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Let's get this out of the way first: Amazon isn't offering any good Chromebook deals in the lead-up to Prime Big Deal Days, its "October Prime Day" sale (set for Oct. 8 and 9). Not a single one.
In fact, the retail giant's laptop deals are currently scant across the board. A few configurations of the M3-powered Apple MacBook Pro have dipped to their previous all-time lows there. But aside from that, the one Windows model that Amazon previously featured in a "limited-time deal" ahead of the event has since returned to its full sticker price. It's slim pickings.
SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about Amazon's October Prime Day sale: Start time, the competition, and moreWith that in mind, anyone hunting for a good deal on a Chromebook has two options at present. One, of course, is to simply wait for Prime Big Deal Days to start; Amazon could be reserving some doorbusters for the kickoff. For less patient shoppers, the other option is defecting to another retailer like Best Buy, or to OEMs like Acer, Asus, HP, and Lenovo, where Chromebook deals are more plentiful at the time of writing.
Keep in mind that these alternatives might also roll out better deals when Prime Big Deal Days goes live, in order to compete with it. (For its part, Best Buy has a 48-Hour Flash Sale planned for Oct. 8 and 9.) But if time is of the essence, keep reading: We're keeping a running list of the best early October Prime Day Chromebook deals across the web, none of which you'll see on Amazon right now.
Best Chromebook deal Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (Intel Core Ultra 5 115U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $599.00 at Best BuyA spring 2024 release, this 14-inch hybrid packs above-average specs for a Chromebook, including an Intel Core Ultra 5 115U processor, a 1440p webcam, and 256GB of SSD storage. (Those far exceed Google's basic requirements for the "Plus" certification.) It also has a sleek aluminum chassis — no cheapo plastic here, folks. Later this month, it'll get new AI features like Help Me Read, a summarizing tool, and Live Translate.
It's usually priced at $699, but Best Buy has it on sale for $599 — a 14% savings.
More Chromebooks on saleAcer Chromebook 311 (Intel N100, 8GB RAM, 64GB SSD) — $159.99 $299.99 (save $140)
Acer Chromebook 314 (Intel Core i3-N305, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) — $399.99 $449.99 (save $50)
HP Chromebook 14at-nf000 (Intel Processor N100, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC) — $229.99 $319.99 (save $90)
Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 (Snapdragon 7c Gen 2, 4GB RAM, 128GB eMMC) — $249 $379 (save $130)
HP Chromebook x360 14b-cd0013dx (Intel Processor N100, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC) — $329 $429 (save $100)
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (Intel Core i3-1315U, 8GB RAM, 128GB eMMC) — $399 $499 (save $100)
HP Chromebook Plus 15at-nb000 (Intel Core i3-N305, 8GB RAM, 128GB UFS) — $399.99 $599.99 (save $200)
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook Plus (Intel Core i3-N305, 8GB RAM, 128GB eMMC) — $419.99 $549.99 (save $130)
HP Chromebook 15a-nb0097nr (Intel Core i3-N305, 8GB RAM, 128GB UFS) — $469.99 $549.99 (save $80)
Asus Chromebook Plus CM34 Flip (AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD) — $499.99 $599.99 (save $100)
Blue checkmarks have appeared next to certain websites on Google Search for some users.
According to a report from The Verge, this is because Google is experimenting with a verification feature to let users know that sites aren't fraudulent or scams. A staffer from The Verge was one of the users who noticed blue checkmarks showing up on links to the official sites for Microsoft, Meta, Epic Games, Apple, Amazon, and HP.
Tweet may have been deleted SEE ALSO: The new Google AI Overview layout is a small win for publishersBy hovering over the checkmark, a message pops up, saying "This icon is being shown because Google's signals suggest that this business is the business that is says it is."
A Google spokesperson confirmed the experiment, telling Mashable, "We regularly experiment with features that help shoppers identify trustworthy businesses online, and we are currently running a small experiment showing checkmarks next to certain businesses on Google."
We don't know whether this feature would expand beyond commercial sites to, say, verifying sites that aren't AI-generated spam reportedly boosted by Google News. AI-generated slop aside, a 2024 German study found "a torrent of low-quality content, especially for product search, keeps drowning [out] any kind of useful information in search results." It's unclear what's motivating Google to test out a verification feature, or whether it will ever ship, but it would be a welcome change for frustrated users who feel like Google Search has gotten worse. Mashable has reached out to Google for more detail on the feature and will update this story with any further comment.
The feature might be related to Google's Gmail feature which adds blue checkmark badges to email senders as part of its participation in the Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) group.
Google did not respond to a request for comment on future plans for this tool and motivations behind its development.
GET $50 OFF: As of Oct. 4, you can snag the Shark SpeedStyle for just $149.99, down from $199.99 at Amazon. That's a $50 discount.
Opens in a new window Credit: Shark Our pick: Shark SpeedStyle Hair Dryer $149.99 at AmazonPrime Day is creeping up fast, and Amazon’s been dropping deals left and right in the lead-up to the big event — from tech gadgets to small appliances to beauty tech, there are tons of great sales to take advantage of.
As of Oct. 4, you can score the Shark SpeedStyle for just $149.99. That’s a hell of a lot cheaper than its rival, the Dyson Supersonic, which usually retails for $429.99. It’s also $50 off the list price and the lowest price we’ve seen for this model, which normally sells for $199.99.
SEE ALSO: I tested the best Dyson Airwrap dupes under $300: The Shark FlexStyle is no longer your only optionThe Shark SpeedStyle is compact, includes three attachments, and doesn’t skimp on performance. This little thing regulates temperature 1,000 times a second and won’t get hotter than 230 degrees Fahrenheit.
The ionizer technology helps reduce frizz, while the RapidGloss Finisher attachment gives you a smooth, salon-style finish. Press the Cool Shot button to set your style, and you're good to go. As for the lower price tag, you're sacrificing a few bells and whistles compared to the Dyson, but who really needs to pay triple the price for a hair dryer?
GET $70 OFF: As of Oct. 4, Prime members can snag a Kindle Paperwhite essentials bundle for just $134.97, down from $204.97. That's a $70 discount and cheaper than buying the Kindle Paperwhite on its own.
Opens in a new window Credit: Kindle Our pick: Kindle Paperwhite Essentials Bundle $134.97 at AmazonPrime Day ~fall edition~ is just a few days away, and Amazon’s already pulling out some Prime-exclusive deals to get shoppers excited for the big event.
As of Oct. 4, Prime members can get a Kindle Paperwhite essentials bundle (which includes a Kindle Paperwhite, a fabric cover, and a power adapter) for just $134.97 — that’s a $70 discount, and it’s cheaper than buying the Kindle Paperwhite on its own for its standard $149.99 price.
SEE ALSO: Amazon Kindle vs. Kindle Paperwhite: Which one is for you?The Kindle Paperwhite (16GB) is built with readers in mind. The flush-front design and 300 ppi glare-free display mimic the look and feel of a physical book and make it comfortable to read for hours on end, even in bright sunlight. The adjustable warm light shift from white to amber helps with eye strain, and the waterproof exterior means you can take it to the beach, sit by the pool, or read in the bathtub without worry.
