires of Mount Doom, every soul in Middle-earth carries a destiny. Ten questions stand between you and the truth of who you are. Answer honestly — the One Ring has a way of revealing what we most want to hide.
💍Frodo
🌿Samwise
👑Aragorn
🔥Gandalf
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🏹Legolas
⚒️Gimli
👁️Sauron
🪨Gollum
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01
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You are handed a responsibility that could destroy you. What do you do? The weight of the world falls on unlikely shoulders.
02
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Your closest companion is heading into terrible danger. You: True loyalty is revealed not in comfort, but in crisis.
03
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Enormous power is within your reach. Your instinct is: Power corrupts — but only those who reach for it.
04
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What does “home” mean to you? Where we long to return reveals who we truly are.
05
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When a battle is upon you, your approach is: War reveals what we are made of — whether we like it or not.
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Someone comes to you for advice in their darkest hour. You: Wisdom is not knowing all the answers — it’s knowing which questions to ask.
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How do you see yourself, honestly? Self-knowledge is the most dangerous kind.
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Which of these best describes your relationship with the natural world? Middle-earth speaks to those who know how to listen.
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You encounter a wretched, pitiable creature who has done terrible things. You: How we treat the fallen reveals the height of our character.
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When the quest is over and the songs are sung, what do you hope they say about you? In the end, we are all just stories.
The Fellowship Has Spoken Your Place in Middle-earth
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The scores below reveal your true character. Your highest number is your match. Even a tie tells a story — the Fellowship was never made of simple people.
💍 Frodo
🌿 Samwise
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👑 Aragorn
🔥 Gandalf
🏹 Legolas
⚒️ Gimli
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👁️ Sauron
🪨 Gollum
You carry something heavy — and you carry it alone, even when you don’t have to. You were not born for greatness, and that is precisely why greatness chose you. Your courage is not the roaring, sword-swinging kind; it is quiet, stubborn, and terrifying in its refusal to quit. The Ring weighs on you more than anyone can see, and still you walk toward the fire. That is not weakness. That is the rarest kind of strength there is.
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You are, without question, the best of them. Not the most powerful, not the most celebrated — but the most essential. Your loyalty is not a trait; it is a force of nature. You would carry the person you love up the slopes of Mount Doom if it came to that, and we both know you’d do it without being asked. The world needs more people like you, and the world is lucky it has even one.
You were born to lead, and you have spent years running from it. The crown is yours by right, but you know better than anyone that right means nothing without the will and the worthiness to back it up. You are tempered by loss, shaped by long roads, and defined by a code of honour you hold to even when no one is watching. When you finally step forward, the world shifts. Because it was always waiting for you.
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You have seen more than you let on, and you say less than you know — which is exactly as it should be. You are a catalyst: you do not fight the battles yourself, you ignite the people who can. Your wisdom comes not from books but from an age of watching what happens when it is ignored. You arrive precisely when you mean to, and your presence alone changes what is possible. A wizard is never late.
Graceful, perceptive, and almost preternaturally calm under pressure — you see things others miss and act before others react. You do not need to make a scene to be remarkable; your presence speaks for itself. You are loyal to those you choose to stand beside, and that choice is not made lightly. You have lived long enough to know that the most beautiful things in this world are also the most fragile, and that is why you fight to protect them.
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You are loud, proud, and absolutely formidable — and beneath all of that is one of the most fiercely loyal hearts in Middle-earth. You don’t do anything by half measures. Your friendships are forged like iron, your grudges run as deep as mines, and your courage in battle is the kind that makes legends. You came into this fellowship suspicious of everyone and ended it willing to die for an elf. That is not a small thing. That is everything.
You think in centuries and act in absolutes. Order, dominion, control — not because you are cruel by nature, but because you have decided that the world left to itself always falls apart, and you are the only one with the vision and the will to hold it together. You were not always this. Something was lost, or taken, or betrayed, and the version of you that stands now is the answer to that wound. The tragedy is that you’re not entirely wrong — just entirely too far gone to course-correct.
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You are a study in contradiction — pitiable and dangerous, cunning and broken, capable of both cruelty and something that once resembled love. You are defined by loss: of innocence, of self, of the one thing that gave your existence meaning. Two voices war inside you constantly, and the tragedy is that the better one sometimes wins, just not often enough, and never at the right moment. You are a warning, yes — but also a mirror. We are all a little Gollum, given the right ring and enough time.
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Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’ Trilogy (2002-2007)
Spider-Man on top of a speeding train in Spider-Man 2 (2004)Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
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Another early triumph of the modern craze of superhero action, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy excels at juggling the innate spectacle of the genre against the human drama of Peter Parker’s (Tobey Maguire) journey as Spider-Man. While 2002’s Spider-Man is a brilliant introduction to the character in this regard, it is Spider-Man 2 where these thematic ideas are truly fleshed out and dissected, with his battle against Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) combining beautifully with Peter Parker’s own internal struggles stemming from real-life hardships.
