John Lithgow’s 10 best movies and TV shows

There’s just something so lovable about John Lithgow. Maybe it’s his absolutely charming accent, or the fact that he’s never not smiling. Nonetheless, he’s one of Hollywood’s most adored legends, and always a delight to see on screen. 

 Besides his signature charm and wit, John Lithgow is a seriously strong actor. With a criminally underrated body of work, the man is an icon both on screen and on the stage. No matter what roles he undertakes, you’re sure of a stellar showcase. However, as far as amazing acting goes, you’d find that his performance in these 10 projects are a testament to his abilities.

10. How I Met Your Mother 

Lithgow took on the role of Jerry, the long-lost father of Barney in How I Met Your Mother. The sitcom follows Ted Mosby, a man in New York City who recounts the ups and downs of his life to his children. The series revolves around his search for true love and the antics of his close-knit group of friends, including the legendary ladies’ man Barney Stinson. Lithgow only appeared in four episodes, but he’s definitely a standout of all the show’s guest actors.

9. The Crown

In this critically acclaimed historical series, Lithgow starred as Winston Churchill, with his performance earning him a Primetime Emmy Award. The series chronicles the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and offers a compelling and intricate look at the British Monarchy and its impact on the world. The Crown is a favorite for a reason, as it provides a personal and political view of the challenges faced by the Queen, her family, and her country. As far as Lithgow’s performance as the former U.K. Prime Minister, let’s just say he was scarily believable in the role.

8. Footloose

Footloose is an iconic 80’s film that tells the story of Ren McCormack, a city teenager who moves to a small town where dancing and rock music have been banned. Unable to live without both, Ren kickstarts a rebellion against the town’s rules, finding love along the way. Here, Lithgow plays Reverend Shaw Moore, a preacher who opposes dancing in his town. 

7. Terms of Endearment 

In the iconic Terms of Endearment, Lithgow portrays Sam Burns, a gentle, kind, and pure-hearted banker named Sam. The story chronicles the complex relationship between a mother and daughter, Aurora and Emma. It explores the ups and downs, tragedies and triumphs, and the unbreakable bond that holds the two together throughout decades.

6. Love Is Strange 

In this independent tearjerker, Lithgow plays Ben, a character who tries to navigate the complexities of a homosexual relationship alongside his partner. The heartfelt film tells the story of longtime same-sex couple Ben and George (Alfred Molina), who face unexpected financial difficulties after finally getting married. The two are subsequently forced to live apart and face the challenges of separation.

5. Rise of the Planet of Apes 

Rise of the Planet of Apes centers around a brilliant scientist, Dr. Will Rodman, who experiments on apes and inadvertently leads to their enhanced intelligence. As the apes become more intelligent, they revolt against human oppression. Here, John Lithgow plays Charles Rodman, the father of Will Rodman and adoptive grandfather of Caesar. The actor brought on a deep emotional weight to the story, earning great praise for his performance.

4. The Old Man

Lithgow took on a much darker role in the thriller series, The Old Man. He stars alongside Jeff Bridges in a story about a former CIA operative who has been on the run for three decades. With impeccable acting from the cast, particularly Bridges and Lithgow, The Old Man is a masterclass in acting from two powerhouse veterans. 

3. Shrek 

The Shrek franchise is one of the most beloved animated films. In stark contrast to his sweet personality, Lithgow humorously lent his voice to the villainous character Lord Farquaad. Shrek is a fairy tale that follows the journey of an ogre named Shrek who, alongside his humorous sidekick Donkey, sets out to rescue Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded tower. Along the way, Shrek and Fiona discover the true meaning of love and friendship.

2. The World According to Garp

The World According to Garp is an adaptation of John Irving’s novel and tells the story of T. S. Garp, a writer and the son of a feminist icon. As Garp navigates life, love, and family, he encounters the dark and unconventional aspects of life. Lithgow takes on the role of Roberta Muldoon, a transgender ex-football player, and his performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. 

1. 3rd Rock from The Sun 

In this popular TV sitcom, John Lithgow plays Dr. Dick Solomon, an alien posing as a human professor. Garnering significant acclaim for his acting, Lithgow’s performance earned him three Primetime Emmy Awards. The series follows a group of extraterrestrial beings who assume human identities and pose as a family in a typical American town. Their initial mission is to observe human behavior, but this leads to a series of comical mishaps, particularly as they try to navigate life on Earth.

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Could the X-Men appear in ‘The Marvels?’ The rumors, explained

The Marvels, Marvel Studios’ third movie of Phase Five, is doing everything in its power to hype fans up in preparation for the film’s Nov. 10 theatrical release. That includes a healthy sprinkling of Easter eggs in its promotional materials, and one of those eggs involves the X-Men.

The MCU has hinted at the arrival of the X-Men for quite some time now: Ms. Marvel confirmed the Earth-616 version of Kamala Khan to be a mutant, Wolverine’s MCU debut is right around the corner in Deadpool 3, and a new X-Men movie is officially in development. Be that as it may, aside from a variant version of Professor Xavier in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, there’s been little in the way of X-Men content that we can carry into the remainder of Phases Five and Six.

That said, if Marvel’s subtle hints are any indication, then Earth-616 could finally be getting its first wave of mutants in The Marvels.

