An air force reservist who refused the Covid vaccine on religious grounds has lost his case at the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled 6-3 not to take up his case. Lt Col Jonathan Dunn accepted the usual panoply of military vaccinations, but decided that Covid vaccination was a 'religious ritual' rather than a medical intervention and refused to take it. — Read the rest
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Intel Arc Alchemist laptop GPUs have arrived (sort of), but the blue team's best graphics card contender has apparently been delayed. According to reliable leaker Enthusiastic Citizen, the company's gaming PC solution might not arrive until early Q3, placing doubt on its initial early Summer 2022 release date.
Spotted by Wccftech, the latest Intel Arc Alchemist leak isn't all bad news, as it also reveals a bunch of potential specs. Enthusiastic Citizen's rumour relay pairs the A770, A750, A580, and A380 with performance guesstimates, all while suggesting what the top-end GPU's limited edition status might actually mean.
The leaker says that the A770 may be comparable to an Nvidia GeForce RTX RTX 3060 Ti, but suggests the limited release card could feature enhanced specs. In terms of memory, the non-limited model seemingly packs either 8GB or 10GB, which could mean it'll wield less VRAM than the mobile variant. That said, specs for the A770M could still change, especially if it's delayed alongside its desktop counterparts.
RELATED LINKS: Arc Alchemist GPUs - everything we know, Raptor Lake CPUs - everything we know, Best gaming CPU
Hey, you know what's a pretty great movie? "Iron Man 3." These days I don't think it's quite as fraught a proposition be honest with ourselves and admit that, yes, director Shane Black and writer Drew Pearce successfully brought over their uniquely talented sensibilities as uncompromising artists and helped make one of the most entertaining and well-made Marvel movies ever. Much of the film's joys were overshadowed by a certain plot twist and the apparently unforgivable sin of one of these superhero movies packing a genuine surprise that viewers never saw coming, but the threequel still holds up to this day as one of the better action films in the entire MCU.
A big part of that success is rooted in the real villain of the picture: Guy Pearce's Aldrich Killian. On the surface, he's seemingly yet another tech-based businessman with a personal grudge against Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). But in terms of posing a serious threat to Iron Man and serving as a potent representation of the themes of the film — the sins of the past coming back to haunt you in the present — Killian easily stands tall as one of the most effective Marvel villains from a narrative point of view. And it definitely helps that Pearce appears to be having the time of his life in the role. Known for his performances in films like "L.A. Confidential," Christopher Nolan's "Memento," and the underrated Australian film "The Rover," Pearce can next be seen in the upcoming Martin Campbell movie, "Memory."
As is usually the case with Marvel veterans, even a completely unrelated project provides ample opportunity to ask if an actor will ever consider returning to the superhero scene. And whether out of genuine interest or the equally as valid opinion of enjoying making money, Pearce was quick to respond that he'd be "very much interested" should the stars align down the road.
Here's the thing about superhero characters: dead doesn't ever really mean dead ... especially when the whole deal with those aforementioned superhero characters involves regeneration.
"Iron Man 3" borrowed heavily from the Marvel Comics' "Extremis" storyline, folding Aldrich Killian, the plight of wounded soldiers fighting unjust wars, and the traditional Iron Man archenemy of the Mandarin into an overarching plot about a spurned man nursing a decades-long grudge against Tony Stark. Along the way, we received some pretty nifty commentary on the War on Terror, the xenophobic tendency for Americans to immediately gravitate towards blaming a "foreign" boogeyman, and Sir Ben Kingsley hamming it up in glorious fashion. Like I said, pretty great movie!
In any case, we saw the Extremis-laced Killian blow up in the spectacular climactic battle against a similarly super-powered Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). He would seem to be a goner, but this is a comic book movie we're talking about. The only thing preventing us from enjoying even more Guy Pearce antics is the limits of our imagination. In a recent interview with Comic Book while promoting his upcoming performance in "Memory," Pearce remarked on how much he'd enjoy reprising his role in another Marvel movie in the future.
"I'd be very much interested in to see him come back. And I think because of the nature of the character that he is, it's totally conceivable that he could come back. So yes, I would love to see what he is up to, as well. Because he's somebody — obviously as we saw in 'Iron Man 3' — went through a sort of rapid vast change from the beginning of the story. So who knows where he's ended up."
Tony Stark may be dead and gone (until Marvel backs a dump truck full of money to bring Downey, Jr. back for "The Avengers vs the X-Men" or something in Phase 7, at least), but that doesn't mean Killian can't come back. Let's put it this way: if Trevor Slattery could make a hilarious return in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," then nothing is truly off-limits in the MCU anymore. Plus, it'd be cool if supervillains didn't constantly get killed off in Marvel movies after just one live-action appearance. But that's just me!
You can next see Guy Pearce in "Memory," releasing on April 29, 2022.
Read this next: 20 Movies About Time Travel Ranked Worst To Best
The post Iron Man 3's Guy Pearce Would Be 'Very Much Interested' In Coming Back to the MCU appeared first on /Film.
With cinema immortalizing its performers no matter how big or small, it's no surprise that the beginnings of many movie stars can be found in the nooks and crannies of major films. Before she was running from alien robots in Michael Bay's "Transformers," Megan Fox could be caught dancing under a waterfall (at a concerning age 15) in Bay's "Bad Boys II." Reaching farther back, a young Robert Blake is visible selling a lottery ticket to Humphrey Bogart in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre."
Overseas, the Hong Kong film industry made liberal use of numerous skilled performers in their expansive martial arts productions, and one of its most commercially successful entries contains a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance by a fresh-faced Jackie Chan, long before he would ascend to the heights of martial arts stardom in films like "Police Story" and "Rumble in the Bronx." Hailed by /Film's Ben Pearson as the spiritual kin of James Bond spy movies, "Enter the Dragon" stars the legendary Bruce Lee and was released in 1973, half a decade before Chan would make his leading role debut in Yuen Woo-ping's "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow."
On the set of "Enter the Dragon," Chan was at ease around Lee (it would be Lee's final completed film role before his death one month before the film's August 1973 release), though he was honored to go toe-to-toe with the man who had, by that time, already become a pop culture fixture due to his role as Kato in "The Green Hornet," as well as a handful of Lo Wei martial arts pictures. On "George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight," Chan recalled the scene he had to do with Lee, and how it went wrong ... and how, despite the pain involved, it was a moment he would never forget.
For the uninitiated, the movie follows Lee as he infiltrates the territory of crime boss Han (Shih Kien). Things go south as he investigates the compound and eventually, Lee is at the mercy of Han's neverending horde of guards. Using fists, feet, and whatever weaponry he wrests from the guards, the martial arts instructor must fight his way out. One of these guards is a pre-"Rush Hour" Jackie Chan, who enters a world of pain in his boss' lair.
Chan recalled waiting for his turn to absorb Lee's fists of fury, watching the master make quick work of his onscreen opponents. On his cue, Chan let out a wail and attacked the film's star, expecting to take a fake hit from a prop weapon. Lee missed his mark and accidentally hit his co-star, whose eyesight "went black" at the moment of impact before he fell to the floor. Both consummate professionals, the pair continued the scene until the director yelled, "Cut!" Immediately, Lee ran to Chan on the floor and asked if he was okay:
"He lifted me up and goes, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' And actually, I'm not in pain anymore because a young guy like me -- very tough. But then suddenly, I don't know why, it became very painful."