Perhaps better than any other film in the genre, let alone the Raimi trilogy, Spider-Man 2 illustrates the hope of superhero drama, particularly in how Spider-Man’s good-nature and unyielding endeavor to help people inspires heroism and resolve in others. It is a point beautifully emphasized by the film’s climactic train fight scene and even Doc Ock’s own villain arc of obsession, unwitting corruption, and tragedy rather than outright evil. Emotionally charged, perfectly paced, and flaunting timeless thematic points of responsibility, sacrifice, and the symbolism of a hero, Spider-Man 2 remains one of the greatest superhero movies of all time and the definitive highlight of Raimi’s groundbreaking trilogy.
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The ‘Evil Dead’ Trilogy (1981-1992)
Ash (Bruce Campbell) with blood on his face and concerned Annie (Sarah Berry) in the cabin in ‘Evil Dead II’Image via New Line Cinema
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Marking another iconic trilogy directed by Sam Raimi, the Evil Dead trilogy is a fascinating procession of creativity, filmmaking resources, and tonal experimentation. Between the succinct demonic horror of the low-budget classic The Evil Dead and the gleefully absurdist entertainment of Army of Darkness, 1987’s Evil Dead 2 stands as something of a perfect middle ground within the trilogy’s bold evolution, an entrancing marriage of terrifying undead tension and comedic indulgence that makes for one of the most enjoyable horror movies ever made.
It sees Raimi’s hyperkinetic directing style and Bruce Campbell’s scene-chewing presence utilized not only as attention-grabbing qualities, but as perfect accessories to the story. Running as both a sequel and a partial remake of The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II follows Ash Williams (Campbell) as he and his girlfriend travel to a remote cabin for a holiday only to accidentally unleash a horde of undead, demonic entities when they discover an audio tape of recitations from a book of ancient texts. Thrilling, exciting, and delightfully chaotic in all its monster horror and slapstick brilliance, Evil Dead II is the best picture in the ongoing Evil Dead franchise at large and the clear high point of the original trilogy.
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The ‘Mad Max’ Trilogy (1979-1985)
Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky walking down a lonely highway holding a gun in Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior.Image via Warner Bros.
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Not at all dissimilar to the Evil Dead trilogy, the original Mad Max movies began as a low-budget genre hit that rose in spectacle, ambition, and eccentricity over the course of the next two movies. 1981’s Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior finds the perfect marriage between the gritty wasteland intensity of its predecessor and the sheer stylistic bombast of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The result is a frenzied hit of action carnage that follows Max Rokitansky (Mel Gibson) as he helps defend a peaceful, oil-rich settlement from a band of ruthless marauders led by the despicable Humungus (Kjell Nilsson).
With its far more substantial budget compared to Mad Max, the sequel sensation delivers an unrestrained descent into the desolate lawlessness of post-apocalyptic Australia armed with an insatiable appetite for eye-popping action given tremendous weight by its visceral practical effects and George Miller’s astute direction. In terms of tone, spectacle, and ferocity, it is the movie most akin to 2015’s blockbuster classic Mad Max: Fury Road, and while it’s debatable if The Road Warrior is the greatest movie in its wider franchise, it is irrefutably the best and most bombastic of the initial trilogy.
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‘The Dark Knight’ Trilogy (2005-2012)
Batman stands in profile over the ruin of Joker’s explosives in The Dark Knight.Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
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It turns out superhero trilogies have a happy knack for reaching their peak with their middle chapter, perhaps as a greater license is granted to pursue stylish flourishes and thematic depth after the world-building and character establishment of the first film. That is certainly the case with Sir Christopher Nolan’s iconic The Dark Knight trilogy. Wedged between two outstanding action-propelled blockbusters, the 2008 classic marks a defining triumph for 21st century cinema as it follows Batman’s (Christian Bale) efforts to protect Gotham City from the reign of anarchy and terror being imposed by the Joker (Heath Ledger).
While its thrilling and propulsive sense of narrative momentum and Ledger’s awe-inspiring performance are among the most impressionable qualities of the film, The Dark Knight also soars above Nolan’s other two Batman movies with its complex exploration of symbolism, sacrifice, morality, and the escalation of chaos in a terrified society. Only bolstered by the depth and tragedy of Harvey Dent’s (Aaron Eckhart) rise-and-fall subplot, The Dark Knight thrives as a gripping crime thriller, a superhero stunner that captivates with its dark maturity, and one of the greatest mid-trilogy movies of all time.
