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TikTok, the popular viral video platform, is still slated to be banned in the U.S. next year. And with 2024 coming to an end, the January 19, 2025 ban date for TikTok is fast approaching.

Just weeks before Christmas, the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear an appeal filed by TikTok and its parent company ByteDance. The oral arguments in that case are set to begin Jan. 10.

However, President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, just one day after the pending TikTok ban, is urging the Supreme Court to just grant a stay on the TikTok ban deadline date.

Why? Because Trump humbly claims that only he can solve the issue and save TikTok from being banned.

Trump to SCOTUS: Let me save TikTok

In his message to the Supreme Court, Trump asserts a myriad of reasons as to why he's uniquely positioned to address the supposed national security concerns tied with TikTok being owned by a China-based company while simultaneously saving the platform from a ban.

In the brief, Trump drops how many followers he has on TikTok (more than 14 million) and how the platform played a crucial role in his successful reelection campaign. The president-elect makes mention of Brazil's recent ban on Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, to showcase a similar case of "historic danger" when a government bans a social media platform. In addition, Trump also cites his expertise as the founder of "another resoundingly successful social-media platform," Truth Social, to show why he has specific insight on the issues.

And, of course, Trump highlights that he's the best at making deals.

"President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government—concerns which President Trump himself has acknowledged," reads an amicus brief filed by Trump to the court on Friday.

Trump did want to ban TikTok but doesn't want to anymore

Readers may recall that TikTok ban talks began under the first Trump administration. In fact, Trump was on the verge of going forward with an actual TikTok ban in late 2020. TikTok went out of its way to partner with the U.S.-based Oracle to host all of its U.S.-related data to meet Trump's terms to avoid a ban.

However, after Trump lost in 2020, TikTok's pending ban was basically abandoned by the first Trump administration.

Under the Biden administration, the concerns regarding ByteDance's ownership of TikTok were renewed resulting in the latest move to force the China-based company to sell TikTok or lose its ability to operate in the U.S. Now, after utilizing TikTok for his winning 2024 reelection bid, Trump is singing a different tune about the platform.

Earlier this month, Trump met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Mar-a-lago. Then, right before Christmas, at an event for the conservative organization Turning Point USA, shared his views on TikTok to the crowd.

"They brought me a chart, and it was a record, and it was so beautiful to see, and as I looked at it, I said, 'Maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while,'" Trump said after claiming his TikTok videos receive "billions of views."

It's unclear as to what stats Trump was referring to, as his highest-performing video on TikTok was the first one he posted, which received 179 million views. Trump hasn't posted on TikTok since before the polls closed on election day. 

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Friday, December 27, 2024:

AcrossFrench body of water

• The answer is Lac.

Relating to the Vatican

• The answer is Papal.

Self-serve station with salsa and shells

• The answer is Taco Bar.

Way, way, way back

• The answer is Ages ago.

Totally clobber

• The answer is Destroy.

Sheet read before playing a new board game

• The answer is Rules.

Vet's patient

• The answer is Pet.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 27, 2024 DownTies, as hiking boots

• The answer is Laces up.

One of 12 depicted in da Vinci's "The Last Supper"

• The answer is Apostle.

Nightclub such as the Moulin Rouge

• The answer is Cabaret.

Buzzing device for an on-call doctor

• The answer is Pager.

Nigerian city that's Africa's most populous (21+ million)

• The answer is Lagos.

Teensy-weensy bit

• The answer is Tad.

___ G. Biv

• The answer is Roy.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

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

Jan. 1 is Public Domain Day, meaning artworks from 1929 (or 1924 in the case of sound recordings) are now free for all creators to use and abuse to their hearts' content.

The works of art, music, literature, and film now entering the public domain will be yours, mine, and everyone's. You can try and do something rude or irreverent with the characters they depict, or if you want you can do something truly subversive: make them into something beautiful.

Below is a breakdown of everything you need to know about the freshly released creative works you can now treat as your own personal outline, canvas, inspiration, or collage material. 

What's Public Domain Day again?

We’re now entering the sixth year since a decades-long freeze on copyright finally thawed, and activists and copyright law experts — notably Jennifer Jenkins of Duke University — started trumpeting each Jan. 1 as a new de facto holiday called "Public Domain Day." 2025 is no different, with notable public domain releases dropping on New Year’s Day including still-electrifying books by Earnest Hemingway and William Faulkner, talkie films including at least one by Alfred Hitchcock, and the further unspooling of copyright protection on the bibliographies of Agatha Christie and Virginia Woolf. 

SEE ALSO: How people are using Mickey Mouse in his post-copyright era

However, like last year when Steamboat Willie-era Mickey Mouse emerged from the public domain vault, some of the most significant pieces of freshly unshackled public domain art are the original appearances of two still-popular cartoon characters: Popeye and Tintin.

What’s the big idea with Popeye, spinach, and the public domain?

Where Popeye is concerned, it’s worth immediately drilling down on what this all means for creators who want to tell their own stories about the spinach-scarfing sailor. Long story short: they can do almost anything they want with him, and yes that includes having him eat spinach.  

