Actor Hayden Christensen, best known for portraying Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy and several other Lucasfilm projects, has drawn the ire of fans who were hoping to catch him at Spacecon in San Antonio, Texas, last Saturday. The actor left the convention early in order to watch Game 5 of the NBA finals between the Spurs and the New York Knicks.

Hayden Christensen Departs Space Con Early To Catch NBA Finals

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 41 seconds ago

Right now, there is an ongoing debate about the role of AI in filmmaking. Some consumers and creators think that movies should be free of AI and that everything we see onscreen should be made entirely by humans. Others see this technology as a great equalizer, one that allows independent directors to create movies they otherwise couldn’t afford to make. While companies like OpenAI and Anthropic may be stumbling right now (a switch to token-based billing will do that!), it’s obvious that we can’t put the cat back into the bag. AI is here to stay, and it’s important for us to figure out what it means for future films and filmmakers.

Now, one filmmaker has proposed a solution that is both simple and elegant. At a recent film festival, Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski proposed a solution. Rather than calling for no AI in films whatsoever, he believes that movies should get a separate rating based on what they used AI for. As an example, he thinks that using AI for scriptwriting is egregious enough to warrant an “F” rating. In other scenarios, Verbinski believes it is more acceptable for, say, cash-strapped directors to use AI for various production needs. The key to making all of this work? Simple: complete transparency.

Making AI Walk The Plank

Recently, Gore Verbinski attended the Taormina Film Festival. His primary purpose was to discuss his film Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, which stars Sam Rockwell as a traveler from the future. He’s come to the past to recruit allies to fight a rogue AI. If they can’t stop the AI in time, it will destroy all of humanity. 

Given the context for this movie, it’s no wonder that Verbinski has some deep thoughts on the role of AI in modern society. On the subject of AI use in movies, he took a relatively nuanced stance, claiming that (depending on your definition), Hollywood has relied on AI tools “for 20 years.” Regarding generative AI, he has a simple proposal: a rating system that specifies exactly how AI was used in the movie. 

“If you use AI to write a script, you get an F,” he said. “What people are most afraid of is that there is no transparency. People are afraid of what is real and what isn’t.” Unlike many in the industry, Verbinski is not a hardliner who thinks all future films should be made without AI. Instead, he thinks that it is more acceptable for directors to use this technology in certain cases, like when microbudget directors can’t afford to bring some crucial element of their film to life. 

Transparency Is Everything

For Verbinksi, the most important thing about this proposed rating system is that it lets customers know what to expect before they spend any cold, hard cash. “I think you have to be absolutely transparent [about] what it was used for. I would never try to use it to be in front of the story,” he said. Obviously, there is plenty of room to debate which uses of AI don’t have a negative impact on the story. But in broad strokes, Verbinski’s proposal is nearly perfect: it serves to warn audiences about the potential presence of AI while also warning us of how that AI was used. 

This would allow everyone to vote with their wallet. If more people show up for films made without AI, we will see a Renaissance of human-made content. Similarly, if more people showed up for films made with AI, such movies will become the norm. Honestly, I think if movies made by AI were conveniently labeled, most customers would shun these films in favor of ones made entirely by humans. We’ll never know until we try it, and Gore Verbinski’s proposed AI rating system is the best idea yet for offering the transparency audiences deserve.

On Monday night, fans were shocked to hear that Jelly Roll had filed for divorce from Bunny Xo after nearly a decade of marriage. The couple met in 2015 and secretly married in Las Vegas the following year. The couple renewed their vows in 2023 and have been public about their love for each other, which has led to even more shock at their sudden split.

On May 18, the country star filed for divorce in Williamson County, Tennessee, according to court documents obtained by TMZ. The news came as a shock to many fans, as he recently credited Bunny for helping him turn his life around during his 2026 Grammy Awards speech in February.

The two had shared plenty of PDA throughout the evening and posed together on the red carpet. While accepting the award for Best Contemporary Country Album, he became emotional as he thanked his wife.

