Two of Matthew Perry‘s sisters, Caitlin and Madeline Morrison, have claimed the late actor’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, left him “in a hot tub to die.”

According to a Tuesday, May 26, report by People, who obtained victim impact statements filed on Wednesday, May 20, that relate to Perry’s October 2023 death, the sisters placed significant blame on Iwamasa, 60, who served as the actor’s live-in personal assistant. (Iwamasa is one of five people who have pleaded guilty for various charges relating to supplying the Friends star with ketamine, the drug that killed him at age 54.)

After the Department of Justice determined that Iwamasa had injected Perry repeatedly with ketamine, despite him being “without medical training,” Madeline, 37, wrote in her statement that Iwamasa “had injected my brother with a lethal dose of ketamine and left him in a hot tub to die.”

Her statement continued, “It is difficult to put into words the sense of betrayal I felt when I found out what Kenny had done. In many ways, it felt like my brother died all over again. Everything I believed about the day he died—everything Kenny told us—was a lie. The idea that someone my brother considered family could betray him in such an unimaginable way is something I never could have conceived.”

Related: Matthew Perry’s Sad Final Words Before Death Are Revealed

(Photo by Getty) Matthew Perry’s final words before he died from “the acute effects of ketamine” and was found in his hot tub have been made public. Newly released court documents obtained by NBC News and published on Friday August 16, detail that Perry reportedly asked his assistant Kenneth Iwamasa for help administering the drug three times. […]

Caitlin, 43, echoed the sentiment in her own statement. “I cannot read Kenny’s thoughts. I will never know if the lethal dose of ketamine was only lethal by accident. But I know that when Kenny left the house, he was doing one of two things. He was either escaping from something he knew he had done or he was willfully abandoning a vulnerable person in a dangerous situation,” she wrote.

Iwamasa was one of five people who were indicted on federal charges after Perry died as a result of the “acute effects of ketamine” on October 28, 2023. Iwamasa pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death, while Jasveen Sangka, also known as “The Ketamine Queen,” pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of ketamine, one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury, and one count of using her home for drug distribution.

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Advertisement

Related: Matthew Perry’s Friends and Family ‘Blindsided’ by Assistant’s Arrest

Matthew Perry’s friends and family were “blindsided” and “saddened” by the arrest of his personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa amid a drug investigation surrounding the actor’s death. “Matthew kept secrets,” a source close to Matthew exclusively tells Us Weekly. “I wouldn’t be shocked if Kenny was the only one who knew how bad it really was.” According to the insider, Iwamasa started working for […]

Erik Fleming also pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death, Dr. Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine and Dr. Mark Chavez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.

While four of the five have been sentenced to a mix of prison time and home confinement, Iwamasa is scheduled to be sentenced later today.

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

Several Marshals stars are breaking their silence after sparking speculation that they could be leaving the Yellowstone spinoff.

During the Sunday, May 24, episode of the hit CBS series, Andrea (Ash Santos) was offered a job that would take her from Montana to Washington D.C. Meanwhile, Belle (Arielle Kebbel) and Cal (Logan Marshall-Green) were on a mission when they got ambushed — with Tom Weaver (Chris Mulkey) involved in the potentially deadly situation.

It wasn’t clear whether Belle and Cal were killed off-screen despite the show being renewed for season 2. Marshall-Green, 49, and Kebbel, however, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that they have begun filming season 2 — and they will be sticking around.

“I can confirm [Cal] is alive, but not necessarily unscathed,” Marshall-Green told the outlet in an article published after Sunday’s episode. “I think I can confirm that for everybody in the damn show, because everybody’s going through it by the end of this thing. I’m hours away of shooting [season 2, episode 1]. I can tell you that we’re all going through things — without giving anything away.”

Related: Which ‘Marshals’ Stars Are — And Aren’t — Returning After Deaths, Cast Exit?

Yellowstone‘s Marshals is returning for season 2 — but is everyone from the cast coming back? The Paramount Network show, which premiered in 2018, introduced viewers to the fictional Dutton family. Yellowstone came to an end in 2024, expanding its universe with Luke Grimes‘ CBS show Marshals and Dutton Ranch, which premiered in May. According […]

Kebbel also weighed in, saying, “I am a part of season 2, yes. We start filming [season 2] with a pick up of that [finale] moment. My head is so deep into season 2 already.”

The actress recalled her initial reaction to the finale script.