You may have seen it reported elsewhere that derivative works exploiting Popeye’s new public domain status can’t show him using spinach as a power-up. This would be massively disappointing since the spinach ex machina moment in every Popeye fight scene is a cornerstone of the character’s iconography. 

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Popeye emerged about ten years into the long run of Thimble Theatre, a comic strip by E. C. Segar. In the 1929 installment "Gobs of Work," the extant character Olive Oyl (who has already been in the public domain for years, for the record) encounters a scrunchy-faced tough guy in sailor garb named Popeye and asks if he is in fact a sailor. His surly rejoinder, "'Ja think I’m a cowboy?" is succinct proof that Popeye’s personality emerged fully fleshed-out. The trouble, however, is that in 1929 Popeye was never shown eating spinach. In fact, the character "initially derived superhuman capabilities from rubbing the head feathers of Bernice the Whiffle Hen," Jenkins, the Duke University copyright law expert told me.  

In theory, this could seriously limit what creators can do with Popeye. Not only can’t he be depicted duking it out with Bluto — who doesn’t appear until 1932 — nor saving the life of his ward, Swee’Pea — not introduced until 1933 — but he has to be strong to the finish because he... massages an exotic bird? Would that even be Popeye content at all? 

Fortunately, Jenkins told me, there’s a pretty solid loophole that creators can exploit here: the copyright on a later strip from 1931 has lapsed early, and in that strip, Popeye announces in no uncertain terms that his superpowers derive from spinach:

Credit: public domain

Jenkins and her colleagues, she told me, pinpointed the above strip as the first reference to spinach in Thimble Theatre, and found that the copyright on that particular strip hasn’t been renewed, "so this feature actually appears to be public domain." Jenkins and company searched for the strip in legal records for Popeye, Thimble Theatre, the distributor King Features Syndicate, and everything else that could tie up the strip’s copyright status, and its copyright truly appears to have vaporized entirely. 

The copyright-free status of that 1931 strip, however, doesn’t unlock the whole Popeye character until Public Domain Day. Essentially, Jenkins explained, "Everything in the 1931 comic that derives from the original 1929 Popeye (such as the character) is still copyrighted until 2025, but new details that appeared only in that 1931 comic, such as spinach power, has long been public domain, so we can bring them together next year." 

That’s great news for creators who can now express themselves all they want through the Popeye character — or, more likely, churn the beloved cartoon character into a lazy and terrible slasher movie, as is their right.  

Tintin in the Land of Public Domain

"Tintin enters the U.S. public domain in 2025 but is still copyrighted in the E.U. until 2054, because the author died in 1983," according to Jenkins' blog post about Public Domain Day 2025. It's a relatively rare case of U.S. public domain law being less stringent than the laws abroad.

At any rate, Tintin started entirely as a work of anti-communist propaganda printed in a Belgian fascist newspaper called Le Vingtième Siècle. In the series of strips now entering the public domain, Tintin is employed as a plucky foreign correspondent for Le Vingtième Siècle deployed to Moscow, en route to which he is almost immediately attacked by a bomb-throwing Bolshevik terrorist, and then further accosted by censorious commies for being a bourgeois pig who threatens to blow the whistle on the reds and their evil exploits.

However, Tintin is every bit his adventurous self, even in this early form, and his dog Snowy is along for the ride. If you want to spin your own Tintin yarns, with or without a hard right-wing slant, nothing should stop you from following your muse.

Mickey talks!

You'll recall that Mickey Mouse officially entered the public domain last year, and there was a bit of handwringing about whether derivative works were allowed to depict him in white gloves or — since he was kind of a jerk in the early films — be cheerful. And since 1928 Mickey's utterances were basically limited to whistling, it was pretty clear that he couldn't talk. This year the vise around the version of Mickey we all know and love will ease a bit, because The Karnival Kid, in which Mickey speaks his first words — "Hot dogs! Hot dogs!" — will be unlocked. And if his raspy smoker's voice in The Karnival Kid puts you off, never fear, in shorts like The Haunted House, Mickey's voice — and personality — settle into familiar and appropriately Mousey territory.

Somewhat unrelatedly, The Skeleton Dance, the first of Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies series will also enter the public domain, which is great news because The Skeleton Dance still whips.

Keep in mind, as usual, that these Disney properties still may be part of legitimate trademarks, which is different from copyright. This means it would be ill-advised, legally speaking, to open a restaurant called Mickey's Hot Dogs! Hot Dogs! in honor of The Karnival Kid. Someone might reasonably think the restaurant is affiliated with The Walt Disney Company (And come to think of it, it would be wise to tread lightly around the Popeye trademark while you're at it, for related — though somewhat different — reasons).

T.S. Eliot’s Ash Wednesday

T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land has already been in the public domain for years, meaning nothing has been stopping you for complaining that "April is the cruellest month," without fear of lawyers beating down your door. Ash Wednesday, about Eliot's rough journey to faith through Orthodox Christianity is about to be available for use and adaptation too.

My suggested use for Ash Wedensday would be to intone it in a growl over slow, heavy guitars, because, like The Waste Land, most of it is, well, pretty metal:

At the first turning of the second stair
I turned and saw below
The same shape twisted on the banister
Under the vapour in the fetid air
Struggling with the devil of the stairs who wears
The deceitul face of hope and of despair.

