But behind this simple act lay monumental challenges. As revealed in a 2017 article commemorating the film’s 40th anniversary on StarWars.com, set designer Roger Christian faced an unexpected battle: making blue milk that looked right, stayed fresh in the Tunisian heat, and wouldn’t make Mark Hamill sick.

The logistics were staggering. In the middle of the desert, refrigeration was impossible. So Christian turned to long-life milk, shelf-stable but notoriously unpalatable. He experimented tirelessly, trying different food colorings until he found cochineal—a blue pigment similar to what you'd find in blueberry dye. Even then, the mixture often curdled, leaving a viscous, oily mess. It took persistence, creativity, and a touch of madness to finally get it right.

Hamill himself recalled

A24, however, is anything but typical. Founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges, and named after an Italian motorway Katz was driving down, the independent movie studio has become one of the 21st century's most notable film tastemakers. It's a brand unto itself, a marker of a certain "type" of movie that indicates quality and intrigue. And even if some purists poo-poo their Instagram-friendly marketing apparatus, you can't deny their output of exceptional movies (even if their bad Rotten Tomatoes scores sometimes say otherwise).

To pay homage to this once-in-a-generation studio, here are the 15 best A24 movies, ranked — and know that there were at least 24 others that could've made the list.

The Daniels, Kwan and Scheinert, made their feature directorial debut with 2016's "Swiss Army Man," codifying their brand of absurdism, sincerity, and genre-hopping with startling and bold efficiency.

Hank (Paul Dano) is stranded on an island with only one man for company: A corpse, played fearlessly by Daniel Radcliffe (who had just one question before signing on)

Erotic thrillers used to be big business. Explorers of late-night cable TV in the late '80s and throughout the '90s likely recall the cavalcade of nudity-infused neo-noirs that filled entire blocks of programming. Many of them starred Shannon Tweed. Because sex and sexuality hadn't yet been moved to the internet, erotic thrillers were vital for a generation exploring adult themes and sexual ideas, even if they were always presented as prurient. Erotic thrillers also proved to be big hits in Hollywood. Adrian Lyne made "9½ Weeks" in 1986 and "Fatal Attraction" in 1987, each of them enormous financial successes. Paul Verhoeven kicked the doors open wide with "Basic Instinct" in 1992, a film that made $353 million on a $49 million budget. Sex became a commercial powerhouse. 

In 1993, Paramount continued the trend with "Indecent Proposal," also a Lyne film, which dealt with the intersection of money and infidelity. In the film, Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson play Diana and David Murphy, a married pair of high school sweethearts who have fallen on tough times. In order to buy their dream house in Santa Monica, California, they take their scant savings to Las Vegas, hoping to win big gambling. Instead, they are met with, well, an indecent proposal. A wealthy gambler named John Gage (Robert Redfort) takes a shine to Diane, feeling she is both beautiful and lucky. He offers Diane and David one million dollars if John be allowed to spend the night with Diane. Sex is part of the deal. Diane decides to go through with it, but David isn't wholly comfortable.

While in Vegas, watching John at the baccarat table, Diane and David can be seen standing next to a shaggy, hippie-looking dude in a weird, paper-clip shirt.  In the credits, this character is credited only

On the eve of the release of "The Fantastic Four: First Steps", Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige held a roundtable interview with the media.Talking about the interaction between small screens and big screens in the film and television universe, he conveyed a clear and subtle message:

The characters may be able to travel between movies and episodes, but the storyline - not necessarily.

As reported by our sister website Variety, Feich noted that from 2009 to 2017, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) released about 50 hours of content.In the next half of the time, more than 100 hours of film and television works were produced.This explosive growth is partly due to the "content demand" brought by Disney's platform since its launch at the end of 2019.

"This is the first time we are facing a situation where quantity is before quality." Feiqi admitted, "Suddenly, there was a voice saying- we needed more content. So we responded, 'Okay, we do have more resources to mine.'"

