Barry Levitt

Prime VideoThe Boys never shies away from pushing buttons. This show, about a superhero group called The Seven, couldn’t be further from the comic-book movies that dominate cinemas; the MCU wouldn’t dream of being this transgressive. Shock factor is practically ingrained in the show’s DNA—whether it's extreme violence and gore, or the vicious lampooning of alt-right politics, the show, created by Eric Kripke, is never afraid to “go there.”When it comes to the show’s plentiful sex scenes, outrageousness seems to be the show’s mission statement. Let’s not forget the infamous Season 3 premiere when one supe exploded inside another man’s penis, killing him instantly. That seemed to set off a theme: There was even an exploding penis moment in the Boys spin-off series, Gen V. Heck, just a few episodes ago on The Boys, there was a moment that’s best described as a rimming train in the vein of The Human Centipede. Its plethora of penetration is often gasp-worthy, but even the raunchiest sex in The Boys is brief. Or at least it was. In Episode 6, “Dirty Business,” The Boys tops itself (pun intended) with its longest and single most outrageous sex scene to date.The scene takes place in the home of Tek Knight (Derek Wilson), an uber-wealthy supe who’s invited leading politicians and The Seven to his home for a party. Hughie (Jack Quaid) and the Boys want in so they can figure out The Seven’s secret plan. To infiltrate the party, Hughie has to assume the identity of Tek Knight’s potential new sidekick Web Weaver, who conveniently has a super suit that covers his entire body, therefore hiding Hughie’s identity.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Paramount PicturesCould you survive in a world of silence? That’s the question at the center of the Quiet Place franchise, which imagines a world where aliens attracted to sound take over the world. That’s still an essential element of A Quiet Place: Day One, a prequel and the latest entry in the franchise. But this time around, the most important relationship in the film isn’t between family members trying to survive without speaking—it’s between a woman and her cat.And that cat, with all due respect to the fantastic Oscar-winning Lupita Nyong’o at the center of the film, is the real star of the movie.That’s a perfect task for director Michael Sarnoski, who understands the bond between animals and man better than most. His terrific debut, Pig, followed a man (Nicolas Cage) on a mission to get his kidnapped truffle pig back. In Day One, Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) has late-stage cancer and lives in a hospice with her therapy cat Frodo (played by cats Nico and Schnitzel)Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images, Amazon Studios and NetflixSome things in life are inevitable: Death, taxes, and somebody dredging up discourse about age-gap relationships. The mere act of dating someone significantly older (or younger) than you seems inherently controversial, as if two consenting adults can’t simply be attracted to each other. In Hollywood, age-gap relationships are commonplace; it’s become the norm to see men in their fifties and sixties romancing women half their age.When it comes to older women in relationships with younger men, examples are few and far between. This has created a significant imbalance that suggests older men are still attractive and romanceable at any age, but women have an expiration date attached to their sex appeal (which was brilliantly parodied in Inside Amy Schumer). That age gap conversation is certain to start up again this weekend, with the release of the new Netflix film A Family Affair. Directed by Richard LaGravenese, the film follows a romance between actor Chris (Zac Efron) and writer Brooke (Nicole Kidman), who is 16 years his senior.Remarkably, A Family Affair isn’t the only 2024 film that features a relationship between a woman and a man 16 years younger. Directed by Michael Showalter, The Idea of You stars Anne Hathaway as working mom Solène, who strikes up a surprising romance with boy band star Hayes (Nicholas Galitzine). But A Family Affair and The Idea of You are more than just explorations of older women dating younger men and what that entails: They’re both a major repudiation of common age-gap discourse. These movies are ready to detonate that conversation once and for all.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/NetflixIn the 2022 Netflix special Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration, Lily Tomlin introduces Sandra Bernhard as “indescribable.” That’s a pretty good way of putting it: Bernhard, who identifies as bisexual, has been a transgressive, queer force in comedy since she broke out in stand-up in the 1970s. Soon after, she launched to stardom in Martin Scorsese’s 1981 dark comedy The King of Comedy; since then, her career has taken her to everything from a recurring role on Roseanne to a stint on Broadway, multiple music albums, and beyond.“Not only do I love what I do as a performer and artist, but I’m really interested in the world,” Bernhard tells The Daily Beast’s Obsessed over Zoom, in a recent interview. The comic is reflecting on her career in light of the June 22 release of Netflix’s Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution, which traces stand-up’s queer history through some of its most iconic faces. “It’s very easy for me to just sit down in any situation and put myself second, and focus on who I’m with, and try to draw the best out of those people.”This sense of belief and investment in others has been Bernhard’s prerogative for the entirety of her career. It stems from her childhood, when the comic—who was born in Flint, Michigan—moved to Arizona with her family when she was 10.Read more at The Daily Beast.