“After reading that big cliffhanger, I should have asked myself if Belle survives! But the truth is that I’m so used to Belle being in precarious situations almost every episode,” she noted. “And even though both Belle and Cal are there, it felt in that moment that, because Cal is in front, he’s the one in more in danger. I’m behind him, based on where we ended the episode. So when I read it, my head went to, ‘What’s going to happen to Cal?’”

Looking ahead, Marshall-Green made it clear he has no plans to leave the show, adding, “I love employment! I love steady income, and I love more than anything this crew and this cast. I could easily see myself making this show for many years.”

He continued: “Now — where is the story juiciest, now that we’re dealing with a subject matter like cancer? I don’t wanna sugarcoat it. I don’t want kid gloves on. I don’t want a safe approach. I want Cal to go through it, because I think that is the duty to these men and women who come back from uniform.”

Marshall-Green had hope in the show’s creative team.

“And maybe there’s a way, with the advancement of treatments, to have both worlds. But really, in the end, it’s about what stories are left to tell,” he continued. “That’s up to Yana Grebenyuk Spencer [Hudnut] and the writers, and also Luke [Grimes]. Luke’s been playing this role for a long time. But I think I can speak for everybody when I say that we love coming to work, and, boy, do we come to work. The first season was a grueling shoot.”

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Kebbel went on to express gratitude for the success so far.

“When people are watching a show like Marshals, I’m not sure they’re thinking about the art and sacrifice of it, but there is a lot of sacrifice that goes into it,” she shared. “So I’m really grateful that we’re building momentum and have an audience, and I’m really grateful that we have so many crew coming back from season 1 to season 2 so we all get to go, ‘We’re in this together.’”

Marshals is streaming on Paramount+ now.

Not every superhero story puts a hero in colorful tights or attaches a cape to your favorite adventurer. In fact, there are plenty of great superhero movies out there that don’t follow the usual genre conventions at all. Be they direct comic book adaptations or original creations inspired by the typical Hollywood blockbusters that hit the screens, there’s something about the unconventional superhero movie that just hits right.

This isn’t, of course, to say that just because something doesn’t follow the same formula or thinks a little outside the typical superhero box that it’s automatically a classic — far from it. There are certainly some duds worth marking and avoiding. But if you’re looking for something that still scratches that comic book itch while offering something different, unique, or just plain entertaining, then we’ve got a collection of movies for you. You won’t find Batman, Superman, or Spider-Man here, but you may find something you enjoy just a little bit more.

7

‘Blade’ (1998)

Image via New Line Cinema

For something a bit more tinged with horror, Blade is an action-packed vampire movie where the title protagonist (played by Wesley Snipes) plows his way through hordes of the undead. Before Spider-Man, before X-Men, Marvel first gained notoriety on the big screen with Blade. It changed the way that superhero movies were made, and pushed a lesser-known Marvel hero firmly into the spotlight, eventually spawning a trilogy and a short-lived television series.

Snipes’ Blade is everything you could hope for in a vampire hunter, and though one might argue that his war against the vampires doesn’t make him a superhero, almost everyone who’s seen the picture will beg to differ. With a solid cast, a clever plot, and seriously exciting action sequences, it’s easy to get past some of the dated CGI when enjoying this superhero horror flick. And if you like it, don’t sleep on the next two either.

6

‘Defendor’ (2009)

Image via Alliance Films

A year before James Gunn tried his own hand at superhero satire, director Peter Stebbings teamed up with Woody Harrelson for Defendor. When a mentally underdeveloped (and uber-violent) vigilante begins prowling the streets looking for a villain he calls “Captain Industry,” he finds himself on the trail of an actual criminal conspiracy as his actions are put under the microscope. This one is even better than Gunn’s Super.

Defendor is a complicated take on the superhero genre, but it’s Harrelson’s performance that really seals the deal. His part as Arthur Poppington is exquisite, blending off-beat humor with violent crime-fighting so seamlessly you don’t know whether to laugh or be worried. It’s intense, heartfelt, and certainly more complex than your standard cape-and-cowl material.

5

‘Megamind’ (2010)

Image via DreamWorks Animation

Another comedic take on the genre, Megamind is one for the kids. Centering on the title supervillain (Will Ferrell) after he defeats his longtime nemesis, the bad guy soon becomes the hero when it’s clear that his latest creation is far more evil than he ever could be. In some ways, he’s a Brainiac/Lex Luthor hybrid that has more heart and soul, and it’s due to this goodness within him that he turns to heroism. Essentially a deconstruction of the superhero film, it ends up sticking true to the genre by the end.

