Real Housewives of New York City fans were shocked by the news that Carole Radziwill is returning to the show — and so was her former costar Dorinda Medley.

“I’m surprised I knew nothing about it, and we’re quite close,” Dorinda, 61, said during the Monday, March 2, episode of her Reality Checked show on SiriusXM. “So she kept it very — her cards very close to her chest.”

Bravo announced earlier on Monday that Carole, 62, will be returning to RHONY as a “friend” of the Housewives for season 16 alongside Jessel Taank, Erin Lichy and Sai De Silva. She previously starred on the series for five seasons from 2012 to 2018.

“I don’t know if she knows any of the girls,” Dorinda continued, adding that she thinks Carole could be a good “bridge” between the original and newer versions of RHONY. “I think that Carole’s just a New York character, and she’s very close to Andy [Cohen] and she had such a great comeback on Watch What Happens Live and BravoCon, and I think the show needs a character, something to sort of unify it back to the old a little bit.”

Related: Andy Cohen and ‘RHONY’ Alum Carole Radziwill Reunite After Past Drama

Andy Cohen and Carole Radziwill staged a reunion that no one saw coming. Cohen, 57, recruited the Real Housewives of New York City alum to be the surprise mystery guest on the Monday, August 4, edition of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live. Prior to Radziwill’s grand entrance, guests Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers played a […]

The Traitors alum went on to say that she was also “surprised” by the fact that Carole will only be a “friend” rather than a main cast member.

“I think she should be full-time,” Dorinda explained. “But a ‘friend of,’ that’s too little. She should be … I don’t know if I could as a full-time Housewife go back and be a ‘friend of’ with these new girls.”

In addition to Carole’s return, Bravo announced on Monday that three new Housewives will join the RHONY season 16 cast: Hailey Glassman, Erika Hammond and Daisy Toye.

The news comes after Bravo rebooted RHONY with an all-new cast following season 13. Brynn Whitfield, Ubah Hassan and Jenna Lyons, who appeared in season 14, will not be returning, and neither will Racquel Chevremont, who joined in season 15.

Carole’s return came as a particular surprise to Housewives fans because of her rocky history with Andy, 57. While the two were originally close, their dynamic changed in 2018 when she argued he was supporting Bethenny Frankel over her at the season 10 reunion.

Related: Carole Radziwill Reflects on Past ‘Animosity’ With Andy Cohen at BravoCon

There is no more bad blood between Carole Radziwill and Andy Cohen. “Andy and I’ve known each other a very long time, way before the Housewives. After I left, there was some animosity and some miscommunication. It’s a high stress job,” Carole, 62, told Us Weekly exclusively on Saturday, November 15, at BravoCon 2025. “We […]

Years later, Andy said wasn’t impressed with how Carole announced her exit from RHONY, telling Not All Diamonds and Rosé author Dave Quinn, “She is not the person I used to know.”

Last year, however, the pair seemingly squashed their beef when Carole joined Andy for an episode of WWHL. Three months later, she appeared at BravoCon.

Despite all that, Dorinda said on Monday she still didn’t think Carole would return to the Bravo fold in an official capacity. “I didn’t see that coming because, you know, after she left, she didn’t seem to like it anymore. You know what I mean?” she told cohost Kiki Monique and guest Kate Chastain.

Dorinda added that she hadn’t spoken to Carole since the news broke and found out when everyone else did.

“I mean, if she wanted to tell me, she would tell me, right? … Someone else texted,” Dorinda explained. “I think it’s going to be interesting to see because the girls are a lot younger. And it’s a different world than the world she was [in]. She really kind of knew us. But I just don’t know. I don’t know the new show anymore.”

By Robert Scucci
| Published 1 hour ago

As a kid, when you’re still learning how to carry yourself like a decent human being, there are expected detours along the way. You hear your first sexually or racially charged joke and decide whether that’s the kind of humor you want to adopt as you continue developing your personality. Some people will say there’s a time and a place for jokes relegated to internet edgelords, while others lean hard into shock value as a way to get attention, for better or worse.

2013’s InAPPropriate Comedy is that internet edgelord personality in movie form, but calling it a “movie” in the traditional sense is generous if I’m being honest. A loosely connected compilation of deliberately offensive material clocking in at 83 minutes, InAPPropriate Comedy plays like your teenage cousin who has an affinity for using gamer words in regular conversation and can’t quite find the off switch.

