Movies & TV The Wild Robot The Wild Robot Knows the Meaning of Life, If You’re Willing to Listen If you’re looking for a film about the joys and terrors of this thing we call living… you’ve come to the right place By Emmet Asher-Perrin | Published on October 2, 2024 Credit: DreamWorks Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: DreamWorks I’ll admit to a deep-seated fascination with the oeuvre of certain animation directors. The one that most influenced my childhood (and therefore personhood) was Don Bluth, and Miyazaki is a given in these conversations, but Chris Sanders creeps higher and higher on my list with every movie he makes. As the driving force behind Lilo and Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, and The Croods, Sanders has already built a fascinating roster of stories. So you can imagine my interest when I learned that he was adapting Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot for the big screen. The Wild Robot is the tale of Rozzum Unit 7134 (Lupita Nyong’o), who crashes on a remote island and immediately wakes with the intent of fulfilling her primary function—to perform tasks for her owners to perfection. With no humans available, “Roz” attempts to serve the animals around her by learning their methods of communication, but finds no one in need of her services. While trying to contact her manufacturer for pickup and redistribution, Roz accidentally crushes a goose nest, killing all but one egg. She keeps the egg safe until it hatches, seeing to the birth of a runt that she eventually names Brightbill (Kit Connor). Informed that this makes her a defacto mother by opossum Pinktail (Catherine O’Hara), Roz is at something of a loss on how to get this goose fed, swimming, and eventually flying. The fox Fink (Pedro Pascal), who had first been determined to eat the little guy, eventually agrees to help Roz raise him up right in exchange for all the food she keeps unwittingly providing to him. It’s hard to overstate how good this voice cast is, but knowing the talent involved, you can likely guess. The soundtrack from Kris Bowers takes his years of scoring intense, realistic dramas and puts them to dazzling new use. And if you’re just in it for the animation, run-don’t-walk to the theater right now. There’s a deliberate homage to Miyazaki in crafting the characters and surroundings with a “hand-painted” finish that lends incredible texture everywhere you look. This is also the last film from Dreamworks to be animated entirely in-house, a staggering disappointment when you see the skill on display. The devaluation of this artform will be a detriment to all upcoming animated projects, but we can at least appreciate what we’ve got here. Just to start, Wild Robot takes an important step in fixing one of my largest personal peeves in science fiction: The fact that your “stock” robot characters are nearly all male-coded. Robots, of course, do not have true gender at inception—they are often programmed one way or another, and because humanity uses male as the default state of being, your average robot sidekick is typically given a male voice and male pronouns; C-3PO and R2 in Star Wars; Lucifer in the OG Battlestar Galactica; Baymax in Big Hero Six; Robot in Lost in Space; the eponymous Terminator; Kamelion and K-9 on Doctor Who; Number Five in Short Circuit; Data in Star Trek; Max in Flight of the Navigator. When robots (or, more commonly, program interfaces similar to Siri and Alexa) are given female-coded programming, there’s usually intention behind that choice—and that intention is nearly always wrapped up in the male gaze and their interest in human men: think Miss Minutes in Loki; Samantha in Her; Lisa in Weird Science. Even stories that intend to subvert that trope (Ex Machina being a prime example) participate gleefully in it at the same time. But Brown’s books, and now this movie, have done the opposite: they’ve defaulted the “stock” robot figure to female coding with no fanfare whatsoever. There are ways in which this coding could be subverted in another gendered manner in The Wild Robot—Roz’s need to aid others and motherhood becoming her first clear task certainly leans in that direction—but Sanders is masterful as always in portrayals of family units in ways that never come off overtly gendered. Moreover, the story itself is far less concerned with the concept of motherhood on its own and far more concerned with what life is, fullstop. Its answer seems to be devastatingly simple on that front: Life is a desire to care for others. What shape that care takes is immaterial. We are made to look after one another. Roz is a robot manufactured to complete menial tasks for humans, but caring for Brightbill and for Fink gives her meaning. There is, pointedly, no sugarcoating of this concept: the actions of care itself are often thankless and messy rather than profound, and this self-appointed task takes a devastating toll on Roz’s body—just as Pinktail warns her it will, being a mother of seven (or is it six?) herself. But it also doesn’t steer directly into martyrdom as an answer either. Roz commits herself fully to the care of others and, when she needs it, winds up receiving that care in return. Her worldview, her meaning, teaches those around her in turn. As for the “wild” aspect of the story, Roz’s environment has a great deal to teach its audience about the symbiotic tides of our own world: cycles of birth and maturation, what it means to be part of a full ecosystem, the movement of seasons. The cultural adherence to Darwinian “survival of the fittest” as a concept has messed about with our understanding of nature for long enough. More recent scientists have put paid to that idea and indeed discovered the opposite out in nature and amongst ourselves; yes, nature necessitates a circle of life and death, but survival is rife with symbiosis and cooperation. We succeed because work together, not because we compete the best. In many ways, you could argue that this story is a testament to that concept, though it couches it in fantastical terms. As Fink later tells it, kindness is Roz’s greatest survival mechanism. That’s it. That’s the message. The film also slyly pushes against concept of productivity as a measure of