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Speak the truth, Alicia Silverstone: “Searching for a boy in high school is as useless as looking for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie.” Happy 30th birthday to Clueless, Amy Heckerling’s coming-of-age comedy starring the dynamic duo of Silverstone and Stacey Dash. Ever since it arrived in July 1995, it’s been prized as a Nineties masterpiece, as anyone will agree unless they’re a virgin who can’t drive. Silverstone stars as teen fashion plate and Wildean wit Cher Horowitz, shopping her way through an L.A. full of Baldwins,...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

The Actor (Duke Johnson)

For as much light as The Actor is bathed in, it’s equally shrouded in darkness. Duke Johnson’s solo directorial debut is a film of bleary sun and swallowing night and almost nothing in-between. It wouldn’t make sense to depict the in-between. That would be realistic, and The Actor is anything but real. Jubilant strings swell over vintage opening credits as we peer at the peaks of skyscrapers in a still, top-of-the-cityscape shot not too dissimilar from the angle we get on Saffron City in the original Super Smash Bros. The twinkling black-and-white image has a glowy 1950s TV-hour charm, the text surrounded by mid-century atomic sparkle logos (see: poster). It transitions neatly into the doomy...

Tom Cruise Oscar Nods (Photo Credit – Prime Video)

Although Hollywood star Tom Cruise will be presented with an Honorary Oscar at the 16th Annual Governors Awards on November 16, 2025, it won’t be for a specific performance or a particular film he produced. Over the years, the legendary actor came very close to winning an Academy Award — not just once or twice, but four times. Curious to know which films earned him those Oscar nominations and in what categories? Read on to find out.

1. Born On The Fourth Of July Release Year – 1989 Director – Oliver Stone Tom Cruise’s Oscar Nomination – Best Actor IMDb Rating – 7.2/10 Streaming On – Amazon Prime Video (Rent)

Plot: Based on a true story, the film follows the story of Sergeant Ron Kovic (played by Tom Cruise), a patriotic man who was paralyzed in the Vietnam War and eventually became a passionate anti-war activist.

Trending Not 28 Days Later, This...

A.C.T. of Ct will present the regional premiere of Almost Famous: The Musical, launching the theater’s highly anticipated 2025–2026 season. This will be the first production of the musical since its 2022 Broadway debut - and will be a thrilling reimagining of the piece, featuring a revised book and score by the original Broadway team: Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award–winning composer Tom Kitt, and Academy Award–winning writer and filmmaker Cameron Crowe. In a unique collaboration, both Kitt and Crowe will be working directly with A.C.T. of Ct Artistic Director, Daniel C. Levine who will direct the production. Bryan Perri, the original Broadway music supervisor of Almost Famous, will return to supervise the Ridgefield production. “Almost Famous is more than just a musical—it’s a...

In Tom Cruise’s star-studded resume, there are numerous explosive action, sci-fi, and thriller blockbusters and very few rom-coms. But despite being in the minority, his one flick with Renée Zellweger was such an epic masterpiece and fared so well that very few of his other projects have managed to live up to it: Jerry Maguire.

A name that pretty much every movie buff is very well aware of, Cruise’s said rom-com from 1996 didn’t take long to become a cult classic, thanks to the spectacular performance from the cast and crew. But, surprisingly, despite her own outstanding portrayal, Zellweger was actually ‘scared to death’ to work with Cruise in one scene!

Renée Zellweger was ‘scared to death’ while first working with Tom Cruise Renée Zellweger and Tom Cruise in a still from Jerry Maguire. | Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing.

Both Tom Cruise and Renée Zellweger, two of the most...

Oscar nominee Kate Hudson will be receiving the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation’s highest honor, the 2025 Pioneer of the Year Award on Oct. 8th at The Beverly Hilton.

The Pioneer of the Year Award is awarded to those respected members in the motion picture industry whose leadership, service to the community, and commitment to philanthropy are exceptional.

“Kate Hudson’s influence extends beyond her outstanding contributions to the motion picture business. Her commitment to philanthropy and social causes inspires audiences everywhere to be active in their communities and support each other in times of need,” said Lisa Bunnell, President of Distribution at Focus Features and President, Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation.

“Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation is proud to celebrate Kate’s achievements and recognize her with the 2025 Pioneer of the Year Award,” Bunnell added.

All proceeds raised at the event benefit Wrmppf’s Pioneers Assistance Fund,...

The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation has named actor and producer Kate Hudson as its 2025 Pioneer of the Year. She will be the guest of honor at the foundation’s annual fundraising dinner at the Beverly Hilton on October 8.

The Pioneer of the Year award is bestowed on leading figures in the entertainment industry “whose leadership, service to the community, and commitment to philanthropy are exceptional.” Past honorees include Greta Gerwig, Tom Cruise, Donna Langley and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

“Kate Hudson’s influence extends beyond her outstanding contributions to the motion picture business. Her commitment to philanthropy and social causes inspires audiences everywhere to be active in their communities and support each other in times of need,” said Lisa Bunnell, President of Distribution at Focus Features and President, Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation.

