Epic movies don’t get a whole lot better than Lawrence of Arabia, and neither do movies generally speaking, really. It’s a difficult one to talk about because all the things it does, it does incredibly well, so reviewing or analyzing Lawrence of Arabia really just feels like listing off the things that you can find in almost any movie. There is acting in Lawrence of Arabia, and it’s fantastic. There is cinematography in Lawrence of Arabia, and it is beautiful. There is music in Lawrence of Arabia, and it is excellent. See where it goes? It goes nowhere. So, what’s more interesting is looking at the epic genre specifically, and playing a bit of a game that involves asking the question of whether any other film of a similar scope/scale/runtime not only equals Lawrence of Arabia, but arguably surpasses it. They said it couldn’t be done, and maybe they were right. But there is going to be an attempt here, regardless.

Sorry in advance for causing potential outrage. What’s best to remember here is that four pretty much perfect movies are being juggled here at once, and Lawrence of Arabia is one of those airborne balls. It’s impressive that those other balls are there, though, and are being thrown around at the same time, all the while being just as deserving of one’s attention as the, uh, Lawrence of Arabia ball. Does this make sense? It doesn’t really, does it? Maybe it shouldn’t. Maybe this is a particularly risky endeavor, but anyway, enough with delaying the inevitable. These epics are all at least as amazing as Lawrence of Arabia, and perhaps even ever so slightly better (all of them 10/10s, but some potentially more 10-worthy than others).

3

‘The Godfather’ (1972)

Image via Paramount Pictures

10 years on from Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather did for crime/gangster epics what that movie did for war epics. Also, both won Best Picture at the Oscars, and proved very deserving of that award for their respective years. With The Godfather, you have what’s essentially the opening act of an eventual three-part tragedy, all of those parts about the Corleone crime family, with the first movie being arguably the most perfect. The Godfather Part II does complicate things a little, though. In some ways, it might be even better than The Godfather, or at least it can be called more of an epic, since it is longer overall and covers a greater span of time, thanks to its use of flashbacks throughout. But The Godfather (1972) is still very much an epic, and certainly isn’t lacking, by any means, when it comes to ambition. It juggles quite a few different characters and narrative threads, all while seamlessly transferring main character status from Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) to his son, Michael (Al Pacino), in a way that feels organic, and it makes sense that later films, then, are focused on Michael and his downfall, in contrast to how Vito rose beyond the status (or lack thereof) he had earlier in his life.

Also, similarly to Lawrence of Arabia, you’re pretty much overwhelmed with things to praise, when it comes to The Godfather, and it’s another instance of a film where just about everything is indeed praiseworthy. When it comes to crowning the best crime movie of the 1970s, it usually boils down to either The Godfather or The Godfather Part II, and there are only a handful of gangster movies made since 1972/1974 that could be considered on the same level. And few of them are as epic in scope as The Godfather and its sequel (see the excellent Goodfellas, for example, which is an ambitious and very confident film, but not really an epic in the conventional sense). You can’t go wrong with anything here, in this first Godfather movie, and though it’s a different sort of epic to Lawrence of Arabia, if you want to compare them anyway, The Godfather might well be a tad better.

2

‘War and Peace’ (1965)

It should be stressed that this is a different War and Peace from the English-language version that starred Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda, and came out in 1956. That one was certainly an epic, with a runtime of almost 3.5 hours, but it was dwarfed by the War and Peace adaptation from about a decade later, which is technically a four-part film with a combined runtime of just over seven hours. That might sound excessive until you remember how long War and Peace (the novel by Leo Tolstoy) is, and if anything, condensing it all to just seven hours is quite the screenwriting achievement. It naturally can’t adapt everything, but you do get a lot here, with the backdrop being the Napoleonic Wars, and the story centering on a handful of characters who have their lives changed by said conflict. You get a bit of war, and a bit of peace (well, the peace side of things is only comparatively peaceful, since there’s quite a bit of romantic and social turmoil explored throughout).

