Entertainment
The Netflix Film That Nearly Killed A Decades-Old Franchise Is Secretly Brilliant
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
After a controversial purchase by Amazon for a cool billion dollars, it’s fair to say the James Bond franchise is as healthy as it has ever been. But nearly four decades ago, the failure of a single film nearly did what villains like Blofeld and Goldfinger had always failed to do: kill 007, once and for all. That movie was Licence to Kill (1989), and after it became the least profitable film in Bond history, producers put the popular film series on hold until they could develop a movie that would leave general audiences both shaken and stirred.
However, Licence to Kill is an excellent Bond film, and this Timothy Dalton classic only seemed overly serious compared to the goofiness of the Roger Moore movies; these days, Dalton’s more serious Bond fits right in with the more grounded and violent world of the Daniel Craig 007 movies. The truth is that Licence to Kill has been in need of a critical reevaluation for almost 40 years, and that reevaluation starts right now. All you have to do is grab your remote (just don’t grab the exploding one!) and stream this misunderstood spy classic on Netflix.
Some Serious Bond-age
The premise of Licence to Kill is that after James Bond’s friend Felix Leiter (a CIA agent and longtime girlfriend) is tortured and his new wife is killed, 007 becomes obsessed with getting revenge on the attackers. This interferes with his job as a secret agent, and when his boss objects, Bond resigns from MI6 to become a rogue agent. Now, without his titular licence to kill or the resources of his government, Bond must engage in a globe-trotting mission of vengeance, one where a single mistake could easily cost him his life.
The cast of Licence to Kill has some familiar Bond faces in it, including Desmond Llewelyn as Q, 007’s faithful tech guru. Similarly, Robert Brown reprises his familiar role as M, and Caroline Bliss returns to once again play Moneypenny alongside Dalton’s Bond. Most surprisingly, David Hedison returns to play Felix Leiter for the first time in 16 years; he previously played the plucky CIA agent in Live and Let Die.
A Cast Full Of Surprises
There are some other pleasant surprises in the cast (including Benicio del Toro in a minor role), but the real highlight here is Timothy Dalton, who gives his James Bond more of the brooding intensity found in the original books by Ian Fleming. He spends more time cracking heads than cracking jokes, and he takes very clear pleasure in doling out pain to some of the worst people in the planet. In this way, Dalton is a very interesting precursor to Daniel Craig, whose era as Bond was famous for its more grim and gritty portrayal of 007.
License to Kill ended up earning $156.1 million against a budget of $32 million, which may seem like a solid profit on paper. However, after accounting for inflation, this was actually the least successful Bond movie ever made, one that featured strong competition from various box office bangers like Batman, Ghostbusters II, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the latter featuring original 007 actor Sean Connery. Because of this, producers took a break from making new Bond films for a few years before reinvigorating the franchise with GoldenEye (which starred Pierce Brosnan as a more affable secret agent) in 1995.
Shaken, Stirred, And Bleeding
When Licence to Kill came out, reviewers found it as enjoyable as a ride in an Aston Martin. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 79 percent rating, with critics praising Timothy Dalton’s Bond as more intense than any incarnation of the character we had seen before. While noting that his intensity and the film’s much darker tone may not be everyone’s cup of tea (or martini), the critics also praised this Bond film for a variety of chase and fight scenes that reliably keep you on the edge of your seat.
As the critics hinted at, how much you enjoy Licence to Kill will largely depend on what you want out of a James Bond film. Sean Connery originally transformed Bond’s more dour literary character into a lighthearted secret agent who was more interested in cracking dry jokes and bedding beauties than dispensing violence. By contrast, Dalton’s Bond is on a mission of righteous rage, and this permeates the mostly grim tone of an action film as unforgiving as it is unrelenting.
I’m also a big fan of the Ian Fleming Bond novels, and until Casino Royale came along, Licence to Kill was the only film in the franchise to capture the spirit of those books. In Fleming’s novels, 007 is not a flamboyant secret agent; rather, he is a cold and calculating government killer who can get surprisingly emotional when something bad happens to someone he cares about. In this sense, Dalton’s Bond is very book accurate, as he’s willing to forsake his entire career and risk multiple international incidents in order to avenge his friend.
The Darker Side Of 007
Personally, I’ve always found the darker tone of License to Kill part of its charm: it’s unlike any of the 007 films before Daniel Craig began playing Bond, and it’s actually better than most films in the Craig era. Plus, I found Roger Moore far too goofy as Bond, so I appreciated the seriousness of Dalton as a kind of course correction for the franchise. He wasn’t what ‘80s audiences wanted to see on the big screen, but now that Craig made the idea of a very serious Bond popular again, more and more fans of the franchise have rediscovered the joys of Dalton’s stone-cold killer version of 007 in Licence to Kill.
Licence to Kill nearly destroyed one of the most beloved movie franchises of all time, but beneath its bad reputation hides one of the best James Bond movies ever made. To discover what happens when Bond ditches the license but never stops killing, all you have to do is stream this blockbuster spy thriller on Netflix. You might not be all that shaken or stirred, but trust me: you’ll be seriously entertained from beginning to end!
