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Only 5 Action Movies in the 2020s Can Be Considered True Masterpieces

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Maverick inside his plane performing an aerial stunt in 'Top Gun: Maverick'

We’re well over halfway through this decade, which means that many film watchers are starting to look back at all the films that have been released to take stock. There have been plenty of great films and a few masterpieces in the 2020s, with more still likely to come. Every genre has gotten its fair share of new classics, and the action genre has been particularly potent. There have been installments in franchises new and old, bold originals and everything in between. They haven’t all been perfect, but many have been good, some great, and a select few are absolute masterpieces. Opinions are always going to vary on what films can be classified as true masterpieces, with debate still surrounding awesome action movies from this decade like Furiosa, John Wick: Chapter 4, and Tenet. While time may tell on those movies, and a handful of others, at least five action movies from the 2020s can currently be certified as masterpieces.

Every action fan has their favorite era of movies, whether it’s the bombastic blockbusters of the ’80s, their high-concept cousins of the ’90s, or the grounded and gritty efforts of the 2000s. There have already been a few apparent trends for the 2020s, but the action genre has shown a lot of diversity so far, and the five action masterpieces of the decade offer a wonderful cross-section of it. We’ve got a superhero sequel, an Indian epic, and no less than two Best Picture winners. Add to those one of the best franchise legacy sequels ever made, and there’s no doubting that these five films represent the best of the best of the action genre for the 2020s so far. When this decade has come to a close, there’s no doubt that these action movies will be counted as true masterpieces.

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‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)

Maverick inside his plane performing an aerial stunt in 'Top Gun: Maverick'
Tom Cruise in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’
Image via Paramount Pictures

The decade got off to a slow start thanks to COVID. The pandemic pushed the releases of many movies and caused others to struggle at the box office when it finally opened back up. There were a number of movies credited with bringing audiences back to theaters, but the big blockbuster that truly got butts back in seats was the long-awaited legacy sequel Top Gun: Maverick. While the Tony Scott-directed original is certainly a favorite for some action, it could hardly be considered one of the best of the ’80s or even in the careers of Scott or mega-star Tom Cruise. This sequel, helmed by Joseph Kosinski, rose higher and faster than its predecessor, thanks to some astonishing aerial action sequences. Those sequences, which were shot with the actors in real jets in the sky, gave audiences all the action they’d been craving, and the young cast proved proper copilots to Cruise, who was still firmly in the pilot seat.

Picking up decades later, the film finds Maverick (Cruise) still feeling the need for speed and pushing the buttons of his superiors with his devil-may-care attitude and reckless flaunting of safety measures. That gets him a one-way ticket back to the Top Gun flight school, now to serve as an instructor for the young blood cadets, including Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of the first film’s ill-fated Goose (Anthony Edwards), and Hangman (Glen Powell), who clearly takes after the antagonistic Iceman (Val Kilmer). Kilmer himself shows up for a surprisingly emotional cameo that sees the once-bitter rivals embrace as old friends. While the action is superlative, it’s scenes like that between Maverick and Iceman that epitomize the effectiveness of this legacy sequel, which pays homage to what came before but isn’t afraid to chart its own flight path. Top Gun: Maverick succeeds where so many belated sequels failed by bringing in a solid new cast of characters, tinging itself with nostalgia without ever basking fully in its glow, and featuring action that will pin you to your seat.

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‘RRR’ (2022)

While Hollywood was patting itself on the back for remembering how to make great sequels, out of India came a film that showed everyone in America that the country was still outpacing us with original filmmaking. RRR, a Telugu-language historical epic with musical numbers and characters that rival superheroes for their athleticism, took international audiences by force with its blistering action set pieces. Directed by S.S. Rajamouli, who has been making films for two decades, including the two-part action epic Baahubali, the film is a non-stop thrill ride through its period setting. It combines history with folklore and wraps it in an over-the-top action style that makes it one of the most original action masterpieces of the 2020s or any other decade.

Set in India in the early twentieth century, during the British Raj, when the country was under British colonial rule, the film follows two fictionalized versions of revolutionaries. Tribal guardian Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) is brought into the action when a young girl is taken prisoner by the callous British Governor and wife, who enlist Imperial Officer Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) to help fight him off. The two go from adversaries to allies as they join forces to take down the oppressive regime in some of the most kinetic and riveting action sequences to come out of any country. RRR put Hollywood on notice and made international stars out of its creative team, paving the way for more Telugu cinema and other Indian action masterpieces to break through to Western audiences.

‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)

Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh, and Ke Huy Quan stand together looking scared in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh, and Ke Huy Quan stand together looking scared in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Image via A24
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Maybe it was the year of COVID lockdown or the tumultuous politics that led to a flourish of creative energy, but 2022 was a banger year for action movies. Even that year’s big Oscar winner was the martial arts extravaganza Everything Everywhere All at Once. Though Top Gun: Maverick was also nominated for Best Picture, and RRR should have been, it was this wickedly entertaining multiversal action-comedy from Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert that took home the gold. It’s truly one of the weirdest films to ever win Best Picture, but it richly deserved the award for its elaborate visuals, clever script, fantastic performances and wild action sequences. It made history with its award wins and proved that action movies don’t have to cater to more pretentious tastes in order to receive accolades.

Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) is a laundromat owner who is struggling to balance her deteriorating marriage, estranged relationship with her daughter, and an IRS audit. Things get multitudes more complicated when she discovers that many parallel universes exist, and she may be the key to saving all of them from an alternate supervillian version of her daughter. That overloaded premise is only scratching the surface of the oddities that exist in the film’s many different realities. An Oscar-winning Yeoh is as dynamic a protagonist as ever, and she’s ably supported by her supporting cast members, including fellow Oscar winners Jamie Lee Curtis as a vindictive IRS agent and Ke Huy Quan as Evelyn’s husband. Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s balls-to-the-wall, absurdist approach isn’t for everyone, but it’s got more ideas in single scenes than many blander action films have across their entire runtime.

‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ (2023)

Miles Morales fighting Spot in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Miles Morales fighting Spot in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
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Everything Everywhere All at Once was far from the first film to make use of the multiverse concept, which had already broken through to the mainstream several years earlier in the animated action masterpiece Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. That invigorating comic book movie’s sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, expanded exponentially on its predecessor’s bold visual style and universe-jumping action to become the best superhero action movie of the 2020s. Introducing hundreds of new Spider-Heroes into its universe, Across the Spider-Verse broadened the creative possibilities of what a Spider-Man movie could be. It opened up a whole host of new avenues for potential future exploration, and while a third film is on the way, along with a live-action Spider-Noir streaming series, there’s no telling where else the franchise could go from here.

The film picks back up with Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), who is struggling to balance his personal life with his superhero activities, longing to be reunited with his fellow webslingers. Meanwhile, Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) has been recruited into a league of multiverse-defending Spider-People, including clever cameos and full supporting characters like Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya) and Spider-Man India (Karan Soni), who bring even more diversity into the wonderfully colorful world. The animation pushes more boundaries than before, mixing media and radically different art styles for each universe and even individual characters. Like Miles, the movie does its own thing and manages to beat its live-action counterparts with more creativity and inventive action.

‘One Battle After Another’ (2025)

Leonardo DiCaprio on a public phone in One Battle After Another Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
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As unusual and idiosyncratic as one would expect for an action film from arthouse director Paul Thomas Anderson, last year’s Best Picture winner One Battle After Another gives you everything you might expect and then so much more. Based on Thomas Pynchon‘s novel Vineland, the film mixes social commentary with stoner comedy and propels it all with some of the most inspired action set pieces, including a climactic car chase that does more with a low-angle camera and a long stretch of road than many other modern blockbusters can with mountains of CGI. When it doesn’t have you laughing at the insanity of its characters or incensed at the social inequalities that surround them, One Battle After Another keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Former revolutionary Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) lives under an assumed identity with his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) in California. He is shaken out of his weed-induced fog when a dangerous figure from his past, the hardline Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn), comes looking for Willa. So ensues a feature-length chase plot involving white supremacists, revolutionary nuns, and a super-chill karate sensei named Sergio (Benicio del Toro). While the film’s themes of social unrest, generational political movements, and authoritarian governments were developed before they became dishearteningly relevant to the current political climate, they will likely always resonate with audiences. Even if you don’t get down with the film’s messy politics, there’s no denying it’s an action masterpiece.

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Kenya Moore Speaks Out After Items Are Removed From Hair Spa

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Kenya Moore Breaks Silence After Salon Items Are Removed & Doubles Down On Reimbursement Claims

Kenya Moore is speaking out after video footage surfaced showing items getting removed from her hair spa. The former ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ star released a statement addressing the clip and revealed she’s been moving out amid an ongoing legal dispute.

RELATED: Last Laugh? Brit Eady Throws Shade At Kenya Moore After Footage Shows Items Being Removed From Her Hair Spa (VIDEO)

Kenya Moore Speaks Out After Hair Spa Footage Surfaces

Hours after a clip surfaced showing items getting removed from Kenya Moore’s hair spa, she addressed the situation in a statement. The reality star said she’s actually moving out of the space because her landlord allegedly failed to reimburse her money. Kenya also said her court outfit is ready as she reportedly plans to file a countersuit.

“I have spent the last several weeks moving out of my salon as a result of my ongoing legal battle with the landlord who has failed to reimburse me nearly $80K of improvement funds I am rightfully owed. My only recourse was to withhold rent and file a countersuit. I already have my outfit laid out for court chile!” Kenya said in her statement.

From there, she thanked fans for supporting her business and says her salon might be closing, but she’s gearing up to twirl into a whole new era. “To all the amazing women and men who came in and twirled out in style, thank you from the bottom of my heart!” Moore continued, “The salon chapter is closing, trust me, it’s not the end. It’s just the beginning of a new era. Stay tuned for what’s next!” 

Brit Eady Throws Shade Amid Kenya’s Salon Clear-Out

Before Kenya Moore addressed the footage of items being removed from her salon, her former ‘RHOA’ co-star Brit Eady weighed in with a few words of her own. Brit dropped a video on social media showing herself pulling up in her whip while boxes sat stacked outside the space. In her caption, she wrote, “Never win when you play dirty.” Her reaction comes after she previously accused Kenya of sharing explicit photos of her during her salon event in 2024. See the video of Brit Eady below.

