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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 June 22'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:

An official decree.

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 E.

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 #1099 is...

EDICT.

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.

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 June 22'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: Again and again

• Green: Golf tools

• Blue: Horror movies

• Purple: Sausage slang

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: One Thing After Another

• Green: Kinds of Golf Clubs

• Blue: Horror Movies, with "The"

• Purple: Words for Sausage

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 #377 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• One Thing After Another: CHAIN, SERIES, STRING, TRAIN

• Kinds of Golf Clubs: DRIVER, IRON, WEDGE, WOOD

• Horror Movies, with "The": BIRDS, FOG, OMEN, RING

• Words for Sausage: BRAT, DOG, FRANK, LINK

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.

Sutekh's Empire of Death has crumbled. And with it, Ncuti Gatwa's first season of Doctor Who (a.k.a. Season 14 of the show that was rebooted in 2005) is in the books. 

While some plot threads were tied up neatly (the Susan Twist mystery; the search for Ruby Sunday's real mum), others remained teased but untied. 

So since the TARDIS is no longer being dogged by the canine-headed god of death, here are the big questions that will continue to dog Whovian brains until Season 15 hits our screens — starting with another Christmas special in December 2024, then continuing with another 8 episodes in 2025. 

Who is Mrs. Flood? 

Appearing at the end of "Empire of Death" in a fetching new white fur outfit on a rooftop of snow, Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson) warns us that the Doctor's story ends in "absolute terror." But how does she know? And who is she, anyway?

We already knew that Mrs. Flood knows our hero (whom she called a "clever boy" when her life was restored in "Empire of Death") and his machine (which she identified as a TARDIS in the season opener, "The Church on Ruby Road." We know she died lamenting her "many plans" and that she always seems "to hide myself away."

That latter statement seems to be the most telling. In the same episode ("Legend of Ruby Sunday"), the Doctor noted that Time Lords sometimes change faces in order to hide themselves. Could Mrs. Flood be a Time Lady, then? A new version of Missy, or perhaps the Doctor's much-teased granddaughter Susan?   

Which other 'Pantheon' gods will the Doctor meet?

The Toymaker, The Maestro and Sutekh: all defeated, at least for now. But there are other gods in the so-called Pantheon, as outlined by Harriet Arbinger in "The Legend of Ruby Sunday," and some of them have been in the show already. There's the Mara, which hails from the Peter Davison era. There's the Trickster, from the spin-off show The Sarah Jane Adventures. And there's the "threefold deity of malice, mischief, and misery" — unidentified as of yet, but a clear tease for upcoming adventures (as well as a way to launch a thousand fan theories as to which classic villain or villains this god could represent).

What's with the fourth-wall breaking?

Mrs. Flood has now talked directly to camera three times. The Maestro specifically noticed and winked at it several times in "The Devil's Chord." And the Doctor winked at camera right before the "Twist at the End" song in that same story. Is this a power that members of the Pantheon have – in which case, the Doctor himself is in the Pantheon – or some other unexplained twist? 

How will the Doctor and Ruby Sunday reunite?

"Ruby Sunday, I will see you again," the Doctor said as he coldly kicked his friend out of the TARDIS. But that fact wasn't exactly a spoiler. Meanwhile, Mrs. Flood said that the story of "Ruby Road" had come to an end, not Ruby's story itself.

We know Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) is coming back for season 2, alongside a new companion played by Varada Sethu. We know Nicola Coughlin of Broadchurch and Derry Girls fame is in the Christmas special, called "Joy to the World" and written by former showrunner Steven Moffat. But will Ruby also be in the Christmas special, or does she get a well-earned holiday break with her new family?  

Will the Doctor meet Susan again?

"Maybe I'll find her one day," the Doctor said casually to Ruby. We certainly hope so! Carole Ann Ford, who played Susan in 1963-4, plus once in 1983, is now aged 84. Russell T Davies, showrunner and classic Who fan, had better have filmed her regeneration scene already. 

Will the Doctor find out more about his background?

The Doctor has known (s)he's an orphan since the controversial "Timeless Child" reveal in the Jodie Whittaker era: basically, (s)he has lived countless lives since being found by a portal, and a shadowy Time Lord organization kept wiping his/her memories of those regenerations that go back beyond the early history of the show. Davies has already signaled his willingness to incorporate the Timeless Child into his stories this season. 

So is that search for his origins going somewhere in the 15th Doctor's era? It may perhaps be connected to "bi-generation," the concept Davies introduced in Gatwa's first episode, "The Giggle." Davies tells Mashable that bi-generation gets a shout-out in season 15. Will we learn that it has happened before – perhaps creating the evil version of the Doctor, the Valeyard? 

How will the Doctor meet his new companion?

Varada Sethu showed up unexpectedly in the season 14 episode "Boom!" Does that mean the Doctor will be meeting her character, an Anglican Marine named Mundy Flynn, or just someone else who happens to look like her? There's precedent for the latter: Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) appeared in multiple "splinter" versions of her character, as did Susan Twist. 

But don't expect Doctor Who to repeat this formula too much. After all, as the Doctor told us in season 14, there's always a twist at the end.

How to watch: All Gatwa's first season of Doctor Who is on Disney+, where available, and on BBC iPlayer in the UK.

The history of Doctor Who was forever changed by the season finale episode "Empire of Death" — but not in the way we were expecting.

Despite inspiring a flurry of fan theories about Ruby Sunday's mum (could it be Rose?), showrunner Russell T Davies simply gave us the statistically most likely answer. As foreshadowed in "The Legend of Ruby Sunday," the mystery mother was ... an ordinary young woman. Instead of the appearance of Susan the Doctor's granddaughter, we learned that her name was sprinkled throughout history by Sutekh the Destroyer, god of death.

But that doesn't mean Whovian brains aren't exploding at what Davies just casually revealed along the way, starting with this incredible headline:

Sutekh has been hanging around the TARDIS for the last 49 years of Doctor Who. Credit: Disney+

In "Pyramids of Mars" (1975), the only story prior to this season to contain Sutekh, the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah-Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) thought he had trapped his most powerful enemy in a time corridor, where he aged more than 7,000 years. Then they jumped in the TARDIS and quickly left the scene of the trap — a burning priory in 1911 that would one day become UNIT HQ.

But from that point onwards, we now know, Sutekh was wrapped around the TARDIS, "staring into eternity and slowly evolving into my godhood."

That's right — every single Doctor Who story from "Pyramids of Mars" to "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" has been irrevocably changed, because each one now contains secret Sutekh.

The Sutekh-on-the-TARDIS era now starts with "The Android Invasion" (1975) and continues for an astonishing 231 more TV stories, including everything in the last 19 "New Who" years of Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker, Tennant again, and now Ncuti Gatwa. There are hundreds of implications. To pick just one: When Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) clung to the outside of the TARDIS in "Utopia" (2007), he was riding with Sutekh to the literal end of the universe.

No wonder Gatwa's Doctor screamed when he thought of all the worlds he'd accidentally infected with Sutekh's Susan clones. We should too. In watching him do it, oblivious themselves, the TV audiences of the last 49 years are effectively complicit. Name another show that can give you a twist like this!

SEE ALSO: 'Doctor Who' just bested 'Bridgerton' in queer romance

The twist does, however, also mess with the stories of Sutekh's return in Doctor Who comics, novels, and Big Finish audio dramas. But hey, you can always head-canon that problem away by saying Sutekh got splintered in time, or some such typical Who explanation.

