When it comes to Ben Affleck, there are several key details to know about him. He’s a Boston native, he enjoys his fair share of Dunkin’ products and he’s also a passionate fan of the sports teams native to his hometown. In fact, he’s so devoted to his Boston Red Sox that he declined to wear a New York Yankees hat for a scene in 2014’s Gone Girl. That decision led to some behind-the-scenes issues on the set of the David Fincher-helmed flick. Even now, Affleck is still humorously defending his refusal to don the cap, and I get it.

The Gone Girl situation came up while Ben Affleck was promoting his 2026 movie schedule entry, The Rip, alongside frequent collaborator Matt Damon and their co-stars, Sasha Calle and Catalina Sandino Moreno. All four actors took part in a game in which they were prompted with a question of whether something applied more heavily towards Affleck or Damon. Affleck was dubbed the better Red Sox fan and, from there, came the question, “Who refused to wear a Yankees cap for a movie role?”

In the Instagram video, Damon began to joke about passing on a movie before Affleck interjected, and Damon then mused that his longtime buddy “actually shut production down because you wouldn't work.” Affleck, who said the story has since been “exaggerated,” also shared the following assessment:

Gone Girl sees Ben Affleck play the role of teacher Nick Dunne (a role originally snagged by Jon Hamm), who must contend with the sudden disappearance of his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike). It’s established within the narrative that Amy and Nick previously lived in New York before moving back to his native state of Missouri, hence the need for the character to wear a Yankees cap. When Affleck refused, David Fincher shut down production for a little while. Check out Affleck’s recollection of what happened in the video below:

As a sports fan myself, I’m fully aware that loyalty can run deep and, given the long-running rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox, it’s not surprising to me that Affleck would refuse to wear that cap. He and Fincher eventually settled on a compromise, which saw Affleck, while in character, sport a New York Mets hat. So I don’t think any further evidence of the Oscar winner’s devotion to the Red Sox is necessary. Though I could also mention that he and ex-wife Jennifer Garner took their kids to a game just last year.

When it comes to Gone Girl, it remains one of David Fincher’s most acclaimed films, and the making of the film arguably remains a point of interest for cinephiles. Just in 2025, Rosamund Pike recalled being nervous about taking on her role, and she received encouragement from Tom Cruise. Pike eventually received praise for her performance and even earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

I’m glad the Yankees hat snafu was ultimately resolved, and this now-funny anecdote really hits home the point that a person’s allegiance to a sports team shouldn’t be taken lightly. Funny enough, I myself am a big fan of the Boston Celtics, and I’d personally have a hard time wearing any Los Angeles Lakers gear if required to do so.

Check out Ben Affleck – sans a New York-based sports team hat – in The Rip, which will be available for Netflix subscription holders starting on January 16. In the meantime, Gone Girl is also available to buy or rent on digital platforms.

One of the greatest movie thrillers in the last few decades has to be Gone Girl. The book-to-screen adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel of the same name was helmed by David Fincher and starred Ben Affleck and the wonderfully terrifying Rosamund Pike. It’s hard to imagine a single other person in the role of Amy Dunne, but on the eve of filming, Pike wasn’t so sure she could pull it off. She recently opened up about this moment of major self-doubt and how Tom Cruise, of all people, stepped in at just the right time.

During her appearance on The Graham Norton Show (via People) to promote her 2025 movie release, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, she revealed that she turned to an unexpected source of comfort: her Jack Reacher co-star, Tom Cruise. She recounted:

It wasn’t just nerves. Pike, who at the time was gearing up to play the twisted and enigmatic main character in Fincher’s adaptation, genuinely questioned whether she was up to the task. So she reached out to someone she’d worked with before in a moment of early-morning panic. She continued:

The words hit home. Cruise’s gesture, she noted, wasn’t just kind — it was meaningful because of who it came from. “It was such a significant gesture from someone with such a level of fame,” Pike added. And, clearly, it made a difference. Her performance in Gone Girl not only resonated with audiences but also earned her an Oscar nomination, helping to redefine her career.

It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes moment that reminds us how even award-winning actors aren’t immune to doubt. Pike’s honesty adds a refreshing layer to the polished image we often see in press tours and red carpets. It also underscores something fans rarely get to witness: the quiet support systems that help shape the performances we later consider legendary.

Though, admittedly, this isn’t out of the character we’ve come to know of the megastar Tom Cruise. There are countless stories of the actor reaching out, supporting, or sending Christmas cakes to former co-stars. And it's fantastic to hear he had a hand, even if a small one, in giving the actress the push she needed to believe in herself.

The I Care A Lot (streaming with a Netflix subscription) actress' next big-screen turn is in the upcoming Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the third installment in the illusionist-led heist franchise. Directed by Ruben Fleischer, the film sees the original Four Horsemen reunite to pull off an audacious diamond theft with help from a new crew of illusionists. The English actress plays Veronika van der Berg, the film’s primary antagonist and the ruthless matriarch of a global crime syndicate.

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t begins its theatrical run on November 14th, so be sure to check your local listings. As for Gone Girl, you can check out Pike’s iconic, assured performance, as it’s streaming for everyone with an HBO Max subscription.

For every heartfelt, sweeping, inspirational storybook romance story, you can find plenty of violent and traumatizing nightmare couplings, too. In both fiction and reality alike, too many innocent victims wanting nothing more than to receive a person's love and support end up suffering a life of abuse and neglect from the person they, unfortunately, chose to spend it with. The following are some of the most essential examples of movie and TV characters you should never get into a relationship with.

Caledon Hockley (Titanic)

Some might call Rose (Kate Winslet) a bad girlfriend, let alone the worst character from the movie Titanic for some of her own childish behaviors and, especially, her affair with Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio). However, nothing she does in James Cameron's Best Picture Oscar winner justifies the way her arrogant, elitist, industrialist fiancé, Cal Hockley (Billy Zane), treats her, ranging from his possessive dominance to his nearly murderous reaction to Rose's relationship with Jack.

Sarah Marshall (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

In the uproarious, 2008 romantic-comedy movie favorite, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Peter Bretter (writer Jason Segel) fails to realize how little support his eponymous girlfriend (played by Kristen Bell) shows him until after she dumps him for rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), whom we discover she was cheating with. The cop TV show actor may even be a worse ex-girlfriend from how she enviously sabotages Peter's newfound happiness with Rachel (Mila Kunis) by making a move on him when they accidentally book a vacation on the same Hawaiian island.

Ross Gellar (Friends)

For every reason a Friends fan may have had to root for Ross Gellar (David Schwimmer) and Rachel Green's (Jennifer Aniston) on-and-off romance, there are even more reasons why Ross is just the worst. He reveals himself to be extremely possessive when Rachel meets a handsome coworker at Bloomingdale's, refuses to take responsibility for cheating on her ("We were on a break" is still no excuse), and even continues to obsess over her while in relationships with other women.

Rose Armitage (Get Out)

In 2017, Get Out introduced one of modern cinema's scariest female horror movie villains in the form of Rose Armitage (Allison Williams), whose relationship with Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) was a ruse to coerce him into falling prey to her family's racist procedure that would cause him to lose control of his body to a white host. He was only one of several Black people she pulled this horrific con on, as we discover in Jordan Peele's terrifying, Oscar-winning directorial debut.

Billy Loomis (Scream)

While easily one of the most iconic examples of the classic slasher movie trope of the killer boyfriend, Skeet Ulrich's Billy Loomis is an undeserving partner even before the big reveal in 1996's Scream. He constantly pressures Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) into having relations, flirts with other women behind her back, and even belittles her for not fully recovering from her mother's murder only a year afterward.

Melissa (The Hangover)

Rachael Harris' character in 2009's The Hangover belittles and manipulates Stu (Ed Harris) to the point that he becomes helplessly defensive of her controlling nature and, even worse, her adultery. Luckily, after meeting and marrying an exotic dancer named Jade (Heather Graham) in a stupor during Doug's disastrous Las Vegas bachelor party, he gains the courage to stand up to Melissa and call her out as a "bad person all the way through to [her] core."

Michael Kelso (That '70s Show)

To be fair, Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis) is certainly not without her shortcomings, showing extreme evidence of vanity and narcissism especially in the earlier seasons of That '70s Show. However, she ultimately deserved better than her on-and-off boyfriend, Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher, who went on to marry Kunis in real life), who shares those same toxic traits in addition to being a helplessly absent-minded serial womanizer.

Judith Fessbeggler (Saving Silverman)

Dr. Judith Fessbeggler (Amanda Peet) is a psychiatrist in great need of psychotherapy, as evidenced by the way she treats Darren (Jason Biggs), the title character of the 2001 comedy, Saving Silverman. She ruthlessly controls everything in his life, from his wardrobe to the music he listens to, even forcing him to receive cosmetic surgery on his behind, which prompts his lifelong friends, Wayne (Steve Zahn) and J.D. (Jack Black), to stop their impending nuptials.

Martin Burney (Sleeping With The Enemy)

In director Joseph Ruben's 1991 adaptation of Nancy Price's novel, Sleeping with the Enemy, a constant pattern of abuse from her husband, Martin (Patrick Bergin), leads Laura Burney (Academy Award winner Julia Roberts) to fake her death and escape the marriage. Unfortunately, after donning a new identity and settling down in Iowa, where she strikes up a romance with a local named Ben (Kevin Anderson), she discovers that Martin has managed to track her down, not willing to let her go.

Amy Dunne (Gone Girl)

Early on in Gone Girl, director David Fincher's 2014 adaptation of Gillian Flynn's bestselling mystery, it seems obvious to suspect the adulterous and emotionally distant Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) of foul play when his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), suddenly goes missing. The truth is, however, that the woman left on her own accord and strategically planted evidence to incriminate her husband, which is in no way a healthy method for dealing with marital woes.

Jack Torrance (The Shining)

In Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining, Jack (Jack Nicholson) and Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall) do not seem to have a particularly perfect marriage before they become caretakers at the Overlook Hotel. Things grow infinitely worse when the malevolent spirits of the Colorado resort drive Jack to become a vicious, deranged monster.

Rory Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)

Some Gilmore Girls fans believe that the show was ruined by the "will they, won't they" dynamic between Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) and Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia), and not just because it killed her relationship with Dean (Jared Padalecki). The ill-fated romance was merely the first of many selfish mistakes that Rory would make against her significant others that would ultimately cause some fans of the dramedy to completely turn on the character.

Christian (Midsommar)

Ari Aster told Birth.Movies.Death that he wanted to make his sophomore feature, 2019's Midsommar, a break-up movie based on a previous relationship of his, which makes a lot of sense when you consider the volatility of the relationship at the center of the folk horror story. You almost cannot help but feel happy for Dani (Florence Pugh) as she watches the selfish, emotionally stunted, and gaslighting Christian (Jack Reynor) burn to death before her very eyes at the end of the shocking A24 horror movie classic.

Ginger McKenna (Casino)

Sharon Stone's character from the 1995 Martin Scorsese movie, Casino, has just about all the most essential criteria for an unfavorable wife, from her hustling schemes, her greedy motivations, and her adulterous habits. Of course, in addition to being a bad spouse, Ginger is an even worse mother, having tied her daughter to a bed so she could have a night out clubbing on her own.

David McCall (Fear)

While there are quite a few romance movies that try to discredit the fatherly character's disapproval of his daughter's suitor, 1996's Fear is the movie that would teach audiences dad might know what he is talking about. Steven Walker (William Peterson) is the first to suspect that something is off about his daughter, Nicole's (Reese Witherspoon), new boyfriend, David (Mark Wahlberg) and, boy, do his instincts prove correct when he leaves a bloody trail that culminates in a terrifying attack on Nicole's family all for the sake of having her to himself.

Jan Levinson (The Office)

One of the best episodes of NBC's The Office, "Dinner Party," offers an inside look at the torrid relationship between Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin), who invite their Dunder Mifflin coworkers into their condo for a memorable night. The couple's heated dispute over Michael's multiple vasectomies, Jan's obsession with her assistant (an aspiring musician), and more discords ultimately get the cops involved.

Nate Cooper (The Devil Wears Prada)

A good partner supports their significant other's professional career – a concept lost on Nate Cooper (Adrian Grenier) from 2006's The Devil Wears Prada. Grenier would even agree, in a 2021 oral history by Entertainment Weekly, that his character was a "fragile, wounded boy" who was not as grown-up as Andy (Anne Hathaway) and, thus, selfishly criticized her career decisions. Not to mention, reacting to her getting hired at a fashion magazine by asking if it was a phone interview is unforgivably rude.

Asami Yamazaki (Audition)

The premise of Takashi Miike's acclaimed Japanese horror movie, 1999's Audition – in which a widower holds a fake movie casting session to find a new wife – seems to paint Ryo Ishibashi's character as the villain. However, one might agree that his actions, which did come from a place of sincerity, are not worthy of the sadistic, demented punishment that his new lover, Asami (Eihi Shiina), performs on him.

Josh (Companion)

Including Jack Quaid's character from the 2025 sci-fi movie, Companion, might be a bit of a stretch, considering Iris (Sophie Thatcher) is not really Josh's girlfriend but a highly advanced machine he purchased – er, rented. Discovering this helps her realize that the man she thought she loved is a pathetic, selfish, controlling, and violent loser, making this friendly robot the hero of the story.

Lisa (The Room)

In 2003's The Room, Lisa (Juliette Danielle) decides, completely out of the blue, that she no longer loves her "future husband," Johnny (writer, producer, and director Tommy Wiseau), and engages in an affair with his best friend, Mark (Greg Sestero), which ultimately drives Johnny to take his own life. Regardless of the cult favorite's reputation for its thoroughly nonsensical storyline, if there is one earnest analysis we can make about this awesomely cheesy movie, it is that Lisa was wrong to tear Johnny apart like that.

Nate Jacobs (Euphoria)

One of the strongest aspects of HBO's acclaimed coming-of-age drama, Euphoria, is the grounded ways it depicts certain archetypes that are commonly found in the modern high school environment. For instance, Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) – the former boyfriend of Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie) and Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney) – is, practically, the teenage poster child for toxic masculinity and internalized homophobia.

Lila West (Dexter)

Sometimes it is crazy to think that one of the worst major villains on Dexter was, at one time, a love interest of Michael C. Hall's titular homicidal vigilante. When his relationship with Rita hits a rough patch in Season 2, Dexter indulges in a relationship with his rehab sponsor, Lila West (Jaime Murray), who proves to be a worse sociopath than he is.

Alex Le Domas (Ready Or Not)

In 2019's Ready or Not, instant classic horror movie final girl Grace (Samara Weaving) discovers she is the target of her in-laws' deadly game of Hide-and-Seek, which her husband, Alex Le Domas (Mark O'Brien), initially tries to help her escape. However, when she rejects him as a result of the trauma his murderous, Satanic family caused (and which he failed to properly warn her about before tying the knot), he betrays her and submits to the ritual to sacrifice her which, thankfully, gloriously backfires on them.

Stacey (American History X)

Derek Vinyard's (Edward Fulong) relationship with his girlfriend, Stacey (Fairuza Balk), in 1998's American History X, seemed to be at its best before his three-year stint in prison when they both were on the same page about white supremacy. After he returns and tries to convince her to leave the neo-Nazi movement with him, she thinks he is nuts to abandon that kind of life, which is an automatic dealbreaker. Good on him.

Jeffrey Fecalman (Family Guy)

In a rare dramatic moment from Family Guy, the animated series addressed the topic of domestic abuse by introducing Quagmire's (creator Seth MacFarlane) sister, Brenda (Kaitlin Olson), and her vile, deadbeat boyfriend, Jeff (Ralph Garman). After suffering to see her submit to Jeff's verbally and physically cruel treatment, Quagmire conspires with Peter (MacFarlane) and Joe (Patrick Warburton) to actually murder him.

Mrs. Griffith (Easy A)

Not only does high school guidance counselor Mrs. Griffith (Friends cast member Lisa Kudrow) cheat on her dear husband and coworker (played by Thomas Haden Church) but she does so with a student. This makes her one of the least likable characters in 2010's Easy A by a landslide.

Jason "J.D." Dean (Heathers)

In 1988's darkly comic high school movie favorite, Heathers, Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) falls for J.D. (Christian Slater). Of course, their relationship is ruined when she discovers he is a homicidal sociopath.

Meredith Blake (The Parent Trap)

In the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap, Elaine Hendrix plays the elitist, materialistic, and, ultimately, evil potential stepmother to Lindsay Lohan's dual roles as estranged twin sisters, Annie and Hallie, who torture her with a series of increasingly brutal pranks. This drives Meredith to force Nick (Dennis Quaid) to choose between her or the siblings and, much to his credit, he promptly ends the relationship by choosing his daughters.

Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl)

There is a case to be made that Ed Westwick's Chuck Bass was one of the more charming characters in the Gossip Girl cast. Of course, this was a façade to downplay his unbelievably toxic and misogynistic behavior, especially at the expense of his girlfriend-turned-wife, Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester).

Jenny “G-Girl” Johnson (My Super Ex-Girlfriend)

In almost any other case, finding out that your significant other is a superhero would be pretty cool. However, in the case of Matt Saunders (Luke Wilson) from director Ivan Reitman's My Super Ex-Girlfriend, it's a nightmare because Jenny Johnson (Uma Thurman), who fights crime as G-Girl, is a needy, jealous, manipulative woman who uses her powers as revenge on Matt after he dumps her.

Adrian Griffin (The Invisible Man)

Writer and director Leigh Whannell brilliantly reimagined H.G. Wells' seminal story, The Invisible Man, into something of a sci-fi version of Sleeping with the Enemy with his 2020 hit. It follows Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) who, after escaping her marriage to abusive optics engineer Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), becomes convinced that he has found a way to continue stalking her and controlling her every move without being seen.

Lori (Total Recall)

Imagine finding out everything you thought you knew about your life was a lie, including your marriage. That is what happens to Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in the 1992 sci-fi thriller, Total Recall, who eventually shoots and kills the secret agent he thought was his wife, Lori (Sharon Stone), before quipping, "Consider that a divorce."

Whenever we talk about iconic movie couples, we tend to focus on the happy-go-lucky pairings where everything either ends well or they learn something before the credits roll. But not today. Instead, let’s look back at 32 movies with horrible toxic relationships where couples were doing more harm than good – to themselves and each other. Don’t worry, we’ll still be talking about some of the best romantic comedies of all time, but we’ll also dive into some messed-up relationships at the core of a few great psychological thrillers with unhappy endings, as well.

Gone Girl (Amy And Nick Dunne)

On top of featuring one of the best female villains in film history, David Fincher’s 2014 adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl has hands down one of the most toxic relationships of all time. Amy (Rosamund Pike) and Nick Dunne’s (Ben Affleck) horrible marriage, which leads to one party cheating and the other faking their own kidnapping to frame their “better” half, is one for the ages.

Fatal Attraction (Dan Gallagher And Alex Forrest)

When a relationship starts as an affair and leads to a boiling bunny and a vengeful wife getting all cold-blooded with a gun, you know it’s toxic. That’s the case for Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) and Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) in the ‘80s erotic thriller, Fatal Attraction.

Revolutionary Road (Frank And April Wheeler)

If you went into Revolutionary Road thinking that the characters played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet would be as lovey-dovey as the actors were in Titanic, you’ve got another thing coming. Sam Mendes’ take on Richard Yates’ 1961 novel is BRUTAL and centers on two people whose hatred for one another is something to behold.

Inception (Cobb And Mal)

Look beyond all the mind-bending visuals, intense action sequences, and myriad theories, and you’ll find a horrible toxic relationship at the core of Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Not even death could bring an end to the misery that was Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mal’s (Marion Cotillard) tortured marriage.

Sid And Nancy (Sid Vicious And Nancy Spungen)

Chronicling one of the most infamous failed relationships in rock-n-roll history, Sid and Nancy is a tour de force of toxic energy. Centering on the final months and days in the relationship (and lives) of Sid Vicious (Gary Oldman) and Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb), Alex Cox’s 1986 biopic is a lesson in what happens when a destructive relationship comes crashing down.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Clementine And Joel)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is without a doubt one of the best movies of the 2000s, but man, it’s one depressing trip. The story about a former couple (played by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet) who go to extreme lengths to get over a failed relationship will certainly knock you down a peg and leave you never wanting to love ever again.

A Star Is Born (Jackson And Ally Maine)

Every version of A Star is Born has a really messed up relationship at its core, and Bradley Cooper’s 2018 reimagining is one of the most tragic. As soon as Jackson Maine (Cooper) meets Ally (Lady Gaga) in a drag bar, you know how this one is gonna end. Spoiler, it’s not pretty. In fact, it’s tragic in multiple ways.

Blue Valentine (Dean And Cindy)

Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine is one of those great movies you can only watch once because it’s so messed up. Sure, it’s not as extreme as others, but the story of Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy Pereira's (Michelle Williams) relationship over multiple years is grueling, upsetting, and absolutely heartbreaking.

Badlands (Kit And Holly)

Inspired by the story of Charles Starkweather and Caril-Ann Fugate, Badlands is one of those crime movies everyone needs to watch at least once. But be warned, as Martin Sheen’s Kit is a homicidal madman who takes advantage of his young girlfriend Holly (Sissy Spacek) and takes her on a life of crime and killings in America’s badlands.

You've Got Mail (Kathleen Kelly And Joe Fox)

Sure, You’ve Got Mail has one of the best enemies-to-lovers stories of all time, but let’s be real for a second. Tom Hanks’ Joe Fox is a manipulative jerk who toys with Kathleen Kelly’s emotions, puts her bookstore out of business, and orchestrates a scenario where they end up together at the end.

The Graduate (Benjamin Braddock And Mrs. Robinson)

A relationship built on lust instead of love isn’t necessarily a recipe for disaster, but it’s not really a winner either. That’s the case for Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) and Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) in The Graduate. Sure, it led to an all-time great song, but this toxic and unhealthy relationship is horrible and quite damaging.

Nocturnal Animals (Edward Sheffield And Susa Morrow)

What if you hurt your spouse to such an extent that they later wrote a book in which a character based on you was viciously attacked and murdered in the West Texas desert? Well, that’s what happens in Nocturnal Animals when Jake Gyllenhaal’s Edward Sheffield plays some serious head games with his ex-wife, Susan Morrow (Amy Adams).

Gaslight (Gregory And Paula)

When a movie has a title like Gaslight, you know it’s going to have a remarkably toxic relationship at its core. This 1944 classic, which focuses on the deterioration of Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman) and Gregory Anton’s (Charles Boyer) marriage after the husband plays some messed up games with his new wife, is wild, to say the least.

Requiem For A Dream (Harry And Marion)

Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto) and Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly) are so preoccupied with chasing the next thrill and high in their messed up lives that they fail to see the damage of their detrimental relationship in Requiem for a Dream. This is one of Darren Aronofsky's best movies but also perhaps his most unsettling, thanks in part to these two.

Natural Born Killers (Mickey And Mallory Knox)

Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) love each other in Natural Born Killers, there’s no doubt about it. But this messed up couple shows their love and admiration for one another by killing dozens of people in increasingly violent ways as they embark upon a blood-soaked honeymoon.

Renfield (R.M. Renfield And Dracula)

While there’s no romance shared by R.M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) and Dracula (Nicholas Cage) in Renfield, let’s not act like this isn’t the most toxic relationship we’ve seen in a horror movie in recent years. Dracula, who takes and takes from his servant, creates a monster, one that ends up pulling off a lot of heads and bringing chaos to the Big Easy in this blood-soaked comedy.

Kramer Vs. Kramer (Ted And Joanna Kramer)

If you were to watch the Kramer vs. Kramer trailer, you’d probably think this 1979 romantic drama would be a fun and enjoyable watch. Think again! Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep’s on-screen relationship is damaging, so toxic, and so horrible, you’re lucky if you don’t need therapy after coming out the other side.

Midsommar (Dani And Christian)

Ari Aster’s Midsommar is one of the most unsettling horror movies of all time, as well as a drama with one incredibly toxic and horrible relationship. Of course, we’re talking about Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) whose bond goes from distant to destructive over the course of the movie. Never at any point does it seem like these two get along or care for one another, especially at the end.

Passengers (Aurora Lane And Jim Preston)

The Passengers trailer made it seem as if the 2016 sci-fi drama would be about an unlikely relationship that blossoms in deep space. While that is sort of true, don’t forget that Aurora Jane (Jennifer Lawrence) and Jim Preson’s (Chris Pratt) relationship is built upon a lie, a really, really messed up lie that is unforgivable.

An Education (Jenny Mellor And David Goldman)

Lone Scherfig’s An Education spends most of its 100-minute runtime showing a seemingly normal and healthy relationship shared by Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan) and the much older David Goldman (Peter Sarsgaard). But later on we find out that things aren’t as they seem and one of the involved parties has a destructive, heart-breaking secret.

Beauty And The Beast (Belle And Beast)

A tale as old as time, Beauty and the Beast is regarded as one of the best Disney animated movies, but the relationship between Belle and Beast is pretty horrible. While it is noble of Beast to set Belle’s dad free, he essentially holds the young woman hostage in his desolate castle in exchange. Stockholm Syndrome, anyone?

Leaving Las Vegas (Ben And Sera)

Leaving Las Vegas is one of the best Nicolas Cage movies, but it’s also one of the actor’s films where he plays one part of a pretty messed up relationship. While it is true that Ben (Cage) and Sera (Elisabeth Shue) love one another, their lifestyles and personalities also have some pretty detrimental effects on each other and themselves.

Closer (Alice, Larry, Anna, And Dan)

Keeping track of all the couples and their histories in Closer should be an Olympic sport. Mike Nichols’ 2004 romantic drama follows the intertwined relationships shared by Alice (Natalie Portman), Larry (Clive Owen), Anna (Julia Roberts), and Dan (Jude Law), as they play out over several years; years filled with broken hearts, trauma, and toxicity. Great movie, but a serious downer.

The Godfather (Michael And Kay)

Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) is probably one of the most famous mobsters in the history of cinema, but he’s also a pretty rotten guy. Throughout The Godfather (and its sequels), his relationship with Kay Adams (Diane Keaton) has more downs than ups, ever-changing rules, and a lack of trust. The final scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 epic says it all.

Interview With The Vampire (Lestat De Lioncourt And Louis De Pointe Du Lac)

The way Lestat de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise) takes Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt) out of a life of luxury and makes him into an immortal prisoner in Interview with the Vampire is as horrible as it is tragic. These two, though dependent upon one another, hate each other, which doesn’t translate to a happy ending.

Raging Bull (Jake And Vickie LaMotta)

Are there any nice or wholesome characters in Raging Bull? No, not really. But Jake (Robert De Niro) and Vickie LaMotta (Cathy Moriarty) take the cake in terms of characters in a horrible and toxic relationship. The fighting, the head games, and the cussing are all signs of an unhealthy and dangerous marriage.

Death Becomes Her (Madeline Ashton, Helen Sharp, And Ernest Menville)

One of the funniest movies of the early ‘90s, Death Becomes Her is full of some all-time great cinematic characters like Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep), Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn), and Ernest Menville (Bruce Willis). However, all three are intertwined in a messed-up love triangle full of pettiness, bitterness, death, and a miracle tonic that extends things way too much.

Forrest Gump (Forrest And Jenny)

Does Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) love Jenny (Robin Wright) in Forrest Gump? Yeah, we’re certain of that. But does Jenny love Forrest with all her heart? Well, the jury is still out. Throughout this movie, Jenny toys with her childhood friend’s emotions in multiple ways over multiple decades, and is pretty much the movie’s villain at times.

Marriage Story (Charlie And Nicole Barber)

Marriage Story is a brilliant movie that everyone needs to watch at least once. But, boy, Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole Barber (Scarlett Johansson) are one horrible and toxic couple. These two, with their jealousies, resentment, and suppressed anger are a time bomb and it’s probably for the best they go their separate ways.

Phantom Thread (Reynolds Woodcock And Alma Elson)

When you have to poison your lover so that he won’t let you leave, you know something’s not right. And that’s the case for Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps) and Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread. Over the course of two-plus hours, this odd and deadly relationship plays out in a way that is particularly toxic.

Nightcrawler (Lou Bloom And Nina Romina)

Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Nina Romina (Rene Russo) in Nightcrawler are probably one of the most disturbing relationships in 21st-century cinema. Lou is using Nina who is taking advantage of the young stringer in a variety of ways. They’re both awful, self-serving people who deserve everything that comes their way.

500 Days Of Summer (Tom And Summer)

You have to feel bad for Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in 500 Days of Summer, but you don’t necessarily have to blame Summer (Zooey Deschanel) for the deterioration of their relationship, either, Both want different things and have different aspirations. All of that would be fine if they didn’t have detrimental impacts on each other, and their doomed relationship.

As you can see, cinema history is filled with toxic relationships, even in films that turn out to be some of our most beloved romantic comedies.

Is there anything more frightening than a really smart villain in a movie or a TV show who always seems to be one step ahead of the hero? Whether it's TV shows like Breaking Bad and Dexter, or movies like Mission: Impossible 3, and Silence of the Lambs, a smart villain is always the most dangerous kind. This list is made up of villains just like that, the smartest ones in Hollywood. 

Hannibal Lecter (Silence Of The Lambs)

you certainly can't have a list like this without Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). When we first met him (really), in Silence of the Lambs, we knew just how smart he was before Clarice (Jodie Foster) even encountered him. It only gets more pronounced as the movie goes on. He's also one of the scariest ever in just how evil he is. 

Moriarty (Sherlock)

Among the most intelligent villains in all of Western culture is Moriarty. He is Sherlock Holmes' main nemesis in countless stories, movies, and TV shows. Maybe the best and smartest version of Moriarty comes from the BBC show Sherlock with Andrew Scott absolutely nailing the role of the brilliant, eccentric criminal. 

Lex Luthor (Superman: The Movie)

Another classic bad guy in entertainment history is Lex Luthor. He's played foil to Superman for over 80 years and every time we see him, whether on TV, in the comics, or on the big screen like in Superman: The Movie, where he's played by Gene Hackman, we know Superman is going to be in for a wild ride. You can't beat Superman with brawn, so you better outwit him. 

Tom Ripley - The Talented Mr. Ripley

There are a lot of great movies about con artists out there, and one of the smartest con men on screen has to be Tom Ripley in The Talented Mr. Ripley. He's terrifyingly cold and calculating and Matt Damon's performance enhances just how scary and smart Ripley is. 

John Doe - Se7en

It's hard to imagine a criminal mind as devious, patient, and scary as John Doe (Kevin Spacey) in Se7en. He takes two detectives on a wild ride, knowing exactly when and how the whole thing will end, weeks before it does. People joke about politicians playing "3-D chess" but John Doe isn't even playing chess, he's on a much higher level. 

Owen Davian - Mission: Impossible III

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has faced a lot of really smart villains over the life of the Mission: Impossible series, but none are smarter - or scarier - than Philip Seymour Hoffman's Owen Davian in Mission: Impossible III. No one expects anyone to get the jump on Hunt, but from the intense opening moments of Mission: Impossible III, it's clear that Davian is a different animal. 

Cersei Lannister - Game Of Thrones

In the game of thrones, you either win or you die. For most Game of Thrones, Cersei Lannister wins. She is one or two or even three steps ahead of all her rivals and continues to hold on to power almost - almost - until the very end. Her death was nearly satisfying enough for most fans, as it didn't really do justice to how good she was at the game. 

Blofeld - No Time To Die

There are a lot of James Bond villains that could qualify for this list, but we have to go with the one who has most often shown to be ready to take on 007. Ernst Stavro Blofeld is so iconic, he was the main inspiration for Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers series - and a character who does not qualify here. Blofeld, especially the version played by Christoph Waltz in No Time To Die definitely does deserve to be here. 

