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The Information today shared alleged details about future Apple silicon chips that will succeed the first-generation M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max chips, which are manufactured based on Apple chipmaking partner TSMC's 5nm process. MacRumors adds: The report claims that Apple and TSMC plan to manufacture second-generation Apple silicon chips using an enhanced version of TSMC's 5nm process, and the chips will apparently contain two dies, which can allow for more cores. These chips will likely be used in the next MacBook Pro models and other Mac desktops, the report says. Apple is planning a "much bigger leap" with its third-generation chips, some of which will be manufactured with TSMC's 3nm process and have up to four dies, which the report says could translate into the chips having up to 40 compute cores. For comparison, the M1 chip has an 8-core CPU and the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips have 10-core CPUs, while Apple's high-end Mac Pro tower can be configured with up to a 28-core Intel Xeon W processor.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Miguel Sapochnik is not known for light-hearted material. Over the past few years, the filmmaker has become most known for his episodes of "Game of Thrones," including "Battle of the Bastards" and "Hardhome." Now, the director behind those memorably grueling hours of TV has made, as he puts it, a family film. "Finch" is a road movie for adults, yes, but the original story of a man, his dog, and his robot has emotions and themes that'll play to a variety of ages. 

Sapochnik, who previously directed "Repo Men," wants his second film to bring families together. "My biggest hope is that you, different generations can watch the movie together, father and son, or a mother and daughter," he told us. "It would be great if that could happen, because that's the conversation that I am most interested in being part of. I feel like we could learn a lot from our older generation as the older generation could learn from the younger one. If only we talked. Somehow there's this weird thing going on where we don't give enough credit to each other. I'm hoping we can find a way to come together in that respect."

Hope, too, is central to "Finch," a movie about coming-of-age and death. Recently, Sapochnik explained during an interview why he wanted to tell a story with more light than darkness. 

Note: this interview contains minor spoilers for the film.

"We Tried To Tell The Story In The Production Design, And It Started With Jeff."

This is not a bleak, drained of color and life vision of a post-apocalypse. How'd you decide on the aesthetic?

I must admit, I spent a long time working on the script without ever really thinking about what it was going to look like. I didn't do that purposely. I was waiting for the right image to enter into my head to make me feel like I got it, that's this movie, that's this story. I had this idea that I talked through very clearly with Jo Williams, or DP, and with Scott Stokdyk, who was our visual effects supervisor, but it had evolved with Tom Meyer, who was our production designer. We worked for about a year and a bit on the design of Jeff.

I actually think about it aloud now that the design of Jeff influenced the look of the movie and in a way, so much of the design of the movie exists in its own little microcosm in the design of Jeff. For example, the hydrogen tank head that he has, which we had been looking for, how do we make a robot out of found objects? And one day, Tom sends me a photograph in an email, and it's a bunch of hydrogen tanks. They all have these cylinders on the top. Just underneath Tom said, "Jeff?"

I was like, I don't know what he's talking about. He wants Jeff to be a hydrogen tank? I'm not quite sure. And then suddenly, his idea became apparent, so we followed through with it. The hydrogen tanks, they painted them and repainted them and they're messy, not a clean finish. Usually, they paint them in really bright colors, and then they leave them in the sun for ages. And basically, they just get super faded. And that ended up being a really good example of what the world was, and that's where I guess "American Pie" comes from as well. It was this idea of Americana. Like, they go on this road trip and this movie, it's Tom Hanks with a dog and a robot.

And they go on this road trip to see the world and they go to a burger joint, and they go to a mall, and they go through a city and they fight the elements and they come up against a hurricane and they're in this old school RV. There are all of these aspects that we wanted to show that there was history here and everything used to be brightly colored. And then, this event happened and the color got washed away.

We tried to tell the story in the production design, and it started with Jeff. It evolved into the production design, but we were very keen to not end up with the same kind of color palette that you have seen in every post-apocalyptic movie. At the same time, you don't want to actively avoid it and you end up going in a direction that can be weird as well.

I remember the first conversation I ever had with Steven Spielberg, which was relatively nerve wracking. And then, he ended up being really easy to talk to. One of the things he said to me is, "What are you thinking about the color palette?" This was way back, and I really hadn't thought a lot about the color palette, so I said, "I don't know." I was honest, we all laughed, but I said," I really haven't got round to that yet." And he says, "You're not going to tint it all like you do in 'Game of Thrones', right?" And I said, "No, no, no." He goes, "Okay, good, good."

I think that the color palette should exist in the art direction. I took that very much to heart. And so even in the grading of the movie, we really try to stave off grading the movie in contrast to its actual color palette. I think that's why there's more color in the movie, because usually what happens is you have a more colorful image and then you desaturate everything and we try to avoid desaturating.

"...not A Science-Fiction Film."

Since the aesthetic came later, what was your first impression of the script, in terms of how to best tell this story?

When I first read the script, I thought a lot about my daughter. Sorry, I should say I first read the script before my daughter was born, but when it first became a real project, as in I first realized, okay, this actually might get made. You've got all the projects you have in your mind, and then, you've got the ones that actually might get made, which are few and far between.

Once Tom got involved with the project, it had legs. I remember sitting down saying, "I need to read the scripts again." I knew I was going to go and have a meeting with him, so I read the script again. I found myself thinking a lot about my dad and a lot about my daughter, and that informed most of my thinking for at least the first 6, 7, 8 months of developing, not of prep.

Just from the process of thinking it through, I thought just a lot about the characters. I wanted Jeff to have the innocence that my daughter had, the curiosity that she has. I stole things that she says, and I put them in the script. Jeff says things that my daughter says, and I wanted Finch to have this aspect of my father, which is somebody who's very, very knowledgeable. Sometimes you are in awe of how much he knows. And other times, you realize that it could so easily become his undoing. Too much knowledge is not necessarily a good thing. I focused on that.

Gradually in its own time, the way that the film was going to look and style of it evolved. Primarily, the first thing that came out was that we were making a family drama and a road trip, but not a science-fiction film. The way that we were going to shoot the film had to reflect that. I think we took it a step further by deciding that we wouldn't try and recreate a family drama style, rather we would literally shoot it as a family drama, ignore all the visual effects aspects. Everything would be as if Jeff was really there. I think it gave everybody a perspective and a point of view and a beat to march to.

"...whatever You Do, Don't Kill The Dog."

Tom Hanks has to be one the most emotionally intuitive actors around. In that regard, how is he as a collaborator?

I think he's incredibly pragmatic about the way that he approaches stuff. It's an interesting process to watch. You don't quite know what he's going to do until he goes and does it, and then he's very open to taking direction and molding what he's doing and listening to what I had to say as a director. He'll adjust his performance when it doesn't feel right, looking for what does feel right, instead of reaching that point of, sometimes you'll find actors who reach a point of saturation where they feel like they don't understand what you want. They don't feel that you're articulating it correctly and they don't know what to do. They kind of want to move on. Tom didn't do that; he was very patient.

He wanted to find the answer. And so, when we hit the right tone for a scene, rather than try and then chase it too much, we would go, okay, we've got it. Now we move on. Because in a sense, one of the things that Tom is really good at is like, if he finds it, he nails it and you don't need to do multiple different takes.

You know from the beginning Finch is dying. There is something about watching Tom Hanks dying that's especially painful. Tom Hanks being Tom Hanks, did you know that would affect the audience?

