Ronald.phillips

The entertainment industry might be run by grown-ups, but sometimes, kids are the best collaborators. Celebrated author Neil Gaiman took a cue from his young daughter, Holly when writing his deeply unsettling novella "Coraline," and if it weren't for Edward Berger's teenage daughter, we might not have the latest on-screen adaptation of "All Quiet on the Western Front." A young Kurt Russell shouldn't be left off the list, either. According to the actor, his feedback on an early cut of "Mary Poppins" led to Dick Van Dyke eventually dancing around with animated penguins.

In a 2016 conversation with GQ, Russell revealed that he actually had a close relationship with Walt Disney as a young teen. As such, Disney would ask for his thoughts on upcoming films (it probably didn't hurt that the actor fit squarely into the studio's target demographic). When Disney eventually asked about "Mary Poppins," Russell admitted that the then-current version of the movie was "okay," but not something that he'd recommend.

Upon hearing the teen's reaction, Disney had an epiphany: "we need some penguins!" The rest was history. 

Although the animation was difficult and time-consuming to create, it was nevertheless added — much to the movie's lasting benefit. Sure, we currently live in an age where CGI is everywhere (and some of its novelty has worn off), but there's still something ridiculously endearing about watching Dick Van Dyke prance around with his little animated friends. It's no wonder that in 1964, at a point when films were generally live-action or animated (but not both), The Exhibitor would call "Mary Poppins" "magical."

Creating The Penguins

Russell's comments may have brought about the penguins, but he wasn't the only person involved in their creation. The scene required lots of careful work — and I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge some of the incredible behind-the-scenes talent.

First off, animating the penguins themselves was no simple task. Frank Thomas, who was in charge of the scene's animation, had planned out the penguins' movements before Dick Van Dyke's dance was filmed. However, when it came time to add the animation to the live-action footage, Thomas faced a major problem:

"As I get the film of Dick actually doing the dance, here's his feet flying all around [and] stepping on my penguins. [...] So I had them duck and I had them jump and I had them get out of the way any way they could."

Now, I have to admit, the individual dance moves may have been frustrating to animate, but I really think they add to the scene's charm. Since the penguins usually dance in unison, the little ducks and kicks add a bit of personality to each of them. Plus, it's fun to pretend that the moves are born out of spontaneous, wholesome joy — almost as though the penguins are bursting with happiness.

Of course, even the very fact that Dick Van Dyke was able to dance with animated penguins was a marvel. Engineer Petro Vlahos deserves all the praise here: he created a one-of-a-kind camera that could essentially isolate a live-action background, then replace it with an animated image. (The camera was used in several other "Mary Poppins" scenes, too.)

Ultimately, the movie's adorable penguins wouldn't have existed without a lot of incredible talent — and, of course, Russell's comments. Leave it to Disney to realize just how valuable a kid's opinion could be.

Read this next: Ranking All Eight Muppet Movies On The First Film's 40th Anniversary

The post You Can Thank Kurt Russell For The Penguins In Mary Poppins appeared first on /Film.

As I discussed previously, the past three years created a perfect storm situation with lasting consequences for how we think about cybersecurity: 

• Digital transformation accelerated significantly. Projects took off due to the pandemic and remote everything—work, manufacturing, healthcare, you name it—became imperative for business survival.
• Ransomware went for the jugular. Critical infrastructure organizations had to navigate an escalating threat landscape, especially a surge in ransomware attacks as threat actors understood that the value of operational technology (OT) networks and the availability of crypto payment infrastructure improved their chances for pay-outs. 
• Cybersecurity became critical to business. Under siege, businesses prioritized building resilience for which cybersecurity is essential and, when done well, can drive competitive advantage. 

The impact of this perfect storm on boardroom conversations has been that cybersecurity technologies and teams have shifted from being viewed as a cost center to a business enabler. The shift is so crucial to business outcomes that Gartner expects that by 2025, 70% of CEOs will mandate a culture of resilience and recommends risk leaders recognize resilience as a strategic imperative to survive a confluence of threats. The mission is no longer just to protect, but to build trust that the business can operate even under strenuous conditions and to accelerate innovation within business units. That is very different from how security teams operated for the last two decades.

Businesses that invest in cybersecurity as a competitive advantage are transforming their business models. Every company is or will become a technology company, and those doing it faster are winning. Accenture refers to companies that have doubled down on technology and innovation as “leap froggers”, growing five times faster than laggards in the past three years.

Geopolitics contributes to this storm and need for board change

Geopolitical conflict has raised the stakes even further and is here to stay, whether in its aggressive form of the Ukraine conflict or more subtle, as in the competition between the U.S. and China. That means companies that are a meaningful part of the economy of their countries, or that hold strategic importance because of the sector they operate in, will find themselves increasingly as targets in those conflicts. 

In addition to needing to significantly increase their collective understanding of technology innovation risk and objectives, CEOs and board members need to understand how the current geopolitical situation could be affecting the organization’s risk posture, adversaries’ motivations, and how best to dedicate resources. 

Many CEOs and board members are finding it exceedingly complex in this current climate to accurately identify, much less reduce risk, which is why shifting the makeup of boards is needed. A vast majority of board members are former CEOs and CFOs, with most new directors still coming from those backgrounds (26% and 23%, respectively). The good news is that 17% of new directors now come from the technology sector which is beginning to fill the hands-on experience gap of navigating technology-led businesses.

CISOs as board members 

One natural solution to infuse more technology and security expertise on boards is to recruit CISOs and CIOs for those positions. While just a few years ago that was mostly unthinkable, today an increasing number of boards are seeking out those experts, even if it means attracting board members with no prior board experience. That in itself is helping break another unfortunate aspect of boards: a lack of diversity and infusion of fresh perspectives and experience to handle emerging oversight challenges such as digital transformation and cyber and operational resilience. While we aren’t where we need to be, progress is happening and now 14% of CISOs say they sit on a corporate board or both a board and an advisory committee.

Even as first-timers, successful CISOs make for successful board members. In the last few years, the best CISOs have pushed their organizations outside of their comfort zones, resulting in high-ROI projects that contribute significantly toward the digital transformation of the organization. The spirit of this relentless pursuit to transform is highly impactful at the board level, and the practical knowledge those CISOs bring is very valuable. 

Another encouraging trend, Gartner predicts that by 2025, 40% of companies will have a dedicated cybersecurity committee. Who is better suited than a CISO to lead that conversation? Cybersecurity-related risk is a top concern, so boards need to know they have the proper oversight in place. CISOs can provide advice on moving forward with digital change initiatives and help companies prepare for the future. They can explain the organization’s risk posture, including exposure related to geopolitical conflict as well as to new business initiatives and emerging threats, and what can be done to mitigate risk.

