Ronald.phillips

The 1990s were a glorious time for independent and international cinema. While well-moneyed studio fare was still gathering plenty of attention in the public eye, micro-budgeted films from first-time directors were also noticeably at the table, often attracting more press coverage and critical acclaim than their more expensive counterparts; This was a time when "Clerks" could entrench itself deeply in the popular consciousness and garner more clout than a misguided blockbuster like "The Flintstones." It was during this time that an English director named Danny Boyle and a Scottish actor name Ewan McGregor first came to prominence. 

Danny Boyle's first film as director was "Shallow Grave," which was released in England in May of 1994 and in the United States the following January. "Shallow Grave" is about a trio of flatmates (McGregor, Christopher Eccleston, and Kerry Fox) who like to play games. They need a fourth roommate to pay bills, but use the interview process to joke around more than seriously interview people. They eventually find a flatmate ... who very quickly overdoses and dies in his room. They also find a suitcase full of cash. The three leads decide to merely bury the body and keep the money. The story that follows details their mental degradation and Dostoyevskian journey of guilt. It was a critical success, earning several awards at various international film festivals.

"Shallow Grave" was also Ewan McGregor's second feature film, having only previously acted in Bill Forsyth's "Begin Human," a high-concept, centuries-spanning, transmigration drama starring Robin Williams. Boyle and McGregor were both suddenly getting attention, and though another round of acclaim awaited them, so did the crumbling of their friendship and collaboration.

The Rise Of McGregor And Boyle

After "Shallow Grave," Boyle and McGregor were on the upswing. McGregor moved into fascinating and strange indie projects like "The Pillow Book," period romances like "Emma," and gloriously bonkers queer musicals like "Velvet Goldmine," wherein he played a parallel universe version of Iggy Pop. McGregor would also end the 1990s by playing a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace," one of the most successful films of the decade, and one of the more notorious. 

Throughout the decade, Boyle would also continue to gather attention, mostly with "Trainspotting" in 1996, a darkly jovial, intense, and wildly energetic film about junkies in Edinburgh. Based on a novel by Irvine Welsh, "Trainspotting" was a filthy blast of punk energy, and further cemented both Boyle and McGregor as important forces in cinema. The duo would re-team a third time for "A Life Less Ordinary" in 1997, which was just as wild and energetic as "Trainspotting," but far more upbeat and romantic. "Life" is about a kidnapper-with-a-heart-of-gold (McGregor) who ends up forging an intense romance with his victim, played by Cameron Diaz. It's dark, fun, and playfully twisted. However, the film wasn't as well-received as their previous efforts together, and it bombed at the box office. 

The same year "A Life Less Ordinary" was being ignored, another ascending star was making waves (*wink*) in James Cameron's remake of "The Boatniks," a little movie called "Titanic."

The Beach

Danny Boyle's fourth film, "The Beach," was released in 2000 ... notably without Ewan McGregor. "The Beach" is about an American tourist in Bangkok who falls in with an impossibly attractive French couple (Virginie Ledoyen and Guillaume Canet), and, following the directions of a mysterious bohemian (Robert Carlyle), discovers a mysterious hidden island in the Gulf of Thailand where a secret enclave of off-the-grid expatriates have been living in secret for years. They grow their own food, have access to free weed, and live free of the fetters of capitalism; the promise of the 1960s finally fulfilled. Of course, the idyll will eventually be interrupted. 

"The Beach" was a modest success, and sold many soundtrack records — Moby's "Porcelain" is a standout on the album — but was a critical flop. Boyle admitted in a 2017 Q&A that all the characters were unlikeable, making for a pretty miserable film. "The Beach" was also Leonardo DiCaprio's first film after the success of "Titanic," and audiences likely gathered just to see the world's hottest teeny-bopper idol in a new film. His performance was not praised, however, and DiCaprio received a Razzie nomination that year. He "lost" to John Travolta in "Battlefield Earth." 

Would "The Beach" have been better with Ewan McGregor in the Leonardo DiCaprio role? We'll never know, but it was the hiring of DiCpario that led to Boyle and McGregor not speaking to each other for years. 

Ewan Vs. Leo

Ewan McGregor was originally cast as the lead character in "The Beach," but he came to blows with Boyle when, reportedly, Boyle was offered more money by 20th Century Fox to make the lead character an American. Boyle took the money, and Leonardo DiCaprio took the part. In January of 2017, on an episode of "The Graham Norton Show," McGregor admitted to feeling slighted upon the rejection. He said: 

"It's a big regret of mine that it went on for so very long. It's a shame we didn't work together all those years. It wasn't about "The Beach," it was about our friendship, and I felt I was in Danny's first three movies ... and then I wasn't in his fourth, and it made me a bit rudderless. I didn't quite get it, and yeah, we didn't speak for a long time, which was a waste."

McGregor and Boyle both continued to put out interesting work. McGregor, as mentioned, was already involved with the "Star Wars" movies and would continue to work with interesting directors in a series of high-profile films (Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge!," Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down," Tim Burton's "Big Fish," Michael Bay's "The Island," Woody Allen's "Cassandra's Dream," etc.), and Boyle was repeatedly shaking up the cinema world with "28 Days Later," the charming "Millions," and the Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire."

By 2017, McGregor and Boyle finally began speaking again in order to make "T2 Trainspotting," a sequel based on the follow-up novel "Porno" by Irvine Welsh. "T2" caught up with the same Edinburgh junkies now that they were on-and-off clean, not-so-sober, rounding middle age, and still serial criminals. McGregor and Boyle may have missed several opportunities to work together after falling out over "The Beach," but thankfully for them — and for a grateful audience — they did indeed patch things up and appear to be copacetic. 

McGregor and Boyle haven't announced any future projects together as of this writing, but at least the potential for future projects is now back on the table.

Read this next: Every Danny Boyle Film Ranked From Worst To Best

The post Why The Beach Left Danny Boyle and Ewan McGregor's Friendship in Shambles appeared first on /Film.

The Netflix series "Cobra Kai" recently released its fourth season and introduced us to a new character named Kenny. The San Fernando Valley is a rough place in the world of the show, and it's largely because of the rivalry between the karate dojos of Cobra Kai and the combo of Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang. There are big spoilers ahead for "Cobra Kai" season 4 ahead, so if you haven't watched yet, go do it right now. You have been warned and there will be no mercy! 

Kenny, played by Dallas Dupree Young, is the new kid in town. His mom is working like crazy while his dad is deployed overseas. His brother is in juvenile hall, where he served a bit with Robby (Tanner Buchanan). Kenny's a sweet kid who dances and plays video games, and that gets him bullied in his new middle school. He even gets chased down by Daniel LaRusso's (Ralph Macchio) son Anthony (Griffin Santopietro) and his gang of jerks while cosplaying. My entire heart broke during that scene. Kenny's brother hooks him up with Robby and Cobra Kai, but things take a turn during the All Valley Karate Tournament. I recently spoke to Young about the season, Kenny's bullying, that dancing scene, cosplay, and more.

'I Fell In Love With Cobra Kai'

Were you a fan of the films before you joined the cast of "Cobra Kai?"

I was a fan of the films, yes. So I watched "Karate Kid" 1 whenever I was about five, six years old, because I was a martial artist when I was younger. And then I fell in love with "Cobra Kai" right when I found out I was a finalist for the show. It's an incredible franchise.

That's so cool that you were a martial artist. Tell me a little bit about that.

Yeah, so I started martial arts whenever I was about five or six years old. I did it for about two years, and then I stopped for a while because I was interested in football and baseball. So I stopped until I was at the age of 12. And then I did this form of martial arts where it was taekwondo, kickboxing, jujutsu, and parkour. Tried to add those all together, and it perfectly worked out because I decided to be on "Cobra Kai" which I thought, "This is perfect. It's really preparing me for this opportunity."

I love that. You watched the series, so how was it, joining such a cult hit?

Joining this show has been an incredible experience. I've worked with some of the best actors I could possibly know, honestly. And just watching the more experienced actors that I've seen, they're so talented and they're so poised and they know exactly what they're doing, and I've learned a lot and I've grown a lot just watching them be experts at the craft. I'm so grateful for this opportunity, and I'm so grateful for this platform to share what I've been doing for a long time. And yeah, I'm very grateful for this.

I was looking at your Instagram. I love all the pictures you have with the cast. Was there someone in the cast that stuck out as a mentor?

Tanner Buchanan. He's the guy that stuck out as a mentor because he ... it was that mentor/mentee relationship from day one. He was the first person that I saw on the stage and I wasn't even working that day. He just wanted to come and meet me and show me the ropes. Yeah, he's just been that shoulder to cry on, person I want to be homies with from the beginning. He's such an incredible person, such an incredible actor, and I've really grown from watching him.

