Related: Kaia Gerber Admits She Doesn’t Think Mom Cindy Crawford Is ‘Cool’
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From lost civilizations to haunting conspiracy theories, some of our world’s greatest mysteries have often teased the limits of human understanding. But as these puzzles challenge our perceptions to stir our deepest fears, they also invite us to ask more questions. Unraveling that puzzle through nuanced storytelling is The Listeners, a provocative series that centers around a woman who begins to hear low-humming sounds that no one else can. The four-part series, set to air on Starz this week, starring Rebecca Hall, is based on the bestselling and award-winning novel of the same name by Jordan Tannahill. Following its highly anticipated Toronto International Film Festival premiere in 2024, the show will no doubt become one of the year’s most thought-provoking and unsettling series yet.
As an atmospheric exploration of human connection and isolation, The Listeners embraces the ethereal tension of The Leftovers and the psychological depth of Sharp Objects to examine the human experience through silence. With the book set up as a memoir and inspired by the strange, low-frequency reverberations in Windsor, Ontario, the BBC-produced series finds a refreshing nuance in its television adaptation. Produced by Element Pictures, the studio behind Normal People and Poor Things, and directed by Janicza Bravo (Poker Face and Zola), the series manages a sharp, important commentary on how loneliness compels us to seek meaning in the unknown — or in this case, the inexplicable. Through its main character Claire, played arrestingly by Hall, The Listeners offers a strong tableau of isolation and how the search for connection can distort even the simplest of perceptions.
The Listeners stars Hall as Claire, an English teacher who is the only person hearing a low-humming sound. Much like the show’s pace, which aligns with a slow-burning drama, the sound she hears starts gradually. It’s present, but it’s not exactly taking up too much space in Claire’s life. However, things take an abrupt turn, and the seemingly innocuous noise begins to upset the balance she has created for herself and her family. Claire, who is also a doting mother to Ashley (Mia Tharia) and a loving wife to Paul (Prasanna Puwanarajah), begins to find the noise ruining a lot of her daily rhythms. At times, she feels she might have imagined it. But the noise and its high frequency begin to manifest in the form of nose bleeds, leaving Claire with a lot more questions. As she investigates with doctors and conducts tests, they suggest she might have tinnitus or a hypersensitivity to white noise — an issue seen in patients with anxiety and stress.
Here, the mystery begins, unraveling Claire’s layers to offer more about her through a naturally quiet disposition and interaction with others. With her frustrations starting to show, no one can help — that is until one of her students, a 17-year-old boy named Kyle (Ollie West) reveals he can too hear the sound. Taking solace in their shared isolation, the two strike up an unlikely (and dangerous) friendship and investigate the sound together. With the noise becoming more apparent, the two become increasingly separated from their family, friends, and colleagues and join a group of neighbors who also allegedly hear the sound led by Jo (Gayle Rankin) and Omar (Amr Waked), a couple that delivers strong cult vibes. The pair believes it’s important to lean into “The Hum” and treat it like a gift. Naturally, as Claire and Kyle’s friendship grows, so does doubt from the outside, causing perception to become reality.
The Listeners isn’t just a slow-burn drama with a quiet, eerie temperament. As Tannahill is at the forefront of the adaptation’s layered screenplay, the series captures Claire’s growing obsession with the sound in a dynamic, captivating style. With a psychological toll woven delicately into every scene and interaction, it’s a testament to Hall’s natural magnetism as a performer that draws you into every moment. Whatever Claire is feeling or thinking in those lonely scenes alongside the hum, we are right there with her. Able to convey a deep, conflicted demeanor and apprehension, Hall shows us what it feels like through her eyes, the furrow of her brow, or even a slight frown that speaks deeply to her modest, quiet desperation for answers.
Hall is masterful and profoundly focused on a performance that adds to the story’s haunting tale of isolation, longing, and faith. As an actress known for moving seamlessly between roles that demand intensity and vulnerability, like The Prestige or The Night House, Hall is at the top of her game in The Listeners. With an emotional profundity unseen in previous performances, she immerses herself into a world that deftly manages the complexities of loneliness and confusion with masterful fortitude. In those moments when it’s just her versus the hum, how she commands the scene to rely on subtlety speaks to the strength of her craft. When Claire sees doctors with her husband Paul, the tattered sophistication of her anxieties bubble to the surface to create inner tension between the couple, and bring out another side of the performer. While only two episodes were made available to the press, Hall’s undeniable screen presence through Claire’s quiet intensity lingers with you long after.
As the novel and its adaptation capture so much of Claire’s growing obsessions with sounds that ultimately isolate her, the series leans into such compulsion through quiet subtleties. It’s this kind of implicitness that is not only central to the story but its understanding of loneliness through Claire. Through the gnawing mania that afflicts her, we can recognize how these hauntings are a bit of a gateway for her, especially in how she spends time with Kyle. Sure, she’s driving away the people who love her the most and making some bad choices about it, but she’s also opening her eyes to new challenges that speak to a reshaping of her identity.
This obsession with the faintest of noises sends the loudest message about Claire’s state of mind, hinting at something deeper that haunts her and distorts her current role. She loves her family, her friends, and her job, but her obsession with “the hum” implies a deeper, more destructive gap in her connection to herself that highlights her emotional and mental welfare. In many ways, Claire’s actions are intentional, and her fixation speaks to a deeper need for building meaningful relationships and connections. It’s easy to empathize with her because she is relatable, but her increasing paranoia detaches her from reality, leading to intense interactions and often destructive behavior that unveils some deeper truths.