Lastly, the role of the CISO has evolved from being a risk metrics presenter to a translator of risk to the business. Therefore, the expertise CISOs have developed in recent years in how to explain risk to the board makes them valuable contributors to these conversations. They can elevate the discussion to ensure deep understanding of the tradeoffs between growth and risk, enable more informed decision-making, and serve as guardrails for total business alignment.

The future belongs to the companies who are fastest and boldest in their adoption of technology as a competitive advantage. To best protect this future, we need technology and cybersecurity leaders on boards who understand and can translate the risk side of equations into successful business outcomes. 

The post Why CISOs Make Great Board Members appeared first on SecurityWeek.

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Elon Musk said he could've sold his SpaceX shares to take Tesla private when he took the witness stand again to defend his 2018 "funding secured" tweets in a lawsuit filed by the automaker's shareholders. According to CNBC, Musk proclaimed: "SpaceX stock alone meant 'funding secured' by itself. It's not that I want to sell SpaceX stock but I could have, and if you look at the Twitter transaction — that is what I did. I sold Tesla stock to complete the Twitter transaction. And I would have done the same here." He didn't say how many of his shares he'd have to sell, however, to be able to fund the transaction. 

The plaintiffs' lawsuit is based on Musk's infamous 2018 tweets in which he said he was "considering taking Tesla private at $420." He even said that he already had "[f]unding secured." Musk first took the stand for this particular case last week to defend himself against the plaintiffs' accusations that the tweets he made cost them significant financial losses. Tesla's shares temporarily stopped trading after those tweets and remained volatile in the weeks that followed. He said at the time that just because he tweets something "does not mean people believe it or will act accordingly."

This time, Musk reiterated his previous claim that he had an agreement with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to take Tesla private. He told the court that the country was "unequivocal" in its support of the transaction, which ultimately didn't go through. According to Bloomberg, the court discussed his communication and eventual falling out with Saudi fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan regarding the deal. A text exchange was reportedly presented to the jury, wherein Musk accused Al-Rumayyan of backing out of their handshake agreement. The Saudi official responded that he didn't have sufficient information to be able to commit to the buyout and called Musk's public announcement of their discussions "ill advised."

The plaintiffs' lawyer also asked Musk what many of us were probably wondering: If the $420 share price in his tweets was made as a joke in reference to marijuana. Apparently, it wasn't a joke, and he chose it "because it reflected about a 20 percent premium on Tesla's stock price." Musk is expected to testify again on Tuesday, so we'll likely hear more details about his failed bid to convert Tesla into a private entity. 

As Bloomberg notes, the judge in this case had already determined that his tweets were "objectively false and reckless." However, the plaintiffs still have to prove that Musk knew his tweets were misleading and that his tweets caused their losses to win the case. Musk and Tesla previously had to pay the Securities and Exchange Commission $20 million each to settle a separate lawsuit over the same tweets, accusing him of making "false and misleading statements" that could be constituted as fraud. The CEO said on the stand that he told the SEC about SpaceX and that the plaintiffs' lawyer "deliberately exclud[ed] that from jurors."

An exotic green comet that has not passed Earth since the time of the Neanderthals has reappeared in the sky ready for its closest approach to the planet next week. The Guardian reports: Discovered last March by astronomers at the Zwicky Transient Facility at the Palomar Observatory in California, comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was calculated to orbit the sun every 50,000 years, meaning it last tore past our home planet in the stone age. The comet, which comes from the Oort cloud at the edge of the solar system, will come closest to Earth on Wednesday and Thursday next week when it shoots past the planet at a distance of 2.5 light minutes -- a mere 27m miles. Comets are balls of primordial dust and ice that swing around the sun in giant elliptical orbits. As they approach the sun, the bodies warm up, turning surface ice into gas and dislodging dust. Together, this creates the cloud or coma which surrounds the comet's hard nucleus and the dusty tail that stretches out behind. Images already taken of comet C/2022 E3 reveal a subtle green glow that is thought to arise from the presence of diatomic carbon -- pairs of carbon atoms that are bound together -- in the head of the comet. The molecule emits green light when excited by the ultraviolet rays in solar radiation. Since mid-January, the comet has been easier to spot with a telescope or binoculars. It is visible in the northern hemisphere, clouds permitting, as the sky darkens in the evening, below and to the left of the handle of the Plough constellation. It is heading for a fly-by of the pole star, the brightest star in Ursa Minor, next week. The window for spotting the comet does not stay open long. While the best views may be had about February 1 and 2, by the middle of the month the comet will have dimmed again and slipped from view as it hurtles back out into the solar system on its return trip to the Oort cloud.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

There is plenty to grouse about with the Academy Award nominations, as there is every year. For 2023, in particular, the underrepresentation of films made by women and people of color is fairly egregious. I look through every single category, and there is at least one nomination I disagree with. That is, with one exception: Best Supporting Actor. Now, the five nominees do not perfectly align with who I would select for those slots, but that doesn't mean I outright reject any of these performances. Quite the opposite, I greatly admire all of them.

Four out of the five actors nominated this year have never been nominated for an Oscar before, and the other, Judd Hirsch, hasn't been nominated in over 40 years. But what I adore most about this group is that they are all true blue character actors. There isn't some movie star committing category fraud or taking a slightly smaller role because they know their fame will propel them to a nomination. These are all jobbing actors who have yet to receive the proper accolades they have deserved for a good long while. I am extremely excited they are getting their due now.

Let's dive into the category and see why each of these men deserves to be here ... and highlight the one misstep they made.

The Frontrunner

Out of every category at the Oscars, I think the safest lock of the night is that Ke Huy Quan is going to win Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Daniels' "Everything Everywhere All at Once." I have to cop to the fact that I am not a huge fan of this movie. However, that has absolutely nothing to do with Quan's performance, which I find to be far and away the best thing about the film. Not only does he get to play a tremendous range over the course of the film, having to play several different versions from the multiverse of his character Waymond, but he is the one who imbues the film with its heart and purpose. Plus, he gets to be apart of the film's best set piece, which involves a fanny pack.

Quan has talked extensively about struggling as an Asian-American actor and quitting the profession for many years to work behind the scenes. Making a comeback with a role as juicy as this one basically never happens, and he seized the opportunity beautifully. While he wouldn't be my winner — I can't lie about how I feel — I could not be more thrilled for someone who has gone through so much in this business and was able to find the perfect pathway back to doing what he always wanted to do.

