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The 10th film in the Planet of the Apes franchise, Wes Ball's Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, echoes a number of its predecessors — both the Andy Serkis-led trilogy of the 2010s, as well as the pulpy originals from the '60s and '70s — while aiming to build something unique. It often succeeds, functioning as both a series relaunch led by endearing new characters, as well as a sequel set several centuries after 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes, with whose text it promises to wrestle, even though it never fully does so.

Despite a few intriguing setups that go nowhere (and, vice versa, payoffs that would've been more potent had they been better established), Kingdom is a visually and emotionally dynamic movie with momentous action scenes and seamless visual effects in service of stellar mo-cap performances. It grabs the baton from The Batman director Matt Reeves — who helmed War as well as its predecessor, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes — and blazes a path for a brand-new saga while remaining tethered to what came before. As far as big-budget sequels go, it's an effective transitory chapter, telling a self-contained story while keeping both past and future in mind.

It's also not exactly the movie its trailers are selling, but that's a good thing. It has all the makings of the classic Hollywood adventure promised in its marketing, from imaginative world-building to character arcs and relationships that seem entirely straightforward. But it eventually proves anything but simple, thanks to a few surprises up its sleeve that nudge it in the direction of moral complexity. The result may not be as narratively polished as its predecessors — some of the most accomplished engaging popcorn blockbusters in years — but it makes for a worthwhile follow-up, growing pains and all.

What is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes about? Credit: 20th Century Studios

The 2010s trifecta of Rise, Dawn, and War owes much of its success to the dynamic characters created by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (who penned the first two movies). Ball and screenwriter Josh Friedman pay the duo effective homage, not only by ensuring that the spirit of ape revolutionary Caesar (Serkis) looms large over Kingdom, but by immediately crafting new characters who are just as endearing and intriguing.

The movie, set an indeterminate number of centuries after War (per on-screen text: "Many Generations Later"), introduces us to brand-new chimpanzee protagonist Noa (Owen Teague) through a sweeping opening scene that puts a combination of action, morality, and culture on display. The adolescent ape scales the sides of concrete buildings now overrun with abundant fauna — human civilization seems long gone — along with his two best friends, childhood sweetheart Soona (Lydia Peckham) and lively jokester Anaya (Travis Jeffery), in the hopes of collecting eagle eggs from high-up nests for a bonding ritual the next day.

Noa is a stickler for the rules, and for truth and kindness. When Kingdom begins, those two ideas frequently align — he ensures to leave at least one egg behind for the wild eagle to raise, as is his elders' diktat — but they eventually clash in unexpected ways. Once the trio returns to their isolated tribe, the "eagle clan," in the ruins of a human metropolis, the movie quickly establishes its emotional stakes. Through interactions both spoken and signed, we learn that Noa has a doting mother, Dar (Sara Wiseman), but a domineering father, Koro (Neil Sandilands), a village elder who looks after the tribe's eagle companions, and with whom Noa doesn't get along. The young, wide-eyed ape has enormous shoes to fill, but his coming-of-age journey is interrupted before it can truly begin, sending him on a dangerous rescue mission that will test his mettle as a leader.

In the dead of night, a rogue band of ape warriors armed with taser-spears (and led by a fearsome gorilla general, a series staple we haven't seen in some time) attacks and kidnaps Noa's tribe while yelling a chilling war cry: "For Caesar!" It's a name Noa hasn't heard before, even though the audience has, but it's one he learns about during his journey to retrieve his friends and family when he meets ape companion Raka (Peter Macon), an erudite orangutan. A keeper of ancient knowledge, Raka wears a crest in the shape of Caesar's childhood window from Rise, which eventually became a revolutionary symbol in the trilogy, sparking intrigue (in both Noa and the audience) about what this iconography has come to mean.

Raka teaches Noa about facets of the old world which had long been kept from him, including some mysterious past relationship between apes and humans, who are now referred to as "echoes" by Noa and his tribe. Considered little more than feral pests, the people of this world are mostly extinct, and those who remain can no longer speak. However, as Noa and Raka journey toward the coastal ape kingdom where the eagle clan is being held — ruled by the megalomaniacal bonobo Proximus (Kevin Durand) — they're followed by a hungry young human girl (Freya Allan), upon whom Raka bestows the name "Nova." She challenges Noa's expectations about human intellect, paving the way for an inverted boy-and-his-dog saga.

Notably, Raka frames the name "Nova" as a direct reference to Caesar's nonverbal human companion in War (itself a reference to a character in the 1968 original). And while he doesn't fully know its origins, he can identify its significance to the once-great Caesar, a figure who has slipped into legend. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is many things, from an emotionally-driven adventure romp to a moving character piece, but its success as both is also partially rooted in the way it approaches the text of the recent trilogy: as cultural building blocks for two different ideas of ape society.

How Kingdom echoes War for the Planet of the Apes Credit: 20th Century Studios

What makes Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes especially unique as a sequel is how it approaches the text of its predecessor: as in-world mythology with practically religious significance. The specific details of history have been lost in translation (and through natural decay; practically every human-made object has been reabsorbed by nature), but once Noa is confronted with dueling visions of the past, and of the world outside his village, the loss of this history becomes a character unto itself.

Raka, the last remaining member of his tribe, clings to Caesar as a noble leader and messianic figure. It's a fitting outcome given the Biblical parallels in War for the Planet of the Apes, which framed Caesar as a Moses-like figure freeing the apes from tyrannical enslavement and leading them across a desert to a lush promised land. However, Caesar's refrain of "apes together strong" has since been twisted by the mighty Proximus, as a fascist call to ape superiority.

With his bloodshot eyes and imposing demeanor, Proximus makes for a striking villain on multiple fronts. On one hand, he poses a direct threat to the peace-loving chimps in the present, who he enslaves in pursuit of building a new ape society. On the other hand, he represents a corruption of history. He also clings to the now-ancient window symbol — it's scrawled on the hull of the beached cargo ship that he has made his palace — and while his master plan is better left unspoiled, Durand sells it with a recognizable (if corrupted) sense of ethos. His vision of the world, based on whispers of the human concept of evolution, involves propelling ape-kind forward at any cost, and in order to do so, he twists Caesar's story into an authoritarian dogma.  

Noa has no connection to either version of Caesar, and the movie doesn't quite force him to choose, but they inform an increasingly complicated series of decisions for the young simian in ways that mirror Caesar's trilogy. The throughline of Rise, War, and Dawn was as much about human nature as it was about ape liberation, and the question of whether or not humans could be trusted, a concept Kingdom mirrors in surprising ways when Noa's sheltered, linear sense of morality clashes with other characters' self-serving natures. In that regard, it's not unlike Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which sees the human-raised Caesar learning about the cruelty of the outside world and adapting accordingly.  

The echoes between Caesar and Noa extend to the filmmaking, too. A specific cut early on draws a visual parallel between them, and given Noa's physical resemblance to Caesar (and a similar bald spot he bears on his chest), he may as well be Caesar's direct descendant. But that's far too literal a connection for a movie that treats its predecessors less like real events and more like epic poems and scriptures, whose religious meaning can be twisted for personal gain. And while these warring ideas of morality, based on previous films in the series, are only relevant up to a point — they become increasingly sidelined as the movie rushes to set up its final act — they set a high bar for Kingdom by keeping the previous movies on the tip of its tongue. However, despite some disjointed dramatic construction, it's a bar that Ball and Friedman mostly clear.