Milking the opportunity to be comforted by Bruce Lee (who among us?), Chan leaned into the pain a little more than was necessary, but it's understandable. As Chan puts it, "I just wanted Bruce Lee to hold me as long as he can."
In 1978, Chan would go on to star in Yeun Woo-ping's "Drunken Master," which features a goofy, swaying style of fighting and would act as a springboard to fame for the multi-hyphenate -- and it would prime the pump for the rise of the comedic martial-arts subgenre. Never shying away from his stunt injuries, the actor would later become known for the blooper reels that would run at the end of his films (lest the kiddies watch Chan and think they could try it at home). For a guy who I've seen tumbling through storefront awnings and taking pool cues to the gut and falling spine-first on chairs, letting Bruce Lee hit him with a stick remains one of Chan's most impressive feats.
Read this next: Jackie Chan's 15 Greatest Fight Scenes Ranked
The post This Was Jackie Chan's Favorite Part of Filming Enter The Dragon appeared first on /Film.
A man messed with Shirlene Hernandez, 72, and did not live to tell the tale: the carjacker left her bruised and sore but then crashed her vehicle, dying at the wheel.
— Read the rest"There's a lot of people who would say what goes around comes around, karma.
Before you get your hopes up: no, there are no confirmed plans for Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn to return to the "Star Wars" franchise at the moment. However, the actor expressed an interest in reprising his role as the venerable Jedi master when asked about it -- but only under the condition that it is a film instead of a television series (via Comic Book):
"Oh, I think so, yeah, yeah, yeah, I think so ... if it was a film. Yeah, I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to TV, I must admit, I just like the big screen, you know? Qui-Gon, I can't believe it's 24 years since we made '[Star Wars:] The Phantom Menace,' I just cannot believe where the time has gone. It was a terrific experience, shooting that film in London."
Although Neeson seems hesitant to star in a potential Disney+ series that might feature his "Star Wars" character, it is good news that he is willing to reprise the role on the big screen, if the opportunity were to arise.
Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn made his debut in "The Phantom Menace," and also appeared (in animated form) in three episodes of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." While we are granted a glimpse into his character and the kind of Jedi master he was, there's definitely more to Qui-Gon's story, which can be explored in greater depth in relation to the rest of the members of the Jedi Order. Qui-Gon's padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), had a much more integral role to play in terms of Anakin's training into a Jedi Knight and his fate at Mustafar, alongside the events that occur throughout the original "Star Wars" trilogy.
The upcoming Disney+ series "Obi-Wan Kenobi" will see McGregor reprising his role as the series delves into his years of exile on Tatooine, and his role in protecting a young Luke Skywalker. There's palpable excitement surrounding this upcoming offering, as fans will also get to see Hayden Christensen reprise the role of Anakin/Darth Vader, and garner a better understanding of the transformation that Anakin went through after the events of "The Revenge of the Sith."
Despite the ever-expanding popularity of Disney+ shows in the "Star Wars" franchise, Neeson seems to be more partial to returning as Qui-Gon on the big screen -- which, at the moment, seems a bit of a gamble for the franchise. Unless Disney and Lucasfilm decide to make an origin story for Qui-Gon (like "Solo: A Star Wars Story") or delve into an animated film of sorts that features the Master Jedi, it is difficult to foresee how his character will fit into the direction the franchise is currently headed towards (I don't think a Force Ghost counts as a full-fledged return).
One also has to keep Neeson's views on returning to the sci-fi genre years back, which hinted that he is somewhat hesitant to dive into it in the first place (via Entertainment Tonight):
"I admire the actors and I know some of the actors who do it -- and do it fantastically. It's just not my genre, it really isn't. The first 'Star Wars,' I was in that, that was 22 years ago, and I enjoyed that because it was novel and that was new. I was acting to tennis balls, which were ultimately going to be little fuzzy furry creatures and stuff. That was interesting, acting-wise, to try and make that seem real, but that was the last. It's quite exhausting."
While it might take a bit of convincing to get him back in the Jedi robes, Neeson is more than willing to assume roles of the "Taken" and "Blacklight" variety. His upcoming action thriller, "Memory," hits theaters on April 29th, 2022.
Read this next: The Best Star Wars Books Ever Written
The post Liam Neeson Would Return to the Role of Qui-Gon Jinn, Under One Condition appeared first on /Film.
"Twin Peaks" first aired in 1990 and became an instant hit, even as network executives weren't really sure what to make of the show. According to series co-creator Mark Frost, the people running ABC were baffled by the pilot episode and were reluctant to air it — that is, until test audiences responded way more positively than they expected. "It blew away their expectations, and Bob [Iger] recognized we had something different," Frost told Yahoo Entertainment.
One of the things that made "Twin Peaks" so memorable was its many strange, dreamlike, ambiguous scenes. Serving as the inspiration for later hits like "Lost," "The Leftovers," and the dream-sequence episodes of "The Sopranos," to name just a few, "Twin Peaks" was one of the first shows on primetime television to make a conscious choice not to explain everything going on. David Lynch and Mark Frost weren't afraid to make audiences feel confused now and again, and the Red Room serves as a prime example of that.
The Red Room first appeared at the end of the second episode of "Twin Peaks." FBI agent Dale Cooper (Kyle Maclachlan) falls asleep in his hotel room and wakes up in a room walled in by red curtains. There's a strange marble statue of a woman behind him, and a man in red clothing sitting on the chair next to him. In the Red Room, everyone talks in a strange way that requires subtitles to understand. This was achieved by having the actors say their lines backward and reversing it in the edit.
A version of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) soon shows up and whispers something into Dale's ear. When Dale wakes up he immediately calls Sheriff Truman (Michael Ontkean) and says he knows who killed Laura Palmer, and tells him to meet him for breakfast tomorrow morning so he can reveal his findings. Audiences waited a whole week in suspense, only for the next episode to open with Cooper saying he couldn't remember. I can only imagine how annoyed viewers must've been at the time, but it serves as an effective (if very harsh) reminder that solving the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer isn't the main point of the show. In fact, Lynch didn't even want to solve the mystery at all.
However, the realities of network TV at the time forced them to not only figure out who the killer was straightaway, but to film an alternate version of the pilot episode for European audiences, one where the killer was revealed and it would work as a stand-alone feature. It was this kind of studio meddling that led to the Red Room's existence in the first place.
As Mark Frost told Yahoo Entertainment:
"The Red Room came about because when David [Lynch] did the pilot, our foreign distributor wanted to have a closed ending that they could release as a feature in Europe in case the show didn't get picked up for a series. So it was that scene that led to the discovery of Bob, the phrase "fire walk with me," and the first time we saw Michael J. Anderson as well. We had written the sequence into the second episode, and David's visualization of it became one of the most iconic images in television history."
Although the introduction of the Red Room and these other elements were not strictly organic storytelling choices, they did all ultimately become an integral part of what "Twin Peaks" would mean to millions of viewers, even 30 years later.
Although the ratings of "The Return" were a fraction of what they were at the original show's peak, its use of the surreal and the unexplained have given "Twin Peaks" one of the most passionate fanbases in TV history, and its traces can be found in a lot of other acclaimed shows. And as memorable as the characters, mood, and setting of the show were, whenever I hear someone mention "Twin Peaks," those red curtains are the first thing to come to mind.
Read this next: The Horror Movies We Can't Wait To See In 2022
The post Twin Peaks' Red Room Was Created to Serve a Surprisingly Practical Purpose appeared first on /Film.
