As one of Marvel Studios’ most-liked Phase 4 projects, Shang-Chi brought a lot to the MCU, including its first Asian lead.
Another of Marvel’s higher-profile Asian heroes, the Sorcerer Supreme himself, Wong made several appearances in Phase 4. Most notably in Doctor Strange 2, where he made use of a traditional Chinese weapon.
Wong’s Doctor Strange 2 Weapon Has Shang-Chi Ties
Marvel Studios
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, during the battle with Gargantos, Wong conjured a mystical rope dart. The rope dart is an ancient, long-used weapon of Chinese origin. It consists of a length of rope with a metal spike secured at the end.
Marvel Studios
This same form of weaponry was employed by Xu Xialing during the final battle in Ta Lo from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. As it turned out, the rope dart’s appearance in that film was used as a reference for Wong’s magical version in Multiverse of Madness.
Marvel Studios
In the book Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: The Art of the Movie, it’s explained by Graham Churchyard, the film’s costume designer, that he wanted to “move away” from the classic rope dart design:
“Wong’s rope dart is a martial arts weapon, a bit like a physical taser. It also turned up in Marvel Studios’ ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,’ which was shooting at the same time, but there it was more of a classic rope dart worn on the waist. I wanted to move away from that, and I had seen armored cuffs on trips to museums like the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford and the British Museum, where they have a section on near-Middle Eastern armor.”
Churchyard went into greater detail about Wong’s rope dart from the film, which was designed to “increase in size” when the user hurled it at its target.
“Some of the most lethal ancient weapons are so beautifully constructed they look like jewelry. And then you realize it’s a weapon designed to kill someone— that’s always quite bizarre. I wanted to scale it down onto a wrist, we had to get away from the sort of giant arrowhead that was in ‘Shang-Chi’ and used in real life. And so I just thought, ‘Well, there’s all this eldritch magic.’ So that’s why I sold them this idea that it would just increase in size as it flew off Wong’s arm.”
The full pages from the art book, which include concept paintings of the mystical rope dart used by Wong in Doctor Strange 2, can be seen below:
Marvel Studios Projects Influence Each Other
It’s actually a fairly frequent occurrence when an element in one MCU project shares a connection with an element from another.
Such is the nature of filmmaking. However, it does seem like Marvel content in particular is subject to, at times, last-minute alterations to better suit the larger universe, as well as the brand itself.
So, while it didn’t seem like the decision was made late in the game, Wong using the same weapon as Xialing did in another film clearly needed to be addressed behind the scenes so that they wouldn’t be too similar.
Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness can both be streamed on Disney+ and purchased wherever movies are sold.
The current DCEU is being rebooted with a new timeline and continuity, led by new DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran. Many heroes and villains will be recast with new stories.
“Superman: Legacy” will be the first film of the new DCU, set to release in 2025. It won’t be a typical origin story and will feature a younger Superman navigating his Kryptonian heritage and human upbringing.
The DCU will start earlier on TV with the animated series “Creatures Commandos” in 2024.
Jaime Reyes’ Blue Beetle has been confirmed as the DCU’s first hero who can be integrated into the upcoming universe down the line.
The cinematic DC Universe is about to be rebooted on-screen, though the exact beginning of the new universe is a little complicated. Coming from new DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, a whole collection of new projects was revealed at the beginning of 2023, each of them part of a new timeline and continuity where only some elements and characters from the existing DCEU are continuing on. As such, some of the franchise’s biggest heroes and villains will be changed and recast with all-new stories.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set to be the final movie in the current DCEU, effectively closing the door on the universe that first began with 2013’s Man of Steel. While the DCEU has its fair share of incredible moments and strong movies, much of it was critically panned with poor reception including the universe’s overall execution. Now, Gunn has stepped in as DC’s new creative head, intending to largely wipe the slate clean with a full slate of projects all under a phase entitled “Chapter One: Gods and Monsters”. As such, this new DCU is set to begin very soon (though some elements have already debuted).
First and foremost, James Gunn has repeatedly said that Superman: Legacy will be the DCU’s first film set to release in 2025, effectively launching the greater universe by beginning with one of DC’s biggest cornerstone characters. Likewise, Gunn has confirmed that Legacy won’t be a typical origin story for Kal-El/Clark Kent, nor will it be an origin for the universe at large. This new Superman will be operating in a world that’s already quite familiar with superpowered beings.
In terms of plot, not much is known about Superman: Legacy other than the idea that Superman will be somewhat younger and looking to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing raised in Kansas. Likewise, David Corenswet is set to play Clark Kent/Superman while Rachel Brosnahan playing Lois Lane whom Kal-El will already be familiar with. Furthermore, Nathan Fillion has been cast as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan will be playing Metamorpho, confirming the idea of heroes already being established in this new DCU.
James Gunn’s DC Universe Will Start Earlier On TV
While Superman: Legacy is set to be the new DCU’s first movie in 2025, the DCU will begin even sooner than that in 2024 with the upcoming Creatures Commandos show. Confirmed by Gunn to be the first DCU show on Max, the animated series will exist in the same continuity as DC’s upcoming live-action projects, something that wasn’t the case in the DCEU (and only featured minimally in the MCU). Gunn has also shared his hopes that even new DC videogames will exist in the same shared continuity as well.
Set in the modern era, Creatures Commandos will follow a black ops team comprised of monsters under the watchful eye of Task Force X’s Amanda Waller (Viola Davis is set to reprise her DCEU role as Waller). The team itself will feature Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Indira Varma as Bride of Frankenstein, Zoë Chao as Nina Mazursky, David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein, Alan Tudyk as Doctor Phosphorus, Sean Gunn as G.I. Robot & Weasel, and Steve Agee as John Economos. Maria Bakalova is also set to play Princess Ilana Rostovic. Likewise, each of these initial voice actors could end up playing their characters in live-action in future projects.
Creature Commandos isn’t happening until 2024 as the first DCU show and Superman: Legacy isn’t coming to theaters until 2025 as the first movie. However, James Gunn has confirmed that the first DCU hero has already been introduced in 2023 with Jaime Reyes’ Blue Beetle. Having released in theaters in August 2023, Blue Beetle introduced audiences to Jaime and his family who are seen grappling with Reyes’ inadvertent superhero status after a sentient alien battle suit chose to bond with him.
Having very little connection to the rest of the DCEU, Blue Beetle could easily be brought over to the new DCU given the character’s popularity and the new movie’s positive reception. Jaime’s inclusion is also perfect as the new DCU is meant to already have established heroes. Likewise, it’s possible Jason Momoa’s Aquaman may continue on into the new DCU given the similarly isolated nature of the Aquaman movies. The same can be said for the handful of characters connected to the DCEU’s Suicide Squad who are continuing into the new DCU such as Viola Davis’ Waller and John Cena’s Peacemaker (and even Sean Gunn’s Weasel).
Eager to check out V’s new abilities in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty? Update 2.0 has completely revamped several mechanics, including how you maximize your character’s build. Our guide discusses Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty’s best perks and skills for each attribute, as well as how you can acquire more points that can be allocated.
What are the best perks in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty?
Before we talk about the best perks in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, we should first take note of three important facets: attribute points, perk points, and relic points. Those who’ve played the game prior to Update 2.0 might recall the original skill tree, which has since been revamped. Still, certain core mechanics should feel familiar.
Attribute points – Attribute points are gained per level, and can be used to increase the five core stats: Body, Reflexes, Technical Ability, Intelligence, and Cool.
Perk points – Perk points are distributed to acquire new active and passive skills from each attribute tree. Points are also obtained when you level up. Moreover, additional points are earned whenever you reach rank 15 and 35 in your skill progression bracket (i.e. Headhunter, Netrunner, Shinobi, Solo, and Engineer). While we won’t discuss this mechanic in detail here, just know that these increase depending on your actions as you play the game. For instance, Engineer rank-ups occur when you use smart weapons or tech weapons, whereas Netrunner rank-ups happen if you utilize quickhacks or complete terminal hacking minigames.
Relic points – Relic points are a completely new resource only available to those who are playing the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expansion.
The Skill Progression page shows how much you’ve ranked up each individual skill.
How do attributes and perks work?
All attributes have a base level of three points, which allows you to allocate perk points for low-tier skills. You’ll need to add more points to unlock higher brackets. The maximum level is 20, which lets you select the top-tier or legend perks. You may reset your attribute points once.
When choosing perks, bear in mind that there are numerous options, but points are limited (and you still need to level up to gain more). As such, it all comes down to your preferred playstyle and iconic weapons. Also, each attribute has at least one perk that affects vehicular combat. The good news is that you can freely refund your perk points whenever you see fit, so try to mix and match accordingly.
Use quickhacks to cause debilitating effects.
Best Body perks
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty’s best perks for the Body attribute primarily rely on close-range combat (i.e. blunt weapons and shotguns), heavy weapons (i.e. light machine guns and heavy machine guns), and the Adrenaline Rush ability. In our case, we didn’t focus too much on blunt weapons, but we did love blasting foes with the Ba Xing Chong shotgun.
Rookie: Painkiller, Comeback Kid, Dorph-Head, Speed Junkie, and Army of One – All of these options are viable since they boost mitigation and health regeneration.
Rookie (Vehicle): Fury Road – This is, perhaps, the best perk in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty in terms of vehicular combat. It decreases the damage taken by your vehicle, and increases the damage that you deal to others while you’re driving.
Pro: Die Die Die and Like a Feather – These are mostly to offset stamina and movement penalties when using shotguns and machine guns.
Phenom: Spontaneous Obliteration, Dread, Rush of Blood, Adrenaline Rush, Juggernaut, Calm Mind, and Bloodlust – The Adrenaline Rush-related perks help mitigate damage taken, while you get into the thick of the fray. Those on the left side, meanwhile, are for your shotguns and heavy machine guns.
Legend: Pain to Gain – The perk speeds up the recharge rate of health items while Adrenaline Charge is active.
Body perks beef up your offense and defense for close-quarters combat.
Best Reflexes perks
The Reflexes attribute is for those who also want to get up close and personal with enemies, similar to the Body attribute. The difference here is that you’ll rely more on mobility (i.e. Dash and Air Dash), as well as blade weapons, such as the Black Unicorn katana.
Rookie: Slippery, Muscle Memory, and Multitasker – These make you harder to hit while dashing and dodging, while also allowing you to shoot and reload. Keep in mind that these aren’t relegated to a specific weapon, which means you can sprint and slide toward an enemy for a quick shotgun blast or whatever else you wish.
Pro: Dash, Can’t Touch This, Mad Dash, Lead and Steel, Bullet Deflect, Bullet Time, Seeing Double, and Flash & Thunderclap – The pro-tier skills bolster your movement speed thanks to increased mitigation and distance when dashing. Likewise, you’ll now be able to deflect bullets when holding a sword.
Phenom: Air Dash, Aerial Acrobat, Aerodynamic, Finisher: Bladerunner, Going the Distance, and Flash of Steel – If the previous options weren’t enough, then get ready to dash while in mid-air. You’ll also gain a finisher for your blade weapons.
Legend: Tailwind and Slaughterhouse – The former ensures that you no longer need to worry about stamina when double jumping or air dashing. The latter, meanwhile, causes the bleeding status effect, which makes enemies more susceptible to insta-kill finishers.
Reflexes perks have you moving in for the kill, albeit speedier thanks to acrobatic moves.
Best Technical Ability perks
The best perks in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty aren’t just for instant-use abilities. Some offer passive boosts when it comes to item recharge rate and cyberware. That’s where the Technical Ability skills come in. It’s worth noting that the cyberware feature has been reworked in the 2.0 update–you’ve got an assortment of new implants, and your armor value is dependent on the implants that are equipped.
Rookie: Glutton For War and Gearhead (Vehicle) – Glutton For War is selected mostly for higher-tier perks. Gearhead, meanwhile, is to boost the damage of vehicle-mounted turrets and rockets.
Pro: Health Freak, Coming In Hot, Demolitions Surplus, All Things Cyber, Renaissance Punk, and Driver Update – Those on the left side are there to give you increased item recharge rate and extra health injectors or grenades. The ones in the middle provide buffs and modifiers for cyberware implants.
Phenom: License to Chrome, Cyborg, Ambidextrous, Built Different, Bolt, Lightning Storm, and Shock Value – The License to Chrome-related perks unlock new cyberware slots, as well as additional armor stats. Those that are Bolt-related only affect tech weapons, allowing you to fire a charged shot. Still, if you want to save up on points, just focus on the cyberware perks for now.
Legend: Edgerunner and Chain Lightning – The former has even more powerful buffs for those who love using cyberware implants, whereas the latter triggers an electrical arc after shooting a Bolt.
Technical Ability perks bolster your cyberware usage.
Best Intelligence perks
The Intelligence perks in the game are those that focus more on quickhacks. These are skills that can cause debuffs or damage to enemies, while also creating distractions and explosions when used on machinery and vehicles. In some ways, the options here complement other playstyles, whether you prefer to run-and-gun or pick off opponents from afar.
Rookie: Carhacker (Vehicle) – Carhacker is probably the most important perk here since it lets you control vehicles, set off alarms, or blow them up. You do need to equip certain quickhacks via your cyberdeck to make certain options available.
Rookie: Optimization, Encryption, and Subordination – These three will help you recover RAM faster when using quickhacks, while also affecting their duration and enemy detection.
Hacking-related: Eye in the Sky up to Queue Mastery – From there, we focus on perks that further increase our maximum RAM and quickhack queue slots. You can also consider grabbing options like Data Recycler, Explosion Hazard, and Queue Prioritization. The idea is to use quickhacks like Sonic Shock, Overheat, Memory Wipe, and Contagion to cause chaos when facing hostile groups, before moving in to finish them off, either with shotguns/machine guns (Body perks), blade weapons (Reflexes perks), or sniper rifles (Cool perks).
Intelligence perks help improve your RAM recharge rate and quickhack utility.
Best Cool perks
The Cool perks are for players who want to hang back when landing a well-placed headshot, or those who want a stealthy approach with silenced weapons. Most perks here affect pistols, revolvers, precision rifles, and sniper rifles.
Rookie: Feline Footwork, Small Target, Blind Spot, Killer Instinct, and Quick Getaway – These picks help you sneak around while avoiding detection.
Pro: Focus, No Sweat, Rinse & Reload, Head to Head, and Deep Breath – Focus improves accuracy if you aim with full stamina. The last perk, Deep Breath, also slows down time.
Phenom: Deadeye, California Reaper, High Noon, Long Shot, Ninjutsu, and Creeping Death – These options further improve the damage you deal with headshots and weakspot hits. The two in the middle (i.e. Ninjutsu and Creeping Death) give additional benefits to stealth.
Legend: Nerves of Tungsten-Steel – Lastly, this perk grants massive DPS due to guaranteed critical hits with headshots and weakspot hits, as well as a buff based on your distance from your target.
Cool perks aid you if you want a stealthier approach.
There you have it. These are what we consider as the best perks and skills in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. Bear in mind that you won’t have a lot of points to allocate for all of these, so it boils down to selecting those that truly complement your playstyle and preferred armaments.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Taylor Swift was in attendance at Arrowhead today to see rumored new beau Travis Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs beat up on the hapless Chicago Bears.
With Kelce catching a TD to make it 41-0, the Fox cameras cut to Swift for the umpteenth time of the broadcast with the golden girl singer seemingly shouting “let’s f***ing go!” Watch the video below with footage from Fox.
Decked out in red and white, Swift watched the game in a suite next to Travis Kelce’s mom after the stud tight end had invited her to watch a game at Arrowhead.
However, that TD came after Fox had already switched away from the Bears game at halftime due to the blowout. Instead, Fox moved over to a close game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals. The network was sure to cut back to show the Kelce TD and Swift’s reaction.
Social media has been in overdrive speculating about the potential relationship between Swift and Kelce. Rumors began when Kelce said on his New Heights podcast that he was disappointed not to have the chance to meet Swift and gift her a friendship bracelet during her stop in Kansas City on her Eras Tour.
