Celebrities, for better or worse, have a tendency to try their hand in the music industry. However, when a celebrity is associated with a certain industry, it can sometimes be hard to place them within the world of music, and sometime it is better not to. But then again there are a few pleasant surprises, though not necessarily for the best of reasons.

See Also: 10 Spectacular Meltdowns That Cost Celebrities Credibility

Whether they started out in music before finding their true calling, or reached a degree of fame and with it gained a sometimes misguided faith in their musical talent, here are ten celebrities who have, surprisingly, released songs.

10 Brie Larson—She Said

Before her now successful career in film, Brie Larson had a short stint at making music. Following minor roles as a child actor, Larson embarked on a career in music, and released one album in 2005 Finally Out Of P. E.

The title of the album is a perfect summary of Larson’s music — bubblegum teen pop, though quite appropriate, because Larson was only sixteen at the time. She Said was the single to come out of the album though commercially it did very little.

Larson came to dislike the music industry due to her own self-written songs being dismissed for songs her record label wanted her to play. Essentially, Larson did not want to be molded into what her label wanted her to be, and left it all behind.^[1]

9 Macaulay Culkin (The Pizza Underground)—Pizza Gal

The premise of Macaulay Culkin’s band “The Pizza Underground” is a strange parody of the Velvet Underground, and Pizza Gal is just one of the bizarre songs Culkin has released.

The Pizza Underground parody many of the Velvet Undergrounds songs interlaced with various pizza-based jokes — yes really. Pizza Gal is a parody of Femme Fatale by the Velvet Underground, and musically is close to the original, but substitutes the original lyrics for pizza related themes.

Culkin called it “one of those good ideas you have when you’re drunk and you wake up and forget about it… but we’re taking it to the end of the joke.” There is a reason those ideas only happen when you are drunk, because they are terrible.^[2]

8 Andy Murray—Autograph

Andy Murray and fellow tennis player Novak Djokovic teamed up with Bryan Bros Band to provide a shining example of why celebrities should sometimes stick to what they are good at, whatever that may be.

In 2009, the collaboration gave us the song Autograph. The song details the inconveniences Andy Murray has to suffer when signing autographs for his eager fans. Autograph is as bad as it sounds.

Murray tries to rap on the song providing us with the lyrics “during Wimbledon it really gets crazy. My hand cramps up and my mind gets hazy” and “I sign and sign, but the line doesn’t end. Wake me up tomorrow, let’s do it again.”

We can all objectively say that Autograph is woeful, and is it really so bad that fans want an autograph? Stick to tennis please.^[3]

7Naomi Campbell—Love and Tears

Somewhat infamous model Naomi Campbell tried her luck in the music industry in an effort to branch out from the world of modeling. In 1994, Campbell released the appropriately named album Baby Woman, and Love and Tears was the single from the album.

Surprisingly Love and Tears is not as bad as would be expected from a model turned singer, but still proved that Campbell did not have much prospect in making music, as it was her first and last single and album.

Baby Woman was poorly received by critics and was commercially unsuccessful except in Japan.^[4]

6Frankie Muniz (Kingsfoil)—What Your Mother Taught You

Star of Malcolm in the Middle, Frankie Muniz had a brief run with indie pop band Kingsfoil from 2012 to 2014, in which he featured on the single What Your Mother Taught You.

As a longtime fan of the band, Muniz auditioned for Kingsfoil, and they duly accepted him into the group. Kingsfoil sported Muniz on drums for their 2012 album A Beating Heart is a Bleeding Heart, from which, What Your Mother Taught You came. Kingsfoil are not the first band to feature Muniz in their lineup as he also played in the group You Hang Up before joining Kingsfoil.

The song is your typical indie pop song, and the band is not too dissimilar to Coldplay. However, Muniz left the group in 2014 due to scheduling conflicts with filming of Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink 2.^[5]

5 Steven Seagal—My God

Martial artist and renowned tough guy actor Steven Seagal delved into the world of music with his debut album Songs from the Crystal Cave in 2004, from which My God was born.

Although Steven Seagal is a relatively accomplished guitarist, My God proves that if you have a certain degree of fame and fortune, and have the ability to roundhouse kick people in the face, nobody can stop you from releasing music.

My God is a strange dancehall-esque track that upbraids the concept of religion in the most infantile of ways. Seagal makes an attempt at irony in his lyrics like “Why do you force your will with a gun, let’s start another holy war” topped off with the chorus line “My God is better than your God, My God is bigger than yours.” The lyrics just come off as laughable rather than in any way spiritual especially coming from Steven Seagal.

Unbelievably, Seagal actually managed to get Stevie Wonder to play harmonica on the song, though even Stevie Wonder could not save the song.^[6]

4 Clint Eastwood—Bar Room Buddies

Bar Room Buddies was recorded by Merle Haggard and Clint Eastwood for the 1980 film Bronco Billy. (LINK 11). However, the song was released as a single in the same year, and was incredibly successful in the world of country music, reaching number one in the Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

Country music legend Merle Haggard carries the enchantingly strange duo whilst Eastwood tries to sing, but mostly fails to break away from his inimitable gravelly voice. The song details the two “Old chug-a-lug-a-lugging” bar room buddies’ drunken exploits.

Bar Room Buddies is a little slice of lighthearted nonsense but still quite fun, and the song actually stayed in the country charts for thirteen weeks.^[7]

3Val Kilmer—Frontier Justice

Having convincingly sang as Jim Morrison in the 1991 biopic The Doors, and having learned to play guitar for the film Top Secret, Kilmer took his musical credentials one-step further when he released the album Val Kilmer: Sessions With Mick in 2007.

He teamed up with friend Mick Rossi to write a series of songs for the album. The song Frontier Justice is a bluesy number in which the protagonist accounts his gunning down of his lover’s lover. It is eerie but well produced, and Kilmer actually has a decent singing voice.

Frontier Justice was released on Kilmer’s MySpace music blog before the full Val Kilmer: Sessions with Mick was self released on his website.^[8]

2 Ricky Gervais (Seona Dancing)—More To Lose

Seona Dancing were a short-lived ’80s new wave duo fronted by none other than comedian and actor Ricky Gervais. The duo was stereotypically ’80s new wave — big hair, makeup and no small amount of androgyny.

Sounding like a low-rent ’80s David Bowie, More to Lose proved that music was not Ricky Gervais’ calling. The song fails to rise above the dreary clichés ’80s new wave churned out; it is forgettable yet unforgettable to see Gervais fully clad in his new wave attire, which raises the question: what happened?

Seona Dancing released two mostly unsuccessful singles in the 1980s and disbanded in 1984. More to Lose went on to be quite popular in the Philippines, receiving substantial radio play through the 1980s. Fellow band member Bill Macrae did not reach the fame of Gervais, fading into obscurity after Seona Dancing’s disbandment.^[9]

1 Bruce Willis—Under The Boardwalk

Before John McClane there was Bruno Randolini — Bruce Willis’ soul and R&B singing alter ego, who actually had notable success through the late 1980s.

In 1987, Bruce Willis released his debut album The Return of Bruno complete with a fake documentary about Willis’ musical alter ego. Willis, or Bruno, covered Under the Boardwalk by the Drifters on the album, which was also released as a single. Carried by the Temptations who sang backing vocals, the song struggled commercially in the US, but somehow reached number two in the UK charts.

It is clear from the song that Willis is better suited to playing the rugged cop with a heart of gold on the silver screen than he is to singing because Under the Boardwalk is inescapably cringe-worthy. Willis cannot quite reach those high notes, and for the most part is propped up by his stellar cast of musicians.

Willis went on to record another album If It Don’t Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger in 1989 before finally submitting to the on-screen Bruce Willis we know and love today.^[10]

The great white shark is a powerful beast. Even so, it has its fair share of enemies and freak accidents. Humans remain a constant danger, but there are times when sharks get themselves into trouble. They choke on chow, jump into boats, and botch hunts.

Sometimes, they have little control over what preys on them. There is a mysterious brain fungus, and orcas treat them like a snack. The lucky few encounter the good side of people—when the public and experts do everything they can to rescue a shark that came in second.

10 Mother Of 14

Early in 2019, a pregnant white was caught under mysterious circumstances near Taiwan. The fishermen claimed that it was an accident, but she produced a sizable profit at the local market. A taxidermy company bought the carcass for nearly $2,000.

While she was being sliced open at the fish market, the butcher pulled 14 pups from her two wombs. This was a record for the species. The mother herself was a looker. At over 4.7 meters (15 ft) long, the enormous specimen was very close to giving birth when she was caught.^[1]

For scientists, the capture was bittersweet. Great whites are classed as a vulnerable species, and the loss of a pregnant female is a big one. But the rarity of the catch, a pregnant great white, was worth its weight in gold for research. The photographs that documented the mother and the pups provided material to study, especially on the condition and feeding habits of the young. (They ate unfertilized eggs in the wombs.)

9 The Failed Hunt

In 2015, a great white felt like having seagull for lunch. It noticed such a bird sitting on the sand at Cape Cod. Delighted, the shark made a rush for it and promptly beached itself.

Shocked beachgoers watched the 2-meter-long (6.6 ft) predator sail into trouble. It got stuck in a shallow puddle where sympathetic individuals applied CPR from a distance, so to speak.

Great whites must filter water through their gills constantly. They do this to breathe the oxygen in seawater. Thanks to a bucket line, the shark was repeatedly doused by volunteers. Although it kept breathing, the juvenile male only had a limited amount of time to survive this way. Luckily, the harbormaster arrived before it was too late and towed the youngster back out to the sea.

A marine biologist happened to be nearby when the animal beached. Before it was released, the man tagged the shark with a tracking device. It may have missed out on lunch, but at least the shark encountered a rescue mob and will now do his bit for science.^[2]

8 Mysterious Infection

Shark strandings are often a seasonal thing. However, in the last few years, so many sharks perished that researchers knew something was terribly wrong. Mark Okihiro, a California fish pathologist and shark death expert, examined hundreds of sharks from different species. Most of the mysterious deaths pointed to a brain infection, something unheard-of in sharks a few years ago.

In 2017, a great white shark landed on Okihiro’s table. Beachgoers noticed the young shark in shallow water near Santa Cruz. They put it back in deeper water, but the animal was clearly disoriented and died shortly afterward.

Okihiro found that an infection had caused a fatal brain hemorrhage. By then, the researcher expected to find signs of meningitis. Displaying similar symptoms, the previous sharks were determined to have died from the meningitis-causing Carnobacterium. But there was no sign of it in the great white.^[3]

Soon, hundreds of sharks of different species died the same way in San Francisco Bay. Eventually, Okihiro identified a fungus as the killer. However, the exact nature of the fungus and why it is so deadly to sharks remain elusive.