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The Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy (1977-1983)
Darth Vader reaches his hand out in Empire Strikes Back.Image via Lucasfilm
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It is quite extraordinary how, despite mid-trilogy movies often marking a lull in an overarching story, several of the standout ones stand not only as great feats of filmmaking, but as some of the greatest, most culture-defining pictures of all time. Few would deny that is the case with Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, with the sequel to the groundbreaking success of the first Star Wars movie elevating the spectacle and expanding the story world while taking a dark and subversive turn from the triumph of its predecessor.
From the opening battle sequence on Hoth, The Empire Strikes Back captures an air of operatic grandeur, one it maintains as it follows Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) Jedi training on Dagobah while seeing his friends fall into a trap orchestrated by Darth Vader (James Earl Jones). Flaunting one of the all-time great movie duels, cinema’s most iconic plot twist, and a brilliant ending that is as dark as it is compelling, The Empire Strikes Backbuilds on its predecessor while boldly shifting its tone to deliver what is an outstanding movie in its own right, but the crowning glory in the Star Wars franchise and the original trilogy as well.
Alan Ritchson in the snow in Ordinary AngelsImage via Lionsgate
There can be no doubt that Alan Ritchson is among the biggest stars to come out of the streaming industry in the last half a decade. Ritchson emerged in the spotlight thanks to a lead role in the hit Prime Video series Reacher, after which he was cast in major projects such as Fast X, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and this year’s sci-fi hit War Machine, which has since become one of the most-watched Netflix originals ever made. Ritchson is set to return to the action genre this month, with the upcoming film Motor City, which will be released on July 24. Before that, his fans can check out one of his rare dramatic performances in a movie that’s currently streaming on Peacock in the United States, but will be removed from the platform soon.
The movie was released theatrically in 2024 by Lionsgate, grossing around $20 million worldwide against a reported budget of $13 million. Directed by House of David’s Jon Gunn, the film also features Oscar winner Hilary Swank and was based on true events that took place in the mid-1990s. The movie received highly positive reviews, and is now sitting at a “Certified Fresh” 84% critics’ score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score, as with most faith-based movies, is even higher, at a near-perfect 99%.
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Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz Which Action Hero Would Be Your Perfect Partner? Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt
Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn’t work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back.
🎖️Rambo
🍸James Bond
🏺Indiana Jones
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🔧John McClane
🎭Ethan Hunt
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01
You’re dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you.
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02
You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission.
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03
You’re pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of.
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04
The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are.
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How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability.
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Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership.
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07
Things go badly wrong and you’re captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters.
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What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn’t replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn’t know you had.
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09
Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together.
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It’s the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one.
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Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…
Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse.
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Rambo
Your partner doesn’t talk much, doesn’t need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you’ve finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You’ll never need to ask if he has your back. You’ll just know.
James Bond
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Your partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it’ll take you a moment to remember what’s actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You’ll never be bored. You’ll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing.
Indiana Jones
Your partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar’s eye and a brawler’s instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn’t matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you’ll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them.
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John McClane
Your partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren’t so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay.
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Ethan Hunt
Your partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you’ve finished reading the briefing, and the plan he’s settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn’t exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway.
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Watch Alan Ritchson’s Dramatic Movie on Peacock Before It Leaves
We’re talking about Ordinary Angels, whose Rotten Tomatoes consensus reads, “With a dash of grace and circumstance, this sweet display of humanity is stabilized by Hilary Swank in a role that plays to the heartstrings of all Ordinary Angels.” The movie has become a home-video hit since its theatrical run, no doubt benefiting from that incredible Rotten Tomatoes audience score. You can check it out on Peacock before it’s removed from the platform on July 21.Motor City will be released theatrically three days later, and Ritchson is also expected to reprise his role as Reacher in the upcoming spin-off series Neagley. A fourth season of the main show is in the works as well. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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Jennifer Garner always seems to know exactly when to zig while everyone else zags. While trend cycles keep pushing barrel legs, extreme cuts and experimental denim, she stepped out in a timeless pair of dark-wash jeans that reminded me why some styles never lose their appeal.
During a New York City outing, The Five-Star Weekend actress paired a navy polo sweater with brown pumps, oversized sunglasses and classic dark-wash jeans. The effortless outfit proves that sometimes the most stylish choices you make are ones you’ll happily wear for years, and the denim look is actually available on Amazon.
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Get the Levi’s Ribcage Full-Length Jeans for $74 (was $110) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
Her pants look remarkably similar to the Levi’s Ribcage Full-Length Jeans, a timeless pair that delivers the same rich-looking finish without chasing fleeting trends. The deep indigo wash, clean silhouette and polished feel make them work just as well with loafers and a tee as they do with heels and a knit sweater.
