Bryan Fuller's style is difficult to replicate. Full of detail, sometimes muted by shadows or vibrant with gore, it's easy to recognize his signature on earlier creations such as "Pushing Daisies" and "Dead Like Me." "Hannibal" has resonated the strongest with his fans, though. Hannifans are a testament to the power of fandom, keeping this three-season series alive — with the hope of a continuation — via new art, fanfiction, and recreating Hannibal's cuisine with the help of the series' food consultant Janice Poon ... without Lecter's most unique, uh, ingredients.

Sumptuous and elegant (are we talking about the show or Mads Mikkelson as Dr. Hannibal Lecter?), Fuller's creation believes in the intelligence of its viewers, never holding back the details of a damaged mind. Lecter's psychology is the most intriguing, often kept locked tight, but Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) is the key to unraveling pieces of him. That requires an intimate relationship that courts the taboo of a hunter loving his prey. It's a dynamic with an irresistible lure. While "Hannibal" can't be replicated, there are two ways to celebrate it: Help the fans keep the dream of more "Hannibal" alive, and dive into any one of these 12 shows to at least sate your appetite temporarily.

Luther (2010-2019)

No matter where your first introduction to Idris Elba took place, it has high odds of being unforgettable. While Americans probably first met Stringer Bell in "The Wire," our friends across the pond got DCI John Luther. BBC's "Luther" isn't just his story, it's also the story of Alice Morgan, the killer he can't quite catch, and he's increasingly uncertain that he wants to. It's a familiar kind of taboo for "Hannibal" fans, but Luther's not much like the introspective Will Graham.

Luther is a brutalist, an old-time cop with the ability to see a crime scene almost as well as Graham does, but with too much anger in his heart for the perpetrators. It's a searing look at the mindset of men who actually do what "tough guys" claim they would in their shoes: hurt a criminal, terrorize informants, and worse. The results are also as clear. Luther loses friends and allies by the bushel doing it his way, to the point his stalker friend, Morgan, becomes a too-familiar presence. It's ugly stuff, but as irresistible as an invitation to one of Hannibal Lecter's friendly luncheons.

True Detective (2014-Present)

Skip the second season of the anthology series "True Detective," it lacks the intriguing personal inveiglements we want. Seasons 1 and 3, however, ride to victory on the backs of their duet dynamics. The first gives us Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrellson) with a chiller of a tale. The story of the dead and lost of Louisiana is seen mostly through Cohle's eyes, who looks at the world with apocalyptic sensibilities. He doesn't guide the viewer with Will Graham's nightmare stag, but with a spiraling nihilism that lured the audience into seeing the world as if everything around us is a cosmic horror story.

Season 3 gives us Wayne Hays (Mahershala Ali) and Roland West (Stephen Dorff), two cops from very different worlds and a cold case strung across decades. This one, however, pits Hays against himself in as dreamlike a web as a "Hannibal" fan could want. This one is bittersweet, though, because the later Hays has elder dementia and not all of his memories have lasted. Dorff is a terrific platform for Ali to work off of, and their conversations are a smart and earthy delight for "Hannibal" viewers.

American Gods (2017-2021)

Hard to pass up another Bryan Fuller creation when looking for that gourmand fix. The magic of "American Gods" begins to dwindle fast in its other two seasons, but the first is still a treat to experience. Author Neil Gaiman signed on as producer, helping Fuller nail eight episodes of dreamlike wandering through old gods trying to survive in a world that no longer needs them. Do at least stick through the second season premiere, "The House on the Rock," which may be your first introduction to one of the world's wildest real-life tourist traps.

The first season doles out some excellent moments, as vivid as "Hannibal" and loaded with symbols to ponder. The god Vulcan finds his way to new power through modern militias, while the Slavic gods suffer in forgotten poverty. A goddess of spring co-opts Christian ritual, while a much more realistic Jesus suffers another crucifixion alongside his first disciples, the wandering and the lost looking for a way. It's brilliant stuff, and it's a shame that — like "Hannibal" — Fuller couldn't see it through. At least fans of Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham can still hold out hope.

Mindhunter (2017-2019)

In 1995, retired FBI agent John E. Douglas released one of the best non-fiction looks inside the career of a criminal profiler, "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit." Douglas' work became the basis for a number of profilers in popular fiction, and that includes Will Graham. Author Thomas Harris attended one of Douglas' early public presentations, learning about some of the real killers that formed the basis of Hannibal Lecter's urbane criminality.

The Netflix adaptation from series creator Joe Penhall titled "Mindhunter" goes back to the plain horror of it all. Using Douglas' book as a baseline, this fiction series is set in the late '70s and recreates Douglas' interviews with serial predators, interwoven with new characters and a look at what was then a fresh field in criminology. It's tough stuff, with producer David Fincher lending his trademark grim and grimy tone to the series. For fans that might've come to "Hannibal" fairly fresh from its sci-fi tonal predecessor "Fringe," Anna Torv's presence is an extra gift. Currently on a long — possibly permanent hiatus — there's still plenty here for hungry fans to devour.

Dexter (2006-2013, 2021-2022)

The original ending to "Dexter" is so bad that, frequently, that may be the only thing people know about it. There are two bits of good news: One, much of the series is still a terrific thriller with one of the worst yet most fascinating fictional baddies on Earth at its heart, and two, the ten-years-later miniseries "Dexter: New Blood" eases the big screw-up. Or maybe makes it worse in its own finale? They sure did try their best, either way, and it's all compelling stuff.

"Hannibal" fans are used to being left hanging, so long as the rest of the ride is worthwhile. Dexter is Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham all in one. He works for the justice system as a forensics guy, and he's also a serial killer with a strict code and methodology ... usually. Sold to the audience as a "pure sociopath," Dexter is actually a psychopath with some unusual affection for his family. None of this detracts from making him fascinating to watch, even as the show wrestles with reminding us that he's supposed to be the villain here. It's not as sure in its horror as "Hannibal," but it's still a great companion classic.

The Alienist (2018-2020)

Let's go back to the roots of modern psychology. It's the late 1800s, and a practitioner of this fledgling field is still called an alienist. Borrowed from the French noun aliéné, meaning an insane person, the alienists at this time often became our earliest criminal profilers. Caleb Carr's "The Alienist," adapted for TNT in 2018, follows the fictional Dr. Lazlo Kriezler (Daniel Brühl) as he assists Teddy Roosevelt — yeah, that one, played here by Brian Geraghty — in solving a gruesome crime spree. It is not a pleasant situation.

Less dry than you'd fear, "The Alienist" has no problem delving into the hedonism of New York City at the turn of a century. While not as lush as Hannibal Lecter's dinner table, the richness on display in contrast to brutal class struggles adds poignancy to a bloody costume drama. It's not hard to empathize with these characters even when they're trying to feel distant, and Brühl is always a stellar actor to watch. For those fascinated by the details of Will Graham's job, "The Alienist" remains a fine starter watch.

Person Of Interest (2011-2016)

Michael Emerson will always be Ben Linus to some of us, but he puts that same intensity into someone we can root for in "Person of Interest." Harold Finch isn't the real name of Emerson's quirky hero, and he consistently tries to act like someone we can't trust, but he's the heart of a series that goes in-depth on the morals and ethics behind both Philip K. Dick's "The Minority Report" and the dangers of nascent AI, and he's forever a joy to watch.

On the other hand, Jim Caviezel as John Reese (nice "Terminator" reference) is a generally present ex-military dude with the requisite CIA training. He's the muscle to Finch's brains, an honor-bound duty hound who could have been played by anyone and probably should have been. Yet his generic addition doesn't draw much away from the neat light-SF plot running through "Person of Interest." Emerson aptly carries the series' various character dynamics with enough flair that we'd kill to watch him play off of Mads Mikkelson for an hour, eccentric to eccentric. (Psst: Try "Evil," too, for more Emerson goodness)

Lucifer (2016-2021)

It probably wouldn't take much to get "Hannigram" fans to admit they'd bang a hot Satan given a chance. For all your fantasy needs, here's Tom Ellis charming his way through a luscious version of the former King of Hell. "Lucifer" is technically a DC series, and — to borrow MCU terminology — Ellis' Lucifer is a variant of the same Lucifer we met in "The Sandman," complete with the loyal demon Mazikeen at his side.

The similarities end — mild spoiler for future "Sandman" arcs ahead — with the name of the nightclub Lucifer runs. Lux is his turf as the series opens, as luxurious and debauched as Hannibal Lecter could want. The Devil always throws the best parties, but being a decent person? That's a switch-up. Only God could have guessed that this fallen angel would decide to become a police consultant for kicks, and maybe They did. Certainly, these questions become a plot point in the bizarre but delightful later seasons. For its charm, its absolute commitment to its wild presence, and Ellis' note-perfect performance, "Lucifer" is a perfectly pleasant accompaniment to "Hannibal."

The X-Files (1993–2002, 2016-2018)

"The X-Files" isn't just a classic, it's the modern OG for fans of that push-and-pull dynamic that ties Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter together. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) is enthusiastic, hopeful, and (quietly) a little hedonistic. Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson, decades before she would become Hannibal Lecter's, um, friend) is cool, calculated, and starts off fairly distanced. Together they hunt aliens. And cryptid serial killers. And Eugene Victor Tooms (Doug Hutchison), which is one of those pieces of trivia we look back on and think "yeah."