Here’s the thing about movies like InAPPropriate Comedy. Some of the bits on their own are hilarious in small doses. Since we’re dealing with a rapid-fire collection of sketches all hinging on generating the most extreme reactions possible, the jokes wear out their welcome almost as soon as you hear the first punchline. It’s exhausting, but there are standout moments that make for great, shareable clips you’ll want to send to the group chat with your old college friends that your wife doesn’t know about.

In Poor Taste And Bad Faith

Every single bit in InAPPropriate Comedy is meant to make you look over your shoulder, but you should also know better than to blare this one through your iPhone speakers in public. The framing device lets you know exactly what kind of humor you’re getting into when writer-director Vince Offer is found hiding beneath a sewer grate, looking up Lindsay Lohan’s skirt as she does her best Marilyn Monroe impersonation. From there, he opens his tablet and clicks through various offensive apps that lead into the film’s recurring sketches.

The sketches mostly occupy racial and sexual territory, with jokes relying on lowest-common-denominator humor you’d expect from a sixth-grade lunch table. We’re introduced to Flirty Harry (Adrien Brody), a hard-boiled detective in San Francisco who speaks exclusively in homoerotic puns. Everybody he encounters is baffled because there’s no way anyone could rattle off that many out-of-pocket non sequiturs without knowing exactly what they’re doing. 

Just as frequent in InAPPropriate Comedy is an urban-tinged Jackass parody called “Blackass.” No further explanation is really needed, but here’s the thing: if you’re parodying something that’s already funny on its own, there’s not much room left to escalate.

InAPPropriate Comedy also spends time on bits like “The Porno Review,” featuring J.D. (Rob Schneider), Harriet (Michelle Rodriguez), and Bob (Jonathan Spencer), who review adult films in the style of At the Movies. There are genuinely funny moments here, mostly because of how self-serious J.D. and Harriet are, while Bob silently admires the films in the background, in the filthiest way possible.

Most deliberately upsetting is Ari Shaffir’s recurring segment, “The Amazing Racist,” in which he walks around town being aggressively, you guessed it, racist. That’s the joke. Nobody is safe from Ari, who stages his own unsanctioned immigration sting operations and shows up unannounced at Jewish markets with anti-Semitic petitions, and that’s just the stuff I’m willing to repeat here.

Edgy For The Sake Of Being Edgy

InAPPropriate Comedy does exactly what it sets out to do across its segments, committing to as much shock value as it can cram into a single film. Personally, I’m not super offended by it because, like I said, these are the kinds of jokes you overhear on the schoolyard when you’re still figuring out how to carry yourself, or how not to. It also looks like a lot of fun was had during production, and everyone seems to be in on the joke, even those depicted as being punched down on.

Marketed as an “equal opportunity offender” upon release, InAPPropriate Comedy lives up to that promise, but the promise itself isn’t all that impressive.

Outside of the “Flirty Harry” sketches, which see Adrien Brody performing so far against type that you can’t help but appreciate the commitment, the humor is so relentlessly low-brow that you’re better off logging onto 4chan for your daily dose of crude humor. At least there, you can log off once you’ve had your fill of filth and move on with your day.

I’m not mad at InAPPropriate Comedy, I’m just disappointed. Offensive humor isn’t inherently bad, but films like this lack the cleverness needed to actually land in any meaningful way. You might let out a wry chuckle here and there, but it takes a special kind of person to really slap their knee and guffaw along with every bit.

As of this writing, InAPPropriate Comedy is streaming free on Tubi.

Pink And Her Family Moved For Her Daughter

The Mother And Daughter Sang Together

Pink Has A Close Relationship With Her Children

Pink Addresses Rumor About Hosting Gig

By Robert Scucci
| Published 34 seconds ago

Here’s a little unsolicited life advice. If your wife or partner decides to leave you and you suddenly feel like you no longer want to live in this world, do not make any brash decisions. You may feel like hiring a hitman to take you out so you do not have to live another minute without your dearest love. Those feelings, while extreme, can hit hard in the moment. However, if your wife comes back and wants to reconcile after you have already paid the hitman to eliminate you, it is in your best interest to make sure you have a kill clause in your contract so he does not continue trying to finish what he started, like in 1978’s The Odd Job.

