Roomies, folks online are side-eyeing Dejounte Murray after he dropped a message amid Jania Meshell’s pregnancy announcement. Fans are now trying to piece everything together, especially after Jania previously claimed Dejounte allegedly blocked her on social media.

RELATED: Jania Meshell Breaks Down After Dejounte Murray Allegedly Blocks Her Following Pregnancy Announcement (VIDEO)

Dejounte Murray’s Message Has Fans Revisiting His History With Jania Meshell

Recently, Dejounte Murray came through with a life update on Instagram, sharing a carousel packed with moments from basketball practice, quality time with his kids, and some fresh fits. But what really caught everyone’s attention was Jania Meshell popping up in not one, but two photos. One photo in particular raised eyebrows as Dejounte placed his hand on Jania’s baby bump while their daughter Icelynn and Jania’s son Kacey, whom she shares with NBA YoungBoy, also held onto her belly. In his caption, Dejounte shared that he feels grateful to enter this new chapter of his life, writing, “THANK GOD THIS MY LIFE. I Was Putting It All On The Line!!! 🙏🏽🖤” Folks online were waiting for Jania to enter the chat, and she did just that! She slid into his comment section and called his set of flicks, “picture perfect 🖤🖤”

Social Media Weighs In On Dejounte’s Viral Post

Once The Shade Room shared Dejounte’s photo dump, the comment section lit UP! Plenty of folks said they were confused, while others joked that Dejounte switches up his energy too often for them.

Instagram user @abovebrasialove wrote, “At least he there 🥰” 

instagram user @gypsy.issy wrote, “Horrible caption lol.” 

While Instagram user @yesimasiaa wrote, “after blocking her.” 

Then Instagram user @thuggernese wrote, “but wasn’t she just- never mind.” 

Another Instagram user @_sheisjordann wrote, “he got my girl pregnant to keep her inside! 🤣🤣 he was just crashing out about the outside activities.” 

Instagram user @thatsss.jayyy_ wrote, “this man energy change like the damn weather😂😂😂🤦🏽‍♀️ like I’m over it!!!” 

Then another Instagram user @lilzackglo wrote, “Stop getting on the internet crying bout her if you gone be right back with her dude 🫩” 

Lastly, Instagram user @quality_thriftstoreee wrote, “😍😍😍”

Fans Recall Jania Meshell’s Emotional Reaction To Being Blocked Online

Dejounte’s latest post had some fans scratching their heads because it came right after Jania Meshell previously claimed he blocked her online. During a recent livestream, Jania shared that the situation hurt her feelings, and while she never mentioned Dejounte by name, fans quickly connected the dots. Although she didn’t name-drop Dejounte, fans believe she was referring to him when she said, “I can’t help who I love. I love him,” Jania later admitted that she never asked Dejounte to follow her on social media, however she admitted that getting blocked still bothered her. “Did it hurt my feelings? Yes, a little bit, it did. But I can’t do nothing about it.”

RELATED: Congrats! Jania Meshell She & Dejounte Murray Are Expecting Another Child & They Reveal The Gender! (PHOTOS) 

Days of Our Lives presents Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein) really ticked off at Joy Wesley (AlexAnn Hopkins) and may soon start plotting to help Alex Kiriakis (Robert Scott Wilson) get full custody, maybe even sole custody of little Kelsey rather than having to deal with Joy’s increasing demands about the child that they share.

Days of our Lives: Alex’s Emotions Run Amok

So, this week, Alex was so excited when his dad called and said that baby Kelsey’s birth certificate had been amended and was ready. So, now it has her new name, and Alex is officially listed as the dad, and she is now Kelsey Kiriakis. But when Joy and Alex discuss the custody arrangement with Justin, we saw Joy put her foot down about Stephanie because Joy doesn’t want Alex’s wife around Kelsey ever. And Alex was angry.

Then he stormed out and he went home to vent his frustration to Stephanie. And Alex had to explain why there’s no custody deal yet. So, Stephanie told Alex this is all her fault because if she hadn’t shot at Joy, there wouldn’t even be this topic of discussion and this leverage. Stephanie was double dosing medication with a loaded gun not locked up properly, and she knew that Joy had a key to their apartment. But then Stephanie woke up groggy and panicked and shot at Joy.

It was extremely irresponsible. But on the flip, Stephanie had PTSD because of a past trauma. She’s not just going around taking pot shots at people across town. So, it is understandable that Stephanie made a bad choice that day and Joy is understandably shaken. And this didn’t happen that long ago.

Stephanie Makes Things Worse for Herself on DOOL

But then after a conversation with Belle Black (Martha Madison), it looked like Joy was legit ready to cave on the custody thing and let Stephanie around her baby. But after Alex left for work, then Stephanie decided to go confront Joy about what she sees as her latest stunt.

Things were looking better until Stephanie got upset and intervened. And then she outright accused Joy of wanting her husband all to herself and accusing her of outrageous plots. And to be clear, Joy definitely wants Alex. But to be fair, I don’t think Joy has been inappropriate with him. Alex didn’t wait to hear what Joy’s issue was when she called about the insurance card.

