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Entertainment

What to Know About Summer House Season 10 Reunion

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Summer House Lindsay Hubbard Reveals if West Wilson Has Reached Out to Her After Amanda Batula Romance

The Summer House season 10 reunion is sure to be a memorable one amid costars Amanda Batula and West Wilson’s romance — and the fallout that has followed.

“It was never our intention to purposely hide anything. Given the complicated relationship dynamics involved and the scrutiny that comes with being on a reality show, we needed a little space to process things privately before speaking on it,” Amanda and West wrote in a joint Instagram statement in March. “Our connection grew out of a genuine, longstanding friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care.”

Months before, Amanda and Summer House costar Kyle Cooke announced their separation after four years of marriage. West, for his part, had previously been in a relationship with Amanda’s BFF and Summer House costar Ciara Miller.

Scroll down to learn more about the season 10 reunion:

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Summer House Lindsay Hubbard Reveals if West Wilson Has Reached Out to Her After Amanda Batula Romance


Related: Lindsay Hubbard Responds to Claim West Reached Out Amid Amanda Romance

Summer House’s Lindsay Hubbard is setting the record straight amid claims West Wilson has reached out to her after confirming his relationship with Amanda Batula. “I am very triggered by liars at the moment,” Hubbard, 39, shared via Instagram on Monday, April 6, responding to a Deuxmoi post claiming she was “just at Zero Bond […]

Amanda Batula Confirms She Will Be at ‘Summer House’ Season 10 Reunion

After Amanda and West confirmed their romance in March, she took to social media the following month to share an apology.

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“I’ve obviously been MIA, but I wanted to come back on and say that I’m truly sorry to everyone I’ve disappointed and hurt, especially those I know personally who I’ve reached out to individually,” Amanda wrote at the time. “For the sake of my mental health, I’m going to try to start living life with some sense of normalcy,” she added. “If you see me out or posting online, please know that this still weighs very heavily on me. I’m not ignoring what’s happened or what’s unfolded.”

Amanda concluded, “I’ll be at the reunion and will be addressing any and all questions honestly and directly there.”

Lindsay Hubbard Says She’s Looking Forward to ‘Getting Through’ Season 10 ‘Summer House’ Reunion

Lindsay Hubbard exclusively told Us Weekly in April that she’s looking forward to “getting through” the Summer House season 10 reunion. “I don’t know if I have anything to be nervous about. I thought it was a really good season so far for me,” Lindsay told Us. “I know we still have half of a season left to go on Summer House and then a whole other show [In the City] after that, so there’s still a lot to come.”

The Cast Wants Answers at the ‘Summer House’ Reunion

“They are all going,” a source exclusively told Us in April, confirming everyone will be in attendance. “The plan is they will be talking about everything and the timeline of Amanda and West hooking up.”

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The insider added, “Everyone on the cast wants them to admit on camera when this all started and how serious it is.”

A separate source told Us that same month that the cast is “more than ready for the reunion to be over at this point, and the general vibe is a mix of frustration and curiosity.”

“The common consensus is that they’re not convinced they will get the full truth from Amanda and West, no matter how many times the questions are asked,” the insider said, explaining that the cast feel like “parts of the story are still being held back or carefully spun” by the pair.

The cast “wants real and straightforward answers,” the source added.

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Has the ‘Summer House’ Reunion Seating Chart Been Released?

Bravo unveiled the season 10 reunion seating chart via X on April 23. Ciara will be sitting on one side of host Andy Cohen, with Amanda on the other side. Kyle will be next to Ciara, followed by Lindsay, Mia Calabrese, Bailey Taylor and Ben Waddell. Next to Amanda is West, along with Carl Radke, Jesse Solomon, KJ Dillard, Dara Levitan and Levi Sebree.

When Does ‘Summer House’ Season 10 Reunion Film?

Hours after Amanda and West confirmed their relationship, a source told Us that the reunion was set to film in “mid-April.” Bravo announced on April 23 that they were “filming now,” releasing the seating chart at the same time.

Host Andy confirmed late on April 23 that he’d wrapped filming on the taping, promising one of the most “intense” reunions in Bravo history.

“I am walking out of the Summer House reunion. … I’ve probably hosted, well, it’s over a 100 reunions, maybe 150, something like that,” Andy teased via Instagram. “This was one of the most intense [reunions] we’ve ever shot. This was a lot. This was a lot. It was very intense, you guys.”

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Did the ‘Summer House’ Season 10 Reunion Leak?

Hours after the Summer House season 10 reunion finished filming in New York City, alleged audio clips from the taping appeared via social media. In the alleged audio, Ciara can be heard confronting Amanda and West about the timeline of their romance.

Bravo confirmed to Us Weekly that it was launching a “full investigation” into how the alleged leaked audio got out to the public.

“This represents a serious breach of trust and a clear lack of respect for the cast, crew, and the integrity of the production process,” a Bravo spokesperson told Us on April 24. “We take this matter very seriously and have launched a full investigation and we will take appropriate action based on our findings.”

Earlier in the day, Andy expressed his disappointment over the leak and encouraged Summer House fans to wait for the reunion to play out on the show.

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“On my way to eye surgery and just reading about it,” Andy wrote via Threads on April 24, after a fan warned him to stay off social media. “People laid their souls out emotionally for ten hours yesterday and it’s disgusting and illegal for someone to leak or distribute this.”

The Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen host added, “It’s disrespectful to the work and tears the cast put in yesterday. Let the season play out. You will see it all in due time.”

Andy Cohen Says Lindsay Hubbard Gets ‘Activated’

During an April 28 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Lindsay revealed that the event’s filming saw her confront West about trying to hide his relationship with Amanda. Asked by Andy about West’s March Instagram Story that showed Ciara playing with Lindsay’s toddler, Gemma, Lindsay didn’t mince words.

“That really pissed me off,” she told Cohen. “He used my child as clickbait to sort of cover up his relationship, and I didn’t like that. And we talk about it at the reunion.”

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Andy added his own recollection of the filming. “If y’all want to know if Lindsay was activated … there was one point where I was trying to talk to West, Ciara, Kyle and Amanda, and Lindsay is, like, all over me. I’m like, ‘Stop,’” he said.

Lindsay closed out the conversation with yet another teaser. “I’ve been on Summer House for 10 years and we’ve done these reunions for nine of them, and honestly this was one of the most intense, dramatic reunions that I have ever experienced,” she said. “I had to beg Andy for a pee break, I was, like, ‘Please, let us go pee.’”

KJ Discusses His Mental Health

During the May 5 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, KJ recalled an apology text from West that discussed what was filmed at the reunion one day prior.

Quoting West’s text, KJ read, “Sending you love in regard to your mental health. You shared a lot yesterday [at the reunion] and I know it mightn’t carry much weight now but I’m always rooting for the best for you.” (West had instigated the text to address hiding his romance with Amanda from friends including KJ.)

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KJ has never been shy about discussing his mental health, sharing his September 2025 borderline personality disorder diagnosis via Instagram two months later.

Is There a ‘Summer House’ Reunion Trailer?

Bravo dropped the official season 10 reunion trailer on May 19. In the video, both Amanda and West found themselves in the hot seat after Ciara called them out for their secret romance.

“Over the past six years, I have been your f***ing champion,” Ciara told Amanda. “I couldn’t fathom that I would be sitting here pissed that you’re f***ing my ex.”

Ciara went on to claim that her ex-boyfriend West “wants to embarrass me. He wants to get his last little word. And I hope it works because he’s with you to spite me.”

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Elsewhere in the trailer, Jesse started to cry over how the scandal has affected his relationship with West.

“I feel like I’m losing a brother,” Jesse confessed. “I hope that you can somehow improve and prove us wrong, but it doesn’t look good.”

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West, for his part, told host Andy that his and Amanda’s relationship isn’t that big of a deal. “This isn’t like a sex scandal. It was, like, hanging out,” he claimed.

This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.

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Taylor Swift Wedding Slammed Over Guests Eating On Their Feet

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Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce engagement

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s wedding celebration has continued to generate headlines as new details emerge about the star-studded event.

Reports suggest guests were treated to an elaborate reception featuring extensive food stations, extravagant desserts, and emotional moments throughout the ceremony.

However, a guest at the wedding has described the reception as “a bit of a sh-t show,” claiming there was hardly anywhere to sit, with guests standing in long buffet lines to get food.

Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce engagement
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

Despite the star-studded atmosphere surrounding Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding celebration, reports suggest the reception had a few logistical hiccups.

According to attendees, the event did not feature a traditional seated dinner. Instead, guests reportedly moved between a variety of buffet stations offering a wide selection of dishes before finding available places to eat.

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Some attendees allegedly faced long lines, while others were left searching for seats due to the large number of guests in attendance.

One source, describing the dining setup as somewhat chaotic, said it was “a bit of a sh-t show,” claiming the venue became crowded as guests attempted to navigate the food stations and limited seating arrangements.

Even so, insiders say the menu itself impressed attendees. Guests were reportedly treated to an extensive selection of cuisine, including sushi, pasta, salads, chicken, filet mignon, and a range of American, Italian, and Asian-inspired dishes.

Staff members were stationed throughout the reception to serve food directly to guests, per TMZ.

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Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Exchanged Emotional Handwritten Vows

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce celebrate Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl win at XS Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas
Danny Mahoney/Wynn Las Vegas/MEGA

The dessert offerings were said to be equally extravagant. Reports claim a large dessert display featured dozens of cakes, each decorated with custom 3D toppers inspired by the newlyweds, alongside a variety of additional sweet treats.

The reception followed an emotional ceremony in which Swift and Kelce are said to have exchanged handwritten vows. Sources who spoke with People Magazine claim the couple spent roughly 20 minutes each reading their personal messages, creating one of the most heartfelt moments of the day. Swift reportedly included a musical touch in her vows, while Kelce was said to have become visibly emotional during the exchange.

To help guests through the tearful moments, the couple allegedly provided custom embroidered handkerchiefs. The keepsakes reportedly featured an interlocking “TT” heart logo along with the lyric, “So it’s gonna be forever…” from Swift’s 2014 hit “Blank Space,” a track said to be among Kelce’s favorites.

The ceremony was officiated by actor and comedian Adam Sandler, who is said to have blended heartfelt remarks with humor and even performed an original song dedicated to the couple as they began their married life together.

The Singer Looked Stunning In Custom Dior Gown

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attend The Knicks Game Against The Cavaliers in The Eastern Conference Finals Game 3
Aaron Josefczyk Newscom/MEGA

For the ceremony, Swift embraced a classic bridal look in a custom white gown, while Kelce coordinated in a white tuxedo of his own.

Both outfits were created by Christian Dior Haute Couture under the direction of creative director Jonathan Anderson, who reportedly worked closely with the couple throughout the design process.

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Swift is said to have later changed into a second outfit for the reception and completed her bridal ensemble with custom Christian Louboutin heels and jewelry from Cartier.

Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce’s Siblings Took On Major Roles During Their Marriage

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Attend Karen Elson Wedding
RCF / MEGA

Guests described the singer as radiant throughout her wedding celebration, with one attendee claiming she appeared to be “glowing and floating around the room.”

Rather than opting for a traditional wedding party, the pair chose to give special roles to family members.

Taylor’s brother, Austin Swift, served as her Man of Honor, while Travis’ brother, Jason Kelce, stood beside him as Best Man.

After the couple was officially pronounced husband and wife, giant screens outside the venue reportedly lit up with a celebratory message for fans gathered nearby, announcing their marriage with the words: “JUST&T MARRIED!”

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Madison Square Garden Dramatic Makeover As Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Mark Wedding Week

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift get close at US Open
MEGA

In the days leading up to the wedding, reports suggested that Madison Square Garden underwent an extensive transformation to prepare for the celebration. Witnesses reportedly spotted crews working around the venue, unloading equipment, decorative elements, and even sections of grass as preparations intensified.

According to reports, boxes bearing labels such as “Garden Party” and “Mirror Ball” were seen outside the arena, fueling speculation about the scale and theme of the event. One source claimed the iconic venue looked completely different from its usual appearance, describing the makeover as unlike anything they had previously seen at the arena.

The festivities also coincided with a significant charitable effort by the couple. A representative for Swift reportedly revealed that she and Kelce donated approximately $26 million to several organizations during the week of their wedding. Among the beneficiaries were Feeding America, ASPCA and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, with the contributions reportedly supporting initiatives focused on hunger relief, animal welfare and childhood literacy.

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The Rock Got A Kick Out Of Viral ‘Moana’ Memes

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Dwayne Johnson at the World Premiere Of Columbia Pictures' 'Jumanji: The Next Level'

Fans have known Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for one unmistakable look: a shaved head. Hence, when the actor donned a long, curly wig to transform into Maui for the live-action “Moana” movie, the internet wasted no time turning his new look into memes. Rather than taking offense, The Rock admitted he found the jokes hilarious and laughed along with fans.

Dwayne Johnson at the World Premiere Of Columbia Pictures' 'Jumanji: The Next Level'
Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / MEGA

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is once again stepping into the role of the demigod Maui for the live-action adaptation of “Moana.” The former wrestler previously voiced the larger-than-life character in 2016’s animated film of the same title, helping turn Maui into one of Disney’s most memorable figures. Nearly a decade later, he is bringing the character to life.

While The Rock’s physique closely matches Maui’s, the character’s long, flowing hair is a stark contrast to the actor’s signature shaved head. The film’s trailer, which dropped in March, gave birth to many memes mocking The Rock’s curly wig.

Despite the backlash, The Rock found the comments hilarious, as he said during an interview at the premiere of “Moana.”

“I laughed so f-cking hard when we first came out, and people saw me in a wig for the first time. They memed me. The internet did the internet. It was very, very funny, but I was like, ‘Okay, it’s all right, just see the movie,’” he told a reporter from Variety.

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Fans had mixed reactions upon seeing Johnson with hair, with many commenting that the hair clearly looked like a wig and that, given the big budget, the production could have done a better job. Some compared The Rock’s Maui look to John Cena’s character Kenmaid in “Barbie,” asking users which former wrestler wore their wig better.

“He’s been bald for so long at this point, that it’s like seeing Squidward with hair,” one commented. “Maui genuinely looks like an SNL skit,” another added.

Parody singer Weird Al Yankovic, who has long, curly locks himself, weighed in on the online buzz and posted a photo of Johnson as Maui on Instagram, jokingly writing, “We’ve told all the casting agents that the Weird Al biopic sequel is currently on hold, but they just keep sending in headshots.”

The Rock Has Played A Few Characters With Hair

Admittedly, The Rock said it was “jarring” for his kids to see him portray Maui due to his hair. The actor said they were so used to him being bald that it was a big transformation to see him have long, curly tresses, he told E! News.

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While many fans are used to seeing The Rock sans hair, he previously appeared on the silver screen with different hairstyles.

In the “The Mummy” spinoff “The Scorpion King,” released in 2002, The Rock played Mathayus and had a long, dark mane. In the 2014 action fantasy film “Hercules,” he played the titular character and sported wavy, shoulder-length hair. The Rock portrayed UFC fighter Mark Kerr in the 2025 biopic “The Smashing Machine,” in which he had closely cropped hair.

The Actor Has A Haircare Line

Johnson launched his men’s grooming line, Papatui, in 2024, to break the stereotype against “tough guys” and encourage men to openly talk about personal care. Some of his products include facial wash, moisturizers, deodorants, soaps, and hair care.

In early June, TikToker Katy Napier called out Johnson for selling hair care products when he doesn’t have hair. “Don’t give up on your dreams. The Rock is selling shampoo and conditioner, and he’s bald,” she said. The video went viral, and the actor was one of the people who saw it.

The Rock stitched Napier’s video with his own clip, smiling at the camera while wearing his Maui costume and wig. “Ok this made me belly laugh… HARD. And hey, sometimes a Demigod’s radiant and ravishing hair needs shampoo/conditioner. You’re Welcooooome,” he wrote in the caption, adding that he had a “big a-s gift” he’s sending Napier.

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The Rock Attended The ‘Moana’ Premiere With His Family

Johnson brought his family to the July 7 premiere of “Moana” in Los Angeles and posed for photos on the blue carpet.

He was joined by his mother, Ata; his wife, Lauren Hashian; their two daughters, Jasmine and Tiana; his ex-wife, Dany Garcia, and her husband, Dave Rienzi; and his daughter with Dany, Simone.

