Ronald.phillips

Jonathan Lewis recently moved into a new home in Liverpool, England and became curious about a wire emerging from a boarded-up section of wall. He cut a hole in the wall and discovered a ragdoll holding a rather creepy note.

From Coast to Coast:

The spooky note began by thanking the reader for "freeing me" and went on to reveal that "my name is Emily.

— Read the rest

Without this fix, the PS4 would’ve one day lost the ability to play digital and physical games With the recent...

The post Sony fixed the looming PS4 CMOS battery issue, which is great for future-proofing appeared first on Destructoid.

Boost your home’s security and convenience with a smart garage door controller. CNET's experts have handpicked the top choices after thorough testing to suit your needs.

✅ Link to the game 👉 https://bit.ly/3yFButh

Experiment and have fun in the ultimate playground as Agent 47 to become the master assassin. Travel around the globe to exotic locations and eliminate your targets with everything from a katana or a sniper rifle to an exploding golf ball or some expired spaghetti sauce.

Follow us on:
Web: 👉 https://bit.ly/3rpVmMh
Twitch: 👉 https://bit.ly/3vVI6CJ
Twitter: 👉 https://bit.ly/3fdOUFK
Facebook: 👉 https://bit.ly/2NWKVCw

Rhino Security Labs researchers have identified a vulnerability in the AWS WorkSpaces desktop client that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely.

Tracked as CVE-2021-38112, the security bug could be triggered when the user opens a malicious WorkSpaces URI from the browser, allowing a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the vulnerable system.

read more

More than 70 Hikvision camera and NVR models are affected by a critical vulnerability that can allow hackers to remotely take control of devices without any user interaction.

read more

The Committee of 100 has just released a comprehensive new study on racial disparities in US prosecutions under the Espionage Act, based on data from court filings featuring 276 individual defendants across 190 cases. They concluded:

Individuals with Asian or Chinese names are punished twice as severely as defendants with more Western names in charges under the Economic Espionage Act (EEA), and 1 in 3 Asian Americans accused of espionage may have been falsely accused.

— Read the rest

The newest step in the country’s crackdown on gaming The Chinese government has launched a brand new “whistleblowing” website that...

The post Chinese whistleblower site lets public report games that violate restrictions appeared first on Destructoid.

Bill Gates appeared wary and nervous in an NPR interview yesterday, which included questions from Judy Woodruff that he was clearly not well-prepared to answer.

Judy Woodruff: Do you draw any lessons from the mistakes you made with Jeffrey Epstein?

Bill Gates: "Well, he's dead, so…" pic.twitter.com/HSLYahGtKJ

— Read the rest

I know, I know. You’ve been told you’re “throwing money away on rent.” Someone in your life made you feel guilty for not buying a house and building equity. And let me guess: They said something like, “Ugh, I just hated paying someone else’s rent!”

Right?

There’s just one problem: It’s not true.

First, let me ask you a simple question: Do you “throw money away” when you eat out at a restaurant? Of course not. You’re paying for value.

Yet somehow this logic totally falls apart when you apply it to real estate.

I decided to run a poll on Twitter to ask what people thought.

Not surprisingly, 95% of people said, “No, you didn’t ‘throw money away’ on a nice meal.”

Then I asked the same question — but for rent.

LOL! Notice the drop from 95% to 81% when I asked if I was ‘throwing money away renting.’” In other words, many more people believe that renting is throwing money away.

You and I know that if we spend $20 eating out, we were happy to spend it to get good food, table service, and someone who cleans up our dishes. 

Paying for rent is exactly the same: You’re paying for a roof over your head (the meal). You’re also paying for a landlord to deal with any paperwork and maintenance issues (the service).

So why do so many of us blindly repeat this phrase that we’re “throwing money away on rent?”

Why do people believe that rent is a waste of money?

Understanding why this myth persists is the first step in understanding the truth about buying vs renting. Check out these reasons why many people believe that rent is a waste — what do you notice?

1. Propaganda

The powerful real estate lobby, the government, and our parents all tell us that “real estate is the best investment of all.” There are even governmental tax incentives to buy! Repeat this for decades and a population starts to blindly believe, rather than running the numbers. 

Here’s a tiny glimpse of how the real estate propaganda machine works. In this article from the New York Times, buying a house subtly portrayed as the ultimate, foolproof way to get rich in America. Fast. Hurry! Prices only go up! Add in HGTV, economic malaise, & phrases like “you’re throwing money away on rent.”

“Minus expenses.” LOL. Given that “expenses” can run over 10% of a house’s selling price, that’s like me saying, “I really enjoyed this trip to the Grand Canyon! All except for the part where my son fell off a cliff and died. Anyway, it was fun!”

In reality, real estate is not always the best investment. It comes with significant phantom expenses. And there are often better investments, such as a simple low-cost index fund. This is well-understood by sophisticated investors but ordinary Americans have been duped into thinking their primary residence is a great investment. Often, it is not. (I could buy today but I rent by choice because it is a better option for me.)

2. Financialization of real estate

 In America, we believe that our house should also be an investment. Why? It’s not like that in many other countries. In fact, if you sit down at the dinner table with your parents, they want the price of their house to stay high — while younger people want the price of housing to go down!

