Controversy hasn’t stopped Teach You a Lesson from becoming one of Netflix’s biggest international success stories. The South Korean drama, based on the webtoon Get Schooled, has sparked debate since before it premiered, yet viewers around the world have turned it into a breakout hit. After reaching 68.7 million hours viewed, per FlixPatrol, the series has proven that polarizing subject matter and audience appeal aren’t always mutually exclusive.

Part of that success comes from the fact that Teach You a Lesson is a revenge fantasy, an action series, a social drama, and occasionally a comedy, all wrapped into 10 episodes that tackle bullying, corruption, academic pressure, cyber harassment, gambling, and the failures of institutions that are supposed to protect students.

What Is Netflix’s ‘Teach You a Lesson’ About?

Image via Netflix

The story of Teach You a Lesson is set in a school environment overwhelmed by violence. This work follows Na Hwa-jin (Kim Mu-yeol), a former Special Forces captain, as he works for the Educational Rights Protection Bureau, a government organization established under the Ministry of Education to protect students and teachers from harm in schools. The Bureau has broad powers to intervene on behalf of students and teachers when a school fails to provide proper safety measures for them.

Joined by fellow inspector Im Han-rim (Jin Ki-joo), tech expert Bong Geun-dae (Pyo Ji-hoon), and Education Minister Choi Gang-seok (Lee Sung-min), Hwa-jin moves from school to school, confronting everything from organized bullying rings to teacher burnout and online exploitation.

The premise immediately sets the show apart. While many school dramas focus on students fighting back against bullies, Teach You a Lesson asks what happens when adults finally step in and whether they can go too far, which is where much of the show’s controversy comes from.

Why ‘Teach You a Lesson’ Has Become So Popular

Image via KIM Ji-yeon / ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

Despite the backlash surrounding the original webtoon, viewers have embraced the adaptation. The issues explored in the series don’t feel confined to South Korea. Bullying, social media harassment, academic pressure, and parents pushing children to unhealthy extremes are topics audiences everywhere recognize. The show also understands the appeal of catharsis. Its villains are often frustrating enough that watching them finally face consequences becomes part of the entertainment.

Just as important is the structure. Most episodes focus on a different case, giving the series a procedural quality while slowly building a larger story surrounding Hwa-jin and the origins of the ERPB. That approach keeps the pacing moving and makes it easy to binge. Mu-yeol anchors the series with an understated presence that balances stoicism with flashes of humor. Sung-min brings emotional weight as the minister who founded the bureau following a personal tragedy, while Ki-joo and Ji-hoon inject energy and comic relief into the team dynamic. Even when the series swings for the fences, the cast commits completely.

The Netflix Series Doesn’t Ignore Difficult Questions

Image via KIM Ji-yeon / ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

The show’s biggest strength may be its refusal to present easy answers. The ERPB’s methods are intentionally provocative, and the audience is prompted to consider whether the bureau portrays justice or something else of concern. Some have critiqued how the series appears to overindulge in wishful thinking and spectacle; however, there are also individuals who compliment the way the series generates discussions about how Americans’ input into institutions continues to decrease and how individuals in the education field place both students and themselves under immense pressure.

Upon its adaptation to the webtoon, there were controversies over various aspects of the storyline; specifically, labor organizations in South Korea vocally opposed it prior to its release. In response, both Netflix and the creative team pointed out that they approached the source material differently from the original webcomic; moreover, they sought to depict victimization and social justice rather than glorifying violent behavior.

Teach You a Lesson‘s action sequences are exaggerated, its premise is pure fantasy, and some of its later twists stretch the limits of credibility, but the series succeeds because it understands that viewers aren’t necessarily looking for realism. They’re looking for stories where injustice is confronted and where people who have been ignored finally get someone in their corner. That combination of social commentary, action, dark humor, and emotional stakes has helped transform Teach You a Lesson into a genuine word-of-mouth success. Controversial or not, 68.7 million viewing hours suggest audiences have already learned one lesson: they can’t stop watching.

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Teach You A Lesson

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Release Date

2026 – 2026-00-00

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Netflix

Directors

Hong Jong-chan

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By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 19 seconds ago

So many people were surprised when Nicolas Cage was cast as Spider-Noir in Into the Spider-Verse, a role he later reprised for the live-action Spider-Noir series on Prime Video. For skeptics, it was hard to imagine Cage as a high-flying superhero, especially when so much of his career is defined by dramatic films (including Raising Arizona and Leaving Las Vegas) and downright weird films (like Vampire’s Kiss and Long Legs). However, Cage as a superhero isn’t so crazy when you remember some of his best movies from the ‘90s. For a while, he helped to redefine action cinema thanks to balls-to-the-wall classics such as Face/Off and The Rock.