The Memory TARDIS is now canon.

That ersatz TARDIS held together with "memories and wishes"? Not only is it a fan's dream, with more Easter eggs than you can wave psychic paper at — such as the "WHO 1" license plate from the Doctor's car Bessie in the Jon Pertwee era, and the classic show's TARDIS console on the ceiling — it's also the setting for Tales of the TARDIS, a recent BBC series that repackages classic multi-part stories in omnibus editions — including, most recently, "Pyramids of Mars."

In bookend scenes, companions and Doctors from the classic era (all played by their original actors at their current creaky ages) reminisce in the so-called Memory TARDIS. None of the characters know how they got there, except to suggest that the TARDIS itself is dreaming. Now we know why — and Davies can pat himself on the back for placing one of the key moments from the finale in a spin-off that started the previous year.

How to watch: Tales of the Tardis is streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK. No word yet on when or even if Tales of the TARDIS will ever land on Disney+, though the companion bookend scenes have been uploaded by fans to YouTube.

The Doctor likes to watch himself in "Pyramids of Mars."

Gatwa's Doctor spends a good chunk of his first scene with Sutekh staring at the classic Tom Baker story in question. Now at first glance, it may seem strange that this supposed memory of the Doctor's looks very much like a BBC production from 1975, complete with camera angles and cuts.

But there's precedent for this, most notably in "Trial of a Time Lord" (1986). In this season-long story, the Doctor (Colin Baker) and his prosecutor the Valeyard (Michael Jayston) argue over multiple new-to-us Doctor adventures while they watch them on a giant projector screen in court. The battered cathode ray tube screen Gatwa is toting at least seems much more Doctor-ish.

How to watch: "Pyramids of Mars" is streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK and Britbox in the U.S.

Mel misses the Sixth Doctor's unusual outfit. Ncuti Gatwa and Bonnie Langford in "Empire of Death." Credit: Disney+

Speaking of Colin Baker, his polka-dot bow tie and his eyesore of a multicolored coat is front and center in the Memory TARDIS — which explains why Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford) has a nostalgic moment when she sees them.

Mel was introduced in "Trial of a Time Lord," but lost that version of the Doctor in the very next story when he regenerated into the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy. Was this her way of saying McCoy should have kept the coat?

The Doctor has history with spoons... and whistles.

The spoon that the Doctor procures on a distant planet is far from the first to appear in the show. McCoy's Doctor, like McCoy himself, liked to play the spoons. Peter Capaldi's Doctor once dueled Robin Hood in a wonderfully silly spoon-on-sword fight. And Jodie Whittaker's Doctor melted Sheffield steel spoons to make her sonic screwdriver.

But that's nothing compared to the Doctor's love of (literal) dog whistles. He used one many times in the Tom Baker era, sometimes to summon his robot dog K-9 and sometimes to incapacitate or annoy military figures and officials. The fact that it was a dog whistle should have been a clue to the Doctor's plan to drag Sutekh through the Time Vortex like Mitt Romney with the family dog.

The Beatles teased the ending of "Empire of Death." The Beatles in "The Devil's Chord." Credit: Disney+

"My dog is alive, he's not dead," the Beatles sang earlier in the season, in "The Devil's Chord." At the time it was seen merely as doggerel (pun very much intended), an indication that the world had lost its musical mojo. But the giant invisible dog-headed deity sitting outside the TARDIS on Abbey Road knew differently. If only the Doctor had listened to the Beatles!

Sutekh is cultural appropriation.

Speaking of the dog-headed alien deity, why did he just happen to look like the Egyptian god named Sutekh? "Cultural appropriation," says the Doctor — a timely reversal of an outdated Who trope.

In "Pyramids of Mars," Tom Baker's Doctor says Sutekh was so evil that cultures across the universe designed their gods to look like him — which is, y'know, a bit dismissive of thousands of years of ancient Egyptian history. So it's fitting that the first Doctor actor born in Africa (Gatwa is Rwandan-Scottish) gets to stand up for the dignity of the continent's oldest civilization.

73 yards is the radius of the TARDIS' perception filter! Aneurin Barnard as Roger ap Gwilliam in "73 Yards." Credit: Disney+

Sutekh created all those Susans at the edge of the TARDIS' perception filter — which the Doctor reveals to be a distance of 66.7 meters. Ruby remembers that this is 73 yards. Which is of course the name of this season's episode in which an older version of her follows Ruby at this distance for her entire life until she breaks a time loop, erasing her memory of the entire story.

In "73 Yards," UNIT commander Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) postulated that the mystery stalker had something to do with the TARDIS' perception filter. (Confirmed!) That's also the distance of the CCTV camera that recorded the events on Ruby Road seen in "The Legend of Ruby Sunday."

We also see Roger ap Gwilliam (Aneurin Barnard), the future fascist Prime Minister from "73 Yards," whose genetic database allowed Ruby to find her mum. But that raises a terrifying prospect: if the time loop is broken, and Ruby's stalker no longer scares Gwilliam into resigning, and Sutekh restored the lives of everyone in that future Britain, does that mean the nuclear-mad PM gets to launch his missiles after all?

More Doctor Who planets than ever got a shout-out.

Skaro, home of the Daleks. Telos, home of the Cybermen. (Well, one of their homes — long story.) The Ood Sphere, home of the Ood. These are just some of the planet that get a shoutout from the Doctor as Sutekh inadvertently restores life to all of them. (Agua Santina, the planet with the woman with the spoon and the baby, is entirely new.)

The others are pretty deep cuts, to put it mildly. Only two are from the New Who era: Messaline from "The Doctor's Daughter" and Shan Shen from "Turn Left." The others are all classic show locations: Vortis from "The Web Planet", Tigella from "Meglos," Calufrax from "The Pirate Planet," Spiridon from "Planet of the Daleks."

You could probably watch all these stories, but you might have to be an ancient god wrapped around a TARDIS to have that kind of time on your hands.

How to watch: All Gatwa's first season of Doctor Who is on Disney+, where available, and on BBC iPlayer in the UK.

Joshua John Miller's The Exorcism, which he co-wrote with partner M.A. Fortin, is not your average summer scare-'em-up. Instead, it's a spiky subversion of the possession subgenre, a talky psychological drama starring Russell Crowe as a washed-up actor attempting to make a comeback with a remake of an unnamed exorcism movie — that sure sounds a lot like The Exorcist. Anthony Miller (Crowe) is also trying to reconnect with his queer teen daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins). But can Lee forgive him when he seems to be off the wagon yet again? Or is there something far more devilish at work here?

In an interview with Mashable, Fortin and Miller shared about their battle to keep The Exorcism queer, the personal origins that inspired the film, and why they don't believe in the curse of The Exorcist. 

The Exorcism was born from Miller's family legacy.  Credit: Vertical Entertainment

Exorcism stories are a dime a dozen these days, from the endless Exorcist sequels to Evil's recurring possession plotlines. But if there's a filmmaker who could put a unique spin on the subgenre, it's director Joshua John Miller, who has been steeping in cult cinema since he was in utero.

Miller's father was Jason Miller, who made a splash as Father Karras in The Exorcist and regaled his young son with tales from the set. His mother, Susan Bernard, was a B-movie icon, with starring roles in films like the seminal Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and fans that include Quentin Tarantino. While Bernard inspired Miller and Fortin's script for 2015's The Final Girls, a deliciously nostalgia-soaked horror comedy that recalls Miller's own experience watching his mom as a scream queen, Jason Miller's legacy proved a pricklier point of inspiration.

