What makes a good Jesus movie? That is admittedly a loaded question, but on weekends like this when the airwaves and streaming services are awash in biblical epics of every stripe—those appealing to followers of the New Testament and those favoring only the Old—it is a query that arises time and again in my mind. Whether you love or hate the Hollywood hokum of Cecil B. DeMille and King Vidor, there are many excellent films derived from the Torah. In the modern era as well, storytellers as eclectic as Darren Aronofsky and Ridley Scott return to those same tales to perhaps checkered results. Yet when it comes to the New Testament and the stories and teachings of Christ, the cinematic offerings always appear sparser and strangely limiting. To be sure, there have been many movies made about Jesus, perhaps more so than ever these days with indie distributors, speciality labels, and unified church groups producing faith-based programmers every Easter, including this one. They all tend to dutifully pull from the Gospels of Luke or Matthew or Mark, and sometimes sprinkle in a little Charles Dickens for good measure (no, really). But by and large, these films have the stilted delivery of a Sunday school recitation—they repeat the beats a congregation knows by heart while offering little of the awe or wonder, or self-reflection that the story is meant to provoke. Curiously, this is more or less the case as well with the much higher production valued versions made by Hollywood during the height of the biblical epic craze in the 1950s and ‘60s. There was a lot more pomp and splendor provided by Nicholas Ray’s resources on the original King of Kings movie in 1961, or George Stevens’ in The Greatest Story Ever Told circa ‘65, but the determination to not offend or upset any Christian ticket-buyer caused both films to have an airless tedium that time has made no less dire. Still there’s one exception from this same era that I think might come the closest to cracking the code of making a good movie about Christ that neither offends the devout—like otherwise two terrific films shrouded in doubt and self-examination, Norman Jewison’s Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) and Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)—nor bores everyone else to tears. And the secret might be that while deliberately echoing the pageantry of DeMille, William Wyler’s Ben-Hur was not a movie about Jesus Christ the man; instead it thrillingly, and without existential complexity, reflects the values of Jesus Christ the teacher. There might be some who discount this nearly four-hour epic set as much in Rome and the Mediterranean as the Holy Lands as a Jesus movie. For most, it’s simply remembered for that spectacular chariot race filmed in glorious 65mm and just about the widest possible aspect ratio. But there’s a reason it was the second most successful film ever when released in 1959, and it’s the same as what caused the novel, written by Civil War veteran Lew Wallace, to become the most popular American fiction of the late 19th century. As its subtitle assures us, this is “A Tale of the Christ,” and the first scene of the movie is a silent, painterly recreation of the Christmas story—a feat bookended by a similarly hushed reenactment of the death and implicit resurrection on the other side of the picture. In between those two sequences, Christ is a figure felt throughout the film but never quite seen. His presence permeates though, elevating the film’s central narrative about one Hebrew prince named Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) and his personal rivalry with childhood soulmate turned autocratic oppressor, the Roman tribute Messala (Stephen Boyd), into a reclamation project. Theirs is the classic revenger’s story extracted from its most adventurous and swashbuckling interpretations, a la Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. Despite being best pals in their youth—if not something more according to one of the film’s screenwriter Gore Vidal—Messala cruelly betrays his kindred spirit for advancement in the Roman machine, and Judah is sentenced to die on a galley ship as a slave. Through luck (or providence), he is then spared from a shipwreck and watery grave. He escapes his fate, rises to an unlikely status of renown in the Roman world, and uses it to return home and challenge Messala to what amounts to a climactic chariot race to the death. It is a story of spurned fraternal love, and through it all the screenplay not so subtly expounds on the emptiness of revenge and how killing Messala will not restore to Judah a sister and mother who were condemned to a leper colony, nor will it fill the void in his