This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Martin Scorsese doesn’t usually seem too concerned with making traditionally entertaining films, or at least that’s not often the priority. Movies like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull are essential and masterful, not to mention compelling as dramas, but crowd-pleasers they’re not. You probably wouldn’t stick them on at any point, or recommend them to absolutely everyone, and the same goes for later (and also excellent) films Scorsese directed, like The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon.

These movies are dark and oftentimes emotionally/psychologically intense, but still, Scorsese has made some genuinely entertaining movies. A few of those entertaining movies have also been dark, to some extent, yet they have qualities that make them a bit easier to recommend, since they’re not exclusively downbeat and/or harrowing affairs. If you’ve somehow never seen a Martin Scorsese film, then these generally entertaining and approachable ones would make for good places to start.

8

‘The Color of Money’ (1986)

Image via Touchstone Pictures

The Color of Money sometimes gets looked down upon a little unfairly, being reduced to “that movie that let the Oscars give Paul Newman his sympathy Academy Award.” Sure, he probably should’ve won earlier than 1986, but Newman is still great here, and The Color of Money works surprisingly well as a sequel to The Hustler, even if that film might not have seemed like one that really needed a follow-up.

Tom Cruise also gives one of his best early-career performances here, and his dynamic with Newman’s character makes The Color of Money work well as a sports-centered buddy movie of sorts. There are beats hit that you’d expect to be hit, so it’s not really unpredictable or all that surprising, but Scorsese going through the motions is still incredibly engaging to watch (the same can be said about Francis Ford Coppola doing something like The Outsiders, which has maybe come to this writer’s mind because a young Tom Cruise was also in that one).

7

‘Cape Fear’ (1990)

Image via Universal Pictures

Cape Fear is the closest Scorsese has come to making a horror movie, though it’s more definable as a thriller, and an overall approachable one, at least by Scorsese’s standards. There is an intensity here alongside sometimes grisly violence, but it’s also broad and not that complicated, really. There’s a recently freed criminal who blames his lawyer for the time he spent in prison, and said criminal sets about making life hell for his old lawyer.

That’s all there is, and things escalate in ways that become increasingly intense and, eventually, horrific. Cape Fear works well in large part thanks to Robert De Niro hamming it up as the villain, Max Cady, but Scorsese’s direction also goes a long way to making Cape Fear feel lively and overall worthwhile as a remake of the 1962 film of the same name (which, it should be added, still holds up pretty well).

6

‘Gangs of New York’ (2002)

Image via Miramax Films

While it isn’t Martin Scorsese’s longest gangster film, Gangs of New York is perhaps his most ambitious, since it’s a film done on a massive scale as far as the technical and production side of things is concerned. It takes place largely in the 1860s, and brings to life a very different-looking New York City than the one Scorsese has more often depicted in his movies (it is his favorite city, after all, and few filmmakers seem to like it as much as he does).

So, there’s more than just a revenge story to Gangs of New York, but that’s what drives it for the most part, with various other threads going on at the same time, sometimes in the background. It’s huge, and almost too big, but the core of it’s more compelling than some give it credit for, and since it’s maximalist, you never really run out of things to look at or be impressed by, so all that goes a long way toward keeping Gangs of New York very entertaining throughout.

5

‘The King of Comedy’ (1982)

Image via 20th Century Studios

If you count The King of Comedy as a comedy, then it’s one of the more uncomfortable ones out there, alongside another ‘80s film by Scorsese that’ll be mentioned about 120 words from now. It is about stand-up comedy, in a sense, or, more accurately, someone who isn’t very funny at all, yet being recognized as a comedian is what he wants more than anything else.

He’s also dangerously obsessed with a late-night talk-show host, and there’s a huge amount of discomfort that comes about from his attempts to get close to this established entertainer. Or, if you don’t mind dark humor, then this escalating awkwardness in The King of Comedy might be funny to you, when it’s not working surprisingly well as a psychological drama/thriller; one that’s really not a whole lot easier to watch, at times, than Taxi Driver. The two would make for an interesting double feature, that’s for sure.

4

‘After Hours’ (1985)

Image via The Geffen Company

Advertisement

Martin Scorsese didn’t get the discomfort and dark comedy itch out of his system with The King of Comedy, so he made After Hours not long after. It leans into borderline-horror territory at points, owing to the dreamlike logic throughout, with the narrative centering on a man having a terrible night that sees him getting lost in New York City after an attempt at having what was supposed to be a simple first date.

That might make it sound like an anxious sort of romance film, but romance is not really on this movie’s mind once you get past the set-up. Still, After Hours is weirdly fun, even with it being kind of nightmarish and confounding at times. Somehow, the broadly comedic tone and all the messed-up things that are shown to happen to this unfortunate central character sit peacefully, side-by-side, with the chaos also, though it might sound contradictory, feeling well-controlled (could be chalked up to typically great direction, with this being a Scorsese film and all).

