Quentin Tarantino is more than just one of the most acclaimed directors of his generation; he’s also a passionate and often vocal student of cinema. His work often proudly bears the fingerprints of the films he admired growing up, speaking the language of filmmaking rather than mere mimicry. But his passion often goes beyond his own work; he frequently shares his opinions on the films he loves in interviews, and continually singles out one group of movies — which have just arrived on Prime Video.

1964’s A Fistful of Dollars was the first in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy, followed by For a Few Dollars More, and The Good the Bad and the Ugly. In addition to popularizing the idea of the spaghetti Western (distinctly American films being made by Italian filmmakers and cast), the trilogy shifted the whole notion of what a Western could be. The trio of Leone, composer Ennio Morricone, and star Clint Eastwood came together to take one of cinema’s most storied genres and shake up every element, giving it style and swagger that established a new standard.

‘A Fistful of Dollars’ is Sergio Leone’s Masterpiece

Based on the Akira Kurosawa film Yojimbo (1961), A Fistful of Dollars stars Eastwood as a mysterious, unnamed stranger who rides into the border town of San Miguel. The place is ravaged by violence and corruption, as two warring families fight for control. Seeing an opportunity for profit, the Man with No Name plays one side against the other, in a plan that will leave him either dead or rich.

Speaking on the 50th anniversary of the movie at Cannes, Tarantino described the film as “the birth of what we now call modern filmmaking.” He enthused, “Every director who ever took genre pieces actually had the grandiose idea to present them larger than life. That started 50 years ago.” Such a grand statement has merit, as the Italian maestro took visual storytelling and moral dynamics in a whole new direction, making movie magic.

On the screen, close-ups and slow, tense showdowns gave every moment an operatic feel that would become the vocabulary of the genre — and genre cinema itself — for years after. It also brought a new code to the West. Previously, the heroes and villains were neatly categorized in movies that mythologized the frontier, but Leone’s film found something more interesting in the shadows.

Clint Eastwood’s Anti-Hero Created a Western Icon

Image via United Artists

Historically, the leads of Western movies were just as grand and praise-worthy as the landscapes they explored. John Wayne became the archetype — strong, principled, forthright, willing to go the extra mile to do what’s right. After six decades of these rigid standards, however, Eastwood’s Man with No Name offered something different. He’s a survivor, and one of the ways he manages that is through being as unreadable as possible. Rather than stating his intentions or signaling his beliefs, the character very seldom talks, shows little-to-no emotion, and becomes a foreboding presence on-screen.

He’s not as villainous as the people he is manipulating, but neither is he a hero of the frontier. His good deeds are incidental, and only occur if they also happen to align with his plans. The ambiguity is endlessly fascinating, carving a template for heroes of many genres in the future. Escape From New York’s Snake Plissken, Mad Max, John Wick, The Mandalorian and more could be said to contain the DNA of that performance. A hero who isn’t heroic, just utterly compelling, knowing that the less he says, the more you lean forward in your seat.

Ennio Morricone’s Score Made Music the Star

While Leone set the visual language, composer Ennio Morricone changed the way music was used in movies. The score was not simply incidental — it followed, or even led, the action unfolding on the big screen. The haunting sounds of rhythmic whistles, cracking whips, and faceless cries turned San Miguel into someplace mythological, adding drama at every turn and mirroring exactly how the viewer was feeling in that moment. Gunfights choreographed themselves to the soundtrack, and emotional beats were heralded audibly rather than through dialogue. There were no gimmicks, nothing frivolous, just the knowledge that the score, performance, and direction must be equal to make a low-budget Western feel like the center of the world.

Prior to the Cannes anniversary appearance, Tarantino heralded the Dollars trilogy as “the greatest achievement in the history of cinema.” For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly would continue the legacy that A Fistful of Dollars began, but there’s nothing like experiencing the origin of Leone’s masterwork, seeing cues that are now part of cinematic history play out for the first time. 62 years on from its release, the movie feels revolutionary even in the face of all its imitators. It’s no wonder Tarantino, and so many film fans like him, hold it in such high regard.

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A Fistful of Dollars

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Release Date

January 18, 1964

Runtime

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99minutes

Writers

Ryûzô Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa, A. Bonzzoni, Víctor Andrés Catena, Sergio Leone, Jaime Comas Gil

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Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively have resolved part of their legal dispute with a settlement, but their courtroom battle is far from over. The latter is seeking $8 million to cover her legal fees, and Baldoni has responded with his own filing, requesting the judge to deny, or at least reduce, the amount. The latest filing follows Baldoni breaking his silence on the “It Ends With Us” legal dispute that began in 2024.

