Despite their tumultuous history as lovers, Kate Beckinsale and Matt Rife seem to be on very good these days. So good, in fact, that the former celebrity couple were spotted getting cozy at Netflix’s Golden Globes afterparty on Sunday, Jan. 5.

According to an eyewitness, the two were anything but distant at the star-studded bash. “They were kissing and being affectionate with one another,” the insider told Page Six. “Her arms were around his neck. and his arms and hands were around her waist… They were very close, and then I saw them kiss a couple times.”

The interaction wasn’t steamy enough to qualify as a full-blown make-out session, but it was clearly enough to raise eyebrows. Another tipster confirmed Rife and Beckinsale’s closeness at the party. However, they described the scene in more platonic , saying, “They are friendly exes and were having some funny conversations.”

The Canary Black star, now 51, famously dated Rife, 29, back in 2017. At the time, Beckinsale was 43, and the up-and-coming comedian was just 21. The pair reportedly met through a mutual friend but called it quits after about a year together.

There’s no information on what led to their breakup, but Rife made headlines for his not-so-friendly comments about Beckinsale in 2019, while she was dating another comedian, Pete Davidson. At the time, he said their romance was “complicated” and warned the former Saturday Night Live star to “run.” “Man to man: run,” Rife quipped via TMZ back then. “Enjoy it while you can. I hope they’re both happy. Be careful.”

When asked if he’d ever consider rekindling his romance with the Underworld actress, Rife didn’t mince words and responded with a firm “Not a chance.” He later doubled down, calling their relationship “a lot of ups and downs” and itting they weren’t exactly “the most compatible match.”

Fast forward to Sunday night, and it seems the two have managed to maintain a playful, affectionate dynamic despite their split years before. According to the first source, the sweet moment unfolded late in the evening, “near the end of the night. They were in front of everyone in the corner of the main dining room. By this time it wasn’t packed, people were filtering out.”

Based on what purportedly transpired between Beckinsale and Rife, it seems they have left the drama behind. Or perhaps the actress already buried the hatchet when the comedian walked back on his remarks against her years ago and apologized for what he described as a “petty” outburst.

“I gave that advice because I was only speaking from personal experience,” he explained to Elle. “I wanted to make sure that both of them were careful with their emotions and didn’t head into something that wouldn’t work out.”

Meanwhile, this wouldn’t be the first time for Beckinsale to snag a lover after the Golden Globes. In 2019, she was famously spotted flirting with Davidson at one of the afterparties, and their sighting led to a whirlwind romance that lasted a few months. A year after, she was snapped leaving another Globes afterparty with rapper Machine Gun Kelly.

Kate Beckinsale is standing behind Blake Lively during the latter’s revelatory complaint against It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni and his team of cunning public relations agents. The English actress shared experiences from her career which mirror those Lively has detailed in court documents, including getting called a “c–t” after speaking up against a drunk cast mate.

Beckinsale took to Instagram to comment on the case after clarifying she doesn’t know either party but has first-hand experience with the “machine that goes into effect when a woman complains about something legitimately offensive, upsetting, harmful … in this industry.” The 51-year-old actress, who had her breakout into Hollywood in the late ’90s, listed a several episodes where she was disrespected and abused on movie and photoshoot sets, only for her worries to be discarded and buried by those in charge.

“I’ve been gaslight, blamed, and ostracized”

One of those instances came when Beckinsale expressed concern and frustration over a male co-star who would show up intoxicated and late to set every day. The actress says she was referred to by “that c–t” and “you stupid b—h,” implying that the insults came from her unnamed problematic scene partner. “I’m waiting, as is the whole crew, six hours a day for him to learn his lines, and it means I’m not getting to see my daughter in the evenings, ever, for the whole movie,” she recounted. The studio responded by giving her a bicycle to ride around the studio to the time.

In the nearly five-minute-long video, Beckinsale talked about being made to feel ugly by makeup crews and being put on diets so strict she stopped menstruating. On filming “unsafe” fight sequences in two different films, the actress claimed there are certain actors who get a “thrill out of legally being able to harm a woman.” When she reported injuries stemming from those experiences, “she was gaslight, blamed, ostracized, left out of cast dinners, and not spoken to.” Once, Beckinsale says, a publicist forced her to participate in a photo shoot the day after she suffered a miscarriage and while she was still bleeding, under threats of being sued.

Besides being blacklisted by Harvey Weinstein after turning down a film, the Total Recall action star was also “felt up” by a crew member she “really trusted” when she was just 18 and getting her start. When she told both the lead actress and another female cast member, they disregarded her, telling her the incident hadn’t happened.

Beckinsale finished the video by thanking Lively for “highlighting the fact that this is not an archaic problem that no one’s facing,” that “this is continuing, and then when it does happen, a machine goes into place to absolutely destroy you.”

Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni of orchestrating a PR strategy to tarnish her reputation after on-set disagreements

In a complaint filed in December, Lively accused Baldoni of hiring the crisis PR team the Agency Group — famous for handling Johnny Depp’s public image during his defamation trial with Amber Heard in 2022 — to “bury” her after she called out the director and actor’s on-set behavior. Among other things, the 37-year-old actress claims to have made complaints about Baldoni improvising “physical intimacy that had not been rehearsed, choreographed, or discussed.”

The suit also includes screen captures of alleged text exchanges between publicists obtained through subpoena, wherein they revel in the online response to seeds they had planted. Lively’s reputation plunged during the press tour for It Ends With Us, when the public noticed she wasn’t ing her director and co-star for interviews. Moments where the actress appeared dismissive of the film’s serious domestic violence-related themes went viral, along with old clips of Lively being rude to an interviewer. Within days, the entire internet had turned against a once massively popular celebrity.

Like Beckinsale notes in the caption of her post, the new generation of women in the public eye have it “even worse because of social media and how that can be weaponized to a literally nuclear level, designed to eviscerate.”

For those of you not in the know, every three months or so there’s a top secret meeting held between the supreme leaders of Prime Video and Netflix, where they take turns throwing darts at a dartboard to determine the next four or five occupants of the slop category, and who’s going to be responsible for them. On this dartboard, there are but two different designations: romantic comedy and action thriller.

Prime Video, evidently, struck the action thriller section with one of their throws, and the world has found Canary Black down its throat as a result.

Per FlixPatrol, the Kate Beckinsale-led, agent-gone-rogue, this-time-it’s-personal, and-so-on spy thriller has managed to clamber its way up the charts in the United States at the time of writing. For the moment, it’s occupying third place, ahead of fellow fodder Brothers (fifth place), and obtusely superior actioner Monkey Man (1oth place).

The film stars Beckinsale (who prolifically led the criticized-but-successful Underworld film series, in which she portrayed elite vampire assassin Selene as she gets caught up in a war between werewolves and vampires) as Avery Graves, a CIA agent who returns home one evening to discover that her husband David has been kidnapped, and if she ever wants to see him alive again, she has to steal a file called “Canary Black” (!!!!!) and deliver it to the kidnappers. Desperate, Avery puts herself in the crosshairs of her own agency for the sake of rescuing her husband, even if that means plunging the world into great peril by giving his kidnappers such a dangerous file.

Canary Black also stars Ray Stevenson — who ed away in May 2023 — as Avery’s boss and close ally Jarvis Hedlund. The actor’s colorful career included Star Wars’ Gar Saxon (The Clone Wars) and Baylan Skoll (Ahsoka), the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Volstagg (Thor, Thor: The Dark World, and Thor: Ragnarok), and a starring role in legacy Marvel film Punisher: War Zone, where he suited up as Frank Castle himself. Canary Black is his penultimate film appearance, with his final being the in-post-production 1242: Gateway to the West.

The usual problems with most all streaming-exclusive action thrillers are present here. Canary Black isn’t particularly well-choreographed or well-framed, its complicated, spy jargon-laden plot feigns intelligence while ignoring emotion, and more than anything, it simply doesn’t really care about being a movie.

Even if it’s somewhat overdone, there is something fundamentally interesting about the decision between plunging the world into terror or not letting your only loved one die. The problem with Canary Black, however, is that the buck stops at that very premise. There’s no real hook to Avery and David’s marriage that would make us uniquely root for them, and so there’s not much foundation for Canary Black to take a new direction with this kidnapped-spouse-for-cyber-nuke scenario. Even the telegraphed twist just hangs itself out to dry shortly after being revealed.

Indeed, there’s the pervading sense that most everything in Canary Black was made up on the fly, and such a feeling piques during the film’s ending. Without giving away any details, any consequences — emotional or otherwise — that Avery was teed up to deal with are completely scrubbed clean by the arrival of a new character who makes all of her problems go away. And the only thing worse than a film depriving you of an emotional payoff, is a film that does so without an iota of emotional setup in the first place.

Britney Spears can do anything — she has proven that time and time again. From creating worldwide hits, surviving several public scandals, and escaping a conservatorship, Britney Spears is now also defending other women like Kate Beckinsale from ageist haters, and defending herself from other public people like Ozzy Osbourne.

Britney Spears has been in a conservatorship for over a decade, and just got the right to live her life on her own a couple years ago. While she is not ready to return to the spotlight — and might never be — she uses her social media to keep in touch with fans, sharing pictures of herself trying out dresses or videos of herself dancing. The superstar, also dubbed the Princess of Pop, has constantly had to defend her Instagram posts and now she’s doing it for other people, too.

Britney Spears fiercely defended Kate Beckinsale

British actress Kate Beckinsale is also one of the celebrities who enjoys sharing mundane moments of her fabulous life on social media. Amid several difficult losses, Beckinsale finds strength in her friends and pets, and tries to put on nice outfits that make her feel better. Unfortunately, she has been the target of several ageist and body shaming comments, many of them telling her to “dress her age” or “eat something.”