The X-Men rumors in The Marvels, explained

https://t.co/QXp5xHEije pic.twitter.com/BHEMuK19bY

— X-Men Updates (@XMenUpdate) October 31, 2023

Easter eggs come in all shapes and sizes, but the sneaky editing trick Marvel employed in a recent promo for The Marvels ⏤ titled “What Comes Next” ⏤ is anything but subtle. Using the attention-grabbing sentence “Be there for what comes next” to whet our appetites, the trailer broke the sentence into three equal parts, with the last two words fading in and out within the final four seconds. As “comes next” fades, the “X” in “next” lingers on the screen for a fraction of a second longer than the rest of the word, becoming clearly visible in subsequent screenshots. That was all the fandom needed to grab the theory by the horns and begin speculating.

pic.twitter.com/IU905Y7LL5

— Spo0kiedown Brown (@Bo0giedown) October 31, 2023

OH WE’RE UP

— 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆 (@beyoncegarden) October 31, 2023

As mentioned, Kamala Khan is already a mutant, so The Marvels technically checked that box as soon as her character became involved in the film. She’s not necessarily an X-Man, though, so in addition to introducing a new character (or characters), the movie could also serve as fertile ground for delving deeper into her mutant origins.

I wonder if they'll bring up the mutant factor of Ms Marvel

— LepsLair is making content (@lepslair) October 31, 2023

With Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine starring in Deadpool 3, it’s clear that 20th Century Fox’s X-Men are ripe for a revival. Some fans are still convinced that the notion of the X-Men in The Marvels will simply be Fox’s iteration of the characters, which is not entirely off-base considering what lies ahead in Phase Five. 

I’m guessing that’s the fox universe

— kjsfunk (@Adam10020976) October 31, 2023

This X-Men tease comes just weeks after the Loki season 2 premiere included a not-so-subtle shot that screamed Cerebro, even if the show’s director ardently denied any knowledge of doing so (sure, Kasra). 

That #LokiSeason2 door looking like a X-MEN tease pic.twitter.com/FlLCEFJJiN

— BLURAYANGEL (@blurayangel) October 6, 2023

Given that the Loki season 2 finale and The Marvels theatrical premiere come just one day apart from each other, the belief — or hope — is that the latter will play off of the former, and these twin X-Men Easter eggs imply the throughline between the two.

The longer we look at the current slate of Marvel projects (Loki, The Marvels, and Deadpool 3), the more we get the sense that Marvel may finally be connecting the dots between projects. Recent rumors even suggest that Deadpool 3 will be home to the TVA.

As of now, all three projects contain connections to mutants in some shape or form, but whether or not any of them actually follows through on it remains to be seen. Stay tuned for updates.

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What does Luke give Leia in ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi?’

It’s been a few years since Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out, and we’ve all had time to put some things into perspective. Maybe it wasn’t the Star Wars we were expecting, but it did a lot of stuff right. For starters, it wasn’t Rise of Skywalker.

In the one and only scene in the whole third trilogy featuring both Leia and Luke, we see our boy, Luke Skywalker, making a handoff with his twin sister. He regifts her a pair of shining gold dice on a chain, first seen very briefly hanging in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon in A New Hope, and then never again for more than 30 years. 

There are in-universe and out-of-universe explanations for this keepsake. In-universe, the pair of Corellian Spike dice originally belonged to Han’s father, Ovan, a construction worker. Young Han inherited the dice and kept them with him, only parting with them when he passed them along to his beloved Qi’ra during the first act of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Qi’ra carried them with her for three years while she was separated from Han, returning them when the two were reunited ahead of an ill-fated robbery. The story goes that Han would later use the dice in a game of Corellian Spike against Lando Calrissian, winning himself one lightly-used Millennium Falcon.

Image via Disney

Years passed. Han kept the dice hanging from his control console, then he didn’t. Then the sequel trilogy started building up steam and, somehow hurting for merchandisable iconography from the Star Wars franchise, Disney decided to really zero in on the accessory that Solo had briefly kept in his cockpit – that’s that out-of-universe explanation we mentioned earlier. The dice were recreated for The Force Awakens, then redesigned and heavily featured in The Last Jedi when Luke returned to the Falcon, giving the monastic amputee something to stare at sadly while he thought about his friend’s death. 

Out of respect for the love shared between his sister and Solo, Luke returned the dice to Leia on his way outside to fight Kylo Ren on the barren salts of Crait. It’s a heartbreaking moment between two people who’ve said everything there is to say.

Only — psych, it turns out that it wasn’t really Luke, it was a Force projection of him, created for the sole purpose of messing with his nephew. The dice were also a Force projection, so they faded from existence around the same time that Luke did. As brotherly goodbyes go, handing your sister her dead ex’s old tchotchkes and then dying before she can realize it’s a prank is premium bullying.

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Where to watch all of ‘The Addams Family’ movies

There have been countless adaptations of The Addams Family over the years, with quite a few movies since the characters first made their debut in Charles Addams’ comics.

The films and their characters have become spooky season staples, so it’s no wonder why they’re still getting everything from animated reboots to standalone shows centering around a certain morbid, monotone daughter of Morticia. While you can enjoy these offerings any time of year, there’s no better time than Halloween, so if you’re in the mood to grab a bowl of candy corn and engage in an ooky binge, here’s where you can stream each and every Addams Family movie.

