Ronald.phillips

I hope you've been keeping up your cardio, because Leatherface is back and so is his chainsaw. Netflix has dropped the first teaser trailer for its upcoming "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" movie.

Though any effort to revive a classic horror franchise is generally met with a measure of skepticism, there are a couple of reasons to give "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" a chance. First, the movie was produced and co-written by Fede Álvarez, the filmmaker behind the excellent 2013 remake of "The Evil Dead." Second, the Netflix sequel/reboot has a pretty intriguing concept: Since Leatherface is best known for his, y'know, leather face, what would happen if he just took off the skin-mask and blended back into society? And what would happen if he was provoked to dig out the old chainsaw again?

Yes, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" continues the terrible titling trend of horror movies that claim to be sequels to the first movie, yet also have the same exact title as the first movie (looking at you, "Halloween" and "Candyman"). But if you can manage to get past that, check out the trailer for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" below.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Trailer

This isn't the first time that the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" franchise has narrowed its focus to the Ed Gein-inspired, chainsaw-wielding, human-skin-mask-wearing serial killer at its center. There are other elements of Tobe Hooper's original 1974 film that are arguably more terrifying than Leatherface (for me, personally, it's the dusty Grandpa Sawyer trying and failing to smash poor Sally's head open with a hammer). But horror franchises work best when they have a central boogeyman, and hulking men wearing scary masks have proven easy for audiences to latch onto.

Leatherface's characterization in the original film was not especially complex, so the 2017 prequel "Leatherface" attempted to flesh out his backstory by portraying a teenage version of the character. Netflix's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," which was directed by David Blue Garcia, will go in the opposite direction by depicting an older Leatherface who, per Álvarez, has "been in hiding for a long, long time, trying to be a good person."

Yep: Leatherface as a good person. It's quite a radical concept -- but he would certainly make a formidable addition to any Neighborhood Watch group.

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" releases February 18, 2022 on Netflix.

Read this next: Every Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movie Ranked Worst To Best

The post The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Trailer: Guess Who's Back, Back Again... appeared first on /Film.

The past two years have been quite the rough and rocky experience for families across the world. While many of us are still doing relatively fine and can’t wait for Christmas evening, there’s no denying that everybody’s been through hell and back, making ends meet. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if households are a lot more financially resilient and aware of the strategies they should use to keep their families afloat, just in case the Omicron variant risks suddenly go from bad to worse.

However, we’ve seen many families share a shortcoming in their investing strategies and financial matters: failure to include long-term asset protection and future estate planning for their children’s inheritances. And while media and news outlets often portray this financial intervention measure as something limited to the top 1%, asset protection is a lot more important than you may initially realize, especially when creditors come knocking on your door or a civil lawsuit finds its way to your directory.

Don’t Mix Different Financial Concerns Together

Your family’s hard-earned assets and wealth are often put at risk when you accidentally mix in said personal assets with business-owned resources. If your startup goes under or is exposed to significant obligations, then they’ll know where to attack next. Plus, business problems barely scratch the surface of risk exposure for family assets. Given their uncertainty, a combination of asset protection strategies should secure your family finances.

• Utilize a Family-owned Limited Liability Company: Firstly, a common solution that most entrepreneurs and forward-thinking families utilize is the creation of a family-owned limited liability company. Sure, different states may operate on unique regulations to ascertain their function, but all LLCs offer asset protection and help maintain control over your assets. Plus, it’s a lot easier to plan inheritances while limiting the estate taxes your beneficiaries will incur, and it’s not just for liquid cash but also other forms of property.
• Don’t Slouch on Your Roth IRA For Tax Benefits: Of course, we don’t expect every family to need an LLC for asset protection, and if your monthly income doesn’t require as huge of an investment, then investing in your Roth IRA will do just as good. Sure, you may not be able to pull your cash out as early as you want and will need to pay fees upfront, but it does give you a nest egg of tax-free retirement income in the future. Furthermore, you can also incorporate inheritances in a distribution layout.
• Actively Invest in Quality Life Insurance: If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the global pandemic, then it’s the fact that unpleasant circumstances and external threats can swoop in and cause unimaginable pain when we least expect them. But instead of prolonging the agony for when it happens, we firmly believe that actively investing in life insurance helps lessen the blow. Yes, your family still deals with loss, but at the very least, it doesn’t sap away all your hard-earned wealth, and insurance payouts are tax-free.
• Consider Offshore Banking and Investing: Last but not least, if you’re planning to go abroad and move to a different country with your family, then another excellent asset protection vehicle to consider is offshore banking and investing. Sure, we won’t deny that these methods often get a bad reputation as shady, but they are perfectly legal and can provide tax havens for your assets. Plus, with the emerging banking technologies improving financial tech, you can expect greater security as well.

If Planning Fails, Don’t Shy Away From Professional Guidance

In contrast, there are instances when worst-case scenarios happen, and you’ll have to bear the consequences and challenges that follow the risk on your family assets. However, instead of representing yourself and trying to do things your way, reach out to professional legal guidance to navigate the case more carefully.

• Seek Legal Counsel ASAP: Whether it be contacting the family lawyer or talking to a reputable process server, seek legal counsel as soon as possible to avoid making any undue mistakes that would result in further damages on your end. Yes, it will cost you money, but it’s a lot more affordable than having to lose a large portion of your hard-earned wealth from a lawsuit. And, if you’re lucky, you could get away with advantageous settlement terms.
• Always Prepare An Emergency Fund: When seeking legal assistance, prepare an emergency fund beforehand to keep you solvent and to pay any upfront expenses on immediate obligations. At the end of the day, there’s no telling when the worst things happen, so it’s much better to be ready and prepared for when they occur instead of having empty pockets and a head full of problems.

Bringing Family Finances into the Spotlight

Overall, it’s about time that families actively included asset protection and estate planning in their family financial groundwork. While it shouldn’t prioritize urgent matters, it shouldn’t be held as an afterthought. So when you get the chance to sit down with your spouse, we recommend exploring the measures mentioned above and discerning which works best for your family.

The post Families Should Look into Protecting Their Assets for the Long Term appeared first on Joe Martin.

Now the modification is fully compatible with re3 Reverse engineering.

A number of possible BioShock 4 details may have been leaked. If the rumours are accurate, we may now know the proposed time period, setting, and even the city name of the new BioShock - and some of these details might sound a little familiar to Half-Life 3 followers.

These rumours come from podcaster and game journalist Colin Moriarty on the latest episode of his Sacred Symbols PlayStation podcast. Reportedly the Cloud Chamber-developed BioShock 4 is targeting a 2022 release, is internally codenamed "Parkside" - which has been rumoured previously - and "the development team has incredible latitude to get it right", according to Moriarty.

While all this is rumour until announced, sources at VGC and Eurogamer support Moriarty's findings. The game will supposedly take place in the 1960s - the same time period as the original BioShock. It's the setting, however, that might resonate with Half-Life 3 devotees - as BioShock 4's version of Rapture or Columbia may be an "Antarctic city called Borealis".

Last week researchers at Northwestern University calculated that one week after a Covid-19 booster shot, median antibody levels were 23 times higher than before the shot. This Thursday the Times of London reported that another study found similar results: Booster jabs "massively" strengthen the body's defences against Covid, according to key results that have raised hopes of strong protection from the Omicron variant. A third dose not only increased antibody levels thirtyfold, but roughly tripled levels of T-cells, a part of the immune system that experts believe could be the critical weapon against the heavily mutated Omicron strain. Professor Saul Faust, who led the study, emphasized to the Guardian that "These are remarkably effective immunological boosters, way above what is needed to prevent hospitalisation and death." And speaking to The Week, Faust also added that "This T-cell response gives us hope," because although Omicron was not specifically analysed during the research, their data suggested the triggered T-cells "are recognising a much broader range of antigens that might... be common to all of the variants." And earlier this week long-time Slashdot reader destinyland shared more booster/Omicron news from The Hill: On Sunday, former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who sits on Pfizer's board of directors, said vaccine developers have "a pretty good degree of confidence" that people who have received booster doses on top of their initial COVID-19 vaccinations are protected against omicron. "If you talk to people in vaccine circles, people who are working on a vaccine, they have a pretty good degree of confidence that a boosted vaccine, so three full doses of vaccine, is going to be fairly protective against this new variant," he said. Meanwhile, new Omicron-specific vaccines are also just months away, Business Insider reports: Pfizer said it will be able to manufacture and distribute an updated version of its COVID-19 vaccine within 100 days if the new variant Omicron is found to be resistant to its current vaccine... "Pfizer and BioNTech have taken actions months ago to be able to adapt the mRNA vaccine within six weeks and ship initial batches within 100 days in the event of an escape variant," the company said in a statement... "We expect more data from the laboratory tests in two weeks at the latest. These data will provide more information about whether B.1.1.529 could be an escape variant that may require an adjustment of our vaccine if the variant spreads globally," a spokesperson told Reuters. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are also preparing to respond to the Omicron's possible threat. Moderna on Friday said it plans to test a variant-specific booster in the event that its current vaccine is found to be ineffective against the Omicron. And The Hill also reports: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Monday he has "a very high level of confidence" that his company's COVID-19 treatment pills are effective against the omicron variant... Bourla said Paxlovid was designed in anticipation of future possible mutations. "So that gives me very, very high level of confidence that the treatment will not be effected, our oral treatment will not be effected by this virus."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), has been relegated to the side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since he was first introduced in "Thor," but now he's finally been given the chance to show why he is and has always been such an awesome Avenger in the Disney+ series, "Hawkeye." Clint tackles street-level villains and tries to put his traumatic past behind him, while also serving as a mentor for Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) and her trusty companion, Pizza Dog. 

