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Throughout Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise's character Pete "Maverick" Mitchell pilots multiple aircraft, but the US Navy forbade the actor from piloting the F-18 Super Hornet. Set for release, after several bumps in its schedule, on May 27, 2022, Joseph Kosinski's sequel to the original 1986 hit movie Top Gun promises unmatched and unforgettable aerial combat scenes. The movie has also prioritized practical effects over CGI, adding authenticity to the action. While Cruise is renowned for performing his own stunts for many of his movies, some of the tricks proposed for Top Gun: Maverick were a little too ambitious, even by Cruise's standards.

In an interview with Empire, Tom Cruise said he told Top Gun: Maverick producer Jerry Bruckheimer that he agreed to return as Maverick with one stipulation: "I said to Jerry [Bruckheimer], ‘I’ll do it if…’ meaning, I’m not going to do the CGI stuff.” In other words, Cruise signed on for the project only with Bruckheimer's agreement that the film's effects not be reliant on hokey-looking CGI. Cruise was so ambitious, in fact, that he had initially hoped to fly a real Boeing F-18 fighter jet. A certified pilot, Cruise is well-accustomed to high-octane aviation stunts. Many Cruise fans will already be aware that many of the more impressive helicopter stunts in 2018's Mission: Impossible - Fallout were performed by Cruise. However, Bruckheimer maintains that the US Navy ultimately denied Cruise's requests to fly the Super Hornet, which boasts a price tag in excess of $70 million.

The F-18 jet does feature in Top Gun: Maverick, but those scenes were all completed with assistance from Navy pilots. According to producer Bruckheimer, Cruise does fly a P-51 propeller-driven fighter plane, as well as some helicopters. With the assistance of skilled editing, the action sequences should remain convincing to even the most well-trained eye. There's no confirmation yet about why the US Navy might have denied Cruise's aspirations to pilot a Super Hornet – but the most logical reason would be insurance concerns, which is always enough of a consideration to prevent actors from doing their own stunts.

The cost of the plane also figures into this – the cost of a real F-18 Super Hornet would make up roughly half of Top Gun: Maverick's $152 million budget. That would be likely to create logistical nightmares for the insurance of the film. That's not even to mention insuring Cruise himself, who, though already a certified pilot, has little experience with this kind of supersonic military aircraft. Insurance woes aside, should an inexperienced pilot such as Cruise lose control of a high-speed aircraft, it could also mean peril for civilians and/or military personnel on the ground.

Fans will have to wait until spring of 2022 to see Cruise return to the danger zone as Maverick. Judging from interviews and trailers, it appears as though Bruckheimer and Cruise are sincere in their claims that Top Gun: Maverick emphasizes practical effects over CGI. Both the actor and the producer seem committed to creating the most immersive experience possible. Perhaps fans can agree that this movie holds plenty of thrill potential, regardless of whether or not its actors are actually piloting multimillion-dollar fighter jets.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first began, in late 2019 and early 2020, there was a thought that maybe we could contain it—isolate the people who were sick, trace their contacts, and put them in quarantine, and the disease wouldn’t be able to spread. Other emerging diseases had fizzled out in the past, like COVID’s…

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Microsoft is beginning to roll out Windows 11 today with a much stricter set of hardware requirements. For Windows 10 users who want to upgrade to rounded corners and a more developed dark mode, they're going to have to make ... Read more

The wait for the final version of Windows 11 ends today. Microsoft has taken the wraps off its latest operating system, and anyone interested in a softer UI design, animations, drop shadows, updated ribbons, improved security, new iconography, fonts, snap ... Read more

Today is Windows 11 day and that means Microsoft is highlighting the new PCs shipping with the latest and greatest Windows operating system pre-installed. Obviously, Microsoft would like to tout its own Windows 11 integration efforts with its own Surface ... Read more

Today, Microsoft released Windows 11 after months of testing. The company is taking a ‘follow the sun’ approach to the release, so it’s going to be out where you live, whenever it’s October 5 there. And even after that, it’s going to be a slow, staged rollout that will last until mid-2022. Basically, the newer your PC is, the sooner you’re going to be offered the new OS. But as always, Windows 11 has some known issues to be aware of.

After all, you might be inclined to force the update, something that’s totally within your rights to do. You might already be running Windows 11 through the Windows Insider Program, or you might go and upgrade your PC via the Media Creation Tool. Whatever reason you’re on it so early, just remember that every new feature update has some known issues that might be blocking your upgrade, and Windows 11 is no different.

These are the known issues in Windows 11:

• Compatibility issues have been found between Oracle VirtualBox and Windows 11
  You might be unable to start Virtual machines (VMs) and you might receive an error.
• Compatibility issues with Intel “Killer” networking software and Windows 11
  Internet speeds might be slower than expected on affected devices.
• Compatibility issues have been found between Cốc Cốc browser and Windows 11
  Cốc Cốc browser might not open on Windows 11.

For the issues with VirtualBox and Cốc Cốc, Microsoft is putting a safeguard hold in place, so your machine won’t be offered Windows 11. However, it’s only recommending that you don’t attempt to upgrade via the Media Creation Tool, so you should still stay away from that.

As for devices with Killer networking software, this is a pretty simple one. Microsoft says that it’s planning to have a fix ready for this month’s security update, which is only a week away. Don’t forget that there hasn’t been a new Windows 11 update in a few weeks, so there will be a ton of fixes in the upcoming Patch Tuesday update.

For the other two updates, it’s just something that Microsoft is looking into. Keep in mind that new issues might be added to the list as time goes on.

The post These are the known issues in the initial Windows 11 release appeared first on xda-developers.

Microsoft was scheduled to begin releasing Windows 11 on October 5. Surprising many, the company has started the process as different timezones hit the date around the world. Windows 11 is now officially available for the public, with the rollout beginning for eligible devices today depending on the user's time zone.

Introduced to the world back in June, Windows 11 spent some months in the different channels of the Windows Insider Program. The next generation of Windows with a centered Start menu, Snap Layouts, and Mac-like widgets promises to increase productivity and help us better use the screen's real estate.

