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"To me," Quentin Tarantino writes, "'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' is one of the few perfect movies ever made." The celebrated "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" director drops the observation near the tail end of his latest book "Cinema Speculation," a nonfiction rumination on cinema. In fact, his praise of "Chain Saw" isn't even the focal point of the chapter it's found in, it's a preamble to an entire chapter dedicated to Tobe Hooper's 1981 big studio follow-up (bigger than "Eaten Alive," that is), "The Funhouse." He goes on to write that there are few movies that can really be called "perfect," which is fine since that isn't the end goal when it comes to storytelling. "Nevertheless," he goes on, "when it's accomplished (even by accident), it's an achievement."

Speaking with Jimmy Kimmel while promoting the book, Tarantino listed a handful of movies that he considers perfect, prefacing his picks with clarification on what he means by the "perfect" movie. He told Kimmel:

"Well there's not many of them. That just bemoans the fact that the film art form is hard. Look, when you say perfect movies you're talking about any individual person's aesthetic but even trying to account for all aesthetics... perfect movies kind of crosses all aesthetics to one degree or another. Might not be your cup of tea, but there's nothing you can say to bring it down."

The unassailable six, in Tarantino's estimation, are:

• "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974)
• "Jaws" (1975)
• "The Exorcist" (1973)
• "Annie Hall" (1977)
• "Young Frankenstein" (1974)
• "Back To The Future" (1985)

Indeed, there's little that can be said to knock these movies off of their respective pedestals.

Three Cheers For Horror Movies

Plenty of critics will dedicate paragraphs to the latter three of the bunch, but horror rarely gets to hold onto the spotlight, so it's a balm to see such lowbrow genre representation on Quentin Tarantino's quick-fire roundup of perfection. "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" has been influential from the jump; not only has the slasher classic had a major impact on subsequent scary movies like Ridley Scott's "Alien," but it has remained a gold standard for horror with its taffy-pulled dread, repulsive aesthetics, and visceral dissection of the American family unit. This is why Tarantino choses to speculate on Tobe Hooper's post-"TCM" filmography instead – it's such "a one-of-a-kind beast," he argues, that no subsequent work of Hooper's could surpass it.

As for the movie that made you think twice about going into the water, "Jaws" is observed in the book with a feverish reverence. Tarantino writes:

"When 'Jaws' came out in 1975 it might not have been the best film ever made. But it was easily the best movie ever made. Nothing ever made before it came close. Because for the first time the man at the helm wasn't a Richard Fleischer or a Jack Smight or a Michael Anderson executing a studio assignment. But a natural born filmmaker genius who grooved on exactly this kind of movie and would kill himself to deliver the exact vision that was in his head.

More on Steven Spielberg's steadfast vision for the Peter Benchley book adaptation can be found here. 

As for William Friedkin's "The Exorcist," Tarantino doesn't have much to say in "Cinema Speculation." But in the past, he's teased that he wants to do a scary movie on the level of the demonic-possession film -- something fans have been begging for ever since that creepy Spahn Movie Ranch sequence in "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood."

Read this next: The Highest Rated Horror Movies Of All Time

The post Quentin Tarantino Personally Thinks These Six Movies Are 'Perfect' appeared first on /Film.

Deep Rock Galactic is a game about a bunch of Dwarves going mining, and there's lots of creepy-crawlies that want to get in the way. It seems to only be getting more popular as time goes on too.

GOG has decided to scrap their GOG Connect service, which allowed users to claim a limited selection of games they already owned on Steam for free. The service was quietly killed off at the beginning of this year and removed from GOG’s site, which didn’t go unnoticed by frequenters of the GOG subreddit. GOG confirmed the closure of Connect to RPS fan site PC Gamer, saying “for a long time nothing really happened there, so we've decided to shut it down”. Fair enough.

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It seems like Valve has suffered its biggest leak as of yet, as several repositories from various Source titles were released out into the wild not too long ago. Initially, it was reported that the leak only extended to TF2. However, we now have data from lots of Valve games, including titles like Portal and Counter-Strike: Source.

The TF2 leak was already pretty impressive by itself. Users had access to over 61GB of unused Team Fortress 2 maps, models, textures, and animations. A lot of it was pretty much left unseen by the gaming community up until now. Richter Overtime on Twitter shared an image that should tell users how big this leak was for TF2 by itself:

To give you an idea of how extensive this TF2 leak is: pic.twitter.com/XQ5ha1iFDU

— Richter Overtime (@richterovertime) January 12, 2023

Now, the leak was followed up with a huge file dump of the Valve repositories. According to Twitter user @sylvia_braixen, Valve had a repository of all their development assets that they'd give to people with a source engine license. It's confirmed by one of the leakers (who held onto this repository since 2016) that they had access to this repository, as shown below:

They held this since 2016 pic.twitter.com/f4uH6IrWjr

— Reese’s . (@NwolcRaving) January 12, 2023

As you can see in the picture above, the repository files include builds for Half-Life 2: Multiplayer, Counter-Strike: Source, Portal, and even Half-Life 2 and its subsequent episodes. Users are obviously beginning to dig through these files to find unused content at the scale of the Team Fortress 2 leak, which could provide a lot of insight into Valve's source games. Of course, people are already starting to post their findings.

i havent seen anybody look into the PORTAL section of the valve leak so i did

so far i havent found much except hl2 ep1 leftovers...

but also this early model of chell?
located in modelsplayeroldChell.qc pic.twitter.com/lQxNFoF1Bj

— marioket (@mariokettheidio) January 12, 2023

This leak was foreshadowed not too long ago as earlier this week, an early prototype of Valve's Left 4 Dead was leaked and sent to Gamebanana. The leak was teased on Twitter days before it happened by one of the hosters of the L4D prototype.

When the leaked repositories were initially released, they were accessible through a discord server known as Valve Cut Content. However, after a flood of users who tried to check out the leaked files, the server stopped accepting new members. It's important to note that there may be possible action from Valve following this leak. So, stay tuned for more updates on this story as they come.

The post Valve Source Games are Getting Their Assets Leaked; Revealing Content From TF2, Portal, and More by Ule Lopez appeared first on Wccftech.

An application compatibility report came in for a program that crashed during installation. The primary installer created a temporary directory and then ran a secondary installer from that temporary directory. So far, that’s standard behavior to avoid operating from a disease-ridden hot tub. What made it more frustrating to debug is that the secondary installer in turn runs a tertiary installer, and it was the tertiary installer that was crashing. (At least it stopped at the tertiary installer. Otherwise it’s installers all the way down.)

Some debugging of the tertiary installer revealed that it was trying to pin itself to the taskbar automatically on install. This is one of those things that installers love to do, probably second only to silently taking over popular file extensions. This particularly program’s approach was to find the vtable for the internal interface that Explorer uses to pin items to the taskbar, and then call the fifth function in the vtable.

The application compatibility issue was that we changed the signature of the fifth function in the vtable, so they were calling the function with the old signature, and the implementation was therefore misinterpreting the parameters, and as a bonus insult, it also corrupted the stack because the number of parameters also changed.

The solution was to restore the function to its original signature and have it just return without doing anything, decorated with comments to ensure that the method stays at the same slot in the vtable for eternity. Meanwhile, the new functionality was moved to a different location. (I’m not telling where.)

The post Adventures in application compatibility: Querying for an internal interface appeared first on The Old New Thing.

This tweet has word on the leak of Valve's entire Team Fortress 2 asset repository, saying it includes over 61GB of maps, models, and more. Noting that access has now been cut off, and that legal...

Adam Sandler's filmography has got to be one of the weirdest in Hollywood history. The comedian joined "Saturday Night Live" in 1990, and quickly gained attention for his absurd characters who, while they often had a temper, retained a kind of childlike charm. There was a slapstick element to most of Sandler's comedy on the show, and when coupled with his novelty songs, it gave him the appearance of being a hilarious, somewhat one-dimensional performer.

But since he left "SNL" in 1995, he's been anything but one-dimensional. In fact, he stunned everyone with his dramatic abilities in movies such as "Uncut Gems" and "Punk Drunk Love." On the other hand, he's also churned out a string of genuinely god-awful comedy efforts, comprised mostly of him and his buddies seemingly just using studio money to go on vacation with a production crew and throwing a movie together from the resulting footage. 

Somewhere in the middle of all that, there's what I remember as standard late-'90s/early-2000s Sandler fare. This included films such as "Big Daddy" and "The Wedding Singer" where the actor got to display his endearing, everyman charm while tugging on the odd heartstring here and there. These days, he's holed up at Netflix. Somehow his 2016 Netflix movie "The Ridiculous Six" became the most-watched movie on the streamer, and he's been riding that wave ever since — sporadically breaking the trend to deliver stellar dramatic performances in the aforementioned film "Uncut Gems," or 2022's basketball drama "Hustle." In that way, he hovers between the silliness of his SNL days and the seriousness of his dramatic roles. But it seems he's always carried that mix of light and dark, even back when he was belting out novelty songs about how much he loved his mama "more than pastrama."