During the Battle of New York in "The Avengers," Kate Bishop lost her father but was saved by Hawkeye, who inspired her to take up archery. In the comics, Kate later becomes a member of the Young Avengers and she's already proven to be a stand-out character in "Hawkeye." The show certainly feels a lot different from a lot of the other Marvel series, and it's due in large part to the comic book source material that inspired it. If you're digging "Hawkeye" and are looking for stories with a similar energy, here are five comics that might be just what you need.

Spider-Woman By Hopeless, Rodriguez, Lopez, & Busto

Following the 2014 "Spider-Verse" comic book event from Marvel, writer Dennis Hopeless launched a new series centered around the character of Jessica Drew, who shocked fans everywhere when her first cover featured her noticeably pregnant. Her pregnancy means she needs to take time away from being an Avenger, and has since shifted her focus to tackling street-crime. Drew has to battle not just the physical limitations of being a pregnant superhero, like her constantly changing body and weird food cravings, but also having to come to terms with accepting that every aspect of her life, especially fighting crime, is going to have to change because of the baby. She can't escape the weirdness of her past while trying to focus on the future, which feels very reminiscent of the struggles we see Clint Barton juggling in "Hawkeye."

Mockingbird By Chelsea Cain And Kate Niemczyk, Rachelle Rosenberg, And Joëlle Jones

A lot of people hate the new "Hawkeye," namely because of the representation. Kate Bishop is a prominent figure, and frequently steals scenes from Clint Barton, and the villainous Maya Lopez aka Echo, is an Indigenous deaf woman played by Alaqua Cox. The character also uses a prosthesis, as Cox is an amputee. Echo is soon getting her own series, and the bigots are loudly crying "woke" -- which is all the more reason to read Chelsea Cain's "Mockingbird" series. People lost their collective s*** when the last issue of the series' cover featured S.H.I.E.L.D super-agent Bobbi Morse holding a lemonade on a beach in a T-shirt that read, "Ask me about my feminist agenda." "Mockingbird" is a legitimately good series that was unfairly maligned as Cain became one of the biggest targets of the "Comicsgate" harassment campaign. If anyone gets the over-scrutinized world of "Hawkeye" in the fandom, it's her.

Black Bolt By Saladin Ahmed And Christian Ward

Considered by many to be the best new series during the year of its release, Blackagar Boltagon aka Black Bolt's power comes from his voice, and speaking just a single word can send a shockwave strong enough to level an entire city. He's spent his life training himself not to make any sound, and remains silent, communicating through sign language or a spokesperson, making him a disabled hero who is almost the antithesis of Echo. He also has a trusty sidekick, Lockjaw, another one of Marvel's goodest boys. Lockjaw is as important to the comic series as Lucky the Pizza Dog is to "Hawkeye," which should hopefully be enough to convince people to check out the series.

The Superior Foes Of Spider-Man By Nick Spencer And Steve Lieber

DC has "The Suicide Squad" and Marvel has "The Sinister Six." The fun and frenetic energy seen in James Gunn's version of "The Suicide Squad" is very much present in Spencer and Lieber's series, "The Superior Foes of Spider-Man." Boomerang and his gang come across life-threatening misadventures and a flurry of double crosses, all to fulfill their own personal dreams. Do they succeed? No, almost never. But there's something inspiring watching these foes try their damndest to succeed. It's a series that asks you to see these outcasts as full characters, not just "baddies." "Hawkeye" has always felt like the underdog, and while these characters are all supervillains, you can't help but love them.

Hawkeye By Matt Fraction And David Aja

Look, Disney+'s "Hawkeye" series owes everything to Matt Fraction and David Aja -- from storytelling all the way down to the styling. While Fraction was involved throughout the show's development and creation, Aja was not, and Disney+ didn't pay him a dime until fans of the series took to social media to complain about the injustice. Fraction and Aja's series is what got me back into comic books, and their "Hawkeye" series revitalized the superhero genre for so many people. It completely changed the idea of what was possible to exist in a superhero comic series, helped develop a fan following for Clint Barton's character, and yes, gave us Lucky the Pizza Dog. If you like the show, you owe it to yourself to read the source material

New episodes of "Hawkeye" premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.

Read this next: 11 Marvel Comics Villains We Really Want To See In The MCU

The post 5 Comics to Read if You Love Marvel's Hawkeye On Disney+ appeared first on /Film.

The Los Angeles Times shares a report of lawyers baffled by Alec Baldwin's decision to hold an interview over the death of Halyna Hutchins.

LA Times:

But the decision to speak on national television during an active criminal investigation, and amid two civil lawsuits, was a highly risky tactic that could compound problems for Baldwin, according to several legal and public relations experts who spoke to The Times.

— Read the rest

Voltaire's description of dying, offered to Louis Nicolas Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, baron de Preuilly in 1723, goes like this: "[I] made my confession; and my will, which ... was exceedingly short. After that, I calmly awaited death: only regretting ... that I must part from my friends so soon." Voltaire, of course, was a philosopher who wrote on behalf of the French Enlightenment, a movement that favored human happiness. To its members, knowledge wasn't merely power. It could be peace or joy, as well.

In "Hellbound," the knowledge that God exists does not grant enlightenment, peace, or joy. Rather, because it comes from grey, hulking monsters who descend on Earth to drag living miscreants to Hell, it brings madness. And what winds up being even scarier than the monsters in Yeon Sang-Ho's excellent Netflix series are the cult leaders, fringe groups, and general opportunists who seize power when the laws of nature feel so fragile. 

A terrifying cast of characters is just one reason why "Hellbound" is a smash hit in the United States. The others include director Yeon Sang-Ho, the sudden boom of great Korean genre fare, and the show's own incisive examinations of morality, guilt, and judgement. Given that, here are 11 movies and shows to watch after you've finished "Hellbound" on Netflix.

Train To Busan

If Korean auteurs are to be believed, the world ends not with a bang, but a train whistle. In Bong Joon-Ho's "Snowpiercer" (and its subsequent TV remake), the last remnants of humanity ride a train that travels around the world; in "Hellbound" director Yeon Sang-Ho's "Train to Busan," a father, his estranged daughter, and countless others become trapped on a high-speed railway during a zombie outbreak in Korea. But where Joon-Ho's film utilizes railway transportation to eviscerate centuries-old classism, "Train to Busan" at first seems content to bombard you with things that are fast and scary, and leave it at that.

But there's actually more to it. Much more. Just as "Hellbound" is concerned with what makes life worth living, "Train to Busan" celebrates what makes humans noble. It's no accident that no one survives "Train to Busan" without the sacrifices of others; it's purposeful that panic makes monsters of the movie's characters, living or otherwise. It's the dichotomies between immolation and indebtedness, disgrace and dignity that remind audiences why the train is such a powerful setting for Sang-Ho's film. 

As anyone who's ever ridden the rails can tell you, a long journey by train reminds you that we, passengers of life, are all in this together, right until the moment we aren't. That's a shared thesis of "Hellbound" and "Train to Busan," and if you've seen the former but not the latter, now is a wonderful time to amend that.

Train To Busan Presents: Peninsula

If "Train to Busan" clarifies the themes of Yeon Sang-Ho's "Hellbound," "Train To Busan Presents: Peninsula" exists to confuse them. Simply put, "Peninsula" is a swing and miss. It's overly reliant on beats from better-known zombie films ("28 Weeks Later," "World War Z," etc.) and more subservient to dodgy CGI than its 2016 predecessor. Why, then, am I recommending it?

Because strikeouts can be wonderful. There's magic in seeing effort realized by an artist who knows what they're doing, even when the end result isn't home-run worthy. Watching Sang-Ho become a more confident director is something to behold, particularly when the attempted flexes of "Peninsula" inform the heavy lifting that "Hellbound" pulls off easily. This film is, like many at-bats, a stepping stone to bigger and better things. If you want to understand why "Hellbound" succeeds, "Peninsula" is necessary and rewarding homework.

Squid Game

The reaction to Netflix's "Squid Game" has proven why our culture needed "Squid Game," and why we will continue to need shows like "Squid Game." A "Squid Game" Funko Pop is missing the point of "Squid Game." Chrissy Tiegan, a professional rich person, wildly missed the point of "Squid Game." I'm not going to explain that point here because, if there's even the slightest chance you haven't seen it, spoilers for Hwang Dong-hyuk's Netflix hit are an act of cruelty on par with some of the many indecencies inflicted on the show's characters.

So, why should you watch "Squid Game," particularly if you've seen "Hellbound"? Because, if "Hellbound" looks at how power structures unravel and reform when the supernatural yank on their threads, "Squid Game" is a history of how those institutions are seized and maintained by humans in flesh-and-blood society. 

Tellingly, in both series, bloodcurdling violence is a through line. It's not gratuitous in either show, nor is it cool or in any way appealing. It's a tactic employed by the show's characters and captured by the show itself. Violence -- who receives it, how they do so, and how both of those are dulled -- is part of the point that both "Squid Game" and "Hellbound" strive to make. If you're watching closely, it's unmissable.

Thirst

"Hellbound" isn't the first Korean work to ask tough questions about faith, religion, and the violence underlying both. I'm not sure that distinction belongs to "Thirst," either, but Park Chan-wook's dazzlingly erotic vampire film reached the States before most, netting a healthy $13 million at the worldwide box office and introducing many to the great Kang Hong-so, who plays the Roman Catholic priest Sang-hyun and would later breakout with "Parasite." It's a film that, like its medically affected protagonists, has barely aged a day since its release. It rips.

