Developing new drugs is risky and expensive. Creating a new drug and bringing it to clinical trials can cost billions of pounds, with no guarantees of success. And sometimes a drug can fail to meet expectations during a clinical trial in one part of the world, even though it was effective in another.One reason is the bacteria in the human body. Each person has a slightly different mix of bacteria in their bodies, and these bacteria are now known to play an important role in how well a medicine works or even if it works at all.Understanding that relationship is all the more important in cancer treatment, where bacteria in the tumour risk blocking potentially life-saving treatments.The relationship between drugs and treatments is extremely complex and hard to predict. But with a new drug, or asset, costing as much as $2.6bn to develop, being able to model that relationship is hugely important to both pharmaceutical researchers and clinicians.BioCortex is a specialist research company, set up to use advanced data science techniques to analyse the relationship between bacteria and drug candidates, with an initial focus on oncology and, in particular, antibody-drug conjugates.By better understanding how bacteria interfere with medicines, BioCorteX, and the drugs researchers it works with, aim to increase the success rate of drugs going through clinical trials. This should lead to shorter drug development cycles and more effective treatments for patients.One of the reasons we founded the company was the frustration that, when you look after people as a clinician, you spot that people respond very, very differently to treatments, and often its difficult to understand why, says BioCorteX co-founder Nik Sharma. We saw an opportunity for a stepwise change in how we think about drugs and pharmaceuticals. Bacteria, which are really integral to human health, actually underact with pharmaceuticals. We think that is one of the core reasons why drugs may work in an individual, but at a larger scale may fail.In clinical trials, a drug might be successful in one geography or population group but fail in another due to different bacteria in the human body.Better understanding that relationship, with the vast number of variables involved both the human bodys bacteria and the number of drugs being tested is, though, a vast mathematical challenge. The amount of bacteria that we have is phenomenal, says Sharma. The amount of pharmaceutical [treatments] is obviously large. The complexity is huge.Sharma and Mo Alomari, a Rolls-Royce engineerThis offered a way to look at bacteria and drug interaction, and Sharma andTo do this, the firm built one of the largest knowledge graphs in biology. Modelling the interaction between bacteria and a drug candidate involves 15 to 16 billion connections.This was beyond the reach of any commercial off-the-shelf database or analytics tool. So, BioCorteX builds its own, using Googles BigQuery. There is no software out there that can handle the knowledge graph of that size that weve been able to find, and weve looked at all commercial offerings out there, says Sharma.What weve done is build our knowledge graph using BigQuery, and thats what really allowed us to scale and, importantly, work economically, and issue new versions of our knowledge graph and merge those data two or three times a day.The knowledge graph has some three billion notes and 16 billion edges, all stored on BigQuery.On the graph databases, there are a number of them out there, says Alomari. Not one of them is able to handle the billions of nodes. So, basically, we came up with a bespoke solution built on top of BigQuery, where we added the layer on top that basically treats BigQuery as a graph database.If a scientist wants to run new data through the system, BioCorteX can do this several times a day at minimal cost. It takes approximately 20 minutes, says Sharma.BioCorteX takes data from pharmaceutical companies and runs it through the knowledge graph to identify possible bacterial interference in a drug, and how it might impact its effectiveness in a larger number of patients.The bacteria makes some drugs for some individuals incompatible, whereas theyre compatible for others, says Sharma. We can determine that interaction. We can determine what is compatible at scale. So, the product is really the ability to be able to look at those assets fast forward.The process is quicker, and of course cheaper, than a clinical trial. Nor is the BioCorteXs analysis limited to new drugs.What were also able to do is look at assets that havent been successful, says Sharma. You would have seen that a number of studies fail. Those drugs are often whats called out licensed, so another company will take them on and see whether they can develop them. Were able to look at those assets and see whether they failed because of the hidden interaction between the bacteria, the tumour and the drug.Read more about Google CloudWe survey the key cloud storage offers available from GCP, which include Cloud Storage, Persistent Disk and Filestore, with a range of service levels and app-specific options.Partnership with Europes biggest retailer will offer client-side encryption and ensure data doesnt leave Germany.This type of modelling is becoming more important as the development of medicines becomes more international. By using vast amounts of data, BioCorteX can run scenarios to model, say, a phase one study in Australia and then the differences between a phase two study in the US and Europe.Nor is BioCorteXs technology limited to cancer treatment. Although the current focus is on oncology, and bacteria, the approach is already being used to study viruses and fungi. The engines are applicable across different verticals; weve done some work in consumer health, says Sharma.What were able to do is provide further insights, he says. This isnt a choice. A pharmaceutical company or a drug company doesnt have a choice of whether this interaction is occurring its happening.So, they can either choose to understand it, or they can do what theyre doing now with a 96% failure rate. In the future, we hope we can offer the right drug, first time, for all.

To understand the significance of these approaches, it is essential to recognize the unique value each brings to modern cybersecurity.

Current Climate brings you the latest news about the business of sustainability every Monday. Sign up to get it in your inbox.The Associated PressCongresss last-minute scramble to cobble together a temporary budget deal last week underscores the likelihood that the year ahead will see major and messy changes in the legislative process and budgetary priorities. Among these, its widely expected that the Biden administrations big-dollar push to transition the U.S. economy to low-carbon forms of energy and transportation, the Inflation Reduction Act, will be pared back if not altogether gutted. If so, that would be unfortunate for a simple reason: its working.The $400 billion of IRA funds for clean energy projects and manufacturing enacted in 2022 is the single biggest effort to combat climate change in U.S. history. The goal was to help the country rapidly scale up production and deployment of large-scale wind and solar power projects, battery plants for electric vehicles and power storage and clean hydrogen projects. The results of that effort are becoming clear: domestic capacity to make solar panels has quintupled and theres been a big jump in large-scale solar deployments. Likewise, low-cost federal loans and IRA grants, matched with billions of investment dollars from companies like General Motors, Ford, Rivian and Panasonic, are powering an unprecedented level of U.S. battery production.For the battery industry, $110 billion has been handed out and cant be repealed, says Simon Moores, CEO of London-based Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. The vast majority will come online during the Trump 2.0 years, so whether President-elect Trump likes it or not, he will oversee the great U.S. battery boom.A White House briefing with reporters last week tallied up nearly 4 million new jobs created as a result of clean energy investments that have happened under Biden, and falling costs for solar power generation, upgraded power transmission lines and cheaper costs for stationary battery storage to hold onto more wind and solar energy.The motivation, Biden said on Thursday, hasnt just been to tackle the climate crisis. Together we will turn this existential threat into a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our nation for generations to come.Quick housekeeping note: This will be the last edition of Current Climate for 2024. Its also Amys last issue of Current Climate as she moves to the healthcare beat and switches to co-authoring the InnovationRx newsletter. Alan will be back with Current Climate on January 6. Happy holidays!The Big ReadDalan Animal Health cofounder and CEO Annette KleiserDalan Animal HealthThe startup vaccinating honeybeesHow do you vaccinate a honeybee? And will beekeepers care enough to do it?Those are the questions Annette Kleiser has been wrestling since founding Dalan Animal Health in 2018. Five years after launching the Athens, Georgia-based startup, the government approved an oral vaccine her team created thats designed for the worlds beekeepers to feed to worker bees, which then feed it to their queens in royal jelly. The result, strangely enough, is immunity for the queens offspring. Now, shes on a mission to get as many bees vaccinated as she can helping to safeguard not only the hives but the crops that they pollinate.We know that the loss of insects is dramatic for this world, Kleiser said. We cannot survive on this planet or anywhere else without insects.The Dalan vaccine defends against a devastating bacterial disease aptly named American Foulbrood, and Kleiser sees it as a first step toward keeping the roughly 3 million honeybee colonies in the U.S. healthy. Its not the only disease bees can suffer from; about 50% of colonies and millions of bees die each year from a variety of ailments, including a nasty parasite called the varroa mite devastating numbers for beekeepers.Kleiser and her team at Dalan believe specially designed bee vaccines that work against American Foulbrood and other diseases such as deformed wing virus are an important tool in keeping more bees alive, enabling commercial beekeepers to continue bringing them around the country so they can pollinate crops like almonds, blueberries, cucumbers and apples.The next step is to expand beyond honeybees to other invertebrates, starting with shrimp, where early tests are showing positive results. Its much, much bigger than the honeybee, Kleiser said. The honeybee is big because we need this animal to survive to feed us, but the science that is unfolding is way bigger than this.Read more hereHot TopicU.