By Robert Scucci
| Published 11 seconds ago

I have no issue admitting that when I write movie reviews, I spend some time on Wikipedia and IMDb because I am better with faces than names. I want to make sure I am getting the talent straight when I talk about the characters that talent is portraying, as well as refresh myself on the story. In the case of 1991’s Brain Twisters, however, I had to consult the internet just to figure out what story it was even trying to tell in the first place, because it really does not make any sense at all.

Conceptually, Brain Twisters has a cool R-rated premise, but it limps along like it is aiming for a PG-13 rating. It wants to be sexy, but there is no nudity. It wants to carry itself like a slasher, but there is no real violence. It wants to play out like a sci-fi mystery thriller, but instead feels like a made-for-TV crime drama about a computer program that forces people to go on murder sprees. At least, I think that is what it is going for.

None Of This Makes Sense On Any Level

From what intel I have gathered, I am not alone in my assessment of Brain Twisters. The main story centers on Dr. Philip Rothman (Terry Lenderee), a university professor who runs mind control experiments on student volunteers involving sensory deprivation tanks and a wall of televisions a la A Clockwork Orange. Then a string of murders happens, drawing the attention of Detective Frank Turi (Joe Lombardo), who becomes involved after one of Dr. Rothman’s students, Ted (Shura McComb), commits suicide. This somehow results in a custody battle over his corpse.

Dr. Rothman wants Ted’s head for research purposes, while Detective Frank is more concerned with figuring out whether Ted was involved in the murder of his girlfriend, Denise (Heather Ann Barclay). As the film slowly meanders along, we learn that Dr. Rothman’s experiments are emitting radio waves, or something close to that, which cause his students to kill each other or themselves.

The problem is that Dr. Rothman is apparently unaware of this side effect because the software company financing his experiments never disclosed that information to him. This explanation immediately collapses under scrutiny, since he spends most of the second and third acts behaving in an increasingly unhinged and openly evil manner that suggests he knows exactly what is happening.

Meanwhile, student Laurie Stevens (Farrah Forke) becomes romantically involved with Detective Frank after he cooks her boxed spaghetti, while her promiscuous friend Michelle (Donna Bostany) attempts to seduce Dr. Rothman in exchange for a better grade. That is it. That is the whole movie.

Not Even Charming In A Shlocky Way

When I seek out movies like Brain Twisters, I genuinely try to identify their redeeming qualities. I have devoted an unthinkable number of hours to scraping the bottom of the Rotten Tomatoes barrel and logging onto Tubi in search of hidden or underappreciated gems that were not fully understood at the time of their initial release. More often than not, I am pleasantly surprised, and I report my findings here in case anyone else wants to check out something that was not on their radar but still fits their taste. It ain’t much, but it is honest work.

Brain Twisters, however, has no redeeming qualities, and it rightfully earns its seven percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is barely sci-fi, barely horror, and does not even have enough schlock to give it the kind of B-movie charm that lets you appreciate it as a diamond in the rough. Second-rate production values can be forgiven if there is a compelling story underneath them.The unfortunate truth about Brain Twisters is that there is not.

If you want to see what Brain Twisters is all about, you can stream it for free on Tubi. Or you can jam toothpicks under your fingernails if you are looking for a more productive way to spend your time.

By Robert Scucci
| Published 1 hour ago

1995’s Copycat is one of those movies that should be in heavy rotation if you’re a true crime fan who also enjoys a solid psychological thriller. Like a proto version of Mindhunter, it leans into the lore surrounding heavy hitters like Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy, but every single reference is filtered through the perspective of a strung out criminal psychology expert as she aids two homicide detectives in tracing a copycat killer who mimics the MOs of the serial killers who inspired him.

Through this framework, and with the help of Sigourney Weaver’s on-screen chemistry with Holly Hunter and Dermot Mulroney, Copycat becomes a fun murder mystery thriller that manages to appeal to both casual moviegoers and true crime buffs alike.

A Killer On The Loose, An Expert Trapped Inside Her Trauma

Copycat first introduces us to the trauma that forces criminal psychology expert Dr. Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver) into a reclusive lifestyle. Suffering from agoraphobia and drinking her way through each day, Dr. Helen is the ultimate authority on serial killer behavior. That authority comes at a cost after her dangerous run-in with escaped killer Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick Jr.) during one of her lectures, an encounter that forces her to value her safety and privacy above everything else. While she still has a passion for her research and criminal profiling, Dr. Helen suffers anxiety attacks at the mere thought of leaving her luxury apartment, effectively trapping herself inside her own expertise.

When a string of murders begins to plague San Francisco, Inspector Mary Jane “M.J.” Monahan (Holly Hunter) and her partner, Inspector Ruben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney), are tasked not only with finding the culprit behind the slayings, but also with keeping the possibility of a serial killer under wraps in order to avoid sparking unnecessary public hysteria.

This is where the magic really happens in Copycat. Dr. Helen Hudson is a force to be reckoned with. Her pattern recognition and ability to profile on the fly as new evidence comes to light is intimidating to say the least. She initially helps M.J. and Ruben begrudgingly, but soon becomes just as consumed with the case as they are. M.J. is the inverse of Helen in almost every way. She lacks the years of experience needed to draw the same immediate connections, but makes up for it by trusting her instincts and acting decisively when it matters most.

As they work together, M.J., Ruben, and Dr. Hudson realize they are dealing with a serial killer whose MO is defined by the absence of one. Rather than developing his own methodology, the killer meticulously recreates the murder techniques and crime scene imagery of the serial killers he idolizes. By constantly changing his approach, he stays one step ahead of the inspectors hunting him, all while dropping increasingly unsettling hints that Dr. Helen Hudson herself is his ultimate target, for reasons that are not immediately clear.

The Perfect Intersection Of True Crime And Fiction

While Copycat leans heavily into true crime to build its internal logic, you do not need to be a true crime junkie to appreciate what it’s doing. References are limited to the most well-known real-life killers, giving casual viewers enough context to understand the stakes without requiring a post-watch research spiral.

The procedural details the film leans on are delivered in self-contained bursts of criminal profiling that are easy to follow, allowing viewers to simply sit back and watch the mystery unfold. The film never feels like it’s testing the audience or showing off its homework.

In other words, if you’re into shows like Mindhunter but less interested in the kind of granular breakdowns found in something like Last Podcast on the Left, Copycat strikes an ideal balance. It’s a rock-solid thriller that doesn’t require a crash course in the macabre to fully appreciate, and its slow-burn mystery keeps the tension simmering from start to finish.

Copycat is currently streaming for free on Tubi.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was once — is still, really — a meme. He is also a Super Bowl champion. And social media lit up on Sunday because of that fact.

Darnold was perhaps the story of 2026’s Super Bowl LX — won by the Seattle Seahawks over the New England Patriots — because everyone loves an underdog. Darnold, a former top prospect, flamed out while playing for the flailing New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. Pit stops in San Francisco and Minnesota then led to Sunday’s triumphant victory with Seattle.

It was a full reversal for Darnold, who was once relegated to memedom. An admittedly hilarious graphic from 2019 created a meme format — Darnold pointing while given a random illness or ailment.

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Fans of Darnold, widely known as a chill and good guy, even created a subreddit called r/The_Darnold, where they celebrated the QB and all his associated memes. He was both beloved and mocked. Naturally, then, the memes flowed as Darnold led Seattle to victory in Super Bowl LX on Sunday. It was largely a celebration of an athlete who overcame lots of doubt and tough times.

It’s always heartwarming you get to see such an amazing comeback story — and the internet certainly celebrated Darnold’s moment in the sun on Sunday.