3

‘The Departed’ (2006)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Advertisement

Alongside Cape Fear, The Departed shows Martin Scorsese generally knows what he’s doing when he helms a remake, since The Departed is just as good as Infernal Affairs (2002). It expands and maybe simplifies a few things, yet it retains the tension and undeniable entertainment value that Infernal Affairs had… well, entertaining as thrillers. Perhaps they’re fun to watch if you don’t mind feeling a bit on edge the whole time.

Unease and tension are unavoidable when the two main characters are trying to deceive pretty much everyone around them, all the while trying to uncover the other, since they’ve both gone undercover on different sides of the law. So, The Departed is a cat-and-mouse thriller, but about as good as such movies come, and it’s impressive how entertaining it stays across a fairly long runtime (here, 151 minutes feels more like 100, if that).

2

‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ (2013)

Some people misinterpret The Wolf of Wall Street, but even if you’re not among those people, there’s still a lot here that’s entertaining, and by design. Part of this film wants you to feel swept up in the lavish lifestyle that Jordan Belfort and many of his associates live, since you have to understand the appeal, and The Wolf of Wall Street has fun for quite a lot of the time when its characters are also having fun.

It’s far from exclusively a party film, though, because there is something of a downfall, but not as directly as typical rise-and-fall crime movies. The Wolf of Wall Street very much wants you, right near the film’s end, as a viewer, to reflect on how you felt throughout the movie, even if doing so feels kind of troubling and uncomfortable. Scorsese has it both ways, making something that’s equal parts fun and thought-provoking, and doing so without those two things contradicting each other.

1

‘Goodfellas’ (1990)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Of course it’s going to be Goodfellas here, in the #1 spot, since this is about as iconic as gangster movies get, and it’s also one of the most thrilling films of its time, or maybe even all time. It’s about Henry Hill, who’s a low-level associate of the mob, and he goes through a bit of a rise and then something of a fall, much like many movie gangsters before him, but it’s all done in a manner that feels a bit more realistic than usual.

Okay, it’s based on a real-life person and story, so that makes sense, but even then, it’s admirable how Goodfellas sugarcoats and romanticizes basically nothing. Yet it’s not realistic in a purely soul-crushing way, since Goodfellas is also a blast and very much stylish, so it’s an honestly perfect marriage. In other words, it’s pretty much everything you could want out of a crime drama.

Advertisement

Goodfellas

Advertisement

Release Date

September 19, 1990

Runtime

145 minutes

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

The Way Home started out as a simple story of three generations of women connecting and reconnecting with one another decades after the two tragedies that ruptured their family. It became one of the most interesting time travel shows on television, slowly unraveling a complex and detailed story over the course of its first three seasons. Each one of these seasons balanced between a focus on the present-day timeline and one of the past timelines, whether that be 1999, 1814, or 1974.

As the final season of The Way Home, Season 4 has the difficult task of solving the show’s remaining mysteries and tying up all of the loose ends throughout the show’s various timelines. After watching the two episodes provided for review, it’s clear that The Way Home knows where it’s going with its final season, and the show is on track to stick the landing with what is shaping up to be a strong conclusion.

What Is ‘The Way Home’ Season 4 About?

Last season of The Way Home ended with the shocking reveal that when he was a baby, Elliot’s (Evan Williams) mother, Tessa (Hannah Storey), left him in a basket by the pond and then jumped in with a Landry. This season is centered on the mystery of Tessa, including who she was, why she left, and with which Landry she jumped through the pond. The season starts with a brief scene that picks up immediately after the end of Season 3, in which Kat (Chyler Leigh), Elliot, and Alice (Sadie Laflamme-Snow) all jump through the pond and travel back to the moment when Tessa left baby Elliot by the pond. Witnessing this day gives Elliot answers that he didn’t want, and he shuts down the investigation into his mother’s past for the next seven months.

Seven months later, Jacob (Spencer MacPherson) is gone (this time in the present day), and he is living in Toronto. He says that he’s there to get a fresh start away from home, but the letters clearly scared him, and he isn’t staying in contact with his family. Meanwhile, back in Port Haven, Alice is graduating from high school and getting ready to enjoy one last summer at home before leaving for college in New York. She and Noah (Alexander Eling) are back together and going strong, but there are still clearly unresolved feelings between Alice and Max (Dale Whibley). Del (Andie MacDowell) is missing Jacob and scared of losing her family, with Alice about to leave for college and Kat about to get engaged to Elliot. Things are solid with her and Sam (Rob Stewart), but he still hasn’t told her that he knows about the pond.

Kat is not ready to say goodbye to Alice, but otherwise, she’s finally at a good place in her life. She and Elliot have gotten to a steady place in their relationship, and now she’s just waiting for him to propose, which he’s planning to do at the end of the summer. She has been secretly trying to time travel again since the ice on the pond melted, but the pond won’t take her back in time. Kat believes that all the answers about Tessa are in 1925, where she knows that she will eventually go back in time and meet a young Fern (Biancha Melchior). The main events of the season kick off when Kat and Alice finally start time traveling again, with Kat going to 1925 to meet Fern and search for Tessa, and Alice winding up in 1976 with a newly-married Evelyn Goodwin (Devin Cecchetto).