Megamind is a classic, and anyone who grew up in the early 2000s likely has fond memories of this DreamWorks animated production. In recent years, it’s spawned a sequel and a television series on Peacock, but the original is still the best of the batch. Ferrell is fabulous as Megamind, but his performance is best emphasized by the comedic talents of co-stars Tina Fey, Brad Pitt, and Jonah Hill.

4

‘The Rocketeer’ (1991)

Image via Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Before buying Marvel, it was rare for Disney to venture into the superhero genre. But when future Captain America: The First Avenger director Joe Johnson decided to tackle a classic ’80s comic character that evoked the 1930s spirit of adventure and heroism, The Rocketeer was born. When pilot Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell) discovers a jetpack made by Howard Hughes (Terry O’Quinn), he takes to the skies to use the new technology to save lives, only to stumble upon a Nazi plot at the heart of Los Angeles.

The Rocketeer is very much in the same spirit of pulpy comic book adaptations like Tim Burton‘s Batman, Dick Tracy, and The Phantom, but while it’s quite traditional in its emphasis on ’30s comic book nostalgia, it doesn’t fit many of the dark and gritty tropes that would come to define the superhero genre in the coming years. In many ways, it’s more of a noir-style romance adventure than it is a typical superhero movie, and maybe that’s why it turned out so darn good — it’s almost too bad it never got a sequel.

3

‘Darkman’ (1990)

Image via Universal Pictures

Speaking of unconventional heroes, what happens when a horror director decides to create his own superhero based on the Universal Classic Monsters of the 1930s? You get Sam Raimi‘s Darkman, that’s what. A decade before he would tackle Spider-Man, Raimi turned Liam Neeson into the tortured title hero who seeks vengeance on the man who disfigured him and left him for dead.

Like The Rocketeer, Darkman feels very much like an homage to the ’30s comic books full of pulpy, noir crime drama, but still contains horror elements. Rather than focusing his new abilities (due to an experimental treatment) on saving lives like The Rocketeer, Darkman uses them for personal gain to take down the villains responsible for his plight, killing them if need be. He was an antihero long before it was cool on the big screen.

2

‘Unbreakable’ (2000)

If anyone could take the superhero origin story and turn it completely on its head, it would be M. Night Shyamalan. Following The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan reunited with Bruce Willis for an intimate character drama focused on the sole survivor of a massive train accident who discovers that he has superhuman strength. With the help of a wealthy comic book collector (Samuel L. Jackson), he learns to hone his senses and use them for the good of others, leading to some pretty drastic revelations.

Unbreakable is a phenomenal film. While it’s certainly an origin story, it’s about as unconventional as they come, and told in a way where the audience isn’t even expecting a twist at the end. Willis’ David Dunn is one of the best superheroes of the 21st century, and even though Shyamlan’s sequel, Glass, failed to stick the landing in many respects, it doesn’t taint the genius on display here.

1

‘The Iron Giant’ (1999)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Inspired by the science fiction pictures of the 1950s, director Brad Bird offered us a glimpse into his psyche with a brilliant animated feature that cut to the heart. The Iron Giant may not be your traditional superhero movie, but it certainly qualifies. When young Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) finds a giant robot (Vin Diesel) in the woods behind his home, he teaches the alien machine how to be the type of hero worthy of the Man of Steel himself. If you don’t cry watching this modern classic, then there’s likely something wrong with you.

The Iron Giant uses Silver Age Superman comic books as a springboard for a larger conversation of heroism that culminates in a final act that no doubt inspired The Dark Knight Rises‘ ending. It’s a beautiful picture of sacrifice and what it means to give one’s life for others, that to call the Giant anything but a superhero would be a failure to recognize his life, challenges, and choice to be like, well, Superman.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 19 seconds ago

Previously, we hadn’t had a new Star Wars movie in theaters since 2019, when The Rise of Skywalker redefined just how stupid a galaxy far, far away could really be. Disney wanted The Mandalorian and Grogu to be the big comeback film for the franchise, but that didn’t work. Not only did it earn less money than any live-action Star Wars movie before it, but it has been hailed by some critics as a new low for the Disney era. For both the haters and the fanboys, this leaves one very provocative question: can anything actually save Star Wars?

