Entertainment
Millennials Can Finally Scar Their Kids For Life Thanks To Disney+’s Latest Rollout
By Robert Scucci
| Published

As of May 25, 2026, The Brave Little Toaster (1987) is finally available to stream on Disney+. Years ago, I wrote about how Disney+ was bizarrely missing the title from its streaming catalog despite hosting its much crappier sequels, The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997) and The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998). To anybody who grew up with the original film, this always felt strange because Disney had long treated The Brave Little Toaster like part of its extended family while simultaneously keeping the actual movie locked away.
The reason came down to rights issues and the complicated history behind the film itself. While Disney distributed the movie on home video and eventually absorbed much of the talent that helped create it, the original film was produced independently by Hyperion Pictures. Disney had stronger ownership and distribution control over the direct-to-video sequels, which is why those movies hit Disney+ years before the original ever did. For years, the streaming rights surrounding the 1987 film appeared to be tied up in older licensing agreements that left it in limbo.
A Cult Classic Disney Couldn’t Fully Claim

The Brave Little Toaster has always occupied a weird space in Disney history because the film’s DNA is deeply tied to the company even though it wasn’t fully born under the Disney banner. The project was spearheaded by former Disney employees, including future Pixar co-founder John Lasseter, and many people have referred to Hyperion Pictures as a proto-Pixar operation because of the talent involved. Disney originally passed on fully backing the film after executives reportedly questioned whether audiences would connect with a story centered around talking appliances.
Despite its rocky production history and extremely limited theatrical release, The Brave Little Toaster refused to disappear. The film found its audience through VHS rentals and syndication on the Disney Channel throughout the late ’80s and early ’90s, becoming one of those formative childhood movies that traumatized an entire generation with air conditioners having mental breakdowns and horrifying junkyard death songs. Disney eventually released the movie on DVD in 2003, but for years, streaming remained the one place fans still couldn’t easily find it.

While I’m no lawyer, I’m pretty good at basic math. I can’t find anything publicly stating that Disney officially secured the rights, but Disney+ has been going heavy on throwback additions and has more money than God. So, I’m operating under the reasonable assumption that Disney either renegotiated the streaming rights with Hyperion Pictures or simply bought them outright, knowing longtime fans of the movie would finally be able to stream it at home alongside the other two movies that only belong to the Brave Little Toaster franchise by name (they’re terrible).
We Can Finally Pay It Forward, And Scar Our Kids For Life
On its face, The Brave Little Toaster is basically an early version of Toy Story. Here, we have talking appliances who come to the horrifying realization that their “Master” has abandoned them, prompting them to set out in search of him after their Jack Nicholson-sounding air conditioner friend has a life-ending mental breakdown.

They trudge through treacherous terrain. Toaster (Deanna Oliver) experiences a disturbing nightmare sequence in which a clown rises out of a fire with smoke billowing through his gritted teeth, prompting him to “run” before he falls into a bathtub and gets electrocuted to death. The gang eventually ends up in a repair shop where the owner guts other appliances alive for parts before the film culminates in the third-act junkyard sequence, where every single character we’ve grown attached to faces certain death while hoping to be rescued before they’re crushed into submission.
As terrifying as The Brave Little Toaster may be, and trust me, this movie made me ugly cry when I was a child, it also tells an incredibly wholesome story about found family, resilience, and the power of friendship in a way that no Disney or Pixar film has really achieved since. It proves that hope can exist in a world full of pain if you refuse to let the elements beat you down. The film resonated with an entire generation of kids who all have kids of their own now.

Modern life has only gotten more complex and difficult since 1987, and even as adults, we could all learn something from The Brave Little Toaster. And that message is simple: don’t give up. Ironically enough, the film’s home-viewing legacy is almost as poignant as its original messaging. If you’re dealt a bad hand, you need to persevere. Only then can you reemerge from the ashes like a phoenix, or, like the horrifying clown demon in the film, look around, and say to yourself, “everything’s going to be okay.”
As of this writing, and hopefully forever, The Brave Little Toaster is streaming on Disney+.
Entertainment
Experts Reveal What Taylor Swift Will Likely Wear Down the Aisle
Taylor Swift‘s wedding day is set to be one for the books, and a major aspect of the upcoming event that has her fans excited is the singer’s wedding gown.
While the pop star is doing everything she can to keep her plans tightly under wraps, fashion experts have weighed in on what her dress could look like.
This comes after it was alleged that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce might tie the knot in early July, in New York City.

