Thrillers are often expected to be slow burns that carefully build suspense until everything explodes in the final act. That approach is pretty effective, and some of the greatest films in the genre follow these beats. However, the movies that people usually remember refuse to slow down at all, and what separates a good thriller from a great one is urgency.

When every scene feels like it matters, the audience barely gets a moment to breathe before the stakes escalate, and that’s part of the fun. To prove that, here are the 10 fastest-paced thriller movies of all time that will leave the viewers feeling like they were part of the action, instead of simply witnessing it.

10

‘The Hateful Eight’ (2015)

Image via The Weinstein Company 

The Hateful Eight has to be Quentin Tarantino’s most underrated film. The Western mystery thriller is nearly three hours long and takes place mostly in one room, but the director turns that restraint into the story’s greatest strength. The narrative is set in 1877, a decade after the Civil War, and follows Bounty hunter John “The Hangman” Ruth (Kurt Russell), who is headed to Red Rock with his prisoner, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), whom he plans to see hanged. Along the way, he is forced to share a stagecoach with Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a Union veteran turned bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a man claiming to be Red Rock’s new sheriff with ties to the Confederacy.

A blizzard sends them into Minnie’s Haberdashery, where several other strangers are already waiting out the storm. Nobody trusts anyone, and Ruth’s immediate response is to try to control the room with threats and guns. Right off the bat, The Hateful Eight feels like a pressure cooker of tension where the audience can’t seem to trust anyone or anything. Characters introduce themselves, and the film immediately gives the audience reasons to doubt their stories. The story is relentless, and with the blizzard outside, there is absolutely no escape from the madness. The performances are obviously a huge part of why The Hateful Eight remains engaging till the very end and really sell the idea of these eight dangerous people being stuck together with their egos and grudges.

9

‘Heat’ (1995)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Heat is a masterpiece of a thriller that starts slow but picks up pace before the audience even realizes it. The film spends a lot of time building its characters and taking the viewers through routine police work, but it’s all structured like a chase that never fully stops. The story follows two professionals on opposite sides of the law. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) is an LAPD Robbery-Homicide detective who is so dedicated to his job that his personal life is falling apart. Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) is a professional thief who tries to stay emotionally detached from just about everything.

Things take a turn when a car robbery goes wrong, thanks to McCauley’s recruit, Waingro (Kevin Gage), and Hanna starts closing in on him. From there, the film turns into a constant game of surveillance, counter-surveillance, planning, and close calls, with the cops and the two sides constantly adjusting to each other’s moves. Heat’s greatest strength is how naturally it shifts between these two worlds, and just when the audience feels settled, the story pulls the rug from under them. The whole thing feels like a miniseries with several plots converging together, like Hanna’s failing marriage or McCauley’s relationship with Eady (Amy Brenneman). Even with all these moving parts, though, the heart of the film is these two men who simply can’t coexist but also genuinely respect each other’s grit.

8

‘Max Mad: Fury Road’ (2015)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Mad Max: Fury Road is still the gold standard for a modern action thriller. The film is basically one long chase, but that’s the whole point. The film, directed by George Miller, is the fourth installment in the franchise and follows Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky, a drifter who is captured by Immortan Joe’s cult-like army (Hugh Keays-Byrne). The story picks up when Joe’s trusted lieutenant, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), betrays him by smuggling his five wives out in a massive armored War Rig, which kicks off a relentless pursuit across the desert.

The premise is pretty simple, with Max getting caught in the middle of Furiosa’s plan. The film doesn’t really offer a lot of elaborate twists or complicated plotlines, and yet, it never stops feeling epic. Mad Max: Fury Road treats its action as a storytelling device where every explosion means something. Even in its quieter moments, the psychological tension never drops because Joe’s army is always somewhere on the horizon. Despite being packed with stunts, crashes, and elaborate combat sequences, the film never feels exhausting because of how fully immersed the viewer feels in the chaos.

7

‘Uncut Gems’ (2019)

Imag via A24

Uncut Gems, directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, follows Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), a New York Diamond District jeweler who is juggling a collapsing marriage with Dinah (Idina Menzel), a messy affair with Julia (Julia Fox), and a swarm of creditors led by his brother-in-law Arno (Eric Bogosian), who is tired of being patient with him. Now, the heart of the story is a 600-carat black opal smuggled from Ethiopia that Howard gets his hands on. However, when NBA star Kevin Garnett becomes obsessed with it, Howard sees a way to solve all his money problems in one move.

He lends Garnett the opal for a game and takes his championship ring as collateral. Howard then immediately pawns the ring and uses the cash to place a high-risk bet. This leads to a spiral where Howard keeps pushing his luck and lying just to buy himself enough time. The film is built around the logic of addiction, where Howard and the audience become convinced that the next move will wash away his last mistake. The narrative offers practically no time to dwell on the failures because Howard has to keep moving to survive. The best part about Uncut Gems is that it commits to its chaos. The film wants its audience to feel trapped inside the same relentless loop as the protagonist, and simulating that feeling so perfectly is what makes Uncut Gems a masterclass in fast-paced storytelling.