'I Could Be An Ass'

Sandler returned to "SNL" in 2019, kicking things off with a song about how he was fired from the show back in 1995. But it's not something he's all that hung up on. Since departing, as he reminded us all in his monologue performance, his movies have made more than $4 billion at the box office, so the Sand-man is doing just fine. But back in those SNL days, it sounds like he was struggling much more than his sketch performances would suggest.

Talking to the AARP in 2022, the 56-year-old spoke about how he's changed since those SNL days, claiming that he's "calmer" than he used to be. In fact, he maintains that during his stint on the sketch show, he had, "a quick temper" and, "made a lot of dumb mistakes":

"Looking back on relationships, I could be an ass. I was selfish. I was competitive with other comedians and stuff. My father would say, 'That guy's funny,' and I would say, 'Hey, I'm funny, blah, blah,' and he'd be, like, 'Why can't you both be funny?' Because I was hungry, I didn't always see clearly then. I wanted to be a big comedian like Eddie Murphy, like Rodney Dangerfield."

It's a surprising admission from the comedian, who always seemed to be one of the more spontaneous, life-of-the-party-type performers on the show. And according to former "SNL" writer Conan O'Brien, that's pretty much the impression everyone had of Sandler:

"All the writers and performers had a lot of anxiety and everyone was very down and would stay up late at night, and this guy shows up who's just like 'This is great! Let's all get a milkshake,' and he was so joyous and he's always been that way."

Sandler Has Gotten 'Better At Life'

Adam Sandler's hidden struggle with his own competitiveness and comparing himself to others really isn't all that surprising considering the profession he came up in. Comedians are notoriously competitive with each other, and there have been countless tales from former "SNL" cast members recounting how anxiety-driven the whole experience was. 

Even such esteemed alumni as Bill Hader suffered. The "Barry" actor recently revealed to The Hollywood Reporter how, before shows, he would "have a full-blown panic attack," crying in a bathroom before heading out on stage. I've been lucky enough to go backstage at the show and while I certainly didn't witness any panic attacks, it really is just a group of people trying to put on the best show they can with the pressure of it all being live hanging over their heads. That's enough to make even the most carefree performer a little nervous.

Thankfully, Sandler seems to have mellowed with age, telling AARP, "I've gotten much better at life as I've gotten older." At the same awards show where O'Brien sang Sandler's praises, he also took the opportunity to roast his former colleague after he came up to accept his award for "Uncut Gems" prematurely. All of which, Sandler took with grace and general good sportsmanship, suggesting his days of being an "ass" are well and truly behind him,

Read this next: Adam Sandler's 14 Best Roles Ranked

The post Adam Sandler Thinks He Took Himself Too Seriously During His Time On Saturday Night Live appeared first on /Film.

Tom Welling's return as Clark Kent during a cameo in The CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths," aka the sixth Arrowverse crossover event, was a sight for sore eyes. The actor reprised his role as the superhero eight years after the finale of "Smallville," a prequel series from The WB that focused on the blue boy's formative years ... before he took on his identity as Superman. Welling was incredible as Clark Kent; his interpretation of a young boy coming to terms with his superpower has been cited as one of the best Superman portrayals on television. 

As a young boy growing up in Smallville, Clark was forced to find a way to lead a normal life while concealing his abilities from his friends and navigating the presence of Kryptonite in his hometown. The series never wavered from the idea that Welling's Clark Kent always wanted to be a regular guy ... but when destiny calls, you can only make one choice. The series ended with a time-jump conclusion, revealing Clark's superhero persona as he fulfilled his destiny by becoming Superman.

When the actor returned during the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover event, he had no qualms about playing Clark Kent again, except one: Welling had no intention of putting on the Superman suit.

Family First

Tom Welling was happy to return to make a cameo as Clark Kent — but he had one condition. The actor wasn't thrilled about donning the cape and sporting the superhero suit, and he was glad The CW had other plans. Speaking at Fan Expo Vancouver (via Newsweek), Welling said:

"If they had started the conversation with 'So, Clark is in the suit,' I'd have been like [click],"

In the completed scene of the crossover event, Welling's Clark is seen cutting wood back at Smallville after having given up his powers to live an ordinary life with Lois Lane and his daughters. There's a significant time jump from the "Smallville" finale, and Clark is confronted by Lex Luthor, who endeavors to kill every version of him throughout the multiverse. On learning that Clark gave up his powers, his nemesis is disappointed and leaves.

Welling Hoped To Illustrate's Clark's Father's Influence

The actor commented on his reason for starring in the crossover episode: he was excited by the idea of the character living with Lois and them having a family together. It had been eight years since the "Smallville" finale, so Welling was excited about "the idea of Clark appearing again."

Additionally, the actor wanted to illustrate the character's paternal side in the time jump and thought a lot about how Jonathan Kent could have impacted him. More than playing Clark Kent, the actor wanted to portray his father.

"I don't know if anybody picked up on this, but somehow I got in the back of my head that I wanted to act more like Jonathan Kent, in that scene than I did Clark, because that's his father, and that's probably who he would have been influenced by."

"Smallville" fans were thrilled by Welling's short cameo — and considered it a fitting ending to his character arc from the prequel show. We might never see the actor's version of the hero in his cape again, but at least we know he had a happy ending!

Read this next: What These DC Villains Really Look Like Under The Makeup

The post Tom Welling Had One Strict Caveat About Returning as Clark Kent In The CW's Crisis On Infinite Earths appeared first on /Film.

Buzz, buzz, buzz! "Yellowjackets" season 2 is just a few weeks away and Showtime has released the first teaser trailer, offering a glimpse of the secrets and sins still to be uncovered.

Part "Lord of the Flies," part "Lost," the series is split between past and present storylines. In 1996, a talented girls' soccer team is stranded in the Canadian wilderness following a plane crash and eventually devolves into a paganistic clan who, it's been heavily implied, resorted to cannibalism in order to survive. In 2021, those who made it back to civilization and tried to move on with their lives find their past coming back to haunt them. 

The awesome cast includes Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, and Tawny Cypress, with "Six Feet Under" star Lauren Ambrose joining in season 2 as the adult version of Van (last seen in 1996 with a horribly mauled face following a wolf attack). Also adding to the cast is Elijah Wood, playing Walter, another "citizen detective" who becomes entangled with Misty (Ricci, in a role that's as hilarious as it is terrifying). Check out the first teaser for "Yellowjackets" season 2 below!

Yellowjackets Season 2 Teaser

The first season of "Yellowjackets" ended with a tragic death and left behind a dizzying array of unanswered questions. What happened to Shauna's baby? Who is the Antler Queen? What else has Taissa's sleepwalking, dirt-eating, dog-sacrificing alter ego been getting up to? What's up with that weird symbol that the Yellowjackets found in the cabin, and why has it returned in the present day? How many of the Yellowjackets survived? And is there something supernatural going on, or just pure human weirdness?

The teaser trailer doesn't answer any of these questions (there's no fun in that!), but it does offer lots of tantalizing glimpses of what's to come in "Yellowjackets" season 2. Freeze amid the quick cuts and you'll spot shots of Lottie Matthews getting electroshock therapy, a heavily bearded coach Scott, and Natalie trekking through deep snow to reach the crashed plane. It looks as though the 1996 storyline will move forward several months this season, which is more than enough time for the Yellowjackets to unravel and get a little uncivilized.

"Yellowjackets" season 2 will premiere on streaming and on demand from Showtime on Friday, March 24, before making its on-air debut on Sunday, March 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. (Oh, and the show has already been renewed for season 3.)

Read this next: The 20 Best Female Friendships In TV History, Ranked

The post Yellowjackets Season 2 Teaser Trailer: There's Something In The Wilderness appeared first on /Film.

Talk about calling your shot. Who else but comedy legend Mel Brooks would release a comedy in 1981 ironically titled "History of the World Part 1" (a tongue-in-cheek riff on the literary text "The History of the World Volume 1" written by Sir Walter Raleigh, natch), complete with a fake trailer for the sequel, despite no initial plans of actually making a Part 2? Well, maybe some things aren't quite as set in stone as they may appear, after all. Decades after the fact, Brooks is still trucking along at the ripe young age of 96(!) and, what's more, he's finally spearheading a followup series to his beloved comedy classic that's set to debut on Hulu in the coming year.