Snap Layouts and Groups offer a more powerful way to multitask and optimize your screen real estate in a way that is visually clean. With new three-column layouts for larger screens, it has never been easier to have all the content you need at your fingertips perfectly arranged.

"From the new Start menu and Taskbar, to each sound, font and icon you see, the team thought through every pixel and detail to bring you a more modern, fresh and beautiful experience," the company says. "With Start at the center you have quick access to the content and apps you care about and through the power of the cloud and Microsoft 365 (sold separately) you can see recent files you’ve been working on regardless of which device you were using, even if it was an Android or iOS device."

Windows 11 is also bringing Chat from Microsoft Teams (available for Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS) and a new Microsoft Store with more apps than ever before.

The company has promised that it's considered accessibility front and center during the development of Windows 11. "We’re proud that Windows 11 is the most inclusively designed version of Windows, built with and for people with disabilities," Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer of Windows + Devices, wrote. "Windows 11 offers familiar assistive technologies like Narrator, Magnifier, Closed Captions and Windows Speech Recognition to support people across the disability spectrum."

Windows 11 also comes with an increased focus on experiences for touch, which means better and more fluid performance on tablets and 2-in-1s with more space between icons in the Taskbar and bigger touch targets.

Who is Windows 11 available for right now?

If you aren't sure whether your PC is eligible to get the free Windows 11 upgrade offer, download this official PC Health Check app to confirm. Use this guide to enable TPM, if that's coming up as the primary problem during this check.

In case, you still don't get the green signal, check out this piece to see how you can manually install Windows 11 on your devices. However, do note that this will impact security and cumulative updates that Microsoft routinely delivers and might also result in some unwanted bugs and problems.

If your device is eligible and a newer product, you might get the update notification tomorrow depending on your timezone. Check the Settings app to see if it's available for you (more details here). Microsoft is, however, taking a slower approach, which means it can take several months for all eligible devices to get this update notification.

- In this stream:

• Windows 11 Minimum Requirements – Quick Recap
• Windows 11 Is Generally Available – Three Ways to Install the New OS and Skip the Line
• Windows 11 compatibility holds
• Quick Steps to Check If Your PC Can Run Windows 11
• Windows 11 Is Here! Direct Download Official Windows 11 ISO Files (64-bit Only)
• Who Will Get the Windows 11 Update Today and How to Get It

The post Global Windows 11 Rollout for Eligible Windows 10 PCs Begins by Rafia Shaikh appeared first on Wccftech.

Windows 11 is now available as a free upgrade for all eligible Windows 10 devices. However, with this release, Microsoft has updated the minimum system requirements. For example, the new operating system can only run on 64-bit CPUs. While the company has dropped a useful little app to help you confirm eligibility, here is the complete list of Windows 11 minimum requirements:

• Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or  faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC).
• RAM: 4 gigabyte (GB)
• Storage: 64 GB or larger storage device
• System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable
• Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
• Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
• High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9” diagonally, 8 bits per color channel
• Internet connection and Microsoft account
• Windows 10 version 2004 or later (to get the automatic update offer)

You can go to Settings > System > About, or search “System Information” in Windows and look under “System Type" to confirm your device specs. If you intend on doing a clean installation of Windows 11, you would also need a drive of at least 8GB to create a bootable disc.

If you plan on skipping Microsoft's set boundaries and install Windows 11 on a device that isn't officially eligible, the company has issued the following warning that it may result in compatibility issues and damages won't be covered under the warranty.

WARNING: Installing Windows 11 media on a PC that does not meet the Windows 11 minimum system requirements is not recommended and may result in compatibility issues. If you proceed with installing Windows 11 on a PC that does not meet the requirements, that PC will no longer be supported and won't be entitled to receive updates. Damages to the PC due to lack of compatibility aren't covered under the manufacturer warranty.

- Three ways to install Windows 11 on your devices (and how to skip the line)

The post Windows 11 Minimum Requirements – Quick Recap & Microsoft’s Warning by Rafia Shaikh appeared first on Wccftech.

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Tomorrow, Microsoft is officially launching Windows 11, the next installment of their operating system which underpins the majority of PCs in use today. Windows 10 has an install base of over 1 billion devices, and Windows 11 comes into existence in a much different place than its predecessor. After the much-maligned Windows 8 there was a sense of urgency and necessity which ushered Windows 10 into the world. Windows 11, on the other hand, comes into a market where most people are happy with Windows 10. So it raises the question: Why now?

Although Amazon was a few steps behind Netflix when it came to launching its own streaming service, Amazon Prime Video has established a foothold in the streaming world and remains competitive in debates over which services to keep, and which to jettison. This is due, in large part, to the impressive catalog of television comedies that Amazon has built over the past few years. Some of these titles are network and cable favorites that have found a second home on Amazon, while others are Amazon Prime originals, conceived and birthed as part of Bezos' master plan to develop vertical integration while racking up Emmy awards.

But it doesn't matter if you're turning to Amazon to watch a beloved classic or a hidden gem that's been all but forgotten by everyone but a small, yet devoted, fanbase. If you're looking for your new binge-watch obsession, it stands to reason that they you might find it here. At the very least, you'll certainly laugh a lot while searching.

Catastrophe

Some of the best comedies these days rely on a collaboration between American talent and their neighbors across the pond ("Ted Lasso", anyone?). With that in mind, "Catastrophe" is a cross-Atlantic partnership in pretty much every way possible. It stars Irish actress Sharon Horgan and American comedian Rob Delaney, both of whom created and wrote "Catastrophe" together. They play a pair of casual lovers who, after a brief fling, discover that Sharon is pregnant and that they're about to be parents.

Despite their relationship being barely a relationship, Rob moves to London so that they, almost complete strangers, can have a proper go of it. Their unconventional love story is the heart of "Catastrophe," but the show also features inspired supporting performances from actors such as the late great Carrie Fisher, who played Rob's mother in what would be her final television role.

The Inbetweeners

If "Skins" is the reality-show version of high school, "The Inbetweeners" much more closely resembles actual reality. A coming-of-age dramedy originally broadcast on E4, "The Inbetweeners" revolves around the lives of four teenage boys who attend a local comprehensive school and deal with the typical struggles of friendship, sex, divorce, sex, and also more sex (the boys are pretty much obsessed with sex, is the point we're trying to make). 

