Tech / Technology

Why are masked characters so hot? Sex therapists weigh in.

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Why are masked characters so hot? Sex therapists weigh in.

From thirsting over “Daddy” Michael Myers to simping for Scream franchise villain Ghostface, the internet is really into masked men. Last month, the phrase “Ghostface kink” trended on Google search because TikTok users were in the (horny) Halloween spirit. Some creators made videos from the point of view of someone being murdered by him (for sexy purposes), while others bought their partners Ghostface masks to spice up their love life.

Over the past few months, content creator Brittany Broski has waxed poetic about her attraction toTikTok cosplayers who dress up as masked character Ghost from Call of Duty as well as the masked band Sleep Token. A video of her talking about “jerkin’ it” to the mysterious rockers has half a million views on TikTok.

“If I see a man in a mask,” Broski has said, “it’s over.” That’s because, she admits with tongue-in-cheek self-awareness, “I have a mental problem, I have a mental lack somewhere… and I’m not really motivated to do anything about it.”

Our curiosity has been piqued by these feral FYP posts, so we asked two professionals to weigh in on the erotic possibilities of masks. What’s so enticing about them, even (or especially) when they’re worn by murderous characters? What does our attraction to masked figures tell us about our greater sexual desires?

Fear and uncertainty

Fear and arousal can be strange, sexy bedfellows. That’s because they “come from the same base emotion [of] physiological arousal.” says Gigi Engle, a certified sex and relationship psychotherapist and resident intimacy expert at dating app 3Fun. The adrenaline that accompanies fear increases heart rate and blood pressure. “It’s a state of euphoria so intense that we chase it and seek it out,” she says. “Think of people who absolutely love rollercoasters or scary movies. They genuinely enjoy the feeling of being afraid.”

With all that excitement, blood flow to the genitals also increases. “This is why people in fearful states sometimes report experiencing a genital response despite not feeling turned on,” says Engle. “Consensual encounters designed to amplify the ‘near-death’ feeling are not literally putting you in a life-threatening situation, but your nervous system doesn’t know how to make the distinction.”

So, those TikToks that make it kind of hot to be killed by Ghostface? The fun is all in the fantasy. “Even though fear can amplify sexual excitement, you also need to know that the ‘fear’ or perceived ‘danger’ is grounded in real safety,” Engle notes. “In order to become fully aroused, we need to feel safe.” 

Anonymity and confidence

“Sometimes a mask grants the opposite of fear and can help someone feel safe and confident,” says Bobby Box, certified sex educator at b-Vibe. “Similar to how trolls who feel comfortable being rude online but not in person, there is a veil that can make someone act more bold or out of character.”

“When you obscure even a portion of someone’s face, their identity is immediately changed,” Box explains. Plus, masks can alter the voice, “further removing any identity from an individual.”

Then, the possibilities for sexy fun multiply. “This person can be anyone and do anything, which can be incredibly sexy given the scenario,” he says. “I know many gay men who prefer anonymous sex or ask that you wear a blindfold so their identity isn’t revealed. While some men do this because they are closeted, others are merely turned on by the fact they’re having sex with a stranger.”

A study from early in 2023 found that people who think they are attractive are less likely to still wear a mask in hypothetical situations like a job interview or while walking their dog than someone who does not think they are attractive. Box says this extends to the bedroom, where masks can make someone who isn’t confident in their appearance feel more comfortable and adventurous.

Role-play and fantasy

When it comes to role-play, masks are “a simple way to visually assume a role without much effort,” says Box. “I mean, Clark Kent wore a measly pair of glasses as a disguise and nobody knew he was Superman.”

Bad boy tropes and forbidden trysts up the ante of a sexual encounter with any partner, whether they’re a stranger or a long-term love. Masks are often crucial to the believability of this kind of role-play and help with immersion, says Box. If our desire to make out with a tragic character is motivated in part by our belief that our love can fix him (ex. the Phantom of the Opera, Kylo Ren), then removing his mask is a sign of deepening trust and connection.

When people are attracted to fictional characters they see in horror films and media, that attraction can get mixed up with fear in interesting ways. Engle explains that when fear is “coupled with an erotic cue or image,” for example, “a sexy actor starring in the scary movie you’re watching (think Brad Pitt in Seven)… [T]he physiological arousal produced by fear can be mistaken for sexual arousal because people are misattributing the true source of that arousal.” Basically, “they’re linking it to the sexy person rather than to the fearful situation.”

And this happens for people you’re attracted to IRL, too. Engle says that “riding a rollercoaster with a date you’d fancy seeing naked later,” for example, can also make it hard to separate fear from attraction.

Ironically, covering up in the bedroom may be one of the easiest ways to set yourself free from insecurities or expectations. As long as you feel safe, incorporating masks into sex is totally normal.

Tech / Technology

‘How To Have Sex’ exposes the grim gender gap for virginity, sex, and the teen holiday experience

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Molly Manning Walker’s film is a chilling revelation of how sexual pressures can manifest differently for men and women.
A young woman and a young man cheers plastic cups on a night out.

Content warning: This feature discusses sexual assault.

It was meant to be the “best holiday ever” but it ended up being a euphoric yet devastating life lesson. 

Molly Manning Walker’s Cannes Film Festival breakout How To Have Sex takes audiences on a sizzling, searing journey to Malia, Crete, on a tumultuous girls trip. Three teenage best friends Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Skye (Lara Peake), and Em (Enva Lewis) have finished their exams and are taking the Cretan town by storm in a blur of hedonism and newfound independence. But what ensues amongst the fish bowl cocktails and sticky nightclub anthems is a tussle with toxic friendships and the nuances of sexual assault and consent. At its core, the film weaves a dark but important tale of female sexuality and pressure.

How To Have Sex encourages post-watch conversations about problematic gender and sexual dynamics, particularly for young people. Walker’s film highlights the harsh contrast between the perceived experience of the “lads” and “girls” holidays, and how they are both portrayed in popular British culture. As a rite of passage, it is known as a trip taken by young women and men during school or college age – often a first solo trip abroad, even more often an excuse to blow off steam, party and experiment sexually. 

Two teen girls hug on a dancefloor with their eyes closed and smiling.

Em (Enva Lewis) and Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce).
Credit: Film4

When we watch films about “lads holidays” — think The Inbetweeners, American Pie, The Hangover, 22 Jump Street — they’re mostly lighthearted stories of young men on their quest to “get laid”, an experience, for better or worse, that’s often trivialised in comparison to the darker undertones of How To Have Sex and its female leads’ experiences.

SEE ALSO:

‘How to Have Sex’ review: A brutally honest film about early sexual experiences

The film is a chilling revelation of how sexual pressures can manifest differently for men and women — pop culture represents men having a laugh as they navigate their sexuality, while women are often put in danger. This portrayal is not an accident — it reflects the dark side of this journey for women. One in 16 U.S. women experienced forced or coerced intercourse as their first sexual experience in their early teens, according to a study, while a U.N. Women UK investigation found that 97 percent of women aged 18-24 have been sexually harassed.

How to Have Sex highlights the gender gap in terms of early sexual experiences

Three young women giggle together.

Skye (Lara Peake), Em (Enva Lewis), and Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce).
Credit: Film4

For sexologist and relationship therapist Madalaine Munro, this highlights a gender gap when it comes to inherent safety within early sexual experiences, and how it has become normalised. Clinical psychologist Dr. Sarah Bishop adds that the lighter portrayal of male sexual experiences “trivialises male sexual exploration, often without addressing the consequences or complexities involved.”

Walker’s research while making the film revealed surprising attitudes towards consent and sexual assault in younger generations. In an interview with Empire, she described “mind-blowing” pre-shoot workshops with teens during which some girls expressed views that veered towards victim blaming. When the production team asked their focus group to read a scene of sexual assault from the film, “they’d be like, ‘I don’t see any issues with this scene,'” Walker said, with one participant saying: “Girls have to wear better clothes. They have to protect themselves and not get drunk.” Victim blaming aside, it’s clear that young women are absorbing societal messages that the onus of preventing sexual assault falls to those most vulnerable. 


Conversations need to be had about the dangerous consequences of victim blaming, particularly amongst women in female friendship groups.

The director described How To Have Sex as “the sort of film we need right now… one we’ve needed for a long, long time”. Conversations need to be had about the dangerous consequences of victim blaming, particularly amongst women in female friendship groups.

“When society teaches women to be competitive, dismissive, and weary of each other it adds to the lack of safety each woman inherently feels,” Munro explains. “It also creates a subtle narrative for women normalising mistreatment — that it is OK to be treated poorly by both men and women. This makes violence against women more dangerous because they feel isolated in it, and they can’t trust others for support while going through traumatic events.”