Halloween With the New Addams Family (1977)

Image via NBC

The first-ever feature length Addams Family adaptation was this made-for-TV movie, which brought back most of the original ’60s TV series cast including John Astin as Gomez, Carolyn Jones as Morticia, and Lisa Loring as Wednesday. This casting sort of makes you wonder why filmmakers decided to call it the “new” Addams Family, but I digress. If you liked the 1964 sitcom, then you’ll definitely enjoy this continuation, which is the first and only time we get to see the OG cast in full color.

Halloween with the New Addams Family is available to stream via the Roku Channel.

The Addams Family (1991)

Image via Paramount Pictures

This film boasts a completely new cast and, depending on who you ask, some would say it’s the best on-screen version of the family hands down ⏤ a statement I happen to agree with. This is the quintessential adaptation of Charles Addams’ original characters, and with truly unbeatable performances from Raul Julia as Gomez and Anjelica Huston as Morticia, it’s a hard cast to top. When you factor in Christina Ricci’s take on Wednesday, a character who was often overlooked until Ricci’s performance made her the icon she is today, this movie is basically Addams Family gold.

You can stream The Addams Family on Paramount Plus.

The Addams Family Values (1993)

Image via Paramount Pictures

Fans of the 1991 reboot were lucky enough to witness the spooky-kooky family return in 1993. While opinions about the quality of The Addams Family Values vary, the general consensus is that it’s a solid follow-up. One of the best things about sequels is that they don’t have to establish the characters since the first film already has. Values is able to have more fun with the title family by putting them in new environments, like having Wednesday and Pugsley sent to summer camp (with hilarious results).

This film is definitely essential for an Addams Family binge, and luckily it’s available on Paramount Plus just like its predecessor.

Addams Family Reunion (1998)

Image via Warner Bros.

Unfortunately, The Addams Family Reunion is pretty hard to find, likely because it’s not a great film. It features an entirely new cast and has very little connection to the two films from earlier in the decade. To be fair, Tim Curry gives a great performance as Gomez and is one of the highlights of the film (which is true of anything Curry is in), but compared to what we got a few years earlier, Reunion is a let-down.

There are no streaming services currently offering the film, and oddly enough, you can’t even get your hands on a DVD! The Addams Family Reunion was released straight to VHS and then promptly forgotten about, so maybe we should do the same.

The Addams Family (2019)

Image via Universal Pictures

Reunion pretty much killed the franchise off for 20 years (the Broadway musical adaptation being the exception), so not until recently has there been renewed interest in America’s spookiest family. Universal Pictures brought the Addamses back to the big screen in the form of this 3D animated feature, and with plenty of great acting talent to boot. Charlize Theron, Oscar Isaac, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Finn Wolfhard round out the cast, cementing an instant win for Addams Family newbies and established fans alike.

This is probably one of the most readily available films on this list, as you can find it on Paramount Plus, Prime Video, and the Roku Channel.

The Addams Family 2 (2021)

Image via Universal Pictures

After the success of its predecessor, a sequel was basically guaranteed, and while The Addams Family 2 is not nearly as good as the first one, it’s a decent enough follow-up that explores what happens when the clan goes on an inevitably miserable family road trip. Unfortunately, as fun as the premise is, the sequel wasn’t as well-received as the first, so any hopes of a third installment seem to have vanished ⏤ at least for now.

The Addams Family 2 is available to stream on Paramount Plus and Prime Video, and if we’re lucky, we’ll have plenty of other spooky, kooky iterations of the famous family in the near future.

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Is a ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ sequel already in pre-production?

Critics may be surprised over Five Nights at Freddy’s box office success, but those who’ve been obsessing over FNAF lore for years are ignoring the film’s abysmal 28% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, there’s news that the record-breaking movie will be getting a sequel. 

Spoiler warning: This article contains some spoilers regarding Easter eggs in the new Five Nights at Freddy’s movie. 

FNAF insider claims the sequel is in pre-production

X (formerly Twitter) user @entomsalt is known for sharing Five Nights at Freddy’s spoilers and lore and, as of recently, the inside scoop on the film. Before the movie’s release, their unnamed source offered some interesting behind-the-scenes information, such as a Shadow Freddy Easter egg and that writers first composed an R-rated screenplay.

Exclusive from my Insider: Despite Tammi’s statement, in March of 2022 the FNAF Film had its earliest version of its screenplay in which it was Rated-R; however, in November of 2022, this was eventually cut down because of conflicting vision. The plot was mostly the same. pic.twitter.com/xfC6BkVtWc

— entom (FNAF MOVIE SPOILERS) (@entomsalt) October 30, 2023

Now, the same insider is claiming a Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel is already in pre-production. On October 27, they posted:

“Speaking of which, a bit of an exclusive surprise from the same insider who gave me hints about this film (which ended up being true!): a sequel is reportedly in pre-production.”

Some fans questioned the report, wondering if they meant to say that a prequel was in pre-production, to follow suit with how the FNAF games were released. However, @entomsalt responded, stating that the source confirmed it’s a sequel.

FNAF director shared news of a sequel

While there’s no official word on a Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel, director Emma Tammi shared in an interview with Dexerto that it’s more than just wishful thinking. She also offers a glimpse at what fans can expect in a follow-up movie. 

“I’m really hopeful that we’ll be able to make a sequel, and should we be able to, I think we would see our animatronics again. But I also think we would have some new friends to meet as well.”

