The Simpsons has a variety of characters, of which some aren’t exactly the brightest, and others keep Springfield moving thanks to their brilliance, but who is the smartest character out of the two most outstanding students of Springfield Elementary School: Lisa Simpson or Martin Prince jr.? The Simpsons has become the longest-running American animated series with over 30 seasons and counting, and shows no signs of stopping soon, so fans will continue to follow the lives of the title family and other characters close to them, though that doesn’t mean all mysteries and questions will be solved.
The Simpsons takes viewers to the fictional town of Springfield to follow the many adventures of the title family as well as those of other notable citizens, both close friends of the family (like Milhouse Van Houten) and others who aren’t fond of them (like Sideshow Bob). Over the course of three decades, the members of the Simpsons family have created strong bonds with other characters and have also built some rivalries for different reasons, and in some cases, they are competing for a title, like Lisa and Martin over that of the smartest character in Springfield.
Springfield doesn’t stand out for the intelligence of its citizens, but Lisa and Martin are enough to save the reputation of the city. Both are always part of the biggest contests and tests in school and they are members of Mensa, an intelligent person organization that also includes Dr. Hibbert, Professor Frink, Comic Book Guy, Principal Skinner, and Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon, among others. In order to join the group, potential members have to have a certain IQ level, with Lisa having an IQ of 159 and Martin 216, way beyond the maximum for a child, yet Lisa is often considered the most intelligent character (though even that’s inaccurate too as Professor Frink and Comic Book Guy have a higher IQ than her, with 197 and 170, respectively).
Lisa being considered the smartest character in The Simpsons even if statistically she isn’t might be rooted in how she uses her intelligence along with other skills. Martin is competitive and more often than not is seen bragging about his intelligence, earning the spot of teacher’s pet and becoming the target of bullies, while Lisa isn’t interested in getting attention for her intelligence, and has even been seen hiding her genius status in order to get along better with other people. Although none of them has a big circle of friends nor are the most popular kids in school, Lisa’s social skills are better and more developed than those of Martin, who is often taken advantage of and is quite gullible, while Lisa always stands her ground.
When it comes to achievements and statistics, Martin Prince Jr. stands as the smartest character in The Simpsons, but when taking into account other skills outside school tests and projects, Lisa definitely has the upper hand (even more so than Professor Frink and Comic Book Guy, both known for not being the best at socializing), so it’s fair that she’s often considered the smartest citizen in Springfield.
Baby Yoda gets the ultimate makeover in a fan-designed Funko Pop concept, which sees the Star Wars fave become Darth Maul. Going into the Disney era of Star Wars projects, few likely would've guessed that a powerful young child would become the most popular character in the franchise. After the studio's first batch of movies largely faltered in the eyes of fans, Disney and Lucasfilm turned to television and released The Mandalorian in 2019. It was one of the first originals to debut on Disney+ and was, at the time, the buzziest show on TV. Fans tuned into the series premiere expecting to watch a lone gunslinger (Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin) travel the galaxy carrying out odd jobs.
And in a way, The Mandalorian did end up being that. But it also threw viewers in for a loop when it introduced Baby Yoda in the premiere's final moments. Now officially named Grogu, the child was supposed to be Din's target until he changed his mind and took him under his wing. Over the course of The Mandalorian's first two seasons, Din protected Grogu from numerous threats, culminating in the arrival of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who took Grogu away for Jedi training.
Baby Yoda has inspired a great many fan works since his introduction, and the latest combines him with another Star Wars character. In a concept created by popvinylguy, Baby Yoda becomes Darth Maul in an intriguing Funko Pop. Baby Yoda retains his general look, but now he also sports red skin and those familiar horns, not to mention the double-bladed lightsaber. Check it out below.
Grogu has become a major figure in pop culture over the past few years, and he continues to represent even in a year without a new season of The Mandalorian. Most recently, Baby Yoda made his debut as a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He's not going anywhere from fans' minds, though the question still remains of what the future holds for him within the Star Wars franchise. The Mandalorian season 2 paved the way for him to exit gracefully, but many want to see him reunite with Din. Season 3 will premiere sometime next year, and then fans will have their answer for whether he will ever return.
Until then, expect plenty more fan creations surrounding Baby Yoda to emerge in the coming months, particularly as excitement for The Mandalorian's return rises. While movie characters like Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) might've made their own waves in the Star Wars franchise, there's no question that Baby Yoda is Disney's most lasting addition to the galaxy far, far away. We can't wait to see him again soon!
60 years after its original release, West Side Storyis back to tell Tony and Maria's story. The Jets and Sharks are still at each other's throats, but some things have changed. Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise's 1961 classic is alive and well. West Side Story (2021) features all of the original music and incorporates all the flair and wild choreography that fans have come to know and love over the decades. It is yet to be seen how the newcomer will fare among critics and fans, but the original was a smash-hit winning 10 Oscars that year, including Best Picture.
Not everything is the same, however. Anyone who's seen the original knows that it hasn't exactly aged gracefully. Some aspects of the film are not what anyone would call "PC" which is why some argue that a remake is exactly what the doctor ordered. In addition, Spielberg and Kushner took some liberties of their own to soften the edges a bit and make this blockbuster feel a bit more like a masterpiece.
8 Tony's Backstory
Every good character has an interesting backstory that keeps the audience engaged and invested. Although Tony is one of the leads, his motivation in the original was a bit hard to decipher.
Screenwriter Tony Kushner updated the Broadway adaptation. One part he definitely addressed is Tony's backstory. In the original, Tony feels like a fun-loving ex-member of the Jets. However, one thing that's never understood is why he's no longer part of the gang. In Spielberg's version, Tony was an active member of the Jets, just as is expected in the original, but the reason for his departure is because of a past fight where he got carried away and beat a rival gang member nearly to death and went to jail for it. This plot point not only addresses Tony's motivations for not wanting to fight and removing himself from the gang but also sets up his path for growth and redemption with Maria when he attempts to stop the big fight.