Kilgrave - Jessica Jones

David Tennant is mostly known for playing a hero, Dr. Who, on the classic BBC show. It turns out he's just as, and maybe even better, as a villain. Kilgrave, Jessica Jones' antagonist in the first season of the former Netflix show, is absolutely terrifying. His powers to manipulate are exceeded only by his wicked intelligence. A combination that is truly the stuff on nightmares. 

Ben Linus - Lost

Lost had a few villains over the years, and sometimes it was simply The Island. The most iconic of the villains though, has to be Ben Linus, played by Michael Emerson. He's so smart that Sawyer's nickname for him is "Yoda." That's high praise. 

Magneto - X-Men

When you going to be a villain who goes up against Professor X often in the X-Men universe, you better be up to the task, mentally. Magneto, played by Michael Fassbender, among others, is just the kind of villain who is ready for Charles Xavier. He meets him beat for beat as they try to outwit each other. 

The Trinity Killer - Dexter

On Dexter, our anti-hero Dexter goes up against some truly diabolical killers, but none come close to matching his wits like Arthur Mitchell aka The Trinity Killer. There is an argument to be made that Mitchell may be the most brilliant villain in TV history but luckily we're not here to pick a winner. 

Nina Myers - 24

The only way Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) on 24 was ever going to lose was by a betrayal. Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke) shocked everyone when she made her move and revealed her treachery. It almost works too. She calculated out the whole thing and almost get it right, but Jack was just too good. 

Amy Dunne - Gone Girl

Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) in Gone Girl is unique on this list. One on hand, it's easy to understand why she's so vengeful against her adulterous husband (Ben Affleck). That doesn't mean she should get away with what she did to him, but she does, and its because she's stone-cold brilliant in the planning and execution of her diabolical plan. 

Gus Fring - Breaking Bad

There aren't many people smarter than Walter White (Bryan Cranston) in Breaking Bad. One of the only rivals who comes close is Gus Fring, played by Giancarlo Esposito. He matches wits - and even outwits - Walter time and time again on the show and almost wins. Almost. 

The Master - Doctor Who

Every great hero needs a nemesis and for Dr. Who it's most often The Master. No one knows The Doctor quite like The Master, as they've been battling each other for, well, almost forever, really. They were childhood friends, but lifelong enemies.  

Ozymandias - Watchmen

Ozymandias has been the central villain of The Watchmen in the book, the movie, and on the TV show. Some fans don't think the screen version of the villain lives up to his character in the graphic novel. He's still incredibly smart, able to keep up with and sometimes ahead of Dr. Manhattan in almost every way and that's no easy feat, to say the least. 

Keyser Söze - The Usual Suspects

Verbal Kint aka Keyser Söze has to be on this list. He pulls a trick that only the devil could have pulled before by convincing everyone he didn't exist. Throughout the movie, the cops and the audience are sucked into his tall tale and when the truth was revealed in the end, it instantly became one of the best moments in Hollywood history. Poof! 

Khan - Star Trek

Of all the villains in Star Trek history, few have a place in Trekkie hearts like Khan, played by the great Ricardo Montalbán. Not only is his episode on the original show, called "Space Seed," considered among the best, but he returned for the second Star Trek movie and saved the entire franchise after a controversial, and often derided first movie. 

HAL 9000 - 2001: A Space Odyssey

Not every brilliant villain is a person, either. In fact, one of the smartest of all time is Stanley Kubrick's early take on artificial intelligence, Hal 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Hal outwits some of the smartest astronauts in the universe and toys with them as it does, leading to a wild ending. It's an idea that was pure science fiction in 1969 when the movie came out. It seems less so fantastical today. Yikes. 

Wilson Fisk - Daredevil

The Netflix Marvel shows, like Daredevil were, at best, uneven. One of the real high points in that universe has to be Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. He's an imposing figure, physically and mentally, as smart as he is physically strong, making him one of the most formidable opponents a superhero would ever want to face. 

Hans Gruber - Die Hard

Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) in Die Hard comes up with an unbelievable plan to rob a lot of money. He even plans it right down to counting on the FBI cutting the building's power at the right time. However, this entry comes with a caveat. Hans' brother Simon, played by Jeremy Irons in Die Hard With A Vengence actually may be more diabolical. It's a tough call. 

Neil McCauley - Heat

One of the greatest cat-and-mouse games to ever play out on the big screen is between Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). McCauley's planning of the heist is meticulous and he leaves nothing to chance. It's something only years on the job and a superior mind could come up with. 

Auric Goldfinger - Goldfinger

Ernest Blofeld may be James Bond's most common antagonist, but Auric Goldfinger  (Gert Frobe) might be the smartest of them all. Even Bond admits that Goldfingers plan to make all the gold in Fort Knox worthless is a stroke of genius. The plan is almost perfect, but it's tough to outwit 007. 

Cyrus The Virus - Con Air

Leave it to John Malkovich to play a villain so well in a movie as over-the-top and ridiculous as Con Air that we have to include him on this list. Cyrus The Virus is truly one of the great villains in action movie history and it's all due to Malkovich's amazing performance of the brilliant but psychopathic bad guy. 

The Joker - The Dark Knight

Batman is considered among the smartest of superheroes. That's what makes The Joker, especially Heath Ledger's legendary version of the Clown Prince of Crime, so critical to a list like this. Over the years, in every medium, The Joker and Batman have gone toe-to-toe in desperate bids to outwit each other. 

Aaron Stampler/Roy - Primal Fear

Edward Norton's first role came as Aaron Stampler aka "Roy" in Primal Fear alongside Richard Gere. His manipulation of the trial to convince everyone that he is nuts shows just how stone-cold brilliant he is. It's scary how smart he is. Literally. 

Clyde Shelton - Law Abiding Citizen

Hell hath no fury like a man coming after his family's murderer. Clyde Shelton is more of an anti-hero than a villain, but his planning and patience fit right on this list. His desire to make sure those who killed his family get the retribution they deserve is intense, and his level of planning is simply next level. 

Francis Underwood - House Of Cards

Because of Kevin Spacey's legal problems, we never saw the true conclusion to Frank Underwood's story on House of Cards, but before he died, we did see him stop at nothing in his quest for absolute power. He met and vanquished all his enemies in his rise to the top and who knows where he would've gone from there. 

Loki - Marvel Cinematic Universe

Let's be honest, most of the villains in the MCU aren't really that smart or really that great. In the history of the behemoth franchise, villains have often left audiences longing for more. One notable exception has always been Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston. He's always great, and always up to the task when taking on all the smartest guys in the Avengers over multiple movies and his own TV show. 

Marlo Stanfield - The Wire

On HBO's The Wire, it's rare that anyone wins in the end. Good guys, bad guys, and everyone in between usually don't win. The lone exception is Marlo Stanfield. His rise to power on the streets of Baltimore is a combination of his street savvy and his fearlessness. It's that savvy that keeps him on top, right up until the end. 

Voldemort - Harry Potter

You knew we couldn't have this list without he who shall not be named. Lord Voldemort is the only villain in the Harry Potter series who has the abilities and smarts to conquer Harry and his allies. Sure, he fails in the end, but it's close, and matching wits with all of Hogwarts is still incredibly impressive. 

Jigsaw - Saw

In a lot of horror and slasher films, the main villain is less appreciated for their brains as they are for their unrelenting desire to kill. Jigsaw in the Saw series is so much more than that. He is brilliant. Terrifyingly brilliant. His ability to come up his insane games and manipulate people is just the scariest thing in the history of horror. 

Men may be the more traditional villains in movies, but women have been some of the best. The kind of characters we just love to hate, played by some of the greatest actresses of all time. Here is our list of some of the best female villains in film history.

Nurse Ratched - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Louise Fletcher's performance as the manipulative Nurse Ratched is one of the most chilling to grace the silver screen. Her iron-fisted rule over McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) and the rest of the patients is quietly evil, making it way more effective and terrifying than an over-the-top style of villain. 

Wicked Witch Of The West - The Wizard Of Oz

There may be no more recognizable villain, male or female, to movie fans than the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard Of Oz. The Margaret Hamilton character has been scaring kids (in the best way) for almost a century. The role is so iconic that when we think of a generic "witch," we almost always picture the Wicked Witch of the West. 

Alex Forrest - Fatal Attraction

You know we couldn't make this list without the absolutely unhinged Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) in Fatal Attraction. Close's performance of the jilted lover is consistently ranked among the great villains of all time and it's easy to see why. The movie keeps viewers on the edge of their seats as she gets more and more detached from reality, leaving us all terrified of what could come next. 

Madeline "Ma-Ma" Madrigal - Dredd

Madeline "Ma-Ma" Madrigal (Lena Headey), the gang boss in 2012's Dredd, is among the most ruthless criminals on film in recent years. Her control over the housing block Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is trying to police is fanatical and all-encompassing. Ma-Ma doesn't seem to have - or want - friends or advisors, just soldiers in her battle for control. 

Mary Lee Johnston - Precious

A lot of the villains on this list are traditional movie villains. Mary Lee Johnston (Mo'Nique) in Precious is not traditional. She's also the "realest" villain on this list. So real, it's horrifying, making Precious being a great movie that you almost never want to watch ever again. She's so evil it's really hard to watch. Mo'Nique is fantastic, bringing this wicked character to life on the screen. 

Phyllis Dietrichson - Double Indemnity

Female villains are nothing new, of course. One of the all-time classic examples is Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity from 1944. Barbara Stanwyck plays the traitorous wife who takes advantage of an insurance salesman (Fred MacMurray) by dragging him into her diabolical plan to off her husband and collect on his life insurance. 

Kathryn Merteuil - Cruel Intentions

High school bullies make great villains. They make especially great villains when they are as manipulative as Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) in Cruel Intentions. Kathryn has no morals and no ethics, she only cares about herself and doesn't care who she hurts. That's why watching her get caught in the end is so satisfying. It's also maybe the best use of music in the movies. 

Pamela Voorhees - Friday The 13th

In the history of horror movies, one of the most iconic has to be the original Friday The 13th. While Jason Voorhees is on the Mount Rushmore of slasher film villains after countless sequels and spinoffs in the franchise, it's his mother who is the real villain in the original and that's why she, Pamala Voorhees (Betsy Palmer), deserves to be on this list. 

Mystique - X-Men

Magneto may the "big bad" in most of the X-Men movies, but he wouldn't be nearly as threatening without his right-hand woman, Mystique. Played by both Rebecca Romijn and Jennifer Lawrence in the movies, the shapeshifting mutant does a lot of Magneto's dirty work. 

Elektra King - The World Is Not Enough

Given James Bond's history with women, you might expect more of his villains to be women. While there are plenty of henchmen, there are not a lot of women who played Bond villains. One great exception is the diabolical Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) in The World Is Not Enough. King,  wasn't born evil, but she definitely turned that way, perhaps even more extreme than the man who made her that way. 

Regina George - Mean Girls

Ruining Regina George's life might not have made Cady (Lindsay Lohan) happy in Mean Girls, but it sure was satisfying to watch! George, played by the great Rachel McAdams, is one of the all-time great girl-bullies in movie history. The manipulative popular girl gets what's coming to her in the end, after proving how awful she can be to even her closest friends. 

Bellatrix Lestrange - Harry Potter

It's impossible to see anyone other than Helena Bonham Carter in the role of the Harry Potter Bellatrix Lestrange. She plays the role of the villain perfectly in the series. Most of Potter and Co.'s enemies are male, of course, but one of the scariest has to be Lestrange.

Cassandra Nova - Deadpool And Wolverine

The MCU has a handful of female villains and for the most part, they are among the most powerful of all the villains. Take Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) in Deadpool And Wolverine, for example. She's just as powerful as her brother, Charles Xavier, but she's pure evil. That's a terrifying combination. 

Annie Wilkes - Misery

This list would certainly not be complete without one of the meanest villains of the '90s, or any other decade in film history. Annie Wilkes, played by Kathy Bates in an Oscar-winning performance. She completely stole the show in one of the greatest horror movies of all time and earned a place on the Mount Rushmore of movie villains. 

Mama Fratelli - The Goonies

Big-time fame came late to Anne Ramsey. The actress had built a solid career in Hollywood as a character actor, but she really hit the big time after playing the villainous Mama Fratelli, matriarch of a hapless, yet very mean family, in The Goonies. Tragically, she died just three years later of cancer at age 59. 

Amy Dunne - Gone Girl

Is there anything as scary as a cold, calculating villain like Amy Dunne in Gone Girl? Amy, played by Rosamund Pike, is certainly justified in her beef with her cheating husband, put her method of revenge is pure evil. It's also darn impressive, and in the end, she "wins," so she deserves to be on this list. 

Miranda Priestly - The Devil Wears Prada

Everyone has had bad bosses, but no one has had a boss quite as awful as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. Meryl Streep's performance as the ultimate boss from hell is one of the best of her amazing career and a rare example of the actress playing a true villain. 

Cruella DeVille - One Hundred and One Dalmatians

Disney has a long history of great female villains, and close to the top of the greatest ones has to be Cruella DeVille. The One Hundred and One Dalmatians baddie knows exactly how to tear out viewers' hearts in everything she does, to say nothing of making coats from puppies. 

Aileen Wuornos - Monster

Charlize Theron plays one of the rare real people on this list, serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster. Monster is the perfect description of her, too. While her unbelievably terrible life that led to her murders is something no one would wish on their worst enemy, what Wuornos became is pure evil in every way. Theron won an Oscar for her performance as Wuornos, who was executed in prison a year before the movie was released. 

Hela - Thor: Ragnorak

Some of the most powerful villains in the MCU are women and Hela in Thor: Ragnorak certainly qualifies here. Cate Blanchett's chameleon-like performance is just so great and Hela looks so cool, that you almost want to root for her. 

Maleficent - Sleeping Beauty

When you're such a good villain that they start making spin-offs about you, you absolutely belong on this list. Maleficent is one of the all-time great villains in Disney history and we love to hate her so much that she even got two films all her own in the 2010s, starring Angelina Jolie as the diabolical fairy, where we learn she's maybe not as evil as it seems. 

Harley Quinn - Suicide Squad

Of all the villains on this list, Harley Quinn is the most fun. Yeah, she's a psychopath, sure, but she's a fun psychopath! That's really all she wants to do, have fun and create chaos and that makes her pretty endearing in a lot of ways, as does Margot Robbie's awesome performance as the manic pixie dream psycho in the Suicide Squad movies. 

Veronica - Heathers

On the surface, you may argue that Heather Chandler (Kim Walker) is the villain in Heathers. Like Regina George, Chandler is the alpha mean girl in the crew of Heathers. But really, it's Veronica (Winona Ryder) and her boyfriend J.D. (Christian Slater), who are the real baddies here. They're the ones committing the murders, after all.  

Elle Driver - Kill Bill

Daryl Hannah was mostly known for rom-coms and more "innocent" characters before she was brilliantly cast by Quentin Tarantino as Elle Driver in Kill Bill. The California Mountain Snake, as Driver was known as part of the Deadly Vipers is a remorseless killer and relentless in her pursuit of her intended victim. 

Elsa Schneider - Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade

Elsa Schneider is the worst kind of traitor, she's a Nazi traitor who turns on one of cinema's great heroes, Indiana Jones. It's an unforgivable sin that earns her place on this list. Allison Doody's performance is great, as the surprise twist is something few saw coming. 

Catherine Tramell - Basic Instinct

It's unfortunate that Basic Instinct is really only remembered for one scene, surely you know which one. It's sad because Sharon Stone's work in the film as the calculating Catherine Tramell deserves to be remembered for more than just that interrogation scene. It's arguably the finest performance of her career. 

Jadis The White Witch - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Jadis The White Witch (Tilda Swinton) is, in the end, really nothing more than a dictator and a bully. She just has powerful magic to help her in her mercurial schemes and grievances. Not only does she delight in turning her enemies to stone for even the most minor slights, but she also plunges Narnia into winter for decades. 

Madison Lee - Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle

Traitorous villains, like Madison Lee (Demi Moore) in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle are the worst kind of people, but they make for some epic baddies in movies. A former Angel, Madison turns to the dark side after she thinks Charlie disrespects her and goes after her old friends with total abandon. 

Ursula - The Little Mermaid

It's hard to narrow down all the great Disney female villains for this list, but we had to include Ursula from The Little Mermaid. She's the epitome of everything that makes Disney villains great. Life's full of tough choices, isn't it?

Mallory Knox - Natural Born Killers

Like many others on this list, Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) in Natural Born Killers is in some ways a victim of circumstance. Her upbringing was shocking, and her husband Mickey (Woody Harrelson) is the catalyst for their crime spree. Neither of those things gives her a pass though. Instead she makes this list as an all-time great villain. 

Frau Farbissina - Austin Powers 

One of the great Bond villainesses. Rosa Klebb in From Russia With Love is the inspiration for another great, Frau Farbissina in the Austin Powers franchise. Mindy Sterling's performance as Dr. Evil's right-hand woman is just pitch-perfect as a parody and she absolutely deserves to be on this list. 

President Alma Coin - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

President Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland) is the classic bad guy in The Hunger Games movies, but after Snow is finally deposed and Alma Coin (Julieanne Moore) takes over as President, it turns out she's just as ruthless as Snow. Her pettiness towards Katniss doesn't do much to endear her to anyone, either.

For fans in the mood for a chilling detective story in which nothing is quite as it seems, they certainly cannot go wrong with Shutter Island — one of the best movies on Paramount+ at the moment. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, the 2010 drama is one of the best collaborations between director Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio and stars the Academy Award winner as a U.S. Marshal sent to an asylum to investigate the disappearance of a patient.

Without giving too much away, the movie boasts a shocking twist ending that leads you to reconsider everything you thought you knew about DiCaprio’s character and makes you eager to use your Paramount+ subscription to rewatch it and scope out any clues you may have missed the first time. Once you have done that, if you are still in the mood for another haunting and perplexing film noir movie classic, perhaps you should try one of these movies like Shutter Island which we have compiled below.

Memento (2000)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano

What it's about: A former insurance investigator with short-term memory loss struggles to solve the mystery behind the last thing he can remember: his wife’s murder.

Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Brilliantly told in reverse order, Memento is another modern film noir classic with an unreliable protagonist and one of the most mind-blowing plot twists of all time.

How to watch Memento

• Stream Memento Amazon Prime
• Stream Memento on Tubi
• Stream Memento on Peacock
• Buy Memento on Blu-ray on Amazon

Secret Window (2004)

Director: David Koepp

Starring: Johnny Depp, John Turturro

What it's about: A famous, soon-to-be-divorced writer staying at an isolated lake house is stalked by a man who claims he stole his work.

Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Secret Window, based on a novella by Stephen King, is an intriguing thriller that also follows a protagonist of questionable credibility and an unsettling conclusion that puts everything in an entirely new perspective.

How to watch Secret Window

• Rent or buy Secret Window on Amazon
• Buy Secret Window on Blu-ray on Amazon

Identity (2003)

Director: James Mangold

Starring: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Ray Liotta

What it's about: On a dark and stormy night, a group of people taking refuge at a rundown motel begins to question who they can trust as the guests begin dying one after the other.

Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: The vastly underrated Identity cements itself as one of the most inventive whodunits of its time with its stellar twist ending.

How to watch Identity

• Rent or buy Identity on Amazon
• Buy Identity on Blu-ray on Amazon

Jacob's Ladder (1990)

Director: Adrian Lyne

Starring: Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña

What it's about: A Vietnam War veteran struggles to understand the secrets of his past while suffering from horrifying visions that cause him to question the nature of his reality.

Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Jacob’s Ladder — one of Tim Robbins’ best movies — may not be a detective drama like Shutter Island but it is a deeply unnerving, character-driven mystery thriller with a twist ending that will surely haunt you for days.

How to watch Jacob's Ladder

• Rent or buy Jacob's Ladder on Amazon
• Buy Jacob's Ladder on Blu-ray on Amazon

Mulholland Dr. (2001)

Director: David Lynch

Starring: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring

What it's about: An aspiring actor helps an amnesia-stricken woman piece together lost details of her life.

Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Like Jacob’s Ladder, Mulholland Dr. — one of the best David Lynch movies — also shares similarities with Shutter Island as a largely character-driven mystery with some indelible scares and haunting, mind-bending twists.

How to watch Mulholland Dr.

• Stream Mulholland Dr. on The Criterion Channel
• Rent or buy Mulholland Dr. on Amazon
• Buy Mulholland Dr. on Blu-ray on Amazon

Vertigo (1958)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak

What it's about: Personal issues get in the way as a former police detective investigates a beautiful woman, with whom he becomes increasingly obsessed.

Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: A film that could be considered the Shutter Island of its time is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best movies, Vertigo, in the way the complex classic will have you questioning the sanity of its hero all the way through.

How to watch Vertigo

• Rent or buy Vertigo on Amazon
• Buy Vertigo on Blu-ray on Amazon

Gone Girl (2014)

Director: David Fincher

Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike

What it's about: The sudden disappearance of his wife causes a writing professor to become the center of attention in a head-turning investigation that evolves into a media frenzy.

Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Without revealing too much, a major story detail from Shutter Island involves the hero’s relationship with his spouse, which is the central plot thread from Gone Girl — a beautifully executed adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s addictive, staggering mystery.

How to watch Gone Girl

• Stream Gone Girl on Hulu
• Rent or buy Gone Girl on Amazon
• Buy Gone Girl on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Girl On The Train (2016)

Director: Tate Taylor

Starring: Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett

What it's about: Academy Award nominee Emily Blunt stars as a divorced woman who becomes obsessed with a couple she spots on her daily commute, which leads to her unexpected involvement in a disturbing criminal case.

Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Another twisted thriller in which the protagonist’s relationship with her (former) spouse has a damning effect on her life is The Girl on the Train — director Tate Taylor’s adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ bestselling novel that also stars Rebecca Ferguson and Haley Bennett.

How to watch The Girl on the Train

• Rent or buy The Girl on the Train on Amazon
• Buy The Girl on the Train on Blu-ray on Amazon

Unsane (2018)

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Starring: Claire Foy, Jay Pharoah

What it's about: A woman finds herself inexplicably trapped in a psychiatric hospital, where she begins to question the reality of her confusing situation.

Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: In Shutter Island, DiCaprio’s Teddy Daniels finds himself treated like a patient of the titular mental institution he is investigating, which is similar to the fate of Foy’s protagonist in Unsane — an alluring, uniquely shot thriller.

How to watch Unsane

• Rent or buy Unsane on Amazon
• Buy Unsane on Blu-ray on Amazon

A Cure For Wellness (2017)

Director: Gore Verbinski

Starring: Dane DeHaan, Mia Goth

What it's about: A young corporate executive is sent to find and retrieve his boss at a Swiss wellness spa, where he soon discovers that the establishment is hiding dangerous secrets.

Why it is a great movie to watch if you like Shutter Island: Another intriguing mystery set in a suspicious mental institution and boasting strange plot reveals is A Cure for Wellness — a visually transfixing thriller.

How to watch A Cure for Wellness

• Rent or buy A Cure for Wellness on Amazon
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Would you agree that these movies are perfect choices for a Shutter Island fan, or are you still searching for what you believe are the right clues?

A good plot twist can send shivers down your spine and give you a nice hit of dopamine as it changes everything you thought about a movie or TV show. Here is our list of some of favorite mind-blowing plot twists that shook us to our core. 

WARNING: MAJOR Spoilers ahead!! 

Vader Is Luke’s Dad - Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Darth Vader telling Luke that he is Luke’s father is maybe the #1 most mind-blowing plot twist in film history. It seems quaint to many of us now because it’s always been a part of our lives, but think back to what it was like when you first saw the revelation. It was crazy, no one saw it coming. The Empire Strikes Back had a few surprises, including the bad guy winning in the end, but this moment tops them all. 

The First Flashforward - Lost

The final two episodes of Season 3 of Lost were intense, and when they got to the end, audiences were treated to one of the most “what the!” moments in TV history when they realized what they thought was one of Jack’s flashbacks was actually a flashforward when he tells Kate they “have to go back” to the island. It changed the show forever and it's hands down the best episode of Lost.

It Was Earth All Along - Planet Of The Apes

The original Planet of the Apes from 1968 started with Charlton Heston’s character, George Taylor awakening from hibernation after a long space journey when he and his fellow astronauts crashed into an unknown planet. Apes of different kinds rule the planet and humans are treated more or less like animals. The shock comes in the last show when Taylor discovers he traveled through time, not space, and awoke on Earth many years in the future. 

Off With The Main Character’s Head - Game of Thrones

For fans of Game of Thrones, the penultimate episode of Season 1 proved anything in the show was possible and it would be smart not to get too attached to any one character. In the episode, the hero of the story, Ned Stark (Sean Bean) is executed and nothing would be the same for the rest of the show’s epic run. 

The Greatest Trick The Devil Ever Pulled - The Usual Suspects

It’s true that some viewers latched on to the idea that Verbal Kint (Keven Spacey) is an unreliable narrator, but very few anticipated the twist at the end revealing Verbal to be the mysterious Keyser Soze. Just when everyone puts it together, poof…he’s gone. Brilliant. 

He’s Been Dead This Whole TIme - The Sixth Sense

Director M. Night Shyamalan has made an entire career out of twists and turns and last-minute revelations. It’s a formula that goes way back in his filmography, most notably with the film that established him as a big-time director, The Sixth Sense. The twist, of course, is learning Bruce Willis’ character, Malcolm Crowe, is one of the dead people who Cole (Haley Joel Osment) sees. 

The Unexpected Mole - 24

Nina (Sarah Clarke) was a fan favorite in the first season of 24. She helped Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) get out of a lot of tight spots as his eyes and ears at CSU’s headquarters. A fan favorite, that is, until it turns out she’s been a mole along. It only gets worse when she kills Teri Bauer, Jack’s wife. Nina goes from a hero to a villain in a matter of minutes. 

She’s Safe! - Gone Girl

Gone Girl smartly hides its first twist, that Amy (Rosamund Pike) was not kidnapped or killed, but set the whole thing up herself. That’s not the only turn the movie takes though. Later, Amy also framed Desi (Neil Patrick Harris) for her kidnapping, clearing Nick of suspicion. The twists don’t end there, either. As Nick prepared to expose Amy’s crime, she told him she was pregnant with their first child. Nick changes his mind, keeping Amy’s secret, and staying in their marriage. It’s dark, but it’s a heck of a ride. 

Surprise, They Are Triplets - This Is Us

The pilot episode of This Is Us sets up its twist brilliantly with an interstitial explaining how many people are born on the same day, right before meeting Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) when Rebecca goes into labor with triplets on Jack’s birthday in 1980. In the present day, audiences meet Randall (Sterling K. Brown), Kate (Chrissy Metz), and Kevin (Justin Hartley), but it’s not until the final scene of the episode that it all comes together that Rebecca lost one of the triplets, but she and Jack adopted Randall the same day after he was abandoned at a fire station. 

Rosebud - Citizen Kane

One of the most famous twists in cinema history is also one of the earliest. In 1941, Citizen Kane tricked audiences into wondering for the entire movie what Charles Foster Kane’s (Orson Welles) final word, “Rosebud,” meant. At the end of the movie, they learn it was a beloved sled from his innocent youth, things he had lost a long time ago. 

Bernard Is A Host - Westworld

Jeffery Wright’s performance as Bernard in Westworld was one of the brightest spots on an uneven show. Audiences loved him and when it turned out he was a “host”, it was mindblowing for many. As is the nature of shows like Westworld plenty of people “called it” in online discussions, and there were clues to Bernard’s true nature, but for the rest of us, it was a real “wow” moment. 

Who Exactly Is Norman Bates? - Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho created a template for modern horror movies that directors are still following today, to great success. One of the most influential moments in the movie is the reveal at the end just who is Norman Bates’ (Anthony Perkins) mother. Before the end, we just see glimpses of her in windows, and comments by Norman. It’s not until the final scenes that we learn she’s been dead for years and Norman has been dressing like her, or even becoming her? 

Agatha All Along - WandaVision

Another TV show that drops plenty of hints for the big twist is Marvel’s WandaVision. As audiences were left wondering who was behind all the weird things happening in Westview. It turns out, it was Wanda’s neighbor Agnes – or Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) all along. It’s one of the most fun reveals on this list as well. 

The Wizard Is A Conman - ​​The Wizard Of Oz

When Dorothy (Judy Garland) finds herself transported to Oz in The Wizard Of Oz, the only way home, as she understands it, is to visit the Wizard, who can help. Along the way, she meets some friends who all need something from the power Wizard. Of course, when they arrive in the Emerald City, they learn the truth, the Wizard is just a conman. What a nightmare! 

The Bad Place - The Good Place

The reveal at the end of Season 1 of The Good Place is just a lot of fun. It’s not so much of a “holy cow” moment as it is an “I love it! moment. Instead of being in the “good” place, aka Heaven, it turns out Eleanor (Kristen Bell) is in the other place, the “bad” place. 

The Big Reveal - The Crying Game

The Crying Game is an emotional movie that takes place during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, but it’s the reveal that Dil (Jaye Davidson) is transgender. Davidson, who retired after only acting in two movies, won all kinds of awards for the role that shocked audiences everywhere, but in retrospect, opened up a new, better, more honest understanding of transgender people. 

Sharon Lives - Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

It’s pure Quentin Tarantino to reveal a twist that not only changes the movie, but history itself. He did in Inglourious Basterds with the death of Hitler and he does it again, perhaps to better effect, in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Instead of Charlie Manson and his crazy followers killing Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), Dalton, and Booth unwittingly save her by distracting the family. 

Waking Up In A Different Show - Newhart

Newhart in the ‘80s was Bob Newhart’s second sitcom that hit big, after The Bob Newhart Show in the ‘70s. Although neither show was connected at all, with Newhart playing completely different characters, in a different place, they both came together in the final episode when Bob Newhart awakens in bed, on his old show, revealing the second show was all just a dream of his first character. People talked about it for weeks. 

John Doe’s Plan Is Revealed - Se7en

Se7en is a movie that sticks with you long after the credits roll. Kevin Spacey’s performance as the serial killer John Doe is perfect, and it all comes together in the end when he finally reveals his grand plan. Audiences never expected David’s (Brad Pitt) wife, Tracy (Gwenyth Paltrow) to be as involved as she was and what a tragedy it is, setting in motion the end of Doe’s plan, to make David “wrath” and himself as “envy.”

The Whole Family Is In On It - Get Out

Jordan Peele got everyone talking about his directorial debut Get Out when it was revealed to the audience that not only were Rose’s (Allison Williams) parents performing twisted experiments on African-Americans, but Rose herself was involved, tricking her boyfriend Chis (Daniel Kaluuya) into going home with her to be a victim. Always question things when they seem off.

Helly’s Outie Is An Insider - Severance

One of the most talked about shows of 2022 was Apple TV+’s Severance. Questions abound throughout the first season, but what makes the twist so good is that it’s a huge reveal, that viewers didn’t even know they needed to know. Helly’s (Britt Lower) “outie” is in fact part of the family that is responsible for the twisted company’s project in the basement. 

The Narrator Is Tyler Durden - Fight Club

David Fincher is a master of late reveals and his movie Fight Club, based on the book by Chuck Palahniuk, is no exception. Though the movie was a box office disappointment it’s since become a quintessential cult film. It’s a mindblowing moment when you put together that Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) is just an alter-ego of The Narrator (Edward Norton).

Dan Is Blogger - Gossip Girl

For six seasons, fans wondered who was behind the Gossip Girl blog in Gossip Girl. Finally, after years of speculation, it’s revealed that Dan (Penn Badgley) is actually the voice behind the screen, despite being voiced by Kristen Bell throughout the show. Of course, other characters filled the role of the Gossip Girl, but Dan was the man, it turned out. 

Leland Palmer Killed Laura - Twin Peaks

The central mystery of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks is the murder of Laura Palmer. For one and a half seasons, it’s all the fans talked about it. When it was finally revealed in Season 2 that it was Laura’s father, Leland who did the deed. David Lynch wasn't happy with Season 2, but audiences loved it. 

