Movies

Elizabeth Taylor was incredibly popular in the late 1950s. After being overlooked for an award for her performance in the 1956 film Giant, alongside James Dean, she starred in a string of successful movies – Raintree County, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Suddenly, Last Summer – receiving an Academy Award nomination for each. In 1959, she appeared with her husband, Eddie Fisher, in Butterfield 8, which I consider one of her less impressive films, but it finally earned her the Best Actress Oscar.

While not as good as the 2015 film Sicario directed by Denis Villeneuve, Sicario: Day of the Soldado is still a remarkably complex and thoughtful action thriller. It does stray from the original’s nuanced moral questions, opting for a more dramatic and less realistic plot.

A new series set in the world of Star Trek arrives this week! Starfleet Academy continues the story from Star Trek: Discovery, focusing on the rebuilt Starfleet Academy in the 32nd century. The show will feature both new faces and returning characters, including the Doctor, played by Robert Picardo, who fans will remember from Star Trek: Voyager. To watch, you’ll need a subscription to Paramount+.

Wunmi Mosaku, known for her role in a highly acclaimed 2025 film, stunned in a vibrant yellow gown by Matthew Reisman at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards. Although many believed she deserved an individual nomination – and she was one of several actresses of color overlooked – Mosaku joined her fellow cast members on stage when their movie won for its cinematic and commercial success. Hailee Steinfeld, who is pregnant with her first child with husband Josh Allen, was also among those celebrating.

Before becoming famous as a young actor, and well before the pressure of his first audition for Saturday Night Live, Kenan Thompson earned his first paycheck filming a television commercial. He recently shared this memory with Vivian Tu on the Richer Lives by SoFi podcast.

Dev Patel won an award for his performance in Adolescence and also co-created the series with Jack Thorne. Patel hinted at a possible second season of the popular Netflix show while speaking to reporters backstage at the Golden Globes on January 11th.

Zac Efron recently gave a critically acclaimed performance in the film The Iron Claw, and many were surprised he wasn’t nominated for major awards. He’s a strong candidate for several roles in DC’s future films, possessing both the popularity and experience to lead a franchise. However, he’s already made an appearance in the DC Universe, and that may be all for now.

In one scene from the documentary, Matt Duffer, a co-creator of Stranger Things, explains to his crew that they’ve known the ending all along and have it planned out. He admits the only challenge is finding the time to actually write it all down.

This year’s nominees cover a wide range of genres – pop, hip-hop, Latin, K-pop, and alternative – showing that the lines between these genres are increasingly blurred. While this isn’t a new trend, the Recording Academy seems to be recognizing it. Artists like Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, and Sabrina Carpenter are nominated for both Album and Record of the Year, while others are strong contenders in just one category. This difference highlights how people listen to music today and gives us insight into who will win and who might be overlooked.

A year after its release, the Apple TV+ original film, The Gorge, is gaining popularity again. As of January 12th, it’s currently the third most-watched movie on Apple TV+ worldwide, according to FlixPatrol. In the United States, the film has jumped from eighth to sixth place in a single day. It’s only behind F1 and The Family Plan 2 in global viewership.