The ways in which it rips, however, make it a fascinating companion piece to "Hellbound." At the risk of deploying mild spoilers, the catalyst for Sang-hyun's transformation to vampirism is an act of sacrifice. He volunteers for a medical procedure because he believes that is how a good life is led. He is not responsible for the blood transfusion that saves him and renders him instantly prone to vampirism, despite his best efforts to resist. 

How would the obelisks of "Hellbound" find Sang-hyun? At which point on his journey would he still be bound for Heaven? It's a question that "Thirst" doesn't successfully answer, but one that lingers throughout its run time and long after the credits roll. I personally imagine it's one that Yeon Sang-Ho asked himself, if he happened to see "Thirst" before making "Hellbound." If you check out "Thirst" for yourself, the question will happily haunt you, as well.

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum

Speaking of haunted, few films in any genre, from any country, can compare with the lingering terror conjured up by "Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum." Anyone who still believes the found footage horror film can't be scary should be offered a copy of "Gonjiam," dared to watch it, and videotaped as they do. Should they make it through without assuming the fetal position on more than one occasion, they're a stronger person than I am. 

Don't watch "Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum" because you enjoyed the philosophical quandaries raised by "Hellbound. Do it because its dock sequence is expertly nerve-racking. Do it because Yoo Ah-in's performance as Jung Jin-su got under your skin, stayed there, and you liked it. If you're craving additional horror from Korea, "Gonjiam" is the answer. It is, for my money, the white-hot sun the country's genre output has circled since its release. For people who like being creeped out, it's absolutely unmissable.

The Medium

The previously mentioned Jung Jin-su -- cult leader, true believer, and evangelist of angel beatdowns -- is one of the most compelling characters in "Hellbound." An enigma right up until the season's final moments, his decree that a woman be beaten on television for all to see is undeniably savage, but it's also frighteningly understandable. These creatures have already been seen by thousands. Their continued exposure to the public lets them be the change Jin-su wants to see in the world. They're impossible to wipe from your mind.

In some ways, Banjong Pisanthanakun's "The Medium," a Shudder exclusive from Thailand that premiered on the service in 2021, has the same thrust. It's shot in a mockumentary style, and follows Nim, a woman who claims to be possessed by the spirit of Bayan, a deity that the locals around her worship. The film crew comes to document Nim and her healing powers. The project, of course, goes off the rails almost immediately.

"The Medium" is ultimately more of a slow-burn than "Hellbound," but its interrogation of what faith yields is strikingly similar. Without spoiling the film's ending, Nim's sister, who converted to Christianity to avoid being Bayan's shaman, plays a pivotal role in the proceedings, as does her religion. And did I mention the film was created by the team behind "The Wailing"? That, as well as its stirring examination of who truly speaks for divinity, are reasons to stream "The Medium" as soon as possible.

The Leftovers

There are few American equivalents to "Hellbound." That's part of what makes it refreshing. The frankness of its violence and its charged conversation about spirituality can make viewers uneasy; that sort of terrain is often softened for U.S. audiences. It is not, however, in "The Leftovers." HBO's 2014 drama has quietly appreciated in value over the years, thanks in no small part to both a finale that stuck an incredibly difficult landing and also a devoted Twitter following. Anyone who watches "The Leftovers" front to back wholeheartedly agrees that it owns.

What's fascinating about "The Leftovers" when compared with "Hellbound" is how different their paths to the screen were, and how that reflects on both thematically. "Hellbound" was delivered to Netflix fully formed, instantly awaiting judgement from both the network and audiences. "The Leftovers," by contrast, improved itself over time, even when it faced the ax from its own creator. 

Fittingly, in "Hellbound," the ticking clock for the angels' targets starts the minute judgement is passed. By contest, in "The Leftovers," characters have chances to change their ways on Earth. Taken as a tandem, "The Leftovers" and "Hellbound" offer alternate takes on what might happen in the wake of a divine verdict, while simultaneously probing the reasons why that kind of judgement makes us feel uneasy in the first place. They're both worth seeing.

Constantine

If "The Leftovers" is a thoughtful meditation on the nature of Heaven and Hell, Francis Lawrence's "Constantine" is a film that does some whiskey shots in both and lets the good times roll on through. Released before the superhero movie boom that Marvel catalyzed, this DC Comics adaptation was promptly deemed a bomb by critics, but, as with John Constantine generally, rumors of its demise were greatly exaggerated. "Constantine" endures on both film Twitter and HBO Max for a variety of devilish reasons.

For one, like "Hellbound," "Constantine" takes care in the realization of its visuals. Naturalistically shot urban environments give way to surreal and threatening interiors, and the creature effects are otherworldly yet feel bizarrely organic. Additionally, as in "Hellbound," the cast delivers in spades. John Constantine is a peak Keanu Reeves role, one that marries his predilection for simmering anger to some wry dialogue he can channel it through. Rachel Weisz is reliably great. Tilda Swinton plays the angel Gabriel; that casting sells itself.

More than anything, though, "Constantine" is a crowd-pleasing counterpoint to "Hellbound," offering an action-packed chaser to the Netflix series' labored, slow-burn horror. It reminds you why you enjoy watching shows like this in the first place, and that makes it a fine post-"Hellbound" treat.

Carnivale

HBO's "Carnivale," which first released in 2003, is hardly a show we think of as groundbreaking. At the time, its general weirdness felt indebted to David Lynch and "Twin Peaks," and its tale of a traveling carnival beset by the forces of good and evil (possibly Heaven and Hell) never got the satisfying wrap-up it deserved, making it a deeply frustrating rewatch. That said, there's zero question that "Carnivale" laid fruitful ground from which "Hellbound" could bloom, most notably in the character of Brother Justin.

Brother Justin (played by the always tremendous Clancy Brown) is a Methodist minister who establishes a church in God's name following the discovery of his own supernatural abilities. Like the cult leaders of "Hellbound," Justin feels divinely elevated by his chosen Lord and Savior, an instrument as much as man. However, when that all comes crashing down around him, the consequences are tremendous. It's an arc entirely worth seeing — one enhanced by settings, yes, but a;so one that might anticipate where "Hellbound" is headed. In that sense, "Carnivale" might still be breaking ground.

Yellowjackets

Two episodes into its run and I'm looking for any excuse to recommend Showtime's "Yellowjackets" to anyone. Best described as "Lord of the Flies" by way of both "Lost" and peak Margaret Atwood, this show, created by Ashley Lyle and Bert Nickerson, has an instantly classic pilot directed by Karyn Kusama ("The Invitation," "Destroyer") and a twisty, shocking story. 

While it isn't clear yet how much common ground "Yellowjackets" will ultimately share with "Hellbound," if you enjoyed "Hellbound," you clearly have an affinity for genre television. You're willing to follow a story to dark places. You enjoy it when intelligent subtext meets viscera and blood. "Yellowjackets" has all this, and then some. 

More than anything, "Yellowjackets" is, even early into its run, a story about the primal parts of ourselves that we withhold from ourselves. Sometimes that's society's fault. Other times, it's our beliefs'. "Yellowjackets" presents a scenario where all the colors of its characters' personalities come bleeding through to the surface, no matter the situation, place, or decade. It makes its protagonists face the selves they would be judged for if divine arbiters ever saw them. That makes it worthy of a watch, particularly as a "Hellbound" companion piece.

Dr. Brain

The deeper you dive into "Dr. Brain" the more it echoes "Hellbound." On its surface, "Dr. Brain" is a Korean drama that Apple is hoping will ride "Squid Game"-mania to glory. Beyond that, it's a long-form story written and directed by one of Korea's most important filmmakers. "Dr. Brain" is the brainchild, pun intended, of Kim Jee-woon, the talent behind "I Saw the Devil" and "A Tale of Two Sisters." Anything that stems from his mind is worth seeing.

But "Dr. Brain" and "Hellbound" also ask deep, difficult questions about the nature of human existence using both horror and family drama. Some of the most effective scenes in "Hellbound" involve Min Hyejin and her family dealing with the wake of the judgement passed on her. Similarly, "Dr. Brain" probes the way the joys and tragedies of those we hold close to us inform our evolution as people, for better and for worse. Without spoiling it, the losses in "Dr. Brain," as in "Hellbound," have society-shifting consequences. If you enjoyed the mounting dread of the latter, "Dr. Brain" is a program well worth diving into.

Read this next: The 15 Best Japanese Horror Movies Of All Time

The post Movies and Shows to Watch After You Finish Hellbound appeared first on /Film.

(Welcome to Scariest Scene Ever, a column dedicated to the most pulse-pounding moments in horror with your tour guides, horror experts Matt Donato and Ariel Fisher. In this edition: Matt remembers 2003's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" as a work of pure evil, while Ariel resents Matt immensely for making her rewatch this movie.)

I never fully remember how grotesquely mean Platinum Dunes' 2003 "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake is as a smokehouse flavor of once modern horror trends. Dismemberment and practical gore shots are wicked, but that's just the violence. I'm talking about Kemper's proposal ring dropping into his bloody body gunk without Erin ever knowing or R. Lee Ermey's necrophilia-nasty comments about the dead hitchhiker. It's truly an evil flick, and that's considering Tobe Hooper's cannibalistic source.