The 'Banshees' Boys

Martin McDonagh is now responsible for seven acting nominations over the course of his last two films. That is a rather remarkable number, and it speaks wonders about his ability to craft meaty, complicated characters that actors can really sink their teeth into. Best Supporting Actor sports two performances from McDonagh's latest "The Banshees of Inisherin." Amazingly, Brendan Gleeson just received his very first nomination at the age of 67. This is what I am talking about when I say that this is a list of character actors. Gleeson has been kicking around this business for nearly 40 years in projects of all sizes and genres, and finally, the industry has rallied behind him. This is some of his finest work, and out of the nominees, he would be my winner.

Also nominated from "The Banshees of Inisherin" is Barry Keoghan. He is only 30 years old but has already established himself as one of the premiere actors of his generation. I would have nominated him a couple of years ago for another Colin Farrell-led film, "The Killing of a Sacred Deer." In this film, however, he gets to play far more openhearted and vulnerable than he usually does, and he nails every single devastating emotional blow and every single joke perfectly. I hope this is the first in a long line of nominations for Keoghan.

There Are No Small Roles

The last time Judd Hirsch got nominated for an Oscar was all the way back in 1981 for "Ordinary People." It was so long ago that Brendan Gleeson hadn't even appeared on screen before. This is the kind of nomination I want to see more of at the Academy Awards. So often this award can go to co-leads who drop down to the supporting categories because it's easier to win if you have a big part. Hirsch is in "The Fabelmans" for just a couple of scenes for a few minutes of screen time, but the impact that performance and character makes on the film is incalculable.

This is a true supporting performance that shows that the size of the part should not matter in determining whether or not the performance was worthy of attention and praise. Hirsch creates a full character with just a few pages to work with, and that is in some ways even more impressive. When you leave "The Fabelmans," you can't get Judd Hirsch out of your head. If that isn't a sign of a great performance, I don't know what is.

The Well-Deserved Surprise

The other four Best Supporting Actor nominees were either foregone conclusions or highly likely. Then there's Brian Tyree Henry getting nominated for his performance in the PTSD drama "Causeway." When I saw the film back in October, I immediately put Henry on my own personal ballot. This was a quiet, incredibly subdued performance of a man in tremendous emotional pain that he doesn't want to express, and my thought was that something this un-showy would never capture the attention of the Academy. He was going to get an Independent Spirit Award nomination (which he did) and some critics prizes (which he did), and that was to be the end of it. So, when his name was read out during the announcement broadcast hosted by Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams, it was the one nomination that made me audibly gasp and pump my fist in the air.

I imagine very few people reading this have seen "Causeway," as Apple did not do much to promote the movie, so I can't get into why his performance is so extraordinary. What I can say is that just the way he sits on a couch or drinks a bottle of beer makes you feel for this man. I felt Brian Tyree Henry deserved a Judd Hirsch in "The Fabelmans"-esque nomination a couple of years ago for "If Beale Street Could Talk," so I'm happy to not need to wonder when he will finally get the awards respect he deserves. And for this performance, he would be a close number two behind Gleeson for me to win.

The One Note

The one misstep I see in these nominations is Paul Dano for his work in "The Fabelmans." After Cate Blanchett in "TÁR," this is my performance of the year. First off, I do not know what more Paul Dano has to do to get an Oscar nomination. "Little Miss Sunshine," "There Will Be Blood," Love & Mercy," and his work as a writer and director on "Wildlife" were all perfect opportunities to recognize one of the most versatile and exciting artists working today, yet he remains without a nomination. Now, "The Fabelmans" comes along. He gets his first solo SAG nomination comes along. It's all set up for it and ... nothing.

Of course, the trouble starts with deciding who to kick out of the category in order to slot in Paul Dano. For me, the short straw would unfortunately fall to Ke Huy Quan, but I would feel terrible to take away that nomination that obviously means so much. As much as I love Judd Hirsch, Dano is the performance from the film I prefer more. It speaks to the quality of this slate of nominees that I find it difficult to slot in my favorite eligible performance into the list without feeling bad. There's been plenty of times I would gladly throw out all five performances without hesitation. Props to the Academy for nailing Best Supporting Actor this year.

But Paul Dano should really be in there. He didn't even need to get beat up for the role.

Read this next: 12 Best Performances In Steven Spielberg Movies

The post The Best Supporting Actor Nominees At The 2023 Oscars Are Perfect, No Notes (Okay, One Note) appeared first on /Film.

Since Musk took over at Twitter, his spreading of conspiracy theories and his banning of journalists has eroded much of the goodwill toward him -- and Tesla.

My fridge is very dairy-heavy. Currently, it is stocked with whole milk, half & half, heavy whipping cream, two types of yogurt (store-bought Greek and a homemade recipe I’m tweaking), sour cream, butter, and all of my various cheeses. (I usually have some labneh in there as well, but I just ran out.) The cheeses are…

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The Steam Deck is one of the best gaming PC options for on-the-go players, but a recent survey sheds doubt on the handheld's longevity. While many developers think Valve's portable is on the path to glory, nearly half aren't sure about its future.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best SSD for gaming, How to build a gaming PC, Best gaming CPU

Valve gave Proton Experimental a small update with two improvements, plus for users of GE-Proton you may want to know about an important version bump there too for Steam Deck and Linux desktop gamers.

Wine 8.0 is out now, a big improvement over the last stable release with many upgrades for Windows to Linux compatibility across thousands of games and apps.

NVIDIA released a new Game Ready GeForce driver, version 528.34, which is optimized for the releases of Forspoken (out today) and Dead Space (out this Friday). The news is that Forspoken supports NVIDIA DLSS 2 (also known as Super Resolution nowadays) like Dead Space, even though the open world action RPG is AMD-sponsored.

The new GeForce driver also optimizes the imminent implementation of DLSS 3 technology in three games: Marvel's Midnight Suns, HITMAN 3, and Deliver Us Mars.

As usual, the GeForce driver's release notes also mention a handful of fixed issues.

Fixed Issues

• Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop, and Lightroom instability with 528.02 [3940086]
• Adobe Photoshop 24.1 application instability with 528.02 when using GeForce Experience [3940488]
• [Adobe Premiere Pro] ProRes RAW files appear completely black when previewing [3924753]
• Autodesk Alias: Expected transparent window appears opaque [3891620]
• OctaneBench 2020 fails intermittently due to render engine failure [3880988]

Beyond the new GeForce driver, NVIDIA also released a new version (3.26) of its GeForce Experience software, the highlight being GeForce RTX 40 Series support for 8K@60FPS HDR capture via ShadowPlay.

Support for Portal with RTX

GeForce Experience is updated to offer full feature support for Portal with RTX. This includes Shadowplay to record your best moments, graphics settings for optimal performance and image quality, and Game Ready Drivers for the best experience. 