The film navigates the nuances of consent onscreen

A teen girl looks deeply serious at a party.


Credit: Film4

The film also dives deep into the nuances of consent, as protagonist Mia (played to perfection by McKenna-Bruce) encounters multiple sexual assaults from a “lad” her friends meet and party with on the Malia strip, Paddy (Samuel Bottomley). She’s depicted saying “no” repeatedly, then “yes” in one instance, with clear negative and uncomfortable body language throughout all of the interactions, causing the viewer to think deeply about what consent truly is, and how it cannot be binary and must be continuous. More than that, consent can be withdrawn at any stage – and Tara’s experience onscreen brings attention to this often overlooked fact. Here, we see that “giving in” and saying “yes” after saying “no” repeatedly beforehand does not necessarily count as consent. 

“We are witnessing a transition where consent wasn’t spoken about in the mainstream perhaps a decade ago, so as a society we are catching up with learning about consent,” Munro says. “For many, nuances in consent may be deeply misunderstood because we are living within an infrastructure which wasn’t built to recognise them.” She adds that “consent education at schools is so important, to help children and teenagers understand how to determine their own yes or no, and also how to process someone else’s no.”


“For many, nuances in consent may be deeply misunderstood because we are living within an infrastructure which wasn’t built to recognise them.”

The pressures around damaging trivialisation of “virginity” is also explored, with Tara’s friend Skye threatening to out her sexual inexperience in a game of Never Have I Ever. She tells Tara, “if you don’t get laid this holiday, you never will,” perfectly demonstrating the toxic competitive element of sexual discovery and experimentation, and how peer pressure influences and exacerbates it. It brings attention to how problematic “virginity” is as a concept – after all, it exists as a socially constructed idea within a patriarchal structure to devalue women, including Tara and her friends.

It encapsulates the onus that is applied to one’s first sexual experience, and the way this can warp our expectations to a dangerous degree. Bishop advises that discussions around virginity need to shift from judgement and shame to one that focuses on “personal choice and autonomy”, adding that stories onscreen should depict “a range of experiences and challenge stereotypes”, leading us to a more realistic and inclusive portrayal of virginity. This should help to dismantle harmful narratives, but before these conversations can shift, the negative nature of the status quo has to be highlighted.

Two teen girls stand wearing white dresses in a takeaway shop.


Credit: Film4

In the aftermath of her sexual assault, we see Tara operate in silence, unable to put into words what happened to her. She speaks of how “strong” Paddy is, how he “knew what he was doing”, but the vocabulary of assault is never used. It’s a heartbreaking example of the need for better education around this subject, so that young people, whether they are victims or not, can express themselves about and call out this behaviour.

“From a psychological perspective, sex education is vital to help people develop the emotional and cognitive skills necessary for understanding consent, building healthy relationships, and reducing the stigma around the issues,” Bishop says, adding that a lack of education increases the likelihood of assaults occurring due to people being unaware of what constitutes sexual violence and abusive behaviour.


“For some women, this behaviour can be so normalised that they may not even realise that it is abuse until they see it on the screen.”

Munro adds that this silence and lack of communication after assault is part of a larger picture that involves lack of barriers to resources for victims – government research in January 2023 saw a reduction in conviction rates across domestic abuse (2.1 percent) and rape (7.2 percent). As well as pushing, campaigning and insisting on better sex education, instigating these important conversations through film, TV and other mediums is crucial.

“When consent and violence is portrayed on screen, it can give a voice to women who may not feel they have one. It may help them to understand the impact of what they have been through in a more accessible way,” Munro says. 

“For some women, this behaviour can be so normalised that they may not even realise that it is abuse until they see it on the screen.”

How to Have Sex makes plain the importance of men holding other men responsible

A teen boy with bleached hair and a neck tattoo of a lipstick mark looks concerned.

Badger (Shaun Thomas).
Credit: Film4

Another huge vehicle for change when it comes to sexual assault and violence against women is exploring how men can help in preventing and challenging it – and How To Have Sex depicts this important issue perfectly. Alongside Paddy, we have the dubiously named Badger (played by Shaun Thomas), who forms his own friendship with Tara and clearly holds suspicions about potential sinister behaviour from his mate. But, significantly, he says nothing to try and stop it. He comforts Tara, sure, with weak comments about how long he’s known his friend — as if friendship duration negates the damage and his complicity.  

SEE ALSO:

Fighting violence against women, we need men to be part of the conversation

Tackling this tricky dynamic, and the importance of men holding other men responsible for their actions, is one of the film’s biggest achievements. 

“Engaging men and boys is very much part of the solution to ending male violence against women and girls,” Rebecca Hitchen, head of policy and campaigns at the End Violence Against Women Coalition tells Mashable. “Women consistently say they want men to call out unacceptable views and behaviour amongst their peer groups, and to be helpful bystanders. This means naming problematic behaviour when you see it, confronting your own ideas about masculinity and sometimes intervening in harassment and assault in safe ways.”

Munro insists that portraying the impact of men not holding other men accountable on screen is important, showing the impact of enabling and perpetuating abuse. “The standard of what is socially acceptable then changes, as we see with outdated perceptions of consent, abuse and violence,” she says.


Tackling this tricky dynamic, and the importance of men holding other men responsible for their actions, is one of the film’s biggest achievements. 

One of Walker’s core missions with How To Have Sex was to shine a light on the “gap in education around consent” – she has done this and more, isolating shadowy corners of sexuality and holding them to the light. Munro calls films like this “pivotal for bringing conversations around consent and sexual pressures forward”.

“When we look at old romantic comedies, some of the behaviour normalises nonconsensual, harmful behaviour,” she says. “So films and stories that discuss consent and sexual challenges can help people to identify things that we relate to but may not have words for.” 

Hitchen adds: “We’re still a long way from shifting public attitudes to sex, and it’s crucial that this is tackled not only through education and public campaigns, but in popular culture like films, TV shows, books, the media and beyond, which drives a crucial part of what we find acceptable and how we collectively think and behave.”

How To Have Sex, and films like it past and present, can stand strong alongside other campaign methods to change how we speak about sexuality and assault, and how they are navigated in the future.

How To Have Sex is now showing in cinemas.

If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the free, confidential National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or access the 24-7 help online by visiting online.rainn.org.

Tech / Technology

The best movies on Peacock for when you need some wild fun

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From Harry Potter to Fast & Furious and “Bridesmaids,” Peacock has the hits you need to see (again).

Some days, it feels like there are too many streaming services and too many options. How can you possibly choose what movie to watch next?

For those of you who have Peacock (and why wouldn’t you? Their TV offerings are stacked!), we’re here to help. We’ve combed through the streaming service’s catalog to bring you the funniest comedies, the most moving dramas, the most suspenseful thrillers, and the all-around best movies for your viewing pleasure. All you need to bring is the popcorn!

1. Asteroid City

Jason Schwartzman and Tom Hanks talk on the phone in "Asteroid City."


Credit: Focus Features

The most “Wes Anderson” of Anderson’s prolific and twee oeuvre, Asteroid City is not for everyone. If you’ve never found meaning in the stylistic artifice of an Anderson film, then you might feel similarly baffled here. But if Anderson’s whimsy has spoken to you in the past, then take comfort knowing this most recent offering might be his most intricate and affecting film to date. 

Existential and gentle, Asteroid City is a movie about a show about a play, a nesting doll artistic endeavor keenly interested in the nature of storytelling. Is it about an alien encounter in a fictional desert town or the playwright and actors who brought the fictional desert town to life? Or is it about Anderson himself, an explainer on his hyper-specific body of work? The answer is all of this and more. Asteroid City is a fanciful, emotional triumph, popping off the screen with vibrant technicolor and a stacked cast of familiar faces and vibrant newcomers. A must-see film for Anderson-fans. — Kristina Grosspietsch, Freelance Contributing Writer

How to watch: Asteroid City is now streaming on Peacock.

2. Bridesmaids

Wendi McLendon-Covey, Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Ellie Kemper in "Bridesmaids"


Credit: Suzanne Hanover / Universal / Kobal / Shutterstock

If you haven’t seen Bridesmaids, written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, we’re so sorry that you’ve obviously been trapped in a siren’s cave for the last 11 years — because there is simply no other excuse. Bridesmaids was an era-defining film. In 2011, there were still prominent male comedians claiming women couldn’t be funny! Bridesmaids put an end to the debate.