Plus, it can hold thousands of books, so you'll never run out of reading material.
Only four days separate us from Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days shopping event (aka October Prime Day). For all you impatient shoppers, however, there are plenty of deals already live. You can start shopping today and still take home a great deal. In fact, we've been rounding up the best deals to shop every day this week.
Here are our top three picks for the best Amazon deals of the day on Oct. 4. Be sure to check back at our picks from Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 as well. Most of those are still live and ready to add to your cart, including a whopping 71% off the Echo Buds with noise cancellation and up to $100 off the Oura Ring 3.
Our top pick Opens in a new window Credit: Kindle Kindle Paperwhite Essentials Bundle $134.97 at AmazonThe Kindle Paperwhite, our top pick for reading outside, is finally back on sale as part of an essentials bundle. It comes with a fabric case and a power adapter all for just $134.97, down from $204.97. That's 34% in savings and less than buying the Kindle device on its own. The Paperwhite features a 6.8-inch glare-free display with adjustable warm light and IPX8 waterproofing. As Mashable's Alex Perry summed up in his review, "In general, this is an elegant e-reader that is enjoyable to use."
Opens in a new window Credit: Marshall Marshall Emberton II Bluetooth speaker $99.99 at AmazonOur friends at PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) tested the Marshall Emberton II and found it to be "a stylish waterproof Bluetooth speaker that sounds solid." It has a longer battery life than its predecessor and is more durable, but otherwise isn't a major upgrade. It has a tough time at extreme volumes, but mostly delivers a rich audio experience. The PCMag reviewer noted that regular retail price is a bit steep, so this 41% discount definitely makes it a better value. Slash $70 off and pick it up for just under $100 (its lowest price to date) ahead of Prime Day 2.
Opens in a new window Credit: Shark Shark Wandvac handheld vacuum $79.99 at AmazonUpright and robot vacuums might take care of your floors, but what about all the cracks and crevices in your car, furniture, and everywhere in between? The Shark Wandvac can help you reach all the places your regular vacuum can't. It weighs just over a pound, is super easy to maneuver, and is compact enough to slip in just about anywhere. The high-speed brushless motor and streamlined airflow offer powerful suction for such a small gadget, making it a breeze to suck up all the crumbs and dog hair plaguing your fabrics. It's regularly $129.99, but you can score it for only $79.99 in the rose gold shade ahead of Prime Big Deal Days. That's 38% in savings and the lowest price on record.
None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.
X, formerly Twitter, owes the Australian government some money.
Bloomberg reported on Thursday that Elon Musk's microblogging site has to pay the equivalent of $418,000 USD because of its refusal to work with Australian online safety regulators regarding the site's anti-child abuse policies.
The country's eSafety Commissioner filed a notice to X seeking information about the site's child abuse policies — and X has so far refused to cooperate.
SEE ALSO: Elon Musk's X sucks and I'm not leaving X contested the penaltyX challenged the fine in Australian court, but the court system upheld the charge. The company's side of the story is that, since Musk made X private in 2022, it's not obligated to abide by Australia's regulations. Australia disagreed — and now we're here.
Per NBC, Musk's social network and Australia have feuded in the past. The Aussie government ordered a takedown of a violent stabbing video filmed in Australia, which Musk alleged was censorship. The post ultimately stayed up. It should be noted that Musk has not actually been that committed to free speech on X since he took over. Specifically, X has historically complied with takedown requests from countries like Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
We'll see if Australia's government ever gets that check.
SAVE $50: As of October 4, get a pair of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds at Amazon for $249. That's a discount of 17% and the lowest price we've seen.
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Bose Ultra Open Earbuds $249.00 at AmazonThe market for earbuds has gotten more than competitive over the last couple of decades. You can find plenty of excellent, affordable buds that tick all the boxes you're looking for with a simple glance at Amazon. Bose remains one of the brands that continually pushes out quality audio gear, but you can typically expect to pay a pretty penny for what Bose has on offer. Luckily, there are also usually plenty of sales on Bose products, like this pre-Prime Day deal you're going to want to snatch up before it's out of stock.
As of Oct. 4, get the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds for just $249 at Amazon. That's $50 off their normal price of $299 and a discount of 17%. That's the lowest price we've seen as well, though the price cut only applies to the Black, Moonstone Blue, and White colorways right now.
These buds are a bit unorthodox as they have open ear backs. They're flexible so you can wear them by hooking them around the back of your ear so you can hear your music, which might seem a little strange at first, but they do stay put. They're ultra light, and include Bose's immersive spatial audio support so you can get a little closer to your favorite songs. They boast IPX4 water resistance, let you switch seamlessly between multiple Bluetooth connections, and feature on-board controls so you can swap between devices and adjust volume or answer calls without using your phone.
These buds can be your constant companion as well, with up to 7 hours of play time and 48 hours of standby. Their charging case can net you up to an additional 2.5 full charges as well, so you're covered on the go too. They're an interesting way to experience some of your favorite audio-centric content, especially if you're looking for something a little different in the earbud department. At this price, don't pass them up.
Apple is working on a new version of its most affordable phone, and it might be surprisingly good this time around.
According to 9to5Mac, which cites a source familiar with the matter, Apple's new iPhone SE 4 will have a new, modern look, with a notch on top. The OLED display will have a 1,170 x 2,532 pixel resolution, and it will probably be similar in size to the 6.1-inch display on the iPhone 14.
SEE ALSO: Apple Watch Series 10 review: Buy it for the faster chargingYes, this also means that the iPhone SE 4 will lose the Home Button and get Face ID biometric recognition. While I personally am a little nostalgic about the Home Button, I do have to admit that Face ID works well and it's better to just get rid of the button and expand the display.
The iPhone SE 4 will also come with Apple's A18 chip — the same chip that powers the company's new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus phones.
Featured Video For You 5 reasons iPhone 16 is the best upgrade for youFurthermore — and this is perhaps the biggest surprise — the iPhone SE 4 will come with the same 48-megapixel rear camera, and the 12-megapixel front camera as you get on the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. You will not, however, get additional cameras on the back; you'll have to make do with just a single rear camera.
Finally, the iPhone SE 4 will reportedly be the first phone to feature Apple's first 5G modem. This is notable as Apple acquired Intel's modem business back in 2019 to built its own modems, but nothing came out of it so far (Apple's iPhones still use Qualcomm modems). This should also have additional benefits to end users, as Apple's modem, which will handle 5G, Bluetooth, and WiFi connectivity, should be better integrated with Apple's hardware, resulting in better battery life.
While we have heard some of these details before, including Face ID support, and the new OLED display, the part about the cameras and the modem is new.
If all of this sounds exciting, we've got a bit of a downer for you: The iPhone SE 4 is unlikely to arrive this year. Instead, Apple will probably launch it in spring 2025.
Horror movies come in all shapes and sizes.
You've got your comedy horrors, your psychological horrors, your tense thriller-y horrors — and, of course, your genuinely scary horrors.
