Entertainment
Hilary Duff Speaks On ‘Lonely’ Reality Of Strained Relationship With Sister
Hilary released her new album, “Luck… or Something,” on Friday, February 20, 2026.
According to The Blast, Hilary seems to sing about some of her most complicated relationships, including her sister and even her father.
While rumors regarding the sisters’ alleged rift have circulated for years, Hilary Duff offered a rare, candid look at their current dynamic in a recent interview.
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Hilary Duff Seemingly Called Out Her Relationship With Her Sister Haylie In A New Song
Hilary Duff opens up to @AnthonyMasonCBS about her relationship with her sister, Haylie: “Absolutely the most lonely part of my existence is not having my sister in my life at the moment.”
She shares why she chose to include the song, “We Don’t Talk,” on her new album, “luck…… pic.twitter.com/TchpCTd58L
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 20, 2026
Hilary has sent her Millennial fan base into a frenzy since marking her return to music with the 2025 single “Mature.”
Months later, according to The Blast, Hilary performed songs from her album, one of which is titled “We Don’t Talk.”
The track utilizes a sample from Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,” featuring lyrics that listeners immediately linked to her relationship with Haylie.
“Don’t know when it happened / Not even sure what it was about,” Hilary sang during a recent performance at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. “’Cause we come from the same home, same blood.”
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She continued, “People ask me how you’re doing / I wanna say amazing, but the truth is that I don’t know / What I always end up saying is how … We don’t talk, we don’t talk about it / We don’t talk about anything anymore.”
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Hilary Duff Is Impacted By Her Clearly Strained Relationship with Her Sister

While it’s unclear exactly what went down between the two famous sisters, E! News reported that the “Material Girls” stars haven’t been seen together since 2019.
Furthermore, the digital footprint of their bond has all but vanished, with little to no social media interaction between the pair in recent years.
In an interview with CBS Mornings, Hilary got candid about the song, admitting that “We Don’t Talk” is “definitely about my sister.”
Speaking with Anthony Mason, the Disney alum called their strained relationship the “most lonely part of my existence.”
Hilary—whose previous studio effort dropped in 2015—admitted she initially hesitated to address her family dynamics through song before ultimately deciding to stand by her “truth.”
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Who Else Did Hilary Duff Sing About In Her Latest Project?

According to The Blast, Hilary also got candid about her relationship with her father, Bob Duff, singing in the song “The Optimist,” that she wished her “father would really love me.”
In an earlier interview, Bob reflected on the dissolution of his marriage to Susan Duff, alleging that the split stemmed from his ex-wife’s total consumption “with the girls’ careers.”
As for why Hilary is finally opening up about her personal life today, the “How I Met Your Father” actress said she “just felt ready.”
“That’s my family. Those are the people that affect you the most, take up the most space naturally as a human who’s born into something,” Hilary shared. “Just because you’re born into a family doesn’t mean that it always stays together. You can only control your side and your street.”
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Hilary Gets Praise From Social Media Users

Another report from The Blast details the positive reaction Hilary received from social media users when she returned to the stage for one of her first concerts in years.
In a recently surfaced TikTok clip, Hilary is seen dancing to a viral sound while showcasing her glowing look and her signature flowing blonde hair. “18 years off, but we back baby!” she captioned the post.
“THAT GIRL! One of the only Disney queens who don’t look/didn’t go crazy,” someone wrote, while another shared, “She looks so good, she still looks the same, just more seasoned.”
Hilary Was Involved In ‘Toxic’ Mom Group Drama