Titled (what else?) "History of the World Part 2," the series will unfold as part of "a four night event" filled with all the humor, episodic skits, and mind-bogglingly stacked cast of A-list talent that you'd expect from a Mel Brooks production. The man isn't getting any younger, so why not pull out all the stops for what's sure to be a hilarious and irreverent take on the most famous (and infamous) figures from the history books. Hulu has released a brand-new trailer for the event preceded by an adorable introduction by Brooks himself, which you can watch below.

Watch The History Of The World Part 2 Trailer

Take it from the man who, in his own words, brought you "The Producers," "Young Frankenstein," "Spaceballs," and "Blazing Saddles." With so many smash-hits and unforgettable contributions to the art under his belt, nobody would have blamed Mel Brooks for sailing into retirement and spending his twilight years coasting on all his well-earned success. So of course the nonagenarian decided to step up into a writing, executive producing, and starring role for "History of the World Part 2," the sequel series to his 1981 comedy that many consider a touchstone of the genre.

As those familiar with the original film know, the premise involves a series of parodies (many of them musicals) lampooning various different eras of our history -- from Biblical times to the French Revolution. Back when the news for this project was first announced (as we covered here), Brooks breathlessly stated at the time that, "I can't wait to once more tell the real truth about all the phony baloney stories the world has been conned into believing are History!" Our first look at the footage certainly confirms that, as we get off-color commentary about marketing decisions to make Jesus white, Marco Polo explaining that classic kids' pool game based on his name, and a shot taken directly at Netflix -- because why not!

"History of the World Part 2" stars Brooks and a veritable army of acting talent: Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz, Danny DeVito, Josh Gad, Kumail Nanjiani, Seth Rogen, J.B. Smoove, Zazie Beetz, Pamela Adlon, Dove Cameron, Jay Ellis, Johnny Knoxville, Emily Ratajowski, Sarah Silverman, Taika Waititi, and more. Look for the series to debut on Hulu over the course of four nights starting on March 6, 2023.

Read this next: The 20 Most Influential Comedy Stars In Movie History

The post History of the World Part 2 Trailer: Mel Brooks Returns For A Star-Studded Sequel Series On Hulu appeared first on /Film.

The post Servant: Season 4 – Review [Apple TV+] appeared first on Heaven of Horror.

The second season of Mike White's award-winning series "The White Lotus" is bigger, stranger, and bolder in every way possible. The anthology series has tackled multiple themes, such as power dynamics, infidelity, class divide, and misogyny, with a focus on its rich characters and how they're more than often drowning in a sea of their privilege — seriously, nothing good ever happens to them.

This season, like the last, features excellent chemistry between its characters. Michael Imperioli (who you know from "The Sopranos") plays Dominic Di Grasso, a sex-addicted Hollywood producer who travels to Sicily for a vacation with his father and son. Veteran actor F. Murray Abraham ("Scarface") portrays Imperioli's father, Bert, and while his life isn't as dramatic or scandalous as that of his son and grandson, he's a casual spectator of his family's antics. Imperioli and Murray had a great time working together on set, with Imperioli describing the experience as "profound."

'He Brings A Certain Theatricality To His Work'

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Imperioli discussed the on-screen father-and-son dynamic he shared with Abraham and how they became "really good friends" since they had a "shared appreciation" for their craft. They're very different actors, said Imperioli, adding that Abraham had a certain "theatricality" about his performance, which made working together a profound experience.

"He brings a certain theatricality to his work, yet it's grounded in so much truth that there's magic that happens. It's hard really to explain, but it's very profound to work opposite of him. And by 'theatricality,' I don't mean 'artificial' or anything. If you do a lot of film and good television acting, you really get used to keeping things very contained."

Murray's Dedication To Art Is Unparalleled

Imperioli further detailed that he heard Murray practicing vocal exercises every day — even when he had COVID-19. The actor has dedicated his life to art, which translates through his efforts every day.

"The eyes are the most important thing at the end of the day, especially on television because there are always going to be close-ups, more so than filmmaking. Whereas theater acting is so much about the whole instrument. And with Murray, my hotel room was underneath his, and I could hear him doing vocal exercises every single day. Even when he had COVID. We both had it at the same time, and I was dying with a sore throat. I couldn't even speak. And I hear Murray singing. He's 82 years old, doing it every day while he's got COVID. He just really embodies someone who has dedicated his life to the art and loves it and respects it."

The actors have starkly different roles in the season: while Imperioli's character often voluntarily finds himself in messy situations, Abraham's serves as comic relief and eases the tenser moments caused by his family. The White Lotus" season 2 is an intricate web of privileged sophistication that is worth watching when unraveled, and the intriguing dynamic between Abraham and Imperioli adds to the viewing experience.

Read this next: The Moments That Defined TV In 2022

The post Working With F. Murray Abraham On The White Lotus Was A 'Profound' Experience For Michael Imperioli appeared first on /Film.

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Following the suspenseful season three finale, season four of SERVANT will bring the final chapter of the Turner story to an epic and emotional conclusion. Leanne’s war with the Church of Lesser Saints heightens, threatening Spruce street, the city of Philadelphia, and beyond. Meanwhile, the shattered Turner family must not only confront the increasing threat of Leanne, but the certain reality that Dorothy is waking up. As the Turner family brownstone continues to crumble, questions are finally answered: who is Leanne Grayson and who is the child in their home?

Ahead of the premiere of season four of SERVANT, Nightmarish Conjurings’ Sarah Musnicky spoke with cast members Lauren Ambrose, Nell Tiger Free, and Toby Kebbell, where they discussed where we see their characters at the beginning of the journey, seeing the series come to an end, and more.

SERVANT – The beginning of the end

With this being the final season of SERVANT, everything is coming to a head. This question is for everyone. How does it feel knowing that this is all coming to an end?

Nell Tiger Free: It’s really bittersweet. It is really bittersweet because this has been such a big part of my life. [For] the past four, five years of my life, I’ve been living in this world. So have Toby [Kebbell], Lauren [Ambrose], Rupert [Grint], and everyone who worked on the show, and it’s such a specific show. It’s so contained, and it’s so small, cast-wise, that it really forces you to spend all of your time together. As much as we have loved doing that, it means we’re really in this together from beginning to end. No one on the planet will ever be able to experience what we experienced together, and it’s been such a unique experience.

Saying goodbye to it…I think it hasn’t quite sunk in for me yet, because we’re still answering questions with you lovely people, and we have the premiere and we have the show still to come out. So it still feels like we’ve got a little piece of SERVANT to look forward to, and I think when that all comes to an end and the chapter is finally closed, I think that’s when I’ll probably hide in my house for a week and just weep.

Weeping definitely sounds like a plan. Get plenty of ice cream, and maybe steal some of Sean’s food. Sneak back into the kitchen and make yourself something. [laughs] I know we can’t discuss spoilers, so we’ll have to talk around it a bit. But where do we find your characters at the start of this season?

Toby Kebbell: Well, we start out with Nell in a car and birds and smoke and ice cream. That was the beginning. We start off with Nell. We follow that because everyone else is dealing with what happened at the end of three. Tragedy. I honestly thought Lauren was not gonna [come back]…like what? You’ve fallen off the banister from the top!

Lauren Ambrose: I was looking at my contract and was like, they would still have to pay me.

Toby Kebbell: And then, we were watching the stunt woman do these phenomenal stunts, bouncing off the things, and then they were like, all right, Lauren. So now you’re going up. This scene’s horrific! We’re all dealing with that. Basically, that’s where you find us.

Lauren Ambrose: I’m dealing with recovering in a scary medical bed. There were sort of crutches, wheelchairs, and bizarre…

Toby Kebbell: You can’t have had more props.

Lauren Ambrose: It was like a dungeon of medical aids.

To wrap things up, what was the most rewarding part of this series for you?

Lauren Ambrose: Working with these amazing actors. Working with all these incredible artists, M. Night and this production assembled an incredibly talented group of people to bring their artistry forward. Honestly, for me, in this genre, we’re doing the scene on one level, and then you go back and watch it and you realize what everybody’s artistry is adding to the feeling of making it really scary at times. So even more so than other genres, people’s artistry in every department, I feel, shines.

Toby Kebbell: And getting to finish. Getting to resolve it. Getting to answer the questions, you know? Very rewarding.

Nell Tiger Free: Yeah, I think being able to take these four characters from where they were and be able to create these entire human beings, these entire personalities who have lived lives; we all got the chance to just develop and keep creating these people. I can say that I’ve brought a character from her beginning to her natural end. There’s quite an experience.

---

SERVANT Season 4 premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, January 13, 2023. Learn more about the latest season in our review here!