7 Fatal Exhibition

In 2016, the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium gave in to nagging visitors. Located in Japan, the aquarium had received persistent requests to display a great white shark. When a shark was accidentally netted near the southwest coast, the institution took it home.

The great white shark is not a goldfish. It is an exceptionally difficult species to maintain in a captive environment. It needs to be constantly on the move to harvest oxygen from the water and to regulate its body temperature.

The aquarium proudly announced that it was successfully keeping the 3.5-meter (11.5 ft) male alive. Three days later, he was dead. The shark had refused all food since its capture. Even so, it appeared healthy and cruised around with the aquarium’s other sharks.

At one point, the male suffered some sort of collapse, sinking to the bottom of the tank. He passed away after the staff tried to resuscitate him with oxygen. The aquarium said they would investigate the cause of death, but activists were certain that the stress of the capture and captivity was too much for the shark.^[4]

6 The Turtle Incident

In 2019, a fisherman heard his fellow catchers joke over the radio about a shark. They said it was swimming around with a giant turtle in its mouth and could not spit it out.

At first, Greg Vella did not take them seriously. He continued with his job as a tuna wrangler near Japan. However, the following day, he saw the evidence for himself. Caught in some netting was a large great white. Inside the predator’s mouth was a giant turtle.

By this time, the shark was dead, having apparently choked on its awkward meal. There was also a chance that the great white had died for another reason. Feeling ill, it may have regurgitated the last thing it ate. It was not clear what had happened, but the incident was uncommon.

Turtles of this size are big because they are survival experts. Normally, sharks avoid them. For the persistent predators, turtles have a special maneuver—turning themselves in such a way that their shells make for an impossible swallow. Yet this one got chowed. Kudos to the shark, but it may have ended both their lives.^[5]

5 A Shark Called Fluffy

In 2017, a shark went on an adventure. Unintentionally perhaps, but the juvenile great white surely experienced a unique trip. It involved rocks, an ocean pool, an aquarium tank, and a boat ride.

In September, the 1.8-meter-long (5.9 ft) predator was found thrashing on the rocks on Manly Beach in Sydney. Experts from Manly Sea Life Sanctuary decided to move him to a nearby ocean pool. This was to allow the shark to recover from its stranding ordeal.

While there, the sanctuary’s life science manager jokingly told some kids that the predator’s name was “Fluffy.” A lot of people were present to hear it, and the name stuck.^[6]

After resting for a few hours, Fluffy spent the night at the aquarium. He was not alone. Throughout the night, divers remained in his tank to make sure that he did not injure himself in the confined space. The next day, the shark enjoyed a boat ride into deeper waters to lessen his chances of stranding again.

4 The Boat Breach

In 2017, Terry Selwood planned to fish for snapper off the north coast of New South Wales, Australia. Instead, a great white shark jumped into his boat. The creature’s fin brushed against Selwood’s arm and tore off the skin. Small surprise as sharkskin consists of scales that look like tiny teeth. The shark also reportedly knocked him over.

It was not a pleasant experience for the predator, either. It was around 3 meters (9 ft) long, while the boat was scarcely bigger. The shark was stuck and eventually died. After Selwood was picked up by marine rescue, the great white had to be removed with a forklift.

Shark experts said the jump was not an attack on Selwood. The leaps seen on documentaries are provoked. The filmmakers drag meat at high speed to get the sharks to leap.

Selwood himself was not in the water. He claimed that no fish were near the surface, the only reason that sharks typically breach. It might have followed Selwood’s bait. Two other explanations include jumping in for an unknown reason or being hooked and reeled in like a regular fish. Without a necropsy (animal autopsy), this incredibly rare incident might never be explained.^[7]

3 Orcas Snack On Them

Great white sharks are mighty predators, but they quickly clear out when killer whales arrive. The reason is grisly. Orcas love to snack on shark livers. This behavior has been recorded off the coast of Australia and San Francisco. Both species also live off the western coast of South Africa. In 2017, three great whites were found on the beach there within four days.

Necropsies showed that their livers were gone. A few weeks later, a fourth shark was found in the area minus its liver, stomach, and testes. It was a big guy, measuring 4 meters (13 ft) long. Like the others, he had been eviscerated and left for dead by another predator.

Although nobody had witnessed the killings, the wounds and the short time between the deaths are consistent with orca predation. There are reasons why a shark’s liver is a delicacy. First, the thing is enormous. Second, it is packed with fat. This nutrient-rich liver is like an energy bomb and could be why orcas love it. Killer whales have a high metabolism and need dense nutrition to function.^[8]

2 The Australian Disappearance

Researchers attached a tag to a great white in 2003. Then the female was released near southwestern Australia. The tag was meant to record depths and temperatures. In 2014, it was found on the beach 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) away from where it was originally attached to the shark.

The shark was gone. When the data was reviewed, it suggested a dramatic incident. Around four months after the tag was attached, the shark made a sudden dive. She reached a depth of 580 meters (1,903 ft). The temperature shot up from 8 degrees Celsius (46 °F) to 26 degrees Celsius (78 °F).

Clearly, the shark’s abrupt downward move was an attempt to flee something. The rise in temperature was likely the stomach temperature of whatever was brave enough to eat the almost 3-meter-long (9 ft) great white.

Although she could have been cannibalized by another great white, the culprit was probably a killer whale. An orca is the only other predator that could kill a great white, and an orca’s stomach temperature matched the tag’s records. A shark’s temperature would have been cooler.^[9]

1 Beer Can Beach Shooting

In 2018, a shark was found on California’s Beer Can Beach. At first, the reason for the 2.7-meter-long (9 ft) predator’s death was unclear. In fact, a news crew reported that the great white appeared uninjured.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) did a necropsy and found .22-caliber bullets inside the animal. The wounds were not obvious, but one bullet had severed the spinal cord and killed the shark.

California law requires a special permit to hunt this vulnerable species. Since that had not been done, CDFW opened a criminal investigation. A few days later, an anonymous tip named the commercial fisherman who had shot the shark.

Investigators followed the advice on where to find the boat. During an inspection, they found several fishing violations on board. When questioned, Vinh Pham blamed another crew member for the shooting, but officers found the firearm in Pham’s truck. Tests matched the bullets to the rifle.

Eventually, Pham confessed. His reason for shooting the shark? It annoyed him that the creature had swum too close to his nets. Pham was convicted in 2019, fined $5,000, and placed on probation for two years.^[10]

Admit it, movies make life beautiful! But it also strongly depends on what kind of movies you watch. Movies can ruin your life too, if they are the wrong kind! Some movies leave an imprint on your mind forever and kind of stick along. Whenever you find your favorite movie being played on the television while scrolling through channels, you start watching it even if you had a hundred times before.

Why? Because that movie reminds you of the good stretch you had watching it the previous time- it kind of carries you away! Here are 10 of some hundreds of movies you need to watch if you’re having a bad day. Trust me, they Will do justice to your mood as they do to mine!

10- Hot Rod

Starring Andy Samberg and Isla Fisher, the First look to this movie could make you think what a cheesy flick, with the goofy teenage wannabees and their lame stunts going wrong. But as you proceed, it will clobber your inner critic until you get to love it.

You will learn to love all the weirdness of the wannabe stunt man with a mission who plays the lead and his bonding with the people around him with an utter sprinkle of stupidity. If you are looking for good-looking macho boys doing cool stuff, this movie could disappoint you! The boys in the movie teach that perfection is not needed in doing something cool.

See also; Top 10 Highest Grossing Hollywood Movies.

9- We Bought a Zoo

Based on a True Story, it is a Perfect Family movie starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson in the lead. The story is all about Bonding, Love, Loss and Zoo Animals! If you are an animal lover, this movie is a huge go- and even if you are not, at least give it a try and it won’t disappoint you.

It will convince you that all things come at a right time and its never late to change what you can’t accept either accept what you can’t change. If the movie has to be defined in one word; Heartwarming!

See also; Top 10 Most Watched Movies of All Time.

8- Let’s be Cops

Now this movie might be PG rated but it’s a must watch. It’s about what best pals make you do- they make you impersonate a cop and it doesn’t even feel wrong- at least for a time being! This movie will give you goosebumps and chuckles, all at the same time.

Sometimes doing something wrong takes you to the right way where you stick forever, content and satisfied. Committing a felony rarely gets you somewhere safe but this movie had its own hilariously scary ways.

See Also; Top 10 Best Romantic Comedies Ever Made!

7- Little Miss Sunshine

A delightful and surprisingly moving movie with a great work form the entire cast which includes Greg Kinnear, Abigail Breslin and Steve Carell. Ever had an adventure travelling with the family?

Try this movie where the Hoover family will take you along their dysfunctional heights of quirks and epic problems which they face during the family road trip in a VW bus on their way to the pageant their daughter hopes to reach safe and sound!

6- The Internship

This movie handles the term Generation Gap in the best way. Starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn where the duo enter world of youngsters where they scatter some of their own old school magic while savoring some new school experience at their life as Interns at Google.

5- The Proposal

Being a fan of Ryan Reynolds made me watch this movie like a dozen times! It’s a predictable romantic comedy which gets alive by Reynold’s and Bullock’s performance.

The best thing about it was how a person doesn’t know what he wants until a couple of strangers make him realize who he is and what he actually wants from life. Don’t get it? Just go ahead and watch this movie. You are so going to love it.

4- Love Actually

Nine intertwined stories which explain the meaning of love, and it’s not just the love seen in the romantic movies or read about in Shakespearean love stories.

It is about the love of an actor for his manager, a sister’s love for her brother, a friend’s love for his best friend, a mother’s love for her children, a stepfather’s love for his stepson and all other many kinds of love being dealt by several reprising actors including Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Andrew Lincoln, Colin Firth . Its an R rated movie with a nice soundtrack.

See also; 10 Romantic Movies Featuring Holidays.

3- Blended

Starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in the main roles, this movie is a total joy! Though it’s a predictable comedy where the side roles are funnier than the leads, it’s a sweet movie which will change your mood with all the holiday ecstasy it provides. This movie genuinely portrays all the blending concepts and what it takes to really be there and blend in. I really wish for a sequel to this movie!

2- Storks

This movie is one adorable animated movie with a catchy storyline and a touching soundtrack. The storyline, the characters, their facial expressions- everything is just perfect. It’s a kids’ movie but it’s also somewhat about parenthood (I cried during the climax). Basically, it’s fueled by a series of powerful thought provoking messages for everyone in the audience no matter what age. Once you watch it, it really stays with you for a while!