The Odd Job, more affectionately known as “the film Graham Chapman (of Monty Python fame) starred in that everyone forgets exists,” has more fun with its farcical concept and execution than its reputation suggests. It is a shame how overlooked this film truly is. Presently, it does not even have a critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Even worse, it has clocked an unthinkably low 12 percent approval score on the Popcornmeter across fewer than 50 ratings.

I have seen a lot of clunkers in my day, and I am here to tell you that this movie is not 12 percent bad. It is not even 30 percent bad. I would give it at least a C+ for its willingness to build a comedy of errors around suicidal ideation, rash decision making, and the absolute chaos that follows. It is not Airplane!, sure, but it is also not The Room.

One Man’s Dread Is Another Man’s Bread

When Arthur Harris (Graham Chapman) is left by his wife, Fiona (Diana Quick), for another man, he is absolutely devastated and can think of only one solution for his pain. He is going to kill himself. After learning just how incompetent he is with a samurai sword, he attempts to build a homemade electric chair by rigging a lamp to its metal arms, with equally disastrous results. In a stroke of luck, The Odd Job Man (David Jason), who frequents his apartment building, makes an appearance looking for work.

Arthur has what he believes is a genius idea. He will pay The Odd Job Man to kill him, and call it a day. After a brief discussion about compensation, the handyman accepts the offer. Arthur has one condition: he does not want to see it coming. The Odd Job Man, now fully committed to assassinating Arthur at some unspecified time, gets to work.

Things fall apart almost immediately when Fiona arrives unannounced, telling Arthur she has made a mistake and wants to reconcile. Elated that his wife is willing to give their marriage another shot, Arthur now has one glaring problem. The Odd Job Man has already accepted payment and was clearly told at the start of this professional arrangement that he must follow through. The only “kill clause” in Arthur’s verbal agreement with The Odd Job Man is that he will be killed at some point.

Not knowing what else to do, Arthur contacts the authorities and becomes increasingly paranoid as The Odd Job Man’s assassination attempts grow more unhinged. This culminates in a live grenade tossed into a public restroom, a milkman delivery tainted with cyanide, and various other slapstick-inspired methods of annihilation, all of which prove to be unsuccessful. Never knowing when the next attempt will strike, Arthur realizes he must confront his killer before he is caught off guard and loses the life he now very much wants to keep.

A Valiant Effort From A Comedy Legend

While The Odd Job does not have a lot going for it narratively, it remains a solid feature that benefits from Graham Chapman’s physical comedy, elastic facial expressions, and willingness to fully commit to the bit. It is a farce through and through, and it is not pretending to be anything else. The characters are one-dimensional by design. How else could the film justify an intelligent, affluent man like Arthur making so many misguided decisions in such a short span of time?

You do not need big-brain energy to enjoy The Odd Job, currently streaming for free on Tubi, and there is nothing wrong with that. It is a simple assassination plot gone wrong, escalating steadily until it hits its breaking point. That is all it ever needs to be.

Game lovers have a lot to look forward to over the next year and beyond, thanks to an onslaught of adaptations that will take their favorite titles and adapt them into on-screen form. While 2025 closed out with Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, 2026 will see the arrival of Zach Cregger’s unique take on the Resident Evil franchise, and beyond that, Prime Video is busy chipping away at a live-action God of War project. In the midst of the excitement about the aforementioned productions, one might have slipped under the radar for some, and it’s already shaping up to be one of the most celebrated game-to-cinema makeovers that we’ve ever seen. Helmed by Genki Kawamura, Exit 8 serves as a theatrical adaptation of the fan-favorite 2023 video game that hailed from Kotake Create. Today, as part of Collider’s Exclusive Preview event, we’ve got a fresh look at the movie that will soon make its North American debut after a promising run in Japan late last summer.