This show thrives on the charisma between Mulder and Scully, a pull so strong that — for better and for worse — puts the series' central arc on a collision course with their growing relationship. The equally recommended spin-off series "Millennium" surrounds its lead, retired FBI profiler Frank Black (Lance Henriksen), with a cold void he's just as enthralled with at first. Both stumble towards the end, with "Millennium" in particular getting an abrupt sort-of-finale in a crossover episode with "The X-Files," but the atmosphere of these shows still can't be beaten.

I'll Be Gone In The Dark (2020-2021)

Michelle McNamara's life isn't a cautionary tale, but there are lessons to take away from her story. She was a true crime devotee whose persistence in solving the riddle of the Golden State Killer helped revive the cold case in popular culture, and the culprit would be finally arrested after her book was published. The cost was her own life. Her husband, Patton Oswalt, would later acknowledge the opioid addiction that helped Michelle cope with the horrors she chronicled, and how it all killed her.

The HBO miniseries based on her book "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" blends documentary with drama, and like David Fincher's "Zodiac" it treads the line between fascination and losing ourselves to the deep waters. It's a warning fans of Will Graham should heed. "Hannibal" is fun stuff, but there's an edge of reality we need to be aware of when playing with our bloodiest toys. This brief-but-taut miniseries is the perfect palate cleanser before returning to Hannibal Lecter's table.

Killing Eve (2018-2022)

Like "Dexter," a lot of ink was spilled breaking down the ending of "Killing Eve." Overall, it's a fair opinion that the show didn't quite stick to the landing, but the ride is well worth it despite its flaws. With Jodie Comer as Villanelle and Sandra Oh as the titular Eve, this series about lust and taboo is ... well, it's basically the beating, bloody heart of "Hannibal" with a different cast. It's not just a gender swap, though. The changed dynamic opens up new perspectives on sexuality, using fashion to tell a story as well as the general taboos women still face.

Eve is openly obsessed with female assassins, which is fair in a world of Black Widows and Red Sparrows. However, Villanelle isn't a pet to be studied, she's a weapon with a mind of her own. All that saves Eve is a mutual fascination, more powerful than either MI5 or the mysterious organization that gives Villanelle her killing orders. At least "Killing Eve" does have a proper ending. Not that we're bitter about the limbo "Hannibal" is still stuck in, or anything.

Mr. Robot (2015-2019)

It may not lean into the horrors of the human mind the way "Hannibal" fans expect, but like "Person of Interest" there's enough character intricacy in "Mr. Robot" to satisfy fans looking for rich dynamics between troubled people. Instead of criminal profiling, Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek) is a neurodivergent cybersecurity expert who finds himself lured into a society of hacktivists dedicated to making the world a better place. At least, that's what Elliot thinks is what's going on as the series opens.

If you don't know any spoilers for "Mr. Robot," keep it that way. If you need one hook to catch your intrigue, consider that series creator Sam Esmail is open about his inspirations for the biggest twists and turns, and they include head-spinning movies like "Fight Club." More than anything else, it's a show that (like "Hannibal") believes in its audience. Attention to detail is necessary to enjoy the series, and you'll come out a little bit better informed about cybersecurity, which the show handles with actual expertise. Best of all, it's four tightly-paced seasons long, with a finale that pays off rich dividends in its last minutes. That's a treasure all "Hannibal" fans can still strive for.

Read this next: The 18 Best Crime Dramas In TV History

The post 12 Shows Like Hannibal That Will Get Your Blood Pumping appeared first on /Film.

(Superhero Bits is a collection of stories, updates, and videos about anything and everything inspired by the comics of Marvel, DC, and more. For comic book movies, TV shows, merchandise, events, and whatever catches our eye, this is the place to find anything that falls through the cracks.)

In this edition of Superhero Bits:

• The Russo brothers probably aren't coming back to Marvel.

• "Smallville" stars Tom Welling and Erica Durance are game for a return.

• An unencouraging update on the Wakanda series for Disney+.

• The "Red Sonja" movie adds a cast member.

• All that and more!

Is That Stargirl/Titans Crossover Happening?

As we noted in this column a while back, some evidence from social media suggested that "Stargirl" may be crossing over with "Titans" over on HBO Max. TVLine caught up with "Titans" showrunner Greg Walker to ask him about it directly, who said the following:

"I would love to do a Stargirl crossover...Geoff Johns, he works in mysterious ways. So that's all I'll say about that."

At the very least, it's not a denial. So who knows? We'll see what comes of it. One thing we know for sure is that "Stargirl" is nearing the end of its run as its current third season will be its last.

Get The Batman Figures From McFarlane Toys Half Off Right Now

The folks at McFarlane Toys appear to be clearing out some inventory related to "The Batman," meaning fans of the movie can get figures for half off right now. The company is letting you, dear reader, use code TB50 at checkout to get 50% off figures from director Matt Reeves' movie while supplies last. So go forth and spend, if you feel so compelled. The figures can be found by clicking here.

Veronica Ferres Joins The Red Sonja Movie

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Veronica Ferres ("Salt & Fire") has joined the cast of the long-in-the-works "Red Sonja" movie, which will be headlined by Matilda Lutz ("Revenge"). The report states that Ferres will be playing the title character's mother. M.J. Bassett ("Silent Hill: Revelation") is directing the adaptation, with filming currently underway in Bulgaria. No release date has been set but it is expected to arrive sometime in 2023.

Ghost Rider Takes The Spotlight In New Midnight Suns Trailer

"Marvel's Midnight Suns" hits shelves in just about a month and soon, gamers will be able to control a number of dark heroes from the Marvel universe in turn-based combat. One such hero is Ghost Rider, who takes the spotlight in this latest trailer for the game. The trailer gives an overview of what it's going to be like to play as Johnny Blaze, and how he's going to function. Rather appropriately, it looks metal AF. Be on the lookout for the game on December 2.

A Smallville Revival? Tom Welling And Erica Durance Seem Open To It

We got a little taste of a return to "Smallville" in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" Arrowverse crossover event. But would Tom Welling and Erica Durance return in a more significant capacity? Addressing the question at the MCM London Comic Con recently (via Comic Book Resources), they both seemed open to it. "Like our own multiverse? Sure. Why not," Welling said, with Durance adding, "It'd be fun." Though not exactly a ringing endorsement, they're working actors, so who knows? But with the Arrowverse winding down, this seems less likely than ever before, honestly.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Happy Meals Are Coming To McDonald's

Marvel fans who also happen to enjoy the fast food offerings of McDonald's may want to pay attention, as "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" Happy Meals have officially arrived at the chain. Yes, McDonald's has partnered with Marvel on arguably the biggest blockbuster of the year, and these Happy Meals come with one of ten toys connected to director Ryan Coogler's sequel. The Happy Meals are available now while supplies last.

It Sounds Like That Wakanda TV Show Is A Long, Long Way Off

Producer Nate Moore has provided a little update to Collider on the Wakanda-centric TV show that is in development for Disney+. The bad news? It sounds like the project is very much still in the earliest stages of development. So, those hoping that this might be something we'll see soon need to adjust expectations.

"Because of the amount of time and attention that went into this film, and frankly the Ironheart show, that is probably not as far along as people want it to be, but there are certainly great ideas that we're still talking to Ryan about. So, we'll see how far we can get with it."

If I'm reading the room, I would guess this wouldn't be happening until at least Phase 6 in 2025 at this point. But we'll see how things develop after "Wakanda Forever" hits theaters.

Don't Expect To See The Russo Brothers Back At Marvel Any Time Soon

"Avengers: Endgame" directors Joe and Anthony Russo are not going to be coming back to Marvel Studios any time in the near future. While the Russo brothers had stated in the past that they would be very interested in directing "Secret Wars," in the above cover article for Variety, the filmmakers explained that they are far too busy with their production company AGBO to consider heading back to the MCU. Joe Russo had this to say about it:

"We're always talking; we'd need to see what would work. We won't be ready to do anything with Marvel until the end of the decade."

Not exactly an encouraging response. So, who knows? Maybe the Russos can direct something in Phase 8 of the MCU in 2032? It's hard to even wrap one's head around something that far off. With that being the case, we should think of the Russo's time in the MCU as something in the past and not really in the future.

Check Out These Absolutely Amazing Spider-Man Variant Covers

Lastly, some variant covers for new "Spider-Man" comics hitting shelves next week have been revealed and, even for those who don't read comics regularly, it's tough not to be impressed by what's on display here. The covers are for "Spider-Man" #3, "The Amazing Spider-Man" #13, and "Dark Web." In particular, the cover that offers a throwback to "Kraven's Last Hunt" is pretty compelling. Look for these books on shelves on November 9.

Read this next: The Most Powerful X-Men Characters Ranked

The post Superhero Bits: The Russo Bros On Returning To Marvel, An Update On The Wakanda TV Show & More appeared first on /Film.

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The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has published guidance on how organizations can protect against phishing and other threats by implementing phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA) and number matching in MFA applications.

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The most vomit-inducing movie since The Exorcist with the most shocking effects since An American Werewolf in London is coming for the Academy Awards, as TERRIFIER 2 has been submitted for Oscar consideration by Bloody Disgusting.

The fan-driven campaign encourages supporters to tag @TheAcademy on Twitter with the hashtag #OscarsForArt.

“No, it will never actually happen. Yes, it’s a total goof,” admits Bloody Disgusting Managing Director Brad Miska. “But you know what? The thought of having members of the Academy endure an extreme unrated horror movie that they would otherwise consider beneath them? That’s just too hilarious of an opportunity to pass up.”

After earning nearly $8 million with an unprecedented theatrical run, the uncut indie slasher is streaming exclusively on Screambox. It will be available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD in December. Learn more about the film here.

