Entertainment
Julianne Moore’s 6 Best Movie Masterpieces, Ranked
Julianne Moore has one of the most dangerous gifts an actor can have. Moore can make emotional exposure feel intelligent. Her characters are rarely simple victims, villains, mothers, lovers, or wives. There is usually something unstable under the surface, something private leaking into public life, and Moore knows exactly how to let that tension show without flattening the person into one clean idea.
That is why this list gets so stacked so fast. Moore fits each world differently, but the charge is always the same. She makes people readable and mysterious at once, which is why her best films keep gaining power the more you sit with them. Other than these six though, Moore has about 70 film credits to her name but these ones win for me.
6
‘The Big Lebowski’ (1998)
The Big Lebowski is usually discussed through the Dude (Jeff Bridges), Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), bowling, ransom confusion, nihilists, and the Coens turning detective fiction into a stoned maze. Then Maude Lebowski (Julianne Moore) drops into the movie and changes the flavor of the whole thing. Moore takes a character who could have been a one-joke eccentric artist and makes her one of the smartest people in the room. Maude understands money, sex, image, inheritance, and the absurd male panic swirling around Bunny Lebowski (Tara Reid)’s disappearance.
What makes Moore so funny here is the absolute seriousness of Maude’s self-presentation. The flying harness, the art-world language, the clipped delivery, the refusal to treat the Dude’s confusion as important; all of it feels ridiculous and completely controlled. She wants a child, wants no romantic mess, and sees the Dude as useful in a way that somehow becomes both cold and hilarious. The movie’s chaos keeps pretending to be masculine, but Maude reads the situation cleaner than almost anyone.
5
‘May December’ (2023)
May December is brutal because it understands how people turn scandal into a story they can survive. Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore) lives with Joe Yoo (Charles Melton), the man she began abusing when he was thirteen, and the film does something very uncomfortable with that history. It keeps the domestic surface calm enough to show how denial becomes routine. The house, the cakes, the kids, the polite conversations, the neighbors, the smiles; everything has been arranged around a lie that everyone knows and still steps around.
Moore’s Gracie is terrifying in ordinary ways. She can sound fragile, sweet, childish, wounded, maternal, and manipulative within the same conversation. Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) arrives to study her for a movie role, and that turns the whole film into a sick mirror game about performance. Gracie has spent years acting as if her version of events is reality. Elizabeth watches, copies, judges, steals, and exposes the rot without becoming morally clean herself. Moore makes Gracie horrifying without turning her into a monster costume. That restraint is what makes the film sting and one of her best.
4
‘Children of Men’ (2006)
Children of Men throws viewers into 2027, where human infertility has pushed the world into despair, authoritarian violence, refugee cages, and dead-end survival. Julian (Julianne Moore) is not in the movie for long, but her absence haunts the whole story. She leads the Fishes, a resistance group fighting inside a collapsing Britain, and she pulls Theo Faron (Clive Owen) back into action through a mission involving Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey), the first pregnant woman in eighteen years.
Julian matters because the movie needs history before it can have hope. She and Theo once had a child, Dylan, and that loss still sits between them. Their car scene has that rare lived-in ache where jokes, resentment, memory, and old love all pass through the same few minutes. Then the ambush hits, and the film rips away the possibility of repair. Children of Men is a masterpiece of chaos and motion, but Julian’s character is the wound that makes the movement mean something and Moore plays it well.
3
‘Magnolia’ (1999)
Linda Partridge (Julianne Moore) could have been swallowed by Magnolia’s enormous ensemble. Paul Thomas Anderson has dying fathers, damaged children, quiz-show ghosts, cops, addicts, gurus, regret, coincidence, and biblical weather all fighting for space. Moore cuts through the noise by making Linda’s guilt feel almost unbearable to watch. She married Earl Partridge (Jason Robards) for money, then somehow ended up loving him near the end of his life, and now that love has arrived too late to feel clean.
Linda’s pharmacy breakdown, not asking for sympathy in some neat way, being furious at the pharmacist, at the prescription, at the judgment she hears under every question, and really at herself for needing mercy after living so selfishly — the complete performance is huge, messy, profane, and spiritually naked. That is exactly what Magnolia needed.
2
‘Far from Heaven’ (2002)
Far from Heaven uses the visual language of 1950s melodrama, but the feelings underneath are savage. Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) has the perfect Hartford home, the successful husband, the polite parties, the beautiful clothes, and the social role everyone around her knows how to read. Then she discovers Frank Whitaker (Dennis Quaid)’s hidden sexuality and forms a forbidden connection with Raymond Deagan (Dennis Haysbert), a Black gardener, and the world around her starts showing its real face.
Moore’s Cathy is heartbreaking because she has been trained to turn suffering into manners. She smiles when she is humiliated. She speaks carefully when her life is falling apart. She tries to be decent in a society that treats decency as a scandal once it crosses race, gender, or sexual boundaries. She has played it all beautifully. She shows beautifully that Cathy is a woman of her time slowly discovering that the life she was promised was built on silence.
1
‘Boogie Nights’ (1997)
Amber Waves (Julianne Moore) is one of Moore’s greatest roles because the character understands the fantasy and the damage at the same time. In Boogie Nights, the porn world around Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds)’s crew sells pleasure, fame, family, and freedom, but everyone inside it is carrying some private rupture. Amber becomes a mother figure to Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) and others on set, yet her own custody battle keeps reminding us that the warmth she gives this chosen family cannot repair the family she has lost.