Before that, Hilary was also in the headlines after reportedly bumping heads with fellow Disney Channel peer Ashley Tisdale.
Reports indicate that Tisdale penned a personal essay for “The Cut,” slamming a “toxic” circle of mom friends that reportedly included Hilary and Mandy Moore.
Hilary’s husband chimed in on the mom group drama, per The Blast, and slammed Tisdale himself, calling her “self-obsessed” and “tone deaf.”
Although Hilary has bypassed a direct response, she recently addressed the need to prune friendships that no longer serve her.
“I just always want my side of the street to be clean. You know what I mean? I don’t want to make anyone feel bad by my actions. I’d rather have a conversation about it,” she said.
Entertainment
Shia LaBeouf Goes Wild In New Orleans, Cops Say He Used Slurs
This week, videos of Shia LaBeouf cuttin’ up in the streets of New Orleans circulated on social media. Mardi Gras was last Tuesday (Feb. 17), so the city has been lit. However, the actor’s behavior landed him in hot water with the local law. In addition to coming to blows with bar patrons, police now claim Shia was using homophobic slurs, too.
— Shia LaBeouf (@thecampaignbook) February 15, 2026
RELATED: Shia LaBeouf Arrested In Georgia For Disorderly Conduct And Public Drunkenness
Shia LaBeouf Charged In Connection To NOLA Fight
After his physical tussling, local law charged Shia LaBeouf with two counts of simple battery. Additionally, police are accusing him of repeatedly using homophobic slurs while hitting multiple people at a New Orleans bar during Mardi Gras. These are details from a police report on the incident, obtained by the Associated Press through a public records request.
The New Orleans police report states that 39-year-old LaBeouf “became irate and aggressive throughout the night.” He allegedly struck multiple people with a closed fist at the Royal Street Inn & R Bar, near the historic French Quarter. He was eventually arrested.
On Tuesday, a New Orleans magistrate judge ordered Shia LaBeouf to be released from custody without a bond requirement, according to Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Gary Scheets. In the early morning hours of Feb. 18, LaBeouf wrote “Free me” on his X account.
Free me
— Shia LaBeouf (@thecampaignbook) February 18, 2026
Man Who Actor Allegedly Attacked Describes Incident To Police
Jeffrey Damnit is a well-known local entertainer. Police identified him as Jeffrey Klein in the incident report. He claimed to be one of the people Shia attacked.
“He hit me, he connected a few times with punches, he pushed me a few times,” Damnit said.
LaBeouf “just got nuts” trying to start fights and telling the entertainer and others that he would beat them up, Damnit said. He added that LaBeouf had pushed him from behind at the bar earlier in the night, shouting homophobic slurs and threatening his life. At the time, Damnit was wearing eye makeup and lipstick. He believes his appearance motivated LaBeouf’s attack.
“That’s just somehow something that set him off, angered him and gave him a direction for his anger,” Damnit said. “This guy wants me to be dead because I wear makeup. It’s a screwed up thing.”
Damnit is a member of the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. He told the AP he is worried that he will face ramifications in his professional career for pressing charges against longtime Hollywood talent, Shai LaBeouf.
Videos Of Shia LaBeouf Acting Aggressively Go Viral
A viral video shows a shirtless Shia LaBeouf shoving one person to the ground and hitting another person in the face. According to the police report, the face hit caused “his nose to possibly dislocate.” Damnit and others detained LaBeouf and tried to get him to leave the area. However, the actor would not leave and became more aggressive, according to Damnit and the police report. Police arrived at the bar around 12:45 a.m. on the morning of the city’s famous Fat Tuesday revelry.
Shia LaBeouf fight in New Orleans 😬 pic.twitter.com/5itmRNJXH7
— Cringe (@CringeOnX) February 18, 2026
Another video recorded by Damnit and shared with the AP shows Shia LaBeouf looking at the camera and appearing to mouth a homophobic slur while police detained him. He continued to repeat the slur throughout the arrest, the police report stated.
“These f*****s put me in jail,” LaBeouf said, and then told police he’s Catholic, according to the report. “I didn’t shove nobody, I never touched nobody,” LaBeouf tells New Orleans police officers in the video recorded by Damnit.
Videos later show LaBeouf dancing throughout the French Quarter and appear to show him waving his jail release papers.
@tmz Shia LaBeouf was back on Bourbon Street after his Mardi Gras arrest —and tried to play it off like he wasn’t famous 😳🎭Footage shows him telling a streamer he’s “not anyone” … while still chatting it up with excited fans. 🍻📸
Former Disney Actor Has Violent History
This isn’t the first time Shia LaBeouf has faced legal troubles. He was sent to court-ordered rehabilitation after being arrested in New York in 2017 for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. That incident was captured on livestream video.
While on location in Georgia filming ‘The Peanut Butter Falcon,’ later that year, he was arrested for public drunkenness. Then, police accused of disorderly conduct and obstruction. A judge sentenced him to probation. Then in 2020, he was charged with misdemeanor battery and petty theft in Los Angeles.
That same year, FKA Twigs, whose legal name is Tahliah Barnett, filed a lawsuit alleging Shia LaBeouf was physically and emotionally abusive to her during their relationship. Twigs said LaBeouf put her in a constant state of fear and humiliation. She accused him of once slamming her into a car and trying to strangle her. Also, she alleged that he knowingly gave her a sexually transmitted disease. They settled the lawsuit five years later, in July 2025.
LaBeouf apologized in a statement after the lawsuit was filed. He also denied the accusations in the lawsuit in a 2021 filing. He said any injuries done or damages incurred by Twigs were not his doing.
RELATED: Shia LaBeouf Goes On Rant, Says “A Black Man Arrested Me For Being White”
Jack Brook from Associated Press/Report for America, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr and AP Writer Juan A. Lozano contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
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Entertainment
Mexican Search Group Volunteers Say Pima County Won’t Let Them Look For Nancy Guthrie
Nancy Guthrie
Activist Group Says Their Help Was Turned Down …
Need Proper Permits!!!
Published
|
Updated
YouTube/@JLRInvestigates
1:40 PM PT — The Pima County Sheriff’s Dept posted a response to volunteer groups wishing to assist in the search for Nancy on her property. They shared a 3-part statement on X, saying … “Private Search Parties: Volunteer search groups have inquired about being in the area. Per the Sheriff, they were asked to please give investigators the space they need to do their work.”
They continue … “We appreciate their concern, and we all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals. PCSD has volunteer opportunities if they wish to get involved with the department. Private property laws apply and it is up to each individual property owner to grant permission for someone to search their property.”
The Madres Buscadoras de Sonora — the Mexican activist group that wants to help find Nancy Guthrie — won’t be allowed to search for her, they say … not without getting the proper permits first.
Two members of the organization — wearing shirts and holding flyers featuring Nancy’s face — spoke to reporters outside Guthrie’s home in new video circulating online. They say they came all the way from Mexico to aid in the search … but were turned away.
The reason … they say bureaucracy is stopping them up — without the proper permits, Pima County isn’t going to let them help.
The group’s founder, Ceci Flores Armenta, told us earlier this week her org wanted to aid in the search for Nancy … claiming a reporter actually asked them and requested their help.
While initial reports about the Guthries reaching out proved not to be true, Armenta did say they hoped to get in contact with the family. One of the moms involved with the group, Guadalupe Trejo, told us she was already helping with the search … though it sounds like she may have been forced to stop.
As of 2024, 2,400 people were reportedly reunited with their families thanks to the group’s efforts.
Nancy was last seen three weeks ago … and, while the Pima County Sheriff and the FBI have been looking for her diligently, they haven’t turned up any substantial leads yet.
We’ve reached out to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office … so far, no word back.
Entertainment
4 Famous Real-Life Romances That Should Be on Ryan Murphy’s Love Story Show
This month, love is in the air — especially on the new Ryan Murphy series, Love Story.
This new anthology is part of Murphy’s ongoing American Story franchise and centers around real-life love stories, with its first season following the passionate romance and tragic demise of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
But that got us thinking: if Love Story gets subsequent seasons, what real lovers should Murphy focus on next?
Thankfully, Watch With Us is here to help, and we give away ideas for free. These are our four picks for the real romances we’d like to see told on Love Story.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez
I mean, duh. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez‘s decades-long, on-and-off love story did get somewhat of a film adaptation in Lopez’s bewildering autobiographical feature This Is Me … Now. However, we feel like Murphy should take a crack at it, from writers and creatives who are a bit more removed from the emotions of it all.
Lopez and Affleck are truly fascinating: their time together began when they dated for a couple of years after filming the disastrous Gigli, then endured once more in a happily-ever-after, true-love-never-dies sort of way with a marriage in 2022. Then, three years later…it was over again. Still, Lopez and Affleck can’t seem to stay out of headlines together, even as he bounces between her and ex-wife Jennifer Garner. Affleck’s sheer commitment to juggling two beautiful women named Jennifer is weirdly endearing, and we’d like to see it in series format.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
This one is sort of a gimme, but it’s somewhat shocking that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s chaotic love story has yet to receive the narrative treatment. The coupling of the British royal and the Suits actress was highly controversial in England, especially by the British press and royal inner circle, who disapproved of Meghan’s less aristocratic background.
While the couple did get to bare all in the 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, it would be interesting to see their story in a way that doesn’t scream so much “direct brand management.” Let’s see all the ugly details, and you know that Ryan Murphy isn’t shy about showing some ugliness.
Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart
We’d be remiss if we didn’t include one Old Hollywood love story, because those guys were getting shacked up with one another and cheating on each other all over the place. But Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart were perhaps the quintessential Old Hollywood couple, having met on the set of the 1945 film To Have and Have Not, where they displayed sexual and romantic chemistry unlike anything before.
On that set, old Bogie fell for the dashing Bacall — who was a whopping 25 years his junior — while still married to his third wife. Bogart and Bacall starred in several movies together, such as The Big Sleep, and they remained with each other until Bogart died in 1957. Their romance has since been lionized in countless interviews with Bacall before she passed away in 2014, so why not devote a serial dramatization depicting their love story?
John Lennon and Yoko Ono