I'm not just talking about your run-of-the-mill, yikes-that's-a-bit-creepy kind of films, here, either. I'm talking about the truly terror-inducing — the type of movies you wake in the dead of night thinking about, and which stay with you for a long, long time after the credits have rolled. The horribly twitchy, sleep-with-the-lights-on-and-avoid-all-mirrors kind of movies.
Streaming platform Shudder has a lot to offer in this regard.
SEE ALSO: The best movies on Shudder that you can't stream anywhere elseWe've combed through the archives of the service (which is chock-full of horror, sci-fi and thrillers of all kinds) to track down the most terrifying films we could — from jumpy classics like Ring to the bleak puppet-themed horror of Matthew Holness' Possum. If you're unable to deal with jump-scares, these are not for you.
Cushions to hide behind at the ready...
PossumWhat's it about?
After losing his puppeteering job, a man returns to his childhood home to destroy a creepy puppet he carries in a brown bag. But after a local teenager goes missing, it's clear that something more sinister is at play.
Why's it so scary?
The overall tone of Possum is probably more bleak than scary, but the puppet is the stuff of nightmares: a near-person sized, spider-like creation with a human mask for a face that has the disconcerting habit of reappearing even after it's been disposed of. The ominous, jagged background score that follows Philip (Sean Harris) around doesn't help, and the jump scares – when they do come – are well placed and unpleasant.
How to watch: Possum is streaming now on Shudder.
The Medium Credit: Christine RamageWhat's it about?
A documentary film crew travel to northern Thailand to interview a shaman who claims to be possessed by a goddess — only to get caught up in something far more sinister when her niece begins to act strangely.
Why's it so scary?
"The film's first two acts move at a subtle, simmering pace, but the finale is sheer frightening chaos," writes Mashable's Shannon Connellan in her review. "It's a diabolical move from director [Banjong] Pisanthanakun, who lulls audiences into a sense of security before swiftly pulling the rug out from under us. Sitting at over two hours, the film spends ample time with the characters but keeps the momentum through a sense of foreboding — thanks in part to Chatchai Ponhprapaphan's haunting score. As events escalate, the documentarians' distance to their subjects becomes compromised while they wonder whether they should try to help Mink. This shift is reflected in a mix of their footage and security camera coverage. And in the well-worn tradition of found footage/documentary horror films like Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project, The Medium saves the most disturbing moments for last. There's a scene featuring a Hereditary-level reveal that had me sleepless for days."
How to watch: The Medium is now streaming on Shudder.
The Unheard Credit: ShudderWhat's it about?
After undertaking an experimental procedure to restore her hearing, a woman staying in her childhood home experiences auditory hallucinations that may have something to do with her mother's disappearance.
Why should you watch it?
"As you might have guessed from that description, [director Jeffrey A.] Brown's movie is a bit of a genre mish-mash," I wrote in my review for Mashable. "The setup sounds like a Black Mirror episode, the hallucinations and isolation are straight-up horror, and the disappearances blend it all together with a kind of mystery/crime/thriller element. It's a combination that could easily start tripping over itself, but somehow it keeps a steady, confident footing. Between Brown's perfectly unnerving direction, a tight script from Michael and Shawn Rasmussen and a well-acted story, The Unheard crackles through its two-hour runtime with scares and tension aplenty."
How to watch: The Unheard is streaming now on Shudder.
Skinamarink Credit: IFC Films/ShudderWhat's it about?
Given how experimental Kyle Edward Ball's movie is, this one's sort of hard to summarise. But it's essentially about two siblings who can't find their dad and are trapped in a dark house by themselves with only a whispering voice for company.
Why should you watch it?
"It totally and entirely wants to terrify us," writes Jason Adams for Mashable in his explainer. "Skinamarink wants us to become children trapped in our beds again. It wants the very concept of the dark to be foreign, filled with questions and strangeness and terror. Forcing us back to when we were little and we didn't know more than what was right in front of us, when what lay beyond our hallway or, God forbid, our front door might as well be the edge of the flat earth, falling off into nothingness."*
How to watch: Skinamarink is streaming now on Shudder.
The Power Credit: ShudderWhat's it about?
In 1974, Val (Rose Williams) starts a new job as a nurse in a London hospital. But she soon discovers that the oppressive hierarchy and rolling blackouts aren't the only horrible things she'll have to confront.
Why should you watch it?
"It's the perfect setup for building a creeping sense of dread [...] and [writer/director Corinna] Faith does this with a deft hand," I wrote in my review for Mashable. "There are plenty of jump scares, too, but these never feel gratuitous — like all the best scary films, The Power's horror is used to draw out the movie's main themes, rather than wielding them for mere shock value.
"All in all, the film is pretty hard to fault. The performances are excellent all-round, with Rose Williams showing off incredible range in the central role."
How to watch: The Power is streaming now on Shudder.
Satan's SlavesWhat's it about?
After the strange death of their mother, a family begins to suspect that her presence may not have entirely left the house.
Why's it so scary?
Indonesian director Joko Anwar knows how to make a creepy film. It's apparent during the opening scenes in Satan's Slaves, when Rini (Tara Basro) makes a grim discovery in her mother's bedroom, and it only gets clearer from there on out. The movie has a solid mixture of slow build, bumps-in-the-night style tension, and outright jump-scares, putting you on edge early and offering little by way of reprieve.
For fans of Ring (which features further down on this list), there's even a very creepy well...
How to watch: Satan's Slaves is streaming now on Shudder.
SEE ALSO: The best women-centric and feminist horror movies Ring Stay away from those unmarked video tapes. Credit: Omega/Kadokawa/Kobal/ShutterstockWhat's it about?
A journalist attempts to get to the bottom of a cursed video tape, which supposedly kills the viewer a week after they've watched it.
Why's it so scary?
Hideo Nakata's 1998 horror classic not only kick-started a global franchise, but it also proved you don't necessarily need high-tech special effects and intense music to generate scares. By today's standards, Ring may not provide as many jump-scares as some as the other films on this list, but there are still plenty of nightmare-inducing scenes and images (and you probably won't ever look at a well, or a grainy TV set, in quite the same way again).
How to watch: Ring is streaming now on Shudder.
The Dark and the WickedWhat's it about?
A brother and sister return to their parents' farmhouse to help their mother care for their dying father. But after things take a sudden, tragic turn, they realise something more sinister is going on.
Why’s it so scary?
Creaky old remote farmhouses are already the ideal setting for jumps, but Bryan Bertino's chiller is extra effective because of its use of sound — whether it's jangling horseshoes placed to ward off evil, a jagged background score or simply yawning, empty silence. The jumps in this one are unexpected and genuinely terrifying, and the story is unremittingly bleak.
How to watch: The Dark and the Wicked is streaming now on Shudder.
HostWhat's it about?
Unable to meet in person due to the coronavirus lockdown, a group of friends decide to try out a seance over Zoom.
Why's it so scary?
One word: realism. The premise of the story, its Zoom setting, and the very natural dialogue all conspire to make Host feel horribly realistic. It's like you're watching the recording of an actual Zoom call between friends, and that makes it all the more unnerving when things begin to go really, really wrong.