In an interview, The Rock shared how special the live-action film was to him. “Everything carries a different weight. Real flesh and blood, human beings, soul behind the eyes, like, and then bits as real as us sitting here. It was the opportunity for us to, I think, showcase our culture in a real way,” he said.

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“Moana” will be released in theaters on July 10.

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10 Thrillers That Are Perfect From the Opening Shot to the Last

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Dustin Hoffman caresses Susan George in Straw Dogs

The thriller is one of the most versatile film genres out there. There are political thrillers, noir thrillers, sci-fi and supernatural thrillers, action thrillers…the list goes on and on. Within this massive net of films, there are, subjectively, a wide swath of truly fantastic ones. And then, there is la crème de la crème; an ultra-elite brand of thriller — the thriller that is pitch-perfect from its opening frame to its final shot.

Regardless of sub-genre, here are the thrillers that thrill from the moment they begin to their stunning finales. Some examine deep elements of the human psyche, like Straw Dogs, and others, well, they do that too, but also add some boldly compelling visuals that universally leave audience’s jaws agape, like Black Swan. So, prepare yourself for a little slice of cinematic heaven and let these exhilarating screen gems fully engulf you.

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10

‘Straw Dogs’ (1971)

Dustin Hoffman caresses Susan George in Straw Dogs
Dustin Hoffman caresses Susan George in Straw Dogs
Image via 20th Century Studios

Some films peel back the layer of civility that most humans operate under, and expose the raw nerves underneath with brutal honesty. Director Sam Peckinpah’s masterwork of rising tension and unmitigated rage, Straw Dogs, was one of the first films to bring this level of harsh realness to American audiences. The way the plot weaves and twists, deliberately drawing primal instincts out of the protagonist, is masterful, thus prompting oodles of much deserved praise.

The tale begins with David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman, full immersion method acting on display), an egghead who’s married to a striking British woman, Amy (Susan George). They move to a remote area of Cornwall, England (it’s Britain, what could possibly go wrong?). Well, some local rednecks (yes, they have them in the U.K., too) do not take too kindly to David’s book-learnin’ ways, and they become envious, etc. etc. Eventually Amy is attacked, savagely… Then, David elects to protect a wrongfully accused man from a mob of torch-wielding villagers, and David’s true nature is exposed (in a vengeful, but quite satisfying way). The slow-burn pacing of this film really pays off, and Hoffman’s examination of a man pushed to his breaking point is a thing of sheer (brutal) beauty.

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9

‘Black Swan’ (2010)

Nina dancing on stage with red eyes in Black Swan (2010).
Natalie Portman transforms in Black Swan (2010).
Image via Searchlight Pictures

Darren Aronofsky has a penchant for crafting extremely tight, well-paced thrillers in a host of sub-genres. His films like Requiem for a Dream and Mother! exquisitely tell captivating, entirely unique stories, but none of his other works are as remarkably, painstakingly executed as Black Swan.

Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman, pushed to the very brink of physical and mental exhaustion, with the best possible outcome…an Oscar win) is a prima ballerina looking to take the coveted duel roles of The White Swan and The Black Swan in the famed ballet masterpiece Swan Lake. Her biggest competitor for the part just so happens to be her only friend in the dance company, Lily (Mila Kunis, also delivering a career-high performance at the time). Lily is much more of a free-spirit than the straight-laced Nina, and she does a nice little job of corrupting Nina in the slightest bit…or so it seems. Nina’s relationship with her mother, Erica (Barbara Hershey), is toxic, at best, as Erica reinforces the pressure that Nina places on herself to be “perfect.” Nina’s journey from frilly white swan to devious black swan is remarkable…even if the end result is a bit grisly. The whole movie is a disorienting swirl of dream-like terrors mixing with real-life horrors. Every scene is nuanced, imbued with ineffable meaning — and breathtaking to behold.

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8

‘The Fugitive’ (1993)

Harrison Ford in distress as Dr. Kimble in The Fugitive 
Harrison Ford in distress as Dr. Kimble in The Fugitive
Image via Warner Bros.

Harrison Ford was already an international superstar when he was cast as Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive. The addition of Tommy Lee Jones as Samuel Gerard, the unrelenting U.S. Marshal, cemented this adrenaline-fueled action thriller as a film with two of the best lead characters ever. Andrew Davis’s sharp direction coupled with a stylishly adapted script (it was originally a TV series) elevate this movie to one of the most heart-pumping, awesomely executed thrillers ever.

The story begins with Kimble, a man in a “happy marriage.” When his wife, Helen (Sela Ward), is murdered by a one-armed man, but Kimble is framed for the attack, he has no choice but to go on the run (after a convenient little prison break). The ensuing chase, with some of the most jaw-dropping cat-and-mouse set pieces featuring the wily Kimble and surprisingly spry Gerard, is one for the ages. As Kimble pieces together a conspiracy plot, involving illicit pharmaceuticals (…of course…), he leaves Gerard clues, and the plot keeps on thickening until the thrilling conclusion.

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7

‘The Night of the Hunter’ (1955)

Robert Mitchum as "Preacher" Harry Powell looking up at a person offscreen in The Night of the Hunter.
Robert Mitchum as “Preacher” Harry Powell looking up at a person offscreen in The Night of the Hunter.
Image via United Artists

This film strikes many cords of originality. Famed actor Charles Laughton directed this chilling classic, and broke all kinds of conventions. Focused on a villain as the actual protagonist, The Night of the Hunter cracked the mold of the typical hero story, presenting a very strange type of hero. This look into the mind of a pseudo-religious zealot left audiences aghast, but also, pleasantly shocked by an expertly woven tale.

The plot, especially for the time period, is wild. Morally lax (read: serial killer, focused on slaughtering promiscuous women) reverend Harry Powell (a eerily convicted Robert Mitchum) is sent to jail for a minor infraction. His death row-bound cellmate, Ben Harper (Peter Graves), divulges the secret that he’s stashed ten grand somewhere in his hometown. Naturally, when Powell is freed, he travels to the town and creates a charming facade to get close to Harper’s wife, Willa (Shelley Winters), and family. As Powell’s insidious nature seeps through, the fam begins to suspect him of, er, malfeasance. So, mom ends up dead in the river, and Powell pursues the two tykes who know where the cash is (spoiler: it’s in the little girl’s doll). The ensuing chase is a surreal trip down the (actual) river, with Powell unraveling even more. Structurally, the movie is extraordinarily tight and engaging throughout. Stylistically, it set the stage for many a boldly bizarre thriller to come.

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6

‘Fatal Attraction’ (1987)

Michael Douglas and Glenn Close leaning close about to kiss in Fatal Attraction
Michael Douglas and Glenn Close leaning close about to kiss in Fatal Attraction
Image via Paramount Pictures

Some stories have such a tight structure that they inevitably will make good films. Then, there is the brand of expertly crafted tales that are coupled with some of the most intense performances ever found in the thriller genre. Welcome to the anxiety-inducing Fatal Attraction, director Adrian Lyne’s magnum opus.

Poor Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas). He made one little tiny mistake (that of infidelity) and then had his entire world rocked. That’s what happens when you mess with the feelings of the wrong person, and in this case, Alex Forrest (Glenn Close, Oscar-nominated (again) for this role) was definitely the worst person to attempt to have a casual fling with (…she will not be ignored). The reason this movie is so good is that the tension just keeps escalating, as Alex’s behavior becomes more and more erratic (and eventually, lethal — RIP bunny). As Dan’s wife, Beth (Anne Archer), eventually is made aware of the severity of the situation (beyond just Dan’s flippant philandering), the creeping sense that this will end in tragedy feels completely justified. Lyne’s direction of the brutality inherent to rejection is palpable the entire runtime of this classic.

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5

‘The French Connection’ (1971)

Roy Scheider and Gene Hackman inside a car in The French Connection
Roy Scheider and Gene Hackman in The French Connection
Image via 20th Century Studios

This “loosely based on a true story” masterpiece truly reinvented the American crime thriller. The car chase scene alone was one of the most revolutionary new aspects of modern cinema of the time. This, and other crazy action scenes, help land The French Connection on many a “best films ever” list, but it’s so much more than just cars racing around New York City. The precise direction provided by William Friedkin, including the cinéma-vérité manner of shooting the high-octane sequences, is really what makes this such a gritty classic — along, of course, with the intense performances of virtually the whole cast.

Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman, in the role that made him a star — and got him an Oscar) and Buddy “Cloudy” Russo (Roy Scheider, pre-Jaws) are two narcotics narcs working a major drug smuggling case in New York. It’s an international affair (hence the title), involving beret-wearing, wine-swilling criminals. The big fromage is Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey), who has been operating with impunity for years. Jimmy and Buddy need to stop a massive shipment of heroin from becoming available to the smack-doing public, and Jimmy especially will stop at nothing (even, heaven forfend, break the law himself) to intercept the drugs. This kind of “anti-hero” was seen before in noirs, but not so much in contemporary detective roles, so it was a refreshing take for audiences to consume. Every scene in this film is a banger, and that’s precisely why it took home five Oscars.

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4

‘Taxi Driver’ (1976)

Robert DeNiro as Travis Bickle looking angrily out of his taxi cab window in Taxi Driver.
Robert DeNiro as Travis Bickle looking angrily out of his taxi cab window in Taxi Driver.
Image via Columbia Pictures

With a long, long list of sensational films to choose from, spanning many decades, Taxi Driver may hold up as Martin Scorsese’s finest film. It’s a film in the truest sense, in that it’s a “story told with pictures” more than anything else. While Goodfellas is arguably more entertaining, The Departed is more action-packed, and Raging Bull is more real, Taxi Driver is simply a work of high art. That is, one that is focused on some of the most depraved aspects of humanity imaginable.

Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro, in hands-down one of his best roles ever) is in a bit of an existential pickle. While soft-spoken, he’s got a lot of feelings leftover from serving in the Vietnam War, and he doesn’t really know where to place them. He drives his cab around NYC at night (not the most uplifting setting for a sensitive person, especially in the 70s), searching for fare, but really more for a purpose. A brief stint trying to “help out” a politician’s campaign, and the pulchritudinous visage of Cybill Shepherd (as Betsy), just aren’t cutting it. When he encounters the wily street-child Iris (Jodie Foster), he finally figures out what he’s meant to do: go on a killing spree of the vile offenders of this innocent, naturally. The way Scorsese shot this thing is mind-blowing, and De Niro’s commitment to this tricky part is astounding. This movie is highly disturbing, but it’s certainly thrilling from the first murky shot to the bitter last.

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3

‘Seven’ (1995)

Sergeant Mills (Brad Pitt) looks into the distance distraught as he stands in a large field at sunset.
Sergeant Mills (Brad Pitt) looks into the distance distraught as he stands in a large field at sunset.
Image via New Line Cinema

Or Se7en, as it was originally titled, is the prime example of using every single frame of a film to aid in the overall story. It’s so precisely constructed that it leaves the viewer longing for the next scene, all while reveling in the current moment. When the end credits first rolled, most audiences found their jaws on the floor, and could only sit and marvel at what the heck they just witnessed.

Inchoate Detective Mills (Brad Pitt) is partnered with long-time veteran Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman) to try to crack a new serial killer case that looks like it’s just taking off. It appears that some sort of religious nut is enacting the seven deadly sins (listed in your handy bible), utilizing (murdering) “sinners” to illustrate his point. The thing is, this guy, John Doe (Kevin Spacey) is quite creative. And patient. And, well, genius. Most of the movie-going world is aware of how this film concludes (with a very special delivery), but just in case, no spoiling here. Just be aware that what’s in the box is quite heady. Overall, Seven contains one of the best plot lines in cinematic history, some of the strongest performances of any thriller ever, ironically wonderful direction by David Fincher, and the grandest finale ever. Still, this is some dark stuff.

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2

‘Vertigo’ (1958)

Judy (Kim Novak) wearing a robe and looking intently in Vertigo (1958).
Judy (Kim Novak) wearing a robe and looking intently in Vertigo (1958).
Image via Paramount Pictures

The phrase “Hitchcockian” was really born out of the film Vertigo. His use of unsettling angles, twirling cameras, and unconventional filming techniques in general were completely innovative at the time (and have since inspired countless imitators). The way that Mr. Alfred Hitchcock made the viewer actually feel like they had an inner ear infection (or any other condition that would cause vertigo) was unprecedented in filmmaking. The final result is an absolutely thrilling picture that is made up of one genius shot after the next.

The disorienting story is (off-) centered on John “Scottie” Ferguson (James Stewart, who worked with Hitchcock on four films, and could thank the English director for helping shed his squeaky clean image). Scottie was a detective, but after a harrowing incident, he came to suffer from acrophobia (fear of heights) and a nasty case of vertigo (y’know, the spins). He’s hired as a private dick to follow this dude’s gorgeous but weird wife, Madeleine (drop-dead gorgeous Kim Novak). Scottie thinks she’s a hottie, but that doesn’t help him prevent her death (again, involving heights)…or so it seems. Scottie eventually meets Madeleine’s doppelgänger, and falls for her…but forces her to dress and act like Madeleine… Things spiral further out of control, and the movie culminates in a twist that will have you falling over in shock. Laden with themes of identity-crisis, unresolved trauma, and unrelenting obsession (your welcome, Obsession), this stunning film laid the groundwork for many thrillers to come. It’s a masterpiece from frame one to the final credit (probably a grateful gaffer).

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1

‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)

The Silence of the Lambs - 1991 - Jodie Foster, looking scared, holds a gun, as Agent Clarice Starling
The Silence of the Lambs – 1991 – Jodie Foster, looking scared, holds a gun, as Agent Clarice Starling
Image via Orion Pictures

Perfection. Really the only adjective appropriate to describe this thriller. From the opening scene where soon-to-be agent Clarice Starling’s drive and determination is shown as she navigates a woodsy FBI training obstacle course (a metaphor itself for emerging “out of the woods”) to the final, deliciously ironic wordplay spoken on the phone by the good doctor Lecter — and, of course, literally every scene in between — this masterpiece doesn’t miss a single, tasty beat.

Starling (Jodie Foster, in probably her best role ever) is tasked with interrogating a genius, lunatic serial killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Sir Anthony Hopkins, in definitely his best role ever), to garner info on a newly risen killer, deemed Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) by the media. Every scene between Foster and Hopkins is fraught with tension, intrigue, and, oddly enough, charm. The rest of Starling’s quest is expertly laid out by director Jonathan Demme, as he fills each set piece with anxiety, guile, and bone-chilling mystery. The atmosphere is rich, fecund even; the sound editing is razor sharp, the scoring terrifying. Every other detail of this film combines to provide a work of cinema that doesn’t have a single lagging moment. The Silence of the Lambs (which, incidentally, swept all the major Oscars) deserves an annual watch, just to appreciate every little nuance. So, sit back, pop open a bottle of nice chianti and enjoy…


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The Silence of the Lambs

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Release Date

February 14, 1991

Runtime
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119 minutes

Director

Jonathan Demme

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Writers

Ted Tally, Thomas Harris

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Netflix Officially Lands Christopher Nolan’s First Masterpiece Ahead of ‘The Odyssey’

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Hollywood became an independent municipality in the early 1900s and as early as the 1920s, had already become the world’s film capital. Hollywood as we know it, has been in existence for well over a hundred years, meaning that the industry has seen its fair share of genius pass through it. Besides the stars who light up the screens with their performances, like the timeless talents of Marilyn Monroe and Humphrey Bogart, we hold in equally high esteem, and rightly so, the filmmakers who bring everything both on and offscreen together.

While Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., RKO Radio Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios, the production titans that were then known as the “Big Five” ran the industry for the better part of those hundred years. Filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Ingmar Bergman, and Akira Kurosawa, among others, are recognized as the pioneer figures of the industry as far as filmmaking is concerned. In the modern day, filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and the titan of the box office, James Cameron, have all gone on to make their mark. Over the past two decades plus, one filmmaker has made his way onto that list and rightly so: Christopher Nolan.

When one thinks of Nolan, they often think of grand, epic cinema. The legendary director returns to theaters with The Odyssey later this month, in what is one of the year’s most anticipated movies. However, long before he became the guy revered for massive IMAX epics about space, war, dreams, physics, and Greek soldiers, Nolan kicked off his movie career with one of the cleverest thrillers made in the industry. Now, ahead of the arrival of Nolan’s reimagining of Homer’s tale, his twisty psychological thriller, Memento, is now available to stream on Netflix. The thriller is commended as having launched Nolan’s career and offers a deeply satisfying, refreshingly intimate tale as compared to the filmmaker’s later productions, which were larger in scale.