The post [Interview] Lauren Ambrose, Nell Tiger Free, & Toby Kebbell for SERVANT Season 4 appeared first on Nightmarish Conjurings.

In terms of its plot, Sam Raimi's 1987 splatstick horror freakout "Evil Dead II" (or "Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn," both are correct) is hardly complicated. Hapless college student Ash (Bruce Campbell) and his girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) head to a remote cabin in the woods for some privacy. In the cabin's earthen basement, Ash finds a mysterious, evil book that is bound in human flesh and inked in blood. A nearby tape recording explains that this book is the Necronomicon, an ancient Sumerian book of demon spells. The tape was left behind by an archeologist who was studying it. When Ash listens to the pre-recorded spells, it summons a demonic force that possesses Linda. The bulk of "Evil Dead II" details Ash's one-man struggle with the forces of darkness. What a poor dope. Some additional characters appear halfway through the proceedings, but they are ineffectual in stopping the evil. 

The film ends when the archaeologist's daughter Annie (Sarah Berry) reads the Necronomicon again, opening an aperture in spacetime. The demons -- and Ash -- are sucked through it and cast back to Hell. Ash lands, quite curiously, in England in the Middle Ages. He is hailed as a hero, a development he hates. As Ash wails in agony over his fate, the image fades out. 

This is, for generations of horror fans, a tale as old as time. "Evil Dead II" was long ago canonized in the horror community as a notable and indelible classic, and still tours the midnight movie circuit to this day. For many, this film is as important to the fabric of cinema as "The Wizard of Oz." Although made 36 years ago, "Evil Dead II" has lost none of its weird, impish, comedic power. 

Ash Vs. The Concept Of Horror

In order to delve into the meaning of "Evil Dead II" and its ending, however, one must reach back to the original 1981 film "The Evil Dead" for a single, vital image.

In terms of its story, "The Evil Dead" is largely identical to its sequel. Cabin in the woods, book in the basement, spells on the tape recorded, idiot in trouble. Campbell also plays Ash in that film. During Ash's wrestling with the forces of evil in "The Evil Dead," one of the cabin's many accouterments, a 16mm film projector, gets splattered with blood. Ash staggers in front of the projector's lens, becoming bathed in light. Blood drips down the lens, projecting blood onto Ash's body. "The Evil Dead" seems to posit in that moment that blood -- and by extension, horror -- is naught but a cinematic construct. The horror of "The Evil Dead" comes not from Ash fighting demons, but from Campbell fighting a filmmaker. He is a man forced to stand in a projector light and bear the blood and terror and abuse demanded by the genre. 

Raimi is "projecting" horror onto his protagonist. The shallowness of the story only provides a meta-commentary as to how horror movies are supposed to function; that is: on a wicked, prurient level. Audiences, on a base level, crave nothing more than mayhem, and horror's poor, poor protagonists -- and its actors -- will suffer for our entertainment. It's curious that director Drew Goddard should have made his own genre deconstruction of "The Evil Dead" with the 2011 film "The Cabin in the Woods" when "The Evil Dead" was already, in itself, a genre deconstruction.  

"Evil Dead II" expands on that notion, but transforms the horror into a comedy of errors. 

Insanity, Complete

Indeed, in repeating the story of "The Evil Dead" in "Evil Dead II," Raimi is trapping Ash is a twisted sort of time loop. Ash recalls nothing from the first film -- it's essentially a reboot -- and is now doomed to repeat everything. By "Evil Dead II," the furniture becomes infected by evil, and the cabin itself starts laughing at him. When he looks into a mirror, his reflection lunges out and grabs him. Ash's only foe ... is Ash. He becomes starkly aware of his role as a horror protagonist. 

When Ash finally slips into a temporary insanity, it's no wonder that he gazes directly into the camera lens. He is finally, darkly cognizant of the abuse he is destined to suffer as a Main Character. He knows at that moment that he is IN A MOVIE. Like Hamlet before him, Ash now must wrestle with his role in his own popular dramatic genre. Hamlet knew the tropes of Senecan revenge tragedies but was too moral to kowtow to the violence demanded of his character. Ash realizes that horror protagonists either die, or barely survive monstrous torture. Only pain awaits this fool.

The central book of the "Evil Dead" movies should have been a clue as to Ash's status as a fictional construct. The name of the Necronomicon was already known to fans of H.P. Lovecraft as the fictional evil tome tied to the author's expansive canon of Elder Gods. The Necronomicon was first mentioned in the 1924 short story "The Hound," and cropped up from time to time in multiple of Lovecraft's tales. The so-called "Simon Necronomicon," published in 1977, is not associated with Lovecraft. 

The Necronomicon is fictional. Should that clue Ash into the fact that ... he, too, is fictional?

Sucked Into Another Genre

The ending of "Evil Dead II," then, can serve as a genre commentary. A demon appears in a doorway -- the "final boss" of the horror genre -- and pulls Ash out of horror movies altogether. Ash finally escapes the mayhem of horror movies, and flees ... into another genre. The final scenes of "Evil Dead II" see Ash fighting a demon in a medieval setting, surrounded by knights and kings. The dread of haunted cabins and eerie nighttime demons is long gone. The "Evil Dead" series has mutated into a sword-and-sorcery epic. Indeed, the following film in the series, "Army of Darkness," more cartoonish than ever, will be about Ash's adventures fighting a skeleton army alongside medieval warriors. 

Is "Evil Dead II" a horror movie? It certainly begins that way. But by the end, it will be something else entirely. Ash is no longer a hapless dope who is attacked by demons. He is now an action hero. One might see this change as a form of wish fulfillment. Given Ash's reaction to his shifted cinematic identity, however, it's far from a happy ending for him. 

Audiences are able to accept the genre shift in "Evil Dead II," however, because, above all else, it is a comedy. Although replete with monsters, gore, chainsaws, and decapitations, "Evil Dead II" is more in the same spirit as a Warner Bros. cartoon from the 1940s than "The Last House on the Left." The film's "scares" bear the same timing as a slapstick comedy film, and Campbell gives one of the greater physical comedy performances in cinema history; in "Evil Dead II," one might even compare him to Buster Keaton. If Buster Keaton chainsawed off his own demon-possessed hand. 

Trippingly, comedy takes us away from horror. Ash wins.

Read this next: The Best Horror Movies Of 2022, Ranked

The post Evil Dead II Ending Explained: Ash vs. the Concept of Horror Movies appeared first on /Film.

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There wasn't anything particularly sinister about the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) outage that prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to ground US flights on Wednesday — it appears to have been a relatively simple glitch. As part of its early investigation, the FAA has determined that the outage was prompted by a "damaged database file." The agency is still working to identify the exact causes and prevent repeat incidents, but says there's still "no evidence" of a cyberattack.

The FAA grounded all domestic departures in the US on Wednesday morning after the NOTAM system failed the afternoon before. This was the first such failure in the country, and it prompted hundreds of delays that took hours to resolve. NOTAMs provide important information about potential problems along a flight's path, such as runway closures and temporary airspace restrictions.

The initial findings may be reassuring for those concerned the outage may have stemmed from another critical infrastructure hack. However, it still leaves some unanswered questions about the fragility of NOTAM in the US. A single corrupted file was apparently all it took to disrupt flights nationwide for over half a day — whatever redundancy was in place clearly wasn't enough.

When you think of modern film award season snubs, "Uncut Gems" is likely one of the first films to cross your mind. Besides, Benny and Josh Safdie's crime thriller stood out for its breakneck pacing and Adam Sandler's transformative lead performance. While the actor had impressed in recent films like "The Meyerowitz Stories," it was his portrayal of jeweler Howard "Howie" Ratner that was considered his true comeback after a lengthy string of flops. Needless to say, he's gotten some pretty good roles ever since, with him even being floated around for awards contention once again for "Hustle."

To the Safdies, there was no other option to play Howie other than Sandler. In an interview with Complex, the duo said that the role needed someone who could still be rooted for despite their flaws or the increasingly difficult situations he gets put in. Going off of that, they only had one person in mind.

"It was always Adam," said Benny. "It only works if you root for him, and that's why it had to be Adam."

You can't really argue with that. While there was a period of time when his films and performances were not well received, many fans still believed that Sandler and his comedic chops were deserving of something greater. After all, he had already proved himself as a more-than-capable actor in productions like "The Wedding Singer" and "Punch-Drunk Love." The role of Howie, and "Uncut Gems" as a whole, was just the thing we needed.

Commitment To The Craft

The film's script, co-written by the Safdies and longtime collaborator Ronald Bronstein, proved to be one that compelled a captivating performance from Sandler on its own. However, according to the directors and other cast members, it was his dedication to the project that truly made him the right fit for Howie. While never diving into method acting, Benny told Complex that Sandler would constantly have his character on his mind, even when his acting persona dropped.