FromSoftware has revealed in the Elden Ring patch 1.04 notes that one of the best NPCs now has more content. That's right; Patches has got some new "event phases", to use the developer's lingo. Be warned, though, as the rest of this article contains spoilers.
Still here? Grand. If you've done all the previous quests with the tricky trader, Patches will return to Murkwater Cave, which is where you initially meet him. This time, though, the fog gate will be back in action. If you head inside, the rest plays out much like before - open his chest, beat him up to a certain point, and spare him when he begs for mercy. This time, you'll get Patches' crouch emote for your troubles.
If you've been out of the loop, Patches is a recurring character throughout most of FromSoftware's games. He's been in Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and even Armoured Core: For Answer. While slight details change, he's the same goofball who will annoy you before pleading for mercy when you eventually bust him. He does sell the odd good item, though.
RELATED LINKS: Best Elden Ring settings, Elden Ring bosses guide, The best Elden Ring classesUbisoft will release today Title Update 1.5.1 for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. This patch is 12GB on PC, will go live at 12PM UTC/GMT, and you can find below its complete changelog. Going into more details, this latest update adds Mastery Challenge Pack 2 (Mastery Challenge: The Reckoning) to the game. Moreover, it adds in-game support … Continue reading Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Title Update 1.5.1 is 12GB on PC, Full Release Notes →
The post Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Title Update 1.5.1 is 12GB on PC, Full Release Notes appeared first on DSOGaming.
We need antivirus solutions to protect our computers. And, to keep up with the latest emerging threats, antivirus programs have been evolving to offer a wide range of features.
If you spend any time watching MSNBC, or on Twitter for that matter, you're likely familiar with Malcolm Nance. A former US Navy officer specializing in naval cryptography, Nance currently heads Special Readiness Services International, an intelligence and security contractor, and is a popular analyst for MSNBC. — Read the rest
There's a certain way actors talk about their craft that can be, well, annoying. Think of the recent (but also evergreen) negative reaction to method acting, or the way you (read: me, but maybe also you) want to sigh when a person that makes more money on the regular than you'll ever make in your life talks about how the difficulty of the craft. It's not a charitable way to think — everyone has their struggles, etc. — and I'm certainly not trying to get anyone to join club hate with me. But it's a hard pattern to break.
Still, if there's any actor who is able to flip the switch on these firmly embedded hater tendencies, it's Bob Odenkirk. And in a sprawling and truly engrossing interview with the New York Times, he did just that. Odenkirk is in the middle of wrapping up the final season of "Better Call Saul," the artsy and somehow sadder younger sibling of "Breaking Bad." In the piece, he thoughtfully talks about the loneliness he's felt while playing Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill. It's an emotion that was so affecting during the earlier seasons of the show that he stopped living alone during filming and instead began rooming with costars Rhea Seehorn and Patrick Fabian. As Odenkirk explains it, soaking in the isolation gave him a true understanding of the downsides of the craft:
"It gave me great sympathy for someone like James Gandolfini, who talked about how he couldn't wait to be done with that character, and I think Bryan [Cranston] said similar things: 'I can't wait to leave this guy behind.' I finally related to that attitude."
Bob Odenkirk even admits to being a person who would "... scoff and roll my eyes at actors who say, 'It's so hard.' Really? It can't be." He's been acting for decades, though largely in comedies and sketch shows. His role on "Better Call Saul" required him to ruminate on dark memories and tap into exhausting emotions, which, does frankly sound draining:
" ... The truth is that you use your emotions, and you use your memories, you use your hurt feelings and losses, and you manipulate them, dig into them, dwell on them. A normal adult doesn't walk around doing that. Going: 'What was the worst feeling of abandonment I've had in my life? Let me just gaze at that for the next week and a half, because that's going to fuel me.'"
The narrative about acting isn't new. While Odenkirk is open and thoughtful about his feelings on the difficult sides of the job, we've all heard the tortured artist stories before. It's the way he explains how his thoughts on acting changed over time, the way he dives into how he gets prepared for the hardest scenes of "Better Call Saul," and the way he doesn't romanticize the dark moments that make this interview more interesting than another tortured Batman acting story. In fact, Odenkirk readily admits that what makes him excel at playing Jimmy might not be good for him:
"If there was one thing that let me do this, it was some access I have to the emotional, even traumatic spaces inside me that maybe isn't the most healthy person to be."
Read this next: 12 Shows Like Stranger Things You Definitely Need To Stream
The post Better Call Saul Made Bob Odenkirk Realize Just How Hard Acting Can Be appeared first on /Film.
After last week’s Outlaws update, Hello Games has now deployed No Man’s Sky Outlaws Update 3.87, addressing various reported issues.
The latest patch should be available now across all platforms and aims to address numerous issues that players have encountered following last week’s major update. The new patch address several issues that prevented pirates from attacking planetary buildings with the correct behaviors, as well as an issue that caused smuggling items to sell at an incorrect markup in regulated stations. In addition, the 3.87 patch fixes various glitches and other visual issues with players' capes.
Down below you’ll find the full release notes for this update, as released by Hello Games.
Bug fixes No Man’s Sky Outlaws Update 3.87
- Fixed a number of issues that prevented pirates from attacking planetary buildings with the correct behaviors.
- Fixed a general issue that caused pirates to attack planetary buildings too frequently.
- Pirates will no longer attack players who are underground, underwater, or in their own base.
- Pirates no longer attack planets in low conflict systems.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the pirate raid warning message to display when there was no pirate attack incoming.
- Fixed an issue that caused pirates to deal too much damage when shooting at the player on the ground, and for the player to receive ship-related warning messages when hit.
- Fixed an issue that caused pirate raid markers to fail to clear from buildings when the raid ends.
- Fixed an issue that caused smuggling items to sell at an incorrect markup in regulated stations.
- Reduced the effectiveness of the Positron Ejector against starship shields.
- Hauler starships can now upgrade their cargo inventory to a greater capacity than other ships.
- Fixed an issue that could cause items in the ship cargo inventory to be incorrectly cleaned up when sold.
- Fixed an issue that caused repair kits to be too expensive when purchased with tainted metal.
- Fixed a number of glitches and other visual issues with player capes.
- Fixed an issue that caused squadron ship engines to be very loud while flying in formation.
- Fixed an issue that caused the solar ship engine vents to constantly flap open and closed in the inventory menu.
- Fixed an issue that could cause the camera to be out of focus when repairing or installing ship technologies while onboard the ship.
- Fixed a number of instances of missing audio effects.
- Fixed an issue that caused the starship utility menu to open on the wrong option.
- Improved the appearance of freighter fleet warp-ins.
- Fixed a collision issue with the wings of Solar class starships.
- Trader ships now use the red hostile target arrow on the starship HUD if they are attacking the player.
- Fixed a crash related to pirate spawning.
- Fixed a crash related to the player frigate fleet.
- Fixed a texture streaming memory leak.
- Fixed an issue that could cause screen flashes in space at low framerates.
No Man’s Sky is available now globally for PC and consoles.
The post No Man’s Sky Outlaws Update 3.87 Rolled Out; Resolved Numerous Reported Issues by Aernout van de Velde appeared first on Wccftech.
NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) on Tuesday kicked off the thirteenth installment of Locked Shields, its annual live-fire cyber defense exercise.
The post Conversations With a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes – Netflix Review appeared first on Heaven of Horror.