There’s something about Kate Middleton’s jewelry that always manages to steal the spotlight. While her outfits are undeniably elegant, it’s often the finishing accessories that make them feel truly timeless. Her latest pair of clover-inspired earrings is no exception, instantly adding a sophisticated touch to an already stunning look. The Princess of Wales proved it […]
So what makes these jeans look so flattering? Well, it’s mainly the fit. The high-rise waistband creates that sculpted, tucked-in effect, while the slim leg skims the body without feeling restrictive. Made from 99% cotton with 1% elastane, the jeans offer enough stretch for comfort and structure, too.
They’re available in sizes 24 through 32, and come in multiple washes, including white, light wash, black and Garner’s rich dark indigo.
Shoppers say the fit lives up to the hype, too. The jeans have earned over 550 five-star ratings on Amazon, with one reviewer writing that they “fit like an absolute dream” and “offer great tummy support and booty support.” Another shopper added, “The quality and style of these jeans are comparable to any of my higher end brand jeans.”
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Garner’s outfit is proof that you don’t need ultra-trendy jeans to look current. In fact, a rich-looking dark wash, like this Levi’s style, might be the smartest denim investment you can make, especially if you’re searching for a pair you’ll reach for season after season.
Get the Levi’s Ribcage Full-Length Jeans for $74 (was $110) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
Welcome to summer with our biggest sale of the year. This summer’s chicest dresses, tops and swimsuits are all over 30% + free shipping. Inventory is limited so hurry before they’re gone.
Taylor Swift has a way of making even the simplest accessories feel like must-haves. While her designer bucket bag has a $2,700 price tag, you don’t have to spend thousands to capture the same timeless look. We found a remarkably similar version on Amazon for only $35, and you’ll want to carry everywhere. During the […]
When it comes to sci-fi movies and TV shows, few directors have given as much to the genre as Ridley Scott, who has single-handedly spearheaded some of the most famous franchises of all time. The first franchise that immediately comes to mind is Alien, which first started with Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror classic, and itis still going strong to this day with Scott’s steady producing hand through his production banner, Scott Free. After going on hiatus from the sci-fi genre in recent years thanks to his work on historical epics like Gladiator II and Napoleon, Scott will return to the world of sci-fi this August for his next feature film, The Dog Stars. Josh Brolin and Jacob Elordi will headline the film, along with Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, and Benedict Wong.
Another famous Ridley Scott sci-fi franchise, albeit one with many fewer entries than Alien, is Blade Runner. Ridley Scott directed the original Blade Runner movie starring Harrison Ford all the way back in 1982, and the franchise went on ice until 2017, when it returned with the legacy sequel, Blade Runner 2049. With the returning star power of Harrison Ford paired with one of Ryan Gosling’s finest performances, Blade Runner 2049 debuted to widespread critical acclaim — it’s still regarded as one of the greatest sci-fi sequels in history. Nearly 10 years after Blade Runner 2049 first hit theaters, the film is still without a streaming home in America, but it’s still one of the most popular VOD purchases on platforms like Prime Video and Apple TV. Ridley Scott did not direct the film, but he did produce, and passed directorial control to Denis Villeneuve.
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Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
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Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
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🚀Star Wars
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01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
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02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
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03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
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04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
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05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
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Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
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Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
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What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
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Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
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The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
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The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
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Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
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Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
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A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
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When Does ‘Blade Runner 2099’ Come Out?
Almost 10 years after the premiere of Blade Runner 2049, the story will continue with a new Prime Video original series, Blade Runner 2099, starring Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer. Prime Video has yet to officially announce a release date for Blade Runner 2099, but it has been confirmed that the series will premiere before the end of this year. Amazon is hosting a Blade Runner panel at San Diego Comic-Con later this month, and it’s expected that the studio will reveal the first look at the show along with an official release date.
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Check out Blade Runner 2049 on VOD platforms like Prime Video, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the Blade Runner franchise.
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Release Date
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October 4, 2017
Runtime
164 minutes
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Director
Denis Villeneuve
Writers
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Michael Green, Hampton Fancher
Producers
Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Bud Yorkin, Cynthia Sikes, Carl Rogers, Dana Belcastro, Steven P. Wegner
Quentin Tarantino on the red carpetImage via Shutterstock
The veteran New Yorker critic Richard Brody hailed it as “the greatest American political movie,” Sergio Leone singled it out as his favorite of John Ford’s films, while Roger Ebert wrote that it was close to perfection. Quentin Tarantino has obviously been influenced by the movie in question, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, but he has also been a vocal critic of Ford for years. In fact, Tarantino didn’t mince his words when he said in an interview, “To say the least, I hate him. Forget about faceless Indians he killed like zombies. It really is people like that that kept alive this idea of Anglo-Saxon humanity compared to everybody else’s humanity—and the idea that that’s hogwash is a very new idea in relative terms.”