You might assume that a show about the mundane lives of a bunch of kids in suburbia might not be inherently cinematic, but "The Inbetweeners" manages to capture the intensely relatable, almost universal, feeling of being a teenager and having nowhere to go and nothing to do but hang out with your friends. It ran for three seasons on British television and was popular enough to spawn two movies, both of which were very successful, and an American remake, which was very unsuccessful.

30 Rock

"30 Rock" may have lost a little bit of its charm when star Alec Baldwin fell out of favor with viewers, but it's still one of the most consistently funny comedies that Amazon has to offer. Tina Fey plays Liz Lemon, a quirky writer for a late-night sketch comedy show (and a slightly exaggerated version of herself). There's a knowing quality to the humor on display here, as Fey and her cast members mercilessly satirize "Saturday Night Live." 

A number of the jokes and set pieces from "30 Rock" live on as internet memes, and although some of the gags feel firmly planted in the mid-'00s (and episodes featuring blackface needed to be pulled from circulation), many of the episodes are just as funny today as they were when the show initially aired. Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney, the vain lead performer of "TGS with Tracy Jordan", is a clear standout, desperately trying to achieve ever greater stardom with misguided dramatic efforts such as "The Rural Juror."

Scrubs

Where "ER" thrives on the melodrama of life in the medical profession, "Scrubs" focuses instead on the personal connections forged between the doctors, residents, and staff at a teaching hospital. Central to the show's success is the relationship between JD (Zach Braff) and Turk (Donald Faison), who begin the show as medical interns and long-time best friends. Their bond is incredibly close. Would some people call it codependent? Maybe. But without the two of them bouncing off one another, there's no way "Scrubs" would have been anywhere near as popular as it was. 

"Scrubs" ran for seven seasons on NBC before being cancelled and promptly picked up by ABC, its home for its last two seasons -- arguably past its prime. But despite the listlessness of its last few years, "Scrubs" is well worth a re-watch, if only for the pitch-perfect interplay between its large ensemble of comedic actors.

Bottom

If you're watching "Bottom" on Amazon, congratulations: You have sterling taste. Released in the early '90s, "Bottom" is a collaborative effort between British comedians Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, who had been working together as a double act since their university days in the late '70s, and who starred together in the subversive '80s classic "The Young Ones," a show that defined counterculture TV programming for a generation. 

On "Bottom," Mayall and Edmondson play a pair of aimless, almost grotesque roommates whose complete refusal to participate in anything approaching polite society verges on nihilistic. Although "Bottom" never reaches the creative heights of "The Young Ones" (to be fair, how many shows did?), it is nonetheless an engaging and darkly hilarious television series, one that is frequently regarded amongst the greatest British sitcoms of the 20th century.

Mr. Bean

"Mr. Bean" is not just a popular television show. In Britain, it's a full-on institution. Even if you've never seen a full episode, when you see an image of Rowan Atkinson in his silly little suit, you immediately know which character you're looking at. Mr. Bean seems partly inspired by the childlike antics of Pee-wee Herman and Peter Sellers, while also channeling the physical comedy of silent film comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. His entire approach to the world is buffoonish but charmingly innocent -- he leaves chaos in his wake at every turn, but he clearly means well. 

Although "Mr. Bean" aired for only fifteen episodes in 1990, the character lived on well beyond this program. Atkinson originally conceived of Mr. Bean in the early '80s, and the popularity of the character spawned both an animated series and two feature-length films. So, if you enjoy "Mr. Bean," there's plenty more to watch when you're done.

Psych

Which is easier to believe: That someone actually possesses Sherlock Holmes-like powers of observation and deduction, or that they're psychic? On "Psych," Shawn (James Roday Rodriguez) is the former pretending to be the latter. One day, while solving a crime (as one does), he runs afoul of the local police department, who believe that anyone with as much information about the case as he has must be involved in the crime. Shawn convinces the cops that he's a psychic, but there's a catch: Now he's stuck keeping up the act, working as a consultant for the Santa Barbara PD. 

"Psych" is a riff on a traditional police procedural, but with a healthy dose of the absurd to keep it fresh. The chemistry between Shawn and his childhood best friend Gus (Dulé Hill) is electric, and a huge part of why the show stayed on the air for so long. "Psych" ran for eight seasons and spawned multiple TV films that allowed fans to check back in with their favorite characters, as well as a two-part musical special.

The Tick

The version of "The Tick" produced by Amazon was but the most recent incarnation of the famously off-kilter amnesiac do-gooder. Originally created as a parody of American superheroes, "The Tick" began as a comic released in the '80s, which was then adapted into an animated show in 1994, followed by a live-action series starring Patrick Warburton and a video game. The latest iteration, which debuted in 2016, stars Peter Serafinowicz as the titular Tick and Griffin Newman as his faithful, anxiety-ridden sidekick, Arthur. 

Throughout its entire run, "The Tick" walked a thin line between comic book-style action, an offbeat sense of humor, and genuine emotional beats. Arthur in particular was given a more complex backstory and much more depth than his previous incarnations received, allowing Newman to really make the role his own. Although "The Tick" was canceled by Amazon after just two seasons, it deserved many more, and in years to come will likely develop a legacy as a show that got the axe far too early.

The Office

Buckle up, kids. Things are about to get awkward. Like, painfully awkward. "The Office" is the original documentary-style sitcom, in which a crew of filmmakers interview the white-collar employees during their day-to-day lives at a paper company, led by regional manager David Brent (Ricky Gervais), whose obliviousness verges on malicious. 

Although the American remake of "The Office" starring Steve Carell was immensely popular -- and is sometimes even considered to be superior to the original (not the first time that has happened) -- the UK version of "The Office" has a lot going for it as well. While Carell's Michael Scott gradually softened over time, Gervais luxuriates in David Brent's most irritating traits. Furthermore, the antics of Tim (Martin Freeman) and Gareth (Mackenzie Crook), the British equivalents of Jim and Dwight, put the UK edition of "The Office" in a league of its own.

