Star Trek might be a franchise about humanity overcoming its divisions and working together for the common good, but Star Trek fans remain divided on almost everything. And no question breaks the bonds of peace like that of the best captain in Starfleet.Before we add fuel to the fire in which we burn with our rankings, we need to point out that this list only covers Captains who starred in their own series. On one hand, that restriction does prevent the comments section from exploding when they see how high Carol Freeman from Lower Decks would rank on our list. On the other, it means that we need to leave off some fan favorites such as Liam Shaw in Picard, Philippa Georgiou (non-Section 31 version), and Gabriel Lorca. Likewise, were focusing on proper Starfleet captains here, which means that Dal from Prodigy doesnt quite fit yet and Chris Rios from Picards first two seasons doesnt apply.Those caveats aside, here are the seven main Captains ranked from worst to best. Engage!7. Jonathan Archer EnterpriseThe best thing to be said about Jonathan Archer is that his dog Porthos is a very good boy. Okay, maybe thats not fair. We cant really hold Archer to the same standard applied to other Captains on this list. As a prequel series, Enterprise portrayed humanitys earliest steps into space, which meant Archer didnt have the benefit of First Contact protocols, didnt have the Federation to guide him, and, worst of all, had Malcolm Reed for a tactical officer. But even with all of that in mind, Archer still firmly takes the bottom of the list.Series creators Rick Berman and Brannon Braga had hoped that a more wide open space would give Archer room to embrace some more Kirk-style swashbuckling, while a multi-season arc would allow him to organically develop more of a diplomatic mien. Unfortunately, genre TV vet Scott Bakula couldnt find the mode to accentuate those qualities. Too often, Archer came off as belligerent and incurious, two qualities no Starfleet captain should have. The Xindi Onslaught and the Temporal Cold War storylines that took over in seasons three and four of Enterprise may have energized the series, but they only accentuated Archers worst qualities.Its no wonder that Archer eventually became an Admiral in Starfleet, paving the way for Cartwright and Satie.6. Michael Burnham DiscoveryWith all due respect to legends Michelle Yeoh and Jason Isaacs (hello), Michael Burnham should have been the Discovery captain right from the beginning. At the very least, putting her in the Captains seat would have avoided the narrative binds writers found themselves in when focusing Discovery on a single protagonist who didnt have the rank to support her stories. Its one thing when Kirk is the most important person in the universe, and quite another when a science officer turned mutineer is the most important person.Strangely, Burnham sort of became much less important when she did make Captain in Discoverys third season. Sure, she got to lead cool adventures, but it was Admiral Vance (the only good Admiral?) who brokered a deal with the Emerald Chain, something Kirk or Picard might have done in other shows. Instead, writers saddled Burnham with going on ridiculous quests (remember when she when space surfing at the start of season five?) or swapping therapy jargon with her crew. Sonequa Martin-Green does the best she can with the material, but Discovery writers never figured out what to do with her beyond the main character.5. Christopher Pike Strange New WorldsChristopher Pikes shadow has always loomed large over Trek history. Although Gene Roddenberrys first hero was replaced by James T. Kirk after just one episode, the decision to reuse discarded pilot The Cage for the TOS season one two-parter The Menagerie turned Pike (first portrayed by Jeffery Hunter) into a legendary figure, the man who proceeded Kirk and inspired remarkable devotion in Spock. Thats the version of Pike that Bruce Greenwood plays in the J.J. Abrams movies, the man who gets young Kirk to fall in line and become a hero.That weight and history makes Anson Mounts take all the more remarkable. He may take over as Captain of the Discovery in that shows second season, but hes more than happy to play a supporting role on the bridge. Mount carries that ethos back to the Enterprise on Strange New World, where Pike acts more like a gentle dad than a military taskmaster. He empathizes with his crew and supports them. Even better, Mount has no problem playing second fiddle in a scene, covering for Spock during a mind-swap or being a cowardly buffoon during a fantasy adventure. Its no wonder Spock will eventually go to such lengths to ensure Pike can live his final days in happiness.4. Katheryn Janeway VoyagerTheres only one way: the Janeway. Like most things on Voyager, Janeways cavalier and sometimes reckless attitude has gotten better with age. Yes, the entire series is premised on her unilateral decision to destroy the array that could send the crew home from the Delta Quadrant, and yes, a lot of episodes have her abandoning the trip back home in adherence of a Starfleet standing directive that didnt bother her two weeks ago. But somehow, Kate Mulgrew managed to take that inconsistent writing and turn it into a character trait, a steely commitment to doing what she thinks is best, no matter what anyone else thinks.