Ford’s 1962 classic, which united the iconic James Stewart and John Wayne for the first time on screen, has a near-immaculate reputation now. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance holds a 95% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “Featuring a trio of classic leading men and a rich story captured by a director at the peak of his craft, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is one of the finest Westerns ever filmed.” In a retrospective review, Collider’s Liam Gaughan wrote that the movie “remains a critical achievement that examines mythology, political participation, and sensitive masculinity.”
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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
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
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⚖️Mayor of Kingstown
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01
Where does your power come from? In Sheridan’s world, everyone has leverage. The question is what kind.
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02
Who do you put first, no matter what? Loyalty in Sheridan’s universe is always absolute — and always costly.
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03
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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04
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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05
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.
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06
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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07
How do you lead? Authority in Sheridan’s world is never given — it’s established, maintained, and constantly tested.
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08
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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09
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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10
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.
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Sheridan Has Spoken You Belong In…
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.
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🤠 Yellowstone
🛢️ 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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Here’s Where You Can Watch the Classic Western for Free
Leone, who is recognized as the greatest director of spaghetti Westerns, praised The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance as being the first of Ford’s films to not have a rose-tinted view of America. The movie chose to question how legends are created, an idea that remains as relevant now, in this age of superheroes, militaristic policing, and brute politics, as it was over six decades ago. The good news is that The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is streaming for free on the Pluto TV and Tubi platforms right now, while Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West — Tarantino’s favorite Western, by the way – is available on Prime Video. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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Release Date
April 22, 1962
Runtime
123 Minutes
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Director
John Ford
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Writers
James Warner Bellah, Willis Goldbeck, Dorothy M. Johnson
There are plenty of funny shows on television right now. For my money (at least, what isn’t invested in Wolf Cola), none can compete with It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, the long-running sitcom that began way back in 2005. Now, the award-winning show is about to premiere its 18th season on August 17, and fans are understandably excited. Much of that excitement disappeared, however, when the fandom took a look at the most recent advertisement for the show.
Recently, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia released a new poster to help advertise the upcoming season. The poster re-imagines the cast of the show as beer tap handles. The ad looks ugly and more than a little surreal, and it didn’t take fans long to blame the uncanny design of the advertisement on AI. Accusations that the show had embraced generative slop spread like wildfire across the internet. Eventually, the show shut down these rumors in the most direct way: by releasing a behind-the-scenes video demonstrating how the controversial poster was created by actual humans.
Bad Art On Tap
The poster for Season 18 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is meant to emphasize well-known traits of its quirky characters. For example, Dennis is the tap handle for a “golden lager” to remind us that he’s the golden god, and “Charlie’s Rat Bash Draft” reminds us of his brutal extermination exploits around the bar. Frank, meanwhile, is the handle for a “Rum Ham Sour” that reminds us of his sloshy swine invention. Conceptually, all of this is very fun and filled with winking references to past episodes. There’s just one problem: the uncanny art makes the whole thing look like AI slop.
Almost as soon as the poster dropped, fans began questioning if it was generated by AI. The very possibility disappointed countless fans because the real strength of It’s Always Sunny has always been the human creativity at the heart of the show. It’s an open secret that AI is used by lazy creators who are eager to cut corners, reducing quality in the name of saving a couple of bucks. The fandom began collectively asking the hard questions: had the best comedy on TV sold out, and was this AI slop an early warning that Season 18 would suck? Fortunately, the creators of the show put all our fears to rest by releasing a video showing how the poster was created.
Busting The AI Slop Myth
The video is fairly methodical, showing exactly how the poster was designed. Releasing that video successfully silenced persistent rumors that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was embracing AI slop as part of its creative decisions. However, the video fails to answer another burning question: why did the artists go with an aesthetic that is so otherwise indistinguishable from generative AI? To be perfectly blunt, nobody would have made an accusation in the first place if the poster wasn’t so weirdly ugly. However, some fans have a theory that all of us fell for a stunt that would impress even Thunder Gun.
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You see, one of the themes that Season 18 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will explore is “withstanding job loss at the hands of workplace automation.” We don’t know exactly how the show will explore that issue, but what better way to prepare the fandom than by making everyone worry their favorite show was now relying on AI? It’s entirely possible that all of us who fretted over the possibility of slop have been led to the same conclusion the show wants us to reach: namely, that we should hate the slop aesthetic and emphatically reject any creators who use AI as a shortcut.
If you’re wondering how the show will tackle the evils of workplace automation, you won’t have to wait very long to find out. Season 18 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia premieres on August 17 on FXX. We can look forward to 10 more episodes of delightfully deranged entertainment featuring everything from the danger of conspiracy theories to more misadventures with the McPoyles. And if we’re really lucky, maybe Dennis and Mac will find their own use for generative AI: finally creating yet another sequel to Lethal Weapon!
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If you’re curious what Los Angeles moms are wearing lately, take a page from Jennifer Garner who wore the ultimate rich-girl sundress style. It should cost triple digits (at least), but we found her dreamy floral look on sale for only $34. Run!