Definitely. I was wary, and I love a good challenge. What happens if I take out one major movie star? Obviously, from a story perspective. We did a lot of tests at the beginning where we actually broke him down physically. He lost a lot of weight. We definitely reached a point where we were looking at some of the screen tests we had done, and we were like, we've gone too far.

There were moments where we pushed it so far where it's hard to look at, and even more so the fact that it's Tom Hanks. We need to pullback, because in a way, it was no longer servicing the story. It's not just a movie about dying. It's a movie about growing up, too, and so striking the balance, where it can both be dark, can have this bleak context, but also have hope and optimism in it, that was important. I didn't want us to hamstring ourselves by having a lead character who was so emaciated that it was hard to watch and hard to look at, but we tried it.

The other day, I was looking through some early stills that we had of the screen tests. I got to some of the ones where he's in a really bad way. I'm glad that we didn't go there, because it may have been scientifically accurate, but emotionally, it would've overpowered everything. You can't find hope at that point because as an audience member, you'd probably sit there and go, "You can't do that."

It is unconventional to not only kill your star, but also establish it in the beginning. Did you ever get a note, like, "What if Finch found a cure?"

I don't think we ever got the note that Finch had to survive. We definitely got in no uncertain terms, very, very strong notes that the dog couldn't possibly perish. And that was interesting because, again, the irony being, Tom Hanks is okay, but you kill the dog and you're in trouble. I thought that was always quite funny how strongly people feel about that. I had been warned on many occasions, whatever you do, don't kill the dog.

Was Jeff on the table? Was he an option to kill?

Everyone's on the table, man. I mean, let's face it, you've got to be prepared to kill your darlings. I think we made the right decisions in the end and made the appropriate decisions for the movie we're making for its audience. It's one of the most interesting things, I've made a lot of dark stuff. I've made a lot of really heavy stuff. "Finch" was a real challenge to maintain hope, for me to not go off to the dark side, not because I wanted to, but because hopes are much more amorphous and complicated and delicate and fragile things.

I realized through doing this movie, it's much easier to go to the dark side than it is to use a light. I mean, it really is. It's like, the dark side of the force is all about temptation, fear and jealousy, whereas the light side of the force is a different matter entirely.

"But This Is A Movie Made For Families."

How was the effect of Jeff accomplished?

He wore a displacement suit. He had these little kinds of bubbles on all the different joints so that we could track what he was doing. We tried to have the most unobtrusive version of motion capture when we were making the film. Specifically, because it's a complex and big technique. The reality is, it gets in the way of thinking about how you're going to construct a scene.

We somewhat, and this is 95% true, pretended it wasn't there. We certainly made a deal with myself and Scott, the visual effects supervisor, that we would not bring in a piece of green screen for the duration of the movie. Any issues that we were going to fix, we would fix later on. I think it was a good choice because it allowed us to think in very organic ways in terms of how we cover the film.

How do you feel about people watching the movie at home or, in some cases, maybe even on their iPhone or iPad?

I made this movie for a big screen and a collective audience. The movie is going to get a limited release, I think, in Alamo Drafthouses in America. Ultimately, there's a bigger issue going on, which is, how do you make cinema a financially stable, lucrative business when nobody's going? And then, it seems that people are going to very base things if it has action or if it's horror, you're still getting people in there.

But this is a movie made for families. It's not necessarily a family movie. It has adult themes. There's a dark aspect to it. It needs a slightly older audience, and that older audience currently is not going to the cinema. From that perspective, the platform of streaming and Apple, it will reach an audience far larger than it would have otherwise. One hopes that they won't watch it on their iPhone.

What made you want to tell a lighter story? Was it just where the world and your life was at?

All of the above. I think that having a kid fundamentally shifted my perspective on things, and I'd heard that happens and I didn't quite believe it, but suddenly, I'm responsible for somebody in a way that I've never been responsible before. I take that responsibility very seriously, so I need to learn about hope.

I remember not long after my daughter was born, I'd watch anything on the television. I mean, I'm talking like soap operas and stuff. If there was anything even vaguely emotional, I would start crying and I couldn't explain it. I realized that it was a good opportunity to listen to what was going on. Personally, I think this was a good time to try and make something hopeful.

I think on a global scale, in terms of where we are in the world and the audience that we're making it for, we've been living in a post-apocalyptic world it feels in some ways. We shouldn't ignore what's going on around us, but it is good to inject some hope and optimism into the world. I think I've injected my fair share of dark in there. So, it's about time I gave it back.

"Finch" is now available to stream on Apple+ and in select theaters.

Read this next: The 25 Best Movie Robots Of All Time

The post Finch Director Miguel Sapochnik Didn't Want to Make a Science Fiction Movie [Interview] appeared first on /Film.

It's not everyday you get to call Gary Sherman as a creative lifeline on your project, but Edgar Wright is one of the few and the proud to get the assist from the "Vice Squad" filmmaker. Wright is enjoying the returns from his latest effort, "Last Night in Soho," which premiered on October 29. It's got a killer soundtrack and a goddess-tier performance from Diana Rigg, but notably within "Soho's" bag of tricks is a dazzling mirror shot of both its leads, Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie, on opposite sides of the reflective glass. It's an impeccably-timed maneuver involving sly blocking, a double set, and identical twins to make it appear as if the two women are intimately connected over time and space.

The cinephile director cites several sources of inspiration for the mirror shots in his film, including that impossible deleted sequence in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." But the single greatest influence, as Wright tells it to Fangoria's Michael Gingold, is the third sequel of a popular '80s horror franchise. In an exclusive interview with the genre-focused magazine, the "Baby Driver" director went long on why he wanted the mirror shots so badly in the first place -- for the vibe.

I think people assume that all effects in films are achieved digitally now, but I wanted at least some of the mirror scenes to involve Thomasin and Anya actually standing opposite each other doing choreography—really sharp choreography by Jennifer White. We also designed these bits to be in long, unbroken takes, because it was important for the scenes to be immersive, in the sense that you're seeing the film through Thomasin as Eloise's eyes. I wanted the shots to reflect that as well, so we didn't break the spell; when maybe an audience would start to think, 'How the hell are they doing this?' it would be the same as Eloise saying, 'What the hell is happening?'

Conceiving of the effects are easy enough; the challenge for Wright was to pull it off convincingly, in-camera. For that, he leaned on an influence who happened to be in his contacts list. Gary Sherman's "Poltergeist III" makes use of several impressive mirror shots, like disjointed interactions between Heather O Rourke and her "reflection." In fact, most of the mortals are harassed by the spirit world through mirrors in the movie (in a skyscraper seemingly made of them), and it's all so well-executed that Wright couldn't figure the illusion out after repeat viewings. So, he fired up an email.

'It Was About As Geeky An Extended Lunch Meeting As You Could Possibly Have!'

In the chat with Fangoria, Wright breaks down the sequence of events that led to one of the most memorable cinematic character entrances of the year:

His film "Poltergeist III" is chock full of amazing mirror shots, and there were one or two where we were sitting around trying to analyze how they were done, and that we couldn't quite figure out. And I thought, 'Well, I know Gary Sherman,' so I e-mailed him and said, 'Hey, this film I'm doing has a lot of mirror shots in it. I was wondering if we could pick your brain,' and he said, 'Sure!' So one afternoon, Gary, who I just saw the other night at the L.A. premiere, did a little tutorial with our crew. It was the best extended lunch break on a Friday; it was like, 'Hey, guys, if you want to gather in the meeting room, Gary Sherman is going to talk us through the shots in "Poltergeist III!" [Laughs] It was about as geeky an extended lunch meeting as you could possibly have!

