A few years ago, while browsing my local library’s healthy collection of graphic novels, my eyes were drawn to this graphic novel called Southern Bastards. With an in-your-face title like that and the cover showing a man armed with a bat getting ready to take on an angry mob, I had to see what this was about. Nearly a decade later, I’m sitting here getting just as excited now that there is a book-to-screen adaptation on the way.

I recently stumbled upon a report from The Hollywood Reporter outlining the early happenings of Hulu’s take on Jason Aaron and Jason LaTour’s hard-hitting saga of food served hot and revenge served ice-cold in a southern town obsessed with high school football, and I couldn’t be more excited. With Kevin Bacon set to star, and some major players working on things behind the scenes, we could have our next crime saga on our hands. I just wonder if streaming is ready for the madness of Southern Bastards.

Southern Bastards Is Like Fargo, But With More Violence And High School Football

If you were to take the best qualities of Fargo, Drive-By Truckers’ discography (especially Decoration Day), Friday Night Lights, a pair of brass knuckles, and fried chicken, and mix them all together, you’d get Southern Bastards. Published between 2014 and 2018, Jason Aaron and Jason LaTour’s chronicle of Craw County, Alabama is full of unforgettable characters like Coach Euless Boss, a decorated football coach/BBQ pit master/no-nonsense crime lord who runs the community with an iron fish, the vengeful Earl Tubb looking for payback years after his dad, the former sheriff, was brutally killed, and Roberta Tubb, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan looking to put an end to a cycle of trauma and violence.

It’s a sprawling, captivating, violent, and emotional journey, one that is full of all kinds of twists, turns, revelations, and bloody encounters. Not for the faint of heart, Southern Bastards grabbed my attention all those years ago, and it still has a hold on me now. As someone who grew up in the South, specifically a town where high school football is king and its power players are kings, this one speaks to me.

This Show Is Going To Be So Violent, And I’ll Here For It

Did I mention that Southern Bastards is incredibly violent? And I’m not just talking about physical encounters in backrooms, the football field, or bars. There’s a meanness in Jason Aaron and Jason LaTour’s graphic novel, and sometimes words can do more damage than any fist, gun, or baseball bat fashioned from a tree under which a dead man rests. I’m excited for the physicality of this show (if Hulu doesn’t tone it down), but I’m just as curious to see how director Reinaldo Marcus Green and writers Bill Dubuque and Nia DaCosta handle the drama, hatred, and pain at the story’s core.

Just as I’m sure that Kevin Bacon will knock it out of the park with his portrayal of Earl Tubb (I wonder how his story will be told), I am confident that the creative team pulling the strings behind the scenes will make this a faithful adaptation of my favorite comic or graphic novel. It’s going to be something.

I cannot wait for the day when I’ll be able to watch Southern Bastards with my Hulu subscription. It most likely won’t be on the 2026 TV schedule, so I guess it’s time to go another round with this hard-hitting saga.

I’d say that every primetime TV show’s 800th episode is a meaningful one, but the number of series to actually hit that mark is pret-ty limited. So it’s indeed extra-special for The Simpsons to be the rare scripted entity to have produced so many installments, and with a truly incomparable group of guest stars coming and going over the years. The latest milestone ep will be no exception, as the Simpson family’s trip to Pennsylvania will feature several guest stars repping Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

In particular, The Simpsons is striking while the iron, er, scalpel is hot, and is bringing in a trio of The Pitt’s most acclaimed stars: Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, and Taylor Dearden. On the one hand, this is obviously a smart movie for Fox’s animated staple, seeing as how The Pitt has been on an awards sweep from the jump — most recently evidenced at the Golden Globes — and its second season (streaming via HBO Max subscription) is currently garnering a similar amount of hype.

In this instance, however, the actors won’t just be joining the show in a random capacity, but will be working in the same circle as their on-screen characters. Wyle won’t be playing "Robby" Robinavitch, but “Doctor,” with LaNasa as “E.R. Nurse” and Dearden as “E.R. Intern.” Check out the first look at the characters below:

Why am I worried, you ask? First, because The Pitt is already well-known for stress-inducing and hyper-dramatic scenes involving authentically portrayed traumas and tragedies, with medical emergencies obviously playing a big role in that respect. (In-fighting amongst characters is also an issue.)

Second, The Simpsons’ creatives have been slightly more willing to kill off characters in recent seasons, as when Larry the Barfly was killed off a couple of years ago, when the show killed off Marge in a flash-forward, or when organ-playing Alice Glick during Season 37’s “Sashes to Sashes.” (We’re not lumping the brilliant Six Feet Under finale parody in here, but it almost counts.)

So the betting-man side of me would be fairly willing to put money on the idea that the Simpson family’s trip to the emergency room will end in someone’s death. (And the Whitaker lookalike getting his scrubs absolutely blasted with blood and goo.) But then again, this emergency room visit is presumably happening in Pittsburgh proper, making it less likely that any potential deaths will involve longtime Springfield regulars. (Unless that character is also taking a road trip, or unless the show finally pulls the trigger and kills Bart off.)

That’s enough time spent worrying about things, though. Let’s slip back into a more celebratory mood to shout out some of the other less ominous guest stars popping in for Episode 800, which centers on the family submitting Santa's Little Helper for the National Dog Show in Philly, where Homer and Marge stumble upon a wide-reaching conspiracy. (Thus the episode's punny title "Irrational Treasure.")

Guest Star #4: Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson

Abbott Elementary creator and co-star Quinta Brunson will be portraying a character named Adrienne who clearly loves being kissed by dogs. Don't ruin this, Santa's Little Helper!

Guest Star #5: Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon, whose co-directed comedy feature Family Movie will hit the 2026 movie schedule at some point, also joined the hubbub for the milestone episode. He only gets a description instead of a full-on character name, making me think his time on-screen will be limited. But then again, maybe "Philly Concierge" is his actual birth name.

Guest Stars #6+: Questlove & Boyz II Men

On the musical side of things, we have Questlove, who's kept busy along with the rest of The Roots as the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. It's unclear how he'll play into the episode, but the shot above does imply that the family may take in a concert while in town.

Unseen in any press pics are the members of the Grammy-winning R&B group Boyz II Men, who are confirmed to have recorded alternate versions of The Simpsons' iconic opening and closing themes to mark the occasion. How much that'll go beyond just harmonizing "The Simpsons" over animated clouds is anyone's guess.

Actually, Boyz II Men's cameo lines up with my Pitt-fueled worries, since the group's iconic track "End of the Road" is often used as a mournful tune to reflect on characters dying. JUST SAYING.

The Simpsons' 800th episode is set to air on Sunday, February 15, at 8:00 p.m.

Ron Howard’s 1995 film Apollo 13 is one of the best movies of the ‘90s, winning two Academy Awards (but not Best Picture) from nine nominations. The fact that it’s based on the real-life doomed moon mission of Jim Lovell and his crew adds to the suspense and horror, even if you already know how it ends. I decided recently to revisit the movie for the first time in decades, and I was really struck by one story in particular.

I am so captivated by the majesty of space, and with Apollo 13 being one of the best space movies ever, it was always those scenes — of Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon’s characters crammed into a broken ship flying through the vastness — that held my attention when the movie came out. This time, though, I was blown away by Ed Harris’ Gene Kranz and the people on the ground helping to bring the astronauts home.

The Space Emergency Is Straight-Up Terrifying, But I Was More Fascinated By The Rescue Efforts This Time

It’s incredible to witness the star power that Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton bring to Apollo 13 as Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, respectively. The audience understands how much this mission means to them, because the first hour of the film shows their preparation, their excitement, their years of work all leading to this moment.

All too soon their dreams of walking on the moon are vanquished, and it’s a long shot they’ll even make it back to Earth alive. It’s no wonder this used to be my primary focus, with Tom Hanks’ ability to rip our hearts out, but now, years later, I found that during those tense scenes on the ship, I was really anticipating getting back to Houston to see how their rescue efforts were going.

I honestly think it was that 1970s technology (or lack thereof) that I found so fascinating.

My Mind Was Blown By What Mission Control Was Able To Accomplish Without Modern Technology And A.I.

Look, I’m an Xennial, so I’m fully capable of solving math problems without a calculator and doing research without the Internet. Still, now that I’ve had a smartphone and a stable Wi-Fi connection for half of my life (not to mention A.I.), I’ll admit I, like everyone else, have become pretty dependent on the convenience of modern technology.

This is why I found myself amazed at what the Mission Control workers were capable of. Lives were at stake, and these scientists were calculating degrees of re-entry by hand! With pencils! On paper! There was simply no margin for error, and I couldn’t help but think of how much easier it would be today to just punch some numbers into a machine.

Of course back in the ‘90s, which was probably the last time I watched Apollo 13, I had no idea of the technological advancements that were to come, so it makes sense that seeing the analog work didn’t affect me the way it did on this viewing. Back in 1995, the biggest technological achievement in my life was probably a search engine. And not a good one.

What Was More Fascinating Than When They Built That Filter Using Only Things That Were On The Ship?

One of the big standout moments for me was when the people on the ground had to fashion an air filter using nothing but what the astronauts had on board when carbon dioxide levels started to get dangerously high — literally figuring out how to fit a square peg in a round hole.

I’d watch an entire documentary on what I imagine was a grueling trial-and-error process of hacking an air filter using the cover of the crew’s flight plan, some plastic bags, duct tape, etc. MacGyver’s got nothing on these Mission Control heroes! That kind of effort and resourcefulness is just something you don’t see every day — especially without the help of a YouTube tutorial.

Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise) — who was grounded shortly before the launch due to his exposure to measles — contributed to his colleagues’ rescue in similar fashion. He recreated the conditions of the Aquarius “lifeboat” back on Earth to figure out how to power up the craft without using too much power. It appeared to be a slow and frustrating process, but somehow, all involved kept their cool and pressed on until they came up with a solution.

Ed Harris’ Award Nominations Make So Much Sense

I recall Ed Harris being celebrated for his portrayal of flight director Gene Kranz, but I feel like I never fully appreciated the performance — or the character’s control over the situation — until my most recent viewing. Harris was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, and he won in that category at the SAG Awards.

I know that the famous movie quote, “Failure is not an option,” was not actually uttered by Gene Kranz in real life, but it embodied the man and the mission all the same. What struck me most in Ed Harris’ portrayal of him was how cool he stayed under pressure.

On my worst day on a job, I have never been tasked with an unprecedented rescue of three of my co-workers, yet I’m sure I’ve gone into a full-blown panic over issues that are trivial in comparison. Not Gene Kranz, though. In fact, it wasn’t until well into the second half of the nearly 2.5-hour film that he even raised his voice, and he may have only done it once.

Instead, he listened to the experts around him, he trusted his people to do their jobs and he found solutions instead of listing the problems. He was focused on bringing his men home — not worried about lawsuits or running his every move up a corporate ladder, as I imagine would be protocol in a more modern era.

Am I more in awe of Gene Kranz or Ed Harris’ portrayal of him? Honestly, I don’t know (probably both), and I think that speaks to the quality of the film.

Apollo 13 is one of those survival movies that leave you exhausted, and I’m so glad that it lived up to my memory of how good it was. It’s also interesting to me that watching it again so many years later made me appreciate different aspects of the rescue more, while still enjoying the marvels (and horrors) of space.

SPOILERS for Sirens are ahead!

I’ll admit it took me an episode or two of Sirens, the new five-part miniseries available with a Netflix subscription, to hook me. At first, I didn’t like it and was unfavorably comparing it to The White Lotus, mostly because of the choice of music Sirens used. Then, about halfway through the second episode, we were introduced to the until-then mysterious Peter Kell, played by Kevin Bacon.

I immediately liked the character. Sure, it helps that Kevin Bacon is incredibly charming both on and off screen, but I also just liked how nice Pete was. Up to that point, we’d really only met some horrible people, like the conniving Michaela Kell (Julianne Moore), her ruthlessly ambitious assistant Simone DeWitt (Milly Alcock), and Simone’s tragic sister Devon (Meghann Fahy). All three were obnoxious in their own way. Then there was Pete.

He Was Nice To The Help And Seemed Down To Earth (For A Billionaire)

Sirens sets Pete up as the nice guy. Sure, he’s a billionaire who probably stepped on a lot of people on his way up the financial ladder, but he was a kind person. He got to know the people who worked for them and seemed to have a real connection with many of them. Many had clearly been loyal to him, even as the group texts between staff members trashed Simone and Michaela, or “Kiki,” as she was known to her friends.

As the series progressed, it seemed like Pete was victim of his wife Kiki’s manipulations just like everyone else in her orbit. He’d cheated on his wife, which can be unforgivable, but we learn just how persuasive Kiki is, and I began to understand how it happened. Or I thought I did, anyway.

Still, Pete likes to clam and then make clam chowder with his staff in the kitchen. He smokes the occasional doobie and is seemingly at ease with everyone he meets; even the wildest characters on the show, like Devon and her father Bruce (Bill Camp). Most importantly, he clearly loathes some of the ridiculous requests made of him and the staff by his overbearing wife and is never afraid to offer his unvarnished opinion.

Boy, Was I Wrong About Pete, Though

In the end, it turns out Pete is as bad or worse than all the other silly rich people on whatever New England island enclave they are existing on in Sirens. For Pete, cheating on his wife and moving right on to the next young thing seems to be second nature. He thinks nothing of ditching Kiki when she’s no longer serving him and moving right on to Simone.

At one point, Kiki even explains that they are all working for Pete. It doesn’t seem like for most of the show. Kiki appears to be the one making all the decisions. However, in Pete's final scene, as he is making his toast at the garden gala with Simone by his side mere moments after dumping Kiki, we learn that he’s just as heartless and sociopathic as anyone else on the show. Maybe more so.

Just like so many others around him, I was completely taken in by Pete’s charms, only to be let down at the end when I learned he’s just like everyone else. It’s truly one of Kevin Bacon’s best performances because of it.

SPOILER WARNING: The following gives away a few spoilers about The Bondsman. If you have not yet watched the new horror TV show with your Amazon Prime subscription, I recommend that you proceed with caution if something possesses you to read on.

I was on board for The Bondsman pretty immediately, based on the premise of seeing Kevin Bacon hunt demons. However, I cannot say I expected to enjoy this new Amazon Prime original series about a southern bounty hunter given a hellish new assignment after a deadly encounter as much as I do.

Not only is The Bondsman a gory good time, but it is also a surprisingly endearing, character-driven story with some solid performances, especially by Bacon, continuing to own his “Scream King” reputation from starring in classic horror movies like Friday the 13th and Tremors. Yet, I do not believe the show is immaculate and, in fact, there is one performance by one otherwise talented actor that, unfortunately, really came to bother me.

Damon Herriman's Boston Accent Is Atrocious

Damon Herriman, whom you might recognize as Charles Manson in Mindhunter and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, stars in The Bondsman as Lucky Callahan, who has it out for Bacon’s Hub Halloran, especially after he starts dating his ex-wife, Maryanne (Jennifer Nettles). The criminal-turned-bar owner originates from Boston, which requires the Australian actor to put on an accent that, quite frankly, sounds more like someone who spent a chunk of his childhood in Brooklyn than anyone who has even been near New England.

We already know that Herriman – an actor I have great respect for, by the way – can do a perfect Southern accent from his role as Dewey Crowe in the Justified cast and even a convincing, more generic American accent from his aforementioned Manson portrayals. So, I can’t help but wonder why the show’s human antagonist could not be another Georgia native, saving Herriman the embarrassment. It honestly seems like the only reason Lucky is a Bostonian is to throw in a few jokes at the expense of the Red Sox.

I Also Took Issue With The Bondsman's Non-Supernatural Elements... At First

I must admit, at the start of my Bondsman binge, Herriman’s lackluster Boston accent was the least of my worries. I found it difficult to care about anything in Hub’s life outside of his demon hunting, from his rocky relationship with Maryanne and their son, Cade (Maxwell Jenkins), to his previous pursuit of a music career.

However, as more story details came to light, such as the reveal that Hub was sent to Hell because he mistakenly killed an innocent woman, and as the plot evolved into more of a charming story of a family reunion, I began to have a change of heart. I realized that the more character-driven elements not related to demonic possession, which initially annoyed me, were necessary and emotionally effective. Overall, I came to regard The Bondsman as a surprisingly smart and heartfelt piece of work that exceeds its B-movie elements.

So, in other words, Damon Herriman’s unfortunate Boston accent is my only real gripe with this new 2025 TV show, which I certainly hope gets a second season. In fact, I think it would not feel like too much of a deal with the Devil to stream The Bondsman on Amazon Prime if you can get past that one aspect like I did.

The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is one of the true highlights of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The three movies, plus an amazing Christmas special, make up a fun and compelling story about some of the MCU’s best characters. It’s also an incredible journey for Kevin Bacon, who, despite only appearing in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, has been part of the story since the beginning.

Kevin Bacon isn’t in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but he does get name-dropped because Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill is a big fan. Speaking with Esquire, Bacon reveals that he had no idea he was going to be mentioned in the film, and he was shocked when he heard his name. He (jokingly) says he was a little annoyed because he’d rather have gotten paid if he was going to be included in the project:

It has to be more than a little strange to be Kevin Bacon sitting in a dark theater watching a science fiction Marvel movie and hearing his own name. Kevin Bacon has made some great films in his career and was a staple of '80s cinema. Hearing him referenced by name in a film isn't a wild idea, but this particular flick was certainly one place he was not expecting it.

Of course, Kevin Bacon would eventually get a gig from James Gunn to play himself in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. One might think that since Bacon was looking for a gig, that may have been how the appearance came about. However, Bacon says the call from James Gunn, who he had worked with on 2010's Super, came “out of the blue.” Still, he was such a fan that he said yes before even knowing what he would be doing. The actor continued…

Bacon plays an exaggerated version of himself in the special. Interestingly, the actor admits he’s actually not a big fan of Christmas, which makes the character he plays even funnier since the Kevin Bacon in the special you can stream with a Disney+ subscription clearly takes Christmas very seriously.

It certainly sounds like Kevin Bacon had a great time working on Guardians. With James Gunn now on the other side of the fence building the new DCU, one has to wonder if there might be a place for Kevin Bacon there eventually, either as himself or playing a character. There’s probably at least one DC comic book character who is a big fan of Tremors.

Light spoilers below for the first episode of The Bondsman for anyone who hasn’t yet streamed it with an Amazon Prime subscription.

Like relative few actors, Kevin Bacon excels in literally every genre. Award-earning drama? Check. Action-packed superhero flick? Check. Cult-chasing thriller? The pattern is clear. Nothing makes ME happier, however, than when he embraces his darker side for ‘80s classics like Friday the 13th and Tremors to the ever-underrated Stir of Echoes to his slimiest villain yet in MaXXXine, and then some. Bacon’s back for possibly his bloodiest role yet in The Bondsman, and his gory first-scene death would likely get a thumbs up from F13’s Pamela Voorhees.

Kevin Bacon talked to CinemaBlend ahead of his Prime Video series’ April 3 premiere, and the lifelong horror nerd in me was only too gleeful to ask about how his character Hub Halloran’s brutal throat slashing in The Bondsman compared to Jack Burrell’s iconic arrow-through-the-neck demise, our pick for best death in the first Friday the 13th. As seen in the video above, he shared a fun story about how the shoestring budget meant there wasn’t room to get anything wrong, even though things did indeed go wrong.

Considering the general discomfort suffered by the young actor, whose only named role before that was in National Lampoon's Animal House, I suppose it's a net positive for his neck that director Sean Cunningham and his creative team didn't have the money to take a few dozen cracks at getting the moment ju-u-u-ust right. Bacon continued:

While I'll admittedly never tire of seeing Jason swinging an occupied sleeping bag into a tree, Kevin Bacon's Friday the 13th death will forever be disturbing to witness. The combination of his eyes staring out into nothing and the unnatural blood glooping is successful in a way that a perfectly executed moment might not have been.

Bacon talked to CinemaBlend in December 2024 about Friday the 13th fans will continuously approach him at events and elsewhere with photos from that particular scene for him to sign, even if he'd maybe prefer ones where he doesn't look quite so tortured.

Kevin Bacon Says His Death In The Bondsman Went Exactly The Way An Actor Would Want It To

Even though it doesn't sound like Kevin Bacon went through a ton of prep work for his first horror appearance, he went through the full gamut of stunts, effects, and makeup for The Bondsman, where his bounty hunter Hub Halloran is killed by rival criminals and then resurrected by the Devil himself in order to track down demons to banish them back to hell. (Wait, what if that was what Jason Voorhees was doing in the F13 movies?)

In any case, few sequences looked rougher for the Death Sentence vet than when Hub gets viciously murdered before viewers are even aware of what's happening. Thankfully though, it wasn't rough at all for Bacon himself. As he put it:

Would it have been amusing to see Hub having to put a straw into his neck to drink in the premiere? Maybe, maybe not. But everything about The Bondsman is a bloody blast regardless, with an A+ ensemble cast that includes Jennifer Nettles, Beth Grant, Jolene Purdy, Maxwell Jenkins and Damon Herriman. (Seeing Bacon and Herriman on-screen together just made me want Bacon to retroactively be added into Justified at some point.)

All eight episodes of The Bondsman's first season are available to stream now, so you better do it before the mythological wind spirit that's huddled in the corner over there gets up and possesses you.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet streamed at least the first episode of The Bondsman with an Amazon Prime subscription.

As his TV follow-up to Showtime’s heady crime drama City on a Hill, Kevin Bacon returned to his more spooky roots for the new gore-speckled horror-comedy The Bondsman. An absolute hoot from start to finish and unlike anything else on the 2025 TV schedule to date, this is definitely one of the week’s most watchable streaming debuts. But it does kick off on an extremely wild and unexpected note, with Bacon’s character Hub Halloran getting his throat sliced open. The gruesome turn of events is no dream sequence, either.

Not many shows would murder their main characters before audiences know who they’re watching, but The Bondsman isn’t like most shows. Granted, the fate is in the basic synopsis of Hub being a bounty hunter who returns from the dead to track evil demons down and banish them to Hell. But it’s still a bonkers opening. So when CinemaBlend spoke with showrunner Erik Oleson, I had to ask about starting everything off by killing off Kevin Bacon in such a gnarly way. Here’s what he told me:

As anyone who continues to stream the series knows, the showrunner is talking about the innate sense of family love and emotion, and not like literally pieces of someone's heart. Although nobody should be counting that possibility out, either.

Erik Oleson previously served as a showrunner for Daredevil' s third and final Netflix season, among other projects, so he's quite versed in crafting hyper-violent scenes where morals are totally up in the air. But with that show and his next effort, Prime Video's Carnival Row, he led the creative team for follow-up seasons. With The Bondsman, he was able to craft his own beginning, and as he told me, he wanted viewers gobsmacked right from the jump.

I was fully aware of what The Bondsman was about when I sat down to watch the premiere, and I was still taken aback by how quickly the town's more dangerous side is explored. Had the rest of the episode remained as dark and gritty and unrelenting as that one, I probably wouldn't have questioned it, either. Thankfully, though, the world gets a lot brighter, sillier and more heartwarming once other characters are introduced, such as Beth Grant's Kitty, Jennifer Nettles' Maryanne and Damon Herriman's Lucky.

But would it be quite as good without Kevin Bacon's optimistically world-weary energy behind Hub's performance? I can't confirm or deny, but Erik Oleson had nothing but kind things to say about the actor during our talk, and by extension, noted that it was run to see Bacon's Hub facing larger-than-life situations, either alone or with his family. In his words:

It's also the only show where you can watch Kevin Bacon wrap up his icky neck wound with duct tape, and then search the same site to get duct tape delivered to your own house. Hopefully for far different reasons.

All eight episodes of The Bondsman are currently available to stream on Prime Video. For my horror-comedy tastes, it's one of the best Amazon shows streaming, and I can only hope that enough people check it out to make Season 2 a reality.

Today is the last day of March, which means that tomorrow is the beginning of a new month. With a new month comes the regular rotation of streaming content. A lot of TV shows and movies disappear from your favorite streaming platform, and new content arrives.

It's a week of devilish entertainment of all kinds. We have Daredevil on Disney+, Devil May Cry on Netflix, and Kevin Bacon going to work for devils on Prime Video. From both live-action and animated action adventure series to serious dramas, it’s a good week no matter which streaming services you subscribe to.