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete ButtigiegGetty ImagesTransportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Laws long-term impactWe dont know what will happen in the next administration, but what has some legs in terms of infrastructure accomplishments during your tenure? When it comes to those projects, I think about 14,000 of them are complete. There are 66,000 getting support, and many of them will be the work of many years. So we'll be looking forward as well as back at the results of the work that we did. What we know is we've launched a true infrastructure decade.One of the things I'm proudest of is not just the projects that are getting done, but the fact that long before the projects are complete, we have put people to work. The people I've met, veterans coming off active duty, students entering pre-apprenticeship programs who realize that good-paying, skilled jobs are ahead for them, years and years worth of work, regardless of whether they go to college. These are things that are really transforming lives in addition to the fact that the bridge or the tunnel or the airport will also affect people's lives once it's done.That's been really rewarding and maybe a story that was not told as widely as just the projects themselves.What Else Were ReadingThe CBO assesses U.S. climate change risksDespite Teslas wild stock surge, Musk turns to discounts to juice sliding salesPG&E gets a $15 billion loan offer from Bidens green bankFlorida workers died in the heat. Their deaths were kept from authorities.Ocean heat wiped out half these seabirds around AlaskaAs teenagers, they protested Trumps climate policy. Now what?Data centers are dragging Big Oil into the power businessU.S. Supreme Court to hear dispute over California tailpipe emissionsAI is changing how we study bird migrationHow this tiny town in Maine is keeping the lights on through ferocious stormsMore From Forbes

Creatio: Customizable no-code solutions for powerful CRM and workflow automation processes. gettyKatherine Kostereva has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the competitive world of enterprise software. Her company, Creatio, offers a generative AI and no-code platform for workflow automation and CRM solutions, empowering businesses to build custom solutions without writing a single line of code. But Creatio's path to success wasn't easy. Kostereva bootstrapped the company for six years, navigating constant challenges while relentlessly pursuing product-market fit.Her resilience and perseverance, coupled with a laser focus on customer needs, have propelled Creatio to a $1.2 billion valuation and cemented its position as a leader in the no-code revolution. It has earned high marks from Gartner and Forrester, which provide research and market analysis for technology, business, and IT decision-makers. The 2024 global market size for workflow automation is $25.22 billion and CRM $101.41 billion.CRM and Workflow Automation, No Coding RequiredCreatio's competitive edge lies in its unwavering focus on "time to value." This commitment translates into a platform enabling companies to swiftly implement automation and CRM solutions easily and reap tangible benefits within months, starkly contrasting the protracted timelines often associated with traditional software development. No-code platforms enable non-technical users to build and deploy custom tech tools to meet their business needs. This agility is paramount in today's dynamic business landscape, where adaptability and rapid response to change are critical for success.Creatio's evolution has been marked by a strategic shift in its target market. Initially, it catered to the needs of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Over time, the company changed its market focus to encompass larger enterprises, including industry giants in the Fortune 500. As it expanded, the company built deep expertise in serving the financial services sector. Creatio has made significant inroads in serving banks, credit unions, and insurance companies. These institutions require a delicate balance of robust security and compliance capabilities with the ability to adapt quickly to market conditionsa challenge that the companys no-code automation and CRM platform addresses effectively.With Creatio, we were able to grow our deal size by 60% over 5 years, described Jim Slomka, CRO at BSN Sports, a customer. The platform helped us to structure all sales processes and lead the enterprise-wide transformation of the revenue function. BSN Sports achieved 100% user adoption with Creatio and managed the 2,600-user deployment with a team of just three people.MORE FOR YOUKatherine Kostareva, CEO of Creatio, customizable, no-code, gen AI CRM and workflow automation ... [+] systimes.Gary Higgins / Boston Business JCreatio's success can be attributed, in part, to its strategic approach to growth. Despite attracting investor interest from its early days, Kostereva opted to bootstrap the company for the first six years. This decision stemmed from a desire to retain control over the company's trajectory, thoroughly validate the business model, and ensure a strong product-market fit before seeking external funding.It took us a while to get to the point where we understood exactly what the product-market fit is and the types of organizations who need our technology," explained Kostereva.This bootstrapping approach proved successful, laying a solid foundation for future growth. Creatio eventually raised $68 million four years ago and followed up with an additional $200 million in June 2024, propelling its valuation to an $1.2 billion.We couldnt be more impressed with the companys growth and the impact that Creatios platform brings to its customer community, said Sean Cantwell, Managing Partner at Volition Capital and a Creatio investor. Creatio addresses the complexity and inflexibility of traditional software vendors and enables organizations to seamlessly replace legacy technologies, delivering market-leading ROI.Bootstrapping A CRM And Workflow Automation Platform Her decision to bootstrap led to what Kostereva describes as the most challenging period in Creatio's journey. Bootstrapping meant operating with limited resources and relying on profits to fuel development. This required immense discipline, frugality, and a laser focus on delivering value to early adopters. Kostereva had to make tough decisions, often with incomplete information, and learn from every setback."It took us a while to get to the point where we understood exactly what the product-market fit is and the types of organizations who need our technology," explained Kostereva.This phase involved countless hours of trial and error, navigating a landscape where no-code workflow automation and CRM were still nascent concepts. The challenge lay in building a powerful platform that allowed businesses to build custom solutions without coding and identifying their ideal customer's specific needs and pain points.This period demanded resilience and a deep belief in the company's mission. Kostereva had to persevere through doubts, setbacks, and the constant temptation to take the easier route of external funding. It tested her leadership, vision, and commitment to building a sustainable business that could transform companies' operations.Ultimately, this bootstrapping phase forged a strong foundation for Creatio. It instilled a culture of resourcefulness, customer-centricity, and a deep understanding of market needs.CRM And Workflow Automation: Navigating ChallengesBuilding enterprise-grade software without code sounds great, but it requires robust security and privacy measures, scalability, reliability, compliance with industry regulations, seamless integration capabilities, and advanced user access controls to ensure secure, efficient, and adaptable operations across complex organizational environments. Kostereva understands this all too well.In the dynamic world of entrepreneurship, challenges like these are not merely obstacles but the essence of the journey. "In reality, I feel like at least nine out of 10 events that happen during the day are bad news. Only one is good news, Kostereva reflected.This constant barrage of challenges, from personnel issues to client demands, requires entrepreneurs to possess unwavering grit, and determination. Kostereva's ability to persevere through these challenges, fueled by her mission to bring no-code solutions to organizations worldwide, has been instrumental in Creatio's success.Immigrant entrepreneurs like Kostereva often possess a heightened sense of resilience, adaptability, and determination due to their experiences navigating the challenges of settling in a new country and building a life from the ground up. She is from Ukraine. These qualities, coupled with a strong work ethic and a drive to succeed, can contribute significantly to their entrepreneurial success.How have your life experiences helped you build your business?