Oh, and if you're worried that the movie's set-up might be limiting in terms of scares, don't be: the jumps in this one are frequent, and — thanks to the creativity of director Rob Savage — always inventive.
How to watch: Host is streaming now on Shudder.
SEE ALSO: How 'Host' director Rob Savage went from viral tweet to 3-movie deal TerrifiedWhat's it about?
A group of paranormal investigators examines some disturbing goings-on in a neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Why's it so scary?
Rather than just having one scary monster or theme, Demián Rugna's Terrified has a whole bunch of them — from IT-style voices gurgling away in the drain to the unmoving corpse of a dead child, returned home from the grave to sit stiffly at the dinner table.
Basically, the film is a trick box full of scares, and if one thing doesn't get to you, chances are something else certainly will.
How to watch: Terrified is now streaming on Shudder.
Featured Video For You 'Nightmare Alley' director Guillermo del Toro explains what makes carnival noir so terrifying Hell House LLCWhat's it about?
After the opening of a haunted house tourist attraction results in death, a fictional documentary crew tries to uncover what really happened.
Why's it so scary?
Like all the best found-footage horror movies, Stephen Cognetti's Hell House LLC uses realism to amp up its fear factor, splicing shaky camera shots with moving mannequins and half-glimpsed figures in the night. The tourist attraction setting could easily have come across as cheesy in this one, but luckily the movie's prop department sourced some genuinely creepy-looking clowns for the occasion (one of which provides more than a few nasty jumps).
How to watch: Hell House LLC is streaming now on Shudder.
ZWhat's it about?
A mother grows increasingly worried about her eight-year-old son after he gets a new imaginary friend called "Z."
Why's it so scary?
If the likes of The Babadook and Hide and Seek have taught us anything, it's that children having imaginary friends (at least in the context of a horror movie) is never a great thing. Brandon Christensen's Z takes this concept and gives it a fresh twist, putting us in the shoes of Beth (Keegan Connor Tracy) as she grows increasingly disturbed by her son's behaviour.
The thing that makes Z so unnerving isn't so much the creepy child aspect as it is the unknowable monster — the lingering idea of "Z," this unseen creature that dominates every scene with its absence. The fear of seeing something is often more disturbing than the thing itself, and this is an idea that the movie understands perfectly well — and uses to nail-biting effect.
How to watch: Z is streaming now on Shudder.
*This blurb appeared on a previous Mashable list.
UPDATE: Oct. 4, 2024, 12:52 p.m. EDT This list was first published on Sept. 15. 2023. It has since been updated to reflect current streaming options.
Do you like scary movies? Peruse our editor-chosen list of 100 of the best horror films and use the filters to narrow down your picks for which to watch tonight.
Cute animals doing funny things have always ruled the internet — some of the first viral sensations, like Keyboard Cat and Sneezing Baby Panda, became instantly memeified.
Fast-forward to today, and the internet's love for adorable little creatures is stronger than ever. Right now, social feeds are being inundated with animal stars, from Moo Deng, the feisty pygmy hippo who somehow has an expression for every mood, to chonky boy Pesto the Penguin, whose stature is melting hearts everywhere.
SEE ALSO: Why we’re all in love with a little hippo named Moo DengAt a time when people might be looking for a bit of joy and distraction from the real world, these viral sensations offer the perfect escape. And memes — they've given us so many memes.
So, Mashable has rounded up some of the internet’s favorite animals of the moment, which are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Moo DengOn July 10, 2024, a hot new bombshell entered the villa of internet-famous animal personalities when little Miss Moo Deng was born. The bouncy baby pygmy hippo has been known to wreak havoc inside her enclosure at Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, nibbling on zookeepers and throwing temper tantrums. (She’s a Cancer — she’s very emotional.) Still, she’s just so adorable. Who could resist the childlike antics of a feisty baby hippo? Seemingly, no one. She’s inspired countless works of fan art, her own merch line, TikTok beauty trends, and an SNL sketch. She’s so popular that the Thai zoo has launched a 24-hour livestream of its pygmy hippo enclosure so you can keep up with Moo Deng from anywhere in the world. She’s unbothered, moisturized, in her lane, focused, and flourishing. That’s real It-girl behavior. — Crystal Bell, culture editor
Tweet may have been deleted Juni, @lyssielooloo's catLyss, also known as @lyssielooloo on TikTok and Instagram, is an influencer from Orange County who posts daily content about her life, looking like the young Jennifer Garner in 13 going on 30, and, of course, her perfect cat Juni. There is so much to love about Juni. For starters, Juni is a ragdoll cat, so it's not surprising that he's so calm and even-tempered, but what is surprising is how often he falls asleep straight up any time she holds him. — Christianna Silva, senior culture reporter
View this post on Instagram MoléHave you ever seen a baby sloth? Did you know they were this cute? I wasn’t aware until I came across Molé, an orphaned baby sloth, on my FYP. The videos were posted by creator Kyle Thomas while volunteering at the Kids Saving the Rainforest rehabilitation center in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, where he would take little Molé into the jungle for his daily dose of vitamin D and behavioral enrichment via tree crawling. With his sleepy eyes and upside-down smile, little Molé fully embodies the essence of relaxation goals, even down to the stuffed teddy bear he clings to for comfort. Forget girlrotting; I want to be a sloth. — CB
Pesto the PenguinIt’s hard to feel down looking at an absolute unit of a penguin. Pesto the Penguin — a massive baby King Penguin at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium — is the perfect brain bleach. You don't need to know anything beyond the fact that this big boy weighed 50 pounds at nine months, and he still has his black, fuzzy feathers, while most King Penguins are fully grown at around 30 pounds. He's adorable, towers over his peers, and fun to watch waddle around. — Tim Marcin, associate culture editor
Hua HuaHua Hua is the people's princess of China... or at least the darling of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu. A rotund giant panda beloved for her sweet demeanor and onigiri-shaped body, Hua Hua spends her days with her sister, He Ye, toddling around, nibbling on bamboo stalks, and playing with her caretaker, Tan Jintao (referred to affectionately as "Grandpa Tan"). In addition to being very demure and very mindful, Hua Hua has a distinct appearance that makes her stand out due to developmental delays that left her smaller and weaker than her other panda friends. It's only made people fall more in love with her. On the Chinese social media platform Weibo, Hua Hua's hashtag has accumulated billions of engagements. She's even reached celebrity status. — CB
Simon Sits (Isabell Klee)The TikTok account SimonSits is named after Isabell Klee’s very good dog Simon, who is very adorable and well-behaved. But a major draw of Klee’s account is actually the foster pups she regularly takes in and helps get adopted. The internet (and myself) have fallen in love with the likes of her fosters King, Poutine, and Aruba. Klee often fosters pups who’ve had difficult experiences or have medical needs and works to show how wonderful they are. It’s truly lovely to see. — TM
BiscuitsI respect a savvy marketing team. With the internet consumed by Moo Deng memes and Pesto the Penguin edits, the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society saw an opportunity to raise awareness of its marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation efforts and seized it. Enter Biscuits, a quirky baby seal with big, round eyes, rescued in August after being separated from her mother. In a TikTok with over 14 million views, the VAMMR wrote, "This is a public service announcement – Biscuits would like to be included in your list of favorite baby animals!" Ask, and you shall receive. Don’t forget — Biscuits is also available for symbolic adoption. — CB
Bonus: We Live in Time horseFlorence Pugh and Andrew Garfield are having a rough time in A24’s We Live in Time. It's a pretty devastating romance about a couple facing a terminal cancer diagnosis. But it wasn't Pugh and Garfield who took the internet by storm when Film Crave posted a first look image of the movie — that position was taken by the ugly carousel horse. He's hideous. He's their third. As Stephen Colbert said, he's "tripping balls on ketamine." He stole the show and, along with it, our hearts. If we ranked the horses of pop culture in 2024 instead of 2022, he would certainly make the final cut. — CS
Tweet may have been deletedYou probably clicked this article to find out why I hate Moo Deng, the actual hippo. So to get this out of the way, no, I'm not deranged enough to hate an animal. But I do hate Moo Deng the viral phenomenon. If you do too, and you're not sure why, you've come to the right place. You are valid and you are not alone.
