In our house I am the master of channels.  I am the one who unsubscribes from services we’re not watching, re-subscribes to services when there is something for us, and makes sure we don’t get signed up until a show we’re interested in has a full season available.

A mere four years ago we were at a point that felt almost like a renaissance of streaming content… we were all stuck inside and in need of something to do and streaming channels were there to deliver.  And then we got a vaccine, decided the pandemic was over, and realized that maybe we didn’t need a subscription to 17 different streaming services.

Netflix

Meanwhile, all the players who got into the streaming service game, having been lulled by the seemingly effortless success of Netflix, found themselves in a bit of a bind as they found this was not a cheap and easy path to riches even as people began trimming back on their subscription count.  This led to the need to raise prices, which drove even more people to dump their offering.

Still, the strong will prevail and, after some closures and a series of mergers… there are still probably too damn many channels.  More than we can afford to subscribe to continuously, so this is where we are at.

After more of four years of peaks and valleys and industry strife, these are the channels we end up watching.

The Long Haul Keepers

These are the services which we remain subscribed to pretty much always.  They have, on some level, a reason or a proven value to keep them around.

• Netflix

This is the one service we subscribe to continuously and watch most regularly, and it is largely because they throw more content at us than any two or three other services combined.  Sure, a lot of it is garbage, and most of it isn’t for us, but every Friday night they have a selection of content added to their service to choose from.

Add in that they drop a full season at a time so you can binge to your heart’s content and that they have probably one of the best apps by most measures, and you can see why I never bother to put Netflix on the bench.

Finally, their app works.  It is fast, responsive, comprehensible, and doesn’t assume I can read the tiny title card from across the room.  It also skips the “previously” section if I just watched the previous episode and lets me skip the beginning and end credits successfully.

That said, they just announced that they are cancelling my $12 a month plan and enrolling me in a $7 a month plan with ads.  Netflix promises it will just be a couple of ads at the beginning of some programming, but we’ll have to see how it goes.  The other alternative is $18 a month for no ads, and then we’re getting into the “you need to prove your value every month” zone of streaming services.

• Amazon Prime Video

I think it is just called Prime Video honestly, but I always put “Amazon” in there to remind myself that this is part of our Amazon Prime subscription, which is something we keep even when we’re not watching any of their shows.

So, technically, it is the other service we subscribe to continuously, but if my annual Prime member ship was just for it, I would cancel it in a heartbeat.  But I get other benefits from my Prime membership that make it worthwhile, so technically we subscribe to Prime Video.

The problem is that while they occasionally pull off something good… the recent Fallout series is a “prime” example… there otherwise isn’t a lot of new content there, and much of what is new isn’t very good.  If you missed some straight-to-video bad science fiction film, Prime is apparently where they all end up.

It is also very much in the business of bait and switch, where they will get a series from another service like Starz or MGM+ and show you a season… or, in one case, the first season MINUS the final episode… the prompt you to subscribe to that service… through them, of course, so they get a cut… which does not make me happy.  I have gone off and subscribed due to this at times, though I always go directly to that service, like Starz, and contract with them direction so Prime does not get a cut.

This is, in part, out of spite, but also because the Prime Video app isn’t great.  It is not the worst, but it is at best mid-pack.  It is slow, it can be hard to see, browsing for shows is not great, and it is really hit and miss about whether it will let you skip the “previously” or opening credits and just hates when you try to skip the end credits to start another show.  This is likely, in part, to them just showing a lot of content from other services, which they put the minimal effort into adapting to their app.

Finally, despite paying for access to Prime, if I don’t want to get ads during shows, I have to pay extra.  This, as you might expect, irks me and I will not pay their ransom.  The only upside to this is that they don’t show ads on all content, though amusingly some content an ad comes up to tell you the video will be ad free thanks to a specific sponsor, for who an ad then plays.

TL:DR – Not great, but comes with a package I never cancel.

• Apple TV+

Apple is in an interesting niche in that it is just cheap enough and the content is high enough quality that I don’t rush to cancel our subscription.  There isn’t a lot of new content, and they are still wed to the “let’s stretch out people’s subscription time by showing one episode a week because maybe, this time, we’ll have the next Game of Thrones and everybody will need a full week to discuss the show” routine, which I find irksome.

Our house rule is we don’t start watching anything until it is six episodes in.

The app is also not the best.  When you have something selected on scree it makes that item about 5% larger than it was when not selected, so I often have to move the selection a couple of times to see what has focus on screen.  It is a pain in the ass to just go watch the next episode if you stopped at the start of the credits last time you watched a series.  It wants to resume from exactly where you left off unless you fish around in the app to fine the page for the full series that has the episode list.

But the app does at least run pretty well for us.  I will give it that.

And, like I said, there isn’t a ton of new content.  It is the Anti-Netflix, which just throws a constant stream of new content at you.  So we spend a lot more time watching Netflix because we’ll take a chance on an episode or two of something new or watch some potentially bad movie on a Friday night because the commitment feels low and there are many other options if we bail.

• KQED Television

I almost forgot about this.  I give public television a regular monthly payment which gives me access to their regular lineup of shows and whatever they import from the UK via Masterpiece Theater.  We used to have half a dozen public television channels in the SF Bay area that each had their own varied content.  They all got scooped up by KQED in San Francisco over the years.  We almost never watch this these days, unless I want to go back and re-visit one of the Ken Burns documentaries, but technically we’re continuously subscribed.  At least when you stream you are not interrupted by pledge drives every few months.

• Xfinity Stream

Also, I should mention this because, due to the fact that Comcast is our only internet provider option and that they make sure that internet bundles are cheaper if you include cable TV, we still have cable TV at our house.  But on the rare occasion when we want to watch it, we watch it using the app on our Roku Stick.  And, live TV with ads… this is how animals watch TV, right?  Just sitting there and being force to watch whatever is “on” at that very moment?  How did we survive this?

The Frequent Recurring Subscriptions

These are the services that we are often subscribed to, but which get turned off now and then when we run out of content.

• Disney+

I will echo what I have heard many other say, which is if I still had pre-teen children in the house, I would never unsubscribe from Disney+.  It is also the one stop shop for all things Star Wars and the MCU and the entire 35 year life of The Simpsons.

But our daughter is now a college graduate and my nostalgia for the Disney catalog and the other properties they own isn’t all that strong.  So we’re willing to unsub from this one when we’re done with whatever the latest Star Wars series is.  And, because Disney+ is still locked into the “one episode a week” ploy to get people to string out their subscription for an extra month or two, we don’t subscribe until a season is set.

The app itself is pretty good.  It does group up content well enough and is responsive and doesn’t crash on our Roku stick.

• Hulu

Some very decent original content.  Will subscribe when a new season of something is out.  They do adhere to the “one episode a week” thing, so I wait until seasons are complete.  They do also get Fox and FX stuff, and at one point I watched literally all of the available episodes of Bob’s Burgers while also watching all available episodes of Archer, both of which feature H. Jon Benjamin voicing the lead role, which was quite a trip.