Viewers who felt the FNaF movie left them wanting more would certainly agree! Tammi also spoke to Variety about the possibility of another Five Nights at Freddy’s movie, saying:

“We’re definitely excited to keep making more movies in this world, should we be lucky enough to do that. This one was tied into the first game, and we would probably focus on tying the second one into the second game, and so on and so forth. But anything could happen. We’ll have to see.”

Considering the movie’s success, there’s a high chance we’ll see a sequel sooner rather than later. 

Matthew Lillard signed up for a three-movie deal

If this isn’t enough evidence that Blumhouse is seriously considering making more Five Nights at Freddy’s movies, then this might. Matthew Lillard, who plays the villain William Afton, accidentally let it slip in a WeeklyMTG interview that he signed a three-movie deal with the production company. 

So, it looks like the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise will continue to grow!

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Is ‘The Fourth Kind’ movie based on a true story?

The Fourth Kind, a 2009 sci-fi thriller, claims that the horrifyingly supernatural events presented in the film are based on a true story, but the truth might be less strange than fiction.

The Fourth Kind has some genuinely frightening scenes that blur the lines of reality and it does a thorough job of building suspense in a story about missing cases in Nome, Alaska, connecting them to alien abductions. Because of its pseudodocumentary style, The Fourth Kind gives the impression that it’s simply presenting a story rather than telling it, and it’s an effective tool that can open the door to believing a supernatural cause is at play.

What is The Fourth Kind about?

The Fourth Kind is directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and stars Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil) as “real life” Dr. Abigail Tyler, a psychologist who, through treating her patients and noticing their repeating sightings of a white owl, begins to question if the missing people may involve alien abductions. Abigail’s husband was murdered while they were in bed together and she can’t remember the murders’ face (possibly aliens). Despite her shaky mental state, she doesn’t want to take time off of work and she continues researching the sleep-deprived people in Nome. 

Before The Fourth Kind starts, Jovovich addresses the audience, warning them that they’re about to watch a dramatization of real events about missing people in Nome, Alaska in 2000, and that it’s extremely disturbing. Throughout the movie, it does a convincing job of selling the idea that this isn’t just another Hollywood fabrication. There are times when it uses a split-screen technique to juxtapose the “actual archive footage” and it seems legitimate. The production value of the scenes with the actors is higher by comparison, and it’s as if it’s not trying to hide anything. It’s like a magician showing their hand. The truth is, it’s an illusion.

The Fourth Kind‘s ‘true’ story, explained

Image via Universal Pictures

The Fourth Kind is a work of fiction. It’s done well, but it’s not real. A report from CNN confirmed that there isn’t an actual Dr. Abigail Tyler and the archived footage wasn’t authentic either. Nome, Alaska did have a high number of missing persons, but there’s a valid reason for that as well.

The FBI investigated the nearby area in 2005 and the missing victims were mostly Native men from smaller villages. The causes for their disappearances were mostly related to alcohol and frigid temperatures. The Fourth Kind “conveniently” leaves out the indigenous people in this supposed retelling.

A total of nine bodies were found at that time, but there wasn’t any strong evidence to suggest that otherworldly phenomena were at play. It’s a remote and isolated area and there are numerous warning signs reminding people to take caution in the unforgiving environment. Creepy Catalog confirmed there are high amounts of reported UFO sightings in the area, however, and the actual truth of UFOs shouldn’t be dismissed so easily, even if The Fourth Kind is a farce.

What is UFOlogy, and who started it?

The study of UFOs (UFOlogy) is a serious subject matter with decades of qualified scientists and informed persons studying the high strangeness. From History, professor and astronomer J. Allen Hynek was the first person to use the term “unidentified flying object” while investigating U.S. Air Force’s reports about mysterious objects in the sky beginning in 1947. Because of this, Hynek is known as the father of modern-day UFO theory, authoring books on the subject and creating a strong foundation of research procedures that are still used today.

Hynek classified encounters with UFOs using a scale:

• Close Encounters of the First Kind are when a UFO is seen within 500 feet
• Close Encounters of the Second Kind is seeing a UFO and experiencing some form of physical effect
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a UFO sighting in which some kind of alien life is witnessed
• Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind are when a UFO sighting in which a person is abducted
• Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind is direct contact made between aliens and humans

Hynek worked on a number of projects involving UFO cases (Project Sign, Project Grudge, and Project Blue Book), attributing many claims to astronomical phenomena, or misjudged objects, but there were other cases that he couldn’t fully answer.

Official government agencies have studied the subject over the decades. In Aug. 2020, the Department of Defense established the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) was announced and has been used to improve the understanding of, and gain insight into, the nature and origins of UAP.

A long list of qualified UFOlogists from various fields are still diligently researching UFO cases new and old, and have made great strides in getting more information to the public and calling for more transparency from the government. As far as The Fourth Kind goes, the case is closed.

The Fourth Kind Is currently available to stream on Tubi. It can also be rented or purchased on DirectTV, RedBox, Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, and other platforms.

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All ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach Ruin’ endings, explained

Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach released its latest DLC, simply titled “Ruin,” on July 25, 2023. This awaited expansion introduced a new character named Cassie, who enters the ruined Pizzaplex to help save her best friend, Gregory, who was the protagonist in the main game.

“Ruin” seems to take place years after the events of the main game, as the Pizzaplex is no longer the bright and vibrant place it once was, and the player is met with signs claiming that it “will be back soon.” Just like the previous Five Nights at Freddy‘s games, Ruin comes with multiple endings, resulting in different outcomes for our young protagonist.