Mirrors are a recurring motif in "Soho," a choice screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns intended to reflect -- or refract -- the fragmented psyche of its star Ellie (McKenzie). The horror mystery follows fashion student Ellie as she slips into a portal of sorts -- she has visions of the swinging 1960s London, and as the visions continue she becomes obsessed with an ambitious starlet, played by Anya Taylor-Joy.

The title itself is yet another reference, to a wonderful 1968 Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich song that Wright had a conversation over with director Quentin Tarantino (whose own ode to the 1960s, "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood," is currently available on VOD and streaming). Wright's penchant for tapping into beloved iconography pays off as well as his email to Sherman did: the introductory mirror shot, along with several other photographic sleights-of-hand, underlines Wright's status as a high-style, high-octane storyteller and more than achieves the "How the hell are they doing this?" reaction that he's looking for.

Read this next: 17 Horror Movies Based On True Stories That Will Creep You Out

The post How Poltergeist III Inspired Edgar Wright's Mirror Shots in Last Night in Soho appeared first on /Film.

A man returned to England from a business trip in Wales to find his house key didn't work. Things got weirder when a stranger opened the door. And weirder yet when another stranger — the father of the so-called "new owner" of the house — arrived and told the man, "You are trespassing. — Read the rest

We all know you don’t buy a Mac for gaming. Sure, it’s possible, but you don’t buy Apple exclusively to play games unless you only play Apple Arcade. But with Apple’s new MacBook Pros, complete with the beefy M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets, could the Mac finally be a viable option for gaming?

Read more...

Today, Microsoft announced that beginning on January 1, it’s no longer going to provide updates for the personal OneDrive app for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. As of March 1, 2022, the app will stop syncing your files to the cloud, making it effectively useless.

It’s an interesting change, because Windows 8.1 is supported until January 10, 2023. A key feature of Windows 8.1 when it launched was OneDrive integration, so it seems bits of the OS might just stop working as it nears the end of support. Still, presumably, Microsoft knows how many people are using OneDrive in Windows 8.1, and it’s few enough that this change shouldn’t affect a lot of people.

Windows 7 and Windows 8 are a different story. Windows 8 support actually ended back in 2016, only a couple of years after Windows 8.1 launched. Windows 7 support ended in 2020, but businesses can pay for extended security updates through September 10, 2023. Still, this change should only affect personal accounts, which shouldn’t be supported on Windows 7 anyway.

If you’re unfamiliar with the OneDrive desktop app, it’s the sync client. You might not even realize it’s an app because it just works in the background. If you hit “Save as” and choose to save in OneDrive, you just used the OneDrive desktop app. Or if you open File Explorer and go to your OneDrive, it’s the same story. And when you save something to OneDrive, the app uploads it to the cloud.

If you’re affected by this change, there are a few solutions. You can use the OneDrive web app, which lets you manually upload and download files. Also, at this point, you might want to think about just installing Windows 10. If you’re running an older OS, you’re probably not supported for Windows 11, but Windows 10 is still good to go until October 2025. And while Microsoft doesn’t broadcast it anymore, it’s still a free upgrade.

The other solution, of course, is just to use a different cloud storage provider. But still, this is just a workaround to cling to old software that’s ready to be deprecated.

The post Microsoft is shutting down OneDrive for Windows 7 and 8.1 next year appeared first on xda-developers.

Good day to you, /Film readers. Ryan Scott here, the guy who you may have noticed writes a lot about box office happenings and movie business goings-on, in addition to handling our Superhero Bits column and, when the opportunity strikes, "Star Wars" or "James Bond." Today, I bring you a list of my favorite movies of all time, and the list says just about everything you need to know about the kind of movie lover I am.

I find that a lot of people who write about movies (or any form of entertainment for a living) can get cynical and jaded. I just haven't found that to be the case in my adventures in this field. I do this because I absolutely love it. I love movies, and I love that I get opportunities such as this one, on a professional level, to talk about them with fine people such as yourselves. Beyond that, I am a blockbuster junkie, and a self-described popcorn-eating rube. I like to like stuff and would watch a Michael Bay movie over a Terrence Malick movie any day of the week. I value movies as entertainment and make no apologies about it.

15. From Dusk Till Dawn

"From Dusk Till Dawn" is an absolute magic trick of a movie if you're lucky enough to see it completely blind as I was. My mom told me to watch it one fateful weekend morning in my youth, refused to tell me anything about it, and for this I thank her. It starts as one expertly crafted thing and becomes another expertly crafted thing, in a completely different genre, out of absolutely nowhere. I thank Robert Rodriguez silently in my head not infrequently simply because this movie exists.

14. The Dark Knight

I am not a Batman fan. I have never been a Batman fan. I fall into the camp that doesn't truly consider him a superhero and he doesn't interest me. That said, I love the world the character inhabits, and nobody has ever captured that world better than Christopher Nolan did with "The Dark Knight." More articulate men than I have spilled much ink in praise of this expertly-crafted crime drama that just so happens to occasionally have Batman in it, but I cherish it so. I believe Heath Ledger's Joker is one of the greatest performances ever put to film and I think this is the greatest comic book movie ever made, despite personal feelings placing a different movie higher on this list, for various reasons.

13. The Shawshank Redemption

I love absolutely everything about "The Shawshank Redemption." I love to revisit movies and there are few (if any) movies that are as endlessly rewatchable as this one. I also, being a bit of a box office buff, love that one of the most roundly cherished movies of all time was a downright flop in its day, but has since found its audience in a big way. This is just an expertly-crafted, wholly satisfying journey on every level, and easily the greatest adaptation of Stephen King's work for the screen. Even if "IT" and "The Shining" are more horror-heavy examples that we would more closely associate with King, this buddy picture disguised as a prison drama takes the cake.

12. Hot Fuzz

I don't know if I can say confidently that "Hot Fuzz" is the funniest movie ever made for my sensibilities (See possibly: "The Other Guys"). That said, Edgar Wright's masterful action/comedy is my favorite film in the genre, and for oh so many reasons. It is genuinely a great cop flick that just happens to be hilarious. The humor is so poignant, singular, and constant that it's impossible not to admire the skill that goes into making something this perfect. I'll go so far as to say Simon Pegg as Nicholas Angel and Nick Frost as Danny Butterman both rank as some of my favorite performances ever put to screen. I view this as the best of Wright's Cornetto Trilogy, and the best movie he's made to date. And Wright has a near-perfect track record up to this point, so that's truly saying something. Also, not for nothing but the commentary track with Wright and Quentin Tarantino may be the best commentary track for any movie, save for the in-character commentary track Robert Downey Jr. did for "Tropic Thunder."

11. Good Will Hunting

There are certain movies that just connect with you on a level, and explaining that connection to others is difficult to explain. Such is the case with "Good Will Hunting" for me. Fortunately, this isn't like trying to explain why "Jurassic Park III" is the worst movie I've seen the most times, as "Good Will Hunting" is widely considered (rightfully so) to be an absolutely excellent flick. Yes, the story of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck riding this movie to stardom is a nice Hollywood tale, but it doesn't hurt that they wrote and starred in such an impactful and heartfelt drama. Not to mention that this may well be Robin Williams' finest hour in a career littered with fine hours. Quotable, rewatchable, affecting, timeless, and relatable on a human level, this might be as close as mainstream cinema will ever get to perfection.