On The Pat McAfee Show, Kelce went on to say: “I threw the ball in her court and told her, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead. You might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit.’”
Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes told Fox after the game that he felt “a little pressure” to get Kelce a TD knowing that Swift was watching.
First announced back in December last year and recently previewed with a trailer, Marvel Studios will soon be releasing “Marvel Studios: The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline” – a new coffee table book that serves as an official guide to the MCU timeline.
The 344-page work is being co-written by authors and journalists Anthony Breznican, Rebecca Theodore-Vachon, and Amy Ratcliffe and aims to deconstruct ‘every moment’ from the 15-year history of the MCU – the action running from 2008’s “Iron Man” through to next month’s second season of the Disney+ series “Loki”.
One thing you likely won’t be seeing in it though? References to any series from the now-shuttered Marvel Television division.
Whilst the various shows for ABC, Netflix, Hulu and the like referred to MCU events and even boasted the odd familiar guest star, it was always a one-way street with none of the MCU films referring to events on the shows.
Now, The Direct reports that while the book doesn’t hit retailers until late October, an extended preview of the title is now up on Amazon which allows some of the book’s contents to be searched. After searching for specific entries, they say:
“By searching further, including in the index, it’s easy to see that all Agents of SHIELD material has been completely omitted. There’s no mention of the Terrigen outbreak, Ghost Rider, or Chronicoms. On top of that, nothing from shows like Daredevil, Cloak and Dagger, or Runaways was listed either.”
Our own search of the index found no reference to either Jessica Jones or Luke Cage. The book has been called the “definitive, filmmaker-endorsed guide to the MCU,” but this seemingly puts a final stamp on their expected stance that only Marvel Studios titles are canon to the MCU.
That would mean any of the events within ABC’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Agent Carter” and “Inhumans”; Netflix’s “Daredevil,” “Luke Cage,” “Jessica Jones,” “Iron Fist,” “The Punisher” and “The Defenders”; FX’s “Legion”; FOX’s “The Gifted”; Freeform’s “Cloak and Dagger”; and Hulu’s “Runaways,” “Helstrom,” “M.O.D.O.K.” and “Hit-Monkey” are not.
Could that change with the upcoming multiversal shenanigans of the MCU’s fifth and sixth phases? Whilst the events may not be canon, the casting of several Marvel Netflix actors in their old roles for the upcoming “Daredevil: Born Again” series suggests fan favorites could return albeit as different incarnations of their roles.
The news comes as “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD,” which was marketed as a tie-in to the MCU films, is celebrating its tenth anniversary.
Fall is finally here with a jam-packed lineup for Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season. The Chicago Bears head to Arrowhead Stadium today to face Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Coming off a brutal showing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last weekend, the Chicago Bears are still looking for a win this season in order to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2016. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs will be out for revenge as they have eyes on their first home win after a loss on opening night.
Will Chicago overcome the odds and snap their 12-game losing streak with a win over Kansas City? Here is everything to know about how to watch the Bears vs. Chiefs game live.
When is the Bears vs. Chiefs game?
The 2023 NFL regular season battle between the Chicago Bears and Kanas City Chiefs is set to kick off Sunday, September 24, at 4:25 p.m. ET (1:25 p.m. PT).
How to Watch the Bears vs. Chiefs Game Online
The Bears vs. Chiefs game will be airing on FOX. If you don’t have cable, the most cost-effective way to watch this afternoon’s game is through a live TV streaming subscription to Sling TV.
Right now, there is a Sling TV deal offering 50% off your first month — bringing the Blue package with FOX down to just $22.50 and the comprehensive Orange + Blue package down to $30. Sling TV comes with 50 hours of free cloud-based DVR recording space, perfect for recording all the season’s top NFL matchups.
As the official streaming service of the National Football League, NFL+ allows you to watch live NFL games on your mobile device. Starting at $40 per year (or $7 per month), NFL+ has access to NFL Network for live local and primetime regular and postseason games on your phone and tablet. You can also upgrade to NFL+ with NFL RedZone and watch up to eight NFL games simultaneously.
For a limited time, you can save 20% on a yearly subscription, which brings the cost of NFL+ down to $40/year. If you upgrade to NFL+ Premium for $15/month, you’ll get access to live local and primetime games on mobile, NFL RedZone, NFL Network, game replays and more.
ESPN’s standalone streaming service, ESPN+, is another option for watching today’s Bears vs. Chiefs game along with the rest of this season’s NFL games airing on ESPN. With it, you’ll be able to watch the ManningCast airing on ESPN2, too. ESPN Plus costs $10 per month or $100 with an annual subscription.
How to Watch the Bears vs. Chiefs Game Online for Free
With Fubo’s sports-focused live TV streaming service, you’ll have nearly every channel you’ll need to watch the NFL regular season. Every game broadcast nationally or on NFL Network will also be available to stream on Fubo, which comes with 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage and a seven-day free trial.
2023-2024 NFL Season Schedule
Below, view the schedule for the 2023-2024 NFL football season with game times, television stations and streaming services. Note that some games have yet to be scheduled.
Week 3
Sunday, September 24
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Los Angeles Chargers at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
New England Patriots at New York Jets, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Buffalo Bills at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Las Vegas Raiders, 8:20 p.m. EDT (NBC)
Monday, September 25
Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7:15 p.m. EDT (ABC, ESPN+)
Los Angeles Rams at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
Week 4
Thursday, September 28
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers, 8:15 p.m. EDT (Prime Video)
Sunday, October 1
Atlanta Falcons vs. Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London, England, 9:30 a.m. EDT (ESPN+)
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Los Angeles Rams at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. EDT (CBS)
New England Patriots at Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Kansas City Chiefs at New York Jets, 8:20 p.m. EDT (NBC)
Monday, October 2
Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants, 8:15 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
Week 5
Thursday, October 5
Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders, 8:15 p.m. EDT (Prime Video)
Sunday, October 8
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, 9:30 a.m. EDT (ESPN+ and NFL Network)
Houston Texans at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Carolina Panthers at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
New York Giants at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Cincinnati Bengals at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams, 4:05 p.m. EDT (Fox)
New York Jets at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Kansas City Chiefs at Minnesota Vikings, 4:25 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers, 8:20 p.m. EDT (NBC)
Monday, October 9
Green Bay Packers at Las Vegas Raiders, 8:15 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
Week 6
Thursday, October 12
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:15 p.m. EDT (Prime Video)
Sunday, October 15
Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, 9:30 a.m. EDT (ESPN+ and NFL Network)
Washington Commanders at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
San Francisco 49ers, at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
New Orleans Saints at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
New England Patriots at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:05 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Jets, 4:25 p.m. EDT (Fox)
New York Giants at Buffalo Bills, 8:20 p.m. EDT (NBC)
Monday, October 16
Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers, 8:15 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
Week 7
Thursday, October 19
Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints, 8:15 p.m. EDT (Prime Video)
Sunday, October 22
Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Las Vegas Raiders at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Washington Commanders at New York Giants, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Rams, 4:05 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:20 p.m. EDT (NBC)
Monday, October 23
San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings, 8:15 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
Week 8
Thursday, October 26
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills, 8:15 p.m. EDT (Prime Video)
Sunday, October 29
Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
New York Jets at New York Giants, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. EDT (Fox)
Baltimore Ravens at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m. EDT (CBS)
Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Chargers, 8:20 p.m. EDT (NBC)
Monday, October 30
Las Vegas Raiders at Detroit Lions, 8:15 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
Week 9
Thursday, November 2
Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:15 p.m. EDT (Prime Video)
Sunday, November 5
Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany, 9:30 a.m. EST (ESPN+ and NFL Network)
Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Washington Commanders at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers, 4:05 p.m. EST (CBS)
New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. EST (Fox)
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:25 p.m. EST (Fox)
Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:20 p.m. EST (NBC)
Monday, November 6
Los Angeles Chargers at New York Jets, 8:15 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Week 10
Thursday, November 9
Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears, 8:15 p.m. EST (Prime Video)
Sunday, November 12
Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany, 9:30 a.m. EST (ESPN+ and NFL Network)
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
San Francisco 49ers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Tennessee Titans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. EST (CBS)
Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. EST (CBS)
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. EST (Fox)
Washington Commanders at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. EST (Fox)
New York Jets at Las Vegas Raiders, 8:20 p.m. EST (NBC)
Monday, November 13
Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills, 8:15 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Week 11
Thursday, November 16
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens, 8:15 p.m. EST (Prime Video)
Sunday, November 19
Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Los Angeles Chargers at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Arizona Cardinals at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Las Vegas Raiders at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
New York Giants at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers, 4:05 p.m. EST (Fox)
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills, 4:25 p.m. EST (CBS)
Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m. EST (CBS)
Minnesota Vikings at Denver Broncos, 8:20 p.m. EST (NBC)
Monday, November 20
Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:15 p.m. EST (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+)
Week 12
Thursday, November 23 (Thanksgiving)
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions, 12:30 p.m. EST (Fox)
Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys, 4:30 p.m. EST (CBS)
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, 8:20 p.m. EST (NBC)
Friday, November 24
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets, 3:00 p.m. EST (Prime Video)
Sunday, November 26
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
New England Patriots at New York Giants, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. EST (Fox)
Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m. EST (Fox)
Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. EST (CBS)
Buffalo Bills at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:25 p.m. EST (CBS)
Baltimore Ravens at Las Angeles Chargers, 8:20 p.m. EST (NBC)
Monday, November 27
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings, 8:15 a.m. EST (ESPN)
Week 13
Thursday, November 30
Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys, 8:15 p.m. EST (Prime Video)
Sunday, December 3
Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Arizona Cardinals at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Miami Dolphins at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Denver Broncos at Houston Texans, 4:05 p.m. EST (CBS)
Cleveland Browns at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m. EST (Fox)
San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:25 p.m. EST (Fox)
Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers, 8:20 p.m. EST (NBC)
Monday, December 4
Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars, 8:15 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Week 14
Thursday, December 7
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:15 p.m. EST (Prime Video)
Sunday, December 10
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Houston Texans at New York Jets, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Minnesota Vikings at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:05 p.m. EST (Fox)
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers, 4:05 p.m. EST (Fox)
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. EST (CBS)
Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:25 p.m. EST (CBS)
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. EST (NBC)
Monday, December 11
Green Bay Packers at New York Giants, 8:15 p.m. EST (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+)
Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins, 8:15 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Week 15
Thursday, December 14
Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders, 8:15 p.m. EST (Prime Video)
Sunday, December 17
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
New York Giants at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. EST (CBS)
Washington Commanders at Los Angeles Rams, 4:05 p.m. EST (CBS)
Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills, 4:25 p.m. EST (Fox)
Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. EST (Fox)
Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars, 8:20 p.m. EST (NBC)
Monday, December 18
Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Week 16
Thursday, December 21
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams, 8:15 p.m. EST (Prime Video)
Saturday, December 23
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers, 4:30 p.m. EST (NBC)
Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Chargers, 8 p.m. EST (Peacock)
Sunday, December 24
Indianapolis Colts at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Washington Commanders at New York Jets, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4:05 p.m. EST (CBS)
Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears, 4:25 p.m. EST (Fox)
Dallas Cowboys at Miami Dolphins, 4:25 p.m. EST (Fox)
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos, 8:15 p.m. EST (NFL Network)
Monday, December 25
Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs, 1:00 p.m. EST (CBS, Nickelodeon)
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:30 p.m. EST (Fox)
Baltimore Ravens at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. EST (ABC, ESPN+)
Week 17
Thursday, December 28
New York Jets at Cleveland Browns, 8:15 p.m. EST (Prime Video)
Saturday, December 30
Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys, 8:15 p.m. EST (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+)
Sunday, December 31
Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. EST(CBS)
Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Las Vegas Raiders at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. EST (CBS)
Los Angeles Rams at New York Giants, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
San Francisco 49ers at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m. EST (Fox)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. EST (Fox)
Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. EST (CBS)
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. EST (CBS)
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings, 8:20 p.m. EST (NBC)
The ongoing talks between the WGA and the AMPTP continued to look promising through the weekend, but the writers couldn’t help but have fun with the studios’ claim that they made their “best and final offer.”
After the statement was made late Saturday before talks continued today, union members took to X to have a little fun with the AMPTP’s choice of words.
It inspired Mike Flanagan and a few others to come up with possible movie titles, should Hollywood ever decide to chronicle this hot mess of a negotiation. “Best Final Offer. 2 Best Final. Best Final Offer: 3D. Off4: The Best & The Final. BFO 5: The Finalest Offer,” he wrote.
Eden Danger followed with a few of her own: “OFFER FINAL OFFERBEST & FINAL OFFERLAST & FINAL OFFER SMART & FINAL OFFERFINAL OFFER TOKYO DRIFT.”
Warren Leight riffed on the phrase by drawing a comparison to David Brooks’ now infamous post about the $78 he spent on a meal in a New Jersey terminal. “The AMPTP’s last, best and final $78 meal at a Newark Airport,” Leight wrote, next to a picture of Brooks’ supposedly pricey burger and fries.
SAG-AFTRA member Mike Puateri weighed in with “I said to my wife, “Okay I’ll wash the dishes tonight but you have to dry them. This is my LAST, BEST, AND FINAL OFFER. Then I dried the dishes.”
Comedy writer Mark Agee shared that “I have given my best and final offer to the doctor with the last matching heart for my transplant. If he doesn’t take it I walk.”
The faux Carol Lombardini on X even came through with a post that read “please WGA, just accept our last best and final offer so we’re not forced to come back again and give you the even-better last-last double-best bottomless Oreo dream extreme offer-tini.”
She then followed up with “we’re having so much fun we’ve jointly decided to do a last best and final day of negotiations” when talks went into Sunday.
Speaking of the fake Lombardini, actor Paul McKinney wrote, “The AMPTP made their “last best and final offer” but then forgot to insert language demanding the identity of so that’s why they’re meeting on Sunday.”
Some WGA members weren’t so amused at the phrase, even though many folks took the time to point out that the words were straight-up legalese. “A “last, best, and final offer” is reserved for the negotiating party who has all the power,” wrote former Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff. “The CEOs took 140 days to come to the table. It’s beyond irresponsible. It’s the opposite of powerful.”
Added David Slack, “When you’ve already made your “last, best, and final” offer three times and then been forced to make a better offer because you can’t make your only product without us — maybe just stop calling them “last, best, and final”?
Added Scott Collette, “Should the AMPTP’s last, best, & final offer not be suitable, then I think the WGA can make the case that a federal mediator is needed. Would love to hear CEOs defend their salaries & historic losses to the FMCS, & open the studios’ books to the gov’t to try to make their case.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Sunday shows President Joe Biden trailing Donald Trump by 10 percentage points nationally, though that number is “probably an outlier” in part due to other recent polls showing a tight contest, as the Postnotes.
Still, Biden’s disapproval rating remains relatively high, as shown by another poll conducted by NBC News that was also published Sunday. In that survey of 1,000 registered voters earlier this month, 56 percent of respondents disapprove of the president’s job performance — the highest mark since he has been in office.
Among the demographics where Biden is not cracking 50 percent are young voters between 18 and 34, women and Latino — all areas where Democratic candidates traditionally best their Republican challengers. Biden is also underwater among independents, with just over one-third (36 percent) giving their approval.
Biden’s age and health are also top of mind for most voters, with nearly three out of four having major or moderate concerns. Regarding the age and health of Trump, who at age 77 is three years Biden’s junior, 47 percent of voters have the same level of concern.
Additionally, just under 60 percent of Democratic primary voters want Biden to be challenged for the 2024 Democratic nomination, according to the NBC News poll. That number closely aligns with the ABC News/Post poll finding that 62 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents don’t want Biden as the nominee.
While the ABC News/Post poll of just more than 1,000 registered voters showed Trump with a wide lead against Biden, other polls have tended to show a neck-and-neck race, with the NBC poll having the pair tied at 46 percent.
As to the potential causes of such an “outlier,” the order of questions in the ABC News/Post poll could be one, according to public opinion researcher Gary Langer. (Respondents were first asked about a variety of topics, such as the economy, many of which showed poor results for Biden).