As Miller explained, "I think, with this particular story, it's not like The Final Girls ... the relationship with my mom was not as complicated, whereas with my dad, it was far more fraught. And I think in certain ways, his own 'possessions and demons' were a lot darker and a lot harder for him to reconcile."

Although Jason Miller was rightfully lauded by critics and movie lovers for his performance as the harrowed Father Karras, he failed to achieve similar heights when he adapted and directed his own Pulitzer Prize–winning play, That Championship Season, for the big screen. Instead, the elder Miller found refuge in local theater productions. But he appeared in a few movies, including William Peter Blatty's tormented The Exorcist 3, before dying at the relatively young age of 62 in 2001. It is a legacy that's also influenced Joshua's half-brother, Jason Patric, who performed in a Broadway revival of That Championship Season in 2011.

For his part, as a child, Miller appeared in the trippy slasher Halloween III: Season of the Witch and the punkest vampire Western this side of the Pecos, Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark, in which he played a feral pint-sized fanger named Homer. And, as TikTok won't let us forget, he was also the campy little brother in Teen Witch, a performance, he told Peaches Christ and Michael Varrati in a recent episode of their Midnight Mass podcast, was inspired by Bette Davis in Now, Voyager and Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence. In an oddly sweet nod to Near Dark, Miller's co-star Adrian Pasdar has a devilishly good pre-credits cameo in The Exorcism.

Turning the tables on the gender roles of possession movies was the way in for Miller and Fortin.  Credit: Vertical Entertainment

The Exorcist, and many other possession movies over, present a damsel in (devilish) distress, with a man — often a Catholic priest — rushing into save her. However, The Exorcism centers not on Anthony (who can be viewed as a stand-in for Miller's own father) but the character's daughter, Lee Miller (Ryan Simpkins), who is still reeling from the death of her mother — and her father's public fall from grace. Lee's also falling for Anthony's co-star, Blake (Chloe Bailey), who is the stand-in for Linda Blair. Their relationship is sweet and untroubled, and together, the two teens set out to help save Tony from whatever demons he's facing. 

Focusing the story on Lee and Blake was the key for both Miller and Fortin. "The kind of genre that we always gravitated toward was more female-forward," Fortin explained, "Women driving the action, women being the ones trying to figure out their own destiny, women just being the heroes. Possession movies — or at least most possession movies — historically are mostly about female subjugation, women being defenseless creatures." By making their women the center of the story, the collaborators inherently drew on some of Miller's own experiences as a child growing up near the Hollywood spotlight. 

However, pulling from his own life means doing press about the movie can be painful. "I didn't realize what I was getting myself into," Miller said, adding, "Not just the making of a movie — and that Herculean effort — but even just doing press about the movie… Let's talk about your dead father for 12 hours every day. Let's talk about alcoholism for 12 hours every day, you know? Let's talk about addictions; let's talk about all of the sorts of things that you would probably save for your therapist."

Did Joshua John Miller have to confront The Exorcist curse? Credit: Vertical Entertainment

Almost as old as the 1973 film is the fan theory that it was cursed. Miller doesn't fall prey to those sorts of superstitions. "I don't believe in that stuff," he said, concisely. However, that doesn't mean filmmaking isn't a sort of deal with the devil, in and of itself. 

"What I do believe is that evil exists in people, and I think that making movies is always a complicated game," Miller explained. "In the Hollywood movie system, you're always in strange negotiation with various elements, people who are probably morally compromised. It's just the nature of the world we're in, right? And I think that the only cursed experiences I really had during this —  were with some of the people I had to work with in the process." 

Miller noted he had to battle to keep in the queer love story between Lee and Blake and to maintain the psychological element. He noted there was pressure to turn his film into "a more sort of typical exorcism movie," adding, "These sorts of eternal struggles with a studio were the parts that were the most challenging. Not any kind of woo-woo magical thing happening on the set."

When the conversation turned to the rise of studio-made horror and its flood of remakes, Miller said, "Horror used to be a really transgressive space. It was not commodified by the studio system. It was not run by people looking for money..." 

Here, Fortin interjected, "It was like porn—" 

Miller agreed: "It was taboo. And suddenly what's happened is that some smart people, some also really brilliant, creative people, have found a way to commercialize a queer space, an underground space, a space for the kids outside smoking the cigarettes, doing bad things. And now horror has become this Marvelverse." He lamented horror being dumbed down to go mainstream to "get the most people in," continuing, "It's bullshit, because it's defanged."

Miller yearns for "the B[-movie] element of horror that's dirty and messy and doesn't necessarily work as a whole as well, but it's got cool elements, and then like weird, uncomfortable trauma stuff, like these are the things that kept it queer and strange and off the grid." He concluded, "[Horror cinema has] been commodified and neutered, and like everything in [the film industry], everything's bottom-line — money, money, money, money."

The Exorcism is now in theaters.

UPDATE: Jun. 21, 2024, 4:00 p.m. EDT This guide has been updated to include new streaming details for Prime Video, as well as information on 'Oppenheimer's' Oscars wins.

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The summer of 2023 can be summed up in one word: Barbenheimer. Even if you didn't step foot near a theater, you heard about the cult-like phenomenon that was the joint theatrical release of Barbie and Oppenheimer. Both films far exceeded box office expectations and made waves during awards season. Oppenheimer, in particular, earned a baker's dozen Oscar nominations — the most of any film last season — and won seven. Not to mention it took home the biggest award of the night: Best Picture.

If you missed the ambitious Christopher Nolan epic in theaters, you can catch up on the brooding blockbuster at home. Oppenheimer initially made its streaming debut on Feb. 16 via Peacock. As of June 18, however, it jumped ship to Prime Video. True devotees also have the option to rent or purchase the film at digital retailers.

Whether you want to see it for the first time or re-watch it again and again, here's everything you need to know about how to watch Oppenheimer at home.

What is Oppenheimer about?

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning non-fiction book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Nolan's Oppenheimer is an unsettling biopic that centers on the career of the "father of the atomic bomb."

Cillian Murphy stars as physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who is appointed by Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. (Matt Damon) to work on the U.S. government's top-secret Manhattan Project — aka developing and designing the atomic bomb. The story is told through interwoven timelines across decades and features a star-studded cast playing historical figures, including Robert Downey Jr., Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, David Krumholtz, Matthew Modine, David Dastmalchian, Jack Quaid, Dane DeHaan, Jason Clarke, James D'Arcy, Tony Goldwyn, Alex Wolff, and Kenneth Branagh.

In case you missed it, here's the full theatrical trailer:

Is Oppenheimer worth watching?

If the seven Oscar wins and $975 million worldwide box office earnings are any indication, Oppenheimer is can't miss cinema. Not to mention the 93% critic rating and 91% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is ambitious, haunting, and unforgettable, which is why we dubbed it one of the best films of 2023. Mashable's Belen Edwards calls it "Nolan's finest and most devastating work yet."

"In typical Nolan fashion, Oppenheimer is epic in scope, delivering jaw-dropping shots of New Mexico vistas, dancing particles, and of course, the fateful Trinity Test. But it's the film's third act that hits the hardest, as the weight of the Manhattan Project reverberates through time, extending past Oppenheimer's life and into our present. With an unflinching focus on Oppenheimer's flaws and a haunting lead performance from Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer becomes part tragedy, part horror movie, and entirely unforgettable," she writes in our guide to the best movies of 2023.