He assumed the worst and he ran out. And now Stephanie assumes the worst of Joy in that situation. I actually think it was fine for her to call Alex for help since she and his baby daughter were on the side of the freeway. But despite that, Stephanie is not wrong about Joy having ulterior motives. And Stephanie likely does not believe Joy when she said she was about to change her mind on the custody until Stephanie ruined it.

Days of Our Lives: Stephanie’s Custody Plot Against Joy

So what’s going to happen now? Well, I think Alex might be a little annoyed that Stephanie confronted Joy, which Alex had to know wasn’t going to make anything better. But I also think Stephanie will convince Alex that Joy’s up to no good where he’s concerned. And from there, I don’t think Alex is going to be on board to plot against Joy no matter what Stephanie’s saying because I’m sure that Alex knows that will make things worse. However, I don’t expect Stephanie to back down. I think she’s going to start plotting on her own. I think she might do all she can to make sure Alex doesn’t just get 50/50 custody, but gets sole custody.

Because at this point, I expect that Stephanie wants Joy out of their lives and wouldn’t mind taking her baby away from her to make it happen. Because that’s how ticked off she is. And if Stephanie’s plotting against Joy, there’s a chance that she could find out that Kelsey’s mom is a gold digger. And maybe that’s not even Alex’s baby. Because think about it. When Joy was talking to Belle at the pub after Alex left the signing, Belle tried to convince Joy Stephanie would never hurt Kelsey.

Days of our Lives: Alex Not the Daddy?

And then something interesting happened that could foreshadow what’s coming. Rachel Black (Lorelei Olivia Mote) and Tate Black (Leo Howard) came over to look at little Kelsey and Rachel said Tate thought he had a baby too, but it turned out the kid wasn’t his after all. It was awkward and Belle called her out, but honestly that’s just Rachel being Rachel. And then Tate was listening in on Joy and Belle and we saw that Tate got snippy with Joy saying it’s bad to use a child for leverage to get what you want and Tate said it never works out in the end.

So, the Days of our Lives writers could be hinting at what’s next for Joy, Alex, and Stephanie. Stephanie could try and expose Joy as a liar while investigating for this custody case. You know, Stephanie could find irrefutable proof from maybe a secretly run DNA test that Joy somehow falsified the results. It would be easy enough for Stephanie to do a test like that. And it would be wild to come down to a moment of Alex learning he is not the biological father. And of course, that would break his heart because he adores Kelsey. Of course, Joy was very proud that her daughter would have the Kiriakis name because of its prestige.

Digging Up the Truth on Days

And since Jeremy Horton (Michael Roark) brought Joy to town, he might have made some contacts in the lab that could help her. Every soap paternity test can potentially be faked. Hospital staff have done that before and might be open to taking a bribe to swap the test results. So yeah, that test might have been faked.

But if Stephanie’s scheming ends up with Alex losing the daughter that he’s come to love, that could actually be problematic for him and Stephanie. But then again, Alex deserves to know if he’s really the dad or not. And we could also see Stephanie talking Alex into plotting with her. Some kind of honeypot thing where they pretend to break up so that they can find out Joy’s real motives.

Because I’m sure if she thought Alex was single, then Joy might admit to all kinds of things to Alex. They could turn around and use those against her in custody court. And finally, Stephanie could convince Papa Steve Johnson (Stephen Nichols) to use his investigative skills to help her dig up some dirt on Joy. We don’t know a lot about her. Her origin story, of course, is that she’s a savior sibling.

Her parents basically made Joy so that she could donate to save her sister’s life. And she’s been offscreen most of her life until her mother brought her to Salem to audition for a TV show. At the time, her mother made comments to Joy about her loose habits of sleeping around. And that’s enough right there to make you wonder if Alex really is Kelsey’s dad.

Joy’s Bad Choices on DOOL

Plus, Joy doesn’t even have a job. She lives above a bar with the baby. Those are not exactly positive parenting choices. And all of that could be used as ammunition to help Alex in the courtroom. And Stephanie could testify that she’s been in counseling, got rid of the gun, she’s stable, she’s safe. But in the end, unless Stephanie gets some major dirt on Joy, what Stephanie did by shooting at her makes her a huge liability in any custody case. And Alex has to know that. I’m sure his father does, too.

So, Stephanie scheming to expose Joy and getting some leverage against her is a good idea. But if it ends up costing Alex access to his daughter, then Stephanie might live to regret it. Already, Joy may tell Alex she was going to relent on the custody until Stephanie went psycho on her.

And Alex might believe Joy, at least for a minute, and she can always simply threaten to take Kelsey and go back to New York. I do think Stephanie can be over the top at times, but also what woman is going to sit by and let Joy get away with all of this? Certainly not Stephanie Johnson. We’ll see what scheme she starts soon to deal with Joy.

The journey through the Lands Between has reached a major milestone.

According to a crew member who worked on the production, A24’s highly anticipated live action Elden Ring movie has officially wrapped filming after approximately six months of production. While fans still have a long wait before the film arrives in theaters on March 3, 2028, the completion of principal photography means the ambitious adaptation now moves into post production.

