Latest news with #Alien:Covenant
New York Post
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Jussie Smollett posts bizarre Instagram screed proclaiming innocence and insisting he suffered hate crime attack
Hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett went on a bizarre Instagram rant in which he repeated his widely-debunked claim that he was the victim of a bias attack in the wake of his cushy settlement in his civil suit with the city of Chicago. 'Over six years ago, after it was reported I had been jumped, City Officials in Chicago set out to convince the public that I willfully set an assault against myself. This false narrative has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear,' Smollett wrote on Instagram Saturday. 'These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do. Today, it should be clear…They have received neither.' Advertisement 3 Hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett went on a bizarre Instagram rant on Saturday. FilmMagic Smollett was convicted in 2021 for staging a phony hate crime against himself in Chicago in 2019, and was later sued by the Second City for $130,000 for the cost of the investigation into the bogus claims. The 'Mighty Ducks' actor and the Windy City have now settled their suit — with Smollett agreeing to donate $60,000 to two Chicago-based charitable organizations in lieu of paying the city. Advertisement The 42-year-old will donate $50,000 to nonprofit Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts and 'an additional' $10,000 to the Chicago Torture Justice Center, according to the Instagram post. With this legal win on top of the shock overturning of his five felony charges by the Illinois Supreme Court— the 'Empire' actor is now celebrating what he called his 'innocence.' 'However, despite arduous and expensive attempts to punish me, I am innocent in the eyes of God and our criminal justice system,' Smollett wrote in the post. 'I will continue creating my art, fighting passionately for causes I hold dear and defending my integrity and family name with the truth,' he continued. Advertisement 3 Jussie Smollett was sentenced to five months behind bars after being convicted of staging a hate crime against himself. via REUTERS 3 A still image from surveillance video on January 2019 showed two men who Smollett allegedly staged the phony hate crime with. REUTERS 'To everyone who has supported me, thank you. Your prayers and belief in me mean more than words can properly express,' he wrote, concluding, 'With Love & Respect, Jussie Smollett.' Despite Smollett's crowing over his legal success in the Illinois State Supreme Court, state officials claim that the overturning of the conviction did not mean the 'Alien: Covenant' actor was telling the truth. Advertisement 'Make no mistake: Today's ruling has nothing to do with Mr. Smollett's innocence,' special prosecutor Dan Webb said in a statement at the time. 'The Illinois Supreme Court did not find any error with the overwhelming evidence presented at trial… or the jury's unanimous verdict that Mr. Smollett was guilty of five counts of felony disorderly conduct,' Webb stated. The charges were overturned on Fifth Amendment rights violation, as Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx decided to drop the charges against Smollett after he was initially hit with 16 felony counts stemming from the bogus hate crime police report.
Newsweek
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
'Alien' Movies, Ranked from Worst to Best
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors We're learning more and more about the upcoming Hulu TV series "Alien: Earth - not to mention news of a follow-up to "Alien: Romulus" in development. We thought it was about time to go back and offer up our opinions of how to rank the "Alien" films. Read More: George Lucas Finally Explains Why Yoda Speaks Backwards Not counting the "Alien Vs. Predator" entries since they're non-canonical to either franchise, here's our choices for the "Alien" movies from worst to best. 7. 'Alien Resurrection' (1997) "Alien Resurrection" "Alien Resurrection" 20th Century Studios It's as if someone at the studio challenged the filmmakers to somehow make an "Alien" movie that felt more goofy than scary, and everyone rose to the challenge. There are some fun parts of "Alien Resurrection", but nothing saves it; particularly not the grotesque alien/human hybrid that Sigourney Weaver's Ripley clone treats like a lost puppy. 6. 'Alien: Covenant' (2017) "Alien: Covenant" "Alien: Covenant" 20th Century Studios Ridley Scott's "Alien" prequel trilogy never got finished, and when you see "Alien: Covenant", the second part of the unfinished trilogy, not only do you realize why, but you don't feel any kind of regret for the absence. As a standalone "Alien" film, "Covenant" is exceptionally okay. But it didn't bring enough new sauce to the recipe to justify another go-around. 5. 'Prometheus' (2012) "Prometheus" "Prometheus" 20th Century Studios What do you do when you want to launch a research expedition to another part of the galaxy that will take an enormous amount of time and resources? Well, apparently, you find the absolute dumbest group of scientists in the history of mankind and pay them a ton of money to make the kinds of mistakes you would expect them to avoid, even if they were drunk enough to pass out any minute. 4. 'Alien 3' (1992) "Alien 3" "Alien 3" 20th Century Studios There's a lot to like about "Alien 3" in spite of its flaws. After the action-heavy "Aliens", it managed to recapture the creeping horror of "Alien". But many fans will never forgive the sin of killing off Hudson and Newt during the opening credits, and they shouldn't. 3. 'Alien: Romulus' (2024) "Alien: Romulus" "Alien: Romulus" 20th Century Studios Fede Alvarez struck gold with this bloody standalone. It made a huge misstep in its digital "resurrection" of Ian Holm, but otherwise manages to deliver the best entry in the series we've seen in the 21st century. 2. 'Aliens' (1986) "Aliens" "Aliens" 20th Century Studios "Aliens" is, in many ways, the perfect example of how to make a sequel. It takes the look, the feel, and the mythology established in the first film and builds solidly upon it without forgetting anything. It isn't quite as scary as its predecessor, but it makes up for the toned-down horror with a fun layer of action. 1. 'Alien' (1979) "Alien" "Alien" 20th Century Studios "Alien" remains the gold standard in the franchise. With practical special effects that still stand up today, "Alien" is still the most terrifying film in the franchise. We wouldn't go so far as to say it's worthless to keep making movies, but it's doubtful anyone will make one as scary as Ridley Scott's modern classic. More Movies: 'Barbie' Star Cast as 'Chronicles of Narnia' Villain Predator and Humans Team Up in 'Predator: Badlands' First Look Trailer
New York Times
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Invention' Review: Patent Pensive
'Invention' is the sort of D.I.Y. project that's tough not to admire, even if its aims remain stubbornly private. This strange, personal movie is a mind meld between the experimental filmmaker Courtney Stephens ('Terra Femme') and the actress Callie Hernandez ('Alien: Covenant'). Stephens is credited as director, while the two share a 'film by' credit. Hernandez plays a barely disguised version of herself, 'Carrie Fernandez,' who has just lost her father and is now contending with the logistics. The father character, inspired by Hernandez's own dad, trained as a doctor but later turned to hawking crackpot treatments. He also had a 'different' way of handling personal finances, an executor (James N. Kienitz Wilkins) tactfully reminds Carrie. For a start, he conducted business under multiple names. Carrie's father has bequeathed her the patent for an 'electromagnetic healing device,' a contraption that we're told the Food and Drug Administration has left in legal limbo. Much of 'Invention' consists of scenes between Carrie and her father's associates as she weighs whether the machine was legit — and what to do about it even if it was. 'Did you ever use it?' she asks one of the investors (Tony Torn). 'Ah, no,' he replies. 'I got a stent.' Video clips of Hernandez's real father pitching treatments on TV and theorizing on how 'cells are like your cellphone' are interspersed throughout. The dialogue and the imagery allude to transcendental writers. ('Invention' was shot on 16-millimeter film in Massachusetts.) Periodically, Stephens will cut to moments in which she and the actors break the fourth wall. Whether these meta elements should mean much to those who weren't involved may be beside the point. 'Invention' is committed to finding its own wavelength.