After this, a large number of live-action series surged like a flood—starting from "WandaVision" in January 2021, the subsequent appearances include "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier", "Loki", "Hawkeye", "The Moonlight Knight", "Ms. Marvel", "The Hulk", "Secret Invasion", "Loki" Season 2, "Echo", "Agatha: The Chaos Witch", "Darkward: Rebirth", and more recently, "Heart of Steel".

Although these dramas enrich the MCU's worldview, they also give the audience a sense of heaviness that "must make up for lessons before watching the movie".In response, Feiqi said without hesitation: "Jul 21, 2025

Of all the 1980s properties to survive into the 20th century, "The Equalizer" has proven to be one of the most surprising. Edward Woodward embodied Robert McCall on the original CBS television series for four seasons, while Queen Latifah played a genderbent version named Robyn McCall on a reboot series that lasted five seasons on the same network. However, it's the legendary Denzel Washington who's had the longest tenure as McCall, having played the character for over a decade in Antoine Fuqua's "Equalizer" films. No single actor plays the role like the others either, with the only throughline being a central figure with a violent past using their skills to protect those that can't protect themselves. 

In terms of the McCall with the most brutal sensibilities, that honor goes to Washington without question. Fuqua's first two "Equalizer" films demonstrate just how ruthless he can be (especially with a nail gun), but it's "The Equalizer 3" that pushes the character into even darker territory. Released in 2023, the movie has the ex-Marine turned DIA paramilitary officer leaving his Boston abode to travel to Sicily and settle an affair with some Italian gangsters, only to catch a stray bullet that ensues he's not going anywhere anytime soon. This, in turn, forces  McCall to take a much-needed vacation to heal from his injuries in the town of Altamonte. Of course, as he gets to know the local people, he also starts witnessing the ruthless dealings of the Camorra mafia run by Vincent Quaranta (Andrea Scarduzio).

What follows is a string of, as /Film's Witney Seibold noted in his "Equalizer 3"

Tom Troupe, a beloved stage and television actor whose career spanned decades of unforgettable performances in classics such as Star Trek, “Murder, She Wrote,” and Cheers, passed away peacefully on Sunday morning at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 97.

His passing was confirmed by his public relations representatives, though the quiet nature of the announcement did little to mask the profound loss felt by those who knew him—and those who had grown up watching him.

A familiar face across generations of television, Troupe appeared in over 75 popular series throughout his illustrious career. From the suspense-laden tension of “The Fugitive” to the daring missions of “Mission: Impossible,” from the wild charm of “The Wild, Wild West” to the heartfelt drama of “Cagney

Netflix, which continues to increase its investment in South Korea's content strategy, will soon launch a new series called "Variety".This work will bring together Son Ye-jin, a top Korean actor, and Jo Yu-ri, a new generation of powerful actors, to perform a moving story in the glamorous but cruel world.

This casting is undoubtedly a wonderful game carefully planned by Netflix.Son Ye-jin has long won the hearts of global audiences with "Crash Landing on You". Her charm spans language and culture and has become an iconic figure in the Korean drama industry.Seo Ye-chi quickly became popular because he played the role of "Player No. 222" in the second and third seasons of "Squid Game", becoming one of the most eye-catching new stars among the younger generation of Korean actors.The collision between the two generations of actresses is not only a tribute to the classics, but also a preview of the future.

Behind the camera, Netflix once again handed over the trust to director Kim Yong-hoon.His former director Mask Girl was a huge success on the platform, ranking on the top 10 non-English dramas in the world for four consecutive weeks, and topped the list in the second week.Director Kim is known for his intense visual style and precise control of suspense atmosphere. This time he turns his perspective to the K-pop industry - a world with brilliant appearance and cruel inside, using the lens to uncover the costs and struggles behind his dreams.

"Variety" is not only a drama about the ecology of the entertainment industry, but also a mirror reflecting human sexual desire.Se-eun, played by Son Ye-jin, is an entertainment company executive in a power center.