Daredevil Born Again, Episode 7 - April 1 (Disney+)

Deadpool: Born Again is heading toward its finale, at least for Season 1, so fans won’t want to miss the latest episode of the series. Quite possibly the most violent thing you can watch with a Disney+ subscription. It’s also one of the most exciting shows on the platform.

Devil May Cry - April 3 (Netflix)

The recent animated series based on the classic Castlevania video game franchise was one of the best reasons in recent years to keep your Netflix subscription. Now creator Adi Shankar is back with a new series based on a new game franchise. Devil May Cry will adapt the classic game of the same name and follow the frequently shirtless Dante and his battle against demons and monsters.

The Bondsman - April 3 (Prime Video )

If you were keeping your Prime Video subscription to watch Reacher and are trying to figure out what to do with it now, maybe give The Bondsman a try. Kevin Bacon stars as a man who dies but is sent back to Earth by Hell to chase down and capture escaped demons. It looks to have plenty of action but with a distinct horror twist.

Girl You Know It’s True - April 4 (Peacock)

One of the strangest cases in the history of the music business is that of Milli Vanilli. The music duo won a Grammy for Best New Artist before anybody learned that the two frontmen didn’t actually sing any of their songs. Girl You Know It’s True is exclusively available this week with a Peacock subscription. The film takes its name from one of their songs and tells a dramatized version of the story about how the fraud was perpetrated.

Dying For Sex - April 4 (Hulu)

A show that will almost certainly raise some eyebrows if it ends up getting promoted on Disney+ but only requires a Hulu subscription. Dying For Sex is a new comedy/drama that follows Michelle Williams as an immunocompromised woman who goes looking for physical intimacy that she’s been missing before she runs out of time. Jenny Slate and Rob Delaney co-star.

April is going to be a big month for streaming. From Andor and Doctor Who on Disney+ to Black Mirror on Netflix, and plenty more, there are a lot of good reasons to keep those subscriptions up to date.

Kevin Bacon has roles in some of the best movies of the ‘80s, but arguably his most famous performance is Ren McCormack in Footloose. In what has become an iconic pop culture moment, the epic dance sequence at the end made Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose” an instant classic. The song plays anywhere in America, and many people are instantly up and tapping their feet. Well, all but one: Kevin Bacon himself.

While the You Should Have Left actor is happy to participate in Footloose social media trends of his own accord, he’s not interested in being someone else’s viral sensation. Bacon recently appeared on a SXSW panel and revealed via People his ‘nightmare’ scenario when he attends weddings, and the steps he takes to prevent it:

I’m not sure which part would make me more uncomfortable in his position: being pressured to do the Footloose dance surrounded by a tight circle of phone cameras, or stealing the attention away from the happy couple. Neither one is ideal. The fact that Kevin Bacon has been put in that awkward spot one too many times is quite sad.

That’s a tough loss for the wedding party though. “Footloose” is the best let-down-your-hair party song. Footloose has one of the greatest movie soundtracks of all time, and I must say, whether you liked it or not, the 2011 remake’s score is not too shabby either. Given everyone in Hollywood is six degrees from Kevin Bacon, that’s a lot of wedding DJs that have to deal with this request. But you can’t deny the G.O.A.T.

As he made clear, the A Few Good Men actor doesn’t hold anything against the “Danger Zone” singer or his music, nor does he seem to hate the movie that made him a household name. Historically, he has engaged enthusiastically with Footloose shoutouts, such as Guardians of the Galaxy honoring the time he questioned authority with his smooth moves in a traditional Midwestern town.

That doesn’t mean he’s up for cutting loose anytime soon. The Apollo 13 actor has said he sees no reason for a Footloose sequel, unlike another popular ‘80s franchise he recently filmed, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.

To be honest, I agree with Bacon on this one. In an age where classic ‘80s films are getting successful sequel treatment, like Top Gun and Twister, Footloose should not be one of them. While I liked the remake well enough, it could never compare to the original, and I fear this would be the case for any additional attempt.

Besides, Kevin Bacon's career has entered its villain era, and he’s killing it. His new show The Bondsman is set to premiere this spring on the 2025 TV schedule, in which he hunts demons for Satan. So the time for dancing is long gone anyways (unless it’s with the devil, of course). You can check out this new twisted dark comedy on April 3 with a Prime Video subscription.

Over the course of his multi-decade career, Kevin Bacon has played a wide variety of different roles, including those of both good moral character and bad, but one detail that serves as a common thread between many of them is the fact that he has died on screen quite a lot. He doesn't quite have Sean Bean's reputation for making early exits in projects, but he has built up his own special legacy.

With that in mind, I felt compelled to ask the beloved actor about his favorite cinematic deaths when I had the chance to speak with him this past summer during the Los Angeles press day for MaXXXine. In the new horror movie, his character meets a brutal end when he is locked inside of a sedan and the vehicle is cubed by a car crusher in a wrecking yard, but as he acknowledges in the video above, his history dying in genre films dates back to one of his earliest roles: Friday The 13th:

Friday The 13th was in 1980, with Kevin Bacon playing Camp Crystal Lake counselor Jack... but that wasn't actually his first time dying on screen. Mentioned among the titles in the interview, 1978's Animal House is the movie that has that particular distinction. Bacon's first film role was playing preppy Chip Diller in the classic fraternity comedy, and he meets a grisly, funny end during the film's third act when he is quite literally flattened as he is trampled by a panicked crowd.

Also among the notable Kevin Bacon deaths is the white water rafting thriller The River Wild from 1994. That particular kill is notable not because of the way Bacon's character dies, but because who is responsible: in the movie's big climax, he gets shot to death by Meryl Streep.

It was mentioning The River Wild that also triggered the actor's memory of another big death. Bacon makes a notable mid-movie exit in the 1996 crime thriller Sleepers and he recalled during the MaXXXine interview being loaded up with squibs and flailing around as he was riddled with bullets:

It's a special legacy, and if you want to watch the most recent contribution to it, the opportunity is open for you. A fun title to reflect on as we look back on the year of cinema from 2024 (you can read my three-and-a-half star CinemaBlend review), MaXXXine is now available for purchase on 4K UHD and Blu-ray if you're a physical media fan, and if you're looking for a digital option, you can stream it right now with a Max subscription.

If you’re a major fan of ‘90s horror movies and psychological thrillers, you’re probably familiar with the big titles that dominated the era. The Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Project, and Scream all cast long shadows over the landscape of what we consider the best horror movies of the decade. However, there’s one film that’s often left out of the conversation, a hidden gem that deserves to be talked about alongside these classics: Stir of Echoes. Now, after rewatching it recently for the spooky season, I’m convinced Kevin Bacon’s performance in this film might just be one of horror’s most underrated and is easily one of the Footloose star’s best movies.

Stir of Echoes is a seriously scary ghost film that hit theaters in 1999, the same year as The Sixth Sense–which screwed the Bacon-helmed flick. On top of it going head-to-head with a film that revolves around a young boy seeing dead people, Echoes also took a hit because Blair Witch became the year’s viral indie sensation. In the rush to follow these two game-changers, Stir of Echoes slipped quietly under the radar. But it’s a shame, because this film takes a different approach—grounded, gritty, and intensely psychological—that feels almost refreshing in today’s landscape of supernatural thrillers.

What makes Stir of Echoes stand out isn’t just its well-crafted plot or eerie atmosphere; it’s the Tremors actor’s raw, grounded performance as Tom Witzky, a blue-collar, family man suddenly haunted by disturbing visions after a seemingly harmless hypnosis session. As the visions intensify, so does Tom’s obsession with solving the mystery behind them, leading him down a rabbit hole that threatens to tear his life apart.

It’s a hauntingly authentic portrayal of a man pushed to the brink, made all the more compelling by Bacon’s commitment to the role.

In this page-to-screen adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel of the same name, Bacon does something that many horror protagonists don’t get enough credit for—he makes us believe. From his initial skepticism to the full-blown, glassy-eyed desperation as he loses grip on reality, the MaXXXine actor’s performance grounds the supernatural elements in the rawness of human emotion.

His Tom isn’t a horror hero or a wise-cracking survivor; he’s an ordinary guy, skeptical and stubborn, reacting to an extraordinary, terrifying situation. It’s a performance that adds depth and authenticity to the genre’s traditional scares, turning the film into something more psychological and intense.

One scene that brings this point home is when Tom, unable to shake the visions, begins tearing up his backyard with the frenzied possession. It’s one of those scenes that feels painfully real—you can see his world crumbling and the toll the haunting has taken on him and his family. The Hollow Man performer captures this descent into obsession with such intensity that you’re right there with him, feeling his every frustration and fear. He doesn’t just act scared; he is scared, unraveling onscreen in a way that makes the spooky ghost elements all the more believable.

Bacon brings so much dimension to Tom’s character, it’s honestly wild. He mixes frustration, anger, confusion, and just the right amount of tenderness to make Tom relatable—even as he’s slowly losing his grip on reality.

Plus, his chemistry with Kathryn Erbe, who plays his on-screen wife, takes things up a notch. Together, they create such a genuine family dynamic that you can’t help but feel like you’re watching real people grapple with something terrifying.

It’s the kind of performance that makes you think, “Why didn’t this get more love?” But hey, it’s Kevin Bacon—we’re talking about a guy who has starred in some of the best movies of the '80s and '90s. You could throw a rock in any direction and you'd hit gold.

So, if you haven’t seen Stir of Echoes (or if it’s been a minute), do yourself a favor and add it to your Halloween lineup. You can catch this underrated gem with an Amazon Prime subscription.

One of the most stylish movies to hit the 2024 movie schedule, albeit the most grimy kind of style, Ti West’s Hollywood-glorifying sequel MaXXXine delivered a largely satisfactory ending to Maxine Minx’s tale. Which is obviously a good thing, since the filmmaker thinks they stuck the landing with this one, and likely won’t dive back into this universe anytime soon. But if Mia Goth's Maxine does continue her journey, the story needs to address what I still think is a big plot hole even after rewatching.

It should go without saying, but we’ll be delving into SPOILERS BELOW, so be warned if you haven’t yet checked out MaXXXine streaming with a Max subscription, unless you’re just someone who loves knowing about plot holes before knowing about the plot itself.

Maxine Was Given A Copy Of A Police-Tagged Video Connecting Her To The Texas Murders

When Maxine first realizes that she’s being targeted, it’s only because her tormentor (later revealed to be her father) chose to antagonize her with a VHS tape containing footage from the pornographic movie filmed on RJ’s camera during the events of Ti West’s X. Donning the words “For Maxine” on the front label, the tape is shown to feature at least Maxine’s big sex scene, proving her to be the sole survivor of Pearl and Howard’s murderous rampage.

Most importantly, perhaps, is that the video begins with a screen notification that the footage was tagged as evidence by Texas authorities after the camera was confiscated at the scene of the deaths. I mean, it was fully assumed that cops would know of Maxine’s existence and grasp that she fled the scene, even if she wasn’t fully suspected of being the mastermind behind it all.

Leon Likely Had The Tape Nearby When He Was Murdered

Maxine is obviously freaked out knowing that someone out there has knowledge of both her past transgressions and her current whereabouts. So without any other investigation options to choose from, she tasks her bestie, video store clerk Leon (Moses Sumney), with learning anything he can about the VHS tape. Hours later, Leon gets slashed and stabbed to death by Maxine’s estranged father Ernest (Simon Prast), and viewers never get to hear that Leon didn’t ever learn shit about the video duplicate.

To be sure, I wouldn’t have expected any amount of VHS-based research to result in useful information for these characters, but the key detail here is that Leon almost definitely had the (presumably illegally copied) tape of police evidence on or around the video store’s front desk, since he was working until closing time that night. While it’s certainly possible that Ernest picked the tape up before getting into the vehicle with Kevin Bacon’s John Labat, he wasn’t grasping it in his blood-covered gloves at the time.

As such, I have to think the tape would have perked the eyelines of both Detectives Williams (Michelle Monaghan) and Torres (Bobby Cannavale), even if none of the other officers on the scene had pegged its importance. And yet…

The Tape Isn't Mentioned Again, Despite Being A Potential Bombshell For The Detectives

Considering Det. Williams pulls the garish move of lifting the blood-soaked sheet to reveal Leon’s sliced face to Maxine (and so many other onlookers who did not deserve to have their mornings ruined like that), I immediately presumed they’d found the “For Maxine” tape, clocked its ties to Texas police, and that it played into their attempt to provoke her emotional response. Even if the detectives weren’t yet able to make exact connections between Maxine and the prior murders, I can understand the intention there.

And I’m still following that assumption each time Monaghan’s character treats Maxine with sympathy, especially after she brings up being a “survivor.” And so when Williams and Torres show up and interrupt the exorcism ritual nightmare situation that Ernest Miller is filming, I’m fully thinking that Williams learned what happened in Texas, figured out that Maxine escaped a traumatic situation, and made the decision not to report her. A “strong women empowering strong women” kind of thing.

But none of that gets addressed by the time Williams’ hyper-freaky death scene happens, with Torres having already been left for dead by that point. We’re just sort of led to think that Williams intuitively understood Maxine was in a rough predicament, and chose to follow those instincts without actually knowing anything about her past. I get that Williams wouldn’t readily blurt all that out to Maxine, but the movie could have revealed that in a different way.

Maxine ends the film as a burgeoning star who wishes her fame will never cease, which already seems like a stretch considering her rise in popularity just makes it all the more likely that someone will connect her to the Texas murders. That eventuality wouldn’t even require the investigators to have found the “For Maxine” tape in the video shop.

However, it still stands to reason that whoever else worked in that video store, or was hired as Leon’s replacement, would have found the VHS and watched it just for cataloging purposes, only to realize they’d found something completely unexpected. So maybe the idea actually IS that Maxine’s stardom will always run counter to the threat that anyone knowledgeable about the unfinished porn can identify her and get her in a world of bad publicity.

Yet the film doesn’t lay that out directly, so I’m not sure we’re even meant to have it in mind as a takeaway. If only the movie featured a post-credit sequence where the camera slowly zooms in on a large pile of videos stacked against a wall, with the “Fox Maxine” tape somewhere near the bottom. Instead, I’m sitting here unsure of whether or not this is a plot hole or just a thread for audiences to wonder about in their free time.

After streaming MaXXXine, check out all the upcoming horror movies heading to theaters and streaming in the near and distant future.

The 1980s was not just a great time for movies but for the people in them. Many of our all-time favorite actors got their start in '80s movies (or at least started to hit it big during that time).

The question is, in what film did these stars hit their peak of cinematic brilliance during that decade? Let's see if we can provide an answer by looking at the best '80s movies starring the most iconic '80s actors, in our opinion.

Bruce Willis (Die Hard)

While the TV series Moonlighting made Bruce Willis a household name, playing John McClane, a New York cop at war with violent German thieves in an LA high-rise on Christmas Eve, made him a movie star in 1988. However, Die Hard might be the actor's best film in any decade, let alone the greatest action movie of all time. 

Sigourney Weaver (Aliens)

Fans have been debating which is the best Alien movie for years but no one disagrees that James Cameron's Aliens is the best Alien movie of the '80s. The 1986 sci-fi movie classic, in which our human protagonists take on plenty more than just one vicious extraterrestrial this time, saw Sigourney Weaver reprise Xenomorph survivor Ellen Ripley to Academy Award-nominated acclaim.

Jack Nicholson (Terms Of Endearment)

The single most iconic Jack Nicolson performance from the 1980s, arguably, comes from the horror movie classic, The Shining. However, we chose to highlight his Academy Award-winning performance in director James L. Brooks' tragic 1983 Best Picture Oscar winner, Terms of Endearment, as Garrett, who forms a complicated relationship with his widowed next-door neighbor, Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine). 

Meg Ryan (When Harry Met Sally...)

Meg Ryan made up one of Hollywood's most beloved onscreen couples with Tom Hanks, but we loved her the most in the '80s when she was falling in love with Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally... Considered one of the greatest rom-coms of all time, director Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron's clever and sweet 1989 favorite traces the titular duo's evolution from enemies, to friends, to lovers over the course of 12 years.

Tom Cruise (Top Gun)

Everyone had the need, the need for speed, in 1986 when director Tony Scott's romantic, action-packed instant classic, Top Gun, ruled the box office, captured the hearts of audiences everywhere, and spawned an acclaimed blockbuster sequel in 2022 called Top Gun: Maverick. If Tom Cruise was not a movie star before then, there was no doubt he was at the top of A-list after giving his all as daredevil Navy pilot, Maverick.

Meryl Streep (Sophie's Choice)

There are few actors with as much esteem in Hollywood as the great Meryl Streep, who earned her second Academy Award for her mesmerizing, heartbreaking performance in the title role of Sophie’s Choice. Writer and director Alan J. Pakula's adaptation of William Styron's passionate novel follows the relationship between a Polish woman who survived the Holocaust and a Jewish-American man (played by Kevin Kline) who is obsessed with the tragedy.

Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice)

The all-time best Michael Keaton movie and performance might always be up for debate but no one can deny that, in the 1980s, no film saw him demonstrate his high-energy comedic talents and versatility better than Beetlejuice. The Oscar nominee plays the title role of Tim Burton's 1988 horror-comedy classic (actually spelled "Betelgeuse") — a sleazy "bio-exorcist" begrudgingly enlisted by a recently deceased couple (played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) to scare their home's new inhabitants out.

Sally Field (Steel Magnolias)

The 1980s was a great time for Sally Field, who won both of her Oscars during that decade — one for Norma Rae in 1980 and another in 1985 for Places in the Heart. However, we believe the one film that best encapsulates the actor's stunning range is the powerful, charming 1989 dramedy Steel Magnolias, in which she shines brightly among an ensemble cast including Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Daryl Hannah, and Julia Roberts as a close-knit group of Louisiana women.

Eddie Murphy (Coming To America)

There were few movie stars in the '80s bigger than Eddie Murphy, who made such a huge impact in very little time on SNL before hitting it big with feature-length classics like 48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop. Yet, 1988's Coming to America was the first film to see him disappear into multiple roles and, not to mention, African Prince Akeem's search for love in Queens, New York, amounts to a hilarious and heartfelt story.

Molly Ringwald (The Breakfast Club)

The first face we tend to picture when we think of the Brat Pack is Molly Ringwald, who was the go-to young female actor for coming-of-age dramedies of the '80s, such as Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. However, her best film — and, arguably, the greatest high school movie of all time — is writer and director John Hughes' The Breakfast Club, in which she and four of the decade's most essential stars (Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, and Judd Nelson) play a group of socially disparate teens who find unexpected kinship during Saturday detention.

Denzel Washington (Cry Freedom)

Two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington received his first Oscar nomination for his moving portrayal of activist Steve Biko in director Richard Attenborough's Cry Freedom. The 1987 film focuses primarily on the friendship between the influential Black anti-Apartheid activist and the white South African journalist Donald Woods (Kevin Kline), who puts his own life at risk to investigate Biko's death.

Jodie Foster (The Accused)

Not only does 1988's The Accused feature one of Jodie Foster's most powerful, Academy Award-winning performances, but it is also an enduringly relevant indictment of a flawed justice system that silences women. Foster plays Sarah Tobias, the victim of a violent assault who, along with her prosecuting attorney, Katheryn Murphy (Kelly McGillis), is challenged by a case that puts the blame on her.

Robert De Niro (Raging Bull)

Out of all of Robert De Niro and director Martin Scorsese's collaborations, none have been as unique and as moving as 1980's Raging Bull. De Niro delivers a roaring one-two punch in the masterful sports movie as real-life boxer Jake LaMotta, tracing his rousing success in the ring and his tragic self-destructive tendencies outside of it.

Cher (Moonstruck)

In 1987, Cher proved that she was a master in both the world of music and the world of acting with her Academy Award-winning performance as Loretta Castorini in Moonstruck. Soon after the widowed Italian-American woman agrees to marry her boyfriend, Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello), she finds herself falling deeper and deeper in love with his brother, Ronny (Nicolas Cage).

Harrison Ford (Raiders Of The Lost Ark)

One of Harrison Ford's all-time greatest characters is the rough, resourceful, globe-trotting archeologist Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones. The iconic hero was first introduced in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark — director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas' tribute to cinema that would later inspire countless tributes to its stunning visual design, John Williams' sweeping score, and its endlessly thrilling, wall-to-wall action.

Diane Keaton (Reds)

Diane Keaton is an absolute revelation in co-writer and director Warren Beatty's 1981 historical epic, Reds. She plays famed activist Louise Bryant who falls in love with radical-minded fellow journalist John Reed (Beatty) as he hopes to bring the ideals of Russia's Communist Revolution to the United States.

Robin Williams (Dead Poets Society)

The late Robin Williams gives us the best of both his comedic energy and dramatic authenticity in director Peter Weir's moving 1989 drama Dead Poet's Society. As English teacher John Keating, he serves as a much-needed role model to a close-knit group of Catholic boarding school students (played by rising stars such as Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard) who learn how to seize the day.

Michelle Pfeiffer (Scarface)

It was in the '90s when three-time Academy Award nominee Michelle Pfeiffer really began to hit her stride but her strongest work in the '80s is, arguably, Scarface. She stars in director Brian de Palma's 1983 gangster movie classic as Elvira Hancock, who becomes the wife of Cuban crime lord, Tony Montana (Oscar winner Al Pacino).

Morgan Freeman (Glory)

One of the most inspiring Morgan Freeman performances comes from 1989's beloved, moving war movie, Glory. The Oscar winner stars as Sergeant Major John Rawlins, who is the highest-ranked Black member of his regiment in the U.S. Army during the Civil War.

Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple)

Legendary comedian Whoopi Goldberg earned her first Academy Award nomination for her heartbreaking performance as Celie Johnson in 1985's The Color Purple. Director Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Alice Walker's seminal novel chronicles decades in the life of the Black, Southern woman as she endures dehumanizing adversity and traumatic abuse. 

Kurt Russell (Escape From New York)

One of co-writer and director John Carpenter's best movies, 1981's Escape from New York, takes place in a war-torn future when Air Force One crash lands inside a maximum security prison that used to be the Big Apple and the President of the United States (Donald Pleasance) is taken hostage by the prisoners. The only one who can save him is a recently arrested, hardened war veteran named Snake Plissken, which is easily one of Kurt Russell's coolest roles and certainly one of his greatest performances.

Glenn Close (Fatal Attraction)

While we do not condone treacherous acts like boiling a family's pet rabbit alive, we would consider Alex Forrest to be a villain with understandable motivations, and not just because Glenn Close gives a brilliant performance in 1987's intense thriller, Fatal Attraction. It was married lawyer Dan Gallagher's (Michael Douglas) mistake to indulge in a one-time fling with the New York editor, who then misconstrues the affair for love and continues to taunt him and his family in increasingly horrifying ways.

Sylvester Stallone (First Blood)

Sylvester Stallone has played many iconic roles in many great action movies, especially in the 1980s, but his best role from that decade would have to be John Rambo in First Blood. The 1981 adaptation of David Morell's novel is not a conventional shoot-em-up thriller like the later Rambo movies but an emotionally charged, nuanced drama in which the burdened Vietnam veteran is pushed to the edge by a cruel sheriff (Brian Dennehy) and wages a war against a whole town.

Goldie Hawn (Overboard)

Many of Oscar winner Goldie Hawn's most memorable roles see her sharing the screen with her real-life romantic partner, Kurt Russell, and the couple's chemistry was at an all-time high in director Garry Marshall's Overboard. Hawn stars in the inventive and charming 1987 rom-com as a spoiled socialite with amnesia who is convinced by a carpenter (Russell) that she is his wife and the mother of his four boys to get back at her for her cruel treatment. 

Bill Murray (Ghostbusters)

Academy Award nominee Bill Murray is one of the most beloved comedic talents of the '80s (or any decade, really) and to understand why, all you need to do is watch 1984's Ghostbusters. Also one of director Ivan Reitman's best movies, the spooky, kooky classic sees Murray's masterfully witty Peter Venkman team up with Ray Stantz (writer Dan Aykroyd), Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), and Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson) to rid New York of its scariest spirits.

Geena Davis (The Accidental Tourist)

Geena Davis earned an Academy Award for her wonderfully eccentric performance in 1988's The Accidental Tourist as Muriel Pritchett. Emotionally distant travel writer Macon Leary (William Hurt) meets and begins to fall for the free-spirited dog trainer after splitting with his wife (played by Kathleen Turner), following the death of their son, in director Lawrence Kasdan's moving dramedy. 

