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‘The Front Room’ actors Brandy Norwood and Kathryn Hunter break down the many layers and themes incorporated in the film.

‘The Front Room’ actors Brandy Norwood and Kathryn Hunter break down the many layers and themes incorporated in the film.

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Winona Ryder fills in the gaps for her iconic character, Lydia Deetz, between the original Beetlejuice and the long-awaited sequel.

Winona Ryder fills in the gaps for her iconic character, Lydia Deetz, between the original Beetlejuice and the long-awaited sequel.

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As of Sept. 6, you can preorder the soundtrack of the hit film ‘Challengers’ at multiple retailers (and it comes with some fun extras).

PRE-ORDER HERE: As of Sept. 6, the soundtrack for the hit film Challengers is available for preorder on vinyl. The bundle costs $33.98 and comes with some extras in addition to the vinyl disc, including collectible trading cards, set photos, and more. Pick up yours today and get it on Nov. 1.

Challengers was an amazing film in its own right, but how can you talk about everyone’s favorite horny tennis movie without mentioning that incredible score? Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have once again served us an absolute ace.

If you also can’t get enough of those high-energy synths during the film’s title track, we think you’ll be excited for this: You can now pre-order the Challengers Original Score on vinyl. Pick up a copy today and get it delivered on release day, Nov. 1.

This vinyl bundle not only comes with the iconic score, but also with some fun little extras. You’ll get some cool on-set photos from the movies’ shooting process, collectible trading cards for each of the films’ main characters, and a Phil’s Tire Town bumper sticker. For $34, that’s not a bad deal. At the time of this writing, you can pre-order your vinyl at Amazon, Rough Trade, Milan Records, and Black Screen Records. Get yours today and channel your inner Tashi, Art, or Patrick on Nov. 1.

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An explainer of the twisted ending of Daniel Kokotajlo’s ‘Starve Acre’, based on Andrew Michael Hurley’s novel of the same name.

Plenty of horror films have moments that stay with you, but there aren’t many with final images as disturbing as Starve Acre‘s.

The entire last act of Daniel Kokotajlo’s movie — based on Andrew Michael Hurley’s novel of the same name — is intense, so much so that you may be struggling to make sense of what in the rabbit-nurturing heck you just witnessed.

To try and help piece together the final happenings of this ’70s Yorkshire-set horror, we’ve broken down all the key questions below, from the legend of Dandelion Jack to what really happened to that poor little boy.

What’s Starve Acre about?

After their young son Owen (Arthur Shaw) dies from an asthma attack, Richard (Matt Smith) and Juliette (Morfydd Clark) both experience strange happenings while struggling to deal with their overwhelming grief. On a sabbatical from the university where he teaches, Richard digs in a nearby field to try and uncover the remaining roots of a legendary tree written about in his abusive father’s diaries.

While digging Richard discovers the skeleton of a hare, which he boxes up and takes home — only to find that the creature seems to be slowly regenerating itself whenever he looks at its remains alone.

Juliette, meanwhile, is haunted by depression, guilt, and visions of her son, leading her to be open to a visit from local medium Mrs Forde (Melanie Kilburn).

What happens at the end of Starve Acre?

The remains of the hare completely regenerate, and the now-living creature comes back to the house after Richard and Juliette try to release it into the wild. Juliette becomes obsessed with it, believing it to be the manifestation of a Pagan spirit the locals called Dandelion Jack.

Richard, meanwhile, uncovers the remains of the perfectly preserved “Whistling Tree” that his father was obsessed with. His colleague Steven (Robert Emms) comes to help him dig, but Juliette has a vision that Steven has come to take the hare away from her. She takes a knife and murders Steven, before persuading Richard that Dandelion Jack has come to give them a second chance after their son’s death.

In the final moments of the film, Richard kills Juliette’s visiting sister Harrie (Erin Richards), providing Dandelion Jack with the third sacrifice needed to complete the legend and cross over from the spirit world.

What’s the local legend about Dandelion Jack?

Hang on a minute — who’s Dandelion Jack? And what exactly is this local legend? We get glimpses of the story in the writings of Richard’s father Neil, but the most concise explanation comes from Richard himself when he tells his colleague what the Whistling Tree is meant to be.

“The womb of nature,” says Richard. “The pagan’s entrance to the spirit world.”

One of these spirits is Dandelion Jack. The legend goes that three human sacrifices are needed to open the doorway and let him in: a child, a woman, and a man. In this case Owen is the first sacrifice, then Steven, and then finally Harrie.

What really happened to their son, Owen?

