By Jennifer Asencio
| Published 1 minute ago

You’d be forgiven if you didn’t know there’s a new version of Dracula in theaters. The movie was released on February 6, 2026, to almost no fanfare or media buzz. Critics have given it mixed reviews, earning it a 52% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Directed by French creative Luc Besson, who brought us The Fifth Element and Valerian and the City of 1,000 Planets, the movie was first released in France in July 2025, despite having an American cast that includes Caleb Landry Jones of X-Men: First Class, Christoph Waltz from Inglorious Basterds, and newcomer Zoe Bleu, the latest generation of the famous Arquette family. The six-month window between releases may have hurt the movie, as critics move at the speed of the Internet, not theater chains.

Making Dracula A Love Story Is No Longer Interesting

However, another mark against the film is right there in its original subtitle, on the posters: A Love Tale. Following in the footsteps of the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola version and 2014’s Dracula Untold, the movie sets up a past-life romance between the titular vampire and Mina Harker, the wife of his British legal representative.

For some reason, the temptation to add this romantic garnish to Bram Stoker’s novel is irresistible to modern Hollywood. It gives the monster a sympathetic motivation and a tragic backstory. Dracula is a scary monster, based on a historic dictator known for his brutality. He is not someone to be pitied, and Bram Stoker did not have this element in his book. But producers seem to think that inserting this absurd origin story will sell tickets.

A Copycat Of Other Draculas?

Trailers for the movie also look derivative of prior versions, most specifically the 1992 version. Count Dracula, in his youthful disguise, looks almost exactly the same as Gary Oldman’s rendition, right down to the top hat. Elder Count Dracula is possibly wearing the very same wig from over three decades ago. So much emphasis is placed in the trailer on Dracula’s time as the war leader we know as Vlad the Impaler, and an apparent disagreement with a Catholic cardinal dominates the presentation.

Christoph Waltz, who is billed on Google as Van Helsing, is listed as playing “priest” on IMDB, suggesting liberties were taken with his character. Further liberties were definitely taken with the story, with the insertion of a character named Maria that seems to replace the infamous bug-eating Renfield. Rather than having a magnetic allure generated by the power of his evil, Dracula’s appeal is in a perfume he and his minions produce. The trailer claims it “reimagines” Stoker’s novel, but it seems to just borrow a few character names to lend it legitimacy.

Vampire Flop Or French Success?

As of this writing, Luc Besson’s Dracula has taken in $39 million at the box office against a budget of $52 million. I suppose they saved a lot on advertising, which should help cushion the blow of not recouping their investment.

Despite hints of its financial failure, it remains one of the highest-grossing French films of recent years. Audiences who see it are enjoying it (it has an 81% audience approval score on Rotten Tomatoes), but apparently, it’s not inspiring moviegoers to flock to the theaters.

So yeah, there’s a new version of Dracula out, but its reception is so muted that more people know about that Daily Wire King Arthur show critics are desperately trying to ignore. If you want to see Dracula on the big screen, don’t blink, because you might miss it entirely.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 12 seconds ago

In recent weeks, the impossible has happened: Starfleet Academy, a show that had a very controversial start, has managed to deliver consistently interesting episodes. There are many reasons the show has improved, including the fact that it is finally ditching the forced humor that made earlier episodes so cringeworthy. But the series’s real secret weapon is that it isn’t afraid to shamelessly draw from the best that Star Trek has to offer.

The first example of this was “Series Acclimation Mil,” an episode in which the titular cadet does her best to discover the fate of Benjamin Sisko. That adventure channeled Deep Space Nine, serving as a love letter to the best show in the franchise. Now, the Starfleet Academy episode “Ko’Zeine” used one of its worst characters to illustrate a concept that Spock first brought up in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: that for some people, Starfleet represents nothing less than their first, best destiny. 