‘The Way Home’ Season 4 Expertly Juggles Multiple Major Mysteries

Image via Hallmark Channel

Like every season of The Way Home, Season 4 starts off a little slow, focusing on the emotional conflict of the present. Elliot still hasn’t learned his lesson, and he’s too focused on getting the perfect moment for his proposal, even as Kat grows impatient and insecure from the waiting. Jacob is barely in the season so far, and it’s a loss that takes a toll on both the characters and the show. Where The Way Home Season 4 really hits its stride, though, is when Kat and Alice start time-traveling again. The heart of this show has always been the three Landry / Dhawan women at its center, and the season really gets exciting once it starts to follow their journeys as connected to the pond. In the present day, Del struggles with keeping major secrets from Kat, Alice, and Elliot that might help their search. In 1925, Kat searches for Tessa and meets a young Fern, in the days leading up to an explosion in the Lingermore tunnels where one person died.

So far, Season 4’s most compelling storyline is the one that sees Alice traveling back to the ’70s. Laflamme-Snow, Cecchetto, and Jordan Doww are magnetic together, and it’s very exciting and touching to see their little friend group reunite after two years. At the same time, it’s also unsettling, as The Way Home has always made it clear that Evelyn’s marriage to Lewis’ (Philip Riccio) father was not a good one. Alice doesn’t yet understand why the pond wants her to be in this point in time, especially while Del (Julia Tomasone) is away visiting her parents, but it seems that the answer lies in both Evelyn and Colton. There’s also an excellent dynamic between Leigh and Melchior, and after seeing Kat get a bit lost in her relationship with Elliot, it’s fun to watch her gain her confidence and boldness back while searching for answers in the past. MacDowell also excels as Del this season, as she struggles with keeping secrets that will inevitably become explosive when they get out, bringing a nuance to Del’s choices.

‘The Way Home’ Season 4 Is at Its Strongest When It Focuses on Its Leading Ladies

Image via Hallmark Channel

It’s still early in the season, so there’s no telling which characters (and from which periods in time) will make a return. Still, it’s hard not to feel the loss of some of the show’s best characters, including Jacob. Elliot may be at the center of this season’s central mystery, but the season is at its weakest when it focuses on him instead of on the Landry / Dhawan women. Kat and Elliot are in it for the long-haul now, and The Way Home Season 4 does suffer a bit from their now-solid relationship. Since their breakup, Kat has been putting her own interests and wants aside to focus on Elliot’s, while Elliot continues to go in circles in a way that makes it frustrating whenever his screentime takes focus away from Kat, Del, and Alice.

Each of the Landry women has a really compelling arc this season — that is, when Kat is given the chance to have her own storylines outside of Elliot. Del is scared of losing both Kat and Alice when Alice goes off to college, and in her fear of all these upcoming changes, she debates whether to open up about long-held family secrets. Alice is struggling with self-doubt and indecision, and through going back to her friends in the ’70s, she starts to become sure of herself again. Kat, meanwhile, has a much less interesting arc so far this season in the present day. Whereas the past two seasons saw Kat fighting to protect her loved ones in the 1800s, now, she’s mostly focused on Elliot and learning about his past. Where her storyline gets interesting is when the show separates her from him and allows her to build a friendship with her great-grandmother in 1925. The first two episodes of The Way Home Season 4 are a little clunky, but they’re very entertaining, and they instill faith that the show will be able to stick the landing with its biggest mysteries.

The Way Home airs Sundays at 9:00 P.M. EST.

Advertisement

Release Date

2023 – 2026-00-00

Advertisement

Network

Hallmark Channel

Advertisement

Directors

Grant Harvey, Shamim Sarif, Norma Bailey, John Fawcett, Michelle Latimer

Writers

Advertisement

Heather Conkie, Alexandra Clarke, Marly Reed, Michael Hanley, Masooma Hussain

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Pros & Cons

• This season gives compelling storylines to Kat, Del, and Alice that see the three of them revisiting the past while preparing for major changes.
• This season continues to unravel the show’s central mysteries with intention, setting up some massive reveals.

• The season feels a bit disjointed at times, as it struggles to find its focus when it strays from the Landry family.

Advertisement

Summer House alum Lexi Wood thinks both Amanda Batula and Ciara Miller are out of West Wilson’s league.

Approached by TMZ in Los Angeles on Friday, April 17, Lexi, 28, was asked to weigh in on Amanda and West’s controversial relationship.

“Look, my unsolicited advice would be dating outside that Summer House —  [it’s] much better!” she told the outlet, emphasizing it was just “my opinion.”

Lexi added that she thought West, 31, was punching above his weight by striking up a romance with Amanda, 34, — and that Ciara has better dating prospects now that she’s left him behind.

“I think the girls are better than the guys in that house, I think we all know that,” she said, before doubling down on her advice to the women to start “dating not in the house.”

Amid all the drama caused by Amanda and West’s blossoming romance, Lexi said that she hoped their relationship goes the distance to make all the pain for the people around them worth it.

“Honestly, one part of me hopes that they do last if they’re going to cause all of this chaos in the friendship and ruin friendships and longstanding relationships,” she told TMZ. 