Moore makes Amber glamorous, wrecked, tender, high, professional, and deeply sad without separating those pieces. Her scenes with Dirk have real affection, but they also expose how badly both people need the illusion they are building together. The courtroom material is crushing because Amber’s past and addiction get turned into evidence against her, and her love for her son has no power inside that system. Boogie Nights is a masterpiece because it sees the party, the comedy, the bodies, the music, and the money, then follows the hurt underneath. Amber is where that hurt becomes impossible to laugh off.
Boogie Nights
- Release Date
-
October 7, 1997
- Runtime
-
155 minutes
- Director
-
Paul Thomas Anderson
- Writers
-
Paul Thomas Anderson
Entertainment
GTA 6 Reportedly Generates $260 Million in Pre-Orders, Could Reach $5 Billion During Launch Week : Coastal House Media
Sony Interactive Entertainment has officially confirmed that it will stop producing physical disc versions of all new PlayStation games beginning in January 2028, marking one of the biggest shifts in the company’s gaming history.
Under the new policy, every PlayStation title released after the January 2028 cutoff will launch exclusively in digital form through the PlayStation Store and participating retailers. Games released before that date will continue to be available on physical media, and existing disc-based games will remain supported.
The announcement reflects the gaming industry’s continued move toward digital distribution, with Sony pointing to changing consumer habits as the driving force behind the decision.
In a statement announcing the transition, Sony said:
“This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.”
The decision applies to both first-party PlayStation Studios releases and third-party games launching on PlayStation platforms after January 2028. While collectors will still be able to purchase physical copies of games released before the deadline, future releases will exist only as digital downloads.
The news has already sparked heated discussion among gamers. Many players have expressed concerns about game preservation, digital ownership, resale value, and the inability to lend or trade games. Others see the move as inevitable, pointing to the steady growth of digital purchases over the past several console generations.
Sony’s announcement also comes shortly after controversy surrounding Grand Theft Auto VI’s physical edition, which ships as a download code rather than a game disc, fueling ongoing debate about the future of physical media in gaming.
Whether welcomed or criticized, Sony’s decision signals the beginning of a new era for PlayStation—one where physical game collections will eventually become a thing of the past for all new releases.
Entertainment
Guy Ritchie Is Officially Outdoing ‘MobLand’ With New Prime Video Crime Thriller Series
2026 has already been an important year in the saga of Guy Ritchie’s career, with more success stories to share and controversies to overcome. Ritchie’s first project of the year, Young Sherlock, was a massive hit on Prime Video despite all episodes being dropped at once as a binge. Prime Video even renewed the show for Season 2, and with cameras already rolling on the sophomore season, it’s all but confirmed that Young Sherlock Season 2 will stream in 2027. Ritchie then returned to the big screen with the release of his latest action movie, In The Grey, but the film struggled to get off the ground at the box office before scurrying to digital platforms. This was despite the star power of Henry Cavill and Jake Gyllenhaal, who had both worked with Ritchie in the past.
One of Ritchie’s biggest shows to emerge in the last few years has been MobLand, the hit Paramount Plus crime thriller starring Tom Hardy and Pierce Brosnan. MobLand is coming back for Season 2 later this year, but Ritchie is moving to Prime Video for a new project sure to please fans’ of the Paramount Plus series. News broke last week that Ritchie is working with Young Sherlock producer Rob Williams to develop a new British crime series, Capital, which will explore the modern-day underbelly of London’s world of organized crime. Prime Video subscribers who refused to venture to Paramount Plus for MobLand need not fret — Ritchie is bringing the MobLand vibe to other services with his new replacement series. Further details such as casting and release information are being kept under wraps for now.
Does Guy Ritchie Have Any Other 2026 Movies?
At the time of writing, Ritchie does not have any more movies coming to theaters before the end of this year. It was thought that his new thriller, Wife and Dog, was hitting theaters in 2026, but the film was recently delayed to February 19, 2027, to give the post-production team extra time to make sure it’s fully polished and ready to go. James Norton, Rosamund Pike, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Anthony Hopkins lead the new film, which is billed as Ritchie’s answer to Succession. It follows a rich family and their quest for power that leads them down paths of betrayal and murder.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Ritchie’s new crime series, Capital, and check out new episodes of MobLand on Paramount Plus.
- Release Date
-
March 30, 2025
- Network
-
Paramount+
- Directors
-
Daniel Syrkin
-
-
Pierce Brosnan
Conrad Harrigan
Entertainment
How Celebrity Beauty Trends Are Shaping Today’s Cosmetic Procedures
Celebrity beauty trends may spark interest for some looking to make a change, but today’s cosmetic patients are looking for results that feel more natural and personalized.
Dr. Waqqas Jalil, a board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Aspect Plastic Surgery in Toronto, shared his thoughts with The Blast on why the “overfilled” aesthetic look is fading, how stars like Kylie Jenner continue to influence requests, and why the future of aesthetics is focused on customized treatments, skin health, and subtle enhancements that help patients look less transformed and more refreshed.

Not long ago, there was a trend of overfilling the face with filler, but that has slowly moved toward a more natural look. Instead of drastic changes, many patients are now seeking more refreshed, natural looking results.
“What we’re seeing among celebrities reflects a broader shift in aesthetic medicine. Patients are increasingly drawn to treatments that offer meaningful results without significant downtime, things like skin quality treatments, subtle volume work, and body contouring that looks natural rather than overdone,” he told The Blast.