Swift is arguably one of the most influential celebrities right now, and her impact can be seen in how easily she sets trends due to her clothing and jewelry choices.
Back in August 2025, when her beau Kelce popped the question with a stunning old mine diamond engagement ring, it spurred a whole new trend of rings sporting engraved bands and antique stones.
Now, her wedding gown is likely going to cause a similar effect in the bridal industry, with Kleinfeld’s Bridal Director of Merchandising, Dorothy Silver, revealing what the dress might look like and why it is about to make history.
“Taylor is a megastar. Much like when Selena Gomez or Hailey Bieber got married, I think brides will want to come in and emulate her style,” Silver said in a chat with Page Six, noting that she and her team believe the star plans to go “classic, but still be fashionable” with her wedding gown.
“When she walks down the aisle, it’s going to be something that is an amazing, timeless gown,” Silver added.
The Pop Star Wore A White Wedding Gown In A Music Video That Hints At The Kind Of Look She Would Go For On Her Big Day
Swift is most certainly not new to the game of ball gowns and bridal outfits, as she once donned an elaborate floral wedding dress for one of her music videos, which had a red version also worn in the video.
Regarding this, Klienfeld bridal stylist, Morgan McCullough, told the news outlet, “I always think back to her ‘I Bet You Think About Me’ music video where she wore one of our Kleinfeld designers, Nicole + Felicia.”
She continued, “They made two dresses with a cascading floral design: a white wedding gown and a version in red.”
According to McCullough, the dresses in the music video are a huge indicator of what route Swift might take on her wedding day.
“I think about that dress a lot for Taylor in her bridal era — something soft and whimsical, feminine, but very classic as well. I really think that’s what she’ll do,” she noted.
Taylor Swift Would Likely Skip Obvious ‘Easter Eggs’ When It Comes To Her Wedding Gown

Throughout Swift’s career, she has made her fans feel very engaged in her creative process by dropping Easter eggs about her songs, videos, and upcoming projects.
However, during an appearance on her fiancé Travis Kelce’s podcast, the singer made it clear that she never sets an Easter egg that links back to her personal life, as that’s off-limits, stressing that they are created for “professional projects” only.
According to McCullough, this would likely apply to Swift’s wedding dress: “That’s something that I actually really love about her — there is professional Taylor, the performer, and then there’s Taylor, the person.”
“I think there may be something sentimental that only she and Travis know about, something that we may see but never really know what it means,” the bridal stylist added. “Maybe it could be something passed down from her family, such as a piece from her mom or grandmother’s veil, or an item like that which can be sewn inside her dress. Or special initials embroidered inside her gown.”
The Singer’s Wedding Gown Will Be As Romantic As Her Love Songs, Expert Claims
According to experts, a major theme to expect to see featured in Swift’s wedding dress is love and romance.
McCullough notes that since the pop star began her music career, she has made sure to include themes of love in most of her songs, so it’s no surprise that the tradition will continue into the special gown she decides to wear for her walk down the aisle to say “I do.”
“Since Taylor started making music, she has always included themes about love,” the expert noted, adding, “for her to finally have this beautiful moment is something that’s massive for her, and I’m sure it’s something that she has had planned out since she was a child.”
Taylor Swift Might Not Have ‘Too Many Outfit Changes’ On During Her Nuptials

