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Photo: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for LACMA Just over eight years after $9 million worth of jewelry was stolen from Kim Kardashian while she was tied up and held at gunpoint, the people charged with the robbery are going to trial in Paris. On Monday, jury selection began in the case against the ten charged in connection with the theft, which took place during Paris Fashion Week 2016. At the time, the family’s reality show was still on E!, Kim was still married to Kanye West, and her most successful business venture was Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. It feels as if everyone, Kim included, has lived a million lives since then, so here’s a brief reminder of what exactly went down and what has happened since. What happened during the robbery? On October 3, 2016, Kim and her sister Kourtney watched their sister Kendall walk in the Givenchy show at Paris Fashion Week. As documented on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kourtney and Kendall went out to a club afterward, while Kim retired to her residence at the No Address Hotel (a private mansion with luxury apartments). Around 3 a.m., after the camera crew left, French authorities say five men wearing police uniforms and balaclavas threatened the hotel’s concierge with a weapon before handcuffing him and forcing him to unlock Kim’s door. According to her statement to the police, two of the thieves went into Kim’s residence, held a gun to her head, and tied her up with zip ties and packing tape before putting her in the tub and locking her in the bathroom. During an interview with David Letterman in 2020, Kardashian recalled thinking, This is the time I’m going to get raped. Prepare yourself. She remembered looking at the concierge and saying, “What is happening? Are we gonna die? Just tell them I have children. I have babies, I have a husband, I have a family.” Prosecutors say the burglars made off with $9 million worth of jewels, including the $4 million engagement ring she had gotten from West. Three months later, 17 people — 14 men and three women — were arrested in connection with the robbery. Only ten of them are going to trial, and several are older men with connections to organized crime, earning them the nickname “grandpa robbers” in France. Why is this only going to trial now? The courts move slowly and differently in France. According to the AP, the official criminal investigation into the robbery took five years. In 2021, the French investigating judges (those who decide if a case should go to court) ordered the trial of 12 suspects with varying connections to the heist. Some defendants are facing low-level charges like complicity, while others have been charged with armed robbery in an organized gang, kidnapping, and other charges, according to the New York Times. Of those 12, one of them has died and another is too sick to stand trial. What have the defendants said so far? Since their arrest, only two defendants have acknowledged their part in the robbery. One of them is Aomar Ait Khedache, 69, who apparently wrote Kim an apology letter from his prison cell. Per the AP, Khedache wrote that he “regrets his actions and realizes the psychological damage he caused.” Khedache’s DNA was found at the crime scene, and he faces allegations of being the mastermind behind the operation, which he denies. The other defendant to be upfront about his role is Yunice Abbas, a 72-year-old who claims he was just the lookout on the ground floor. Abbas has done lots of press about the robbery, including writing a book In 2021 called I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian. In the book, Abbas claimed he knew only that he would be part of a team robbing the “wife of an American rapper” and that he didn’t know how famous Kim was at the time. On Tuesday, Abbas addressed the jury, saying of his role in the robbery, “I regret it, not because I got caught but because … there was a trauma.” Will Kim testify in the trial? Yes. In a statement to the Times, her lawyer confirmed Kim will take the stand in person. According to NBC News, she is scheduled to appear in court on May 13. Related Here’s Everything We Know About the Kim Kardashian Robbery The Paris Episode Showed What Keeping Up With the Kardashians Could Be

Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images Marilee Fiebig and Andrew Shue have pulled the ultimate Uno reverse once again. If you don’t remember who they are, they’re the exes of Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes — the two Good Morning America co-hosts whose flirty on-air banter turned into a full-blown love affair. After the scandal rocked the morning news world, Fiebig and Shue reportedly turned to one another for comfort and ended up in a relationship themselves. You can’t make this stuff up. While Robach and Holmes are still together — and hosting their podcast, Amy and T.J. — the same appears to be true for Fiebig and Shue. Apparently, the couple has taken their relationship to the next level and have moved in together, a source told Us Weekly. “It’s not revenge,” the insider said. “It’s real.” I, truthfully, am ecstatic and hope they live happily ever after. But don’t expect to hear wedding bells any time soon. “Marriage is a big step, so they’re cautious and careful because they got hurt the last time,” the source continued. “It’s more important for them to just be in love, live together, travel and enjoy each other.” Love that for them.

Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images Another day, another episode of celebrity couple Mad Libs: Following months of rumors, People reports that actor B.J. Novak and TikToker Delaney Rowe are dating. That’s right, folks: We may have another age-gap romance on our hands. For the uninitiated and offline, Rowe is known for her parodies of rom-com tropes on TikTok and seems to be somewhere in her late 20s (People says she’s 28 and “Page Six” has her at 29). She was first photographed with Novak, who’s 45, in November at the Standard in New York City while attending a party thrown by the podcast How Long Gone. But the rumor mill really kicked up in December, after DeuxMoi circulated reports that they’d been spotted at the Bowery Hotel together. Then, last week, an X user wrote in a now-viral tweet that they’d learned the two were dating from TikTok and had “no one to talk about this with.” Naturally, People’s exclusive sources popped up the following day. I have so many questions. Like, why is a comedian-slash-influencer attending the same parties as Novak, whose last onscreen role was in the 2022 film Vengeance? What do they talk about, besides comedy? Also, has anyone checked on Mindy Kaling? Related Mindy Kaling Does Not Care Who You Think Her Kids’ Father Is You Can Keep Your Shoes on at Delaney Rowe’s House

Belly, a tiny tan Chihuahua dog born without arms, has quickly become TikTok’s newest obsession. Despite her disability, Belly is full of life, rolling around, snuggling with her foster mom, and even learning to use a tiny mobility scooter. Her journey, documented by foster mom Hannah Sand (@hannah_sand24) in 34 TikTok videos to date, has captivated millions, with fans declaring their love for the little pup in viral videos. Meet Belly: The dog with no arms Belly first appeared on TikTok on Feb. 13, 2025, in a video by her mom Hannah Sand. The puppy caretaker adopted her from Rags to Riches Animal Rescue in Tampa, FL, along with her three foster brothers. The other pups are from a different litter, with Belly the chihuahua being the odd one out for more than one reason. @hannah_sand24 I only have Belly until Monday and she goes back to the rescue for vet appointments. #puppies #fosterpuppy #fostermom ♬ original sound - hannah_sand24 "Belly was born without her two front legs," says Sand in the introduction video. "And she's so tiny. I don't even know how to hold you." As a disabled dog and a massive cutie pie, Belly gets a lot of special treatment, including a mobility device. Sand first demonstrated the wheelchair, which she made herself out of common materials, on Feb. 17. Later, Sand tried adding two more wheels for stability, but it turned out to be too big for the tiny puppy. On Feb. 27, she introduced a new wheelchair, made by a man named Jeff, which seemed to work out better for Belly. When she's not practicing with the mobility device, Belly loves to squirm around on Sand's chest in bed and bite at her fingers in between getting belly rubs until she passes out. Sand demonstrated this for fans in her most viral video, gaining over 9.5 million views in one week, as well as over nine million likes. @hannah_sand24 This is what Belly’s nights consist of. She plays on my chest until she puts herself to sleep nuzzled in my neck? @Rags to Riches Animal Rescue #rescuedog #fosterpuppy #puppy #puppytiktok ♬ original sound - hannah_sand24 TikTok can't get enough of Belly Few social media posts get as much love as videos of a dog without arms, and Belly is no exception. The number of people in love, crying, and declaring that they're willing to die for this little pup numbers well into the thousands with each post. "I wouldn't get anything done because I'd be kissing all over that baby," said one user responding to her most viral video. "She's so precious. God bless her."