Trending
Voters could also just be sending a message, Langer explained.
“It’s best seen as an opportunity for the public to express its like or dislike of the candidates,” he wrote. “Biden is broadly unpopular and doubts about his suitability for a second term are extensive; wherever they end up in more than a year, a substantial number of Americans today are taking the opportunity to express their displeasure.”
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2023 REVIEW! What writer-director Jason Yu’s Sleep truly lacks is an incisive soul. In all other areas, Yu’s feature debut carries a surfeit of quirk and dynamism. It is a cleanly shot film with a crisp, no-nonsense pace. Its narrative is novel enough to be compelling, and the horror setpieces build in clever ways. But while the technical building blocks are well-executed, its core is a touch lukewarm — Yu creates lofty expectations that he can’t ultimately meet.
Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun), an up-and-coming actor, and Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi), a business executive and expectant mother, are newlyweds. One night, Soo-jin awakens to see her husband at the edge of the bed, muttering ominously to himself. From there, Hyun-su’s fits of sleepwalking worsen. As they escalate from the bizarre to the outright sinister, Soo-jin must quickly determine a solution for the safety of herself and her eventual newborn.
Sleep is divided into a three-chapter structure that functions much like a play. Via this skeleton, the filmmaker is able to impart his characters and story with social acuity. For example, Hyun-su, while a loving husband, solves all of his problems in ways that appear logical, as an actor would. Soo-jin, conversely, approaches issues in a highly systematic way, not unlike an executive.
“…Soo-jin awakens to see her husband at the edge of the bed, muttering ominously…”
Yu also sneaks in slight but no less thoughtful commentary on the society these characters inhabit. When the suggestion arrives that Hyun-see’s sleepwalking might be supernatural in nature, the director artfully allows the idea of mythological evil to run parallel to a culture of unrealistic expectations. This allows for ample thought-provoking scenarios to be hinted at.
Technically, the filmmaker is textbook in his execution. Sleep glides from frame to frame on the back of clean cinematography. Every scene is perfectly concise, never too short or too long. And when the more horrifying moments arrive, a few key angles create moments of tremendous dread. In addition, well-known Korean actors Lee Sun-kyun and Jung Yu-mi give performances that could be easily overlooked for how natural and intimate they are on-screen. They provide a genuine connection between their characters and the viewer.
However, the cruelest aspect is one of expectation. Each of the formal elements is so infused with Yu’s wit that much is anticipated as the film shuttles toward its climax. But when it arrives, it is frustratingly ambiguous. For the majority of the runtime, the script successfully calibrates a story that exudes perspicuity. However, the finale cannot make heads or tails of such insight, leaving the film at a thematic stalemate.
As such, Sleep is an oblong mirror of itself. On one hand, it is a good but seemingly typical genre film that has moments of uncanny intelligence. On the other, it is an uncannily intelligent work that eventually settles for simply being a good genre film. Either way, Yu has shown that he has much to offer, regardless of the disappointing conclusion. If he can harness his incisive nature more effectively, Yu will be a formidable director not just in horror but in any cinematic arena.
The father of one of the victims in Calgary’s worst mass killing is in disbelief after Matthew de Grood filed an appeal of a 2022 Alberta review board ruling.
de Grood was found not criminally responsible in 2016 in connection with the 2014 deaths of Zackariah Rathwell, Jordan Segura, Kaiti Perras, Josh Hunter and Lawrence Hong.
The five were stabbed to death during a house party in the northwest Calgary neighbourhood of Brentwood. It was determined at the time of the killings, de Grood was living with undiagnosed schizophrenia.
The status of de Grood is assessed on an annual basis by an Alberta review board. He continues to receive treatment at the Alberta Hospital Edmonton and lives in a restricted, highly structured group home.
In the latest decision from September 2022, the board determined de Grood posed a significant risk to the public and was not entitled to an absolute discharge.
Story continues below advertisement
Global News learned on Sept. 15 that de Grood is seeking an appeal of the 2022 ruling at the Supreme Court of Canada as he wants an absolute or conditional discharge that would pave the way for a return to Calgary.
Gregg Perras, father of Kaiti Perras, said he was shocked de Grood filed an application to the Supreme Court of Canada. According to Perras, the Alberta review board said de Grood has a “very high risk” of causing more trouble if he is given more freedoms.
“I remember the day I found out that Katie died. It’s fresh. When we do these reviews and these appeals, it’s fresh in your mind every three or four months. It’s right back to where you started,” Perras told Global News.
“We’re back where we started, where we get anxious and concerned and worried and angry. It just bubbles back to the surface right away.”
Perras said he spoke to the family members of the other victims, and everyone is hoping the Supreme Court will not accept de Grood’s appeal because he’s convinced it could have negative ramifications.
“Hopefully, the Supreme Court won’t even hear their case because usually they only spend time on things that matter to the entire country, not to one individual,” he said.
“If the Supreme Court even hears the appeal, it could have far-reaching ramifications for other patients who are found not criminally responsible who want more freedoms … It puts into question the process and provincial control on reviews and decisions made by legal and medical professionals.”
Story continues below advertisement
Perras added he never wants to see de Grood discharged.
“He should never get absolute discharge ever. He killed five people … Right now they have the full support of the government-supported forensic medical experts. They can keep an eye on him.”
Danny Masterson, 47, is best known for being a cast member on the sitcom, That ’70s Show, from 1998 until 2006, but in 2022, he was in the spotlight for a different reason. The actor was first accused of sexual assault back in 2017, but in 2020, he was arrested and charged with allegedly raping three women between the years, 2001 and 2003. He went on to have two trials, including a first trial in October 2022, and a retrial in April 2023, before he was ultimately found guilty on two counts of rape and sentenced to 30 years in prison, which includes 15 years for each count, in September 2023.
Find out more about Danny’s sentencing and his prison details below.
Is Danny Masterson in Prison?
Danny at court in 2020. (LUCY NICHOLSON/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Before he was sentenced, Danny, whose wife Bijou Phillips filed for divorce after his sentencing, stayed in L.A. County Men’s Central Jail for months. After his sentencing, which took place on September 7, 2023, he was taken back right away and was awaiting to be transferred to a California state prison, where he would serve both of his sentences, according to TMZ.
What Is Prison like for Danny Masterson?
Danny is under 24-hour video surveillance, and deputies come by his cell every 30 minutes to check on him, according to TMZ. The goal of the frequent check-ins is to see how his mental state is and to make sure he’s safe. If he shows any signs of mental distress or tells his team or a deputy about a mental health issue, he would be taken for a mental health exam right away, the outlet also reported. As far as how Danny feels after the sentencing, his lawyer Shawn Holley, told TMZ that he is “mentally strong and feels confident that his conviction will be overturned on appeal, based on his meetings with several top appellate attorneys.”
How many Years Was Danny Masterson sentenced to Prison?
Danny in the sitcom, ‘The Ranch.’ (Greg Gayne/Netflix/Kobal/Shutterstock)
LA Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo sentenced Danny to a total of 30 years in prison, which includes two separate 15-year sentences for each count of rape. He will be serving them consecutively. The sentencing happened after the judge rejected a defense motion for a new trial and the sentence, itself, was the maximum allowed by law.
“Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s voice and choice. Your actions 20 years ago were criminal, and that is why you are here,” the judge said to Danny at the sentencing, per Variety.
What Will Danny Masterson’s Release Date Be?
Since he was served a total of 30 years in prison, Danny wouldn’t be released until around 2053, the year he’ll turn 77 years old. Due to the guidelines of his sentencing, Danny will be eligible for parole after 25 1/2 years, but he could remain in prison the rest of his life, depending on any changes that could happen between now and then.
It’s time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off.
Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I’m still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it’s fun, but also difficult.
What’s more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently.
But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you’ll probably need some for this game too.
I’m a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who’s been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #609 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
Your Quordle expert
Your Quordle expert
Marc McLaren
Marc is TechRadar’s UK Editor in Chief and has been playing Wordle and Quordle for more than a year. He’s authored dozens of articles on the game for TechRadar and its sister site Tom’s Guide, including a detailed analysis of the most common letters in every position. His Wordle streak recently reached the 500 mark and he’ll be inconsolable if he loses it. Yes, he takes it all too seriously.
Quordle today (game #609) – hint #1 – Vowels
How many different vowels are in Quordle today?
• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.
* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).
Quordle today (game #609) – hint #2 – total vowels
What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?
• The total number of vowels across today’s Quordle answers is 9.
Quordle today (game #609) – hint #3 – repeated letters
Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?
• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.
Quordle today (game #609) – hint #4 – total letters
How many different letters are used in Quordle today?
• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 13.
Quordle today (game #609) – hint #5 – uncommon letters
Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?
• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today’s Quordle answers.
Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar.
As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.
The website also includes a practice mode – which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! – and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements – specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.
Oh, and it’s difficult. Really difficult.
What are the Quordle rules?
The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.
1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.
2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow.
3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…
4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two.
5. Answers are never plural.
6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.
7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.
8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle’s Hard mode.
9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.
10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.
What is a good Quordle strategy?
Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can’t blindly throw letters at it and expect to win – you’ll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.
That’s the case in Wordle too, of course, but it’s even more important in Quordle.
There are two key things to remember.
1. Use several starting words
Firstly, you won’t want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words.
The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.
For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options – you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe – but something like that should do the trick.
If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!
2. Narrow things down
Secondly, if you’re faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options – for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH – you’ll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options.
In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It’s risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it’s the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure – you simply don’t have enough guesses.
In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.
Influencer Andrew Tate has been accused of more horrific sex crimes. Four women in the United Kingdom reportedly plan to sue the internet personality for sexual assault, including rape.
Jennifer Sayles, who represents the women, described Tate’s latest accusers as “suffering immensely” and told the Sunday Times, “They have bouts of depression and anxiety. Constant feelings of being overwhelmed. It is just traumatizing every time Tate crops up in their lives — he is everywhere.”
The four anonymous women are between the ages of 28 and 31 and met Tate at different points in their lives. Two of the women, identified by the Times with the names “Helen” and “Sally,” worked for Tate’s webcam business. Sally also claims to have witnessed Tate raping Helen. Both women have accused Tate of choking them violently until blood vessels in their eyes burst, as did another woman identified as “Evie.”
Another woman, who goes by the name “Amelia,” was in a relationship with Tate in 2013. She has accused Tate of raping her weeks into the relationship and of texting her “I love raping you.” The fourth woman, “Evie,” said that she was having consensual sex with Tate when he began to choke her until she passed out and the blood vessels in one of her eyes popped.
Three of the women — Helen, Amelia and Sally — reported the rapes to the police, who launched an investigation as Tate was allowed to travel to Romania. He is currently being held in the country on charges of human trafficking and sexual assault. The U.K. authorities decided not to pursue criminal charges against Tate in 2019.
The Sunday Times reports that Tate has denied the allegations and plans to sue the women for defamation.
Looks like Taylor Swift accepted Travis Kelce’s invitation, after all.
Swift was spotted cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, further fueling rumors of a potential romance between the singer and Chiefs tight end.
As Kelce and his team took on the Chicago Bears, the singer was seen sitting in a private suite box next to Kelce’s mother, Donna Kelce, ahead of the kickoff at the Kansas City, Missouri, stadium. At one point, the camera panned over to show her wearing Chiefs colors and cheering enthusiastically.
During the game, Swift’s enthusiasm continued as she celebrated Kelce’s touchdown with a “Let’s fucking go!” while clapping and jumping excitedly alongside others in the box.
Swift’s appearance comes after the football player said that he had reached out to invite her to a game.
“I threw it out there,” he told ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week. “I threw the ball in her court and, you know, I told her, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage at Arrowhead, and you might have to come see me rock the stage at Arrowhead and see which one is a little more lit.’”
“So we’ll see what happens in the near future,” he added.
Dating rumors surrounding Swift and Kelce began in July when he expressed his interest in the singer after attending her “Eras Tour” concert at Arrowhead Stadium. Kelce admitted that he had attempted to meet Swift and give her his number at the show but failed.
“I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings. So I was a little butthurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her,” he said.
“If you’re up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets and I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it,” he continued. “She doesn’t meet anybody or at least she didn’t want to meet me, so I took it personal. But it was an unbelievable show.”
Trending
The singer has yet to weigh in on the rumors herself.
This post was updated to add Swift’s reaction to Kelce’s touchdown.
Taylor Swift was spotted supporting her rumored new beau, NFL star Travis Kelce, at the Chiefs game in Kansas City on Sunday. The “You Belong With Me” singer’s appearance at Arrowhead Stadium was highly anticipated after the tight end recently revealed that he had personally invited Swift to watch him play.
Clearly, Swift accepted the invitation as Sunday’s broadcast included multiple shots of the “Midnights” artist wearing Kansas City colors and cheering from Kelce’s private box alongside the athlete’s mother, Donna Kelce.
“[Swift] is there, whatever that means!” Curt Menefee,host of “Fox NFL Sunday,” remarked before the game.
Earlier this week, Kelce finally addressed rumors of a romance brewing between him and Swift on an episode of “The Pat McAfee Show.” (Kelce, a noted Swiftie, famously attended one of the performer’s Eras tour shows at Arrowhead Stadium in July.)
“It’s hilarious how much traction this has actually got,” Kelce told McAfee.
“I threw the ball in her court,” he added. “I told her … ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage at Arrowhead. You might have to come see me rock the stage at Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit … So, we’ll see what happens in the near future.”
Kelce also ribbed his brother, fellow football player and podcast co-host Jason Kelce, for repeatedly making a scene by commenting publicly on the gossip surrounding him and Swift in recent weeks.
“The guy is absolutely ridic — can’t stay out of the headlines,” Travis Kelce joked. “Please, everybody, stop asking my my brother about … my love life.”
Amber Heard’s reduced role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom stirs both anticipation and controversy among fans.
Despite the critique surrounding her return, promotional material prominently features Amber Heard as Mera in stunning black and white images.
The sequel steers the narrative towards a focus on Arthur and Orm’s fraternal relationship, potentially further diminishing Heard’s role.
The upcoming DC Universe sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, unveils striking new merchandise, highlighting Amber Heard’s reprisal as Mera. Despite her minimized role amidst publicized legal difficulties, her image graces the promotional material, stirring both anticipation and controversy in the fan base.
The saga’s forthcoming installment unveils the latest merchandise, adorned with the visages of the familiar aquatic heroes. Officially licensed promotional images shared by Elephant Stock feature Amber Heard’s Mera, depicted in stunning black and white, unequivocally center stage despite the critique surrounding her Aquaman 2 return. Contrarily, the trailer released for the highly-anticipated sequel includes only a single scene featuring Heard in action, hinting at her reduced screen presence.
In a charming artistic rendering, a more animated Mera wears her signature light blue costume and royal crown, showcasing her regal elegance. Meanwhile, Jason Momoa‘s Aquaman is portrayed in his vibrant yellow-and-green costume, clutching his trident while riding the ocean waves. Another visual shows him on the back of a colossal seahorse, emphasizing his dominion over the ocean.
Despite this evident promotional push, doubt hovers. Amber Heard’s involvement in the sequel has been a topic of debate among fans, many of whom were surprised to learn she would be returning following her contentious public defamation trial. Speculations of her being cut from the film swirled amid the trial, although these were later refuted by Warner Bros., reassuring the audience of her ongoing participation in the film.
Beyond Mera: The Refocused Narrative of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Warner Bros. Pictures
Amid this uncertain climate, the sequel steers the narrative towards new horizons. Director James Wan emphasized the thematic shift of the sequel, centering on Arthur and Orm’s fraternal relationship, diverging from the romantic storyline between Arthur Curry and Mera. This narrative decision may further underscore Heard’s diminished role in the forthcoming movie.
Nonetheless, the conclusion of this chapter in the DC Universe is fast approaching, marking the end of an era as James Gunn and Peter Safran prepare to reboot the franchise. Heard’s future within the DC movies remains uncertain, with indications suggesting her departure post Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Despite the reduced role and potential exit from the DC universe, her portrayal of Mera will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression as fans worldwide prepare for the film’s release.