Kevin Bacon (Footloose)

It is no wonder why Chris Prat's Peter Quill regarded Kevin Bacon's role in Footloose as one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history. Ren singlehandedly brought dance back to the cruelly repressed small town of Bomont in the timelessly entertaining music movie from 1984.

Kathleen Turner (Romancing The Stone)

The ultimate romantic adventure comedy would have to be director Robert Zemeckis' 1984 hit, Romancing the Stone. Kathleen Turner is wonderful as novelist Joan Wilder, who enlists the help of a rogue mercenary to help rescue her kidnapped sister in Colombia and ends up joining him on the search for a prized artifact. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator)

The film that made Arnold Schwarzenegger the leading action movie hero of the 1980s remains his best action movie from the decade, as far as we are concerned. The Austrian bodybuilder gives a pitch-perfect, ice-cold performance as one of the best '80s movie villains — the cybernetic title role of James Cameron's The Terminator, which is sent from a war-torn future to prevent the birth of humanity's savior by killing his mother, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton).

Jane Fonda (9 To 5)

After taking the '70s by storm as one of the decade's biggest and most acclaimed stars, Jane Fonda started off the 1980s right with 9 to 5. In the hilarious workplace satire, her character, Judy Bernly, teams up with fellow office assistants Violet (Lily Tomlin) and Doralee (Dolly Parton) to turn the tables on their nightmare of a boss (played by Dabney Coleman).

Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man)

In his second Academy Award-winning performance, Dustin Hoffman plays autistic-savant Raymond Babbitt in Barry Levinson's Best Picture Oscar winner, Rain Man. He stars opposite Tom Cruise as his younger brother, Charlie, who gets to meet him for the first time in this beautiful family story from 1988. 

Daryl Hannah (Wall Street)

You can find Daryl Hannah in many of the '80s' most iconic cinematic classics but the cream of the crop would have to be Wall Street. She stars in Oliver Stone's riveting 1987 drama as Darien Taylor, who once shared a romance with corrupt stockbroker Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) and begins a relationship with his ambitious protege, Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen).

Theoretically, every person in Hollywood can be traced back to Kevin Bacon in six degrees or less, proving just how impressively extensive the actor’s resume is (He’s even got a couple of credits on the 2024 movie calendar). Now, however, Bacon can truly say he’s made it, after apparently being referred to in Sabrina Carpenter’s song “Taste.” Bacon’s daughter Sosie called him up to inform him of the feat, and I just love how wholesome the video of this father/daughter moment is.

Sosie Bacon — an actress in her own right — is clearly a fan of Sabrina Carpenter’s new album Short n’ Sweet. That's because when she heard the lyrics to the song “Taste,” she was very excited to call up her dad to congratulate him on his persisting relevance in pop culture. Watch her and Kevins adorable conversation on Instagram:

The “Taste” lyrics don’t specifically say Kevin Bacon’s name, but you can see recognition immediately cross the iconic actor’s face when Sabrina Carpenter seems to reference the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game by singing:

Sosie Bacon was so thrilled for her dad, though she expressed some playful frustration for his lack of understanding the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game after he laughed:

The actor also proved that no father is too famous to throw a good dad joke his daughter’s way, as he said of Sabrina Carpenter:

That’s a real groaner, but I still love it.

It’s obvious that Kevin Bacon is close with his daughter Sosie — one of two children he shares with wife Kyra Sedgwick. He was in full “proud dad” mode in 2022 when she got her first starring role in the horror movie Smile, and their dynamic throughout the above phone call is so pure.

I love that at the beginning of the video, you can see that Sosie Bacon had dialed her “Dad daddy” about 10 times before the FaceTime call happened. Is that how long it takes Kevin Bacon to get camera-ready? Because can I just say he looked amazing.

As for becoming “big with the girlies,” as Sosie said, that’s not something her dad has probably ever had to worry about, since Kevin Bacon has been crushing it since his first major movie role in Animal House. However, the actor has taken on more villainous roles of late in films including MaXXXine and Beverly Hills Cop: Axle F. So it’s possible that’s how younger audiences know him, rather than the “Let’s dance!” shouter in Footloose.

This was such a heartwarming look into Kevin Bacon’s relationship with his daughter, and maybe next Sosie can get his reaction to Sabrina Carpenter going goth with Jenna Ortega in the “Taste” music video.

Sometimes an actor just explodes on the scene with their first movie. Many of the people on this list have even been nominated and won awards for their first roles. Most, of course, have gone on to have long, successful careers, so let's look back at these actors who absolutely crushed it in their first roles. 

Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years A Slave

It didn't take long for Kenyan native Lupita Nyong'o to make a huge splash in Hollywood. After a little time working on movie sets behind the camera, she studied acting at Yale and landed her seminal role in 12 Years A Slave almost immediately after graduating. The performance speaks for itself, and Nyong'o deservingly took home an Oscar for it. Amazingly, three years later, she won a Tony in her Broadway debut in Eclipsed.

Sean Penn - Taps

Sean Penn has had a long, storied career and while many may assume his breakout role came as the stoner Spicoli in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, but a year before cracking up audiences in that cult classic, he played a very different role as a would-be soldier at a military academy in Taps. Notably, Tom Cruise also made his breakthrough role in the movie alongside Penn. 

Reese Witherspoon - The Man In The Moon

Over the last 4 decades or so, Reese Witherspoon has not only become one of the most acclaimed actresses in Hollywood, but a major force behind the scenes as a producer. It all started for the Nashville native with her debut in The Man In The Moon in 1991. It's always impressive when a newcomer can lead a personal film like this, and Witherspoon showed early how good she is by doing so. 

Natalie Portman - Leon: The Professional

There are a few actors in Hollywood who broke big when they were very young. From the moment you see Natalie Portman on screen in her first role as Mathilda in Leon: The Professional, you know she's going to be big. Yeah, it's an uncomfortable movie to watch for obvious reasons - Portman was just 13 - but seeing how brave she was to take on a complicated role like that, it was clear she was destined for greatness. 

Edward Norton - Primal Fear

Has there ever been a more terrifying and convincing debut performance from an actor than Edward Norton in Primal Fear? It's one of the all-time great grifter films and Norton's performance is the major reason why. He's scary, both in character and in talent. 

Florence Pugh - The Falling

It's hard to believe Florence Pugh made her debut in The Falling in 2014. It seems like the actress has been around forever as she keeps picking amazing roles and crushing the performances, just like her first. 

Kevin Bacon - National Lampoon's Animal House

Every actor in Hollywood is connected to Kevin Bacon, as the game claims, and that's because for more than five decades he's been giving amazing performance and amazing performance. His first movie, the classic comedy National Lampoon's Animal House is certainly no exception as he plays a snobby, snarky, frat boy to perfection. There is nothing he can't do.  

Halle Berry - Jungle Fever

In 2001 Halle Berry became the first African-American woman to win the Best Picture Oscar for Monster's Ball. That was just 10 short years after she made he incredible debut in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever. The former beauty pageant contestant has been one of the most reliably great stars in the years since, starring in some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood including the X-Men, James Bond, John Wick, and much more. 

Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

After finishing seventh in the third season of American Idol, we all knew Jennifer Hudson could sing. When she was cast as Aretha Frankin-like Effie White in Dreamgirls, it didn't surprise anyone. At least, we weren't surprised until we all saw just how her powerful voice was matched by her powerful acting. She took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in her big-screen debut. 

Eddie Murphy - 48 Hrs.

By the time Eddie Murphy starred in 48 Hrs. alongside Nick Nolte in 1982, he was already a bonafide TV star from his time on SNL. Known for his great characters and hilarious lines on SNL, it wasn't clear if he could carry a movie. 48 Hrs. settled that, he definitely could and he's been leading them ever since. 

Marlee Matlin - Children Of A Lesser God

Marlee Matlin has been breaking down barriers since the very beginning of her career. Deaf from the time she was a small child, there must have been many people who told her she could pursue her dreams. Instead, she became not only the deaf actor to win an Oscar in his debut movie, Children Of A Lesser God, but the youngest woman to take home the statue as well. 

Anne Hathaway - The Princess Diaries

From the very beginning, Anne Hathaway has been wowing audiences. Her first movie is still one of her most beloved, The Princess Diaries. She even got to star alongside true film royalty. Julie Andrews. She didn't seem intimidated then, and she never has been since. 

Tim Curry - The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Tim Curry's first movie has become the dictionary definition of a cult classic. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a flop when it was released, but in the decades since, it's become one of the most popular movies of all time with a fanbase that is not just dedicated, but rabid in its love for the movie and for Curry's character, Frank-N-Furter.

Emma Stone - Superbad

Superbad is one of those comedies that very really gets old, especially if you grew up with it as a staple of your DVD rotation. Emma Stone's character Jules is not the kind of character you'd expect to be as funny as she is, which makes Stone pretty much perfect for the role, as she is as effortlessly funny as she is effortlessly beautiful. She's gone on to tackle some characters with incredible depth, but she set the foundation in Superbad. 

Oprah Winfrey - The Color Purple

There is really nothing Oprah Winfrey can't accomplish. She was already on her way to becoming the biggest daytime talk show in history by the time she landed a role in Steven Speilberg's classic The Color Purple. It turns out Winfrey can do a whole more than coax the most out of guests on her talk show, she can act really act, earning an Oscar nomination in her film debut. 

Julie Andrews - Mary Poppins

It's really hard to believe that Julie Andrews didn't make her true film debut until she was nearly 30 years old, when she appeared as the legendary Mary Poppins in the film of the same name. Of course, Andrews was well-established as a stage actor at that point, but still, it was the golden age of Hollywood, you'd think she would have been cast in something well before Mary Poppins. At least we can be grateful she was cast here. 

Alan Rickman - Die Hard

Hans Gruber in Die Hard is, without a doubt, one of the greatest villains of the 1980s. Knowing that it was the film debut of the incredible Alan Rickman makes it all that more impressive. He plays the role with such confidence and panache, that it's almost too much to believe it was his first movie role, but it was. 

Anna Paquin - The Piano

Anna Paquin won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Piano. She was just 11 years old! Anyone who does that deserves a spot on any list like that. She's the second youngest ever to win an Oscar and in the years since she's continued to wow us with her work. 

Jamie Lee Curtis - Halloween

Jamie Lee Curtis basically invented the modern scream queen in horror movies in her debut in Halloween. It's a genre she's only returned to a few times in her long, impressive career, but we're sure glad it's where she got her start. 

Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit

It's a little remarkable how many young girls pop up on a list like this. One of the most recent examples of a teenager just crushing her film debut is Hailee Steinfeld. Not only did she have the pressure of playing a beloved literary character like Mattie Ross in True Grit, but she also had to act alongside legends like Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin. She doesn't just hold her own, either, she steals the movie. She rightly received an Oscar nomination for her work.  

Glenn Close - The World According To Garp

Glenn Close burst on the scene with award-winning performances on Broadway before transitioning to film with her debut on the silver screen in The World According To Garp where she picked up where she left off on the stage, getting nominated for an Oscar. She would earn Oscar nominations (but sadly no wins) for her next two movies as well, The Big Chill and The Natural. 

Robert Duvall - To Kill A Mockingbird

Robert Duvall's career goes all the way back to the 1950s, when he first appeared as Boo Radley in one of the most beloved movies about the American South, To Kill A Mockingbird. He only has a small role, as the character with an outsized effect on the plot who is only seen at the end, but he embodies the character so many kids learn to love when they first read the book in high school. 

John Malkovich - Places In The Heart

There is no question that John Malkovich is one of the finest actors of his generation. He's completely fearless in all the roles he plays and that's true going all the way back to his first role as a blind World War I vet in the Depression-era film Places in the Heart alongside Sally Field, Danny Glover, and Ed Harris. 

Lily Tomlin - Nashville

Though she was already a comedic legend on TV, having appeared on Laugh-In and The Carol Burnett Show, Lily Tomlin showed what range she really had as a gospel singer and mother to two in Nashville. She's continued to show those skills over and over in the decades since. 

Gal Gadot - Fast & Furious

Gal Gadot is best known as Wonder Woman these days, but she made her debut in another giant Hollywood franchise when she appeared in Fast & Furious, the fourth installment of the Fast And Furious series. The ex-Israeli army veteran has impressed fans of the movies in each of her 3 appearances by performing most of her own stunts.  

Kerry Washington - Our Song

Our Song is an underrated movie that is everything great about independent filmmaking. It's an intensely personal story about a unique moment in time for the characters and the audience. Kerry Washington simply blows audiences out of the water with her powerful and heartfelt performance. It's incredible how good she was in her first movie. 

Dustin Hoffman - The Graduate

So, technically Dustin Hoffman had already had a small role in a film before The Graduate (a movie called The Tiger Makes Out). For all intents and purposes, he introduced himself to the world with an Oscar-nominated performance in one of the most iconic movies in Hollywood history, The Graduate. It's a movie people still love talking about and lauding, even nearly 60 years later. 

John Cazale - The Godfather

The incredible and tragic story of actor John Cazale is well-known among movie buffs. Cazale only starred in five movies before he died of cancer at just age 42. All five of those movies won the Oscar for Best Picture The first, his first, was, of course, The Godfather. Though his character, Fredo, would play a larger role in the sequel, he still established himself as one of the greatest of his generation before we all lost him too soon.  

Gabrielle Union - She's All That

Actor Gabrielle Union has definitely made her mark not only on Hollywood but on the world with her stellar performances and her charity work outside of film. HE burst onto the scene in She's All That and she's never slowed down since. 

James Dean - East Of Eden

The great James Dean is one of the biggest "what ifs" in Hollywood history. Though he did have some uncredited roles in a few movies, the young actor starred in just three movies, including his first East Of Eden. For that role, he would receive an Oscar nomination, though he wouldn't live to see it, as he was killed in a car crash before being nominated. A feat that would be repeated the next year with Giant.

Jason Schwartzman - Rushmore

Though Jason Schwartzman comes from a prominent Hollywood family, that didn't guarantee success. Instead, he went out in his first movie role, in Rushmore, and absolutely embodied his character of Max. It's every bit as impressive as anything his mom Talia Shire has done, and that is no small feat. 

Keisha Castle-Hughes - The Whale Rider

When Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for an Oscar at just 12 years old for The Whale Rider, you knew she was one to watch for. She was, at the time, the second-youngest person nominated for an Oscar and not only was the nomination well-deserved, but she's continued to justify the voters' confidence in her with her roles over the last couple of decades. 

It's easy to think that a talented, popular actor might be a bit jaded about the movie-going experience. After all, they know how the proverbial sausage gets made, and like any normal person, they might appreciate a bit of distance between their professional and personal lives. Kevin Bacon is clearly not one of those people, however, as evidenced by a wonderful new video he has posted to social media effusively praising three exciting 2024 films that he has seen on the big screen in the last few weeks.  

This summer has seen some great movies playing in cinemas, and the MaXXXine/Beverley Hills Cop: Axel F. star is clearly loving it – especially when it comes to 2024's slate of horror films. In recent weeks, he has made his way out to go see the twisty, non-linear structured Strange Darling, the surprise-filled thriller Blink Twice and the buzzy horrific action of Alien: Romulus, and he has posted a video of himself lauding the three features to his personal Twitter account. You can check it out below:

For those of you who might be worried about spoilers, Kevin Bacon doesn't go too in-depth with plot details about the three new releases, but he's clearly been a very happy movie-goer of late, praising the works of filmmakers JT Mollner, Zoë Kravitz and Fede Álvarez. Running down his experiences watching Strange Darling, Blink Twice and Alien: Romulus, Bacon said,

Continuing, he added that he doesn't see himself as a film critic and self-deprecatingly said he doesn't think his own thoughts will necessarily reflect the thoughts of other movie-goers, but he expressed that he is still very much in love with the big screen experience – which is what motivated him to become an actor in the first place:

Concluding, Kevin Bacon acknowledged the specialness of getting to see a new movie with a crowd full of people. He noted that there's nothing wrong with watching streaming movies and TV at home, but those who don't occasionally get out of their homes to catch a film at their local theater are missing out on one of the great entertainment experiences that anybody can have. Bacon concluded,

Strange Darling, Blink Twice and Alien: Romulus are all now playing in theaters everywhere across the country, and you can head over to Fandango to see where each of them is playing in locations near you.

While the list of A-listers who have joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe is long and diverse, another list that’s worth looking into is the wild group of actors, performers and others who have said yes to doing cameos. So, in celebration of those folks, here are the 32 best cameos in the MCU. 

Harry Styles As Eros In The Eternals 

Big names pop up in the MCU all the time, however, they’re almost always well-known actors. While Harry Styles has had a few acting roles, it’s not his primary profession, so yes, it was shocking when the singer showed up as Eros, Thanos’ brother, in the post-credits scene of The Eternals. However, since the film’s release in 2021, Styles’ future in the MCU has remained unknown, leaving his role as simply a cameo and nothing more.  

Blake Lively As Lady Deadpool In Deadpool & Wolverine 

Leading into Deadpool & Wolverine’s release, the speculation about who would play Lady Deadpool was running rampant. However, it wasn’t all too shocking when it was revealed that Ryan Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively was playing the female variant of her partner’s merc with the mouth.  

Sam Neill As Odin’s Actor In Thor: Ragnarok 

While the Thor: Ragnarok cast is stacked with legends like Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Mark Ruffalo, Jeff Goldblum and more, Taika Waititi also assembled quite the ensemble of cameos to play a troupe of actors in Asgard who put on a play about Thor and his family. This included Jurassic Park’s Sam Neill, who portrayed Anthony Hopkins’ King of Asgard, Odin.  

Stan Lee As Various Characters 

While future MCU projects sadly won’t have any in-person Stan Lee cameos, we can always re-watch the Marvel movies in order to see the legendary comic writer. Before his death in 2018, Stan Lee made cameos in just about every Marvel project, whether it was from Marvel Studios, Fox or Sony. 

Some fan-favorite cameos from him included his role as a security guard in Captain America: The Winter Solider, a New York resident being interviewed on the news in The Avengers and an astronaut telling a story to the Watchers in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, among many, many, many others. 

Matt Damon As Loki’s Actor In Thor: Ragnarok 

In the play Loki orchestrated in Thor: Ragnarok that tells the (not so true) story of him and his family, Matt Damon was cast to play the role of Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief. Which honestly, is inspired casting. Damon also popped in the non-MCU Deadpool 2. 

Kevin Bacon As Himself In Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Bringing a joke from Guardians of the Galaxy full circle almost eight years later, Peter’s hero Kevin Bacon finally appears. However, it’s kind of against his will, because Drax and Mantis decide to go to Earth and steal the Footloose actor to give to Chris Pratt’s character as a gift of holiday cheer.  

Miley Cyrus As Mainframe In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, we see a group of Ravagers approach The Guardians. One of them is a robot head named Mainframe, and it's voiced by Miley Cyrus.

Trevor Noah As Griot In Black Panther

Much like how Paul Bettany voiced J.A.R.V.I.S., Trevor Noah voiced Griot, Shuri’s artificial intelligence she uses at her lab in Wakanda in Black Panther. 

Melissa McCarthy As Hela’s Actress In Thor: Love and Thunder 

Adding to the mix of A-listers playing actors who are playing Thor characters (try saying that five times fast), Melissa McCarthy took on the role of Cate Blanchett’s Hela – the goddess of death – in Thor: Love and Thunder. She joined the theatrical company that already featured Sam Neill, Matt Damon and Luke Hemsworth to reenact the events of Thor: Ragnarok in Taika Waititi’s second movie about the God of Thunder.

Kenneth Branagh As Asgardian Distress Call In Avengers: Infinity War

You probably know that Kenneth Branagh directed the first Thor movie. However, what you might not know is he provided a meaningful Easter egg for Avengers: Infinity War. He voiced the Asgardian Distress Call that was played after Thanos attacked their ship. 

Luke Hemsworth As Thor’s Actor In Thor: Ragnarok 

Who else could play Chris Hemsworth’s Thor in an Asgardian play about the adventures of the God of Thunder and his family? Truly, picking Luke Hemsworth to play his real-life brother’s character was fantastic! The added bonus that makes all this even better is their other brother, Liam Hemsworth also auditioned to play the god back in the day. 

Bruce Campbell As Pizza Poppa In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw director Sam Raimi’s return to the superhero genre. With him came his The Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell, who played Pizza Poppa in the Doctor Strange movie. 

Bill Maher As Himself In Iron Man 3

During a montage of news clips in Iron Man 3, Bill Maher pops up as they’re talking about War Machine’s rebrand into The Iron Patriot. 

Charlie Cox As Daredevil In Spider-Man: No Way Home

If you saw Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters on opening night, you likely heard applause when Charlie Cox made his big-screen MCU debut as Matt Murdock. While he played Daredevil for three seasons on his Netflix show, and he has returned as the character since this cameo where he was giving Peter Parker legal advice, this was the first time we’d seen Cox back in action in years. 

Tom Morello As Gaurd In Iron Man

Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello made one of the first cameos in the MCU when he popped up for a quick second in Iron Man. In the movie, he played a guard in the Ten Rings camp that Tony Stark was being held at. 

Joan Rivers As Herself In Iron Man 3

Along with Bill Maher and a bunch of other TV personalities, Joan Rivers popped up to rib on War Machine’s rebranding in Iron Man 3. 

Harry Dean Stanton As Security Guard In The Avengers

In The Avengers, there’s a security guard who finds Bruce Banner after he crashes into the Earth as Hulk. That guard is played by Harry Dean Stanton, who is best known for his roles in classic films like Alien, The Green Mile, Paris Texas and Repo Man. 

Justin Theroux As Police Officer In Iron Man 2

Not only did Justin Theroux write Iron Man 2, but he also had the smallest blink-and-you-’ll-miss-it cameo, per CBR. He played one of the police officers who arrested Justin Hammer and escorted Pepper Potts off the premises toward the end of the film. 

Rob Zombie As Ravager Navigator In Guardians of the Galaxy

In many of James Gunn’s movies, Rob Zombie makes a cameo. After doing that for Slither and Super, he lent his voice to his friend's first Marvel movie by voicing a Ravager Navigator in Guardians of the Galaxy. 

Megan Thee Stallion As Herself In She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

We can thank Jameela Jamil for Megan Thee Stallion’s incredible cameo in She-Hulk. The rapper appeared in an episode of the Disney+ show during a courtroom scene, and then she popped up one more time to twerk with the titular attorney. 

David Hasselhoff As Himself In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

When Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill was a kid he’d pretend that David Hasselhoff was his dad. So, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Hasselhoff was part of one of the songs on the soundtrack – “Guardians Inferno” –  and it plays during the end credits. And at the very end of those credits, you can see his face pop up as he says the final words of the song. Talk about an epic cameo.

Brett Goldstein As Hercules In Thor: Love and Thunder

In the post-credit scene for Thor: Love and Thunder, Brett Goldstein appeared as Hercules. In his brief scene, he was shown speaking with Russell Crowe’s Zeus. It was thrilling to see the Ted Lasso star show up as the son of Zeus, however, it’s been years since that happened, and he hasn’t shown up again. 

Ken Jeong As Security Guard In Avengers: Endgame

Before the Russo Brothers were making big fancy Marvel movies, they worked on Community. So, it’s always fun to see actors from that show pop up in the MCU. For example in Avengers: Endgame, Ken Jeong appeared for a quick cameo as a security guard who is watching over the storage unit that Ant-Man’s van is in. 

Nathan Fillion As Monstrous Inmate In Guardians of the Galaxy And Headpool In Deadpool And Wolverine

You can see Nathan Fillion (looking like himself) as a major member of the supporting cast in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as he plays Master Karja. However, before that, he had a cameo in James Gunn’s first Guardians movie, because he voiced “Monstrous Inmate.” After that, he voiced Headpool during the Deadpool variant fight in Deadpool and Wolverine. 

Brad Pitt As The Vanisher In Deadpool 2

Now, I fully realize Deadpool 2 wasn’t technically in the MCU, but Deadpool and Wolverine is, so this counts. One of the most fun cameos maybe ever came when Brad Pitt appeared for a split second in the Ryan Reynolds-led sequel to play The Vanisher right as he gets electrocuted. 

Joe Russo As Grieving Man In Avengers: Endgame

Joe and Anthony Russo are best known as the guys behind the camera who led some of the best Marvel movies, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and, of course, Avengers: Endgame. So, in this big finale for the MCU’s Infinity Saga, Joe Russo made a cameo as part of Steve Rogers' support group. 