A recent trend among brides, especially famous ones, is to wear multiple designer gowns on their wedding day, which they switch into at different moments.
Examples include Jennifer Lopez and Swift’s close pal, Selena Gomez, who are said to have commissioned three dresses from Ralph Lauren for the wedding ceremony.
However, while Swift may also join the trend and have multiple gowns, bridal stylist McCullough noted that the singer would most likely keep it simple at her nuptials.
“The Eras Tour showed us that Taylor is the master of quick changes. She’s got it down to a science,” the expert told Page Six.
She added, “However, she’s also the type of person that seems she would want to be very present at her wedding, so she may not have too many outfit changes.”
While there has been no official date announced yet, reports claim Swift and Kelce will tie the knot in New York City on July 3, surrounded by their friends and family.
Entertainment
Tom Hardy might not be fired from “MobLand” after all
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“The door is not closed for season 3 and things are being worked through creatively,” a source close to production told “Variety.”
Entertainment
Tom Holland Says Spider-Man: Brand New Day Explores “Spider-Puberty” In Fresh New MCU Direction : Coastal House Media
Tom Holland is opening up about the surprising new direction behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and it sounds like Marvel and Sony are taking Peter Parker into completely uncharted territory.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Cover [credit: Empire Magazine]
Speaking with Empire, Holland revealed that he actually pitched part of the movie’s story himself, describing it as a “Spider-puberty” concept centered around Peter Parker evolving into adulthood while dealing with dramatic new changes to his powers. According to Holland, “They liked the idea,” and the film appears ready to push Spider-Man further than fans have seen before.
The comments line up with everything Marvel has teased so far about the upcoming movie. Following the emotional ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker is now completely alone in New York after Doctor Strange’s spell erased him from everyone’s memory. Marvel has repeatedly described Brand New Day as a “fresh start” for the character, with Holland himself calling it “the first movie in the next chapter.”
What makes the new film especially interesting is the reported evolution of Peter’s abilities. Early details surrounding the movie suggest his powers may begin mutating in unexpected ways, including the possibility of organic webbing similar to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man films.
Holland also recently explained that the story is heavily focused on identity and growing up, saying the film explores “when young people really find their identity and become adults.”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Cover [credit: Empire Magazine]
That more grounded coming-of-age direction appears to be exactly what Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige wants for the franchise moving forward. Feige has teased that the movie will deliver a more “classic” Spider-Man story after years of multiverse chaos.
The film is also set to bring in some major new faces. Jon Bernthal is expected to appear as The Punisher, creating what Holland described as a “big brother-little brother rivalry” dynamic between Frank Castle and Peter Parker.
Meanwhile, fans are already buzzing over the film’s darker tone, practical effects, and newly revealed suit design that leans closer to the classic comic book look.
With Spider-Man: Brand New Day positioned as a full reset for Holland’s version of Peter Parker, Marvel may finally be giving fans the street-level Spider-Man story they’ve wanted for years.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters July 31, 2026.
Entertainment
Which Criminal Minds Stars Are — And Aren’t — Returning for Season 19?
Criminal Minds appeared to hint at a possible major cast exit ahead of season 19 — but who is expected to return so far?
The official account for the hit Paramount+ series shared a photo from the set in May 2025 with the caption, “The BAU is back on the case! A new season of Criminal Minds: Evolution has officially started filming.”
In the social media post, Joe Mantegna, Aisha Tyler, Kirsten Vangsness, Adam Rodriguez, A.J. Cook, Paget Brewster and Ryan-James Hatanaka all smiled for the camera. The only main cast member missing? Zach Gilford.
The first season of Criminal Minds: Evolution (a.k.a. season 16 of the OG Criminal Minds series) introduced Voit as the main antagonist. The BAU spent the entire season hunting down the prolific killer, who they nicknamed Sicarius after linking him to 62 murders — and for being the mastermind behind setting up an online network of fellow serial killers.
After Voit was arrested — for a single murder — he became a professional criminal consultant for the BAU. Voit’s status as the villain was left up in the air when earlier this season he had significant memory loss that caused him to no longer be labeled as a psychopath.
“This is what I love about it is his brain patterns. His brain is literally physically changed. So in theory, he is a good person and he is a normal person now. But he still has done all those things,” Gilford exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2025. “It’s a really cool concept that even though neurologically this person would never do this again — he has done it. It is just such a crazy concept that there’s no real right answer to. Ultimately I’m like, ‘Well, he did do it all … allegedly.’”
Voit’s unclear future on the show came after Josh Stewart‘s character Will was killed off. In a May 2025 episode, JJ’s (Cook) husband, Will, collapsed after experiencing a headache. The team rushed to the hospital to support JJ, only to find out that Will didn’t make it.
Paramount+ confirmed in March 2026 that Gilford is returning alongside new guest stars: Connor Storrie, Justin Kirk, Yvette Nicole Brown, Clark Gregg, Paul F. Tompkins, Cress Williams, Kofi Siriboe, Lyndon Smith, Richard Cabral, Jeri Ryan, Rob Yang, Nicholas Gonzalez, Inny Clemons, Nicole Pacent, Dash Mihok, Joseph Cross and Cara Jade Myers.
Keep scrolling for what to know about which Criminal Minds characters are coming back — and which might not:
Joe Mantegna

Mantegna is set to return in the role of Rossi, which he has played since taking over for Mandy Patinkin in the original Criminal Minds show.
A. J. Cook

Cook will return to play JJ, who is still mourning the loss of her husband.
“We definitely touch on a lot of the grief phases. And it is not like we shoot one episode and she’s gone through all of it and it’s tied up neatly with a nice bow. That’s not how grief works,” Cook told TV Insider in May 2025. “So this is going to be something that we’re going to see throughout the whole season. And then beyond that.”
She continued: “This never goes away. This now has shaped her into this new single mother, and it will continue shaping her as she now learns to work through life this way. So I’m excited to see what that looks like for her. It’s been a journey already, and it’ll continue to be a journey in Criminal Minds form.”
Kirsten Vangsness

Since Vangsness was in the photo from set, it feels safe to assume that Garcia is not going anywhere any time soon.
Aisha Tyler

Another character who appeared to be safe was Tara (Tyler) after dealing with some issues in her personal life before reuniting with girlfriend Rebecca (Nicole Pacent) in season 18.
Zach Gilford

Gilford — and the rest of the Criminal Minds cast — has acknowledged that Voit can’t remain on the show for good.
“I was supposed to leave the show a while ago and I’ve been pitching, ‘Well, I have to leave at some point. If you’re not going to kill me, we should have a spinoff,’” Gilford quipped to Us in May 2025. “It’s called Criminal Mind: Voit and it follows what Voit is doing when he is out in the world. Somehow he either escapes or he gets released and he is this white whale to the BAU. So Criminal Minds can keep going and having their [unsub] of the week — but they’ll always be like, ‘I wonder if Voit had something to do with this.’”
He is expected to return in season 19.
Ryan-James Hatanaka

