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When Clint Eastwood made a movie about the Iraq War, based on the life of the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history, it was bound to court controversy. 2014's "American Sniper" told the story of real-life Navy Seal Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper), who, after being deployed to Iraq, earns the nickname "Legend" for his elite sniping skills. Unfortunately, as the film shows, the enemy soon learns of the "legend" in their midst, which essentially places a big target on Kyle's back. 

Insurgents aren't the only challenge he faces. Throughout "American Sniper" we're shown Kyle's experiences in war alongside his life back in the US. His wife, Taya (Sienna Miller), and two children wait for their father to return even as he becomes increasingly focused on his life as a soldier.

The accuracy of "American Sniper" has been called into question,...

Try as you might, you can never stop the ticking of the clock. Because of this, it has now somehow been eight years since MCU star Tom Hiddleston got the closest he’ll ever get to playing James Bond in this critically acclaimed spy thriller series. Finally, after waiting almost a decade, the show has now taken a major step forward, with a second season now well into production.

The series is titled The Night Manager, and finds Hiddleston starring as Jonathan Pine, the night manager of a luxury hotel in Cairo and former British soldier. Taking pride in running the prestige hotel, Pine finds himself recruited by Angela Burr, the manager of a Foreign Office task force, and instructed to infiltrate the inner circle of arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). Now, Pine finds himself attempting to not only integrate himself into Roper's inner circle by becoming a felon himself,...

James Gunn’s Superman has officially arrived, marking not only a fresh reboot but also the first chapter of Gunn’s DC Universe. With David Corenswet donning the iconic cape, Rachel Brosnahan stepping into the role of Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult offering a fresh take on Lex Luthor, the film has drawn a wide range of reactions, mostly positive, from critics.

David Rooney at The Hollywood Reporter describes the film as “very much a comic-book action-adventure but one with a warm human heart.” He acknowledges some structural issues, writing, “Gunn’s screenplay can certainly be faulted for piling on too many elements, making it at times seem lumpy and overstuffed. But what matters most is that the movie is fun, pacy and enjoyable, a breath of fresh air sweetened by a deep affection for the material and boosted by a winning trio of leads.”

At Variety, Owen Gleiberman offers a slightly more measured take.

Are Emmy voters about to gorge themselves on The Gorge?

This week, the Apple TV+ project jumped past Netflix's Nonnas in Gold Derby's Emmy predictions to climb into the fifth spot for Best TV Movie. That's significant because the category will just have five nominees due to there only being 39 total submissions. The other four predicted nominees: Netflix's Rebel Ridge, Disney +'s Out of My Mind, Peacock's Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, and HBO's Mountainhead.

For those unfamiliar with The Gorge, Scott Derrickson's original sci-fi film stars Miles Teller as Levi Kane and Anya Taylor-Joy as Drasa, two elite snipers tasked with guarding opposite sides of a deep gorge, unaware of what mysteries lie below. Sigourney Weaver also stars as Bartholomew. Despite its middling 63 percent score at Rotten Tomatoes, TV critics hailed The Gorge for its successful mixing of genres, switching effortlessly between being an endearing romance and a high-octane thriller.

The Western isn't anywhere near as popular as it once was, but it's never truly disappeared altogether. In fact, in recent years, "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan has single-handedly fostered somewhat of a Western renaissance with his array of neo-Western TV shows. But even before "Yellowstone" became the massive hit it's known as today, studios continued to release the odd modern oater here and there, and some of them have been quite good.

Indeed, the 21st century boasts more than its share of great Western movies, with 2007 having marked the arrival of one of the finest revisionist Westerns ever in the form of "The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" ... though it only got greenlit because Warner Bros. execs thought they were getting a classic shoot-'em-up. Regardless, Andrew Dominik's haunting, elegiac deconstruction of Western tropes and the myth of celebrity was proof that the Western genre still...

Since its premiere in 2022, the dark comedy/ workplace drama The Bear has been a breath of fresh air. It swiftly became an awards darling, snagging no less than 21 Primetime Emmys for its first three seasons.

However, as much as the show continued to sweep all the major awards, Season 3 was not a fan favorite. The season had a Certified Fresh 89% approval from the critics, which was exciting, but only 51% from the audience. With The Bear returning with Season 4 on June 25, the comedy finally has the critics and the audience in agreement over the new entry on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Bear Season 4 debuted with a 91% critics score and 80% from audiences, way higher than the previous season, with both camps agreeing on positive scores. As more reviews came in, the scores have slightly changed. Season 4 holds a 77% score from the critics, which is the lowest in the series yet. However, it's still...

When it comes to Hollywood awards, it pays to be in the Caped Crusader's rogues gallery.