3. The idea that someone’s “getting one over on you”

Americans HATE the idea that someone is making money off them. A Reddit comment said (paraphrased) “If you buy, it might cost more but at least you won’t be paying your landlord’s rent.” Do you understand how crazy this is? When you eat out, do you say, “I like the food here but I just hate paying this restaurateur’s rent?” Of course not. We only repeat this phrase with real estate. Stop it.

4. Lack of understanding about phantom costs

People believe if you buy a house for $200K and sell it for $450K, you made $250K. This is false. They don’t understand maintenance, taxes, and other phantom costs, and they don’t compare ROI to other investments. Also, did you know real estate prices also go down?

5. Following the same playbook as always

Buying a house was, in general, a good thing for most Boomers. There were also fewer low-cost investment options like index funds in the 70s and 80s. Therefore, stuck in the past, they parrot the same lessons to millennials, who face unaffordable housing, stagnating wages, and better investment options. This is the problem when people (Boomers) recommend something, but don’t actually understand why it works: They just keep repeating it, over and over, even though the situation has changed.

What you should know about buying vs renting

Renting isn’t necessarily better than buying and buying isn’t necessarily better than renting. It depends on many things:

• Your city
• If you’re ready to buy a house
• Why you want a house: to raise a family? Because you want to renovate it? As an investment? Or for pure desire?

My advice: Run the numbers and get educated. But never, ever say you’re “throwing money away on rent.”

Is Renting a Waste of Money? Ramit Sethi Explains is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

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What’s on my desk? A lot of gear is piled off to the side of my desktop iMac.

1. Alexa, inside an Echo Dot. I ask Alexa all kinds of questions all day long and also have her schedule my day by setting alarms at the beginning of each appointment

2. AirPods. I use AirPods for zoom calls and for walking meetings. I can walk while talking.

3. CD and DVD player for my PC.  Since they no longer build them inside I needed to get an auxiliary one.

4. Small flashlight. One AA rechargeable battery flashlight, which I use to find things in the office, in corners, at the back of drawers, etc.

5. Brother P-Touch PC Connectable Label Maker.  This Brother label maker is hooked up to my iMac. I can type the text of the labels I want and they print out fast and quick. I can choose different color background and text.

6. Long Anker USB hub. I discovered you cannot have too many usb plugs. This one has 14 and I have already used them all up.

7. Logitech HD Webcam. I took this Logitech camera and made a metal bracket for it so it can hang from my desktop monitor right in the middle of the screen. I hang it there during zoom calls. Since the camera is in the center of my screen it looks like I am looking right at the person rather than off camera.

-- Kevin Kelly

Recomendos:
40x Handheld Magnifier
Bondhus Balldriver and Hex T-handles (Metric)
Bondhus Balldriver and Hex T-handles (Imperial)
Vapur Element Flexible Water Bottle

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I find it unfair that humans don't have tails but monkeys do. More than 60 million years ago, the earliest primates did have tails that helped them not fall out of trees. Most primates still have tails but people and other apes lost them along the way. — Read the rest

Wobbly furniture can lead to all sorts of minor tragedies, from sloshed drinks to scratched floors—but you can make your furniture more stable with just the use of the humble hammer, screwdriver, and drill.

Read more...

The Cumbre Vieja volcano volcano erupted on the island of La Palma in Spain's Canary Islands on Sunday. The resulting massive wave of lava is creeping across the island, engulfing everything in its path.

So far, 7,000 residents have evacuated. The videos below show the unstoppable liquid juggernaut. — Read the rest

[link] [82 comments]

It's tricky to explain who Lee Pace plays in "Foundation," Apple's lavish new adaptation of Isaac Asimov's classic science-fiction novels. On one hand, he plays Emperor Cleon, the ruler of the Empire that oversees the known galaxy and its countless planets and civilizations. But he also plays ... Emperor Cleon and Emperor Cleon and Emperor Cleon, the fellow clones of their shared ancestor who ascend to the throne after one version grows older. Pace plays multiple Cleons across the first season of "Foundation," sharing the character with older and younger actors, handing previous version of Cleon off to one another as the character ages across the decades (and sometimes centuries) spanning first season. It's a bit of an acting magic trick, one that Pace shares with fellow Cleon actors Terrence Mann, Cassian Bilton, and Cooper Carter. Each clone stands alone as his own character, even as he is played by several actors across several episodes covering many years. It's one of the show's most ambitious touches, and it all comes down to Pace anchoring it all.

Of course, Pace is no stranger to playing powerful science fiction leaders, as fans of "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Captain Marvel" know. But Cleon is no villain. Powerful? Conceited? Dangerous? Yes. But also strangely sympathetic and, depending on the generation of clone, staggeringly tragic? Oh, yes. 

We spoke to Pace ahead of the premiere of "Foundation" about playing the Cleons and what it's like to bring the brainy science fiction of Asimov into the modern streaming age. 

"I Think Our Show Is About Change, The Inevitability Of Change."

Lee Pace: It's exciting to talk to people about the show because I feel like I've been thinking about it in my own little bubble, and it's exciting to launch it into the world.

Yeah, I'm excited to talk about it. I was hesitant because I read the "Foundation" books years ago, and there are a lot of people talking about big ideas in rooms, whereas the show is trying to make it cinematic. It's making all these ideas that were so vague and heady on the page into cinema. For you, what was this like to try to translate Asimov as an actor?

