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Just about everyone in the gaming world (and their cats) are enjoying cyberpunk-meets-kitty-cat video game Stray, but it’s not the only game that lets you play as a realistic animal. The sub-genre dates back to the early days of gaming and includes all kinds of animals, from mischievous geese and terrifying sharks to…

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It’s summertime, so naturally you’re looking for fun things to do outdoors with your partner—and camping is one of those pastimes that not only gets you outside but also provides time and space to connect deeply with each other. But camping is also one of those activities that can go sideways quickly (Mother Nature…

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VirtualBox v6.1.36 is released. VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86/x64 hardware. Targeted at server, desktop and embedded use, it is now the only professional-quality virtualization solution that is also Open Source Software....More

As the weather heats up in the back half of summer and you do whatever you can to keep out of the heat, it’s easy to forget some of the essential tasks that will keep your plants plugging away well into fall. But trimming hedges and perennials, pruning your herb garden, and watering and mulching right now will help…

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Framework launched last year with the promise of building laptops that you could upgrade yourself with little more than a screwdriver and some patience. Now, 12 months after making its debut, the company is shipping out its first round of upgrade kits to keep those machines up to date. It’s a good start, as the outfit makes good on its pledges to make a modular, repairable machine and to bring existing users along with any future tweaks to the system. After almost breezily swapping out a first-generation mainboard for its replacement, I can say that we’re getting close to a brand new era for computing.

In order to show off how easy it is to upgrade, Framework sent over its 2021-era model, which was powered by an 11th-generation Intel Core chip. In the package, but in a separate box, was a brand new 12th-generation (Alder Lake) Intel Core chip attached to a mainboard. The idea, put simply, is that you can pull out the mainboard which holds the CPU and I/O, while preserving pretty much everything else. The existing RAM, SSD, WiFi card, battery, audio gear, screen et cetera, can all be reused until they break or otherwise need upgrading as well.

Upgrading or replacing any component inside Framework’s chassis requires you to use a Torx T5 screwdriver (included in the box). Naturally, replacing the mainboard is the most involved upgrade you can make since it requires you to pull apart everything else to gain access to it. Thankfully, Framework produces iFixit-style guides for you to follow, and every component is either color-coded or labeled. And there are QR codes on each unit which link to tutorial videos and support pages to help you get where you need to go.

The company announced earlier this year that it would offer a trio of new mainboard options catering for different budgets. $499 gets you a 12th-generation i5-1240P, while $699 gets you an i7-1260P. If you are eager to live on the cutting edge at all times, and have the cash to spare, you can opt for the Core i7-1280P for $1,049. That’s steep, but the argument goes that buying a whole new laptop would cost you more. That said, I don’t expect users to go mad for these annual upgrades, but more likely look for a new mainboard every two or three years to keep up to date.

As for the upgrade process, I have, not necessarily a gripe, but a couple of things that are worth flagging. If you are coming to this as a novice, you’re going to take far longer than the 15 minutes promised in the how-to guide. With practice, you’ll get faster, but I think these guides need to be a teensy bit friendlier to the unenlightened amateur. Similarly, I’m not a big fan of ZIF connectors, which require you to gently slide in a ribbon cable no bigger than your fingernail into the necessary fixing. Especially since they’re small, and I’d be worried that one mis-timed sneeze would wind up costing you $699 of your own money.

Daniel Cooper

At the same time, Framework is launching two other products that show its commitment to listening to its users and making sure that OG purchasers aren’t left behind. The first is that the company is releasing its first new expansion card, which is a 2.5-gigabit Ethernet adapter. This is, in a word, very cool, ditching the standard all-metal body for a transparent plastic shell that makes it look like one of those special edition Game Boys from the ‘90s. The cyberpunk aesthetic also helps to cover the fact that, in order to accommodate the Ethernet port itself, it’s significantly larger than the rest of the expansion cards; it sticks out the side of your laptop, but in a cool way.

That came in pretty handy during my installation, since a missing WiFi driver (thanks, Microsoft) meant I couldn’t connect to the internet after my initial upgrade. (This has since been resolved, but one of the pitfalls of testing hardware long before it reaches the public). Being able to slam in an Ethernet port and hook it up to my network to resolve the issue was a godsend. Not to mention that, like all of the spare expansion cards the company offers, it’s another step toward making the laptop something more like a Swiss Army knife.

And then there’s the top cover. Now, I didn’t have many complaints about the amount of flex in the machine when it launched last year. But Framework’s engineers weren’t happy, and so redesigned the display enclosure to be CNC-milled from a solid block of aluminum. It adds some extra rigidity to the frame, and is available as standard on all new Framework laptops sold going forward, as well as being bundled in the mainboard replacement kits. But, again, rather than leave existing customers who don’t want a new CPU on the fence, you can also buy a standalone top cover for $89, and if the company can keep with this commitment of always bringing existing buyers along, then it’s going to earn a devoted, and loving fanbase.

Finally, with the upgrade finished, there’s the small matter of what users will do with the now discarded mainboard. Framework is offering users open-source plans to build desktop-style enclosures for the boards to encourage re-use, and hobbyists are already using them as the basis of their own super-cool modding projects. GitHub user Penk, for instance, has built this retro Mainboard Terminal that looks like it’s fallen out the back of a copy of Fallout. If I didn’t have to send all of this back, and I had any sort of skill at building things, I’m fairly sure I’d be trying to build something super-cool myself.

And perhaps that’s the other gift that Framework can keep giving: the notion that users should feel empowered to get their hands dirty after being told that their machines have been off limits for so long.

The first season of Netflix's "The Sandman" is hitting screens on August 5, 2022, and fans of the beloved comic series are already hyped. The 11-episode season is expected to cover at least the first two books of the beloved comic series, and hopefully -- assuming Netflix doesn't cancel the show like they cancel nearly everything else -- it will get around to adapting the rest of the series. We already know from "American Gods" and "Coraline" that Neil Gaiman's works often make for amazing adaptations, so fingers crossed that "The Sandman" will be another lovely experience.

With that in mind, it's worth looking back at the best characters from the comics, many of whom are expected to show up as early as season 1. There are hundreds of memorable characters in the groundbreaking series, but here are 10 that made a particularly lasting impression. 

Matthew Cable

Matthew was once a human who died while in a coma and was given the opportunity by Dream to continue living, but only as a raven. Matthew said yes, and spends the rest of the series as Dream's trusted loyal companion. He's rarely the main focus of any particular storyline, but he's a constant welcome presence as one of the few people within the Dreaming who remembers and understands what it's like to be a regular human. He's basically the audience surrogate throughout "Brief Lives," especially when he's trying in vain to teach Delirium how to drive safely.

Perhaps the best thing about Matthew is how cool he is. When he's told that a man has fallen victim to a spell that permanently makes him think he's got insects crawling over him, his response is a calm, "Bugs. Yeah. I been there." But his shining moment is in "The Kindly Ones," where he refuses to leave Dream's side as he goes on his final perilous journey. "Go knock 'em dead," he tells Dream.

In the TV series, Matthew will be voiced by Patton Oswalt, who was a massive fan of the comics even back when they were first coming out. Neil Gaiman explained the rationale behind the hiring process, saying that they were looking for a voice actor "who could make you care about a dead person who was now a bird in the Dreaming — one who isn't certain what's going on, or whether any of this is a good idea."

Hob Gadling

A consistent recurring character throughout the series, Hob Gadling is a man who claimed that dying is for chumps. "The only reason people die is because everyone does it," he once said. "You all just go along with it. It's rubbish, death." Dream overhears him saying this back in a 14th-century pub, and decides to make him an offer: Hob can live for as long as he wants, just as long as he and Dream get to meet up every hundred years to talk about it. 

So, Hob gets a taste of immortality, suffering through wars, plagues, famine, and so on. He grows wiser and more jaded, and everyone he knows and loves inevitably dies, but throughout the series, he still never changes his initial stance about death. After over five hundred years, he still accepts Dream's offer of eternal life. 