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!With the clipped cadence of another great Kate (Hepburn, of course), Mulgrew made us viewers believe that Janeway could actually guide a divided crew facing impossible odds. In any other case, we wouldnt accept that the Maquis and the Starfleets would bury the hatchet so quickly and come together. In any other case, we wouldnt go along with a Borg just showing up and getting a privileged role on the ship. But Mulgrew bullies her way through even stories that dont support her characters choices and crystalizes Janeway into an inspiring leader. And if shes gotta kill a couple Tuvixes to make it happen, so be it.3. Benjamin Sisko Deep Space NineAs everyone (especially Q) quickly came to realize, Benjamin Sisko isnt your usual Starfleet captain. Its not just that he didnt start the series at the rank of Captain, or that he oversaw a recently-liberated space station instead of a starship. Its that Sisko had greater emotional intelligence and spirituality than his predecessors Kirk and Picard, stemming in part from losing his wife in the Battle of Wolf 359 and from his ascension to the role of Emissary of the Prophets. Those qualities made Sisko one of the richest characters in sci-fi history. He could agonize over a morally-grey decision made in the midst of the Dominion War and then inspire his crew to play a game of baseball.An incredibly complicated character requires an actor deft enough to bring him to life, and Deep Space Nine gets all that and more in Avery Brooks. An incredibly playful performer, Brooks could deliver oration like Stewart and a wink and a joke like Shatner. Brooks could make Sisko cunning and dignified when matching wits with Gul Dukat or dressing down Worf and still make him vulnerable and sweet when Benny Russell breaks down or whenever he gives Jake a fatherly kiss.2. James T. Kirk The Original SeriesCaptain Kirk is Star Trek. No, William Shatner didnt suddenly grab my keyboard. Its just the truth. Star Trek was a philosophical series, which engaged with hot-button issues such as racism and mutually-assured destruction through debates with aliens. But no one would sign up to watch those debates if they werent having fun (Need proof? look at every other Gene Roddenberry show. Or, better yet, dont.). Shatner salted the heavy stuff by giving Kirk a charming smirk and a twinkle in his eye.Which isnt to say that Kirk was the Zapp Brannigan-style dummy that many assume. Kirk could listen to his crew, taking advice from Spock and McCoy when considering his next move. He could outsmart Khan, not only knowing that a gambit would work against his enemy, but also realizing that it would only work once. And he could be moved to tears by the moral courage of Edith Keeler.Roddenberry initially pitched Star Trek as Horatio Hornblower in Space, and no one embodied that concept better than Shatner as Kirk.1. Jean-Luc Picard The Next GenerationJean-Luc Picard wasnt the first Star Trek Captain, nor will he be the last. But every other Captain will be measured according to him, and every performer will be measured next to Patrick Stewart. Famously, Roddenberry didnt want Stewart in the role and even worried about Picards characterization. He couldnt imagine a high-minded Frenchman, played by a bald-headed Englishman, serving as captain of the Enterprise after the virile (and toupee-wearing) American Kirk.To a certain extent, Rodenberry was correct. Picard never engaged in the same edge of your seat adventure as Kirk (at least, not until Stewart pushed a dune buggy sequence into Nemesis). But he did have something even more imporant: a clear moral focus.The most thrilling parts of The Next Generation feature Stewart giving rousing speechesrousing not just because the Shakespearean actor knows how to deliver a monologue, but because of their moral content. When he tells Wesley about the first duty of every Starfleet officer, when he tells off a warmongering Admiral, and when he identifies Data as the exact type of new life that Starfleet seeks out, we believe he speaks from his deepest convictions. In those moments, we understand why the best and brightest in the universe would give up everything to follow this man into the farthest reaches of the galaxy.