Wiig stars as Annie, a wayward thirtysomething who feels out of step with her best friend Lillian (a perfect Maya Rudolph) when she meets the other women in Lillian’s bridal party. What follows is both romantic comedy and buddy flick, stuffed to the brim with punchlines, physical gags, and a repulsive and unforgettable gross-out scene. The entire cast here is flawless: Rose Byrne is delightfully haughty. Jon Hamm is perfect as a hot idiot. Chris O’Dowd is a swoon-worthy love interest, and Melissa McCarthy was nominated for a dang Oscar for her scene-stealing performance as another misfit bridesmaid. Please escape the siren’s cave and see this legendary comedy — for your own good! — K.G.

How to watch: Bridesmaids is streaming on Peacock.

3. John Wick

Keanu Reeves in "John Wick."


Credit: David Lee / Thunder Road / Lionsgate / 87eleven / Mjw / Summit / Kobal / Shutterstock

Currently, all John Wick properties, including the so-so prequel series, The Continental, are streaming on Peacock. This highly stylized and violent neo-noir thriller franchise tells the story of John Wick (Keanu Reeves), the best assassin there ever was, who gets drawn back into the underworld after a personal tragedy leaves him set on revenge. Wick’s body count is prodigious and creative, but his cause is just. You can’t help but root for the quiet, brooding antihero. He wanted out of the game — but the game won’t let him say goodbye that easily. John Wick is a nonstop action spectacular with stunning cinematogaphy and positively mesmerizing fight choreography. — K.G.

How to watch: John Wick is now streaming on Peacock.

SEE ALSO:

‘The Continental’ review: Just watch ‘John Wick’ instead

4. The Outfit

Mark Rylance and Zoey Deutch in "The Outfit."


Credit: Focus Features

This cleverly twisted crime film was written and directed by Graham Moore, who won an Oscar for his adapted screenplay of The Imitation Game in 2015. The incomparable Mark Rylance stars as a soft-spoken British tailor who makes beautiful, bespoke men’s suits in 1950s Chicago. Unfortunately, most of his clientele are ruthless mobsters. The majority of the movie takes place in the span of one shocking and breathless night when his gangster clients seek shelter in the shop after an unexpected shootout from a rival organization.

The Outfit is a sophisticated and constantly surprising thriller. As Rylance’s assistant, Zoey Deutch is as charming as always, and Johnny Flynn thrives while playing against type as a no-good ’50s gangster. It’s an absolute gem of a film that will keep you guessing the whole way through. — K.G.

How to watch: The Outfit is streaming on Peacock.

5. Dayveon 

Kordell Johnson, Devin Blackmon in "Dayveon"


Credit: Mama Bear Studios / Kobal / Shutterstock

Devin Blackmon stars as Dayveon, a young kid in Arkansas struggling in the aftermath of his brother’s death. Unmoored and spending his days listlessly wandering the little town he lives in, he is increasingly drawn to the sense of belonging he finds in a local gang. Directed by Amman Abbasi, with a script by Abbasi and Steven Reneau, Dayveon is a sophisticated and deeply intimate film made even more incredible by the fact that its cast is primarily composed of non-actors. It’s a moving and beautifully shot story that feels wholly, heartbreakingly real. — K.G.

How to watch: Dayveon is streaming on Peacock.

SEE ALSO:

13 Best shows on Peacock for when you need a break or a binge-watch

6. Girls Trip

Tiffany Haddish in "Girls Trip."


Credit: Michele K Short / Universal / Kobal / Shutterstock

2017’s raunchy comedy about a group of friends traveling to New Orleans for the Essence Music Festival made Tiffany Haddish a household name. And once you watch the scene of her zip-lining above a partying crowd on Bourbon Street, you’ll know why. Written by Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver, Girls Trip is boisterous, outrageous, and ridiculously lovable. The jubilant cast, starring Haddish, Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Queen Latifah, is clearly having so much fun celebrating female debauchery, it’s hard not to be on board with Girls Trip. — K.G.

How to watch: Girls Trip is now streaming on Peacock.

7. Trainwreck

Amy Schumer, Bill Hader in "Trainwreck"


Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

The mid-2010s brought us ombre hair, planking, and #YOLO, but its most enduring cultural addition was a wave of movies about imperfect women. More female-led films at the box office meant there was finally enough space for leading ladies who didn’t have to meet every standard to which we hold the modern women. Movie theaters were flooded with bad moms, antiheroines, and the sloppiest drunks you’ve ever seen in your life. Enter Trainwreck, a hilarious and irreverent rom-com directed by Judd Apatow and starring Amy Schumer in a role that’s basically her hot mess stand-up persona come to life.

In this hysterical comedy, Schumer and Bill Hader are surprisingly charming together as opposites attract. Plus, John Cena and LeBron James both add an unexpected sparkle to a fun and cheeky romance. — K.G.

How to watch: Trainwreck is streaming on Peacock.

8. Ip Man

Donnie Yen in "IP Man 3."


Credit: Dreams Salon Culture / Pegasus Motion / Kobal / Shutterstock

Ip Man is an exciting Hong Kong martial arts biopic about the extraordinary life of the Wing Chun grandmaster who was Bruce Lee’s martial arts teacher. The film tracks Ip Man’s journey from the Southern Chinese village where he was well known as a skilled martial artist to his family’s displacement during the Japanese occupation of the Second Sino-Japanese War, his eventual rise as a fighter, and his establishment of a school in Hong Kong.

Starring the skillful Donnie Yen, Ip Man doesn’t skimp on character development; it’s an electrifying rumination on philosophy, power, and honor in addition to its stunning action. Ip Man is a deeply influential film in the martial arts genre and, to everyone’s delight, has inspired three equally stirring sequels, all of which are available on Peacock. — K.G.

How to watch: Ip Man is streaming on Peacock.

9. Harry Potter (the entire series!)

And now the franchise that needs no introduction: Harry Potter. The original eight-movie series starts as a charming coming-of-age tale about a boy wizard learning about magic and ends as a serious and emotional allegory about fighting fascism and the lengths we will go to protect the people we love. J.K. Rowling notwithstanding, Harry Potter is our hero, Ron Weasley our goofy best friend, and Hermione our actual hero, because duh.

The quality of the movies vary based on the different directors at the helm and the age of the young leads, but the strength of the source material — paired with the prodigious gifts of the many, many storied British actors who fill out the sparkling supporting cast — assure a satisfying watch. Most agree that the final two movies, each covering half of the last book in the series, are the most enthralling in the group — but you’ll have to watch them all to get what’s going on. So, you might as well start with number one, The Sorcerer’s Stone, and go from there. Poor you! You’re about to have a really great time! — K.G.

How to watch: Harry Potter is streaming on Peacock.

SEE ALSO:

‘The Secrets of Dumbledore’ review: Time to put ‘Fantastic Beasts’ out of its misery

10. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Henry Thomas in "E.T."


Credit: Patrick Rideaux / Shutterstock

You haven’t seen E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, yet? So you’ve been politely laughing along every time someone has said “E.T. phone home” for the last 50 years?! It’s time to get on it already. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a beloved family movie classic for a reason — it’s simply fantastic.

Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece tells the story of Elliott Turner, a 10-year-old who finds an alien in his backyard. With his siblings, he must help his new friend get back home or risk his being turned over to the government. It’s an exciting, heartwarming adventure that makes you feel like a kid again and inspired a half-century of copycats and homages (Stranger Things, anyone?). Despite being filmed five decades ago, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial has not lost an ounce of its charm and emotional punch, a testament to its enduring quality. If you haven’t seen it, put E.T. at the top of your queue, immediately. — K.G. 

How to watch: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is now streaming on Peacock.

11. Long Way North

This absolutely stunning, hand-drawn film hasn’t garnered as much attention as, say, Pixar’s latest, but that’s no reason to skip this immensely affecting French-Danish tale. Sasha (Christa Théret) is a 15-year-old aristocrat living in 19th-century St. Petersburg, Russia. Determined to find her missing grandfather, a famed explorer, and clear her family’s name, she locates a vessel and sets off with a motley crew into the unforgiving Arctic landscape.

Directed by Rémi Chayé, Long Way North is both an epic adventure and a human drama, exploring themes of empowerment and empathy. What truly makes this 80-minute movie special, though, is its unique artistic style. The snow-covered landscape might be stark, but Long Way North makes the icy world feel both beautiful and alive. — K.G.

How to Watch: Long Way North is streaming on Peacock.

12. Melancholia

Part of Lars von Trier’s “Depression Trilogy,” (which includes Antichrist and Nymphomaniac), 2011’s Melancholia is an artsy, atmospheric sci-fi thriller about the end of the world. A rogue planet is due to collide with Earth, and everyone must come face-to-face with the inevitable nothingness ahead of them. The cast is magnetic (Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexander Skarsgård, and more) and the cinematography is unforgettable. A memorable, piercing rumination on grief that stands alone in its category. — K.G.

How to watch: Melancholia is now streaming on Peacock.

13. Back to the Future

Michael J. Fox in "Back to the Future."


Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

There’s no way you haven’t heard of 1985’s Back to the Future, the comedy science fiction romp — and honest-to-god American classic — that made the world fall in love with Michael J. Fox. Fox is Marty McFly, a bored teenager who befriends an eccentric scientist (Christopher Lloyd) and finds himself transported to the 1950s, where his presence threatens to wreak havoc on the future. Marty has to make sure his parents still fall in love, or he’ll be wiped from history forever. It’s a fantastic premise that somehow never feels absurd thanks to the Fox’s aching humanity and Lloyd’s charisma. From the very first utterance of “Great Scott!” we’re along for the ride on a journey where we won’t need roads. — K.G.

How to watch: Back to the Future is now streaming on Peacock.

14. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Jason Segel in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."


Credit: Apatow Productions / Kobal / Shutterstock

Jason Segel is Peter, a television soundtrack composer whose life revolves around his TV star girlfriend, Sarah Marshall (a deliciously bratty Kristen Bell). That is, until she abruptly breaks up with him. While he’s naked. Cue the full-frontal sobbing!

To get his mind off of her, Peter takes a trip to Hawaii, but turns out, Sarah is vacationing at the same resort with her new rock star boyfriend, Aldous Snow (unfortunately played by Russell Brand). Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a sweet and raunchy breakup rom-com full of characters that are flawed, idiosyncratic, and incredibly human, including Mila Kunis as Peter’s cool new love interest and Paul Rudd as a hippie-dippie surf instructor. And let’s not forget the singing vampire puppets! — K.G.

How to Watch: Forgetting Sarah Marshall is streaming on Peacock.

15. Emma

A sumptuous and charming adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, 2020’s Emma is unique among Emma iterations because it leans into a secret truth: the heroine, Emma Woodhouse, is kind of a brat. She floats above everyone else, pulling strings to set up matches that serve her purposes instead of what her friends actually desire. Clueless always understood this — and now, thanks to director Autumn de Wilde, we can watch the naive and loveably self-centered character face her comeuppance while sporting the dazzling Regency-era costumes she was made for. Anya Taylor-Joy hits all the right notes as Ms. Woodhouse herself, and Johnny Flynn is magnetic as Mr. Knightley, her prickly neighbor who sees through her act. But it’s Josh O’Connor as a delightfully offputting Mr. Elton, a nightmare suitor, who steals every scene he’s in. — K.G.

How to watch: Emma is now streaming on Peacock.

16. Frankenstein

Most of pop culture’s most enduring monsters — Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and the Wolf Man/Werewolf — got their first screen time in Universal Studios films made between the 1930s and 1950s. These incredibly influential classic horrors are the reason we all picture a square-headed Frankenstein and a Dracula with an indulgently high collar. The first impression is the one that sticks. 

Peacock is still home to most of the Universal Classic Monsters, including The Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man Returns, Werewolf of London, Phantom of the Opera, and more. None are as iconic, however, as 1931’s Frankenstein, starring Boris Karloff as Dr. Frankenstein’s monster. The story, adapted from Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, is one so well-known it does not need repeating, but if you were wondering where the almost-full century of film and TV jokes about little girls befriending villains came from, look no further. This is the movie that turned a monster into a legend. — K.G.

How to watch: Frankenstein is now streaming on Peacock.

17. Man on Wire

In 1974, Philippe Petit walked a high wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center in NYC. Petit was later arrested for the stunt. In 2008, documentarian James Marsh made Man On Wire, a moving, awe-inspiring chronicle of Petit’s audacious feat, based on Petit’s own book about the event. Suspenseful, mischievous, and paced like a heist movie, Man On Wire is a riveting watch sure to keep even the most ardent documentary-avoider on the edge of their seats. — K.G.

How to watch: Man on Wire is now streaming on Peacock.

18. How to Train Your Dragon

Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) doesn’t quite fit into his dragon-fighting viking village of Berk. The seasoned warriors, including his father, the chief (Gerard Butler), think he’s too much of a weenie to fight their fearsome dragon enemies. But Hiccup has a secret: He’s found a wounded dragon who has quickly become his best friend. Will his village change its mind about dragons, or will Hiccup and his dragon be forced to hide for the rest of their lives? It’s a fun family romp that makes the incredibly smart choice of giving dragons the eager, earnest personalities of everyone’s favorite family dog. It doesn’t matter how old you are, Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon is a total treat! — K.G.

How to watch: How to Train Your Dragon is now streaming on Peacock.

19. Traffic

The movie that won Steven Soderbergh the Academy Award for Best Director, Traffic is a complex, captivating exploration of drug trafficking in the USA and Mexico. Following multiple intersecting storylines, audiences watch the effects of illegal drugs ripple in all directions, from manufacturers and distributors to the politicians trying to combat them and the users who are hooked. Shot like a documentary and including multiple cameos from actual U.S. congresspeople, Traffic is a riveting, powerful piece that feels utterly real. 

What’s more, the cast is stellar, with Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Luis Guzmán all at the top of their game, and Benicio Del Toro in particular winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a Mexican police officer. — K.G.

How to watch: Traffic is now streaming on Peacock.

20. The Northman 

Alexander Skarsgård plays a viking in "The Northman."

Alexander Skarsgård plays a viking in “The Northman.”
Credit: Focus Features

Written and directed by Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse), The Northman is a dark, suspenseful retelling of a Scandinavian myth that also happens to have been the direct inspiration for Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Alexander Skarsgård is Amleth, a young prince who swears revenge after his uncle murders his father and marries his mother. Years later, now a berserker Viking, Amleth has an encounter with a seer that convinces him the time to collect on that childhood promise is nigh. 

SEE ALSO:

How accurate is ‘The Northman’ to Viking history? Well, it’s a Robert Eggers film.

The Northman is a tense, atmospheric, and brutal historical thriller, told as if it were a story recounted around a medieval Scandinavian fire, grounded in an ancient point of view. This visually-stunning but bloody revenge saga also stars Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Gustav Lindh, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Björk, obviously.* — K.G.

How to watch: The Northman is now streaming on Peacock.

21. Point Break

Point Break is an iconic and insane ’90s movie in which Keanu Reeves plays rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah, who has to — and we’re not kidding here — infiltrate an L.A. “surf gang” suspected of robbing banks. Very little in this movie makes any sense (the large reason Utah is assigned the undercover role is because he used to play football in college?), which is exactly why it’s so dang wonderful. You’ve got Patrick Swayze as the enigmatic leader of a surfing cult, Gary Busey as Reeves’ gruff veteran partner, and again, Keanu Reeves plays a former college football star named Johnny Utah who has to learn to surf as a matter of life and death. Point Break is ludicrous, magnificent, and fantastically, perfectly ’90s. Vaya con dios, baby. — K.G.

How to watch: Point Break is now streaming on Peacock.

22. Fast X

Jason Momoa is the villain of "Fast X."


Credit: Peter Mountain / Universal Pictures

If loving Fast & Furious is wrong, we don’t want to be right. Across 11 bonkers movies that scoffed at physics and grunted about the importance of family, this franchise hasn’t slowed down. Not only has it raised the bar on out-of-this-world action, but also, it’s grown the Fast family by leaps, bounds, and long-lost siblings. So what could Fast X possibly do to keep this momentum going strong? It went hard in every way fans demand.

In the tradition of its predecessors, Fast X retcons to bring a new ferocious foe into the fray. Jason Momoa stars as the flamboyant, fashion-forward, and gleefully anarchistic Dante, who’s seeking revenge against Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and all of his extensive family. Momoa is wild fun as a villain who is Dom’s polar opposite in attitude and outfit choices. That alone is enough to enjoy this ride. But Fast X also includes gonzo fight scenes with the likes of Brie Larson, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Sung Kang, and many, many more. There are also jaw-dropping cameos and a climax that had fans shocked and cheering. The only thing not to like about this one is how it left us hanging, waiting for whatever Fast and Furious 11 might bring.* — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor

How to watch: Fast X is now streaming on Peacock.

(*) denotes writeup came from a previous Mashable list.

UPDATE: Oct. 31, 2023, 2:18 p.m. EDT This article has been updated to reflect Peacock’s current streaming selection.

Tech / Technology

‘How to Have Sex’ review: A brutally honest film about early sexual experiences

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Molly Manning Walker’s directorial debut examines consent and sexual pressure, following three teens on an end-of-exams trip. Review.
A teen girl looks deeply serious at a party.

Content warning: This review discusses sexual assault.

Despite its searchable title, How to Have Sex is by no means a tutorial.

It’s more of an intentionally vague concept that pervades Molly Manning Walker’s directorial debut, indicative of a more sinister knowledge gap affecting young people today when it comes to sexual experiences — thanks, inadequate sex education and rampant online misinformation!