In 2008, Heath Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight. In 2019, Joaquin Phoenix did his own interpretation of the character in Joker, which also won him an Oscar. If Colin Farrell wins an Emmy this year for his performance as the title character in The Penguin, he'd be the third actor to have won a major peer group award for playing a Bat-villain.

Following the events of the 2022 feature film, The Batman, The Penguin miniseries explores Oz Cobb/the Penguin's rise to power in the criminal underworld of Gotham City. Earlier this year, Farrell managed to win the Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and Screen Actors Guild Awards for his portrayal. He's now eligible for an Emmy Award for the HBO show, and it would be the first of his career.

Christian Bale has starred in many heavy hitters. From playing Patrick Bateman in American Psycho to being Batman and even starring in several Academy Award-nominated films, he seems to have done it all. With all the success that he has seen across his four-decade-long career, he has many options when picking his favorite out of them.

While many would assume that it would be one of his many critically acclaimed films, it would seem that a lesser-known project stole his heart. In 2013, Bale starred in Out of the Furnace, which became one of his favorites. Unfortunately, it did not receive the same amount of affection from audiences.

Christian Bale was very proud of Out of the Furnace

Success appears to have followed Christian Bale throughout his career. His fourth acting credit in his entire career became an iconic film, and that paved a path straight to the A-list for the actor.

Adria Arjona just finished up an astonishing run on the second and final season of "Andor" as Bix Caleen, a black market dealer and mechanic who ends up in a romantic entanglement with Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) ... but if you want to check out another action-packed romance that stars Arjona, you should absolutely watch "Hit Man."

Richard Linklater's romantic caper released on Netflix in 2024 after the "Before" trilogy director penned the script with his star, Glen Powell. Not only is "Hit Man" a ton of fun, but it's also based (somewhat loosely) on the true story of a Houston college professor who helped the police ensnare anyone looking for a hitman by posing as one, making it even wilder. So, where does Arjona come in?

Powell leads the film as Gary Johnson, a psychology and philosophy professor at a university in New Orleans who, like the subject of Hollandsworth's article,...

The Night Manager Season 2 will feature a love triangle stage when the show comes back to the air in 2025. The British series initially wowed audiences in 2016 behind names like Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston. New episodes have been greenlit after a nearly decade-long wait, so the story can continue.

Diego Calva, who will star in The Night Manager Season 2, teased another love triangle plot point coming. Season 1 used the love triangle concept through most of its overarching narrative between Hugh Laurie's Richard Roper, Tom Hiddleston's Jonathan Pine, and Elizabeth Debicki's Jed Marshall. That plot device seems to be staying in place when the show returns for a new season.

Speaking exclusively with The Direct's Russ Milheim at SXSW while promoting On Swift Horses, Calva offered the love triangle information quickly while teasing what to expect from the new season:

Read full article on The Direct.

Many film fans and Hollywood peers have taken to social media to pay tribute to their favorite wingman. Val Kilmer is encapsulated in pop culture as Iceman from Top Gun, but his incredible body of work exceeded to some notable performances, which includes the monumental task of portraying Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors. Deadline reports that Nicolas Cage, who worked with Kilmer on Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, remembered him fondly and praised his turn in The Doors, “I always liked Val and am sad to hear of his passing. I thought he was a genius actor. I enjoyed working with him on Bad Lieutenant, and I admired his commitment and sense of humor. He should have won the Oscar for The Doors.”

Val would also hold his own up against Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in Heat. Director Michael Man would also pay tribute by saying,...

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As we previously reported, screen icon Val Kilmer has passed away.

The beloved star of modern classics like Top Gun, Tombstone, The Doors, and Heat was 65 years old.

He had been battling throat cancer for several years.

Few actors enjoyed as much cross-generational appeal as Kilmer, and he’d been a beloved figure among his Hollywood peers for over 40 years.

Val Kilmer has died at the age of 65. Rip. (Getty)

Now, as a final reminder of how highly his colleagues regarded him, numerous big-name celebs have taken to social media to pay tribute to this late legend.

“See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you,” friend and fellow actor Josh Brolin wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of him and Val.

“You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There’s not a lot left of those.

“I hope to see you up there in the...

Val Kilmer's death at the age of 65 has been met with an outpouring of love and heartfelt tributes across social media from devoted fans of the prolific actor and his vast body of work. The star, famed for his versatile roles in the likes of Batman Forever, Top Gun, and Heat, among many, many others, died on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, from pneumonia. In the hours that followed the announcement, movie enthusiasts came together online to mourn the loss of a Hollywood great and remember some of his most iconic cinematic performances.

Kilmer made his feature debut in the 1984 spy spoof Top Secret!, in which he starred as rock and roll singer Nick Rivers, but that was only the beginning of his acting career on screen. He went on to star in some of the biggest movies of the 1980s and 90s, including playing Bruce Wayne and his superhero alter ego in Batman Forever,...