soul. Meanwhile, constantly in the margins of his life, there is a strange carpenter with an ethereal draw. He is the empathetic man on the desert road who offers Judah the Slave water when his Roman masters seek only to bask in his dehydrated despair. The same man is there again on a mount outside of Jerusalem when Ben-Hur can only think of his petty personal problems, vacillating between being a wealthy Roman pawn or a penniless Jewish rebel. That figure is also finally at the end of the film in need of Judah’s own help while carrying a cross up a hill. So yes, it is a story of Christ, but one which has the restraint to only nod toward Christ’s affect on others as opposed to the special effects they might promise. Never once is Jesus’ face seen on the screen, but without doubt this is every American Sunday school’s vision of Jesus. The best religious scene in the movie has been parodied, including quite hilariously by the Coen Brothers, but there is a reason they were still thinking about it 60 years after the fact. In the scene where Jesus gives water to a dying man, the divinity of the Son of God is explicit despite being only inferred. We see simply a hand holding Judah’s face as he desperately sips from a wooden ladle of water, oblivious to the stranger’s palm cradling the makeshift cup and his head. Only after tasting life again does Ben-Hur look up and recognize something in this man. It’s something a scornful Roman centurion also sees when threatening to whip the carpenter before being startled into lowering his weapon and looking away in shame from Christ’s gaze. There is no doubt in this film that this is an assured and confident Son of God who lacks the doubt of Scorsese and Willem Dafoe’s far more complex and human interpretation of the figure. That confidence is also probably what most want in an Easter movie, and despite lacking Scorsese’s messy humanity, Wyler’s film is neither pedantic or preachy in its religiosity. It’s heavy-handed in intent—it is a Hollywood biblical epic!—but by refusing to show Jesus’ face or even one of those miracles for the first three hours, Ben-Hur is able to create some of the awe and ethereal majesty the gospels tell us occurred. A touch of grace goes a long way, and even in fleeting ellipses sprinkled throughout three and a half hours, they’re more than enough. They evoke the mystique and mystery folks go to church for, without feeling like you’re getting the long-winded sermon too. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! And by the end, Christ’s divinity is proven in one last miracle: Jesus’ dying hands touch Judah’s family, curing a sister and mother of leprosy like dirt that’s washed away by the falling rain. This is a full-blown Jesus movie that makes mountains out of a mount. When taking the project, Wyler was primarily known as a director of intimate dramas with often melodramatic and psychological underpinnings. He made what is still the only Wuthering Heights adaptation worth a damn (the 1939 one starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon, of course) and The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Roman Holiday (1953). At the time, he claimed he wanted to make the thinking man’s biblical epic as well, which was clearly a shot fired at DeMille. He later expounded that it “took a Jew to make a good film about Christ” (Wyler was himself Jewish). These might be pithy one-liners from a director at the end of his life looking back on a film that won him an Oscar, but they also ring true. It took some distance from the Jesus story to make a worthwhile film out of it. To be clear, there have been other good, and arguably better, films about Christ. I am personally quite fond of Jesus Christ Superstar and Last Temptation, but one was dreamed up by a lyricist and atheist so struggling with his doubts that he made Judas his sympathetic point-of-view character; the other is directed by a true believing Catholic who also wanted to interrogate his doubt and, possibly, Christ’s own sense of despair and disbelief. In other words, it was a movie that caused zealots to burn down a movie theater in Paris. On the other side of the coin, is the forced piety and frankly menacing zealotry of Mel Gibson’s dreary passion play and all the incurious pablum made in its boffo wake. Then there is the thinking mind behind Ben-Hur. It tells its story with plain directness and vigilant, reassuring comfort; it also found a way to passionately demonstrate how Jesus’ teachings can cause a man to become better and forsake the sword… but not before having an amazing chariot sequence. We’re talking about one of the best scenes in movie history. Hallelujah, saints be praised.