Entertainment
Ben & Jerrys Free Cone Day is back for 2026 — everything you need to know
TL;DR: On April 14, visit your nearest Scoop Shop and grab a free cup or cone of your favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor.
It’s that special time of year when free ice cream becomes the norm. Hot on the heels of Dairy Queen announcing the date of its Free Cone Day, Ben & Jerry’s has done the same.
Ben & Jerry’s celebrates Free Cone Day around the globe every year, sharing the love with free cups and cones of your favorite flavors. There’s no catch. Simply visit your nearest Scoop Shop and grab a scoop for free. Ben & Jerry’s is giving away free ice cream at a host of locations between 12-8 p.m. on April 14. You can check participating locations here.
Mashable Trend Report
Lego is giving away an exclusive Steering Wheel for free. Here’s how to get yours on March 9.
Ben & Jerry’s is aiming to spread more joy than ever before. They served up 1 million scoops in 2023, but they’re targeting more in 2026. And you can help out with that ambitious target, because unlike a lot of these free giveaways, there’s no limit on the number of times you can score a free cone. Can’t decide what flavor to order? Don’t worry — try them all.
Mark your calendars: Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s takes place on April 14.
Entertainment
The Best Show On Streaming Has Been Canceled, End Of An Era
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
The advent of streaming completely changed how we watch television, allowing fans to watch whatever they wanted with the press of a button. This is perfect for avid entertainment lovers always looking for their next fix, but as an aging Millennial, I can’t help but think the prominence of streaming took something special away from the overall experience. Television used to be a communal ritual where we all watched the same things at the same time, excitedly sharing our thoughts on the latest shows with fellow fans; now, everyone is siloed in their own entertaining bubbles, enjoying their favorite programming in the stifling comfort of complete isolation.
However, one streaming show set out to change all that: The Last Drive-In on Shudder featured iconic horror guru Joe Bob Briggs hosting scary movies, offering commentary segments throughout where commercials might have gone way back when. While the Last Drive-In segments are available to stream on demand after a couple of days, they would premiere on Friday nights in a live broadcast that superfans would watch at the same time, all while chattering with each other and with Joe Bob (and his perky co-host, Darcy the Mail Girl) on social media. This made this the best show on streaming, but it’s the end of an era now that Shudder has canceled the show.
The Man, The Myth
Since he is something of a cult figure, you may need a primer on Joe Bob Briggs, especially if you’re a younger horror fiend. Joe Bob (real name, John Bloom) started out as a reporter for The Dallas Herald, and he specialized in a niche no one else cared about: shlocky exploitation films and gruesome horror movies you could only find at the local drive-in theater. To cover these movies, Bloom developed the persona of Joe Bob Briggs, a quippy, quirky redneck whose rants offered great insight into genre films while serving as a parody of the prim and proper reviews from film critics like Siskel and Ebert.
In 1985, Briggs made an unexpected jump from the printed page to the stage with a very successful one-man show, An Evening With Joe Bob Briggs. This raised his profile and proved he could entertain large crowds, and this led to an unexpected opportunity: he guest-hosted Drive-In Theater on The Movie Channel, which led to him getting his own show, the appropriately named Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater. There, he hosted shlocky movies (typically horror films), complete with a tongue-in-cheek tally of things like how many dead bodies and naked breasts appeared in the film.
When Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater ended, he took his unique brand of entertainment, hosting MonsterVision on TNT. There, he once again hosted a variety of films, but he offered more commentary than ever: rather than appearing only at the beginning of the film, Joe Bob would also pop up on commercial breaks, offering further insights into each movie. When MonsterVision ended, though, Joe Bob largely dropped out of public life, popping up two decades later in a farewell performance that ended up reigniting his career.
A New Era
In 2018, Joe Bob Briggs hosted a 24-hour marathon of movies for Shudder, all of which were initially broadcast as part of the horror streamer’s live feed. This was meant to be a final performance for Joe Bob, giving this old cowboy one last time on the saddle before he rode off into the sunset. However, the marathon proved to be insanely popular, with Shudder’s servers crashing due to the high number of fans all rushing to watch this genre legend dish dirt on spooky movies.
In response, Shudder ordered more specials from him before greenlighting The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs, a regular series. For the next seven years, Joe Bob hosted one of the most popular series on the streaming platform, and his most ardent fans tuned in to each live broadcast, using social media to connect the entire fandom (affectionately nicknamed “The Mutant Family”). Due to the show’s success, it really looked like Joe Bob would be doing this forever, but just a few days ago, he dropped some devastating news on his fans.
An Emotional Rollercoaster of Announcements
Joe Bob Briggs typically hypes up his upcoming shows on Shudder, offering cryptic hints and funny commentary on platforms like Facebook and X. Ahead of the season finale of The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs, he made a somber-sounding announcement about how important it was for all of the fandom to tune in for this episode. This led to rampant speculation from fans: some thought Joe Bob needed more live views to get his show renewed, and others thought he would be announcing his retirement because, at 73, he’s one of the oldest entertainers in the business and may be dealing with unknown health issues.