One of the most important films of the year, How to Have Sex examines British youth culture, consent, and sexual pressure through three teens on their end-of-exams trip to Crete, Greece. Tacky pool parties, a bucketload of crappy booze, and formative experiences await, some thrilling, some deeply traumatic. With powerful performances from a talented, emotionally generous young cast, superb cinematography from Manning Walker, and a script that actually sounds like teen conversation, How to Have Sex is a triumph of honest storytelling.

It’s by no means an easy watch, nor should it be. But it’s reality.

What is How to Have Sex about?

When you’re finished exams at the end of high school and you’re faced with impending results, the possibilities of the future, and the newfound independence that comes with graduation, what do you do? You grab your two best friends and head to Greece, geared up for a week of too many shots, too many spews, too many trays of cheesy chips, and doing it all again night after night. You’re set to make hilarious, gorgeous memories with your mates, and meet some new faces. And it’s going to be the “best holiday ever”.

Until it’s not.

This is the set-up for Manning Walker’s film, which sees 16-year-old Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Em (Enva Lewis), and Skye (Lara Peake) heading to a week of partying in the coastal town of Malia for the British equivalent of America’s Spring Break or Australia’s Schoolies. The horizon is clear: drinking, dancing, and sex. For Tara, she’s yet to have her first sexual experience and she’s feeling under pressure to “catch up” with her friends. When Tara meets the neighbours, their week of partying intensifies and the pressure rises. However, for Tara, her first sexual experiences aren’t respectful, wanted, or consensual, and the film follows her during the week processing what’s happened as the party rages on.

How to Have Sex navigates consent and assault with respect and honesty

How to Have Sex isn’t the first teen film to examine these experiences of sexual assault and consent by any means, but Manning Walker brings a brutal honesty and frankness that sets the film apart. Through superb scripting and performances, the film acknowledges how male violence is normalised or brushed aside, how that “nightmare of a guy” in a social circle known for misconduct is simply allowed to carry on because “I’ve known him since we were little.” And in particular, the film puts emphasis on peer pressure to say nothing — and how blatantly society puts this responsibility on survivors.


You should have said something. These conversations aren’t plucked from obscurity, I’ve heard them myself. You might have heard them.

“You should have said something,” Tara is told. You should have said something. These conversations aren’t plucked from obscurity, I’ve heard them myself. You might have heard them. Manning Walker told the BFI that the idea for the film itself came from a similar trip in her own adolescence, but particularly from speaking to a group of friends years later about their collective experiences, and recognising yeah, that wasn’t OK. The film shows how casually teens can feel pressured into unwanted sexual experiences, even celebrated for doing so. And it’s this level of authenticity in the script that imbues How to Have Sex with uncomfortable accuracy, reminding us that not every teen sexual experience is as wacky as other films and TV shows present them.

Not everyone will feel this way. When I saw the film at the BFI, I was shocked to sit behind two people on the bus who loudly debated the incredulity of Tara’s circumstances, that her friends would never act as they do, that this kind of assault would never happen, and that Tara’s eventual courage to speak up about her experience felt removed from reality. I cannot disagree with these opinions more (and I tried my best to not scream these in public, I’ll tell you what). Toxic friendships that hasten sexual experiences and leave people in vulnerable scenarios exist. Everyday social circumstances that enable predatory behaviour exist.

SEE ALSO:

Fighting violence against women, we need men to be part of the conversation

Survivors of sexual assault do not always have the words to describe what has happened, nor should others blame them for processing it at their own pace. It’s a shocking reality that many who experience sexual assault may not feel able to label it as such, and misguided perceptions of rape keep this confusion in a deeply dangerous ‘grey area’. 

“The way our culture talks about and defines rape can have significant impact on a person’s ability to recognise when it has happened to them,” Mashable’s Rachel Thompson writes in her book Rough. “The stigma attached to rape and cultural ideas about the consequences of accusing someone of sexual violence also present obstacles in acknowledging the reality of a violation.” 


Toxic friendships that hasten sexual experiences and leave people in vulnerable scenarios exist. Everyday social circumstances that enable predatory behaviour exist.

Thompson points to shocking figures from the End Violence Against Women coalition, writing: “33 percent of people in Britain think it isn’t rape if a woman is pressure into having sex but there’s no physical violence. And one in ten people are ‘unsure or think it’s usually not rape to have sex with a woman who is asleep or too drunk to consent.'” 

It’s this data and this reality that trickles into casual conversations and sexual experiences in How to Have Sex, how the characters talk about and pursue sex without speaking to consent or feelings of pressure in vulnerable circumstances.

How to Have Sex features an impeccable young cast

As the film’s protagonist, McKenna-Bruce takes Tara through a deeply compelling and devastating arc, beginning as a joyful, hilarious girl, the absolute life of the party, and finding herself crushed by her experiences of alienation, peer pressure, and ultimately, surviving assault. Through lengthy close ups that muddle the surrounding sounds, Manning Walker allows McKenna Bruce to move Tara through a mix of emotion — shock, shame, anger, disappointment, fear, suppressed vulnerability — as the party rages on around her. As much as she tries to plunge herself into every dance floor and pool party, Tara appears disconnected from everything: her social group, the ludicrous sexual stunts that define the Malia parties, and especially her own body.

Meanwhile, Tara’s two best friends prove polar opposites, with Peake perfecting peer pressure queen Skye and Lewis bringing sweet, hilarious nuance to Em, who actually recognises something is wrong with her friend. Both Skye and Em fail to adequately handle Tara’s experience, both painfully championing her in their own way instead of checking in properly with her. But what Manning Walker does with the core three is distill an absolute lack of knowledge each of them has about sex, consent, and pressure. They literally do not have the language to talk about their experiences beyond verbal high-fives, and because of this, Tara’s pain goes unacknowledged by her friends until the very last moments. 

SEE ALSO:

Top 5 NSFW sites to learn what porn didn’t teach you

The film proves the best part of any party is before it’s started

If there’s a dominant truth in How to Have Sex it’s that the best part of the party is in the promise of it all. When Tara, Skye, and Em arrive in Malia, they’re giggling, bickering, screaming, and splashing about in the freezing ocean, on top of the world. They’re enamoured with their tiny hotel room, praising “the best view I’ve ever seen in my life”.

Though Manning Walker knows how to shoot the hell out of a party scene, it’s these early moments that I clung to for the rest of the film, the trio embracing their independence with hands in the air, deep-and-meaningfuls in the street while stuffing their faces with chips, and stocking up on supplies in the supermarket with their hard-saved cash. It’s pure, adolescent bliss, on the cusp of adulthood, and it’s truly fun to watch the chemistry of the core cast, imbuing Tara, Em, and Skye with sheer resilience, taking another shot right after a cheeky spew. They’re ridiculous, silly, and hilarious, and completely avoiding thinking about the future. 

It’s this joy and silliness they deserve, but the formative experiences ahead of them will determine the rest of their lives. When the credits rolled of How to Have Sex in my screening, the cinema filled with the enormous, emotive sounds of “Strong” by Fred again… and Romy. I couldn’t move. It was perfect. “You don’t have to be so strong,” Romy sings. And she’s right. But we are. 

If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the free, confidential National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or access the 24-7 help online by visiting online.rainn.org.

Tech / Technology

‘Sly’ review: A Stallone documentary that plays like a ‘Rocky’ sequel`

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Netflix’s documentary “Sly,” about Sylvester Stallone, plays like a “Rocky” sequel.

For about its first hour, Sylvester Stallone documentary Sly (directed by Thom Zimny) unfolds with surprising dexterity, journeying across the actor/filmmaker’s early life through the lens of his most iconic roles. Both its subject matter and aesthetic approach make it an effective work of introspection and artistic critique on the surface, even though it eventually loses focus. Playing at times like a missing Rocky documentary, Sly avoids the emotionally thorny material it might otherwise have been able to mine were it not so reverential towards its central star.

It’s the rare documentary feature that might have benefitted from being a longer series, but at 96 minutes in length, it establishes an adequate baseline for those in search of a quick Stallone 101. Talking heads include the actor, his brother Frank, his longtime collaborator John Herzfeld, and various heavy Hollywood hitters, from ’80s rival Arnold Schwarzenegger to Quentin Tarantino.

This patchwork of interviewees seeks to answer the question of who Sylvester Stallone is, even though the subject and the film itself seem rather convinced they have the answer. It’s a look back at a lengthy career and 77 years of life, expanding on key moments of success while brushing uglier elements of the rug. It borders on hagiographical self-promotion — Stallone is an executive producer on the movie, after all — but the way it shines a light on his creative process is entirely worthwhile.

What is Sly about?

Sylvester Stallone in "Sly."