Wes Ball brings propulsive filmmaking to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Credit: 20th Century Studios

If Kingdom is meant to be a proof of concept for future entries, then 20th Century Studios ought to throw bags of money at Wes Ball, given the adept and often stunning way he brings this world to life. His camera, courtesy of cinematographer Gyula Pados, swings and weaves through trees and other obstacles with aplomb, while Dan Zimmerman's rhythmic editing ensures the action is never lost or obscured. All the while, Ball's focus on character and intensity remains central to every scene.

The minor interactions soar as well. Ball's sincere dramatic presentation, coupled with detailed, idiosyncratic mo-cap performances, create living, breathing histories between each character, which lay the foundation for nail-biting investment once things go off the rails, and Noa and his cohorts are forced into fluid chase scenes, and fights whose physicality is matched by emotional impact.

Unfortunately, some of this impact is robbed during the film's more traditional dramatic moments. The film goes to great lengths to create a nuanced, multifaceted sense of culture for both Proximus's kingdom and the eagle clan, with specific gestures and slang terms appearing in amusing ways that feel descended from contemporary interactions. However, some of the clan's rituals and steadfast beliefs aren't so much dramatized as they are simply mentioned or gestured toward, which leads to a handful of malformed scenes where Noa's evolution as a character is far more inferred than felt.

That said, with the apes' mo-cap technology having been all but perfected in War, rare are the moments when the characters in Kingdom aren't utterly convincing, both physically and emotionally (also: Wet fur has never looked this authentic). Realism may not be the series' key concern — some of the original sequels succeeded despite their flimsy plastic ape masks — but the characters' recognizable nuances and idiosyncrasies go a long way toward connecting us to them. By the time the world and its murky morality forces them to re-evaluate their beliefs, it feels like a palpable sense of innocence has been tragically lost. Few Hollywood blockbusters have ever felt so complete while also demanding a sequel be made.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes undoubtedly has elements that could have (and should have) been better, if only to better emphasize some of its most emotionally and ethically interesting ideas. But despite the flaws in its construction, it proves to be a vibrant action-adventure sequel, with a beating heart constantly under threat, and characters you can't help but either adore or despise — and in some cases, both.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is in theaters now.

With The Iron Claw, writer/director Sean Durkin not only brings to theaters the tragic story of one of pro wrestling's most famous families, but also Zac Efron's career-best work. Centering on the Von Erich wrestling dynasty and the "curse" said to have plagued them through the '70s and '80s, The Iron Claw follows four brothers who fought for their family legacy, yet suffered under the training of their domineering father. 

While Durkin ably captures the era-specific atmosphere of their life in Dallas, he loses sight of how that family element informed the worst moments of the brothers' lives. This is, after all, a tale of fathers, sons, and deep misfortune, brought to life by a powerhouse ensemble. Although brimming with death and loss, The Iron Claw has a strangely mechanical approach that pokes instead of probes.  

Most wrestling fans know the details of this family saga, but others might be shocked by the accumulation of misery, pushing the limits of how much one family can endure. The film is a resounding success in that one regard. However, with few exceptions, the real events end up far more observed than felt, as though Durkin were avoiding the most painful memories of a famous family he reveres. These moments fail to resonate, so The Iron Claw ends up a pretty good movie that could have — and should have — been great.

How does The Iron Claw approach the "Von Erich curse"? Credit: A24

 "Mom tried to protect us with God. Dad tried to protect us with wrestling," explains Kevin Von Erich (Efron), the rising wrestling superstar who is the film's center. The oldest living Von Erich brother, Kevin looks out for up-and-coming wrestler David (Triangle of Sadness's Harris Dickinson), professional discus-thrower Kerry (The Bear's Jeremy Allen White), and musician Mike (Stanley Simons). But, as he warns his love interest Pam May (Lily James), there is a family curse that took his older brother when they were very young. That loss sparked a local superstition that Kevin doesn't fully believe, at least at first. But the more their ruthlessly macho father Fritz (Holt McCallany) pushes his boys toward in-ring glory — and well past their breaking point — the more this "curse" becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

As Kevin explains, the belief in the Dallas wrestling scene is that this curse is tethered to the family's name, which Fritz — born Jack Adkisson — adopted from his mother's maiden name, Erich. This leads to a few poignant dramatic notes that see Kevin wrestling with his lineage and his wrestling moniker, but there's also a key detail left out of this history that softens the blow. 

In reality, Fritz chose the name "Von Erich" to enhance his heel persona as a Nazi villain in the 1950s. The film even opens with an ominous black-and-white flashback to Fritz in his heyday (albeit sans any hint of Nazi insignia). He looms large over the camera, pummeling an opponent into submission with his signature move, "the Iron Claw," a skull-crushing vice grip. As movie titles go, The Iron Claw is both a familiar throwback to this maneuver (which the Von Erich sons would eventually adopt, even as heroes or "babyfaces") and a poetic description of the kind of hold Fritz had over his children's lives. Yet despite wading into uncomfortable territory with Fritz's hyper-masculine approach to fatherhood, The Iron Claw pulls its punches. 

SEE ALSO: 'Dark Side of the Ring' and 'The Iron Claw' make a slammin' doubleheader

The film certainly has a throughline about the self-destructive nature of professional wrestling, which takes its toll physically and mentally. But similar to the avoidance of Fritz's Nazi gimmick, The Iron Claw makes the family patriarch too pleasant by omission. Just as often as McCallany is stern and calculating — like when he openly ranks the boys from his favorite to least over breakfast — he has a warm and welcoming presence, with wide smiles that celebrate his sons' achievements. In theory, this realistically mirrors the nature of toxic parenthood and the way dependency forms through abusers running alternatingly hot and cold. Yet the movie seldom tips Fritz over into territory harsh enough to link his actions to the eventual horrid outcomes of his sons' lives. Something is missing here. The Iron Claw runs over two hours, yet it still feels truncated, as though several scenes threading the needle between his parenting and the boys' psychology and physiology had been ruthlessly snipped.

The "curse," therefore, takes on an ephemeral quality once all the boys join their father's promotion, World Class Championship Wrestling, without necessarily being prepared for the physical and emotional toll. This arguably impacts Kevin the most, straining his relationship with Pam in concerning ways. He spends more and more time away from her, in fear of the curse being communicable. But the more his brothers suffer, the less his parents factor into the movie. When tragedy strikes, their mother Doris (Maura Tierney) takes comfort in religion, dragging Fritz and the boys to church every Sunday. But that's about the only thing we learn about her — other than the fact that she, like Fritz, would rather leave the boys' personal and psychological issues alone, for them to discuss between themselves. 

Fritz, though he has plenty of screen time, exists as though he were a ghost, unable to escape that initial monochrome flashback. While this works to establish the emotional boundaries of the story — a father unable to escape his past, in which he never moved beyond the precipice of glory — he ends up lacking a sense of imposing physicality and emotional brutality for his children in the present. He pushes them, but never demolishes them; they seem to do that all on their own. Fritz's professional disappointments come up plenty in the dialogue, but the moments when the edit connects the family's tragedies to his tough-love training are few and far between. So, when Kevin finally does confront his father during a particularly charged moment late into the film, it doesn't carry the weight and on-screen history that it should, despite the performers working overtime to ensure a sense of lived reality about each interaction. It's as though even the camera was convinced that the Von Erich curse was something evil lurking in the ether, rather than the end result of a father trying to capture his lost glory by living vicariously through his sons. 

