Jason Statham’s character in “The Beekeeper” takes his gig literally. He’s a retired military asset who once worked for a secret group of spies dubbed the Beekeepers. And‚ in his spare time‚ he’s a beekeeper. If literal action movies are your bag‚ Statham’s latest is Manna from Heaven. Everyone else will wish the film’s poetic opening didn’t get fumigated so quickly.     Statham stars as Adam Clay‚ a hulking figure who tends to his bees with a delicate touch. He’s been taken in by an older woman named Eloise (Phylicia Rashad)‚ whose kindness isn’t lost on Adam. They don’t share much screen time‚ but the actors make those seconds count. Eloise is quickly ensnared in a phishing scheme‚ and when she loses every penny of her life savings she takes her own life. That brings Eloise’s daughter (Emmy Raver-Lampman) to the scene. She’s a dedicated FBI agent who wants to know who robbed her poor mother and if they’re doing the same with other seniors. Adam wants answers‚ too‚ except the culprits are so secretive it could take years to follow their trail. Adam’s old military-style contacts suss the scammers out in minutes. Yeah‚ it’s that kind of a movie.             View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by IMAX (@imax)   Turns out Adam is a former “beekeeper‚” an assassin of sorts tasked with keeping the “hive” AKA the U.S. government in order. “The Beekeeper” opens with such tenderness you think Statham had finally ditched his inner “Meg.” Too often the British star glowers through his films‚ making us forget he can carry a scene without a “Crocodile Dundee”-sized knife in hand. We’re reminded in short order. The rest is a mess‚ from plot threads that go nowhere (sorry‚ Minnie Driver) to great actors forced to say the silliest lines possible (et tu‚ Jeremy Irons?) Josh Hutcherson gives the film a jolt as Derek‚ an entitled brat who oversees several scam outfits. Derek has connections‚ the kind that would protect almost anyone from harm. Tell that to … The Beekeeper! If Derek reminds you of someone it may not be coincidental. Derek snorts coke in the White House‚ drops serious cash on prostitutes and runs to his mother (Jemma Redgrave)‚ the President of the United States‚ for cover. Sound like anyone we know?     Statham’s character is darn near invincible once more‚ which means “The Beekeeper” lacks the kind of stakes that elevate generic action films. The bee metaphors prove as relentless as our hero and could make a great drinking game depending on the player’s liver. Bee careful. Director David Ayer (“End of Watch‚” “Sabotage”) knows how to choreograph bone-crunching action‚ and even horror fans might flinch when the Beekeeper buzzes through an army of foes. The first act shows the cruelty of the various scam centers‚ led by charismatic goons who watched too many infomercials in their youth. That sense of outrage eventually fades‚ and suddenly we’re wondering why our Beekeeper is slaughtering people who aren’t evil and are just doing their jobs. Hmmm. “The Beekeeper’ is a lark‚ albeit one that never takes itself seriously. Adding some WWE-style villains for Adam to stare down in the third act is a hoot‚ even if the film doesn’t take full advantage of their appearance. The story does land differently than it might have a decade ago. We’ve seen such chronic malfeasance from the modern FBI and White House that Adam’s vigilante work feels more timely than ever. He’s exposing corruption at the highest levels‚ and as crude as Kurt Wimmer’s screenplay might be‚ there’s a cathartic kick to Adam’s handiwork. In real life‚ the bad guys get away with almost everything. Not on the Beekeeper’s watch. Hit or Miss: “The Beekeeper” is another dumb‚ frantic Jason Statham adventure begging to become a film franchise.

