Granted, it works even better when attached to the trailer for Ted Lasso, where our title character faces a new challenge in season two: A relegated team that apparently goes on a long streak of tie games, perhaps because Dani Rojas can't make a goddamn penalty kick. The frustration bubbles over for Ted, who at one point goes full Hulk Lasso.

What's also interesting about the trailer is that Jamie does not figure into it, and Roy can be spotted for only the briefest of seconds kissing Keeley. Has he retired? Will Jamie return to AFC Richmond? Or will the team have to rely on Dani Rojas to save them? We will find out when Ted Lasso returns on July 23rd.

July 23rd... The Greyhounds are back...#tedlasso pic.twitter.com/RCP4foji4u

— Brett Goldstein (@brettgoldstein) June 21, 2021

Bill Lawrence is on the record, by the way, stating that they have a three-season plan for Ted Lasso and that he doesn't want to take it any further. I love that. But also, damn.

Michael B. Jordan and Drake showed up to a high school basketball game just to watch Lebron James' son play. (Lainey Gossip)

Ben Affleck won't let the intense media scrutiny get in the way of Bennifer 2.0, but I think the cat's out of the bag on that one because everyone knew about this before they even touched nips. Good luck. (Celebitchy)

In light of the whole Anthony Mackie thing, I thought this was apropos:

Be more like Mark. pic.twitter.com/Y3LDDoKzNt

— Jill Blake (@biscuitkitten) June 17, 2021

From Jen: The 21 best TV comedies of the 21st century so far. (NYT)

From Roxana: Dennis Rodman as Moira Rose, a thread. (Jeremy Taché)

RIP Champ Biden.

Our family lost our loving companion Champ today. I will miss him. pic.twitter.com/sePqXBIAsE

— President Biden (@POTUS) June 19, 2021

After the Test Integration Email snafu, which was not that big of a deal, social media has the HBO Max intern's back. (Variety)

Oh good, Bill Maher weighed in on the In The Heights controversy. That's just what that situation needed. (Deadline)

And Zack Snyder had to ruin the whole "Does Batman give head?" fun by being his unsubtle Zack Snyder self. Just a warning, this link is NSFW. (Twitter)

Sometimes a book is so relatable, it's like a gut punch. During her first year as a new mother, Caitlin_D read The New One, Mike Birbiglia's account of reluctantly becoming a new father. "But, while he loves his daughter it is really the love for his wife that comes through in this memoir." If you wrote a memoir of this past year, what would you want readers to know at the end? (Cannonball Read 13)

i'm proud of u swifty pic.twitter.com/mK9vZK1iB9

— folu (@notfolu) June 20, 2021

Bruce Jr. was also targeted by the Johnston Gang and was shot numerous times alongside Robin in front of her house. Robin didn't survive, but Bruce Jr. did, despite being hit nine times, including two shots to the head. He then contacted the police and decided to testify against his father and the entire Johnston Gang, which resulted in Bruce Sr. being convicted in 1981 and receiving six consecutive life sentences, and Bruce Sr.'s brothers, David Johnston and Norman Johnston, receiving four consecutive life sentences.

These actual events served as the inspiration for the film At Close Range, which opened in theaters on April 18, 1986.

In the year 1978, Brad Whitewood, Jr. (Sean Penn) is a teenage troublemaker living in near-poverty with his mother, brother, grandmother, and his mother's boyfriend. When he's hanging out with his brother, Tommy (Chris Penn), and their friends one night, he meets Terry (Mary Stuart Masterson), a 16-year-old girl, and the two of them are immediately attracted to one another. Brad Jr. and his family soon receive an unexpected visit from Brad Whitewood, Sr. (Christopher Walken), and though his mother and grandmother make it clear that they don't appreciate his company at all, Brad Jr. can't help but want to spend more time with his father and learn more about him, especially after getting into a heated argument with his mother's boyfriend that ends with him literally being thrown out of his home.