Starring Kazunari Ninomiya (Last Samurai Standing), Exit 8 follows one man’s struggle to make it home alive after his everyday run-of-the-mill, mundane commute is flipped upside down and turned into a life-or-death situation. Searching for the titular door, the protagonist, known only as The Lost Man (Ninomiya), is given a multitude of rules and faced with hurdles on his journey to find a way out. Filling out the call sheet alongside Ninomiya is a lineup that includes Yamato Kochi (Hitman from Today), Nana Komatsu (The World of Kanako), Kotone Hanase (A Far Shore), and Naru Asanuma (The Night After the Divorce).

Capturing the immense panic and terror of The Lost Man’s hopeless situation, our exclusive new look at Exit 8 perfectly sets the tone for the feature. Looking at something in front of him that we can’t see, The Lost Man appears absolutely mortified in the image with his eyes bulging and fear washing over his face. Behind him, a little boy stands calmly against a tiled subway wall that appears to be dripping with blood.

NEON Celebrates Its First Video Game Adaptation with ‘Exit 8’

With a string of smash hits over the last few years that include Academy Award favorite Anora and horror standout Longlegs, NEON has been at the top of its game as a production studio. The company will handle the distribution of Exit 8 in the United States, making it the first video game adaptation to hail from the longtime favorite indie studio.

Check out our exclusive new shot from Exit 8 above and see it in cinemas in the United States on April 10. Stay tuned for more to come from Collider’s Exclusive Preview event.

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Three to Tango — The Collider Movie Quiz!

Can you identify the movie from a trio of its stars? Matthew Perry, Neve Campbell, and Dylan McDermott hope you can.

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Release Date

April 10, 2026

Runtime

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95 Minutes

Director

Genki Kawamura

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Writers

Genki Kawamura, Kentaro Hirase

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  Kazunari Ninomiya

  The Lost Man

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  Yamato Kochi

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  The Walking Man

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Texas Rescue
What a Hot (Air) Mess!!!
Balloon Snags on 900-Foot Tower

Published
March 3, 2026
10:46 AM PST

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 7 seconds ago

Comedy is hard. Dying is easy. That could explain why comedy movies have fallen out of favor over the last decade while horror remains as hot as ever. It also explains the enduring appeal of 2009’s Zombieland, which is back on Netflix.

The horror comedy decided to get in on the joke by acknowledging the absurdity of zombie movies right off the bat with the Rules to Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse. It’s offbeat, it’s a little weird, and nearly 20 years later, it’s still one of the best horror comedies of all time. 

How To Survive Zombieland

Zombieland keeps its focus tight on a group of four survivors, known only by their hometowns to keep from becoming attached: Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahasse (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). The group travels across the U.S., originally first to Columbus, but upon hearing it’s been overrun, the guys agree to go with the sisters to Los Angeles and Pacific Playland. Zombie survival movies don’t need high stakes; they need personal ones. Giving Little Rock a sense of normalcy in the face of the end of the world is enough. 

Columbus makes sure to share his rules for survival along the road and points out examples of when other survivors weren’t following them. If that sounds like you and your friends while watching the Dawn of the Dead remake, 28 Days Later, or any serious zombie movie ever, then you know why it was so refreshing to see a film getting in on the fun of horror. Zombieland includes its fair share of dumb decisions, but it’s usually with a wink and in one case, with the greatest cameo in movie history. 

Zombieland Was So Good They Did It Again

At the time of its release in 2009, Zombieland was the most successful zombie movie in history with a worldwide take of $102 million. If that seems low, it is, but as with most horror movies, the production budget was only $25 million, and it did gangbusters on DVD. The sequel, which came out a decade later in 2019, Zombieland: Double Tap, was as successful and succeeded in expanding the world with new survivors, new zombies, and a monster truck. 

Director Ruben Fleischer had to have enjoyed working with the cast since he keeps bringing them back for his other movies. He worked with Emma Stone again in Gangster Squad, Jesse Eisenberg in 30 Minutes or Less, Woody Harrelson in Venom: Let There Be Carnage (Fleischer directed the first, produced the second), and both Eisenberg and Harrelson in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. Recently, he’s been talking about a third Zombieland film. 

For the curious, it’s possible to go to Pacific Playland, in reality, Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia, which includes rides not featured in Zombieland, including the inverted coaster Hangman and the Boomerang, a simple ride that sends you upside down going forwards, and then winds up and does it again backwards. For everyone else, it’s always a good time to give the original a rewatch and wonder why Hollywood stopped being able to produce anything this self-aware and funny ever since.