Last night's two-episode premiere of "Better Call Saul" season 6 would have to be considered a resounding success, throwing viewers right back into the thick of things in Albuquerque, New Mexico as if we'd never even missed a beat. Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) continues his precipitous slide towards becoming the Saul Goodman that we all loved to hate, and Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) might even be outpacing him in terms of unleashing her dark side. Those are the two emotional pillars serving as the foundation to this upcoming final season (which will be split into two separate halves, "Breaking Bad"-style), but it wouldn't be a show from creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould if that was all it had going for it. Mike Ehrmantraut's (Jonathan Banks) conflicted association with drug lord Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) continues to have ripple effects on other characters like Michael Mando's Nacho Varga, who in turn remains on the run from Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) after last season's failed hit.
The sheer amount of spinning plates in the air (from a plot point of view) balanced against the character-centric need to bring Jimmy full-circle with the monstrous criminal lawyer he's doomed to turn into would probably feel like an insurmountable challenge to most writers, but this isn't the first rodeo for the "Breaking Bad" veterans. As densely packed as the premiere turned out to be, Gould is promising that the rest of the season will contain far more surprises. In fact, fans can expect that there'll be even bigger ones than Gilligan and Gould's previous admission that Bryan Cranston's Walter White and Aaron Paul's Jesse Pinkman will be making their long-awaited return later this season.
Fans have wondered whether the rapidly converging timelines of "Better Call Saul" and its parent series, "Breaking Bad," would mean even more cameos and appearances by characters we've previously known. High up on that list, of course, were the destructive duo of meth cook Walter White and his partner in crime, Jesse Pinkman. Many viewers were surprised by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould's boldly frank admission that the pair of characters would appear at some point in season 6, perhaps leading some to worry that the co-creators had given a little too much away about what's to come. But in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that ran in the immediate aftermath of the season premiere last night, Gould reassured audiences that there are bigger and better things in store than the crowd-pleasing returns of such well-established characters. When asked about their thought process in revealing such huge information so far ahead of time, Gould had this to say.
"I'm gonna be incredibly frank with you. Vince and I talked about it and I think we both thought that we'd been cagey for long enough. Don't forget that Aaron and Bryan also have to keep this under their lid and everybody asks them about it, and it just felt like the right moment to let the cat out of the bag, because for better or for worse, I have to say that there are so many other surprises and left turns this season that I kinda wanted to take that one off the table."
Honestly, given how off-the-rails the discourse surrounding "spoilers" has become in recent years, it's incredibly refreshing to see artists throw caution to the wind and allow fans to bask in the anticipation of a really neat development on the horizon ... rather than playing dumb and insulting the intelligence of their own viewers by pretending that fairly obvious character appearances aren't actually going to happen. After commenting on how "petty" it would be to outright lie about it, Gould goes on to further explain:
"But also, I have to say, if I thought that that was the biggest surprise or the biggest spoiler, I probably wouldn't have said it."
Here's to honesty and treating viewers like reasonable adults! "Better Call Saul" airs every Monday on AMC.
Read this next: The 19 Greatest Movie Couples Of All Time Ranked
The post Better Call Saul Co-Creator Promises Even Bigger Surprises than the Return of Walter and Jesse appeared first on /Film.
As we promised, we keep improving ways to browse our game catalog, so that it can provide a smooth, and comfortable experience for exploration and finding new great games for you.
This time, we introduce 170 tags to help with more accurate browsing and filtering. You’re a fan of dungeon-crawlers? Maybe you’re looking for something family friendly? Or you’re in love with the pixel graphics, and you’d like to see something that boasts it?
All that and more, you can now browse after one click in the filter options in the catalog menu, or by clicking on the tag on the product page of a game. 
Together with the ability to filter tags you’re interested in, we’re also introducing an option to exclude the tags you’d like to avoid seeing. You can do that, by clicking on the eye icon that appears when you hover over the specific tag in the filter menu.
We hope that this functionality will further improve the discoverability of the games, and help you find exactly what you want, in the shortest time possible.
Let us know how you like the new tag system in the comments, and send our way ideas for what new ones we could introduce in the future.
We’re always on the lookout for great ideas that can make your experience with GOG more enjoyable, and we’ll keep tinkering and working towards that goal, so stay tuned!
With Aaron Paul set to reprise his role as Jesse Pinkman in the final season of "Better Call Saul," it's worth noting how integral he truly is to the tragic world of "Breaking Bad." I think it's pretty wild that series creator Vince Gilligan initially flirted with the idea of bumping him off in the first season, considering Jesse feels as synonymous with "Breaking Bad" as Bryan Cranston's science teacher-turned-meth kingpin, Walter White. Paul's Emmy Award-winning performance — he won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014 — is the heart of the show, despite all the terrible things Jesse does in the name of staying alive and making money.
Even though we saw Jesse triumphantly flee the neo-Nazi desert compound in the "Breaking Bad" series finale, "Felina," it would be over six years later when we'd see him again. Directed by Gilligan, the Netflix original "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie," serves as a series epilogue, chronicling what happens to Jesse directly after he crashes through the gates. The film sees the tortured meth cook attempting to evade capture and tie up loose ends before leaving the Albuquerque sands for a fresh start, akin to his former partner.
While not as tight as "Felina," "El Camino" was still an emotional conclusion that finally gave Jesse the happiest ending he could possibly get, especially after everything that transpires during the final season. He deserved some semblance of peace, and a few moments in "El Camino" give Jesse a moment to breathe. Paul fought to keep one of these moments in the finished film.
In the world of "Breaking Bad," no detail is insignificant. The tragic world Vince Gilligan put together is filled with the occasional sweet moment, which offsets the brutal acts of violence. In an interview with Aaron Paul, Brian Davids of The Hollywood Reporter made note of such a moment, in which Jesse turns off his folks' kitchen sink. It touched the "El Camino" star:
"I love that! I love that you noticed that. I did [have a similar reaction]. He loves them deep down, and when he called them, he knew this was the last time he was going to speak with them. So it was such a beautiful moment."
In the same interview, Paul elaborates by recounting how a "Breaking Bad" callback ended up in the film:
"When we were shooting 'El Camino,' there was a night shoot that was right before he blew up [Kandy Welding Co.]. And there's a scene where he's waiting for the girls to leave, and then he sees a beetle and picks it up and looks at it. It was a throwback to 'Breaking Bad''s 'Peekaboo.' And the first AD came up to me and was like, "We're gonna scrap that little scene. We're gonna head to this other shot. We're running out of time." And I just begged them to keep that in there because I just loved that moment so much. I was like, 'Look, let's just set up the camera. We'll do one take. Let's just do it.' ... I just love those little moments that peek inside Jesse's heart."
When I think of Jesse finding peace, this moment works well to establish the innocence he has left. It serves as a breather before the film's big showdown, but it's also a sweet follow-up to a beetle encounter in season 2 in which Jesse's friend Skinny Pete (Charles Baker) casually crushes the insect. In "El Camino," however, Jesse gets to have a moment of calm and compassion before doing what needs to be done.
"El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie" is currently streaming on Netflix.
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The post Aaron Paul Fought for One El Camino Scene to Stay in the Film appeared first on /Film.
"Severance," the acclaimed Apple TV+ series starring Adam Scott, has drawn comparisons to "Lost" for its elaborate, mythology-driven, mystery-box storytelling — "the beginning of a long answer," as one character describes it. However, the show itself, which uses an office floor as its main setting, drew inspiration from an older sci-fi horror classic set on a spaceship.