New 8K 60FPS HDR ShadowPlay Recording

ShadowPlay recording now supports 8K 60FPS HDR recording for GeForce RTX 40 Series graphics cards. Press Alt+F9 to start recording!

The updated GeForce Experience can now automatically optimize graphics settings for 51 new games. Lastly, the following bugs have been fixed:

• Fixed game minimization issue while enabling the in-game overlay for games such as Farming Simulator 22, Cyberpunk 2077, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, and F1 2021.  

• Fixed desktop notification for rewards. 

• Fixed an issue where Alt+F12 hotkey was unusable in other apps

• Fixed an issue where performance overlay resets to Basic after system reboot or starting a new game

• Fixed an issue where Reflex Analyzer incorrectly shows Render Latency instead of PC Latency.

• Fixed an issue where the system restarts after self-update. 

The post GeForce Driver 528.34 Is Optimized for Dead Space, Forspoken (Both with NVIDIA DLSS 2), and 3 New DLSS 3 Games by Alessio Palumbo appeared first on Wccftech.

Will moviegoers ever get superhero fatigue? Marvel boss Kevin Feige doesn't buy it, saying on a new podcast interview that there are 80 years of "groundbreaking" stories told in the Marvel comics that they can adapt into "different genres." From a report: "I've been at Marvel Studios for over 22 years, and most of us here at Marvel Studios have been around a decade or longer together," Feige said on "The Movie Business Podcast," hosted by Jason E. Squire, an author and professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. "From probably my second year at Marvel, people were asking, 'Well, how long is this going to last? Is this fad of comic book movies going to end?'" Feige continued, "I didn't really understand the question. Because to me, it was akin to saying after 'Gone With the Wind,' 'Well, how many more movies can be made off of novels? Do you think the audience will sour on movies being adapted from books?' You would never ask that because there's an inherent understanding among most people that a book can be anything. A novel can have any type of story whatsoever. So it all depends on what story you're translating. Non-comic readers don't understand that it's the same thing in comics." Referencing the rich catalog of Marvel comics, which date back to 1939, Feige said there are countless stories for the studio to adapt in various genres.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Wine 8.0 is now officially out as the annual stable feature update for enjoying Windows games and applications on Linux and other platforms...

Better get ready for those news: Metro Exodus - SDK is now available on GOG, for free!

Metro Exodus is one of the titles from the Metro franchise, inspired by the novels of Dmitry Glukhowsky; it continues the story of the main character, Artyom. It’s a story-driven FPS that blends deadly combat and stealth with exploration and survival horror in a truly masterful, immersive way. As a player, you get to explore the Russian wilderness across vast, non-linear levels and follow a thrilling storyline that spans an entire year through spring, summer and autumn, all the way to the depths of nuclear winter. The Metro Exodus - SDK, though, is a complete set of tools for the base game; it enables anyone to create standalone content for personal or non-commercial use.

Now on GOG!

Over the past couple of days, Book Twitter (and actually regular Twitter, because it's such a catastrophically mockable opinion to have in public) have been making much fun of this dude, who essentially pitched that AI could disrupt books. Another guy enthusiastically replied that you could add Metaverse features so you could "live the book". Don't bother adding to the pile on, because there are no more jokes to make. They have been deluged by people pointing out that TV, films and video games all aready exist.

This made me think about, firstly, that we'd be much better off as a society if techbro web3 enthusiasts were all siloed into one giant Truman Show-esque hamster ball where they can all scurry about together thinking they're achieving things. But secondly, that some people really put a lot of store on interactivity. Including me! Graham was the one who sent me those tweets, and he said he wouldn't want to live in any of the books he's been reading, because everyone in them is sad or angry for the whole book, until almost the end. I said I wouldn't want to be in them because you'd only end up being a side character, and that's boring.

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4A Games tweets that it has released the Exodus SDK, opening up Metro Exodus to modification. This page has the links to the download and documentation. The thrust of the EULA is: "you can’t use it...

Fun story: I didn’t know what Qbasic Gorillas was called for over 20 years.

As a kid, we would refer to it simply as “The Banana Game”. I had to rely on my Dad to play it, as only he was able to access an unfathomable portal called “DOS”, summoning it out of the inky void using long strings of seemingly random letters; an incantation that gave it a sort of mystical allure.

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With his magnetically subtle presence, no-nonsense demeanor, and gravelly voice, Michael Madsen has become a go-to actor for various tough-guy roles. Best known for his work with acclaimed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino in films like "Reservoir Dogs" and "Kill Bill," Madsen has played everything from a quietly menacing mobster to killer cowboys across his extensive career. A working man's actor, Madsen brings a surprising amount of depth to each of his roles, elevating otherwise routine material while remaining consistently magnetic on screen.

With a career spanning over 40 years, Madsen has been cast as a reliable antagonist, delivering subtle sadism to many twisted characters. However, Madsen has demonstrated overlooked range throughout his career, playing everything from understanding fathers to sensitive love interests opposite Hollywood's biggest names. Here are the 15 best films starring Michael Madsen, including film roles that capitalize on his tough-guy reputation and those effectively casting him against type.

The Getaway (1994)

The 1994 remake of "The Getaway" is a thoroughly strange movie, from its gratuitous sex scenes to the awkward chemistry between Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger -- despite the couple being married in real life at the time. Madsen plays Rudy Travis, the violent partner of bank robber Doc McCoy (Baldwin), who double-crosses him and pursues him and his wife Carol (Basinger) for stashed loot. With all the unpredictable fury of a raw nerve, Madsen is riveting and injects life into an otherwise stale retread.

Madsen's best heel turns are when he plays antagonists who unabashedly embrace their dark side, and "The Getaway" provides us with a solid example. Far from a lone wolf, Madsen acts alongside Fran Carvey (Jennifer Tilly), a kidnapee-turned-love-interest -- making their pairing a modern meditation on Bonnie and Clyde. Unlike Baldwin and Basinger's relatively joyless performances, Madsen and Tilly steal the show as the couple we find ourselves rooting for throughout its runtime.

Kill Me Again

Madsen played mob-associated tough guys in crime movies long before he began working with Tarantino, including one of his earliest roles in 1989's "Kill Me Again." The film stars Val Kilmer as private investigator Jack Andrews who becomes embroiled in a quarrel between murderous lovers Vince (Madsen) and Fay (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer). After Fay fakes her death and steals money from the mob, Jack becomes framed and goes on the run as Vince (Madsen) hunts them both.

