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At CES back in January, AMD announced that while Ryzen 6000 laptops were on the way, desktops were going to skip that generation and go right to Ryzen 7000. While various details have been announced along the way, the company announced all of the details today. You’ll be able to buy any of four SKUs on September 27, ranging from $299 to $699.

Starting with some of the highlights, AMD says that it outperformed its goals for Ryzen 7000. It was looking to boost IPC (instructions per clock) by 8-10%, and it actually got to 13% over Zen 3. The firm is also saying that the new Ryzen 9 7950X, which sits at the top of the lineup, offers 57% better content creation performance than an Intel Core i9-12900K.

“The AMD Ryzen 7000 Series brings leadership gaming performance, extraordinary power for content creation, and advanced scalability with the new AMD Socket AM5,” Saeid Moshkelani, senior vice president and general manager, Client business unit, AMD. “With the next generation Ryzen 7000 Series Desktop processors, we are proud to uphold our promise of leadership and continuous innovation, delivering the ultimate PC experience for gamers and creators alike.”

As you’d expect, AMD brought out the benchmarks

That’s not all though. AMD compared its processor gen-over-gen, saying that the Ryzen 9 7950X has a 32% boost in DOTA 2, a 35% boost in Shadow of the Tome Raider performance, a 6% increase in Borderlands 3 performance, and a 13% increase in CS:GO performance over the Ryzen 9 5950X.

AMD didn’t just compare its new processors to Intel in content creation. It says that its Zen 4 cores are the best for gaming, a somewhat common claim for new desktop processors that Intel is sure to make when it launches 13th-gen next month. It pointed to Geekbench 5.4 single-thread scores. Where a Core i9-12900K came in at 2,040, a Ryzen 5 7600X came in at 2,175, and the Ryzen 9 7950X came in at 2275.

The company went so far as to say that the Ryzen 5 7600X, on average, offers 5% better gaming performance than a Core i9-12900K.

But what about everything else?

Obviously, speeds and feeds just tell you about, well, speeds and feeds. The Ryzen 9 7950X offers 16 cores with 32 threads, a boost clock of up to 5.7GHz, a total cache of 80MB (the L2 cache has been doubled), and a 170W TDP. Yes, that’s a significant boost in TDP, but AMD is promising a big boost in efficiency.

With the new TSMC 5nm process as part of Zen 4, AMD has shrunken down the Core + L2 area to 3.84 square millimeters, while Intel’s is 7.46 square millimeters on the Intel 7 process (Alder Lake). With that, AMD is promising 1.47 times the performance per watt of Intel, a company promising to have the industry lead in performance per watt by 2025.

Other important improvements are support for DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0, both of which are already supported by Intel’s latest generation of chips. One key difference, however, is that Ryzen 7000 only supports DDR5 memory. The company says that after so much time, DDR4 is at the end of its life.

It’s fair to say that the death of DDR4 has been dragged out a bit, thanks to component shortages that kept DDR5 prices high, and the fact that in this early stage of DDR5 evolution, there wasn’t that much of an advantage. The advantage simply wasn’t enough to cover the difference in price.

AMD sees that as changing, so it’s going with DDR5. It’s also announcing Expo memory, which is optimized for AM5 boards and can be overclocked. These are going to arrive from companies like ADATA, Corsair, Kingston, and more in November. There will be more than 15 kits available at launch, coming in at speeds of up to DDR5-6400.

The new AM5 platform, guaranteed to be used through at least 2025

Unlike Intel, which seems to rarely allow a CPU socket to last more than two generations at this point, AMD has boasted future-proofing as one of its value propositions. The AM4 socket has been around for over five years and lasted through five CPU architectures. It actually predates the Zen architecture and the Ryzen brand.

It’s time for AM5, which includes a 1718 pin LGA socket, including up to 230W socket power delivery. Most importantly though, it’s meant to be future-proofed, including DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.

PCIe 5.0 offers double the bandwidth of its predecessor. That means faster SSDs, which is great when we’re talking about things like DirectStorage. But along with other things, it can get you faster graphics. AMD has four platforms out of the gate: X670, X670 Extreme, B650, and B650 Extreme. They all offer PCIe 5.0 storage, but the Extreme options also offer PCIe 5.0 graphics.

The AM5 platform does support AM4 coolers, so while you’ll have to swap out your board, you should be able to keep your cooler.

As for how long AMD is planning to use AM5, it should be for at least three more years. The firm is promising to use the new platform until at least 2025.

AMD Ryzen 7000 pricing and availability

You’ll be able to pick up an AMD Ryzen 7000 processor beginning on September 27. There are four SKUs, with the following pricing:

AMD Ryzen 7000 processors with the company’s new 3D V-Cache are going to be available later in 2022, but there’s no specific date yet.

The post AMD Ryzen 7000 launch date is official, promises to be the best gaming chip appeared first on XDA.

Cleaning as you go is widely regarded as one of the best ways to mitigate cooking mess. Loading dishes into the dishwasher as you’re done with them and tossing scraps as you make them keeps you from having to do a bunch of tedious labor once your meal has been consumed, but there are two strategies I like to take to…

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If there is one big, lasting legacy to "Game of Thrones," it's how it made fantasy popular and mainstream on TV. Sure, we've had plenty of fantasy shows and movies before — Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy made a ton of money and won a bunch of awards — but HBO's series made knights, dragons, and ice zombies appointment TV. All the sex, political backstabbing, council meetings, and trial by combats were window dressing to make audiences fall for the epic story of a kingdom in disarray as it discovered the return of magic.

Yet, as much as "Game of Thrones" pushed the boundaries of what fantasy could be in prestige TV, it reeked of "early '00s comic book movie" with its muted palette and designs. This helped sell the idea that this was not just a fantasy show like "Xena: Warrior Princess," but a prestige drama in the vein of "The Sopranos." Take how they turned Daario Naharis from a cool dude with dyed blue hair and a golden mustache (as he's described in George R.R. Martin's novels) into just another pretty boy with a sword. And let us never forget the crime -- the atrocity! -- of turning the great rogue pirate Euron Greyjoy into an emo boy.

Thankfully, that seems to no longer be a problem. One of the many things "House of the Dragon" is doing right is embracing the weirdness of the source material and its more fantastical elements — including its pirates. Heck, especially its pirates. 

Enter The Crabfeeder

After a pretty good premiere made the world realize they will always be suckers for more Westeros, the second episode doubles down on everything people liked about the original show. That means more Small Council meetings and political scheming, showing the cost of playing the game of thrones and how it usually means marrying off literal children for political gain.

Then there's the standout of the episode: the introduction of one Craghas Drahar, also known by the much better and surprisingly accurate name, Craghas Crabfeeder. We first hear of the Crabfeeder in the "House of the Dragon" premiere, where Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) talked about a pirate from the Triarchy (the Free Cities of Myr, Lys and Tyrosh) attacking the Stepstones. Though the other lords paid no attention to Corlys' warnings, we get to see the gravity of his concerns in the second episode.

Now, a title like the Crabfeeder could mean various things. After all, we've heard plenty of cool nicknames in "Game of Thrones" over the years, but none have been so literal. Sandor Clegane may have been called The Hound, but he wasn't a literal dog. Davos Seaworth's name was the Onion Knight, but he was not made out of onions and he wasn't an ogre (because they've got layers, get it?), and Aemon Targaryen the "Dragonknight" wasn't an actual dragon wearing armor. So why should a Crabfeeder be literal? And yet, we are all much better for it.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Indeed, the second episode of "House of the Dragon" literally opens with a gruesome, visceral montage of people getting slowly eaten alive by crabs. We learn that this is the work of Craghas Crabfeeder, a name that apparently is rather apt and literal. The pirate is known for staking people by the beach and watching them either drown or get eaten alive by crabs. Not even the book "Fire & Blood" is this literal and specific in its description of Craghas, but that just makes "House of Dragon" better for it.

You see, The world of "A Song of Ice and Fire" is full of strange, weird magic and characters. From "The Last Airbender"-esque mages that manipulate the elements to adventurous alchemists, Old Valyria was filled with wizards that used blood and fire for magic. Does this mean Crabfeeder is magic? No, but wouldn't it be cool if he could speak to crabs and that's why he feeds them humans? Would it be that surprising?

Let the Crabfeeder be for a few more episodes. Let him slowly conquer Westeros one crab at a time, until he arrives in King's Landing with a giant army of crabs at his disposal. What are dragons when you can send a thousand crabs to slowly eat them away?

Now, let's go further. Let's really dive into the weird piracy aspect of the franchise. If we got robbed by Euron Greyjoy, let's explore his ancestors and the weird things they did. There is a spin-off in development focused on the exploits of young Corlys Velaryon that sounds like Westeros' Sinbad. Let that show get weird, HBO! Let us see Velaryon meet cyclops and mermaids. Let the Crabfeeder be but a minion of an even cooler and more menacing villain that controls the creatures of the sea. Bring Aquaman to Westeros! Don't be ashamed to be a fantasy show. Embrace it. Let the Crabfeeder simply be a sign of things to come.