Amazingly, the answer to that question may involve one of the franchise’s most controversial characters. Rey was the popular protagonist of the Sequel Trilogy, but some fans really hated her because of how she was written (she was basically a Mary Sue from the beginning) and her creepy connection to Emperor Palpatine (who did the monster mash with her grandmother). However, Emmy-winning writer Damon Lindelof was hired to write a new Rey movie that would use the character to do the impossible: bring the fractured fandom back together again. Unfortunately, Disney killed this film, and in doing so, they may have doomed Star Wars altogether.

A Rey Of Hope

Over half a decade ago, Damon Lindelof began working on a solo Rey movie for Disney. This was exciting because Lindelof was famously the co-creator and showrunner of Lost, one of the most engrossing shows from the Golden Age of Television. Later, he became co-creator and showrunner of Watchmen, one of the best superhero shows ever made. After two years of writing for a galaxy far, far away, however, he was fired, and his movie joined the growing pile of canceled Star Wars films. Until recently, fans could only speculate on the deeper details of what his Rey/New Jedi Order movie would have been about. But in a recent interview with the House of R podcast, he spoke candidly about the movie’s plot.

During the interview, Lindelof described the Rey movie in the most fascinating way. “What we were attempting to do was to have this conversation in the movie,” he said, “Which is to say there is a force of nostalgia and there is a force of revision and they are at odds with one another. And let’s do the Protestant Reformation inside ‘Star Wars.’” These statements are both cryptic and compelling, as befits the creator of Lost. But like a bunch of fans seeing the Smoke Monster for the first time, we have to figure out what the heck Damon Lindelof is saying with this mystery box mambo jumbo.

Our Only Hope?

The first part seems clear enough. He wants to take the metatextual discourse over franchise direction and somehow make it textual. What would that look like? We know that Rey was going to rebuild a new Jedi Order. If so, she might be torn between following the traditions of the Prequel Trilogy Jedi Masters and kickstarting her own, brand-new traditions. What’s up with the Protestant Reformation bit? This is likely an indicator that Rey would forge a new path for the Jedi, effectively splintering this ancient religion between the old guard and the new guard. This would presumably sway the fandom to support Rey doing what Star Wars heroes always do: rebel.                            

Why did the project die? After first noting simply that “it didn’t work,” Damon Lindelof later admitted that Disney may have fired him because “the writing was really hard. It was slow. Like the tone, getting it right, where it was inside of the canon, what its relationship was with to episode nine,” he said. “Is it starting a new trilogy? Is it like all of those things? They’re so massive. They’re so big.” He regrets getting fired because “the conversation that the fandom is having without winking and looking at the audience … that didn’t necessarily feel that risky.” 

There Is Another (Skywalker)

In other words, it wouldn’t hurt for Disney to acknowledge (to borrow Lindelof’s adorable phrasing) “the bantha in the room.” The Star Wars fandom is divided, and the franchise is delivering diminishing returns. Lindelof wanted his movie to fix the fan schism, effectively winning over fans who were driven away by The Rise of Skywalker. To counter that film’s simplicity, Lindelof wanted a smart, metatextual film that pushed the boundaries of the franchise, but Disney wanted to play it safe. That’s why The Mandalorian and Grogu (our first Star Wars film since TROS) is just a collection of fight scenes and explosions, with nothing (including character development or coherent plotting) that might offend the audience.

However, it seems that Disney backed the wrong horse. The Mandalorian and Grogu had the weakest opening weekend of any live-action Star Wars film. Furthermore, its middling quality disappointed critics and large swathes of the fandom. Given this film’s failure, it won’t be surprising if the studio later cribs from Damon Lindelof and makes a film intended to unify the fandom. However, that effort may be too little, too late because the last two Star Wars movies have been messy commercial and critical disappointments. When the smoke clears on this latest theatrical disaster, Disney may discover a bitter truth: there’s no fandom left to unify.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner put family first this week after their daughter Violet appeared to suffer a health issue that required urgent medical attention. 

The former Hollywood power couple reunited Tuesday to help their eldest child into an urgent care clinic in Los Angeles, with both parents staying close as Violet later emerged on crutches. 

The emotional outing once again showed the exes’ famously united co-parenting dynamic years after their split, while also shedding light on the challenges they have both openly discussed since ending their marriage.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were seen rushing daughter Violet to an urgent care clinic in Los Angeles on Tuesday after the Yale student appeared to be struggling physically. 