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Here’s What Kenya Previously Said About Her Salon Dispute

The footage of items coming out of Kenya Moore’s salon follows TMZ’s report that she owed her landlord $87,976. In April 2025, landlord Northland Chamblee LLC filed an eviction lawsuit, asking for $30,000 in back rent and claiming Kenya stopped making payments in December 2024. By October, that number reportedly climbed to more than $44,000. Kenya Moore Hair Spa argued against the claims and said the landlord never made the promised improvements to the space. A Georgia judge later gave Kenya two deadlines to pay $43,988 by the end of February and another $43,988 by the end of March. The judge also ordered her company to keep paying about $5,500 a month in rent unless she moved out.

After Kenya missed those court-ordered payments, the eviction process moved forward. From the looks of Brit Eady’s video, that process appears to have started this week. Back in February, Kenya denied owing her landlord and said her landlord actually owed her. She also claimed she spent six figures building her salon and was never reimbursed.

“The reports about me being behind on rent are false. As I have stated before, my company is in an active lawsuit against my salon landlord for failing to pay nearly $80,000 in tenant improvement allowance OWED TO ME. I invested over $300,000 of my own money to build out my salon in a commercial space from a white box. When the landlord failed to reimburse contractual expenses, I withheld rent in an effort to reach a fair settlement, and subsequently filed a countersuit for the amount they failed to reimburse.”

 

RELATED: Kenya Moore Denies Owing More Than $80,000 In Unpaid Rent For Her Hair Spa (UPDATE) 

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Britney Spears’ Sons Raise Eyebrows After Moving Into Her Home

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Britney Spears wearing a Julien MacDonald dress, H Stern jewels, and Christian Louboutin shoes arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards

Britney Spears sons have courted controversy over their decision to move into their mother’s home.

Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19, reportedly made the move while the singer is in rehab and are said to be acting as though they own the place.

While it’s unclear whether Britney Spears gave them permission or if they did so of their own accord, the optics of it all have been poorly received by observers.

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Britney Spears’ Sons Are Acting Like They Own Her Place

Britney Spears wearing a Julien MacDonald dress, H Stern jewels, and Christian Louboutin shoes arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards
Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / MEGA

Britney Spears’ strained relationship with her children is well-documented, including how they relocated to Hawaii with their father, Kevin Federline, in 2023 amid their issues.

With Spears now away in rehab, her sons have moved back into her mansion in Los Angeles, a move that is now raising eyebrows, particularly over their behavior in the residence.

“The boys didn’t ease in — there was no transition period, no testing the waters. They moved straight into the mansion like it was already theirs,” a source told Rob Shuter’s “Naughty But Nice” Substack about Spears’ sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James.

According to the source, the young adults are indulging in all the perks available and are doing so in a manner that is glaring to observers.

“We’re talking about living rent-free in a massive estate, driving her expensive cars, coming and going as they please, enjoying every perk that comes with being Britney Spears’ sons — it’s not exactly subtle,” the source continued.

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The Singer’s Sons’ Actions Have Raised Eyebrows

Britney Spears on the red carpet
Lumeimages / MEGA

The optics of it all don’t seem to have rubbed off well on observers, especially those who are sympathetic to Spears’ current rehab situation.

“While their mom is away getting help and trying to reset her life, it looks like someone else is living very comfortably under her roof — and people are noticing,” an insider told the journalist.

It hasn’t helped that earlier reports had revealed that Spears’ sons were the ones who pushed for their mother to go for rehab.

While at the time it was seen as her sons being concerned about her well-being, it is not being speculated as them hoping to take advantage of her absence.

“It was their idea for Britney to go to rehab,” one source claims. “They pushed for it, said it was what she needed… and now you look at the situation and can’t help but ask questions about how this all lined up.”

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Britney Spears Checked Into Rehab Earlier In The Month

Britney Spears at GLAAD Media Awards 2018
MEGA

News of Spears checking into rehab was confirmed on Sunday, April 12, and the decision was described as a voluntary action from the singer, per People Magazine.

It came five weeks after her arrest in Ventura, California, on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs.

“Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law, and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life. Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time,” read the statement from her representative at the time.

The Singer’s Sons Will Be ‘Spending Time With Her’ While She’s In Rehab

Britney Spears wearing a Julien MacDonald dress, H Stern jewels, and Christian Louboutin shoes arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards
MEGA

While it is unclear whether Spears’ sons have visited her since she entered rehab, the statement from her representative suggested they would do so regularly.

“Her boys are going to be spending time with her,” the singer’s rep said in their statement.

“Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for well-being,” added the rep, who didn’t reveal the location of Spears’ treatment facility.

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Britney Spears Has Sparked Concerns Over Her Erratic Behavior In Recent Years

Britney Spears at the World Premiere Of Sony Pictures' 'Once Upon a Time In Hollywood'
MEGA

Spears’ DUI arrest appeared to be the breaking point after a string of erratic behavior she has displayed since being released from her conservatorship.

Much of this behavior has played out on social media, including posting near-nude images and dancing with knives.