While season 18 explored Tyler (Hatanaka) working with the BAU while training to officially join the team, it was revealed that he would likely have to be moved elsewhere to gain experience. Tyler seemed shocked that it could take 10 years for him to officially be part of the BAU team — but so far the show has found ways to keep him working with the rest of the team in the field.
Adam Rodriguez

Rodriguez, who is presumably returning as Luke, recently spoke to Us about how high the stakes are on the show.
“You never want to turn the page [and find out that your character was killed off]. But I will say that thanks to our boss and leader on the show, [showrunner] Erica Messer, no one would be surprised by that. You would definitely get a call long before that was going to happen,” Rodriguez told Us in May 2025. “You would be given a heads up, I can say for sure. But nobody wants to get that call.”
Rodriguez praised Criminal Minds for being a good place to work, adding, “We love being there. This is such a dream job. It is just such a wonderful place to show up and go to work every day. Nobody wants it to be over and nobody wants to leave. So hopefully we get to do the show for a long time.”
He continued: “Hopefully nobody gets sacrificed for the sake of good television and we find some other people that we can build enough merit. Will ended up serving that purpose this year. But I think it just brings something else to the show that fans can enjoy and suffer through with us.”
Paget Brewster

According to the behind the scenes photos, Prentiss is alive and well by the time season 18 will come to an end.
Matthew Gray Gubler