John Lennon and Yoko Ono in The U.S. vs. John Lennon Lions Gate/courtesy Everett Collection
Here’s a famous romantic couple that was passionate, caused the most legendary band of all time to break up and ended in senseless tragedy; it’s bewildering that they still haven’t gotten a major series or film drama treatment. (Maybe that will change with Sam Mendes‘ The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event starring Harris Dickinson as John Lennon and Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono?)
Ryan Murphy is a master at peddling in gaudy sensationalism, and it feels like narrativizing the story of Lennon and Yoko Ono would be right up his wheelhouse. Maybe it would be good, maybe it would be horrifically bad — who knows. We just wanna see what happens if and when he tries. But please, Ryan, don’t cast your perpetual male muse Evan Peters as John!
Entertainment
GoFundMe Created For ‘ANTM’ Star Miss J Alexander
After sharing that he suffered a debilitating stroke in 2022, which has left him with limited mobility and an extreme financial burden, friends of the former reality TV personality have created a GoFundMe to help with his expenses.
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Friends Create GoFundMe For Miss J Alexander Amid Stroke Recovery

On Friday, February 20, a GoFundMe was created by friends of “America’s Next Top Model’ star Miss J Alexander as he continues his recovery from a stroke that requires “round-the-clock” medical care.
“Miss J. has been bravely fighting his way back and struggling to live independently,” the fundraiser reads, which has raised close to $6,000 of its $100,000 goal.
“We are hoping to secure full-time, round-the-clock care and help with the on-going regular physical, speech, and occupational therapies. He is currently confined to a wheelchair stemming from what we hope is only temporary paralysis and his right arm remains immobile,” the message continued.
The statement then shared that the medical expenses have put a financial strain on the former runway coach.
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“While he has shown incredible strength and resilience against all odds, the financial burden of ongoing treatment, specialized care, and daily living support is beyond overwhelming,” the fundraiser read.
“Your donation—no matter the size—will go toward rehabilitation services, in-home care, medical bills, and essential living costs incurred on this long road of recovery,” the message continued.
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Miss J Previously Revealed Who Showed Up To Support Him After His Stroke