Last week, Garner breezed into a SoCal restaurant wearing a billowy maxi sundress, splashed with red, purple and green flowers. She finished the outfit with a red clutch and matching heels. The whole thing read polished, playful and totally California-coded, and we’re recreating her summer look now that we discovered this maxi dress style.
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Get the Kate Kasin Summer Floral Maxi Dress for $34 (was $40) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.
This Kate Kasin Summer Floral Maxi Dress hits all the same notes as Garner’s style. It features spaghetti straps, a swishy A-line maxi skirt and a similar floral print, with blue, green and purple blooms that channel garden-party energy.
Like Us, Kate Middleton leans on mega flattering dress styles. During a summer outing, Middleton opted for a dress that covered her upper arms and cinched her waist at the same time, no squeezing involved. We found the look on sale for only $50! While visiting a children’s hospital, Middleton wore a crisp white dress, […]
The only noticeable difference is the stretchy smocked bodice, which we actually prefer. Garner’s dress has a structured top, but this smocked version provides the same fit-and-flare shape without the squeeze. Airy, comfy and incredibly luxe, it’s no wonder shoppers wear this dress everywhere.
“It can be dressed up or down for casual outfits or business casual,” one fan wrote. “It is easy to throw on and instantly look put together. The smocked bodice is comfortable and flattering, and the floral print gives it a fun, summery feel. I especially appreciate the pockets.”
Garner made the case for florals looking sophisticated instead of sweet. This maxi dress lets you do the same for errand days, patio parties, vacation photos and beyond. Throw it on with sneakers for iced coffee runs, then dress it up with heeled sandals and a denim jacket for date night. Compliments are guaranteed no matter how you style it!
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Get the Kate Kasin Summer Floral Maxi Dress for $34 (was $40) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.
UsNow Summer Sale Alert: These Chic Fashion Finds are over 30% off – Plus Free Shipping Welcome to summer with our biggest sale of the year. This summer’s chicest dresses, tops and swimsuits are all over 30% + free shipping. Inventory is limited so hurry before they’re gone. Shop the UsNow Summer Sale –>
In case you missed it, 2026 is the year of pretty dresses. But there are dozens of categories that qualify. If you’re wondering what the fashionistas of New York City, London and Santorini are wearing, these four trends dominate. Fashion people reach for equally trendy and timeless styles, ones that channel effortlessly rich vibes and […]
Chatting to Zack Wickham on the Friday, July 17 episode of her “When Reality Hits” podcast, Brittany, 37, vowed to share how she really felt about it all when the time was right.
“All I’m going to say about this at this moment is I will be speaking my truth — the truth — on this matter very soon whenever I’m ready,” Brittany said. “As of right now, I am focusing on me and the most important thing in my life, which is my beautiful son. And as of right now, I’m just trying to protect my son and my peace and very soon I will be telling [my story].”
The Valley star added, “I mean, I think everybody kinda understands what’s going on.”
The Valley star Brittany Cartwright was caught off-guard by the recently surfaced photos of estranged husband Jax Taylor cozying up to their once-shared publicist, Lori Krebs, but according to an insider, she questioned for years whether there was more than a professional relationship and friendship between the two. “Brittany had her suspicions for years but […]
Jax, 47, was married to Brittany for five years before they separated in 2024. They share 5-year-old son Cruz.
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Us Weekly exclusively confirmed earlier this month that Lori was recently spotted with Jax in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to celebrate his birthday. An eyewitness claimed that the duo packed on the PDA at the Hotel Mousai pool one day and told individuals that they were both “happily divorced.”
An insider told Us earlier this week that Brittany was caught off-guard by the photos. According to the source, Brittany questioned for years whether there was more than a professional relationship and friendship between the two.
Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright.(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
“Brittany had her suspicions for years but always trusted that Lori had her best interest at heart and believed she wouldn’t do such a thing,” a source exclusively told Us of Brittany. “There were rumors about them for years and Brittany always brushed them off. She always had Lori’s back and trusted her. They were very good friends and did not have a typical professional relationship.”
The insider told Us that Brittany felt “extremely betrayed” over the surprise romance and Jax and Lori’s PDA pictures.
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“It’s very upsetting to her and she is sick to her stomach over it,” the insider added. “She is shocked that photos surfaced and that they are out in public. Lori was with Brittany through dark days.”
Brittany and Jax wed in 2019 during their time on Vanderpump Rules. The former couple departed the show in 2020 before taking their marriage to The Valley in 2024. When the show’s second season aired earlier this year, fans watched Brittany and Jax’s marriage crumble.
As of April, their divorce had yet to be finalized as they were working toward amicably coparenting Cruz.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ on Friday, July 17, the exes privately finalized their divorce earlier this month.