In a nutshell: OpenAI is still working on ChatGPT-5, the next generation of the company's multimodal large language model, but the project is reportedly struggling. Not only is ChatGPT-5 behind schedule after failing to launch this year, it's also costing the company a fortune. It was reported back in March that ChatGPT-5, which will supposedly offer plenty of enhanced, additional features over the current GPT-4o model, was being trained by OpenAI and set to launch soon.The end of the year is just over a week away, but there's still no sight of the next-gen version of ChatGPT. The Wall Street Journal has shed some light on why.GPT-5, codenamed Project Orion, has been in development for 18 months at Sam Altman's firm. Microsoft, OpenAI's biggest investor, expected it to be released in mid-2024.The WSJ's sources say OpenAI has already conducted at least two training runs designed to improve the model by training it with huge quantities of data.Those training runs have not gone too well, according to people close to the project. The initial run was said to be slower than expected, suggesting a larger full-scale training run would take an incredibly long time, pushing up the costs even further. It was concluded that more diverse, high-quality training data was neededs as the public internet didn't have enough to make GPT-5 noticeably "smarter" than its predecessor. // Related StoriesOne solution OpenAI is trying is hiring people to write fresh code or solve math problems for Orion to learn from, essentially creating training data from scratch. It's a slow process: GPT-4 was trained on an estimated 13 trillion tokens. A thousand people writing 5,000 words per day would take months to produce a billion tokens.OpenAI has also started developing synthetic data data created by its current AI models to train Orion. We've previously heard warnings about the sort of nonsensical garbage these AI feedback loops can create, though OpenAI believes the problems can be avoided by using data created by o1.The internal turmoil at the company hasn't helped matters. CEO Altman was ousted before quickly returning in late 2023, and more than two dozen key executives have left OpenAI this year. Altman previously blamed the release of o1 for GPT-5's delay.The billions of dollars being spent on all things AI-related continues to climb higher investment that has yet to result in equal returns. OpenAI knows it needs to justify the expense of ChatGPT-5 by ensuring the model is a marked improvement over what came before, something that is proving more difficult as the internet's training data is being used up.

What just happened? An engineering team at Northwestern University has achieved a breakthrough in quantum teleportation, demonstrating the feasibility of transmitting quantum information alongside classic internet traffic. As research advances, we could enter a new era in communication technology, where quantum and traditional networks can coexist to offer unprecedented levels of security and speed. Engineers at Northwestern University have demonstrated quantum teleportation over a fiber optic cable already carrying Internet traffic. This feat, published in the journal Optica, opens up new possibilities for combining quantum communication with existing Internet infrastructure. It also has major implications for the field of advanced sensing technologies and quantum computing applications.Nobody thought it would be possible to achieve this, according to Professor Prem Kumar, who led the study. "Our work shows a path towards next-generation quantum and classical networks sharing a unified fiber optic infrastructure. Basically, it opens the door to pushing quantum communications to the next level."Quantum teleportation, a process that harnesses the power of quantum entanglement, enables an ultra-fast and secure method of information sharing between distant network users. Unlike traditional communication methods, quantum teleportation does not require the physical transmission of particles. Instead, it relies on entangled particles exchanging information over great distances."By performing a destructive measurement on two photons one carrying a quantum state and one entangled with another photon the quantum state is transferred onto the remaining photon, which can be very far away," said Jordan Thomas, a Ph.D. candidate in Kumar's laboratory and the paper's first author. "The photon itself does not have to be sent over long distances, but its state still ends up encoded onto the distant photon."Prior to this study, many researchers were skeptical about the feasibility of quantum teleportation in cables carrying classic communications. The concern was that the entangled photons would be overwhelmed by the millions of other light particles present in the fiber optic cables.However, Kumar and his team were able to devise a solution. Through extensive studies of light scattering within fiber optic cables, the researchers identified a less crowded wavelength of light to place their photons. They also implemented special filters to reduce noise from regular Internet traffic. Kumar explained that he and his team conducted a meticulous analysis of light scattering patterns and strategically positioned their photons at a critical point where the scattering effect was minimized. // Related StoriesTo validate their method, the team set up a 30-kilometer-long (18.6 miles) fiber optic cable with a photon at each end. They simultaneously transmitted quantum information and high-speed Internet traffic through the cable. The quality of the quantum information was measured at the receiving end while executing the teleportation protocol by making quantum measurements at the mid-point. The results showed that the quantum information was successfully transmitted, even in the presence of busy internet traffic.Looking ahead, Kumar and his team have plans to extend their experiments over longer distances. They aim to demonstrate entanglement swapping using two pairs of entangled photons, which would mark another crucial milestone in the development of distributed quantum applications. Additionally, the researchers are exploring the possibility of conducting experiments over real-world in-ground optical cables, moving beyond laboratory settings."Quantum teleportation has the ability to provide quantum connectivity securely between geographically distant nodes," Kumar said. "But many people have long assumed that nobody would build specialized infrastructure to send particles of light. If we choose the wavelengths properly, we won't have to build new infrastructure. Classical communications and quantum communications can coexist."

Facepalm: In what has become a weirdly common occurrence, restricted military documents have once again been leaked on the War Thunder forum. The latest reveal saw classified data related to the Eurofighter Typhoon's radar systems being posted by a user, who has been suspended for their actions. War Thunder added the Eurofighter Typhoon to the multiplayer game earlier this month. In the real world, the twin-engine, supersonic fighter is primarily used by the UK, German, Italian, and Spanish air forces.As is so often the case when new vehicles are added to the excellent free-to-play game (download it safely here), there were arguments on the War Thunder forum about just how realistically the Typhoon is represented.The scanning capabilities of the aircraft's CAPTOR radar system were one point of contention, leading to a certain user posting restricted material in an attempt to prove their argument.As reported by UK Defence Journal, the Italian Ministry of Defence, whose documents may have been cited, has previously stated that manuals like these are excluded from public access for both security and commercial reasons.As with similar previous incidents, the material was quickly removed and the poster has been banned from the forum. A community manager warned of the consequences of these actions. // Related Stories"I will take this opportunity to again remind everyone here, please do not, under any circumstances, try to post, share any sources unless you are 100% certain they are legally declassified and publicly safe for use," they wrote. "We will never handle or use them, and all it does is actively harm any possible future changes being possible by trying to use them. Do not do it. No good will ever come from it for you or the vehicle you are trying to post for."There are so many classified/export-restricted military vehicle documents posted on the War Thunder forum that these incidents have become a common sight. PC Gamer notes that September saw a technical manual for an AH-64D Longbow, an attack helicopter mostly used by the US Army, posted.Forum users have also posted the manual for the Eurofighter Typhoon DA7 and technical details on the F117 Nighthawk on the forum this year all export-restricted information.These sorts of leaks go back a few years now. Schematics of a Challenger 2 tank were posted in 2021. In 2023, restricted intel about the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft appeared on the forum, as did more than a dozen technical manuals for the F-15E US strike fighter, a vehicle that wasn't even in the game at the time.In 2021, the War Thunder Instagram page probably said it best: "Please don't send us classified documents, we really don't want to end up chained at the bottom of a disguised CIA cargo ship in international waters."