“The key difference between a result that reads as ‘refreshed’ versus ‘obvious’ is almost always the planning stage: understanding the patient’s anatomy, proportions, and long-term goals before any treatment begins. When done well, these procedures should enhance someone’s features rather than alter their identity, and that principle applies whether you’re on a red carpet or not.”
Cosmetic Trends The Majority Of Patients Are Currently Asking For

Dr. Jalil said that he sees a consistent “seasonal rhythm” depending on what time of year it is.
From January through March, he often sees requests for “facial refreshes” after the holiday season. Requests for neurotoxin, fillers, peels, and blepharoplasty are the norm.
“As spring comes around, we see a surge of consultations as patients plan to be recovered by summer,” he said. “Summer months favor procedures with shorter recovery or timing that fits vacations, such as liposuction or select breast surgery.”
In the fall and winter, things pick up the pace with larger procedures, such as facelifts, mommy makeovers, and extensive body contouring.
Cosmetic Trends Often Start With Celebrities

When a celebrity posts about a particular treatment or procedure, or reveals in an interview something they’ve done, widespread interest tends to fire up a trend. One example of this is when Kim Kardashian shared her experience with XERF and everyone suddenly wanted to try it out because she raved about her results.
“Celebrity looks often spark widespread interest. A prominent makeover on Instagram or in the press creates buzz and prompts patients to ask, ‘Can I get that?’ Celebrities can introduce techniques and shape preferences, but those looks must be adapted to each patient’s anatomy, goals, and lifestyle,” he explained. “For example, when high-profile figures such as Kylie Jenner publicly discuss breast augmentation, interest in similar procedures rises but her result reflects her unique frame, proportions, and aesthetic goals.”
Dr. Jalil added that many patients will go into the office asking for the exact same thing a celebrity has done, but he has to “translate trends into realistic, individualized plans so patients achieve flattering, natural outcomes rather than attempting a one-size-fits-all copy.”
Setting Realistic Expectations When Deciding On Cosmetic Treatments

One thing Dr. Jalil focuses on is setting realistic expectations. He said he sometimes will even ask the patient to bring in a “wish photo” to help identify the goal.
“I usually take an opposite approach to some and actually encourage patients to bring in ‘wish photos’ or ‘celebrity photos’ to reveal goals and help me gauge realism,” he said. “During a thorough consult, we explain what’s achievable given their anatomy, skin quality, and lifestyle.”
He will also outline any risks, what recovery can look like, and even show some before and after examples. If someone comes in with unrealistic expectations or signs of body dysmorphic disorder, he will recommend a second opinion with a trusted colleague.
A top concern for Dr. Jalil has become DIY procedures or the mentality that there’s a one-size-fits-all thought process thanks to social platforms.
“DIY injections or at-home treatments dangerously underestimate risk, and viral trends ignore individual anatomy and safety,” he shared. “Equally troubling are edited or AI images and selectively staged before and after posts that create unrealistic expectations. Add in toxic fitness culture which celebrates transformations without acknowledging when surgical or medical interventions are involved, and you have a recipe for misinformation that puts patients at risk.”
Laser And Skin Resurfacing Are In Strong Demand

For people who are seeking to dip their toes into the world of cosmetic procedures and treatments and aren’t ready for surgery, Botox, fillers, lasers, and skin resurfacing have become popular options.
“They have strong demand but serve different needs. Injectables are quick, low-downtime solutions for volume and lines,” Jalil said. “Lasers/resurfacing address texture, sun damage, and skin quality long-term. For many patients, especially moms wanting improvement with limited downtime, we combine modalities for superior, natural-looking results.”
Dr. Jalil said that he expects more “combination protocols” such as energy devices plus biologics and targeted surgery alongside lifestyle modifications to continue to rise in popularity. He also expects there to be an increasing interest in procedures that restore pre-pregnancy body shape with natural-looking results.
Whatever a patient decides to do, Dr. Jalil said he advises they chose a qualified, experienced surgeon who will listen to your goals, explain the process and outcome, and build a tailored plan to your particular case.
Entertainment
Toronto Tempo Coach Calls “Protected Species”
Sandy Brondello, the coach of the WNBA’s Toronto Tempo team, has apologized following Angel Reese reacting to her calling her a “protected species.”
RELATED: Internet Users Are Droppin’ Mixed Reactions To Angel Reese’s Recent ‘Fit Check (PHOTOS)
Toronto Tempo Coach Apologizes After
On Saturday, July 18, Sandy Brondello took to X to share an apology directed toward Angel Reese. According to USA Today, Brondello made headlines after her team, the Toronto Tempo, faced off against the Atlanta Dream on the evening of Friday, July 17. Nyara Sabally was reportedly guarding Reese when Reese pushed toward the basket and came into contact with Sabally. Subsequently, Brondello pleaded for a foul to be called on Reese.
“Angel, she’s a protected species. Oh, come on. You can agree. It’s (expletive),” Brondello reportedly said the refs.
Angel Reese sends Sabally to the locker room in pain pic.twitter.com/jhDfvuoTxp
— Angel Reese Truth Teller (@Daxson_12) July 18, 2026
Ultimately, the play was reviewed and called a foul. But officials reportedly declined to upgrade it to a “hostile act.”