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Collider Exclusive · Oscar Best Picture Quiz
Which Oscar Best Picture
Is Your Perfect Movie?

Parasite · Everything Everywhere · Oppenheimer · Birdman · No Country

Five Oscar Best Picture winners. Five completely different visions of what cinema can be — and what it can do to you. One of them is the film that was made for the way your mind works. Ten questions will figure out which one.

🪜Parasite

🌀Everything Everywhere

☢️Oppenheimer

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🐦Birdman

🪙No Country for Old Men

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01

What kind of film experience do you actually want?
The best movies don’t just entertain — they leave something behind.





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02

Which idea grabs you most in a film?
Great films are driven by a central obsession. What’s yours?





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03

How do you like your story told?
Form is content. The way a story is shaped changes what it means.





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04

What makes a truly great antagonist?
The opposition defines the protagonist. What kind of opposition fascinates you?





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05

What do you want from a film’s ending?
The final note is the one that lingers. What do you want it to sound like?





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06

Which setting pulls you in most?
Where a film takes place shapes everything — mood, stakes, what’s even possible.





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07

What cinematic craft impresses you most?
Every great film has a signature — a technical or artistic element that makes it unmistakable.





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08

What kind of main character do you root for?
The protagonist is the lens. Who you choose to follow says something about you.





Advertisement

09

How do you feel about a film that takes its time?
Pace is a choice. Some films sprint; others let tension accumulate slowly, deliberately.





Advertisement

10

What do you want to feel walking out of the cinema?
The best films leave a mark. What kind of mark do you want?





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The Academy Has Decided
Your Perfect Film Is…

Your answers have pointed to one Oscar Best Picture winner above all others. This is the film that was made for the way your mind works.

Advertisement

Parasite

You are drawn to films that operate on multiple levels simultaneously — that begin in one genre and quietly, brilliantly migrate into another. Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is a film about class, desire, and the architecture of inequality that manages to be darkly funny, deeply suspenseful, and genuinely shocking across a single extraordinary running time. Your instinct is for cinema that hides its true intentions until the moment it’s ready to reveal them. Parasite is exactly that — a film that rewards close attention and punishes assumptions, right up to its devastating final image.

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Everything Everywhere All at Once

You want it all — and this film gives you all of it. The Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the most maximalist films ever made: action comedy, multiverse sci-fi, family drama, existential crisis, and a genuinely earned emotional core that sneaks up on you amid the chaos. You are someone who responds to ambition, who doesn’t want cinema to choose between being entertaining and being meaningful. This film refuses that choice entirely. It is overwhelming by design, and its overwhelming nature is precisely the point — because the feeling of being crushed by infinite possibility is exactly what it’s about.

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Oppenheimer

You are drawn to cinema on a grand scale — films that understand history not as a backdrop but as a force, and that place their characters inside that force and watch what happens. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is a film about the terrifying gap between what we can do and what we should do, told with the full weight of one of the most consequential moments in human history behind it. You want your films to feel important without feeling self-important — to earn their ambition through sheer craft and the gravity of their subject. Oppenheimer does exactly that. It is enormous, complicated, and refuses easy comfort.

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Birdman

You are drawn to films that foreground their own construction — that make the how of the filmmaking part of the what it’s about. Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman, shot to appear as a single continuous take, is cinema examining itself through the cracked mirror of a fading actor’s ego. You respond to formal daring, to the feeling that a film is doing something that probably shouldn’t be possible. Michael Keaton’s performance and Emmanuel Lubezki’s restless camera create something genuinely unlike anything else — a film that is simultaneously about creativity, relevance, self-destruction, and the impossibility of ever truly knowing if your work means anything at all.

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No Country for Old Men

You are drawn to cinema that trusts silence, that refuses to explain itself, and that treats dread as a form of meaning. The Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men is a film about the arrival of a new kind of evil — implacable, arbitrary, and utterly indifferent to the moral frameworks we use to make sense of the world. It is one of the most formally controlled films ever made, and its controlled restraint is what makes it so terrifying. You want your films to haunt you, not comfort you. You are not interested in resolution if resolution would be dishonest. No Country for Old Men is honest in a way that most cinema never dares to be.

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How Successful Was Christopher Nolan’s ‘Memento’?

Before we encountered Interstellar and Inception, Memento was the movie that put Nolan on the map. Right off the bat, the psychological thriller was a brilliant success. It was a small, twisty indie thriller with a $9 million budget. It would go on to become a financial success, grossing $25.5 million domestically and $39.7 million worldwide from its original release. Memento has also been a critical hit for Nolan, as the film holds an impressive 93% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic lists it at 83, meaning it holds universal acclaim. With two Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing, the film also put Nolan on the awards map.

Memento, which premiered in 2010, follows Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a former insurance investigator who is seeking out the man he believes killed his wife. Unfortunately, Leonard suffers from antegrade amnesia after a brain injury, meaning he can’t form new memories. Thus, relying on notes, photographs and a maze of tattooed reminders all over his body to track down the man he believes responsible for his condition and the death of his wife. Memento‘s cast also includes Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix) as Natalie, Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos) as Teddy, Mark Boone Junior (Sons of Anarchy) as Burt, and Stephen Tobolowsky (Groundhog Day) as Sammy Jankis.

Memento is streaming now on Netflix.


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Release Date

October 11, 2000

Runtime
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113 minutes

Producers

Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd

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These 4 Laura Dern Movies Are Masterpieces

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Laura Dern and Saoirse Ronan in Little Women

Laura Dern’s career has never been about one type of greatness. Dern has shown that she can fit inside anything from a literary period drama to a dinosaur blockbuster without feeling like the same performer dropped into different costumes. So the real argument is bigger than “Laura Dern is great in them.”

Dern has appeared in over 60 feature films since 1973 but these four films in here are masterpieces. They understand how to use her presence inside the larger machine of the film and more. Scroll down and find out.

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4

‘Little Women’ (2019)

Laura Dern and Saoirse Ronan in Little Women Image via Sony Pictures

Greta Gerwig’s Little Women retells Louisa May Alcott’s story through memory, money, ambition, sisterhood, and the painful question of how women build full lives when every choice comes with a cost. Marmee (Laura Dern) plays the mother of Jo March (Saoirse Ronan), Meg March (Emma Watson), Beth March (Eliza Scanlen), and Amy March (Florence Pugh). The role could easily fade into gentle background support because the daughters have the loudest dreams and conflicts. But that doesn’t happen here and Marmee remains central.

Her biggest moment comes when Jo admits her anger, and Marmee quietly reveals that she feels angry almost every day. That confession changes the way the whole performance reads. Marmee’s patience has struggle inside it. Her kindness comes from discipline, faith, exhaustion, and a clear understanding of how little room the world gives her daughters. Dern’s acting makes motherhood feel active and political without turning Marmee into a speech machine. She helps make Little Women feel alive across generations because the film respects both youthful hunger and adult restraint.

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3

‘Marriage Story’ (2019)

Nora in court talking in Marriage Story Image Via Netflix

Marriage Story follows Nicole Barber (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie Barber (Adam Driver) as their separation turns from a painful private decision into a legal fight that starts reshaping every feeling between them. Nora Fanshaw (Laura Dern) becomes Nicole’s lawyer. She listens to Nicole’s frustration about career, motherhood, marriage, and identity, then begins translating that pain into a strategy built to win.

Nora is fascinating and this character’s warmth has real usefulness and danger to it simultaneously. That comes off brilliant on screen. She comforts Nicole, flatters her, protects her, and pushes her toward a harder version of herself. Her monologue about the impossible standard placed on mothers hits so hard because the anger behind it feels earned. The brilliance of the movie is that Nora can say something true and still feed a system that makes everyone more ruthless. Dern, in Marriage Story, therefore, turns a supporting role into one of the sharpest portraits of modern divorce on screen.













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Collider Exclusive · Oscar Best Picture Quiz
Which Oscar Best Picture
Is Your Perfect Movie?

Parasite · Everything Everywhere · Oppenheimer · Birdman · No Country
Advertisement

Five Oscar Best Picture winners. Five completely different visions of what cinema can be — and what it can do to you. One of them is the film that was made for the way your mind works. Ten questions will figure out which one.