For over 40 years, Roger Ebert was a fixture in film journalism. Ebert's film knowledge and approachable style proved invaluable for readers and viewers over the years. Ebert reviewed thousands of films for the Chicago Sun-Times, many of which can be found on RogerEbert.com, from 1967 until his death in 2013. In between, Ebert co-hosted At the Movies with Gene Siskel and, later, Richard Roper, from 1986 to 2008.

Suffice it to say, if you watched a film released during that stretch, chances are Ebert reviewed it out of four stars. That includes comic book movies, a genre that before the turn of the century struggled to appease both fans and viewers, often underwhelming both. There was no shortage of comic book movies Ebert hated, but that doesn't mean there weren't comic book movies Ebert loved.

Loved: Superman (1978) Was The Standard-Bearer Ebert Kept Comparing Future Films To 4 Stars Image via Columbia Pictures & Warner Bros. Pictures...

These days, we've moved beyond being spoiled for choice when it comes to streaming options. Now, we're perpetually menaced by an array of streaming platforms with kooky names and sonic logos designed to become tiny little earworms à la Netflix's famous "Tudum" sound. Not only are there multiple subscription services on offer, but we're now inundated with free VOD and streaming options that are supported solely by their ad revenue.

Tubi is just one example among many. The free streaming platform, which was bought by the Fox Corporation in 2020, has become what Wired called a "social punching bag," representing in the public consciousness a sort of bargain bin streamer that, in a pinch, might offer something entertaining enough to tolerate the relentless ad breaks. But as the outlet also notes, Tubi also has the biggest content library of any streamer, and this year, the service simulcast the Super Bowl,...

Two years ago, prior to Jonathan Majors being arrested for assault and harassment of his former girlfriend, his movie Magazine Dreams was a critical hit. Reviews praised the actor as "a revelation" who was Oscar-bound for his "astonishing lead performance" as Killian Maddox, an aspiring bodybuilder. The film received an 82 percent at Rotten Tomatoes (based on 95 reviews), and a 72 score at Metacritic (based on 22 reviews). But Majors was arrested and the film was shelved, abandoned by its distributor, Searchlight Pictures.

Cut to today, and Magazine Dreams' new distributor, Briarcliff Entertainment, is finally dropping the film in theaters on Friday. Have critics changed their tune following the actor's many recent controversies, which include his eventual conviction on one assault count and and the release in recent days of audio with him admitting that he "aggressed" his ex-girlfriend?

Surprisingly, the answer is no.

While Metacritic remains static with the same number of reviews,...

Roger Ebert is perhaps the best-known and respected film critic. From 1967 until he died in 2013, he worked as the film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times, and in 1975, he became the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. That same year, he teamed up with The Chicago Tribune's critic, Gene Siskel, to co-host various television programs. The most well-known is At the Movies, where they reviewed films with fiery passion and an iconic "thumbs up/thumbs down" ranking system. After Siskel died in 1999, Ebert cycled through co-hosts before teaming up with Richard Roeper from 2000 until 2008, when Ebert left the show having lost his voice to cancer treatment.

Longtime film critic Richard Roeper is leaving the Chicago Sun-Times after a 37 year career.

The influential reviewer is taking a buyout from the Sun-Times, for whom he has written as a contributor since 1987. Roeper, a Chicago native, is among around 30 people to have taken a buyout from the iconic newspaper this week, including reporters and editors, as the Sun-Times along with the NPR radio station Wbez now operate with a nonprofit media model.

Roeper co-hosted the television series At the Movies with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, succeeding Gene Siskel after his death. He announced his final day with the Sun-Times will be March 21, but he won’t be putting his pen down anytime soon.

“I have decided to accept a buyout from the Sun-Times,” Roeper said in a statement. “I’m excited for the next chapter in my career, as I have no plans of retiring or even slowing down.

While Netflix's slick but empty "The Electric State" has added to an already bleak streaming landscape, Jake Gyllenhaal is having nothing short of a streaming renaissance. Gyllenhaal's creepy sci-fi horror "Life" is a hit on Prime Video at the same time his and Michael Peña's action thriller is crushing it over on Max. Now, yet another Gyllenhaal-led thriller is ascending the Netflix charts, meaning the actor has claimed a spot in the rankings of the biggest streamer in the game at the same time he's dominating rival platforms — though he's had a bit of help with his latest streaming triumph.

2015's "Everest" is a survival thriller based on the real 1996 Mount Everest disaster that saw eight climbers lose their lives while trying to reach the highest point on Earth. The movie follows two expedition groups who are hit by a freak storm on their way to the top of the titular mountain.