I love outlet adaptors for HomeKit, but if you still use them to automate lamps, it might be time to switch things up (sorry for the pun). Smart plugs are a great way to get started, but smart bulbs give you more control over the lighting experience and work with overhead lights. With smart bulbs, you can change the color, set different brightness levels, and group them by room or scene. It is an easy upgrade that adds flexibility without complicating your setup. This week, I am looking at the Lightinginside Matter smart bulb. HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework. Why Matter…matters One of the biggest challenges before Matter was a “thing” was deciding which platform to commit to. If you started with Amazon Alexa for a wide range of accessories, you were basically locked into buying Alexa-compatible gear. The same goes for Google or Apple. That made it hard to switch platforms later without overhauling your setup or running a mix of apps and ecosystems. Matter changed that. It created an industry for smart home devices so your lights, plugs, switches, and sensors can work across HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, and SmartThings without needing a different app or new hardware. That means you are no longer locked into one ecosystem for the life of your products. You can use a HomePod with Siri today and switch to an Amazon Echo tomorrow and your gear comes with you. For HomeKit users, Matter has ultimately meant that more devices will be compatible out of the box. Unboxing, testing, and thoughts on Lightinginside Matter smart bulb Obviously, there’s not a lot to a lightbulb in the box. The Matter code is on the Lightinginside Matter smart bulb, so you’ll want to do the dance of scanning it within the Home app, screwing it in, and turning it on. As HomeKit onboards the bulb to your environment, you’ll pick a room and give it a name. Feature-wise, you can dim and adjust colors on the Lightinginside Matter smart bulb within HomeKit. This is where HomeKit/Matter bulbs shine over outlet adaptors. With outlet adaptors, it’s simply off and on. With bulbs, they become very useful within scenes and automations because you can set certain levels based on time of day, day of the week, or specific routines. You might have them turn on at twenty percent brightness in the early morning to ease into the day, then switch to full brightness as the day moves. At night, they can shift to a warmer tone and lower brightness to help wind things down. You can also tie them to HomeKit motion sensors so lights only come on when needed. All of it happens automatically once the bulbs are added to your HomeKit setup and the automations are made. Key features: Matter-certified for HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistsnt, and SmartThings No third-party app required when using HomeKit Full color and tunable white support 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only Standard A19 bulb with E26 base Supports automations, schedules, and scenes in HomeKit Music sync and DIY scenes available with Smart Life app 9W LED with dimming via app or Siri Wrap up on Lightinginside Matter smart bulb So, does the Lightinginside Matter Smart Bulb do anything unique over the dozens of Homekit bulbs on the market? Not really. It supports Matter and generally works well. My main complaint is the lack of adaptive lighting support for HomeKit setups. You can often find a four-pack on sale for $20 or so, making it a great option for augmenting your smart home setup with more HomeKit lights. You can buy the Lightinginside Matter Smart Bulb from Amazon or directly from the manufacturer on its website. Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.  FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

"I’ll build it 30 feet tall if I got to."Levee JohnstonA man and his brother in western Tennessee deployed a clever system to save their family home from devastating river surges triggered by a catastrophic storm earlier this month.As the Washington Post reports, farmers Tucker Humphrey and his brother Justin constructed levees with an excavator that saved the house from flooding.Dazzling aerial footage of the flood shows the home and its surrounding rectangular property virtually untouched by the brown floodwater that has engulfed everything else in the region.The idea of constructing a levee, a technique that humans have known about and deployed for many thousands of years, was passed down from the two brothers' father, who died several years ago, according to WaPo."Just normal things around here," Tucker Humphrey told the newspaper. "Doing what we have to do to save the house."Paul WallTo protect the home, the pair constructed a barrier up to nine feet tall in certain places.And as it turns out, the artificial embankment was sorely needed. In just hours, the Obion River, which runs adjacent to their hometown of Bogota, rose nine feet at the beginning of April.Around 100 people had to be rescued in the area. The storm itself, which tore through much of the South, killed more than 30 people.The Humphreys have no plan to move away from the flood-prone area, and are ready to construct even higher barriers."I’ll build it 30 feet tall if I got to," Tucker told the WaPo.More on floods: Flood Wreaks Havoc on NASA SpacecraftShare This Article