"House of the Dragon" is streaming on HBO Max.

Read this next: The 15 Best Horror TV Shows Of All Time

The post House of the Dragon Finally Embraces the Weirdest Parts of the Game of Thrones Universe appeared first on /Film.

Ever since the "Mission: Impossible" franchise was rebooted with 2011's "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol," the action-adventure franchise has been obsessed with raising the bar on itself. Whether it's running down the side of the Burj Khalifa, or a high octane helicopter battle over New Zealand, star Tom Cruise is fully committed to doing all of his own stunts. Whether it is Cruise's strong, personal dedication to cinema or a severe death wish (or both), one has to assume the people in his life are worried about him.

According to interviews with his "Mission: Impossible" co-stars, it is indeed true that the cast and crew is never numb to the scale of Cruise's stunt work, and there's always a looming fear that one of our last genuine movie stars might not make it out alive.

For Tom Cruise's Co-Stars, There Is No Guarantee He Will Be Safe

In a virtual interview with Conan O'Brien, Simon Pegg (who plays Ethan's guy in the chair, Benji) emphasized that if a stunt looks crazy to the fans, it is even crazier for those who witness Cruise's stunts on set.

"When you watch him do it, there is some genuine form of peril because you know it is him, but you know he survives because you see him on 'Good Morning America' doing some press. When we watch him do it, we have no idea if he's going to survive ... Tom Cruise is terrifying. The stuff Tom does, that's not adrenaline, that's some other hormone you only secrete right before you die."

Pegg stressed that Cruise is still a perfectionist and will spend as much time as possible researching and training for a stunt beforehand. While it may not seem like it, Cruise has his limits and he will not attempt a stunt if he doesn't think he can pull it off. While Cruise prepared for his low-altitude helicopter chase in New Zealand for "Mission: Impossible -- Fallout", Pegg needed to depart back to London after filming his portions of the film. Before then, Pegg and Cruise shared a heart to heart: "I said goodbye to Tom, and there was a real kind of, 'well, good luck!' not knowing if he was going to survive the next ten days."

Dead Reckoning Features Tom Cruise's Most Dangerous Stunt Yet

Cruise's leading lady, Rebecca Ferguson shared those same concerns observing some of the helicopter stunts in "Fallout," including one where Cruise loses his grip on a rope and falls onto a cargo hold, nearly plummeting down a steep canyon valley. To her horror, Ferguson did not notice Cruise's safety harness as he did the stunt: "I heard myself scream. I actually thought he fell." Cruise would go on to perform this exact stunt again for four more takes.

In the upcoming instalment, "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part I," there is one moment featured in the trailer that even Cruise himself is dubbing the "most dangerous" stunt of his career: riding a motorcycle off a cliff and deploying a parachute just about 100 feet away from the ground. Cruise explained, "I had about six seconds once I departed the ramp to pull the chute and I don't want to get tangled in the bike. If I do, that's not going to end well."

In a recent interview with Soho House, Pegg was asked a playful question about whether James Bond or "Mission: Impossible" reigned as the supreme blockbuster franchise, and then opened up about the authenticity of a "Mission: Impossible" film:

"Because I'm biased, I think 'Mission' pips it a little bit, as everything you see, he does for real. There are no stunt doubles for him. There's a frisson you get when there's authenticity: the idea that this guy is actually jumping off a cliff on a motorbike and deploying the parachute 100 feet from the ground? It puts the willies up you."

Stuntwork Is Forever Part Of Tom Cruise's Persona

Cruise's dedication to stunt work has become a trademark of his career. When he's not Ethan Hunt, he's flying military grade jets in front of IMAX cameras for "Top Gun: Maverick," or hurling himself in zero gravity for a scene in "The Mummy." Though it may seem as though Cruise is undefeatable, he hasn't come out of every stunt in his career unscathed.

Famously, "Mission: Impossible -- Fallout" halted production after Cruise broke his ankle while attempting rooftop parkour. It is far from his most extreme stunt, but his injury was highly publicized and talked about throughout the film's release — with good reason. While Ethan Hunt and Tom Cruise have melted into one death-defying persona, his injury marked a rare moment of vulnerability for the actor. For a moment, we all saw Cruise in the way his co-stars do.

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

The post The Mission: Impossible Cast Always Worries Tom Cruise's Next Stunt Will Be His Last appeared first on /Film.

For fans of “Dracula” and “Jane Eyre,” especially for those who have wondered more about the fates of Lucy Westenra and Bertha Mason, Gwendolyn Kiste’s RELUCTANT IMMORTALS gives these two characters new life.

If you’re familiar, Lucy and Bertha were victimized in their respective novels. More focus has been placed on Lucy Westenra in “Dracula” adaptations, with many interpreting the character quite harshly (and sometimes even slut-shaming the character ala BBC’s Dracula or the much-beloved Bram Stoker’s Dracula featuring Gary Oldman.) It’s been a long time coming in seeing Lucy and Bertha get some kind of justice in a narrative. RELUCTANT IMMORTALS does just that.

The novel takes place in 1967, about seventy or so years after Lucy was turned into a vampire. Before coming overseas, Lucy became acquainted with Bertha Mason, the “mad woman in the attic” turned immortal. Both have been permanently altered by the actions of men. Decades later, both are still rightfully haunted, with Lucy maintaining constant watch over Dracula’s ashes that threaten to assimilate at any moment and Bertha haunted by Rochester’s near-constant calls in the wind.

A routine can only last so long, though, and a figure from Bertha’s past emerges. And, as luck would have it, this figure triggers events that force both Lucy and Bertha to take forward action in relieving themselves and – ultimately – the world of both Dracula and Rochester once and for all.

If you’ve never been a super fan of slugging through classic literature, don’t worry. Readers are caught up to speed on the events that took place in both “Dracula” and “Jane Eyre.” We’re also introduced to slight changes in what we’ve expected from the vampiric lore. But, for the purpose of the story, there shouldn’t be any problems from readers.

RELUCTANT IMMORTALS explores the aftermath of abuse and the long-term impact it has on the victims, even decades later. Forced immortality is a hell of a reminder of the abuser, and Kiste explores these dynamics well. The story doesn’t get swallowed up by its darker explorations, however. The humor Kiste infuses into the dialogue helps to keep things light, with Lucy’s dry cynicism serving as an all-too-relatable character voice.

Because the story is told predominantly from Lucy’s perspective, Bertha’s voice does get lost a bit. This is to be expected, though, given the perspective at play here. That doesn’t mean she’s one-dimensional.  Readers watch as Bertha comes to be more comfortable standing on her own two legs. Her pain turns into rage and threatens to burn everything around her when the moment is right. If you want more background on Bertha Mason, I’d also point readers over to Jean Rhys’ “Wide Sargasso Sea.”

Where RELUCTANT IMMORTALS may ruffle some feathers is in Kiste’s depiction of the oft-romanticized Dracula and Rochester. Personally, the characterization could have used a tinge more nuance as both reminded of muscle-twirly villains of yore. But, the way in which Kiste presents them, both are parasites looking for hosts to feed on to sate their own constant emptiness. For the purpose of the story being told, the characterization presented makes sense. These aren’t the misunderstood men we are familiar with. No, these are men who will use anyone they can get their hands on and spread suffering wherever they go.

RELUCTANT IMMORTALS is easily a fast read. This is in large part due to how strong Lucy’s voice is in the text, but also the pacing. Everything flows smoothly as each new curveball gets thrown at our two protagonists. By the story’s end, you’ll want both to find their happy ending or, at the very least, peace from all the years being tormented by Dracula and Rochester. RELUCTANT IMMORTALS allows two characters relegated to the role of victims to rise up from the ashes and reclaim ownership of their lives.

RELUCTANT IMMORTALS is available now for purchase.

The post [Book Review] RELUCTANT IMMORTALS appeared first on Nightmarish Conjurings.

Getting sick or injured in the Middle Ages was no picnic, and for the characters in the fantasy world of "House of the Dragon," medicine is still pretty medieval. The series premiere showed audiences just how bloody and brutal birth can be when men take it into their own hands, and the second episode, "The Rogue Prince," delivers a scene depicting the treatment for gangrene and infection. King Viserys (Paddy Considine) has been having a hard time sitting on the Iron Throne without getting little nicks and cuts. The Iron Throne legendarily injures those who aren't fit to sit on it, as the swords that jut out in every direction have not been dulled in any way. Viserys has been having a tough time as a ruler and a father, and only the strongest can hold power over Westeros. His brother Daemon (Matt Smith) or daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) might have an easier time with the sharp seat, but Viserys is clearly not the kind of king that commands or inspires with any real authority. 

Unfortunately for Viserys, the Iron Throne isn't the cleanest thing, and a cut he got on his pinkie finger has gotten infected and is starting to rot. He turns to the maesters for help and they recommend cleaning the wound with maggots. The little wormy guys crawl over Viserys' finger and munch at the dead flesh, helping to clean the wound. While this might seem like the stuff of fantasy, it's actually a technique that humans have used for centuries to fight infection, and some doctors are still using it today.