He soon finds out that his father is a professional thief who runs his own crew, and that they perform robberies all across the state. (Brad Sr.: "Most people who drive through here see farms. Houses, and fields, and shit. I see money, I see things, everything got my name writ' on it!") This soon leads to Brad Jr. wanting to have the fast cars, money, and swagger that Brad Sr. has, so he decides to recruit his friends to start committing robberies as well. Everything goes smoothly with Brad Sr. taking his son under his wing and teaching him what he needs to know until he learns that the FBI has been brought in to help the local police start investigating him and his scores, as well as the fact that Lester, one of Brad Sr.'s former partners, has begun making it clear that he wants to be a part of his crew again to make more money and is even willing to talk to the cops if he doesn't get what he wants. This leads to Brad Sr. showing Lester that under no circumstances will he ever be allowed to talk to the cops, and when Brad Jr. sees just how ruthless his father and his partners-in-crime truly are, he wants nothing more than to walk away from it all and leave town with Terry as soon as possible. But when Brad Jr. and his friends are all arrested after a robbery gone wrong, Brad Sr. (believing that any or all of them, including his own son, may turn state's evidence against him to save themselves) decides that he is willing to do anything to keep himself and his crew from ending up in jail.

Anything.

At Close Range is the second film released in the 1980s to show audiences what life is like in the rural sections of Pennsylvania and not just in the bigger, well-known cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The first film was Witness, and through watching John Book risk his own life to protect Rachel Book and her son, Samuel, after the boy ends up witnessing a brutal murder, we learned about the Amish community in places like Lancaster County, how they practice their faith, and how they live their lives in service to God in order to honor and satisfy Him. And in At Close Range, which also takes place in Lancaster County as well as Chester County, we see people like Brad Jr. and his family living in destitute terms and relying only on each other as they try to make a dollar out of fifteen cents by any means necessary, whether it's through working legitimate jobs, or betting on illegal cockfights, or in Brad Sr.'s case, stealing tractors, safes, and any other valuable merchandise that they can get their hands on. And watching At Close Range is very reminiscent of the After-School Specials and made-for-TV movies that were very popular on television in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, particularly the ones that are "based on a true story" and "inspired by actual events" much like this very film. It doesn't drop any anvils on the heads of its viewers to make sure that they learn a valuable lesson from what they're seeing, but it becomes more and more evident that Brad Jr. is in way over his head and that the lessons he will end up learning before the end credits roll will be incredibly painful.

The film's cast does a fantastic job with their performances, and there are many familiar faces to be spotted while watching the film: David Strathairn, R.D. Call, Tracey Walter, and J.C. Quinn play the members of Brad Sr.'s crew; Crispin Glover, Stephen Geoffreys, and Kiefer Sutherland play Brad Jr. and Tommy's friends; Alan Autry appears as the no-nonsense boyfriend of Brad Jr.'s mother; Candy Clark as Mary Sue, Brad Sr.'s girlfriend, and Millie Perkins and Eileen Ryan (real-life mother of Sean and Chris Penn) play Brad Jr.'s mother and grandmother. If you watched all three TV-movies about Amy Fisher and Joey Buttafuoco back in the 1990s (yes, you read that correctly, there were actually three TV-movies about Amy Fisher and they aired on all three of the major television networks), you'll probably recognize Noelle Parker as Jill, who is Terry's closest friend.

Mary Stuart Masterson is impressive onscreen as always, and as Terry, we get to see her slowly fall in love with Brad Jr. and succumb to his charms, enough that she is willing to speak out against Brad Sr. and his crew when they seem unwilling to accept Brad Jr. as one of theirs so he can make more money and the two of them can get their own place. This clearly doesn't make Brad Sr. happy, and when Terry ends up suffering his wrath in order to end her relationship with his son once and for all, no words needs be said afterward between Terry and Brad Jr.'s grandmother as the older woman sits with this young girl and consoles her about her sexual assault. Much like Walter White, a.k.a. "Heisenberg," Brad Sr. is someone who is willing to hurt and demean and intimidate the women in his life if they are seen in any way as threats to his empire, someone who can and will make messes that those same women will be left behind to clean up and live with whether they want to or not, and Terry learns this about him in the worst way imaginable.

(You probably didn't like reading that if you're a man who really likes Walter White and who really hates Skylar White for...reasons that are totally not misogynistic, but that doesn't make it any less true)

As much as Sean Penn does a great job as Brad Jr. in showing us a young man yearning for independence and wanting to be loved by the father he barely knows, it is Christopher Walken as Brad Sr. who steals every scene and makes it impossible to take our eyes off of what he's doing. After seeing him onscreen for so many years, it's easy to forget what Walken is truly capable of as an actor, to take him for granted because of how often he's been mocked or imitated by other actors and comedians, and only think of how reliably funny and wacky he was, is, and can be thanks to his classic appearances on Saturday Night Live in skits such as "The Continental" and "More Cowbell" and "Colonel Angus Comes Home," as well as Fatboy Slim's music video for "Weapon Of Choice". Much like how when some people think of Samuel L. Jackson, they think less of his acting prowess in numerous films, and more of his ability to say "Motherf-cker!" in a loud voice as only he can.