I am a huge science-fiction fan, so I came to it with the same skepticism you did. If I'm totally honest, I remember I had read the book, and then I was talking to someone about it when I first heard it was being made, and I was like, "How the hell are they going to pull this off? There's no way to dramatize the story of this scale," but I feel like [creator] David Goyer cracked it. He figured it out by creating very different ways with which these characters can cheat death, so you can have characters that you invest in that span what could potentially be a very long period of time. The way that my character has done it is by cloning himself repeatedly for the past 400 years to establish an imperishable permanence and control over this mindbogglingly vast expanse of space. It's abstract, the idea of being the emperor of the galaxy. I struggle with control over my life.

This man has control over trillions of lives, thousands of planets. He decides who lives in dies. He controls technology that is unfathomable to us here on planet Earth. He decides who has prosperity and who suffers. And it's not a committee that helps him decide it. It's just him and his brothers, that at any given time there are three Cleons. I don't really think about myself playing a man. I think about myself more playing a role that many men inhabit. And then there's the youngest Cleon, Dawn, who is the child that we are teaching the lines, the blocking, the business of empire for when he inherits the throne. It's about inherited power. So although, where the context is this galactic empire, it's really about us here on Earth right now, I would say. That's really what we're talking about.

It feels really relevant right now in 2021 to have a story about these politicians, these leaders, who are actively ignoring scientists and mathematicians who are saying things are going wrong.

Well, I don't know. I guess, I think he's looking at Hari Seldon [Jared Harris' character, who predicts an impending societal collapse] and Hari Seldon's math and his prophecy, and he's like, "What do you think we do all day? Yeah. We know. We know that there is trouble everywhere you look. That's what we do, is balance the conflicting priorities of empire." But they only have one solve for thing. They only choose violence. And I think that, if you were to compare the character of Cleon with this someone who is less glittery at the very far corner of the galaxy on Terminus, Salvor Hardin, who never chooses violence. I think there's an interesting contrast in the human experience. I think our show is about change, the inevitability of change. And the characters I play are resistant to that change, afraid of that change, afraid of the consequences of when their burden becomes too heavy for them to carry. Does that make sense?

"I'm Going To Do This Better Than You. I'm Going To Be Fairer."

Yeah, it does. That's actually a slightly more optimistic book of material than I was expecting, to be honest.

I think it's like his hands can't hold it all. And what we're seeing is someone who's living in a fantasy that they can. He believes that he has this control. It causes him anxiety when he feels that control slipping from him. I think the real turning point in the series, which David very boldly begins our show on, is Cleon looking Hari Seldon in the eye and realizing that he's correct, realizing that he's right. And he inherited this reality, this fantasy that he's the emperor of the galaxy. And he knows the lines, he knows the blocking, but now he has to start improvising. Now he has to start solving problems that he didn't anticipate, that his ascendance didn't anticipate.

And that's where I think we start to see them distinguish themselves as individuals, these Cleons, because they believe they're the same man, but they also are looking at their ascendance and thinking, "I'm going to do this better than you. I'm going to be fairer. I'm going to be stronger. Where you made mistakes, I will be the emperor that the galaxy deserves." And they're looking down at Dawn and saying, "It is imperative. The galaxy requires you to be exactly like me. You have to do this exactly like I do it. You have to understand this exactly like I do it. You have to act exactly like I'm acting." And I'm so interested in the conflict that creates because they're not the same man. They're not.

How do you and the other actors playing the Cleons keep things straight? What kind of conversations do you have to make sure each generation of Cleon translates to each actor? 

 Well, with Terrence Mann, Cassian Bilton, and Cooper Carter, that was the fun work at the beginning. I love that kind of work. I think that's, really, it's interesting. And it began in a very physical way because we were copying each other's movements. That's the kind of exquisiteness of empire is that they believe that they're the same man. They move in the same way. They see things in the same way. They have the same traits. And there's a, I guess, exquisite protection of that impermanence that they're holding onto, and it starts to fall apart. And it's interesting to see how they respond to that pressure of... How many episodes have you seen? I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm cautious. I'm cautious to say anything because it was so fun to read these episodes, and have David Goyer unfold the story.

So at this point, as the show is going out there, I'm very cautious to say too much about the plot because I don't find the show prescriptive. I think it is opening an investigation about what it means to be human in a very simple way. There are spaceships, there's technology that we can only dream of here own Earth, but really it's about us, and it's about how humans respond to change, how they resist change, in our characters position, embrace change, if you were to look at the character of Gail. And that's us, really. That's us. We're looking around right now, and I don't care what your politics are, you're concerned with these disparate... Things are moving so fast. There are things that are alarming everywhere you look. We're scared. That's the experience of being alive. I started to ramble there. You got stop me. You got to say, "Stop going off on your tangent. We've got an interview to do."

"Foundation" begins streaming on Apple TV+ on Friday, September 24, 2021.

Read this next: The 10 Best Sci-Fi Shows Currently On Netflix

The post Foundation Star Lee Pace on Playing Multiple Generations of a Godlike Clone Emperor [Interview] appeared first on /Film.

Film Movement has provided us with a stunning exclusive trailer for "Roh," a supernatural thriller that served as Malaysia's Oscar submission last year. It will arrive via Virtual Cinema and, day-and-date, on Digital/VOD this October 29.