Britney Spears wasn’t having it, though, and, in a lengthy post, she called them off. First praising Beckinsale’s 2001 rom-com Serendipity, which also stars John Cusack, Britney only had great words about her and some harsh words about the haters. “I realized how incredibly cruel people were talking about her IG saying she needs more age-appropriate content… she’s in her fifties and I thought it was pretty badass how she responded with a mini bow in her hair looking literally 4 years old.”

Beckinsale didn’t leave this unnoticed, writing back on her Instagram stories, “Women ing women is my favorite thing. Thank you, Britney Spears, warrior queen of all queens for your incredibly sweet post. All the love right back.”

Britney Spears slammed Ozzy Osbourne

Just a few days ago, Ozzy Osbourne made some rather malicious comments about Spears’ Instagram . The singer complained about the content she posts, which could’ve been solved with a quick “unfollow.” He said during an episode of the family podcast, Osbournes, “I’m fed up of seeing poor old Britney Spears [dancing] on YouTube every fucking day. It’s sad. Very, very sad.” Sharon jumped in and said, “Poor little Britney. It’s heartbreaking,” while Jack added, “Very sad indeed.”

While defending Beckinsale, Spears noted that the actress’ criticism was “Not as bad as some of my comments saying it’s sad that I’m as old as I am and I’m dancing every single day on my IG.” She ended her lengthy message with, “I’m gonna do a photoshoot with Kate and tell the Osbourne family who is the most boring family known to mankind to kindly f**k off.”

The Osbournes are going to need a second after that burn, while we and the rest of the world are impatiently waiting for the Kate-Britney photoshoot.

Star-crossed lovers have been depicted in many ventures, but none quite like Underworld. There is nothing like werewolves and vampires duking it out with automatic weapons. 

This is the world that vampire Death Dealer, Selene (Kate Beckinsale) lives in. Turned centuries ago, the leather-clad queen of the night is consumed with killing every lycanthrope she can. A clear allegory for racism, Underworld’s war between between two supernatural races fires on all cylinders. Selene questions her personal crusade when she discovers a conspiracy at the highest levels of her coven — and when she falls in love with the human, Michael (Scott Speedman). Underworld has something for everyone. Horror. Romance. Epic battles. And though not every film in the franchise exists in cult classic territory, they’re ultimately worth the watch. 

5. Underworld: Awakening

At its best, Underworld is a love story. Take that away, and you’re left with mythology and choreographed fight sequences that are soulless. That is what Selene discovers when she awakens after years in captivity. The love of her immortal life is gone, and she is in a world she no longer recognizes. Humanity has become of the existence of Lycans and vampires, and now they have become the hunted. This result inherently takes the mystique out of the world. 

Underworld: Awakening furthers the story by introducing audiences to Michael and Selene’s daughter, Eve (India Eisley) but with little payoff. Instead of a story grounded in character like the first film, Awakening devotes screen time to developing a Super-Lycan paired with questionable CGI. In a series whose calling card was the practical effects of the Lycan makeup, Awakening does not meet expectations. This entry, while with many of the hallmarks, fails to get to the point of what the story was about. Michael’s absence from the film is a stark reminder of what is missing from the story. 

4. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

A prequel that no one really asked for, the first chronological film of the series shows the origins of Lycan leader, Lucien. At the end of the day, Michael Sheen saves the movie in his reprisal of the werewolf leader. We see his beginnings as a slave to the vampire lord, Viktor (Bill Nighy). The first werewolf to be born with human qualities, Lucien becomes the obvious choice for a Lycan uprising. 

But as we all know by watching the first film, this story ends in tragedy. After falling in love with Viktor’s daughter, Sonja (Rhona Mitra), the coven leader elects to execute her because she is pregnant with a vampire-werewolf hybrid. The story is just a rehash of what fans were already aware of and gives no real catharsis for Lucien. Any satisfaction comes centuries later in the first Underworld film. For now, Lucien has to watch his lover die and not get the revenge he so desperately needs. The only joy out of this film is seeing Sheen chew the scenery, as well as a multitude of vampires. 

3. Underworld: Blood Wars

The fifth entry in the Underworld series returns to the immersive lore that fans are accustomed to. After Selene’s many crimes in the name of love, she is once again hunted by Lycans and vampires alike. Because of her special hybrid blood, she is a hot commodity. Speedman still hasn’t returned to the franchise, which puts a damper on the emotional stakes of the film. Blood Wars officially kills him off, putting the kibosh on Speedman ever returning to the franchise. While a long shot, saying goodbye to the potential of the lovers reuniting is unfortunate. 

But the appearances of Charles Dance, Lara Pulver, and Theo James heighten the material. The film was a return to form that proved some lifeblood in this franchise remained. Selene increases her powers yet again and finds solace with the daughter she shares with Michael. If this is a true end to the series, Underworld could do worse.