Advertisement

Photos obtained by the Daily Mail showed Violet hobbling into the medical center while relying heavily on both of her parents for support.

Affleck kept one arm wrapped protectively around the 20-year-old as she leaned against him on the way inside, while Garner hurried beside them to help steady Violet. 

Later, Violet was seen leaving the clinic on crutches, with both parents remaining closely by her side throughout the careful walk out of the building.

Affleck And Garner Remain United As Co-Parents

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner officially split in 2018, but they have continued to maintain one of Hollywood’s most talked-about co-parenting relationships while raising their three kids, Violet, Fin, and Samuel. 

Just weeks before the urgent care visit, Violet made a rare public appearance without her face mask while spending time with Garner and Samuel during a relaxed family outing.

Advertisement

The trio stopped for ice cream at Sweet Rose Creamery inside the Brentwood Country Mart near the family’s Los Angeles home while Violet was home from Yale.

Violet has previously spoken about dealing with a post-viral condition in 2019 and still wears face masks as a precaution, making the outing especially surprising to some observers.

As The Blast reported, the outing without face mask sparked a lot of backlash from fans, due to Violet’s stance against the calls to ban masks. One fan even revealed that Violet appearing without a face mask was hypocritical.

Ben Affleck And Jennifer Garner Built A Family Before Their Split

Affleck and Garner first met in 2004 while promoting “Pearl Harbor,” though their relationship deepened later while working together on “Daredevil.” 

Their chemistry quickly became a major talking point, and the pair married in 2005 during a private Caribbean ceremony.

Advertisement

Over the years, they became one of Hollywood’s most photographed couples, regularly appearing together at sporting events, school runs, and red-carpet functions with their children. 

Even after announcing their separation in 2015 and finalizing their divorce in 2018, they continued to prioritize family life together.

Garner recently reflected on what it has been like raising children across two households during an appearance on Bustle’s “One Nightstand” YouTube series. 

Speaking about balancing parenting responsibilities, she explained, “And I think my kids’ dad does too. Especially when your kids grow up in two separate households, I become mom and dad and he becomes dad and mom.”

Advertisement

She added, “You kind of can’t help it, right? Because you don’t have the benefit of both sides of the yin and yang being in the same house.”

Affleck And Garner Reflect On Divorce And Family Changes

Jennifer Garner has also spoken candidly about the emotional toll of the end of her marriage to Ben Affleck. 

In a January 2026 interview with Marie Claire UK, the actress admitted the breakup was deeply painful and difficult to process publicly. 

“You have to be smart about what you can and can’t handle, and I could not handle what was out there,” she said.

Garner explained that the hardest part was not simply ending the relationship itself, but the impact on their family structure. 

Advertisement

“The fact of it is what was hard. The actual breaking up of a family was what was hard. Losing a true partnership and friendship was what was hard,” the 54-year-old revealed. 

Despite the challenges, she insisted prioritizing her children never felt like a sacrifice and acknowledged that motherhood strongly influenced the jobs she accepted throughout her career.

Ben Affleck Opens Up About Divorce And Lasting Respect For Jennifer Garner

Affleck has also publicly reflected on the pain surrounding their divorce and the reality of co-parenting after separation. 

During a 2020 appearance on “Good Morning America,” the actor admitted he struggled emotionally with the breakdown of his marriage.

“I didn’t want to get divorced, I didn’t want to be a divorced person, I really didn’t want to be a split family with my children,” Affleck said at the time. 

Advertisement

He explained that the experience forced him to confront difficult feelings about himself and his identity as a husband and father. “It upset me because it meant I wasn’t who I thought I was and that was so painful and so disappointing. In myself,” he continued.

Affleck also emphasized the importance of mutual respect between parents after divorce, saying, “When you have children with somebody, you’re connected to them forever. And I’m very lucky she [Garner] is the mother of my children.”

He added, “I’m very grateful and respectful of her. Our marriage didn’t work, and that’s difficult. Both of us really believe that it’s important for kids to see their parents respect one another and get along, whether they’re together or not.”

Advertisement

Adam Sandler supported his wife, Jackie, at the premiere of her movie “Office Romance.” While the celebrities arrived red-carpet ready, the comedian chose comfort over style and showed up in an orange hoodie and blue joggers, sparking an online fashion discussion.