Here is the official synopses:

"Cut off from civilization, a single mother puts her children on high alert when they bring home a strange young girl caked in clay. She tells of spirits and spirit hunters, and after spending the night she delivers an ominous prophecy: the family will all soon die. As strangers begin to show up on her doorstep, and terrible events crop up around them, she quickly finds another reason to fear the forest. This eerily atmospheric folk horror tale marks the stunning directorial debut of seasoned visual effects artist Emir Ezwan. From the ominous lighting, off-kilter tone, isolated locations and strange goings on, 'Roh' is a visceral, spine-tingling revelation called "easily one of the most haunting and unnerving films of the year...a near masterclass of tension and quiet horror. (Carson Timar, Buttered Popcorn)."

Roh Trailer

In Malay the word "roh" specifically means spirit, although in an interesting twist, English-speaking countries have been translating the title as simply "Soul." Either title is appropriate as the eerie trailer suggests, complete with its twitchy ghost hunter and requisite scary little girl bringing all kinds of freaky to the equation.

What we see here definitely gives off distinct "The Witch" vibes, especially with its period setting of an isolated family deep in the wilderness. Like that 2015 film directed by Robert Eggers (who started his career as an art director), "Roh" director Emir Ezwan is making his feature debut and comes from a technical artistic background. Ezwan's visual effects work has been seen in Malaysian fare like "Crossroads: One Two Jaga," "Motif" and this year's "Barbarian Invasion." The film was actually made back in 2019 and intended for a 2020 release before COVID concerns pushed it back. 

Even the mighty director Edgar Wright of "Shaun of the Dead" and the forthcoming "Last Night in Soho" fame has sang the praises of "Roh," calling it "amazing stuff." While American films are very popular in Malaysia, where "Avengers: Endgame" is the highest grossing film, their local flicks have yet to yield a breakout success in North America the same way films from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, or Indonesia have. The horror genre is very popular there, though, with the Muslim-themed supernatural horror picture "Munafik 2" currently the most successful local film within the country. Perhaps "Roh" could help change that course in the USA?

"Roh" hits Virtual Cinema and, day-and-date, on Digital/VOD this October 29, 2021.

Read this next: Pop Culture Imports: 'Train To Busan,' 'A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,' A Guillermo Del Toro Double Feature, And More

The post Roh Trailer: Malaysia's Oscar Submission Offers Folk Horror Chills [Exclusive] appeared first on /Film.

One of the largest providers of HTTPS certificates, Let's Encrypt, will stop using an older root certificate next week -- meaning you might need to upgrade your devices to prevent them from breaking. From a report: Let's Encrypt, a free-to-use nonprofit, issues certificates that encrypt the connections between your devices and the wider internet, ensuring that nobody can intercept and steal your data in transit. Millions of websites alone rely on Let's Encrypt. But, as warned by security researcher Scott Helme, the root certificate that Let's Encrypt currently uses -- the IdentTrust DST Root CA X3 -- will expire on September 30. After this, computers, devices and web clients -- such as browsers -- will no longer trust certificates that have been issued by this certificate authority. For the overwhelming majority of website users, there is nothing to worry about and September 30 will be business as usual. Older devices, however, could run into some trouble, much like they did when the AddTrust External CA Root expired back in May. Stripe, Red Hat and Roku all suffered outages as a result.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

SiriusXM continues to expand its line of Marvel podcasts with "Marvel's Wastelanders: Hawkeye," a new 10-episode scripted series that will feature Stephen Lang ("Avatar," "Don't Breathe") as the voice of the Avenger and archer extraordinaire. Jeremy Renner has his own live-action "Hawkeye" series coming to Disney+ on November 24, 2021, but before that, you'll be able to hear the audio adventures of Old Man Hawkeye on SiriusXM. This version of the character is a surly sideshow freak who is losing his sight, not unlike Lang's character, the Blind Man, most recently seen in "Don't Breathe 2."

"Marvel's Wastelanders: Hawkeye" will co-star Sasha Lane as Hawkeye's daughter, Ash. Lane played Hunter C-20 in "Loki" this summer, so she's already an MCU alum. In addition to her and Lang, the podcast will feature the voices of Jess Barbagallo as Max, Michelle Hurd as Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird, Bobby Moreno as Junior, Joe Morton as Ringmaster, Tracie Thoms as Kate Bishop, and Lea DeLaria as Raven/Mystique.

Mystique is the character that Jennifer Lawrence played in the "X-Men" movies, while Hailee Steinfeld will portray Kate Bishop in the upcoming Disney+ "Hawkeye" series. Morton played Cyborg's father in "Justice League," but this time, he's voicing a more villainous character.

Ringmaster features heavily in the first teaser for "Marvel's Wastelanders: Hawkeye," which you can hear below. In it, Hawkeye grunts while Ringmaster name-drops other villains like Baron Zemo, Doctor Doom, and the Thunderbolts, who killed off all the heroes in this timeline. He also likens Hawkeye and heroes of his breed to figures from American folklore such as Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and John Henry.

"Marvel's Wastelanders: Hawkeye" is written by J. Holtham and directed by Rachel Chavkin.

