Supports are the biggest losers in the Marvel Rivals season 1.5 patch, which goes live on Feb. 21. Popular picks, like Cloak and Dagger and Luna Snow, are getting their most powerful abilities toned down to let tanks and damage dealers have a little more fun. And if that wasnt enough, the worst heroes for a support player to fight off will be even stronger than they already are.Strategists have ruled over the last month of Marvel Rivals, especially at high levels of play. Invisible Woman, Luna Snow, Cloak and Dagger, and Rocket Raccoon had particularly high win rates during the first half of season 1, according to a recently updated list on the official site. Its not abnormal to see a team run three Strategists at once simply for the near-invulnerability they can provide with their ultimates.That strategy will likely become less common when the patch hits later this week. Cloak and Dagger, Luna Snow, and Invisible Woman will have to wait longer for their ultimates to come online, opening the door for other heroes to make a fight-winning play. The streaks of healing left behind by Cloak and Daggers ultimate wont be able to stack anymore either, which could dethrone them as the single best pick in the game right now.The support Ls continue with big buffs to their worst enemies, including Iron Fist, Magik, Iron Man, and Captain America.On paper, Iron Fist looks like hes getting a nerf with damage reductions to his punches, but hes actually shifting away from an assassin-type Duelist to a brawler, like Wolverine. His slightly reworked jabs will now deal more damage the more health his enemies have, and hell heal himself more than before, which will make him effective at stomping tanks. Iron Fist players may no longer be on the hunt to take out support players, but once they get the tank down, you know where theyre headed next.Backlines wont be safe from Magik when she gets to go demon mode more often. Iron Man is getting a deadlier energy beam. And Captain America will have faster shield throws and increased ultimate uptime. Even the Thing and Human Torch will be setting their sights on support players. The Thing can launch himself straight into a fight, and Johnny Storm gets to hover in the air and light the map on fire. There really wont be anywhere to hide.Marvel Rivals players were begging for ways to prevent support players from extending a match with the sheer amount of healing they can pump out, and it looks like they got what they wanted. All the heroes who can jump into a fight and push people around are significantly stronger than before, which is going to make keeping your team alive as a support player a real pain and thats only if you can stay alive long enough.

Morgan RepulseGod Bamford, a former Fortnite competitor from Australia, was disqualified from the Fortnite Champion Series event in Copenhagen in 2023 after sharing his account with another player in order to qualify for the event. Bamford (or rather, the person who was playing on his account) and his teammate, who goes by Jace online, placed first in a qualifying event in August, which earned the duo a spot in the $4 million Global Championship. That is, until Epic Games learned about Bamfords actions.In 2024, Epic Games announced that it was ramping up legal action against people who cheat and people who sell cheating software. The company announced Monday that it had pursued legal action against Bamford, who has since been banned from ever playing in a Fortnite tournament again. Settlement money from the legal action includes the prize money Bamford was awarded. Epic Games declined to share details of the legal action with Polygon. Its unclear how much more Bamford must pay in addition to the tournament winnings. Regardless, all the settlement money will be donated to the Childs Play charity.Cheating is never a winning strat.We took legal action against a player who shared their account to unfairly qualify for FNCS. Now theyre banned from Fortnite tournaments forever and their undeserved prize money was donated to charity. Heres their message to the Fortnite Fortnite Competitive (@FNCompetitive) February 17, 2025Bamford was also required to post an apology to his personal YouTube channel. I shared my Epic Games account with another user, Forbes, to qualify for the 2023 Fortnite Championship Grand Finals. My actions violated Epics rules and I was disqualified from the tournament, he wrote in text shared in a 15-second YouTube video. Epic took legal action against me and now Im banned from participating in Fortnite tournaments forever. I also have to paya monetary settlement, which includes the prize money I received but did not win fairly, which Epic will donate to charity. Cheating in tournaments ruins the fun for the players who earned their spot in tournaments and I apologise to the Fortnite community for my actions. I wont ever cheat in Fortnite again.From the qualifying event, Bamford and Jace earned $20,000 in prize money. Hed previously been playing in Fortnite tournaments for years, winning thousands of dollars in prize money. Bamford was one of a few professional players who accused Epic Games in 2020 of not paying out prize money from a DreamHack event; Bamford placed fourth in a solo event and won $12,500.Epic Games has also filed a lawsuit against another Fortnite esports competitor, Sebastian Sabortian Araujo. The lawsuit was filed in December, Epic Games announced on social media. The company said at the time that Araujo had used cheating software and hardware; hed participated in lower-level weekly events over the past few years, winning thousands of dollars in prize money. That case is pending; Araujo was served with the lawsuit on Feb. 9, per court documents viewed by Polygon.Epic Games has filed more than a dozen similar lawsuits, both in the United States and abroad.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.Apple has been top dog in the premium tablet space for years, and the iPad Pro with an M4 chip released last year solidified their dominance. If you've been waiting for a discount on the best-performing tablet you can get, take your pick from the available options: the 11-inch iPad Pro wifi and celular version is $1,099 (originally $1,199), the 13-inch iPad Pro wifi version is also $1,099 (originally $1,299), and the 13-inch wifi and cellular version is $1,299 (originally $1,499). These deals bring all versions down to the lowest prices these iPad models have been since their release, according to price-tracking tools. Ultra Retina XDR Display, 256GB, 12MP Front/Back Camera, LiDAR Scanner, Wi-Fi 6E + 5G Cellular. Apple iPad Pro 11-Inch (M4, Wifi + Cellular) $1,099.00 at Amazon $1,199.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,099.00 at Amazon $1,199.00 Save $100.00 Ultra Retina XDR Display, 256GB, 12MP Front/Back Camera, LiDAR Scanner, Wi-Fi 6E, Face ID. Apple iPad Pro 13-Inch (M4, Wifi) $1,099.00 at Amazon $1,299.00 Save $200.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,099.00 at Amazon $1,299.00 Save $200.00 Ultra Retina XDR Display, 256GB, 12MP Front/Back Camera, LiDAR Scanner, Wi-Fi 6E, Face ID. Apple iPad Pro 13-Inch (M4, Wifi + Cellular) $1,299.00 at Amazon $1,499.00 Save $200.