'A Mother Son Bond Is Very Strong'

That's awesome. I had read that you did a lot of martial arts research in addition to actually doing martial arts. So do you have any idols?

In the martial arts world, Wesley Snipes is my idol. It's funny, because the stunt coordinator, he suggested that I should watch "Blade," and I was like, "'Blade,' really? Okay." I watched "Blade" with my dad, and it was so fascinating to watch his technique and how smooth he was with every single movement, and every single kick, punch, whatever it was. He was absolutely incredible in that movie. So now I just need to watch "Blade II" and so forth, so on.

Kenny was one of those characters that, when he is introduced, you really get attached really quickly. Let's start with his family. They're not around, but you still get mom snacks in the morning. So what's Kenny's relationship to his family?

Kenny's relationship with his family would -- it's a complex relationship. It's difficult in a way, because he doesn't have his family around and he's used to being by himself. So this was his routine prior to moving to a new school, but he's always respected his family. He's never had a problem with them. And honestly, he wants his dad and his mom to be together again and be home as a family, along with his brother. But that's how life is. There's no way you can change it. It's going to be that way until he goes to college. So he realizes that at the beginning, but I love how the creators incorporated that relationship with him and his mom at the beginning, because a mother and son bond is very strong and I respect my mom and I love her, too. So I really identify myself with Kenny right here.

He does this adorable dance, and then he gets teased for it. First of all, did you do the dance? Did you come up with that dance?

I came up with that dance on the spot. I wasn't practicing before. I said, "I want to be in that mindset where I'm feeling the music. I want to just have fun, be goofy." And the creators, they told me, "Do whatever you want, have so much fun with it." I said, "Okay, I'm just going to do whatever I can. I'll make it a little good at some point. But most of all, it's going to be funny and goofy." And that's what displayed on camera.

'It Would Be Really Cool To Have A Halloween Costume With Dr. Scribblebottoms'

Let's talk about the bullying, because that broke my heart. And watching Kenny's arc with the bullying is really intense. What do you think that's going to mean to a lot of kids watching?

What Kenny's story is going to mean to a lot of kids is that bullying, it won't escape you. Ever. And it's always going to be a tough and difficult conversation with anybody. Now, what Kenny does that I don't want other kids to do is be physical towards the end. But what I want you to do is tell an adult, tell a parent, tell somebody that you trust, so that can be stopped. It's okay to say "No," it's okay to be stopped. You can't allow that to happen to you and affect your life, because it's really damaging to a person. And I experienced that. So that's why Kenny's story really resonated with me from day one.

It was absolutely heartbreaking to see. And you know, something that I really appreciated was the fact that he's a huge video game player. Do you play?

I play video games, yes. I play video games often, too. I've never played "Dungeon Lord," I've never played a game like that, but it was cool to play that game even though it was all green screen. They gave me the idea of where everything would be. And then watching it on camera, I'm like, "Wow. So this is the game that I was playing."

What do you actually play in real life?

So I always play sports games like "Madden," "MLB 2K," and then I also play "Fortnite" every now and again.

"Fortnite"? That's awesome. So you get it. Do any of you and the cast members play on set?

On set? Yes. We always played -- so we didn't really play video games on set, but we always played mind games. We played this game called "Ninja" where we all have to stand in the circle and then we try to hit each other's hands while moving away. And then we also had very meaningful conversations with each other, talking about games. And then when we're off set, we play different games like "Mario Kart," whenever they invited us to their house. It's really an incredible environment on set.

Kenny cosplays, which for a lot of fans of this show is a really big deal. Have you ever done that?

I've never cosplayed in my life. I have never done it, but that's something that I have to try. But the other thing was, I was thinking about it. It would be really cool to have a Halloween costume with Dr. Scribblebottoms. And I would get that costume and start cosplaying.

Oh my God. Okay. I feel like this needs to happen.

It has to. It has to happen.

'I'm So Blessed To Have The Platform'

What sort of reaction have you gotten from people now that the episodes are out?

I've really enjoyed all of the positive feedback that I have been receiving since the release of the show. Everybody has had very kind and encouraging words to me about my performance and the dynamic with Tanner and everything. It's overwhelming in the best possible way. And then my follows shot up on Instagram. So everything is happening right now. And I'm so blessed to have this platform.

One of the things you posted on Instagram was some of the little bits of fight choreography that you guys are doing. What's that like? How much training do you have to do? How many hours do you spend on that?

We had a lot of intense training throughout the entire season. So we went to train -- at least the kids, I'll say -- we went to train maybe two days out of the week, I'm going to say, and it would consist of probably an hour and a half of work and training, learning the stunt choreography. We'd do boxing, kickboxing, to also try to get ourselves in shape and keep our mind focused and keep working on the task at hand. It was very intense throughout the entire time, but I had such an incredible time learning all of the choreography, because that's something that I have never experienced in my life before. So it was really amazing, learning all of that.

Since the whole season's out, I have to ask you what you want to see for Kenny going forward.

Well, that's a good question. Ooh. What I want to see ... I want to see Kenny's relationship with [Kenny's brother] Shawn [Okea Eme-Akwari] be a little more explored. I would love for that to happen in the upcoming seasons. And then I want Kenny to remember who he is, and remember where he came from, and who he wants to be when he grows up.

'You Fillibuster Recess'

So in addition to followers on Instagram and all of that, how has your life changed since getting the role?

Ooh, since getting the role my life has changed tremendously, honestly. It's really cool. I've always loved when I got recognized in public or whatever, and yesterday it was crazy how multiple people came up to me. That was one of the first real times that people have come up to me because of them seeing me in the show. And I've loved that since day one. They've always told me encouraging words like "Hey, you're killing it on the show. I'm watching it right now. I can't wait to see you in the upcoming seasons." So that puts a smile to my face, and that's really how my life has changed. I received a lot of different text messages and DMs and all of that. So I'm really grateful and I'm really excited about the future.

That's so cool. You've done some big stuff before. I'm a huge fan of "The Good Place" [Young played Young Uzo] ... what was that like?

So that was back in 2016 when I filmed it, it came out in 2017. That was an incredible experience. It was really fun because that was the first time that I was really on set in a while, because I had just started acting, I was very new. And watching it back, my acting was a little bit questionable, but of course I was young. So nobody really cares about that, but it's funny to see that. And I remember my line ... everybody kept laughing about this line: "You filibuster recess. You filibuster recess!" Watching that back, people are still talking about "you filibuster recess." So that was a great experience, just to get my career on the map a little bit with the co-star roles and get a sense of that on-set environment.

'It Is Worth The Wait'

That's so cool. Before we wrap, you've got some more projects coming up. Can you tell us about those?

Yes. So I have a project called "1-800-Hot-Nite," and it's about a kid who has been struggling with finding his identity as well. His father goes to jail -- he gets arrested in front of him. So he tries to escape the world, and everybody's trying to find him so he can go into the foster system. But he has his two buddies, they're like his brothers, and they try to run away, and they go on this urban odyssey and people will really enjoy that whole entire journey.

Awesome. And there was another one that I saw, "The Royal."

"The Royal." I have no idea when "The Royal" will be coming out, but I play the younger version of Willie Mays Aikens, who was a very popular baseball player back in the '70s, if I'm not mistaken. I play the younger version of him, and the premise of that project is he struggles with a lot of addiction and different hardships that he has to undergo, and you see the dramatic change in his life and the change from when he becomes an addict to a person who helps the world out.

And finally, is there anything you want to tell "Cobra Kai" fans about what's coming?

"Cobra Kai" fans, I know you are so sad about the fact that "Cobra Kai" season 5 will not be coming out for a little while, but I'll tell you one thing: it is worth the wait. The season is incredible and everybody does such a tremendous job. You will really enjoy it.

"Cobra Kai" season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.

Read this next: The 25 Best Kids' Movies Of All Time

The post Cobra Kai's Dallas Dupree Young on Kenny's Arc in Season 4 [Interview] appeared first on /Film.

My parents had a standing agreement with the Mom & Pop video store at the end of my block growing up that I was allowed to rent whatever I wanted, no questions asked. It's how I was able to name John Waters as my favorite director before I was old enough to get my braces off, and it's why I was renting rape-revenge movies before I had my driver's license. With the ability to rent with reckless abandon, I got my hands on movies I was probably too young to correctly process, but movies that helped shape my existence during some of the most pivotal years of my life. As a chubby-cheeked pre-teen struggling to understand my growing feelings towards other girls, few movies made me feel as understood and seen as Peter Jackson's "Heavenly Creatures."