Today is Superman Day — apparently the very first issue of Action Comics went on sale on April 18, 1938 — and so there is a new video hyping this summer’s upcoming Superman film from writer/director James Gunn.This isn’t really a trailer; more of a behind-the-scenes featurette, showing Gunn working on set with the crew and stars David Corenswet (Superman), Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), Nicholas Hoult (Lex Luthor), and more. It also has a bunch of footage of some of the other DC Comics heroes who appear in the film, including Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl and Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho — who looks eerily like the version of the character from comics. Although ... is he wearing ... ratty gym shorts? (Metamorpho typically wears black briefs with a non-functional belt with an “M” on it, just in case he forgets how to spell his name.)There are also interviews with several cast members, and you get a good look at some of the practical props as well. I want a high five from one of those Fortress of Solitude robots.You can watch the Superman Day Superman featurette below:READ MORE: The Best DC Movie Posters EverHere is the new Superman’s official synopsis:“Superman,” DC Studios’ first feature film to hit the big screen, is set to soar into theaters worldwide this summer from Warner Bros. Pictures. In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.James Gunn’s Superman is set to open in theaters on July 11.Get our free mobile appThe Biggest DC Movie BombsThese movies may have featured some of the biggest superheroes in history, but they were also big flops.Filed Under: DC Comics, James Gunn, SupermanCategories: Movie News, Superheroes

This is a remote position.Schedule:Flexible between 9:00AM - 5:00PM Eastern Standard Time (Quebec, Canada)20 hours per weekKey Responsibilities:Help select, launch and manage a Hubspot CRM for prospective real estate buyers.We have a dedicated sales team of licensed real estate brokers who receive many leads. We want to maintain better control of tracking these leads by adopting a real estate CRM platform. The selected candidate will have to learn this system so our leads can be tracked, and reporting provided.Help launch and manage the BuildingLink online platform for homeowner communications (www.buildinglink.io)Once a lead is converted to a homeowner—they will be moved to this owner communications platform.Respond to homeowner inquiries in both English and French, via written and verbal communicationAssist in the implementation and optimization of the online communication platformMaintain accurate records of all leads and homeowner interactions and queriesCollaborate with the development team to address and resolve homeowner concernsSelected candidate will also provide administrative support, including communication with various local government agencies and service providers.RequirementsFluency in English required. Fluency in French is a big plus but not required.Excellent communication skills, both written and verbalCandidate should be comfortable working with basic AI tools to craft and/or edit all messaging. Especially language translation.Proficiency in using online platforms and willingness to learn new softwareStrong organizational and time management skillsCustomer service-oriented mindsetAbility to work independently and as part of a teamComfortable with a flexible work scheduleHighly computer literate and comfortable working with databases, spreadsheets, and various marketing and communication tools.Marketing experience is a plusBenefitsPermanent Work from HomeImmediate HiringSteady Freelance JobPlease note that since this is a permanent work-from-home position and an “Independent Contractor” arrangement, the candidates must have their own computer and internet connection. They will handle their own benefits and taxes. The professional fees are on hourly rates and the rate depends on your performance in the application process.​ZR_22009_JOBApply NowLet's start your dream job Apply now Meet JobCopilot: Your Personal AI Job HunterAutomatically Apply to Remote Customer Support JobsJust set your preferences and Job Copilot will do the rest-finding, filtering, and applying while you focus on what matters. Activate JobCopilot

The glasses would reportedly serve as a placeholder until Apple has a more advanced AR headset.