Community

Some of the best comedies are the ones that take a little bit of time to find themselves. Over the course of the 1st season, the creative team learns what works and what doesn't, and adjusts accordingly until it finds something really special.  That's what "Community" does. Some of its charms are apparent in the pilot, but over the course of the 1st season and a half, the show comes into its own, wriggling its way into our hearts. 

"Community" is an ensemble comedy starring a cast of misfits at a community college, who meet and become friends while studying together for an introductory Spanish class. But it didn't always have the easiest go of it. During its 3rd season, "Community" was removed from NBC's lineup, with its future unclear until a fan-led campaign prompted the network to commit to a 4th season, albeit without showrunner Dan Harmon and controversial star Chevy Chase. After being cancelled by NBC, Yahoo came out of nowhere and renewed it for a 6th and final season, bringing the cult favorite to a respectable close.

Chuck

"Chuck" follows in the footsteps of "Get Smart" as a clever, inventive comedy series about spies. It stars Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski, an incredibly smart but unmotivated retail employee still reeling from getting kicked out of Stanford years earlier and losing his girlfriend to his college best friend, Bryce Larson (Matt Bomer). But Chuck gets a boost of motivation when he accidentally downloads the Intercept, a computer program that gives him instant access to all of the CIA's top-secret intel, directly into his brain. 

All of a sudden, Chuck is a government asset, complete with CIA and NSA handlers who struggle to keep him alive as he learns how to use his new skill set and fight off attacks from nefarious forces. "Chuck" is the rare show that balances action and comedy perfectly, creating believably tense scenarios while still maintaining a lightness of touch, largely thanks to Levi's affable lead performance.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Simultaneously brash and glamorous, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" represents the upper echelon of Amazon's original programming. It stars Rachel Brosnahan as Midge Maisel, a wealthy Jewish housewife living on the Upper West Side in the '60s who, after being blindsided by her husband's infidelity, decides on a whim to embark on a career in comedy. 

Midge is naturally charming and has a razor-sharp sense of humor (really, she wields it like a weapon that she doesn't always know when to sheath), but women were not exactly commonplace in stand-up at the time, especially not with the frequently ribald antics that Maisel relies on (during one of her very first drunken sets, she takes her top off and is promptly arrested for lewd behavior.) Although Brosnahan is at the center of the show (and has the Emmys to prove it), the greatest strength of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" lies in its powerhouse ensemble cast, especially Alex Borstein as Midge's manager, Michael Zegen as her estranged husband, and Marin Hinkle and Tony Shalhoub as her neurotic parents.

Being Human

The concept of "Being Human" almost sounds like the set-up for a Halloween-themed joke: "A ghost, a vampire, and a werewolf walk into a bar..." But in the universe of "Being Human," these three supernatural creatures not only exist -- they're roommates! 

Starring Aidan Turner, Russell Tovey, and Lenora Crichlow (as the vampire, werewolf, and ghost, respectively, although each would leave and be replaced by the time the show reached its later seasons), "Being Human" was always successful at highlighting the inherent absurdities in the day-to-day lives of people who are also afflicted with paranormal qualities, finding humor in the moments that juxtapose the hopelessly mundane with the mystical. 

But "Being Human" is also impressive because, while normally comedies find success when people become attached to their characters, "Being Human" was able to survive losing each of its three leads, with the newcomers (Michael Socha, Damien Molony, and Kate Bracken) fitting seamlessly into the production and bringing their own unique energy to the roles.

Fleabag

"Fleabag" is one of those shows that seems to connect with everyone. Its first season came out with guns a-blazin', proudly proclaiming exactly what it was, and its second season went even harder, developing each character and giving even the most ridiculous among them a tremendous amount of depth. There are characters that pop into "Fleabag" for five minutes and leave a mark, which is a testament to Phoebe Waller-Bridge's top-class writing. 

In the show, Waller-Bridge stars as an upper-middle-class misfit known only as Fleabag, a woman who uses sex and pure, unadulterated drama as an escape from the grief and trauma she experiences after losing both her mother and her best friend. She's a complete train wreck, yet we root for her; her frequent glances to the camera conspiratorially break the fourth wall, bringing us into the mess on her side. To be completely transparent, if all "Fleabag" did was gift us with the incomparably sexy priest played by Andrew Scott, well, that would be enough to merit a spot on this list.

Read this next: The 15 Best '90s Comedies Ranked

The post The 13 Best Comedy Shows on Amazon Prime Right Now appeared first on /Film.

The U.S. Supreme Court turned away a lingering appeal by Oracle stemming from its challenge to the now-scrapped $10 billion cloud-computing contract the Pentagon awarded to Microsoft in 2019. From a report: The rejection was a formality given the Defense Department's decision in July to drop the contract and divide the work among multiple bidders, potentially between Microsoft and Amazon. Oracle's appeal centered on alleged conflicts of interest involving Amazon, and on claims that the Pentagon violated its own rules when it set up the contract to be awarded to a single firm.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Windows 11 is now officially available to download. While Microsoft is launching Windows 11-powered hardware worldwide on October 5th, the company has made the OS update available early for eligible devices in New Zealand and beyond. From a report: If you've purchased a Windows 10 machine recently, that means you should be able to upgrade to Windows 11 right now. For everyone else, the rollout of Windows 11 will be gradual. Microsoft says existing Windows 10 devices that are eligible for the Windows 11 upgrade will start to be able to upgrade today, but it will be mostly new hardware that will receive the upgrade immediately. Microsoft says, "We expect all eligible Windows 10 devices to be offered the upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

A company that is a critical part of the global telecommunications infrastructure used by AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and several others around the world such as Vodafone and China Mobile, quietly disclosed that hackers were inside its systems for years, impacting more than 200 of its clients and potentially millions of cellphone users worldwide. From a report: The company, Syniverse, revealed in a filing dated September 27 with the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission that an unknown "individual or organization gained unauthorized access to databases within its network on several occasions, and that login information allowing access to or from its Electronic Data Transfer (EDT) environment was compromised for approximately 235 of its customers." A former Syniverse employee who worked on the EDT systems told Motherboard that those systems have information on all types of call records. [...] The company wrote that it discovered the breach in May 2021, but that the hack began in May of 2016.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Slasher films are some of the most exciting and thrilling movie genres to watch. The usual elements include a masked killer (always human), killing off a group of unsuspecting (sometimes borderline dull-witted) victims. If you’re up for some suspense, gore, and surprises, this is definitely the genre for you. From the classics to the modern takes on the genre, here are some of the best scary slasher films that will keep you up at night!