🪜Parasite

🌀Everything Everywhere

☢️Oppenheimer

🐦Birdman

Advertisement

🪙No Country for Old Men

Advertisement

01

What kind of film experience do you actually want?
The best movies don’t just entertain — they leave something behind.





Advertisement

02

Which idea grabs you most in a film?
Great films are driven by a central obsession. What’s yours?





Advertisement

03

How do you like your story told?
Form is content. The way a story is shaped changes what it means.





Advertisement

04

What makes a truly great antagonist?
The opposition defines the protagonist. What kind of opposition fascinates you?





Advertisement

05

What do you want from a film’s ending?
The final note is the one that lingers. What do you want it to sound like?





Advertisement

06

Which setting pulls you in most?
Where a film takes place shapes everything — mood, stakes, what’s even possible.





Advertisement

07

What cinematic craft impresses you most?
Every great film has a signature — a technical or artistic element that makes it unmistakable.





Advertisement

08

What kind of main character do you root for?
The protagonist is the lens. Who you choose to follow says something about you.





Advertisement

09

How do you feel about a film that takes its time?
Pace is a choice. Some films sprint; others let tension accumulate slowly, deliberately.





Advertisement

10

What do you want to feel walking out of the cinema?
The best films leave a mark. What kind of mark do you want?





Advertisement
The Academy Has Decided
Your Perfect Film Is…

Your answers have pointed to one Oscar Best Picture winner above all others. This is the film that was made for the way your mind works.

Advertisement

Parasite

You are drawn to films that operate on multiple levels simultaneously — that begin in one genre and quietly, brilliantly migrate into another. Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is a film about class, desire, and the architecture of inequality that manages to be darkly funny, deeply suspenseful, and genuinely shocking across a single extraordinary running time. Your instinct is for cinema that hides its true intentions until the moment it’s ready to reveal them. Parasite is exactly that — a film that rewards close attention and punishes assumptions, right up to its devastating final image.

Advertisement

Everything Everywhere All at Once

You want it all — and this film gives you all of it. The Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the most maximalist films ever made: action comedy, multiverse sci-fi, family drama, existential crisis, and a genuinely earned emotional core that sneaks up on you amid the chaos. You are someone who responds to ambition, who doesn’t want cinema to choose between being entertaining and being meaningful. This film refuses that choice entirely. It is overwhelming by design, and its overwhelming nature is precisely the point — because the feeling of being crushed by infinite possibility is exactly what it’s about.

Advertisement

Oppenheimer

You are drawn to cinema on a grand scale — films that understand history not as a backdrop but as a force, and that place their characters inside that force and watch what happens. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is a film about the terrifying gap between what we can do and what we should do, told with the full weight of one of the most consequential moments in human history behind it. You want your films to feel important without feeling self-important — to earn their ambition through sheer craft and the gravity of their subject. Oppenheimer does exactly that. It is enormous, complicated, and refuses easy comfort.

Advertisement

Birdman

You are drawn to films that foreground their own construction — that make the how of the filmmaking part of the what it’s about. Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman, shot to appear as a single continuous take, is cinema examining itself through the cracked mirror of a fading actor’s ego. You respond to formal daring, to the feeling that a film is doing something that probably shouldn’t be possible. Michael Keaton’s performance and Emmanuel Lubezki’s restless camera create something genuinely unlike anything else — a film that is simultaneously about creativity, relevance, self-destruction, and the impossibility of ever truly knowing if your work means anything at all.

Advertisement

No Country for Old Men

You are drawn to cinema that trusts silence, that refuses to explain itself, and that treats dread as a form of meaning. The Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men is a film about the arrival of a new kind of evil — implacable, arbitrary, and utterly indifferent to the moral frameworks we use to make sense of the world. It is one of the most formally controlled films ever made, and its controlled restraint is what makes it so terrifying. You want your films to haunt you, not comfort you. You are not interested in resolution if resolution would be dishonest. No Country for Old Men is honest in a way that most cinema never dares to be.

Advertisement

2

‘Blue Velvet’ (1986)

Laura Dern and Isabella Rossellini looking over at Kyle MacLachlan in 'Blue Velvet'
Laura Dern and Isabella Rossellini looking over at Kyle MacLachlan in ‘Blue Velvet’
Image via De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
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David Lynch’s Blue Velvet begins with the image of clean American suburbia and then drags Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) into the violence, desire, and sickness hiding underneath it. Sandy Williams (Laura Dern) is the police detective’s daughter who helps Jeffrey understand the first pieces of the mystery. She could have been a simple symbol of innocence beside Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini)’ suffering and Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper)’s terror. But she has more than that. Sandy has enough curiosity, fear, intelligence, and romantic hope to make her feel like a real teenager caught near something poisonous.

That matters because Blue Velvet needs Sandy’s belief in goodness to make the darkness hurt. Her dream about robins bringing light back into the world sounds almost fragile against the movie’s brutality, but Dern makes the fragility meaningful. Sandy watches Jeffrey become more fascinated by the nightmare he claims to be investigating. She feels the moral danger before he fully understands it. Through her, the film becomes more than a descent into evil. It becomes a story about how evil stains the people who keep staring at it.

1

‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)

Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) looks off into the distance while lit from behind in Jurassic Park.
Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) looks off into the distance while lit from behind in Jurassic Park.
Image via Universal Pictures
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Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park is one of the cleanest examples of blockbuster filmmaking ever made: the concept is instantly exciting, the dinosaurs still feel miraculous, and every major set piece has perfect rhythm. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) is the paleobotanist invited to inspect John Hammond (Richard Attenborough)’s island park before it opens to the public. She arrives as a scientist excited by the impossible, then quickly becomes one of the few people who understands that wonder without responsibility turns dangerous.

Ellie’s greatness comes from how much she actually does. She studies the plants, investigates the sick Triceratops, challenges Hammond’s fantasy of control, protects the kids, and risks her life to help restore power when the park collapses. Dern gives the character fear, humor, authority, and physical urgency. Jurassic Park has the T. rex, the raptors, the music, and the awe, but Ellie gives the film one of its strongest human arguments: intelligence and courage matter most when the miracle starts trying to kill you.


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Jurassic Park

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Release Date

June 11, 1993

Runtime
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127 minutes

Writers

Michael Crichton, David Koepp

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Video Shows Diddy Behind Bars As Trump Pardon Rumors Persist

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Sean

Sean “Diddy” Combs is settling into a daily routine behind bars as he serves his federal prison sentence, but a growing number of developments outside prison walls continue to shape his future. Newly released footage offers a rare glimpse of the music mogul at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey, where he is serving just over four years after being convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

The sighting comes amid renewed discussion surrounding his appeal efforts, recent adjustments to his projected release date, and reports that President Donald Trump has considered granting clemency to several high-profile figures, including Combs.

Sean
Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA

TMZ recently obtained video showing Combs walking through the grounds of FCI Fort Dix during one of his regular outdoor exercise periods.

According to sources familiar with his routine, Combs spends approximately two hours outside each day, typically walking the prison compound between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. when weather conditions permit. Sources told the outlet that the Bad Boy Records founder is frequently seen wearing a hat, listening to music on a prison-issued tablet, and participating in activities within the facility’s chapel.

While the video itself is brief, it provides one of the first public glimpses of Combs since he began serving his sentence at the New Jersey facility.

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Diddy’s Release Date Has Quietly Moved Up Several Times

Diddy in white suit
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

The prison sighting arrives as Combs has received a series of favorable adjustments to his projected release date. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Combs is currently scheduled for release on February 23, 2028. That date has steadily moved forward over the past year.

Earlier Bureau of Prisons records listed his release date as April 15, 2028. Before that, the anticipated release was April 25, 2028, and at one point was projected for June 4, 2028. While prison officials have not publicly explained the changes, the adjustments may reflect credits earned through participation in prison programming and rehabilitative efforts.

The progression is significant because it suggests Combs could leave federal custody months earlier than originally anticipated, assuming no future changes are made to his sentence.

Why Diddy’s Lawyers Wanted Him At Fort Dix

Sean P.Diddy Combs is seen at the Met Gala in 2017
Eric Kowalsky / MEGA

Combs’ placement at FCI Fort Dix was not accidental. Court filings submitted by his legal team before sentencing show that attorneys specifically requested the facility because of its treatment and rehabilitation programs, as well as its location near family members.