At the second turning of the second stair
I left them twisting, turning below;
There were no more faces and the stair was dark,
Damp, jaggèd, like an old man's mouth drivelling, beyond repair,
Or the toothed gullet of an agèd shark.

Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own

If you read it in high school, you already know the deal with A Room of One's Own: It's a foundational feminist text that was spicy for its time, including the shocker of a line "Sometimes women do like women." The basic argument that a woman literally needs a quiet space to be creative — and enough money to feed herself — in order to sustain a writing career may not be breaking news, but the broader message about women's intellectual freedom is still resonant.

You can now freely riff on A Room of One's Own, making it into a documentary, a song, or some kind of experimental work of architecture.

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

James Franco had to license The Sound and the Fury to make his 2014 film adaptation of Faulkner's stone-cold classic of modernist storytelling.

Unfortunately, well, the less is said about Franco's film the better. But here's the good news: you can answer Franco's whiffed adaptation with one of your own, and since it's entering the public domain in 2025, you don't even have to pay for the material.

Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Ravel’s Boléro

Among the newly copyright-free musical compositions, two masterpieces stand out: An American in Paris, a musical "tone poem" by George Gershwin, which captures the vibe of postwar life (a lot of what's entering the public domain right now is about capturing the vibe of postwar life), and Maurice Ravel's hypnotic Boléro — a composition you might not know you love. Go listen to it right now on the streaming service of your choice and tell me I'm wrong.

Boléro is also part of an interesting bit of copyright history: it became an unlikely pop hit in 1980 when it was featured in an NSFW scene in the raunchy Dudley Moore movie 10 and raked in massive royalty checks for the Ravel estate. Those days are over now, and if you want to make money from Bolero, no one else has to get a taste of the profits.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Blackmail

Hitchcock’s first sound film, Blackmail, is now in the public domain — so like everything else on this list it's now free for you to reinterpret or transform.

It's also just an awesome Hitchcock movie with the kind of visual flair you associate with Psycho. You don't have to be an artist to take advantage of its public domain status. You can just project it on the side of the biggest building in town and charge admission.

Salvador Dalí’s The Great Masturbator

With a title like The Great Masturbator, you know it has to be a good painting, and boy is it ever. You almost certainly know this Salvador Dalí masterpiece, depicting an erotic and gruesome pastiche of sensual anatomy, faces, and one disturbingly latched-on grasshopper. Want to decorate the side of your minivan with it? Literally nothing is stopping you — other than maybe a sense of tact.

…And more!

This has just been a list of exceptionally famous or noteworthy material. Creators can freely adapt or use anything from 1929 (or 1924 in the case of music recordings):

Literature:

• Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie

• A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

• Red Harvest and The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

• Good-bye to All That by Robert Graves

• Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge

• Is Sex Necessary? by James Thurber and E.B. White

Film:

• Hallelujah by King Vidor

• Pandora’s Box by G.W. Pabst

• The Wild Party by Dorothy Arzner

• Spite Marriage by Buster Keaton

• The Broadway Melody (Oscar winner for Best Picture)

Music:

• Ain’t Misbehavin’ by Fats Waller

• What Is This Thing Called Love? by Cole Porter

• Tiptoe Through the Tulips by Al Dubin and Joe Burke

• Waiting for a Train by Jimmie Rodgers

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The '90s are back, baby, and we don’t just mean biker shorts, middle parts, and platform shoes! '90s movies are the perfect dose of nostalgia for a time when you were too young to notice the rampant injustices of the world around you. Sorry! You grew up! 

Though some '90s movies have been robbed of their rose-colored sheen by modern revelations about their cast or creators, many still hit just right. They were made in a time when all movies were meant to be seen in a theater — when budgets were big and the explosions were even bigger. In no particular order, here are the best '90s movies available via Prime Video for your next movie night.

26. Fever Pitch Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

This British rom-com has a disappointingly low American profile, likely because we went and remade it with Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore as Red Sox fans. The original Fever Pitch, itself based on a Nick Hornby book, stars Colin Firth (!!!) as a schoolteacher whose love for his soccer team, Arsenal, gets in the way of his budding romance with Ruth Gemmell. Guys and their sports, huh? If the tagline doesn’t thrill you (“Life gets complicated when you love one woman and 11 men”), then the kick of watching Mr. Darcy become a likable slob definitely will!*

How to watch: Fever Pitch is streaming on Prime Video.

25. Rounders

When Mike McDermott loses $30,000 at a high stakes poker game, he promises his girlfriend he’ll stop the gambling for good. But when his old childhood friend, Worm, starts joining games on Mike’s credit and losing, Mike gets drawn back into the high stakes world he’s been trying to escape. 

1998’s Rounders is a fun sports flick about poker; the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat on full display. Matt Damon is young and charming as the well-intentioned Mike, Edward Norton is appropriately shifty as the hustling Worm, and John Malkovich is indulgently, preposterously, delightfully campy as a temperamental Russian mobster. 

How to watch: Rounders is streaming on Prime Video.

