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Mel Brooks loves ‘Hidden Figures'?! Julianne Moore's a ‘Superbad' fan?! Stars reveal their most surprising NYT movie picks

Mel Brooks loves ‘Hidden Figures'?! Julianne Moore's a ‘Superbad' fan?! Stars reveal their most surprising NYT movie picks

Yahoo24-06-2025
When The New York Times recently dropped its list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century, it didn't just spark film buff debates — it also gave readers a peek into which movies actors, directors, and creatives listed as their favorites. And let's just say, the results are full of surprises.
Who would've guessed that comedy legend Mel Brooks — the mind behind Blazing Saddles and The Producers — is a major fan of Hidden Figures? His top 10 also includes Jojo Rabbit, A Beautiful Mind and The Bourne Identity.
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Then there's horror king Stephen King, who proved he has a soft side with Brokeback Mountain on his list, alongside more intense films such as Black Hawk Down, Million Dollar Baby, and Oppenheimer.
When Oscar winner Julianne Moore needs a laugh, it appears she turns to comedies Superbad and The 40 Year-Old Virgin. Rounding out her list was also stylish dramas like Black Swan, Ex Machina, and Lost in Translation.
The list also suggests that Elizabeth Banks and Nathan Lane may want to schedule a movie night as many of their favorite films overlapped like Parasite, Inglourious Basterds and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Speaking of unexpected taste, Pamela Anderson — fresh off her acclaimed performance in The Last Showgirl and starring in the upcoming Naked Gun reboot—showed she has quite the range in movies and picked the The Lobster and Amélie for her top 10.
Former teen icon Molly Ringwald (The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink) chose Eighth Grade, a film about an introverted teenager trying to navigate middle school, as one of her favorites along with Get Out, and La La Land
While Brett Goldstein, the Emmy-winning actor and writer know for playing Roy Kent on Ted Lasso, also has some surprising picks including Pixar's Inside Out and the comedy Bridesmaids. He's not alone in his love for Inside Out — Bryce Dallas Howard, Simu Liu, Paula Poundstone, Tramell Tillman, and Tony Hale also added the emotional animated film to their list.
And if you're wondering what movie totally dominated the lists? That would be Parasite. Banks, Lane, Moore, Ringwald, Toni Collette, Sofia Coppola, John Lithgow, Amy Pascal, Naomie Harris, and Jodie Turner-Smith were among the many who listed the 2019 Bong Joon Ho Oscar winner as one of their top films.
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Marc Maron Reveals the Cost to Use a Taylor Swift Song — and the Mutual Celebrity Friend Who Helped Him Get Access
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Yahoo

time12 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Marc Maron Reveals the Cost to Use a Taylor Swift Song — and the Mutual Celebrity Friend Who Helped Him Get Access

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Comedian Bobby Lee theorizes he was one of the 'woke elements' cut from 'Sex and the City' spinoff
Comedian Bobby Lee theorizes he was one of the 'woke elements' cut from 'Sex and the City' spinoff

Fox News

timean hour ago

  • Fox News

Comedian Bobby Lee theorizes he was one of the 'woke elements' cut from 'Sex and the City' spinoff

Stand-up comedian Bobby Lee said over the weekend that he believes he was cut from the "Sex and the City" spin-off to remove wokeness from the series. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly (EW) at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, Lee theorized that he wasn't brought back for the third season of "And Just Like That…" because producers were looking to get rid of the show's more "woke elements." "Some of the woke elements of the show, they got rid of, and I think I was a part of that. I think Sara [Ramirez] didn't come back and some other people," he said, mentioning his series co-star, who played actress Cynthia Nixon's non-binary love interest in the show. "They tried to put minorities in, and — I don't know. I never saw the show," he added. Lee played Jackie Nee, the co-host of Carrie Bradshaw's podcast, for the first two seasons of the HBO Max series. At the end of the second season, Bradshaw – played by Sarah Jessica Parker – left her podcast to focus on writing her novel. Her team of coworkers did not return for the follow-up season. HBO director of media relations, Erin Tresco, disputed Lee's theory that he was a victim of woke cuts. She told Fox News Digital that the reason Lee left the show was that "Carrie is no longer hosting a podcast, and instead focused on her novel, the storyline of characters involved in the podcast came to a conclusion." The comedian had only good things to say about Parker and his former cast mates, telling EW, "Sarah Jessica Parker is the nicest person I've ever met. She made me feel so at ease. I like everyone on there. It was fun. I never have bad blood with anybody. You know what I mean? I am nice. I show up on time." Lee, a former star of MADtv, stand-up comedian, and popular podcaster, told EW he's not quite sure why he got the "And Just Like That…" role in the first place. "Number one, I don't even know why they asked," he said. "And I was super scared to do it. Because it wasn't my brand, really. You know what I mean? But I did it. I walked through the fear." Critics pointed out the woke elements of the "Sex and the City" follow-up when it debuted on the HBO streaming platform in 2021. At the time, The Guardian critic Lucy Mangan wrote that the show's "onslaught of 'woke' teachings lends the show a smugly self-congratulatory rather than ironically self-aware air. This does nothing to make it sing like the original, which – even if it was narrow and elite – knew its world inside out and could allow the comedy and the drama to arise in ways that felt effortless." The New York Times also skewered the show's woke themes, suggesting they were pandering. The outlet's TV critic, James Poniewozik, wrote in 2021 that the series' diverse newcomers "don't pass the racial Bechdel test; they exist only in relation to the central trio, serving to challenge or affirm them while reassuring them and us that they're trying hard and mean well." Representatives for Lee did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Adam Sandler's 15 best movies, ranked (including 'Happy Gilmore')
Adam Sandler's 15 best movies, ranked (including 'Happy Gilmore')

