For this reason, the Nobody movies frustrate me to a great degree. I was disappointed when I saw the original back in early 2021; like any fan, I expected to take delight in the actor’s first turn as an action star but instead found myself underwhelmed by poor writing and shocked by its bad messaging. Things only get worse in Nobody 2, as the script this time around is somehow even more rote, and it reveals Odenkirk’s Hutch Mansell as a hero that is pretty damn impossible to root for, even with the actor’s special charms.

Like its predecessor, the prequel entirely hangs on the audience’s desire to see a talent like Bob Odenkirk take part in some brutal cinematic violence – but the simple novelty of the basic idea is gone now, and there is no effort to compensate with anything else. What results is watching an unlikable protagonist get locked into a plot that offers no stakes and what amounts to an unpleasant and unfulfilling cinematic experience.

After spending Nobody conquering his boring suburban life by reengaging his love of violence, Hutch is reintroduced in Nobody 2 stuck in another rut: he is forced to perform wetwork jobs in order to pay off a debt incurred when he set fire to the Russian cash stash in the first movie, and a consequence is that he becomes distanced from his wife (Connie Nielsen) and two children (Gage Munroe, Paisley Cadorath). He is in need of a break, and with bizarrely little pushback from his handler (Colin Salmon), he makes plans for a family vacation.

Leaning into the nostalgia of the one trip he took with his father (Christopher Lloyd) and brother (RZA) when he was a child, Hutch takes the Mansell clan to Plummerville – a tourist trap with a water park and various other activities. What the exhausted assassin doesn’t know is that the place is a secret hub of criminal activity orchestrated by a boss named Lendina (Sharon Stone), and when he gets on the bad side of the local sheriff (Colin Hanks) and son of the town’s founder (John Ortiz), he finds himself as a target and his family in danger.

Bob Odenkirk's Hutch Mansell is a lousy main character who only gets worse in the sequel.

The key issue that haunts Nobody 2 is the fact that the protagonist generates all of his own problems, and he doesn’t have the likability to make us appreciate his efforts to dig himself out of the hole. The world of the film doesn’t actually impose any problems on him: when Hutch wants a vacation from his debt-clearing assassin work, it’s granted without any protest or consequence, and despite all of his selfish and violent behavior, there is seemingly no line that he can cross to earn what would be deserved ire from his family (Connie Nielsen’s Becca does draft a “We need to talk” text in the first act when he becomes an absence in her life, but that’s quickly deleted and substituted for an “Okay love u,” and a proper confrontation never happens).

He repeatedly claims that his big motivation is to have a fun vacation with his family full of happy memories… but that comes while ignoring that he could easily do that by just going anywhere other than Plummerville and take his loved ones to a place where their lives aren’t in danger. To be fair, there are moments where he makes strong moral choices (like the decision to rescue a kidnapped teenager he discovers during a confrontation in a crime den), but the movie puts a much greater emphasis on his applications of rage in personal and petty moments, and it renders him consistently challenging to root for.

Director Timo Tjahjanto's action skills are apparent in Nobody 2, but don't enthrall as they do in his other movies.

This bad storytelling can’t help but have a negative impact on what drives Nobody 2, which is the action. Director Timo Tjahjanto is an exceptional talent when it comes to crafting chaotic and brutal fight scenes (2018’s The Night Comes for Us is so jaw-dropping that it should be pre-empted with a “might cause TMJ” warning), and there is some fantastic choreography executed – but it’s all empty calories when the main character’s journey is so pointless and the danger never feels substantial. I can appreciate the fun that the filmmakers had coming up with ideas for how to turn a waterpark into a slaughterhouse with various weapons, riggings, and explosives, but that translates to just moments of fleeting fun on the big screen.

It’s made exceptionally clear throughout the brisk 89 minute runtime that Nobody 2 is not a film meant to be taken too seriously (best exemplified in the ludicrous scenery-chewing done by Sharon Stone in her weirdly truncated, one-note performance as the main baddie). But just because a movie is silly doesn’t automatically make it fun, and I definitely didn’t have any fun. It does a lot of what its predecessor did, only worse, and without even being able to activate the well-established charms of Bob Odenkirk, it’s a bad time at the movies.

What we know about Avatar: Fire and Ash is limited, but it's expected to break new ground in regard to the world of Pandora. The story will follow up on The Way of Water's ending, and in an interview with Empire Worthington revealed how the previous film fill influence the threequel. In his words:

Now this is an intriguing twist for the leading duo of Avatar, who have always found a way to unite in the face of adversity. The death of their firstborn son has forever changed the family dynamic forever, and it seems we'll see that play out throughout Fire and Ash's runtime.

Zoe Saldaña has also teased the pain Neytiri is going through in the forthcoming threequel, so that's no doubt going to be a huge part of the story. Things will be further complicated with the family's inclusion of Spider, a human Neytiri resents. I'm personally glad we'll see these stories continue to evolve, rather than simply moving past that major character death.

The teaser for Avatar: Fire and Ash showed a glimpse of this interpersonal struggle, which will occur as our heroes are battling with the Ash People and a new villain. Later in that same interview Worthington further spoke about the way his character and Neytiri are dealing with their grief, offering:

While the Avatar movies are obviously known for being visual spectacles, but there's also a deeper story involved. Once Jake and Neytiri's circle expanded to a family, we got a handful of new characters to care about. Let's just hope they all make it out of Fire and Ash alive.

As previously mentioned, our heroes are going to come to battle with the Ash People, which is the first time that we'll see different tribes of Na'vi in conflict with each other. And with the looming threat of the RDA and Quaritch, it sounds like we're in for a layered story.

Our questions will be answered when Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theaters on December 19th as part of the 2025 movie release list.

World War Z Was Just Named A Priority During Paramount Meeting

The Paramount Skydance Corporation has recently gotten a new chairman and CEO in David Ellison, who met with journalists on Wednesday to discuss his plans for the future of movies and television from the studio, per The Hollywood Reporter. While it’s no surprise he,and his colleagues name-dropped franchises like Star Trek, Top Gun and Transformers, the big head-turner was when World War Z was also named in the chit-chat as one of the studio’s “priorities.”

The zombie title was discussed amidst the company’s top brass sharing their plans to make “the No. 1 destination for the most talented artists and filmmakers in the world” and Eliison’s particular hopes to make more movies exclusively for theaters. World War Z was named in the studio’s plans alongside the interest for more horror and R-rated comedies to be featured in multiplexes.

What Happened To World War Z 2, And What Could Be Next?

It’s interesting to hear World War Z be named after World War Z’s sequel starring Brad Pitt and helmed by David Fincher was cancelled in 2019 after it had been greenlit by Paramount following the success of the 2013 movie. The reference to World War Z could signal a second chance for the shelved project.

Funny enough, Brad Pitt and David Fincher are currently working together on the spinoff of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood that's reportedly called The Adventures of Cliff Booth, where he’s reprising his role as Cliff Booth following starring in the Quentin Tarantino movie. Production for the project that has the director/actor combo from Se7en, Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button started last month.

It’s certainly possible that after Pitt and Fincher work together again, they could be inspired to make a great zombie movie together. But at the same time, it’s also very likely World War Z would be completely rebooted with a new cast and filmmakers. The last time Pitt talked about it 2019, he called the sequel’s story “really good.”

It’s also worth noting that World War Z was Brad Pitt’s most successful commercial film he starred in for a long time before the recent box office haul for F1, which has surpassed it. We’ll keep an eye out, but I imagine if Paramount is looking at more World War Z, one would guess they'd try to get ahold of one of the biggest movie stars in the world to resume his leading man duties.

In the season finale of Hot Ones, Macaulay Culkin addressed some long-standing questions fans have had about the Home Alone franchise, including which film he thinks is best. For him, the answer is straightforward and not so much about nostalgia: it's the one in which he has a personal financial stake. He explained:

That's fair. I would probably opt for the project that earned me the most money as well. Especially when we're talking about genuine blockbusters like these two movies.

For those who aren’t aware, the Talkboy was a toy created for Home Alone 2 but went on to inspire its real-life production, becoming the biggest hit toy of the 1993 Christmas season. It was essentially a voice recorder made by Tiger Electronics. The company negotiated with the movie's production team for its creation, and Kevin used it in the film to trick adults into giving him credit cards and cheese pizzas.

Do they still make Talkboys? I think I had at least two or three of those during my childhood. The fact that the Getting Even With Dad star received nearly 15% on each of the devices makes me happy. Get your money, Mac.

The original Home Alone movies are total classics and made a ton of money at the box office. The Good Son actor seems to cherish the franchise, not just because it was successful, but also because of the friendships he built with the cast, especially with his on-screen mom, Catherine O'Hara. He was incredibly emotional when he reunited with his costar at the Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony in 2023. O'Hara was there to give a sweet speech about him.

Those first two films starring Macaulay Culkin will always be holiday classics that fans love. There’s a special kind of magic in those films that’s hard to recreate, even though they’ve tried with a bunch of sequels, spin-offs, and reboots—all of which you can stream with a Disney+ subscription. The latest one, Home Sweet Home Alone, is a pretty dull reboot by most accounts, and is only a quasi-sequel to the My Girl star's films.

It's wonderful to see Macaulay Culkin, a former child star, amongst those who continue to thrive in the entertainment industry. He has a fairly busy 2025 movie schedule, having provided a voice for a character in Disney’s upcoming Zootopia 2., which is set to hit theaters on November 26. I doubt he has the same kind of 15% deal as he did on Home Alone 2, though.

The upcoming A24 movie, Highest 2 Lowest, is Denzel Washington’s latest feature film, and it sees him reuniting with longtime collaborator Spike Lee. Washington recently caught up with Jake Hamilton of Jake’s Takes, during which Hamilton mentioned the actor’s two Oscars. Ultimately, Washington was quick to express his disinterest in such accolades. The A-lister then referenced his long-known devotion to religion while explaining his rationale:

Denzel Washington won his first Academy Award in 1990, as he earned Best Supporting Actor for his role as Private Silas Trip in the 1989 historical drama, Glory. And, in 2002, Washington became the second Black man to earn Best Actor, winning for his performance in 2001’s Training Day. On top of that, the 70-year-old star has also received Oscar nominations for seven other films, like Malcolm X, Cry Freedom and Fences. Nevertheless, based on his interview (which is on YouTube), Washington is unfazed by those honors:

This is honestly a very healthy perspective to have. Awards can be cool, as it’s an honor for someone to be recognized by their peers or any governing body. However, it’s also easy to become fixated on pursuing accolades. I’d imagine that when someone’s an actor, it’s especially easy to become focused on those gold statuettes the Academy hands out. All in all, the Philadelphia alum isn’t looking to fall down the rabbit hole in the pursuit of trophies, and he’s exuded that mentality many times.

Just earlier this year, Denzel Washington addressed his Oscars snub for his scene-stealing work in Gladiator II. Washington offered a refreshing take at the time, saying that he’d “been around too long” to concern himself with something like that. He also expressed pleasure in working on Othello, which he was performing at the time. Nevertheless, Washington does mind imparting wisdom upon those who are nominated, as he also offered some keen advice for Colman Domingo, who received two consecutive Oscar nominations.

Regardless of what awards Denzel Washington wins or loses, I’m just prepared to savor all of the performances he’s still aiming to give. That includes Black Panther 3 (which he’s discussed) and of course, Highest 2 Lowest. Check out that latest Spike Lee Joint when it opens in theaters on August 15 as part of the 2025 movie schedule. Apple TV+ subscription holders will also be able to stream the film starting on September 5.

In an interview with Paul Thomas Anderson, his director in the upcoming One Battle After Another, for Esquire, Leonardo DiCaprio says that unlike his character Rick Dalton in Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood, he rarely watches his own movies. His one exception to that rule is his film The Aviator, one of his projects with Martin Scorsese. DiCaprio said:

It’s far from uncommon for actors to not watch their own movies. While many will see their own work at the movie's premiere, many actors avoid their own movies after that. There are a variety of reasons given. In some cases, the performer just feels weird watching themself. In other cases actors end up critiquing their own performance pretty harshly so they avoid watching it in order to avoid seeing everything they think they did wrong.

It's arguably an interesting-bordering-on-unexpected choice for a movie that DiCaprio rewatches himself in. As good as The Aviator is, it's probably not the movie most DiCaprio fans rewatch to see the actor in his element. That film feels like it gets overlooked within his filmography alongside others like The Wolf of Wall Street or ONce Upon A Time...In Hollywood.

The Aviator would certainly be a big movie for Leonardo DiCaprio. It marked his second Oscar nomination, but his first for Best Actor, an award he’s been nominated for four additional times since.

However, DiCaprio doesn’t watch the movie in order to review his own performance. The actor says the thing that makes The Aviator special is that it was a landmark movie in his career, one where he felt more than just a hired player. DiCaprio continued…

The Aviator was also the first of DiCaprio’s own movies where he served as a producer, giving him more of a say in the how the finished product turned out. At all of 30 years old, he was the embodiment of accomplishment to be in that position, and with a project that he clearly felt very strongly about. One imagines rewatching the film brings back a lot of those memories, and considering how well regarded The Aviator was, they're likely all good memories.

While it goes by different names depending on the theater chain (AMC Screen Unseen, Marcus Mystery Movie, etc) the Monday mystery movie event is a screening of a new, unnamed movie on a Monday night for a low price. Of the few I’ve attended, it appears to be the same film being screened across various theater chains. While there’s usually some speculation on social media about the title, the whole point is that you show up not knowing what movie you're seeing until the movie starts. Besides the date and time of the screening, the listing only includes the movie’s rating and general length. My theater also says if it’s a horror or not.

I Hoped I'd See Nobody 2, But I Guessed Wrong

So far, my experiences attending the mystery movie Monday have been pretty great, even when I guess wrong. Case in point: this week, because Nobody 2’s release date is this coming weekend, I guessed that it might be the Bob Odenkirk sequel. Also, it's rated R, which would match the teased mystery movie. Relay’s theatrical release isn’t until next week (August 22), so I hadn’t even considered it, though I now realize that the level of earliness of the mystery movie varies.

While I showed up for the screening thinking Nobody 2 was a possibility, my mindset with these screenings is very much: “I get what I get.” Guessing right is fun, but if I get to see a movie I hadn’t heard about or planned to see in the theater, and it turns out to be really good, well, that’s even better. I realize that I'm spinning a figurative wheel and hoping for the best with these screenings, which I think we all sort of do when we go see a movie, in that we don’t know for sure if we’re going to enjoy it. This just adds a bigger layer of mystery in that we don't know exactly what we're about to see. So if you’re super picky about what movies you see, this experience may not be for you.

Before this week, the last time I did a Monday mystery movie, I ended up seeing The Life of Chuck, which was what I'd hoped for, especially after Eric’s high praise for it in his review. It was fantastic, and I was delighted to get to see it a bit earlier than its theatrical release. (CinemaBlend’s Laura Hurley ended up accidentally seeing it twice due to her own Monday mystery movie experience, but that’s another story.)

Now Let's Talk About Relay, Because Wow

In the case of this week’s experience, I went in hoping for one movie, but it turned out to be something else. And that worked out, as Relay was such a fun, suspenseful movie, and a great one to see in the theater with a crowd.

Directed by David Mackenzie, Relay stars Riz Ahmed as a man who works in the shadows, helping people broker deals with companies that usually have something to hide. The titular “relay” refers to the relay phone service he uses to communicate with clients anonymously and confidentially. Sarah (Lily James) hires this man to help her after she kept documents from a former employer that could expose research findings they don’t want made public. Because she has these documents, she’s being harassed by the company at life-ruining levels. Ahmed’s character takes on the job to sort the situation out with her, and the thriller really takes off from there. Sam Worthington plays the guy who leads the team of life-ruining harassers trying to get the documents back on behalf of the company. Watch the trailer below:

As has been the case in the past two Monday Mystery Movie screenings, my theater was impressively full for a Monday night. People are certainly showing up for a mystery screening, at least in my neighborhood. And the tension in the room for this film was palpable, which added to my enjoyment.

