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GET $29.12 OFF: Starting at noon ET on Nov. 11, Walmart+ members can buy a Keurig K-Express Essentials single-serve coffee maker for just $29.88.

Opens in a new window Credit: Keurig Our pick: Keurig K-Express Essentials single-serve coffee maker $29.88 at Walmart
$59.00 Save $29.12 Get Deal

Walmart isn’t holding back this holiday season — the brand’s going all in and offering unbeatable deals on a wide range of products, from popular tech to small countertop appliances.

Starting at noon ET on Nov. 11, Walmart+ members can buy a Keurig K-Express Essentials single-serve coffee maker for just $29.88. Non-members can get it for $49 at 5 p.m. ET. This is probably the first time we’ve seen a Keurig drop below $30.

SEE ALSO: Walmart's multi-part Black Friday plans involve new surprise deals and extra early access for members

You can get it in multiple colors (e.g., red, navy, teal, etc.), and it brews coffee in just a few minutes. You can also brew a second cup without waiting for it to reheat. It has a 36-ounce removable water reservoir, which is only 6.5 inches wide, so it won't take up too much space on your counter. But it leaves enough room to fill a travel mug (with the drip tray removed).

If you’re not a Walmart+ member, you can sign up today and get 50% off an annual membership, which gives you early access to Walmart’s Black Friday deals, same-day delivery, and more. You can also sign up for a trial to get the deals and cancel whenever you want.

GET $60.95 OFF: Starting at 12 p.m. ET on Nov. 11, Walmart+ members can buy the Beats Solo3 wireless headphones for just $69, which is $60.95 off the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Beats Beats Solo3 wireless headphones $69.00 at Walmart
$129.95 Save $60.95 Get Deal

We’re two weeks away from Thanksgiving, but Walmart is already rolling out its Black Friday deals.

Starting at 12 p.m. ET on Nov. 11, Walmart+ members can snag a pair of Beats Solo3 wireless on-ear headphones for just $69. That’s $60.95 off the list price and the lowest price we’ve seen for these noise-cancelling headphones, according to CamelCamelCamel price tracking.

SEE ALSO: Walmart+ annual memberships are half-off through the beginning of December

If you’re not a member yet, you can get ‘em for $99 at 5 p.m. ET, or you can sign up and save 50% off your first year of Walmart+ and score additional early access member deals. (You can also skip this offer and snag a trial membership.)

The Beats Solo3 headphones have a 40-hour battery life and a Fast Fuel charge, so five minutes will get you three hours of playtime. They also have a built-in mic for taking calls, controlling music, and activating Siri or Google Assistant.

Rumor has it that Apple is working on a thin next-gen device called iPhone 17 Air. However, new whispers claim that Apple is having trouble with it.

The source comes from news aggregator account yeux1122 on the Korean blog site Naver, per MacRumors. According to unnamed industry sources, the post speculates that Apple is struggling to produce the rumored “iPhone 17 Air” thin enough to match its name. The usual culprit? The battery size.

SEE ALSO: Apple's new iPhone update is locking law enforcement out of phones

Apple is reportedly planning to use a 6mm-thick battery in the new, slimmer iPhone, which limits just how thin the device can actually be. It will likely be at least a few tenths of an inch thicker when you factor in everything else that goes into building a phone, too.

As MacRumors noted, the thinnest iPhone to date was the iPhone 6, measuring 6.9mm thick. If this rumor is accurate, the iPhone 17 Air likely won’t be much thinner than that.

Of course, a rumor from a news aggregation account nearly a year ahead of the iPhone 17’s release should be taken with a grain of salt. But if there’s any truth to it, some might find the new slim iPhone a bit underwhelming.

SAVE UP TO 50% OFF: Ahead of Black Friday, shop early deals on Amazon Fire tablets. Find the Amazon Fire HD 10 for $74.99 and 46% off. Or check out the Fire 7 Kids Tablet for just $49.99 and 50% savings.

Best Amazon Fire Tablet Deals Best Amazon Fire Tablet deal Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet 74.99 (Save $65) Get Deal Best Fire Kids Tablet Deal Amazon Fire 7 Kids Tablet 49.99 (Save $50) Get Deal Best Amazon Fire 8 Deal Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet 54.99 (Save $45) Get Deal

We know it's hard to stomach, but the holiday shopping season has begin. The Thanksgiving Turkey isn't even in the oven, but the sales are here, and who are we to ignore good deals? Think of it this way: get all your online shopping done now, so you can shop in-store on Black Friday.