USA Today

time4 hours ago

  • USA Today

Adam Sandler's 15 best movies, ranked (including 'Happy Gilmore')

With Adam Sandler, it's been a tale of two careers: the goofy comedian of his "Saturday Night Live" and early film days, and the more accomplished thespian of his later years (who can still be goofy when needed). But whether or not you prefer his more serious outings to man-child Billy Madison and hockey-loving golf savant Happy Gilmore – who returns in the sequel "Happy Gilmore 2" (streaming now on Netflix) – Sandler has enjoyed a profound evolution as an actor and performer. It's only a matter of time until he nabs an Oscar nomination (and probably should have at least one by now). Who could have imagined that back when he was singing the Hanukkah song on "SNL"? In honor of his latest outing, we're ranking the Sandman's 15 best movies. (While the original "Happy" makes the cut, the cameo-filled follow-up sadly does not.) Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox 15. 'Murder Mystery' (2019) New York cop Nick (Sandler) and hairdresser wife Audrey (Jennifer Aniston) go on their dream European vacation, which goes awry when they're invited on a billionaire's yacht and are embroiled in a murder case. OK, they're no Sherlock and Watson, but Sandler and Aniston end up making a decent detective duo. 14. 'Happy Gilmore' (1996) The sports comedy is one of Sandler's sillier outings, playing the title hockey player who takes up pro golf to help save his beloved grandma's house. The high-profile cameos, though, are fantastic, from Bob Barker (as himself) brawling with Sandler to Carl Weathers in one of his best roles as Happy's one-handed coach. 13. 'Anger Management' (2003) In his comedy heyday, Sandler partnered with Jack Nicholson for this buddy flick, with Sandler as a dude sent to therapy after an in-flight incident and Nicholson as the doctor whose unorthodox techniques exacerbate his new patient's rage problems. 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'Spaceman' (2024) In a decidedly dramatic yet still oddball role, Sandler plays a Czech astronaut halfway through a lonely, one-man mission to investigate a cosmic purple cloud near Jupiter. Cracks form in the long-distance relationship with his wife (Carey Mulligan), and he works through his feelings by befriending a mysterious talking alien spider (Paul Dano). 6. 'You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah' (2023) Sandler takes a backseat to his real family in this delightful coming-of-age comedy. The role of devoted dad suits him well opposite wife Jackie and daughters Sadie and Sunny, the latter of whom plays a middle-schooler looking forward to her bat mitzvah and instead finds a whole heap of girl drama. 5. 'Funny People' (2009) Director Judd Apatow's darkly funny yet feel-good dramedy casts Sandler in a role he knows very well: mega-popular comedian/movie star. When he's diagnosed with a terminal disease, Sandler's character befriends a young stand-up (Seth Rogen), reconnects with the love who got away (Leslie Mann) and finds a new lease on life. 4. 'The Wedding Singer' (1998) The best of Sandler's straight-up comedies is a 1980s retro affair packed with style and cool music. A wedding singer (Sandler) hits it off with a reception waitress (Drew Barrymore) and he promises to play her wedding. Of course, they fall in love, but not without some crises of confidence, Reagan-era high jinks and old-lady rapping to make things interesting. 3. 'Hustle' (2022) Sandler marries his loves – acting and hoops – as a Philadelphia 76ers basketball scout who discovers a standout streetballer (ex-NBA player Juancho Hernangómez) in Spain and brings him to America. Both help each other out in a rousing narrative chock-full of real-life roundball stars and choice Sandler zingers. 2. 'Punch-Drunk Love' (2002) Paul Thomas Anderson's romantic dramedy is the first to really toss Sandler in the awards-season mix. The comedian earned a Golden Globe nod as a lonely plunger salesman with serious rage issues who starts dating his sister's co-worker (Emily Watson), though a phone-sex extortion scheme threatens the budding relationship. 1. 'Uncut Gems' (2019) Get ready for a two-hour anxiety-fest. Josh and Benny Safdie's intricately crafted crime thriller finds Sandler in prime form as a gambling jeweler who wants to make serious bank off a rare opal. He runs afoul of the wrong people, leading to an intensely stressful final act fueled by a close NBA playoff game.

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