In the Netflix docuseries “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model,” Miss J discussed his stroke and shared that, although Tyra Banks initially reached out via text message, she has yet to visit him in person.
“I had a stroke,” Miss J said. “I woke up, I didn’t know where I was, other than the hospital.”I spent five weeks in a coma. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t talk.”
When asked if Banks was among those who visited him alongside fellow “ANTM” stars Jay Manuel and Nigel Barker, Miss J offered an update. “She just sent me a text that she wants to come and visit me, but no, not yet.”
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The Team Behind The Documentary Shared Miss J’s Intention In Sharing His Health Struggles

Documentary director Daniel Sivan revealed in an interview with Netflix that early conversations with Miss J shaped the way his story was told in the docuseries.
“What was important is not framing Miss J as a survivor,” Sivan said. “He is not his health. First and foremost, he’s a diva who just shattered every single glass ceiling.”
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Tyra Banks Has Received Support Amid Backlash From The ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Documentary

“The show did awful things to the contestants, and I think everybody expected Tyra to take more accountability,” she stated. “I understand why people are mad.”
“We’re woke now, we know so much more now than we did back then,” Shepherd continued her defense of Banks. “I hate that she’s getting so much flak. She does need to take accountability, I know that, but I also know the battles some people will never understand that are fought.”
Then, as she fought back tears, Shepherd added that she understands that things could have been done differently in hindsight, but Banks was ultimately coming from a genuine place, even though her methods may not have always been executed properly.
“To keep a show on the air there are things that we have to do that people will tell us, if you want to stay on the air, this is what you’ve got to do, and we’ve got to weigh the options, and sometimes we make bad decisions and we look up and go, in hindsight, maybe I should not have done it, but I just wanted to open up the door and give a platform to people who look like me,” Shepherd said.
Additionally, the winner of “America’s Next Top Model” cycle 3, Eva Marcille, also offered kind words for Banks and noted that she changed her life.
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Speaking on “CBS Mornings,” PEOPLE reported that Marcille shared her perspective.
“I have been asked about Tyra for 21 years,” the former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star said. “No matter what project I’m doing, what I’m involved in, somehow ‘Top Model’ finds its way in my interview. I’ve done 154 projects since ‘Top Model.’ It’s been 21 years.”
Marcille, who is easily the most successful person to come from “ANTM,” then shared that she will always thank Banks, something she has consistently done for decades, for changing her life for the better.
“Thanks to ‘Top Model,’ though,” she said. “What I will say is I will never fail to thank Tyra. What Tyra set out to do in this business, I will always say — and especially for ‘Top Model,’ initially — she set out to change the world; to change what the modeling industry looked like, sound like, felt like and expected. And she did that for me.”
Marcille also pointed out that it was “very surprising” that she was not asked to participate in the documentary.
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Banks Says That ‘America’s Next Top Model Isn’t Done