To Explore Strange New Desks

Back in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, we discover that Kirk has been rewarded for his successful five-year mission with a promotion to admiral. But he gets sick of riding a desk, and when a mysterious threat approaches the Earth, he abuses his connections to take command of the Enterprise for one last mission. By The Wrath of Khan, though, Kirk is back to desk duty, and the Enterprise is only being used for training exercises.

In that seminal sequel, Spock doesn’t mince words, telling Kirk that it was a mistake to accept that promotion to admiral. He bluntly tells Kirk that “Commanding a starship is your first, best destiny; anything else is a waste of material. Weirdly enough, the most recent episode of Starfleet Academy emphasized this theme, all while drawing on the kinds of logic that would have made Spock proud.

The Aquaboy Becomes An Aquaman

In the episode “Ko’zeine,” we discover that Darem, a cadet who has mostly been presented as a cocky bully, is Khionian royalty. He is betrothed to a young woman with whom he would eventually rule over his entire society, but they were originally planning to wed only after he graduated from Starfleet Academy. When she (thanks to parental pressure) calls her marker in early, Darem willingly abandons his academy life, marrying his childhood sweetheart and getting ready to be the kind of leader his planet needs him to be. 

During the ceremony, Jay-Den (who followed Darem through a portal, fearing he was being kidnapped) gives a best man speech in which he hypes up Darem’s accomplishments, including walking on a hull to save the day. Later, his new wife encourages him to nullify the marriage, and she cites Jay-Den’s speech as the reason why. 

The Toast With The Most

More specifically, she tells her husband that “the man [Jay-Den] described is someone I’ve never met,” noting that she never saw Darem quite so happy as he was the day he applied to Starfleet Academy. She then speculates as to why this small act pleased her betrothed so much. “Maybe it’s because you finally had a chance to be yourself in a way you never could here.”

Now, what do Darem’s newlywed woes have to do with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? In that fan-favorite film, Spock opined that destiny was real and that Kirk made a mistake accepting a promotion to admiral and subsequently riding a desk. Sure, Kirk might have been able to do great things as an administrator, but as far as his best friend was concerned, he could do much more as the captain of a Starfleet vessel. 

Embracing His First, Best Destiny

Darem is someone with a pretty special destiny of his own: he is supposed to rule Khionia, giving billions of people the guidance that will change their lives forever. However, his new bride clocks that this destiny effectively changed Darem, turning him into a self-sacrificing people pleaser who will always put his needs aside to help others. Only in Starfleet was Darem able to become the cocky, self-assured young warrior that he was always destined to be.

For Darem, service in Starfleet is his first, best destiny, and he would be just as unhappy running a planet as Kirk would be riding a desk. In choosing to go back to the academy, he channels the wisdom of Spock. As if to drive that point home even harder, Jay-Den asks Darem a very straightforward question: would he be a better man if he ruled Khionia, or would he be a better man if he spent life “in service to many” as a Starfleet officer?

Embracing The Needs Of The Many

Here, the Klingon Jay-Den seems to be ironically channeling the guiding ethos of the Vulcan people: “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.” Sure, Darem could do good for a whole planet by staying behind to rule it. But he could do good for an entire galaxy by remaining a Starfleet officer, and he decides to stay behind and complete his training as a cadet.

Star Trek fans aren’t likely to call this the “Spock episode” the same way they call “Series Acclimation Mil” the “Sisko episode.” Nonetheless, the famous Vulcan’s wisdom echoes throughout this story, both in Darem’s decision to remain in Starfleet and his motivation for ultimately leaving a life of royalty. In this way, this Starfleet Academy episode celebrates the 60th anniversary of Star Trek with the sagacious Vulcan wisdom that helped make Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan the best film in the franchise.

Chris Brown has shared a message for his fans following the viral blow-up between Diamond Brown and Jada Wallace.