See Also; 10 Must Watch Hollywood Movies Before You Get Old.

1- Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Trilogy)

Every movie in this list is a favorite and unique in its own way so putting one of them at number one was a tough call. Since it’s a Trilogy (the fourth part coming out soon!) and an adaptation to a book then why not! If you have a stomach for juvenile jokes, sibling torture and middle school anxiety wittily executed, then this is a delicious series to stick to.

The characters seem like they’re somehow originally related and you will picture yourself in either one of their situation therein. It’s a plenty of fun for the audience. And it’s not just a one-time watch, you would definitely want to watch it again because its light like a feather, a feather which will also tickle you in the tummy!

So, what are you waiting for? Grab some snacks and watch your favourite movies because they are supposed to make you feel lighter.

Related

When it comes to movies, nothing hurts more than watching a great idea being terribly executed. Wasted potential is bound to happen in a creative field like moviemaking, but the curse of wondering what could have been is something that makes a bad movie even worse. From bad direction and a failure to understand an idea’s potential, to terrible writing that drive a clever thought straight into a wall, here are 10 terrible movies that unfortunately wasted excellent ideas:

Top 10 Movies That Should Have Stayed In The Elevator

10 47 Ronin (2013)

The concept: A fictionalized version of the famous Japanese “Ak? Vendetta” story about a group of 47 masterless samurai who go on a dark quest to avenge the death of their master. But there is a twist — instead of a classic samurai film, the story is reimagined with a fantasy spin that includes witches, giants and dragons, all based on very old Japanese folklore.

How it was wasted: For a movie that was sold as “Zack Sneider’s ‘300’ but in Japan”, you would think that “47 Ronin” understood that all it had to do was deliver cool characters and stylized action scenes to work. Unfortunately, with a director mainly known for making EDM music videos at the helm, the film turned out to be an empty drag with very little to show for. Despite some interesting visuals, the samurai story everyone wanted to see became secondary to forced relationships between characters the movie cannot get you to care about. Even the ever-so-lovable Keanu Reeves couldn’t save the disastrous “47 Ronin”, and it became one of the biggest box-office bombs of the decade.^[1]

9 Red Riding Hood (2011)

The concept: The classic story of the Red Riding Hood, but reimagined as a who-done-it murder mystery, in which the murderer we are trying to unmask is the notorious wolf (in this case, a werewolf) who hides as a normal habitant of the village during the day. Added to that is a stellar cast, including Amanda Seyfried as the titular character and Oscar-winning Gary Oldman as an eccentric witch hunter. Sounds like fun, right? What could possibly go wrong?

How it was wasted: First off, handing off a concept like this to the director of “Twilight” was probably not the best idea to begin with. Catherine Hardwicke turned what could’ve been a bloody horror/mystery reinvention of a classic fairytale into an incredibly boring teen romance with a supernatural twist that takes itself way too seriously. As a result, despite some competent performances (and the very strange fact that this movie was produced by Leonardo DiCaprio), “Red Riding Hood” was absolutely destroyed by critics and audiences upon release. And (naturally) the possible sequel that was set up at the end of the movie never arrived.^[2]

8 The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)

The concept: A high-concept space thriller about a crew of astronauts who try to use a particle accelerator to provide Earth with infinite energy, and accidentally end up opening portals to parallel universes. The film reveals itself to be a secret prequel explaining why (and how) the events of 2008’s “Cloverfield” and 2016’s “10 Cloverfield Lane” took place.

How it was wasted: Despite a clever Super Bowl marketing campaign that nobody saw coming, “The Cloverfield Paradox” was a terrible misstep that completely failed at its promise to make the Cloverfield world come full circle. The film is full of unnecessary storylines and incoherent twists that actually create a substantial amount of plot holes within the story of the first two films, rather than making it all come together. Beyond it’s appealing aesthetics, “The Cloverfield Paradox” is a bland movie that makes less and less sense the more you think about it, even if it was meant to close an otherwise brilliant trilogy.^[3]

7 Gemini Man (2019)

The concept: Henry, an extremely dangerous assassin in his fifties, finds himself being chased by another, more vicious mercenary, who turns out to be a younger version of himself. Realizing he has been cloned, Henry goes on a quest to discover the origins of his double, while trying to escape him. Simply put, it is a movie about an older Will Smith fighting a younger Will Smith in a crazy ride of classic Hollywood action. How could anyone mess this up?

How it was wasted: “Gemini Man” is famous in the movie industry for having spent 22 years in development hell. In fact, previous versions of the film had most of the biggest actors in Hollywood attached to it — Harrison Ford, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington and even Clint Eastwood were once considered to play the main role. But, alas, it is Will Smith who dawned the role of Henry Brogan, and it was a complete disaster.

“Gemini Man” was cursed with one of the worst written scripts this past decade has seen in major action blockbusters, and upon release, it quickly became clear that, beyond the exciting idea of having a CGI young Will Smith on screen, the movie didn’t really know what to with its own story, and couldn’t bring itself to justify being anything more than a 10 minute short film. It embarrassingly became 2019’s biggest box office failure, losing Paramount Pictures over $75 million in the process.^[4]

6 Tomorrowland (2015)

The concept: A sci-fi epic about a former inventor and a clever teenage girl who find themselves going on a crazy adventure, as they attempt to solve the enigma of Tomorrowland, a mysterious futuristic world that exists in an alternate dimension. Add George Clooney, Hugh Laurie and Britt Robertson as the main cast, and you get crazy hype for your movie.

How it was wasted: While “Tomorrowland” does a great job at building the mystery that forms its incredibly innovative core concept, it takes a brutal turn towards the third act that wastes all of the potential it has to offer. The movie suddenly decides to be “conscious” and throws away its excellent buildup and world building to hammer in a preachy message to the audience, a cheap trick that turned off critics and made the movie a disappointment for everyone. Ultimately, “Tomorrowland” lost Disney $140 million, and it completely disappeared from the world’s consciousness.^[5]

10 Dark Theories Surrounding Beloved Kids Movies

5 R.I.P.D. (2013)

The concept: A morally deviant police officer is betrayed by his partner over some stolen gold and dies in a coverup murder. In the afterlife, he is forced to join an ancient warrior of the Far West as the new agent of a special department of law enforcement that tracks down vacant souls who refuse to move on to the other side.

How it was wasted: Nothing about “R.I.P.D.” works. The movie is a completely incoherent mess with awful writing that only uses its interesting concept to make itself a lazy “Men In Black” ripoff, without any of the charm or swagger. While selling itself as an action comedy, it fails to be fun, and it definitely fails to be funny. Even the actors who starred in the movie admitted to being utterly disappointed by the finished product, and it is no surprise that “R.I.P.D.” became one of the biggest box office flops in cinema history.^[6]

4 Project Power (2020)

The concept: Located in the streets of New Orleans, a teenage drug dealer and a local cop team up with an ex-soldier to take down a group of people responsible for the creation and distribution of an extremely dangerous pill that gives its users unpredictable superpowers for five minutes.

How it was wasted: While having one of the most exciting concepts pitched for a movie in recent memory, “Project Power” ruins itself by overblowing the story with an impossible number of subplots. The director didn’t seem to know if he wanted the movie to be an action comedy or a poignant drama, and as a result, he attempted to do both at the same time. Despite incredible actions scenes and stellar performances by Jamie Foxx, Dominique Fishback and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the movie’s failure to keep a focus on the main plot rendered everything else completely useless.^[7]

3 The Mummy (2017)

The concept: When a reboot of the Brendan Fraser 1999 “The Mummy” movie was announced in 2015, people were skeptical. But, when it was added that the movie would be a starting point for a cinematic universe starring all of the classic horror characters (the Bride of Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, the Wolf Man etc), and when it was later revealed that Russell Crowe had joined the cast to bring to life a new incarnation of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, the excitement went through the roof.

How it was wasted: “The Mummy” is now known for being one the most embarrassing failures in cinema history. Not only did the movie bomb at the box office, spectacularly losing $95 million, but Universal’s so-called Dark Universe that had been promoted for an entire year ended up being silently cancelled after only one film. Because, for some reason, Universal executives thought it was a good idea to reunite all of the greatest horror characters in classic cinema…to make an action-comedy franchise. What a wasted opportunity.^[8]

2 Legion (2010)

The concept: When the staff of an old roadside diner is attacked by demonic creatures, they learn that an army of angels sent by God was sent down on Earth to destroy humanity. Their only ally in their final stand is the archangel Michael, who came to protect a pregnant woman, as he believes her unborn child is Mankind’s last hope. Or, the short pitch: scary angels with guns.

How it was wasted: Despite a crazy idea that could’ve made for an epic and unique supernatural action-thriller, “Legion” only ends up running its amazing premise into the ground with a pretentious and melodramatic series of never-ending speeches to express feelings and (mostly) pointless exposition. The inherently monotonous and repetitive action sequences all lead to the most obvious ending possible, which renders this brilliant concept wasted to the fullest extant possible.

A sequel TV series to “Legion”, titled “Dominion”, premiered on SyFy in 2014, but was cancelled after 2 seasons due to rapidly declining ratings, effectively ending the franchise for good.^[9]

1 The Great Wall (2016)

The concept: In ancient China, a group of European mercenaries who find themselves imprisoned inside of the Great Wall of China, discover that a secret army has been defending the monument from its original threat — a mysterious race of alien beasts that crashed on Earth with a meteor and attack the wall every sixty years. In other words, a fantasy epic that offers an alternate vision of the mysterious history behind one of the biggest man-made wonders.

How it was wasted: A movie with this cool of an idea had no right to be as bad as “The Great Wall” ended up being. Unfortunately a wonky script and subpar direction, paired with a lazy “white man savior” storyline, made the film surprisingly boring, even at the peak of its action madness. And with one of the worst marketing campaigns we have seen in the last decade, “The Great Wall” crashed and burned at the box-office, putting studios $75 million in the hole.^[10]

Top 10 Movies That Destroyed The Studios That Made Them

Methods of preserving food have been present since ancient times. From fermentation to salt, our ancestors used everything available to them to preserve the flavor and longevity of their food. However, as time went on, the desire to preserve the color, flavor, and “shelf life” of food intensified. Soon, dozens of food additives and preservatives were created and put into meats, butters, breads, and more.

There’s no doubt that some food additives are questionable. In fact, some deemed safe in the United States are banned in other countries. Nevertheless, as these substances multiplied, several misconceptions evolved about the effects that food additives and preservatives have on our bodies. Even so, large doses of some substances on this list can lead to serious damage.

10 Aspartame

If you have eaten or drunk anything that’s sugar-free, you’ve probably had aspartame, which is 200 times sweeter than sugar. As a result, less of the additive is needed, which ultimately means fewer calories.