Like I said, this wasn’t a film that was big on my radar, but after seeing it, I learned that it debuted at TIFF in 2024, and with 28 reviews as of this writing, it’s currently holding a respectable 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is exactly why I’m loving the Monday Mystery Movie screenings. I don’t love going out on a Monday night, but I need this kind of randomness in my life. I'm not sure if I would've chosen to see Relay in the theater otherwise, but it was a great big-screen experience.

Relay arrives in theaters on Friday, August 22. If it sounds like your type of film, give it a shot. The cast is great, as is the New York City setting, and it kept me guessing throughout.

Recently, we got a chance to sit down with Airplane’s David Zucker, who just launched MasterCrash, an online course that outlines the rules of making a good spoof movie. He's talked in the past about being frustrated about what happened with the sequel, and let the record show, he's still not a happy flyer.

He, of course, wrote and directed the beloved original alongside his brother Jeff Zucker and collaborator Jim Abrahams. Initially, they didn’t have any plans to return for another Airplane, but after the movie made more than $170M at the box office (which was a staggering amount in 1980), they were pressured by Paramount execs David Katzenberg and Michael Eisner to do a sequel.

The Zuckers and Abrahams talked things out amongst themselves and decided on a framework. It would follow original leads Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty. She would meet his family for the first time ahead of a wedding, and it would turn into a spoof of The Godfather, with the movie literally being called Airplane II: The Godfather. Paramount loved it, but when they asked Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola for his take, he apparently told them not to do it. Here’s a portion of Zucker’s quote…

Look: I’m not going to say how people should or shouldn’t feel about spoofs and parodies of their work. I get that it’s an emotionally complicated thing. I also get that Paramount obviously wanted to make more Godfather movies with Coppola, and if he was going to make Godfather III, they wouldn’t want to upset him. I work with enough creative types to know you need to tread carefully in that situation.

In retrospect, however, what’s unfortunate is that Godfather III didn’t actually end up coming out until 1990. That’s a full eight years after Airplane II was released, and had everyone known that, I doubt there would have been as many concerns about making a spoof movie, given it would have been completely out of everyone’s minds by the time Godfather III came out.

That’s not how things worked out though. Instead, the Zuckers and Abrahams decided not to return for the sequel (and never even watched it). Paramount moved forward with a different team. Hayes and Hagerty reprised their roles, along with a few other cast members, but there was a pretty negative public perception before the movie even came out. Reviews were mostly middling to slightly negative, and the film only did a fraction of the business its predecessor did.

As for Zucker, he went on to have an extremely successful career making other spoof movies. Most notably, he co-created the Naked Gun franchise, though he's not involved in the remake. He also directed other memorable titles like BASEketball and Scary Movie 3. He’ll always wonder what could have been with Airplane II, and now I will too.

If you want to get more of Zucker's thoughts on his career and comedy, you can check out MasterCrash, which is currently available to spoof fans.

After Friends ended in 2004, Jennifer Aniston went on to have a successful movie career with her best films being hits like Marley & Me, Horrible Bosses and Dumplin’. Of course, it's also hard to forget about her iconic role in the 2006 romantic dramedy film The Break-Up, which made more than $100 million at the box office. Now, Aniston is getting real about how she felt about the timing of the offer for that role, which ironically came shortly after her "little separation” from Brad Pitt.

The year that Jennifer Aniston landed the role of a soon-to-be ex in The Break-Up, she was going through the same thing in real life. She and then-husband Brad Pitt announced their separation in 2005 amidst infidelity rumors about Pitt allegedly dating his Mr. and Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie. While re-watching The Break-Up during a segment for Vanity Fair, Aniston revealed how she felt about being offered the role soon and, apparently, she viewed it as a positive "opportunity." She explained:

I definitely see where Jennifer Aniston is coming from. Considering The Break-Up is about an ex-couple trying to drive each other out of their shared condo, the notion of offering a role like that to an actress going through her own break-up seems awkward.

However, Aniston seemingly found it therapeutic, in a way, to play a character she could resonate with and add a touch of humor to. To that point, Aniston previously busted out a great Brad Pitt divorce comment during the final episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. That comment specifically related to how Break-Up represented a new chapter in her life after her divorce, proving that the end of a marriage doesn’t mean the end of personal growth and renewed joy.

The Peyton Reed-helmed film is already one of Jennifer Aniston’s best movies, but these latest comments make me appreciate it even more. As Aniston rewatched the big-screen comedy for VF, she pointed out the relatable conflict her character and Vince Vaughn’s went through, during which her character wanted her boyfriend to do the dishes while he preferred to play video games. That’s a scenario Aniston believes many couples still go through now, and she also thinks Reed's flick tackles other pain points partners face.

Sure, some viewers may not be over the inevitable split the two characters go through at the end of The Break-Up. However, the movie certainly flips the narrative on the standard rom-com trope of the guy trying to win back his love and succeeding. In real life, that’s not always how it works.

What I appreciate about TBU is that it does a great job showing that while two people may not be together anymore, they can still forge a friendship. And, simultaneously, both can find their own happy endings. In real life, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt reunited for a Fast Times at Ridgemont High virtual table read in 2021, during which Aniston described her and Pitt as “buddies.” So it seems there's a level of respect between the former spouses.

You would think after going through a “little separation” in real life that it wouldn’t be the best time to star in a movie about a break-up. However, I love that Jennifer Aniston owned her situation and helped make a movie that's still very entertaining.

Despite the movie hitting theaters back in August of 2024, It Ends With Us continues to make headlines. Blake Lively's lawsuit against Wayfarer Studios began a long legal battle, with Justin Baldoni filing his own defamation case, which named both Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Pop star Taylor Swift's name has also come up during these proceedings, and it turns out that the movie's director also requested money specifically to battle Swifties online.

Taylor Swift being roped into the lawsuit has only gotten more eyes on the matter (and reportedly put a strain on her friendship with Lively). Most recently TMZ acquired legal documents, where Baldoni's lawyers in Texas requested a new sum of money in order to deal with online blockback from Swifties. Part of the e-mail attached reads:

Talk about a ton of money. Considering how many months this legal battle has already been raging on, this attempt to get Baldoni $30k per month could be a significant payday for the actor/director. And it's yet another way that Swift is being brought into their ongoing legal saga. One can only imagine how the "Shake It Off" singer feels about being named yet again.

It's unclear how long this back and forth between the two stars of It Ends With Us (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) will go on. But it's clear that neither of the celebrities' legal teams are intending on giving up the fight. So we should probably buckle up for more viral updates.

This request for monthly funds come shortly after the judge tossed Baldoni's defamation case out, which was a major legal victory for the Gossip Girl star. But it doesn't look like the It Ends With Us director is too discouraged, as his team is continuing to fight for him and file new requests related to the situation with Blake Lively.

While Taylor Swift wasn't involved in It Ends With Us, she continues to loom large over the lawsuits associated with the book to screen adaptation. This highlights just how popular she is, and the passion of her devoted fanbase. Although whether or not the Swifties are actually mobilizing to defend Blake Lively remains to be seen. Indeed, the Another Simple Favor star hasn't exactly come out clean in the court of public opinion.

It Ends With Us is on Netflix now, and the litigation related to the movie continues on. While Blake Lively has upcoming projects expected on the 2026 movie release list and beyond, Baldoni seemingly doesn't have anything lined up.

I wanted to be excited from the jump, but there’s one thing I needed to know before officially adding it to my watchlist.

I Had An Immediate Concern About A New Horror Movie Called Good Boy

If you’re an animal lover, you probably already know where I’m coming from. Upon hearing about Good Boy, I was instantly worried if I’d have to watch the poor dog at the center of it die, because I absolutely dislike when films feature violence towards animals. I’ve even been one to go on the website doesthedogdie.com if I know a pupperino is in a movie to make sure I know what I’m getting myself into. If you haven’t checked out the website, it breaks down whether dogs live or die in movies along with some context – such as whether you can skip it, or if it won’t be shown on screen, but just implied.

While I don’t like spoilers, I knew this was going to eat at me regarding Good Boy until I knew, and thankfully the movie was already screened at SXSW earlier this year. Let’s get into that, but given this is a SPOILER, just be mindful the answer is ahead. But no, I won’t spoil the movie’s actual detailed ending.

Once I Found The Answer, It Made Me Want To Check It Out More

Per a few sources who watched the movie, including this Instagram post, I can confirm that the canine hero of Good Boy does not die in the 2025 horror movie. I don’t know any other ideas past that, which I’m happy about, but that’s enough for me to sit back and know that the movie isn’t going to end in some gruesome death for its cute canine.

I also saw that the movie currently has a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes from 20 reviews (as of this writing), so I’m definitely more confident that this unique premise is going to be effective as well. And while there are a lot of great movies with talking dogs, this is not one of them. It also doesn’t seem like the dog in Good Boy, who is named Indy, will not make our list of the meanest pets from movies and TV shows. (I truly hope we never get a Cujo remake, by the way!)

Aside from the creepy horror elements sure to be present throughout the film, it seems like Indy will be trying to save his owner from the entities he can see and his owner cannot. Of course, it’s hard for dogs to communicate with the language gap, so I can see myself siding with the doggo and rooting for him.

Anyways, we can look forward to Good Boy coming to theaters on October 3. Until then, you can definitely enjoy horror this summer, especially with this past weekend’s box office win for Weapons.

The Long Walk Trailer Has Wrecked Me Repeatedly Now.

I’ve seen The Long Walk trailer three times now. Once, I screened it early while sitting next to a slew of journalists at Lionsgate’s CinemaCon 2025 presentation. Despite the professional setting, I cried. Once, I saw it ahead of a viewing of F1 and once I’ve now watched it on my computer. Every single time I’ve had a visceral reaction to the material. My eyes well up, yet I can’t tear them away from the screen. My stomach churns and my legs feel like jelly. I am literally horrified, and yet feel glued to my seat at the same time. If that was the intention, the movie has already succeeded.

The Long Walk follows a group of kids all walking an indeterminate distance for life-changing prize money. Only there’s one hitch: if you fall behind, you die. We’ve seen a scene where all of the kids walking seem to be spurring one another on. However, one young man is falling behind. A crack of a gun is heard. There’s another moment when one young man’s shoe comes loose and he's struggling to get it back on before things take a serious turn.

Every time I see the loose shoe, I’m internally screaming, ‘Get up! Get up!’ I've even dreamt about it. I've seen sub-five minutes of this movie so far, and I already feel scarred for life.

The Long Walk Source Material Is So Tough It Took A Long Time For The Movie To Get Made

The development of the flick has been a long time coming. We’ve previously explored the history of the film coming together in our The Long Walk guide, and various voices involved have explained how this movie felt insurmountable and completely unmakeable for years. At one point in the ‘80s, George Romero was reportedly attached. Frank Darabont held the rights for a while. André Øvredal was supposed to make it in 2019, but the project was dropped and we weren't bullish it would ever move forward.

Fifteen years ago or so, dystopian fiction also came to the forefront with content like The Walking Dead, The Hunger Games and even popular projects like Divergent. Still, The Long Walk was not made.

We’ve covered this tale before on CinemaBlend. How part of the problem seems to have been simply making a movie about kids trudging on and on for days. How part of the problem was the subject material, as JT Pollner, who wrote the movie, has called it “disturbing and somewhat controversial.” How another problem with The Long Walk was simply how much walking the cast had to do to actually film the movie. The cast told us that in order to have comparable scenery, they’d walk one route over and over at ¾ of a mile per take.

Whomever was in charge of continuity in this movie, I salute you. But I also salute the young men, who confirmed they walked over 300 miles during the making of The Long Walk.

I mentioned how this flick has really been sticking with me to my co-worker Eric Eisenberg, who also happens to be CinemaBlend’s Stephen King expert. This means that, yes, he’s read the 1979 source material the movie will be based on, and he told me even he’s “flabbergasted” The Long Walk got made. I haven’t read the book, and I don’t know its ending, but I get the impression I’m going to have a real gut-punch coming.

Plus, it strikes me that if I’m that emotional this early in, there’s only going to be more toil to come. If I can’t even handle three minutes of this film, how am I supposed to get through the film’s 108-minute runtime?

I’d say bring it on, Stephen King, but honestly, I’m too traumatized to confidently do that. The Long Walk will be here to ruin our days on September 12th.

It’s safe to say Pedro Pascal is having a very good year. Between being a part of one of the biggest 2025 TV shows with The Last of Us Season 2 to having large roles in two of the biggest releases on the 2025 movie schedule, we’ve seen a lot of the former Game of Thrones actor. However, while everyone is talking about The Fantastic Four: The First Steps, there’s one movie that seems to have flown under the radar: Freaky Tales.

If you haven’t heard of Freaky Tales, just know that it’s an anthology film set in Oakland in 1987, telling four underdog stories – be it in sports, the world of crime, the East Bay’s hip hop scene, or a battle between punks and Nazi skinheads. Now that’s streaming with an HBO Max subscription, there’s no reason not to watch this Pedro Pascal movie no one is talking about…

Freaky Tales Is A Wild And Blood-Soaked Anthology Film Will All Kinds Of Surprises

Don’t worry, you’re not going to find any spoilers that weren’t already teased in the Freaky Tales trailer below, but just know that this is a wild and blood-soaked anthology film where all four stories – “Strength in Numbers: The Gilman Strikes Back,” “Don’t Fight the Feeling,” “Born to Mack,” and “The Legend of Sleepy Floyd” – share a common conneection. It’s campy, it’s violent, and it’s fun as hell.

And then there are the surprises throughout Freaky Tales. With some outrageous cameos, including one that I’m still laughing about days later, pop culture references, and one shocking turn after another, this crazy anthology film is something else!

Like The Last Of Us And The Fantastic Four, Pedro Pascal Plays A Father Forced To Make A Grave Decision

Pedro Pascal has played some great dads and father figures in recent years, with The Wild Robot, The Fantastic Four: The First Steps, The Last of Us, and The Mandalorian quickly coming to mind. This is the same for Freaky Tales, as the in-demand actor, who had to drop out of another great 2025 horror flick, Weapons, plays a former enforcer who’s tasked with making a grave decision after the birth of his first child.

Again, I won’t give anything away, but his character finds himself in quite a pickle where there’s only one, and incredibly violent, way out.

I Honestly Don't Know How This Flew Under The Radar

When I was writing about all the new 2025 action movies I wanted to see, I made sure to include Freaky Tales, as the premise and cast had me interested to see how it’d all go down. Back then, and even now, I haven’t come across anyone else who’s watched this movie, and I’m struggling to figure out how it flew under the radar for so long.

With Captain Marvel and Masters of the Air’s Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck directing, a cast that includes Jay Ellis as NBA legend Sleepy Floyd, Ironheart’s Dominique Thorne, Ben Mendelsohn, and the late Angus Cloud, and some of the wildest gore I’ve seen all year, this checks all the boxes. Maybe now, with the movie streaming on HBO Max, this will change.

Don’t be like me and wait so long to watch Freaky Tales, because this is one wild-as-hell anthology film you won’t want to miss.

John Candy: I Like Me has seemingly been something of a passion project for Colin Hanks, and it’s not hard to understand why. As a child, Hanks became acquainted with Candy via his father, Tom Hanks, and stepmother Rita Wilson, who co-starred with Candy in Splash and Volunteers, respectively. Colin has spoken about knowing Candy while growing up and spending time with him. During a recent interview, Colin said that while those interactions played out so long ago, he certainly hasn’t forgotten what he took from them:

Since the Spaceballs icon’s passing in 1994, various stories have been told about him, and they paint a picture of a man who was as kind as he was funny. Uncle Buck’s Laurie Metcalf gushed about her late co-star, making him sound like a real sweetheart. It’s also been said that the Canadian comedian would perform bits with fans when approached on the street. Of course, like many people, Candy was very multifaceted and, based on what Colin Hanks told Collider, the documentary will be as well:

John Candy had his share of struggles over the course of his life. Not only did he contend with health issues related to his weight but also dealt with anxiety. The thought of having to see such topics tackled in a documentary does indeed seem sad. However, the inclusion of such material is a reflection of Colin Hanks and his collaborators’ commitment to telling Candy’s story in an honest way. It’s quite admirable, and I’m hopeful that the film will be all the better for that raw approach.