It’s All In The Title - The Game

The Game is not one of David Fincher’s most talked about movies, but it should be. It has a fantastic, mindblowing reveal at the end when Nicholas (Michael Douglas) learns that all the craziness that he’s been through is all part of an elaborate game set up by his brother (Sean Penn). The rush for the characters and fans of the movies is intense when we learn the truth together. 

It’s People - Soylent Green

Soylent Green is a movie that is almost exclusively known for its plot twist. In a dystopian future, people subsist on a food called Soylent Green. It’s a mysterious food that in the end, is revealed to be human. Soylent Green is people! It’s become part of pop culture, but it’s a movie few people have actually watched. 

Parasite

The South Korean drama Parasite took the world by storm upon its release and a big reason why is the fantastic twist. On its surface (literally) the movie is a comment on the class struggle in South Korea, but below, it's a wild story about a poor family literally living in the basement of a wealthy family's house. The reveal is truly mindblowing and what sets it apart from other films dealing with the struggle. 

Earth Isn’t All That - Battlestar Galactica

For the first three seasons of Battlestar Galactica, the last remaining humans searched for their home Earth while battling the Cylons along the way. In the final episode of the penultimate season, they finally arrive home, ending their journey. When a group from the Galactica travel down, however, they find the planet in ruins, and uninhabitable due to nuclear radiation from a war centuries earlier. It’s a devastating moment, but in the end, they do find a home. 

The Deed Was Done - Memento

Director Christopher Nolan’s Momento has a lot of twists and turns, given the nature of the film, as Leonard (Guy Pearce) searches for his wife’s killer and the structure of the film's forward and backward timeline. When Leonard finally puts the pieces together, he finds that he got vengeance a year early and had been manipulated by Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) to do dirty work for him. Teddy becomes Leonard’s next target. 

Irene Is Moriarty - Elementary

In Elementary, Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) has an ongoing battle with Jane Moriarty (Natalie Dormer) and often feels the pain of his lost love with Irene Adler. The twist is that Irene and Jane are, in fact, the same person. The relationship between them is very complicated and continues through the run of the show to present problems for Sherlock. 

Modern Times - The Village

M. Night Shyamalan's The Village has one of the better twists in the director’s filmography. The movie is set in 19th-century America, or so we think. The elders of the titular village do everything they can to keep the people in the village because only they know that it’s actually the 21st Century.

Jason’s Mom - Friday The 13th

In one of the all-time great plot twists in horror movie history, Jason Vorhees, the killer of summer campers is not actually Jason, but his mother. She is bent on murdering the campers to avenge her son’s death years earlier. 

How many times have you watched an incredible acting performance and looked up to see how many awards it won only to find out that the Oscar went to someone else that year? It’s shocking how many times this has happened over the years for some of the greatest actors and actresses of all time. Here are 32 times an incredible performance didn’t win an Academy Award for one reason or another.

Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction)

Though he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction, Samuel L. Jackson’s name wasn’t called at the 67th Academy Awards. This is nothing against Martin Landau’s performance from Ed Wood, but Jackson’s foul-mouthed and righteous hitman is an all-time great character that should have been recognized.

Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver)

Robert De Niro received an Oscar nomination for his career-defining portrayal of Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese’s 1977 psychological thriller, Taxi Driver, but the unhinged and memorable performance wasn’t enough to win Best Actor. It’s hard to be mad, as Peter Finch’s Academy Award-winning turn in Network is the stuff of legend.

Harrison Ford (Witness)

One of the best actors without an Oscar, Harrison Ford has only one Academy Award nomination to his name, the 1985 crime thriller, Witness. Though not Ford’s most iconic character, his take on Philadelphia detective John Book as he goes to great lengths to protect a young boy is nothing short of amazing.

Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption)

Morgan Freeman gave the performance of a lifetime as Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding in The Shawshank Redemption. If the movie would have come out any other time besides 1994, a year dominated by Forrest Gump, there’s a good chance the aging prisoner and accomplished smuggler would have earned Freeman an Oscar.

Bill Murray (Lost In Translation)

Bill Murray’s portrayal of cynical, washed-up actor Bob Harris in Lost in Translation will forever be one of the comedian’s most beloved roles. While Sean Penn’s performance in Mystic River is more than deserving of an Oscar, it’s a shame the iconic comedian didn’t get properly recognized for a once-in-a-decade showing.

Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple)

Whoopi Goldberg showed off a more dramatic side with her lauded portrayal of Celie Harris-Johnson in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation of The Color Purple. It’s absurd that the emotional, dynamic, and powerful performance didn’t win Goldberg a much-deserved Oscar, which went to Geraldine Page in The Trip to Bountiful, instead.

Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List)

Schindler’s List features one of the best Ralph Fiennes performances with his portrayal of Nazi work camp commandant Amon Goeth in Steven Spielberg’s 1993-defining film. And while the movie won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Fiennes’ unforgettable turn was not among them. Instead, he lost out to Tommy Lee Jones from The Fugitive.

Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie)

If you’re looking for one of the best New York City movies, Tootsie has you covered. If you’re looking for a movie featuring an acting performance that should have won an Oscar but didn’t, Sydney Pollack’s 1982 comedy has you covered there as well. Seriously, how Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of Michael Dorsey wasn't awarded is something we just don’t get.

Denzel Washington (Malcolm X)

Denzel Washington eventually won a Best Actor Oscar for his unforgettable turn in Training Day, but the actor was robbed nearly a decade earlier after not winning the big prize for his take on the titular Civil Rights leader in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X.

Florence Pugh (Little Women)

Florence Pugh was already a rising star at the time of Little Women’s release, but her portrayal of Amy March in Greta Gerwig’s coming-of-age drama took her to new heights. Though she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars, Pugh lost out to Laura Dern from Marriage Story.

Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained)

Here’s something wild to think about – Jamie Foxx not only didn’t win an Oscar for his performance in Django Unchained, he wasn’t even nominated for Best Actor. Admittedly, it was a stacked list of actors – Daniel Day-Lewis, Bradley Cooper, Hugh Jackman, Joaquin Phoenix, and Denzel Washington – but not even being named is just something.

Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

The Wrestler felt like Mickey Rourke’s big redemption arc, more so than the character he portrayed in Darren Aronofsky’s great wrestling movie. Despite pushing himself to the breaking point from both a physical and emotional standpoint, Rourke lost out to Sean Penn’s take on Harvey Milk in Milk.

Michael Keaton (Birdman)

Michael Keaton gave the performance of a lifetime in the 2014 mind-bending drama film, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), one that seemed to channel the actor’s past in such a way it felt like an autobiography. However, stealing the show as Riggan Thomson, a.k.a., Birdman, wasn’t enough, as the prize went to The Theory of Everything’s Eddie Redmayne instead.

Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird)

Saoirse Ronan has been nominated for an Oscar on four separate occasions, but not a single win, which is something. One of the performances that deserved an Academy Award the most was that of Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson in Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird. The portrayal of a confused high school senior on the verge of entering the next stage in her life lost out to Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Tim Curry (Clue)

Tim Curry’s portrayal of Wadsworth in Clue, a butler or undercover FBI agent depending on which ending you watch, is a role that is beloved by fans of the classic murder mystery comedy. However, it wasn’t recognized at the Academy Awards or other ceremonies, which is the real crime.

Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Rosamund Pike’s take on Amy Elliott-Dunne earned the sole Academy Award nomination for David Fincher’s Gone Girl, a nod that was more than deserved. However, the incredibly nuanced and dynamic performance failed to win the Best Actress Oscar, which went to Still Alice’s Julianne Moore instead.

Jimmy Stewart (Rear Window)

Jimmy Stewart is one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors of all time and his portrayal of L. B. "Jeff" Jefferies in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window is one of the his top-tier performances. However, his take on an injured photographer who uncovers a murder mystery didn’t even get a nod at the Academy Awards.

Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind)

Kate Winslet gave one of her most powerful and unique performances in the 2004 sci-fi dramedy, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Her take on Clementine Kruczynski, a woman who had all memories of her ex-boyfriend wiped from her brain, was rich, beautiful, and iconic, but just wasn’t enough to win Best Actress.

Al Pacino (The Godfather)

Al Pacino put himself on the map with his portrayal of reluctant crime boss Michael Corleone in The Godfather. The gradual evolution of the character over the course of the film’s three-hour runtime should have been enough for an Oscar, but like co-stars James Caan and Robert Duvall, who were also nominated for Best Supporting Actor, he didn’t get the win.

Gloria Swanson (Sunset Boulevard)

Gloria Swanson’s "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." line from Sunset Boulevard is one of the most iconic quotes in all of Hollywood and part of an Oscar-worthy performance. While Swanson was nominated for her take on aging film star Norma Desmond, she didn’t take home the top prize.

Jack Nicholson (The Shining)

Though considered one of Jack Nicholson’s best roles, his portrayal of Jack Torrance in The Shining didn’t result in an Oscar win. In fact, Nicholson wasn’t even nominated for the unforgettable performance. 

John Cazale (The Godfather Part II)

John Cazale’s Fredo Corleone in The Godfather Part II is one of cinema’s great tragic figures as well as one of the late actor’s best characters. What’s even more of a travesty is the fact that the late actor didn’t even receive an Oscar nomination for his efforts. Tragically, Cazale would never receive an Academy Award nomination prior to his shocking death in 1978.

Angela Bassett (What's Love Got To Do With It?)

Angela Bassett received her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Go to Do with It?, but the miraculous turn as one of American music’s most famous and influential figures didn’t earn her a Best Actress win. 

Edward Norton (American History X)

Reformed neo-Nazi Derek Vinyard is one of Edward Norton’s most controversial and complex characters of his career, and the American History X performance earned him a Best Actor nod at the 71st Academy Awards. However, Roberto Benigni from Life Is Beautiful ran away with the top acting prize.

Ingrid Bergman (Casablanca)

Somehow, Ingrid Bergman, who was astonishing as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca, not only didn’t win Best Actress at the 16th Academy Awards, she wasn’t even nominated for her iconic portrayal of a woman caught between two men and two different lives in the 1943 black-and-white classic.

Paul Giamatti (Sideways)

In a perfect world, Paul Giamatti would have won the Oscar for Best Actor in Alexander Payne’s Sideways, but alas, that is not the reality in which we live. Miles Raymond is one of Giamiatti’s best characters and carried the movie about two friends on a wine trip they’ll never forget.

Henry Fonda (12 Angry Men)

An amazing courtroom drama, 12 Angry Men is still arguably one of the best movies of all time. While its star, Henry Fonda, received a Best Picture nomination as a producer, his dynamic and rich portrayal of a juror who insisted on getting things right didn’t earn him an acting nod, which is a real miscarriage of justice.

John Goodman (The Big Lebowski)

You can add John Goodman to the list of great actors who have never received an Oscar nomination, which just doesn’t make sense. It’s especially maddening when you consider his legendary portrayal of Walter Sobchak in The Big Lebowski, a character loosely based on John Milius, per Far Out Magazine.

Joaquin Phoenix (Walk The Line)

Joaquin Phoenix has since won an Oscar, but his portrayal of Johnny Cash in James Mangold’s 2005 biographical drama, Walk the Line, was more than deserving of the top acting prize at the Academy Awards. What’s interesting is the fact that Phoenix was beat by his future The Master co-star, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won for his take on Truman Capote in Bennett Miller’s Capote.

Ellen Burstyn (Requiem For A Dream)

A little more 25 years after winning an Academy Award for Best Actress thanks to her outstanding performance in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Ellen Burstyn had another shot at capturing an Oscar with her turn as Sara Goldfarb in Requiem for a Dream. Her take on a woman battling unchecked depression, anxiety, and a diet of weight loss pills gave audiences one of the most incredible and sympathetic characters of the early 21st century. Unfortunately, this also happened to be the same year Erin Brockovich was released. 

Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood)

There Will Be Blood is remembered more than a half-decade after its release because of the Academy Award-winning performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, but one of the three-time Oscar winner’s castmates was also deserving of recognition. Paul Dano’s Eli Sunday (he also played the smaller part of Eli’s twin brother, Paul) is one of the more fascinating characters of modern cinema, and he should have received an Oscar for his troubles. Dynamic is an understatement for this overzealous, petty, and temperamental preacher.

Robert Shaw (Jaws)

Steven Spielberg’s 1975 summer blockbuster, Jaws, won three Academy Awards – Best Filming Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, and Best Sound – but Robert Shaw, who acted his tail off as the boat captain, Quint, wasn’t recognized. This shameful act by the Academy, especially after watching the USS Indianapolis monologue, still stings nearly 50 years after the fact. That scene alone deserved a Best Supporting Actor nomination and win.

Many of these actors won an Academy Award either before or after these movies and performances we just covered, but it’s just wild to think about how some of these roles didn’t take home the big prize at the Oscars.

Though the region is often referred to as “Flyover Country,” the states that make up the Midwest have been home to some all-time classics when it comes to American cinema. There have been great films set in Chicago and other major cities in the region, and even some Best Picture winners have used the loosely defined group of states as a backdrop. 

Here are 32 great movies set in the Midwest, including comedies, dramas, and almost every other imaginable genre. So please, quit knocking on the Midwest and calling it a land void of creativity and culture. An odd place? Yes. But a void? Never!

Fargo (1996)

When it comes to quirky black comedy movies set in the region, the Coen Brothers’ 1996 crime film, Fargo, is in a league of its own. With action, drama, and murder happening in states like Minnesota and North Dakota, this Academy Award-winning film has the Midwest stamped all over it, even when you discount Frances McDormand, William H. Macy’s, and other iconic characters with their wild accents.

Grumpy Old Men (1993)

Set in the southern Minnesota town of Wabasha, Grumpy OId Men follows feuding next-door neighbors John Gustafson (Jack Lemmon) and Max Goldman (Walter Matthau) as they try to coexist in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” a feat that’s easier said than done. Ice-fishing, small-town attitudes, and a general disdain for the IRS perfectly sum up life in semi-rural areas of the Midwest.

Planes, Trains And Automobiles (1987)

One of John Candy’s best movies, as well as an all-time great Steve Martin comedy, Planes, Trains and Automobiles enlists not one but many Midwestern cities for its story of road trip misadventure. As Neal Page (Martin) and Del Griffith (Candy) attempt to get home for Thanksgiving, the unlikely pair learn a great deal about themselves and the I-55 corridor in this John Hughes classic.

Hoosiers (1986)

While Texas holds its down when it comes to great football movies, Indiana does the same when it comes to some of the best basketball films. For example, look at the 1986 sports flick, Hoosiers, which follows disgraced coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) as he takes over a high school basketball team and attempts to lead them to glory and a better future.

Chicago (2002)

Not only does Rob Marshall’s 2002 musical, Chicago, take place in the “Windy City,” it also spends a considerable amount of time in the Cook County Jail, one of the most notorious facilities in the region and country. Featuring one of the best Renée Zellweger performances, Catherine Zeta-Jones on top of the world, and some catchy 1920s song-and-dance numbers, this one has it all.

Super 8 (2011)

Set in the fictional town of Lillian, Ohio, J.J. Abrams’ 2011 sci-fi coming-of-age thriller follows a group of aspiring filmmakers as they find themselves caught in the middle of a massive train derailment and alien spotting that makes their Midwestern town the epicenter of a massive story.

Gone Girl (2014)

David Fincher’s Gone Girl centers on the sudden disappearance of Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) and the highly-televised investigation into whether or not her husband, Nick (Ben Affleck), had anything to do with it. Set in and around Missouri, this visually arresting and twist-heavy psychological thriller captures the fear, uncertainty, and general vibes of the Midwest better than most.

Twister (1996)

Do you know what Midwesterners, especially those in more rural areas, love to do? If you guessed talk about tornadoes, then you would be correct. Twister, which was one of the biggest box office hits of 1996, takes place in the plains states of Oklahoma and Kansas, which some would argue to be part of the Midwest. And since we (I know from experience) love storms up here, we’ll let it slide.

Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)

In addition to featuring one of the most emotional and sentimental renditions of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” the 1944 classic, Meet Me in St. Louis, also makes great use of the city at the core of its story. With the 1904 World’s Fair, a great trolley scene (St. Louisians LOVE trolleys), and one of the most terrifying depictions of Halloween, this cherished film has it all.

Field Of Dreams (1989)

Though Ray Kinsella’s (Kevin Costner) journey of self-discovery takes him around a large portion of the country, Field of Dreams gets started (and ends) in his Iowa cornfield. Not only one of the best baseball movies but also an emotional experience that has resulted in countless phone calls to dads over the years, Phil Alden Robinson’s beloved classic captures the very essence of Midwestern life, for better or worse.

The Blues Brothers (1980) 

Perhaps the best movie based on SNL characters, The Blues Brothers makes perfect use of the City of Chicago as well as its residents and culture to tell its unforgettable story about Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd) getting the band back together. And really, could that awesome police chase take place anywhere besides the “Windy City?”

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

John Hughes was a director who liked to use the City of Chicago more than pretty much everyone before or since, and one of his best movies set in the “Second City” was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Whether it’s when Matthew Broderick’s titular character is trying to escape suburbia or when he uses the big city as his personal playground, the Illinois metropolis gets a lot of love here.

Tommy Boy (1995)

The 1995 Chris Farley comedy, Tommy Boy, is primarily set in the “Rust Belt” of America as Tommy Callahan (Farley) and Richard Hayden (David Spade) travel throughout the Midwestern states to keep the former’s family’s brake pad company in business. Ohio, Illinois, and every state (and roadway) in between adds a lot to his comedy gem.

A Christmas Story (1983)

Set in the fictional city of Hohman, Indiana, Bob Clark’s iconic holiday movie, A Christmas Story, follows young Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) as he prepares for the biggest holiday of the year. Though filmed in the early ‘80s, the movie very much captures the look and feel of a Midwestern town in pre-World War II America with its massive (and temperamental cars), snow-covered alleys, and a balance of cynicism and sentimentality.

American Pie (1999)

Though it feels like American Pie takes place somewhere like California, Florida, or pretty much anywhere in the continental United States, this 1999 R-rated comedy calls Michigan home, specifically, the fictional town of East Great Falls. The setting becomes more prominent in later films in the franchise, but there are hints of the Midwest throughout. 

A League Of Their Own (1992)

The 1992 sports comedy-drama, A League of Their Own visits places like Chicago (the setting of the great audition scene), but spends a great deal of its runtime in Midwestern cities like Rockford, South Bend, Kenosha, and Racine, whose Belles provide some stiff competition to the successful and popular Peaches.

Wayne's World (1992)

Based on the popular SNL sketches of the same name, Wayne’s World follows Mike Myers and Dana Carvey’s iconic characters as they find themselves going from hosts of a public-access TV program in Aurora, Illinois to being massive hits in the greater Chicago area. And since we’re talking about the Midwest, we can’t help but recall that hilarious interaction with Alice Cooper in Milwaukee.

Thief (1981)

Michael Mann is known for using the city of Los Angeles better than just about everyone with movies like Heat and Collateral, but early on in his career, the acclaimed filmmaker treated Chicago like the second lead next to the late James Caan in his 1981 crime thriller, Thief. The use of the city, Robert Prosky’s accent, and Dennis Farina's presence make this a Midwestern all-timer.

The Mighty Ducks (1992)

Set in Minneapolis, the 1992 sports comedy, The Mighty Ducks, follows Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) as he leads a group of misfit youth hockey players to glory while also finding peace in the world and remembering his roots. Plus, there’s even an appearance by Minnesota North Stars (before they moved to Dallas) players Basil McRae and Mike Modano.

Angus (1995)

If there’s a movie that best captures the attitudes and sensibilities of the Midwest, it has to be the forgotten 1995 teen comedy, Angus. Set in Minnesota, this coming-of-age story follows Angus Bethune (Charlie Talbert) as he tries to balance school, football, his own insecurities, and a conspiracy to make him king of the Winter Ball. It’s not happy-go-lucky, but neither is the Midwest.

Nebraska (2013)

As its title suggests, Alexander Payne’s 2013 road comedy-drama, Nebraska, spends a great deal of time in the “Cornhusker State” with its story about an elderly man (played by Bruce Dern) as he attempts to claim a $1 million lottery ticket. The movie also ventures to South Dakota as well as outside the Midwest before everything is said and done.

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)

Academy Award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins turns banality into beauty with how he brings the State of Missouri to life in Andrew Dominik’s 2007 Western, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Several of the film’s sequences, including the epic train robbery and Jesse James (Brad Pitt) in his final moments, are works of art.

The Fugitive (1993)

One of Harrison Ford’s best movies, The Fugitive is also one that makes great use of Chicago (and not just “The Loop” portion of the city). However, it should be noted that while there are some foothills in Southern Illinois, no part of the state is as mountainous as depicted in the prison bus escape or dam sequences.

Major League (1989)

Here’s some well-known trivia about Major League, aka, one of the best sports movies of the ‘80s – this baseball comedy is set in Ohio (it follows the Cleveland Indians), but was filmed “just a bit outside” Cleveland in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This explains why Bob Euker, a great WrestleMania celebrity guest and Milwaukee Brewers broadcaster, appears throughout the movie and its sequel. 

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, which is arguably the best entry in the Vacation franchise, is another great flick set in the Midwest. Though the movie’s depiction of Chicagoland looks like it was placed in Colorado instead of Illinois, there are enough shots of downtown Chicago and regional sports references to let the viewer know that Clark Griswold’s (Chevy Chase) Christmas Eve meltdown is firmly in the center of the country.

Halloween (1978)

Halloween, one of the best horror movies of all time, takes place in Haddonfield, Illinois, a fictional city that is supposed to be just north of Bloomington and Pontiac (about halfway up the state). Michael Myer's reign of terror, if real, would have pretty much taken place in the middle of the country; you can’t get more Midwestern than that. 

Home Alone (1990)

Home Alone is one of the best representations of suburban Chicago, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that John Hughes wrote and produced the beloved 1990 Christmas movie. It’s not as close to the city as other movies set in the greater Chicago area, but it does have loads of references to the region with various sports memorabilia and great accents.

Mean Girls (2004)

Set in Evanston, Illinois, the birthplace of Northwestern University, John Cusack, and Steve Albini, Mean Girls has gone down in history as one of the best 2000s movies and remains a good watch years later. There’s just something timeless to the Tina Fey-penned script about teenagers finding their place in the world.

Adventures In Babysitting (1987)

Chris Columbus’ directorial debut, Adventures in Babysitting, has to feature one of the best uses of the City of Chicago in the history of cinema. Starting in Oak Park and working her way east to the city center, Elisabeth Shue’s Chris Parker goes to great lengths to save a friend while also taking care of a group of young kids, a journey full of twists and turns and all kinds of misadventure.

In Cold Blood (1967)

Based on Truman Capote’s true crime book recounting the real-life 1959 Clutter family murders in rural Kansas, Richard Brooks’ In Cold Blood follows Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson) in the days surrounding the grisly slayings. The Kansas scenery, or lack thereof, adds great weight to this already dark and dismaying crime thriller.

Detroit Rock City (1999)

Adam Rifkin’s 1999 teen comedy, Detroit Rock City, follows a group of friends as they put everything on the line (and Cleveland, Ohio, in the rear-view mirror) as they travel to the “Motor City” to see KISS in concert. Though not successful by any means, it has become a cult classic and a great representation of the moral divide in the Midwest.

Road To Perdition (2002)

Directed by Sam Mendes, Road to Perdition goes all over the State of Illinois to tell its story about a mobster (played by Tom Hanks) who goes to great lengths to protect his son who witnessed a mob hit. It’s dark and at times devastating, but this graphic novel adaptation provides a brilliant representation of the Midwest during the early days of the Great Depression.

Each movie on this list captures at least one aspect of life in the Midwest, a region in the United States that has a little bit of everything, be it good, bad, or somewhere in between.

Did you see that coming? Because I certainly didn't with these excellent plot twists.

There comes a time in everyone's life when we watch a movie, and it's going all fine and dandy, and then a twist happens so suddenly that it's something we would never expect.

Perhaps it's someone's true origins that finally reveal themselves or who the murderer is in some of the best horror movies. Regardless, these twists will sit with you for days, making you think about how you didn't see that coming. These are some of the best.

And obviously, this article is full of spoilers, so there’s a movie on the list that you haven’t seen, you might want to skip that section.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Director: Irvin Kershner

Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

Plot Twist: Luke finds out that his enemy, Darth Vader, is actually his father.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: This not only sets up the rest of the Star Wars franchise but also sets Luke on an even more determined path to beat the Empire, which he does in the next movie with the help of his allies. It's from this twist that we get to know who Anakin Skywalker is, and years later, people still regard him as one of the best Star Wars characters.

Psycho (1960)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Janet Leigh

Plot Twist: Norman Bates had already killed his mother before the main character arrived.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: The twist is as classic as it can get, and is considered one Alfred Hitchcock’s best movies. It still hits, even now, if you’ve never seen the film before.

Get Out (2016)

Director: Jordan Peele

Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landy Jones, Stephen Root, Catherine Keener

Plot Twist: The Armitage Family lures Black people into their home in order to transfer the brains of wealthy people into their bodies in order to have their physical traits.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I don’t know what the world I was expecting when Jordan Peele made his directorial debut, but it was most certainly not Get Out and its crazy twist. Out of everything, this is one of those twists that legit no one ever saw coming and when it does, all you can hope for is that Chris somehow finds his way out.

Fight Club (1999)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter

Plot Twist: The Narrator and Tyler are actually the same person, and the Narrator did everything Tyler did.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: There are so many cool behind-the-scenes facts about Fight Club, but the twist truly makes you want to rewatch the film over and over again to see all the little hints that you missed that lead to it. Such a good one.

Us (2019)

Director: Jordan Peele

Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker

Plot Twist: The doppelgänger is actually the real Adelaide.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I feel like a lot of people say this twist was predictable but I distinctly remember sitting in the movie theater, shocked that this was what was going down. I legit did not know who to root for at the end, or if any of the feelings I had during the film were valid towards the main character, knowing what I know. That’s the sign of a good twist.

Parasite (2019)

Director: Bong Joon-ho

Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeaon, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam

Plot Twist: The former housekeeper of the Parks has kept her husband living in a secret bunker under the house for years.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Parasite won Best Picture at the Oscars in 2020, and it deserved every award, and its twist is just as good. It turns the film into a much different one, pivoting down a darker road that none of us expect – but it’s great either way.

Friday The 13th (1980)

Director: Sean S. Cunningham

Cast: Betsey Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram

Plot Twist: The killer is actually Jason’s mother.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Fun fact – the Jason that we all know from the Friday the 13th movies didn't even appear in the first film. He wasn't the person killing all the teenagers in the first film. Of course, we see him later on, but the fact that there was just a vengeful mother that killed all these teenagers truly makes you gasp each time.

Saltburn (2023)

Director: Emerald Fennell

Cast: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Archie Madekwe, Carey Mulligan

Plot Twist: Oliver orchestrated his meeting with Felix at Oxford in order to get close to his family and take them out one by one so he could take Saltburn for himself.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Ya’ll, say what you want about Saltburn and some of the super gross moments that this film has – its twist is pretty great. Oliver seemed like such a really weird but socially awkward guy but to find out he’s really just this mastermind behind legit everything, it definitely shakes you to your core. Although I could have done without the bathtub scene.

Scream (1996)

Director: Wes Craven

Cast: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, David Arquette

Plot Twist: The killer is actually two people – and they are the boyfriend and friend of Sidney.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: We had plenty of interesting villains prior to Scream, but the idea of two killers both working together so effortlessly while also being so close to the victim was such a great idea at the time, and spawned the entirety of the Scream franchise.

Orphan (2009)

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett

Plot Twist: Esther is actually an older woman who suffers from a hormonal disorder that stunts her growth, and poses as a little girl to kill people.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Orphan was so successful in its twist that the series itself has inspired a prequel, which I’m not even sure how you do that considering the actress who played Esther is now much older. Either way, the twist still gets you and instantly makes you wary of literally any child.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Director: Orson Welles

Cast: Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Dorothy Cominore, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins

Plot Twist: Rosebud is Kane’s childhood sleigh, the last thing that brought him true happiness.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: It’s a profound twist that truly teaches you that sometimes, money and fame isn’t what you want, but just pure memorable moments, and those of which that we can’t ever experience ever again.

Atonement (2007)

Director: Joe Wright

Cast: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan

Plot Twist: Cecilia and Robbie were never reunited, and both died due to incidents that occurred during World War II. Their love story and happy ending was just a novel.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: You never expect this as the film goes on, and when it hits, it is so hard and breaks your heart in the best way possible – and then makes you want to rewatch to see what the clues were that lead to this twist, paired with great acting.

Seven (1995)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, John C. McGinley

Plot Twist: David Mills’ wife has been killed as part of the serial killer’s plan.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: This is a brilliant twist, because not only does it shock the viewer, but it completes the story too, where the sins killer gets his envy sin, as well as his wrath sin before he is killed.

American Psycho (2000)

Director: Mary Herron

Cast: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas

Plot Twist: Bateman might not have actually killed his victims and they might still be alive.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: As someone who loves American Psycho and had her friends watch it, it's great to see how people react to this twist. It makes you rethink the entire film, wondering if you imagined him killing those people as well. Were they killed? Are they alive? You never know.

Longlegs (2024)

Director: Osgood Perkins

Cast: Maika Monroe, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, Nicolas Cage

Plot Twist: Lee’s mother has been Longleg's accomplice for years in exchange to let her daughter live.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: As someone who still stands by the fact that Longlegs is one of the best movies of 2024, this twist was one that I think I expected but not to the extent that it was given. I knew that Lee’s mother had something to do with this but the amount of bloodshed she spread was almost too much for me to handle. It gets you rethinking the entire movie and all the little hints that she dropped throughout the film.

Interstellar (2014)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anna Hathway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin

Plot Twist: The ghost trying to help Murphy is actually her father from another dimension.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Interstellar is my favorite Christopher Nolan movie; a big reason is this moment. Not only does it speak to the love between a father and a daughter, it’s a great way to tie up the film and take the sci-fi nature to the next level.

Oldboy (2003)

Director: Park Chan-wook

Cast: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung

Plot Twist: Mi-do is actually Dae-su’s daughter – and they had fallen in love.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: This twist is like ten levels of gross but also heartbreaking in a lot of ways, but way more horrifying when you think about it. Like, I don’t even know how to explain why this is a great twist – it just is because this is the kind of stuff you legit never expect in any film, and yet, Oldboy gave it and more.

Planet Of The Apes (1968)

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner

Cast: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Maurice Evans, Kim Hunter, James Daly, Linda Harrison

Plot Twist: The planet isn’t new – it’s Earth, and it’s been taken over by apes.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I mean, this is probably one of the most classic twists of all time, and it spawned an entire franchise surrounding this premise. The idea of believing you’re on a different planet because it’s so different from yours, but discovering it’s the same one but just changed…terrifying.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, Haley Joel Osment

Plot Twist: The psychologist that was helping Cole was actually dead the entire time.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: We can't have a twist article without mentioning at least one M. Night Shyamalan movie, and The Sixth Sense is undoubtedly the one that ranks the highest. You never see this coming when you first watch the film, and the twist is so iconic that so many people parody it now.

The Descent (2005)

Director: Neil Marshall

Cast: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder

Plot Twist: Sarah, seems to find a way to escape, but then at the very end, it's revealed that she hallucinated her escape and that she is still stuck in the caves – and the crawlers are coming closer and closer to kill her.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I think for anyone who is terrified of horror movies, this is your worst fear. You think you’re going to get out, and then you reach the end but it’s actually not – you’re still stuck in this same mindless pattern of mazes. That’s terrifying and renews a sense of dread for the viewer.