RELATED: Oop! Some Social Media Users Speculate If Diamond Brown May Have Revealed The Gender Of Chris Brown’s Alleged “Baby On The Way”

Chris Brown Shares Message For His Fans Following Viral Blow-Up Between Diamond Brown & Jada Wallace

During the early hours of Friday, February 20, Chris Brown took to Instagram to share an apparent clip from his music video feature on Zoe Dollaz’ ‘Post & Delete’ track. In the clip, Chris let his fans know that he’s “stepping on s**t all summer.”

“Stepping on S**T ALL SUMMER. Be patient with me,” Breezy wrote. “BROWN ALBUM COMING SOON, and make sure Yall save ya money. Summer time is next level. I’m dropping videos and songs. #R&BSUMMERSURPRISE”

Peep the post he shared, along with his message, below.

Social Media Reacts To His Message

Social media users reacted to Chris Brown’s message in TSR’s comment section.

More On The Viral Blow-Up Between Diamond Brown & Jada Wallace Ahead Of Chris Brown’s Message For His Fans

As The Shade Room previously reported, earlier this week, Diamond Brown shocked the internet when she shared a message telling Chris to leave her alone while alleging he has a “new baby on the way.”

Afterward, Diamond even shared why she was heated at Brown. She alleged he has been attempting to run off her new relationships.

Ultimately, Jada Wallace, Chris’s rumored girlfriend, stepped in and accused Diamond of dating Chris’s friends to get him mad. Additionally, she accused Diamond of keeping their daughter, Lovely, from Chris.

Diamond clapped back, denying Wallace’s claims. She alleged that she hasn’t been dating Chris’s friends and even stated that she would “whoop” Wallace once her baby dropped.

Ultimately, neither Chris nor Jada confirmed nor denied the baby allegations.

But Diamond also appeared to reveal that Chris is expecting a “baby boy.” Furthermore, social media users even caught Chris appearing to agree with a TikToker who shared a strong message for Diamond airing out his business.

RELATED: Chris Brown Reacts After TikToker Blasts Diamond Brown For Airing Out Their Co-Parenting Issues & Feuding With Jada Wallace (VIDEO)

‘American Idol’ Alum Caleb Flynn
911 Audio … ‘SOMEBODY BROKE INTO MY HOME & SHOT MY WIFE’

Published
February 20, 2026
9:56 AM PST

With human experiences being so subjective, it’s easy to overhype a movie. Whatever things happened to you in the lead-up to seeing that movie could influence how you feel about it, and if someone tells you that something is the best thing ever, it could set your expectations too high and leave you disappointed. That being said, I still think Rutger Hauer’s climactic speech in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is one of the best things ever depicted in a movie.

Blade Runner is generally regarded as a sci-fi masterpiece, even separated from Hauer’s speech, and it has an 89 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes (which is too low). It also says a lot that Harrison Ford’s starring role as futuristic cop Rick Deckard is just one step or so below Han Solo and Indiana Jones in terms of iconic movie characters. In addition to him and Hauer, the movie stars Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, and Daryl Hannah.

What Is the Great ‘Blade Runner’ Quote?

Image via Warner Bros.

The plot of Blade Runner concerns Rick Deckard’s mission to “retire” (meaning kill) a group of rogue replicants — essentially advanced robots that are practically indistinguishable from humans but often have superior strength and intelligence. Replicants have predetermined lifespans, and the rogue ones in the movie are mostly just trying to find a way to prolong their brief lives. Eventually, Deckard tracks them all down and kills them except for one, Hauer’s Roy Batty, who was designed for military combat.

Batty and Deckard fight, with Batty easily winning just as his lifespan is about to end. Given a chance to let Deckard die, Batty saves his life instead and laments the fact that his own life is over:

I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.

And then he dies, releasing a dove that he had grabbed and letting it fly up into the sky.

Why Is the ‘Blade Runner’ Speech So Incredible?

Image via Warner Bros. 