On the subject of collaborators, Ryan Reynolds is also a producer on the documentary. A Canadian like the film’s subject, Reynolds wanted to make the doc as he viewed it as an opportunity to “talk to storytellers about a beautiful man, who was a beautiful storyteller.” The Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ kids have also been collaborating with Reynolds and co. to make the film happen.

I’m not totally sure I’m ready to see what Colin Hanks, Ryan Reynolds and their team have in store for John Candy: I Like Me. While some parts may be painful, those parts combined with the more lighthearted content should combine to make a quality doc. The Candy-centered movie is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 4, and it’ll be available to stream later this fall with a Prime Video subscription.

Freakier Friday’s current worldwide box office haul is reportedly $46.5 million, per Box Office Mojo, and it allegedly was made with a production budget of $45 million. So, the movie has already made back the money spent on it, though I bet that’s before its marketing budget. It’s an impressive score for Freakier Friday and signals it’s looking like a commercial win for the House of Mouse after being the No. 1 comedy in America over the weekend! Jamie Lee Curtis also shared the news:

Curtis declared “WOMEN GET THINGS DONE!” in the Instagram post sharing the good news for Freakier Friday. The movie hit theaters this past weekend to $29 million in domestic box office dollars behind horror movie Weapons claiming the No. 1 spot. That’s over $10 million more than any other comedies this year like The Naked Gun, which opened at $16.8 million on the domestic front, and One of the Them Days, which started off its run with $11.8 million.

That makes Freakier Friday the best live-action comedy opening of 2025 following a positive critical response, including CinemaBlend's Freakier Friday review and fans reactions, like our own Riley Utley applauding the movie over its amazing callbacks. The movie reunites Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan to play mother/daughter Tess and Anna Coleman two decades after they first swapped bodies. This time, they switch with two teenagers, who are determined to break up Anna’s wedding and, in the process, link back with Chad Michael Murray’s Jake.

Freakier Friday was born out of Jamie Lee Curtis asking Disney if they could make the sequel after she met tons of fans who wanted to see a follow-up while touring the world for the Halloween movies. It’s helmed by Nisha Ganatra from a script by Jordan Weiss, and is produced by Curtis alongside Kristen Burr and Andrew Gunn.

Of course, what’s perhaps more impressive to a movie’s success is making a profit past its budget. This coming weekend, the only big release is Nobody 2, which is an action comedy, but also rated R, as opposed to Freakier Friday leaning toward a more family friendly demographic and toward women. So it’s very much possible the Disney comedy could continue have another solid week at the box office and become even a bigger success. We’ll keep you updated as the coming weekend plays out.

Zach Cregger's Weapons is a film that deliciously and horrifically plays with multiple perspectives. There is Justine (Julia Garner), the teacher who has become a vortex of blame since 17 of her students disappeared. There's Archer (Josh Brolin), a father whose life is upended by his son going missing. There's Paul (Alden Ehrenreich), a cop and ex of Justine who commits an assault while on the job. There's James (Austin Abrams), the meth head thief whom Paul assaults. There's Marcus (Benedict Wong), the elementary school principal. And lastly, there's Alex (Cary Christopher), the only kid in Justine’s class who didn’t disappear.

Arguably, the only important character whose full story isn't told by the new horror movie is the tale of the sinister Aunt Gladys, brilliantly played by Amy Madigan – but an upcoming project may fill that gap.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, there have been discussions between New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. and Zach Cregger about a prequel movie that would explore the origins of Aunt Gladys. There presently isn't a script or a deal in place, but there was a chapter in the original screenplay for Weapons that the writer/director decided to excise to cut down the movie's length.

I can understand being of two minds about this news. On the one hand, Aunt Gladys is a terrifying villain in Weapons, and there is a risk that comes with a movie overexposing its villain. That being said, Zach Cregger does such an amazing job fleshing out all of the other characters in his horror epic, so one could effectively make the argument that Gladys got the short end of the stick. I love the film (as expressed in my five-star CinemaBlend review), but I also think that a prequel story could be told that adds a whole new layer to the experience.

Of course, it's not simply because of creative potential that this project is being discussed: it's because Weapons has come out of the gate as a big box office success story. The original script inspired a Hollywood bidding war, but acquisition and budget totaled just a reported $38 million (per Deadline), and it made $43.5 million in its first three days domestically ($70-plus million worldwide). Big ticket sales are always going to inspire sequel talks.

Exactly when Zach Cregger could potentially make a Weapons prequel is also a question that doesn't presently have an answer. While his latest film was only just released this past Friday, he is well into development of his Resident Evil reboot, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters next fall (September 18, 2025 to be specific). He has also written a sci-fi spec script titled Flood and has been working on a project called Henchman that is in the pipeline at DC Studios.

My fingers are crossed that this prequel will get made, and we'll keep you up to date with details about the potential project as new information becomes available.

What Did Orlando Bloom Say About Losing 30 Lbs For The Cut?

It’s possible that actors have been losing/gaining weight for roles since acting became a profession, and it almost always leads to the talent in question receiving a lot of notice for their dedication. Though we’ve seen the newly single Orlando Bloom appear in movies as everything from a pirate to an elf, and a 19th century Australian outlaw to a prince in the ancient city of Troy, none of those roles have really required an enormous physical transformation.

When speaking with People about his new film, The Cut (where he stars alongside Outlander lead Caitríona Balfe), Bloom, who portrays an ex-boxer training for a comeback, noted that while he figured losing 30 lbs would be hard, there were some aspects he simply wasn’t prepared for. He said the undertaking was “definitely not something to try at home,” (meaning without health pros helping you) and continued:

Wow. In all the times I’ve seen thespians like the frequently transformative Oscar winning star of The Fighter, Christian Bale, lose and gain for film parts (which he’s already stopped doing so much), I don’t think I’ve really heard about the “mental toll” that it takes. Certainly, anyone who’s ever tried to lose weight, especially a significant amount, will know that it can be very hard (as it is for those who want to get bigger but can’t seem to put on pounds), the emotional aspects of it for an actor have never been top of mind for me.

Channing Tatum (who usually shows off a very buff, Magic Mike-esque physique) recently opened up about his own quick back-and-forth with gaining muscle/beefing up/losing roughly 50 lbs for three different roles in a short period of time, and though he thanked the health pros who helped him, he didn’t mention what he had to go through mentally to get it done. Similarly, Bale’s Ford v. Ferrari co-star Matt Damon also spoke out about how “unhealthy” some of his dietary changes for parts have been, but without going into his emotional state during that time.

The Black Hawk Down actor went further when talking about how these changes impacted him, and, honestly, it sounds beyond stressful:

Let’s see: obsessive thoughts, anxiety, paranoia, lack of sleep…I think I would have needed therapy just to deal with his weight loss for this movie! Luckily, it sounds like he came through the process and was able to recover a sense of normalcy after being so dedicated to his work.

Freakier Friday hits most of the right notes that a sequel should. It’s nostalgic, funny, and has a fresh take on a classic story. Freakier Friday is one of many sequels to hit the big screen, but it won't be the last sequel of the upcoming 2025 movies this year. At the heart of this film is comedy. That is why you cast Manny Jacinto, right?

When you are looking to add to an already stacked cast of comedic talent like Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, there is no reason to rely on Jacinto, but that is a mistake. The script does not allow for his comedic abilities to shine through, and most of the time he is on screen, he plays the albeit very attractive and mostly convincing Brit(ish) straightman.

Jacinto Is Hot, And There Were Flashes Of Funny, But It Felt Like Such A Tease

We first get a glimpse of how effortlessly charming and attractive Jacinto is when he and Lohan, who in her own right is a rom-com queen, have their meet-cute moment outside the school. Jacinto is swoon-worthy and, according to Slate, may be Hollywood’s next leading man. Although he may not be dubbed the fourth hottest man alive like Pedro Pascal, in my opinion, he is in the top ten. One of the things that makes Jacinto so attractive (besides his rippling pectorals) is how funny he is. However, we don’t really get to see this.

The funny often goes to other characters. There are two glaring instances where I feel the funny went to the wrong people, even though they crushed it. The first is in the teacher's classroom, and the second is in the marriage license appointment. Both times, the jokes go to the supporting cast. Whether it is them inserting themselves into a dinner date or reflecting on their own failed love life, the script took those comedic moments away from Jacinto.

The one shining moment for me was the surf scene. Right after Anna, or should I say Harper, gets done surfing, like a pro, we see Eric plunge headfirst into the ocean and immediately wipe out. The confidence and hubris mixed with physicality are a laugh-out-loud moment, but these are just too few and far between.

A Wedding Dance Rehearsal Is A No-Brainer, But The ‘Dirty Dancing’ Scene Isn’t Dirty Enough

This could have been great, but it was only good. Another reason you cast Jacinto is for his epic dance skills. From The Good Place, where he was a part of a 60-person dance crew, to The Acolyte, where his sexy Sith skills with a light-saber are balletic…we get a scene where most of the time he strikes some ‘tango poses’ before we get to the real meat.

Now, no one is as ‘dirty’ as Patrick Swayze, but I do think that Jacinto gives him a run for his money, and maybe even Hannah Waddingham might change her tune, but it takes too long to get there. When we get to Lohan’s ‘run to him’ and she runs out of the room, the payoff is great, but we have to wade through some dirty water to get it.

Overall, I loved Jacinto in this film. He is heartfelt, earnest, kind, sexy, and funny. But every time he was on screen, I yearned for more. Maybe if there is a Freakiest Friday, we could get a body swap for Jacinto's character, because that would utilize all of his skills that I believe were lacking here. In the words of Jason Medoza, I kept ‘waiting for the bass drop, and it never came.’ Freakier Friday is a sequel absolutely still worth watching, even if it is just to wholesomely gaze at Jacinto.

When I saw the documentary, directed by Penn Gillette and Paul Provenza, and featuring dozens of comedians and actors, it was the first, and to date only, time I’ve ever seen people actually falling out of their chairs laughing. It was, frankly, the funniest movie I’ve ever seen in theaters. So, without further ado, a family walks into a talent agent's office and tells the seven funniest versions of The Aristocrats.

Cartman Goes Way Off The Deep End On South Park

Without question, the funniest take on the Aristocrats, in my opinion, is the ridiculously over-the-top version that Cartman tells the other South Park guys. It starts with the traditional telling of a family walking into a talent agent’s office, but by the end, there are victims of 9/11 involved. I saw this movie in New York City, so I saw firsthand just how shocking and, honestly, hilarious everyone in the theater found it, in the one city where you might expect people to think it had gone too far. It didn’t, and it ranks up there near the top with the best episodes of South Park, ever.

Bob Saget Gets Really Dirty

It’s old news that the late, great Bob Saget was an incredibly dirty comedian, defying expectations from fans of his TV shows like Full House and America’s Funniest Home Videos. I’ll admit, at the time, I didn’t know just how filthy Saget could get in his standup. I certainly understood after seeing his version of the joke, which he tells, without getting to the punchline, just minutes before hitting the stage. He does give us all the disclaimer that he doesn’t endorse or condone anything that happens in his version of the joke.

Billy The Mime Quietly Cracks Me Up

One of the most interesting takes on the joke comes from Billy the Mime, played by comedian Steven Banks. As a mime would, he performs the entire joke in silence, acting out every dirty bit of the story on the street. By this point in the movie, everyone understands the joke, and so every position and mime that Billy does lands silently, but brilliantly. At that point in the doc, there is no sound at all; only the laughter of the audience makes up the soundtrack.

Gilbert Gottfried Is The GOAT

Gilbert Gottfried was so good at telling the joke that he got two versions into the movie. The first time audiences see Gottfried, he’s sitting at a table in what looks like an office boardroom, saying the most outrageous things. In true Gottfried fashion, he’s unafraid to be as disgusting as humanly possible. With no live audience, he kills it.

The second time we see the late, great Gottfried is when we learn that his telling of the joke on stage at the Hugh Hefner Friar’s Club Roast is quite possibly what inspired Gillette and Provenza to tell the story. It was incredibly rare (and still is) to see a comedian tell the joke on stage, but Gottfried goes for it, and it’s so wonderfully dirty and hilarious that, like the audience I saw the movie with originally, it has Rob Schneider literally on the floor in laughter. It very well may be the definitive version of The Aristocrats joke.

Kevin Pollack Channels Christopher Walken

I think sometimes people forget that before he became one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood with roles in blockbusters like A Few Good Men, The Usual Suspects, Casino, and Grumpy Old Men, Kevin Pollack started his career as a stand-up comedian. His impressions are well known from his appearances on talk shows, and one of his best is Christopher Walken. In telling The Aristocrats as though he were first told the joke by Walken himself, Pollack has one of the very best moments in the movie. It’s one of the shorter versions, but it’s outstanding.

Sarah Silverman Makes It Personal

One way to tell the joke is by putting yourself in the middle of the action, so to speak. That’s how Sarah Silverman does it. In her words, she was “an Aristocrat.” She’s not embarrassed by it, nor does she wish to make a big deal out of it, again, in her words. The things that are described as part of her own family’s act are just as outrageous as anyone else’s in the documentary, and her deadpan delivery is pitch-perfect. Her punchline, which I won’t repeat here, reportedly almost got her sued by Joe Franklin.

Eric Mead Lays His Cards On The Table

I’m a total sucker for card tricks and sleight-of-hand magic, so watching magician Eric Mead’s close-up magic version of the joke is really special. Sure, it’s not the funniest version of it in the film, but it almost certainly took the most practice. It’s brilliantly done, and it’s one I can watch over and over and still not understand how he does all the tricks.

It’s versions like Mead’s that make The Aristocrats such a great documentary, and not just a series of comedians telling increasingly dirtier versions of the joke. Like Steven Banks as Billy The Mime, or one telling I didn’t mention here, Rita Rudner telling her “clean” version (which ends with a dirty punchline), it’s the great variations that make the movie (and joke) so funny.

There are so many amazing moments in the movie I couldn’t even get to here, like Robin Williams telling it on the beach in Northern California, juxtaposed with Drew Carey telling a similar version. Mario Cantone’s impression of Liza Minnelli doing it is also amazing. There isn’t a dull moment in the whole documentary. The Aristocrats might not be for everyone, but it’ll always be one of my favorites.

Rebirth is arguably one of the best Jurassic World movies, and we may have to thank the feedback of Spielberg himself for how it was handled. During an interview shared on ComicBook's TikTok, Edwards revealed that she shared an early cut of the film, saying:

Spielberg and Koepp directed and wrote the original Jurassic Park , which broke new ground with its use of CGI. And it turns out that, despite the respect that Rebirth tried to pay, they originally weren't big fans of all the easter eggs that Gareth Edwards wanted to include.

The OG Jurassic Park (which is streaming now with a Netflix subscription) changed the film world forever. So you can't blame Edwards for wanting to pay respect with his movie. It turns out the easter eggs were their biggest issue with Rebirth, as the filmmaker said:

Gareth Edwards is self-described superfan of the 1993 original, so I understand why he's want to include plenty of references and easter eggs when writing and directing Jurassic World Rebirth. Alas, that's not what the filmmakers who started the franchise wanted to see in their early screening.

So what happened? As Edwards explained, he took them all out and send a new cut to Spielberg, Koepp and whoever else was making the big decisions. As the Rogue One director put it:

Honestly, it sounds like they found the right balance in Rebirth. While we got some delightful connections to the 1993 original, it still brought a brand island, set of of circumstances and characters to the big screen. Currently it's unclear whether or not the studio will green light another sequel.

Gareth Edwards further explained the POV from the original filmmakers, and joked about his penchant for including references to Jurassic Park in Rebirth. In his words:

CinemaBlend's Jurassic World Rebirth review was middling, but audiences seem to be enjoying it more than critics did. The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is currently 71%, and it's the fourth-highest grossing movie of the year. But whether or not Edwards gets to come back to the director's chair for a second installment remains to be seen.

Jurassic World Rebirth is still in theaters now as part of the 2025 movie release list. While we wait for news about a sequel, many of the franchise's titles can be re-watched on Netflix.

How Pedro Celebrated the Movie’s Release

The Fantastic Four: First Steps star marked the occasion on Instagram, posting a playful shoutout to his MCU co-star’s new horror flick and its strong box office debut. In the Story post (shared below), he urged fans to catch the film in theaters, dropping a well-placed F-bomb or two for emphasis.