The Iron Claw takes big liberties with the Von Erich brothers to build a compelling (if false) tale of brotherhood.  Credit: A24

The movie undoubtedly succeeds in fleshing out the Von Erich sons, both as individuals and as brothers. The first image of Efron's Kevin is him waking up for a morning run, via a close-up of his face and bare chest. There's immediately something off-putting about him. Before Kevin ever speaks, the bulging veins on his discolored torso (hinting, perhaps, at the character's steroid use) consume the entire frame as Kevin lumbers out of his childhood bed. The real Kevin had a leaner physique than most wrestling stars, but the movie's hulking conception of him immediately captures a man uncomfortable in his skin, a transformation that Efron hurls himself toward with fearless commitment.

While Kevin might want the spotlight in the ring, outside of it there's something tragic in how he struggles socially. Pam tries to flirt with him after a show, but he seems lost, as though he's never been exposed to the real world beyond the confines of wrestling. The real Kevin had a deeper voice and came off as much more self-assured. Efron's soft, boyish approach helps externalize lingering insecurities while making him feel awkward in any environment. He's a man trapped in arrested development, and while Efron takes to the wrestling action like a seasoned pro — the air-time he gets on some of Kevin's leaps are mesmerizing — his in-ring appearance, barefoot and in white trunks, makes him seem like some perverse creation, an overgrown, muscular baby, created by a mad wrestling scientist. 

If Kevin's professional life is spent fulfilling his father's pursuit, his personal life is equally stunted, though Efron imbues it with an innocent charm. Kevin wants nothing more than to spend time with his brothers; even his dreams of marriage and settling down involve making room for them on his ranch. Brotherhood is all he knows, and his initial interactions with David and Mike hint at a multifaceted personal history, even though the film has little time to explore this. 

In Dickinson's hands, David might seem, at first, like a cardboard cutout — the nice, straightforward brother, who tries hard and diligently follows his father's orders. But Dickinson navigates this seeming simplicity with a sense of radiance, and it pays off in spades, given his place in the plot. Ranked for a pivotal time as Fritz's favorite, he starts to feel the effects of the bar being set too high for any of them, including himself.

Mike (Simons), meanwhile, is the skinny and meek son; this character is imbued with some qualities and plot points of his real-life brother Chris, the youngest Von Erich who's been strangely excluded from the film. He's a teenager with a musician's soul and an artist's melancholy that Simons lets fester in silence the more that Mike is pushed into a physical sport for which he's hardly prepared. Like Efron's boyish approach to Kevin, Simons's conception of Mike departs from reality in ways that suit the story. Within his artistic interests, a subtle effeminacy silently speaks to how he fails to meet the masculine expectations of the Von Erich patriarch and the wrestling world at large. And yet, Mike's attempt to be the round peg who'll fit the square hole helps evoke a loving sympathy, both from the audience and from Kevin and David, who help Mike sneak out to a musical gig after Doris puts her foot down.

Kerry was the golden boy, until his Olympic dream ends (through no fault of his own). When Kerry returns home, his father immediately thrusts him into the wrestling spotlight, as though he were another opportunity to elevate the Von Erich name. While the real Kerry was considered the most charismatic and movie star-like of the bunch, White's approach is steeped in rage and disappointment after the Olympic boycott. (In reality, Kerry debuted for WCCW long before this happened, but it makes for intriguing drama). If one were recasting the brothers solely on physical appearance, then White and Efron ought to have switched roles, but they each embody their specific versions of Kerry and Kevin in pitch-perfect ways.  

Even Pam's performance becomes a lens to better understand Kevin. James, who plays Pam with an angelic radiance, approaches the part with wide-eyed enthusiasm, to the point that she doesn't seem real. Is her earnest interest "kayfabe," the wrestling tenet of maintaining a character to sell the audience on an illusion? Given his inexperience outside the ring, he has trouble telling whether or not she's being genuine at first — whether she has a real interest in him, or whether she's a climber or groupie — and James's performance guides us through this uncertainty. The more James grows accustomed to the Von Erich family, the more comfortable and realistic her performance becomes.

Durkin's direction gears each scene and character towards an alluring present, resulting not only in some of the year's best performances, but a vivid sense of reality in the moment. However, his specific approach to weaving these scenes and moments together ends up costing the film its emotional impact.

Sean Durkin's filmmaking both helps and hurts the story. Credit: A24

Early into the runtime, a rhythmic long take reminiscent of Goodfellas (and set to Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear The Reaper) gets us in tune with the brothers, and with the ins and outs of their environment as they enter the Sportatorium, the lively wrestling arena owned by their father. As Kevin and Kerry plan their upcoming match with a pair of other wrestlers, they speak in wrestling jargon, quickly establishing for the audience the scripted nature of the sport — which was, at the time, mostly hidden from the public. However, this dialogue also comes off as rehearsed rather than routine, as though these athletes had never before undertaken this task. Despite the accuracy of the terminology, the brothers don't fully feel as though they've grown up in and around this industry. 

Durkin's visual approach, however, works to hide the seams of the actors' in-ring inexperience. The film mimics the up-close-and-personal camera approach innovated by WCCW, which gives the wrestling scenes a sense of chaotic intensity as the camera zips past and around them. Durkin is also adept at blocking and crafting evocative, memorable images outside the ring, but they occasionally work against the story he's telling. There's a mesmerizing series of shots that all fade into each other, starting with a close-up of a syringe one of the brothers injects into his thigh, and followed by close-ups of Kevin, David and Kerry's faces, all overlapping, their sense of identity all blurring together. We never actually learn who was doing the injecting, or even what they were injecting — a steroid? A painkiller? A recreational drug? This is vital information, given the way the tragic results of their lifestyle slowly creep up on each brother one by one, rather than altogether.

This interchangeability bleeds into the way Durkin frames each tragedy in their lives. Take, for instance, a gruesome injury suffered by Kerry, which jeopardizes his wrestling career. Rather than exploring the physical and psychological fallout of this event — whether through Kerry's eyes, or the reactions of anyone in his family — Durkin instead builds a bizarre sense of mystery around Kerry's injury and reveals it like a plot twist, before skipping past any concerns he might have about it, or his family's reactions.  

Most of the plot unfolds this way. Injuries and other life-changing moments are portended by dramatic irony (usually in the dialogue, and even in Mike's song lyrics), but they're seldom built to with a sense of causality, and their ripple effects are rarely felt. Vital decisions simply occur, rather than being arrived at through rigorous drama. The harrowing events that defined the brothers' lives and gave rise to the idea of the "Von Erich curse" in the public consciousness exist largely as isolated moments geared towards shock value. Between this sense of skipping past major events, and Durkin omitting an entire brother to shorten the runtime, it can't help but feel like the story he wants to tell is too big for one movie.

Sean Durkin may love wrestling too much to do this story justice.  Credit: A24

But Durkin is too thoughtful a director for these pacing issues to kneecap the film entirely. The Iron Claw has the look (and more importantly, the aesthetic) of an important drama with historical weight, and while this may feel like a backhanded compliment, it isn't. On the family's ranch, the Texas air always feels warm and thick, offering both a summery glow and sense of nostalgia. In the final act, this crescendos into a particularly moving moment of Kevin imagining a better life for his brothers. Whenever the four of them are together on screen, it feels like a Richard Linklater movie, bursting to life with a camaraderie that Durkin knows exactly how to capture with sincerity and sentimentality. When the brothers line dance at a family wedding — a sparsely attended one, as the Von Erichs are revered but not truly known — the camera focuses not on the brothers' feet or their body movement but on their joyful expressions, tracking across their faces in the close-up. 