Credit: Netflix

At its outset, Sly offers the appearance of Stallone’s life having come full circle in a meaningful way, as he packs up his lavish Malibu mansion filled with Hollywood memorabilia and plans to move back East. Before his skyrocketing success from writing and starring in Rocky in 1976, Stallone grew up in New York’s rough-and-tumble Hell’s Kitchen, an oral picture of which he paints vividly as he revisits the neighborhood’s now-pristine streets.

Spread between two cities, this narrative framework not only allows Stallone to reflect on people and places from his past, but it also lets Zimny zero in on various statues, action figures and privately commissioned lifelike busts of iconic Stallone characters, including Rocky in his victory pose, as a means to introduce the story of each fictitious avatar through their popular iconography. From there on out, Stallone dives back into tales from his childhood, from growing up with a violent and withholding father, to struggling to be seen as anything more than a talentless lug during his early career.

Stallone, whose obliquely framed, often shaky close-ups make up most of the film, carries himself with a remarkable self-awareness about his limitations, and an equally remarkable critical intellect about what the audience takes away from each of his pictures, and where some of them might have failed. By presenting Rocky Balboa and John Rambo through a psychoanalytical framework, he gives these cinematic heroes their due as more than just hulking ’80s icons; to him, they’re extensions of himself and his father, respectively. Granted, this feels like a conclusion that Sly may have been able to articulate by skillfully building towards as it explored Stallone’s history. Instead, the film leaves little room to uncover emotional mysteries, presenting them instead as thudding and obvious conclusions up front, as articulated by Stallone himself.

The effect of this narrative structure (or lack thereof) is a double-edged sword. It places Stallone’s thoughtfulness on full display, highlighting the artistic intellect he’s so often denied in the public consciousness. On paper, this framing of the actor as someone with an underrated, underappreciated sense of artistry and emotional depth reads like an exercise in further inflating a Hollywood ego, given his involvement in the film. But in execution, Sly also gives Stallone his long-overdue flowers as a creator of meaningful iconography stemming from an emotionally complicated history. 

It’s also cute (and very silly) that, in its final half hour, Sly tries to frame Stallone’s character from The Expendables (whose most recent entry tanked at the box office) as on par with Rocky and Rambo in terms of impact and recognizability. (Do you remember the character’s name? Too bad; the film doesn’t bother to mention it.) This is where it begins to veer off the rails and becomes a re-writing of self-mythology too bold and fictitious to digest. But up until that point, its filmmaking proves deft enough to convince you that we don’t value Stallone’s work in crafting honest and rapturous images nearly as much as we should.

Sly‘s filmmaking tricks work wonders.

Sylvester Stallone in "Sly."


Credit: Netflix

Zimny has worked on numerous music videos and concert films (mostly for the legend Bruce Springsteen), and along with co-editor Annie Salsich, he carries forward his penchant for capturing American iconography in rhythmic ways. There’s a propulsive energy to the film’s use of archival footage and photography, which it swiftly intersperses with interviews of Stallone in the present.

At just the right moments, Sly juxtaposes real-life imagery with brief scenes and stills from Stallone’s movies, linking them emotionally and psychologically through quick cuts, as though it were portraying flashes of inspiration. The documentary is as much about a creative person as it is his creative process, and it skillfully creates the illusion of granting secret access to Stallone’s third eye in the moments it turns inward.

Divorced from the knowledge of Stallone’s involvement, Sly is practically revelatory in the way it uses Rocky and Rambo as avenues for the star to psychoanalyze himself. His interviews about his early career are lucid and candid, especially when he expresses the ways in which cinema allows him to garner the adoration he felt he lacked as a child. However, since Stallone is involved at the end of the day, Sly also creates the unavoidable specter of self-promotion.

For instance, his close-up interviews allow him to be vulnerable, but within filmmaking constraints that work against capturing the full scope of this vulnerability. The movie is quick to cut away from Stallone, rather than holding on his confessions. It bobs and weaves while filming him from up close, as though it were a boxer battling him in the ring — a flourish that works counter to the idea these interviews might be a space of comfort, allowing him to open up more completely. There is a lot to process in Sly, much of it worthwhile, but there’s also a looming sense that something is missing.

Sly doesn’t go the distance.

Sylvester Stallone in "Sly."


Credit: Netflix

A behind-the-scenes peek such as this one serves to remind viewers just how much like Rocky Balboa Stallone truly is, from his cadence and posture to the way he philosophizes and sermonizes in simple, street-smart ways. However, what separates the two is that while the Rocky movies dig deep into the character at his most flawed and susceptible, Sly is unable (or perhaps unwilling) to do the same.

While a good chunk of its runtime is spent on explaining Stallone’s creation of (and frequent return to) the Rocky and Rambo characters, it truncates the last several decades of his career. Unfortunately, Sly ends up doing the same for his personal life, and the documentary is the weaker for it. Its setups about Stallone using pop artistry as a search for meaning and personal fulfillment end up having few payoffs in the process. Its themes of recursiveness and repetition — Stallone’s frequent return to familiar characters and ideas when new ones don’t work out — simply peters out, rather than revealing any layers to him or coming to a cathartic conclusion. 

Worst of all, speeding through Stallone’s life in the 2010s also means reducing the death of his son Sage, who starred alongside him in Rocky V and who has a sizable presence in the documentary via archival footage, to a mere footnote. It’s a part of his story that’s mostly glossed over despite loss becoming a key fixture of his films that would follow, but this is where Stallone’s involvement shows its hand, exposing the limits of self-reflection as a guiding credo for a documentary. 

Sage’s death is, understandably, a private and painful subject, as are many of the topics which Sly glosses over, from Stallone’s divorce to his litany of legal issues. Ignoring them calls into question the movie’s own appearance as an intimate sit-down with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. The film is a journalistic inquiry, but only on Stallone’s terms. It takes what he offers up and spins it into a finely crafted series of montages, but it never pushes further, never asks for more. It is, by nature, a film that is satisfied with its subject’s party line, all but betraying its documentarian spirit in the first place.

Beyond a point, the later stages of his life are reduced to PR talking points with enormous gaps between them. In the process, this can’t help but reframe the rest of the movie too, casting doubt on how much truth (both emotional and factual) the audience had really been made privy to during the preceding runtime. Taken at its word, there’s enough by way of useful reframing of fictitious iconography, and enough by way of the appearance of vulnerability, to make Sly an engaging watch — right up until the point that it isn’t.

Sly is now streaming on Netflix.

Tech / Technology

Missing ‘Dune: Part Two’? Check out these three ‘Dune’-related books.

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“Dune: Part Two” may be delayed, but these three books make for the perfect antidote.
Three books against a backdrop of sand dunes.

There is an alternate universe where, come Nov. 3, we’d all be seated for Dune: Part Two‘s theatrical run. But Dune: Part Two‘s release has been pushed back to March 15, 2024.

Luckily, there are still several ways to get into the Arrakis spirit while we wait for March. This fall saw the release of three non-fiction books that delve deep into the world and cultural impact of Frank Herbert’s classic science-fiction tome. From examining the places and people Herbert drew inspiration from to a juicy, behind-the-scenes look at David Lynch’s maligned adaptation and more, these books offer something for Dune novices and experts alike.

Here are three books to read if you’re looking for some extra Dune goodness.

SEE ALSO:

Here are all the movies that have been pushed back due to the Hollywood strikes

The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies by Ryan Britt

For a comprehensive look at all things Dune, look no further than The Spice Must Flow. Ryan Britt charts the entire history of the franchise, beginning with Frank Herbert’s scrapped article about sand dunes and ending with Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 film adaptation. In between, you’ll learn about the writing and publishing process behind each Dune novel, as well as the many proposed Dune films that never saw the light of day.

Perhaps most fascinating here is how Britt lays out just how influential Dune is to sci-fi as a whole. Yes, it’s one of the seminal works of the genre, but several Dune-related connections also led to some of the greatest sci-fi films of all time. How did an unmade Dune movie influence Ridley Scott’s Alien? Or Scott’s involvement in Blade Runner, for that matter? And what did Herbert really think about Star Wars, with it many overt similarities to Dune?

Due to the broad scope of The Spice Must Flow, there’s a lot of fictional and real-world ground to cover. That’s entire decades, not to mention thousands of years’ worth of Dune lore! Still, Britt’s guidance through Dune‘s impact on culture proves assured, especially when coupled with interviews with sci-fi historians, actors and directors, as well as members of Herbert’s own family. The Spice Must Flow takes a daunting wealth of subject matter and makes it an accessible, illuminating read that never lets you get lost in the sands.


The cover of "The Spice Must Flow," which shows rolling sand dunes under a blue sky.