Yvette Nicole Brown As S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent In Avengers: Endgame

The Russo Brothers didn’t forget their roots, and included multiple members of the Community cast in their Marvel movies. This included Yvette Nicole Brown, who played a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that Tony Stark and Steve Rogers run into when they go back in time to steal Pym Particles. 

David Bradley As Tower Keeper In Captain America: The First Avenger

David Bradley is a legendary British character actor, and you’ll likely recognize him for his role as Filch in the Harry Potter cast or as The Doctor in various episodes of Doctor Who. He also notably played a small role as the Tower Keeper protecting the Tesseract in Captain America: The First Avenger.

Danny Pudi As Com Tech #1 In Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The Russo Brothers adore their Community cast, so in their first Marvel movie, they gave Danny Pudi, Abed himself, a little cameo. For a brief minute, you can see him as Com Tech #1 during the beloved Captain America sequel. 

Garrett Morris As Car Driver In Ant-Man

While Ant-Man himself is played by a comedy legend, that actor being Paul Rudd, there’s another hilarious icon in this cast. Yep, original Saturday Night Live cast member Garrett Morris (who actually dressed up as the superhero on the sketch comedy show back in the day) appeared in this movie as a man driving a car that Ant-Man fell onto, and it’s fantastic!

Matthew McConaughey As Cowboypool In Deadpool and Wolverine

When all the variants of Deadpool appeared to fight Deadpool and Wolverine, one of them was Cowboypool. Fittingly, the Western Merc with the Mouth was voiced by Matthew McConaughey.

Henry Cavill As Cavillrine In Deadpool and Wolverine

When Wade Wilson was looking for a Wolverine to bring back to his universe, he came across one version of Logan who was played by Henry Cavill. After seeing fanart of the former Superman as the X-Man, it was clear he was a good fit for the part, and it was incredible to see Deadpool and Wolverine act on the fans’ wishes. 

As you can see the range of these cameos is wide, and frankly legendary. And we’re sure that as Marvel continues to release movies and TV shows, the iconic cameos will keep coming. 

This summer marked what could be the end of a horror legend in the making, as the 2024 movie MaXXXine sewed up Mia Goth and Ti West’s sexy, bloody vision pretty nicely. If you happened to miss that picture in a theater near you, that’s ok. The third, and potentially final chapter of the story started with X, is supposed to be hitting PVOD pretty soon, although there's no studio confirmation on that just yet. This would be a good thing if confirmed though, because after a summer that brought us both this flick and Beverly HIlls Cop: Axel F, I think I need to see more villainous roles starring the legendary Kevin Bacon.

Why Kevin Bacon’s MaXXXine Role Is So Much Fun

In the case of Ti West’s MaXXXine, Mr. Bacon’s villainy is that of a seriously slimy variety. Playing private detective John Labat, the Footloose star is far from the insanely likable image he crafted earlier in his career. Working with some sinister forces to try and track down Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) for an unknown purpose, this is a man who loves his job, and doesn’t care who’s paying him to do it.

What makes it even more awesome to see Bacon go to work in MaXXXine is the fact that he’s a walking easter egg. Tipping his hat to Jack Nicholson’s Chinatown protagonist in his costuming, and a very prominent injury, his Southern boy charm and menace could help this winner go down as one of the best Kevin Bacon movies.

But what really makes 2024 the summer of Kevin Bacon’s bad guy era is the fact that he’s on a vicious streak at the moment. Which is another reason why Netflix’s Beverly Hills Cop 4 should have been released to theaters, as part in the Eddie Murphy legacy-quel is another flavor of evil altogether.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Lets Kevin Bacon Play A Cold Hearted Baddie

I don’t think it’s a spoiler to tell you that Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’s Captain Cade Grant is a bad egg, You can clock him as a two-faced bureaucrat from a mile away when you first spot him, although Kevin Bacon plays it oh so smartly so as to give you enough doubt. That’s only half of the payoff though, as Captain Grant’s arc brings Bacon into some fantastic, deep-fried villainy.

When the jig is up and the Beverly HIlls Cop 4 heavy is out in the open, Kevin Bacon gets pretty crispy in the third act shootout. Totally leaning into his dark and twisted character’s motivations, Cade Grant is so sneeringly bad that you enjoy what’s heading his way, At the same time, you’re kind of sad to see him go, as Bacon was clearly having fun.

How These Two Roles Capitalize On A Movie Kevin Bacon Made Almost 30 Years Ago

Despite making a splash as the sniveling Chip Diller in National Lampoon’s Animal House, Kevin Bacon shot to stardom through complicated dramas like Diner and major features like Footloose where he played the hero. As far as the world was concerned, Bacon’s pre-1996 career had us all seeing him the same way that Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord talked about him in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

It’s a good thing Peter Quill was away for the late ‘90s, as our actor in question would net two roles that helped diversify his career. In my own research, I’d trace the first post-breakout Kevin Bacon villain role, after he became a known quantity, to 1996’s Sleepers, which was then followed up by another delightfully unsavory turn in 1997’s Wild Things. While I know he wasn’t a good person in A Few Good Men, it’s these later two movies that really saw Bacon digging deeper into the depths of such unsavory nature.

Not many actors could make a career out of playing the bad guy after building their bones on behind so heroic, but Kevin Bacon’s pivot has been quite successful. With the actor returning to that corner of the moral compass every so often, the results have been as exciting as what you see before you; which wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for Sleepers and Wild Things.

The Reason Kevin Bacon Should Be In Even More Villain Roles

In a sense, Kevin Bacon’s return to the sort of heel he played in National Lampoon’s Animal House is kind of like a homecoming. While he’s mixed it up throughout the past couple decades through both sides of the moral coin, if you look close enough, you can see that Bacon’s antagonistic streak has been well served through a variety of nefarious figures.

Yes, there have been heroic parts, like his lead investigator on the Fox procedural The Following. And there was Mr. Bacon's adorable appearance as himself in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which was another fun way to stretch the man's performance muscles.

But over the past couple of decades, Kevin Bacon seems to be digging into a multitude of viciousness, as we’ve recently seen in MaXXXine and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. While I’d still believe him as a hero, Bacon scoring two notable movies in the same summer is a cause for celebration. This is especially true if you’re into that trademark grin of his being flashed for evil instead of good.

Further Viewing For Members Of The Kevin Bacon Villain Fan Club

If you’ve made it this far into my argument, you should consider yourself a member of the Kevin Bacon Villain Fan Club. Now, whether you want to make that a charter membership, dependent on how you feel about MaXXXine or Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, is your call. But if you’re ready to take things to the next level, I have a small cadre of roles you should check out to enhance your understanding of just how good Kevin Bacon is at being bad.

The most obvious choices are Hollow Man and X-Men: First Class, as the characters he plays in both of those flicks are quite amoral and sadistic. Also, they both happen to be named Sebastian, so that’s another freaky kind of coincidence. For those of you looking for a more lawful evil, I definitely suggest Ron Howard’s historical biopic Frost/Nixon, in which Bacon plays the former president’s chief of staff Jack Brennan. There’s plenty of evil Kevin Bacon to be seen in the history of film, and that’s even without mentioning his menacing turn in Jon Watts’ Cop Car, the role that had me wishing he would be cast as the new J. Jonah Jameson when Watts’ MCU hire was first announced.

Kevin Bacon will never make another Footloose, and that’s alright with me. But if he can keep making bad guys like his roles in MaXXXine and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F a regular part of his professional output, I’d be a very happy fan. Of course, he can still return to the heroic roles he’s ready to jump into, because good or bad, you can’t resist Bacon on screen.

With that in mind, you should definitely catch MaXXXine, which is still playing in theaters. Or, if you’re looking for something fun to do with your Netflix subscription, you can check out Beverly HIlls Cop: Axel F, which is also available for your viewing pleasure.

Hollywood is full of countless stories of actors who almost played iconic roles. Will Smith has played a lot of major parts in big tentpole franchises, but he has turned down just as many if not more roles that could have potentially made him an even bigger star than he already is. However, not every story you hear about a famous actor turning down a role is true, and Kevin Bacon is putting one such story to rest.

The story, as it has gone for many years, is that while the late Patrick Swayze was the first choice for the lead in one of the best '90s movies, Ghost, by the movie’s writer and producer, Bruce Joel Rubin, others were less sure that the Dirty Dancing actor was the right choice. As a result, several other actors were considered and even offered the role of Sam Wheat in Ghost. Kevin Bacon is one of those who reportedly turned down the role, but the Footloose star recently told Business Insider that’s not what happened. Bacon said…

In Patrick Swayze’s autobiography, he mentions that Ghost director Jerry Zucker wasn’t so sure about him. He lists Bacon among a list of actors, which include Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks and Alec Baldwin, who were “under consideration” for the part. Tom Cruise was also reportedly considered. Swayze doesn’t claim any of them were offered the role. It’s possible that over the years details have gotten confused. Bacon may have been considered as a possible star, but without ever being offered the part.

For his part, Kevin Bacon indicates that had he been offered Ghost, he almost certainly would have taken it. We can probably take him at his word. Nobody would necessarily fault him for not taking the part had it been offered, lots of stars have been in the situation of saying no to big movies. Bacon is far from the only one who is reported to have turned down the role, and if even only some of those names are accurate, several major stars did turn down Ghost.

It’s a good thing for the rest of us that he did. Even Kevin Bacon recognizes now that had Patrick Swayze not starred in Ghost, the film might never have become the massive hit that it was. Ghost was the number two movie at the domestic box office in 1990, and the film ended up winning Whoopi Goldberg an Oscar. Bacon would go on to star in the cult classic Tremors the same year Ghost was released.

The movie is so iconic that it was in line to get a remake with Channing Tatum announced last year. While we haven't heard much about the project since then, considering how popular the first film was, finding a cast the second time around probably won't be much of a problem.

Legendary actor Kevin Bacon has been in show business for quite some time now, having played a number of major roles throughout his career. With that, he's amassed a considerable amount of wisdom when it comes to Hollywood. During a  press junket for the recently released horror sequel MaXXXine, Bacon talked to CinemaBlend and shared a candid reflection on his early career choices. Speaking alongside co-star Elizabeth Debicki, the Footloose icon opened up about the stubbornness that marked his early days in Hollywood and a few regrets he has about the advice he didn’t take. 

During the actor's interview with CinemaBlend, which you can view in the video above, the focus turned to a poignant moment from the horror movie . Said scene involves Elizabeth Debicki's character advising Maxine Minx on navigating the cutthroat entertainment industry. Kevin Bacon reflected on his early years in La La Land, and explained how a bit of cockiness on his part played into his formative years:

The fan-favorite actor's admission reveals a common pitfall for many young actors: the belief that raw talent and self-assurance alone are enough to navigate the complexities of the industry. But hey, who can blame the guy? We were all young and naive once. He continued to elaborate on the lack of mentorship in his early career:

Now, that is advice worth adhering to. That Elliot Gould is certainly one smart cookie. 

Kevin Bacon's journey to Hollywood royalty began with his feature film debut in National Lampoon's Animal House. However, it was his breakthrough role in one of the most iconic 80s movies, the musical drama Footloose, that catapulted him to stardom. Over the years, the Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F star has delivered some unforgettable performances in critically acclaimed films like Diner (1982), JFK (1991), A Few Good Men (1992) and Mystic River, to name a few. So, though he didn’t take anyone’s career advice, he managed just fine. 

The Hollow Man actor may not be quickly associated with the horror genre, but one of his first roles was in the 1980s horror franchise Friday the 13th, which had some downsides. Most recently, the 65-year-old star put on his horror acting shoes, stepping into the world of Ti West’s X series. The Tremor's veteran plays private investigator John Labat in MaXXXine, the third entry in one of the best modern horror franchises.

As fans flock to theaters to watch the new flick, Kevin Bacon's reflections add depth to his role, where themes of ambition, advice, and the harsh realities of the entertainment world take center stage. It's certainly refreshing to hear him talk about his experiences in such an open way, and I, for one, am glad that he's thrived all these years.

Check out MaXXXine in theaters now, and don’t miss our lists of upcoming A24 movies and upcoming horror films. Also, do yourself a favor and see what other exciting flicks are lined up for the 2024 movie schedule.

To the outside observer, being famous looks pretty cool. Sure, celebrity often means that there’s a lot that you can’t do in public without being mobbed by fans, but that’s always seemed to me like a small price to pay for all the perks that come with fame. Kevin Bacon agrees, and he would know because he’s gone to extreme lengths to learn that being a regular person is super lame compared to being famous.

Kevin Bacon has been making movies for most of his life, and as such few people in the world haven’t seen his films. Bacon has two movies on the 2024 release schedule this week alone as he is in both the Beverly Kills Cop: Axel F cast which hit Netflix yesterday, while horror movie MaXXXine's release date has jut been released. If you walked past Kevin Bacon on the street you would surely recognize him. Bacon himself has been famous for so long that he decided he wanted to see what it was like to truly not be recognized, and he went to extreme lengths, getting special prosthetics designed so he could go out in public without being recognized. Bacon told Vanity Fair…

The disguise included fake teeth and a prosthetic nose added to a pair of glasses. Kevin Bacon then took his new look and went to The Grove, a large and often crowded outdoor shopping mall in Los Angeles. A place that is full of people would certainly result in the actor being recognized under normal circumstances. The disguise apparently worked perfectly, as the Footloose star, was able to move freely around the mall without being asked for selfies or autographs.

Unfortunately for Kevin Bacon, the disguise worked too well. The actor was able to be a normal non-famous person, but in doing so he discovered that being a normal person kinda sucks. He discovered he didn’t like the way he was treated, and quickly decided he preferred being famous. Bacon continued…

I mean, at least he’s honest. While I’m sure there are annoying elements to being famous, I think most of us would happily put up with the negatives to get access to all the positives, and Kevin Bacon has absolutely confirmed that this is the case. Who wants to go to Disneyland and stand in line when you can go to Disneyland and get VIP treatment? Being famous is much preferable to not being famous.

1984 was a wild year in cinema history. Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom, Karate Kid, Beverly Hills Cop and Footloose are a handful of titles that made up the box office’s top ten films that year, and perhaps by coincidence, all of them have recently seen a reboot or a sequel featuring the original stars. That is, all of them except for one, as Kevin Bacon has yet to reprise Ren McCormack from Footloose. I asked him if he was going to follow that 1984 trend, and he had an interesting take on whether or not a new Footloose “makes sense.”

Here’s another fun coincidence about this iconic collection of nostalgia-inducing films: while Kevin Bacon hasn't returned as Ren, he just joined his former competition in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. When I mentioned that the trend indicates Footloose is next, he said this:

OK, so he threw a little shade at the 2011 Footloose reboot, but he is right. I didn't know the film existed until he told me. To his point, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F does make a lot more sense as a sequel, but only because it was done well. Our official Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F review mentions that it’s “way better than you would expect,” and critics have been sending the film plenty of love. This isn’t a given for the franchise, as we’ll never forget the 1994 Beverly Hills Cop III misfire, but thankfully Jerry Bruckheimer and co. really pulled this one off. Now, with the film available to people with a Netflix subscription, it’s time to see what the audience at large thinks.

Also, to Kevin Bacon’s point, Footloose is largely considered to be one of his best movies. It’s not in franchise territory like Beverly Hills Cop, so maybe it’s best to keep this one sacred and not tarnish the name of Ren McCormack. After all, dancing is legal now, so where would they go? His Axel F costar Joseph Gordon-Levitt mentioned that the Footloose sequel’s lack of success is due to its lack of Bacon, and he’s definitely right. However, he also said there’s “less pressure” in somebody else’s franchise, so maybe he’s just looking out for Kevin Bacon. Check out the delightful exchange between the two actors at the top of this article, and also watch our interviews with the full cast, including Eddie Murphy.

You can see Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F on Netflix right now! As for future updates on what’s hitting the box office in 2024, keep it right here at CinemaBlend.  

Two years after X and its prequel Pearl introduced us to Maxine Minx, Mia Goth is back to wrap up the trilogy of her budding adult film star in MaXXXine. The upcoming horror movie from writer/director Ti West is a direct sequel to X, sticking Maxine in 1980s Los Angeles following the massacre in Texas. MaXXXine hits theaters July 5, and those who have caught an early screening are taking to social media with their first reactions. It seems they all think the film provides a fitting end to the trilogy.

With the first two offerings in the series considered among the best of A24 horror, expectations for the threequel are pretty high. Adding to the excitement is the cast that will surround Mia Goth, as big names like Giancarlo Esposito, Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Debicki, Bobby Cannavale and more join the franchise. The trailer for MaXXXine looks downright sleazy, and that’s a word that comes up several times in moviegoers’ initial thoughts. Junior Felix of That Hashtag Show writes:

The Hollywood Handle agrees MaXXXine is a fitting end to Max Minx’s story — even if a fourth installment could happen — providing more of what we’ve come to expect from Mia Goth and A24 in general. The site tweets:

Courtney Howard likes the bite of satire infused into this third installment, and it sounds like re-familiarizing yourself with the first two movies wouldn’t be a bad idea in order to pick up on the fun references. The critic says:

Genre-wise it sounds like MaXXXine takes a step in the direction of thriller, rather than straight horror. Russ Milheim of The Direct likes the new aesthetic, saying Ti West’s latest project strikes a refreshing tone. In the critic’s words:

Simon Thompson agrees the threequel brings something new to the franchise and even leans into the Satanic panic of that era. The critic writes:

As for how the 1980s slasher stacks up against its predecessors, some people are listing it as their least favorite of the three; however, none of them think that should deter moviegoers. Says Jamie Jirak of ComicBook.com:

Film critic Jeff Nelson praises Mia Goth’s performance and agrees with others that it’s a great end to the trilogy. Nelson tweets:

Others are also praising the lead actress — no question that she’s a star — as well as those around her including Elizabeth Debick and Kevin Bacon (who one critic described as “delicious.”) Anthony Gagliardi of The Movie Podcast wraps up why fans of this series should be excited, as he says:

With X and Pearl being celebrated as two of the best horror movies of this decade, it’s no surprise that there’s so much hype surrounding the latest project from Ti West. Mark your calendar if you want to catch this when it hits theaters on Friday, July 5, and not only can you check out all of the upcoming A24 movies, but be sure to take a glimpse at everything that’s hitting the big screen soon with our 2024 movie release calendar.

Rob Lowe was one of the most prominent young actors of the ‘80s. The Ohio-raised celebrity was a member of the never-aging Brat Pack starring in St. Elmo’s Fire, The Outsiders and About Last Night, to name a few. Believe it or not, Lowe was also close to playing the character of Ren in the musical drama Footloose. Unfortunately, he said it was apparently an “awful” experience losing to Kevin Bacon.

It’s hard to believe how close we were to seeing Rob Lowe show off his dance moves playing the Chicago native shaking things up in a new town that prohibits dancing. The 9-1-1: Lone Star actor recalled to USA Today why it was so “awful” having to miss out on starring in one of the best dance movies:

It’s a shame that injuring himself while auditioning for one of the best ‘80s flicks cost Rob Lowe the part. After all, we did see the talented actor do a little shimmy-ing in Oxford Blues; a short, but wild dance number in Parks and Recreation; and dance with Snow White in the controversial opening ceremony for the 61st Academy Awards. Then again, casting directors might have interpreted that the former Brat Pack member’s dance injury during the audition showed he wasn’t the right man for the job, especially considering the amount of dancing the young actor would have to go through scene after scene. 

Interestingly enough, Rob Lowe admitted how twisted it was that not getting the part benefitted the actor who ultimately snagged it. Footloose became one of Kevin Bacon’s best films, and he went on to star in critically acclaimed films like Diner, JFK and A Few Good Men. In fact, when Lowe spoke to Bacon about losing the part of Ren to him, the Golden Globe winner responded with “You wouldn’t have gotten it, anyway.” I still would have been curious to see how the former teen idol would have fared dancing to Kenny Loggins and picking up his Sunday shoes.

The Primetime Emmy Award nominee may not have gotten to play the lead in Footloose, but he still went on toward a prolific acting career. Other than the Brat Pack films that turned him into a Hollywood star, Lowe had a successful TV career starring in The West Wing, Brothers & Sisters and currently 9-1-1: Lone Star. Lowe is also behind some works you can find on your Netflix subscription like the biopic drama he starred and executive produced as well as starring with his son in the Netflix comedy Unstable. Clearly the 59-year-old actor didn’t need Footloose to have the career he has now.

American actor and filmmaker Rob Lowe had an “awful” experience losing out the lead of Footloose to Kevin Bacon. But even without the 1984 film, the veteran actor still continued to wow audiences for over four decades without the use of dance shoes to do so. If you’re still up for seeing Bacon in Footloose, it’s available to watch with your Max subscription.

Entertainers are entertainers. There are singers who can act, and there are actors who can sing. While the world is full of the former crossing over successfully, the latter is less successful, but that doesn't mean they aren't great singers, so here's our list of actors that have tried singing, whether they were hits or not. 

Bruce Willis

In 1987 Bruce Willis was at the top of his game. A year before everyone's favorite Christmas movie, Die Hard, came out, Willis did a made-for-HBO movie called The Return of Bruno where he played a blues singer. Willis spun that into an album of the same name and his singing career was off. While it's actually a decent album, the two follow-ups were bombs and that was where things pretty much ended for his singing career. 

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Jennifer Love Hewitt has been singing as long as she's been performing on screen. As a ten-year-old, Hewitt sang backup on the hit song "Toy Soldiers" by Martika, and at 12 she recorded her first album. She has a great voice, but she's never seen real crossover success. 

Don Johnson

Miami Vice was a monster hit in the mid-'80s and Don Johnson spun that into a record deal. He recorded his first album, Heartbeat, in 1986 and it was actually a moderate success, especially in Germany. His follow-up, Let It Roll also sold well in Europe, but didn't chart in the US, so his brief-though-somewhat-successful career as a singer was over. 

Jada Pinkett Smith

Did you know that Jada Pinkett Smith sang in a Nu Metal band in the early aughts? Yep, a band she formed called Wicked Wisdom even toured with Ozzfest and opened for Britney Spears. Pinkett is a solid singer and the band is very good, but it was short-lived, releasing just two albums, the last in 2006. 

Russell Crowe

Russell Crowe has been playing guitar and singing rock and roll for decades. He continues to occasionally play concerts, usually for charity and every once in a while he'll show up on stage with a big star. Like when he joined fellow Aussie Keith Urban in 2012 to play some Johnny Cash. 

Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx is the rare example of an actor having a very successful music career as well. He's got platinum albums, he's won a Grammy, and he'll forever be known for his guest spot in Kanye West's "Gold Digger." 

Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds sang in the musical At Long Last Love, and he once did a duet in a movie with the legend herself, Dolly Parton. Before all that though, he attempted to find a hit in the music business when he released a country album called Ask Me What I Am in 1973. I'm the biggest Burt Reynolds fan you'll ever meet and even I can admit it's a pretty rough album. 

Zooey Deschanel

When M. Ward first heard Zooey Deschanel sing in Elf, he was amazed. Later he learned she also wrote and played music. That was enough to start the duo She & Him, and Ward and Deschanel have been working on the project off and one for 15 years now. Together they've released seven successful albums, the latest a tribute to Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson that is very, very good. Deschanel even met her boyfriend Jonathon Scott while singing on Car Pool Karaoke. 

Jeremy Renner

As if Jeremy Renner's inspiring recovery from a snow plow accident isn't enough, the multitalented star has also released his first couple of EPs over the last few years. The Avengers star is a multi-instrumentalist and can sing too. There's almost nothing he can't do, it seems. 

William Shatner

It's always been a little hard to tell if William Shatner's music career is serious, or a joke. At times it seems like it could be either. One thing I can say about it is that if you've never heard Shatner's version of Pulp's "Common People", seek it out, it is truly excellent. 

Eddie Murphy

Very early in this career, Eddie Murphy started singing comedy songs on his albums. That inspired him to take a shot a serious music and his first single "Party All The Time" was a hit. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sadly, that would be the high point for the actor's music career.  

Corey Feldman

You have to appreciate how hard Corey Feldman is trying to make a music career take off. He tours a lot, playing live, and giving it his all in every performance. For it, he takes an endless amount of grief, but that just makes us root a little harder for him. The music isn't for me, but I applaud the effort. 