“I want to thank my beautiful wife,” he said at the time, as previously reported by PEOPLE magazine. “I would have never changed my life without you. I would have ended up dead or in jail. I would have killed myself if it wasn’t for you and Jesus. I thank you for that.”

The Couple Met At His Concert More Than 10 Years Ago

Their relationship began after they met at one of Jelly Roll’s concerts at Las Vegas’ Country Saloon in 2015. After dating for about a year, he proposed to her on stage in Las Vegas in 2016. Later that night, they secretly tied the knot in a courthouse ceremony without telling friends or family.

In 2023, Jelly Roll admitted that they made the decision to wed “while on a bender” in Vegas in the middle of the night, but still maintained that it was the right decision.

“She’s my best friend, man. She truly is my favorite person to talk to. She’s my first and last line of defense,” he told PEOPLE in 2023. “She’s my everything. There’s anchors in life that kind of keep us straight, and Bunnie’s definitely mine.”

They Were Never 100% Sure Of Their Wedding Date

He went on to tell the publication that the decision to renew their vows in 2023 was due to the fact that they could never remember the actual date of their wedding.

“There was always a discrepancy with our anniversary, because she thought it was on one day. I thought it was on another day. Neither one of us knew,” he admitted.

“I was like, ‘Everybody else talks about the seven-year itch. Why don’t we call it the seven-year stretch?’ We’ll just go in there and double down,” he continued. 

“It is officially — I think — September 1st. And September 1st felt right, because we thought it was between the 30th and 31st, so I said, ‘Well, now we can just both be wrong and just set it on the first.’ Even money that way,” he added.

Jelly Roll Has Two Children From A Prior Relationship

Jelly Roll also talked about how it has been “really cool” co-parenting his daughter, Bailee, and his son, Noah, who were both from prior relationships.

“Bunny didn’t have children, [but] she has such a maternal instinct. I call her mama bear, because that’s just who she is to all of us,” he said. “To watch her come in, and to watch her and Bailee’s relationship develop, has been the highlight of my life.”

In May 2023, he took to Instagram to share a sweet Mother’s Day message for Bunny.

“It takes a special kind of woman to raise a child that isn’t hers,” he wrote at the time. “When Bunnie and I was first starting to talk, I knew I was about to get full custody of Bailee and also had another woman pregnant. Most women would’ve ran for the hill, but not Bunnie. She told me no matter what happened between us she wanted to help me get custody Bailee.”

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“7 years later Bailee calls Bunnie Momma with no hesitation, and 7 years later Bunnie still blows my mind everyday with how loving and patient she is with Bailee,” he continued. “Happy Mothers Day Mama Bear. You deserve to be celebrated on this day more than anyone I’ve ever known. I love you so much!”

Joe Alwyn and Sarah Pidgeon may be starting their own love story.

The Hamnet actor, 35, and Love Story actress, 29, were spotted enjoying a PDA-filled date night in Brooklyn on Saturday, June 13, as seen in photos published by Page Six. In one image, Alwyn and Pidgeon snuggled up to each other and exchanged kisses while enjoying drinks together.

Other snaps showed Pidgeon, who wore a white tank top, jeans and ballet flats, with her arm wrapped around Alwyn, who sported a black T-shirt, light-wash jeans and sneakers. The pair laughed as they strolled through the city.

The outing lasted several hours, according to Page Six.

Alwyn and Pidgeon previously sparked dating rumors after a separate outing in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood last week.

Related: What Joe Alwyn Has Been Up to Since His Split From Taylor Swift

Joe Alwyn has been keeping a low profile since his split from Taylor Swift was confirmed in April 2023. While Swift, 34, continued her Eras Tour, enjoyed outings with pals including Blake Lively, Selena Gomez and Sophie Turner, and sparked a new romance with boyfriend Travis Kelce, Alwyn, 33, remained the man of few words […]

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Us Weekly reached out to reps for Alwyn and Pidgeon for comment.