Hob's not perfect by any means -- he participates in the slave trade for one, which the series never truly lets us forget -- but he's interesting because of how much he subverts the expectations behind this kind of story. Nearly every other narrative about a mortal granted immortality ends with the character begging for death, but that never happens here. Hob appreciates the gift of life every step of the way. 

Hob will be played by Ferdinand Kingsley in the Netflix series, whose portrayal Gaiman describes as being "exactly the thing and the performance that I had in my head 35 years ago ... It's just like, 'Oh, there you go, there's Hob Gadling.'"

Rose Walker

Rose first shows up in volume 2, "The Doll's House," which is also where the "Sandman" series truly becomes the one fans know and love. After the aggressively weird and somewhat disjointed opening book, "Preludes and Nocturnes," the second volume is one that centers primarily around a normal human character. With so much of the series focused around gods and monsters, it's hard not to cling to the few mortals who occasionally get to take center stage. 

With that in mind, Rose is the perfect person for this role: she's a relatable, everyday person who gets caught in a conflict far bigger than she could ever imagine or even understand. Despite all that, she doesn't lose sight of her goal to find her missing little brother. She's also fun in that she's remarkably willing to shake off strange, otherworldly behavior. She briefly ends up moving into a house full of extremely eccentric people, and she manages to make the best of it. 

Rose's main story is over after "The Doll's House," but she does show up again throughout the rest of the series, most notably in "The Kindly Ones" where it's revealed she hasn't aged at all since the events of volume 2. Throughout it all, she remains one of the most likable and compelling human characters in the whole series. 

Rose will be played by Kyo Ra, with this being the actress's debut performance. "We needed someone young who could make you care as she ventures into some very dangerous places," Gaiman explained about the casting choice. "Kyo Ra achieves that as Rose."

Barbie

Volume 5 of the series, "A Game of You," is another book that focuses primarily on a human character who knows nothing of the supernatural or the seven Endless. Barbie (who first made a few appearances in "The Doll's House,") is a young woman living in a shabby New York apartment building. One of her quirks is that she likes to draw things on her face when going out in public. Another quirk is that she hasn't been able to dream in years. This is a problem for the imaginary friends in the world she used to dream about because it turns out they're in some very real trouble as she's been away.

"A Game of You" centers around Barbie returning to her childhood dream world and surviving the perilous situation with the help of her friends living in her apartment. Barbie's stand-out moment, however, is her treatment of her trans friend Wanda, who dies near the end of the volume. She returns to Wanda's hometown, filled with people who disrespect Wanda's identity at every turn, and after everyone leaves the funeral she crosses out Wanda's deadname on her gravestone. With her lipstick, she writes "WANDA" over it. "Least I could do," she says afterward, but it was still a kind, character-defining moment for her, especially considering when the story was written.

It doesn't look like anyone has been cast yet to play Barbie in the show -- which makes sense, considering she likely won't play a major role until season 2 or 3 -- but it's going to be a lot of fun to see her on-screen when that happens. 

Wanda

"A Game of You" hasn't aged perfectly with its depiction of its queer characters. Neil Gaiman himself said about the storyline, "If I were writing it today, rather than in 1989, when there weren't any trans characters in comics, it would be a different story, I have no doubt." While the volume is clearly sympathetic to Wanda, it can certainly be a little exhausting for modern trans readers, in particular, to watch her identity get disrespected constantly throughout the narrative, even after her death. The use of the bury your gays trope doesn't help things either. 

Yet regardless of how her tragic ending makes you feel, Wanda herself is an undeniably awesome character the whole way through. She's funny, she sticks up for Barbie constantly, and she treats the world with far more compassion than it ever showed her. Gaiman, who from the beginning of his career was including more queer characters in his stories than you'd expect in even today's mainstream works, clearly has a lot of respect for the hardships trans people have to go through, and that shines through in every one of Wanda's scenes.

Like Barbie, Wanda has not been cast yet. So far, it's not clear how the show plans to update her story, but it'll be interesting to see how they pull it off. Wanda's such a cool character, and it's going to be exciting to find out who gets to portray her on-screen for the first time ever. 

Destruction

Making his first appearance in "Brief Lives," Destruction is the last member of the Endless to be introduced. He's unique in that unlike the rest of them, he's abandoned his realm. He's disillusioned with the way the universe works, and he's depressed by how quickly everything changes or dies. All of the Endless are basically immortal, but Destruction's the one who seems to suffer the most as a result, and the fleeting nature of time bothers him more than it bothers the rest of his siblings. 

There's also something beautiful about the way Destruction chooses to live his life after he abandons his post. After accepting that nothing really matters in the grand scheme of things, he dedicates his life to pursuing different types of art like painting, cooking, sculpting, and poetry. He's not good at any of them but it doesn't matter; he's doing it for himself, simply because he wants to. 

Destruction's biggest effect on the series is the way he helps to show how much Dream has changed since the first issue, especially compared to the stories of him from hundreds or thousands of years ago. Destruction remarks that Dream has grown kinder and more empathetic over the years, even more so than Dream knows. 

Considering he's the last of the Endless to show up in the series (not until volume 7), it's unlikely we'll be seeing him on screen for at least another two seasons. But if the comics are anything to go by, he'll be worth the wait. 

Delirium

Delirium is the youngest of the Endless, and she's a lot. She swings wildly from emotion to emotion, and because she often has trouble finding the right word to describe things, she ends up rambling quite a bit. That said, she's still a fun and sympathetic character, in part because of how childlike and defenseless she often is. 

She's not as helpless or as absurd as she seems, however. When one human hurts her feelings in "Brief Lives," she says to him, "I think you'll have invisible insects all over you now for all your life and forever and always," and sure enough, that's exactly what happens to the man. She's also capable of being calm and coherent, but only at times of great stress. Interestingly, Delirium was once known as Delight, but over the years she turned from a consistently cheerful person to someone more manic and unhappy. We never find out exactly why and how she changed, but you always get the sense that her siblings remember Delight, and they treat her kinder than usual because of it. 

Delirium doesn't show up in the comics until volume 4, and as a result, she likely won't be making an appearance in season 1, but you can count on her making her on-screen debut in season 2. Her sweet and chaotic nature will make a welcome addition to the show. 

Desire

The third youngest of the Endless and the twin of the decidedly less-fun Despair, Desire is the embodiment of our innermost urges, and sometimes our urges are cruel. Desire is one of the most human of her siblings, and is able to easily blend in with regular humans as a result. Desire's also nonbinary and often androgynous, changing back and forth between presenting as male, female, or anywhere in between, depending on whatever suits them in the moment.

Desire isn't quite the villain of the series, but they're often a malevolent force, someone constantly stirring up trouble for their older brother. Much like how desire works in the real world, they often don't seem to fully consider the consequences of fulfilling their wants. After spending most of the series trying to get Dream killed, we see Desire showing some remorse in the final volume, even though they've seemingly gotten exactly what they wanted. 

But as immoral and depraved as Desire often is, they're undeniably fun to watch. It's nice to see a fashionable, scene-chewing villainous character, and that's exactly what they are from start to finish. 

Desire will be portrayed by Mason Alexander Park, a non-binary actor who seems perfect for the role. "We had barely started looking when Mason Alexander Park reached out on Twitter, and threw their hat into the ring," Gaiman said. "We were thrilled when they got the part."

Dream

Often going by the name of Morpheus or the Sandman throughout the series, Dream is the second oldest of his siblings, and he's got perhaps the most interesting job out of all of them. He's the embodiment of all of humanity's dreams, and he also lords over the dream realm known as the Dreaming. The best moments in the series are when Dream gets to interact with regular humans. He's often amused by their quirks or annoyed by their self-centered follies, but he's rarely cruel without cause like Desire or even Delirium. And even though he's wise and powerful, he still doesn't understand the basics of the waking human world, as shown in "Brief Lives" when he doesn't seem to understand traffic laws (or police sirens) at all. 

Dream can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, however. For instance, he would rather send his mortal ex-girlfriend to hell for 10,000 years instead of going to therapy. Luckily his older sister eventually sets him straight and he ends up journeying into hell to bring her back, so he is at least capable of changing and improving himself. In fact, Dream grows softer and kinder as the series goes on, and it's ultimately his decision to show his son Orpheus some mercy that leads to his eventual demise. In the end, Dream's strength as a character is that he's both deeply inhuman and relatable at the same time. It makes sense after all: as much as Dream shapes our reality, we collectively shape his. 