There might not be any other films that feel as big as War and Peace does, and that’s the reason it’s here. If it didn’t have a literal unlimited budget, then it at least looked as though it might’ve, especially when you get to the massive battle sequences and take in just how many extras were used throughout. How anything was even coordinated at such a scale is mind-boggling, and then even when there aren’t battle sequences being captured, so many other scenes go way grander in scope than you might expect (like all the lavish ball scenes). Sergei Bondarchuk directed this mammoth film while also being one of the stars (playing Count Pierre Bezukhov), so that’s a massive achievement worth admiring, too. Life is short, yes, and the idea of watching a seven-hour movie might sound daunting, but it really is finding the time for something like War and Peace, as there is nothing else like it (within the epic genre or otherwise) out there, really.

1

‘Seven Samurai’ (1954)

Image via Toho

You should watch more than one samurai movie, but if it really only can be one, for whatever reason, it’s good to go with Seven Samurai. There are probably 700 things about this movie that are great, but if you want just seven, to be cute and stuff, how about: (1) it’s well-paced, (2) it’s epic but also personal, (3) the stakes are always high, (4) the characters are memorable, (5) the acting’s phenomenal, (6) the climax is incredible, and (7) it’s massively influential. Its influence becomes obvious when you watch it, especially if you’re already familiar with a good many action movies made since 1954, since Seven Samurai told a big story and told it perfectly, all the while fully defining the ideal structure for an action movie made on such a scale. The premise here involves townspeople hiring warriors to defend their town from an incoming bandit attack, and across the three acts, you have the formation of a team, then the planning of a battle, and then, finally, the battle/showdown itself.

It all sounds quite simple when you lay it out like that, and in a narrative sense, Seven Samurai is kind of straightforward, or at least easy to label as approachable/efficient. But telling a story, even a simple one, with such clarity is no easy task, and Seven Samurai’s plot only feels familiar nowadays, in the first place, because of all the movies that were influenced by Seven Samurai. It’s also far from the only masterpiece Akira Kurosawa ever directed, and if you’re talking epics, then Ran (1985) is almost just as good, but Seven Samurai does remain his most well-known, acclaimed, and influential film for good reason. Actually, for many reasons. At least seven, maybe as many as 700. It’s not 700 minutes long, but it is lengthy, at about 207 minutes, and none of them are wasted. There’s a lot that can be learned from the writing and filmmaking on offer here, but there’s also so much to just be entertained by, with this being remarkably engrossing for a movie that, at the time of writing, isn’t actually far off from being three-quarters of a century old (essentially timeless stuff, in other words).

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Seven Samurai

Release Date

April 26, 1954

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Runtime

207 Minutes

Director

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Akira Kurosawa

Writers

Akira Kurosawa

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You can watch the best Steven Seagal movie on Netflix right now.

By Rick Gonzales
| Published 11 seconds ago

Of all the action movies Steven Seagal has made, his highest-rated is Under Siege. This Seagal flick, sometimes referred to as Die Hard on the seas, and it earns the title.

Under Siege is a stripped-down action setup executed with ruthless efficiency: when a group of mercenaries led by Tommy Lee Jones and a traitorous officer played by Gary Busey hijack the USS Missouri to seize its nuclear arsenal, they overlook one critical detail: a seemingly unremarkable ship’s cook who’s actually a former Navy SEAL named Casey Ryback, played by Steven Seagal.

As the crew is locked down and the clock ticks toward catastrophe, Ryback wages a one-man war through the battleship’s corridors, dismantling the takeover piece by piece with brutal precision, aided by a reluctant civilian ally, until the ship, and its weapons, are back under control.

The Infamous Under Siege Birthday Cake Scene

Erika Eleniak plays Jordan Tate in the film, a former Playboy model turned reluctant hostage aboard a hijacked battleship. Her infamous birthday cake scene is calculated sex appeal dropped right in the middle of a muscle-bound action movie to jolt the audience awake.

She arrives on the ship to perform at a party. When the terrorists take over, she’s there in the ship’s ballroom, waiting to hop out of the cake, and has no idea what’s going on. Then Steven Segal walks in, she thinks it’s party time, and the result is one of the most iconic surprises in movie history.