But in At Close Range, everything that we know about Christopher Walken and that we're used to seeing from him is exactly what makes him so memorable and terrifying. Beneath the charm and the smooth talk and the flirtatious banter with Mary Sue is nothing more than a devil in blue suede shoes. It's how some of the people in town describe him, it's what Brad Sr. tells his son not to believe about him when he hears such rumors, and yet as the film progresses, we eventually learn that a devil in blue suede shoes is exactly what he is. Most of us remember the classic shot from Goodfellas in which the camera slowly zooms in on Jimmy as he decides, without saying a word and with one or two brief glances in Tommy's direction, that he intends to kill Morrie to avoid paying him his share of the Lufthansa heist, all while "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Cream is playing on the soundtrack. Brad Sr. makes a similar decision when it comes to Brad Jr. and his friends, and the only sounds we hear as he sits still and stares into the distance, are his crew members arguing over whether this is necessary.

The look on Brad Sr.'s face, one of minimal regret and merciless efficiency, provides the last word on whether this will be done, and one of the most painful scenes in the film is Tommy slowly and tearfully realizing that no matter what he says to his father about his willingness to be loyal to his family, it won't be enough to save his life.

At Close Range received mostly positive reviews, and though it didn't do entirely well at the box-office, one of its most memorable contributions came from Penn's then-wife, Madonna, who worked with the film's music composer, Patrick Leonard, on the song "Live To Tell." It appeared on the film's soundtrack (though the instrumental score used in the song was originally intended for the 1985 teen drama Fire with Fire) and went on to become one of Madonna's biggest hits.

At Close Range, which was directed by James Foley (who also directed After Dark, My Sweet, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Fear) and written by Elliott Lewitt and Nicholas Kazan (the latter would actually go on to write another screenplay for a film based on a real-life crime called Reversal Of Fortune, which won Jeremy Irons an Oscar for Best Actor). It is a film that deserves more attention as a work of crime fiction and is one worthy of inclusion when discussing the legacies of Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson, and the late Chris Penn. It's also a story of what happens when children grow up and learn more about their parents, and soon learn that not only are they humans who can often disappoint you in ways great and small, but that they can also say and do things which make you realize that your parents are people who never should've become parents in the first place. Some of us learn this very hard and painful lesson when our parents would rather start a new life with a new family than to stay with the family they already have. Others learn this when neither an election nor a worldwide pandemic will keep them from saying cruel and hurtful things that can result in your bonds with them becoming strained or even severed. And if you're Brad Whitewood, Jr. (or his real-life counterpart, Bruce Johnston, Jr.) you sit in a courtroom and identify your father as a man who can easily smile in your face after deciding that he would rather kill you, kill your friends, and kill the girl that you love, than suffer the consequences for his own actions.

At Close Range is now streaming on Hulu and on Amazon Prime Video.

And my God, what a terrific character he is. He's the perfect sleuth for the 2020s. He has none of the prickliness of Sherlock Holmes or the womanizing history of James Bond. He has their charisma and self-assurance, for sure, but he falls more on the delightful end of the spectrum, an easygoing Danny Ocean without a hint of smugness. Sy, meanwhile, so fully inhabits the character -- he is so Lupinesque -- that it's almost impossible to imagine anyone else playing him, much less the history of white guys in top hats who have portrayed him in the past (Sy, instead, wears a fashionable flat cap). It's a reinvention without any of the baggage, but because the character is also inspired by the novels, he's literary, to boot. There's even a detective character who uses the Lupin novels in an effort to apprehend Diop.

For those who were not among the 70 million worldwide who watched the first part of Netflix's series (what's wrong? Where were you? What else were you watching during the pandemic?), Diop plays a character whose father was framed by a powerful businessman, Monsieur Hubert Pellegrini (Hervé Pierre), for the theft of a diamond necklace that once belonged to Marie Antoinette. Diop's father, meanwhile, killed himself while in prison, and Diop has spent his life studying Lupin -- whose novels were introduced to him by his father -- and vowing revenge/justice.