Those movies were great and helped establish Cage as a bona fide action hero. However, neither of them has had quite the lasting appeal as Con Air (1997), a movie produced by blockbuster auteur Jerry Bruckheimer. This is arguably Cage at his most intensely charismatic: he’s kicking butt and dropping one-liners, all while mugging for the camera and letting the wind blow through luxurious locks worthy of the best hair metal bands. Plus, the movie is stacked with more talent than should legally be allowed on one plane. Ready for the flight of your life? Grab your boarding pass, because Con Air is now streaming on Hulu.

The Man Of Your Memes

The premise of Con Air is that Cage’s character is a former Army Ranger who kills a man in self-defense. Incredibly, he gets sentenced to eight years, during which he constantly writes to his wife and daughter. It’s the happiest day of his life when he finally gets paroled, and he boards a flight filled with some of the most dangerous criminals in the world. Soon enough, the criminals hijack the plane, forcing the former Army Ranger to find a way to fight back when he is stuck thousands of miles off the ground. 

Obviously, the plot of Con Air is insane, starting with the idea that a decorated military man would get sentenced to nearly a decade in prison for defending himself against multiple attackers. But all of this is just an excuse to bounce Cage off of some other big personalities. It works, too, because of this movie’s insane bench of talent. This is a movie where Star Trek legend Colm Meaney plays a DEA agent and comedy icon Dave Chappele plays a smartass inmate. Meanwhile, Danny Trejo is at his intimidating best playing a man who has intimately assaulted nearly two dozen women.

A Scary Good Cast

Other big names include John Malkovich as the criminal mastermind behind the plane hijacking. Ving Rhames plays a terrorist, while Steve Buscemi steals scene after scene as a sarcastic serial killer with genuinely hilarious observations. John Cusack plays a US Marshal who becomes a reluctant ally of Nicolas Cage’s character. As for Cage, he is magnificent, transforming his typically quirky aura into pure macho bravado. He’s honestly never looked fiercer onscreen, and it’s glorious to see, especially when he gets perfect action hero lines. For example, when asked what he is about to do next, Cage evenly replies, “I’m going to save the f***ing day.” 

One of the things that Con Air is rightfully known for is its action, and these scenes hold up remarkably well. The hijacking is genuinely thrilling to watch, and it’s tough not to cheer out loud in your living room whenever Cage busts out his special forces smackdowns. But what makes the movie so enduring is that Cage’s character has to play a constant cat-and-mouse game with his fellow prisoners, foiling their plans without letting them realize he’s a good guy. This adds tension to each scene that just keeps ratcheting up to an insanely exciting climax that gives us both an emergency landing and a pulse-pounding motorcycle chase. 

A Movie That Will Leave You Smiling

In some ways, Con Air is the precursor to the modern, self-aware action extravaganza. For example, the completely unironic inclusion of Trisha Yearwood’s “How Do I Live” for an emotional reunion after nearly two hours of insanity is a clear inspiration for movies like Deadpool & Wolverine using Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” as an ironic needle-drop for a climactic moment. Con Air also feels prescient with humor, like when Steve Buscemi comments on inmates listening to “Sweet Home Alabama:” “Define irony. A bunch of idiots dancing on a plane to a song made famous by a band that died in a plane crash.” Long before Whedon-esque dialogue became the norm, Con Air blazed the trail. 

Honestly, Con Air is a movie that really fires on all cylinders. Every actor is giving it his all, the over-the-top action feels appropriately weighty, and the soundtrack fills each scene with crackling energy. Plus, without descending into pure farce, the film periodically winks at the audience, as if to say, “Yeah, we know this is goofy, and we know you love it!” Ultimately, this movie is incredibly fun, delivering a high-octane thrill ride that you won’t want to stop. But you can’t take the ride until you get on the plane, so be sure to stream this R-rated ‘90s masterpiece for yourself on Hulu!

It’s no secret that many of Hollywood’s A-listers have breast implants. But what you may not know is that as popular as the cosmetic enhancement is, celebs also aren’t afraid to say goodbye to them for good.

Dr. John Paul Tutela, a trusted NY and NJ board-certified plastic surgeon tells Us Weekly that the two main types of breast implants are saline and silicone. “They each have their own characteristics and percentages of certain complications that sometimes require the removal of an implant,” says the expert.

He notes that there are many reasons why celebs and normal people alike end up getting rid of their implants. Some simply decide it’s time (see: Chrissy Teigen) while others develop complications ranging from malposition to breast implant illness (also known in the medical world as BII).

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Ruptures are another reason why people take out or replace their implants. He explains that when saline implants rupture, it’s like a water balloon popping and deflating. Since a silicone implant won’t deflate like saline, silicone ruptures aren’t as easy to detect. This type of complication requires an MRI to diagnose, an experience Yolanda Hadid has been through.