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Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively settled their legal dispute in early May, just a couple of weeks before the trial was set to begin. The settlement had no monetary exchange from either side, and a confidentiality clause was also absent, which was unusual for such a high-profile case.

A federal judge ruled that the “Gossip Girl” actress was entitled to recover legal costs in connection with Baldoni’s defamation countersuit, which was dismissed. On June 30, her legal team submitted the details of her request amounting to roughly $8 million, as previously reported by The Blast.

Two weeks later, Baldoni’s team has responded. In a filing submitted to the courts on July 13 by attorney Bryan Freedman, Baldoni and Wayferer Studios have requested that the judge deny Lively’s bid completely, or at least “substantially reduce” the amount, which they deemed “excessive,” as noted in the documents.

Bryan Freedman Claims The Actress’ Team Had More Staff Than Needed

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Lively’s legal fee request was detailed in her filing, with attorney’s fees amounting to $7,495,526.87 and additional costs at $539,514.01, totalling $8,035,040.85. The document also noted that Lively had been given discounts by her legal team.

The actress had two primary lawyers from top-tier law firms leading her case, Michael Gottlieb (Willkie Farr & Gallagher) and Esra Hudson (Manatt, Phelps & Phillips), who have their own litigation teams under them. Per the filing, Gottlieb’s hourly discounted rate for Lively was $2,187. He has been on Lively’s team since the legal battle began in December 2024, and he billed 224 hours.

Freedman argues that Lively’s team had more staff than needed and had too many billable hours. “The most cursory review of Lively’s submission shows multiple lawyers at the same hearings, numerous charges for lawyers conferencing, conferring, or strategizing with one another, and to put it mildly, extremely excessive research and online investigation,” Freedman’s filing noted.

Justin Baldoni’s Attorney Says Rates Are Exorbitant

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Per Lively’s filing, her entire team accumulated 7,070.20 hours of billable work throughout her battle with Baldoni and the Wayferer parties. Freedman argues that is “20 times the number of hours courts have found reasonable in defending similar high-profile defamation actions, even those with ‘complicated and underdeveloped’ legal questions.”

Moreover, Baldoni’s lawyer argued that the law firms of Lively’s attorneys charge excessive rates, and in her filing she failed to include credentials to justify the rates recorded. “Lively recognizes that reasonableness requires an assessment of each lawyer’s expertise and experience yet fails to provide biographical information for 71 of the 82 timekeepers,” Freedman noted.

Blake Lively’s Request Compared To New York Times Defamation Case

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At the beginning of the “It Ends With Us” legal battle, Baldoni and Wayferer Studios sued The New York Times for libel and defamation over its publication of an exposé. Baldoni’s lawsuit was dismissed, and he was later asked to pay legal costs amounting to $181,000, as requested by the publication.

Freedman is comparing that amount to Lively’s request for legal fees, noting that the actress’ filing is overreaching. “Lively’s fee request is so over-inclusive that it sweeps in fees for researching her own liability for perjury arising from her California CRD claim and her Rule 11 motion for which the Court has already denied fees!” the document reads.

Overall, Baldoni’s team claims Lively failed to provide credible evidence supporting her recoverable fees and is asking the court to deny or reduce the amount considerably.

Justin Baldoni Has Spoken About The Case

Baldoni has remained silent throughout his legal battle with his “It Ends With Us” co-star. On July 8, however, he and his wife, Emily, posted an Instagram video to update their followers, as reported by The Blast.

The couple shared their love and appreciation for the people who have stood by them, telling their followers that they are still in the process of healing. While they remained tight-lipped about case details, Emily said they plan to share their side of the story when the time is right.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated 21 seconds ago

While the quality of the Nightmare on Elm Street films could be very hit or miss, nobody can deny that Freddy Krueger was the greatest horror villain of the ‘80s. That’s because he was played by the one and only Robert Englund, who transformed this villain into a monster of many faces. At first, Freddy was a very serious villain, one who intimidated victims primarily through his horrific appearance. As time went on, though, the films made Freddy a darkly comic figure, one prone to shouting out vulgar jokes while slashing terrified teens to pieces.