Considering aspartame’s presence in puddings, diet soda, mints, sugar-free ice cream, and more, no one was surprised to hear claims that diabetes, ADHD, depression, and even cancer could result from consuming it. To find out if these claims were true, researchers tested aspartame in the lab and on people.

When the studies were done on rats, researchers concluded that large doses of aspartame have no link to health issues. When the experiments were conducted on humans, cancer did not appear to be associated with aspartame and all the links that were found were possibly coincidences. As for whether some people might have sensitivities to aspartame, that has also been disproved by recent studies.

Now there’s no doubt that ingesting more than the approved amount of aspartame in a day will cause serious health problems. So far, it seems okay to drink a diet soda once or twice a day or maybe pop a few mints in your mouth. However, opinions vary and the studies continue.^[1]

9 Saccharin

Saccharin is another food additive used to sweeten things up. Similar to aspartame, this product is far sweeter than sugar (300 times). So, less of it needs to be used, resulting in fewer calories.

However, saccharin has been under fire for being a carcinogen. In the 1970s, one study linked saccharin to bladder cancer in lab rats. Even though this finding was quite frightening, it was quickly stated that the bladder tumors in rats were not relevant to humans. Now saccharin is considered safe to consume by most health authorities.^[2]

8 Calcium Propionate

Seeing the name calcium propionate in the ingredients of your bread would make anyone raise an eyebrow. But, in fact, this substance is considered very safe. In case you’re wondering, calcium propionate is used as a preservative in bread to prevent mold and microorganisms. This means that the bread will last longer.

In one study, rats were fed this preservative for a year and showed no negative signs. Naturally, calcium propionate is FDA approved and is even used by home bakers.^[3]

7 Tartrazine (Yellow No. 5)

Sweeteners aren’t the only food additives that have been under fire for potentially causing all sorts of diseases. Dyes have been, too. In fact, several dyes that are used in our food have been banned in many other countries.

One of these dyes is tartrazine (Yellow No. 5). It has been considered one of those colors that we should all avoid. In fact, Yellow No. 5 has been said to cause allergies, behavioral issues, insomnia, hyperactivity, and cancer.

Even though there are many claims about the potential dangers of Yellow No. 5, a lot of the research was filled with errors. As for allergies to this dye, the FDA has tried to address this by requiring the identification of Yellow No. 5 on the listing of food ingredients. The agency also states that allergic reactions to the additive are rare.^[4]

When it comes to asthma attacks, the FDA found no evidence that Yellow No. 5 could be the cause.

6 Erythrosine (Red No. 3)

It’s possible that you might have ingested some erythrosine if you’ve eaten cherries or jam. But don’t worry. It’s not as bad as we think. Erythrosine, commonly known as Red No. 3, is a beautiful red color that is used to make things a little brighter. Yet, some of the claims about the possible impact of Red No. 3—that it can interfere with the pituitary gland and affect the development of sperm—put a damper on things.^[5]

Even though these claims are quite discouraging, the FDA states that Red No. 3 is safe. After testing the additive, it has been concluded that Red No. 3 has no adverse impact on the health of humans or animals. However, there is a limit as to how much can be ingested.

5 Soy Lecithin

Soy lecithin has been teetering on the line of safety for years. However, unlike so many other additives, the possibility of dangerous diseases aren’t attached to its name.

Soy lecithin is a food additive that is used as an emulsifier, antioxidant, and flavor protector. Many claim that this substance can lead to allergies (due to the soy from which it is derived).

It is also a genetically modified product that uses toxic chemicals for its extraction. Even though this can be an issue, it is easily avoided by buying a product that uses organic soy lecithin instead.

As for allergies, when soy lecithin is extracted, the process should remove all of the soy particles, although some may be left. If you are allergic to soy, it would be better to avoid it entirely.^[6]

Other than that, some people believe that there are potential benefits to consuming soy lecithin. So if you happen to see it on the ingredients list, there’s probably no need to worry.

4 Sodium Nitrite

Sodium nitrite is a preservative used to cure meat. Even though this substance is the reason we have bacon and ham, there are several claims that sodium nitrite causes cancer. There’s no doubt that this could be true. However, the cancer can only form when massive amounts of sodium nitrite are consumed. Not just five strips of bacon, pounds of it.^[7]

Overall, sodium nitrite is a safe food additive. Some research even claims that there are health benefits, which include but are not limited to treatment for sickle cell disease and leg vascular problems.

3 Sodium Nitrate

Sodium nitrate is another preservative used to cure meats. There have been claims that sodium nitrate can cause heart disease and cancer. However, as with sodium nitrite, heart disease and cancer can be avoided with sodium nitrate. By eating small portions of these cured meats, the benefits associated with sodium nitrate—such as lower blood pressure—can occur.

Even with the potential negative effects, sodium nitrate is considered safe in meats.^[8]

2 Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)

Butylated hydroxytoluene is known as a preservative that promotes freshness in foods. In fact, if you’ve looked at the ingredients on a cereal box, you might have seen it there.

Even though BHT does its job well, there are many claims of potential health issues attached to it—including cancer, asthma, and even behavioral issues in children. Due to the uproar about the potential dangers of BHT, many cereal companies have removed it from their ingredients to appease the masses.

But is it really that bad?

Well, not quite. There has been no evidence that BHT leads to cancer, at least not for humans. When BHT was tested on rats, cancer appeared in the forestomach, an organ that humans don’t even have.^[9]

Ironically, BHT has been considered to be anticarcinogenic. However, like most food additives, BHT can have negative effects in large amounts.

1 Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

You’ve probably heard of monosodium glutamate (MSG). You’ve likely eaten it, too. But MSG on its own was created by scientist Kikunae Ikeda. He extracted glutamate from a broth so that the taste of that rich broth could be present in all sorts of foods.

However, consumers complained about MSG causing headaches, nausea, chest pain, numbness, and several other symptoms. To see what was really going on, research was conducted to determine if there was a correlation between MSG and these symptoms.

In the end, there was no evidence that the symptoms were correlated to MSG. Even so, if an individual consumes more than three grams of MSG on an empty stomach and they are sensitive to this substance, it is possible that these symptoms can occur. Consuming three grams of MSG in this manner would be highly unusual, though.^[10]

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South America is widely considered to house some of the most incredible and most dangerous wildlife on the planet. While the former is certainly true, the latter may be overstated somewhat, as we’ll promptly examine today.

This, though, isn’t to say that being careful is wrong; wild animals will always pose a threat and some on this list have seriously injured or even killed people. What’s also true, however, is that their reputation is almost always worse than the reality and they’re not an imminent threat to constantly worry about, especially not when basic precautions are taken.

10 Eerily Well-Preserved Remains Of Extinct Animals

10 Most Caimans

Caimans are typically small sized crocodilians of the family Alligatoridae, composing one of the only two subfamilies within that, the other being alligators. Given this, it’s no surprise people are afraid of them, especially when the aforementioned small size is often greatly exaggerated.

As all crocodilians, they do still pose a threat, especially the species Melanosuchus niger, known by its common name as the black caiman, one of the largest crocodilians in the world, responsible for a horribly tragic fatal attack on a small child. You might ask, why are they on the list of animals that are less dangerous than their reputation, then?

The answer mostly boils down to looking at caimans as a whole versus just a single species. While the black caiman is dangerous to children especially, even its attacks are relatively rare, and a lot of other caiman species that are virtually harmless as long as they’re left alone get grouped in alongside Melanosuchus niger. As always, being careful is important, but a single outlier doesn’t make a whole, diverse group of species all dangerous monsters. Most caimans are small, largely nocturnal animals that care way more for fish than people.

9 Green Anaconda

The heaviest extant snake in the whole world, nearly the longest too, that’s got to be one dangerous animal, right? To its prey, absolutely. To humans? No, not really.

A truly incredible snake, the green anaconda may be as heavy as 70 kilograms which equates to a whopping 155 pounds and reach a length of over six metres, or 20 feet. While it’s nonvenomous, like all boas, it famously constricts its prey, swallowing it whole.

While this is all true, and certainly paints a scary image in one’s mind, the green anaconda rarely eats prey as large as humans, as massive as this snake may be. In films and popculture it famously has the reputation of being a man-eater, but in reality, such attacks are extremely rare and largely undocumented.

Even discounting a person’s size, though these snakes have incredibly varied diets, humans are simply not a source of food green anacondas seem to be interested in. There’s no doubt that an adult female of the species could kill a person if it wanted to, it really doesn’t seem like most wild specimens have any desire to do so. As usual, take care and avoid approaching or touching one, but as long as you’re careful you’ll be alright.

8 Piranha

Massive amounts of carnivorous fish moving in groups and capable of devouring a person or large animal in mere seconds, what’s not dangerous about that? The answer to that is; the non-exaggerated version.

Piranhas are indeed fish that move in groups called shoals, but in actuality they’re omnivorous and scientists believe that their formed groups are more for their own protection than anything. Additionally, yes, you’ve read that correctly, these famously or perhaps infamously vicious fish are actually omnivores and their diets typically consist of more vegetable matter than meat.

They do still eat meat, however, and have an incredibly powerful bite force, but even the famous example of a shoal of piranhas devouring a large carcass originates from nothing more than a former American president’s journal. Their bite is powerful, yes, and they may be able to devour an animal quite quickly, but they aren’t thought to represent a serious risks to humans and even the ideas that have some basis in reality were presented to the public after a great deal of colouring.

7 Poison Dart Frog

Another animal that’s been a mainstay in popular media, these beautiful, colourful frogs, like their name suggests, are poisonous. More than that, Phyllobates terribilis, also known as the golden poison dart frog, is famously, lethally poisonous. Certainly scary, but, as we’ve seen on this list so far, reality is typically tamer than sensationalised depictions of it.

While they are poisonous, yes, many people don’t grasp how nonthreatening that is to the average person. Their poison is almost surely lethal if it gets into a person’s bloodstream, but given the fact that they have no method to deliver said poison, you’re only really at risk if you attempt to eat one or handle and agitate one over an open wound.

Interestingly, as poisonous as they are, they completely lack these fearsome toxins in captivity, where they’re frequently kept as pets. Fairly intelligent, pretty, and a very recognisable cultural element in many indigenous cultures, these frogs are better admired than feared.

6 Cougar

Cougars, also widely known in the United States as mountain lions, or elsewhere as pumas or panthers—not to be confused with other large cats also referred to as panthers -, are the second largest New World cat species. Given the fact that they live near inhabited areas and may emit terrifying, scream-like sounds, they’re a common element in folklore and urban legends.