Emma Roberts

Emma Roberts is Hollywood royalty who got her first really big break (though not her first gig, that was in Blow) on the Nickelodeon show Unfabulous. For the show, where she played a middle school singer/songwriter, she recorded quite a bit of music and even released an album. In the end, it was her acting that took off and music took a backseat. At least so far. 

Jared Leto

Obviously, Jared Leto has to be on this list. His band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, which he formed with his brother in 1998, is wildly successful. They've sold more than 15 million albums and played sold-out shows around the world. He's by far the most successful musician on this list. 

Alyssa Milano

Alyssa Milano's music career never made much of a wave in the U.S., but in Japan, she was actually really popular. She released four albums on a Japanese record label and one even went platinum. It's a small tidbit of her career that doesn't get talked about much. 

Tom Hardy

Before Tom Hardy landed the first role of his career in Black Hawk Down in 2001, the British actor took a swing at a rap career. He recorded a mixtape called Tommy No 1 and Eddie Too Tall in 1999, though it didn't see the light of day until well after Hardy became famous, in 2018. It's actually pretty good too. 

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan has had a lot of ups and downs in her career, and one thing that could fall under both was her brief foray into music. Lohan was at the height of her Disney career, on the verge of the release of her most beloved movie, Mean Girls, when she was signed to Tommy Mottola's Casablanca Records. The two albums she recorded sold okay, but after the second, her career as a singer was over. 

Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson's first album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, released in 1998, features members of TV on the Radio, and even David Bowie sings on two tracks. Most of the songs were written or co-written by the great Tom Waits. Unfortunately, it just didn't sell all that well. Her follow-up, Break Up, recorded with Pete Yorn sold a little better, but not enough to sustain more of a career in music. She also released a song in 2015 called "Candy" with a short-lived band, The Singles, with Este Haim.

Hayden Panettiere

On Nashville, Hayden Panettiere played a country singer/songwriter living in Nashville, so naturally, she sang a lot on the show. She even recorded and released a few songs from the show. Panettiere was also nominated for a Grammy early in her career for her singing parts in A Bug's Life. In 2008, she branched out with a more pop-oriented sound and while she undoubtedly has some serious singing chops, the song "Wake Up Call" is more famous today for the video starring herself and Sebastian Stan. 

Joe Pesci

When you think of performers with silky smooth voices, Joe Pesci probably isn't the first name that comes to mind. Still, the Goodfellas star has been singing publicly since the 1960s when he released an album called Little Joe Sure Can Sing! After the huge success of My Cousin Vinny, Pesci released another album sort of in character, called Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You which is part comedy, part serious. It's not all that great, but he's not a bad singer. 

Kevin Bacon

The Bacon Brothers, Micheal and Kevin Bacon have been recording and touring for almost 30 years now. It's always been a passion for the Footloose star and it's clear he takes the band as seriously as he takes his acting. 

Robert Downey, Jr.

The whole world for Robert Downey, Jr. changed in 2008 when the first Iron Man was released. Downey had been a star for years, but the role took him to world superstardom. Right before that, he recorded his first album, 2006's The Futurist. The album had disappointing sales, and Downey dedicated his working life to the MCU and never seemed to find time for a follow-up.  

Steven Seagal

Like most things Steven Seagal does these days, his music career is pretty odd. He's a guitar player and blues singer who has released two albums and still plays live occasionally. While the music is not terrible by any means, it's also not all that interesting. 

Brie Larson

Brie Larson started in the music business when she was just 16. She was signed by Casablanca Records and recorded an album called Finally Out of P.E. However, the Marvels star eventually moved her focus to her acting career. She still occasionally plays guitar and sings little ditties on her YouTube page. 

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow's singing has mostly been attached to her acting career, with her most famous song, "Country Strong" coming from the soundtrack of the movie of the same name. Paltrow does all the singing herself, and it's actually pretty great. She also flirted with more music-related stuff earlier in her career, including recording a duet with Huey Lewis. She should consider doing more! 

Milla Jovovich

The 1990s were full of ethereal singers like Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star and Milla Jovovich's brief foray into music fit very well in that style. Her breathy style was very much of the time. One song that I can certainly recommend is her version of Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love" from the soundtrack to Million Dollar Hotel.

Florence Pugh

Florence Pugh started her career as singer called Flossie Rose on a YouTube channel in the early 2010s. Once her acting career took off, her music took a backseat, but many of the videos are still available. There is some interesting stuff there, even if it's pretty simple, as she was just a teenager at the time. 

Juliette Lewis

Juliette Lewis has had a huge career revival with her powerhouse performance in Yellowjackets, but all in her professional life, she's also been a singer. Her band, Julliette and the Licks, has been recording and playing live for almost 30 years now and as you'd expect, it's raw and in your face. 

Lucy Hale

Lucy Hale acts, hosts big TV specials, and sings. In fact, her debut album (and to date only album), Road Between, reached as high as #4 on the Billboard Country charts in 2014. It's certainly good enough for a follow-up, so maybe someday we'll get one. 

Joey Lawrence

No one else quite defines the 1990s the way Joey Lawrence does. The star of Blossom was a teen heartthrob and adorned the walls of high school girls across the country. It only makes sense he would try out a music career to capitalize on his fame. Sadly, his ambition wasn't matched by album sales. 

Scott Baio

Scott Baio starred in two huge shows in the '70s and '80s. First as Chachi on Happy Days then as the title character on Charles in Charge. Somewhere he found time to record two albums for RCA Records, but neither sold well and his music career fizzled out. 

David Duchovny

The truth is out there, and so is David Duchovny's budding musical career. He's only been at it for a few years, but he's released three albums and while the critics haven't loved his music, they haven't hated it either. He's clearly passionate about it, and it's refreshing that his albums are mostly original tunes. 

Breaking into music is hard, and while celebrities have a few built-in advantages, they don't guarantee success. For every Jared Leto, there is a Robert Downey, Jr. Still, it's always fun to hear what some of these stars have to offer, usually it's better than you expect, even when it's not great. 

It’s rare for a TV show to celebrate its 20th anniversary and still be on the air, but NCIS is one of those lucky few. Two decades ago, just a few months after being established in a two-part backdoor pilot on JAG, Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs and his team started leading their own stories on CBS. But before Harmon was selected for the role, it turns out Harrison Ford and some other A-listers were tossed out as options for bringing the special agent to life.

This was revealed in an oral history published by THR commemorating NCIS’ 20th anniversary, with Charles Floyd Johnson, executive producer on JAG and NCIS, recalling the process of how Gibbs was cast. After Amy Reisenbach, CBS Entertainment president, commended the JAG writers for writing “real people,” Johnson said:

You have to remember that the TV landscape looked a lot different in the early 2000s compared to now, in that it was rare for a thriving movie star to agree to star in a TV show. At this point in time, along with retaining his well-deserved popularity as Han Solo and Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford was also appearing in movies like What Lies Beneath and K-19: The Widowmaker. Peter Golden, the former head of CBS casting, acknowledged this in the article, noting how even if the chances weren’t good for looping in someone of Ford’s caliber, that didn’t stop the people behind a show like JAG from putting him on “the list.”

But it didn’t just end with the man who’s now playing Thaddeus Ross in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Susan Bluestein, the NCIS casting director, didn’t recall Harrison Ford being thrown into consideration, she did remember plenty of other noteworthy names, saying:

All these men would have been major scores for NCIS, and to be fair, some of these actors did go on to lead/play important roles in TV shows, including Baldwin in 30 Rock, Bacon in The Following and City on a Hill, and Swayze in The Beast right before he died. Charles Floyd Johnson also mentioned that Silence of the Lambs and Daredevil’s Scott Glenn was considered “very strongly” for Gibbs, and Susan Bluestein added that he was being considered for Donald “Ducky” Mallard too. Ultimately Glenn, as well as  passed on participating in JAG and NCIS, and while Andrew McCarthy of St. Elmo’s Fire fame also talked with co-creator Donald Bellisario about playing Gibbs, nothing ever came of that.

As far as Mark Harmon goes, he was already a well-established TV presence from shows like St. Elsewhere, Reasonable Doubts and Chicago Hope, so leading a procedural was well within his wheelhouse. Bluestein also had history with Harmon, having cast him to play John Dillinger in a TV movie about the outlaw, and Golden recalled, once the actor met with Bellisario, they “hit it off.” Harmon would go on to play Gibbs for 19 seasons of NCIS, exiting in the episode “Great Wide Open,” and he also made four guest appearances in the spinoff NCIS: New Orleans.

It remains to be seen if Mark Harmon will ever reprise Leroy Jethro Gibbs, especially considering that as of this past July, there’s allegedly some behind-the-scenes drama around his potential NCIS return. Still, if you’d like to view any of the hundreds of episodes he did appear in, those can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription. NCIS itself has been renewed for Season 21, and while we wait for concrete details about what it holds in store, look through our 2023 TV schedule to see what’s currently airing or will be soon.

If you're looking for a Hollywood couple who can do it all and still look awesome, look no further than Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick. As the world goes gaga over Barbiecore fashion—thanks to the doll's recent billion-dollar hit—Kevin is bringing his own "Kenergy" into the mix by performing songs from the flick for his goats. Yep, you read that right. And this time, he's got his partner Kyra joining in on the fun. Don't miss this adorable duo as they belt out Billie Eilish's hit song, 'What Was I Made For?' backed by their own herd of goats.

Dua Lipa and Lizzo's songs might be the headliners of the Barbie movie soundtrack, with audiences also loving the incorporation of “Push” by Matchbox Twenty and “Closer to Fine” by the Indigo Girls. But don't discount the acoustic gem Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick just dropped. The couple has shared a video on Instagram that transports us straight to the countryside, complete with a herd of goats as backup. Could anything be more delightful? I doubt it, but you can catch the video below and make up your own mind:

The song “What Was I Made For?” features in the movie during a poignant scene, making it a real tear-inducer. At first glance, you might not take Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick’s version seriously, given it’s performed in a barnyard. But don’t be fooled— they nail the emotional essence of this Billie Eilish ballad. With Kevin on guitar and Kyra’s dreamy singing, you may even forget for a moment that the song was originally created for a film about a living doll.

The Soundtrack for Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster hit, Barbie: The Album, is slam-packed with excellent tracks from artists such as Lizzo, Sam Smith, Khalid, Dua Lipa, and, of course, Billie Eilish. The song “What Was I Made For?” was crafted for the movie and debuted in July 2023. It climbed to a respectable 14th spot on the Billboard Charts. Speaking to Billboard, Billie Eilish disclosed that while the song’s lyrics are aligned with the main character’s storyline in the movie, they also mirror aspects of her own personal journey.

Performing for his goats has made Kevin Bacon a bit of an online sensation, and this Barbie-themed musical number is just the latest. The Tremors vet has previously serenaded his hoofed companions with Beyoncé songs and also joined in on the viral “Corn Song” craze. Following him on social platforms is pure entertainment, especially when the Hollywood pair performs shenanigans like crushing the 2022 viral Footloose trend. Given his documented prowess in both singing and dancing, perhaps the They/Them actor should have joined Ryan Gosling and the other Kens in the world of Barbie.  

Here’s hoping Kevin and Kyra keep dishing out their unique mix of Hollywood glam and homey charm on their social channels. They have a knack for capturing hearts, and it’s clear they’re licensed to do so.

For those who want to enjoy all the musical highlights Barbie has to offer, tragically, minus the Bacon/Sedgwick duo, the movie is currently showing in theaters. Kevin Bacon aficionados might also appreciate our article detailing how to watch some of his most iconic films. If you’re curious about other cinematic releases set to hit the big screen later this year, our 2023 movie release schedule has got you covered.

Spoilers ahead for Barbie.

Barbie is officially a sensation. The online memes are absolutely hilarious, and fans are embracing their inner doll with the cutest Barbiecore outfits for their movie theater outings. The film has also had some great musical influences, and its Mark Ronson-produced soundtrack has been a massive hit. The movie features other great musical references from the 90s, which Kevin Bacon channeled in his awesome mashup of songs from the movie.

While new songs by Dua Lipa and Lizzo may be the highlights from the Barbie soundtrack, fans are also loving the incorporation of “Push” by Matchbox Twenty and “Closer to Fine” by the Indigo Girls. They are both used in completely different ways in the film, but Bacon found sonic similarities between the songs. The Footloose star mashed up the two iconic 90s tunes into a catchy song that he sang to his goats. You can see Bacon’s Instagram video below:

In the movie, “Push” is sung by Ryan Gosling’s Ken at Barbie. She pretends to be interested to distract Ken while the plan to take back BarbieLand commences. “Closer to Fine” is sung by Barbie as she embarks on her journey into the real world. The 90s references are abundant in the Mattel flick, reflecting director Greta Gerwig’s own upbringing on the film. Bacon is the perfect actor for the mashup, as the 90s was a heyday for the actor, with Tremors and Sleepers being highlights. 

Kevin Bacon serenading his goats has been a highlight of the internet and this Barbie mashup is just the tip of the iceberg. The Friday the 13th actor has sung Beyonce to his furry friends, before hopping on the "Corn Song" trend. He is a blast to follow on social media, as the actor hilariously hops on fun internet trends like the Footloose dance. With his song and dance skills being well documented, maybe the They/Them actor should’ve accompanied Gosling and the rest of the Kens in BarbieLand. 

I’d be excited to see what other Barbie mash-ups Bacon has up his sleeve. I’d love to hear a mix of “I’m Just Ken” and “Dance the Night,” and I bet the goats would too. Maybe he could even get in on the Barbenheimer internet meme and set some Barbie songs to the tune of the Oppenheimer score. That would be a lot more difficult with just a guitar, but with Kevin Bacon’s musical talent and Kenergy, he could probably figure it out. He could incorporate some of his smooth dance moves as well. 

You can see all of Barbie’s great musical moments by checking out the film now in theaters. Kevin Bacon fans should also check out our feature on where to watch some of the best projects from the Mystic River star. For more information on other movies heading to cinemas later this year, you can consult our 2023 movie release schedule. 

Citizen Kane, Tremors might not be, and it might not stand up as one of the greatest horror movies ever, but the '90s creature feature is undoubtedly one of the most fun
genre pics of the decade, and also one of Kevin Bacon's best films. (I'll die on this hill, no matter how many giant worms are burrowing around below.) The flick is a cult classic, with fans still calling for a big-screen follow-up that officially brings Bacon back as the loveable maintenance man Val McKee. The Footloose actor just addressed whether a new theatrically released Tremors movie could happen, and it's a response that'll make fans very excited. 

Following the most recent trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, a fan posted a screengrab of a monster that looks eerily similar to a Graboid bursting out from the ground, tagging Kevin Bacon in a request "to see a new Tremors movie" that doesn't get relegated to direct-to-DVD hell. The Friday the 13th vet shared his own positive response, implying it could feasibly happen if and when a story comes together. You can read the Twitter exchange below:

Tremors was released in cinemas in 1990 after some initial delays, and though it was technically successful - bringing in over $16 million domestically on a $10 million budget - it performed far below expectations at the time. (And that was even before director Ron Underwood's far bigger follow-up project, 1991's City Slickers.) It was critically well-received upon release, however, with reviews at the time praising its diverse cast and well-crafted balance between scares and laughs. Iconic film critic Roger Ebert highlighted Kevin Bacon, as well as the team of Reba Mcentire and Michael Gross as the Gummers, in his positive review of the film, famously saying he was "embarrassed how much I enjoyed the movie." 

Its sequel, Tremors 2: Aftershocks, was released straight-to-video six years later, with only Fred Ward and Michael Gross returning from the original cast. That flick was followed by five(!) more low-budget sequels, a 2003 television series that co-starred future Breaking Bad lead Dean Norris, with a second planned TV series that didn't get off the ground in the 2010s. To date, the only one of those projects that Bacon had anything to do with was the 2017 series, and it didn't make it past the pilot stage.

Kevin Bacon declined to be a part of the first sequel due to the film's direct-to-video nature, along with his involvement in the critically acclaimed drama Apollo 13. However, the actor has flirted with returning to the franchise for some time now, as evidenced by his involvement with the potential Syfy series. Despite that not coming into existence, the Mystic River actor must still have as much fondness for his time on the campy monster movie as fans do, if he is still feasibly entertaining a potential return to the franchise if there's ever another project. 

While the prospect of a new Tremors movie starring Kevin Bacon sounds incredible to fans like yours truly, it's definitely sad that we'll never see a proper reunion between the first movie's main characters, Val and Earl. Fred Ward sadly passed away in 2022, with TMZ reporting his family declined to cite the cause of death. 

Kevin Bacon might be game for another battle against gigantic prehistoric worms on the silver screen, but Universal Pictures would have to make decisions about the franchise's return to theaters. So here's hoping Bacon's comments put a worm in execs' ears. 

CinemaBlend will keep you up-to-date regarding any news about future Tremors movies. Until then, check out our list of upcoming horror movies to plan your next shiver-inducing time at the cinema, and you can stream the first film for free (along with plenty of other great movies) on Tubi.

Beverly Hills Cop 4 is a project that has been in the works for so long that it’s totally reasonable if swaths of fans gave up on the idea of it actually coming together. After 1994’s Beverly Hills Cop III, there was continued hope that the next sequel could get made, but the project got stuck in development hell for years with new filmmakers becoming attached and then departing when they couldn’t produce a script up to star Eddie Murphy’s standards. Being a fan has required a lot of patience… but now the movie is actually happening.

Directed by newcomer Mark Molloy and based on a script by Josh Appelbaum, Will Beall, and André Nemec, Netflix’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F has made it through production and is set to be released on Netflix on July 3, 2024. So who can we expect from the original movies to return and who are the newcomers joining the franchise? We’ve put together this of actors in the Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F cast for those looking forward to the upcoming 2024 movie, and we’ll start with the man playing the series’ eponymous hero.

Eddie Murphy (Axel Foley)

In 2021, Eddie Murphy brought back some of his most beloved characters in Coming 2 America, and he’s following it up by returning to the world of Beverly Hills Cop as Axel Foley this upcoming Netflix movie. This fourth installment will be the SNL legend’s latest in a string of streaming exclusives, including Netflix’s You People and Amazon’s Candy Cane Lane. A THR exclusive from May 2023 says Murphy was in talks to star in a Pink Panther reboot, Deadline reports he will star alongside Pete Davidson in Tim Story’s The Pickup for Amazon MGM Studios, and, according Variety, a fifth Shrek movie may be in the works, too.

Judge Reinhold (Billy Rosewood)

When we first met Judge Reinhold’s Billy Rosewood in the original Beverly Hills Cop, he was a fresh police officer still learning the ropes and Axel Foley ended up taking him under his wing. After that, Reinhold became the only actor other than Murphy to appear in all of the sequels and he will be keeping that streak going with the return of Billy in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. It’s been a minute since we last saw the Fast Times At Ridgemont High star in a movie, as his most recent credits were back in 2017 – including Lifetime’s holiday rom-com Four Christmases and a Wedding – so it will be exciting to see him playing one of his most beloved roles again.

Bronson Pinchot (Serge)

Despite his Beverly Hills Cop II absence, Serge actor Bronson Pinchot is considered a staple of the action franchise, starting with his standout role in the original (then as a museum employee) and return in Beverly Hills Cop III as a gun store owner – a profession we are unsure he will have in the 2020s. Pinchot was confirmed to appear in Axel F while the movie was in production in September 2022, though we don’t know what to expect from his role. In recent years, the actor – who took up household restoration for a while – as been primarily working on television, with a recurring role on Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina and appearances in episodes of Black Monday, NCIS: Hawai’i, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and Max’s Our Flag Means Death.

Paul Reiser (Jeffrey Friedman)

Paul Reiser has been experiencing a nice career comeback in recent years, starting with his part as Dr. Sam Owens in the Stranger Things cast followed by The Kominsky Method, The Boys, and Hulu's Reboot cast, as well as the the 2019 revival of Mad About You. Now, he’s bringing back yet another memorable part in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F by reprising Jeffrey Friedman for the first time since the 1987 sequel. What has the character been up to in the last three-and-a-half decades? We have no idea, but we expect him to continue being a loyal ally to Murphy’s titular cop.

John Ashton (John Taggart)

John Ashton’s John Taggart was introduced as a semi-antagonist in the original Beverly Hills Cop, being a smart, talented detective who doesn’t have much patience for Foley’s antics. He ultimately learns to appreciate the protagonist for his drive and skills, and while he wasn’t part of the action in Beverly Hills Cop III, he’ll be back for the fun in Axel F, as confirmed in the fall of 2022. Ashton’s most recent credits include 2020’s Death In Texas with Bruce Dern, Stephen Lang, and Lara Flynn Boyle and the 2023 drama, Lonesome Soldier.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Detective Abbott)

The cast of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F isn’t solely comprised of stars from the original trilogy, and includes a handful of other fresh faces, such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who said it was a “treat” playing Foley’s new partner, Detective Abbott. In the last few years, Gordon-Levitt has primarily been working on the small screen, having starred in Apple TV+’s Mr. Corman (which he also created) and Showtime’s Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber cast. Notably, however, the new Beverly Hills Cop will be his third Netflix original movie – following 2020’s Project Power and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Taylour Paige (Jane)

In August 2022, the first two actors announced to star in the Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F cast opposite Eddie Murphy were JGL and Taylour Paige, who is playing Axel’s daughter, Jane. Since her breakout role as the titular character in 2021’s Zola, Paige has been busy on both the big and small screen, starring in Lena Dunham's Sharp Stick and Katie Aselton's Mack & Rita, as well as six episodes of the TV series, The Baxters. One of her other major upcoming releases, Magazine Dreams, has been removed from the schedule, but she will also appear in a new installment of another beloved '80s franchise: the upcoming superhero movie, The Toxic Avenger.

Kevin Bacon (Captain Cade Grant)

Despite the fact that they have both been in Hollywood for multiple decades, Kevin Bacon and Eddie Murphy have never had the opportunity to work together before, but that all changes with Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Bacon joined the cast of the Netflix-produced sequel in September 2022, and was later confirmed to be playing Captain Cade Grant, following his turn as a cop in the Showtime series City on a Hill from 2019 to 2022. The actor also recently played himself in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, starred in another Netflix original called Leave the World Behind, and also stars in the upcoming remake of The Toxic Avenger with Paige.

Be sure to have your Netflix subscription up and running for when Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F arrives.

Few new horror movie releases have had quite the buzz surrounding them like Paramount's Smile. The spooky season offering dominated the box office during its opening weekend, and the horror film was well-received critically, too. Fright master Stephen King even took notice of the jaw-clenching movie, and though he praised the movie's twisted scares, he singled lead actor Sosie Bacon for giving a "hell of a performance" as the film's real surprise. Well, someone else has joined the chorus of praises for Sosie's performance -- her dad and horror actor vet, Kevin Bacon.

The Friday the 13th actor was recently interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, and the conversation soon turned to his daughter's brilliant breakout performance in Smile. The 64-year-old star, in addition to heaping praises on his daughter's performance, revealed that he and his wife, actress Kyra Sedgwick, had no idea Sosie was even interested in a career in acting until later on. Bacon said:

You can almost hear the pride in the actor's voice, as Bacon makes it clear that Sosie's fantastic work in the horror hit is purely due to her hard work. And that hard work has paid off because Smile performed brilliantly in its second and third weeks, making it one of the most successful horror movies of 2022. With this sort of box office performance and praise, the Parker Finn-helmed production will surely be added to more than a few people's best horror movie lists. 

Even though Kevin Bacon knows how hard his daughter worked to get the part, The Stir of Echoes actor admits he wasn't prepared for how good she truly is. Bacon says the insane stress levels of the movie don't let up and would test any actor because it doesn't present the typical place a character starts in most cases. The veteran actor continued:

Kevin Bacon has been starring in scary movies either as a helpless victim or a sinister villain since his debut in Friday the 13th. So the kind of praise the actor is leveling at his daughter is well-founded.  

In Smile, Sosie Bacon plays a therapist who witnesses a bizarre and horrifying event in her office and soon becomes terrorized by haunting, smiling figures. As a result, she must confront her traumatic past or fall victim to it. It's a premise that could easily fall on its face if the audience doesn't believe the lead star's performance. But based on the movie's success, it would appear that Bacon's lead role has resonated with audiences, and all the praise she's receiving from her famous father and more is more than warranted. 

There's still time for you to catch Sosie Bacon's heart-pounding performance in Smile, as it's still playing in theaters. If you've already seen it, check out what other upcoming horror movies sure to make you shiver in the near future. And for all other movie releases, check out CinemaBlend's schedule of upcoming movies to start planning your next visit to the cinema.