Imagery from Googles Street View has reportedly helped to solve a murder case in northern Spain.Street View is the online tool that lets you view 360-degree imagery captured by cameras mounted on Googles Street View cars that travel the world.Recommended VideosA number of Street View images that were recently uploaded to Googles online service gave Spanish police an important lead in a case involving a Cuban man who went missing last year, the BBC reported. One of the pictures captured from a Street View car as it drove through the tiny hamlet of Tajueco about 90 miles (142 kilometers) northeast of Madrid shows what appears to be a body-sized bundle being loaded into the trunk of a car. You can still view the image on Street View.Another series of Street View images taken in the vicinity at around the same time show someone transporting a large bundle in a wheelbarrow, the BBC said. After examining the images and other evidence, police arrested two individuals last month, accusing them of involvement in the disappearance and murder of the man, whose remains were found in a cemetery two weeks ago.What makes the story all the more remarkable is that the images were captured during the first visit to the town by a Google Street View car in 15 years.The appearance of Googles car was terrible luck for the person loading the bundle into the back the vehicle, but a wonderful turn of events for the police. Its not certain if the man handling the bundle saw the Street View car pass by, but if he did, he will have immediately realized that images from the cars cameras would soon be viewable by anyone around the world with an internet connection. Including the local police.Its not the first time that Google Street View imagery has helped law enforcement with their investigations. In 2022, an Italian mafia figure whod been hiding in Spain for years was apprehended after being recognized on Street View, while in 2009, twin brothers whod committed a robbery in the Netherlands were also caught on camera by a car taking photos for Googles Street View service.Editors RecommendationsApple Maps for web adds Look Around, its Street View-like feature

lighting up the silver screen Film Technica: Our favorite movies of 2024 This year's list features quite a bit of horror mixed in with the usual blockbuster fareplus smaller hidden gems. Jennifer Ouellette Dec 23, 2024 7:00 am | 1 Credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images Credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreEditor's note: Warning: Although weve done our best to avoid spoiling anything too major, please note this list does include a few specific references to several of the listed films that some might consider spoiler-y.This was the year that Marvel Studios hit the pause button on its deluge of blockbuster superhero movies, after rather saturating the market in recent years. It proved to be a smart move: the only Marvel theatrical release was the R-rated Deadpool & Wolverine, a refreshingly irreverent, very meta take on the genre that delighted audiences and lit up the global box office. Perhaps audiences aren't so much bored with superhero movies as becoming more discriminating in their choices. Give us a fun, fresh take and we'll flock back to theaters.Fewer superhero franchise entries meant there was more breathing room for other fare. Horror in particular had a stellar year, with numerous noteworthy offerings, touching on body horror (The Substance), Satanic Panic (Late Night with the Devil), psychological horror (Heretic), hauntings (The Oddity), a rom-com/revenge mashup (Your Monster), an inventive reimagining of a classic silent film (Nosferatu), and one very bloodthirsty child vampire with a wicked sense of humor (Abigail). Throw in a smattering of especially strong sequels (Inside Out 2, Dune: Part 2), a solid prequel (Furiosa), and a few hidden gems, and we had one of the better years for film in recent memory.As always, we're opting for an unranked list, with the exception of our "year's best" vote at the very end, so you might look over the variety of genres and options and possibly add surprises to your eventual watchlist. We invite you to head to the comments and add your favorite films released in 2024.The Fall Guy Credit: Universal Pictures I love to mentally check out with a good movie when I fly. So, on a recent trip to New York City for Technicon, I settled into my narrow, definitely-not-my-couch airline seat and fell in love with The Fall Guy, a movie based on the TV show I remember watching as a teen back in the 80s.Directed by David Leitch (Deadpool 2, the John Wick franchise), The Fall Guy is pure entertainmentpart rom-com, part action, funny as heck, and super meta. Leitch is perfectly suited to direct a film about a stuntman, having been one himself (he was Brad Pitts stunt-double five times). And the actors clearly are having a ton of fun roasting the industry, while also paying tribute to the invisible heroes of any movie: the stunt performers.A year after a nearly fatal fall (yeah, pun apparently intended), stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is persuaded by his former producer, Gail (Hannah Waddington), to come to the rescue for a film his ex-girlfriend, Jody (Emily Blunt), is directing after the lead actor and his stuntman disappear. Gail asks him to find them to save the film and Jodys career. The exaggerated stunts, meta jokes (Tom Cruise, I do my own stunts), unicorn, callbacks to favorite films (Notting Hill etc.), and unflagging plot made for a quick flight for me. The chemistry between Blunt and Gosling makes the movie and provided an at-times hilarious-yet-believable romantic tension. (Ill never forget the giant monster hand nor the air pistols.) And the cameo by the real fall guy left me elated.A few years back, also on a flight, I remember watching Goslings comedy chops in The Nice Guys and laughing aloud several times (Always awkward. Sorry seat mates.). I did the same with The Fall Guy as well. But could my enthusiasm for the movie get anyone in my family to watch it with me on our giant COVID-purchase TV with the surround sound and subwoofer on high?? Not for a solid month. But once I did, they were sold.Kerry StaursethHit Man Credit: Netflix I grew up in Richard Linklaters Texas, and there seems to be somethingthe characters, the story, the setting, or the aestheticthat resonates with my personal experience in most of his films. I cant say the same for Hit Man, but this isnt meant to be a criticism. Instead, Linklaters Hit Man offers nearly two hours of pure escapism that many of us need. Its smart, with witty dialogue, more than a few moments of side-splitting humor, and a story that is too good to be true, although the premise is based on true events.Gary, played by Glen Powell (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater), is a chameleon. Gary starts the film as a meek, somewhat nerdy college professor, but circumstances quickly force him into the uncomfortable position of becoming an undercover police informant. As we learn early in the film, this involves portraying a fake hitman to rope suspects into contract killing schemes and then prosecution. While I may question the legality or ethics of this setup, it creates a canvas for Linklater and Powell to create funny, sympathetic characters thrust into situations that, while far-fetched, somehow seem believable.Ultimately, Hit Man provides a laboratory for character development for the audience and within the film itself. In the film, Garys academic background helps him craft characters to match the circumstances and attitudes of each of his targets. Garys hitman personas can turn up the charm, abrasiveness, or faux bravado as the situation requires it. Gary reinvents himself at every turn, showcasing Powells acting range. That is, until Gary runs into Madison, portrayed by Adria Arjona. Then, things become a little too real for Gary, and youll have to watch the film to see what happens next.Stephen ClarkHeretic Credit: A24 Hugh Grant launched his career playing charmingly self-effacing rom-com heroes (cf. Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill). But in recent years, he's embraced his darker side, playing roguish villains in films like The Gentlemen and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, as well as for the BBC miniseries A Very English Scandal. Heretic gives him his most disturbing role yet.Grant plays Mr. Reed, a reclusive man who invites the Mormon missionaries who come knocking on his door inside for some of his wife's blueberry pie. But Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) soon realize there is no Mrs. Reed, that delicious blueberry smell is from a candle, they have no cell phone signal, and they are locked inside with a lunatic. They must figure out how to escape from the basement dungeon in which Reed traps them, a torturous environment in which to test their faith.Heretic has its share of blood and violence, but the focus is more on the psychological trauma inflicted on the young women. And its treatment of the Mormon faith is surprisingly nuanced for the horror genre. Still, it's Grant's subtly sinister performance that really makes the film: He brings just a hint of his trademark rom-com charm to the role, which somehow makes everything he says and does doubly chilling.Jennifer OuelletteTuesday Credit: A24 This quietly devastating indie fantasy drama stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Zora, a mother whose 15-year-old daughter Tuesday (Lola Petticrew) is confined to a wheelchair with an incurable terminal disease. The fantastical element is Death, who comes to release Tuesday from her suffering in the form of a talking macaw that can alter its size at will. But Zora isn't ready to let her daughter go; she swallows Death to keep her daughter alivewith the added complication that now nobody can die.At its heart, Tuesday is an unsettling fable about human mortality and learning not just to confront, but to embrace, Death. That's a pretty heavy theme, and the film offers no pat, easy answers in its resolution. But first-time director DainaO.Pusibrings a light touch to the melancholy, bolstered by Louis-Dreyfus' courageous performance.Jennifer OuelletteThe Substance Credit: Mubi Listen, I'm not here to convince you that The Substancechanged my life, but it's been a while since a modern sci-fi/horror movie fixated on the fear of death and aging made my skin crawl, so like many viewers in 2024, I was itching to press play. Demi Moore stars as Elizabeth Sparkle, a 50-year-old fitness icon who foolishly injects an experimental drug to maintain her celebrity and quickly regrets birthing a younger double (played by Margaret Qualley), whom she now must split her life with.Between firm butts flexing and gory mutations emerging, Moore's and Qualley's characters clash, forgetting they are "the one" and spiraling toward doom. And while most body horror movies are viewed as gratuitous, The Substance lives up to its title. Somehow, through a nauseating cascade of increasingly grotesque distortions of the human form, the movie morphs into a meaningful satire on society's stance that older women are irrelevantblowing a kiss into the camera at the genre's past tendency to objectify female characters.Ashley BelangerRez Ball Credit: Netflix This is a classic feel-good sports movie that manages to seem both familiar and fresh, thanks to its setting on a Navajo reservation. (It's based on the nonfiction novel Canyon Dreams by Michael Powell.) Rez Ball follows one season of the Chuska Warriors, a Native American high school basketball team competing for the state championship. Their star player is Nataanii (Kusem Goodwind), whose mother and sister were killed by a drunk driver the prior year. Nataanii has been struggling with his grief ever since, and when he doesn't show up for practice one day, the team learns he committed suicide.It's up to coach Heather (Jessica Matten), a former WNBA player, to help her team recover from the shocking loss and regroup to finish the season. She names Nataanii's best friend, Jimmy (Kauchani Bratt), as team captain and employs some novel team-building exercisesmost notably a shepherding task in which the team must work together to bring sheep down from a mountain and back into their enclosure. Then there's her clever strategy of training the team to call all their plays in their native languageshades of the World War II "code talkers." (There's even a sly humorous reference to the 2002 Nicolas Cage movie Windtalkers in between all the frybread jokes.)Director Sydney Freeland hits all the familiar notes of this genre and ably captures the basketball sequencesis there really any doubt we'll have a happy(ish) ending? Yet the film earns its payoff, driven not by genuine suspense, but by the sheer determination of the team members and how they bond to overcome their grief and bring some joy out of their shared tragedy.Jennifer OuelletteOddity Credit: Shudder Oddity is a pitch-perfect supernatural thriller that never should have worked. Writer-director Damian McCarthy hasexplainedthat the movie comprised "a mix of a lot of old ideas" that he "could never find a home for." That hodgepodge storytelling approach could have been a forced recipe for disaster if McCarthy wasn't such an undeniable master of tension. Telling the story of a psychic medium-antiques dealer desperate to divine the events leading to her twin sister's shocking murder in an abandoned Irish manor, the movie managed to feel fast-paced while drawing out an unrelenting sense of dread.The bulk of that tension comes from a haunted wooden man that remains onscreen and barely ever movesleaving the audience painfully stuck anticipating the moment when the nightmarish figure will spring to life. With slasher movie elements and twists as jarring as the wooden man's startling features,Oddityhad some horror fans within minutes smashing pause to recover from the brutal opening scene before returning to finish McCarthy's curious haunted house tour de force.Ashley BelangerAbigail Credit: Universal Pictures Six criminals get more than they bargained for when they are hired to kidnap the young daughter of a wealthy underworld kingpin: budding ballerina Abigail (Alisha Weir). Joey (Melissa Barrera) is the only member to be kind to their captive, clearly bothered by the fact that their target is a child. Abigail responds to that kindness with an ominous sweetness: "I'm sorry about what's going to happen to you."So begins one of the goriest and funniest vampire rampages to find its way to the big screen, as the Undead Abigail takes brutal revenge on each of her kidnappers in turn. The carnage is truly next-level, including one infamous scene in which Joey wades through a literal pool of bloody, rotting dead bodiesall victims of Abigail's ferocious killer instincts. There are some insane plot twists, plenty of perfectly timed humorous moments, and terrific performances from the ensemble cast, especially Weir. If horror comedies are your jam, Abigail is an excellent addition to the genre.Jennifer OuelletteFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga Credit: Universal Pictures A nine-year wait between franchise films is, more often than not, an indication that the follow-up can't meet some lofty expectations of what came before it. But that's not the case for Furiosa.Although it's not the same white-knuckle thrill ride as 2015's Fury Road, Furiosa gives us another mostly mute protagonist in an expertly crafted action film that overlaps as a revenge flick. While Anya Taylor-Joy delivers a cold, steely interpretation of the eponymous protagonist, it's the object of her revenge, Chris Hemsworth's villain Dementus, that offers a new variation to the typically bleak wasteland: levity.Hemsworth relishes his chance here to show another side of his acting chops, and the result is one of the funniest and zaniest villainous performances in recent memory. Dementus' malice is matched by his penchant for delivering self-aggrandizing speeches, which are a nice reminder that, even as the world fell, not everyone lost their sense of humor.Jacob MayI Saw the TV Glow Credit: A24 As anyone who's spent years rewatching a beloved sci-fi/fantasy show could likely glean from its ethereal title,I Saw the TV Glowwas made to immerse viewers in the sort of complex mythology that keeps the most engaged superfans glued to the screen. Surreally blurring the lines between TV fiction and reality, the A24 film follows an alienated teen boy who deeply bonds with an older female classmate over a monster-of-the-week TV show that comes on past his bedtime.What starts at a sleepover evolves into an existential nightmare suggesting that the boy's truth might be a fiction constructed by the "Big Bad" villain from his favorite TV show. This absurd possibility follows the boy as he grows into a man with his own family, all while continuing to take comfort in his all-time favorite TV show. The mesmerizing conclusion injected a disturbing sense of wonder into 2024, leaving some viewers as slack-faced as the boy was when he finally got to watch the late-night TV show that he somehow knew would light him up inside.Ashley BelangerThelma Credit: Magnolia Pictures Elderly people are so often invisible in our youth-oriented society, so it's nice to see two 90-something characters take center stage in this charming comedy-drama written and directed by Josh Margolin. June Squibb plays the titular Thelma, who gets taken in by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger) to the tune of $10,000. The police won't help, but Thelma has a P.O. box address as a clue and sets out to get her money back.Thelma enlists the help of her estranged friend Ben (Richard Roundtree, in his final role), who is eager to escape his assisted living facility for one last adventure, and the two set off on Ben's two-person