Tweet may have been deletedTo understand why this phenomenon activates the buzzkill instincts of those of us in the hater community (or just the hate-curious), we have to briefly dissect the narrative that brought Moo Deng, involuntarily, to our attention. Long story short: Not everyone finds Moo Deng all that cute, but because she's a meme — and memes get seen by everyone — she's overexposed.
Moo Deng exploded onto the internet during the first two weeks of September, achieving Category 5 mega-virality, and irritating some of us in the process. But this was only after a more moderate online fanbase was cultivated for her in early August by an astonishingly successful naming contest put on by the Thai zoo where Moo Deng lives in an enclosure for the amusement of paying customers. (Pygmy hippos come from Liberia and elsewhere in western Africa, not Thailand.)
Tweet may have been deletedMuch of the fandom's success seems to stem from a poster with the handle @sighyam, an X user and rabid Moo Deng stan who apparently knows Thai and English, and helped bring Moo Deng to the Anglosphere when she was still just a nameless baby animal in a zoo.
Tweet may have been deletedIf Moo Deng doesn't do it for you, or you have a general attitude of "most cute stuff is not for me but go with God if it works for you," none of this really penetrated your social media timelines. That's good! Everyone was happily consuming the content they enjoyed.
Something shifted, however, when two images of Moo Deng broke containment and Moo Deng legitimately became a meme. Mostly, it was the second of these two images:
Tweet may have been deletedThe meme scholars at KnowYourMeme attribute Moo Deng's success to this second photo, saying in one explainer video:
Photographs and videos of Moo instantly went viral, in particular this really cute image where she's being sprayed with a water hose while looking mortified. That's right, the reason this hippo is so viral is she looks visually perturbed, like she really doesn't want to be sprayed with that beam of water.
As everyone knows, enormous volumes of cutesy-poo stuff circulates endlessly online in a benign way that doesn't really merit criticism. Happily, all this content is corralled in the sections of social media where people enjoy it. Some of us mostly like to scowl and rub our chins when we scroll, and the algorithms seem to mostly understand this, and not bother us with things like baby animals. In the event that a cute animal materializes that we do like, the algorithms will clue into our "revealed preference" and adjust accordingly.
Truly meme-able images, on the other hand, operate differently. They light up a different part of the brain than cute images, and that's what happened here.
Moo Deng wasn't just cute. She was also intriguing.
Tweet may have been deletedWhy were people meme-ing Moo Deng? More to the point, why were they making her into art?
SEE ALSO: Why we’re all in love with a little hippo named Moo DengMy own guess is that the answer is rooted in the pseudoscientific concept of "unconscious priming," or responding to some stimulus in a way that is "primed" by a previous stimulus, without the person being cognizant of the connection.
What connection do I mean? Even though you're not conscious of it, Moo Deng looks weirdly like "Chubby Bubbles Girl," an ancient meme, probably from before you, the person reading this, were born.
Tweet may have been deletedIf you were happily unaware of Moo Deng, and then the hose photo crept into your life, I suspect it unconsciously tapped into your memories of Chubby Bubbles Girl and her many meme adventures, adding a layer of fascination to what was otherwise just a wide-eyed, wet hippopotamus. That's not to say a hippo actually looks like a little girl, but the leaning away, the stark white of the single wide eye, the splash of yellow in the Moo Deng photo, and the motion blur all render the two photos a matching pair, even if their subjects are not.
Credit: Meme image posted for comparison Credit: Meme image posted for comparisonIf you briefly raised an eyebrow at this image, and then went on with your day without joining the Moo Deng cult, Chubby Bubbles Girl may have been the reason. And even if you think I'm wrong about this part, you may still be asking yourself "why are we still somehow talking about this?" Memes have a mysterious form of cultural inertia.
The meme stage is where the Moo Deng phenomenon went incredibly right from the perspective of Khao Kheow Open Zoo, and incredibly wrong from the perspective of people who are immune to Moo Deng's specific brand of cuteness. Moo Deng was suddenly a powerful tempest of content, and those of us who regard her the way Ben Wyatt on Parks and Recreation regards Li'l Sebastian suddenly had to deal with the existence of, for instance, a Moo Deng SNL sketch.
Some haters have tried to morally high-road the Moo Deng phenomenon and argue that Khao Kheow Open Zoo is an exceptionally cruel zoo. That theory is not currently supported by the facts. Assuming you have a baseline tolerance for the animal prisons we call "zoos," this one is neither here nor there. If you care about animal welfare, Moo Deng is probably not where you should direct your energy.
Tweet may have been deletedThe truth is that Moo Deng is perceived by many to be a very cute animal, which is fine. The internet has plenty of opt-outs for cute animal content. But due to an annoying accident of internet psychology, Moo Deng has become a meme, and there's no opt-out for memes.
That sucks, but it will pass.
The UNLV and Syracuse football teams are scheduled to meet at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for a non-conference contest on Friday, Oct. 4. The game is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
UNLV, ranked No. 25 in The Associated Press poll, enters the matchup 4-0 overall. Most recently, UNLV defeated Fresno State 59-14. Syracuse comes into the contest 3-1 overall. On Sept. 28, Syracuse beat Holy Cross 42-14. This is the first matchup between the UNLV and Syracuse football programs.
SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cableBarry Odom is the UNLV football head coach. Fran Brown is the Syracuse football head coach.
UNLV vs. Syracuse football kickoff time and networkThe UNLV vs. Syracuse college football game is scheduled to be broadcast on FS1 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Friday, Oct. 4. FS1 broadcasters are scheduled to be Trent Rush (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst).
Discover live streaming possibilities with platforms like FuboTV and Sling to enjoy Friday’s game without cable or satellite TV.
Best streaming services for Syracuse vs. UNLV football gameWatching college football is possible without a cable or satellite TV subscription by opting for a streaming service. Ready for Friday’s college football game between SU vs. UNLV? Here's a list of the top streaming platforms you should consider.
Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Blue Plan Get DealIf the UNLV vs. Syracuse football game is your reason for choosing Sling TV, the Blue Plan is your go-to option, featuring FS1. Enjoy a discounted rate of $20 for the first month, with a standard charge of $40/month after that. The Sling TV Blue Plan enhances your viewing experience and permits three concurrent streams.
Sling TV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.
Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Get DealYou can get FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period, providing more than 250 channels of live TV and the convenience of watching 10 screens concurrently. FS1 coverage for games like SU vs. UNLV football is available through FuboTV’s Pro tier, which has a $59.99 rate for the first month and then a regular rate of $79.99 per month.
FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, SEC Network, and The CW.
The Apple Watch is, and has always been, an amazing device hampered by battery life that requires you to charge it at least once, and sometimes twice, per day.
With the Apple Watch Series 10, which marks the 10th anniversary of the wearable, Apple hasn't exactly fixed the issue. The company still says the Watch has "all-day battery life," which translates into 18 hours of use. And in my testing, the new Watch has had pretty much exactly the same battery life as Series 9.
But the company did significantly improve charging speed, which is the next best thing, and in my opinion, the biggest reason to buy this watch.
Apple Watch Series 10 price and specsApple Watch Series 10 starts at $399, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. That price is for the GPS-only, aluminum variant in the 42mm size. If you want the slightly bigger, 46mm size, you'll have to dish out $429 (the various finishes, such as Silver, Rose Gold, and Jet Black, are free). And adding the cellular option will further increase that price by $100.
The Titanium variant costs $699, is available only in the 46mm size, and includes cellular connectivity.
Regardless of the finish and the size, the key specs are the same for all of the variants:
Apple S10 chip
Wide-angle OLED display with up to 2000 nits maximum brightness, and 1 nit minimum brightness
Up to 18 hours of battery life with fast charging
Speaker with media playback
A bevy of sensors, including an electrical heart sensor, optical heart sensor, temperature sensor, high-g accelerometer, high dynamic range gyroscope, and the new depth gauge, as well as the new water temperature sensor
The new Apple Watch Series 10 is thinner and lighter with a larger, better display.
In terms of numbers, that means the Series 10 is a hair (1mm) thinner than its predecessor. It has a display that's slightly larger (46mm compared to 45mm or, if you opt for the smaller variant, 42mm versus 41mm). But the form factor has also changed a little, with the new display being more square than before.
Finally, the Apple Watch Series 10 is a lot lighter than before, weighing just 36.4 grams, shaving nearly a third off the weight of the Series 9, which weighs 51.5 grams.
It's one millimeter thinner than last year's version, but it's not something you'll easily notice. Credit: Stan Schroeder/MashableIn real life, you will notice the weight reduction; the new Watch is as light as a feather. (Bear in mind that I only tested the aluminium variant; the titanium version weighs more). The other changes are truly minor, though, and you won't notice them unless you look for them, or compare the new and the old version directly.
Apple Watch Series 10 displayThe display being ever so slightly larger brings exactly the benefits you'd imagine. It's a bit nicer to use, but there's nothing groundbreaking here.
The new, wide-angle OLED tech Apple is using really does improve visibility when glancing the watch from the side, which, for me, is most of the time, so that's a nice touch. Some watch faces, like Activity and Reflections, now display a ticking seconds hand in always-on mode. It would be great to see this feature extended to other watch faces and third-party apps, though Apple couldn’t confirm if that will happen.
Apple Watch Series 9 versus Series 10. Can you tell which is which? Credit: Stan Schroeder/MashableIt’s hard to fault Apple for not making more drastic changes here. The Apple Watch is already a compact device, and making it significantly thinner would likely compromise battery life or other features. Likewise, the display can’t get much bigger without the watch becoming too large for some users. While the display has been upgraded, it’s the kind of change you’ll only notice when you’re actively looking for it.
Better deal than the Apple Watch Ultra?I haven't had any time with the titanium variant, but the fact that it exists brings the Apple Watch Series 10 a step closer to the titanium-only Apple Watch Ultra 2 (it also brings the price up to $699, though).
But there are other ways in which the new Series 10 is similar to the Ultra. For example, the new display technically has more screen area than the one on the Ultra 2, without the imposing bulk of Apple's largest watch on your hand.
Together, with some other advantages such as faster charging and diving features(see more below), it gives the Series 10 serious "slim Ultra" vibes. Given that the Ultra wasn't upgraded this year (if you don't count the new Black color), all of these improvements make a compelling case for choosing the Series 10 instead of the Ultra.
It’s significantly cheaper, lighter, and thinner, while offering a larger display and even including some features that were previously exclusive to Apple’s top model.
Apple Watch Series 10 audioThe Apple Watch Series 10 also comes with a number of small improvements that you might not notice at first, but they will make your life better, such as better voice isolation during calls (a big one for me as I often answer calls on the watch while I frantically search for my misplaced phone).
Don't have your phone nearby? You can play music on your Watch now! Credit: Stan Schroeder/MashableAlso new is the ability to play audio through the Watch's built-in speaker. It's cool to be able to do this, but don't expect too much from the sound quality. I have a suspicion this is one of those features that kids will use a lot more than adults.
Apple Watch Series 10 health and fitness featuresThe new Watch ups the game when it comes to health and fitness as well. It's not exactly a diving computer, but it now has a depth gauge (down to 6m/20ft) and the accompanying Depth app, a water temperature sensor, support for the Oceanic+ apps, and the new Tides app.
Other improvements include the Translate app, sleep apnea detection, and the new Vitals app, which tracks key health metrics over time, though these features aren’t exclusive to the Apple Watch Series 10. However, features like Cycle Tracking rely on a new sensor that monitors wrist temperature, which is only available on the Series 10.
It's also worth mentioning one feature that the new Watch doesn't have: Blood-oxygen measuring, which is absent in the U.S. due to medical tech company Masimo suing Apple over a related patent. True, it's just one in a pretty long line of health-related features, but certain perks, such as sleep apnea detection, would perhaps work even better if Apple could use the blood-oxygen sensor.
Apple Watch Series 10 battery lifeAnother way in which the Series 10 beats the Ultra is charging time, and this is something that's worth expanding on. Apple says that the Series 10 can charge from 0 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes (as opposed to older models which achieve the same feat in 45 minutes, whereas the Ultra models get there in an hour).
This one's made of aluminum, but there's also a titanium flavor. Credit: Stan Schroeder/MashableI've tested this by using my MacBook Pro's brick — and got the Watch from zero to 80 in about 40 minutes.
More realistically, you won't wait for your Watch to get to zero. So I also observed how long it takes to get it from 20 to 80 percent — and did it in about 25 minutes.
This means that you can essentially charge your Watch as you brush your teeth or make coffee in the morning.
For me, this is the most important upgrade on Apple's latest wearable. I want to wear a smartwatch all the time, and I want it to track my sleep, my workouts, and my steps. With previous versions of the Watch, I'd typically either charge it at night (thus giving up on sleep tracking), or I'd put it on a charger and forget it before I go outside. With the Series 10, I was able to charge it in very brief periods of time, keeping it operational for days without the need for a long charging session.