The app is okay, though it isn’t well organized.  They like to put the “continue watching” piece of the UI way down the main page and prefer to promote their new stuff, so you really have to bookmark the things you like and go to your personal page to get what you want out of the app.

• Starz

One of the relics of the premium cable channel era, somewhere down the list from HBO and Showtime, its once niche with us is the period piece dramas like The White Queen, The Spanish Princess, and The Serpent Queen get us to subscribe for a while.  They also feature a lot of movies, but everybody has a lot of movies and they are almost never the ones I am in the mood for at any given moment, so somehow that rarely works out.

• Paramount+

We originally came here to watch Yellowstone then found that this is where all of the Star Trek content lives as well as having a cross programming agreement with Showtime, so there is kind of a lot here.  However, we can get a bit burnt out on it as well.  We’ll watch a few seasons of this or that then stop watching for a while, at which point I will turn off the subscription.  But we do return.

• AMC+

This is the channel for all things Walking Dead, which my wife is still into because of the soap opera-like drama.  As I noted previously, after a season or two of zombies, people really became the main enemy, while zombies would only show up when the plot demanded.  Decent channel, not too expensive, and AMC has quite a bit of original content.  When something pops up we’ll subscribe for a while.

The At Need Only Channels

These are the services that we only subscribe to for very specific reasons, then cancel ones we’re done.

• Max

You would think they would be better at this whole streaming things, having been in on that business since the HBO Go app, their first cut at streaming, launched back in 2010.  Then again, the whole thing hasn’t been the same since the end of Game of Thrones.

The old HBO business model was to get people subscribed based on a few prestige series and maybe first access to films that had recently left the theaters, which worked well enough in the age of cable TV and the early days of streaming.  Now films don’t see to be the draw they once were, there are a ton of competitors, and they haven’t quite hit another big winner.

I mean, they can get a show like Succession that gets a lot of awards, but I think Netflix puts out a show about once a month that gets as many or more viewers, and a hit on Netflix will get 5-10x the viewers.

And at one time we would stay subscribed to HBO for years at a stretch.  Now, however, with the consolidation under the Max brand and the removal of back seasons of some shows, and other shows entirely, and their lack of anything really new and good… we went back last to watch season 4 of True Detective and it was okay, but I cancelled the service once we were done

• Peacock

This was an okay service the first few times we have subscribed, and they did a credible job with the Olympics recently.  I mean, I cannot blame them directly for NBC cutting away from the opening ceremonies to watch the US team standing around waiting to get on their boat.  I know the French are… uniquely French I guess… but they’re still more interesting that Snoop Dogg trying to engage random strangers in conversation or Kelly Clarkson repeating “Oooh, look at that” over and over.  And past that, if you wanted to watch very specific competitions, they let you.  So maybe the most accessible Olympics when it came to video.

But beyond the Olympics it has been degrading as a service.  They are going hard on ad revenue with a cheap subscription.  The problem is that I am fully willing to buy the more expensive ad free option, but they now show you the version of the content that has been cut up for ad injection… without the ads.  What this means is that every so often the show pauses for nearly a full second while the server apparently has to decided on the fly whether or not an ad gets played or not, then moves on when the result comes back negative.

That doesn’t sound bad, until you learn just how many ads Peacock thinks they should inject into 30 minutes of television.  It quickly becomes annoying out of all proportion to the actual duration of the interruption.  It isn’t completely unwatchable, but it just pulls me out of the show and makes my brain think, “Oh, here is another place where they would have put an add had I not given then an extra $8 for a month of service.”

Also, “ad free” did not apply to Olympic coverage, and I am still salty about that.

The Odd Outsiders

Services we have tried once and haven’t really felt the need to return to.

• Acorn & Britbox

I am lumping these two together because they share the same problem, which is the US view of British television after having been raised on US public television cherry picking the very best and putting it on in front of us via Masterpiece Theater.  We think everything produced in the UK is sophisticated and urbane, performed by actors who are veterans of the Royal Shakespeare Company, with performances delivered in that very specific BBC news reader accent, written by over educated graduates of Cambridge and Oxford, which holds a mirror up to life while making historical and literary references that mean we have to keep Wikipedia to hand in order to keep up.

Some of us grew up on a diet of things like I, Claudius and House of Cards and Monty Python and it skewed our perception.

So a pair of channels filled to the brim with British television content seems like heaven.

The problem is that Upstairs, Downstairs or Downton Abby are not the prototypical British programming, the pinnacle to which the island strives; Benny Hill is.  And even that is a huge cut above the average.  There are a lot of simply unwatchable, predictable, crap shows on Acorn and Britbox.

Finding that for every Prime Suspect there are a dozen dreadful police procedurals out there, often hampered for US audiences with incomprehensible UK regional accents and slang, is enough to burst the myth of British television superiority.  You’re just as bad as us at this TV thing and it is a miracle when you can build a season of television on even three hours of actual content.  At least in the US when we crank out mediocre content, we get 8, 10, 16, even 22 episodes out the door.

I’ll go back to letting US public television cherry picking for me, thank you.

So yeah, we’ve been through both of these channels and found that the good stuff we’ve seen already elsewhere and the rest… is usually not the good stuff.

• MGM+

We subscribed to this because of a Prime Video bait and switch with the show Monsieur Spade.  They had some content worth watching, but not enough to keep us subscribed and, lacking another screw job from Amazon, there isn’t anything there we’re dying to watch.  I think all the Bond films are available there… but I also have them all on DVD so I am excused from every having to watch them because there are just right there, I could watch them any time I want.

• Tubi

Technically not a subscription service but a free ad supported venue, one of my nieces that works in Hollywood… I have two such nieces… was working as a producer here so we gave it a try.  Oh man, ads suck, and injected ads suck at least 3x as much because if they don’t have enough ad buys, they will just show you the same damn ad two or three times back to back.

If the future is ad supported, they need to work on that.  It is awful.  Anyway, my niece has another job so I do not feel the need to engage with Tubi anymore.

Conclusions

We wished for a bright future of on demand entertainment where we could select and watch anything we wanted.  But we wished on the monkey’s paw, and as the finger curled down, we were given a patchwork landscape of competing services, shifting content availability, and difficult UIs.

I think the biggest problem is just know what there is out there to watch.  My least favorite thing these days is to sit down on the couch and have my wife ask, “So what should we watch?”  This portends me using the remote to scroll through large sections of half a dozen services to find something that looks good.

This, btw, is why Netflix wins so often for us.  They at least always have something new, something we’re willing to invest at least a bit of time into.  And after about fifteen minutes of my wife vetoing this or that I’m ready to just put anything on so I can stop this futile quest for content.

Using the Roku for streaming helps, as it will search all channels and services for programming and find it.  But you have to know what you are looking for.  If you are doing the streaming equivalent of channel surfing on a Friday night there are just too many places to look.