Of course, nobody can play the same role forever, so A Nightmare on Elm Street got an inevitable reboot in 2010. However, nobody really liked this film, and they especially hated Jackie Earle Haley as the iconic villain. The franchise has been dormant for the better part of two decades, but that’s about to change. Now, the original dream demon is coming back for yet another reboot. Paramount is working on a new Nightmare on Elm Street movie in the hopes of reviving the scariest slasher villain of the ‘80s to frighten an entirely new generation of moviegoers.

The Man Who Redefined “Sick Burn”

This morning, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Paramount had reached a deal with the estate of Wes Craven, the man who brought us the original Nightmare on Elm Street. The deal allows them to reboot the franchise with a new film from Paramount Prime. This genre label is spearheaded by J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules, the producers behind modern horror hits such as Barbarian and black comedies like Friendship. Those producers are hyped “to help usher a new story into this world” and are excited “to bring a terrifying new nightmare to audiences everywhere, and to welcome Freddy home.”

They have the blessing of Wes Craven’s widow, Iya Labunka. “We look forward to bringing the world of Wes Craven’s Nightmare on Elm Street to a new and completely engaged generation of fans,” she said. “We know that Wes would have been thrilled to see how horror is taking its long overdue place in the cultural canon. We can’t wait for all of us to sit together in a dark theatre–around the campfire of today–as the next chapter of the Nightmare story unfolds.” 

The Dream Becomes A Nightmare

The bit about horror taking its place is likely a reference to the runaway success of Obsession and Backrooms, two horror films with small budgets that went on to outperform major blockbusters like The Mandalorian and Grogu and Supergirl. However, one of the reasons those scary movies did so well is that they catered to a young audience hungry for fresh ideas. Only time will tell if those young audiences are likely to show up for a reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street, a film that scared their grandparents nearly half a century ago.

On paper, a reboot might please the original fans of the franchise, especially since the new Nightmare on Elm Street is based on the screenplay of the first film and not its inferior sequels. However, that first movie, its seven sequels, and even its spinoff TV show were all powered by Robert Englund, the man who brought Freddy Krueger to such brilliant, bloody life. The 2010 reboot floundered when Jackie Earle Haley stepped into the role, and the new movie will similarly flop if audiences don’t accept the new man behind the claw.

Freddy Vs. The Zoomers

Of course, we won’t know whether the reboot will succeed or fail until it comes out. So far, there’s no release date set, and no official casting announcements have been made. With its pending purchase of Warner Bros., it’s clear that Paramount wants another major franchise that (like Star Trek, which is getting its own cinematic reboot) can drive fans to theaters. But Nightmare on Elm Street hasn’t been relevant in decades, and the fans the studio is aiming for aren’t exactly clamoring for recycled IPs. In point of fact, they are more excited about Hollywood transforming creepypastas to the big screen.

Maybe a generational compromise is in order. Freddy Krueger vs. Jeff the Killer? Now, that’s one fight we’d all pay to see!

Allie Eklund is breaking her silence — and sharing her side of the story — after ex Steven McBee Jr. tried to get her a percentage of Kacie Adkison’s skincare business while filming The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys.

“What happened in real life, off camera, was I was asked to be a part of the tallow business,” Allie, 29, exclusively tells Us Weekly, referring to Steven’s soon-to-be sister-in-law Kacie’s skincare business with products using beef tallow under the McBee Farms umbrella.

Allie says she was “transparent” with both Kacie and Steven — the latter of whom she dated for less than one year before they split in April — about how busy she was when they first approached her for guidance with marketing in the fall of 2025.

“I had a lot going on business wise on my own with my family’s businesses and my personal businesses that I’ve been involved in for a decade,” Allie, who helped her family’s Triple E farm launch Triple E Mercantile, recalls. “I communicated to them that I would love to help for free in whatever capacity that I can. They needed more help, though.”

Allie notes that she didn’t know what was going on between Kacie and Steven, who initially said he’d support Kacie with the business and help promote it on McBee’s website and social media accounts.

“Stephen was having conversations about me getting a percentage before ever speaking with me about that,” Allie claims. “That was the first I had heard of it when they brought that to my attention, I had no idea he was asking for that behind closed doors.”

The model insists, “I never asked for that, and I actually ultimately declined that percentage because I didn’t feel like I had the capacity to take on another business venture at the moment.”

Allie tells Us that despite declining a percentage in the company, she told Kacie and Steven, 33, at the time that she would help “for free with what I could.”