Durkin, a lifelong wrestling fan, cares deeply about these characters, but perhaps that's a problem. The film often feels too close to its subject matter to give it an honest appraisal, and the camera frequently turns its gaze away from the story's most painful moments. The blocking helps capture the family's dynamic whenever it starts to shift — when jealousies fly, and when wrestling starts to get in the way rather than bringing them together — but in these scenes, Durkin pulls back, giving The Iron Claw a distant and observational quality when it should feel most intimate. Each time the movie avoids bearing witness to the brothers' suffering and its impact on the family, it avoids the painful question of what led to each tragedy, and how Fritz (and perhaps even Doris) might have avoided such an outcome. The cumulative impact of this is a story that feels incomplete.

For a tale about the way tragic events can define people and families, The Iron Claw sadly ends up with too little interest in those tragedies or their emotional fallout. It's far too eager to get to the end of the story and reach a light at the end of the tunnel. It spends too little time delving into darkness before skipping forward to catharsis. Its highs don't feel earned, so the movie never truly soars. 

The Iron Claw is now streaming on Max.

UPDATE: May. 9, 2024, 1:29 p.m. EDT This review was updated to reflect current streaming options.

In Chris Pine's directorial debut Poolman, Pine himself stars as an amateur sleuth in Los Angeles who is dedicated to uncovering a mind-blowing mystery. The film itself is inherently a curiosity, as Pine has been about as enigmatic a figure as an A-list movie star can be nowadays. In the Best Chris Wars, he has thrived by playing quirky yet undeniably dashing heroes across films like Wonder Woman, A Wrinkle in Time, Star Trek, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Yet unlike his peers in Chris-ness, he has not courted fandom through social media, and so has not been subject to political backlashes or parasocial relationship-spurred scandals. Instead, he has cultivated a mystique that involves preferring an old-school flip phone and busting out a disposable camera at movie premieres. Even the entrancing whirlpool that was the Don't Worry Darling promotional tour could not bring him down, despite being at the center of Spitgate.

SEE ALSO: Summer Movie Preview: Every film you oughta know

Chris Pine has managed to float above so many Hollywood pitfalls with impeccable style. And yet Poolman is a comedy-noir that aims to lampoon the excesses and eccentricities of Hollywood (or, more broadly, Los Angeles) but fails to thrill or amuse — or give fans much of an insight into the mystery man behind it. Actually, the most profound mystery at the heart of Poolman is not its convoluted case of corruption, but rather why it doesn't work at all. 

What is the buzz on Poolman?

Ahead of the Toronto International Film Festival, Poolman was a hotly anticipated title, not only because of its star-studded cast but also because the premise was drawing early comparisons to other L.A.-set comedy noirs, such as the Coen Brothers' The Big Lebowski, Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice, and David Robert Mitchell's Under The Silver Lake. 

However, as audiences exited the first screening of the film (of which I was in attendance), there were whispers of confusion and frustration. The bad buzz only built as press screenings concluded. In a packed field of TIFF movies directed by actors, including Taika Waititi's Next Goal Wins, Michael Keaton's Knox Goes Away, and Anna Kendrick's Woman of the Hour, Pine's Poolman stood out as the most critically scorned.

What is Poolman about?

Chris Pine stars as Darren, a middle-aged pool cleaner who values meditation and activism, holding crusader Erin Brockovich as his personal hero. When he’s not writing her daily fan letters, he’s proving to be a thorn in the side of the local government, demanding improvements of bus routes through dramatic speeches, accompanied by personal anecdotes and poster board displays. But in a town where every nobody is striving to be somebody, even the pool guy is susceptible to the lure of fame. 

SEE ALSO: 'Erin Brockovich' chemical found in more than 200 million Americans' tap water

When his quest to bring down a seemingly corrupt politician (Stephen Tobolowsky) leads to a run-in with the sultry June Del Rey (DeWanda Wise), Darren is quick to leap into the fray — stalking, scheming, going on stakeouts, doing origami, and bringing into his clumsy investigation a quirky circle of friends. Could this make him a hero to his hometown of Los Angeles? Or another fool forgotten in this treacherous city of dreams? 

Annette Bening and Danny DeVito outshine Chris Pine in Poolman. 

To his credit, Pine smartly casts his film with celebrated stars and stellar supporting players. Jennifer Jason Leigh brings a beguilingly blasé attitude as a Pilates instructor who is ostensibly Darren's girlfriend. DeWanda Wise, resplendent in fiercely fitted fashion with a Golden Age of Hollywood flare, sinks her dazzling teeth into her comically flirty and ferocious femme fatale. John Ortiz steals moments as Darren's ever-loyal yet endlessly bullied would-be bestie, and Stephen Tobolowsky gives a surprisingly tender turn. 

Best of the bunch, though, are Annette Bening and Danny DeVito, a Jungian analyst and her blustering movie producer husband who make an unlikely but charming duo. Not only do they own the humble motel where Darren works, but this captivating odd couple is also his therapist and collaborator, respectively, and his parents, figuratively. 

In scenes where the two coddle Darren amid his conspiratorial rants, there is something undeniably sweet and satisfying in Poolman. DeVito and Bening are an enticing comedic pair, in part because his chaotic energy clicks with her calm kookiness. Unfortunately, the characters themselves are woefully one-note, which turns the experience of enjoying their company into a stagnant overstay. Perhaps we can blame the script by Pine and Ian Gotler, which doesn't seem to know what else to do with these two beyond being capering sidekicks to the crusty but uncompelling hero. The other supporting characters are similarly promising but thinly realized. 

While he's dazzled under the direction of many other helmers, Pine misjudges his own capabilities here. Even with a grizzle beard and ratty, long hair, he does not have the breezy coolness of Jeff Bridges as The Dude, or the frenetic magnetism of Joaquin Phoenix's Doc Sportello, or the chafing yet captivating cockiness of Andrew Garfield's Under the Silver Lake hero, Sam. Instead, Darren feels like a vague gesture at a harried but optimistic kind of Angeleno that may not read well to the wider world. Far from captivating, Darren is most often annoying. And his quest is often too confusing to invest in. 

Poolman is a joke that never lands. 

The cast is promising. The concept of an everyman taking on Goliath-level corruption is compelling. But as Pine's film references Hollywood-set noirs ranging from Chinatown to Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, audiences are forced to recognize how poor a comparison Poolman makes to its inspirations. One particular sequence in a dingy drag bar might urge audiences (especially if this movie lands on streaming) to click away and revisit those instead. Or, heck, even The Golden Girls — in that classic sitcom, the plots made sense, and the punchlines hit hard and often! 

Part of the problem is that Pine's narrative is confounding, not just to his confused hero but to any audience member who dares to follow him. There are occasionally exposition dumps, as well as insert shots to be sure the audience caught a pivotal (and obvious) plot twist. But none of this is put together in a way that allows us to follow Darren's logic or his righteous outrage. As Poolman lumbers into its cacophonic climax, audiences might relish in some silliness, but they likely won't feel sated by the mystery's solution. 

That the plot barely makes sense might’ve been forgivable if Pine could elicit from his performers the kind of exhilarating energy and distinctive wackiness we’ve seen in the works of the Coens and Anderson. Instead, his cast, while charismatic, dances between a blurry line of broad comedy and nuanced parody that can't find its footing. Theirs is a world vaguely interesting but never sharply realized. And as such, we, the audience are always treated as outsiders. 