6

‘Speed’ (1994)

Image via 20th Century Studios

Speed is a ‘90s high-concept action thriller that sounds like a joke until one actually watches it. The film, directed by Jan de Bont, follows Keanu Reeves as Jack Traven, an LAPD officer who keeps stumbling into one problem after another. The film begins with Jack and his partner Harry (Jeff Daniels) stopping an elevator bombing that’s being orchestrated by the bitter ex-bomb squad cop Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper). However, that’s only the beginning, as Payne fakes his death and executes his masterplan by rigging a city bus to explode when it dips below 50 mph. From that moment, the stakes in Speed only rise.

The plot is fast-paced but relatively easy to follow as Jack tries everything in his power to keep the passengers calm and work with the police. However, there is absolutely no respite here because Payne keeps throwing one problem at him after another. What works so well about Speed is that it sticks to its central plot and keeps building tension around it. Every solution immediately creates a new problem, and the whole thing feels like an impossible race against time. This constant escalation could have easily leaned into gimmick territory, but with a tight plot, it makes for one of the most exhilarating watches of the last 50 years.

5

‘Die Hard’ (1988)

Image via 20th Century Studios

Die Hard is essential viewing for anyone who appreciates the art of a timeless thriller. The film, directed by John McTiernan, follows New York police detective John McClane (Bruce Willis), who travels to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve hoping to reconcile with his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia). However, he walks straight into a hostage situation when a group of heavily armed criminals led by the calm and calculating Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) takes over Nakatomi Plaza during a company party. McClane manages to slip away while the rest of the employees are being rounded up, and that’s when he begins sabotaging Hans’s operation piece by piece. Once the takeover begins, though, the film refuses to let its characters breathe for a single second. McClane has no time to celebrate his small victories because whatever he does seems to lead to extreme consequences.

Willis brings an extremely honest sense of exhaustion to his character, which makes every close call feel all the more real. The pacing of the film works because the audience genuinely believes that he might fail, which was a departure from the usual action flicks of the time, where the hero could do no wrong. Die Hard has its fair share of brilliant action sequences, but much of the film’s tension comes from the psychological battle between McClane and Gruber as they constantly try to outsmart each other. This balance between spectacle and genuine character work is what made Die Hard one of the defining films of the ’90s and the blueprint for what an action thriller should be.

4

‘Snowpiercer’ (2013)

Image via Radius TWC

Snowpiercer is one of the most unique thrillers of the 2010s, which uses the familiar premise of a single location to drive an important point home. The film, directed by Bong Joon Ho in his English-language debut, takes place after all of Earth is frozen and the last of humanity lives aboard a massive train that has been circling the globe for 17 years without ever stopping. Inside the train, society has rebuilt itself and created a strict class division where the wealthy live comfortably in the front cars while the poor passengers are crammed into the tail compartments that are under constant surveillance and abuse.

The story follows Curtis Everett (Chris Evans), a reluctant rebel leader who fights his way forward through the train to confront the mysterious engineer (Ed Harris), who controls this entire social order. Every train car introduces a new obstacle, and this constant escalation of danger gives the film its relentless momentum. The further the rebels move, the clearer it becomes how deeply people in the train have been conditioned to worship Wilford and accept their assigned place. This psychological and social angle adds to the film’s sense of urgency. Neither the characters nor the audience knows what the next car will reveal, and the unpredictability of it all makes Snowpiercer a biting thriller that delivers one of the most intriguing endings in modern sci-fi cinema.

3

‘I Saw The Devil’ (2010)

Image via Magnet Releasing

I Saw The Devil is a visceral thriller that is not easy to watch by any means. However, its intensity is what makes it unforgettable. The South Korean revenge film follows Kim Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun), an elite National Intelligence Service agent, whose fiancée is murdered by Jang Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik), a sadistic serial killer who targets women at random. Soo-hyun quickly tracks the killer down, but instead of killing him, he begins a relentless cat-and-mouse game where he repeatedly hunts the criminal down, tortures him, and lets him go just to repeat the cycle all over again.

The power dynamics are especially interesting here because Kyung-chil continues committing his horrific crimes while trying to escape Soo-hyun’s wrath. The plot is pretty simple, but every encounter between the two men grows more intense, violent, and personal. I Saw The Devil keeps pushing its characters toward total moral collapse as revenge consumes both of them. The film is extremely unsettling, but it’s a true thriller driven by pure adrenaline.