Shutter Island (2010)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams

Plot Twist: Teddy is Andrew Laeddis, who was imprisoned after killing his manic-depressive wife after she drowned their children. His delusion came from the guilt he felt over killing his wife, and for his children's deaths, so he created this persona inside his head to cope.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: I could go on for hours about this twist. There are plenty of signs that lead to it, but only if you rewatch the film after. And the moment it hits, it’s heartbreaking and intriguing all the same because it makes you want to figure out if you could pick up the twist before it’s revealed.

Gone Girl (2014)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry

Plot Twist: Amy orchestrated her disappearance after she discovered that Nick was having an affair. It was all a scheme to get back at him for what he did.

Why It’s The Best Plot Twist: Wow, who would have thought another David Fincher movie would be on this list? But really, guys, this twist takes you by surprise because all of a sudden, in the middle of the film, it really switches gears, and then you really don’t know who to trust anymore. I love it.

These twists have truly blown my mind repeatedly, and I think you should get other people to watch these movies because they are unlike any experience you could imagine.

Some of what many would consider to be the greatest movies of all time are also those based on classic and beloved novels. And while there are folks out there who think you don’t need to read the book after watching the movie, there are dozens of examples that prove otherwise. 

From Academy Award-winning dramas to a few landmark fantasy films and just about everything in between, here are 32 books that you might still want to read after you watch the movie. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s start strolling through this library of great titles… 

Jurassic Park

Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park and the Michael Crichton book on which it was based are both cultural touchstones in their respective worlds. And while they share the basic concept of a disaster falling upon an amusement park full of cloned dinosaurs, there are some key differences that make reading the book an entirely different experience.

The Shining  

Stephen King is no fan of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, the 1980 adaptation of his horror novel of the same name. Kubrick’s version makes all kinds of changes when it comes to the characters (played by Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duval, and Danny Lloyd) and the overall departure of his original intentions.

The Harry Potter Books

Even though there were eight Harry Potter movies (The Deathly Hallows was split in two) that were all at least two hours long, a lot of material was cut when adapting J.K. Rowling’s popular fantasy books. While we wait for the upcoming Harry Potter series on Max, now would be a great time to go back and read all the novels.

Dune

Denis Villeneuve's 2021 adaptation of Dune (the second half is due in March 2024) gets a lot of things right when it comes to adapting Frank Herbert’s influential sci-fi epic, but like other movies based on fantasy novels, there’s a lot left on the page. This classic, 896-page epic won't be a quick read but it's a classic. 

To Kill A Mockingbird  

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is considered one of the great American novels, and it's a must-read (if you haven’t already) even after watching the 1962 film adaptation starring Gregory Peck. The narration by Scout throughout Lee’s book adds an incredible quality and pacing to the story, a childlike wonder that isn't quite captured in the screen version.

The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz  

L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is totally worth reading, especially if you’ve seen the 1939 film adaptation. And while both share similar story components, the original text is full of so much more, including a longer stay in Oz, an army of mice saving Dorothy and company from the poppy field, and very different versions of those well-known characters.

The Hobbit And Lord of the Rings Trilogy 

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings novels, some of the best literary experiences of all time, were famously turned into two trilogies by Peter Jackson. And while the movies are awesome in just about every possible way, Tolkien’s original books include so much more story. No extended version could contain all of this.

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer 

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer stands a good chance of winning a ton of awards, and rightfully so. But if you want to go back and read more about J. Robert Oppenheimer, his life, and role in the creation of the Atomic bomb, American Prometheus, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s 700-page biography is going to fill in a lot of the blanks.

The Color Purple  

Alice Walker’s The Color Purple is a Pultizer Prize-winning novel that should be read at least once in your life. Yeah, it was turned into a decorated movie adapted by Steven Spielberg (with a musical-based version coming out in December 2023), but Walker’s rich text and plot threads add so much to the story.

World War Z   

It’s hard to imagine a movie adaptation being less like the source material than 2013’s World War Z. Unlike the movie, which focuses on one character experiencing Hell on Earth, Max Brooks’ novel is set up like an oral history with each chapter focusing on a different, and sometimes, terrifying event, narrated by various characters. 

Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption

Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption has been the highest-rated movie on IMDb for a very long time, and is considered one of the top-tier Stephen King adaptations. Interestingly enough, the 1994 movie starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman is based not on a novel, but a 127-page novella, originally included in the book Different Seasons.

It

Stephen King’s It, all 1,138 pages of it, tells the fascinating and frightening story of a group of kids (later adults) teaming up to defeat a demonic entity multiple times throughout their lives. The 1990 miniseries, and a pair of theatrical releases that followed years later, only touches on part of King’s epic, and the full story must be explored. 

Ready Player One 

Steven Spielberg’s 2018 adaptation of Ready Player One is fun and all, but it’s an almost completely different experience when compared to Ernest Cline’s original novel. There are more than a dozen major differences ranging from minor changes to massive reimaginings of key sequences.

The Martian  

If you got a kick out of the blend of comedy, drama, and intense sci-fi action in Ridley Scott’s The Martian, then Andy Weir’s novel of the same name is going to be something to check out. It has the same tone but more of it.

All You Need Is Kill (Edge Of Tomorrow)

All You Need is Kill was later turned into Edge of Tomorrow (also known as Live Die Repeat) with Doug Liman taking on Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s novel. There were all kinds of changes made for adaptation ranging from its characters and story to how the ending plays out.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower  

Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is based on his book of the same name, is a wonderful adaptation that mostly sticks to the source material. However, there are enough changes to make reading the coming-of-age novel worth a read, specifically its epistolary presentation.

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump the movie and book are two completely different beasts, so much so that watching and reading each version is an entirely different experience. Nearly every aspect of the story was changed in some way when being adapted into an Oscar-winning film, including Forrest’s personality and its ending. Forrest even goes to space in the book, which never happened in the movie.

Pride And Prejudice 

With so many different adaptations of Pride & Prejudice over the years, sometimes it’s fun to go back and read Jane Austen’s original novel to see how each version sticks, or diverts, from the source material.

I Am Legend 

Though I Am Legend the book and movie follow an almost identical path through the majority of their respective stories, the 2008 film adaptation starring Will Smith makes a drastic change to Richard Matheson’s original novella with its ending. We won’t ruin it for the uninitiated, but it completely changes how you see Dr. Robert Neville. 

2001: A Space Odyssey 

Stanley Kubrick and author Arthur C. Clarke shared credit on the 2001: A Space Odyssey screenplay, which Clarke later turned into a novelization. In addition to some shifts in the tone and style, the novel also makes the main portion of the story a mission to Jupiter opposed to Saturn as seen in the classic sci-fi epic.

Gone Girl  

We could write a whole article about how David Fincher’s 2014 adaptation of Gone Girl differs from Gillian Flynn’s novel. In fact, the entire third act was rewritten by the acclaimed author for the movie starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.

The Accidental Billionaires (The Social Network)

Ben Mezrich’s 2009 book, The Accidental Billionaires, which was later adapted by Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher as The Social Network, details the founding and early days of Facebook and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg. If you’re looking for a more detailed (as surprising as that may be) look at the social media giant, this book will do the trick.

The Hunger Games Books

Some would say The Hunger Games is a better movie than book, but the only way to know for sure is by reading Suzanne Collins’ 2008 young adult dystopian novel and its various sequels (and prequel).

In Cold Blood  

In 1967, Richard Brooks adapted Truman Capote’s 1966 true crime thriller, In Cold Blood, a painstakingly crafted breakdown of a quadruple-murder and the two men who carried out the senseless act of violence. Capote’s words just fly off the page, especially in the tense and foreboding opening chapter. 

Fight Club 

Fight Club the movie and book have the same basic premise: a nameless narrator befriends the man he’s always dreamed of being, starts an underground combat group, and then things get out of hand. However, if you want to see characters and situations not covered in David Fincher’s movie, as well as a different ending, check out Chuck Palahniuk’s novel.

Little Women 

There have been a total of seven adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s 19th-century coming-of-age novel, Little Women, each making minor changes of their own over time. If you’ve seen one, two, or all of them, you should probably read the book to see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. 

No Country For Old Men 

The Coen brothers’ Academy Award-winning adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men is one of the best films of the 21st century, but the book is also more than worthy of a read. It’s sparse, it’s violent, and features a lot more of Tommy Lee Jones’ character as he provides the narration throughout.

American Psycho 

After making your friends watch American Psycho, why not have a book club with Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel of the same name. Surprisingly enough, Mary Herron’s 2000 adaptation is a toned down version of Patrick Bateman’s descent into madness, and cuts back a lot of the central character's outlook on life and other social groups.

Trainspotting  

Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting, which was later adapted into a film of the same name by Danny Boyle, is more of a series of short stories than the film starring Ewan McGregor. The book is also written in the Scottish dialect. While the text can sometimes be a challenge, it's never enough to take away from this story that is at times hilarious and other times heartbreaking.

Matilda  

Danny DeVito did an outstanding job bringing Roald Dahl’s Matilda to life back in 1996, but this doesn’t mean it’s a 100% faithful adaptation. This is a good reason to go back and read the timeless children’s book, as it’s similar but different, familiar yet fresh. There are also a number of changes in the 2022 musical inspired by the book, meaning fans of the Netflix movie should check out the book if they haven’t already.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been adapted for screen and stage numerous times, but it’s never too late to go back and read the fantastical and whimsical novel. It’s fun to see how Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Tim Burton’s more faithful 2005 adaptation compare to this fun children’s book with all its bad eggs and imaginative treats.

The Exorcist 

William Peter Blatty wrote both the novel and film versions of The Exorcist, but this doesn’t mean they are entirely the same. The book, which came out only two years before William Friedkin turned it into a movie, is surprisingly even darker, more sinister, and more graphic. On top of that, there are also numerous minor differences throughout its story, so much so that reading it is a fresh experience.

With a whole slew of upcoming book-to-screen adaptations coming to theaters (and streaming services) in the coming months, you can expect to see some major changes to this list in the near future. 

Over the years, there have been movies with endings so shocking, so hard to believe, and so wild, that audiences have been left with their mouths agape and heads filled with all kinds of questions and emotions. We’ve seen Academy Award-winning films do it, some of the best Marvel movies have wrapped up with unforgettable conclusions, as have countless others.

Here are 30+ movies with totally wild endings that we just can’t help but talk about after all this time. There are some massive spoilers throughout this article…

Se7en (1995)

The Se7en ending, with its unforgettable “What’s in the box?” cry from Brad Pitt’s David Mills, is one of those traumatic cinematic experiences no one who’s seen the 1995 David Fincher crime thriller will ever forget. Seeing the hot-headed detective become part of John Doe’s (Kevin Spacey) game while William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) tries to stop the “Seven Deadly Sins” plan from coming to fruition is gutting.

Psycho (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock, a filmmaker known for plot twists and heightened drama, used both of his hallmarks for the Psycho ending. The scene where it’s discovered that Norman Bates’ (Anthony Perkins) mother has been dead (and in the basement) all along is one of those moments that’s just as shocking 60-plus years later.

Parasite (2019)

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, which went on to win multiple Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, is a remarkable slowburn thriller with a nervous energy present throughout as you wait for something to happen to the Kim family. And when things do go south during the Parasite ending – Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) becomes the “parasite” of the Park family home – you’re left with all kinds of questions and immediately want to go back and rewatch the whole movie.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Superhero movies are supposed to end on a happy note, or at least with a sense of closure. But that was not the case for the Avengers: Infinity War ending, which wraps up on an incredibly somber note after Thanos (Josh Brolin) snaps and wipes out half of all living creatures. Watching so many beloved MCU characters disappear was such an unforgettable and unexpected moment, one that could very well never be outmatched in a comic book movie. 

The Usual Suspects (1995)

“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled,” the iconic line from Verbal Kent (Kevin Spacey) at the end of The Usual Suspects is one that will never get old. Finding out that the seemingly harmless and uninteresting man with a limp was actually the mysterious crime lord Keyser Söze is a revelation that’s so wild, and so out of left field, that we just can’t stop thinking about it nearly 30 years later.

Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

George A. Romero revolutionized the zombie genre with his all-time great horror movie, Night of the Living Dead. Released in 1968, a time in which racial and social tensions were at an all-time high, Romero ended his thriller in a manner that shocked audiences and opened the door to all kinds of discussions. The Black hero, Ben (Duane Jones), survives the zombie onslaught but is shot and killed by a White deputy the following morning.

The Mist (2007)

Talk about a gut punch, The Mist ending sees David Drayton (Thomas Jane) make the decision to kill his young son to prevent him from being tortured and killed by monsters only for the army to arrive and save him moments later. Upsetting is an understatement in this case.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Undeniably the best Star Wars movie, as well as one of the greatest sequels of all time, The Empire Strikes Back ends without a lot of closure as it sees our heroes left in perilous and unknown situations. Oh, and we learn that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father. 

The Sixth Sense (1999)

M. Night Shyamalan is known for his twist endings at this point, but audiences didn’t have a big reveal in mind when watching The Sixth Sense back in 1999. The moments leading up to and following Malcolm Crowe’s (Bruce Willis) realization that he’s been dead the whole time are so riveting you almost forget how terrifying and well-crafted the rest of the movie is.

The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining is a movie that fans and critics are still discussing and debating more than 40 years after its release. One of the topics that comes up the most is The Shining ending, especially the shot of the Overlook Hotel in the 1920s with a man looking like Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) in the middle of the frame. 

Planet Of The Apes (1968)

The 1968 sci-fi action film, Planet of the Apes, ends with astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston) on his knees yelling into the sky in front of the Statue of Liberty after realizing he’s not in an extraterrestrial land, but on Earth, just thousands of years later.

The Prestige (2006)

The best Christopher Nolan movies are those that wrap up in a way that leaves you thinking about the story long after the credits roll. That’s very much the case with The Prestige ending where it’s revealed that Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) didn’t pull off his teleportation trick with theatrics but with the help of his identical twin, Bernard Fallon (Bale). But the trick is just part of the complicated and miraculous plan.

Gone Girl (2014)

David Fincher and Gillian Flynn made some key changes to the Gone Girl ending when adapting the psychological thriller from book to movie, but one thing that stays the same is Amy (Rosamund Pike) revealing she’s pregnant (as a form of blackmail) with Nick’s (Ben Affleck) baby. There’s no clean escape in this one.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ending is wild, not because of Quentin Tarantino’s display of bloody and charred violence, but because it strays from the viewer’s expectations (Margot Robbie’s Sharon Tate isn’t brutally murdered like in real life).

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2011)

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 has one of those endings that probably didn’t throw the uninitiated for a loop but causes the heads of those who read the books to explode in disbelief. Basically, there’s a giant battle where numerous characters lose their lives, but it’s all just a vision of what could happen, not what actually does.

Fight Club (1999)

The big reveal that Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) is the Narrator’s (Edward Norton) split personality in Fight Club, is one of the biggest “Wow” moments of the past quarter-century. However, that’s not even the ending of David Fincher’s book-to-screen adaptation. That comes later on when Project Mayhem carries out its plan of destroying multiple skyscrapers while the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” blasts through the speakers.

The Others (2001)

For the majority of The Others, we’re led to believe that Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) is being tormented by spirits who won’t leave her and her young children alone. However, in the film’s final moments, it’s revealed that Grace and her kids are the ghosts tied to the tortured home.

Arrival (2016)

Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival throws a major twist at the audience in the film’s final moments when it is revealed that Louise Banks’ (Amy Adams) memories of her deceased daughter aren’t flashbacks but premonitions of her child who hasn't been born yet.

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Emerald Fennell was more than deserving of her Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the way she crafted the Promising Young Woman ending. This whirlwind of scenes sees Cassie (Carey Mulligan) get her revenge against the men who raped her best friend in the most unlikely of ways.

No Country For Old Men (2007)

The No Country for Old Men ending is cryptic, to say the least, and wraps up with Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) describing a series of dreams he had. This follows a wild turn of events that saw Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) getting killed by a random cartel member, not the man pursuing him, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). We don’t even see Moss meet his maker.

Black Swan (2010)

Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan is a drama about the price of perfection and the obsessive behavior of those seeking it. In the final moments, it’s revealed that Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) didn’t stab her rival, Lily (Mila Kunis) with a broken mirror, she stabbed herself, putting into question the entire conflict between the two dancers.

Us (2019)

Jordan Peele’s sophomore effort, Us, is a wild thrill ride from start to finish, with the big reveal at the conclusion of the film being the icing on the cake. In the final moments of Us, Adelaide "Addy" Wilson (Lupita Nyong'o) reveals that she was the clone the whole time after switching places with the original version of herself.

Oldboy (2003)

Near the end of Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy, it is revealed that the woman who helped Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) in his quest for revenge, and later became his lover, was actually his daughter. He later goes to a hypnotist to have those memories erased, but the film ends in a way where you never know if it actually worked.

Uncut Gems (2019)

The Uncut Gems ending is one of those that hits you like a brick to the face, or in the case of Adam Sandler’s Howard Ratner, a bullet to the cheek. This comes after the gambling addict wins a $1.2 million bet. In the span of a few seconds, he goes from having the best day of his life to his last.

Primal Fear (1998)

The Primal Fear ending is dark, twisted, and one of the most legitimately shocking reveals of the 1990s. The movie plays out like a standard courtroom drama until the final scene when Edward Norton’s Aaron Stampler reveals to defense attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere) that he pulled off a pair of murders with no remorse. The way his voice and demeanor change mid-scene is the stuff of legend.

Saw (2004)

The Saw movies are full of devilish tricks, twists, turns, and even more terrifying traps. The first movie in the saga also has an incredibly wild ending when the apparent suicide victim in the room the whole time rises up and reveals himself to be John Kramer (Tobin Bell), aka, Jigsaw, the mastermind behind it all.

The Departed (2006)

Near the end of The Departed, it seems like Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is going to get away with being Frank Costello’s (Jack Nicholson) mole in the Boston Police Department. However, when the embattled detective goes home, Sean Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) is waiting for him with a little surprise: cold steel revenge. 

Frailty (2001)

At the end of Bill Paxton’s 2001 psychological thriller, Frailty, it is revealed that the FBI haven’t been interviewing Fenton Meiks (Matthew McConaughey) for the “God’s Hand Killer” case the whole time, they’ve actually been speaking with his brother, Adam, who killed the real Fenton and is now targeting his next victim. 

Cabin In The Woods (2012)

The Cabin in the Woods was one wild ride from start to finish, but it’s over-the-top ending seriously is something else. After the surviving college students survive all the various monsters and traps throughout the property, they learn they are part of a sacrifice to appease the gods so they don’t destroy the planet.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

The final stretch of 2001: A Space Odyssey is a wild, technicolor, and complex series of events that see David Bowman (Keir Dullea) transform from an astronaut to an old man to a star child floating above Earth. 

Wild Things (1998)

The 1998 thriller, Wild Things, has an ending so wild and so convoluted, that you need to keep notes to keep track of everything. When it seems like Suzie Toller (Neve Campbell), Kelly Lanier Van Ryan (Denise Richards), and Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) were all behind one plot, it’s revealed that Suzie was orchestrating it all. The deaths (even her own faked murder), the scandal, and the massive court settlement were all hers.

The Menu (2022)

The Menu ending could best be described as an explosive dessert, quite literally in this case. At the end of the twisted dark comedy, Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) makes a strange yet simple request for an order of cheeseburger and fries to go, and she escapes the island on a boat. For everyone else? Well, they are treated to s'mores and a massive fiery explosion.

These are just 32 great movies with wonderful and wild endings, as including every single film with plot twists in the final act would take a very long time. However, it wouldn’t be shocking for this list to go through some changes in the coming months, especially with all the upcoming releases on the 2023 movie schedule.

David Fincher is a director I know decently well, but I decided to watch all of his filmography – and I'm genuinely shocked about which movie became my favorite. I am young. It's not that big of a deal, but that means I haven't gotten the chance to view every fantastic movie a director has made. However, in my never-ending quest to become more knowledgeable in the world of film, I have been going on personal journeys to watch certain directors' entire filmographies to understand their art, and Fincher was up next on that list.

I started with Wes Anderson's movies, then moved on to Christopher Nolan's films (with my favorite still being Interstellar). However, I had never given David Fincher a shot. 

I had seen a few of his movies before this marathon. Se7en, Fight Club, and Gone Girl were the three I remembered viewing decently well, the last of which I saw in theaters. I also have seen The Social Network, but it was so long ago I didn't even remember most of it. 

So, I decided to not only rewatch the ones I'm familiar with but check out the others as well. My favorite actually surprised me – and I have to talk about it. 

Gone Girl Used To Be My Favorite – Specifically For Rosamund Pike's Acting

As mentioned in the introduction, Gone Girl was hands down my favorite Fincher film before I watched all of these. Granted, I had never gotten the chance to read the original novel the movie is based on before I watched it, but I was enamored by the film the moment it started. 

The story is extremely intriguing, but I'll be honest – I was there for Rosamund Pike's acting. Gone Girl is hands down one of Pike's best movies. She fully dedicates herself to the role, and her performance is iconic. While she's evil in I Care A Lot, there's no denying how menacing and amazing Amy is. 

But after watching all of these movies, it's not my favorite anymore. It's good, don't get me wrong, but Fincher's other films have officially taken over. 

Alien 3 Was A Decent First Attempt At Directing But It's Not My Favorite

Look, I love horror movies. I like sci-fi horror movies, too. While I enjoy a more psychological story in horror, I can dig sci-fi horror in the right circumstances – and with plenty of popcorn. But Alien 3 was…not it. 

I love the first Alien and its sequel, but Alien 3 was just off. Maybe it was because it was Fincher's first time directing a full-length feature, and it certainly had its growing pains. It could be a better story, and the acting isn't my favorite, but the visual effects were good. I'll give it that. 

It’s not Fincher’s best, and that is further proven when you consider how it wasn't even his film in the beginning, he took over as the director – he even opened up about what went wrong.

Panic Room, Mank, And The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Are Fine But I Don't Need to Watch Them Again

Honestly, these three movies rank low on the list. 

One of them was nominated for Best Picture (Mank), and even then, I still felt surprisingly uninterested while watching Panic Room, Mank, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. They all had terrific casts and well-thought-out stories, but they didn't grab me like other Fincher films. 

I don't know what it was that didn't capture me. It's not that I don't like slower films, because Gone Girl was one of my favorites, and that movie is slow but in a thrilling way. I think these three just moved a bit too slow, and they didn't have the payoff I was looking for. 

These three didn't sit well with me - maybe I'll rewatch these films down the line and enjoy them, but who knows? For now, they sit at the bottom.

Zodiac And The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button Were Surprisingly Intriguing, But Not My All-Time Favorites

I had never seen Zodiac or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, most likely because they came out when I was a child, barely ten. But they were super good. 

I liked these a million times more than many of Fincher's other films. Zodiac was one of my favorites, especially since I'm a true crime lover who probably spends too much time watching actual crime shows and movies. I've done so much research on the Zodiac Killer that watching a film dedicated to that subject matter was exactly what I needed, and Fincher delivered on that and more. 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button caught my attention in a similar way, coming from someone who isn't that big of a romantic drama person. The story of someone aging in reverse is fascinating, and both Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett brought excellent performances. 

I didn't expect much, but I really enjoyed both of these.

Fight Club and Se7en Will Forever Remain Classics

Fight Club and Se7en were two other movies I had seen before this marathon, and they stood out as iconic entries. There's just something about the late 1990s Fincher that makes me smile. 

Fight Club has so many cool behind-the-scenes facts that make this film so enjoyable, and the story still captivates me now; I learn something new every time I watch it. Also, the pairing of Edward Norton and Brad Pitt is actually legendary.

The same is true with Se7en, one of the best horror movies of all time. There are plenty of incredible behind-the-scenes facts about the movie, and don't even get me started on the cast – Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Gwyneth Paltrow, all in the same film and rocking it in so many ways. And that twist at the end -- there's nothing like it out there. Nothing that will rock your core as much.

There's so much to love about these two movies. But one movie reigns supreme – one I didn't expect to like as much now as an adult.

However, The Social Network Actually Became My Favorite Out Of All Of Them

I didn't expect to walk out of this marathon loving The Social Network, but here we are. 

I saw this movie for the first time years ago, back in my first year of high school. I thought it was fascinating to watch because it talked about Facebook, but I never thought I'd see it again because I didn't have a vested interest at the time.

But now, I appreciate it even more. Not only is the music superb, the cinematography on point, and The Social Network cast some of the best out there (all of whom have gone on to have some pretty awesome careers), but the story makes even more sense now. 

In a world where social media has taken over our lives, this movie means more now than anything. It documented the beginning of the information era we live in, and it captured the beginning of how social media would change our world, for better or worse. 

It's more relevant than ever, and it's something that everyone needs to watch. Its nomination for Best Picture was well-deserved. 

And Now I'm Eager To See What The Killer Will Bring To The Table

With all this in mind, I'm eager to see what David Fincher's next film, The Killer, will bring when it becomes available to those with a Netflix subscription.

From the trailers I've watched and the reactions I've seen, it feels like an amalgamation of several of Fincher's past works combined into one epic movie, which is something I'm always down to see. Now, if November 10 would come sooner, that would be great. 

David Fincher has undoubtedly cemented himself in today's film society as a director who will live on forever with his exciting and creative movies that speak to the mind and dazzle the eye most of the time. I didn't quite understand his way of directing until now, after viewing all of his films, and I surprisingly became a huge fan. 

I will be hopping on this Fincher train – and I hope there's no stopping after The Killer comes out on the 2023 movie schedule because I need more. 

These movie romances are the ones that have gone very wrong. The anti-best romantic comedies, if you will. These are disastrous relationships that get very dark, and very twisted by the end. It’s everything you never want in a relationship.  

Amy And Nick - Gone Girl

Amy (Rosamund Pike) and Nick (Ben Affleck) appear to have had an idyllic marriage until their lives were uprooted and they ended up in rural Missouri in Gone Girl. Amy, who is seriously pissed off about Nick’s affair, decides she’s not only going to send him on a wild goose chase of a scavenger hunt to reveal she knows, but she’s going to fake her own death and pin it on him. Vicious. 

Alex And Dan - Fatal Attraction

It’s impossible to defend Dan (Michael Douglas) completely here, after all, he chose to have the one-night stand with Alex (Glenn Close) in Fatal Attraction. Everything that happens after that though? Yeah, that’s 100% on Alex. What started as a passionate night between two successful people ends with her doing horrible things. Everyone points to the bunny scene, but let’s remember she slits her wrists to get him to stay the first time. The toxic relationship was even rebooted as a TV show. 

Nicole And David - Fear 

Once described as “Fatal Attraction for teens” by Brian Grazer, Fear, starring Mark Wahlberg as the just ever so slightly obsessive David, and Reese Witherspoon as the shy, sheltered Nicole, is just about as disturbing. What starts as first love soon gets very, very dark when David goes completely psycho on Nicole, including one of the most memorable confrontations on film when he appears outside her door and she watches through the peephole.

Alabama And Clarence - True Romance

In True Romance, Alabama (Patricia Arquette) is a sex worker hired by Clarence’s boss to seduce him for his birthday. Instead, she falls for Clarence (Christian Slater). In an attempt to free her from her pimp, he ends up killing a bunch of people and leaving with a suitcase full of drugs. It’s a classic story: girl meets boy, boy murders drug dealer, boy and girl get chased to California and end up almost dead at the hands of the mafia. 

Veronica And J.D. - Heathers

Imagine going from the cool click in high school to a serial killer. That’s exactly what happens to very Gen-X movie character, Veronica (Wynona Rider) in Heathers after J.D. (Christian Slater) transfers to her school and they fall in love. Veronica was never comfortable in the “Heathers” click, but it goes to the extreme when she and J.D. start killing off the popular kids. After he decides everyone needs to die, Veronica finally stops the damage, though it’s too late for some. 

Edward And Connie - Unfaithful

Unfaithful is a tough movie to watch at times. It's the rare example on this list where everyone is good, and everyone is bad. Connie (Diane Lane) finds herself seduced by a stranger and hides the affair from her husband, Edward (Richard Gere). She's distracted enough by her lover that Edward gets suspicious, and after a private detective finds out the truth, he confronts the lover and kills him in a fit of rage. 

Tessa And David - Unforgettable

In another rarity on this list, Unforgettable actually has a happy, healthy couple: David (Geoff Stults) and Julia (Rosario Dawson). The unhappy one in the relationship is David's ex Tessa, played by Katherine Heigl. She sets out to ruin Julia's life when she finds out David is going to marry her. It's truly a rampage for the ages, as she even tricks Julia's abusive ex-boyfriend back into Julia's life and things only get worse from there.

Oliver And Barbara Rose - The War Of The Roses

The War of the Roses has to be one of the darkest of dark comedies. It's kind of Kramer v. Kramer meets a disturbing Home Alone. Oliver (Michael Douglas) and Barbara Rose (Kathleen Turner) are two very rich people going through a very nasty divorce. The level of comedic violence is through the roof. There is no one (and no dog) safe when these two are battling it out. It's funny, sure, but wow is it dark. Woof. 

Claire And Noah - The Boy Next Door

It's twisted enough when a teacher sleeps with a student. It gets even more messed up when that student becomes a stalker intent on ruining the teacher's life and her family. The Boy Next Door has nothing about it that isn't completely screwed up. Claire (Jennifer Lopez) barely tries to put up a fight when Noah (Ryan Guzman) seduces her, even though she's a teacher at his school. She learns pretty quickly just how out of hand things can get when Noah gets as obsessive as Fatal Attraction's Alex. 

Mickey And Mallory Knox - Natural Born Killers

There are few more messed up couples in movie history than Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) in Natural Born Killers. Their killing spree captivates a shocked public and leads them on the kind of adventure that only the most psychotic would ever want to go on. It was always bound to end up this way, with Mallory’s horrifying upbringing and Mickey’s lifetime of crime; it only took the two meeting to set off the murder spree. They're a couple and it's a movie we still can't stop talking about all these years later 

Chris And Rose - Get Out

In the instant classic Get Out, Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) thinks he’s found the love of his life in Rose Armitage (Allison Williams). While he may be nervous to meet her parents, because he’s Black and she’s white, he is calmed by her welcoming and friendly mom and dad. It’s not until a little later, after noticing some very off things about the couple’s domestic help, that he senses something is wrong and by then, it’s too late. Rose’s family is nothing like he first thought and he barely makes it out alive. 

Romeo And Juliet - Romeo + Juliet

Romeo Montague (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet Capulet (Claire Danes) in Baz Lehrman’s film version of the classic Shakespeare tragedy, Romeo + Juliet, are lovestruck teenagers who cannot live without each other. Sadly, it’s a forbidden love, as their families are the Hatfields and McCoys of 16th-century Italy. That doesn’t stop the two lovebirds, but by the end, as the world knows, it all ends in the most tragic way possible. 

Tony And Maria - West Side Story

The West Side Story...story... has been told countless times on high school stages across the country, and of course on Broadway, but it's the two movies (the first in 1961 with Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood as Tony and Maria and the 2021 version with Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler in the roles) that have become beloved classics. Based on Romeo and Juliet, it tells the story of forbidden love between two people in rival gangs in New York in the 1950s, and like the Shakespeare play, it ends in tragedy, with Maria witnessing the Tony's murder. 

Carly And Zeke - Sliver

Carly (Sharon Stone) is excited to move into her new apartment, and is more excited when she meets a neighbor, Zeke (William Baldwin). They begin a steamy romance, but that causes another neighbor, Jack (Tom Berenger), to get insanely jealous. Jack stalks Carly and tries to convince her that Zeke is a bad person, but Jack has been murdering other tenants of the building. Finally, Zeke reveals he's got cameras in every apartment, and Carly confronts Jack, shooting him in self-defense after he tries to attack. She ends it with Zeke, who it turns out is pretty damn creepy himself, watching the tenants in his secret monitor room. 

