z-other-galley
Movie Review: Despite its title, the slasher siege movie ‘Onslaught’ takes its time
Masked soldiers deployed on domestic soil and an air of conspiratorial paranoia give Adam Wingard’s not-quite-grindhouse siege film “Onslaught” a contemporary pulse, even if this lean, B-movie thriller doesn’t deliver much more than a flicker of its throwback promise. Wingard, though, does seem freshly liberated in this return to his low-budget thriller roots (“You’re Next,” […]
‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Fall Movie Preview: Russo brothers, maestros of ensembles, test their limits
NEW YORK | Before they were the most-trusted hands behind Marvel’s largest epics, Joe and Anthony Russo presided over a slightly less potent assemblage of talent: the Bluth family of “Arrested Development.” Beginning with “Arrested Development” ( 14 episodes directed ) and “Community” (34 episodes), the Russo brothers established an especially keen sense for the […]
Martin McDonagh’s ‘Wild Horse Nine’ hits Venice Film Festival with a dark CIA tale
VENICE, Italy | Martin McDonagh had written a few versions of his new film “Wild Horse Nine,” which receives its world premiere on Thursday at the Venice Film Festival, before he homed in on the CIA and the 1973 military coup in Chile. One was about a father and son, another was about two actors. […]
A pair of spacecraft draw closer to Mercury after nearly decade-long voyage
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. | Two Mercury-bound spacecraft left their mother ship behind on Thursday and headed down the home stretch of their nearly decade-long voyage to the solar system’s smallest and closest-to-the-sun planet. The linked European and Japanese spacecraft separated as planned from their cruiser, but controllers had to wait two anxious hours to receive […]
Movie Review: Kenneth Branagh and Ryan Reynolds star in irreverent Cold War action-comedy ‘Mayday’
Somewhere along the way, Sir Kenneth Branagh developed a knack for playing Russians. He was the vindictive oligarch in “Tenet” and a villainous industrialist in “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” but “Mayday” may be the first time he’s been asked to use his very particular set of language skills for … comedy? His character, Nikolai Ustinov […]
Some US cities have begun rewarding careful drivers with fewer red lights
Officials struggled for years to curb high-speed crashes along a residential corridor cutting through Albuquerque, New Mexico, but simply punishing the lead-footed drivers didn’t seem to work. What ultimately did was rewarding the law-abiding ones with fewer red lights. The solution, which the city credits for a dramatic drop in crashes and injuries along one […]
Social media companies are trying harder to know which users are kids
Of the child safety measures agreed to in Meta’s landmark legal settlement, no category contains more detailed requirements than its commitments on age assurance — and for good reason. No matter how well the protections work, they are of little use if Meta can’t tell which users are kids. Determining which accounts belong to children […]
Movie stars, timely documentaries and awards hopefuls convene at the Venice Film Festival
August can be a dreary month for Hollywood glamour, but the Venice Film Festival is on the horizon to kick off the busy fall film festival season in style. There will be plenty of stars gracing the red carpets when the 83rd edition of the festival kicks off Wednesday on the Lido: Noel and Liam […]
As Pell grants expand, students see openings to afford short-term job training
Sydney Webb scrimped and saved to pay for an eight-week certified nursing assistant program at a North Carolina community college. On top of the $255 registration fee, the 26-year-old bartender also had to pay for a background check, scrubs, a stethoscope, special shoes and a state certification exam — all while working half as much […]
The living care for ancestors and wandering spirits at Malaysia’s Hungry Ghost Festival
BUKIT MERTAJAM, Malaysia | It’s that time of year when the living make room for the dead. Malaysia’s Hungry Ghost Festival is held during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which this year began in mid-August. “It is centered around the worship of Da Shi Ye, also known as the Guardian God of […]