Dream will be played by Tom Sturridge in the Netflix series. There were over 1,500 auditions for the part, but Gaiman said the choice was easy: "Having watched all those other auditions, we were able to go to Netflix and say, 'it's Tom.' We know it's Tom."

Death

As Matthew Cable describes her, Death is "the foxy chick with all the hair." In a subversion of the standard humorless grim reaper, Gaiman depicts Death as a friendly goth woman who gently guides people into the afterlife. Death may be sad for the loved ones of the dead and dying, but there's comfort in the knowledge that, as tragic or as gruesome as someone's death in these comics can be, we know they'll get to meet her when it happens, so it can't be that bad. 

She first shows up at the end of "Preludes and Nocturnes" in a standalone story that serves as a welcome respite from all the horror going on throughout the first volume. Straight away, Death is upbeat and full of life. When Dream tries to mope around about how purposeless he feels, she snaps at him, not just over his self-pity but because he never thought to talk to her after his decades-long imprisonment. "Didn't it occur to you that I'd be worried sick about you?" she yells.

In a comic series that goes to some incredibly dark places, Death is often the only source of light. She's also the closest thing the series has to a clear-cut moral center. She's the kindest of all the Seven, and it's always nice to see her. 

Death will be portrayed in the show by Kirby Howell-Baptiste, an actress who's already proven with her previous work that she's more than capable of playing a warm, loving figure. Gaiman described the audition process as them looking for "someone who could speak the truth to Dream, on the one hand, but also be the person you'd want to meet when your life was done on the other. And then we saw Kirby Howell-Baptiste's audition and we knew we had our Death."

Read this next: The 15 Most Anticipated Comic Book Movies And Shows Of 2022, Ranked

The post The 10 Best Sandman Characters, Ranked appeared first on /Film.

There is a Church of the Latter-Day Dude. Although it's "the slowest-growing religion in the world," Dudeism touts non-preachiness and "practices as little as possible." Ordained Dude ministers can preside over special celebrations, sip on White Russians, and, above all, abide. Such is the impact of "The Big Lebowski," Joel and Ethan Coen's 1998 black comedy about a dude and his rug. The title refers to Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), a millionaire who happens to have the same name as The Dude, played by Jeff Bridges. The Dude takes a beating from thugs due to this mistaken identity (and his rug is ruined), and he is later enlisted to deliver a ransom for the "big" Lebowski's kidnapped trophy wife. There are many players on the stage, including frequent Coen brothers collaborators John Goodman, John Turturro, and Steve Buscemi, but The Dude is the star of the show.

Bridges has enjoyed an illustrious career spanning seven decades, picking up an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his performance in 2009's "Crazy Heart," among a handful of further nominations, but his casting in "Lebowski" puzzled the "Iron Man" star. Looking back on his career, Bridges told Vanity Fair:

"[The Coen brothers] said, 'Jeff, we've written something for you, man!' I said, 'Oh, wonderful!' I was a big fan of their, you know, 'Blood Simple,' and their early stuff. And then I got the script and I said, 'Wow, you guys must have been spying on me in some of my, you know, high school days or something. This is, you know, wonderful. It's nothing like I've ever played before, I don't know why you've got me in mind!' But I'm sure glad they did, because that's, it's a wonderful film. Those guys are masters, they know how to do it."

... Everything Is Just, Just Right.

Jeff Bridges spoke to the calm climate on the "Lebowski" film set, but wondered how Joel and Ethan Cohen managed it, siblings being siblings and whatnot. He loves the movie as much as anyone else, but how did they avoid a daily Gallagher brothers-level blowout? The answer, Bridges explained, is in simply pre-working out their opinions, man:

"Every scene, it's so chock-full with great stuff. They write together, and I remember asking them, I think Joel, I said, 'How do you guys write and direct together? I love my brother Bo but I think, God, I think that would be kind of a nightmare, because we all have these different opinions.' And I think they said something like, 'Well, we work it out in the writing time when we're writing it, so when we actually are there shooting it, we've ironed out all our differences.' And they create a very, very relaxed atmosphere. They're a great audience too, which is helpful for actors. ... It's just a really good movie. And all the characters, and the way everything is executed, from the set design to the wardrobe, everything is just, just right."

The brothers affirmed to Collider that they actually enjoy the process over the result. "We are never going to enjoy watching the movie," said Ethan. It's a shame they can't. "The Big Lebowski" appeals to academics searching for meaning and allegory, and to the unwashed masses who appreciate the film's copious use of swears (averaging 2.4 F-bombs per minute!). But Bridges' Dude, aimless as he is, really ties the movie together.

Read this next: The Best Movies Streaming Right Now: Malignant, A Hero, And More

The post Jeff Bridges Was A Little Confused About His Big Lebowski Casting appeared first on /Film.

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The Intel Arc A380 isn't the fastest GPU around, but overclocking the newcomer could significantly boost performance in games like Doom Eternal, Cyberpunk 2077 and God of War.

RELATED LINKS: Arc Alchemist GPUs - everything we know, Raptor Lake CPUs - everything we know, Best gaming CPU

A never-before-seen Linux malware has been dubbed a "Swiss Army Knife" for its modular architecture and its capability to install rootkits. This previously undetected Linux threat, called Lightning Framework by Intezer, is equipped with a plethora of features, making it one of the most intricate frameworks developed for targeting Linux systems. "The framework has both passive and active

Nope, director Jordan Peele's latest science-fiction/horror offering, finds the filmmaker attempting to balance his trademark penchant for social commentary with a much grander visual spectacle than he's ever attempted. While he's pretty solidly successful in the latter, the former is a bit murkier, with meaning often hidden a layer or two deeper than many will be interested in looking. OJ (Daniel Kaluuya), along with his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer), are the last scions of a dynasty of Hollywood horse trainers, the Haywoods, who can trace their lineage back to the very first assemblage of images ever to be put in motion. That two-second loop, of a horse running with a black jockey (the siblings’ great-great-great-great grandfather), has defined their identities for their entire lives. When...

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The animated series "Primal" had creator Genndy Tartakovsky ("Samurai Jack," "Dexter's Laboratory") bring a visceral, vicious, and visually stunning story to Adult Swim. The series follows a Neanderthal and a Tyrannosaurus, both struggling to survive in a dangerous world after the sudden loss of their families. Whether it's other deadly dinosaurs and gnarly creatures or a terrifying mystical cult, there are endless dangers for the characters dubbed Spear and Fang. But you'll probably never hear these names uttered in the series, because it's a dialogue-free show filled with primal sounds and an incredible score. 

After the first season concluded with Spear and Fang encountering a new character, one who could change the entire dynamic of the series, "Primal" is picking up where it left off, and it's deadlier than ever. In fact, the battles that Spear and Fang get into in the upcoming second season took things to a whole new level -- so much that they almost "broke the studio," according to Tartakovsky himself.

If you'd prefer to avoid knowing any details about the first couple episodes of "Primal" season 2, then this is your last chance to turn away.

A Whole New World

"Primal" season 2 opens by following Spear and Fang as they set off to track down Mira (Laetitia Eido-Mollon), the enslaved Homo sapien who was abducted in the first season finale and led to Spear speaking her name as his first line of dialogue. In their pursuit, Spear and Fang take to the sea, where plenty of adventure and new dangers await. The two encounter a sea turtle and a shark, each proving to be threatening in their own way. As Tartakovsky recalled to IndieWire:

"That whole [first] episode thematically is about going into a new world, so in the middle there's more of this metaphysical, existential type of going through the night [on the raft at sea]. And then they end up in a storm and being attacked by a shark. That was my first storyboard after doing the first season, and we knew what to focus on with more confidence because the relationship [between Spear and Fang] was working."