Lexi continued, “A part of me kind of does hope that they take it the long haul, but look I think Amanda should find a really great guy, not another party boy and I think Ciara knows she’s going to be better off anyway.”

In March, Amanda and West addressed speculation surrounding their relationship after Amanda’s split from Kyle Cooke.

“We’ve seen the growing online speculation, so while this is still very new, we wanted to provide some clarity,” they wrote via a joint Instagram statement posted on March 31. “It was never our intention to purposely hide anything. Given the complicated relationship dynamics involved and the scrutiny that comes with being on a reality show, we needed a little space to process things privately before speaking on it.”

Related: Amanda Batula Said West Wasn’t ‘Marriage Material’ for Ciara Before Romance

Advertisement

Amanda Batula appeared to be adhering to “girl code” after Ciara Miller split from West Wilson — just months before Amanda confirmed she was dating West. Amanda, 34, exclusively told Us Weekly in January that she didn’t think West, 31, was “marriage material” — at least not for Ciara, 30. When asked whether West or […]

The statement continued: “We’ve shown up for each other as friends over the years, through all the highs and lows, and what’s developed recently was the last thing either of us expected. Our connection grew out of a genuine, longstanding friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care.”

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Advertisement

Ciara, who was friends with Amanda and dated West in 2023, broke her silence on the relationship via an interview with Glamour.

“It’s one thing to experience hurt behind closed doors,” Ciara, 30, told the outlet on Friday. “To experience it so publicly is like another layer, and then to have to see what you thought was your life still play out in season 10. It’s a major mindf***.”

Meanwhile, Amanda and West were spotted packing on the PDA on a Kiss Cam at a Yankees game in New York on the same day.

After the death of John Wayne in the late ’70s, the Western genre was never the same. Clint Eastwood was moving away from the horse opera himself, only making Pale Rider in the ’80s, and with its popularity having waned after the failure of Heaven’s Gate, the Western was no longer in the saddle as Hollywood’s biggest moneymaker. Nevertheless, the genre persevered throughout the 1980s, and although they’ve been largely forgotten, there are several Western movies worth revisiting.

From biopics and adventure movies to Western tales from down under, these ’80s Westerns may not be Silverado or Young Guns, but they’re certainly worth their salt. If you’re looking for a night in as you travel back to the Old West, give these Westerns a try. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your next favorite?

5

‘Barbarosa’ (1982)

Image via Universal Pictures

Willie Nelson and Gary Busey are probably not a duo that you would come to expect to see on the screen together, but when you toss them into the Western genre, it somehow just makes sense. Barbarosa follows a young farm boy (Busey) as he finds himself paired with the title outlaw (Nelson) in an adventure that puts them both on the run. If you’ve never seen this picture before, here’s your sign to give it a shot. With a quick 90-minute runtime, Barbarosa makes for a great evening watch for those looking for some solid Western fare.

From Australian director Fred Schepisi, Barbarosa is a buddy comedy with great characters played by an unlikely pair with phenomenal on-screen chemistry. If not for the fact that it’s a bit unconventional at times, it’s the Nelson and Busey team-up that makes this horse opera special. As far as revenge Westerns go, it’s among the most entertaining, even if it is a bit outlandish at times.

4

‘Tom Horn’ (1980)

Image via Warner Bros.

You’ve seen him as Josh Randall on Wanted: Dead or Alive and as part of an ensemble in The Magnificent Seven, but Steve McQueen once again reminds us he can command a Western all on his own with Tom Horn. Playing the famed mountain man of the same name, McQueen wrestles with his own mortality in high fashion as he wanders the American West. An older McQueen offers a more nuanced performance than we’re used to from the “King of Cool,” and as his penultimate film appearance it stands out as among his best.

As the sun was fading on McQueen’s own life and career, so too is the case of Tom Horn, and the parallels between them are staggering. Directed by William Wiard in his only feature film production, Tom Horn is an intimate portrayal of how the hardened career of a longtime cowboy ultimately plays out — and considering it was based on the real-life Horn’s own firsthand accounts, there’s a lot of great material to chew on. As McQueen’s swan song to the Western genre, Tom Horn is not a film to be forgotten or ignored.

3

‘The Man From Snowy River’ (1982)

Image via 20th Century Studios

Moving from the Old West to a land Down Under, The Man From Snowy River is a familiar Western tale that trades the typical Rocky Mountains in America for the “Snowies” of Australia. Directed by George T. Miller (who is not to be confused with Mad Max director George Miller), the picture follows young Jim Craig (Tom Burlinson) as he fights to make a name for himself while coming of age in the wilderness. As one of the most underrated Western movies out there, don’t let the international setting fool you — this picture feels about as traditional as it gets.

Even better, Western legend Kirk Douglas plays dual roles as estranged brothers, Harrison and Spur, each of whom plays a direct part in Jim’s story. Based on the popular Australian poem of the same name, The Man From Snowy River is a brilliant coming-of-age style and the immaculate scenery on display in Australia’s High Country. It’s also full of fine romance and expert horsemanship that one cannot help but get swept away in as the drama unfolds. It’s a great story, one made even greater by Douglas’ fine performances.