A good action movie keeps our adrenaline pumping as the battles rage on. Whether it’s a hero on a mission or a team battling a disaster, the action must keep audiences glued to their screen from start to finish. When a great action movie leaves you eager for more, you know it was a success that future films will try to replicate. They’re the films that stick with you for a lifetime.

But sometimes, when an action flick is good, not great, it falters in earning that perfect status because it’s missing something; maybe it’s a plot hole or a character choice, ort could be lost to time or mixed in the shuffle. Whatever it is, it makes the movie forgotten by modern audiences. We’re here to discuss those, the action movies that come close to perfection and are still all but forgotten today. These near-perfect films are the ones that miss out on the all-time great list, and thus have been lost to time.

10

‘Con Air’ (1997)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

If there is one actor who has had a wild and versatile career, it’s Nicolas Cage. Unafraid of making bold choices, Cage puts his full self in his films, but that doesn’t always mean it’s always right. For instance, if there was one thing that pulled you out of Con Air, it’s the country-fried dialect Cage gave to Cameron Poe. The epitome of ’90s action films, Con Air follows Poe, a paroled Army Ranger, as he’s transported home aboard a prison transport plane called the Jailbird. On board, the passengers include some of the worst prisoners, many of whom plan a heist to hijack the plane. Poe must use his skills to defeat Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom (John Malkovich) and his gang so he can make it home alive.

An over-the-top, formulaic action thriller, Con Air is brilliant in concept and execution. Looking at the casting, which also includes John Cusack, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, and more, you’d think Con Air would be perfect. But Cage’s accent is simply too distracting, especially when he’s delivering hard-hitting bits of dialogue. You can certainly appreciate Cage for crafting a fully-rounded character, but it detracts from an overall masterpiece.

9

‘The Rocketeer’ (1991)

Image via Buena Vista Pictures

Directed by Joe Johnston and set in 1938 Los Angeles, The Rocketeer sees stunt pilot Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell) find a stolen, top-secret Nazi-coveted rocket pack. After earning the attention of Howard Hughes (Terry O’Quinn) and the FBI, Secord uses it to become a hero, fighting Nazi agents, while protecting his girlfriend, Jenny Blake (Jennifer Connelly), and his mechanic mentor, A. “Peevy” Peabody (Alan Arkin). Based on the comic book character of the same name by Dave Stevens, The Rocketeer is a sleek film that celebrates an ordinary man who becomes extraordinary.

Rooted in nostalgia with a glamorous ’30s Art Deco tribute, The Rocketeer is a retro throwback that came out way before it was ready. There is a sense of marvel, the heroes are charming, the villains are dastardly, and the cinematography, for its time, is a wonder. But with high-flying effects central to the film, The Rocketeer became extremely dated, unable to earn masterpiece status to prevent us from giving it a pass. It’s a sleeper hit that became a beloved cult classic, but when you can sense the green screen, you’re taken out of the wonderment. Though it may have to be adjusted in the story, The Rocketeer is a film that deserves a remake.

8

‘Last Action Hero’ (1993)

Image via Columbia Pictures

In the ’80s, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a full-on action hero. The films he brought to life were full-fledged action thrillers, jam-packed with action, drama, and destruction. Then, in the ’90s, Schwarzenegger opted to shift and flex his comedic skills, appearing in films that toed the line between action and comedy. Last Action Hero almost worked. The fantasy adventure film follows a young boy named Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien), who is obsessed with the Jack Slater films. With the help of a golden ticket, Danny is magically transported into the latest film, teaming up with the fictional, invincible Slater to fight villains. When Mr. Benedict (Charles Dance), a ruthless assassin, grabs the ticket and escapes to the real world, Danny and Arnold’s Jack Slater are forced to save the day.

A delightful film, it gets a bit too meta to be completely believable. While it serves as a brilliant exploration of the action genre as a self-aware deconstruction, balancing satire and a love letter to cinema, the actual action genre gets muddied at times, and it comes with Schwarzenegger’s attempt to parody himself. Last Action Hero didn’t necessarily earn iconic status just yet. That said, if you can forgive the in-jokes and appreciate the film for what it is, Last Action Hero is one of the actor’s underappreciated hits.