Holiday deals have kicked off at Best Buy, Target, and of course, Amazon. One of the better sales out of Amazon is on the retailer's Fire Tablets. Amazon's answer to Apple's iPad is significantly cheaper, even at full price. During this early Black Friday, find Amazon Fire Tablets for their lowest prices ever, up to 50% off.

Best Amazon Fire Tablet deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet $74.99 at Amazon
$139.99 Save $65.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Amazon's Fire HD 10 tablet is a lot friendlier on the wallet than an iPad. With a 10.1-inch screen, it's similar in size, but it's also a fraction of the price. In our review of the Amazon Fire HD 10, we delighted in its lightweight design and long-battery life. The biggest downside to Amazon's Fire tablets are the limited selection of apps offered, especially compared the the Google Play or Apple stores.

That being said, it's still not a bad choice for those who want a tablet for streaming or reading through the Kindle app. And ahead of Black Friday, the Fire HD 10 is down to its lowest price ever of $74.99. That's a generous 46% off for $65 in savings.

Best Amazon Fire Kids Tablet Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire 7 Kids Tablet $49.99 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Unlike Apple, Amazon makes tablets designed for kids. Not only does it come in a hefty case that can certainly withstand a temper tantrum, but it limits content so you don't have to worry about kids stumbling into inappropriate territory.

The Amazon Fire 7 Kids Tablet is now 50% off and down to $49.99. Plus, it comes with 6 months free of Amazon Kids+, a subscription service that offers age-friendly books, games, and videos for kiddos. Plus, just just $5 more, you can get a whole year of the service free.

More Amazon Fire deals

• Amazon Fire 7 Tablet — $49.99 $79.99 (save $30)

• Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet — $54.99 $99.99 (save $45)

• Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro Tablet — $109.99 $189.99 (save $80)

• Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet — $139.99 $229.99 (save $90)

GET $30 OFF: As of Nov. 11, you can get a 4-pack of Apple AirTags for just $69.99. That's 30% off the original price of $99.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirTag (4-Pack) $69.99 at Best Buy
$99.99 Save $30.00 Get Deal

For some of us, misplacing important objects is a daily hazard. If you leave your keys and wallet behind, or always seem to lose track of where you parked, Apple AirTags are a great solution. These tracking devices make it easy to find lost objects through the Find My app.

SEE ALSO: How to know an AirTag is tracking you

Apple AirTags aren’t just for wallets and cars. They're also useful tools for frequent travelers. Slip them into luggage to calm your nerves when your suitcase hasn’t appeared on the carousel, or give one to your teenager when they’re traveling in a foreign city.

Once placed, use the Find My app to track where your AirTags are in the world. Play a chime on their built-in speaker to help you find them beneath the couch cushions or in your backpack. 

Take advantage of this deal to get four Apple AirTags for $69.99 — a savings of 30% and one of the best AirTag deals we've seen.

When further afield, AirTags are still locatable: the Apple Find My network uses a web of millions of encrypted devices to help you locate them. Lost Mode is just for this — when you realize they're gone, designate them lost, and you’ll get a notification when they’ve been detected by the Find My network.

Thankfully, with all this tracking potential, there are systems in place to make sure that stalkers can't make use of them — even for non-Apple users.

Whether you’re adding AirTags to a keychain or backpack, there are tons of Apple and third party holders that will help you attach these to your gear.

The trailer for the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning sees Tom Cruise returning for the eighth instalment of the action franchise.

2024 has been a banner year for witches on TV, from The Acolyte's Brendok Force users to Agatha All Along's doomed coven. Now, Dune: Prophecy is here to close us out with a look at some of science fiction's greatest witchy figures: the Bene Gesserit from Frank Herbert's Dune.

With their near-supernatural control over their minds and bodies, the Bene Gesserit Sisters are a force to be reckoned with, and one of the most iconic elements of the Dune universe. Traditionally, though, they operate in the shadows, manipulating the politics of the Imperium with a firm touch. That they manage to make such an impact from the fringes in both the original Dune novels and the films speak volumes to their influence. So it should come as no surprise that they shine in the direct spotlight that Dune: Prophecy casts on them. Not only does the show deepen our understanding of the Bene Gesserit, — it also throws us into a meticulously wrought sci-fi world that finds the perfect balance between the palace intrigue and cosmic strangeness that make up Dune's bread and butter.