7 Bigger Female Roles
The original film did a lot of things right, but one part they could have done better is create bigger parts for some of the supporting female characters.
One example of a big change between then and now is Riff's girlfriend, Graziella. In the original, she didn't have any lines and only appeared in a handful of scenes. This time around, she, and some of the other girlfriends, have more of an impact. Most notably, they are present at the end when Anita shows up at Doc's and they even try to help her get away from the Jets as they attack her.
6 Fight Choreography
This was an interesting change and one that is likely to be a bit divisive. In the original, all the fighting was done through dance. Anyone who is not a fan of musicals would watch and likely scoff at the unrealistic nature of the fights, while real fans would applaud the ingenious direction by Jerome Robbins that was so unique of its time.
Now, there is something for everyone. Granted it's been 60 years since the original, choreography, especially on screen, has come a long way. The fight choreography in Spielberg's version is more akin to what moviegoers are used to seeing from today's big action movies.
5 Valentina
One of the biggest changes between the old and new is the replacement of the beloved Doc with his widow, Valentina. Played by Rita Moreno, who is the original Anita, Valentina not only adds a little extra feminist flair to the production but adds to the movie as a whole.
Although Doc is a character who was appreciated by all for being the Friar Laurence of this Romeo & Juliet retelling, Moreno's Valentina provides the warm-hearted, easily digestible wisdom that Doc has been lacking all these years. Not only did Moreno thrive in her new role, but it brought a much-needed update to the classic.
4 Ethnicity Of The Actors
As previously mentioned, not all parts of the original have aged as well as other films of this time. This one change is less of a change and more of a necessary fix that everyone can agree needed to happen.
Behind all the catchy music and eye-popping choreography from 1961 are the actors and singers doing it all. Although West Side Story is about two rival gangs of different ethnicities, most of the actors are white. Natalie Wood was great as Maria, but there aren't many Russian Maria's out there. Spielberg, rightfully, made sure to cast Latinx actors for their respective parts. A change that is obvious, but deserves a tip of the cap.
3 Story Background
Once again, screenwriter Tony Kushner made some subtle, but brilliant changes to the script that makes the whole story a bit more relatable. Considering this movie is set in the 1950s, Kushner added a bit of historic realism that helps the audience understand what the Sharks and the Jets are fighting about. The original merely offers "turf" as the sole reason for their bickering, but Kushner adds that the demolition of their neighborhood to make way for the famous Lincoln Center is what causes the tension to boil over. It's a clever rewrite that also explains all the debris seen in the original and can be embodied by the sign seen at the beginning that reads "Slum Clearance."
Kushner also changed Bernardo and Maria's living situation in order to give them a more relatable story. In the original, they live with their parents (though they're never seen), but this time they live on their own and even pay rent with Anita. This change gives them, and the Sharks, more of a motive for why they are fighting to stay where they are aside from the classic "America" number. It also further complicates Maria's attempt to flee her home with Tony.
2 Real Singing
The music and lyrics from this piece are timeless. One aspect that wasn't, however, is the dubbed singing over some of the actor's voices.
Understandably, not everyone can sing. It's a true talent that only some possess. When the original was filmed, they decided to dub the singing voices of some of the original actors instead of casting actors who could sing. This is something else Spielberg made sure to fix. Everyone's voices in the new version are their own, for better or worse.
1 Spanish Dialogue
Another big change is the addition of the Spanish dialogue among the Sharks members and their girlfriends.
The original features a few Spanish phrases like "buenas noches" and "gracias" but Spielberg and Kushner write some actual Spanish dialogue for the actors to make the interactions feel more real and respect the inclusivity of the Latinx cast. This change not only makes sense for respecting Puerto Rican culture but also as a device to further humanize the Sharks in a way that was not very well received the first time around.
Warning! This article contains spoilers for Inferno #3
The current state of theX-Menis rocky to say the least, as the mutants are on the precipice of total annihilation in part from a conflict outside of Krakoa but mostly from within the Quiet Council itself, a conflict that could lead toMystiquebecoming the new leader of the X-Men. The anti-mutant organization known as O.R.C.H.I.S. put the Omega Sentinel and Nimrod online, gearing up for a full-on strike against the mutants once enough support is gathered against mutants around the globe. While the X-Men are fighting off the sentinel threat, a secret within Krakoa has been revealed, one which could destroy the mutant society and potentially make Mystique its new leader.
InInferno #3written by Jonathan Hickman with art by R.B. Silva, Stefano Caselli, Adriano Di Benedetto, and Valerio Schiti, Emma Frost tells Mystique and the newly resurrected Destiny that Moira MacTaggert is alive and that she is a mutant. Not only that, but Moira was instrumental in establishing Krakoa along with Magneto and Professor X. After receiving that intel, Mystique and Destiny track Moira down and find out that she had been kidnapped by O.R.C.H.I.S.. The duo save Moira only to hold her hostage themselves, meanwhile Charles and Magneto attempt to rescue Moira as well from the anti-mutant group’s facility but are bombarded by an small army accompanied by Nimrod who responded to Mystique and Destiny’s initial intrusion.
While they weren’t directly responsible, Mystique and Destiny’s actions in kidnapping Moira from O.R.C.H.I.S. led to Professor X and Magneto falling into a sentinel trap, one which may cost the two their lives. Now, Magneto and Professor X are as good as dead and Moira is in the custody of Mystique and Destiny, all of which is detrimental to the established power structure of Krakoa. With all three of the founding members of Krakoa out of the picture, there would be a hole at the top of the food chain that would need to be filled, and Mystique and Destiny are primed to fill it.