The news came from a now-deleted Instagram post by crew member Sean Schofield, who shared what appeared to be a thank you package from director Alex Garland and several of the film’s producers. Alongside the image, Schofield reflected on his experience working on the project.

“Dream job to end all dream jobs.”

He continued by praising everyone involved with the production.

“6 solid months of blood, sweat and tears making the coolest stuff ever, working alongside the best of the best. Can’t share anything else for a very long time, but I couldn’t be more proud of what we did.”

Although plot details remain tightly guarded, the adaptation is shaping up to be one of the biggest projects in A24’s history. The film stars Kit Connor, Cailee Spaeny, Ben Whishaw, Nick Offerman, Tom Burke, Havana Rose Liu, Sonoya Mizuno, Emma Laird, Peter Serafinowicz, and Jonathan Pryce, bringing together an impressive ensemble to explore the dark fantasy world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R. R. Martin.

Elden Ring

One reason fans have remained optimistic about the adaptation is Garland himself. Long before production began, the filmmaker made it clear that he wasn’t simply taking on another blockbuster. He’s an actual Elden Ring player who has spent hundreds of hours in the Lands Between.

During an AMA, Garland admitted:

“I’m on ng+6 currently. Don’t even want to think about the hours I’ve clocked up. Can’t seem to stop playing.”

He later doubled down on his love for the game during an appearance on IGN Unfiltered, revealing that he was already on his seventh playthrough and joking that he always gravitates toward a dexterity, magic, and parry build.

That level of familiarity has given many fans confidence that Garland understands what makes Elden Ring so special. Rather than simply recreating the game’s monsters and action sequences, many are hoping he’ll capture its haunting atmosphere, mysterious storytelling, and sense of discovery.

Let me solo her [elden Ring]

Even George R. R. Martin, who helped create the mythology behind the game, has expressed confidence in the adaptation. Speaking about the project after it was announced, Martin praised both the studio and its director.

“A24 is a kickass studio, and Alex Garland is a first rate director.”

With filming now complete, the movie enters what will likely be an extensive post production process as visual effects artists begin bringing the Lands Between to life. A24 has yet to release any official images or footage from the film, but with cameras no longer rolling, fans may finally be getting closer to their first look.

Video game adaptations have enjoyed a remarkable resurgence over the past few years thanks to projects like The Last of Us, Fallout, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Elden Ring presents a different challenge entirely, asking filmmakers to translate one of gaming’s most mysterious and lore-rich worlds into a cinematic experience.

If Garland can successfully capture the atmosphere and scale that made the original game a masterpiece, Elden Ring has every opportunity to become one of the defining fantasy films of the decade.

Big Brother week 4 Head of Household results are sizzling fresh off Kamuela “Kamu” Kirk getting his target Jason De Puy out of the BB28 house. As expected, that Blockbuster comp was made for Mallory Aurichio which paved the way for LaTrice “Lala” Verrett to stay.

Big Brother 28: Mismanaged Strategy

I will say I’m disappointed that the houseguests on the non-Toolshed side of the house rolled over and voted with the house again. With Rome gone, the weaker players are backing down and accepting it. Jason messed up his own game but I did feel bad for him.

I also noted the number of people who didn’t bother to say “I sadly vote to evict.” And I also totally applaud him for not taking any physical contact from Kamu after the Blockbuster. My favorite exit from Big Brother was when Cody the Marine walked out over the table.

Cody ignored everyone, grabbed his bag and walked out, shutting the door behind him. That was a tight exit. Jason hugged only his actual friends. I get why Barrett Pfeiffer and Drew Campbell backed off the plan to save Jason.

But if they knew they were under the microscope and the rest of the Toolshed was coming for them, they might’ve found the courage to rally the other side of the house and vote out Lala.

Big Brother 28: Victorian Tasks

So, waiting for the feeds to come back up, what I was really hoping to see was that Mallory or Lyric Medeiros won Head of Household, preferably Mallory since she’s holding a grudge against the icons and Kamu for nominating her.

But what I hoped after Jason’s eviction is to see the power players at the house at a disadvantage and scrambling with someone else in power for a change. To make the season more watchable and dynamic. But that didn’t happen.

Instead, when the feeds came back up after about four hours, it was with the houseguests wearing old-timey outfits like Victorian-era looking stuff and the comp was something to do with searching for items in a room. I’m sure we’ll have more details later.

Big Brother 28: Haley Wins HOH Amid Power Imbalances

So, Lyric, Haley Thogmartin and Yash Patel were the top 3 in the comp. But it was Haley wearing the key to the HOH room. So yeah, the imbalance of power in the house continues and she’s already planning to be problematic during her HOH reign.

She said she was going to kick anyone out of her room that has been talking negatively about her. Haley blathered to Devens about how she’s had a rough 3 weeks in the house and acted like she’s been bullied.

Haley made a dramatic speech and said you don’t need to come in her room, steal her snacks, use her shower, if you’ve been talking bad about her. No one left and she got polite applause. Girl has been safe for 3 weeks and now a fourth and is whining.