"Even during downtime on set when Adam would be out of character," he said, "he would then just spend that time thinking about, like, why Howard did the things he did in character that day."

It wasn't just the introspection and analysis of Howie that Sandler was seemingly interested in. According to Josh Safdie, the actor did plenty of research on the world of jewelers, talking to prominent influencers in the market. A lot of this research was then applied to how he portrayed the character, achieving that balance between cartoonishly down-on-his-luck and sleazily optimistic while also trying to keep up with current trends.

"He spent time with Ben Baller in L.A., Todd Vulpio, Avianne," commented Josh. "His research and his work ethic [were] just crazy."

Obviously, all of this work really paid off in the long run. Seriously, can you imagine anyone else as Howie besides the Sandman? Probably not, and that's for the best.

Read this next: Adam Sandler's 14 Best Roles Ranked

The post Why Howie In Uncut Gems 'Had To Be' Adam Sandler appeared first on /Film.

British comedy. For years, it has amused and sometimes bemused audiences with its often dry and frequently out-there humor that's either understood and swiftly adored or ditched quicker than a dead parrot. That said, it's certainly had (and continues to have) a huge impact on the shape and overall direction of modern comedy. From the surrealist gags of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" to the painfully awkward realism of "The Office," British comedy series have helped pave the way towards what we now consider the stuff that tickles our funny bones best.

That said, for every David Brent, there are countless other characters -- and their accompanying shows -- that fly under the radar and go criminally unnoticed by international eyes. While British broadcasting may only feature five primary terrestrial channels, its output is large, varied, and colorfully eclectic, with a number of series deserving of far more praise than one nation alone can offer.

With that in mind, we've gathered some underrated British comedy series that you need to see. If you're loving series like the Kiwi-inspired comedy "What We Do in the Shadows" or created-by-a-Brit hit "Succession" and are searching for a top-up of the playfully weird or the bitingly witty, then here's a batch of must-see shows to add to your watchlist. Their concepts may be a little left field but each reward repeat viewings and deliver pure comedy gold.

Taskmaster

The gist of "Taskmaster" is deceptively simple; five comedians complete random tasks to earn points and emerge victorious. These tasks can be anything -- from finding your own hand in a room covered in photocopied pictures of hands to moving a boulder as far as you can in an hour -- and are often filled with hidden hacks or sneaky rules that make the whole job extra hard. Episodes feature three previously-recorded tasks with contestants completing their fourth live at the end of each show. Every episode has an individual winner, with points tallied to reveal an overall champion at the end of each season.

At the helm is the Taskmaster himself, fellow comedian Greg Davies, who is responsible for dishing out points however he sees fit, regardless of contestant skill or success. Whatever happens, it's Davies' word that decides players' fate -- and his word is final. Meanwhile, the man behind the tasks (and the show format), is Davies' loyal sidekick, right-hand-man, and the Taskmaster's biggest fan, Alex Horne -- or "Little Alex Horne," as he's regularly referred to. Still with us? Good.

While the idea of watching comics completing random tasks may seem a bit bizarre (did we mention they're competing for a gold statue of Davies' head? They are), seeing how each comedic mind approaches (and usually fails) their assignment is routinely hilarious and joyous. With new comedians taking part in each season, "Taskmaster" stays fresh and unpredictable, making it the gift that keeps on giving.

Stath Lets Flats

You may have seen the sibling stars of "Stath Lets Flats," Jamie and Natasia Demetriou, in a few things already. The former was in "Cruella," while the latter was in the vampire comedy "What We Do In The Shadows." That said, if you haven't come across them yet, their brilliant comedy skills mean that it's surely only a matter of time until you do -- and the equally brilliant "Stath Lets Flats" is the perfect entry point.

First off: the name. In the U.K., renting a property is often referred to as "letting a flat," and that's exactly what this show is about. Writer/creator Jamie stars as Stath, a perpetually optimistic -- yet wholly rubbish -- letting agent, who wants nothing more than to make his Greek father proud, and maybe even one day inherit the family letting agency. Through Stath we meet his wannabe-singer sister Sophie (Natasia), her best pal Katia (Ellie White), and the infinitely awkward Al (Al Roberts), alongside the other oddball characters that work at Michael and Eagle lettings.

That's the elevator pitch -- but the genius here comes in the 100% useless nature of Stath and his bizarre and disjointed British-Cypriot phrasing and general grasp of the English language. Throughout the show, we watch Stath fumble his way through a number of odd property viewings and life events, eventually becoming an unlikely father and giving us some of the most quotable moments in recent British comedy.

Limmy's Show

Before he was a full-time Twitch streamer and self-labeled online jester, Brian Limond -- or Limmy -- was the creator and star of "Limmy's Show." Originally running on BBC Scotland, this sketch show presented skits that regularly involve dark humor, incredibly niche-yet-relatable bugbears, and some truly bizarre, boarding-on-surreal characters and concepts. Think the manic pace and production quality of "Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job!" filtered through a healthy shot of cynicism that only growing up in somewhere like Glasgow can instill, and you're close to what this smart and very funny show offered.

That said, no matter how weird things got (and they got pretty weird), there was always an element of Limmy's sketches that left you relating to the point that he was trying to make. It's likely why many of them have since become memes or used to illustrate points on social media. Meanwhile, his characters -- people like TV video game host Falconhoof, the vocally sober Jacqueline McCafferty, or sadistic psychic Raymond Day -- provided something a little more sardonic than the work shared by similar sketch shows.

Sadly, "Limmy's Show" only ran for three seasons. While he took many of his best bits on the road for a limited U.K. tour, you'll now mainly find Limmy on livestreams. That said, he did release a one-off episode filmed and edited entirely by himself in his home back in 2018 that once again delivered the goods.

Black Books

Based largely around the sozzled comedic style of its star Dylan Moran, "Black Books" is a show from the mind of Graham Linehan, one half of the writing team behind the classic British comedy "Father Ted." Here, the action is transported from rural Ireland to a tiny bookshop in the heart of London, owned and operated by the frequently intoxicated Bernard Black (Moran). Unfortunately, Bernard's precious alone time is ruined when he accidentally hires new employee Manny (Bill Bailey), a guy who used to be permanently stressed, but has since found a calmer way to live. Together, with their mutual mate Fran (Tamsin Greig), the trio tries their best to survive life while Bernard does his darndest to ensure no one steps foot in his tiny city-center store.

Co-written by Moran, the show features guest appearances from notable British stars like Simon Pegg, Peter Serafinowicz, Martin Freeman, and Olivia Colman, and frequently segued into the surreal to tell its stories. Like all good British comedies, its episodes stick in the mind thanks to their delightfully off-kilter hooks; there's the one where Bernard and Manny accidentally drink the expensive wine, the time they try (and fail) to write a kids' book, and Fran's steamy obsession with the rich tones of a shipping forecast presenter. Put these together with some brilliant recurring gags (what is the "thing" lurking in Bernard's shop?) -- and you've got a modern-day British comedy classic on your hands.

Peep Show

Before he was winning awards with "Succession," writer Jesse Armstrong was mining the depraved hilarity of social awkwardness with the truly brilliant "Peep Show." Airing on Channel 4, this long-running series is not only notable for being many Brits' first introduction to the talents of the now-Oscar-winning Olivia Colman, but also for its production style. Essentially, the whole thing is shot in the first-person point-of-view, with scenes framed as if from the eyes of either the high-strung Mark (David Mitchell) or his stoner pal Jeremy (Robert Webb).

This unusual format also crucially lets us hear the brutally honest and frequently laugh-out-loud inner monologues of our leading characters. While a little jarring at first, the whole thing quickly fades into the background, with viewers easily swept away by the quality of the show's gags and overall writing. Speaking of which, Armstrong, his writing partner Sam Bain, and their wider team successfully plumb the depths of the overall despair, floundering fear and the purposeless meandering of middle age, and in turn capture something that deftly encapsulates that strange transition we all encounter when our youth slips away and is replaced by sobering adulthood.

In all honesty, there are too many great "Peep Show" moments to fit into one pithy blurb. With the help of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb, all of Armstrong and Bain's comic situations are perfectly delivered via superbly-crafted dialogue that elevates the series above most other Brit comedies. For those who can't get enough of the wit of "Succession," this is a must-watch.

Nathan Barley

You've likely heard of "Black Mirror" but this modern-day "Twilight Zone" wasn't creator Charlie Brooker's first foray into telly. Back when he was still transitioning from a red-hot Guardian writer to one of the most celebrated program makers working today, Brooker cut his TV teeth with the help of "Brass Eye" mastermind Chris Morris on Channel 4's "Nathan Barley." Released in 2005, it deliciously skewered the rising trend of hipsters, vloggers, and media types with seemingly made-up jobs by introducing us to its ridiculous titular star. Barley encapsulates all of these things; an individual that's failing upwards and permanently terrified of being deemed uncool, all while never being quite sure exactly what "cool" really is.