10. Aliens

While many could pretty safely make the argument that "Alien" is the better film, I am firmly in the "Aliens" camp, though I would further argue that both movies are downright perfect. In any case, the action-packed sequel to Ridley Scott's sci-fi/horror classic contains just about everything I love when it comes to cinema. A rag-tag group of characters, lots of action, kickass creatures, great one-liners, and Bill f***ing Paxton. Not to mention cementing Sigourney Weaver's Ripley as one of cinema's most iconic badasses. If there is one thing James Cameron knows how to do, it's make a sequel that outdoes its predecessor, much like he also did with "Terminator 2." It is within "Aliens" that I find a shred of hope that "Avatar 2" might actually be worth watching. I believe in Cameron's sequel skills that much.

9. X2: X-Men United

While "The Dark Knight" certainly helped push the superheroes as serious cinema narrative to new heights, 2003's "X2" deserves a great deal of credit as well. I can't rightfully say it's better than Nolan's take on Batman but what I can say is that it deserves its place in the conversation of all-time great superhero movies, and it holds a special place in my heart. I grew up at a time when it wasn't cool to like this stuff. I distinctly remember being in a movie theater opening weekend with my good pal who didn't dig this stuff the way I did. Watching Hugh Jackman's Wolverine tear through those dudes in truly violent fashion in Xavier's mansion was a religious experience. I distinctly remember thinking at 15 years old, "Everyone is going to understand now." This movie helped make costumed heroes cool in the modern age, and I love it for that. It is important to me on a deeply personal level, and I feel it holds up remarkably well nearly 20 years later.

8. The Thing

John Carpenter, though beloved, may go down in history as the most underrated master filmmaker of all time. While "Halloween" is a close second, "The Thing," perhaps the greatest sci-fi/horror movie ever made — right up there with "Alien" — is his crowning achievement. If ever there was an argument that not all remakes are bad, this is it. If ever there is an argument that movies that don't fare well in their day can find their audience over time, this is it. A lean, mean, tense, violent machine, this film boasts some of the best practical creature effects ever put to film, one of the most brutally stressful scenes ever produced (see the blood test), and has one of the most memorable endings in movie history. Timeless and transcending the genre space, "The Thing" is cinema at its finest. Also, Kurt f***ing Russell. That is all. 

7. Star Wars: A New Hope

I often joke that "Star Wars" is as close as I get to religion — and it's hardly a joke. I was thankfully indoctrinated by my rad mom at a young age and don't have memories that date back further than my love of a galaxy far, far away. George Lucas' 1977 space epic "Star Wars: A New Hope" is the beginning of the religion I subscribe to, and remains (for good reason) one of the most iconic and beloved blockbusters in history. What can I possibly say about this movie that hasn't already been said by far more articulate men than I? What I will say is that this might well be the most rewatchable movie in history, and I'll leave it at that.

6. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Sticking on the "Star Wars" train, we have what is probably the greatest sequel ever made, "The Empire Strikes Back." Sure, "Godfather II" lovers might have a thing or two to say about that, and they've sure got a sturdy leg to stand on, but for my money, this absolute masterpiece of a sci-fi epic takes the cake. Directed by Irvin Kershner, this movie ups the ante in just about every way imaginable without sacrificing a thing. Arguably the most quoted (and misquoted) line in cinematic history with "No, I am your father," one of the most exciting battles ever conceived with the Hoth sequence, and the ever-iconic exchange between Han and Leia, "I Love you/I know" — just to name a few things that make Episode V the objective greatest (though not my personal favorite) "Star Wars" movie to ever do it.

5. Pulp Fiction

There is nothing quite like Quentin Tarantino's 1994 masterpiece "Pulp Fiction." Or, at the very least, there was certainly no equal to it before 1994. In any event, when I was first discovering my deep love for movies in my teens, and when my family first got a DVD player, I was treated to my first viewing of this non-linear, totally engrossing classic, and it was a defining moment for me. I didn't really understand that movies could be like this before seeing "Pulp Fiction" and it was eye-opening in a way that maybe no other movie I've ever seen has managed to be. If there is a movie singularly responsible for putting me on the path that I ultimately found myself on. For that, I thank you, Mr. Tarantino. Also, not for nothing, but Marvin getting shot in the face may still be the most surprising moment ever captured on film.

4. Skyfall

"James Bond" is one of those things, for those who love it, that transcends movies and becomes a thing. While I grew up playing "Goldeneye" on the N64 and appreciated my share of the films, it was 2012's "Skyfall" that changed everything for me. I remember seeing the teaser trailer and thinking to myself, "Oh, okay. Yes." And it couldn't have possibly prepared me for the transformative experience this movie ended up being. While it is easy to argue that "Goldfinger" is the quintessential "Bond" movie, and that "Casino Royale" is perhaps the better of Daniel Craig's entries, this globe-trotting, cinematic feast of a movie cannot possibly be supplanted for me. This is why I go to the movies. This is why I worship at the altar of blockbuster cinema.

3. Die Hard

Everyone has their respective experience seeing "Die Hard" for the first time. For me, I was unburdened with expectations as my previously referenced rad mom plopped me down in the living room one fateful evening when this bonafide action classic, perhaps the greatest action movie of all time, was gearing up to play on cable. Rarely have I ever been so transfixed. Time has been impossibly kind to this pitch-perfect, deceptively simple yet expertly executed entry in the '80s action canon. It's the best Bruce Willis has ever been, and Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber is probably second only to Darth Vader as the greatest movie villain of all time. This movie's reputation endures for a reason. 

2. Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi

There are "Star Wars" fans out there who will blasphemously try to say that "Return of the Jedi" is somehow a lesser entry in the franchise. I simply won't hear. I love this movie deep in my bones and it goes far beyond movies for me. "Star Wars" is encoded to my DNA, and this has always been and always will be my favorite of the bunch. The climactic battle between good and evil. The greatest space battle in the history of space battles. One of the best first acts in a movie ever, as the Jabba the Hutt stuff absolutely owns. Plus, Admiral Ackbar is far more than a meme, and a greater character than he may ever get credit for being. I say this as the man who literally wrote Ackbar's obituary. Lastly, I'll say Ewoks are good, actually, and the subtext implies they are murderous, vicious forest moon bears. I'm here for it always will be. May the Force be with you, dear reader. Always.

1. Jurassic Park

For as much as "Star Wars" is perhaps the thing that is closest to my heart, nothing can supplant "Jurassic Park" in terms of being my favorite movie of all time. I talked earlier about the intersection of art and entertainment making for the best movies, and nobody has ever done that better than Steven Spielberg. And I would argue this is at the very least tied with several other crowning achievements as his finest hour. It is remarkably entertaining to this day and, maybe most impressive, the effects still mostly hold up nearly 30 years later despite being the movie that truly pioneered CGI. It's a masterclass in less is more, and a master of the craft leveling the playing field, bringing the entire audience that childlike sense of wonder. Are they scientifically accurate? No, but that's not the point. "Jurassic Park" made dinosaurs real, marrying the past to the present in a way only movies can. This is everything I will ever love about movies assembled in perfect order. I am so thankful this movie exists. My strongest position on the matter? The T-rex breakout sequence is among mankind's greatest achievements, right up there with the likes of going to the moon and inventing fire. It's that good.

Read this next: The Best Movies Of 2021 So Far

The post Ryan Scott's Favorite Movies of All Time appeared first on /Film.