It certainly has its flaws — Nolan's depictions of women, the bleeding soundscape, and a troubling omission of Japanese perspectives — as pointed out by Mashable's Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko. But for the most part, the film is a major achievement.

Read Mashable's full review of Oppenheimer.

Is Oppenheimer streaming?

Oppenheimer initially debuted on Peacock back in February, but as of June 21, it's now available to stream on Prime Video instead. Already have a Prime Video subscription? You're good to go. If not, continue scrolling to learn the best ways to sign up and stream Oppenheimer at home.

How to watch Oppenheimer at home: Best streaming deals

You'll need an active Amazon Prime membership or standalone Prime Video subscription in order to watch Oppenheimer at home. While there aren't too many Prime Video deals floating around compared to other streaming services, we've managed to round up the best options you have to save a bit of money.

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If you've never been a Prime member before, or you're returning after some time away, Amazon will offer you a free 30-day trial to test the waters. That's plenty of time to watch Oppenheimer (despite how long the movie is). After your trial, you'll be charged full price ($14.99 per month or $139 per year), so be sure to cancel before the month is up if you want to avoid charges.

Best Prime Video deal for students: Save 50% through Prime Student Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Prime Student Free 6-month trial, then $69 per year Get Deal

Students can score a free six-month trial to Prime via Prime Student. You just need a verifiable student email address and you can unlock access to all of the Prime perks (plus more), including Prime Video. That means you can stream Oppenheimer for free as many times as you want over a six-month period. When your trial ends, it'll only cost you half the price of a regular Prime membership — just $69 per year or $7.49 per month.

Note: You'll have to prove you're actually a current student through SheerID, so your ancient student email address won't work.

Best for everyone else: Prime Video only Opens in a new window Credit: Prime Video Prime Video only $8.99 per month Get Deal

Not eligible for a free trial or discounted Prime Student membership? You probably won't be able to watch Oppenheimer for free. You can, however, save some money on your subscription by opting for Prime Video as a standalone service (rather than paying for a full Prime account). A full Prime membership costs $14.99 per month, but Prime Video on its own is just $8.99 per month. It may not be as good as a free trial, but it certainly beats paying full Prime pricing for the streaming aspect alone.

The thing is, Amazon obviously would rather you become a Prime member, which means signing up for Prime Video alone is unnecessarily complicated. Basically, when you go to sign up for a subscription, just be sure to select the option to "see more plans" or "change plan" and navigate to the Prime Video only option. Like a Prime membership, you can always cancel whenever you please with no strings.

Best long-term value: Amazon Prime annual membership Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Prime annual membership $139 per year (save 22%) Get Deal

If you do want all the Prime membership perks, you could choose an annual membership rather than monthly to save about 22%. Rather than the usual $14.99 per month, it'll cost you $139 per year — that breaks down to just $11.58 per month. You'll get access to Prime Video to watch Oppenheimer, as well as all the other Prime perks, like fast and free shipping, free Grubhub+, access to Amazon Music, and exclusive deals and savings for an entire year. If you're currently on the monthly plan and want to switch and save, navigate to your Prime membership under your account details to change your plan.

Other ways to watch Oppenheimer at home

If you'd prefer not to sign up for another streaming service just to watch a single film — albeit, a very long one — you can also opt for renting or purchasing Oppenheimer on digital video on demand services like Prime Video or Apple TV for $3.99 or $14.99, respectively. With rentals, you'll get 30 days to start watching and just 48 hours to finish once started. For those who struggle to watch things within that time frame, you'll likely be better off purchasing the film for your digital library instead.

Here are all the links to rent or purchase the film on digital:

• Prime Video

• Apple TV

• Google Play

• Fandango at Home (Vudu)

• YouTube

OpenAI has made its first acquisition and it's an analytics startup called Rockset.

The ChatGPT maker announced the deal on Friday, saying "we will integrate Rockset’s technology to power our retrieval infrastructure across products." The company also said members of Rockset's team will join OpenAI.

SEE ALSO: All the media companies that have licensing deals with OpenAI (so far)

As the ongoing battle to build the most capable AI models rages on, OpenAI seeks to gain a competitive edge against rivals like Google and Anthropic.

Details of how Rockset's real-time search and analytics database will integrate with OpenAI's products are unclear (as is the sum OpenAI is paying to acquire Rockset). But OpenAI has an Enterprise model for businesses, which could benefit from data querying and analysis in chatbot form. OpenAI is also rumored to be working on a search engine, so the acquisition of a company that enables real-time data retrieval could point to ChatGPT becoming a formidable competitor to Google Search. Then there's the OpenAI API, which could be improved through more or better data analysis tools.

"We’re excited to be joining OpenAI to empower users, enterprises and developers to fully leverage their data by bringing powerful retrieval to AI, said Venkat Venkataramani, CEO of Rockset. So it could mean bringing Rockset's tech into all of the above.

In the Rockset announcement, Venkataramani also mentioned that Rockset will be "helping OpenAI solve the hard database problems that AI apps face at massive scale." This points to the increasingly evident problem of supplying AI models with high quality data and ensuring proper alignment.

Stay tuned as there's sure to be more details emerging soon.

Louis and Claudia fight for their lives against The Théâtre des Vampires...and the rats! in this sneak peek of "Interview with the Vampire," Season 2, episode 14.

Forgetting your 1Password account information just became a little bit less scary.

The popular third-party password manager announced on Thursday that it is adding "Recovery Codes." These are special codes that can be used to recover your account if all other options fail. It's a new option for people who have forgotten their passwords and can't access their data anymore, but it's not one that 1Password will just automatically handle for you.

SEE ALSO: Apple reportedly gives up on Vision Pro 2, focusing on cheaper model instead 1Password adds recovery codes

As the 1Password blog post points out, setting up a recovery code is on you, the user. Within the 1Password app, find "Manage Accounts," then find "Sign-in & Recovery," then set up a recovery code from there. Crucially, you'll want to copy or write down the recovery code and make sure it's kept somewhere safe.

Once you have the code, that should be a valid way to log into your 1Password account straight from the 1Password website. It's also reusable, which is nice. Hopefully you never need to use it, though.

Anthropic has a new generative AI model to rival OpenAI's GPT-4o with intelligence, speed, and vision capabilities.

On Thursday, the AI company that touts itself as the ethical and responsible alternative to OpenAI, announced Claude 3.5 Sonnet. Within Anthropic's family of models, Claude Sonnet is the middle child that combines speed and performance for most everyday tasks. By comparison, Claude Haiku is the lightest and fastest model, and Claude Opus is the industrial-strength model for complex math and coding tasks.

Claude 3.5 Sonnet is a more advanced version of Claude 3 Sonnet, which the company claims surpasses Claude 3 Opus in intelligence. In the announcement

Claude 3.5 Sonnet (marginally) beats GPT-4o on several benchmarks

The benchmark comparison has become commonplace for every new AI model release. Whether it's Google Gemini, OpenAI's GPT-4o, or Meta's Llama 3, what the public really wants to know is how they compare to their rivals on the standard evaluation tests.

Tweet may have been deleted

In Anthropic's testing, Claude 3.5 Sonnet outperforms GPT-4o, Gemini 1.5 Pro and Llama in several key categories like reasoning and coding. It also beat GPT-4o in graduate level reasoning and equaled it in undergraduate level knowledge. That's not nothing, but Claude 3.5 Sonnet only beats its rivals on most benchmarks by a few percentage points. So to the average user, there might not be a noticeable difference for handling everyday tasks.