He tagged Cregger, Garner, and the official Weapons account, making it clear there are zero hard feelings, just plenty of love for a project he clearly still believes in.

Why Pascal Had To Drop Out Of The Horror Movie

Weapons was almost a very different looking flick, as it had nearly a completely different cast. Thanks to the twin Hollywood shutdowns of 2023 — the SAG-AFTRA strike (July 14–Nov 9) and the WGA strike (May 2–Sept 27) — the production was brought to a complete standstill. By the time Weapons could gear back up, the film’s shooting schedule was in shambles. Writer-director Zach Cregger recently told Entertainment Weekly:

Of the original four, only Abrams carried over, now playing James, a homeless man hooked on drugs. Cregger filled the Pascal void with Josh Brolin and rounded out the new ensemble with Alden Ehrenreich as local cop Paul, Amy Madigan, and Julia Garner as Ms. Justine Gandy, the teacher whose entire class disappears one night at 2:17 a.m.

Weapons Lives Up To All The Hype

Like the insanity that was Barbarian, Weapons hooks you with a chilling premise: 17 children from the same Pennsylvania classroom wake in the dead of night, quietly leave their homes, and vanish without a trace. What unfolds is equal parts mystery and nightmare, with a nonlinear structure reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino’s 1990s classic Pulp Fiction. Judging by its strong opening weekend, Zach Cregger’s sophomore feature is already living up to the buzz.

While fans may always wonder what Pascal’s version of Archer would have looked like — especially in a year that already has him juggling multiple “dad” roles — his F-bomb rallying cry feels like a genuine endorsement. He’s just traded the lead role for a seat in the audience.

Weapons is now playing exclusively in theaters. Also, be sure to check out our schedule of upcoming horror movies that are headed to the 2026 movie schedule and a theater near you.

Which is interesting, right? Because among Dwayne Johnson, Dave Bautista, and John Cena, I actually hold Cena in pretty high regard when it comes to wrestlers-turned-actors. Take the recent movie, Heads of State, for instance, which we gave a really good review. I would say that it's an objectively “better” movie than The Marine.

However, “better” doesn't necessarily mean I'll like it more. For example, critics will say Citizen Kane is better than Big Trouble in Little China, which I've rewatched endlessly, but I'll watch BTILC over Kane any day of the week. (Though I LIKE the latter!) So, here's why I adore Cena's first film.

The Marine Is Gleefully Ridiculous, And Revels In It

Do you know what's ridiculous? Professional wrestling. So, it makes little wonder that WWE Studios Inc. (formerly WWE Films) would produce a film like The Marine. Prior, they focused on movies starring The Rock, such as Walking Tall, and The Rundown, which is one of Dwayne Johnson's best movies.

For 2006, the company experimented a little bit, and made two movies. One was the horror flick, See No Evil, starring Kane, and the other was the Cena-led The Marine, which is about a discharged Marine whose wife is kidnapped, and he has to rescue her.

That's it. There's nothing deep about it. In fact, it's no deeper than what you might find in a typical WWE storyline. Cena has a certain set of skills, and he uses them against bad guys. In the opening scene, he could wait for reinforcements at an Al-Qaeda hideout, but then, all of the hostages would be beheaded.

What does he do? He goes in, guns-a-blazing, (Arrrgghh!!!) and saves the day. Guess what? The whole movie is like this! It's all gleefully ridiculous, and I love it with my full heart and soul.

The Action In It Is Really Intense

Another reason why I prefer this to other Cena movies is because the action in this one is really intense, like the car chase scene where Cena uses a bullet proof vest to deflect gunfire. Or, what about the fight in the meth lab where he is literally doing wrestling moves against a guy who's way bigger than him?

I just love this about the film, as it prioritizes action over anything else. Forget logic, or the fact that putting a bulletproof vest in front of your face isn't going to save your life. If it's cool, it's in this movie, and this movie is very cool.

Plus, it's not like Cena hasn't been in other enthralling action flicks. Like, I love him as Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad. As somebody who has been a loyal Fast & Furious fan since the very beginning (though, I consider Tokyo Drift to be peak Fast & Furious), his inclusion in the series as Dom’s estranged brother elevated the 9th and 10th movies for me.

Even so, I still can’t get over the action here. I think it might be because the star is usually in ensemble pictures these days, whereas The Marine and 12 Rounds (which also rules), are almost entirely carried by Cena. But, out of those two films, I prefer the former because the action never lets up for a single second. It’s just so cool!

You Can Tell Cena Was Hungry To Get Into Show Business When You Watch It

Here’s another interesting thing about his film career. He may be getting more ensemble pieces than leading roles these days, but I think this has actually boosted his cred more than if he had stuck with doing films like The Marine. After this one, there were actually five other movies in this franchise (mostly starring The Miz) that went straight to DVD and Blu-Ray.

Even so, you can tell that Cena was hungry to get into acting when he made this movie, because there’s an intensity here that you don’t really see in any of his other films. Now, yes, that might be because intensity is what was called for in the role.

Shots of him running full speed at enemies and lifting them up is reminiscent of what you’d see him do in the wrestling ring. However, I just get a feeling that Cena was trying to prove himself as an actor when he made this film.

By 2006, The Rock had made a few films, but the history of wrestlers-turned-actors wasn’t anything to boast about. Hulk Hogan had been in films like Rocky III and No Holds Barred, but those really played upon his wrestling persona. The Rock had fared better, but even he at this point seemed to lean more on being “The Rock” than Dwayne Johnson, the movie star. So, The Marine feels like Cena is trying to branch out from being just a wrestler, and I appreciate it for that reason.

Robert Patrick Is Always A Good Villain

Few movies have impacted me more than Terminator 2: Judgment Day. I mean, just the opening scene alone is worth the price of admission. In fact, when I first saw the movie at the tender age of 8, I remember being wowed by it, but also utterly terrified because of one actor, and his name is Robert Patrick.

As the terrifying T-1000, Patrick stole every scene he was in. Though he was much smaller than Arnold Schwarzenegger, he was several times more intimidating. That’s the power of Robert Patrick. Well, he’s also the main antagonist in The Marine, and he plays the gang leader, Rome.

Now, Rome is the kind of guy who can wear a suit and tie, but also walk out to the White Zombie song, “More Human Than Human,” and it feels completely legit. He’s also the kind of guy who has underlings who carry around rocket launchers and blow up police vehicles. In short, he’s a really bad dude.

At the same time, he’s got a great sense of humor. He’ll smirk while blowing up a building, but then comically frown when he realizes that the Marine escaped just before the building exploded.

My favorite part of the movie is when Cena is chasing him in a car, and one of Rome’s subordinates comments on how The Marine is like The Terminator, to which Patrick glances in the rearview mirror as a nod to his former character. In short, Patrick is a stellar villain, and he's a highlight of this film.

It's A Great Time Capsule Of Early 2000s Action Movies

Lastly, this is an amazing time capsule for the early 2000s, which is one of my favorite time periods when it comes to action movies. For example, take the Crank movies (my favorite Jason Statham franchise). These flicks were straight up balls to the wall action, and they still kick ass to this very day.

Well, I'd also put a movie like The Marine in that category, since they honestly don’t make action flicks like this anymore. I love the John Wick movies, but they're…I don't know. Too slick? Too…dare I say, artsy?

The Marine, like a lot of action movies from the early 2000s, was super shaggy. They were almost a return to form to the ‘80s action movies where big dudes with muscles laid waste to other big dudes, and I like to rewatch a film like this to take me back to that time period.

What do you think? Do you also love this 2006 John Cena gem? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bruckheimer revealed that he has spoken to Depp about coming back for the sixth Pirates film, and the actor is at least open to the idea. The famous Producer explained:

It’s been a long eight years since Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales hit theaters in 2017, reuniting the former 21 Jump Street performer with Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley. Talks of a sixth film have been swirling since at least 2019, but the project has been stalled by script rewrites, shifting creative visions, including a version that would have starred Margot Robbie, but has reportedly been shelved, and most recently, the 2023 dual Hollywood strikes.

Bruckheimer confirmed the new installment is still in active development. Craig Mazin (The Last of Us) was initially collaborating with original series writer Ted Elliott before the strikes, but Jeff Nathanson (Dead Men Tell No Tales) has since taken the lead.

The longtime Pirates of the Caribbean shepherd has described the upcoming movie as a reboot, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a Sparrow-less voyage. He was previously quoted, saying:

Depp’s influence on the character is the stuff of Hollywood legend. Jack Sparrow’s eccentric blend of Pepé Le Pew charm and Keith Richards swagger wasn’t in the original script, but was the actor’s invention. And it’s hard to imagine the franchise without it.

If the Ed Wood star does step back into Captain Jack’s boots, it would signal a major thaw in his post-2018 split with Disney and years of self-imposed distance from Hollywood studio fare. The Pirates of the Caribbean producer once admitted he couldn’t secure even a cameo for Depp in future installments. Since the trial, the actor has largely focused on independent projects, but Bruckheimer believes the right script could lure him back to the helm.

That’s the caveat: the script needs to be something the Rango star feels is worthy of Jack’s return. As Bruckheimer puts it, “It’s all about what’s on the page.” Until that’s locked, the Black Pearl’s course remains uncertain. But for fans, the fact that Johnny Depp and Jerry Bruckheimer are talking and that the door isn’t closed might be the most hopeful sign in years.

As we wait for more news on the possible return of Captain Jack, fans of the Pirates franchise can revisit the first five installments with their Disney+ subscription.

JLo and Affleck listed their former home for $68 million, in hopes of getting back some of the money they made on renovations. In early July it as revealed that Bennifer actually took the house of the market for the time being, after failing to get offers. An anonymous insider who is allegedly close to the A-listers spoke to People about what's been going on behind the scenes, sharing:

Well, it sounds like the A-listers have really thought this out. And rather than keeping teh house on the market and settling for a financial loss, they're seemingly going to keep the property until they can get a sum close to their 68 million asking price. Of course, this also means they will have to continue paying for both the mortgage and the insane insurance cost of Affleck and Lopez's former home.

If this insider is to be believed, it shows how amicable things seem to be between the two celebrities. While they've been separated for a year, they're still able to make business decisions together. The same person expanded more about why Affleck and JLo made that call, sharing:

Points were made. But it sounds like the former couple is going to have to continue paying for their former home until they decide to put it back on the market. As to when that might be, it's anyone's guess. I'm also eager to see who eventually purchases the mansion... especially if they also happen to be a celebrity.

JLo and Ben Affleck's marriage might be over, but they continue to be connected. As the public continues to follow the complications of their split, both actors' careers are thriving. They each have a number of projects on the 2025 movie release list and beyond... which should help them continuing to pay bills on their former home.

1980s Politics Played A Big Part In RoboCop

In the mid-’80s, the decline of Rust Belt cities was a big narrative in many movies. None were quite as over the top as RoboCop, set in the ‘80s poster-child for crime and decay, Detroit. Crime was seen as out of control in that decade, in Detroit and elsewhere, with politicians of all stripes promising to clean up the streets of America. In Reagan’s America, corporate deregulation was also a watchword of the day, with an increased reliance on private corporations doing the work that many people believed the government had failed to do.

These two things come together in RoboCop in a dystopian version of Motor City. Facing insane crime rates and roving gangs of criminals wrecking the city and terrifying the citizens, the city turns to a private mega-corporation, Omni Consumer Products, to help them police the city. The answer Omni Consumer Products comes up with is the titular RoboCop, a part-man, part-machine police officer played by Peter Weller, who found new appreciation for it later, just as I have.

Paul Verhoeven Is A Master Of Satire

Paul Verhoeven is a polarizing director. His satire is often lost on people, or, at least, some people don’t like the satire. I personally appreciate it. I don’t love all of Verhoeven’s films, but RoboCop and Starship Troopers, his two most darkly satirical films, are among my favorites. Verhoeven is clear in RoboCop where his politics are in the satire. The villain of the movie is ultimately not the roving gangs of criminals, but the suits atop a company you’d never want to work for, Omni Consumer Products. It's led by rogue executive Dick Jones, played by the great Ronny Cox.

While Weller’s RoboCop is the hero, and he was created by the corporation, the rest of what the company has done is, as portrayed, terrible. That’s clearly the political statement that Verhoeven and the film’s writers, Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner, were going after. Corporations are evil, and giving them too much power guarantees corruption. It’s an argument that you see all the time today, almost 40 years after RoboCop was released. Say what you want about Verhoeven’s vision, he was spot on when he tapped into this sentiment.

Most action movies in the ‘80s avoided politics, or if they did make a statement, it was something safe. Take, for example, Rocky IV from a couple of years earlier. It does take a political stance, but it’s that America is great and the USSR is bad. It's not exactly a risky choice at the height of the Cold War. RoboCop’s stance is much riskier, yet far more prescient. Maybe we’ll get a new sequel one day, as Weller has said he’d be interested in doing.

Now, before I get into this, I want say that this is most certainly not going to be an article where I dunk on this film, because I absolutely love this movie. I first wrote about how it’s one of the best underrated Pixar films years ago, and recently I wrote about how it made me cry as an adult and really inspired me, as a cook, and how it’s continued to shape my life. I love this movie.

I’m not going to talk about why I love it today. I’m actually going to talk about the villain. No, not Ego, even if Ego is a great Pixar villain, but the second one that we all seem to forget about, but vehemently hate – Skinner – and how…he actually wasn’t really a villain. Let me explain.

Skinner Wasn't A Great Guy, But He Also Wasn't The Villain We All Saw Him As

So first off, I want to say that Skinner himself wasn’t a great guy. In fact, for lack of a better word, he was a jerk.

From the moment that we meet him, we can see that he’s not the kind of boss that anyone would really want to have. He was stingy with his money, profited off of others’ misery, and pretty much yelled to the point where you wondered if he was going to lose his voice. The way he treats Alfredo cemented the fact that he’s not the greatest person.

Is he really a villain, though? I would argue he’s not. Sure, he’s not a great person, as we’ll get into in the following sections, but I don’t think he’s as bad as some other Pixar villains. He wasn’t trying to send anyone into a massive ball of fire to burn to death like Lotso in the Toy Story movies, or literally remove a child from existence like de la Cruz in Coco.

Skinner was just…a businessman. Which, I suppose, in this day and age, can be villainous, but in comparison to many other Disney villains? He’s just doing his job.

Truthfully, He Was Trying To Maximize Profits, Something Most Restaurants Do Nowadays

I think one of the most significant instances that people point to for Skinner being a villain is that he’s selling out Gustave’s name in Ratatouille after he passed, and creating these frozen meals in order to turn a profit. Yeah. And?

I’m not saying that I necessarily agree with the practice – I think the moment that most chefs tend to do that, you’ve officially put your name on something that is, no doubt, going to be of lesser quality than anything you could ever make yourself. However, this is what many chefs and restaurants do nowadays.

I can think of two prominent examples that happened in real life. One would be Rao’s. The restaurant chain had a few storefronts in the United States, with the New York one being the most exclusive, and the restaurant was known for its sauce. At some point, the company was bought by Campbell's, and all of a sudden, we’re seeing all different kinds of Rao’s sauces and also branded dried pasta, and meals in the freezer section – you name it.

Another big one is from one of the most prominent chefs alive, Gordon Ramsay. While I’m just as much of a fan of all the Gordon Ramsay Fox shows as anyone else, I’m also aware of the fact that he released a whole line of frozen foods a little over two years ago that mimic his most famous dishes. This is not a new thing. This is something that is becoming the new normal.

Also, a bigger thing is that I don’t think Skinner did it just for financial gain. Sure, he would have made a killing if all those deals went through, but it’s also the fact that these do bring in a lot of money and, as we heard at the beginning of Ratatouille, the restaurant was in trouble. They were losing money. They had already lost a star.

This could have helped them at least get back on their feet financially and helped rebuild their reputation. Still, it's a pretty big thing.

Let's Be Honest — If We Found Out Rats Cooked In Our Restaurants, We'd Want To Expose Them Too

I think we also need to acknowledge the elephant in the room – that if we all saw those rats, we would freak out too.