Bruce Willis is arguably one of the best action stars ever to be featured on the big screen. Before he retired from acting in 2022, Willis demonstrated himself to be a diverse talent by taking roles in comedies, dramas, and even movies that bordered on musicals (Hudson Hawk), proving his talents over and over again.

Toward the end of his career, Willis made movies that critics chided and audiences scoffed at. Despite poor reviews and low scores on sites like Rotten Tomatoes, several of these movies are not as bad as they appear to be. Additionally, they should be viewed within the context they were made and with all the information.

Assassin is one of these movies. Here's what Assassin is about, how it was received, and, ultimately, why its harsh treatment was unwarranted.

'Assassin' Was Based on a Short Film Called 'Let Them Die Like Others'

Director Jesse Atlas and...

A panned neo-noir crime thriller headlined by Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe sets its sights on free streaming. Released back in 2013, Broken City finds Wahlberg taking the lead as a former cop-turned-private investigator, who finds himself in serious danger after being tasked with investigating the wife of Crowe’s mayor of New York City.

Directed by Allen Hughes and written by Brian Tucker, and featuring an all-star cast that includes Catherine Zeta-Jones, Barry Pepper, Kyle Chandler, Natalie Martinez, and Jeffrey Wright alongside Wahlberg and Crowe, Broken City is all set to land on the free streaming platform Tubi from March 1. You can check out the official synopsis for the crime thriller below...

RelatedMark Wahlberg's First Action Movie Was Shunned by Roger Ebert

Apparently, Ebert didn't like when action movies were a little too zany, corny, or cartoonish. 1998's 'The Big Hit' was all of those things.

“Former cop...

Quick Links'The Recruit' Is a Huge Hit on NetflixWhat Is 'The Night Manager' About?John le Carré Remains the Preeminent Spy Storyteller

Season 2 of Netflix's flashy legal-spy drama The Recruit has shot to the top of the most-viewed charts following its January 30, 2025, bow. While the show has drawn acclaim for Noah Centineo's charms as CIA newbie Owen Hendricks learning the tricks of the trade, the premise hardly reinvents the espionage genre. For spy-hards looking for a more mature and genuine depiction of spycraft and international espionage, look no further than the BBC One/Prime Video adaptation of John la Carre's The Night Manager.

Following a near-decade-long absence, The Night Manager has been officially renewed for a second season on Prime Video, with original cast members Olivia Colman and Alistair Petrie set to reprise their roles. Between the best spy author on record, the superb cast, and top-notch direction,...

Cobra Kai may never die, but all good things must come to an end one way or another. Today, fans are saying goodbye to the Netflix series that's been, in many ways, the heart and soul of the streaming service for the past seven years. No one expected the legacy sequel to become as beloved as it has, and now, social media is flooded with the thoughts of those that have seen the bittersweet ending.

X is abuzz with Cobra Kai fans sharing their thoughts on the conclusion of the Netflix hit, which began in 2018 on YouTube Red, and made the jump to the world's most popular streaming service in 2021. The series introduced us to a whole new crop of karate hopefuls, while at the same time revisiting storylines from past films through the appearance of stars Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). "They made six seasons...

Do you feel like crying big baby tears at any point in the near future? If the answer to that question is "yes," you should probably queue up "We Live in Time," the weepy new film from director John Crowley that stars Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield.

Crowley — known for another critically beloved tearjerker, 2015's "Brooklyn" — brought two of the Internet's favorite celebrities on board for this touching non-linear love story, which casts Pugh as figure skater turned professional chef Almut Brühl and Garfield as cereal representative Tobias Durand. After Almut accidentally hits Tobias with her car just as he prepares to sign divorce papers for his first marriage, the two strike up an unexpected connection, despite Almut's initial resistance to enter into a relationship and unwillingness to discuss the possibility of having children. Ultimately, Almut reveals that she suffers from ovarian cancer, which could impact her ability to have children; after she receives surgery,...

These days, Sandra Bullock is basically Hollywood royalty. She's an Academy Award winner who's been nominated for the Best Actress Oscar twice, makes pretty consistently good movies, occasionally pops up in buzzy projects like "The Lost City" and "Ocean's Eight," and is one of the most recognizable performers in the entire industry. Back in the 1990s and 2000s, though, Bullock was pretty much known for one genre: romantic comedies. Now, one of her funniest, breeziest films is making waves on Netflix after landing in the number four spot on the streamer's top 10 movies on February 10, 2025 (as reported by FlixPatrol).

"Miss Congeniality," which hit theaters in 2000, casts Bullock as Gracie Hart, a tough-as-nails special agent for the FBI who never makes much of an effort to appear "ladylike" or "pretty." This approach isn't causing any problems for her generally, but when a case surfaces that involves a bomb threat at a Texas beauty pageant,...