Facebook researchers have found that 1 in 8 of its users report engaging in compulsive use of social media that impacts their sleep, work, parenting or relationships, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. From the report: These patterns of what the company calls problematic use mirror what is popularly known as internet addiction. They were perceived by users to be worse on Facebook than any other major social-media platform, which all seek to keep users coming back, the documents show. A Facebook team focused on user well-being suggested a range of fixes, and the company implemented some, building in optional features to encourage breaks from social media and to dial back the notifications that can serve as a lure to bring people back to the platform. Facebook shut down the team in late 2019. A company spokeswoman said Facebook in recent months has begun formulating a new effort to address what it calls problematic use alongside other well-being concerns, such as body image and mental health. The company has been public about its desire to address these problems, said Dani Lever, the spokeswoman, in a statement. Some people have struggles with other technologies, including television and smartphones, she said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Software supply chain security jitters escalated again Friday with new “critical severity” warnings about malware embedded in two npm package managers widely used by some of the biggest names in tech.

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Commentary: Bo Burnham's Inside is the only piece of pandemic art I need.

I realize the world’s oceans provide half of the oxygen we need to survive as a species, but the these eleven undersea creatures and facts are so terrifying, I sort of want to get rid of the oceans anyway.

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In the penultimate episode of "Y: The Last Man," nearly every character in the series is approaching a boiling point. Director Cheryl Dunye jumped aboard the story in the midst of this crucial peak, helping to usher the post-apocalyptic saga into its explosive finale. For Dunye, this wasn't the jarring experience it could've been, because of how carefully the team worked to integrate her into the process, along with her fellow directors. "They were welcoming, just welcomed me with open arms," Dunye recalled in an interview with /Film.

Though the FX on Hulu series has primarily made headlines due to its abrupt cancellation and possibilities of its renewal, the first season of the series just came to a close, earlier this week. A week prior, Dunye's episode "Peppers" hit the streamer, reckoning with big moves and heavy betrayals. The series explores the aftermath of a cataclysmic event that wipes out every living creature with a Y chromosome — except for one.

You likely know Dunye from her seminal work of autofiction, "The Watermelon Woman," her 1996 feature film. In recent years, Dunye has entered the world of directing episodic television, including her work on "Lovecraft Country," "Queen Sugar" and the upcoming second season of "Bridgerton." Speaking to /Film, Dunye talked through her experience on "Y: The Last Man," her thoughts on how the show grapples with queer identities, and even discusses her upcoming adaptation of "The Gilda Stories."

This interview has been edited for clarity.

"I Love Everything Sci-Fi And Post Apocalyptic."

So what piqued your interest in Y: The Last Man? What about the story resonated with you and why did you sign on?

Oh yes. I think that, as a graphic novel, the source material really, really sparked interest in the world that I believe in. Worlds where gender dynamics are explored and I love everything sci-fi and post-apocalyptic. And also this notion of what a world looked like if women took over and picking that apart. With all the context right now around whiteness, blackness, Karens and Kens and whatnot, it's interesting to see who our allies are and what kind of politics they really hold ... especially if the Karens took over. So it's the effect of what that could possibly be and what our allegiances are, once we take out a certain gender.

And then, more importantly was the team. When I walked into my first meeting with Eliza [Clark] — pre-Covid — she had brought together a crew of writers and executives that were very diverse, very up my LGBTQ POC alley and really brought that into the show. That's how the show was made and how people were working together and collaborating. So I was like, let me be a part of this. Even down to the directors that were picked and her organizing directors, by giving us source material, and giving us even a big research pack and films to watch and books to read. Those were things that I really believed in and resonated with.

What were some of those books and movies?

"Born in Flames" by Lizzie Borden. I think maybe one of my films was on the list... Texts about transgender people, texts about escape artists. Just a variety of text and materials. And I was like, wow! This is really, really exciting.

I know that when you directed an episode of "Lovecraft Country," you talked about that being an opportunity to explore code switching and shape shifting. So for this episode, what were the core concepts guiding you through the story?

For my part of the world, I came in more towards the end of the process and my entrance was sort of bringing everything together ... or actually pulling everything apart. So I was really dealing with a different world, a world that was disintegrating. One of the more exciting things in my episode was using what was happening in the US, and what happened at the Pentagon. So I brought and introduced a new group of anarchists. Women who blew up at the Pentagon and said, "look, we have to really tear down their system, regardless of [the system] being women."

That resonated with me even more, because it's something I really think about too. Is it that it's men or women, or is it the system in general? So it really struck upon my beliefs about capitalism and post-capitalism. And concepts of the world as we know, in the sense of the consumer world. So I was really excited about that.

"I Felt Like I Was With Family Again."

Your episode boils over like three different storylines. What was it like to jump in on those characters just when things are, like you said, falling apart?

What was exciting was that the team gave us access to all the episodes and we read the graphic novels, so we were able to collaborate. It was the first time, maybe since "Queen Sugar," where directors connected. Like we even had a sort of director's room, where we met a couple of times and we were able to speak with each other and kind of meet with each other.

So that was really exciting and important for me to understand where other people were coming from and what to take from that. And then the family of "Y." I mean, the cast in general was already a family alone. They were welcoming, just welcomed me with open arms and just sort of made everything like, "ain't no thang." It was really great. I felt like I was with family again.

There's a lot of interesting discussion happening around how this world is dealing with queerness and constructions of gender. It sounds like that was a big part of the process for the whole team, so how did you want identity to be in conversation with the show's premise?

I think the show did a great job of incorporating and introducing us to some of the deeper notions of what it means to be trans. How trans people feel, how they walk, how they think, and the context of them fitting in gender politics. So I think that was really interesting, and then also, I think a lot of people really got to dig into that being a normal thing. Right? I think that was something that the world of "Y" really just allowed. There are trans-men in the world and gender politics is much more complicated than just what you were born with and who you are.

So I think that really broke it down a lot and opened conversation for people to discuss what that might be. So that was really big on the show, as well as race. [Having] a Black woman, Agent 355, as a number and having her more or less saving the world, in a way. That was the core of this show to me.

I'd love to hear your take on how community functions in the world of "Y: The Last Man," especially since so much of your prior work has this emphasis on community and identity as a uniting factor.

Community functions as communities. I think it goes back to my concept of Audre Lorde. One of the things I like about Audre Lorde and why I'm an Audre Lordian is that there are intersecting pieces of my identity that have intersecting communities. And I can navigate myself to live and allow myself to be a part of multi-communities at the same time. I don't have to let one rise above another. I could all live in unison inside of me and I could speak to them. I don't feel completely marginalized from anything, at least for me.

"There's More That The Universe Had Me Prepare For."

I know you also have the "The Gilda Stories" in the works, and you've talked about wanting to adapt that for years. I'm curious, when did you first read the novel?

I was in novel, I guess when it was really back in the '90s. I knew of Jewelle and I'd seen her around speaking, and I knew that whole group of Black lesbians in New York and that was something that drew me to New York. The relationship with Audre and the Black Queer Woman Arts Movement that was happening at that time — and they were sort of gods to me. So anything that they did, the poetry of Cheryl Clark, the writing of Jewelle Gomez, just all of the literature that was created and dance troops, et cetera.

New York at that time was somewhere that I was just destined to head to. So I did land in New York in the early '90s and tried to find that world and tried to find these texts. I struck upon Audre Lorde before she had passed. I'd seen her a couple times. And then, of course I consumed "The Gilda Stories" and immediately was like, Wow! How can I get a hold of this? Even though I [knew] I'm not ready, but you know, I have to do something with this one.