Marvel's Wastelanders: Hawkeye Podcast Teaser

Marvel debuted its first scripted podcast, "Wolverine: The Long Night," back in 2018, with the selling point that it would offer a "true crime" twist on everyone's favorite mutant with adamantium claws. Since then, it has offered further fictional adventures with "Marvel's Wastelanders: Star-Lord," which is set "in a shadowy alternate future" and "finds Peter Quill (Timothy Busfield) and Rocket (Chris Elliott) a little paunchier, a little slower, and a lot saltier than they were during their glory days."

Now, it's continuing the "Wastelanders" story with this "Hawkeye" podcast. Here's the synopsis for "Marvel's Wastelanders: Hawkeye:"

Thirty years ago, the villains of the world rose up and killed all the heroes. Well, all the heroes that mattered. The sole survivor of the Avengers, Hawkeye (Lang) is now a sideshow freak, re-living the worst day of his life for paying audiences. He's surly, broken, and losing his sight, but there's still that fire in him to be a hero, to avenge his friends. And he's ready to do what needs to be done: killing every last person responsible for the deaths of those he loved the most.When the Brotherhood Traveling Circus, Carnival and Ringmaster's Road Show arrives at the Kingdom (in the territory formerly known as the southwest desert), Hawkeye gets an unexpected visitor, his estranged 17-year-old daughter Ash (Lane). On her own mission for vengeance after losing her best friend, Ash insists on following Hawkeye on his secret mission. In a world without heroes, Ash learns what a true hero can really be.

"Marvel's Wastelanders: Hawkeye" premieres on SiriusXM on October 4, 2021.

Read this next: Why Matt Fraction And David Aja's Hawkeye Is Essential Reading For Marvel Fans

The post Stephen Lang to Lead Hawkeye: Wastelanders Scripted Podcast for Marvel and SiriusXM appeared first on /Film.

By now, you probably know the drill. These days, there are two main priorities that most major studios seem to have spent the last several years zeroing in on: streaming services and shared universes. Netflix has one of those aspects all wrapped up and taken care of, obviously, but the streamer hasn't quite managed to find its niche regarding properties under its ownership that could naturally expand to multiple platforms, mediums, and -- most importantly for Netflix -- profit streams.

Well, that search just might be over now that reports are coming in that Netflix has acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company, providing access and a clear path to almost endless adaptations of the famous author's collection of stories. That's right, folks. Ready or not, prepare yourselves for a Roald Dahl Expanded Universe.

Going All-In On Dahl

Insert terribly cheesy and way-too-obvious line about Netflix winning the golden ticket here. The news about Netflix jumping on board the Roald Dahl train comes courtesy of Variety, which notes that this new acquisition will serve as an expansion on a previous deal that Netflix struck with the Roald Dahl Story Company. That deal initially covered animated offerings that would offer their own spin on already-adapted works -- including such titles as "Matilda" (which Netflix is teaming up with Sony and Working Title to adapt into a new musical), "The BFG," and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (Taika Waititi and Phil Johnston are making a series "based on the world" of the classic story) -- but now, the possibilities are endless as Netflix could very well commission spin-offs, remakes, tie-in shows, novels, games, and much more.

In a blogpost announcing the news, Netflix co-CEO and Chief Content Officer stated:

"These stories and their messages of the power and possibility of young people have never felt more pertinent.

As we bring these timeless tales to more audiences in new formats, we're committed to maintaining their unique spirit and their universal themes of surprise and kindness, while also sprinkling some fresh magic into the mix."

The Variety report also notes that, "A significant part of the proceeds from the sale will be used to set up a charitable trust, which will focus on supporting existing and new charity partners in the areas of children's health, anti-hate and anti-racism." In other words, Netflix public relations knew enough to get out in front of potential backlash stemming from Roald Dahl's documented history of racism and anti-Semitism. As with many popular and influential public figures, the positive side effects of Dahl's work must be reconciled with his failings as a deeply flawed human being.

It remains to be seen how exactly this attempt to turn Dahl's many classic stories into a shared universe in its own right will pan out -- personally I'm, uh, somewhat skeptical! -- but more specifics are sure to trickle through in the coming months. Stay tuned to /Film as these updates come in.

Read this next: The 14 Scariest Moments In Non-Horror Movies

The post Netflix is Planning A Roald Dahl Extended Universe appeared first on /Film.

Zack Snyder's first comic book movie was "300," an adaptation of the Dark Horse series of the same name, written and illustrated by Frank Miller. "300" came out 15 years ago, before Snyder ever tackled DC Comics properties such as "Watchmen," "Man of Steel," and "Justice League." Snyder hasn't been shy about his love for Miller's comics, but until now, we haven't heard much of what Miller had to say about Snyder's movies.

In a recent podcast appearance (via ComicBook.com), Miller finally aired some of his thoughts about the give-and-take between his comics work and Hollywood. Specifically, he discussed his influential 1986 miniseries, "The Dark Knight Returns," which informed the costume design and other aspects of "Batman v Superman."

Here's what Miller had to say about his comics inspiring films like Snyder's:

"I really gotta say about that—a few years have gone by since all this started, okay? And at first, my reaction was to be very territorial and all that. And now I've kind of sat back and with a much deeper breath and longer view on the whole thing and all I can say is: this is great."I mean, I came in and I came up with my idea for The Dark Knight Returns and that basically was the big splash I made, which started my whole career going. And since then I've seen the two fields collaborate back and forth. I benefited greatly from Dark Knight Returns and so have they and continue to. And it can only be looked at as a healthy relationship."