scooter. Wacky hijinks and personal growth and enlightenment ensue. The film was inspired by a conversation Margolin had with his own now-deceased grandmother, and that personal experience is the key to Thelma's warmth, humor, and authenticity. It's a lovely twist on the classic road movie and well worth a watch.Jennifer OuelletteWoman of the Hour Credit: Netflix In the late 1970s, serial killer Rodney Alcala interrupted his murder spree to make a 1978 appearance on The Dating Game and actually went out on a date with bachelorette Sheryl Bradshawwho naturally had no idea the charming man who'd won her over with his answers was, in fact, a psychopath. It might seem like an odd bit of trivia on which to base a film, but Anna Kendrick came across Ian MacAllister McDonald's initial screenplay as the actress was gearing up to make her directorial debut with Netflix and snatched it up.Kendrick also stars as Sheryl, a struggling LA actress who is persuaded to go on The Dating Game by friends, and her typically winsome, spunky performanceand able direction lifts Woman of the Hour to the next level. Perhaps the best part of the film is that it doesn't linger overmuch on the killer or glorify his horrific deeds. The focus stays squarely on Sheryl and a woman in the audience named Laura (Nicolette Robinson), who recognizes Rodney (Daniel Zovatto) as the man last seen with her missing best friend. It's a well-done, quietly thrilling period piece that bodes well for Kendrick's future as a director.Jennifer OuelletteYour Monster Credit: Vertical Entertainment It's been quite a year for Melissa Barrera, who followed up her standout Final Girl performance in Abigail with another star turn in the decidedly offbeat Your Monsterpart romantic comedy, part horror/revenge fantasy, weaving in such disparate influences as the late '80s TV series Beauty and the Beast and classic Broadway musicals like A Chorus Line. It's based on a 2019 short film by writer/director Caroline Lindy, inspired by Lindy's one-time boyfriend breaking up with her when she received a cancer diagnosis.Barrera plays Laura, an actress who also loses her boyfriend after a cancer diagnosisplus he reneges on his promise to let her audition for the musical she co-wroteand goes back to her childhood home to recuperate. There she encounters the proverbial Monster in the closet (Tommy Dewey), who is none too pleased about suddenly having a "roommate" again. At first he tries to scare her, but soon they're bonding over old movies and Chinese takeout; Monster might just be the ideal boyfriend she's been looking for.Of course, Monster is also very much a manifestation of Laura's psyche, particularly her subsumed rage. Naturally they plot revenge on her selfish ex, and when it comes, it's everything a jilted lover could want from the experience. Your Monster can't quite decide on a tone, shifting constantly between comedy and horror, love and revenge. But that's part of what makes this quirky film so appealing: Lindy isn't afraid to take creative risks, and she makes it all work in the end.Jennifer OuelletteWill and Harper Credit: Netflix A few years ago, comic actor Will Ferrell was on-set filming a movie when he received a surprising text from Harper Steele, a close friend of some 30 years, dating back to their time together on Saturday Night Live. Steele informed him of her gender transition. Ferrell's response was to organize a road trip for the two of them, starting in New York City, where they first met, hitting stops in Washington, DC, Indiana, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Amarillo, Texasdocumenting the journey all along the way.The result is Will and Harper, a surprisingly sweet, refreshingly frank, and thought-provoking film that celebrates an enduring friendship. There's never a question of Ferrell not accepting his friend's transition, but there are some awkward growing pains. The pair don't shy away from more difficult conversations, peppered with humor, while downing cans of Pringles, and it's that well-meaning honesty that keeps the film grounded and centered on their relationship, without falling into didactic preachiness.Jennifer OuelletteWicked Little Letters Credit: StudioCanal Trolling didn't begin with social media. Back in the 1920s, several residents of the seaside town of Littlehampton in England began receiving poison pen letters rife with obscenities and false rumors. It became known as the Littlehampton libels, with the culprit revealed to be a 30-year-old laundress named Edith Swan, who tried to pin the blame on her neighbor, Rose Gooding, until she was found out. (Poor Gooding actually served over a year of jail time before she was exonerated.)Wicked Little Letters is the fictionalized account of those events, starring Olivia Coleman as Edith and Jessie Buckley as Rose, emphasizing the complicated relationships and psychological foibles of the central characters. Even if you know nothing about the case, we learn early on who the true culprit is, and the film then becomes a cat-and-mouse game as Rose's allies try to prove Edith is the true poison pen. The true enjoyment is watching everything play out with equal parts humor and pathos.Jennifer OuelletteNosferatu Credit: Universal Pictures Director David Eggers can be a polarizing figure for moviegoers. How much you enjoyed The Witch, The Northman, or 2019's The Lighthouse (inspired by a real-life 1801 tragedy involving two Welsh lighthouse keepers trapped in a storm) likely depends on your taste for Eggers' dark mythic sensibility and penchant for hallucinatory imagery. With Nosferatua daring reinvention of the seminal 1922 German silent film by F.W. Murnau, based in turn on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel DraculaEggers leans fully into supernatural gothic horror, with spectacular, genuinely scary results.It's hard to go wrong with Bill Skarsgrd in the lead role of the vampire Count Orlok; his portrayal of Pennywise the Clown in It is still giving people nightmares. Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult also shine as Ellen (the unfortunate object of Orlok's murderous pursuit, slowly driven mad as he closes in) and her hapless fianc, Thomas, as does Willem Dafoe as the eccentric Professor von Franz. The basic outlines of Stoker's plot remain, but Eggers has also infused his film with a visual language that evokes both Murnau's distinctive German expressionism and the Eastern European folklore that inspired Stoker. This is not so much a remake as an innovative re-imagining by a director whose sensibility is perfectly suited to the task.Jennifer OuelletteMonkey Man Credit: Universal Pictures Dev Patel's latest film completely missed me when it got a limited cinematic release this spring. Instead, I stumbled across it streaming on Peacock and went in cold with nothing more than good vibes toward the actorand now directorbased on his performances in films like Chappie. Which made the initial fight, with Patel wearing a monkey mask, a little confusing at first.Monkey Man is a good old revenge film, following Patel's character as he negotiates the underworld of the fictional Indian city of Yatana in a quest to avenge his mother, who was brutally murdered when their village was ethnically cleansed by Hindu nationalists. The fight scenes are frenetic and visceral, influenced by films like John Wick but also The Raid, and the hand-to-hand combat in Marvel's Daredevil. But it's also a film with a political message or two. Perhaps the best way to describe it is like a cross between John Wick and RRRif you liked both of those films, you'll probably love Monkey Man.Jonathan GitlinThe Three Musketeers Part 2: Milady Credit: Pathe Last year, The Three Musketeers Part 1: D'Artagnan made our annual list, in which we celebrated finally having a quintessential French adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic 1844 novel to rival Richard Lester's iconic two-part 1970s US adaptation. Part 2: Milady covers the events of the second half of the novel, as D'Artagnan (Francois Civil) and his compatriots rush to rescue his kidnapped lover, Constance (Lyna Khoudri), and prevent the assassination of the Duke of Buckingham (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd) by Eva Green's deliciously wicked Milady de Winter.Both films were shot back to back, so the same top-notch storytelling and able performances are present. And director Martin Bourboulon heard the complaints about how dark the first installment was in places and corrected the colorimetry. My only quibble: unlike Part 1, Part 2 actually deviates quite substantially from the source material, particularly with regard to the fates of Constance and Milady. In fact, the finale is left open-ended. Could a third installment be in the offing? (An adaptation of Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo is releasing soon by the same team.) Still, it's a magnificent, hugely entertaining film that pairs beautifully