2. Underworld: Evolution

The battle for survival continues in the second installment of the Underworld series. Selene’s act of killing Viktor and turning Michael into a hybrid has turned all the factions against them. And then there is the added issue of Marcus (Tony Curran), a vampire elder who has just been reawakened by ingesting Lycan blood. The result is turning him into a winged hybrid, who has motives of his own. The only way for Selene and Michael to defeat Marcus is by chasing down the legend that started it all: The virus that turned humans into werewolves and vampires.

Underworld: Evolution expands on a fascinating world while delving deep into the forbidden love between Michael and Selene. The two finally consummate their affection in a direct sequel that is sexier and far more violent. The only downside is the supreme lack of Lucien, who is a delight in any capacity.

1. Underworld

There is no film like the first. The 2003 monster fest introduced the world to the Death Dealing Selene and her crusade against the horde of Lycans. Though the series could be perceived as silly at first glance, don’t let it fool you. If you buy into the gun-toting take on classic movie monsters, there is a film worth watching. Beckinsale shines as Selene, who is devoted to her surrogate vampire father, only to be betrayed by him. The love-lorn Lucien is played by the incomparable Sheen, who refuses to dial back his performance.

Centuries after Viktor killed Lucien’s vampire wife, he still struggles to keep her alive by finding a way to make a vampire-werewolf hybrid. Just like the child he and Sonja would have had should she have been spared. Finally, Lucien’s efforts come to fruition when he finds a human descendant of the Immortal line. Michael’s bloodline is effectively the only one able to endure the transformation process. Throw in a story of star-crossed lovers, conspiracy, and wildly audacious fight sequences, and you have yourself a film. No subsequent movie in the franchise ever sured the first, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Underworld was a unique take on the genre that brought vampires back in a big way.

Tarantino and Jackson. Gerwig and Ronan. Scorsese and DiCaprio.

It is a certainty that directors will find performers they jive with, no matter the genre. The latter duo, however, have worked together for the better part of two decades on projects that could not be more different from each other. 

Since 2002, Leonardo DiCaprio’s partnership with Martin Scorsese has proven his range as an actor. And while not every one of these collaborations seems to be ed in the actor’s filmography, that is a mistake. Scorsese’s work with DiCaprio has allowed the actor to take real risks that started at the beginning of his career as a movie star. All of his films with the acclaimed director have brought something to DiCaprio’s longevity, whether it’s obvious or not. 

6. Gangs Of New York

Gangs of New York was an ambitious project at almost 3 hours, casting significant actors such as Daniel Day-Lewis, Brendan Gleeson, and Liam Neeson. This film was not a failure by any stretch of the imagination. 

DiCaprio plays Amsterdam, a young orphan at the turn of the century in gang-ridden New York City. Immigrants form street gangs such as the one his father, Priest Vallon (Neeson), ran before being killed by the American Native’s leader, Bill the Butcher (Day-Lewis). Amsterdam falls in with Bill only to follow the path of violence to avenge his father. The film was adapted from the non-fiction book by Herbert Asbury about The Five Points and was a precursor for many of Dicaprio’s films. It was the beginning of many true-to-life stories that the actor would pursue.

5. Shutter Island

Scorsese’s neo-noir is generally not thought of as one of the director’s grander pictures. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, Shutter Island casts DiCaprio in the role of U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, who starts investigating the Ashecliff Hospital for the criminally insane following the disappearance of a patient named Rachel (Emily Mortimer). As Teddy’s investigation heats up, it’s easy to put 2 and 2 together.

But even with a predictable twist, DiCaprio goes to impressive lengths as the central character. He has the responsibility of not just playing one character, but two. The climax of the film reveals that Teddy doesn’t exist. His identity is actually that of Andrew, a patient at the hospital who was confined after he killed his manic-depressive wife. Andrew created Teddy as a way to cope with his guilt. While this turn of events isn’t surprising, DiCaprio still evokes empathy for a tragic character.

4. The Aviator

DiCaprio’s 2004 collaboration with Scorsese marked the beginning of the actor’s long road to the Oscars. By all s, The Aviator was a lightning rod for the awards ceremony. The biopic depicts the life and times of Howard Hughes, the famed movie director and aviation genius. Also in the cast were many prominent actors, such as Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, and Jude Law. 

Though DiCaprio did not win the award, it wasn’t for lack of trying. The film spans over two decades, from Hughes’s humble beginnings in the ‘20s to his infamous downward spiral into an eccentric billionaire. DiCaprio certainly deserved any accolades for his performance, but his roles would still be yet to come.

3. The Departed

Adapted from the Hong Kong film, Infernal Affairs, The Departed brings police corruption to South Boston. The organized crime film did not have the reputation of Scorsese’s most notable gangster film, Goodfellas, but weaves a compelling tale with captivating characters. In the film, Scorsese takes on the Irish mob from the perspective of two very similar characters who take different paths in life. Colin (Matt Damon) is in Frank Costello’s (Jack Nicholson) pocket from an early age. Frank is the leader of the Irish mob, and raises Colin to be his mole inside the Boston police department. Billy (DiCaprio) is Colin’s foil. He inversely comes from a criminal background but desires to be in law enforcement. Because of his background, he becomes the primary choice to infiltrate Costello’s racket. 