Prior to his rumored romance with Pidgeon, Alwyn most notably dated Taylor Swift from 2016 to 2023. Several songs off Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department album, including “So Long, London” and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” are believed to be about their breakup.

“I went through two breakups in the first half of this tour and that’s a lot of breakups, actually,” Swift, 36, said in her 2025 Disney+ Eras tour docuseries, The End of an Era. (Following her split from Alwyn, Swift was briefly linked to Matty Healy in 2023.)

For his part, Alwyn addressed the breakup in a 2024 interview with the London Times.

“I would hope that anyone and everyone can empathize and understand the difficulties that come with the end of a long, loving, fully committed relationship of over six and a half years,” he said at the time.

Related: How Joe Alwyn Reportedly Reacted to Taylor Swift’s ‘TTPD’

Joe Alwyn has officially bid so long to Taylor Swift. A source told People that the actor, 33, is “dating and happy” one year after he and Swift, 34, ended their six-year-long relationship. “He’s a great guy and not into drama in any way,” the insider added. Having “moved on” from Swift, the source told […]

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Alwyn, who is notoriously private, added that their high-profile relationship was “a hard thing to navigate.”

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“You have something very real suddenly thrown into a very unreal space: tabloids, social media, press, where it is then dissected, speculated on, pulled out of shape beyond recognition,” he continued. “And the truth is, to that last point, there is always going to be a gap between what is known and what is said. I have made my peace with that.”

Swift has since moved on with fiancé Travis Kelce, whom she began dating in the summer of 2023. The pair got engaged in August 2025 and are expected to tie the knot this summer.

Like Alwyn, Pidgeon has kept her relationships private. She has not confirmed any public romances.

It’s tremendous what Kane Parsons has achieved with Backrooms. At only 20 years old, not only is Parsons the youngest-ever director of an A24 film, nor only is he responsible for the indie studio’s highest-grossing film to date. There’s also the fact that the movie’s theatrical run is not even remotely close to over, yet Parsons is already far and away the youngest director ever to make a film that grossed over $200 million dollars at the box office.

But as great as Backrooms may be, and as satisfying as its commercial success has been so far, by no means is it the greatest surrealist horror movie ever made. In fact, those who loved the oddness and “elevated horror” feeling of avant-garde artistry that Parsons threw into his film thankfully have a certain ten masterpieces that they should check out as soon as possible.

10

‘Color Out of Space’ (2019)

Image via RLJE Films

H. P. Lovecraft is one of the most important voices in the history of weird fiction, a genre of speculative fiction that has a lot in common with surrealism. As such, many of the most memorable surrealist horror movies that have been made over the years have been Lovecraft adaptations. Case in point: Richard Stanley‘s Color Out of Space, one of the most essential cosmic horror movies ever.

Nicolas Cage has been making some delightfully bizarre career choices over the course of the last decade, and this is one of his best. Delectably pulpy and reveling in its gonzo influences, Color Out of Space is the sort of horror/sci-fi B-picture that Hollywood doesn’t really make anymore. It’s colorful, it’s scary, and it’s every bit as weird as any Backrooms fan could possibly ask for.

9

‘The Lighthouse’ (2019)

Image via A24

Robert Eggers has cemented himself as one of the greatest horror directors currently working in Hollywood, and the masterpiece that really left no doubt of that status was The Lighthouse. Another A24 horror movie that all Backrooms fans should check out, this black-and-white masterpiece is imbued with elements of dark comedy and homoeroticism that are impossible to not be fascinated by.

The Lighthouse is one of the most perfect movies of the last 10 years, a brilliant re-imagining of Edgar Allan Poe‘s unfinished story of the same name. Full of striking visuals, thought-provoking symbolism, and moments of powerhouse acting by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson at the top of their game, it’s the nearly-flawless work of an auteur in full control of his craft.