Haley’s been after Taylor Brown since week 1 and plans to put her on the block. Her excuse will be that Lala and Taylor were talking about Haley. And Taylor said she’d nominate her if she won. But let’s be real, Haley hates that Kamu likes Taylor.

And Haley’s had Taylor and Lala’s name in her mouth since week 1. She plans to nominate Melody Morris, Taylor and Drew with Taylor as her intended target. Haley’s going to tell Drew he’s a pawn but Devens is trying to get Haley to keep him as a backdoor option.

Angela, LaTrice, Devens and Kamu are the Have Nots for the week. More on nominations and the Time Capsule winner soon.

It looks like somebody had Claressa Shields ready to clear the air without saying any names. The undisputed boxing champion hopped online with a series of fiery posts that quickly got social media talking, leaving fans wondering exactly what—or who—sparked the energy.

RELATED: Claressa Shields Corrects Interviewer After Question About Being In A Relationship With “Somebody’s Husband” (VIDEO)

Claressa Shields Seemingly Sends A Warning

On Thursday, Claressa Shields took to X and wrote, “Imma be honest with you, I ain’t letting nobody else off the hook. Next b!tch come playing I’m going all out 😌.” Then on Friday, she doubled down with another warning, tweeting, “I stg these girls that be talking sh!t bet not let me catch them outside 😌🗣️.”

I stg these girls that be talking sh!t bet not let me catch them outside 😌🗣️

— Claressa Gwoat Shields (@Claressashields) July 31, 2026

Claressa Is Standing On Her Resume

Shields later shifted the conversation to her accomplishments, writing, “You can say you the best all you want, but with no accolades to show it, it’s just talk. When I say I’m the GWOAT, THE BEST, The P4P #1, it’s facts. The accolades prove that, the people I’ve beat, the biopic about my life and now the multi million dollar pay days and Sold out arenas.”

While Claressa didn’t reveal who, if anyone, the posts were directed at, the timing had plenty of people trying to connect the dots. Whether she was responding to behind-the-scenes chatter or simply reminding folks of her résumé, one thing was clear from her message: Shields wanted everyone to know she’s standing firmly on her accomplishments—and she’s not backing down from anyone.

You can say you the best all you want, but with no accolades to show it, it’s just talk. When I say I’m the GWOAT, THE BEST, The P4P #1, it’s facts. The accolades prove that, the people I’ve beat, the biopic about my life and now the multi million dollar pay days and Sold out…

— Claressa Gwoat Shields (@Claressashields) July 31, 2026

Fans Believe Claressa Was Standing On Business

Some fans are wondering if Claressa Shields’ latest posts came after reflecting on a recent radio interview that had social media talking. While promoting her upcoming August 15 fight against Kaye Scott, Shields appeared on Streetz 94.5 FM, where the conversation shifted from boxing to her relationship with Papoose. After the interviewer referred to him as “somebody’s husband,” Shields quickly shut that down, pointing out that Papoose has filed for divorce and saying people should keep the same energy when discussing his estranged wife.

@theshaderoom

During a recent interview, #ClaressaShields was asked how much longer is she willing to be in a relationship with someone’s husband. She made it clear that she isn’t with anyone’s husband, and that #Papoose has filed for divorce because he is serious about her. (🎥: @Streetz945ATL) #fyp #viral ✍🏾: #TSRStaffJW

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♬ original sound – The Shade Room

Now, after her latest series of tweets about not letting anyone “off the hook” and reminding folks of her accomplishments, some social media users are speculating she wanted to make it clear she’s done entertaining the chatter—even though she never directly connected the posts to the interview.

RELATED: Claressa Shields Appears To Advise Chrisean Rock To Stay Away From Blueface After They Link Up For Boxing Training (VIDEO)

Zombies, deadly chimps and fame-hungry showgirls – what more can you want in a weekend movie lineup?

Prime Video just dropped some pretty fantastic movies in July, and Watch With Us is here to recommend which films you should stream this July 31-August 2 weekend.

At the top of our list is World War Z, an epic zombie action film starring Brad Pitt and millions of undead aggressors.

The streamer just debuted Primate, a creature feature starring Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur as the owner of a lovable chimp who turns deadly.

If the horror genre isn’t your thing, try watching Showgirls, the camp classic that is guaranteed to make you laugh – both intentionally and unintentionally.

‘World War Z’ (2013)

Philadelphia everyman Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) and his family are stuck in the traffic jam from hell. No one is moving, and the people around him are getting angrier by the minute. Gerry doesn’t think things could get any worse, but they do when a zombie outbreak suddenly occurs, plunging the city into chaos. Gerry’s no superhero, but he’s determined to save his family from being consumed by the growing hordes of the undead that are quickly taking over the world. Even if he gets his family to safety, he has to face a sobering reality – no one knows how the outbreak started, and that’s the only way the survivors can develop a cure to stop it.