While complications are certainly a big factor, Dr. Tutela says that the majority of breast implant removals are simply a cosmetic preference. From there, they either choose to get fresh implants or say goodbye to ‘em for good.

Keep scrolling to find out more stars who’ve had their breast implants removed over the years and why:

The top TV show on Prime Video this week is the new romantic drama Every Year After. Developed by Amy B. Harris and Leila Gerstein and adapted from Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After, the series stars Sadie Soverall and Matt Cornett as lifelong friends exploring the question: what if your first love was destined to be your soulmate? The show has proven quite popular ever since its premiere last week, but in case you’re in the mood for something different, there are plenty of other great shows to choose from on the platform. With that in mind, here’s a look at three shows that we think you should binge on Prime Video this week.

For more recommendations, check out our list of the best shows and movies on Prime Video.

1

‘What It Feels Like For a Girl’ (2025)

Adapted by Paris Lees from her memoir, What It Feels Like for a Girl is a British coming-of-age series starring Ellis Howard as Byron/Paris. A trans teenager stuck in a small working-class town, the show follows them as they walk the precarious balance between self-discovery and self-destruction. The series also stars Laura Haddock, Hannah Walters, Michael Socha, Laquarn Lewis, Hannah Jones, Adam Ali, Alex Thomas-Smith, Calam Lynch, Jake Dunn, Dickie Beau, Emma Shipp, Laura Checkley, and more in supporting roles.

What It Feels Like For a Girl was easily one of the most acclaimed new series of 2025 in the UK, universally praised for its complex, enthralling narrative and powerful performances. Ellis Howard earned special praise for his central performance, receiving a Best Actor nomination at the 2026 TV BAFTAs. Additionally, Paris Lees received a Best Writer nomination, and the show itself was nominated for Best Limited Drama.

2

‘The Better Sister’ (2025)

Created by Olivia Milch, The Better Sister is a limited thriller series starring Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks. Adapted from Alafair Burke’s 2019 novel, the show follows estranged sisters Chloe (Biel) and Nicky (Banks) as they are forced to join forces to save those they love after the murder of Adam (Corey Stoll), Chloe’s husband and Nicky’s ex. The series also features Kim Dickens, Maxwell Acee Donovan, Bobby Naderi, Gabriel Sloyer, Matthew Modine, Lorraine Toussaint, and Gloria Reuben in supporting roles.

The Better Sister isn’t without its rough patches, but the series is carried by the chemistry and layered performances of its starring duo. Elizabeth Banks, in particular, delivers one of her best performances in recent years, and the show was generally well-received by both critics and audiences. Though it’s a mystery on the surface, the series is really a fascinating character-driven drama that thrives on its complex dynamics and emotions.

3

‘The Peripheral’ (2022)

One of the most underrated sci-fi shows on Prime Video, The Peripheral was created by Scott B. Smith and is loosely inspired by William Gibson’s 2014 novel. The series stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a young VR gamer in the year 2032 who receives a prototype virtual reality headset that takes her to an ultra-realistic SIM world, inadvertently stepping into a complex time-travel conspiracy. Besides Moretz, the show also features Gary Carr, Jack Reynor, JJ Feild, T’Nia Miller, and more in supporting roles.

Though initial reviews were mixed, The Peripheral was a popular show among sci-fi fans when it premiered in 2022, earning a renewal for a second season. Executive-produced by Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, it’s a great piece of cyberpunk fiction with immaculately crafted settings and concepts, and an immersive production, making it an enjoyable watch for fans of hard sci-fi thrillers. Unfortunately, the series was canceled during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, cutting short its intriguing story.

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Release Date

2022 – 2022-00-00

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Prime Video

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Showrunner

Scott B. Smith

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Alrick Riley, Vincenzo Natali

Writers

Scott B. Smith, Jamie Chan, Greg Plageman, Bronwyn Garrity, William Gibson

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  Chloe Grace Moretz

  Flynne Fisher

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Recent flicks of Claressa Shields have internet users saying she’s “copying” Remy Ma‘s aesthetic.

RELATED: Bars On Sight? Remy Ma Seemingly Takes Shots At Papoose & Claressa While Debuting New Look In Spicy Clip (VIDEO)

More On The Recent Flicks Of Claressa Shields

Over the weekend, Claressa Shields apparently took to Facebook to share a now-deleted post featuring a few photos and videos. Furthermore, in the post, she wrote that people are “mad” when she’s “genuinely happy.” The photos showed her rocking a black bra, shorts, and jacket combo while also donning Louboutin knee-high boots.

Swipe below to see her full look.

Internet Users Are Saying She’s “Copying” Remy Ma’s Aesthetic

Social media users entered TSR’s comment section with reactions, largely saying how Claressa Shields is “copying” Remy Ma.