Elevator Ending

In what fans describe as “the normal” or “elevator ending,” Cassie enters an elevator to escape a rogue animatronic mimic who’s chasing her. From there, Gregory explains to his friend she “shouldn’t have entered the Pizzaplex” and that something in the sinkhole tricked her. Gregory says that he can’t let her escape and cuts the elevator line, with a trapped girl inside. During the credits, Roxy’s voice calls out Cassie’s name, hinting that she may be alive.

This default ending is interesting and memorable due to how ambiguous it is. You don’t know whether Cassie is alive or not or even who was really talking to her in the end.

Scooper Ending

Another ending that was featured in Ruin is known as the “Scooper ending.” Cassie runs towards the scooper room and closes the door before she gets caught by the mimic. After thinking that she’s safe, the mimic attacks the window, wearing a costume, but is then scooped by the machine, presumably killed in the process.

It is widely regarded as the best ending, as it is ambiguous enough to fit in with the rest and also leaves the door open for a number of other possibilities in the future.

Fazbear Ending

In this ending, Cassie learns that Gregory was never at the Pizzaplex and that she needs to escape. Unfortunately, when she puts on the mask, she is met with a scene that’s similar to one of the endings of Security Breach, with Gregory telling her that he’s found a place to hide. Many interpret this scene as Glitchtrap slowly infecting Cassie with the virus, and that she’s still trapped in the Pizzaplex.

This ending is cool because it leaves you with tons of questions that keep you thinking about the game. Cassie’s fate is still up in the air with this one, which keeps players engaged in the franchise.

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10 actors who have played the President of the United States in movies

The most important job in the world has long been the subject of fascination for film-makers, and Hollywood has produced more than its fair share of portrayals of POTUSes who became famous for a host of reasons, good and bad. Here are ten of the very best.

10. Bull Murray (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Hyde Park on Hudson is a 2012 comedy-drama starring Murray as FDR, with Laura Linney as Margaret “Daisy” Suckley, who visits the President during a period of ill health in 1939. Both Murray and Linney acquit themselves well, the former garnering a Golden Globe nomination, but the film is noticeably lightweight, and failed to trouble the critics.

9. Kevin Spacey (Richard Nixon)

The 2016 comedy-drama Elvis & Nixon never quite coheres, but has its moments, as first Nixon’s White House confreres and Presley’s hangers-on each try and work out ways of making the most out of one of the most peculiar meetings in American post-war politics. Spacey brings out the pragmatist in Nixon, while Michael Shannon gives a great performance as an Elvis whose discontent with the counterculture chimes with the President.

8. Bruce Greenwood (John F. Kennedy)

One of Kevin Costner’s lesser-known movies, the 2000 drama Thirteen Days is a fine film, telling the story of the White House’s response to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Costner gives a nuanced performance as a presidential secretary, and Steven Culp captures Bobby Kennedy’s verve and passion excellently, but the buck stops with Bruce Greenwood’s matchless JFK, who has to make the big calls in a political crisis where the stakes were never higher.

7. Josh Brolin (George W. Bush)

Oliver Stone’s 2008 drama was in production even before Bush’s eight-year presidency ended, but Stone was less interested in telling Bush’s story than he was in concentrating on a single aspect of his tenure – the decision to invade Iraq in 2003, which is painted as Bush completing the unfinished business of his father. Josh Brolin impresses with an uncannily accurate portrayal of the famously tongue-tied and bumbling president.

6. Woody Harrelson (Lyndon B. Johnson)

Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency saw great strides made in civil rights enacted by a President who was a seasoned political operator. Rob Reiner’s 2016 biopic LBJ shies away from the more controversial aspects of Johnson’s presidency, but Woody Harrelson does everything asked of him in the title role. Jennifer Jason Leigh provides excellent support as First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson.

5. Nigel Hawthorne (Martin Van Buren)

Steven Spielberg’s 1997 epic about the Amistad Supreme Court case features not one but two Presidents. Anthony Hopkins bagged a deserved Academy Award nomination as ex-President John Quincy Adams who defends the Amistad Africans, but Hawthorne is equally compelling as Martin Van Buren, the sitting President who, in the face of growing disquiet among pro-slavery factions in Congress, finds himself hopelessly out of his depth.

4. Gary Sinise (Harry S. Truman)

Hot on the heels of his impressive work on Apollo 13, Sinise was tapped to play Harry S. Truman in this 1995 television film biopic. While the treatment is by-the-numbers, Sinise portrays the President’s no-nonsense demeanor admirably, and received a Primetime Emmy nomination for the role.

3. Anthony Hopkins (Richard Nixon)

The Welsh actor was far from Oliver Stone’s first choice to play Richard Nixon in the director’s 1995 biopic, but Hopkins’ take on the infamous President is required viewing, veering from light-hearted to sinister in the space of a single scene. The performance garnered Anthony Hopkins his third Academy Award nomination.

2. Frank Langella (Richard Nixon)

Where Hopkins aimed to accentuate Nixon’s misanthropic tendencies, in Ron Howard’s 2008 drama Frost/Nixon, Frank Langella took a different tack, emphasizing Nixon’s avuncular nature in his attempt to turn the famous series of post-presidency interviews with British broadcaster David Frost (played here with verve by Michael Sheen) to his advantage. There are some comic notes here and there, but Langella’s performance is overwhelmingly dominated by the despair of a man who felt he was in the right, but knew otherwise.