According to Eleniak in a YouTube Interview, “That was never supposed to be a topless scene.” It was something that escalated over the course of production, leading up to the moment.

Erika Eleniak Added The Jacket To Cover Up

She now says of the scene, “I was definitely not OK with it, which is why I ended up wearing a jacket in it, and ended up doing more of a flash kind of situation than being totally topless.”

Eleniak explains, “I was very, very young, and I think now today if that conversation had sprung up on me like that, I think I would have handled it very differently. Everybody knew that I was nervous about it; in fact, Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey sent me flowers.”

That doesn’t mean Erika regrets doing it or has any negative feelings about it now. She says, “It’s all good. It’s all good.”

Eleniak is paired with Steven Segal for the rest of the movie, as the two make their way through the ship. It was a career-making turn for the actress, who until then had done only television. She’s worked steadily in film and television ever since.

On 90 Day Fiance, Birkan tells Laura Nevenner he wishes they’d never met after Michal reveals it was she who made a drunken move on him. Elise Benson tries some damage control after her embarrassing episode at the bar. Forrest takes a stand to stay with Sheena but Molly isn’t having any of it. Jovon Fox continues to disappoint Annalyn Fox. And Daniel “Tito” Herrera leaves Lisa unfulfilled in the bedroom. Let’s break it all down in this recap of Season 8, Episode 17 Welcome To Your Destination.

90 Day Fiance: Birkan Wishes He Never Met Laura

In the weird world of 90 Day Fiance international throuple drama, Birkan feels burned by the revelation that it was a drunk Laura Nevenner who made the first move on Michal. Birkan considers Michal a rival for Laura’s affections. He’s shocked by the truth. And wounded by the betrayal. He now feels second fiddle. Laura meets up with him and is encouraged when he says he liked Michal. But the tone changes quickly.

Birkan straight up calls Laura Nevenner no good. He doesn’t trust her anymore. After Michal says it was her who tried to kiss him. Laura blows it off as not a big deal. After all she was drunk. And Michal didn’t accept the pass so nothing happened. And it was before she started talking to Birkan. But he’s not having it. Telling her to shut up and going as far as to suggest he wishes he never met her. She tells him to grow up. And he claps back that she wanted a young husband and to “deal with it.”

On 90 Day Fiance, Laura walks off leaving Birkan alone. She goes to Michal’s hotel and blames him for stirring the pot. Michal suggests he had to convince Birkan he wasn’t in love with her. But Laura calls him out. Hinting that maybe he is since he flew all the way to Turkey. He assures her he is not. And Laura calls Birkan only to be told he doesn’t wish to see her. So now Laura is left to wait it out to see if she can repair things with Birkan.

Before the 90 Days: Elise Tries Damage Control

90 Day Fiance couple Elise Benson and Josh Lawson slept in separate rooms after she raged in a bar over jealousy of his best friend Nat. Josh is noticeably shook while eating his vegemite toast and explaining it to his roomie Chris. Elise walks in in the middle of it. And immediately apologizes. She’s mortified of her behavior. And Josh admits he’s never been so embarrassed. She begs for a hug and a fresh start with a trip to the zoo.

The couple head to the zoo. Elise reaches for Josh but he remains distant. He softens a bit seeing Elise delight over an encounter with a koala bear. But sheepishly declares in an aside that the cute animals also carry chlamydia. Elise Benson manages to smooth things over for the moment. And plans a mountain get away to take Josh’s mind off her crazy bar rant. Josh is impressed with the rental. Elise turns it up and starts making dinner.

Elise acknowledges that’s a big leap for her. Considering she has never used the kitchen at her own home. She starts with Caesar salad. But gets blasted in the face with dressing when attempting to open the pack with her teeth. Leading to an inevitable raunchy comparison by Elise. She tosses penne pasta against the walls to test if it’s done. And Josh gently points out that it really doesn’t work for that type of noodle. Later, Elise mentions meeting his son. But Josh still isn’t sure about her after what happened.