8

‘Seconds’ (1966)

Image via MGM

In one of the most genius examples of meta-casting in the history of 20th-century Hollywood, Rock Hudson, a cult-favorite actor known for his hidden gay identity during Hollywood’s Golden Age, was cast in John Frankenheimer‘s Seconds as a character abandoning and concealing his true self. It’s one of those forgotten classics that have aged like fine wine, an exceptional sci-fi neo-noir masterpiece unlike any other.

It’s a cult-classic well-known not just for Hudson’s performance, but also for Frankenheimer’s airtight direction and DP James Wong Howe’s stunning camerawork. It’s a masterclass in paranoid psychological horror, a harrowing gem whose bleak, subversive message on the American Dream has aged perfectly. Deeply disorienting and hallucinatory in its surrealism, it’s an underrated classic that far more people should be familiar with.

7

‘The Wolf House’ (2018)

Image via Globo Rojo Films 

The Chilean avant-garde stop-motion horror gem The Wolf House is the only proof anyone should need that animation isn’t always for kids. It’s one of the heaviest animated movies ever made, based on the horrifying true case of Colonia Dignidad, an isolated colony established in post-World War II Chile by emigrant Germans notorious for the internment, torture, and murder of Augusto Pinochet dissidents.

It’s a truly disturbing true story to base a movie on, but debuting directors Cristobal León and Joaquín Cociña treat the subject with profound yet harrowing sensitivity. Hugely experimental, psychologically complex, and disturbingly surreal, it’s proof of just how effective the stop-motion medium can be when it comes to delivering an unforgettable horror story.

6

‘The Devils’ (1971)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Ken Russell‘s horror drama The Devils is one of the most infamous horror cult classics of all time, a dramatized historical account of the Loudun possessions. Due to its graphic portrayal of violent and sexual content, often very overtly blasphemous, the movie originally received an X rating in both the United Kingdom and the United States, being banned in many countries.

That may have been an issue back then, but nowadays, having been banned throughout the world is a badge of honor that practically guarantees a horror film’s cult status, The Devils being no exception. Exploring themes of corruption and sexual repression through a nightmarishly surreal visual style, the whole thing feels hallucinatory in all sorts of fascinating ways.

5

‘The Cremator’ (1969)

Image via Janus Films

There are many countries that no longer exist but which produced some of the greatest films of their time, and Czechoslovakia in particular has one of the strongest filmographies of any European country of the 20th century. A perfect example of that fact is Juraj Herz‘s The Cremator, one of the best World War II horror movies ever made, a cult classic that’s among the highest-rated horror films in history on Letterboxd.

It’s one of the most powerful films ever made about the banality of evil, a chilling depiction of the rise of Nazism that portrays extremist indoctrination in profoundly thought-provoking ways. The way it employs surrealism to generate an atmosphere of nightmarish dread is as effective as it is perfectly calculated, relying on a tone equal parts hypnotic and disorienting that fans of Backrooms will surely love.

4

‘House’ (1977)

Image via Toho

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There are plenty of cult classics that deserve more fans, and the Japanese comedy horror gem House is definitely among them. Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, it stars mostly amateur actors and is anchored by a score performed by the Japanese rock band Godiego. Originally commissioned by Toho Studios as a film trying to replicate the unparalleled success of 1975’s Jaws, it transformed into a kind of phenomenon all of its own.

House is absurdly hilarious and ridiculously surreal in ways that you can’t really see in any other horror movie, blending hyper-stylized live-action with pop-art animation that results in a nightmarish yet cartoonish fever dream. It’s definitely far more over-the-top and far funnier than Backrooms, but people who enjoyed the more logic-defying elements of Kane Parson’s grasp on horror surrealism will definitely find something to enjoy here.