'I Never Would've Attempted This In The Old Days'

The relationship between Spear and Fang is the driving force of "Primal." What started as an unlikely alliance has turned into a trusting friendship. With that dynamic standing strong, Tartakovsky was able to shift focus to escalating the drama and action, especially when it comes to the perils awaiting them at every turn. Tartakovsky pinpointed one particular challenge the studio had early in this season:

"The bigger thing was the storm and shark hitting at the same time in an escalating danger. Each one is difficult on its own in animation, but when you throw all these things together it becomes complex to pull off. I never would've attempted this in the old days."

And that's just the beginning of the season. These two unlikely companions have already been through hell, but there's much more to come. Tartakovsky added, "There are a number of episodes where there are eight to 10-minute fight sequences, and each one of those almost broke the studio." Knowing that they're pushing the limits of what the studio is capable of only gets me more excited to see the further adventures of Spear and Fang.

"Primal" season 2 returns to Adult Swim on July 21, 2022, and the next day on HBO Max.

Read this next: The Best Adult Animation Of 2021

The post The Fight Sequences in Primal Season 2 'Almost Broke the Studio' appeared first on /Film.

Peele hopped on Twitter to shift the spotlight to another horror legend.

I took a botany class once, which involved a literal field trip: walking around a wildflower meadow for hours in the summer heat. There was no shade, no breeze, just sweltering misery. But when my carpool partner and I got back to the car, I had a surprise: I had packed an insulated lunchbox with an ice pack, and a…

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Google’s midrange A phones have quickly become some of the most anticipated launches each year. Like its predecessors, the Pixel 6a is a sub-$500 handset that offers excellent cameras, performance and battery life. This year’s model moves the series over to Google’s own Tensor chip, and brings over the two-tone color scheme and camera bar the company debuted on its flagships last year. With so many similarities to its higher-end siblings, the $449 Pixel 6a feels less like the budget option and more like a smaller version of Google’s best phone.

Design

Similar to recent A-series Pixels, the 6a is basically a scaled-back clone of the company’s flagships. This time, though, Google didn’t skimp on the color options for its budget handset. In addition to white and black, the Pixel 6a comes in sage as well. It has a two-tone palette similar to the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, with a black horizontal camera bar about an inch from the top. The top strip is a paler pastel green, while the rest of the rear is a darker, more muted shade that’s similar to the Pixel 5.

I prefer the mintier color of the Pixel 6, but the 6a’s version is pretty enough. At least the camera bar protrudes less, and the Pixel 6a doesn’t wobble when placed face up on a surface. It’s also rated IP67 for water and dust protection, though I thankfully have yet to drop my review unit or get it wet. I do wish it had Gorilla Glass Victus protecting its screen like its flagship counterparts, but it at least is covered by Gorilla Glass 3. I also wish this thing had a headphone jack like the Pixel 5a, but unfortunately Google saw fit to remove it this year.

Sam Rutherford / Engadget

Though it’s not much smaller than the Pixel 6, the 6a is noticeably lighter and easier to maneuver with one hand. To be specific, the 6a is about 30 grams (or 1 ounce) lighter, but it also has a smaller 6.1-inch screen. Meanwhile, the Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch display and is a whole 0.05 inches thicker.

In terms of size the Pixel 6a feels like a happy medium, weighing in at 6.3 ounces (178 grams) with a 6.1-inch screen. The latest iPhone SE has a tiny 4.7-inch panel and correspondingly weighs a mere 5.09 ounces (144 grams) while the Samsung Galaxy A53, with its 6.5-inch display, comes in at 6.66 ounces (189 grams).

Display and audio

With a 2,400 x 1,080 resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio, the Pixel 6a’s OLED delivers a higher pixel density than the Pixel 6. But it also refreshes at just 60Hz, while the 6 and 6 Pro go up to 90Hz and 120Hz respectively.

Sam Rutherford / Engadget

So, while photos, wallpapers, icons and text all look as crisp and vivid on the Pixel 6a as on Google’s higher-end phones, when it comes to scrolling and games the 6a can feel sluggish. High refresh rates aren’t unheard of on midrange phones, either. The Galaxy A53, for example, can get up to 120Hz, though to be fair the iPhone SE is also stuck at 60Hz.

I did find it slightly easier to read things on the iPhone SE under sunlight, though the Pixel 6a wasn’t too difficult to see. Indoors, the Pixel 6a was vibrant and sharp, and I enjoyed watching Instagram Stories and ogling gorgeous landscapes on it.

I also didn’t mind playing music on the Pixel 6a. Its stereo speakers did a decent job of delivering clear vocals and instrumentals on songs like Ariana Grande’s No Tears Left To Cry, though like most smartphones it lacks bass. I used the Pixel 6a and iPhone SE to record a rendition of U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, and Google’s handset was better at prioritizing my voice over ambient noise, too.

Cameras

Google has long excelled at photography, and the Pixel 6a is a continuation of that tradition. Its pair of 12-megapixel rear cameras and 8-MP front sensor took bright, colorful pictures that rivaled those from more expensive phones.

Details like window panes and individual blades of grass were crisp, and Google continues to deliver superior images in low light. Frankly, at this price, there is no better camera for nighttime photography. Thanks in large part to Night Sight, the Pixel 6a generally captured brighter images in extremely dim environments, retaining greater detail even in shadows. The stationary bicycles in an exercise room at night were clearer in shots from the Pixel 6a than those from the iPhone SE, and I could even read the words on a sign in Google’s version. Apple’s decision to cut the night mode on its budget phone puts it at a real disadvantage here.

Compared to the iPhone SE, the Pixel 6a’s pictures tended to have lower contrast and less-saturated colors. Apple also produces better dynamic range, and it was hard to pick my favorite images between the two.

Google has the upper hand when it comes to versatility, though. Since it has an additional ultrawide lens (compared to the iPhone’s solo rear camera), the Pixel 6a made it possible to zoom out to grab expansive landscapes. And though it doesn’t have a telephoto lens, Google’s viewfinder interface makes zooming into distant subjects easier. Instead of having to pinch on the iPhone, you can switch between preset distances like 0.6x, 1x and 2x just by tapping the onscreen buttons.

I also preferred Google’s Portrait mode, which let me get closer to subjects and applied a shallower depth of field. Both the iPhone and the Pixel took selfies of similar quality, and the differences between them came down to very slight variations in color temperature. Given Google and Apple use 8-MP and 7MP sensors respectively, the similarity in sharpness isn’t surprising.

Despite having the sharpest cameras, the Galaxy A53 delivered photos that were close in quality to the Pixel 6a and iPhone SE. Its 32-MP front camera and primary 64-MP sensor on the back didn’t result in crisper images. Compared to the Pixel and iPhone, though, the Galaxy A53’s camera was noticeably slower and struggled to capture multiple shots in rapid succession.

Though Google did equip the Pixel 6a with some of the tools found on its flagships, like Magic Eraser to edit away photobombers, for example, features like Action Pan and Long Exposure are absent. That’s fine by me, since Magic Eraser is the most useful of the lot, and works as well on the 6a as on the Pro. You also get the ability to shoot in RAW, which you can’t do on the iPhone SE.

Sam Rutherford / Engadget

Performance, fingerprint sensor and in use

As the first A-series phone using Google’s own Tensor chip, the Pixel 6a’s performance should be pretty similar to its flagship siblings. In general, this was true — the 6a barely stuttered when jumping between games, editing photos, browsing Instagram and shooting videos. Just like my Pixel 6 Pro, though, the 6a tended to run warm when playing casual games such as HK Mahjong or the New York Times Crossword for more than 15 minutes. It never got alarmingly hot, but I did want to put it down after a while.

Occasionally, the Pixel 6a would take a few seconds to display information in an app, but that mostly happened in the first hours after I set up the phone, so I’ll chalk that up to early loading issues. I’m more concerned about the long-term stability of the Pixel 6a’s software, especially given all the problems plaguing the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro since they launched. I haven’t encountered anything major during my testing, but most of the bugs on the other two only started showing up weeks after our review period.