2

‘Billy the Kid’ (1989)

Image via TNT

Okay, Billy the Kid is technically a made-for-TV movie that some may consider more on the B-picture side of things, but considering it was Val Kilmer‘s first foray into the Western genre, it deserves a spot here. Several years before he would decide to tackle the story of Doc Holliday in Tombstone, Kilmer played the wide-eyed outlaw who took Lincoln County by storm. Covering the famed conflict between the Tunstall and Murphy-Dolan factions of the “Lincoln County War,” William H. Bonney (Kilmer) finds himself caught right in the middle.

Written by Gore Vidal and directed by William Graham, Billy the Kid had the unfortunate happenstance of airing on TNT only a year after Young Guns solidified Emilo Estevez as the care-free gunslinger. But even if Billy the Kid doesn’t quite live up to those high standards, Kilmer nails the role by perfectly embodying the youthful charm that “The Kid” was most famous for. If not simply to see Kilmer in another Western production, there’s no reason that you shouldn’t give Billy the Kid a go — it’s only 96 minutes.

1

‘Walker’ (1987)

Image via Universal

Not to be confused with the Chuck Norris series Walker, Texas Ranger, this 1987 Western featured a young Ed Harris as the real-life William Walker, a man who in the 1850s fought to make himself the leader of Nicaragua. Harris is enrapturing as Walker, and the film’s interesting (if not somewhat unsettling) satirical take on the true story — not to mention American imperialism at large — is what sets Walker apart as quite unique compared to most Westerns at the time. But that’s not even the strangest part.

Walker could technically be considered a “Weird Western” for the surreal way that the picture ends. Director Alex Cox pushed every single boundary that one might construct for a typical historical biopic to turn Walker into a strange social commentary on United States foreign policy. Although Roger Ebert hated the final product, many consider Walker to be a fascinating feature that defies expectation and forces the audience to consider the past in light of our present. Whether you agree with those results, Harris is great.

Advertisement

Walker

Advertisement

Release Date

December 4, 1987

Runtime

94 Minutes

Advertisement

Director

Alex Cox

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a seismic moment in Hollywood. It confirmed that fantasy films, too often relegated to the fringes, could be a draw for audiences and set the stage for interconnected storytelling that has influenced today’s world of cinematic universes. Filming a massive trilogy of films exceeding three hours in length was a major gamble for New Line Cinema, but Jackson pulled it off.

The Lord of the Rings also proved that quality didn’t have to be sacrificed in order to achieve box office success. Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved novels respected the books’ intricate storylines and character arcs, and seamlessly blended practical effects with digital technology. It was an exciting trilogy, made with life and care, and it set the stage for more stories to come, both in Jackson’s adaptation of The Hobbit and future films from Andy Serkis and screenwriter Stephen Colbert. Each film in the original trilogy was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, with The Return of the King sweeping the 2004 Oscars to take home 11 trophies, including Best Picture and Best Director.

It’s hard to think of a more important set of films in Hollywood – but it’s not impossible. While the number is low, three films have arguably made a larger impact, fusing quality, innovation, and creativity to deliver a set of films that not only captivated audiences but changed the landscape of film making for entire generations. Like The Lord of the Rings, the impact of these films is still being felt, and stories are still unfolding in several of these cinematic universes.

3

‘Toy Story’ 1-3 (the Andy trilogy)

Image via Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Technically, there are five Toy Story movies, with the fifth slated to arrive in June 2026. But there’s a clear line between the first three films, all of which revolve around the toys’ relationship with their growing child, Andy, and the Bonnie-centric later films. While there’s no such thing as a bad Toy Story movie, there’s something special about that first trilogy, which set a high bar for family films.

On its own, Toy Story is one of the most important movies ever made. When it was released in November 1995, it was the first completely computer-animated feature. Coming at a time when most animated films were musical fairy tales, the buddy comedy’s wit and cast of A-list stars marked a change in what would define animated films decades to come. It was so good that while a sequel was inevitable, many believed there was no way a second adventure with Buzz, Woody and company could capture the magic of the first. And Toy Story 2 had a rough production, it became one of the few sequels to surpass its predecessor, particularly by plucking at the heartstrings with Jessie’s “When Somebody Loved Me” ballad. Twelve years later, Toy Story 3 brought Andy’s story to a close with a goodbye that left few dry eyes among those who had grown up with the series.

The Toy Story films shaped the future of family movies. Computer-generated animation quickly replaced traditional hand-drawn films. Where a popular star might once have played a supporting role in an animated movie, such as Robin Williams in Aladdin, animated casts would soon become stacked with major stars, while Broadway-style songs gave way to rapid-fire jokes. Without Toy Story, there is no Shrek or the rest of Pixar’s library. And pre-Toy Story, animated films didn’t often do sequels; the success of the franchise proved audiences would return to see their favorite cartoon characters, and they could be spread out far enough to capture new generations.