As I grew older and more immersed in the world of film criticism, "Heavenly Creatures" would frequently sneak in on lists of "Best Female Villains" or "Actors You Didn't Realize Starred in Horror Movies." Almost all of the discussions around the film I had seen focused heavily on the debuts of Peter Jackson and star Kate Winslet, perhaps understandably, as both have gone on to become Academy Award-winning creatives. They're both phenomenal, there's do denying that, but my love for "Heavenly Creatures" sparked a life-long appreciation for the film's other star, one of the most underrated and underutilized actors in the industry, the incomparable Melanie Lynskey.

A Brief Introduction To Melanie Lynskey

"Heavenly Creatures" was Lynskey's professional acting debut, nabbing the role as Pauline Parker (of the Parker–Hulme murder case) after a casting director visited her high school. Over 500 young actresses had been seen before Lynskey was chosen, with the film's co-writer Fran Walsh noting that they knew Lynskey was right for the role immediately. The film was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 67th Academy Awards and Lynskey was named Best Actress at the 1995 New Zealand Film Awards. There's a quiet power in her performance, one that haunted me for years as I tried to process why I felt so seen by her character.

A few years later, Lynskey would pop up in the Drew Barrymore-starring "Ever After: A Cinderella Story." Lynskey played Jacqueline de Ghent, the less-favored of the wicked stepmother Rodmilla de Ghent (Anjelica Huston). She spends most of the movie being treated poorly by her family, but in a moment of boldness, weaponizes an insult her mother previously laid upon her by saying "I'm only here for the food" in the presence of the King and Queen. It was the first time I had ever seen a character fight back against fatphobic statements made by family members from a character scorned for daring to exist in a body and face that wasn't the standard. Don't get it twisted -- Lynskey is and has always been stunning, but Hollywood is only interested in a particular type of woman. As author Lucy Grealy describes it, "Beauty, as defined by society at large, seemed to be only about who was best at looking like everyone else." Melanie Lynskey didn't look like the rest of the women in Hollywood, but she looked like me, and she immediately became my queen.

Lesbianism And Rock & Roll

1999 was the year for teen cinema, and Lynskey appeared again in two roles that completely changed my life. As an unironic lover of the band KISS, "Detroit Rock City" was the rock & roll adventure I'd always dreamed of. Lynskey's Beth Bumstein was the girl I desperately wished I could be more like, and the fact she has sex in a Catholic confessional booth was the biggest power move I could process as a pre-teen. I never quite saw myself in films at that age, but every time I saw Melanie Lynskey on screen, I felt a little more normal in a world that constantly made me feel like an alien.

Everything changed for me when I saw "But I'm A Cheerleader." I know, I know, Clea DuVall is everyone's big crush, but I was always possessed by Lynskey's Hilary. The way she was still a lesbian while proudly donning lipstick and cat-eye glasses planted the seed for my own eventual queer reckoning. I spent a decade of my life fighting my truth because I didn't "look" like a lesbian, but seeing someone who looked like Melanie Lynskey, who looked like me, say out loud "It's really easy to be a prude when you're not attracted to him, isn't it?" I know that I'm not alone when I say that the "Heavenly Creatures" to "But I'm A Cheerleader" lesbian awakening pipeline is very real, and Melanie Lynskey's existence in both of them was the life affirming representation so many of us needed.

More Than Just A Side Character

As the years went by, Lynskey was pigeon-holed in "best friend" side parts in studio pictures, only really given the chance to shine in independent features, and I never understood why. She spoke candidly with Rolling Stone about the way she's been treated over the years, a sobering reminder that far more people in positions of power continue to view her through the same lens as Rodmilla de Ghent, and not as the remarkably gifted actor she is and has always been. Even during the production of "Yellowjackets," she reported a production member asking her what she was "going to do" about her body, noting that they'd probably hire her a personal trainer. The internet has rightfully taken up arms in her defense, because how dare anyone disparage the magnificent Melanie Lynskey?

I'm not going to sit here and rattle off her IMDb credits, because the talent and impact of Melanie Lynskey is so much bigger than the fact she played Rose on "Two and a Half Men." Many consider her role in "Hello I Must Be Going" to be the turning point in her career, even nabbing a nomination at the Gotham Awards for Breakthrough Performer, which seems like a backhanded compliment to someone who had already been consistently working for nearly two decades prior. This wasn't a "breakthrough," it was a showcase of the exceptional work she had been delivering for years. Melanie Lynskey has always been a superstar, and it's frankly criminal that it's taken so many people this long to finally get on board.

I Love You, Melanie Lynskey

In recent years, I've marked out pretty hard whenever Lynskey shows up. "Happy Christmas," "Digging for Fire," "Little Boxes," "XX," "Castle Rock," "Togetherness," "Mrs. America," "Over the Garden Wall," and "I Don't Feel At Home in This World Anymore" are all made infinitely better because of Lynskey. Every decision she makes is perfect, every instinct she has for a character is the correct one, and I have never watched a Melanie Lynskey performance and thought that it could be better because it was always impeccable from the start. As a diehard fan of "Yellowjackets," I am ecstatic to see how many people have been spending every week online singing the praises of Melanie Lynskey, because she deserves it, and the mass outpouring of love is long overdue.

Her run as adult Shauna is undoubtedly some of the best work in her career, but it is admittedly frustrating to hear people talk about her performance as if it is the first time she has ever been this good. Lynskey has always been incredible, she has always been captivating, and she has always been right in front of our faces. So much of my personal ability to see myself the way I do is inspired by the ways I've seen Lynskey on screen. Because of her, I know I am able to be strong, proud, sweet, bold, angry, loving, responsible, chaotic, maternal, and insanely sexy all at once. She contains multitudes, as do I, and there's power in embracing all aspects of my character.

The fact Lynskey isn't one of the most highly sought-after performers in the business is due to no fault of her own, but the ridiculous Hollywood machine that has taken decades to finally see what so many of us have known all along: Melanie Lynskey f****** rules.

Read this next: The 15 Best Anthony Hopkins Roles Ranked

The post An Untitled Article About How Much Melanie Lynskey F****** Rules appeared first on /Film.

Today brings a bombshell announcement to the media world, as Microsoft, the parent company of Xbox, has announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, the gaming company behind massive franchises such as "World of Warcraft" and "Call of Duty." Per Microsoft's announcement, this is set to be the largest acquisition in the company's history, valued at $68.7 billion. This makes the previous purchase they made of Bethesda ("Fallout") for $7.5 billion look like chump change. But this will reposition Xbox as a true titan in the industry, while also raising some serious questions that need to be answered.

Per a blog post from Xbox, Activision Blizzard and Microsoft Gaming will continue to operate independently for now. Once the deal is complete, which is expected to happen sometime between mid-2022 and mid-2023, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Xbox head Phil Spencer as CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Aside from "Halo" and the other franchises in Microsoft's control, Blizzard brings with it titles such as "Overwatch," "Diablo," "Candy Crush," and "StarCraft," in addition to "Call of Duty" and "Warcraft." This is essentially the gaming equivalent of Disney purchasing Fox. It's a huge deal.

 

Now, as Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreiner notes in the above tweet, this deal might have trouble clearing regulatory hurdles. Any deal of this size has a lot of red tape to get through, legally speaking. That could stall things, and force alterations. For example, Disney had to sell a bunch of regional sports networks when it purchased Fox because they already owned ESPN and there were monopoly concerns. Similar concerns could be raised here by the powers that be.

Xbox notes that they plan to make as many Activision Blizzard games available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers as possible. Once the deal closes, future titles from the studio will likely be exclusive to Xbox, meaning that unless you own an Xbox console, or are subscribed to Game Pass on PC, you won't be able to play these games. This is bad news for PlayStation fans.

The Elephant In The Room

Aside from the flashiness of the announcement, there are some major issues that need to be addressed. Activision Blizzard has come under intense, highly-public scrutiny for its workplace culture in recent months (as summed up well here by Polygon). They are facing multiple lawsuits over gender discrimination and over 1,000 employees signed a letter calling for CEO Bobby Kotick to resign. Kotick has been accused of sexual harassment and assault. Spencer, for his part, had previously stated that he was "disturbed and deeply troubled by the horrific events and actions" of Kotick. At the time, an internal email stated that Microsoft was "evaluating all aspects of our relationship with Activision Blizzard and making ongoing proactive adjustments."

Outright purchasing the company is one way to go about affecting change. While the situation wasn't addressed directly be Spencer in his blog post, he did say the following:

"As a company, Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players. We deeply value individual studio cultures. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment."