There are a lot of reasons why this is so good: First, Hauer’s delivery is both chilling and heartbreaking, and every word seems carefully considered — the way he says “people,” as if he’s spitting out venom, is particularly brilliant. There’s also the fact, which may not be clear to people who aren’t big Blade Runner fans, that he’s not referring to things that are ever acknowledged in the movie. We don’t know what it means for C-beams to glitter near the Tannhäuser Gate, because we don’t know what any of those things are. It underlines the fact that Batty has had life experiences beyond what anyone else can comprehend, and, when he dies, they’ll just be gone.

Even better: Hauer largely came up with the speech himself, with the “tears in rain” bit being his own improvisation. Different versions of the speech had been written in the script, but Hauer thought they were all a little much and cut out most of it without telling anyone because he wanted to preserve what he thought Batty’s thought process would be at the moment of his death. Ridley Scott evidently approved, because it’s in the movie, and it has helped make Blade Runner an unforgettable sci-fi classic.

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Release Date

June 25, 1982

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Runtime

118 minutes

Writers

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David Webb Peoples, Hampton Fancher, Philip K. Dick

Producers

Michael Deeley, Run Run Shaw

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Roomies, NBA YoungBoy shared a message amid Yaya Mayweather and Mellow Rackz‘ back-and-forth. However, it appears he was unbothered.

RELATED: Hol’ Up! Yaya Mayweather Addresses Viral Rumor That Claimed She Paid NBA YoungBoy $1.2M To Hang Out With Him For A Week

NBA YoungBoy Shares Message Amid Yaya Mayweather & Mellow Rackz’ Back-And-Forth

On Thursday, February 19, while Yaya Mayweather and Mellow Rackz were lighting the internet up with their heated exchange, NBA YoungBoy took to X, formerly known as Twitter. This, to share a brief statement, seemingly signaling that he was unaware of their back-and-forth, or perhaps unbothered.

“Capitalize, f**k all that waiting,” he tweeted.

Social Media Reacts To NBA YoungBoy’s Message

Reactions then poured in via the comment section of NBA YoungBoy’s tweet.

More On Yaya Mayweather & Mellow Rackz’ Back-And-Forth

As The Shade Room previously reported, earlier this week, a new blog was shared on Jazlyn Mychelle’s YouTube channel, and a clip showed her giving a pregnancy update. However, fans couldn’t help but notice a huge rock on Mychelle’s finger. Subsequently, Pristin Jewelers confirmed that NBA YoungBoy upgraded her ring.

Subsequently, Yaya Mayweather shared footage of her dream engagement ring. This, while seemingly throwing shade at Mychelle’s new rock, calling it a lab diamond.

Subsequently, Mellow shaded Mayweather, saying the ring was certified and she should “cry about it.” In turn, Mayweather accused Mellow of being friendly to someone with whom she’s sleeping with their husband. From there, their beef was ignited, and they went back and forth about luxury items, alleged Ls.

At some point, a separate woman called out Mellow for flossing pictures from an apparent photoshoot in her closet. Mayweather jumped in there, too.

Ultimately, things between Mellow and Mayweather subsided, with Mayweather returning to X to share that she’s thinking about streaming.

RELATED: The Girlies Are Fighting! Yaya Mayweather & Mellow Rackz Trade SHOTS After NBA YoungBoy’s Wife Shows Off Massive Ring Upgrade

This year’s Academy Awards nominations had no shortage of surprises, including Kate Hudson’s nomination for Best Actress, Jurassic World Rebirth’s recognition for Best Visual Effects, and the complete absence of Wicked: For Good. However, the biggest head-scratcher of the Oscar nominations was the nomination for the documentary Viva Verdi! in the Best Original Song category for the single “Sweet Dreams of Joy.” Viva Verdi!’s nomination seemingly came at the expense of “Dream as One” from Avatar: Fire and Ash, “Highest 2 Lowest” from Highest 2 Lowest, “Drive” from F1, and both songs from Wicked: For Good, but what was most surprising is that most awards prognosticators didn’t seem to even have the film on their radar. Viva Verdi! had only debuted in select theaters to qualify, and wasn’t selected for the shortlist for Best Documentary, or any other categories for that matter.

