Though the year’s cinematic frontrunners are by-and-large a fairly uniform crowd (look no further than our list of the best films of 2018 — or even Barack Obama’s 2018 favorites), there are still a lot of movies that have fallen through the cracks. From more niche films like Black ’47, which deals with Ireland’s Great Famine, to box office bombs like Mortal Engines, which failed to find an audience, this addendum to the year’s best movies is our guide to what’s worth catching as the year comes to a close, whether the films in questions deserve a spotlight or just a second chance. SWEET COUNTRY Along with the superb Goldstone and Cargo, Sweet Country is part of a wave of recent Australian films that have reckoned with the country’s history with regards to its indigenous people. Directed by Warwick Thornton and starring Hamilton Morris, Bryan Brown and Sam Neill, Sweet Country feels remarkably modern, despite taking place in 1929. Morris … [Read more...] about The most overlooked movies of 2018
Most using english words
Why does Mutant Year Zero use the terminology of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.?
I had a fine time with Mutant Year Zero: Road To Eden‘s post-apocalyptic, ducking good blend of real-time stealth and turn-based combat, but one concern dogged me throughout. Used repeatedly throughout the game are two beyond-familiar terms: ‘zone’ and ‘Stalker.’ Names scorched into the very soul of anyone who’s played the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games/seen Tarkovsky’s Stalker/read Roadside Picnic. How what why? I asked Mutant Year Zero’s developers to explain this anomaly. (And then I spent far too long researching the Swedish release dates of cult 1970s sci-fi). In terms of its theme (mutants battling through a post-disaster world) developers The Bearded Ladies shrug off the legendary noughties survival-shooter series as an inspiration. “We have seen a few people accuse us of just being a copy of Stalker,” game director Lee Varley tells me, “but the original Pen and Paper was written back in 1984 where this type of post … [Read more...] about Why does Mutant Year Zero use the terminology of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.?
Steven Universe made Lars the most fascinating character by revealing his heritage
Steven Universe is animated, but the show’s characters are complex people with vibrant backstories. For a few seasons, there was one exception: Lars Barriga, Beach City’s disaffected Big Donut employee. When the series first introduces us to Lars, his sour attitude, hostility, and selfishness paint him as an annoying and frustrating character. But for me, and others with roots in the Filipinx diaspora, a subtle nod to Lars’ ancestry was as big a reveal as any Pink Diamond twist. In the show’s 14th episode, “Lars and the Cool Kids” we learn that Lars may suffer from a compulsive desire to fit in. The episode opens with him standing against the wall of Fish Stew Pizza, waiting for a chance to befriend with the Cool Kids. When the group does hang out with him and Steven, Lars spends the entire time worrying about the opportunity, ultimately self-sabotaging his dreams of connecting with Beach City’s coolest teens. By seeing this drive manifest … [Read more...] about Steven Universe made Lars the most fascinating character by revealing his heritage
Hackers can control Alexa and Siri to hijack your bank account and break into your home using ‘silent’ messages
HACKERS can control popular voice assistants like Alexa and Siri to steal money from your bank account and unlock smart locks to enter your home. Researchers have discovered a bug in Amazon, Apple and Google's bots that can be triggered with 'silent' commands hidden in music, reports The New York Times. These subliminal messages are undetectable to the human ear and could be used to buy things on Amazon and elsewhere online using your payment details. Smart speakers are quickly becoming one of the must-have home gadgets, with almost half of UK households expected to own such a device by 2022 (up from 10 per cent today), according to consulting firm OC&C. Gadgets like the Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple HomePod allow users to control their speakers using voice commands. With Amazon's Alexa digital assistant (which is built into the Echo speaker), you can play music, shop on Amazon, ask about the weather, order a pizza, and even make phone calls. But new research suggests that … [Read more...] about Hackers can control Alexa and Siri to hijack your bank account and break into your home using ‘silent’ messages
Walking Heavy is a stealth game about English gangsters that’s flown under the radar
The train drops me off in Tynewich. It's raining, like always. As the train leaves I cross the tracks immediately rather than exploring on this side, a superstitious act I repeat every mission because it worked one time. It works again and I find my target quickly. He wears the distinctive red of a drug supplier carrying a new substance called HYPE. There's a police officer walking in the same direction, so I casually trail both. We pass ugly council houses and the visibility circle around me pulses in and out like a heartbeat, growing larger every time I step from a pool of shadow into the light of a streetlamp. Finally the target and the police officer separate. I follow the red man until a particularly dark shadow shrinks the visibility circle around me to almost nothing, at which point I opportunistically whip out my pistol and shoot him. The police officer immediately rounds the corner, having not gone nearly as far as I hoped. I sprint back toward the train, hoping for one … [Read more...] about Walking Heavy is a stealth game about English gangsters that’s flown under the radar