Cecilia And Adrian - The Invisible Man 

In the latest, great take on The Invisible Man, the marriage between Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) and Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) is already really bad, but it gets much worse. Adrian is controlling and abusive, so Cecilia drugs him and gets away. Adrian, she's led to believe, dies by suicide and leaves her millions. That's only the beginning, as it turns out he can make himself invisible and the the physical and psychological torture increases to nightmarish levels. 

Laura And Martin - Sleeping With The Enemy

It's not that hard to deduce what is going on in a movie called Sleeping with the Enemy, but that only begins to describe how awful Martin (Patrick Bergin) is to his wife, Laura (Julia Roberts). The level of violence is, frankly, shocking. He abuses her in every way possible until she is finally able to fake her own death and escape to Iowa. Martin finds her eventually, and the confrontation at the end is epic, with Laura getting the revenge she desperately tried to avoid by disappearing. 

Nick And Catherine - Basic Instinct

Sharon Stone, who plays Catherine in Basic Instinct, made a name for herself playing sexy sirens in steamy romance films, but this one put her on the map in that regard. Catherine is an accused murderer being investigated by Nick (Michael Douglas). She's diabolical in her deceit, or at least the viewer is led to believe so, until we learn that the truth is something completely different, with a twist at the end...or was it?

Joel And Clementine - Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a pretty weird movie, which fits the pretty weird nature of the relationship between Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet). In a new type of procedure, both separately have their negative memories of their relationship erased after they break up. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?) they keep the good ones. In the end, they try to make a go of it one more time, but you can't help but wonder if it's going to end well or not, as it's never resolved. 

Lee And Gray - Secretary

Years before 50 Shades Of Grey became a cultural phenomenon, there was Secretary,  starring Maggie Gyllenhaal as Lee, a submissive in work and eventually sex, to Gray, played by James Spader. He is ashamed of his behavior, but can't stop, and she doesn't want it to. It's a disturbing movie for some, but really, we don't want to kink shame anyone and in the end, maybe this is how they are supposed to be. 

Slim And Mitchell - Enough

The violent abusive husband Mitchell (Billy Campbell), is like the Terminator in his relentless pursuit of his wife and victim, Slim (Jennifer Lopez). He seems to find her wherever she is and continues to abuse and torment her. Finally, Slim has had enough and hatches a plan to end the pursuit forever. 

Dean And Cindy - Blue Valentine

Blue Valentine is just tragic all around. Barbie star Ryan Gosling plays Dean, a down-on-his-luck slacker and heavy drinker who somehow gets Cindy (Michelle Williams) to date him, despite being way out of his league. The movie goes back and forth between the beginning and end of their relationship, and it's a powerful way to show that not everything has a storybook ending. Sometimes, things can go very, very wrong, even in relationships that start off higher than the moon. 

Everyone has gone through difficult breakups, and had hard relationships. Hopefully, very few have anything even remotely close to the ones on this list. Still, it's good to reminder how good some of us have it even when things aren't going exactly as we want. 

Gone Girl is one of Ben Affleck’s top-ranked movies where he played the husband of a woman who went missing and was suspected of being responsible for it. However, did you know that role was originally going to be played by Mad Men’s Jon Hamm? This St. Louis Cardinals fan not only revealed why he couldn’t star in Gone Girl, but he also explained that he picked on Red Sox fan Ben Affleck over the fact that he had to wear a Cardinals hat for the part.

You know it’s real acting if you play a character who represents your opposing baseball team. It’s never been any secret that Bostonian Ben Affleck is a Red Sox fan. In fact, he helped his wife Jennifer Lopez return to Red Sox games with this MLB team positively reacting on TikTok to their relationship. So, when the actor was cast as the male lead in David Fincher’s Gone Girl, he had to play a man from Missouri and the lead suspect when his wife goes missing. He also had to play a man who wears a Cardinals hat. Originally, Jon Hamm was confirmed play this role, but he explained on Watch What Happens Live why he had to drop out of the movie, and the irony of being replaced by an actor who is a Red Sox fan.

Having to trade in his Red Sox cap for a Cardinals hat while filming in Missouri must have been difficult, especially considering how die-hard baseball fans can get. Although the Top Gun: Maverick actor may have to re-watch the movie again to know that Affleck actually doesn’t wear a Cardinals hat for the movie. In the scene where suspected criminal Nick tries to keep a low profile, you see him wearing a New York Mets cap. It would have been really funny if this was a compromise made for the movie so Affleck could at least show his disdain for the Yankees, however, it's probably just a simple detail with no deeper meaning. So, it looks like the Air actor didn’t sell his soul to the Yankees (or the Cardinals) to play Nick Dunne, but he still wasn't able to wear that classic red B on his hat. 

As for why John Hamm wasn't in the film, he couldn’t take on the lead for the Gillian Flynn adaptation because he was scheduled to make a new season of Mad Men. Since filming for Gone Girl interfered with Mad Men’s split-in-half final season, it would have been a scheduling nightmare for him to do both. 

While Gone Girl was not a movie Jon Hamm could add to his filmography, this actor has gone on to star in some great projects after playing Don Draper for seven seasons. A few notable roles were when he played one of the villainous thieves of the criminal underworld in Baby Driver and chased his friends in the comedy film Tag. We also can’t forget him being added to the cast of Top Gun: Maverick as Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson, because he had an A+ reaction when offered the part and was ready to fire his agents if the deal didn’t work out. So, I'd say he's doing really well.

Jon Hamm could have represented his St. Louis Cardinals in the movie Gone Girl, but completing Don Draper’s journey in Mad Men had to come first. While Ben Affleck didn’t exactly suffer taking on the male lead role, I’m sure the Red Sox fan having to wear the hat of a New York baseball team wasn’t his favorite part of shooting. You can watch this Oscar-nominated movie on your Max subscription. 

Tyler Perry has long been one of the most prolific, successful, and recognizable figures in show business with surprise hits like Diary of a Mad Black Woman and appearances in gripping psychological thrillers like Gone Girl. Perry, thanks to his tremendous work ethic, has put together a string of hit stage productions, movies, TV shows, and more, with his unique blend of comedy, drama, and sentimentality that largely goes unmatched.

With dozens of titles to his name, keeping track of where you can watch Tyler Perry movies streaming is about as easy as keeping up with all of his philanthropic contributions (both are staggering, to say the least). However, to showcase the best the writer, director, producer, and angry grandma has to offer, we’ve gathered some of Perry’s best movies and shows and how you can watch them online. There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s get started…

Tyler Perry’s Diary Of A Mad Black Woman (2005)

After her husband reveals that not only has he been cheating on her but he is also filing for divorce, Helen Simmons-McCarter (Kimberly Elise) turns to the one person she can trust: her tough yet loving grandmother, Mabel “Madea” Simmons (Tyler Perry). When Madea takes matters into her own hands and destroys Helen’s soon-to-be-ex’s home and property, the temperamental and boisterous grandma lands herself in deep trouble. But, this is just the beginning of the many troubles in Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

Stream Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman on Starz.
Rent (or buy) Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman on Amazon.

Vice (2018)

Adam McKay’s 2018 Academy Award-winning (Best Makeup and Hairstyling) biographical drama, Vice, centers on former Vice President Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) and the various people whom he crossed paths with during his decades-long rise to power in American business and politics. One of those figures is the late Secretary of State Colin Powell (Tyler Perry), who essentially becomes the public face for the botched 2003 invasion of Iraq, especially during the former general’s fateful and disastrous February 2003 speech in front of the United Nations Security Council. 

Stream Vice on Netflix.
Rent (or buy) Vice on Amazon.

Don’t Look Up (2021)

Tyler Perry worked again with Adam McKay three years later for the 2021 Netflix satirical comedy, Don’t Look Up, in which he portrayed The Daily Rip co-host, Jack Bremmer. Not wanting to hear what Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, or Rob Morgan’s characters have to say about the approaching planet-killer asteroid, Bremmer and his morning show co-host, Brie Evantree (Cate Blanchett), joke about the situation when not dismissing it entirely.

Stream Don’t Look Up on Netflix.

Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016)

The 2016 comedy, Boo! A Madea Halloween, takes what worked for the franchise in the past and adds an “All Hollow’s Eve” element into the equation. After crashing a frat party (Tyler Perry) and taking her teenage granddaughter home, Madea and assorted family members find themselves being targeted by a group of revenge-obsessed pranksters who continually up the ante. But, these ghosts, goblins, and zombies are no match for Mabel Simmons and her mean right hand.

Stream Boo! A Madea Halloween on Peacock.
Rent (or buy) Boo! A Madea Halloween on Amazon.

Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)

When a young boy becomes the target of a pair of highly-trained contract killers, fire lookout Hannah Faber (Angelina Jolie) becomes his only hope for survival in the wilderness of Montana hill country. Directed by Taylor Sheridan, Those Who Wish Me Dead, features a performance by Tyler Perry that is more stern, intimidating, and unsettling than anything else in his filmography.

Stream Those Who Wish Me Dead on HBO Max.
Rent (or buy) Those Who Wish Me Dead on Amazon.

Why Did I Get Married? (2007)

For years, eight close friends have gone on a couples vacation to catch up and relax. But unlike previous years, the trip at the center of Why Did I Get Married? doesn’t go as smoothly, as revelations about their private lives rise to the surface, leading to one explosive meltdown and fight after another high up in the Rocky Mountains. While a sequel quickly followed three years later, there is no telling when, or if, a third movie in the franchise will happen.

Stream Why Did I Get Married on HBO Max.
Rent (or buy) Why Did I Get Married on Amazon.
Also Try: Why Did I Get Married Too? on Starz.

House Of Payne (2006 - Present)

Since its debut on TBS (the show later moved to BET) in June 2006, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne has spent 11 seasons and 300+ episodes focusing on the titular family, with a primary focus on family patriarch Curtis Payne (LaVan Davis) and his wife Ella (Cassi Davis). Although Perry does not appear as an actor on the long-running sitcom, he has directed a large portion of the show’s episodes and written several dozen chapters over the years.

Stream Tyler Perry’s House of Pain on BET+ (Amazon Add-On).

Tyler Perry’s A Madea Homecoming

Released 17 years after Diary of a Mad Black Woman, the 2022 Netflix movie, Tyler Perry’s a Madea Homecoming, takes the familiar characters from Perry’s body of work, adds in some new faces (including some from across the pond), and creates another fun and heartfelt story as Madea’s great-grandson prepares to graduate from college.

Stream Tyler Perry’s A Madea Homecoming on Netflix.

Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes To Jail (2009)

Following a high-speed police chase, Madea finds herself in trouble with the authorities once again, this time ending up behind bars. But, in the slammer happens to be the place the strong, intimidating, and caring grandma needs to be when a recently incarcerated woman needs a helping hand in Madea Goes to Jail.

Stream Madea Goes To Jail on Starz (Amazon Add-On).
Rent (or buy) Madea Goes to Jail on Amazon.

Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion (2006)

If planning a family reunion wasn't a difficult enough task, Madea finds herself in trouble with the law once again and agrees to take in a teenage foster child named Nikki (Keke Palmer) to avoid going back to jail. But, those are just two of the many struggles the grandma is forced to overcome in 2006’s Madea’s Family Reunion. And, who knows, maybe Palmer and Perry will work together again if the Nope star lands a role in Sister Act 3.

Stream Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion on Starz (Amazon add-on).
Rent (or buy) Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion on Amazon.

Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family (2011)

After her niece, Shirley (Loretta Devine) is diagnosed with cancer and her children are too busy dealing with their own issues to come through for their mom, Madea steps up to the plate once again. Teaming up with Betty Ann “Aunt Bam” Murphy (Cassi Davis), the family matriarch attempts to get everyone on the same page and through their own respective battles so they can be there and support Shirley during her most trying time.

Stream Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family on Starz.
Rent (or buy) Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family on Amazon.

Alex Cross (2012)

In 2012, Tyler Perry tried his hand at the action thriller genre when he starred as the titular character in Rob Cohen’s Alex Cross, an adaptation of James Patterson’s Cross novels. The movie follows Perry's Alex Cross as he attempts to nab the self-proclaimed Picasso Killer, only for the hunter to become the hunted after the Detroit detective and psychologist stops the sadistic madman from picking off one of his high-profile targets.

Stream Alex Cross on Pluto TV.
Rent (or buy) Alex Cross on Amazon.

A Madea Christmas

When Madea’s great-great-niece refuses to come home for Christmas, the family matriarch does what anyone in her position would do: she makes a surprise visit to rural Alabama to bring her family back home (or at least find out what’s going on) in A Madea Christmas. While down there, Madea finds herself giving a rather unorthodox version of the Christmas story, earning the ire of the locals, and learning a whole lot in the process, in addition to bringing her family close together.

Stream A Madea Christmas on Prime Video.

Meet The Browns (2009 - 2011)

Meet the Browns aired on TBS for five seasons and centers on Leroy S. Brown (David Mann) and Cora Jean Simmons-Brown (Tamela Brown) as they try to balance love, life, and their multi-generational family who just can't find a way to keep themselves out of trouble. Like House of Payne, Tyler Perry doesn't appear as an actor, but he had a major role behind-the-scenes of the popular sitcom.

Stream Meet the Browns on BET+ (Amazon Add-On).

Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls (2007)

After his ex-wife wins custody of his three young daughters, struggling mechanic Monty James (Idris Elba) enlists the services of young yet determined attorney Julia Rossmore (Gabrielle Union). While things initially remain professional for the single father and his legal counsel, sparks begin to fly in Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls.

Stream Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls on Starz.
Rent (or buy) Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls on Amazon.

Gone Girl (2014)

In 2014, Tyler Perry appeared in David Fincher’s Gone Girl, a gripping psychological thriller about Nick Dunner (Ben Affleck), a Missouri schoolteacher who becomes the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance and possible murder after she goes missing. Perry shows up as high-profile attorney Tanner Bolt, who specializes in representing men falsely accused of committing crimes against their wives.

Rent (or buy) Gone Girl on Amazon.

This is just a small portion of the Tyler Perry movies and TV shows that are available online, and there seem to be more and more released each year.  

As someone who has viewed so much television and so many movies in my nearly twenty-four years of living, I have to say that one of the most versatile actors I have ever seen on screen is Neil Patrick Harris. Truly, this man has range when it comes to acting, whether it be drama, comedy, a musical, or anything else. 

And not only that, but Harris can sing and dance and perform his butt off. He is seriously the definition of what I would consider a triple threat. But Harris has been around in the industry for many years, and today, we’re going to go over the best Neil Patrick Harris movies and TV shows, and how you can watch them streaming, or how to rent them. 

Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989-1993)

If you’re looking for a (mostly) '90s dramedy, check out Doogie Howser, M.D. In this series, we follow Doogie Howser, a seemingly normal teenager with a big brain and a gifted genius. But even if he has to deal with the normal everyday issues of growing up, there’s also a catch - he’s a licensed physician. 

For those who don’t know, this was Neil Patrick Harris' first big role, and just the start of a big career. But even then you can tell that he was made for television with his acting skills, and his natural charisma that he emitted as Doogie. Such a charm to watch him when he was young and to see him now, especially with all these other doctors shows out like Grey’s Anatomy or E.R. 

Stream Doogie Howser M.D. on Hulu.

How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)

Probably one of the most famous Neil Patrick Harris roles was his part as Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother. In this popular sitcom, a man recalls the story of how he met the mother of his children, detailing his personal life and love life that was always constantly changing, as well as his friends. 

Harris received acclaim for his portrayal of Barney Stinson. While the rest of the How I Met Your Mother cast is great, there’s nothing quite like Barney hitting on ladies or saying some ridiculous quote that will make you literally snort out your drink because you’re laughing so hard. He’s just legen -- wait for it -- dary. And you can’t stop him no matter what. I would straight-up watch a spinoff of just him years later. 

Stream How I Met Your Mother on Hulu.

Gone Girl (2014)

This amazing psychological thriller, directed by David Fincher and based on the novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn, is one of the best out there. Gone Girl, starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, tells the story of a man whose wife goes missing, but in turn, he ends up becoming the biggest suspect. Now, he has to prove that it wasn’t him – but nothing is quite as it seems. 

While Neil Patrick Harris is known for many of his great comedic roles, he also had an amazing role in Gone Girl as Desi Collings, the ex-boyfriend of Amy (Rosamund Pike). His scenes in the movie were so amazing and he really showed off just how skilled he is as a dramatic actor as well. I wish he was in more roles like this because he truly shined. 

Rent/Buy Gone Girl on Amazon.

The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent (2022)

Released in 2022 as part of the 2022 movie premiere schedule, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, starring Nicolas Cage, follows a fictionalized version of himself as he travels across the world to spend time with a megafan after he is paid millions of dollars, but this trip turns into something a whole lot more chaotic. 

While the main stars of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent are Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal (as they should be, since they were so funny and ridiculous), Neil Patrick Harris had some pretty unforgettable moments that reminded me of his time in the Harold and Kumar films (which we’ll get into in a bit). He was sarcastic, overly-sexual, and just pure chaotic energy and I loved every second he was on the screen. 

Rent/Buy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent on YouTube.

Starship Troopers (1997) 

Next up on the list, we have Starship Troopers, a military sci-fi film that was released in 1997. In this movie, we mainly follow Johnny Rico, a young man in the Mobile Infantry in a time that is much different than ours, as they fight in a war that is truly out of this world against giant green bugs known as Arachnids. No, not those arachnids  -- literal aliens. 

This film is a ridiculous ride from beginning to end and is quite funny in some ways, and at the time, it had some pretty badass visual effects (for a 1997 film, so it’s not like it’s a CGI-fest). Neil Patrick Harris, as part of the cast, played Carl Jenkins, who was a psychic and used his powers for the military, and he was a fun addition to this colorful cast of characters that made this action film so ridiculously crazy and yet so much fun. 

Rent/Buy Starship Troopers on Amazon.

His Glee Appearance (2010)

While Neil Patrick Harris didn’t make numerous appearances in Glee like many other guest stars, his one time on the show was so memorable that, years later, I still sing his version of “Dream On.”

For those who don’t know, Glee was a popular musical-comedy that followed the Glee club at a high school in Ohio, and how the students, as well as the leader of the group, try their hardest in order to build themselves up from zeros to heroes and somehow become popular and win Nationals. 

In the Season 1 episode, “Dream On,” Harris played the character Bryan Ryan, a rival of Will Schuster’s (Matthew Morrison) back in the day. These two battle it out throughout the episode, ultimately culminating in one of the best song covers on the show, “Dream On,” where Harris really got the chance to show off his singing talents on television. This dude is talented as heck, and he won an Emmy Award for his guest role in the show, so you know it’s good. 

Stream his Glee appearance on Disney+.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)

Created by Joss Whedon, this is a pick that you should watch if you like Neil Patrick Harris' singing talent. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog stars Harris as Dr. Horrible, a supervillain with his own personal video blog, who is trying to join the Evil League of Evil, but through every attempt, no matter how hilarious, he is foiled by Captain Hammer each time. 

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog got a great audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, showing just how popular it was with fans. And who wouldn't want to see Neil Patrick Harris as an eccentric villain once again? He just does it so well. That, paired with his natural musical talent, makes this a great pick. 

Buy Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Amazon.

The Harold And Kumar Movies (2004-2011)

In this fun film trilogy, we follow the titular characters, Harold and Kumar, on ridiculous adventures together. In Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, the duo gets high and decides to go to the fast-food restaurant together but run into much trouble along the way. In the sequel, Harold and Kumar Escape Guantanamo Bay, they do exactly that -- try to get out of the island when they are trapped. And in the third film, A Very Harold and Kumar 3-D Christmas, we get to see them on a holiday adventure. 

Probably one of the first times I ever saw Neil Patrick Harris was in the Harold & Kumar movies. I know, what a way to get introduced to him as an actor, but it made its impression on me and I love him in these movies because he plays the complete opposite of who he is in real life. As a womanizing, disgusting pervert, somehow, someway, his character always gets himself tangled up in Harold and Kumar’s adventures and it’s just ridiculous. There’s nothing quite like a fictionalized version of himself. 

Rent/Buy Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle on Amazon.

A Series Of Unfortunate Events (2017-2019)

Next up on this list, we have A Series of Unfortunate Events. This three-season Netflix series follows the Baudelaire children after they lose their parents and are taken under the care of Count Olaf as they are moved between foster homes, while he just wants them for their incredible fortune. As time passes, they learn more about who their parents truly were. 

I was so upset that this series only lasted for three seasons. I wanted this show to go on for so much longer because Neil Patrick Harris was honestly amazing as Count Olaf. He was dramatic, funny, and just the right amount of evil where you really believed his performance, and truly, if he ever returned to the role, I would be down to watch him again. He definitely holds a candle to Jim Carry’s version as well. I think he might even be better. 

Stream A Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix.

8-Bit Christmas (2021)

Moving on, we now have a fun Christmas film that I know you’ll enjoy. Released on HBO Max, we take a look at 8-Bit Christmas, a movie that tells the story of a man who is recollecting on the time of his childhood when he was obsessed with video games, and how this led to a crazy Christmas season in the late 1980s. 

This movie is just pure nostalgia fun, for someone like me who grew up playing games and especially for the whole family that was around when video games were just starting to gain traction in modern-day culture. It’s heartwarming in the best way, and it’s partly because of Neil Patrick Harris’ electric performance as the lead character, Jake Doyle, and his chemistry with his on-screen daughter, Sophia Reid-Gantzert. They’re great, but the story as a whole is so cute. 

Stream 8-Bit Christmas on HBO Max.

Uncoupled (2022-)

Last but not least, we have the latest addition to Neil Patrick Harris’ line-up of TV shows, Uncoupled. This series, from Sex and the City creator, Darren Star, follows a man who was suddenly broken up with by his long-term partner after seventeen years, and now has to navigate the dating world in his forties, which includes the ever popular idea of online dating. 

If you like Darren Star and his other shows, such as Sex and the City or Emily in Paris, then you’ll enjoy Uncoupled, but really, it’s Harris that steals the show. He was the perfect choice for the main role as Michael Lawson, because truly, he is just out of this world funny. And honestly, seeing him return back to his comedy show roots is always fun after watching him on How I Met Your Mother for years. 

Stream Uncoupled on Netflix.

No matter what you pick from this list, I’m sure you’re going to find something that you truly enjoy and will love to watch over and over again. For me, I’m just going to go and re-watch all of How I Met Your Mother again. 

After playing superheroes like Daredevil and Batman throughout his lengthy career, one would think Ben Affleck’s superpower lies within the realm of comic book heroes. In reality, the Oscar winner can’t actually use his radar sense to detect nearby threats or fly across the streets of Gotham. However, his real "superpower" is a decidedly more human skill. 

Ben Affleck has been making the press tour rounds and chatting about his new film The Tender Bar. Amid this, he also spoke on his "biggest superpower" as an actor. While he may not be able to shoot lasers from his eyes, Ben Affleck does have a handy talent when it comes to filming movies. He said during his interview with The Boston Globe:

Considering his decades-long gig as a Hollywood star, some may be surprised to find that the actor has such a humble outlook. After all, he’s received critical acclaim for his acting, screenwriting, and directing prowess. Films like the Matt Damon and Robin Williams-led Good Will Hunting and espionage thriller Argo are prime examples of his talent.

It could be difficult for Ben Affleck, given his skills, to concede to another artistic vision during the filmmaking process. Luckily, he clearly knows when to shelve his ego and let another professional take the reins, like he did when David Fincher directed Gone Girl and George Clooney helmed The Tender Bar. Affleck has expressed his love for working with Clooney before, so it probably helped that he was able to work with an admired colleague. 

Ben Affleck will continue to use his acting superpowers when he appears in The Flash, an upcoming superhero movie that will feature the return of his version of Bruce Wayne. He’ll have to share the role with Michael Keaton, whose iteration of Batman will hail from an alternate universe. Given Affleck’s biggest superpower, he should be able to rise to the challenge. 

The Tender Bar is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Ben Affleck stars alongside Tye Sheridan, Ron Livingston, and Lily Rabe. 

One of the best things about Ghostbusters: Afterlife is Carrie Coon’s portrayal of Callie Spengler and the way she comes to terms with the life and legacy of her late father, Egon Spengler, who abandoned his family, friends, and fellow ghostbusters for unknown reasons. There’s just something about the way Coon embodies both strength and pain in her remarkable performance that draws you in and makes you want to see what else this talented actress has to offer.

Fortunately, there are a lot of great Carrie Coon movies and TV shows that not only show her strength as an actress but also her range and commitment to the various roles she has taken over the years. Here are just a few examples, including The Leftovers, Widows, and Gone Girl.

Gone Girl (2014)

When his wife suddenly leaves without warning, writer Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) is left to clean up the mess left in her wake and get to the bottom of the mystery, as he becomes the main suspect. David Fincher’s 2014 adaptation of the Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl explores what happens when a seemingly perfect marriage crumbles beyond repair.

Why it’s worth checking out: Rosamund Pike’s dynamic portrayal of Amy Dunne is reason enough to check out Gone Girl, but Carrie Coon’s take on her sister-in-law (and Nick’s sister), Margo Dunne, is right up there. The voice of reason throughout the psychological thriller, it is almost hard to believe this was her first feature-length film.

Stream Gone Girl on Hulu.
Rent/Buy Gone Girl on Amazon.
Buy Gone Girl on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Leftovers (2014 - 2017)

Set three years after millions of mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters disappeared as part of the “Sudden Departure,” the HBO series The Leftovers follows those who were left behind with unanswered questions, broken mental states, and all kinds of pain.

Why it’s worth checking out: Carrie Coon’s portrayal of Nora Durst, a broken woman who finds the strength to carry on following the mysterious disappearance of not only her husband, but son and daughter, remains one of the most interesting characters in recent TV memory. Durst, and her on-screen partner Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), helped navigate viewers through the grim and confusing world of The Leftovers.

Stream The Leftovers on HBO Max.
Buy The Leftovers on Amazon.

Buy The Leftovers Season 1 on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Buy The Leftovers Season 2 on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Buy The Leftovers Season 3 on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

After years of planning (and failed attempts by his subordinates) the Mad Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) sets off to fulfill his dream of bringing balance to the universe with the help of the six infinity stones, in Avengers: Infinity War.

Why it’s worth checking out: Carrie Coon’s take on Proxima Midnight, one of the “Children of Thanos,” is honestly one of the most terrifying aspects of the 2018 Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover event. Her brutal nature, cold demeanor, and imposing presence make a strong case for Proxima Midnight being one of the most dangerous MCU villains.

Stream Avengers: Infinity War on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Avengers: Infinity War on Amazon.
Buy Avengers: Infinity War on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Widows (2018)

When their husbands are ambushed and killed in a botched robbery, four widows form an unlikely team and orchestrate a heist of their own to pay off their their late husbands’ debts. Directed by Steve McQueen (who wrote the script alongside Gillian Flynn), Widows is a daring heist thriller where death awaits around every corner.

Why it’s worth checking out: Without giving too much away, Carrie Coon’s character, Amanda, plays a pivotal role in the events of Widows, especially when it is revealed how she plays into the relationship shared by Viola Davis and Liam Neeson’s characters.

Rent/Buy Widows on Amazon.

The Post (2017)

Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) and editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) put their reputation, careers, and freedom on the line in order to publish a damning article uncovering years of government cover-ups. 

Why it’s worth checking out: Steven Spielberg’s 2017 newspaper drama The Post is one of the best journalism movies not just because of its two leads (though they are great), but because of the way in which it brilliantly displays what it’s like to work in an intense newsroom in the middle of a crisis. The supporting cast of actors, which includes Carrie Coon, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, and Alison Brie, doesn’t hurt either.

Rent/Buy The Post on Amazon.
Buy The Post on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Fargo Season 3 (2017)

The third season of the FX anthology dark comedy series, Fargo, centers on a couple consisting of Ray Stussy (Ewan McGregor) and Nikki Swango (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who become involved in a double-murder, and Eden Valley Police Chief Gloria Burgle (Carrie Coon), who tries to get to the bottom of the crime that claimed her step-father’s life.

Why it’s worth checking out: Right up there with Frances McDormand in the 1996 film on which the Fargo series was based, Carrie Coon’s Gloria Burgle is a quirky law enforcement officer but also one who gets the job down when she gets a hunch. The likable and sometimes awkward character adds a considerable amount of levity and humor to the oftentimes dark show.

Stream Fargo Season 3 on Hulu.
Buy Fargo Season 3 on Amazon.
Buy Fargo Season 3 on DVD on Amazon.

The Nest (2020)

With their marriage on the rocks in New York City, Roy (Jude Law) and Allison O’Hara (Carrie Coon) pick up what’s left of their broken lives and relocate to Surrey, England, with their two children. Though predicated on the idea that the move from New York to England will fill their bank account and bring meaning to their lives, reality comes crashing down one bit after another.

Why it’s worth checking out: Jude Law and Carrie Coon are both brilliant in the portrayals of a married couple attempting to find happiness, but it’s the latter that really shines here. The slow, methodical pacing of her character’s arc throughout the course of The Nest makes for one of the best performances of her career.

Stream The Nest on Showtime.
Buy The Nest on Amazon.
Buy The Nest on DVD on Amazon.

• Check out this list of the best movies on Amazon Prime.

The Sinner Season 2 (2018)

In the second season of the USA Network crime anthology series, Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) returns to his childhood hometown to investigate the poisoning of a local couple, which was supposedly carried out by a young boy named Julian Walker (Elisha Henig). While investigating, Ambrose meets Vera Walker (Carrie Coon), a strange woman with an even stranger connection to the suspected killer.

Why it’s worth checking out: One of the great things about Carrie Coon’s portrayal of Vera Walker in The Sinner Season 2 is the fact it is hard to get a read on the cult leader, so much so that it is hard to figure out if she's someone who cares for Julian or nothing more than a power-hungry leader of a mysterious commune. It’s this intrigue and mystery surrounding Coon's enigmatic performance that gives the show its hooks that sink into you and don't let go until the end credits roll, once everything is said and done.

Stream The Sinner Season 2 on Netflix.
Buy The Sinner Season 2 on Amazon.
Buy The Sinner Season 2 on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Legacy Of A Whitetail Deer Hunter (2018)

Buck Ferguson (Josh Brolin) is a prolific hunter with a successful hunting show who decides to try something new by taking his son, Jaden (Montana Jordan), on a hunting trip (along with his cameraman Don, played by Danny McBride). Over the course of the weekend, the father and son duo film a new episode of Buck’s popular TV program while also reconnecting in the process.

Why it’s worth checking out: Although she only appears in the opening minutes of The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter, Carrie Coon’s portrayal of Buck Ferguson’s ex-wife Linda does a miraculous job of setting the tone and establishing the nature of the estranged father and son’s relationship. And, although it would have been nice to see more of Linda and her new boyfriend Greg (Scoot McNairy), they both make the most of what little time they receive.

Stream The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter on Netflix.

• Check out the rest of the best movies on Netflix.

Izzy Gets The F*ck Across Town (2018)

When Izzy (Mackenzie Davis) finds out that her ex-boyfriend is not only engaged to marry her former best friend, but is throwing a party to celebrate across town, she does what any rational, and emotionally-sound person would do in that situation: she makes her way across Los Angeles in an attempt to bring it all crashing down.

Why it’s worth checking out: Mackenzie Davis is a force of nature throughout Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town, and the movie would have been fine enough with her on a one-woman odyssey in the City of Angels. However, the supporting cast, specifically Carrie Coon with her portrayal of Izzy's sister Virginia, helps add more heart and depth to the movie’s simple premise and really help Davis’ character reach that next level of her personal journey.

Stream Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town on Peacock.
Rent/Buy Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town on Amazon.
Buy Izzy Gets The F*ck Across Town on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Each of these movies and shows are better thanks to Carrie Coon and her ability to bring a variety of characters to life. And, with some exciting projects on the way, expect to see more of her in the very near future.

You Season 3 may be the best one yet. It gave us a killer You Season 3 ending and plenty of questions going into You Season 4. If you’re like me then you’re probably having major Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) withdrawal. Luckily for us, there are several movies and shows like You. 