Loosely based on the bestselling novel by Max Brooks, World War Z is a zombie movie on steroids. Unlike George Romero’s flesh-eating monsters in Night of the Living Dead, these zombies are smarter, faster and deadlier than other versions that have come before them. Because its zombies are such an intimidating, unyielding threat, World War Z maintains a constant sense of urgency and dread. They seem unstoppable, especially when they use their massive numbers to make a mountain of the undead to overtake concrete walls and even helicopters. The film is breathless in the best and worst sense – it keeps you engaged throughout its 116-minute runtime, but you feel exhausted after you finish it.

World War Z is streaming on Prime Video.

‘Primate’ (2026)

You’d think having a pet chimpanzee would be great. For college student Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah), it’s been heaven growing up with super-smart chimpanzee Ben (Miguel Torres Umba). But when Lucy returns home with some friends for an impromptu party, Ben behaves erratically. The chimp has rabies, causing him to change from a lovable pet to a deadly killer. Trapped in her home, Lucy has to figure out a way out while keeping herself and her friends alive.

Primate is nothing less or more than a deadly creature horror film, like Cujo and Crawl. It earns its hard-R rating, so expect gruesome scenes with faces being ripped off and heads being crushed with rocks. The movie is crude but effective, especially in its portrayal of Ben as a cute but increasingly unhinged murderer. It’s not a classic, but Primate gets the job done – you’ll scream at the well-timed jump scares and gag at all the blood and gore that’s on full display.

Primate is streaming on Prime Video.

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‘Showgirls’ (1995)

Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley) wants to be a star. She hitchhikes to Las Vegas, where she gets her start at a sleazy strip club – and catches the eye of Cristal Connors (Gina Gershon), the lead performer of a showgirl revue called Goddess at the Stardust Hotel. Sensing a kindred spirit as well as a potential new lover, Cristal gets her an audition, which Nomi aces. Soon, Nomi’s star is rising thanks to her talents as a dancer and her convenient affair with Zack (Kyle MacLachlan), the money behind Goddess and Cristal’s boyfriend. But Nomi quickly finds out fame has a price, and she might not be willing to pay it.

Is Showgirls one of the worst movies ever made? Or is it a secretly smart and cutting satire about American capitalism and the selling of sex as a commodity? The reason why Showgirls has been a cult classic for over 30 years is that the answer to both questions is “yes.” The film has laughably bad dialogue – there’s an exchange between Nomi and Crystal about eating doggy chow that still gets chuckles today – but the film is well-directed and, yes, well-acted. Berkeley gives an outsized performance – everything Nomi does is BIG and LOUD. There’s a reason for that – Nomi is hungry for fame and money, and she wants people to know who she is. Love it or hate it, Showgirls is unique – there’s never been a movie made that’s like it.

Showgirls is streaming on Prime Video.

The 1990s were one of the most transformative decades for cinema in history, and the 21st century has thus far produced several of the greatest masterpieces film has ever seen. As such, it should come as no surprise that from 1990 until the present, there have been many thriller movies which have already gone down in history as some of the best in the genre. What’s more, they only keep getting better with age, so they’ll very likely be talked about a few decades from now with the same kind of reverance and admiration that cinephiles talk about the best thrillers from Hollywood’s Golden Age today.

But even though there have been many exceptional thriller films made over the course of the last 36 years, there are six in particular that stand out above all the others as some of the most perfect in the history of thrillers. Whether it’s a groundbreaking ’90s classic like The Usual Suspects or a modern game-changer like Parasite, the best thrillers the world has seen since 1990 are proof of just how suspenseful, well written, and perfectly directed the genre can get when in the hands of master filmmakers. Anyone who loves thriller movies and hasn’t seen these six films is seriously missing out.

6

‘The Usual Suspects’ (1995)

Image via Universal Pictures

Directed by Bryan Singer and written by a pre-Mission: Impossible Christopher McQuarrie, The Usual Suspects is nothing short of one of the most legendary indie thrillers of all time. The ’90s were the Golden Age of and breakout decade for Hollywood independent cinema, allowing personal auteurial visions to flourish in ways that they had rarely been allowed to before. From this cultural re-allignment came Usual Suspects, which earned McQuarrie the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1996.

The whole idea for The Usual Suspects was born out of the simple premise of five men meeting in a police line-up. In a perfect testament to the fact that the most creative and complex thrillers often come from the simplest and most easy-to-summarize set-ups, Singer’s magnum opus is a brilliantly dark thriller full of razor-sharp dialogue and consistently jaw-dropping twists. The biggest one of these turns comes right at the very end of the film, and it’s one of the most iconic final plot twists in movie history, the sort that completely recontextualizes everything that came before. As such, The Usual Suspects is one of those thriller movies that are even better the second time.

5

‘Parasite’ (2019)

Image via NEON

Few countries make thrillers quite as gripping as those made by South Korean filmmakers like Bong Joon Ho. Bong has always been one of the greatest South Korean directors not just of his generation, but of all time, having made several of the best Asian movies of the 21st century. However, never before had the world seen anything quite like the historic Parasite. First-ever non-English-language winner of the Best Picture Academy Award, nothing less than the most prestigious award in the entire film industry, this modern masterpiece is one of the best Best Picture Oscar winners since 2000.