Allie’s comments come three months after Steven accused her of cheating on him at Stagecoach Music Festival in April, which she denied. He alleged in a since-deleted social media post that Allie was getting “cozy” with another man after he left the California-based festival for Missouri.

While the couple split over the controversy, the early days of their romance have been front and center on season 3 of The McBee Dynasty, including Steven’s desire to have Allie join forces with Kacie as her business started to grow.

During the Monday, July 13, episode of the hit Bravo show, the tension between Steven and Kacie began to boil over when he suggested Allie come in and take over marketing — for a cut of the business.

“He did tell me that the tallow business is mine,” Kacie told Allie on the episode during a one-on-one chat. “I haven’t gotten paid yet. I have put in around $12,000 into the business. I’ve been working on it five days a week.”

Allie noted that she thought Kacie, who is engaged to Steven’s brother Cole McBee, would “save the farm” with her side hustle, adding that she would gladly offer assistance when it came to marketing.

Steven, however, later told Allie that he had the idea to use tallow in skincare in 2023 but his ex-girlfriend Calah Jackson didn’t want to run it so he approached Kacie.

“She’s so busy being a mom, we’re 300 orders behind,” Steven claimed to Allie on the episode. “If we’re going to scale this, it needs to be a team effort.”

When Steven had a sitdown with Kacie later that episode, she was surprised that he’d changed his tune about the money breakdown.

“I told you at the beginning, you keep 100 percent of the profits. I thought it was going to be a little side project that you could work on. It’s not,” Steven said. “It’s a monster that we’re sitting on if we do it right.”

Steven has been the CEO of McBee Farm & Cattle Co. since his father, Steven “Steve” McBee Sr., stepped down amid his crop insurance fraud case that resulted in a two-year jail sentence beginning in December 2025.

Steven told Kacie that he thought the business could grow to $5 million a year but only if he and Allie helped on the “backend” and therefore, the “profits can’t go 100 percent” to her anymore.

He suggested that Kacie get 40 percent, McBee Farms get 40 percent and Allie take home 20 percent of the profits.

Kacie, however, said she wouldn’t agree to anything before talking it over with Cole, who fully had her back.

“I want you and Allie to help but it also makes me really nervous because Allie’s only been in my life one month,” Kacie confessed.

Allie, for her part, tells Us that she had an “in-depth business conversation” with Kacie and Steven when she learned that he was negotiating for her behind closed doors.

“I didn’t feel like I could, you know, bring the value that I wanted to at that time, and I ultimately chose to not get involved in the business,” Allie shares. “But I wanted to support them as a friend wherever I could.”

Allie explains that she and Kacie even discussed doing a collection together with the tallow, to see how “sales go from there,” but her abrupt split from Steven ended that possibility.

“Obviously, since breaking up, we didn’t end up doing that. And I know a big concern of hers was what if you break up and you have this percentage?” she continues. “And I communicated that that’s something that should be in an operating agreement. That way, there’s no question around that.”

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Related: Steven McBee Jr. Reveals Where He Stands With Ex Allie Eklund After Split

Steven McBee Jr. is continuing to focus on healing after his split from Allie Eklund — and says the former couple is no longer in contact. The McBee Dynasty star, 31, exclusively tells Us Weekly that while he’s learned valuable lessons from the relationship, he and Eklund have not spoken since their messy public breakup […]

Despite liking Kacie’s ideas, Allie says “ultimately” she realized that she does business “a little bit different” than the McBees and “chose not to get involved.”

Kacie is still running the tallow company, according to social media, while Allie is busy with her own business ventures, including Triple E Mercantile, an extension of her family’s farm, Triple E, into producing ranch-made goods in the Texas Hill Country.

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“It’s basically bringing Triple E Ranch, my family’s ranch, to life and giving people an in-person experience to come together, build community, and get back to their roots,” Allie tells Us of the exciting venture. “And kind of remind everyone the importance of slowing down and getting back to your roots, and being with people and connecting with the land again.”

She notes the family has plans to “open up our ranch to the public to create some of these experiences called Triple E experiences” in addition to expanding their merchandise collection.

The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys airs on Bravo Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.

Las Vegas turned into the center of the sports and entertainment universe this weekend. UFC fights, NBA Summer League, and the annual Sack Summit brought a massive wave of athletes and stars into the city, and Hakkasan Nightclub and Marquee LV became the go-to spots for anyone looking to keep the party going after hours.