In the end, Poolman plays an inside joke that never let its audience inside.

Poolman opens nationwide May 10.

UPDATE: May. 9, 2024, 12:52 p.m. EDT "Poolman" was reviewed out of its world premiere at 2023's Toronto International Film Festival.

"Some people, they wanna do the right thing. I like doing the wrong thing."

In 2012, James Franco spoke those words as Alien, an eccentric Florida drug dealer invented by the bizarre mind of transgressive filmmaker Harmony Korine for his film Spring Breakers. In a lot of ways, this character and his brutal ways was, unbeknownst to most, a harbinger of things to come for the creator best known for his work on the provocative and daring 1995 film Kids — and what was to come would be AGGR0 DR1FT, a sweaty and psychedelic assassin tale shot entirely on a thermal camera. 

SEE ALSO: Summer Movie Preview: Every film you oughta know What is AGGR0 DR1FT about?

A spiritual successor to Spring Breakers, Korine’s first film since 2019’s The Beach Bum revisits Florida in an even more violent and terror-stricken way as it follows the self-proclaimed world’s greatest assassin, Bo (played by the once-dubbed "Spanish Tom Cruise" Jordi Mollà). He's on a quest to kill the biggest villain in Miami, a hulking and misogynistic man who calls himself a "devil". He’s proud of his work, telling viewers about his wins in the field in an almost sultry tone. The dialogue, which was improvised based on "ideas, a basic story, and pictures" the director had drawn before shooting, immediately makes you feel thrust back into the greater Harmony Korine universe, and it supports the bombastic visual choices. 

What are the visuals like in AGGR0 DR1FT?

Let’s be real, Korine’s filmography has been building to something akin to the beloved video game franchise, Grand Theft Auto. With his seventh film, he finally presents his version of that kind of urban chaos. In the world of AGGR0 DR1FT, guns and huge asses reign supreme, and characters move through the city like playable protagonists, almost lagging in their movements as they go. Further still, the film's pacing feels like real-time gaming footage, as if you're steering your character through a pulsating pixelated city of devils — and it's something even further amplified through the director's sole use of thermal imaging infrared cameras.

Palpitating point-of-view shots highlight heat and movement, effectively rendering Bo’s world an amalgamation of reds, yellows, blues, and greens through which faces fade into a sick brightness, one that almost transforms characters into a different species entirely. Korine wields a whole host of additional visual production tactics to create this overwhelming aesthetic, including live action, gaming engines, 3D rendering, VFX, and artificial intelligence — according to the film's VFX designer, Joao Rosa, the film uses an allegedly "ethical" version of AI that was trained on internal artwork created for the film, but that's all the info we have on that.

The best usage of Korine’s visual toolkit comes in the form of a demon guardian angel of sorts, a malevolent horned creature that follows Bo throughout the city as he commits his crimes. It’s clearly the result of a conglomerate of these artificial tools, but it’s nevertheless effective as an aesthetic choice — the demon is pretty badass to look at, not gonna lie — as well as a metaphorical one. Bo, who is a father and a husband on top of being a cold-blooded killer, is forever running from his demons, while also using them as a deadly asset. 

AGGR0 DR1FT’s sound design is a besiegement to the ears.

Speaking of deadly assets, it’s pretty clear that the sound design of AGGR0 DR1FT is meant as a further sensory pummelling. At the Venice Film Festival press screening, the sound was cranked up so high that many attendees plugged their ears, and some even left after a period because of the noise. Between piercing sound effects like a shrill eagle’s cry, and the brooding yet bombastic score by producer AraabMuzik — which would honestly be amazing on a run, for nailing the final boss in your favorite video game, or whenever you need to feel like you’re powerful enough to punch your worst enemy — the audio aspects of Korine’s feature seem designed to aggravate, stimulate, and enrage.

Travis Scott is an unexpected highlight of AGGR0 DR1FT.

When it comes to the acting in this piece, Mollà is certainly the anchor in the neon lunacy of this tale. His performance is calculated, constrained, and somewhat muted, but weirdly, he intrigues enough to make you want to follow his story to the end.

However, rapper Travis Scott, in his feature film debut, gives some of the most natural-sounding dialogue of anyone in the film, even more so than Mollà at times. With roughly five minutes of screen time, his character Zion frankly discusses killing, familial responsibilities, and the Bible (of which he wonders aloud, “Did Julius Caesar write the Bible?” which sounds contrived, but it’s a smart parallel to how many great figures are scorned by the company they keep). 

Alien's aforementioned Spring Breakers quote about doing the wrong thing — and liking it — is the bedrock of Bo’s identity in AGGR0 DR1FT. There's something about this taboo that's fun to watch as he navigates this sense of lawlessness. However, Korine’s latest film is definitely not for everyone; in fact, there's likely to be a lot of hatred for this movie, that much is nearly certain. But if you want a mindless mind-trip filled with nauseating color, fast cars, loud guns, and a whole lot of twerking, AGGR0 DR1FT might just be your cup of deadly tea — especially if you’re willing to bend to its transgressive rules. 

AGGR0 DR1FT opens in theaters May 10.

UPDATE: May. 9, 2024, 1:11 p.m. EDT "AGGR0 DR1FT" was reviewed out of the Venice International Film Festival.

Two best bros plus trouble in a bubble equals good times, as established by the 1996 comedy Bio-Dome.

This year's sci-fi sleeper, Biosphere, holds true to this formula, and though it doesn't boast the daffy '90s whimsicality of the Pauly Shore/Stephen Baldwin classic, it is surprisingly funny. In fact, this slyly hilarious film is surprising in many ways, most of which are beyond the scope of its marketing campaign. Its first trailer has an art-house sci-fi vibe, given gravitas by critically heralded dramatic actors Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass. Adding to the mystique is the promotional campaign's noble efforts to preserve the pivotal plot twist that makes this movie a sensational surprise. 

I know you're tempted, but don't search for spoilers. 

In an age with globe-trekking promotional campaigns, trailers that flaunt the very final moments of a climax, and a social media landscape that is polluted by spoilers for every possible franchise and hotly anticipated title, it is an increasingly rare thing to be truly surprised in the cinema. And props to Mel Eslyn, who makes her feature directorial debut with this gem from a script she co-wrote with Duplass: Biosphere is brilliant in its surprises. 

Wait, what's Biosphere about?  Credit: IFC

Without major spoilers: Biosphere centers on two men, trapped in a bunker, outliving the end of the world as we know it. What's happened to Earth is not directly revealed, and frankly isn't really important. What is important here is who these two are to each other at the end of the world. They are best friends since childhood. 

On the surface, they seem an unlikely band of brothers from other mothers. Ray (Brown) is an intellectual whose contributions to this survival sphere are not only its construction and various life-preserving devices but also a library of science books. Billy (Duplass) is a garrulous goofball who spends his time pondering the metaphorical importance of the Mario Bros and doodling in Ray's books. 

Right off the bat, Billy doesn't fit the mold of what we imagine when we think of humanity's last great hope for survival. While these two converse and bicker in a shorthand that expresses not only long-honed intimacy but also years in this quarantined roommate scenario, we are encouraged to wonder how they came to be here. 

Biosphere will reveal those details, and with them comes a subtle satirical edge about power and politics. 

