Latest in Entertainment
UPI
17 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Beyond 'Squid Game': 5 upcoming South Korean thriller films, TV series
South Korean thriller film "Wall to Wall" will premiere July 18 on Netflix. Photo courtesy of Netflix June 27 (UPI) -- Wall to Wall, Trigger and other South Korean thriller films and TV series are coming in 2025 following the release of Squid Game Season 3. The third and final season of Squid Game was released Friday on Netflix, bringing the hit survival drama to a close. Here are five upcoming Korean shows and movies set for release on streaming services this year. 'Low Life' The adventure crime drama from Big Bet creator Kang Yunsung will have a three-episode premiere July 16 on Disney+ internationally and on Hulu in the United States. Set in the 1970s, Ryu Seung-ryong and Yang Se-jong star as veteran conman Oh Gwan-seok and his nephew Oh Hee-dong, respectively. Ryu is also known for the hit Korean series Moving. Low Life follows Gwan-seok and Hee-dong as they race to find a rumored sunken treasure ship off the Korean coast, taking on fellow fortune-hunters and underworld baddies along the way. 'Wall to Wall' The thriller film from Unlocked writer and director Kim Tae-joon premieres July 18 on Netflix. Wall to Wall stars Kang Ha-neul as Woo-sung, a new homeowner whose apartment turns into "a nightmare filled with financial ruin and mysterious noises from neighboring floors," according to an official synopsis. Kang is known for playing Dae-ho, aka Player 388, in Squid Game Seasons 2 and 3. The cast also includes Yeom Hye-ran as Eun-hwa, the building representative, and Seo Hyun-woo as Jin-ho, Woo-sung's "suspicious" neighbor who is also curious about the noise. "Unpredictable twists" unfold after other residents blame Woo-sung for the noise and he begins to investigate the true source. 'Trigger' The action thriller series from Kwon Oh-seung, the writer and director of Midnight, debuts July 25 on Netflix. Trigger imagines a gun-free South Korea, where chaos "erupts when illegal firearms suddenly begin to circulate, sparking unprecedented violence," according to an official synopsis. Kim Nam-gil (Song of the Bandits) and Kim Young-kwang (Somebody) star as two men who "take up arms for very different reasons." Kim Nam-gil plays Lee Do, a former military sniper-turned-detective who strives to stop the violence and find the source of the illegal weapons, while Kim Young-kwang portrays Moon Baek, "a mysterious figure" with hidden motives. 'Mantis' Mantis is a spinoff of the 2023 action crime thriller Kill Boksoon. Byun Sung-hyun, the writer and director of the original film, returns to co-write the script with Lee Tae-sung, who directs the new movie. Set in the same universe as Kill Boksoon, Mantis stars Yim Si-wan as Han-ul, aka Mantis, an assassin working for MK Ent. Mantis returns from his "vacation" mentioned in Kill Boksoon to find several skilled assassins vying for the top spot. Yim played Myung-gi, aka Player 333, in Squid Game Seasons 2 and 3. The cast also includes Park Gyu-young (Sweet Home) as Jae-yi, a former MK Ent. assassin who was ousted from the group, and Jo Woo-jin (Narco-Saints) as Dok-go, a retired founding member of MK Ent. and Mantis' mentor. Mantis is set for release on Netflix in the third quarter of the year. 'Good News' Kill Boksoon writer and director Byun Sung-hyun is also working on the thriller film Good News, slated for release on Netflix in the fourth quarter of the year. Set in the 1970s, the movie follows "a covert operation" to save the passengers of a plane that has been hijacked in the air, according to an official synopsis. Sul Kyung-gu (Kill Boksoon) stars as "a mysterious fixer who shows up whenever needed to resolve problems." The cast also includes Hong Kyung (Weak Hero Class 1) as an Air Force lieutenant involved in the mission and Ryoo Seung-bum (Moving) as the government official in charge of the operation. Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun attend 'Squid Game' S3 premiere Star Lee Jung-jae arrives on the red carpet at Netflix's "Squid Game" Season 3 premiere at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on June 18, 2025. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Metta World Peace on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being ‘better than Michael Jordan'