UFC legend Jon “Bones” Jones hosted the official fight weekend pre-party at Hakkasan Nightclub on Friday, setting the tone for one of the busiest weekends of the summer in Vegas.

The party drew a heavy dose of NBA talent in town for Summer League. Phoenix Suns stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant pulled up alongside New York Knicks guard Miles McBride and Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr.

Maxx Crosby Goes From Sack Summit To The Stage

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Across the Strip, Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby brought his own energy to Marquee Nightclub after wrapping his annual Sack Summit. Crosby arrived around 11:45 p.m. and stayed until roughly 3:15 a.m., according to TMZ Sports.

Crosby didn’t just show up to watch. He hit the stage under his music alias, PlaqueBoyMaxx, and performed his original track “2 am in Vegas.”

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The guest list matched the energy. TMZ reported boxing champion Ryan Garcia, NBA stars Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and John Wall, and NFL standouts Dak Prescott, Derwin James, and Von Miller were all in the building.

DJ Pauly D Takes Over Marquee For His Birthday

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Jersey Shore star DJ Pauly D celebrated his birthday with a packed party at Marquee Nightclub, where he took over the DJ booth for a high-energy set that kept the crowd on the floor.

Jordan Ngatikaura Spotted Out With Friends At Marquee

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The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jordan Ngatikaura was spotted at Marquee Nightclub during NBA Summer League weekend. Jordan spent the night with a group of friends, marking one of his first nights out since splitting from wife Jessie Draper.

Bruce Buffer Makes A Surprise Move At McGregor’s Afterparty

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UFC announcer Bruce Buffer showed up at the UFC 329 afterparty to introduce rapper Fabolous, delivering his signature intro outside the octagon for once.

Vegas Proves Why It’s Still The Ultimate Weekend Destination

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With UFC, NBA Summer League, and the Sack Summit all hitting Vegas at the same time, the city’s nightlife scene ran nonstop from Friday through the early morning hours. Hakkasan and Marquee stood out as the Strip’s premier destinations, drawing a lineup of athletes and entertainers that made for one of the most star-packed weekends of the year.

Selena Gomez‘s mother, Mandy Teefey, is raising eyebrows about the state of her relationship with her two daughters.

The matriarch shared a cryptic Instagram post that fans have since interpreted to mean something sinister, accusing the singer’s mom of stirring up some drama.

Teefey is no stranger to making headlines for controversy, as she faced drug use allegations at the workplace just last year.

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On Monday, Teefey took to Instagram to upload a series of photos of her daughters, Gomez and her young half-sister, Gracie.

The first slide was a playful mirror selfie of the siblings accompanied by a singular snap of the “Hands To Myself” songstress. Included in the slideshow were memes and quotes, with one reading, “She outgrew what drained her.”

In the accompanying caption, Teefey showered praises on her daughters, calling them her “greatest accomplishments” and “coolest.” She then alluded to their relationship, writing:

“One day they will see what a bad -ss I am and love me back as much as I love them. I’m just mom. Who never gives up when they throw me in the trash. I tell ya mom you’re doing it wrong, maybe so, we will see.”

Fans Call Out Selena Gomez’s Mom For Dramatic Post

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Teefey’s upload immediately sparked tension in the comments, with Gomez’s fans interpreting it as a call for attention.

“WTF, Mandy. If you’re having issues with them, you shouldn’t post this on social media. People will take it out of context and keep hating on Selena,” one fan slammed, adding, “I don’t know what’s going on, but go talk to your daughter instead of creating drama.”

Another similar comment read, “Unfortunately, your post got taken out of context, and people are already taking it all on Selena.”

A disappointed follower described the post as a “strange choice,” urging Teefey not to air any dirty laundry on the Internet. However, the 50-year-old shut down the critics, replying to one of the comments, “Girl. It’s typically moms not cool joke. Calm down. lol,” Page Six reports.

Mandy Teefey Was Accused Of Drug Use At Work

It comes as no surprise that fans read too much into Teefey’s cryptic post, given her history of drama. Just last year, the matriarch had tongues wagging after a bombshell exposé was released.

As reported by The Blast, anonymous employees claimed that the Texas native often appeared impaired at work while serving as the co-founder of Wondermind.

One eyewitness alleged seeing Teefey snorting Ritalin and employing the services of nurses to dispense vitamin IV drips that contained Benadryl. “After the injections, Teefey spoke slowly and seemed drowsy,” a source claimed.