As the waves settle and the saga progresses, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom navigates through these turbid waters towards its grand debut in theaters on December 20. Regardless of the external controversies, the fervor surrounding the film’s release remains undiminished, promising an epic continuation of the underwater adventure that captivated audiences worldwide.
Anticipation and debate, the cinematic universe expands, offering new narratives, characters, and possibilities. As the curtain falls on this chapter of the DC Universe, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom stands as a beacon, guiding viewers through the thrilling depths of the oceanic world, and beyond, into the future of superhero cinema.
Bandai Namco has provided eager viewers with a range of new information on upcoming video games during Tokyo Game Show 2023. Today, the first story trailer for the upcoming third-person action game, SAND LAND was revealed. From the get-go, SAND LAND is absolutely chock full of the Toriyama charm that fans of his work have come to know and love. The trailer runs for 2:20 and can be viewed below.
SAND LAND originally ran for three months back in 2000. So, it’s quite a comeback, but again, does anything really die forever in Toriyama’s world? This new lease on life has allowed longtime fans and newcomers alike to experience everything that this post-apocalyptic story has to offer. And boy, it looks fantastic.
The trailer gives us an overview of what to expect from the story. Living in a desert, where water sources are clearly sparce, an unlikely group come together in search of the “Legendary Spring”. Whether or not this rumor is originally believed, desperation means that they set out on a quest to discover an oasis in the barren desert that they call home.
Image via Bandai Namco Entertainment America
Eagle-eyed fans immediately noticed that a certain character shown off in the SAND LAND trailer looked quite familiar to one in the Dragon Ball universe. Pausing at 0:55 allows you to view a character who looks incredibly similar to Dabura. Whether or not this character is directly related to Dabura himself, or Toriyama enjoys creating this style of character remains to be seen. The similarity is uncanny though, and it will be interesting to see where it goes.
Whilst no release date is currently set, SAND LAND will release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.
About the Author
Priscilla Wells
Priscilla is a weekend editor and freelance writer for Prima Games. She is an Australian living in the United States with her family. Priscilla has grown up playing video games, and most often plays her PS5 and Nintendo Switch consoles.
EXCLUSIVE: Three Golden Globes voters, Howaida Hamdy, Munawar Hosain and Aniko Navai, are out of the company behind the Golden Globe Awards.
According to sources, the three have been expelled for violating the organization’s code of conduct following investigations into complaints about their behavior.
Egyptian Journalist and critic Howaida Hamdy became the subject of a probe following a Camera report in August about alleged anti-Semitic and “extremist” remarks in some of Hamdy’s reviews and tweets in Arabic.
Bangladeshi-born Munawar Hosain and Hungarian-born Aniko Navai — both based in Los Angeles — had been HFPA members for decades; Hamdy was among 21 new members added in 2021 in the first wave of efforts to diversify the Globes voting body following widespread criticism.
All three transitioned to becoming Golden Globes employees after Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge earlier this year acquired all the Golden Globes’ assets, rights and properties from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, turning the Hollywood awards show into a commercial enterprise.
The Golden Globes are expected to reveal a roster of 300 voters from 76 countries soon. The 2023 Golden Globes Awards are set for Jan. 10, 2024.
Eldridge and Deadline parent PMC own DCP in a joint venture.
With Hollywood anxiously awaiting news on a potential deal between the studios and the Writers Guild of America, writers are continuing to picket even through the weekend as dozens gathered at Television City to put pressure on ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.”
Over the past week, WGA has held picket lines outside of rehearsal spaces where the show’s competitors are practicing for the premiere episode currently set to air this Tuesday. Producers are present at the “DWTS” set at Television City on Sunday to make preparations for Tuesday’s premiere.
Since Dancing With The Stars has still refused to honor the strike and postpone their Tuesday premiere, we’ll be out here for our Best And Final™ Picket until they do. If they keep this up until Tuesday and we still don’t have a fair deal, they WILL NOT get onto this lot. pic.twitter.com/zEIPG1DaNH
The guild’s efforts have yielded some success, as “Veep” star Matt Walsh announced earlier this week that he would not participate on the show until a deal with the Writers Guild was reached.
“I have been and will always stand with my union members of the WGA, SAG and DGA. Beyond our union artists, I am sensitive to the many people impacted by the strike and I hope for a speedy and fair resolution, and to one day work again with all the wonderful people I met at ‘DWTS’ who tolerated my dancing,” Walsh said in a statement.
Day 146. After September 23rd: The Best and Final Offer we’re still waiting on a deal. So we’re out here keeping an eye on Dancing With The Stars, a WGA signatory show. I hope there’s a deal before the live premiere, but if not, we’ll be here for it. #WGAStrongpic.twitter.com/t9vcyF4qyk
At the headquarters of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in Sherman Oaks, talks between the WGA and studios are in the midst of their fifth consecutive day, with studios hoping to reach a deal today before the start of the Yom Kippur holiday at sundown.
Four major studio CEOs — Disney’s Bob Iger, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav and NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley — were present for the first three days of talks, with insiders saying that Saturday’s talks were largely between the legal teams of both sides as they sorted through the finer details and language of the contract.
Should a tentative agreement be reached either today or sometime this week after Yom Kippur, the WGA strike will end just shy of the record for the longest strike in Hollywood history, currently held by the 154-day writers’ strike in 1988.
“Sex Education” reached a climax with Maeve and Otis sleeping together after four long seasons and 32 episodes of back and forth between the two school sex clinic operators.
Season 4 doesn’t make it easy for Maeve and Otis to finally date and connect. Maeve has just gone to America for an English class taught at a prestigious university by Professor Thomas Molloy (Dan Levy). Otis and Moordale Secondary company have their own challenges to navigate because a majority of them transferred to Cavendish College after the shuttering of Moordale Secondary School at the end of last season. Intimacy coordinator David Thackerary, who has been involved with the show form Season 2 onwards, described the build-up to such an important scene involving one of the show’s most beloved “ships” in an interview with TheWrap.
“There was a lot of pressure for this moment because it’s this relationship. This is their moment. I call it the Ross and Rachel scene of ‘Sex Education,’” Thackerary said. “A lot of conversations happened before this. It was very much ‘Listen to the director’s vision and questions like, ‘What kind of position is this going to be? Are we only going to show one position? How does it begin? How does the intimacy begin?’”
Because Maeve comes back to Moordale for her mother Erin’s (Anne-Marie Duff) emergency hospitalization and eventual funeral, she and Otis go on a date to try and take her mind off things. But the date, and their attempt to have sex after, goes wrong.
“They try more than once, and I think it’s on their minds as well, even in the long-distance relationship points. It’s just building up to that moment,” Thackeray said. “I think it feels right at that point. You can see the consent that is taking place. It might not necessarily be vocal, but it’s engaged. And you can see that for the body language and that face and the way that.”
Episode 7 marks the moment of truth for the young couple. Maeve decides that she will go back to America to complete her course with Molloy. She tells Otis this beforehand, but it doesn’t stop him. He has come away from a talk with O (Thaddea Graham), who has encouraged him to let go of the fear of getting hurt because you can’t love anyone without risk.
“You have this lovely moment of clothes coming off, and then we see Otis feeling confident enough because of Maeve and you see the joys of him lifting her up and going down to the bed,” Thackeray said. “There’s smiling, there’s moments of laughter, there’s eye contact and it’s an intimate scene based on the characters’ trust and so much deeper relationship. I thought it was really well-directed and really well edited. I was really happy when I saw it.”
The culmination marked a full-circle moment since the first episode in Season 4, in which Maeve sends Otis a nude, and they then get intimate over the phone.
“The process still stays the same. It would still be a closed set. You still want to make you talk to the director beforehand, say hey, are we seeing anything here – is there any nudity? Are they doing any kind of action or simulated action? And then I’ll talk to the actor and find out what they’re comfortable with and any kind of thoughts from this moment,” Thackeray said. “There is a different feel to it because you are just by yourself and there’s no one on the end of the phone. So you are really just trying to go through each beat of that conversation and what that intimacy is, and sometimes you might have to call out and say, ‘Right, we’re here at this point. This is how we’re going to finish this scene as well. This is where we’re gonna call cut.’”
Thackerary worked with a team of intimacy coordinators, some of whom stepped onto set in moments like these when he couldn’t be there.
“The nude picture being sent, it’s very much like, ‘Oh, wow, great. This is awesome.’ And then suddenly, ‘Oh, do I have to send another one?’ You’ve got this kind of dilemma of at least open conversation that people want to talk about, which is great, because it does happen and it should be spoken about and it’s two characters trying to find ways of being intimate with a long distance relationship,” Thackeray said. “It’s very much, especially for Maeve and Otis, about exploring what this relationship is, but on a deeper level, on a mature level, from a long distance relationship and navigating that to the hurdles that they find themselves in where their everyday life is getting in the way of the intimacy, which is very normal and very mature.”
Season 4 had fewer sex scenes compared to the previous three seasons, but that makes sense to Thackerary.
“I was also like, Hey, where’s all the work? Where’s all my scenes? But like it actually makes sense for the season. It’s about other things. It’s about other journeys, not necessarily all about the intimacy. This season felt different from the previous ones. There’s a real maturity for the characters’ journey now. You can really feel the difference from Season 2 to where they are now,” he said. “Enjoy seeing your favorite characters on screen one last time. Enjoy the stories that are told and for what ‘Sex Education’ is all about,” Thackerary added. “And take one fundamental lesson which is make sure you have consent and have open communication with your partner.”
Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Kpatch from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate Brady’s attitude toward Theresa, Steve and Kayla’s nagging, Wendy being fired, and whether Jada can keep Talia’s secret.
And will either Rex and Sarah’s or Chloe and Xander’s weddings actually happen? Read on to see what our round table team thinks.
Chloe knows Victoria is Xander’s child. Will she tell him the truth?
Kpatch: I think she will. She’s not Nicole. She knows that secrets always come out. Plus, I don’t think she’s deeply in love with Xander, and maybe this news provides her with an “out.”
Jack: I hope so! I don’t want this dragged out any longer.
I don’t see Chloe being the type to keep it to herself so she can hold onto a man, but I didn’t see Jennifer that way either, and she kept Nicole being alive from Eric for that reason.
In any case, the question is what will happen once Xander knows. He could stay with Chloe and co-parent Victoria, but knowing this show, he’ll likely run right back to Sarah, and then what will Chloe do?
I don’t want another Brady/Chloe/Philip triangle, but I’m afraid that’s where we’re headed unless Brady comes back from California with a new attitude toward Theresa.
Christine: I hope she tells Xander. They seem to have built a solid friendship. She actually likes and has grown to respect Xander. Plus, Chloe is mature enough not to keep a child from her parent simply so she can keep a man.
I used to love Sarah and Xander, but now I’m enjoying Xander and Chloe, so this could turn out to be a love triangle that has me torn. But after how badly Sarah has treated Xander, I wouldn’t mind if Xander married Chloe and Sarah was forced to co-parent with her ex and his new wife.
What did you think about Justin and Brady’s opinions about Theresa? Were they too harsh, or did they get it right?
Kpatch: I think their opinion of Theresa is valid, and she’s done nothing to make them think well of her. She keeps saying she’s changed, but her behavior says loud and clear she has not.
I feel bad for her that she has been pining for Brady. She can do better, and she should have met someone in California by now.
Jack: I felt like the writers thought if they had Justin agree that Theresa is horrible and evil, then viewers would get on board even though it doesn’t match the way Theresa was the last few times she was on or our memories of the state of her relationship with Brady.
There is no reason for all this hatred. Theresa is NOT Kristen 2.0. She can be somewhat devious, but Brady should be harnessing that to get Rachel back from Kristen.
And Brady got along with her fine until she showed back up in Salem, which makes no sense whatsoever. At least he softened toward her when she pointed out she wouldn’t have Tate expelled purposely just to sit next to Brady on a plane.
As for Justin, it’s time he stopped fighting Alex’s battles for him. Alex is an adult, and if he wants to date Theresa, that’s his business.
Christine: I don’t get Brady’s anger towards Theresa. She’s not evil. And for the record, Brady has done far worse things than Theresa has.
And what room does Justin have to talk? Alex exists because Justin cheated on Adrienne (more than once). And he married Bonnie, who isn’t exactly a saint.
Theresa is flawed, but no more so than anyone else in Salem, so I wish they’d lay off all of the Theresa hate.
Kayla and Steve pushed Stephanie and Chad to get married. Was this out of character? Would you like to see Chad and Stephanie get married?
Kpatch: Yes, it was out of character, especially for Steve. At least Kayla had a private conversation about it with Stephanie.
I think their concerns are valid, and they want to see their little sweetness settled and happy.
Jack: I found this annoying. Kayla is right that Chad and Stephanie have to consider the children, but that doesn’t mean she should endlessly push for marriage. There are lots of couples who raise children together without being married.
Some people don’t believe in marriage, yet are committed to each other and the kids. If they’re not going to get married, they need to look into legal options to ensure Stephanie has the right to make medical or educational decisions in case something comes up and Chad isn’t available.
They should be mindful of the children’s attachment to Stephanie, but they don’t need to be married to be committed to the kids.
Steve’s comment was very silly. Sharing a laugh isn’t a reason to consider marriage.
If Chad and Stephanie are truly committed to each other and want to get married, then I’d be happy to see that—assuming the wedding goes through and doesn’t end prematurely because Abby returns from the dead or something.
Christine: This did feel strange. I agree that the kids could become very attached to Stephanie, and if this relationship doesn’t work out, that’s another serious loss in their very young lives. But that’s a conversation that should have taken place before they moved in together.
Pushing a couple to get married is just awkward and silly. Chad and Stephanie are adults who are more than capable of talking about whether marriage is right for them.
And having Steve critique their relationship in front of them fell somewhere between uncomfortable and creepy.
Did Teresa and Alex make a mistake by having sex while in Greece?
Kpatch: It’s not a mistake if they’re both consenting. I’d like to see where the relationship might go. It has started out refreshingly honest.
Jack: Probably, since Theresa was upset about Brady, and I’m not sure anyone used birth control.
It’s not like either of them is committed to other people, though, so they didn’t betray anyone, and they were honest with each other the next day, which was refreshing.
Christine: Not really. They’re consenting adults who have no commitments to anyone else and are clearly attracted to one another. So, as long as they’re honest with one another and use some sort of protection, then what’s the harm?
However, I do wish this show would do more slow burns than characters jumping into bed, but that doesn’t seem to be the trend lately.
Jada knows that Talia and Shawn slept together. Will she be able to keep the secret or continue working with Shawn?
Kpatch: I hope Jada keeps it to herself. I expect her to read Shawn the riot Act about taking advantage of her vulnerable baby sister. I am more concerned about Belle’s reaction when she finds out.
Jack: I don’t see how Jada keeps this secret. She’s likely going to confront Shawn, and someone will overhear, especially if she does it in the Square instead of in private.
Christine: The only person she needs to keep this secret from is Belle, and I can’t imagine her purposefully telling Belle that Shawn cheated on her.
But there’s no way Jada doesn’t confront Shawn about this, and when that happens, anyone in Salem might overhear.
Wendy got fired for spying on EJ, and Rafe suspects she made fake passports for Ava and Harris. What do you think Wendy’s future is in Salem?
Kpatch: Maybe John and Steve will hire Wendy at their detective agency since she loves to snoop anyway.
Jack: I have no idea. She and Tripp are probably going to continue getting into “adventures” together, but stupid ones like this.
Wendy deserved to be fired, even though EJ deserved to be caught. Among other things, an IT expert like herself should not be breaking into phones by guessing random numbers as a passcode, so if that’s the extent of her IT knowledge, she didn’t deserve the job.
What happened to the spunky, smart Wendy who wanted to overcome gender bias? She’s been replaced by this caricature who only cares about the man of the moment and takes offense at words like “manhandled.”
Christine: Yes, she deserved to get fired. And if she has a history of making fake passports, then she deserves to go to prison.