You Season 3 and the seasons prior have captured our attention and admiration because it’s a complex series that makes it easy to digest. It’s super funny at times, really dark at others, and has the audience rooting for essentially the villain. You strikes that rare balance of creating a villain that is both sympathetic and despicable. Sometimes you want Joe to find happiness, sometimes you want him caught and punished (Joe definitely isn’t the only one that needs therapy). 

It’s not an easy task to accomplish but You makes it look effortless, and You isn’t the only TV show or movie to accomplish this task. So, we have a few suggestions for movies and shows like You to help you wait for the Netflix hit series’ return.

Dexter (Showtime)

Dexter follows Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a man who lives a secret life of hunting and killing murderers. It aired on Showtime from 2006 to 2013. People often compare Dexter and You because of the similar premise of a serial killer that you grow to like. That’s why Dexter is a great show to watch to fill that You gap in your TV-binging schedule. It’s also fun to watch to imagine a world where Dexter and Joe meet. 

The Dexter revival premieres on November 7, so now is the perfect time to binge-watch the original series before the limited series begins. 

Stream Dexter on Showtime.

Gone Girl (Hulu)

Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) has gone missing and her husband Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) is the main suspect. Did Nick kill his wife or is there more to their story? Gone Girl is based on Gillian Flynn’s book of the same name. The book and the movie are so much better if you go into it only knowing the basic premise. 

Gone Girl is a masterful tale of marriage, and what happens when it starts to become toxic and reaches the point of no return. Nick and Amy could definitely give Love (Victoria Pedretti) and Joe a run for their money in the marriage with issues awards. 

Stream Gone Girl on Hulu.
Rent/Buy Gone Girl on Amazon. 

Killing Eve (Hulu)

Killing Eve stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer. Oh plays Eve, a woman who becomes obsessed with a female assassin named Villanelle (Jodie Comer). Killing Eve has aired three seasons with a fourth and final one expected in 2022. 

Villanelle, like Joe, has some major issues. Unlike Joe, she’s fully aware and proud that she’s a ruthless killer. Despite her murderous ways, viewers can’t help but be drawn to Comer’s Villanelle. She’s one of Jodie Comer’s best characters so far and one of Oh’s must-watch performances.

Stream Killing Eve on Hulu. 
Buy Killing Eve on Amazon.

Primal Fear (Amazon)

Primal Fear follows defense attorney  Martin Vail (Richard Gere) as he tries to help prove an alter boy, Aaron Stampler's (Edward Norton), innocence. The film is one that keeps you guessing the entire time, sometimes you think you know whether Aaron is guilty or innocent, but you don’t get the real answer until the Primal Fear ending.

Primal Fear was Norton’s film acting debut, and he showed the world that he would be one to watch. Joe and Aaron are both figures that people can’t quite figure out, and when they do, it may be too late. 

Rent/Buy Primal Fear on Amazon.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile (Netflix)

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is Netflix’s movie about Ted Bundy, starring Zac Efron. The film dives into how Bundy was able to charm his way to murdering numerous women and even through the court system. Zac Efron gives one of his best performances in this true crime-based film. 

Penn Badgley often discusses how he’s not a fan of Joe and doesn’t like his character being romanticized. As seemingly harmless as it is to lust after Joe, a fictional serial killer, Bundy in his day had a lot of female admirers. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile also shows that to some degree, including with his old friend turned wife Carole Ann Boone (Kaya Scodelario). Joe and Bundy have a lot more in common than some fans care to admit. 

Stream Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile on Netflix. 

Hannibal (Hulu)

Not to be confused with the movie Hannibal and all the Hannibal Lecter films that came before and after it, Hannibal the TV show follows the same character of Hannibal Lecter played by Mads Mikkelsen as he begins a cat and mouse game with Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). The series is based on Thomas Harris’ novels Red Dragon, Hannibal, and Hannibal Rising. 

NBC aired Hannibal for three seasons, from 2013 to 2015. You fans may enjoy Hannibal because it’s another show that allows the serial killer to shine by making him complex, compelling, and a constant source of calculated maneuvers. 

Stream Hannibal on Hulu.
Buy Hannibal on Amazon. 

The End Of The F***ing World (Netflix) 

The End of the F***ing World follows James (Alex Lawther) and Alyssa (Jessica Barden) as they run off together. Alyssa sees James as a possible escape from her life, and James sees Alyssa as a possible victim because he believes he’s a psychopath. Despite the premise, The End of the F***ing World may be one of the more wholesome shows on the list.

It’s definitely not a wholesome series, but you kind of forget all the bad stuff and just enjoy it as an adventure story /coming of age/romantic comedy. The End of the F***ing World may capture You fans attention because if you’re one of those You fans who just wants Joe to give up killing people, find a nice girl, and settle down, then you’ll sadly be disappointed. However, James may be a nice alternative if Joe’s romantic happiness is a big priority to you. The End of the F***ing World aired for two seasons.

Stream The End of the F***ing World on Netflix. 
Buy The End of the F***ing World on Amazon. 

Bates Motel (Amazon Prime Video)

Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore star as the infamous mother and son duo in Bates Motel. The A&E original series told the origin story of one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most famous villains: Norman Bates. Highmore and Farmiga played Norman and Norma Bates. 

Farmiga and Highmore gave us five seasons of superb acting. Both of them were consistently robbed of deserved Emmy wins. The entire Bates Motel team deserved more praise and accolades than they received. Bates Motel and You both showcased boys whose relationship with their mother began their spiral into serial killing. Netflix’s You and Bates Motel also share in their effortlessness when it comes to blending intense drama with comedy.

Stream Bates Motel on Amazon Prime.
Buy Bates Motel on Amazon. 

The Fall (Amazon Prime)

The Fall follows Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), a family man by day, a serial killer by night. Gillian Anderson plays DSU Stella Gibson, the woman trying to find and stop Paul from his crimes. The Fall aired for three seasons from 2013 to 2016. Paul doesn’t nearly have the same charm as Joe, but both men have issues that usually result in them killing women.

Paul and Stella are both interesting characters in their own right, but some of the appeal of The Fall is wanting to see  Stella and Paul finally meet, and then her take him down.  The final season allows viewers to see if Stella will finally take down Paul or if he’ll continue to kill.

Stream The Fall on Amazon Prime.
Buy The Fall on Amazon.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tubi)

If there is one thing you can count on, Sweeney Todd will give you the closest shave you've ever had. The 2007 adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s beloved musical reunites director Tim Burton, Helena Bonham Carter, and Johnny Depp. Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street tells the tale of a man wrongfully convicted and exiled, who then returns to London and Fleet Street to get revenge on the town and Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), the man who falsely convicted him. 

Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) is a ruthless serial killer, but you kind of get why he’s slicing people up and putting them in Ms. Lovett's (Helena Bonham Carter) meat pies. You and Sweeney Todd both portray serial killers that cause you to question your own sense of morality, especially since Sweeney Todd has so many catchy songs.

Stream Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street on Tubi
Rent/Buy Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street on  Amazon. 

The Following (Amazon)

Kevin Williamson created The Following, a series about serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) and the FBI agent, Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) trying to stop him. Throughout the series, The Following introduces more and more of Carroll’s cult members. The show makes it easy for viewers to grow to like some of these cult members.

However, the series also does a good job of reminding viewers that they’re ruthless killers who don’t deserve your devotion and sympathy. You and The Following share in their ability to make you grow attached to those you should root against.

Buy The Following on Amazon. 

Rectify (Amazon Prime)

Rectify is the story of a man who spends nearly 20 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of killing his girlfriend as a teen. He’s released when DNA evidence proves his innocence. The series stars Aden Young, Abigail Spencer, J. Smith-Cameron, Adelaide Clemens, Clayne Crawford, and Luke Kirby.

Rectify may be an odd choice for this list, but Rectify often makes you unsure of Daniel (Aden Young)’s innocence. You aren’t sure if he is really a man wrongfully convicted, or a monster hiding beneath. Through Rectify’s four seasons, you grow attached to Daniel, but constantly on edge of what could happen. 

Stream Rectify on Amazon Prime. 
Buy Rectify on Amazon. 

You may be done with You Season 3, but you have plenty of movies and TV shows like You to watch from this list. 

For as long as there have been famous people, there have been celebrity couples. The public loves to see A-listers paired, a fact that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck know all too well. The couple broke the internet when news of their reunion arrived online, although some fans are comparing Bennifer 2.0 to Affleck’s movie Gone Girl. And I can’t look away.

Ben Affleck has had a long and celebrated film career, and Gone Girl is one of his more recent megahits. The thrilling drama has also been fodder for plenty of memes in the years since its release back in 2014. One fan noticed that current tabloid coverage of JLo and Affleck’s reunion looks almost identical to one used in Gone Girl. Check it out below.

Does anyone else have chills? We all know how creepy the reunion of Gone Girl went, so it’s wild to see it compared to Bennifer 2.0. But the internet is going to internet, so these types of memes are sure to keep coming as the couple spends more time together.

The above image comes to us from Twitter, with the user Matt Sullivan poking fun at the coverage surrounding Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck getting back together. The two are gracing countless magazine covers, and one outlet’s headline just happened to be identical to one used at the end of Gone Girl.

Of course, the circumstances between Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are far less grim than the one in Gone Girl. In the film, Nick and Amy Dunne (played by Affleck and Rosamund Pike respectively) reunite after a truly unsettling turn of events-- including Amy framing her husband for her own murder. So seeing the magazine posters side by side to the ones happening IRL about Bennifer is definitely a weird experience. The caption is a one two punch of jokes as well, adding to the humor of the overall meme.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have been consistently making headlines for months now. The world turned upside down when it was revealed that the viral couple had reunited, especially so soon after Lopez’s engagement with Alex Rodriguez broke off. And after being photographed together by paparazzi in various locations, the two finally posted photos together online for JLo’s recent birthday.

Bennifer took the world by storm when they were first dating in the early 2000’s. In what is perhaps the first example of shipping a couple, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck made movies and headlines with each other. JLo’s music also highlighted this relationship, with a song from her album even titled “Dear Ben.”

Both A-listers have a ton going for them professionally. Jennifer Lopez recently wrapped Shotgun Wedding, and has a deal with Netflix. As for Ben Affleck, fans can’t wait to see him suit back up as Batman in the Flash movie. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

10 days ago, actress Lisa Banes was involved in a hit and run accident, during a street crossing. Struck by either a scooter or a motorcycle, the Gone Girl actor was hospitalized in critical condition, with her friends and family no doubt hoping she would recover. Sadly, it has been recently reported that Ms. Banes has died as a result of her injuries, at the age of 65.

Representatives for the New York Police Department confirmed Lisa Banes’ death, as reported by Yahoo. Further details indicate that the fatal accident happened, just as Banes was making her way to the Juilliard School for a visit, at which point she was hit while crossing the street. The driver did not stop, and no arrests have been made in connection to the matter. Lisa Banes is survived by her wife, Kathryn Kranhold, who posted the following tribute on her social media account:

Born on July 9, 1955, Lisa Banes’ first credited screen appearance was in the 1984 film The Hotel New Hampshire. From that point, she would rack up credits in films like the Tom Cruise drama Cocktail, as well as Young Guns, with her most recent movie being credited as Gore Verbinski’s mindbender A Cure For Wellness. But one of her most notable performances was that of Marybeth Elliot, the concerned mother to Rosamund Pike’s “Amazing” Amy Elliot, in David Fincher’s dark thriller Gone Girl. Bane’s legacy wasn’t limited to the world of cinema though, as she also branched out into the worlds of the stage, as well as television.

Equally as impressive as her film credits, Lisa Banes appeared on series such as Murder She Wrote, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, NCIS, and ABC’s Once Upon A Time. One of the future performances the world will have to look forward to from Banes’ posthumous credits is a guest spot on Seth MacFarlane’s The Orville, which is currently in production on its third season. MacFarlane provided a tribute of his own after working with Lisa Banes on a couple of those upcoming episodes, which reads as follows:

The circumstances of Lisa Banes’ untimely death only make its occurrence that much sadder. An actor who could tackle any format, with roles spanning many genres, her talents were a vast and always welcome charm to wherever she would pop up next. It’s because of this, and her own personal warmth, that Ms. Banes’ legacy, though tragically cut short, will continue to endure with fans far and wide. We here at CinemaBlend would like to extend our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Lisa Banes, in this unexpected time of tragedy.

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Since the dawn of cinema, theaters around the world have been filled with people who just can’t get enough of a good mystery. In the 100+ years that people have been frequenting their local movie houses, filmmakers by the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, and Rian Johnson have crafted intricate narratives about murder, mistaken identities, and international conspiracies which have confounded their characters while turning their audiences into amateur sleuths eager to solve the case. These directors, and many others, are responsible for the the best mystery movies that have graced the silver screen and streaming services for decades now.

With so many great mystery movies out there like Knives Out, Rear Window, and literally thousands of others, picking one or 21 is no easy task. Fear not, armchair detectives, as we’ve put together a comprehensive list of movies that fall into that category. With titles inspired by classic murder-mystery novels and psychological thrillers from the minds of their directors themselves, here are some of the best options the genre has to offer.

Knives Out (2019)

One of the best modern examples of the whodunit, Rian Johnson’s twist-heavy murder mystery Knives Out follows the family of the recently deceased Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) as they find themselves being interviewed by an eccentric detective by the name of Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), who has been hired to uncover the truth behind what appears to be a suicide. But, as we see in one of the best movies on Amazon Prime, truth is often stranger than fiction.

Stream Knives Out on Amazon.

Rent/Buy Knives Out on Amazon.

Buy Knives Out on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Gone Girl (2014)

David Fincher’s 2014 thriller Gone Girl, which was based on Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name, follows Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) as he attempts to get to the bottom of the apparent disappearance of his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike). Like any good mystery, Gone Girl has the audience sympathizing with Nick while at other times ready to lock him up for a crime he did not commit. A testament to Flynn’s masterful writing and Fincher’s knack for visual storytelling, this Academy Award-winning film will leave you with more questions than answers.

Stream Gone Girl on Hulu.

Rent/Buy Gone Girl on Amazon.

Buy Gone Girl on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Searching (2018)

When David Kim’s (John Cho) teenage daughter goes missing and the short-sighted police investigation into the matter goes nowhere, the determined father takes matters into his own hands to track down his daughter. Instead of taking a normal route to a story we’ve seen versions of countless times over the years, the stylistic Searching spends a large portion of its runtime inside the phone, computer, and social media platforms of the missing 16-year-old girl to uncover the mystery.

Rent/Buy Searching on Amazon.

Buy Searching on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Rear Window (1954)

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window has one of the best premises for an engaging crime thriller: professional photographer L.B. “Jeff” Jefferies (Jimmy Stewart) is home with a broken leg with nothing more to than watch his neighbors living their everyday lives. But, when Jefferies goes snooping around a little too much one night, he believes he has uncovered something major and starts off on a dark and twisted path.

Rent/Buy Rear Window on Amazon.

Buy Rear Window on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Get Out (2017)

Jordan Peele quickly put his name in the running for the title of modern master of suspense with his socially-conscious and absolutely terrifying psychological thriller, Get Out, in early 2017. When Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) goes with his girlfriend Rose Armitage (Allison Williams) for what appears to be a quiet weekend at her family’s idyllic estate, he has no idea the horrors (both physical and psychological) that await. One of the most unique horror movies in a generation, if not more, Get Out will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

Rent/Buy Get Out on Amazon.

Buy Get Out on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Seven (1995)

Released just two years after David Fincher’s disastrous time on set filming Alien 3, his gritty thriller, Seven, proved that the filmmaker’s legacy would be more than just a panned sequel in a sci-fi franchise which had lost its voice. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt star as two detectives hunting down a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his calling card. Just a heads up, but if you haven’t seen Seven, make sure to be careful when looking the movie up on Amazon as one of the displayed images gives away a big twist.

Stream Seven on HBO Max.

Rent/Buy Seven on Amazon.

Buy Seven on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

North By Northwest (1959)

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 suspense classic North by Northwest follows New York City ad executive Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) as he finds himself becoming the target of Phillip Vandamm (James Mason), a spy who mistakes the unassuming everyman as a government agent. With Vandamm and his henchmen hot on his tail, Thornhill must travel the country to lose the determined villain while also uncovering the truth of the mix up.

Stream North By Northwest on HBO Max.

Rent/Buy North By Northwest on Amazon.

Buy North By Northwest on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Fugitive (1993)

After being wrongfully accused and convicted of murdering his wife, Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) escapes from a wrecked prison transport and sets off to find those responsible for his wife’s death and bring them to justice in The Fugitive. Easier said than done, as Kimble is being pursued by U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones), who cares about nothing except capturing the man who was convicted of the crime.

Stream The Fugitive on Tubi.

Rent/Buy The Fugitive on Amazon.

Buy The Fugitive on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Gift (2015)

Joel Edgerton’s 2015 thriller The Gift centers on Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn Callem (Rebecca Hall), a happily married couple whose lives are thrown into disarray when Gordo (Edgerton), shows up unexpectedly at their house. What at first appears to be an old classmate of Simon’s swinging by to catch up slowly transitions into something much more sinister, especially as the truth of their relationship begins to unfold.

Rent/Buy The Gift on Amazon.

Buy The Gift on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Zodiac (2007)

David Fincher’s Zodiac doesn’t have as many twists and turns as some of his earlier work like Seven or The Game, but the 2007 crime thriller has a slow methodical pace as reporters, detectives, and an eager cartoonist attempt to find the person who claimed multiple lives in the East Bay area in the late 1960s and early 1970s. With Fincher’s distinct style, pacing, and attention to detail, this murder mystery grabs ahold of you in the early goings and doesn't let go until the very end.

Stream Zodiac on Paramount+.

Rent/Buy Zodiac on Amazon.

Buy Zodiac on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Murder On The Orient Express (1974)

Sidney Lumet’s 1974 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is one of the classic murder mystery films of all time and one that should be enjoyed by all. Anchored by Albert Finney’s Hercule Poirot, the movie’s all-star cast (Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery) helps bring to life one of the classic novels of the 20th Century in a remarkable way. Even if you’ve read the book and know who’s responsible for the murder of Samuel Ratchett, there’s never a bad time to revisit this wonderful tale over again.

Stream Murder on the Orient Express on HBO Max.

Rent/Buy Murder on the Orient Express on Amazon.

Buy Murder on the Orient Express on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

Based on James Ellroy’s novel L.A. Confidential, this 1997 neo-noir crime thriller follows three police officers with different backgrounds and moral codes who work together (a very loose term) to solve a series of murders in a corrupt 1950s Los Angeles. Starring Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, and Kim Bassinger in an Academy Award-winning performance, this movie is as intriguing as it is stylish, which is saying something.

Stream L.A. Confidential on Starz.

Rent/Buy L.A. Confidential on Amazon

Buy L.A. Confidential on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Memento (2000)

Today, when you see a Christopher Nolan movie you go in expecting to find all sorts of twists, turns, revelations, and red herrings, but when Memento was released in 2000, only those who were familiar with Nolan’s late 1990s short film, Following, knew the tricks the visionary director had up his sleeve. What initially appears to be a fairly straight-forward revenge movie — Leonard (Guy Pearce) sets out to avenge the rape and murder of his wife — turns into anything but when it’s revealed the film’s protagonist suffers from a rare form of memory loss which complicates things, to say the very least.

Stream Memento on Tubi.

Rent/Buy Memento on Amazon.

Buy Memento on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Wind River (2017)

One year before Taylor Sheridan became a household name with the Paramount series Yellowstone, he wrote and directed one of the most intense and unsettling mysteries in recent memory with the 2017 thriller Wind River. When the body of 18-year-old woman is found on an American Indian reservation in Wyoming, FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) is sent in to investigate. Quickly realizing the out-of-towner is in over her head, tracker Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) jumps on board, only for the pair to come to a grave discovery with large implications.

Stream Wind River on The Roku Channel.

Rent/Buy Wind River on Amazon.

Buy Wind River on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Chinatown (1974)

Roman Polanski’s 1974 noir classic Chinatown starts off with Los Angeles private eye J.J. “Jake” Gites (Jack Nicholson) being hired by a woman claiming to be Evelyn Mulwray, who wants the sleuth to tail her husband under the pretense that he is not being faithful to their vows. The whole mess gets a hell of a lot more complicated when Jake meets the real Mrs. Mulwray (Faye Dunaway), opening another world of deception, corruption, and issues rooted in municipal water supplies.

Stream Chinatown on Paramount+.

Rent/Buy Chinatown on Amazon.

Buy Chinatown on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Bryan Singer’s 1995 crime comedy The Usual Suspects is one of those movies with the all-time great endings that leave you wanting to start it over as soon as the credits roll. When a big heist goes kaboom and only one member — an unassuming con artist by the name of Roger “Verbal” Kint (Kevin Spacey) — is left to tell the tale, it’s up to U.S. Customs agent Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) to get to the bottom of it all, but whether or not his story holds any water (or coffee) remains to be seen.

Buy The Usual Suspects on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Brick (2005)

A good murder mystery doesn’t require dark back alleys, corrupt politicians, or demented serial killers to make an impact, and Rian Johnson proved that in 2005’s Brick, which is primarily set within the various social circles of a seemingly everyday high school. When Brendan Frye’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) ex-girlfriend is found dead after making a rather unsettling phone call, he pulls out all the old tricks of the classic private detectives in order to solve her murder.

Rent/Buy Brick on Amazon.

Buy Brick on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

One of the quintessential examples of film noir, John Huston’s 1941 classic The Maltese Falcon follows detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) as he finds himself trapped in an ever-growing web of deceit, murder, and a mysterious statue. And while Sam isn’t anyone’s go-to example of man of exceptional character or morals, the people he meets on his perilous journey to the bottom of one of cinema’s greatest mysteries make him look like a saint by comparison.

Stream The Maltese Falcon on HBO Max.

Rent/Buy The Maltese Falcon on Amazon.

Buy The Maltese Falcon on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Mystic River (2003)

In Clint Eastwood’s 2003 crime drama Mystic River, three childhood friends — Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn), Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins), and Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon) — each deal with the fallout of the murder of one of their daughters. When the investigation brings the matter closer to home than anyone would have ever expected, the already fractured bond shared by the three is put to the ultimate test.

Stream Mystic River on HBO Max.

Rent/Buy Mystic River on Amazon.

Buy Mystic River on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Memories Of Murder (2003)

Long before he made Oscar history with Parasite, Bong Joon-ho gave the world Memories of Murder, a dark and twisted story loosely based on Korea’s first recorded serial killer. The movie follows detectives Park Doo-Man (Song Kang-ho), Cho Yong-koo (Kim Roi-ha), and Seo Tae-Yoon (Kim Sang-kyung) as they attempt to track down the murderer before he claims yet another victim.

Stream Memories of Murder on Hulu.

Rent/Buy Memories of Murder on Amazon.

Buy Memories of Murder on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Clue (1985)

The 1985 crime comedy Clue is probably the lightest movie on this list (in terms of tone), but it still remains one of the best mystery movies ever released, and definitely the funniest of the bunch. When a dinner party is interrupted by the host’s death, his guests (all with aliases) are trapped in the sprawling mansion to solve the mystery at hand. With several twists, turns, and surprises from out of left field (not to mention the multiple endings), this adaptation of the classic board game is worth the price of admission and then some.

Stream Clue on Paramount+.

Rent/Buy Clue on Amazon.

Buy Clue on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Well, that’s certainly more than enough mystery to get you through a long weekend (or even longer) with more movies to spare. And, this is barely even the beginning of all the great crime thrillers, crime comedies, and other mysteries available streaming, through rentals, or on good old-fashioned physical media. With so many mysteries being included with the best movies on Netflix, there’s so much out there. In the event you’ve seen all these movies (and all these streaming services have to offer), now’s the perfect time to check out CinemaBlend’s list of 2021 movie premiere dates.

In a career filled with hills and valleys, Ben Affleck doesn't always land on his feet, but the actor-director has proven his talents enough to let us know that he's the real deal. The A-list star has a 30-year career filled with soaring triumphs and bombastic failures, but his filmography showcases an artist who's constantly pushing himself in dramatically compelling ways, while also demonstrating an actor who knows how to highlight his strengths — especially when he's at the helm.

Now that we've seen Zack Snyder's Justice League, in which he provides a far richer performance than he gave in the heavily-butchered theatrical version, we wanted to take this moment to highlight a number of high points in Ben Affleck's inconsistent career — providing a decades-spanning look at a wavering star who has often demonstrated his hard-proven talents, even when audiences took them for granted. With that said, here's what you should watch on streaming if you love the Batman star!

Zack Snyder’s Justice League (HBO Max)

Following the death of Superman, a team of mismatched superheroes must band together to defeat an intergalactic terror.

Why It's A Good Option for Ben Affleck Fans: DC fans, rejoice! The long-delayed, long-promised Snyder Cut is here, and it's surprisingly (or, perhaps, unsurprisingly) good. By restoring Zack Snyder's intended vision for this behemoth of a superhero team-up blockbuster, this four-hour HBO Max exclusive was a satisfying conclusion to this long-winded story, filled with countless bumps and unexpected victories along the way. Among the many things that Snyder's Justice League does considerably better than the theatrical cut, it allows the talented ensemble to shine, particularly with Ben Affleck providing a much more dignified and appropriately sorrowful performance. His weighted, heavy-hearted Batman carries this unlikely team with poised guidance and grave intensity, letting us accept the seriousness of the film's convictions through his thoughtful, subdued portrayal of the grieving Caped Crusader.

Stream it on HBO Max here.

Gone Girl (Hulu)

Following his wife's disappearance, a seemingly ordinary man winds up in the middle of an intense media circus when his presumed innocence is under scrutiny.

Why It's A Good Option for Ben Affleck Fans: David Fincher is great at casting the right people in the right roles, and the director knew what he was doing when he put Ben Affleck at the center of Gone Girl. Recognizing that the tabloid-friendly A-list superstar would know a thing or two about being hurdled into the media spotlight, Fincher channeled Affleck's media-savvy persona to great use, providing one of the actor's most layered performances. Affleck's Nick Dunne is a multifaceted personality who bounces between being unassuming (seemingly) and being deceitfully devious, with the actor selling every twisty turn in this surprising narrative. It creates one of the most complex characters in Affleck's filmography, and what remains one of his best performances.

Stream it on Hulu here.

Good Will Hunting (Starz)

Through the help of a widowed psychologist, a young M.I.T. janitor with a gifted mind for mathematics finds direction in life.

Why It's A Good Option for Ben Affleck Fans: In the movie that would shape and define the withstanding careers of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, two hard-working Boston actors who wrote their own screenplay to get their feet in the door, Good Will Hunting became an impressive, rewarding investment for its two leads, resulting in an Oscar win for their script, along with an Academy Award for Robin Williams in his dramatic, against-type supporting turn. While the movie itself is a better acting showcase for Damon than Affleck, there's no denying — especially in the years to come — that Affleck's thoughtful, emotional influence is apparent, particularly as he'd continue to impress as a screenwriter later in his career. That said, his performance is commendably layered and smartly handled, demonstrating his developing star power.

Stream it on Starz here.

The Town (HBO Max)

When a thief catches feelings for a bank teller, the stakes are raised for his next heist.

Why It's A Good Option for Ben Affleck Fans: Proving that Gone, Baby, Gone's surprise success wasn't a beginner's fluke, The Town, Ben Affleck's pulpy, Boston-based thriller, was a rousing follow-up feature, allowing the sophomore director to expand his filmmaking talents while also letting the veteran actor provide one of his strongest dramatic performances — especially under his own direction. But this stylish second feature also brought out great supporting turns from Rebecca Hall, the late Pete Postlethwaite, and Jeremy Renner, who was Oscar-nominated for his brooding, bruising performance. Admittedly, the actor-director favors a traditional narrative framework in this genre-friendly studio venture, but it's a credit to Affleck's commendable filmmaking that he keeps this story constantly gripping and emotionally investing.

Stream it on HBO Max here.

Hollywoodland (Showtime)

A detective explores the untimely death of troubled TV star George Reeves.

Why It's A Good Option for Ben Affleck Fans: Before he became Batman, Ben Affleck was Superman. Or, at least, he was the man who played Superman — if only for a tragically short while. In his commendable, carefully crafted take on the late actor, Affleck provided an intriguingly elusive, refrained cinematic portrayal of the TV star. Following a few years of career turbulence, Hollywoodland proved that Affleck could impress in the right role, conveying the depth and despondency of this real-life celebrity while also capturing his mystique as a small-screen legend. He brings out Reeves' humanity while also respecting his legacy — a tricky balance, but one that Affleck handles admirably well. It proved that, in the right hands, Affleck could truly soar.

Stream it on Showtime here.

Dazed and Confused (Amazon Prime)

A variety of Texas-based high school seniors and juniors celebrate their last day of school in 1976.

Why It's A Good Option for Ben Affleck Fans: Admittedly, Dazed and Confused, Richard Linklater's influential and career-defining hangout classic, isn't remembered for Ben Affleck's supporting turn, necessarily. Nevertheless, this warmly affectionate, hilariously precise, and just totally chill high school movie remains one of the best movies on the A-list actor's filmography, even in a career filled with notable highlights. This nostalgic, emotionally accurate, but also historically sound, portrayal of fast-and-loose teenagers caught in the moment between their fading childhoods and their rapidly-approaching adulthood is one groovy film, propelling the careers of its talented young cast — including Affleck.

Stream it on Amazon Prime here.

Gone Baby Gone (HBO Max/Pluto TV)

A private detective searches for a kidnapped girl in Boston. During his investigation, he must deal with some entangling personalities from all corners.

Why It's A Good Option for Ben Affleck Fans: After years of audiences (and critics) assuming that it was Matt Damon's creative influence — not Ben's — that resulted in Good Will Hunting being a major commercial success, Affleck proved once-and-for-all that his skills extend behind-the-camera with 2007's outstanding Gone, Baby, Gone, a gritty, gripping dramatic thriller that remains Affleck's finest work as a filmmaker — at least, in my view. Staying strictly behind-the-camera (the only time he didn't pull double duty as an actor-director), the freshman shot-caller's early assurance is commanding, particularly as it allows Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, and Oscar nominee Amy Ryan to shine under his confident, steadfast guidance. The result is a stirring working-class chronicle filled with tension and pathos.

Stream it on HBO Max here and Pluto TV here.

Triple Frontier (Netflix)

Five former special forces operatives reunite to take down a South American drug lord, only to find their loyalties tested when a series of unintended consequences ensue.

Why It's A Good Option for Ben Affleck Fans: Bringing a hefty, sorrowful gruff to this over-the-hill special force operative who wants to prove himself once more and return to his glory days, Ben Affleck's weighted, sad-eyed performance in Triple Frontier was perhaps not-so-incidentally influenced by his real-life struggles following a heavily-publicized divorce. Nevertheless, this moody, melancholic performance became an appropriate fit for this meaty, dad-friendly streaming drama, allowing Affleck to lead this ensemble piece with gravitas, while also providing an emotionally honest performance that allows you to buy into the dramatic stakes of the heist-based narrative.

Stream it on Netflix here.

The Way Back (Rental)

A washed-up athlete gets a shot at redemption when he reluctantly agrees to coach his alma mater's basketball team.

Why It's A Good Option for Ben Affleck Fans: In what's not-so-subtlety a personal, cathartic bit of on-screen soul-searching from the troubled star, Ben Affleck took the traditional framework of a high school sports drama and provided an introspective, well-made acting showcase —one unafraid to show the inherent darkness of grief and addiction — in The Way Back. Thoughtfully constructed and thematically mindful, the movie doesn't contain too many surprises, but it's respectfully made and refreshingly refrained in its storytelling, trusting its audience to be patient with such a challenging character. Thus, it captures not only one of Affleck's best performances, but one of the actor's most rewarding as well.