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,299.00 at Amazon $1,499.00 Save $200.00 SEE 0 MORE The M4 is about 1.5 times faster than the M2, the chip used in the previous generation of iPads. That's a big difference for anyone looking to use their iPad for more than just navigating the web and streaming media apps. The 11-inch screen is an OLED display with a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits and a contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1, making it ideal for creators who need to see accurate colors for pictures or videos. The processing power can easily handle heavy-duty apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, or Photoshop. A 120Hz refresh rate also means games will look smooth.As far as battery life, you can expect about 10 hours depending on your use, and a charge that takes about two hours to get to full. Keep in mind Apple switched to USB-C charging, and this iPad does not support wireless charging. If you don't get the cellular version, you'll be limited to wifi signal. You can get the Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard if you want to complete the set, but of course, they're not necessary. If you're not going to be doing heavy work, the iPad Air will do just fine. But if you're looking for the best tablet to perform professional tasks, the iPad Pro M4 is at a great price right now.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.The tendency in movie runtimes seems to be trending toward length, and even if the data doesnt really bear this out, recent, super-longinstallments in big box office franchises at least mean the bloat feels real.For some reason these wildly popular series feel the need to justify their existence by lashing us to our seats for well over two hours, when many of us might have happily paid the same price for a flick that would give us the hope of ever getting home to see our dogs again.Still, a movies quality isnt determined by its length, and most of us are watching these things at home anyway. Some stories are just more effective when they take their timeeither because they have so much to say and do that nothing feels wasted, or because it allows them the freedom to luxuriate in setting a mood and building a compelling world filled with interesting characters. As the critic Roger Ebert once said, no good movie is too long, and no bad movie is short enough.An interesting case here is the 1984 classic Amadeus: There are plenty of stories of studios butchering films only to have a director step in later with fixes. This might be a case of the opposite, at least to many critics: the film was released at around 161 minutes, only for Milo Forman to create a director's cut in 2002 adding back in an additional 20 minutes or so. There's a lot of debate about the value of the extra bits (I've only ever seen the shorter version), but rough consensus is that the shorter, tighter theatrical version is superior. For a couple of decades now, the longer Amadeus is the only one that's been readily available, which is about to change as the original theatrical cut has been subject to a restoration and a forthcoming release. So here are 35 good (or great) movies, all of which run to nearly three hours (or much longer), all of which also justify their runtimes by generally making every second worth the sit.Amadeus (1984)Running time: 2 hours and 52 minutes (director's cut) or 2 hours and 31 minutes (theatrical cut) Why its worth your time: The late, great Milo Forman directs this unconventional biopic of musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, adapting the play by Peter Shaffer, who also wrote the screenplay (they both won Oscars for it, as did lead F. Murray Abraham). Unlike the typical plodding biography, Amadeus tells its story not through the eyes and experiences of Mozart (Tom Hulce) himself, but those of his archnemesis, Antonio Salieri (Abraham), a composer doomed to exist forever in the shadow of the greater talent. The result is an epic, bitchy meditation on relative mediocritySalieri is good, maybe even great, but struggles to achieve a portion of what seems to come to Mozart without effort. Its got all of the gorgeous period trappings youd expect, while also telling a deep, juicy story about the price of (understandable) jealousy. You can rent Amadeus (Director's Cut) from Prime Video. Amadeus (1984) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video The Brutalist (2024) The Oscars gave a big boost to the limited-release period drama from director Brady Corbet. Adrien Brody stars as Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor Lszl Tth, a Bauhaus-trained architect who struggles over the course of decades to achieve anything resembling the American dream. The American immigrant experience frequently provides a rich tapestry against which to create an epic film; it's a topic we'll return to in this list. You can buy The Brutalist from Prime Video. The Brutalist (2024) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Wicked (2024)Running time: 2 hours and 40 minutes I was skeptical, to say the least, when I learned that the adaptation of the musical (itself based on the Gregory Maguire book) would be split into two films, the first one alone running nearly the length of the entire stage show. I needn't have worried. Director Jon M. Chu has been on a bit of a roll since 2018's Crazy Rich Asians, and Wicked sees him at the height of his powers. It's a wonderfully old-school musical extravaganza, and by "old school" I mean that it's almost entirely free of the cynicism and self-consciousness that have grown so tiresome in other big-budget moviesno one makes awkward jokes about how wacky it is that they're singing. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande sell every note while hitting all the right emotional beats, as well. Here's hoping that the sequel sticks the landing. You can buy Wicked from Prime Video. Wicked (2024) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Schindler's List (1993)Running time: 3 hours 15 minutes Steven Spielberg's most beautifully photographed film is also his most devastating, exploring the brutality of the Holocaust from the perspective of the real-life Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson). The German industrialist saved the lives of over a thousand PolishJewish refugees in his factories during World War II, but not out of a sense of innate heroism: His actions, as the movie makes clear, were born of compromisea desire to do some little thing to help that grew in heroism and righteousness. Rather than wallow in the horrors, the movie explores the cost and the power of saving even a single life, and that bit of hopefulness propels it through its runtime. You can stream Schindler's List on Netflix or rent it from Prime Video. Schindler's List (1993) at Netflix Learn More Learn More at Netflix Interstellar (2014)Running time: 2 hours and 49 minutes Why its worth your time: While mileage may vary when it comes to the film's more metaphysical final act, everything that leads up to it is an uncommonly smart space spectacleone that works very hard to get the science right without sacrificing the emotional beats. From a blighted Earth of the near future, a group of astronauts set out to explore a wormhole discovered near Saturn with hope of finding a new home for humanity. Blending human drama and existential dread with some truly breathtaking cinematography, Christopher Nolan's film explores outer space with scientific rigor while ultimately telling a story about human hearts. You can stream Interstellar on Paramount+ and Netflix or rent it from Prime