Fly Larvae Are Our Friends, Sorta

Viserys seems a little unsettled by the idea of sticking his hand in a bowl of worms and letting them eat part of his hand — and who could blame him? — but the maester explains that the baby bugs will help remove the dead flesh and clear the infection. This cleans the wound better than any liquid or scrubbing, and allows for the raw flesh to mend itself. Fly larva, also called maggots, have been used by humans for debridement of wounds for centuries, going back as far as Mayan healers who soaked bandages in animal blood to attract flies and encourage maggot infestation. They have been used throughout the ages and were thought of as a potentially miraculous wound treatment as recently as the 1930s, but the practice diminished as antibiotics took over. In the age of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, however, doctors are once more turning to this stomach-churning but apparently scientifically-proven practice. 

The blowfly larva used for the treatment of certain kinds of lesions and infections today do a pretty good job removing damaged tissue and only leaving the good stuff. They also secrete chemicals that have antibiotic properties, helping to treat infections and promoting new skin growth. The concept is pretty gross, but also helps save limbs and sometimes lives. Here's hoping those wiggly fellas can work their magic on Viserys, or he's going to need a new little finger. 

New episodes of "House of the Dragon" premiere Sundays on HBO and HBO Max. 

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

The post House of the Dragon's Nasty Medical Practices Have a Basis in Reality appeared first on /Film.

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If you’re an outdoorsy kind of person, nothing beats camping, whether you’re enjoying the light luxuries of an RV or truly roughing it in a tent. While communing with nature is a blast, there’s a reason humans have spent millennia trying to tame it and coming up with advancements to make interactions with the elements…

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As a twice-wounded veteran of the Vietnam War, Oliver Stone had a solemn responsibility to drive home the savagery of this tragically misguided conflict to modern audiences via "Platoon." It had been a little over a decade since the last U.S. helicopter left Saigon, and the filmmaker wanted to make sure no one would forget the myriad of atrocities committed in America's name. This meant he had to place the highest of premiums on authenticity, from the locations down to the cast.

Given that the film was going to be a showcase for numerous young actors, Stone found himself inundated with hungry ingenues eager to make the leap to stardom. Though the higher ranking officers like Sargents Barnes and Elias would be played by more seasoned performers like Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe, their charges had to be fresh-faced kids who looked like they'd been plucked out of their high school graduation to fight for their country. One such actor was Emilio Estevez, who, one year after "The Breakfast Club," was initially cast in the lead role of Chris Taylor. When he had to drop out due to scheduling, his brother, Charlie Sheen, stepped in to audition. The symmetry of having a son of Martin Sheen, who'd starred in Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now," likely appealed to Stone. But Charlie had to earn the part.

Passing The Dafoe Test

Sheen was a huge fan of Stone's screenplays for "Midnight Express" and "Scarface," so he was amped to work with the filmmaker. Unfortunately, he didn't exactly blow Stone away in his audition. As the actor told The Guardian for a "Platoon" oral history, "Oliver said I was 'too mannered' and needed to do more work."

Fortunately, Sheen had two finely shaded performances on the way in Penelope Spheeris' crime flick "The Boys Next Door" and David Seltzer's bittersweet coming-of-age drama "Lucas." Stone was sufficiently impressed to give him the part, but he had one last condition: Willem Dafoe, who would play Sheen's Sargent and quasi-mentor, had to approve.

If this was intended to be some kind of hazing ritual, Dafoe didn't get the memo. "I didn't meet Willem until we got to the Philippines," says Sheen. "He ran past me in our hotel and gave me a hug. Later, Oliver came up to me and said: 'Willem digs ya.'"

Dafoe's instincts were spot-on. Sheen is immensely sympathetic at the idealistic, in-way-over-his-head Taylor. We view the madness of the war through his innocent eyes (and his somewhat overbearing voiceover). He's the perfect audience surrogate, and this remains Sheen's second-best performance.

Read this next: The 30 Greatest War Films Of All Time, Ranked

The post Charlie Sheen's Platoon Casting Depended On The Opinion Of Willem Dafoe appeared first on /Film.

It's difficult to nail down the recipe for success when it comes to creating a TV show. If it were easy, every show would be a hit. But in the case of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," the key ingredient has a lot to do with its home at the cable channel FX.

TV shows come in all shapes and sizes, and one of the main things that dictate their direction is if it is a network or cable series. The creative hands of the networks are often tied by the Federal Communications Commission, made famous by George Carlin's 1972 "Seven Dirty Words" bit. However, cable shows have more creative freedom, unencumbered by the FCC's stricter broadcast guidelines. Additionally, the size and scope of a network series are much larger than that of cable programming.

On its way to becoming the longest-running live-action sitcom in television history, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" blazed its own trail by playing by a different set of rules. But how does a successful show stay fresh for so long? Even "Happy Days" only made it five seasons before literally "jumping the shark." One of the "It's Always Sunny" creators has a theory on why the show always seems topical, and it has to do with a big difference between network and cable TV.

They Operate On A Different Schedule

For decades, the standard model for broadcast television was 26-episode seasons. Traditionally, once a show got to 100 episodes, it would enter syndicated reruns, opening another revenue stream. While it was profitable for networks, it was a grind on production crews and actors.

The cable model of 10- or 13-episode seasons was borne from necessity. As the New York Daily News reported, cable channels simply couldn't afford a full production slate of 26 episodes. But as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, as viewers and show creators both seemed to gravitate to the abbreviated half-season model (later often whittled down to 10).

Noah Wyle, who starred in NBC's long-running hit medical drama "ER" and TNT's "Falling Skies," sees a difference. He told the New York Daily News:

"When I was doing 'ER,' we'd joke about the 'episode 13 to 17 malaise.' You'd feel like you were sleepwalking and repeating a lot of what you'd already done. [In 'Falling Skies'] We could push to 12, maybe, but if we went beyond that, we'd start having storylines where I find someone's wallet and try to figure out how to return it."

Shortened seasons also mean half the production time. That's attractive to actors, allowing cable to snag some big stars for their programming. From a creative standpoint, many writers agree a shorter run is a better model for tight, cohesive story arcs. And while some network shows have adopted the cable model with abbreviated seasons, there's still a line drawn between the expectations of a network and cable show.

Which brings us back to the longest-running live-action sitcom on TV. The change in episode numbers has played a big role in keeping "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" relevant all these years.

They're Keeping Up With Social Changes

It's getting hard to remember a time "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" wasn't on television. For 17 years "the gang" has entertained audiences with their crass, nihilistic view of the world. It's a formula that co-creator Rob McElhenney says works because of cable television.

In an interview with Rolling Stone heading into the show's 14th season, McElhenny credited shortened seasons with the show capitalizing on changing culture. McElhenny said:

"Because the world seems to change so much from a cultural perspective every few years, each year gives us a bunch of new cultural things that have changed that we can mine. That's always been what we try to do with 'Sunny.' Just have the same discussions that people are having in any given year."

McElhenny also believes that shorter seasons help the gang avoid burnout. "We have the luxury of only doing 10 episodes a year, that's huge. It allows us to have a tremendous amount of free time," McElhenny told EW. "So when we come back and it takes six or seven months to make this series, we're fresh. And then beyond that, it's because we all still love it and we're still having fun, and there's no disconnect between the writers and the actors because we're one and the same."

With the advantage of shortened seasons and no shortage of political strife and culture wars to adopt for episodes, there's no reason "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" can't continue another 17 years.

Read this next: 20 Underrated Comedy Movies You Need To Watch

The post Rob McElhenney Thinks This Is The Key To Keeping It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia's Fresh appeared first on /Film.

"Los Angeles, November 2019." These words greet viewers within the first few minutes of Ridley Scott's 1982 dystopian sci-fi, "Blade Runner." The world-building in "Blade Runner" is rightfully lauded for its intricate aesthetics, as the film set a precedent for the science-fiction genre for years to come. Loosely based on Philip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?," "Blade Runner" tells the story of a crumbling metropolis steeped in existential crisis.

Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford, fresh off the success of "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark") is a retired blade runner who is tasked with "retiring" a group of renegade replicants who have managed to escape off-world colonies. Human empathy has become the litmus test for differentiating between humans and replicants, but this yardstick is a flawed one in a world that is on the brink of moral degradation. Humans have become increasingly machine-like, while replicants have achieved AI singularity, exhibiting genuine psychological depth and empathy that surpasses their programming.

The world of "Blade Runner" sounds like the perfect science fiction setting, as it evokes the question of what makes us truly human, coupled with the themes of a capitalist, dystopian society with unstable socio-political structures. However, director Ridley Scott begs to differ, as he posits "Blade Runner" as a "contemporary" film as opposed to a strictly science-fiction one. Here's how he justifies his reasoning.