In the sequel to the 2016 cult classic slasher Terrifier, Art the Clown is resurrected by a sinister entity and targets a teenage girl and her younger brother on Halloween night.

Terrifier’s Damien Leone writes and directs. David Howard Thornton reprises his iconic role as Art the Clown alongside Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, Samantha Scaffidi, horror staple Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), and pro wrestling superstar Chris Jericho.

TERRIFIER 2 is part of Screambox’s growing library of unique horror content, including Pennywise: The Story of IT, Masters of Horror, 13 Nights of Elvira, Satan’s Little Helper, PussyCake, Toxic Crusaders, and the original Terrifier.

The post [News] TERRIFIER 2 Submitted for Oscar Consideration appeared first on Nightmarish Conjurings.

Obviously this outline is missing a ton of detail. Miami is the most developed location in the game, and even that one needs more characters, more points of interest, and more potential routes and interactions. The other missions are positively threadbare, and a couple are missing entirely. A lot of the ending missions boil down to “the player goes to an industrial location and kills someone important”, which feels more like Hitman than Deus Ex. Again, you’d fix this by adding more stuff to do and giving the player interesting reasons to spare various conspirators.

Alex needs more development. She’s a composite of three different characters from the first game: Alex your tech guy, Jock your pilot, and Paul your brother. She’s your guide, your transport, and your conscience. Which means she really ought to have a strong personality, a backstory, and even a bit of a character arc that points her towards ending #5. 

I think the idea of “The Illuminati are the reason people are mean to each other on social media” is cute and just the right kind of stupid. Having said that, the entire idea needs a lot more meat on its bones.  

So that’s my 16k word pitch for a new Deus Ex game. I hope you enjoyed reading it, or found some of its ideas amusing. I had fun writing this, although I’d feel better if I knew there was another immersive sim on the horizon.

As always, if you’d like to support my efforts, please consider joining my Patreon. You can also make a one-time donation if you’re not into the whole commitment thing. 

 

Thanks for reading.

 

—–

I think that there are probably a ton of gains that could be made in the area of reducing load times. The problem is that reviewers and consumers rarely make a big deal about bad load times. And even on the rare occasions when they do, the fanboys usually respond with “lol get an SSD”. It doesn’t impact sales in a way that’s easy to measure, so publishers have very little incentive to allocate dev time to make loading times shorter.

I’m hoping that we’ve just settled into a nice long console generation. Or perhaps, the console generation that’s about to start once you can actually buy a PS5. And maybe if technology holds still for a few years then people will start thinking about load times. 

I don’t know about modern engines, but I know a decade ago many games would just purge everything from memory and start over when loading a new level. But of course, the previous level and the next level are going to share a ton of data. Both levels are going to need the protagonist model, his weapons, the standard mooks, the cameras, and all of the animations and sound effects for that stuff. Not to mention the texture maps that appear in both levels. You end up purging hundreds of megabytes of data, only to turn around and load some of those same assets back into memory again. From magnetic media. Savage!

The advantage is that this “clean slate” approach to loading is very clean, simple, and easy to debug. But doing things the Right Waytm means holding onto assets across level transitions and managing an ever-shifting library of active models and textures. It’s a lot more work, and it’s easy to muck it up and have slow-burn problems like memory leaks that slow the game down over a long play session. I can understand why the ease and predictability of clean slate loading is the go-to strategy for game development.

Note how quickly Bethesda games can transition in and out of buildings, because they don’t use clean slate loading. Note also how those same area transitions are a madhouse of weird bugs, glitches, and crashes. This is mostly due to Bethesda having terrible QA, but the point is that area transitions are the most buggy part of the game. Smart loading is hard.

——

During the most recent investors call, AMD's CEO, Dr. Lisa Su, confirmed that their Radeon RX 7000 "RDNA 3" GPUs will include brand new gaming features.

AMD Targets High-Resolution & High-Frame Rate Gaming With Brand New Features Supported By Radeon RX 7000 "RDNA 3" GPUs

A few hours ago, AMD reported another strong quarter which you can find more details on over here. During the earnings call, AMD's CEO, Dr. Lisa Su, stated that while the gaming GPU (graphics) revenue declined based on reduced consumer demand, they are still going ahead with the launch of the next-generation gaming GPUs. Already confirmed as RDNA 3, the brand-new GPU will utilize TSMC's 5nm chiplet architecture to deliver unprecedented gains in gaming performance and power efficiency.

Gaming graphics revenue declined in the quarter based on soft consumer demand and our focus on reducing downstream GPU inventory. We will launch our next-generation RDNA 3 GPUs later this week that combine our most advanced gaming graphics architecture with 5-nanometer chiplet designs.

Our high end RDNA 3 GPUs will deliver strong increases in performance and performance per watt compared to our current products and include new features supporting high resolution, high frame rate gaming. We look forward to sharing more details later this week.

AMD CEO, Dr. Lisa Su

AMD says that their Radeon RX 7000 "RDNA 3" GPUs will offer strong increases in performance and performance per watt compared to their existing RDNA 2 GPUs but what is more important is that AMD also states that we will be getting brand new features. Some of the new gaming features are said to support high-resolution and high frame-rate gaming. None of the new features has been explicitly mentioned but there are a lot of things that we can speculate on prior to the unveiling that's going to take place tomorrow.

Back in June, there were reports that AMD's RDNA 3 "GFX11" GPUs infused within the Radeon RX 7000 graphics cards will support the latest FSR 3.0 technology to tackle DLSS 3. FSR 3.0 is expected to utilize hardware-acceleration thanks to WMMA (Wave Matrix-Multiple Accumulate Instructions). One major blow to DLSS 3 would be if AMD enables FSR 3.0 across its entire range of RDNA GPUs and does not keep it limited to RDNA 3 like NVIDIA whose DLSS 3 technology is only limited to the RTX 40 series chips.

Furthermore, both companies have had their fair share of bugs when a new upscaling technology is launched. Currently, NVIDIA's DLSS 3 is reported to cause artifacts and glitches with Frame Generation enabled. AMD FSR also had its own issues but it is likely AMD will try its best to tone down the bugs before its next FSR launches. Plus, having open support for the technology will be a major plus to help boost its adoption in existing and future AAA games.

AMD confirmed that its RDNA 3 GPUs will be coming later this year with a huge performance uplift. The company's Senior Vice President of Engineering, Radeon Technologies Group, David Wang, said that the next-gen GPUs for Radeon RX 7000 series will offer over 50% performance per watt uplift vs the existing RDNA 2 GPUs. Some of the key features of the RDNA 3 GPUs highlighted by AMD will include:

• 5nm Process Node
• Advanced Chiplet Packaging
• Rearchitected Compute Unit
• Optimized Graphics Pipeline
• Next-Gen AMD Infinity Cache
• Enhanced Ray Tracing Capabilities
• Refined Adaptive Power Management
• >50% Perf/Watt vs RDNA 2

Refined Adaptive Power Management & Next-Gen Infinity Cache For RDNA 3 Confirmed

AMD's SVP & Technology Architect, Sam Naffziger, has already highlighted that the next-generation RDNA 3 GPUs featured on the Radeon RX 7000 GPUs and next-gen iGPUs, will offer a range of new technologies including a refined adaptive power management tech to set workload-specific operation points, making sure that the GPU only utilizes the power required for the workload. The GPUs will also feature a next-gen AMD Infinity Cache which will offer higher-density, lower-power caches and reduced power needs for the graphics memory.

What’s Next?

Looking ahead, we’re continuing our push for more efficient gaming with AMD RDNA 3 architecture. As the first AMD graphics architecture to leverage the 5nm process and our chiplet packaging technology, AMD RDNA 3 is on track to deliver an estimated >50 percent better performance per watt than AMD RDNA 2 architecture – truly bringing top-of-the-line gaming performance to gamers in cool, quiet, and energy-conscious designs.

Contributing to this energy-conscious design, AMD RDNA 3 refines the AMD RDNA 2 adaptive power management technology to set workload-specific operating points, ensuring each component of the GPU uses only the power it requires for optimal performance. The new architecture also introduces a new generation of AMD Infinity Cache, projected to offer even higher-density, lower-power caches to reduce the power needs of graphics memory, helping to cement AMD RDNA 3 and Radeon graphics as a true leaders in efficiency.

We’re thrilled with the improvements we’re making with AMD RDNA 3 and its predecessors, and we believe there’s, even more, to be pulled from our architectures and advanced process technologies, delivering unmatched performance per watt across the stack as we continue our push for better gaming.

via AMD

AMD will be unveiling its RDNA 3 GPU architecture and the Radeon RX 7000 graphics cards on the 3rd of November. Previous rumors have stated that the actual retail launch will take place in early December. They have a full Livestream planned which you can read more details about here.

The post AMD Confirms Radeon RX 7000 “RDNA 3” GPUs To Include New Features Targeting High-Resolution & High Frame-Rate Gaming by Hassan Mujtaba appeared first on Wccftech.

The mysterious Fallout 4 mod Pilgrim, which appeared to vanish after its initial launch, is suddenly back online, with a new remastered version once again transforming the Bethesda RPG into a twisted, Silent Hill-esque horror game.

RELATED LINKS: Fallout 4 console commands, Fallout 4 mods, Buy Fallout 4

Cooking accidents are the leading cause of house fires in the United States, so as we move into the season of food-centric holidays and staying in at night where it’s cozy, let’s acquaint ourselves with the most effective ways of putting out various types of kitchen fires. Because not all of them are created equal,…

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It is one of the most famous stories in music history: The divinely talented Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart falls foul to the murderous schemes of Antonio Salieri, a mediocre court composer driven wild with jealousy by the young maestro's God-given gifts. This is the tale told by Milos Forman's Oscar-winning "Amadeus," probably the most popular movie ever made about classical music and, I'll bet, where many people have derived their knowledge of Mozart's life and works.