Before he dies, Owen speaks about Dandelion Jack, using the spirit’s other name, Jack Grey. He says Jack Grey has been “whistling” to him. The implication is that Dandelion Jack’s spirit is able to influence and communicate with members of Richard’s family in an attempt to free himself from the spirit world, first telling Owen to do bad things and then causing his mother not to intervene while he’s having an asthma attack.

“When Owen had the asthma attack, I didn’t freeze up,” Juliette tells Richard towards the end of the film. “I had a moment of clarity that we’d be better off without him. And that was thanks to Jack.”

It seems as though Dandelion Jack’s spirit was pulling the strings all along, with the goal being to make Owen his first sacrifice.

What’s the deal with the hare?

The hare seems to be a physical manifestation of Dandelion Jack. Richard discovers the remains while digging near the buried Whistling Tree (the doorway to Jack’s spirit world), and the hare regenerates after Owen — the first sacrifice — has been made.

Whether the hare is Jack’s final form is unclear. The film ends at the moment when all three sacrifices have been made, and Juliette has just begun to “nurture” (ick) the hare like a child.

Maybe it’s for the best that we don’t stick around to find out what happens next.

Starve Acre is currently showing at UK theatres.

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As of Sept. 6, football fans can shave $50 off an NFL Sunday Ticket subscription by using a promo code.

SAVE $50: As of Sept. 6, football fans can shave $50 off an NFL Sunday Ticket subscription by using promo code TICKET50. You can also bundle it with YouTube TV and save $85.

Fall is almost officially here, so it’s time to start getting excited for all your favorite autumnal staples: Light jackets, pumpkin spice lattes, and of course, football. If you’re a football fan, you know there are many options for watching the big games in the age of streaming, and none of them are cheap. That’s why you should take advantage of a good deal when you come across one, like a cool $50 off NFL Sunday Ticket.

For a limited time, new NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers can get their first year of the service for $50 off using code TICKET50. You can also bundle your Sunday Ticket with a YouTube TV membership and save $85 in total using the same code. If you choose not to go for the bundle, you can still get $35 applied to your first 4 months of YouTube TV (then pay $72.99 per month after that). Be quick, though, because this flash deal is only live while supplies last.

What exactly do you get with NFL Sunday Ticket? Quite a bit, actually. The big draw is that you’ll have access to all the out-of-market Sunday football games that you want to watch, with no restrictions based on your location. Bundled with YouTube TV, you’ll be able to watch all the local and national NFL games, meaning you’ll have pretty much every live game in one place without having to swap streaming apps constantly. Another cool perk is the multiview feature, which lets you stream up to four games at once on one screen so you’re never missing any action. You’ll also get unlimited streams at home across multiple devices, plus access to highlights from each game.

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How to find the best deals on the NFL Game Pass.

TL;DR: Every 2024 NFL regular season and playoff game — including the Super Bowl — is available to watch worldwide (except the U.S and China) with an NFL Game Pass.

American Football is the nation’s favorite game, but interest in this electric sport has been steadily growing around the world in recent years. You can find fans of the NFL in every corner of the globe nowadays, and we can’t see things changing anytime soon.

The good news for this dedicated group of fans is that it has never been easier to follow the NFL. If you want to watch every second of the action this season, we have all the information you need.

What is an NFL Game Pass?

The NFL Game Pass offers comprehensive coverage of every single game this season live and on-demand, including the preseason, regular season, postseason, and the Super Bowl. That’s a lot of content, but there’s actually more. Subscribers also get access to NFL Network, NFL Redzone, NFL originals, highlights, and documentaries.

The NFL Game Pass is available through the DAZN app. Fans can either sign up as a standalone subscription or as an add-on to an existing DAZN package.

Where is the NFL Game Pass available?

The NFL Game Pass is available worldwide on DAZN, excluding the U.S. and China.

Usually we would suggest using a VPN (like ExpressVPN) to subscribe to the NFL Game Pass from excluded locations like the U.S. and China, but it looks like DAZN has a block in place. DAZN states that “using a VPN to subscribe to NFL GPI from another country is against DAZN’s terms and conditions and will be blocked by our technology.” 

How much does the NFL Game Pass cost?

The NFL Game Pass price differs around the world:

Australia — AU$289.99

Brazil — R$399.90

Denmark — DKK 2,049

France — €209.99

Germany — €179.99

Italy — €199.99

Japan — ¥28,800

Mexico — MXN 2,700

Spain — €179.99

UK — £159.99

We would usually suggest using a streaming-friendly VPN to bypass geo-restrictions and access a better rate from another country, but due to DAZN’s strict block on using VPNs to subscribe to the Game Pass, this doesn’t look like an effective tactic at the time of writing.