“Angel, I’m sorry. Last night, in the emotion of the moment after Nyara’s injury, I used a phrase that I shouldn’t have used, and I take full responsibility for that. My frustration was with the officiating, but my words unfairly put the focus on you,” Brondello initially tweeted before adding. “I also understand that my words carried an impact beyond what I intended, particularly for Black women in our league, and I’m deeply sorry for that. I’ve spent my career competing with, coaching and learning from incredible Black women… I regret that my words caused hurt to a community I respect so deeply. I have a lot of respect for you as both a player and a person, and I sincerely apologize to you, your teammates, and the Dream organization for my comment.”
Angel Reese Reacts To Her Calling Her A “Protected Species”
Hours earlier, on the evening of Friday, July 17, Reese had taken to X to share her reactions to Sandy Brondello’s words. Furthermore, Reese reposted a message that read, “Calling a Black woman a species…”
Then, she added, “ARE WE SURPRISED?! @SBrondello 🤡”
Social Media Reacts To Toronto Tempo Coach Calling Angel Reese A “Protected Species”
Social media users reacted to Toronto Tempo coach Sandy Brondello in TSR’s comment section.
Instagram user @anggdenise wrote, “Only headline I wanna see now should include the word ‘fired’ !!!”
While Instagram user @terenthial added, “What is a protected species?????? Asking for myself”
Instagram user @boognextdoor_ wrote, “We will not accept anything, but termination.”
While Instagram user @peteralexeze added, “‘Protected species’ isn’t a racial term. It’s used in football all the time. Smh.”
Instagram user @jfitts_official wrote, “Take her job . Only reasonable action”
While Instagram user @lovelyyladyyt added, “When they get ‘mad’ ’emotional’ their true feelings always come out…. Chileeeeeeeeeee”
Instagram user @iamanniebcosmo wrote, “Think before you speak 🗣️ -all that apologizing after you see the effect is played out ‼️”
While Instagram user @stanzzayvette added, “I’m over the Angel disrespect. Find something safe to do.”
Instagram user @beautifull.lala wrote, “wtf does that even mean??”
Meanwhile, former WNBA player Monique Currie added:
“Sandy is most definitely sincere in her apology. She’s a good one.”
RELATED: Not Feelin’ It? Internet Users Are Goin’ IN On Angel Reese’s Latest Game-Day ‘Fit Check (VIDEOS)
What Do You Think Roomies?
Entertainment
Zendaya Under Fire For ‘Unethical’ Move To Promote ‘Odyssey’
Zendaya’s carefully curated “The Odyssey” wardrobe has sparked a much larger debate about who should be allowed to wear (and own) ancient cultural artifacts.
The actress wore earrings made from roughly 3,000-year-old Iranian gold medallions during a London photocall for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic. While the jeweler insists the artifacts were mounted without being altered or damaged, critics argue the pieces should be preserved in a museum or returned to Iran rather than worn as celebrity accessories.
Questions surrounding the earrings are further complicated by the Ziwiye hoard itself, a disputed collection whose objects entered the antiquities market without being recovered through a documented archaeological excavation.

Zendaya, who plays the goddess Athena in Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey,” paired the ancient earrings with a flowing white Jacquemus dress selected by her longtime stylist, Law Roach.
According to CNN, the earrings contain gold medallion discs attributed to the first millennium B.C., making them approximately 2,000 to 3,000 years old. The pieces originated in ancient Iran and have been linked to the Ziwiye hoard, a collection of gold, silver, and ivory objects reportedly discovered in the country’s northwestern Kurdistan province during the late 1940s.
London jeweler Glenn Spiro later placed the discs inside an 18-karat yellow gold setting bordered by diamonds. Fine jewelry company Barron London acquired the earrings in 2020 and says they are held in its private collection, not offered for sale.
Barron London Defends The Earrings’ Setting

Barron London stressed that the original medallions were not pierced, reshaped, or permanently altered when they were converted into earrings. The “ancient gold discs are held within a simple, noninvasive claw setting that does not alter or damage the original objects in any way,” the company told CNN.
The jeweler also welcomed conversations about preservation and the earrings’ history. “Cultural heritage rightly inspires important conversations, and we welcome informed dialogue about provenance, preservation and the appreciation of exceptional craftsmanship,” its statement read.
Barron London suggested that displaying the earrings could draw attention to Iran’s artistic history at a time when the country is frequently discussed through the lens of war and political conflict. “We hope these earrings can serve as a reminder of the country’s enduring artistic, cultural and historical legacy,” the jeweler added.
Critics Say The Artifacts Belong In A Museum

The company’s explanation did little to satisfy critics who believe artifacts of that age and cultural significance should not be treated as fashion accessories. “This is unethical,” one user declared, as someone else called the move “disgusting.” “As an archaeology student, I hate this,” another social media user wrote. “They should be in a museum.”
Meanwhile, some Iranian critics argued the underlying issue was not whether Zendaya and Roach handled the earrings carefully, but how the artifacts left Iran and entered a private collection in the first place. “This piece is a part of Iran’s history and cultural heritage, and it should not be in the hands of anyone other than Iran and its people,” one commenter wrote.
Zendaya has not publicly responded to the criticism.
The Ziwiye Hoard Has A Complicated History
Although the medallions are attributed to the Ziwiye hoard, that label does not provide a fully documented ownership history.
The collection was reportedly discovered near Ziwiye in 1947, but the objects were not recovered through a controlled archaeological excavation. According to the Penn Museum, pieces quickly entered the antiquities market after the find and were divided, damaged, or melted down.