SummaryA true survival horror experience.Immersive terrifying world to explore.Investigate what really happened and how to surviveExclusively brought to you by Xbox Wire, Blood Hunting arrives to Xbox for Pre-Order on January 31, 2025. Enjoy this first-person horror survival experience while finding clues to solve puzzles that help explain the true story behind the mystery.One key goal for the game is to stay immersed as much as possible, not to search for items in the inventory or check the phone for text messages. As you play Blood Hunting you will receive text messages for hints along the way from a stranger that is trying to help you. Also, as you approach puzzles, any items you gather will automatically be used if you are carrying the item.You begin the game reading newspaper articles of unexplainable deaths and awake in your bed from the sound of your phone vibrating on the nightstand. The text message is from an unknown number, but the message is clear that someone is coming, and you must leave before they find you.You will explore various places starting at your hotel. First you must find a way out, the more you explore the more dead people you find in the building and begin to believe the text was true. There is no way to fight and the only way to survive is to hide and not make a sound.You will travel down dark hallways, abandoned buildings, caves, forests and numerous other areas. Be aware of your surroundings at all times, as it can be the difference between life and death. There will be hidden places to hide just when you need them when someone or something is close to you.Ensure that you examine every clue and pickup every item that you can find. These clues throughout the game will help you to progress further to the next level. As you solve puzzles and find new clues you will begin to understand what happened to those people and why they died the way they did. And as you slowly solve the mystery of what is happening you also begin to understand what you now must do. Not only is this personal to what happened to your family, it is also a danger to all humanity. The knowledge you obtain and the tools you find along the way will help you succeed.One thing to remember, a choice must be made and there is no time to waste. They are hunting you and you must survive long enough to discover the truth. Do you have what it takes to survive? Pre-order your copy of Blood Hunting to start playing early. Let the blood hunting begin!Blood HuntingHolcomb Entertainment LLC$24.99Pre-orderYou are Chase Jones, who lost his family when he was young. You will need to put the pieces together to understand what happened to them. As you uncover the truth you become aware of what you must do. Unfortunately, those responsible have begun to hunt you so they can put an end to this investigation. An unknown stranger helps by sending text messages to your phone. You have to survive long enough to discover the truth and try to do something about it.Keep your phone close and remember you cannot fight them. You will only survive if you hide and find them before they find you. As you are sleeping you are awakened by your phone that they have found your hotel. You must avoid them and find the person responsible before they find you.

Apple has been legally required to approve a pornography app for iPhone users in EU markets due to regulatory actions put in place by Europes Digital Markets Act. Since launching the App Store in 2008, Apples policy has been to prevent apps explicitly for distributing pornography from being listed in the App Store.As of today, however, EU iPhone users can access Hot Tub, an app for browsing pornography, as easily as downloading Epics Fortnite or Delta, the popular Nintendo game emulator.Thats because Hot Tub is distributed through AltStore PAL.Prior to today, AltStore PAL has largely been viewed as a generally harmless avenue for developers to distribute software for the iPhone without being required to agree to Apples revenue split policies.However, the arrival of Hot Tub, which lacks age verification for access, shows that at least one of Apples concerns over a less moderated app marketplace has become reality.In a Fast Company piece published on this date a year ago, Apples Phil Schiller warned of the possibility of porn apps being distributed alongside game apps that are popular with kids Schiller is quick to point out that despite these new security measures, there are limits to the protections that Apple can provide to users who allow alternative app marketplaces to operate on their iPhones. The company has virtually no control over the content of apps from those marketplaceseven if that content is objectionable or harmful.Ultimately, there are things that we have not allowed on our App Storethings that we didnt think would be safe or appropriate, Schiller says. It will not be our decision whether those other marketplaces have the same terms and limitations.So yes, for the first time, apps dedicated to pornography can be run on the iPhone. This should be something parents are aware of, because the DMA does not give Apple the legal right to forbid certain types of app stores from operating on its platform, nor does Apple have the ability to prevent a child from downloading such an app store onto their iPhone.One year to the day of that story being published, a porn app is being distributed in the same channel as Nintendo emulators and Fortnite. AltStore PAL required an annual subscription for access until last August, when Fortnite maker Epic Games provided AltStore PAL with a grant to offset the costs associated with providing the alternative app marketplace. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney hasnt expressed how he feels about the porn app being listed alongside Fortnite with the help of his company. He may very well approve and welcome the apps availability considering this was always expected to happen eventually.The bottom line for parents, though, is that the Apple-approved messaging around the porn app on iPhone omits the fact that Apple is legally required to approve the app due to the DMA policy, which the company has campaigned against.There is a nuanced argument that could be made where Apples business practices created the conditions that allowed the company to have to legally approve a porn app on iPhone for EU customers without strict parental controls. But describing the porn app as simply Apple-approved is intentionally clever and misleading.And what about porn access through Safari? Apples Screen Time protections and third-party content blockers allow parents to restrict access to explicit content on the web.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre 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. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Apple announced a few months ago that Kendrick Lamar would be headlining the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime show on February 6th. Last night at the Grammys, Kendrick Lamar was able to add an additional five Grammys to his now total of 22! Given his current popularity, Apple has added a few Kendrick Lamar-themed workouts for its Fitness+ subscribers.Fitness+ and Kenrick LamarI have been an avid Fitness+ user for a few years now. I started using it in early 2021 to re-ignite my love for fitness. I started off with small 5-minute workouts and just tried to do one a day. As the days, weeks, and months progressed, I was able to spend more time and add all the variety of workouts Fitness+ had to offer. I would do walking and running exercises, then focus on strength, and then migrate to yoga. There is an abundance of workout types and instructors to choose from. Apple then began to add workouts that focused on one particular artist. So, instead of background songs from various artists during a workout, it honed in on one artist and played their tracks. My favorite one, to this day, is the 30-minute run with Scott that spotlights the Weeknd. It is 30 minutes of pure bliss! This is exactly what they are doing with Kendrick Lamar! Apple Fitness+ has added five different workouts of varying times with different instructors that will play various songs from Kendricks discography:20-minute Pilates with Darryl20-minute Strength with Kim30-minute Yoga with Jonelle30-minute Cycling with Kym30-minute Kickboxing with Jamie-rayWhile I do wish a running with Scott workout was included in these, I am still excited to give the strength workout with Kim a go! Pricing & availability In order to get access to these workouts you do need to be an active Fitness+ Subscriber. Right now, Apple is giving one month of free trials of Fitness+, so you can give it a go for the month of February and see how these Kendrick-themed workouts are. After that month, it is $9.99 per month. Or you can do what I do and pay for Apple One Premier, which includes Fitness+ in its bundle. Pricing for that is below.These workouts are available now to try out! Are you a subscriber to Apple Fitness+? Have you ever tried it before? Is adding these new themed workouts something that you sway you into trying it out? Lets discuss below. Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre 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. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

That didn't take long.Below the BeltPresident Donald Trump's chaotic tariffs hit US-based AI chipmaker Nvidia's stock, as it slid over five percent when trading began on Monday before recovering by a few points.Over the weekend, Trump announced an additional ten percent tariff on Chinese imports and 25 percent on those from Mexico and Canada,though he later said the Mexico tariffs had been delayed a month.The whole kerfuffle appears to have taken investors by surprise, as they had initially discredited Trump's earlier threats of introducing tariffs. Even markets in Asia and Europewere shaken as a result.And Nvidia, which was already still reeling from a comeuppance by Chinese AI startup DeepSeek upending Silicon Valley last week, felt the hurt.Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported last week that Trump administration officials are considering additional curbs on exports of Nvidia chips to China, which would extend Nvidia's losses even further.In other words, the whole situation is a mess of promises, takesies-backsies, and generalized chaos a morass that serves as a reality check on Trump's early promises to support the AI industry.Stargate FateTrump's tariffs are also expected to raise prices for AI data server equipment, which could weaken demand. The US heavily relies on importing data processing equipment from China, as Yahoo Finance reports. Nvidia's latest Blackwell AI chips will also soon be manufactured in a facility that's currently being constructed in Mexico.In short, Trump's actions have already proven a massive self-own, giving a black eye to a key ally while laying groundwork for China to soar ahead in the ongoing AI race. DeepSeek's success, despite Biden administration-era export bans on AI chips, has already shown that international competitors can easily circumnavigate US protectionist measures, hitting markets where it hurts.In the wake of Trump's tariffs, experts are warning that consumer prices, particularly in the US, could rise substantially.Even Trump's own flashy $500 billion Stargate AI infrastructure deal could be threatened. Signees of the project are looking to build out enormous multibillion-dollar data centers, and import duties on crucial equipment could hinder their progress.Share This Article

Who could she be talking about?Musk of a ManClaire "Grimes" Boucher seems, once again, to be close to condemning her billionaire ex though of she still isn't coming right out and saying it.During an exchange with the Austin-based group sex enthusiast and shower-hating writer who goes by the pen name Aella over the weekend, Elon Musk's most famous baby mama bemoaned the anonymous edgelords not specifically naming the father of her three children who she says seduced her into the world of reactionary politics."I feel like I was tricked by [people] pretending to be into critical thought and consequentialism who are acting like power-hungry warlords now," Boucher wrote in a since-deleted reply to Aella, "and like cruelly enjoying the panic and suffering that obviously creates and it's disturbing."Grimes also agreed "10000 percent" with the mononymous writer's take that the "anti-woke coalition" they'd both befriended is now "walking off a plank into extremism.""Being anti a bad thing doesn't make you right by default." Aella wrote. "Righteous revenge is not compassion."Though he's not mentioned by name or even overtly referenced, it seems clear that the illiberal and reactionary forces both women belatedly condemned are the same ones that propelled Musk into his unelected role in Donald Trump's new version of the US government.Inside the HouseThose comments also come on the heels of the 36-year-old electronic artist's address to a "certain toxicity in the Grimes fandom" suggesting she's been cozying up to white supremacists another oblique reference to her ex that failed to mention him by name."If it wasn't clear," Boucher wrote, "I very much denounce Nazi-ism and white supremacy.""I am sorry I didn't take this more seriously sooner," she added. "I did not realize the extent of the issue."Instead of confronting the very real wave of bigotry that has accompanied Musk's rise to power in the US or even his very obvious Sieg Heil just over a week prior Boucher simply said she is "sad at the division in the world [right now]" and sorry that anyone has "had to see super toxic negative things in the [Grimes] fandom on my behalf."There's little doubt, as these statements show, that Grimes fashions herself as opposed to white supremacy. If she really wanted to fight the bigotry she claims to denounce, however, she'd stop centering herself and disavow her ex by name and then, perhaps, put down her phone and actually do something useful for a change.More on Musk's failed relationships: Elon Musk's Long-Term Friend Says He's a Narcissist With an Obsessive "Lust for Power"Share This Article

Cobra Kaiisending back where it all began: The All-Valley Karate Championship.The final third of the sixth and final season of the hit Netflix sequel series toThe Karate Kid movie franchise brings things back to the site of the first movies climactic karate tournament. For the last time (at least on this show) the rivalries and alliances between Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), and theirkarate students will be put to the test.The trailer for thisbatch of episodes (there are five in total) sets up one finalshowdown between Johnny and Daniels faction and the students of the old Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove) and the villainous Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith).After starting on the now-defunct YouTube Red streaming service,Cobra Kai jumped to Netflix, where its been apopular hit for the last few years. You can check outthe final trailer forCobra KaiSeason 6, which is filled with callbacks to the entire history of the show andThe Karate Kid, below:READ MORE: Why Were Ready ForCobra Kai to Come to An EndThe final episodes ofCobra Kai premiere on Netflix on February 13. But thats still not the end forKarate Kid; a new film,Karate Kid: Legends, will debut in theaters on May 30. At this point, the onlycharacter fromCobra Kaiwho is confirmed to appear in it is Ralph Macchios Daniel LaRusso. Whether Johnny or any of the other central figures fromCobra Kai will show up remains to be seen. (After six seasons, it would honestly be a little weird if none of them appear.)Get our free mobile appThe Coolest Karate Kid Easter Eggs in Cobra Kai Season 5Our favorite moments from Cobra Kai Season 5 that are references to the old movies.