Rent it on Amazon here.

To The Wonder (Amazon Prime)

Following an affair sparked in Paris, two lovers test their romance when they move to Oklahoma.

Why It's A Good Option for Ben Affleck Fans: While Ben Affleck's largely dialogue-free lead performance frequently bounces from weighted doubt to general insecurity, director Terrence Malick uses his actor's uncharacteristic hesitation to paint a domesticated protagonist uncertain about himself and his countryside surroundings. He's constantly at odds with himself, particularly as his character questions his romance, his connection to others, and who he wants to be. Understandably, Malick's pensive style won't wow everyone, but To the Wonder is one of his most curious works.

Stream it on Amazon Prime here, Tubi here, PlutoTV here, and SundanceNow here.

The Company Men (Starz)

Three businessmen try to survive a round of corporate downsizing at a major company.

Why It's A Good Option for Ben Affleck Fans: Communicating the day-to-day struggles of a promising businessman who's swiftly caught off-guard by his shortened career, Ben Affleck dutifully channels the inner turmoil of a once-promising corporate yes-man in a surprisingly believable and dramatically sincere way in writer/director John Wells' commendable drama, The Company Men. Aided by strong supporting performances by Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones, Affleck captures the emotional difficulties of this burdened protagonist without it feeling condescending or inauthentic, allowing us to believe the recession-based hardships of this hard-luck character in an investing way. It's another well-acted character piece from Affleck, who has a knack for playing downtrodden guys who want the best for themselves.

Stream it on Starz here.

Argo (HBO Max)

A CIA agent goes undercover as a Hollywood producer to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran.

Why It's A Good Option for Ben Affleck Fans: Turning the actor/director into an Oscar winner twice-over, Ben Affleck's Best Picture-winning Argo was a triumphant success, proving definitively that Affleck could hold his own as a filmmaker while also providing a dramatically compelling, broadly accessible movie for critics and audiences alike. In a strong ensemble, Affleck's lead performance isn't as strong as his direction, but he holds his own as a determined CIA agent who does everything he can to bring American hostages home safely, even if that means putting together a fake Hollywood production. The result was one big, splashy smash, build on well-realized stakes, well-developed characters, a tight screenplay, and some fine attention to period detail.

Stream it on HBO Max here.

It's also worth noting that Shakespeare in Love is available to stream on Starz.

Over the years, filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, David Fincher, and Bong Joon-ho have crafted several of cinema’s most intense and cerebral thrillers that leave the audience in a state of disbelief following some sort of big twist. It happens in all of the best psychological thriller movies, even though not all directors walk the audience through the big reveal like a magician uncovering his biggest trick. These movies bring something out of us, or at least show us something that leaves us pondering on what just happened even after the house lights have turned on or the streaming service has gone to the next title.

Below is a list of more than 20 of the best psychological thriller movies available streaming, for digital rental, or on physical media like DVD and Blu-ray, including the likes of several Best Picture winners, cult classics, and other unforgettable films from around the world.

Get Out (2017) 

In 2017, Jordan Peele went from being one of the funniest comedians on TV to one of the strongest voices in horror with his frightening Get Out. This psychological horror film follows Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) as he realizes something is off with his girlfriend’s wealthy family. Peeling back the layers, the young photographer discovers a sinister plot that is beyond belief.

Rent/Buy Get Out on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Vertigo (1958)

John “Scottie” Ferguson’s (James Stewart) fear of heights becomes the least of his worries as he is hired to follow a friend’s wife and report on her strange behavior. Often considered one of the best thrillers of all time, Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo features a lot of the filmmaker’s staples, including a twist-heavy plot that will leave you guessing at every turn.

Rent/Buy Vertigo on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Sometime after experiencing a traumatic incident with a former patient, Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) takes up the case of a young boy (played by Haley Joel Osment) who is at the center of a series of strange and unsettling events. M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense, one of the best ‘90s movies, is a terrifying, exhilarating, and unforgettable psychological horror film with an even more unforgettable ending.

Rent/Buy The Sixth Sense on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Seven (1995)

Though not his first film, David Fincher made a name for himself with the 1995 thriller, Seven. When a mysterious serial killer starts using the seven deadly sins as inspiration for a series of horrific murders, two detectives (played by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) attempt to thwart his plan. But just when the cops think they’ve solved the case, it takes an even deadlier turn.

Rent/Buy Seven on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Inception (2010)

Before wrapping up his Dark Knight trilogy, Christopher Nolan turned his attention to the world of Inception. This mind-bending 2010 psychological crime thriller follows a team of thieves who hatch a plan to sneak into a mark’s dreams to input a thought into his brain. Despite their skills, experience, and technology, the team isn’t fully prepared for the dangers that await.

Stream Inception on Apple TV+.
Rent/Buy Inception on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Parasite (2019)

Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning thriller Parasite is one of those movies that rewards the viewer for not watching any trailers, reading any reviews, or really knowing what the movie is about (which makes it difficult to recommend to someone who’s never seen it). The 2019 Korean drama about the social and economic divide of two families on opposite sides of the spectrum is harrowing, and traumatizing, yet at times joyful and hilarious, well until the hammer comes crashing down.

Stream Parasite on Max.
Rent/Buy Parasite on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Jonathan Demme’s 1991 thriller about an FBI agent (Jodie Foster) attempting to get into the head of a convicted murderer (Anthony Hopkins) to track down an on-the-run serial killer (Ted Levine) before he can claim another victim not only meets the hype, it exceeds it many times over. How Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter toys with Foster’s Clarice Starling throughout The Silence of the Lambs is still just as engaging and terrifying all these years later.

Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Rear Window (1954)

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 masterpiece Rear Window is another movie that leaves you guessing the entire time. On one hand, there’s evidence that supports Jeff Jefferies’ (Jimmy Stewart) theory that his neighbor is a murderer, but there’s also evidence that points in other directions. And that’s what makes this movie such a gem. We are left questioning our actions and presumptions (even our own) the entire time, making us feel as crazy as the photographer with a broken leg and bored out of his mind.

Rent/Buy Rear Window on Amazon.
Get it on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon. 

No Country For Old Men (2007)

The Coen brothers’ No Country For Old Men, one of the best Westerns ever made, has a relatively straightforward plot involving a drug deal gone wrong, a suitcase of cash, and a ruthless killer pursuing the man who made the mistake of taking the money. Dig a little deeper, however, and you have one of the most psychologically traumatic movies in recent memory. This is a terrifying movie (thanks to Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh) that sneaks in a lot of talk about fate, luck, destiny, and one hell of an ending that leaves a lot up to interpretation.

Rent/Buy No Country For Old Men on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

Gone Girl (2014)

Gone Girl, David Fincher’s 2014 thriller based on Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name tells the story of a woman (played by Rosamund Pike) who vanishes on her fifth wedding anniversary, leaving her husband (Ben Affleck) clueless as well as a suspect in her disappearance. And while Fincher allows the audience to peek beneath the curtain a little bit, he never does so to the point of ruining what comes next.

Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

Memento (2001)

Memento, one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies, was a sign of things to come from the director who would go on to give audiences films like The Prestige, Inception, and Oppenheimer. This 2001 psychological thriller stars Guy Pearce as a man with no memory as he tries to solve an increasingly intricate mystery. From the opening scene, the viewer knows just as much as Leonard Shelby, which is honestly what makes the ride so fulfilling.

Stream Memento on Peacock.
Stream or Rent Memento on Prime Video.
 

Taxi Driver (1976)

Taxi Driver is one of those movies you don’t necessarily want to watch all that often, not because it’s bad or anything like that, but because the Martin Scorsese classic knows how to get into your head and make you feel a lot like Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro). Seriously, this movie will find any insecurity or negative thoughts you have and make it all the more intense as you watch the unhinged cab driver find himself taking a path of no return.

Rent Taxi Driver on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-Ray on Amazon. 

The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining is technically a ghost movie, but there is a strong psychological presence featured throughout the movie, especially as Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) slowly begins losing touch with reality. This descent into madness, brought on by the aforementioned supernatural presence of the Overlook Hotel, as well as the isolation of a winter spent in a closed resort, makes one of the most terrifying cinematic experiences of all time.

Rent/Buy The Shining on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

The Conversation (1974)

The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 drama about surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) hired to tail a young couple starts like any thriller. But when Harry discovers a mysterious and presumably coded message, his mental state, and just about everything else in his life, begins to slip away, leaving him in a mad, unstable, and obsessive way.

Rent/Buy The Conversation on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-Ray on Amazon. 

Nightcrawler (2014)

Dan Gilroy’s 2014 nocturnal thriller Nightcrawler follows freelance videographer Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) as he starts capturing footage for a local news station. What starts off as a relatively normal yet odd job slowly morphs into an obsession for Bloom who stops at absolutely nothing to be the first on the scene, even if that means becoming a part of the shot.

Rent/Buy Nightcrawler on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

Joker (2019)

The first time I saw Joker was an experience like never before. I thought I knew what I was getting myself into before watching Todd Phillips’ 2019 take on Batman’s most notorious foe, but nothing could have prepared me for how Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Arthur Fleck as he transitions into Joker. I still don’t know if that’s a good thing or something more troubling, but it’s a feeling I haven’t been able to shake.

Stream Joker on Max.
Rent/Buy Joker on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Some movies forever change the way we see certain actors. For me, the movie is Nocturnal Animals and the actor is Aaron Taylor-Johnson who gave a sickening performance as the sick and twisted Ray Marcus. Even though the character’s actions are set within a book written by Jake Gyllenhaal’s Edward Sheffield, I see the sadistic leader of a fictional gang whenever I hear his name.

Rent/Buy Nocturnal Animals on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

The Night Of The Hunter (1955)

The Night of the Hunter, which features screen legend Robert Mitchum portraying a religious fanatic and serial killer who tracks down the widow of his former cellmate and does everything in his power to locate $10,000 the condemned man confessed to hiding shortly before he was captured. The way that Mitchum’s character preys on the struggling family and toys with them throughout the film makes for one terrifying game.

Stream The Night of the Hunter on Tubi.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

Black Swan (2010)

Darren Aronofsky already had a history of tackling psychological issues with movies like Pi and Requiem for a Dream, but his 2010 film Black Swan, which centers around a production of Swan Lake, takes things to the next level. Watching as Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) transforms from a dedicated and talented dancer to a damaged, obsessed, and psychotic “Swan Queen” is just as traumatic now as it was when the film was first released well over a decade ago.

Stream Black Swan on Max.
Rent/Buy Black Swan on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

Prisoners (2013)

There is something about Denis Villeneuve’s 2013 tour de force, Prisoners, that turns the movie into the cinematic equivalent of a car crash: you don’t want to watch but you can’t look away. The movie, which centers on the kidnapping of two young girls and the fallout experienced by their respective families, especially one of their fathers (Hugh Jackman), shows just how far someone will go to get “justice,” whatever that may mean to them.

Rent/Buy Prisoners on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

The Game (1997)

You never really know what to believe in a David Fincher movie, and that is best seen in the 1997 psychological thriller The Game, which follows successful banker Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas in a career-defining performance) after his estranged brother (Sean Penn) buys him a mind-bending and unorthodox birthday present. Just like Douglas’ character, you’ll be questioning your own reality by the end of this one.

Rent/Buy The Game on Amazon.
Get it on DVD on Amazon. 

Psycho (1960)

Psycho, the quintessential Alfred Hitchcock movie as well as the most notable psychological thriller is still just as much of a thrill ride now as it was when it was released 61 years ago. The story of the happenings of the Bates Motel, its proprietor, and their victim (who wasn’t as innocent as some may think) sinks its teeth into you from the opening shot and doesn’t let go until that menacing laugh fills your ears in the final moments.

Rent/Buy Psycho on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

Misery (1990)

Misery, Rob Reiner’s 1990 adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name, is one of the most traumatizing movie experiences most of us have had in our entire lives (well, those who aren’t obsessed with Eastern European body horror flicks). Kathy Bates, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of the terrifying Annie Wilkes, goes beyond terrifying in her treatment of injured (those not as injured as he will be later on in the movie) writer Paul Sheldon (James Caan) and gets into your head here.

Buy Misery on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

Oldboy (2003)

Oldboy, the 2003 original Korean film based on the manga series of the same name, follows Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) as he is imprisoned by an unknown person for unknown reasons for 15 years. When released from his hotel room / prison cell, he goes on a journey to discover the nature of his imprisonment, but what he finds is much worse than being locked away all those years.

Stream Oldboy on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Oldboy on Amazon.
Get it on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Each and every one of those movies will surely affect you in one way or another, and while some are hard to watch, they all have their own merits. And in the event you’ve seen all those, go ahead and check out CinemaBlend’s list of upcoming 2024 movie premiere dates. 

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains massive spoilers for both J Blakeson’s I Care A Lot and David Fincher’s Gone Girl. If you have not seen either or only one of the movies, proceed at your own risk!

Over the years, Rosamund Pike has regularly proven herself as a consummate performer with awesome range, but there does seem to be one thing that she is remarkably good at: playing a totally evil bitch. A little over six years ago she dropped jaws around the world with her stunning and insane performance as the maniacal Amy Dunne in David Fincher’s Gone Girl, and this weekend memories of that character are coming to mind thanks to her devilish turn as Marla Greyson in J Blakeson’s I Care A Lot (which just dropped on Netflix).

Thanks to Rosamund Pike’s amazing work, it’s very likely that the two titles will wind up being tied together in pop culture history, and that’s mostly because of a compelling question: which character is more evil?

Cinephiles will likely come up with different arguments (even Rosamund Pike has thoughts on the subject), but to celebrate the release of I Care A Lot we’ve decided to break it down and determine a firm answer.

The People They Hurt

Evil doesn’t just happen in a vacuum. It becomes apparent through the pain that one is willing to inflict on others in order to achieve selfish goals. This is true for both Marla and Amy, though they have very different targets.

Who I Care A Lot’s Marla Hurts

Much like how ferocious wolves feast on helpless lambs, Marla’s method of attack is to go after the weak and helpless in society – specifically older men and women who find themselves with no recourse out from under her “care.” She has a company with an entire business model dedicated to bilking seniors out of everything they have after they are sent away to live the rest of their years in a prison-like retirement home. It’s never made explicitly clear how many individuals she has targeted in her career, but the number certainly has to be in the hundreds (certainly the thousands by the end of the film).

Who Gone Girl’s Amy Hurts

The core conflict in Gone Girl is an extremely personal one, with Amy Dunne working dutifully to destroy the life of her husband, Nick, by expertly framing him for her murder. This isn’t to say that she doesn’t hurt other people – as her disappearance takes a devastating toll on her parents; she totally manipulates her neighbor, Noelle; her awful history with Tommy O’Hara is revealed; and she straight-up slits Desi Collings’ throat – but she has one prime target in the story, and that’s Nick.

Motivations

Perspective and context are important when it comes to judging a character. They don’t necessarily excuse a person’s actions, but understanding a deeper reason for why they do what they do can at least add an important dose of logic into the mix when evil actions otherwise just seem chaotic and random. Marla and Amy do have particular motivations for doing what they do… but they aren’t exactly pretty.

What I Care A Lot’s Marla Wants

There is a one word explanation for what Marla Greyson is all about: greed. In her own words, she was poor once, and it didn’t agree with her. She believes that the idea of playing fair is for suckers, and as such feels absolute freedom to game the system as much as humanly possible so that she can make as much money as possible. She does clearly have love for her partner, Fran, but you also get the sense that if push ever really came to shove, she would choose her business over Fran’s life.

What Gone Girl’s Amy Wants

Another one word explanation: revenge. As Nick Dunne discovers, Amy isn’t the kind of woman who just shirks away from conflict when she discovers that her spouse is cheating on her. Due to what seems to be some kind of undiagnosed personality disorder, she goes totally nuclear on him, executing her sinister plan that is meant to get back at him not only for infidelity, but also uprooting their life in New York and not remaining the same man that she first fell in love with.

Sympathy For The Devil

Sympathy is a potential outcome when you consider the knowledge of an individual’s actions weighed against the knowledge of their motivation for carrying them out. It’s not necessarily a persistent thing, as the scales can constantly shift, but the question here is if there is a point in either I Care A Lot or Gone Girl where you actually connect with what Rosamund Pike’s characters are doing.

Is I Care A Lot’s Marla Sympathetic?

Is it considered sympathy when you wonder if a drowning death in a sinking car is perhaps too torturous a death for an individual? Because that’s pretty much the extent of what Marla is able to conjure in I Care A Lot. She does earn a touch of respect for being a powerful woman excelling within the patriarchy, and, again, she does seem to have genuine love for Fran, but beyond that you really do spend most of the movie keeping your fingers crossed that she meets a violent end (P.S. thank you, movie!)

Is Gone Girl’s Amy Sympathetic?

It never feels wrong to cheer for the woman who dumps her boyfriend’s clothing and belongings out a window after she discovers his mistress, but what Amy does in Gone Girl is sincerely overkill. She isn’t exactly innocent when it comes to all of the conflicts in her marriage with Nick (they have some real communication problems), and it’s hard to stomach the terrible trap she snares him in at the end of the film. You feel for Amy in that Nick definitely deserves to be punished for his adultery, but he doesn’t deserve anywhere near the level of what Amy doles out, and that definitely takes away sympathy points.

Gone Girl Vs. I Care A Lot: Which Rosamund Pike Character Is More Evil?

Amy Dunne is unquestionably a dangerous sociopath, and there is no doubt that her survival at the end of Gone Girl is one of the reasons why we love to hate her so much… but if we’re being really real here, this isn’t actually much of a contest. Amy may be deeply scary, but at least she limits the pain she causes to only those who have the misfortune of entering her life and getting close to her (not to mention those who make the mistake of slighting her). I Care A Lot’s Marla Greyson is not only indiscriminate when it comes to her cancer-like operation, but it’s her aim to destroy as many lives as she possibly can. It’s really the vast contrast in scale alone that separates the two, and makes Marla distinctly the more evil of the two Rosamund Pike characters.

Do you agree with our assertion here, or do you think there’s a piece of the puzzle we’re missing? Answer our poll below, and hit the comments section with your thoughts!

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No one is going to typecast Rosamund Pike. The Oscar-nominated actress is far too talented to be pidgeonholed, though there is no denying that she has a unique talent for playing brainy, icy characters who seem to be two steps ahead of whomever her competition might be. This dates all the way back to her days in the James Bond franchise (she played Miranda Frost in the 2002 installment Die Another Day opposite Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry), and continues to her latest Netflix thriller, I Care A Lot.

Because of her pattern, I asked Pike which of her previous characters could best match wits with his current I Care A Lot character, Marla, and Pike went right to where I figured she would: Gone Girl’s Amy Dunne. Watch the clip above.

Writing about I Care A Lot can be a real challenge, particularly because J. Blakeson’s pitch-black story contains a wealth of unpredictable twists and turns, and it’s best that you go into it as blind as possible. Here’s what I can tell you about Rosamund Pike’s character, Marla Grayson. She’s extremely good at her job, which involves taking over the legal rights to elderly folks who are deemed unable to care for themselves, either physically or mentally. She helps them from their homes, and into the convenience of an elderly care facility, usually at the behest of the courts, because these seniors don’t have family of their own.

Except, what if these people don’t want to go? And what if they disagree with the court that they are unable to make up their own minds, and care for themselves on a daily basis? How do you get the upperhand on Marla, and her devious tactics?

When asked how Marla would face off against Amy Dunne, the similarly devious title role of David Fincher’s brilliant adaptation of Gone Girl, Rosamund Pike reflected:

Now I just want to see these two incredible characters matching wits in a cat-and-mouse game, because the real winner there is the audience… and fans of Rosamund Pike.

I Care A Lot got raves out of the Toronto Film Festival when it premiered, and will now screen on Netflix. Beginning Friday, Feb. 19. Our own Eric Eisenberg gave it a perfect 5 stars, and he’s correct. Watch it. It will not let you down.

One of the timeliest TV shows out there right now is undoubtedly Amazon's Utopia, from its conspiracy-driven characters to the pandemic-related storyline to the "corporation leaders are pretty evil" conceit. That makes it all the more interesting to consider that creator Gillian Flynn first started working on her Americanized adaptation of the UK's Utopia back in 2013. At least one future-leaning moment in the show's first season has not yet become a reality in any form, however. I'm talking, of course, about that highly amusing reference to the faux production of Gone Girl: The Musical.

In the fifth episode, for a scene in which Sasha Lane's Jessica Hyde and Javon Walton's Grant are on their way to the subway in Chicago, the camera pans down the sign for the Chicago Theatre, with its big and bright marquee showing Gone Girl: The Musical as a now-playing option for anyone wanting to take in a more harmony-driven version of the suspenseful thriller. During a recent press event for Utopia, I asked Gillian Flynn what inspired her to add in that nod to her bestselling novel and feature film, and here's how she answered:

Considering that scene so obviously took place in Chicago, I do wonder which other projects she might have been trying to reference on the marquee. Perhaps something from The Blues Brothers or Ferris Bueller's Day Off? Or maybe one of the hundreds of other movies, TV shows, songs, books and other forms of art that pay tribute to the midwestern metro. Lots of choices, but apparently not a lot of chances to get away with referencing them without having to deal with lawyers over rights.

Gillian Flynn continued, saying this is legitimately a concept that she would be interested in bringing to life.

There are plenty of actors from the Gone Girl film who could easily make a return to the franchise for a musical. Admittedly, I'm not sure how quickly Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike would jump at the chance, but co-stars such as Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Casey Wilson and more are well seasoned in the musical genre. I guess that doesn't necessarily mean that Gone Girl needs to be readapted to fit that format, but if it happened, it would definitely be worth watching for one reason or another. Particularly if her comparison to Stephen Sondheim's Assassins would be apropos, and to see how it would handle that ending.

Utopia's first season is full of shocking moments, such as that surprising main character death early on (beyond all the other deaths for non-main characters). But that nod to Gone Girl was definitely unlike the others. I wonder if Season 2 happens if she will get try and get a Sharp Objects LEGO set mocked up, or perhaps a Dark Places line of TV dinners.

Utopia Season 1 can be streamed in its entirety right now on Amazon Prime Video, though there is no news yet on whether or not a second season might be on the way. While waiting to hear any follow-ups, stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more info and head to our Fall 2020 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way.

Reese Witherspoon has been a huge Hollywood star for the past thirty years, but within the past six years the actress has also established herself as a key producer in the industry, with Oscar-nominated movies Wild and Gone Girl and the buzzy series Big Little Lies, The Morning Show and Little Fires Everywhere. As Witherspoon has now explained, even her status didn’t stop her production company from running into bumps along the road. In her words:

Can you believe this? Gone Girl and Wild were major films for Reese Witherspoon to tackle early in creating her own empire, yet somehow it wasn’t enough for the actress to establish herself in the new sector of the industry right away. If you remember, at one point Gone Girl was so influential it was part of the Best Picture conversation during award season. It wasn’t until Big Little Lies took off three years later that Witherspoon felt she was being taken seriously as a producer.

An important element to her success was engaging more with the public by promoting her book club for Hello Sunshine and opening up to more audiences about the intentions of her work. In the past couple years, Reese Witherspoon’s hold on Hollywood cannot be ignored now that Apple TV+’s The Morning Show and Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere have also become big hits.

Reese Witherspoon’s discussion about her production company’s rise comes during a recent conversation with Watchmen’s Regina King for Variety’s Actors on Actors series. During the interview, the actresses spoke about how motherhood affected their decisions to become more involved behind-the-scenes in Hollywood. Witherspoon was hungry to have her daughter (who is now 20 years old) see women on screen far more complex than the girlfriend or wife. As she explained:

Reese Witherspoon has of course been working closely with talents such as Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston and Kerry Washington to develop female-led stories defined by women who have not been given a voice before. When Reese was approaching her ‘40s years ago, she was told by her financial analyst to “start saving” because she'd be losing money in her middle age. The actress fired him after those comments and began a new chapter of her career.

Next up, the actress will be returning to play Elle Woods for Legally Blonde 3. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more updates on Hollywood actors and their projects.

We’re currently in the longest wait in between David Fincher movies in the filmmaker’s prestigious career. How’s that for some excellent suspense? When Gone Girl hit theaters back in 2014, the chilling thriller based on Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel (and adapted from her own screenplay) chilled our bones to their very cores. The Oscar-nominated thriller pulled out a career-defining performance from Rosamund Pike as the mysteriously disappeared wife to Ben Affleck’s Nick Dunne and featured memorable appearances from Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry and Carrie Coon.

At least fans have had the likes of Netflix’s Mindhunter to mull us over while we wait for David Fincher’s next movie Mank coming later this year – which is actually a biographical drama about the making of Citizen Kane starring Gary Oldman, Lily Collins and Amanda Seyfried by the way . But, if you’re itching for more films with a likeness to Gone Girl, there are plenty of masterful thrills to stream across a ton of your favorite platforms. I think you’ll enjoy checking out these titles if you’ve tired out Gone Girl rewatches:

Dark Places - Netflix

What It’s About: Charlize Theron stars as Libby Day, a woman haunted by the tragedy of her parents being murdered when she was just eight years old. For almost 30 years she has been convinced that her brother (Corey Stoll) has been at fault as he continues to serve his prison sentence until Nicholas Hoult’s underground detective and his “True Crime” club challenges what really happened that night.

Why Gone Girl Fans Will Like It: 2015’s Dark Places is the perfect next step from Gone Girl because it’s also based on a book by Gillian Flynn therefore giving the plot just as much richness as David Fincher’s even if the filmmaker is not behind the camera.

Stream it on Netflix here.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - STARZ

What It’s About: This psychological slow burn thrill ride centers on Daniel Craig’s journalist Mikael Blomkvist who is investigating the disappearance of a woman who has been missing for 40 years. He decides to pair up with Rooney Mara’s clever computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to uncover the person behind the mystery.

Why Gone Girl Fans Will Like It: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is another film directed by David Fincher – in fact it’s the movie he made just before Gone Girl. The two movies undoubtedly have a likeness to each other especially since they’re both Fincher’s visions of popular bestselling crime thriller novels.

Stream it on STARZ here.

The Prestige - Cinemax

What It’s About: The Prestige centers on two competing magicians played by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman back in the 19th century. It’s a gritty and mysterious story about how their rivalry to pull off the perfect magic trick for their audiences transforms into each of them crossing the line in this intense psychological thriller also starring Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie Michael Caine, Piper Perabo and Rebecca Hall.

Why Gone Girl Fans Will Like It: Christopher Nolan is well-known for an expertly executed twist, but not enough for 2006’s The Prestige. The movie pulls off a clever and shocking twist that will remind you of the Gone Girl experience.

Stream it on Cinemax here.

A Simple Favor - Amazon Prime, Hulu

What It’s About: A Simple Favor is Paul Feig’s dip into crime thrillers with a splash of comedy shaken in. It follows Anna Kendrick’s blogger mommy Stephanie Smothers, who forms an unlikely friendship with Blake Lively’s secretive Emily Nelson. Emily asks Stephanie if she can watch her young son and then disappears without warning even to her husband (Henry Golding).

Why Gone Girl Fans Will Like It: The 2018 thriller is a twisty fun take on the elements found in Gone Girl that has Anna Kendrick add her quirkiness alongside Blake Lively’s sultriness. It has an engaging story you won’t see coming either.

Stream it on Amazon Prime or Hulu.

Gone Baby Gone - STARZ

What It’s About: Ben Affleck’s directorial debut is 2007’s Gone Baby Gone starring his brother Casey Affleck along with Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris and Amy Ryan. The movie takes place in Boston (because of course) and centers on two detectives investigating the disappearance of a child. It goes on an exciting and suspenseful turn when Affleck’s character goes rogue to solve the case.

Why Gone Girl Fans Will Like It: Sure there’s “gone” in the title and Ben Affleck is involved in both Gone Baby Gone and Gone Girl but that’s not the only reason it’s a great pick. The film shows, perhaps, why Affleck signed on to Gone Girl – he’s clearly into the genre and watching his first film is an impressive addition to crime dramas.

Stream it on STARZ here.

Extremely Wicked Shockingly Evil And Vile - Netflix

What It’s About: Extremely Wicked Shockingly Evil And Vile is about the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy through the lens of his longtime girlfriend Liz Kendall who was in a relationship with him for years without the awareness of his deadly crimes. Zac Efron plays the “charming” killer how many women described him to be and Lily Collins is Liz.

Why Gone Girl Fans Will Like It: This Netflix release will appease fans of Gone Girl because it’s scarier in some ways – it’s true. True crime is something that David Fincher was trying to portray in his 2014 movie and Extremely Wicked Shockingly Evil And Vile uses actual events to twist the genre in new ways.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Destroyer - Hulu

What It’s About: Destroyer is a 2018 movie that fell under the radar for many of us. The crime drama directed by The Invitation director Karyn Kusama is an intense film that follows an unrecognizable Nicole Kidman as a police detective with a tale of vengeance. LAPD detective Erin Bell goes after the gang, years after investigating them undercover to tragic results. Kidman earned a Golden Globe nomination for the role in the movie also featuring Sebastian Stan, Toby Kebbell and Tatiana Maslany.

Why Gone Girl Fans Will Like It: Chilling storyline? Check. Badass female lead. Check. Elements of crime and investigation? Check, check and check. Destroyer is a great alternative to those looking for something like Gone Girl.

Stream it on Hulu here.

Prisoners - HBO

What It’s About: Denis Villeneuve’s first American film that would later propel him into other projects like Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and the upcoming adaptation of Dune is 2013’s Prisoners. It’s another must-see crime drama, but this time it centers on Hugh Jackman’s Keller Dover when his daughter and her friend goes missing and he takes it into his own hands as Jake Gyllenhaal’s Detective Loki also pursues leads such as Paul Dano’s Alex Jones.

Why Gone Girl Fans Will Like It: Although David Fincher makes different decisions, Denis Villenueve is a matched filmmaker with an inspired style to his work and Prisoners is a fascinating and brutal approach to the genre.

Stream it on HBO here.

Widows - Cinemax

What It’s About: Steve McQueen’s Widows is a gritty take on an ‘80s television series of the same name. It’s about the wives of criminals who die during their last job and they are left to pick up the pieces. The “widows” are made up of Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki and Cynthia Erivo and they are suddenly haunted by Brian Tyree Henry and Daniel Kaluuya’s characters who have come to collect. The women decide to stage criminal activity of their own to pay up.

Why Gone Girl Fans Will Like It: This is another instance of an incredible filmmaker moving to crime drama to amazing results. Steve McQueen made this right after 12 Years A Slave won best picture and Gone Girl novelist/screenwriter Gillian Flynn co-wrote Widows with McQueen.

Stream it on Cinemax here.

Fight Club - HBO

What It’s About: First rule of Fight Club is no one talks about it, so I’m technically obligated not to tell you about it but I’ll make an exception here. Brad Pitt is in his prime in his absolute classic role as Tyler with Edward Norton who form an underground fist fight club together until it evolves into a much bigger monster and grows out of control.

Why Gone Girl Fans Will Like It: If you somehow came across Gone Girl before Fight Club, it’s David Fincher’s second movie and his most famous to date. It’s always fun to look back at the film that kind of started it all for him and this is it.

Stream it on HBO here.

And as a small bonus, check out the six-episode mini documentary series The Murder of Laci Peterson available on Hulu here. Since it came out back in 2017, viewers have noticed quite a few comparisons between the cases leading some to believe it’s the source of inspiration for the original novel (it’s not though). Otherwise happy streaming! Enjoy this thrilling selection of movies you’ll enjoy if you’re a fan of Gone Girl.

Tyler Perry is one of the most notable names in Hollywood. Along with acting, he’s built an empire of movies and TV programs with loyal fanbases, and now he’s opening his own massive film studio in Atlanta. Yet, he’s very open about how welcoming Hollywood has been during his time in the industry, noting he feels he’s often “ignored.”