Think of it as a "haunted house movie in [office] space." That might give you a hint as to what specific film influenced "Severance."
In an interview with The Verge, production designer Jeremy Hindle revealed that the spaceship Nostromo in Ridley Scott's "Alien" helped inspire the self-contained, subterranean office world of "Severance." "It's not a spaceship, but it is a spaceship," Hindle said. "Alien" has often been described as a "haunted house movie in space," where the characters are trapped on board with an acid-blooded, extraterrestrial killing machine instead of a garden-variety ghost.
Scott's film, which featured hall-of-fame production design by Michael Seymour, takes time at the beginning to orient the viewer to the Nostromo and its empty passageways, as if the ship and the setting is the main character. It's only after five minutes that a door slides open and a camera glides through it, to a room where the lights go up to reveal cryogenically frozen people in hypersleep chambers.
"Severance," too, displays images of a huge, empty parking lot and cavernous office building, and it's easy to see how Hindle might look to a movie like "Alien" while designing the production space for a show about office workers whose memories and very selves are hibernating, as if in the suspended animation of hypersleep.
The basic premise of "Severance" is that people give consent to have their memories between the office and home severed, theoretically achieving a better work/life balance. In the same way that "Alien" had its terrifying Xenomorph pick off crew members one by one, Scott's "Severance" protagonist, Mark, sees his clean-shaven best friend and co-worker, Petey (Yul Vazquez), go missing, which leads to a job promotion for him as he takes over Petey's position. Later, when a visibly changed, more unkempt Petey catches up with an amnesiac Mark outside work, he says, "I used to think it would take a monster to put someone in a place like that office, especially if the person was himself."
"Every time you find yourself here, it's because you chose to come back." These words kicked off the trailer for "Severance" as a kind of thematic statement. They seemed to position it as a show where the monsters were inside us, resigning us to a fate less than what we deserved, perhaps in the form of a soul-sucking job.
Another major influence on "Severance" was the 1967 French comedy "Playtime," renowned for its gigantic set. This is something that came up in our own interview with Hindle, where he mentioned director Ben Stiller and said:
"Ben and I had this same reference at the beginning, which was the movie 'Playtime.' It's a '60s French film by Jacques Tati, and the design is really fun."
Hindle also likened "Severance" to "Twin Peaks." It's clear that he was pulling inspiration from numerous sources as he set about creating the surreal "Severance" office.
For many people working remotely from home, the pandemic has blurred the boundaries between our personal and professional lives more than ever. It's not always easy to clock out when you still have incoming messages or work to do. The "Alien" movies showed a grimy future that was light years from our own, but the dystopian vision of "Severance" and its production design serve as a bridge back to recognizable reality, which is sometimes very scary.
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Another day brings with it another interesting observation on the ongoing Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) saga from a Wall Street player. Today, Rosenblatt is out with a research note on Elon Musk's Twitter takeover prospects.
To wit, Rosenblatt analyst Barton Crockett initiated coverage of Twitter shares today with a Neutral rating and a $48 stock price target.
In a series of interesting observations, Crockett noted that Musk's $54.20 per share offer for Twitter is not a "premium" and that his suggestions around content moderation, switching Twitter's business model to one based on subscriptions instead of advertising, and pursuing non-commercial enterprise is likely to "effectively trashes the bulk of Twitter's talent and efforts, which the board probably sees as dropping a bomb on something they love."
Rosenblatt analyst speculated that the Twitter board probably views Musk's unconventional ideas for the company "with horror", which explains the social media giant's recent moves to strengthen its proverbial moat via the poison pill measure.
As a refresher, in a Form 8-A filed yesterday, Twitter authorized a dividend that would be issued to every shareholder and take the form of a rights certificate. Those rights would become exercisable on the 10th business day from the date on which any person or a group of persons discloses a cumulative stake of 15 percent or more in Twitter without the board's approval.
Specifically, every such right would allow a shareholder the opportunity to buy one-thousandth of a preferred share (which is roughly equal to 1 common share) at an exercise price of $210. Practically, this step would grant each shareholder more votes, making it difficult for Musk to push through his takeover bid in a coercive manner. Moreover, the rights would also allow a shareholder the opportunity to purchase, in case of a flip-in trigger, a number of common shares "having a then-current market value of twice the exercise price."
Consequently, Crockett believes that the probability of success around Musk's current offer for Twitter is quite remote. On the other hand, the analyst does view the reports of other bidders for Twitter, specifically the private equity firm Apollo, in a more favorable light. Bear in mind that Apollo already owns Yahoo.
"Going further than and pairing Yahoo with Twitter could have some synergy value."
Crockett then notes the recent successes of Twitter's current CEO, Parag Agrawal, including a single sign-on initiative that boosted signups by 35 percent and reactivations by 25 percent, allowing Twitter's monetizable daily active users to increase by 13 percent in Q4 2021.
Meanwhile, as is characteristic of an extremely fluid situation, CNBC is out with an analysis today, which suggests that the likelihood of Twitter receiving other competing offers remains slim. This post was sufficient to turn the stock red as of the time of writing.
The post Rosenblatt Believes Elon Musk’s Plan For Twitter Horrifies the Social Media Giant’s Board Members, Who View It as “Dropping a Bomb on Something They Love” by Rohail Saleem appeared first on Wccftech.
One of our biggest gripes with Elden Ring was the automatic re-centering of the camera. Thankfully for PC gamers, a mod came out last month that disabled it. As with most mods, though, it was only for Offline gameplay. And today, we are happy to report that FromSoftware has released a new patch that addresses … Continue reading Elden Ring Update 1.04 released, adds option to disable camera auto rotate, full patch notes →
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We're in the endgame now, as "Better Call Saul" begins its sixth and final season with a double-episode premiere designed to give us a maximum amount of anxiety. I seem to say this whenever I write about this show, but I will forever remain impressed at how this "Breaking Bad" spin-off went from seeming like a cheap, lazy idea for a comedy-heavy series to a full-blown masterpiece wrought with almost unbearable tension. It would've been very easy for creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould to go down a silly road, leaning into star Bob Odenkirk's comedic chops. Sure, the Saul Goodman we met in "Breaking Bad" was morally bankrupt, but he was also something of a comic relief figure. But "Better Call Saul" went further, showing us the origin story of this character and revealing that he wasn't always the total slimeball we came to know him as. Of course, that just raised a whole new question: how did lovable con man Jimmy McGill become criminal attorney Saul Goodman?
At this point in the series, Jimmy is operating in full-blown Saul Goodman mode, using the name to handle clients. But the vestiges of his better nature still linger. It's safe to assume by the time this season ends we'll see Jimmy's complete transformation. For now, though, we have to deal with the fallout from the season 5 finale.
Season 5 concluded with drug lord/fast food franchiser Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) finally having enough of the always-unsettling Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton), acting head of the Salamanca family. Gus had Nacho (Michael Mando) working as a spy in Lalo's operation, and by the season finale, things had been put in place to have Nacho infiltrate Lalo's house in Chihuahua to pave the way for a team of assassins. Nacho left the gate to the compound open and fled, and the armed killers moved in. But Lalo proved impossible to kill. Instead, he got the drop on the entire team and succeeded in taking them out one by one. Worse: he pretty quickly figured out that Nacho was the one who let his would-be assassins in.