1. Daniel Day-Lewis (Abraham Lincoln)

Daniel Day-Lewis won his third Academy Award for his peerless performance in Steven Spielberg’s 2012 epic. With no film footage or audio recording to work off of, Day-Lewis based his portrayal on surviving written accounts of the President’s demeanor, and, as was his habit, remained in character between takes. Every scene is unmissable, but the really impressive scenes are where Lincoln goes toe to toe with political opponents, such as the Confederacy’s vice-president Alexander Stephens (played excellently by Jackie Early Haley). Day-Lewis exudes natural and legal authority as he argues for an end to the war.

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Is Mike Schmidt related to William Afton in ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s?’

Warning: the following article contains spoilers for Five Nights at Freddy’s.

After a decade spent marinating in development hell, Five Nights at Freddy’s has finally hit the big screen, taking fans of animatronic atrocities to Freddy Fazbear’s like never before.

Like with any adaptation, there were going to be some changes. Character motivations are nudged in new directions. Horrible deaths are reimagined. But at its core, the movie is still exactly what franchise devotees were hoping for: A chance to watch possessed pizza robots mess some dudes up.

Still, it might have shocked longtime players to realize that the film’s protagonist, Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson), was of no apparent relation to the villainous William Afton (Matthew Lillard). FNaF stans with a few games under their belts will have gone into the movie expecting to learn that, like in the games, Schmidt was secretly the son of Afton, the serial killer and Fazbear Entertainment co-founder. As players learn throughout the series, Schmidt works his way into a position at the company under an assumed name in order to put a stop to his old man’s gruesome actions.

Instead, the movie interprets Mike as a long-suffering guardian to his younger sister, Abby. He takes the security gig as a way to keep the lights on and prevent their scheming aunt from taking custody, but with no hidden, patricidal agenda. There’s a chance that all of this is will change in the franchise’s already-in-development sequels. Lillard has already revealed that he’s on board for two more Five Nights at Freddy’s movies, leaving plenty of time to develop the terrible Afton family tree. For now, at least, the Freddy Fazbear’s security guard can bank just a little more of that $120 paycheck, since he won’t need to buy anyone a Father’s Day card.

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The 8 best K-pop and video game collaborations of all time

Peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, and K-Pop and video games: some combinations just make sense. Not every K-Pop and video came collaboration works together as great as our favorite childhood lunch options, but some are a perfect fit.

While we love our favorite groups for their music, we can’t overlook how colorful and stylized K-Pop music videos and albums are; it’s this commitment to high-quality visuals that makes K-Pop such a good video game companion. These eight collaborations strike the perfect balance of video game IP and our favorite K-Pop idols (and the music’s not too shabby either).

TWICE and Roblox

Early 2023, TWICE launched their own virtual universe called “TWICE SQUARE” in Roblox. The area was released days before TWICE’s EP Ready to Be and features an escape room inspired by the title track, “Set Me Free” along with other fun features. TWICE SQUARE is meant to be a permanent fixture on Roblox, so feel free to check it out and see what TWICE Easter eggs you can spot!

(G)I-DLE and League of Legends

Only months after their debut, (G)I-DLE members Soyeon and Miyeon became part of the virtual League of Legends girl group, K/DA, alongside Madison Beer and Jaira Burns. The group’s first song “POP/STARS” was such a hit, they went on to release not only another single, but an entire EP, “All Out,” in 2020. Fun fact: (G)I-DLE aren’t the only K-Pop idols on the EP; TWICE members Nayeon, Jihyo, Sana, and Chaeyoung feature on the track “I’ll Show You.”

ENHYPEN and Pokémon

As part of Pokémon Music Collective project, ENHYPEN released the song “One and Only” along with a music video featuring several of our favorite Pokémon. I personally love seeing Piplup make an appearance!

LE SSERAFIM and Overwatch 2

LE SSERAFIM released a new song titled “Perfect Night” as part of a collaboration with Overwatch 2. Along with the song and its fun music video, there are new skins for Brigitte, D.Va, Kiriko, Sombra, and Tracer. The new skins will come to the game in early November 2023, but you can catch a sneak peek in the music video.

NewJeans and League of Legends

Ahead of 2023’s League of Legends World Championship, NewJeans worked with Riot Games to create the hard-hitting “Gods.” The track is more theatrical and synth-heavy than NewJeans’ typical UK garage-inspired sound and comes with a music video starring some real-life League pros.

BLACKPINK and PUBG

BLACKPINK started collaborating with PlayerUnkown’s Battlegrounds in 2021, first with special skin bundles and eventually with the 2022 single, “Ready For Love.” The music video features virtual versions of the girls dancing (Lisa’s avatar even rides a motorcycle) and premiered as part of a virtual PUBG concert.

Aespa and Tetris

While technically not a video game collaboration, Aespa released the song “Hold On Tight” as part of the Apple TV film Tetris’ soundtrack. The song was a surprise hit with the group’s fans, and led to this cute 8bit-inspired music video (a live-action music video would’ve been cool, but we can’t have everything).

BTS and … everyone

Sure, that subheading is hyperbolic, but BTS has collaborated with enough video games they’ve earned their own article documenting them all. From MapleStory to Cookie Run: Kingdom, BTS are the kings of video game collaborations. They’ve worked with plenty of big names at this stage of their careers, but having a Tamagotchi collab under your belt is one impressive accomplishment!