Leading up to the situation that played out in the latestInfernoissue, Mystique gained the support of the Quiet Council of Krakoa to elect Destiny as a council member. The election took place after Mystique maneuvered to have Destiny resurrected, something Moira, Charles, and Magneto kept from happening in secrecy since Krakoa was founded. Everything Mystique has done leading up toInferno #3has been both to get her lover back and a play for power. If Charles and Magneto are killed by Nimrod, Moira remains in their grasp, and Mystique and Destiny keep the support they gained from the Quiet Council, they could be the new rulers of Krakoa and all of mutantkind.
Mystique and Destiny are no strangers to being the leaders of a mutant group as the two founded the second incarnation of the Brotherhood of Mutants, a team whose biggest success was depowering Ms. Marvel and taking down the Avengers. Now on Krakoa, the two have dismantled the current status of their government and hold all the cards in the potential reshaping of its future. In the position they are in now,Mystiquecould rise to the leadership role once again and become the new leader of theX-Menwith Destiny proudly by her side.
Captain Marvelstar Brie Larson reacted to a fan's drawing of her MCU superhero that went hilariously awry. The 32-year-old actress had already had a career stacked with successes before she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Having begun acting as a young girl, she had amassed credits in over a dozen films and TV series before turning 18. She also won an Oscar at the young age of 27 for her performance in the 2015 drama Room, which also starred Jacob Tremblay.
Although it was teased during the end credits sequence of the 2018 MCU entry Avengers: Infinity War, Larson didn't officially join the franchise until her 2019 solo debut Captain Marvel. Her character, also known as Captain Carol Danvers, is a former Air Force pilot who gained cosmic powers because of the energy of the Tesseract. Although she has yet to be featured in a main Marvel role since that film, she appeared once more during a climactic moment in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, also making a cameo during the post-credits scene of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which came out this fall.
On Twitter, artist and musician Chase shared an incomplete drawing he had made of Captain Marvel. When he briefly set it down to do something else, his young cousin stepped in to complete the drawing, gracing the detailed costume and hair with a line drawing of an unimpressed-looking smiley face. Brie Larson responded to the artwork by quote tweeting it and saying "when you're a superhero but also an introvert." Check out her post and the original art below:
Larson is next scheduled to portray Captain Marvel in the sequel The Marvels, which will premiere on February 17, 2023. The film will unite several heroes from throughout Captain Marvel's branch of the MCU, including Monica Rambeau, who appeared as a child in the 2019 film and was played as an adult by Teyonah Parris in the Disney+ series WandaVision. It will also feature Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, AKA Ms. Marvel, who will be appearing in her own Disney+ Ms. Marvel series in 2022.
Part of the reason that Captain Marvel has the fans it does is Brie Larson's willingness to engage with the character in a wholehearted way online. The actress knows how to engage with her audience very well. Plus, when the audience is sending out images as adorably bizarre as this, it would be almost impossible to ignore regardless.
After Skyfall earned rave reviews as a standalone James Bond adventure, Spectre controversially pulled together the serialized elements teased in Quantum of Solace to turn Daniel Craig’s tenure as 007 into a Marvel-style shared universe with running story threads and recurring supporting characters.
With Casino Royale’s subversively gritty origin story and No Time to Die’s surprisingly emotional sense of finality and closure, Craig’s run of Bond movies holds together as a complete beginning-to-end narrative. Usually, a Bond actor’s last movie is the bomb that puts the final nail in the coffin. No Time to Die is the first planned 007 finale, and its four predecessors set the stage for that finale in interesting ways.
10 Mr. White Is Tied To Safin’s Motivation
The villain in No Time to Die, Rami Malek’s Safin, has been met with mixed reviews. Most of the negative points decry his lack of a clear motivation. The movie’s prologue implies that Safin lost his family at the hands of Mr. White and attacked Mr. White’s wife and daughter as an act of retaliation. This doesn’t explain his megalomania, but it does explain his obsession with Madeleine and her family.
Either way, Mr. White is indirectly responsible for the villain’s plot in No Time to Die. Mr. White was first introduced in Casino Royale. He’s still in the trunk of Bond’s car at the beginning of Quantum of Solace and he dies in Spectre.
9 Quantum Of Solace Introduced Serialization
Traditionally, Bond movies are episodic adventure-of-the-week stories following 007’s latest mission. The early Sean Connery movies existed on a linear story timeline with Blofeld and SPECTRE pulling the strings from the background, but each one stands on its own as a standalone Bond adventure. The Craig era is the first ongoing multi-movie Bond narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and an emotional arc for 007 himself.
Quantum of Solace introduced the serialized elements by picking up where Casino Royale left off, then Spectre tied it all together with the Blofeld reveal. Spectre’s serialization was a polarizing move, but No Time to Die managed to satisfy fans as the grand, definitive finale of this ongoing continuity.
8 Bond Fell In Love With Madeleine In Spectre
One of the most problematic tropes in the Bond franchise is the “Bond girl,” a one-off love interest in each movie whose role amounts to little more than one-dimensional objectification. The most recent run of Bond movies started to move the dial in the right direction, with strong female characters like Nomi and Paloma who transcend the “Bond girl” archetype.
Dr. Madeleine Swann isn’t a traditional Bond girl; she’s more like Mrs. Tracy Bond from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – she’s Bond’s soulmate. Bond fell in love with Madeleine in Spectre and they’re in a committed relationship at the beginning of No Time to Die.
7 Ralph Fiennes Took Over As The New M At The End Of Skyfall
M is traditionally the expository character who explains Bond’s mission after the opening credits, but in No Time to Die, M is actually tied (albeit indirectly) to the villain’s diabolical plot. Judi Dench’s M would never have ordered the creation of the Heracles virus.
Ralph Fiennes’ Mallory took over after she was killed off in heartbreaking fashion at the end of Skyfall. Fiennes’ M is more morally dubious than Dench’s, an idea that was first explored in Spectre.
6 Spectre Revealed Blofeld To Be Pulling The Strings Behind All The Previous Craig Villains
When Bond meets “Franz Oberhauser” (Eon’s answer to John “Khan” Harrison from Star Trek Into Darkness), he explains that he’s been pulling the strings behind every previous villain from the Craig movies: “Me. It was all me, James. It’s always been me. The author of all your pain.”