2

‘Taken’ (2008)

Image via 20th Century Studios

Taken begins with a relatively simple concept that escalates into a high-stakes drama like no other. The film follows Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), a retired CIA operative whose teenage daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) is kidnapped by a human trafficking ring during a trip to Paris. During a frantic phone call, Bryan hears the abduction happen in real time, and that kicks off his journey of tracking Kim down and seeking revenge. However, the catch is that he only has 96 hours before his daughter disappears into a system where victims are almost never recovered. Taken has a runtime of 90 minutes, but the plot moves with remarkable efficiency. Brian flies to Paris and starts following every clue he can find to tear through the criminal network that took his daughter.

Each lead pushes him deeper into the city’s underworld, and the film wastes absolutely no time on exposition. Instead, it trusts the audience to follow along. There are no complicated side plots to slow things down, which also means that Taken features constant bursts of violence that create the feeling that Bryan is always one step away from losing his daughter for good. Neeson’s performance is a huge part of why the film’s brutal pacing works, and his character’s determination is what drives the story, even in its most devastating moments. Despite all its intense action, Taken remains grounded in a complex yet heartwarming father-daughter relationship, which is pretty rare for the thriller genre.

1

‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ (2007)

Image via Universal Pictures

The Bourne Ultimatum is hands down one of the greatest action thrillers ever made. The film is the final chapter in Jason Bourne’s (Matt Damon) story as he continues searching for the truth about his past. Things escalate when Bourne learns that a journalist has uncovered information about a secret CIA program connected to him. Their meeting takes a turn for the worse when the organization intervenes, and Bourne has to go on the run. It’s incredible how every scene in the film serves a purpose, which means that the narrative rarely slows down. Even dialogue-heavy moments feel intense because they are either happening under extreme surveillance or setting the stage for more violence to come.

The Bourne Ultimatum feels almost documentary-like with its famous handheld camerawork and intense editing. Bourne himself isn’t the traditional hero who wants to dominate situations; he is constantly just reacting to things happening around him and finding ways to escape. The Bourne Ultimatum doesn’t feature a lot of explosions and high-octane action sequences because the film’s pace comes from its clear stakes and sharp direction.

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The Bourne Ultimatum

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Release Date

August 3, 2007

Runtime

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115 minutes

Director

Paul Greengrass

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Writers

Tony Gilroy, George Nolfi, Scott Z. Burns, Robert Ludlum

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In today’s world, where stress and chaos run rampant, it’s super easy to feel like you’re living and working in a world full of idiots, and you wouldn’t be alone. That’s the premise of Fisk, a stellar 3-part sitcom—one of the best of all time—created by Australia’s very own Kitty Flanagan, who also stars in the show’s lead role.

Seasons 1 and 2 of what is pretty much the most hysterical, ridiculously relatable workplace comedy ever arrived on Netflix in 2023, just 2 short years after its Australian premiere. Its wider international release quickly found a new audience and left them not just wanting but also craving more of everything about the sitcom’s titular character, her attitude, and the way she navigates living and working in a most absurd modern-day world. The show’s 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes proves that Fisk is officially the perfect laugh-out-loud weekend binge you didn’t know you needed.

‘Fisk’ Playfully Examines Navigating the Absurdity of Life and the Stupidity of People

Image via ABC Television

As one of the best international TV shows, Fisk is an Australian workplace comedy that you’ll find yourself watching over and over again. Its titular character, Helen Tudor-Fisk (Flanagan), has had it with people and their blatant stupidity. She’s not a fan at all, and it shows in nearly every single one of her interactions, regardless of whether they’re with clients, co-workers, or her father and his husband, whom she hilariously likens to “a couple of geriatric carjackers who forgot what they’re doing.”

A high-end contracts lawyer in Sydney, Helen’s life is great until her husband runs off with an older woman. In the wake of the stress, she loses her patience and snaps at a client, then is subsequently fired from her job. Forced to return to her hometown of Melbourne, she sets herself up with an employment agency, hoping to land a job that doesn’t involve a lot of client interaction. As the world’s biggest cynic, her appearance and desire to blend into the background reflect her mood and outlook: drab, oversized, and punctuated with black combat boots and unkempt hair. When she winds up working a job at a small, low-rent wills-and-probate firm full of quirky co-workers, her mouth gets her banned from the downstairs coffee shop on the first day, and she winds up with what proves to be one of her most absurd legal cases ever.

To give you a taste of what you’re in for, the case involves a woman who wants to insert a clause into her mother’s will demanding that her brother, who makes a living painting art with his manhood, get a vasectomy if he wants to see any inheritance. Helen tries in every way to explain to her client why that’s illegal, but when the client continues to insinuate that she doesn’t understand why she can’t have what she wants, Helen snaps, rolls up the contract like a megaphone, and loudly repeats herself. It’s Fisk’s first rib-tickling moment that not only gives audiences a deeper glimpse into who Helen is but also helps to reinforce the tone of the satirical TV show and its presentation of modern-day absurdities.