Often thought to be quite dangerous as well, that conception certainly seems logical on the surface. Large cats are famously threatening predators, the idea of one so close to home for many people is a scary thought, and cougars are common all across the Americas, South America being no exception.

Thankfully, however, attacks on humans from cougars are extremely rare. Additionally, it currently seems as though they’re at a much larger risk from us than we are from them, given the fact that they’re commonly killed due to their dangerous reputation, thus more and more sources are speaking out against the embellished claims in hopes of stopping the species’ decline.

5 Brazilian Wandering Spider

Arachnophobic people are presumably already protesting that such a monstrous creature is being defended, but, again, there are good reasons for that. Wandering spiders are large, active arachnids, reaching leg spans of up to 6 inches or 15 centimetres, and preferring to actively hunt rather than wait in a web.

The aforementioned facts coupled with one of the most toxic spider venoms on Earth and the fact that their bite, strangely, causes human erections certainly makes them odd, at the very least. Sometimes hiding in banana leaves or even international banana shipments, these creepy crawlies are rightfully feared as far as spiders go.

While that is all true, spiders aren’t rightfully feared to begin with. Wandering spiders specifically have been characterised as infamously aggressive, even though the reality is that they’re instead rather defensive. They, like all spiders, are not out to harm humans and will only bite in self-defence. What if one does bite, though? Well, the outlook isn’t as bleak as one might think, certainly not instant death. According to a Brazilian study, only 2.3% of all reported bites require antivenom and chances of survival are very high.

4 Giant Otter

Giant otters, to many, might sound like adorable animals, however, to others, they have a horrible, vicious reputation. The truth is somewhere between the two, as it’s usually the case.

Twice as large as American otters, growing up to 2 metres or over 6 feet, they’re an apex predator and hunt using their great senses and, yes, surprisingly vicious nature. While they’re perhaps cute on the surface, their bad reputation isn’t inherently unfounded and these opportunistic carnivores could probably kill a person.

Once again, however, they really are generally uninterested in doing so, hunting for much smaller prey and only really fighting large animals in self defence. In addition, unfortunately the giant otter is a greatly endangered species, its range having been reduced to a fraction of its former size due to human poaching. Another case of us posing a much larger threat to them than they ever do to us.

3 Amazonian Giant Centipede

The largest centipede in the world, growing up to or even over one foot or 30 centimetres in length, armed with modified legs capable of injecting a fairly serious and, to some, incredibly painful venom, Amazonian giant centipedes are nothing to scoff at.

Scolopendra gigantea preys on a large variety of animals and may live for as long as a decade. They’re carnivores and may hunt any animal they’re able to overpower, some potentially as large as they are. Definitely a combination to be afraid of for anyone who’s afraid of creepy crawlies, but, realistically, they’re unlikely to be fatal.

There’s been only one human fatality associated with the species, a case in which a child was tragically bitten by one of these centipedes hiding in a soda can. While they may not be a serious threat in the vast majority of cases, that’s a deeply unfortunate scenario and a horrifying image.

2 Bullet Ant

Bullet ant—an ant with a sting so powerful it feels like being shot. Scary? A little. Dangerous? No. These large ants certainly deliver a sting that lives up to their name, a powerful venom leaving anyone unfortunate enough to be stung with waves of intense pain, one apparently so horrible that it holds the top spot on Schmidt’s sting pain index.

Additionally, a disturbing image to add, indigenous Brazilian tribes willingly sting themselves using tens of these ants at once woven into gloves that they must wear for minutes, presumably making for a deeply awful experience that’s certainly one to remember and be scarred by.

That being said, even though the pain is truly terrible and bullet ants can sting multiple times in a row, no human fatalities have ever been attributed to their stings as of this article, ever.

1 Goliath Birdeater Tarantula

Topping off the list is perhaps the most sensationalised animal of these ten, which is certainly saying a lot. Goliath birdeater tarantulas are among the largest spiders on Earth, holding the #2 spot when it comes to leg span and the top spot for heaviest spider currently known. They’re massive, hairy, and can launch the urticating hairs from their abdomen at rapid speeds as a defence mechanism, extremely irritating hairs that may even block airways.

They’re, as their name suggests, huge, with a leg span that may be as large as one foot, and a weight up to six ounces or 175 grams, it’s a truly impressive spider. Even though, despite their title, they rarely eat birds, they’re probably the spider best suited to do so on the planet.

Their size, however, is often exaggerated to be even larger than their already nearly record-breaking proportions, alongside claims of their urticating hairs causing people to suffocate or their venom being deadly. While they perhaps aren’t as docile as other South American tarantulas, they still aren’t the most defensive and certainly not aggressive. To this date, no human fatality has ever been attributed to a tarantula, not this, nor any other.

10 Amazing Color Mutations In Animals

Scary movies, thrilling TV crime shows, medications, and stress can all cause nightmares. But did you know that the snacks you choose can also put a damper on your quality of sleep?

The foods you consume can directly affect your sleep pattern and control the types of dreams you have at night. If you enjoy a little bedtime snacking, you might want to think twice about which foods you select.

10 Hot Sauce

You’ve probably heard that spicy foods and hot sauce cause bad dreams, and you may have even experienced it yourself. According to recent studies, the rumor is true.

A study published in Frontiers in Psychology showed that people who consumed hot sauce before bed had trouble falling asleep and experienced stressful dreams. Spicy foods change the body’s temperature which alters dream formations.

A study by a university in Australia also showed that hot sauce disturbs sleep patterns. Participants in the study were given hot sauce and mustard with their evening meals to assess the changes, if any, to their sleeping habits.

The sauce increased their total time awake, causing them to sleep and dream badly. As the sauce elevates the body’s temperature, brain activity is disturbed and nightmares can be produced. The bad dreams will have you sweating more than the hot sauce.^[1]

9 Cookies And Cake

As a kid, you were told that sugar before bed was a bad idea. We know that sugar can increase the risk of weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. But it can also cause bad dreams.

That is why it’s a good idea to stay away from cookies and cake before jumping into bed. In the research that was published in Frontiers in Psychology, 31 percent of those being studied reported bizarre dreams after eating foods like cookies and cake.^[2]

These sugary foods can alter dream formations during the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep. So make sure you eat them at least six hours before you go to sleep.

8 Cheese

When it comes to foods that are most likely to give you nightmares, cheese ranks near the top. In the same study that was mentioned earlier, dairy had the highest percentage related to bad dreams. Almost 44 percent of participants reported having dreams of a disturbing nature after consuming cheese and other dairy products.

In 2005, the British Cheese Board released a study that connected cheese to nightmares. The research was conducted to debunk the myth that cheese can cause some terrible dreams.

The board used several types of cheese in the study, and some of them proved the board right. On the other hand, some cheeses were found to produce odd and vivid dreams.^[3]

Stilton cheese caused 85 percent of female participants to report bizarre dreams, while 75 percent of men also experienced odd dreams. Now we know why Ebenezer Scrooge blames cheese for his ghostly encounters in A Christmas Carol.

7 Salad Dressing

One of the more surprising foods that can cause bad dreams is salad dressing and other sweet sauces. These dressings and sauces contain hidden sugars that could keep you up all night or even disturb your sleep. Before downing a salad for dinner, check the nutrition labels on your favorite bottle of dressing to find those lurking sugars.^[4]

The study in Frontiers in Psychology showed that dressing and other sweet sauces were the cause of scary dreams for some participants. Excess sugar and inadequate fat adaption will disrupt your sleep by either producing dreams or causing you to wake up during the night. Avoiding the hidden sugars will help you avoid the monsters in your sleep.

6 Pasta

Carbohydrates are an essential part of a well-balanced diet because the body converts them into glucose, which is a form of sugar, and runs on them. Even though carbs are important to the body, it is best if you consume them well before bed. As we know that sugar disrupts sleep patterns, it isn’t surprising that carbs would do the same to someone trying to rest their eyes.^[5]

Participants in a recent study reported having disturbing dreams when going to bed after eating pasta or bread, and a small group even reported bizarre dreams. The study showed that pasta caused more disturbing dreams than all other foods except dairy and spicy foods.

There is nothing wrong with a delicious dinner from The Olive Garden. But it may be a good idea to schedule that meal a little early to avoid the dreams later.

5 Potato Chips

Greasy foods such as potato chips are bad for your health because they contain a high number of calories, increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, and crowd out the healthy foods you need. In one study, researchers found that eating foods like chips caused participants to get less restorative sleep and wake up throughout the night. Their results showed that good sleep depends on the types and amount of food that is consumed.

The study published in Frontiers of Psychology showed that about 12.5 percent of all disturbing dreams were caused by greasy foods like chips. The fatty snack food also can disrupt your digestive tract, making it hard for you to peacefully sleep at night. Your body will be working overtime to digest the food as you attempt to sleep.^[6]

Swapping to a healthier snack before bed can help decrease the bad dreams, but skipping snacks altogether is the only way to guarantee a good night’s rest.

4 Soda

Technically, soft drinks aren’t food. But what you drink before bedtime is just as important as the foods you consume. Caffeinated drinks make it extremely difficult for you to catch some sleep.

There are multiple reasons that sodas are bad for the body. For example, they may contribute to weight gain, lead to diabetes, and increase the risk of heart disease.

Sodas are responsible for various health conditions, but they can also cause nightmares due to their sugar and caffeine content. Caffeine directly stimulates the brain, even during sleep, which can help lead to unpleasant dreams.

As the brain struggles to relax fully due to the caffeine intake, it causes you to lightly sleep and produces some bizarre dreams. Avoiding caffeine four to eight hours before bedtime can reduce the risk of bad dreams. If you are sensitive to caffeine, try to avoid it for up to 12 hours before bed.^[7]

3 Chocolate

According to researchers in a New Scientist report, chocolate could be disrupting sleep and causing violent nightmares for sufferers. Just like soda, chocolate contains caffeine that could be triggering bad dreams for chocolate lovers. The study shows that more men are affected than women and it can even cause those having nightmares to shout as they dream.^[8]

Chocolate is known to contain compounds that have psychoactive effects on the brain which can lead to enhanced dreams. On the other hand, dark chocolate has been shown to contain healthy antioxidants, but it also disrupts a night of sleep.

The sweet treat also contains theobromine, an alkaloid that spikes the heart rate, leaving you wide awake at night. We know it is addictive and delicious, but try eating it as an afternoon treat instead of a midnight snack.

2 Fries

Most people know and believe that fried foods aren’t healthy, but it’s hard to deny their delicious tastes. Visit your local fair, and you’ll find anything and everything in a fried version—such as fried Oreos, fried Kool-Aid, fried jelly beans, and fried butter.