Miller's Own Forays Into Filmmaking

Of course, Miller isn't just some creator who has watched from afar as his comics were mined for movie material. The year before "300" hit, he himself was credited as a co-director with Robert Rodriguez on "Sin City," which remains one of the most faithful and unique comics-to-film adaptations of the 2000s. By approaching "Sin City" as a translation rather than a loose adaptation (like so many other comic book movies), Rodriguez and Miller were able to offer something new stylistically.

"Sin City" blazed a trail for "300," and it opened the door for Miller to direct his own neo-noir adaptation of the comic strip, "The Spirit." That film was poorly received, as was the belated "Sin City" sequel, "A Dame to Kill for," which Miller again co-directed with Rodriguez. Beyond the first "Sin City," Miller hasn't had much luck in Hollywood, with his scripts for "Robocop 2" and "Robocop 3" having yielded two old '90s sequels that are not very well-regarded, either.

He's also courted controversy over the years and suffered a creative decline in comics. Yet his early work inspired some of Netflix's "Daredevil" series, and it continues to inspire filmmakers like Matt Reeves, who cited Miller and David Mazzuchelli's "Batman: Year One," as one of the three biggest inspirations for his film, "The Batman," due out next year.

As for Snyder, he still hopes to make a proper adaptation of "The Dark Knight Returns" someday, but right now, his plate is full with zombies and his Netflix sci-fi epic, "Rebel Moon."

Read this next: Zack Snyder Still Wants To Adapt 'The Dark Knight Returns,' But Without Ben Affleck And Henry Cavill

The post Why Frank Miller Changed His Mind About Zack Snyder's DC Movies appeared first on /Film.

The 2017 adaptation of "It" was a huge hit, and fans of Stephen King (like me!) found a lot to love about the flick. But I'll always wonder what the Cary Fukunaga-directed version of the film might've looked like. Fukunaga spent years developing the adaptation but left due to creative differences. After he departed, Andy Muschietti took over as director, and Muschietti's film turned out well in the end. Still – Fukunaga's version was bound to be something different, and the filmmaker, who is currently out there promoting his Bond movie "No Time To Die," recently offered some insight into what he would've done had he helmed the pic. 

Creative Differences

I've read Cary Fukunaga's "It" screenplay (the script used for the actual film is credited to Fukunaga, Chase Palmer, and Gary Dauberman) and I can tell you that structure-wise, it's very similar to the film Andy Muschietti made. But it goes without saying that Fukunaga would've handled the material differently, and I'll always wonder what that would've been like. According to Fukunaga himself, the tone he was striving for wasn't a straight-up horror movie. Instead, he wanted to do something a little different. Speaking with THR, the filmmaker said: 

"I was on that for four or five years with Warners and then it got moved to New Line, right before we were about to go into production. I think New Line's view of what they wanted and my view of what I wanted were very different. I wanted to do a drama with horror elements, more like 'The Shining.' I think they wanted to do something more [pure horror] like 'Annabelle' [from the 'Conjuring' films]. That was essentially the disconnect."

I want to point out here that "The Shining" is very much a horror movie, not a "drama with horror elements." But I think I get what Fukunaga is saying here: he wanted the horror in the film to be more based around cerebral dread rather than jump-scares. And again, while I really enjoy Muschietti's film (the sequel ... not so much), I do wish we could've seen Fukunaga's vision. Perhaps he'll attempt to make another horror movie at some point. 

"It Was Disheartening."

We can all agree that the first season of "True Detective" was the best. That also happens to be the season that was helmed from start to finish by Fukunaga, and while it would've been great if the filmmaker remained with the series, that wasn't in the cards. Fukunaga and "True Detective" creator Nic Pizzolatto clashed behind the scenes of the series, and in the same recent interview, Fukunaga opened up about that as well. "The show was presented to me in the way we pitched it around town — as an independent film made into television," Fukunaga said, adding that things changed quickly, and Pizzolatto started to act like he was in charge of everything: 

"The writer and director are a team. Over the course of the project, Nic kept positioning himself as if he was my boss and I was like, 'But you're not my boss. We're partners. We collaborate.' By the time they got to postproduction, people like [former HBO programming president] Michael Lombardo were giving Nic more power. It was disheartening because it didn't feel like the partnership was fair."

Fukunaga also stated: "As for their creative differences, Nic is a really good writer, but I do think he needs to be edited down. It becomes too much about the writing and not enough about the momentum of the story. My struggle with him was to take some of these long dialogue scenes and put some air into them. We differed on tone and taste."

I don't think the subsequent seasons of "True Detective" were as bad as their reputation suggests, but it's hard to deny that seasons 2 and 3 of the show lack the spark of that first season, and I can only assume Fukunaga was the secret ingredient that made season 1 so successful. 

Read this next: Cary Fukunaga To Direct Feature Adaptation Of Cyberpunk Comic 'Tokyo Ghost'

The post Cary Fukunaga Wanted His Version of It To Be Like The Shining appeared first on /Film.