I mean, this Black woman vampire who is queer and searching for community, a world that I'm searching for. And using history in so many interesting ways, as these social justice movements that Gilda is navigating her way through, in searching for family. And the concept of stories being plural and told by so many people in so many different ways, like a song tells a story, or speech tells a story, and Gilda was doing all these things.

And then, just ... a Black woman, vampire! And queer! So that just was like, all right, let me put a big pin on it. And, and this is around the time I was also reading a lot of ... I had consumed all of Octavia Butler stuff as well. When she was alive, I wanted to option her stuff as well as Jewelle's stuff. But again I felt, there's more that the universe had me prepare for, to be able to option these texts or be in line for these texts. So, the universe allowed it and I think that it's time for me to sort of take it on and do that work. So I'm ready. You know what I'm saying?

Yeah! Do you think that your relationship to the story has changed at all, now that you're actually putting in the work and adapting it and getting ready to put it on screen?

No, not at all! I mean, I'm hyper and excited about it. I'm very much in touch with Jewelle. And I think, what one thing that I realized as I moved through directing episodic and stories that are based on exciting IP is, how much of my storytelling I can add to it and how true you have to be to IP to bring it to life.

I think as I've [grown] as a storyteller, an episodic director and producer, I feel that there's something kind of innate in my doing this. I'm almost sort of being chosen for these things. I mean, the gods and the goddesses, the ancestors and things above really put me in line to translate these things. So that's where I'm at.

"Y: The Last Man" is streaming on FX on Hulu.

Read this next: The 20 Best Dystopian Movies Of All Time

The post Y: The Last Man Director Cheryl Dunye Loves 'Everything Sci-Fi and Apocalyptic' [Interview] appeared first on /Film.

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The speculation that Intel's new Adler Lake CPUs may have problems with game DRM has turned out to have merit. In a Game Dev Guide for Alder Lake Performance Hybrid Architecture, Intel warns: "If...

The battle between Mastodon and Trump’s Truth Social is a reminder that while the internet has changed, the ideals of free software haven't. That's a problem.

Back in October, we reported that Intel’s new Alder Lake CPUs could face compatibility issues with some PC games thanks to everyone’s favourite acronym… DRM. Now that the company’s 12th generation Core processors are available to buy, it appears that these problems have come to roost, with the chips incapable of playing over 50 major titles.

The Intel support article (via Andreas Schilling) contains a breakdown of all the affected titles, with the incompatibilities affecting Windows 10 decidedly more than Windows 11. The list of games contains a number of prolific and recent releases, such as Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Madden 22, and Total War: Three Kingdoms.

Several of the affected games will “be patched sometime in mid-November with the upcoming Windows 11 update” according to Intel, with the company working with developers to implement fixes for the majority of the list. Fortunately, there's a ‘Scroll Lock’ workaround that can be used for now, which we detail below.

RELATED LINKS: Intel Core i9 9900K review, Intel Core i7 9700K review, Best CPU for gaming

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When it comes to making a great cup at home, us coffee nerds are constantly learning and love to try new things. Whether the person you’re shopping for is a newly indoctrinated pour over lover or obsessive over every brewing parameter, we’ve compiled a list of the best gear for coffee geeks that you can get. Spanning brewing, grinding and, of course, drinking, we’ve got a range of options that can help the java geek in your life expand their at-home setup or just try something new. And for the person that already has it all, we’ve got something for them too.

Best gifts for coffee lovers

Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/the-best-gifts-for-coffee-lovers-in-2026-184515579.html?src=rss

A hike can be as easy as a walk in the park (literally), but when you start covering more interesting terrain, you’ll quickly meet challenges. Maybe you’re out of breath when you head up hills, or maybe you never manage to pack the right things or wear the right clothes. Here are 10 tips for becoming a more confident…

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The post Where Is Marta S01 720p NF WEB-DL x264-NPMS appeared first on SceneSource.

"Army of Thieves," Matthias Schweighöfer's European heist movie prequel to Zack Snyder's "Army of the Dead," is now streaming on Netflix, and it's not a tremendous spoiler to say that, other than a glimpse of news footage and one dream sequence, there are no real zombies in it. Just a safecracker named Dieter and his cohorts.

That's all well and good, but if you'd rather have some zombies to go with your heisting, you may be wondering what the future holds in store for the burgeoning shared universe that is "Army of the Dead." What about that "Army of the Dead" sequel? Well, it has a name now: "Planet of the Dead."

There's also an anime series, "Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas," on the way. We first heard about that back when "Army of Thieves" was announced, but Snyder discussed some more specifics of it this week in a new interview with Variety. Speaking of "Planet of the Dead," "Lost Vegas," and the "Army of the Dead" franchise in general, Snyder said:

"First of all, I know exactly what I'd want to see in the sequel. We're doing the animated series, which will come out next year. The animated series very much delves deeply into the 'why' of the zombie apocalypse and where the zombies come from exactly. I think the time loops, portals, doorways to other realms, things of that nature, are very much in play. So all of those clues that Dieter gives us are very much part of how we continue to spiral out the 'Army of the Dead' universe."

Get Funky With The Time Loops

When Snyder refers to "time loops, portals, doorways to other realms," that makes it sound like the skeleton scene outside the casino vault in "Army of the Dead" wasn't just a throwaway gag. It's a surreal moment when the camera fixates on the familiar clothes these skeletons are wearing, and Dieter's reluctant pal, Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick), starts suggesting that the skeletons are them and they're caught in a time loop. But Snyder seems to envision the "Army of the Dead" universe as a genre-busting place. He continued:

"I love the genre aspect. It's rare, and maybe unprecedented, that there's a cinematic universe where the cinematic part of it is front and center. The deconstruction of different genres is actually part of the way. It's very self-aware. I think that we as an audience and as filmmakers are ready and educated. We're standing by to have fun with the genres we love and deconstruct them, almost from a self-aware cinematic angle, which makes this universe of movies really interesting. It's movies for people who love movies, without letting anyone off the hook as far as the drama and suspense. And I promise there will be zombies."

I don't really know what he's talking about there when he says it's rare and unprecedented to have "a cinematic universe where the cinematic part of it is front and center." But that's Snyder for you. He operates on a different level—on his own wacky "Rebel Moon," so to speak.

"Army of the Dead" and "Army of Thieves" are streaming on Netflix now.

Read this next: The 20 Best Zombie Movies Of All Time

The post Zack Snyder Teases Future of the Army of the Dead Universe: 'I Promise There Will Be Zombies' appeared first on /Film.

One of Mark Zuckerberg's first steps toward building the metaverse may be physical instead of virtual. From a report: Meta, the social media company formerly known as Facebook, has discussed opening retail stores that will eventually span the world, said people with knowledge of the project and company documents viewed by The New York Times. The stores would be used to introduce people to devices made by the company's Reality Labs division, such as virtual reality headsets and, eventually, augmented reality glasses, they said. These devices are gateways to the metaverse, a futuristic digital world where people move from virtual to augmented versions of reality almost seamlessly. Mr. Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder and chief executive, last week renamed his company Meta and laid out a vision for pursuing the metaverse as the next social platform. The stores would help show people that virtual reality and augmented reality can be fun and exciting, exactly the way Mr. Zuckerberg sees it. The aim of the stores is to make the world "more open and connected," according to the company documents viewed by The Times. They are also intended to spark emotions like "curiosity, closeness," as well as a sense of feeling "welcomed" while experimenting with headsets in a "judgment free journey," according to the documents.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Marvel's "Eternals" follows in the tradition of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by having a couple scenes waiting to be revealed in the credits. In this case, there's a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene, and both serve to expand the cosmic side of the MCU. However, both of the scenes also reach into much more obscure corners of the Marvel Comics universe, so don't be ashamed if you were made of questions after the credits scenes rolled out. That's why we're here to have the "Eternals" credits explained, making sure you know exactly what they mean for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Eternals Mid-Credits Scene

The "Eternals" mid-credits scene acts as a direct follow-up to the ending of the film. By the film's final act, the Eternals have learned that they're actually humanoid creations used by the Celestials to harvest the population of planets by keeping Deviants (also created by Celestials) at bay to allow enough energy to be created in order for a Celestial to be born out of a planet's destruction. The Eternals decide to let all the other Eternals in the universe know about this revelation in the hopes of stopping more planets from being destroyed, turning against their creators. 

Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos will stay on Earth to protect it, and Sprite has been granted mortality by Sersi's newfound abilities. But at the end of the film, Arimesh appears above Earth and summons Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos to answer for their betrayal. Meanwhile, Thena, Makkari, and Druig head off in their ship, the Domo, to spread the word to the other Eternals, and it's with this trio where the mid-credits scene takes place.

Aboard the Domo, Makkari is worried because they haven't heard from Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos in awhile. Thena immediately deduces that it must be because of the Celestial called Arimesh, and they're about to head back to Earth. However, suddenly Thena and Makkari both sense something happening inside the ship. Druig is confused about what they're feeling, but down the hall of the ship, they see an array of colors not unlike the kind that appear when someone arrives by way of the bifrost from "Thor." Suddenly, out of the color shimmer comes a small figure flying clumsily down the hallway.

After collecting himself and remarking, "No more drunk teleporting for you," the troll creature (voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt) being starts to make a grand announcement. After some mouth-trumpeting, he says, "Behold, the royal prince of Titan, brother of Thanos, the knave of hearts, defeater of Black Robert," which is then interrupted by an off-screen voice correcting him, "Roger." Recovering from his blunder, the creature continues, "The great adventurer, Starfox."

That's when One Direction group member and chart-topping singer Harry Styles appears on screen with flaming red hair and an Eternals suit and says, "What a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my fellow Eternals." Then he tells the creature that he doesn't have to put on such a show when introducing him to anyone. The creature says, "Everything you do is impressive," and proceeds to argue with Starfox before he's silenced. 

As Foreigner's "Feels Like the First Time" begins to play in the background," Starfox properly introduces himself, "I'm Eros. This is Pip." Then he can't help but put on some charm by saying, "And you are as beautiful as the legends say, Thena." Druig interrupts and asks, "What do you want, lads?" That's when Starfox/Eros reveals another tease for what will inevitably be the sequel to "Eternals." Eros takes the orb out of his chest that allows Eternals to communicate with the Celestials, an item seemingly given to only the leaders of each team. Then he says, "Your friends are in trouble. And we think we know where to find them."

Who The Hell Is Starfox?

In Marvel Comics, Starfox is indeed Eros, the brother of Thanos, and not the ace pilot from a Nintendo video game. Raised on Titan, Eros lived his life mostly carefree and spent his time chasing women. Anyway, Eros doesn't really live all that meaningful of a life until Thanos launched his first major attack on Titan. Eros defends Titan from Thanos several times, and he even fought alongside Captain Mar-vell, the original iteration of Captain Marvel. Could Eros have a history with the MCU's version of Captain Marvel that we haven't heard about yet?

However, Marvel's "Eternals" reveals that the titular characters are actually humanoid beings created by Celestials to ensure the creation of new Celestials by protecting growing planets from the threat of Deviants. When a planet reaches a certain population and has enough energy, a Celestial can be born out of the planet's destruction, and the Eternals have been doing this for centuries, having their minds erased after every new Celestial is born. So how will Eros' history being raised as the brother of Thanos on Titan fit with the mythology of the Eternals in the MCU? We're not exactly sure.

Since Eros can can psionically stimulate the pleasure centers in nearby people's brains, making them calm and open to suggestion, he's quite the charmer. It also makes him sound a bit like a dirtbag, if you ask me, but I'm betting that part of his character won't be manifested through his powers but rather with a flirtatious personality instead. After all, Harry Styles may be handsome, but I'm pretty sure even he couldn't play a character who uses his superpowers to convince women to sleep with him and get away with it. 

For those curious, there is a storyline in Marvel Comics where Eros is put on trial after being accused of manipulating a married woman into having an affair with him. She-Hulk is even hired to defend him in court. To make a long story short, the court case on Earth is moot when Eros is teleported back to Titan by his father, Mentor. But a trial is held on Titan, and She-Hulk finds that Eros is innocent, though he did manipulate She'-Hulk and made her fall in love with John Jameson, son of J. Jonah Jameson. I can't imagine that's a story arc we'll see play out on the "She-Hulk" series on Disney+, but who knows?

Starfox, Avengers, And The Guardians Of The Galaxy

So where does the name Starfox come from? When Eros makes one of his trips to Earth (where he's known as a legend), he applies to join the Avengers. After being accepted, the team didn't think Eros was a good enough name, so The Wasp gives him the name Starfox. Obviously that won't be the reason for his nickname in the MCU, and again we're wondering exactly how his character history will be explained with regards to how the Eternals operate. But this is all information that we're likely to learn whenever the character returns in another Marvel Studios movie.

For what it's worth, Starfox also formed the Dark Guardians, a cosmic team of superheroes comprised of the characters Gladiator, Nebula, Wraith, and Cosmic Ghost Rider. The team was formed to stop the return of Thanos, who somehow was able to upload his consciousness into a new body before being killed in the "Infinity Wars" arc. The Dark Guardians are assembled to find Thanos' new body and stop him from being resurrected. I can't imagine Marvel Studios would try to bring Thanos back with that storyline, but it's certainly an intriguing idea.

Since Starfox is one of the more obscure characters of Marvel Comics, and his comic history doesn't easily fit within the MCU, we're betting there will be a lot of liberties taken with his character. Perhaps he'll end up forming a new version of the Guardians of the Galaxy. After all, director James Gunn has said the third film in the franchise would mark the end of the story for the current iteration of the team. If "Eternals" doesn't end up being the hit that Marvel Studios presumably needs it to be, then maybe shifting Starfox to a different franchise would be a better option, especially with the presumed box office draw Harry Styles will have.

Starfox isn't the only new character who may soon have a significant presence in the MCU. Another one emerges in the post-credits scene of "Eternals," but this one was already being anticipated by fans.

Eternals Post-Credits Scene

In "Eternals," the team has been on Earth for 5,000 years. In her human life, Sersi (Gemma Chan) has been working as a museum curator, and she's struck up a romance with fellow scholar Dane Whitman, played by Kit Harrington. Whitman isn't aware that Sersi is an Eternal, but based on her avoiding any significant commitment with him, such as moving in together, he adorably guesses that she's some kind of wizard like Doctor Strange. So he's not entirely caught off guard when Sersi finally reveals her status as an Eternal after they're attacked by a Deviant in London. For the rest of the movie, Whitman is pretty much on the sidelines back in London while Sersi is trying to save the world, though she does have a moment to FaceTime with him. 

Once it seems like Sersi and the rest of the Eternals have prevented Earth from being destroyed by stopping the birth of the Celestial known as Tiamut, Whitman is reunited with his lover, and the two may actually be able to progress in their relationship. But first, Whitman reveals that his family may have a secret of their own. Before that secret can be revealed, the Celestial called Arimesh suddenly appears above Earth and teleports Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos from the planet to hold them responsible for their actions, leaving Whitman behind with the rest of the confused and panicked citizens of London. The audience is left to wonder what Whitman's secret could be, but it's about to be revealed in the post-credits scene.