As leading AI scientist and professor Gary Marcus notes, the computational gains have slowed lately. "The field spent over $50B last year trying to decisively beat GPT-4, but so far what [I] see evidence for is convergence, rather than continued exponential growth." Besides the fact that AGI might not be as close as we think, Claude 3.5 Sonnet will probably seem pretty similar to other advanced models out there.

Tweet may have been deleted Claude 3.5 Sonnet has vision capabilities with varying degrees of access

Claude 3.5 Sonnet is Anthropic's first free version to have vision capabilities. Like its competitor GPT-4o, which came out in May, Anthropic's latest model can interpret charts and graphs, transcribe text from images, and generally understand visuals and images. A demo in the announcement shows Claude 3.5 Sonnet transcribing data from genome sequencing milestones and a graph of costs over time, and then combining the data into one chart. Next, it puts together a slideshow presentation for a genomics class.

Anthropic says it includes vision capabilities as a feature for the free version of Claude 3.5 Sonnet. But the free version has a window limit that depends on daily usage and capacity. When we tried uploading a screenshot of an image on Facebook, we were told that the limit was exceeded even though it was below the file size maximum. This could be a bug or due to high demand during certain times of day. But just like ChatGPT, 20 bucks a month will get you the Pro version with priority bandwidth and availability.

Claude 3.5 Sonnet doesn't generate images

Claude 3.5 Sonnet can understand and interpret uploaded images (more successfully if you're paying for the Pro version) but it can't generate images. Unlike OpenAI's DALL-E 3, Anthropic doesn't currently have an AI image generator. This might be because of Anthropic's more cautious approach to deploying generative AI. And AI-generated images take companies into a particularly risky realm when it comes to misuse of the technology.

"Detecting and mitigating prohibited uses of our technology are essential to preventing bad actors from misusing our models to generate abusive, deceptive, or misleading content," said Anthropic describing its approach in the white paper announcing the Claude 3 model family. "User prompts that are flagged as violating the [Acceptable Use Policy] trigger an instruction to our models to respond even more cautiously."

Despite this drawback, users are praising the model for its speed and coding abilities. So there's still enough wow factor to go around.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

The best 4th of July deals at a glance: Best patio deal Solo Stove Ranger Essential Bundle 2.0 $284.99 at Solo Stove (save $35) Get Deal Best camping deal Copper Spur HV UL2 Tent $317.89 at REI (save $212.06) Get Deal Best grill deal Traeger Pro Series 22 Pellet Grill $389.99 at Home Depot (save $109.05) Get Deal Best mattress deal TEMPUR-Breeze Collection Queen Mattress $4,099 at Tempur-pedic (save $500) Get Deal

If you missed out on all the good Memorial Day sales this year, your chance at summertime savings hasn't passed you by. It's only June 21, and some of the best 4th of July sales are already going live. We're keeping track of them all so you don't have to. Here's everything you need to know so far.

Are 4th of July Sales starting early?

July 4th is still thirteen days away, but sales are already starting. So far, we're seeing early bird sales from the Home Depot, REI, and Solo Stove. However, there's something for tech shoppers too: HP has also launched its 4th of July sale. And, per holiday shopping traditions, we're already seeing hot deals on mattresses from brands like Sealy, Purple, and Stearns & Foster.

What to buy during 4th of July sales

In these sales, you'll see plenty of deals on home appliances, outdoor equipment, patio furniture, grills, and camping gear that you can put to use this summer.

However, you'll also see big-ticket items like mattresses and laptops. If you missed out on these purchases over the Memorial Day sales, you'll want to prioritize your big purchases as you shop through 4th of July sales.

What are the best 4th of July sales?

Some of the best 4th of July sales are already happening, and we've highlighted our favorite deals in our list below. We expect the sales to keep rolling in, and we'll add more of our favorites as they launch.

Best patio deal Opens in a new window Credit: Solo Stove Our pick: Solo Stove Ranger Essential Bundle 2.0 $284.99 at Solo Stove
$319.99 Save $35.00 Get Deal Why we like it

If you want to make your backyard or patio the go-to hangout spot this summer, a Solo Stove 2.0 can help you do just that. When you shop the Solo Stove Ranger Essential Bundle 2.0, you get the smokeless Ranger firepit, plus accessories including a base plate, stand, lid, and carrying case to complete your setup. While you can save $35 on this particular bundle, the 4th of July is a site-wide event, bringing you discounts from $25 - $150 off.

Best camping deal Opens in a new window Credit: REI Our pick: Copper Spur HV UL2 Tent $317.89 at REI
$529.95 Save $212.06 Get Deal Why we like it

To celebrate the 4th of July, REI is taking up to 40% off its clearance items, bringing you deals on camping gear, kayaks, clothes, and more. One of our favorite standout deals is the Copper Spur HV UL2 Tent. This three-season, two-person tent has an awning-style design, which can protect you from too much sun as well as rain. It's a great option if you prefer to hike into your favorite camping spots, weighing only a little over 2 lbs. Plus, it folds up into a compact 6 x 19.5 inches.

Best grill deal Opens in a new window Credit: Traeger Our pick: Traeger Pro Series 22 Pellet Grill $389.95 at Home Depot
$499.00 Save $109.05 Get Deal Why we like it

If you love that real, wood-fire grill taste, you'll want to scoop up the Traeger Pro Series 22 Pellet Grill while it's on sale at Home Depot. This deal saves you over $100, making the sophisticated grill more affordable. We also love the Traeger Pro for its versatility. You can smoke, bake, roast, braise, and BBQ food as well, making the Traeger your ultimate outdoor cooking hub. If you open a Home Depot Consumer Card, you can take and additional $50 off the grill. 

Best mattress deal Opens in a new window Credit: Tempur-Pedic Our pick: TEMPUR-Breeze Collection Queen Mattress $4,099.00 at Tempur-Pedic
$4,599.00 Save $500.00 Get Deal

In the Tempur-Pedic 4th of July sale, shoppers can save $500 off mattresses, plus gain $300 in free accessories. As we head into the hot summer months, we know how important it is to stay cool and comfortable while you sleep. That's why we love this deal on the TEMPUR-Breeze Collection Queen Mattress. The mattress is designed to be cool to the touch, and keep you five degrees cooler as you sleep through the night. With medium firmness, this mattress is suitable for a variety of body types and sleeping styles.

In recent years, TikTok has had a remarkably significant impact on book sales, and 2024 is no different.

BookTok has the power to make or break a bestseller, has its eponymous display tables at bookstores, and has turned authors into superstars. There's a constant debate over how to track your reads (Goodreads or Storygraph), whether audiobooks count as reading (they do), and how the most popular book should be cast if adapted into a film. But despite this consistent drama, BookTok stays reading.

Just six months into the year, the TikTok reader community has already crowned their favorite books.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Opens in a new window Credit: Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé at Barnes & Noble
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This novel follows a young woman at a boarding school who begins to discover some dark secrets after her roommate disappears. All the while, she's navigating the friendships and politics of a new school. @earlgreypls, a BookTok creator with more than 44,500 followers, said in her TikTok review of the book that the novel is a "slower-paced mystery" that is really focused on character development.