There have also been public incidents, such as leaving a restaurant with a wine glass and fighting with her then-boyfriend, Paul Richard Soliz.

All of this, and more, seemingly prompted Spears’ ex-husband to call for an urgent intervention for the singer in his memoir last year.

“It’s become impossible to pretend everything’s OK. From where I sit, the clock is ticking, and we’re getting close to the 11th hour,” Federline wrote in the book. “Something bad is going to happen if things don’t change, and my biggest fear is that our sons will be left holding the pieces.”

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Ryan Reynolds Delivers Devastating News For Deadpool Fans

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Ryan Reynolds Delivers Devastating News For Deadpool Fans

By TeeJay Small
| Published

When Disney first purchased 21st Century Fox back in 2019, many fans became concerned that the Fox-owned Marvel properties, such as Deadpool and X-Men, would be unceremoniously snapped out of existence. Our fears were briefly quelled when Deadpool & Wolverine arrived in theaters, offering the same loud and brash merc’ with a mouth that we know and love, just in a fresh new timeline. Unfortunately, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds has come forward to confirm that we’ll likely never get another mainline Deadpool adventure again, as Disney is relegating the antihero to supporting character roles.

During a recent interview on Sunday Today, Reynolds was asked about the future of Deadpool in the MCU. He explained “I have some stuff kind of written, but I don’t think I am going to ever center him again. I think he’s a supporting character, you know? He’s a guy who is great in a group.” With this news, fans can basically drop all hope of a Deadpool 4 outing at Disney.

Needs A Compelling Arc For Another Lead Role To Work

deadpool

For most hardcore fans, this framing comes off as pretty bizarre. Though Deadpool is often seen alongside the X-Men in the Marvel Comics, the foul-mouthed gunslinger is primarily not known for being “great in a group.” In fact, the whole narrative of the Deadpool film trilogy centers on Wade Wilson being impossible to tolerate, at least as far as other Marvel heroes are concerned. Plus, his fast-talking quips and fourth wall breaks would be pretty out of place during the events of Avengers: Endgame or Captain America: Brave New World.

Still, the new comments seem to confirm what Reynolds has been saying for some time. In fact, back in 2024, the spandex-clad football club owner explained why he’s shying away from the prospect of a fourth Deadpool film in a profile with The Hollywood Reporter. “Centering Deadpool works best if you take everything away from him and put his back against the wall,” he explained. “I can’t really do that again. A fourth time feels a little iterative and redundant. That doesn’t mean sacrificing fun. There is still an arc for Deadpool which is fulfilling and powerful.”

Too Lucrative To Completely Abandon

Now that Deadpool has been integrated into the expanded cinematic universe of the Avengers, many fans are expecting him to appear in upcoming ensemble projects like Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. At this time, there’s no way of knowing just how much screen time the character will get, especially as the MCU continues to expand. Even if Reynolds is convinced that we’ll never see Deadpool front and center again, it seems unlike Disney to shy away from such a profitable venture. Deadpool & Wolverine pulled in over $1.3 billion at the box office, and currently holds the distinction of highest-grossing R-rated movie in history.

The best case scenario is probably another team-up movie, where Deadpool latches onto (and subsequently annoys) another primary Marvel hero. Maybe after the dust settles on the next pair of Avengers films, we’ll finally see Wade irritating Spider-Man in a feature film. Maybe we could even see him face off against some of his greatest comic book foes like Taskmaster, Thanos, and Death herself.

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Kesha celebrates Earth Day (a couple days late) with nude beach photos and a musing about aliens

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The “Tik Tok” singer’s thought when it comes to the holiday is “don’t stop.”

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Ice Cube Fiddles With FaceTime While World Ends In 89-Minute Amazon Commercial

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Ice Cube Fiddles With FaceTime While World Ends In 89-Minute Amazon Commercial

By Robert Scucci
| Published

The reason movies like Castaway (2000) and The Martian (2015) are such compelling watches is because it’s so fun to watch smart people solve problems. It’s the kind of wish fulfillment that makes sense to me on a molecular level. I worked as a corporate office drone in a previous professional life, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that about 80 percent of people are terrible at their jobs. When you run into somebody who can effortlessly navigate proprietary software without a moment of hesitation, it’s a borderline erotic experience.

That is all to say that when I fired up 2025’s War of the Worlds on Amazon Prime Video, despite the many warnings from my friends and loved ones, I actually felt hopeful that it wouldn’t be as terrible as its 4 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes made it out to be. I’m a strong advocate of giving misunderstood films a second chance, and War of the Worlds has that “damn, he’s good” element that I have so much fun tagging along for.

War of the Worlds 2025
They were kind enough to drop the title through news bumpers so we can remember what movie we’re watching

Truth be told, if Ice Cube released a three-hour film of him just performing data entry at a high level, I’d buy it on Blu-ray. He’s just a smart guy solving problems, and the way he navigates the many computer systems and networks at his disposal is straight-up poetry in wide-rimmed glasses.

The problem with War of the Worlds, though, isn’t Ice Cube’s, or anybody else’s performance for that matter. It’s the whole damn movie.