The post Metta World Peace on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being 'better than Michael Jordan' appeared first on ClutchPoints. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just delivered a season that basketball fans will be talking about for decades. He led the Oklahoma City Thunder to an NBA championship, battling through a thrilling seven-game series against the Indiana Pacers, per AthlonSports. Along the way, he claimed the league's scoring title, won regular season MVP, and took home Finals MVP honors. That combination has only been accomplished by three others in league history: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, and Michael Jordan. Advertisement Naturally, that kind of season demands conversations about greatness. But Metta World Peace, the former NBA champion and Defensive Player of the Year, took it to another level. On social media and in recent interviews, he claimed, 'At times, Shai is better than MJ.' Fans were stunned, critics shook their heads, but Metta meant every word. And he didn't walk it back. Instead, he added context on the podcast Casuals with Katie Nolan, saying, 'Michael Jordan's done things nobody has ever done, and it looks so elegant. But SGA, the way he plays the game, through the legs, behind the back, step back, crossover, spins, it's exactly how he wants to play it.' A New Kind of Greatness Gilgeous-Alexander's playing style has become one of the smoothest in the league. He doesn't rely on brute strength or explosive dunks. His footwork, rhythm, and control turn games into highlight reels, but not in the way that overwhelms. He picks his spots, controls the tempo, and makes elite defenders look ordinary. To Metta's point, it's not about Shai copying Jordan's dominance. It's about the way he has carved out his own lane. Advertisement Jordan was an assassin who struck with speed and precision. Shai feels more like a tactician, crafting each move with patience and creativity. His ability to stay calm in pressure moments and hit tough shots from all angles is a skill set that has separated him from his peers. And now, it is starting to place him in a different conversation altogether. Metta World Peace didn't say Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is better than Michael Jordan in every way. He simply pointed out what some fans have started to see: in certain moments, on certain nights, Gilgeous-Alexander plays a brand of basketball that feels just as legendary. Related: Fans react to Nick Young going off on Gilbert Arenas for being a 'Kobe hater' Related: Pat McAfee finally explains WWE absence
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elle Duncan makes hilariously embarrassing Cooper Flagg-Ace Bailey blunder before 2025 NBA Draft
The post Elle Duncan makes hilariously embarrassing Cooper Flagg-Ace Bailey blunder before 2025 NBA Draft appeared first on ClutchPoints. The 2025 NBA Draft is officially here, and as the top prospects funneled into the Barclays Center for the big event, fans and pundits alike celebrated their final moments before becoming pros. Advertisement The red carpet was loaded with impressive fits, fans checked social media for the finals scoops before the big event, and ESPN wanted to showcase Cooper Flagg, a player destined to go first overall to the Dallas Mavericks, before he became a Pro. Unfortunately for anchor Ellen Duncan, that because a lot harder than one may think, with her production staff missing the memo on the assignment. 'Welcome back to SportsCenter. You're looking at Cooper Flagg and in just over an hour from now, that is not Cooper Flagg at all actually,' Duncan noted. 'That is quite famously Ace Bailey. There's Cooper Flagg.' Pretty rough stuff, right? Well, unfortunately for Duncan, it happened again, with the ESPN staff running another shoe-up video of the prospect that was certainly of Flagg… or was it Dylan Harper? Advertisement 'I was gonna say a lot of… No, that's not him either,' Duncan said. 'That's not Cooper Flagg either.' Widely considered two of the top five prospects in this year's class, it makes sense that Bailey and Harper would get plenty of play on ESPN before the big show, but someone is certainly going to get an earful for this faux pas, be that the production staff for using the wrong videos, or her producer running the teleprompter, as something was clearly lost in translation. In the end, does it really matter that ESPN showed the wrong person before the NBA Draft? Nope, Flagg and Harper both came off the board where they were expected to, while Harper missed out on going to the Philadelphia 76ers, much to his presumed chagrin. But to paraphrase the Phineas and Ferb meme, the mistake may not have happened a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. Advertisement Related: Dylan Harper can't believe Rutgers teammate Ace Bailey's NBA Draft outfit Related: Live 2025 NBA Draft grades for every 1st-round pick, trade
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I created 'Ginny & Georgia.' I wrote this character with 'pieces of me.'