April 18, 20253 min readAmerica’s ‘Golden Era’ of Oil Is Already Losing Its GlitterLiberty Energy, founded by Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, reports falling profits, and the industry cites tariffs as a driverBy Benjamin Storrow & E&E News Anton Petrus/Getty ImagesCLIMATEWIRE | The oil company founded by Energy Secretary Chris Wright reported falling profits Thursday, warning investors that the oil industry faces "storm clouds on the horizon" amid President Donald Trump's tariff blitz.Liberty Energy is a barometer of the health of America's oil patch. The Denver-based company provides fracking services to oil and gas companies, and it is of growing importance today — as the company was founded by Wright and is one of the first oil firms to report its first quarter earnings amid the president's push to impose tariffs on a broad-range of imported goods."As we look forward, of course, there are some storm clouds on the horizon," Liberty CEO Ron Gusek told financial analysts. "We don't know if that storm is going to roll in here or not."On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Liberty executives sought to put a good face on the moment. They noted the oil and gas industry is a cyclical business and that drillers are in better shape to withstand a downturn than in previous years. They predicted drilling activity would pick up in the second quarter, as winter turned to spring. And they expressed hope that Trump's decision to pause a wide range of tariffs had relieved pressure on the global economy.But the tone was a far cry from the "golden era of American energy dominance" that Wright promised shortly after becoming Energy secretary earlier this year.Liberty's quarterly profit of $165 million represented its worst quarter since the first three months of 2022 and was down from almost $239 million in the same quarter last year. Liberty's stock has fallen around 40 percent since the start of year.Company executives conceded a slowdown in the oil patch could occur if oil prices continued to slide. West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for American crude, has lost more than 20 percent from its high of around $80 a barrel in early January.The company will be closely watching its capital expenditures and share buyback as market conditions evolved, Gusek said, adding, "We will be keenly focused on a fortress like balance sheet that will enable us to navigate whatever is coming our way."The Department of Energy did not respond to a request for comment.Company executives said the gas market represented a potential bright spot, with liquefied natural gas exports supporting demand. Falling associated gas production from wells that are primarily drilled for oil could support pure-play natural gas operations, they said.The oil and gas industry threw its weight behind Trump's reelection campaign last year and many in the industry were thrilled when the president selected Wright to lead DOE. In his first secretarial order, Wright promised to unleash a "golden age" for energy development, rolling back regulations, boosting LNG exports, focusing on research and development and refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.Discontent with Trump has been rising in the oil patch. In a quarterly survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, oil and gas executives expressed dismay with the president's tariff onslaught, saying it threatened to raise costs while putting a damper on economic growth needed to support oil demand.This story also appears in Energywire.Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Stellar Blade and Goddess of Victory: Nikke studio Shift Up is now one of the biggest game studios in South Korea. Due to the massive success of both action games, although definitely more for the latter, the studio’s CEO and game director Kim Hyung-tae is now one of the richest people in the country. Via Forbes, the Korean game director now has a net worth of $725 million due to the success of its games. Kim, who started off as a game artist before founding the company, has skyrocketed in riches. As of last July, Kim Hyung-tae was a billionaire in South Korea, but a significant fall in share prices have reduced his worth down to $725 million. Nevertheless, the game designer is still one of the richest people in Korea. After working on Blade and Soul, a popular Korean MMO, the CEO opened Shift Up in 2013. Since the company’s founding, Goddess of Victory: NIKKE has been a major success, bringing in so much money it pretty much funded Stellar Blade’s lengthy development. Over the last decade, Nikke’s success has raked in many millions and has crossed over with a tonne of other popular properties. In recent years, the game has crossed over with Chainsaw Man, NieR, Re:Zero and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Eve from Stellar Blade is also slated to make an appearance in the game as part of a special collaboration this year. In the near future, Shift Up’s Stellar Blade is set to receive a second win due to its release on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store this July. While the game did well as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, the game’s PC port is expected to be an absolutely huge moment for the action title. (We know why: it’s the modding scene.) Stellar Blade 2 is also in the works at Shift Up. However, it will likely be years until we see anything related to the upcoming sequel. Stellar Blade Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5 Genre(s): Action, Action Adventure, Indie Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