Despite making a cameo in season 18, Gubler isn’t expected to keep returning consistently in future episodes. He last played Reid on the show when it was still on CBS and didn’t return for the Paramount+ revival.
“We love [Matthew] and he’s always going to be a part of the family. We would love for an opportunity to arise to get him back. And we have tried — and he has tried,” showrunner Erica Messer exclusively told Us in July 2024. “It just hasn’t worked out timing-wise. But it’s not for lack of trying.”
Gubler is currently filming his upcoming CBS series, Einstein.
Entertainment
PlayStation Plus Officially Announces Free 12 Month Access
PlayStation has been under a lot of attention the past few weeks. While the Sony-owned company is about to have an exciting State of Play event, where fans will get a closer look at Insomniac’s highly anticipated Wolverine game, it’s been slightly overshadowed by the gaming platform’s decision to keep raising prices on PlayStation Plus. Overall, though, there’s a lot to be excited about from one of gaming’s biggest voices, and that includes PlayStation’s annual Days of Play event, which went live yesterday on May 27.
The event allows PlayStation 5 players to play their favorite games in exchange for prizes, and this year is shaping up to be one of the platforms biggest yet. That’s because from right now until June 10 at 11:59 PM local time, players who participate will be entered into a sweepstakes where they could win everything from controllers, $100 dollars of PS Store credit, and even an entire years of PlayStation Plus free of charge. To qualify, players will need to play in special events for the sports games like EA Sports Madden NFL 26, NBA 2K26, Tekken 8, EA Sports UFC 5, EA Sports College Football 26, Gran Turismo 7, Asphalt 9: Legends, as well as Mortal Kombat 1, Astro Bot, and Fortnite.
In addition to the Days of Play promotions, Sony has also revealed which PlayStation titles will soon be available for PlayStation members this June. The line-up of free monthly titles includes the Honey I Shrunk the Kids-inspired multiplayer game Grounded: Fully Yoked Edition, the Super Smash Bros.-like fighting game Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, and the grim sci-fi game Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. Additionally, PlayStation also announced that Destiny 2: Legacy Collection will also be releasing on PlayStation Plus’ Game Catalog, shortly following Bungie’s announcement that ongoing updates and support for the popular sci-fi fantasy game would be coming to an end.
PlayStation Has Several Adaptations in the Works
PlayStation has plenty of big games in development, but it’s also been making some huge moves in the space of film and television. Easily one of the most anticipated is Prime Video’s God of War series, which will bring Kratos (Ryan Hurst) and Atreus (Callum Vinson) to live-action in the first time. Also in the works is a Helldivers movie starring Jason Momoa, not to mention Season 3 of HBO’s smash-hit sci-fi epic, The Last of Us.
Stay tuned to Collider for more PlayStation updates.
Entertainment
‘Obsession’ Is A Horror Movie About The Dangers of “Nice Guys”
Modern dating horror has become increasingly fascinated with blurred boundaries, emotional entitlement, and the terrifying realization that intimacy can transform into control quite viciously. Curry Barker’s box office success Obsession weaponizes those fears better than most recent thrillers by understanding something deeply uncomfortable from the beginning: forced love is horrifying before bloodshed ever begins.
The premise sounds simple. Bear (Michael Johnston) uses the supernatural One Willow Wish — he should have just bought the necklace that looked like sunshine — to make his longtime crush Nikki (Inde Navarrette) fall in love with him. What initially feels like an awkward wish-fulfillment fantasy quickly mutates into something uglier, sadder, and genuinely disturbing as Nikki’s affection spirals into emotional instability and dangerous obsession. Barker executes his vision with restraint, grounding the story in emotional realism and building a tightly constructed psychological thriller around infatuation, consent, and the horrifying selfishness required to force someone into loving you.
‘Obsession’ Uses Horror to Explore Emotional Entitlement
Obsession’s smartest decision is refusing to frame Bear as a harmless romantic who simply made a mistake. The movie understands that forcibly manufacturing someone’s love is inherently horrifying regardless of intention. Bear may justify the wish through loneliness and desperation, but the movie never allows the audience to forget the violation at the center of his decision. That emotional foundation gives the horror real weight because the movie never separates its supernatural premise from recognizable human behavior. What makes Obsession especially effective is that Nikki’s obsession does not emerge in a vacuum. Bear is obsessed with Nikki long before the wish happens, and the movie repeatedly emphasizes that his entitlement creates the nightmare consuming both of them. Even as Nikki’s behavior becomes increasingly horrifying, Bear remains obsessed with preserving the fantasy he has created. The horror becomes increasingly uncomfortable because Bear never truly stops believing he deserves the fantasy he forced into existence.
Nikki’s transformation becomes deeply unsettling because she never feels reduced to a simple horror archetype. Even during her most volatile moments, there is a horrifying sense that something human remains trapped underneath the obsession consuming her. The movie repeatedly emphasizes the disconnect between Nikki’s real self and the emotionally fractured version created by Bear’s wish, turning the central relationship into something profoundly uncomfortable to watch. Several scenes become almost unbearable because the audience understands that the feelings Nikki is acting out on are not her own. That loss of autonomy hangs over every interaction and gives even the quieter moments an underlying sense of dread.
Barker’s visual direction amplifies that discomfort through excellent blocking and visual storytelling. Obsession repeatedly pushes Nikki into the shadows during her worst emotional spirals, visually swallowing as the obsession swallows her from within, creating the sense that she is slowly disappearing beneath the surface of the longing that’s controlling her. The pacing deserves enormous credit here as well. Many modern thrillers confuse slowness with tension, stretching ideas beyond their natural lifespan in the name of atmosphere. Obsession never falls into that trap. The movie consistently moves with confidence while still allowing dread to build naturally underneath every interaction, and not a single scene in Obsession is overstays its welcome, proving that Barker perfectly understands exactly how long to let tension simmer before letting it boil over into something uglier.
The 10 Greatest Psychological Thrillers of the Last 20 Years, Ranked
Mind games never looked so good!
Inde Navarrette Delivers One of the Year’s Best Horror Performances
As strong as Barker’s direction is, Obsession ultimately lives or dies on Nikki, and Navarrette delivers a genuinely phenomenal performance. The role requires an incredibly difficult balance. Nikki needs to feel vulnerable, manipulative, frightening, emotionally believable, unstable, tragic, and deeply human all at once. A lesser performance could have easily collapsed into exaggerated “crazy” acting once the supernatural elements intensified, but Navarrette grounds every emotional shift in something painfully and recognizably human, even when the supernatural has creeped in.
What makes her work especially impressive is the specificity of it. Navarrette clearly understands the emotional reality of the character she is playing. Every breakdown feels distinct: there is a noticeable difference between Nikki’s panic, devastation, desperation, performative vulnerability, and complete emotional collapse. Even the crying changes from scene to scene depending on Nikki’s emotional state, and that differentiation makes her feel unnervingly real even at her most volatile. The manic mood swings are equally effective because they never feel artificial. Nikki can shift from warmth to emotional instability in a flash, yet Navarrette makes every transition feel organic. That unpredictability becomes terrifying precisely because the performance feels emotionally authentic instead of theatrical. Without Navarrette’s performance, Obsession still functions as a sharp psychological thriller. With her performance, the movie becomes emotionally devastating.
Sound Design And Tension Turn ‘Obsession’ Into An Uncomfortable Experience