3

‘Jacob’s Ladder’ (1990)

Image via Tri-Star Pictures

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Adrian Lyne‘s psychological horror film Jacob’s Ladder is far and away one of the greatest Hollywood horror films of the ’90s, a cult classic that deserves far more fans than it has. Touching on themes of trauma, grief, and spirituality, it explores the mind’s attempts to make sense of death through a surrealist atmosphere that feels as fitting as it does chilling.

It functions perfectly as both an anti-war drama and a deeply philosophical character study, all while looking delectably mind-bending and portraying its protagonist’s fractured state of mind in all sorts of stunning ways. Hugely original and feverishly bizarre, it’s an absolutely visceral surrealist masterpiece that all those who love disturbing horror will find perfectly satisfying.

2

‘Perfect Blue’ (1997)

Image via Rex Entertainment

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Satoshi Kon was one of the greatest Japanese filmmakers of his generation, a master of the anime medium who tragically left us far too soon due to pancreatic cancer. But before his passing, he left behind a legacy of some of the greatest anime movies of his time. That includes Perfect Blue, which is one of those animated classics that have aged like fine wine.

Its psychological horror at its most disturbing, and though Kon is very patient in how and when he deploys the movie’s surreal elements, this is still a must-see for fans of mind-bending horror. Kon slowly starts to weaponize these surreal elements to simulate the psychological breakdown of its protagonist, imbuing the film with a dreamlike atmosphere that’s as chilling as it is emotionally effective.

1

‘Eraserhead’ (1977)

Image via Libra Films International

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After Luis Bueñuel, who is almost undeniably the grandfather of cinematic surrealism, there is no surrealist filmmaker more important or more groundbreaking than David Lynch. He’s a director with a massive cult following all of his own, and you could tell from very early on in his career just how talented he was—from his debut, in fact. Eraserhead is far and away one of the greatest debut horror films of all time.

The black-and-white visuals are unforgettable, the sound design is absolutely masterful, Jack Nance‘s lead performance is flawless, and Lynch’s direction is beyond perfect. This is easily one of the most surreal horror movies of all time, and that surrealism is in service of a story about the paralyzing fears and anxieties of fatherhood. Packed with the same kind of twisted subversions of Americana, heavy use of body horror, and nightmarish dream logic that would soon come to define the term “Lynchian,” Eraserhead is the best surrealist horror film that a Backrooms fan could possibly watch.

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Eraserhead

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Release Date

March 19, 1977

Runtime

89minutes

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Director

David Lynch

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Writers

David Lynch

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It is not a Jane Seymour love story if it is not wild!

The British actress is preparing to walk down the aisle for the fifth time, and the process towards that came with all the exhilarating drama, with no clothes on.

Jane Seymour shared the news of her relationship with John Zambetti in 2023 via Instagram with a poolside picture, admitting that she had never been happier to find love with her new beau.

Zambetti shared that although they had already built a life together emotionally, he still wanted to mark the moment traditionally and officially ask Seymour to marry him.

Getting there, however, involved a few dramatic detours, including his considering making a big movie proposition that involved their pal Mick Jagger showing up with the engagement ring. 

Although he liked the idea of it, thoughts about a flawless execution became concerning, and he decided to stick with something easier, like proposing on Valentine’s Day right before the actress’s birthday.

What ensued was sheer romantic comedy, and at his Malibu home, Zambetti knelt on one knee and pulled out the ring, but it immediately darted out of the box and under the bed. 

He tried to retrieve it quickly, but it was a clumsy rescue for him when he got stuck trying to pull it out, causing a moment of laughter, and the funniest part of all the chaos, as Seymour put it, was, “we weren’t wearing any clothes.”

While she admitted to PEOPLE that she had sensed an engagement could happen eventually, she said the proposal itself still caught her off guard. 

The British Actress’s Fiancé Chose A Ring Designed To Describe Their Love Story

For the emergency room physician, choosing the perfect engagement ring was never about finding the biggest stone; it was about finding one that told their story. Zambetti recalled that his eye immediately spotted one design which felt different from everything else he had seen. 