Ke Huy Quan’s latest movie, Love Hurts, has become the latest example of a movie grappling with critical disappointment. Jonathan Eusebio’s directorial debut offers an action-packed ride but fails to deliver in most other aspects, drawing critical comparison to the infamous “Zack Snyder Ratings Curse”– a trend where movies despite strong fan followings, receive scathing critical reviews.

Ke Huy Quan in Love Hurts | Credits: Universal Pictures

Critics have pointed to the movie’s lack of emotional depth and weak narrative structure as major drawbacks. Love Hurts currently holds a devastating 19% critic rating but a 67% verified audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience response suggests that viewers have had a somewhat more positive reception despite the critical backlash.

Ke Huy Quan’s Love Hurts faces critical scrutiny, drawing parallels to the “Zack Snyder rating curse”

Released on February 7, 2025, Ke Huy Quan‘s Love Hurts has seen its fair share...

We're less than two weeks away from the highly-anticipated premiere of Yellowjackets Season 3, but before we get there, co-showrunner Jonathan Lisco is explaining why one of the series' pivotal characters had to die at the end of last season. If you'll recall, the explosive Season 2 finale saw Lisa (Nicole Maines) with a shotgun trained on Juliette Lewis' character of Natalie during Lottie's ritual in the woods. When Misty (Christina Ricci) tries to save the day by injecting Lisa with phenobarbital, Nat jumped in the way and took the shot instead, sacrificing herself and dying.

Speaking with SFX (via Games Radar) recently, Lisco explained that, like in the real world, actions have consequences, and as such, it would be a disservice to the fans if Yellowjackets' phenomenal cast remained intact without repercussions over the course of the series. "If the show is about trauma and the consequences of what they went through,...

Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell are two of Hollywood’s most beloved and versatile talents, and they have come together for a rom-com, titled You’re Cordially Invited. The film is a collaboration between Witherspoon, known for being a great actress and a production powerhouse, and Ferrell, who we all love for his comedic style.

Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon | The Kelly Clarkson Show

But what many might not remember is that we’ve seen this pairing before. Yes, the duo shared the spotlight over two decades ago in a memorable sketch on SNL that probably ruined mermaids forever for some people.

Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell’s SNL sketch Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon | LADbible Entertainment on YouTube

In 2001, Reese Witherspoon had the honor to host a Saturday Night Live (SNL) episode where she performed alongside Will Ferrell. They did a parody of The Little Mermaid where the actress was...

The biggest mystery coming out of this week’s Razzie Awards nominations isn’t how Jerry Seinfeld scored a Worst Actor nod for Unfrosted. The real confounding question is how Unfrosted didn’t make the shortlist for the year’s Worst Picture.

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You’d think Unfrosted was a lock after scoring in so many Worst categories. Amy Schumer was recognized as Worst Supporting Actress for her unlikable turn as breakfast mogul Majorie Post. Seinfeld got a second and well-deserved nomination as Worst Director. And Unfrosted got a special nod in the Worst Screen Combo, nominated for “Any Two Unfunny ‘Comedic Actors’” — in many ways, the entire cast can consider themselves winners. Or losers. You get it.

Unfortunately for Unfrosted, this year’s nominee list for Worst Picture was dominated by sci-fi and comic book movies, including Borderlands, Joker: Folie a Deux, Madame Web and Megalopolis. Unless you count Reagan,...

Pamela Anderson's critically acclaimed documentary is the perfect follow-up to her latest Oscar-contending film, The Last Showgirl. Directed by Gia Coppola, The Last Showgirl follows a seasoned showgirl who must plan for her future after her show suddenly ends after three decades. Pamela Anderson leads the cast of The Last Showgirl which also features Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka, Dave Bautista, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Anderson received a career-first Golden Globe nomination for her leading role as Shelly in The Last Showgirl. The film also received a Best Original Song Golden Globe nomination for Miley Cyrus's "Beautiful That Way." The Last Showgirl received strong reviews ahead of its January 8, 2025 theatrical release date, earning a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 81%. Anderson is in great shape to earn her first career Oscar nomination for her lead role as Shelly Gardner.

Pamela, A Love Story Is A Great Pamela Anderson Documentary -...

Liam Neeson is one of those stars that audiences are drawn to – especially if he is taking down bad guys as a vigilante-style law enforcer. That is probably why 2022 movie Blacklight is now finding success on the Netflix global chart. With Neeson recently claiming that his time making action movies could be coming to an end soon, perhaps fans just feel they need to cram in as many of his previous movies when they show up on streaming.

Netflix is the home of many successful action movies of the past, so Blacklight is just the latest in a long line that have found themselves frequenting the Top 10 on the platform on many occasions. In this movie, Neeson plays Travis Block, a government operative drawn into a conspiracy that threatens his family and his life – surprise, surprise right? As you would expect, the story finds Neeson’s character balancing up his pursuit of justice,...