War of the Worlds 2025
A concerned father spying on his offspring (dramatized)

War of the Worlds plays out like 2014’s Open Windows, written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo, and starring Elijah Wood and Sasha Grey. Both films are screenlife thrillers, meaning we’re watching the entire film through devices in found footage-fashion. Where Open Windows succeeds, however, War of the Worlds fails miserably.

Open Windows stays enthralling because there are few characters, a very localized conspiracy, and a level of second-hand suspense generated through its voyeuristic framework. War of the Worlds takes place in the middle of a worldwide alien invasion, and it somehow feels like the stakes are lower. This could just be a genre limitation, but the whole screenlife and found footage approach seems to work much better on a micro level than a macro one.

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War of the Worlds 2025
Ice Cube’s super power in War of the Worlds (2025) is data entry

The plot itself is rough, but there’s actually room for interesting storytelling here, which is why War of the Worlds is such a tough pill to swallow. Most of the story is told from Will Radford’s (Ice Cube) perspective. He’s a high-level employee working for the Department of Homeland Security, and he has remote access to surveillance software that allows him to watch just about anyone in excruciating detail.

One thing that I loved about this movie, not even kidding, is how good Will is at his job while also being a working-class, widowed father. He uses the technology at his disposal to keep tabs on his pregnant daughter Faith (Iman Benson), his conspiracy-theory-obsessed son Dave (Henry Hunter Hall), and Mark Goodman (Devon Bosick), Faith’s boyfriend and an Amazon delivery driver. One thing that feels realistic about Will’s position is that he’s constantly spying on his children, not out of malice, but because after his wife passed away he started overcompensating by making sure everybody else in his family is safe.

War of the Worlds 2025
This is your brain on Alexa

To me, this is the real story that needs to be told, and you don’t need to make H.G. Wells spin in his grave by violating his legacy one crappy CGI alien tripod at a time. As Will deals with family drama, he’s switching tabs, cracking passwords, accessing surveillance cameras, and killing it at his job tracking down hackers and cyber threats. I cannot stress this enough, I love watching Ice Cube navigate his elaborate setup with the grace of a gold medal figure skater, staring his family down through FaceTime with looks of stern bewilderment when he learns what his kids are up to when they think they’re not being watched.

Oh Yeah, This Is A Movie About Aliens

But therein lies the problem with War of the Worlds. The family drama is the more compelling story, and the alien invasion feels like an afterthought. Circling back to my Open Windows comparison, it’s hard to feel any emotional weight in Will’s exchanges with his family because it’s all done through screens. It’s sad to think that this is how we interact these days, and how Amazon, which distributes this movie, is partially responsible for the unhealthy relationship we have with our devices.

War of the Worlds 2025
A gentle reminder that this is a movie about a hostile alien invasion

The world is literally ending, but we’re witnessing it through screens, as Ice Cube watches it through screens while FaceTiming everybody through their screens. It’s not even second-hand suspense. It’s tertiary, buried under multiple layers of abstraction that prevent you from feeling anything at all.

Had this production ditched the H.G. Wells connection entirely, and been, say, a hostage situation involving Will’s family, this whole thing could have had legs.

War of the Worlds Is Streaming On Amazon (They’re Totally A Real Company, Did You Know?!)

Speaking of Amazon, War of the Worlds, which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, has a lot of product placement. There’s an entire sequence involving Mark, an Amazon driver, using an Amazon delivery drone to get a flash drive to Will so he can save the world. Thank God we now know Amazon is a real brand with real products and delivery services, because while I streamed this movie on Amazon, I had no idea I was only two clicks away from getting toiletries delivered to my doorstep, and three syllables away from Alexa listening to everything I say when I think I’m alone. Amazon!

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War of the Worlds 2025
“Thank God we still have free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime, all for the nominal fee of $14.99 a month!”

Even if you get past the blatant product placement, War of the Worlds has an even more chilling implication. Will can access almost anything he wants through his DHS setup. He calls a Tesla to pick up his injured daughter, cranks the air conditioning when she complains about the heat, notices her phone battery is critically low, and remotely switches it to power-saving mode. This is framed as heroic, but it also suggests that all of our devices are capable of being controlled by people watching our every move.

I don’t know what to make of this, because unlike 2008’s The Dark Knight, there are no moral dilemmas here. At least Batman tried to justify turning Gotham into a surveillance state, even though he knew how dangerous of a precedent it would set, to catch somebody who had already caused irreversible damage to his community. In War of the Worlds, it almost feels like they’re trying to normalize this level of control, as if writers Kenneth A. Golde and Mark Hyman skimmed through 1984 and said, “Oh, this is GREAT!”

War of the Worlds 2025
Me, tracking my Amazon package in real time (dramatized)

Did I mention that Amazon Prime is a real thing you can sign up for for the nominal fee of $14.99 a month? The membership practically pays for itself in saved shipping costs. Amazon. Wow.

Listen, War of the Worlds is trash. It’s not good. It aspires to be crappy. But I will say this: Ice Cube fiddling around on a computer is weirdly soothing to watch, and the second he launches a data entry ASMR channel on YouTube, I’ll be there.