But aside from its achievements being historic, Parasite has the quality to show that it deserved to make history in the first place. The way Bong juggles genres in this brilliant social satire is nothing short of genius, and the way it blends with the film’s constantly-escalating sense of tension, mystery, and suspense is also absolutely perfect. Parasite‘s critique of socioeconomic disparities aren’t particularly subtle, but Bong isn’t a director that’s ever been known for being shy with his thematic explorations. Loud, timely, and an awful lot of fun, Parasite is one of the best films of the 21st century so far.

4

‘Oldboy’ (2003)

Image via Tartan Films

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As if any more proof were needed that South Korean filmmakers are absolute masters of the thriller genre, there’s also Park Chan-wook, who has made several thriller masterpieces over the course of his career. The question of which one’s the best of the bunch, however, isn’t actually much of a question at all. It has to be Oldboy, one of the best action thrillers of the 2000s, as well as one of the most disturbing crime movies ever made.

Oldboy is not for the faint of heart, but the way Park uses shock value here always feels perfectly calculated and artfully deliberate instead of gratuitous or exploitative. Exquisitely character-driven and packed with jaw-dropping twists, including some of the most shocking final twists toward its showstopping third act, Oldboy is a psychological thriller that all those with the stomach for it should check out at least once in their lives. Full of perfectly shot action sequences and emotionally stirring character moments, it’s one of the most well-rounded thrillers of modern times.

3

‘Memento’ (2000)

Before he was Academy Award winner Christopher Nolan, king of Hollywood blockbusters; he was up-and-coming indie filmmaker Christopher Nolan, the man whose sophomore feature, Memento, took the world by storm as soon as it premiered at the Venice Film Festival at the tail end of the 20th century. Today, there are still those who would confidently refer to this as Nolan’s best movie to date, and for good reason. It may lack the epic scale or sense of spectacle of his newer blockbuster fare, but that is precisely where its thematic, narrative, and aesthetic strength comes from.

There are plenty of reasons why Memento is one of the best films of the 2000s, not least of which is the genius way in which Nolan structures the story in reverse chronological order. This never feels like a cheap gimmick, but rather like a masterfully-constructed framing device that makes the film consistently surprising at every turn. By the time the credits roll, Memento has recontextualized itself as a drama of surprising philosophical depth, exploring the lengths to which people will go in order to give their lives some semblance of meaning.

2

‘Se7en’ (1995)

Image via New Line Cinema

By the time 1995 rolled in, David Fincher was still very far from being the hugely-acclaimed filmmaker that cinephiles celebrate him as today. After all, by that point, the only feature film under his belt was Alien³. That’s when Se7en came along. When Fincher was brought on board the project, he was still better-known for his work directing music videos, and he wasn’t a fan of the script’s police procedural elements. Even still, he was so fascinated by the escalating plot and the incredibly bleak story that he agreed to direct. The result? One of the most fatalistic movies of all time.But as overwhelmingly bleak as it is, Se7en still managed to make over $300 million dollars at the box office worldwide, immediately establishing Fincher as a talent to look out for in the thriller space. Today, he’s one of the greatest thriller filmmakers currently working. That would have probably never happened without Se7en, a psychological thriller so terrifyingly pessimistic and violent that there are those who would argue it qualifies as a horror movie, too.

1

‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)

Image via Orion Pictures

There’s really no question about it: Since the arrival of the ’90s, there still hasn’t been a thriller quite as iconic, influential, or legendary than The Silence of the Lambs. It’s the latest movie to have won all Big Five Oscars (Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor, and Actress) for a reason. Anchored by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster delivering some of the strongest work of their careers, this psychological thriller/horror masterpiece is one of the greatest serial killer mystery movies ever made.

This is yet another film that definitely demands that the viewer have a strong stomach in order to get through the whole film, but watching Silence of the Lambs at some point is nevertheless a bona fide requirement for considering oneself a cinephile. It’s one of those horror movies that are perfect throughout, a thematically complex character-driven gem bolstered by Ted Tally‘s timeless script and Jonathan Demme‘s downright flawless direction. Since 1990, The Silence of the Lambs is the best thriller movie that the big screen has received—and it’ll take something very special to take that top spot away from it.

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The Silence of the Lambs

Release Date

February 14, 1991

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Runtime

119 minutes

Director

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Jonathan Demme

Writers

Ted Tally, Thomas Harris

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The Real Housewives of Orange County star Shannon Beador has something to say about Southern Charm’s Rodrigo Reyes claiming that she was rude when they crossed paths at BravoCon.

“Can I say, and I apologize,” Shannon, 62, began on the Thursday, July 30, episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, “Rodrigo, I don’t know who he is.”

Rodrigo, 42, made waves in January when he claimed on WWHL that Shannon had been “very rude” during BravoCon in November 2025.

“She was very rude and very condescending,” he alleged. “She was talking a lot of crap off to the side that Tyler [Dugas, my fiancé] heard. Tyler heard her talking about, like, Salley [Carson] and I having a better position in one of the fan rooms. Well, honey, show up on time and you won’t have to worry about that.”