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Meet the cast of Netflix’s steamy Brazilian thriller ‘Burning Betrayal’

Burning Betrayal, a steamy romantic thriller adapting Sue Hecker’s novel O Lado Bom de Ser Traída, has found its way to many favorites lists on Netflix for its bold narrative. The Brazilian title of the novel translates to “The Good Side of Being Betrayed,” and the movie quite literally depicts it the best it could have.

The film is directed by Diego Freitas, who previously won praise for his 2022 rom-com/drama Beyond the Universe. Exactly a year since the release of his last film, Freitas has returned to hypnotize everyone with this new captivating narrative driven by a bold sexual adventure.

The movie is set in São Paulo and follows Babi, a successful accountant, who discovers her fiancé Caio is being unfaithful right before their wedding by way of a gift from an unknown sender containing photos of Caio’s indiscretions. Heartbroken, devastated, and furious, Babi becomes dead-set on revenge and is suddenly swept into a torrid affair with the “hot judge” Marco, presiding over Caio’s court hearing in connection with an alleged money-laundering scheme.

Whether you’re impressed with the plot or not, the cast of Burning Betrayal can surely sweep you off your feet. As it is with any other steamy thriller like 365 Days or Fifty Shades of Grey, the film is also carried on the back by a stunning cast that keeps your eyes glued to the screen. Ready to meet them? Here’s the who’s who of this wild erotic ride.

Giovanna Lancellotti — Babi

Image via Instagram/@gilancellotti

At the center of the narrative is Babi, a successful woman who’s about to marry her boyfriend of five years right before discovering the truth about his infidelity. She then turns the tables and changes herself to take revenge on him. The woman behind this captivating personality is Giovanna Lancellotti, a 30-year-old Brazilian actress from Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo.

Giovanna is known for her work across the Brazilian television industry. If you feel awe-struck, you can catch more of her in the films Irrational Heart (2011), Gabriela (2012), A Second Chance (2018), Rick in Love (2020), and in the Netflix series Summer Heat (2022).

Micael — Caio

Image via Netflix

Babi’s cheating fiancé Caio is one of the three main characters in the story. Though committed to Babi for five years, he has been cheating on her with a mistress for the last two. Babi finds the perfect opportunity to exact revenge against him, as Caio’s business is one of her accounting firm’s biggest clients, and she had just attended a court hearing during which Caio was questioned about his connection to an alleged money-laundering scheme.

Caio is portrayed by Micael, a 34-year-old Brazilian actor from Rio de Janeiro. He is known for his roles in City of God (2002), and Irmãos de Fé (2004). On Netflix, you can catch him in the movie Carnaval (2021) and the 6-episode series Only For Love (2022).

Leandro Lima — Marco

Image via Netflix

Marco, the third point in the film’s love triangle, is the story’s subjective male protagonist. The money-laundering case in which Caio is a suspect is being overseen by this enigmatic and alluring judge. After initially meeting him at a hearing, Babi runs into him again at his office. After that, she joins his motorbike club, speeds around picturesque coastal roads, and spends a night with him that rivals one of her dreams.

The dashing “hot judge” is portrayed by the 41-year-old Brazilian model and actor Leandro Lima Lemos. The 6’1 actor was also a vocalist in the axé band Ala Ursa before moving to Europe to pursue a career as a model. He has paraded for major labels such as Versace, Calvin Klein, and Christian Dior S.A., and did advertising campaigns in Milan, Paris, London, and Madrid. He has made various brief appearances on television shows, including in Netflix’s Girls from Ipanema (2020).

Camilla de Lucas — Paty

Image via Instagram/@camilladelucas

Every girl needs a girl best friend, and Paty is Babi’s ride-or-die in this thrilling tale. She’s the complete opposite of Babi, introduced while hanging out at the fitting and scanning through dating apps. Compared to the promiscuous, open-minded Paty, Babi hasn’t been around the block quite as much. She provides comic relief in this wild story and is the ideal counterpoint to Babi.

Camilla de Lucas is originally a Brazilian social media star, who gained popularity through her Instagram. She is a famous blogger, YouTuber, and model, and was a contestant in the twenty-first edition of Big Brother Brazil in 2021, ending up placing second.

Bruno Montaleone — Thiago

Image via Netflix

Babi’s best friend and sweet, bespectacled work partner, Thiago is portrayed by Bruno Montaleone. He, along with Paty helps Babi pull herself together after her fiancé’s betrayal. Bruno provides Babi with constant support throughout the movie, serving as the sweet counterbalance to our fearless lead.

Bruno Montaleone has previously appeared in the 2021 rom-com The Secret Diary of an Exchange Student, which is available to watch on Netflix. He is also known for his roles in the Brazilian television series The Other Side of Paradise (2017) and Verdades Secretas (2021).

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The best Matthew Lillard movies and TV shows

Fan love for Matthew Lillard is only ever as far away as the actor’s next project. With the big screen adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy’s reminding the public just how much the 53-year-old actor rules, we’re taking a look at some of his best work across the years.

Scream

On the off chance that you haven’t seen Scream, we’re not going to talk too much about it here except to request [re: order] you to watch it ASAP. It’s a must-watch if you like scary movies, if you like Lillard (of course you do!), and if you want to revisit his character in FNAF but without rewatching the film.