“After the show, I had so many big ideas for my life,” she said. “I’m obsessed with pivoting, and I live in Australia now. I feel like my work is not done. You have no idea what we have planned for cycle 25.”
Entertainment
Husband Brandon Frankel Shares Cancer
Gabourey Sidibe fans are reeling after news surfaced that her husband, Brandon Frankel, was diagnosed with cancer. The couple, who recently welcomed twins, have been sharing glimpses of their journey. Sidibe has seemingly been showing unwavering support as Frankel undergoes recovery. Social media has quickly filled with supporters sending love as the family faces a frightening diagnosis.
RELATED: Clock It! Gabourey Sidibe Addresses Her Husband Clapping Back At Her Internet Trolls (VIDEO)
Frankel Shares Hospital Selfies And Early Detection Story
On Friday, Gabourey Frankel opened up on Instagram about being diagnosed with Stage I Papillary Thyroid cancer following surgery to remove the tumor. The father of twins, who shared selfies from his hospital bed alongside Sidibe, explained that doctors caught the cancer early — but only because he refused to be dismissed.
“I refused to ‘wait and see,’” he wrote. Frankel added, “I made the calls [and] leveraged connections. I chased cancellations [and] made a LOT of noise. It worked.”
The surgery went well, and while the pathology showed a more aggressive cell type, Frankel is already focusing on recovery and being present for his family.
Instagram Explodes With Support For Gabourey Sidibe And Family
Fans ran straight to Brandon Frankel’s Instagram comment section to pour out love and support, flooding it with messages of encouragement. Some celebrated that his cancer was caught early. Meanwhile, others shared heartfelt prayers and heart emojis, showing solidarity with Gabourey Sidibe and her family. And, of course, many echoed his message about advocating for your health and never taking access or early detection for granted.
One Instagram user @kenishiarashauna said, “I’m so happy you are okay for yourself and your family!“
This Instagram user @cpdiva69 added, “Soooo glad that you advocated for yourself and for sharing this with the rest of us!!!!!“
And, Instagram user @seananthonybaker commented, “🙏🏿🙏🏿💪🏿💪🏿 complete healing & restoration. 🙏🏿”
Meanwhile, Instagram user @baobanger shared, “Omggggg glad that you are alright! ❤️❤️❤️❤️”
While Instagram user @karina.aguiar29 said, “Sending my best wishes to you Brandon ❤️❤️ wish you all the best“
Finally, Instagram user @tarra71 wrote, “Prayers for a speedy recovery and total healing 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽”
What Else Has Brandon Frankel Shared?
The couple, who married in 2021 and welcomed twins Cooper and Maya in April 2024, have been leaning on each other through the process. Frankel emphasized the critical role Gabourey Sidibe played, calling her the backbone of their family during his appointments, surgery, and recovery.
“I don’t know how anyone does this without that kind of love and support,” he wrote, crediting Gabourey Sidibe for holding everything down while he navigated the medical system.
Frankel’s post didn’t just share his personal journey — it was also a critique of the healthcare system. He pointed out that early detection saved his life, but only because he had insurance, access, and people to help move things faster.
“Healthcare shouldn’t reward the loudest, the most connected, or the most financially secure,” he wrote.
He urged his followers to advocate for themselves and be proactive. His message landed hard: luck and means shouldn’t be the difference between life and death.
RELATED: Love To See It! Gabourey Sidibe’s Husband Has Been Praising Her For Their Twins Nonstop (Photos)
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Entertainment
10 Greatest Movie Masterpieces That You Can Only Watch Once
Not all masterpieces are created equal. For every classic movie that you can watch over and over again, there’s one that you’ll watch once and never again. Whether it’s because of their subject matter or the presentation of it, these masterpieces can be exercises in endurance that test your emotions.
Real-life and fictional tragedies, traumas and acts of violence are all perpetrated in these masterpieces. While many of them may be far less explicit than the average action or horror film, the ways in which the filmmakers are able to depict the unsettling material will rattle and remain with you far longer. If you haven’t seen any of these ten masterpieces, you should, but one time will be more than enough.
‘The Virgin Spring’ (1960)
Ingmar Bergman‘s infamous, Oscar-winning rape-and-revenge drama The Virgin Spring famously inspired the horror film The Last House on the Left. While that Wes Craven-directed piece of pure exploitation may actually be harder to watch than Bergman’s film, there’s something about the elevated filmmaking of The Virgin Spring that makes it all the more unsettling in the long-term. It’s an arthouse film, not something designed to shock and appall, but rather be studied and examined, and the closer you examine it, the sicker you’re likely to feel.
Set in medieval Sweden and based on a 13th-century ballad, the film follows a young woman who is sexually assaulted and murdered, with her assailants later unknowingly taking shelter at her parents’ home. This act of horrific violence begets violent retribution from the parents, and the film leaves you feeling empty at the futility of what has been accomplished by its end. The fact that it is all so stunningly acted and vividly photographed, by Bergman’s long-time collaborator Sven Nykvist, never once makes it any more palatable or less harrowing. The Virgin Spring inflicts itself on you, and it is hard to wash away.
‘Come and See’ (1985)
The anti-war masterpiece Come and See is as effective a representation of the brutality and damage wrought by armed conflict as has ever been made. While some war films may downplay the visceral levels of carnage, Come and See puts it on full display and never flinches away from it. War is hell, and the movie wants you to know it, no matter how hard it might be to watch.
It is set during World War II and told from a Soviet perspective, as a young Belarusian boy joins a resistance movement and bears witness to the atrocities committed by the Nazis and the reciprocal violence it inspires. The final film by director Elem Klimov, Come and See finds no excitement or tension to be mined from depicting war, and instead offers only devastation and despair.
‘Grave of the Fireflies’ (1988)
Grave of the Fireflies is another harrowing WWII film, but one whose tragedy unfolds in a more quiet and more sorrowful manner in comparison to the shocking violence of Come and See. An animated film produced by Studio Ghibli, it relates the civilian cost of war from the perspective of two young siblings in Japan, and if you understand the nature of this list, you know nothing good awaits them.
After the American bombing of Kobe, brother and sister Seita and Setsuko find themselves in dire straits after the death of their mother. Left without food or shelter, their struggle to survive is reflective of the realities faced by many civilians in war-torn countries, a subject not often reflected in film, especially from Western cinema. Grave of the Fireflies is heartbreaking, and its ghosts will haunt you with phantom emotions long after.
‘Schindler’s List’ (1993)
One last wartime drama that few will find themselves rewatching, Steven Spielberg‘s Schindler’s List, is one of the filmmaker’s greatest achievements as a director, and undoubtedly his most harrowing to watch. The Holocaust is a subject that few filmmakers dared to touch before this film, and many that did after fell prey to emotional manipulation bordering on exploitation. Spielberg’s film avoids those pitfalls, and while it may certainly massage the truth behind its real-life story, it is an undeniably empathetic masterpiece.
Oskar Schindler was a member of the Nazi party and a wealthy industrialist who would save the lives of over 1,000 Jewish citizens by employing them in his factory. He would eventually go bankrupt as a result of his humanitarian cause, and later became immortalized in Spielberg’s film, which was based on the novel Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally. The film is as technically impressive as any of Spielberg’s work, but here the director uses his keen eye for visual storytelling for greater emotional purpose in chronicling the true horrors of the Holocaust, making it vivid in a way no textbook could. Schindler’s List feels even more urgent in this modern era of denialism.
‘Happiness’ (1998)
Todd Solondz has never been a filmmaker to shy away from audacious or awkward material, and his black comedy masterpiece Happiness has both in full supply. An ensemble film following three separate narratives, the film is alternatively cringey, uncomfortable, and downright horrifying, shining a light on subject matter that many filmmakers wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.
Following the lives of three sisters and the issues they separately face, the film deals with sexuality, harassment, assault and, most infamously, pedophilia. It is that latter subject, handled in such a casual yet upsetting manner, that makes Happiness such a discomforting watch. Despite the film’s deft ability to mix harsh humor amid its mortifying storylines, it cannot lessen the impact with which it will make you squirm in your seat, itching for relief.
‘Mysterious Skin’ (2004)
Gregg Araki‘s Mysterious Skin, adapted from the novel by Scott Heim, also deals with the sexual abuse of children, however, in a manner and tone vastly different from Happiness. The film has been lauded for its portrayal of how this form of violent trauma can have long-lasting psychological effects. While the filmmakers took great pains in depicting the most horrific actions in a way that suggests far more than it explicitly shows, the film is still uncompromising and emotionally devastating.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and future Oscar-nominated director Brady Corbet play two young adults whose shared experience of abuse as children has deeply affected both their lives in different ways. One of them engages in unhealthy sexual experiences, while the other has completely repressed his memory of the event. Through their parallel journeys, Mysterious Skin examines the reverberating effects of trauma, and while it manages to find traces of hope within its narrative, it never negates the tragedy that underlines it.
‘United 93’ (2006)
Paul Greengrass‘ visceral film depicting the events that took place on the ill-fated flight United 93 on 9/11 was a painful viewing experience when it was released in 2006, only five years removed from the tragic events, and it hasn’t lost any of its potency since. Far from an exploitative or glossy Hollywood bastardization, the film is both a tense thriller and a queasily realistic recreation that honors the lives lost on one of the most infamous days in American history.
Using the same cinema vérité style that Greengrass had honed on his previous films Bloody Sunday and The Bourne Supremacy, the film juggles multiple characters and locations as it details the events leading up to the hijacking of the titular flight. Eventually, it focuses solely on the efforts of those heroic passengers onboard who fought back against their hijackers, depicting it with brutal authenticity without any hint of bombastic embellishment. United 93 is a white-knuckle thriller that drops into the pit of your stomach and makes you never want to experience its thrills again.
‘Incendies’ (2010)
Before he became synonymous with sci-fi epics, Denis Villeneuve directed some incredibly provocative and disturbing films, none more so than his gutwrenching masterpiece Incendies. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad‘s play of the same name, the plot was inspired by real events that occurred during the Lebanese Civil War, and as such is unflinching in its depiction of atrocities committed by extremists. While the turns in the narrative are something akin to a Greek tragedy, the content is horrifically historically relevant.