I know we don’t want to go back to half a dozen channels where you watched what was on or nothing at all, but there was a simplicity to it and a limited scope where you could glance at the TV listings and just decide to read a book or go play a video game.

So what are you watching these days?  Which channel scratches your itch?  And is there any decent new science fiction shows out there?  Is Orphan Black: Echoes any good?  Might have to re-up AMC+ if it is.

HBO Max has released The Last of Us Season 2 teaser trailer, setting the stage for what’s coming in 2025. The clip is only 24 seconds long, but those who’ve played The Last of Us Part II will note that it packs a lot, starting with a memorable scene of Ellie in Jackson. There’s also a glimpse of Abby that you’ll miss if you blink.

What we’ve learned from The Last of Us Season 2 trailer

The teaser can be viewed below. This article may contain spoilers so proceed beyond the teaser at your own risk.

In the teaser above, Joel claims that he saved Ellie, which forms the basis of the events that unfolded in the second video game. In TLOU 2, Ellie’s relationship with Joel becomes strained when she realizes that he lied to her about the events that took place in the hospital.

The bloodbath at the hospital is also why Abby comes into the picture. She is seeking revenge for her father’s murder, and, well… players know the rest.

It remains to be seen how the show tackles the entirety of TLOU 2 — including that controversial Joel and Abby scene — as it is a pretty narrative-heavy game.

The post HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 Teaser Flashes Memorable Game Scene appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

We’re back with a new list of movies to catch up on this weekend. We have a long-awaited Zendaya starrer and a very interesting horror movie. 

The best new streaming movies this week

• Tarot
• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
• Knox Goes Away
• Borderless Fog
• Challengers

Tarot – August 1, Netflix

• Release date: May 3, 2024
• Genre: Horror
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Spenser Cohen
• Cast: Harriet Slater, Adain Bradley, Avantika, Jacob Batalon, Humberly González, Wolfgang Novogratz, Larsen Thompson

A group of friends carelessly breaks a sacred rule during a tarot card reading, unknowingly unleashing an evil entity trapped within the cursed cards. As they start dying one by one in mysterious and frightening ways, they realize they’re in a desperate race against time. Each friend faces their nightmare based on the tarot card they drew.

The movie aims for suspense and scares, relying heavily on jump scares and an eerie atmosphere.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – August 2, Hulu

• Release date: August 2, 2024 
• Genre: Action, Adventure
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Wes Ball
• Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy, Eka Darville, Travis Jeffery

Set 300 years after the previous films, this movie shows a world where apes have become the dominant species and humans are considered wild creatures. A young chimpanzee named Noa starts a dangerous journey to rescue his clan after they’re kidnapped by a tyrannical ape ruler named Proximus Caesar.

Along the way, Noa befriends a human girl who can speak and a wise orangutan who teaches him about the legendary ape leader Caesar.

Knox Goes Away – July 26, Max

• Release date: March 15, 2024 
• Genre: Crime, Thriller
• Rating: R
• Director: Michael Keaton
• Cast: Michael Keaton, Al Pacino, Marcia Gay Harden, James Marsden, Suzy Nakamura, Joanna Kulig, Ray McKinnon

Michael Keaton stars as Knox, a skilled hitman diagnosed with dementia. As his memories begin to slip away, Knox’s estranged son Miles shows up at his door, covered in blood after killing his teenage daughter’s adult abuser. Desperate to help his son before losing his mind completely, Knox uses his criminal expertise to cover up the crime.

With a detective closing in and his mind deteriorating, Knox races against time to protect his son and possibly find redemption.

Borderless Fog – August 1, Netflix

• Release date: August 1, 2024 
• Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: Edwin
• Cast: Putri Marino, Yoga Pratama, Lukman Sardi, Yudi Ahmad Tajudin, Yusuf Mahardika, Kiki Narendra, Siti Fauziah

This Indonesian thriller follows Detective Sanja, a skilled investigator from Jakarta, as she’s assigned to a perplexing case in the remote border region between Indonesia and Malaysia.
The case becomes more complicated as it ties into human trafficking operations and corruption among local officials.

Adding to the intrigue is the presence of a malevolent forest spirit that seems to be influencing events. Sanja must navigate unfamiliar territory, both literally and figuratively, as she investigates a series of gruesome murders.

Challengers – July 29, MGM Plus

• Release date: April 26, 2024 
• Genre: Drama, Romance
• Rating: R
• Director: Luca Guadagnino
• Cast: Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor, Darnell Appling, Bryan Doo, Shane T Harris, Nada Despotovich

Set in the high-stakes world of professional tennis, this movie centers on a love triangle between three characters. Zendaya plays Tashi, a former tennis prodigy whose promising career was cut short by an injury. She’s now married to Art, a once-gifted player now struggling on the pro circuit. The third point of the triangle is Patrick, Art’s childhood friend and former tennis rival.

The narrative jumps between different periods, revealing how their relationships and tennis careers have intertwined and complicated over the years. As Art and Patrick face off in an important tournament, with Tashi coaching her husband, past tensions and unresolved feelings resurface.

What was new and worth watching over the last month

Here’s a quick roundup of our previous lists, if you missed them. Also, if you’re in the mood for something else this weekend, we have a list of streaming shows to cater to that.

Find Me Falling – July 19, Netflix

• Release date: July 19. 2024
• Genre: Comedy, Music, Romance
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: Stelana Kliris
• Cast: Harry Connick Jr., Agni Scott, Ali Fumiko Whitney, Clarence Smith, Athina Roditou, Antonis Katsaris, Andreas Phylactou

Set against the stunning backdrop of Cyprus, this romantic drama follows John Allman, a famous but burnt-out rockstar seeking solitude. He purchases a cliffside house, hoping for peace, but instead discovers it’s a notorious suicide spot. As John grapples with this morbid revelation, he reconnects with Sia, a local doctor and former flame.

The film interweaves themes of second chances, family dynamics, and the healing power of music, all while John tries to prevent more tragedies at his new home. The story promises a unique blend of romance, personal redemption, and unexpectedly dark undertones in a picturesque Mediterranean setting.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – July 22, Netflix

• Release date: March 22, 2024
• Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Gil Kenan
• Cast: Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Dan Aykroyd, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt

This latest installment in the beloved franchise sees the Spengler family relocating to New York City. They join forces with the original Ghostbusters team to face a chilling new threat. An ancient evil entity named Garraka, capable of freezing the entire world, has been unleashed.

The film promises a mix of nostalgia and fresh energy as the multi-generational team races against time to prevent a new Ice Age. Expect a blend of spooky comedy, state-of-the-art special effects, and callbacks to the original films.

The Commandant’s Shadow – July 18, Max

• Release date: June 13, 2024
• Genre: Documentary
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Daniela Völker
• Cast: Hans-Jürgen Höss, Kai Höss, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, Maya Lasker-Wallfisch

This documentary tells the story of Rudolf Höss, infamous commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, from the perspective of his descendants. The film centers on Hans Jürgen Hoss, Rudolf’s son, now in his late 80s, as he reflects on his childhood spent living next to the concentration camp.