For now, I can only say the software behaves as expected, and that Google supports up to five years of Pixel updates. Switching wallpapers and applying new system-wide color schemes generated by Android happened without significant delay, and everything I enjoy about Pixel UI is here. I love being able to just tell my phone “Stop” to silence it when an alarm is going off. (Though, on my Pixel 6 Pro this usually takes around three increasingly frustrated attempts until I’m screaming at the phone.) I also appreciate Assistant features like Call Screening and Hold For Me, which make the excruciating experience of being on the phone a lot less painful.

Sam Rutherford / Engadget

Maybe I’ve grown used to the Pixel 6 Pro’s sluggish, in-display fingerprint sensor, but the Pixel 6a’s scanner didn’t feel as tricky. It’s still slower than Samsung’s, but it’s serviceable.

Battery life

The A-series has long stood out for excellent battery life, and once again, the 6a is a winner. It clocked a whopping 19 hours and 10 minutes on our video rundown test, which is shorter than the Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, and Galaxy A53, but still hours longer than the iPhone SE.

While the iPhone SE offers wireless charging, unfortunately the Pixel 6a doesn’t. It also only supports fast charging with wired 18W chargers. The good news is though, the 6a is also compatible with the M3/T4 hearing aid standard, as well as sub-6 and mmWave 5G.

Sam Rutherford / Engadget

Wrap-up

I think it’s time we stopped seeing the Pixel A series as a “budget” line. With its refined design, powerful processor and satisfying cameras, there are more similarities than differences between the 6a and its flagship siblings. It is easily one of the best phones for the money. Yes, it would be nice to get a faster, brighter screen and wireless charging, but those aren’t a given on a midranger. If you can’t live without a higher refresh rate and can spend no more than $500, the Galaxy A53 is an alternative, though be warned that its performance is questionable. In the US, there is no better Android phone under $500 than the Pixel 6a.

Key specs

Spec	Pixel 6a
Display	6.1-inch 2,400 x 1,080 (20:9) OLED, 429ppi, 60Hz
Dimensions	6.0 x 2.8 x 0.35 inches / 152.2 x 71.8 x 8.9 mm; 6.3 oz / 178 grams
Processor and Storage	Google Tensor; 6GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128GB (UFS 3.1) storage
Rear cameras	12.2MP main dual-pixel camera, f/1.7 aperture with 77-degree FOV, 12MP ultrawide camera, f/2.2 aperture with 114-degree FOV.
Front camera	8MP, f/2.0, 84-degree FOV
Battery	4,400mAh battery, 18W wired charging (0.8c)
Sensors and connectivity	Fingerprint Unlock with under-display fingerprint sensor, NFC, WiFi 6 and 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
Water resistance	IP67
Rating for hearing aids	M3, T4

 

In the current world of non-stop superhero movies and TV shows that all seem to take themselves far too seriously, the vulgar, violent, unapologetically silly "Harley Quinn" can seem like a breath of fresh air. At times, the show feels like it only exists to relentlessly mock all-things DC Comics. The world of Batman and company hasn't been this goofy since the Adam West era, and that's not a complaint — we need comic book entertainment like this; titles that are willing to point and laugh and say, "It's okay to lighten up a little." Of course, "Harley Quinn," like its titular anti-heroine, can also be a bit much. The show's mix of ultra-violence and over-hyper comedy can wear you down if you're not in the right mindset. Harley is truly an agent of chaos, and watching her run amock while voiced with shrieking glee by Kaley Cuoco can grate if you're not in the mood.

But "Harley" has been gone for a while, and fans will no doubt be ready for her return. The second season of the animated series, which aired on the already forgotten streaming service DC Universe (season 3 has made the jump to HBO Max) ended with Harley and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell, the real MVP of the series) finally proclaiming their love for one another — right as Ivy was about to marry pathetic (but kind) supervillain Kite Man. 

Season 3 picks up with Harley and Ivy in the full swing of their relationship, embarking on what they've dubbed the "eat, bang, kill" tour — full of, you guessed it, eating, banging, and killing. The two are very much in love, but their relationship isn't exactly going to be smooth sailing. Usually, to create conflict, show writers will quickly break up a couple just as quickly as they brought them together, especially when the slightest hint of discomfort arises between the pair. Thankfully, "Harley" doesn't go down that road. Yes, Harley and Ivy go through several relationship problems throughout the new season, but there's never a moment where those situations result in a breakup. Instead, the characters find a way to work through their issues, which is surprisingly mature for a show this, well ... immature. 

Orgies, Movies, And Terraforming

"Harley Quinn" season 3 begins in a honeymoon phase for Harley and Ivy, with the two flying around the world (in Wonder Woman's invisible jet), getting into mischief, and having lots and lots of sex. But eventually, every honeymoon period ends. Ivy decides she wants to terraform Gotham, covering it in plants and getting rid of most of humanity (and hey, can you blame her?). Harley, the ever-supportive girlfriend, says she has Ivy's back. But it becomes clear rather quickly (if it wasn't clear already) that these two supervillains aren't cut from the same cloth. Ivy is (mostly) calm and focused, and doesn't even consider herself a villain, while Harley is a bouncing ball of killer mayhem — while Ivy is prone to meditate, Ivy can't sit still or quiet for very long, and these contrasting, conflicting personalities begin to clash. 

Meanwhile, the other familiar Gotham residents engage in their own subplots. Batman (Diedrich Bader) is still grappling with his parents' deaths — so much so that an episode where Harley and Ivy enter Batman's mind reveals that the only thing Batman thinks about, over and over and over again, is his parents being gunned down. There's also a Thomas Wayne movie being directed by James Gunn (who voices himself), and starring Billy Bob Thornton (who also voices himself ... at least at first). "Haven't they exploited that poor rich Wayne family enough?" Batman says at one point. "Every few years there's a new movie depicting the Waynes' murder. We get it!" It's a not-so-subtle jab at the fact that there have been a lot of Batman movies, and almost all of them feel the need to show us the Waynes being gunned down in Crime Alley. (The new movie, by the way, is called "A Hard Wayne's Gonna Fall.")

The increasingly pathetic Jim Gordon (a very funny Christopher Meloni) is running for mayor with the help of campaign manager Two-Face (Andy Daly), while Joker (Alan Tudyk) has settled down to become a family man with a wife and two step-children. But Joker can't stay settled for long, and soon plans to run for mayor, too. All the while, Clayface (also Tudyk) continues to chase his dreams of stardom while King Shark (Ron Funches) has to deal with troubles in his underwater kingdom. Throw in cameos from characters like Swamp Thing (Sam Richardson), a budding romance between Riddler and Clock King, and the Court of Owls being presented exactly like the sex orgy group from "Eyes Wide Shut," and you have yourself a pretty jam-packed season. 

A Milkshake Of Mayhem

In fact, there are times when the show feels too jam-packed. "Harley Quinn" is so overloaded and so over-hyper that it can start to burn you out (I recommend watching the season in pieces instead of binging it all at once, as I did to write this review). Cuoco's Harley is lovable, but to truly underscore how different Harley and Ivy are, temperament-wise, Cuoco has dialed her voice performance up to 11. There's not a single episode that goes by where she's not shrieking or screaming. The series also takes a "gag-a-minute" approach to its comedy, never relenting with its jokes. That type of oversaturation often leads to a lot of lines that fall flat among several that really kill. Bane (voiced by James Adomian, doing a killer impression of Tom Hardy's take on the character) remains a series highlight, and he has a genuinely funny arc about being mad at Harley and Ivy for not returning the pasta maker he bought Ivy as a wedding present. Then there are great little gags, like Joker dancing down the steps of his house exactly like Joaquin Phoenix in "Joker." Joker also runs for mayor as a socialist, with a platform that actually sounds helpful to Gotham. 

The Riddler runs a deadly escape room, there's a mouse-family version of the Waynes, and there's a wonderful, quick bit, where characters confuse Joe Chill, the hoodlum who killed Batman's parents, with both Joe Cool (which is a version of Snoopy) and Joe Camel, the former cigarette mascot. The best line of the season, though, goes to Jim Gordon, who, when asked why he hasn't gotten an endorsement for mayor from Henry Kissinger, replies: "That piece of s*** isn't dead yet? God really doesn't exist."