Out of everything Skinner did, trying to get the health inspector to shut down the place isn’t a heinous crime. If anything, I would think we would be thankful that someone would care so much that they would make sure rats did not infest the food that we made.

The same premise of the movie stands – that anyone can cook, and I do believe that. Really looking at the reality of the situation, though, there were hundreds of rats cooking in that kitchen, and no matter how many times they washed their little paws, they were carrying bacteria that could have been carried over to the guests.

At the end of the day, as much as we hate to admit it, what Skinner did was ultimately right and what most people should do. But, because this film paints Remy in a good light and him as the villain, he is left with the short end of the stick.

I Still Love The Movie; However, We All Owe Skinner An Apology

Look, again, Skinner isn’t a great person. I don’t think he’s even a decent person. I’d say he’s about an average greedy businessman, but I don’t think he should have gotten the hate he's received over the years.

Skinner was looking out for himself, for his money, and at the end of it all, for the restaurant that made the money. We’ve all just been crapping on him for years because of that. He’s not the best, but he’s also not the worst, and I think it’s time we really acknowledged that.

With any upcoming Pixar film, I’m always curious to see where they go with the villains. For now, I’ll stick to my guns on how I feel about Skinner.

In a recent interview with Scott Thomas, the actress known for movies such as Mission: Impossible and The English Patient, opened up about making her directorial debut with the film My Mother's Wedding. Thomas chatted about the deeply personal story at the center, and why casting was so difficult for the film due to the semi-autobiographical nature. When she realized Scarlett Johansson would be perfect for the role of Katherine, one of the central sisters in the film, Scott Thomas decided to make a personal phone call. She explained to The Hollywood Reporter:

It seems like a personal phone call was the best way to actually get this script to Johansson, especially considering the Lucy star probably fields more scripts than any other actress in Hollywood. It’s a small film, so Johansson likely wouldn’t expect the kind of pay day she received on Black Widow, or some of her blockbuster hits. But it was a deeply intimate movie, with a unique script and a new challenge for the actress who has done just about everything. It seems like the phone call prompted her to give the script a read, and the actress was ready to take it on. Scott Thomas recalled:

Scott Thomas must’ve gotten Johansson at the right time because the movie star has a famously busy schedule. The script must’ve really touched the actress, who hasn’t done a small film like this in quite a while. For context, My Mother's Wedding follows three sisters who return to their hometown as their mother gets married for the third time after being widowed twice. The sisters bond after they have gone on to live very different lives separately. Scott Thomas, who also wrote the film, wanted to tell a story about motherhood, and the relationships amongst siblings with shared trauma. Johansson possibly connected with the story, as she is a mother herself.

I personally am looking forward to seeing this film. Along with watching Johansson bravely take on an English accent, the movie also includes Sienna Miller and Emily Beecham as the two other sisters, both of which are incredible to watch on screen. With such a stacked cast and personal story at the center, My Mother's Wedding feels like a hidden gem, and I can’t wait to see such a big movie star challenge herself in a new way.

You can see My Mother’s Wedding now, as it’s currently playing in select theaters. Fans of Scarlett Johansson can also see her in the number one box office hit Jurassic World: Rebirth, which is now playing in cinemas nationwide. For more information on other exciting titles heading to the big screen this year, make sure to consult our 2025 movie release schedule.

If you think of 2004’s I, Robot, Will Smith is likely the first person who comes to mind, and rightly so. It was definitely one of the bigger features the actor starred in during the 2000s, and some might even call it one of the best Will Smith movies. But I, Robot was also a big deal for Firefly’s Alan Tudyk, as he voiced and performed the friendly robot Sonny through motion capture. And yet, it was apparently because of his amazing performance as a robot that Tudyk barely got any attention when I, Robot was making the press rounds.

Tudyk divulged this information while speaking with the title host of the Toon’d In with Jim Cummings podcast. Although he’s known for a variety of movies and TV shows, including, but not limited to, Frozen, Zootopia, Rogue One, Resident Alien, Creature Commandos and the 2025 movie release Superman, Tudyk told Cummings that he still runs into people who aren’t aware he was in I, Robot. That’s not simply because we don’t see his face during the movie, with the actor sharing:

That is seriously wild. Alan Tudyk did his best job playing Sonny, the NS-5 robot created by James Cromwell’s Dr. Alfred Lanning who was capable of feeling emotions and a key component in the mystery of Lanning’s death that Will Smith’s Detective Del Spooner was brought in to solve. And yet, when the time came to promote I, Robot, Tudyk was told that the fact he was testing higher than Smith during these early screenings was enough to push him out of the press tour and not have his name brought up.

It’s unclear if 20th Century Fox was behind this decision or if it originated from Will Smith or someone on his team, but either way, Alan Tudyk was understandably disappointed to be told this. He continued:

Motion capture performing was still in its relative infancy when Alan Tudyk was playing Sonny in I, Robot, with other notable examples from around that time including Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Mentioning Alan Tudyk, if not having him participate in the press tour, would have helped get this kind of unique performing on more people’s radars. Not to mention, Tudyk was an integral part of the cast just like Will Smith, James Cromwell, Bridget Moynahan and Bruce Greenwood, among others.

Obviously Alan Tudyk isn’t hurting for work these days, but the man deserves the recognition for all that effort he poured into bringing Sonny to life in I, Robot. The best we can do over two decades after its release is make sure those who are streaming I, Robot with a Hulu subscription or watching it some other way for the first time are aware of his contributions.

While we tend to look at box office records as a question of who can put up the biggest numbers, having the biggest movie of the year may be cold comfort if the rest of your slate of films bombs. Warner Bros. in 2025 actually has the highest-grossing (domestic) movie of the year, but even more importantly, it hasn’t seen a major flop in months.

Warner Bros. 2025 Domestic Box Office Has Been Incredibly Consistent

A look at this year’s domestic box office numbers to date (and summarized by DiscussingFilm) shows that WB has had six consecutive films open with a box office of at least $40 million. Weapons put up $42.5 million this past weekend as the sixth film in a row to do so, following Superman, F1, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Sinners, and A Minecraft Movie.

Two of those movies, Superman and Minecraft, had openings much better than $40 million. Both opened over $100 million domestically. Minecraft is currently the highest-grossing movie of the year domestically, just slightly ahead of Lilo & Stitch. However, the thing that stands out about the numbers is the number of original movies in that list.

WB’s Non-Franchise Movies Have Been Impressive

While half of the movies in WB’s streak are from existing franchises or IP, the other three are completely original concepts, and considering how many original movies have continued to struggle even compared to the rest of the theatrical slate. Sinners' box office success was an anomaly at the time, but now it's got company.

Even if the original movies aren’t doing quite as well as the franchises, the fact is that movies like Sinners and Weapons also don’t have budgets nearly as high as the major franchises, so they don’t need to be nearly as successful in order to be considered profitable in the eyes of the studio.

At a time when we’re seeing studios put all of their eggs in the basket of a few potential blockbusters, WB may have found a balance between the major tentpoles and the solid performers. It will be interesting to see if WB can keep the streak going. The studio has three more releases planned in 2025. One of them is an original, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another with Leonardo DiCaprio, and two are franchises, with The Conjuring: Last Rites and Mortal Kombat II.

Sylvester Stallone became one of the top draws in Hollywood in the ‘80s and ‘90s thanks to two major franchises, Rocky and Rambo. Both franchises have continued to serve the actor well into the modern era. However, Stallone had already said goodbye to the Rocky movies, and now it appears that we will have a new Rambo.

It had been previously rumored that there was interest in revitalizing the Rambo franchise via a prequel movie. It now appears that the project has taken a significant step forward. A screenplay written by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani is set to be directed by Sisu director Jalmari Helander. More importantly, the new John Rambo has been found in a Netflix heartthrob.

Noah Centineo Will Play A Young John Rambo

According to Deadline, Noah Centineo, known well to those with a Netflix subscription for romances like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, as well as more action-oriented series like The Recruit, is currently attached to take on the role of John Rambo. The new film is hoping to begin filming in early 2026 in Thailand, which will stand in for Vietnam.

The original John Rambo movie, titled First Blood, sees Rambo, dealing with PTSD following the Vietnam War and inadvertently crossing a small town sheriff, which leads to a standoff between the Green Beret and the local police. The new movie will tell the story, or at least part of the story, of Rambo’s time in Vietnam.

While First Blood was a more dramatic and complex story, each of the Rambo sequels that followed were more straightforward action movies. Stallone starred in the most recent entry in the franchise, the poorly-reviewed Rambo: Last Blood, in 2019. Despite the title, the movie left itself open to additional sequels.

Sylvester Stallone Reportedly Isn’t Involved In The New Film

According to the report, while Sylvester Stallone is aware of the project, he’s not involved in it in any way. It’s unclear if this is by choice or not. Stallone has indicated in the past that he doesn’t own any part of the Rocky franchise, a fact he’s unhappy about, and it appears that it directly contributed to his walking away following Creed III.

Stallone's lack of involvement is potentially interesting considering he has been one of the most vocal proponents of a Rambo prequel in recent years. Stallone himself had indicated he thought Ryan Gosling should lead future Rambo movies.

The marks the second major franchise opportunity for Noah Centineo coming up. He’ll also appear in the upcoming Street Fighter movie in the role of Ken. He had previously been attached to play He-Man in a live-action Masters of the Universe movie. That project ultimately fell through, but was later revived with Nicholas Galitzine in the lead. Ceninto also played Atom Smasher in Black Adam.

Originally, the highly anticipated Shrek 5 was set to be released on July 1, 2026, but it was later pushed to December 23 of that same year. According to Variety, though, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation have now pushed the animated flick again and, now, it’s set to hit cinemas on June 30, 2027. As of this writing, neither of the studios behind the fairy tale-infused film have given an official reason as to why it’s been delayed.

With its December release, the Walt Dohrn and Conrad Vernon-helmed animated movie would’ve opened less than two weeks after Avengers: Doomsday. That Marvel Studios flick is opening on December 18, 2026. So to say that the latest Shrek film was going to be released in the shadow of another cinematic giant would be a massive understatement. While the Mike Myers-led flick now has some breathing room, its new date puts it less than a week out from Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’s June 25, 2027 date.

A number of upcoming superhero movies are currently on the docket, and that speaks to the tentpole-laden landscape in Hollywood. Comic book-based fare isn’t all I’m referring to either. Major animated IPs are also in play, and it’s not uncommon for them to be released during the summer or at the end of a calendar year. Case in point, Ice Age 6 is also set to be released in December 2026. Also, as a result of the big green ogre’s flick being shifted, Universal moved up an Illumination film that was originally set to open in June 2027.

The field may be packed, but Shrek 5 is still a powerful title in and of itself, and it has sparked plenty of conversations over the past year. A first look at the movie was released this past February and, while it was met with some positive responses, others expressed disappointment. What seemed to rub some longtime fans the wrong way were the updated designs for the characters, such as Fiona and Donkey. Despite the uproar, some people are of the belief that fans are overreacting.

Plot details on the fantastical romp have been locked up tighter than Old Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard. What is known is that Mike Meyers will be joined by returning cast members like Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy. Also, Zendaya is joining the cast as Shrek and Fiona’s now-young adult daughter, Felicia.

What shouldn’t be surmised from his latest delay is that Universal no longer has faith in one of its most storied IPs. In fact, it was recently revealed that a film centered on Eddie Murphy’s Donkey had been greenlit. I remain curious as to what lies ahead in the upcoming fifth film in the main series of the animated franchise And, of course, I’m already curious as to how it’ll fare at the box office due to being released so close to Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

The first three films in the Shrek franchise are currently available to stream with a Peacock subscription. As for the fourth film, that can be accessed with the use of an HBO Max subscription.

Miss Congeniality is one of the best romantic comedies of the early aughts, and is currently streaming with a Paramount+ subscription. In a recent interview with Variety, Jackman spoke about auditioning for the project pre-X-Men, and struggling to keep up with Sandra Bullock during his audition for the role of FBI Agent Eric Matthews. In his words:

What a bummer. Jackman was still early in his career, so perhaps this specific audition was a learning experience for him. That, or it proved just how great of an actress Bullock is. Either way, it's an experience that the 56 year-old actor remembers all these years later.

While I have to assume that Jackman rarely auditions nowadays, especially after his acclaimed roles projects like Christopher Nolan's The Prestige as well as his Oscar-nominated performance in Les Miserables. Later in the same interview, he spoke about how it felt to lose out the role to Miss Congeniality. He said:

I wonder why Jackman's agent didn't want him to land the role of Matthews in Miss Congeniality. Perhaps they didn't realize how much of a success the comedy would ultimately be. It's arguably one of Bullock's most iconic projects of all time.

Fans of 2000 comedy will remember that this specific role ultimately went to actor Benjamin Bratt. Long before replacing Jimmy Smits in Star Wars, he played hunky leading man Eric Matthew and had great chemistry with Sandra Bullock. Although now I have to wonder what the movie would have been like if Hugh Jackman was the one who played the charming FBI agent.

X-Men was also released in the same year, and catapulted the 56 year-old into superstardom. Although now I want to see him and Bullock paired in a movie all these years later. Make it happen, people!

Miss Congeniality is streaming on Paramount+, and both Hugh Jackman and Sandra Bullock continue to have thriving careers. They've both got projects coming up on the 2026 movie release list and beyond, but nothing together just yet.

As write-ups and recaps of Freakier Friday continue to roll in, CinemaBlend's positive review included, Curtis took to Instagram to thank moviegoers. Specifically, she highlighted the crowds of women who showed up for their opening weekend to make it hit #1. Along with it, she thanked and recognized fitting a movie into a busy schedule is no easy feat. Paired with her sentiments about the "cinematic comfort food" is a picture of her and Lohan beachside, check it out below:

Leave it to the iconic scream queen to be this grounded, appreciative and quick to publicly and personally thank the flick’s fans. Though I believe the second that it was announced that plenty of the OGs were returning for Freakier Friday beyond her and The Parent Trap star, she knew what they were in for. Still, the onscreen reunion, the new film and its success feels wildly deserved. (Full disclosure, this praise is coming from a die-hard JLC and Lohan fan.)

Of course, the freaquel’s stans were celebrating and praising the news alongside the movie’s A-lister vet. The comment section ranged from hyping the news of the comedy’s top spot to enjoying the continuation of the Disney body swapping story with loved ones. Here are just a few of the sweet responses from JLC’s IG post:

• YES 👏 YOU 👏 ARE!👏- erin.gallag.her
• Yes! 🙌 Mom and I had a blast and made a day of it! 💖- lulahandbags
• Of course! Wouldn’t have missed it! You made our hearts FULL and gave us the best sequel ever! Loved it! 🥰- janna035
• Saw it with my mum on Friday! We both adored it! - emma_ohara_77
• My 32 yr old daughter and I saw it together. We both laughed so much! Fantastic movie! 💜💚 - dedrarinehart

You can’t help but feel the admiration among those who’ve already watched Freakier Friday, and of course Curtis’ love for the fans. Really though, the film seems to stand on its own independent of the 2003 staple. Its Rotten Tomatoes score is still well above average and, for the most part, any true female forward movie a la Barbie seems to fare well at the box office. Not to mention the blockbuster’s appeal to a Gen Z crowd didn’t hurt its success.

What I think really sold this August hit, and why Curtis is on IG thanking fans, is how much thought and fun was embedded into the Freaky Friday sequel (catch the original with your Disney+ subscription). The intentional sprinkling of Freakier Friday and Lohan callbacks feel like the tip of the iceberg of how much love the cast and crew put into this new freaquel.

As Star Magazine reports, Lopez is allegedly spending a small fortune on an elite glam squad who follow her around virtually 24/7. While she’s “always” had a hairstylist on hand for major red carpet appearances to tame every stray hair, a source tells Star she now keeps that role filled far more often. And hair is just the start. According to an unnamed source:

The insider says the singer-turned-actress’s team also includes a facialist, masseuse, and personal trainers, all of whom are allegedly “so close to her” they’re like family. Every morning reportedly starts with a full-body lymphatic drainage massage, followed by a daily facial treatment. The source continued:

Trainers are reportedly “a key part” of Lopez’s team, helping her squeeze in multiple workouts a day around her crazy schedule. If you think her crew is cutting corners, think again. Word is, her glam squad is “at the top of their game” and charges high hourly rates. It totally makes sense, though, since they’re on call day and night. The source added:

That kind of access doesn’t come cheap. The insider estimates Lopez spends over $2 million a year on her beauty team, though, with an alleged $40 million in annual earnings, it’s said to be barely a blip on her balance sheet. Plus, as the source notes, it can be considered a business expense.