Video. Interstellar (2014) at Paramount+ Learn More Learn More at Paramount+ Once Upon a Time in America (1984) Running time: 3 hours and 49 minutesAfter a string of genre-defining spaghetti westerns, Italian director Sergio Leone capped his career with one helluva swan song: among the most epic crime films ever made, and one of the most searing and astute films about the promise and peril of America. The movie depicts the lives of best friends David "Noodles" Aaronson (Robert De Niro) and Maximilian "Max" Bercovicz (James Woods) as they become power plays in the world of New York City organized crime. Unlike, say, The Godfather, Leone has no rose-colored glasses when it comes to the trials of the immigrant experience, nor of the violence and horrifying misogyny of the criminal underworld. For all of that, it's so skillfully and mesmerizingly made that it's impossible to look away. The movie was shockingly mistreated on its initial release, such that efforts to restore missing scenes are still underway. Nevertheless, the restored 229-minute version currently commonly available is a massive improvement over the approximately two-hour version originally released in U.S. theaters. You can stream Once Upon a Time in America on Prime Video. Once Upon a Time in America (1984) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Boyhood (2014)Running time: 2 hours and 45 minutes Why its worth your time: It might have come across as a gimmick, but Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, School of Rock, Before Sunrise) is far too good and consistent a filmmaker to fall into that trap. By design, this coming-of-age story was produced over the course of 12 years, filming year by year in order to capture the growth and changes in the lead characters, particularly the titular boy-to-man, Mason Evans Jr., played by Ellar Coltrane. It won overwhelming praise for its extraordinary sense of realism and emotional power, with great performances all around. You can stream Boyhood on The Criterion Channel. Boyhood (2014) at The Criterion Channel Learn More Learn More at The Criterion Channel Scenes from a Marriage (1973)Running time: 2 hours and 47 minutesWhy its worth your time: First of all, bear in mind that the running time listed above is for the short version. Theres a much longer cut that Id recommend, generally (its the only one Ive seen), but perhaps isnt for everyone. Director Ingmar Bergman is joined by Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson (two of the most impressive modern film actors) to create this fascinating portrait of a disintegrating marriage. Its not a soap opera, and not a movie of screaming fights and thrown ashtrays, but instead a story of two people who havent fallen out of love, precisely, but who definitely no longer know how to live with each other. As beautiful as it is brutal, its realism and believability is such that it often feels like were peeking around a corner, seeing something that we ought not be seeing. Director and actors returned to these characters 30 years later for Saraband, a poignant epilogue and Bergmans final film. You can stream Scenes from a Marriage on The Criterion Channel and Max. Scenes from a Marriage (1973) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Hoop Dreams (1994)Running time: 2 hours and 50 minutes Why its worth your time: This documentary, about two Black teenagers (William Gates and Arthur Agee) recruited for a predominantly white high schools basketball program, is every bit as fascinating and relevant today as it was back in 1994, in ways both inspiring and depressing. Their stories of their lives, told over the course of six years, are fascinating and engaging, though they speak to much larger issues: These teenagers see success in professional basketball as their only way out and up in the America they inhabitthat vanishingly small chance of success still representing their best hopes. Through Gates and Agee, documentarian Steve James explores daily life beyond media depictions of the ghetto as merely a place for white people to avoid, as well as the grift thats at the heart of anyone promising the American dream. You can stream Hoop Dreams on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. Hoop Dreams (1994) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)Running time: 2 hours and 50 minutes Why its worth your time: Released just a year after the conclusion of World War II, this William Wyler drama tells the stories of three United States servicemen readjusting to civilian life following harrowing tours overseas. Al left home as a successful bank employee, but risks his post-wartime promotion with excessive drinking and a soft touch when it comes to giving loans to fellow vets; Fred suffers from PTSD and has trouble finding a job; Homer lost both hands and struggles with being an object of pity. Given the era and the timing, it's almost shockingly prescient in its depiction of the struggles that veterans would face following not just WWII, but each war that would follow (and probably all preceding, though no one ever talked about it). The film always pulls back from melodrama in favor of sobering realism. You can stream The Best Years of Our Lives on Peacock and Prime Video. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) at Peacock Learn More Learn More at Peacock The Sound of Music (1965)Running time: 2 hours and 54 minutes Why its worth your time: Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer star in this popular musical with gorgeous scenery and some of the most sing-along-able songs in musical history. It's all delightful, until the encroaching shadow of Naziism threatens the budding, unlikely romance between a novitiate nun and a stern, wealthy former naval officer. Its blend of big-screen style and at least a little bit of substance have made it one of our most beloved musicals for decades. You can stream The Sound of Music on Disney+ and Hulu or rent it from Prime Video. The Sound of Music (1965) at Disney+ Learn More Learn More at Disney+ Da 5 Bloods (2020)Running time: 2 hours and 56 minutes Why its worth your time: Wildly kinetic, Da 5 Bloods doesnt feel nearly as long as its runtime. Revisiting the Vietnam War film genre with an insistent focus on the (often ignored) experience of Black Americans, Spike Lee brings new relevance to stories from the period by drawing some stark and straight lines between then and now with the story of four veterans who return to Vietnam in search of the remains of their fallen squad leaderand the gold he helped them hide. Every actor in it is incredible, including Chadwick Boseman in one of his final roles. You can stream Da 5 Bloods on Netflix. Da 5 Bloods (2020) at Netflix Learn More Learn More at Netflix A Touch of Zen (1971)Running time: 3 hours Why its worth your time: The wellspring of nearly all modern wuxia filmmaking (think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), A Touch of Zen is a gorgeous widescreen martial arts epic, worth watching for the cinematography alone, though the fight choreography is equally thrilling. Its the story of a noblewoman-turned-fugitive who seeks refuge in a remote village and winds up using stories of the locations rumored hauntings as a weapon against her pursuers. It has big ideas on its mind, as well: Yang, the fugitive, struggles with issues of social order versus corruption, as well as ideas of traditional womanhood that defy