The trio discusses honoring their real-life counterparts, why Sachs considers this an action movie, and future projects in the works.
Bravo, who is known for boundary-pushing work in Zola and Poker Face, levels up her signature style of alienation in The Listeners. Challenging conventional storytelling through gritty realism and vibrant visuals that align with an arthouse sensibility, the director’s work here exemplifies her unique voice. Like her earlier work in Lemon, Bravo infuses her characters with a lush theatrical sense that also highlights strong, gripping emotional complexities. It’s this kind of intimacy and character-driven core that feeds so much of Hall’s performance.
Emerging as a masterful exploration of isolation and obsessions, The Listeners creates a rich tapestry of existential tension through Hall’s knack for embodying a strong, emotional spirit. Thanks to the familiar writing of Tannahill’s novel with sharp nuance, the BBC production captures the subtleties of human connection and detachment that distort our understanding of reality. Accompanied by a spirited supporting cast, Hall delivers an exceptional performance — a career-best among a plethora. With the series intertwining the psychological depths of loneliness with the eerie presence of the inexplicable “hum,” the four-part series works to provoke strong reflections on shades of isolation, perception, and the fragility of our connections. It’s illuminating and interesting in the best ways, and with more to unravel as Claire discovers the origins of the hum, The Listeners solidifies its place as one of the year’s most thought-provoking dramas.
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Gypsy-Rose Blanchard is spilling the tea on beauty treatments she plans to undergo.
The media personality went into detail, sharing with fans the cosmetic procedures she has settled for to achieve the facial look she wants. Besides restoring her skin’s radiance, the procedures also help to treat underlying skin issues.
Gypsy-Rose Blanchard is no newbie at cosmetic procedures. She previously underwent a rhinoplasty, which involved altering the shape and appearance of her nose.

Blanchard, in a recent video, gave fans an update on her big upcoming plans to get that “Summer glowup.” She admitted that she was nervous about going in for the procedures before detailing them and her reasons for choosing to go that route with her face.
The media personality shared that she was going to get GlowTox, which she explained is a “professional-grade chemical peel and tox.” She explained that she was getting this treatment after research on options to help with her ”wrinkles and fine lines” which were not fully visible in the video due to the full makeup she had on.
To give fans a proper visual, Blanchard included a picture of her face in its natural state with no filters or makeup. She also explained that she has some hyperpigmentation on her cheek, blemishes, acne, and dark spots as well. The mom of one hopes that the ”skin peel will help with all that and clear that all up.”
Over a minute into the Instagram video, Blanchard dropped a bombshell on a procedure she would be getting in addition to the GlowTox. She revealed that she would be going in for a lip filler as well.
The 35-year-old admitted that getting lip fillers is often controversial but quickly clarified that she does not “want anything crazy” and would not be going “insane with the filler.”
The mom of one stressed that she was going for a subtle and natural look with the filler before telling viewers she was freaked out by the thought of having needles stuck into her lips. She also promised to carry her fans along during the process with vlogs.
Finally, on Blanchard’s list are hair extensions. She disclosed that she would probably be getting the K-tip extensions, which are strand-by-strand hair extensions that use a heated keratin bond to attach real human hair to a person’s natural hair.
Overall, the media personality noted that she is “excited for [her] summer glowup.” In one comment, she told fans she was getting the procedures for herself, her confidence, and self-esteem.
Blanchard underwent cosmetic surgery for her nose on April 5 2024. After the procedure, which she stated went great, she expressed how she could not wait to see the final results despite the pain from the process. “I can’t breathe through my nose because of the packing, but that comes off on the 10th. I want to see it so bad!” she told PEOPLE.
At that time, the mom of one shared that she was undergoing a “personal transformation journey.” This transformation included some changes to her physical appearance as well, like the nose job and getting tattoos with Urker.
According to her close friend, Nadiya Vizier, the rhinoplasty had been on Blanchard’s list for the longest time. In Vizier’s words, “The main thing is that she wanted a more feminine-looking nose. She just wants to fix it up and give it a more feminine look.”
Blanchard rose to fame after she reportedly conspired with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to murder her own mother, Claudia “Dee Dee” Blanchard, in 2015. She was a victim of Munchausen by proxy, where her mother forced her to live like a disabled child suffering from various ailments, including cancer.
To keep up the appearance that Blanchard was a cancer patient who had leukemia and was undergoing chemotherapy, Dee Dee shaved her head regularly. This fostered a complicated relationship with the online personality and her hair.
Last year, The Blast reported that the 35-year-old got real with her fanbase, explaining that she often wore wigs because her hair was damaged from years of bleaching and she did not “feel confident with short hair.” She shared this update while posting a picture of herself in a way fans never saw: with very short natural hair.

Blanchard was arrested after her mom was found stabbed in her Springfield home. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and spent eight and a half years of her 10-year sentence behind bars for her participation in orchestrating the death of her mother.
Her then-boyfriend, on the other hand, was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Dee Dee reportedly portrayed her daughter to the public as a frail disabled child, subjecting her to a wheelchair, feeding time, and unnecessary surgeries even though Blanchard was healthy.
While still behind bars, the media personality married Ryan Anderson in 2022, who waited outside the prison for her release. In an interview with ABC News, she admitted her regrets for getting married in prison but noted that she did not regret her relationship with Anderson.
Their love story was, however, short-lived as they divorced in 2024 and Blanchard moved on to Ken Urker, with whom she welcomed her daughter Aurora.