Even if the Best Original Song category has been subjected to criticism (specifically due to its unyielding support for Diane Warren), the nomination for Viva Verdi! sheds a spotlight on a film that wouldn’t have received the recognition otherwise. The 80-minute documentary explores the lives of retired opera singers and other musicians who have taken up residence in Casa Verdi, a retirement community in Milan that was named for its founder, Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian composer was a famed opera composer, and the community built on his name serves as a place in which former masters of the craft can continue to cultivate their skills and connect with a younger generation of aspiring artists. Although its recognition may have been met with annoyance by those who depend on the Oscars to be predictable, Viva Verdi! is the type of kind-hearted, earnest work of independent filmmaking that is nice to see every awards season.

‘Viva Verdi!’ Is a Charming, Small-Scale Documentary

This year’s nominees in the Best Documentary category include important titles with strong political intentions, but Viva Verdi! is an observational film that was crafted through strong interviews and footage of Casa Verdi’s residents in action. Although early segments of the film spend time recounting Verdi’s achievements as a musician, which explain why he had the reputation to build such an ambitious establishment, it’s primarily composed of interviews with the current residents who speak to their experiences getting back to their roots. The lack of a clear focus, as the documentary does not have a single figure that it focuses on, is a benefit that makes its goals feel more unencumbered. Even for those with little interest in opera, Viva Verdi! has an empowering message about the ability to keep following a passion later in life; the film refers to this as the “third act” for these artists.

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It would be hard for a film like Viva Verdi! to be considered for any substantial prizes, as its production values and footage quality are far outmatched by its competitors; as charming as it is, Viva Verdi! doesn’t need to be compared to documentaries like The Alabama Solution or Mr. Nobody Against Putin, both of which involved their subjects risking their lives. However, “Sweet Dreams of Joy” is a worthwhile entry in the Best Original Song race because it marks an appearance by a classical form of music that isn’t always recognized in the category. It’s also nice to see a Best Original Song nominee that is actually incorporated into the structure of the film itself, as many past winners and nominees in the category are only included within the ending credits scene.

‘Viva Verdi!’ Shows That the Oscars Can Still Be Surprising

While nominations for films like One Battle After Another and F1 help to confirm the success that they already have, Viva Verdi!’s recognition at the Oscars might actually grant it a larger audience. The film debuted at the Woodstock Film Festival and later screened at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival before having a limited run at Laemmle’s Theaters’ Monica Film Center in order to satisfy awards qualifications. Although there has yet to be a confirmation of where it may play next, or if a digital release is in the cards, it’s hard to imagine that a film nominated for an Academy Award will remain obscure for too long. Beyond the fact that director Yvonne Russo and the song’s composer, Nicholas Pike, are bound to receive more opportunities as a result, Viva Verdi! might actually inspire studios to take a closer look at documentaries that make their way around the festival circuit. If nothing else, Viva Verdi! would seem to suggest that award-worthy titles can come in the most unexpected places.

It is within the best interest of the Oscars to nominate a variety of films within the below-the-line categories, rather than giving a majority of the recognition to a handful of titles. Many of the most exciting nominations were from films that weren’t considered heavy contenders and didn’t receive attention anywhere else, such as The Ugly Stepsister in Best Makeup & Hairstyling, The Smashing Machine in the same category, The Lost Bus in Best Visual Effects, or Cutting Through Rocks in Best Documentary. Award season often becomes a bitter time of year in which pundits and critics grow vindictive when criticizing competitors; Viva Verdi!’s nomination isn’t just a nice accolade for a beautiful song, but a reminder that this period of the calendar year should be about celebrating cinema.

Viva Verdi! is available to stream on Jolt in the U.S.

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Release Date

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October 3, 2025

Runtime

78 minutes

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Director

Yvonne Russo

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