All of this comes as Lopez continues her Up All Night Tour, where she’s been making headlines for more than just her stage looks. At the Lucca Summer Festival in Italy last month, Star previously reported she teased the crowd about feeling “naughty” and liking it “hard” in the bedroom — a moment that immediately lit up social media.

She’s also been drawing speculation with lyrics that seem to hint at her split from ex-husband Ben Affleck, 52. But according to a source close to the former Batman, Affleck isn’t letting it faze him.

JLo isn’t slowing down anytime soon, with several big-screen projects on the horizon — and one in particular has “must-see” written all over it. In Kiss of the Spider Woman, the former American Idol judge steps into the title role of a stylish musical thriller that’s already turning heads. Hitting the 2025 movie release schedule, the film centers on two prisoners whose bond deepens as they recount the story of a silver screen diva famed for playing a Spider Woman who can kill with a kiss. Judging by the first Spider Woman trailer, the Hustlers star might just be serving up one of the most transformative, and potentially Oscar-worthy, performances of her career.

On stage, in her music, or her meticulously curated appearance, J.Lo’s commitment to keeping every detail flawless remains as headline-worthy as ever — and if the Star report is accurate, she’s got the around-the-clock glam squad (and the budget) to make it happen.

Despite being one of the planet’s most recognizable and beloved celebrities, Aniston hasn’t ever fully embraced the limelight in the way that others have, as she doesn’t view fame as being as vital a part of life as friendship, telling Vanity Fair that when she was in her 20s, she began joining women’s circles with her female companions, which had quite an effect. In her words:

Both Aniston and Bullock talked about their burgeoning friendship that started at some point around 2010 when they met during a mutual friend’s wedding. In this case, “met” means downed a bunch of shots with, and it was apparently such a positive experience that they’ve remained friends ever since, despite waking up the next day still feeling the alcohol. As Bullock put it:

Despite any such industry perceptions, Bullock and Aniston bonded over a shared love of many things, including practical jokes and interior design. Bullock also gives Aniston lots of love and credit for being so open and inviting, and her willingness to let others into her life.

The two mega-stars also happened to both date Friends co-star Tate Donovan, which is also something of a throughline in Aniston's relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow.

Well, not directly involving Tate Donovan, but rather someone else who did also appear on Friends: Brad Pitt, the famed ex-hubby of both Paltrow and Aniston.

They first met when the latter's TV co-star David Schwimmer was filming the 1996 comedy The Pallbearer, and Jennifer Aniston noted that she "went to her and Brad's engagement party." But while Pitt is no longer romantically involved with either of them (and has completely different former marriage issues), the two women are still as close as ever.

When asked if they ever talk about the Se7en star, Aniston responded gamely with:

However, she also pointed out that their discussions revolve around far more than just past relationships with A+ stars. They're also quick to get tips from each other. As she put it:

If only we could all be the kind of friend that Jennifer Aniston is to her nearest and dearest, hanging out on vacation and during her Sunday night all-star dinners. Which is to say, someone should get my name on that invite list, even if it requires an elaborate false persona.

Meanwhile, on the TV side of things, The Morning Show Season 4 will debut on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, September 17.

Being a celebrity is a tricky thing, and can often be a double-edged sword. Because while it offers cool opportunities and fame, it also makes one's personal life into a very public manner. Recording artist Machine Gun Kelly and actress Sydney Sweeney both this all too well, as they're constantly making headlines, for both their actual relationships and rumored ones. MGK was recently asked about chatter that he's seeing the Euphoria actress, and had an very on brand response.

Back in March Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly welcomed their baby into the world, and they've spent months coparenting. And after Sydney Sweeney and her fiancé broke up, some fans think that she and MGK are a thing... especially after being photographed partying back in May. While appearing on Watch What Happens Live! (which is streaming with a Peacock subscription), he was asked by a viewer named Kyle if the rumors were true. He responded bluntly, offering:

Well, that was certainly honest. Per the Grammy-nominated rock star, nothing is going on between him and Sydney Sweeney. Host Andy Cohen cracked up at his delivery, which stands apart from the way most of his guests respond to fan questions. Hey, he's an original.

Of course, both MGK and Sweeney are likely used to rumors about their personal lives at this point. For instance, there was chatter Machine Gun Kelly was having an affair with a guitarist back when he and Fox's first went through their relationship issues. You can check out his quick response to that question below, courtesy of WWHL's Instagram:

As for the Madame Web actress, she's also been the subject of plenty of rumors throughout the years. Most notably chatter that Sweeney and Glen Powell were having an affair while filming their romantic comedy Anyone But You. Although after it was released, Powell admitted they played it up in order to help bring more press to the movie. The movie was a success, and Sweeney ended up going through her own break up years later.

While he's denied these rumors, the public continues to be invested in the personal lives of both MGK and Sweeney. The recording artist's former relationship made countless headlines, thanks to the unconventional way they expressed affection for each other. That includes Fox admitting they drank each other's blood. So when they had issues and eventually split up for good, there were plenty of people out there paying attention. As for Sweeney, folks are eager to see who she might pair with now that she's single.

Both Sydney Sweeney and Machine Gun Kelly have a number of projects coming up on the 2025 movie release list and beyond. And MGK's new album lost americana is out now.

Some may think that Eminem having a documentary on the roster of 2025 movies is either weird, or a sign that some of us fans are getting old. In either case, the Stans trailer may have stirred up some feelings, as the man also known as Marshall Mathers is about to speak candidly soon enough, and in a theater near you. What’s even more wild though is that in a tip of the hat to his own iconography, there’s going to be a popcorn bucket for the upcoming film that’s absolutely on brand; and it could be yours for free.

The good news is that if you want to grab this Stans concession collectible, you don’t have to do anything but buy a ticket. However, the bad news is that it’s one of those “while supplies last” deals; with no set cap on what to expect. Even with those caveats in mind, though, it's hard not to admit that the finished product below is pretty in line with what you’d expect from Eminem:

Just imagine one of those pill bottle buckets, proudly displayed in-between The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Galactus bucket and The Naked Gun’s beaver-iffic collectible at your local theater. It’s a visual that shows just how broad the spectrum of movies (and merch) can be in the tail end of the summer movie season. Of course, we need to drill down a little to get to the Eminem of this Stans collector’s item; which is also quite the clever twist.

On the surface, the bucket’s prescription bottle appearance feels like a nod to 2009’s Relapse. That album had its own pharmacological aesthetic, with the track listing looking like the paperwork you’d get with a prescription.

As for patient “Stanley Mitchell” and the advice to “remember, it’s not so bad,” that all comes from The Marshall Mathers LP’s classic single that gave Stans, and the fans it describes, that very name. That fact, and the impact it has on this project, is totally felt through the trailer - which you can see below:

Even wilder than the popcorn bucket, though, is the fact that it's been 25 years since “Stan” openly talked about obsessive fandom, giving the world a new name to something we used to call devotion like “Beatlemania.” It’s even weirder to think that Eminem will be returning to the big screen as a lead (of sorts) for the first time since 2002’s 8 Mile.

Only this time, the story the Grammy winner is sharing isn’t semi-autobiographical. It's an unvarnished truth. Learning that director Steven Leckart came across some wild Stans fan stories during the making of this documentary is about as surprising as finding out that there are Eminem/Happy Gilmore 2 outtakes which are "unusable" in a PG-13 film.

The tales told in this doc are probably what will be the true shockers, and you can experience those stories for yourself right now. Stans’ limited theatrical run continues through this Thursday, so be sure to check your local listings before heading out. Best of luck to those of you who’ve just learned of this popcorn bucket and want to make it a part of your collection at home!

On the July 28 episode of his Armie HammerTime podcast, the actor chatted with his assistant and cohost, Ashton Ramsey, about the “most trouble” he’d ever gotten into on a set. As Ramsey put it:

Ramsey teed up the story by calling it “the most trouble that you ever got into,” recalling that The Social Network actor had essentially gotten Depp “super stoned” before the day’s interviews. The Call Me By Your Name star said the incident had immediate consequences:

Hammer didn’t elaborate on how Depp reacted in the moment, but it’s not hard to imagine the studio wanting its leads alert and ready for hours of repetitive press questions.

The 38-year-old The Man from U.N.C.L.E. actor didn’t name the project outright, but the timing — along with multiple mentions of working with Depp during the same conversation — strongly suggests he was referring to 2013’s The Lone Ranger, available to stream with a Disney+ subscription. In that film, he and the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory star shared top billing, and the Crisis actor recalled that during that period he was “smoking upwards of 15 to 20 joints a day” and often tried to get others just as high:

This isn’t the first eyebrow-raising headline for Armie Hammer, who’s weathered everything from highly controversial allegations — including claims of cannibalistic fantasies — to sexual assault accusations. However, those specific claims never led to legal action. He’s spoken openly about the heightened cannibal rumors, as well as revealing painful experiences with childhood sexual abuse and a past suicide attempt. These days, the Los Angeles-born performer says he can look back on that turbulent chapter with a bit more humor. And while the controversy left a lasting mark on his career, 2024 saw him start easing back into acting, with a new Western set to release later this year.

Whether or not The Lone Ranger press team truly had to keep its two stars on opposite sides of the junket schedule forever, the story now lives on as one of those only-in-Hollywood anecdotes, part cautionary tale, part comedy. It’s a reminder that even the most carefully managed movie campaigns can go sideways when off-screen chemistry turns into off-script behavior.

Armie Hammer’s first big-screen role post-controversy, Frontier Crucible with William H. Macy, does not yet have a set release date, but it wrapped in January, so it's safe to say that if it doesn't land this year, the 2026 movie schedule is a pretty safe bet.

I know that I’m in the minority here, but Batman Forever has always been one of my favorite superhero movies. Sure, it always ends up near the bottom of the live-action Batman movie rankings, is campy, and is remembered more for its on-set beefs and that iconic Seal song than progression of the Caped Crusader’s story, but I’ve always had a soft spot for it. There’s just something I love about the campiness, the eccentric production design, and that wild version of the Batmobile.

Recently, I found out about a new Batman Forever Batmobile LEGO set that captures the flashy, sleek, and eye-popping look of Val Kilmer’s whip, and you know, I think it was made just for me. As someone who loves spending hours putting together the latest and greatest pop culture sets with my kids, this 900-piece nostalgia-inducing throwback is making me want to yell: I'm Batman!

This Batmobile Lego Set Is Giving Me Some Serious Nostalgia

I saw Batman Forever in theaters the summer between first and second grade, and I couldn’t get enough of the movie. I had so many of the toys (including the original Batmobile), that terrible video game adaptation on Sega Genesis, and even had my grandparents buy me a VHS copy when they watched me one weekend. It’s safe to say that I have a lot of nostalgia for the movie that was so ahead of the curve.

Though I can’t go back to being seven years old, this LEGO set is bringing me back! The way this 909-piece recreation channels the style, sensibilities, and design of Joel Schumacher’s first Batman movie is something else. And since I'm no longer in a spot where I have to beg my parents (or grandparents), I'm going to have to snag this.

It's Sleek, It's Flashy, And It Looks Like It's Right Out Of Batman Forever

I mean, just look at this outrageous set. The way the blue light pours out from under the front and from behind the wheels, the bat accents, and the ribbing along the sides make this a remarkable recreation of the iconic ride. Just like all of Batman’s epic entrances from over the years, the thought of gazing over this set just sitting on the bookshelf across from my desk has me bouncing around like Jim Carrey’s Riddler.

Though the minifig that comes included in the set looks more like something out of the LEGO Batman Movie than the late Val Kilmer, it still looks pretty awesome. If worst comes to worst, I could always swap in my Dick Grayson minifig and recreate that outrageous scene where he tries to act like Batman and fights those goons covered in glow-in-the-dark paint.

I May Have To Rob Gotham Bank To Buy It, But This Upcoming Arkham Asylum Also Has My Attention

People are quick to point out all of Batman Forever’s flaws, but there were also some great things about the 1995 movie, including a brief glimpse into the world of Arkham Asylum. The iconic hospital for the criminally insane has been a major part of Batman’s universe over the years, and so it was cool to see it show up on screen all those years ago. What’s even cooler is the new Arkham LEGO set that’s about to come out in September 2025.

In order to get this on my shelf, I’ll probably have to resort to robbing Gotham Bank in order to buy this 2953-piece set, but I think it’d be well worth it. This thing is MASSIVE, includes exterior playsets, interiors, and most of Batman’s most legendary foes, and I need it!

I know I said I was above begging for expensive LEGO sets now that I'm an adult with kids of my own, but Mom and Dad, if you're reading this, you know what to get me for Christmas this year.

If you had told me five years ago that Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley would be madly in love and married, I would have thought that to be so bizarre. While the high-status couple might seem like a random pairing, The Substance actress recently detailed how the two met and when she knew the Bleachers frontman was the one for her, and somehow Adam Sandler is involved.

Both the Maid star and the “Tiny Moves” singer have had extremely busy years, with Qualley filming four upcoming projects for the 2025 movie schedule, and Antonoff’s band releasing their self-titled album and a revamped version of their first studio album called A Stranger Desired. Despite crazy chaotic schedules, the Poor Things actress tells Cosmopolitan she’s never felt less alone being married to New Jersey’s finest New Yorker:

Antonoff is certainly very protective of Qualley in a very sweet way. The Folklore producer is not a very intimidating guy with his thick-rimmed circular glasses and everyday soft-hipster style, but he made sure all the fans of his partner knew he could and would indeed fight for his wife in an interview on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon:

There’s no doubt, though, he’s a lover boy at heart (who just doesn’t play when it comes to his girl), if his signature romanticizing synth lyrics are any indication. So it checks out that Qualley would compare him to my favorite rom-com leading man, Adam Sandler.

I honestly love that Adam Sandler was Qualley’s first crush, and I can’t blame her. After also growing up on Adam Sandler’s best rom-coms like 50 First Dates and The Wedding Singer, it’s hard not to be charmed by the SNL legend.

The Lana Del Rey producer seems to feel the same way as his wife, and he’s made it clear he will do anything for her, even help her work with her longtime celebrity crush. When Antonoff heard there was going to be a Happy Gilmore sequel, he straight-up lied to the Grown Ups actor to get her the part, saying she knew how to golf.

Well, she must have learned quickly because out of all the many cameos in Happy Gilmore 2, Qualley managed to snag a role as one of the golfers partnered with Happy on the course. Antonoff’s bestie and frequent collaborator, Taylor Swift, also had her significant other, Travis Kelce, featured in the highly anticipated golf comedy.

Sounds like the premiere was just another get-together among famous friends, but man, what I would have given to attend. You can check out Qualley living out her childhood dreams alongside Sandler in Happy Gilmore 2 now with a Netflix subscription.

However, though I’m extremely excited to dive back into the world of this mammoth social media company and all its big controversies, I am also a little worried about the movie that seems like it won’t see the return of its original cast or director, David Fincher. Here are a few thoughts I have about The Social Network Part II.

Nothing Against Aaron Sorkin As A Director, But I Don't Think It'll Match What David Fincher Did

Don’t get me wrong, I think that Aaron Sorkin is one of the greatest screenwriters, playwrights, and TV creators of the past 25-30 years (and possibly of all time). I consider The West Wing and The Newsroom two of the best TV shows of all time, his plays like A Few Good Men and To Kill a Mockingbird (his adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel is outstanding) are in a league of their own, and his movies like The Social Network and Moneyball show off his incredible skill as a writer.

