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Kim Basinger is the blonde bombshell has certainly proved her bonafides as an actress, quickly going from sex symbol to respected Oscar winner. Let’s take a look back at 10 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1953 in Athens, Georgia, Basinger got her start as a model before turning to acting, catching the attentions of movie audiences as a Bond girl in the Sean Connery-starring “Never Say Never Again” (1983). She earned her first Golden Globe nomination soon thereafter for a supporting performance as Robert Redford‘s love interest in “The Natural” (1984).

She courted controversy with her sexually explicit turn in Adrien Lyne‘s “9 1/2 Weeks” (1986) and became a box office draw with Tim Burton‘s superhero smash “Batman” (1989). She even proved she could poke fun at herself with a cameo appearance in “Wayne’s World 2” (1992) as the aptly-named Honey Horneé.

It was with Curtis Hanson‘s neo-noir masterpiece “L.

No two actors shaped the role of James Bond as profoundly as Sean Connery and Daniel Craig. Connery was the first to bring him to life, and Craig saw him die. Both were physically imposing—Connery the ex-bodybuilder, and Craig with “that beautiful boxer’s face.” Both were in their...

James Bond is one of the most enduring characters in film history.

The fictional British Secret Service agent, created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming and also known as 007, made his debut in 1962′s Dr. No, with Sean Connery starring as Bond.

There have been over two dozen films ever since, leading up to the most recent entry: No Time to Die, starring Daniel Craig as the titular character.

The films have grossed over $7 billion at the box office, making it the fifth highest grossing film series of all time. As far as their critical reception, however, the movies greatly range from largely negative reviews to near-universal acclaim.

We’ve rounded up the 25 official Bond movies released over the past decades, and ranked them based on their Rotten Tomatoes score.

Click through to see what the best James Bond movies are, ranked…...

Rowan Atkinson has entertained audiences as Mr. Bean since the 90s, which remains the most popular role of his career. The talented comedian certainly ranks among the top echelon of the greatest comedians ever. Atkinson also starred in some other amazing films, including Never Say Never Again, Love Actually, and most recently, Wonka.

Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean in 1997’s Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie | Credits: Working Title Films

The actor is known for his charming personality and incredible wit as seen in his media interactions and interviews. However, the comedian’s inspiring actions in a life-and-death situation in his life prevented a catastrophe that would have resulted in his death along with his family. The extraordinary details of the event prove that Atkinson is a force to be reckoned with.

Rowan Atkinson Became A Real Life Superhero As He Saved His Family From A Plane Crash

The Johnny English...

The Oscar winner’s surprise casting in Avengers – not as Iron Man but as Doctor Doom – will bring much-needed gravity to the role. But will the MCU acknowledge his past life as Tony Stark?

Is it really so shocking that Robert Downey Jr is to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not as Iron Man/Tony Stark, but as the supervillain Doctor Doom? Well yes, because nobody had really seen this coming when the actor was unveiled at Comic-Con in San Diego last weekend. Despite the advent of the multiverse after Stark’s death in Avengers: Endgame more than five years ago, the studio had opted not to bring the superhero back as a version of himself from another reality, even though this would have been easier than Doctor Strange opening a portal to the nearest Himalayan tea shop. The sense was that Downey Jr was probably done with this superhero stuff,...

The ‘unofficial’ James Bond film that met with lots of legal hurdles. And the comedy that sounded different – until The Sopranos came along…

Sean Connery had vowed he was never going to return as James Bond after 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever. Meanwhile, a man called Kevin McClory had agreed not to exercise his screen rights to the story of Thunderball until 1975. Yet the highest profile ‘unofficial’ Bond project would bring them both together, as Never Say Never Again did battle with the official 007 film Octopussy at the 1983 box office.

A different battle played out in 1999, as Robert De Niro took the plunge into comedy with Analyze This. It’d be an early hit in a year that was awash with them – yet the idea of a mob boss seeing a shrink, that seemed original when the film was conceived – was about to slam head-first into a brand new TV show…...

It’s been more than a decade since the release of Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and even today, gamers are fascinated by exploring its massive open world. Seriously, Todd Howard and his team have managed to craft a game that has defined an entire generation of gamers, leaving a mark in the gaming landscape.

It’s really easy to play through The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and get caught up in the immersive world and lore, which might make you forget about the fantastic voice acting that went into the game. While multiple voice actors have lent their talents to a number of characters, others are limited to a handful or simply one. That being said, there are very famous names attached to Skyrim, including one who even played Diana Prince in the DC’s incredibly popular Wonder Woman series!

Wonder Woman Voiced Some Popular Characters in...

The James Bond franchise has long been blossoming in the action genre and remains among the fan-favorite franchises. It is rich in many elements, from thrilling action sequences to innovative gadgets, that captivated audiences for decades. It is all thanks to Ian Fleming, the creator behind the iconic 007 spy, who laid the foundation of the vast saga.

Sean Connery in Goldfinger [Credit: United Artists]However, many would be surprised to know that he was against the idea of Sean Connery to take up the iconic role. Fleming would have done with anyone, but not Connery, and the reason would surprise many!

Sean Connery’s James Bond Was Different from What Ian Fleming Intended

In Nicholas Shakespeare’s biography of Bond author Ian Fleming, titled Ian Fleming: The Complete Man, the author shared insights on what went behind the scenes in a film adaptation of Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel Casino Royale.

Many people may not know this, but before Steven Seagal’s action movie heyday, he worked as a martial arts instructor and choreographer. Most famously, he was super agent Michael Ovitz’s martial arts teacher. Ovitz, notoriously, thought he could make anyone a movie star, and proved it by securing Steven Seagal a movie deal at Warner Bros, where he made Above the Law… and the rest was history.

Another guy Steven Seagal trained was Sean Connery, who was one of Ovitz’s first major clients. The agent paired Connery up with Seagal to get him into shape for the unofficial James Bond movie, Never Say Never Again. Connery was fifty-two at the time and had a couple of fight sequences in the film, so Seagal was brought in to whip him into shape. One day, while sparring, Seagal broke Connery’s wrist. The urban legend is that Connery did something that made him angry,...

In Jay Roach's 1997 James Bond spoof "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," the film's villain, Dr. Evil (Mike Myers), aims to murder off his arch-nemesis by dropping him into a tank full of man-eating sharks. In a supervillainous twist, the sharks will be equipped with laser beams affixed to their heads. Dr. Evil says he likes his pets to have a well-cooked meal before eating. He then cackles maniacally. A lieutenant of his, however, informs Dr. Evil that buying sharks equipped with lasers is immensely difficult and that the tank is, instead, filled with flesh-eating sea bass. Dr. Evil isn't thrilled. "You know, I have one simple request," Dr. Evil says, "and that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!"

One cannot say if there's a direct connection to the above scene and a James Bond movie that Sean Connery once wrote, but there are a few uncanny similarities.

Sean Connery’s legacy in film history is irrefutable just as much as his contribution to the evolution of late 20th-century cinema. Despite the era’s misgivings and misogyny, Connery remains an irrevocable icon for his role as James Bond in the franchise’s first live-action film Dr. No. His blue-eyed, broad-shouldered, and laid-back charm not only hypnotized millions but also brought the Scotsman fame on a level previously unheard of.

Sean Connery in Goldfinger [Credit: United Artists]However, under fame’s seductive grip, Connery ended up shunning other roles that would go on to become equally iconic in the years to come. Sadder still, the actor blatantly used his fame as a tool to lord over industry producers and directors for a bigger payday.

Sean Connery Passed Up on Iconic Role Due to James Bond

Ruthless, sadistic, and diabolical, Brick Top remains one of the most exaggerated and terrifying on-screen villains to date.

As Samuel L. Jackson's bounty hunter says in "The Hateful Eight," "Let's slow it down. Let's slow it wayyyyy down." That's the vibe right now when it comes to what was originally going to be filmmaker Quentin Tarantino's 10th and final movie, "The Movie Critic." Although it initially seemed that the film was on a smooth, steady track to getting made fairly soon, Tarantino has changed his mind and decided to drop it altogether, according to Deadline.

As reported earlier this year, "The Movie Critic" would have re-teamed Tarantino with "Inglourious Basterds" and "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" star Brad Pitt as well as that film's distribution studio Sony. It would've been a film about "Travis Bickle if he were a film critic," according to comments the filmmaker made last year about the script.

Even though a rewrite of the script delayed the initial production schedule, right...

James Bond isn’t just another name. It’s an entire legacy on its own. Stemmed from Ian Fleming’s novels, the British secret agent quickly became a household name, and eventually, a huge part of the film industry. Seven actors have had their turn of bringing the character to life but it all started with Sean Connery all the way back in 1962.

Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No (1962)

While Sean Connery’s portrayal of the character still remains an iconic one, Ian Fleming was initially not his biggest fan. In fact, when Sean Connery was finally cast as James Bond, the author was quick to comment that the actor was not the “elegant man” he had quite hoped for. To top it all off, Ian Fleming was actually interested in another actor altogether!

Ian Fleming Had His Doubts about Sean Connery

Never Say Never Again (1983)

Starting with Dr. No,...

Clockwise from top left: Vera Drew in The People’s Joker, Sean Connery in Never Say Never Again, and Jay Underwood in Fantastic Four Photo: Altered Innocence We live in a world dominated by intellectual property. Save for Oppenheimer and The Sound Of Freedom, last year’s 10 highest-grossing movies released domestically were all sequels,...

Clockwise from top left: Vera Drew in The People’s Joker, Sean Connery in Never Say Never Again, and Jay Underwood in Fantastic FourPhoto: Altered Innocence, Screenshot: YouTube, YouTube

We live in a world dominated by intellectual property. Save for Oppenheimer and The Sound Of Freedom, last year’s 10 highest-grossing...

Sir Sean Connery is popularly known for being the first actor to portray the famous fictional British secret agent James Bond on-screen. He starred in a total of seven James Bond movies from 1962 to 1983, with Never Say Never Again being his last appearance as the 007 agent.

The Scottish actor was regarded as one of the finest actors in the industry and for his service to drama he was made a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in France and a Knight by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000. Not only was Sean Connery a brilliant actor, but he was also one of the brave ones who faced a real-life mobster with no hesitance on his face.

Sean Connery in Dr. No Jay Leno says Sir Sean Connery was a ‘tough guy’

Jay Leno appeared on The Pete and Sebastian Show, and during the conversation, the television host and comedian remembered...

Actor who played Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again and had roles in Doctor Who and Blake’s 7

The actor Pamela Salem, who has died aged 80, brought a touch of class to a number of well-known franchises during a screen career of more than 50 years. She achieved cinematic immortality by playing the loyal secretary Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983), an anomalous entry to the canon, made independently of the Eon-produced series, that marked the return of Sean Connery to the role of the famous secret agent after an absence of 12 years.

Salem had worked with Connery on the 1978 film The First Great Train Robbery and when he found out she was in the running for Moneypenny he encouraged the producers to hire her. She was disappointed that many of her scenes ended up on the cutting-room floor, but...

The biggest, most audacious James Bond movie during Sean Connery’s celebrated run as the British superspy is 1965’s Thunderball, a spectacular adaptation of the Ian Fleming novel of the same name. Thunderball sees the insidious terrorist syndicate Spectre steal two nuclear warheads from NATO and hold the world governments hostage for ￡100 million. After a run-in with Spectre operatives at a local clinic while recuperating from a recent mission, Bond suspects the warheads are hidden in the Bahamas and convinces M to investigate further. Upon arriving, Bond matches wits with high-ranking Spectre figure Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) and assassin Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi), romancing Largo’s girlfriend Domino (Claudine Auger) as he searches for the warheads.

Nearly 60 years after its initial release, Thunderball remains the highest-earning Bond film in North America after adjusting for inflation and is the second in the long-running series to win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Pamela Salem, who portrayed Miss Moneypenny in the non-Eon James Bond movie Never Say Never Again, has passed away at the age of 80.

While Pamela Salem’s turn as Moneypenny was a one-off – and in a film that is widely not considered part of the 007 canon – her go at the beloved character can’t be ignored. Interestingly, despite how frequently the character appears in the Bond universe, she has only been played by a small selection of actresses: Lois Maxwell, Caroline Bliss, Samantha Bond, and Naomie Harris. But only Salem has the distinction of playing Miss Moneypenny just one time.

But not once was there any strange bad blood between Pamela Salem or her predecessors, particularly Maxwell. As per a 1984 interview (via The Hollywood Reporter), Salem said, “I had seen Moneypenny before, of course, in the earlier films played by Lois Maxwell…At first [the media] tried to stir things up between...

Pamela Salem — a British actress whose many TV credits included the the BBC adventure series Buccaneer, the 1980s children’s series Into the Labyrinth, plus EastEnders and Doctor Who — died on Feb. 21. She was 80.

A cause of death has not yet been disclosed.

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On ITV’s Into the Labyrinth, Salem was the evil witch Belor, on the BBC sudser EastEnders she played the shady Joanne Francis, and her Doctor Who franchise roles included a...

Pamela Salem, who portrayed Miss Moneypenny in Never Say Never Again opposite Sean Connery in his final turn as James Bond, has died. She was 80.

Salem died Wednesday in Surfside, Florida, according to Big Finish Productions, for whom she participated in several audio productions.

“Whenever there was a Big Finish recording for her, she’d fly in from Miami on her own steam, without fuss or fanfare, and appear at the studio armed with the warmest smiles, the biggest hugs and often presents,” producer David Richardson said in a statement.

For the BBC’s Doctor Who, Salem played the sandminer pilot Lish Toos on 1977’s “The Robots of Death” and Professor Rachel Jensen on 1988’s “Remembrance of the Daleks.” She reprised both roles for Big Finish in the audio drama series The Robots and radio spinoff series Counter Measures.

Salem also portrayed the evil sorceress Belor on the 1981-82 ITV...

British actress Pamela Salem has died at the age of 80.

Salem, who starred in James Bond and Doctor Who, died on Wednesday, according to Big Finish Productions.

Born in 1944 in India, she played Bond’s secretary Miss Moneypenny in Sean Connery’s 1983 film Never Say Never Again, which is considered an unofficial addition to the Bond canon because it was not produced by Eon Productions.

Salem made guest appearances in Doctor Who as Professor Rachel Jensen, first appearing in 1988’s Remembrance of the Daleks episodes with Sylvester McCoy’s seventh Doctor.

She reprised the character in Counter-Measures, a Big Finish audio spin-off series. The more recent story in the series, The Dalek Gambit, was released in 2020.

She also guest starred in Big Finish’s The Fourth Doctor Adventures (reunited with Tom Baker) and then reprised the role of Toos in The Robots.

Other screen roles included 1978 crime film The Great Train Robbery...

The star known as Miss Moneypenny in Never Say Never Again and Prof Rachel Jensen in Doctor Who has died aged 80

Pamela Salem, known for her role as James Bond’s secretary Miss Moneypenny in Sean Connery’s Never Say Never Again, has died at the age of 80. The British actor, who also had a role in 1978 crime film The Great Train Robbery opposite Connery, died on Wednesday according to Big Finish Productions.

Born in 1944 in India, she attended Heidelberg university in Germany and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, before starting in repertory theatre in Chesterfield and York. She also appeared in US drama series The West Wing, where she played the UK prime minister, and medical series ER.

There’s no question that the James Bond film franchise – the second longest-running such series in cinema history after Godzilla – comes with certain expectations in the minds of viewers. We can predict, mostly like clockwork, that 007 will wear a tux at some point in every film, he will bed at least one or more beautiful women, he’ll drive an Aston Martin (or some other high-end vehicle), and that he’ll have one polite conversation with the villain before the shooting really starts. There will also be a surreal, psychedelic credits sequence, often a big action scene before the credits, and so on.

But all those iconic trademarks of the Bond film franchise didn’t happen overnight. They were gradually introduced, especially in the early films, with some of them springing from the original Ian Fleming books and others invented by the filmmakers who adapted them. Some have remained virtually the same since their inception,...

October has arrived, and Amazon Prime Video is not lacking in great new movies to stream this month. The bulk of the James Bond library is available to stream on Prime Video starting on Oct. 1, so pick your favorite era and play your marathon accordingly. There’s also a bona fide new release hitting just in time for Spooky Season – the 1980s-set time travel horror film “Totally Killer,” starring “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” lead Kiernan Shipka. And the Nicolas Cage Dracula film “Renfield” also hits Prime Video this month.

Whether you’re looking for scares, thrills or a classic rom-com, we’ve got you covered. Check out our picks for the best new movies on Amazon Prime Video in October 2023 below.

The James Bond Franchise Eon

Ok so this is more than one film, but if you’re a James Bond fan you can now stream a slew of entries...

There’s a lot to watch on Prime Video in October and, as you may have guessed, there’s spooky stuff galore in amongst Prime’s usual rotation of extensive library content.

In the movie Totally Killer, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Kiernan Shipka travels back in time to the 1980s to stop a serial killer. Then there’s Make Me Scream, a Halloween special that challenges celebrities to “a gruesome game of terror.” Renfield will also be streaming on the service for anyone who’s been dying (muahahaha!) to catch the Nic Cage Dracula film.

Outside of Prime Video’s more creepy fare, Shazam! Fury Of The Gods will debut, Upload will be back for a third season, and new film Awareness should scratch your sci-fi itch. Meanwhile, for Frasier heads – those who consider themselves utterly Frasier-pilled – all eleven seasons of the Cheers spinoff show will be streaming at the touch of a button.

If you’re looking for a complete list of every new movie and TV show coming to Amazon Prime Video in October, you’ve come to the right place. This month kicks off with a slew of great library additions, from James Bond films to relatively new releases (“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and the Nicolas Cage Dracula movie “Renfield”) and beyond.

There are also some high-profile originals landing in October. The third season of the sci-fi comedy series “Upload” arrives on Oct. 20, while Oct. 6 marks the release of the Prime Video original film “Totally Killer,” a fun slasher set in the 1980s that stars Kiernan Shipka.

Check out the full list of what’s new on Amazon Prime Video in October 2023 below, followed by a complete list of new arrivals for Freevee in October as well.

Arriving October 1

Frasier, Seasons 1-11 (1994)

Hit, Season 3 (2020)

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

A Guy Thing...

At a time when the James Bond franchise had never been more serious and solemn, in came Matthew Vaughn with the "Kingsman" films. 

Based (loosely) on the titular comic book series created by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, Vaughn's first two "Kingsman" movies, "The Secret Service" and "The Golden Circle," are aggressively irreverent in their riff on the super-spy tropes popularized by Bond. These films are full of cartoonish hyper-violence and crass humor, from a blood-splattered single-take shoot-out in a church to one of the films' heroes sneakily planting a tracking device in someone's nether regions mid-coitus. Is it any wonder that Vaughn's prequel film "The King's Man," which he's admitted was his attempt at a stark depiction of WWI trench warfare on the level with "1917," proved to be one of the most tonally bizarre blockbusters put to celluloid in recent memory?

As you've probably cottoned on, I'm...

The 25th installment in the James Bond franchise, “No Time to Die,” put a bow on Daniel Craig’s tenure as 007, which means it’s the perfect time to catch up on past films in the decades-long series. With a catalogue this wide, and having gone through a couple of different rights issues, there’s no one-stop shop to find all the James Bond movies streaming. But a (small) selection of them are available on a couple of the major streaming services.

You can even stream the 1983 one-off “Never Say Never Again,” which saw Sean Connery reprising his role as James Bond in a film not produced by Eon and only kinda-sorta considered canon.

Of course the best option if you’re a big James Bond fan is to own the films, which come in a couple of different Blu-ray sets. But if you’re merely looking to soak in...

Warner Bros – circa 1986. A bunch of powerful, suit-wearing studio execs are summoned to a studio lunch like no other. They’re set to observe an Aikido demonstration by a superstar trainer named Steven Seagal, previously known as the fight choreographer who broke Sean Connery’s wrist while training him for Never Say Never Again. By the end of the demonstration, mangled stunt men lie on the floor while a blood-stained Steven Seagal walks away with a movie deal that – unbeknownst to all – will establish him as perhaps the hottest action star of the early nineties, only for his career to collapse under the weight of his own ego eventually. But, in the early days, the sky was the limit for Seagal, and his first movie, Above the Law, is an impressive big-screen introduction to one of the most enigmatic movie stars of his time.

Above the Law stars Steven Seagal as Nico Toscani,...

The James Bond saga is about as well-established a film franchise as you can get. But somewhere, there's an alternate timeline in which the first ever Bond movie was directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Today, there's a lot of discussion surrounding whether or not Christopher Nolan will finally be given a crack the secret agent. Nolan certainly seems up for directing a 007 entry, and has been for quite some time. With the Daniel Craig era drawing to a divisive close in "No Time To Die," there's every chance the revered British filmmaker could bring his cerebral approach to the next Bond outing. Of course, that would require producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson allowing him the complete creative control he demands.

But this isn't the first time a highly-regarded British director with a penchant for meticulous oversight has been touted as the ideal filmmaker to take on England's greatest spy.

Jamie Christopher, the valuable first assistant director whose work spanned such films as Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and all eight Harry Potter movies, has died. He was 52.

Christopher died Tuesday from heart complications in Los Angeles.

Hailing from a filmmaking family — his father was a production manager on Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon and his mother a production coordinator — Christopher rose to become an in-demand crewmember for studio franchises and filmmakers, running and scheduling shoots.

He worked for and developed strong relationships with Rian Johnson, James Gunn, David Yates and Sam Raimi, among others, and in the process became the second highest grossing assistant director in the film business.

“Jamie was a good friend, and he loved making movies,” Johnson, who worked with Christopher on Last Jedi and Knives Out, said in a statement. “He loved his crew, loved his job, the process of it and the history of it.

There are few casting decisions in cinema history as important or impactful than that of Sean Connery as James Bond in "Dr. No." Ian Fleming's novels introduced us to the now-iconic MI6 spy 007, but it wasn't until 1962, when the first cinematic adaptation of those texts arrived, that the world at large came to know Bond, James Bond. Connery's casting is, perhaps, more than any other part of Terrence Young's seminal film, credited for its success. And even though Connery was a not terribly well-known actor at the time, he had a couple of demands that needed to be met before agreeing to take the part.

Published in 2015, Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury's book "Some Kind of Hero" chronicles the history of the "James Bond" films in great detail. In covering "Dr. No," the book contains an excerpt from an interview with Connery, who recalled how his journey as 007 began.

It was 40 years ago this month when the biggest battle on movie screens took place not between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, but improbably enough, between James Bond and… James Bond.

In 1983, audiences got to choose between two films starring Ian Fleming’s famous secret agent: Octopussy, the sixth film to feature the debonair Roger Moore as British spy 007, and Never Say Never Again, the first movie in 12 years to star the original James Bond, Sean Connery. This was following his second departure from the wildly successful film franchise in 1971.

How did this come to pass? Why would two movie studios go head-to-head with competing films about the same character, and how was that legally possible in the first place? The answer is found in a complicated series of events that stretch back to the 1950s and the very origins of James Bond, even continuing well past 1983 and into the 2000s,...

Max’s first full month without ‘HBO’ in its rebranded title has a selection that kicks off summer 2023 in fine fashion. Three of the four iterations of “A Star Is Born,” including the most recent remake starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, are streaming on Max in June. The 1954 and 1976 films land June 1, while the 2018 version arrives June 8.

To prepare for Margot Robbie’s performance in “Barbie” come July, one could watch one of her more intense roles as Tonya Harding in “I, Tonya” (2017). For some lighter summer watches, viewers might consider “Dolphin Tale” (2010), “Grease” (1978), “Hairspray” (2007) or “Tooth Fairy” (2010).

“Magic Mike’s Last Dance” (2023) starring Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek Pinault lands at Max after its theatrical release in February this year. Another major theatrical release from 2022, “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022), swims onto the streamer starting June 7.

As for TV series, “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson’s “The Idol,” starring Abel...

HBO Max is no more. In its place are…HBO and Max. Warner Bros. Discovery’s big change to its premier streaming service was simply to take the “HBO” off of the name “HBO Max,” leaving just “Max.” But in announcing its list of new releases for Max in June 2023, Warner is highlighting all of the HBO content anyway. So here is everything you can expect to find on Max (including every new HBO show) this month.

Even though June 2023 is the first full month of Max’s existence without the helpful “HBO” modifier in front of it, literally all of its major original offerings are thanks to the pay cable network. June 4 sees the premiere of The Idol, the controversial TV project starring The Weeknd and written by Euphoria‘s Sam Levinson. After that, season 3 of Danny McBride evangelical comedy The Righteous Gemstones premieres on June 18. That will be...

Max, the new name of HBO Max as of May 23rd, will be adding a new food series with Zooey Deschanel, an animated series set in the world of Gremlins, and the rebirth of Clone High to its streaming lineup in June 2023. The Idol, starring The Weeknd and Johnny Depp’s daughter, Lily-Rose, arrives on June 4th after dividing the crowd at Cannes, and the much-anticipated third season of Warrior kicks off on June 29th.

Max’s June lineup also includes new seasons of And Just Like That…, Painting with John, and The Righteous Gemstones. Theatrical releases making their way to the streaming service include Avatar: The Way of Water and Magic Mike’s Last Dance.

Series & Films Arriving On Max In June 2023:

June 1

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

A Star Is Born (1954)

A Star Is Born (1976)

Army of Darkness (1993)

Balls of Fury (2007)

Beautiful Creatures (2013)

Big Daddy (1999)

Breach (2007)

Bulworth (1998)

Class Act (1992)

Click...

The highly discussed music limited series “The Idol” is set to premiere on Max on June 4. Starring Lily-Rose Depp, pop singer The Weeknd, and Dan Levy, the show involves a rising pop star Jocelyn (played by Depp) who gets involved with Tedros (The Weeknd), a sleazy nightclub owner who may also be a cult leader. She wants a rock career, while he’s focused on exploiting everyone he meets.

Watch the trailer for “The Idol”:

Also coming to the streamer next month is the second season of “And Just Like That,” the “Sex and the City” sequel. In Season 2 — which arrives on June 22 — Charlotte’s daughter is ready to lose her virginity, Carrie explores life and love after Big, and Miranda intensifies her relationship with Che.

Check out the “And Just Like That” Season 2 trailer:

Arriving on Max on June 27 is a documentary looking at the award-winning performance art...

You probably didn’t notice, but earlier this year, CBS launched a TV adaptation of True Lies, the 1994 James Cameron-directed action comedy that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis as, respectively, a master spy and the civilian wife who is shocked to discover what her husband really does for a living. The TV show, starring Steve Howey from Shameless and Ginger Gonzaga from She-Hulk in the Arnold and Jamie Lee roles, aired 13 episodes to very little fanfare before being canceled a few weeks ago.

Now comes Netflix’s Fubar,...

An online film enthusiast has pointed out a surprising link between two history-making Best Actress Oscar-winners.

Michelle Yeoh won her first Academy Award at Sunday night’s ceremony (12 March) for her performance in Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once – the evening’s top-scoring film.

In a historic moment, Yeoh’s success made her the first-ever Asian Best Actress winner.

You can find the full list of 2023 Oscars winners here.

Following Halle Berry’s Best Actress win in 2002 for Monster’s Ball, Yeoh is the second woman of colour to take home the trophy.

As well as sharing this feat, Yeoh and Berry also have another career feat in common – they’ve both been “Bond girls” in Pierce Brosnan Bond films.

Self-described “Oscars enthusiast” Brian Rowe tweeted images of the actors in character in the action franchise films, as well as them with their statuettes.

Your move, Denise Richards pic.twitter.

Ricou Browning, the underwater stuntman who portrayed the Gill-man in the 1954 horror classic Creature trom the Black Lagoon and its sequels and went on to co-produce the dolphin tale Flipper for both the big screen and television, died quietly Sunday of natural causes at his home in Southwest Ranches, Fl. He was 93.

His son Ricou Browning Jr, who works as a marine coordinator for film and TV productions, confirmed his father’s death to Deadline.

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Considered to be the last surviving original actor to portray any of the Universal Classic Monsters, Florida native Browning studied physical education at Florida State University before landing a job in the 1940s at Wakulla Springs, a scenic park that...

Today marks a tragic moment in Hollywood history, as Ricou Browning, the Gill-man himself and the last remaining actor to play a Universal Classic Monster. has passed away at 93. The actor's daughter Kim Browning told The Hollywood Reporter that his death at his Southwest Ranches, Florida residence was due to natural causes. She added, "He had a fabulous career in the film industry, providing wonderful entertainment for past and future generations." Browning was a cinematic, nautical legend, and his unique skill set kept him working in the field for most of his life. He famously claimed he could hold his breath for over four minutes, which isn't hard to believe considering his line of work.

Browning's appearance in the 1954 feature "Creature from the Black Lagoon" created another monstrous icon for Universal, which had already turned horror characters like Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and the Wolf-Man into mainstream celebrities. Although Ben Chapman...

Ricou Browning, the actor, stuntman and diver whose work in the 1954 sci-fi classic “Creature From the Black Lagoon” launched his career as an expert water-based filmmaker, died less than two weeks after his 93rd birthday, his son Ricou Browning Jr. confirmed to TheWrap on Tuesday.

The diver, who legend has it could hold his breath for up to four minutes at a time, landed the iconic role in 1953 after being asked by a film crew to help scout locations at Wakulla Springs Florida for the Universal monster film. He was already performing underwater newsreels shot at the tourist spot.

“Their cameraman asked if I could swim in front of the cameras so they could get the perspective of the size of a human being against the fish and the grass. So I did,” he told the Hartford Courant in 2016. Ben Chapman portrayed the Creature – also known as Gill Man – on land,...

There’s sad news to report this evening, as it has been announced that Ricou Browning – who was the last surviving actor to have played a classic Universal Monster, since he portrayed the Gill-Man in the underwater scenes in all three entries of the Creature from the Black Lagoon trilogy; Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), Revenge of the Creature (1955), and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956) – has passed away at the age of 93. The Hollywood Reporter notes that his daughter Kim confirmed he passed away yesterday, just eleven days after his birthday.

Born in Fort Pierce, Florida on February 16, 1930, Browning started his career in the entertainment industry by working in water shows at tourist attractions and performing in underwater newsreels. When Gill-Man scenes were being filmed for Creature from the Black Lagoon in Florida, the crew chose Browning to play the swimming creature because he was a strong swimmer and could...

Ricou Browning, who took to the water as the menacing Gill-Man in the Creature From the Black Lagoon and as the creative force behind the original Flipper movie and TV show, has died. He was 93.

Browning died Monday of natural causes at his home in Southwest Ranches, Florida, his daughter Kim Browning told The Hollywood Reporter. “He had a fabulous career in the film industry, providing wonderful entertainment for past and future generations,” she said.