Blade Runner Isn't A Futuristic Film, Which Is Terrifying

In a 1982 video interview with Reelin' In The Years, Scott speaks at length about the themes in "Blade Runner," and what he means when he says it is not a science-fiction film. Clarifying his stance, Scott says that as the events of "Blade Runner" take place in 2019, it talks of a "near future," which was only "40 years away" at the time the interview took place. The dystopian "multi-national megalopolis" in "Blade Runner" is in shambles due to overpopulation and pollution, which have rendered the planet uninhabitable. Scott's aim was to weave these very real issues into a dystopian setting, mostly as a reminder that this should not be the kind of future we would want:

"Hopefully, there is a kind of dramatic separation from the audience and from the film at that moment, so then they're quite clear they're watching a fabrication, not necessarily a prediction of the future. I hope it's not the future."

By saying that the film is not a prediction of the future, Scott is hopeful that real-world overpopulation and climate change issues will be dealt with in ways that will help prevent such a bleak future. Despite his hope for humanity, Scott also says in the interview that he "do[es] believe that is the way it's going [depleted resources, environmental decay]" and that we could end up in a "Blade Runner" world "unless something really is done about it."

Well, terrible news, folks. "Blade Runner" is not science fiction anymore, nor is it a futuristic film because the film's future is already here, which makes Scott's film a contemporary thriller.

We Already Live In A Blade Runner World (Well, Sort Of)

I know what you're thinking. We are a long, long way from practically-functional flying cars, and despite advancements in artificial intelligence, AI singularity is still an arena of scientific debate. However, "Blade Runner" correctly predicted a near-future (which is our present, unfortunately) shaped by cold-blooded capitalist interests that have adverse effects on the environment and its resources. Per a 2019 BBC article that talks about the film's prescience, the socio-political degradation and environmental collapse in "Blade Runner" "is not too far off from where we are today" — a world where the marginalized suffer due to the whims of those in power.

For instance, in Scott's world, the ultra-rich have the luxury of living off-world once the planet's resources dry up. The socially/economically marginalized have no choice but to survive in the smog-drenched streets and squat in abandoned apartments. The affluent who chose to stay back, such as the Tyrell Corporation, single-handedly control industrial production, and the gulf between the rich and the poor is on staggering display. Eldon Tyrell (Joe Turkel) plays "god" in the literal sense: he rejects his creations, i.e., replicants like Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), who have evolved beyond corporate interests and seek autonomy in their short-lived existence. Tyrell pays the price for this, but the mechanics of the real world are far more complex and nuanced, unfortunately.

Although Scott didn't intend "Blade Runner" to be predictive of the world we live in today and does not consider it science fiction, the film does fulfill the role of a compelling dystopian storyline. Sci-fi is both meant to entertain and act as a playground for what might be while inspiring us to battle the oppression of the present so as to avoid these fictional (yet probable) realities.

The Future Does Not Have To Be Bleak

The aesthetics of "Blade Runner" helped spawn the cyberpunk movement, which has evolved into an aspirational lifestyle from a socio-cultural standpoint. Take the example of "Cyberpunk 2077," whose premise owes a lot to Scott's world, and the game further critiques the idea of a tech-fueled, authoritarian megalopolis. The BBC article linked above argues that we might have "fetishized" "Blade Runner"-like worlds on the basis of aesthetics alone, ignoring the dire warnings about what such a future could truly be like. I believe there's nothing inherently problematic about aspiring to cyberpunk aesthetics or a more tech-savvy world, provided that one is aware of the critiques that these fictional worlds posit. The future does not have to be bleak if we try and do something about it. 

While Scott's view of his own creation is valuable, the brilliance of "Blade Runner" lies in the multiplicity of interpretations (as is the case for all good art). Apart from appreciating "Blade Runner" from a purely artistic/aesthetic perspective, it can be viewed as a cautionary tale about the issues that presently ail society. Scott significantly deviated from Dick's novel in seminal ways, but the key difference between the two is that the latter is a nihilistic nightmare, while the former is tinged with hope. The final scene between Deckard and Batty is an example of this, as it is a bittersweet one, but highlights the genuine wonder and empathy in a replicant that doubles as an act of rebellion in a mechanical, soulless world. 

Batty lets Deckard live, which leads to him running off with Rachael (Sean Young), ushering in a new era for humanity and replicants. The aim has always been to not feel pessimistic about the future but to hope for a better one.

Read this next: Sci-Fi Box Office Bombs That Deserve A Second Chance

The post Ridley Scott Doesn't Think Of Blade Runner As A 'Science Fiction' Film appeared first on /Film.

Tim Curry's portrayal of Pennywise, the dancing clown, the omnipresent, shapeshifting ancient creature and the central antagonist of Stephen King's "It," is one of the most revered performances of the horror genre. Curry's interpretation of Pennywise set a precedent; the actor employed an unnerving combination of humor and horror to add to the fearing image of the child-eating clown.

As a transdimensional entity that solely preys upon children, Pennywise exists to wreak havoc; he shapeshifts and warps the minds and perceptions of his victims, and uses his intelligence and abilities to induce fear that disorients his victims. Playing a character that had already been made so famous by the bestselling novel was no easy feat — and the actor had a specific vision in mind for his performance in the 1990 miniseries.

'He's Just Pure Evil, Really'

During its four-hour runtime, Pennywise commits evil acts and frightens the children of Derry out of their wits. He causes grief and suffering, and he does so with a smile. The creature uses people's deepest fears to drag them to his underground lair. Tim Curry shared his vision for the character in an interview published in Fangoria Magazine's issue No. 99, stating that the clown was "irredeemable" and "entirely without charm." Curry believes Pennywise is a character with no personality. He's just a bad, bad guy.

"Basically he's just pure evil, really, and he can also metamorphose into various other forms — mostly into the image feared most by whoever he's appearing to. Or he can also seductively become other people. At one point he turns into somebody's dead father, at another point he turns into the girl that the hero's in love with."

"I won't tell you what he turns into at the end ... but basically he's completely irredeemable; he's the kind of chap that's entirely without charm," the actor added.

Pennywise Is The Epitome Of Cruelty

The most alarming thing about Pennywise is the mental cruelty he inflicts on his victims. It is attacking the mind he is drawn to, which Tim Curry found interesting because, usually, clowns represent the opposite sort of idea. This clown, however, is nothing like that.

"I off quite a few people here and there, one way or another," said Curry. "But Pennywise turns out not to be that physical, actually — it's mostly mental cruelty. What's fun about him is that a clown is traditionally a very cozy, comforting kind of cheery image, and Pennywise is none of these things. I think of him all the time as a smile gone bad — that's my image for him."

Since Andrés Muschietti's film adaptation of the novel was released in 2017, Curry's interpretation has often been compared to that of Bill Skarsgård's, whose performance is the stuff of nightmares. The actor nailed the cosmic entity's mannerisms, employing a cross-eye tactic and a drooped, almost-whimsical (but totally sinister-looking) smile to make him scarier. Unlike Curry, who used his wit and a little humor to depict Pennywise, Skarsgård leaned on more horror than humor. And now we have two very distinct portrayals of what may easily be the most terrifying horror antagonist of all time.

Read this next: Horror Remakes That Are Better Than The Originals

The post Tim Curry Had A Very Specific Vision In Mind For IT's Pennywise The Clown appeared first on /Film.

The fifth season finale of "Rick and Morty" concluded with a game-changing scenario. The episode entitled "Rickmurai Jack" saw the return of Evil Morty and the Citadel of Ricks, both of which were introduced all the way back in the first season in "Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind." Evil Morty took over the Citadel of Ricks in the season 3 episode "The Ricklantis Mixup," and in the fifth season finale, Evil Morty revealed that the multiverse, as we've experienced it in "Rick and Morty" thus far, isn't quite as expansive as we think. 

Instead, the various universes that Rick and Morty (both voiced by series co-creator Justin Roiland) have visited throughout the first five seasons were only those that exist within a barrier referred to as the "Central Infinite Curve," or as Evil Morty described it, "One infinite crib around an infinite f**king baby." It was Rick's way of controlling his own world after losing his wife Diane and daughter Beth at the hands of another portal-traveling Rick from the future, who he vowed to chase across the multiverse with the hopes of killing him. Like almost everything Rick has done, it was created in an effort to keep himself distracted from confronting the pain that he's never properly dealt with. Evil Morty had enough, and he used the Citadel of Ricks, as well as all the Ricks and Mortys within it, to power an escape into the larger multiverse where there are no barriers created by Rick. What's more is that Evil Morty has rendered Rick's portal gun useless, leaving Rick and Morty to die on the crumbling Citadel.

All this is to remind you of what has happened before we kick off "Rick and Morty" season 6, which gives us the most direct continuation of a serial storyline since the third season premiere picked up in the aftermath of the second season finale. 

Solaricks

However, just because the sixth season premiere digs deep into canonical storytelling that has slowly expanded across dozens of episodes doesn't mean this season will abandon the adventure-of-the-week formula that also makes the series so much fun. I've seen the first two episodes of "Rick and Morty" season 6, and without getting into any spoilery specifics, these episodes offer the best of both worlds: a growing serial storyline and a one-off adventure, each taking full advantage of the multiverse potential that makes this sci-fi world raucously hilarious, delightfully chaotic, and endlessly entertaining all at once.