Once again, DiCaprio excels at playing the tragic character. (Warning: Spoilers ensue!) He is unimpeachable in his morals, going as far as to go to prison to maintain his cover. He gets beaten, sees his father figure murdered, and still finds a way to get handcuffs on Colin. He is close to vindication, only to be shot by another mole in the police department. Billy is the heart of the film and sets up Diario for some of the best roles of his career.

2. The Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street cemented DiCaprio as not only a versatile actor but a performer unafraid of any material. Another biopic for the actor-director duo, DiCaprio plays the real-life stock market giant, Jordan Belfort. Founding his firm, Stratton Oakmont, the Wall Streeter went on to commit a myriad of financial crimes during his time as a stockbroker.

The figure’s life was so money-and-drug-filled that it was impossible not to laugh. DiCaprio showed immense talent for comedy as well as dedication to a real-life character. His performance in the film was only superseded by Scorsese’s heartwrenching 2023 true crime story.

1. Killers of the Flower Moon

It takes real dedication to pull off one of the most irredeemable characters in Scorsese’s filmography. Killers of the Flower Moon was adapted from the true crime book of the same name and depicts one of the most harrowing events in American history. Around the time that the Tulsa Race Massacre was happening, there was another culling of a minority group. In Osage County, a number of Indigenous people were killed for their oil money.

While DiCaprio often plays characters with some degree of empathy, this is where that tradition stops. The acclaimed actor plays Ernest Burkhart, a willing pawn in his uncle William Hale’s (Robert De Niro) ploy to take the Osage population’s money through marriage and murder. Ernest may think he’s in love with Mollie (Lily Gladstone) but only pushes the matter at the behest of his uncle. One by one, every one of her family dies gruesomely as Ernest looks on.

He is fully complicit in these crimes, including poisoning his wife. There is no love to be found for the character here, who is filled to the brim with greed and stupidity. DiCaprio beats every single one of his previous characters, not just in Scorsese films, but in his entire career. It is a thankless role and one that highlights the egregious crimes committed against the indigenous population of the country. While hard for DiCaprio to top, he will probably try in his next Scorsese venture.

We all know that Keanu Reeves is one of Hollywood’s nicest men by this point, right? We really don’t need any more evidence to come to this conclusion. We will take it, however, as it brightens up our day and makes us feel like the world isn’t such a bad place after all. This latest nugget of niceness comes from actor Kate Beckinsale.

The actress recently recalled a moment when Reeves played the role of the white knight, coming to her rescue at her very first Cannes Film Festival in 1993. The actress was attending the event with the cast of the Kenneth Branagh-directed Shakespeare adaption Much Ado About Nothing and had a slight wardrobe malfunction that could have potentially put her in a very tight spot. Luckily Reeves was there to help out. Reeves also had a co-conspirator in kindness that day with co-star Robert Sean Leonard also lending a hand.

The actress must have been feeling nostalgic at Cannes this year as she posted her recollection of the day on her Instagram.

What could have been an absolute disaster ended up being a sweet moment for Beckinsale who is still grateful to this day for her co-stars and their help as they “both jumped in to save me no questions asked.”

Reeves has built up a huge reputation for being a sweet guy, with the actor constantly having very lovely interactions with fans, buying thoughtful gifts for many who work on his movies with him, and essentially being a good guy wherever he goes.

It’s a hard reality in Hollywood that actors are judged harshly for their appearances. Tinsel Town favors youth and new faces over the reality of aging. Actress Kate Beckinsale knows this all too well, and she’s pushing back against rumors that she’s had work done to stay young-looking.

Beckinsale, who turns 50 this year, posted pictures and video of herself at the Cannes Film Festival red carpet, and honestly she looks younger than ever. Of course, we have to an actress on the red carpet has spent hours, if not days preparing for it.

Regardless, this didn’t stop people from being shocked at her appearance.

“Please tell me you had a facelift because it’s not possible to be this gorgeous at 50,” one commenter said. “Lol why do Celebrities have to deny their face procedures? Just don’t lie about it ..she still looks great!” said another.

Here’s someone else in disbelief: “Maybe not surgery but definitely filler in that face…whatever happened to aging naturally..so sad.”

Beckinsale actually responded to the facelift comment, saying that she does “no threads no thread lift no Botox no laser no nose job no filler.” So what does she do? She does facials with prp (platelet-rich plasma injected into the face) “to boost collagen” and “microcurrent for skin tightening and oxygen.”

She said she would try a laser but “I’m a bit scared.” You’ll take a needle to the face but a laser is too much? Actually, I get it. Lasers are scary.

She also answered the “deny their face procedures” comment. “I haven’t had a facelift or filler of Botox. I’m not lying and I don’t have to accept people accusing me of things I haven’t done.” You hear that? Stop accusing her of things. She doesn’t do botox, just other stuff!