It’s been nearly three decades since moviegoers spent time with Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley, but after decades worth of delays and setbacks, Beverly Hills Cop IV is finally moving forward. Officially titled Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley, this next installment will be available for Netflix subscribers to exclusively stream, and the cast has gradually been coming together over the last month. Now it’s been revealed that Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley won’t have to play a long game of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game, because he’s appearing in the upcoming movie.

In the wake of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley kicking off production, Deadline shared that Kevin Bacon has been added to the cast. Unfortunately, no details have been provided about his character, so it’s hard to say right now whether he’ll be an ally or enemy to Eddie Murphy’s starring protagonist. That said, it’s nice to see Murphy and Bacon finally working together, as these two have both been heavy cinematic hitters for decades.

The first Beverly Hills Cop was released in 1984, the same year that Kevin Bacon shined as Ren McCormack in Footloose. We could spend all day talking about the other notable entries on Bacon’s resume, but to narrow our scope on his more recent work, he was last seen in the slasher movie They/Them, which can be streamed with a Peacock subscription, and he also starred in Space Oddity, which was directed by his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. In the TV realm, Bacon is leading the Showtime crime drama series City on a Hill.

As mentioned earlier, among the things we know about Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley is the lineup of actors joining Eddie Murphy and Kevin Bacon. In late August, right after principal photography began, it was reported that Taylour Paige and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were added to the cast. Then on September 21, it was announced that Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser and Bronson Pinchot will reprise their respective roles from the original Beverly Hills Cop trilogy for this sequel. Reinhold starred as Billy Rosewood in all three of those movies, John Ashton and Paul Reiser respectively played John Taggart and Jeffrey Friedman in the first two movies, and Bonson Pinchot appeared as Serge in the first and third movies.

Behind the scenes, Mark Molloy is making his feature directorial debut on Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley. He replaced Bad Boys for Life helmers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah in April after the duo decide to focus on Batgirl, which ended up being scrapped. Josh Appelbaum, Will Beall and André Nemec all worked on the script, but we remain in the dark about the sort of craziness that the older Axel will get into for his fourth cinematic outing.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley doesn’t have a release date yet, but with the movie currently shooting, it’s a good bet it will come out on Netflix sometime in 2023. Look through our 2023 release schedule to learn what movies are officially slotted for next year.

The last time we saw Freddy Krueger was back in the poorly-received 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Fans might have a chance to see their favorite slasher villain again if a revival were to come to fruition. After casting rumors came about that Kevin Bacon could be the new bladed-gloved villain, the actor had a few words to say about that.

Kevin Bacon has been showing his face in recent horror films like You Should Have Left and They/Them. Now that there are casting rumors that the Footloose actor could be the next Freddy Krueger, he’s expressed to ScreenRant while promoting his role in the action-thriller One Way about having an openness to the part, saying:

So it looks like Bacon is open to the prospect of starring in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. It wouldn’t exactly be left field for the 64-year-old star to be the lead of a horror franchise. While you may know him for dancing to the beat in Footloose, one of Kevin Bacon's best movies was also Friday the 13th, where he was one of the several counselors being stalked and killed in one of the most iconic ways in the Friday the 13th franchise- an arrow through the neck beneath the bed he was laying down on. So, instead of Bacon having to portray a victim dying in a gory death, his potential new character would be doing the killing instead while his victims lay in deep slumber. 

It’s hard to imagine what Kevin Bacon would look like as the horribly-scarred child killer. Robert Englund was truly iconic in his role as Freddy Krueger. He brought a lot of terror and fun into the part that would freak out audiences, but still make it entertaining for horror fans to want more. While Englund wants to revisit Freddy if there were an animated version, he gives the thumbs up to the Apollo 13 actor. The 75-year-old veteran actor has expressed interest in wanting Bacon to play the villainous role, as he was in one of Englund's favorite horror films, Stir of Echoes, and appreciates his deep respect for horror movies. If Robert Englund has faith in Kevin Bacon, so should we.

There are a number of reasons why A Nightmare on Elm Street deserves a revival. Robert Englund can vouch that the biggest problem with the 2010 remake was that we weren’t able to emotionally invest in the young characters from the get-go. It makes sense that we would need to get to know these characters before they become victims to ensure we root for them to live. It’s hard to do that if it feels like they’re “zombies,” like the original Freddy actor called them. Also, the Halloween, Scream and The Exorcist franchises have been getting revivals that have been well-received by critics and audiences. So why wouldn’t people feel the same about A Nightmare on Elm Street revival? If a revival were to occur, whoever is the director would need to ensure they can bring the same horror magic that late legendary horror director Wes Craven introduced to audiences the first time around.

If the torch were handed to Kevin Bacon to be the next Freddy Krueger, audiences would be in for a real treat. While you wait around for more movie news about the possibility of A Nightmare on Elm Street remake coming about, you can see Kevin Bacon in the slasher film They/Them with your Peacock subscription.

What does actor Kevin Bacon do during his downtime away from shooting movies? He simply serenades his goats with a catchy Beyoncé rendition on the guitar. And why stop there? Being a farm-dwelling man, he might as well get on the corn bandwagon and sing the ever-popular “It’s Corn” song.

Kevin Bacon just can’t get enough of Beyoncé’s latest album Renaissance, as he felt the need to sing his heart out to one of her tunes. On the Connecticut farm he shares with his family, the Footloose star posted on Instagram a video of himself serenading his goats to Beyoncé’s “Heated.” One of those goats ended up getting the front-row treatment and moved closer and closer to this talented actor's guitar strumming. Bacon's caption read, “Hot day, hot song. The goats and I are feeling Heated, @beyonce. Loving this track.” 

Not only does the They/Them actor have Beyoncé’s songs on his mind, but his love of corn too. He created a TikTok video of his rendition of The Gregory Brothers’ “It’s Corn” singing next to the ocean with the help of a corn on the cob to play his acoustic cover. Kevin Bacon just had to get on the TikTok trend as this song has been used in more than 400,000 clips since its release. He ended the video by taking a bite out of this delicious yellow vegetable. Now, Bacon himself is a TikTok trend as his acoustic rendition currently has 186.3k likes on the video hosting service and has been shared 21.8k times. 

You may be wondering how The Gregory Brothers created this trending song. In an interview with Recess Therapy, an adorable little boy named Tariq couldn’t stop talking about his love of corn. This clip gave this kid social media fame as the video has over two million views. The Gregory Brothers, who are responsible for viral songs like “Double Rainbow Song,” transformed this clip into a musical mashup. According to NPR, this musical quartet continues making these songs to celebrate wholesome moments found on the internet and amplifying them through music.

Kevin Bacon and music have been in a working relationship for many years. He contributed to another viral TikTok trend by dancing to Footloose with his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, proving he's still got the moves. With Footloose having one of the greatest soundtracks and being one of Kevin Bacon’s best movies, who better to partake in this trend? After seeing the Disney+ series Get Back, the 64-year-old actor also performed an acoustic duet with Sedwick in an Instagram video where he sang The Beatles’ “The Two of Us,” with Sedgwick playing the ukulele surrounded by pigs, goats and miniature ponies. Bacon has also been in the musical duo The Bacon Brothers with his brother, Michael, since 1995. 

The JFK actor’s musical chops have been played to an audience of farm animals and his wife of over thirty years. Hopefully the time will come when Kevin Bacon makes a musical comeback on the big screen. Until then, you can see the Hollywood Walk of Fame star in the slasher movie They/Them with your Peacock subscription.

The horror genre has been in a thrilling renaissance for around a decade, to the delight of fans. Plenty of the modern classics have come from Blumhouse Productions, including Peacock’s new release They/Them. And director John Logan spoke to CinemaBlend about Kevin Bacon and that Friday the 13th easter egg.

The new slasher They/Them is set at a gay conversion therapy, and features a refreshingly authentic cast of young queer actors. But top billing is none other than Kevin Bacon, who plays camp owner Owen Whistler. Hardcore horror fans will recognize Bacon from the slasher camp classic Friday the 13th, and the new horror flick even has a reference to Jason Voorhees during its runtime. As you can see in the video above, I had the privilege of speaking with director/writer John Logan and the cast ahead of They/Them’s release, where he spoke about why he included Bacon and that reference in the movie. As Logan put it,

When the first trailer for They/Them was released online, it definitely gave the vibes of Friday the 13th mixed with Jordan Peele’s Get Out. Kevin Bacon’s presence also helped to sell the retro vibes from his first horror flick. And perhaps it should have come to no surprise that Jason Voorhees’ name ended up being dropped during They/Them’s 104-minute runtime.

Kevin Bacon has had a long history with the horror genre, dating back to the 1980 original Friday the 13th movie. Prior to They/Them he once again returned to horror with You Should Have Left opposite Amanda Seyfried. And Bacon was able to be both charming and terrifying with his performance as Owen Whistler, especially during “therapy” scenes for the young LGBTQ+ characters.

On top of playing Owen Whistler, Kevin Bacon also further put his support behind They/Them’s release, serving as an executive producer on the new horror flick. And after working on the unique LGBTQ+ story, he’s also stepped up as an ally. Namely by putting his support behind an organization called Born Perfect, which aims to closer conversation therapy camps in the real world. It’s no wonder the Footloose icon continues to be a beloved legend of the screen.

They/Them is streaming on Peacock now. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

The horror genre has been experiencing a thrilling renaissance for a number of years now, to the delight of moviegoers. Many of the modern classics that have arrived come from Blumhouse Productions, such as Get Out, The Invisible Man, and 2018’s Halloween. The studio has continued this trend with Peacock’s new slasher movie They/Them, which is set at a gay conversion therapy camp. And They/Them actress Anna Lore recently spoke to CinemaBlend about bringing the “Pain” of being closeted to life. 

They/Them is breaking ground for the horror genre with its inclusive cast, and the narrative that tells a variety of LGBTQ+ stories. I had the privilege of speaking with the actors and director/writer John Logan ahead of its streaming release about the process of bringing Whistler Camp to life on the big screen. As you can see in the video above, I asked Anna Lore about what it was like playing her character Kim who is struggling with her same-sex attraction. She told me,

They/Them is a unique project because it truly has it all: there’s bloody kills, a surprising amount of comedic beats, and a truly emotional story. Anna Lore’s performance as Kim was just one example of the latter, with John Logan’s screenplay offering the audience a glimpse into most of the camper’s experience as queer people. And that includes those who are truly hoping that conversion therapy will be successful.

As seen in They/Them’s trailer, Kevin Bacon’s character Owen is all smiles when the movie’s young cast first arrives at Whistler Camp. But once “treatments” begin, things soon become nefarious. Throughout the movie’s runtime we’re shown that words can be just as violent as actions, even when compared to the horror violence taking place thanks to the mysterious masked killer. 

Later in our same conversation, Anna Lore further explained the importance of They/Them’s message in regards to real-life conversion camps. While the new horror movie is obviously fictional and includes a slasher villain, there is truth to the pain that these types of controversial settings cause. As she put it,

While the cast of They/Them dealt with some potentially triggering subject matter, filmmaker John Logan took lengths to make sure the set was a safe space. What’s more, Kevin Bacon stepped up as an LGBTQ+  ally and is helping to get real-life conversion therapy camps closed.

They/Them is streaming on Peacock. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Minor spoilers ahead for They/Them.

The horror genre has been on a roll for years now, with many of the biggest modern classics coming from Blumhouse Productions. That includes the new streaming slasher They/Them, which was released on Peacock last weekend. The movie stars the great Kevin Bacon, and the movie’s cast recently spoke to CinemaBlend about how they stepped up as an LGBTQ+ ally. 

Kevin Bacon has had a long history with the horror genre, dating back to the original Friday the 13th movie and reaching new releases like You Should Have Left. But They/Them is a new type of horror movie, set at a gay conversation camp. As you can see in the video above, I had the chance to speak with the movie’s cast, where actress Monique Kim revealed how Bacon is using his platform for the queer community. As she put it,

Talk about a class act. On top of helping They/Them get made thanks to his dual role as an actor and executive producer, it looks like Kevin Bacon is further helping the LGBTQ+ community. Namely by helping Born Perfect, which aims to close conversion therapy camps like the one seen in the horror flick. And that allyship clearly means a great deal to his young They/Them co-stars.

Peacock subscribers who tuned in for They/Them will know that Kevin Bacon was far from an ally as his character Owen Whistler. He’s the man running the conversion camp, and has some truly unsettling sequences throughout the movie’s 104-minute runtime. So it’s nice to hear how kind Bacon actually was, and how he stepped up for LGBTQ+ folks in the movie’s cast and beyond.

They/Them director/writer John Logan brought a refreshingly inclusive cast together to bring the movie to life, containing some truly powerful performances. The movie also shows how violent words can be, even when paired with typical slasher violence. And Kevin Bacon seemingly wants to help queer youth out there who are vulnerable in these conversion camp environments.

Of course, Monique Kim wasn’t the only person to sing Kevin Bacon’s praises regarding his contributions to They/Them. Actress Anna Lore also spoke to what it was like working with the Footloose icon on the new horror movie, saying:

It sounds like working with Kevin Bacon was a real dream for the cast of They/Them. This includes both his work on the horror movie’s set, as well as work out there in the real world. No wonder the actor is such a living legend.

On top of the horror renaissance, this year has seen number of movies telling authentic LGBTQ+ stories released to the public. Hulu recently put out the raunchy comedy Fire Island, while Billy Eichner’s Bros will feature a cast of exclusively queer actors. 

They/ Them is streaming now on Peacock. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

It’s a good time to be a horror fan, as the genre has been experiencing a renaissance for about a decade. Many of the modern classics that have hit theaters over the years have come from Blumhouse Productions, including hits such as Get Out, The Invisible Man, and 2018’s Halloween. The latest of these great releases is John Logan’s They/Them, set to be released as Peacock exclusive. 

Screenwriter John Logan makes his directorial debut with They/Them, which he also wrote and produced alongside Jason Blum. The new flick is a horror movie set at a gay conversion camp, which combines classic horror tropes a la Friday the 13th with contemporary characters and storylines. And to make the connection to Jason Voorhees even stronger, original Friday the 13th actor Kevin Bacon is both an star and producer in They/Them. 

Despite these similarities, the new slasher is a LGBTQ+-focused story that’s never been told in this way. And while the atrocities of Whistler Camp’s “treatments” are already terrifying enough, the horror is intensified with a masked killer on the loose. 

They/Them’s authentic cast of queer characters shine.

For some reason, the horror genre is one toward which the LGBTQ+ community is known for historically gravitating. And that’s part of why They/Them feels like such a triumph; it’s a movie made by queer talent both in front of and behind the camera. As such, queer members of the audiences can literally see themselves on screen, rather than identifying with characters who aren’t explicitly LGBTQ+. The pain performed by closeted characters is visceral and real, as is the sense of community that forms between the campers.

The Politician star Theo Germaine is at the head of the group of young stars as non-binary protagonist Jordan. They help to buoy They/Them’s 90-minute runtime with a quintessential horror movie performance that is full of emotional peaks and valleys. Germaine has scenes with the entire cast, including the impressive group of performers who are playing the adults of the camp – including Kevin Bacon as well as Carrie Preston and Anna Chlumsky.

Another standout is Booksmart’s Austin Crute, who is They/Them's primary source of comedic relief, Toby. While these beats of humor are effective, Crute also rises to the occasion when his character is targeted by Whistler Camp’s methods. The young cast is rounded out by solid performances by Monique Kim, Anna Lore, Cooper Koch, and Darwin del Fabro. 

While They/Them is indeed a horror movie, the moments of levity utilized by John Logan stand out. Oftentimes this occurs thanks to dialogue and interpersonal interactions in the young cast. While their identities are under attack, the campers create a chosen family and are able to affirm each other throughout the movie’s runtime. Sometimes that’s with a sassy comeback by Austin Crute’s Toby, and sometimes its a full-on singalong to P!nk’s song “Fucking Perfect.” 

Kevin Bacon and They/Them’s counselors deepen the story with killer performances.

Of course, no creepy camp would be complete without a group of adults as the counselors. They/Them delivers on that front with a number of familiar faces. Front and center is none other than the great Kevin Bacon, who is making yet another stamp on the horror genre with the Peacock movie. Bacon has been front and center of the slasher movie's marketing, and even beyond star power it's clear why, as his performance as Owen Whistler contains multitudes that make it delightfully unclear exactly where his loyalties lie. 

True Blood and The Good Wife actress Carrie Preston plays Owen’s wife Cora in They/Them, and offers a performance that shows why she's an Emmy winner. One particular scene with Theo Jermaine’s Jordan, as she gaslights them about their identity, is a masterclass in mental warfare. 

Finally, Veep and Inventing Anna actress Anna Chlumsky plays Molly, who is the nurse on staff at Whistler Camp. A newcomer to the camp, Chlumsky offers a warm and hopeful juxtaposition to the ways the staff otherwise humiliates the young queer campers. Like her co-stars, the My Girl star further elevates the material with her performance as part of a strong ensemble of actors.

While the ending might be predictable, They/Them is a celebration of queer culture and horror. 

As with any slasher, the big mystery surrounding They/Them is exactly who the masked killer is that is running around Whistler Camp taking people out. I won’t be spoiling that identity, but you'll likely figure it out for yourself in advance of the reveal, as it's a tad predictable. Regardless, that doesn't take away from the entertainment of the bloody events that John Logan’s horror movie plays out.

This is particularly because of a methodical quality in Logan's approach. Each young actor gets a moment to shine, showing a different aspect of the queer experience. And while the movie features bloody kills and murder, it also shows how violent words can be. When characters are purposefully misgendered or a transgender character is referred to by their dead name, it elicits the same anxious feelings as a chase scene. And while this might have been somewhat painful or triggering for the LBGTQ+ actors, the performances are dynamic and it’s clear that the creatives have done their proper homework with the subject matter.

While there’s been an exciting upswing for queer visibility in horror movie, They/Them is a love letter to both horror and the LGBTQ+ community. The queer characters are exciting and complex heroes whom we root for and whose motivations and history are fully fleshed out. This helps raise the stakes of the action, while also providing an emotionally satisfying conclusion. And while there might be plenty of queer theory and references throughout They/Them, it’s also an accessible and fun horror movie for those audiences who might not be as immersed in the queer LGBTQ+ community. It's a fun horror romp that mixes emotionality with laughs and screams. 

Blumhouse is once again bringing fresh horror to audiences with its new release They/Them. The new slasher is set at a gay conversion therapy run by Kevin Bacon’s character Owen Whistler, and features a strong cast of young LGBTQ+ talent to play the campers. There’s also a new masked killer on the loose, like all good horror movies are wont to do. And They/Them director John Logan recently explained to CinemaBlend how the set was turned into a safe space for queer actors dealing with triggering scenes.

John Logan both wrote and directed They/Them, with the movie being produced by Blumhouse and none other than Kevin Bacon himself. I had the privilege of speaking with Logan and the cast of the new queer horror movie ahead of its release, where I asked the filmmaker about how he tried to ensure the emotional safety of the cast. After all, some of the “treatment” scenes in They/Them involve potentially triggering situations and dialogue. As you can see in the video above, he opened up about the care that was taken with this sensitive material, saying:

From the start it sounds like John Logan and They/Them producer Scott Turner Schofield wanted to make sure that the young cast of the movie felt comfortable on set. This included making sure the cast’s pronouns were respected, and that the talent was able to focus on their jobs rather than potential complications around their gender or sexual identity. And considering the sensitive nature of the movie, this is definitely a smart decision by those on production.

In our same conversation, John Logan further explained how he ensured that the cast of They/Them felt safe doing their emotional work on the new horror movie. For instance, the trailer for the movie features Carrie Preston’s character Cora is gaslighting and therapizing non-binary protagonist Jordan about their identity. Logan explained the collaborative nature of the set and how the cast worked on and off camera, saying:

While the LBGTQ+ community has historically been a fan of the horror genre, They/Them is an innovative horror movie by actively being a queer storyline. The authentic cast of talent all fully form their characters, which adds to the stakes when elements of horror are introduced. And it seems like the cast really offered their own personal experience when collaborating with John Logan on the slasher.

Overall, this summer has definitely been exciting when it comes to LGBTQ+ stories in movies, as Hulu also released the comed romp Fire Island back in June. And coming this fall is Billy Eichner’s movie Bros, which features a stellar cast of queer talent. But first we’re treated to They/Them, which offers scares, laughs, and heart.

They/Them will arrive on Peacock August 5th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

The horror genre has been in a thrilling renaissance for a number of years now, to the delight of fans. Many of these modern classics have come from Blumhouse, including projects like Halloween and The Invisible Man. The studio is also behind Kevin Bacon's upcoming queer horror movie They/Them, which feels like a mixture of Get Out and Friday the 13th.

They/Them is directed, written, and produced by John Logan, who is a co-founder of Blumhouse. The movie is set at a gay conversion therapy, where a variety of young queer folks are sent in order to try and become straight. Kevin Bacon's character runs the place, and the first trailer (seen above) shows him being thoroughly creepy.

The trailer opens on the young queer folks who are arriving at Whistler Camp seemingly at the behest of their loved ones. One familiar face is The Politician actor Theo Germaine, who is appears to be the protagonist of the film. Also featured as members of the staff are Inventing Anna star Anna Chlumsky and True Blood's Carrie Preston. The kids meet Kevin Bacon's Owen Whistler, whose smiling demeanor seemingly hides something more insidious. 

Kevin Bacon is definitely intriguing in this first footage for They/Them, and he's not the only one. Early in the trailer for the upcoming streaming horror movie, Carrie Preston is shown therapizing and gaslighting Theo James' Jordan. It's a chilling sequence, one that definitely feels like a spiritual sibling to the hypnosis sequences from Get Out. But it looks like the movie is also going to have moments of slasher violence, and the camp setting definitely invokes Friday the 13th vibes. And smart money says the mysterious project is going to be an emotional one for LGBTQ+ horror fans watching it.

The trailer for They/Them definitely captures one's attention, and teases the violent terrors we'll be treated to in the upcoming slasher project. But it also succeeds by not actually revealing much about the movie's contents. We'll have to wait to really understand the various characters and their motivations. And I wouldn't be surprised if the trailer included some red herrings. 

While the villain of They/Them could be the conversion camp itself, this trailer does show glimpses of a new masked killer. This only makes the Friday the 13th vibes feel even stronger, although it's clear that the streaming slasher will have a perspective unique to the horror genre as a whole. We'll just have to wait and see how it all shakes out, and which characters make it out of the movie alive.

The horror is so long-lasting because of the ways filmmakers can innovate and bringing something new to the table. While the genre has typically been popular with queer folks, few movies have actually focused on LGBTQ+ characters/storylines. They/Them is already groundbreaking in this regard, and for casting queer and trans actors. Plus, who doesn't want to see Kevin Bacon in a horror movie?

They/Them will be released on Peacock August 5th. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Footloose will always be an important movie to watch to remind you about the power of dancing. It had the best soundtrack that’ll make anyone want to cut loose. Do you know who else thinks so? The leading man himself, Kevin Bacon. He recently hit the living room floor with his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, to get in on the viral Footloose trend.

There are some songs that you can’t help but dance a jig to as soon as you turn it on. Kevin Bacon, who played Ren MacCormack in the 1984 dance flick, posted an Instagram video of him and Kyra Sedgwick performing their own spin of the choreography with Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose” playing in the background. His caption reads, “I don’t remember this being part of the original #Footloose choreography but figured we’d give it a spin.” Take a look below:

Kevin Bacon is an example of an actor who will never forget the roles that made him iconic. We will always remember the energy and talent he brought out to the role of Ren, who fought for a small town to allow dancing again. The 63-year-old actor still takes the opportunity to show the world that the man can still dance, like when he showed off his moves on Jimmy Fallon’s show. He also had no problem giving the Footloose remake a thumbs up as he commended the cast of the 2011 dance drama. All this proves that Ren McCormack will always have a special place in Kevin Bacon’s heart.

Another person in Kevin Bacon’s heart is his wife and dance partner, The Closer’s Kyra Sedgwick. They’ve been married since September 4, 1988. The Hollywood couple met on the set of the PBS television movie Lemon Sky and have starred in a number of movies together like Pyrates, Murder in the First, The Woodsman and Loverboy. Believe it or not, these two are actually distant cousins to each other. Well, more like step-cousins, so they’re safe there. They have a loving family of two children.