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe digging into the multiverse, it only seems appropriate that the "Rick and Morty" season 6 premiere takes a cue from "Avengers: Endgame." Having been left for dead, Rick gets his own near-death Tony Stark moment from the Marvel sequel's opening, complete with a nonchalant and self-deprecating reference to the scene in question. Since we've been instructed to avoid revealing certain plot details, we'll just say that's not all that this episode, titled "Solaricks," borrows from the end of Marvel's Infinity Saga. The entire plot of this episode will undoubtedly be familiar to fans of Marvel's blockbuster behemoth, and longtime fans of "Rick and Morty" will be rewarded with plenty of canonical storytelling nuggets that continue to shape Rick, especially if you've been watching since the first season. 

Of course, all of this is mixed with the insane sci-fi elements that "Rick and Morty" viewers love seeing in every episode. Whether it's gruesome deaths of Rick and Morty variants, surprising alternate versions of other characters like Space Beth (Sarah Chalke) and [Redacted] Jerry (Chris Parnell), Rick's cruel but hilarious self-loathing, or Morty's trepidation and teen antics, the season six premiere has something for "Rick and Morty" fans of every kind.

At the same time, and again without offering up any spoilers, even though this episode takes a few canonical storytelling steps forward, it also falls back into the comfortable rinse and repeat timeline trope that has softened seemingly huge storylines in previous seasons. But that's not necessarily bad, because the writers are undoubtedly aware of this, to the point of meta-commentary within the episode, and it all feeds into telling an ongoing story that unfolds gradually rather than shifting gears into full-on serial storytelling. If there's one thing "Rick and Morty" has, it's a tried and true formula involving assorted adventures across time and space, and the crew behind the series isn't about to screw that up. 

But stick around for the traditional post-credits scene for a little tease of how the overarching story will continue.

Rick: A Morty Well-Lived

Meanwhile, the second episode of the sixth season of "Rick and Morty" gets back to basics. Not unlike the season premiere, the episode entitled "Rick: A Morty Well-Lived" reaches back into the second season of the series, specifically the episode "Mortynight Run." In that episode, Rick and Morty pay a visit to a video arcade called Blips and Chitz, where there's an incredibly mundane video game called "Roy: A Life Well-Lived." Players control an everyday man named Roy Parsons, and the object of the game is to guide him through life, with the final score being however many years Roy lived. 

Avoiding a couple of specific details that we were told to avoid in our review, let's just say the game plays an integral role in the episode's storyline, which combines elements of "Inception" with a superb "Die Hard" riff that puts Summer (Spencer Grammer) in the shoes of John McClane while Peter Dinklage takes on the Hans Gruber role. This episode does what "Rick and Morty" does best with pop culture send-ups by incorporating memorable moments from the titles being referenced while also putting clever spins on them within the show's ever-expanding universe.

Like many episodes that have come before it, this is a standalone adventure without any canonical consequences (at least not yet), and proves why "Rick and Morty" works best by vacillating between the serial and the procedural. As long as the dynamic between Rick and Morty (and the entire family) continues to evolve here and there among the deranged sci-fi foolishness and pop culture parody, the series can still get away with these one-off adventures that have little to no impact on the show's ongoing narrative. 

With no endgame insight, if "Rick and Morty" can keep this kind of hilarious frivolity intact while occasionally zeroing in on the complex emotional core that lingers just beneath the surface, then the series should have no problem expanding as much as the infinite multiverse. As it stands, "Rick and Morty" is one of the most uproariously hilarious animated comedies around, and the show's sixth season is only more evidence to support that status.

The sixth season of "Rick and Morty" premieres at 11:00 pm ET/PT on September 4, 2022 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

Read this next: The 15 Best Rick And Morty Villains Ranked

The post Rick and Morty Season 6 Review: The Hysterical Sci-Fi Havoc Continues in Serial and Procedural Fashion appeared first on /Film.

The second round of our exclusive includes the AMD Ryzen 7000 "Zen 4" Desktop CPUs, X670 & B650 motherboards launch dates.

AMD Ryzen 7000 "Zen 4" CPUs Hit Retail Shelves on 15th September But You Won't Be Able To Buy an X670 Motherboard Till 27th of September

We were the first to confirm that AMD will have an official Ryzen 7000 "Zen 4" CPU unveiled on 29th August and that a subsequent launch will take place on the 15th of September. Since that report, a series of reports citing various issues with the BIOS on the X670 motherboards have popped up. As per our second exclusive on the launch timeframe, we reported that the Ryzen 7000 CPUs will be hitting retail shelves on the 27th of September, the same day as Intel's 13th Gen Raptor Lake CPUs.

However, based on the latest information that we have, it looks like AMD will divide the AM5 launch into three segments. First, we will be getting the Ryzen 7000 "Zen 4" Desktop CPUs on the 15th of September as originally planned but while users will be able to purchase their CPUs, the boards will not see a retail launch till the 27th of September. This is more or less a two weeks delay and once again, the reason cited is due to various BIOS issues. In addition to the BIOS problems, we are also hearing reports of whole PCB layouts being redesigned for the X670E & X670 motherboards which means something really went wrong however this issue may only be specific to some motherboard vendors.

We were also able to confirm that the AMD B650 motherboards for mainstream consumers will be heading out to retail on the 10th of October which is slightly more than a week after the AMD X670 motherboards launch. So overall, we can expect a launch schedule as follows:

• AMD Ryzen 7000 "Zen 4" Desktop CPUs Retail Launch - 15th September
• AMD X670 Motherboards Retail Launch - 27th September
• AMD B650 Motherboards Retail Launch - 10th October

There's currently no word if AMD's B650E chipset motherboards will also launch on the same day as the Non-E B650 boards but considering that X670E launches alongside X670 Non-E, the same can be expected for the B650 series. You can read more on the B650E chipset here.

We have just reported the prices of the AMD Ryzen 7000 "Zen 4" CPUs in our exclusive here. AMD is also just a few hours away from the full unveil of its latest AM5 CPU family and platform which you can tune in to watch over here.

The post AMD Ryzen 7000 “Zen 4” CPUs Hit Retail on 15th September, X670 Motherboards on 27th September, B650 on 10th October by Hassan Mujtaba appeared first on Wccftech.

Through 15 seasons, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" has proven time and again that its cast and writers are willing to go just about anywhere for a laugh. Every member of the main cast -- Rob McElhenney (Mac), Charlie Day (Charlie), Glenn Howerton (Dennis), Kaitlin Olson (Sweet Dee) and Danny DeVito (Frank) -- has been shorn of their dignity multiple times. The sheer fearlessness of "Always Sunny" keeps viewers coming back, and leaves the show open to disgusting new opportunities.

It's this sense that there isn't a line the show is willing to cross that allowed the other cast members to pull a rather elaborate prank on DeVito. The veteran actor appears to be having the time of his life as part of this lunatic ensemble, and has hurtled himself into many an unflattering situation. But every man has his limits, and his collaborators found his red line when they presented him with a fake script.

Frank Reynolds' Very Bad Day

In a recent interview with Uproxx, the Emmy Award-winning actor revealed that, many seasons ago, he received an urgent call from his assistant imploring him to look over a new script before the day's readthrough. It was 10 AM, and he was due to hit set at 1 PM, so the request threw him. But DeVito is the ultimate team player, so he did as requested.

The veteran actor, who directed two classic dark comedies ("Throw Momma From the Train" and "The War of the Roses"), couldn't believe what he was reading. For probably the first time during his run on the show, he was appalled. The episode opens with Frank getting busted for soliciting a hooker, which lands him in jail, where, while taking a shower, he gets raped. It got much, much worse from there.

"Then they throw me in the lockup, the big lockup. I get raped by everybody and the cops. And they kept going back to the bar and then Frank would get raped. And I go back to the bar, Frank would get raped. And I said, 'What the f***, man? Call my lawyer.' Right?"

An irate DeVito powered through to the end, where a surprise was waiting for him.

Played For An April Fool

"I got to the end of the script. And the last guy that nailed me leans in. Well, Frank is now laying on the ground, [his] face is on the ground. He's been f***** by every ... And the guy leans down and he says, 'April fools, b****.' And I realized it was April 1st. They wrote this script in order to break my balls."

Fortunately, there were no hard feelings. DeVito called up his co-stars, and they were all howling with laughter. In retrospect, DeVito should've been suspicious because, as described, this scenario is way too on-the-nose cruel for "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Yes, the show loves to push the envelope, but it consistently does so in a far more creative manner than this. Still, you've got to admire the effort. Writing an entire fake script just to mess with DeVito is quite the commitment.

Read this next: The 13 Best Comedy Shows On Amazon Prime Right Now

The post A Fake It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Script Had Danny DeVito Dialing His Lawyer appeared first on /Film.

Say what you will about Kevin Smith but ever since his heart attack a handful of years ago, the filmmaker behind "Clerks" has done precisely what he wants to do, and it's hard not to respect it — especially since Smith is making pretty cheap movies like "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" that aren't putting studios at risk in any way. But Smith may be getting ready to do something truly unexpected as he is apparently aiming to make "Tusk 2" a reality. Yes, it appears Smith is at least toying with the idea of making a sequel to his 2014 walrus horror movie. This is not a joke.