"The author did a great job creating the characters in this story, in my opinion," she said in her TikTok review of the book. "My biggest complaint about this book is that I do think it was longer than it needed to be."

Funny Story by Emily Henry  Opens in a new window Credit: Funny Story by Emily Henry  Funny Story by Emily Henry  at Barnes & Noble
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Romance novelist Emily Henry, the reigning queen of BookTok, managed to keep the community in her grasp with her fifth book released in the last four years. Known for beloved, bookish protagonists and her playful use of tropes, her latest, Funny Story, follows Daphne, whose fiancé leaves her for his childhood best friend. Left stranded by her ex, she moves in with Mike, the woman her fiancé left her for's ex. After a panicked lie, the unlikely pair pretend to date to keep up appearances in a classic fake-dating story.

BookTok is awash with fancasts, incoherent reactions, and reviews. As one BookTokker, @edensarchives, told her nearly 70,000 followers, "This is some of Emily Henry's best work, and I can say that confidently." 

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo Opens in a new window Credit: The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo at Barnes & Noble
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Leigh Bardugo's most recent book follows a main character in early 1600s Spain who has a small amount of magical ability, which is discovered, forcing her to compete with other people with magical abilities. One BookTok creator with more than 25,000 followers, @greekchoir, said while the book was "slower paced," Bardugo has a "rich, dark, luscious writing style."

"I was hooked by the beginning. The middle, however, really lost me in its execution," @greekchoir said in a video about the book. "As talented a writer as Leigh Bardugo is, and as much as I liked what she was doing with her prose and her characters and her themes, once you started stripping that away and getting to the actual meat of the story, it's very very tropey." 

But, greekchoir says, "The end of the story redeems it."

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio Opens in a new window Credit: The Husbands by Holly Gramazio The Husbands by Holly Gramazio at Barnes & Noble
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A work of speculative fiction about a young woman named Lauren, whose attic generates a never-ending supply of husbands, each reforming her life in different ways, gives readers a lot to laugh about. In a TikTok video, Finnish author and BookTokker Lottie Saahko called it the funniest book she's read in recent years.  

One creator who posts under the handle @geminibookish recommended it to fans of rom-coms and Emily Henry. 

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors Opens in a new window Credit: Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors at Barnes & Noble
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Blue Sisters depicts three very different sisters as they confront grief and heartbreak following the death of their fourth sister. It's a look at familial love and reconnection. It's a multi-point-of-view novel that goes deep into character development.

"This book was everything I never knew I needed, and it scratched an itch so deep in my brain that I could not put this down," @samfallingbooks, a creator with more than 51,000 followers, said in a video about the book. "This book shows sisterhood in all of its forms — in all its messiest forms, but also its purest and most beautiful."

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez Opens in a new window Credit: Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez $17.99 at Barnes & Noble
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Romance writer Abby Jimenez doesn't just bake up cinnamon roll book boyfriends; she's also a bonafide baker. But that's not why her latest romance novel, Just for the Summer, has the BookTok community talking. In the book, a traveling nurse named Emma agrees to temporarily date the romantically doomed Justin, but as is the case with all stories, things get more complicated as feelings get involved. 

"She just created the best book boyfriend ever," BookTokker @emmalouisebooks raved to her audience of over 45,000. "A million stars for this book."

Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn Opens in a new window Credit: Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn at Barnes & Noble
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"If you like matching your perfume to your outfit, toxic romantic relationships, and books about writers in the age of social media, then I highly recommend Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn."

That's how @glutenfreeangelfoodcake, a TikTok creator who matches books she reads to fragrances, describes Dorn's newest novel in a video with more than 46,600 views. The book follows a writer who is lightly canceled and throws herself into some sexy, sapphic distractions, all in homage to the genre of lesbian pulp.

"This does fall into the genre of a woman making bad choices, blowing things up, choosing the wrong people to date, and missing meetings with her editor, but I do feel like she experiences decent character growth, which doesn't always happen in these novels, and I felt like that was refreshing," @glutenfreeangelfoodcake says.

Wild Love by Elsie Silver  Opens in a new window Credit: Wild Love by Elsie Silver  Wild Love by Elsie Silver  at Barnes & Noble
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Elsie Silver's latest features a love story between Rosie and her brother's best friend, Ford. The romance writer's stories are in the same universe, so Ford is the brother of Willa from the Chestnut Springs series. Silver's books are on the spicer end of the romance spectrum, and her TikTok devotees love them. 

"The easiest five stars ever," BookTokker @yannareads told her nearly 230,000 followers.

Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg Opens in a new window Credit: Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg at Barnes & Noble
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Dakota Bossard, a creator on TikTok and Instagram, told Mashable earlier this year that Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg was a coming-of-age story she was "most excited to read this year." TikTok also showed up to support Eisenberg's newest release. It's a story about two queer housemates in Philly who travel across the U.S. and create an art installation together.

"This book moved me," @tellthebeees, a BookTok creator with over 80,000 followers, said in a video about the book. "It was so beautiful, it was so lyrical, it was so tender."

Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon Opens in a new window Credit: Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon $28.00 at Barnes & Noble
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Rachel Lyon's newest release retells the story of Persephone and Demeter, and BookTok was not disappointed. 

"I think this is already my favorite release of 2024, even though it was the first book I read this year," Bossard said in a video about the book. "Perfect for fans of Emma Cline, Raven Leilani, Ottessa Moshfeg, and Megan Nolan."

Over the past few months, many website owners have reported losing traffic due to Google Search updates that dropped their site's rankings in search results.

However, for at least one website, referrals due to Google's search changes have never been better. 

It appears the social platform Reddit has greatly benefited from Google's search engine updates. Multiple outlets have reported on Reddit's traffic gains. According to analytics company Similarweb, Reddit's traffic was up by nearly 40 percent year over year in May.

And it seems this traffic surge is most likely the result of Google's actions.

SEE ALSO: Reddit introduces an AI-powered tool that will detect online harassment Google prioritizes Reddit

Reddit is not new. The online platform will be 20 years old in 2025. So, why the sudden jump in traffic?

Anyone who regularly uses Google Search can probably attest to Reddit's recent prevalence on search results pages. This has been widely noticed among SEO professionals and tech aficionados. Steve Paine a manager at the SEO company Sistrix told Business Insider earlier this month, "There hasn't been a website that's grown so much search visibility so quickly in the US in at least the last five years."

Some have speculated that a partnership between Reddit and Google could be behind Reddit's search bump, although Google has denied this. A $60 million deal announced earlier this year gave Google permission to train its AI models on Reddit's content, but Google maintains, per Insider, that this agreement "absolutely did not include ranking its content."

As Search Engine Journal points out, the more likely reason for the increase in Reddit links appearing in Google search, is one of Google's recent search updates. The tech giant recently updated its search algorithm in order to prioritize "helpful content" that appears in discussion forums.

Google Search Liaison Danny Sullivan has recently addressed the issue too, saying that Reddit content is appearing in Google search results more because it's what users are looking for.

There's been a Google search trick for awhile now where users would add the word "Reddit" to the end of their search queries when they wanted to get opinions from consumers on certain products or services. These kinds of Reddit posts are usually filled with unfiltered comments and opinions from other users on whatever the subject matter.

It's not farfetched to assume Google noticed this trend and indeed gave Reddit a boost in search results — whether directly or indirectly — via its recent algorithm update.

While Reddit traffic is riding high now, we'll see how long it lasts. As any website owner will tell you from experience, Google can quickly reverse your gains in its next update.