A solid -- if routine -- pulp neo-noir thriller, "Kill Me Again" quietly sets the template for Madsen's tough guy persona, which has defined much of his career. Vince is an understatedly unrelenting menace, bringing terrifying thoroughness to inflicting violence and death as he pursues Jack and Fay. One scene, in particular, where Vince tortures one of Jack's friends for information foreshadows Madsen's "Reservoir Dogs" role without Tarantino's stylistic sheen. With twists and turns that leave Jack and the audience questioning where Fay's loyalties lie, "Kill Me Again" cements Madsen as a memorable bad guy.

Blueberry

Originally released in North America under the title "Renegade," the 2004 French western "Blueberry" brings a more psychedelic edge to the Wild West. U.S. Marshal Mike Donovan (Vincent Cassel) maintains the tenuous peace between settlers and the Indigenous population along the 19th-century frontier. Madsen stars as the villainous Wallace Sebastian Blount. Described in the film as a "white sorcerer," Blount gives Madsen one of his more unique antagonistic roles, opposing Donovan like the all-knowing specter at the end of a bad acid trip.

With its overlit cinematography and larger-than-life perspective on the West, Madsen gives "Blueberry" a grounding presence amidst all the outsized surrealism. "Blueberry" starts and stops in fits with uneven narrative pacing. But whenever Madsen is onscreen, it's all eyes on him. "Blueberry" practically feels like an arthouse western at times, but without the solid foundation that Madsen brings as Blount, the entire movie would feel aimless.

Trouble Bound

Madsen makes the leap to romantic lead opposite Patricia Arquette in the on-the-road crime comedy "Trouble Bound." In the film, he stars as the rough-and-tumble couple Harry Talbot alongside Arquette's Kit Califano. After Harry's prison sentence ends, he is given a Lincoln Cadillac by the mob, unaware that he is transporting a corpse hidden in its trunk. However, Harry's life on the outside grows significantly more complicated when he goes on the run with Kit, as the fiery young woman escalates their troubles with the mob.

"Trouble Bound" has the awkward distinction of coming out the same year as "True Romance." Both movies cover similar subject matter and star Arquette as a gun-toting rapscallion. Though "True Romance" is the much better of the two films, "Trouble Bound" stands as a competently made and entertaining popcorn flick. Madsen is gamely along for the ride, offering a more reactive performance opposite Arquette. However, he's not quite as strong a romantic foil for her as Christian Slater in "True Romance" is. Still, he's wryly entertaining. Ultimately, Madsen knows when to bring the action across chases and gunplay sequences in this odd romantic comedy, hitting all the perfunctory notes.

Die Another Day

Reflecting on his career, Madsen revealed that he used to be neighbors with Pierce Brosnan during the latter's tenure as James Bond. Brosnan helped Madsen get cast in "Die Another Day." In the Bond film, Madsen plays Damian Falco, a no-nonsense official in the NSA who oversees his operative Jinx (Halle Berry) as she works with Bond to dismantle a North Korean plot to invade South Korea. While it's only a small supporting role in what would become Brosnan's swan song as 007, Madsen elevates what material he has -- including squaring up with M (Judi Dench) over Bond temporarily going rogue.

"Die Another Day" is the Bond franchise at its most ludicrous, from an overreliance on offputting CGI effects, hilariously intrusive use of slow-motion, and the decision to have Bond infiltrate North Korea by surfing. Still, as outlandish as the proceedings get, Madsen plays Falco completely straight. He embodies American hubris in contrast to his more reserved counterparts in British intelligence. Plus, any movie with a Tarantino alum sharing scenes with Academy Award winner Dame Judi Dench must make any actor's highlight reel.

Species

"Species" is a solid guilty pleasure, a movie that straddles the line between basic cable erotic schlock and a '90s sci-fi thriller. After a gene-splicing experiment with extraterrestrial DNA produces the lethal Sil (Natasha Henstridge), the scientists responsible for her must find her before she can mate. They project that her offspring will wipe out the human race. Joining this group is mercenary Preston Lennox, played by Madsen, with much of the film playing out like a lower budget "Alien" or "Predator" – but sexy.

Madsen thrusts himself into the shotgun-wielding hero role, an unassuming role many action stars could have filled. He works well with the given material, delivering plenty of requisite one-liners as he's paired with an ensemble of bookish scientists. Madsen's wisecracks provide a knowing wink to the audience, reminding them not to take the movie too seriously, and bringing plenty of dry humor to the proceedings.

Free Willy

Looking at Madsen's wider body of work, a family-friendly coming-of-age story might imagine him playing a tamer version of the roles he typically plays in mature crime fare. However, 1993's "Free Willy" has Madsen portray a caring foster father, Glen Greenwood, who adopts his adolescent nephew Jesse (Jason James Richter). He raises Jesse with his wife, Annie (Jayne Atkinson). Glen and Annie support Jesse and his dreams -- participating in releasing the captive Orca Willy, Jesse's friend, into the wild.

For many millennials (including myself), "Free Willy" was an introduction to Madsen's work, albeit one of the few family-friendly projects in his filmography. Glen could have easily been a generic '80s/'90s coming-of-age suburban dad, along for the ride with some insightful lines to advise the protagonist. Fortunately, Madsen digs into his against-type role, with an argument between Annie and Glen as a standout moment for Madsen's performance. The scene and its subsequent resolution are among Madsen's most subtly emotional in his career, underscoring Glen's commitment to his family. For those hoping Madsen hasn't lost his edge entirely, he does manage to get in a punch during the movie's climactic showdown.

Mulholland Falls

Not to be confused with the similarly titled but vastly different "Mulholland Drive," 1996's "Mulholland Falls" marks the first time Madsen worked with "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori. Set in '50s Los Angeles, police detective Max Hoover (Nick Nolte) heads a group of officers specially tasked with fighting the mob by any means necessary. Among this squad is Eddie Hall (Madsen), with the team facing scrutiny from the FBI. Soon they're targeted by the mob for their flagrant use of excessive force.

"Mulholland Falls" stands as a standard neo-noir procedural. Madsen brings a steadiness to his role as Hall, matching well against Nolte's lumbering swagger. The movie almost has a level of self-awareness, with its main characters leaning hard into their hardboiled archetypes. But Madsen plays his performance relatively straight amidst all the macho posturing. This isn't to say Madsen doesn't bring a sense of understated cool to his role; he does, sporting a slick pair of sunglasses and sharp suits -- minus Nolte's fire and fury or slimy swagger. Treading on style over substance, "Mulholland Falls" crafts a reliably solid murder mystery, making Madsen a standout performer amidst a stellar ensemble cast.