For the “whatever happened to aging naturally comment,” she said “don’t be sad for me.” Later in the comments she revealed that she has a condition called mast cell activation syndrome, which makes her “react to hundreds of things badly” so she can’t get “botox and fillers.”

OK – so she would get them but can’t? A little confusing, but whatever. Also. If your whole job was to look good and you had enough money to get platelets injected into your face, wouldn’t you? Let her live!

This isn’t the first time that Beckinsale bared herself to the world at Cannes. She also shared a photo of herself from Cannes in 1993 where she had a little wardrobe malfunction, but fortunately Keanu Reeves was there to save the day. What can’t he do?

These days, it’s pretty universally accepted that Kate Beckinsale is one of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood. At almost 50, she remains as unchanged as her Underworld (2003) vampiric breakout role, Selene. While we all may be acutely aware of her stunning good looks and absolutely bangin’ bod — believe it or not — there was a time when Beckinsale wasn’t the highly recognizable action staple she is today.

Before becoming a female action icon, Beckinsale was mostly known for romantic comedies and period pieces. She embraced the sweet, somewhat mousey appeal that many young brunettes get shoehorned into (we’re looking at you, Racheal Weiss, you stone-cold fox, you) in their youths and was thriving in smaller productions. She landed a leading role in Cold Comfort Farms (1995) and then starred alongside Gwyneth Paltrow in 1996’s Emma.

Beckinsale told Vulture that — when she was cast in 2001’s Pearl Harbor— she was under the impression that it would fit snuggly with the long line of historical pieces she had already established herself in. “I had not heard of Michael Bay, I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought I was making a period piece about Pearl Harbor.”

While the idea of Michael Bay making a period piece is hilarious, that was exactly what the director tried to do. His execution was off the mark and the movie was roundly panned by critics for its “artistic license.” The movie quickly became known for its historical inaccuracies and even sits comfortably near the top of the list of the least accurate military movies of all time. Despite the very little joy found in the film by critics, the movie performed well at the box office.

It even managed to nab an Academy Award for sound design and was the first film to win the award while simultaneously being nominated for a Razzie Award. Sitting at a comfortable 24% on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has been criticized for almost everything and still fails to gain audience favor. From Bay’s signature bombastic use of explosives and its 182-minute runtime, to the less-than-believable love triangle between Kate Beckinsale, Ben Affleck, and Josh Hartnett, even audiences have found the film to be fairly lacking— except for the 40 minutes of action depicting the actual attack.

Beckinsale’s inexperience with large-scale film productions and Michael Bay’s well-known proclivity toward — ahem — stacked women created a bit of a complex for the crew behind the film. “… there was a lot of panic and concern over ‘how on Earth are we gonna make her attractive?” Beckinsale told Yahoo News back in 2016. It didn’t stop there, even if Beckinsale wasn’t aware of Bay’s reputation back in the day, she’s well aware of it now.

“I think he was very alarmed because I wasn’t blond and my boobs weren’t bigger than my head, I didn’t make sense to him as an attractive woman.” Despite the complex-inducing conversation around what made her “unattractive,” the actor managed to keep it from getting her down.

“You’d think you’d take that really personally, but I sort of managed not to. It’s so extreme I kind of didn’t.” We all aspire to have that level of confidence when dealing with a superior hellbent on changing everything .

“There [were] diet plans and exercise regimens that [were] really punishing. [They] really baffled me because I couldn’t understand why a ’40s nurse needed to work out that much.”

Beckinsale clarified that it wasn’t just her on the punishing regimens. Co-star Ben Affleck made sure that she knew she wasn’t the only one with arduous requirements. He was just as scrutinized for his meals and physicality. Affleck told Uproxx that he would have quit the movie, but was too embarrassed at the time to drop out. One of the few things Pearl Harbor had going for it was the chemistry between Affleck and Beckinsale, so we’ll consider ourselves lucky he found the strength to go on.