Hudson got her breakout role 25 years ago in Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous” as Penny, the...

Gailard Sartain, the character actor best known for his role in “The Buddy Holly Story” and his work on variety shows like “Hee Haw,” died Tuesday, June 17, at the age of 78.

Sartain’s death was announced on Facebook by The Church Studio, a Tulsa-based recording studio where the actor and comedian’s wife, Mary Jo, is a frequent volunteer. He is survived by Mary Jo.

A Tulsa native, Sartain was born on Sept. 18, 1946. He began his entertainment career in Tulsa, working first as a cameraman at the local television station where he eventually garnered his first bit of fame for creating and starring in “The Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Meeting,” a late-night comedy show he hosted as the fictional wizard Dr. Mazeppa Pompazoidi. Working with fellow Tulsa natives, including Gary Busey, Sartain wrote and performed special skits in between the show’s broadcasts of old B-movies.

It was his work as Dr.

Lola Tung is an American actress, singer, and model best known for her work as Isabel “Belly” Conklin in the Amazon Prime series The Summer I Turned Pretty. She has also starred on Broadway as Eurydice in Hadestown, which earned her two nominations for a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award and an iHeartRadio Music Award.

Lola Tung Biography: Age, Early Life, Family, Education

Tung was born on October 28, 2002 (Lola Tung age: 22) in New York City. Her mother is of Chinese and Swedish descent, and her father is of Eastern European descent.

In middle school, she acted in plays like The Wizard of Oz and Little Shop of Horrors. She followed her love of acting to Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she graduated in 2020 as a drama major. Later that fall, Tung attended Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, but took time off after finishing...

Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) has announced its slate of three major screening series for the summer, linked by the theme of big-screen moviegoing.

From late June through August, MoMI will present the 22-film retrospective Tom Cruise, Above and Beyond, which captures the full range of his charismatic star performances from the 1980s to present; its annual See It Big: 70mm! summer festival, with Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as its centerpiece; and the weekly Summer Saturdays with Dolby Atmos, featuring a wide-ranging selection of films, from science fiction to musicals, to demonstrate the spectacular audio and visual upgrades to its Sumner M. Redstone Theater.

Tom Cruise, who is both producer and star of the Mission: Impossible films, is also a main attraction in the Museum’s exhibition Mission: Impossible – Story and Spectacle. The exhibition explores how the series combines technical ingenuity, personal discipline and artistic commitment,...

With a film career that spans over four decades, Tom Cruise is arguably the biggest movie star of this generation. Cruise is associated with so many iconic film moments -- the dance in "Risky Business," the "need for speed" chant in "Top Gun," and "Show me the money!" in "Jerry Maguire," among many others -- that it seems like he's been a movie star forever.

He has been a critical darling through parts of his career but has mainly focused on blockbusters (acclaimed or not). He has received two Oscar nominations for Best Actor in "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) and "Jerry Maguire" (1996) plus another as Best Supporting Actor in "Magnolia" (1999). Those are the three performances that provided him with Golden Globe wins. His other four nominations with the Hollywood Foreign Press were for "Risky Business" (1983), "A Few Good Men" (1992), "The Last Samurai" (2003) and "Tropic Thunder" (2008). Many of these...

When Jaws was released 50 years ago, it was a massive hit that would become an unexpected phenomenon with a lasting legacy for years to come. As part of the extensive 50-year celebration of the film, which has included theatrical screenings and a new collector’s edition 4K release, Laurent Bouzerau’s documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story provides fans with the perfect opportunity to reflect back on the best shark movie ever made.

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story Review

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story examines the production and cultural impact of Steven Spielberg’s seminal 1975 masterpiece, which fundamentally changed Hollywood filmmaking and the public’s relationship with the oceanic predator for all of time. The documentary starts with Peter Benchley’s novel that inspired the movie and carries through its production and release, presenting a comprehensive look at how the film was made and received by audiences around the world.

Tom Cruise will soon be able to call himself an Oscar winner. The Mission: Impossible actor will be one of three individuals awarded an honorary Oscar at this year's Governors Awards.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted to present Cruise, actor-producer-choreographer Debbie Allen, and production designer Wynn Thomas with Honorary Awards at the 16th Annual Governors Awards, which will be held on Sunday, Nov. 16, in Los Angeles. Additionally, actor-singer-songwriter Dolly Parton will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Cruise's Honorary Award comes three years after he received a Best Picture nomination for Top Gun: Maverick, alongside the film's other producers, and more than 25 years after his last acting nomination, which was in the Best Supporting Actor category for Magnolia. He was also nominated for Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire, both in the Best Actor category.