The Doors

As a musical biopic, "The Doors" is a mixed bag. Additionally, the surviving members of the real-life band were unhappy with Oliver Stone's handling of their story (via For What It's Worth). But for all the creative liberties taken with the rise and fall of Jim Morrison (Val Kilmer), there is a stylishly surreal look at the California band and their impact on pop culture. Madsen plays Morrison's actor friend Tom Baker, who joins him through his hedonistic binges as he contends with growing fame.

Tom Baker doesn't play a particularly huge role in "The Doors," serving as (a sort of) an enabler for Morrison's worst impulses while the star skyrockets into the spotlight. Compared to Kilmer's larger-than-life performance as Morrison, Madsen brings a more grounded edge, leaning into his acting strengths. He brings a refreshingly down-to-earth contrast to the mobster roles that make up his career. "The Doors" is not without its glaring flaws, but thankfully, Madsen is not one of them in a strong pre-"Reservoir Dogs" supporting role.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Wyatt Earp

Six months after the release of "Tombstone," Kevin Costner released his own film chronicling the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral between the Earps and the Clanton Gang in 1881. In "Wyatt Earp," Madsen stars as Wyatt's older brother Virgil: He joins his brother as a Marshal keeping the peace throughout Arizona, putting them on a collision course with the outlaw gang. Despite expressing his doubts about pursuing a career in law enforcement and the move to Tombstone, Virgil sticks with his family -- even as it puts them directly in harm's way.

In the years since the debut of "Wyatt Earp," Madsen expressed regret in turning down the opportunity to star in "Pulp Fiction" as Vic Vega to appear in Lawrence Kasdan's film (via The Guardian). To Madsen's credit, he seems a much better fit for Virgil than Vic. He follows Costner's lead while bringing his presence to the role. Virgil is a tragic figure, and Madsen quietly highlights that capacity. He serves as an effective counterpoint to Costner's more ham-fisted performance as Wyatt. In a movie that revolves around the legacy of outsized Wild West legends, Madsen's subtle performance is something "Wyatt Earp" sorely needs.

The Hateful Eight

Madsen reunited with Tarantino for 2015's "The Hateful Eight," playing the ornery cowboy Joe Gage among eight travelers snowed in at a stagecoach station. Bounty hunters Marquise Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and John Ruth (Kurt Russell) pass through with wanted woman Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Those at the station are suspected to be in Domergue's gang. With the blizzard intensifying overnight, "The Hateful Eight" plays out like a slow-burn horror movie, dialing up the suspense before its inevitably blood-soaked finale.

"The Hateful Eight" deliberately positions Gage as the culprit in its Wild West whodunit early on, with Madsen and Russell sharing a particularly solid scene together as Ruth voices his suspicions. Once the cat is out of the bag that virtually everyone is in league with Domergue, Madsen seamlessly shifts into outlaw mode, relishing the chance to finally indulge in Gage's murderous impulses when his true colors are shone.This is apparent during a flashback of the gang wiping out the owners of the station ahead of Warren and Ruth's arrival, with Gage methodically killing a helpless stagecoach driver in one of Madsen's most chillingly understated scenes.

Thelma & Louise

Madsen's best against-type casting is in "Thelma & Louise," playing laidback traveling musician Jimmy Lennox, the romantic interest of Louise Sawyer (Susan Sarandon). Understanding and empathetic, Madsen plays Jimmy as a sensitive old soul and the least toxic male character in the movie. Jimmy understands that he can't stay with Louise forever after Thelma Dickinson (Geena Davis) comes into her life, but he still gives it a heartbreaking try.

"Thelma & Louise" showcases how much dramatic range Madsen truly has, and it's a darn shame that more projects didn't notice and come his way after. Madsen's Jimmy offers a more mature romantic alternative to the male eye candy presented by Brad Pitt's J.D., Thelma's love interest. Madsen showcases on-screen vulnerability that he hasn't shared at the same level since this 1991 film. Madsen's Jimmy is an open, bleeding heart. The audience feels for him as he watches the woman he loves getting into trouble that separates the two of them for good. Jimmy's attempt to propose to Louise is the most bittersweet performance Madsen has brought to the screen and a criminally overlooked scene from his career.

Donnie Brasco

With all due credit to filmmaker Mike Newell, "Donnie Brasco" is the greatest Martin Scorsese movie not directed by him. His film seamlessly fits into crime stories Scorsese has crafted. Johnny Depp stars as Brasco, an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates the mob and befriends its veteran and unappreciated enforcer, Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino). Madsen stars as Sonny Black, a rising mob figure, whose ascent drives Lefty into unwittingly helping Brasco obtain more vital information about the organization's criminal activities.

Madsen's character delivers the intimidating counterpoint to the father-son dynamic struck up by Depp and Pacino, which makes up the narrative's emotional core. As the audience, we know Brasco is using Lefty and betraying his trust to complete his assignment. Still, the two form a genuinely tight bond across the film. Contrasting that is Black's rise to power: Madsen brings unwavering intensity as Black. His character has any threat to his control over the mob eliminated. Depp and Pacino's performances elevate "Donnie Brasco," but Madsen's Black personifies the film's looming sense of danger and consequences.

Kill Bill Vol. 2

After years of portraying aggressive characters, Madsen brought a more sensitive approach to Budd, the vicious younger brother of the murderous mastermind Bill (David Carradine) in the "Kill Bill" films. Reuniting with Tarantino a decade after their first collaboration, Madsen briefly appears as Budd in "Kill Bill Vol. 1." However, he delivers his standout performance as the character in "Kill Bill Vol. 2." A departure from the slick assassins in both films, Budd is a sad sack in the second movie. Madsen expertly mines pathos for the contract killer whose glory days are long gone.

Tarantino (wisely) introduces Budd by chronicling a day in his life: He reports to a job with a toxic boss and wastes away in his trailer. Coupled with Budd's remorse at betraying The Bride (Uma Thurman) years ago, this depiction makes him the most sympathetic character in the ensemble cast. Still, he's more dangerous than he initially appears. It's a fitting coda to a career of playing various tough guys, as Budd offers Madsen a chance to remind audiences of his dramatic capacity. His role here is the richest character he's played in a Tarantino movie.

Reservoir Dogs

While "Reservoir Dogs" doesn't feature Madsen's most complex or nuanced performance, it's rightfully the one that has and will continue to define his career. Starring as the sadistically homicidal Mr. Blonde, Madsen's professional association with Tarantino began with this 1992 crime movie. In Tarantino's feature directorial debut, Blonde and his crew assemble to rob an L.A. jewelry store, unaware that an undercover cop has infiltrated their group, setting them up to fail.