Structured as a mystery, the film follows a twin brother and sister as they attempt to find a previously unknown sibling to honor the wishes of their deceased mother. Concurrently, the film details the mother’s harrowing experiences of torture and assault while a prisoner of war. The film’s notorious plot twist could easily have come off as cheap shock value in less skilled hands, but under Villeneuve’s direction, it is a shattering emotional climax that is impossible to forget.
‘The Act of Killing’ (2012)
Many documentaries manage to capture the horrific realities of all manner of subjects with an urgency that is often unattainable in narrative films. Films like Shoah or The Thin Blue Line expose ugly truths with words straight from the mouths of those who lived through the events. Joshua Oppenheimer‘s singularly affecting film The Act of Killing is even more unsettling for how it lets those who committed atrocities speak for themselves, and even recreate the acts themselves.
Filmed in Medan, North Sumatra, the documentary details the mass killings that took place in Indonesia between 1965 and 1966 as part of the country’s transition to the New Order. More than just a series of talking heads recounting the killings, the film instead has the perpetrators reenact their murders, confronting them with the violence and exposing their impunity. It is an extremely difficult film to watch, cataloging now the actual events but instead interrogating the acts of killing and the banality of the evil behind them.
‘Mass’ (2021)
It is both upsetting and completely understandable that Fran Kranz‘s impeccably written and acted masterpiece Mass has gone so underseen. In dealing with the subject of school shootings, the film dives headfirst into a subject that has torn the fabric of American society and inspired virulent debate. Though the film does not directly depict any of the violence that its characters seek to understand, unlike Gus Van Sant‘s equally damaging Elephant, it studies the pain and grief that result from it in distressing detail.
Reed Birney and Ann Dowd play the parents of a school shooter, while Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton play the parents of one of his victims. They all come together to discuss the tragedy, trying to find understanding years after the senseless violence. The film interrogates many of the discussion points that have become common refrains in the wake of such real-life tragedies, but never once does it become a didactic or tedious lecture. It treats its characters and subject matter with ultimate empathy, which makes it necessary viewing that many will find unnecessary to repeat.
Entertainment
In Just 2 Minutes, ‘The Sopranos’ Pulls Off the Cruelest Twist We’ll Never Get Over
Premiering in 1999, The Sopranos quickly cemented itself as one of the most influential dramas ever made. Although every character was great, Adriana Le Cirva (Drea de Matteo) was a personal favorite, being the closest thing to a wholesome person this world had. This made her death all the more devastating, and it was just as difficult for the crew to say goodbye to one of their greatest leads, who gave everything she had during her final scene. Even by the standards of a show known to push boundaries, her death stands out as an emotional and tragic demise for a truly lovable character, one whose horrific fate hammers home just how terrifying a life of crime can be for everyone even remotely involved.
Few Characters Were More Innocent on ‘The Sopranos’ Than Adriana
In any kind of story with morally gray characters, you need a genuinely good and idealistic person to balance things, and no one did this in The Sopranos better than Adriana. While not blind to the criminal lifestyle of her partner, she was hardly involved in the mob life, and there was an innocence to her that not even the literal children like Meadow (Jaime Lynn-Sigler) or AJ (Robert Iller) possessed. Yet, she could also be incredibly naive, and in a violent show like this one, the more intimate abuse Adriana suffered made me constantly fear for her safety. As the walls started to close in, I knew a confession and confrontation between Adriana and Christopher (Michael Imperioli) was likely inevitable. Still, I was left terrified at how it would unfold.
Their emotional final scene together, for which both actors won an Emmy, was just as heartbreaking as I had initially feared, but the writers also made an important decision afterward, which worked to great dramatic effect. By not showing the conflict Christopher faces, instead saving his discussion with Tony (James Gandolfini) for a future flashback, it makes the phone call and his claimed suicide believable. Of course, this is a mob show where anybody could be killed, but just like Adriana herself, I’d held out hope that she would get away from it and live a happy life. The episode even plays with this idea by showing a brief dream sequence where she escapes before cutting to the shot of her in the car with Silvio (Steven Van Zandt), at which point her destination becomes clear to both herself and the audience.
Killing Adriana Was Hard on Everyone
In the deadly world of The Sopranos, dark moments are to be expected, but that does not mean they will be easy to stomach. Nobody was left quite as heartbroken to lose Adriana as series creator David Chase, who broke his one rule by having the scene pan away just as the fatal shots were fired. Recently, Drea de Maetto revealed in the documentary Wise Guy that another version of the scene where Adriana escapes was filmed to avoid leaks.
But she quickly deduced that her time on the show was probably nearing its end. Still, once her last day finally arrived, the actress was ready, and she openly encouraged Steven van Zandt to drop all restraint and deliver the most devastating hit in the series. For many viewers, myself included, not seeing her final moments is a relief, but this emotional farewell by the cast and crew strongly contrasts with their characters. Within a few episodes of her death, Adriana is reduced to a historical footnote, and her own partner, who sacrificed so much for the mob, is later killed anyway for being a liability.
The Execution of Adriana Shows the Darker Side of ‘The Sopranos’
At first glance, one might wonder why the death of Adriana hits so hard in The Sopranos, especially since it was building for an entire season, and she was far from the first character to get whacked. What makes her demise so much more devastating is just how much hope had been invested in such a tragic character. Unlike either Big Pussy (Vincent Pastore) early on or Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi) later in the same season, there is no honorable last drink with friends or a quick mercy killing. Rather, it’s just a woman realizing the true nature of her lover and the mob he serves in all its horrifying clarity, just as it becomes too late to change anything.
While I’ve always loved mob stories, scenes like this serve to remind us just how terrifying a criminal lifestyle feels in reality. By the end of the series, almost every character is either dead, imprisoned, or left under witness protection and forever looking over their shoulder. Gangster films like The Godfather or Goodfellas might make the mob life seem worth all the trouble it brings, but The Sopranos was made long after the golden age of the mob had ended and had become almost irrelevant. Therefore, such a warning about the show holds up even more today, a full generation after it first aired.
The Sopranos is available to stream on HBO Max in the U.S.
- Release Date
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1999 – 2007
- Network
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HBO
- Showrunner
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David Chase
- Directors
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Tim Van Patten, John Patterson, Alan Taylor, Jack Bender, Steve Buscemi, Daniel Attias, David Chase, Andy Wolk, Danny Leiner, David Nutter, James Hayman, Lee Tamahori, Lorraine Senna, Matthew Penn, Mike Figgis, Nick Gomez, Peter Bogdanovich, Phil Abraham, Rodrigo García
- Writers
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Michael Imperioli, Jason Cahill, Lawrence Konner, David Flebotte, James Manos, Jr., Salvatore Stabile, Toni Kalem, Mark Saraceni, Nick Santora
Entertainment
Apple’s Biggest Box Office Dud Turns to a New Streamer for Redemption
Before it struck gold with last year’s F1, Apple Studios had experienced a series of setbacks in its efforts to crack the theatrical distribution model. Nearly half a dozen Apple movies underperformed at the box office, despite massive budgets, major stars, and the support of legacy studios at their disposal. F1, however, was both a critical and commercial hit; it grossed more than $630 million worldwide and went on to earn a Best Picture nod at the Oscars. No Apple movie had made even a third of this amount at the box office previously, although Martin Scorsese‘s Killers of the Flower Moon earned a Best Picture nod. Scorsese’s film failed to recover its reported $200 million budget, grossing only around $160 million worldwide. However, it wasn’t Apple’s biggest underperformer.
That title goes to another period movie featuring A-list stars, which grossed just around $40 million worldwide against a reported budget of $100 million. It made less money at the box office than fellow Apple underperformers Argylle, the Henry Cavill espionage comedy that grossed around $95 million worldwide, and Napoleon, the period epic from Ridley Scott that grossed a little more than $200 million globally. The situation was so dire that Apple removed the George Clooney and Brad Pitt-led crime comedy film Wolfs from its theatrical release schedule, and debuted the movie directly on the Apple TV service. This caused a dispute between the company and Wolfs director Jon Watts, who publicly slammed Apple for canceling the film’s theatrical release and declined to return for a sequel.
The Apple Dud That’s Heading to a New Streamer
Who knows how Wolfs would have done had it been released in theaters, but for now, the title of the worst-performing Apple movie rests with Fly Me to the Moon. Starring Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson, the movie was directed by Greg Berlanti and released in theaters by Sony. It earned mixed-to-positive reviews and is now sitting at a 66% critics’ score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The website’s consensus reads, “Sustained by Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum’s screwball chemistry even when its plotting strains credulity, this throwback romance is a pleasant enough trip to the moon and back.” The movie’s 89% audience score is perhaps the biggest reason for its sustained success on home video, which can continue on Starz beginning March 1.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
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July 12, 2024
- Runtime
-
132 Minutes
- Writers
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Keenan Flynn, Bill Kirstein, Rose Gilroy
Entertainment
Liza Minnelli Goes After Lady Gaga For 2022 Oscars Incident In New Memoir
Liza Minnelli is finally telling her side of one of the most talked-about Oscars moments in recent memory, and she’s not holding back. In her upcoming memoir, the legendary performer opens up about what really happened during her widely scrutinized 2022 Academy Awards appearance alongside Lady Gaga, claiming she felt blindsided, humiliated, and forced into a situation she never agreed to. The bombshell revelations are just one part of a deeply personal book that also explores Liza Minnelli’s childhood with Judy Garland, her struggles with addiction, and the life experiences that shaped her career.
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Liza Minnelli Says She Was ‘Ordered’ Into Wheelchair At Oscars