Claressa Shields & Remy Ma Made Headlines Before Her Recent Flicks

As The Shade Room previously reported, Remy Ma made headlines earlier this month when she dropped her verse on the remix of French Montana and Max B’s single, ‘Ever Since U Left Me.’ In a bar, Remy rapped, “Always the one, never the two, told him find something stupid to play with, he picked you…”

This left some social media users thinking she was subliminally shading Claressa Shields.

Ultimately, one internet user told Claressa Shields she was “pressed” about Remy Ma’s bars, which led Shields to respond.

RELATED: Whew! Claressa Shields Responds To Critic Who Says She’s “Pressed” After Remy Ma’s Latest Rap Verse

One of the biggest mistakes horror franchises make is assuming that a good concept automatically needs a bigger sequel. A successful first movie introduces an idea people are compelled by, audiences respond with overwhelming positivity, and the next installment arrives with a larger budget, higher stakes, and more mythology. Sometimes it works, but other times the ambitions for a bigger sequel stretches a simple premise beyond what made it appealing in the first place. Obsession finds itself in a unique position. The independent horror movie revolves around a deceptively simple idea: a mysterious wish-granting service capable of giving people exactly what they think they want. The horror doesn’t come from a masked killer or a supernatural creature stalking its victims, it comes from desire itself. Every wish carries consequences, and every attempt to shortcut happiness creates new problems.

That concept gives Obsession something many horror movies never achieve: a framework that can support countless stories. While speaking with ScreenRant recently, writer-director Curry Barker revealed that he already has ideas for where the universe could go next. He mentioned having a concept for a traditional sequel, but he also shared an idea that’s even more exciting. Barker said he would love to create an eight-episode television series set within the same world, with each episode centered around a different wish. There couldn’t be a better potential future for Obsession.

Curry Barker Understands What Makes ‘Obsession’ Work

What stands out most about Barker’s comments is how clearly he understands the appeal of his own creation. “I have a really cool idea for the sequel, which is basically just another wish gone wrong with the same mechanism as the One Wish Willow,” Barker explained. “But also, and these are just things that — there’s no confirmed anything, ever. But I’d love the idea of a TV show, which is eight episodes. Each episode is a wish.” That distinction matters. The true star of Obsession isn’t a specific character, it’s the wish itself. The One Wish Willow serves as the mechanism that sets events in motion, but the stories are ultimately about the people who interact with it. Every person approaches desire differently. Every person believes they know what will make them happy. Every person carries different flaws, fears, and blind spots into the decision.

That means the premise doesn’t rely on following one protagonist forever. Instead, it can introduce entirely new people while exploring the same central theme from different angles. One episode could focus on someone desperate for fame, while another could center on a person seeking revenge. Someone else might wish for wealth, youth, love, or success. The possibilities feel nearly endless because the source of the horror is universal: everyone wants something.

Not Every Wish Needs a Full-Length Feature

Image via Focus Features

Barker’s television pitch also addresses one of the biggest challenges facing any potential sequel. Not every wish naturally supports a two-hour movie. “Some wishes don’t deserve an hour and 45 minutes,” Barker said. “Some wishes should only be a 60-minute thing.” It’s a practical observation, but it’s also what makes the anthology concept so appealing. Modern franchises often treat every idea as if it needs to become a feature-length event. Television offers more flexibility because some stories can be small, while others can be sprawling. An anthology format allows each wish to receive exactly as much time as it needs without forcing every concept into the same structure.

It also creates opportunities for experimentation. Barker suggested the possibility of bringing in other filmmakers to direct different episodes, allowing multiple creative voices to explore the world he created. That approach could keep the series fresh while expanding the mythology in unexpected directions. Different directors would naturally gravitate toward different styles of horror. One episode might function as a psychological thriller, but another director could choose to lean into body horror, or dark comedy, or science-fiction… and that’s only scratching the surface. The rules of the universe would remain consistent, but the storytelling possibilities would continue to evolve.

The Possibility of a Happy Ending Changes Everything

Image via Focus Features

The most intriguing part of Barker’s pitch arrived when Bear actor Michael Johnston asked a simple question. “Any happy endings?” Barker’s response was telling:

“Who knows? Maybe there’s an episode where it really works out, and you’re waiting for something crazy to, and it just never does.”

That possibility might be the smartest part of the entire concept. Most cursed-wish stories follow a familiar pattern: someone gets what they want, the wish backfires, and the character pays a terrible price. Because of this established pattern, audiences typically see the twist coming long before it arrives. A television anthology could play with those expectations in ways a single movie cannot. If viewers assume every wish is doomed, an episode where things genuinely work out becomes unpredictable. Suddenly, every story carries uncertainty. Audiences can no longer assume they know how events will unfold. The tension shifts from anticipating the punishment to wondering whether punishment is coming at all. That’s an incredibly valuable tool for a horror series.