Sandler is known for his signature laid-back style, often showing up at events in ultra-casual clothes despite others attending in suits. His fashion choices sparked the term Sandlercore, highlighting the fashion aesthetic that celebrates unapologetic and comfortable dressing.

On May 26, Adam Sandler attended the premiere of the Netflix movie “Office Romance” to support his wife, Jackie, who plays the supporting character Caroline in the Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein-led movie.

Jackie chose an all-black ensemble, wearing a short glittery dress paired with stockings and pumps. Her other half, meanwhile, attended wearing a bright orange Knicks hoodie paired with blue sweatpants and colorful sneakers.

While Sandler’s fashion choice isn’t anything new, online users couldn’t help but comment on his appearance, with some saying that he could have at least dressed better while supporting his wife. “It’s one thing when he’s promoting or doing his own projects but for his wife’s work you think he could throw on some khakis and a golf shirt, at least,” one user noted.

Users on the subreddit r/Fauxmoi shared their opinions on Sandler’s choice of clothing. Some people defended the actor, saying that he has always chosen fashion over comfort, and hoodies and sweatpants or basketball shorts have been his go-to clothing for years. One argued, however, that Sandler “has the money to be comfortable without looking like he’s cosplaying retiree Billy Madison.”

Others noted that while he wore casual clothes, the outfit still looked thought out because his top and bottoms matched. “I mean, for Sandler that’s pretty much formal wear,” one wrote.

One user defended Sandler, saying he has a “solid reputation as a decent, generous person” and showed up for his wife. “We should let everyone wear whatever type of clothing they want at all times,” the user added.

Adam Sandler Has Worn Formalwear On Occasion

In an interview with Blackbird Spyplane in 2024, Sandler was asked about his fashion aesthetic. The comedian explained, “I think it comes from wearing a bar mitzvah suit that was a little itchy. Ever since then, I’ve said, ‘Let me make sure I’m never feeling that again, let me keep it loose.” He added that he always chooses comfort and adds pops of color that “will make someone else happy.”

Despite defaulting to comfort wear, Sandler has worn suits on a few special occasions. While doing a press tour for his movie with George Clooney, “Jay Kelly,” in 2025, Sandler wore various suits and jokingly said Clooney forced him to wear them.

Advertisement

Sandler also looked dapper at the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” in 2025, wearing a dark tux with a black bow tie. When a reporter pointed out his impeccable clothing choice, he remarked, “It’s a terrible feeling.”

In December 2021, Vogue recognized Sandler as the year’s fashion icon, as evidenced by Google Trends data that showed searches for the comedian’s style surpassed those of Lizzo, Britney Spears, and Harry Styles.

“I’m not completely surprised that Sandler has achieved this accolade. He’s the unofficial ambassador of pandemic style,” Vogue writer Liana Satenstein wrote.

That same year, the term “Sandlercore” emerged on TikTok and Reddit to describe the fashion aesthetic inspired by Sandler’s ultra-casual and baggy clothing, with signature elements such as oversized shirts, extra-large basketball shorts, hoodies, bright colors, and baseball caps.

Advertisement

Jackie’s Opinion About Adam Sandler’s Wardrobe

In an interview with Complex while promoting his film “Happy Gilmore 2” in 2025, Sandler talked about fashion, saying he thought it was “funny as hell” that he unintentionally became a style icon.

Sandler also revealed Jackie’s honest thoughts about his choice of clothing, sharing how she defends him against people who say he should dress better. “My wife always was nice to me about my clothes,” he noted.

“Even when we were young, others would say, ‘Would you put on something better than that? Your wife’s dressed so beautifully,’ My wife would say, ‘He’s comfortable like that. Let him do that. Leave him alone.’” Sandler said.

These days, when Hollywood wants to find the next big voice in horror, it feels like they turn to people with comedy backgrounds. That’s how the likes of Zach Cregger, Danny and Michael Phillippou, and Curry Barker all got their starts. Before them, though, was a comedian who had success beyond a niche YouTube audience — Comedy Central’s Key & Peele made Jordan Peele a major name. Horror, with the one-two punch of Get Out and Us, made him even bigger by delivering terrifying and eye-opening experiences. Peele’s third firm, Nope, now out on Netflix, is just as good as what came before. But it’s also the movie in his filmography that’s the most misunderstood. The deeper messages behind Get Out and Us are easy to figure out. Nope is different. It’s not the simple alien invasion flick audiences were expecting. Nope has a lot to say, you just have to pay attention.