Will Gypsy-Rose Blanchard get the glow-up she wishes for?
Days of Our Lives spoilers for August 3-7, 2026 excite with Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) exiting Salem thanks to her brother EJ DiMera’s (Dan Feuerriegel) revenge plan. Plus, Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) is celebrating his daughter’s homecoming, but he may have even more reason to celebrate very soon.
Also, next week we have more people searching for Gwen Rizczech (Emily O’Brien). We’ll have Gabi Hernandez (Cherie Jimenez) having a change of heart and Holly Jonas (Ashley Puzemis) is finally allowed to go home from the hospital. But we have to wait and see how long she sticks around Salem.
And as we always do on early edition day, we start with what’s coming the rest of this week, then we dive into what is happening next week.
So, on Wednesday, July 29th, we’ve got Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart) asking Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) for his help. And Leo may mention the dead man’s switch letter and how desperate he is to find Gwen, and he wants the FBI’s help. Rafe may ask Leo to find out exactly what he knows. And of course, Cat Greene (AnnaLynne McCord) already gave Rafe the letter that Gwen left for Leo, and they’re already using it. But I bet that Rafe and Cat are going to leave Leo in the dark.
Susan Banks (Stacy Haiduk) is back in Salem. So Stacy Haiduk is doing double duty as EJ’s mama and his mean sister Kristen this week. And Susan is convinced that EJ’s gone too far and her psychic senses are tingling. Susan rants at EJ that he is not Stefano. And Susan says she will never let EJ be that monster. But come on, it’s too late for that. He’s already gone bad. I wonder if Susan’s Psychic Network will give her specific info on what Elvis Jr’s been up to lately, because it’s all bad deeds.
Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman) tries to cheer up Chanel Dupree (Raven Bowens). We’re going to see Johnny and Chanel spending time with adorable little Trey. And of course, they’re getting ready for their baby to be born. Chanel is going to go into premature labor soon. And it could be touch and go given her cancer and the chemo situation making Chanel a high-risk pregnancy.
Abe Carver (James Reynolds) and Theo Carver (Tyler Joseph Andrews) catch Lexie Carver (Nikki Crawford) in a lie on Wednesday. She told them she was going alone to see her mom, but Lexie’s really going off to die alone, and Kristen convinced her to swap spots and head to DiMera Island to die instead of her, which EJ will hate. But with Lex’s symptoms coming back, she may not be thinking clearly, and that’s why she’s caught in a lie.
Then on Thursday, July 30th, Gabi shocks Philip Kiriakis (John-Paul Lavoisier). Not only do they wind up in each other’s arms this week, but it sounds like Gabi really hurt Philip when he said he was hurt by Gabi’s false accusations the same way that she hurt Theo by jumping to a bad conclusion.
So, Gabi may agree to invest in Titan and stick to their deal. And Philip’s wondering if she now suspects Dimitri of selling fake Gabi Chic bags since it might have happened on their watch. Arianna Hernandez (Vico Escorcia) did let a prototype out of her sight. So clearly somebody took snaps of it.
Rachel Black (Lorelei Olivia Mote) is officially out of Bayview and Brady, Belle, and Tate are all celebrating. But will Kristen be there to celebrate Rachel’s freedom also? Or does EJ already have her picked up by then? Maybe he’ll be kind to let Kristen see Rachel one last time before his henchman grabs her up.
Alex Kiriakis (Robert Scott Wilson) reassures Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein) that he will never agree to the terms that Joy Wesley (AlexAnn Hopkins) wants and her custody terms are kind of ridiculous. She doesn’t want Stephanie around Kelsey ever. Now, I can understand that Joy is still upset at this moment because Stephanie nearly shot her.
But I think that she is being slightly unreasonable. Belle Black (Martha Madison) gets a visit from Joy who wants some advice. So, I wonder if she’s going to talk to Belle about a restraining order because of the shooting or Joy might revisit pressing charges to pressure Alex into accepting her terms.
Then on Friday, July 31st, Lexie’s got a big surprise in store from Abe and Theo. They want to make up for lost time. So, Abe and Theo do a Christmas in July thing with a tree and presents. All of that for Lexie to make up for all the holidays they missed out on as a family.
And this Theo and Abe surprise could be why Lexie is late to meet up and swap with Kristen. EJ and Kristen share a moment of honesty at the end of the week. And this may be right before EJ’s henchman shoves Kristen into a shipping container and tells Kristen, “Have a nice flight.” So, she may be pounding on the walls and devastated that Lexie doesn’t show up.
Javi Hernandez (Jacob Martinez) and Gus (Michael Ocampo) discuss the future. Also this week, Chad DiMera (Connor Floyd) asked Leo why he thinks Dimitri von Leuschner (Peter Porte) took Gwen. And Leo says he texted Dimitri to see where Gwen was. And he got a reply that sent all of Leo’s spidey senses tingling.
So, he’s trying to get to Alamania as fast as possible, and he may head out of town with Chad and Belle. Also, Chad has an update for Rafe about Gwen. So, we’ll see if Leo gets Belle and Chad to help him find Gwen before they head off to Italy on the chess set mystery.
Then the week of August 3rd through the 7th, we may see Kristen is gone for good or at a minimum gone for now. Rachel will be devastated and I’m guessing that Brady may suspect EJ, but we know that he will lie and deny and in the end Brady should send EJ an edible arrangement to thank him for getting Kristen out of Rachel’s life.