Speakers: Charlotte Jee, news editor, Will Douglas Heaven, senior AI editor, and Caiwei Chen, China reporter. The tech world is abuzz over a new open-source reasoning AI model developed by DeepSeek, a Chinese startup. Its success is remarkable given the constraints that Chinese AI companies face due to US export controls on cutting-edge chips. DeepSeeks approach represents a radical change in how AI gets built, and could shift the tech worlds center of gravity. Hear from MIT Technology Review news editor Charlotte Jee, senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven, and China reporter Caiwei Chen as they discuss what DeepSeeks breakout success means for AI and the broader tech industry. Related Coverage

Click to enlargeBeautiful, stylish and confident, Brady Corbets three-and-a-half hour epic about a Hungarian Jewish architect settling in America wrestles with weighty themes like identity, patronage, and ambition. Image: Universal Pictures 1 of 7Arrival at Ellis Island. An easy symbol, but a powerful one. Image: Supplied 2 of 7Lszl directing proceedings on site. Image: Universal Pictures 3 of 7Tths Basement is a flooded hall full of Johnson Wax Building-esque columns, extending into thehaunting darkness. Image: Universal Pictures 4 of 7The Van Buren Institute mid-construction, Tths blocky concrete structure sits prominently on a hill above Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Image: Universal Pictures 5 of 7Tths building is a towering series of empty chambers, echoing Tadao Ando crossedwith a minimalist Pantheon interior Image: Universal Pictures 6 of 7The scheme never stops feeling like a rushed first concept churned out hours before crit. Image: Universal Pictures 7 of 7Patrick Sherwood considers the recently released Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated film, The Brutalist, and finds it to be a story disappointingly light on Brutalism, but full of promise and complexity.OvertureAs Lszl Tth (Adrien Brody) steps out of a darkened interior alongside hundreds of crammed passengers, we are unsure where we are, this Jewish migr, where is he going? To Buchenwald? To capture or freedom? Around him, people hurriedly find their belongings and push through the crowds through metaldoors.Arrival at Ellis Island. An easy symbol, but a powerful one.Image: SuppliedFrom the depths, he emerges into light, the camera frantically searching for the sky, and in a shot that will no doubt continue to be talked about, into frame lurches an inverted Statue of Liberty, her flame held upside down against a soaring backdrop of bombastic brass and clanging steel, the grey sky behind her holding just a hint ofblue.This introduction kicks off Lszls difficult arrival to the New World, fleeing first Nazi then Soviet oppression in his native Hungary. In Europe, he leaves behind his forcibly separated wife and niece, along with an impressive backlog of architecture (famous modernist buildings are shown to be his work), arriving in America as a nobody, stuffed into a steamship likelivestock.Part 1:EnigmaStruggling to get on his feet, working first in his cousins furniture store, Lszl eventually earns patronage with a new-money businessman, Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), who is enamoured by the architectural features about Tth in European journals. Harry is impressed by Lszls education at Bauhaus, his obvious professional brilliance, and his poetic musings about architecture, saying multiple times: I find our conversations intellectually stimulating. What better comment can you get from aclient?Harry commissions Tth to design a memorial community centre for his late mother, the Van Buren Institute, which also requires a Christian chapel to get sufficient funding and community support. On this, at least, Lszl is willing tocompromise.Lszl directing proceedings on site.Image: Universal PicturesThe films strongest sections are devoted to the architectural process: client meetings discussing prices and timelines, community presentations soliciting support, tense site meetings between contractor and architect, or perhaps most cathartically when pressured by another architectural consultant brought in to value engineer the project Tth provokes him, staring him straight in the eye and proclaiming, Everything that is ugly, cruel, stupid but, most importantly, ugly is your fault.Amen.These practicalities and politics, the bureaucracy involved, provide a fantastic vehicle for exploration of the artist-patron relationship between Tth and Van Buren, whose equally friendly and yet toxic dynamic is a highlight, wonderfully acted by Brody andPearce.Van Buren is not only reverent and attracted to the architects talents but also jealous and deprecating of him. On the other hand, Tths thoughts about his client remain mostly an enigma, he feigns and genuflects, working diligently and obsessively, taking the help offered to get his wife Erzsbet (Felicity Jones) and niece Zsfia (Raffey Cassidy) intoAmerica.Their rich benefactor/service provider dynamic plays out as an example of the Jewish immigrant experience in post-war America. The family is welcomed into the wealthy country home so long as they know their place, maintain their victimization, and compromise themselves in order to fit in. To flourish, he must shed his identity like his cousin Attila who has Anglicized his surname and converted to Catholicism. He, the Jew, the immigrant, is not wanted in America, but his labour and his talentsare.Though its a shame Tths Hungarian roots are a non-factor, getting little more than passing mention, and any important historical events such as the 1959 Revolution go by unmentioned. Lszl seems not to have a political bone, but his wife Erzsbet, as a foreign affairs journalist, would surely have something