her role as a warrior. You can stream A Touch of Zen on The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. A Touch of Zen (1971) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Oppenheimer (2023)Running time: 3 hours Why its worth your time: This Best Picture Oscar winner follows brilliant, conflicted Cillian Murphy as the titular theoretical physicist, who helped America to develop the world's first nuclear weapons during World War II. Amid a talky screenplay peppered with occasional bravura effects sequences, writer/director Christopher Nolan never loses sight of his complicated lead, nor of the muddy, ugly morality behind Oppenheimer's work. You can stream Oppenheimer on Prime Video. Oppenheimer (2023) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Inland Empire (2006)Running time: 3 hours Why its worth your time: Look: Inland Empire is not for everyone. It's possibly the most purely Lynchian of any film in the director's oeuvre, and that's either a massive selling point, or a reason to stay far away. I love it, but I also have no idea what it's about. I'm not sure anyone does, but Laura Dern gives a brilliant, shattering performance as a Hollywood actress whose life descends into utter madness, and that's worth taking in all on its own. You'll feel as though you're walking through a nightmare with her, in ways both draining and thrilling. You can stream Inland Empire on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. Inland Empire (2006) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Avengers: Endgame (2019)Running time: 3 hours and 1 minute Why its worth your time: It probably requires at least a passing familiarity with the 20+ films that preceded itI doubt that this would have nearly the power it does for someone who hadnt seen a key handful of thembut there is power here, at least in terms of cinematic spectacle. For all of our sequel-obsessed movie culture, no one else has ever made it to this point, to be able to offer an effective summing up of a series thats been so successful over so many films. The whole time heist bit allows a clever way to revisit scenes from the past, while the climactic action set piece is one for the ages. The movie even manages to end, once the fightings done, on a several impressively emotional notes. Its not a jumping-on point, really, but its a satisfying climax even if as a conclusion, its really more of a pause. You can stream Avengers: Endgame on Disney+ or rent it from Prime Video. Avengers: Endgame (2019) at Disney+ Learn More Learn More at Disney+ Seven Samurai (1954)Running time: 3 hours and 2 minutes Why its worth your time: So much springs from Akira Kurosawass Seven Samurai: it was remade in Hollywood as The Magnificent Seven, and thus became the template for a certain type of team is assembled/goes on mission style of movie (other versions include A Bug's Life). Its been a tremendous inspiration to George Lucas, Quentin Tarantino, and even Zack Snyder. The coming together of a band of misfits and outsiders, theretofore virtually unheard of in Japanese filmmaking, is also an element thats frequently referenced. Samurais length (its the longest film of Kurosawas career) is justified by its performances, as well as by writer/director Kurosawa himself: Hes best known in the west for his samurai movies, but his filmography encompasses quiet, meditative character dramas as well, and so he brings sharp characterization alongside the action. And yes, it's long, but you should see it on the big screen (TV or otherwise) if you canit was restored in 4K in 2024. You can stream Seven Samurai on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. Seven Samurai (1954) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max RRR (2022)Running time: 3 hours and 7 minutes Why its worth your time: Action movies should almost certainly not be as long as RRR, but unlike many examples of American blockbuster, there is not one single dull moment in this Tollywood epic. Likewise, a historical drama that touches on the national trauma brought on by the British Raj and depicting two real-life revolutionaries who died as martyrs to the cause of independence shouldnt be this much fun, but somehow the context only makes it more satisfying. Find me a more thrilling moment in the movies than the bit where a truck full of wild animals is forcefully unleashed upon a sedate gathering at a British politicians estate. You can stream RRR on Netflix. RRR (2022) at Netflix Learn More Learn More at Netflix The Leopard (1963)Running time: 3 hours and 5 minutes Why its worth your time: The Leopard is absolutely gorgeous, no question. Probably one of the most beautifully directed and photographed films in historywhich still wouldnt be enough to justify its length if it wasnt also dramatically compelling. But that it is, and its also challenging: Its a portrait of an oppressive way of life among the extraordinarily wealthy Sicilian aristocracy of the 19th century as they have their last big fling, whether they knew it or not. Built on the backs of the poor and working class, their lifestyle deserves to die out (if only), and witness to it all is Burt Lancasters Don Fabrizio Corbera, a generally good man of his time whose gaze turns the display of excess into something almost funereal. Director Luchino Visconti was a Marxist who had no love for the aristocracy, so the fact that hes willing to present a sympathetic portrait of a social class on the verge of extinction (in that time and place, anyway) provides enough tension to keep you glued to the couch. There are a few different versions, but the director's preferred version runs at 185 minutes, and that's mostly the one you'll find streaming. You can rent The Leopard from Prime Video. The Leopard (1963) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Magnolia (1999)Running time: 3 hours and 8 minutes Why its worth your time: Its been joked that Paul Thomas Andersons films arent long because the stories call for it, but because they need more editing. Thats unfair, particularly here, in a film that is certainly meandering by design: Full of stories of love and loss intersecting, often by coincidence, the films core thesis has to do with the cycles of abuse that were locked into as childrenbut explores that idea in ways that are frequently funny and surprising. Like the Aimee Mann song sung by all the characters at the impressive, infamous, amphibious climax, its all about the hurt well keep inflicting on ourselves if we refuse to wise up. You can rent Magnolia from Prime Video. Magnolia (1999) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Fanny and Alexander (1982)Running time: 3 hours and 8 minutes Originally conceived as a television miniseries, the three-hour+ theatrical version of Ingmar Bergman's later-career triumph actually represents something like a director's cut; the full version is more than five hours. Fanny and Alexander stars Pernilla Allwin and Bertil Guve as the young siblings of the title, living happily with their theater-people parents. Then, their father dies and their mother remarries a joyless jerk of a bishop. Intended to be the director's swan song, the autobiographical story feels like a summation of Bergman's career, exploring many of the very heavy themes that he'd tackled earlier, but with a greater sense of perspective, and even a little whimsy. You can stream Fanny and Alexander on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. Fanny and Alexander (1982) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)Running time: 3 hours and 10 minutes Why its worth your time: Spencer Tracy leads an all-star cast (Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, William Shatner, and Montgomery Clift, among others) in this genuinely gripping legal drama depicting a fictionalized version of one of the 12 Nuremberg Military Tribunals that determined the horrifying extent of Nazi war crimes following World War II. If the familiar faces in the cast can be a little distracting, it remains a sober, serious film that builds to a climax simultaneously moving and disturbing. Some 60 years later, it remains depressingly timely in its conviction that everyday, ordinary people are capable of monstrous behavior, given the right incentive. You can stream Judgment at Nuremberg on Tubi and MGM+ or rent it from Prime Video. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Titanic (1997)Running time: 3 hours and 14 minutes Why its worth your time: Say what you will about the occasionally clunky characterization and dialogue, James Cameron makes tremendous use of the lengthy running time here. By the time the iceberg appears onscreen, more than an hour in, Cameron and company have provided us a thorough tour of the ship without our even realizing it: Weve poked our heads into the bridge, the engine rooms, parlors, staterooms of every class and decks on nearly every leveleven gotten a thoroughly sweaty look at the cars in cargo. When the ship meets its destiny during the real-time sequence that takes up most of the rest of the movie, were nearly as familiar with it as we would be had we been onboardwhich makes the action easier to follow, and the tragedy hit harder. You can stream Titanic on Hulu, Paramount+, and MGM+ or rent it from Prime Video. Titanic (1997) at Paramount+ Learn More Learn More at Paramount+ Spartacus (1960)Running time: 3 hours and 17 minutes Why its worth your time: Stanley Kubrick's first foray into epic-scale filmmaking feels like an outlier in his oeuvre, blending the director's stylistic trademarks with the elements that feel a little more traditionally Hollywood. It all works, especially given the subtext at play: Written by blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo, the slave revolt depicted here draws strong parallels to America's communist witch hunts. (The insistence on the part of lead Kirk Douglas that Trumbo be given credit under his own name, rather than a pseudonym, helped put the blacklistwell, that particular blacklistto bed once and for all.) What's on screen, then, is an uncommonly smart old-school action spectaclesword-and-sandal action with plenty to say about modern American life and politics. You can rent Spartacus on Prime Video. Spartacus (1960) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Malcolm X (1992)Running time: 3 hours and 20 minutes Why its worth your time: Theres an awful lot to tell when it comes to the life of Malcolm X, even given his murderhis story crosses continents and political eras, bringing various disparate elements of the Civil Rights Movement into its orbit. Its hard to imagine any sort of comprehensive biopic not taking up a lot of time. There are standard beats to these types of movies, but Spike Lee is one of the most accomplished and significant directors in modern history, and so manages to sidestep the obvious choices and sameness that often plagues the important biopic. Likewise, Denzel Washingtons performance is uncanny and essential. You can stream Malcolm X on Max or rent it from Prime Video. Malcolm X (1992) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)Running time: 3 hours and 20 minutes Why its worth your time: Its tempting to joke about those cascading faux-endings, but, in truth, this movie justifies its runtimeand that of the entire trilogy. Its a crowning achievement in terms of spectacle and pure watchability, but also impressively emotional in the ways in which it brings various character arcs to often poignant conclusions. It didnt win a (still unmatched) record number of Academy Awards, including Best Picture, for nothing. Honestly, when watching it Ill always go for the extended version, which is an hour longer still, though that length is much easier to handle at home. You can stream Return of the King on Max or rent it from Prime Video. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)Running time: 3 hours and 21 minutes Why its worth your time: Over three suffocating days (and three hours of runtime), single mother Jeanne Dielman (Delphine Seyrig) cooks, cleans, and engages in a bit of light but joyless sex work in order to pay the bills. Chantal Akermans weird and funny masterpiece crafts the drudgery of one womans daily life into an unconventional, uncompromising, and mesmerizing epic. Many critics at the time felt that there had never before been quite such an exploration of the feminine experience (not surprising given the dearth of women directors), and it inspired filmmakers of later decades to reconsider what a movie about women could achieve. (It's worth noting that a 2002 Sight and Sound critics poll of the best films ever made put this one right at the top.) You can stream Jeanne Dielman on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)Running time: 3 hours and 22 minutes (in the Roadshow version) Why its worth your time: First of all: There are a couple of versions of Stanley Kramers zany road moviethe cut youll find most readily is the shorter 2 hour and 43 minute one, but viewers with exceptionally strong bladders might opt for the premiere-length 3 hour and 22 minute version (The Criterion Collection has it). Neither feels nearly so long, and thats to the credit of the films light touch. Lead by Spencer Tracy and a huge cast of 60s-era stars, its about several different groups of motorists who get wind of $350,000 in cash buried in a park at the other end of the state, and set off on a race for the money. What makes it work as more than a setup for slapstick driving antics is the incredibly smart decision to have these beloved stars play universally terrible people who only get worse as various setbacks they encounter on the road serve to feed their greed; that shading adds some delicious schadenfreude to the silliness. You can stream Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World on Tubi and Prime Video. Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video The Godfather, Part II (1974)Running time: 3 hours and 22 minutes Why its worth your time: Each film in this series is on the long side, but Part II is the longest by quite a bit. Perhaps unusually, its also the best, justifying all those extra minutes with a subplot as compelling as the films primary thread: While Al Pacinos Michael Corleone continues the long descent that concludes with a fatal kiss, we visit the origin of the Corleone family in America through Robert De Niros portrayal of young Vito Corleone. Theres hardly a moment here that isnt thoroughly compelling. You can stream The Godfather II on Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video. The Godfather, Part II (1974) at Paramount+ Learn More Learn More at Paramount+ Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)Running time: 3 hours and 28 minutes While there's no question that it would be nice had this story been told by Osage filmmakers, we could do a lot worse than to have Martin Scorsese behind the camera for an epic account of unspeakable greed in a specifically American vein. Lily Gladstone is transcendent as the real-life Mollie Burkhart, who finds herself at the center of the Osage Indian murders. when a blessing of oil discovered on tribal land turns to a nightmare. You can stream Killers of the Flower Moon on Apple TV+ or buy it from Prime Video. Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) at Apple TV+ Learn More Learn More at Apple TV+ Lawrence of Arabia (1962)Running time: 3 hours and 47 minutes Why its worth your time: Its probably the most obvious choice for a list like this, but David Leans epic has retained its power for so many decades (and over so many minutes of screen time) for a reason. It is, in many ways, the platonic ideal of a Hollywood epicthe one by which all others are judged. But its also impressively complex, set during a period with continued relevancy, and starring a title character who skirts the line between philosophical hero and delusional megalomaniac. At nearly 60 years old, its still a transporting work. You can stream Lawrence of Arabia on Max or rent it from Prime Video. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Hamlet (1996)Running time: 4 hours and 2 minutes Why its worth your time: Historically, even most stage versions of Hamlet(Shakespeares longest work) are truncated; there are entire scenes even devoted fans of the Bard have likely never seen performed. Kenneth Branaghs 1996 adaptation doesnt take any such shortcutsit's the rare instance (and the only filmed version) of the play presented in its entirety. There are compensations for your time, though: Branagh eschews Hamlets traditional gloominess for gorgeous, bright visual spectacle; he also presents an impressive cast (with himself at the lead) that includes Julie Christie, Kate Winslet, and Derek Jacobi. There are even appearances by several very unexpected performers in bit parts (Billy Crystal, for example, is shockingly good as the First Gravedigger). And, unlike a live performance, you can stop this one for snacks whenever you want. You can stream Hamlet on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video. Hamlet (1996) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video The Batman (2022)Running time: 2 hours and 56 minutes Another three-hour comic book movie? At least Avengers: Endgame had the decency to be the climax of a 22-film sagasurely the eighth solo Batman flick (depending on how you count) has no excuse. And maybe notbut co-writer/director Matt Reeves' first go-round with Robert Pattinson under the cowl actually manages to keep you engaged for the entire time by allowing Batman to be a detective again. Watching a younger, (even more) emotionally damaged Bruce Wayne methodically piece together the clues in a vast conspiracy tied to his own origins and involving familiar baddies like the Riddler (Paul Dano), the Penguin (Colin Farrell under pounds of makeup), and Catwoman (Zo Kravitz) feels like binging a season of one of those Swedish crime procedurals on Netflix. It's gorgeous to look at, too, with moody black and red cinematography from Oscar nominee Greig Fraser. You can stream The Batman on Max or rent it from Prime Video. The Batman (2022) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Barry Lyndon (1975)Running time: 3 hours and 5 minutes Why its worth your time: Ryan ONeals Barry Lyndon is hardly the type of protagonist were used to in this type of epic period drama: hes largely a character without any defining morality, and one to whom events occur that he doesnt take much hand in shaping. When it suits him to tell the truth, hes conspicuously honestbut hes perfectly content to lie if thats the easiest route. Kubrick is one of the very few filmmakers who could draw us in to the story of this 18th century gold-digger, and Ryan ONeal makes him compulsively watchable, if not particularly sympathetic. You can rent Barry Lyndon from Prime Video. Barry Lyndon (1975) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Babylon (2022)Running time: 3 hours and 9 minutes Sure, this thing totally bombed in theaters, and its excesses are definitely not for all tastes. But as screen spectacles go, they don't get much grander than La La Land helmer Damien Chazelle's literally and figuratively orgiastic Hollywood coming-of-age story. It's an unhinged three-hour dive into the glitz, glamor, and wild indulgences of the movie business circa the switchover from silents to talkies. It's loud, garish, and buzzing with cocaine-fueled energy, but for every misstep (an opening sequences featuring a mountain of elephant excrement sprayed directly into the camera) there are two bravura sequences (my favorite being a tortured depiction of what it's like to film a movie scene under intense pressure that could be a short film all on its own), and the cast is full of movie stars (Brad Pitt and a pre-Barbie Margot Robbie being the standouts) the way they used to make 'embigger than life, and too much to crame into a standard runtime. You can stream Babylon on Prime Video and MGM+. Babylon (2022) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video

The fallout continues from the recent WhatsApp hacking campaign (by a still-unconfirmed entity) that targeted nearly 100 journalists and activists. Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that a collection of Italian media groups has filed a criminal complaint with the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office. They hope to discover who installed the zero-click spyware, which was made by the Israeli-founded Paragon Solutions.According to Bloomberg, the complaint describes the spyware as an "intolerable intrusion into the personal and professional dimension of journalists," exposing them and their sources "to enormous and still persistent risks for their individual safety." It alleges that those responsible violated Italy's laws banning the "illicit installation" of eavesdropping equipment.WhatsApp said it reached out privately to notify the victims of the hack, which reportedly took place in December and targeted users across Europe. Three Italian victims have come forward, including Francesco Cancellato (a journalist and head of Fanpage.it) and activists Beppe Caccia and Luca Casarini. The latter two focus on charity with the group Mediterranea Saving Humans.WhatsApp said the zero-click hack used malicious PDFs sent to groups on the platform. The company has since released a fix to prevent future uses of the exploit.Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaking in Parliament in Rome.ANDREAS SOLARO via Getty ImagesThe scandal is putting pressure on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her far-right Brothers of Italy party. Earlier this month, the government confirmed that at least seven Italian phones were involved in the campaign and that its National Cybersecurity Agency was investigating. Arturo Di Corinto, a spokesman for the agency, told Bloomberg this week that the investigation was ongoing.The Italian government has denied involvement in the hacks, but speculation abounds. Last week, Cabinet Minister Luca Ciriani confirmed in parliament that the government had a long-standing contract with Paragon to assist with intelligence and national security-related issues. However, he insisted the law was "rigorously respected."The Guardian reported that Paragon recently suspended a contract with Italy after the spyware attack became public. However, Ciriani said the intelligence services contract with Paragon is still active, which suggests there was a second agreement. Indeed, Israel's Haaretz reported that Paragon had two contracts with Italy to use its military-grade Graphite software, which WhatsApp has said was used to infect the victims' devices.Paragon, essentially a professional spyware company, has a policy of only doing business with democratic governments. It recently entered into a controversial $2 million contract with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) department. Paragon was acquired in December by American private equity company AE Industrial Partners. The company hasn't yet commented on the hacking.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/italian-media-groups-file-criminal-complaint-over-the-whatsapp-hack-on-journalists-203150860.html?src=rss