The best anthology shows thrive on unpredictability. The moment viewers believe they understand the formula, the formula stops being effective. Barker’s willingness to entertain the possibility of a positive outcome suggests he understands that challenge. Whether Obsession returns as a sequel, a television series, or both remains to be seen. What Barker’s comments reveal, however, is that the franchise’s greatest strength isn’t a specific character or storyline, it’s a premise flexible enough to support countless interpretations. An eight-episode anthology built around different wishes could explore that potential better than any traditional sequel ever could.

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Release Date

May 15, 2026

Runtime

108 minutes

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Director

Curry Barker

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Mackenzie Shirilla’s mother, Natalie Shirilla, revealed that her daughter has gained weight and looks healthier as she serves her two concurrent 15 years to life sentence in prison for a fatal car crash that killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and their friend Davion Flanagan.

“She’s actually gained a little bit of weight, she looks healthier,” Natalie, 51, told The Daily Mail of Mackenzie, 21, in an interview published on Sunday, June 14.

While Natalie said that Mackenzie is doing “physically better,” she added that “she’s still mentally struggling.”

Mackenzie was arrested after she drove 100 mph into a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio, in July 2022. Russo, 20, and Flanagan, 19, died in the car crash, while Mackenzie sustained severe injuries.

Related: The Crash’s Mackenzie Shirilla Calls Hometown Residents ‘Sad and Depressing’

Mackenzie Shirilla, the subject of Netflix’s true crime documentary The Crash, described the residents of her hometown, Strongsville, Ohio, as “sad and depressing” in a prison phone call with her mom. TMZ published audio of a call between Mackenzie, 21, and her mother, Natalie Shirilla, on Tuesday, June 2, in which Natalie complained to her […]

She was convicted of 12 felony charges in 2023, including murder, felonious assault and aggravated vehicular homicide. Following a high-profile trial, Mackenzie was sentenced to serve two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life in prison. She is currently in custody at the Ohio Reformatory for Women.

Despite being found guilty, Mackenzie has maintained her innocence and insisted she never intended to kill Russo or Flanagan in Netflix’s May documentary The Crash.

Also during the interview, Natalie said she’s not worried about Mackenzie being bullied behind bars because she knows how to stand up for herself.

“I think some people get targeted at times but it’s not something she talks about,” she said. “She’s not afraid to stand up for herself. We talk about how to navigate through those situations.”

Natalie added that she is under the impression that “the women really take care of each other” in the prison.

Mackenzie is also keeping busy by spending her time painting and drawing, according to the mother.

“She listens to music or watches movies,” Natalie said. “They have tablets that have controlled apps. They can’t access the Internet but they can watch movies or listen to music. They also have a gym and can take fitness classes.”

Additionally, Us Weekly previously reported that Mackenzie recently took on a job as a food service worker at the prison.

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Related: Mackenzie Shirilla Reveals Her Post-Prison Plans If She’s Ever Released

Convicted murderer Mackenzie Shirilla is revealing her post-prison plans, should she ever secure her release. “I’ma be a life coach and stuff,” Shirilla, 21, reportedly told her mom, Natalie Shirilla, via phone from the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio, according to audio obtained by TMZ and published on Saturday, May 30. “I’m just […]

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A prison spokesperson confirmed her job to Us on Thursday, June 11, as well as explained that inmates can make up to $24 per month. However, the spokesperson did not confirm exactly what Mackenzie’s income is.

Mackenzie’s new job was revealed after a prison phone call between her and Natalie was released, in which Mackenzie complained she was bored behind bars.

At one point during the conversation, Mackenzie complained about how slowly time moved for her. “Like it’s only 3:30, how is it only 3:30?” she asked, according to the call obtained by TMZ. “For real I did not even know it was 3:30 I thought it was like 5. It’s 3:30.”

American singer Oliver Tree was reported dead following a plane crash in June 2026. He was 32.

Two helicopters crashed into each other in Brazil, resulting in six fatalities. According to CNN Brazil, Tree (full name Oliver Tree Nickell) was among those reportedly on board at the time of the crash.

Us Weekly has reached out to a representative for Tree for comment.

Scroll down to learn more about the accident and Tree’s death and the fatal crash:

When Did Oliver Tree Die?

Tree reportedly died on June 14 while traveling in Brazil amid his world tour. The “Life Goes On” singer had recently performed in São Paulo on June 6 and was scheduled to take the stage on July 1 in Lisbon, Portugal.

The fatal plane crash occurred just before 9 a.m. local time, Rio de Janeiro’s Military Fire Department said, according to NBC News.

How Did Oliver Tree Die?