When the episode aired, Joe Bob and co-host Darcy the Mail Girl offered fans some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Joe Bob is quite healthy (or, in his words, “spry as f*ck”), but the bad news is that Shudder is canceling The Last Drive-In. The hosts have apparently known this was coming for a while, but they are currently forbidden from saying exactly what went down and why Shudder (which just updated its app in an attempt to gain more subscribers) suddenly decided to kill the only show that countless fans (myself included) subscribe to this streamer to watch.
An Unknown Future
The silver lining in all of this is that Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl plan to take their show somewhere else, but they have not yet confirmed where this will be. We likely know where they will not go, and that is Tubi. On X, Joe Bob retweeted a post from Damian Maffei that didn’t explicitly name Tubi but accused “that free streaming app with all the ads” of being a streamer that has been known “to edit movies. Cut things down, and zoom in on scenes.”
Many have pointed out that Tubi doesn’t do this and just streams whatever print of the film they can get, but the implication of the retweet is that Joe Bob doesn’t like the free streaming service and is unlikely to take The Last Drive-In over there. Unfortunately, this brings us no closer to knowing where Joe Bob and Darcy will land and when they’ll start hosting movies again. Until they confirm anything, all fans can do is speculate while mourning the loss of the best show on streaming.
The Drive-In Will Never Die
The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs was unlike anything else in the streaming world: it featured eclectic horror classics, insightful commentary, and gonzo humor, all while letting fans share the magic together through live broadcasts. It brought the entire Mutant Family together, allowing us to bond over everything from Joe Bob’s signature rants to the shlockiness of our favorite films. Fortunately, the man himself has confirmed he will be returning and keep gracing us with his unique brand of comedic criticism powered by decades of arcane horror film knowledge.
That announcement fulfills the prophecy of something Joe Bob has been reminding us of at the end of every episode since the new show began. A promise, a mantra, and a fervent hope, all rolled into five little words that the Mutants are clinging to now more than ever: “the drive-in will never die.”
Entertainment
Beloved Always Sunny Character Announces Long-Awaited Return
By TeeJay Small
| Published
FX’s It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia is widely considered to be one of the greatest television comedies of all time. Even though the screwball series began with a rag-tag crew of misfit twenty-somethings who could barely light a soundstage, the show has evolved to have some of the most jaw-dropping moments on television. While it’s been a blast watching the gang lie, cheat, steal, and double cross each other for the past 17 seasons, most fans agree that the show’s biggest draw is its growing rogues gallery of bystanders.
These wacky side characters, most of whom appear significantly worse for wear with each passing appearance on the show, include street urchin Rickety Cricket, Ben the soldier, and the bizarre, incestuous family known as the McPoyle clan. Thanks to a post from Guillermo del Toro on X, we now know that one of the most iconic McPoyles is coming back for Always Sunny‘s 18th season. The character, known as Pappy McPoyle, is a family patriarch, proud bird owner, and occasional eyeball snatcher, who last appeared on the show’s 11th season.
The Pap Is Back!
In case you missed it, legendary filmmaker and three-time Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro is the decorated thespian responsible for bringing Pappy McPoyle to life. You might not recognize him under the billowing beard, Gandalf-length white hair, and dirt that covers his entire face. As the story goes, del Toro first raised the possibility of doing a cameo appearance in Always Sunny while he was working with series star and co-creator Charlie Day on the 2013 film Pacific Rim. As they discussed the role, the Oscar-winner became committed to the idea of playing the most depraved and disgusting character the Sunny crew could conjure, and Pappy was born.
To date, Pappy has made his way onto It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia just twice, though he’s made a big impact on fans even with his limited screen time. He first showed up disheveled and ornery during the events of season 8’s “The Maureen Ponderosa Wedding Massacre,” and later took the witness stand in season 11’s “McPoyle vs. Ponderosa: The Trial of the Century.” According to the show’s lore, the entire McPoyle crew sprang forth from his mighty loins, along with one unnamed McPoyle who attempted to devour him upon birth. Fear not, intrepid viewer: Pappy ate him first.
Over A Decade In The Making
Last time we saw Pappy McPoyle, he was sicking his Pocono swallow on a courtroom full of unsuspecting people, and demanding that the bird snatch the eyeball of everyone’s favorite Harvard-educated lawyer. The interaction concluded with sweeping pandemonium, leaving fans unsure if Pappy was arrested by the court bailiff, or if he slinked off into the night, content to feast upon his freshly-snatched peeper under the cover of darkness. It’s been over 10 years since that episode aired, so we’ll have a lot of catching up to do once Always Sunny‘s 18th season finally arrives.
Guillermo del Toro’s social media post is quite cryptic. It doesn’t provide much direct information, other than an overt confirmation that Pappy McPoyle will return. For now, we’ll just have to wait for new episodes of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia to release in order to find out where he’s been, where he’s headed, and what avian horrors await under his hat.
Ben & Jerrys Free Cone Day is back for 2026 — everything you need to know
The Best Show On Streaming Has Been Canceled, End Of An Era