Interwoven with Hans’ story is that of his own son, Kai, a pastor grappling with his family’s notorious history. The documentary also features Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, an Auschwitz survivor, and her daughter Maya, exploring how trauma is passed down through generations on both sides. Through intimate interviews and archival footage, the film examines guilt, denial, and the ongoing impact of the Holocaust on subsequent generations, raising profound questions about how we confront and process historical atrocities.

Love Lies Bleeding – July 19, Max

• Release date: March 8, 2024
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime
• Rating: R
• Director: Rose Glass
• Cast: Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Orion Carrington

This neo-noir thriller takes place in a gritty New Mexico town in the year 1989 and revolves around Lou, who is a gym manager involved in an endless cycle of violence and small-town boredom. However, her life turns dramatically when Jackie, a bodybuilder heading to Las Vegas for a contest comes into her life. The two quickly become heavily attracted to each other — this blossoms into an affair based on mutual goals, steeped in desire.

This film promises a gritty, visceral exploration of passion, power, and what one can do to escape circumstances.

Femme – July 23, Hulu

• Release date: December 1, 2023
• Genre: Thriller
• Rating: N.A.
• Director: Sam H. Freeman
• Cast: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, George MacKay, Antonia Clarke, Moe Bar-El, Nima Taleghani, John Leader, Aaron Heffernan

This psychological thriller tells the story of Jules, a talented drag performer whose life is ruined by a brutal homophobic assault. Preston, his attacker, meanwhile struggles with the fact that he himself is gay. Seizing this opportunity, Jules initiates a sexual relationship with Preston, initially motivated by revenge.

However, as their intimacy deepens, the lines between vengeance, attraction, and understanding begin to blur. The film explores complex themes of identity, masculinity, and the cyclical nature of violence, all while maintaining a taut, suspenseful atmosphere.

HBO has released the first footage of the second season of The Last of Us, and it implies that things for Pedro Pascal’s Joel may be a little bit different than they are in the game. No, not that different, but it seems like he might be going to therapy.

Read more...

We’re back with a new list of movies to catch up on this weekend. We have a long-awaited Zendaya starrer and a very interesting horror movie. 

The best new streaming movies this week

• Tarot
• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
• Knox Goes Away
• Borderless Fog
• Challengers

Tarot – August 1, Netflix

• Release date: May 3, 2024
• Genre: Horror
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Spenser Cohen
• Cast: Harriet Slater, Adain Bradley, Avantika, Jacob Batalon, Humberly González, Wolfgang Novogratz, Larsen Thompson

A group of friends carelessly breaks a sacred rule during a tarot card reading, unknowingly unleashing an evil entity trapped within the cursed cards. As they start dying one by one in mysterious and frightening ways, they realize they’re in a desperate race against time. Each friend faces their nightmare based on the tarot card they drew.

The movie aims for suspense and scares, relying heavily on jump scares and an eerie atmosphere.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – August 2, Hulu

• Release date: August 2, 2024 
• Genre: Action, Adventure
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Wes Ball
• Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy, Eka Darville, Travis Jeffery

Set 300 years after the previous films, this movie shows a world where apes have become the dominant species and humans are considered wild creatures. A young chimpanzee named Noa starts a dangerous journey to rescue his clan after they’re kidnapped by a tyrannical ape ruler named Proximus Caesar.

Along the way, Noa befriends a human girl who can speak and a wise orangutan who teaches him about the legendary ape leader Caesar.

Knox Goes Away – July 26, Max

• Release date: March 15, 2024 
• Genre: Crime, Thriller
• Rating: R
• Director: Michael Keaton
• Cast: Michael Keaton, Al Pacino, Marcia Gay Harden, James Marsden, Suzy Nakamura, Joanna Kulig, Ray McKinnon

Michael Keaton stars as Knox, a skilled hitman diagnosed with dementia. As his memories begin to slip away, Knox’s estranged son Miles shows up at his door, covered in blood after killing his teenage daughter’s adult abuser. Desperate to help his son before losing his mind completely, Knox uses his criminal expertise to cover up the crime.

With a detective closing in and his mind deteriorating, Knox races against time to protect his son and possibly find redemption.

Borderless Fog – August 1, Netflix

• Release date: August 1, 2024 
• Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: Edwin
• Cast: Putri Marino, Yoga Pratama, Lukman Sardi, Yudi Ahmad Tajudin, Yusuf Mahardika, Kiki Narendra, Siti Fauziah

This Indonesian thriller follows Detective Sanja, a skilled investigator from Jakarta, as she’s assigned to a perplexing case in the remote border region between Indonesia and Malaysia.
The case becomes more complicated as it ties into human trafficking operations and corruption among local officials.

Adding to the intrigue is the presence of a malevolent forest spirit that seems to be influencing events. Sanja must navigate unfamiliar territory, both literally and figuratively, as she investigates a series of gruesome murders.

Challengers – July 29, MGM Plus

• Release date: April 26, 2024 
• Genre: Drama, Romance
• Rating: R
• Director: Luca Guadagnino
• Cast: Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor, Darnell Appling, Bryan Doo, Shane T Harris, Nada Despotovich

Set in the high-stakes world of professional tennis, this movie centers on a love triangle between three characters. Zendaya plays Tashi, a former tennis prodigy whose promising career was cut short by an injury. She’s now married to Art, a once-gifted player now struggling on the pro circuit. The third point of the triangle is Patrick, Art’s childhood friend and former tennis rival.

The narrative jumps between different periods, revealing how their relationships and tennis careers have intertwined and complicated over the years. As Art and Patrick face off in an important tournament, with Tashi coaching her husband, past tensions and unresolved feelings resurface.

What was new and worth watching over the last month

Here’s a quick roundup of our previous lists, if you missed them. Also, if you’re in the mood for something else this weekend, we have a list of streaming shows to cater to that.

Find Me Falling – July 19, Netflix

• Release date: July 19. 2024
• Genre: Comedy, Music, Romance
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: Stelana Kliris
• Cast: Harry Connick Jr., Agni Scott, Ali Fumiko Whitney, Clarence Smith, Athina Roditou, Antonis Katsaris, Andreas Phylactou

Set against the stunning backdrop of Cyprus, this romantic drama follows John Allman, a famous but burnt-out rockstar seeking solitude. He purchases a cliffside house, hoping for peace, but instead discovers it’s a notorious suicide spot. As John grapples with this morbid revelation, he reconnects with Sia, a local doctor and former flame.

The film interweaves themes of second chances, family dynamics, and the healing power of music, all while John tries to prevent more tragedies at his new home. The story promises a unique blend of romance, personal redemption, and unexpectedly dark undertones in a picturesque Mediterranean setting.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – July 22, Netflix

• Release date: March 22, 2024
• Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Gil Kenan
• Cast: Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Dan Aykroyd, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt

This latest installment in the beloved franchise sees the Spengler family relocating to New York City. They join forces with the original Ghostbusters team to face a chilling new threat. An ancient evil entity named Garraka, capable of freezing the entire world, has been unleashed.