According to reports, two helicopters collided southwest of Rio de Janeiro. Six people were found dead following the crash, with Tree’s name being on the list of passengers given to aviation authorities. Police, however, revealed they have yet to identify the bodies.

After colliding in the air, one helicopter fell onto a car dealership parking lot, causing a fire involving 15 cars, per authorities. The blaze was later extinguished.

Who Died in the Plane Crash?

Authorities reported that all five travelers, including the pilot in one helicopter were killed. The solo traveler who was piloting the second helicopter also died, per the fire department. The names of the victims, however, have not been released by police.

Argentine streaming channel Blender reported that content creator Gaspar Prim Díaz — also known as Gaspi — was believed to be in one of the helicopters, per the Associated Press.

BBC reported on June 15 that the first helicopter’s manifest also listed passengers Lucas Brito Chaves and Lucas Vignale, and pilot Alexandre Souza. The crew manifest for the second aircraft reportedly listed pilot Charles Marsillac.

What Have Authorities Said About the Crash?

“We express our deep sorrow for the six victims resulting from the accident involving two aircraft in the Southwest Zone of Rio de Janeiro,” the Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro said in a post via X. “In this moment of pain, I express my solidarity to the family members and friends of the victims of the tragedy.”

A spokesperson for Rio de Janeiro’s State Civil Police Press Office told USA Today that an investigation is underway in Recreio dos Bandeirantes to determine “the causes of the aircraft crash.”

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The Portuguese statement confirmed that the six bodies “will undergo forensic examination for identification.”

Following a forensic examination conducted at the scene, the Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center will release its report.

USA Today reported that preliminary reports indicate that the reports of the helicopters colliding in mid-air and crashing “into the parking lot of an electric car dealership, igniting a fire that consumed at least 20 vehicles” is correct.

Although it was one year into the new millennium, 2001 technically marked the beginning of the 21st century. Proving how quickly time passes by, the year that signaled the dawn of a new era for humanity, culture, and technology is now 25 years old. While the year has obviously been memorialized by the September 11th attacks, 2001, in retrospect, it turned out to be an inflection point in pop culture, and its aftershocks still linger in cinema today. Fittingly enough, the year that shares the name with Stanley Kubrick‘s sci-fi masterpiece about the evolution of life saw totemic releases like the debut of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, franchises that showed Hollywood a new pathway to the future of moviegoing. From major blockbusters to acclaimed arthouse auteurist visions, narrowing down the 10 best movies of 2001 was a cumbersome task.

10

‘Moulin Rouge!’

Image via 20th Century Studios

Movie musicals were never the same after Moulin Rouge! swung into theaters in the summer of 2001. Baz Luhrmann, the master of visual and auditory glamor, revamped the genre with his rapid-fire editing, hypnotic visual language, electric pacing, and use of anachronistic pop music to round out this jukebox musical.

Starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor as star-crossed lovers whose romance becomes a Shakespearean tragedy, Moulin Rouge! earns its exclamation point in its title. “Loud” doesn’t even come close to describing the vigor and relentless enthusiasm of Luhrmann’s signature movie. Right when you get on the film’s bonkers wavelength and catch up with its intense camera movements and breathless editing, Luhrmann undercuts the sensationalism with a tender, affectionate, yet poignant romance between wistful poet Christian (McGregor) and aspiring actress Satine (Kidman). Just as indelible as the sets are the catchy songs, which sample the best pop music and musical numbers of the 20th century. Although Moulin Rouge!‘s story is predictable, if not maudlin, it hits all the right spots. Luhrmann kicked off the right kind of boisterous party to start the century.

9

‘Ghost World’

Image via MGM

This is no superhero movie. In what comic book or graphic novel could you ever find a story about two disaffected teen girls navigating through a cruel and confusing world? That’s what makes Ghost World, the Daniel Clowes graphic novel and the Terry Zwigoff screen adaptation, so special. After honoring the work of iconoclastic comic book artist Robert Crumb, Zwigoff directed a signature film for everyone who’s ever been misunderstood.

Ghost World, led by Scarlett Johansson and Thora Birch, and featuring a stand-out supporting performance by Steve Buscemi, reflects an era where comics were underground and fashionable among arthouse corners before they became billion-dollar enterprises for movie studios. Zwigoff’s pitch-black and countercultural sensibilities that drove Crumb and Bad Santa are at their peak in his 2001 indie that earned a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination. Ghost World is effortlessly hilarious, even when it seems like Zwigoff has such scorn for his own quirky characters and their world that’s alien to them. While it’s initially coated in irony, the movie embraces the emotionality of Rebecca (Johansson) and Enid (Birch). Despite their glib attitude, these outsiders just want to feel loved and understood in a thankless world.