SEE ALSO: 'Dune: Prophecy' trailer is a treat for Bene Gesserit fans What is Dune: Prophecy about? Charithra Chandran, Yerin Ha, Jessica Barden, and Emma Canning in "Dune: Prophecy." Credit: Attila Szvacsek/HBO

Inspired by Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert (Frank Herbert's son) and Kevin J. Anderon, Dune: Prophecy kicks off over 10,000 years before Paul Atreides was born. That means the Imperium — the galactic empire of noble houses — we see in the show is fairly different from what we've come to know from both Frank Herbert's original novels and David Lynch and Denis Villeneuve's films. (And while familiar names like Atreides, Harkonnen, and Corrino do pop up, they aren't quite the families you're used to.) At this point in time, the Imperium is still reeling from the Butlerian Jihad, a war against "thinking machines" that rendered all artificial intelligence forbidden.

Since then, new forms of power have risen to fill the vacuum left by thinking machines. Among them are the Bene Gesserit — known for now simply as "the Sisterhood" — who have yet to grow into the force they are in Dune. These Sisters still wield great influence, serving the Great Houses as Truthsayers. However, abilities like the controlling Voice have yet to become the norm, and the breeding project to create the Kwistatz Haderach is not in motion.

SEE ALSO: Fan who has seen 'Dune: Part Two' 10 times breaks his silence

Leading the Sisterhood is Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson), who is determined to use her status to push the boundaries of what it means to be human. She also wishes to increase the Sisterhood's power in the Imperium, conspiring with her sister Tula (Olivia Williams) to put a Sister on the throne. What prompted all this scheming? A prophecy from the Sisterhood's founder Mother Raquella (Cathy Tyson), who foresaw the coming of a terrible tyrant who would bring the Sisterhood to its knees.

However, after a brutal attack racks the Sisterhood, Valya finds herself faced with a daunting question. Could all her work to improve the Sisterhood's standing in the Imperium be bringing about the very destruction Mother Raquella warned her of?

Dune: Prophecy is dense, but deliciously epic Jodhi May and Mark Strong in "Dune: Prophecy." Credit: Attila Szvacsek/HBO

Valya's preoccupations with prophecy are only one branch of Dune: Prophecy's sprawling narrative. Elsewhere, Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong) struggles to keep control over the planet Arrakis. (In Dune, there are some things even 10,000 years can't change.) He also welcomes the charismatic, Sisterhood-hating soldier Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) into his inner circle, causing friction with Valya and his daughter Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina), who hopes to one day be a Sister herself.

Meanwhile, the young acolytes of the Sisterhood undergo rigorous physical and mental training. Some, like the slippery Sister Jen (Faoileann Cunningham), question the Sisterhood's control over its members. Others, like Sister Theodosia (Jade Anouka) or Sister Lila (Chloe Lea), remain fiercely loyal, even if that means pushing themselves past their limits. But do they make these choices of their own free will? Or are they just pawns of prophecy?

SEE ALSO: How is 'Dune: Part Two' different from the book?

These many intertwining stories are a lot to take in, especially when paired with the deep, strange lore of Dune. Plus, a veritable exposition bomb in the show's first 10 minutes is enough to make it seem like Dune: Prophecy is only accessible for hardcore Dune lovers.

Yet once you get past those initial exposition-heavy scenes (and yes, they are a lot), Dune: Prophecy unfurls into a deliciously varied sci-fi epic with a little something for everyone. If you love political machinations, you'll be blessed with scene after scene of scheming and negotiations. (Truly, this is the closest TV has gotten to the idea of "Game of Thrones...in space!") If you want more insight into what goes into becoming a Sister, brace yourself for the rigorous training acolytes undergo, which feels like Dune's take on the "magic school" trope. And of course, if you're looking for some of Dune's wonderful sci-fi weirdness (we're talking about a series where someone becomes a worm, after all), you're in luck. Dune: Prophecy makes a meal of the Sisters' many strange visions, in some cases even eclipsing Villeneuve's interpretations of the Bene Gesserit's internal powers. Plus, we get the occasional visit from the almighty sandworm, whose appearances never feel like gratuitous Dune Easter eggs but rather a key part of the story to come.

With so much juicy story to unpack, it's almost easy to overlook Dune: Prophecy's greatest flaws. Again, its first few minutes are a barrage of narrative bullet points that barely give you time to sink into the show's world. Elsewhere, the occasional clunky sexposition scene can feel like a dated stereotype about what a 2010s-era HBO sex scene should look like.

Overall, though, showrunner Alison Schapker (Westworld, Lost) deftly navigates the minefields that come with adapting anything related to Dune. Following its early sprint to get us up to speed on all things Sisterhood, Dune: Prophecy steps back from lore overload and instead focuses on the characters — most of them women — who make it tick. Dune as a series is full of complex women, with some, like Chani, gaining far more nuance and agency in Villeneuve's films. But to see the Sisterhood take center stage in Dune: Prophecy is to add more depth to the women who will tread in their footsteps thousands of years down the line — especially since we know how their plans will one day turn out.