Back in 1990, director Paul Verhoeven and his screenwriters gave us an incredible adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s short story “We Can It for You Wholesale” titled Total Recall that was a highly-entertaining experience with a good balance of story and action. 22 years later, we are faced with another telling of the story (it’s hard to call it a remake as, while there are several similar elements, it has a different plot running through it) with a different cast, a different crew, and modern effects, so now we not only get to see how it measures up to the original, but also how it measures up as a film of its own. Taking place in the future where there are only two inhabitable areas (Australia and part of Europe) on the Earth thanks to global warfare, the film tells the story of Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), a factory worker who is looking to escape the monotony of his life. He hears of a service called “Rekall” that gives you artificially implanted memories of anything you want, so, despite warnings from his co-worker, Harry (Bookeem Woodbine), Doug goes to have the procedure done, opting to get memories of being a secret agent implanted. However, something goes terribly wrong. The memories don’t take because there are already similar memories existing in his head. This is where Doug’s life begins to spiral out of control as the police begin to chase him, his wife (Kate Beckinsale) tries to kill him, and he discovers that he might not be who he thought he was. Now on the run, he must find out his true identity and discover his link to The Resistance, a group fighting against the rule of Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the man who is desperate to capture Doug before he can expose anything he might from his past. Right off the bat, I have to say that this does not stand up to the original 1990 film that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the main reason for that is that it wasn’t able to accomplish what the original had done so well, that is, finding a good balance between the story and action. With 22 years in between films, technology has obviously advanced in the field of special effects, and the filmmakers behind this new version wanted to make sure we knew that. The whole reason this version seems to have been made was as a showcase for the special effects, which the filmmakers unfortunately decided to let rule over the story. As I mentioned, the story has several similar elements when it comes to the character of Doug Quaid, so there aren’t really any surprises to be had there if you’ve already seen the original film. However, the new elements added to it show that they really didn’t want to put much effort into coming up with an engaging plot, and this is despite having such sci-fi talent as Kurt Wimmer, Dan O’Bannon, and Ronald Shusett working on it (the latter two had even worked on the original). The seemingly endless action sequences are what really end up dragging it down. They go on for such a long time, and are so frequent, that they merely end up making the film monotonous and rather dull to sit through. When they do decide to take a break from the action, it’s to give us speedy updates on the plot before plunging ahead into the next action sequence. You may recall that the original had had an interesting plot involving Doug going to Mars, finding out about his role in the resistance, and trying to break Cohaagen’s hold over the people. This update merely changes Cohaagen into someone trying to take over the only other inhabitable area in the world, making him no more interesting than a real estate tycoon. In certainly doesn’t help that he isn’t seen in person until the last 30 minutes of the film, leading one to wonder why they would bother getting someone as great as Bryan Cranston (from TV’s Breaking Bad) to play him. It’s a great casting choice, he’s just extremely underutilized. The film comes to us from director Len Wiseman, who is mainly known for the “Underworld” films, which have been going straight downhill lately. However, he was also responsible for Live Free or Die Hard, which was a decent action film. It’s unfortunate that he allowed this thing to go so overboard with its chase sequences, fights, and explosions. An update in the effects department should have complimented the story, not taken it over. What we end up with is a forgettable, monotonous reimagining that was wholly unnecessary. Taking a look at the Blu-Ray specs, the film is presented in a 1080p, 2.40:1 high definition transfer that is really dark in several places. Granted, this is a rather dark film, but it becomes a bit of an issue when it makes it hard to notice details in the picture. The 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio, on the other hand, is of excellent quality. A science-fiction film like this depends on sound effects quite a lot, so it’s good to see that it got the proper treatment in this area. The Blu-Ray comes with the following special features:

• Both Theatrical and Extended Director’s Cut of the Film with 20 minutes of new footage including an alternate ending
• Director’s Commentary
• Total Recall with Insight
• Science Fiction vs. Science Fact
• Deg the Fall
• Total Action – Key action sequences and stunt breakdowns
• Stepping into Recall – Pre-visualization of the intense fight and chase sequences
• Gag Reel

The main extras to pay attention to here are the Director’s commentary and “Total Recall with Insight.” The commentary is played over the Director’s Cut of the film and has Wiseman discussing the characters and the changes that occurred between the two different cuts of the film. The Insight featurette is a kind of “Making of” that plays during the film. Every now and again, a box will pop up during the movie that features the cast and crew discussing how certain aspects of the film were put together. It would have worked a lot better if it were separated from the film, but at least it’s there in some form. There is indeed a Director’s Cut of the film that is about 20 minutes longer, but quite frankly, even after having seen the film in theaters a few months ago, I couldn’t begin to tell you what was new and what had already been there. As for the “alternate ending,” even after looking at both endings, I don’t see much that is “alternate” about it besides a few extra shots that don’t change anything. The other special features are decent and include looks at the special effects and pre-vis sequences, as well as a short featurette about the possibilities of developing the technology seen in the film. All in all, this is a pretty good set of extras that teach you a lot about how the film got made, which, in this critic’s opinion, are the best kind of extras. While the special features are indeed of good quality, unfortunately they can’t make up for the film. This reimagining of Total Recall was an interest opportunity to update the original and possibly even improve upon it, but it merely becomes a wasted chance to do so. The filmmakers have completely missed what made the first film work, opting to make a special effects extravaganza that largely ignores the story instead. This was clearly the wrong way to go.

This review is based on a copy of the Blu-Ray that we received for reviewing purposes.