24. FernGully: The Last Rainforest

That’s right, the movie that traumatized '80s and '90s kids is still around to traumatize the next generation! Crysta and her friends are fairies that care for and protect their rainforest. When she discovers humans are cutting down their trees, she accidentally shrinks one of them (the hottest one), Zak, to fairy size. As Zak learns more about the fairies, his appreciation for the forest grows, as does his determination to stop human encroachment. If that plot sounds familiar, it’s because FernGully: The Last Rainforest is more or less the '90s animated version of Avatar, but with kicky mullets, throwback slang (bodacious babe!), and Robin Williams as a rapping bat. 

How to watch: FernGully: The Last Rainforest is streaming on Prime Video.

23. Armageddon Credit: Frank Masi / Touchstone / Kobal / Shutterstock

Very few movies can encapsulate the rampant American exceptionalism of the '90s like Armageddon. With a meteor barreling toward earth, the only people with the skills to save the human race are a group of blue-collar, American off-shore oil drillers led by a rugged and curmudgeonly Bruce Willis. With minimal training and the eyes of the world upon them, they’re blasted into space to drill a nuclear bomb into the meteor’s core. Of course, not everything goes to plan. 

Ben Affleck is at his dreamiest as a young oil driller, hopelessly in love with Willis’ daughter, one of Liv Tyler’s most iconic roles. Packed with American flags, a star-studded cast, tons of explosions, and a bunch of wives sitting at home while their husbands become heroes, Armageddon is a classic Hollywood blockbuster. It’s a nostalgic, fun piece of action-packed fluff, and somehow, it’s an Academy–Award nominee! Don't forget: Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want a Miss a Thing” was in the running for Best Original Song.

How to watch: Armageddon is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

22. Empire Records

Liv Tyler, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry, Robin Tunney, Renee Zellweger are young employees of a failing independent record shop that band together to try and save the store. We’ve got teenage drama, nostalgic music, '90s fashion, and Rex Manning Day — Empire Records has it all! It’s a quintessential hangout comedy that embodies the spirit of early '90s and launched the careers of some of Hollywood’s biggest names. Critics hated it; teens loved it — and if that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is!

How to watch: Empire Records is streaming on Prime Video.

21. GoldenEye

In this installment, Bond is sent by M (Judi Dench) to St. Petersburg to investigate an electromagnetic weapon, but he soon discovers a spider web woven frighteningly close to home. Pierce Brosnan’s first turn as James Bond was his best and a necessary breath of fresh air for a franchise that had been stalling in its Timothy Dalton years. GoldenEye boasts all the Bond hallmarks: plot twists, explosions, sadistic villains, beautiful Bond girls (Izabella Scorupco), cool gadgets, sexy cars, and Bond’s own smooth, unflappable flair, which Brosnan exudes in spades. 

How to watch: GoldenEye is streaming on Prime Video.

20. She’s All That Credit: Claudette Barius / Miramax / Kobal / Shutterstock

A romantic comedy hall-of-famer, 1999’s She’s All That gives us one of the most iconic and absurd examples of nerdy-girl-isn’t-hot-until-you-take-her-glasses-off movie magic. Freddie Prinze Jr. is lovably smug as the high school top dawg who bets his bros he can turn any girl into the prom queen in six weeks, even social outcast Laney Boggs. That’s right, it’s a 1990s Pygmalion/My Fair Lady — and you already know how it ends! 

This is a teen comedy that retains some of its edge; the teens were still allowed to be mean to each other in the '90s. Rachael Leigh Cook became a household name as the artsy high school misfit who was obviously cute long before she got contacts. Matthew Lillard, Paul Walker, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Kieran Culkin, Anna Paquin, Gabrielle Union, and more help cement She’s All That in the hallowed halls of rom-com history, and its soundtrack is a full-fledged nostalgia bomb. It’s time for a rewatch.*

How to watch: She’s All That is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

19. Cruel Intentions

Les Liaisons Dangereuses is a 1782 French novel where two bored aristocrats, skilled in social politics and manipulation, bet that if Vicomte de Valmont can seduce a virtuous newcomer, then the Marquise de Merteuil will sleep with him. Cruel Intentions takes this story and plops it in a world as gossipy, hierarchical, and sexy as an 18th-century French court — a NYC private high school. 

Ryan Phillippe is the charmer looking for a challenge, Sarah Michelle Gellar the queen bee who dangles her sexuality over him like a carrot, and Reese Witherspoon the prudish fresh face caught in their little game. But as Phillippe’s Sebastian dedicates himself more and more to his seduction, he begins to wonder if he’s still playing a part… or does he actually have feelings for his mark? Gleefully dark and comically corrupt, Cruel Intentions is a superbly entertaining teen drama that holds up enough to have inspired a 2024 series, also on Prime.

How to watch: Cruel Intentions is streaming on Prime Video.

18. Total Recall

Based on a Philip K. Dick short story (like most of the best science fiction movies!),Total Recall is a mind-bending cyberpunk exploration of the relationship between memory and the self. In 2084, Earthman Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) begins having dreams about Mars, currently under the control of an oppressive regime. Looking to learn more about his visions, he visits Rekall, a company that embeds fake memories on demand. Directed by Paul Verhoeven (who also directed RoboCop, Starship Troopers, and… Showgirls?), Total Recall is a gritty, action-packed, dystopian blockbuster. It’s got its fair share of '90s machismo, but many controversial elements at its time — like a three-breasted prostitute — have become iconic with age. 