Just like Blofeld was revealed to be pulling the strings of the megalomaniacal schemes of Dr. No, Rosa Klebb, and Emilio Largo in the Sean Connery movies. The wording of the monologue is a tad clunky, but Christoph Waltz can make any speech compelling.
5 Vesper’s Death In Casino Royale Had A Huge Impact On Bond
In keeping with the shockingly dark tone of the movie, Casino Royale culminates in the death of Bond’s love interest, Vesper. After Bond leaves MI6 to spend his life with Vesper, he ends up fighting off goons in a sinking building. Vesper drowns while trapped in the elevator of this building and Bond fails to save her.
The opening action sequence of No Time to Die kicks off at Vesper’s grave, where Bond is begrudgingly paying his respects and getting closure at the behest of his current girlfriend.
4 Quantum Turned Out To Be A Division Of Spectre
The titles of Bond movies don’t usually have an overt connection to the plot – A View to a Kill and Tomorrow Never Dies are just cool-sounding phrases – but the title of Quantum of Solace directly refers to Quantum, the shady organization behind the villain’s scheme.
As the Craig movies went on, Quantum turned out to be a division of SPECTRE. Then, in No Time to Die, Safin wiped out SPECTRE. There’s a pattern of Craig’s Bond continually facing bigger and bigger threats.
3 Skyfall Explored The Dark Side Of MI6
MI6 is usually portrayed as the “good guys” in Bond movies, but Skyfall began to explore MI6’s dark side. Throughout the movie, M continually demonstrates a callous disregard for her agents’ lives: she tells Bond to abandon a dying Ronson, she left Silva to be tortured in a prison camp, and she told Moneypenny to “take the bloody shot” when she worried she might hit Bond.
With the revelation that Heracles was developed in a secret MI6 lab, No Time to Die leaned even more heavily into the dark side of MI6.
2 Mr. White Is Responsible For Madeleine’s Traumatic Childhood
Throughout No Time to Die, Madeleine is shown to be reeling from a traumatic childhood, largely thanks to her father, Mr. White, who didn’t spend a lot of time with her and killed people for a living.
Madeleine’s strained relationship with her father might explain why she was reluctant to tell Bond that Mathilde is his daughter. Like her own distant father, Bond travels a lot and kills for a living.
1 Bond Arrested Blofeld At The End Of Spectre
Although Waltz reprises his role as Blofeld in No Time to Die, the entirety of his supporting role is confined to a high-tech prison cell. He manages to enjoy life as a free man via a bionic eye that SPECTRE agents bring to his birthday bash in Cuba, but his physical presence is stuck in Belmarsh.
This follows on from the old-fashioned ending of Spectre, in which Bond chose to be with Madeleine instead of killing Blofeld. This allowed Waltz to return in the sequel, though only briefly.
With a total of 9 different Weapon Cases to upgrade, Far Cry 6Vaas Insanity offers a ton of different combinations for Weapon Loadouts to experiment with between Rogue-lite Runs. However, with the limitation of category-specific weapon slots in the player's inventory, players will have to choose between 3 weapons in different categories to equip simultaneously.
There are three main weapon categories in Far Cry 6 Vaas Insanity, Primary, Secondary, and Specialist. The player will be able to equip one gun from each category to their weapon wheel. The Primary Category has the SMG, Shotgun, and Rifle. The Secondary Category has the Pistol and Auto-Pistol. Finally, the Specialist Category has the Sniper Rifle, Machine Gun, Grenade Launcher, and Bow.
Some of the best Weapon Cases to upgrade first in Far Cry 6 include the 1911 Pistol Case, AK-47 Rifle Case, and the M-79 Grenade Launcher Case. With all these weapons in the player's weapon wheel, it will make it possible to equip all three guns at once. Here's how much it will cost to upgrade each weapon case in Fary Cry 6 Vaas Insanity.
2-Star Green Upgrade Cost: 200 Cash
3-Star Blue Upgrade Cost: 500 Cash
4-Star Purple Upgrade: 900 Cash
5-Star Yellow Upgrade: 1700 Cash
Total Amount Needed: 3300 Cash
1911 Pistol's best feature is how much it costs to equip the weapon from The Armory. The pistol is free to equip from the start of Far Cry 6 Vaas Insanity, even with maximum upgrades. A 5-star max rarity 1911 Pistol will do 2x its original damage, providing a much faster TTK (Time to Kill) on regular enemy soldiers. It will also be able to reroll between a Sight Attachment, Front Barrel Attachment, Laser Sight Attachment, and 4 Perks.
2-Star Green Upgrade Cost: 750 Cash
3-Star Blue Upgrade Cost: 1800 Cash
4-Star Purple Upgrade Cost: 3300 Cash
5-Star Yellow Upgrade Cost: 6300 Cash
Total Amount Needed: 12,150 Cash
The AK-47 is an all-rounder assault rifle with the ability to work well in far and close-range engagements, quick reload speed, and a strong output of base damage without upgrades. Players can equip the rewarded 2-Star Green AK-47 assault rifle and use it straight from the Gun Show Chest without any damage problems. Additionally, a 5-star max rarity AK-47 Rifle Case will have a significant boost to long-range damage and be able to reroll between a Sight Attachment, Front Barrel Attachment, Laser Sight Attachment, and 4 Perks.
2-Star Green Upgrade Cost: 750 Cash
3-Star Blue Upgrade Cost: 1800 Cash
4-Star Purple Upgrade Cost: 3300 Cash
5-Star Yellow Upgrade Cost: 6300 Cash
Total Amount Needed: 12,150 Cash
The M-79 is a destructive room-clearing weapon. With Blast or Fire Rounds, the M-79 can defeat groups of enemies in seconds and stun heavily armored enemies. Players can equip the 2-star Green M-79 straight from the Gun Show Chest and use it without fear of a damage dropoff. The M-79 becomes truly dangerous when upgraded to a 5-star max rarity. Players can reroll the M-79 in Far Cry 6 with increased reload speed, improved draw and holster time, and Fire Rounds that can cover the explosive area in long-lasting flames. The M-79, on the other hand, will only have four perks as it does not come with attachments.