Marcus Nispel takes a more traditional horror approach loaded with squeals and frantic chase sequences, less about Leatherface popping out and bonking victims on the head. That means jump scares when Leatherface somehow becomes stealthy — I didn't know chainsaws had silencers — but jokes aside, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" doesn't mess around. Shove your remake stigma conversations somewhere more helpful because this Texas take-two-step hones a next-level intensity. Andrew Bryniarski's menacing portrayal of Leatherface as a hulking brute like a heat-seeking missile makes an impression that dares to suggest maybe 2000s horror titles were better than blanket stereotypes. Something I'll always argue, especially after squirming and yelping during another "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" rewatch.

The Setup

The date is August 18, 1973. Five sweaty friends are driving through Texas with eyes and hearts set on a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. Erin (Jessica Biel) and Pepper (Erica Leerhsen) convince Kemper (Eric Balfour) to allow a wandering hitchhiker aboard, who then blows her brains all over the van. Morgan (Jonathan Tucker) wants to ditch the body, Andy (Mike Vogel) consoles Pepper since her stomach can't take the corpse in their backseat. Kemper drives to a nearby barbeque joint to seek help, but their nightmare is only just beginning with no aid for miles.

The Story So Far

A less-than-helpful hostess behind the counter sets the quintet on their way when insisting Sheriff Hoyt (R. Lee Ermey) is at the mill, which becomes their next stop. There's no sheriff, only lonesome child Jedidiah (David Dorfman) and his figures made from animal bones. Jedidiah points the group towards Sheriff Hoyt's house, where he's supposedly getting drunk. Erin and Kemper chase the second lead and happen upon the Hewitt plantation residence, where a handsy amputee lets Erin phone for help. Kemper is somehow less lucky — he wanders inside calling for Erin but instead meets Leatherface's sledgehammer.

From here, it's utter chaos and carnage as the remaining travelers scramble for answers. Erin and Andy return to the Hewitt's asking about Kemper, only to encounter Leatherface and his swinging chainsaw. Andy isn't lucky enough to escape when running through drying blankets on clotheslines and becomes Leatherface's second victim. He's hung on a meat hook, with Erin nowhere to help as she meets Morgan and Pepper at the van to regroup.

Sheriff Hoyt returns to the scene of the inciting suicide and torments Morgan when he finds marijuana on their dashboard. Sheriff Hoyt is not a lawful protector, and the petrified stoner's antics get Morgan handcuffed and driven back to the Hewitt mansion. Pepper and Erin are left behind, only for Pepper to be sawed by Leatherface when he attacks from the darkness. Erin scampers to a nearby trailer, where she's offered tea by two women, one holding a baby. It turns out the tea's drugged, and Erin awakes in the Hewitt house surrounded by the whole deranged family. Hoyt quips about staying for supper — Erin has other ideas. She bolts from the basement with Jedidiah's help, a wounded Morgan over her shoulder, and they find a shack where Morgan then becomes another sacrifice to the saw.

Erin's had enough. She sees Blair Meat Co. and dashes towards the facility. Here's where she'll make her last stand.

The Scene

Erin, alone, has lost Leatherface for at least a few seconds. She sprints towards the livestock entrance of the complex, where cows still moo. Erin vaults the iron corral gates leading into the animal entrance, which are tight enough for a single-file line. The girl's eyes frantically dart side-to-side, anticipating Leatherface at any moment. Still no chainsaw rev, so the coast seems clear.

Onward she runs, coming to a heavy gate that she forces open, then slams shut. Still no Leatherface, but it's been too long without another appearance. Worse still, the gaps between bars are plenty spaced for a whirring slicer to poke through like in 2004's "Dawn Of The Dead," where modded buses had tactical slots so blades would slash zombies outside. Erin isn't ready to be carved apart, so she runs up a slight incline ramp to the final passageway.

As she rushes into the last obstacle, Erin presumably stands where cattle would meet execution. Metal walls create silver confines, so she peers through a circular hole cut where a prod or executioner's tool would push through. Still no Leatherface. Erin assumes no visible threats means the slaughterhouse will make a good hideaway. In one motion, Erin hops on all fours to dive through a gap in the bottom of the chamber — cue the inevitable.

The camera is portrait-tight on Erin; we have no idea Leatherface has finally hunted his next victim and is within sniffing distance. As Erin's halfway clear of the small enclosure, Leatherface dives into the steel box and starts grabbing at Erin's legs as she flails kicks until he loses his grip. It's such an expected yet properly teased scare since the score does a tremendous job of never letting the high-adrenaline runaway vibes flatline. Yet, Erin's ample time alone still hides the inevitable.

Leatherface's belly flop into frame is the proper antithesis of a Dread Scare™.

The Impact (Ariel's Take)

Hoo boy! Yeah, I do not like this movie. And not because I actively dislike it, just because it's so damn nasty. Like the "House of Wax" remake two years later, it's brutal, mean, and disgusting.

The original "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" from 1974 is one of the rare films that expertly manages to put a smell on screen. The production was famously awful to work on strictly because they shot it in 115º weather. Because of the film's low budget, they could only get one shirt for Gunnar Hansen's Leatherface and it was dyed, so washing it wasn't an option. That meant he was in the same shirt for upwards of 12 hours a day for four weeks of shooting in the sweltering Texas heat. Pair that with the various rotting things used as props and set decoration and boy howdy did that place smell purdy. But the thing is, Tobe Hooper managed to make it so vile and revolting that the film became notorious for its gore that didn't actually exist.

Enter this iteration, and it's gross and unpleasant, but in a manufactured kind of way. Not that I'm complaining, it's effective! It just feels so much more deliberately awful and gross, like it's trying so hard to be revolting. Add in the jump scares and [full-body shudder]. Seriously, though, per Matt's previous question, when did chainsaws get silencers? And since when was a giant lumbering murderer lugging heavy machinery stealthy?

I digress, but anyway. The short and sweet of it is that I jumped so f***ing hard when he fwumped down and grabbed Erin that I accidentally threw my mouse across the room. It's one hell of an effective jump scare! And the look on Biel's face, when she's frantically running through the factory trying to get away from him, feels so genuine. 

I'm not good with being chased. Stuff running at you fast in a horror movie is a surefire way to get me to jump out of my skin.

Mission accomplished.

Touché, Donato.

Read this next: Every Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movie Ranked Worst To Best

The post One of the Scariest Scenes in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Remake Features a Surprisingly Stealthy Leatherface appeared first on /Film.

Since at least 2017, a mysterious threat actor has run thousands of malicious servers in entry, middle, and exit positions of the Tor network in what a security researcher has described as an attempt to deanonymize Tor users. The Record reports: Tracked as KAX17, the threat actor ran at its peak more than 900 malicious servers part of the Tor network, which typically tends to hover around a daily total of up to 9,000-10,000. Some of these servers work as entry points (guards), others as middle relays, and others as exit points from the Tor network. Their role is to encrypt and anonymize user traffic as it enters and leaves the Tor network, creating a giant mesh of proxy servers that bounce connections between each other and provide the much-needed privacy that Tor users come for. Servers added to the Tor network typically must have contact information included in their setup, such as an email address, so Tor network administrators and law enforcement can contact server operators in the case of a misconfiguration or file an abuse report. However, despite this rule, servers with no contact information are often added to the Tor network, which is not strictly policed, mainly to ensure there's always a sufficiently large number of nodes to bounce and hide user traffic. But a security researcher and Tor node operator going by Nusenu told The Record this week that it observed a pattern in some of these Tor relays with no contact information, which he first noticed in 2019 and has eventually traced back as far as 2017. Grouping these servers under the KAX17 umbrella, Nusenu says this threat actor has constantly added servers with no contact details to the Tor network in industrial quantities, operating servers in the realm of hundreds at any given point. The actor's servers are typically located in data centers spread all over the world and are typically configured as entry and middle points primarily, although KAX17 also operates a small number of exit points. Nusenu said this is strange as most threat actors operating malicious Tor relays tend to focus on running exit points, which allows them to modify the user's traffic. KAX17's focus on Tor entry and middle relays led Nusenu to believe that the group, which he described as "non-amateur level and persistent," is trying to collect information on users connecting to the Tor network and attempting to map their routes inside it. In research published this week and shared with The Record, Nusenu said that at one point, there was a 16% chance that a Tor user would connect to the Tor network through one of KAX17's servers, a 35% chance they would pass through one of its middle relays, and up to 5% chance to exit through one. While all signs point to a nation-level and well-resourced threat actor who is behind this group, neither Nusenu nor the Tor Project wanted to speculate.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Over six years after its original announcement as Copper Dreams, Whalenought Studios' cyberpunk RPG Mechajammer was finally released yesterday. Over the course of its development, Mechajammer became notorious for its frequently shifting visual styles and missed deadlines. What began as a scenario-based tactical game with a Grandia-inspired combat system gradually turned into a open-ended and fast-paced turn-based action game, a transformation that was reflected by the game's change of name. Things seem to have come together at last when it was picked up by indie publisher Modern Wolf earlier this year. Here's the launch trailer they put together along with the accompanying announcement post:

[link] [60 comments]

Well, colour us surprised - again. Titan Quest, the 2006 Diablo-style action RPG game about battling mythological monsters, has just gotten another expansion. The last, which arrived in 2017, was called Ragnarok and took players to the realms of Viking lore and legend. The new DLC, Eternal Embers, is all about Far Eastern and Egyptian mythology.

The expansion includes a new questline that spans four acts, which are filled out with 15 new side quests that you'll only be able to play on legendary difficulty. A new 11th mastery, Neidan, is a "mystical alchemist who uses deadly concoctions and abilities to annihilate his enemies." There are more than 30 new enemies and bosses, new weapons and gear, new potions to quaff, and plenty more.