Scream

Any slasher film lover would consider the Scream franchise as one of the most iconic slasher films ever. It’s witty, sly, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and just purely entertaining. With four films, a video game, a TV series, and the fifth film coming out in 2022, Scream is definitely a cult classic slasher film everyone must watch.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Here’s another popular slasher film that makes your skin crawl and gets your heart on overdrive. What else can you expect from a slasher film whose villain is a cannibalistic serial killer? To make things worse, he also has his family to help him carry out his murders. Suddenly, getting lost in the countryside doesn’t sound so fun, huh?

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Imagine accidentally killing someone (or thinking you’ve killed someone), then having them get their revenge on you and your friends. I can’t say I blame the guy for having some pent-up anger about being run over and left for dead.

Pieces

This is a twisted slasher film. Though it may seem a little absurd from start to finish, give this film a chance.

Maniac

Here’s another slasher film about a serial killer who murders and scalps young women. Described as a film that “oozes sleaze and despair”, Maniac was nominated for a Saturn Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films (USA) for Best Low Budget Film in 1981.

Urban Legend

Sitting at the top of 90s campus slasher films, Urban Legend is a star-studded, Scream-inspired slasher film with deaths inspired by urban legends such as Bloody Mary, killer in the backseat, and the kidney heist.

Child’s Play

This horror film borders on being a slasher film with the ghost of a serial killer possessing a doll and going on a murder spree. After gaining a cult following, the film spawned several sequels, comic books, and an upcoming TV series this year.

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

You’ll never be safe when you get on the bad side of a vengeful psychopath. The sequel to the original classic teaches us all to never try to get away with murder. Just call the police and leave it to the pros.

Friday the 13th

This classic slasher franchise comprises 12 slasher films, a TV series, comic books, novels, and video games. Featuring one of the most iconic serial killers, Jason Voorhees, Friday the 13th is the second highest-grossing slasher franchise in the US.

My Bloody Valentine

When you want a solid, fast-paced, gory slasher film, My Bloody Valentine will give you just that. Cited as Quentin Tarantino’s favorite slasher film, this film won’t disappoint.

A Nightmare On Elm Street

If you’re the type to get nightmares, then this film is bound to keep you up all night. A Nightmare On Elm Street is one of the greatest, most influential horror slasher films ever.

Psycho

We can never have enough of Norman Bates. Going as far back as 1960, we’ve been seeing the American psycho on the small and big screen. The 1960 film, known as one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films, is a definite must-watch.

Halloween

Here’s another cult classic slasher franchise consisting of 11 films, comic books, and a video game. From the name of the film, its killer goes for its kills during the said holiday. With Halloween coming up in a month, it’s time to binge-watch all 11 films, don’t you think?

Terror At The Opera

With an approval rating of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, Terror at the Opera is about a young Soprano who becomes involved in a series of murders happening in an opera house by a hooded, masked killer.

The Hills Have Eyes

Creepy to the core, The Hills Have Eyes is actually based on a true story about Sawney Bean and his clan who murdered and cannibalized people during the Middle Ages. With this, it’s expected that the film is filled with gore and disturbing scenes.

Freddy Vs. Jason

This one is an interesting crossover between two of the most iconic slasher films ever. It features a universe where both Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees exist. And instead of teaming up and making quite the successful murderous duo, they actually end up fighting each other.

10 Scary Movies that are Perfect for the Holidays

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: the Beginning – Review

I appreciate a horror movie that doesn’t take itself seriously. Take The Velocipastor, for example. That movie is so bad that it’s incredible. It knows that there’s no way to make a serious film about a pastor that turns into a murderous velociraptor, so it leans into the ridiculous…hard. So, when someone mentioned a scary movie about furries, I needed it on my computer and into my eyeballs. Furries are a misunderstood fandom, to be sure, so I needed to know what a furry-themed horror movie would entail, and boy howdy, was it interesting. Let the fur fly as we dig into LONE WOLF.

LONE WOLF was is directed by J.D. Marmion, and is co-written by Marmion with Jordan Rivera, Sam Cunningham, Domenica Schatzman, and Victoria Schatzman. It follows Charlie (Jane Gardner) and her friends (played by Kennedy Wunderle, Alexandra Dustin, and Victoria Danylko-Petrovskaya) are furries and they are set to get dressed up for Furry Con but, unfortunately, they get kicked out when one of the girls gets hammered and barfs on the most popular furry there. Thankfully, his brother (Robin McIntosh) invites them to a party where he’ll be. Of course, they all go. Now, for the B story, Charlie’s sister disappeared a year earlier. Also, there’s a C story about how a college mascot got burned nearly to death and now he’s on a rampage to kill furries. If you think that’s a lot of storylines, you’d be right.

If you look at LONE WOLF for what it is, an extremely low-budget horror film about people who wear animal costumes, then you’ll probably get a kick out of it. There’s nothing extraordinary about the film quality, the acting is atrocious and the sound mixing is SO off, you can’t hear anyone talking half the time but that soundtrack BLASTS your eardrums straight out of your ear canal. But even with all of that, it’s still kind of fun. Truly, LONE WOLF would have been more effective as a short film. A lot of time is used to fluff the clock: a lot of dancing at Furry Con, a lot of dancing at the furry party, a lot of furry dancing as everyone gets murdered. There’s a lot of dancing.

There’s one random moment at what is supposed to be an intense fight scene between our lead and the killer where it turns into some weird music video with a fade over of someone singing and a band playing. It’s so damn bizarre but kind of fits? The most interesting bits happen after the 57-minute mark and the best actor in the entire movie is the Lone Wolf (Tohmas Howery) and he doesn’t say a single damn word.