For all the paranoia that drives "Reservoir Dogs," Blonde is a character that never visibly loses his cool. He's unfazed by being accused as the traitor or of the group's dire circumstances. Left to watch over a captured police officer, Madsen channels Blonde's calmness into a twisted torture scene that stands among the most infamous sequences in a Tarantino movie -- thanks to how Madsen cruelly sells it. Tarantino has since turned to Madsen whenever he needs an understated heavyweight. Madsen has evoked variations on Blonde into many of his subsequent roles.

There was Michael Madsen before starring in "Reservoir Dogs" and Michael Madsen afterward. Over 30 years later, the film looms large over his filmography, a testament to his chilling work.

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The post The 15 Best Michael Madsen Movies, Ranked appeared first on /Film.

If you like horror that focuses on grotesque destruction, perversion, or violation of the human body (and that’s most horror, if you think about it) the films and shows listed below should fit right into your peculiar wheelhouse. If you don’t well, consider this a trustworthy list of no-goes for you.

Rather than just…

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Everyone's waiting with bated breath to watch "Knock at the Cabin," M. Night Shyamalan's new apocalyptic thriller with a twist. The film is based on Paul G. Tremblay's 2018 novel "The Cabin at the End of the World" and follows a couple and their daughter during their trip to a remote forest cabin. What is meant to be a vacation and quality family time goes awry when four mysterious strangers break in and hold them hostage, asking them to make an unimaginable choice. The man who delivers the heartbreaking news is none other than Leonard, portrayed by a devastated-looking Dave Bautista. He reveals that the family must willingly sacrifice one of its three members or allow the world to be destroyed in an apocalypse.

To some, Bautista might seem like an unexpected choice to play a "complex, tortured, gentle character" -- as his co-star Ben Aldridge described Leonard in an interview with SFX Magazine -- but not to the one-of-a-kind filmmaker helming the movie. Shyamalan has put together quite the cast and chose Bautista to play one of the leads after being inspired by his performance in "Blade Runner 2049." As it turns out, the wrestler turned actor had also previously reached out to Shyamalan about working together.

Shyamalan Knew Dave Bautista Was Perfect

Speaking to SFX Magazine, M. Night Shyamalan explained how Dave Bautista landed on his radar in the first place. The "Guardians of the Galaxy" star had actually contacted the "Sixth Sense" director directly, and Shyamalan immediately wanted to meet Bautista for a chat, realizing the actor would be a perfect fit for the character of Leonard in "Knock at the Cabin." Toss in Ben Aldridge, Jonathan Groff, Rupert Grint, Abby Quinn, and Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Shyamalan had a cast that he described as "the director's dream."

Here's the filmmaker's full quote on the matter:

"I said, 'You know what, I'd love to meet you. Let's talk.' And I was like, God, this guy is exactly the lead character. I mean, he is Leonard. He's amazing. And it's Dave, at this moment in his life, in his fifties, that makes him perfect for this. So you add Dave with these people, and Rupert on top of it [...] and then Nikki and Abby as well. This particular cast was the director's dream -- having talent that is in the right headspace and ready to be vulnerable."

When A Hollywood Mega-Action Hero Walks In

Dave Bautista's co-star Ben Aldridge also shared his two cents, revealing that the actor set to work on "Knock at the Cabin" right after shooting had wrapped on James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." Right away, Aldridge and his co-stars noticed just how much Bautista embraced his character's "disarming" energy, and were more than happy to be acting opposite him. In Aldridge's own words:

"I think we shot a week and a half without Dave. [...] He came directly from 'Guardians.' I think he had, like, one day off or something. We'd been in the cabin for a bit and then this energy of Leonard came in. Suddenly you had this Hollywood mega-action hero walking into this domestic setting and playing this very complex, tortured, gentle character. It was disarming to have him there."

"Knock at the Cabin" is setting itself up to be a complex thriller that slowly reveals its multilayered nightmare and appears to be anchored by Bautista's incredible acting range, Shyamalan's genius, and his stellar, compelling cast. The film opens in theaters on February 3, 2023.

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The post Dave Bautista Was Cast In Knock At The Cabin After Sending A Fan Message To M. Night Shyamalan appeared first on /Film.

Michael J. Fox is one of the most beloved actors on the planet. Along with being instantly recognizable thanks to his starring role in the iconic "Back to the Future" franchise, the actor's charming turns in film and television span include his breakthrough role in the classic sitcom "Family Ties," the hairy sports star of "Teen Wolf," a meteoric rise in "The Secret of My Success," his fast-talking, schmoozing performance in "Spin City," and an underrated leading turn in Peter Jackson's "The Frighteners." 

But for a long time now, Fox's public persona has been inexorably linked to Parkinson's disease, which the actor was diagnosed with in 1991 -- but Fox wouldn't make his ailment public until 1998, in the middle of his Emmy-winning work on "Spin City." Since then, he's become the poster child for Parkinson's, fighting to round up funding, raising awareness, and hoping to find a cure for the disease that has mostly prevented him from staying on the promising career path he started as a teen.

At the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, "Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie" tells the story of Fox's fast rise to fame, and in the hands of "An Inconvenient Truth" director Davis Guggenheim, this is one of the most slickly produced, wholly entertaining, wonderfully cinematic, and flat out fantastic documentaries you will ever see about one of Hollywood's finest stars.

Not Your Average Celebrity Documentary

There are plenty of celebrity documentaries out there, and they all seem to follow a similar formula that splices together behind-the-scenes footage, family home videos, random stock footage and publicity B-roll, and talking heads. While it's true that this documentary has all that, it's the way Guggenheim and editor Michael Harte have stitched it together is nothing short of brilliant. 

Movie and TV clips from Fox's career are juxtaposed with the actor's voiceover and edited in such a way that it feels like you're watching a narrative feature. Along with that, there are dramatizations spliced in that work seamlessly with these clips. This is most impressive in one particular sequence describing Fox's brutal shooting schedule that allowed him to simultaneously shoot his series regular role on "Family Ties" and the starring role in "Back to the Future." As Fox describes the arduous process of working almost all day and night with just a few hours of sleep in between shoots, the film shifts from clips from the TV series and movie into magnificent dramatizations featuring a stand-in dressed as Alex P. Keaton and Marty McFly, before steering right into another clip. These dramatizations don't feel cheap either, often resembling the visual style of Fox's films from the 1980s with an Amblin Entertainment touch, and meticulously recreating set pieces and costumes from various movies and TV shows in Fox's past — even the hairy look of "Teen Wolf." It's all done in such a finely tuned, kinetic fashion that it gives the movie such an energetic momentum, with an assist from a soundtrack featuring a variety of oldies hits.