It feels like the show can’t figure out who Wendy is. She’s all over the map on career choices, family issues, and relationships. I was a fan of hers at first, but as of late, I just find her exhausting.
Both Rex and Sarah and Chloe and Xander are planning weddings. Do you think either of them will actually happen? Are you rooting for either couple?
Kpatch: I don’t think either of them will actually get married. I want to see Sarah and Xander together where they belong, but Sarah needs to get off her high horse first.
Rex needs to go back to Chicago and stay there. He is not a compelling character.
Jack: I doubt either wedding will take place. I’d bet anything that Xander is going to interrupt Sarah and Rex’s wedding to confront Sarah with the truth.
I like Chloe and Xander’s relationship and hate to see Chloe lose out yet again, especially if it means drifting back toward Brady. Rex and Sarah, I could do without. Rex is everything Brady accused Theresa of being: desperate, pathetic, and constantly throwing himself at someone who doesn’t want him.
Christine: I can’t stand Rex and Sarah, but I’ve grown to like Chloe and Xander. I know it’s a serious long shot, but I would like to see them end up together.
But realistically, weddings are derailed all the time in Salem, so don’t expect either couple to actually make it to complete their “I do’s.”
What annoyed the heck out of you this week in Salem?
Kpatch: Talia annoys me every week. She is great at throwing pity parties and making excuses for her poor judgment. I didn’t like how Shawn tried to shoulder the full blame.
And Stefan and Gabi have become the most boring, bland couple in Salem. My interest in their corporate takeover aspirations is less than zero.
Jack: In case it’s not yet abundantly clear, I’m beyond annoyed with the way Brady, and now Justin, is treating Theresa. Brady and Theresa had a friendly co-parenting relationship up until now, and then when she shows up in town, Brady treats her like she’s Kristen 2.0.
It’s abusive, and Brady being upset about Victor’s death or Rachel being given to Kristen does not excuse his behavior. It would have been a MUCH better story for Brady and Theresa to team up to outmaneuver Kristen and get Rachel back, and in the process, fall back in love.
I’d love to see bratty Rachel try to get rid of Theresa the way she did, Chloe. It. Would. Not. Work.
But instead of the entertainment that would be THAT story, we have this nonsense with Brady saying horrible, mean, and untrue things about Theresa and Theresa crying about it.
And now Justin wants to stop his adult son from being corrupted by Theresa. At least base it on what Theresa tried to do to JJ, you know, Justin’s NEPHEW, instead of some nonsense based on nothing.
I also can’t stand what’s been done with Shawn and this alcoholism story. A story about Shawn falling apart after Victor’s death makes sense, but not like this. It’s unrealistic and doesn’t do anything but make Shawn look horrible.
And why is Jada giving Talia a pass? I understand that Talia has mental health issues, but she chose to get drunk over Chanel dumping her, and now Jada is shielding her from the consequences. It’s just enabling at this point.
Why is Vivian trying to manipulate Salemites into working with her instead of relying on her right-hand man, Ivan?
Finally, can we end this nonsensical Ava/Harris in London story? There is no reason for them to be on the run, and Ava was right that they can’t just go to a big city like London and search random places for Susan.
Christine: Brady generally being a jerk. I can’t believe he tried to forbid Theresa from going to California to pick up their son. Who the hell does he think he is?
And Sarah lying about Victoria, dismissing Maggie’s concerns, and cozying up to a simpering Rex is making me nauseous.
And for the record, NO ONE wants to get married the day they leave the hospital with their newborn after giving birth. All you want is baggy clothes, a soft bed, a nap, and all the foods you weren’t allowed to eat while you were pregnant! But a wedding would not make the list.
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline in Salem this week?
Kpatch: I love Louise Sorel as Vivian. Nobody does it better. She was hilarious telling each of her “right-hand man” picks that they were her one and only choice.
My favorite moment was when she was dying to hug Philip, and he kept backing away. That was choreographed quite well. I was glad Philip avoided getting caught in her web and applauded his suggestion that she should check herself into a sanitorium.
I am also thrilled that Johnny and Chanel are back together.
Lastly, I loved Maggie standing her ground with Sarah. Sarah will do what she wants, but Maggie made it clear she does not approve and doesn’t want to be part of it. I like the way Maggie essentially ignored Rex.
Jack: I loved Philip putting Vivian in her place! Go, Philip! I hope his new resolve lasts.
Christine: Yes, Philip standing up to Vivian was a highlight. This new version of Philip is really starting to grow on me. He’s more confident and taking no crap from anyone.
And I love how Maggie spoke her mind to Rex and Sarah. She would not compromise herself to officiate a sham wedding that’s only purpose is to keep a father away from his daughter. She loves Sarah, and she’ll keep her secret, but this was a step too far.
I’m thrilled with Johnny and Chanel finally getting back together. It always felt like they only broke up for the sake of drama during the devil storyline. I never expected it to take this long for them to find their way back to one another.
Now it’s your turn, TV Fanatics. Will Chloe tell Xander the truth? Were Justin and Brady right about Theresa? And will either wedding actually happen?
Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below to let us know. Then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
David Fincher hasn’t worked on a blockbuster franchise since making his infamous directorial debut on “Alien 3” — a film that he has since disavowed due to what he saw as excessive studio interference — but he has flirted with taking on big properties on multiple occasions. He spent years developing an adaptation of Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” for Disney with the intention of casting Brad Pitt. And more recently, he was briefly attached to direct Pitt in a “World War Z” sequel.
Fincher obsessives who are curious about his would-be blockbusters received an interesting tidbit this week when David Goyer made an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. Goyer is best known for writing DC movies for both Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder, but he began his career as a superhero scribe by writing all three “Blade” movies. On the podcast, he revealed that he collaborated with Fincher to develop the first film, with the “Fight Club” director being considered to helm the project.
“I developed a draft with Fincher before he had done ‘Se7en,’” Goyer said. “I think he had done ‘Alien 3’ and maybe he was developing ‘Se7en.’ I developed a draft with him. I remember going to our producers office… There was this giant conference table. Fincher laid out 40 to 50 books of photography and art with Post-It notes inside them. He said, ‘This is the movie.’”
Goyer revealed that Fincher pitched his vision for the film with predictably meticulous detail. While Fincher did not ultimately end up directing “Blade,” the screenwriter explained that his creative influence was felt throughout the finished product.
“[Fincher] took us on a two-hour tour around the table of the aesthetics of this scene, that character,” Goyer said. “It was such a fully fleshed-out visual pitch… I had never seen something like that before. A lot of that thinking infused my further revisions.”
Fincher’s next film, the Michael Fassbender-led serial killer drama “The Killer,” recently premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. Netflix will release the film in theaters on Friday, October 27 before it begins streaming on Friday, November 10.
In the classical tradition, a song often evokes intimacy and solitude: a poet baring vulnerability, a composer painting a miniature. That sense of seclusion extends to the performance as well: a singer and pianist alone onstage, a listener absorbing the work in an intimate recital hall or immersed, alone, with headphones.
These conventions surround the final group of songs written by Schubert, known as “Schwanengesang” (Swan Song) and published after the composer’s death in 1828 at age 31. But those expectations were upended in “Doppelganger,” which had its world premiere Friday at the cavernous Park Avenue Armory Drill Hall. The director Claus Guth, the star tenor Jonas Kaufmann, the pianist Helmut Deutsch and a raft of collaborators transformed “Schwanengesang” at the Saturday night performance into an entire wartime narrative.
Kaufmann is a soldier who lies dying in a military hospital. Far from being alone with Deutsch onstage, he is one of nearly two dozen injured and sick soldiers being tended by a fleet of six nurses, the rest of the cast is made up of dancers. Deutsch and the piano are dead center among more than 60 hospital beds that stretch across the hall’s immense floor. Kaufmann’s soldier spends the last hour of his life revisiting his memories in a cascade of Schubert’s songs, stitched together with ominous new music by the German composer Mathis Nitschke.
Guth’s imaginative and powerful staging for his New York debut recalls history. This drill hall has served as a hospital and shelter; “Doppelganger,” which had originally been intended for a fall 2020 premiere, also invokes the field hospitals hastily erected at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Michael Levine’s inventive and minimalistic set design is dominated by the blanched shades of hospital whites and khaki uniforms. Growls of Nitschke’s sound and clever lighting by Urs Schönebaum suggest thunderstorms and bombings.
Does the theatrical conceit serve Schubert’s songs? In the hands of Kaufmann and Deutsch, who have long worked together, yes — and it reignites the master’s music in a fresh, intelligent setting without sacrificing the duo’s artistry as classical performers.
At one point, the piano becomes a main character in the drama, as Kaufmann and the dancers gather to listen in respite to Deutsch perform the second movement of Schubert’s Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960. It was a rare treat to hear Deutsch, who usually performs an accompanist, take literal center stage.
In a concession to the Armory’s sheer expanse, Kaufmann’s voice was lightly amplified. This was occasionally distracting when he turned his head away from his microphone, and his normally crisp articulation was slightly muddied. But Kaufmann’s sweet tone transcended the limits of the technology, particularly in Schubert’s yearning song of desire “Ständchen.”
In the evening’s climactic song, “Der Doppelgänger,” Kaufmann’s soldier encounters his ghostly twin at the moment of death. Although the audience knows this was coming, having already seen the soldier being mortally wounded, the theatrical ingenuity and visceral force of “Doppelganger” was so strong that the audience let out an audible gasp of shock. When was the last time you heard something like that in a classical concert hall?
Singer-songwriter Terry Kirkman, a founding member of the 1960s folk-rock band the Association, has died. He was 83.
Kirkman’s death was confirmed on Sunday through a statement on the Association’s official Facebook page: “We’re saddened to report that Terry Kirkman passed away last night, RIP Terry. He will live on in our hearts and in the music he so brilliantly wrote.”
Kirkman was born on Dec. 12, 1939, in Salina, Kan. In 1965, he formed the Association in L.A. alongside Jules Gary Alexander, Russ Giguere, Ted Bluechel Jr., Brian Cole and Bob Page, who was quickly replaced by Jim Yester. The group consisted of a large ensemble of vocalists and instrumentalists known for their intricate vocal harmonies.
The Association released their debut album “And Then… Along Comes the Association” in 1966, featuring such hits as “Cherish” and “Along Comes Mary.” Other albums include “Renaissance,” “Insight Out,” “Birthday” and “Stop Your Motor.”
Kirkman wrote a number of songs for the Association, including “Cherish,” Everything That Touches You,” “Requiem for the Masses” and “Six Man Band.” The band was nominated for six Grammy Awards, including three for “Cherish”: contemporary rock and roll group performance, performance by a vocal group and contemporary rock and roll recording.
Kirkman originally departed the Association in 1972. He returned when the band reformed in 1979 and left again in 1984.
In 2003, Kirkman was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame alongside other members of the Association.
Kirkman is survived by his wife Heidi, daughter Sasha, son-in-law and two grandchildren.
A WAITRESS received a scratchcard as a tip – then gave it back to the customer after it won a £40,000 jackpot.
But her astonishing honesty was greeted with a “slap in the face” by the diner who pocketed the winnings for himself, a pal revealed.
1
Some people have said the waitress should have held onto the winning scratch cardCredit: Getty
The customer who have her the scratchcard then offered her a tip worth £16. The waitress’s friend shared the story on Reddit’s ‘Server Life’ forum.
She wrote: “I think about this at least once a week. A couple years ago my best friend was bartending and a guy that had dinner up at the bar with her tipped her with a $20 scratcher.
“She turned around and scratched it right then and the scratcher won $50,000.
“Her, being a ridiculously honest and empathetic person told the guy and saw his face just DROP.”
Most Reddit users agreed that the waitress should have kept the scratchcard that was given to her as a tip.
One person said: “Omg, f*** that. I would have kept my mouth shut tighter than I ever had before, and I’m also an honest and empathetic person. “The fact that he only gave her $20 after makes it so much worse.”
Another person said that the waitress should have used the money to put down a deposit on a house.
She said: ” Seriously. That is life-changing down payment on a house money. He would have had to tear it from my cold dead hands’ and ‘She played herself’. “
The friend added that the waitress believed in karma and helping others, and was reconciled with the fact that she returned the scratch card.
The friend said: “She’s very much into “karma” and other people needing stuff more than her so she genuinely didn’t regret giving it back but I absolutely wouldn’t have.”
The friend also provided an update that the customer who was given the scratch card later blew the cash in casinos.
Another user added “this is why I will never provide lottery tix as a gift, Christmas present or related.”
Some users felt it would be hard to win £40,000 on a scratchcard without informing the customer who gave it to you.
Tom Sandoval is giving an update on his love life following his very public love triangle.
The Vanderpump Rules star, 40, confirmed he’s single in an interview with Extra at the iHeartRadio Music Festival 2023 in Las Vegas. “I am single, yes,” he said at the event.
As for how he’s getting back out there, Sandoval said dating is “awkward as it is.”
“It’s just weird,” he said. “It feels like a job interview, I don’t usually like to go on dates unless I know them already. I would rather hang out with them and like their friends, see who they surround themselves with … see how they act when they get drunk, then later go out on dates.”
This news comes months after Us Weekly confirmed he had an affair with costar Raquel Leviss while he was in a long-term relationship with Ariana Madix.
Despite this, Sandoval and the Dancing with the Stars contestant, 38, still live in the same house and film Vanderpump Rules together.
“We have mutual friends, obviously, on the same show together, so we have to coexist,” he said of Madix. “It’s gonna be a slow process. We will handle it the best we can.”
As for if the pair will still be living together a year from now, Sandoval replied, “Probably, yeah.”
“I think the power move is to mute people,” he said. “That way, it’s not like a thing … She posted on her Story … Doesn’t that seem petty? When you go away to a place where you are supposed to be working on yourself, bettering yourself, doesn’t that seem sort of like a step backwards?”
Raquel Leviss and Tom Sandoval sparked a romance in summer 2022 while he was still dating Ariana Madix — and the fallout has been messy to say the least. Vanderpump Rules fans learned Sandoval had a connection with Madix during season 2 of the Bravo hit when his then-girlfriend, Kristen Doute, alleged he cheated with […]
A source exclusively told Us earlier this month that Leviss and Sandoval aren’t on speaking terms.
“Rachel and Tom have not spoken in nearly three months,” the insider said, adding that Raquel has had “zero contact” with Sandoval “since sometime in June.”
At Tokyo Game Show this weekend, Capcom confirmed the trilogy – which bundles Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies, and Phoenix Wright: Spirit Of Justice – will boast “beautiful HD graphics and special bonuses galore” and be coming to PS4/5, PC, Switch, and Xbox One and Series X/S, with physical editions available for Switch and PlayStation players.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is releasing physically for the PS4 and Switch on the 25th of January!Physical release coming to Japan & Asia regions includes English, Japanese, French, German, Korean, + Traditional & Simplified Chinese!Pre-order with worldwide shipping:… pic.twitter.com/eCNufc86oTSeptember 23, 2023
See more
The trilogy bundle includes a raft of special content, including the soundtracks for all three games plus 14 bonus tracks from Ace Attorney 15th Anniversary Orchestra Concert and the Ace Attorney 2019 Orchestra Concert, special episodes and costumes, an art library “chock full of character designs, background art, and even the special prologue anime for Spirit of Justice”.
But perhaps most exciting of all is the animation studio, wherein players can “freely create the scene of your dreams with character models and animations, background music, and voiced lines from the games – all at your fingertips”.
“Place characters in situations unthinkable in the main games!” Capcom teases.
There’s also a raft of quality-of-life improvements, too, including a game menu that lets you pick the “the game, episode, and even chapter you’d like to start from the first time you play”, plus a Story Mode in which the game will make selections and solve puzzles automatically to allow players to “simply sit back and watch a good mystery unfold”.
Finally, the “backlog system” from Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice that allowed you to review text you’ve already read has been added to Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, allowing you to re-access lines you may have accidentally skipped.
“First released in 2001, the Ace Attorney series gave birth to the Courtroom Battle genre of text adventure games,” Capcom explains on the official website.
“Phoenix Wright passes the torch on to Apollo Justice in this collection of 3 games, which traces Apollo’s growth as a lawyer as he navigates the Dark Age of the Law.”