8

‘Ocean’s Eleven’

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

In what is perhaps the slickest and effortlessly cool Hollywood movie made in the last 25 years, Ocean’s Eleven is the best piece of evidence that filmmakers should remake unsuccessful movies with a strong premise. The original 1960 heist movie starring members of the Rat Pack was strangely dull and meandering, but if you find a sharp director like Steven Soderbergh and the present-day batch of the most suave stars, the movie ostensibly writes itself. Sure enough, 2001’s Ocean Eleven paid out like a slot machine.

This murderer’s row of seismic movie stars, which includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and Matt Damon, tells you everything you need to know about Ocean’s Eleven. The film carries itself with a swagger and flair that can only manifest with this level of Hollywood pedigree. Not to mention, Soderbergh’s fast-paced and precise direction keeps the flow electric. The director knows when to expedite the plot and let the scene play out methodically so that his charismatic stars can banter. Ocean’s Eleven perfectly calibrated the stardom of Clooney and Pitt, and their respective careers are indebted to Soderbergh’s blueprint. A lively piece of pop entertainment crafted with the excellence of prestige fare, the film is exactly the kind of cinematic bravura that appeals to four quadrants.

7

‘The Piano Teacher’

Image via Kino International

You have to be in the right mood to sit down and let the psychological dread and unsettling vibes of Michael Haneke‘s movies enter your world. The world-renowned Austrian filmmaker of dark, often bleak dramas rattles everyone to the bone, and his films leave an indelible imprint. Before delving into the dread and nihilism portrayed in Funny Games or Caché, a strong gateway film to Haneke’s world is The Piano Teacher, arguably his most striking and formally impressive effort to date.

Starring Isabelle Huppert as Erika Kohut, a repressed music instructor who enters a thorny relationship with her student, Walter Klemmer (Benoît Magimel), The Piano Teacher chronicles the generational domino effect of trauma and domineering partnerships, as Erika’s mother (Annie Girardot) controls every ounce of her being, causing the icy teacher to turn to masochistic proclivities. Huppert gives one of the signature performances of the decade, seamlessly walking the tightrope between absurdist black comedy and gut-wrenching anguish throughout the film. Haneke lets the innate character drama and uncanny quirks of human relations carry the momentum, making The Piano Teacher a surprisingly captivating watch, despite its emotionally burdensome ideas. As perverse as the movie is, you’ll never want to look away.

6

‘Memento’

Image via Newmarket Films

After watching Memento, no one will need tattoos or Polaroids to remember what they just witnessed. Before becoming the face of blockbuster cinema with The Dark Knight and The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan was the most exciting voice in the mystery/neo-noir genre. Thanks to his slick style and inventive manipulation of narrative chronology, Nolan was destined to have a modern noir classic in his repertoire. Even after all these years, Memento, which tracks the director at his darkest and most haunted, remains one of Nolan’s crowning achievements.

Memento taught audiences to never expect a conventional story structure in a Nolan film. With his second feature, the Oppenheimer director crafted a labyrinthian mystery crime thriller about Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), who tracks down his wife’s murderer under harsh circumstances, as he suffers from short-term memory loss. Nolan makes the bold decision to drop the audience into Leonard’s mindset, and it’s up to you to put the pieces together by connecting a linear timeline with a reverse linear timeline. Filled with gripping procedural and action set pieces, a rich character study about manipulation and alternate realities, and even dashes of refreshing levity, Memento makes you wish that Nolan would return to stripped-down, mid-budget crime movies in between his galactical epics. In the century’s inaugural year, the industry found its next great auteur.

5

‘Y tu mamá también’

Image via 20th Century Studios

Audiences have never seen a love triangle movie like Y tu mamá también before or since its release. For cinephiles, this Mexican coming-of-age road-trip dramedy was the thing to seek out, although its shotgun blast of laughs, lurid images, and fiery character dynamics make it accessible to all viewers. More than anything, the film announced the presence of a genuine auteur in Alfonso Cuarón, who would go on to direct major blockbusters like Gravity and even a Harry Potter movie.

Y tu mamá también is an erotically charged, provocative study of age, masculinity, and repressed sexuality that lures you in with its compelling setup and promise for explicit material, but in the end, it confronts your psychology and overall comfort. The chemistry between its stars, Maribel Verdú as Luisa and Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna as Julio and Tenoch, respectively, crackles with fluid romanticism and thick tension. Cuarón’s gifts as a visual storyteller shine in this film that doesn’t necessarily demand flashy filmmaking, but it’s grandeur and documentary-like grit make this archetypal story unforgettable. A poignant reflection of coming-of-age and aimlessness as an adult, Y tu mamá también is a multi-layered odyssey of licentiousness, pent-up rage, and alienation.