When Sarah Lampert created Ginny & Georgia, she wanted to tell a story that reflected the raw and often messy truths of life. It's part of what has made the Netflix dramedy such a hit — viewers can see parts of themselves in the show's complex characters. The third season, which premiered on June 5, debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. charts with 17.6 million viewers — in just its first four days — with fans eager to see the aftermath of Georgia Miller's (Brianne Howey) arrest for murder on her own wedding day. All three seasons of the series have been on Netflix's top 10 list for English TV for three weeks and running. Ginny & Georgia centers on the mother-daughter relationship between teenage Ginny and her free-spirited, secretive matriarch, Georgia, as they settle into a new town and face unexpected challenges. Central to the show is mental health. Growing up, Lampert never understood certain compulsions and behaviors that affected her life. It wasn't until her 30s, when she was diagnosed with ADHD and OCD, that everything clicked. This revelation would later influence the character of Ginny's best friend Maxine Baker, whose behaviors, struggles and dialogue have pieces of Lampert's own experiences. Ginny and Maxine, aka Max, make up half of their friend group, nicknamed "MANG," along with characters Abby and Norah. Maxine is a dynamic and complex character, known for her energetic, emotional and vulnerable nature. She often brings humor and heart to the series, but beneath her vibrant personality lies a struggle with mental health and a search for self-identity. The character of Maxine naturally holds a special place for the creator, writer and executive producer. Still, she was conscious of not diagnosing Maxine onscreen this season. Below, Lampert opens up about giving a voice to her personal journey through Max and how actress Sara Waisglass brought the character to life. Coming out of the release of Season 3 of Ginny & Georgia, the comment I'm seeing the most online is 'I relate to Maxine!' I've watched passionate TikToks about how deeply everyone feels for the character, the questions they have about her actions and the empathy they hold for her. 'Why did MANG leave her out?' 'I've never related to a character more!' 'She was trying to help!' 'Maxine, get behind me! My poor little glass child baby!' Maxine's pain isn't obvious. She's not brooding or glum. She's energetic. She's the star of the musical. She is happiest when others are happy. She loves the spotlight but is wildly generous about sharing it. Maxine is constantly thinking about everyone else. It is exhausting to be Maxine. She always has to be OK. That's the role she's been cast in, especially as a twin to her brother Marcus. When she starts to not be OK, when she cracks, no one sees it because she's gotten too good at hiding it. Even when she tries to share her feelings, no one sees she's drowning. The version of depression that we're more used to seeing onscreen is represented in Marcus, portrayed so achingly and hauntingly beautifully by Felix Mallard. But in a show where the theme is "everyone's fighting a battle you can't see" — what battle is Maxine fighting, and is it so dissimilar from Marcus's, or is it just packaged differently? By entering Maxine's head in Season 3, the writers were able to give context to some of her over-the-top reactions from Season 2, revealing her thought process in a way that showed the chaos and heart that make up the character's inner world. We also had the gift that is Sara Waisglass, who has the ability to make you laugh and cry in the same sentence. Sara was very brave in Season 2 in allowing Maxine to be so messy, to bring the character to places that we knew would be unpopular with the audience because she had to be flawed. She had to be human. Does Maxine overreact to Ginny and Marcus's relationship? I think so. Is that something I would do at 16? Absolutely. She makes sense to me, her rejection sensitivity, the larger-than-life emotions, the dramatics. Of all the characters on the show, Maxine is the one I relate to the most. I was in my 30s when I was diagnosed with ADHD and OCD. Suddenly, so many aspects of my life clicked and made so much sense. I realized that this wasn't unique to me. So many people — especially women — aren't diagnosed until later in life. Women's mental health, like women's physical health, is criminally overlooked. And to be honest, I'm not interested in diagnosing Maxine. She's young. She has a lot of growing up to do. She's got pieces of me, but she's not me. She's a combined effort of the other brilliant writers who work on this show, and of the special sauce of Sara Waisglass, who infuses Max with her own spin so that everything feels so very Max. I knew that it would mean a lot to depict Maxine's inner thought process onscreen. If we could get it right, I knew it would be powerful and others could connect to it. Max would make sense to them. When Season 3 was released on Netflix June 5, the response was shocking because Maxine is all of us. Everyone felt for her. Everyone felt they were her. We've all gone through feelings of being too much, of being left out, of needing to be OK when other people weren't. The universality of that is beautiful to me. I hope that if the show does anything, it makes people feel less alone. With Maxine's story specifically, I hope that it helps people pay attention to the friend who they don't think needs help, the friend that's laughing on the outside. Inside, they just might be hiding something deeper. To those people who do feel like Maxine, I hope you see how you're not alone and how seen you really are. That's why it was so important to me to put the inside of Maxine's head onscreen, for all the Max's out there.
