Collider - CL Originals

The True Story Behind Donnie Brasco

Jeffrey Speicher — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 09:45:14 GMT

There have been a handful of movies about brave souls who work undercover for the government against the mob and organized crime. The best may be Martin Scorsese's master stroke The Departed starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson. Scorsese also hit "snitch" paydirt with The Irishman in 2011. But the most accurate mob informant thriller may very well be the 1997 movie directed by Mike Newell called Donnie Brasco, led by A-listers Johnny Depp and Al Pacino. There are so many heart-pounding scenes in Donnie Brasco where the FBI agent Joe Pistone is one wrong word away from getting whacked. Given that it's such an intense story, we decided to dig into the terrific mafia film and see how much of the story actually happened and what Newell took artistic liberty with while looking in on what the informant has been doing in the decades since leaving the FBI.

‘My Hero Academia's Todoroki Family Tree

Rachel Sandell — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 09:00:15 GMT

When it comes to dysfunctional family relationships, nobody in My Hero Academia tops the prestigious but tragic Todoroki family. There isn’t anything wrong with ambition in moderation, but Enji Todoroki (Tetsu Inada/Patrick Seitz), the family patriarch, took his ambition too far into obsession and ended up doing irreparable damage to his own family, the very foundation of which is built on jealousy and a dark side of the desire to go Plus Ultra.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer Ending Explained

Gregory Lawrence — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 08:30:14 GMT

In some ways, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is Yorgos Lanthimos' most direct, explicitly stated narrative taken to its most direct, explicitly clear ending to date. Martin (Barry Keoghan) tells Dr. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) that, in light of Steven botching Martin's father's surgery resulting in his death, Steven's family (Nicole Kidman, Raffey Cassidy, Sunny Suljic) will die from a mysterious illness with mysterious symptoms, unless Steven himself chooses one to kill. The family starts experiencing all of these symptoms (paralysis, lack of appetite, eyes bleeding), no matter what Steven does. So, Steven spins in a circle with a hat over his eyes and randomly shoots and kills his son Bob (Suljic). In the final scene, we see the Murphy family minus Bob at a diner. Martin walks in, looks at them without their youngest. And, satisfied, leaves the diner and leaves them be.

'Zoey 102': Why Is Alexa Nikolas Missing From the Reunion Movie?

Claudia Picado — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 07:45:27 GMT

Capitalizing on the success of its iCarly reboot and the larger trend of reviving beloved sitcoms of years past, in mid-2023, Paramount+ dropped the trailer for the Zoey 101 sequel film Zoey 102, exciting fans of the Nickelodeon show with the promise of a PCA reunion. Though the film saw the return of most of the original cast, including Jamie Lynn Spears as the titular character Zoey Brooks, the most notable exception was Alexa Nikolas, who played Nicole Bristow for the first two seasons of Zoey 101. The former star of the hit series hasn't been afraid to vocally oppose the reboot following claims she was bullied on set by her fellow cast members and felt unsafe around series creator and executive producer Dan Schneider.

Every Wong Kar-wai Film Ranked From Least Best to Perfection

Therese Lacson — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 03:45:14 GMT

Anyone who has dipped a toe into Hong Kong cinema or international film is probably familiar with visionary director Wong Kar-wai. Bursting onto the scene in 1988 with his directorial debut As Tears Go By, Wong's films have been known for their melancholic plots, romantic themes, kinetic imagery, and poignant scores. With frequent collaborators like Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, and Carina Lau, Wong weaved a mesmerizing tapestry of films connected by thematic through lines of love, loss, and longing.

Ryan Gosling Played a Superhero and No One Even Remembers It

Adam Grinwald — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 03:30:14 GMT

Fans of Ryan Gosling waiting for his arrival on the superhero scene need to look no further to the early days of his career, specifically 1999’s nearly-lost television movie (and quasi-pilot) The Unbelievables. The 23-minute short follows the titular Unbelievables, some sort of retired blue collar crime-fighting squad of superheroes. Imagine if the Avengers or the Justice League quit their day jobs, moved to the suburbs, had kids, and gathered together a few times each month to play some poker, and you’ve got the general idea.

'Pokémon Concierge's Psyduck Is Our Anxious King

Joel Medina — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 03:00:14 GMT

Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Pokémon Concierge.

'Berlin' Ending Explained - What Happens After the Heist?

Isabella Soares — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 02:45:15 GMT

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for 'Berlin'.

Johnny Knoxville Passed on This Long-Running TV Show To Star in 'Jackass'

Reid Goldberg — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 02:31:15 GMT

In the late '90s, Johnny Knoxville was chomping at the bit to break into show business. In addition to cutting his teeth appearing in commercials and writing for magazines, he was auditioning for roles in films and pitching to various entertainment outlets. Among his wild pitches was one that caught the attention of Jeff Tremaine at Big Brother, a skateboard-themed magazine notorious for boundary-pushing and downright gross-out content. Committed to the idea of writing an article about testing self-defense equipment on himself, Knoxville, along with Tremaine and filmmaker Spike Jonze, began hashing out a concept for a potential TV series showcasing Big Brother's sensibilities via stunts, pranks, and generally naughty behavior. That series would ultimately become MTV's Jackass. But before the hit show got off the ground, Knoxville was offered the opportunity to join a different kind of comedy series, forcing a decision that forever altered his career.

'Good Omens' Didn't Need a Season 2

Emily Kavanagh — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 02:20:08 GMT

After four years of waiting, Season 2 of Good Omens has dropped on Prime Video. The first season of the show was an incredibly faithful adaptation of the novel of the same name by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, with the story following an ensemble cast trying to track down the Antichrist and prevent the apocalypse. By the end of those first six episodes, the story was over, but they decided to come back for more. Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and Crowley’s (David Tennant) centuries-long love story still hadn’t reached its conclusion in Season 1, and so we get not one but two more seasons. But Season 1 already saw the story done with such justice that to come back for more simply feels unnecessary.