However, he’s no David Fincher when it comes to directing. Yeah, there are few that come close to touching Fincher, at least when discussing living filmmakers, but the acclaimed director, with his signature style, made The Social Network into a damn-near perfect film. That said, I have faith in Sorkin as a filmmaker, but I really hope that the nuance and punchiness of Fincher’s 2010 directorial effort isn’t lost with someone else sitting behind the camera. We shall see…

However, I Am Excited To See How Sorkin Approaches Facebook From A Different Angle

Though the last courtroom scene in Trial of the Chicago 7 was a little cheesy, Sorkin has shown us over the years that he’s more than competent as a director, especially in detail-oriented films with a lot of moving parts. So, I’m excited to see what he does with a movie that takes a deep dive into the complexities of a social media platform like Facebook and a CEO like Mark Zuckerberg.

One thing that has me excited about The Social Network Part II is that, according to Deadline, the sequel will take a different approach to Facebook and will instead be on the outside looking in opposed to focusing on its creation and early days. When covering the film in June 2025, the outlet reported that it will explore the story behind Jeff Horowitz’s articles titled “The Facebook Files,” which were first published by the Wall Street Journal in October 2021. The bombshell report exposed all kinds of stories from the inner workings of Facebook at the time, as well as all the harms caused by the company on a global scale. This makes it seem like Zuckerberg won’t be the lens through which we see the story unfold, which is really promising.

It Doesn't Sound Like Jesse Eisenberg Is Coming Back, But His Rumored Replacement Is Promising

The Social Network was a Best Picture loser that should have won, and its star, Jesse Eisenberg, should have taken home the Best Actor Oscar at the Academy Awards way back when. However, it sounds like Eisenberg won't get a chance to play Zuckerberg and get an Oscar nom this time around, as the role is reportedly being recast. That said, the name that keeps coming up has me a little more intrigued about the upcoming sequel.

In July 2025, Variety reported that Oscar nominee and Primetime Emmy Award-winning actor Jeremy Strong was being eyed to play Zuckerberg in the sequel. Over the years, Strong has proven that he’s more than capable of handling intense and powerful figures, whether it’s his take on Kendall Roy on HBO’s Succession or Donald Trump’s mentor Roy Cohn in The Apprentice. If the Facebook founder is going to be presented in not the best light and not really be the protagonist, then I think Strong is a perfect choice for the part, even if I’m bummed this might mean we won’t see Eisenberg play Zuckerberg again.

I'm Also Curious To See How Mikey Madison And Jeremy Allen White Do In This

Scott Cooper’s Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere may not be the only place we see Jeremy Strong and Jeremy Allen White, as the two could be sharing the screen again soon after the upcoming music biopic lands on the big screen. In July 2025, Deadline reported that the Emmy-winning star of The Bear was being eyed for a role along with Oscar-winning actress Mikey Madison, who is coming off a career-defining role in Anora.

Though their characters’ identities have not yet been confirmed, the outlet reported that these two up-and-coming actors were Sorkin’s picks for The Social Network Part II. There could be a situation where White stands in for Jeff Horowitz at the Wall Street Journal, with Madison taking on the role of a Facebook whistleblower, which could add another dynamic to the movie.

What's The Over/Under Going To Be On 'Walk And Talks' In The Social Network Part II

Every writer, director, and producer has their own signature touch that they insert in all of their movies, shows, and other programs. That’s more true for Aaron Sorkin than pretty much everyone else, specifically when it comes to his “walk and talks:” scenes where people have intense conversations while walking through the White House in The West Wing, a TV studio in The Newsroom, or the bowels of the Oakland Coliseum in Moneyball.

One thing I want to know, and I guess I need to check with some oddsmakers for this, is what the over/under will be for “walk and talks” here. Depending on the runtime, we could see at least four or five of these scenes, but I’m willing to take the over.

Though I have some concerns, am apprehensive about a few things, and don’t know what to expect, I’m extremely excited for The Social Network Part II, and I can’t wait to see how this shakes out.

Talking with EW, Davidson pointed out that childhood tragedies and teenage SNL debuts served as a source of bonding for him and Eddie Murphy when The Pickup’s wheels started turning. To the point where the younger comedian can now look to the Beverly Hills Cop star for sage mentoring, similar to the relationship he has with Adam Sandler, with Davidson saying he talks to “Uncle Adam” on a weekly basis. He reflected on why both icons advice is so vital for him at this point in life, saying:

When it comes to specifics, Davidson said Adam Sandler is a strong proponent of the notion that actors should never read the reviews for their movies, while Eddie Murphy was quick to advise the Bupkis vet to keep himself clean. In his words:

Pete Davidson has been candid and vocal about his struggles with substance abuse, and is therefore all the more observant when it comes to working with actors whose careers have lasted decades without them ever being known for getting shitfaced. So for the younger comic, seeing two of his idols working at the tops of their respective games is as inspirational as anything to keep his head on straight and in the game.

Clarifying that neither Sandler nor Murphy actually sat him down for an intervention or anything so dramatic, Davidson said the way they live their lives was inspiring enough even without the wise words.

One doesn't need to be an actor, a comedian, a parent-to-be, etc. to appreciate the general notion that jobs can be fleeting, while family and friends are forever. Even if one's life is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Pete Davidson's success, that mindset can still be extremely valuable.

Though audiences' armored truck mileage may vary, The Pickup is available to stream now with an Amazon Prime subscription.

The three movie stars recently all hung out together while on vacation in beautiful Colorado (and I have to assume my non-existent invite got lost in the mail). In a slideshow posted to Instagram by the Bride Wars actress, Hudson, her mother Goldie Hawn, and Johnson can be seen cozied up together, with Hudson’s daughter snuggled in the Materialist’s stars lap. Check out all of the sweet photos below:

The lighting is dim, and everyone is smiling. I can just imagine the girl talk between these three is potentially the best ever. I’m so glad the newly single Johnson decided to join this family vacay, after her split from fiancé, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. The two officially called it quits after 8 years together on and off, and I can't imagine a better way to relax now than with a mountain escape with friends.

Personally, I'd love to know what Dakota Johnson thinks about the viral Coldplay concert cheating scandal,. If that did come up during the trip, though, I'd imagine the famous mother daughter duo would be air-tight confidants.

In short, though, Kate Hudson's photos paint a picture of a truly epic trip. The Instagram post shows Hudson riding on a mountain bike, traveling by horseback and soaking up the sun among stunning fields of wildflowers and the mountainscape. They say the secret to remaining young is self-care and staying active and, if that’s the case, the How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days star might live forever.

Also, if Dakota Johnson seems like a random addition to this excursion, think again. The Fifty Shades Of Grey actress, similar to Hudson, comes from a long dynasty of actors. Both Johnson’s mother, Melanie Griffith, and Goldie Hawn were Hollywood "It Girls" between the ‘70s and ‘90s, with big movies such Working Girl and Private Benjamin, respectively. So it checks out that their wildly successful daughters would be good friends.

While I know they’re on vacation, I secretly hope they talked a little shop anyways. The Almost Famous actress is rom-com royalty, and I need her and Johnson to exchange notes now that the latter has the 2025 movie release Splitsville on the horizon.

Of course, I'm probably getting too ahead of myself when it comes to speculating about what Kate Hudson and Dakota Johnson talked about while on vacation with Goldie Hawn. What matters most is whether the group had a fun and safe time. I may or may not be feeling a touch of FOMO after seeing Hudson's photos but, quite frankly, I love to see a celebrity friendship like this one.

After being in hibernation for for nearly a decade and a half, Final Destination: Bloodlines brought back one of the greatest horror franchises of all time with yet another lesson about the consequences of cheating death. The 2025 movie, which has some of the franchise’s gnarliest and most intricate deaths, introduces and kills too many characters to count. There is one, however, whose death was so hilarious I kind of feel bad about it.

Before I get much further, I have to stress that, as a parent, I feel terrible about what I’m about to say, but I have to say it nonetheless. That said, that little brat in the movie’s insane opening sequence had it coming, both in the premonition and later in life.

Don't Judge Me, But The Penny Kid Deserved To Get Crushed By A Piano

As soon as that little kid (played by Noah Bromley), later revealed to be Alfred Milano, was introduced in Final Destination: Bloodlines, I thought to myself, “surely, they’re not going to kill a kid here.” However, as the scene went on and I saw just how much of a shit the kid was being to everyone at the Sky View, I wanted to see this little brat with that shit-eating smirk get taken out by death in spectacular fashion.

Again, as a parent I feel bad saying this, but seeing the troublemaker have his comeuppance by getting crushed by a piano near the end of the opening disaster cracked me up more than anything else in this movie. It was so well deserved and pulled off remarkably. I didn’t catch Bloodlines on the big screen (I’m kicking myself for that one), but I am willing to bet that moviegoers around the country were also laughing hysterically in this crushing moment. Basically, this wasn’t one of those movie deaths that broke our hearts.

Though He Survived The Disaster In Real Life, Death Has A Funny Way Of Getting Even

Shortly after the penny kid gets his in the opening scene, it’s revealed that it was the franchise’s latest mysterious premonition sequence that was all a psychic vision of Iris Campbell (Brec Bassinger), the grandmother of the movie’s protagonist Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana). As is the case in other entries in the franchise, Iris saved countless lives that day back in 1969, but as is also the case with the earlier movies, death came back for everyone who cheated it.

However, Death has a sense of humor in Bloodlines, as it is revealed later in the movie that the penny boy, whose name is Alfred Milano, ended up dying in a manner that was painfully similar to that premonition. In the sequence where Stefani puts up the newspaper clippings about the deaths of the Sky View survivors, it’s revealed that Alfred died after being hit by a piano-moving truck while trying to pickpocket someone. A fitting, and hilarious, way of going out, if I don’t say so myself.

Though his death isn’t shown on screen, and we’ll never know how it stacks up against the Final Destination franchise’s best kills, I’m sure it was as great as it sounds. Who knows, maybe with talk of a Bloodlines sequel, we’ll get to see it for ourselves.

The Mask remains one of Jim Carrey’s best movies, and one that made the actor a comedy staple to many fans during his prolific post-In Living Color run in the 1990s. As such, I still get a gross taste in my mouth knowing that its only live-action sequel was that Son of… debacle starring Jamie Kennedy. I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up too high here, but I love the eagerness Chuck Russell seemed to bring when answering Bleeding Cool’s question about his interest in making another Mask movie.

Addressing the tonal difference between his big-screen adaptation and its comic book source material, Russell says he’s game to bring these characters back, and doesn’t sound like he’d be opposed to darkening up the humor. In his words:

Horror fans like myself are likely aware that Chuck Russell's debut film was fan-favorite Freddy flick A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, which brought Heather Langenkamp's Nancy back. He also directed 1988's stellar The Blob remake, followed by The Mask and 1996's Ah-nold action flick Eraser. He also helped turn Dwayne Johnson into a movie star with 2002's Scorpion King. So there's no arguing that Russell has genre range (or that his self-scripted movies are usually better than others).

I would personally lo-o-ove to see a new Mask movie that ups the ante on the comic book's bloodier subject matter while still maintaining Jim Carrey's over-the-top performance. Even 30 years after the first movie was released, he's proven himself to still be capable of gonzo physical comedy, and is someone who can still make falling down hilarious every time.

So at this point, Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz AND Chuck Russell have all weighed in positively about making another movie about Stanley Ipkiss and his otherworldly mask. So the ball would appear to be in Warner Bros.' court as far as finding someone to write a proper follow-up that's actually worthy of everyone's time. Since that's the key element to getting Carrey to sign back up.

What Jim Carrey And Cameron Diaz Have Said About The Mask Returns

While promoting his return as Professor Robotnik for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in 2024, Carrey told ComicBook.com that it all comes down to the story, despite any jokes he makes about money being the key factor.

Cameron Diaz, who reversed her acting retirement for Netflix's Back in Action, shared her take on reuturning for another Mask movie earlier in 2025 that Jim Carrey's interest in going back to that world is all the impetus she would need to sign on, given that film was the one that turned her into a highly sought-after star. Here's how she put it:

I guess someone does need to ask the original mask if it would also be interested in returning. But even if it wants to be a diva and refuses to return, the props department can just create a new mask to replace it.

Why The Mask Movie Wasn't As Dark As The Comic Book

Coming off of two horror movies, Chuck Russell directing The Mask might have had fans thinking his adaptation would indeed be as dark and bloody as the comic. But as the finished product proved, it was far more of a family-friendly effort that toned down its criminal element in favor of more Looney Tunes-ish hijinks. To that end, Russell said he really wanted to lean into Carrey's rubber-faced talents.

Personally, I don't even need this hypothetical Mask sequel to have an extremely brilliant, Oscar-worthy script. I just want to see more reality-breaking CGI-silliness, regardless of how closely it hews to the character's sordid comic book tales. Just so long as showtime actually arrives at some point.

There was plenty of competition at the box office this weekend, as Weapons did battle with fellow new release Nisha Ganatra's Freakier Friday and holdover blockbusters including Matt Shakman's The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but audiences were hungry to get scared this weekend, and it led to big ticket sales numbers. You can check out the full Top 10 in the chart below and join me after for analysis.

Riding High On Great Buzz, Weapons Surpassed Expectations For Its Box Office Opening Weekend

In the past week, trades published predictions that said Weapons would make somewhere in the range of $25-30 million during its first weekend in theaters... and it's always a healthy sign for the industry when a particular title manages to exceed expectations. Zach Cregger's follow-up to Barbarian spent weeks developing hype, and the end result is that the feature has already made back its reported budget.

According to The Numbers, audiences have shown up in droves for Weapons since it arrived in cinemas at the end of last week, and it managed to bring in $42.5 million domestically – more than enough for it to secure first place at the box office. During a blockbuster major horror movies, it had the third best opening weekend for the genre, lagging just behind the arrivals of Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein's Final Destination: Bloodlines ($57 million) in May and Ryan Coogler's Sinners ($48 million) in April. Those two titles finished their respective theatrical runs making $285.3 million and $365.8 million, so one can definitely say the newest horror movie is in a good place at the start of its time on the big screen.

Of course, a major contributor to this success is all of the positive word of mouth that has surrounded the title in recent weeks. Audiences ended up loving the surprises of Barbarian (which shocked the world with its debut at number one at the box office in 2022), and excitement for the new Zach Cregger has built recently with overwhelmingly positive reviews and promises that the surprises packed in are even better than its predecessor (I was personally part of that wave with my five-star Weapons review for CinemaBlend). Movie-goers properly recognized it as a title to see as early as possible, and that has paid off in a major way.

In addition to getting an overwhelmingly acclaim from professional critics, Weapons is fortunately also getting a matching response from audiences. For example, the new release received an "A-" grade from CinemaScore surveys (which is lower than the "A" grade that Sinners got, but higher than the "B+" that Final Destination: Bloodlines got. If all goes according to plan, everyone who saw it and loved it over the past three days will tell all of their friends about it, and that will result in a minimal weekend-to-weekend drop when I'm reporting on box office results next Sunday.

Per Deadline, Weapons cost $38 million for New Line Cinema to make (that number including both the budget for the production and the cost for acquiring the script), and while there are still publicity and advertising costs to consider, the film is obviously in a very positive place financially right now. In addition to the $42.5 million earned domestically, it has also made $27.5 million from overseas markets thus far, which equates to a $70 million total after just three days. That's pretty damn impressive from a non-IP title, and it already puts it in the ranking of Top 35 highest grossing movies of the year.

How the industry will react to this will ultimately be fascinating, as Weapons was certainly not a guarantee to be a hit when one considers all of the factors that play into the market right now. Original horror is already in the midst of an awesome boom, and how this release raises the ceiling for the genre's perceived potential in the coming years will be fascinating to watch.

Freakier Friday Easily Lands In Second Place As The Fantastic Four: First Steps Takes Another Tough Tumble

The aforementioned Weapons, Final Destination: Bloodlines and Sinners are all Warner Bros. releases, and the studio's big year has further been bolstered by the box office numbers for Joseph Kosinski's F1 ($570.7 million globally to date )and James Gunn's Superman ($578.8 million so far). But not doing so hot recently are titles that have arrived from Disney – the big and obvious exception being Dean Fleisher Camp's Lilo & Stitch remake. The past three days extended that trend, as neither Freakier Friday nor The Fantastic Four: First Steps managed to have the weekends they were hoping for.