Biosphere has shades of Swiss Army Man.  Credit: IFC

Don't mistake me. Nothing so outlandish as a farting corpse jet ski will spring from this indie offering. However, like the double-handed fantasy film that launched the Daniels, Biosphere centers on a friendship tested by isolation that's ultimately so close, so committed that it is literally transformative. It all begins with a development that has Billy excitedly exclaim, "Life finds a way!" 

Appreciation for Jurassic Park is a surface-level commonality Swiss Army Man and Biosphere share. The score from Biosphere recalls Swiss Army Man as well, favoring a chorus of quirky voices humming and bah-bah-booping along. It's a detail not immediately noticeable, but the creeping charm of these voices, happily combining to create something bigger than they can alone, becomes a reflection of the movie's moving and hopeful message. Trapped alone at the brink of extinction, Billy and Ray find love in a hopeless place. 

Where Swiss Army Man compared farts and sweded movies, Biosphere talks Mario Bros and offers subtle send-ups of comedy cliches, like dancing in the kitchen (see Practical Magic or The Big Chill). But the best bits are those that are unique to the plotline, including props like a shoe-box coffin, a hand mirror, and a hastily modified bedsheet. Within such sequences, there's a lot of silliness as these friends are confronted with their fears of death, change, and growth. But through it all, Eslyn captures their struggle with humor, heart, and humanity. We're not invited to gawk at these men under glass and laugh at them; we're invited to be embedded with them, sharing in their joys, sorrows, and their evolving, remarkable reality. 

Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass share remarkable chemistry in Biosphere.  Credit: IFC

An odd couple for the post-apocalypse, Brown and Duplass are opposites visually and in attitude. While Billy is constantly rumpled and a bit paunchy despite their shared jogs around the biosphere, Ray is chiseled and chic — even though they both wear similar T-shirts and sweats. It's careful costuming, but it's also an energy. Ray behaves as if the world might pick back up at any moment, and when it does, he'll be ready to run right into it. Billy behaves like they're on an extended spring break, killing time. The unspoken is the annihilation beyond their bubble. That it's unspoken keeps things pleasantly light, which is how they have survived this long. Plus, they seem to really enjoy each other. 

Brown and Duplass share a kinetic chemistry that instantly sells that they've known each other since a long-ago birthday party. It instantly grounds us into Ray and Billy's reality, where the worst has already happened, but at least they have their best friend. And it makes the transformation of this friendship all the more believable, even when things turn from science fact to science fiction. When moments get tense or tender, Brown and Duplass don't flinch. Together, they are deeply committed, and so pull us in to marvel at every moment of its tale of fragile hope. 

More movies should dare to explore like Biosphere. 

Some might snark at the mysterious center of Biosphere, applying to it an agenda or decrying it as a gimmick. Personally, I think such a read is cynical. Biosphere does not succeed or fail based on whether you know what it's actually about or not. It succeeds because it's so much more than that second-act twist. 

Amid a movie scene glutted with huge-budget, wanna-be blockbusters that aim to satisfy with fan service instead of daring, Biosphere is a rebellion. 

It's not flashy. It's not stuffed to the gills with stars or shocking cameos. It's a much lower-budget affair with modest special effects and very little in the way of spectacle, unless you consider fish scales fascinating. Instead, it's about a story that unfolds methodically, reveling in chemistry and human connection rather than sheer star power. It's a sci-fi tale that doesn't jet us into a far-flung future, but one that feels achingly familiar in its crisis and quarantine. It's a comedy that gets silly and outrageous but never makes its heroes into clowns. And it's a drama that bares its teeth as these men bare their hearts, for better or worse. It's heart-warming, heart-wrenching, soul-soothing, and belly-laugh funny. 

So, don't miss out, because Biosphere might be the best movie of the year that you won't hear enough about. 

How to watch: Biosphere is now streaming on Hulu.

UPDATE: May. 9, 2024, 1:17 p.m. EDT This review was updated to reflect current streaming options.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for May 10 SEE ALSO: 'Wordle' today: Here's the answer hints for May 10

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Friday, May 10, 2024:

AcrossWhat "10" is, for the airplane seat 10A

• The answer is row.

Another helping

• The answer is more.

Name that means "lioness"

• The answer is Leona.

Knight's "suit"

• The answer is armor.

Impatient and ill-tempered

• The answer is testy.

DownStudy, lounge, library, hall, kitchen, conservatory, etc.

• The answer is rooms.

"Ready ___, here I come!"

• The answer is ornot.

Very tired

• The answer is weary.

___ mortals

• The answer is mere.

Back muscle, for short

• The answer is lat.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for May 10's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Moxie

• Green: For pet perambulation

• Blue: Turn about

• Purple: Epic names

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Chutzpah

• Green: Accessories for Dog Walking

• Blue: Things That Spin

• Purple: Lead Singers of '70s Rock Bands

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to Connections #333 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• CHUTZPAH: BRASS, CHEEK, GALL, NERVE

• ACCESSORIES FOR DOG WALKING: COLLAR, HALTER, HARNESS, LEAD

• THINGS THAT SPIN: CAROUSEL, GLOBE, RECORD, TOP

• LEAD SINGERS OF '70s ROCK BANDS: FERRY, MERCURY, NICKS, PLANT

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for May 10's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Music, movies, videos

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no letters that appear twice.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter M.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to Wordle #1056 is...

MEDIA.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Apple has apologised for the extremely tone-deaf iPad Pro ad it released during its Let Loose event on Tuesday. It turns out that tech giants destroying implements of creative human expression doesn't play so well to a crowd — especially when creatives' jobs are being threatened by generative AI.

AdAge reports that Apple has abandoned plans to run its "Crush!" ad on television, admitting that it didn't quite send the message the company had been aiming for.

SEE ALSO: The new iPad ad essentially flips AI-weary creatives the bird

"Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world," Apple's VP of marketing communications Tor Myhren told AdAge. "Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry."

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Set to "All I Ever Need Is You" by Sonny & Cher, Apple's minute-long iPad Pro ad shows a giant hydraulic press slowly crushing a collection of equipment for various hobbies and creative pursuits. These include an upright piano, paints, a trombone, an arcade machine, cameras, and a dressmaker's mannequin.

The press then lifts to reveal Apple's new iPad Pro, while a voiceover declares that "the most powerful iPad ever is also the thinnest."

Apple's commercial was no doubt intended to convey the idea that the iPad Pro can also do many of the tasks that the various obliterated tools could. Unfortunately, the result looked more grimly dystopian than the tech giant intended.

The widely derided ad was ridiculed as "destructive," "heartless," "cruel," and "soul-crushing," with viewers appalled to see Apple literally crush so many symbols of human creativity only to replace them with a single cold gadget. Some even stated that it would have been a much better commercial if it were played in reverse.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

Apple's ad felt particularly callous considering the threat that generative AI is currently posing to creatives. Numerous reports of companies replacing artists with AI have emerged since the technology gained widespread prominence, from viral fashion brand Selkie to streaming giant Netflix. 

As such, seeing a trillion-dollar tech company symbolically obliterate human creativity and expression rubbed many people the wrong way. 

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Several viewers further unfavourably compared "Crush!" to Apple's famous "1984" ad directed by Ridley Scott. The commercial featured a woman in bright athletic gear running through a monotonous grey dystopia, before smashing a screen displaying a Big Brother-like dictator. In it, Apple portrayed itself as a beacon of hope and originality in a world of dull conformity. 

"Crush!" offered a stark contrast, inadvertently placing Apple in the position of an oppressor destroying the creativity and colour it used to align itself with.