The film promises a mix of nostalgia and fresh energy as the multi-generational team races against time to prevent a new Ice Age. Expect a blend of spooky comedy, state-of-the-art special effects, and callbacks to the original films.

The Commandant’s Shadow – July 18, Max

• Release date: June 13, 2024
• Genre: Documentary
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Daniela Völker
• Cast: Hans-Jürgen Höss, Kai Höss, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, Maya Lasker-Wallfisch

This documentary tells the story of Rudolf Höss, infamous commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, from the perspective of his descendants. The film centers on Hans Jürgen Hoss, Rudolf’s son, now in his late 80s, as he reflects on his childhood spent living next to the concentration camp.

Interwoven with Hans’ story is that of his own son, Kai, a pastor grappling with his family’s notorious history. The documentary also features Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, an Auschwitz survivor, and her daughter Maya, exploring how trauma is passed down through generations on both sides. Through intimate interviews and archival footage, the film examines guilt, denial, and the ongoing impact of the Holocaust on subsequent generations, raising profound questions about how we confront and process historical atrocities.

Love Lies Bleeding – July 19, Max

• Release date: March 8, 2024
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime
• Rating: R
• Director: Rose Glass
• Cast: Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Orion Carrington

This neo-noir thriller takes place in a gritty New Mexico town in the year 1989 and revolves around Lou, who is a gym manager involved in an endless cycle of violence and small-town boredom. However, her life turns dramatically when Jackie, a bodybuilder heading to Las Vegas for a contest comes into her life. The two quickly become heavily attracted to each other — this blossoms into an affair based on mutual goals, steeped in desire.

This film promises a gritty, visceral exploration of passion, power, and what one can do to escape circumstances.

Femme – July 23, Hulu

• Release date: December 1, 2023
• Genre: Thriller
• Rating: N.A.
• Director: Sam H. Freeman
• Cast: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, George MacKay, Antonia Clarke, Moe Bar-El, Nima Taleghani, John Leader, Aaron Heffernan

This psychological thriller tells the story of Jules, a talented drag performer whose life is ruined by a brutal homophobic assault. Preston, his attacker, meanwhile struggles with the fact that he himself is gay. Seizing this opportunity, Jules initiates a sexual relationship with Preston, initially motivated by revenge.

However, as their intimacy deepens, the lines between vengeance, attraction, and understanding begin to blur. The film explores complex themes of identity, masculinity, and the cyclical nature of violence, all while maintaining a taut, suspenseful atmosphere.

iOS 18 přinesl pro iPhone řadu nových vylepšení a vývojáři si s novými funkcemi hrají už od vydání první beta verze. Jeden z klíčových aspektů platformy však v nejnovějších beta sestaveních stále chybí a společnost nám nesdělila přesný časový rámec, kdy by se mohl objevit pro vývojáře a veřejné beta testery. Ano, řeč je o funkcích Apple AI a jejich pozdním vstupu do beta cyklu. No, máme kvalifikovaný odhad, kdy bude Apple Intelligence uvolněna pro vývojáře.

Apple Intelligence je odpovědí společnosti na rostoucí trend umělé inteligence a na to, jak zásadním způsobem formuje průmysl. Na akci WWDC společnosti Apple bylo potvrzeno, že funkce dorazí jako beta verze, ale společnost neoznámila žádné konkrétní termíny, což nás a vývojáře zhruba nechává ve štychu. Společnost nedávno vydala čtvrtou vývojářskou beta verzi iOS 18 a Apple Intelligence je stále v nedohlednu, což některé nechává spekulovat, že by se funkce mohla dále zpozdit.

To však není pravda, protože Apple plánuje vydání na léto, přestože ze stránky Apple Intelligence pro vývojáře odstranil značku „Summer“. To znamená, že vývojáři budou moci testovat nástroje umělé inteligence ještě předtím, než bude iOS 18 vydán pro širokou veřejnost později v tomto roce. Vzhledem k tomu, že společnost zahájila také rozesílání veřejných beta verzí, můžeme s jistotou předpokládat, že Apple Intelligence bude uvolněna pro obě verze beta.

Vzhledem k tomu, že iOS 18 bude vydán někdy v září spolu s očekávanou řadou iPhone 16, můžeme odhadovat, že Apple Intelligence bude pro iPhone a další operační systémy vydána v srpnu. Přesněji řečeno, společnost vydá utility před koncem příštího měsíce. Pro Apple by bylo moudré vydat Apple Intelligence co nejdříve, protože vývojáři tak budou mít více času na otestování platformy a nahlášení chyb pro stabilní uživatelské prostředí.

Zpočátku budou funkce Apple Intelligence dostupné pouze v americké angličtině a postupně bude společnost seznam jazyků rozšiřovat. Pokud jde o kompatibilitu, společnost Apple uvedla, že funkci budou moci využívat pouze modely iPhone 15 Pro a iPhone 15 Pro Max, což znamená, že všechny starší modely budou muset zůstat u základů. V počáteční fázi zavádění Apple Intelligence však budou chybět některé funkce, mezi které patří i nové prostředí Siri. Společnost si vezme čas na zdokonalení technologie a její zavedení dokončí v příštím roce. O tom, kdy bude Apple Intelligence k dispozici pro vývojáře, vás budeme informovat, jakmile bude nová beta verze k dispozici.

Článek Kdy budou funkce Apple Intelligence dostupné v aktualizaci iOS 18 Beta pro iPhone se nejdříve objevil na MOBILE PRESS.

Článek Kdy budou funkce Apple Intelligence dostupné v aktualizaci iOS 18 Beta pro iPhone se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.

August has arrived. That means a fresh new calendar of game releases, from massive AAA titles to potential new indie darlings.

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We’re here with a new list for the week, featuring two long-awaited movies and an anime retelling you’re going to love. It’s a great month for movies and shows this month, you’ll find more if you scroll to the bottom of this week’s round-up.

The best new streaming movies this week

Feel free to click on the links if something piques your interest, or read through to discover what’s streaming to find your weekend watch.

• Ultraman Rising
• Exhuma
• Clotilda: The Return Home
• Camp Pleasant Lake
• Monkey Man
• Black Barbie

Ultraman Rising – June 14, Netflix

• Release date: June 14, 2024 
• Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
• Rating: PG
• Director: Shannon Tindle
• Cast: Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young, Julia Harriman

Ken Sato, a star baseball player in Tokyo, must reluctantly follow in his father’s footsteps and become the next Ultraman, humanity’s legendary defender against giant kaiju monsters. As Ken struggles to balance his sports career with his new responsibilities as a superhero, he also grapples with a strained relationship with his father and the recent disappearance of his mother.