Years after the first season of the BBC spy drama The Night Manager aired, season 2 was officially announced with Tom Hiddleston returning. Based on the book by MI6 intelligence officer turned novelist John le Carré, The Night Manager was adapted for the small screen by Hanna creator David Farr and directed by Bird Box helmer Susanne Bier. The series brought together some of Britain’s finest acting talents with Tom Hiddleston playing Jonathan Pine, a luxury hotel night manager and former soldier who is roped into infiltrating arms dealer Richard Roper’s (Hugh Laurie) inner circle.

The first season of The Night Manager received widespread critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic and the series went on to win three Golden Globes, two Emmys, and three BAFTAs. Although the first season covered almost all of John le Carré’s novel, the success of The Night Manager left viewers wanting more.

The Night Manager's return year has been set. The BBC One show, which aired on AMC in the United States, premiered in 2016 and follows Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston), a British ex-soldier who manages a hotel in Cairo and is approached for an undercover mission to bring down arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). In April 2024, the surprise announcement was made that The Night Manager season 2 and season 3 had both been renewed simultaneously as a BBC and Amazon co-production, with Hiddleston set to reprise his role.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, The BBC has confirmed that The Night Manager season 2 is set to premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in 2025. While the exact date has not been revealed just yet, their report also confirms that Olivia Colman and Alistair Petrie are set to return alongside Hiddlestone, reprising their respective roles as Foreign Office task force manager Angela Burr and Roper's associate Lord Sandy Langbourne.

The reviews for Mufasa: The Lion King are in, and the critic response to the film is mixed thus far. While the idea of a prequel to The Lion King sounded like a cynical move to expand the franchise, when Academy Award winner Barry Jenkins was brought on board to direct, it gave audiences hope for what the film could be. One would generally assume Mufasa: The Lion King would be the clear front-runner for the holiday box office, yet it faces tough competition from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Disney was likely hoping critical reviews for Mufasa could drum up some excitement over the holiday season, and while it isn't a total flop, it isn't a win either.

Mufasa: The Lion King currently sits at 58% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 52 reviews, enough to make it rotten, but in a standard percentage, it is just above average. The positive reaction comes from many notable top critics,...

Joe Barton, the mind behind Giri/Haji, returns with Black Doves—a spy series that boldly merges the high-stakes intensity of espionage drama with the warmth and sentimentality of a holiday movie. This unique tonal blend sets Netflix’s Black Doves apart, carving a place for itself alongside modern espionage hits like Slow Horses and The Agency. With its emotionally complex characters and intrigue-laden narrative, the series signals a renaissance of the spy thriller genre in television. Set against the shimmering backdrop of a Christmastime London, Black Doves follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a former honeytrap operative turned housewife, whose life unravels when her lover is assassinated. Her thirst for revenge draws her back into the shadowy world of international espionage, putting her at odds with her handler, Mrs. Reed (Sarah Lancashire), and entangling her with Sam (Ben Whishaw), a morally ambiguous triggerman haunted by a failed mission from his past.

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Black Doves is a British spy action thriller drama series created by Joe Barton. The Netflix series follows Helen Webb, an undercover spy for a private organization who learns that her secret identity is in danger of being exposed after her lover is killed by London’s underworld. She goes on a quest for vengeance with the help of an old friend while keeping up appearances as her cover identity of the wife of the Secretary of State for Defence. Black Doves stars Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, Sarah Lancashire, Andrew Koji, Andrew Buchan, Omari Douglas, and Kathryn Hunter. So, if you loved the spy thriller element, nail-biting drama, and compelling characters in Black Doves, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

The Americans (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – FX

The Americans is a period...

Holiday movies have been with us for some time, but we now live in an era of the holiday streaming movie. This year, Hulu managed to get Ben Stiller for their Christmas effort "Nutcrackers," while Max recruited Kiernan Shipka, who played Sabrina Spellman in two seasons of Netflix's "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," for the Thanksgiving-themed rom com "Sweethearts."

Since "Sabrina" was canceled due to the global pandemic, Shipka has appeared in "Back to the Future"-like slasher comedy "Totally Killer," and Roku's TV remake of "Swimming with Sharks." In 2024, she had small parts in the box office record-breaking "Twisters," and Oz Perkins' hit horror effort "Longlegs." But alongside Nico Hiraga, she's the star of "Sweethearts," which comes from co-writer and first time director Jordan Weiss.

The film sees Shipka play Jamie, a college freshman who has been friends with Hiraga's Ben since the eighth grade. The two friends...