SLC Punk!

If you — like everyone — have been to Salt Lake City and immediately wanted to punch somebody, check out SLC Punk!, a crash course in youthful rebellion, anger, and the importance of knowing what vitamins do and don’t look like.

The Descendants 

In 2011, one of the best things that a movie could be, from a business perspective, was a giant bummer. We’re talking Midnight in Paris, The Help, Green Lantern. All flew to dizzying heights of success, thanks to their brave willingness to be kind of a drag.

And that went double for the year’s Academy Award winner for Best Adapted Screenplay, The Descendants, starring George Clooney as a man forced to come to terms with his wife’s imperfect humanity after she lapses into a coma. The film features an absolute gut punch of a performance by Lillard in a role that we won’t spoil here. Suffice it to say, it’s a downer.

Hackers

Is it the best movie ever made? That’s debatable. Some of us would say yes, but it’s not something we need to fight about. The thing is, I put The Descendants on this list despite it being a huge bummer with Beau Bridges in it. That’s there for you guys. In return, I get Hackers.

Hackers is the story of some teenagers with construction-grade hair gel using computer magic to befuddle Penn Jillette. It stars Angelina Jolie back before she finished pupating. In the world of Hackers, everybody has rollerblades, the operating systems strive to match the opening titles from The Matrix, Windows 95 reigns supreme, and Matthew Lillard has pigtails. It’s like someone made a Redbox knockoff of Cyberpunk 2077 25 years before it came out. Hack the planet, baby.

Critical Role

In a career marked by more beloved, iconic roles than most actors could hope to bump up against, none of Matthew Lillard’s projects have had the same fan appreciation as Critical Role. One of a few thousand tabletop roleplaying series from the last few years, it is perhaps the most beloved entry in a desperately crowded genre. 

Lillard, a longtime self-professed nerd with his own brand of luxury, RPG-themed whiskey, only popped up on Critical Role twice. Both times, he unofficially reprised his character from 1995’s Hackers. That’s right, this is still about Hackers. Hack the planet, baby.

A panopticon of Scooby-Doo! projects

Most of the time, attaching your face to an iconic horror villain will do a number on your viability as a family-friendly draw. Robert Englund never made the transition from Freddy Krueger to Sesame Street. Anthony Perkins died without ever having convinced anyone that the Bates Motel was a great family destination.

Then, out of nowhere, Matthew Lillard pulled off the seemingly impossible transition, seamlessly jumping from a role as a generation’s most notorious slasher to the most huggable stoner in Scooby-Doo! The 2002 live-action deconstruction of the Hanna-Barbera classic saw Lillard donning the chin beard and bellbottoms of Shaggy Rogers, children’s television’s beloved legalization advocate. What’s more, he never quite seemed to let go.

While Lillard’s co-stars would all join him for the film’s sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, none of them would hold onto their characters with quite the same fervor as Lillard. Since his first appearance as Shaggy over 20 years ago, he’s gone on to reprise the role in over 50 separate projects, ranging from Lego animated movies to Batman cartoon cameos. You can even relax to the ASMR-adjacent sound of Shaggy getting punched repeatedly in the stomach, thanks to Lillard’s voice work in the multiplayer fighting game MultiVersus.

Five Nights at Freddy’s

The critics didn’t love Five Nights at Freddy’s, the film adaptation of the video game phenomenon that boldly asks “What if The Rock-afire Explosion tried to eat your soul?” Critics don’t like lots of great stuff. Denny’s never get glowing reviews from food critics. People are snobs.

The fact of the matter is, if you love the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise, you’ll probably have a good time watching Matthew Lillard chewing pizza grease-stained scenery as — giant air quotes — “career guidance counselor Steve Raglan.”

From The Head

This is a weird one. The directorial debut and, to date, the only film made by George Griffith, From The Head is a tough sell on paper. The whole movie takes place in the bathroom of a strip club, with characters entering the orbit of the bathroom attendant. It’s a unique indie project that didn’t get a ton of attention when it came out in 2011. It got great reviews, and it’s generally accepted as the best movie set in a bathroom currently available for purchase on Amazon.

Without a Paddle

Without a Paddle may not be a great movie, or even — to hear critics describe it — a very good one. The comedy was puerile when it came out 20 years ago, and it hasn’t aged gracefully. It’s a Harold and Kumar, Dude, Where’s My Car?, Mallrats-style stoner comedy with more than its share of dumbness and, judging by the way the combination of music and happy couples at its climax, an apparently fundamental misunderstanding of the lyrics of “Ooh La La” by Faces.

But by God, if you were about 15 years old when you first saw it, that movie was revolutionary, with its body hair jokes and its execution of the old “I don’t have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you” bit. It even taught a generation of kids about D.B. Cooper. It’s basically educational.

Looney Tunes: Back in Action

Say what you will about the Brenaissance. But Brendan Fraser won’t be getting the credit he deserves until Looney Tunes: Back in Action gets some long-overdue reconsideration. Matthew Lillard plays himself, in a tense meeting with Shaggy and Scooby where they express their unhappiness with his performance in Scooby-Doo! Yes, it only lasts a few seconds. So what? Some of cinema’s most iconic performances are brief. Alec Baldwin was only in Glengarry Glen Ross for one scene. Are we comparing Looney Tunes: Back in Action to Glengarry Glen Ross? Yes.

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