Yet the juiciest details of the story are almost entirely made up; the old saying that truth is stranger than fiction proves just the opposite in this case, and many of the Machiavellian plot points are flourishes from the pen of celebrated playwright and screenwriter Peter Shaffer.

That is not to diminish the accomplishments of Mozart's short life. He was known across Europe as a musical prodigy at an early age, having played for King Louis XV of France at the age of 8, and composed his first opera when he was only 12. Before his untimely death at 35, he produced an incredible body of work boating over 600 compositions across symphonic, chamber, operatic, and choral music. Even if someone claims to have no knowledge of classical music, they probably know Mozart's tunes, sampled by everyone from Evanescence to Tenacious D and regularly popping up in TV commercials.

How did Mozart's life become intertwined with the dastardly schemes of Salieri for eternity? Let's take a look at the real story and how it stacks up against Forman's multi-award-winning historical extravaganza.

So What Happens In Amadeus Again?

It is 1823, and court composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) is committed to a psychiatric ward after a suicide attempt, claiming he has murdered Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce). A priest is summoned to hear his confession and, in flashback, Salieri tells the story of how he once made a pact with God to make him famous in return for his piety.

Salieri, a respected composer of Emperor Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones) in Vienna, was appalled when his limited abilities were quickly overshadowed by the sublime music of the vulgar upstart, Mozart. Seeing it as a slight from God, Salieri renounces his religion and sets his sights on destroying the young maestro. Mozart suffers from ill health brought about by his boozing and carousing, and, when Salieri learns of the death of the young man's father, he devises a terrible scheme. He will lead him to believe that his deceased dad has risen from the grave to commission a requiem, and pass off the piece as his own after he murders him.

While "Amadeus" is nominally a biopic of Mozart, it is very much the story of Salieri, reflected in the fact that Abraham won the Oscar for Best Actor while Hulce made do with a nomination. Indeed, Mozart is almost a side character as we see much of the story from Salieri's point of view, and Abraham is phenomenal in the role. Just take the scene when Salieri disbelievingly scans Mozart's drafts and declares "Here again was the voice of God!" He's a complex villain who is in awe of Mozart's talent but is driven by jealousy to take him down.

Was Mozart Really An Idiot Savant As Portrayed In The Film?

In "Amadeus," Tom Hulce portrays Mozart as a childish, giggling fool with a potty mouth and a penchant for flamboyant candy-color wigs. This only adds to Salieri's sense of injustice as he feels that, as a devoutly religious man, he is far more deserving of God's ability to dish out musical talent. This portrayal upsets many music historians, including Federico Cortese, a senior lecturer at Harvard who dispelled the myths for Newspaper Alum.

"What I find absolutely inadequate is the idea that he [Mozart] was a kind of idiot-savant. On the contrary, one of the most extraordinarily impressive things about him is how he could understand the corners of human feelings, even at a rather young age. He must have been hypersensitive and therefore emotionally very vulnerable: certainly very aware of everything that was going on around him.''

In reality, Mozart was far more hard-working than his reputation suggests. It was commonly accepted that he could compose entire masterpieces in his head and jot them down later. This is hinted at in the scene where Salieri unveils his "March of Welcome" to greet Mozart, only for the young composer to effortlessly improve it after only hearing it on the way into court. Works such as the "Linz Symphony," put together in only four days, support this notion, but it was later realized that Mozart drafted out his pieces just like anyone else.

As for his childishness, Mozart's letters reveal that he had a bawdy and sometimes scatological sense of humor. He even composed a piece called "Leck mich im Arsch," which probably needs no translation. However, historians have noted that these kinds of yuks were common in middle-class Viennese society at the time, and not specific to Mozart.

Did Salieri Really Murder Mozart?

The real Antonio Salieri suffered from dementia in his old age and was committed to medical care after attempting to slash his own throat, but he spent the last few years of his life claiming he had poisoned Mozart. While the composer wrote in a letter to his wife that he thought he had been poisoned, there is little evidence to support this. A wide array of possible causes have been put forward, with the most likely culprit being a strep infection. Is it possible that Salieri heard the poisoning rumor and latched onto it in his senility?

A few years after Salieri's death, Russian writer Pushkin penned a play called "Mozart and Salieri," which ran with the idea that Salieri poisoned his supposed rival. The myth gained further traction when Rimsky-Korsakov used Pushkin's play as the basis for his opera of the same name. 80 years on, Peter Shaffer turned the story into his Tony Award-winning play, which he later adapted into the screenplay for Milos Forman's lavish film, forever immortalizing the tale of Salieri's murderous envy.

Historians place little credence in the notion that Salieri killed Mozart. In real life, the two composers had a cordial, if at times prickly, professional relationship. Unlike the solitary, pious Salieri in the film, the real Salieri was a far more tragic character whose wife and son both died. There is also evidence that Salieri attended Mozart's opera, "The Magic Flute," and raved about the work to the composer afterward. It's also been documented that Salieri also tutored Wolfgang's young son in music, which seems odd behavior for a supposed rival.

Did A Mysterious Stranger Really Commission Mozart's Requiem?

In "Amadeus," Mozart has a difficult relationship with his father, Leopold, and composes "Don Giovanni" after his death. Salieri sees the opera and thinks it's a work of genius, but also detects the composer's guilt toward his father in one of the characters. This leads him to his master plan: He buys the same costume Mozart bought for his dad when he first arrived in Vienna and pays him a visit wearing it, commissioning a requiem. Mozart is shocked by the appearance of the mysterious figure that reminds him of his father, but he's flat broke so accepts the gig anyway. Salieri confesses that he planned to kill Mozart once "Requiem," the piece, was complete and claim it as his own work.

This deception is one of the most dramatic plot points in "Amadeus," giving us the full scope of Salieri's meticulous scheming and cruel intentions towards his hated rival. Yet, once again, it didn't happen that way in real life. Mozart did receive a commission from an "unknown, grey stranger" who represented an anonymous client who wished him to write a Requiem, but the mysterious client was Count Franz von Walsegg-Stuppach, who wanted to use the music to commemorate his late wife. The Count already had a history of passing off other people's compositions as his own, and it took Mozart's widow ten years to persuade him to acknowledge Wolfgang as the true author of the piece.

As in the film, Mozart died before he could complete the work, but it was his student Franz Xaver Süssmayr who completed it rather than Salieri.

Do The Liberties Taken Help Or Hinder Amadeus?

Mozart was a hard-working composer with an ear for a great tune, had a decent relationship with Salieri, and almost certainly wasn't murdered. Where does that leave us regarding "Amadeus?" Would a straight biopic of Mozart's life have reached the same heights? It would certainly be possible in the hands of a director like Milos Forman, but it is equally likely that it would have gone the same way as "Immortal Beloved," the largely forgotten Beethoven biopic starring Gary Oldman several years later.

As a film, "Amadeus" is one of the most purely entertaining biopics ever made. Two-and-a-half hours fly by in a whirl of luscious costumes and set design, classic scenes, and incredible music. The addictive drama is driven by the dynamic between Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham's unforgettable performances; Hulce's Mozart is giddy, effervescent, and flush with the joys of life, his free-spirited nature defined by that ridiculous laugh. Meanwhile, Abraham fully embraces the covetous Salieri, presenting a grave, courtly man whose devils get the better of him. The actor does incredible work with just fleeting emotions playing across his face as Salieri wrestles with his wonderment at Mozart's work and his burning hatred.

The film was a hit and won eight Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor (Abraham), and a second Best Director award for Forman (after "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"). It also got people listening to Mozart, with its soundtrack selling 6.5 million copies and becoming one of the best-selling classical music albums of all time. Historians might get riled up about the liberties it takes, but with the movie currently occupying a spot in IMDb's Top 100, I'm all for a popular movie that still turns people onto the life and works of a great composer.

Read this next: The 20 Greatest Human Villains In Movie History

The post The True Story Behind Amadeus (and Why It Changed For the Screen) appeared first on /Film.

Since the first report days ago about the GeForce RTX 4090 16-pin connector overheating and melting, NVIDIA and AIBs have worked around the clock to discover the root of the problem and solutions for consumers who have had this experience happen to them. Now, sellers of accessories and components, especially those focused on replacement cables for the new NVIDIA GPU, are struggling to keep new cables in stock and fulfill orders.

Sellers are slowly combating the demand for new 16-Pin 12VHPWR cables for NVIDIA RTX 4090 graphics cards

MODDIY is one such company that has done its best to not only recognize the need for cable solutions for the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards but also deal with the overwhelming demand from its consumers. Today, the company on its "Help Center" page has made a statement about the struggle to keep up with orders.

In the question, "Are there any delays in processing 12VHPWR orders at this moment?" the company has replied below:

Yes, there are thousands and thousands of 12VHPWR custom cable orders all received at the same time recently. But we are still handling them quite well so far.

It is lucky that 12VHPWR cable is just one of the 5000+ product types that we are selling, and we are having full force processing all these orders ASAP for all customers.

Sorry, you may expect 1 to 3 days of processing delay at most for 12VHPWR orders at this moment. All 12VHPWR orders should be shipped out within 3 working days in general.

— MODDIY

Eleven hours after this statement was brought to life by Redditor "Josh1551," another Redditor user, "Strange_Regular_6413," posted an image of his order that was delivered to him today, showing that the cable had shipped from the company via FedEx.