Even with so many fried foods to choose from now, french fries (or fried potatoes) still seem to be a favorite among many. Some consumers like them dipped in ketchup, some enjoy them smothered with chili and cheese, and others like them simply with salt.

People who ingested greasy foods such as fries reported having nightmares, though. It takes the body more time to process the carb-heavy food, which reduces the quality of shut-eye at night. Enjoying fries baked is a healthier option that reduces the amount of fat and the number of nightmares you will experience.^[9]

1 Ice Cream

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream . . . or maybe we’re screaming because of ice cream. That’s right, one of the best bedtime foods can cause nightmares.^[10]

Ice cream is loaded with fat and sugar, and the body doesn’t have enough time to burn any of it when eaten before bed. The carbs will actually pump your body full of energy as you try to sleep. This sends mixed messages to the brain that ultimately result in nightmares.

A bowl of ice cream at night while watching TV seems innocent, but you’re doing more harm to your body than you realize. Not only are you putting yourself in a position to experience bad dreams but all that sugar also turns to fat as you eat it. There is definitely no happy ending to that nightmare!

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Better Call Saul finished its six-season run earlier this year, making its mark as one of the few TV prequel shows to be considered as good as (or better than) the parent show. Whereas Breaking Bad was a thrill ride of non-stop action, cliffhangers, and plot twists, Better Call Saul was one of the finest character dramas of its era. Not that Better Call Saul didn’t occasionally ratchet up the tension to Breaking Bad levels, but it was mostly lauded for its slow and contemplative pace that allowed for details of the Breaking Bad universe to be painted in.

Even with all the background and character development we saw over 14 years of Breaking Bad, its sequel movie El Camino, and Better Call Saul, there are still some things we’ve been left to wonder about. Here are 10 of those plot points that weren’t explained, leaving the viewer free to theorize about what happened.

A couple of notes before we get started. Bob Odenkirk’s character will be referred to as both Jimmy and Saul, depending on the persona he was using at the time. And spoiler warning—if you’re not caught up on the Breaking Bad universe, major spoilers are to follow.

Related: Top 10 Real-Life Crimes Inspired by the Hit Show Breaking Bad

10 What Happened in Gus Fring’s Past?

Introduced as the ultimate supervillain in Breaking Bad, Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) was at first a business partner to Walter White (Bryan Cranston) but later his mortal enemy. Once Gus was done with Walt, he expressed no qualms about eliminating him, leading to a cat-and-mouse game that left Walt victorious. One of Better Call Saul’s greatest accomplishments was humanizing Gus and getting the audience to root for him in his war against the Salamanca family. But even though we got to know Gus a lot better in the prequel, his past in his home country of Chile is still a major mystery.

The lack of information about Gus’s past was first established in Breaking Bad when the DEA brought him in for questioning. Agent Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) questions Gus why there’s no record of his existence before the mid-1980s. Gus plays that off as a side effect of Chile being war-torn and in disarray during the Pinochet regime, but Hank remains suspicious. We later find out that Gus fought in that war with Peter Schuler, the German man who is the head of the fast food division of Madrigal (and that the two use Madrigal resources to distribute meth worldwide). A scene in the Better Call Saul episode “JMM” made clear they faced death together in the war, and making it out alive together forged a lifelong bond.

Fans theorize that growing up in poverty (which Gus did confirm in a few lines of dialogue) and the war turned Gus into the calculating criminal mastermind we came to know. But as far as details, we know as much as the DEA.^[1]

9 What Happened to the Kettlemans?

Appearing in the very first episode, white-collar criminals Craig and Betsy Kettleman (Jeremy Shamos and Julie Ann Emery) were major players in the first season of Better Call Saul. Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), the lawyer later to be known as Saul Goodman, hopes to break away from the low pay of public defender work and start his own practice by convincing the Kettlemans to retain him. In the end, Betsy declines because Jimmy seems like the type of lawyer “that guilty people hire.” This line, and its effect on Jimmy’s self-esteem, set in motion the series of events that leads to Saul Goodman becoming the most notorious “criminal lawyer” in America.

Given their importance to the birth of the Saul Goodman alter ego, fans were thrilled to see the Kettlemans return early in the final season. After Craig has served his prison sentence for embezzlement, he and Betsy are now running a tax filing service (and scamming seniors out of their tax refunds). One of the most striking things about their place of business is the giant Statue of Liberty inflatable on top of the building, which would later find a home at the law office of Saul Goodman and Associates.

So, how did Saul acquire the Statue of Liberty? Were the Kettlemans busted again for their financial crimes, leaving the inflatable up for sale? Or did Saul take them on as clients to keep them from getting caught and take Lady Liberty as payment? Something happened, but we’ll have to guess just what it was.^[2]

8 How Did Saul Acquire His Cadillac?

With vanity license plates reading LWYRUP, Saul’s white Cadillac was one of the props most closely associated with him. For the majority of Better Call Saul, Jimmy drives a decidedly less-glamorous and run-down Suzuki Esteem. In the classic season 5 episode “Bagman,” Jimmy goes on a dangerous trip into the desert in the Esteem to collect $7 million of cartel money so that Lalo Salamanca can be bailed out of jail. The Esteem never makes it out of the desert. In the same episode, at the Salamance headquarters, a blood-stained white Cadillac is cleaned up.

It seems reasonable to assume this Cadillac will eventually become Saul’s, perhaps as payment for representing the cartel in court at some point. However, Better Call Saul never filled in any more details on this. The first time we see the Cadillac with the LWYRUP plates is a scene set after the events of Breaking Bad when the FBI seizes the car.^[3]

7 How Is Skyler and Marie’s Relationship These Days?

A lot of the tension in Breaking Bad came from the fact that Walt was DEA agent Hank’s brother-in-law, with Hank spending much of the series just about to discover that Walt was the meth kingpin he was looking for. They were related by way of being married to sisters: Skyler (Walt’s wife) and Marie (Hank’s wife). The relationship was always a bit fraught between the sisters, with a sibling rivalry ongoing through much of the series.

In the Breaking Bad finale, Walt gives Skyler the GPS coordinates where the bodies of Hank and his work partner, fellow agent Steve Gomez, can be found. Walt encourages Skyler to use the information to secure a deal that will absolve her of her prosecution for her part in Walt’s crimes. Near the end of Better Call Saul, Saul’s legal assistant, Francesca, mentions that Skyler did indeed get her deal.

So one is left to wonder just how well Marie took hearing the news of this deal. In the final episode of Better Call Saul, we see that Marie was not happy that federal prosecutors were willing to negotiate a deal with Saul. One can only imagine how she felt about her sister getting a deal by trading the location of her dead husband.^[4]

6 Does Kim Ever Return to Practicing Law?

The breakout performance in Better Call Saul was by Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler, the smart and savvy lawyer who starts the series as Jimmy’s friend and later girlfriend, wife, and finally, ex-wife. While spending much of the early run of the show as the moral counterpoint to Jimmy’s cutting corners and skirting the boundaries of the law, Kim eventually finds herself wrapped up in the scams and misdeeds that gave birth to the Saul Goodman persona.

That is, until someone gets hurt. After Kim and Jimmy work a convoluted scheme to discredit their colleague Howard Hamlin, Howard ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time and is murdered. Unable to cope with this guilt, Kim gives up being a lawyer and breaks up with Jimmy.

Given Kim’s passion for the law and how good she was at being a lawyer, fans naturally rooted for her to return to practice. But by the end of the show, the closest she came was volunteering at a legal aid center. Still, it’s hard to believe that she wouldn’t try to join the bar again at some point.^[5]

5 Will Howard’s Wife Pursue Legal Action?

As part of Kim’s atonement for Howard’s death—which saw her giving up her law license—she also confessed to Howard’s wife, Cheryl. This included the schemes she and Jimmy perpetrated to sully Howard’s reputation and how Lalo shot and killed Howard. While confession is indeed good for the soul, Cheryl accurately pointed out that her confession opened the door for Kim to be held legally liable for her misdeeds.

But will she actually pursue legal action? The last we hear is in the final episode, when Saul’s standby counsel, Bill Oakley, informs him that word on the street in Albuquerque is that Cheryl is looking for a good lawyer. So maybe we’re meant to think Kim will be taken to court. But whether this does happen, or if there will be any consequences for Kim, is left to our imagination.^[6]

4 Does Jesse Stay on Track in Alaska?

While the entirety of the Breaking Bad universe could be described as a neo-Western set in modern times, that description especially applies to the sequel movie El Camino. The film follows Walt’s old meth-cooking partner, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), as he tries to avoid his enemies and law enforcement while raising enough money to pay identity broker Ed (Robert Forster) to set him up with a new life in Alaska. It’s a real “loner hero on the run in the American West” story like many classic Westerns.

In the end, Jesse is successful, and Ed gets him to Alaska. But we have to wonder, what’s next? It’s entirely conceivable that Jesse will do his best to avoid breaking the law and make the most of his new life. But at the same time, the Better Call Saul scenes set post-Breaking Bad show us that living under a new identity in a new place without falling into old habits can be hard. Given Jesse’s history of drug abuse, we hope he can stay on track, but we do wonder.^[7]

3 What Happens to the Albuquerque Criminal Underworld?

Across two TV series and a sequel movie, we really became acquainted with the criminal underworld in Albuquerque. When we were introduced to Saul Goodman and his PI, Mike Ehrmentraut (Jonathan Banks), in Breaking Bad, it was clear that they had all the connections. Better Call Saul gave us an interesting backstory here, showing that Mike first made a lot of those connections via the veterinarian Dr. Caldera. In the final season, Dr. Caldera lets Jimmy know he will retire from his post as an underworld organizer, and his “little black book” full of criminal contacts is up for sale.

This is the same little black book that we see Saul use in Breaking Bad, so we know he did acquire it from Dr. Caldera at some point. And in Better Call Saul, we find out that the FBI tossed the book into a box when they raided Saul’s house and seized his property. With Dr. Caledera, Saul, Mike, and most of the other criminal elements we got to know all gone by the end of the Breaking Bad timeline, this leaves an opening for a new criminal ringleader. But as to who that could be, any guess is as good as another.^[8]

2 What Became of Lyle?

Gus Fring’s front for his meth empire was his chain of chicken restaurants, Los Pollos Hermanos. And he had no more loyal employee than Lyle. When Gus was called out of work to handle more unsavory business, he was always sure to turn over running the store to Lyle. And unfortunately for Lyle, this also meant that Gus would occasionally take out his frustrations on his most loyal employee.