Ya know‚ Republicans‚ you keep going after Hunter Biden‚ and it'd be a shame to see your kids' similar dirt being dragged into public. That seemed to be what Michael Steele was implying on MSNBC this morning. The screencap shows former RNC Chairman Steele pointing his finger and staring directly into the camera‚ as if talking to his former Republican brethren‚ as he says: "I'm telling you‚ they got their own children and relatives who have those same issues. Now‚ how would you like that to be splayed across the front page of the New York Times or the Washington Post? Or having some arbitrary Member of Congress start dragging that storyline into the public life?  Capiche? Note Steele prefacing his remark with an emphatic‚ "I'm telling you‚" as if to say that he has personal knowledge of Republican children with Hunter-like problems.  He then suggests the possibility of that information being disclosed‚ specifically‚ to the New York Times or the Washington Post. Put two and two together‚ and it comes up ugly. The new show‚ simply called The Weekend‚ also rolled a clip of Dr. Jill talking about Hunter with Mika Brzezinski‚ and saying: "I think what they are doing to Hunter is cruel‚ and I'm really proud of how Hunter has rebuilt his life after addiction. And I think‚ you know‚ I love my son‚ and it's hurt my grandchildren. That's what I'm so concerned about‚ that it's affecting their lives as well." Do the grandchildren that Dr. Jill is "so concerned about" include Navy‚ the daughter that Hunter fathered with a stripper‚ and whom he refused to acknowledge until the child's mother brought suit? Note that in the settlement of the suit‚ Hunter denied his daughter the right to use the Biden family name.  Even after it was conclusively established that Hunter was the father‚ Joe Biden continued to publicly state that he had "six grandchildren‚" thus excluding Navy‚ Joe's seventh grandchild. After Joe Biden was eventually forced to acknowledge that child as his granddaughter‚ he and Dr. Jill discontinued their tradition of hanging Christmas stockings for each grandchild. They had been hanging six stockings--and were apparently unwilling to hang a seventh. And‚ at least as of this past summer‚ the New York Times reports that neither Hunter nor Joe had ever met four-year-old Navy. And as for Dr. Jill's concern about harm to her grandchildren‚ this article cites experts opining that the Biden family's rejection of Navy "could do major psychological harm." So again‚ is Navy a grandchild that Dr. Jill has been "so concerned about?" Here's the transcript. MSNBC The Weekend 1/13/24 8:24 am ET SYMONE SANDERS: As we barrel toward a potential government shutdown‚ Republicans are showing us their actual priorities. Just last night‚ House Homeland Security chairman‚ Mark Green‚ announced the next impeachment hearing for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas‚ and that it would be held on Thursday morning. And House majority leader Steve Scalise announced that a floor vote on holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress will come next week.  On Friday‚ Hunter Biden's attorney said in a letter obtained by NBC News that Hunter would comply with the congressional subpoena‚ only if House Republicans issued a‚ quote‚ new and proper one.  I want to play for you all that sound from Dr. Jill Biden with our colleague‚ Mika Brzezinski‚ about Hunter Biden‚ her son. JILL BIDEN: I think what they are doing to Hunter is cruel‚ and I'm really proud of how Hunter has rebuilt his life after addiction. And I think‚ you know‚ I love my son‚ and it's hurt my grandchildren. And that's what I'm so concerned about‚ that it's affecting their lives as well. SANDERS: I think it was important that the First Lady said that‚ because oftentimes‚ I think Hunter Biden has become a political foil for Republicans‚ right? MICHAEL STEELE: Lose sight of his humanity. SANDERS: Yeah‚ people just want to throw it out there. But he is a father‚ he's a husband‚ he's a son. . . .  STEELE: The word hypocrisy doesn't even apply anymore to what Republicans are doing. It's just‚ it is jut the reality that this is all zero-sum politics. They don't give a damn about the humanity of the man. The party of family values doesn't have the compassion to understand the addiction that drove Hunter to behave the way he did. [Points finger and stares directly into camera] I'm telling you‚ they got their own children and relatives who have those same issues. Now take‚ how would you like that to be splayed across the front page of the New York Times or the Washington Post? Or having some arbitrary Member of Congress start dragging that storyline into the public life? 

NASA and Lockheed Martin officially unveiled the agency's X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft on Friday. The experimental aircraft could represent the next phase in the evolution of commercial air travel‚ according to the agency's recent release. It is suggested that the new aircraft can travel "faster than the speed of sound‚" reaching a maximum speed of 925 miles per hour.“This is a major accomplishment made possible only through the hard work and ingenuity from NASA and the entire X-59 team‚” NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said. “In just a few short years we’ve gone from an ambitious concept to reality. NASA’s X-59 will help change the way we travel‚ bringing us closer together in much less time.” The X-59 has been in development at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works for years. The company received a $248 million grant from NASA in 2018‚ which ignited development on the project. The large grant was part of NASA's aim to take larger steps in aviation‚ including size‚ speed‚ and efficiency‚ according to TechCrunch.Until Friday‚ the aircraft had only been seen in various stages of its assembly in the hangar. But it has now been made available in its entirety. Part of the goal of building the X-59 was to prove that an aircraft could travel faster than the speed of sound."By demonstrating the possibility of quiet commercial supersonic travel over land‚ we seek to open new commercial markets for U.S. companies and benefit travelers around the world‚" NASA's Bob Pearce said.The aircraft can achieve these impressive feats due to its aerodynamic design. The craft is almost 100 feet long and only 29.5 feet wide. Its profile is shaped like a dart to break up the shock waves bouncing off of it during flight."Due to this configuration‚ the cockpit is located almost halfway down the length of the aircraft – and does not have a forward-facing window‚" NASA reported. "Instead‚ the Quesst team developed the eXternal Vision System‚ a series of high-resolution cameras feeding a 4K monitor in the cockpit.""Once NASA completes flight tests‚ the agency will fly the aircraft over several to-be-selected cities across the U.S.‚ collecting input about the sound the X-59 generates and how people perceive it. NASA will provide that data to the Federal Aviation Administration and international regulators."It is uncertain when the aircraft will be ready for its first commercial flight. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

With its stellar vocal harmonies and instrumental dexterity‚ the album established Poco for decades to come and drew a blueprint for country-rock's future The post The Poco Country-Rock Legacy: “Deliverin’‚” With a Gallop appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

The former NIH director also admitted that the six-foot social-distancing recommendation was likely not based on any scientific data.

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Starfield's main story will have the player joining the group known as Constellation as they seek to uncover the mystery behind the artifacts the player came across at the beginning of the game. Along with the artifacts‚ players will also be tasked with tracking down the many Powers found throughout the galaxy.

The Finals features three total Classes‚ each of which provides its benefits and drawbacks depending on your playstyle. While aggressive and fast-paced players may favor the Light Class‚ and players who love dishing out high damage may go with the Heavy Class‚ the Medium Class can be a decent choice to consider among players who are looking for a middle-ground between the two. The Medium Class can also provide players with the potential to dominate their matches when paired with the best build.