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‘Fisk’ Is Stellar, Audiences Love It, and Rotten Tomatoes Proves It

Though the stellar sitcom has no official critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, it does have a slamming 96% audience score. Audiences love Fisk for its dry, deadpan humor, and they frequently compare the show to a more wholesome, Australian version of The Office. They also adore its relatable commentary on living and working in a ridiculous world littered with stupid people.

Fans on Reddit have frequently described the show as “comfort viewing” and “comedy gold,” thanks to its refreshing take on formulaic sitcoms. They also love that Fisk finds colossal humor in the most mundane, everyday situations as well as in its flawed yet likable characters. It’s witty and fast-paced, with comedic timing that will incessantly tickle the funny bone of quick thinkers. The running gags are funny but not overdone, and Helen’s blunt, low-stakes humor is a welcome departure from typical, over-the-top sitcom protagonists. Moreover, Fisk offers a lighthearted alternative to the chaotic modern comedies of today, and it tops everything off with a stellar Aussie twist on British wit.

In addition to its smart, observational, anti-office humor, the show features a perfectly crafted ensemble of oddball characters. Roz (Julia Zemiro) is a dominant, passive-aggressive mediator in control of the entire office, Ray (Marty Sheargold) is a flamboyant, slightly incompetent principal solicitor, and George (Aaron Chen) is the endearingly awkward receptionist and office “webmaster.” There’s certainly no shortage of comedy in this hidden gem sitcom.

If you’re looking for something ridiculously low-key and cozy to watch that’s also unusual, extremely well-written and performed, with no filler content, and that gets better with each episode, settle in for a laugh-out-loud weekend binge with Fisk. The 3-part sitcom consists of six episodes per season, and all are currently available to stream on Netflix.

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Release Date

March 17, 2021

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Directors

Kitty Flanagan, Tom Peterson

Writers

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Kitty Flanagan, Penny Flanagan

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Scream’s humble beginnings began as a tongue-in-cheek horror film, and at the time, it was already ahead of the curve. Wes Craven had established himself as a solid horror director and, in 1996, was one of the first to create a mainstream meta film in the genre. Starring Neve Campbell as the ultimate final girl, Sidney Prescott, Scream became a phenomenon, spawning two more films in the original trilogy.

Two decades after the fact, Scream is still going strong, this time in the hands of original screenwriter Kevin Williamson. Campbell and Courteney Cox continue to reprise their roles from the original films, but it isn’t a stretch to say that the franchise has lost some of its luster. The most recent film is one of the lowest-rated, with a current rating of 31% on Rotten Tomatoes. This, in addition to the controversy following Melissa Barrera’s firing, has put a stain on the film series. Scream is one of the many franchises that continues to meander along, even though the best twist has already happened.

‘Scream IV’ Identified the Rise of Influencer Culture

Wes Craven’s last Scream film before his passing was a slightly divisive one, but it was a perfect send-off for the director. Though the trilogy had ended with a hopeful conclusion for Sidney, Scream IV justified its existence by bringing everyone back to the fold in a different way. Instead of forcing Sidney to be the young ingénue again, that honor went to her cousin, Jill, played by rising star Emma Roberts.

Sidney returns to Westboro to promote her memoir about the Ghostface killings, only to experience a new batch of murders. Scream IV brought the characters into a new decade with more advanced technology that modernized the story. This time, Ghostface was livestreaming the murders, turning horror into a viral event. Scream IV set itself apart from its predecessors as well, with the twist ending that brought the story together.

Ghostface was once again the creation of two killers, but one was too close to home. The Ghostface in Scream IV was none other than Jill herself, who expertly played the part of the victim, thanks to the help of the tech expert, Charlie (Rory Culkin). Jill is the perfect villain of the age, desperately wanting fame above all else. She saw how the media treated Sidney as the survivor of the original killings and wanted that for herself.

Using two killers wasn’t a new concept, but Jill’s viciousness was. She uses technology to exonerate herself and nearly gets away with it. As with traditional slashers like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, Sidney refuses to die and foils Jill’s plans. Jill’s motivations for becoming a killer fit perfectly within the time frame. It was a stark contrast to the disillusionment presented by Billy and Stu’s schemes.

Jill is so committed to becoming a famous final girl that she doesn’t care about killing her own friends. This is a terrifying element that allows Scream IV to stand apart. It is also tragic that the series did not go the way it was originally intended. Jill was meant to start a new trilogy of her own in subsequent films, but this idea was thrown out, and the sequels were canceled. The story of Jill was not only a genuinely surprising plot twist but could have been a way to refresh a series that has plateaued in recent years.

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A Hitchcock Film That Never Was — The Collider Movie Quiz!

To celebrate the one-week-iversary of this quiz, Collider is scoping out the long-lost Hitchcock project that never materialized: Kaleidoscope.