"Legendary entities from Asian mythology like the Jade Emperor, the Ten Suns, and the Dragon King of the Four Seas are part of an epic storyline," publisher THQ Nordic says. "With the legendary powers of the ancient Neidan masters, the blessings of demigods, and the will of ancient emperors, all the power is at the player’s fingertips."

Remember the beginning of the pandemic when we were all mesmerized/entertained/horrified by the Netflix series "Tiger King?" Remember when everyone was saying "Cool cats and kittens," and you had to watch the show just to figure out all the memes? Even a second season of "Tiger King" wasn't enough to get all the info out there on this insane story. 

Today Netflix has announced a "Tiger King" spin-off titled, "Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story," complete with a trailer. It certainly explains why he wasn't in the second season of the main show. Here is the synopsis for the show:

A lifelong showman, Doc Antle has built his various careers on theatrics, attracting a slew of admirers along the way. But beneath the eccentric, animal-loving facade lies a predator far more dangerous than his beloved big cats and a man shadier than any of his "Tiger King" counterparts. Over three episodes, "Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story" unpacks the truth about Doc, as witnesses come forward to share their troubling stories of abuse and intimidation that set him at the top of the food chain.

Oof, when you say a person is "shadier than any of his "Tiger King" counterparts," it's a lot to take in. 

Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story Trailer

Well, this certainly looks sinister. There are only three episodes in the show, but from the trailer, it appears to be absolutely packed with info about one of the major players in "Tiger King." The series is directed by Rebecca Chaiklin and Eric Goode and executive produced by Rebecca Chaiklin, Eric Goode, Chris Smith, Fisher Stevens, and Jeremy McBride.

I do have to take the teensiest bit of issue with the logline: 

Shocking? Not really. It's not that shocking at all. Would anything be? Not that this isn't the exact way you should write a logline. I'm just saying that nothing about anyone in the series should shock anyone at all. 

"Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story" will begin streaming on Netflix on December 10, 2021. If you're a betting person, I'd say the odds are pretty good that this isn't going to be the last iteration of this wild ride of a series. Will you be watching the very second it comes out like the rest of the world? Ah, the memes are going to be epic this time around. Let us know @slashfilm! 

Read this next: Top 15 Best Natural Disaster Movies

The post Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story Trailer: Because The World Needed A Tiger King Spin-Off, Apparently appeared first on /Film.

[link] [132 comments]

An homage to the adventure serials of his youth, Steven Spielberg's 1981 film "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is one of the most celebrated action adventures in motion picture history. It is also rollicking, globe-trotting fun, playfully employing the well-worn and still-reliable genre tropes from the 1930s and '40s, updated in a higher-octane action milieu. Henry "Indiana" Jones, as played by Harrison Ford, has become such a stubbornly beloved character that fans and filmmakers refuse to let him go. I suppose we are all chasing the dragon after the high of the original film. 

"Raiders of the Lost Ark," while an enjoyable work of what might be described as escapism, is no mere trifle, and the religious iconography in the film is worth looking over. The titular Ark wasn't a screenwriting contrivance but based on actual Biblical lore and an important artifact among ancient Jewish tribes of the Old Testament. Let's look a bit into history.

The Book Of Exodus

After the exciting action prologue of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," we are introduced to Professor Indiana Jones teaching archeology to a classroom of smitten students who are more interested in Harrison Ford's handsome visage than the ancient world. Jones is approached by two government spooks who want to employ him to track down an artifact called the Ark of the Covenant before Adolf Hitler has a chance to; "Raiders" is set in 1936, and the Nazi party had just risen to power a few years previous. Jones gives audiences a very quick exposition dump as to what the Ark is, establishing -- in a screenwriting sense -- its importance and its power. 

The Ark of the Covenant was, looking back at the Book of Exodus, built by Moses during his 40-day sojourn on Mount Sinai, and was meant to carry the stone tablets of the original Ten Commandments. God even gave Moses blueprints: It was meant to be 2.5 cubits by 1.5 cubits by 1.5 cubits (or 4'4" by 2'7" by 2'7" in imperial measurements), covered in gold, and the two cherubim on top were meant to be spaced in such a way that a small window forms. Moses was meant to talk directly to God through that window. 

During the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the desert as described in Exodus, the Ark always went with them, a vanguard of the Tribe. It led at the crossing of the River Jordan, was carried around the city during the Battle of Jericho, and was carefully looked after by Aaron's grandson, Phinehas, where it was consulted before battles, served as an altar of lamentation, and was kept at religious centers. 

The Ark traded hands many times, according to Biblical history. It was in the hands of the Philistines after it was captured in battle against the Israelites. The Philistines had a terrible time with it, as once it was in their possession, they experienced a number of plagues and curses including tumors, a mouse infestation, and the deaths of key nobles. It was placed in the temple Dagon, and the Ark seemed to divinely eff it up. People grew warts and boils. After seven months of this, the Philistines returned it to the Israelites. Smart move, I'd say.

More History!

There is a lot (like, so much) more of the Ark's history that I'll skip over, for the time being, passing briefly by King David (who intended to build a temple around the Ark) and his son, King Solomon, and going straight to King Hezekiah (731 BCE - 687 BCE), the last known Biblical owner of the Ark, and a figure from the Book of Kings (2 Kings) and the Gospel of Matthew (tipping into that new-fangled New Testament). Hezekiah is recorded as a righteous king who protected Jerusalem from the Assyrian armies by improving infrastructure in the form of protective walls, and a clever underground water channel. He also may have written the Book of Ecclesiastes, which some Biblical scholars say alludes to the Ark of the Covenant. 

There were other mentions in The New Testament besides. Here's a quote from Hebrews 9:4: "The golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant." The Ark was also frequently used as a metaphor for other holy vessels, including people who carried holiness within them. In Catholic traditions, Mary, Jesus' mom, is called a vessel. 

The Bible references the Ark over 200 times.

In short, the Ark of the Covenant was a powerful and powerfully sacred vessel of God, was known to carry the original Ten Commandments (as well as many other sacred relics), and had been lost to history. It was a symbol of the Jewish covenant with God, and a symbol of anything with direct contact with the Divine. Anyone who was not of the Tribe was punished for manhandling it, making it an object to be revered ... and feared. 

A Tool Of Revenge

Fast forward to 1981, and a Jewish filmmaker named Steven Spielberg and a Jewish screenwriter named Philip Kaufman used The Ark of the Covenant as the McGuffin in their adventure film. 

But, as you may now see, it was no arbitrary choice. In terms of straight-up destructive power, The Ark may be one of the most powerful to appear in the Bible. Other Biblical holy relics may possess a comparable amount of significance (and were subsequently used in movies. See: the use of The Holy Grail in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"), but one was specifically designed to grant protection and destructive power to God's Chosen People. 

At the end of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," a group of Nazis have, well, raided the lost Ark. They have opened it up and looked inside. They touched it, wanting to steal its power. Not only are the Nazis targeting Jewish people in the streets, and were actively consigning them to concentration camps (the film is set in 1936. Dachau was built in 1933), but they are raiding Jewish heritage as well. Nothing is sacred to these monsters. Audiences in 1981 knew of all the horrors of the Holocaust, which, mind you, had ended only 36 years earlier. Philip Kaufman's parents were German Jews who fled the country. The outrage was fresh, the injustice unimaginable. It still is.

What happens, then, when Nazis stick their hands into the Ark of the Covenant? Why, they are destroyed by God's wrath. Literal angels of death make their effing heads explode. Only Indiana Jones knows that this is something too holy to witness, and keeps his eyes shut. 

At the outset of "Raiders," Jones is an atheist, describing the power of the Ark as "superstitious hocus-pocus." An atheist ultimately facilitated the delivery of a Jewish artifact into the hands of the fascists it was meant to destroy. Well done, Indy. 

Historical Revisionism

The Ark of the Covenant was two Jewish filmmakers using a powerful Jewish artifact to inflict cinematic revenge. "Raiders of the Lost Ark," then, is historical revisionism. It uses movie violence to achieve an act of cultural revenge. As we would see in sequels, the Nazi regime was not stopped by the events of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" -- it exists in a little microcosm wherein only a group of plundering Nazis and a collaborating, amoral archeologist (Paul Freeman) were destroyed for their tampering -- but it was, one might postulate, a good start. 

And, perhaps abiding by the old axiom that power corrupts, the Ark (that is, the movie version) was eventually hidden away in a vast American army warehouse, nailed shut in a crate indistinguishable from the thousands of crates around it. The Ark is once again lost, this time in bureaucracy. 

The "Indiana Jones" movies -- with the exception of "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" -- have used religious iconography heavily. "Raiders" was about a Jewish artifact destroying Nazis. "Temple of Doom" was about an artifact loosely based on the Sivalinga, the symbol of the Hindu god Shiva (an artifact that Spielberg has said was too esoteric for most film audiences). "Last Crusade" is about one of the better-known Christian artifacts, the Holy Grail. 

In the world of Indiana Jones, God is combating evil, and the hard-fisted heroes of 1930s movie serials are helping along in God's plan. 

The power of movies, Spielberg is arguing, is indeed divine.

Read this next: 11 Spielberg Projects We Never Saw But Wish We Could've

The post Raiders of the Lost Ark Ending Explained: More Than A McGuffin appeared first on /Film.

(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Movie: "Kill List"

Where You Can Stream It: Shudder

The Pitch: If you've never heard of this movie, that's for the better. "Kill List" is a sneaky little film, one that slowly peels away and keeps revealing stranger and more horrifying cores. Its tonal shifts are purposeful, luring you in until it's too late to turn on something else or even pause the movie. You have to find out what happens next. You have to see where it's going to take you. 