She reportedly defended the injections by telling colleagues she was dealing with complications from “severe COVID and double pneumonia.”

Did Selena Gomez Know About Mom’s Alleged Substance Use?

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The damaging allegations continued, dragging the pop star into the conversation. A former employee claimed Gomez wasn’t in the dark about her mother’s inappropriate antics.

“I will say this with the utmost certainty — no doubt, hesitation in my mind. Selena knew her mother was not well enough to be running that company,” the person stated.

Teefey, however, didn’t allow the allegations to fester as she denied them with a statement, blasting “a few disgruntled employees with an ax to grind” for spreading mistruth.

She also slammed the media for going along with the “lies.”

Teefey Snubbed From Major Role At Selena Gomez’s Wedding

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The damaging allegations surfaced just weeks before the Disney alum was set to walk down the aisle with her partner, Benny Blanco, during their fairytale wedding.

However, Teefey reportedly missed out on a major role. Despite raising Gomez as a single mother, the businesswoman wasn’t the one who gave the singer away.

Instead, the billionaire chose to go with her grandfather, David. Close sources say the entertainer asked her grandparents early in the wedding-planning process. The senior citizens were overjoyed to be included in the ceremony.

Unfortunately, Teefey wasn’t pleased with the move, resulting in tension within the family. “Selena’s mother and her stepfather Brian were shattered she didn’t choose her mother to walk her down the aisle,” an insider said, per The Blast.

It is believed the strains in the mother-daughter relationship played a role in the shocking move.

The run-up to Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey has many of us looking back at previous attempts to bring the Greek epic to the big screen — and most often, the film that comes to mind is 2000’s Oscar-nominated O Brother, Where Art Thou?. But a few years before the Coen Brothers first brought Homer to the U.S., author Charles Frazier took a similar idea for his 1997 novel, Cold Mountain. That historical tale mashed up The Odyssey with Civil War America — and director Anthony Minghella would adapt it into an Oscar-winning feature film for Miramax in 2003.

‘Cold Mountain’ Is a Civil War-Era Take on ‘The Odyssey’

Image via Miramax

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If you haven’t seen Cold Mountain, know that it’s not for the faint of heart: This violent, frightening, and explicit “hard R” take on the American Civil War — and those affected by the conflict off the battlefield — can admittedly be a bit much. But for those interested in how the film transplanted the story of Odysseus into the mid-19th century, the Academy Award-winning picture tells its story through the lens of Confederate soldier W.P. Inman (Jude Law). The parallels are striking here in Minghella’s film, as well as Frazier’s novel, though this is certainly not a 1:1 adaptation.

Like Homer’s epic protagonist, Inman deserts the war after surviving the famed and bloody Battle of the Crater to return home to his true love, Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman), after a prolonged absence. Along Inman’s journey, he is met with just about every form of temptation and resistance, though he remains focused on his goal.

Certain classical elements of Homer’s Odyssey are woven into and re-imagined in Cold Mountain. Odysseus’ temptation by the sirens, whose song lures the young men to their deaths, is echoed in the sequence in which Inman and the disgraced Reverend Solomon Veasey (Philip Seymour Hoffman) are swept up in the apparent kindness of a stranger and his family, only for the women in the family to make explicit sexual advances toward the men. Veasey succumbs to the temptations instantly, while Inman remains faithful to his love — but his strength doesn’t matter when the Confederate Home Guard, an almost Posieden-like force in the narrative that doubles as the “single-eyed” Cyclops, arrive and carry both men away. Similarly, much like Odysseus, Inman encounters a wise old blind man, a Circe figure in the form of a young widow (played by Natalie Portman), and an elderly hermit who embodies both Athena’s aid and Eurycleia’s recognition of Odysseus based on a scar.

The parallels don’t just run with Inman, however. Just as Penelope is forced to fight off suitors and would-be occupiers in Ithaca, Ada struggles to keep her home of Black Cove in Cold Mountain, North Carolina, from the local Home Guard and other potential threats who would seize control. It’s only with the aid of Ruby Thewes (Renée Zellweger, who would win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work), who takes on the role of Eumaeus (only for Ada rather than Inman), that she makes it through the harsh winter and the lonely time away from her beloved.