It's a treat, too, to wind back the clock on the worlds of Dune, as Dune: Prophecy delivers some of the most stunning sets and costumes on TV this year. Between the sumptuous halls of Emperor Corrino's palace, the austere library of the Sisterhood, and the hazy pleasures of a spice den, each environment is nothing short of awe-inspiring. As harsh as the Imperium can be, there's something alluring about it, too — just as the power the Sisterhood wields can be a double-edged sword. You'll want it, you'll fear it, but above all, you'll just need to keep watching it.

Dune: Prophecy premieres Nov. 17 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

Just last year, the internet was mightily bemused by the discovery that many men are low-key obsessed with the Roman Empire. Decades after Gladiator swept the Oscars, Ridley Scott is back with the highly anticipated Gladiator II, proving there's no historical fixation quite like it. This long-awaited sequel is an extraordinary creation, made up of outrageous action sequences inspired by ancient history, emotional storytelling underpinned by modern ideals of masculinity, and yet joltingly problematic gender norms. But are you not entertained?

Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal as Maximus 2.0.  Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal face off in "Gladiator II." Credit: Paramount Pictures

Reteaming with Napoleon and All The Money In the World scribe David Scarpa, Scott lays down a story of Lucius Verus, son of Lucilla, who was daughter, then sister, to two successive Roman emperors. In the first film. Lucius was a boy who idealized the revolutionary gladiator Maximus (Russell Crowe). In the sequel, he's all grown up and played by Paul Mescal, a contemporary figure of non-toxic masculinity. 

Like Maximus before him, Lucius is a disillusioned citizen of Rome who's been tossed in the Colosseum as meat for the grinder that is the empire's entertainment. In Gladiator II, he will not only face off against trained warriors — including a decorated Roman general played by The Last of Us' Pedro Pascal — but also an array of wild animals, like a rampaging baboon, a charging rhinoceros, and thrashing sharks. Believe it or not, many of these seemingly ludicrous moments are actually cherry-picked from Rome's heyday. And under Scott's eye for spectacle, these scenes are freshly shocking and, yes, very damn exciting. 

Lucius fights not only to survive, but — also like Maximus — to avenge his wife, who was slain by the command of a cruel emperor, and to bring about "the dream of Rome," meaning an empire not run by reckless, mercurial tyrants. Long dead is Gladiator's villain (played by a squalling Joaquin Phoenix), and in his place are a pair of red-haired, pasty-skinned twins, Emperor Geta (Stranger Things' Joseph Quinn) and Emperor Caracalla (Thelma's Fred Hechinger). Though the framework of this plotline is very similar to the 2000 box office hit that preceded it, Gladiator II brings a fresh vulnerability to its titular hero. 

Mescal has packed on added brawn for the role of a warrior, but the boyish vulnerability radiant in his critically heralded performances in the indie dramas Aftersun and All of Us Strangers shines through. He doesn't just put on a scowl and seek bloody vengeance on those who killed his beloved wife (May Calamawy). He also talks about his feelings to his mother (a returning Connie Nielsen). And even as he battles, he carries with him not just a sword but a woeful expression that violence is his only resort. There's a tragedy even in victory, in part because it's been 20 years since Maximus fought for Rome to be freed, and change has not come, a heavy burden that Mescal carries with every step. 

Ridley makes femininity a failing in Gladiator II.  Connie Nielsen plays Lucilla and Joseph Quinn plays Emperor Geta in "Gladiator II." Credit: Paramount Pictures

Throughout his long and storied career, Scott has delivered movies that are not only critically praised and iconic, but also engaging in terms of gender politics. Sure, on the surface 1979's Alien was Jaws in space. But beneath the creature-feature creepiness, Scott fostered a narrative about the horrors of losing your bodily autonomy that rings all the more horrifying since Roe v. Wade's been overturned. Then in 1991, Thelma & Louise offered a free-wheeling tale of female friendship, liberation, and vengeance for an attempted rape. The hardships of female soldiers in the U.S. military was the center of 1997's G.I. Jane. And most recently in 2021, Scott delivered the double whammy of the scorching rape culture historical drama The Last Duel and the deliciously trashy exploration of a wife's ruthless revenge in House of Gucci. Where does Gladiator II fit into all this? 