Okay, so that isn't much of a pitch. Or at least, not a traditional pitch. So let me give you a little more info. Directed by Ben Wheatley, who you probably know from the Tom Hiddleston-led "High Rise," the Brie Larson/Armie Hammer crime drama "Free Fire," or the surreal and psychedelic 17th-century horror "A Field in England," "Kill List" hides its stranger qualities behind a plot that feels like a bleak action drama. Or at least the kind of action movie that accidentally keeps veering into stranger and stranger territory. The film stars Neil Maskell ("Atonement"), Michael Smiley ("The Lobster"), MyAnna Buring ("The Descent"), and Emma Fryer ("In The Dark"), which is a fun collage of actors who have starred in very depressing dramas, or in the case of "The Descent," one of the scariest horror movies every made. Unsurprisingly, all of them are excellent in their tightly drawn, mysterious, and incredibly U.K. roles. "Kill List" follows two hitmen who team up to take on one mysterious and very specific job. Their loved ones get pulled into the strangeness and it only gets wilder from there. 

Basically, if the idea of watching a vaguely Iraq war-tinged murder/family drama that ends in an entirely different place than it starts, put "Kill List" on your watchlist. I'm so sorry.

Why It's Essential Viewing

Okay, look, I don't really want to tell you what this movie is about. I went in blind, the friend who recommended it to me went in blind, and in general, I think movies are more exciting if you don't know what's going to happen. It's not that I don't like trailers or teasers or all of the things that make this wonderful website tick, because I also think they're very fun, but I'll have to get into some spoiler-ish aspects, so if you want to stop reading and start watching right now, you have my total blessing.

"Kill List" kicks off with a story that feels like its only goal is to capture the powerful cocktail of malaise and PTSD an ex-soldier is dealing with on a day-to-day basis in a post-Iraq War world. The first third of the movie is all about the small three-person family made up of ex-soldier Jay, his wife Shel, and their young son Sam. You're quickly caught up with some of the good, and all of the bad things happening in their lives. Wheatley spends a lot of time coaxing Jay and Shel into screaming matches that are shot around the tight corners of their cramped house, which makes you feel just as caged in by the suburbs and the lack of funds as Jay. 

It doesn't feel voyeuristic, because it doesn't feel like you're watching them on a screen. Instead you're right in the house, you're sitting at the dinner table, and you're hanging out with Sam as he hides in his room during another blowout fight. For "The Office" fans among us (the American version to be clear), there's a dinner party scene in this film that rivals the infamous "The Dinner Party" episode. It's that off-putting and uncomfortable. No one can escape the yelling, no one can escape the futility, until an old soldier friend Gal offers Jay his way out of the 'burbs. It's a classic "One last job" scenario that involves Gal and Jay teaming up again and taking down the bad guys.

95 Minutes Of Fun

Of course, it doesn't happen quite like that. As Gal and Jay meet the rich, weird, and mysterious client who is paying them serious cash to take down every name on his kill list, it hits you that something is beyond off with this movie. As Gal and Jay start checking names on the list, the incongruous scenes add up and start forming a mystery that goes beyond your understanding of the movie. You're watching a family drama, a crime drama, maybe even an action movie, but by the time the credits role, your waist, or maybe neck, deep in the world of horror. Things get gruesome and weird and unforgivable, but Wheatley was signaling his intentions the entire time. Nothing good can happen in a movie that starts off so calmly bleak, and nothing good does.

That doesn't mean this movie will ruin the rest of your day. It's just high octane enough to leave you with your jaw on the floor, but you won't spend hours crying. Instead, you'll be thinking of ways you can recommend it to your friends, so you'll have someone to talk to about that ending.

Also, it's a tight 95 minutes. Everyone has 95 minutes in their week.

Read this next: The Daily Stream: Just Friends Perfectly Captures The Weirdness Of Going Home For The Holidays

The post The Daily Stream: Skip This Article, Because Kill List is Best Seen Knowing As Little As Possible appeared first on /Film.

After Italy announced it would ban unvaccinated folks from engaging in most public activities, an Italian gentleman showed up for his Covid shot sporting a fake arm. He thought he could fool the health worker with his silicone limb — and he almost did. — Read the rest

No matter who you're buying for, you can find a great gift without spending much. From a mini waffle maker to card games, we rounded up our experts’ favorite gifts under $10 that anyone will love.

Let's build and review the MiSTer Multisystem hardware expansion kit! In addition to its 3D printed case, the Multisystem is a board adding tons of functionality and quality of life improvements to the MiSTer FPGA experience. Plus it has all kinds of nifty upgrade options with a modular expansion slot and integrated SNAC ports and things, so things only improve from here.

● Pertinent RMC Retro and Heber Ltd links:
https://rmcretro.store/multisystem-board-only/
http://www.heber.co.uk/product/multisystem/

● LGR links:
https://www.patreon.com/LazyGameReviews
https://www.twitter.com/LazyGameReviews
https://www.facebook.com/LazyGameReviews

● Background music licensed from:
https://www.epidemicsound.com

#LGR #MiSTer #Gaming

A whole new epic quest line spanning 4 acts, accompanied by 15 additional side quests, new weapons, enemies, and more. Titan Quest: Eternal Embers is now available on GOG.COM along with a 10% discount that will last until 10th December 2021, 2 PM UTC.

Share our love for games? Subscribe to our newsletter for news, releases, and exclusive discounts. Visit the “Privacy & settings” section of your GOG account to join now!

It took me way longer than it should have to watch It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. It’s almost like I was saving it for when I needed it most, which happened to be during a global pandemic (and a couple of months before the Season 15 premier). I adore it, and everyone involved with making it. The entire cast is…

Read more...

Cooking at home is far more fun when you've got the proper skillets.

Rob Zombie's Instagram page has become the center for all of the breaking news regarding his film adaptation of "The Munsters," and today he gave us a first look at Igor, described as "the faithful servant of the family." Not to be confused with Grandpa's pet bat Igor of the same name, or the Cousin Igor featured in the film "The Munsters' Revenge," Igor looks to be a new character ... unless Zombie combines the lore and both Cousin Igor and Igor that bat end up being one in the same. The Cousin Igor character was originally played by Howard Morris, who most know as Ernest T. Bass from "The Andy Griffith Show." In Rob Zombie's film, Igor is being played by Scottish actor and comedian, Sylvester McCoy, known by most as Radagast from "The Hobbit" or as the seventh incarnation of the Doctor — the final Doctor in the original run of "Doctor Who."

McCoy joins the already announced cast of Jeff Daniel Phillips as Herman Munster, Sheri Moon Zombie as Lily Munster, and Daniel Roebuck as Grandpa Munster. (Yes, Grandpa should technically be "Grandpa Dracula" as he's Lily's dad, but IMDb is listing him as Grandpa Munster so don't @ me.) McCoy is the newest character possibly based on someone already existing in "The Munsters" universe, following the announcement of Richard Brake as the new character, mad scientist Dr. Henry Augustus. The Munster kids, Eddie and Marilyn, have yet to be announced, but if Zombie keeps it up, we'll hopefully know by the end of the year.

The Three Faces Of Igor

The announcement of Igor as a character is interesting, because there's still no way of knowing how Zombie is incorporating him into this world. The original TV run of "The Munsters" only showed Grandpa's pet bat Igor in bat form and flying around the castle and laboratory, with Grandpa in bat form frequently being mistaken for his beloved pet. In "The Munsters' Revenge," Cousin Igor is believed to be the assistant to Dr. Frankenstein when Herman Munster was made (which follows typical "Frankenstein" pop culture representation) and later became the caretaker of Castle Dracula for Grandpa, defending it against villagers. In the film, Igor is killed by an arrow but revived by Grandpa who brings him back as a young man.

To add to the confusion, there's also another Igor, one of the twin children of Cousin Wolfgang of the animated special, "The Mini-Munsters." In it, Igor is a Frankenstein's monster type who starts a band called The Mini-Munsters with his sister Lucretia and a now teenaged Eddie Munster. With three totally different characters and storylines in "The Munsters" canon, Zombie has plenty of directions to take the character. Based on the preview image, it's looking like Igor will follow a similar trajectory as the character in "The Munsters' Revenge," but then again, Rob Zombie is a bit of a wild card and this could end up being a completely different character altogether.

Read this next: The 15 Best Horror Movie Directors Of All Time

The post The Munsters Movie Reveals First Look at Igor, Played by Doctor Who and Hobbit Actor Sylvester McCoy appeared first on /Film.

In the annals of modern Westerns, "Tombstone" rides tall in the saddle, and in terms of sheer star power, few other Westerns could beat its ensemble cast in a shootout. Yet the 1993 film, credited to George P. Cosmatos, director of "Rambo: First Blood Part II" and father of Panos Cosmatos ("Mandy"), did not have the smoothest production. In the years since its release, stars Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer have both come out and said that Russell himself shot-listed and effectively directed or co-directed the movie.

Screenwriter Kevin Jarre ("Glory") was originally set to direct his own script for "Tombstone," but producers fired him after a month, bringing in Cosmatos at the last minute. Cosmatos died in 2005, and the year after that, Russell sat down for an interview with True West, where he gave his own account of what happened behind the scenes of "Tombstone." He said:

"I backed the director; the director got fired, so we brought in a guy to be a ghost director. They wanted me to take over the movie. I said, 'I'll do it, but I don't want to put my name on it. I don't want to be the guy.' I said to George, 'I'm going to give you a shot list every night, and that's what's going to be.' I'd go to George's room, give him the shot list for the next day, that was the deal. 'George I don't want any arguments. This is what it is. This is what the job is.'