7

‘The Long Kiss Goodnight’ (1996)

Image via New Line Cinema

Nothing can kill a potentially brilliant action film like some sloppy storytelling. Such was the case for Renny Harlin’s The Long Kiss Goodnight. The film tells the story of Samantha Caine (Geena Davis), a suburban schoolteacher with amnesia, who, after a car accident, triggers memories of her violent past, discovers she is actually a highly skilled government assassin named Charly Baltimore. When her past catches up with her, she teams up with a private investigator (Samuel L. Jackson) to uncover a conspiracy.

A story about the rebirth of an identity, The Long Kiss Goodnight is a fast-paced thriller that’s exceptionally well-led. It is highly regarded, thanks to the wonderful chemistry between Davis and Jackson. With Davis as the focal point, the film satisfied the itch for female-driven action thrillers. Today, the government’s plot to blame a Niagara Falls attack on terrorists to gain military funding doesn’t play well. Then, if you can get past an amnesiac school teacher who once was an assassin, you’ll be fine, but the premise often leads to moments when you ask yourself, “What?” Luckily, Davis overcomes a split-personality performance, with Jackson anchoring her.

6

‘To Live and Die in L.A.’ (1985)

Image via MGM

If you ask director William Friedkin, To Live and Die in L.A. was as close as he’s ever been to his perfect vision. And yet, it’s still underrated compared to his other efforts. From the visionary behind The Exorcist, To Live and Die in L.A. follows Richard Chase (William Petersen), a reckless Secret Service Agent who becomes obsessed with avenging his partner’s murder by a dangerous counterfeiter, Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe). A story of blurred morality through the lens of corruption and revenge, To Live and Die in L.A. is a style-over-substance masterclass that dreams of being The French Connection.

A daring and sometimes erratic cop thriller, Friedkin pushes bullets, betrayals, and forgeries as an allegory for obsession and the drive to become whole again. If you’re willing to set aside your desire for action to focus on the film’s deeper meaning, To Live and Die in L.A. is a great work of art. Yet the ending also makes you feel as if injustice is something you have to get over. Nevertheless, it’s a stunning film with utterly visceral action. If you love a good car chase, To Live and Die in L.A. delivers. Between a gritty, unforgiving appearance and the Wang Chung soundtrack, it feels like an ’80s classic that falls short of perfection.

5

‘Dredd’ (2012)

Image via Reliance Entertainment

If you were a comic book blockbuster arriving anywhere between The Avengers and Justice League, I’m sorry, you’ve simply been forgotten with time. Such is the case for 2012’s Dredd. Based on the 2000 AD comic strip, the Pete Travis-directed, Alex Garland-written film stars Karl Urban as Judge Dredd, a law enforcer given the power of judge, jury, and executioner in a vast, dystopian metropolis called Mega-City One. Dredd is partnered with Cassandra (Olivia Thirlby), a rookie with powerful psychic abilities, and together, they seek out Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), a drug lord who will stop at nothing to protect her empire in the 200-story high-rise apartment block.

Brought to life with such force and fidelity to the source material, Dredd is an intelligent and immersive film that may have been too gritty for the PG-13 superhero world of the 2000s. Though the helmet stayed on, Urban maintained the integrity of the source material while also nailing a phenomenal performance. The pacing clips along, and when it’s deliberately slowed, Travis meticulously delivers visually stunning moments amid the horrific violence. Perhaps Dredd doesn’t get the adoration it deserves because it’s not a full-scale save-the-world feature, but rather focuses more on a day in the life of Dredd.

4

‘Backdraft’ (1991)

Image via Universal Pictures

Directed by Ron Howard, Backdraft follows two Chicago firefighter brothers, Stephen (Kurt Russell) and Brian McCaffrey (William Baldwin), estranged years after the tragic death of their legendary firefighter father, as they navigate intense sibling rivalry and a series of fatal, oxygen-induced arson fires. While senior firefighter Stephen leads the dangerous jobs, rookie Brian joins the arson investigation unit, led by Donald “Shadow” Rimgale (Robert De Niro), to solve the mystery of the “backdraft” fires. They uncover a political conspiracy by corrupt politician Martin Swayzak (J.T. Walsh), who is cutting fire department budgets, and a pyromaniac who is setting fires to eliminate those opposing the politician.