Related: Southern Charm’s Rodrigo Reyes Claims Shannon Beador Was ‘Rude’ at BravoCon

Southern Charm personality Rodrigo Reyes had at least one not-so-memorable moment at BravoCon 2025. Rodrigo, 40, was questioned about his “least favorite” Bravolebrity he met at the network’s latest fan convention during his Wednesday, January 28, appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “Shannon Beador,” Rodrigo told host Andy Cohen and fellow guest […]

Shannon, meanwhile, asserted on Thursday that she did not intentionally mean to hurt Rodrigo’s feelings.

“Sophie [my daughter] was with me at all times at BravoCon, and I go, ‘Sweetie, who is this?’ She goes, ‘Mom, we never saw him,’” the Housewives star said, to which Sophie, 23, nodded from behind the bar to seemingly corroborate her mom’s account. “So, I don’t know. Andy knows me: I’m nice to everyone, but I’m sorry, Rodrigo.”

Shannon even extended an invitation to make things up to Rodrigo during Bravo’s upcoming fan convention in Charleston, South Carolina, this October.

“We’re doing Fan Fest together,” Shannon stated. “Let’s make up!”

Bravo is hosting a one-day-only fan event on Sunday, October 24, for fans to attend cast panels, immersive experiences, pop-up activations and meet-and-greets with Bravolebrities. Andy Cohen will also tape two special broadcasts of WWHL in the days ahead of Bravo Fan Fest.

Personalities from Below Deck, Southern Charm, Southern Hospitality, Summer House and the Housewives franchise are expected to be present, including Shannon and her RHOC castmates. The OC iteration is currently airing its milestone 20th season.

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“I had such a great time. I laughed, I did silly, silly things,” Shannon exclusively told Us Weekly last month. “I can’t wait for people to see that. … I really think people are going to enjoy the season, because it’s not always about fighting all the time. Of course, we have our disagreements, but people want to see fun too.”

Shannon further told Us that she was excited about her pal Vicki Gunvalson’s return to the show.

“I was excited about being back and being with my girlfriends and showing everybody what I’ve been up to,” Vicki, 64, told Us in a separate interview in June. “I’m still really good friends with Shannon on and off camera, Tamra [Judge] as well. It was easy.”

Few video game developers have been as consistently high-quality and masterful in their scope and scale as Naughty Dog, who have consistently been at the forefront of exceptional gaming experiences during the 3D era of gaming. While they released an array of games in their early years, they didn’t truly find their footing until their collaborations with Sony on their various PlayStation consoles. They proved to be so revolutionary and important to the console’s success that the studio was bought by Sony in 2001, and they have continued to make exceptional games for PlayStation systems ever since.

From some of the best and most engaging platformers of their era to masterfully woven pieces of cinematic greatness within the medium of video games, Naughty Dog’s best games are in a league of their own in terms of quality and care. However, more than simply being the greatest games that they have released, each of these games is fundamentally essential when it comes to understanding the craft and strengths that have made Naughty Dog the powerhouse studio that they are today.

8

‘Jak 3’ (2004)

The final game in Naughty Dog’s acclaimed PS2 trilogy, Jak 3 is one of the studio’s most prominent examples in their shift in mentality when it came to the types of game experiences that they wanted to create. It continues the darker tone that was set up by Jak II, with an even greater emphasis on gun combat than previous entries and the intricacies of the Wasteland. More than any previous game in Naughty Dog’s catalog, there is a great emphasis placed on genuine and emotional storytelling, a tenet that would follow them for nearly every subsequent release.

While it might not be an absolute narrative masterpiece or even the best game in the Jak and Daxter trilogy, its importance to the legacy and growth of Naughty Dog as a studio makes it an essential experience for fans of the studio. With well-written characters and some shocking twists laden throughout, there are a lot of core elements strewn throughout Jak 3 that can directly be compared to the stories and characters of modern Naughty Dog experiences.

7

‘Crash Team Racing’ (1999)

Image via Playstation

Kart racing spinoffs of beloved platforming franchises weren’t exactly rare during the 90s, but what was a massive rarity was that Naughty Dog was actually developing this spinoff of their beloved PS1 trilogy rather than another development team. This has largely helped Crash Team Racing become one of the most well-crafted and timeless kart racing games of all time, surpassing the likes of Mario Kart 64 and becoming the must-play multiplayer racing game of the era.

Crash Team Racing proved more than a shadow of a doubt that Naughty Dog was a truly special development team, able to create much more than just top-notch platformers and showing strength within a completely different genre. The final Crash Bandicoot game they developed served as an unlikely, perfect send-off for their beloved marsupial character, and it is still celebrated as one of the best kart racers ever made and an icon of multiplayer gaming on the PS1.

6

‘Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy’ (2001)

While it may seem a bit strange to return to the more cartoony charms of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy after knowing just how much more dark and serious the series would go, the game is still a highly engaging platformer experience built upon the strengths of the collect-a-thon genre. The film is massively influenced by other prominent collect-a-thons of the previous era, like Super Mario 64 and especially Banjo Kazooie, with each world and mission brimming with character and charm that add to the overall experience.