This review sounds like I don’t like the movie but that’s not necessarily true. It’s terrible but in a fun kind of way. There’s something pure about horror like that. You can tell people were having fun when they made it so, it almost makes you have fun watching it. If you like ridiculous horror with bad effects and even worse actors but you see the pure indie-ness about it and appreciate it, I think you’ll get a kick out of LONE WOLF.

LONE WOLF will be available on VOD and Digital from High Octane Pictures on October 5th!

The post [Movie Review] LONE WOLF appeared first on Nightmarish Conjurings.

Alan Wake Remastered is reviewed by Trusted Reviews. The game is released tomorrow October 5th. Alan Wake Remastered Review Introduction Alan Wake Remastered is an updated version of the classic survival from Remedy, the developer behind classic series including Max Payne and Control....

The post The Exorcism of God – Review [Fantastic Fest] (4/5) appeared first on Heaven of Horror.

A newly discovered data exfiltration mechanism employs Ethernet cables as a "transmitting antenna" to stealthily siphon highly-sensitive data from air-gapped systems, according to the latest research. "It's interesting that the wires that came to protect the air-gap become the vulnerability of the air gap in this attack," Dr. Mordechai Guri, the head of R&D in the Cyber Security Research Center

26/10/21 Xbox consoles can now access Nvidia's GeForce Now streaming platform using Microsoft Edge.

The line between console and PC is forever blurring, especially when it comes to hardware similarities like NVMe gaming SSD storage. Yet, while they're all designed for gaming, consoles typically lack the utilities and functionality available to gaming PC users. Now, thanks to Microsoft's latest Edge for Xbox update, the browser has keyboard and mouse support, as well as access to desktop sites, web apps, and even Google Stadia.

Included in Microsoft's September Xbox Update, the new, Chromium-based web browser feels like an uncanny desktop experience. Not only does it let you navigate the web with a gaming mouse and keyboard setup, but you can now use sites like Discord and YouTube, just like you would on a PC. The browser even works with apps like Google Docs, which means in theory, you could use your Xbox for both work and play.

While the new Edge browser makes the Xbox experience feel like a PC, there are some caveats to consider. For starters, while cloud services like Stadia are compatible with Edge, Nvidia's GeForce Now is currently unsupported. It's also worth noting that you won't be able to play games with a mouse and keyboard through Stadia. So, if you're considering using an Xbox at your desk, you'll need to keep a controller handy for gaming - and at least you'll be able to hop right into the best Xbox Series X games on a whim.

RELATED LINKS: Microsoft DirectX Raytracing, Microsoft Hololens hands-on, Windows Game Mode preview

Steam’s hardware survey for September 2021 has decidedly put to rest any notion of Intel making a comeback with its Tiger Lake processors, as AMD sits triumphantly with an all-time personal best in terms of market share. Team red processors now makeup 30.15% of all Windows gaming PCs running Valve’s storefront, team blue constituting an additional 69.83%.

While this may not sound all-too-impressive at first, there are several important factors to consider with these figures that reveal AMD’s position as one of continually growing strength.

While Steam doesn’t provide details on specific processor models like it does graphics cards, it’s reasonable to assume that AMD’s growth of 2.84% is in large part due to the performance and value offered by its Ryzen processors. In their search for the best gaming CPUs, consumers are trending towards AMD even when presented with the option of Intel’s 11th generation processors, which partly contributed to a period of decline in AMD’s market share from May to August.

RELATED LINKS: Best SSD for gaming, How to build a gaming PC, Best gaming CPU

The release of Back 4 Blood is hotly anticipated, with just over a week to go until the game’s October 12 release date. However, developer Turtle Rock recently made a controversial addition to the game in the form of Denuvo Anti-Tamper DRM. As spotted by NME, the game's SteamDB page indicates that the change was made on September 28 with no comment or update from the developer.

Digital rights management is something PC gamers have lived with for decades, with the likes of Steam making it more palatable and storefronts like GOG offering DRM-free options of many current and legacy titles.

Despite this, Denuvo has garnered an infamous reputation for hampering the performance of games. The most recent egregious example of this was in the PC port of Resident Evil: Village, which saw pirated versions of the game without Denuvo running with far fewer performance problems.

RELATED LINKS: Best SSD for gaming, How to build a gaming PC, Best gaming CPU

Crytek has released the official launch trailer for Crysis Remastered Trilogy. Crysis Remastered Trilogy will release on October 15th, exclusively on Epic Games Store. Now as we all know, the first Crysis Remastered is currently available on both Epic Games Store and Steam. For that have played it, Crysis 2 Remastered and Crysis 3 Remastered … Continue reading Official launch trailer released for Crysis Remastered Trilogy →

The post Official launch trailer released for Crysis Remastered Trilogy appeared first on DSOGaming.

Large tree-planting initiatives often fail -- and some have even fueled deforestation. From a report: On November 11, 2019, volunteers planted 11 million trees in Turkey as part of a government-backed initiative called Breath for the Future. In one northern city, the tree-planting campaign set the Guinness World Record for the most saplings planted in one hour in a single location: 303,150. "By planting millions of young trees, the nation is working to foster a new, lush green Turkey," Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said when he kicked off the project in Ankara. Less than three months later, up to 90 percent of the saplings were dead, the Guardian reported. The trees were planted at the wrong time and there wasn't enough rainfall to support the saplings, the head of the country's agriculture and forestry trade union told the paper. In the past two decades, mass tree-planting campaigns like this one have gained popularity as a salve for many of our modern woes, from climate change to the extinction crisis. Companies and billionaires love these kinds of initiatives. So do politicians. [...] There's just one problem: These campaigns often don't work, and sometimes they can even fuel deforestation. In one recent study in the journal Nature, for example, researchers examined long-term restoration efforts in northern India, a country that has invested huge amounts of money into planting over the last 50 years. The authors found "no evidence" that planting offered substantial climate benefits or supported the livelihoods of local communities. The study is among the most comprehensive analyses of restoration projects to date, but it's just one example in a litany of failed campaigns that call into question the value of big tree-planting initiatives. Often, the allure of bold targets obscures the challenges involved in seeing them through, and the underlying forces that destroy ecosystems in the first place. Instead of focusing on planting huge numbers of trees, experts told Vox, we should focus on growing trees for the long haul, protecting and restoring ecosystems beyond just forests, and empowering the local communities that are best positioned to care for them. In the past three decades, the number of tree-planting organizations has skyrocketed, growing nearly threefold in the tropics alone. So have global drives: Today, there are no fewer than three campaigns focused on planting 1 trillion trees, including the World Economic Forum's (WEF) One Trillion Trees Initiative, which launched in 2020.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Fallout - A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game v1.1 DOSBox Port 0.9b

A root certificate used by Let’s Encrypt expired on September 30 and, despite being notified a long time in advance, many companies experienced problems.