Republican Sen. Tim Scott is hoping to earn the GOP nomination ahead of the 2024 election, and Sunday he stopped by Fox News to make his appeal to the public. Scott told host Griff Jenkins that among other things, he will focus on finishing the wall that Donald Trump wanted built along the border between the United States and Mexico.
Scott told Jenkins that right now, “We have a president who doesn’t solve the looming issues of the day, like our southern border, that has led to the deaths of 70,000 Americans because of fentanyl in the last 12 months.”
“As president of the United States, I will fix our southern border by closing it and finishing the wall, us[ing] $5 billion to use the military-grade technology that’s available today on our borders.”
The Drug Enforcement Agency reports that as of 2023, China remains the largest supplier of fentanyl to the United States. Beijing and Hong Kong have taken steps to restrict the export of the drug, and it is true that organizations in Mexico have increased fentanyl production and shipment to the States in response. The drug is often smuggled into California and Arizona through corridors controlled by criminal organizations in Mexico, not through refugees and immigrants who attempt to enter the U.S. elsewhere, like the Texas border.
In August, Scott explained in a roundtable discussion in Yuma, Arizona that he would use technology “to surveil our border to stop the flow of fentanyl across our border” and would also “find a way to bring more border patrol agents to our border by eliminating the 87,000 IRS agents that were part of the Inflation Reduction Act.” It is unclear if these two plans are part of the $5 billion he says he would need.
In response to President Joe Biden’s recent explanation that Trump spent “four years gutting the immigration system,” which led to the current immigration catastrophe at the U.S.-Mexico border, Scott replied, “Washington is out of touch with the rest of the nation.”
“One of the reasons why we need to have change in the nation’s capital is because Washington is so consistently broken that the American people don’t trust the people in Washington,” he said.
Reports earlier this week in U.K. tabloid The Sun suggested that the Oscar-winning actor would be bringing one of his most memorable roles, Travis Bickle, to the commercial space. The ads were allegedly set to feature the actor uttering the famous line, “You talkin’ to me?”
The actor’s rep Stan Rosenfield denied that De Niro would be uttering the well-known phrase, and in a statement, told The Hollywood Reporter that “De Niro’s Uber commercial has nothing to do with his Taxi Driver character.”
THR has reached out to Uber for comment.
The campaign is currently filming in London and is slated to launch sometime later this year.
News that De Niro could possibly reprise his Taxi Driver role for Uber ads caught the attention of the movie’s writer, who responded critically on his own Facebook.
“Ouch,” Schrader wrote in a post shared on Wednesday. “Why Bob would do this is beyond my reckoning. But I haven’t seen it. If I’m lucky, I never will.”
Taxi Driver earned the Palme d’Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, as well as four Oscar nominations, including best picture, best actor and best supporting actress.
The Martin Scorsese-directed psychological thriller about a taxi driver and his deteriorating mental state, also starred Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris and Albert Brooks.
De Niro would go on to work with both Schrader and Scorsese again, including 1980’s Raging Bull. Next De Niro will appear in Scorsese’s latest anticipated film, Killers of the Flower Moon.
Uber has seen a number of celebrities help advertise for both its Uber Eats delivery service and Uber One, its separate membership service, in recent years. That includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Coolidge, Trevor Noah, Sarah Silverman and Nicholas Braun.
Vishal Bhardwaj says he did not watch The Kashmir Files or The Kerala Story to stay away from the negativity. (Photos: Instagram)
Vishal Bhardwaj urges his fellow filmmakers to deal “sensitively” with stories that are inspired by real-life tragic incidents.
National award-winning filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj says he didn’t watch movies like “The Kashmir Files” and “The Kerala Story” as he wanted to stay out of such sensitive subjects. Both “The Kashmir Files” (2022) and “The Kerala Story” (2023) were huge commercial hits but kicked up a political storm with many in the Opposition calling them propaganda films.
“I didn’t see ‘The Kashmir Files’, ‘The Kerala Story’ and I didn’t see them consciously. The kind of things I was hearing about these films, I didn’t want to get impacted by it. I was hearing that they are propaganda films from my friends and people I know,” the filmmaker, who won critical acclaim for depicting the Kashmir conflict in his Shahid Kapoor and Tabu-starrer “Haider”, told PTI in an interview.
“So, I just wanted to stay out of it because, for me, it is a very sensitive subject. If there’s so much negativity I want to remain out of this negativity, I love my peace. So, I didn’t want to see them,” he added.
“The Kashmir Files”, starring Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, and Pallavi Joshi in major roles, revolved around the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s. It was directed by Vivek Agnihotri. On the other hand, “The Kerala Story”, helmed by Sudipto Sen, depicts how women from Kerala were forced to convert and recruited by the terror group Islamic State (IS).
Bhardwaj urged his fellow filmmakers to deal “sensitively” with stories that are inspired by real-life tragic incidents. “I want my community of filmmakers to treat such stories sensitively and not use it as propaganda,” he said.
Asked whether the objective of filmmaking has changed over the years in Hindi cinema, the 58-year-old writer-director said it is bound to as society is also changing.
“Cinema is such a thing that you can use it the way you want. If people are accepting it and seeing it, then we should accept that people are changing. We are changing as a society,” he added.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
Chirag Sehgal, Sub Editor at News18, covers Bollywood, television and K-pop group BTS. Apart from digging deep into the world of television and Bollyw…Read More
Max officially unveiled that the first two episodes of Doom Patrol Season 4 Part 2 will premiere on the streaming service on Thursday, October 12.
New installments of Doom Patrol will drop over the course of five weeks, ending on November 9, 2023.
Alongside the announcement, Max also released a new poster highlighting the titular group of DC heroes, namely Mr. Negative, Rita Farr, Crazy Jane, Robot Man, Cyborg and Madame Rouge.
Warner Bros.
An official synopsis teased what lies ahead for the Doom Patrol‘s final adventure:
“The Doom Patrol meet old friends and foes as they race to defeat Immortus and get back their longevities. Battling between saving the world and each other, the Doom Patrol are forced to face their deepest fears and decide if they are ready to let go of the past in order to take their future into their own hands — and away from the zombie butts.”
The first footage of the second half of Season 4 was also unveiled in an official new trailer:
What To Expect in Doom Patrol’s Final Episodes
At the end of Season 4’s first half, the dangerous Immortus was still at large while the Doom Patrol were sorting out their different issues.
To recap, the zombie Butt that Cliff saved successfully escaped, Larry Trainor agreed to give up his superhuman longevity to Immortus, and his vision that he could end the universe due to his radiation.
All of these events meant that there would be heaps of trouble for the titular DC heroes when Part 2 of Season 4 debuts.
Some fans have hoped that a proper swan song for Doom Patrol would eventually happen by the time the final credits rolled, especially after concerns about a potential cancellation.
Speaking with Comic Book Resources in December 2023, Doom Patrol showrunner Jeremy Carver teased “a couple of very big battles” for the heroes, noting that it has the potential to “unearth some seasons-long mysteries” that could surprise fans:
“The existence of Immortus is an ever-looming threat. I will say it is a parallel threat to the Butts destroying the Earth. So, they have a couple of very big battles on their hands. The search for Immortus and the effort to stop Immortus is going to unearth some seasons-long mysteries that have been dangling out there. It’s going to help the Doom Patrol understand themselves and their creations just a little bit more.”
Carver’s exciting comment reassures the final episodes will give the heroes a fitting send-off to save both the world and themselves.
The first two episodes of Doom Patrol Season 4 Part 2 will premiere on Max on October 12.
Muller makes smiling look painful. Like, this is the face of a man that self-stimulates with Icy Hot.
Crudeness aside, I do find this quote interesting:
“And Little Nightmares will sell very well because we will deliver what the fans are expecting to the right level of quality. And if you do that, then you are on for success. What I would say is that there is probably less space for innovation at a time where the market is, post-COVID, a little bit struggling given the macroeconomic environment, the growth that we’ve expected in the previous years, [and] the weight of subscription. Yes, you need to be clever.”
I find this concerning. Yes, we knew (or at least speculated) that there is less room for innovation – I don’t think we’ve really had much creativity since Gen 7, honestly. Due to financial sensitivities (e.g., inflation, astronomical development costs), I really wonder what we mean when we talk about “being clever”. I think it goes without saying that they’re mulling over monetization strategies, as is every other publisher. Some of the strategies we’ve seen so far include half-finished games, abundance of costly post-launch DLC, remasters, pay-to-win mechanics, and – of course – playing it safe.
Keeping an open mind on solutions that encourage greater portfolio diversity. I didn’t mind the product placement ads for Apple or Calorie Mate in Metal Gear Solid for example because it didn’t feel intrusive to me. But in focusing more on expertise, I think you really risk burnout. The extensive world-building Miyazaki does or the intricate emotional narratives crafted by Naughty Dog require so much. I think developers and publishers should put out smaller games that break up their teams into smaller teams to work on these projects. I liked those retro-style titles last generation like Broforce and Axiom Verge. Otherwise, what can we do – wait for some popular series/franchise from a different form of media to commission a studio to make a game for them?
Travis Barker has shared an important health update with fans to explain why he’s currently off the road.
The musician, age 47, held up a positive Covid-19 test on Instagram.
He uploaded the image on Friday alongside the emojis “???.”
Blink-182’s next performance is listed for Oct. 2 at the Altice Arena in Portugal. The date will support the band’s upcoming album, set to be released on Oct. 20. A new single, One More Time, debuted on Thursday.
Barker recently spoke about reuniting with bandmates Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge in a video shared to the band’s YouTube account.
“Why does it take these catastrophes, like me being in a plane crash or me being sick, for our band to get back together?” he wondered.
“I always knew that the brotherhood wouldn’t ever deteriorate or wouldn’t be there. I really feel like Blink is us three, and as soon as we accept that and we don’t settle for anything less than that, I just think that’s the future,” Barker said.
Shawn Levy’s upcoming “Deadpool 3” is set to be a momentous occasion for superhero fans. In addition to Hugh Jackman’s long-awaited return as Wolverine and Ryan Reynold’s third full outing as Deadpool, the film will mark both characters’ entry into Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe following the studio’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
In a new interview with Total Film Magazine, Levy explained that bringing Deadpool and Wolverine into the Disney fold doesn’t have to mean that the new film will negate their history at Fox. The director said that his upcoming film will explore the distinct tones that the characters established during their Fox era rather than simply molding them to fit the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“Deadpool and Wolverine are iconic Marvel characters; more specifically, iconic Marvel-of-the-Fox-era characters,” Levy said. “We’re not going to pretend: ‘Oh, we snap our fingers, and suddenly that Fox legacy doesn’t exist, and it shaped a lot of what we now know as the MCU.’ Fox also shaped Ryan’s career, Hugh’s career and my career. So there’s a lot of history there, and there’s a lot of Marvel history at Fox. And certainly that’s a part of our storytelling.”
Levy also commented on the buzz that surrounded photos of Reynolds and Jackman on the “Deadpool 3” set that leaked in 2022. While he would have preferred to avoid showing fans the characters’ costumes until official marketing materials were released, Levy said that he was willing to risk the film’s secrecy for the privilege of shooting on real locations.
“It bums me out that photos have leaked online,” he said. “But this is the price we pay for committing to real locations. I made a decision very early in prep that even though Deadpool is now in the MCU, I didn’t want another Marvel movie shot on a green screen stage with digital set extensions.”
While few expected Jackman to suit up as Wolverine again after “Logan,” the MCU’s multiverse storytelling device creates opportunities to revisit characters without altering old timelines. Jackman recently explained that the character’s entry to the MCU made it easier for him to wrap his mind around reprising the role.
“It’s all because of this device they have in the Marvel world of moving around timelines,” Jackman said. “Now we can go back because, you know, it’s science. So, I don’t have to screw with the ‘Logan’ timeline, which was important to me. And I think probably to the fans too.”
Travis Bickle will not be singing the praises of Uber any time soon.
Online cinephiles did a collective double take this week as rumors began to circulate that Robert De Niro would be reprising his role from “Taxi Driver” in an upcoming Uber commercial that would air in the United Kingdom. Many were quick to point out that the character — who loses his sanity after his job as a taxi driver exposes him to the worst of humanity and is eventually radicalized to commit acts of violence due to his firsthand look at child prostitution — is not exactly a compelling spokesperson for the ride sharing industry.
It appeared to be a strange career move for De Niro — who has long been open about his interest in making a “Taxi Driver” sequel — and caught the attention of the film’s screenwriter, Paul Schrader.
“Ouch,” Schrader wrote after sharing a link to the rumor on his personal Facebook page. “Why Bob would do this is beyond my reckoning. But I haven’t seen it. If I’m lucky I never will.”
Schrader ended up getting lucky, as the commercial will not be materializing in its rumored format. In statements provided to Variety, representatives for both Uber and De Niro have denied that they are working on a “Taxi Driver”-inspired ad. While Uber confirmed that De Niro will be appearing as a spokesman in a British commercial for the company, both parties made it clear that both the character of Travis Bickle and the film’s larger iconography are not part of the campaign.
“We are filming with Robert De Niro in London for a new Uber UK campaign, which will launch later in the year,” the company said in a statement.
De Niro will next be seen in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone. In addition to his role in the buzzy $200 million Apple epic, he has lined up two major television projects. The actor is set to produce and star in the Netflix limited series “Zero Day” and Mitch Glazer’s upcoming drama “Mr. Natural.”
Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross in ‘The Expendables 4.’
Sylvester Stallone is an actor, writer, director, producer, movie star, living legend and Hollywood icon.
Stallone first made a name for himself by writing and starring in 1976’s Oscar-winning ‘Rocky,” which shot him to super fame and he was cemented as a movie star after appearing in ‘First Blood‘ as John Rambo. Both films have spawned numerous sequels and spinoffs, including ‘Creed,’ for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Over the past 40 years Stallone has become one of Hollywood’s most reliable movie stars and has gone on to appear in such popular films as ‘Cobra,’ ‘Tango & Cash,’ ‘Cliffhanger,’ ‘Demolition Man,’ ‘Cop Land,’ and ‘The Expendables‘ franchise, the forth of which, ‘Expend4bles‘ opens in theaters on September 22nd.
In honor of Stallone’s new movie, which he has said will be his last appearance in the series, Moviefone is counting down the 35 best movies of Sylvester Stallone’s career, including his latest.
Let’s begin!
Sylvester Stallone in ‘Rambo: Last Blood.’ Photo: Lionsgate.
After fighting his demons for decades, John Rambo (Stallone) now lives in peace on his family ranch in Arizona, but his rest is interrupted when Gabriela (Yvette Monreal), the granddaughter of his housekeeper María (Adriana Barraza), disappears after crossing the border into Mexico to meet her biological father. Rambo, who has become a true father figure for Gabriela over the years, undertakes a desperate and dangerous journey to find her.
Carmen’s (Alexa Vega) caught in a virtual reality game designed by the Kids’ new nemesis, the Toymaker (Stallone). It’s up to Juni (Daryl Sabara) to save his sister, and ultimately the world.
“3rd Mission. 3rd Dimension.”
51
PG1 hr 24 minJul 25th, 2003
33. ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’ (1985)
John Rambo (Stallone) is released from prison by the government for a top-secret covert mission to the last place on Earth he’d want to return – the jungles of Vietnam.
After watching their respective partners die, a cop (Sung Kang) and a hitman (Stallone) form an alliance in order to bring down their common enemy.
When governments fail to act on behalf of captive missionaries, ex-Green Beret John James Rambo (Stallone) sets aside his peaceful existence along the Salween River in a war-torn region of Thailand to take action. Although he’s still haunted by violent memories of his time as a U.S. soldier during the Vietnam War, Rambo can hardly turn his back on the aid workers who so desperately need his help.
Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary (Javon “Wanna” Walton) suspects that his mysterious and reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith (Stallone) is actually a legend hiding in plain sight. Twenty years ago, Granite City’s super-powered vigilante, Samaritan, was reported dead after a fiery warehouse battle with his rival, Nemesis. Most believe Samaritan perished in the fire, but some in the city, like Sam, have hope that he is still alive. With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbor out of hiding to save the city from ruin.