For a console that quickly became defined by an array of mature and adult-oriented gaming experiences, Jak and Daxter is easily the definitive family-friendly adventure game for the PS2. Its adherence to the strengths of the collect-a-thon genre is what really makes the game so engaging all these years later, as subsequent Jak and Daxter games largely abandoned the collect-a-thon style of gameplay with their shift to action and more story-oriented gameplay.

5

‘Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End’ (2016)

Image via Sony Computer Entertainment

For the most part, the distinct console trilogies made by Naughty Dog stayed within the confines of the console that they originated on, as the Crash Bandicoot trilogy on PS1 and Jak and Daxter trilogy on PS2 set the standard for Uncharted to follow on PS3. However, the franchise ended up receiving a surprise 4th entry on the PS4, with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End being an exceptional sendoff to the beloved characters of the Uncharted franchise.

It acts as this glorious culmination of all of the strengths of the franchise, from large-scale cinematic action sequences to intricate puzzles and memorable character moments. The best-selling PS4 game is an undeniable highlight of Naughty Dog’s offerings, elevating the brilliance and scale of the franchise to the next generation of technological and graphical capabilities. The game even features a direct throwback to Naughty Dog’s origins with PlayStation, with the player being able to play the first level of Crash Bandicoot as played by Nathan and Elena.

4

‘The Last of Us: Part II’ (2020)

Image via Naughty Dog

So far the only Naughty Dog game to have won the highly coveted Game Award for Game of the Year, The Last of Us Part II is still technically the most recent Naughty Dog release when not considering remasters and ports. This massively acclaimed sequel to the already legendary game became largely lauded thanks to its darker, more depressing story, dynamic characterization, and overarching themes of revenge. Even outside of the divisive nature of the game’s story, the technical craft and exceptional gameplay are still some of Naughty Dog at their very best.

There is so much passion and care placed into even the tiniest details of the game, adding to the immersion and emotional impact of each shocking twist and tense moment. This swan song for the PS4 era of PlayStation is still heralded as one of the greatest technical achievements in video game history, with the exceptional emotional impact of its story even further adding to its legacy as one of the icons of PlayStation in the 2020s.

3

‘Crash Bandicoot: Warped’ (1998)

The third game in Naughty Dog’s original PlayStation trilogy, Crash Bandicoot: Warped acts as the absolute highlight of the entire Crash Bandicoot franchise and one of the best games on the PS1. The time travel-centric platformer expands upon the strengths of previous entries to create a highly engaging experience that consistently adds new twists and elements to keep the player entertained from beginning to end. 3D platforming of the 90s simply doesn’t get better than this masterpiece of the genre.

Especially in the era of Naughty Dog games before they hard-focused on cinematic narrative-centric games, Crash Bandicoot: Warped features arguably some of the most seamless and satisfying gameplay out of any game that they’ve released. It’s one of the most timeless platforming experiences that gaming has to offer, feeling just as fun to play as it was when it first released, and a symbol of the polish and impact of Naughty Dog’s approach to gameplay.

2

‘Uncharted 2: Among Thieves’ (2009)

Image via Sony Computer Entertainment

The original Uncharted was certainly an impactful and memorable game for its time, but the stature and legacy of Uncharted as one of the faces of PlayStation simply wouldn’t exist without the brilliance and overwhelming mastery of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The game builds upon the concepts and strengths of the original game and seamlessly creates one of the most cinematic video game experiences of all time. From one of the greatest openings in any video game to a consistent stream of impactful action and setpieces, Uncharted 2 brings the strength and scope of an action-blockbuster movie to the world of video games better than any other game before or since.

It also helps that Naughty Dog had clearly gotten more comfortable with this style of third-person shooter narrative-centric action game, as they’re taking much more risks and having more exciting moments when the original game felt like it was playing things safe for the most part. All of these strengths are largely inherent to the exceptional single-player experience, but Uncharted 2 also featured some surprisingly fun multiplayer modes that were extremely fun while still adhering to the core strengths of Uncharted.

1

‘The Last of Us’ (2013)

Image via Naughty Dog

There’s a good reason that when many gamers of the modern day think of the exceptional games released by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us is often the first game that comes to mind. It was a revolutionary leap forward for the industry that stands tall as one of the most important games of the era and a symbol of what is possible in terms of artistic storytelling in the medium of video games. No other game in their catalog quite exemplifies the masterful reputation of Naughty Dog quite like The Last of Us, which continues to be celebrated as an all-time classic and one of the greatest PlayStation games ever made.

This beautifully crafted dystopian action thriller finds the perfect blend between tense stealth-based action, exceptionally well-written characters, and a story that keeps gamers hooked from the first scene up until its legendary ending. Everything that Naughty Dog had been building towards throughout their stature as PlayStation’s top development team comes to a head in The Last of Us to create the pinnacle of the PS3’s library and one of the most important video games of the 2010s.