It seems highly unlikely that a company as big as Microsoft with a brand and reputation to protect would make such a purchase without strongly considering this. Once the deal closes, there will likely be big changes at Activision Blizzard and it would be stunning if Kotick makes it that long. Change on that scale can't happen overnight, but a new owner, especially one like Microsoft, is capable of delivering that change. Still, this will need to be addressed directly by the company and Spencer sooner rather than later.

What Does This Mean For Movie And TV Fans?

Xbox has primarily focused on games, and has been hyper-focused on bolstering Xbox Game Pass, a service that allows gamers to play games as part of a subscription package for a monthly fee, rather than pay for them individually. That said, a purchase this big means cashing in any way possible, and that could mean branching further into the movie and TV business.

Microsoft currently has the "Halo" series coming to Paramount+, but with a stable of franchises as big as "World of Warcraft" and "Call of Duty," one has to imagine Xbox would do well to at least explore movie and TV shows based on these properties. With "The Last of Us" happening at HBO and "Fallout" in the works for Amazon, video games are arguably the next big franchise frontier for Hollywood. This could be a major avenue for the company to explore following the merger.

And let us not forget, while the first "Warcraft" movie flopped in the U.S., it made more than $400 million worldwide. There is an appetite for these franchises. Executed correctly, this could be a whole new avenue for Microsoft and Xbox that could help them make that $68.7 billion purchase worth it in the end.

Read this next: The 12 Best Video Game Movies Ranked

The post Microsoft Just Bought Activision Blizzard, the Gaming Equivalent of Disney Buying Fox appeared first on /Film.

"Scream" is one of the most beloved horror franchises of all time. But did you know there's a disturbing true story that inspired it all? To be clear: there wasn't a real murderer stalking around in a Ghost Face mask, prank calling his victims and asking them about scary movies. But there were a very real series of horrifying murders that inspired screenwriter Kevin Williamson to pen his game-changing script (originally titled "Scary Movie"). 

In late 1989 and later during the summer of 1990, Danny Rolling murdered eight people, including five college students, in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Gainesville, Florida. The brutal killings earned Rolling the ominous, sensationalized monicker "The Gainesville Ripper." 

Later, a budding screenwriter named Kevin Williamson was housesitting one night when he happened to catch a TV special on the murders. The special, coupled with being alone in another person's house late at night, gave Williamson the creeps, and eventually sent the screenwriter's mind racing. All of this would culminate in the script that became Wes Craven's "Scream." 

The Gainesville Ripper

Danny Rolling grew up in an abusive home, subjected to torments from his father, who was a police officer. As he grew older, Rolling got in and out of trouble, eventually graduating to murder. In November 1989, shortly after being fired from his job, Rolling broke into a house in Shreveport, Louisiana, and murdered three people, including an 8-year-old child. While the crime was discovered, police would not connect it to Rolling until 2006, when Rolling himself confessed to the horrific acts. 

In 1990, Rolling attacked and tried to kill his abusive dad, with the fight resulting in Rolling's father losing both an eye and an ear. In August of that same year, Rolling embarked on a burglary and robbery spree in Gainesville, Florida. In the midst of it all, Rolling murdered five college students, often mutilating and posing his victims. The killings would continue throughout the month of August, with Rolling ultimately murdering 8 people. The grisly crimes earned the killer the nickname "The Gainesville Ripper."

On September 7, 1990, Rolling was arrested – but not for his murders. Instead, the man who would soon be revealed to be The Gainesville Ripper had been apprehended for robbing a supermarket. Eventually, investigators were able to connect Rolling to the murders as well, matching Rolling's type B blood to DNA left at the crime scenes. Rolling was officially charged with the murders in November of 1991. At first, it looked like the accused killer would plead not guilty, and everyone expected the case to go to trial. But before the trial could officially begin, Rolling plead guilty to all charges. As for why Rolling did what he did, his own accounts differ. At one point, Rolling went so far as to claim he was possessed by a demon named Gemini. Later, Rolling stated that he actually wanted to become a serial killer celebrity akin to the infamous Ted Bundy. No matter what the reasoning behind his horrible acts, Rolling was ultimately sentenced to death, and executed via lethal injection on October 25, 2006.

Alone In The House

So where does "Scream" fit into all of this? Released in theaters in 1996, "Scream" rejuvenated both the horror genre and its slasher subgenre. Slashers were becoming kind of predictable at that point, and they had never been held in much esteem to begin with. But "Scream," with its hip young cast and its ultra-cool, ultra-self-aware script by Kevin Williamson, changed all that. The film won critical praise, performed well at the box office, inspired a seemingly endless parade of knock-offs, and spawned several sequels – with a new "Scream" movie having just arrived in theaters this month. 

And according to Kevin Williamson, The Gainsville Ripper case is what helped inspire it all. In 1997, the Detroit Free Press reprinted an article from the Orange County Register in which Williamson recounted that inspiration. The exact timeline isn't the easiest thing to pin down, but at some point in the early 1990s, Williamson, then still a struggling screenwriter, took a gig as a housesitter. While housesitting, Williamson watched a "TV special on the gruesome campus murders in Gainesville, Fla." At some point during the night, he also noticed that he had left one of the house's windows open.

Williamson was apparently so freaked out by the combination of being alone in a strange house, watching a TV special on the murders, and finding one of the windows open that he became convinced someone else was in the house. Rather than flee the house – an idea that's humorously mentioned in the first "Scream," where Neve Campbell says potential slasher victims are always running upstairs when they should be running out the front door – Williamson grabbed a kitchen knife and began to check the house. He also picked up the phone and called a friend. While Williamson checked around the house, he and his friend riffed back and forth, with the friend playfully mocking Williamson by bringing up horror movies. As the article states, "Williamson was terrified, but he admits now that he was starting to enjoy the banter. The two friends discussed horror movies as Williamson searched [the house]."

Scream

And right about now, you've probably finally figured out how the ghastly, tragic Gainsville Ripper case connects to "Scream." Danny Rolling's actual crimes themselves didn't directly lead to the script, but the experience of being freaked out by a TV special on the murders, followed by Williamson and his phone-in friend joking about horror movies, set Williamson's mind traveling down a road that would directly lead to a script called "Scary Movie." 

Williamson first wrote an 18-page script treatment "about a young woman, alone in a house, who is taunted over the phone and then attacked by a masked killer." Williamson then tucked the treatment away in a drawer somewhere and wrote the script for "Teaching Mrs. Tingle," which would eventually become Williamson's directorial debut. Williamson was able to sell the "Tingle" script, but the project ended up in development hell somewhere along the way. 

This, in turn, resulted in Williamson going back to his "Scary Movie" treatment. He fleshed it out into a full screenplay and even wrote outlines for two sequels, with the hopes of selling an entire franchise as a package deal. By June of 1995, Williamson's agent had the script and managed to sell it to Miramax. Miramax brought in legendary horror filmmaker Wes Craven to direct, the title was changed to "Scream," and the rest is horror movie history. 

Read this next: The Best Movies Of 2021

The post The Real-Life Serial Killings That Inspired Scream appeared first on /Film.

There's no feeling quite like getting to the mind-blowing finale of a mystery-heavy season of TV and knowing you'll be left to theorize for months on end before it returns. "Yellowjackets" is a "LOST"-level coming-of-age thriller with mysteries so hauntingly good, they may have me scrawling my theories all over the walls by the time the series returns.

"Yellowjackets" benefited from enthusiastically positive word-of-mouth across its 10-episode first season. By the time Sunday's finale aired, the show had become Showtime's most-watched new series in over five years, according to Vulture. In the same article, Showtime's president of entertainment, Gary Levine, said the show will likely return at the end of 2022. "When you have a show that has this kind of a momentum, you don't want to let it dissolve," Levine points out.

With respect to Levine's practicality and the quick turnaround it promises, there's absolutely no chance we'll stop thinking about "Yellowjackets" anytime soon. The finale continued to toe the line between psychological thrills and potentially real supernatural happenings, with most of them — the bear, the shrine, Natalie's kidnappers — tying back to teenage mystic Lottie (Courtney Eaton). While we expect theories around the series' biggest questions to evolve over the coming months, we're ready to get a head start exploring the aspects of the series that'll keep us up at night. Here are a few of our most pressing questions.

Which Other Yellowjackets Survived?

First off, let's start with who didn't. In the finale, Jackie (Ella Purnell) freezes to death outside during the first snowfall after a fight with Shauna (Sophie Nelisse). Series co-creator Bart Nickerson confirmed to Vulture that the group's resident mean girl really is dead, though her influence will continue to be felt. Javi (Luciano Leroux) is also missing at season's end, after having run into the wilderness during the chaos of Doomcoming. There's no sign of him, so he could be alive, but the howling wolves that could be heard in the distance after he ran off aren't a great sign.