Credit: Penguin Random House


The Spice Must Flow: The Story of Dune, from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies

Amazon

A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune — An Oral History by Max Evry

Decades before Denis Villeneuve put his spin on Dune, director David Lynch spearheaded the first onscreen adaptation of Herbert’s work. The result, released in 1984, was a critical and commercial flop. Chiefest among its problems was how the film struggled to fit all of Dune into its two-hour runtime, leading to a nearly incoherent narrative.

Yet Lynch’s Dune is not without its bright spots, boasting stunning production design and truly fun (if occasionally broad) performances from stars like Kyle MacLachlan, Patrick Stewart, Sean Young, and Sting. Here is a science-fiction film that isn’t afraid to lean into the bizarre, the outlandish, and the ornate — a deep contrast from Villeneuve’s more austere, brutalist interpretation of Herbert’s work. So, how did this wonderfully strange film come to be? And how did it become doomed to fail?

SEE ALSO:

David Lynch’s ‘Dune’ almost cast Val Kilmer, and more secrets from the ‘Dune’ oral history

With his book A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune — An Oral History, Max Evry dives deep into every facet of Dune‘s production, assembling interviews with actors like MacLachlan and Young, crew members like casting director Jane Jenkins and costume designer Bob Ringwood, and even Lynch himself. You’ll learn about everything from the challenges the crew faced shooting in Mexico to possible money laundering going on behind the scenes. Movie magic!

Clocking in at over 500 pages long, A Masterpiece in Disarray is a dream come true for anyone who loves or is fascinated by the “black sheep of David Lynch’s filmography,” as Evry calls Dune. The oral history sections are the clear standouts, lending new context and character to some of the film’s strangest bits (like Kenneth McMillan’s Baron Harkonnen). Woven through the entire book is a sense of wonder that this beast of a film got made in the first place, even if it ultimately wasn’t the film Lynch wanted to make. If you’re hungry for a deep dive on the oldest Dune adaptation or just want to take a closer look at this strange stumble in Lynch’s career, A Masterpiece in Disarray is the book for you.


The cover of "A Masterpiece in Disarray," which shows a blue eye against a black background.

Credit: 1984 Publishing


A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History

Amazon

The Worlds of Dune: The Places and Cultures that Inspired Frank Herbert by Tom Huddleston

Wonder where Frank Herbert got the ideas for the Bene Gesserit, the Voice, and those sweet, sweet sandworms? The Worlds of Dune by Tom Huddleston seeks to answer all your world-building questions and then some.

Huddleston kicks off our Dune tour on Arrakis before going planet by planet to Caladan, Giedi Prime, and Kaitan. At each stop, he outlines key cultural and geographical aspects of the planet, as well as the real-world inspirations behind them. Some of the inspirations are more obvious, such as Herbert’s use of Arabic words and Islamic theology. Others, like a focus on the field of semantics or anti-Soviet sentiments, are less so, making for some fascinating connections between our world and that of Paul Atreides.

Aside from being well-researched and beautifully printed, complete with illustrations from early editions of Dune and images from the films, The Worlds of Dune is careful to examine Herbert’s legacy. Huddleston pushes back on some of Herbert’s more troubling areas of inspiration, such as the eugenics-based Bene Gesserit breeding program. He also questions whether Herbert’s drawing inspiration from non-white cultures like the San people of the Kalahari Desert or the Quileute tribe of the Pacific Northwest was appropriative, appreciative, or (most likely) a mix of both. Informative and thought-provoking in equal measure, The World of Dune is perfect for people who want a closer look at Dune through religious, historical, and geo-political lenses.


The cover for "The Worlds of Dune," which shows a large yellow sun setting over sand dunes.

Credit: Quarto


The Worlds of Dune: The Places and Cultures that Inspired Frank Herbert

Amazon

Tech / Technology

‘Where the Devil Roams’ review: Don’t miss this twisted family road trip

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With “Where the Devil Roams,” filmmakers the Adams family deliver a creeping horror film about a murderous family of carnies.
A silhouette of a woman holding an axe standing on a porch.

All you need to know about Where the Devil Roams can be summed up by one headline that flashes onscreen during a montage: “Gruesome family act steals the show.”

The headline certainly describes the film, but it could just as easily apply to the family of filmmakers who brought it to life: the Adams family. (No, not that one.) John Adams, Zelda Adams, Lulu Adams, and Toby Poser are known for crafting independent horror films like 2021’s Hellbender. That streak continues with the admittedly “gruesome” Where the Devil Roams. It’s a Depression Era-set period piece with a Satanic streak, and it makes for the most unconventional (and haunting) family road trip movie you’ll see all year.

SEE ALSO:

‘The Toxic Avenger’ review: Gory cult classic reboot is the perfect antidote to superhero fatigue

What’s Where the Devil Roams about?

Where the Devil Roams introduces us to a family of traveling carnies: Seven (John Adams), a war veteran suffering from PTSD; Maggie (Toby Poser), his impulsive, violence-prone wife; and their daughter Eve (Zelda Adams), who sings in their carnival act but otherwise doesn’t speak.

The trio’s (played by the film’s three directors) act gets middling reception at best, but they get their real kicks out of murdering evildoers they find all around the carnival circuit. These murder scenes play out in darkly funny fashion, with Seven’s horrified aversion to blood contrasting with Maggie’s readiness to get her hands bloody. Post-killing rituals involve everything from taking photos of the murder scenes to strumming a ukulele beside the dead bodies, injecting the deaths with a strangely twee aesthetic.

Eve’s family aren’t the only carnies with a dark secret. The carnival’s star performer, a magician named Mr. Tips (Sam Rodd), owns a devilish artifact that allows him to cut off and reattach his fingers. But when Eve steals the artifact to save her parents after a murder gone awry, she risks exposing her family to a lifetime of pain.

Where the Devil Roams is an eerie slow burn.

Where the Devil Roams revels in its slow-burn storytelling, creeping along like decay in rotting flesh (of which there is no shortage in this film). Images with seemingly no connection, including lost children’s shoes and Eve’s careful dismemberment of dolls, establish the movie’s growing sense of dread, but also pay off in big ways in the final act.

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That sense of dread is also the result of Where the Devil Roams’ meticulous use of its settings. The carnival, with its white-faced clowns and eerily repetitive barkers, is already a classically creepy spot, made all the more so by Mr. Tips’ whisperings about deals with the devil. The empty spaces between carnival stops provide ample room for uncanniness as well. Stark forests and frozen-over creeks suggest a dangerously magical wilderness where anything can happen.

Where the Devil Roams finds horror in negative space as well, situating brightly-lit faces in total darkness so that we can only guess what’s playing out around them. This technique also helps us focus solely on the pain flashing across characters’ faces: A tooth removal scene is extra grisly thanks to the surrounding darkness. That darkness only grows as the film goes on, gradually shifting from color to black and white to mirror Eve’s family’s own descent into misery.

Where the Devil Roams delivers a strangely sweet family story.

Throughout all the murder and misery, Where the Devil Roams keeps a strong focus on the familial ties that bind Eve, Seven, and Maggie together — ties made even more resonant by the filmmakers’ own. The film intersperses its bloodier interludes with scenes of Eve, Seven, and Maggie’s own sort of domesticity. We see them doing their laundry, eating dinner around a campfire, and complaining about each other’s snoring. Eve and Maggie even discuss Eve’s period, giving us a peek into their mother-daughter relationship. 

All these smaller moments build up an authentic ease between this trio, so that when crisis strikes, you’re so caught up in their lives that you don’t want anything to tear them apart. Without spoiling too much, it’s this threat of a family being separated that drives Where the Devil Roams‘ last act, which externalizes that separation anxiety with some unforgettable body horror. 

That conclusion owes its strength to the film’s emphasis on Eve, Seven, and Maggie as a loving family unit. Where the Devil Roams reveals that Seven and Maggie both experienced major family trauma: Seven with his first wife and children, Maggie with her mother. But there’s no sign of that strife between Seven, Maggie, and Eve. They care so deeply for each other — a quality we see in even the strangest of situations, like Eve covering Seven’s eyes so he doesn’t see blood when Maggie murders someone. They may be messed-up murderers, but they’re strangely lovable too — and that’s what keeps us watching.

Where the Devil Roams opens in theaters Nov. 3 and hit digital on Nov. 7.

UPDATE: Oct. 31, 2023, 1:51 p.m. EDT Where the Devil Roams was reviewed out of its US premiere at 2023’s Fantastic Fest.

Tech / Technology

‘All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt’ review: Raven Jackson’s feature-length debut is a beautiful, languid coming-of-age story

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Writer/director Raven Jackson’s feature-length debut, “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt,” tells the story of a young woman growing up in Mississippi. Review.
Two young girls sit with their grandmother on a couch; one lays her head in her grandmother's lap.