In an emotional interview with CBS’ Gayle King, Tyler Perry spoke out about his legacy, his family and his growing up experience, an experience that led him to learn to want to make people laugh. In regards to his career, he talked about feeling ignored by those in his industry, noting,

During his hugely prolific career, Tyler Perry has acted, he’s been a writer, he’s a major producer and he’s directed plenty of times. He’s been responsible for 22 movies that have hit the big screen, but he’s also a big name in TV and has even produced plays. He’s everywhere, yet, the majority of the movies he has directed, including the popular Madea movies, have been critically panned.

Although there are bright spots among the critical numbers, often for Tyler Perry's acting performances in movies like Vice and Gone Girl, the industry is not always kind to Perry's work. Audiences have embraced his movies and TV shows however, and ultimately Perry says that is what he believes is important.

Tyler Perry’s new studio will feature a dozen sound stages and more than 330 acres to help him create new programming. Not to mention, each have been named after famous black icons in Hollywood. It’s based out of Atlanta, where Tyler Perry has based his operations for some time. It’s also what made him the first black American to own a major studio outright, according to Gayle King.

Ultimately, at the end of the day, people like Madea and OWN programs like The Haves and Have Nots, and Tyler Perry has devoted a career to giving people what they want. Although it should be noted that Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral retired the character he played for a long time in notable fashion.

The ending is the most important part of a film. It completes the story being told and is the lasting impression audiences leave the theater with, thus holding tremendous sway over opinion of the film. With the release of Glass, we are treated once again to a movie with a controversial ending. It seems that for a lot of people, enjoyment of Glass largely hinges on how you feel about the ending (the third act overall really), and you either love it or hate it, with very little middle ground.

Glass is, of course, not the first movie with a controversial ending; it’s not even the first M. Night Shyamalan movie with a controversial ending. So in light of Glass’s divisive ending, it seems like the right time to look back at other controversial movie endings that we are still debating long after we first saw them. The films in this list have endings that are controversial for different reasons. They have a huge impact on whether you like the movie or not, with strong passions no matter what side you come down on. The endings don’t have to be ambiguous a la The Wrestler, although they can be; they just have to be controversial. Here are 10 controversial movie endings we’re still debating today.

The following contains SPOILERS for multiple films, so if you care and haven’t seen one of the entries, just skip to the next one.

Contact

For the majority of Robert Zemeckis’ 1997 movie Contact, we are watching a hard sci-fi story about humanity discovering the possibility of the existence of extra-terrestrial life and the impact that would have on individuals, faith and society. Then, when Jodie Foster’s Dr. Arroway finally gets to use the machine that is expected to transport her to the Vega star system, things get weird.

From the perspective of the observers, the machine doesn’t work and the transport vessel just drops right through the machine. But for Dr. Arroway, she is transported to a beach from her childhood, where she meets an alien that takes the form of her deceased father. When she returns, there is a discussion of whether or not the experience was all in her head.

This ending is controversial not only for the ambiguity of what actually happened (although it is strongly hinted that her experience was real), but also because of how a realistic and cerebral film in the end chose to be sentimental. The ending does fit with some of the themes of the film, but it also kind of cops out on showing aliens and can be considered overly schmaltzy.

The Prestige

Endings that leave you scratching your head and buying a ticket for the next showing to figure out what just happened are Christopher Nolan’s specialty, and he fittingly pulled some clever slight of hand with his tale of dueling magicians, The Prestige.

The end of the film is an assault of twists and reveals that show us how both Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) achieved their signature tricks. Angier repeatedly cloned himself via a machine built by Nikola Tesla, essentially meaning he killed himself every night. Borden is revealed to actually have a twin. The twin was charged with the murder of Robert Angier and dies for the crime that never actually happened. Borden returns to get back his daughter and kills Angier, winning the battle between the two.

It’s a complicated and bewildering ending upon first viewing, and even though the reality of what happened seems straightforward in hindsight, it has nevertheless been the subject of tons of fan theories online positing alternative possibilities. Some also take issue with the ending because a film based on tricks and slight of hand in the end adds in real magic in the form of cloning.

Gone Girl

If you want to talk about controversial endings, look no further than David Fincher’s Gone Girl, which has an ending that you either love for its depravity or makes you want to scream with rage.

The ending, which is similar to the ending in Gillian Flynn’s novel, finds Ben Affleck’s Nick Dunne staying with his psychotic wife Amy, played by Rosamund Pike. This is after Amy faked her death and framed Nick for her murder. In a final act of cunning madness, she gets pregnant with Nick’s baby, ruining any plans he had to expose her lies and evil to the public. He is forced to stay with her and endure for the sake of his child.

You want to scream at Nick to just pay child support or expose her and get the kid taken away, but for the love of God, don’t stay with her! But to be fair, her actions and his are both true to their characters. We expect villains to get their comeuppance in movies and justice to be served, so it’s frustrating when that doesn’t happen, and Gone Girl provides no such closure.

The Blair Witch Project

The Blair Witch Project started the found-footage sub-genre of horror, telling the story of three student filmmakers, Heather, Mike and Josh, who venture into the woods in Western Maryland to make a documentary about local legend, the Blair Witch. The film ends when Mike and Heather go into an abandoned house looking for Josh and are separated. The final image we see from Heather’s camera is Mike just standing in a corner.

We are still debating this ending today and there are plenty of fan theories about what really happened and what it all means. Was there ever really a witch or not? Did Josh kill his friends or did he and Mike both plot to kill Heather? The weirdness and ambiguity of the ending provides plenty to discuss.

There is also a fair bit of controversy for a film that received such hype to end in this way. For some, the final image of Mike just standing in a basement corner is terrifying and intense. For others, it's not scary to the point of being laughable. Your opinion likely dictates whether you think The Blair Witch Project is a seminal moment in the genre or fodder for jokes.

Man of Steel

If you take a controversial character choice and add in the passionate opinions associated with superhero movies, you have a recipe for a debate more akin to a shouting match. That’s what we got with Man of Steel. At the end of Zack Snyder’s divisive film, Henry Cavill’s Superman is faced with a choice: either kill Michael Shannon’s General Zod or allow him to murder a helpless family. Superman chose the former and set off a contentious debate we’re still having to this day.

On the one hand, Supes had no choice, and as a hero, he couldn’t let innocents die. But killing someone, even an enemy, goes against everything established canon over 70 years has told us about who Superman is. He doesn’t kill, period. So even if he clearly had no choice, you could argue that the film should have never put Superman in that position.

Fans of Snyder’s DCEU vision passionately defend this choice while others loathe it and think that the director fundamentally misunderstands the character. Either way, it’s fascinating to look at how the end of Man of Steel and reaction to it set the story of the DCEU in the films after.

Blade Runner

Blade Runner is perhaps the most unique entry on this list because not only is its ending controversial, but there are multiple endings to the film and controversy over which ending is the true one. Depending on the version you watch, Harrison Ford’s Deckard and Sean Young’s Rachael either escape LA and live happily ever after in a natural landscape or their fate is left a mystery, as is Deckard’s status as either a human or a replicant.

So if you prefer a version or saw it first, you may take that ending as canon, regardless of what director Ridley Scott says. Thus this ending has been discussed and argued about for ages, both fueled by and contributing to Blade Runner’s status as an all-time science fiction classic.

As far as the question ‘Is Deckard a replicant?’ goes, even the sequel, Blade Runner 2049, leaves that open for debate, adding multiple new wrinkles to think about. And so the ending of Blade Runner will be dissected and analyzed in forums and columns for years to come.

The Village

Given his penchant for twists, it’s no surprise that Glass isn’t the first M. Night Shyamalan film to have a controversial ending. There are multiple to pick from, but the ending of The Village seems to mark a turning point in the director’s career, after that he went through a nadir that lasted multiple films before his recent resurgence.

In the film, a 19th century rural village lives in isolation, in fear of the wickedness of surrounding towns and the evil creatures that lurk in the woods beyond their borders. At the end of the film, we learn that this story is actually taking place in modern times, and that the village and the monsters are just elaborate creations of the town elders to avoid contact with the horrors of the modern world.

It’s a doozy of an ending, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Some find it anticlimactic and disappointing considering the fun mythology of monsters that the film was sold on. Others love the twistiness of it. M. Night Shyamalan endings are often controversial, but unlike The Happening, which is largely loathed, the ending of The Village has many ardent defenders.

Titanic

Titanic is one of the most beloved and successful films of all time. It also features one of the most controversial endings of all time. After the ship sinks, Jack and Rose are trying to stay alive in the frigid Atlantic Ocean, and he helps her onto what appears to be a wooden door. There, Rose survives long enough to be rescued, while Jack dies of hypothermia in the water.

Ever since Titanic first enraptured moviegoers, people wondered why didn’t Rose make room for Jack on the door. Whether there was enough room for both of them as there appears to have been has been the subject of countless discussions over the years. People have actually done practical recreations to show how these star-crossed lovers could have lived happily ever after.

Everyone has weighed in on this controversy, and thanks to the movie’s enduring popularity, it has become a permanent part of pop culture that will debated forever. James Cameron himself even got tired of hearing it over the years and offered the an appropriately cold response to the question of why Rose didn’t make room, by saying “It says on page 147 [of the script] that Jack dies.

Interstellar

It probably says something about Christopher Nolan’s style that he manages to get two films on this list. While Inception has probably Nolan’s most memorable ending for its ambiguity, I view the ending of Interstellar as more controversial and divisive.

At the end of the film, in an attempt to save the mission to colonize a habitable planet, Matthew McConaughey’s Coop jettisons himself and the TARS robot into a black hole. There he enters a tesseract where space and time become, wait for it… a flat circle. Coop then realizes that he was his daughter Murph’s ghost in her bookshelf. When he is ejected from the tesseract, Coop is able to finally see Murph again on a space station.

Then he seemingly leaves this person he’s spent the whole movie trying to get back to on her deathbed to go help Anne Hathaway’s Brand. Similar to Contact, Interstellar’s ending is either heartfelt and thematically rich or mawkish and disappointing. Like most Nolan endings, there’s a lot to discuss and just as much to disagree about.

The Mist

Frank Darabont’s The Mist, based on the Stephen King novella, finds a group of people, including Thomas Jane’s David and his son, hiding out in a grocery store from the deadly creatures lurking in the mysterious mist outside. At the end of the film, David, his son and three others escape the store in a car to seek salvation.

When the car runs out of gas, they all decide that there is no point in going on. So rather than suffering horrific deaths at the hands of the creatures, David shoots the others, including his own son, to spare them. David is left without a bullet for himself, but moments later the mist recedes, the army arrives and he sees that if he had only waited a few minutes longer, they would have been rescued.

It’s an agonizing and brutal ending, and for that reason it is highly controversial, with think-pieces written both for and against it. Some view it as a great gut punch whereas others see it as ironic tragedy for its own sake. Stephen King, whose novella’s ending is far more ambiguous (no child murder for sure), actually seems to really enjoy Frank Darabont’s version.

Even if you hate a particular ending to a movie (and there are certainly plenty of hateable ones), controversial endings are still of value because they give us reasons to revisit a film, to discuss and debate it with others, and perhaps see it from different a perspective. That kind of engagement is one of the best parts of the moviegoing experience and helps movies to live on long after their release dates.

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It's been four years since Rosamund Pike's astounding performance in the Gone Girl and we're still far from over it. The actress played the intensely dark character Amy Dunne so believably that she started to look inward and question her own morals. In her words:

Looks like while Gone Girl was playing with our minds, it also did quite the number on Rosamund Pike too. In an interview with The Off-Camera Show, Pike explained how as an actor it's a combination of pretending and convincing yourself your role is real. So she naturally wrestled with just how she was able to tap into such a maddening character so well. The experience was an unsettling one for not only that reason, but also because of the crazy preparation she did to get into character.

To get ready for her body slashing scene, Rosamund Pike visited a butcher and practiced with her box cutter on some unlucky pig carcasses with incredible intensity, just as incoming customers walked in on the scene. The actress also recruited a Dora the Explorer doll to pose as Neil Patrick Harris' character, to practice how she would murder him in the film-- placing the poor stuffed doll on a six foot stake as a stand in before filming the disturbing sequence. The measures the actress may seem a bit extreme, but it was necessary for Pike to pull off her most memorable performance.

Diving into deep research for a role wasn't isolated to Gone Girl either, the actress also put a quite a bit of effort into getting into character for one of her more tacky films, Doom. Rosamund Pike revealed that since her character Samantha Grimm had to dissect monsters for a living, she went ahead and joined a human dissection class.

Rosamund Pike's attention to detail with her roles puts her as quite an overachiever among actors, as it seems she has taken a hands on approach to getting into character since the dawn of her career. She does pretend to be other people for a living though, so why not get a little in their shoes in preparation?

Rosamund Pike is playing another intense role in the upcoming release of A Private War in which she plays American war correspondent Marie Colvin who was often at the frontlines at global conflicts in the Middle East. Jamie Dornan joins her as British photojournalist Paul Conroy in the dramatic true story about the taxing life of journalists who cover war. A Private War comes to theaters on November 16.

If you know anything about David Fincher, you probably know that he's quite the taskmaster while directing. The director of such films as The Social Network, Gone Girl and The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo famously shoots rigorously, sometimes doing dozens of takes for a given scene. Oftentimes, this helps the scene to be the best it can be, but it can makes continuity precarious and can also be really awkward. At least that's how Neil Patrick Harris recently put it, when he explained what happened when he had to film that major sex scene with Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl. Here's what the actor said about Fincher and the experience.

Rehearsing a really intense sex scene is one thing, but filming it is another, as Neil Patrick Harris also explained that he had entire conversations with David Fincher not just about how he and Rosamund Pike would be positioned on the bed, but also how how many times she would make the movement to show she was blowing him--the list goes on and on. If you think this entire experience would be the strangers, that wasn't all Neil Patrick Harris said during the Vulture Festival. There's a second part involving Ben Affleck.

So, remember when I said that Neil Patrick Harris and Rosamund Pike had to work through the whole scene? After David Fincher designed the whole thing, he went off and shot a separate scene with Ben Affleck. When the two were ready to film, Affleck and Fincher popped over from the other set to watch the two finally film the entire thing. As Harris noted at the end of the story,

If you've seen Gone Girl--and we're about to get into bigger spoilers--you may already know that's the part of the film in which Neil Patrick Harris' character ultimately dies, so along with the sex there was a lot of gore. The creative team smartly had just a ton of duplicates on hand, including the bed and the rug so that Fincher's team could keep filming takes even after one bed got dirtied up. That's a smart--but likely expensive--way of doing things.

There were plenty of decisions that went into making Gone Girl so that the story could be top notch, but some of those involved wilder things than others. This isn't the only sex scene that has ever been uncomfortable for an actor or actress, but it may be along the longest. At least the final product turned out to be a bloody good time.

Reviews for The Accountant so far have to be described as mixed. It currently has a score of 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, and while it was able to pass the meagre 27% of Ben Affleck's last film Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, that's still a disappointing score considering the talent involved. But while The Accountant's reviews have underwhelmed it made a strong start to its life at the box office on Thursday night, even out grossing the amount of 2014's Gone Girl- Ben Affleck's last thriller.

Warner Bros. have revealed (via Deadline) that The Accountant made $1.35 million on Thursday night. That put it $100,000 ahead of the $1.25 million that Gone Girl grossed when it was released on October 3, 2014. But while it has undoubtedly made an impressive start, Warner Bros. don't expect The Accountant to go on and get anywhere near the $369.3 million gross that Gone Girl managed.

The studio is still confident that The Accountant will post somewhere between $15 million and $20 million over its opening weekend, with most projections insisting that it will end up closer to $20 million. If it reaches this amount it will still be someway short of Gone Girl's $37.5 million opening weekend haul.

The main reason why The Accountant is probably going to be left flailing behind Gone Girl's amount is its middling reviews. Directed by David Fincher, boasting an Academy Award nominated performance from Rosamund Pike, and with a promotional campaign that made audiences pine to find out the conclusion to its mystery, Gone Girl was also a terrific film; something that its current 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes proves.

The Accountant revolves around Ben Affleck's Christian Wolff, an autistic accountant who primarily works with various criminal organizations, and also works part-time as an assassin. You know, like you do. J.K Simmons' treasury agent soon starts to track Wolff and, even though he has taken on a legitimate robotics company as a client, a discrepancy involving millions of dollars soon leads the body count to rise. You can check out the trailer for The Accountant below:

While The Accountant looks set to fall short of Gone Girl's gross, it is so far matching Argo's opening weekend haul of $19.5 million. It's also due to finish at the top of the box office this weekend, as Kevin Hart: What Now is on course to gross between $10 million - $14 million, while last week's number one The Girl On The Train is set to drop down 50% to somewhere between $12 million - $13 million. You can go and check out all three films at your local cinema now.

Ben Affleck has, without question, become one of our greatest modern actors. However, even more importantly, he's found himself in some great films (because that doesn't always go hand in hand). While we're looking forward to his newest movie, The Accountant, we're also looking back at some of the great films that Affleck has been in over the last several years.

To be clear, these are not necessarily Ben Affleck's best performances. These are the great movies that the actor has been in, regardless of his own abilities. Most of the time, we are talking about great performances, or possibly great direction, from Affleck, but the focus here is the finished product. Simple cameos don't count, but anything where he at least had a significant supporting role is good enough. Let's roll.

10. Mallrats

While Mallrats often is overlooked among Kevin Smith's early work, we had to let it sneak into the back of this list. It doesn't try to be anything it's not, and it is by far the most laugh out loud funny of the movies within the View Askew-naverse. Ben Affleck plays Shannon, the proprietor of the Fashionable Male clothing store, and one of the truly great douchebag characters of all time. Kevin Smith's trademark humor is on display here and it's all great. Affleck's role is small, but he does his job and that's ok because Jason Lee does all the heavy lifting and he's well equipped to the task.

9. Smokin' Aces

Smokin' Aces didn't get a great deal of love when it was originally released back in 2006. However, it has built itself up as something of a cult classic over the last decade. It's not surprising since this is a movie that stars basically everybody. Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Alicia Keys, Andy Garcia...oh yeah, and Ben Affleck. Piven plays a casino magician who's going to give evidence against organized crime. Pretty much everybody else is trying to kill him. It's a wildly fun movie with great humor and great action sequences. One of the best films by Joe Carnahan. If you've missed this one all these years, you should fix that.

8. Boiler Room

Boiler Room is the movie that Wall Street 2 really wanted to be. It's a smart film with great dialogue and a solid cast including Affleck, Giovanni Ribisi, and even Vin Diesel. Nearly a decade before the economy went to hell Boiler Room showed how some of those in charge of money had absolutely no scruples about lying to people to line their own pockets. It feels like a prophetic movie now considering the economic disaster we later found ourselves in. Affleck does his best "Alec Baldwin from Glengarry Glen Ross" impression, and while he's not quite that good, he makes it work.

7. Chasing Amy

While Kevin Smith's modern films are a shell of their former glory, his best work overall is likely Chasing Amy. It was the director's first film that didn't feel like the entire thing was an inside joke that we only partially got. Ben Affleck plays a guy who falls for a girl, which is an old story, except in this case the girl is gay. The story and the relationships felt real and a large part of that is chalked up to the work of Ben Affleck and Joey Lauren Adams. The thing that keeps Amy from being higher on the list is that the film doesn't seem to know how to end, and as a result, the ending we get falls flat. It's disappointing, but we're not going to let it overshadow the great movie that came before.

6. Gone Girl

What is there that we can say about Gone Girl that won't involve saying too much about Gone Girl? Ben Affleck plays the husband of a woman who has disappeared, under apparently violent circumstances. He is, of course, the prime suspect, but there's so much more going on here that we still don't want to give away if you've never seen it. It's a film with numerous twists and turns that keep the audience engaged from beginning to end. It's the sort of thing that director David Fincher excels at. Ben Affleck isn't the star of the movie. Rosamund Pike steals the film. There's a reason she was nominated for numerous awards including the Oscar. Gone Girl is everything great about mystery films.

5. Dazed and Confused

There's a good chance that, if you saw it when it was first released, Dazed and Confused was your introduction to the young actor named Ben Affleck. A coming of age story set in the 1970s, the film succeeds at simultaneously being a time capsule of the era, while also being completely timeless. You don't have to have experienced the 1970s to "get" this movie, just high school. It may be Richard Linklater's best film which, considering the achievements he's had, is saying quite a bit. Dazed launched several young careers, so we'd owe it a lot even if it wasn't a stellar film, but it is.

4. Shakespeare In Love

Two films on this list won the Academy Award for Best Picture, so it's little surprise that they would make the cut. While Shakespeare in Love possibly hasn't aged quite as well as it could have (better than Saving Private Ryan, really?) there's no question that it's a great film in its own right. Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow give great performances in a beautiful and stylized fiction about the life of William Shakespeare and the creation of Romeo & Juliet. It's a beautiful movie in every possible sense of the words. Ben Affleck shows up midway through the film as actor Ned Allyn who chews scenery with the best of them. It's a great romance and an always entertaining escape.

3. The Town

While The Town wasn't Ben Affleck's directorial debut, it was the first time he did the triple duty of writing, directing, and acting in the picture. Four friends from Boston rob a bank and take the manager hostage. While she never sees their faces, Affleck's character Doug gets to know her later in order to figure out what she knows. You can probably guess where things go from there. This is one movie that we can give Affleck a lot of direct credit for making it great. His writing and directing are smart and he not only puts in a solid performance himself but gets Jeremy Renner to put together the best performance of his career.

2. Argo

Over the years, there have been many movies about making movies. Argo adds the fun new twist that it's about people who are only pretending to make a movie, in order to get into Iran on the pretext of doing location scouting, in order to rescue a number of civilians who are hiding following a hostage crisis. Ben Affleck didn't receive a Best Director nomination at the Oscars for this one, which feels like a major oversight considering Argo would go on to win Best Picture. While the film takes some liberties with the actual events, it does so in order to make a better movie, which it absolutely succeeds at doing. Once again, Affleck gets his actors to do great work and that makes a great movie, even if Affleck went so far as to cast himself as a Hispanic guy.

1. Good Will Hunting

While movie fans would have recognized Ben Affleck and Matt Damon prior to Good Will Hunting, even most of them would likely have had no idea just how talented the pair truly were. They wrote an absolutely phenomenal movie in Good Will Hunting. Will Hunting, played by Matt Damon, is a self-taught genius whose mathematical abilities are recognized by a professor at Harvard. However, Will Hunting is a bit of a hard case, and so he's ordered to undergo therapy by the court, leading him to cross paths with Dr. Sean Maguire, played by Robin Williams. While Affleck's role is as small as any movie on this list, the movie itself is still one of the best that he's ever been part of. It won Robin Williams his long overdue Oscar, and got the two young writers the same award for their fantastic screenplay. It's still the best film Ben Affleck has ever done.

It’s hard to imagine a Gone Girl sequel. While its ending was somewhat open ended (no pun intended), it was such a tightly told story that delightfully twisted and turned throughout, that returning for a follow-up could prove to be a disaster. However, that hasn't stopped rumors of Gone Girl 2 from emerging, with both Rosamund Pike and Gillian Flynn admitting they’re open to the idea. Now Tyler Perry has jumped on this bandwagon, insisting that there’s much more to the story, and that he has faith Gillian Flynn would write something terrific. 

Tyler Perry made this admission to me when I sat down with the actor to talk about his role of Dr. Baxter Stockman in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows. But as a huge fan of David Fincher’s masterful Gone Girl, especially Tyler Perry’s magnetic performance as Nick Dunne’s attorney Tanner Bolt, I couldn’t help but quiz him about the Gone Girl 2 rumors. To which he responded:

Rosamund Pike actually started the speculation about Gone Girl 2 herself shortly after the original was released back in 2014. After being asked whether she’d return for a sequel, the actress insisted, "No, no, no." However she instantly warmed to the idea by then adding, "Only if Gillian [Flynn] wrote it. I don’t like the idea of someone coming in and saying I could get my hand on these characters."

Back in early 2015, Gillian Flynn exacerbated the rumors regarding Gone Girl 2 when she admitted that she’d like to revisit the characters of Nick and Amy Dunne, but only a few years down the line. Flynn remarked to the NY Daily News:

It’s not actually beyond the realms of possibility that Gone Girl 2 could happen. As you can see, three of the main cast are intrigued by the potential film, while its studios Regency Enterprises, TSG Entertainment, and 20th Century Fox would clearly be game after Gone Girl grossed $369.3 million from just a $61 million budget. 

Unfortunately, we’ve yet to hear from director David Fincher and actor Ben Affleck on whether they’d return for Gone Girl 2. There’s probably only a remote chance that the duo would be interested in putting their other creative endeavors to one side to return to this world. But until they firmly say no we’ve still got a glimmer of hope that the most unlikely sequel of all time could actually happen. 

Last year, Gone Girl became far and away director David Fincher’s biggest box office hit. Stars Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck garnered rave reviews for their portrayal of the Dunne’s, the most dysfunctional couple you’ll ever hope to meet, but the male lead, Nick, was almost played by Jon Hamm. The Mad Men star was up for the part, but contract issues prevented him from taking it, and he’s still a little pissed.

David Fincher’s pulpy adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel went on to gross north of $368 million worldwide and score a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Pike. With Mad Men drawing to a close, this could have been just the kind of breakout movie role Hamm needed to keep up the momentum in his career. Unfortunately for him, sources told Page Six that Mad Men creator Matt Weiner wouldn’t let Hamm out of his contractual obligations to the series. Their source claims Hamm is upset about missing out on what could have been a major opportunity as he moves on to whatever is next.

Another source chalked up Jon Hamm not being able to take the role of Nick Dunne as a result of the shooting schedule of Mad Men. You can understand not wanting to lose their star just as the show moves into the push towards the finish line, but it’s also easy to recognize why Hamm would be frustrated at having to pass on such a visible role. That would be a nice wave to ride into his post-Mad Men life, and it’s hard not to feel for the guy, though he’ll probably have a shot at a few more high profile roles before he calls it a day.

If there is any bad blood between Hamm and Weiner, the actor is certainly hiding it well. Fresh out of a 30-day stint in rehab for his heavy drinking, something he has dealt with for a number of years, Hamm has been fulfilling all of his press obligations, even appearing alongside Weiner and not giving any appearance of a feud or beef. It is possible to be upset, but not take it personally.

Jon Hamm could have been very good as Nick, the husband who returns home on his anniversary to find that his wife, Amy (Pike), has disappeared. While we can wonder what could have been, it’s hard to argue with Ben Affleck, who nailed the part that shifts back and forth between victim to duped spouse to murder suspect and more. That’s really the best part of Gone Girl, how it sets up your expectations throughout, only to continually subvert them until you’re never sure what to believe. Still, the whole world could have been talking about getting a quick glimpse of Jon Hamm’s wang instead of Affleck’s. You can’t buy publicity like that.

Fans have been waiting to see the finale of one of the most acclaimed shows in recent memory since last May, and the final seven episodes of Mad Men begin this Sunday, April 5 on AMC.

The world's greatest filmmakers tell their stories from the very first frame in their movies to the very last. Need proof? Just watch the amazing supercut below, and you'll notice just how many brilliant films have beginnings and endings that work in stunning tandem.

This video, titled bluntly "First and Final Frames," was created by Vimeo user Jacob T. Swinney, and it's an impressive edit that highlights the brilliant work of filmmakers from every era, including John Ford, Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino and many more. It's amazing to watch just how many movies have perfectly poetic beginnings and endings.

So what are some of the highlights? One of the earliest in the video comes from a film that was only released just last year: David Fincher's Gone Girl. The mirrored beginning and ending here isn't exactly subtle in framing, but what's lurking behind Rosamund Pike's eyes completely changes the context.

My next favorite is featured from Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch Drunk Love. This is a movie all about a man rejecting his loneliness and finding love, and it's illustrated perfectly here.

And then there's the visual magic of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, which juxtaposes "sunrise" with the giant space baby:

I've always found that part of the fun in watching these kinds of videos is simply naming as many of the movies as you can - and I imagine that many of you are the same way. If you've already made your guesses, head over to Page Two to check them against the full list of films, which the editor was kind enough to provide.

The MTV Movie Awards never pretended to be the Oscars. This is the ceremony, after all, that one time handed a Golden Popcorn trophy to Friday the 13th slasher Jason Voorhees for his Lifetime Achievement. They gave Jim Carrey a Best Male Performance trophy for Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls… which is the worst Ace Ventura movie. And they honored the Twilight films with Best Movie trophies ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS!

So yeah, we expect a little insanity when the MTV Movie Awards nominations come out. But the following 10 nominees are some of the most head-scratchingly bizarre recognitions, for assorted reasons. Let’s whittle through this year’s crop of potential MTV Movie Award winners to see who’s surprised to be included, and what bizarre categories in which they find themselves.

Jennifer Lopez, Best Scared-As-Shit Performance

Forty days. That’s how long Jennifer Lopez’s sultry, cheesy thriller The Boy Next Door has been in theaters. It came out in 2015, and still qualifies for this year’s MTV Movie Awards, alongside movies like Boyhood, Birdman and Whiplash. Why? No clue. But the movie made enough of an impact on the MTV voters that they dropped Jenny from the Block into the awesomely titled Best Scared As Shit Performance category. I guess her reps told the network ahead of time that she’d show up if nominated.

Rosario Dawson and Anders Holm, Best WTF Moment

The "Best WTF Moment" category is a puzzle. In most cases, they list the names of the actors, and the movies from which the WTF moment happened. Then, it’s up to you to guess. But all you have to see is the names Rosario Dawson and Anders Holm to know EXACTLY which WTF moment MTV selected from Chris Rock’s Top Five. It involves a tampon. And hot sauce. And … well, just rent the movie, and prepare for the worst!

Kate Upton, Best Shirtless Performance

Shirtless? Like, completely shirtless? I’m pretty sure I’d remember that. And Kate Upton didn’t go topless in The Other Woman. The above photo proves that she spotted the skimpiest bikini top possible. But the dudes competing with Ms. Upton for the coveted Best Shirtless Performance category completely shedded their clothing, and therefore earned their nominations. I’m calling shenanigans.

Rosamund Pike, Breakthrough Performance

For her role as sinister Amy Dunne in David Fincher’s Gone Girl, beautiful Rosamund Pike finally sees her name in the Breakthrough Performance category at the MTV Movie Awards. Try to overlook the fact that she’s been acting professionally since 1998. Or that she was a Bond girl in 2002’s Die Another Day. Or that she played the CGI blockbuster game with Wrath of the Titans, and co-starred alongside Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher. Is Gone Girl her biggest role to date? Probably. But this recognition’s pretty late.

Meryl Streep, Best Villain

Further proving the notion that Meryl Streep gets nominated simply by showing up on screen in whatever movie, the frequently brilliant but overpraised Streep collects her second nomination for Into the Woods (after the Academy bestowed similar honors). The part that I don’t get – and didn’t get when this same thing happened at the Oscars – is that Streep’s barely in Into the Woods. She comes and goes, choosing her moments. But does she give a performance? And a performance worthy of awards nominations? There are multiple villains I would have honored over Streep… but when Dame Meryl appears on screen, awards voters from every organization fall all over themselves to try to give her a trophy.

No Birdman in the Movie Of The Year Race

I get that MTV wants to distance itself from the Academy, so they nominate a number of films that the Oscars wouldn’t touch. Neighbors, The Fault In Our Stars and The Interview can contend for MTV Movie Awards, but they have no place (and no categories) at the Oscars. But if MTV’s going to reach out to films like Boyhood, Selma and American Sniper, shouldn’t Birdman – the eventual Best Picture winner – find a slot in MTV’s Best Movie of the Year category? I mean, Emma Stone is recognized for her performance. And MTV saw the Keaton-Norton fight. But no nom for Best Movie of the Year? Bizarre.