This isn't the first time a tech company has tried to sell a product by destroying objects people love. Apple's ad prompted some social media commenters to resurface a startlingly similar ad LG ran in 2008 for the KC910 Renoir smartphone, crushing cameras, musical instruments, and speakers.

TL;DR: Live stream every Brazil match from the 2024 Copa America for free on Globoplay. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

This is a huge summer for sport. The French Open, Euro 2024, Wimbledon, the Olympics, and more top events are being squeezed into just a few months. What a time to be alive.

We're not going to suggest which event will provide the best entertainment, because that's on you. But for passionate fans, electric stadiums, and some of the most talented athletes on the planet, you should check out the 2024 Copa America. The likes of Lionel Messi, Vinícius Júnior, and Federico Valverde will be on display, which is a pretty good lineup of stars.

If you want to watch the 2024 Copa America for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is Copa America?

The Copa America is the top men's football tournament contested by national teams from South America. It is the oldest still-running continental football competition, and determines the champions of the continent.

The 2024 Copa America will start with four groups of four teams, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knockout rounds. The 10 CONMEBOL members are automatically granted entry, plus six North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football teams that qualified through the CONCACAF Nations League.

When is the 2024 Copa America?

The 2024 Copa America will be the 48th edition of the tournament. This year's event will be held in the United States from June 20 to July 14.

How to watch the 2024 Copa America for free

TV Globo has exclusive rights to broadcast all of Brazil's matches on free-to-air television, with free live streaming available through Globoplay.

Globoplay is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These powerful tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can access Globoplay from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of Copa America by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit Globoplay

5. Watch Copa America fixtures for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch select fixtures from the 2024 Copa America before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for streaming sport?

ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on sites like Globoplay, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 94 countries including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Watch select fixtures from the 2024 Copa America for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Watch the 2024 MotoGP French Grand Prix for free on ServusTV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

MotoGP is a whole lot of fun for all the family, and we won't shut up about it until everyone knows. It's a thrilling form of racing without all the predictable results, pit stops, and yellow flags that haunt other events (we're talking about you, F1).

If you're interested in watching the 2024 MotoGP French Grand Prix, we've got all the information you need.

When is the 2024 MotoGP French Grand Prix?

The MotoGP French Grand Prix takes place at Le Mans. The 2024 MotoGP French Grand Prix race starts at 8 a.m. ET / 1 p.m. BST on May 12.

How to watch the 2024 MotoGP French Grand Prix for free

Every MotoGP 2024 race is available to live stream for free on ServusTV.

ServusTV is geo-restricted to Austria, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Austria, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access ServusTV from anywhere in the world.

Unblock ServusTV by following this simple process:

1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Austria

4. Connect to ServusTV

5. Watch MotoGP for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch MotoGP live streams without fully committing with your cash. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch the 2024 MotoGP French Grand Prix before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for MotoGP?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking ServusTV to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Austria

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is protected

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Watch the 2024 MotoGP French Grand Prix for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Watch Gujarat Titans vs. Chennai Super Kings in the IPL for free on JioCinema. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

There's just over two weeks left of the IPL, and excitement is rife among fans. In the next fixture, team captains Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be leading their teams, Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.

Want to tune in and find out who wins? Keep scrolling to find out how you can watch Gujarat Titans vs. Chennai Super Kings for free from anywhere in the world.

When is Gujarat Titans vs. Chennai Super Kings?

Gujarat Titans vs. Chennai Super Kings starts at 3 p.m. BST on May 10. This fixture will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India.

How to watch Gujarat Titans vs. Chennai Super Kings for free

JioCinema is giving you the chance to catch free live streams of every IPL cricket match this season in 4K resolution on its app.

But to access it, you'll need to use a VPN. JioCinema is geo-restricted to India, but with a VPN you can unblock this free streaming service. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in India, meaning you can access JioCinema from anywhere in the world.

Unblock JioCinema to stream the IPL 2024 by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in India

4. Visit JioCinema (you will need an Indian phone number to subscribe)

5. Watch Gujarat Titans vs. Chennai Super Kings for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

Most of the best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By taking advantage of these offers, you can watch IPL live streams without committing with your cash. This is clearly not a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select IPL fixtures for free.

What is the best VPN for JioCinema?

ExpressVPN is the best service for unblocking JioCinema, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including India

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream the IPL for free with ExpressVPN.

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson join Mashable for a special Doctor Who edition game of "Choose Your Squad."

People in the creative world widely panned a commercial showing a giant hydraulic press squishing objects ranging from paint cans to a piano.

It's official: All three major video game consoles are now getting rid of their integrations with Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

On Wednesday, Nintendo became the last of the big gaming companies to announce that gamers would no longer be able to post directly to X via the Nintendo Switch gaming console. Other X-related functions would be dropped as well.

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"As of June 10, 2024, it will no longer be possible to post screenshots and videos to X (formerly Twitter) from the Nintendo Switch's Album, or send friend requests to social media users via the Friend Suggestions feature," Nintendo of America posted on its official account on X.

With this announcement, X has officially lost direct integrations with all three major video game console companies. Microsoft was the first gaming company to announce it was dropping its X integration in April of last year, with Sony following with a similar announcement in November.

What's being removed

In a more detailed post on its website, Nintendo provided more information about what exactly will be removed from Switch.

Nintendo says gamers will no longer be able to use the feature that allows the posting of screenshots and videos to X from the Album in the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu. Nintendo does note, however, that users will still be able to post screenshots and video from Switch directly to Facebook, although that feature may also possibly be removed at a later time.

In addition, sending friend requests to social media users via the Friend Suggestions menu will also be removed.

There are game-specific changes as well. Before this change, it was possible to post to X in Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3 via the mailbox option seen in hub worlds like Inkopolis Square. That will no longer be available.

According to Nintendo, Switch users will be able to share screenshots and videos to X by saving the media to the Album in the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu and then transferring the data wirelessly to a smart device or by connecting their Switch to a PC via USB cable.

Why Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft dropped X

Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have yet to specifically provide a reason for the removal of X integrations. However, the first company to do so, Microsoft, dropped X shortly after Elon Musk rolled out a new, paid model for its API, which is necessary for these integrations. 

Since then, both Sony and Nintendo followed Microsoft's lead in dropping X from its social media integration list.

The new API plans are quite exorbitantly priced, with Enterprise access starting at $42,000 per month. It is very likely, based on how many users Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft gaming consoles have, that their API usage would result in a bill of hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more) per month.

This change will likely save Nintendo money with little-to-no blowback. The biggest loser, though? Musk's X, which loses major video game partners and their hundreds of millions of users who were sending free content to X from their gaming consoles.

If one was to just listen to Elon Musk, they might think the first Neuralink implant in a human was a flawless achievement.

"Successful 100 days with first human implant of @Neuralink," Musk posted to his social media platform X on Wednesday.

It is fair to call Neuralink's first human implant a success – certainly more successful than some of the test animals that Neuralink had implanted the device in – as it helped a quadriplegic patient interact with his surroundings in ways that he previously couldn't before. 

But, this success certainly wasn't without at least one major bump in the road. And, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, it appears that Musk and company may have only divulged these problems to the public due to the outlet inquiring about the issue.

SEE ALSO: Neuralink's first patient can play chess using only his mind Neuralink's implant problem

Neuralink's report, which the Wall Street Journal said was published only after they had reached out to the company, looks at the first 100 days of the brain implant in the company's first test subject, 29-year-old Nolan Arbaugh who was paralyzed from the shoulders down after an accident nearly a decade ago.