Jordan Peele’s ‘Nope’ Is Built on Past Alien Invasion Tropes

If you watch the trailer for Nope or read its synopsis, it seems simple and straightforward. On the surface, it’s another alien invasion movie. And that’s certainly not a bad thing, but the genre has been very well-trodden for good reason. Audiences love them. It’s thrilling to see creatures from another world descend to Earth and attack, forcing humanity to unite, rise, and fight back.

That is how Nope begins. In the small community of Agua Dulce, California, Otis Haywood Sr. (Keith David) runs the Haywood Hollywood Horse Ranch, which trains horses for movies and commercials. Early in the film, Otis is killed by a coin falling from the sky, which begins the setup for an usual UFO descending from the clouds. Otis’ children, OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer), are determined to capture the craft on film, leading to a big twist. It’s not a spaceship they’re seeing, the circular shape is the alien itself. What happens next, along with a seemingly odd subplot involving theme park operator Jupe (Steven Yeun) and a killer chimp named Gordy (Terry Notary), sets up Nope‘s overarching main theme.

‘Nope’s Gordy Subplot Is About Animal Exploitation

Like so much horror, Nope has themes about grief and trauma. Throw in the parallels to Jaws, when the Haywoods and cinematographer Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott) work together to capture the creature on camera, and you already have a terrifying movie. But Peele uses his voice to explore difficult-to-confront themes. Nope is, in part, about how Hollywood exploits animals for our entertainment.

The most obvious example is Gordy the chimpanzee, who is exploited for laughs on the sitcom Gordy’s Home until he snaps and goes on a rampage. Even after his death, Gordy is exploited as entertainment in a Saturday Night Live bit. There’s also the victims Gordy affected, such as Mary Jo Elliott (Haley Babula), the actress whose face was ripped off. She is sought out by the camera, as Peele gives the audience a brief glimpse at her scarred features. Meanwhile, Jupe, who was a child actor on the series, still exploits the tragedy for his own personal gain. It’s something he’s excited to talk about and recount to people he just met. Gordy’s dying moments are a source of awe, fear, and fascination. It’s a terrifying subplot, but a confusing one if you don’t understand the themes. What does Gordy have to do with this gigantic alien?

Animals Are Used for Entertainment in ‘Nope’

Image via Universal Pictures

Gordy is the in-your-face example of animal exploitation, but he’s not the only one. OJ and Emerald Haywood keep their father’s showbiz horse training business alive by renting out their stock for various movie productions. OJ is quiet and not as excited to be involved with the family business, but Emerald is the happy and social sibling who uses her position and personality to get their horse Lucky a role, where he will be exploited for audience entertainment.

The alien in Nope, known as Jean Jacket, is treated in similar fashion. It’s a prop exploited for Jupe’s show. It’s not a real animal to him, only a source of money and entertainment which can be tamed, just like the chimp he once grew up with. Because he lived through the exploitation of Gordy, Jupe doesn’t fear Jean Jacket. It results in his death and the deaths and the audience hoping to be entertained by the spectacle. The only true way to survive Jean Jacket, as OJ discovers, is to not look at it. If there is no audience for the grisly entertainment, it can’t be fed, which cuts to the core of what Nope is about — exploitation in its many forms.

Nope is a fun and thrilling movie in its first watch. OJ and Emerald are intriguing characters inside a well-crafted story that becomes more unpredictable with every turn. Every time you think you have it figured out, Nope shifts, making it perfect for repeat viewings. Jordan Peele’s direction and the talent of his actors remains sharp and doesn’t lose its impact as the true message becomes clear. Nope dares you to look into its eyes and take a glimpse at a highly uncomfortable subject. A simple, easy to digest monster movie it is not.

Advertisement

Nope

Advertisement

Release Date

July 22, 2022

Advertisement

Runtime

131 minutes

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

By Robert Scucci
| Published 7 seconds ago

Experimenting on human test subjects in an underground bunker doubling as a research facility is never an easy job. You have to ration your food, cope with the fact that you may not see natural light for some time, and, in the case of 1990’s Shadowzone, deal with a disembodied entity calling himself John Doe who starts killing everybody in sight whenever he pleases. He has Freddy Krueger-like powers in the sense that he can turn your biggest fears into reality before he starts lopping off appendages and continuing his rampage.