Global seller Cable

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Mod states that their cables are available in several kit designs for $99.90, supporting companies ASUS, Seasonic, EVGA, and Corsair. The website also offers replacement cables only for $24.90 and extension kits  — both standard and PCIe options — for $49.90 and $19.90, respectively.

With more retailers jumping in with replacement cable kits for the 12VHPWR cable that goes to the NVIDIA RTX 4090 graphics card, the "cable-demic" seems to be slowly resolving.

The post MODDIY & Other Cable Manufacturers Have Ran Out of NVIDIA 16-Pin Adapter Cable Stock Due To Huge Demand by Jason R. Wilson appeared first on Wccftech.

Rust makes it impossible to introduce some of the most common security vulnerabilities. And its adoption can’t come soon enough.

The booster eventually broke up over the Pacific Ocean.

Much of the Windows world has yet to adopt Microsoft's latest desktop operating system more than a year after it launched, according to figures for October collated by Statcounter. From a report: Just 15.44 percent of PCs across the globe have installed Windows 11, meaning it gained 1.83 percentage points in a month. This compares to the 71.29 percent running Windows 10, which fell marginally from 71.88 percent in September. Windows 7 is still hanging on with a tenuous grip, in third place with 9.61 percent, Windows 8.1 in fourth with 2.45 percent, plain old Windows 8 with 0.69 percent, and bless its heart, Windows XP with 0.39 percent because of your extended family. In total, Windows has almost 76 percent of the global desktop OS market followed by OS X with 15.7 percent and Linux with 2.6 percent. Android comprised 42.37 percent of total operating system market share, with Windows trailing on 30.11 percent, iOS on 17.6 percent, OS X on 6.24 percent, and Linux on 1.04 percent.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Throughout 2020, J.K. Rowling, creator of the beloved "Harry Potter" children's franchise, chose the height of the COVID-19 pandemic for a transphobic soapbox. Though the author had expressed her TERF (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist) stances before on Twitter, Rowling took to her blog with a 3,670 word essay, which was full of dangerous misconceptions about trans identity, logical fallacies, and blatant hatespeech. Deflecting any criticism under the guise of "cancel culture," Rowling's letter unfortunately amplified the voices of her bigoted community of TERFs, going full mask off with her transmisogynistic ideology.

On June 8, 2020, Daniel Radcliffe, the titular "Harry Potter" star himself, teamed up with The Trevor Project to publish an open letter of his own in response to Rowling's anti-trans vitriol. Radcliffe perfectly expressed that while Rowling is "unquestionably" the reason why he has his celebrity status, he felt a compelling responsibility to speak out and express his support for the trans community. "Transgender women are women," Radcliffe proudly proclaimed, leading into resources that helped explained the differences between sex and gender, and how best to support the trans and nonbinary community.

In a new interview with IndieWire for his Roku original film, "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story," Radcliffe continued to open up on why, despite a potential media backlash, he decided to speak out against the billionaire author whom he owes his success to.

'I Wanted Them To Know That Not Everybody In The Franchise Felt That Way'

"The reason I felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing "Potter," I've met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that," Radcliffe said. "And so seeing them hurt on that day I was like, I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important."

"Harry Potter" ultimately captured the hearts of many because of its relatable characters and fantastical world, but crucially, it's a story of found families who unite together in the face of oppression. These are themes that often resonate with LGBTQ+ audiences, especially queer youth, who often look to media for comfort in phases of their life where they are not ready to come out. Radcliffe's sentiments are validating towards those who have ever identified with his character and are now threatened by Rowling's worldview. As a longtime collaborator with the Trevor Project, he felt it wasn't something he could stay silent on.

"It was really important as I've worked with the Trevor Project for more than 10 years, and so I don't think I would've been able to look myself in the mirror had I not said anything," Radcliffe admits. "But it's not mine to guess what's going on in someone else's head."

Radcliffe Believes Art Belongs To The Audience

Sometimes doing the right thing is difficult. As a former child star, Radcliffe has had a lot of experience with the way the press cycle works and how they can scrutinize a public figure's words and actions. Thankfully, he knew it was important to break the silence and understands that the protection of trans and nonbinary people and their identity is more worthwhile. Though many of his co-stars share his sentiments, Radcliffe, as the face of "Potter" himself, made a lot of impact with his open letter.

We echo Radcliffe's conclusion from his original 2020 open letter, as it eloquently states the sacred bond between art and the audience:

"To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don't entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you. If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything; if they taught you that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, nonbinary, or gender fluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; if you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life — then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred. And in my opinion nobody can touch that. It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much."

Read this next: Movies Like The Lord Of The Rings That Are Definitely Worth Watching

The post Why Daniel Radcliffe Had to Speak Out Against J.K. Rowling in his 2020 Open Letter appeared first on /Film.

Doom, the epochal FPS game from id Software, has its original version, outlined by co-developer Tom Hall in the original “Doom Bible” design document, rebuilt, relaunched, and made fully playable thanks to a new Doom mod that restores the 1992 version of what could have been.

RELATED LINKS: Doom runs on Twitter, The best FPS games on PC, Doom is playing in this article

JC himself is back, baby! It's been over a decade, but your Pandora depression is about to be over, because the new trailer for "Avatar: The Way of Water" not only reaffirms Pandora may be the most gorgeous fictional place to be put on film, but teases a complex and epic family drama with plenty of magic, emotion — and is that a "Titanic" reference?

It is easy to understate how big of an event the first "Avatar" really was. Even outside of its monumental box office triumph, James Cameron's sci-fi epic was also responsible for the biggest boom in 3D films since the '80s had every third movie be titled "3D," not to mention causing people depression when they realized Pandora was not a real place they could visit.

Now, it is time to return to Pandora, and the latest trailer really makes it clear this is now a family affair. The focus is squarely on Jake Sully and Neytiri's children, and they are having issues, both common teenage ones, but also the supernatural I-can-communicate-with-the-moon's-god kind. In the middle of all this, there is still the matter of the human invasion of Pandora. 

Though the trailer shows rather little of the plot, there is still enough to have us salivating at the thought of sitting down in the theater on December 16, 2022 to watch "Avatar: The Way of Water." In the meantime, let's obsessively break down the details of this trailer.

New Mothers

After a gorgeous shot of some Na'vi swimming in a sea full of fantastical creatures, we're reunited with Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite, princess of the Omaticaya clan and wife of Jake Sully. In case you hadn't noticed that some years have passed since the first movie, she is now very visible pregnant. Later in the trailer we also see Jake with crow's feet around his eyes. Still, motherhood hasn't stopped Neytiri from continuing to be a badass hunter — who probably still treats Jake like an ignorant child.

We don't hear much from Neytiri in the trailer, but she seems to be having a sort of crisis of faith towards the end, as we see her crying while Jake tries to comfort her and ask for her help, seemingly in the middle of a fiery attack. But hey, at least there is a shot of her and Jake happily flying around Pandora on their new banshees.

Sigourney Weaver Is Back, Kind Of

In a way, the new trailer is posing Jake and Neytiri's adoptive daughter Kiri as possibly the real protagonist of "The Way of Water." Kiri is of course played by returning actor Sigourney Weaver, who previously played Grace Augustine, the doctor with a white savior complex who met her demise in the first film. Though Jake and the rest of the Omaticaya tried to ask the goddess Eywa to intervene and transfer Grace's consciousness to her avatar, the procedure failed and she passed away ... or did she?

The trailer seems to imply Kiri has a strong connection to Eywa, as we see her acting fascinated towards animals and plants, connecting her queue to a tree of life, and having Eywa's essence seeds land on her the same way they did on Jake in the first film — a sign of his importance to the Na'vi. And yet, she also talks to her adoptive father, Jake, about "feeling her" and her heartbeat. She could be talking about a physical manifestation of Eywa, but what if she's talking about Grace? As soon as it was announced that Weaver would return to the franchise, endless theories popped up about how exactly that would work, from her character being reincarnated, to her playing a random new character. 

What if the truth is somewhere in the middle? Kiri is clearly not like other Na'vi, because she has five fingers instead of four, and she generally looks like Grace. But if she is saying that she hears Grace somewhere within Eywa, it could mean she could somehow communicate with her and learn about humans, which could be useful for the fight to come. Perhaps more impressive is a later shot of Kiri doing what looks like waterbending, so perhaps she does have special powers?

The Way Of Incredible CGI

There's nothing important here, just an incredibly impressive shot. Sure, the big landscape shots with tons of creatures underwater are impressive and will get most of the attention, but it is actually the smaller shots that are more remarkable. Just look at the reflection of the light, or the attention to the texture of the skin and the small water droplets.

We're at a time where computer generated VFX is as crucial to blockbuster filmmaking as a good cast, and unfortunately most VFX artists are severely underpaid and overworked, especially by big studios like Marvel. This causes big movies to feel rushed and unfinished, because the people in charge of the CGI simply don't get enough time or resources to properly deliver the best product possible. Well, "Avatar: The Way of Water," at least the trailer, doesn't have that problem. A film like this depends extremely heavily on its effects, since most of the film is shot using motion-capture in CG-filled environments, and if this shot is any indication, we're in for a visual feast.

A New Clan And A New Family

The trailer formally introduces us to a new clan, the Metkayina, and their olo'eyktan (leader), Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). Already there is a clear visual distinction between the Metkayina and the Omaticaya, with the former having a close connection to water and a seemingly more diverse habitat. Tonowari is distrustful of Jake Sully, and warns him not to bring his war to the Metkayina.