Our very own Lex Briscuso recently spoke with Justin Long, who starred in "Tusk," about his upcoming film "Barbarian." During the conversation, Long revealed that Smith is actually toying with the idea of a sequel. "You'll be happy to hear, Kevin [Smith] just announ-- I mean, I guess they're talking about it. They're doing 'Tusk 2,' I think," Long said. Long doubled down, saying the following:

"He texted us all the other day, Haley [Joel Osment] and Genesis [Rodriguez], and he told us that he wanted to do it, and I thought it was a joke. And then I realized he was being serious. And then one of the [other] interviewers said, 'Yeah, he said the same to me.'"

So there we have it. This is apparently something that Smith is actually kicking around in earnest. He may be saying #WalrusYes again, despite the fact that the director has made a lot of jokes at his own expense about his "dopey walrus movie" in the years since its release.

But Why?

Now, the real question is why would Smith do such a thing? "Tusk" was very much a departure for Smith, serving as a pretty much straightforward, utterly bizarre body horror movie with bits of comedic relief. It was one that proved to be critically divisive and made a mere $1.8 million at the box office. But hey, "Clerks III" is only getting made because "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" sold so many Blu-rays. So maybe Smith's fans similarly purchased a great many copies of "Tusk?"

Regardless, it doesn't seem like something that is being demanded commercially. That said, Smith had explained in the past that he does, indeed, have a story. Speaking on Twitch in 2020, the filmmaker laid out his story idea, which would see Long's character taking over the Michael Parks role from the original.

"There's a version of Tusk 2 that you do where... you cut to the present, and somebody else gets sucked into the spider's web. The house, you hear stories, and when you get to the house, the new Howard Howe is Wallace, who has gotten out of the walrus trappings and stuff and is obviously disturbed by his entire ordeal and is now doing it to others. So there's a way to do Tusk 2 where Justin becomes Michael Parks's character. Wallace becomes, sort of, the new Howard Howe."

So there we have it. Smith has a story and, as Long tells it, this is something he is very much considering. We know that he is gearing up to film "The 4:30 Movie" after "Clerks III" is off the books. Beyond that? We may be getting a wildly unexpected sequel.

"Barbarian" is set to hit theaters on September 9.

Read this next: 14 Sequels That Truly Didn't Need To Happen

The post Kevin Smith is Apparently Making a Sequel to One of His Strangest Films [Exclusive] appeared first on /Film.

David Brucker's new film "Hellraiser," based on Clive Barker's 1986 novella "The Hellbound Heart," will be released on Hulu on October 7, 2022. It will be the eleventh film in the "Hellraiser" series.

One of the more striking elements of "Hellraiser" is its particular mythology. In the original 1987 "Hellraiser" feature film, written and directed by Barker, Hell was not depicted as the sin-based, punitive, Christian version of the realm as seen in Dante's "Inferno," but as something more akin to a particularly hard-edged S&M club. In Barker's estimation, the body and the soul are intertwined, and Hell is designed for seekers of the ultimate physical and sexual experience. When a seeker opens up a mysterious puzzle box, it summons a quartet of immortal, leather-clad Cenobites whose bodies are in a constant state of mutilation. The Cenobites, using chains, hooks, and other scary cutting devices, rend their victim to shreds, showing that pain and pleasure are one and the same. "Hellraiser" might prove to be a dark mirror of Walt Whitman's "I Sing the Body Electric." 

The leader of the Cenobites was a pale-skinned, deep-voiced ghoul with nails hammered into his face and head. In the original film, the character was only credited as "Lead Cenobite," although in subsequent sequels, he took on the nickname of Pinhead. In the first eight "Hellraiser" movies, Pinhead was played by Doug Bradley, a school friend of Barker's. Pinhead was played by new actors in "Hellraiser: Revelations" and "Hellraiser: Judgment." Bradley's reasons for staying out are a miniature drama of their own. And now, Bradley has weighed in on the newest take on the character, to be played by Jamie Clayton. 

The Hellbound Heart

As mentioned above, the new "Hellraiser," a remake of the original, will star Jamie Clayton ("Sense8," "The L Word: Generation Q") as Pinhead. This will be the first time a woman will play the role. As printed in Bloody Disgusting, Bradley was asked about Clayton's casting at Silver Scream Con in Danvers, MA. Bradley, after all, is the foremost expert in the character, and holds the rare distinction of playing a single role in over six consecutive films within a film franchise (others include Christopher Lee playing Dracula, Robert Englund playing Freddy Krueger, and Brad Dourif playing Chucky). Bradley, 67, seemed intrigued by Clayton, but was only familiar with some of her work. He said: 

"It seemed like [a female Pinhead] was coming. It's an interesting piece of casting. I don't know Jamie. Of course, they've taken even a little bit of a wrinkle in that, because Jamie is transgender. I'm not familiar with her recent work, but there was a science fiction series on Netflix several years ago called 'Sense8,' which I was quite a fan of. Jamie was in that, and I really, really liked her performance in that."

Bradley also pointed out that other familiar Cenobites will appear in the new "Hellraiser," as he was introduced to the actor playing the new Chatterer Cenobite — a faceless, lipless, teeth-forward monster — at another horror convention just prior. He didn't mention the actor by name, only to say that he is 6'9" tall. The actor playing the Chatterer, then, would be Jason Liles, who has played multiple creatures in his career including the giant, middle-finger-happy ape George in "Rampage." 

Suvbversive

Bradley, at the Silver Scream Con, pointed out that recasting Pinhead is most certainly no cause for controversy. Indeed, if one goes back to the original film, one might find a sexually transgressive film that's meant to confront. It is a film very explicitly about sadomasochism, blood, gore, and, and sexual appetites. The plot of "Hellraiser" involves an unhappily married woman (Claire Higgins) who is confronted with the skinless, half-formed, still-living body of her husband's brother Frank, a man she once had an intensely sexual affair with. She will end up luring men to Frank who will drain them of their fluids. Once he's hollowed out enough men, Frank will have skin again, and his affair with his brother's wife can continue. The motivating factors throughout "Hellraiser" are expressly sexual. 

If any viewers felt that Clayton's gender should become an issue, Bradley was quick to remind people of the "Hellraiser" origins and legacy, saying: 

"Everything about Hellraiser has always been transgressive. Everything, always, from start to finish. It's not a new idea in that sense, but I'm intrigued. I'm in the same position as all the rest of you, I guess, to see where that goes." 

The Lament Configuration will open again on October 7, 2022 on Hulu. The film will also star Odessa A'zion, Haim Abbas, and Goran Visnjic. If preparing a "Hellraiser" marathon in preparation, trust someone who has watched all the "Hellraiser" sequels when he says that the first two are the only ones worth revisiting.

Read this next: The Highest Rated Horror Movies Of All Time

The post Original Hellraiser Star Doug Bradley Weighs In On Jamie Clayton's Pinhead Casting appeared first on /Film.

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The Legend of Zelda – A Link to the Past is the third Zelda game that came out in 1991 on SNES. This is a classic top-down action-adventure game that was exclusive to the Super Nintendo. And, surprisingly enough, there is now an unofficial PC version of it. For those wondering, this is a reverse-engineered … Continue reading The Legend of Zelda – A Link to the Past gets an unofficial native PC port →

The post The Legend of Zelda – A Link to the Past gets an unofficial native PC port appeared first on DSOGaming.

In an effort to combat the devastating drought conditions hitting California, the Golden State will become the first in the nation to install solar panel canopies over canals. From a report: The $20 million pilot project funded by the state has been dubbed "Project Nexus." It will consist of an estimated 8,500 feet of solar panels installed over three sections of Turlock Irrigation District (TID) canals in Central California. It is expected to break ground in the fall, and be completed by 2023. The project was first announced back in February. According to TID, the project aims to use water and energy management hand-in-hand. The project is designed to increase renewable power generation, while reducing water evaporation and vegetative growth in canals. TID states that the project will also serve as a "proof of concept" to further study "solar over canal design." The agency cites a 2021 University of California, Merced study, which showed that covering all of the approximately 4,000 miles of public water delivery system infrastructure in the state with solar panels could save an estimated 63 billion gallons of water annually, as well as result in significant energy and cost savings.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Fans think 2022 has been one of the best years for blockbusters this century. Critics think it's been one of the worst. From a report: When Sony released its film adaptation of the video game "Uncharted" in February, critics were quick to tear it apart. The Wall Street Journal called it "bloodless, heartless, joyless, sexless and, with one exception, charmless." New York Magazine deemed it "curiously empty." MovieFreak.com dismissed it as "a bona fide disaster." And yet, audiences ate it up. The movie, which stars Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, opened to $44.2 million at the domestic box office and went on to gross $401.8 million worldwide. It is one of the 10 highest-grossing movies of the year. "Uncharted" also initiated one of the biggest disputes between critics and fans in modern movie history. Audiences have given higher scores than critics to all 10 of the year's biggest movies. The average audience rating for "Jurassic World Dominion" on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb is a 67. The average critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic is 34. That is a difference of 33 points. "Jurassic World Dominion" is one of three movies (along with "Uncharted" and "The Gray Man") where audiences and critics disagree by more than 30 points. It may seem as though critics typically pan the year's biggest hits. But that is not the case. While audiences do tend to give blockbusters a higher score than critics, the average gap in their ratings is usually around 5 points. There has been at least one year where critics gave the biggest movies higher ratings than audiences. And there have been many years where the difference is negligible. In 2022? It is not so much a gap as a chasm. Audiences have given the top 10 movies an average score more than 19 points higher than critics, by far the biggest difference this century. The only two of the year's 10 biggest movies where audiences and critics are even close are "Top Gun: Maverick" and "The Batman."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Now here is something for all our space fans. The teams behind Freelancer HD Edition and TIE Fighter Total Conversion have released new versions of them that are available for download. Freelancer: HD Edition is a mod that aims to improve every aspect of the game Freelancer while keeping the look and feel as close … Continue reading New versions released for Freelancer HD Edition and TIE Fighter Total Conversion →

The post New versions released for Freelancer HD Edition and TIE Fighter Total Conversion appeared first on DSOGaming.