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is widely considered to be among the best comedy films of all time, and it's certainly one of the most quotable. This absurdist masterpiece sending up Arthurian legend turns 50 (!) this year. It was partly Python member Terry Jones' passion for the Middle Ages and Arthurian legend that inspired Holy Grail and its approach to comedy. (Jones even went on to direct a 2004 documentary, Medieval Lives.) The troupe members wrote several drafts beginning in 1973, and Jones and Terry Gilliam were co-directors—the first full-length feature for each, so filming was one long learning process. Reviews were mixed when Holy Grail was first released—much like they were for Young Frankenstein (1974), another comedic masterpiece—but audiences begged to differ. It was the top-grossing British film screened in the US in 1975. And its reputation has only grown over the ensuing decades. The film's broad cultural influence extends beyond the entertainment industry. Holy Grail has been the subject of multiple scholarly papers examining such topics as its effectiveness at teaching Arthurian literature or geometric thought and logic, the comedic techniques employed, and why the depiction of a killer rabbit is so fitting (killer rabbits frequently appear drawn in the margins of Gothic manuscripts). My personal favorite was a 2018 tongue-in-cheek paper on whether the Black Knight could have survived long enough to make good on his threat to bite King Arthur's legs off (tl;dr: no). Read full article Comments

A new internet phrase is making the rounds on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), confusing some and cracking others up: "What the chile." The phrase appears to be a reaction to the chaotic overuse of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and drag slang online, where terms like "finna," "tea," and "gag" get mashed together into near-nonsense. While ‘what the chile’ is often used to poke fun at people misusing AAVE, it's also emerging as part of the evolving lexicon of gay internet lingo, similar to how "slay the house down boots" and "spill the tea" crept into the mainstream lexicon. Many of these TikTok videos state "When the chile is tea but the finna is gag, sis im dead as a chile" or some variation of this Mad Libs jargon nonsense. At least a few commenters inevitably respond with "what the chile." What is a 'chile'? Chile is an AAVE term from the southern regions of the U.S. that means "child." For many generations, Black Americans, especially in or from the South, have used the word "chile" as a term of endearment. People may use it to refer to actual children or anyone younger than them or as a general exclamation, such as "whew, chile!" Although some folks may claim that "chile" came from stan culture, it appeared in the 1978 film The Wiz via the song "You Can't Win" by Michael Jackson and The Four Crows. Marshall Mathers, better known today as Eminem and the source of the term "stan," was only six years old that year. Ok, so what does 'what the chile' mean? Phrases like "what the chile" and "when the chile is tea but the finna is gag" appear to be mocking heavy and inaccurate usage of popular slang terms by taking random AAVE words and mixing them into nonsense. The first use of "what the chile" by itself still up on X comes from user @dalsojoshi, who tweeted it on Nov. 14, 2021. She explained that Black folks use it to mock others who attempt to wield AAVE but don't know what they're doing.

Western wear isn’t just back — it’s Black. It’s clear that cowboy culture has giddied up into the mainstream with a new (and overdue) sense of pride. But before the fringe jackets and bolo ties became rodeo and concert essentials, the Black cowboy was already at the heart of the story — whether America chooses to celebrate it or not. Today, with TikTok line dance tutorials trending under hashtags like #BootsOnTheGround and satin-lined cowboy hats flying off the shelves, the Beyoncé effect (thanks, Cowboy Carter) is undeniable. Image courtesy of the Erwin E. Smith Collection Yet, what’s happening is bigger than fashion. It’s about reclaiming a narrative — one rooted in grit, glamour, and generations of erasure. With Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter era fueling a Western fashion renaissance, fans are pulling out their boots, satin-lined cowboy hats, and rhinestones. Black cowboys were already the original trailblazers, but now, Beyoncé’s influence is helping to reclaim a rich history, one rooted in resilience, rhythm, and undeniable style. The Black Cowboy: America’s Original Trailblazer Let’s get this straight: cowboys were never