She’s a bad influence. Stacy Haiduk confirmed a while back that she has wrapped her run. She’s now over on recurring status on Young and the Restless at the moment, but I’m sure Days of our Lives will bring Kristen back at some point.
Lexie misses her opportunity to sneak away and swap so she can die alone on the island. And the stress of all of this may cause her to collapse. Theo and Abe are going to rush her to the hospital. Lex’s death is imminent and EJ’s going to be distraught. Abe and Theo, too, and they’ll be raging at EJ.

Belle and Chad are headed for Italy to crack the chess set mystery, but Gwen’s disappearance may trigger a detour to Alamania. Leo is desperate to get his bestie back and now suspects his and Gwen’s mutual ex, Dimitri, took her and not EJ. Dimitri von Leuschner is back on the scene soon.
And it looks like he may have snatched Gwen for a little revenge since she kidnapped him with EJ’s help. Very soon, Leo’s trying to convince Dimitri to cut a deal with him if he won’t bargain with Rafe. Chanel could go into labor soon. She is in her third trimester, and we know she’s going to be rushed into the hospital in distress.
And Kayla Brady (Mary Beth Evans) is there hustling everybody out as Chanel begins to hemorrhage. Philip and Gabi may be on the road to reconciliation or maybe not. So, Philip may be playing Gabi on Xander Cook’s (Paul Telfer) orders so they can get her money. Philip is totally capable of playing Gabi like this.
On the other hand, she might be toying with Philip, too. They are a lot alike. Also, we’ll find out more about who is stealing Gabi’s designs and selling them to a knockoff company. I’m very suspicious of Gus based on the timing and how little we know about him.
Julie Williams (Susan Seaforth Hayes) considers romance with Foster and Holly’s out of the hospital soon and she may find out that EJ planted the pills to cover his butt in the whole arsenic cover up. Not too long until Holly leaves Salem since Ashley Puzemis was fired from Days. So, Holly and Tate because the actor was also fired may head to Paris together to be near her mom and little brother.
And in way way way ahead spoilers, these are for June 2027. So, 11 months from now, Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney), Carrie Brady, Lucas Horton (Bryan Dattilo), and Will Horton (Chandler Massey) are heading back to Salem for a big Brady family reunion. Maybe for Sami’s wedding to Dante Vitali. I just hope that it’s not because something is wrong with Roman Brady (Josh Taylor).
You know a psychological thriller when you see one, even if the term “psychological thriller” isn’t the easiest to define. Most thrillers get at least a little psychological, but also, you’d call the Mission: Impossible movies thrillers, but they’re not really psychological thrillers, you know? The focus might be more on action, or the thrills might come from something that’s more universal rather than personal, and so with those sorts of thrillers, they may not really be psychological.
But also, some psychological thrillers do also function as action movies, and really, if something has a focus on a person’s internal struggles with some kind of high-stakes or otherwise stressful situation, then it can qualify as a psychological thriller, for present purposes. The more important distinction to make here might be the notion that something released in the year 2000 technically isn’t eligible to be counted among the best 21st-century psychological thrillers, just because that year was technically the final one of the 20th century (sorry, Memento, American Psycho, and Unbreakable).
That intro you either just read or scrolled past mentioned Unbreakable, which was a unique superhero movie of sorts that was probably more of a psychological thriller, albeit one that, you know, had people with superpowers at its center. It was directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and then he also did Split, which was a pretty twist-heavy and unusual movie, with the big twist being that, like, it was actually something of a sequel to Unbreakable.
Sorry if that’s a spoiler, but it’s also hard to avoid nowadays, since Split is known for being ultimately the middle chapter of a trilogy that began with Unbreakable and concluded with the flawed (but still interesting) Glass. Split might well be the best of the three, in any event, focusing on a man with dissociative identity disorder, and a handful of young women who have to survive after being kidnapped by him. It does a lot with a little (the premise is simple and all), and also boasts a knockout central performance from James McAvoy.
Caché is more thrilling than most Michael Haneke movies, since he’s a director who more often operates within the realm of psychological dramas than psychological thrillers. There are enough by way of thrills here, though, once you get past the very patient pacing, with Caché being about a married couple who find themselves the target of an unknown adversary who keeps sending them unsettling videotapes.
It’s a film all about surveillance, and the sense of discomfort that comes with being watched, scratching the same unsettling itch as something like 1997’s Lost Highway, all the while also standing out for being quite Hitchcockian with the kind of suspense it ultimately delivers. Caché is well-executed, and it does succeed at lingering in one’s mind long after it’s over, even if parts of it might not technically be super thrilling while the whole thing’s actually playing out.
Shutter Island is almost a case of Martin Scorsese doing a crowd-pleaser, because there is a bit more that’s conventionally appealing here than some of the other films he’s done recently (and a more digestible runtime, too). It’s still dark, though, and not really a crowd-pleaser in the traditional sense, being about a pair of detectives who go to an island, investigating the disappearance of a patient from a criminal psychiatric facility on said island.
Where it goes beyond that can be spoiled quite easily, with Shutter Island being the sort of movie that’s most memorable because of the sudden turns in the narrative it has. Good twist, though… or twists? What are you in for? Wouldn’t you like to know? No, don’t know. If you’ve somehow not had a movie like this ruined for you, and are still yet to see it, it’s worth prioritizing, because therein lies something appealing about psychological thrillers: the sense of surprises (or series of surprises) they often contain.