Rob Zombie evokes a ... let's say passionate response from film-goers. His fans love him for all the wild swings he takes and his detractors feel just as passionately about the quality of said swings. However, if there's one thing most can agree on it's that his sophomore effort, 2005's "The Devil's Rejects," is the best movie. 

"The Devil's Rejects" stands apart from the rest of his filmography, thanks mostly to its throwback style, rooted heavily in the 1970s. All his work has some influence from that era of horror, but what makes "The Devil's Rejects" different from, say, "Halloween" is that Zombie pulled from more than just the horror genre. Like just about every movie Zombie has made, "Rejects" has a good amount of "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" in its DNA, but Zombie also decided if he was going to do a sequel to his divisive and super gnarly "House of 1000 Corpses" he wanted to push it into a wildly different direction.

So, alongside the hardcore classic horror influences he decided to turn to a few unexpected genres, like Westerns and gangster movies.

The biggest influence was a classic Sergio Leone western called "Once Upon A Time in the West," starring Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, and Claudia Cardinale.

Westerns And Horror Is An Oddly Good Fit

"The Devil's Rejects" is, above all else, a revenge story. It follows the Firefly family as they're on the run from a Sheriff trying to avenge the death of his brother. "Once Upon a Time in the West" is also a revenge story that follows a loner (Bronson) out to kill a dastardly man in black (Fonda) who we find out killed his brother. The main difference between the two movies, plot-wise, is that we see most of "The Devil's Rejects" through the point of view of the killers, but that's where another late '60s and early '70s round of influences comes in.

Speaking with the wonderfully named EatMyBrains.com, Zombie talked about the Leone influence as well as another surprising classic: "Bonnie and Clyde."

"It's funny, but when I was in pre-production with the crew I never once referenced a horror movie. Because my biggest fear when I was hiring the production designer or costume designer is that they would look at horror movies and I didn't want that look or feel. I would leave that part to me and I didn't want them to go and fall into the conventions of the genre. So I would tell them to go watch 'Once Upon a Time in the West,' 'Bonnie and Clyde' or 'The Gauntlet.'"

"Bonnie and Clyde" should make a ton of sense, as it also places the murderers as the protagonists of the story. It should also be noted that the ending of "Rejects" echoes "Bonnie and Clyde" as well as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." 

So, by looking outside the genre Zombie crafted a unique kind of horror picture that stands out from the rest of his work.

Read this next: Horror Movies That Make Us Root For The Villain

The post The Western Classics That Inspired Rob Zombie During The Devil's Rejects appeared first on /Film.

Every Friday Politico interviews someone about "The Future in Five Questions". This week they interviewed Neal Stephenson (who they describe as "the sci-fi author who coined the term 'metaverse' and now a Web3 entrepreneur in his own right.") Stephenson began by sharing his thoughts on a big idea that's underrated. Neal Stephenson: Desalination. It's an incredibly obvious, kind of simple process. Nothing is more basic than having water to drink, so it's kind of hiding in plain sight, but coupled with cheap energy from photovoltaics it's going to make big changes in the world. When you look at how much water, or a lack thereof, has shaped where people live and how people make food, the notion that we might be able to engineer ways to get fresh water in a new way could be revolutionary. What's a technology you think is overhyped? Stephenson: I'm going to go with an oldie: rockets. It's just a historical accident that chemical rockets became our only way of putting stuff into space, and if we had started at a different time we would have ended up doing something that works better. One alternative would be beaming energy from the ground to vehicles, using lasers or microwaves. That seems like a doable project right now. There's nuclear propulsion, which I think is probably never going to happen at scale, because it's politically impossible, but even something as simple as constructing a very tall building or a tall tower and using that as a launch platform, or as a way to accelerate things up upward, could really change the economics of spaceflight. Stephenson also says the book that most shaped his conception of the future was Robert Heinlein's 1958 novel Have Spacesuit, Will Travel. And the biggest surprise of 2022 was Ukraine's strong response after Russia's invasion. "Most people who are paying attention have understood that drones and other new technologies are going to change the way wars get fought, but we're seeing it unfold and mutate in real time in Ukraine. "These guys are taking old Cold War grenades and disassembling them, and putting on homemade fuses and attaching 3D printed fins and dropping them out of consumer-grade drones, to a significant effect on the battlefield...." In 2004 Neal Stephenson answered questions from Slashdot's readers.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Jack Nicholson received the first of his 12 Academy Award nominations for his supporting role in "Easy Rider," a film that tapped into the '60s counterculture to become a watershed for the New Hollywood era. Yet despite its cultural significance and impact on Nicholson's career, "Easy Rider" had a notoriously troubled production, much of which was documented in Peter Biskind's book, "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood."

Among other things, "Easy Rider" director and star Dennis Hopper famously pulled a steak knife on actor Rip Torn, who was originally supposed to play lawyer George Hanson, the role that went to Nicholson. Hopper and his costar Peter Fonda also got into a dispute over the film's writing credits, which they shared with Terry Southern. In a 1974 interview with Sight and Sound magazine, Nicholson explained that he only stepped in to act after getting involved in "Easy Rider" on the production side through Raybert/BBS Productions and his eventual "Five Easy Pieces" director, the late Bob Rafelson:

"I became involved in ['Easy Rider'] primarily through production. At that time I was co-producing 'Head' with Bob Rafelson at BBS. Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda brought the property in. They showed it to Bob and myself first. We ushered it through the financing, bringing a deal in and so forth. Then they started shooting in New Orleans, had production problems and had to change crews. And I got in my crew, that I had been working with independently, to make up the nucleus of Dennis's crew for 'Easy Rider.' I don't know what happened between Dennis and Rip Torn ... but I was approached by [executive producer] Bert Schneider, I always assumed, as much to oversee the production as to play the part.'"

'I Had A Go-Through Of The Editing Of The Film'

Drugs flowed freely on the "Easy Rider" set and in the screening room, where, according to Biskind's book, Hopper fell in love with a 4.5-hour cut of the movie. After a year of go-nowhere editing, Schneider finally sent Hopper on vacation, trying to limit his focus by tasking him with editing 15 hours of footage from the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans while editor Donn Cambern and others reshaped the film and cut it down to a "normal length" of 96 minutes. Apparently, Nicholson was also involved in the editing process, as he told Sight and Sound:

"When they were shooting I didn't do anything on the production side; I was just there, and mainly paid attention to my acting job. Afterwards, at everyone's request, I had a go-through of the editing of the film, from where my character entered to the end. Henry Jaglom had a similar job with the first half of it at the same time. That was the next-to-last stage of editing. It was just a very close collaboration of a lot of people."

"Easy Rider" is one of those classics that was forged by a difficult production and has inspired some credit-grabbing in the decades since its release. As Nicholson notes, however, it was, like any other movie, "a very close collaboration of a lot of people."

While Fonda and Hopper's motorcycle-riding characters, Wyatt and Billy, may have crashed and burned — along with any number of New Hollywood careers — "Easy Rider," at least, made it across the finish line and into the history books, while Nicholson went on to enjoy much success with a number of other great roles.

Read this next: The 14 Best Noir Movies Ranked

The post Jack Nicholson Was Pulling Double Duty During Easy Rider's Production appeared first on /Film.

/sfall/sfall_4.3.7.7z

There are plenty of mysteries baked into new thriller "The Invitation." There's the mystery of Evie's (Nathalie Emmanuel) lineage: a quest to figure out her family history that leads her to meet Oliver (Hugh Skinner), an apparent long-lost cousin. There's the mystery of the family gathering she attends with Oliver, an opulent wedding held at an imposing English countryside manor where the dress code seems to be "Eyes Wide Shut" chic. And there are mysteries involving unknown brides and vampiric rituals, too. But there's one small but intriguing mystery we've gotten to the bottom of as the movie hits theaters this weekend: why does Evie own an "Outlander" T-shirt?