4

‘The Royal Tenenbaums’

To this day, Wes Anderson continues to push his idiosyncratic vision to new territories. While he’s gotten more formally ambitious and thematically dark in recent years, Anderson has still yet to recapture the level of heart and rich characterization of The Royal Tenenbaums, his third feature that made it crystal clear that he was no flash in the pan. Paired up with a Hollywood legend, Gene Hackman, and his usual robust ensemble cast, this family dramedy proved that the writer-director has always been a humanist beneath his opulent set design.

What separates The Royal Tenenbaums from the Anderson pack is its titanic, career capstone performance by the late Gene Hackman, a no-nonsense, old-school dramatic heavyweight and the perfect counter to the director’s hyper-detailed, painterly visual language. Hackman upends his familiar steely edge for a riveting performance that sees him playing a quintessential bad dad trying to open the emotional pathways he locked away from his dysfunctional kids. Along with remarkable performances by Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, and Ben Stiller, The Royal Tenenbaums is Anderson’s most subtle effort behind the camera, but his unique eye for New York City interiors remains splendid, and his affinity for serio-comic story and character beats is evidence of his preternatural talents.

3

‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Unfairly maligned by many and egregiously misunderstood upon release, true fans of Steven Spielberg know that A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a landmark achievement for not just the legendary director but also the entire medium itself. Burdened with the high expectation of being Stanley Kubrick‘s unrealized passion project, Spielberg honored the late director’s cold dissection of humanity with his own pop and adventurous sensibilities to create something magical, haunting, and a sobering cautionary tale about advanced technology.

First things first when discussing A.I. is to address the elephant in the room: its ending, erroneously read as a cop-out, Spielbergian happy ending, is anything but optimistic. The film’s heart-wrenching final moments tie together Spielberg and Kubrick’s themes surrounding the perils of humanizing artificial intelligence. In the end, it’s an inhuman life form that cannot replace love, family, and personal growth. A film that grows in importance each passing day, A.I. underlined the dark side of Spielberg’s glossy and hopeful vision of the world. The state-of-the-art android, David (Haley Joel Osment), can be programmed to love and serve as an adopted child, but this artifice ultimately destroys our entire notion of true love. Featuring arguably the finest child performance in history by Osment, A.I. is an expansive odyssey that depicts the world at its most vulnerable and susceptible to technological takeover.

2

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’

Image via New Line Cinema

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One of the boldest gambles in cinematic history, New Line Cinema granted a relatively unknown filmmaker, Peter Jackson, carte blanche to faithfully adapt J.R.R. Tolkien‘s Lord of the Rings book trilogy with the scope of a classic Hollywood epic. On top of it all, he would be shooting all three movies concurrently. Because The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, as well as its two successors, is so revered, it’s easy to overlook how miraculous the first movie’s triumph was, as it paved the way for the future of blockbuster cinema.

Although The Two Towers and Return of the King raise the stakes and capitalize on the world-building of their predecessor to epic proportions, Fellowship of the Ring remains the series’ apex. Jackson pulls an incredible trick by making the film feel complete and wholly satisfying while also making you excited to continue how this saga manifests on Middle-earth. While lighter on action than its sequels, Fellowship‘s hero arcs, mythmaking, and iconic lines represent the peak of cinematic euphoria. The key to the viability of Lord of the Rings as a franchise was its cast, which Jackson nailed, and minted Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, and Orlando Bloom into stars. Fellowship of the Ring signaled that the tides were turning in Hollywood, and audiences began demanding that all adaptations of beloved texts have this level of craft and integrity.

1

‘Mulholland Drive’

Image via Universal Pictures

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Having been anointed as one of the finest achievements in cinematic history by the 2022 Sight and Sound poll, Mulholland Drive‘s sheer existence is a miracle, let alone standing as a triumphant masterpiece. Initially conceived as a television series by David Lynch, this failed pilot was adapted into a feature film before becoming the late director’s most uncompromising and masterful work of art. With its alluring ambiguity, deconstruction of fame, and haunting portrait of the dreamscape, the film will endure for the rest of time.

By 2001, one would think that the medium couldn’t be evolved any further, but Lynch quietly proved everyone wrong with Mulholland Drive, which channels his earlier work in film and television while pushing the envelope to new, profound heights. While Lynch’s exploration of the subconscious and the disillusionment of an aspiring actor, Betty (Naomi Watts), aimed towards more abstract ideas, the film manages to be shockingly accessible and open to surface-level entertainment. Rich with immersive photography, unsettling atmospheres, thorny questions about fame and identity, and a sprinkling of amusing exchanges, Mulholland Drive showed that surreal cinema doesn’t have to be an anguishing exercise for casual audiences. It’s compulsory viewing for everyone to understand the mythical potential of the art form. Lynch’s ability to speak to the viewers’ hearts and probe their psyche will remain unmatched.

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Release Date

October 19, 2001

Runtime

147 minutes

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Director

David Lynch

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Writers

David Lynch

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