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The Agency is a spy thriller drama series created by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth. Based on the French series The Bureau by Eric Rochant, the Showtime series follows Martian, a covert CIA agent who had been undercover for six years but is suddenly ordered to abandon his cover and return to London station to continue his work. When the love he left behind with his cover reappears in London, suspicions arise. The Agency stars Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith, Katherine Waterston, Harriet Sansom Harris, Richard Gere, and John Magaro. So, if you love the intensely thrilling plot, nail-biting drama, and compelling characters in The Agency, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

The Game (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – BBC America

The Game is a Cold War spy thriller drama series created by Toby Whithouse.

Ron Perlman has had a remarkable career. His first film was an Oscar winner (Quest for Fire) from a great director; later that decade, he'd win a Golden Globe for the TV series Beauty and the Beast. He's been in everything from big franchise movies and international arthouse films to indie horror and numerous classics with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. But when MovieWeb spoke with Perlman about his new film with Liam Neeson, Absolution, he surprised us when he named the film in his career that he's the proudest of — and it's one hardly anybody has seen.

"I had a production company for about five or six years called Wing and a Prayer Pictures, and I produced about nine movies," explained Perlman. He continued:

"And the first one we identified was called Asher, and it was actually the last movie we produced. It was the movie that killed the company.

It's now been revealed when Bookie will return to streaming on Max. A new trailer has also been released, sharing a look at Charlie Sheen's return as a special guest in Season 2.

Per Max, Bookie Season 2 will premiere on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. New episodes will then debut weekly on the streaming platform. The series comes from Two and a Half Men co-creator Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay, marking a special reunion of sorts. Following the well-publicized falling out between Sheen and Lorre during their Two and a Half Men days, the pair reconnected with a special appearance from the actor in Bookie Season 1. Like in the first season, Sheen is not expected to be featured heavily in Season 2, but his presence in the new trailer hints at what's to come from the controversial Hollywood star, who plays himself in the series.

Related 10 Best Rose Episodes in Two and a Half Men...

Aubrey Plaza's newest movie is officially a critical success — which also means the studio behind the super popular film, Amazon, is pretty happy right now.

In "My Old Ass," we first meet the movie's protagonist Elliott as her younger self played by Maisy Stella as she prepares to take hallucinogenic mushrooms with her friends; when she does, she "meets" her 39-year-old self played by Plaza (who recently stunned audiences on the Marvel series "Agatha All Along"). When Older Elliott dispenses some advice — including a strangely specific note to stay away from some boy named Chad — younger Elliot is suspicious at first but realizes that following it actually helps her solve some critical problems, so she starts seeking out her older counterpart to try and get through her younger years unscathed.

"My Old Ass" is funny, unexpectedly emotional, and features two outstanding central performances from Plaza and Stella. Clearly, critics...

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Citadel: Honey Bunny is an action spy thriller drama series created by Sita R. Menon, Raj, and Dk. The Prime Video series is the third entry in the Russo Brothers‘ Citadel franchise and it follows Honey, a struggling actress who was recruited by Bunny, a stuntman for a side gig as a spy. Years later Honey has a daughter and she is hunted by agents and she must find a way to protect herself and her daughter. Citadel: Honey Bunny stars Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead roles with Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon, Sikander Kher, and Saqib Saleem. So, if you loved the explosive action, thrilling espionage drama, and compelling characters in Citadel: Honey Bunny here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Citadel (Prime Video) Credit – Prime Video

Citadel is a...

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Special Ops: Lioness is a spy action thriller drama series created by Taylor Sheridan. The Paramount+ series stars Zoe Saldana in the lead role with Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Kelly starring in supporting roles. Special Ops: Lioness follows the story of Joe, a CIA operative who leads a team that fights against terrorism. The Paramount+ series is much more than the synopsis we gave you above but to know what it is, you will have to check it out for yourself if you have already seen it and loved the thrilling action, complex story, and compelling characters here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Homeland (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Showtime

Homeland is a spy thriller drama series created by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa. Based on the Israeli series Prisoners of War by Gideon Raff,...

With a career spanning 70 years and with 11 Oscar nominations (of which he won 4) to his name, Clint Eastwood has transcended from his role as the Man With No Name to a man of many talents. Immortalized by his work in Hollywood as an actor-director-producer, Eastwood remains one of the few artists hailing from the black & white era of cinema who are still relevant to the industry today.

Flags of Our Fathers (2006) [Credit: Warner Bros.]

As the oldest recipient of a Best Director Oscar at age 74, Eastwood has a full-circle career to reflect on with a lot of overdue leisure time to cash in. However, along with visionaries like Scorsese, Spielberg, and Coppola, the legend of the Spaghetti Westerns shows no sign of stopping now, despite being 94 years old.

Clint Eastwood Brings the Iwo Jima Portrait to Life Flags of Our Fathers recreates the iconic Iwo Jima photograph [Credit: Warner Bros.]