SAVE 10%: As of June 21, get the new Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for 2022's Elden Ring from the Newegg for 10% off for Xbox and PC when you use promo code XPERDTREE.

Opens in a new window Credit: Newegg 'Elden Ring' Shadow of the Erdtree $35.99 at Newegg
$39.99 Save $4.00 Xbox Digital Code Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Newegg 'Elden Ring' Shadow of the Erdtree $35.99 at Newegg
$39.99 Save $4.00 PC (Steam) Digital Code Get Deal

Elden Ring is a ridiculously popular game even now, two years after its debut in 2022. It's a sprawling, brutal fantasy adventure as it is, now made even more extensive with the release of its first expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree. It's out today on all platforms, so you can dive in right now. Normally you'd likely be paying full price for content like this the day it drops. Luckily, Newegg has your back with a sale that'll net you some cash off your purchase for a limited time.

As of June 21, get 10% off digital Xbox or PC keys for the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC at Newegg. Normally $39.99, that brings your total down to just $35.99. You'll need to use promo code XPERDTREE at checkout, where your discount will automatically be applied. Your code will be emailed to you, but keep in mind there are no refunds and no returns offered for digital purchases.

You'll also have to make a Newegg account to buy, as you cannot guest checkout for these items. Also, this code is solely for the DLC expansion. You need to already own Elden Ring on the corresponding platform you purchase for to play. If you still need a copy of the full game, there are multiple discounts going on now.

This is the first (and likely only) DLC expansion for 2022's Elden Ring. It's your ticket to explore a brand new area of the Lands Between: the Land of Shadow. The storyline focuses on Miquella, the brother of one of Elden Ring's most challenging boss encounters, Malenia, and serves up dozens of hours of fresh new content to devour. It's here just in time for the weekend, you can save some money on your purchase, and life is good. Go forth, Elden Lord, and conquer.

Jessica Alba sits down with Mashable entertainment editor Kristy Puchko for a game of Slash or Pass.

The attacks on a software provider, CDK Global, affect systems that store customer records and automate paperwork and data for sales and service.

Amazon deals of the day at a glance: OUR TOP PICK Sunny Health and Fitness Premium Treadmill $399.99 at Amazon (save $129.01) Get Deal BEST DRONE DEAL DJI FPV Explorer Combo $769.99 at Amazon (save $229.01) Get Deal BEST HEADPHONES DEAL Soundcore Liberty 4 NC $74.50 at Amazon (save $25.49) Get Deal BEST SMARTWATCH DEAL Google Pixel Watch (WiFi) $179.99 at Amazon (save $100) Get Deal

While Walmart's members-only sale turned out to be pretty underwhelming, Amazon came through this week to feed our hunger for deals. And today, June 21, is no different. We've handpicked a few of the best deals we could find at the mega retailer, so you can kick off the official start of summer with savings on big name brands like Google and DJI.

Here are our top picks for the best Amazon deals of the day. Be sure to check back at our picks from June 19 and June 20 as well, since many of those are still live.

Our top pick Opens in a new window Credit: Sunny Health and Fitness Sunny Health and Fitness Premium Treadmill $399.99 at Amazon
$529.00 Save $129.01 Get Deal

If you don't want to spend the money on a Peloton or other high-tech, fancy-featured treadmill, this option from Sunny gives you all the essentials on a budget. It includes a dozen incline levels, real-time heart rate monitoring, Bluetooth connectivity, convenient speed buttons, built-in speakers, and a basic LCD display for metrics. It's worth noting, however, that it only has a max speed of eight miles per hour, so faster runners might find that there aren't enough speeds. For everyone else, it's a solid option to get your steps in or get your sweat on without spending an arm and a leg. It's regularly $529, but you can get it on sale for just $399.99 as of June 21. That's a savings of 24%, which is its biggest discount in six months.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI FPV Explorer Combo $769.99 at Amazon
$999.00 Save $229.01 Get Deal

The DJI FPV is a pretty sweet drone for more advanced users. It shoots 4K/60fps video with a 150-degree FOV at up to 120 Mbps, resulting in crisp details that truly capture the beauty of the flight. Zip through the sky at up to 87 miles per hour with up to 20 minutes of runtime and safety features that prevent you from crashing into obstacles. The Explorer Combo even comes with the DJI Googles Integra, which allow for a first-person flight experience. The bundle regularly goes for $999, but you can slash 23% off as of June 21 and get it for an all-time low $769.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Soundcore Soundcore Liberty 4 NC $74.50 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $25.49 Get Deal

The Soundcore Liberty 4 NC wireless earbuds are some of our favorites wireless headphones under $100. But don't think a low price tag means a lack of features. These babies include Adaptive ANC 2.0, which analyzes your environment in real time to automatically adjust the proper noise-cancelling mode. They also feature Wind Noise Reduction, 3D Surround Sound, and custom HearID sound settings, which may not be perfect, but are cool to have. Regularly just $99.99, you can pick up a pair on sale at Amazon for just $74.50 as of June 21. That's 25% in savings and just a few bucks away from their all-time low price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Pixel Watch (WiFi) $179.99 at Amazon
$279.99 Save $100.00 Get Deal

If you're looking for the best bang for your buck on a smartwatch with Fitbit capabilities built in, this deal on the Google Pixel Watch is worth a look. It's not our favorite smartwatch on the market, mostly because its features-to-value ratio is a bit skewed at its full price of $279.99. With its current 36% discount, however, we're more inclined to recommend it. As Alex Perry noted in his review, it's a good watch for "a huge fitness freak who also happens to be totally bought into Google’s hardware ecosystem." Pick up the WiFi version in the Obsidian colorway for only $179.99 as of June 21.

None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.

GET A GIFT CARD WORTH UP TO $150: Apple rarely has discounts on its products, but leading up to back-to-school season, it's offering $50 off iPads and $100 off laptops. Plus, with your purchase, receive a gift card worth up to $150.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple $150 Apple gift card with purchase of MacBook Get Deal

Having tested hundreds of laptops, our favorite is from Apple. MacBooks are sleek in design, easy to toss in a backpack, and they also have advanced processing power. They're the most loved models of creative industries like video editing or graphic design. So it's safe to say they're coveted.

Unfortunately, Apple has taken advantage of that and rarely offers sales on any of their products... until back-to-school season. That's when you can start to find some price cuts directly from the source. When it's time to head back to school, Apple offers a variety of discounts as part of its Education Store, including a special discount that's running from now through the beginning of fall in September: a gift card that can net you a decent discount off of a Mac or iPad, just in time for the new school year to begin.

As of June 21, Apple is offering $50 off iPads and $100 off laptop purchases bought from the Apple Education Store. Additionally, you'll get a $150 Apple gift card when you purchase a MacBook or iPad. Just add the unit you plan on purchasing to your cart and check out, and the $150 gift card will automatically be applied to your total. It will be sent to your email address within 24 hours of your purchase being shipped or confirmed for pickup at an Apple Store. The Apple Gift Card may then be redeemed independently of your purchase. This sale is valid through September 30, so you have a few months still to decide what you're interested in buying.

There are a wide variety of options and configurations to choose from if you're looking to bring home some new Apple tech. Whether you want to pick up a base model MacBook Air or a souped-up MacBook Pro, you can benefit from this deal. If you need to bring home a new MacBook or other Apple product, you'd do well to take advantage of this sale while it's on.