Lalo understandably wants revenge, but he's a schemer and immediately starts cooking up a plan. Instead of making news of his survival known, he murders some hapless local who just happens to look a lot like him. He burns the body and leaves it at his house, and soon, word has gotten around that Lalo is dead. Meanwhile, he's working behind the scenes with his paralyzed uncle, Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis), to get revenge against Gus. The Salamancas can't just simply make a move against Gus — they need proof of his wrongdoing first. And Lalo is determined to get it, damn it! Gus better watch out.
Most "Better Call Saul" fans are always understandably worried about Kim (more on that later!), but we should also not forget Nacho. Poor, poor Nacho, who has really been put through hell through the majority of this show. Nacho is one of those characters with a mysterious fate — he never appeared in "Breaking Bad," so we have no idea if he makes it out of "Better Call Saul" alive.
And Nacho's predicament is more perilous than ever. He's on the run in Mexico, and Lalo knows he betrayed him. To make matters worse, Nacho, like everyone else, thinks Lalo is dead, so he has no idea the drug lord is gunning for him. But that doesn't mean Nacho is currently taking it easy. Oh no, he's instead holed up in a cheap motel, waiting for Gus to help him get back home. Gus' goons string Nacho along via phone calls, but it becomes clear pretty quickly that Gus is thinking of having Nacho bumped off. He even stations a lookout in an abandoned building across from the motel to keep track of Nacho.
None of this sits well with straight-shooter Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), who thinks Nacho has earned both the right to be brought home alive, and the respect of Gus. Gus coldly tells Mike that Nacho has his respect, but it doesn't sound like he wants to let Nacho live. Meanwhile, Gus, being one of the smartest characters on the show, has carefully deduced that Lalo is still alive. And if Lalo is alive, it stands to reason that he knows Gus tried to have him killed. Which means Gus and his entire operation are in serious trouble.
Things take a sharp turn when Nacho figures out Gus is the one spying on him. Mike, always resourceful, seems to hit on a solution: they should bring Nacho home and keep him safe, because if Lalo catches Nacho, he'll likely torture the truth out of him. And that truth will be all the cartel needs to order Gus' execution. We don't see how this resolves itself, however. The entire situation wraps up with Mike receiving a phone call from Nacho and offering the phone to Gus. "He wants to talk to you," Mike croaks. Will Gus take the call?
Level Of Worry: EXTREME.
Every recap for "Better Call Saul" season 6 will feature a segment I like to call "Kim Watch! How Worried Should We Be About Kim Wexler This Week?"
As played by Rhea Seehorn, Kim is one of the most fascinating characters on TV right now, and Seehorn's performance remains nothing less than incredible. I had never heard of Seehorn before "Saul," but the unique way she plays Kim, particularly the way she has her character listen to everyone around her, quickly won me over. And I'm not alone: it seems like most "Saul" fans love Kim, and we're all very worried about what the hell might happen to her before the show ends.
So how worried should be about Kim this week? Extremely worried, as noted above. But not because it's looking more and more likely that Kim is going to end up dead. No, the worry comes from the fact that Kim has clearly gone completely over to the dark side. Since the series began, the concern was that Jimmy would drag Kim down to his level. Now, interestingly enough, it's starting to look like Kim will be the one who finally pushes Jimmy completely over the edge into full-blown Saul Goodman territory.
Last season concluded with Kim suggesting she and Jimmy join forces to get Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian), their former boss. Jimmy looked perturbed by Kim's suggestion but tentatively went along with the idea. In the double season premiere, we see that Jimmy is still worried. In fact, Jimmy seems ready to completely forget the idea and move on. But Kim is all-in. And so the plan is formed to slowly erode Howard's reputation. Things kick off with Jimmy infiltrating Howard's country club and planting cocaine in his locker. The planted cocaine is spotted by fellow lawyer Clifford Main (Ed Begley Jr.), with Howard trying to play the whole thing off as some sort of prank. Does Cliff buy that, or does he think Howard is a secret drug addict?
After this, Jimmy and Kim's plan is just getting started. They recruit the Kettlemans, the crooks from season 1 who embezzled $1.6 million from the county. The Kettlemans are now working as accountants out of a run-down trailer in the middle of nowhere. Despite their arrest in season 1, the couple hasn't learned a lesson, because they're currently scamming their clients. Jimmy, in Saul Goodman mode, shows up and convinces the Kettlemans they might be able to get their conviction thrown out by claiming their lawyer, Howard Hamlin, had a drug problem. The Kettlemans go right to Cliff Main, hoping he'll represent them. He declines, but once again the seed has been planted in Cliff's mind that Howard is a drug addict.
As for the Kettlemans, they quickly figure out that Jimmy was just using them to get to Howard. They threaten to report this, and that's where Kim comes in. Kim suggests she'll turn the Kettlemans in for their current tax fraud unless they forget all about the scheme involving Howard. The Kettlemans reluctantly agree. It's a disturbing moment, because in theory, we should dislike the Kettlemans (and we do, for the most part). They're both terrible people ripping hapless folks off. But Kim is so cold and calculating here that we almost feel sorry for them. Jimmy, in fact, does feel sorry and gives the couple some money for their trouble. The implication is clear: Jimmy is still a soft touch, but Kim has fully embraced the dark side. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
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The post Better Call Saul Season 6 Begins With The Shocking One-Two-Punch of 'Wine and Roses' and 'Carrot and Stick' appeared first on /Film.
The crime drama is nearly as old as television itself, with its first success, "Dragnet," making the jump from radio to the tube in the 1940s, and the genre has thrived ever since. However, while some modern shows have successfully used the format to talk about bigger things, it's a harder genre to love today.
Though enjoyed worldwide, cop and crime shows in the U.S. haven't always kept up with the culture. While most of the best examples we have can look, unflinchingly, at some of the too-optimistic portrayals of the police and discuss them, some still retain the Western-style simplistic polarity of bad guys versus good. Crime, and the societal breakage that helps it happen, is a tough topic. But it's not one we ever tire of. And throughout our media history, it's more than something our Dads love to snooze to. The crime drama will always be part of our cultural heritage. Let's take a look some of at the best examples of how it earned its place.
"Dragnet" originated on radio in 1951; created, produced, and sometimes even written by Detective Joe Friday himself, Jack Webb. Possibly the avatar of crime drama, Webb inhabited Friday's stoic form for hundreds of episodes across decades. The final total of "Dragnet" episodes is over 750, including its radio era, and save for 74 episodes across two revival series that aired after the creator's death, Jack Webb was Joe Friday for all of them.
"Dragnet" is the Ur-Procedural, the show that formed how we still think about cop shows today. Friday and his partner, Frank Smith in the original and Bill Gannon in the '60s revival, showed the gritty, real work of solving crimes. With its fast-paced episodes often pulled from real Los Angeles crime files, competent cop Friday highlighted everything from homicide to street scams. Enduring enough to have a loving parody movie in 1987, starring Tom Hanks and Dan Akyroyd, "Dragnet" still echoes throughout pop culture. Its tinny, four-note theme is buried in your head somewhere. You may not know how it got there. But it's going to survive the heat death of the universe.
Less about the police than the psychology behind mystery itself, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" was what you binged instead of "The Twilight Zone" if you wanted to watch people really go through it. Similar to its compatriot, this anthology series was hosted by the man himself. Hitchcock was well-established as a god-tier director when his series first aired in 1955. Of over 260 episodes, Hitch directed 17. In 1962, mystery buffs couldn't get enough and the series was retooled into "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" for another 93 episodes.