As for who's definitely alive in 2021, Lottie seems to be the safest bet. There's a chance she did die in the wilderness, and the creepy-symbol-clad people who kidnapped Natalie (Juliette Lewis) while Suzie (Colleen Wheeler) asked "Who the f*** is Lottie Matthews?" are simply doing culty work in her name. Still, fans have been eager for hints about surviving Yellowjackets all season, and this is the best direct evidence we've gotten that someone else is out there. One of the series' showrunners, Jonathan Lisco, told Variety the team has had "really fun, vivid discussions" about who could play Lottie. Personally, I'm team Tia Carrere.

The 25th high school reunion the Yellowjackets attended in the season finale was careful not to say much about who else may have made it back from the wilderness. A slideshow included group pictures of the whole team, but as prom queen, Jackie was the only person singled out in memoriam. There's a chance that the core four Yellowjackets either don't know about any fellow survivors, or have purposely become estranged from them because of something that went down in the woods. That means it's possible that fan favorite Van (Liv Hewson), background characters Akilah (Keeya King) and Mari (Alexa Barajas), Coach Ben (Steven Krueger), or even poor wolf-bait Javi could have made it back. Fans also have plenty of theories about teammates who may have stayed behind in the wilderness, but there's not much evidence to support that idea yet.

Is Anything Supernatural Really Going On?

One of the biggest questions lingering over "Yellowjackets" is whether or not the show really contains supernatural elements. The series doesn't seem poised to answer this anytime soon, but instead thrives within the gray area of potentially magical spookiness. Weird things have certainly been happening, but several of the series' horror elements have already been revealed to be grounded in reality. "The lady in the tree," for example, is simply sleepwalking Taissa (Tawny Cypress), while the ritualistic Antler Queen attire from the premiere doesn't seem like a far cry from the group's Doomcoming outfits.

The show's most un-ignorable supernatural element, though, is Lottie. The teenager has a diagnosed mental illness, as indicated by her antipsychotic prescription that ran out after the crash. But she also seems to be having visions, the kind that can't be easily explained away. She vaguely predicts Laura Lee's (Jane Widdop) death, the red river, and the appearance of the strangely docile bear. In 2021, her apparent followers also have extremely convenient timing, breaking in to capture Natalie just as she's about to kill herself. Taissa's bloody sacrifice also seems to have lined up perfectly with her stunning defeat in the Senate race. Lottie might simply be an unwell young woman, but her brand of mysticism has drawn followers whose confirmation bias towards her visions lends her greater power. As with other great survival stories, like "The Lord of The Flies," it doesn't really matter if a force is real, so long as people believe it.

Who Was That Guy In Jackie's Final Scene?

There is one supernatural element that seems more explicit than others, though, and it's a dark presence around the cabin. When the group arrived, they buried the cabin's long-dead owner, but he doesn't seem to want to stay gone. We know the guy lived alone and owned a plane, and that his cabin already had the series' ubiquitous mysterious symbol — which looks a bit like a girl being impaled — carved into it by the show's fifth episode. When the group does a seance, Lottie suddenly starts speaking French, a language she supposedly doesn't know. At the end of the season, she brings the bear's heart to a hollowed out log and speaks French once again, saying, "Spill blood, beautiful friends."

So what does this have to do with the guy we saw in Jackie's last moments? Well, maybe nothing. In typical "Yellowjackets" fashion, the show is ambiguous about whether Jackie's hot-cocoa-sipping heaven is in her own mind or Shauna's dream. Either way, it turns sinister when a shadowy male presence in a corner says, "So glad you're joining us. We've been waiting for you." This character is played by William Vaughan, and is credited as "Hunter" in the episode. Since Jackie also saw Laura Lee, it makes sense that he's a deceased character as well. The previous cabin owner is our best bet. But what's his deal? Does he speak French, and did he possess Lottie? I'm inclined to think most of the "Yellowjackets" mysteries can be solved in the realm of reality, but that symbol carved in the cabin makes it clear that whatever is happening in the present day might be directly related to its history.

Who Kidnapped Natalie?

The show seems to pretty clearly tie Natalie's kidnappers to Lottie. One of the men who breaks in while Natalie holds a gun to her throat wears a necklace with the strange symbol that also appears during the seance, on Taissa's shrine, and on the blackmail postcards the women receive. Furthermore, just as she's being taken, we hear the voicemail from Suzie, who says someone is following her and asks if Natalie knows who Lottie Matthews is. If this same group of people is following Suzie, it's not a stretch to imagine they're either working for Lottie or doing acts in her name.

In an interview with TV Insider, Lisco seems to confirm the group is related to Lottie, but is coy about how. "There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that what started in the wilderness is still alive 25 years later," he explains, "but has just been sort of on a slow boil." Natalie's kidnapping and Taissa's election clearly take things up a notch. Also, if there really is some conspiratorial group out there interfering in the lives of the surviving Yellowjackets, maybe Natalie isn't paranoid and Travis was murdered after all.

What Happened To Shauna's Baby?

Shauna is pregnant with Jeff's baby in 1996, but her only daughter in 2021 is a teenager, so the outlook for her first-born is not looking great. Speculation about the death of an infant is pretty dark, especially when the team still has several months ahead of them in the wilderness, but it's hard not to think about this. Though us "Yellowjackets"-loving sickos have already talked at length about the possibility that the baby is sacrificed or eaten (Shauna does dream of giving birth to a rotisserie chicken, after all), there are plenty of other potentially more realistic explanations for its absence in 2021.

The team likely survives not one but two winters in the wilderness, and are exposed to harsh elements and predators. Since people don't naturally want to eat one another, they'll most likely also fall into malnutrition before resorting to cannibalism, so there's a chance Shauna's pregnancy won't be viable by winter's end. I'm also perhaps unnecessarily fixated on the moment in the finale when Shauna, almost in a daze, moves to lick the bear's blood off her finger. Pregnancy can come with weird cravings, and when parents-to-be start craving inedible items, it's a sign they have a nutritional deficiency-motivated disorder called pica. Pica can be dangerous, as those who have it sometimes eat toxic or indigestible materials. If Shauna does have it, the plot point would be a creative way to get survivors to start thinking about all the things — including people — that they shouldn't be eating.

Who Is The Pit Girl?

Finally, there's the question that's haunted us since the show began. In the first episode, we see a girl run frantically through the wilderness, seemingly being hunted, before falling into a trap-rigged pit. Afterwards, the Yellowjackets appear to feast on her flesh. Co-creator Ashley Lyle told Vulture that pit girl's identity is being kept intentionally ambiguous at this point. The team behind the series even went so far as to show several characters sharing the same pair of Converse shoes the girl can be seen wearing. That doesn't mean the team doesn't know who she is, though. We know she has somewhat long, dark hair and somewhat light skin. From what we can tell, she most resembles Mari, who until this point has been a background character. Other possible candidates include Lottie herself (maybe with Shauna as a surprise Antler Queen, in that case) or one of several series extras.

We won't know the answer to this or any of our burning questions until the series returns, hopefully in late 2022.

Read this next: Movies About Cults That Will Keep You Up At Night

The post Yellowjackets Mysteries That Will Haunt Us Until Season 2 Gets Here appeared first on /Film.

Ever since they "embraced" their life of crime, the Byrdes have had one foot out the door. Who can blame them? The alternative means accepting their bleak and endlessly dangerous existence. The better option, especially for Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman), is to go forth with a bearable ending in sight. When their dangerous ordeal began, Marty was working towards a tangible goal: laundering $8 million for the Navarro cartel, lest they kill his family. Against all odds, he succeeded and the goal changed: launder $500 million for the cartel. Soon the number became obsolete and his target became opening a casino, then kickstarting a legitimate foundation. Somewhere in the chaos of it all, Marty realized that the goalpost would keep shifting and whatever happy ending he glimpsed on the horizon was quickly becoming a speck. He tried changing the narrative — duffels packed, fake identities secured, and plane tickets purchased. The Byrdes could take flight and live life on the run ... but his wife wouldn't have it.

Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) has her own vision of the future — one where they rule the world, dirty money and all. In her mind, the greatest threat to their lives can become an asset. At this point in their marriage, these two don't have much in common anymore (besides their penchant for running criminal enterprises) but here's something they certainly share: delusions of the future. Marty fantasizes about a clean break and Wendy imagines they can juggle lies forever. But, however they like to envision their future has no bearing on reality, a fact that's never been more true than in "Ozark" season 4. The series has finally arrived at the beginning of its end, something much more complex than the Byrdes expected.