Adobe has rolled out a new addition to its Lightroom photo editing platform called Generative Remove. It leverages Firefly, Adobe's generative AI model, to enable novice and hobbyist photo editors alike to select and erase elements from pictures, where the replacement content seamlessly fits in with its surroundings. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Adobe Lightroom $9.99 at Adobe
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With the recent arrival of Generative Remove, three major reasons emerge that make Lightroom a powerful photo editing suite for non-pros:

Easy clean-up

With Generative Remove, Lightroom users can simply mouse or swipe over objects, people — whatever is interfering with their otherwise well-composed photo, and the tool will automatically recognize the thing that doesn’t belong and wipe it from the image. You don’t need to define the element by outlining it. Generative Remove just knows what you’re pointing out and how to get rid of it. 

Plus, the AI engine can generate ultra-realistic backgrounds or mimic complex patterns like paisley based on a photo’s visual information. 

Studio-level lens effects 

Lightroom comes with Lens Blur, a tool for adding professional-grade lens effects to your photos in post-production. With this feature, you can achieve the soft focus and macro-lens look and feel associated with studio shooting with the output of any camera or smartphone. 

There are also seven presets to choose from, giving novices an easy way to apply these dreamy effects to their photos.

Mobile-friendly workflow  Credit: Adobe

Adobe knows that so much of today's photography is captured and viewed by smartphones. The company has built out a truly mobile-optimized UI for its Lightroom app so that creators can manage their photo production from start to finish, all in the mobile app. This includes Generative Remove. 

If you're ready to try your hand at the latest AI-enhanced Lightroom, Adobe is offering a seven-day free trial. Get started here.

Where to watch 'Problemista' at a glance: BEST OVERALL Max (With Ads) annual subscription free 7-day trial, then $99.99 per year (save 17%) Get Deal BEST WITH NO ADS Max Ad-Free annual subscription $169.99/year (save 17%) Get Deal BEST FOR CRICKET CUSTOMERS Max (With Ads) Free for Cricket customers on the $60/month unlimited plan (save $9.99/month) Get Deal BEST NON-STREAMING OPTION Rent 'Problemista' on digital $3.74 at Prime Video Get Deal

The directorial debut of Julio Torres, co-creator and co-star of the celebrated comedy series Los Espookys, has already won over the hearts and minds of critics and now it's on its way to streaming to win over yours. Problemista is a whimsical tale of of immigrants and outsiders in New York who make the city their home. It stars Torres himself opposite Tilda Swinton, not to mention a gaggle of other stars, including Isabella Rossellini, Past Lives' Greta Lee, A League of Their Own's Kelly McCormack, Hacks' Meg Stalter, Abbott Elementary's Larry Owens, and Wu-Tang Clan's RZA. Mashable's Film Editor Kristy Puchko has dubbed it "one of the best films of 2024," highlighting that it's not only a clever story, but also "a deeply funny, feel-good movie that doesn't pull punches on its political or social satire."

Here's everything you need to know about how to watch Problemista at home.

What is Problemista about?

Problemista is a quirky comedy about how Alejandro (Julio Torres), a young man from El Salvador, seeks to make his dreams of designing toys in New York City a reality. Those dreams, however, along with his immigration status, are in jeopardy and he must turn to the aggressive, fire-breathing art critic Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton) for support. She takes him under her wing and an unlikely friendship between misfits is born. Expect tons of laughs, zany characters, political and social satire, and lots and lots of trash.

Is Problemista worth watching?

As noted above, Problemista has earned a top five spot on our list of the best movies of 2024 (so far), and other critics appear to agree. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has earned an 88 percent critic rating and 84 audience rating. It may not have wowed overall at the box office, but its limited release in New York City and Los Angeles on the first weekend in March posted the highest per-screen average, grossing $140.9k on just five screens. That just proves that box office numbers aren't everything.

As Mashable's Film Editor put it, "In short, it's one hell of a directorial debut."

Read our full review of Problemista.

How to watch Problemista at home

Just a month shy of its theatrical debut, Problemista became available to watch at home via video-on-demand sites like Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home (Vudu). You can purchase the film for your digital collection or rent it for 30 days. Just remember once you start watching a rental, you'll have just 48 hours to finish before you lose access. If you'd rather stream Problemista, keep reading to learn more.

As of April 19, you can purchase and rent the film at the following retailers:

• Prime Video — buy for $17.74, rent for $3.74 for Prime members

• Apple TV — buy for $19.99, rent for $5.99

• Fandango at Home (Vudu) — buy for $19.99, rent for $5.99

• YouTube — buy for $19.99, rent starting at $4.99

Is Problemista streaming?

Problemista is set to make its streaming debut on June 28 on Max. This comes as no surprise, since A24 has a licensing deal with Max to bring its releases to the platform following their theatrical run. Max subscriptions start at $9.99 per month, but there are some ways you can save some money on your plan. Check out the deals below.

Best Max streaming dealsBest for those new to Max: Get a free seven-day trial through June 23 Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max trial free for 7 days through June 28 Get Deal

Max is one of many streamers that typically does not offer a free trial to its service. However, through June 23, new users can sign up for a free seven-day trial. That trial period would allow you to watch Problemista when it premieres on Max, if you time your trial to line up with the release date. It'll be a close call, but you can technically stream it for free, then cancel your account before being charged. The trial is available through all three tiers: With Ads, Ad-free, and Ultimate Ad-free. Just remember, if you don't cancel before the trial is up, you'll be charged the full monthly price for whichever tier you choose — $9.99/month, $16.99/month, or $20.99/month.

Best Max streaming deal for most people: Save 17% on Max with ads annual subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max (with ads) yearly subscription $99.99 per year (save 17%) Watch Now

Max subscriptions start at $9.99 per month if you don't mind ad interruptions. You have the option to sign up for a single month (once Problemista is released), then cancel before you're charged for another. However, if you stick with it for the long haul, you can score a discounted subscription. An annual plan with ads goes for $99.99 per year, which breaks down to just $8.33 per month — that's 17% (or $1.66) in savings per month. The only downside is you'll have to splurge on a full year upfront.

Best Max deal with no ads: Save 17% on a Max Ad-Free annual subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max (No Ads) annual subscription $169.99 per year (save 22%) Watch Now

Can't stand ads interrupting your viewing experience? There are two ad-free tiers to choose from. The basic Max Ad-Free tier will run you $16.99 per month, while the Max Ultimate tier goes for $20.99 per month. However, if you opt for a yearly plan instead, it will only cost you $169.99 per year (which breaks down to $14.17 per month) or $209.99 per year (which breaks down to $17.50 per month). That's a total savings of 17% on either plan.

Note: While both tiers offer an ad-free viewing experience, the Ultimate tier takes things a step further with 4K Ultra HD video quality and Dolby Atmos immersive audio.

Best Max deal for Cricket customers: Free Max with ads for customers on the $60/month unlimited plan Opens in a new window Credit: Cricket / Max Max (with ads) Free for Cricket customers on the $60/month plan Watch Now

If you've never considered Cricket as a wireless provider, this deal might change that. Cricket Wireless customers on the $60 per month unlimited plan get Max with ads for free as long as their accounts remain in good standing. That's a $99.99 per year value. Head over to the Max app or navigate to Max.com on a browser, then choose Cricket as your provider and enter your credentials to log in. Then you'll be able to watch Problemista and plenty of other A24 films at no extra cost. Check out the terms and conditions on Cricket's website to learn more.