One of Miramax’s last big flops was Kirk Jones’ Everybody’s Fine. The film’s initial release stirred up premature Oscar buzz for star Robert De Niro, but eventually that fizzled out when the film failed to find an audience, despite having a holiday/family get-together center that usually caters to the masses anytime from November through December. De Niro’s heartfelt performance is ultimately wasted on a drama that ends on the melodramatic side, when it could have easily gone in many other directions. Everybody’s Fine isn’t nearly as dry or dull as most claim it to be, but it does drop the ball more than it rightfully should. Frank Goode (Robert De Niro) is a retired widower that’s experiencing the last down-swing of getting old. He’s lonely and spends most of his day gardening or thinking back on memories he had with his four children. He now realizes that maybe he was a little too harsh on them and to make up for it he’d like to host a family get together where he can reconnect with them all. His daughters Rosie (Drew Barrymore) and Amy (Kate Beckinsale) are both living in different parts of the country, with Rosie establishing a name for herself in Las Vegas and Amy leading an advertising firm. His sons Robert (Sam Rockwell) and David are living their dreams too, with Robert composing and making music and David continuing his career as an artist. Frank’s entire family seems to be living the dream that is later revealed as a lie when Frank goes to visit them individually after they all back out of the family’s holiday plans. He soon discovers that all of his children are hiding something from him and it’s this “something” that contributes to the film’s downfall. Director Kirk Jones shifts away from the usual lighter family drama and instead shoots Everybody’s Fine with an adult lens. The drama here is something that will resonate more with adults than kids and that aspect alone makes the film slightly unexpected. It helps that De Niro actually seems to care about his character and providing the proper dramatic chops to make Frank’s characteristics sort of charming and innocent. De Niro’s sincerity seeps through as the character of Frank reaches a low-end realization that’s both sad and depressing. It’s great watching De Niro flex these muscles that we haven’t seen him use in years, but it sucks knowing that his performance will mostly go over as something no one else watched. Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale and Drew Barrymore give each of Frank’s children their own unique set of problems and secrets that interact with Frank distinctively, making each one of Frank’s visits slightly different from the last. Rockwell shines as the most likable of the bunch, but mostly because of the way the character of Robert is written. Everybody’s Fine sinks into predictability towards the finale. Some might be more forgiving than others, because the performances really are the brightest things about this down-in-the-dumps family drama, but others will call the film out for its overused drama and failure to pick up after an ending reveal that’s completely telegraphed and unhelpful to the film’s already struggling problems. Lionsgate brings the film to Blu-Ray with a 1080p video transfer that is sharp and very natural-looking. There’s a lot of heavy noise during the film’s darker exterior scenes, but most of that can be cancelled out with the excellent facial detail that shows you all of the wrinkles and imperfections that come with aging. There’s also a very light hazing stretched across almost the entire transfer, giving it a glowing look that I’m marking down as intentional. The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is another serviceable affair that never drops a line of dialogue, while also keeping things lively whenever De Niro hits the road by bus or train. It’s not the most exhilarating track, but it gets the job done and then some. Everybody’s Fine is sprinkled with a light assortment of bonus content. Here’s a list:

• Deleted and Extended Scenes (HD)
• The Making of Paul McCartney’s I Want to Come Home (HD)

Everybody’s Fine will no doubtingly take its rightful place on the TNT or USA networks as one of those family dramas that you’ll have no problem watching around the holiday season, but probably not any other time of the year. I’d like to consider myself more forgiving than most, because I really love seeing De Niro full of so much life and energy. There’s no denying that Kirk Jones’ film steals lots from TV show storylines and melodramas on the Hallmark channel, but there’s something about Everybody’s Fine that makes it work, if only for a short time.

Sony has announced Total Recall for Blu-ray in December. The film stars Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston and Kate Beckinsale. Len Wiseman’s Total Recall remake is probably one of the biggest box office failures of the year as it could barely hang on for more than two weeks in theaters. The inflated production budget of $125 million also didn’t help lessen the blow, especially since the film clocked out worldwide with only $177 million. I’m assuming most simply didn’t want a remake or reboot to the Paul Verhoeven classic. Len Wiseman is also known for adding a generic look and feel to almost anything he touches and Total Recall doesn’t seem to be an exception. Still, the casting of Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale and even Bryan Cranston should have turned some heads, but instead it mostly drew people farther away. The Blu-Ray has promised an extended director’s cut, which might be able to redeem the film, but will most likely just be a last minute attempt and earning a few extra dollars before it’s too late. Our very own Jonathan Lack had this to say about the film in his review:

 Total Recall is nothing more than a lazy, dull, soulless studio effort wrapped up in an enticing sci-fi landscape. Whether you’ve seen the original or not, you’ve seen every single concept, action beat, or character type this film has to offer in dozens of other films, typically done better.

The Blu-Ray will come with the following bonus material:

• Theatrical and Extended cuts of the film
• Audio commentary with Director Len Wiseman

Featurettes:

• “Total Recall With Insight”
• “Science Fiction vs. Science Fact”
• “Deg The Fall
• “Colin Farrell”
• “The Tripping Den”
• “Quaid’s Bedroom”
• “Kate Beckinsale”
• “Lobby Escape”
• “Jessica Biel”
• “Quaid vs. Cohaagen”

Pre-Visualization Sequences

• “Apartment Waterfront Chase”
• “The Fall Fight”
• “Flight and Tripping Den”
• “Elevator Chase”
• “Sequences Car Chase

Total Recall will hit stores on Dec. 18th, 2012.