just white men with six-shooters and Marlboro cigarettes. According to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, one in four post-Civil War cowboys was Black. Figures like Nat Love and Bill Pickett were pivotal in shaping the image of the cowboy — breaking horses, riding the roughest trails, and starring in early rodeos — even as popular culture whitewashed them out of Western lore. Photo by DAVID LEE/NETFLIX/IMDb We learned from Jordan Peele’s 2022 film “Nope” that the first moving image ever recorded featured a Black man riding a horse. That visual — and the family reclaiming it onscreen — wasn’t a fictional flex. It was a fact. Cinema has slowly started tipping its hat back to these unsung icons. From Idris Elba’s portrayals in “Concrete Cowboy” and “The Harder They Fall” to Peele’s “Nope,” the modern Black Western is riding tall again. Now, Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter is helping amplify it to the mainstream. Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Era: Saddle Up, See Your People If Beyoncé’s Renaissance taught us to free ourselves, Cowboy Carter reminds us to ground ourselves in our roots, in our history, and in our own communities. During her Renaissance tour, posters encouraged fans to “see your own people,” a phrase that initially sparked questions outside Black spaces. However, Beyoncé’s next act, steeped in the legacy of the Black Chitlin’ Circuit — a network of venues where Black performers thrived amid segregation — was crystal clear: support Black artistry and culture. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Chitlin’ Circuit provided a crucial stage for Black musicians, comedians, and dancers during the Jim Crow era, offering spaces where Black talent could thrive despite exclusion from white-dominated venues. Beyoncé’s nod to that tradition through her Cowboy Carter tour highlights a lineage of resilience that goes far beyond country music. Her Cowboy Carter era is about more than aesthetics; it’s about rewriting narratives. After facing backlash following her 2016 CMA performance of “Daddy Lessons,” and critics questioning whether she belonged in country music, Beyoncé addresses this exclusion directly in the song “AMERIICAN REQUIEM,”: “Used to say I spoke ‘too country’ / Then the rejection came, said I wasn’t country ’nough.” Despite Cowboy Carter topping country charts and breaking streaming records, Beyoncé was notably snubbed by the Country Music Association in 2024 — further proof of the genre’s lingering racial biases. Yet, through resilience and artistry, she forged her own lane and, in doing so, cracked the genre wide open. Western Wear 2.0: Satin Linings, Fringe Jackets, and Line Dances It’s not just the music that’s causing a stir. It’s the outfits. Fans are reimagining Western wear fashion through a distinctly Black lens. Satin-lined cowboy hats — a genius innovation that protects natural Black hair — have surged in popularity. TikTok is teeming with line dance challenges, reframing a tradition once seen as niche into a full-circle celebration of Black joy. Fringe jackets, bolo ties, and denim dusters — now ubiquitous in Cowboy Carter tour fashion planning — have deep historical roots. Fringe was originally used by Black cowboys for functionality, helping water shed off garments quickly during long rides. Bolo ties evolved from decorative fasteners used by cowboys in the Southwest, becoming an enduring symbol of rugged sophistication. Today’s interpretations — rhinestoned, metallic, or custom-stitched — don’t just glamorize Western wear; they honor the practicality and creativity of the original Black cowboy experience. This is not cosplay. This is culture, custom-fitted and crystal-stitched. What the BeyHive Is Wearing: “Outlaw Chic” and Bedazzled Denim To see where the Cowboy Carter tour fashion is headed, just look to the BeyHive. On Reddit’s r/beyonce forum, fans are busy plotting their concert fits — and the creativity is off the charts. User u/lilrad_ summed it up best: “Western but make it glam — like a rhinestone cowgirl from outer space.” Beyoncé has some words for y’all in her new COWBOY CARTER Art Book! “Can’t reclaim something that already belongs to you” pic.twitter.com/N5WSGOfQZZ — COWBOY CARTER Updates ? ⭑ (@B7Album) April 17, 2025 u/DeafeningShriek co-signed the sparkle: “Fringe, feathers, and maybe a big hair moment.” Some fans are pulling direct inspiration from Beyoncé’s own style evolution. u/sunflowerceres is planning an outfit inspired by Bey’s MET Gala moment, with “black leather and chrome accents,” while u/LadyFreshcakes is mixing eras with “silver cowboy boots and a white leather mini dress.