Liza Minnelli tore into Lady Gaga and the Oscars four years after she was humiliated by her chaotic appearance at the awards show.
As a refresher, Gaga rolled Minnelli onstage in a wheelchair to present best picture at the 2022 Academy Awards, then leaned down and tried to get her to sing a song from her 1972 movie “Cabaret,” only for Minnelli to cut her off and say, “Hi, everybody!” The younger singer then whispered, “I got you,” which was caught on the mic and only fueled speculation about Minnelli’s health.
Now Minnelli has offered her own honest account of the onstage fiasco in her upcoming memoir, “Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!,” as told to Michael Feinstein and excerpted by PEOPLE.
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Minnelli alleged that she “was inexplicably ordered, not even asked, to sit in a wheelchair or not appear at all.”
“I was told it was because of my age, and for safety reasons, because I might slip out of the director’s chair, which was bullsh-t,” she claimed. “I will not be treated this way.”
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Emotional Fallout From The Onstage Moment

Minnelli revealed she was devastated by how events unfolded, particularly because the change impacted her ability to perform comfortably.
She was “heartbroken” by the turn events had taken, on top of which she “was much lower down than I would have been in the director’s chair. Now I couldn’t easily read the teleprompter above me. How would you feel if you were wheeled out, against your will, to perform in front of a live audience, and unable to see clearly?”
Minnelli then pointedly recalled that “when I stumbled over a few words, Gaga, who was at my side, didn’t miss a beat to play the kindhearted hero for all the world to see. ‘I got you,’ she said, leaning down over me.”
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Liza Minnelli’s Dressing Room Encounter With Lady Gaga