But the trilogy also proved that animated films could do more than entertain children. With sly jokes and a healthy dose of toy-based nostalgia, the films catered just as much to adults as to younger audiences. And by constantly returning to themes of mortality, aging, friendship and parenting, they tapped into very adult emotions, paving the way for animation to take more storytelling and thematic risks. By spreading the story over more than 15 years, the trilogy also allowed audiences to grow up with Andy, priming them for the heartbreaking moment when he had to say goodbye to Woody and the Roundup Gang. Toy Story proved animation was not disposable; it could captivate audiences of all ages and be just as emotional and gripping as any live-action movie.

2

‘The Godfather’ Trilogy

Image via Paramount Pictures

Advertisement

What is cinema without The Godfather? Had the adaptation of Mario Puzo’s best-seller not been so critically and commercially beloved, the landscape of movies could have forever changed. It gave Francis Ford Coppola and Al Pacino their first big successes, and resurrected the career of Marlon Brando. More importantly, it proved that art and entertainment weren’t mutually exclusive. Upon release, The Godfather was a smash hit that would become the highest-grossing film of all time. It was also critically adored, and took home the Oscar for Best Picture. It’s an iconic film from which nearly every crime movie of the last 50 years has drawn inspiration.

Sequels and franchises were far from sure things at the time of The Godfather’s release, so eyebrows were raised when Coppola agreed to direct The Godfather Part II. But rather than a rushed cash-in, as so many sequels were at the time, the follow-up was an artistic triumph that is, to many, an improvement even on the first film. It proved that sequels could bring depth to beloved stories, and its parallel narratives contrasting the early years of Don Corleone with the rise of his son, Michael, brought added complexity to the characters. The Godfather Part II took what audiences loved about the first film and made it richer and more challenging, proving that sequels could have artistic merit. The Godfather Part II also took home an Oscar for Best Picture and was a commercial success, creating one of the first modern franchises.

It’s easy to think the Godfather legacy ends there, as The Godfather Part III is universally considered inferior to the first films. And it’s a messier movie, to be sure, hobbled not, as many assume, by Sofia Coppola’s last-minute substitution for Winona Ryder but for a slower pace and characters who simply weren’t as compelling, particularly bringing in George Hamilton when Robert Duvall refused to return. But The Godfather Part III has its charms, with some blistering action sequences, a strong performance by Al Pacino, and a heartbreaking final turn that feels Michael Corleone feel the depth of all his sins. Coppola’s recent recut, The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, fixes some of the film’s weaker spots.

But The Godfather Part III is also important as one of the first examples of the legacy sequel, in which original characters return decades later to tie up loose ends and close out any remaining arcs. It closed Michael Corleone’s story and left no question that closing the door at the end of The Godfather ushered him into a world of damnation. While considered a critical and commercial disappointment, it still managed a Best Picture nomination and grossed more than double its budget at the box office. And it was one of the first major franchises to suggest that it was worth revisiting beloved characters years after their peak.

1

‘Star Wars,’ Episodes IV-VI

Image by Jefferson Chacon

Is there any question? Upon release in 1977, Star Wars changed the movie game. It married big thrills to innovative special effects, making sci-fi and fantasy reliable money-makers and, just after Jaws, confirming that we were living in the Age of the Blockbuster. George Lucas’ space opera introduced characters and storylines that are still being built on, and his savvy decision to hold onto merchandise rights opened studios’ eyes to a whole new way of making money. Star Wars could arguably be the most important movie ever made.

But Lucas’s approach to the sequels was similarly transformative. Rather than just launch Luke Skywalker on another adventure, he doubled-down on his love for the serials of his youth and created a three-part ongoing story. Instead of sending audiences out on a high note at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, he delivered a cliffhanger that dared them to ignore Return of the Jedi. He brought unexpected depth and redemption to Darth Vader, created one of the great blockbuster love stories between Princess Leia and Han Solo, and created exciting, colorful new worlds and creatures to wow audiences – and, of course, sell more toys. There is, simply, no Lord of the Rings, Dune, or Marvel Cinematic Universe without Star Wars.

And, for better or worse, it introduced the concept of unending franchises. Nearly 50 years after Star Wars, Lucas’ galaxy continues to expand. More than a decade after fans thought Star Wars had left the theaters, Lucas returned for the prequel series, which wove new tales connected to his original films. And under Disney’s leadership, the franchise has grown exponentially, with stories and television shows that push the story forward or re-examine what came before; this summer’s The Mandalorian and Grogu will explore a time set just after these original films. We are in a cinematic world dominated by sequels, trilogies, spin-offs, legacy-sequels, and special events, and they’re all following the lead set by those first three Star Wars films.

Advertisement

Created by

George Lucas

Advertisement

Advertisement

First TV Show

Star Wars The Clone Wars

Advertisement

Advertisement

Although Jerry Springer passed away in 2023 at the age of 79, his legacy continues through “The Jerry Springer Show.” His controversial tabloid talk show first aired in 1991 and ran until 2018. He had a brief stint as the host of “Judge Jerry,” a television courtroom show, from 2019 to 2022, but it was far from the talk show that made him a household name. The HBO show “Hollywood Demons” dedicated an episode to “The Jerry Springer Show,” exposing some of the secrets that went on behind-the-scenes.