/Film's Jack Giroux recently spoke with "The Invitation" director Jessica M. Thompson for a wide-ranging interview about the film's practical effects, horror nods, and more. Along the way, the pair touched on a notable detail from the movie: a scene in which Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) wears an "Outlander" shirt. As Thompson explained, the shirt is a great way to silently signal Evie's motivations for staying at the family event long after spooky things start to happen.

"I didn't want us to feel like her staying was completely unbelievable or anything like that, because she is falling in love, and these [people] are her family," Thompson says of Evie facing the horrors of the film rather than running from them. One way to let us in on the heroine's headspace and justification for staying? With a shirt that signifies her love for adventure and romance. It turns out the character is a fan of the lusty Starz TV show based on Diana Gabaldon's equally steamy time travel romance novels.

A Time Travel Romance Sets The Scene

Thompson says people who watch "The Invitation" have mentioned the shirt to her often. "A lot of people have asked me specifically, 'What were you trying to say?'" she says of the shirt. "I was like, 'I think it's pretty obvious that this is a woman who believes in romance.'" As much as it's a horror movie, "The Invitation" starts off with love story potential, as Evie is seduced by estate owner Walter DeVille (Thomas Doherty) after Oliver invites her to the destination wedding.

The shirt is a hint that Evie is someone who's receptive to getting swept off her feet, but it's more than that, too: "I wanted to [feature] a series that's about going back in time, and she feels like she's almost stepped back in time when she walks into this world," Thompson explained. There certainly is a time-travel like feeling to aesthetics on display in the film's overly-revealing trailer, as dapperly-dressed characters don what appear to be ornate antique masks during a particularly strange dinner table scene.

Of course, there's also the fact that "Outlander" is simply one of the hottest shows on TV, even after six seasons on the air. Thompson confesses that she, like many people, binged the show during quarantine, and decided it would be nice to "give a little nod" to the star-crossed romance and drama of "Outlander."

"The Invitation" is now in theaters.

Read this next: The 15 Best Final Girls In Horror Movies Ranked

The post What's Up with the Outlander Reference in The Invitation? [Exclusive] appeared first on /Film.

"When Windows Lies"...what does that really mean? 

Mari had a fascinating blog post on this topic some years ago; she talked about the process DFIR analysts had been using to that point to determine the installation date of the operating system. In short...and this has happened several more times since then...while DFIR analysts had been using one process to assess the installation date, Windows developers had changed how this information is stored and tracked in Windows systems, reaffirming the notion that operating systems are NOT designed and maintained with forensic examiners in mind. ;-)

The take-away from Mari's blog article...for me, anyway...is the need for analysts to keep up-to-date with changes to the operating system; storage locations, log formats, etc., can (and do) change without notice. Does this mean that every analyst has to invest in research to keep up on these things? No, not at all...this is why we have a community, where this research and these findings are shared. But as she mentioned in the title and content of the article, if we just keep following our same methods, we're going to end up finding that "Windows lies". This idea or concept is not new; I've talked about the need for validation previously.

Earlier this year, a researcher used a twist on that title to talk about the "lies" analysts tools will "tell" them, specifically when it comes to USB device serial numbers. I understand the author presented at the recent SANS DFIR Summit; unfortunately, I was not able to view the presentation due to a previous commitment. However, if the content was similar, I'm not sure I'd use the term "lies" to describe what was happening here.

The author does a great job of documenting the approach they took in the article, with lots of screen captures. However, when describing the T300D Super Speed Toaster, the author states:

...I would have expected a device such as this to simply be a pass-through device.

I've used a lot of imaging devices in my time, but not this one; even so, just looking at the system (and without reading the online description of the device) I can't say that I would have assumed, in a million years, that this was simply a "pass-through device". Just looking at the front of the device, there's a good bit going on, and given that this is a "disk dock" for duplicating drives, I'm not at all sure that the designers took forensics processes into account.

As a result, in this case, the take-away isn't that it's about Windows "lying", as much as it is...once again...the analyst's assumptions. If the analyst feels that what they "know" is beyond reproach, and do not recognize what they "know" as assumption (even if it's more of, "...but that's how we've always done it..."), then it would appear that Windows is "lying" to them. So, again, we have the need for validation, but this time we've added the layer of "check your assumptions".

Earlier this year, Krz posted a pretty fascinating article, using the term "fools" in the title, as in "Windows fools you". In that case, what he meant was that during updates, Windows will "do things" as part of the update functionality that have an impact on subsequent response and analysis. As such, an analyst with minimal experience or visibility may assume that the "thing" done was the result of a threat actor's actions, simply because they weren't aware that this is "normal Windows functionality".

It's pretty clear that the use of the term "lies" is meant to garner attention to the content. Yes, it's absolutely critical that analysts understand the OS and data they're working with (including file formats), how their tools work, and when necessary, use multiple tools. But it's also incumbent upon analysts to check their assumptions and validate their findings, particularly when there's ample data to help dispel those assumptions. Critical thinking is paramount for DFIR analysts, and I think that both authors did a very good job in pointing that out.

Modder ‘Breadmen’ has released an amazing total conversion mod for Half-Life 2, called Entropy: Zero 2. In this mod, players will command a small army of Combine synths and soldiers on a Northern campaign to capture Dr. Judith Mossman. Entropy: Zero 2 features a brand new campaign spanning seven chapters of content. Players can expect … Continue reading Half-Life 2’s amazing mod, Entropy: Zero 2, is now available for download →

The post Half-Life 2’s amazing mod, Entropy: Zero 2, is now available for download appeared first on DSOGaming.

Spoilers for "House of the Dragon" episode 1.

The recent "House of the Dragon" premiere garnered the biggest audience in HBO's history. They hit 9.986 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max. The "Game of Thrones" prequel is set almost 200 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen, and the premiere set the stage for the downfall of the house of the dragonriders. Whatever you thought of the final season of "Game of Thrones," it's clear from the viewership that at least some of the naysayers are willing to give this franchise another go. 

The first series, based on the books by George R.R. Martin, was full of huge revelations and character deaths, pulling people back in, year after year, episode after episode. It was a juggernaut that captivated audiences, and everyone wanted to know what was coming next. Hearing about a prequel series starring Naomi Watts, and then that it had been scrapped, just made us all more curious about which story was ultimately going to make the cut. Keeping it all a secret was very likely a monumental task.

A common way that studios keep character information and plot points under wraps is having actors audition for fake parts with fake scripts. That is what happened to some of the cast of "House of the Dragon," according to an IndieWire interview with Milly Alcock, who plays a young version of Rhaenyra Targaryen, and Emily Carey, who plays a young Alicent Hightower. (The roles will be played after a 10-year time jump by Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke, respectively.)

'Fake Scripts And Fake People'

Alcock said in the interview that she had no idea what she was auditioning for, recalling, "We didn't even know what the project was, let alone the characters. It was all fake scripts and fake people."

It's actually a pretty normal occurrence, and as a former actor, I just want to add in that it may help your state of mind. Imagine the pressure going in to see if you're going to play the lead in a series that people passionately loved, and then turned away from. That's monumental. The stranger part of all this is what she said next about the size of the roles she and Carey auditioned for. "I found that it was 'Thrones' by the second audition," Alcock said, "and then we didn't really know how big our parts were or who they were until later on in the rehearsal process."

That's more surprising. One would assume the studio and crew would want to give the actors more time to prepare for the amount of work they were about to take on. Still, we don't know at what point in the development and/or writing process the auditions took place. It may have been early enough that the information wasn't set yet.

'You're Young Olivia'

Emily Carey didn't know what she was auditioning for at first either, or the size of her role. She added:

"I found out that it was 'Thrones' before my last audition, when my team got that I was meeting [creators] Ryan [J. Condal] and Miguel [Sapochnik]. My management also represent Olivia Cooke so they clocked it like, 'Okay, we get it. You're young Olivia.' But [I] didn't know how significant a role was going to be until we got the scripts."

In the series, Rhaenyra and Alicent are best friends when they're young. Even in the first episode, though, you can see the reasons that their friendship will be torn apart. Rhaenyra, the daughter of the King (Paddy Considine), is one of the only good options left for the heir, after a tragedy and some of the actions of her uncle Daemon (Matt Smith). Of course, the men of Westeros are extremely hostile to the idea of a woman on the Iron Throne. 

Alicent's father is perfectly willing to send her to the King's bed to advance their family's position. If she produces another heir, it could change everything for Rhaenyra. Plus, there is the ick factor of your best friend hooking up with your dad. It sounds like things are going to get very messy in Westeros.

Alcock and Carey will play the roles for the first half of the season, before the 10-year time jump, when we'll get to see how the decisions made in the first half have shaped the way they develop as characters.

"House of the Dragon" is airing weekly, Sunday nights on HBO and HBO Max.

Read this next: The Best TV Shows And Movies Coming To HBO Max In August 2022

The post The House of the Dragons Cast Was Caught Off Guard When They Found Out It Was A Game Of Thrones Show appeared first on /Film.