Following the presentation, Minnelli said Gaga approached her privately backstage.
Gaga asked, “Are you okay?” to which Minnelli replied simply, “I’m a big fan,” having “learned this lesson years ago from Mama and Papa. At a moment of high stress, you stay gracious.”
In the immediate aftermath of the Oscars, Minnelli’s close friend Michael Feinstein publicly claimed she had been “forced” into the wheelchair appearance at the last minute after initially agreeing to appear in a director’s chair due to back trouble.
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Memoir Also Explores Childhood With Judy Garland

The memoir also delves into Minnelli’s upbringing as the daughter of Hollywood icon Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli.
In one excerpt, she reflected on caring for her mother during Garland’s struggles with addiction. “At 13, I was my mother’s caretaker, a nurse, doctor, pharmacologist, and psychiatrist rolled into one,” she wrote, per PEOPLE. “I lost count of the times I called doctors to say she’d run out of pills. I’d say, ‘I’m a kid! Please fill my mama’s prescription!’”
She also recalled the constant travel of her childhood. “I’ll never forget the day she sat us down and gave Lorna and me a choice; Joey was less than 1 year old,” Minnelli shared. “We could stay in school in Los Angeles. Or we could come on the road with her. We’d be in and out of different hotels, schools (I’d eventually attend 22 of them), and cities. ‘When do we leave?’ we answered in unison.”
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Addiction Struggles And Life Lessons

Minnelli also opened up about her own struggles with substance abuse following her mother’s death. “I cried for eight straight days. Stress and tension overwhelmed me. I was reeling, and a doctor prescribed Valium to help me relax just before the funeral,” she shared. “What began as a one-day blessing soon turned into a habit, then a full-blown case of addiction in the years ahead. It was a final gift, a genetic inheritance from Mama I could not escape.”
She also credited Elizabeth Taylor with urging her to seek help during a difficult period. “I’ll never forget the urgency in her voice and her words, ‘Liza, this disease is going to kill you if you don’t do the right thing,’ she said. ‘Please, no more lies. Look in the mirror and see what we all see. You look like hell, and you feel even worse. You’re not able to do this alone.’”
Minnelli ultimately sought treatment multiple times over the years, including a return to rehab in 2015 after recognizing warning signs in her own behavior.
Entertainment
Michael Imperioli thinks that most “Sopranos” characters would 'probably be Trump supporters'
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“I think that would be one of the big themes if it was made today: the current climate in the U.S. and what they’re doing to immigrants,” the “White Lotus” star speculated.
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