How to watch: Total Recall is streaming on Prime Video.

17. Forrest Gump Credit: Paramount / Kobal / Shutterstock

Directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth, Forrest Gump is a family-friendly comedy-drama about a big-hearted but slow-witted man who finds himself directly involved in some of the major historical events of the last half of the 20th century. Tom Hanks won an Oscar for his earnest portrayal of Forrest, and the film won five more Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. (Plus it launched a popular casual seafood chain!) The cast here is unmissable, with Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field each shining in their respective roles. Charming, nostalgic, and sweet, Forrest Gump overcomes its sentimentality with its abundant good-heartedness. 

How to watch: Forrest Gump is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

16. The Joy Luck Club Credit: Buena Vista / Hollywood / Kobal / Shutterstock

Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, The Joy Luck Club should be required viewing for anyone with a mother. In San Francisco, four women, all Chinese immigrants, form a mahjong group. Over the course of the film, each woman shares her story, from their lives in China to the modern struggles they are each having with their American-born daughters. The Joy Luck Club is a lovely, moving film about the generational divide, self-respect, and most crucially, mother-daughter relationships. It’s full of heart, the kind of movie that requires a box of tissues but leaves you feeling warm and renewed.

How to watch: The Joy Luck Club is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

15. True Romance

Elvis-superfan Clarence (Christian Slater) and former call girl Alabama (Patricia Arquette) fall in love, get married…. and then murder her former pimp, steal his cocaine stash, and head to California. Unfortunately for the lovebirds, there are a few people with a financial interest in their suitcase of drugs, and they’re not going to stop until they recoup their money. 

Directed by Tony Scott and written by Hollywood newcomer Quentin Tarantino (!!!!), 1993’s True Romance is a dynamic, unpredictable ride. For a large portion of the film, Alabama and Clarence seem to think they’re in a romance flick — while everyone else around them is in a pulpy, violent thriller. It’s a darkly comic look at the destructive power of two idiots falling in love. Being a Tarantino film, True Romance does not shy from using the n-word, but it also has a sinister James Gandolfini, a stoned Brad Pitt, and an absolutely unhinged, and possibly offensive, Gary Oldman. 

How to watch: True Romance is streaming on Prime Video.

14. Titanic Credit: 20th Century Fox / Paramount / Kobal / Shutterstock

Kate Winslet is Rose, a young, upper-class Brit aboard the RMS Titanic, who soon finds herself in a whirlwind romance with the handsome, charming, and penniless Jack — Leonardo DiCaprio’s star-making role. Their class difference isn’t the only obstacle their love faces, as Rose’s wealthy fiancé Cal (Billy Zane) is also on the ship. And the ship is about to run into an enormous iceberg and become the world’s most famous maritime catastrophe. 

James Cameron’s Titanic is an epic in every sense of the word. The love story is melodramatic and all-encompassing, made even more urgent by the impending doom we know is waiting for the lovers. When the action hits, it is visceral, harrowing, and breathtaking: an incomprehensible disaster seen through the eyes of its human victims. There’s also a whole bit about Rose in the present as an old woman and the team trying to find the ships’ wreckage. But no one really remembers that part. 

How to watch: Titanic is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

13. The Talented Mr. Ripley

The Talented Mr. Ripley walked so Saltburn could run. This iconic psychological thriller features a young Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, a poor New Yorker who finds himself in the entourage of the rich and impossibly charismatic Dickie as he lounges and carouses his way across 1950s Europe. But is it luck that brought Tom into Dickie’s orbit, or something more sinister? 

Jude Law is at his Jude-est Law-iest as Dickie, exuding the effortless grace of a young, handsome aristocrat who can’t help but charm everyone meets. Gwyneth Paltrow glows as Dickie’s girlfriend, Marge, and Philip Seymour Hoffman is pitch-perfect as another of Dickie’s rich friends, who mistrusts Tom from the get-go. Based on the Patricia Highsmith novel and directed by Anthony Minghella, The Talented Mr. Ripley is a suspenseful, captivating classic.* 

(If you can’t get enough of this psychosexual story, don’t miss Netflix’s excellent 2024 series, Ripley, starring Andrew Scott.)

How to watch: The Talented Mr. Ripley is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

12. The Long Walk Home Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

Whoopi Goldberg is Odessa Cotter, a maid for Miriam Thompson (Sissy Spacek), in Montgomery, Alabama, during the 1955 Montgomery bus boycotts. Unwilling to take a bus, Odessa must endure long walks to and from the Thompson home. Against the wishes of her husband and her neighbors, Miriam offers Odessa a ride a few days a week to ease her burden. If made today, the film would certainly have not opted for a white narrator to tell the story of these two well-developed women from different communities, but nonetheless, The Long Walk Home remains a complex and powerful exploration of injustice.

How to watch: The Long Walk Home is streaming on Prime Video.