Lyle never seemed to mind, his dedication to Los Pollos Hermanos and Gus never wavering. So one has to wonder… after Gus died and the chicken franchise was no more, how did Lyle recover? Did he go work fast food somewhere else? Was he even able to recover from the loss of Gus? We’ll truly never know.^[9]

1 How Did Jimmy Get Chuck’s Time Machine Book?

The final episode of Better Call Saul heavily featured a time machine motif. Jimmy/Saul is seen having conversations in flashbacks with three of the most important associates in his life, all discussing regrets and what they would do if they could go back in time. His conversations with Mike and Walt directly pose the time machine question; his talk with his brother Chuck (Michael McKean) dances around the topic until we see Chuck is reading a copy of H.G. Wells’s novel The Time Machine.

Earlier in season 6, we see that Jimmy had this exact same copy at the apartment he shared with Kim. This leads us to wonder how he acquired it since Chuck died in a fire that destroyed the entirety of his house. So just how was Jimmy able to retrieve The Time Machine book? He clearly hung onto it to remember Chuck, but how did the book survive the fire? Did Jimmy actually have a time machine all along and go back to get the book? It’s just another of those details that we’ll never have an answer for.^[10]

Over the years, Hollywood’s reliance on CGI has grown along with its ability to successfully execute a good CGI scene—to the point where it has become a staple of most movies less concerned with plot and more driven by action sequences and pecs of steel. Therefore, filmmakers could be forgiven for testing various recipes to success.

Unfortunately, however, they have missed many opportunities to present us with masterful scenes simply because the CGI department took a shortcut. Here are ten climactic scenes in films ruined by questionable CGI.

Related: 10 Startling Cgi Moments In TV And Movie Scenes

10 I Am Legend—Darkseeker Attack

Everyone loves a good dystopian end-of-the-world survival film, and I Am Legend is no exception, having garnered fans from across the globe, with many vying for a sequel. Apart from the fact that the dog dies (cardinal mistake unless you build a movie around taking bloody revenge) and an ending that split audiences to such an extent that an alternate ending exists, I Am Legend nailed it.

The plot, the acting, and the world-building. One small tiny problem—the darkseekers. Why director Francis Lawrence felt it necessary to add CGI to these humanoids in order to alter them so that they more closely resemble video game characters from the ’90s is beyond reason. If only we could get these creatures that were once considered to be human to more closely resemble… well, humans. Perhaps makeup and wardrobe can answer that.^[1]

9 IT: Chapter Two—Paul Bunyan Statue

In this remake of Stephen King’s smash hit IT, there is a justifiable over-reliance on CGI. The story is of such a nature that only CGI could really make it pop, and no amount of Skarsgard stares could replace a good old computer-generated monster face. In the scene where Pennywise gleefully sits atop a Paul Bunyan statue, then brings it to life in a jump scare howl straight from the annals of horrordom, one could argue that the scene had its intended effect. The directors, however, saw fit for the animated statue to chase Richie through the park. A difficult scene to pull off, and although not entirely bad, it leaves a lingering comical feel that would be better suited for a comedy or satire produced by the Wayans brothers.^[2]

8 Matrix Reloaded—Park Fight

In what was once considered the second film of a trilogy, Neo had bested agent Smith one on one on numerous occasions before. So the agent of the Matrix does whatever he can to get the upper hand, throwing everything at him, including the kitchen sink.

In an exciting scene that showcases Neo’s ability to kick ass, but also the lengths to which agent Smith is willing to go to best him, Neo punches and kicks his way through more and more bodies until the majority of the figures appear to be crash test dummies from an early ’90s car safety video. In what was still a marvelous scene, the momentary lapse in CGI prowess doesn’t do it any favors and somewhat ruins its rewatchability now that the bar for CGI has been raised significantly.^[3]

7 Air Force One—Plane Crash

No list involving some form of badly done CGI would be complete without having the plane crash from Air Force One as an honorable guest. It was, far and away, one of the most anti-climactic moments in film history. When the plane crash lands in the ocean, it then inexplicably defies any and all rules of force, momentum, and gravity by spinning and flipping over like a crash scene from the original space invaders arcade game.

An overall good film with good suspense and a tight enough plot. Not even the black box could provide enough information to explain how that scene could crash and burn magnificently.^[4]

6 Deep Blue Sea—Russell’s Death

In what essentially feels like something never destined to be a big Hollywood blockbuster (yet ended being just that), Samuel L Jackson meets one of his more surprising and unexpected ends. We know now that, unless the starring role is played by Russel Crowe, should a character go off on a tangent about surviving and fighting, they are likely to kick the bucket. But not often so spectacularly as in Deep Blue Sea.

After Russell “Mr. Everest” boosts morale and invigorates everyone’s will to live, one of the sharks takes matters into its own teeth and breaches the surface before ripping a poorly CGI’d Jackson limb from limb. It could have been better. But in their defense, they weren’t shooting for the Oscar.^[5]

5 Black Panther—T’Challa vs. Killmonger Final Fight

Marvel’s sixth highest-grossing film—raking in more than $1.3 billion—sees T’Challa face off against Eric “Killmonger” Stevens for the right to be called the one and only true king of Wakanda. The MCU films are known for their inventive and effective use of CGI, having brought to life some of film’s largest characters by way of computer animation.

The film Black Panther is no exception to the rule. However, the final battle between the foes feels less like the climax of a billion dollar grossing cinematic experience and more like a trip down a 3D rendered wormhole more suitable for a film created a few decades ago. An unfortunate ending to an otherwise MARVELous film. Luckily, it did not appear to have detracted from the success of the release.^[6]

4 Star Wars IV: Special Edition—Jabba the Hutt

Star Wars fans are known to be loyal and, as one can expect, quite critical of change that does not fit the narrative, the world, or the tone of the universe George Lucas has crafted. Therefore, it would be no surprise that the forced moments of CGI in this adaptation of Episode IV were not well received and left many fans scratching their heads.

Jabba the Hutt was done particularly poorly, and considering the scenes that were altered, one is left with a strange wonder as to why they did not go with realistic prosthetics. In a time when CGI was still a fetus in the filming world, this attempt adds nothing to the experience. Instead, it robs the viewer of potentially entertaining sequences.^[7]

3 Blade II—Sword Fight

Blade is the first real R-rated (tax-evading) superhero in my book… and a bloody cool one at that. In his second outing, Blade, the vampire slayer, has sliced and diced his way through the vampire underworld so effectively that they lined up a few ninja assassins to meet him head-on in what could turn out to be a sword-clashing epic scene. The scene is lit with a wall of spotlights for maximum effect and is well choreographed, with the actual human fighting as entertaining and captivating as need be.

Naturally, being a superhero movie of sorts, things had to ascend into the impossible, and that is where the scene loses balance. The movements are sloppy and clearly distinguishable from the real movements of the warm bodies. The marriage of back-and-forth CGI with the realistic fighting does nothing but throw you off guard long enough that the potentially lethal sequence leaves you wondering whether they should have kept to the basics and sliced some off the top.^[8]

2 Justice League—Final Fight

The film was criticized by fans and critics alike and had people clamoring for the Snyder cut, which provided the viewer with more substance and fewer hooky effects. In an era of the superhero, with Marvel setting the golden standard for hero films with their Avengers franchise, one could be forgiven for thinking the DC universe might also have a few tricks up their tight body-fitted sleeve.

Instead, we are treated with a final battle that doesn’t look at all real. It rather serves as a stark reminder that we are looking at actors standing in front of green screens, hoping that their outstanding acting synchronizes well with what is happening to them in the film.^[9]

1 The Mummy Returns—Scorpion King

Considering Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a realistic-looking CGI character created by the WWE in the early nineties, one can not help but wonder what went wrong with the final climatic scene of The Mummy Returns. The overall film holds up well against its entertaining and successful predecessor, and casting the Rock as the scorpion king could have been a masterstroke. However, the letdown of seeing how a poorly rendered face of Johnson looks on a body generated by the Half Life game engine is the real letdown.

In a move that is as bewildering as the scene was impassable, how the film received the green light and slipped through the final stages of production goes beyond logic, and no amount of timeline pressure should be able to justify it. One has to assume they blew the budget or their time elsewhere, yet I cannot help but wonder what the results would have been had they nailed the scorpion king.^[10]

When it was released on Netflix in spring of 2017, 13 Reasons Why, a show that follows a suicidal teenager and the fallout from her decision to take her own life, quickly became one of the most talked-about—and controversial—shows of the year. While some have argued that the show, which many critics have found compelling and well-acted, provides a much-needed forum to depict and discuss issues teenagers face, like bullying and sexual assault, the list of potential negatives is far longer. With Season 2 coming out in about two weeks, below are 10 reasons why 13 Reasons Why is bad for society.

Note: This post contains show spoilers, difficult content, and references to suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

10. The show’s structure suggests that suicide isn’t final

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JebwYGn5Z3E

In 13 Reasons Why, the main character, Hannah, plays a major role in every episode, even though she is dead. As Hannah notes in one of her ubiquitous voiceovers, “I’m going to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended.” Throughout the series, Hannah is ever-present, both through her voice on the tapes and through her presence in flashbacks. Even though Hannah is dead, she’s still playing a major role in the story, with her voice literally driving the action that takes place in the series’ 13 episodes.

One suicide attempt survivor and mental health advocate explains the problem with this approach, saying, “Having [Hannah] appear over and over makes the impact of the fact that she is dead get lost. When you die by suicide there is no coming back. You don’t get to hear the apologies and the things people wish they said when you were alive. You’re gone.” Viewers of 13 Reasons Why may not grasp the finality of suicide, because the arc of the plotline suggests that Hannah gets to continue to tell, and even participate in, her own story after her death. According to the show’s writer, Brian Yorkey, Hannah will even appear in the second season of the show, allowing her to live on in the minds of the show’s viewers, despite the fact that her life actually ended the moment she killed herself.

9. The adults on the show are depicted as oblivious and/or unhelpful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZqBVaDgTj8

The adults on 13 Reasons Why are generally unaware of the challenges facing the teen characters on the show, and when they do have important opportunities to help, they don’t. While Hannah’s parents are distracted over their own financial situation, we don’t get any indication that they wouldn’t have supported her if she shared her problems with them. However, this is a potential avenue for help that the show doesn’t even treat as a possibility.