“In order to address drug abuse issues and to maximize family visitation and rehabilitative efforts, we request that the court strongly recommend to the Bureau of Prisons that Mr. Combs be placed at FCI Fort Dix,” attorney Teny Geragos wrote in an October 2025 filing, per ABC.

The filing offers insight into how Combs’ defense team approached the incarceration phase of his case, focusing on rehabilitation opportunities while preserving family access during his sentence. That strategy appears to be continuing, with reports indicating Combs has been participating in treatment programming while incarcerated.

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Trump Pardon Report Adds To The Drama

Trump Speaks At Salute To America 250 Celebration On The National Mall
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

At the same time, reports have emerged suggesting Combs’ name has surfaced during broader discussions about potential presidential pardons. According to recent reporting, Trump has been considering clemency options for a variety of individuals while reviewing recommendations from advisers.

Sources familiar with those discussions indicated that Combs’ case has been mentioned as part of wider conversations involving several well-known figures. However, the reports also note that Combs was not expected to appear on the official recommendation list prepared by the White House pardons team, and there has been no indication that a pardon is imminent.

While he was acquitted of the more serious sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges brought against him, the prostitution-related convictions still resulted in a federal prison sentence that his legal team continues to challenge.

Diddy’s Appeal Effort Remains Active

Diddy arrives at the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA

Beyond the pardon speculation, the most immediate factor affecting Combs’ future remains his ongoing appeal. His legal team continues to fight the conviction that sent him to prison, arguing that the verdict should not stand.

For now, however, the former music executive appears focused on a structured daily routine inside Fort Dix while the legal battles surrounding his future continue to play out beyond the prison gates.

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Kendall Jenner Uses This Neck and Jawline Cream Post-Workout

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A focused adult woman practices facial self-massage in her well-lit bathroom. Using her fingertips, she gently smoothes her skin to improve circulation, reduce tension, and promote a healthy, natural glow. This authentic at-home wellness moment captures the popular beauty and self-care trend

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Kendall Jenner is known for her glowing complexion, so whenever she shares a peek inside her skincare routine, beauty lovers are quick to take notes. The latest product to earn a spot in her routine? The Anua Collagen Retinol Refining Gua Sha Cream. The model recently featured the innovative treatment in a TikTok showcasing her post-workout “detox” ritual, using the multitasking cream to massage her neck and jawline before continuing with the rest of her routine.

Designed with a built-in gua sha-inspired applicator, the retinol refining cream combines targeted skincare with a sculpting facial massage all in one step. What sets the cream apart is its blend of anti-aging ingredients paired with an easy-to-use massage tool. The formula contains encapsulated retinol, which helps smooth the appearance of fine lines and refine skin texture through a slow-release delivery system that’s gentler than traditional retinol. It’s also infused with collagen and peptides to help support firmer, plumper-looking skin, making it especially well suited for the neck and jawline, where skin is often among the first to show visible signs of aging.

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Get the Anua Collagen Retinol Refining Gua Sha Cream for $30 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

Beyond its wrinkle-smoothing benefits, the cream is packed with hydrating and barrier-supporting ingredients that help keep skin comfortable and moisturized. Squalane, panthenol, cholesterol and nourishing oils work together to replenish moisture while helping strengthen the skin barrier. Plus, the cooling metal applicator glides over the skin so easily, making it simple to massage the product into the face and neck while helping temporarily reduce the look of puffiness

One Amazon reviewer noted that after just a few days of use, their skin “feels softer, looks more radiant and appears firmer.” Another with combination skin says “after a couple of days ONLY, my skin feels softer, looks more radiant and appears firmer.”

If you’re looking to upgrade your nightly skincare routine with a product that delivers both effective ingredients and a spa-like experience, try the Anua Collagen Retinol Refining Gua Sha Cream today.

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Get the Anua Collagen Retinol Refining Gua Sha Cream for $30 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

Looking for something else? Explore more collagen creams here and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!

UsNow Summer Sale Alert: These Chic Fashion Finds are over 30% off – Plus Free Shipping

Welcome to summer with our biggest sale of the year. This summer’s chicest dresses, tops and swimsuits are all over 30% + free shipping. Inventory is limited so hurry before they’re gone.

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Shop the UsNow Summer Sale –>

A focused adult woman practices facial self-massage in her well-lit bathroom. Using her fingertips, she gently smoothes her skin to improve circulation, reduce tension, and promote a healthy, natural glow. This authentic at-home wellness moment captures the popular beauty and self-care trend


Related: Thousands of Amazon Reviewers Use This Gentle Retinol to ‘Erase’ Fine Lines

If there’s an industry that’s ridiculously oversaturated with endless products that promise miracle results, it’s skincare. But when it comes to reviewer testimonials, visible, long-lasting results and real-world performance without the splurge, Amazon shoppers say LilyAna Natural Retinol Face Cream is a rare standout that deserves every one of its 8,000+ five‑star reviews. Far from […]

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Christopher Nolan’s Forgotten Thriller Has a Performance That Makes It Essential Viewing

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Brad Pitt in Fight Club

When people rank Christopher Nolan‘s filmography, Insomnia almost always ends up near the bottom. It’s not because it’s a bad movie — far from it, actually. It’s just that it sits in the shadows of cultural juggernauts like The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, and Oppenheimer. What’s more, it’s the only feature that Nolan directed but didn’t write, and one of the few films in his catalog that’s a straightforward remake. In other words, it’s not exactly what comes to mind when someone brings up the subgenre that is Nolan films.

That’s unfortunate, because Insomnia deserves far more attention than it gets. While it lacks the time-bending puzzles and blockbuster spectacle that would go on to define the most entertaining films of Nolan’s career, it’s still an incredibly effective psychological thriller anchored by one of the finest performances of star Al Pacino‘s career. Arriving between the actor’s larger-than-life ’90s classics and his much less notable 2000s projects, Insomnia finds Pacino in a real sweet spot: He’s in an unusually restrained register here, turning in a nuanced portrait of guilt, exhaustion, and moral compromise that remains one of his most underrated performances to date.

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An Internally Conflicted Al Pacino Carries ‘Insomnia’

Based on the acclaimed 1997 Norwegian thriller of the same name, Insomnia follows Los Angeles homicide detective Will Dormer (Pacino) as he travels to Nightmute, Alaska to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. The case quickly spirals soon after his arrival: Dormer accidentally shoots his longtime partner during a pursuit through some dense coastal fog. Rather than confess the truth, Dormer lets everyone believe the girl’s killer pulled the trigger.

That single split-second decision takes Insomnia from a by-the-book murder mystery to a psychological character study not unlike David Fincher‘s Se7en. It’s a part that needs more subtlety than spectacle, and — somewhat surprisingly, given his hammiest heights — Pacino delivers exactly that. He comes off as the most exhausted detective of all time, stumbling through the investigation with bloodshot eyes, bad judgment, and increasing paranoia. It’s incredibly convincing, and remains one of the best things he’s ever done.

And Pacino isn’t the only actor working against type. Robin Williams soon shows up as murderer Walter Finch, at a time when the star was still mostly associated with broad comedies and heartfelt dramas. (Another Williams-led psychological thriller, One Hour Photo, would come out later that year.) Our expectations make his turn as a soft-spoken killer even more genuinely unsettling. It’s exactly the right thing to bounce off of Pacino’s performance: two deeply flawed men attempting to rationalize their actions and excuse their moral failures.

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‘Insomnia’ Deserves a Better Reputation, If Just for Pacino’s Performance

Hilary Swank and Al Pacino as Ellie Burr and Will Dormer, looking at a file in Insomnia
Hilary Swank and Al Pacino as Ellie Burr and Will Dormer, looking at a file in Insomnia
Image via Warner Bros.

As far as critical consensus goes, Insomnia was hardly a disappointment. It earned strong reviews upon release, with critics praising both Pacino’s and Williams’ performances. Even to this day, it remains one of Nolan’s best-reviewed films: 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, 78 on Metacritic. Nolan himself has recognized it as the most underrated movie he’s made. And yet… Insomnia still continues to be overshadowed by everything that came afterward.

Given the course Nolan’s career would take after 2002, it’s not hard to see why this movie gets less attention than the rest of his filmography. Nolan would go on to reinvent the superhero blockbuster, turn high-concept originals into major box office events, and eventually win the Academy Award for Best Director. Compared to what came next for him, a relatively straightforward psychological thriller would naturally get overlooked. That doesn’t make it any easier to justify, though.