The board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted to present actor/producer Tom Cruise, actress/producer/choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas with Honorary Awards, and actress/singer-songwriter Dolly Parton with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 16th annual Governors Awards, the organization announced Tuesday.

The honorees — whose selection was the final decision made by the 55 governors who served on the Academy’s board during the 2024-2025 term, including the likes of Pam Abdy, Jason Blum, Ruth E. Carter, Ava DuVernay, Marlee Matlin, Jason Reitman and Eric Roth — will be fêted at a black-tie ceremony at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 16.

“This year’s Governors Awards will celebrate four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community continue to leave a lasting impact,...

The movie that made Steven Spielberg a household name and made legends out of the crew of the Orca is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. June 20 will mark half a century since Jawswas released in theaters, making everyone a little more afraid to go in the water for decades since.

Jaws will be re-released in theaters later this summer, but fans who want to watch the original 1975 monster horror film and its three sequels can do so on Peacock. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Jaws, Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws 3 (1983), and Jaws: The Revenge 1987 are exclusively available on Peacock as of June 15.

Jaws 3-hour Special to Air on NBC this Week

For fans of the iconic film starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss, Jaws will make its way back into theaters starting Aug. 29 for a limited run through Sept. 4. Additionally, NBC will celebrate Jaws’ 50th anniversary on June 20 with a new three-hour special.

Star Tom Cruise has spent the last several years playing in the franchise sandbox, and the move has paid off handsomely. But there was a time when he'd collaborate with some of the biggest filmmakers in the business. In the first half of his career, Cruise worked with the likes of Stanley Kubrick, Cameron Crowe, Steven Spielberg, and more. He seems to be retreating from big-budget blockbusters, with an upcoming movie directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu lined up. At the same time, Cruise's career-defining franchise, Mission: Impossible, appears to have arrived at the end of the road with the recently released eighth installment, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.

The movie was marketed as the final installment of the long-running action franchise, which has generated over $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office. The Final Reckoning itself has grossed around $460 million globally, and is now among the 10 biggest hits of Cruise's remarkable career.

Twenty years ago, Kate Hudson and Kathryn Hahn played best friends looking for love in the classic rom-com “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.”

“It was my first movie,” Hahn tells Hudson. “To have you as the lead of it was so grounding. I don’t know what I imagined it would be like, but I certainly didn’t imagine it to feel just so freaking fun and loose and supported.”

Hudson had just starred in Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous,” for which she would be nominated for an Academy Award, and a close-up of her face served as the poster. “I remember thinking, ‘I hope every ex-boyfriend I’ve ever had sees this,’” Hudson says, laughing. “It was pretty trippy.”

Now Hahn and Hudson are each showing off their comedy genius on the small screen. Hahn goes from the world of “WandaVision” to leading her own show,...

Kate Hudson, the Golden Globe-winning and Critics Choice, SAG, BAFTA and Academy award-nominated actress who has been a bona fide movie star for 25 years, is getting some of her best reviews in years for her recent pivot to TV with the Netflix comedy series Running Point, on which she serves as an EP and plays a version of Jeanie Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. Last week, the inaugural Newport Beach TV Fest honored her with its Performer of the Year Award (Actress) — but first, she sat down at the fest with THR to record an episode of our Awards Chatter podcast.

Over the course of the conversation, Hudson, 46, reflected on what she learned from growing up with Goldie Hawn as her mother and Kurt Russell are her stepfather, but also how she sought to distance herself from them as she tried to break into the business. She...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Alan Rudolph’s Dramas of Desire

One of America’s great, oft-unheralded filmmakers, Alan Rudolph deserves far more recognition than he’s accumulated thus far. We recently published two extensive interviews with the director and now the Criterion Channel has a mini-retrospective, featuring Remember My Name (1978), Trouble In Mind (1985), Afterglow (1997), and Breakfast of Champions (1999).

Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel

Celebrating Gene Hackman

As we attempt to move on from a Gene Hackman-less world, the Criterion Channel has gathered some of his finest work to remember him by. Their series features The French Connection (1971), Scarecrow (1973), The Conversation (1974), Night Moves (1975), Eureka (1983), No Way Out (1987), and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).

Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel

Club Zero (Jessica Hausner)

Across her five previous features,...

Marilyn Monroe is incandescent in Billy Wilder’s comedy about a tempted married man, but it’s a film hampered by restrictions of the time

One of the patterns that emerges in Conversations With Wilder, a delightfully candid 1999 interview book that the director Cameron Crowe did with his film-making hero, Billy Wilder, is that Wilder tends to look more fondly on his hits than his misses. To him, commercial flops were rarely the result of audiences misunderstanding his work, but a regrettable failure on his part to connect with them. So it’s notable that Wilder didn’t have kind things to say about the Marilyn Monroe comedy The Seven Year Itch, a box-office sensation that’s rightfully settled a few tiers below classics like Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, The Apartment and Some Like It Hot, his brilliant second go-around with Monroe.