How to use the NFL Game Pass in the U.S.

The NFL Game Pass is available all around the world, except the U.S. and China. This poses a problem for subscribers traveling through the U.S. If you want to access your subscription in an excluded location, you’ll need to use a VPN.

VPNs can hide your IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access your NFL Game Pass from the U.S. (or China). It sounds complicated, but the process is actually really simple:

Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

Open up the app and connect to a server in any location (except the U.S. or China)

Sign in to NFL Game Pass

Access your NFL Game Pass subscription from the U.S.

What is the best VPN for NFL Game Pass?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport, for a number of reasons:

Servers in 105 countries

Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

Fast connection speeds free from throttling

Up to eight simultaneous connections

30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

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Answers to each clue for the September 6, 2024 edition of NYT’s The Mini crossword puzzle.

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

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

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

Here are the clues and answers to NYT’s The Mini for Friday, September 6, 2024:

Across

Pioneering video game in which you slither around and eat apples

The answer is Snake.

Mailing alternative to a home address

The answer is PObox.

Grammy winner Hayes

The answer is Isaac.

Words on a book’s spine

The answer is title.

Bona fide

The answer is real.

Down

___ valve (drainage feature on a brass instrument)

The answer is spit.

Respectful denial

The answer is nosir.

Subside

The answer is abate.

Animal whose closest living relative is the wombat

The answer is koala.

Microsoft’s alternative to Google Sheets

The answer is Excel.

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

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

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

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Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, and Chris Sullivan star in Steven Soderbergh’s ghost story “Presence.” Film review.

What if a ghost could tell its own story but not speak? That is the wildly compelling premise of Presence. Director Steven Soderbergh reteams with Kimi screenwriter David Koepp for an unconventional haunted house story, creating a film that is sharply funny, beguiling, a bit chilling, and ultimately sweet.

And it all begins with a dizzying opening shot.

The camera is a character in Presence

Presence opens within a house on the break of sunrise. It’s still dark inside as the camera swans around from kitchen to hallway, up the stairs and through the bedrooms and back again. There’s a slight fish-eye lens effect, even in the darkness, turning the corners of a house into ominous shadows. And the movement of the camera suggests not some passive viewer, but a perspective, a presence.

The next scene is established with daylight. The presence watches (as do we) as a posh real estate agent (Julia Fox) arrives to show the space to the Payne family. The mother, Rebecca (Lucy Liu), is immediately sold, gushing about how the location means her golden child Tyler (newcomer Eddy Maday) could be in the best school district to follow his trajectory as a trophy-winning swimmer. Meanwhile, dad Chris (This is Us‘ Chris Sullivan) worries the move would be hard on their other teen, Chloe (Foundation‘s Callina Liang), who has recently lost her best friend to a presumed drug overdose. 

The inherent conflict between Lui’s smothering Boy Mom and Sullivan’s earnestly vulnerable Girl Dad plays out in passive aggression and outright arguments, all with the wandering eye of the presence floating around as a silent witness. But this being, whose identity, name, and gender are unclear for much of the movie, is most focused on Chloe, who is alone in her grief — until she’s not. 

The point-of-view perspective in horror is chiefly used to inspire fear in the audience, implying a sinister force or slasher is sizing up a potential victim. But here, the camera’s movement conveys no ill intent, in part because of the way the presence tends to hide in Chloe’s closet, as if it is scared, not aiming to scare. Props to Soderbergh, who also serves as the film’s editor and cinematographer. Long takes that move from one room to another, following conflict and conversation, create a pulsing vulnerability for a character we cannot see or hear, yet understand all the same. I was in awe that when the camera pans from one hurting family member to another, I could feel the yearning of the presence to be seen, to join in, to scream. Presence is extraordinary for all it tells through its moving camerawork alone. 

Presence’s cast is extraordinary

Of course, all Soderbergh’s sublime cinematography could have been for nought if it weren’t for a cast that could grasp the concept. As it is, I’ll be absolutely shocked if Presence doesn’t get a Best Cinematography Oscar nomination. 

The film demands actors play out long takes that sometimes involve complex choreography. Within that, they need their lines to land on camera but casually. And beyond that, there’s the creeping shift in behavior as the presence makes itself known. Some in the house begin to sense it, and their gaze must connect to the lens in a way that is present but not concrete. This way we believe that what they see appears as nothing, as the camera will never leave the presence’s perspective to reveal the living’s. Liang has the heaviest lift here, as she engages most directly with the ghost, sometimes sensing it, but also realizing how it has the power to move things in her room. Sharing this revelation with her family only sparks a fight and more violent paranormal activity.

