The character of Marty Mauser was inspired by Marty Reisman, a highly skilled table tennis player from New York. Reisman won 22 major championships between 1946 and 2002, including the United States Open twice and the British Open once.
The Other Guys is a classic action-comedy that follows the popular “buddy cop” formula, and Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg have great chemistry together. However, if you’re hoping to watch it on Netflix, you only have a few days left – it’s leaving the streaming service on January 1, 2026.
You can currently watch The Martian on Netflix, but it won’t be there much longer. It’s leaving the platform on January 1st. If you want to stream the film, now’s your last chance – it’s not exactly a Christmas movie, but it’s a great watch before it’s gone!
Khloé Kardashian recently shared photos with her mom, Kris, and her children, True and Tatum, whom she shares with Tristan Thompson. Fans noticed something unusual in the background of the post: a fully decorated Christmas tree… without any ornaments! For over 50 years, ornaments have been a staple of Christmas trees, but Khloé’s tree was surprisingly bare.
Beyond Sinners, I recently caught a diverse lineup of films. I was really struck by Stephen King’s The Life of Chuck, James Gunn’s big-budget Superman, the Netflix hit KPop Demon Hunters, and Celine Song’s Materialists. Each one genuinely stuck with me after the first viewing. It wasn’t just the impressive filmmaking and stories – it was the experience of sharing them with people I care about, and how each film, despite being different, delivered a truly memorable moment.
Mike, a musician and recovering alcoholic known as Lightning, is struggling to succeed when he meets Claire. He dreams of performing his own music, but is stuck doing tribute acts, like impersonating Don Ho. Claire is also a performer, convincingly portraying Patsy Cline on the tribute circuit. They fall in love, and Claire inspires Mike to rethink his approach. He’s a talented singer of Neil Diamond songs, and she encourages him to not just imitate Diamond, but to offer his own interpretation of the music. This sparks a new act: Claire plays keyboards and provides backup vocals, becoming his “Thunder” to his “Lightning.” Their families begin to blend – Claire has two children, the thoughtful teenager Rachel and her quieter brother Dana, while Mike has a daughter, Angelina, who quickly connects with Rachel. Mike and Claire get married, with Claire looking like a country music star in a tulle-covered western hat. She once told Mike she simply wants a full life – a home, a garden, and even a cat – revealing the core desire of many performers: to connect their inner world with the outside world through their art.
Amanda Seyfried plays Lee in a film that starts at the very beginning of her life. The story is told like a fairy tale by Mary Partington (Thomasin McKenzie), who narrates Lee’s birth in 1736 Manchester, England, and her happy childhood with her brother, William. Lee is a hardworking and devout child who diligently works at her loom, protecting herself from dust. However, she’s bothered by her mother constantly having more children—the family has over a dozen kids—and she correctly connects this to her parents’ intimate life, which isn’t easily hidden in their small home. Later, Lee marries a blacksmith, Abraham (Christopher Abbott), and initially enjoys their physical relationship. But Abraham discovers an explicit book and introduces her to sexual practices she finds unsettling. This experience likely shapes her later belief that abstaining from sex is the best path.
The film is based on the true story of Mike and Claire Sardina, a couple from Wisconsin who performed Neil Diamond covers as “Lightning and Thunder.” Director Craig Brewer tells the story of how they met, found success playing music in Milwaukee, overcame a serious accident, and eventually returned to performing.
Park Chan-wook takes the basic idea from Patricia Highsmith’s story – a fired worker calmly and coldly kills the four men who are his rivals for a job – and reimagines it as a series of fortunate accidents that allow the main character, Man-su (played by Lee Byung-hun), to commit one crime after another. The film begins in the summer, with Man-su grilling eels in the backyard of his beautiful home. These eels are a thank-you gift from the paper mill where he’s worked loyally for 25 years. He’s surrounded by his wife, Miri (Son Ye-jin), his children – teenage son Si-one (Woo Seung Kim) and younger daughter Ri-one (So Yul Choi) – and their two adorable golden retrievers. Ri-one, who is neurodivergent and a talented cellist, has a special bond with the dogs. At this moment, Man-su feels completely content with his comfortable, middle-class life.
He showed everyone he’s still a beloved figure on Christmas Day when he appeared at a basketball game in Sydney at Qudos Bank Arena.