When everyone's favorite "Star Wars" bounty hunter, Boba Fett, made his long-awaited return in "The Mandalorian" season 2, the series gave no overt explanation for how he survived the almighty Sarlacc. The Sarlacc was the toothy creature, nested in a sandpit, that swallowed up Boba Fett on the desert planet of Tatooine in "Return of the Jedi." The fact that it lives in the so-called "Dune Sea" on Tatooine just goes to show how indebted "Star Wars" is to Frank Herbert's "Dune" and its sandworms, among other things.

In December 2021, Fett is set to headline his own Disney+ series, "The Book of Boba Fett," which will reportedly employ flashbacks. So it's possible that we may get one of those showing his daring escape from the Sarlacc.

In the meantime, there are certain hints we can gather about how Fett made his way out of the pit. Some of these come from current "Star Wars" continuity and others come from the old Expanded Universe, which Disney rebranded as non-canonical Legends after its purchase of LucasFilm.

The Jawa Connection

In "The Mandalorian," Timothy Olyphant's character, Cobb Vanth, is initially in possession of Boba Fett's armor. Movieweb notes that Cobb Vanth plays a part in the "Star Wars" canon novel, "Aftermath: Life Debt," by Chuck Wendig. There, he buys a suit of Mandalorian armor from some Jawas, the small hooded aliens with glowing eyes, first seen scavenging droids in the original "Star Wars" movie back in 1977. (They're known for exclaiming, "Uttini!")

"Aftermath: Life Debt" also explains that the explosion of Jabba the Hutt's sail barge left a gaping wound in the Sarlacc's stomach. The Jawas were able to salvage the armor out of this hole and it seems likely that Fett might have also used it to escape.

There's a precedent in "Star Wars" Legends for Fett linking up with the Jawas, as far back as December 1983, the year "Return of the Jedi" hit theaters. That's when Marvel Comics published "Star Wars" #81, an issue titled "Jawas of Doom." In it, rather than being "slowly digested over a thousand years" by the Sarlacc, Fett gets spit out with amnesia. The Jawas mistake him for a droid because of his armor and throw him in their Sandcrawler.

Again, this story is no longer canonical in the Disney era of "Star Wars," but the new movies and TV shows still draw from the old Legends sometimes. A revived Boba Fett appeared in other Legends over the years, most notably the Dark Horse comic series "Dark Empire" and the anthology book "Tales from Jabba's Palace." Tying the Jawas to his escape from the Sarlacc, however, would be a way to return the character to his earliest post-"Return of the Jedi" roots.

Hopefully, we'll know the official answer to how Fett survived after "The Book of Boba Fett" lands on Disney+ in December 2021.