There is nothing particularly dark or sinister about Lupin's plot; he famously does not kill. He accomplishes his goals through an elaborate series of capers, including the theft of the aforementioned necklace from the Louvre in the series-opening episode, a heist designed to flush out his enemies. Part I of the Netflix series allows Diop to identify the man (and the corrupt cop) behind his father's imprisonment, while in Part II, Diop orchestrates a plan designed to take them down.

There are complications. Diop's son, Raoul (Etan Simon) is kidnapped, which further drives a wedge between Diop and Claire (Ludivine Sagnier), the mother of Diop's child and the love of his life. I don't want to say too much else about the second half of the series, except to say that the first two episodes aren't as fun because Pellegrini has Diop on the ropes (the first episode back, in fact, ends in traumatic fashion). Diop later gains back the upper hand through a potentially romantic encounter with Pelligrini's daughter and Lupin returns to form, outwitting and outscheming his enemies until the big showdown.

It's great television, and the five episodes feel like the quickest binge on streaming television. It continues to be one of those series you can't stop watching but are disappointed when it's over and there are no more episodes to binge. Part 3, thankfully, has already been greenlit, and given the global popularity of the series, it will undoubtedly escape Netflix's three-season curse and may ultimately run for years. It's hard to imagine ever tiring of it.

After Eriksen was taken off the field, the ESPN commentators were forced to talk through the game delay with the possibility that fans had just witnessed a 29-year-old star athlete die in front of them. Meanwhile, people around the world were researching CPR:

That spike corresponds to almost the exact moment that the medical team could be seen working on Eriksen. There's further evidence that people aren't just googling CPR but are looking for CPR classes so they can respond in similar emergencies.

Eriksen survived his cardiac arrest thanks to CPR and the use of a defibrillator within minutes of his attack. He's been in the hospital since then and it's been announced that he will get an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator to prevent further cardiac arrests. In the ongoing games of the Euro Cup (because of course, it's still going on after a person literally died during a game, that game actually continued on the SAME DAY with his traumatized teammates forced to play, but that is a whole other matter) other players and fans have displayed messages of support and care for Eriksen as he recovers.

On the other end of the emotional spectrum (that running from "horrified, reluctant voyeurism" to "enjoying small misfortunes to multi-billion dollar soulless corporations"), we have Cristiano Ronaldo dropping the market value of Coca-Cola by billions simply by moving two promotional bottles of Coke that were in front of him at a press conference, lifting his unlabeled bottle of water, and saying "agua." Of course, since that means the market value went from $242 billion to $238 billion, that represents a slightly less than 1.5% dip. Coke is not suffering. But if European soccer players can convince people to learn CPR and drink water, there's some net good coming out of the Euro Cup this year.

Let's dive in...

The Tomorrow War: Coming globally to Prime Video July 2.

Synopsis: "In The Tomorrow War, the world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Chris Pratt). Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J.K. Simmons) in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of the planet."

Why We're Stoked: Oh. We're not. Keep an eye out for the review. I predict it'll be a scorcher.

How I Became a Superhero (Comment Je Suis Devenu Super Heros): Coming to Netflix July 9.

Synopsis: "Paris 2021. Superheroes are perfectly integrated into society. A mysterious drug that bestows super abilities to those who have none spread out in the city. As the number of incidents rises, Lieutenant Moreau and Schaltzmann are sent out to investigate. Along with Monte Carlo and Callista, two vigilante old-timers, they will stop at nothing to contain the spread of the narcotic. But Moreau's past resurfaces, and the case thickens...."

Why We're Stoked: This isn't your average superhero movie.

Gunpowder Milkshake: Coming to Netflix July 14.

Synopsis: "Sam (Karen Gillan) was only 12 years old when her mother Scarlet (Lena Headey), an elite assassin, was forced to abandon her. Sam was raised by The Firm, the ruthless crime syndicate her mother worked for. Now, 15 years later, Sam has followed in her mother's footsteps and grown into a fierce hit-woman. She uses her "talents" to clean up The Firm's most dangerous messes. She's as efficient as she is loyal."

Why We're Stoked: This killer cast also includes Carla Gugino, Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, and Paul Giamatti. 'Nuff said.

How It Ends: Premiering on digital and in select theatres July 20.