The premise of Buried couldn’t be simpler, and it’s always easy to summarize by saying, “Imagine that one scene from Kill Bill where the Bride is trapped underground in a coffin, but stretched out for a whole movie.” That’s the film. And, to make it sound even more ambitious, Ryan Reynolds plays not just the main character, but really, the film’s only character (at least the only one you see on-screen), and he might not ordinarily sound like the kind of person who could carry a movie like this.
The commitment to having the camera stay inside the coffin pretty much the whole time is bold, and it pays off.
In this more serious role, though, he’s surprisingly good, and then, unsurprisingly, Buried is also extremely stressful and claustrophobic for its whole runtime. The commitment to having the camera stay inside the coffin pretty much the whole time is bold, and it pays off. In the right hands, a movie about a guy who can’t move while getting stressed and calling people for about 90 minutes really can turn out very compelling.
If not for a soon-to-be-mentioned movie about burning salt (not really, but it’s fun to be ambiguous, for now), Mother! is probably the most divisive film you’re going to see mentioned here, and it is fairly understandable how/why it’s not for everyone. There’s a lot of allegorical stuff going on here, and Mother! jumps back and forth between feeling on-the-nose and kind of obscure, more or less without warning whether it’s going to be one or the other.
At its core, Mother! is about a woman trying to deal with a bunch of people who keep coming to her house, and disrupting her peace. Allegorically, it’s in line with biblical stories, and it’s interesting to engage with it in that way, sure, but the visceral nature of what Mother! offers, just as an emotional experience, is as immense as it is intense. That sheer immensity/intensity is why it’s here (sorry to you if you’re someone who has a problem with that).
Christopher Nolan likes getting in the heads of his characters, and also seems fond of getting in your head (yes, you!) as the viewer, since he’s pretty good at the whole psychological thriller thing. Memento is one of his best but, as mentioned before, that did technically come out in the 20th century, as did Following, which was his first film, and does honestly remain one of his most interesting.
There’ll be one more Nolan movie mentioned later on, but for now, here’s The Prestige, which is a twist-heavy psychological drama/thriller movie with some interesting science fiction elements, too. There is also one historical figure who plays a decently important role in The Prestige, Nikola Tesla (played by David Bowie, in an inspired casting choice), but don’t expect this to be a historically accurate film in the same way Oppenheimer (for the most part) was.
Saltburn is that one previously alluded to movie that might well have more detractors than Mother!, just because… who knows why, actually? If you’re a detractor, you know why. Good for you. But as someone who likes this film, it’s difficult to understand some of the vitriol. It’s about class warfare, shown from the perspective of a psychologically troubled person, and there is a very intentional flip in perspective/sympathy, at a point.
Maybe some people don’t really like who’s villainized, and who is eventually shown to be a bit more sympathetic than originally seemed. It’s the sort of film that can be disliked for more than one reason, and at least two of those reasons are incredibly different. But if you can get behind the roller-coaster ride Saltburn provides (or get onboard, maybe?), then there is a great deal to appreciate and think about here.
The best thing to do, with Burning, is to just not say what it’s about. “Oh, are you being lazy and trying to get out of summarizing a plot synopsis?” you might be asking. No! Not really. It’s just that Burning only has a few main characters, and the story they’re involved with takes a very long time to play out, with the film having an almost epic-length runtime (just under 2.5 hours) while very deliberately not being an epic.
So, if you say too much, the whole thing’s ruined. You do just have to watch it, provided you have enough free time, all the while trusting that you’re in good hands. Those hands belong to director Lee Chang-dong, who turned in his best and most acclaimed movie here, and it’s also based on a story by the always interesting Haruki Murakami, in case you feel the need for another pair of good/reliable hands before jumping into this one.
Taking the Stanford prison experiment of 1971 and using it as the basis of an entire psychological drama/thriller film, Das Experiment is indeed unsettling and oftentimes suspenseful. The real-life experiment involved assigning some participants the role of “prison guards,” and others the role of “prisoners,” then observing the sorts of dynamics that developed between the two groups based on the titles they’d been given.
The real-life Stanford prison experiment was somewhat divisive, but definitely not as explosive or as violent as Das Experiment is, with there not really being an attempt here to capture that whole real-life situation accurately. But what it says about human nature is interesting, and as a film that asks, “What’s the worst way that whole experiment could’ve ended up?,” Das Experiment is effective.
There are some thrillers where once they really kick off, they don’t stop, and then there are others like I Saw the Devil that don’t really take much time at all to “kick off,” and so they end up feeling relentless from start to finish. That I Saw the Devil can do this while also being nearly two and a half hours long makes it extra impressive.
And, further, the film’s mostly just about two characters: one of whom is a serial killer, and the other being someone who wants to track down said serial killer and, preferably, make him feel the sort of terror he’s inspired in others. I Saw the Devil manages to go to new – and alarmingly extreme – places as a cat-and-mouse sort of film, and stands as a must-watch movie for anyone with a sufficiently strong stomach (just because it is undeniably gruesome at times).
Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford’s past history is coming full circle as their respective children Homer Gere and Kaia Gerber share the screen on The Shards.
“It’s really funny. The odds are funny,” Homer, 26, quipped to USA Today at the Monday, July 27, premiere of the FX show. “We had never met, actually, before shooting. We met two weeks before at a bar with all the cast, and it was our first, kind of, ‘Let’s meet each other.’”
Homer is the son of exes Richard, 76, and Carey Lowell, while Kaia, 24, is the daughter of Crawford, 60, and her husband, Rande Gerber. The supermodel was previously married to Richard from 1991 to 1995.