At the center of it all is the queer love story between Harley and Ivy. The way the show handles their love is sweet, even when conflicts arise. And the fact that these two characters find ways to work through their problems and only grow as a couple makes it all the more rewarding. Long live Harlivy (their official 'ship name, although Ivy points out that "Hivy" would sound better).

But the best thing about "Harley Quinn" is flexibility. The animation allows the series to play around with form and style — there's a fake sitcom based on the Joker's life at one point, and the trip into Batman's mind recreates the art-deco backgrounds of "Batman: The Animated Series." The show's insistence on not playing by the rules — iconic Batman characters are flat-out murdered constantly over the show's three-season run — also keeps it feeling both fresh and unpredictable. There's a sense that the writers can do literally anything here; anything at all. There are no consequences. There's just a glut of chaos and insanity with smart quips, silly gags, and crude humor mixing together, into a big, sloppy, calorie-heavy, and highly enjoyable milkshake of mayhem. 

"Harley Quinn" season 3 premiers on HBO Max on July 28, 2022, followed by one episode weekly through September 15, 2022.

Read this next: 13 Box Office Bombs That Are Truly Worth A Watch

The post Harley Quinn Season 3 Review: Harley and Ivy's Love Story Takes Center Stage in the Latest Season of the Irreverent Send Up of All-Things DC appeared first on /Film.

The great Bruce Lee in this 1965 interview:

"Well, it's bad to say the best, but in my opinion, I think Kung Fu is pretty good….[To explain] Kung Fu, the best example would be a glass of water. Why? Because water is the softest substance in the world, but yet it can penetrate the hardest rock… Water also is insubstantial. — Read the rest

After four hours with Saints Row, it's funny being back in the present. I have a gaming PC! Bills to pay! A smartphone that recognises my face! Grey hairs! I say all this because Saints Row - not to be confused with Saints Row yet also to be confused with Saints Row - whisked me back to the early 2000s, when I was but a naïve teenager whose life largely pivoted around their Xbox 360. A time when Saints Row and Saints Row 2 were lighthearted Grand Theft Auto alternatives, then Saints Row: The Third came along and cranked up the silliness, and then Saints Row 4 grabbed the lever and cranked it so hard it snapped. So, yes, this year's Saints Row reboot is technically Saints Row 5, except it’s more of a careful reboot. Where does it really sit on the timeline? At both ends, I reckon.

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Alien abductions aren’t in the zeitgeist they were in the ‘90s, when The X-Files propelled little green (or gray) men into the pop culture mainstream. The age of the cell phone has highlighted the dubiousness of the idea that flying saucers are constantly buzzing the earth on the hunt for human rectums to probe: with…

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Over 50+ years, Jeff Bridges has played Dudes and despoilers, Starmen and Old Men. From "The Last Picture Show" up to "Bad Times at the El Royale," Bridges has secured reverence as one of the country's finest actors. The American photographer, writer, and musician has avoided typecasting by touring a full spectrum of film and tv roles, diving into anything that told a good story and switched up who he would portray. He's also known as one of the most laid-back guys in the business; not necessarily a person you'd think of as adhering to self-imposed work guidelines. Looking back over his career, Bridges tells Vanity Fair that his latest work, adapted FX series "The Old Man," had him breaking his own rules when it came to meeting with the creators beforehand:

"I read the script and I read the book, and those started to entice me. And I said, 'Jeff, you know, the next step is you gotta meet with the creators of these things." And I'm having conversations with myself and I say, 'Yeah, but you know, you don't like to meet with those guys, because their dreams can be contagious, man, and you're gonna get sucked into their thing.' I said, 'Yeah, but I like the script. I like the story, that's your next step.' And I said, 'Okay.'"

Bridges added:

"So I met with John Steinberg and Warren Littlefield and Dan Shots, and they got me, man. I caught their dream. I caught their dream and I said, 'Oh these guys, they can do it. They know what's needed, and they're prepared to bring that to the party.'"

I Know If I Do This, I Won't Be Able To Do That.

In "The Old Man," Bridges plays former CIA operative Dan Chase, whose peaceful unplugged solitude in upstate New York is upended by a home invasion. After he shoots an intruder, Chase is on the run, with a trio of government agents (played by John Lithgow, E. J. Bonilla, and Alia Shawkat) and a hitman (Gbenga Akinnagbe) on his trail. Bridges has praise for the cast and crew alike:

"Everybody started to come together and exceed your expectations. You always have high hopes, and then when it comes together, to be pleasantly surprised, it's better than I thought. That's what keeps you coming back. They cast these master stunt coordinators, Henry Kingi and Tim Connolly, and these guys, they knew how to make it look real. They were experts in their field, masters."

Once he's on board, it seems that Bridges abides and contributes to the best kind of creative environment — an appreciative one. So why doesn't interest in a script immediately lead to a meeting with storytellers? Bridges elaborated to VF:

"I resist engaging in projects, do my best not to, because I know if I do this, I won't be able to do that. And I don't even know what that is, but I want to – it's something about surrendering what you don't know is gonna happen. That's a challenge for me, but I've been, I've been very fortunate. I've touched a lot of stuff I wanted to touch on."

For a career he wasn't even sure he wanted at first, Jeff Bridges sure has his project-choosing process down pat. But the rule-bending has paid off in a pensive thriller that's getting rave reviews in its first season, with Bridges getting shout-outs for his subtle, nuanced performance. "The Old Man" is available to stream on Hulu.

Read this next: Every Ridley Scott Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

The post The Old Man's Script Was Good Enough For Jeff Bridges To Break His Own Rules appeared first on /Film.

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is a film filled to the brim with colorful characters. You've got the titular sorcerer (Benedict Cumberbatch), the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong), and Michael Stuhlbarg wearing one of the crustiest wigs you've ever seen. 

However, you can forget about all of those characters right now. None of them come close to the man, the myth, the legend known as Pizza Poppa, played by Sam Raimi's best friend, Bruce Campbell. As soon as he appeared on screen, it was like every world in the multiverse finally was at peace, if only for a moment's time. Am I exaggerating for comic relief? Am I being deadly serious? The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Campbell's appearance in the film came as no surprise to anyone who is a fan of Raimi's work. The actor has had either major roles or cameo appearances in nearly all of his movies dating back to the late 1970s. However, if the stars had aligned differently, Pizza Poppa might not have been in the final cut of "Multiverse of Madness," according to the latest "Marvel Studios: Assembled" documentary on Disney+.

Pizza Poppa Always Gets Paid

According to Campbell, he was going to appear in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" no matter what. He credits the threats by himself and Raimi to "the head of Marvel" (presumably Kevin Feige) for his casting in the film. While that secured him a spot on set, it didn't guarantee that he would make it into the movie. Several major cameos were cut from "Thor: Love and Thunder," and Pizza Poppa almost met the same fate.

"He was actually on the cutting room floor for a while," editor Bob Murawski explains in "Assembled." "But we ended up putting him back in at the last minute."

It was already bad enough that Sam's other collaborator, his brother Ted, wasn't in the film; cutting Campbell's Pizza Poppa from "Multiverse of Madness" would have been a crime. As previously stated, the two have frequently worked together for decades, with both of them first finding success in Raimi's ultra-low budget breakout "The Evil Dead." Not only that, but Campbell is synonymous with everything that makes Raimi distinct as a filmmaker; he's brash, physical, and oh-so-charming. Without his presence, "Multiverse of Madness" might have felt like just another Marvel movie, albeit with more violence and cooler shot framing.

Interested in learning more about the production of the latest "Doctor Strange" film? "Assembled: The Making of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is now available on Disney+.

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

The post Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Almost Cut Its Best Character appeared first on /Film.

From page to screen, Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings," his prequel follow-up trilogy "The Hobbit," and now Prime Video's upcoming "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" series all represent the lasting legacy of Tolkien's vivid imagination ... one buoyed, in no small part, by the pitch-perfect cast of stars (and, at the time, stars in the making) who played invaluable roles in bringing such unforgettable characters to life.