Why exactly the plot is moving seaside is still unclear, but it is obvious the new warfront will be on water. In a later shot in the trailer we see what looks sort of like a battleship the humans use, and submarine vehicles they use to chase the Na'vi. The question is, why would Tonowari turn Jake away? It's not like they can be oblivious as to the humans' impact on Pandora or their destructive powers — they can easily just travel a bit and see what they did to Home Tree. And it's not like he can be ignorant of the idea that the humans can be pushed back, as we saw how the Na'vi won in the last movie. Whatever the case, it is clear Tonowari and Jake Sully will have a bit of a rivalry for at least part of the film, and it surely won't help that their children are involved in a Shakespearean romance.

An Outcast And A Romeo

The "Avatar: The Way of Water" also introduces us to Lo'ak, the second child of Neyriti and Jake. He is notable for having both five fingers and eyebrows despite being the biological son of Neytiri, implying that Jake's Avatar traits can be passed down genetically. Unsurprisingly, the rest of the Na'vi kids can be little racist jerks, as we see Lo'ak talk about being discriminated against and feeling like an outcast. 

But there is at least one person who doesn't treat him like an outcast — Tsireya (Bailey Bass), daughter of Tonowari. That's right, we're having a bit of a "Romeo and Juliet" situation in "The Way of Water," which is sure to end well and not at all tragically. Also curious is the shot of young Lo'ak seemingly forming a strong bond with a whale-like tulkun named Payakan. Is this the start of the water version of Toruk Makto?

Though we don't see much of Jake's other children, we know they are five children in total, with two adoptive ones (including human child Javier Socorro).

They're Going To Need A Bigger Boat

It seems the humans are getting some new toys for the fight this time around, as we see Avatars being used by the military. We don't know yet how this connects with the return of Stephen Lang's Colonel Quaritch, but having humans with weapons also be the size of Na'vi and with that kind of strength poses a serious threat.

Also in the shot is a giant freaking whale creature, which implies that we could get another climactic fight like that of the first film where Eywa herself helps out by sending a bunch of animals, but this time with giant sea creatures. Now that would be very cool.

Here, Far, Wherever You Are

There's not much plot information to get out of this shot, but it rules that James Cameron made a giant blockbuster film set on water and decided to just to "Titanic" again, with people escaping a sinking ship. Even 25 years later, it seems like the man has not lost his touch.

"Avatar: The Way of Water" opens in theaters on December 16, 2022.

Read this next: The 14 Greatest Science Fiction Movies Of The 21st Century

The post Avatar: The Way of Water Trailer Breakdown: A Family Affair appeared first on /Film.

Eric Schmidt wants to reshape Washington's industrial policy to combat an intensifying US-China tech rivalry. The former Google chief executive officer's philanthropic arm issued recommendations aimed at encouraging US politicians to counter China's rising technological ambitions by ramping up regulatory scrutiny, encouraging more private investment and offering tax credits to train workers. From a report: China surprised the US on key "battleground" technologies -- including wireless 5G, microelectronics and AI -- as the Asian nation's industrial policy enabled it to dominate markets for drones, high-capacity batteries, critical minerals, solar panels, turbines and shipbuilding, the Schmidt-backed Special Competitive Studies Project said Tuesday in a report. "The US has some immense economic advantages, but there are some warning lights flashing," Liza Tobin, the project's senior director and a former China director for the US National Security Council, said on a call with reporters. "The US needs an America-style industrial strategy that leverages competition in our dynamic private sector and has carefully targeted incentives in sectors where we need to lead." The report calls on the US government to boost microelectronic production with the help of a large fund to unlock private capital, create an open-source security center to assist investments in digital infrastructure, establish a national security commission on digital finance and give regulators more power to screen investment flows to China that could threaten US national security.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

File hosting service Dropbox on Tuesday disclosed that it was the victim of a phishing campaign that allowed unidentified threat actors to gain unauthorized access to 130 of its source code repositories on GitHub. "These repositories included our own copies of third-party libraries slightly modified for use by Dropbox, internal prototypes, and some tools and configuration files used by the

Bayonetta 3 was worth the wait

Welcome back! It's another Tuesday, which means tonight there will be a new episode of Spot Dodge: A Live Nintendo Podcast exclusively on Destructoid. Topics: Bayonetta 3 is here! The crew shares their thoughts on the highly anticipated action title. That’s not all -- Liam Hemsworth is replacing Henry Cavill in The Witcher season 4, SEGA talks about its “super game”, and Call of Duty could be Switch-bound. A Bayonetta 3 win is a pretty easy thing to talk about for one! All of that and so much more on Spot Dodge!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHsu39pdqi8&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=SpotDodge

I haven’t completed Bayonetta 3 yet, but it’s already everything I hoped it would be and so much more. The action is bat-shit crazy, the new characters are intriguing and well-acted, and the game is so damn fun it helps me look past its performance woes. I’ve played very few games where it’s so abundantly clear it was crafted with truckloads of tender love and care -- and in this instance, a pinch of perfume and gunpowder. Bayonetta 3 is the win PlatinumGames has needed in recent years. There's so much to discuss!

Our lovely cast from around the web: Brett Medlock (me) and Mary Stowe from Destructoid, John Friscia from The Escapist, Greg Bargas from PC Invasion, and Brett Larsen, our extra special guest. Behind the scenes, Gamurs’ Eric Weichhart is live-editing this week’s show.

Spot Dodge is a weekly Nintendo Podcast here at Destructoid where we dedicate an hour or two to go over the latest Nintendo news and discuss the games we’re playing. If you’re a fan of Nintendo Switch, RPGs, or having a good time, Spot Dodge will be a great addition to your podcast rotation.

Spot Dodge is streaming live every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. ET on Destructoid’s YouTube and Twitch channels. Don’t be afraid to join the chat and be part of the show! Note: This week we're only streaming on the Twitch. Next week we'll have a dedicated Spot Dodge YouTube channel!

Afterward, the show will be available on-demand for audio listeners via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. The live video version will remain on both YouTube and Twitch (don’t forget to follow and subscribe). So many options!

The post Bayonetta 3 is the win PlatinumGames needed appeared first on Destructoid.

We have movies for most of the Marvel Comics characters, don't we? Oh ... wait, no. No, it appears that we don't. There is one major character missing from the MCU, and she's pretty fabulous. People have been fan-casting this role for years, and if a movie about them ever happened, it could be really visually interesting. This is especially true if a certain director helmed a film about her. 

In a recent interview with director Cameron Crowe, Rolling Stone proposed something that would be right up his alley in terms of his body of work, and now that it's been talked about, it is absolutely something that has to happen. 

As you know, Crowe is the director of "Almost Famous," which is about the music industry. Is it becoming clearer? Do you have a guess? She's sparkly...

It's Dazzler! Crowe might have been (and probably was) joking here, and I don't want to put words into his mouth, but oh my gosh, sir. Please do this! Please bring us a Dazzler movie! 

If you're not familiar with the character, Dazzler, aka Alison "Ali" Blaire, was created in 1980 as a sort of cross-promotion between Marvel Comics and Casablanca Records and premiered in "The Uncanny X-Men" #130. A mutant, Ali was first a disco singer but later ended up working in other musical styles. You have to be flexible in the music business -- even as a mutant who can fly, roller skate like a pro, and turn sound waves into things like light shields, beams, and ultraviolet light. Hey, a mutant has to eat, too, right?

Feel That Throbbing Disco Beat

In the interview, Crowe was pitched on a Dazzler movie, and though he wasn't familiar with the character, he seemed to take it with good humor. He asked who should play the role and was told that some fan casting included Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Dua Lipa. He said:

"I'm feeling Dua Lipa for this. Tomorrow I'll be like, 'Yeah, I've been thinking about Dua for Dazzler, you know, I've been thinking about this for a while.' And giving you no credit [laughs]. No, no, I think it's cool. Doing a movie like that could be a blast. You can have character development and all that deep stuff and also have spectacle. You can do it. And it's heading there, clearly."

Dua Lipa would be great, though I sort of want Taylor Swift to have a chance to redeem herself after the fiasco that was "Cats." (She's just fine, of course. She directs her own stuff now. Still, it couldn't hurt.) I should mention, though, that Stan Lee once threatened to do it as a joke, starring Lady Gaga, if people didn't go to his Comikaze Expo (now L.A. Comic-Con). 

All That Glitters

We've seen Dazzler before (we almost got a Hulu animated series called "Tigra and Dazzler") in video games. She was also briefly played by Halston Sage in "X-Men: Dark Phoenix." Once upon a time, Bo Derek was up to play the role in a Dazzler film with a script from Gary Goddard, but it never came to fruition. If this ever did go beyond a fun exchange in an interview, let's hope it's set when disco was at the height of its popularity. It just lends itself to a shiny mutant who can make light shimmer. Heck, go ahead and give Derek a cameo in the film! 

I'm a little too excited about the possibilities.

If none of these people work out, casting-wise, may I be the first to suggest D'Arcy Carden? After her brief appearance as Disco Janet in "The Good Place," roller skates and all, she might just make this work!

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The post There's One Marvel Superhero Almost Famous Director Cameron Crowe Would Be Happy to Adapt appeared first on /Film.

Neil Gaiman is on a roll these days, with his characters appearing in "Doom Patrol" on HBO Max and the Netflix adaptation of "The Sandman" both garnering audience and critical acclaim. News regarding the upcoming "Doom Patrol" spin-off "Dead Boy Detectives" just keeps on rolling, and it's high time that we finally put on our research caps to wrangle as much information as possible regarding the new series based on the comics of the same name from DC, as well as "The Sandman" universe. 