Original Real Housewives of New York cast member Bethenny Frankel is a New Yorker no more. The Queens-born Bravolebrity, who starred in eight seasons of the hit reality series, announced on Thursday that she is moving to Florida “for personal and professional reasons,” along with her teenage daughter, Bryn Hoppy. “Something has arisen that made this the best and healthiest decision for myself and my daughter,” Frankel said in the social media video.According to Us Weekly, Hoppy’s “academic and athletic goals” were a big reason behind the decision to move, which was “all about” supporting the 14-year-old, a source told the outlet. Frankel also liked a TikTok comment that referenced Hoppy wanting to “start college [in Florida] later,” seemingly confirming that narrative.Though she will reside in the Sunshine State for at least 184 days out of the year, this isn’t the last that NYC will see of the Skinnygirl founder. “We will maintain residences in the Hamptons and New York City because we love New York, but this will be our primary and permanent residence,” she said.Frankel did not confirm which Floridian city would become her new home base, but she did buy a $1.68 million Miami Beach apartment last year, which looks to be where she shot the video. The reality star ended the clip by panning to the ocean view from her balcony and gushing, “This will be my backyard!”Join NowAD PRO members enjoy exclusive benefits. Get a year of unlimited access for $25 $20 per month.ArrowThe move is certainly not unprecedented. It seems it’s becoming a RHONY alum tradition to trade the Big Apple for the Sunshine State. Sonja Morgan, who starred in seasons three through 13 of the show, packed her bags for West Palm Beach last year, while Ramona Singer of seasons one through 13 bought properties in Boca Raton and Palm Beach in 2020 and 2021, respectively.Frankel’s announcement garnered mixed reactions from fans. Many speculated that Florida’s lack of income tax spurred the move, while some excitedly floated the idea of the New York native joining the Real Housewives of Miami cast. One TikTok commenter questioned “who willingly moves to Florida in 2025,” to which Frankel replied, “me as stated earlier in the meeting.”

Tesla recently cut production goals for its huge, angular EV pickup truck. It turns out the Cybertruck’s sales just aren’t that impressive as of late, prompting the automaker to take action. The latest move? Tesla is offering big discounts on the Cybertruck in the hopes of swelling sales.  US and Canadian discounts soar as Tesla attempts to bolster Cybertruck sales The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its American Automobile Labeling Act records. For 2025, the Tesla Cybertruck ranked among the most American-made vehicles on the market. At 65% US and Canadian parts, the Cybertruck is more US-made than the American-as-apple-pie Ford F-150. Despite its American-ness, the Cybertruck’s sales in the United States are downright lousy. Tesla sold around 6,400 Cybertrucks in Q1 2025, well off target for the brand’s sales expectations. As a result, Elon Musk’s electric automaker is in survival mode. For starters, Tesla is offering big-time discounts on its Foundation Series models. In some cases, the discounts are as much as $11,990. To entice would-be buyers that much more, the brand may also offer free lifetime supercharging for the 123 kWh battery pack. Discounts aren’t quite as generous for the non-Foundation Series models. Those discounts are closer to $10,550 on the higher side. Still, a five-figure discount is a sizable incentive. Take a beat, though. Before you go rushing through the picket lines at your nearest Tesla dealership, the 2025 model doesn’t have access to the same $7,500 federal tax credit it once did.  The federal tax credit caps at $80,000, which excludes models like the $102,235 tri-motor Cyberbeast. However, Tesla is set to play a different tune as early as this year. Tesla will deliver a single-motor, RWD Cybertruck “Long Range” soon, with a lower price. As of now, the Cybertruck Long Range is likely to start at around $69,990 and shrug off features like a power tonneau cover. However, that $69,990 starting price puts the Cybertruck Long Range at the right price point to qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit. That welcomed EV credit could drop the cost of a Cybertruck RWD to around $62,490 when the new model starts reaching buyers.