As Crawford and the Pretty Woman actor moved on, their respective offspring never crossed paths prior to filming The Shards. (Crawford and Rande, 64, are also parents of son Presley, 27, while Richard shares two young sons with wife Alejandra Silva.)
“She was lovely,” Homer gushed to USA Today of his first interactions with Kaia. “Immediately, I think, me or her was like, ‘Should we address the elephant in the room?’ One of us said it, and, yeah, it was incredibly normal from the inside.”
Homer added, “She’s a lovely actress in person, [and] we’ve gotten really close. It’s been, really, a pleasure to work with [Kaia].”
Kaia also sang Homer’s praises in a separate red carpet interview on Monday.

“It was so nice, and honestly, he’s such a joy to work with and such a lovely person,” Kaia told Entertainment Tonight at the premiere. “He grew up East Coast, I grew up West Coast, but we’ve just gotten so close. I couldn’t have picked a better scene partner, honestly.”
Homer and Kaia play Robert and Susan, respectively, in The Shards, Ryan Murphy’s upcoming adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ horror novel of the same name. Kaia leaned on mom Crawford’s advice for portraying a character in the 1980s.
“Susan, my character, has insane hair. It’s always set [in] big curls, side part, and I was like, ‘What high schooler’s doing this every day?’” Kaia joked to USA Today on Monday. “My mom was like, ‘I used to wake up at 4 a.m., set my hair in curlers even if I had swim [class] first period. I was like, ‘What?’ She was like, ‘Just for the walk into school.’ So, I was like, ‘I guess this is what high schoolers did in the ‘80s!’”
The Shards premieres on FX Wednesday, August 5.
And just like that, Beyoncé adds another company to her name!
The iconic singer now has sole ownership of her American whisky Brand, SirDavis, which she initially co-launched in honor of her great-grandfather. The drink is said to offer an experience deeply inspired by the singer’s Southern roots.
Besides Beyoncé’s established presence as an entertainer, she has gained ground as an entrepreneur with a number of successful businesses such as her hair care brand, Cécred, and athleisure/sportswear brand Ivy Park.

After partnering with Moët Hennessy for almost four years to create the bubbling American whisky brand, the shares are now fully in Beyoncé’s name. The pair came together in 2022 to create the brand and release the no-age-statemented expression named after the Texas native’s great-grandfather in 2024.
So far, no reason has been disclosed for Moët Hennessy’s decision to sell its undisclosed stake in the business to the singer. However, a statement released by a spokesperson for SirDavis confirmed the sole ownership status of the brand.
“SirDavis starts its new independent chapter, after a nearly four-year transformative collaboration through creation, development and launch,” the spokesperson began. “Knowles-Carter… takes full ownership and control, making SirDavis a woman-, family-, and Black-owned company.”
The financial details of the deal between Moët Hennessy and Beyoncé marking the full transfer of ownership were not immediately available. Global Drinks Intel, however, gave some details of the brand’s financials.
The American whisky kicked off in the US and UK with an SRP of US$89 in the United States and GBP79 in the UK, which is about 102.50 US dollars. Initially, Moët Hennessy declined to reveal details about where the whisky was actually being produced.
By April 2025, Moët Hennessy had expanded SirDavis’ reach to include Asia’s global travel retail chanel. The wine and spirits division of LVMH marked its second successive revenue growth since 2023 with a 5% increase in revenue. SirDavis stands as a popular and award-winning American whisky with a unique blend and bespoke recipe.
Beyoncé’s brand pays homage to her Southern roots. The whisky has an unusual maturation process and distinct taste profile influenced by Scottish and Japanese styles. The name, as earlier stated, was chosen after her great-grandfather as her way of connecting with hom through a shared legacy.
“When I discovered that my great-grandfather had been a moonshine man, it felt like my love for whisky was fated. SirDavis is a way for me to pay homage to him,” Beyoncé said in a previous statement.
Every detail for SirDavis was well thought out, up to the bottle design. The peculiar bottle has the logo, which features a horse symbolizing both strength and respect. As shared by Afrotech, the singer wanted a drink that empowers people to experience something new and unique while respecting tradition.
“I’ve always been drawn to the power and confidence I feel when drinking quality whisky and wanted to invite more people to experience that feeling,” the Grammy-winning artist expressed. It should be noted that her husband, popular rapper Jay-Z, became a billionaire via the whisky industry.
Beyoncé previously explained that she was hands-on in crafting the unique recipe for SirDavis to ensure it maintains sky-high quality. In addition to this, her other mission is to introduce whiskey to people who “don’t know they love it yet” and break the stereotype that whiskey is only for “old men in smoky bars.”
The singer stands by the notion that more women would love whiskey if they gave it a try. The Destiny’s Child vocalist recalled her first time trying whiskey. As shared by The Blast, she recalled a nice, warm yet strong feeling from the drink.
With time, the mother of three learned that “whiskey isn’t something you just shoot down. It’s a commitment.” She also loves the color, smell, and stories that come with sipping fine-quality whiskey, which seemingly influenced her in making SirDavis.
To Beyoncé, making whisky is an art form that requires deep attention to detail every step of the way. The end product sits pretty in a glass for anyone who “appreciates depth, complexity, and a bit of mystery.”

Last year, after the iconic singer announced her new perfume line CELUMIERE, which came shortly after SirDavis and her haircare brand Cécred, many fans began to joke about the product prices.
They poked fun at going broke trying to patronize their idol’s brands as well as purchase tickets for her tour at the time. Many supporters of the Grammy-winning artist also praised her for business etiquette.