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Parkwood Entertainment (@parkwood) Others are leaning deep into “outlaw chic.” u/sofiemartini described her vision as “black lace gloves, corset tops, cowgirl hats — a southern church villain in a Western,” and u/irynavictoria said she’s aiming for “black and red with a satin bandana.” For some, it’s all about reclaiming tradition while protecting beauty. u/GlitterandGrit declared her plan for a “cowboy hat with a satin bonnet underneath — Blackity Black and proud.” From bolo ties to denim dusters and gold cowrie shell accessories, the Cowboy Carter tour outfits will be as rich, rebellious, and rooted as the history they celebrate. Black Designers at the Forefront of Cowboy Couture It’s not just fans redefining the look — Black designers are also steering the fashion conversation. Designers like Fe Noel, known for blending Caribbean aesthetics with Western wear motifs, are helping create a new visual language for cowboy couture. Fe Noel’s work, featuring bold prints, structured denim, and fluid silhouettes, offers a modern tribute to the Black cowboy’s legacy, seamlessly blending tradition and luxury. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fe Noel (@fenoel) As Beyoncé rides into the Cowboy Carter tour, she’s not alone. There’s a wave of Black creativity, from indie brands to high fashion, stitching our stories into every rhinestone, every fringe, and every satin-lined hat. The Final Word: More Than a Trend, It’s a Truth Beyoncé didn’t invent Black cowboy culture. She handed the mic. In an era where fashion and history are finally riding side by side, Cowboy Carter isn’t just another album rollout — it’s a homecoming parade. And this time, Black cowboys aren’t hidden extras in the story. They’re the ones leading the stampede. This article, Fringe Benefits! Western Wear’s Black Legacy Rides Again (With a Little Help from Beyoncé) first appeared on The Curvy Fashionista and is written by Lauryn Bass. Never miss the latest in plus size fashion news, trends, and conversations! Sign up for Curvy Fashionista Newsletter!

The internet unlocked a new main character — the anti-iPad kid. Meet the little girl whose dream of becoming Amish came true when her aunt sent her some authentic Pennsylvania Dutch garb.  “I got my own Amish dress!” she shouts with delight, pulling a long, floral dress with capped sleeves out of the packaging. Smash cut to: The girl sitting fully outfitted in Amish regalia, including the bonnet.  “Can we turn off all of the lights since they don’t have any electricity?” she asks. She then proceeds to do exactly that. (“Your girl's new hobby is saving you money,” writes @nicolelynnet). @emalee.w @Ash your days a numbered ? @battleboxhost #amish #daughter #auntie #fyp #fypシ ♬ original sound - Dami The 30-second video, which was posted by user @emalee.w earlier this week has been viewed over 27 million times and is tickling TikTok users to no end. @tprez writes “She got into character IMMEDIATELY.” “Remember that year you got an Amish dress for your birthday and made us all sit in the dark?” jokes @alora__rose. @milky writes “I looove when kids have a specific hyper fixation” and @estrella adds “every baddie has a cult hyperfixation.”    Yearning for simpler times TikTok has collectively agreed that in the era of middle school Drunk Elephant hauls, it’s great to see a kid just being a kid. “She’s already sick of the modern world,” writes Adam. “I’m with u girl.” And Ki points out this hobby has potential for the rest of the family. “You’re gonna wake up in the am and she gonna be wearing that making breakfast.” Since Emalee’s video went viral, she has posted a series of follow-up videos. In one, she asks her daughter what she plans to tell her teacher about her new look. @emalee.w Conversations with our Amish girl ❤️ #amish #fyp #fypシ #daughter ♬ original sound - Emalee “I might be Amish,” her daughter responds. (“Me that night they turned tiktok off” jokes @adriannnna22 in response.) In the same video, the little girl says she wants to go to Amish school but “I can’t go to Amish school in the middle of the year.” In another, Emalee and her daughter experiment with a butter churner sent by a friend.  “Get these Sephora kids using Glow Recipe off my For You Page,” decrees influencer Ken Eurich. “From now on, I only wanna see kids cosplaying as Amish. That’s it. That’s my favorite genre.” The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox. Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online. The post ‘She even took her glasses off’: Everyone’s obsessed with the little girl who yearns to be Amish appeared first on The Daily Dot.

The heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have overcome intergalactic villains, extra-planar sorceresses and whatever Christopher Eccleston’s rubber-eared baddie is supposed to be in Thor: The Dark World. But there is one force these caped champions cannot match: public apathy. Nowhere has that indifference been more evident than in the run-up to Thunderbolts – a $200m team-up flick starring Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Sebastian Stan as a rag-tag bag of anti-heroes– which has been met with a super-human yawn ahead of its release this week. Arriving to a non-existent fanfare, it is expected to post an underwhelming opening US box office of $70m – that’s nearly $100m less than Jack Black’s A Minecraft Movie. Read Next square FILM INTERVIEWS Interview Jared Harris: 'I did a Marvel film because I have a mortgage to pay' Read More You could say the backlash against the MCU began in earnest in 2019 when Martin Scorsese famously declared superhero movies “weren’t cinema”. As one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his words carried weight. They were seized upon with glee by cineastes who’d been itching to write off the superhero genre as fodder for man-babies across the galaxy (female superhero fans always being written out of the narrative). With all due respect, slamming the MCU was Scorsese’s biggest error of judgment since convincing Cameron Diaz to try an Irish accent in Gangs of New York. What he neglected to consider is the sheer thrill and escapism of a top-rank superhero film. In dark times – or when you need relief from the sheer crushing weight of life being a bit rubbish – the MCU is the ultimate ejector seat. Stress, worry, a new Ed Sheeran single – for many of us, these trials of daily existence melt away when the cinema lights go down and someone in bright tights swings across the screen. With that in mind, here is a countdown of the 10 best Marvel movies – from the perspective of someone who has watched the entire MCU multiple times (with the exception of series two of the very confusing Loki on Disney +). And yes, it is all massively subjective, so please don’t get your spandex in a twist about it. 10. Spider-Man Homecoming (2017) Tom Holland stars as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming (Photo: Chuck Zlotnick) Marvel had already introduced us to Tom Holland’s “What if one of the Inbetweeners was a superhero?” take on Spider-Man via an extended cameo in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. But that was just an appetite-wetter for a charming official debut that is true to the optimistic spirit of the comic books and also introduces us to the feel-good power couple of Holland and his future fiancée Zendaya (as Spidey’s crush, “MJ”). 9. Black Panther (2018) Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, the new ruler of the advanced kingdom of Wakanda in Black Panther (Photo: Walt Disney/Marvel) The late Chadwick Boseman is perfect as the stoical defender of the fictional African nation of Wakanda. He conveys wisdom and patience as he faces down his rebellious countryman, Killmonger (Michael B Jordan), while tackling the forces of colonialism and Western condescension. It’s just a shame that Ryan Coogler’s contribution to the MCU is so rushed and suffers from atrocious special effects, which make the climactic Panther vs Killmonger fight look like something from a mid-tier Commodore 64 video game. 8. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) Simu Liu is Xu Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Photo: Jasin Boland/Marvel Studios via AP) After the era-defining Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War, there were understandable doubts about whether the MCU had the energy to keep going. But it answered the critics with a nifty kick to the solar perplex via the hard-punching Shang-Chi. The film is a love letter to 70s martial arts movies; it features fantastic action pieces and gives us – in Hong Kong action legend Tony Leung’s mercurial Xu Wenwu – one of the most underrated villains of the MCU. 7. The Incredible Hulk (2008) Edward Norton clashed with Marvel during the making of The Incredible Hulk (Photo: Rhythm & Hues) Overshadowed at the time by rumours that its star, Edward Norton, had been a massive pain on set, in hindsight, The Incredible Hulk stands tall as a superior superhero outing. Beginning with Norton’s Bruce Banner already irradiated and prone to destructive tantrums, it skips the standard origin story and gets straight into the action. Norton is fantastic as Banner – a sensitive soul with a big green man inside his head, and a propensity to go into a tank-destroying rage when his temper frays. 