Synopsis: "In this feel-good apocalyptic comedy, freewheeling Liza (Zoe Lister-Jones) scores an invite to one last wild party before the world ends. But making it there won't be easy, after her car is stolen, and the clock is ticking on her plan to tie up loose ends with friends and family. Accompanied by her younger self (Cailee Spaeny), Liza embarks on a hilarious journey across Los Angeles, running into an eclectic cast of characters."

Why We're Stoked: Along with a gleefully dark premise, this comedy boasts appearances by Olivia Wilde, Fred Armisen, Charlie Day, Helen Hunt, Nick Kroll, Lamorne Morris, Bradley Whitford, Colin Hanks, Finn Wolfhard, Logan Marshall Green, Bobby Lee, Glenn Howerton, Ayo Edebiri, Paul W. Downs, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer and Pauly Shore.

Joe Bell: Only in theaters July 23.

Synopsis: "From filmmaker Reinaldo Marcus Green (Monsters and Men), along with the Academy Award-winning writing team behind Brokeback Mountain (Diana Ossana & Larry McMurtry) and Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg, Joe Bell tells the intimate and emotional true story of an Oregonian father who pays tribute to his gay teenage son Jadin, embarking on a self-reflective walk across America to speak his heart to heartland citizens about the real and terrifying costs of bullying."

Why We're Stoked: Oh, we're not. This has had blah buzz since its TIFF premiere. Plus, it looks like Wahlberg is pulling a gay Green Book, centering a story of oppression and bigotry on the dopey white everyman it doesn't directly affect.

Settlers: Opening in theaters and VOD July 23.

Synopsis: "On a remote homestead amongst the Martian frontier, a refugee family from Earth clings to hope for a better life. But when strangers appear in the surrounding hills and attempt to run them off, nine-year-old Remmy (Brooklynn Prince, The Florida Project) is faced with the desperate reality her mother (Sofia Boutella, The Mummy) and father (Jonny Lee Miller, Trainspotting) have tried so hard to keep from her."

Why We're Stoked: You had us at space Western. Speaking of--watch Prospect.

Twist: In theaters, on digital, and On Demand July 30.

Synopsis: "Inspired by Charles Dickens's iconic novel Oliver Twist, this action-fueled crime-thriller set in contemporary London follows the journey of Twist (Raff Law), a gifted graffiti artist trying to find his way after the loss of his mother. Lured into a street gang headed by the paternal Fagin (Oscar® winner Michael Caine), Twist is attracted to the lifestyle -- and to Red (Sophie Simnett), an alluring member of Fagin's crew. But when an art theft goes wrong, Twist's moral code is tested as he's caught between Fagin, the police, and a loose-cannon enforcer (Lena Headey)."

Why We're Stoked: Okay. This sounds like a dumb Guy Ritchie pitch. But check out this trailer. This looks fun.

Nine Perfect Strangers: Arrives on Hulu on August 18.

Synopsis: "Based on The New York Times bestselling book by author Liane Moriarty, Nine Perfect Strangers takes place at a boutique health-and-wellness resort that promises healing and transformation as nine stressed city dwellers try to get on a path to a better way of living. Watching over them during this 10-day retreat is the resort's director, Masha, a woman on a mission to reinvigorate their tired minds and bodies. However, these nine 'perfect' strangers have no idea what is about to hit them. "

Why We're Stoked: Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Luke Evans, Bobby Cannavale, Regina Hall, Samara Weaving, and Manny Jacinto, Plus Nicole Kidman as a weirdo guru? Yes, please.

The Shrink Next Door: premiering globally on Apple TV+ November 12.

Synopsis: "Inspired by true events, The Shrink Next Door details the bizarre relationship between psychiatrist to the stars Dr. Isaac "Ike" Herschkopf (played by Paul Rudd) and his longtime patient Martin "Marty" Markowitz (played by Will Ferrell). Over the course of their relationship, the all-too-charming Ike slowly inserts himself into Marty's life, even moving into Marty's Hamptons home and persuading Marty to name him president of the family business. The series explores how a seemingly normal doctor-patient dynamic morphs into an exploitative relationship filled with manipulation, power grabs, and dysfunction at its finest. The series also stars Kathryn Hahn as 'Phyllis,' Marty's younger sister, and Casey Wilson as 'Bonnie' the wife of Dr. Herschkopf."

Why We're Stoked: It's a crackerjack cast for a deeply disturbing story. You want spoilers? Check out The Shrink Next Door podcast.