In part 1 of its final season, "Ozark" is hellbent on doing what it does best — stressing out its audience. The dilemmas contrived not only put the Byrdes in danger but threaten the lives of everyone in their vicinity. Just as always, the series takes elements of melodrama and pulpy thriller, dresses them in the trappings of a prestige drama, and anchors itself with character intrigue so effective that four seasons in, it's still fascinating to pick these people apart. And though it is neither uncomplicated nor unflawed, the fourth season returns just as clever and binge-able as always.

No One Gets Out Clean

The characters of "Ozark" are at war with their world, caught between harsh reality and bright fantasies. Somehow, despite everything they've endured — despite the bleak nature of this blue-tinted show and the blood staining everyone's hands — they can't help but be hopeful. This isn't just Marty and Wendy we're talking about, it's everyone. Believe it or not, the first far-fetched fantasy of the future comes from Omar Navarro (Felix Solis), the drug kingpin who's loomed large over their lives for four seasons. Now more than ever, he demands to be their North Star:  "You don't win until I win, Marty," he says ominously. "Don't forget that."

So here's Navarro's big dream: he wants to walk away clean. Never mind the many years spent running the world's second-largest drug cartel, never mind the people tortured and killed, nor the damage done to both countries. Navarro wants the freedom to move between Mexico and the U.S. without being hunted. It's like a serial killer announcing plans to become a suburban househusband — it's almost laughable. But then you remember all that Navarro is capable of and reality becomes clear: this isn't a man who takes no for an answer, certainly not from the lackeys he can kill on a whim. So the Byrdes must achieve the impossible, what else is new? To sprinkle on some extra motivation, Navarro dangles a new dream before their eyes — should they accomplish this impossible task, he'll let them go. "Do this and you are free of your obligation to me," he promises.

But no ending is reached by accident. "Ozark" is all about domino effects — in the blink of an eye, small decisions butterfly into absolute chaos. When they anchored their dangerous lives in the Ozarks, the Byrdes set tragedy in motion and now, years later, they fantasize about walking away?! The final season harkens back to the past wherever it can, confirming the insanity of this fantasy: there is no walking away clean and there is no easy way out. Not for anyone, but certainly not for the Byrdes. "Ozark" isn't so much interested in their fantasies but in what they reveal of each character: what does it mean that Wendy's vision of the future hinges on power as much as it does family? What will she risk to secure it? And what of Ruth (Julia Garner)? The scrappy young criminal recently cut ties with the Byrdes in favor of her cousin Wyatt (Charlie Tahan) and his beau, Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery). Now she wants to build something of her own — but what must she sacrifice to do that?

As always, "Ozark" contrives impossible dilemmas for its characters (setting a drug kingpin free is just that start). To make matters oh so much worse, they toss in a few wildcards. Take, for example, FBI Agent Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes). When she was introduced in season 3, I wondered if they made her pregnant just to give the audience anxiety. This season, her new baby continues to be a source of concern, especially for her. Negotiating a deal for Navarro won't be as easy as he likes, and what's to keep the temperamental criminal from harming her? But the kingpin is friendly when compared to the new Big Bad of the season, Alfonso Herrera as Javi, Navarro's ambitious nephew. Quick to risks and often acting on impulse, Javi takes a special interest in the Byrdes. Tossed into a room with Marty, the polar-opposite personalities are almost hilarious — if we weren't so busy holding our breath in fear of his every reaction.

Not A Bang, But A Whimper

Because things can always get worse, the Byrdes are wildcards themselves. In a consistently mesmerizing performance, Linney is a terrifying force as Wendy Byrde, who's never been more loathsome. Despite it all, she's never hard to understand — Wendy clings to her family desperately, still haunted by the loss of her brother and her involvement in his murder. But she's not alone on that front. Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) has learned a truth about his mother so dark that he can't brush it aside. The teen once eager to be involved in his family's criminal dealings is now desperate for distance while Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) has reached a disturbing level of acceptance with her parents' actions. Tensions are high at the Byrde dinner table, but this is no time to be at war. And thus, the fourth season of "Ozark" has all the makings of another nail-biting saga: an impossible task, lots of enemies, life-threatening issues to juggle, and the family breaking apart at the seams. But something holds this season back from total success — its pesky little subtitle: Part 1.

By splitting the final 14-episodes in half, "Ozark" turns its supersized bang into a whimper. Though it marches towards the horizon, the show isn't quite ready to set its ending in motion, trapped by the dilemma of any two-part finale — where's the balance between action and restraint? Past seasons have been criticized for their sluggish nature but oddly enough, the pacing has never plagued the series more than in its shortest season. "Ozark" has mastered the art of toppling dominos just as others are set — but Part 1 hesitates. The fallout is being held back for the final seven episodes, leaving us with this incomplete season.

In the end, we could be worse off. The season is certainly treading water (stopping just before the Byrdes careen into chaos), but "Ozark" is still firing on all other fronts, with its winding drama and impeccable performances. It's slow goings but the build-up is tantalizing and the anticipation swells. Then, against all odds, the final episode of the season so masterfully sets thing in motion that you'll quickly forget the sluggish journey it took to get there — the binge model at work! So if this season is a whimper, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Part 1 spells out more horrors to come. It's still packed with tension-filled scenes ripe for explosion, it's still survival hanging by a thread with endless possibilities for disaster. It's still watching the Byrdes pull off the impossible time and time again, while being trapped between loathing their every move and rooting for their survival — it's still "Ozark," it's just a little incomplete.

Read this next: Shows Like Breaking Bad That You Can Binge Watch Today

The post Ozark Season 4 Review: Part 1 Proves There's No Happy Ending In Sight appeared first on /Film.

Why is Registry analysis important?

Providing public Wi-Fi is a great service to offer your customers as it becomes more and more standard in today's society. I like the fact that I do not have to worry about accessing the Internet while I am away, or spending a lot of money on an international connection, or just staying offline while I am away. With public Wi-Fi, modern life has become a constant connection to the Internet,

Parted Magic is a small live CD/USB/PXE with its elemental purpose being to partition hard drives. The project has published a new update which addresses issues with Secure Erase functionality. The release announcement on the project's news page reads: "Parted Magic 2022_01_18. This version of Parted Magic updates....

The post Netflix series ARCHIVE 81 Ending, FAQ & Fun Facts appeared first on Heaven of Horror.

VGames has released a new graphics overhaul mod for Nightdive Studio’s latest KEX engine remaster of Blood, called Blood – Extra Crispy. Blood – Extra Crispy adds more weapons, more fire modes, more gore, as well as gameplay enhancements. Inspired by Brutal Doom, Blood – Extra Crispy also adds some execution/finishing moves. Additionally, it adds … Continue reading Blood – Extra Crispy Mod released, packing more weapons, gore & gameplay enhancements →

The post Blood – Extra Crispy Mod released, packing more weapons, gore & gameplay enhancements appeared first on DSOGaming.

Since the beginning of his directorial career, accusations of plagiarism have circled Quentin Tarantino like buzzards over carrion. The debate between the director's most ardent fans and detractors usually boils down to the difference between homage and theft. While he never gives too much credence to the claims of plagiarism, Tarantino will playfully claim to "steal" from his favorite scenes all the time in interviews. — Read the rest

Despite the current ‘buzz’ cliché phrase that ‘security is top of mind’ with business leadership, a new report from the World Economic Forum (WEF) highlights the continuing gap between business and security leaders.

read more

The number of malware infections targeting Linux devices rose by 35% in 2021, most commonly to recruit IoT devices for DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks. BleepingComputer reports: A Crowdstrike report looking into the attack data from 2021 summarizes the following: - In 2021, there was a 35% rise in malware targeting Linux systems compared to 2020. - XorDDoS, Mirai, and Mozi were the most prevalent families, accounting for 22% of all Linux-targeting malware attacks observed in 2021. - Mozi, in particular, had explosive growth in its activity, with ten times more samples circulating in the wild the year that passed compared to the previous one. - XorDDoS also had a notable year-over-year increase of 123%. [...] The Crowstrike findings aren't surprising as they confirm an ongoing trend that emerged in previous years. For example, an Intezer report analyzing 2020 stats found that Linux malware families increased by 40% in 2020 compared to the previous year. In the first six months of 2020, a steep rise of 500% in Golang malware was recorded, showing that malware authors were looking for ways to make their code run on multiple platforms. This programming, and by extension, targeting trend, has already been confirmed in early 2022 cases and is likely to continue unabated.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Despite all the uncertainty surrounding the potential sale of The CW and the future of the Arrowverse if/when that sale takes place, the network is still continuing to develop shows in the universe created by Greg Berlanti & company that are based on characters from DC Comics. 