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Long before Jesse Faden and the denizens of Control were losing their minds over sentient fridges and rubber ducks, Alan Wake was doing unholy battle with possessed logging tractors and combine harvesters. In hindsight, it seems obvious that these two worlds would eventually collide in Remedy's newly established Wake-iverse - such is their shared love of shadowy, flying objects - but back in the dark days of 2010, little did we know that Remedy's tortured horror writer would be making such a big comeback eleven years later.

Well, at least he is over on consoles. While the original Alan Wake had a brief, year-long holiday from Steam in 2017 due to the expiration of its music licences, PC folks have been able to play Remedy's cult classic shooter more or less uninterrupted since its release in 2012. Alan Wake Remastered, however, marks the first time it's ever come to PlayStation (it having been an Xbox console exclusive all these years), and its spruced up character models, higher frame rates and 4K texture packs feel very much intended to get PS4 and PS5 players up to speed on this old-but-new figure in Jesse's life than us on PC. Indeed, when there's still a perfectly good version of Alan Wake sitting right there on Steam for less than half the cost of this new remaster, you're probably better off playing the original than stumping up the cash for this latest nip and polygon tuck.

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Here’s the thing with me and Remedy Entertainment. I’m not exactly a big fan of their work as opposed to other game companies. Do I controversially think that the games they make are all bad? No. I just never really thought much of their works. However, the exceptions to this rule are the first Max Payne game and Alan Wake.

Alan Wake has always had this sort of intriguing aura about it that makes me want to return to it. I was even one of the few people who had that dumb Windows 7 Alan Wake theme used to promote the game when the PC version was announced. I always thought that the game’s story, mechanics, and characters were unique, and the mysterious plot details kept me intrigued.

It’s been 11 years since the release of Alan Wake, and now, PlayStation users will finally get to try out one of Remedy’s finest games. How does it stack against the original? Will there be something that will convince players to get it on Xbox Series or the Epic Games Store? Let’s return to Bright Falls and see what’s in store.

Unlike my other reviews, I won’t be delving too much into the story of Alan Wake Remastered. The main reason is to keep spoilers at a minimum for potential newcomers to the game. However, I will provide my thoughts on what happens alongside a summary of the plot’s central premise.

The player controls a novelist known as Alan Wake. He is an award-winning author with an impressive catalog of books that essentially turned him into a pseudo-celebrity. Unfortunately, Alan is soon faced with an immense case of writer’s block that effectively kept him from writing a single word for years.

Concerned, Alan’s wife, a photographer named Alice, decides to take Wake on vacation in the idyllic town of Bright Falls, a small mining town located in Washington. However, as luck would have it, Bright Falls has been the host of many strange occurrences that even go into the supernatural.

Naturally, Alan Wake becomes involved in one of these incidents. His wife mysteriously disappears, and he also finds pages of a manuscript for a thriller that he penned. Strangely, Alan doesn’t seem to recall writing any part of this novel. With all this in mind, Alan Wake sets out to fight against the forces of darkness to not only find Alice but also to find the truth behind the novel he supposedly wrote called “Departure.”

Alan Wake’s story is filled with many twists and turns alongside riveting character moments in which we learn more about Bright Falls and the Dark Presence that haunts it. The game is made with suspense in mind, and the way the plot is integrated into the gameplay is very clever, in my opinion.

As the player progresses through the game, they’ll find several pages of Alan Wake’s manuscript. These pages often tell events that will happen or provide additional context as to what other characters felt at the moment off-screen. This is ingenious as the main plot can focus on Alan Wake and his story while leaving the additional context and side character plot points to supplementary material narrated by Alan himself.

Of course, some people would say that this method of storytelling would spoil the ending of the game and such. However, I believe that this is more of a “Journey over Destination” type of thing where the more important part isn’t exactly the twist but rather how the players get there (or if it shows up at all onscreen).

Alan Wake Remastered uses the third-person over-the-shoulder camera that was pretty common in shooter games of its time. Players can find several weapons to defend themselves against the forces of darkness. However, an essential tool in Alan’s arsenal is his flashlight.

That’s because the Dark Presence is pretty much intangible unless you render it vulnerable through the power of your flashlight. By training the flashlight on the enemy and pressing L2, you’ll be able to focus the light from the flashlight onto the enemies, eventually making them vulnerable and allowing you to finish them off with a few shots from your other weapons.

The weapons themselves range from a revolver, a shotgun, a hunting rifle, and some special weapons which can end up being a massive help against hordes of enemies. The enemies themselves are aggressive but not exactly bright. Their attacks are telegraphed enough to allow you to dodge them quickly, and by themselves, they don’t pose much of a threat.

However, the game will swarm Alan with hordes of enemies, flocks of birds, and even throwing environmental objects such as barrels at him. It’s pretty easy to get overwhelmed by the enormous number of enemies and hazards. Since Alan Wake himself is frailer than a twig, don’t be surprised if you end up dying a few times because you got hit by five enemies at once.

Of course, you will have access to some pretty cool crowd control weaponry for things like this. In this case, we have the special weapons I mentioned earlier: the Flares, Flashbangs, and the coveted Flare Gun. Each of these weapons can pretty much deal with entire crowds of enemies in seconds while giving you some room to breathe and prepare for the next assault.

“Well, there has to be a limited ammo system for these weapons, right?” See, that’s the thing with Alan Wake. Did you notice how I didn’t mention that the guns run on ammo or that the flashlight runs on batteries? Well, that’s because the game gives you way too many resources to fight against the enemies themselves.