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Release Date

April 15, 2011

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Runtime

111 minutes

Writers

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Kevin Williamson

Producers

Bob Weinstein, Cathy Konrad, Ehren Kruger, Harvey Weinstein, Iya Labunka, Marianne Maddalena, Matthew Stein

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We don’t know who needs to hear this, but you don’t have to drop hundreds on a keratin treatment to get a glossy, high-shine finish. We found a stylist-loved brand used on rich moms in New York, Los Angeles and beyond, and get this: the products are secretly on Amazon. Better yet, this bestselling hair gloss is on sale right now — just $26!

The Expensive Clear Gloss Top Coat revives dull, dry, frizzy strands and gives your hair showstopping shine. Vibrance aside, this treatment also leaves hair softer, stronger and healthier. Whatever your hair type or texture, this gloss makes your mane, as one shopper put it, “smooth like glass.”

Get the IGK Expensive Clear Hair Gloss Treatment for $26 (originally $34) on Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.

Alma oil, sea kelp extract, and sunflower seed oil work together to not only condition and shine, but also prevent damage and control flyaways. This glossy formula even provides UV protection for the sun-drenched days to come. As a bonus, it has a dreamy bergamot and mimosa scent that garners compliments in itself.

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When Demi Lovato announced her 2026 tour, we couldn’t help but wonder what items she’s bringing to stay chic, balanced and comfortable — so we asked her. Lovato told Us everything she can’t live without while on tour, from stylish sweaters and compression pants to exfoliating masks and cactus water, and get this: It’s all […]

Plus, it couldn’t be easier to incorporate into your routine. Simply shampoo as usual, apply this gloss treatment from root to tip, and let it sit for three minutes. Rinse and you’re good to go! No long wait, no conditioner — just silky-soft hair in a matter of minutes.

Shoppers rave about this gloss, noting that it doesn’t make hair feel stiff, sticky or heavy. Many reviewers also love the salon-like finish, although one said the result actually beats their usual blowout: “This product has blown me away . . . The texture and the shine has surpassed that of the glaze that my hairdresser uses on my hair.”

All it takes is one to two uses per week, making it a great value for the size. So if you’re ready for sleek, Insta-worthy hair that makes you appear expensive, this treatment is just a few clicks away. It’s the best-kept secret of professional hairstylists — and we’re happy to spill the beans.

Get the IGK Expensive Clear Hair Gloss Treatment for $26 (originally $34) on Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication but are subject to change.

Not what you’re looking for? Shop other haircare on Amazon and don’t forget to check out Amazon’s Daily Deals here!

Related: Katie Holmes and Meghan Markle Wear This Classy Outer Layer on Repeat

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Cardigans are fine, but nothing screams ‘confidence’ quite like a long blazer. Katie Holmes and Meghan Markle started the trend, and now it’s all we see rich moms wearing from New York City to Los Angeles. These stylish outer layers make any outfit appear expensive, and get this: Our favorites start at just $9. Plus, […]

Mikayla Nogueira is moving on after splitting from Cody Hawken.

The influencer, 27, shared a new video via her TikTok on Friday, March 6, revealing she was getting ready to “go on a date” less than a month after announcing the former couple were divorcing.

“Honestly, not gonna lie. I wish I could share the tea on the craziness that has been my life like the last six…” she said before trailing off and admitting she was attempting to be “more private” with her personal life.

She then teased, “But if you knew the whole story… oh my god, your jaw — you wouldn’t be able to pick it up.”

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Influencer Mikayla Nogueira is sharing subtle insight into how she’s feeling since announcing her divorce from Cody Hawken. The beauty guru, 27, took to Instagram on Monday, February 16, to share a selfie with a soft smile while going makeup-free. “My skin is STRESSED,” she captioned the pic, zooming in on blemishes. “My gosh.” In […]

Nogueira explained she didn’t necessarily plan to share that she was heading off on a date but decided, “I’m in my f**king era, so I don’t give a sh*t. I’ve just been such an open book that it’s hard for me to keep my mouth shut.”

The influencer added that she’s feeling positive after  navigating a few emotionally difficult months.

@mikaylanogueira

GRWM for a date #date #datenight #grwm #makeup #beauty

♬ original sound – Mikayla Nogueira

“Personally, I am obsessed with this era of my life that I’m in right now,” she explained in the clip. “It is f**king awesome. I feel free. I just feel like a f**king boulder was lifted off of me. I’m gonna live my f**king life.”

Nogueira’s post comes after she announced her divorce from Hawken, 29, via TikTok on February 12. (The pair tied the knot in July 2023 and were together for five years.)