This spoof of the preposterous nature of youth and trendiness perhaps best manifests itself in Barley's utterly stupid catchphrases, which, like him, sound like they mean something but are actually full of hot air. Lines like "well bum," "well plastic," "that is well Jackson," "it's gonna be totally f***ing Mexico" or "keep it foolish" are probably the biggest fan takeaways from this short-lived show that was stupid and smart in equal measure. "Nathan Barley" was maybe a little too ahead of its time, arriving at a moment where people just like its ludicrous lead were actually failing upwards in life themselves, leaving its irony lost on early-noughties eyes. These days, however, it's considered a cult comedy classic.

Toast Of London

Let's be honest. Matt Berry is usually the best part of anything he's in; something wider American audiences learned firsthand via his ace turn as vampire Laszlo in "What We Do In The Shadows." However, blood-sucking aside, Berry's other most celebrated role is likely that of pompous actor Steven Toast in Channel 4's very quotable hit "Toast of London." Co-written by Berry and "Father Ted" scribe Arthur Matthews, this series takes aim at the overly-pretentious nature of stage and screen actors, as unfulfilled star Steven Toast tries to secure a level of fame that always remains just out of his reach.

While this theme forms the show's backbone, Berry and Matthews have a ball weaving in some weird characters and surreal moments that take Steven's adventures into a world of their own that's not quite based in reality. Just as its writers revel in poking fun at theatrical types (and their farcical stage names), they seem to have equal amounts of fun taking aim at hipsters, with Steven's infuriated interactions with voice-over studio operator Clem Fandango (Shazad Latif) resulting in some of the show's funniest moments.

Unlikely guests like "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm and Queens of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme pop up in the show's original three-season run, but this was pushed into overdrive during season four's stateside-set "Toast of Tinseltown." Here, people like Larry David, Fred Armisen, and Bill Hader all brushed shoulders with this acting icon.

This Time With Alan Partridge

The (fake) career of Alan Partridge -- Steve Coogan's enduring alter ego -- is something that stands alone in the pantheon of British comedies. Decades after his first appearance on 1991's "On The Hour," Partridge has had a life on screen that's lasted longer than most real-life showbiz personalities. We've seen him host his own chat show (and accidentally shoot a guest), get booted off the BBC and relegated to local radio, live in a static home and endure a bit of a midlife crisis, and received a brief career resurgence after helping to navigate a hostage situation in 2013 movie "Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa."

However, with polarizing media personalities with a disdain for cancel culture wokeness on the rise in the wake of Brexit, Partridge suddenly felt like the unlikely spokesperson for our troubling times. It's this path that led to "This Time With Alan Partridge," a series that sees him co-host a magazine show that perfectly showcases both his fame-hungry on-camera persona and brash off-camera personality.

Co-written by Coogan and his new "Partridge" collaborators Rob and Neil Gibbons, and featuring Partridge pal Simon (Tim Key) and the return of his long-suffering assistant Lynn (Felicity Montagu), "This Time" boasts new gags that have already become classic Partridge moments. Turns out, placing him back on live telly and watching him try to control guests or navigate things like #MeToo is the perfect continuation of this brilliantly written character.

Cunk On Earth

Raw stupidity delivered with stony-faced sincerity. It's something of a through-thread that connects many of the best British comedies -- and it doesn't get much more stupid than Philomena Cunk. Devised by comedian Diane Morgan, Cunk started life as a moronic talking head featured on the satirical TV review show "Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe," where she spouted nonsense and clearly incorrect facts. Soon, the character was developed further and spun off into her own comedy vehicle that stuck Cunk in the hot spot as the airheaded presenter of a fake factual documentary series. Needless to say, comedy most certainly ensued.

Following in the same faux-history show format as her previous series "Cunk on Britain," which looked at key moments in U.K. history and featured interviews with bewildered, real-life experts, "Cunk on Earth" allowed the character to broaden her horizons. Everything from the dawn of civilization, the emergence of faith, and the rise of modern-day machinery was put under Cunk's usually ill-informed microscope, with fellow Morgan collaborator Brooker getting involved in parts of the show's writing process and overall silliness.

Filled with giggle-inducing quotes that make little-to-no sense at all ("Do we know if China has a roof?"), and featuring a seemingly random running gag that places key moments in humanity's history within the context of the 1989 release of Technotronic's "Pump Up The Jam," "Cunk On Earth" -- and all of Cunk's output for that matter -- is stony-faced stupidity at its finest.

Friday Night Dinner

Devised by "Peep Show" and "Stath Lets Flats" collaborator Robert Popper, "Friday Night Dinner" ran for six seasons, and established itself as one of the most popular British comedies of recent years. Its concept is straightforward enough -- it follows two 20-something siblings Jonny (Tom Rosenthal) and Adam (Simon Bird) on their weekly visit back to their parents' house each week for Friday night dinner. When the duo isn't squabbling or playing pranks on each other, they're frequently being embarrassed by their parents Jackie (Tamsin Grieg) and Martin (Paul Ritter), the latter of whom is particularly fond of spending most of his kids' visit walking around semi-naked.

In addition to starring key players from similar Brit hits "Black Books" and "The Inbetweeners," "Friday Night Dinner" also features regular guest appearances from "Spaced" star Mark Heap as the family's oddball neighbor Jim. Inspired by Popper's own personal experiences growing up in a suburban British Jewish household, the show sadly came to a close following its sixth outing following Ritter's death in 2021.

Like many British shows, a number of American remakes have been attempted over the years, the most notable of which was spearheaded by "The Office" producer Greg Daniels and starring Allison Janney and Tony Shalhoub as the family's parents. That version ultimately didn't make it to series, but in July 2022, Amazon Freevee ordered 10 episodes of a U.S. remake under the title "Dinner With The Parents," with Popper helping to oversee the translation process.

Read this next: 20 Underrated Comedy Movies You Need To Watch

The post 10 Underrated British Comedy Series You Need to See appeared first on /Film.

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US inflation continued to slow in December, adding to evidence price pressures have peaked and offering the Federal Reserve room to slow the pace of interest-rate hikes next month. From a report: Excluding food and energy, the consumer price index rose 0.3% last month and was up 5.7% from a year earlier, according to a Labor Department report Thursday. Economists see the gauge -- known as the core CPI -- as a better indicator of underlying inflation than the headline measure. The overall CPI fell 0.1% from the prior month, with cheaper energy costs fueling the first decline in 2 1/2 years. The measure was up 6.5% from a year earlier. US stock futures dropped before paring losses and Treasuries fluctuated. All of the figures matched the median estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The data, when paired with prior months' lower-than-expected readings, point to more consistent signs that inflation is easing and may pave the way for the Fed to downshift to a quarter-point hike at their next meeting ending Feb. 1. That said, the central bank's work is far from over. Resilient consumer demand, particularly for services, paired with a tight labor market threaten to keep upward pressure on prices.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has made his intentions clear concerning Big Tech, as he has penned an op-ed article talking about bringing improved competition in this industry. While Biden does not specifically list the individual companies, their business practices suggest that one of them is definitely Apple. To counter their market dominance, Biden proposes that Democrats and Republicans should come together in an effort to pass a meaningful legislation.

Biden believes that a strong bipartisan legislation should be passed to hold ‘Big Tech accountable’

Biden published his op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, stating that entities in the technology industry exploit not just user data in the U.S. but are also the reason behind polarizing opinions. He believes that Big Tech is responsible for the following.

“Some in the industry collect, share and exploit our most personal data, deepen extremism and polarization in our country, tilt our economy’s playing field, violate the civil rights of women and minorities, and even put our children at risk.”

One way to bring much-needed competition to the technology industry, according to Biden, is through a strong bipartisan legislation. 9to5Mac reports that the U.S. President proposes that a federal framework talking about how technology companies such as Apple can use personal data should be established.

“First, we need serious federal protections for Americans’ privacy. That means clear limits on how companies can collect, use and share highly personal data—your internet history, your personal communications, your location, and your health, genetic and biometric data. It’s not enough for companies to disclose what data they’re collecting. Much of that data shouldn’t be collected in the first place. These protections should be even stronger for young people, who are especially vulnerable online. We should limit targeted advertising and ban it altogether for children.”