Although Inspired by Homer, ‘Cold Mountain’ Forges Its Own Path

Cold Mountain is a brutal, explicit, and uncompromising tale that has long been labeled an “American Odyssey,” but it ends quite differently than Homer’s original epic. For one thing, while Ada does get an almost divine sense of how she and Inman will be reunited in the form of dreams and omens, there are no supernatural beings, no petitions to the gods, and no overly mythological moments. Likewise, rather than returning to his wife and son, Inman returns to Ada just in time to conceive a child with her, only for the Home Guard to get the better of the deserter and kill him afterward. Thus, the film ends with a flash-forward to the next Easter, where it’s revealed that the pair had a daughter, Grace Inman.

With enough parallels to the text to intrigue fans and a plethora of differences to keep one guessing, Cold Mountain is a film take that pulls no punches. Though this uncompromising picture may not be for everyone, if you’re interested in an Americanized Odyssey that focuses on drama rather than O Brother, Where Art Thou?’s comedy, look no further.

Cold Mountain is available for streaming on Pluto TV.

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Cold Mountain

Release Date

December 24, 2003

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Runtime

153 minutes

Director

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Anthony Minghella

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By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 24 seconds ago

Given that The Mandalorian and Grogu ended up being a critical and commercial dud, it’s a bit hard for Star Wars fans to get excited about any upcoming movies. Nonetheless, Lucasfilm is trying to give us something new with Star Wars: Starfighter, a movie whose official plot has been largely kept under wraps. Unofficially, however, we’ve been getting dribs and drabs of what to expect from this upcoming film featuring both Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth. Recently, an alleged leak has spilled more of the beans about this movie’s plot and its colorful characters.

According to the leak, Gosling is playing a character named Cade, who is tasked with escorting Flynn Gray’s character to a planet named Adaria, which has a Jedi temple serving as a refuge for these persecuted space wizards. This lines up with other rumors about the younger character being a Force user who needs somewhere safe to develop his powers. Now, many Star Wars fans are convinced that one of the most hated characters in the franchise will be waiting on that planet: Daisy Ridley’s Rey!

Lose The Squadron, Keep The Rogue

There are plenty of interesting details about Star Wars: Starfighter, including confirmed details (like a lightsaber duel scene directed by Tom Cruise) and tantalizing rumors (like Mia Goth playing some type of evil Force user). But with the latest leaks from Bespin Bulletin, fans are mostly buzzing about this new Jedi planet, Adaria. Apparently, the planet is East Asian inspired, with a very green/brown color palette. The planet is apparently teeming with Padawan learners, all of them rocking the beige tunics that we last saw the younglings wearing in the prequels.

Based on this new leaked info, many Star Wars fans are convinced that our heroes will find Daisy Ridley’s Rey on this planet, likely at the very end of the movie. Why is that? For one thing, Disney keeps making plans to bring this character back and then scuttling them. Damon Lindelof was developing a movie that focused on an older Rey, who would be played by Helen Mirren, but that film was scrapped. More recently, there were plans for Rey to headline a New Jedi Order movie, with John Boyega’s Finn potentially appearing. While not officially canceled, there have been no major updates on this movie for years.

Somehow, Rey Returned

Now, the latest rumors are that Disney is going all in on this idea and making Rey and the next generation of Jedi a major focus for several Star Wars projects. If that is true, then Rey would be the most logical person to train these young Padawans on the planet Adaria. While Starfighter director Shawn Levy (the same man who brought us Deadpool & Wolverine) has long maintained that this would be a standalone film, it sounds more like a prelude to a new era of the franchise. Ridley’s Rey will appear at the end, setting the groundwork for her appearance in future films and TV shows.

While there are fans who really hate the character, the return of Rey is very logical. Ridley gave a great performance in the sequels; it’s not her fault they were poorly written pieces of trash. With better writers, she could really shine, and Star Wars could finally have a new focal point. Ever since The Rise of Skywalker, the franchise has floundered with meandering TV shows, most of which have nothing to do with each other. Done right, the reappearance of Rey will give the writers a major arc (the New Jedi Order) to work with, allowing them to create something better (hopefully lots better) than The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Right now, though, all of this is just rumor and speculation. The return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey has not been officially confirmed, but fans are clinging to this idea because it gives them hope. As Rogue One so memorably reminded us, rebellions are built on hope, and it’s (ahem) a new hope that is making us optimistic for the future. If you’re more of a pessimist, though, and are questioning whether the return of Rey will backfire, I’ll match your cynicism with a question of my own: how much worse can Star Wars get? 

Love it or hate it, this franchise has nowhere to go but up, and Ridley may be the only one who can get it there.