"I got him from [Sylvester] Stallone—called up Sly, said I need a guy. Sly did the same thing with 'Rambo 2' with George. And I said to George, 'While you're alive George, I won't say a goddamn thing.' "

I'm Your Huckleberry: Val Kilmer Gives His Own Account

Russell's interview reveals other fascinating bits of behind-the-scenes lore, like the fact that Kevin Costner was going to star in "Tombstone" before he backed out and decided to do "Wyatt Earp" with Lawrence Kasdan instead. Russell said that Costner was playing industry hardball and "had shut down all avenues of release" for "Tombstone" except for distributor Buena Vista Pictures. Meanwhile, there was talk of Richard Gere and Willem Dafoe playing Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, respectively, in "Tombstone."

Kilmer was coming off the transformative role of Jim Morrison in "The Doors," and he would ultimately give one of his signature performances as the tuberculosis-riddled yet no less dangerous gunslinger, Holliday. The actor would even name his own 2020 memoir after the quote, "I'm your Huckleberry," which Holliday utters at the end of the film as he comes walking out of the shadows to face Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn), who was expecting to meet and defeat Earp in a showdown.

In his own 2017 blog post (via The Hollywood Reporter), Kilmer confirmed details of Russell's account of the production of "Tombstone," saying:

"I was there every minute and although Kurt's version differs slightly from mine, the one thing he's totally correct about is how hard he worked the day before, for the next day's shot list, and tremendous effort he and I both put into editing, as the studio [Hollywood Pictures] wouldn't give us any extra time to make up for the whole month we lost with the first director. I watched Kurt sacrifice his own role and energy to devote himself as a storyteller, even going so far as to draw up shot lists to help our replacement director, George Cosmatos, who came in with only two days prep."

Kilmer continued:

"I have such admiration for Kurt as he basically sacrificed lots of energy that would have gone into his role, to save the film. Everyone cared, don't get me wrong, but Kurt put his money where his mouth was, and not a lot of stars extend themselves for the cast and crew. Not like he did."

Michael Biehn Chimes In

Not to be outdone, Michael Biehn took to Setting History Straight with some interesting "Tombstone" stories of his own, including an anecdote of a script reading where one hungover cast member projectile-vomited. Biehn acknowledged Kilmer's commitment to his character — noting that he showed up for the reading already knowing Latin and stayed in-character on set most of the time.

Biehn also acknowledged that Russell was probably more deserving of a directorial credit than Cosmatos, in that he helped secure financing for the film, had a leadership role on set, and participated in many of the creative discussions that a director usually would have. However, he said that Russell did not direct him personally.

Biehn's memories of the production make it sound like Jarre's firing came about not because he had fallen behind schedule, as some dubious online sources indicate, but because he was so uncompromising in his vision. That vision was a two-edged sword in that it put all the pieces in place for "Tombstone" but then stifled the collaborative spirit of its cast and crew once they were there. Yet it was baked into "Tombstone" so deep that even after Jarre's departure, "the movie directed itself," as Biehn put it.

Jarre died in 2011, so neither he nor Cosmatos are around to give their side of the story. While we may never know the full story, "Tombstone" stands as a reminder that movies are not the product of one person, but a group endeavor with many moving parts.

Read this next: The 14 Best Val Kilmer Movies Ranked

The post The Beloved Western You Didn't Realize Kurt Russell Helped Direct appeared first on /Film.

Jane Campion's masterful "The Power of the Dog" is now streaming on Netflix, and if you haven't watched it yet, I urge you to check it out, because it's one of the best movies of the year. As I wrote in my review: 

As "The Power of the Dog" rolls into its jaw-dropper of a conclusion, we are left drained, pulverized, as if we've been put through the wringer. Campion hasn't helmed a feature film in nearly 12 years, and here she comes back with a vengeance, with supreme command of her imagery.

However, if you have watched the film, and are looking for something similar, I am here to help. "The Power of the Dog" is a Western, but it's definitely in the neo/post-modern/revisionist Western mold. In other words, it's not your typical oater. With that in mind, the Westerns below would pair nicely with Campion's film. To be clear: I'm not saying these Westerns are exactly the same as "Power of the Dog." But they do share similar tones and atmospheres. So saddle up, partner. 

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

Available to rent on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu.

Andrew Dominik's melancholy, lonely "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" has Casey Affleck as Robert Ford, a socially inept loser who becomes obsessed with legendary outlaw Jesse James (Brad Pitt). He manages to worm his way first into Jesse's gang, and then his personal life. Little by little, cracks begin to form in the lopsided relationship, inspiring Ford to commit an irreversible act (spoiler: it's in the title). Featuring jaw-dropping cinematography from Roger Deakins and a mournful score via Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, "The Assassination of Jesse James" had an extremely limited release and flopped at the box office. However, the film has since found a very supportive audience, probably because it's so damn good. 

McCabe & Mrs. Miller

Available to rent on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu.

Robert Altman's shaggy, wintry anti-Western stars Warren Beatty as John McCabe, a gambler who arrives in a small town in Washington State in 1902 and hooks up with English transport Constance Miller (Julie Christie). The two go into business together, running a brothel as the town sprouts up around them. Full of Altman's trademark overlapping dialogue and a ghostly soundtrack with songs by Leonard Cohen, "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" is one of the filmmaker's best works. And Warren Beatty's giant fur coat is a real sight to behold. 

The Proposition

Now streaming on Peacock, Kanopy, Tubi. 

Featuring a screenplay by Nick Cave, "The Proposition," directed by John Hillcoat, is a brutal Western-style story that isn't actually set in the American West. Instead, it's set in Australia. The story concerns an outlaw, played by Guy Pearce, who is offered an unusual choice. To save the life of his young brother, who is condemned to hang, he must track down and kill his older brother, another outlaw, played by Danny Huston. Dark, brooding, and often extremely violent, this isn't for the squeamish. 

There Will Be Blood

Now streaming on Netflix.

While "Let There Be Blood" may not fit entirely within the Western genre, it's enough of a neo-Western for this list. Especially since Benedict Cumberbatch's brilliant, scary performance in "The Power of the Dog" is reminiscent of the groundbreaking work of Daniel Day-Lewis in Paul Thomas Anderson's movie. Day-Lewis is a misanthropic oil man who keeps getting richer and richer while growing colder and colder. Can the case be made that this is Anderson's best movie? Certainly. 

The Sisters Brothers

Now streaming on Hulu.

This criminally underrated surreal Western has John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix as two outlaw brothers hired to hunt down two men (Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed) who are searching for gold. You'd think a movie with Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Riz Ahmed would've gotten more attention, but "The Sisters Brothers" came and went without most people noticing, and that's a damn shame, because it's wonderful. 

Read this next: The 20 Best Westerns Of All Time

The post 5 Westerns to Watch If You Loved The Power of the Dog appeared first on /Film.

When we last saw Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker (John Cena), he was in a hospital bed surrounded by armed guards after the events of "The Suicide Squad." Now he's back in action for the HBO Max series "Peacemaker," dreamed up by writer/director James Gunn during the pandemic lockdown of 2020. The official trailer for this bad boy dropped today, and there are loads of fun hints about where this wild ride might go. Let's take a look at this shotgun blast of a trailer and see what we can piece together. 

Peacemaker's Popularity?

"Have you ever heard of a guy named Peacemaker?" 

The opening clip features two detectives, Larry Fitzgibbon (Lochlyn Munro) and Sophie Song (Annie Chang), and Annie asks Larry if he's ever heard of Peacemaker. When Fitzgibbon says no, Song must explain that they're having a real problem with our toilet-helmeted hero. She describes him as a trained killer and a maniac, and then we see Fitzgibbon and Song chase Peacemaker through an apartment before he runs out into the street and they shoot after him. While Peacemaker is working for the government, apparently it's undercover enough that other law enforcement agencies don't know. 

All The Accoutrements

In the brief moment where Song is describing Peacemaker to Fitzgibbon, we see a flash of Peacemaker from behind, holding his helmet in his hand. The shot gives us a look at the helmet, his massive holstered gun, and an absolutely gorgeous car that I hope is his. There's footage of him driving that stunning muscle car in one of the teaser trailers, so at least we know he'll get to enjoy being behind the wheel. 

You Can't House Train An Eagle

After narrowly escaping Fitzgibbon and Song, Peacemaker and Eagly dive into handler Emilia Harcourt's (Jennifer Holland) getaway car, driven by task force team member Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks). Harcourt tells Peacemaker that Eagly better not go to the bathroom in her backseat, but Peacemaker informs her that it's impossible to house train an eagle without "stealing its soul." A cursory Google search indicates that you can house train certain pet birds, but maybe Peacemaker doesn't see Eagly as a pet. Or, maybe, Peacemaker doesn't like the idea of "taming" a wild animal to that degree, especially one that represents the country he loves so dearly. Either way, it's not like you can put a diaper on an eagle, so Harcourt is going to just have to deal. 

A Host Of Daddy Issues

The next brief clip shows Peacemaker going to his dad's house, which looks like it's flying the American flag upside down. Given Peacemaker's patriotism, that's not a great indicator for how he and his dad might get along. When he confesses that he's been having a hard time to his father, played by Mr. T-1000, Robert Patrick, his dad just brushes him off. Worse, when he tells his father about getting shot and having a building fall on him (which happened at the end of "The Suicide Squad"), his dad manages to find a way to blame his son for getting shot. "It's not like I invited him to come shoot me, dad," poor Peacemaker says, exasperated, before his father calls him pathetic. While we knew that Peacemaker had some issues with his father from bits of dialogue in "The Suicide Squad," the extent of those issues is becoming more clear. Poor Peacemaker just wants a bit of parental love, and all he gets in return is derision. 