Since the issue for Biden is the lack of competition and antitrust, Apple immediately covers those categories thanks to the company’s past and present business practices. Biden wants smaller and mid-sized businesses to compete on an even playing field without giving Big Tech the opportunity to use its dominance to crush any chance of competition. Apple has been under the watchful eyes of the European Union and will be forced to not just release iPhones with USB-C ports but allow the App Store to support sideloading.

In addition, the EU might pressure technology giants like Apple and others to bring back removable batteries for easier user upgradeability. There have been a number of bipartisan antitrust bills proposed in the past, but none of them have bore fruit. Perhaps the intervention of Joe Biden might change all of that.

The post U.S. President Joe Biden Publishes Op-ed, Asks Democrats, Republicans To Join Forces Against Big Tech, Which Includes Apple by Omar Sohail appeared first on Wccftech.

(Superhero Bits is a collection of stories, updates, and videos about anything and everything inspired by the comics of Marvel, DC, and more. For comic book movies, TV shows, merchandise, events, and whatever catches our eye, this is the place to find anything that falls through the cracks.)

In this edition of Superhero Bits:

• "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" gets compared to "Civil War."

• The "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" trailer gets the LEGO treatment.

• "TMNT: Shredder's Revenge" is now on mobile...through Netflix.

• A gigantic Millarworld crossover event.

• All that and more!

Mark Millar's Millarworld Planning A Massive, 24-Title Comic Book Crossover Event

Mark Millar's Millarworld is one of the bigger comic book publishers out there outside of Marvel and DC, in small part because the company is owned by Netflix. Now, the publisher of titles such as "Jupiter's Legacy" and "Kick-Ass" is planning a crossover event for the pages. Speaking to SFX Magazine (via Comicbook.com), Millar explained that they are bringing 24 different franchises together for a massive event titled "Big Time."

"Our books over the next few months lead into a crossover, which ties together all the Millarworld franchises. There are actually 24 franchises altogether if you count series like 'Kick-Ass,' 'Kingsman' and 'Hit Girl,' so we're putting them in one mega-story, which brings all of them together."

"Big Time" does not yet have a release date, but look for it on shelves this spring.

Netflix Subscribers Can Now Play Shredder's Revenge On Mobile Devices

Netflix has been getting into gaming as of late and, even though it hasn't taken off in the mainstream yet, they are adding value for their subscribers. Case in point, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge" is now available through Netflix Games. As such, it can be played via mobile devices, of both the Android and Apple varieties. So, anyone who has a Netflix subscription can merely download an app and get into some classic side-scroller action. 

For those who aren't super familiar with the game as of yet, Netflix has released a trailer for you to check out above.

S.H. Figuarts Miles Morales Spider-Man Is Gearing Up For Pre-Orders

TamashiiNations has revealed that the upcoming Miles Morales from "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" by S.H. Figuarts is going up for pre-orders this week. The figure is due to arrive in July of this year, just after the movie debuts in theaters. While pre-order links are not yet available, those who want to get their hands on this one would do well to keep their eyes open. Stay tuned.

Hildur Gudnadottir Has Begun Work On The Score For Joker: Folie A Deux

Filming is currently underway on "Joker: Folie a Deux," aka the sequel to 2019's "Joker." While it's early days, in a new profile in Variety, it has been revealed that Hildur Gundandottir has begun her work on the score for the film. There's not much more to go on right now but this is good news, given that the composer won an Oscar for her work on the first film. 

The sequel will once again be directed by Todd Philips, with Joaquin Phoenix reprising his role as Joker, and Lady Gaga joining as Harley Quinn. It is currently set to hit theaters on October 4, 2024.

Angela Bassett Won A Golden Globe For Wakanda Forever, A First For Marvel

While there are many, many reasons that the Golden Globes don't matter very much and you probably shouldn't pay attention to them, something big happened last night. Angela Bassett won Best Supporting Actress for her work in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." It marks the first time that an actor from a Marvel Cinematic Universe film has won a major acting award at a major awards show. It also could very much put Bassett on a trajectory to not only secure an Oscar nomination but possibly a win.

That Live-Action Captain Planet Movie Might Happen, Actually

For several years now, Leonardo DiCaprio, amazingly enough, has had a "Captain Planet" movie in development, with "Top Gun: Maverick" star Glen Powell writing it. So, what's going on with the movie? Well, according to the star, it looks like conversations are going to be taking place to get that one moving in the right direction shortly. Speaking with ET, Powell said the following:

"I think those conversations will be happening shortly. I know DiCaprio is super passionate about it. I'm super passionate about it. I think it could be great ... I want that one to work. I'd love to play that superhero."

This is a movie that has been in development for several years and has changed hands a few times. That tends to get tricky. But in an age when superheroes come at a premium and not everyone can have Marvel and DC, it seems like this might be worth taking a look at. We'll see if those conversations actually end up going anywhere productive.

A Trailer For The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Steelbooks

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is set to arrive on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on February 7, 2023, exactly one week after the blockbuster hits Disney+. For those who dig steelbooks, specifically, Best Buy will have not one, but two different editions available for purchase. The above trailer highlights both of those editions that are currently available for pre-order, which center on Namor and Shuri, respectively. The steelbooks are currently going for $38.99 each and pre-orders can be secured by clicking here.

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania Is As Big As Civil War

Per Stephen Broussard, Marvel Studios VP of Production & Development, it sounds like "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is going to be very consequential to the MCU moving forward. So much so that it drew comparisons to "Captain America: Civil War" from the executive. In a press release for the film (via The Direct), Broussard explained that they wanted Ant-Man's next adventure to have similarly high stakes.

"We talk about movies like 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier,' in which you saw the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and it felt like the entirety of the MCU turned on that. 'Captain America: Civil War' was another film where you saw heroes divided and in camps and battle lines being drawn — it really felt like the future of the MCU was going to be defined by the action of that film. We really liked the idea of making this Ant-Man film as important and integral to the MCU going forward."

That is a pretty bold statement! All due respect to the first two "Ant-Man" movies, but they didn't have a massive impact on the wider MCU, save for the post-credits scene attached to "Ant-Man and the Wasp," which teed up the ball for "Avengers: Endgame." But it sounds like Scott Lang is stepping up his game this time around.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Trailer Gets The LEGO Treatment

Lastly, the folks at Huxley Berg Studios have given James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" the LEGO treatment. Or the trailer for the film, anyway. The trailer debuted online several weeks back and promises to be a very emotional conclusion to this trilogy. So why not see what Star-Lord and the gang look like in LEGO form for their final ride together? It's particularly fun to see how other Disney characters are incorporated into this reimagining of the footage. Check out the trailer for yourself above and look out for the movie in theaters on May 5, 2023.

Read this next: The 11 Best Pre-MCU Superhero Movies

The post Superhero Bits: Ant-Man Gets His Civil War, That Captain Planet Movie Might Still Happen & More appeared first on /Film.

The OG Zelda game like we've never seen it before

Of all the games to be modded into VR, the original Legend of Zelda game was near the bottom of my list in terms of expectations. Usually when a game goes VR, it's already got a 3D art style, but I have to admit adding a whole new dimension to a title, especially such a classic one, is a really intriguing idea. Now we get a chance to see what that experience is like, because Japanese modder and retro gaming enthusiast Sugar Noe posted a video of themselves playing The Legend of Zelda to both Twitter and YouTube, as originally reported by Nintendo Life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vNA8-UE780

In 2021, a user named DeTwelve created a mod called The Legend of Doom, which faithfully recreates The Legend of Zelda in the engine of the original Doom. Then Sugar Noe took that mod and made their own tweaks so that it would be playable on a Quest VR headset. This thing has layers, but the final result has to make for one of the most immersive Zelda experiences ever.

I played through The Legend of Zelda with a friend a few years ago on his SNES Classic, but admittedly I wasn't too intrigued considering how much the game showed its age, if you can pardon my blasphemy. We never finished it, but I will say that the added twist of playing it in VR might just be the push I need to get the very first Zelda game under my belt once and for all.

The post The Legend of Zelda in VR might be the push I need to finish the original game appeared first on Destructoid.

If you are of a certain age and the Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody" comes on, your mind immediately goes to the car scene from the 1992 film "Wayne's World." It was the story of Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey), who host a public cable access show called "Wayne's World" in Wayne's mom's basement. They talk about metal, "babes," and general partying. You probably don't remember much of the plot, but the plot was never really the point. It was all about the characters.

Wayne and Garth appeared on "Saturday Night Live" in skits and were wildly popular. The recurring segments of their fictional show often had guests like Madonna, Tom Hanks, and even the band Aerosmith. If you grew up in this time period, you knew these guys. They were the ones with long hair who seemed to be speaking a different language than you were. (If not, then you were these guys.) As someone who did grow up then, with the same music, they were my favorite part of the late-night show. 