TLC Couple Forrest and Sheena Stand Their Ground

It’s been a few days of bliss for 90 Day Fiance couple Forrest and Sheena. They consummated their relationship and can breathe without his meddling mom Molly around. So, they decide to relax even more with a banana leaf wrap on the deck of a lapping shore. Once ensconced in the giant greens they talk. And Forrest admits he won’t leave her the next day when his parents fly out. In spite of his mom blowing up his phone.

The couple head to lunch and Molly and Dev await. Local dancers impress Molly and family style food arrives. Forrest admits the pair were intimate. And Molly makes crude remarks. But it only gets worse when Forrest lays out his plan to stay in the Philippines. Molly snaps at both Forrest and Sheena. He stands his ground and sticks up for Sheena. Suggesting he won’t leave his love and his other half. To which Molly scoffs at.

90 Day Fiance: Rick Van Vactor Screws up Again

It’s been a process for Rick Van Vactor to gain the trust of Sheena’s family. He succeeds after being put on the spot. Trisha’s dad and uncle demand an immediate answer on whether or not Rick will have children with her. In spite of Rick doubting his ability to support another child, he caves and says yes. Everyone is happy but they want this baby sooner than later. Rick buys time by suggesting they hold off till he secures the K-1 visa and they marry in the states.

It’s good enough on 90 Day Fiance. But Rick can’t seem to let go of his ex in Colombia. As the Before the 90 Days couple travel back to Trish’s home, the flight is delayed. And Trish sees something suspicious on Rick’s phone. She grabs it to find he was texting the ex. And told her some of the most beautiful times in his life were with her. And worse yet, the texts were going back and forth while they visited Trish’s family. She locks herself in the airport bathroom while Rick grovels outside the door.

Before The 90 Days: Daniel Leaves Lisa Wanting More

Another 90 Day Fiance couple who jumped through hoops for a blessing are Daniel “Tito” Herrera and Lisa. With terrified baby goats and angry uncles now a distant memory, the pair indulge in the bedroom. But Lisa admits Daniel fell a little short in the satisfaction department. Specifically he was lacking in the oral portion of the exam. Daniel balks. As he has never performed it since he prefers to satisfy with his manhood instead.

Lisa’s devastated to leave Nigeria. And also tells him that the money flow needs to slow down on her end. Daniel sports a graphic tee that says “I Love My Wife So Please Stay Away From Me”. They cling to each other and cry at the airport. With both fearing they may not see each other again. But it’s safe to say Daniel probably wants to have a few beers with his buddies. And Lisa probably wants to rip off that wig, kick her feet up and hit her vape.

90 Day Fiance: Jovon Cheaps Out on Annalyn

Struggling 90 Day Fiance couple Jovon Fox and Annalyn Fox finally have some fun at an amusement park. The pair have bickered since Jovon arrived. Annalyn finds her hubby lacking in the romance department. And Jovon finds her to be lacking in the appreciation department. Especially after he saw how she was living. Annalyn is tired of him throwing his financial support in her face.

The pair are planning a vow renewal ceremony with her family. Since their original nuptials took place online. But first Annalyn wants a proper wedding ring. They shop and she finds a band she likes with the help of two saleswomen. Jovon balks when the cost of the band is just shy of three hundred U.S. dollars. He mentions coming back later after he checks his bank balances. Annalyn ends up embarrassed yet again while Jovon sulks. Till next time!

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 22 seconds ago

As a writer who specializes in Star Trek, I spend a fair amount of time delving into the production details of my favorite episodes. I’ll often discover cool, behind-the-scenes trivia that makes me enjoy these stories that much more. Every now and then, though, I’ll discover something shocking. Namely, that my favorite creators really despise what I consider their best work.

A perfect example of this is the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Evolution,” which was written by Michael Piller. The episode is so good that it helped him land the gig as TNG showrunner, and he almost single-handedly ushered in the Golden Age of the franchise. Because of this, I always assumed Piller must be proud of the story he crafted. In reality, though, he hated “Evolution,” the episode that helped him land the most important gig of his entire career.