For her part, Liu is perfectly cold as a corporate shark with a ruthless sense of right and wrong, delivering a monologue to her smirking son that’s so electrifyingly frank it sparked laughs from a shocked audience. Sullivan is her foil, playing a human teddy bear desperate to save his daughter from a despair he grapples to comprehend. Maday sizzles as a cruel jock who has little patience for his freaky sister, while Liang shoulders the bulk of the film, balancing her scenes of ghostly intrusion with meditations on grief and a budding secret romance with “the coolest guy in school” (West Mulholland in Jared Leto circa My So-Called Life mode). Together, they feel like a real family, the dialogue current and crisply natural, grounding the real so the uncanny hits all the harder. 

Presence is a welcomed genre twist

Soderbergh has played in various genres from heist movies like Ocean’s Eleven and Logan Lucky, to psychological thrillers like Unsane and Kimi, the espionage actioner Haywire, and the sexy comedies that make up the Magic Mike trilogy. While technically Presence is a horror movie in conceit, Soderbergh doesn’t feel bound by the demands to make it spooky. In fact, the house is not remotely creepy. Admittedly, the music has a flare of whining instruments that recall gothic horror movies of the the 1940s, but this clashes with the girly-pop aesthetic of Chloe’s bedroom, effectively underlining how the presence feels out of place here. 

Credit to Koepp, who like Soderbergh has lept from one genre to another, with screenplay credits on everything from Jurassic Park to Mission: Impossible, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and my personal favorite, the dark diva comedy Death Becomes Her. But his most relevant work to Presence is the woefully underrated Stir of Echoes, a 1999 horror movie, where Kevin Bacon plays a man with newly awakened abilities to commune with the dead. Now, Presence isn’t as overtly eerie as Stir of Echoes, which is a more traditional ghost story in that sense. But they share a similar sensibility in Koepp’s carefully constructed characters and final act twist. Essentially, his thumb print is clear. 

Koepp employs genre conventions like poltergeist activity: objects moved when the living aren’t looking or rooms trashed before their very eyes. But because of Soderbergh’s committed POV shots, these actions don’t feel like they’re intended to scare as much as they are to express a wordless frustration. Likewise, when the family brings in a medium, Lisa (Natalie Woolams-Torres), she looks nothing like you might expect. Rather than a frail white woman in black witchy attire, this supernatural communicator is a robust woman of color, wearing a warm flannel and jeans, as if she’s just come from her job as a barista or a kindergarten teacher. These subtle tweaks give a thrilling sense of possibility to Presence, promising the audience it won’t play by the rules and so the film could go anywhere. And where it goes it is not only satisfyingly surprising, but smartly sentimental. 

In the end, Presence is a remarkable union of a clever concept and a superb execution. In the wrong hands, fumbled or flashy camerawork could have crushed the character building of the ghost. Soderbergh’s steady hand is so mindful in its performance that you can practically feel the expressions of a face you cannot see. The cast expertly builds a believable and complex family bond while effortlessly completing choreographed blocking. And Koepp delivers a final act that is stomach-churningly tense yet tender. All of this collides to make a sublimely realized ghost story that is easily one of the best films of the year. 

Shame you’ll have to wait until next year to see it. 

Presence was reviewed out of its international premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is scheduled for theatrical release in the US Jan. 17, 2025. 

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Stephen King has posted his review of Mike Flanagan’s “The Life of Chuck” adaptation on X (formerly Twitter).

We already know that Stephen King thinks his latest story adaptation is “a happiness machine”, but his latest post about The Life of Chuck is even more glowing.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts on Mike Flanagan’s upcoming adaptation of his novella of the same name, King described it as “one of the good ones.”

Tweet may have been deleted

“It’s sad, has a touch of the paranormal, but it’s also joyful and life-affirming,” said King. “Maybe not what you’d expect from me, but there ya go.”

It’s not such a surprise if you’ve read the story – a novella in King’s If It Bleeds collection – which follows a man whose world falls apart when he starts to see the same mysterious image of a man called Chuck popping up everywhere.

Tom Hiddleston, Karen Gillan, and Mark Hamill star in the adaptation, which will like have Being John Malkovich surreal mystery vibes.

The Life of Chuck‘s release date is TBC.

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Stephen Colbert has mocked footage of JD Vance’s recent appearance in a donut shop.

Stephen Colbert has mocked footage of JD Vance’s recent appearance in a donut shop.

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