“25 years ago the world’s greatest hero vanished.”
68
PG-131 hr 42 minAug 26th, 2022
A pair of aging boxing rivals (Stallone and Robert De Niro) are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout — 30 years after their last match.
“Stallone vs DeNiro”
61
PG-131 hr 53 minDec 25th, 2013
His Wife (Talia Shire) is dead and his Son (Milo Ventimiglia) hates him but this old man still has fight in him! When he loses a highly publicized virtual boxing match to ex-champ Rocky Balboa (Stallone), reigning heavyweight titleholder Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) retaliates by challenging Rocky to a nationally televised, 10-round exhibition bout. To the surprise of his son and friends, Rocky agrees to come out of retirement and face an opponent who’s faster, stronger, and thirty years his junior.
“It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
68
PG1 hr 41 minDec 20th, 2006
Barney Ross (Stallone) leads a band of highly skilled mercenaries including knife enthusiast Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), a martial arts expert Yin Yang (Jet Li), heavy weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), demolitionist Toll Road (Randy Couture), and a loose-cannon sniper Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren). When the group is commissioned by the mysterious Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) to assassinate the dictator of a small South American island, Barney and Lee visit the remote locale to scout out their opposition and discover the true nature of the conflict engulfing the city.
May Munro (Sharon Stone) is a woman obsessed with getting revenge on the people who murdered her parents when she was still a girl. She hires Ray Quick (Stallone), a retired explosives expert to kill her parent’s killers. When Ned Trent (James Woods), embittered ex-partner of Quick’s is assigned to protect one of Quick’s potential victims, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues.
“The government taught him to kill. Now he’s using his skills to help a woman seek revenge against the Miami underworld.”
58
R1 hr 50 minOct 7th, 1994
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan in ‘Creed II.’
Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight against an opponent with ties to his family’s past, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is up against the challenge of his life.
“There’s More to Lose than a Title”
70
PG-132 hr 10 minNov 14th, 2018
Combat has taken its toll on Rambo (Stallone), but he’s finally begun to find inner peace in a monastery. When Rambo’s friend and mentor Col. Trautman (Richard Crenna) asks for his help on a top secret mission to Afghanistan, Rambo declines but must reconsider when Trautman is captured.
“The first was for himself. The second for his country. This time it’s to save his friend.”
62
R1 hr 42 minMay 24th, 1988
Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.
Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), still reeling from the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
Assassin Robert Rath (Stallone) arrives at a funeral to kill a prominent mobster, only to witness a rival hired gun (Antonio Banderas) complete the job for him — with grisly results. Horrified by the murder of innocent bystanders, Rath decides to take one last job and then return to civilian life. But finding his way out of the world of contract killing grows ever more dangerous as Rath falls for his female target (Julianne Moore) and becomes a marked man himself.
“In the shadows of life. In the business of death. One man found a reason to live.”
65
R2 hr 12 minOct 6th, 1995
Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross in ‘Expend4bles.’
Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Statham, Lundgren, Couture, and Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.
A new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in Expend4bles. Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason… Read the Plot
Ray Breslin (Stallone) is the world’s foremost authority on structural security. After analyzing every high security prison and learning a vast array of survival skills so he can design escape-proof prisons, his skills are put to the test. He’s framed and incarcerated in a master prison he designed himself. He needs to escape and find the person (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who put him behind bars.
“No one breaks out alone.”
67
R1 hr 55 minJul 18th, 2013
Jack Carter (Stallone), a mob enforcer living in Las Vegas, travels back to his hometown of Seattle for his brother’s funeral. During this visit, Carter realizes that the death of his brother was not accidental, but a murder. With this knowledge, Carter sets out to kill all those responsible.
Set in 1958, the coming of age story follows four lower middle-class Brooklyn teenagers (Stallone, Henry Winkler, Perry King and Paul Mace) known as The Lords of Flatbush. The Lords chase girls, steal cars, shoot pool, get into street fights, and hang out at a local malt shop.
“When was the last time someone gave you a hickey?”
58
PG1 hr 26 minMay 1st, 1974
An international terrorist has New York in a grip of panic and it’s up to Det. Sgt. Deke DaSilva (Stallone) to take him down.
“A terrorist holds New York in a grip of fear – and only Stallone can take him on.”
64
R1 hr 39 minApr 4th, 1981
Sylvester Stallone voices King Shark in ‘The Suicide Squad.’ Photo: Warner Bros./DC Comics.
Welcome to Belle Reve, the prison where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out, even join the super-secret Task Force X. Today’s assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), King Shark (Stallone), and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie).
Now arm them heavily and drop them on the enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) on the ground to make them behave, and Amanda Waller’s (Viola Davis) government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement.
“They’re dying to save the world.”
76
R2 hr 12 minAug 2nd, 2021
A group of POWs (Stallone, Michael Caine and Pelé) in a German prison camp during World War II play the German National Soccer Team in this powerful film depicting the role of prisoners during wartime.
A tough-on-crime street cop (Stallone) must protect the only surviving witness to a strange murderous cult with far reaching plans.
“Crime is a disease. Meet the cure.”
60
R1 hr 27 minMay 23rd, 1986
The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s (Chris Pratt) true parentage.
Now the world champion, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) is living in luxury and only fighting opponents who pose no threat to him in the ring, until Clubber Lang (Mr. T) challenges him to a bout. After taking a pounding from Lang, the humbled champ turns to former bitter rival Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) for a rematch with Lang.
Sylvester Stallone in ‘Cliffhanger.’
A year after losing his friend in a tragic 4,000-foot fall, former ranger Gabe Walker (Stallone) and his partner, Hal (Michael Rooker), are called to return to the same peak to rescue a group of stranded climbers, only to learn the climbers are actually thieving hijackers who are looking for boxes full of money.
Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), a violent criminal cryogenically frozen in 1996, escapes during a parole hearing in 2032 in the utopia of San Angeles. Police are incapable of dealing with his violent ways and turn to his captor (Stallone), who had also been cryogenically frozen after being wrongfully accused of killing 30 innocent people while apprehending Phoenix.
“The future isn’t big enough for the both of them.”
After Rocky (Stallone) goes the distance with champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), both try to put the fight behind them and move on. Rocky settles down with Adrian (Talia Shire) but can’t put his life together outside the ring, while Creed seeks a rematch to restore his reputation. Soon enough, the “Master of Disaster” and the “Italian Stallion” are set on a collision course for a climactic battle that is brutal and unforgettable.
“Once he fought for a dream. Now he’s fighting for love!”
Ray Tango (Stallone) and Gabriel Cash (Kurt Russell) are narcotics detectives who, while both being extremely successful, can’t stand each other. Crime Lord Yves Perret (Jack Palance), furious at the loss of income that Tango and Cash have caused him, frames the two for murder. Caught with the murder weapon on the scene of the crime, the two have no alibi. Thrown into prison with most of the criminals they helped convict, it appears that they are going to have to trust each other if they are to clear their names and catch the evil Perret.
“Two of L.A.’s top rival cops are going to have to work together… Even if it kills them.”
64
R1 hr 44 minDec 22nd, 1989
Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men (Liam Hemsworth) is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.
“Back for War.”
63
R1 hr 43 minAug 8th, 2012
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren in 1985’s ‘Rocky IV.’
Rocky Balboa proudly holds the world heavyweight boxing championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago (Dolph Lundgren), a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union.
“Get ready for the next world war.”
71
PG-131 hr 31 minNov 11th, 2021
When former Green Beret John Rambo (Stallone) is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, the Vietnam vet snaps, runs for the hills and rat-a-tat-tats his way into the action-movie hall of fame. Hounded by a relentless sheriff (Brian Dennehy), Rambo employs heavy-handed guerilla tactics to shake the cops off his tail.
The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa (Stallone) serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).
“Your legacy is more than a name”
74
PG-132 hr 13 minNov 19th, 2015
Freddy Heflin (Stallone) is the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” — a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers he’s long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the town’s peaceful facade. And when Freddy uncovers a massive, deadly conspiracy among these local residents, he is forced to take action and make a dangerous choice between protecting his idols and upholding the law.
Sylvester Stallone in 1977’s ‘Rocky.’ Photo: United Artists.
When world heavyweight boxing champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) wants to give an unknown fighter a shot at the title as a publicity stunt, his handlers choose palooka Rocky Balboa (Stallone), an uneducated collector for a Philadelphia loan shark. Rocky teams up with trainer Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith) to make the most of this once in a lifetime break.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was blunt about what it will take to avoid a government shutdown. He told Dana Bash Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” “So, the American people don’t want a shutdown. From what I can tell, the Senate is ready to go. The administration is ready to go. House Republicans need to come to their senses and keep the government running.”
Otherwise, the public could start to feel the consequences of a government shutdown in numerous key ways, including air travel. Buttigieg pointed out that the government is trying to “grow the workforce” of air traffic controllers, but a shutdown would “stop us in our tracks.”
A government shutdown would undermine the safety and well-being of every American family.
House Republicans need to honor the deal they made earlier this year, and keep the government open. pic.twitter.com/7WES1r7foM
“A shutdown would slow down our progress modernizing technology, at the exact moment when we need to do it,” he said. “And, again, I’m just giving you some examples out of the transportation space.”
The problems could extend well beyond transportation, Buttigieg noted, saying, “Across the country, so many impacts would be felt. This has to be avoided.” Buttigieg also said that the daycare his children attend will close in the event of a government shutdown — something that federal employees across the United States will also face.
Buttigieg spoke about President Joe Biden’s planned visit to Detroit in support of striking auto workers on Tuesday. Former President Donald Trump has claimed that Biden is only making the trip because Trump did it first, something that Buttigieg denied.
“No, President Biden is doing what he has always done, which is to stand with American workers,” Buttigieg said. “He is proud of being the most pro-union, pro-worker president, not only compared to the Trump administration with its anti-union policies, but really compared to any modern president.”
After Meghan Markle sold out the perfect office shirt dress, Selena Gomez demonstrated how to turn the wardrobe staple into a sultry going-out ‘fit.
Yes, a white long-sleeve button-up isn’t just sexy when stolen from your partner’s closet for breakfast in bed or paired with jeans and a sharp bob à la Uma Thurman, though that’s definitely still a fierce look. In her latest mirror selfie, the 31-year-old pop star styled a crisp shirt dress—which she left unbuttoned enough to show off a peak at her bra—with classic gold jewelry and sky-high patent leather stiletto boots, giving a brand-new meaning to “legs for days.”
While Gomez’s button-up is nipped in at the waist and appears designed as a dress, one could get the same effect by tailoring an oversized Oxford or leaving it as is for a boxier, ultra-mini look, as Irina Shayk demonstrated twice in a recent Instagram fashion photo dump. In one look, Shayk paired her black dress shirt with her own thigh-high boots of the leopard variety, adding an additional cool factor by layering a Tupac t-shirt on top. In another look, she gave the no-pants look another go by pairing a black button-down with an oversized blazer and controversial Tabis.
Instagram/@selenagomez
The celebs are lampshading, your honor! Even Gisele Bündchen wore an oversized denim jacket as a dress at a recent NYFW dinner event, though she opted for clogs over thigh-high boots.
But back to Selena Gomez. The Rare Beauty mogul later shared a pouty selfie from dinner with close friend Nicola Peltz Beckham, proving this sexy outfit wasn’t wasted on a date night. In fact, Gomez recently joked about her relationship status while wearing a more casual pantsless look on TikTok.
TikTok content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
“Guess who has a boyfriend?” Gomez lipsynced while sitting on a couch in a white sweater and pigtail braids. “Not me, bitch! Y’all be safe out there!”
LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL 2023 REVIEW! Photographs etch the best moments as visual memories – gatherings, occasions, or just crazy moments of laughter and joy. For decades, portraits that we often exhume from long-locked attics and boxes have reminded us of the old times and traditions while offering a nostalgic glimpse of the past. For what it’s worth, pictures like these, especially family photographs, are proof of familial bonds and relationships meant to be passed down the generations. Lucy Kerr’s Family Portrait derives its plot from the very practice followed as a tradition in Southern American states. However, skipping over the emotional and dramatic implications of a subtle family gathering for a group picture, Family Portrait instead clashes with such moments’ intimately psychological and mysteriously anxious introspection. And the result is quite intriguing and, at the same time, unsettling.
Gathered at a family home near a calm, rural, and lakeside location in Texas, a family sitting down together for a meal and a yearly family photograph to be taken shortly. Katy is visiting with her boyfriend and the official photographer, Olek, a man of Polish descent. Also gathered are Katy’s sisters, her parents, uncles, and brother-in-laws. The home is filled with at least a dozen people indulging in conversations and exchanging information. It may sound like Family Portrait is a casual mix of instances and encounters between family members meeting after a long while; however, Lucy Kerr’s idea of a family film is much more enigmatic in the film’s narrative structure and visual choreography.
“A quiet, eerie, and enigmatic unraveling of a family gathering that seeks to memorize this meeting in a photograph.”
Kerr’s presentation of a family get-together establishes its atmospheric tone in ambiguous silence and quietness. The film’s opening sequence, which later turns out to be the film’s final shot, is engulfed under forests’ rumbling and muddling voices that are hard to comprehend. Later, when the film’s characters unravel Kerr’s and co-writer Karlis Bergs’ screenplay, Nikolay Antonov and Andrew Siedenburg’s sound work sustains that tension in every conversation.
Family Portrait is a multi-layered picture of overlapping discussions that are made artistically thorough via some prolific camera work by cinematographer Lidia Nikonova. As the family gathers and starts to catch up with each others’ lives, Kerr keeps Nikonova focused on her characters’ expressions that correspond to disinterest and confusion, highlighting their prolonged detachment from each other. In another sequence, Kerr captures Katy’s father, Charles’ speech over a heavily edited photograph of his grandfather, who was made to look like a Vietnam war soldier in a picture from his enlistment during World War II. It reflects upon the unreliability of memories confided and contained in the photographs. This notion is further cultivated when most family members appear indifferent to the family photograph. It deepens when the family matriarch, Katy’s mother, disappears and is nowhere visible in the vicinity. No one except Katy worries about her mother’s absence, putting the value of the yearly tradition and the family’s closeness in question.
Dozens of community members have been visiting the vigil set up outside the Ridge Meadows RCMP detachment for fallen officer Const. Rick O’Brien.
One of those community members is teacher Steve Ball who spoke with Global News.
Ball brought flowers to the vigil to honour his late friend.
“I met Rick when he was working as an education assistant in the Chilliwack School District,” Ball said.
“He came in to work with one of the particularly troubled children in my classroom … he saved me on a daily basis. He kept that little guy busy.”
Charges laid against 25-year-old following shooting death of BC RCMP officer
Ball said O’Brien had a friendly soul that led to a strong friendship.
Story continues below advertisement
“We had a really good time, we had a good relationship — lots of laughs and jokes. We kept each other sane that (school) year.”
O’Brien was shot and killed Friday morning while executing a warrant at a Coquitlam condominium building related to a Maple Ridge drug investigation.
Two other officers are recovering at home after one was shot in the incident. The suspect was also shot and sent to hospital.
Late Saturday afternoon, homicide investigators announced Nicholas Bellemare, 25, has been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder with a firearm and remains in custody.
O’Brien had only been an RCMP member for seven years. He was a front-line officer who Ball said wanted to work once again with young students.
“He had said he wanted to get into the schools to be a liaison-style officer and he was looking forward to pursuing that. I was quite excited for him because he was very excited,” Ball said.
“I think he would have made a wonderful liaison officer. I wish he would have gotten that chance.
“I’ll miss him forever.”
Ridge Meadows RCMP officer killed in incident on Coquitlam
Dean Unglert and Caelynn Miller-Keyes are officially married!
The Bachelor in Paradise season 6 alums have tied the knot, four years after they left the beach together back in 2019. According to People, the couple paid homage to Dean’s roots and got married at a private mountain retreat in Meredith, Colorado.