Boy (Genius), Interrupted

In case you don’t have perfect android memory, here’s a recap. “Evolution” was about the Enterprise helping an eccentric genius study an interstellar explosion that occurs every 196 years, the cosmic equivalent of Old Faithful. Meanwhile, Wesley Crusher is conducting a science experiment and accidentally unleashes some nanites on the ship. They evolve and cause mayhem, but after a few wacky hijinks, Picard reaches a diplomatic solution, getting the nanites their own planet just in time to help the visiting scientist complete the research he spent a lifetime working on.

It’s a really great episode, one that most fans think writer Michael Piller should be proud of. However, the future TNG showrunner didn’t agree with this assessment. As recorded in Captain’s Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Voyages, he later said that “Evolution” was ultimately “a B-episode.” His primary concern (one shared by Michael Wagner, who helped develop the overall story) was that “I didn’t have an ending for it.” While there were “some character scenes” he was “very proud of,” he ultimately worried that the episode “didn’t quite come off.”

The Ghost Of Cranky Yet To Come

Interestingly, episode director Winrich Kolbe shared some of Piller’s concerns with “Evolution.” The director enjoyed the plot about a scientist “who tried to push an issue and then suddenly found out there were ramifications he hadn’t thought of, which is the lack of control of the nanites.” He felt that this was “a very serious issue” that “wasn’t dealt with properly” because it was a Wesley-centric episode and “everyone considered it a child’s show, even the writers.”

That last bit was directed at Piller, who primarily saw the episode as a chance to (ahem) evolve Wesley Crusher’s character. He intended cranky visiting scientist Paul Stubbs to be a cautionary vision of what Wesley could grow up to be if he continued to focus only on his studies. “Evolution” is very successful in that regard, and it’s the perfect episode to show friends who hate Star Trek’s resident teen genius. But Kolbe felt the episode spent too much time on Wesley and not enough on the nanites, who were at the heart of the episode’s moral dilemma: namely, whether to put them down as dangerous pests or acknowledge them as a new (albeit unconventional) form of life.

Michael Piller might not have been the biggest fan of “Evolution,” but this opinion was not shared by Star Trek producer Rick Berman. Piller’s script (complete with a baseball speech that impressed Berman, a huge fan of the sport) helped him land the job as showrunner of The Next Generation. After he transformed this show into must-see TV, he went on to create Deep Space Nine and Voyager, solidifying this era as the Golden Age of Star Trek. Ultimately, none of that would have happened without “Evolution,” a killer episode that everyone but its writer absolutely loved.

Lil Tjay has shared some STRONG words about Offset after being released following his arrest for disorderly conduct in Florida.

RELATED: Quavo Shares Message After Offset Was Shot Outside Florida Casino (UPDATE)

Lil Tjay Shares Strong Words For Offset After Being Released On Bond In Florida

On Tuesday, April 7, a clip was posted to the official Instagram account of  NBC 6 South Florida. Furthermore, the clip showed Tjay apparently walking out of jail after being taken into custody for disorderly conduct. In the clip, Tjay had on light blue jeans and a black shirt rolled up around his neck.

“I didn’t do no damn fighting,” he initially told reporters. “Did I shoot Offset? That s**t is crazy… I’ll smack the s**t out of Offset. He would never play with me like that in his life.”

From there, Tjay told reporters to “Ask Offset.” This, during which some asked the rapper if Offset owed him money.

“The last thing I seen was Offset looking at me like this, ‘Yo, that n***a shot me. That n***a shot me… N***a is a rat,” Tjay stated.

Social Media Reacts

Social media users immediately entered NBC 6 South Florida’s Instagram comments with reactions to the clip of Lil Tjay speaking on Offset.

Why Is Lil Tjay Sharing Strong Words For Offset?

As The Shade Room previously reported, on Monday, April 6, it was reported that Offset was shot in the leg while outside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Per reports, two people were detained in connection with the incident, and Offset was taken to the hospital afterward. To note, on Tuesday, photos surfaced of Offset outside of the hospital.