The iPhone 16e, Apple's replacement for the iPhone SE, has plenty of features that make it a good deal, from its A18 chip to the fact that it actually comes with an OLED screen. But one glaring omission in its spec sheet makes no sense: Why doesn't this $599 phone have MagSafe?Despite looking a lot like an iPhone 14, and using components that are similar to the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16e doesn't support MagSafe or fast wireless charging. Apple expects iPhone 16e owners to be happy with the same wireless charging speeds as an iPhone SE released in 2022, and the slight advantage of using a USB-C port rather than a Lighting port.The iPhone 16e's missing MagSafe feels particularly strange because the feature has been a given for years at this point. Apple introduced MagSafe to its smartphones with the iPhone 12 as a magnetic accessory and charging standard, and has included it in every phone since. MagSafe borrows the name of the magnetic connectors on Apple's laptops, but with some key differences. MagSafe on an iPhone means you have strong built-in magnets that let your phone attaches to cases, mounts, wallets and stands, without any extra fiddly pieces. When you charge over MagSafe, you also get faster charging speeds, bumping things from 7.5W charging to up to 25W charging with the right charging brick.Chris Velazco for EngadgetMore importantly, using magnets to directly guide a charger to charging coils largely eliminates the possibility of a phone being on a charger but not actually getting charged. It's likely one of the main reasons why MagSafe was adopted into the wider Qi2 wireless charging standard it just makes the whole thing a lot more convenient.That doesn't really explain why Apple would leave it out of the iPhone 16e, though. The company's definition of what makes a "Pro" feature is always in flux, and it will often will leave features or components out to justify a lower price. But Apple and its partners likely sell a lot of MagSafe accessories, doesn't Apple want to sell those to iPhone 16e owners, too?The interesting wrinkle in all of this is Qi2, which has been available for phone makers to use since 2023, but hasn't seen widespread adoption outside of Apple's phones. Samsung, a company that should have more than enough money to work Qi2 into its flagships, instead offers a case you can buy if you want to use Qi2 charging on the Galaxy S25. Other Android makers are no better: you won't find Qi2 on the Pixel 9, Motorola Razr+ or Galaxy Z Flip and Fold 6. It's possible Qi2 or MagSafe is more expensive (or difficult) to include than it appears, and Apple has been "generous" all this time. That might make the decision to not support the standard make more sense. But that doesn't change the fact that the iPhone 16e's lack of MagSafe is very annoying.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-iphone-16es-lack-of-magsafe-doesnt-make-sense-202101406.html?src=rss

Looking for NYT Strands answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, including the spangram.

Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.

Social Security has been considered among the most efficient, cleanest government programs in the country. For instance, a study by the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration, published in July, found that from 2015-2022, the government had made $25 billion in Social Security overpaymentstypically payments that went out after someone had already died.But a good chunk of those payments was recouped, so the total amount lost to improper Social Security payments over those eight years was around $2 billion a year, a minuscule sum relative to the Social Security Administration (SSA)s budget (which is now well over a trillion dollars).Yet, to hear Elon Musk and President Trump tell it, Social Security may well be the site of what Musk called the biggest fraud in history. While Musks so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was rummaging around in the SSAs various databases, it found one in which more than 19 million people who are 100 years old or older had no official death date recorded. In other words, as far as the database was concerned, they were still alive.Musk posted a table of the living centenarians, broken up by age, and then suggested that these people might be getting Social Security payments, joking, Maybe Twilight is real, and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security.Over the next couple of days, the Trump administration amplified this idea. First, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a TV appearance that Musk and DOGE suspect there are tens of millions of deceased people who are receiving fraudulent Social Security payments. Then, last night, Trump himself said that we have millions and millions of people over 100 years old in Social Security, and that if we took them all off the payment rolls, all of a sudden we have a very powerful Social Security.If these claims were true, they would, of course, be an absolutely staggering revelation. And fixing them would, as Trump suggested, put Social Securitys finances back on a healthy trajectory.However, the claims are false and are, in fact, absurd.Social Security is not sending out checks to tens of millions, or hundreds of thousands, of dead people, and there was never any reason to suspect that this was the case. What happened here was pretty simple: Elon Musk didnt understand what the table he was looking at represented, and apparently, rather than ask someone who might know (or even just google the subject), he leapt to the conclusion that he and DOGE might have uncovered the biggest fraud in history.Ghosts in the machineWhat Musk was looking at was data from whats called the Numident database, or Numerical Identification System, which is a database of every Social Security number issued. And its true: There are millions of people in that database who are dead, and not receiving fraudulent checks, but for whom the SSA has no official death date.In most cases, thats because these people died before the SSA had systematized the collection of death dates (which is trickier than you might think since death certificates are recorded on the state level, not the federal). In other cases, its because the death date was entered in the payment-records database (which is separate), but not in Numident.The important point, though, is that the Numident database is not the database of people who are getting