The movie’s technical craftsmanship is just as impressive as the performances and writing. Barker demonstrates an excellent understanding of tension throughout the movie, particularly through pacing and sound design. The sound design is vital to Obsession, and integrated technically flawlessly. The atmosphere of the movie feels unstable from beginning to end, as though emotional violence could erupt at any moment. The horror never comes from cheap jumpscares because the movie does not need them. Barker understands that anticipation is often far more uncomfortable than sudden shock.
That emotional volatility eventually erupts during Sarah’s (Megan Lawless) death scene, which easily stands as the movie’s most brutal sequence. I rarely have genuine physical reactions to horror movies, but I couldn’t help but gasp when Nikki shattered the car window and began slamming Sarah’s head against a brick held to the steering wheel. The scene is vicious, chaotic, and shockingly ugly, capturing violence with a level of brutality that is deeply upsetting. What makes the sequence even more effective is where Barker placed it within the story — the scene is initially one of the first moments of genuine intimacy and emotional safety in the entire movie, briefly lulling both the audience and the characters into lowering their guard before Nikki violently crashes through it. Because the movie spends so much time building discomfort and instability beforehand, that temporary feeling of relief becomes disorienting, which makes the brutality land even harder. It also works in the sequence’s favor that Obsession shows immense restraint leading up to it and is not dripping with blood and gore from beginning to end. When Barker unleashes that level of violence, it lands with force because he’s waited until the audience both feels comfortable and thinks they understand what the movie has to offer. Like the window, that understanding is shattered.
And because horror and comedy rely on so many similar elements in pacing and delivery, the movie also deserves credit for its humor. There are several moments that earned uncomfortable laughs from my theater because Barker clearly understands how absurd emotional desperation can become when pushed to horrifying extremes. The comedy never undercuts the tension or turns Obsession into a parody, however. Instead, the humor makes the discomfort sharper. Many of the funniest moments are met with the kind of nervous laughter where audiences immediately realize they probably should not be laughing at all.
That emotional discomfort never really disappears, even once the movie ends, because Barker weaponizes the end credits themselves. Instead of allowing the audience emotional distance once the story concludes, the credits roll with the real Nikki (now cured of the wish) scream-crying and sobbing underneath them, forcing the audience to sit with the emotional devastation Obsession has created. It is an incredibly uncomfortable choice that perfectly fits a movie built around obsession refusing to let go.
‘Obsession’ Hints At Something Much Darker Beneath the Surface
The movie’s world-building is also surprisingly effective given how little time Barker spends explicitly explaining it. The One Wish Willow itself carries an immediately unsettling set of rules, particularly the revelation that each person only gets one wish permanently, even if they acquire another One Wish Willow later. There is no cheap undo button present in Obsession. Once the damage is done, the consequences become inescapable, except for in death. Barker smartly avoids over explaining the mythology, which makes details like the mysterious customer service representative (voiced by Barker himself) on the hotline even creepier. The moment where he asks Bear, “Do you want to talk to her?” before forcing him to listen to the real Nikki screaming on the other end of the line is one of the movie’s most genuinely chilling scenes. Obsession never explains who or what that voice actually belongs to, but the ambiguity makes the interaction even more disturbing. Whatever he is meant to be, the movie leaves behind the uncomfortable feeling that something much bigger and uglier exists in the shadows of the story we’re watching.
That lingering sense of something larger and more inescapable lurking underneath the story gives Obsession its final layer of dread. The movie never presents the One Wish Willow as a simple cursed object with clean rules and convenient solutions. Every choice carries permanent consequences, and Barker builds the entirety of Obsession around the horrifying reality that emotional damage cannot be undone once it has been inflicted. Barker transforms that idea into a tightly constructed psychological thriller supported by phenomenal performances, disciplined storytelling, excellent sound design, and an atmosphere of constant emotional suffocation. Obsession never lets audiences forget that Nikki’s obsession may be supernatural, but Bear’s entitlement is painfully human.
- Release Date
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May 15, 2026
- Runtime
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108 minutes
- Director
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Curry Barker
- Writers
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Curry Barker
- Producers
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Christian Mercuri, James Harris, Roman Viaris, Haley Nicole Johnson
- Excellent pacing and moody sound design create a sense of dread.
- Careful restraint leads to an explosive culmination.
- The film hinges on Inde Navarette’s performance, and she doesn’t disappoint.
- The supporting characters are underdeveloped.
Entertainment
Six Flags bans influencer from all parks 'for life' after his shocking video violating safety rules (exclusive)
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“Guests who violate our Code of Conduct are not welcome in our parks,” a Cedar Point rep tells EW of YouTuber Allen Ferrell, who filmed himself eating chicken nuggets on a 310-foot roller coaster.
Entertainment
Ross Matthews on 4 Years of Marriage: ‘I Feel Very Safe’
Ross Matthews and husband Wellinthon García-Mathews celebrated their anniversary Caribbean-style this year.
“We marked four years on May 7 [and] we were like, ‘What should we do? What should we do?’ And then this opportunity came up, and we were like, ‘What better way to celebrate than going somewhere tropical that feels like it’s full of love?’ and that’s what it’s been,” Matthews, 46, reveals exclusively of their getaway to Beaches Turks & Caicos in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now. “Every night, we’ve been at a different restaurant here, and it’s been this extended celebration.”
The TV personality tied the knot with García-Mathews in Puerto Vallarta — the same place they first met — in May 2022, but what have they learned since saying “I do”?
“That he’s my favorite person, but I already knew that when I said yes,” García-Mathews quipped to Us.
Added Matthews, “I’ve learned how special a partnership can be when it’s the right fit, and you feel like you can tackle the world, because even if you fall flat on your face, they’re going to pick you up and say, ‘OK, let’s keep going.’ And there’s such a freedom in that, in knowing that you’re not alone in the world. I feel very safe.”
The pair traveled to the Caribbean resort to celebrate the opening of Treasure Beach Village, which had its grand opening party on May 16. Also in attendance were Abbey Romeo, Amanda Kloots, Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker, Bryan Greenberg and Jamie Chung, Chad Michael Murray, David and Odette Annable, Dorinda Medley, Jesse Eisenberg, Kelly Bensimon, Nico Tortorella, Melissa Roxburgh, Sasha Pieterse and Taye Diggs.
“Just flying in, seeing the color of the water from the plane, getting out of the car here, they were singing and there was music and there were smiles and the breeze hits you,” Matthews told Us of his favorite part of the experience. “It feels like I’m in another planet where everybody is happy. That’s what it feels like here.”
The couple’s romantic anniversary celebration comes on the heels of Pride Month, and the RuPaul’s Drag Race judge told Us why it is a crucial time to celebrate queer love.
“It always feels like the most important time, but it certainly feels like it now just because we made so much progress, and it kind of feels like there have been attempts to stifle that progress,” he said. “So, I think we need to double down now and just remind people that the genie’s out of the bottle, honey. We’re not going anywhere. And why would you want us to? We’re fabulous!”
Entertainment
The Leonardo DiCaprio Bloody Thriller That Is A Crime Classic
By TeeJay Small
| Updated