A work-for-hire job for Darryl Zanuck at 20th Century Fox,...

2025 marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest movies ever made, director Steven Spielberg’s classic Jaws – and about a year ago, we heard that National Geographic, Amblin Documentaries, and Nedland Media were teaming up to celebrate the anniversary with the documentary Jaws @ 50. Now, a trailer has been released for Jaws @ 50, which is set to begin streaming on Disney+ and Hulu as of July 11th. Check it out in the embed above!

The documentary focuses on the tumultuous production of the film as well as the writing of the original novel by Peter Benchley. Laurent Bouzereau, who directed Faye (a documentary about Faye Dunaway) and wrote the book Spielberg: The First Ten Years, directed Jaws @ 50. Bouzereau is also working on a documentary about composer John Williams.

Jaws @ 50 will include footage and photography from the Benchley and Spielberg archives, and will also...

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, “Jaws” is circling the boat yet again. In honor of the legendary blockbuster’s 50th anniversary, National Geographic is premiering “Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story” in July. From “Faye” and “Music by John Williams” filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau, the documentary will explore the notoriously troubled shoot, its groundbreaking release, and the ripple effects the movie had on the industry and beach culture.

“Jaws @ 50” will air at 9 p.m. Et on July 10 on National Geographic and then stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Spielberg, along with production designer Joe Alves, actors Jonathan Filley, Lorriane Gary, Carl Gottieb, Jeffrey Kramer, Jeffrey Voorhees, and composer John Williams are all interviewed. The documentary will also feature insight from high-profile fans and filmmakers, including Jordan Peele, Steven Soderbergh, James Cameron, Cameron Crowe, Emily Blunt, Greg Nicotero, J.J. Abrams, George Lucas,...

Photo Credit: National Geographic Before National Geographic’s Sharkfest became an annual event, there was one film that redefined our understanding of sharks and cinematic storytelling: Jaws. This summer, as we celebrate the enduring legacy of the movie that ignited our fascination with the ocean’s most iconic predator, National Geographic is taking us on an unprecedented journey behind the scenes with Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. Directed by the acclaimed Laurent Bouzereau (known for Faye and Music by John Williams), this 90-minute documentary promises the ultimate deep dive. From Peter Benchley’s smash novel to the revolutionary film phenomenon, Jaws @ 50 explores how the movie still influences pop culture, affects cinema, and even impacts shark preservation initiatives to this day. While you might believe you know all there is to know about Jaws, be ready to learn a totally fresh perspective. This definitive account, a collaboration between Steven Spielberg...

National Geographic goes behind the scenes of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws for the film’s 50th anniversary with the documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. Nat Geo credits the iconic film with launching its annual sharkfest, and with the celebratory documentary, fans of sharks and all things Jaws will be privy to brand-new details.

Shot on a $9-12 million-ish budget and released in June 1975, the PG-rated horror thriller is credited with being the first summer blockbuster. The 90-minute documentary, directed by Laurent Bouzereau, premieres on July 10, 2025 at 9pm Et/Pt on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

The 50th anniversary documentary features interviews with Steven Spielberg, Joe Alves (production designer), Jonathan Filley (Cassidy), Lorraine Gary (Ellen Brody), Carl Gottlieb, Jeffrey Kramer (Hendricks), Ian Shaw, Jeffrey Voorhees (Alex Kintner), and composer John Williams. Jaws fans J.J. Abrams, Emily Blunt, James Cameron, Cameron Crowe, George Lucas,...

Steven Spielberg's iconic creature feature Jaws premiered on June 20, 1975. Ahead of its 50th anniversary next month, National Geographic has announced a documentary on the behind-the-scenes production of the iconic films.

Since its release in 1975, Jaws has completely changed cinema and creature features. Ahead of its golden anniversary, the feature will be covered in the Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story documentary, which has been created with the critically acclaimed director's participation and blessing. Produced by Spielberg's own Amblin Documentaries and Nedland Films, ScreenRant officially unveiled the first trailer and revealed the 90-minute documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story premieres on July 10 on National Geographic, and is set to stream on Disney+ and Hulu the next day, on July 11.

The documentary Jaws @ 50 is directed by Laurent Bouzereau and also includes interviews with Steven Spielberg himself, who says in the trailer, "To me, making Jaws was a life-altering experience.

National Geographic’s Sharkfest wouldn’t exist without the film that changed cinema—and our relationship with sharks—forever: “Jaws.” This summer, in tribute to the movie that sparked a lasting fascination with the ocean’s most misunderstood predator, National Geographic goes behind the scenes of the legendary blockbuster with Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau, the 90-minute documentary takes viewers on the ultimate deep dive, from Peter Benchley’s bestselling novel to the cinematic phenomenon that is “Jaws” and how the film continues to ripple through pop culture, cinema and shark conservation to this day. You may think you know the full story of “Jaws”—but not until now.