Kody Brown's spouses have been encouraged by Sister Wives fans to leave the polygamous patriarch for years, but it still must have taken enormous courage for Christine to break up with her husband. Kody's relationships with his first three wives have been tumultuous and devastating, but only Christine has been brave enough to draw a line in the sand. From disobeying her religious upbringing to embracing the unknown, here's why Christine exhibited tremendous bravery in her decision to leave Kody.
Kody's initial trio of marriages demonstrate that quantity is not always equivalent to quality. Kody tied the knot with Meri in 1990, Janelle in 1993, and Christine in 1994. This means that Kody had decades with his first wives before the Brown family garnered their reality show and welcomed Robyn to the extensive clan. After Kody got married to Robyn in 2010, all of the issues in the patriarch's relationships with Meri, Janelle, and Christine were exposed. As Kody favored Robyn, he swiftly neglected the three women he spent the past 20 years building a family with. Christine noticed trouble in their marriage immediately as Kody was late to the hospital for the birth of their daughter, Truely, because he was spending time with Robyn. Ultimately, it took Christine over 10 years to build up the courage to leave Kody.
Even though Kody has been a bad husband to Meri, Janelle, and Christine, the sister wives have refrained from cutting ties with the reality star. Meri was bold enough to emotionally cheat on Kody with an online catfish during a dark time in their marriage, but that still wasn't enough for the pair to break up. Janelle's also confessed to thinking of leaving Kody in the past but has been too nervous to follow through with her ambition. Christine was finally prompted to break up with Kody after he refused to move back to Utah, but it took more than the patriarch polygamist's stubbornness to convince Christine to pull the plug. One reason why Christine's split from Kody was brave was that it required the TV personality to go against everything she grew up believing in. Christine is a religious woman who was taught divorce was never an option.
As the Brown family's fans know well, Christine is considered polygamy royalty due to the long line of Mormons that make up her family tree. Kody's demonstrated that religious polygamists don't see divorce as an option. It takes extraordinary willpower for a woman of faith to like Christine to contradict something she's believed in since her childhood. Additionally, it's bold of Christine to leave Kody after 27 years because she will have to face the unknown as a 49-year-old. It's never fun to start over, especially after investing so much in an exhausting family like the Brown clan, but Christine brazenly opted to step into uncharted waters. Even though it would have been easier to stay in her loveless marriage like Meri and Janelle have, Christine couldn't deny her needs. By putting her heart above her fears of the unknown, Christine exhibited how brave her spirit is.
Although Sister Wives fans think Christine should've left her husband years ago, it was very daring for the reality star to break up with Kody at all. From her religious background to abandoning the home she helped create for almost 30 years, Christine had plenty of reason to ignore her desires and stay at home with Kody where she knows it's safe. Christine's courage cements her as an inspiration to the Sister Wivesfanbase.
2021's remake of West Side Story has received glowing reviews, showing once again that no matter the material or genre, Steven Spielberg should never be underestimated. Critics are calling his version of West Side Story one of the best movies of the year, and a front runner for Best Picture at the Oscars. Prior to its release though it had almost been written off as a pointless remake, with the expectation that it wouldn't be able to match the original 1961 version. Yet, it appears that Steven Spielberg has come through once again.
Based on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story is set in 1950s New York City and centers on the love story between teenagers Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler), who each has an affiliation with one of two rival gangs, the Jets and Sharks. Starting life as a Broadway musical in 1957, it was adapted to film four years later. 1961's original West Side Story movie was the highest-earning movie that year, and swept the Oscars with 10 wins, including Best Picture and Best Director(s) for Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The movie is rightly considered one of the greatest musicals of all time and has been loved by audiences for generations. Therefore when it was announced that Steven Spielberg planned to remake the film, many thought that there was little point in revisiting the material.
2021's West Side Story was filmed in the summer of 2019 and its release was delayed a whole year due to COVID-19. The extended delay didn't result in any significant build-up in hype or anticipation for Steven Spielberg’s latest movie, however. There was a feeling that the film was more of a personal passion project for Spielberg to scratch his musical itch, and that it would join the long list of ill-advised remakes of classic films that aren't as good as the original. However, the reviews for 2021's West Side Story are extremely good. Spielberg's direction, along with the script, performances, musical number, and cinematography have all been singled out for acclaim. Furthermore, some critics have gone as far as saying that Spielberg's version of West Side Story is superior to the 1961 film. Any underestimation of Spielberg’s ability to excel in a new genre has been proven unfounded by the response from critics.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that 2021's West Side Story reviews are good. Steven Spielberg is one of the greatest directors of all time. A natural storyteller, he's rarely failed to hit the mark in the 33 films he's directed, with several (Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Schindler's List,Saving Private Ryan) often cited as some of the greatest movies ever made. Underestimating him at this point in his career is folly. He's a seasoned pro with a lifetime of experience, an unquenchable excitement for filmmaking, and an established team of equally talented artists around him. Given the right material, as is the case with West Side Story, he's going to make it good.
Spielberg had wanted to make a musical for decades: look no further than Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom's opening number or 1941's dance hall sequence for indications of this. It was one of the last cinematic genres he hadn't tackled, though Spielberg has said a Western is still on his bucket list to direct. Next up, though, is his semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama The Fabelmans. As has been proven with 2021's West Side Story, don't underestimate Spielberg not to once again deliver a good movie.
Magical girl series Cardcaptor Sakura and Sailor Mooncombine as one in aspiring new fan art that puts Sakura and friends in an enchanting look.