If I had to describe All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt in one word, it would be “lingering.”

The feature-length debut from filmmaker and poet Raven Jackson takes its time in all things. It fixates on quiet moments, sometimes for minutes on end. It pokes at the ways in which memories can surface long after we’ve experienced them. Finally, it stays in the mind long after you’ve seen it, even if you struggle with its languid pacing.

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What is All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt about?

A woman in a white dress holds her baby while standing outside among green trees.

Sheila Atim in “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.”
Credit: A24

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt transports us to Mississippi in the 1970s and 1980s, where a young Black woman named Mackenzie — Mack for short — comes of age. Four actors play Mack across the span of her life: Mylee Shannon is Mack as a toddler, Kaylee Nicole Johnson is adolescent Mack, Charleen McClure is Mack from her late teens to her thirties, and Zainab Jah is a somewhat older Mack. The film weaves between these four life stages but mostly focuses on those embodied by Johnson and McClure.

Mack’s life unfurls before us in a series of nonlinear vignettes. She goes fishing with her father, Isaiah (Chris Chalk), and observes her mother, Evelyn (Sheila Atim), as she applies lipstick. She finds first love, only to lose it. She endures grief, becomes a mother herself, and remains steadfastly connected to her family. Her story is almost entirely devoid of dialogue — instead, Jackson finds meaning in silence and sensory experiences.

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All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is a deeply sensory film.

A woman and her daughter look at a hill of clay dirt.

Sheila Atim and Kaylee Nicole Johnson in “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.”
Credit: A24

With such an evocative title, it’s no surprise that All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt immerses itself in the senses. Lush soundscapes of chirping insects and falling rain envelop you in the muggy heat of Mississippi. The film’s very first image is an extended shot of young Mack running a finger over a fresh-caught fish, taking in every ridge of its scales. Not long after, she’ll dip her hands in the river mud and squeeze until it drips through her fingers.

Based on these opening scenes alone, you can tell that All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is a film of textures. Jackson and cinematographer Jomo Fray are fascinated by how characters tangibly interact with their environment, focusing on bare feet treading over grass and hands digging through dirt. To watch these scenes is to feel the ghost of mud and grass on your own skin, to feel more aware of your own body in space overall.

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The environment surrounding Mack is not just a place, but a deep-rooted part of her family’s lives and culture. As Mack’s Grandma Betty (Jannie Hampton) tells Mack and her sister, Josie (Moses Ingram), they’re all made of dirt and water. Repeated shots of rivers and rain, of mud and dry clay emphasize this granule of wisdom passed from generation to generation.

These all crystallize in the film’s exploration of the practice of geophagia, or eating earth. Geophagia is an old tradition, one that came to the United States from Africa through the transatlantic slave trade. The practice continues today, primarily in the south, and in All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, we see that it is especially meaningful to Mack and other Black women in her family. When she or other characters eat clay dirt, it feels like a way to connect to those who came before, be they mothers, grandmothers, or ancestors even further back in the family line.

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is an unconventional meditation on memory.

A young woman in a white dress stands in a wood-paneled room with a piano and vase of white flowers.

Charleen McClure in “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.”
Credit: A24

Jackson’s focus on memory and family connections is supported by the film’s hazy, dreamlike quality. The narrative flits from scene to scene, sometimes crossing decades in the process. Yet even if these moments take place years apart, Jackson manages to find the strange and beautiful ways in which they’re related. In one scene, a pregnant Mack lies in her bathtub — in the next, we see Evelyn bathing Mack as a toddler in the very same tub. There’s a circularity to it all, as if Jackson is eschewing linear time itself.

This slower, circular pacing allows for some thematically resonant parallels between stages in Mack’s life, but it can also prove challenging — even frustrating, at times. Beyond one scene where an older Mack (Jah) reflects by the river, there are few anchor points in the present that offer context for the memories Mack is processing. There is little sense of build-up in this film, only of events simply happening and then moving on. This is not to say these events happen in a vacuum: Mack’s memories are always in conversation with themselves. However, these conversations don’t necessarily have much to say. They simply exist.

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt also struggles with its relationship to silence. Scenes that start out naturally quiet, like a melancholy parting hug between Mack and her ex-boyfriend, Wood (Reginald Helms Jr.), stretch on to the point of strangeness, bogged down by a continued silence that doesn’t always feel earned. In the aforementioned scene, the hug itself lasts for around five minutes, its original intimacy slowly devolving into grating repetition. When the film’s dialogue does come, it is both naturalistic and deeply evocative, even more than the lengthy silences that take up most of the film. If only the characters had more chances to really dig into a spoken scene.

While Jackson’s experimentation with narrative structure and rhythm sometimes falters, the overall beauty and deeply felt emotion of All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt are undeniable. With her feature-length debut, Jackson has crafted a sensitive coming-of-age film, one that doubles as a hyper-specific portrait of the woods and fields and rivers that shaped Mack and her whole family. After all, the truest scenes here are always those shared between humans and nature: Mack and her father fishing in a muddy riverbed, Mack and her daughter letting rainwater trickle down their arms, Mack’s grandmother telling Mack and Josie about clay dirt eating. In these moments, Jackson and the film’s magic truly come together, making for a perfect storm of memory, family, and the places that shape us.

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt opens in theaters Nov. 3.

UPDATE: Oct. 31, 2023, 1:40 p.m. EDT All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt was reviewed out of the New York Film Festival; the movie opens in theaters Nov. 3.

Tech / Technology

Save on Lego sets at Best Buy, from Disney tribute kits to beautiful orchids

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As of Nov. 1, you can save big on Lego sets at Best Buy, with an additional 40% off select sets for My Best Buy Plus and Total members.
Lego kits on blue and purple pixelated abstract background

Get an early start on holiday shopping for anyone in your life who loves Lego. As of Nov. 1, Best Buy is discounting a variety of Lego building kits. Plus, My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members can get up to 40% off Lego sets.

Best Lego kits on sale at Best Buy
Best Lego deal overall

Lego Botanical Collection Orchid

$39.99 at Best Buy
(Save $10)

Lego Botanical Collection Orchid on white background

Best Lego deal runner-up

Lego Ideas Home Alone

$259.99 at Best Buy
(Save $39.96)

Lego Ideas Home Alone on white background

Best Disney Lego deal

Lego Disney Tribute Camera

$79.99 at Best Buy
(Save $20)

Lego Disney Tribute Camera on white background

Whether you’re looking to stock up on some Lego sets of your own or you’re shopping for a Lego fan this holiday season, it’s always a good idea to shop this brand when it’s on sale. Best Buy’s latest sale on Lego kits is a great way to save some cash. While several sets are already discounted, My Best Buy Plus and Total members can save an additional 40% with this sale, which includes a variety of different options to choose from.

From Disney sets to beautiful flowers, you can find a little something for everyone during this Lego sale. See some of our top picks for the best deals on Lego sets at Best Buy right now.

Best Lego deal overall


Lego Botanical Collection Orchid on white background

Credit: Best Buy


Lego Botanical Collection Orchid

$39.99 at Best Buy (save $10)

Why we like it

The Lego Botanical Collection Orchid is a great way to build and display your favorite flower and guarantee it will never die, no matter how many times you forget to water it. It even includes a vase to hold the flower in, with white and pink flowers for additional detail and realism. This is a record-low price for this delicate Lego kit, and if there’s an adult builder on your list who loves flowers, this might be the perfect gift.

Best Lego deal runner-up


Lego Ideas Home Alone on white background

Credit: Best Buy


Lego Ideas “Home Alone”

$259.99 at Best Buy (save $39.96)

Why we like it

If you’ve ever wanted to own a piece of the Home Alone movies, this Lego kit is the next best thing. The Lego Ideas Home Alone kit recreates the McCallisters’ iconic house from the Home Alone series and comes with all the small details you need to set up Kevin’s Christmas party and more. It’s the perfect way to kick off the holidays (Home Alone is a Christmas movie, don’t forget it) and a great gift idea for any Lego fan who likes to collect movie setpieces.

Best Disney Lego deal


Lego Disney Tribute Camera on white background

Credit: Best Buy


Lego Disney Tribute Camera

$79.99 at Best Buy (save $20)

Why we like it

The Lego Disney Tribute Camera is perfect for the Disney fan in your life who wants a way to commemorate the many films and iconic characters the brand has spawned over the years. The brand is still celebrating its 100th anniversary with this collectible vintage-style camera, complete with a fun film strip that shows 20 different Disney movies as if they’re about to be played the old-fashioned way. It even comes with fun accessories like a mini figure of Walt Disney himself and several other characters from recognizable Disney movies.