In the post-credits scene, Dane Whitman is standing in what appears to be his university office. Sitting on his desk is a large ornate case featuring his family crest, which was previously seen on an ancient ring that Sersi gave to him as a gift early on in "Eternals." Whitman is looking at the case with trepidation, and he tries to psyche himself up, saying out loud, "You can do this." 

When Whitman opens the case, inside is a medieval sword. But there's something different about this sword. An ominous sound emanates when the blade is shown, and there appear to be tiny black molecules moving around on the blade. Whitman reads an inscription in another language that says, "Death is my reward." Whitman, seemingly knowing the danger and power of this sword, says, "I'm sorry. I have to try." 

Whitman then slowly reaches his hand towards the blade, and you can see the molecules on the sword reaching towards his hand as that ominous sound returns. It's as if the sword wants to be wielded. But before Whitman can touch the sword, a mysterious off-screen voice asks, "Sure you're ready for that, Mr. Whitman?" The scene cuts to black.

Who Is The Black Knight And What Is The Ebony Blade?

Those who are familiar with the name Dane Whitman in Marvel Comics were already waiting for this reveal. That's because Dane Whitman is known as Black Knight, a character who wields the sword known as the Ebony Blade. It's that ancient weapon that drives Dane Whitman to become a hero. But the weapon is a dangerous one to use.

The Ebony Blade (which is actually mentioned elsewhere in the movie before the post-credits scene) was created by the wizard Merlyn and Sir Percy of Scandia, both allies of King Arthur. The two forge the Ebony Blade from a Starstone meteorite, and it was enchanted to cut through any object, prevent the death of whoever wielded it, and deflect magic. However, with those powers comes a curse. Anyone who wields the Ebony Blade will slowly be corrupted by a lust for violence, bloodshed, and death. That's why the blade can only be wielded by the impure of heart. For example, when the sword was wielded by Sir Percy, it brought out his repressed rage, bloodlust, and psychosis. 

Since Dane Whitman is a descendant of Sir Percy, will he succumb to the same fate? Since this is the Marvel Cinematic Universe we're talking about, it's likely that Whitman will fight back against the Ebony Blade's pull into madness, and he will be able to wield the sword without taking a dark turn. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if he was assisted by Merlyn, who could be the source of that mysterious voice heard at the end of the scene.

Much like Eros/Starfox, the character of Black Knight doesn't have a comic book history that fits easily into the MCU. Surely Dane Whitman's wielding of the Ebony Blade will come from his desire to save Sersi from Arimesh in a presumed "Eternals" sequel. But beyond that, Black Knight is kind of a wild card. The character has been part of various incarnations of the Avengers, not to mention Defenders, Ultraforce, Heroes for Hire, and more. Since none of those teams have a clear presence in the MCU, or even a path to introduce them, Black Knight could do almost anything in the MCU. 

What Do These Scenes Mean For The Future Of The MCU?

This are easily the most obscure characters to be teased in the credits scenes of a Marvel Studios movie yet. They both have direct ties to a sequel to "Eternals," but if the movie somehow doesn't perform as well as it needs to at the box office, we're not sure what the future would hold for them. There's a good chance that Marvel always has a contingency plan if a certain movie doesn't land as firmly as they'd like. Perhaps Kevin Feige already knows what they could do with Eros/Starfox and Black Knight if they decide not to make an "Eternals" sequel. There may be a way to bring those characters into other parts of the MCU without relying on an "Eternals" franchise as their vessel, especially with the concept of the multiverse being introduced.

Then again, we could be looking at the possibility of Marvel Studios taking a big swing and striking out with "Eternals." If the movie isn't successful at the box office, Marvel Studios may need to reconfigure a lot of moving pieces in the MCU in order to recover. But considering they now have "Fantastic Four" and "X-Men" back in their hands, there are plenty of options to expand the MCU if they need to pivot away from their hopes for "Eternals" and the cosmic side of the MCU. After all, the "Fantastic Four" villain Galactus is cosmic being who could easily have ties to elements of "Eternals," allowing a shift of the narrative to another franchise that still incorporates some of the film's characters without giving them a full fledged sequel. It would basically amount to the way Hulk is used in the MCU without having his own franchise anymore.

For now, we'll just have to wait and see what fans think of "Eternals" and whether the box office performance is enough for Marvel Studios to continue their story. We've got at least a couple years before we'd have to start thinking about that movie anyway, because Marvel has a full slate of films that goes into 2023. Stay tuned to see what happens next.

Read this next: Every MCU Post-Credits Sequence Ranked From Worst To Best

The post Eternals Credits Scenes Explained: What Does This Mean for the Future of the MCU? appeared first on /Film.

Microsoft recently acknowledged that some built-in Windows 11 apps may have stopped working in the last few days due to expired certificates. A few apps were affected, including the Snipping Tool, Tips, and Getting Started. A new fix for this issue is now rolling out for Windows Insiders in the Beta and Release Preview channels with the KB5008295 update for Windows 11.

This is actually the second round of fixes Microsoft has issued for this problem. A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft rolled out KB5006746, which carries build number 22000.282. This update fixed broken apps including the Input Method Editor, Touch Keyboard, and a few other apps, but it’s an optional update, and you have to download it manually from Windows Update. Plus, the Snipping Tool was still suffering from this problem, and if you use Windows 11 in S mode, some system features like the Start menu and the Accounts page in the Settings app were also broken.

The KB5008295 update for Windows 11 fixes the expired certificates for the remaining app and the system features that were broken. However, once again, this update isn’t readily available for everyone. You’ll need to join the Windows Insider Program on your PC if you want to grab this update right away. This update won’t change the build number of your OS, so if you want to confirm you’ve installed the fix, you’ll need to look at your update history in Windows Update.

If you need the fix right now, there isn’t much of a risk in joining the Release Preview channel. It’s essentially the same version as the stable Windows 11 release, and you can easily opt out after installing the fix. However, if you can wait, this fix will likely be included in next week’s Patch Tuesday. On that day, Microsoft will release another cumulative update containing all the fixes that are currently in preview, and then some.

Windows 11 has suffered from a few hiccups since its initial release, which is not uncommon with any big software launch. These issues include lower performance on AMD processors, which has also been partly fixed with the aforementioned KB5006746 that’s currently in preview. Another fix is available directly from AMD as it has to do with the chipset driver. As these issues get ironed out, upgrading to Windows 11 should be even more compelling.

The post Microsoft issues another fix for expiring app certificates in Windows 11 appeared first on xda-developers.

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Arx Libertatis is an improved, cross-platform and open source engine for Arx Fatalis. Arx Libertatis is now at version 1.2. Eight years after version 1.1 we are finally ready to publish Arx Libertatis 1.2. This release brings improved rune recognition when casting spells, as well as a new bow aim mode....

A new version of OpenMW (0.47.0) is now available for Morrowind. **Please note that one must own the original game files to play Morrowind in OpenMW!** Another year of busy and fruitful development lies behind us — and the OpenMW team is proud to announce the release of version 0....

The Xbox Store page for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition has revealed some new screenshots from it. These screenshots showcase the remastered graphics of these three classic GTA games. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition will feature higher resolution textures. Players can expect better textures on characters, weapons, … Continue reading Brand new screenshots for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition →

The post Brand new screenshots for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition appeared first on DSOGaming.