with its predecessor.Jennifer OuelletteLate Night with the Devil Credit: IFC Films Framed as a documentary with behind-the-scenes found-footage elements, Late Night with the Devil tells the story of a late-night talk show, Night Owls with Jack Delroy, and its producers attempts to put on an unforgettable Halloween night show in 1977. Things start out in an appropriate-for-TV spooky tone, and the movies 70s aesthetic really sells the vibe.But as the show goes on, the guests get progressively weirder, the segments become more sinister, and it starts to be difficult to tell if the guests are putting on an act or if something darker is going on. Is the host really going to try to commune with the devil on a late-night variety hour? That quickly becomes the plan. I wont spoil more than that, but I found the ride compelling from start to finish.This was a good year for horror movies, and Late Night with the Devil was one of my favorites. David Dastmalchians performance as the host was a real standout. The whole package is great fun, and everything wraps up in a blessedly tight 95 minutes (man, movies are way too long these days). Genre fans shouldnt miss this one.Aaron ZimmermanWicked Part 1 Credit: Universal Pictures I was lucky enough to see Wicked on Broadway near the end of Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth's iconic runs originating the characters of Elphaba and Glinda for the stage. Since then I've seen the live version of the musical five more times at various points and listened to the soundtrack hundreds of times more. Despite all that, the unavoidable marketing for this movie had me worried it was going to be an overproduced cinematic flop on the order of Cats or Dear Evan Hansen.Happily, my worries were overblown. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande bring real chemistry and pathos to the show's main roles and have the pipes to pull off some extremely difficult songs without breaking a sweat. I was also impressed with the movie's top-notch choreography, which evokes the golden age of silver screen musicals and demands to be seen in a theater with as big a screen as possible.My only quibble with this adaptation is the pacing, which suffers thanks to a few unnecessary backstory additions and a few too many long, lingering shots and pregnant pauses that even mess up the flow of some iconic songs. Why they decided to shoot "Defying Gravity" like an action movieand decided not to cut to the credits right after Erivo's soaring final notewill always be a huge mystery to me. A version of this movie that was about 45 minutes shorter would have been perfect. The version we got was instead just a very good adaptation of a very good musical.Kyle OrlandThe Wild Robot Credit: Universal Pictures This is the final film to be animated entirely in-house at DreamWorks, based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Peter Brown. It features a plucky service robot called ROZZUM unit 7134, aka "Roz" (voiced by Lupita Nyong'o), who gets shipwrecked on a desert island and must learn to adapt. Along the way, Roz befriends some of the local wildlifePedro Pascal voices a mischievous red fox named Fink, with Bill Nighy voicing an elderly goose named Longneckand adopts an orphaned goose named Brightbill (Kit Connor).Director Chris Sanders was inspired both by classic Disney animated movies and Hayao Miyazaki, creating what he described as "a Monet painting in a Miyazaki forest" for the visual CGI style of The Wild Robot. It makes for quite a striking combination. Plot-wise, there are elements of E.T. and Pixar's Wall-E here, but Sanders has created a unique take on those tropes and standout characters that are all his own. Along with Inside Out 2 (see below) this is one of the best animated movies of the year.Jennifer OuelletteDeadpool & Wolverine Credit: Marvel Studios The Deadpool & Wolverine movie was a long time coming. Thats not just because Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) has been making comically obsessive requests to hang out with Hugh Jackmans Wolverine since the first Deadpool. But the movie itself feels like an homage to the comic book movies before it, combining fan service with a true, sensible (for a comic book movie) plot and a satisfying conclusion that leaves the characters more mature and content than when we last saw them.Some may be concerned about the return of Jackman, considering his version of Wolverine was supposed to come to a dramatic and spectacular conclusion with the 2017 movie Logan. In fact, the movie is about Deadpools universe crumbling (as related by the Time Variance Authority from the show Loki) due to that version of Wolverine no longer being around. But Deadpool & Wolverine handles this well by visiting the end location of Logan and establishing that Jackman is now playing a Wolverine from an alternate universe and is still highly capable of playing the fierce, acrobatic, and iconic X-Man.Deep down, the movie is about two men who have typically felt alone and unworthy of the people they love finding new paths to manhood, self-respect, and acceptance of their roles in the world. But for comic book fans, its really about action-packed nostalgia. The good feels are bolstered by epic cameos of characters you might have forgotten were Marvel-related at all (if possible, I highly recommend seeing this movie spoiler-free).Unexpectedly one of the best parts of the movie comes from the ending credits. It features behind-the-scenes footage from 12 X-Men movies going back 24 years. With clips featuring the likes of a young Jackman, Halle Berry (who has played Storm), and Patrick Stewart (who has played Professor X), its a reminder of a time when comic books felt new and bold and a tribute to how long all of usfrom the actors, to the crew, to the audiencehave been on this journey. Ultimately, Deadpool & Wolverine provides a fulfilling and happy goodbye to all those pieces.Scharon HardingNickel Boys Credit: Amazon MGM Studios Colson Whitehead won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for his 2019 novel The Nickel Boys, based on Florida's infamous Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, a relic of the Jim Crow era. The school's staff inflicted all manner of abuse, beatings, rapes, and torture on its unfortunate charges and even murdered many of them; as of 2012, nearly 100 deaths had been documented, along with 55 burial sites on school grounds. (There could be as many as 27 more burial sites, based on ground-penetrating radar surveys.)A young Black boy named Elwood (Ethan Cole Sharp) in 1962 is a promising student until he is mistakenly arrested for being an accomplice to car theft. He's sent to the segregated Nickel Academy, where he makes friends with Turner (Brandon Wilson). (Daveed Diggs plays a grown Elwood, now a successful businessman in New York City.) The two witness and experience so much abuse that Elwood finally decides to fight back, despite the risk of retaliation by the school's administrators.This is powerful subject matter, deftly handled by director RaMell Ross, who manages to tell a compelling story without turning it into what's become known as "Black trauma porn." The most controversial aspect of the film is Ross' choice to shoot it from a first-person point of view with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. So we see either Elwood speaking in a scene, with Turner off-camera, or vice versa, and the two are only occasionally onscreen at the same time. Some might find this choice annoying, but I found it kept me centered on one boy's perspective at a time, which served to make the final plot twist all the more satisfying.Jennifer OuelletteInside Out 2 Credit: Pixar/Disney I cried multiple times the first time I saw Inside Out in the theater, and still tear up when I watch it at home. So I was prepared to be even more emotional at Inside Out 2, especially given that I'm now the parent of a tween child myself.I wasn't quite moved to tears by this tale of Riley struggling with newfound feelings of Anxiety, pushing her to more and more desperate plans to ingratiate herself with a group of "cool" kids. But I will admit that my heart did break a little during the climactic scene, which shows the inner turmoil inherent to a true panic attack in a way that can resonate with both children and adults.There were a couple of inconsistent attempts at comedy in Inside Out 2 that felt like they came from a completely different movie. And I found myself missing the original voice actors for Disgust and Envy, as well as Lewis Black's original Anger voice (which has noticeably diminished as he's aged). But none of this was enough to diminish the strong emotional core of a movie that will be relatable to anyone who's busy growing up or just remembers doing the same.Kyle OrlandAnd now... our pick for the best movie of 2024:Dune: Part 2 Credit: Warner Bros. David Lynch's 1984 Dune was a huge chunk of my high school experience, being