While we can all agree that Leonardo DiCaprio was long overdue for his Oscar award when he finally received it for The Revenant in 2015, the debate for his best performance continues to rage on to this day. Some say DiCaprio should have won an Academy Award for his work on films such as Django Unchained, The Wolf of Wall Street, or 2006’s Martin Scorsese directed The Departed. The latter serves as one of the greatest crime films of the 21st century and is currently available to stream on Hulu.
A Dream Team Of A-Listers

The Departed serves as the third of seven collaborative efforts between Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, and is an American adaptation of the 2002 Hong Kong film, Internal Affairs. After choosing to set the adaptation in Boston, Massachusetts, Scorsese decided to restructure the film to loosely adapt the true story of notorious Boston crime kingpin James “Whitey” Bulger.
After fleeing Boston and going into hiding in the mid 1990s, Bulger was listed as number two on the FBI’s most wanted list, second only to Osama Bin Laden.

The Departed features an all-star ensemble cast consisting of Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, and more, marking the film as a who’s who of A-list performers.
Brad Pitt also serves as a producer on the film, apparently purchasing the rights to the adaptation himself before handing over the director reigns to Martin Scorsese. The film also holds a special place in Scorsese’s filmography, serving as his only Oscar win among over a dozen well-deserved nominations.
More Cat And Mouse Than Tom & Jerry

The film follows a complex series of interweaving plot lines surrounding Boston’s criminal underworld, led by Jack Nicholson‘s Frank Costello, a fictionalized version of Whitey Bulger.
As Costello grooms his protege, Matt Damon’s Colin Sullivan, to become a spy inside the Massachusetts State Police, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Billy Costigan Jr. is recruited by a special task force to act as a man on the inside of Costello’s gang. To make things even more complicated, one of Costigan’s only allies within the police force is his department-appointed psychiatrist, Vera Farmiga’s Madolyn Madden, who is the girlfriend of Officer Sullivan.

Through a series of highly intense action sequences, Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio engage in a game of cat and mouse, finding themselves each searching for one another around every corner without tipping their identity to the other. Soon thereafter, it is revealed how Costello was able to maintain a stranglehold on Boston’s crime world for so long unimpeded, adding another twist to the narrative.
Double Agents Double Crossing
The similarities between Costello and Boston mobster Whitey Bulger seem to come to a bloody end towards the film’s shocking conclusion. In reality, Whitey Bulger was killed by inmates hours after being transferred to a penitentiary in Hazelton, West Virginia at the age of 89 in 2011, 5 years after The Departed had been released. The fictionalized version of Bulger has a very different fate.

From this point in the film, the bloodshed continues, as droves of double agents working for both Costello and the state of Massachusetts begin locating and killing one another in an effort to protect themselves from a growing list of federal indictments, with Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio at the center of it all.
The Departed was praised for its complex screenplay, nuanced performances, and incredible direction from Scorsese. Many film fans maintain to this day that the performance delivered by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film was the best of his career, building on the at-the-time popular trend of deriding the Oscars for not awarding the star his due Award for his long-celebrated acting chops.

The film received massive critical and audience success, amassing scores of 91 percent and 94 percent from critics and audiences, respectively on Rotten Tomatoes.
Following the success of The Departed, Martin Scorsese has since recruited Leonardo DiCaprio to lead in 4 more fantastic films, including Shutter Island (2010), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), The Audition (2015), and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). The pair have maintained an incredible working relationship together since first collaborating on 2002’s Gangs of New York, leaving audiences hopeful that the duo can continue to capture their magic in numerous films to come.