Social Security checksas Musk and now Trump erroneously seem to think. Thats a separate database, and all those millions and millions of people over 100 years old that Trump referred to are not on the active database of people receiving Social Security checks.We know this because we can check the correct database of how many people ages 99 and older received their regular Social Security checks in December (the last month for which data is available): 89,106 people ages 99+ collected Social Security benefits. Thats a long way from tens of millions, and its also fewer than the estimated number of centenarians in the U.S.In other words, there is no evidence of fraud at all.Even beyond the question of the very elderly, theres no reason to think Social Security fraud is a meaningful problem. Some 51.8 million people over the age of 61 collected retired-worker Social Security benefits (what we think of as traditional Social Security) in Decemberout of a population of well over 60 million people ages 62 and older. If the SSA were paying loads of dead people, the number of old people collecting benefits would not be smaller than the number of old people overall.One other part of the story thats worth noting: The issue of having a database with all these dead people without recorded official death dates is one that the SSA has, obviously, been aware of for a long time.In 2023, in fact, the Inspector General did a report on the subject, recommending that the SSA take steps to fix it as much as possible. The challenge is that would take millions of dollars and lots of work hours to track down death dates from all over the country, most of them from between 50 and 80 years ago.The question is whether its worth doing, given that the actual costs of not having the death-date info are trivial, since these people are not getting checks. The point, in any case: This is not a new issue that DOGE has uncovered, but one thats been discussed for many years.More important, the way Musks misunderstanding of a table of numbers quickly turned into the president of the United States making baseless insinuations of fraud about the Social Security Administration is no way to run a government, or any kind of business, for that matter. But now having that erroneous information and baseless claims of fraud out there, courtesy of the misinformed Musk and Trump, can understandably erode peoples confidence in this valuable and most reliable federal program, creating a climate of unnecessary anxiety and distrustfor no factual reason.Musk and DOGE have been given a tremendous amount of power in this administration. They need to use that power responsibly.

When he was a teenager, Collin McKennas interest in changing the food system led him to move from Colorado to Hawaii for high school. It was on that schools regenerative farm that the now 30-year-old entrepreneur discovered meadthe sweet, fermented honey beverage often referred to as honey wine. His first taste of alcohol was mead made by Hawaiian locals.With his 10-month-old brand LIXIRa sparkling ready-to-drink mead brand hes billing as hard honeyMcKenna wants to make the ancient beverage accessible while turning LIXIR into just the second Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) alcoholic beverage brand. So many different cultures made different variations of it. But we wanted to reimagine mead for a modern consumer, McKenna says.Making Mead AccessibleOne of McKennas first moves when starting LIXIR was trademarking the term hard honey, papering over the knowledge gap around meadone of the worlds oldest alcoholic beverages, but whose popularity fell as beer and wine became easier to produce on industrial scale. But mead has been having a resurgence. Fortune Business Insights data reveals that the mead market was about $533.3 million in 2023, and is projected to nearly triple by 2032.Theres a lot of education behind trying to explain mead and where it comes from, McKenna says. As soon as we came up with the idea of hard honey, people were like, I get it.With a concept in mind, in 2021, McKenna approached Frank Golbeck, founder of Oceanside, Californias Golden Coast Mead, to begin developing the formula for his hard honey. Since 2010, Golbeck has been focused on modern mead with a regenerative approach. He saw McKennas ethos and vision, and although his small factory had limited space, was willing to begin a partnership.Golbeck says mead represents the synthesis of ecology, creativity and history coming together. Honey is this expensive product that is hard to make. Then to turn it into an alcohol that is similarly hard to makeand to do it well, consistentlyhas escaped people for generations.The pair ultimately created a proprietary process for formulating a 5% ABV modern mead thats less sweet and, unlike the traditional drink, slightly carbonated. LIXIR comes in three varieties: Pear Lime, Cherry Grapefruit, and Mango Orange. There are so many different honey optionsflowers and places where they forageand they can make such different mead, McKenna says. We went through countless renditions of just trying to make the base. It was at least a yearlong process.Since April, LIXIR has debuted at Total Wine & More in its SoCal region as well as Jimbos natural grocery stores in San Diego, among several other small retailers and upscale restaurants and hotels. This Spring, it will also begin rolling out in Mothers Market stores in Southern California regions. McKenna has raised more than $650,000 in funding, about half of its current goal amid a crowdfunding round.Jack Sinclair, CEO of Sprouts Farmers Market, is an advisor and investor in LIXIR.[Photo: Courtesy ofLixir]LIXIRs regenerative approachLIXIRs branding helps make mead something a casual shopper might buy, but McKenna still has to solve for how to explain to buyers that their purchase is funding responsible farming. A survey out of Purdue Universitys Department of Agriculture found that more than 70% of U.S. consumers are slightly or not at all familiar with the term regenerative agriculture.McKenna and Golbeck knew that their regenerative goals would rely on sourcing, so they decided to make LIXIR with honey sourced from a Brazilian farm in the Atlantic Rainforest that pulls double duty as a nature and bee preserve. McKenna says LIXIR is already a regenerative organic product, but has yet to receive certification from the Regenerative Organic Alliancesomething no bee farm or honey brand has managed to achieve.McKenna and Golbeck say thats because the ROA requires a three-mile forage radius to certify farms, something the founders view as impractical because bees fly far and wide. They have been working with groups like the Regenerative Apiculture Working Group, which focuses on promoting a regenerative honey ecosystem, to make changes to the requirements. Its so complicated, McKenna says. Weve been chipping away for 10 years.Though the ROA has certified a handful of beverage brandsamong them Harmless Harvest coconut water and Guayaki yerba mateLIXIR would become just the second alcoholic beverage brand with ROC status (outdoor lifestyle brand Patagonias beer and wine operation has received the certification). McKenna is hopeful ROC status could come within the next five years.We want to educate people in the best way possible by creating a product that everybody can enjoy and have fun with, McKenna says. We want to be the brand behind the movement.