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Influencer Mikayla Nogueira had been candid about her ups and downs with estranged husband Cody Hawken before their formal separation. Nogueira and Hawken met on the dating app Tinder in 2020, nearly one year before getting engaged. The couple wed in July 2023 before going their separate ways in February 2026. “I want to protect […]

“I want to start this video by saying I appreciate you and I love you and you’re going to want to be sitting down for this video. I am getting a divorce. Take a minute, take it in. I am getting a divorce,” she said at the time. “Cody and I love each other so much. We love each other so much. We would do anything literally for each other. I want you to know that. I’m not going to be sharing any details whatsoever as to why Cody and I have made this decision.”

Describing divorce as “an extremely sh***y thing,” Nogueira added, “No one gets married to get a divorce. Absolutely no one.”

Nogueira added that the decision to call it quits was “very amicable.” She also clarified that despite announcing it via social media in February, the duo broke up “last year” and she had “spent the last few months processing” the split.

What three things would you take with you to a deserted island? Food? A knife? A good book? This is the age-old question of childhoods past and icebreaker questions on first dates. The answer is always different depending on whom you ask: the survivalist, the romantic, or the person who would simply give up on day one.

That’s why deserted island movies are so entertaining to watch. When put in the eye of danger, every human reacts differently. Some go mad, some burn the rum to make a smoke signal, and some use every piece of sheer willpower to find a way home. Being stranded on a deserted island is both terrifying and exhilarating, no matter how many ways you’ve thought about whether you’d be able to survive or not. These legendary island survival movies showcase just how terrifying, exhilarating, and transformative that experience can be, all from the comfort of viewers’ couches.

25

‘Robinson Crusoe’ (1997)

Image via Walt Disney Studios

Pierce Brosnan stars in the adventure drama, Robinson Crusoe, as a Scottish gentleman who is on the run from the law and being pursued by British authorities after killing a man during a duel. When Crusoe is shipwrecked and stranded on a deserted island, he must fend for himself, fighting against the harsh elements as well as the struggles that come with his isolation and memories of his former life.

Robinson Crusoe is based on the famous 1719 novel by the same name, written by Daniel Defoe, and features Brosnan in one of his most overlooked performances. The movie had a limited release that resulted in very little media and press attention, but through the years, many have credited it as one of the best adaptations of Defoe’s story and have also commended Brosnan for his mainly one-man performance. —Andrea Ciriaco

24

‘The Most Dangerous Game’ (1932)

Image via RKO Pictures 

When a big game hunter, Bob Rainsford (Joel McCrea), is shipwrecked on a strange island, he finds himself in the company of a reclusive and eccentric man, Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks). Initially, Rainsford is grateful for Zaroff’s hospitality, but when he and several other shipwreck survivors are forced to participate in the Count’s sadistic game of being hunted, he realizes they are all in mortal danger and tries to find a way off the island before it’s too late.

The Most Dangerous Game is a pre-Code horror film based on the 1924 short story written by Richard Connell. The movie follows an intense game of cat and mouse and is regarded as a thrilling melodrama with unwavering suspense, leaving audiences in unbearable anticipation. At the time, some of the film’s more gruesome moments were not held in high regard, but today, The Most Dangerous Game is more than suitable for a modernized audience and ranks as one of the best deserted island classic movies. —Andrea Ciriaco

23

‘And Then There Were None’ (1945)

Image via 20th Century Studios

When eight strangers are invited to a small, remote island by an unknown host, they arrive only because they are led to believe the host has damning information on each of them. As the guests sit down for dinner, a staff member plays a record with a man’s voice informing them that he has evidence of them all being guilty of murder. With their mysterious host nowhere to be found, the guests’ confusion soon turns to hysteria as each one of them is killed off, one by one.

Based on Agatha Christie’s iconic 1939 murder mystery, And Then There Were None is a tedious thriller that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The movie features the eerie children’s nursery rhyme, “Ten Little Indians,” which plays not only a crucial role in the story but also provides a ghostly and unsettling tone throughout the movie. With the ominous setting of the isolated island and the web of mystery and suspense, And Then There Were None will make being stranded on a deserted island somewhat appealing. —Andrea Ciriaco

22

‘Hell in the Pacific’ (1968)

Image via Selmur Pictures

During World War II, a Japanese naval officer, Captain Tsuruhiko Kuroda (Toshirō Mifune), becomes stranded on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. Initially, Tsuruhiko believes he is alone, but he soon discovers an American pilot (Lee Marvin) who has crashed his plane into the island. Due to a language barrier, the two men are unable to verbally communicate, but instead, the enemies taunt one another and refuse to work together to find a way off the island. When they are both faced with starvation and dehydration, they put aside their differences and decide to help each other.