Created by Gaiman and Matt Wagner, the titular Dead Boy Detectives first appeared in live-action during season 3 of "Doom Patrol," but now these supernatural sleuths are ready to take the reigns on their own story. We're still a ways away from actually getting to see "Dead Boy Detectives" on the small screen, but here's everything we know so far.

When And Where To Watch Dead Boy Detectives

HBO Max first ordered the eight-episode series back in April, so it'll be a while until we have an anticipated release date. With casting announcements continuing to roll out, it's safe to assume that the series is set to begin shooting soon (if it hasn't begun already). Warner Bros. is pretty consistent on turnaround time on their series, so compared to the "Dead Boy Detectives" parent show, "Doom Patrol," we're likely looking at either a late summer or early fall release in 2023. 

Don't quote me on that, though. I'm merely speculating.

What Dead Boy Detectives Will Be About

The "Dead Boy Detectives" are characters that have popped up in the DC comics of Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner. Rather than cross over into the afterlife, the duo stays on Earth to become detectives and investigate crimes involving the supernatural. They're meant to be a paranormal take on familiar children detectives of media like The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and by the transitive property, The Venture Bros. 

Not a lot of information has been made available regarding the plot of "Dead Boy Detectives," but here's what HBO Max had to say about the series in its official description:

"It's a fresh take on a ghost story that explores loss, grief, and death through the lens of Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland, two dead British teenagers, and their very alive friend, Crystal Palace. So, it's a lot like a vintage detective series — only darker and on acid."

Sebastian Croft and Ty Tennant portrayed Payne and Rowland in the third season of "Doom Patrol," which also features their medium companion Crystal Palace, portrayed by Madalyn Horcher. The trio has been recast for the "Dead Boy Detectives" series. "I've been obsessed with this comic for a long time, so it's a true passion project," co-showrunner Steve Yockey told Variety. "The result is going to be really dark fun."

What We Know About The Dead Boy Detectives Cast And Crew

Newcomer George Rexstrew has been cast to play Edwin Payne with "The Lodge" and "Fate: the Winx Saga" star Jayden Revri playing Charles Rowland. Their living partner in crime, Crystal Palace, is being played by relative newcomer Kassius Nelson. "Dead to Me" star Max Jenkins and Caitlin Reily of "Hacks," "Loot," and your TikTok For You Page have been cast as "foul-mouthed dandelion sprites" named Litty and Kingham, who are said to be "a rude annoyance to the Dead Boys," per Variety. Additional casting includes Briana Cuoco as Jenny the Butcher, Ruth Connell as the Night Nurse (reprising her role from the "Dead Patrol" episode of "Doom Patrol"), Yuyu Kitamura as Niko, and Jenn Lyon as Esther. "The White Lotus" and "Euphoria" star Lukas Gage will play the recurring role of the Cat King, taking over from Alexander Calvert on "Doom Patrol."

The pilot for "Dead Boy Detectives" was written by Steve Yockey ("The Flight Attendant") who is also executive producing and co-showrunning with Beth Schwartz. Jeremy Carver also executive produces along with Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Leigh London Redman of Berlanti Productions. Lee Toland Krieger ("The Age of Adaline") directed and executive produced the pilot, with David Madden also executive producing the pilot. The show comes from Warner Bros. Television and is under Yockey, Carver, Berlanti Productions, and Krieger's overall deals with the studio.

Read this next: Sandman Moments That Make Us Question Everything

The post Dead Boy Detectives: Everything We Know So Far About The HBO Max Series appeared first on /Film.

Will Soteros has announced the availability of a third update of TrueNAS CORE 13, version 13.0-U3. Formerly known as FreeNAS, TrueNAS CORE is a FreeBSD-based, open-source and community-supported software designed for NAS (Network-Attached Storage) computers. It uses the self-healing OpenZFS filesystem and is extensible by a variety of....

Love him or loathe him, it's hard to remain neutral on the work of Mexican director Alejandro G. Iñárritu. He makes big (some might say bombastic) films that swagger with their authority and artistry. Iñárritu emerged at the beginning of the millennium with films that felt distinctly of the time. His "Trilogy of Death," all written by Guillermo Arriaga, were among the most prominent and successful examples of the emergent "hyperlink cinema." As people connected in ways that transcended geography through the Internet, so did unexpected connections emerge between seemingly disparate characters on-screen.

Since this initial run culminated in best picture and director nominations for "Babel," Iñárritu has begun greater involvement in his work by writing the screenplays as well. Results of the "full Iñárritu" vary depending on who you ask, but the numbers don't lie as to how the industry feels. He's won five Oscars over the past decade, including consecutive best director wins, a feat achieved by only two others in history. Iñárritu's latest work titled "Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths" captures the filmmaker in all his contradictions. This story of a journalist/documentarian torn between his native Mexico and adoptive United States —feeling fully accepted in neither — is perhaps his most personal work to date and one of his grandest canvases. As the conversation ignites, we're sizing up his body of work as we rank all eight Alejandro G. Iñárritu movies.

Biutiful (2010)

If you can vibe with unadulterated misery porn, then "Biutiful" might be just the thing for you. Alejandro G. Iñárritu's first screenplay credit is two-and-a-half hours of non-stop bummers delivered with cheap, lazy cynicism. He's aiming for profundity in a pitiable situation but finds nothing but grim pronunciations. The subject matter has a right to be dour: Javier Bardem's Uxbal, a hustling businessman in Barcelona, learns he has terminal prostate cancer at the start of the film. For an orphan who built his name and success largely on the strength of his individual will, the discovery that he can do nothing to stop his inevitable — and immediate — demise sends Uxbal into a psychological tailspin. Bardem brings gravitas to a character falling apart before our eyes, yet his performance is wasted running in grief-laden circles as Uxbal settles scores to make things right before his forthcoming departure from the world.

The biggest problem with "Biutiful" is that Iñárritu struggles to get out of his own way. He knows how to gesture at big ideas and suggest great depth in his work. Yet with bloated runtimes full of poetic flourishes, the hollowness of his explorations quickly becomes evident as the ponderousness wears thin. There's no requirement for Iñárritu to provide moral instruction around what it means to live and die, but in the absence of meaningful commentary, the audience is simply left to sit in the unpleasantness of an unfinished life cut short. And for what?

Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths (2022)

"Bardo" is the kind of movie you only get to make after you've earned five Oscars ... which is precisely the pratfall for Alejandro G. Iñárritu. He throws all but the kitchen sink on the screen in this epic drama about a man torn between two worlds. Even at 152 minutes (slimmed down from its 174-minute runtime at the Venice world premiere), it's a container large enough to fit all of Iñárritu's ideas about displacement and belonging. Truly, all of them.

It's not hard to draw the line between documentarian Silverio Gama (Daniel Giménez Cacho) and Iñárritu himself, even beyond their physical similarities. Splitting time between America and Mexico, he feels at home in neither but has plenty to say about both. His inner torment does get heard, at the expense of martyring himself. One flight of fancy involves Silverio literally being crucified in front of a crowd of ghastly onlookers, in case you missed the purpose of his whiny self-flagellation. Whatever cleverness or insight Iñárritu brings, his translation of the immigrant experience to the big screen gets drowned out in a sea of mixed metaphors and self-aggrandizement. To call the film "self-indulgent" undersells just how unfiltered a look into Iñárritu's mind "Bardo" represents. It's a mish-mash of surrealistic imagery combined with on-the-nose observations, all splashed across the screen with little regard for tonal control or moderation. It's maximalism in overdrive and simply exhausting to behold.

Carne Y Arena (2017)

The most recent Alejandro G. Iñárritu Oscar victory came for a project that is now all but impossible to see: "Carne Y Arena (Virtually Present, Physically Invisible)," a 7-minute virtual reality short film that was the first of its kind to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. It received an increasingly rare special achievement award from the Academy. It toured museums such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where ticket-buyers experienced it viscerally: Viewers enter a waiting room alone where they remove their shoes before gaining access to a large, cold room with a sandy floor meant to recreate a desert environment. After an assistant secures the VR headset with an exceptionally long cord, the film plays out an encounter between Mexican migrants and the U.S. border patrol. The viewer has control over how and where to direct their gaze.

Credit to Iñárritu for embracing immersive VR within such a tightly controlled environment, a great match for his larger-than-life stylistic proclivities. Of course, a filmmaker obsessed with pummeling the eyes and ears with his virtuosity would clamor for the chance to control touch as well. Yet "Carne Y Arena" often leans on technology as a crutch for what should be achieved through the restraints of filmmaking. The real kicker is making the audience exit through a hallway full of migrants telling their own stories in talking-head style, bludgeoning participants with soapbox messaging rather than letting the work speak for itself.

Birdman, Or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance (2014)

The rise of digital filmmaking enabled a boom in extended single-take shots. Without the need to replace a reel of film, cinematographers and filmmakers were free to keep cameras rolling as long as they wanted. In the early 2010s, the image quality finally caught up with imagination, giving us films such as Alejandro G. Iñárritu's best picture winner "Birdman, or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance" that stitch together extended oners to give the perception of an unbroken single take. There's narrative justification for this choice given that "Birdman" takes place in the theater world. As former cinematic superhero Riggan Thompson (a very meta-casted Michael Keaton) attempts to mount a vanity play in search of pure artistry, the film's camerawork puts control back in the hands of the actors. The performances are not the product of the director's eye in the edit bay, which shows in confident work by a full ensemble that includes mesmerizing turns from Keaton, Emma Stone, and Edward Norton.