Around the same time of the shooting, Lil Tjay was reportedly taken into custody for disorderly conduct and driving without a valid license, per The Shade Room. Per TMZ, Tjay was reportedly involved in a fight moments before Offset was struck.

Nonetheless, a lawyer for Lil Tjay maintained that he had nothing to do with the shooting involving Offset.

RELATED: Lil Tjay’s Lawyer Denies His Involvement In Offset Shooting After Arrest At Same Florida Casino (MUGSHOT)

Bunnie Xo is sharing all the gory details of her facelift procedure and recovery.

Bunnie, 46, got candid about her “brutal” and “barbaric” experience during the Tuesday, April 7, episode of her “Dumb Blonde” podcast. While the Stripped Down author praised her plastic surgeon as “amazing” and said she’s happy with how the results are coming along, she admitted that she felt “undersold” on how difficult the recovery process would be.

“I still can’t laugh, I’m still in a lot of pain, I still feel like my throat’s closing right now as we talk,” Bunnie began. “But anything I say in this podcast does not reflect on [the doctor’s] work. This is just me telling the truth about my experience with a facelift. And you guys know I’m never going to hold back on telling you guys the truth, because I feel like I was undersold on the facelifts.”

The podcaster continued, “All my girlfriends who have had f***ing facelifts, which is quite a few of you bitches, have f***ing told me, ‘Oh, by day two, you’re going to be up and running around one week after. You’re going to be great.’ No, no, I’m not.”

Bunnie (real name Alysa DeFord) described the experience as “the most brutal thing I’ve ever been through in my life.”

“Yes, I love plastic surgery, but I can’t wait to get the f*** off this ride. I want to be back to my normal self,” she added. “Granted, it’s only been two weeks. I have zero patience.”

Bunnie then recalled the day of her procedure as her podcast team — who was present in the operating room and recorded videos of the entire process — informed her that the surgery lasted seven hours.

“That was the longest time I’ve ever been under anesthesia,” Bunnie explained, adding she felt overheated when she woke up because they had a heating pad over her chest. She recalled having a panic attack as she asked her surgery team for an ice pack. Additionally, Bunnie recalled “gasping for air” every time she woke up in the recovery room and struggling with nausea.

Bunnie’s team also told her that her face “smelled like pork rinds” during the procedure while skin was being “burned off.”

“There was some heat and flesh,” her friend Jaime said.

Bunnie joked, “My face was cremated.”

As for the recovery in the days after the procedure, Bunnie said she managed pain with Tylenol, but she also had instances where she needed the anti-anxiety medication Ativan to manage feelings of being “choked from ear to ear” due to fluid buildup under her chin.

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Related: Jelly Roll’s Wife Bunnie Xo Reveals Gruesome Aftermath of Her Facelift

Jelly Roll‘s wife, Bunnie Xo, offered an unfiltered look at the gruesome aftermath of getting a facelift. “I look like Bert Kreischer,” Bunnie Xo, 46, captioned an Instagram video on Monday, March 16, while referencing the stand-up comedian. In the post, Bunnie Xo’s face is visibly swollen immediately after her medical procedure. Bunnie Xo originally […]

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Bunnie said her face is still “different” every day due to swelling, adding that she won’t see complete results for six or more weeks.
“And it’s all self-inflicted, guys,” she continued. “I did it to myself and it is what it is. I’m not over here complaining, but I am gonna always give you the real because this is exactly the reality of getting a facelift. And I don’t feel like people show this side of it.”

Bunnie concluded, “It’s a privilege to be able to get a facelift. And I am not s***ting on the fact that it is a privilege and it is completely 100 percent self-inflicted. I just want you guys again to know the truth because I want — I wish I had had somebody like me, because I f***ing did a whole ton of research and everybody’s like, ‘Oh, God, it’s f***ing glamorous,’ you know? And I’m just like, ‘Everybody’s healing perfectly. Everybody’s fine. Nobody’s showing the nitty-gritty.’”

Bunnie first revealed her plans to get a facelift on her podcast back in February. Since undergoing the procedure in March, the media personality — who is married to country star Jelly Roll — has shared frequent updates on her recovery.