The Golden Globe winner’s next project will not exactly have him dancing to the beat, but converting LGBTQ+ campers in Blumhouse’s They/Them. Kevin Bacon will be playing the camp’s director Owen Whistler in this “queer empowerment story.” John Logan will be making his directorial debut, who was inspired by the idea after the release of the conversion therapy documentary Pray Away. With more LGBTQ+ films coming around, the mix of horror and gay pride will give us the chance to see an LGBTQ+ character as the hero in a horror film.

Continue to see Kevin Bacon’s acting talent shine when They/Them enters your Peacock subscription on August 5th. If you feel like dancing along to 1984’s Footloose, you can find that film currently streaming on your Paramount+ subscription.

Firestarter’s release this weekend may mark another horror remake for Blumhouse, but please hold for this jump scare: the studio has just announced an original slasher hitting Peacock this summer. The upcoming horror movie is called They/Them and features Kevin Bacon as an LGBTQ+ conversion camp director and a mysterious killer. 

John Logan, the Oscar-nominated writer behind hit movies like Skyfall, The Aviator and Gladiator is the filmmaker behind They/Them, with the film serving as his first time directing a movie. In a Peacock press release, Logan introduced the horror film with these words: 

The movie was formerly known as “Whistler Camp,” referring to the name of the conversion camp in They/Them. It is being described as a “queer empowerment story” and the horror movie feature a number of LGBTQ+ characters. Check out some of the cast below: 

Kevin Bacon will play a character named Owen Whistler, who will be the director alongside a number of counselors, including his wife Cora (played by Carrie Preston). Veep's Anna Chlumsky plays the camp’s newest employee and a new medic at Whistler Camp. The young They/Them cast will consist of seven characters, all of which find themselves at a conversion camp for different reasons. 

The Politician actor Theo Germaine plays Jordan, a transgender and non-binary camper from a religious background who made a deal with their parents to legally emancipate if conversion therapy doesn’t “work.” Austin Crute of Booksmart plays Toby, a gay man who negiotated for a trip to New York to attend for one week and Monique Kim’s Veronica is a bisexual camper who wants to stop fighting who she is. 

Also among the cast is Dear White People actor Quei Tann, who plays Alexandra, a transgender woman whose parents are threatening to kick her out if she doesn’t go. Anna Lore as Kim, a closeted lesbian who hopes that if she finally fits in she’ll be loved by her friends and family. Cooper Koch as Stu, a jock with aspirations to get a swim scholarship and join his father’s fraternity rather than being open about his sexuality. And lastly, Darwin del Fabro’s Gabriel, who a gay man who has been bullied his entire life. 

They/Them will be available to stream with a Peacock subscription on August 5. While we wait, check out Blumhouse’s latest movie, Firestarter starring Zac Efron and Ryan Kiera Armstrong, hitting theaters this Friday, May 13. 

It can be super fun to see how everyone is connected in and out of Hollywood. The game “Seven Degrees From Kevin Bacon” is just that, based on the idea that actor Kevin Bacon can be connected to literally anyone on Earth by just seven people. Well, rumor has it that the game could get a lot easier, as Bacon may be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe by appearing in one of the next Guardians of the Galaxy projects (but totally not that rumored prequel). 

Word's come in that Kevin Bacon was seen on set of one of the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy projects. Whether it's the third installment in James Gunn’s Marvel trilogy or the mysterious, yet important Holiday Special (which James Gunn claims is the greatest thing ever done), we don’t really know.

The rumor seems to originate on Reddit, where a user said that filming for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 scene took place near their home. They said a street in the Atlanta Country Club was decorated to look like a Hollywood street during Christmas, seemingly with decorations from the ‘90s, like a vintage plastic Santa Claus and retro police cars. 

The user was also under the impression that the scene included some kind of serious action, as they spotted overturned police cars and the stunt double for Drax, Gary Peebles. While that doesn’t necessarily mean action (the Guardians could have totally walked into the aftermath of the scene), there’s a decent chance that we could see Drax get flung into a few cars.

While the user didn't explicitly say that they personally witnessed Kevin Bacon on set, they did say that “the word is” Bacon is in the scene that they described. The set described also sounds very much like it would be for the upcoming Holiday Special. However, in the comments, the reddit user explained that the working title they noticed (Hot Christmas), as well as some of the other set clues, were confirmed for Vol. 3. It’s still entirely possible that the shots are for the Holiday Special, though.

Now, of course, this is all just a rumor. However, there’s plenty of reasons that it is likely true. While Kevin Bacon has not been in the MCU, his name has actually already been mentioned in Guardians of the Galaxy. Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill, who is a fanboy for pretty much anything Earth ‘80s related, told Zoe Saldaña’s Gamora that Kevin Bacon is one of Earth’s great heroes. Also, Peter Parker brought up Footloose in Avengers: Infinity War when learning about Quill's "dance-off" to save the universe).

Apparently Kevin Bacon was pretty thrilled that he was referenced in Guardians of the Galaxy (calling it “super”), and his overwhelming presence in ‘80s pop culture would make for a great cameo in a Guardians of the Galaxy film. He also worked with James Gunn on the movie Super, so he already has a working relationship with the director and has expressed great desire to be a part of the Guardians franchise.

Honestly, a cameo from Kevin Bacon in a Guardians of the Galaxy project makes more sense than the actor never appearing in the franchise. The MCU has some pretty awesome cameos already, but one from Bacon might just blow them all out of the water with how perfectly it would fit.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 comes out on May 5, 2023, while the Holiday Special will be released at the end of this year. There are a lot of other upcoming Marvel movies to look forward to, but right now, I honestly can’t wait to see if this rumor proves to be true and Kevin Bacon does indeed join in on all the Phase Four fun. 

Especially looking back on it 10 years later, 2011's Crazy, Stupid, Love is the sort of star-studded ensemble dramedy that's becoming increasingly rare in today's studio system. Starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon, Josh Groban, and Joey King, to list only a few famous names attached, this multi-layered romantic comedy would be a defining film for Dan Fogelman, who went to create NBC's This is Us; this expansive piece became his bread and butter. Now that it's been a decade, the stars have only continued ascending in their respective careers, winning awards and assuring themselves as Hollywood mainstays. Let's see what Crazy, Stupid, Love's cast is doing next. 

Steve Carell (Cal Weaver)

As Cal Weaver, a middle-aged sadsack who finds his life in turmoil when his wife cheats on him, Steve Carell plays our romantically-yearning protagonist in Crazy, Stupid, Love, which he also produced. Most notably, the actor is recognized and acclaimed for his star-making performance as Michael Scott in NBC’s The Office. Additionally, Carell was Emmy-nominated for Apple TV+’s The Morning Show. He also stars in Netflix’s Space Force, which he also created. Next, Carell will appear in FX’s The Patient. 

Outside of TV, Steve Carell was Oscar-nominated for his menacing supporting turn in Foxcatcher. Also, the actor co-wrote, produced, and starred in Judd Apatow's The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Carell’s other notable film credits include Little Miss Sunshine, Get Smart, The Way Way Back, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (which he also produced), Vice, Last Flag Flying, Welcome to Marwen, Beautiful Boy, and the Anchorman movies. Moreover, he reunited with Emma Stone for Battle of the Sexes. As a voice actor, additionally, Carell is heard as Gru in the Despicable Me movies and Minions. 

Most recently, the actor was seen in Irresistible. Next, Carell will reprise his role as Gru in Minions: The Rise of Gru. The film star also co-wrote and produced Our Thing.

Ryan Gosling (Jacob Palmer)

In the role of Jacob Palmer, a suave and sophisticated bachelor who helps Cal transfer into the next phase of his romantic life, Ryan Gosling is arguably at his most charming in Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s Crazy, Stupid, Love. Later, the actor reunited with Emma Stone for Gangster Squad and La La Land, the latter earning him his second Oscar nomination. 

Away from these performances, he's known for The Notebook, Drive, Blade Runner 2049, Blue Valentine (which he also produced), Lars and the Real Girl, Remember the Titans, The Place Beyond the Pines, First Man, The Nice Guys, and The Big Short. Also, Gosling starred in The Ides of March, Song to Song, Only God Forgives (which he produced), and All Good Things. 

Outside of acting, Ryan Gosling produced, wrote, and directed Lost River. Next, the actor will be seen in The Gray Man. Gosling is also signed on to star in Barbie, Project Hail Mary, Wolfman, and The Actor, the latter three he’ll also produce. 

Julianne Moore (Emily Weaver)

Playing the part of Emily Weaver, Cal’s unfaithful ex-wife, Julianne Moore is an adventure-seeking woman in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Most notably, the actress won an Oscar for Still Alice. Also, Moore was nominated for starring in Far from Heaven and The End of the Affair, as well as her supporting turns in Boogie Nights and The Hours. Additionally, she’s known for Magnolia, The Kids Are All Right, A Single Man, I’m Not There, Children of Men, Hannibal, The Big Lebowski, Safe, Nine Months, Short Cuts, The Fugitive, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 and 2. Furthermore, Moore was seen in Maps to the Stars, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Gloria Bell (which she also produced), and The Glorias.

Most recently, Julianne Moore was seen in Dear Evan Hansen, Netflix’s The Woman in the Window, With/In: Volume 1, and the short film, French Water. The actress was also heard in Spirit Untamed. Next, Moore will star in and produce When You Finish Saving the World. She's also currently filming and producing Sharper. Moreover, Moore is signed on to star in Mothertrucker, May December, and Fruitcake. Outside of film, she was Emmy-nominated for HBO’s Game Change. This year, Moore starred in Apple TV+’s Lisey’s Story, which she also produced. 

Emma Stone (Hannah Weaver)

As Hannah Weaver, Cal and Emily’s eldest child and Jacob’s love interest, Emma Stone plays a young romantic in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Most notably, the actress won an Oscar when she reunited with Ryan Gosling to star in La La Land. Additionally, Stone and Gosling starred in Gangster Squad. She was also Oscar-nominated for her supporting turns in Birdman and The Favourite. Stone’s other credits include Easy A, Superbad, The Help, The Amazing Spider-Man movies, the Zombieland films, The House Bunny, and Friends with Benefits. Furthermore, she reunited with Steve Carell for Battle of the Sexes. Stone can also be seen in Aloha, Irrational Man, and Movie 43. Moreover, she's heard in The Croods movies. This year, Stone starred in Cruella. Currently, she’s filming Poor Things. Next, Emma Stone will star in Cruella 2 and an untitled Greek National Opera project. 

Additionally, away from film, Emma Stone was acclaimed for her performance(s) in Netflix’s limited series, Maniac, which she also produced. She’s also signed on to star in Showtime’s The Curse, which the award-winning actress will produce. 

Marisa Tomei (Kate Tafferty)

In the role of Kate Tafferty, Marisa Tomei plays a woman Cal has a fling with in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Most notably, she won an Oscar for her stand-out supporting turn in My Cousin Vinny. Tomei is also acclaimed for The Wrestler, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Slums of Beverly Hills, and In the Bedroom. Additionally, the actress plays May Parker, i.e. Aunt May, in MCU’s Spider-Man movies, Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame. Her other film credits include What Women Want, Anger Management, Wild Hogs, The Big Short, The First Purge, The Lincoln Lawyer, and The Ides of March. 

Most recently, Marisa Tomei appeared in Human Capital, Judd Apatow's The King of Staten Island, and the Netflix special, Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine. Next, the actress reprises her role as Aunt May in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Also, Tomei will be seen in Delia's Gone and heard in the short film, A Better Half. 

Kevin Bacon (David Lindhagen)

in Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s Crazy, Stupid, Love, Kevin Bacon plays the part of David Lindhagen, the co-worker with whom Emily had an affair. Most notably, Bacon is known for Footloose, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, Hollow Man, A Few Good Men, Animal House, Sleepers, Friday the 13th, Tremors, Wild Things, Planes, Trains, & Automobiles, and Flatliners. His other film credits include The Woodsman, X-Men: First Class, Diner, Frost/Nixon, Death Sentence, Super, and Cop Car. Furthermore, Bacon directed and starred in Loverboy. Most recently, he starred in You Should Have Left, which he produced. Next, Bacon appears in One Way, Whistler Camp, Space Oddity, and the short film, North Star. He’s filming The Toxic Avenger and John Logan’s horror movie. 

Additionally, on TV, Kevin Bacon starred in Fox's The Following and Amazon Prime's I Love Dick. Moreover, he was Emmy-nominated for his performance in HBO’s Taking Chance. Currently, Bacon headlines Showtime's City on a Hill. 

John Carroll Lynch (Bernie Riley)

As Bernie Riley, Cal’s estranged best friend, John Carroll Lynch is a domesticated dad in Crazy, Stupid, Love. The character actor first gained notice for his warm supporting turn in the blizzard-friendly classic, Fargo. Lynch later was acclaimed for Zodiac, Gran Torino, Face/Off, Shutter Island, The Invitation, The Founder, and last year’s The Trial of the Chicago 7. His other notable film credits include Jackie, Private Life, Mozart and the Whale, Gothika, The Good Girl, Gone in 60 Seconds, Waking the Dead, Grumpy Old Men, and Beautiful Girls. Last year, Lynch starred in Kiss Me Before It Blows Up. Outside of acting, he directed Lucky and 2020’s short film, Be Absolute for Death, which he edited. 

On TV, John Carroll Lynch was well-acclaimed for his performance as Twisty the Clown in FX’s American Horror Story: Freak Show and Cult. The actor can also be seen in American Horror Story: 1984, The Drew Carey Show, and Veep. Currently, Lynch stars in ABC’s Big Sky. He also appeared in FX’s American Horror Story: Double Feature. Next, Lynch stars in The White House Plumbers. 

Josh Groban (Richard)

Josh Groban plays Hannah’s disappointing boyfriend, Richard, in Crazy, Stupid, Love. As an actor, he starred in Netflix’s The Good Cop. Groban’s other television credits include Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Parks and Recreation, and Ally McBeal. He was also Tony-nominated for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 and Emmy-nominated for 72nd Tony Awards. 

Most notably, as a musician, Josh Groban is a multi-Grammy nominated artist who has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. His most recent album was 2020's Harmony. Currently, he's preparing for Josh’s Great Big Radio City Show. 

Lio Tipton (Jessica Riley) 

Playing the part of Jessica Riley, Robbie’s babysitter, Lio Tipton has a supporting role in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Their other notable film credits include Warm Bodies, Damsels in Distress, The Green Hornet, Lucy, Mississippi Grind, and Golden Exits. Additionally, Tipton starred in Two Night Stand, Viral, Compulsion, and Between Us. Next, they'll star in The Long Home, Vengeance, Riddle of Fire, and Continue. 

Furthermore, away from film, Lio Tipton starred in ABC’s Manhattan Love Story. They're also seen in The Big Bang Theory, Hung, Why Women Kill, and America's Next Top Model. Next, Tipton will star in the YouTube series, The Edge of Sleep. 

Joey King (Molly Weaver)

As Molly Weaver, the youngest Weaver daughter, Joey King received one of her earliest roles in Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s Crazy, Stupid, Love. Following this part, the former child actress garnered acclaim for her lead role in Hulu’s The Act. King also had a recurring part in FX’s Fargo Season 1. Her other TV credits include Life in Pieces and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Last year, King was seen in Quibi’s Home Movie: The Princess Bride. Recently, the star was heard in Calls. 

Furthermore, away from TV, Joey King was the star of Netflix’s The Kissing Booth movies, two of which she also produced. Additionally, the actress appeared in Slender Man, Wish Upon, The Conjuring, The Dark Knight Rises, Oz the Great and Powerful, Ramona and Beezus, Wish I Was Here, and Summer ‘03. Last year, King was seen in Zeroville and The Lie. Next, she’ll star in and produce Camp. King will also appear in Bullet Train, The Princess, and The In-Between — the latter two she produces. She's also set to star in and executive produce Netflix's Uglies adaptation.

Jonah Bobo (Robbie Weaver) 

In the role of Robbie Weaver, Cal’s floppy-haired, emotionally turmoiled son, Jonah Bobo is a tormented teen in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Most notably, as a voice actor, he was heard as Austin in Nickelodeon’s The Backyardigans. Bobo was also heard in The Backyardigans: Mighty Match-Up! and The Backyardigans: The Snow Fort. In live-action, his other TV credits include 30 Rock and Royal Pains. 

Additionally, away from TV, Jonah Bobo starred in Zathura: A Space Adventure. His other film credits include Disconnect, Choke, Strangers with Candy, Around the Bend, and The Best Thief in the World. Also, Bobo can be heard in The Fox and the Hound 2. Most recently, he was seen in 2014’s short film, To Instigate Blue. Also, outside of acting, Bobo composed 2019’s short film, The Pickle Aisle. 

Beth Littleford (Claire Riley)

Beth Littleford plays the part of Claire Riley, Bernie’s wife, in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Most notably, she was a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Additionally, Littleford starred in Disney Channel’s Dog with a Blog. Her other TV credits include Method & Red and The Hard Times of RJ Berger. Currently, Littleford stars in Hulu’s Love, Victor. 

Away from TV, Beth Littleford’s other film credits include Mystery, Alaska, Drillbit Taylor, and Movie 43. Earlier this year, the actress was seen in Senior Moment. 

Follow CinemaBlend for updates on 2021 movies, 2022 movies, and more. 

One of the funnest Marvel entries continues to be Guardians of the Galaxy. Writer/director James Gunn infused the nostalgia of ‘70s and ‘80s mixtapes with a space adventure featuring a group of unlikely heroes. Aside from “We are Groot,” one memorable line that stuck with fans was Peter Quill’s explaining to his alien companions about 1984’s Footloose, leading Gamora to exclaim “We’re just like Kevin Bacon!” at the end of the film. So naturally, a Kevin Bacon cameo needs to happen for the third movie.

Kevin Bacon knows he was referenced in the 2014 Marvel film, so wouldn’t it be fun if the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 did a nod to it by casting the actor in some kind of cameo role? David Hasselhoff totally joined in on the fun for the sequel alongside fellow ‘70s and ‘80s star Kurt Russell and the equally iconic Sylvester Stallone. So what does Bacon think of dropping by the MCU movie? Here’s what he recently told Esquire:

Sounds like he’s in. He’ll be waiting by the phone now, James Gunn… so make it happen. What’s so fun about the Marvel movies is there are a ton of ways he could cameo. He could be a random human character, put on some alien makeup or even play himself in a dream sequence dance-off? Either way, it would be an awesome callback to the original film and Footloose. Bacon shared his own experience with learning of the namedrop in Guardians with these words:

Even if you’re Kevin Bacon, it must have been insane to see himself being discussed in such a major motion picture. Chris Pratt's Peter Quill talks about the 62-year-old actor when sharing his love for the classic musical movie with Zoe Saldana's Gamora. Quill calls Bacon a “great hero,” who teaches an entire city with “sticks up their butts” that dancing is the “greatest thing there is,” before showing her one of his songs and nearly sharing a kiss with her.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has long been delayed, but the production is now set to hit theaters on May 5, 2023. Although the movie has not begun filming yet since James Gunn turned his focus to DC's The Suicide Squad, pre-production looks to be well underway. Check out the full lineup of Marvel movie projects here on CinemaBlend.

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They say that you can connect Kevin Bacon to almost any other actor through mutual movies in six steps or less and, as a frequent player of this game, I can conclude there is some validity to it. The reason being, simply, that the 62-year-old Golden Globe winner is in a lot of really good films, which means a list of the best Kevin Bacon movies would actually take more than just six steps to get through. Case in point, the whopping total of 17 favorites you can watch now on streaming, as a digital rental or purchase, or even to find on Blu-ray and DVD if you still prefer to collect physical media, starting with his feature film debut.

National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)

A 20-year-old Kevin Bacon proved his skills in both comedy and villainy as Chip Diller in director John Landis’ National Lampoon’s Animal House - considered the Citizen Kane of college movies by most. The freshman ROTC cadet thinks he’s hot shit after Faber’s Omega House accepts him as a pledge, but his true cowardice is exposed when Delta House sabotage’s the homecoming parade.

Stream National Lampoon’s Animal House on AMC+.

Buy or Rent National Lampoon’s Animal House on Amazon.

Get National Lampoon’s Animal House on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Friday The 13th (1980)

There is not much to be said about Kevin Bacon’s role as Jack in director Sean Cunningham’s first installment of the iconic slasher franchise, aside from being one of the several young counselors stalked and killed one-by-one at Camp Crystal Lake. However, when it comes to the most iconic kill in Friday the 13th, he easily gets the point.

Stream Friday the 13th on Starz.

Buy or Rent Friday the 13th on Amazon.

Get Friday the 13th on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Footloose (1984)

The movie that made the world want to dance again was the movie that made a star out of Kevin Bacon as a teenager who seeks to rebel against his new small town's law against dancing. With a choreography by future High School Musical director Kenny Ortega and fun set of tunes by Bonnie Tyler, Foreigner, and Kenny Loggins on the title tracks, Footloose is an irresistible romp to "cut loose" to.

Stream Footloose on Hulu or on Amazon Prime. *

Buy or Rent Footloose on Amazon. *

Get Footloose on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Diner (1982)

Two years after Animal House, Kevin Bacon once again played a collegian in a period piece that has a great deal of comedy, but a more dramatic central narrative. Written and directed by Barry Levinson, Diner is an inspiring, Oscar-nominated coming of age story about five young men facing the end of the ‘50s and the beginning of adulthood.

Stream Diner on HBO Max. If you're not an HBO Max subscriber, you can sign up here. *

Buy or Rent Diner on Amazon.*

Get Diner on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

She’s Having A Baby (1988)

Speaking of the beginnings of adulthood, She's Having a Baby also carries that theme heavily. The romantic comedy written and directed by the late, great John Hughes stars Kevin Bacon as newly married man who begins to fall under the pressure of life when his wife (Academy Award nominee Elizabeth McGovern) announces she is pregnant.

Stream She’s Having A Baby on Paramount+. *

Buy or Rent She’s Having A Baby on Amazon. *

Get She’s Having A Baby on DVD on Amazon.

Tremors (1990)

Further cementing Kevin Bacon into "Scream King" status was his lead role in this old school creature feature about a small, desert town in Nevada terrorized by giant, man-eating worms. There are still Tremors movies being made today (as recently as 2020 with Tremors: Shreiker Island), but none have had quite the same charm that Bacon's Valentine McKee brought to the original.

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Flatliners (1990)

While Tremors is appreciated for its decent number of laughs, Kevin Bacon's other cult thriller from 1990, which earned an Oscar nomination for visual effects, takes a more earnest approach to horror. Directed by the late Joel Schumacher and featuring an all-star ensemble also including Julia Roberts and Kiefer Sutherland, Flatliners stars Bacon as one of five medical students going to the extreme to study the afterlife, and with grave consequences.

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Stir Of Echoes (1999)

Nine years after Flatliners, Kevin Bacon would once again grow uncomfortably close with the dead as a man hypnotized into seeing ghostly visions in a thriller released the same year as The Sixth Sense, coincidentally. Based on the novel by Richard Matheson, Stir of Echoes was Bacon's first chilling collaboration with writer and director David Koepp before reuniting on You Should Have Left in 2020.

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JFK (1991)

Earlier in the 1990s, Kevin Bacon would make two highly acclaimed legal dramas released within a year of each other - the first being JFK, which sheds light on a supposed governmental conspiracy behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Bacon appears as a fictional composite of multiple witnesses who testified at the legendary trial that inspired director Oliver Stone's controversial Oscar-winner.

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A Few Good Men (1992)

Kevin Bacon would follow up JFK the next year with director Rob Reiner's A Few Good Men, in which he plays a a prosecuting military attorney for murder opposing Tom Cruise's defense of Marines accused of murder. The oft-quoted film from the mind of writer Aaron Sorkin, director of recent legal thriller The Trial of the Chicago 7, was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

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Apollo 13 (1995)

In Kevin Bacon's next Oscar darling (winning two of its nine nominations), he portrayed Astronaut Jack Swigart, one of a three-man crew whose lives were put in danger when a "problem" occurred during a flight to the Moon in April 1970. Also starring Tom Hanks and Bill Paxton and directed by Ron Howard, Apollo 13 is pulse-pounding space odyssey based on a shocking true story of miraculous survival.