War of the Worlds 2025

War of the Worlds is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.


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LEGO Thief’s Legendary Heist Thwarted By Authorities

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LEGO Thief's Legendary Heist Thwarted By Authorities

By TeeJay Small
| Published

If you’ve been known to enjoy the odd heist movie from time to time, now might be the moment to start tuning into the news. According to a report from The Guardian, a California man was just caught in a scheme to defraud his local Target retailer out of tens of thousands of dollars in LEGO pieces. The Irvine police department announced that they had apprehended the brick-burgling bandit on April 14, with over $34,000 in LEGO minifigures in his possession.

Though the whole case sounds a little baroque, the heist is a lot more sophisticated than you might expect. Apparently the suspect, 28-year-old Jarrelle Augustine, is accused of pulling over 70 small-scale steals, accumulating his fortune in tiny bits and pieces. You might even say he was building his set, brick by brick. Allegedly every time Augustine would visit his local Target, he would purchase expensive LEGO sets, only to carefully swap out high-value LEGO pieces with dried pasta before returning the boxes.

I Built This Heist Brick By Brick

Needless to say, once Target employees attempted to resell the returned merchandise, they were met with little more than a box of Goya brand durum wheat semolina. Police in the area have been building a case against Augustine for more than four months, and eventually located well-organized bins of LEGO minifigures in his home. Multiple bags of Goya pasta were found as well, offering one of the strangest and funniest evidence photo spreads the department has ever seen. The Facebook reel announcing the arrest even referred to the heist as “a pasta-tively terrible plan.”

There’s no way of knowing for sure, but based on the layout of the minifigs, it looks as though Augustine planned to resell the stolen figurines on an online marketplace such as Ebay. These pieces can sell for hundreds of dollars each online, so the manicotti mastermind might have been turning a pretty penny for his efforts. If not for the Irvine police department, the perp might still be swapping stormtroopers with tortellini to this very day.

One of the strangest details about this ordeal is the fact that it isn’t the only recent LEGO related heist to strike the area. Authorities have previously charged multiple California residents in cases related to LEGO theft, with some operations accounting for millions of dollars in stolen revenue. One Riverside county man even allegedly hijacked two freight trailers full of the children’s toy sets. Clearly there is a booming criminal enterprise with these bricks serving as their foundation.

To my eye, this seems like a story that’s just begging to be turned into a buddy cop movie. I could see Paul Walter Hauser and Walton Goggins teaming up to stop the farfalle fugitive, perhaps played by Keagan-Michael Key. Throw in Danny McBride as the chief of police, and a few budding comedians to round out the criminal underworld, and you’ve got yourself an A+ Hulu original.

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New York Giants Legend Lawrence Taylor Hospitalized: Report

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New York Giants legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was hospitalized in New Jersey on Friday, April 24, after experiencing a medical emergency, according to TMZ Sports.

The outlet did not have an update on his condition, but added that those close to him don’t seem to think “whatever he’s dealing with is too serious” and “the belief is he will be discharged soon, if he has not been already.”

Taylor, 67, reportedly arrived in the emergency room on Friday before being taken to another area of the hospital.

Us Weekly has reached out to Taylor’s team for comment.

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Taylor has been open in the past about his health issues related to abusing drugs during his playing days.

“On a typical night out, I’d get some coke from some Spanish guys in Harlem,” he recalled in a story for ESPN in 2012. “In the apartment there’d be one guy with a .38. There’d be another guy sitting at a table. I’d tell him how much I wanted, he’d measure it and put it in a bag. I’d buy about six, seven hundred dollars worth, then, look out world.”

He continued, “To keep myself entertained, I’d stand on a bar stool, then dive off into a handstand. Or pull one of my old college tricks and chew some glass. Pitchers of kamikazes can do that to you. One time in Houston, some guys on the Oilers tried to mess my game up by sending two girls to my hotel.”

Taylor’s pro career ran from 1981 to 1993, entirely with the Giants. The two-time Super Bowl champion was the 1986 NFL MVP and was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

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Former Eagles Player Died of Head Trauma Stab Wounds in Apparent Homicide


Related: Former Eagles Player Died of Head Trauma, Stab Wounds in Apparent Homicide

Former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Kevin Johnson died at age 55 of “blunt head trauma and stab wounds,” the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has determined. His death is being investigated as a homicide. Johnson was found dead on Wednesday, January 21, at a homeless encampment in Los Angeles after officers responded to a report […]

But even during his career, he spoke candidly about his drug use. In 1988, the NFL suspended him for 30 days and ordered him to attend rehabilitation after he failed a drug test. He said at the time that he wasn’t worried about the suspension, but was instead thinking about the bigger picture.

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“I’m worried about what’s going to happen to me the rest of my life unless I get myself straight,” he told Connecticut’s WVIT at the time. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

Taylor appeared in good health in March when he visited his alma mater, North Carolina, to see head coach Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels football team, as seen in a photo shared via Instagram.

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Coincidentally, Belichick, now 74, was the Giants’ defensive coordinator during Taylor’s pro tenure. Taylor smiled wide as he and Belichick posed for a picture at the team’s practice facility in Chapel Hill.