Jaws @ 50 hails from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Documentaries and Nedland Films, in partnership with Wendy Benchley and Laura Bowling, and is this summer’s only authorized documentary on the making of “Jaws,” with...

This summer, in tribute to the movie that sparked a lasting fascination with the ocean’s most misunderstood predator, National Geographic goes behind the scenes of the legendary blockbuster with Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau, the 90-minute documentary takes viewers on an in-depth exploration, from Peter Benchley’s bestselling novel to the cinematic phenomenon that is Jaws, and how the film continues to resonate through pop culture, cinema, and shark conservation to this day. You may think you know the full story of Jaws—but not until now.

Jaws @ 50 hails from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Documentaries and Nedland Films, in partnership with Wendy Benchley and Laura Bowling, and is this summer’s only authorized documentary on the making of Jaws, with the award-winning director himself diving back into the story that launched his career and earned him final cut on the film, a...

Just in time for the film’s golden anniversary, National Geographic has announced Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, a 90-minute documentary offering the most comprehensive behind-the-scenes account of Jaws ever produced. ScreenRant is proud to exclusively debut the trailer, poster, and official release date. The film premieres July 10 on National Geographic and streams July 11 on Disney+ and Hulu.

Directed by Laurent Bouzereau, Jaws @ 50 is the only authorized documentary tied to the film’s 50th anniversary. With Steven Spielberg’s full participation and blessing, the film is produced by Spielberg's own Amblin Documentaries and Nedland Films, alongside Wendy Benchley (wife of Jaws author Peter Benchley) and Laura Bowling.

Nat Geo's Jaws documentary includes newly recorded reflections from Spielberg who opens up about the infamously difficult shoot that nearly derailed his career - from battling malfunctioning mechanical sharks and harsh weather to suffering post-production Ptsd. The film includes never-before-seen...

While it’s hard to pinpoint the right criteria for what makes a great stoner comedy, you can tell one when you see it. Although highly-acclaimed stoner comedies are a rarity these days, especially in the mainstream spotlight, one can always revert to classics, especially the one that shaped a generation’s vocabulary by embedding the word awesome.

Released in ’82, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, despite its initial box-office shortcomings, became a landmark in stoner comedy and went on to popularize the word in question.

We’ve Sean Penn’s “awesome” portrayal of Jeff Spicoli to thank for it Fast Times at Ridgemont High | Credit: Universal Pictures

While high school-centered movies were losing steam by the early ’80s, Cameron Crowe’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High rolled in and became a cultural behemoth. Although it did take it time to hit among viewers, by the time the positive word of mouth spread,...

A Tom Cruise classic romantic sports drama, which nearly featured another famous Tom in the leading role, is now an online hit almost three decades after its theatrical debut. The beloved Sony blockbuster, Jerry Maguire, finds new life on the streaming charts as Cruise enjoys success with his latest film, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.

Per Flix Patrol, Jerry Maguire is in the top 10 of free streamer Pluto TV's movie chart. The film is one of four Cruise films on the chart, with the other three being Mission: Impossible entries, including the original film, released the same year as Jerry Maguire, Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation, which holds the top spot.

Starring alongside Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger and Kathleen Hunt, Cruise portrays the eponymous slick sports agent in Jerry Maguire. The film sees Maguire have an epiphany after being criticized by an injured player's son, leading him...

John Cusack brought troubling stalker behavior, er, teen rom-com courtship to new heights in 1989’s Say Anything, standing outside the family home of valedictorian Diane Court with a boombox raised above his head. As everyone remembers, Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” was the song that Lloyd Dobler chose to wake the neighbors. But that scene could have sounded much different if Cusack had his way.

That’s because “In Your Eyes” wasn’t the first song director Cameron Crowe tried in the iconic scene. “No, not at all,” he told Dan Patrick in 2017. “In fact, that was a scene that was not working at all.”

What was the problem? Blame it on Cusack’s love of the ska-punk band Fishbone. Crowe was also a fan, which accounted for the original song blasting out of Lloyd’s boombox: “Bonin’ in the Boneyard.” Give a listen and dig the amorous vibes...

The 1990s was a time of optimism and opportunity, but Gen-Xers also had a lot on their minds. This was reflected in the cinema of the decade as we pondered our love lives, our approach to work, and the way we partied. Things got extra angsty around the turn of the century with concerns about the future and our relationship with technology that seemed like science fiction a decade or so earlier. Two movies bookending the end of the 20th century, in particular, brought all this together: "The Matrix" and "Vanilla Sky." While they look vastly different on the surface, both films asked the same question: Would you rather stay tucked inside a blissfully ignorant dream world or wake up and face real life head-on?

"Vanilla Sky" was Cameron Crowe's next film after "Almost Famous," and it feels very much a '90s movie despite its release date in...

Over 40 years after its release, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" remains one of the funniest stoner comedies ever made. Helmed by first-time director Amy Heckering (over a decade before she would direct "Clueless") from a screenplay by then-newcomer Cameron Crowe (before his work on "Almost Famous" and "Jerry Maguire"), the 1982 film followed a group of slacker kids as they navigate the socially volatile waters of sophomore year at Ridgemont High School.

"Fast Times" famously boasts an ensemble cast that includes several actors who would go on to become massive stars, some in tiny roles you may not remember. We took a look back at the "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" cast to see where their careers took them after they graduated from sneaky hooks up and joints to Academy Award-winning roles in major feature films.

Here's what happened to the "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" cast.

Read more: The Greatest Character Actors Of All Time,...

This Tom Cruise–Penelope Cruz Romance Thriller ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

When Tom Cruise watched the Spanish mystery Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes), he reportedly called his agent to purchase its remake rights precisely when the end credits were rolling. At least that’s how mesmerized the Mission: Impossible megastar became by this story, even though the audiences would largely disagree four years later. Vanilla Sky, the remake, co-starred Cameron Diaz and Penélope Cruz, the latter reprising her role from the original.

Vanilla Sky: A Box Office Hit With a Brutal CinemaScore

Unlike Alejandro Amenábar’s directorial work, Tom Cruise and Jerry Maguire director Cameron Crowe’s production could not sway the audience. So much so that Vanilla Sky received the lowest possible grade one could get by cinemagoers, as CinemaScore recorded a “D-” from theater viewers.

For comparison, the 2024 musical sequel Joker: Folie à Deux got a slightly fairer “D,...

Matthias Schweighöfer, star of Fatih Akin’s “Amrum,” wanted to work with the acclaimed “Edge of Heaven” and “In the Cut” director for years before an opportunity presented itself, he told Steve Pond during TheWrap’s Cannes Conversations in partnership with Brand Innovators.

The German Schweighöfer had been building a career of his own not just as an actor in projects like “Valkyrie” and Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead,” but as a director in his own right with films like “The Manny” and “You Are Wanted.”

Things worked out for Schweighöfer and Akin to work together after “he called me again and said, ‘Matthias, there is this one cool thing called ‘Amrum.’ I didn’t want to direct it. I only would produce it, but now I have to direct it. And I would love you to play a part in this,'” Schweighöfer recalled.

The resulting film...

Exclusive: Paula Wagner, the onetime budding actress-turned-superagent-turned studio owner in partnership with Tom Cruise, who helped produce the first three Mission: Impossible movies, was asked a question several years ago by students at DePaul University in Chicago that she was amply qualified to answer: What is a star?

A star, Wagner explained that day, “lights up the sky and gives heat and light and energy, and then they burn out.”

Greta Garbo, she observed, “retired at 30.”

Where does Wagner place Cruise, I ask, just as Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was having its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

Related: ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ Review: The Sky’s The Limit In Ethan Hunt’s ‘Last’ Adventure – Cannes Film Festival

“He’s Tom Cruise, he is a phenomenon. He really is. And from the moment I met him in July of 1981, he exuded that quality. The difference...

20 years ago, 20th Century Fox began the summer-blockbuster season with a sword-and-sandals epic about the Crusades. Kingdom of Heaven‘s pedigree was impressive, if not bulletproof. Ridley Scott was only five years on from his Best Picture-winning Gladiator and newly minted movie star Orlando Bloom had plum, stand-out roles in two successful franchises (one of which had just won Best Picture itself). Still, it was a risky endeavor. Even riskier when considering the filmmakers’ challenging of religious truths and customs at a time when many had allowed fear to give way to hate, using their faith as a rationalization for terrible sins.

The film tells of the blacksmith Balian (Bloom), a tortured soul reeling from the death of his wife and infant child. His father, Baron Godfrey (Liam Neeson), and legion of crusading knights arrive to invite him to travel with them to the Holy Land. Though he initially refuses,...

Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party arrives as a freshly unearthed fragment of rock history, shot in 1982–83 by Cameron Crowe and partners Doug Dowdle and Phil Savenick, then vanished after a single MTV broadcast. Restored in 2025 and now streaming on Paramount+, the film frames itself as “A Profile by Cameron Crowe,” trading a conventional narrative arc for candid exchanges and unguarded moments.

Footage oscillates between backstage banter and full-throttle performance, giving camera priority to Petty’s candid reflections on record-company friction and lineup changes. Crowe’s presence remains present but measured, allowing the frontman’s dry wit and musical passion to drive each sequence. The grain of 16 mm film—shadows of locker-room rehearsals, the glare of stadium lights—anchors viewers in that transitional era when MTV’s experimental spirit met the Heartbreakers’ guitar-first ethos.