As reported by Pakistani Art, archaeologist Oscar White Muscarella later challenged whether every item marketed as part of the Ziwiye hoard actually came from the same location. He noted that the pieces passed through dealers rather than being formally documented at the site. That uncertain history is significant because “attributed to Ziwiye” does not necessarily establish when an individual object left Iran, who initially sold it, or whether its removal complied with the laws in effect at the time.
Objects associated with the treasure are now scattered across private holdings and museum collections, including institutions in New York, London, Paris, and Tehran.
The Timing Intensifies The Backlash

The controversy has also been heightened by the renewed war involving the United States and Iran. More than 3,000 people were reported killed in Iran during the earlier phase of the conflict, according to figures cited by Reuters. Fighting has since resumed, making the appearance of ancient Iranian artifacts on a Hollywood press tour feel especially insensitive to some observers.
“While they’re bombing Iran, mind you,” one TikTok user wrote. Still, there is no indication that Zendaya selected the earrings to make a statement about Iran or knew the full debate surrounding the Ziwiye hoard’s provenance.
Entertainment
Apple TV’s New Anya Taylor-Joy Thriller Has a Dark Real-Life Origin
By now, you’ve probably seen Anya Taylor-Joy in the trailer for Lucky, a new crime thriller miniseries that premiered on Apple TV this week. She plays the titular hero Lucky Armstrong in the story of a heist gone wrong, and the manhunt that follows. The show is based on a novel by Marissa Stapley, but beyond that, it is rooted in a dark real-life story that is close to Stapley’s heart. In an interview with PEOPLE ahead of the premiere, Stapley revealed that her own family suffered a major financial scam when she was a child, and it shapes her worldview to this day. That was a major inspiration for Stapley to write her book, and it comes through in the TV adaptation as well.
Stapley’s novel Lucky was published in 2021, telling the story of a young con artist pursued by both the FBI and organized crime bosses after a botched scam. Her book was a hit, thanks in part to Reese Witherspoon‘s book club, which also led to the screen adaptation. Witherspoon is one of the producers of the series, though Jonathan Tropper and Cassie Pappas are the showrunners. For all of these creators, the guiding star is Stapley’s real-life experience from childhood.
Stapley Lived The ‘Lucky’ Story
The Stapley family’s experience of financial scamming is different from Stapley’s book, not least of all because they lived it from the victim’s side. According to the author, when she was 10 years old her mother was fooled by a couple posing as investors. She ended up trusting them with her entire life’s savings, with no way to seek repayment after they disappeared.
This was a major reason why Stapley became interested in writing a con artist story. She said that she did a lot of research into financial scams, and not just the particular methods — she also researched the psychology of the people who go down this road to make a living. She hoped to better understand the people who took advantage of her mother, and to ultimately reach a place where she could forgive them from a far. She said that her mother was always able to keep the experience in perspective and see the good in the world, in spite of what happened to her.
“I believe most people are redeemable,” Stapley said. “That’s a fact. I think that when you look at someone like Lucky, you realize everybody has a story. And my mom was like that. She was so forgiving.” Stapley’s mother was able to read her book before she passed away from cancer. The author said she is pleased to see the moral complexity of her book translating into this adaptation.
“This show is, in some ways, about what causes people to do the things they do, but also there’s always a way out,” Stapley told PEOPLE. “There’s always a way out, and I think that’s important.” The author later added that she believes Lucky’s biggest obstacle is shame, and she believes that’s true for most people. “I think we should find our better angels and find the best hearts of ourselves,” she said.
‘Lucky’ Will Be On The Run All Summer
Lucky premiered on Wednesday on Apple TV with two episodes. There are five more to go airing every Wednesday through August 19, meaning we’ll be watching Lucky’s progress for the rest of the summer. However, some critics have seen the entire series already, setting the show’s scores early. It has an 81% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 6.9 out of 10. Critics generally felt the show was fun and action-packed, but didn’t feel it delivered on all of its promises in the end.
In addition to Taylor-Joy, Lucky stars Annette Bening, Timoth Olyphant, Clifton Collins Jr., and Aujanue Ellis-Taylor. Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine production company worked with Apple Studios, Tropper Ink, LadyKiller, and J.V.T. Films to bring this story to life, with Taylor-Joy and Stapley serving as producers as well. The show was filmed in Las Vegas and Los Angeles last year.
Lucky faces stiff competition this summer, as the TV lineup is stacked. Apple TV just kicked off Silo Season 3, and Sugar still has four more episodes to air as well. There’s also the new miniseries adaptation of Cape Fear, and Season 5 of Trying, both of which are ongoing week-to-week. It’s a great time for new or lapsed viewers to give Apple TV a try, but it’s a lot to keep up with. Meanwhile, other streamers have some big titles airing right now, and more are on the way.
If Lucky can snag some big ratings in a summer like this, it would be a heist for the ages. The series premiere is streaming now, with new episodes airing on Wednesdays on Apple TV. Stapley’s novel is available now in print, digital, and audiobook formats.
- Release Date
-
July 15, 2026
- Network
-
Apple TV
- Showrunner
-
Jonathan Tropper, Cassie Pappas, Jonathan van Tulleken
- Directors
-
Jet Wilkinson, Jonathan van Tulleken
- Writers
-
Jonathan Tropper, Cassie Pappas, Mark Stasenko, Marissa Stapley
Entertainment
Only 5 Viola Davis Movies Are Perfect From Start to Finish
Some actors can dominate a movie with volume. Viola Davis can do it with a stare that looks like it has already survived the whole argument. She’s a class act. She has the kind of presence that towers above most other actors, even the really good ones. Her best films hit differently.