The exact details are confidential, but the outlet claims the pair are splitting several items, including an aircraft, cars, homes and their intellectual properties.
The Grammy winner, 41, is also reportedly set to pay a one-time lump sum payment to his ex-wife, 46, as part of their settlement agreement. The amount is confidential, and there won’t be any alimony claims to fight over in court.
Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo were brutally honest about the ups and downs of their relationship throughout their near decade-long marriage. Following two stints in jail — Jelly Roll (real name Jason Bradley DeFord) was arrested for aggravated robbery at 16 and served one year before being incarcerated for drug dealing at the age of […]
The agreement includes a provision prohibiting either from talking poorly about the other.
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Us Weekly has reached out to Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo’s attorneys for comment.
On June 15, Us confirmed that the musician filed to end his marriage one month prior, submitting a divorce petition in Tennessee on May 18. He was seen at the 2026 CMA Fest in Nashville earlier in June, where he performed on stage without a wedding ring on.
The pair have vowed to remain cordial and assured fans that the split was amicable.
Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo‘s divorce comes as a shock to many — but there were clues about their split leading up to the news. The pair got married in 2016 before Jelly Roll became a household name. Amid his rise to stardom, Bunnie supported Jelly Roll as he used his platform to candidly address […]
During the June 18 episode of her “Dumb Blonde” podcast, Bunnie Xo broke her silence on the split and confirmed that Jelly Roll was back on the market.
“Daddy Roll is probably in his finest season. He looks so good. He is healthier than he’s ever been,” the podcast host said before making it clear she didn’t mind one bit if he moved on romantically. “He’s even started dating, which is great. I love that.”
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That same day, Jelly Roll revealed during his concert that he supported everything his now ex-wife said in her podcast episode.
“Me and my wife are best friends. We will always be best friends. We just got off the phone earlier today,” he shared. “Nobody cheated on nobody. She just did a whole podcast about it. You can go watch it. Every word of it is the truth. That will be my best friend forever. This is the only time I will ever speak about it.”
Bunnie Xo is ready to shine a light on what went wrong in her nearly 10-year marriage to Jelly Roll. “My family was always so important to me, and when I said those vows with him, I really meant them,” Bunnie, 46, shared on the Thursday, June 18, episode of the “Dumb Blonde” podcast. “J […]
Jelly Roll continued, “Bunnie, I love you baby. Thank you for those 10 years. They were incredible. Thank you for the next 10 years of friendship and 20 beyond that.”
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Although Bunnie Xo took down her podcast episode where she addressed the split, it wasn’t because what she said is no longer true. Instead, the media producer explained that she didn’t “want one of the hardest moments of my life to become a permanent headline.”
“If I’m being real, I don’t want the divorce to become my entire personality,” she added. “I don’t want to be the poster child for divorce. That episode served a purpose for me at that time, and it was real, it was honest, and it came from exactly where I was emotionally in that moment. But I’m not in that same place anymore.”
“Tate Paul and Dakota Mortensen have remained publicly silent throughout these proceedings to avoid having serious private family matters turned into more of a public spectacle than they already have due to the insatiable appetite of others to share private family information online to promote views and publicity,” Dakota, 33, and Tate said in a joint statement through counsel to Us Weekly on Friday, July 17. “However, they are deeply concerned that Taylor’s statement minimizes the gravity of the action filed by DCFS and her many underlying actions that prompted such.”
“The petition filed by DCFS this week is not a routine transition to juvenile court or an opportunity for personal growth,” the duo added in their statement. “DCFS has asked the Court to find that the children are abused and has requested an expedited hearing concerning their immediate protection.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Taylor’s attorneys for comment.
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Dakota shares son Ever, 2, with Taylor, 32, whom he dated on and off for several years before they split earlier this year. (Their tumultuous relationship made headlines in March when they were involved in an alleged domestic violence dispute. The district attorney later decided not to charge Taylor in the alleged incident.)
Tate, meanwhile, was married to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star from 2016 to 2022. The exes split after Taylor crossed a line during their soft-swinging agreement, which she later confessed to via a TikTok video. The former spouses share two children, Indy, 8, and Ocean, 6.
Over the past few months, Taylor has found herself battling over custody with both Dakota and Tate.
TMZ reported on Wednesday, July 15, that DCFS also asked the judge to order protective supervision services, appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the children and issue any additional orders deemed to be in their best interests.
“Tate and Dakota are grateful that DCFS has taken these concerns seriously and is stepping in to protect the children,” Taylor’s former partners said in their statement. “They share the serious concern that the family court system, law enforcement, prosecutors, and child-welfare agencies need meaningful coordination necessary to understand the situation and act in a manner most likely to protect the children. Serious warning signs went largely unaddressed for far too long, even after the passage of Om’s Law.”