Well, on the other side of the gender politics divide, Scott has also explored male egotism, blind ambition, and the paternal urge to protect in warrior-focused films like Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Robin Hood, The Last Duel, and last year's Napoleon. Here is where Gladiator II fits, building on Scott's keen understanding of the slippery man's world where politics meets corruption and principles meet violence. However, where some elements of Gladiator II build on the original film, others are awkward reworkings, and still others feel like clumsy ideas undeserving of screen time in 2024. 

This is a story of men, men, men, from the gladiators to the emperors to the generals to the senators to the conniving arms dealer Macrinus (Denzel Washington in top form), who plays many of these figures like pawns on a chess board. Women in Gladiator II exist to be cut down (or fridged, to pull from comic book conventions) or suffer in strong-jawed steadiness. Lucilla is not exactly reduced to a damsel in distress, as there's a subplot has her plotting a coup against the sniveling emperor twins. However, her role in the film is chiefly as the mother who disappointed her son, so many of her scenes are about apologizing for being a bad mom. She is a Strong Female Character, reduced chiefly to her roles in the lives of the men around her. 

Meanwhile, the twins are ghastly throwbacks to the lisping, sissy villains of 1960s movies. Surrounded by tanned, brawny men in leather armor, Geta and Caracalla are scrawny, sickly pale, and dress in embroidered robes and gold crowns, rocking excitedly in their thrones like mischievous children. They are not just foils to Lucius and the other traditionally manly men strutting and brawling in Gladiator II. The emperors are queer-coded characters, meant to be repellant not only for their sadistic behavior but also for their mewling femininity, a sign of their weakness. They are an amped-up version of Phoenix's Commodus, not only because there are two of them, but because they are even more visibly effete — as if the root of their evil was their lack of machismo. 

The tropes in this emperor diptych are bizarrely dated, undercutting Gladiator II's exploration of masculinity by leaning into regressive tropes. Would it not have been enough to make them sickly? Or with an ego based on power over nobility? In either case, Washington's Macrinus comes to complicate matters and save this movie from Scarpa and Scott's worst impulses. 

Denzel Washington is glorious as Gladiator II's most compelling figure.  Denzel Washington plays Macrinus in "Gladiator II." Credit: Paramount Pictures

Mescal will rightly win praise for his textured lead turn, and Pascal fans will cheer for his latest portrayal of a world-weary warrior, equally dashing and haunted. (Their face-off is among the movie's most thrilling sequences, and it doesn't even involve shark attacks!) Yet it is no surprise that 10-time Oscar nominee (and two-time Academy Award–winner) Denzel Washington steals this movie. 

Where much of the cast is pitched into the labyrinthine retread of the first film's plotline, Washington forges a fresh path with Macrinus. Introduced as a slave owner who buys Lucius to fight in the Colosseum, Macrinus is bedecked in gold and richly colored fabrics that scream of wealth. But even when Scott cuts to close-ups that clip out these visual cues, Washington's countenance alone conveys the character's comfortable status. His physicality, full of grand, sweeping arm gestures that make dramatic use of his rich robes, suggests this man is comfortable being seen — in fact, he demands to be! And yet, there's a glimmer in his eye that warns he's no fool like Rome's senators and emperors, who relish every cheap thrill of sex, violence, and animal cruelty. He is a force of masculinity, mighty yet terrible, focused on what he can own, not what he might build for others. 

Scarpa bestows upon Washington a monologue of backstory, which the rightfully heralded actor makes a feast of. But even in little moments of smiling threats or whispered villainy, he is utterly compelling. Part of this is Washington's screen presence, which is still that of an absolute movie star. He carries a gravitas that suggests the most powerful man in Rome is not the guy wielding the mightiest sword, but the one who can turn every word into a weapon. 

Make no mistake. Gladiator II is bedecked with action sequences that are awe-inspiring — especially in the IMAX presentation showed to critics. The fight choreography feels as ruthless as the gnarliest matches out of the AEW. There are man-versus-beast matches that are electrifyingly feral, despite Mescal facing off against a clearly CG critter. And there are one-on-one duels that are powerful not only in their violent blows but in their emotional underpinnings. And yet, Washington is the film's most marvelous draw. Whether he is making a plaything out of a dead man's head or flashing his signature smile like a warning, he is marvelous to behold. 

In short, Scott's Gladiator II is an ambitious film, full of action, drama, stranger-than-fiction history, and palpable emotion, but it's also tiresome and riddled with problematic tropes. Still, it's undeniably enthralling, which is more than can be said for his similarly grand Napoleon. For all its faults, Gladiator II is an extraordinary film, the kind that demands to be seen in theaters. 

Gladiator II opens in theaters Nov. 22.