An encounter with a baby kaiju forces Ken to examine what truly makes a hero. Amidst epic battles to protect Tokyo, Ken and his father must learn to work together and mend their family bonds, all while deciding the fate of this mysterious young creature. This anime film offers a fresh, modern take on the classic Ultraman story, delving into complex familial themes while delivering thrilling kaiju action.

Exhuma – June 14, Shudder

• Release date: May 3, 2024
• Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
• Rating: N.A.
• Director: Jang Jae-hyun
• Cast: Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hai-jin, Lee Do-hyun, Kim Jae-chul, Jeon Jin-gi, Kim Sun-young

In the forested countryside near the North Korean border, a wealthy immigrant family finds themselves plagued by a dark force targeting their newborn son. Desperate for help, they turn to Hwa-rim and Bong-gil, two young shaman siblings, and Sang-deok, a veteran geomancer, and his Christian apprentice Yeong-geun. As the spiritual experts dig deeper into the family’s past, they uncover terrifying secrets linked to the colonial-era traumas and the region’s rich tapestry of shamanist, Buddhist, and Christian traditions.

Mixing elements of exorcism thrills and creature feature horror with a strong basis in Korean mythology and history, Exhuma delivers a chilling ghost story that will make you think twice about the consequences of disturbing the past.

Clotilda: The Return Home – June 18, Disney Plus

• Release date: April 13, 2024
• Genre: Documentary
• Rating: N.A.
• Director: Tara Roberts
• Cast: Tara Roberts

Nearly 90 years after the abolition of slavery, the schooner Clotilda carried 110 kidnapped Africans to Alabama in 1860, the last known slave ship to bring human cargo to the United States. Among the captives was Oluale Kossola, who was later interviewed about his experiences by author Zora Neale Hurston in the 1930s.

Now, Kossola’s descendants journey to his home village in Benin, hoping to finally fulfill his last wish of returning his spirit to where it was stolen. Along the way, the family confronts the brutal realities of slavery at historical sites in both Benin and America. Watch an African-American family’s quest to reclaim their ancestor’s story, find healing, and ensure that the truth of the Clotilda’s survivors will never be forgotten.

Camp Pleasant Lake – June 14, Starz

• Release date: February 27, 2024
• Genre: Horror
• Rating: N.A.
• Director: Thomas Walton
• Cast: Kelly Lynn Reiter, Jonathan Lipnicki, Leila Almas Rose, James Di Giacomo, Lacey Burdine, William Delesk, Bonnie Aarons

Two decades after the unsolved Meadows Family murders at Camp Pleasant Lake, the remote site has been transformed into an immersive horror destination where paying guests can live out a “real” 80s slasher movie experience. But as the campers gleefully play along with the staged scares and gory special effects, a very real killer begins stalking the woods, and the lines between fiction and reality blur with deadly results.

Is it the vengeful spirit of young Echo Meadows, who vanished the night of her family’s slaughter? Or a flesh-and-blood killer orchestrating the ultimate horror show? Paying homage to classics like Friday the 13th and Scream, this blood-splattered, Camp Pleasant Lake gleefully hacks its way through the fourth wall for a gory, tongue-in-cheek thrill ride.

Monkey Man – June 14, Peacock

• Release date: April 5, 2024 
• Genre: Action, Thriller
• Rating: R
• Director: Dev Patel
• Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Adithi Kalkunte, Sikandar Kher, Makrand Deshpande, Ashwini Kalsekar

On the chaotic streets of an Indian metropolis, a mysterious young fighter enters an underground tournament run by crooked promoters, using the prize money to fund his secret revenge mission. Concealing his identity behind a monkey mask, “The Kid” works his way into the inner circle of the city’s powerful elite, including the ruthless police chief who destroyed his family.

But even as The Kid trains his body into a lethal weapon, the sins of the past continue to haunt him. Driven by his commitment to justice and a belief in the mythic Hanuman, The Kid launches a brutal one-man war against the corrupt establishment, leaving a trail of blood and broken bones in his wake.

Black Barbie – June 19, Netflix

• Release date: June 19, 2024 
• Genre: Documentary
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: Lagueria Davis
• Cast: Beulah Mae Mitchell, Kitty Black Perkins, Stacey McBride-Irby

Since 1959, the Barbie doll has been a blonde-haired, blue-eyed icon of femininity and a mainstay of American girlhood. But for decades, Black girls were denied a doll that reflected their own beauty and experiences — until a group of pioneering Black women at Mattel rewrote the toy’s history.

Told through the voices of Mattel employees, cultural historians, and Barbie fans, this eye-opening film reveals how designer Kitty Black Perkins and others challenged corporate resistance to create the first Black Barbies in the 1960s and 70s. Blending corporate history with cultural critique, Black Barbie takes a searing look at the tangled relationship between race, beauty standards, and the power of representation.

To a lot of people, Reinhardt is still the quintessential tank character in Overwatch 2. The shield-bearing, hammer-swinging old man is one of the original 21 heroes, has some of the most straightforward and comprehensible utility of any character on the roster, and he’s overall just a fun character to have in your…

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A Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 campaign that looks like Mission: Impossible by way of an Adam Curtis documentary, a Gearsof War prequel that shows fans E-Day and the birth of the series’ iconic “Lancer” chainsaw gun, and a trailer that showed Perfect Dark isn’t just still alive, it’s potentially thriving. Microsoft’s…

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Today, June 9, 2024, Xbox took to the stage to show off a ton of games over the course of its nearly one-and-half-hour-long event. It was a healthy selection of games that featured a wide variety of genres and the return of a certain chainsaw-gun-wielding, bandana-wearing dude who’s ready to take it to the Locusts.

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Avalanche founder Christofer Sundberg has hit back at Mad Max film director George Miller for claiming the studio's game "wasn't as good as [he] wanted it to be".

During promotion for the new Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga film, Miller was asked by GamingBible about whether a new game was considered alongside the film.

He responded that Avalanche's previous game "wasn't as good as I wanted it to be", adding "I'm one of those people that I'd rather not do something unless you can do it at the highest level". He then said he'd love for Hideo Kojima to take on the challenge of a Mad Max game - because, of course.

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Láska Hidea Kodžimy k filmu se v průběhu let projevila mnoha různými způsoby, včetně jeho mnoha přátelství s významnými osobnostmi Hollywoodu, z nichž mnohé se nakonec objevily v jeho hrách.

Jednou z takových osobností je i slavný režisér George Miller, který nejenže poskytne svou podobiznu postavě ve hře Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, která vyjde příští rok, ale dočkal se i vydání svého nového filmu Furiosa.

V rozhovoru pro Gamingbible na premiéře svého filmu byl Miller dotázán na možnost nové hry na motivy série Max Max, v odpovědi na kterou zmínil titul z roku 2015 vyvinutý společností Avalanche Software a to, že ačkoli nedosahoval takové kvality, v jakou doufal (na rozdíl od toho, co si myslí mnozí fanoušci hry), doufá, že se jednou dočká hry Mad Max od Hidea Kodžimy. Vzhledem k mnoha projektům, na kterých Kojima již pracuje, je však podle Millera nepravděpodobné, že by se tak stalo.