Hell in the Pacific is a war drama centered around the importance of human connection and the bond that can form between enemies in an isolated environment. This particular deserted island movie contains an insightful theme of acceptance and understanding that is rarely seen in such caliber. Despite the cast only containing two actors, both Marvin and Mifune deliver exceptional performances, each bringing a different perspective to a controversial topic and finding common ground as human beings, making Hell in the Pacific a must-see deserted island classic. —Andrea Ciriaco

21

‘Uninhabited’ (2010)

A dream vacation turns into a fight for survival in the 2010 survival horror film Uninhabited. In the movie, Beth (Geraldine Hakewill) and Harry (Henry James) decide to vacation on a secluded island, not knowing that it’s haunted by the ghost of a young woman named Coral (Tasia Zalar). The island’s natural beauty masks a dark history, and the couple soon finds themselves trapped in a supernatural struggle against a malevolent force.

While Uninhabited didn’t do anything revolutionary within the genre, it offers a fun viewing experience that horror movie enjoyers can appreciate. Hakewill’s performance as Beth is a standout, since she made Beth’s terror palpable with every line and expression. However, the film’s true star might be the island itself, with its stunning yet desolate beauty that elevates the sense of isolation and fear that both the characters and the viewers will feel.

20

‘Paradise Lagoon’ (1957)

Ever wondered what would happen if a group of posh Brits were suddenly forced to fend for themselves? In Paradise Lagoon, the Loam family, a group of hilariously inept aristocrats, and their unflappable butler, Crichton (Kenneth More), navigate the challenges of island life after a shipwreck. The social order and dynamics of the group are then turned on its head, since the family has to count on Crichton’s survival skills.

Without a doubt, More’s performance as Crichton will captivate viewers, bringing to life a resourceful butler who becomes the unlikely leader of the shipwrecked group. The movie is also incredibly funny with its satirical portrayal of the Loam family, particularly Lord Loam (Cecil Parker), who fully personifies the cluelessness of the upper class. With its witty dialogue and side-splitting moments, Paradise Lagoon is a fun deserted island film to watch for movie night.

19

‘Horrors of Spider Island’ (1960)

Horror fans shouldn’t overlook terrifying and thrilling B-movies because there are real gems like Horrors of Spider Island. The movie follows a group of dancers and their manager Gary (Alexander D’Arcy), who find themselves stranded on a remote island after a plane crash. Their worries about rescue are quickly overshadowed by a far more terrifying threat—Gary has been bitten by a giant spider and he transforms into a violent half-human, half-spider monster.

Despite its initial critical reception, which focused on its low-budget aesthetic and implausible plot, Horrors of Spider Island has garnered a devoted following over the years. That’s because it fully embraces B-movie tropes, such as laughably cheesy special effects and melodramatic dialogue. Horrors of Spider Island should be brought up when campy horror films are mentioned, since it checks off all the boxes for gloriously bad cinema.

18

‘Retreat’ (2011)

Retreat follows a couple who seek recovery from a personal tragedy that has shattered their lives. And they do so on an isolated island, away from any sort of news or civilization. Their retreat is ruined though when a stranger washes ashore to tell them that an airborne disease has rattled Europe.

Retreat is a creative twist on the deserted island genre, moving the film into the realm of the small-scale apocalyptic subgenre. It certainly brings the anxiety of a couple experiencing shocking world news after being detached from humanity for a while. And while the execution is far from perfect, it’s worth commending the intriguing premise.

17

‘The Blue Lagoon’ (1980)

Image via Columbia/Tri-Star

One of the quintessential and staple stories of sexuality and growth on a deserted island, The Blue Lagoon has been a staple of the genre for generations, with a multitude of different adaptations over the years. The 1980s version is easily one of the most successful and recognizable versions of the story, following Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins as Emmeline and Richard, two children who find themselves shipwrecked and stranded on a seemingly perfect tropical island. As they adjust and live out their new lives on this island, the duo slowly begins to fall for one another as they build a new home.

The Blue Lagoon does a good job of adapting the themes and legacy of the classic novel to the big screen, with a powerful and timeless portrayal of love and the sanctity of youth, no matter the circumstances. While it’s certainly guilty of having levels of schmaltz and cheese that were more prevalent for these types of adventure films of the 80s, the undeniable strengths and feats of the original novel help make this adaptation stand the test of time. – Robert Lee

16

‘Six Days, Seven Nights’ (1998)

Six Days, Seven Nights combines the typical deserted island survival movie situations and puts them together into one film: pirates and a plane crash. Harrison Ford plays the grumpy and reclusive charter pilot who is hired to fly the more straight-laced Anne Heche to an emergency photo shoot in Tahiti. Soon, it turns into a movie about a couple stranded on an island, desperately trying to survive.

Their plane crashes during a storm on an uninhabited island where the two are thrown together to survive. The onscreen chemistry between Ford and Heche is what truly makes this admittedly flawed film so fun to watch—they both play their respective characters so well, leading to the perfect opposites-attract relationship in the end. The two fight off the environment, snakes, and pirates in this heartwarming and often funny, deserted island movie.