When Hannah finally does try to reach out for help, both to a teacher and the school counselor, she doesn’t get any. Mrs. Bradley, the Peer Communications teacher, does list some resources for dealing with suicidal thoughts after receiving an anonymous note (from Hannah), but Hannah’s voiceover quickly interrupts (meaning that neither Hannah nor the audience get the message). Mrs. Bradley apparently feels that a one-time mention of avenues for help is sufficient and doesn’t take any follow-up action to try to reach out to her suicidal student. Worse still, when Hannah visits her school guidance counselor, Mr. Porter, he fails to recognize that she is suicidal, despite her saying that she feels “lost and sort of empty” and wants “everything to stop—people, life.” When she confides that she was the victim of sexual assault, Mr. Porter describes this as a regrettable “decision” and says that if she doesn’t want to reveal the name of her attacker, she should “move on.” As she leaves the guidance counselor’s office, Mr. Porter picks up the ringing phone, implying that he has already moved on from the discussion.

School counselors have reacted with anger to this depiction of their profession. The National Association for Suicide Prevention advised educators to reinforce with students that school mental health professionals are available to help and that Mr. Porter’s behavior on the show “is understood by virtually all school-employed mental health professionals as inappropriate.” One guidance professional called the depiction of Mr. Porter’s actions “unethical, unrealistic and even legally dubious,” while another noted that this unrealistic portrayal gave teenagers the false message that seeking help from mental health professionals would prove to be a “dead end for someone who’s struggling.”

8. It equates transgressions that aren’t equally bad

It’s there in the title of the show—13 Reasons Why—but some of those 13 reasons are a lot worse than others. The crimes each character commits against Hannah vary wildly, but each character and their transgression are allotted equal time on the tapes. Bryce, for example, commits a legitimately heinous crime—brutally raping Hannah. Contrast that to some of the other offenses that warranted tapes from Hannah—Ryan publishing Hannah’s poem (without her name attached) against her wishes or Zach secretly emptying her compliment jar in class and supposedly crumpling up a heartfelt note from Hannah (it turns out he never actually did the latter). Hannah even admits that Clay doesn’t actually even deserve to be on the list, but saddles him with guilt over her death anyway.

While these are all presented as an accumulation of betrayals that lead Hannah to take her own life, the show doesn’t do enough to emphasize that the betrayals Hannah experiences are in no way equivalent to one another. It also suggests that there is no real opportunity for Hannah to get relief from any of her traumas and, while that’s likely true of Hannah’s embarrassment over the poem publication, there are certainly numerous avenues through which rape victims can pursue justice.

7. It provides an inadequate examination of mental illness and makes suicide seem rational

Hannah certainly faces a confluence of terrible life events in the course of the show. However, while external stressors such as bullying, violence, and loss can certainly contribute to suicide, they are rarely the only factors that make a person suicidal. More than 90% of people who die by suicide have risk factors of depression and/or other mental disorders and/or substance abuse disorders. Extreme circumstances can serve as a suicide trigger for someone with one of these underlying conditions, but it is rare that circumstances alone are enough to cause an otherwise healthy person to pursue suicide.

While the show depicts Hannah suffering from some stereotypical symptoms of depression (withdrawal, loss of interest in activities, drop in grades), the arc of the narrative suggests that Hannah’s problems (and by extension, her depression) are driven just by the negative events that she experiences, and are not in any way linked to her underlying brain chemistry. This lack of discussion of mental illness on the show suggests that Hannah is pursuing a rational course of action in choosing to end her life, rather than highlighting the likelihood that other risk factors existed even before Hannah faced a series of traumatic events in her life. By not incorporating the idea of other risk factors, viewers may see Hannah’s suicide as inevitable, rather than appreciating the high probability that with effective treatment for underlying mental issues, Hannah would likely have had the resilience to cope with the terrible things she experiences in the course of Season 1.

6. The show suggests that suicidal individuals can be saved by kindness alone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGnxyiZPUiE

While even Hannah doesn’t blame her friend Clay for her suicide, Clay himself does, saying, “I cost a girl her life because I was afraid to love her.” Even assurances from a trusted adult that love wouldn’t have saved Hannah don’t dissuade Clay (or the audience) from believing it might have. Clay tells the guidance counselor, “It has to get better, the way we treat each other and look out for each other. It has to get better somehow.” This idea that kindness is the answer to suicide prevention is further reinforced when, at the end of Season 1, Clay reaches out to Skye, another troubled classmate, and the two are shown hanging out.

While it’s hard to argue with a message that promotes kindness (especially to teenage viewers), there is danger in suggesting that it is a viable method for preventing suicides. This idea is not only incorrect, it is cruel to the loved ones of someone who has committed suicide, because it suggests that a kind word or gesture would have been enough to prevent the act. Indeed, an astute viewer will notice that a librarian does offer kind words to Hannah shortly before she kills herself, indirectly refuting this idea, though it is underscored in other ways throughout the series. Because mental illness is a factor in most suicides, kindness isn’t enough. If a teen suspects a friend is contemplating suicide, the most effective way of addressing it isn’t just by being kind, but rather by offering support while providing encouragement and avenues to seek professional help. The show provides no “how to” guide for teens to support suicidal friends, other than simple kindness, an approach which is unlikely to address the source of suicidal ideation and therefore, not the most effective way to prevent suicide.

5. The show promotes the idea that no one can be trusted

Throughout the course of 13 Reasons Why, everyone close to Hannah Baker betrays her. Her parents are too preoccupied with their own challenges to notice her unhappiness, her friends and classmates (even those who seem decent initially) turn on her in ways large and small, her crush sends an explicit photo of her to his friends, her teachers and counselor dismiss her, and she’s left to cope with the aftermath of her sexual assault with no functional support system.

The show largely reflects Hannah’s view that there is no good in the world, a view that supports Hannah’s hopeless spiral. Even when there are flickers of good, like the librarian who invites Hannah to return to the poetry group where she’s been missed, they aren’t enough to offset the fact that everyone close to Hannah lets her down. Unfortunately, 13 Reasons Why doesn’t do enough to distinguish between Hannah’s depressed worldview and the reality that there were people who cared about her and would have helped if she shared her struggle. Instead, Hannah signs off her final tape by saying, “Some of you cared, none of you cared enough.” Viewers may be left with the incorrect impression that the world is a dark place, full of terrible people, and vulnerable viewers may be left with the dangerous conclusion that no one around them is willing to help, and that even those who appear decent will ultimately betray them.

4. Hannah’s suicide results in justice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjKsS-wkKcg

Sure, Hannah’s suicide devastates her family and friends, but 13 Reasons Why also highlights a fair number of positive outcomes that result from it. Hannah’s parents sue the school, exposing its pervasive culture of bullying. Clay pushes Bryce to confess to raping Hannah on tape, suggesting Bryce will have to answer for his crimes. Sheri, whose failure to report a stop sign she knocked over resulted in a tragic death, is moved by Hannah’s tapes to confess her role in the accident to the police. Tyler, who shared a compromising photo of Hannah with classmates, faces his own comeuppance when Clay shares a naked photo of him with his fellow students, with Clay saying that he’s “Making [his] own justice.”

By showcasing the positive results of Hannah’s suicide, the show inaccurately suggests that her suicide was the only way to get justice, when, in fact, there were likely numerous other ways to make the wrongdoers account for their actions that didn’t require Hannah’s suicide.

3. The show blames others for Hannah’s suicide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry-TOaM2Kfk

The show’s very title suggests that other people (12 other people to be specific) are the cause of Hannah’s suicide. In fact, Hannah kills herself for just one reason: because she chooses to. While many of the people on the list did terrible things to Hannah (some more terrible than others and a couple who, arguably, did nothing wrong), none of those people ultimately ends Hannah’s life. Hannah does.

The show repeatedly reinforces the idea that others are to blame for Hannah’s death not only through its title, but also through the assessments of those who listen to the tapes Hannah left behind. One character (Alex), accepts this blame, arguing to another, “You want to think whatever you did couldn’t be why Hannah killed herself. But the truth is, I did, I killed Hannah Baker! And Justin killed Hannah Baker. And Jessica. And you. We all killed Hannah Baker. “

However, the idea that everyone who hurt (or failed to help) Hannah is responsible for her suicide, ignores the role of Hannah (and her underlying mental health) in her own death. In the vast majority of suicides, while the actions of others can be contributing stressors, the person committing suicide had an underlying mental disorder (such as depression) and/or a substance abuse disorder. The “reason why” is almost always that they did not get treatment for their suicidal thinking (and the underlying mental conditions for it) when they needed it. By not exploring this most common actual risk factor for suicide, the show left the false impression that the actions of others are the primary driver of suicides, and therefore, largely out of the suicidal person’s own control and beyond help through treatment.

2. The show suggests that suicide is an effective vehicle for revenge and a way to have control

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9abjZ1-B2nU

The tapes Hannah leaves behind (and her threat to have a friend expose those who are featured on the tapes if they don’t cooperate) literally force those who Hannah believes have wronged her to listen to her perspective and obey her instructions. As one critic complains, “By letting Hannah live on through the tapes, the show not only undermines the finality of her suicide, it frames suicide as an effective act of vengeance.” In the series, Hannah’s suicide amplified her power (and literally, her voice) and enabled her to exact revenge on those who wronged her. Her classmates are sorry when she’s gone. And through flashback sequences, and the tapes, it almost seems as though she is witnessing the impact of her suicide on those around her.

In real life of course, the person who committed suicide is in no way around to witness the impact of their death, which is mainly likely to result in pain for loved ones rather than the fulfillment of a revenge fantasy. Unfortunately, while suicide isn’t an effective way to get power or revenge, some research shows a desire for control or revenge can be a motivating factor for some suicidal adolescents. For those vulnerable teens, 13 Reasons Why falsely suggests that suicide can be a path to achieving those ends.

1. The show may spark copycat behavior

When 13 Reasons Why debuted, suicide-prevention experts criticized the show’s graphic depiction of Hannah’s suicide, highlighting the risk of a “contagion effect,” whereby vivid imagery or intense media coverage of suicides can spark additional “copycat” suicides. Given the show’s popularity (it was the year’s most-tweeted about show), its content reached a large audience, many of whom were teenagers. A study found that Google searches around suicide increased significantly after the show’s release. An editorial published in the Journal of American Medicine related to this study further warned that the ability to binge-watch the series may amplify its negative impact on teens, noting, “This immersion into the story and images may have a particularly strong effect on adolescents, whose brains are still developing the ability to inhibit certain emotions, desires, and actions.” Indeed, the show itself alludes to the contagion effect, when its final episode of the first season reveals a classmate of Hannah’s has also attempted suicide.

Unfortunately, the show’s content may have contributed to the real-world suicides of three young adults. A 23-year-old man in Peru committed suicide, leaving behind tapes for those he felt made his life unbearable. While there was no explicit reference to 13 Reasons Why, the presence of the recordings suggests the show may have influenced his behavior. Families of two California teens who committed suicide also cite the show, and its depiction of suicide as the only way to escape challenges like cyberbullying and emotional pain, as a trigger for those suicides.