Don't get me wrong; I'd still very much prefer it if the Apple Watch had a longer battery life. I stopped using my old Series 6 because I kept forgetting it on a charger. Failing that, the ability to charge the watch very quickly is the next best thing.
Is the Apple Watch Series 10 worth getting?The Apple Watch is the best smartwatch I've ever owned. It's got the best display, the best form factor, and by far the greatest app ecosystem.
While this hasn't really changed much in the past couple of years, neither has the Watch's worst trait: mediocre battery life. With the new Series 10, Apple didn't improve on this, but it did make the charging faster, which is a step forward.
Other than that, the Watch has numerous, small upgrades which do add up — just don't expect anything too revolutionary.
If you already own the Series 9, though, the new Apple Watch Series 10 is not worth the upgrade. Yes, it's better in every way, but none of these small refinements will make you say "Wow, I need the new one." If you own any of the previous versions, the Series 10 will feel a lot fresher — it's no wonder that Apple's official promo materials often compare it to much older iterations. And if you've never owned an Apple Watch and want to dive in now, the Series 10 is a good place to start.
Opens in a new window Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable Apple Watch Series 10 $399.99 at AppleHave you ever felt so alienated from your world that only the folklore of wild things could soothe you? In the opening of The Outrun, a young woman named Rona (played by four-time Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan) shares the legend of the selkie. Through a dreamy voiceover, she explains how these mythological shapeshifters of the sea could come ashore at night, shed their seal skins, and dance in the guise of humans on the sand and rock. But should they be seen by humans, they'd be trapped to live on the soil, discontent the rest of their days. Rona, an alcoholic struggling with sobriety, can relate, having had her fair share of scandalous revels and scorching disappointments.
Based on the 2016 memoir of the same name by British journalist Amy Liptrot, The Outrun follows a deeply personal tale of self-love, loss, and addiction, weaving in elements of science, folklore, and animation to profound effect. Determined to get sober, Rona returns to her hometown, the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland, to reconnect with her parents and herself.
Director Nora Fingscheidt, who co-wrote the adapted screenplay with Liptrot, plays with Rona's timeline, leaping to dark days past, bright days present, and all the grays in between with abandon and aplomb. (What results is far better than another buzzed-about drama out of the UK, We Live in Time, starring Ronan's sister in Little Women, Florence Pugh!) Altogether, these elements weave a familiar tale of a rocky road with a distinctive character that makes the story impossible to ignore.
Saorsie Ronan is fearless in The Outrun. Paapa Essiedu and Saoirse Ronan co-star in "The Outrun." Credit: StudioCanalRona has many sides to her, and Ronan captures them all with commitment and empathy. The film follows this twentysomething across a blooming romance with a dashing beau named Daynin (Paapa Essiedu), belligerent nights of havoc and violence, cheery quality time with her friendly father (Stephen Dillane), abrasive verbal battles with her concerned mother (Saskia Reeves), and cozy moments of advocating for animal rights. (This last bit includes performances from non-professional actors, giving The Outrun a crisp authenticity.)
Through all this, Ronan not only has the tricky challenge of playing drunk realistically, but also must veer from warm charm to ruthless wrath, connecting all these disparate bits to make Rona whole. In a masterfully measured performance, her physicality shifts from volatile and loose to relaxed to furtive. Always, she offers a body language clue as to where her character is in this journey, as the scenes skip forward and back in time.
Helping the viewer connect all of these pieces is the aforementioned voiceover, with Ronan's voice calmly allowing us into Rona's various intellectual curiosities. Wondering aloud on nature and myth, Ronan subtly seeks to find where her more feral side fits into a polite society. Fingscheidt welcomes us into Rona's perspective by illustrating her intellectual tangents; for instance, unfurling beautiful footage of seals swimming around a beach. The handheld camera gives a purposefully wobbly portrait of the world, reflecting Rona's struggle to get a grip. Elsewhere, the director allows the music that pumps from Rona's headphones to overtake the audio of the film, welcoming us into the bliss of the all-consuming beat. Yet the most effective device that Fingscheidt employs is the time-jumping.
The Outrun's temporal leaps throw you into the hardships of recovery. Credit: StudioCanalWhere in We Live in Time, flashbacks to flash-forwards made for a story too slippery to hold onto, here, following just one protagonist who is often lost in her own world, it works. One simple visual cue is Fingscheidt's nod to then-versus-now through Rona's hair. One phase is defined by a rosy pink bob, another by hair dyed fully blue, another with pale blonde locks with blue tips, or all blonde, or the pink-orange of a sunrise. These are elegant indicators of then and now. But the flow of the story is more about Rona's experience.
Progress — as any worthwhile therapist will tell you — is never a straight line. The Outrun's non-linear approach reflects that by throwing us back and forth in Rona's recovery. This can make her story initially hard to parse. Why is she angry with her mother but close to her dad? But the mindful script eventually reveals all we need to understand her relationships. More telling, this willfully jarring back and forth reflects Rona's journey, one step forward, two steps back, and so on. A good day might be followed by a dark temptation, which pitches us back into a memory of a low point. And through this, the unpredictability of addiction is expressed. As Rona says, "The urge to drink can come out of nowhere. You think you're doing well. Suddenly you want nothing more than a drink." The sophisticated pacing of The Outrun urges audience empathy by putting us in her dizzying whirl of emotions, doubt, desire, hope, and regret.
Stephen Dillane and Saoirse Ronan co-star in "The Outrun." Credit: StudioCanalSurrounded by a solid supporting cast, Ronan ably shoulders a messy tale of substance abuse and survival. Liptrot and Fingscheidt's script neatly builds a story unconventional yet comprehensive. The editing from Stephan Bechinger smartly keeps the audience off-balance but not out of their depths. Fingscheidt's vision for weaving Rona's perspective into cinematography, sound design, narration, and visual tangents that include animation, makes for a movie that feels achingly personal, yet universal in its humanity. Simply put, The Outrun is an emotionally intelligent drama that soars, thanks to the glorious collaboration between the writers, the filmmaker, and the movie's radiant leading lady.
Joker: Folie à Deux is an unfortunate hodgepodge of references to better, more interesting films, including musicals like The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Band Wagon. Now, we can add Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight to that mix, as Joker: Folie à Deux's final act seemingly hints at the origins of Heath Ledger's take on the Joker, for which he posthumously won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
SEE ALSO: 'Joker: Folie à Deux' review: A middle-finger to fans of Lady Gaga, the DC movies, and musicals in generalBut just what exactly is that hint at The Dark Knight, and why is it so misguided? Let's break it down in this ending explainer for Joker: Folie à Deux.
How does Heath Ledger's Joker figure into Joker: Folie à Deux?The reference to Ledger's Joker comes in the very last scene of the film, after we've already endured over two hours of Arthur Fleck's (Joaquin Phoenix) murder trial and a barrage of musical numbers with less pizzazz than a sneeze. (Props to Lady Gaga and Phoenix for at least committing to the song and dance, something director Todd Phillips appears incapable of doing himself.) After the jury finds Arthur guilty on all counts, and after Lee Quinzel (Gaga) breaks things off with him for rejecting the fantasy of his "Joker" persona, Arthur winds back up in Arkham Asylum, alone.