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dakota Johnson flips the script — and steals the spotlight
The press tour is over. Materialists is out. The verdict is in: There's just something special about Dakota Johnson. She's a nepo baby with a Hollywood pedigree that, on paper, should make her seem unapproachable. Her parents are stars Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, and her grandmother is Tippi Hedren. Her first leading role? Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey, a movie franchise that could have typecast her into oblivion. But somehow, Dakota Johnson has taken everything that might have worked against her and turned it into her superpower. Just like in Materialists, she's technically one-third of a love triangle alongside internet boyfriends Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal — but in every interview, whether solo or alongside her costars, it's clear: she's the one stealing the show. Johnson didn't just promote a movie — she reminded us why she's one of the most magnetic, self-aware stars working today. Her media blitz for the film showed us the actress at her most charming: effortlessly chic, disarmingly unfiltered and entirely in control of the narrative. Materialists marked Johnson's first big press tour since 2024's Madame Web fiasco, the superhero flop that could've ended most stars' careers. Johnson proved once again she's not afraid to get in on the joke. Instead of hiding from the bomb, she met the criticism head-on and didn't shy away from discussing it this time around. It really was a master class in turning chaos into a cool, controlled comeback, with really good outfits. From the outside, Johnson's Materialists rollout looked like the usual checklist: a few late-night appearances with funny and relatable anecdotes, a podcast or two, fashion blogs buzzing over every cool girl outfit and dinner with high-profile friends like Taylor Swift. But what set it apart was Johnson's authenticity. There were no obviously rehearsed talking points, no damage control and definitely no over-explaining. The latter applied to her personal life too. The more she leaned into the unpredictability — showing up a little cheeky and extremely herself — the more fans (and fashion blogs and internet stan accounts) leaned in. Whether she was kissing a cardboard cutout of Pedro Pascal's face on the red carpet at the film's premiere, dropping a casual curse on live TV or flawlessly eating hot wings in a suede jacket worth more than most people's rent, this wasn't just a press tour — it was performance art. And Johnson nailed every scene. Here's how she pulled it off — with sharp humor, sharp style and a complete command of the spotlight. Need proof? Just watch what happened when she strolled onto The Tonight Show on June 3 in a plunging Ferragamo blazer, mini skirt and zero panic. Johnson joked to host Jimmy Fallon that it was the 'wrong outfit' for the occasion. 'My eyes are up here,' she told him. Fallon handed her a tissue in a mock attempt to help cover up her cleavage, which she gamely wore, and teased that he was going to sell it on eBay after the show. Johnson knew what she was there to do — she had a film to promote, after all — so once the wardrobe discussion was out of the way, she went on to share funny anecdotes about her relationship with her Materialists costar Pascal, who himself has charmed the masses with his endearing interviews, offbeat sense of humor and disarming humility. Fallon showed the audience a photo of the two of them together at a 2024 Stevie Nicks concert in London, and Johnson said Pascal was wearing her sweater. "He does that a lot; he takes my clothes," she said. 