as I was part of a small group of friends obsessed with the moviewith its incredible visuals, its outsize but seemingly earnest camp, and its absolutely endless quotability. We sprinkled the movie's words throughout our conversations, experimented with re-creating portions of it with video cameras and action figures, and reveled in exploring something that felt truly ourslargely because the movie was rejected and forgotten by so many others.If anything, Lynch's Dune put paid to the notion that Frank Herbert's novel could be successfully ported to film. It's a heroic effort, but it's a bloody mess. And I would have gone to my grave thinking that Dune remained one of the most unfilmable classic bits of 20th-century science fictionuntil Denis Villeneuve went and made the dang thing anyway.The viscerally visual filmmaker who famously hates dialog did something I genuinely believed was impossible: He gave us a (two-part) translation of the book to screen that is both faithful to the original, and also shows us new things that feel like they've been there all along, waiting to be discovered.Dune: Part Two is a masterpiece. It is the product of craftsmen at the top of their crafts, including and especially the craftsman in the director's seat. Dune gives us a peek at exactly what Villeneuve means when he talks about the "paradise" of a movie without dialoguethere are long, almost Tarkovsky-esque stretches where vast cyclopean imagery juxtaposes itself against tiny human tableaus, underpinned by nothing but Hans Zimmer's transcendent music. And it's not just that these stretches workthey work fantastically well!it's that in many ways they carry the movie to places that rapid-fire Aaron Sorkin-style banter could never reach. The visuals show us thingsthings words never could.Speaking of Hans Zimmerlet's talk about that score. It's an absolutely masterful creation that figures so prominently in our experience of Arrakis that it becomes a character itself, a second unseen narrator who alternates with poor unloved Irulan as the voice of the world. Paul and Chani's love theme, a composition titled "A Time of Quiet Between the Storms," is one of the most powerfully emotional pieces of music I've ever heard, embodying almost the platonic ideal of pure, mournful longing; the emotional hammer-blow delivered by its apocalyptic, civilization-ending reprise "Kiss the Ring" left me speechless and wide-eyed in the theater.Folks, Dune: Part Two is a good movie. It (and its prequel) is one of the best movies I've ever seen, successfully adapting a difficult book into a movie and retaining the bits that mattered most. Villeneuve was born to make these films, and Zimmer was born to score them. They are true art. If anything, I'm even more excited now about another of Villeneuve's upcoming projects: he's taken over the reins for the long-stalled, long-rumored, finally-happening-for-real adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama, a book that heavily imprinted itself on me in fourth grade and that I've reread at least once a year for most of my life. If Villeneuve brings his A-game, I have the highest hopes for Rama.Lee HutchinsonJennifer OuelletteSenior WriterJennifer OuelletteSenior Writer Jennifer is a senior reporter at Ars Technica with a particular focus on where science meets culture, covering everything from physics and related interdisciplinary topics to her favorite films and TV series. Jennifer lives in Baltimore with her spouse, physicist Sean M. Carroll, and their two cats, Ariel and Caliban. 1 Comments

As enterprises race to implement AI and automation, one often overlooked factor can make or break their success: data quality. In fact, 72% of enterprises have adopted AI for at least one business function. The success of these AI and automation initiatives hinges on quality data. What separates effective automation from costly failures often boils down to the quality of the data feeding these systems. To achieve effective automation, enterprise leaders must rely on high-quality data. In this article, Ill outline simple strategies for gathering and sharing data that drives success.Data Quality: Impact Across IndustriesThe implications of poor data quality can vary across industries, but the underlying risks remain similar. For instance, in healthcare, poor data can lead to poor patient care, putting their safety at risk. Financial services are another sector where data accuracy is paramount -- poor data quality leads to flawed financial reports and increased operational risks, eroding trust, and potentially incurring regulatory penalties. Even retail isnt immune, as inaccurate inventory data can lead to poor stock management decisions, resulting in costly stockouts or excess inventory.Data Quality ChecklistHigh-quality data empowers automation and AI to provide outputs that are accurate, reliable, and context-rich, enabling users -- from data analysts to business leaders -- to make informed, confident decisions. This requires data to meet a checklist of criteria, which are as follows:Related:Timeliness: Is your data up to date? Timely data ensures relevant decision-making. For example, relying on outdated customer data in retail can lead to inaccurate personalization, missing opportunities for sales.Accuracy: Does your data accurately represent real-world conditions? Eliminating biases or errors is critical. For instance, biased healthcare data can lead to improper diagnoses, directly impacting patient outcomes.Completeness: Are your datasets comprehensive? Incomplete data can distort AI outcomes or even lead to hallucinations, where algorithms generate inaccurate or misleading results. For example, missing sales data could result in flawed revenue forecasts.Consistency: Do your records align across datasets? Inconsistent data creates errors that can ripple across automation systems. Imagine a supply chain scenario where mismatched product IDs lead to shipping delays and increased costs.Building a Foundation of Quality DataEnsuring data quality is not just about data cleansing; it requires robust data governance and management practices. Implementing a framework that prioritizes data quality across the organization is essential to achieving reliable outcomes from AI and automation investments. Here are a few best practices:Related:Data stewardship: Designate individuals responsible for monitoring and maintaining data quality across its lifecycle. This ensures that the integrity of the data is preserved.Automated data validation: Proactive detection and correction of errors in real-time is essential for organizations that rely on up-to-date data for fast-paced decision-making.Data lineage tracking: By tracking data from its origin through its transformations, organizations can better understand its reliability and accuracy.Hyperautomation as a Data Quality Use CaseHyperautomation, as defined by Gartner, is reshaping business by automating end-to-end processes across the entire IT landscape. This process merges AI, machine learning, and robotic process automation (RPA) to streamline operations, cut costs, and elevate customer experiences. However, the effectiveness of hyperautomation depends on one crucial factor: data quality. This is because the intelligence behind hyperautomation -- AI and ML models --relies on data.Related:In hyperautomation, data-driven decisions are vital for optimizing processes. Poor data quality can lead to less effective choices, undermining efficiency gains. Analyzing historical data allows organizations to forecast trends and proactively automate, yet the accuracy of these predictions is only as good as the data theyre based on.Hyperautomation also requires integrating data from multiple sources, and inconsistent formats or quality issues can impede seamless integration and scalability. High-quality data helps ensure the reliability and robustness of hyperautomation initiatives, minimizing errors and system risks.For customer-facing hyperautomation projects, such as applications like AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants, these depend on accurate, current data to respond effectively to inquiries. Organizations that focus on data integrity while deploying hyperautomation projects -- both internal and customer-facing -- can fully harness its potential, enhancing operational efficiency and gaining a competitive advantage.Long-Term Impact of Quality Data on Business StrategyAt the strategic level, high-quality data doesnt just make AI and automation systems work better -- it enhances business outcomes. With data that is complete, accurate, and timely, companies can leverage AI and automation to improve efficiency, reduce operational risks, and foster more data-driven decisions that strengthen competitive advantage.Organizations that prioritize data quality today will be the ones to define industry benchmarks tomorrow. The question is: Is your data strategy ready to meet the demands of AI and automation?