The piece carried two stones connected by a delicate pavé setting, rather than the traditional single stone. Zambetti noted that the detail carried meaning connected to their story of two people arriving with separate histories, and eventually choosing a future together. 

That sense of joining worlds, Seymour says, extends far beyond the two of them. According to Seymour, blending families came far more naturally than she expected, as her children almost immediately established their bond with Zambetti.

The feeling, she says, has been mutual, with Zambetti’s children and extended family embracing her as one of their own. As for wedding plans, the couple is not in a hurry to define what the celebration will look like.

Currently, the couple is very much focused on tradition and more interested in creating something meaningful, hinged on the essence of family, close friendships, and the people who matter most.

Seymour hinted that a gathering or ceremony will likely happen eventually, especially because they want to celebrate this chapter with the people closest to them.

More than the engagement itself, Seymour says what surprised her most was discovering a kind of relationship she had stopped expecting.

Inside Jane Seymour’s Past Relationships And Marriages

Before finding love in Zambetti’s arms, the actress was with her ex, David Green, for about nine years, and he reportedly proposed to the screen legend. As noted by Parade, Seymour hinted that the relationship ended because they decided they were best as friends.

As for her marital history, the actress has walked down the aisle four times, first with theatre director Michael Attenborough from 1971 to 1973, when the marriage ended without children.

Four years after her split from Attenborough, Seymour tied the knot with Geoffrey Planner, but they went their separate ways a year later, and not much has been said about the demise of that union.

In 1981, Seymour married her manager, David Flynn, and welcomed two children together, until cracks appeared in the marriage after a bad business decision on Flynn’s part cost the actress lots of money. By 1992, the marriage ended in a divorce, right before Seymour landed one of her biggest television roles.

In 1993, the British actress gave love another chance again with filmmaker James Keach, welcoming twin sons two years later. The duo split after a decade of marriage and finalized their divorce in 2015, and three years later, the actress revealed that Keach was unfaithful during their union.

The 75-Year-Old’s Lessons From Her Divorces

In 2021, the actress got candid with TODAY, discussing her multiple failed marriages, public heartbreaks, and the biggest lessons she has learned from that phase of her life.

Seymour noted that leaving these marriages behind has taught her serious lessons about preserving respect and holding on to the good part of a relationship rather than the disappointment.

The actress also confessed that she spent time reflecting on the role she plays in relationships and how she could have handled things differently. Juggling motherhood and a demanding career topped the list for her, and this meant the lengthy periods of absence on set greatly disengaged her from reality. 

She confessed that learning that Keach stepped out on her made the experiences more painful, especially knowing that she was excluded from the truth.

The media personality continued that an honest conversation about everything could have made the outcome easier to process than discovering things after the fact.

The actress has used all the advice passed down by her mother, Seymour, to acknowledge that hardship in life cannot be entirely avoided, and facing challenges head-on can help create room for true healing.

Jane Seymour Embraced Love, Sexuality, And Confidence In Her 70s

The Blast stated that the movie star proved she has never been the headline of her story, and as she stepped well into her 70s, facing life with confidence, energy, and curiosity has shaped her career and life.

Seymour bragged about her ability to take on a still demanding filming schedule, which ran into hours and demanded her memorizing large amounts of dialogue without the help of cue cards.

The actress also continued that some of her memorable roles on TV have also left her with lessons that sexuality, attraction, and confidence should never expire with age.

All her life, Seymour admitted that most of her roles have been to assure women that they do not diminish with age, and this also played into her fated meeting with Zambetti.

The duo met on a blind date arranged by their kids at a concert, and they hit it off on their first meeting, grabbing dinner and engaging in lengthy conversations after that.

The actress raved about her beau as a supportive partner who balances his delicate job as an ER physician with his burning passion for music.

Congratulations to Jane Seymour and John Zambetti!

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

Network

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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: