Entertainment
Bill Skarsgård’s R-Rated Thriller On Netflix Is The Platform's Best True Crime Offering
By Robert Scucci
| Published
The most dangerous thing in the world is a desperate man who feels like he has nothing left to lose. It makes for inherently compelling cinema, especially when the desperation is played with nuance, like in 2025’s Dead Man’s Wire. Based on the real-life 1977 Tony Kiritsis hostage standoff, Dead Man’s Wire is a fictional retelling of the events depicted in the 2018 documentary Dead Man’s Line, written and directed by Alan Berry and Mark Enochs, who consulted screenwriter Austin Kolodney and director Gus Van Sant on the historical context of the nationally broadcast incident.
While I’m not here to nitpick historical inaccuracies, nor do I want to because I’m talking about the film adaptation as a piece of cinematic art, I can confidently say that Dead Man’s Wire is a shockingly immersive period piece. I didn’t stop to verify every car make and model or anything like that, but the movie takes place in 1977, and it convincingly looks like something that came out of that era. While mostly shot through conventional means, we’re also given on-the-street footage that looks like it was pulled directly from police cameras, and there’s even some real archival footage peppered throughout the film in a similar fashion to how Weezer pulled off looking like they were performing in an episode of Happy Days.
And I haven’t even gotten to the best part about Dead Man’s Wire: Bill Skarsgård as the desperate man operating in this lane, and he’s mad as hell!
Make Sure You Get The Apology In Writing
There’s a kind of wish-fulfillment arc that plays out in Dead Man’s Wire that makes it all feel so universal. Tony Kiritsis has a bone to pick with one specific person, M.L. Hall (Al Pacino), who, in a botched real-estate deal, undermined the profitability of Tony’s most recent and valuable investment. Knowing he’s ruined financially if he doesn’t straighten things out, he heads over to Meridian Mortgage Company, where M.L. Hall said he’d be to exchange words, only to find out that he ducked out for vacation early and delegated the meetup to his son, Richard (Dacre Montgomery).
Furious and unable to contain himself, Tony assaults Richard and straps a loaded shotgun to his neck with a wire rig connected to a dead man’s switch. Here’s how it works: if you move enough to trigger the switch, your head will get blown clean off. With Richard and the device in tow, Tony holes up in his apartment and begins making his demands to the authorities. He also places crazed calls to his favorite radio DJ, Fred Temple (Colman Domingo), hoping his story will be broadcast so the public will side with him.
As Dead Man’s Wire slow-burns through its second and third acts, we get a clear glimpse into Tony’s psychology, which, to Bill Skarsgård’s credit, is portrayed with care, nuance, and just the right amount of unpredictable explosiveness lingering beneath the surface. He knows that he’s dead to rights. Everybody saw what he did. But he refuses to buckle under pressure until he’s made whole financially and receives a sincere apology from M.L. Hall, who doesn’t want to kowtow to terrorists and is more than willing to treat his son as collateral if it means he doesn’t have to show any signs of weakness.
Something, Something, Capitalism
While it’s obvious that Dead Man’s Wire is an indictment of capitalism, it’s carefully constructed in a way that allows you to appreciate all of the gray areas. M.L. Hall is your perfect corrupt capitalist, to the point where he’s willing to gamble with his son’s life during a hostage negotiation while sipping mai tais on the beach. But it’s also reasonable to assume that he’s a smart guy who knows he’s crossed every t and dotted every i, legally speaking, and believes people like Tony are all bark and no bite.
Tony, on the other hand, is a loner facing financial ruin who initially only wanted an apology. His whole stunt was orchestrated with the intent of exposing the kind of financial impropriety that happens behind closed doors at Meridian Mortgage. Even if Hall was well within his legal rights to screw Tony over, Tony recognizes that the house always wins and questions the ethics of what happened to him. In his mind, he’s the little guy taking one for the team by hurting the company’s bottom line with bad publicity.
Everybody in Dead Man’s Wire is in the wrong, but it shows just how far a man is willing to go when he’s convinced, without a sliver of doubt, that he was swindled out of his nest egg and the institutions that are supposed to protect him have failed him. It doesn’t condone or condemn the violence, but rather examines the untethered rage that’s unfortunately, and all too frequently, the byproduct of living in a capitalist society where the working man is forever getting screwed by the institutions that run his life.
What’s most telling about this fictional retelling of Tony Kiritsis’ most unhinged moments is how the entire ordeal ultimately resolves. Mental health is brought into question, but it’s a hotly debated topic when discussing the real-life incident. It does make me wonder how unhinged Tony Kiritsis truly was before he decided to take this route. If Bill Skarsgård’s performance is any indication, it certainly feels like an otherwise reasonable man pushed to the brink by a series of personal and financial crises. It’s written all over his face when he has to mean-mug for the camera, but his true personality occasionally slips through the facade when he’s trying to lighten the mood or add some levity to an impossibly high-strung situation.
Dead Man’s Wire offers no easy answers to its unfolding story, but I don’t think it’s supposed to. Its delivery is very much, “this is what happened, as authentically as we could replicate,” forcing the viewer to arrive at their own conclusions after watching the whole thing play out. Like most Gus Van Sant films, this one lingers because it’s supposed to make you uncomfortable, as if you’ve got a dead man’s switch tied to your neck and any sudden movement could end it all.
As of this writing, Dead Man’s Wire is streaming on Netflix.
Entertainment
Is Marvel Playing Us All With Fake Leaks?
By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated
It’s a pretty exciting time to be a Marvel fan. We’re getting some solid superhero television (like Daredevil: Born Again), and a new Spider-Man movie is around the corner. In December, Avengers: Doomsday will reunite Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. on the big screen in what is certain to be the biggest movie of the year. To make sure that their ambitious crossover classic has maximum impact with fans, Marvel has been doing its best to keep details about Doomsday and its plot under wraps. Unfortunately, trailers and footage for upcoming movies just keep leaking online.
Recently, a major trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day leaked online well before it was supposed to be officially released. Less than a week later, footage from Avengers: Doomsday found its way online. This is similar to an incident last December in which trailers for Doomsday kept leaking online before their theatrical debut. Leaks are a problem that has only been getting worse, leading many fans to ask why Marvel’s security has gotten so sloppy. However, I think the answer is simpler. Marvel is intentionally “leaking” footage as a way to build hype and defeat the greatest villain of them all: superhero fatigue.
Brand New Day, Same Old Leaks
The last week alone has been pretty terrible for Marvel when it comes to leaks. First, a major Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer got leaked that gave us early glimpses of major developments, including Gray Hulk and the fact that Sadie Sink is seemingly mind-controlling him, which may finally confirm that she’s playing Jean Grey. More recently, footage from Avengers: Doomsday leaked that shows Doctor Doom sending Sentinels to fight heroes from the Avengers, Thunderbolts, X-Men, and Fantastic Four. While this footage is soundless and wildly pixilated, it still seems to be giving away major details about one of the movie’s biggest fights.
Marvel has been having problems with leakers for a long time. In fact, a few years ago, they were taking legal action, trying to figure out which insiders were leaking summaries of then-upcoming films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Now, things have escalated to the point that we’re getting actual trailers and footage well before the studio wants us to see it. Why is this happening? It could just be that Marvel’s security has gotten really sloppy within a year of their two most-hyped films (Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday) releasing. However, it’s far likelier that these “leaks” are coming directly from Marvel.
Marvel’s Playing 4D Chess
Why the heck would Marvel start leaking its own footage after spending years trying to stop other leakers? The most obvious reason is, of course, free publicity. Marketing something like Avengers: Doomsday or Spider-Man: Brand New Day can be insanely expensive and ultimately cut into a movie’s bottom line. By leaking their own footage, Marvel doesn’t have to spend a dime; they just have to kick back and watch the rest of us effectively promote these upcoming films by sharing the leaks with our real-life friends, posting them online for our followers, and generally speculating to anyone who will listen about what the movie will be about.
The other big reason that Marvel would leak its own footage is to take control of the narrative. In recent years, there has been a glut of fake superhero trailers and footage created by AI. The creators share this footage online, hoping to gain clout by making you think it’s real. Meanwhile, Marvel has to spend plenty of time and money setting the record straight about these fakes. By releasing their own footage, they can get everyone to pay attention to the real deal while generating viral hype with cool scenes (like, say, Doctor Doom siccing a bunch of Sentinels on fan-favorite characters like Thor and Captain America).
Fake Leaks Are A Win/Win For Marvel
Marvel releasing its own footage via staged “leaks” also allows them to gauge audience reactions and, if needed, edit the film. For example, the Avengers: Doomsday footage leaked more than half a year before the movie comes out. If audiences really hate what they see, there’s time for the studio to make changes to the film through creative edits and, in the worst case, reshoots. Conversely, if audiences love what they see, Marvel knows exactly what to emphasize when marketing their most expensive blockbuster.
Obviously, there’s no way to prove this particular theory. Maybe footage keeps leaking because Marvel is filled with disgruntled employees, or maybe just employees who want to leave their own weird mark on the world. No matter what the cause, though, it seems like Marvel’s leak problem is just getting worse by the year. Will this make superhero fatigue worse and sink Avengers: Doomsday, or will it generate enough hype that Marvel laughs all the way to the bank? Without the Eye of Agomatto to help us out, we won’t know until Doomsday blasts into theaters on December 18.
Entertainment
The Jason Statham Sci-Fi Action Gem That Packs A Punch
By Charlene Badasie
| Published
Released in 2001, The One is a science fiction action film starring Jet Li and Jason Statham. Directed by James Wong from a script he co-wrote with Glen Morgan, the film explores a multiverse where alternate versions of the same person exist across countless parallel universes.
The story follows Gabriel Yulaw (Jet Li), a former police officer from an alternate universe who embarks on a mission to eliminate alternate versions of himself from various dimensions. Yulaw believes that by destroying his counterparts, he gains their strength and power, ultimately leading him to become The One. His pursuit of power sparks conflicts with law enforcement agencies across the multiverse.
Agent Harry Rodecker (Delroy Lindo) and his partner, Agent Evan Funsch (Jason Statham), are determined to stop Yulaw’s deadly spree, leading to a tense cat-and-mouse game spanning multiple universes. The One reaches its climax in a showdown between Yulaw and his final counterpart, Gabe Law, at the iconic Los Angeles Coliseum.
An Early Hidden Multiversal Gem
The One garnered mixed reviews from critics following its release. While Jet Li’s performance and the film’s adrenaline-pumping action sequences received praise, critics took issue with the plot’s lack of coherence and depth. However, the special effects were often highlighted as a strength, showcasing the filmmakers’ commitment to bringing the multiverse concept to life.
The One also achieved moderate financial success, grossing approximately $43 million in the United States and around $72 million worldwide. Despite its mixed critical reception, it remains an engaging sci-fi action film that showcases Jet Li’s talents while offering a unique take on parallel universes and the pursuit of ultimate power.
Jet Li and Jason Statham Reunite In The Expendables
Jet Li and Jason Statham would later collaborate again in the popular Expendables film series. This star-studded action franchise pays homage to classic 1980s and 1990s action movies by bringing together an ensemble cast of iconic action stars. Known for its over-the-top violence and witty one-liners, the series serves as both a tribute to the genre and a modern continuation of it.
Directed by Sylvester Stallone, The Expendables introduces viewers to a team of mercenaries led by Barney Ross (Stallone). The cast is a veritable who’s who of action stars, including Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews, and more. Jet Li returned for The Expendables 2, while Statham remained a franchise mainstay through all four films, including 2023’s Expend4bles.
Since The One, Jason Statham has cemented himself as one of Hollywood’s most reliable action stars. His impressive catalog includes Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, the Transporter franchise, Crank, The Italian Job, Death Race, Spy, and the Fast & Furious film series. More recently, he has headlined films like The Beekeeper and A Working Man, continuing a career built on hard-hitting action and tough-guy charisma.
As of this writing, The One can be rented or purchased on-demand through YouTube, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and Fandango at Home.
Entertainment
Jennifer Jason Leigh Steals Bridget Fonda’s Life In Relentless, R-Rated Thriller Now On Netflix
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Seeking out a solid psychological thriller is always a mixed bag experience because it’s a genre that paints in very broad strokes. Once you start watching enough of them, you begin to notice patterns in the form of recurring motifs and storylines, which can help or hurt a particular film depending on a number of variables. If the plot is generic or contrived, for instance, you might not feel any suspense because you can typically predict the beats and reveals long before any “big reveal” arrives. Sometimes it kills the movie, but for films like 1992’s Single White Female, latching onto genre conventions is exactly the move to make.
The whole thing follows your typical “person living with me isn’t who she says she is” kind of story, which is exacerbated when our antagonist slowly infiltrates and steals the identity of our protagonist, resulting in an evil twin scenario you’d expect to see in your average soap opera.
I went into Single White Female with guarded enthusiasm because I was expecting some sort of committee-written thriller designed for mass appeal, which, in most cases, ends up being garbage. While I still stand by my assessment that Single White Female plays out like your typical psychological game of cat and mouse, it’s elevated to stratospheric heights thanks to Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh sharing top billing and absolutely going for it here.
In any other context, with any other talent, Single White Female would fall apart before you even finish the first act. As a cynical fan who’s seen too many thrillers, I recognize a good one when I see it, whether it’s doing something entirely original or not. My verdict: the film is far from original, but I’m sticking around for the characters, so I don’t care.
Single White Female Earns Every Trope
At the outset, Single White Female gives us a number of convenient setups that quickly fill in the exposition and allow us to watch the characters interact under extenuating circumstances. When software developer Allison Jones (Bridget Fonda) breaks up with her unfaithful fiancé Sam (Steven Weber), she suddenly needs a new roommate. She puts out a classified ad for a single white female and settles on Hedy Carlson (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who seems like a perfect fit.
Hedy is awkward but well-meaning, or at least she seems that way at first. It quickly becomes apparent that she forms a co-dependent relationship with Allison that’s very much one-sided. Allison is simply looking for a roommate to help with rent. Hedy is looking for a ride-or-die bestie. It’s charming at first, like when Hedy tells off Mitchell Myerson (Stephen Tobolowsky), one of Allison’s potential clients who gets a little too handsy with her. Matters escalate when Allison reconciles with Sam and expresses her desire to find her own place with her lover.
On one hand, I get it. In any other context, Hedy has every right to be upset, especially after moving in and getting situated in her new home. In this context, though, Hedy goes completely off the rails, and her desire to stay close to Allison manifests in disturbing ways, like dressing exactly like her, getting an identical haircut, making appearances at sex clubs while posing as her unsuspecting roommate, and trying to seduce Sam.
Having just watched Macaulay Culkin’s The Good Son (1993) this past week, I’m wondering what was in the water because Hedy also kills a dog and pretends it’s an accident. It’s an off-screen death, but we knew its name was Buddy, so that took the wind out of my sails for a minute, if I’m being entirely honest. Just like head-smashing in modern elevated horror movies, harming animals was a very effective way to get a reaction from moviegoers. This is just another example of how the film leans into its tropes, but its leads use them well.
Convenient Setups Are A Necessity Here
If Single White Female didn’t allow itself a few convenient setups, things wouldn’t be able to escalate nearly as quickly. Allison working as a freelance software developer allows her to be home more frequently so we can focus on the relationship dynamic between Allison, Hedy, and Sam. Thanks to how available both Allison and Hedy are, they’re able to establish a bond rather quickly and become besties before Hedy completely loses her mind and becomes the worst roommate ever. This works especially well for Hedy’s personality type because her clinginess and subsequent feelings of rejection don’t feel sudden or like they’re coming from nowhere.
While Bridget Fonda is a powerhouse lead in Single White Female, it’s Jennifer Jason Leigh’s willingness to go all in on Hedy’s neuroses that makes the film work as well as it does. When she fully transitions into looking like her roommate, Hedy is terrifying because she’s doing it without a hint of irony. Seriously, for a second, imagine your roommate coming home dressed exactly like you, down to the smallest detail. Now imagine they start talking like you and perfectly mimicking your body language while their motives remain unclear. You’d be ripping up your lease in no time if this was something you had to deal with.
SINGLE WHITE FEMALE SCORE
The on-screen dynamic between Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh cannot be overstated in Single White Female. I’ll be the first to admit that the narrative structure it latches onto leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to originality, but the film takes a relatively generic setup and turns it into something next-level thanks to the acting talent involved. If you’re looking for a reliable thriller that thrives within its supposed limitations, you can stream Single White Female on Netflix as of this writing.
Is Marvel Playing Us All With Fake Leaks?
Fire reel off last 10 points, send Storm to ninth consecutive loss