Read this next: The 12 Best Boba Fett Moments In Star Wars Shows And Movies

The post How did Boba Fett survive the Sarlacc Pit? Here's what happened after Return of the Jedi appeared first on /Film.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Vice: If you live near a freshwater river or lake, odds are good that you have seen warning signs about harmful algal and bacterial blooms posted on its shores. Alarmingly, a new study reports that these blooms may be early indicators of an ongoing ecological disaster, caused by humans, that eerily parallels the worst extinction event in Earth's history. Some 251 million years ago, the end-Permian event (EPE), popularly known as the "Great Dying," wiped out nearly 90 percent of species on Earth, making it the most severe loss of life in our planet's history. Ominous parallels of that upheaval are now showing up on Earth, according to a team led by Chris Mays, a postdoctoral researcher and palaeobotanist at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. The researchers found that toxic algal and bacterial blooms during the Great Dying are similar to a recent microbial proliferation in modern lakes and rivers -- a trend that has been linked to human activities such as greenhouse gas emissions (especially carbon dioxide), deforestation, and soil loss. The repeated correlation of these blooms with mass extinction events is "a disconcerting signal for future environmental change," report the researchers in a study published on Friday in the journal Nature Communications. Indeed, there's a lot of evidence to suggest we are currently in the midst of yet another mass extinction event, caused by humans. Not only do microbial blooms transform freshwater habitats into "dead zones" that can both choke out other species, thereby increasing the severity of extinction events, they can also delay the recovery of ecosystems by millions of years, the team noted. Mays and his colleagues reached this troubling conclusion by analyzing fossil records near Sydney, Australia, that were laid down before, during, and after the end-Permian extinction. Though the exact mechanisms behind the Great Dying are a matter of debate, it was driven in part by an intense bout of volcanic eruptions that sparked a dramatic uptick in global temperatures and greenhouse gases emissions. Wildfires, droughts, and other disruptions swept across the woodlands, causing a collapse of plant life and widespread deforestation. The sudden loss of forests, which act as a sink for carbon, created a noticeable "coal gap" during the end-Permian that exposes this long-term interruption in carbon sequestration. Nutrients and soils that had once been metabolized by these botanical ecosystems instead seeped into nearby freshwater habitats, bolstering microbial blooms that were already thriving as a result of higher temperature and atmospheric carbon.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Repeated human errors made for years were to blame for a scandal which led to more than 1bn pound of state pensions not being paid, a report has concluded. BBC: The National Audit Office (NAO) said 134,000 pensioners, mostly women, were underpaid pensions because outdated computer systems led to mistakes. Among them was 74-year-old Irene Wise, who said women like her were "short-changed" for years. The government said everyone would receive what they were owed. However, the report raises huge questions for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over the way the state pension system functions and the mistakes that led to such a massive shortfall in payments. Reacting to the report, Meg Hillier, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee, said: "This is not the first widespread error we have seen in the DWP in recent years. Correcting these errors comes at great cost to the taxpayer. "The DWP must provide urgent redress to those affected and take real action to prevent similar errors in future." The problem relates to the "old" state pension system where married women who had a poor pension in their own right could claim a 60% basic state pension based on their husband's record of contributions. A review is taking place to trace those affected by systemic failures to award these pension rises, stretching back to 1985. But only some women are being fully paid. Others will only be able to claim for 12 months of missed payments. The DWP is expecting to pay the affected pensioners it can trace a total of 1.05bn pound, at an average of 8,900 pound per pensioner affected. That exercise will cost the taxpayer 25m pound in staff costs and will not be completed until the end of 2023. An estimated 40,000 affected women have already died.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive, has signed off on an effort to show users pro-Facebook stories and to distance himself from scandals. From a report: Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, signed off last month on a new initiative code-named Project Amplify. The effort, which was hatched at an internal meeting in January, had a specific purpose: to use Facebook's News Feed, the site's most important digital real estate, to show people positive stories about the social network. The idea was that pushing pro-Facebook news items -- some of them written by the company -- would improve its image in the eyes of its users, three people with knowledge of the effort said. But the move was sensitive because Facebook had not previously positioned the News Feed as a place where it burnished its own reputation. Several executives at the meeting were shocked by the proposal, one attendee said. Project Amplify punctuated a series of decisions that Facebook has made this year to aggressively reshape its image. Since that January meeting, the company has begun a multipronged effort to change its narrative by distancing Mr. Zuckerberg from scandals, reducing outsiders' access to internal data, burying a potentially negative report about its content and increasing its own advertising to showcase its brand. [...] So Facebook executives, concluding that their methods had done little to quell criticism or win supporters, decided early this year to go on the offensive, said six current and former employees, who declined to be identified for fear of reprisal. "They're realizing that no one else is going to come to their defense, so they need to do it and say it themselves," said Katie Harbath, a former Facebook public policy director. The changes have involved Facebook executives from its marketing, communications, policy and integrity teams. Alex Schultz, a 14-year company veteran who was named chief marketing officer last year, has also been influential in the image reshaping effort, said five people who worked with him. But at least one of the decisions was driven by Mr. Zuckerberg, and all were approved by him, three of the people said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Anshar Studios' cyberpunk detective RPG Gamedec launched last week, promising a roleplaying adventure that continually adapts to your decisions and has a number of distinct virtual worlds for you to explore. And if you'd like to know what you'll be getting yourself into, should you decide to purchase Gamedec, you might want to check out some reviews below:

PC Gamer 58/100:

Gamedec had heaps of promise, but the bugs, inconsistencies and that jarring pivot leave it feeling rushed and confused. And it's all the more disappointing because it's so obvious that there's a great game in here somewhere, it just didn't get finished.

Shacknews 8/10:

GameDec does right by the cyberpunk genre by using it as a backdrop to an excellent detective story. The series of virtual worlds makes for a diverse range of environments, filled with characters that all have their own unique characteristics and motivations. The lack of a fail state raises the stakes, and makes it important to learn the ins and outs of dialogue and deduction. Though some bugs and missing functionality can make it rough around the edges, GameDec is still an overall quite enjoyable experience.

Ragequit.gr 85/100:

Despite being a little rough around the edges, Anshar Studios' first RPG attempt in the cyberpunk world of Gamedec manages to hold its own against even AAA ventures in the genre.

COGconnected 70/100:

Most cyberpunk games focus on the flotsam and jetsam of the environment, the strobing lights, the economically stratified world, the gadgets and imagined technologies. Gamedec, in contrast, reminds us that fundamental human passions and personal failures will probably endure well into whatever advanced future comes to pass. Gamedec has a lot of interesting ideas and mechanics, and its hardboiled- detective-in-the-22nd-century story is a great premise. Either the developers had ambitions beyond their ability to deliver, or maybe the game just needs a few more passes with the random orbital sander to smooth down the rough edges, but in its present state Gamedec’s flaws definitely detract from an otherwise intriguing experience.

GamePressure 8/10:

Gamedec’s worlds are fascinating, albeit silent at times, and are made even more absorbing knowing there is a lingering feeling of dread in the air. It touches on some dark subject matter that makes for an interesting read and its branching narrative gives you multiple ways of enjoying the overarching story. Like a sci-fi novel, Gamedec requires your full attention otherwise you may get overwhelmed or bored of it before you turn the final page.

PC Invasion 5/10:

A cyberpunk-themed CRPG where you take on the role of a game detective, or "gamedec," to solve virtual crimes.

Even with some refreshing concepts related to investigations, Gamedec stumbles owing to uninteresting plot points, bland characterization, unclear systems, and pesky bugs.

Tom's Guide 4/5:

If you liked Disco Elysium, you should give Gamedec a try. While it’s not as polished and refined as it could be, Gamedec is nonetheless a fun combat-less RPG with a cyberpunk flair. It doesn’t tread new ground or break any barriers, but it’s a good time with plenty of replayability.