As shared by The Blast, some even asked if Beyoncé was in debt while others hilariously declared they were poor and that the singer was breaking their wallets.
“Bey, please one thing at a time. We are poor,” a fan noted while another added, “You may not break our soul, but you broke our wallets.”
Several followers went hard on Beyoncé, claiming that she was aggressively chasing their pockets and coming for their hard-earned money based on the prices of her London show’s tickets, which reportedly got as high as $872.
Congratulations, Beyoncé!
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is gearing up — literally — for her upcoming hysterectomy amid her battle with cervical cancer.
The Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star, 38, took to TikTok on Tuesday, July 28, to share the must-have items she bought from fans’ recommendations in preparation for her surgery, which she said is happening “soon.” Included in her haul were an abdominal band for support in her midsection, constipation aids and a weighted heating pad.
In a follow-up video, Snooki shared that she also bought several loose-fitting, lightweight nightgowns, as well as oversized underwear to keep the area around her incision comfortable.
“You guys know I don’t like pain, and I want to be cozy and comfy, and I needed recommendations on how to, like, recover the best way after my hysterectomy,” she said. “If I’m missing anything, mamas, anybody who has gotten a hysterectomy with the big cut, please help. I don’t want to feel pain. If you know me, I’m a baby. I don’t like pain. I don’t like any type of uncomfortableness, and yeah, I just, I don’t like it. So obviously, I’ll have, like, some pain meds and stuff.”
Snooki also explained why she must get an open abdominal hysterectomy versus laparoscopic. (The former uses a large horizontal cut, similar to a C-section, to remove the uterus, while the latter uses small cuts and a camera, leading to an easier recovery in many patients, according to WebMD. In some cases, a hysterectomy may also involve removing the cervix, ovaries or fallopian tubes.)
“If [the surgeon] does it [laparoscopically], there’s a nine percent chance that he doesn’t get all the cancer, so he’s got to do the C-section cut to get everything out,” she explained. “So that’s what we’re dealing with, and that’s what it’s got to be. And I know the recovery is, like, way worse.”
Snooki revealed her stage I cervical cancer diagnosis in February.
“Obviously not the news that I was hoping for,” the mom of three — who shares kids Lorenzo, 13, Giovanna, 11, and Angelo, 7, with husband Jionni LaValle — said in a TikTok video at the time after noting that the cancer had been discovered through a biopsy. “But also not the worst news, just because they caught it so early.”
She added, “The oncologist said you can either do chemo, radiation or the hysterectomy. Obviously, I think the smart choice here is the hysterectomy. I’ll still keep my ovaries, which is a good sign, but the hysterectomy, got to get the cervix in, the uterus out and then possibly lymph nodes, because it can [spread there].”
In June, Snooki exclusively opened up to Us about her initial fears after she was diagnosed.
“I called my mom, crying, like, ‘Schedule my funeral, this is what I want,’ like, being so dramatic,” she shared. “I was hysterical for, like, three days, and then I was like, ‘You’re a bad bitch, you’re going to be fine, you tackle everything.’ And then I went to Short Hills and spent, like, thousands of dollars. Then, after that mental breakdown, I was like, ‘Alright, let’s get this done.’”
Nolan Wells’ family has reportedly issued subpoenas to several social media companies for access to his account information and data.
Nolan Wells’ family reportedly issued the subpoenas on Tuesday, July 28, seeking records from his accounts on Snapchat, WhatsApp, TikTok, Meta Platforms, and Life360. Court documents show the family requested account details, including usernames, passwords, emails, phone numbers, display names, IP addresses, and communications such as chats, posts, and stories.
Nolan’s phone remains a key focus in the investigation into his death, which gained national attention earlier this month. His mother, Christine Wonsley, previously said the family became concerned after they received his phone and found no photos or videos on his Snapchat accounts, raising fears that the content might have been deleted, per The Shade Room.
As TSR previously reported, Officer Tatum shared part four of his podcast interview with Warren Hudson. Hudson, a reported friend of Wells, explained that many people spent the Fourth of July on Horn Island, and some left their phones behind on the boat. He added that several phones remained with the group after they returned to the house later that night. He said no one had a reason to go through Nolan’s phone or delete any content.
“And the boat was having issues. Why would our concern be getting on Nolan’s phone or something? I mean, I don’t even know Nolan’s password. None of our friends do… I didn’t even touch Nolan’s phone. None of us touched Nolan’s phone […] until we handed it to mom that was at my buddy’s house,” Warren explained.
Before Nolan Wells’ family reportedly issued subpoenas to social media companies, Magnolia Tribune reported that several of Nolan’s friends and their parents received spoliation letters from Carroll Bufkin, PLLC, on July 20. Attorneys use spoliation letters to notify individuals that they must preserve potential evidence connected to a legal matter. The letters typically warn recipients against deleting, altering, or destroying information that could become important in a future lawsuit. Sending a spoliation letter often marks an early step before someone pursues legal action.
The same law firm is reportedly handling the subpoenas sent to the social media companies.
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Peter Gabriel‘s career has been one of the most prolific and groundbreaking in music history. From his beginnings in Genesis, where his progressive rock compositions and shocking and disruptive stage performances stunned audiences, to his incredible solo career, where he experimented with rhythms and sounds from around the world, he never stopped reinventing himself. He now has an album coming up at the end of 2026, and the singles he has released so far prove that he’s not slowing down.