11. October Sky Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

Based on a true story, October Sky is a touching drama about a West Virginian coal miners’ son (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is developing an interest in aerospace engineering. Alongside his friends and against the wishes of his father (Chris Cooper), he tests homemade rockets and teaches himself the necessary science to eventually become a NASA engineer. October Sky is a masterclass in inspirational, feel-good movie-making. It’s both sincere and emotionally complex, refusing to simplify its characters into archetypes. You’ll be left with a warm, fuzzy feeling, contemplating both your relationship with your father and how to go about building your own backyard rocket. Don’t miss Laura Dern as a truly wonderful high school science teacher!

How to watch: October Sky is streaming on Prime Video.

10. The Sixth Sense

Doesn’t matter if you’re old enough to have witnessed The Sixth Sense twist first-hand, you have definitely made an "I see dead people" joke. The endurance of this movie’s cultural relevance — no matter how you feel about M. Night Shyamalan today — is a testament to just how groundbreaking it was when it debuted in 1999. 

Bruce Willis is a child psychologist whose newest patient (Haley Joel Osment) claims to speak to the dead. The Sixth Sense is a breathlessly tense psychological thriller — some of us have had nightmares about Mischa Barton puking in a tent for the last 20 years — that’s as emotionally affecting as it is surprising. If somehow you haven’t seen this smart, sophisticated, and just plain excellent film, it’s time to right that wrong. 

How to watch: The Sixth Sense is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

9. Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Tarantino’s feature-length directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs, is violent, coarse, nonlinear, and irreverent. He’s known his brand since day one. Paying homage to multiple Hollywood classics like Stanley Kubrick's The Killing, 1992’s Reservoir Dogs is chaotic and energetic, celebrated as an independent hit thanks to an intelligent script and an idiosyncratic cast (Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, and more). Decades later, though Tarantino’s profile and production budgets have gotten significantly bigger, this first entry, full of pluck and passion, is still one of his best. 

When a diamond heist goes wrong, eight men try to determine who sold them out, using any means necessary to extract the truth. 

How to watch: Reservoir Dogs is streaming on Prime Video.

8. Galaxy Quest  Credit: Murray Close / Dreamworks LLC / Kobal / Shutterstock

Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, and Daryl Mitchell are the fictional crew of a cult TV sci-fi series, Galaxy Quest. Years after the show’s been off the air, they float from convention to convention, signing autographs and wishing their careers had gone in a different direction. Until one day, they’re kidnapped by aliens who saw their TV broadcast from across the galaxy and thought it was real! Uh oh! Now the aliens hope Tim Allen and crew can defend their planet against an invading force, while the hapless band of actors just hopes they can keep up the ruse long enough to find a way home. Galaxy Quest is a deeply silly movie that packs a sneaky emotional punch. An absolute winner, through and through.* 

How to watch: Galaxy Quest is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

7. Searching for Bobby Fischer

Seven-year-old chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin is a natural. He picked up the rules of the game by simply watching others (like Laurence Fishbourne) play in Washington Square Park. But when his parents discover the depth of his talent, everything changes for Josh. Now he has a methodical chess teacher (Ben Kingsley) who decries his brazen style; he’s in tournaments constantly; and his dad becomes hyperfixated on Josh’s success. That’s a lot for a seven-year-old to handle. Too much, in fact. 

Another winning entry in the grand Hollywood tradition of riveting chess dramas, 1993’s Searching for Bobby Fischer is the moving true story of chess whiz-kid Joshua Waitzkin. It’s also a sensitive, captivating study on achievement and the need for balance. If you liked The Queen’s Gambit, you’ll love Bobby Fischer. 

How to watch: Searching for Bobby Fischer is streaming on Prime Video.

6. Run Lola Run

Run Lola Run has a simple premise that translates into an impossibly gripping and entertaining action flick. Right out the gate, the movie starts at a 10: Lola has 20 minutes to find 100,000 bucks or her boyfriend will be killed. Fueled by an infectious, relentless electronic score, Lola runs through the streets of Germany to try to make her deadline — and we’re with her every breathless step along the way. 

Written and directed by Tom Tykwer, Run Lola Run is an electrifying watch, with surprising moments of humanity and surrealism. Don’t let the subtitles stop you — this is one of those gems that reminds you why you love movies so dang much.

How to watch: Run Lola Run is streaming on Prime Video.

5. Fargo Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

There aren't many films out there popular enough to inspire a very popular-in-its-own-right TV show, but Fargo — with its snowy North Dakota setting and offbeat black comedy style — has managed it with aplomb. One of the most memorable roles in Hollywood history, heavily pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) attempts to untangle a messy murder and its links to some hired kidnappers, with things quickly spiraling in the amusingly chaotic way only Coen brothers' movies can. Complimentary characters include a spineless William H. Macy as desperate-for-money car dealer Jerry Lundegaard, a chillingly dead-eyed Peter Stormare as hired kidnapper Gaear Grimsrud, and Steve Buscemi as his slimy partner in crime.* — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor

How to watch: Fargo is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

4. Clueless

Clueless, first of all, is iconic. Nearly 30 years have passed, but it’s still a cultural touchstone for today’s teens. Perhaps its staying power comes from its plot, directly lifted from the literal founder of the romantic comedy, Jane Austen. Like Austen’s Emma Woodhouse, Clueless’s Cher (Alicia Silverstone) acts as a matchmaker to everyone around her but can’t seem to get her own love life in order. The story alone does not fully capture the movie’s charm. Clueless is both hilarious and sweet, features unforgettable costumes, and most importantly, is filled to the brim with memorable, quotable lines. Cinema has never heard a more cutting insult than “You’re a virgin who can’t drive.”* 

How to watch: Clueless is streaming on Prime Video.