The Segment That Made One Producer Quit ‘The Jerry Springer Show’

“The Jerry Springer Show” had a segment called “Secrets Revealed” in which guests invited someone they knew on the show to reveal their secret in front of a live audience. It was one such segment that led former associate producer Houston Curtis to quit the show.

In 1994, the show aired an episode called “Surprise! I’m A Drag Queen.” In “Hollywood Demons,” Curtis recalled how an adult son “had a surprise” for his mother, who Curtis described as “the sweetest little old lady” from Alabama.

‘It Was Very Wrong And It Felt Horrible’

“I told her, ‘You know, your son has a surprise for you, and he wants to share it with you on The Jerry Springer Show,” Curtis recalled, as per Entertainment Weekly. The show paid to fly her out to Chicago, put her in a nice hotel, and even ordered a limo to take her to the show.

During the show, her adult son, who was in his late 30s or early 40s, came out dressed “in full drag” and performed a song that he had written for her. “All the lyrics written bashing his mother, who, to my knowledge at that point, was probably the sweetest person I ever booked on the show. She sat there with so much class and integrity, and just took it,” Curtis recalled.

After the segment, Curtis was concerned for the woman’s well-being and went backstage to check on her. He said that she burst into tears in his arms. “I was only a kid in my 20s, but I just knew it was wrong. It was very wrong, and it felt horrible,” he recalled. “That night, I called Burt Dubrow [the show’s creator] and I said, ‘Burt, I quit.’”

Curtis Reveals How ‘The Jerry Springer Show’ Encouraged Fights

Although the show started as a run-of-the-mill talk show, the fights quickly boosted ratings, making it one of the most-watched talk shows of all time. Curtis revealed that they used to employ sneaky tactics to encourage physical fights among guests to boost ratings.

“Let’s say that I have two brothers in a conflict. When you’re prepping the guests, you tell one of them, ‘If your brother says something you don’t like, you can yell at them, you can get up in his face, you can even spit on him. But whatever you do, don’t hit him,’” Curtis explained. “And you don’t tell the other person any of that.”

“Once you produce one person to get up and spit in someone’s face, and then you don’t give any instruction to the other one, the other one is going to haul off and knock the hell out of the one who did it, and boom, you got a fight,” he added.

Jerry Springer Passed Away From A Brief Battle With Pancreatic Cancer

According to PEOPLE magazine, the talk-show host, who served as the mayor of Cincinnati in the 1970s, passed away in his Chicago home following a “brief illness.” Jene Galvin, a longtime friend and a spokesperson for the family, told NBC News that Springer died from pancreatic cancer.

Rabbi Sandford Kopnick of Cincinnati’s “The Valley Temple” told PEOPLE that Springer’s “illness was sudden,” adding, “He died of cancer, and he didn’t have cancer for very long.”

He remembered Springer as “a kind and generous person who was not really best pictured on his television show.” He called Springer “very, very smart,” adding, “He was a remarkable family man, and he was somebody who understood what it means to pay it forward.”

“Hollywood Demons” season 2 premieres on Monday, April 20, at 9 PM ET on ID and will be available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes air each Monday.

Joe Jonas has gone Instagram-official with girlfriend Tatiana Gabriela, dropping their first loved-up couple photo on his grid.

Taking to social media on Saturday, April 18, the singer, 36, shared a carousel of photos, including a black-and-white image of Gabriela cozying up to him and tenderly resting her hands around his neck and shoulder.

“If you’re seeing this it means my puerto rico YT vid is up now ꕤ｡” Jonas captioned the post, as he promoted a new video dropped via the Jonas Brothers’ YouTube channel.

In the YouTube video, Jonas shared a rare glimpse into the couple’s relationship with footage from a trip to Puerto Rico.

The eight-minute video shows the pair joking around as the Puerto Rican model attempted to teach the boy band member how to speak Spanish. Other parts of the video detailed the couple being affectionate with one another, casually drinking coffee, going out for dinner and eating pizza as well as enjoying mojitos and local street food such as pinchos.

“She’s helping with my Spanish,” Jonas told the camera at one point. He later added, “Then we went to a waterfall, we jumped in, it was so nice.”

Us Weekly broke the news in January that Jonas had recently started seeing Gabriela.

“They started seeing each other at the end of the summer,” a source exclusively told Us at the time, revealing that Gabriela even met Jonas’ friends, family and his two daughters with ex-wife Sophie Turner.

Both Jonas and Gabriela have kept tight-lipped about their romance in public, but the “Cake by the Ocean” musician previously hinted at the relationship via social media.

Related: Joe Jonas’ Dating History Through the Years

Joe Jonas‘ love life has made headlines over the years as he navigated dating in the public eye. Shortly after the musician started dating Taylor Swift in 2008, their messy split became a topic of conversation. Following three months together, the Pennsylvania native revealed that Jonas broke up with her in a 27-second phone call. […]

In January, fans were convinced Jonas was soft-launching his relationship with Gabriela when he uploaded a post via Instagram that featured one of his black studded loafers next to an mystery woman’s leg.