If you have a slight sense of exploration in you (and you’d pretty much need to if you want to get this game’s collectibles which range from pages of the manuscript, coffee thermos, and more), you’ll end up finding caches that are packed to the brim with Flare Gun rounds, flashbangs, and ammunition for your guns.

I never really found myself running dry with any of my weapons in the Normal difficulty. I’d say play the game on Nightmare if you want a more challenging experience, but you need to complete the game first to unlock it, so we have to stick to Normal. However, since I’ve beaten the game on Nightmare difficulty on its Steam release, I can tell you that even then, the game’s way too generous with its resource drops.

The same logic applies to the flashlight’s batteries. You can carry up to 20 of these. Still, you really will almost invariably find yourself capped because the game gives you plenty of them, and energy does replenish over time when the flashlight isn’t being focused on the enemy.

The real challenge of Alan Wake Remastered comes from your tolerance to pain. Not pain inflicted to you by the enemies, but the pain brought by the game’s janky mechanics. This is both a positive and a negative, by the way. Sometimes, the enemies are clumsy enough to walk into a power fence and electrocute themselves to death. Sometimes you find yourself hit by multiple enemies at once and dying because you are constantly locked in inescapable hitstun.

None of my readers should be surprised when I say that I both love and hate this game’s jank. It made for some comedic moments in my playthroughs. However, I believe that some players might find those occasions where the jank works against them to be infuriating. It’s weird because I expected Remedy to work on this aspect the most while remastering the game.

The game is also filled to the brim with collectibles. Many of which require you to stray from the main path to find them. You can also stumble upon some neat bits that expand on the game’s universe, like radios which play some radio shows, or TVs that play my favorite “I wish this were an actual TV show” show, Night Springs.

Do I think the collectibles are excessive? I’d say they are harmless. But to be frank, some players will want to get through the story rather than collecting some knick-knacks. I guess at that point, that’s up to the player.

Alan Wake Remastered runs at a smooth 60FPS. I had the experience play without some stutter throughout. So, you should feel safe playing the game and experiencing the jank that comes with it. When it comes to the cutscenes, however, it’s a different story. The gameplay below will show what I’m talking about, but the cutscenes run at 30FPS (sometimes even lower for some reason).

I don’t exactly understand why that is the case, but my theory is that the development team took the cutscenes from the original game and brought them here instead of redoing them with the current graphics. At the end of the day, it’s much easier to get a video file of the previous cutscenes rather than making the scene again altogether from scratch.

Alan Wake: Remastered doesn’t support Ray Tracing; that’s one of the most significant points of contention in this version of the game. Do I think it would have been necessary? Well, for a game that’s all about using lights against your enemies, I’d say yes. You want to have the most detail on the flashlight and light sources, after all.

I also have a few issues with some of the newly implemented textures. Some of the characters look a bit “Plasticky” for my liking. It’s weird because I’m pretty confident that these issues weren’t always present in the Steam release.

So, where does that leave us with Alan Wake Remastered? Well, I still think that the game is worth experiencing for players looking for a mysterious thriller/horror game experience to play. However, when it comes to the remaster itself, I’d say it focuses more on the “Graphical updates” than bringing other things like QoL out of the way.

The game’s still as I remember, and I love the beautiful scenarios that this game brought by itself. Please make no mistake; Alan Wake’s been a beautiful game since the day it was released. I believe that PlayStation users will end up agreeing with me in that sentiment once they have their hands in this game.

Will returning players be happy with the few changes made? Well, I have been neglecting to say it, but there are a few more additions that returning players will be pleased to find. Remember those QR Codes plastered in some places in the original version? I’m just going to say that they were changed in some way.

I won’t say anymore regarding this, but there have been very subtle (but impactful) changes like this made throughout the game’s entirety. Most of which warrant a new playthrough by the old fans of the game. But if you want to have a sincere opinion, I’m telling players to buy the game for what it is rather than for what the remaster brings.

As a remaster, it’s pretty lackluster. But the game itself is fantastic, with janky faults and all.

Reviewed on PlayStation 5 (code provided by the publisher).

The post Alan Wake Remastered Review – The Plot Thickens by Ule Lopez appeared first on Wccftech.

Today tech entrepreneur-turned-politician Andrew Yang candidly reflected on the pitfalls of power that he'd learned about during his 2020 run for president. "In national politics, it turns out, you're not as much the CEO as you are yourself the product... [E]veryone in my orbit started treating me like I might be a presidential contender. I was getting a crash course in how we treat the very powerful — and it was weird. "But it was more than just a head rush. There are psychological consequences to being treated this way for months on end." The historian Henry Adams described power as "a sort of tumor that ends by killing the victim's sympathies." This may sound like hyperbole, but it has been borne out by years of lab and field experiments. Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley, has been studying the influence of power on individuals. He puts people in positions of power relative to each other in different settings. He has consistently found that power, over time, makes one more impulsive, more reckless and less able to see things from others' points of view. It also leads one to be rude, more likely to cheat on one's spouse, less attentive to other people, and less interested in the experiences of others. Does that sound familiar? It turns out that power actually gives you brain damage. This even shows up in brain scans. Sukhvinder Obhi, a neuroscientist at McMaster University in Ontario, recently examined the brain patterns of the powerful and the not so powerful in a transcranial-magnetic-stimulation machine. He found that those with power are impaired in a specific neural process — mirroring — that leads to empathy... Perhaps most distressing is that in lab settings the powerful can't address this shortcoming even if told to try. Subjects in one study were told that their mirroring impulse was the issue and to make a conscious effort to relate to the experiences of others. They still couldn't do it. Effort and awareness made no difference in their abilities... On the campaign trail, I could clearly see how politicians become susceptible to growing so out of touch. You spend time with dozens of people whose schedules and actions revolve around you. Everyone asks you what you think. You function on appearance; appearance becomes your role. Empathy becomes optional or even unhelpful. Leadership becomes the appearance of leadership. The process through which we choose leaders neutralizes and reduces the capacities we want most in them. It's cumulative as well; the longer you are in it, the more extreme the effects are likely to be over time.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.