„Když jsme natáčeli Fury Road, měli jsme vytvořenou videohru,“ řekl Miller. „Mnohokrát jsme byli požádáni, abychom ji udělali, ale nebyla tak dobrá, jak jsme chtěli. Neměli jsme ji v ruce, dali jsme všechen ten materiál společnosti, aby ji udělala. Patřím k těm lidem, kteří raději něco nedělají, pokud to nemohou udělat na té nejvyšší úrovni, nebo se o to alespoň pokusit.“

„Právě jsem tady mluvil s Kodžimou, který přijel až z Japonska,“ pokračoval Miller. „Jestli by se toho ujal… ale on má v hlavě tolik fantastických věcí, že bych ho o to nikdy nepožádal. Ale kdyby se toho někdo takový ujal… protože já bych to nezvládl.“

Když pomineme Millerovy naděje, že se dočkáme hry Mad Max pod vedením Kojimy, vzhledem k tomu, kolik toho má Kojima Productions v současné době na talíři, je nepravděpodobné, že by se tak v dohledné době stalo. V roce 2025 studio vydá Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, zatímco kromě toho v současné době pracuje také s Microsoftem na OD a se Sony na Physintu.

George Miller revealed he wants @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN to make a Mad Max game🤯@Kojima_Hideo pic.twitter.com/o8mDdSAkFs

— GAMINGbible (@gamingbible) May 20, 2024

Článek George Miller doufá, že Hideo Kodžima vytvoří hru Mad Max se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.

Furiosa, the next chapter in the Mad Max saga, is nearly out, and that's a great excuse to watch or re-watch the whole thing. It's completely fine not to know the right order to watch the series, as the whole series is nearly 50 years old and most people old enough to remember it are also already old enough to have some memory problems.

There are two possible orders in which to watch the Mad Max Saga, and there are very small differences between both. Let's check them out.

How to Watch the Mad Max Saga in Release Order

1- Mad Max (1979)

The original Mad Max takes place in an undisclosed near feature (for the people of 1979) where the world was on the brink of complete collapse. The film follows Max Rockatansky, a cop who is broken after he witnesses his family killed at the hands of a biker gang and goes on a revenge spree.

2- Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Even though Max ended up effectively "retiring" the evil biker gang at the end of the original movie, he didn't really do much for the state of the world, which is now long past the brink of collapse. Even though it takes place just around three years after the original movie, the whole known world of Road Warrior is but an Australia-sized arena where those who have the guns and the fuel get to make up the rules.

3- Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Thunderdome takes place nearly a decade after Road Warrior, at a time when people are once again trying to create something we'd charitably call society. Max finds himself in a gladiatorial arena and ends up leading a bunch of kids to a better life. It's the least-liked movie in the franchise, but it's still deserving of your attention.

4- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Fury Road came out 30 years after the release of the previous entry in the franchise, so director George Miller wisely left the chronology unclear. We naturally assume that the story takes place after the events of Thunderdome, but the movie doesn't feature any direct reference to that movie. That's by design, for the record; Miller confirmed that the films do not have a strict continuity, with the idea being that Max's story is akin to a campfire tale told by survivors. So while Max's age and design may be in flux, he's intended to be the same character in each film.

There's also a second release of Fury Road, Black and Chrome, which is how the director intended the film to be viewed.

5- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Furiosa shows us various stages of the life of the titular character, and we know that it takes place before she's the badass adult general we see in Fury Road. If you believe that Fury Road takes place in the same universe as the original trilogy, then Furiosa takes place an unknown amount of time after Thunderdome and around a decade before Fury Road.

How to Watch the Mad Max Saga in Chronological Order

1. Mad Max (1979)
2. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
3. Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
4. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
5. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
6. Mad Max: Fury Road - Black and Chrome (2017)

The Mad Max saga to date has been an entirely chronological affair. The sole exception is that Furiosa is a prequel to Fury Road. If you want to watch the Mad Max Saga in chronological order, the only change you need to make is seeing Furiosa before you see Fury Road.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga opens on May 24.

The post How to watch George Miller’s Mad Max movies in order appeared first on Destructoid.

It looks like Doogee finally made something really close to the phone SemiAccurate always wanted.
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The post Doogee (Almost) makes the phone we always wanted appeared first on SemiAccurate.

People had strong feelings, to put it mildly, after Xbox shuttered Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and other studios, and we share some of our own. Also,PlayStation finally relented on a requirement that PC players maintain a PSN account, but not before colossal fan uproar, and as the dust started to settle, we had…

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It looks like Doogee finally made something really close to the phone SemiAccurate always wanted.
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The post Doogee (Almost) makes the phone we always wanted appeared first on SemiAccurate.

This past week started with a shock, as Microsoft announced it was closing a number of studios including Tango Gameworks, responsible for the very well-liked Hi-Fi Rush, leading many to wonder just what a studio has to achieve in this day and age to be deemed successful enough to exist. Also, one of the most…

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On May 7, Microsoft closed down four first-party development studios it had acquired from Zenimax Media in 2021 including Tango Gameworks, developer of The Evil Within series and 2023’s surprise hit Hi-Fi Rush. It’s the latest round of layoffs and closures that the gaming industry, and Xbox specifically, has seen in…

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There is a lot to watch on the various streaming services available in 2024 — sometimes, it almost feels like too much. To simplify things for you, we’ve compiled some of the best new streaming movies to watch that are new this week.

Check out our top picks from major streamers like Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and will sometimes even bring you an exciting new VOD movie or two. In addition to the latest movies from this week, we also give you other recommendations for shows that have arrived on a new streaming platform in the last 30 days. 

The new Onn 4K media streamer that’s available in select Walmart stores for $50 may be hard to beat when it comes to bang for the buck, but not everyone wants or needs the features that make this device stand out in its price range, like its mic, speakers and USB and Ethernet ports. So […]

The post Daily Deals (5-02-2024) appeared first on Liliputing.

The Banana Pi BPI-M5 Pro is a single-board PC that measures 92 x 62mm (3.62″ x 2.44″) and features hardware that could make it an interesting option as a compact router, file server, media player, or edge AI device. Powered by a Rockchip RK3576 processor, the little board supports up to 16GB of RAM and features […]

The post Banana Pi BPI-M5 Pro single-board PC has an RK3576 processor, an M.2 slot and dual Ethernet ports appeared first on Liliputing.

There is a lot to watch on the various streaming services available in 2024 — sometimes, it almost feels like too much. To simplify things for you, we’ve compiled some of the best new streaming movies to watch that are new this week.

Check out our top picks from major streamers like Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and will sometimes even bring you an exciting new VOD movie or two. In addition to the latest movies from this week, we also give you other recommendations for shows that have arrived on a new streaming platform in the last 30 days. 