Chez Peacemaker

We get a quick glimpse of the outside of Peacemaker's home, an American-flag decorated pre-fab home with a cute little porch. The trailer park he's in doesn't look particularly well-kept, making the shot kind of a bummer. After going out and killing baddies for the government, he has to return home to a ramshackle roost and wait for his next assignment. That's gotta be hard on the old ego. 

Peacemaker's New Pal, Vigilante

Thankfully, Peacemaker isn't completely alone. He has a new crew, and a new sidekick/comrade-in-arms, Vigilante (Freddie Stroma). They have a quick conversation about Peacemaker no longer being in prison for life, with Peacemaker explaining that he works for the government now. Vigilante, ever the quick thinker, assumes that Peacemaker is now a mailman, which leads to a fun bit of back and forth. The clip gives us a good idea about the relationship between Peacemaker and Vigilante, which seems much less antagonistic than his relationships with any of the members of the Suicide Squad. 

The Crew

The new gang assembles, and they're one scruffy-looking bunch. Steve Agee reprises his role as John Economos, one of Amanda Waller's (Viola Davis) underlings working for the government. He and Harcourt serve as handlers, while it appears Adebayo is a new addition and serves in a trainee capacity. Peacemaker and Vigilante are the resident guys in costumes, and then there's Chukwudi Iwuji as Clemson Murn, who looks to be the one in charge of handing out orders to the group. I'm looking forward to seeing how the dynamic forms within this crew, and what kind of camaraderie they manage to develop despite having some very strong personalities. We also learn that this task force "doesn't officially exist," so they're completely on their own if something goes wrong. That explains why the cops are after Peacemaker, and it sets up a whole new set of problems for the team to deal with. 

Murn explains that the crew's targets are called "butterflies," and that they're extremely dangerous to the general population. We get a quick glimpse of some very agile people attacking Peacemaker, and can only assume that they are some of the "butterflies" Murn describes. 

Two Birdbrains

All of the secrecy makes Peacemaker think something weird's going on, and he confronts Murn about it, declaring that "you just think Vigilante and me are too stupid to notice." Vigilante then asks the crew to determine which is the real bird, himself or Eagly, and he preens like a giant bird. Peacemaker is forced to concede that Murn is only half-right, because Vigilante is clearly very stupid. Then again, Peacemaker turns right around and comments that at least with 50% he would get a "D" in school, prompting everyone to correct him. Maybe thinking isn't either of their strong suits after all. 

America's Tighty Whiteys

One thing Peacemaker is good at is looking great in his tighty whiteys. Footage of Peacemaker dancing around his place in his undies appeared in one of the teaser trailers, but now it looks like he might do some battle in them as well. There's a brief moment with Peacemaker in his helmet, underoos, and boots, looking a little worse for the wear. Eagly still looks great, though.

The voice-over for this section is Harcourt and Adebayo talking about Peacemaker. Harcourt derisively calls him a clown, but Adebayo sees more: "There's something about him that's... sad." Few people have tried to see past Peacemaker's abrasive exterior, but it seems like Adebayo might be willing to give it a shot. Maybe she can help Peacemaker work on his rough edges while he helps her learn how to take out bad guys. 

Some Lines Can't Be Crossed

In our first glimpse of Peacemaker and Harcourt on a mission together, the two are set up to assassinate some people outside of a mansion via sniper rifle. Murn orders him to take the shot, but there are children there. Peacemaker asks if he is supposed to kill the kids as well, and Murn confirms. Despite the fact that Peacemaker has said more than once that he'll do anything in the name of peace, it's clear that this is one line he doesn't feel comfortable crossing. Is Peacemaker growing softer from his experiences, or was he just not as hardened as he always claimed? 

"Right Now The World Needs A Son Of A B****."

Peacemaker confronts Murn about ordering him to shoot children without explaining why, and Murn isn't having it. He tells Peacemaker that "the world right now needs a son of a b****," and Peacemaker is that very S.O.B. Harcourt confronts Peacemaker about his desire to achieve peace through any means, challenging his statements about being willing to "kill men, women, and children" to get it. It looks like the major conflict of the series will be Peacemaker's desire to find his humanity getting in the way of him being the soulless killing machine his job requires. 

Lawn Gnomes And Existential Angst

Peacemaker's internal struggle is on full display in the trailer as he gazes into the distance from his porch, kept company only by a couple of joyous looking lawn gnomes. Poor Peacemaker is having a bit of an existential crisis, but that's probably a good thing given how ridiculously immoral he was in "The Suicide Squad." Maybe having to kill your hero and then nearly dying really changes a man.

An Awkward Father-Son Chat

Something happens to land Peacemaker's pop behind bars, and there's a brief scene of our justice-driven lad having a visiting room chat with dear old dad. He tries to explain his desire to change and surprise people with a rather colorful turn of phrase, causing his father to berate him for comparing himself to a very small penis. Peacemaker confesses that he's having feelings about things, which pops is also not impressed with. Outside, Adebayo tells Peacemaker that his dad is not a good man, but Peacemaker refuses to leave him behind regardless, citing that "he's still family." Peacemaker won't only have to fight his inner demons to be a better person, but he'll have to fight the government trying to control him and his father as well. It's going to be a long, hard road for him to grow. 

Judomaster

Here's our first real look at Judomaster, a DC Comics superhero who hasn't yet made it to the screen. He's played by Nhut Le, and it looks like he's going to give Peacemaker a real run for his money. Peacemaker is a big, beefy guy who's strong and capable, but Judomaster looks crazy fast, so their face-off could be a superhero battle for the ages. 

Space Stingrays?

In one very brief shot, we see someone standing outside at night, looking up at a whole flock of flying disc creatures. They look like alien stingrays, and I have to wonder if they're not some version of the "butterflies." Gunn likes writing stories about alien mind control, which he did for both "Slither" and "The Suicide Squad," so it's possible that they take over human minds or can shapeshift. There's definitely some visual similarity to Starro's many babies, though these discs are sleeker-looking and aren't neon pink. 

A Date Gone Terribly Wrong, Maybe

Oh hey, that's how Peacemaker got all beat up in his undies. A brief clip shows Peacemaker in his briefs, getting knocked around by a blonde woman who looks like she got lost on the way home from Jazzercise. She's in her undies as well, however, which means this might have started a little less violently before things went horribly wrong. Whatever the case, Peacemaker bails and jumps out of the window. That's one way to get out of a bad blind date.

A Bloody Toast

One thing I'm most excited about the series exploring is the relationship between Adebayo and Peacemaker, because they are so wildly different but clearly somehow care about one another. Their dynamic should be an interesting one, to say the least. We get a sweet moment of the two of them sharing a toast after surviving some kind of bloody madness, with Peacemaker's shirt soaked with the red stuff. Adebayo seems a little disturbed by how casual he is with all of the gore still on him, and I can't blame her. 

Cena has a vivid on-screen presence that can be hard to match in intensity, but Brooks seems to be up to the task. She was brilliant as Taystee on "Orange is the New Black," and she has both the comedic and dramatic chops to hold her own. 

A Peacemaker Original Weapon

In a scene that likely takes place before the bloody toast above, Peacemaker takes a moment to try out his new weapon: a grenade strapped to a Russian tank shell. His reasoning? Because grenades only kill two or so people. When Adebayo asks how many people the grenade-shell can kill, he tells her he doesn't know because he just came up with the idea that morning. Peacemaker pretty much always flies by the seat of his pants, and it could get him into some serious trouble. 

An Explosive Ending

It turns out the tank shell/grenade hybrid has some major firepower, as it creates a massive explosion that sends the baddies flying and forces Peacemaker and Adebayo to leap to safety. It's a real blast of an ending that leaves you wanting more. 

Thankfully, there's some good news — "Peacemaker" will debut on HBO Max on January 13, 2021, with new episodes released weekly after that. That means the wait isn't too long, and before you know it, we'll have plenty of Peacemaker adorning our TV's.

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

The post Peacemaker Trailer Breakdown: A Sadistic Superhero Seeks Self-Improvement appeared first on /Film.

Scientists have raised concerns about a proposed overhaul of newborn screening that could lead to the UK becoming the first country to offer whole-genome sequencing for every baby. From a report: Speaking before the publication of plans for an NHS pilot study in which up to 200,000 babies' genomes will be sequenced and analysed, scientists suggested the initiative appeared designed to create a valuable health dataset rather than an effective method of improving the diagnosis of rare diseases. Anneke Lucassen, director of the Centre for Personalised Medicine at the University of Oxford, said that if the primary objective were improving newborn screening, there were alternative, more targeted tests that would be cheaper and potentially more reliable. "If it was really all about [diagnosing more conditions], you could do that through other means," she said. "It's about helping to build the genomics industry in the UK and it's about creating a research resource so we can study people as they grow older." Lucassen said she was not opposed to the pilot, or even necessarily to these objectives, but wanted more transparency, "because otherwise it's sold as something that is not the full picture. The public needs to know that," she added. Sequencing the genomes of all newborns would represent a hugely ambitious upgrade to the routine "heel prick" test that all babies receive at about five days to detect nine serious health conditions including cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease and various metabolic diseases.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

[link] [38 comments]

[link] [52 comments]