to say? Considering the film went to lengths to ensure native pronunciation, controversially using generative AI to overdub the Hungarian spoken by Englishactors.However, with the already sprawling themes and story it is understandable it centres thematically on America, for despite being billed as an architectural movie, the adage about American fiction always being really about America again ringstrue.IntermissionWriters Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold chose to structure the three-and-a-half-hour movie with a built-in intermission, overture, and epilogue. This, along with filming in VistaVision, was a homage to mid-century cinema, as well as a self-aware justifying itself as capital-cCinema.The films bold formalism is no accident, like brutalist or modernist architecture, it is unrelenting and uncompromising instyle.So too, Tths building reflects the same structure: the Van Buren institute has multiple functions all programmed together, joined by an underground corridor providing access but also a conceptual unity between parts. This corridor, in fact, Tth has to fight for, ultimately forgoing his fee to ensure the high ceilings (20m in places) and subterranean access remain. A nice thesis statement for the film overall, as the buildings construction is an analogy for the films own. Corbet said as much in aninterview:Architecture and filmmaking have a lot in common because it takes roughly the same amount of people to construct a building or make a movie. The Brutalist, for me, was a way of talking about the more bureaucratic aspect of the artistic process.1To hammer this home, whilst Tth and Van Buren share a glass of brandy in a wood-panelled room, the businessman asks, Why architecture? to which the architect replies, Is there a better description of a cube than that of itsconstruction?Tths Basement is a flooded hall full of Johnson Wax Building-esque columns, extending into thehaunting darkness.Image: Universal PicturesIt is not difficult to see Corbets own metafictional motivations here, the disparate themes of Zionism, immigrant experience, architecture, drug addiction, patronage, are all boxed up, joined into this unifying package, a film analogizing its own creation into some recursive totality. There is certainly overarching verisimilitude, but on the whole, does this form express its function as brutalism wouldexpect?Part 2: BeautyThe Brutalist is no doubt a beautiful film, the aesthetic cinematography, the stylish Bauhaus titles and credits, and the score deserves a special mention, from the pulsing orchestral overtures to frantic bebop, interweaved with metallic machine noises, the sounds of industry and progress, present a time of rebuilding and growth, of promise anddisappointment.Yet, despite this promise, the films second half loses focus and tact, characters become empty symbols, forgetting the earlier themes in favour of an overdone and underwhelming conclusion. Because this isnt a film about architecture, norbrutalism.Even the obvious predatory client is problematic to its own thesis. Of course, Van Buren is exploiting and manipulating Lszl, lording his control over this genius, both professionally and personally, but that is the bargain artists, architects, creatives must make. Barring the unnecessary climax, their relationship is an honest portrayal of the real dynamic of patron andartist.Harry, for all his faults, the rage brewing barely skin deep, the enjoyment of dominating those around him, is as near to a dream client one could realistically hope for. Lszl is given carte blanche, a large budget, and generous compensation to run a career-defining project. And when later pressured to find some cost-savings which are relatively minor, he refuses entirely, justifiably, butstill.Whilst not a monologuing maniac like Howard Roark, Tth is presented as a visionary auteur supposedly without precedent, who imposes his own will on the project, regardless of anyone elses input. Did the client and community ask for a monument to the architects own experience in Buchenwald concentration camp to shadow over their town? Should a physical manifestation of him processing his trauma trump the needs and desires of the buildingsusers?The Van Buren Institute mid-construction, Tths blocky concrete structure sits prominently on a hill above Doylestown, Pennsylvania.Image: Universal PicturesThis notion of the architect is an outdated one, a 20th-century caricature of a lone genius blazing ahead without regard for budget, client, or context, a constructed combination of Corbusier, Gropius, Lloyd Wright, and Breuer, which seems more applicable to cinema than construction. A director projecting their auteur fantasies onto anotherprofession.So. too, Tths building is a caricature, a vague stack of concrete boxes on a green hill, appearing like a blocky deconstructed cathedral, a towering series of empty chambers, echoing Tadao Ando crossed with a minimalist Pantheon interior, rather than real 1950s brutalism, even less an actual communitycentre.The production designer, Judy Becker, who does not have an architectural background, talked about Ando as an influence, whilst forgoing much actual historical research, I didnt look at many architectural references because I didnt want to be influenced by too much. I wanted to come up with something on my own.2Tths building is a towering series of empty chambers, echoing Tadao Ando crossedwith a minimalist Pantheon interiorImage: Universal PicturesThis admission is telling. The design feels anachronistic, far too minimal and contemporary, and lacking any of the ideological commitments integral to the historical movement to feel genuine. Brutalism, despite the popular perception, does not simply mean concrete. As the Smithsons quote goes, it is an