3. Good Will Hunting

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been such mainstay figures in Hollywood for decades now that it’s easy to forget how mythical and meteoric their entry into filmmaking was. But these two young, relatively unknown bros showed up in Hollywood with the script for Good Will Hunting and walked out with an Oscar and a lifetime on the A-list.

When an MIT professor (Stellan Skarsgård) puts a near-impossible math problem on his blackboard, he’s shocked to find that someone in the school has solved it... And that someone is the janitor, Will (Matt Damon). The professor helps Will, currently on parole, get permission from the court to study mathematics — provided he also receives therapy for his behavioral issues. 

Good Will Hunting is a captivating and heartfelt drama that has been parodied, copied, and referenced, but never repeated. Ben Affleck is perfect as Will’s rough best friend, and Robin Williams won an Academy Award for his performance as the empathetic, unconventional, and no-bullshit counselor who just might be the one to help Will break out of his pattern of self-destruction and make something of his life.* 

How to watch: Good Will Hunting is streaming on Prime Video.

2. Sense and Sensibility Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

Directed by Ang Lee, 1995’s Sense and Sensibility is unquestionably one of the best cinematic Jane Austen adaptations to date. Emma Thompson is heavenly as the practical, thoughtful Elinor Dashwood, the “sense” to her changeable, emotional sister Marianne’s (Kate Winslet) “sensibility.” It’s a scenic, romantic, and simply lovely watch that is as poignant now as it was two decades ago (or two centuries ago!).

When their father dies, Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters move to a small cottage in Devonshire and must concern themselves with what all 18th and 19th century women without an inheritance must concern themselves with: an advantageous marriage. Elinor is consumed by caring for others and counseling Marianne, who is absolutely besotted with John Willoughby, a total rake!!!! Will Elinor successfully manage the family's misfortunes? And will she even have time to consider love for herself?

How to watch: Sense and Sensibility is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

1. L.A. Confidential

A fantastically stylized, neo-noir crime thriller, L.A. Confidential is an intricate web of whodunnits and double-crosses set in a sultry, seedy 1950s Los Angeles. Everyone here is operating at the top of their ability: the cast is excellent (Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger, David Strathairn, and more); the script is airtight, intelligent, and meticulously plotted; and the cinematography brings color to a moody, noir atmosphere. Even the audience is doing good work here — you’ve got to pay attention to reap the rewards of this spectacular drama that would have swept the 1997 Academy Awards had it not been competing against Titanic. 

Adapted from a James Ellroy novel, L.A. Confidential follows three different cops working to rehabilitate the LAPD’s image after a series of scandals. But in rooting out corruption, they’ll uncover a complex maze of lies, celebrity, sex, and murder that puts them deeper in danger the closer they get to the truth. 

How to watch: L.A. Confidential is streaming on Prime Video.

UPDATE: Dec. 27, 2024, 3:48 p.m. EST This article has been updated to include current streaming options.

Wondering how to watch college football this season? Here are your best options: Best for affordability Sling TV Blue Plan $20 for the first month, then $40/month (save $20 ) Get Deal BEST FOR SINGLE GAME FuboTV Pro plan 7-day free trial, then $59.99/month for 1 month (Save $20) Get Deal

The Pop-Tarts Bowl might have been viral last year for it's adorable, edible mascot, but this year? There's an extra spin on the game...the mascots of the two teams participating: the Iowa State Cyclones and the Miami Hurricanes. Can you hear the weather puns now? The weather bowl will take place on Saturday, December 28, and is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT.

Iowa State was a Top 25 team, including being No. 18 in the College Football Playoff, but the Cyclones fell short in the Big 12 championship to Arizona State. The Sun Devils went on to take the No. 4-seed in the CFP playoffs, earning a first round bye. Miami is also a top 25 team, pulling the No. 13 spot in the CFP field. Unfortunately, Miami fell short of the 12-team playoff. The Hurricanes were upset by Syracuse in the final game of the regular season, eliminating themselves from the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship.

SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Iowa State vs. Miami football kickoff time and network

The Iowa State vs. Miami football game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT start on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 28.

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You need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Iowa State vs. Miami football game on ABC. 

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The No. 22 Army Black Knights (11-2) will face the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (5-7) in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana. The game is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. ET/6:15 p.m. PT on Dec. 28.

The Black Knights have had an up and down season that didn't stop when they earned a bowl game. Originally, Army was set to face Marshall. But, a coaching change led to a large number of Marshall players hitting the transfer portal, and the team waiving their bowl game appearance. Then, LA Tech was subbed in.