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Stephen Colbert addresses rumors about his next move after “Late Show” cancellation

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“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” airs its final episode on Thursday, May 21.

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‘Game of Thrones’ Star Officially Breaks Silence on a Potential Return to the Fantasy Franchise

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'Game of Thrones' Star Officially Breaks Silence on a Potential Return to the Fantasy Franchise

Westeros continues to expand as the Game of Thrones franchise grows from strength to strength. Following House of the Dragon and the more recent A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, HBO’s flagship fantasy series is about to hit the stage. In Game of Thrones: The Mad King, an upcoming stage production from playwright and director Duncan Macmillan, a tournament at Harrenhal set 10 years before the events of the original series takes place, with a plot against the King brewing as his subjects begin to fear his tyranny.

The play, presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company, has its opening night scheduled for August 8 in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, where those in attendance will get a newer look at the lives of several beloved characters, including the iconic Ned Stark. First portrayed by Sean Bean in the series, a younger version of the character was later played by Robert Aramayo in Seasons 6 and 7 via flashbacks. This was long before Aramayo would play the younger version of another iconic fantasy character, Elrond, in Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Should the stars align, and the upcoming stage show find itself popular enough for a television adaptation, perhaps Aramayo, who recently won the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Leading Role, could have a chance at playing Ned in a full-time capacity.

This possibility was posed to Aramayo in a recent interview with ScreenRant. “Oh, my word. I’ve never been asked that question before,” Aramayo responded. “I mean, that was just such an amazing part of my life. I absolutely loved playing Ned. It was great. I loved Game of Thrones. I was so excited to do. It was one of my first jobs. So I’ve got very, very good memories of it, but it was a long time ago.” The actor wouldn’t rule out the possibility, but it’s clear he sees several stars having to align for this to happen, making it unlikely.

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Collider Exclusive · Middle-earth Quiz
Which Lord of the Rings
Character Are You?

One Quiz · Ten Questions · Your Fate Revealed

The road goes ever on. From the green hills of the Shire to the fires of Mount Doom, every soul in Middle-earth carries a destiny. Ten questions stand between you and the truth of who you are. Answer honestly — the One Ring has a way of revealing what we most want to hide.

💍Frodo

🌿Samwise

👑Aragorn

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🔥Gandalf

🏹Legolas

⚒️Gimli

👁️Sauron

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🪨Gollum

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01

You are handed a responsibility that could destroy you. What do you do?
The weight of the world falls on unlikely shoulders.




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02

Your closest companion is heading into terrible danger. You:
True loyalty is revealed not in comfort, but in crisis.




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03

Enormous power is within your reach. Your instinct is:
Power corrupts — but only those who reach for it.




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04

What does “home” mean to you?
Where we long to return reveals who we truly are.




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05

When a battle is upon you, your approach is:
War reveals what we are made of — whether we like it or not.




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06

Someone comes to you for advice in their darkest hour. You:
Wisdom is not knowing all the answers — it’s knowing which questions to ask.




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07

How do you see yourself, honestly?
Self-knowledge is the most dangerous kind.




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08

Which of these best describes your relationship with the natural world?
Middle-earth speaks to those who know how to listen.




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09

You encounter a wretched, pitiable creature who has done terrible things. You:
How we treat the fallen reveals the height of our character.




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10

When the quest is over and the songs are sung, what do you hope they say about you?
In the end, we are all just stories.




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The Fellowship Has Spoken
Your Place in Middle-earth

The scores below reveal your true character. Your highest number is your match. Even a tie tells a story — the Fellowship was never made of simple people.

💍
Frodo

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🌿
Samwise

👑
Aragorn

🔥
Gandalf

🏹
Legolas

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⚒️
Gimli

👁️
Sauron

🪨
Gollum

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You carry something heavy — and you carry it alone, even when you don’t have to. You were not born for greatness, and that is precisely why greatness chose you. Your courage is not the roaring, sword-swinging kind; it is quiet, stubborn, and terrifying in its refusal to quit. The Ring weighs on you more than anyone can see, and still you walk toward the fire. That is not weakness. That is the rarest kind of strength there is.

You are, without question, the best of them. Not the most powerful, not the most celebrated — but the most essential. Your loyalty is not a trait; it is a force of nature. You would carry the person you love up the slopes of Mount Doom if it came to that, and we both know you’d do it without being asked. The world needs more people like you, and the world is lucky it has even one.

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You were born to lead, and you have spent years running from it. The crown is yours by right, but you know better than anyone that right means nothing without the will and the worthiness to back it up. You are tempered by loss, shaped by long roads, and defined by a code of honour you hold to even when no one is watching. When you finally step forward, the world shifts. Because it was always waiting for you.

You have seen more than you let on, and you say less than you know — which is exactly as it should be. You are a catalyst: you do not fight the battles yourself, you ignite the people who can. Your wisdom comes not from books but from an age of watching what happens when it is ignored. You arrive precisely when you mean to, and your presence alone changes what is possible. A wizard is never late.

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Graceful, perceptive, and almost preternaturally calm under pressure — you see things others miss and act before others react. You do not need to make a scene to be remarkable; your presence speaks for itself. You are loyal to those you choose to stand beside, and that choice is not made lightly. You have lived long enough to know that the most beautiful things in this world are also the most fragile, and that is why you fight to protect them.