This hour of material promises more than nostalgia for longtime fans. It unveils Petty’s compositional method in impromptu demos,...

Today, Tom Cruise can do whatever he wants in his movies, and no one can tell him he can’t have the ending he wants. But when he was new in the business, he had to yield and agree to studios and producers who wanted different narratives.

Cruise continues to be on top of his game even after decades of making movies in Hollywood. He certainly has that charm that attracts people of all ages. We may know him from his work on the Mission: Impossible franchise, but he rose to fame after starring in 1983’s Risky Business.

Tom Cruise reveals original ending of Risky Business

One of the biggest A-listers in Tinseltown, Tom Cruise, came from humble beginnings before rising to the top. His first minor role was in the 1981 romantic drama Endless Love, but it was his performance in 1983’s romantic comedy Risky Business that propelled him to stardom.

Hal Ashby left a lasting legacy, influencing modern filmmakers such as Cameron Crowe, Wes Anderson, and Alexander Payne, among others. His best work came out in the 1970s and is defining of the cinematic style of American movies from that decade. Since Payne’s “The Holdovers” takes place in 1970, it’s only natural for it to take notes from Ashby’s comedy-dramas. But, it goes further than emulating the visual palette of those movies, providing thematic and characteristic similarities. Tipping his hat to the master, Alexander Payne created one of the best comedy-dramas of recent years.

Ashby delved into other genres too, but he is best known for his comedy-dramas like “Harold & Maude,” “The Last Detail,” “Shampoo,” and “Being There.” Illustrating the counterculture movement of the time in an introspective manner, the social satire of these movies has stood the test of time. Alexander Payne may have created a...

As Lester Bangs said in Almost Famous, “The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool.” And director Cameron Crowe is going to share the story of his “uncool” life with a memoir arriving later this year titled, aptly enough, The Uncool.

Simon & Schuster (via their Avid Reader Press imprint) will release Cameron Crowe’s memoir this fall, with an October 28th shelf date. As far as the era The Uncool will cover, fans and readers can expect it to lean heavily on Crowe’s time immersing himself in the music industry, where he found himself as a teen working for Rolling Stone and reporting on the likes of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, the Eagles, Led Zeppelin, and more.

As per the publisher, The Uncool “offers a front-row ticket to the 1970s, a golden era for music and art when rock was young.

Before she became everyone’s favorite goth forensic genius on NCIS, Pauley Perrette had already been in a short-lived but beloved legal drama that flew under the radar. A whole seven years before stepping into Abby Sciuto’s lab coat, she starred in a quirky two-season series that’s now got cult status among TV buffs.

Sadly, despite its charm and a loyal fanbase, the network pulled the plug way too soon. It’s one of those “canceled too early” heartbreakers and a hidden gem in Perrette’s pre-NCIS resume.

Before NCIS, Pauley Perrette starred in Murder One, a forgotten legal drama

Seven years before NCIS made her a household name, Pauley Perrette was already serving up standout performances — this time in a sharp, short-lived legal drama called Murder One. The show ran for two seasons on ABC, and Perrette joined the cast in Season 2, which aired in 1996. It didn’t last long,...

Coming off of the high of the record-breaking summer blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine, Hugh Jackman has some exciting and unconventional plans for the future. With the incredible box-office performance of his latest Wolverine appearance, people might assume Jackman would ride out the success in other action comedy movies, but the X-Men actor is instead returning to his musical roots. Jackman has shown off his considerable musical talents in movie musicals The Greatest Showman and Les Misérables, and now the triple threat is joining Kate Hudson (who just released an album) in a new musical from the director of Hustle & Flow.

Focus Features has set Song Sung Blue for a wide release on December 25, 2025. The film, written and directed by Craig Brewer, stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson and tells the inspiring true story of two down-on-their-luck performers who form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it's never too late...

Everyone loves Tom Cruise’s running sequences. The actor has a particular style that has now become iconic and is a staple in most of his movies, especially the Mission: Impossible franchise. While the action franchise has seen him do death-defying stunts, the one truly impossible mission that he pulled off was not even in the films.

Cruise’s film Vanilla Sky features a particular scene where his character enters a deserted Times Square in New York and runs along the popular tourist destination. The film crew reportedly got permission to shut down the whole of Times Square for the sequence, a feat that has not been achieved since.

Tom Cruise’s Vanilla Sky shut down Times Square just for him to run A still from Vanilla Sky | Credits: Paramount Pictures

Tom Cruise’s Vanilla Sky was Inception before Inception. The mind-bending thriller was a remake of director Alejandro Amenábar...

Vanilla Sky is Cameron Crowe’s divisive remake of Abre los Ojos (Open Your Eyes). A fascinating, nonetheless, heavy film – packed with s*x, violence, and mad amounts of drinking – it asks us a big question: Would you choose a perfect dream over an imperfect reality? The journey to that answer, however, is anything but easy.