Cardcaptor Sakura is a popular Shojo seriesthat follows elementary school student Sakura and her magical journey in capturing the Clow Cards, magical cards that hold dangerous creatures. After accidentally releasing the cards from her family's basement, Sakura becomes the Cardcaptor and must capture all 18 Clow Cards by battling the corresponding elemental monsters inside. The series comes from all-female lead manga studio CLAMP, whose written numerous series like Chobits, Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Clover, and xxxHolic. Often affectionately referred to as "Pokémon for girls", Cardcaptor Sakurais quite popular amongst young girls with anime adaptions, movies, video games, and more. However, it wasn't the only manga gaining popularity in the magical girl genre.
Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon also follows a group of magical girls that began its popularity after serialization in 1991. Shojo blogger magicalseruma shared a cute piece of fan art on Instagram featuring Sakura and classmates as the cosmic Sailor Guardians. The original Sailor Guardian group or Inner Senshi are members Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Jupiter. Each Sailor Scout represents their own solar system planet and is a crown princess from each planet.
Sakura Kinomotois wearing Sailor Moon's iconic sailor uniform while holding her pink sealing wand in place of Usagi's moon stick. Her best friend Tomoyo is Sailor Mars with a camcorder, ready to record the magical adventures of her and Sakura. Naoko Yanagisawa matches the esteemed Sailor Mercury with matching glasses and a love for literature. Chiharu Mihara is rocking her signature pigtails as Sailor Venus, who also wore pigtails when trying to impersonate Usagi as Sailor Moon. Sasaki Rika is known for her mature nature and excellent cooking skills which match perfectly with her Sailor Senshi, Sailor Jupiter.
Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura were competitive giants yet pioneers to the magical girl genre thanks to creators Naoko Takeuchi and CLAMP. With colorful main characters like Usagi and Sakura who's imperfections made them relatable to young girls. Along with an incredible cast of women characters and incredible transformations that would one day spark the new age of magical girl series. This is why the fan art represents so much more by bringing together Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura as one.
Hell's Kitchen's very own creepy crawler Spider-Women has always been a fan-favorite, making her a natural subject for cosplay. The Marvel character is different from most Spider-verse heroes because of her painted past that goes far beyond radioactive spiders.
Created by Archie Goodwin and Marie Severin, Jessica Drew found her way into the Marvel Universe in Marvel Spotlight #32 (1971) as an agent of Hydra going by Arachne. Sporting her original Spider-Woman costume with a full cowl, Jessica Drew finds herself suffering from memory loss and with no clear recollection of how she got her powers. However, the story dives deeper into her past enough to wake her memory and Hydra's brainwashing after fighting S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury.Soon after, Jessica would find her own path as the newfound Spider-Woman and received her first solo series Spider-Woman (1978), from writer Marv Wolfman and penciler Carmine Infantino. A year later, the arachnid-based hero would gain her own animated tv series Spider-Woman (1979), and become the first female Marvel hero to star in her own show.
Cosplayer aaliyahmason embodies the true essence of Jessica Drew and her iconic heroism as Spider-Woman in an electrifying post on Instagram. The cosplay pays homage to Jessica's original 70's costume design and shows the hero's deadly venom blast powers, similar to Miles Morales. However, unlike her other Spider-verse heroes, Jessica's origin began with a fatal illness as a child caused by uranium radiation. With the help from her father's spider serum, intense genetic acceleration, and several years of cryogenic incubation, Jessica was able to survive her illness only to gain new spider-like abilities.
Jessica's gone through several costume iterations in recent Marvel comics, including her leather jacket design with web holders and darker color design from Spider-Woman #1. Yet the hero always returns to her 70s roots, and for a good reason, the costume is metaphoric of Jessica's past and her struggles with finding herself as Jessica Drew and Spider-Woman. Arachne's mask hid Jessica's face entirely, not to protect her identity from enemies of Hydra but from herself. However, after regaining her memories in Spider-Woman (1978), Jessica changes her identity as Spider-Woman (and Jessica Drew) by changing her mask into a half cowl and dying her hair black. A rebirth of the young hero's independence from her past and starting a new life as a superhero.
Jessica Drew's original Spider-Woman costume is favorable amongst fans but faced recent controversy in the Spider-Woman #1 2014 variant cover, putting the hero in an unflattering position. Nevertheless, in bringing Jessica Drew into the MCU, actress/director Issa Rae will voice the creepy crawler in the upcoming Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse sequel. Aaliyahmason's Spider-Woman cosplay embodies the ruthless fighter in Jessica Drew and her adventures in Hell's Kitchen.
Although Tammy Slaton has been on a weight loss journey since 1000-lb Sisters season 1, the television personality has struggled to stay consistent in her dieting efforts. For the few years she's been a reality star, Tammy has jumped back and forth between gaining and losing weight. From her inclination to give up on herself to the pain that prevents her from exercising, here's why Tammy's yo-yo dieting in 1000-lb Sisterscould be harming the entertainer's physical and mental health.
Tammy and her sister, Amy, decided to go on weight loss journeys at the same time, but the pair of Slaton siblings have been through disparate fitness experiences. Although she's endured some hiccups, Amy's largely been successful in her weight loss efforts. By the end of season 1, Amy had lost enough weight to qualify for bariatric surgery. While she tried to stick to her diet while pregnant with Gage, Amy's dedication to her weight loss aspirations has made her story inspirational to 1000-lb Sisters fans. Regrettably, Tammy's health venture has been much more erratic than her younger sister's. Tammy failed to meet her weight goals in season 1, and in season 2, Tammy ended up gaining weight. Even after Tammy loses weight, viewers have come to expect the reality star will soon gain it back.