You are loud, proud, and absolutely formidable — and beneath all of that is one of the most fiercely loyal hearts in Middle-earth. You don’t do anything by half measures. Your friendships are forged like iron, your grudges run as deep as mines, and your courage in battle is the kind that makes legends. You came into this fellowship suspicious of everyone and ended it willing to die for an elf. That is not a small thing. That is everything.

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You think in centuries and act in absolutes. Order, dominion, control — not because you are cruel by nature, but because you have decided that the world left to itself always falls apart, and you are the only one with the vision and the will to hold it together. You were not always this. Something was lost, or taken, or betrayed, and the version of you that stands now is the answer to that wound. The tragedy is that you’re not entirely wrong — just entirely too far gone to course-correct.

You are a study in contradiction — pitiable and dangerous, cunning and broken, capable of both cruelty and something that once resembled love. You are defined by loss: of innocence, of self, of the one thing that gave your existence meaning. Two voices war inside you constantly, and the tragedy is that the better one sometimes wins, just not often enough, and never at the right moment. You are a warning, yes — but also a mirror. We are all a little Gollum, given the right ring and enough time.

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Robert Aramayo’s Best Performance Is Finally Coming to Netflix in the U.S.

The aforementioned BAFTA win for Aramayo came for one of the past year’s most underrated movies. Written and directed by Kirk Jones, the hilarious, heartwarming, and profoundly educational biopic I Swear finally makes its U.S. streaming debut this weekend. Described as “an endearing, unflinching biopic” in Aidan Kelley‘s review, the film is a true gem and will hopefully find its way up the streaming charts over the next few days.

Could Robert Aramayo return to play Ned Stark in Game of Thrones? Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for all the latest news.

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Bravo Investigating ‘Summer House’ Audio Leaker

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Andy Cohen in a suit

Bravo isn’t happy that audio from the “Summer House” reunion taping on April 23, 2025, has leaked. Hours after the cast concluded production on the upcoming sit-down gathering, where star Ciara Miller is set to address her former friends, Amanda Batula and West Wilson, about their secret relationship, behind-the-scenes footage showed up online. Andy Cohen spoke out about the breach of trust, and later, a Bravo spokesperson revealed the company’s plans to take action against the leaker.

According to Bravo’s Daily Dish, a network representative condemned the leaked “Summer House” audio and shared the company’s position on the matter.

“This represents a serious breach of trust and a clear lack of respect for the cast, crew, and the integrity of the production process,” the statement read. “We take this matter very seriously and have launched a full investigation and we will take appropriate action based on our findings.”

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The released clip featured Miller having a heated conversation with Batula over her secretive relationship with her ex, Wilson.

During the argument, Miller slammed Batula, calling her a “snake,” while Batula’s other castmates questioned her over the timeline of her and Wilson’s relationship.

Before the leaked audio was shared online, Cohen rushed to Instagram to give viewers a teaser of what was to come.

“Well, I’m walking out of the Summer House reunion,” he said. “I’ve probably hosted — well, it’s over a hundred reunions, maybe a hundred and fifty — something like that. This is one of the most intense we’ve ever shot ”

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He added, “This was a lot. This was a lot. It was very intense, you guys. And every question was asked.”

Andy Cohen in a suit
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

Cohen had a more serious tone when addressing the release of the short reunion clip, replying to a user on Threads who implored him to stay off social media.

“I don’t [like what I’ve seen],” Cohen wrote. “On my way to eye surgery and just reading about it. People laid their souls out emotionally for ten hours yesterday and its disgusting and illegal for someone to leak or distribute this.”

Cohen, who’s been hosting Bravo reunions since the early 2000s, called the move “disrespectful” to the cast who opened up their lives for the audience. “Let the season play out,” he finished. “You will see it all in due time.”

Wilson And Batula Confirmed Their Relationship Almost A Month Ago

Summer House star West Wilson is teaming up with Captain Morgan to bring The Captain’s Challenge to tailgates across the country and gave fans a first look at the brand’s upcoming collab with Pirate Worldwide.
Captain Morgan

The renewed interest in the current season of “Summer House” began in early March 2026, when viewers speculated that Wilson and Batula were in a relationship.

After denying the rumors, the pair released a joint statement on March 31, according to The Blast, confirming the reports.

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

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

‘Summer House’ Cast Members Slam Batula And Wilson

Cast of 'Summer House'
Bravo | Bryan Bedder

Before the cast gathered for the reunion, some of them reacted to the news online, according to The Blast.

Newcomer KJ Dillard appeared to throw shade at the pair by sharing a snap of the song “Back Stabbers” by The O’Jays.

Kyle Cooke, Batula’s soon-to-be ex-husband, also commented on the matter, saying he was “frustrated” by the story. “I’m obviously disappointed in her,” he added.

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Former “Vanderpump Rules” star Stassi Schroeder blasted Batula’s need for male attention on her podcast. “She acts this way with men everywhere. She needs male attention really badly. She needs validation and I think that is what led her to West,” Schroeder said.

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