Each episode saw the director's hand-drawn caricature enter to the infamous tune of "Funeral March for a Marionette," a jangly piano piece that evokes oddball mystery. One of the best episodes, in my opinion, is "The Perfect Crime," directed by Hitchcock and starring Vincent Price. It's a tense ride as criminologist Price cobbles together said perfect crime, and it's a talkative one. For more gleeful crime fans, there's "Lamb to the Slaughter," also directed by Hitchcock and based on a -- yes! -- Roald Dahl story. Not to spoil the surprise, but "Hannibal" fans, this classic's for you.
Dr. Richard Kimble's been on the run for a long time, first hitting the streets in 1963. The 1993 Harrison Ford action thrill ride is an excellent distillation of the classic series' big moments, which were originally doled out over the course of 120 episodes. The one-armed man, who never has a confirmed identity, is seen rarely until the two-part finale where Kimble finally catches up with his wife's true killer.
The rest of the series is full of close-calls of the week, where the capable but disgraced Dr. Kimble helps people in need wherever he goes. It's his empathy and need to help that makes him so plainly innocent, and makes his lawful nemesis, Lieutenant Gerard, feel robotically unsympathetic. The law is the law, believes Gerard. Proclaimed innocence and the facts of Kimble's rampant kindness aren't relevant. Only the finale makes Gerard human.
This classic cat and mouse series continues to inspire. Naoki Urasawa's stellar manga "Monster," with its equally honorable Dr. Kenzo Tenma, may be the best homage Richard Kimble could have ever asked for.
Peter Falk has the right kind of gravelly voice to sound both charming and scattered. His seminal role as Lieutenant Columbo in, what else, "Columbo," takes advantage of this. Columbo acts like he's got too much Peter Sellers in him, an eccentric that bumbles his way through crime scenes for an episode's given running time. But fans who love this classic detective know it's all an act.
Well, sort of. Columbo is polite and eccentric. But he's also smart as hell, and he knows exactly how he's perceived. His targets are rich scumbags who think they've gotten away with their crime. Columbo relies on psychology as he quietly interrogates his prey, wearing their defenses down until he kills them with his signature whopper: "One more thing, sir..." Columbo always gets his man, the right man, and from the get-go. It's comforting stuff from a time when cops were as blue collar as the rest of us, keeping the elites in line. That theme may not have aged well, but the show does, purely because of Falk's immortal charm.
The culture found bald men sexy well before Sir Patrick Stewart helmed the Enterprise. The sleek-domed Telly Savalas made cops into cool cats back in 1973 as "Kojak," a former street kid hip to the new world and ready to save the people he grew up with. Savvy and cynical, he retained empathy for witnesses and criminal informants, whatever side of the street they came from. But he didn't take disrespect, either.
Lieutenant Theo Kojak is the forerunner of plugged-in cops like Sonny Crockett and Bobby Simone, a man who embodied the era he was in. The early '70s still wrestled with concepts like basic civil rights, and "Kojak" recognized the tension. Kojak was a composite of several cops, including Detective Thomas Cavanagh, who worked the Career Girls Murder, a case so famously fraught with racist police coercion that it formed the basis of Miranda vs. Arizona, or, the reason cops have to read you your rights.
Cop dramas were a boys club in the '80s, and frankly, they still are. The first major attempt to attack the status quo came in 1981, as Christine Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey took to the New York streets to show the world that solving crime has no gender. "Cagney & Lacey" fought to become a hit, surviving an early cancellation via a fan-run letter campaign.
The pair do their best to show the breadth of life experiences women can have, with Cagney as a career woman and Lacey as a working mom. The show doesn't shy away from big issues, with a toady little dude named Newman benefiting more from the old boy's network than them on the way to a promotion. Discrimination and harassment became the core of "Rules of the Game," which sees Cagney under the thumb of a controlling police captain. It's ridiculous that there's been nothing quite like "Cagney & Lacey" since, though at least great partnerships like Elliot and Stabler have become regular delights.
Cops work out of individual precincts, part of squads and thus, part of a weird, sometimes grotesque family unit. Until 1981, that sprawling connection wasn't ever explored. Enter "Hill Street Blues," with a cast that effectively numbered into the dozens over its seven season run, and which took its audience as close to the action as possible with documentary-style camera work and a glimpse of how the job became part of a cop's personal life, too.
"Hill Street Blues" was also the first crime drama to allow storylines to weave in and out across a season, with the fates of its characters always at risk from a bad day on the streets. Edgy for the time and chock full of dated sensibilities, it still helps shape the perception of street police today. But more fun, like its descendant, "Law & Order," it's also a terrific show to binge for "Hey, it's that guy!" moments. Guest stars range from Danny Glover and Tim Robbins to giving first roles to actors like a young Don Cheadle.
To look at the screenshots of one of the most popular '80s cop shows, "Miami Vice," is to invite some not so very polite giggles from today's fashionistas. Men have never worn so much pastel before or since, and we're including the Met Gala. Don Johnson as Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Tubbs fighting crime in woven sandals and white blazers is something that, you would think, does not age well. And yet it can still feel so alive.
Underneath the hood, however, "Miami Vice" will always be a Michael Mann production, and that keeps it working. With its deliberately Art Deco aesthetic, its caseload somehow still feels fresh and the fashion feels fantastical instead of dated. As part of Miami's vice squad, the perps our pastel princes are up against are drug lords and scammers. It doesn't lower the stakes, but it enhances the stylish sensation that everyone is looking to make it big off the back of someone else. Like other enduring shows, part of what works is its tasty synth theme song, a Jan Hammer special beamed in from a universe where the best of the '80s will never die.
Cozy mysteries are one of the hottest subgenres to currently exist, with cats, coffeehouses, bakeries, and, occasionally, globetrotting romantic adventures setting the stage for crimes of all kinds. 1984 offers a partial genesis for this popularity, with Angela Lansbury as the star of the 12-season-long classic "Murder, She Wrote."
Yes, it's the series from fictional Cabot Cove, the bucolic Maine hamlet that offers a body count so severe that it made headlines in 1992 for outpacing countries with thriving cartels. I don't believe Jessica Fletcher has ever asked herself the "Batman" question: Would Cabot Cove be so bloody if Fletcher wasn't there to observe the mayhem? Regardless, it's still a pleasure to explore the countryside with Jessica, even though later seasons see her as a teaching criminologist in residence in New York City. Really, by then, this unassuming novelist had long since proved she can do as well as she can mentor.
Lost in the trove of better-known '90s mystery series is a wonderful English import called "Cadfael." Starring Sir Derek Jacobi as Brother Cadfael, a 12th Century Benedictine monk, it's a rare treat for fans of the earthier, more human version of the Middle Ages we've seen in recent works like "The Green Knight."
Based on the novels of Ellis Peters, Cadfael is a former crusader and soldier, who saw Jerusalem under the reign of Baldwin I. Weary of doing harm, he turns to herbalism. Though he's Shrewsbury's foremost healer, he also becomes the local medical examiner. Local sheriff Hugh Beringar grows to appreciate the aging monk's guidance, though Cadfael's amused acceptance of the secular world often puts him at odds with his Benedictine superiors. With only 13 episodes, the often historically accurate "Cadfael" is tempting to binge. But savor it instead; there's nothing else quite like this gentle monk with a keen understanding of the world around him.