Released when Hollywood was still willing to take creative risks in a way that we don’t see pan out today, much like Tom Cruise in this instance, Vanilla Sky feels like a jolt – a relic of a time long gone.

Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky stars Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz | Credits: Paramount

More than twenty years after its release, let’s look into how the film came to life, the paycheck Cruise took home, and why Vanilla Sky continues to resonate decades later, even though critics felt otherwise when it first came out.

Damon Wayans started his career as a stand-up comedian before starring in several shows. In the 1990s, Wayans transitioned to films, establishing himself with hits such as Bulletproof, The Last Boy Scout, and Major Payne.

Despite his impressive resume, Wayans has never come close to winning an Academy Award. However, the actor-comedian might have had a shot at the prestigious award had he landed a part in a Tom Cruise movie of the 1990s.

Damon Wayans on the Club Shay Shay podcast (Credit: YouTube).

During a recent podcast appearance, Wayans reflected on losing out on the supporting role in Cruise’s sports comedy-drama Jerry Maguire. The role eventually went to Cuba Gooding Jr., who won an Oscar for his performance. Here is what Wayans had to say about missing out on the Oscar-winning role.

Damon Wayans lost out on an Oscar-winning role in Tom Cruise’s Jerry Maguire

Damon Wayans...

Zooey Deschanel, acclaimed for her performances in comedy films like “The Good Girl” (2002), “The New Guy” (2002), “Elf” (2003), “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” (2005), “Failure to Launch” (2006), “Yes Man” (2008), and “500 Days of Summer” (2009), stands at a height of 5 feet 4 ½ inches, or approximately 163.8 cm.

She first gained significant attention in the film industry as Anita in Cameron Crowe’s 2000 movie “Almost Famous.”

Zooey Deschanel sparkles next to co-star Christopher Mintz-Plasse in a floral-embellished mini dress and glittery pointed-toe heels at the Trolls: Band Together screening in Hollywood on November 15, 2023 (Credit: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Abaca Press / INSTARimages)

Above Average? Exploring Zooey Deschanel’s Height and Shoe Size

To put this in perspective, the average height of an American woman is about 5 feet 4 inches (about 162.6 cm), which means Zooey Deschanel’s height is just slightly above the national average.

Zooey Deschanel stuns in a black velvet mini dress with a sparkling waist detail,...

Dennis McDougal, who covered Hollywood for the Los Angeles Times before writing biographies of Lew Wasserman, Bob Dylan and Jack Nicholson, died Saturday of injuries suffered in a car crash. He was 77.

McDougal and his wife, Sharon, 76, were driving from their home in Memphis to visit family in the Los Angeles area when their car was rear-ended on Interstate 10 near Palm Springs, his granddaughter Megan Cole Lyle told the Times.

The couple was airlifted to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he died. Sharon McDougal died of her injuries two days later.

McDougal’s 1998 book, The Last Mogul, Lew Wasserman, McA and the Hidden History of Hollywood, was ranked No. 59 by The Hollywood Reporter on its October 2023 list of The 100 Greatest Film Books of All Time.

“McDougal conducted 200 interviews to determine how a man who came from nothing grew McA into the world’s largest talent agency, ran...

Tom Cruise Owes Tom Hanks (Photo Credit – Wikipedia)

Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks are two of Hollywood’s biggest stars. But beyond their first names and A-list status, they couldn’t be more different. Hanks built his career on heartfelt dramas and feel-good roles.

He won back-to-back Oscars and became ‘America’s Dad.’ Cruise, on the other hand, took the action route. He became Hollywood’s biggest daredevil, pulling off jaw-dropping stunts even in his 60s. But once upon a time, Hanks almost landed a role that Cruise made iconic. And he still thinks Cruise owes him for it—literally.

In the mid-’90s, director Cameron Crowe was working on Jerry Maguire. He initially foresaw Hanks as the lead. But by the time the project got rolling, Hanks had outgrown the role. Cruise stepped in, and the rest is history. Hanks, meanwhile, focused on his directorial debut, That Thing You Do!...

Jennifer’s Body should have done far better than it did at the box office, even if it was in the poster alone: a red-hot Megan Fox (already a sex symbol of the Maxim variety) in a short dress sitting on top of a desk that’s hiding a severed body part. But it didn’t work – and it’s the marketing itself that co-star Amanda Seyfried thinks is to blame for the audience not finding Jennifer’s Body.

Speaking with GQ (via EW), Amanda Seyfried said that the reason Jennifer’s Body only made $16 million domestically had to do with how Fox bungled the way to pitch it to audiences. “If the critics criticize anything, it would be the marketing. The marketing sucked. It just did, and we all agree…The marketing team cheapened it, like it was just, you know, a romp. A gory romp. I think they ruined it.