Furthermore, the clips are frequently used as a means of perfectly defining Fox's emotional state at any given time, whether it's a line of dialogue or simply a facial expression. This is especially true when the time comes for us to hear about how Fox met his wife, actress Tracy Pollan when she landed a key role in "Family Ties." Whoever was responsible for digging through every bit of film and TV footage featuring Michael J. Fox deserves an extra pat on the back, because I've never been so entranced by a documentary like this.

If there's one complaint I have about this documentary, and it's not one that is often made in this genre, it's that I wish it had a more robust runtime to dig even more into Fox's life and career. Because the breezy runtime goes by all too fast, and you'll find yourself wanting to spend as much time with Michael J. Fox as possible.

Pulling At Heartstrings, But Never Pitiful

When the documentary isn't recounting the ups and downs of Fox's career, it has Davis Guggenheim questioning the actor from behind the camera and following him as he deals with the physical struggles of Parkinson's disease. It's heartbreaking to watch Fox stumble, as his body can't seem to keep up with his mind. The convulsing of his body and lack of control over it means he walks with a bit of a limp, and Fox sustains multiple injuries throughout the doc's production.

Alongside the career recap, the film also follows Fox as he goes to physical therapy, and both his trainer and family are constantly telling him to slow down and be careful. Fox, ever the playful spirit, never gets discouraged and takes everything in stride, often cracking jokes, as long as his body allows him to get it out of his mouth fast enough. It makes the realization later in the film that Fox is often in rather discomforting pain most of the time that much more harrowing, even though Fox makes it clear that he's not looking for pity. When Guggenheim asks Fox why he never mentions when the pain pops up while they're having an interview session, Fox casually says, "It never came up." This is just Fox's everyday life now, and that includes sometimes falling onto furniture in his house, resulting in a bruised, black eye. 

Though there are certainly moments that will pull at your heartstrings, "Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie" is more uplifting than sad, and it's also quite funny thanks to Fox's natural charm and the wealth of comedy from his on-screen career. This is the story of a man who was on top of the world before a literally crippling disease took him out of the game. But Fox has taken the reins of this unpredictable and earth-shattering detour in life, and he continues to laugh and smile, even though Parkinson's disease has severely limited the spectrum of his facial expressions. Ultimately, the film shows Fox took away a valuable lesson from Doc Brown in the "Back to the Future" franchise: "Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one!"

/Film Rating: 9 out of 10

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The post Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie Review: The Beloved Actor Gets An Uplifting, Entertaining and Truly Cinematic Documentary [Sundance] appeared first on /Film.

The developers of Wine have announced version 8.0 of the Linux Windows compatibility layer. The new version boosts support for 32-bit Windows apps on 64-bit machines as well as 3D graphics acceleration.

I love Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. I enjoy it when prepared according to the package instructions, but I’m also prone to tweaking it by substituting buttermilk for regular, browning the butter, adding crème fraîche, or—as of this morning—stirring in an egg yolk.

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The National Security Agency (NSA) has published guidance to help the Department of Defense (DoD) and other system administrators identify and mitigate cyber risks associated with transitioning to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6).

Developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), IPv6 is the latest iteration of the protocol that is used to identify and locate systems and route traffic across the internet, offering technical benefits and security improvements over its predecessor, IPv4, including a much broader address space.

The transition to IPv6, the NSA points out, is expected to have the biggest impact on network infrastructure, with all networked hardware and software affected in one way or the other, and will also impact cybersecurity.

“IPv6 security issues are quite similar to those from IPv4. That is, the security methods used with IPv4 should typically be applied to IPv6 with adaptations as required to address the differences with IPv6. Security issues associated with an IPv6 implementation will generally surface in networks that are new to IPv6, or in early phases of the IPv6 transition,” the NSA’s IPv6 security guidance reads (PDF).

According to the NSA, issues that networks new to IPv6 are expected to encounter include the lack of mature configuration and network security tools and the lack of administrator experience in IPv6.

While transitioning to the newer protocol version, federal and DoD networks are expected to operate dual stack, by running both IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously, which raises additional security concerns and increases attack surface.

“The network architecture and knowledge of those who configure and manage an IPv6 implementation have a big impact on the overall security of the network. As a result, the actual security posture of an IPv6 implementation can vary,” the NSA says.

The use of stateless address auto-configuration (SLAAC), an automatic method of assigning IPv6 addresses to hosts, the NSA says, raises privacy concerns because the information contained in the assigned address could be used to identify network equipment and individuals using it.

“NSA recommends assigning addresses to hosts via a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol version 6 (DHCPv6) server to mitigate the SLAAC privacy issue. Alternatively, this issue can also be mitigated by using a randomly generated interface ID that changes over time, making it difficult to correlate activity while still allowing network defenders requisite visibility,” the agency notes.

Furthermore, the NSA recommends avoiding the use of tunnels to transport packets, noting that tunneling increases attack surface. “Configure perimeter security devices to detect and block tunneling protocols that are used as transition methods. In addition, disable tunneling protocols on all devices where possible,” the agency says.

For dual-stack networks, the NSA recommends deploying IPv6 cybersecurity mechanisms that correspond to those implemented for IPv4, such as firewall rules, and blocking other transition mechanisms, such as tunneling and translation.

Because multiple network addresses are commonly assigned to the same interface in IPv6, administrators should review filtering rules or access control lists (ACLs) to ensure that only traffic from authorized addresses is permitted, and should also log all traffic and review logs regularly.

To better protect and to improve IPv6 security on a network, the NSA also recommends ensuring that network administrators receive proper training and education regarding IPv6 networks.

“While there are convincing reasons to transition from IPv4 to IPv6, security is not the main motivation. Security risks exist in IPv6 and will be encountered, but they should be mitigated with a combination of stringently applied configuration guidance and training for system owners and administrators during the transition,” the NSA notes.

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The post NSA Publishes Security Guidance for Organizations Transitioning to IPv6 appeared first on SecurityWeek.

Wherein we discuss our 14th anniversary, the capabilities (and considerable limitations) of ChatGPT, The Last of Us, Cobra Kai, Anki flash cards, Marvel Snap. Starring Ryan Scott, Justin Haywald, and Ryan Higgins.

Vulnerability analysis results in Orange Cyberdefenses' Security Navigator show that some vulnerabilities first discovered in 1999 are still found in networks today. This is concerning. Age of VOC findings Our Vulnerability Scans are performed on a recurring basis, which provides us the opportunity to examine the difference between when a scan was performed on an Asset, and when a given finding

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Some of my first real experiences of using Linux as a child came through the use of Knoppix, one of the first distributions to popularize the use of Live CDs. This allowed me to explore a wide swath of Linux applications. One of these was a role playing game which I recall I never got to work well, but lingered on in my imagination regardless.