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Balto (1995)

In the same year as Apollo 13, Kevin Bacon lent his voice to his first animated family adventure that is also based on a true story which later inspired the live action film Togo in 2019. He plays the title character of Balto - a Husky who leads a team of sled dogs in an attempt to prevent a deadly epidemic from reaching a small Alaskan town.

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Sleepers (1996)

Kevin Bacon would reunite with Diner director Barry Levinson for another coming-of-age story, but with much grimmer circumstances. Based on the novel by Lorenzo Carcaterra, Sleepers follows a group of childhood friends who seek revenge against the detention center guard who abused them years earlier, played by Bacon.

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Mystic River (2003)

Years after Sleepers, director Clint Eastwood would cast Kevin Bacon in another dark thriller based on a novel about childhood friends reunited through tragedy. Bacon plays a Boston detective investigating the murder of his ex-convict friend's teenage daughter (future Shameless star Emmy Rossum) in Mystic River, which Sean Penn and Tim Robbins both earned their first Academy Awards for.

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Frost/Nixon (2008)

Kevin Bacon would reunite with Apollo 13 director Ron Howard for another Academy Award-nominated historical drama set around an infamous occurrence in the 1970s. He plays Richard Nixon's post-resignation chief of staff Jack Brennan in Frost/Nixon, a dramatic recreation of a legendary series of interviews between the disgraced former president (Frank Langella) and British TV journalist David Frost (Michael Sheen) in response to the Watergate Scandal.

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Crazy Stupid Love (2011)

While he may not be the romantic lead, Kevin Bacon plays one of its more memorable characters in Crazy Stupid Love, especially by how often his name is brought up in conversation. He plays David Lindhagen, with whom Julianne Moore's Emily cheats on her husband, Cal (Steve Carell), who then seeks retribution from charming womanizer Jacob (Ryan Gosling) in this surprisingly clever and refreshingly honest romantic comedy.

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Patriots Day (2016)

Released just three years after the bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon, Patriots Day chronicles the events leading up to and preceding the harrowing tragedy. Kevin Bacon plays Special Agent Richard DesLauriers, who joins Mark Wahlberg's Sgt. Tommy Saunders on a manhunt for the perpetrators of the heinous act in one of director Peter Berg's very best films.

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Clearly Kevin Bacon has an impressive filmography on the big screen, but his work in television also should not go unnoticed. He led the cast of Scream writer Kevin Williamson's crime drama The Following, won his first Golden Globe for the HBO movie Taking Chance, and now stars opposite Aldis Hodge on City on a Hill, a Showtime original miniseries about the unlikely partnership between a corrupt FBI agent and an assistant district attorney on an earth shattering case in 1990s Boston. It is just further proof of how, in six steps or less, everything comes back to Bacon.

Nearly a whole decade ago, Fox unveiled X-Men: First Class, which followed the early adventures of the mutant-based superhero team. Featuring the rising talents of James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, and Zoe Kravitz as our title-bearing X-Men, the early years of the Marvel property served as a great profile builder for its soon-to-be high profile cast, while also providing prominent supporting roles for Rose Byrne, Kevin Bacon, and January Jones. In the years following its release, the young ensemble has worked on several noteworthy projects, particularly following Lawrence's Oscar win. But what is the X-Men: First Class cast doing now? Let's find out!

James McAvoy (Charles Xavier/Professor X)

As Charles Xavier, i.e. Professor X, a telepathic mutant who becomes the founder of the X-Men, James McAvoy took on the lead role in Fox's superhero prequel blockbuster, X-Men: First Class. Most notably, McAvoy is known for his Golden Globe-nominated performance in Atonement. He's also recognized from Wanted, The Last King of Scotland, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Filth, Trance, Atomic Blonde, Split, and Glass. Additionally, McAvoy played Professor X in X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, Dark Phoenix, and Deadpool 2.

James McAvoy's other film credits include Penelope, Becoming Jane, The Last Station, Wimbledon, Swimming Pool, Starter for 10, and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. Additionally, McAvoy starred in IT: Chapter Two. He's also heard in Gnomeo & Juliet, Sherlock Gnomes, and Arthur Christmas. Recently, McAvoy appeared in HBO's His Dark Materials. Next, the actor will be heard in the video game, Twelve Minutes. He'll also star in My Son and narrate The Bridge.

Michael Fassbender (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto)

In the role of Erik Lehnsherr, i.e. Magneto, a mutant who can manipulate and generate electromagnetic fields and befriends Xavier before they become fierce enemies, Michael Fassbender played a formidable ally-turned-antagonist in Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class. Away from this film franchise, Fassbender was Oscar-nominated for Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave and his titular turn in Steve Jobs. He also starred in Hunger, Shame, The Counselor, Macbeth (2015), Assassin's Creed, Jane Eyre, A Dangerous Method, Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, Frank, Slow West, The Snowman, and Centurion. Additionally, the actor appeared in supporting roles in 300, Fish Tank, Inglorious Basterds, Jonah Hex, and Haywire. Also, Fassbender played Magneto in X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix.

Next, Michael Fassbender stars in Kung Fury 2 and Taika Waititi's Next Goal Wins. It was also recently announced that Fassbender will star in David Fincher's The Killer.

Jennifer Lawrence (Raven Darkholme/Mystique)

Playing the part of Raven Darkholme, a shape-shifting mutant who joins Erik's Brotherhood of Mutants, Jennifer Lawrence took on a chameleon of a character in X-Men: First Class. Most notably, Lawrence is an Oscar-winning actress for her leading role in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook. She's also the star of The Hunger Games franchise. Her other notable film credits include Winter's Bone, American Hustle, and Joy, all for which she received Oscar nominations, as well as mother!, Serena, The Beaver, Like Crazy, and Passengers. She also reprised her role as Mystique in X-Men: Days of Future Past and Apocalypse. On TV, additionally, Lawrence starred in The Bill Engvall Show. The actress was also seen in Monk, Medium, and Cold Case.

Most recently, Jennifer Lawrence starred in Red Sparrow and Dark Phoenix. Following a brief acting break, Lawrence will next be seen in Adam McKay's Don't Look Up. She'll also star in Red, White, and Water, which she also produced. Additionally, the actress is attached to Mob Girl, which she'll produce as well.

January Jones (Emma Frost)

As Emma Frost, a mutant telepath who can change her body into a hard diamond, January Jones played a prominent supporting player in X-Men: First Class. Most notably, Jones is known for her Emmy-nominated performance in AMC's Mad Men. She also starred in Fox's The Last Man on Earth. Her other television credits include The Politician, Law & Order, Huff, and Get Real.

In film, meanwhile, January Jones appeared in Unknown, Seeking Justice, Sweetwater, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, American Wedding, Full Frontal, Bandits, Love Actually, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, We Are Marshall, Good Kill, The Glass House, Anger Management, Pirate Radio, and Taboo. Prior to acting, Jones worked as a professional model. Most recently, she was seen in Netflix's short-lived Spinning Out.

Nicholas Hoult (Hank McCoy/Beast)

In the role of Hank McCoy, a genius scientist whose mutant abilities turn him into a blue, hulking beast, Nicholas Hoult played a volatile character in X-Men: First Class. Most notably, Hoult is known for his breakthrough role in About a Boy. He also starred in Mad Max: Fury Road, A Single Man, Warm Bodies, Jack the Giant Slayer, The Favourite, Tolkien, Clash of the Titans, and Kill Your Friends. Additionally, Hoult played Beast in X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix. Additionally, on TV, he had a main role in Skins and he was heard in Watership Down.

Most recently, Nicholas Hoult starred in Hulu's The Great. He was also heard in Hulu's Crossing Swords, where the actor served as a consulting producer. Additionally, Hoult was seen in True History of the Kelly Gang and The Banker. Next, he'll appear in Those Who Wish Me Dead.

Rose Byrne (Moira MacTaggert)

Playing the part of Moira MacTaggert, a CIA agent who befriends our lead mutants, Rose Bryne had a prominent supporting role in Fox's X-Men: First Class. She's best known for Bridesmaids, the Insidious films, the Neighbors movies, 28 Weeks Later, Star Wars: Episode II —Attack of the Clones, and Peter Rabbit. Byrne's other film credits include Marie Antoinette, Sunshine, Troy, Get Him to the Greek, The Place Beyond the Pines, Annie (2014), Spy, Juliet Naked, Instant Family, and The Internship. She can also be heard in Jexi and I Am Mother. Additionally, Byrne returned for X-Men: Apocalypse.

Also, on TV, Rose Bryne starred in FX's Damages. Furthermore, she appeared in Portlandia, Angie Tribeca, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Most recently, Bryne was seen in Irresistible, Like a Boss, and FX's Mrs. America. Next, the actress stars in Peter Rabbit 2 and Seriously Red.

Kevin Bacon (Sebastian Shaw)

As Sebastian Shaw, also known as Dr. Klaus Schmidt, the leader of the Hellfire Club, Kevin Bacon plays our snarling villain in X-Men: First Class. Most notably, Bacon is known for Footloose, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, Hollow Man, A Few Good Men, Animal House, Sleepers, Friday the 13th, Tremors, Wild Things, and Flatliners. His other film credits include The Woodsman, Diner, Crazy, Stupid, Love., Frost/Nixon, Black Mass, Stir of Echoes, Patriots Day, She's Having a Baby, The Big Picture, My Dog Skip, Death Sentence, Super, Beauty Shop, and Cop Car.

Additionally, on TV, Kevin Bacon starred in Fox's The Following. He also played a main role in Amazon Prime's I Love Dick, for which he was Golden Globe-nominated. Also, the actor appeared in Guiding Light, Frasier, and Will & Grace. Most recently, Bacon starred in You Should Have Left. Currently, he headlines Showtime's City on a Hill.

Caleb Landry Jones (Sean Cassidy/Banshee)

In the role of Sean Cassidy, i.e. Banshee, a mutant capable of emitting strong ultrasonic screams, sonic blasts, and sonic waves, Caleb Landry Jones played a loud personality in X-Men: First Class. Away from this superhero flick, Jones is best known for Get Out, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and The Last Exorcism. He also starred in Antiviral. His other notable film credits include No Country For Old Men, The Social Network, The Florida Project, American Made, The Dead Don't Die, and Superbad.

Additionally, on TV, Caleb Landry Jones appeared in Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, Victorious, and Twin Peaks' third season. Also, away from acting, Jones is a musician. Most recently, the actor was seen in The Outpost and Viena and the Fantomes. Next, Jones will star in BIOS, The Forgiven, and Nitram.

Zoe Kravitz (Angel Salvadore)

Playing the part of Angel Salvadore, a mutant who possesses acidic saliva, Zoe Kravitz provided a supporting turn in X-Men: First Class. She's also known for Mad Max: Fury Road, the Divergent series, Dope, Rough Night, and the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Additionally, Kravitz can be seen in The Brave One, Gemini, The Road Within, and Beware the Gonzo, as well as heard in The LEGO Batman Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. On TV, she starred in Big Little Lies and appeared in Californication.

Most recently, Zoe Kravitz starred in Hulu's High Fidelity, where she also worked as a writer and an executive producer. Additionally, the actress appeared in Viena and the Fantomes. Next, Kravitz plays Selina Kyle, i.e. Catwoman, in The Batman. Also, she'll star in Steven Soderbergh's KIMI.

Lucas Till (Alex Summers/Havok)

As Alex Summers, a mutant who can absorb energy, Lucas Till played an energetic guy in X-Men: First Class. He's also known for Hannah Montana: The Movie, The Spy Next Door, and Monster Trucks. Additionally, he reprised his role as Havok in X-Men: Days of Future Past and Apocalypse. His other notable film credits include Battle: Los Angeles, Stoker, Paranoia, Walk the Line, and All Superheroes Must Die, which he also produced.

Additionally, on television, Lucas Till can be seen in Medium, House, and Blue Mountain State. Also, Till is recognized for his appearance in Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" music video, as well as his cameo in Tony Oller's "Someone Like You" music video. Currently, he stars in CBS's MacGyver. Most recently, Till was seen in Son of the South.

Jason Flemyng (Azazel)

In the role of Azazel, a teleporting mutant, Jason Flemyng plays a transportive character in X-Men: First Class. The British actor is best known for Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Flemyng also appeared in From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Rob Roy, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, as well as Alive and Kicking, Seed of Chucky, The Death and Life of Bobby Z, Stardust, Mirrors, Kick-Ass, The Social Network, Hanna, and Military Wives. Additionally, his television credits include Jamestown, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, and Doctor Finlay.

Currently, Jason Flemyng appears in Epix's Pennyworth. Next, he'll be seen in Creation Stories, Ire, and Viy 3: Travel to India. Also, Flemyng is attached to The Knife Thrower.

Edi Gathegi (Armando Munoz/Darwin)

Playing Armando Munoz, a mutant with the ability of "reactive evolution," Edi Gathegi is an evolving part in X-Men: First Class. Away from this prequel, Gathegi is known for his recurring roles in Fox's House and NBC's The Blacklist. He also starred in The Blacklist: Redemption. His other TV credits include Into the Badlands, Justified, Veronica Mars, CSI: Miami, Life on Mars, and Nikita. In film, additionally, Gathegi appears in Gone Baby Gone, the Twilight series, Crank, My Bloody Valentine 3D, and Aloha.

Most recently, Edi Gathegi starred in Caged. He was also seen in The Last Thing He Wanted and USA Network's Briarpatch. Next, Gathegi appears in The Harder They Fall.

Oliver Platt (Man in Black Suit)

As Man in Black Suit, a CIA agent and head of Division X, Oliver Platt plays a secretive authoritative character in Fox's X-Men: First Class. Most notably, Platt is an Emmy-nominated actor for his performances in Nip/Tuck, The West Wing, and Huff, the latter for which he was also Golden Globe-nominated. His other notable TV credits include The Big C, Fargo, The Good Wife, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Modern Family.

Away from television, Oliver Platt can be seen in Lake Placid, Bulworth, Bicentennial Man, Please Give, Pieces of April, The Ice Harvest, Frost/Nixon, 2012, Kinsey, A Time to Kill, Dr. Dolittle (1998), Benny & Joon, Beethoven, Working Girl, Postcards from the Edge, Flatliners, and Simon Birch. Currently, Platt stars in NBC's Chicago Med. He was also heard in Netflix's I'm Thinking Of Ending Things. Next, the actor will be seen in Emperor.

Stream X-Men: First Class on HBO Max here.

Having recently collaborated on the suspense-thriller You Should Have Left, writer-director David Koepp (Spider-Man, Mission: Impossible) and his leading man Kevin Bacon set their sights on something different. Koepp had come up with an original story, Yard Work, and had discovered the perfect portal for it. Audible is playing host to Koepp’s new scripted novella. It’s the screenwriter’s first work of short fiction, and it has as much Stephen King in it as it does David Koepp’s own Stir of Echoes adaptation.

Yard Work follows an elderly and recently widowed judge, Herman, who retreats to a home in Wisconsin. There, he wrestles with grief and alcoholism… but also encounters a deadly weed that won’t go away. Koepp recently hopped on with CinemaBlend to talk about the germ of this idea, and how he got Kevin Bacon on board. He tells us:

Jeff is a local hardware store clerk who tries to help Herman, the main character, combat his weeds. But nothing on this Earth can stop the threat that comes from the nature growing in Herman’s yard. Unless it’s all in his mind.

Talking about the work that went into his characterizations, David Koepp admits to some personal inspirations when carving out his roles in Yard Work, stating:

But beyond the metaphorical struggles that Herman faces in Yard Work, David Koepp says that the idea of the trees and roots of terror stemmed from his own experiences after Hurricane Sandy affected his Northeastern home. He was tending to his yard, cleaning up after the natural devastation left in the wake of the storm, and became obsessed with the act of chopping back vines and pulling them out of the trees.

Want to see where that story goes? David Koepp’s short novella Yard Work, narrated by Kevin Bacon, currently is available on Audible. Click here to listen to a sample, and purchase the full story. The reviews are solid, and it’s definitely an original and engrossing tale that will sweep you up and have you holding your breath until the final beats.

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Netflix has films that appeal to horror junkies, thrill-seekers, even hopeless romantics, and so many other movie genres. Its wide selection of movies is what makes it one of the most popular streaming services. And if you’re a fan of dance movies, then Netflix has plenty, including their latest film Work It.

Work It stars Sabrina Carpenter, Liza Koshy, Keiynan Lonsdale, and Jordan Fisher. The film follows teen Quinn (Sabrina Carpenter) as she forms a new dance group in order to impress an admissions representative at Duke University. The film takes a similar path as other dance movies: a studious girl spends her entire high school life studying, then she discovers the power of dance. Work It has all the ingredients of a fun dance movie, including the learning how to dance montage.

If you’ve already watched Work It, and are now in desperate need of some more dance movies in your life, then I have a few suggestions.

Save The Last Dance

What It's About: Julia Stiles plays aspiring ballerina Sara, who moves to an inner-city after her mother dies in a car accident. Sara gives up her dancing dreams because of the accident, that is until she meets Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas), who helps her find her love of dancing again.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Work It and Save the Last Dance are kindred spirits in that they are both about teen girls who find their rhythm while falling in love. Unlike Quinn, Sara has a dance background, so dancing is already part of her nature, but she also must learn the complicated hip hop dance style.

Stream it on HBO Max here.

Rent It here.

Leap!

What It’s About: Leap! is an animated film featuring voice acting by Elle Fanning, Nat Wolff, and Carly Rae Jepsen. It’s about two orphans who run away to Paris. There, Félicie (Fanning) starts to train to become a ballerina.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Leap! is a lighthearted dance film that also revolves around someone who doesn’t have any formal dance training, but gets mentorship from a fallen expert. Félicie and Quinn both train and find their groove and achieve their dance dreams. For Quinn it’s winning the major Work It competition, for Félicie, it’s to perform alongside principal dancers.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Rent it here.

Footloose

What It’s About: Dancing is outlawed in small-town Bomont, Oklahoma, but rebel Ren (Kevin Bacon) refuses to just live a life without dancing and rock music. Footloose’s cast includes Lori Singer, Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow, Chris Penn, and Sarah Jessica Parker. The original film was released in 1984, and a remake was made in 2011.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Footloose and Work It highlight the power of dance and its symbolic tie to freedom and passion.The teens in Work It and Footloose discover their true identities through dancing.

Stream it on Hulu here.

Rent it here.

Center Stage

What It’s About: Center Stage follows several young dancers as they try to prove themselves at a prestigious dance academy. It details the personal and professional struggles they undergo to be considered one of the best ballet dancers. Much of Center Stage’s storyline revolves around Jody (Amanda Schull) not quite fitting the dance mold, but having a strong desire to prove herself. Center Stage’s cast includes Zoe Saldana, Peter Gallagher, Ethan Stiefel, Sascha Radetsky, and Susan May Pratt.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Work It and Center Stage both include a cast of real professional dancers, as most of the main cast of Work It has experience in dancing as well as acting. Jordan Fisher even won Dancing with the Stars. Both films are also underdog stories told in the dance world.

Stream on IMDBTV here.

Rent it here.

Battle

What It’s About: Battle is a Norwegian drama about Amalie (Lisa Teige), a rich girl who has her life turned upside down when her father loses his entire fortune. Amalie and her father have to move to a rougher area. Amalie still keeps her dance dreams, but ends up practicing in a free dance studio where she meets Mikael (Fabian Svegaard).

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Battle very much feels like a Norwegian Saved the Last Dance, so it’s all about a girl who is used to structured dancing finding a passion for hip-hop and the cute guy who instructs her. Work It also feels like a younger sibling to Save the Last Dance in how it takes a girl used to structure and discipline and allows her to find the beauty of listening to her heart and the beat.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Dirty Dancing

What It’s About: Dirty Dancing is a romantic movie about a resort dance instructor falling for one of the girls vacationing there. Baby (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny (Patrick Swayze) get to know each other and start to fall in love through dancing, but Baby’s father doesn’t trust Johnny, especially because he comes from a working-class family.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Work It plays up how Quinn and Jake (Jordan Fisher)’s attraction grows every time they dance together. Dirty Dancing and Work It demonstrate the seductive nature of dance and how it can create authentic chemistry between people.

Stream it on Hulu here.

Rent it here.

You Got Served

What It’s About: You Got Served is a dramedy about a street dance crew that battles other hip hop dancers. The dance crew has ups and downs before they try to win the big prize at the major dance competition hosted by MTV. You Got Served’s cast mainly consists of B2K band members, including Marques Houston, Omarion Grandberry, J-Boog Houston, Raz-B Thornton, and Lil Fizz Frederic. Steve Harvey also appears in the film as Mr. Rad, the owner of the club where many of the dance battles take place.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: You Got Served is a bit more serious than Work It but they’re both overall fun dance movies that don’t take themselves too seriously. Each film also has the power of friendship and being there for one another as one of the driving themes.

Stream it on IMDBTV here.

Rent it here.

Dance Academy: The Comeback

What It’s About: Dance Academy was an Australian teen series that aired from 2010 to 2013. In 2017, it had a continuation movie that followed some of the main characters from the series trying to make it in the dance world. The Dance Academy: The Comeback cast includes Xenia Goodwin, Alicia Banit, Jordan Rodrigues, Dena Kaplan, Thomas Lacey, and Keiynan Lonsdale.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Work It had a subplot about ambitious dancers trying to prove themselves to get into top-notch dance programs and universities. If Work It only focused on that aspect, then it would probably have a more similar plot to Dance Academy: The Comeback about the journey of young dancers. Both films also share Lonsdale as an actor.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Rent it here.

Fame

What It’s About: Fame follows a group of New York City teens as they attend a performing arts school. It follows the students from freshmen to senior year. The Fame cast includes Gene Anthony Ray, Irene Cara, Debbie Allen, and Lee Curreri.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Fame depicts various art forms and shows the obstacles that come with being an artist. It mixes these issues with typical teen problems, like meeting parental standards. Work It dealt with Quinn’s struggle to please her mother, while also feeling the draw towards dance. Fame and Work It share in that they don’t just address the struggles of a career n the arts, but also typical teen everyday difficulties.

Rent it here.

Bring It On

What It’s About: Torrance (Kirsten Dunst) has just become the cheer captain of the cheerleading squad the Toros. The Toros have won multiple national titles, but Torrance learns that they have won most of them by stealing dance moves from the Clovers team. Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, and Gabrielle Union also star. Bring It On later inspired a franchise of sequel films.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Bring It On is more of a cheerleading movie than a dance one, but they both deal with characters who have to start from scratch and find their own style of dance to compete on a grand scale level against a much better team.

Rent it here.

Strictly Ballroom

What It’s About: Baz Luhrmann directed and co-wrote Strictly Ballroom, an Australian romantic comedy about Scott (Paul Mercurio), a professional ballroom dancer who loses his partner and must train a newbie, Fran (Tara Morice) to compete in a major championship.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: If you were charmed by Quinn and Jake’s dance romance, you’ll be even more dazzled by Fran and Scott’s love story. Strictly Ballroom is a quirky dance movie that has a similar tone to Work It in its playful nature, but also passion and excitement for dance.

Rent it here.

Step Up

What It’s About: Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan star in Step Up as Tyler and Nora, two dancers from different backgrounds forced to pair up. Of course, after a combative partnership, they learn to understand each other and work together, and also fall in love. Step Up eventually had five spin-off films (and counting).

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Step Up and Work It both highlight how dancing can break down barriers and help people form bonds. They show how dance is universal and how the combination of dance styles leads to really fun final dance numbers.

Rent it here.

Billy Elliot

What It’s About: 11-year old Billy Elliot dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer. Billy has to hide that he takes lessons because his father and brother disapprove of his dream. Jamie Bell plays Billy.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Billy finds himself not being supported by his father because of how a boy ballet dancer will look to others. Quinn faces some similar parental disapproval from her mother, who believes she should just focus on her school work. Billy Elliot and Work It both end with the parents seeing the error of their ways and learning to support their children’s passions.

Rent it here.

Flashdance

What It’s About: Jennifer Beals plays Alex, a young woman who dreams of becoming a professional dancer.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Flashdance and Work It both focus on young women who have no professional dance training, but their determination allows them to try (and succeed) to compete when they go up against more seasoned professionals. Both films are also about taking chances, even when the odds seemed stacked against you.

Rent it here.

Work It is a cheery dance movie that doesn’t take itself seriously, allowing it to hit the right notes and beats. The films on this list have a similar love of dance spirit.

Stream Work It on Netflix.