Currently, this slate of programming includes "The Flash," "Legends of Tomorrow," "Batwoman," and "Superman & Lois." Technically, "Stargirl" and "Naomi" are included as well, though they haven't officially crossed over with the main Arrowverse shows yet. But the latest series in development featuring Arrowverse OG David Ramsey will definitely fall under that banner

Spartan Goes Back To School

Fans have been clamoring for John Diggle to become a Green Lantern for years. Once Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim got involved in Seth Grahame-Smith's Green Lantern Corps series at HBO Max, many assumed that Ramsey's John Diggle would factor into that show, especially after what transpired for the character in his final moments in the series finale of "Arrow." However, Oliver Queen's former bodyguard has continued to pop up in Arrowverse shows since that last episode aired in 2020 with no reference to a green ring or a lantern or space cops. And now, The CW has announced another project for Dig that may further keep him from joining the ranks of Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Alan Scott, and beyond.

According to Variety, Ramsey will headline "Justice U," a new superhero drama where Diggle recruits five young metahumans to go undercover as freshmen at a prestigious university. As the students get an academic education, they'll also learn to become the heroes of tomorrow under the tutelage of the legendary hero Spartan. It's currently unclear which young heroes will be included in the show, but the report notes that Ramsey will direct the "Justice U" pilot and continue to guest star in and direct various episodes of other Arrowverse shows as part of his new deal.

This new show shares vibes with "Arrow" season 5, which featured Team Arrow taking on a new crop of vigilantes including Wild Dog, Mister Terrific, Artemis, Ragman, and a new Black Canary to join their war on crime. Considering that they may not match the age requirement for this missions, I doubt that Diggle will call on some of his old allies for this new gig. However, despite her mission to find her brother William, I could see Mia Queen joining the cast of "Justice U." After all, her own spinoff never materialized as planned and there would be something poetic about John Diggle and the Green Arrow teaming up again.

No matter who Ramsey and the creative team decide to bring in for the new series, let's just hope that they manage to find a happy medium between DC's other young hero shows, "Stargirl" and "Titans." Please give us a DC show where (unlike "Titans") the young superheroes actually get to be superheroes in their costumes together as a team without excessively brooding or constantly fighting with each other, while (unlike "Stargirl") refraining from falling into typical annoying young character tropes of being whiny or bratty when they don't get their way. Of course, time will tell whether any of that actually comes to fruition, but if The CW doesn't shutter its doors before this show comes together, it could be a lot of fun.

Read this next: Superman Movies Ranked From Worst To Best

The post Arrowverse Star David Ramsey Will Headline New Justice U Series for the CW appeared first on /Film.

As if ray tracing and DLSS weren’t big enough bonuses to owning a GeForce RTX graphics card, Nvidia has just dropped another toy in the chest: Deep Learning Dynamic Super Resolution, or DLDSR. It’s essentially an AI-fuelled upgrade to Nvidia’s DSR downsampling tool, aiming to more intelligently render the frames of your games so that they appear more detailed – without the same performance loss that comes with standard DSR. It’s an intriguing new feature that could make some of the best graphics cards even better, and I’ve been trying it out to see if it performs as effectively as Nvidia claims.

Read more

It was probably the moment in New York Ninja in which the titular vigilante digs a bullet out of his chest with a custom engraved "N Y Ninja" throwing star that truly made me think, "Yeah, this is the good stuff," and if you aren't sold by that, I'm sorry friend, I don't wanna know you. With a backstory almost as amazing and perplexing as the story onscreen, John Liu/Kurtis Spieler's New York Ninja is an absurd, outré, completely unbelievable cult classic in the making. A vigilante ninja romp through classic grimy '80s New York written, directed by, and starring Liu, one of Hong Kong's king kickers, New York Ninja was an attempt to break through to the American audience in 1985, only to be...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Amy Qian bought a table saw and had to figure out how to get it out of the back of her truck without a forklift. Even though I have a mechanical engineering degree like Qian, I wouldn't have been able to figure this out. — Read the rest

Buying a home is always stressful. Whether it’s your first home and you spent the last decade eating wish sandwiches in order to cobble together the down payment or a dream retirement house, the process is a rollercoaster ride of surprise costs, stressful road bumps, and endless paperwork (somehow still involving the…

Read more...

In general it is nice to see software which supports all major operating systems and which was written from scratch; except when it is a virus.  SysJoker was just discovered thanks to…

A cross-platform malware attack was unearthed by researchers recently. The backdoor assault appeared on Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. This new malware was undetected on nearly every antivirus scan and malware scanning engine.

A new backdoor malware attack, SysJoker, was discovered, affecting all major operating systems

Researchers from Intezer, a security firm, uncovered a new backdoor malware, aptly named SysJoker, on a "leading educational institution" Linux-based Webserver. Upon further review, the security researchers also located the backdoor on macOS and Windows operating systems. It is estimated that The unknown party or parties set the attack into motion during the second half of 2021.

SysJoker is a higher threat than most backdoor attacks in that it was capable of activating on multiple platforms. Malware is typically seen to attack a specific operating system and not several in this case. Also, The mysterious attacking party wrote this particular backdoor to use four individual command-and-control servers and written from the ground up. Researchers state that the individuals or groups who developed and implemented the attack were considered "part of an advanced threat actor that invested significant resources," states website Ars Technica. The website also points out that it is rare that Linux malware would be located "in a real-world attack."

Researcher Patrick Wardle, creator of Objective-See.com, and research firm Intezer were responsible for the analyses of Mac and Windows Operating systems, respectively. The two groups found that the SysJoker attack allows for advanced backdoor capabilities. The executable files located on both operating systems ended in the suffix ".ts," which led the Itezer team to deduce that the file was hidden as a "typescript" application, which transferred itself into the npm JavaScript repository. The firm also found that SysJoker appears as a system update for users.

Wardle disagreed with Intezer, stating that the ".ts" file extension indicated a video transport stream file content. He also discovered that an ad-hoc signature digitally signs the macOS file upon further review.

The programming language used to create SysJoker is C++. Since last Tuesday, mac OS and Linux versions have remained undetected from the malware search engine VirusTotal. The malware initiates its control-server domain by decoding a string from a text file buried in the user's Google Drive. Researchers found that the server rerouted multiple times, meaning the human controller was alert and searching for machines affected by SysJoker.

Intezer believes that targets of SysJoker are deliberate and that the attacking party is planning "espionage together with lateral movement which might also lead to a ransomware attack as one of the next stages.”

The post “SysJoker” backdoor revealed after going undetected on Windows, Linux, and macOS for several months by Jason R. Wilson appeared first on Wccftech.

Sometimes an actor is so perfect for the character they're portraying that we can't possibly imagine anyone else doing them justice. Ryan Reynolds was destined to become Deadpool. Nobody could have embodied the first live-action Shaggy as well as Matthew Lillard. And John Cena is absolutely perfect as Peacemaker. 

However, in a recent interview with Josh Horowitz on his "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, the "Peacemaker" star revealed that he faced a lot of rejection for superhero roles before finally finding his perfect fit as the occasionally tighty-whitey clad anti-hero of James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad" and the subsequent "Peacemaker" spinoff series that recently debuted on HBO Max.

Cena Is Just As Persistent As His DCEU Counterpart

"I can't tell you how many superhero roles I've been rejected for. Shazam was certainly one," Cena answered when asked whether or not he'd gone after any of the various superhero roles he was fancast for other years. He went on to elaborate, saying that he also auditioned for the role of Cable in "Deadpool 2," and even tried his hand at becoming a part of the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe by vying for other roles.

Cena: "There was a brief try at the Deadpool universe, rejection."

Horowitz: "For Cable, I assume?"

Cena: "Yeah. Shazam was Dikembe Mutumbo. There was a few in the Marvel universe, rejected. But you know, I kept trying."

Obviously, the wrestler-turned-actor's persistence paid off in the end, and now we can't imagine anyone else playing the world's most violent pacifist and would-be gobbler of a whole beach full of dicks.

While we're certainly happy with the way things eventually played out for Cena and his quest to portray a superhero on the big screen, it is interesting to note that a musclebound guy and pretty enjoyable actor struggled for years to land a role in a superhero movie -- after all, superheroes are known for their super physiques as much as for their superpowers. In the case of Cable, Cena has some proven acting chops and certainly bears a strong resemblance to the character, so it's not hard to picture him in the role that ultimately went to Josh Brolin.