Neuralink had previously shown a demonstration of Arbaugh playing Chess and video games like Mario Kart and controlling a mouse with his mind, all thanks to Neuralink's brain implant.

However, until this report on Wednesday, the public had not been informed of a problem that resulted in Neuralink even considering removing the implant. Some of the implant's "threads" placed in Arbaugh's brain had come out resulting in data loss.

The Neuralink microchip, which is implanted in the patient's brain, contains 1,024 electrodes across 64 electrode threads or thin film material. These threads are thinner than a strand of hair and can basically transmit signals to the brain's neural network.

While Arbaugh's health was never in any danger, the issue led to a "reduction in bits-per-second" or how fast and accurate Arbaugh was able to control his computer with his brain.

Neuralink's own report on its 100 successful days after the implant doesn't spend too much time on the details. It's all wrapped up in a single, four-sentence paragraph.

"In the weeks following the surgery, a number of threads retracted from the brain, resulting in a net decrease in the number of effective electrodes," Neuralink writes in its post. "This led to a reduction in BPS. In response to this change, we modified the recording algorithm to be more sensitive to neural population signals, improved the techniques to translate these signals into cursor movements, and enhanced the user interface. These refinements produced a rapid and sustained improvement in BPS, that has now superseded Noland’s initial performance."

According to the Wall Street Journal report, Neuralink is working on the issue so that it hopefully does not happen in future implants. The belief is that the threads retracted due to "pneumocephalus," a condition where air became trapped inside Arbaugh’s skull after his implant surgery. This caused some of the threads to become disconnected.

Again, obviously things could have gone a lot worse and the Neuralink's first implant thus far can be considered a successful endeavor. However, based on the company's alleged history of concealing information, including the reports of monkey deaths related to Neuralink implants, it's crucial that both the positive and negative aspects are transparently disclosed.

OpenAI is open to allowing NSFW responses generated by ChatGPT and its API, but porn is a hard no.

On Wednesday, the company published a Model Spec, a document that pulls the veil back a little bit on how the models are trained to respond to various prompts. In the Spec, OpenAI shared rules for how ChatGPT and the API are directed to respond, including prompts for breaking the law, questions about chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) threats, and yes, prompts for explicit content.

SEE ALSO: OpenAI's GPT-5 release could be as early as this summer

OpenAI's current policy bans NSFW content. But just below its policy statement, OpenAI noted that it is "exploring whether we can responsibly provide the ability to generate NSFW content in age-appropriate contexts through the API and ChatGPT." The reasoning is "developers and users should have the flexibility to use our services as they see fit" as long as they adhere to OpenAI's policies. So NSFW content is not allowed now, but it might be in the future.

But that doesn't mean all NSFW content might be allowed. "We have no intention to create AI-generated pornography," an OpenAI spokesperson told Mashable. "We have strong safeguards in our products to prevent deepfakes, which are unacceptable, and we prioritize protecting children. The spokesperson continued, "we also believe in the importance of carefully exploring conversations about sexuality in age-appropriate contexts," which lines up with the note in the Model Spec.

The wording about NSFW content was brief and slightly ambiguous, leading some to speculate that OpenAI might soon allow users to generate AI porn. The only mention of specific types of NSFW content was in the statement about what AI models should not provide responses for: "The assistant should not serve content that's Not Safe For Work (NSFW): content that would not be appropriate in a conversation in a professional setting, which may include erotica, extreme gore, slurs, and unsolicited profanity." The notable omission of "pornography" initially generated confusion over what was allowed or soon to be allowed.

Porn in the generative AI era has potentially dangerous and disastrous consequences because of the threat of nonconsensual deepfakes. A 2023 study from cybersecurity firm Home Security Heroes found that 98 percent of all deepfake videos were pornography, and 99 percent of the subjects were women. Even Taylor Swift, a powerful and recognizable celebrity, was the victim of a rash of viral pornographic deepfakes, underscoring the issue's prevalence and highlighting the disturbing notion that it could happen to anyone.

There's a new iPad Pro and it might be more powerful than the most powerful MacBook Pro.

At least, that's what Geekbench says. According to the popular benchmarking software's website (as spotted by MSPowerUser) the new iPad Pro's single and multi-core scores are 22 and 25 percent faster than the 2023 MacBook Pro. It should be noted that the new iPad starts at $999, while the MacBook is a full $1,000 more than that.

SEE ALSO: What's missing: 6 features the new iPad Pro 2024 doesn't have

Of course, there's a reason the tablet has a higher Geekbench score than the laptop: the M4 chip powering it. Apple's latest in-house silicon debuted in the new iPad Pro, and it's not really surprising that M4 would be faster than the M3 Pro chip powering the MacBook Pro. At least, not on paper, but a tablet being more powerful than a laptop is still pretty cool.

Apple first confirmed the existence of the new iPad Pro during an event on Tuesday. It comes in 11-inch and 13-inch models, features an OLED screen for the first time, and is being marketed as Apple's thinnest ever device. And on top of all that, it might be more powerful than the best MacBook Pro.

New 'Doctor Who' villain Jinkx Monsoon revels her fandom of Michelle Gomez and where she drew her inspiration from for 'Maestro'.

TikTok is taking another stab at curbing the rise of AI-generated misinformation taking over social media platforms, as it announces a new way its watermarking (or labelling) AI.

The platform announced today that it is joining the Adobe-led Content Authenticity Initiative and the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), a nonprofit-backed project to align tech and social media companies on best practices for what is known as "content provenance," or the "basic, trustworthy facts about the origins of a piece of digital content."

While TikTok already labels AI-generated content (AIGC) made using its own AI effects, and requires users to label their own uploaded AI content, the new policy will apply automatic oversight to content made offsite. TikTok's stated intention with the collaboration is for an auto-labeling system to read Content Credentials in order to parse an image or video's metadata and quickly identify it as AI-generated.

The platform also said it would begin attaching Content Credentials to TikTok content itself, so that others can learn when, where, and how the content was made or edited. It's now the first social media company and video platform to sign on to Adobe's Content Credentials standards, Fortune reports.

SEE ALSO: TikTok sues the U.S. government over ban

"While experts widely recommend AIGC labeling as a way to support responsible content creation, they also caution that labels can cause confusion if viewers don't have context about what they mean," the company wrote in its announcement. "That's why we've been working with experts to develop media literacy campaigns that can help our community identify and think critically about AIGC and misinformation."

TikTok will also release 12 new media literacy resources created alongside the Poynter Institute's Mediawise, a youth-focused fact checking project, and WITNESS, a human rights organization that teaches civilians how to use tech to record and protect themselves. WITNESS also provides guidelines and advice for discerning deepfakes and other AI threats.

Other tech platforms, similarly flooded with the products of generative AI, have taken their own paths toward better labeling and watermarking. Meta announced new AI content labels in April. Not long after, Snapchat announced it was adding an automatic, but user-visible, watermark to all content created using its in-house AI tools. The transparent Snapchat logo watermark is added to images once they are downloaded to a device or exported off the platform.

TikTok, meanwhile, launches these intended AI protections within a flurry of attention aimed at the platform's role in global organizing and its potential impact on the upcoming presidential election. The new policies also come in the midst of the company's last ditch effort to save the app's place on U.S. phones, including a recent lawsuit against the U.S. government for its Biden-approved ban.