Or perhaps not! Arkham guard Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson) tells Arthur he's got a visitor. Could Lee be ready to take him back? Arthur follows Jackie to what could be a joyful reunion, only to be stopped by an unknown prisoner simply credited as Young Inmate (Connor Storrie). The inmate asks Arthur if he can tell him a joke, and Arthur seems happy to hear it. Maybe this inmate could be a new friend (or fan) of his, like recently deceased inmate Ricky Meline (Jacob Lofland).
The joke goes like this: A psychopath meets a drunk clown in a bar. The psychopath reveals that he used to watch the clown all the time as a kid, and that he'd like to get him a drink. What should he get him? The clown says if the psychopath is buying, he can get him whatever he wants. In that case, the psychopath chooses to get the clown "what he fucking deserves," an echo of Joker's last words to talk show host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) before shooting him in the head in Joker.
SEE ALSO: 42 movies you'll want to see this fallThe inmate follows Arthur's murderous footsteps, punctuating his punchline by shanking Arthur. As Arthur bleeds out on the floor, his killer begins laughing uncontrollably. Then, just out of focus in the background, we see him carve a smile into his face, an unmistakable nod to The Dark Knight's Joker's scars. Oh, brother.
Why is Joker: Folie à Deux's reference to The Dark Knight such a joke?Ending Joker: Folie à Deux on this presumable origin story for Ledger's Joker is a laughable choice for so many reasons. For one, tethering yourself to the greatest live-action Joker performance of all time — especially after emphasizing that the Joker films are set apart from any other DC movie — reaches masturbatory levels of self-congratulation. "Look, we've connected both Jokers that have won Oscars! In fact, one now canonically inspired the other!"
That matter of inspiration, and the idea that Ledger's Joker is somehow taking up the mantle of Phoenix's are the scene's other massive problems. Let's look at how The Dark Knight's Joker handles his own origin story. He turns it into a kind of game, offering up contradictory stories about how he got his scars. These differing possibilities are just one of the many ways in which he presents himself as an agent of chaos. In fact, his whole appeal and danger lie in the fact that he's slippery, an unknowable figure. That Joker: Folie à Deux seeks to give him a more tangible backstory is to undermine him entirely. Ledger's iconic refrain of "Wanna know how I got these scars?" simply isn't Folie à Deux's to answer.
Sure, the moment of self-mutilation is obscured enough — and the Young Inmate such a nothing of a character — that Joker: Folie à Deux could have plausible deniability as to whether this is actually meant to be the start of Ledger's Joker. (The timeline of Ledger's Joker being in Arkham in the 1980s, when the Joker films are set, is also a bit of a stretch.) But Storrie's hunched shoulders in the scene do call to mind Ledger's physical performance, and by this point in pop culture, the scarred smile is synonymous with The Dark Knight's take on the Clown Prince of Crime. If Joker: Folie à Deux's Young Inmate isn't actually Ledger's Joker, he's still meant to make you think of him. And for a film that relies so much on cheap, superficial associations over actual meaning, that crime is just as bad.
Fair warning: This is the first V/H/S movie I've watched.
I've been familiar with Brad Miska's horror anthology for a while now, but V/H/S/Beyond — the seventh instalment in the series — is the first one I've actually seen. I can't compare this new alien-themed mish-mash with films that came before it, but I can say I found it to be a fun (if patchy) gore-fest that alternates between entertaining and disappointing.
SEE ALSO: The scariest horror movies on Shudder to keep you up at night What's V/H/S/Beyond about?Like the other movies in the V/H/S franchise, Beyond is a loosely linked collection of short horror films by different writer/director teams. This time the theme is extraterrestrials, with the segments (mostly) revolving around sightings, spaceships, and abductions (mostly because a couple of the segments, unless I missed something, don't seem to involve aliens at all).
Jordan Downey's "Stork" plays out like a first-person shooter (FPS), with a trained squad breaking into a mansion linked to a string of baby kidnappings; Virat Patel's "Dream Girl" follows two paparazzi spying on a Bollywood star with a secret; Justin Martinez's "Live and Let Dive" revolves around a sky-diving party gone horribly wrong; Justin and Christian Long's "Fur Babies" follows activists investigating a suspicious doggy daycare centre; and Kate Siegel and Mike Flanagan's "Stowaway" follows an amateur documentary maker who discovers a spaceship in the desert.
Are all of these segments equally entertaining? No, but each has something going for it, and as they're only 20 minutes long it doesn't matter too much if there are a couple you're less fussed about than the others.
"Dream Girls" brings horror to Bollywood. Credit: Shudder V/H/S/Beyond is gory good fun.You can tell from the trailers alone that the franchise delights in its gore, and Beyond is no exception. Downey gets things off to a blood-spattery start in "Stork", with FPS-style bodycam footage allowing zombified creatures to constantly pop out of dark doorways before being dispatched in a variety of increasingly violent ways (the denouement of this segment is both creative and stomach-churning). The Long brothers' "Fur Babies", meanwhile, despite having seemingly nothing whatsoever to do with the overarching theme of Beyond, gets points for its inventive unpleasantness as well as the ominous, Misery-esque antagonist Becky (played with true Kathy Bates-inspired terror by Libby Letlow).
Elsewhere bodies are pulled apart in "Live and Let Dive", a movie set is massacred in "Dream Girl", and Jay Cheel's documentary-style framing story ends with a visual that should under no circumstances be viewed whilst eating.
Libby Letlow in "Fur Babies". Credit: Shudder V/H/S/Beyond is patchy horror.If the gore levels are nearing a 10/10, though, the entertainment levels are more up and down. Patel's "Dream Girl" has an awesome dance number and a fun concept, but a cliched end; Martinez's "Live and Let Dive"s sky-diving opener is one of the highlights of the entire movie, but the grounded second half doesn't quite live up to what came before it; Siegel and Flanagan's "Stowaway" is intriguing and visually impressive, but I wanted to spend more time in the alien spacecraft. All the short films struggle to flesh out characters, although arguably that's to be expected with their limited runtimes.
Ultimately, V/H/S/Beyond is a fun Saturday night popcorn-muncher that achieves what it sets out to do. It's scary and creative in parts, and a bit of a let down in others — but the good bits are enough to let you forgive the bad.
TL;DR: A wide range of online courses from MIT are available to take for free on edX.
A massive bank of free online courses can be found on edX. And these free courses come from some of the biggest and best educational institutions in the world, including MIT.
You can find lessons on AI, modern finance, Python programming, and much more with edX. We recommend taking some time to check everything out, because there really is something for everyone. But if that sounds like too much work, we've done some of the hard work for you and lined up a standout selection of courses to get you started.
These are the best free online courses from MIT this month:
Data Analysis: Statistical Modeling and Computation in Applications
Financial Regulation: From the Global Financial Crisis to Fintech and the COVID Pandemic
Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python
Machine Learning with Python: From Linear Models to Deep Learning
These free courses do not come with a certificate of completion, but that's the only catch. You can still learn at your own pace with unrestricted access to all the course materials, so what's stopping you from enrolling?
Find the best free online courses from MIT on edX.
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