But even amid high drama and operatic feats, audiences gravitated towards two of the unlikeliest of heroes. It was hard to mistake Elijah Wood's Frodo Baggins and Sean Astin's Samwise Gamgee as anything other than the heart and soul of "The Lord of the Rings," but Dominic Monaghan as Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck and Billy Boyd as Peregrin "Pippin" Took easily embodied the lifeblood of courage and humor running through the story's veins. This week, I was fortunate enough to talk to Monaghan and Boyd, both of whom have traded in their cloaks and swords for a microphone with their ongoing "The Friendship Onion" podcast series.

With San Diego Comic-Con in full swing and set to deliver a highly-anticipated "Rings of Power" panel, the actors were gracious enough to indulge my questions about their own Comic-Con memories (both the good and the bad), the lasting legacy of "The Lord of the Rings," the state of fandom these days, and, most importantly, whether "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" will ever receive a sequel.

'The Lord Of The Rings Will Always Be A Huge Part Of Our Lives'

One thing I really appreciate about your podcast is how it's not necessarily "The Lord of the Rings"-focused. Obviously, you guys have your trivia games, you answer fan questions about the trilogy, and you're super cool about it all. But did you make a conscious choice not to make it specifically focused on "The Lord the Rings" all the time, so you could talk about your other passions?

Boyd: Yeah, actually it was. Well, I think both of us think this way, but I don't want to speak for Dom on it.

Monaghan: No, please.

Boyd: [Laughs] I feel like sometimes things are getting very specific in everything, but certainly in podcasting. It's like, this podcast is specifically this tiny little thing, and life isn't like that. Dom and I have a lot of interest and passions and obviously "The Lord of the Rings" will always be a huge part of our lives. It's how we met and how our friendship started and it's always going to be part of the podcast.But also, today we had a retro gamer on because we're getting into video games again and talking about the old video games, or we'll be talking to an astronaut because we're talking about space one week. It can be anything, and I think it's wrong to narrow things down. And hopefully the audience will stay with us as we explore lots of interests and passions.

Monaghan: Yeah. I think it does potentially get a little limited if we're only talking about "The Lord of the Rings," but we invariably will here and there.The other thing is that I think one of the major things that Billy and I agreed on when we were trying to put together the show was we wanted it to feel for the audience as if they are kind of eavesdropping on a couple of friends in a pub or sat around just having a chat about nothing in particular, so that in that hour you can just relax, take it easy, have a cup of tea, not worry about what's happened or what's going to happen ... we wanted it to feel casual. We wanted it to feel like it could go anywhere, and hopefully that's what we're continuing to achieve as a vibe.

'All Four Of Us Together'

Here's a much broader question for you guys: It's been over 20 years since "The Fellowship of the Ring" debuted. What's life after "The Lord of the Rings" been like?

Monaghan: Wow. I mean, what's the last 20 years of our life like? I think, certainly if you're looking at it from a career point of view, you can kind of plot your career on, "This was what I was doing as an actor pre-'The Lord of the Rings,' and then this was what was happening post-'The Lord of the Rings,'" because obviously it's an extremely influential project in our lives as actors. But I think we're still doing the same things, still exploring the same thing as actors: Trying to do different things, looking for characters that are well-rounded and interesting and maybe different from something that we've played before. You could argue that maybe we have had more opportunities since "The Lord the Rings," but as actors, I still think we approach our lives and our careers in the same way.

Like you said, you've both been acting consistently in the years since then. But it's not like "The Lord the Rings" was a part of your life and then you just sort of moved on from that, put that in the past. For example, I believe you two met up recently with Sean Astin and Elijah Wood?

Boyd: These comic conventions that in 20 years since we've made the movies, we've never done one together, all four of us, and met the fans and said hello and stuff. Someone came to us and had that idea to do a sort of Hobbit get-together and do a show. It's been really fun so we're doing six of them this year, different cities -- Toronto, Boston, Dallas -- and it's been great. Dom had the idea, which is maybe his only ever good idea...Monaghan: Thank you.Boyd: ... that we always meet up on the Friday before the Saturday show and have dinner somewhere really nice in that city. We've just been kind of catching up. And obviously I see Dom every week because of the podcast. I see Elijah, I see Sean, but all four of us together is something we haven't done for a long time. It's been truly wonderful. It's been great.

'That Fandom Has Become The Most Fervent, The Most Passionate'

Folks always say that there'll never be another event like "The Lord of the Rings." Maybe to a certain extent that's true, especially for you, where that was such a vital part of your lives. Without pitting one thing against the other or anything, do you think that's true? Do you think there's any way that this new show can live up to what you guys did?

Boyd: I think it was a very certain time and everything came together just right. And it was made in New Zealand -- we weren't part of the sort of Hollywood studio. We didn't finish work and then hang around Hollywood. We were all in New Zealand for the whole time. We had no idea what anyone was saying about it. We were basically the Fellowship in New Zealand living this adventure. And then we were lucky enough that when it was released, it became very big very quickly. Then we were on this weird sort of conveyor belt of going from one country to another and seeing that it was as big in Tokyo as it was in Berlin as it was in London.What is that tipping point in anything? Who knows? I mean, maybe something else can get [to that level], but it was sort of just a combination of a filmmaker at the top of his game, technology catching up so that it could look real, some of the greatest actors in the world, like Dominic Monaghan here on my right --

Monaghan: And some really average ones as well.Boyd: [Laughs] So I don't know. I mean, how can you ever say?Monaghan: Yeah, it's hard to predict what catches fire. I remember doing a film with Sean Bean after we did "The Lord of the Rings." We were sat in this forest in Ukraine and he said [exaggerated Yorkshire accent], "Why, I did this really great TV show a couple years ago that you'd really like. It was called "Game of Thrones." [Laughs] Yeah, and he didn't know. He didn't know it was going to turn into a phenomenon ... I think with "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and everything surrounding it, in a lot of ways that fandom has become the most fervent, the most passionate. They're the biggest fandom and no one can compute something being bigger, but over the course of time, something will come along that will be bigger, but it won't diminish what happened with that Peter Jackson trilogy, because it's an extraordinary piece of work.

'Everyone Else's Opinion Doesn't Really Matter'

Dominic, I know you're not on Twitter as much anymore as you used to be and I'm sure part of the reason was just the general tone and the negativity on the platform. Now, I'm wondering with "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," this new cast, they're going to be jumping headfirst into that cauldron, so to speak. What are your thoughts on fandom these days? Have you noticed that they're maybe a little more fractured these days, a little more vitriolic?

Monaghan: Yeah. I mean, it's easy for people to be critical when they're hiding behind an anonymous call sign. I think if you have a certain amount of followers, there will be someone disagreeing with something that is clearly true. You could say, "It was a wonderful sunny day in Los Angeles today," and someone would write, "It rained where I was," because there's going to be those type of people. I think you can always find contrary points of view. My Instagram feeds to my Twitter, but I'm not on Twitter that much simply because of what you said. I found that the Twitter community can be a little bit like a gossipy classroom. Just a lot of like useless chatter and a little bit of negativity, whereas Instagram can be, if you want, just posting up videos and photos and then you can just leave it as it is.

I think if social media was around when the Peter Jackson trilogy came about, then maybe Billy and I and all the rest of the cast would've been on the receiving end of however people feel about those movies. Luckily we weren't. My only advice that I would give to any cast members making "The Lord of the Rings" Amazon show now is, if you're having great days on set and you've made great friends and you love the crew and you love the job that you did, don't worry about the rest of it. You are working on an amazing job in that case, because if you can go to work and enjoy yourself, everyone else's opinion doesn't really matter. You're going to have people obsessed about "The Lord of the Rings" that are going to rip this project into pieces simply because they want to make a name for themselves. So, just kind of enjoy your job.

'I Didn't Really Know What We Were Walking Into'

With San Diego Comic-Con underway, does that bring to mind any memories for both of you from when you visited as a member of "The Lord of the Rings" cast back in the day?

Boyd: Do you know, I think I've only ever been to San Diego Comic-Con once.

Monaghan: Really?

Boyd: Yeah, I think so. It was during, I think, maybe the third movie, "The Return of the King." I remember David Wenham [who played Faramir] being there. I think it was the third movie. It was crazy, just great fun. I mean, all these conventions have morphed into something new. San Diego Comic-Con's slightly different because obviously studios can use it and companies can use it to advertise and pitch things, but they used to be comic conventions. Those people who like comic books and now it's much more family-based, people dressing up and much more of a carnival, much more a fun place to be. I think they're great weekends and people use them now as vacations. They're wonderful. I think they're great.