She never feels like she is chasing the big acting moment. The emotion usually arrives from pressure that has been sitting in the body too long. These five movies show the full force of that. Let’s get into it.
5
‘Prisoners’ (2013)
Prisoners is already a brutal movie before Nancy Birch (Viola Davis) fully understands what has happened. Two little girls vanish on Thanksgiving, and Denis Villeneuve turns the search into a nightmare about grief, faith, rage, and how fast ordinary parents can become strangers to themselves. Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) takes the loudest path into violence, while Franklin Birch (Terrence Howard) is crushed by the moral horror of what Keller starts doing. Davis sits in the most painful middle as Nancy, a mother who wants her daughter back and knows the cost of letting desperation decide everything.
The scene where Nancy realizes Alex Jones (Paul Dano) is being held and tortured is sickening. She is horrified, but she also cannot fully reject the tiny chance that this cruelty might lead to Joy Birch (Kyla-Drew). That is the awful truth Prisoners keeps digging into. Love can become monstrous when fear has no exit. Davis has limited screen time compared to the leads, yet Nancy’s face stays with you because she shows the part of grief that cannot scream anymore. It just sits there, bargaining with God and shame.
4
‘Widows’ (2018)
Widows opens with Veronica Rawlings (Viola Davis) losing her husband Harry Rawlings (Liam Neeson) and discovering that his criminal life has left her with a debt dangerous men expect her to pay. The movie takes a heist setup and fills it with politics, race, marriage, money, police violence, grief, and the ugly math of survival. Veronica’s life has been built partly on comfort, partly on denial, and suddenly every lie around her starts charging interest.
She mourns Harry, hates him, misses him, and slowly accepts that his death has left her no clean version of the truth. The heist crew forms because these women have been boxed in by men who either used them, ignored them, or underestimated them. Veronica’s power comes from how practical she becomes after the shock. No glamour, no cute empowerment speech, no easy healing. Just a woman standing in the wreckage and deciding she will not be buried inside it.
3
‘The Woman King’ (2022)
The Woman King gives Davis the kind of role Hollywood spent decades pretending women like her could not headline. General Nanisca (Viola Davis) leads the Agojie, the all-female warrior unit of Dahomey, and the film builds its action around discipline, sisterhood, trauma, politics, and the fight against enemies outside and inside the kingdom’s future. This could have been hollow warrior-pageant material. It has too much pain in its bones for that.
Nanisca is fierce but that fierceness doesn’t have one mood. Davis shows command in Nanisca, guilt, tenderness, fury, and the exhaustion of someone who has had to become almost untouchable to survive. Her bond with Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) brings the story its deepest wound, especially as Nanisca’s past starts crashing into the woman she has trained herself to be. The action lands because the bodies matter. The rituals matter. The scars matter. Davis makes Nanisca feel like history, myth, and personal trauma all fighting inside one person. When she stands before her warriors, the movie understands exactly what kind of star it has.
2
‘Doubt’ (2008)
This film centers on a Catholic school in 1960s New York, where Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep) suspects Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of abusing Donald Miller (Joseph Foster), the school’s first Black student. Then Mrs. Miller (Viola Davis) arrives, and the whole moral shape of the movie gets harder. She is Donald’s mother, and she has been forced to think about survival in a way Sister Aloysius has not. Doubt gives Davis only one major scene, and it is still one of the clearest proofs of her greatness.
Davis turns that conversation into a full life. Mrs. Miller knows her son is vulnerable. She knows the school may be his best chance. She knows her husband is violent toward him. She also understands that the world is already cruel to a Black boy who may be different. Her choices sound unbearable because they are made inside an unbearable reality. The tears come, but the thinking never stops. That is what destroys you. Mrs. Miller is not confused. She is trapped, and Davis lets every sentence carry the weight of a mother choosing the least damaging path she can see.
1
‘Fences’ (2016)
Fences belongs to August Wilson’s language, to the rhythm of a backyard in 1950s Pittsburgh, and to the long shadow Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) casts over everyone near him. Troy talks, jokes, rages, seduces, lies, and fills space like a man determined to be the center of every room. Rose Maxson (Viola Davis) has spent years loving him, feeding the family, raising Cory Maxson (Jovan Adepo), caring for the home, and making peace with pieces of herself she had to put aside.
Then Troy tells her about Alberta, the affair, and the baby. Davis tears through that moment with the force of someone finally naming what the marriage has cost her. Her “I been standing with you” hits hard because Rose is finally refusing to swallow her pain politely. The performance has love in it, real love, which makes the betrayal worse. Rose’s later decision to raise Raynell Maxson (Saniyya Sidney) is not a weakness. It is her own moral line, separate from Troy’s damage. Davis turns Fences into a record of what women give, what men take for granted, and what dignity looks like after the shouting stops.
Entertainment
Jelly Roll’s Ex Gives Peek at New Home After Finalizing Divorce
Bunnie Xo is getting settled into her lavish new pad on the heels of her divorce from country singer Jelly Roll.
“Matt seeing the new house for the first time,” Bunnie, 46, wrote via Instagram on Friday, July 17, sharing footage of her pal checking out her new digs.
As Bunnie walked Matt through each room, he was admittedly shell-shocked by the sheer size of everything.
“What is this?” he gushed, entering Bunnie’s new closet and “makeup room,” which featured wall-to-wall gray shelving units.