That’s truly the best way to describe Shadowzone. Its setting is reminiscent of the Nostromo in 1979’s Alien, and its antagonist is some sort of otherworldly demon hellbent on destroying the mortal realm, or at the very least eliminating the present company until he’s strong enough to breach the compound.

It’s one of those low-budget ‘90s sci-fi flicks best watched late at night in a pitch-black room with a solid pair of headphones. The gore borders on schlocky, but it’s impressive for a film with an estimated budget of $1 million. The only warning I have about Shadowzone is that it shows its monster in the third act, which takes away from an otherwise perfect sci-fi thriller rooted in horror. Sometimes what you imagine is more terrifying than what you see on screen, and that’s exactly what happens here.

We’re Trapped In A Plant Down Under

Shadowzone, like Alien and A Nightmare on Elm Street, boasts a shockingly simple premise executed to perfection. The whole thing kicks off under suspicious circumstances when NASA Captain Hickock (David Beecroft) shows up at an underground research facility known as Project Shadowzone to investigate a death that may very well compromise the experiment led by Dr. Van Fleet (James Hong), and facilitated by his assistant Dr. Erhardt (Louise Fletcher), medical examiner Dr. Kidwell (Shawn Weatherly), and computer engineer Wiley (Miguel A. Nunez Jr.). Helping out with non-scientific matters are maintenance man Tommy Shivers (Frederick Flynn) and foul-mouthed, verbally abusive facility cook, Mrs. Cutter (Lu Leonard).

The human experiments conducted in the facility involve a controversial Extended Deep Sleep (EDS) treatment that already claimed one test subject’s life. Captain Hickock is assured by the crew that the death was purely coincidental and happened in spite of the experiments, not because of them. Doing his due diligence, Hickock forces them to recreate the experiment under the same parameters as the previously fatal test so he can leave with a clean conscience, knowing the experiments can continue without outside interference.

As luck would have it, the male test subject’s head explodes and the entire facility blacks out. Wiley is shocked to learn that an entity identifying himself as John Doe is hiding among them, which is especially bad news because the entire facility goes on lockdown whenever traces of radiation are detected, and John Doe is carrying enough to trigger the failsafe.

Slowly but surely, John Doe, who apparently came through some kind of opened dream gateway, begins interacting with the physical world, using everybody’s fears against them while growing stronger by the minute. Trapped inside Project Shadowzone, Captain Hickock has to figure out not only a plan of attack against the entity, but also how to escape the compound in one piece before everybody inside gets ripped to shreds.

Hate To Say I Told You Doe

The name of the game in Shadowzone is hubris in all its forms. The only truly innocent person here is Captain Hickock, whose entire job is shutting down projects deemed harmful, and he has every reason to believe this one is. Dr. Erhardt, fittingly portrayed by Louise Fletcher, channels serious Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) energy, and she’s awful to everybody around her. She also knows how dangerous the situation is, but continues working alongside the equally idiotic Dr. Van Fleet, who understands he’s playing with fire but can’t help himself in pursuit of his sleep experiment. Wiley and Dr. Kidwell occasionally push back, but it’s clear they’re mostly complicit.

What really makes Shadowzone a treat, though, is its willingness to fully embrace the grit. It’s a low-budget movie, but the gore is exactly the kind of gore I look for in movies like this. It’s over the top, but in a way that keeps you from wanting to throw up in your mouth. It gets the point across without making your skin crawl because it’s almost cartoonish in its delivery.

The film’s biggest failing is showing a personified version of John Doe. The creature effects aren’t terrible, but the movie is far more terrifying when we don’t know what the monster looks like. Fortunately, we don’t get too many sequences featuring this version of John Doe, and the scenes where he taunts everybody through the facility’s computers are much more effective.

The film also makes the incredibly smart choice not to show too many on-screen deaths. You get the setup, the looks of terror, the blood splatter, and the body. In most cases, that’s the way to go because your imagination fills in the blanks. Watching a movie with bargain-bin production values try to fully stage elaborate kills usually undermines the fear it’s trying to create. Aside from John Doe himself, there’s not much here that takes you out of the movie, which makes Shadowzone all the more enjoyable.

As of this writing, you can stream the 88-minute theatrical cut of Shadowzone for free on Tubi. The 110-minute director’s cut is also streaming free with ads on Prime Video, though the general consensus is that the theatrical cut is the superior version.