ethic, not anaesthetic.Tths version is not brutalism. Yes, it uses bton brut, but where is the expression of function, the honesty, the humbleness integral to its philosophy? The film conflates brutalism with mere brutality, turning the architects design into a metaphor for his personal trauma rather than an expression of its intended purpose, which is in fact the exact opposite of what brutalism as a utopian movement (for better or worse)intended.Close ups of the building are in fact multiple real brutalist projects across Budapest, which are obviously far better, far more accurate examples of the style than the smooth, computer-rendered wide shots of the Institute. The scheme never stops feeling like a rushed first concept churned out hours beforecrit.This disjoint between moments showing actual textural poetics and a vague harsh exterior is counter to Tths very philosophy of showing the construction, the unity, the wholeness. Was this, ironically, a result ofbudget?The scheme never stops feeling like a rushed first concept churned out hours before crit.Image: Universal PicturesFor a film named The Brutalist and centring primarily around a singular building, to have it manifest as both ugly and ill defined, but most importantly, ugly, is another cruelty inflicted on Tth. Perhaps the vagueness, the dis-unity, the lack of concreteness, is symptomatic of the film as awhole.EpilogueTth, now elderly, remains silent in a wheelchair at the 1980 Venice Biennale, an exhibition of his careers work (which also used generative AI to draw actual brutalist designs) being presented an achievement award. His grown-up niece delivers a speech, interpreting the Van Buren Institute as a replication of his experience in the Buffenwald concentration camp, down to using the same barracks dimensions and camp layout. Only the high ceilings, pushed up to allow a clerestory window band, are added, supposedly symbolizing freedom andequality.Did we see this connection beforehand? Is this meant to be an accurate account of Tths motivations in designing the Institute, or is this an ironic commentary on the dissection and interpretation of artists work by later figures, spinning and weaving their own narratives into history? The latter would make a nice meta-commentary on the writing-in of trauma to a historical style which has no connection to the Holocaust. However, given the films general lack of subtlety, I tend to the formerinterpretation.We rarely have such high-profile films dedicated to architectural craft, and in many ways The Brutalist succeeds, the first half is fantastic, the pace riveting, the score rousing. And between the positive post-war progressive search for everything new and modern by Van Buren, and the heavy burden carried by Tth is fascinating as a contrast of attraction andrepulsion.Unfortunately, the conclusion reached, that this country is rotten is proven inaccurate by the many real designers who also fled from Bauhaus, like Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, Mies Van Der Rohe, or another Lszl: Moholy-Nagy, many of whom continued having highly distinguished and influential careers in America andabroad.That is not to downplay the very real antisemitism experienced, or to denigrate the extra challenges they had to overcome, but rather to encourage Tth taking more after these real-life figures so he would be less of a walking symbol designed to critique contemporarysociety.To finish, Zsfias closing remark that no matter what the others try to sell you, it is the destination, not the journey, is indeed apt, for where The Brutalist arrives is, like the America Tth finds, rather adisappointment.References1 hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-brutalist-brady-corbet-making-of-interview-1235995475/2archinect.com/features/article/150458277/the-brutalist-is-a-cinematic-reflection-of-brutalism

If you watch Severance on Apple TV Plus, you're familiar with Ricken Hale's self-help book, The You You Are: A Spiritual Biography of You. No spoilers here, but if you're interested in augmenting your Severance viewing by reading the pivotal book, now you can download it for free.On Jan. 31, Apple released the eight-chapter, 39-page version of The You You Areon Apple Books, where you can download it as a weird accompaniment to the intriguing show. It's also available as an audiobook, read by actor Michael Chernus, who plays Hale.Read more: Severance Season 2: 5 Mind-Bending Questions We Need Answered ASAP Watch this: Tim Cook Stars in Severance Season 2 Promo 01:16 Chernus also appears on the book's cover, against an orange-red background that is bound to remind readers of other similar books. (Dianetics, anyone?) His character has written four other self-help books, but this is the only freebie.The promo text for the book plays right along, bragging that the book "guides you on a brave journey of self-learnedness," and that it's an "invitation to merge with your true 'You.'"Read more:Severance Season 2: Episode Release Guide for the Must-Watch Sci-Fi ThrillerWhen you do download the book, it begins with a letter from the fictional author himself, in which he thanks you for reading, and notes that "events beyond my control" have stopped him from releasing the whole book, but he's sharing the first eight chapters. The book then begins with a literal bang, starting with the sentence, "It's said that as a child, Wolfgang Mozart killed another boy by slamming his head in a piano." (He didn't.)Readers/viewers seem to be playing along with the concept, with one commenting on the Apple Books reviews page, "Dr. Hale is a true visionary with an unparalleled mind. If I could activate the Overtime Contingency so that all the Innies could have a chance to meet this generation's Shakespeare in person, I would."