Walking down another hallway, Matt joked the space was “f***ing spooky” yet seemed incredibly “nice.” He further marveled at an outdoor shower, a shoe closet, a “wellness center” that can accommodate 15 guests and a backyard pool.
“This is the craziest s***t I’ve seen in my life,” he quipped to Bunnie. “I feel poor. I am broke. I want a new house.”
Several hours prior, news broke that Bunnie and Jelly Roll, 41, privately settled their divorce earlier this month. The now-exes reportedly agreed to split several luxury items, including an aircraft, cars, homes and intellectual properties. Jelly Roll also allegedly is set to pay Bunnie an undisclosed one-time lump sum payment.
The Grammy winner and Bunnie announced in June that they separated after a decade of marriage — one month after Jelly Roll filed for divorce. Despite the breakup, Jelly Roll and Bunnie continually asserted that they plan to remain cordial.
“Me and my wife are best friends. We will always be best friends. We just got off the phone earlier today,” Jelly Roll said during a concert last month. “Nobody cheated on nobody. She just did a whole podcast about it. You can go watch it. Every word of it is the truth. That will be my best friend forever. This is the only time I will ever speak about it.”
That same day, Bunnie released a bombshell episode of her “Dumb Blonde” podcast to tell her side of the breakup. She repeated Jelly Roll’s statement about their amicable dynamics and revealed they still plan to go through IVF to have a baby together. (Jelly Roll is already a father of two from previous relationships.)
Bunnie eventually pulled her podcast episode from streaming platforms the next week.
“I took it down because I realized I just don’t want one of the hardest moments of my life to become a permanent headline,” she said on the July 10 episode of her podcast. “ don’t want to live in that but I also believe that people deserve the space to heal, to evolve and to move forward. But also, if I’m being real, I don’t want the divorce to become my entire personality. I don’t want to be the poster child for divorce.”
She continued, “That episode served a purpose for me at that time, and it was real, it was honest, and it came from exactly where I was emotionally in that moment. But I’m not in that same place anymore.”
Entertainment
‘The Black Phone’ Secretly Shares a Universe With This Horror Anthology
The first time you watch The Black Phone, you feel like it’s a self-contained universe set in a quiet Denver neighborhood in 1978. It features a masked kidnapper and a scared boy locked in a basement with a phone that shouldn’t work but somehow does. The movie keeps its focus narrow: Finney (Mason Thomas) is trapped while his psychic sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), searches desperately for him. The ghosts of other victims speak impossibly through the phone’s receiver, each one offering a small piece of advice that might help the next kid survive.
The film concludes with that story feeling complete—the Grabber(Ethan Hawke) is gone, Finney walks back into the daylight, and Gwen’s strange dreams finally make sense. But a few years later, director Scott Derrickson subtly expanded that world. Not through a sequel or a post-credit tease. Instead, the connection shows up in a segment of the horror anthology V/H/S/85. Once you notice it, the universe around The Black Phone suddenly extends far beyond that one basement.
Gwen’s Dreams Always Felt Like Something Larger
Part of what makes The Black Phone live rent-free in the back of your mind is how Gwen’s visions behave. She dreams of things she shouldn’t know: houses she’s never seen, balloons drifting through empty streets, and even a patch of dirt that feels wrong the moment she looks at it.
But those dreams help guide the police to the graves of The Grabber’s victims. They also bring Gwen closer to the truth about where her brother is being held, providing vital clues needed in the mystery. The film allows her abilities to unfold in the background without turning into a lecture on psychic powers or falling into sci-fi action territory. Her father, Terence’s (Jeremy Davies), reaction adds an emotional layer to the story.
He remembers what happened to his wife. She had the same visions, and eventually they overwhelmed her life. This turned him into a grieving, alcoholic, and physically abusive father, suffering from PTSD after witnessing the trauma of his late wife. Every time Gwen talks about another dream, Dad senses the same danger creeping back into the family, and it just feels completely unsettling.
“Dreamkill” Brings the Same Power Back Years Later
In the anthology V/H/S/85, Derrickson’s segment “Dreamkill” follows Detective Wayne Johnson (Freddy Rodríguez). He’s investigating a series of brutal murders that seem strangely familiar because he has already seen them happen on mysterious videotapes sent to him in advance. And the tapes keep getting delivered to him.
The footage is taken from a killer’s point of view and gets traced back to Goth teenage Gunther (Dashiell Derrickson), who dreams of the murders, and they somehow end up on a VHS tape. His father, Bobby (James Ransone), explains that psychic powers run in the family, including a cousin who had once dreamed about her kidnapped brother.
Detective Wayne spends most of the story chasing down whoever keeps mailing him the tapes. That trail eventually leads him to Gunther, who swears he has nothing to do with the killings, only dreaming about them. He can’t even explain how the scenes end up on the VHS tapes. As Wayne gets closer to the truth, things quickly spiral out of control as the source of the dreams is revealed, ending in tragedy.
A Family Connection Hiding in Plain Sight
Gunther’s father describes a pattern of psychic visions that extends through several relatives. Some family members have learned to live with their dreams, while others struggle under their weight. One woman in the family eventually lost her life after being overwhelmed by the visions. Then he casually mentions the two relatives who once had to use dreams to rescue one of them, a kidnapping victim.
The details pass quickly, but the meaning remains clear to anyone who remembers The Black Phone. The niece and nephew Bobby mentions are Gwen and Finney, and Gunther is their cousin. The strange dreams that led Gwen toward her brother come from the same bloodline.