A picture that can...

Indie film is a term that often appears in movie conversations yet rarely gets used in the proper context. A true independent film is produced and distributed outside of the major Hollywood studio system. Many times, films are produced independently, yet have to rely on the major studios for distribution. Also, due to limited media ownership in the United States, many independent film companies are now owned by the major studios themselves.

Since the Western genre's apex in popularity occurred during Hollywood's Golden Age, a time in film history dominated by major studios, most great indie Westerns are more modern releases. In the twenty-first century, indie Westerns have played a significant role in returning the Western genre to critical acclaim. Dances with Wolves, Hell or High Water, and 3:10 to Yuma rank among the greatest indie Westerns of all time.

Related 10 Best Westerns About Wyatt Earp, Ranked

The Wild West...

Nicole Kidman may first and foremost be known as a movie star, but she also has an ever-growing television resume that includes “Hemingway & Gellhorn,” “The Undoing,” “Nine Perfect Strangers” and “Big Little Lies,” all of which received nominations at various awards shows. Her next TV project is the juicy Netflix hit “The Perfect Couple,” in which she plays romance author Greer Garrison Winbury, the mother of the groom during a wedding weekend that becomes ground zero for murder.

According to Gold Derby’s Golden Globe predictions, Kidman is in the Top 5 to receive a nomination for Best Limited/Movie Actress. That would be the Australian actress’ 16th career acting bid at the Globes (combining TV and film). And she could even earn nom #17 this year if she gets in for “Babygirl” on the movie side in the Best Drama Actress category.

See‘Babygirl’: 5 reasons why Nicole Kidman will...

Peacock’s crime drama “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” made its streaming premiere on September 5, 2024. The star-studded cast including Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle, and Samuel L. Jackson was enough to attract early buzz, but what are critics saying now that six episodes have aired, with the final two slated for October 3 and October 10? And how could positive reviews impact its chances at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards?

In a city bursting with fight night anticipation, streetwise hustler Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams (Hart) plants himself at the center of the action. His big ambitions, and even bigger talk, put him on a collision course with ruthless criminals, each consumed by their own insatiable hunger for the spoils of the event. As dawn breaks on a city reeling from the heist, Jd Hudson (Cheadle), a pioneering Black detective, is thrust into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse as the body count rises.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an amazingly talented actor, and his extensive filmography covers a massive range of genres. In 2002, he held the title vocal role in Disneys Treasure Planet, masterfully bringing Jim Hawkins to life. He perfectly captured the essence of Robin in 2012s The Dark Knight Rises. More recently, Gordon-Levitt straddled the line between comedy and action as Detective Bobby Abbott in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.

It goes without saying that Gordon-Levitts extensive filmography is beyond impressive. However, audiences may have forgotten one of his defining roles. Fifteen years before his appearance as Bobby Abbott, Gordon-Levitt starred in one of the most critically acclaimed crime dramas of the 2000s The Lookout.

The Lookout Is an Underrated 2000s Film That Features Several Stars Chris Pratt auditioned to play the films lead character, Chris Pratt. Most of The Lookout was filmed in Manitoba and Winnipeg, Canada. The soundtrack for The Lookout...

The Rotten Tomatoes audience score has been revealed for Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist. Fight Night is a Peacock crime series that imagines the true story of what happens after Muhammad Ali wins a fight against Jerry Quarry, with action kicking off when hundreds of people are robbed at his after party in a massive armed robbery. Fight Night premiered its first three episodes on Peacock on September 5 and will continue to air weekly on Fridays up through October 10. Fight Night's leading cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Dexter Darden, Don Cheadle, Kevin Hart, Terrence Howard, and Taraji P. Henson.

Now, the Rotten Tomatoes audience score has been revealed for Fight Night. At the time of writing, the limited series has a 95% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, with a score amassed from 20 critical reviews. The show's audience score has been revealed to be an almost-as-impressive 94%. Both of these scores are subject to change,...

The world of Hollywood is no stranger to cut-throat competition, especially when it comes to award season. Blake Lively’s It Ends With Us had an amazing box office performance, but Florence Pugh’s upcoming movie, We Live in Time, might give Lively a run for her money when it comes to critical acclaim and awards.

Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield in We Live in Time / A24

The John Crowley directorial, premiered with strong reviews that garnered an early award buzz, overshadowing the commercial success of Lively’s movie. Moreover, the contrast between the reviews of the two movies is stark.

Mixed Reviews for Blake Lively vs. Praise for Florence Pugh Credits: Blake Lively and Brandon Sklenar in It Ends With Us / Sony Pictures

Blake Lively’s It Ends With Us, based on an eponymous novel by Colleen Hoover, was one of the most talked-about romantic dramas. The bestselling book...