But, the Black Knights had ups and downs before that, becoming a ranked team and winning the American Athletic Conference. Then, they lost to Navy in America's game.

SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable Louisiana Tech vs. Army football kickoff time and network

The Louisiana Tech vs. Army football game is scheduled for a 9:15 p.m. ET/6:15 p.m. PT start on ESPN on Saturday, Dec. 28.

Best streaming services for Louisiana Tech vs. Army football game

You need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the Louisiana Tech vs. Army football game on ESPN. 

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The Valero Alamo Bowl becomes the Big 12 bowl in 2024 for two teams that could have been. The BYU Cougars will face the Colorado Buffaloes, and their Heisman Trophy-winner, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The matchup is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on Dec. 28.

Both BYU and Colorado had significant wins, at 10-2 and 9-3 respectively. The Cougars and the Buffalos both spent time in the top 25 and in the College Football Playoff rankings. Both were situated in a four-way tie atop the Big 12, but were bested by Arizona State and Iowa State, who went on to face each other in the championship. Colorado has one more significant win though: the Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. The odds are favoring Deion Sanders and his Buffaloes.

SEE ALSO: How to watch college football without cable BYU vs. Colorado football kickoff time and network

The BYU vs. Colorado football game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT start on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 28.

Best streaming services for BYU vs. Colorado football game

You need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the BYU vs. Colorado football game on ABC. 

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The company, owned by the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, also received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to launch the vehicle to orbit.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games 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 today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable 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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for December 28 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Expressions for something very easy or effortless

• Green: Legendary items or symbols from ancient stories

• Blue: Starting or avoiding action

• Purple: Begins with "my," "its," "his," of similar

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: "Nothing To It!"

• Green: Objects from Greek Myth

• Blue: Proverbial Things To Kick

• Purple: Starting With Possessive Pronouns

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 today's Connections #568 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• "Nothing To It!": EASY, NO SWEAT, PIECE OF CAKE, SURE THING

• Objects from Greek Myth: AEGIS, APPLE OF DISCORD, GOLDEN FLEECE, PANDORA'S BOX

• Proverbial Things To Kick: CAN, HABIT, HORNET'S NEST, TIRES

• Starting With Possessive Pronouns: HERSHEY, HISTAMINE, ITSY, MINEFLIED

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 28

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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

Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, 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 the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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 Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Opposite of throw in sports.

• Green: Grappling words.

• Blue: Sports abbreviations.

• Purple: Shared first name.

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

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

• Yellow: Catch

• Green: Wrestling terms

• Blue: NFL teams on scoreboards

• Purple: Big ____

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 today's Connections Sports Edition #96 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Catch - GRAB, NAB, SNAG, SNATCH

• Wrestling terms - FALL, PIN, REVERSAL, TAKEDOWN

• NFL teams on scoreboards - CAR, DEN, JAX, WAS

• Big ____ - 12, DANCE, FLY, LEAGUE

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.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 28 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 28 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Just the essentials

These words promote healing through scents.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

Words are essential oils.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Aromatherapy.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for December 28

• Cedarwood

• Lavender

• Patchouli

• Eucalyptus

• Aromatherapy

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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

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 today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for December 28 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.

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 was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for December 28 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Publicly denounce.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter D.

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 today's Wordle is...

DECRY.

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.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 28

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

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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

A fierce dispute erupted in the president-elect’s camp between immigration hard-liners and tech industry leaders including Elon Musk.

Google's been driving Street View cars around the world for nearly two decades now. And TikTok has recently discovered that backlog of images is ripe with nostalgia.

There's a new trend on the app in which folks dig up old Google Maps images showing their homes, meaningful places, or photos from a specific time via Street View to tell a story — this might involve a relative they lost, a past relationship, a childhood moment, or whatever else.

Here's a TikTok, for instance, of a person showing their now-deceased grandparents working on their lawn in 2008.

Here's another of a grandmother, this time sitting on their porch.

Here's one of someone playing with their childhood dog.

Here's one that's just stores in someone's hometown that have closed.

Lots of the comments in these wistful posts are about how nostalgic and sad they are. Some folks have even lamented looking for their deceased relatives and not finding them on Google Maps.

The trend caught my attention because I wrote about Street View nostalgia back in 2021, long before it became a TikTok trend. At the time, I explored how strange it felt to see your life — your home, your old car — frozen in a specific moment in time.

"The reason why the Google Street thing wasn't enough...what you were really wanting was to relive, to some extent, that little portion of your life," said Dr. Krystine Batcho, a psychologist who has studied nostalgia extensively, told Mashable in 2021. "Now, when I say relive it, that can end up being misunderstood by people. Generally, people don't want to go back and live their old life. That's not what I mean. But it's a little bit like visiting."

SEE ALSO: The strange nostalgia of Google Street View

The folks on TikTok seem to be experiencing the same feelings that I did. Looking at old images on Street View are a window into an old version of your life, one you left behind but recall with some fondness. If you want to look at old images for an address, you just need to click "see more dates," and the backlog with auto-populate on the bottom of your screen.

Credit: Google

Just be warned, if you go down that rabbit hole, pangs of nostalgia will likely follow.