Unfortunately, 1000-lb Sisters season 3 has only further established Tammy's pattern of inconsistent weight loss. After contracting COVID and gaining weight in season 2, Tammy took it upon herself to check into a rehabilitation center and get back on track. Although she intended to lose 100 pounds, Tammy left the rehab 60 pounds lighter than she arrived. Fans were proud of Tammy's progress and hoped she'd stick to her diet and exercise routine after excusing herself from rehab. Unfortunately, Tammy once again gained the weight she lost in the weeks following her stay at the care center. In a new clip from 1000-lb Sisters season 3, Tammy learns she's gained 15 pounds since she got home and strayed even further from her 550-lb goal. This weight increase demonstrated that Tammy's yo-yo dieting technique is doing more harm than good.
While viewers are encouraged by any progress Tammy makes in her weight loss attempts, the reality star's showed signs she's hurt by her habit of losing weight and gaining it back. The biggest sign that Tammy's taken a toll is her hampered mental health. Tammy's shared she has fought depression in the past and her lack of motivation is evident throughout all of 1000-lb Sisters' seasons. By allowing herself to fall into the cycle of losing weight and gaining it back, Tammy has grown fatigued by her fruitless fitness journey. Tammy's not interested in trying to work out as a result of feeling discouraged by her yo-yo dieting practice. Additionally, Tammy's shared her body pain has made it difficult to exercise. Tammy's weight makes her body vulnerable to severe health complications and frequently losing and gaining weight hasn't helped the star's physical wellbeing.
If it's tiring for viewers to watch Tammy make progress and then regress, yo-yo dieting must be even more devastating for Tammy to endure. From giving up on herself to experiencing bodily pain, Tammy's mental and physical health is jeopardized by the Slaton sister's tendency to lose weight and gain it all back. Unfortunately, 1000-lb Sistersseason 3 has confirmed Tammy's still stuck on her string in between progress and deterioration.
When a fictional world is consumed in a zombie apocalypse situation, intelligence is often measured by just how well the characters adapt for survival. It's necessary that they be observant, quick thinking in high stress situations, and creative in their approach to problem solving. Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City is no exception to that idea.
Some of the main characters in the movie adapt quickly, thinking through plans and making decisions at the drop of a hat. Others, however, need a little prodding. Some of that is down to shock, but a lot of it is also a result of not thinking things through. Most of the smartest characters survive to make it out of Raccoon City.
7 Leon S. Kennedy
Leon isn't unintelligent, but nearly anyone else in the movie makes better decisions than he does about the state of Raccoon City. It's clear that he's not entirely suited to his role as a police officer as he isn't the most observant of characters.
Leon doesn't pay enough attention to what's happening outside of the police station to notice that he should close the gates outside of the building until it's almost too late. He also isn't observant enough to clock that one of the men in the holding cell of the station is rapidly changing into a zombie-like creature. At least Leon has the presence of mind to get the train running and grab the rocket launcher to kill the biggest monster in Raccoon City.
6 Chris Redfield
Chris Redfield isn't quite as unobservant as Leon, but he certainly willfully blocks out certain things. He doesn't see Dr. Birkin for who he really is, for example, until it's too late.
Chris also ends up pinned by virus-infested locals and wouldn't have escaped without the sacrifice of one of his teammates. Though he is one of the veteran members of the team, he doesn't think all of his actions through in the movie. That leads to him being the one with the most injuries as the group attempts to escape the city.
5 Chief Brian Irons
Chief Iron is the man responsible for keeping Raccoon City put together, and while the officers working under him might not know the whole truth about the Umbrella Corporation, he clearly does. As soon as things start to go south, he tries to get himself out of town.
Irons is also the only one left in the police station by the time the violence starts who knows a way out. His plans are pretty well thought out as knows about the underground tunnels and the more populated areas of the city left. The trouble is that he, much like Leon, isn't quite as observant as he should be. If he was, a monster wouldn't catch him completely unawares.
Even though Wesker isn't entirely sure what's going on, and he isn't given all of the details about what the Umbrella Corporation really does, he still manages to follow the cryptic clues sent to him by Ada Wong and follow the maps through an unfamiliar location. Wesker almost makes it out of the mansion on his own, but Dr. Birkin is too determined that no one else will get his research to allow for that.
3 Jill Valentine
Jill doesn't get a huge amount of screen time in Welcome To Raccoon City, but what the audience does see of her demonstrates that she is incredibly clever. She outsmarts Wesker when he makes a bet with her at the start of the movie, showing that she's got some creative problem solving skills.
Jill is also the only one to notice that the helicopter they left behind is heading straight for the mansion. She manages to save her and Wesker's life, though he does go on to betray her. Jill doesn't leave her other friends behind, able to navigate her way to Chris Redfield despite Wesker having been the one with the maps. She proves herself a survivor.
2 Claire Redfield
For a lot of fans, Claire Redfield becomes the best character in the movie simply because she's the one the audience spends the most time with, and she's the one the most detailed by the writers. Claire also, however, happens to be one of the smartest people trying to survive the events in Raccoon City.
When the audience first meets her, she doesn't seem to be making great decisions as she's hitchhiking with someone who runs a woman over, but she's the first person to voice that something's wrong in the town. She's able to follow Ben's train of thought with his conspiracy theories, pick her brother's unpickable lock, and save the lives of Leon and Irons as soon as she meets them. Claire also knows that something strange is going on with Umbrella as a child, demonstrating good instincts when she trusts Lisa more than she trusts the adults around her. She's easily the most observant one in town, and the one who is the best at putting puzzle pieces together.
1 Dr. William Birkin
Dr. Birkin is, ultimately, the real villain of the movie, not the Raccoon City residents who have unwittingly been poisoned by the Umbrella Corporation. Just because he's the bad guy, however, doesn't mean he isn't also brilliant. Birkin is easily the smartest of the main characters in the movie.
It's Birkin's experiments that fuel this arm of the Umbrella Corporation. From the research he was doing when Claire and Chris were children to prolonging his own life by turning himself into a monster, Birkin's experiments are unethical, but they show the audience the brilliant scientific mind underneath. Birkin is responsible for the entire chain of events that sets the Resident Evil franchise in motion; his mind creates all of the monsters.