Unfortunately, all the characters sit around talking about the desire to create meaningful art, but no one in "Birdman" ever really does. Iñárritu falls back on gimmickry to disguise his own project's lack of authenticity, the very thing all the characters so desperately seek. It's a riveting film on a moment-to-moment basis as it picks up momentum through its unedited action, yet all the sound and fury never quite cohere into the manifesto the film fashions itself to be.

21 Grams (2003)

The middle portion of Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Guillermo Arriaga's "Trilogy of Death," "21 Grams" is the weakest entry of the three. It may also be the most ambitious piece of hyperlink cinema, taking bold narrative swings. Even when the film whiffs a bit, the purposeful provocations are refreshing jolts of energy to tired redemption tales that often lose their way in a mire of clichés. "21 Grams" charts a hit-and-run incident involving a dying math professor (Sean Penn), a former drug addict in recovery (Naomi Watts), and a born-again ex-con (Benicio Del Toro). The collision feels cosmic, and the film's structure reflects that. Rather than presenting their intertwined fates in chronological order, the film jumbles the events in a non-linear fashion. There is no "before, during, and after," nor a "past, present, or future." All become one as they navigate life, death, and everything in between together.

The film doesn't follow narrative logic so much as emotional logic. Even if the story's events are difficult to understand in the order Arriaga presents them, they can also be felt. Additional credit here goes to the trio of talented topline performers in "21 Grams," who are all giving their tearful, sweaty most in commitment to the film's overwhelming tragedy and tenderness. Watts is the standout of the three, performing unfathomable grief without ever resorting to maudlin tropes. Iñárritu shapes her turn, along with all others in the film, into something tragically moving but never overwrought.

Babel (2006)

How does the shooting of an American tourist in Morocco have ripple effects that cascade to Japan and Mexico? "Babel" connects four countries through its multilingual ensemble cast through the firing of a single errant bullet that strikes Cate Blanchett's Susan Jones on a tour bus. The incident affects her husband Richard (Brad Pitt), who scrambles to find her medical care as the rest of the group frets for their own safety. It extends to their two children back home in San Diego and their Mexican nanny (Adriana Barraza), who must bring them to her son's wedding across the border. It reaches as far as Tokyo, where a deaf-mute teenager (Rinko Kikuchi) tries to make sense of an investigation into her father's recent international travel. Finally, it shows to two young Moroccan boys who got far more than they bargained for by taking their father's goat-herding rifle out for a test.

"Babel" represents both a paradigmatic example of hyperlink cinema as well as a late-stage case of disillusionment with the formula itself. The hope of connectedness clashes with the realities of closed borders and closed mindsets, with the paranoia of a post-9/11 era throwing fuel on the fire of the world's most fearful tendencies. Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Guillermo Arriaga's War on Terror-era worldview is one where the only meaningful tie between unrelated people is violence. The film avoids unearned preachiness, letting the missed connections and unspoken heartbreaks powerfully communicate what the characters cannot see or say.

The Revenant (2015)

The enduring cultural legacy of "The Revenant" will likely be that it was the film that got Leonardo DiCaprio over the finish line to win best actor at the Oscars. (And some funny business around him and a bear that ginned up some internet controversy upon release.) It deserves to be remembered for much more. This wilderness revenge tale is a remarkable feat of technical achievement, with streaks of hyperrealism and poetry that sit comfortably together in a single package. In collaboration with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, Iñárritu stages stunning battle and survival scenes using nature's lighting to achieve levels of wonder recalling the daring yet disparate works of Werner Herzog and Terrence Malick.

After being left for dead by trapper John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), DiCaprio's Hugh Glass must crawl and scrounge his way to health and to revenge. He's in critical condition, too, after a bear attack leaves him on death's door. Iñárritu is interested in every grunt, snort, and tortured maneuver Glass makes — especially because DiCaprio is leaving nothing to the imagination with all his capital-A "Acting" — while also casting his struggles as part of a quasi-spiritual quest for retribution against the man who did him wrong. "The Revenant" cuts a long, brutal journey to their inevitable face-off, but it's always exciting and energizing ... even if the three men who won Oscars for their work on the film are not shy about letting you know how hard they worked to make it all happen.

Amores Perros (2000)

It might feel like damning with faint praise to say that a director's first feature is their best one, but filmmaker Alexander Payne offers some insight into why that's often the case: "Because he or she has been waiting 30, 35 years to tell that story, so a lifetime of whatever it is, frustration or observation, that all comes out." Alejandro G. Iñárritu certainly came storming out of the gate with "Amores Perros," a bolt of cinematic lightning that announced the emergence of an exciting new talent with an energy that could revitalize the medium.

Guillermo Arriaga's screenplay feels like a writing challenge: a three-part anthology film where each section is connected by a single event ... oh, and each has to involve dogs. Not unlike "21 Grams," the film uses a car crash as its inciting incident. "Amores Perros" never feels academic, with each portion of the triptych assuming its own vibrant color that's distinct from the other yet entirely in keeping with the film at large. Whether it's Octavio (Gael García Bernal) caught in a gang thriller amidst the underground dogfighting world, supermodel Valeria (Goya Toledo) stuck in a claustrophobic psychodrama, or hitman El Chivo (Emilio Echevarría) in politically charged action, the film always crackles with surprise and suspense. What ultimately sets this film apart from Iñárritu's later work is the attention to details of everyday life. These mundane textures grant "Amores Perros" a unique intimacy that accompanies its grand scope. While the two might seem contradictory, Iñárritu shows how they can be quite complementary.

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The post All 8 Alejandro G. Iñárritu Movies, Ranked appeared first on /Film.

Steve McQueen is unimpeachably one of cinema history's coolest leading men. An actor known for awesome stunts and hard living, McQueen was seen as coolness personified during his heyday in the '60s. With roles in "The Great Escape," "The Cincinnati Kid," and "The Thomas Crown Affair" under his belt, he was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

But before McQueen was a certified megastar, he was a television actor waiting for his big break in movies. In his show, "Wanted Dead or Alive," he starred as a bounty hunter, which is properly cool on its own, but he sought movie stardom as the next step in his career.

Opportunity came to him in the shape of "The Magnificent Seven," a Western based off of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 masterpiece, "Seven Samurai." McQueen was offered a spot in the titular seven, a gang of gunslingers tasked with protecting a Mexican village from a pack of bloodthirsty bandits. As an opportunity to star alongside esteemed actor Yul Brynner, this part would be a huge boon to McQueen's budding career.

Unfortunately for McQueen (according to a Turner Classic Movies article on the film), the television studio that made "Wanted Dead or Alive," Four Star, was not eager to let the king of cool star in the movie. They denied permission, wanting to keep his deep well of charisma all to themselves. Unfortunately for Four Star, McQueen wasn't the sort of guy who took no for an answer, and he managed to get permission for the film in a way reminiscent of some of fiction's greatest con artists.

A Classic Con

As is the case with many actors of his day, McQueen was actually quite a handful to work with behind the scenes. During the later stages of his career, he'd refuse to do movies if he wasn't given top billing. He was a heavy drinker as well as a consistent allegations of abuse by his wives and lovers. Despite his cool guy persona, McQueen's legacy is now a thorny one. He could be ... difficult.

Four Star would learn of McQueen's difficulty the hard way, when, according to the Turner Classic Movies article, he decided to get out of his contract with the television studio. In order to do so, he channeled the likes of "Better Call Saul" anti-hero Saul Goodman by purposely crashing a rental car. After his "accident," he claimed he got a bad case of whiplash, an injury which would free him from his commitments to the studio.

With McQueen having conned his way out of his television contract, he was free to star in "The Magnificent Seven," which would prove to be a huge milestone in his career that would send him skyrocketing towards stardom.

While his act of defiance against a studio definitely qualifies as yet another cool act McQueen can claim, it's also indicative of his many flaws. Sure, crashing a car on purpose to fake an injury is awesome when a fictional character does it, but doing it in real life isn't exactly the most morally sound thing in the world. But this story certainly adds to McQueen's legend as an audacious risk-taker, for better and worse.

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The post Steve McQueen Pulled A Saul Goodman-Esque Trick So He Could Star In The Magnificent Seven appeared first on /Film.

Charter is raising prices on Spectrum home Internet service by $5 a month starting today, a company spokesperson confirmed to Ars. Standalone broadband prices are rising to $79.99 a month for 300Mbps download speeds, $99.99 a month for 500Mbps, and $119.99 a month for 1Gbps. 300Mbps is the advertised download speed for Charter's entry-level tier. From a report: The price increase takes effect today in most of Charter's 41-state territory, the company said. It affects broadband-only customers and broadband users who also subscribe to a Spectrum streaming TV package, but not cable TV customers. "The price for Spectrum Internet reflects the cost of delivering the best value in broadband for your family: 300Mbps starting speeds with no modem fees, data caps or contracts," the company said. Charter also said this is its first price increase on standalone broadband since December 2020. Customers currently on a promotional rate will keep paying that rate until the promotion expires. They'll pay the new, higher regular rate after that.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Starfield, the upcoming Bethesda RPG game boasting 1,000 explorable planets, still feels a long way away as we eagerly await confirmation of the Starfield release date, but PC classic and retro hit Elite might be the perfect game to fill the gap, as it’s just got a new modding suite that lets you build and customise the entire universe.

Organizations are more confident in their ability to detect an OT breach

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The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) this week released the second part of a three-part joint guidance on securing the software supply chain.

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