It's gauche to highlight the name of legendary producer Dick Wolf, and besides "30 Rock" did it better. Yet the Wolf is indeed a legend, honing his writing skills on "Hill Street Blues" before creating the unstoppable juggernaut franchise "Law & Order." With eight series total - not counting "Law & Order UK," which is the same formula but with crown prosecutors in silly English wigs - it's thousands of hours of criminal-hunting fun.
With the original series back for more as of 2022, it's fascinating to see how the often-realistic process of investigation has changed since first airing in 1990. The detectives are on the streets less than ever, with smartphones and an in-office expert controlling most of the show. The spin-offs rely more on interpersonal drama, with "SVU" fan favorites Elliot and Stabler as one of TV's biggest comfort couples. There's really no way to describe how influential and how massive the "Law & Order" franchise is, nor how often classic episodes will stun you with early appearances from Sebastian Stan to Sam Rockwell.
David Simon was a journalist for the Baltimore Sun when he embedded himself with the city's homicide department for the entire year of 1988. The result of his observations were chronicled in "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets," one of the most nakedly truthful books about the world of murder to exist. Its adaptation went to air in 1993, its title softened to "Homicide: Life on the Street." It retained much of the book's truthfulness, however, showing the flaws and obsessions of each detective as their caseloads erode their spirits, and sometimes, their humanity.
Yaphet Kotto stars as Lieutenant Al Giardello, based on the real-life shift lieutenant Simon knew as Gary D'Addario. His crew often changed throughout the years, but among them, actors Andre Braugher ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine") and Richard Belzer ("Law & Order: SVU") stayed throughout. The crimes also remained, and the specter of Adena Watson, based on a still-unsolved slaying of a little girl named Latonya Wallace, haunted one of its detectives for the entire series run. Though the series stumbles in its final seasons, it remains one of the best crime series you've probably never watched.
Watercooler television is less of a thing in the modern era of streaming services, though it still exists. But in the '90s, having a show everyone talked about at lunch the next day was a measure of irreplaceable success. "NYPD Blue" was one of those shows, a barn burner from Steven Bochco ("Hill Street Blues") and David Milch ("Deadwood") that highlights its detectives above and beyond the crimes they investigate.
Individual crimes fade into the background in favor of Detective Andy Sipowicz's effort to become a better person. Played by Dennis Franz, the initially ugly-of-spirit Sipowicz becomes the show's de facto protagonist, an old guard blue line mess who gradually joins the modern era. Controversy made this series eternal; it frequently pushed broadcast standards with adult nudity and language that was so spicy that it forged a right-wing censorship group in the Parents Television Council. The PTC's attacks seem to, if anything, have resulted in more bare butts for adults to enjoy.
Rex Stout's garrulous but insulated Nero Wolfe has undergone a number of adaptations since his debut in 1934. The best version is, easily, A&E's 2001-2002 20-episode collection of "Nero Wolfe" stories. With the late and deeply lamented Maury Chaykin as Nero and Timothy Hutton as his assistant and extroverted gopher Archie Goodwin, the pair navigate the mysteries that the stymied police delegate to them.
Nero charges the cops extravagant fees -- king move, honestly -- to supplement his luxurious but close-quarters lifestyle. He's not agoraphobic, he's particular. Nero's brilliance also forces his clients to put up with his ways, and deal with his gopher Archie at crime scenes and at a witness' side. When guests are permitted inside Wolfe's imposing brownstone, they are entirely at Wolfe's intellectual mercy. Jazzy and stylish, set in a dreamlike version of the '40s, "Nero Wolfe" is a terrific period drama, and a perfect blend of character and crime.
It would take a surplus of scientific proof to get us tired of Timothy Olyphant and his Infinity Stone collection of hard-living' cowboy toughs. Raylan Givens, protagonist of "Justified," may be his finest iteration. It's a hard call, but at six seasons, Olyphant is given more room to flesh out Elmore Leonard's modern marshal than he had as Seth Bullock in "Deadwood."
Givens introduces himself in "Fire in the Hole," a premiere episode drawn from a Leonard novella of the same name. It sets the tone for a stellar adaptation of Leonard's economical but intricate storytelling. Raylan is a good but not perfect man born in the wrong time, a man who understands the boring but effective methods of winning a gunfight with a bad guy. His interpersonal relations are the heart of an otherwise anthological collection of story arcs and one-offs, marking time by the slow ways Raylan changes. Fans of "Yellowstone" or even new viewers intrigued by his time as Cobb Vanth on "The Mandalorian" owe it to themselves to see Olyphant in one of the finest hats a man can wear.
To shove bias out of the way real quick, when I talk up HBO's premier thriller series "True Detective," I mean seasons one and three. Rust Cohle and Martin Hart, played by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, respectively, tear up the first season with a decades-long mystery about a bizarre series of murders. It's a platform for the dark philosophy that hides inside crime, delving into the fringes of horror. Though viewers (like me) uplifted the Lovecraftian elements into oversized prominence, it's fairer to say season one is an exploration of the nihilistic philosophy of horror that Eugene Thacker explains in "In the Dust of This Planet."
Season three returns to that mortal terror, a generational case about missing children and our own unreliable memories. The ever-stunning Mahershala Ali is balanced by his sleazy but loyal partner Stephen Dorff, in a surprising career resurrection. The only ghosts here are the haunts of a man fighting his dementia. It's enough. The real mystery hunted in "True Detective" is how any of us can bear to be human.
Take an anthological crime drama, add Thomas Harris' beloved villain Hannibal Lecter, and add the most sumptuous aesthetics to exist on television. Then cast Mads Mikkelson and Hugh Dancy, and make their vampiric dance of monstrous desire part of the constant background music of the weirdest crime scenes to make it onto broadcast television. "Hannibal" is, well, an entire feast for our senses, even the most taboo ones. It's also an artful method of exploring the psychology of crime while putting the biggest monster of all dead in the center of it.
"Hannibal" is a love story about covetousness. Whether you ascribe to the all-but-blatantly canon romance between Lecter and Will Graham or not, the chemistry between them is intense enough to border on the sacrilegious. Lecter covets Graham, just as a variant of him once taught Clarice Starling in "Silence of the Lambs." It's enough to make the predator risk himself. Absolutely stunning stuff, but not for fans of gentler explorations of what brings out our most inhuman selves.
If I have to sell an established crime fan on "The Wire," I honestly don't know what we're doing here. If you haven't seen it yet, you're in for something truly special. The apex evolution of the world David Simon showed us in "Homicide: Life on the Streets," HBO's "The Wire" plumbs some of those same stories to tell all new ones about the broken souls corroding the entire city of Baltimore. From bottom to top, a web of corruption ensnares everything from streetwise drug lords to the Port Authority, to the city's crumbling schools and infrastructures, and even refusing to spare the media bodies Simon himself worked for.
A wealth of fine actors inhabit the most complicated and sometimes hard to like characters in the medium. Idris Elba remains a stand-out as the Barksdale family advisor Stringer Bell. Lance Reddick is the lieutenant that catches the Barksdale special detail, our guide to the frustrating politics inside Cop HQ. Dominic West is Detective Jimmy "The f*** did I do?!" McNulty. Across five seasons, "The Wire" explores a realistic world. The series demands binging; you need to know what happens next. But take it from me. You'll probably need a long break before moving on to the next season.
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