It’s hard to keep track of which streaming service is premiering which new show or movie from week to week. Netflix used to be king, but the streaming field is full of alternatives, and they’re all regularly pumping out new content. So, what are the best new streaming shows and where can you watch them? Every week, we answer that question for you, offering some exciting new and returning titles, including streaming originals, from services like Max, Hulu, Prime Video, Paramount Plus, and, yes, Netflix. 

We’ll be updating this list every week, so stay tuned for more new streaming shows on every major service. Looking for even more? We keep an archive of our recommendations going back at least 30 days. 

The best new streaming shows this week

Let’s jump right in and take a closer look at the best new shows debuting this week. It was a bit slower than the week before, but there were still a few notable entries. Let’s jump right in. 

The Circle, Season 6 – April 17, Netflix

The Circle has seen many adaptations, but this American version first aired on Netflix back in 2020. The show’s premise is fairly unique, as it takes a number of players and moves them into separate apartments in the same building. While in the building, players are kept isolated from the outside world and can’t even see each other in person, though they are allowed to communicate with other players through a special app that lets them see photographs and biographies, and engage in text chats. Every few days, each contestant must secretly rate all the others from first to last, but there’s a catch: the players are allowed to catfish if they so choose. In other words, the players may or may not be what they seem.

• Years active: 2020 – Ongoing
• Genre: Reality competition
• Rating: TV-MA
• Creator: Tim Harcourt

Watch on Netflix

It looks like Doogee finally made something really close to the phone SemiAccurate always wanted.
Read more ▶

The post Doogee (Almost) makes the phone we always wanted appeared first on SemiAccurate.

There is a lot to watch on the various streaming services available in 2024 — sometimes, it almost feels like too much. To simplify things for you, we’ve compiled some of the best new streaming movies to watch that are new this week.

Check out our top picks from major streamers like Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and will sometimes even bring you an exciting new VOD movie or two. In addition to the latest movies from this week, we also give you other recommendations for shows that have arrived on a new streaming platform in the last 30 days. 

It’s hard to keep track of which streaming service is premiering which new show or movie from week to week. Netflix used to be king, but the streaming field is full of alternatives, and they’re all regularly pumping out new content. So, what are the best new streaming shows and where can you watch them? Every week, we answer that question for you, offering some exciting new and returning titles, including streaming originals, from services like Max, Hulu, Prime Video, Paramount Plus, and, yes, Netflix. 

We’ll be updating this list every week, so stay tuned for more new streaming shows on every major service. Looking for even more? We keep an archive of our recommendations going back at least 30 days. 

The best new streaming shows this week

Let’s jump right in and take a closer look at the best new shows debuting this week. It was a bit slower than the week before, but there were still a few notable entries. Let’s jump right in. 

The Circle, Season 6 – April 17, Netflix

The Circle has seen many adaptations, but this American version first aired on Netflix back in 2020. The show’s premise is fairly unique, as it takes a number of players and moves them into separate apartments in the same building. While in the building, players are kept isolated from the outside world and can’t even see each other in person, though they are allowed to communicate with other players through a special app that lets them see photographs and biographies, and engage in text chats. Every few days, each contestant must secretly rate all the others from first to last, but there’s a catch: the players are allowed to catfish if they so choose. In other words, the players may or may not be what they seem.

• Years active: 2020 – Ongoing
• Genre: Reality competition
• Rating: TV-MA
• Creator: Tim Harcourt

Watch on Netflix

It looks like Doogee finally made something really close to the phone SemiAccurate always wanted.
Read more ▶

The post Doogee (Almost) makes the phone we always wanted appeared first on SemiAccurate.

In 2022, TSMC announced that its 2nm fabrication process, dubbed N2, will be ready for mass production by 2025. Soon after that, it was reported that the chipset in Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro series phones would be the first to use TSMC’s 2nm fabrication process. However, after that, we didn’t get any update on the matter. Well, that’s changing today.

According to a new report from Digitimes, TSMC is on track to ready the 2nm fabrication process for mass production by 2025. The publication also claims that the company plans to start small-scale production of chips on the N2 technology by the end of this year. It means that Apple could get chipsets for the iPhone 17 Pro series devices made on TSMC’s 2nm process, making them the first devices to use the company’s N2 technology.

Samsung Foundry is also expected to ready its 2nm fabrication process, dubbed the SF2, by 2025. Reportedly, Qualcomm will use this fabrication process for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. That year's flagship Exynos chipset might also use that fabrication process. However, since the iPhone 17 Pro will come out before the Galaxy S26 series, Apple will beat Samsung in the 2nm race, at least when it comes to launching phones with 2nm chips.

The post Apple iPhones to get 2nm chips before Galaxy phones appeared first on SamMobile.

It’s hard to keep track of which streaming service is premiering which new show or movie from week to week. Netflix used to be king, but the streaming field is full of alternatives, and they’re all regularly pumping out new content. So, what are the best new streaming shows and where can you watch them? Every week, we answer that question for you, offering some exciting new and returning titles, including streaming originals, from services like Max, Hulu, Prime Video, Paramount Plus, and, yes, Netflix. 

We’ll be updating this list every week, so stay tuned for more new streaming shows on every major service. Looking for even more? We keep an archive of our recommendations going back at least 30 days. 

There is a lot to watch on the various streaming services available in 2024 — sometimes, it almost feels like too much. To simplify things for you, we’ve compiled some of the best new streaming movies to watch that are new this week.

Check out our top picks from major streamers like Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and will sometimes even bring you an exciting new VOD movie or two. In addition to the latest movies from this week, we also give you other recommendations for shows that have arrived on a new streaming platform in the last 30 days. 

Thanks to the trend started by Netflix, it seems that all major streaming services want to crack down on password sharing. People who share their accounts with individuals outside of their household face restrictions on various streaming services, including warnings and account suspensions. We’ve seen Disney Plus and Hulu also begin cracking down on password sharing, and now Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max (formerly known as HBO Max) streaming service will soon be cracking down on password sharing.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO, Mr. JB Perrette, says the company sees password sharing crackdown as a “growth opportunity,” as reported by TheWrap (via ArsTechnica). The company will undertake this exercise for Max later this year and continue into 2025 with it. Once the crackdown is complete, we presume you will no longer be able to share your Max account with outsiders.

It’s hard to keep track of which streaming service is premiering which new show or movie from week to week. Netflix used to be king, but the streaming field is full of alternatives, and they’re all regularly pumping out new content. So, what are the best new streaming shows and where can you watch them? Every week, we answer that question for you, offering some exciting new and returning titles, including streaming originals, from services like Max, Hulu, Prime Video, Paramount Plus, and, yes, Netflix. 

We’ll be updating this list every week, so stay tuned for more new streaming shows on every major service. Looking for even more? We keep an archive of our recommendations going back at least 30 days. 

February is here. Let’s watch some movies. Welcome to io9's latest edition of the Nerd’s Watch, where we pare down the enormous lists of new films and television shows arriving on all your favorite streaming services into the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror titles we think you’ll like most. (And sometimes, just the ones…

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