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By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 39 seconds ago

Recently, the internet has been filled with breathless headlines about some seemingly disastrous Star Trek news. Starfleet Academy has wrapped filming on Season 2 has yet to be renewed for Season 3, and there are no new shows being made; that means that for the first time in over a decade, there are no Star Trek series in production or even greenlit. To many fans, this is bad news because it means the future of their favorite sci-fi franchise is stuck in complete limbo.

However, I can’t help but feel like this is good news for Star Trek as a whole because it will give the franchise time to reinvent itself. The NuTrek era, led by Alex Kurtzman, has been a decidedly mixed bag, and Paramount (who is still adjusting to a merger with Skydance) is about to purchase Warner Bros. With all these changes on the horizon, greenlighting any new Trek show today would be a mistake because even if the show is good future leadership could end up canceling it after a year or two to take the franchise in a new direction.

The Canary In The Coal Mine

Generally speaking, I think it’s a good thing that Paramount will be waiting some time (quite possibly years) before greenlighting any new Star Trek content. One reason for this is Starfleet Academy, a controversial show that may already be dead. The show recently finished filming Season 2 (which was greenlit long ago), but the cast members who have talked about it sound a bit worried they won’t be coming back; if this is true, it would line up with rumors that Paramount suddenly canceled the show, forcing the writers to turn the season 2 finale into a series finale (which is the exact thing that happened with Star Trek: Discovery).

There are many reasons why Starfleet Academy may have gotten quietly canceled, and the most logical one is that it hasn’t been getting enough viewers each week to justify its outsized price tag (over $8 million per episode). However, another mitigating factor may be that the show didn’t impress the new management. David Ellison became the CEO of Paramount only after Starfleet Academy got the green light, but there’s always a possibility that this very conservative leader might have wanted to put the kibosh on Trek’s wokest show.

That doesn’t mean that future Star Trek writers need to tailor content to Ellison, of course, but it highlights a stark reality: it’s hard for shows and showrunners to impress the boss when the boss keeps changing. There could be future leadership changes after Paramount acquires Warner Bros., and there will almost certainly be extensive internal conversations about what to do with the studio’s biggest franchises. Simply put, it makes no real sense to green-light a new Star Trek show now when it could get suddenly canceled, which is what happened with Discovery and almost certainly what happened with Starfleet Academy.

The Writing On The Wall

From the very beginning, Alex Kurtzman has been the architect for the NuTrek era, and he may have seemed like a safe choice at first because he co-wrote Star Trek (2009), a very successful reboot. However, while Kurtzman’s tenure in the command chair hasn’t been a complete disaster, it has consistently produced a mixed bag for fans. Discovery was overly violent and then overly abstract, while Picard was generic sci-fi slop wrapped up in lazy fan service. 

Strange New Worlds started strong but eventually became nothing but broad comedy and hollow melodrama. Lower Decks and Prodigy were both excellent, and both were canceled too soon. Most recently, Starfleet Academy had a very controversial first few episodes, and while the show is definitely getting better, it seems like Paramount may be learning a costly lesson about making such a poor first impression on the fandom.

An Expensive Lesson

There’s a pretty obvious lesson here: in less than a decade, we have had six different Star Trek shows. Of them, three (Discovery, Prodigy, and Lower Decks) were canceled early, and another (Strange New Worlds) will be ending early after an abbreviated fifth season. Now, Starfleet Academy is seemingly joining the ranks of shows receiving early cancellations. While fanboys don’t like to hear it, the message is clear: if Star Trek keeps making shows that fail, then it makes perfect sense to take a few years off in order to create something better.

Before anyone says it, I’m not writing this from the perspective of a hater: I enjoyed most of Discovery (Seasons 3 and 4 were “meh”), love most of Strange New Worlds (Season 3 notwithstanding), and I loved every frame of Lower Decks. Heck, I’m even starting to warm to Starfleet Academy, a show that had the rockiest start since TNG Season 1. But at the end of the day, this is a business, and if Paramount keeps canceling new Star Trek shows, it’s because they’re not making money.

It’s All About The Latinum

Until we get to the cashless society promised by Gene Roddenberry, money will still determine how many $8 million episodes of multiple Star Trek shows Paramount is willing to create. Furthermore, the only way for these shows to generate a profit and effectively justify their existence is to gain more viewers. For all its strengths, the truth is that the NuTrek era has failed to consistently achieve that, and a handful of zealous fanboys defending a show’s honor online each week doesn’t translate to that many people watching it.

This isn’t some culture war thing; it doesn’t matter how woke or unwoke a show is, it matters whether it appeals to enough fans to make a profit. Star Trek stopped consistently doing that at the exact moment that Alex Kurtzman took over. Now, more than ever, it’s time for this franchise to get some new leadership and take time off to discover the answer to a question that Kurtzman himself obviously never bothered to ask: what do Star Trek fans actually want to watch?