In disaster films, the actual disaster happens, leaving the rest of the film as an aftermath saga; not in Backdraft. The threat here is unrelenting, keeping the stakes up throughout. But when seeking a blockbuster of grandeur, fires just didn’t have the same appeal. Perhaps now, with television’s love for shows like Chicago Fire, Backdraft might have been fondly remembered. Unfortunately, even with a top-tier team of actors and creators, it wasn’t enough to heat our memories in a glorious blaze.

3

‘Sudden Death’ (1995)

For better or worse, hockey is back in the mainstream, trending now more than ever. The ’90s have their fair share of hockey flicks, including Sudden Death. Directed by Jean-Claude Van Damme‘s longtime collaborator, Peter Hyams, the action thriller follows Van Damme as Darren McCord, a firefighter-turned-arena security officer at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. Hoping to impress his children, Emily and Tyler (Whittini Wright and Ross Malinger), Darren scores tickets to the Stanley Cup finals, unaware that the entire arena has been overtaken by a group of terrorists. Former CIA agent Joshua Foss (Powers Boothe) holds Vice President Daniel Bender (Raymond J. Barry) hostage in a press box, with plans to blow up the entire arena if the ransom is not paid. But when McCord learns of the plot, he jumps into action to save the day.

A high-octane thriller, it’s Van Damme doing what he does best: kicking ass and taking names. Sudden Death was riding high on the earlier success of Die Hard, but every attempt to replicate the blueprint sadly fell short. The “one man, one building” format works for a claustrophobic, high-stakes action thriller, but Sudden Death opted for a silly but fun approach that didn’t appeal to all viewers. Though Sudden Death is a truly dated film, a newfound appreciation for hockey might give you a reason to rediscover it.

2

‘Attack the Block’ (2011)

Image via Optimum Releasing

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When it comes to overlooked science fiction action movies, Attack the Block tends to make the most. The 2011 film, directed by Joe Cornish, follows a teenage street gang in South London as they defend their housing estate against a sudden alien invasion on Bonfire Night. After initially mugging a nurse named Samantha Adams (Jodie Whittaker), the group, led by Moses (John Boyega), teams up with her to battle black, glowing-toothed, furry, gorilla-like extraterrestrials. With a then largely unknown cast, Attack the Block never found an audience until it reached cult classic status.

A modern, edgy film with a retro vibe, Attack the Block is one of those titles that sounds ridiculous, but with an effective plot, earns its premise. Almost immediately, the group must outrun the police, local drug lords, AND monstrous aliens, resulting in an unnerving, action-packed joyride. By commenting on the misjudgment of the evil youth trope being broken open, audiences relate to the protagonists and their crusade. Whether standalone or as a unit, the entire cast shines, even Nick Frost as local drug lord Ron. Looking back at the cast and where they are now, perhaps we’d remember the film fondly for what it was.

1

‘Monkey Man’ (2024)

Image via Universal Pictures

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Monkey Man came out less than 24 months ago, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t completely skipped our minds. Dev Patel’s directorial debut tells the story of an anonymous young man who unleashes a bloody revenge campaign against corrupt leaders in Mumbai who murdered his mother and oppressed his village. Taking inspiration from the legend of Hanuman, Monkey Man is a stylish film about trauma, faith, and social caste.

Monkey Man is all Patel, all the time. Between his vision and performance, you can sense how deep he goes to make it work. In front of the camera, Patel delivers a magnetic, emotive performance, evoking deep trauma and rage through his eyes. Behind the camera, he’s still a fledgling filmmaker, but he still delivers a raw film with inventive, claustrophobic, and intense hand-to-hand combat. Monkey Man is an enriching film, steeped in faith and culture, that serves as a beacon for marginalized communities. If you’re willing to go with Patel and his mission to overstuff his debut with everything and the kitchen sink, you’ll wish you hadn’t forgotten Monkey Man existed.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 18 seconds ago

Sherlock Holmes is one of the most popular characters ever made, and for writers and directors, that’s a problem. The character has already been reconceived as a kind of action hero in the 2009 Sherlock Holmes film, and the character has been transported to a modern setting in the highly successful 2010 Sherlock show. Between these projects and nearly 140 years of Sherlock media, it’s difficult to imagine that anyone could ever do anything new with this character.