6. Iron Man (2008) Iron Man was Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback movie (Photo: AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Zade Rosenthal) In 2008, Robert Downey Jr. was widely regarded as a washed-up former addict, and Iron Man was a C-list Marvel hero nobody had heard of. But the first-ever MCU film of the modern era combines these two unpromising elements and creates a blockbusting storm. Downey Jr. is wise-cracking charisma on a stick, while the film’s biff-pow energy stands in welcome contrast to the Christopher Nolan Batman movies – then regarded as the gold standard for superheroes. Rockets firing at full throttle, Iron Man soars and takes big screen superheroes to dizzying new heights. 5. Avengers: Endgame (2019) Brie Larson, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Evans in Avengers: Endgame (Photo: Disney/Marvel Studios via AP) The concluding chapter in the MCU’s “Infinity Saga” is such a tour de force the MCU was stumped as to what to do next and spiralled into decline afterwards. You can see why it was such a hard act to follow. There’s a self-aware time-travel plot (including references to Hot Tub Time Machine and Back to the Future), a vast Lord of the Rings-style battle at the end, and a heartbreaking coda in which eternal boy scout Captain America finally gets his happy send-off. In other words, it’s got everything that detractors love to loathe about the MCU: tongue-in-cheek dialogue, CGI-heavy action, and shock deaths carefully calibrated to tug the heartstrings. 4. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Zoe Saldana as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy (Photo: Jay Maidment/Imagenet/Marvel) Until James Gunn’s first foray into mainstream superhero films, the MCU had been a lot of things – but never cool. That all changed with the opening scene of Guardians of the Galaxy, as Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord fires up “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone and boogies his way into an alien lair. Yes, this would be another typically loud and quippy Marvel foray – but imbued with Tarantino-levels of attitude and snarky charm. 3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Photo: AP Photo/Marvel-Disney) Action is great, but action plus conspiratorial paranoia is, it turns out, the perfect formula for a superhero movie. In his second outing as Captain America, Chris Evans excels as a Stars ’n’ Stripes hero chucked into the viper-pit of modern Washington, with its rogue’s gallery of conniving politicians and underground fascists. Plus, he and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow have great energy as platonic best friends – Winter Soldier is at its best when it’s as much her film as his. 2. Thor: Ragnorak (2017) Chris Hemsworth in Thor: Ragnarok (Photo: Film Frame/Marvel) One of the funniest action films of the past decade – and also a superhero caper as mind-blowing as “Immigrant Song”, the Led Zeppelin banger that soundtracks its big action scene. Director Taika Waititi has great fun with an uproarious romp that showcases Thor actor Chris Hemsworth’s comedic talents opposite Cate Blanchett’s perfectly judged pantomime villain, Hela, the Asgardian Goddess of Death. The crucial caveat is that, amid the many chuckles, Thor: Ragnorak never seems like it is mocking superheroes. The humour comes from a place of affection – resulting in the ultimate big-screen fairground ride. 1. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) and Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) in Avengers: Infinity War (Photo: Chuck Zlotnick / Walt Disney) Until Endgame, there had been a never-ending debate about why Marvel couldn’t produce a villain as engaging as its many heroes. But it achieves just that with Josh Brolin’s Thanos – a bone-weary tyrant determined to erase 50 per cent of all life from the cosmos, not because he revels in destruction, but because he feels it’s the only way to ensure everyone else’s survival by saving half the universe’s resources. In giving us a villain who thinks he’s the good guy, Marvel upturned decades of blockbuster tradition and delivered a film both epic and poignant – the action powered by Brolin and by the chemistry from Downey Jr. and Holland as mentor and protégé Iron Man and Spider-Man. Thunderbolts is in cinemas on Thursday, 1 May

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By: Gabriela Yareliz We made it to Friday, but also, to the end of February. January lasted 400 years, and February lasted a week. As I write to you, I am gripping an ice cold poll in a subway car reflecting on the month gone by, wearing an oversized WeWoreWhat sweater because I am beyondContinue reading "February 2025 Recap"

The 97th Academy Awards ceremony will air on ABC this Sunday, and you’ll be able to stream it through Hulu as well.

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