'He's always underdressed … I mean, he's wearing a T-shirt and it's cold outside. Not like he forgot his pants.' And with that deadpan nod to her ensemble, the audience ate it up. Days later, over on Late Night with Seth Meyers, she once again opened with a line about her not wearing pants. The girl is committed to her bit! She brought her signature dry humor to a conversation about baseball, or rather, her lack of knowledge about it, while cheekily explaining the custom Mets jersey she wore to a game that read 'DJ 69.' It's not just limited to late night, either. In the early hours of the Today show with costar Chris Evans, he kept it safe, whereas she went for it. When asked by Craig Melvin what a nonnegotiable quality in a partner was, Evans said, 'Must love dogs.' But not Johnson. When prompted for her response, she calmly said, 'Not an asshole.' The host scrambled, asking producers to 'clean that up for the West Coast.' Johnson sat there, unbothered. Johnson's Hot Ones appearance was no different. She dressed in a rich toffee suede Khaite jacket that retails for nearly $6,000 and devoured increasingly spicy wings without flinching — all while dropping a perfectly timed dig at Madame Web. When host Sean Evans joked he wasn't a superhero after a particularly brutal wing, Johnson shot back, 'I'm also not a superhero. Tried. Failed.' And no, she didn't spill one drop of sauce on that jacket. Of course she didn't. If her commentary was performance art, her wardrobe was the visual storytelling. Take the sheer Nensi Dojaka dress she wore heading to Late Night with Seth Meyers. She wore the gauzy, body-skimming number just one day after news of her reported split from Chris Martin broke. Whether intentional or not, it screamed 'revenge dress' — and it worked. Johnson looked every bit the unaffected movie star: polished, elusive and aspirational. Throughout the Materialists tour, her outfits reflected the same energy she brought to the screen: expensive, a little unapproachable and totally watchable. Fashion blogs and social media accounts dissected each look like it was an episode recap. Where was that Balenciaga bodysuit from? Which Gucci purse is that? Can you get those knockoff Ophelia Eve earrings? And it tracked. After all, her character Lucy is a high-end matchmaker who says she only wants to marry rich — so naturally, Johnson's press tour wardrobe felt like something both she and Lucy could pull off. Whether it was the see-through dress, a plunging Ferragamo blazer with no shirt underneath or paparazzi shots of her in thigh-high boots and an oversized trench, every outfit served a purpose, served a headline or just served us great fashion. Then there was the Materialists premiere on June 7, where Johnson showed up in a floor-length, asymmetrical, backless black Gucci gown. It oozed romance — fitting for a rom-dram, sure, but maybe also a wink at the end of a very public (and very quietly handled) breakup. As always, she let the look speak for itself. Everyone else did the talking. Johnson's alleged split from Martin, her partner on and off for eight years, could have been a tabloid distraction. But it never really got the oxygen it needed to dominate headlines. That wasn't by accident. The news broke as Johnson's press tour was kicking off, which is a time when personal questions are generally off-limits during any press appearances. It controls a narrative and was a strategically perfect moment to let the story land — and then disappear. Although her ex didn't exactly give her a helping hand. After reports surfaced of their breakup, the Coldplay frontman shouted out Johnson's film on stage at the band's Las Vegas concert. ('Thank you, everybody! Be kind to each other!' he told the crowd. 'Don't forget to go see Materialists!') It's giving text me back vibes while Johnson metaphorically has already changed her number. Rather than offer quotes or go quiet, Johnson did her job as she kept showing up, delivering sound bites and stealing the spotlight. She even made space for a little realness, or at least the appearance of it, when she mentioned her no 'assholes' rule on the Today show. The result? A breakup that barely registered amid a wave of headlines about her humor, her style and her undeniable charisma. And isn't that the most Dakota Johnson move of all, letting people talk about her without really saying a thing? In the end, Materialists might be a hotly debated rom-dram, but Johnson's press tour was its own kind of love story between a movie star and her audience. She made us laugh, made us want her closet and made us want to be her best friend. She wasn't just selling a movie. She was selling a feeling — and we bought it. We can't wait to see what she does next.