Taylor Frankie Paul and her three kids.Courtesy of Taylor Frankie Paul/Instagram
Tate and Dakota’s statement noted that both fathers “remain focused on protecting the children, giving them the time and space they need to heal, supporting meaningful accountability, and using what their families have experienced to help improve coordination between these systems in the future.”
“Despite the myriad false accusations published online and on social media about them by Taylor and others, Tate and Dakota have chosen to not participate in the often misconstrued social media and other online activity surrounding their cases,” the statement continued. “They have remained silent to protect their children, not because they have nothing to say. When the time is right, they will tell their story in their own words in the appropriate forum.”
A judge has issued a big ruling regarding Taylor Frankie Paul and ex Dakota Mortensen’s ongoing legal battle. “This has been a very toxic relationship. It’s beyond the pale in a lot of ways, the toxicity,” a judge said during a protective order hearing on Thursday, April 30, regarding the pair’s custody arrangement. “What I’ve seen […]
Taylor, for her part, reacted to DCFS stepping in on Thursday, July 16, telling Us in a statement, “It was recently decided that the ongoing custody actions would be best suited for juvenile court, a common step for families engaged in highly contentious, complex custody matters.”
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The reality star’s attorney added, “Taylor is not deterred by this transition; she welcomes the added structure and oversight it provides and looks forward to continuing her progress toward normalizing custody and becoming the healthiest version of herself.”
The statement concluded: “Taylor remains fully committed to doing whatever is necessary to reach that goal and will not be swayed from it. Taylor appreciates the professionalism of DCFS and its representatives.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
So far, it seems that James Gunn has a very complicated relationship with the failed DCEU. On paper, it’s his job to create his own cinematic universe (the DCU) that avoids all the major mistakes of its predecessor. Because of this, it’s in the director’s best interest to distance his DCU from the DCEU however and whenever he can. Nonetheless, Gunn can’t stop creating connections between these universes, from connecting Peacemaker to The Suicide Squad to casting Aquaman actor Jason Momoa as Lobo. Now, he’s one-upping himself in the loudest possible way by putting a very obscure star of a failed DCEU film into his next blockbuster film.
Xolo Maridueña starred as the titular hero of Blue Beetle, a 2023 DCEU film. When the movie came out, it was generally well-liked: it had a 78 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics and a whopping 90 percent from the fans. However, not that many fans actually saw the movie, and it became one of multiple DCEU projects to actually lose Warner Bros. money. Because of that, it seemed like we’d never see this hero (or at least, this version) on the big screen again. Nonetheless, Gunn is bringing back Maridueña’s Blue Beetle for his upcoming sequel Superman: The Man of Tomorrow.
Meet The Beetle
This news comes to us courtesy of Deadline, which heard about it from insiders who are close to Gunn’s Superman sequel. This is obviously big news for Xolo Maridueña, who seemed like he’d never reprise this role again. Neither Gunn nor Warner Bros. has commented on the matter. However, Deadline’s report indicates that one or both of these entities are fond enough of the actor to bring him over to the DCU. How will he fit into this new cinematic universe, though? Chances are that, like Peacemaker before him, Blue Beetle will simply be a DCU version of his familiar self, complete with a very similar backstory.
While fans of Blue Beetle will be happy to see the hero onscreen again, it’s not clear how much of a role he will have. Right now, Superman: The Man of Tomorrow is very crowded with both heroes (including Superman, Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific) and villains (including Lex Luthor, Brainiac, and newcomer Maxima). Because of this, some have claimed the sequel feels more like a Justice League movie than a Superman sequel. That’s good news for anyone who enjoyed watching the Man of Steel and his Superfriends kick butt in the previous movie. However, the sheer number of characters appearing in this film may cut into Blue Beetle’s overall screentime.
Avoiding The Sequel Blues
However, having a large roster of heroes is only appropriate for Superman: The Man of Tomorrow because the Big Bad is Brainiac, and he represents a threat to the entire planet. It would only make sense that Superman has to rally as many allies as possible in the fight against an existential threat to all of humanity. It’s also possible that Gunn will be using this Superman sequel to lay the in-universe groundwork for an eventual Justice League team. After all, an individual hero may be enough to save the city most of the time. But when it comes to saving the entire world, even Superman can’t be everywhere at once.
Speaking of possibilities, James Gunn might eventually give Blue Beetle his own spinoff movie or series. This would help the DCU win over younger audiences, and it would fit Gunn’s recent MO of shining a spotlight on the more obscure characters within this colorful universe. We won’t know exactly what will happen to this former DCEU character until we see him on the big screen again. So, mark your calendars, fanboys: Superman: The Man of Tomorrow flies into theaters on July 9, 2027. Its titular hero may be more powerful than a speeding locomotive, but only time will tell if he’s more powerful than something much stronger than a train: superhero fatigue.
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