Revisiting Insomnia today, you’ll find a film that’s still remarkably effective in its own right. Sure, it’s not Nolan’s flashiest or most “epic” work, but it’s absolutely one of his most mature. (Can you imagine Nolan putting out something like this today?) More importantly, it’s some of Pacino’s best work. If one can be so bold, he wouldn’t turn in anything this great again until his cameo in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood and his part as Jimmy Hoffa in The Irishman, both 17 years later in 2019. That’s reason enough to include this title in your next marathon of Nolan rewatches.

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Release Date

May 24, 2002

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Runtime

118 Minutes

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Stars Who Missed Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce’s Wedding

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Charles Barkley

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s wedding at MSG brought together an impressive guest list packed with celebrities, athletes, and close friends. While many high-profile names were in attendance to celebrate the couple’s union, a few invited personalities ultimately chose to skip one of the biggest events of the year. Here’s a look at some of the notable names who declined the glamorous celebration.

Singer-songwriter and ’70s music icon James Taylor, after whom the pop superstar was named, missed Swift’s nuptials to Kelce.

At a performance in Lenox, Massachusetts, over the Independence Day weekend, James revealed to the audience that he and his wife, Kim, had received an invite to the wedding of the year. However, he had to decline to keep with tradition. James had been performing annually at the Tanglewood Music Festival for 52 consecutive years, excluding event cancellations and COVID restrictions, and he wasn’t about to break his streak.

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Despite missing the wedding, he shared his well wishes to Swift and Kelce, saying, “I do want to wish the couple all happiness and smooth sailing, and strength when it can’t be smooth.”

In a 2015 interview with Stereogum, James talked about his connection with Swift, saying, “She told me that her mom and dad had been really, deeply into my music and I got a real kick out of the fact that she’d been named after me.”

Charles Barkley Doesn’t Go To Weddings Or Funerals

Charles Barkley
Chris Chew/UPI Newscom/MEGA

Charles Barkley also got an invite to the Swift-Kelce nuptials, but he “politely” said no. The basketball legend’s refusal had nothing to do with the couple; it’s simply his policy not to attend two specific events. “I don’t go to weddings or funerals,” Barkley stated.

In an interview on 97.5 The Fanatic’s “Unfiltered with Ricky Bo and Bill Colarulo,” Barkley shared that he loves the Kelce brothers, Travis and Jason, and only met Swift one time. “But I did get an invite, and I politely declined because I thought it was going to be a cr-p show,” he said.

Admittedly, Barkley said he knew going to the star-studded affair was going to be “too much” for him. “I just want to hang out and play golf, and I don’t want to dress up and all that other stuff,” he said, adding that despite his decision, he appreciated the invite and thought it was “pretty special.”

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Robert Pattinson Had Work Obligations

Robert in a suit
C Flanigan/imageSPACE / MEGA

Robert Pattinson and his partner Suki Waterhouse have been friends with Swift and Kelce for years, and while Waterhouse was spotted at MSG for the wedding, Pattinson was noticeably absent.

As reported by The Blast, the actor had professional obligations lined up on the day of the couple’s wedding. At the premiere of his movie “The Odyssey,” Pattinson shared that he had been busy filming “The Batman: Part II.”

When he found out that he missed out on the couple’s lavish giveaways at the wedding, he jokingly asked, “What did I get?”

Ryan Seacrest Rescinded His Confirmation To Swift-Kelce Wedding

TV host Ryan Seacrest planned to attend the wedding and admitted that he was excited to go to the A-list affair. He confirmed he was going, but then had to backtrack a few days before the event.

Seacrest shared his reason on “On Air With Ryan Seacrest,” telling listeners that Disney brought him on for an Independence Day special that was taking place on July 3 and 4. While he did his best to fit both events into his schedule, he simply couldn’t make it work.

“I couldn’t have done both. And the actual wedding was in the afternoon. I went through the minutes,” he said. Nevertheless, he was honored to have been invited.

Prince William And Kate Middleton Met Privately With The Couple

Many of Swift and Kelce’s fans expected Prince William and Kate Middleton to attend the wedding, but they were a no-show.

In late May, Prince William was asked whether he was invited to the wedding, which he answered with a smile, saying, “No comment… I’m hoping, and I’m sure there might be an invitation around, but we’ll see.” Despite his refusal to reveal any information, many suspected that he and his wife were on the guest list. Speculation further intensified when he appeared on the Kelce brothers’ “New Heights” podcast episode, released on the morning of the wedding.

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Despite their absence on the couple’s big day, the royals reportedly met with them before their wedding, per PEOPLE. The private meeting allegedly took place in May when Swift and Kelce visited London.

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Marvel’s Most Important Superhero Breaks Free From Disney+ Now Streaming On Netflix

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Marvel's Most Important Superhero Breaks Free From Disney+ Now Streaming On Netflix

By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated

There’s a few things in life you can always count: Death, taxes, Firefly appearing on every list of best one-season sci-fi shows, and Spider-Man is Marvel’s most popular superhero. Every single Spider-Man movie has been a success and now Tom Holland’s first standalone in the webs is one of Netflix’s most popular movies. Spider-Man: Homecoming, thanks to the unique licensing deal Marvel has with Sony, isn’t trapped on Disney+ anymore.

Spider-Man: Homecoming Did Everything Right

Spider-Man: Homecoming is the first solo Spider-Man film in the MCU following his brief introduction in Captain America: Civil War. At the time, it was the most anticipated movie in the MCU. What no one saw coming was how Tom Holland would take the role already made famous by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, and make it his own. He did so well, that for the second time, all hopes for the future of the MCU rest on his next movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

If Spider-Man: Homecoming wasn’t as fun as it was, the MCU would have crashed and burned years ago. Taking a little bit from Miles Morales by turning Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) into Ganke, removing Uncle Ben completely, and replacing Mary Jane Watson the fashion model with MJ (Zendaya) the socially conscious hipster, Disney created a Spider-Man for a new generation. It’s hard to remember now how controversial these changes were, and even now classic comic book fans are still waiting for Ned to turn into Hobgoblin (which was only ever sort of true, it was a brainwashing technique used by Kingsley, the real Hobgoblin, because comics!). 

michael keaton

Part of what makes Spider-Man so popular is his rogue’s gallery. Michael Keaton’s updated version of Vulture as a tech scavenger/thief was an improvement over the original Adrian Toomes and whatever it was the “Brand New Day” era mob enforcer Vulture was supposed to be. Taking a former Batman and making him a bird-based Marvel villain was, as it turns out, inspired casting. Against all odds, Keaton’s most threatening moment comes when he’s out of costume, behind the wheel of a reliable, practical car. 

Spider-Man Saves The MCU

Spider-Man: Homecoming wasn’t an outlier, it was the first sign of how reliable Tom Holland’s Peter Parker was going to be in terms of box office, and quality. Three movies in, and not one of them is less than amazing. Spectacular even. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is about to hit theaters and so far, all signs point to it being the most successful Marvel movie since Deadpool & Wolverine. Once again, the fate of the MCU rests on Spider-Man. 

Ever since Avengers: Endgame Disney has struggled to reach their previous heights. The “Multiverse Saga” was a complete dud except for No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine, with even Multiverse of Madness and Fantastic Four falling flat on their faces. The younger audience is bored of superhero movies, which is why Tom Holland is Disney’s secret weapon.

Tom Holland Is The Most Important Marvel Star

As with every Peter and Mary Jane before them, Tom Holland and Zendaya started dating, but unlike the rest, the pair have been together over a decade and recently tied the knot. It’s impossible to overstate how popular they are among Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Tom’s “Umbrella” performance from Celebrity Lip-Sync Battle has been a social media viral hit for nine years, longer than anyone else has played Spider-Man and Zendaya has been fashion icon for even longer. If anyone can get the young’uns back into theaters for a Marvel movie, it’s those two. 

And it all started with Spider-Man: Homecoming. 9 years later, it’s still one of the best super hero movies of all time, and now that it’s on Netflix, the largest streaming service on the planet, it will still, somehow, find a new audience. There is no Marvel without Spider-Man, and without Tom Holland, we might not have a MCU right now.

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