Camp Bell was the theme of the couple’s nuptials and also honored to their love of summer camp, and Dean’s late mother, Debbie Bell, who died when he was a teen. Per the site, the couple plan to change their last names to Bell.
The bride walked down the aisle in a gown by NWLA. Later in the evening, she changed into a dress by Katherine Tash. Dean looked dapper in a black tux. The ceremony was officiated by Dean’s best friend Jackson.
Cealynn and Dean had 75 guests in attendance for the occasion. Dean walked into the ceremony to “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” while the bride arrived to “Kiss Me” by Sixpence.
“We both love the [Colorado] area and it made it even more special,” Cealynn told People about making the ceremony special for everyone involved. “We also wanted a way for everyone to be together all weekend versus just for a night or two. When we toured this venue we immediately knew it was the one. Everyone has their own cabin and is staying on property.”
Wedding bells rang for the reality TV pair less than a year after they both took turns proposing in 2022, Unglert first last October followed by Miller-Keyes two months later.
“Under promise. over deliver. ? 10.24.22,” Unglert captioned a series of photos from his beach proposal in Hawaii. As for his new wife, she asked him the big question seemingly during a horseback riding outing.
“According to Dean we’re now officially engaged! A while ago we agreed we would both propose to each other. I had a lot of ideas on how I would do it, but after dean had me conquer my fear of heights before his proposal, I thought it would be fitting for him to conquer his only fear, horses,” Miller-Keyes later explained in an Instagram post. “I can’t wait for a lifetime of pushing each other out of our comfort zones.”
While their long-awaited nuptials have finally arrived, the two expressed their commitment to each other years ago by wearing rings, which spurred fans to wonder if they were already wed.
“In my opinion, I don’t need the title of husband to show the world that I’m committed to one person,” Unglert said on an episode of The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! in 2020. “So the fact that I’m wearing the ring is showing just that — is that I’m committed to Caelynn and only Caelynn. And that’s why I’ve worn it.”
“I’ve been wearing it probably for the past six or so months. She wears her, like, fun little ring as well,” Unglert added, noting they were not wedding or engagement rings. “It’s our way of telling the world or the people that we’re around that we’re committed to each other.”
Still, by the way Miller-Keyes talked about her man from the start, it was clear — ring or not — that she was in love.
“He has the biggest heart out of everyone I’ve ever met,” she gushed to ET in 2019. “He loves everyone he meets and just makes everyone feel so special and so loved, and he makes me feel that way, and what more can you ask for?”
Sean Penn sat down with CNN’s Jim Acosta this weekend to speak about his documentary “Superpower,” which was shot while the actor was embedded with Ukraine’s military during its ongoing war against Russia. Acosta asked Penn about Republican presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who also believes the U.S. should lessen its support of Ukraine.
In response, Penn commented, “I don’t find him [Ramaswamy] very interesting because he’s just like a high school student who’s impressive because he got an ‘A’ in something he’ll never apply in life.”
9.23.23 6:30 PM ET True Intelligence on Full Display as Jim Acosta @acosta hosts Actor, Activist & filmmaker of the documentary SUPERPOWER Sean Penn. Topics: Ukraine, the 2024 Presidential Election and his close relationship with President Zelensky 10/10 Rating FULL SEGMENT… pic.twitter.com/NddO5PShss
Penn also added that at this point in the war, “I would say that, whichever party, and I think that in the blood of these parties, the actual belief, when paying attention to it, either party now can have a very big political win. Because I think there’s a lot of likemindedness when the focus and context of what this war means to the United States is presented.”
The actor also expressed his worry that the American public is “a little bit tired” of hearing about the war. He said that many people might feel that if Ukraine is “winning another battle, we don’t have to worry about [the war] because they’re winning.”
Acosta asked Penn if he’s worried about what might happen to Ukraine if Donald Trump is reelected. The actor’s worry actually goes far beyond one man, he added. As he put it, “I worry about what happens to Ukraine if the American people don’t learn to talk to each other.”
“Superpower” is co-directed by Penn and Aaron Kaufman. It covers the time period that began in the months before Russia announced its invasion of Ukraine. The movie was originally planned to be a documentary about Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but the crew was filming when the Russian offensive began and quickly pivoted to covering the war itself.
Penn previously explained, “We set out to tell a lighthearted tale of this comedic actor who had been elected President of Ukraine and instead became witness to a historic leader and his country’s war for freedom.”
Penn added, “When you step into a country of such incredible unity, you realize what we [in the United States] have all been missing.”
“Real Housewives of New Jersey” reality show stars Jennifer Aydin and Danielle Cabral were in a physical conflict during the fiming of the show’s 14th season. Contrary to some fan accounts of the incident, there was no blood and neither woman bled, TheWrap has learned. Bravo is reportedly investigating.
Aydin and Cabral have been previously portrayed as friends and have not feuded previously on the series. But on Thursday, their problems started in a conversation before the Teresa Giudice “Tipsy in Tulum” party, according to All About The Real Housewives, citing a source in the production.
It wasn’t expected to escalate, but once Cabral arrived at the party, she continued the discussion with Aydin. That’s when Aydin allegedly revealed something about Cabral that portrayed her in a bad light.
Aydin then pushed Cabral, leading Cabral to throw a cup at Aydin. Security stepped in and asked Cabral to leave.
Since the incident, the show has not filmed with either woman. Filming had been scheduled with them on Friday, but it was canceled. Aydin has also unfollowed Cabral on Instagram.
“Real Housewives” franchise studio NBCUniversal just reworked its workplace guidelines for reality shows, including adding alcohol trainings and implementing “more serious consequences for physical violence on set.”
“Shannen is loved and she should be,” Green told People. “She is a fighter. She’s been facing challenges over the last, gosh, decade now that are just, they’re difficult things. And she is absolutely leading by example and showing people that even in the toughest of times, you can keep your head up and you can be a good person, and she is, she’s an amazing person, and I think she’s an inspiration for people, she should be.”
Doherty, 52, received a standing ovation at the recent 90s Con in Tampa, Florida from fans.
“Thank you so much,” she told the crowd. “You guys know how much I love crying constantly. And I do, it seems. So, thank you.”
Doherty has had a tumor removed from her head and said in June her cancer had spread to her brain. She was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, and revealed her stage 4 diagnosis in 2020.
I just turned 60, which seems, in equal measure, simply impossible and no big deal.
No matter how you look at it, 60 is a big number — 10 more push-ups than anyone should ever be asked to do — situated inarguably on the back end of even the modern female lifespan. I could continue to call myself middle-aged, but even if it were possible, do I want to live to be 120? No, I do not.
But honestly, how can I be 60 when I still don’t know how to apply foundation or fold a fitted sheet? When my idea of a perfect meal is graham crackers and peanut butter, and my notion of “tidying” is putting the books that cover every surface of my home into a stack and calling it a day?
I am grateful to be alive, especially after a pandemic, but I certainly don’t feel wiser, calmer, more at ease with myself or any of the other wonderful feelings others have documented as they enter their seventh decade.
Nor do I feel lonely, more afraid of death or out of touch with popular culture or digital technology. Having two young adults and one teenager certainly helps — not only do they force me to at least try to keep up with music and TikTok trends, it’s tough to feel near death when your children regularly address you as “bruh,” “girl,” “queen” or the endearment form of “b—” (almost always followed by an immediate “oh, sorry Mom”).
If I have to occasionally Google their latest form of slang; I do know how to use my smartphone, including (and for the record) how to turn the flashlight off.
OK, I only use one thumb while texting and sometimes take what is considered “too long” to use the search function of the Fire TV Stick, but I also know how to write an actual check and use postage stamps and I’m, apparently, the only one in our family who can access all our various passwords.
Sure, I’ve got a knee that acts up, but that thing has been acting up since I dislocated my knee cap while drunkenly dancing at a college party (don’t ask). And, of course, I’m tired — we’re all tired — but not as tired as I was when I had two young children in my late 30s or an infant and two only slightly older kids in my early 40s.
I would like to think I am now old enough to blithely cut in line as I have admiringly watched old ladies do all my life, but my children assure me, in horrified embarrassment, that I am not.
The only thing that has really changed is the nature of the ads popping up on my digital media platforms. How many times a day do these algorithms think I need to be persuaded that 60 is the new 40 while being offered miracle cures for crepey skin, age spots and, my personal favorite, apron belly? I wish I could say I am unfamiliar with these conditions but even so, I don’t appreciate being promised that the “secret” to tightening aging skin or reversing menopausal weight gain is a mere click away.
Sixty is not the new stupid.
Having lived life with a thousand freckles, I know skin is going to do whatever the hell it wants to do and when I recently decided I had gotten a bit too fat, I managed to lose weight by employing the breakthrough diet of staying away from sugar and eating less.
Menopause certainly causes some startling weight redistribution — sometimes I swear I could see the fat fleeing my thighs and butt for the warmer climes of my midsection. But in my case, the gain was the direct result of a conscious decision: If I had to endure the nightmare of migraines, heart palpitations, hot flashes and insomnia, then I was definitely entitled to eat cinnamon buns whenever I felt like it and at least three Snickers Minis at bedtime.
I mean, that’s just science.
As for 60 being the new 40, this is numerically absurd. There is not enough Spanx in the world to compress two decades into nothingness. I own each and every year I have lived on this planet, even those I would rather not remember. Especially those I would rather not remember.
Anyway it’s not so much that 60 is the new 40, as it is that 60 is finally allowed to be just 60. Especially for women.
I grew up at a time when women who were not, say, 27 or younger, did not “admit” their age because age was a sword of judgment. Forty was bad, 50 was worse and 60, well, that was considered instantly and irrevocably old. At 60, women were expected to resign themselves to getting nothing but talcum powder and soap sets for their birthdays and watching everyone else have all the fun.
Those who were vocally opinionated could choose between being considered cantankerous or formidable. The rest were assigned some version of grandma. Even those who were not actual grandmothers.
There were exceptions, of course, there are always exceptions, but culturally, at 60, women were expected to fade — into caricature, into caretaking or just into the background.
Everywhere women looked in popular culture, this assumption was drastically underlined. Irene Ryan was 60 when she began playing Granny on “The Beverly Hillbillies” and if there was an older-appearing character in the history of television, that character was a zombie.
Years later, “The Golden Girls,” a show which traded on the radical notion that older women had lives too, defined “older” mostly as late 40s and early to mid 50s. (Estelle Getty was 62 when the show began, playing 79.) Male actors could play romantic leads well into their 70s but throughout much of film history, most 50-plus female actors were consigned to playing someone’s grandmother or crazy great aunt — Bette Davis was 54 when she starred in “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” That’s four years younger than Sarah Jessica Parker, currently resurrecting Carrie Bradshaw in “And Just Like That.”
As a woman who never had to fight for the right to vote, attend college, procure legal birth control or enter my chosen profession, I am grateful on a daily basis for those brave, brilliant, stubborn women who did the hard work for me. And now I feel the same way about 60.
These days no one would suggest that Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who is 62, could only play grannies any more than they would say that Tom Cruise, 61, should stop parachuting off cliffs. The 21st century version of “The Golden Girls” is “Grace and Frankie,” starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, who are both in their 80s. The cutest TV couple of the year, hands down, is Meryl Streep, 74, and Martin Short, 73, on “Only Murders in the Building.” The indefatigable Dolly Parton and Debbie Allen are 73; Oprah Winfrey is 69; Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton are 62; Michelle Yeoh is 61; and Vanessa Williams and Lisa Kudrow joined me in turning the big 6-0 this year.
Yeah, that’s right, I’m the same age as Vanessa Williams. I will show you my driver’s license.
That is just an abbreviated list, and outside Hollywood, the examples of women defying the traditional definitions of “old” are even more numerous. Credit baby boomers, feminism, the fitness movement, Eileen Fisher or even the rise in Botox and cosmetic surgery; 60 is no longer the beginning of the end.
Certainly credit all the women who refused to accept 60, or 70, or 80 as anything but a number.
Ageism still exists, of course, but at least now it has a name (as opposed to, you know, “life”) and, in some cases, the hope of legal recourse. The lack of financial safety nets, including retirement plans, in this country forces too many people to choose between lives of perpetual work or poverty (and in some cases does not offer the choice of perpetual work). Just as a lack of good affordable housing and healthcare can turn increased age into increased vulnerability, especially in Black and brown communities.
But age itself no longer forces people, especially women, to assume certain limited roles, to feel that they must stop being who they are because the calendar year has changed or fade because society tells them to.
Being 60 is just being 60. It feels a lot like being 50, only better — no menstrual cramps or hot flashes.
I’m not too old to learn to apply foundation or fold fitted sheets. But when you have a thousand freckles, foundation never works anyway, and I have never seen the point in folding fitted sheets — I’ll just keep shoving them in the pillow case like I’ve been doing for 40 years.
The Fall of the House of Usher is a highly anticipated Netflix series that adapts Edgar Allan Poe’s dark and chilling tales for a contemporary audience.
The series has received a glowing 95% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the potential to earn the coveted Certified Fresh status.
The show weaves a rich and cohesive narrative from various strands of Poe’s mythology, with a stellar ensemble cast bringing the enigmatic characters to life. October 12th is the release date.
The enthralling world of Edgar Allan Poe is reborn in the anticipated Netflix limited series, The Fall of the House of Usher. Mike Flanagan, renowned for his ability to adapt chilling tales for the screen, is the maestro behind this sinister symphony, and early indicators point towards a monumental success.
The renowned rating aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes, has opened its vaults to welcome the series, bestowing upon it a glowing 95-percent Fresh score. At the time of writing, 22 reviews are etched on the proverbial walls of the site, with a singular voice of dissent amidst a chorus of applause. The coveted Certified Fresh banner, a symbol of consistent high quality, has not yet adorned the series, but the metrics align favorably, laying a path of rose petals tinged with a delicate scent of decay, leading to that esteemed accolade.
But what alchemy of horror and delight has conjured this spectacle? The Fall of the House of Usher weaves a rich tapestry of narrative, rooted in the twisted soil of Poe’s iconic oeuvre. Flanagan, a seasoned voyager in the realms of darkness, expressed his exhilaration at the challenge of reimagining Poe’s timeless tales for a contemporary audience. The series, a vibrant mosaic of the macabre, unites familiar and obscure strands of Poe’s mythology into a cohesive and compelling whole.
“The miniseries is a modern remix of some of the most iconic works of Edgar Allan Poe,” Flanagan declared, illuminating eager audiences about the genesis of this ambitious project. Four of the eight episodes will be helmed by Michael Fimognari, a trusted collaborator, weaving together the haunting narratives in a dance of shadows and light.
Edgar Allan Poe’s Shadows: The Timeless Allure of The Fall of the House of Usher
Netflix
A tantalizing glimpse into the world of the Usher empire is provided by Netflix’s official description: “In this wicked series based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege, and power.” As past shadows slither into the glaring light, a mysterious woman from their youth unleashes a torrent of terror upon the heirs of the Usher dynasty.
Embarking on this journey into the abyss, a stellar ensemble cast breathes life into the enigmatic characters inhabiting the world of Usher. The seasoned talents of Bruce Greenwood and Carla Gugino blend seamlessly with a diverse array of actors, including Mark Hamill, Michael Trucco, T’Nia Miller, Paola Nuñez, Henry Thomas, Kyleigh Curran, and many more. Every actor imparts a different shade to this gothic triumph, molding an image laden with fear, yearning, and hopelessness.
The Fall of the House of Usher is set to unfurl its dark splendor to the world on October 12th, exclusively on Netflix. As the calendar pages flutter towards the premiere date, the anticipation swells, a tide of excitement tinged with the chill of trepidation. As Mike Flanagan beckons viewers into the dim recesses of this grandiose narrative, whispers of “Once upon a midnight dreary…” echo in the air, promising a sumptuous feast of atmospheric terror and enthralling storytelling. Positioned on the brink of becoming a treasured gem in the realm of contemporary horror TV, The Fall of the House of Usher resonates with the timeless charm of Edgar Allan Poe’s profoundly dark stories.