Monaghan: Lots of TV and movie stuff there, whereas I think when we were there with "Rings," I going there with "Fellowship" and we were one of the initial first big movies to go to this, like Billy said, at that point, comic book convention. I remember being kind of in the wings with Elijah [Wood[ and Liv [Tyler], Pete Jackson, Orlando [Bloom], maybe, but I remember Pete kind of being giggly and quite excited and stuff and said, "Oh, this is going to be crazy. This is going to be crazy."

I didn't really know what we were walking into. Then we were in a room where they showed a little bit of footage and then Elijah and I wanted to go on the shop floor. The only way that we could do that was to wear Stormtrooper helmets and walk around. But it was huge and full of people. There's a couple times where one of us would take our helmet off to say one thing to the other, and then just kind of invaded and surrounded by people.

It's a great weekend for a lot of people and similar to the conventions that Billy and I have been on with Sean and Elijah. The thing that I love about it is this might be one of the only weekends in the year where people get a chance to wear what they want, dress however they want, say what they want, talk about their fandom without any fear of judgment. It's a weekend of acceptance, and I think that's a really positive thing.

'This Is Something That Will Never Happen Again In Your Career'

Are you glad those Comic-Con days are behind you? Or do you catch yourself thinking about them on a rainy day?

Boyd: I don't yearn after those days, but I didn't dislike them. I mean, always those things are more glamorous for people looking from the outside in. If you think of the premiere to when we were going from L.A. to New York, New York to London, that was night after night. We would finish in New York, say, on a Monday, get on a flight Tuesday morning, go to London, do press all day, and then the next day do the premiere, which was just a red carpet. You'd have to go to the party afterwards because you had to say hello to whoever was there in London.

Monaghan: Tired, jet lag.

Boyd: And then the next morning you'd go on a flight again ... there were times by the end of it, we would sit in the theater when the movie was on and as soon as it started, we'd leave, get out of our suits, go to bed while the movie was on just to get three hours sleep. And then put our suits back on to go to the party, because you had to meet whoever the executives were from whatever studio and then on a flight again the next day to the next. There's no real glamor to it. Although obviously it's super fun. And something you look back on and think, "Wow, that was weird and wonderful."

Monaghan: But like Billy said, I mean that premiere run, I don't think you would do that many times in your career. Typically, it would be L.A., New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Sydney. Wellington. By the end of that, I distinctly remember waking up in hotel rooms and having no idea where I was. I would have to look at the information on the phone to realize, "Oh, that's right. I'm in Australia. Okay, great. I'm in Australia." I think, "Right. Is it 3:00 in the morning or is it 3:00 in the afternoon? If it's 3:00 in the afternoon, then I have to be somewhere in an hour and a half." [laughs]

Of course, it's fun and you're with your mates and you're all dressed up and you're having fun and stuff, but I'm the same. I don't necessarily miss it, but I remember it fondly. But it might be kind of a unique experience, "The Lord of the Rings." I mean, even Peter Jackson, who obviously has had an incredible career and continues to do extraordinary things, even he at the time said, "I'll never do a film like this again." He knew it and I think we were so young that we didn't know it, but he was quick to tell us, "This is something that will never happen again in your career."

Boyd: Even Christopher Lee said, didn't he? And he, I think, is in the Guinness Book of Records for having done the most movies of any actor. He said he'd never been on a movie like "The Lord of the Rings."

'Well, It's A Massacre In There, Isn't It?'

Billy, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask: What's the status on a sequel for "Master and Commander?"

Monaghan: Yeah, what's Russell [Crowe] up to?

Boyd: Yeah, that's a sort of a "The Lord of the Rings" story as well actually, because it was released the same year as "The Return of the King." I think that was the big problem, was "The Return of the King" was the movie that year.I was lucky enough to be at the Oscars that year with Dominic here. I went to the restroom at one point and Peter Weir was in the restroom, the director of "Master and Commander." He was standing at a urinal having a pee and he turned around and he saw me and he said, "Well, it's a massacre in there, isn't it?" [Laughs] I thought, "Well, any other year and 'Master and Commander' would've..." And I think "Master and Commander" was also a slow burn in terms of making money and obviously big studio movies like that have to make money. It was an expensive film ... entirely on the sea, which makes things much more expensive.

Monaghan: A bunch of books, right? How many books?

Boyd: Like 27 books!

Monaghan: Can you imagine being in 27 movies?

Boyd: Peter Weir said to me, I remember we were making it, he said, "You'll make it through the next one, but we're going to kill you in the third one."

Monaghan: Fine. I'll take the money and run.

Boyd: But yeah, of course they should definitely make another one. I think it's an unusual film to be that expensive, but allowed to be the film that it was, which was historical and truthful. Peter Weir is a master storyteller.

Monaghan: And for a big blockbuster like it was with big stars like Billy Boyd, some lovely moments of stillness in there, on the ship with the tying of the knots or little moments with nature. Yeah, looking at the ocean and how it's behaving. Great film, loved it.

Read this next: 13 Fantasy Films That Never Got Sequels

The post Dominic Monaghan And Billy Boyd Talk Comic-Con Memories, Advice For The Rings of Power Cast, And More [Exclusive] appeared first on /Film.

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H3llBaron has released a must-have HD collection pack for id Software’s Doom horror game, Doom 3. This pack includes numerous mods, as well as high-quality textures, aiming to give Doom 3 the remastered treatment it deserves. Going into more details, Doom 3 Essential HD Pack includes and fixes the AI upscale pack by darklord34, and … Continue reading Doom 3 Essential HD Pack gives id Software’s horror game the remastered treatment →

The post Doom 3 Essential HD Pack gives id Software’s horror game the remastered treatment appeared first on DSOGaming.

A new DOOM 3 Essential HD Pack has been released, packing a collection of mods that includes high-polygon community models, improves AI upscaling, reworks HD texture, and more.

Created by modder ‘H3llBaron’, this mod package sort of remasters the id Software’s DOOM installment from 2004. Aside from the features mentioned above, the pack adds shadows for falling shells, weapons, and items. In addition, it fixes and adds shaders, includes HD fonts, and much more.

Down below we’ve included the key features of this essential HD package alongside a couple of screenshots and a comparison video, showing the differences between the original version of the game and this remastered version.

Doom 3 Essential HD Pack Key Features

• Included and fixed AI upscale pack by darklord34, merged with Monoxead and Wulfen textures;
• Reworked several HD textures to properly match original ones;
• Fixed bump mapping for marine armor;
• Added shadows for falling shells and every weapon and item;
• Fixed shaders and added bump and specular maps for many textures;
• Restored light of projectiles of the Plasma gun;
• Added Mcubemap reflections for paintings, blood and weapons;
• Added new shaders from Sikkmod, fixed for new systems;
• Fixed flipped UAC logo in Delta Labs Sector 1;
• Fixed grate near main reactor in Delta Labs Sector 1;
• Also fixed material for floating black square in Delta Labs Sector 2a level;
• Fixed and enhanced a buggy wall corner in Site3 level;
• Fixed a buggy corner in Alpha Labs Sector 4;
• Also fixed roof shadows in Mars City 1, 2 and Delta Labs Sector 1;
• Fixed material for cart wheels;
• Added sounds for pistol and machinegun from Doom 3 Alpha;
• Fixed broken AAS in Hellhole level;
• Added map fixes for Erebus1-3 levels (RoE);
• Included HD fonts and crosshair;
• Included marine armor item for RoE and better arms by Arl;
• Also included the best high poly models from D3 community;
• Included autoexec to set automatically ultra graphic settings;
• Compatible with DHEWM3. 

This HD package can be downloaded here.

DOOM 3 was released in 2004 for PC and Xbox 360. The game later also made its way onto PlayStation 3. DOOM fans will want to check out this Unreal Engine 5 'Remake' of DOOM 3 that was released earlier this month.

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