The Florida native also served as a stuntman on Richard Fleischer’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), doubled for Jerry Lewis in Don’t Give Up the Ship (1959) and “played all the bad guys in [TV’s] Sea Hunt,” he said in a 2013 interview.

Plus, Browning directed the harpoon-filled fight in Thunderball (1965), another underwater scene in Never Say Never Again (1983) and the hilarious Jaws-inspired candy bar-in-the-pool sequence in Caddyshack (1980).

Browning, who said he could routinely hold his...

We’ve lost another true legend in the world of horror. Bloody Disgusting has learned today that Ricou Browning, known for playing the titular Creature from the Black Lagoon in Universal’s original 1954 horror classic, has passed away this week at the age of 93.

Ricou Browning played the Gill-Man for the film’s extensive underwater sequences, and he subsequently reprised the iconic role in the sequels Revenge of the Creature (1955) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956).

An underwater cinematographer and stuntman, Ricou Browning was uniquely equipped to play the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and he went on to direct the underwater sequences in films including Thunderball (1965), Hello Down There (1969), Caddyshack (1980), and Never Say Never Again (1983). Browning made his directorial debut with 1973’s sea lion movie Salty, and he notably also co-created the classic “Flipper” franchise. Browning later directed the movie Mr. No Legs (1978), centered on a man with shotguns built into his wheelchair.

Harrison Ford didn't exactly need a hit in 1989 when he signed on for "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," but his agent was probably overjoyed that he was returning to the blockbuster franchise that broadened his appeal beyond "Star Wars." Though the character of Indiana Jones was not tailor made for Ford (Tom Selleck had been offered the role first), he'd imbued the whip-cracking archaeologist with the same roguish, seat-of-his-pants charm that made Han Solo such a dashing delight. Indy is certainly capable, but not overly confident. He's accident prone. He's constantly improvising his way out of peril, and, in doing so, piles more rough mileage on that middle-aged frame.

Moviegoers lined up to see Ford as Han and Indy, but they were less enthusiastic about his dramatic turns. He'd scored a surprise hit as a Philadelphia cop hiding out in Amish country in Peter Weir's "Witness," but found...

Conventional wisdom dictates that Irvin Kershner's 1980 film "The Empire Strikes Back" is the best feature in the long-running "Star Wars" film series. Although only the second film -- the third if you count "The Star Wars Holiday Special" -- "Empire" startled audiences by announcing itself as "Episode V." It wouldn't be until 1981 that 35mm prints of George Lucas' "Star Wars" would attach "Episode IV: A New Hope" to the beginning. 

Fans of "Empire" appreciate its relatively bleak tone when compared to the rollicking, traditional, 1930s-adventure-serial vibe of the 1977 film. The tone is grayer, the heroes are less assured to win the day, and the film ends without concluding, leaving audiences hanging right when Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is apprehended by the mob, and after Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has his hand severed in a fight with the evil Darth Vader. Darth Vader also claimed to be Luke's father in that scene,...

When the government of the United Kingdom needs something impossible done, they call James Bond. Since 1962, we have watched 007 prevent madmen from flooding the Earth, knocking over rockets, starting a world war via the news media, and shooting people on an elaborate funhouse island. With his array of gadgets and unflappable charm, MI6’s best secret agent knows how to work his way out of any difficult situation, making the world safe for British Imperialism and unfettered capitalism.

But, of course, Bond is a figure of fantasy, not a real person, and real people rarely overcome such unlikely odds. At least, that was the case for director Sam Mendes, who faced a difficult situation while shooting the follow-up to the critically-praised Skyfall.

Talking to The Hollywood Reporter about the 10th anniversary of Skyfall, Mendes explained that his first Bond movie had the public opinion stacked against it, in part...

Sixty years is a long time in the lifespan of a human being. And in the life cycle of a fictional character’s popularity, it’s usually unthinkable: a vast ocean of time which is rarely crossed by products of something as fleeting and fickle as pop culture. Nevertheless, six decades since Sean Connery first donned the tuxedo and uttered the iconic line of “Bond, James Bond,” the 007 character has endured in popularity.

In fact, during the character’s golden jubilee in 2012, Bond became arguably bigger than ever with the 50th anniversary also coinciding with the highest grossing Bond film at the box office, courtesy of Skyfall… of course that record only holds if you don’t count inflation, or certainly the amount of tickets sold by Connery’s fourth outing as MI6’s best man, Thunderball (1965). Either way, even the dour and brooding Craig movies still act as a reflection,...