Suddenly, the story in Denver looks substantially different and is taking up a broader scope. Gwen’s ability was never a random gift that appeared when the plot needed help. It belongs to a family that has been dealing with the same visions for years, making the world feel so much bigger.
The V/H/S World Makes the Crossover Feel Natural
The V/H/S franchise already thrives on chaotic supernatural storytelling. Each film collects strange recordings and presents them in an anthology format. Each tape reveals a different nightmare lurking somewhere in the world. Some stories involve cults and demons, while others explore aliens, monsters, or strange experiments.
Fans often describe the franchise as a vast horror sandbox where almost every nightmare you can imagine appears in one of those tapes. The format allows filmmakers to explore any corner of the genre they want without worrying too much about connecting everything cohesively. Try to think of the Amicus anthologies from the 1970s, but hopped up on acid. That loose framework provides Derrickson with an ideal setting to develop the mythology of The Black Phone.
The psychic dreams that once guided Gwen now exist in a world already filled with supernatural chaos. It subtly alters the story’s importance. Finney’s escape still matters, and The Grabber remains a terrifying figure in that neighborhood. However, the strange ability that helped save him now connects to a much broader and darker family history. Somewhere out there, another kid is already dreaming up the next nightmare before it even occurs.
- Release Date
-
June 16, 2022
- Runtime
-
103 minutes
- Director
-
Scott Derrickson
- Writers
-
Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill
- Producers
-
Jason Blum, C. Robert Cargill, Scott Derrickson
Entertainment
The Ultimatum Season 4 Couples: Who Is Still Together?
The Ultimatum is centered around established couples fighting for their relationships — but is everyone still together or have some broken up?
Netflix’s hit series follows real-life couples who enter “trial” marriages with a new partner before deciding whether they’re ready to get engaged to their original connection. After finding success, The Ultimatum returned for season 4 in July 2026 with plenty of drama, surprise exits and potential splits.
Hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey previously teased how The Ultimatum compares to other reality success stories including Love Is Blind.
“It’s gonna sound weird,” Nick told USA Today in 2022. “But the stakes almost feel a little higher in Ultimatum because these are people who have been together for a period of time.”
He continued: “The emotional anxiety in the room was palpable, like you could feel it, it was an emotional roller coaster. And we were on it.”
Vanessa, meanwhile, recalled how she and Nick were a lot “more vulnerable” with this cast.
“We were more open with them,” she said. “There were multiple dinners where we sat down and had a glass of wine with them and were just talking about the process and what we’ve experienced in our lives.”
Scroll down to find out whether your favorite The Ultimatum couple is still together:
Edris Khalieque and Jessica Grace Booker
The couple got engaged early on in the experiment after Edris got jealous of Jessica Grace exploring new connections.
Killian Grondin and Ashley Wilson
Despite getting into multiple heated fights on the show, Killian and Ashley are currently still together on the show.
Luke Wesselhoff and Monica Payne
The pair were involved in trial marriages — but still found their way back to each other.
David Atkinson and Casey Douglass
After being paired off with other people, David and Casey appeared to remain together on screen.
Blake Robertson and Hayley Hendrich
While the duo are often at odds, they have remained by each other’s side so far.
Alex Johnsen and Jebin John
The pair became the first in franchise history to be kicked off the show after Jebin passed a secret letter, which broke rules against off camera communication.
-
NewsBeat2 days agoLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan handed a peerage by Keir Starmer alongside 15 other Labour figures… just days before the PM leaves No10
-
Fashion1 day agoWeekend Open Thread – Corporette.com
-
Politics11 hours agoThe House | The City of London can help the new chancellor deliver growth in every postcode
-
Crypto World3 days agoCFTC blocks Kalshi from unwinding Michigan trades after court order
-
Politics3 days agoYoung campaigners urge incoming PM to act on outdoor junk food ads
-
Business3 days agoNvidia Stock Slips After Big Tuesday Rally as Huang Confirms Vera Rubin Chip Is Now in Production Today
-
Crypto World11 hours agoRipple Payments Joins MiCA With 14 Firms, Does It Mean Anything For XRP?
-
Entertainment3 days agoDisney’s Most Ambitious Failed Star Wars Attraction Is Coming to SDCC
-
Crypto World24 hours agoRipple wins EU-wide access as ESMA adds it to MiCA register
-
Business3 days agoPalantir Shares Rise After Expanded Nvidia Partnership and Fresh Analyst Upgrades Ahead of Earnings Day
-
Crypto World2 days agoInjective Submits SEC Transfer-Agent Registration to Onchain Ownership Records
-
Tech5 days agoGet Your ESP32 Sunny Side Up With This Solar Dev Board
-
News Videos4 days agoXRP BOMBSHELL… XRP OMBOARDED FOR TRANSACTIONS!!!
-
Tech4 days agoDark Secrets Emerge When Jailbreaking LLMs
-
NewsBeat1 day agoRegistration is now open for March for Men with Kev 2026
-
Sports3 days agoNew Cornerback Enters Vikings Trade Rumor Mill
-
News Videos2 days agoMoney | Class 12 Economics | CBSE Board Exam 2026-27
-
Business2 days agoBanco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (BBVA) Discusses Global Macro Environment and Economic Outlook for Core Markets Transcript
-
Tech5 days agoCloudflare Precursor Watches Your Mouse and Keyboard To Decide If You Are Human
-
NewsBeat17 hours agoDurham County Council to send out electoral registration emails






You must be logged in to post a comment Login