A few years back, though, Netflix solved this problem in the most unconventional way: by focusing on Sherlock’s sister instead! Enola Holmes (2020) is a relentless comedy caper that stars Superman icon Henry Cavill as Sherlock and Stranger Things icon Millie Bobby Brown as his sister, the titular Enola Holmes. The film will change how you see both of these legendary actors, and it won’t take long before you get caught up in the best mystery comedy (sorry, Knives Out, I said what I said) of modern cinema.

Elementary, My Dear Eleven

The premise of Enola Holmes is that the titular character is a precocious, wildly intelligent girl who wakes up one day to a mystery: her mother has suddenly gone missing. She has the same mystery-solving moxie as her famous brother, and it doesn’t take her very long to seek out the help of Sherlock Holmes. There’s only so much he can do, however, leaving his little sister to use all of her wits and more than a bit of luck to solve a case that may very well affect all of England before everything is said and done.

As you might expect, Enola Holmes is filled with some familiar British actors, including Burn Goreman (best known for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice). If you’re not a huge fan of UK television, though, you’ll be far likelier to recognize big names like Helena Bonham Carter (best known for Fight Club) and Henry Cavill (best known for Man of Steel). But the real star of this particular show is Millie Bobby Brown (best known for Stranger Things), whose charismatic performance as the titular Enola Holmes allows her to let her hair down and show just how funny she can be when she’s not stuck in an ‘80s pastiche horror show.

It’s No Mystery Why Audiences Love Enola Holmes

Enola Holmes is exclusive to Netflix, which is historically very cagey about streaming numbers. However, the film was very clearly a major success, which is why we got Enola Holmes 2 just a couple of years later. Netflix has since confirmed that they are working on Enola Holmes 3, so we may see a third cinematic outing for Sherlock Holmes’ sister quicker than you can say “the game is afoot.”

When Enola Holmes came out, reviewers decided that this fresh take on the Sherlock formula was exactly what they had been looking for. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 91 percent, and critics praised the film for breathing such new life into the Sherlock mythos. They also singled out Millie Bobby Brown for giving an utterly charming performance full of all the grace and humor that she never really gets to display in Stranger Things.

A Modern Twist On A Classic Franchise

During my initial viewing of Enola Holmes, I generally agreed with the critics that this is a fun, lighthearted take on the Sherlock Holmes mythos. It’s less interested in pure spectacle than the Robert Downey Jr. film and far less invested in broody drama than the Benedict Cumberbatch TV show. Instead, this movie invites you to just vibe out in one of the most popular fictional universes ever made, all while reminding you why so many fell in love with Sherlock in the first place.

While it may sound pretty weird on paper, Enola Holmes is also highly effective precisely because it was designed as a comedy caper rather than a serious mystery. In the wrong hands, this would have been a disaster, and it’s easy to imagine the whole thing coming across like a dead-on-arrival Saturday Night Live skit. But director Harry Bradbeer (best known for his work on Killing Eve and Fleabag) perfectly channels the playful energy of the film to create a manic adventure that barely leaves you any time to breathe.

Millie Bobby Brown’s Best Work

Rewatching Enola Holmes crystallized something that I suspected on my first viewing: this is, by far, the best acting Millie Bobby Brown has ever done. She is obviously most famous for Stranger Things, a show where she spends far too much time just mutely making weird faces and trying to look like she’s channeling psychic forces. Enola Holmes allows her to showcase a full range of acting abilities, and I was astonished at how effortlessly funny she could be. Before this, I wasn’t sure if she was a very good actor at all; by the time the credits rolled, though, I was ready for more films to cast her as the lead!

Will you agree that Enola Holmes is Netflix’s best mystery comedy, or would you rather go look for a new deerstalker hat than watch this from beginning to end? The answer to that question is elementary, my dear Watson: to find out, you just need to grab your remote and start streaming! If you like what you see, don’t forget that you can keep the mystery party rolling with Enola Holmes 2, a sequel that brings you even more of the quirkiest take on the Sherlock mythos to ever grace the small screen.