Wayne Campbell didn't just appear when Myers joined the cast of "SNL" in 1989, though. The character -- who was only the second from the show to get a feature film (after 1980's "The Blues Brothers") and the first to get a sequel -- was created by Myers long before. He appeared as Wayne on Canadian television in his early 20s, according to a 2019 feature in The Ringer, and when he was a part of the comedy troupe at Chicago's Second City, according to Vulture.

Party On, Excellent

Even if you never saw the skits or the show, you probably know the catchphrases that Wayne and Garth used. They introduced themselves on the cable access show by greeting each other with "Party on, Wayne" and "Party on, Garth." "Schwing" with an accompanying pelvic thrust showed that they were into someone. "We're not worthy" was the chant when they worshiped a musician or anyone else. If something seemed unlikely, Wayne would say, "Yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt."

All of it came out of little skits that Myers would do to entertain his friends in the '70s and '80s while he was growing up in Toronto, Canada. In fact, he based Wayne on himself and those friends, though he did say in a Rolling Stone article in 1992 (via The Ringer) that he (and Wayne) were smarter than people gave him credit for. "I was always a student who liked to hang out with the guys who partied -- and get my homework done. People just thought I was an idiot who liked to party. People always underestimate Wayne's intellect." 

'Will You Still Love Me When I'm An Incredibly Humungoid Giant Star?'

Myers brought Wayne to a wider audience's attention when he appeared on the Canadian station MuchMusic, where he played the VJ's "cousin." That VJ was Christopher Ward, a songwriter for people like Diana Ross and groups like the Backstreet Boys. Ward tells The Ringer:

"There was a precision about Mike's work that was part of the brilliance of it. So Wayne Campbell had that whole quality of verisimilitude about him. A typical suburban guy with a ball hat."

That's the thing about Wayne Campbell. You can tell he was based on real people because he feels real. It was less a broadly drawn stereotype than a person who embodies that lifestyle. 

Wayne also showed up on CBC's "It's Only Rock and Roll," where the character hosted "Wayne's Power Minute," which was very similar to the "SNL" sketches. Myers also played the role, of course, during his time in the comedy troupe Second City in the mid-1980s. 

In the pantheon of Mike Myers characters, maybe Austin Powers is the most well-known, and Dieter from Sprockets, Linda Richmond from Coffee Talk, and the shop owner from the "If it's not Scottish, it's crap" segments have tons of fans, but Wayne is still the sweetest and the most fun to watch in my book. "Wayne's World" is definitely worth another viewing -- and don't miss the sequel "Wayne's World 2" either, because it's one of the rare cases where it's just as good as the first film.

Party on, friends. 

Read this next: Every Mel Brooks Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

The post Mike Myers Created His Wayne's World Character Long Before Saturday Night Live appeared first on /Film.

Our Winter Classics Sale is up and running, offering you a great variety of gaming masterpieces up to 90% off. And while the Sale lasts until January 13th, 11 PM UTC, we’ve prepared some special additional content regarding our beloved classic titles.



We are incredibly happy that we got to talk with Digital Foundry’s John Linneman, who shared some more light about DF Retro beginnings, his and Digital Foundry’s appreciation of classic games as a whole, what he’d like to see regarding them in the future, and more!

And that’s not all! Together with Digital Foundry we’ve prepared a special collection of recommended retro games including amazing classic masterpieces alongside John Linneman’s DF Retro Game of the Year – Shadow Man – which you can get on a -35% discount during the Winter Classics Sale. If you are interested why Shadow Man was crowned by John, check out the video HERE.

Alright, now let’s cut to the chase. We hope you’ll enjoy the interview!

Shadow Man Remastered

Digital Foundry has been active since 2004. It’s safe to say that you are veterans of gaming journalism. Was the DF Retro part of the project there from the beginning? And what made you highlight this specific section?

I started with Digital Foundry back in 2013 and, at the time, most of our content was focused on the written word as opposed to video. While we produced some narrated YouTube content that year, it wasn't until 2015 that it became the primary focus. DF Retro was never part of the original plan but, as a retro gaming enthusiast, I regularly expressed interest in producing DF content focused on classic games. Unfortunately, there was concern that it wouldn't find much of an audience on the channel.

In 2016, however, a confluence of circumstances enabled me to give it a proper shot. You see, prior to E3 2016, there were rumors regarding Shenmue 3's potential appearance at the show following its announcement the prior year. In preparation for this, I decided to put together a retrospective on the original game with a Digital Foundry twist. I nearly completed the video earlier that year but we ended up sitting on it for a while awaiting any potential announcements. At this point, the content hadn't been christened DF Retro.


Quake

Fast forward to May 2016 - I finally got my hands on a copy of Quake for the Sega Saturn and was so floored by it that I tossed together a short video on a Saturday afternoon. Rich Leadbetter, founder and chief of Digital Foundry, liked the video and we decided to run with it. I appended “Retro” onto our logo graphic and away we went. The video did surprisingly well and Rich suggested rolling out the Shenmue video I had previously worked on under the DF Retro banner as well. The rest is history and I would continue to produce Retro focused content whenever possible. Ultimately, DF Retro is about showcasing and discussing the technology and history behind classic games. With modern technology becoming increasingly homogeneous, looking back is often more compelling which is what drives me to continue.

Acquiring and fixing classic titles is a big part of our platform and an idea that made GOG a reality in the first place. Digital Foundry shares our goal of making games last forever. Is there a specific philosophy standing behind it for you?

As a platform built around video content, DF Retro is designed to foster an appreciation for classic games while sharing our experiences with a broad audience. When presenting a game or series, I always ensure that video footage is captured directly from original hardware to preserve authenticity for those that may not have access to the original machines. This is also why we often feature off-screen footage showcasing CRT monitors in action - it's designed to better communicate what that experience may have looked like back in the day. When covering PC games, I especially love digging out period appropriate 3D accelerator cards to share their unique quirks with the world.

Most gamers obviously won't have access to this vintage hardware, however, which is where services such as GOG become so critical. I like to think that DF Retro allows people to see how games looked at the time of release while GOG enables people to actually play them on their own machines.


The Wheel of Time

Nostalgia. That’s a word frequently used when there’s a conversation about classic titles and what makes them so good. But we know there’s much more to it. Could you, in short of course, tell us what qualities retro titles have that distinguish them from modern games?

There is a sense these days that the countless decades of shared knowledge between developers have produced a set of “best practices” which have come to define so many games. You know, things ranging from basic control configurations to overall game structure and beyond - most people can pick-up a modern game and immediately get to grips with its controls and gameplay. Classic games, in comparison, have this almost “Wild West” philosophy driving their designs. Developers were figuring this stuff out as they went, often building their own unique technology to match and, as a result, no two games felt alike and few would hold your hand.

While the results could feel somewhat unpolished, when viewed through a modern lens, these games can challenge and delight players in unexpected ways. You can feel the ambitions of their developers trying to find new ways to deliver the intended experience - and that experience would differ significantly between every game.


System Shock 2

In recent years, there seems to be a trend of either remastering and remaking classic titles or implementing their style (pixel art, 2D, genres’ revival, etc.) to newer releases. Why do you think that is?

At this point, the generation that grew up playing video games are now building games themselves. It's only natural that some of these developers would harbor a desire to try their hand at creating something in the style of their favorite games. I wouldn't say it's a case of pure nostalgia, however, as there are both production and gameplay implications that are important to consider.

And lastly, what would you like to be done by a gaming community and industry regarding retro/classic titles in the future?

I would love to see new releases offer new features designed to help players understand the context and historical value behind the games. Finding ways to deliver insight either from the original developers or those with a deep appreciation could be amazing. Availability is the first step but I think there's a lot of potential here.

I'd also love to see additional work poured into optionally simulating aspects of the original experience. For instance, for a classic PC game, offering an enhanced version that runs well on modern hardware is most important but I'd love to see vintage graphics card simulation, for instance - the way a 3DFX Voodoo or PowerVR card displays classic games differs greatly from modern GPUs and it would be neat to see games embrace this. Basically a spin on the 'CRT Shaders' that have become popular when simulating console games designed for CRT monitors.

Of course, the community and developers themselves have already produced so many shining examples of restoration work and I'm in awe at the quality of many re-releases these days. Things are looking great for classic games on modern platforms.


Blade Runner

We’d like to thank John very much for talking with us and sharing all this interesting information. Make sure to visit Digital Foundry and check out their incredible works, as well as enjoy games recommended by them in this Collection. Here’s to classic games and making them last forever!

A cybercrime group tracked as Scattered Spider has been observed exploiting an old vulnerability in an Intel Ethernet diagnostics driver for Windows in recent attacks on telecom and BPO firms.

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