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Jonas was previously married to Turner, 30, from 2019 to 2023 before the pair called it quits. The pair are coparents to two daughters, Willa, who was born in 2020 and Delphine, who they welcomed in 2022.

After finalizing his divorce, Jonas was briefly romantically linked to model Stormi Bree for several months in 2024.

“I was seeing somebody at the time, and I was kind of having this idea of dating again. It was really scary and intimidating,” Jonas said during a TalkShopLive livestream in May 2025, discussing the inspiration for his album Music for People Who Believe in Love. “Love takes different shapes and forms, and I was rediscovering what that was.”

Without Remorse always had the bones of a movie people might come around to later. It’s got Michael B. Jordan in action-star mode, a Tom Clancy title, and a script co-written by Taylor Sheridan, which is already enough to make it catnip for a certain kind of streaming rediscovery. That seems to be exactly what’s happening now. After landing on Tubi in March, the film started drawing fresh attention again, with coverage noting it was gaining traction among the platform’s most-watched titles.

The cast is stronger than the movie’s original reception maybe gave it credit for. Without Remorse stars Jordan as John Kelly, alongside Jodie Turner-Smith, Jamie Bell, Guy Pearce, Luke Mitchell, Jack Kesy, Brett Gelman, Lauren London, and Colman Domingo. Directed by Stefano Sollima, the film follows Kelly as he uncovers a covert conspiracy while hunting the people responsible for his wife’s murder. That’s a pretty sturdy spine for a revenge-and-espionage thriller, even if it didn’t fully break through the first time around.

Is ‘Without Remorse’ Worth Watching?

Collider’s review stated that Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse is a straightforward military action thriller that largely sticks to the familiar formula of the author’s previous adaptations. While the film doesn’t reinvent the genre or fully explore the depth of its lead character, it still delivers enough tactical action and political intrigue to satisfy fans of Tom Clancy–style storytelling. For viewers primarily interested in watching tactical operations, shootouts, and high-stakes military missions, the film delivers exactly what it promises.

“The Clancy adaptations are typically a tightrope where you never want to be too jingoistic while also ultimately approving the supremacy of the U.S. military as a force for global order, and Without Remorse is of a piece with those stories. It may start from the place of a revenge-thriller, but its heart lies in the power of the U.S. military. That kind of story isn’t really for me, but I understand the appeal, and Without Remorse tells it fairly well. Considering that the Jack Ryan series is already headed towards its third season, there’s clearly an audience for what Clancy created, and I imagine those fans will be satisfied by Sollima’s adaptation and even happier at what gets teased during the mid-credits scene.”

Without Remorse is streaming now.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Release Date

April 30, 2021

Runtime

110 minutes

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

At the most difficult of times, audiences crave nostalgia. That soothing feeling of being reminded of the happiness of yesteryear can prove the perfect antidote to the anxieties and fears of the modern world, and that is a specific feeling most are experiencing right now. Times are tough, and a comfort watch from cinema’s past is both the spoonful of sugar and the medicine going down.

Of all the great nostalgic movies, such as Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over for those craving a slice of the ’00s or the Ghostbusters franchise for some ’80s fun, one film stands out perhaps as the most nostalgic of all. The film in question is Space Jam, the 1996 classic that saw people of all generations flock to the theaters to witness NBA legend Michael Jordan and Hollywood favorite Bill Murray playing basketball alongside Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes. In total, the movie earned a strong $250 million worldwide, split between a domestic haul of $90 million and a further $160 million from overseas markets, against a production budget of $80 million.

Given these tough times we’re living in, it seems a slice of Space Jam nostalgia is proving particularly appealing to audiences. At the time of writing, Space Jam is one of the ten most-streamed movies on Peacock in the U.S., a list that also includes other big hits such as last year’s musical sequel Wicked: For Good, another strangely nostalgic movie in The Cat in the Hat, and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, which is the current Peacock chart-topper.

‘Space Jam’ Was Met With Mixed Reviews Upon Arrival

Image via Warner Bros.

Time has certainly helped the reputation of Space Jam. When it was first released, the film was actually met with plenty of negativity from critics, which can be seen on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. On the site, the movie earned just 44%, with the consensus reading, “While it’s no slam dunk, Space Jam‘s silly, Looney Toons-laden slapstick and vivid animation will leave younger viewers satisfied — though accompanying adults may be more annoyed than entertained.” A synopsis for the movie reads:

“Swackhammer, an evil alien theme park owner, needs a new attraction at Moron Mountain. When his gang, the Nerdlucks, heads to Earth to kidnap Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes, Bugs challenges them to a basketball game to determine their fate. The aliens agree, but they steal the powers of NBA basketball players, including Larry Bird and Charles Barkley — so Bugs gets some help from superstar Michael Jordan.”

Space Jam is streaming on Peacock. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming stories.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Release Date

November 15, 1996

Runtime

Advertisement

87 minutes

Director

Joe Pytka

Advertisement

Advertisement

• 

  Michael Jordan

  Michael Jordan

  Advertisement
• 
• 

  Theresa Randle

  Juanita Jordan

• 

  Manner Washington

  Advertisement

  Jeffery Jordan

Advertisement

Advertisement