Most of his biggest hits came out during the ’80s and ’90s, and they range from funk and dance rock tracks like “Sledgehammer” to beautiful, moving ballads. On his 1992 album, Us, he recruited Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor and recorded a few duets with her. One of them is his hit ballad, “Come Talk to Me.” Most likely, when fans first listened to this song, they assumed it was a classic love song about estranged lovers. But the true meaning behind it is more heartbreaking. Gabriel wrote it about his daughter, and it was a desperate attempt at connection.
“Come Talk to Me” opens Peter Gabriel’s 1992 album, Us, the album that he described as his most vulnerable one. And with good reason. Right away, the song reveals the many different influences he wanted to include from around the world. It starts with distorted guitars, African drums, synthesizers, and bagpipes, creating a dissonant but hypnotic sound. According to Peter Gabriel, it grew out of a Senegalese groove he’d recorded years before. “I tried to introduce quite a lot of textures, so it’s more of a journey than some of the other tracks,” he explained. “Starting off with these bagpipes, there’s something gutsy and primal about the sound of pipes.”
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But while the rich melody is beautiful, the lyrics are the most moving part. Especially considering the real meaning behind it. “Darkness creeps in like a thief / And offers no relief / Why are you shaking like a leaf? / Come on, come talk to me,” Gabriel sings earnestly, before going into a chorus that is basically a plea. “Oh please talk to me / Won’t you please talk to me / We can unlock this misery / Come on, come talk to me / I did not come to steal / This all is so unreal / Can’t you show me how you feel? / Now come on, come talk to me.”
Around the time he was writing this album, he was divorcing his first wife, and his family was struggling as a result. “In ‘Come Talk To Me’ there’s a block in communicating,” Gabriel shared, and added that it was with one of his daughters. “I saw that she was angry and was unable to externalize her feelings, so it was a real cry from the heart.”
His estrangement from his daughter and the end of his marriage were weighing on Gabriel, and this album, Us, is very vulnerable as a result. But vulnerability doesn’t mean it’s grim; it just means it’s honest. And Gabriel was proud of that. “I don’t think the tone of the album is dark,” Gabriel argued. “It feels quite alive for the fact that it is letting stuff out, and relationships are more directly addressed than before… I feel that by looking in the darkness and by plunging into it, diving into it, that there is some light at the other end of it, which otherwise you bury, it gets suppressed. It feels quite hopeful to me, quite positive.”
“I have never been more sincere in my life. Whether that’s sincere enough, I don’t know. But I do know that I have taken a lot of trouble to give the listener an unadulterated glimpse of my inner life. Therapy taught me that it’s always essential to be open about one’s feelings and emotions, in order to get a grip on them,” he went on. For him, working on the album was the best way to do that. He explained that, while his life was falling apart around him, he felt that music was something he could control. The theme of the album, at its core, is connection and communication. Everything he felt he couldn’t say to his family, and especially to his daughter, he was saying through music. It makes the name Us take on a whole different meaning. And it’s clearly perfectly fitting.
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And in the process ruins Mallory’s “dream come true.”
The first look at Outer Banks‘ final season hinted at more potential deaths after Rudy Pankow‘s controversial exit as JJ.
Netflix released the official trailer on Wednesday, July 28, which showed John B. (Chase Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss) and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) mourning the loss of JJ. They ultimately decide on a revenge plan that seems to led to some potentially fatal moments including someone on a motorcycle falling off a cliff, deadly explosives and more.
Outer Banks, which debuted in 2020, follows the conflict between two groups of teenagers in a coastal North Carolina town. The social divide is introduced with the wealthy residents (a.k.a. the Kooks) and the working class (the Pogues).
Season 5, which premieres August 20, will follow the aftermath of JJ’s shocking death. The show originally received backlash when Pankow’s departure was confirmed despite the writing team claiming it was always the plan to kill off the fan-favorite character.
“It’s been kind of lurking in his DNA from the beginning. He’s really a tragic figure, and the idea of mortality, and you only have a finite window — it’s also a theme of the show,” executive producer Jonas Pate told The Hollywood Reporter in November 2024. “It’s something John B. has talked about from the first season. So believe it or not, this is something that was always sort of baked in the cake, and we just wanted to tell the story as elegantly and interestingly as possible.”
After JJ’s onscreen death, the show’s creators explained their decision to kill off a Pogue.
“The overarching plan was to begin with just some kids who wanted to have a good time all the time, and take them on a whole journey,” Shannon Burke told Deadline in November 2024. “One of them was going to end up dying, and pretty early on, we knew that was going to be JJ, he’s the most reckless. He is also the most beloved and, in one way, the most sacrificing and the most risk-taking. And this was going to be JJ’s year.”
He continued: “The kids, they’re getting older. We wanted to begin in a place of innocence and then go to a place that at least one point to go is really dark for them, and then have them come out of it. That’s the overarching plan for the show. It was always JJ that was going to be, we just weren’t sure how we were going to play it.”
Viewers subsequently started to question whether Pankow’s exit came as a result of a rumored rift between him and the cast, which includes characters John B, Sarah, Kiara, Pope, JJ and Cleo (Carlacia Grant).
Pankow, 28, for his part, has said that he thinks JJ’s death was meant to move the story along.
“When I first found out JJ was gonna risk it all and not make it, I understood it. And the risks got bigger and bigger, and the stakes got higher and higher,” he explained to Netflix’s Tudum that same month. “His death really does set up the future of OBX with the question, what is worth it? And when someone that close to you is gone, how do you navigate that?”
Outer Banks is currently streaming on Netflix.
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