In the 2000s, most people were only just properly coming around to the thought of becoming a vegetarian or even a vegan. And in the 2020s, it's more popular than ever, but that might not have been the case if not for some of the most impactful documentaries of the 21st century. Michael Moore was also completely in a league of his own in the documentary world, and his investigative journalism was totally unrivaled.
The 2000s were almost like a golden age for documentaries, as so few documentaries have been able to change the world like the ones released back then. Between corporate farming, educating audiences on gun laws in the US, and a shocking true crime doc that surely influenced Netflix's approach to the genre, the 2000s had the most thought-provoking releases.
10 Food, Inc. (2008) - 7.8
There are so many popular cooking documentaries on Netflix that will whet viewers' appetites, and streaming platforms, in general, are overrun with cooking shows that'll make viewers salivate. However, Food, Inc. will do the exact opposite.
Even food documentaries that swayed audiences away from fast food, such as Super Size Me, made some viewers hungry, but this 2008 movie will make many viewers stop eating meat entirely. Food, Inc. spotlights corporate farming in the United States, and it shows how harmful it is to animals as well as the farms' employees.
9 Sicko (2007) - 7.9
When it comes to the documentary genre, there's one man specifically who became the forerunner for world-changing docs in the 2000s, and that's Michael Moore. Between Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling For Columbine, the documentarian changed the world on the topics of politics and guns. And in 2007, American healthcare was in Moore's crosshairs.
The documentarian analyzes why so many millions of US citizens are without healthcare, and Moore investigates how people's lives have been ruined because of it. It's even more sickening when compared side by side to countries with free healthcare, which Moore also visits.
8 Anvil: The Story Of Anvil (2008) - 7.9
If This Is Spinal Tap wasn't a mockumentary and was in fact based on a real-life band, it wouldn't be too different from Anvil: The Story of Anvil. Anvil is a real-life band from Canada, and the doc follows that band as they strive for success even when every hurdle possible is put in front of them.
Ironically the documentary helped the band get the recognition they deserve, and following the film's release, they opened for huge bands such as AC/DC and Saxon. The movie is an inspiration for anybody creative to keep striving for success whether it's in music or otherwise.
7 Bowling For Columbine (2002) - 7.9
Following the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, Michael Moore applied his one-of-a-kind investigative journalism to gun availability and how accessible weapons are in the United States. Bowling For Columbine is eye-opening, especially to overseas viewers. Moore is given a free rifle when he opens a bank account, and there's a shocking interview with celebrated Hollywood actor and NRA spokesperson, Charlton Heston.
Bowling For Columbine is Moore's best movie, and it was a huge achievement for documentaries when it was first on the film festival circuit. The film was nominated for the most coveted award a film can ever receive, the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and it has a ton of other accolades too.
6 Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures (2001) - 8.0
Stanley Kubrick is one of Hollywood's greatest directors. He wasn't limited to one style and he directed several movies that could be considered the gold standard of each genre, whether it's The Shining for horror, 2001: A Space Odyssey for sci-fi, or Dr. Strangelove for comedy.
But for someone who's such a genius, they have to have such a unique and strange work ethic. A Life in Pictures accurately depicts that, as it was created by his long-time assistant, Jan Harlan. Each chapter of the movie takes an in-depth look at each of the director's films, and it's a must-see for any Kubrick fan.
5 Touching The Void (2003) - 8.0
There are loads of mountain climbing documentaries, and while they all have their own merits, Touching the Void is the peak of them all. The 2003 movie is a docudrama, meaning that it's as close to a real-life reenactment of real events as possible.
The documentary follows two climbing partners who attempt to scale a peak called the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes, which, up to that point, had been unclimbed. It's a harrowing tale, highly intense, and enough to put anybody off mountain climbing for their whole lives.
4 The Cove (2009) - 8.4
The Cove does what all great documentaries should do, which is raise awareness about shocking practices to general audiences and get a genuine emotional reaction out of them. Of all the 2000s documentaries that do this, The Cove pulls it off in such a compelling but heartbreaking way.
The documentary digs deep into dolphin hunting practices in Japan, and it's just as educational as it is upsetting. The movie goes into detail about mass killing and captures, and it also talks about how humans could suffer from mercury poisoning if dolphin meat is consumed.
3 Home (2009) - 8.5
Though most of the highest-rated documentaries of the 2000s try to pull on audiences' emotional heartstrings in an almost manipulative way, Home does no such thing. The documentary is in no way emotional, and instead of trying to change the world, Home is simply trying to understand it.
Home is made up of almost entirely aerial shots of the planet, and it's one of the most beautiful looking documentaries that isn't a BBC docuseries. But there are still lessons to be learned, as the film teaches viewers about the threat that humanity has on Earth.
2 Dear Zachery: A Letter To A Son About His Father (2008) - 8.5
When it comes to emotionally driven documentaries, no other will make audiences feel more exhausted and drained of energy than Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. The title might sound wordy, but the film is a visual letter to the son of a man who was murdered before he was born.
A lot of documentarians throw themselves into their own work, mostly because they're investigative journalists, but writer-director Kurt Kuenne is so closely tied to the subject matter in Dear Zachary. Kuenne was a close friend to Andrew Bagby, who was murdered, and Bagby's ex-girlfriend Shirley Jane Turner was a prime suspect. The movie, along with featuring loving interviews from friends of Bagby, looks into what really happened.
1 Earthlings (2005) - 8.7
In a similar way to Food, Inc., Earthlings peeks into the food industry, but it doubles down on how harmful to animals corporate farming is, and it's much more effective. The 2005 film doesn't hold back on the disturbing imagery, and it's more than enough to have audiences taking up veganism.
The movie did stir up a little bit of controversy for its shock value, but if it wasn't for that specific footage, it wouldn't be so compelling or influential. And as Jaoquin Phoenix endorses veganism so often, he's the perfect actor to narrate the documentary.