Despite the wave of rejection, Cena clearly didn't let a little (or a lot) of rejection deter him from living his dreams, much in the way Peacemaker didn't let things like morality, ethics, and breaking my heart into a million pieces with the brutal murder of Rick Flag get in the way of his mission in "The Suicide Squad." Shared perseverance aside, Cena seems to be a much more stable and likable guy than Peacemaker, which kinda goes to show how capable an actor he is that he can so convincingly portray an unhinged, sociopathic killing machine. 

If you haven't seen just how perfect John Cena is as Peacemaker, or you're just eager to see more of the character's murderous antics after the events of "The Suicide Squad", "Peacemaker" is currently streaming exclusively on HBO Max.

Read this next: The 15 Best Jane Austen Adaptations Ranked

The post Peacemaker Star John Cena Was Rejected From Many Superhero Roles, Including Deadpool appeared first on /Film.

Friday's long-awaited PC launch of God Of War was mostly received by people nodding their heads and muttering "Boy"—the highest praise a heavy heart can offer. A few would-be players, however, found themselves unable to play, with the game throwing up "out of memory" error messages when they really shouldn't be out of memory. The devs have been looking into the issue, and released a potential fix on an opt-in experimental branch on Steam. It sounds like it fixes the problem for some people, but not all.

Read more

A new God of War PC mod makes Sony Santa Monica’s PC port playable on Windows 7 and Windows 8 systems.

Some of you might wonder why it would even be interesting to run God of War on decade-old operating systems, but for some, running games on these older Windows versions can result in better performance due to these operating systems being less resource-intensive.

By default, God of War only runs on Windows 10 and 11, but this unofficial PC patch modifies the game OS version detection and allows launching the game on Windows 7 and 8. Unfortunately, after applying this PC, you’ll be unable to run the game in Windows 10/11. As such, use this mod at your own risk. As always, be sure to read the description and installations instructions before downloading and applying this unofficial patch.

Those interested can download the God of War Windows 7/8 PC patch mod via Nexusmods.

God of War is available globally now for PC and PlayStation platforms. The game was originally launched for PlayStation 4 back in 2018.  Sony Santa Monica Studio is currently working on the game’s sequel, God of War Ragnarok. This sequel is slated for a release later this year on PS4 and PS5.

God of War PC Features

High Fidelity Graphics

Striking visuals enhanced on PC. Enjoy true 4K resolution, on supported devices, [MU1] with unlocked framerates for peak performance. Dial in your settings via a wide range of graphical presets and options including higher resolution shadows, improved screen space reflections, the addition of GTAO and SSDO, and much more.

NVIDIA® DLSS and Reflex Support

Quality meets performance. Harness the AI power of NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) to boost frame rates and generate beautiful, sharp images on select Nvidia GPUs. Utilize NVIDIA Reflex low latency technology allowing you to react quicker and hit harder combos with the responsive gameplay you crave on GeForce GPUs.

Controls Customization

Play your way. With support for the DUALSHOCK®4 and DUALSENSE® wireless controllers, a wide range of other gamepads, and fully customizable bindings for mouse and keyboard, you have the power to fine-tune every action to match your playstyle.

Ultra-wide Support

Immerse yourself like never before. Journey through the Norse realms taking in breathtaking vistas in panoramic widescreen. With 21:9 ultra-widescreen support, God of War presents a cinema quality experience that further expands the original seamless theatrical vision.

The post New God of War PC Mod Makes the Game Playable on Windows 7 and 8 Systems by Aernout van de Velde appeared first on Wccftech.

If you're not already on board with HBO Max's "Peacemaker" series, a new featurette from Warner Bros. might get you interested. The five-minute video titled "What's Not To Love About Peacemaker?" interviews John Cena's castmates from "The Suicide Squad" about what makes the character a standout, with added insight from James Gunn and Cena himself.

Gunn explains why he decided to spotlight Peacemaker with the new show, saying that when imagining a multi-season series, it makes sense to "start with kind of the guy that's the worst because he has the biggest changes to make." To anyone else, that might sound like extra work, but it's not surprising given Gunn's track record of audacious filmmaking.

I'll admit I was baffled when I heard the new show would spotlight the character that last year's "The Suicide Squad" revealed as a ruthless war criminal. But it's clear through these interviews that the team behind "Peacemaker" has given the character a lot of thought. Cena explains how Peacemaker's silly uniform, which includes what Joel Kinnaman calls a "silver toilet on his head," is a symbol of his character's need for validation. He should be dressed stealthily, but instead he draws attention to himself, even going so far as to put an invented personal logo on his weapons.

A Spotlight On Cena's Comedic Chops

Gunn calls Peacemaker's M.O. "toxic masculinity at its most toxic," explaining that he's a "dude-bro" who can't connect easily with other people. He points out that the antihero feels like an outsider anywhere he goes, giving the recent movie's bus scene -- in which Peacemaker stays silent while the others connect -- as an example. In clips from the new series, we see that Peacemaker's only friend is his pet eagle, appropriately named Eagly.

While it's great to see that Gunn and his team have put a lot of thought into this character, none of his backstory or psychology compels me to watch the new show. I start to understand why "Peacemaker" exists a bit more, though, when the cast and crew start talking about the role Cena took on set. Gunn describes the actor in the highest terms, calling him "the best improv artist I've ever worked with in my life." Co-star David Dastmalchian says Cena's superpower is to make people laugh, while Steve Agee can't get over the fact that the actor taught himself piano between takes while filming the movie.

It sounds like "Peacemaker" isn't necessarily aiming to redeem its mercenary main character, but to make us laugh at his expense. If you haven't already given the new show a try, this featurette makes a pretty convincing case to start it.

The first three episodes of "Peacemaker" are now streaming on HBO Max.

Read this next: 17 '80s Action Movies You Definitely Need To See

The post Peacemaker Featurette Explains Why the 'Worst' Suicide Squad Character Got a Spinoff appeared first on /Film.

[link] [166 comments]

Long-time Slashdot reader fahrbot-bot wanted to share this New York Times article which makes the point that "The stunning Covid vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna drew upon long-buried discoveries made in the hopes of ending past epidemics..." They remain a marvel: Even as the Omicron variant fuels a new wave of the pandemic, the vaccines have proved remarkably resilient at defending against severe illness and death. And the manufacturers, Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna, say that mRNA technology will allow them to adapt the vaccines quickly, to fend off whatever dangerous new version of the virus that evolution brings next. Skeptics have seized on the rapid development of the vaccines — among the most impressive feats of medical science in the modern era — to undermine the public's trust in them. But the breakthroughs behind the vaccines unfolded over decades, little by little, as scientists across the world pursued research in disparate areas, never imagining their work would one day come together to tame the pandemic of the century. The pharmaceutical companies harnessed these findings and engineered a consistent product that could be made at scale, partly with the help of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration's multibillion-dollar program to hasten the development and manufacture of vaccines, drugs and diagnostic tests to fight the new virus. For years, though, the scientists who made the vaccines possible scrounged for money and battled public indifference. Their experiments often failed. When the work got too crushing, some of them left it behind. And yet on this unpredictable, zigzagging path, the science slowly built upon itself, squeezing knowledge from failure. The vaccines were possible only because of efforts in three areas. The first began more than 60 years ago with the discovery of mRNA, the genetic molecule that helps cells make proteins. A few decades later, two scientists in Pennsylvania decided to pursue what seemed like a pipe dream: using the molecule to command cells to make tiny pieces of viruses that would strengthen the immune system. The second effort took place in the private sector, as biotechnology companies in Canada in the budding field of gene therapy — the modification or repair of genes to treat diseases — searched for a way to protect fragile genetic molecules so they could be safely delivered to human cells. The third crucial line of inquiry began in the 1990s, when the U.S. government embarked on a multibillion-dollar quest to find a vaccine to prevent AIDS. That effort funded a group of scientists who tried to target the all-important "spikes" on H.I.V. viruses that allow them to invade cells. The work has not resulted in a successful H.I.V. vaccine. But some of these researchers, including Dr. Graham, veered from the mission and eventually unlocked secrets that allowed the spikes on coronaviruses to be mapped instead. In early 2020, these different strands of research came together. The spike of the Covid virus was encoded in mRNA molecules. Those molecules were wrapped in a protective layer of fat and poured into small glass vials. When the shots went in arms less than a year later, recipients' cells responded by producing proteins that resembled the spikes — and that trained the body to attack the coronavirus. The extraordinary tale proved the promise of basic scientific research: that once in a great while, old discoveries can be plucked from obscurity to make history.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.