In the meantime, The Departed is streaming on Hulu as of this writing.
Entertainment
Miguel Shares Birthday Shoutout For Son’s Mother Margaret Zhang
Miguel has plenty to say about how his partner, Margaret Zhang, has impacted his life. He shared a list in his Instagram shoutout celebrating her 33rd birthday. The couple shares a 1-year-old child.
RELATED: Aht! Aht! Miguel Explains Timeline Between His Divorce From Nazanin Mandi And Having A Baby With Margaret Zhang (VIDEO)
Miguel Says Margaret Zhang Is His “Advocate…Bullsh*t Detector”
As mentioned, Miguel posted about his partner on her actual birthday, May 27. He opened his lengthy caption by saying that it’s impossible for him to describe everything she is to him. But here are a few titles he shared: “Advocate. Advisor. Bullshit detector. Protector. Defender. Dream builder. Lawyer. Accountability officer. Leadership Coach. Cheerleader. Marketing advisor. Creative Partner. Voice of Reason. Partner. Even when others in my circle couldn’t, you always went 1000%.” Then, the singer thanked Margaret Zhang for her character and “the greatest blessing of fatherhood” with their son, Angelito.
“I want to say thank you. Not just for all the ways you’ve gone hard for me, but for your integrity and resilience, and sense of humor and thoughtfulness, and tenacity. But most of all for giving me the greatest blessing of fatherhood and Angel. This is your year and you deserve all the flowers and blessings coming your way! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUAJILLO STRAWBERRY !! 🎂 I love you. We love you. -M”
Meanwhile, the post featured photos of Margaret and Angelito as an infant and a toddler. It also had photos of Zhang alone and then a family shot from behind.
Social Media Reacts To Singer’s Birthday Shoutout
For unknown reasons, Miguel has the comment section of his birthday shoutout closed. Still in about 15 hours, the Instagram post has garnered over 95,000 likes. Meanwhile, in The Shade Room’s comment section, a repost of Miguel’s captions and photos got over 2,000 comments. And while some of are loving his new chapter, others were mentioning his past, particularly with ex-wife, Nazanin Mandi and criticizing his choice of words in the caption. Some even appeared to throw a lil’ shade at the birthday girl.
Roommate @janeechanell commented, “Still can’t believe he no longer with my girl,all she loved was him,cats and modeling… I don’t understand 😭.”
“Hmmmm reading the caption, I’m glad Naz got away. 🙏🏽✨,” @thatsso_lisa added.
“My biggest fear is my man getting on Beyoncé’s internet telling the whole world how I’m such a good man to him like huh?!😳,” @_naturallove_ said.
“So he loves her for everything she does for him not for who she is – like ‘ I can’t list all the things you are : brilliant, spiritual, witty, wise, beautiful etc…” He loves her cause she’s basically like a mother to him lolol,” @kelly_cybele_a wrote.
“Protector and Defender in INSANE. Idgaf what y’all say 😂 that is unbelievable,” @_elane commented.
“Ain’t no way I’m letting any man call me their protector or defender this ain’t the National Guard wtf? 😮 hbd tho 🤷🏽♀️,” @danijosie18 said.
“Brother on her arms no Brother on yalls 😂😂😂,” @itsjustfrankieee_ joked.
“Listen ppl need to stop thinking you have to stay in those long relationships sometimes those be in the way of living your real life,” @thegoldenchild_ weighed in.
“Bro said F a baddie, he wants a Kpop demon hunter,” @amy_ninety2 said.
“Y’all tripping , both partners should defend and protect each other. Yall mindset is why your relationships don’t last,” @naesbeauty_bar added.
“May this love NOT find me EVER 😂,” @a.andy.r commented.
“I miss the other lady,” @lalawhatever said.
“I think Naz dodged this bullet. 🤨,” @kassendrae281819 wrote.
What To Know About Miguel’s Past & Present Love Life
Miguel gagged his fans last October when he introduced his first and only child, Angelito, on Instagram and revealed the boy’s mom, Margaret. To this day, he hasn’t revealed the toddler’s face on the internet. Mama Zhang hasn’t either. Like her man, the former Vogue China editor-in-chief shared an IG dump for Angelito’s first birthday. But the details of how her and Miguel got together? Still, unclear. In her comment section last year, Miguel wrote, “Best Mommy.”
Miguel revealing his little family on the ‘gram, of course, sparked questions about his ex-wife. As of last year, it had been three years since Naz and Miguel had divorced. They formerly dated on-and-off for about 17 years before dissolving their marriage in California based on irreconcilable differences. It’s unclear whether the ex-couple maintained a friendship following their split.
RELATED: Royalty Brown Celebrates Her 12th Birthday With Coachella-Themed Party & Fans Can’t Get Enough (VIDEO)
What Do You Think Roomies?
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