Going into the weekend, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that both Freakier Friday and Weapons were going to perform in the $25-30 million range, with the former tracking a bit ahead, but the horror title ended up trouncing the comedy sequel starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. The Disney title had to settle for a $29 million take and a second place finish for its opening weekend – which certainly isn't a disaster, but it also isn't ideal (per Variety, it was made with a $42 million budget)

That result is pretty mediocre, but it's a silver lining compared to what is currently happening with the new Fantastic Four movie. With its late July release date and August usually being a very slow month for blockbusters, the expectation going into this summer was that the Marvel Cinematic Universe title would dominate for the last month of the season, but that's definitely not happening. Despite getting good reviews and mostly positive responses from audiences, the ensemble feature starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach is fading quickly at the box office.

It suffered a devastating 67 percent weekend-to-weekend plummet last Sunday following its very successful opening weekend, and the distraction of both Weapons and Freakier Friday hasn't helped it. Ticket sales dropped another 60 percent compared to last weekend, and it only made $15.5 million over the last three days. That brings its domestic total to date up to $230.4 million, and it has made $434.2 million worldwide. It's far from a bomb, but definitely not the success that folks at Marvel Studios were hoping for.

How will the Top 10 change with the arrival of both Timo Tjahjanto's Nobody 2 and Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest on Friday? Be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend next Sunday for our analysis.

When it comes to the best Eddie Murphy movies, I wouldn’t criticize anyone who has a hard time picking their favorites. That includes the man who actually starred in the movie themselves. Murphy has amassed a vast body of work that includes films that span various genres. With that, the iconic entertainer was recently asked what four titles make up the “Mount Rushmore” of his movies. I think all of the titles Murphy named for that distinction are solid, but I honestly wasn’t expecting him to leave out one of his most popular flicks.

Eddie Murphy Picks Out The Four Movies That Best Sum Up His Career

Making this figurative “Murphy Monument” definitely isn’t an easy task, as evidenced by the star’s own difficulty laying out four titles during his interview on Complex’s 360 With Speedy. As a fan of Murphy myself, I found it really interesting seeing him somewhat struggle with putting together his Top 4. However, the Delirious performer was ultimately able to nail down his list, after making a quick switch. Check out the list below to see the four feature films Murphy ultimately chose to best represent his filmography:

• The Nutty Professor
• Shrek
• Coming to America
• Dreamgirls

Believe it or not, Dreamgirls almost didn’t make the cut. During the interview, which is on YouTube, Eddie Murphy decided to swap that one into the mix and take out 48 Hrs. As for why he made that change, Murphy provided the following explanation:

All in all, what we have here is a relatively varied lineup of Murphy-led flicks. Each one does represent a different facet of his repertoire. For instance, The Nutty Professor is a testament to the actor’s ability to mix comedy and drama, and Murphy has been saying for a while that he thinks the film includes his best performance as an actor. Shrek is also an excellent showcase of Murphy’s voice-acting abilities. Still, there’s one other title that I truly thought the Oscar nominee would’ve included.

Which Movie Was I Expecting (And Hoping) Eddie Murphy Would Add To His Top 4?

There are definitely plenty of films that could’ve landed that coveted fourth spot within the “Murphy Mount Rushmore.” However, there’s one specific movie that I initially thought would be an absolute shoo-in: Beverly Hills Cop (which Sylvester Stallone was originally going to lead). Martin Brest’s 1984 comedy sees Murphy take on the role of young Detroit cop Axel Foley, who travels to Beverly Hills in the hopes of finding his friend’s killer. The film not only bolstered the buddy cop genre as a whole and spawned a franchise, but it also arguably cemented Murphy’s status as a bonafide movie star.

Beverly Hills Cop is filled to the brim with funny scenes, from Axel’s hotel check-in to the wise-cracking policeman’s “super cops” speech. Eddie Murphy’s performance exudes an exuberance and charm that I’d argue even gives shades of Bugs Bunny in the best ways possible. All in all, the beloved action movie perfectly exemplifies Murphy’s comedic talents and, while I respect it not being in the actor’s Top 4, it’s still a somewhat tough pill for me to swallow.

I won’t get too dramatic, though, as BHC (which is available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription) definitely gets its flowers. While I’ve yet to plot out my own Murphy Mount Rushmore entirely, you better believe Axel Foley’s cinematic debut is on it. As fans think about their own lineups, they can also stream Murphy’s 2025 movie release, The Pickup, which is streamable with a Prime Video subscription.

The husband and wife duo are far from the first real-life couple to star in a horror movie together, and, because of the genuine onscreen chemistry they bring to the new 2025 movie, I sure hope they are not the last. In fact, let's begin my little breakdown of notable Hollywood power couples who made some great scary date movies over the years with the stars of Together.

Dave Franco And Alison Brie (Together)

Recent releases like the Oscar-winning The Substance and The Ugly Stepsister have paved the way for a golden era of body horror movies that continues with writer and director Michael Shanks' Together. The new horror movie stars the aforementioned Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Tim and Millie, who find themselves growing too close for comfort when a mysterious force causes them to be involuntarily bound by flesh.

Echoing Eric Eisenberg's Together review, Franco and Brie portray the troubling circumstances of their characters' relationship, even those existing before the supernatural starts to make things worse, so flawlessly that you can't help but wonder about the state of their actual marriage. Of course, by the end, it becomes clear they possess more than enough chemistry to make this bizarre and unsettling, but also funny and even heartwarming thriller a satisfying and touching experience.

John Krasinski And Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place)

I believe 2018's A Quiet Place boasts one of the most astonishingly unique concepts for an alien invasion movie I have ever seen: a world overrun with malevolent, non-seeing extra-terrestrials, forcing the remains of humanity to live in silence. However, I also believe the key to its unnerving effectiveness lies in the lead performances by John Krasinski (who also co-writes and directs) and Emily Blunt.

As Lee and Evelyn Abbott, the beloved power couple, who wed in 2010 and have since had two children, deliver a compelling and authentic sense of devotion to one another and desperation to protect their family at all costs. Had Krasinski not cast his own wife to play his onscreen partner, the film's man-versus-monster suspense could have easily lacked the breathless urgency that made it an instant sci-fi movie classic.

Jeff Goldblum And Geena Davis (The Fly)

Together is not the first body horror flick to star a real-life couple, but it might be the first to involve both romantic leads experiencing the same grotesque situation first-hand. In David Cronenberg's 1986 version of The Fly, Jeff Goldblum's Dr. Seth Brundle slowly becomes a half-human, half-insect hybrid while the love of his life, Ronnie Quaife (Geena Davis), only witnesses the dehumanizing process in shock and heartbreak.

Goldblum and Davis were engaged at the time they shot the revered horror movie remake, having actually met on the set of a 1985 horror-comedy movie called Transylvania 6-5000, and tied the knot the following year, only to split in 1990, according to People. Their genuine affection for each other, which appears to have survived their divorce, based on their 2024 SAG Awards appearance, explodes on the screen, cementing The Fly as one of horror's most unforgettable romantic tragedies.

David Arquette And Courtney Cox (The Scream Movies)

Watching the Scream movies in order is fascinating in the way the cleverly meta slasher franchise traces two notable timelines in pop culture. The subsequent films not only illustrate the modern evolution of the horror genre, but also that of the relationship between two of its most famous stars, David Arquette and Courteney Cox.

The Friends cast member, playing journalist Gale Weathers, and the Dewey Riley actor met on the set of the 1996 original, were dating while they shot the sequel (after some encouragement from Wes Craven), and were married during the third one, but had split before reprising their characters as husband and wife in 2011's Scream 4. However, Cox has since referred to Arquette as her "best friend "(according to People), and that shows in their willingness to reunite and play their roles as divorcees in 2022's Scream, which saw Dewey succumb to Ghostface's knife. However, Arquette has somehow been cast in Scream 7, so it looks like the reign of Dewey and Gale is, thankfully, not over just yet.

Freddie Prinze Jr. And Sarah Michelle Gellar (I Know What You Did Last Summer)

Scream is not the only '90s slasher movie favorite from which romance bloomed behind the scenes. In I Know What You Did Last Summer, Freddie Prinze Jr.'s Ray Bronson may have been dating Jennifer Love Hewitt's Julie James, but the actor really had his eye on their co-star, Sarah Michelle Gellar.

After falling in love on the set of the 1997 thriller, they would later wed in 2002, which is the same year they shared a kiss as Fred and Daphne in the first live-action Scooby-Doo movie. Since Gellar's Helen did not survive the first Summer, the couple was not able to reunite for the arguably more fun 1998 sequel, but she would make a surprise cameo in the 2025 reboot, achieved through a dream sequence, that also allowed her and Prinze the opportunity to have a fun family trip in Australia, where the legacyquel as filmed, as she shared with the country's iteration of Today.

Eli Roth And Lorenza Izzo (Aftershock)

Until their divorce in 2018 after four years of marriage, horror multi-hyphenate Eli Roth and actor and model Lorenza Izzo were one of the genre's top power couples, collaborating on projects like Netflix's Hemlock Grove, The Green Inferno, Knock Knock, and The House with a Clock in Its Walls. Their personal and professional relationship began with a disaster thriller from 2012 called Aftershock.

In addition to co-writing and producing the thriller from director Nicolás López, Roth stars alongside Izzo as survivors of a deadly earthquake in Chile struggling to make it out of the ruined city safely. The Chilean-born actor shared with WWD that she was cast in a leading role when Roth discovered she could speak English and, after spending the entire shoot together and boasting a chemistry that comes through effectively in the film, they became more than scene partners.

It is celebrity couples like these, in addition to the likes of Stranger Things' Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer, who prove to me that sometimes the key to a great horror movie, especially ones in which romance plays a pivotal role, is casting two people whose love offscreen is so strong, it's scary.

This version of Frankenstein sounds like it could truly stand apart from both highly faithful versions and from the more radical interpretations, thanks in large part to it coming from Romanian writer/director Radu Jude. The filmmaker is currently on the promotional trail for his latest feature, a nearly three-hour version of Dracula, where sucking on other body parts — wink, wink — is just as prominent as the expected neck-centric bloodletting. It already sounds like a Top 5 contender for most bonkers Dracula movies, so I’m hopeful Frankie enjoys a similarly big swing. (Here's one review that addresses the zaniness.)

Jude, who is perhaps best known for directing other 2021’s Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn and 2023’s Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, hails from Romania, the home country not just of Vlad Dracul, but also of Sebastian Stan. The duo apparently spoke previously about finding the right project to collaborate on, according to THR, and Jude revealed the project amidst his vampire film’s world premiere at the Lorcana Film Festival, saying:

Nothing too mysterious about that title as far as main characters and central locations go, and it doesn’t hint at anything too out of the ordinary. However, this dude doesn’t deliver by-the-books cinema, so expect some of the most darkly comedic and absurdist moments of any Frankenstein movie.

The storyline will reportedly mesh the traditional legend of the misunderstood behemoth with the true-to-life past existence of a hush-hush CIA prison that was located in Romania. Where is the story going to go from there? Will dead prisoners’ body parts be used to create the monster? Will Victor Frankenstein be a corrupt prison warden? How high up the black hat ladder does this operation go?

Stan, who’d relatively recently shaved his head for a new role, liked Jude’s pitch for the Frankenstein-centric story, and the director believes the actor will take on dual roles as both Victor Frankenstein and his makeshift monster. 2024’s A Different Man showed off Stan’s performance-shifting skills, as well as his ability to deliver a realistic performance beneath abundant prosthetics. So I’ve no doubt he’ll bring the goods no matter how many characters he plays.

It’s unclear if Frankenstein in Romania will be written and filmed in time for the 2026 movie schedule, as the director next aims to film a smaller-scale story about a Romanian woman who leaves her young daughter to work for a family in France.

But consider this: during the production of Dracula, Radu Jude and several of the horror film’s cast members simultaneously filmed Kontinental ‘25, a comedy-drama about his country’s housing crisis and middle-class struggles. That movie debuted earlier in 2025 at the Berlin Film Festival, where its screenplay won the Silver Bear.

With Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! also hitting theaters in 2026, I wonder how well that will work paired up with Frankenstein in Romania for an offbeat horror double-feature.

So, of course, when I had the chance to go to a screener to see Weapons, I had to take the opportunity. I’ll get into my praises about the film down below. Still, in reality, there’s one little element that really made it unforgettable – besides that vegetable-peeler scene that will make me never look at one the same again. Let’s get into it.

As Someone Who Loves Horror Movies, Weapons Stands Out

If you know me, you’d know I’m a huge horror movie fan. I love the best horror movies and have for years. I’ve talked at length about the best A24 horror movies, about how I have an intense adoration for the Halloween films, and everything else under the sun. So Weapons was going to be a clear-cut winner for me.

And it was, right from the beginning. The moment you sit down in this theater, you are driven straight into the story. Every Weapons trailer that you have seen, with those kids running so weird that even Josh Brolin was freaked out – you get all of that in the first few minutes. You are thrown right into the mystery, and it’s up to you, the audience, to look at the different POV’s that you are presented with in order to figure out what the heck is going on.

CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg commented that Weapons is one of the best horror movies yet for 2025, in a year where we have been graced with some epic horror films. And I can’t help but agree. As someone who prides herself on not getting scared or freaking out that often, this is one of those films that got me pretty intensely. But there’s one aspect that made it even better.

What Really Makes It Excellent Is Its Score

Ya’ll. The score of this film is killer. Literally.

Adding in some backstory here, I come from a musical family. My dad toured around the world in a band, and my mom worked at Radio City for more than a decade with musicians, so music is pretty much in my blood, and I’m the kind of person who will listen to a movie score and then download it the moment I leave the theater.

Horror has always been a place where I don’t usually think music shines. I believe that many horror films tend to use the typical suspenseful sounds that would make the audience jump in surprise. To me, only a few scores from horror films of the past have stood out.

Anything really by John Carpenter is a great example. The Halloween theme is iconic, and I’m pretty sure it just makes nonhuman Michael Myers that much creepier. I could also point to “Tubular Bells” from The Exorcist as an iconic piece of work.

Heck, even Sinners, composed by Ludwig Göransson, has some of the best music I have seen in a horror film. There was one moment where the music literally reminded me of why I loved movies in the first place. It takes an excellent horror movie to evoke a score that truly sets the tone, but is also something you would listen to just out of the blue.

Weapons hit that and more. It’s nerve-wracking, heartwrenching, but the best of all – it doesn’t try to be something it’s not. It’s actually better.

It's Not Like Any Other Horror Score Out There -- It's More Techno In Nature

The thing with the Weapons score is that it’s not really like most other scores out there. In fact, it’s almost…techno in nature.

Now, I don’t want you to think of the typical techno music out there because it’s not that. What I mean by techno is that the score doesn’t include any super intense violins or cellos or anything crazy that’s going to hurt your ears the moment those harsh strings are strummed.

What makes this score better is that it’s sort of a series of harsh thrums, as if they were made on a music machine, which they most likely were. They’re beats of music that might remind you of being in a club, but are composed so well that they don’t overtake the suspense of the scene.

And then, when it builds up to a moment where something big is going to happen, the beats get quicker and better, and you feel it. You feel it through your entire body, and it makes you shiver in anticipation and fear of what is going to happen. That kind of score is something that can’t be taught – it’s something you have to feel when making the movie and filming the scene, truly, and then you realize that’s the kind of music that you need.

The music itself was composed by Zach Cregger, as well as Ryan and Hays Holladay, and honestly, they did it in such a way that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to listen to music the same again. Sure, some pretty big moments of intensity are included in the soundtrack, but the main beats, those steadily increasing staccato feelings, are what really get you.

I Wish More Horror Movies Did Scores Like This, Where It's Not As Intense -- Just Suspenseful

Honestly, this is the kind of music that I’d love to see more of. I think when it comes to horror films, especially any upcoming horror movies over the next few years, accurately conveying horror and suspense through music is so important. It sets the scene. You can’t really be playing a love song at the same time someone is getting devoured.

The music in Weapons does it right. It’s not too complicated, it builds suspense in the best way, and it’s memorable. That is literally all you can ask nowadays in the world of horror. And I genuinely hope other horror movies move in that direction.

Weapons is out now in theaters, and I recommend seeing it. Trust me, you will never be the same – and yes, it is just as ‘messed up’ as critics have said, with a great soundtrack.