value with this interplay. Roz is designed to complete “tasks,” a nebulous concept with no end in sight for her. When she completes a task, she’s meant to immediately receive a new one. Yet her choice to parent Brightbill is not a simple task despite her attempts to organize it into stages and goals. A great deal of the endeavor, whether she realizes it or not, consists of existing alongside her chosen family. Productivity isn’t relevant to the life that she builds, and that is what fulfills her. There are rooted concepts you find in every Chris Sanders project, and the more films he makes, the more this perspective comes clear. Intrinsic to each of these stories is the idea that families come in all sizes and configurations, that what is new should never be feared, that cooperation and coexistence are essential, and that disability should never be met with destruction. That last one is perhaps the most radical point, and one that The Wild Robot showcases without ever resorting to sermonizing; Brightbill is a “runt” and has to work much harder than the rest of the geese to migrate when winter comes. He is visibly different and therefore ridiculed, but it’s his perspective that’s most valuable when the flock is in danger. It’s not in the foreground of the narrative because this is primarily Roz’s story, but that vantage point remains a cornerstone of Sanders’ work. It’s also key here that Roz was created by humans to do various forms of labor, but that her instinct to protect a being that would have surely died in “nature”… is a very human trait. So while corporations might be inclined to abuse technology for their own profit (as we see of the Universal Dynamics company that created Roz), this story is designed to point us toward our better selves. Toward the version of us that rescues unwanted animal offspring who wouldn’t make it with the rest of their litter. Toward the version of us that wants to work together even when it’s difficult. Toward the version of us that loves stories about robots who live in the wild and care for goslings until they can fly. I’m hard-pressed to come up with another film that so easily communicates the joy of being alive while never once underselling life’s inherent traumas. In many ways, The Wild Robot takes themes from adjacent films like The Iron Giant and Wall-E and does them each one better. It is about being an individual and a community; about being a family and needing to accomplish things for yourself; about existing within nature and still knowing when to push back on instinct. It is a film that takes the work of life and makes it magic. And I’m not sure I can offer higher praise than that.[end-mark] The post <i>The Wild Robot</i> Knows the Meaning of Life, If You’re Willing to Listen appeared first on Reactor.

News Sugar Sugar: Colin Farrell’s Private Detective Is Back for a Second Season John Sugar is coming back for round two By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on October 2, 2024 Credit: Apple TV+ Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Apple TV+ Apple TV+ has given the green light to a second season of Sugar, the Colin Farrell-starring series where the actor plays a private detective named John Sugar who has some out-of-this-world secrets. I won’t spoil what those secrets are here, though Tobias Carroll delves into them for us with this spoiler-filled piece. Let’s just say the show is a genre mashup, and definitely falls into Reactor’s favorite genres. “Since its premiere, audiences have been gripped by the mysteries and twists of Sugar, with an incredible performance by Colin Farrell at the center,” Matt Cherniss, head of programming for Apple TV+, said in a statement. “Colin, [executive producers] Simon Kinberg, Audrey Chon and the entire team behind this series have brilliantly blended genres to create a compelling, can’t-miss series that keeps viewers guessing, and we cannot wait to see where Detective John Sugar finds himself in Season Two.” According to the streamer, the upcoming episodes “will see Sugar find himself back in Los Angeles taking on another missing person’s case, as he continues to look for answers surrounding his missing sister.” Mark Protosevich created Sugar, a unique, contemporary take on the private detective tale. Sam Catlin (Preacher, Breaking Bad) will continue to showrun the second season. In addition to Farrell, the show stars Kirby, Amy Ryan, James Cromwell, Anna Gunn, Dennis Boutsikaris, Nate Corddry, Sydney Chandler, and Alex Hernandez. No news yet on when the second season of Sugar will make its way to Apple TV+. [end-mark] The post <i>Sugar</i>: Colin Farrell’s Private Detective Is Back for a Second Season appeared first on Reactor.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. In a development that may concern Firefox users, the developer behind uBlock Origin Lite, Raymond Hill, has decided to withdraw the ad-blocking and privacy extension from the Firefox Add-ons Store. This decision follows a series of disagreements with Mozilla’s store review team, which Hill described as enforcing a “nonsensical and hostile” review process. The conflict began earlier in September when Mozilla cited each version of uBlock Origin Lite for policy violations, such as data collection and incorporating hard-to-review code. The accusations, Hill argued, were baseless and easy to discredit by anyone with rudimentary JavaScript knowledge. Though Mozilla later acknowledged the oversight and apologized, Hill chose to transition uBlock Origin Lite to a self-hosted format, accessible via GitHub. Hill’s move to self-hosting also allows the extension to auto-update, ensuring users can maintain the latest version without traditional store oversight. The transition does not affect the original uBlock Origin, which remains available and supported on Firefox. It is important to note that the lite version is crafted on the newer Manifest V3 framework, designed to be more resource-efficient, a timely shift given Chrome’s recent challenges with the extension under its older framework. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Why uBlock Origin Lite Vanished from Firefox’s Add-ons Store appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

The Fact-Checking on Vance's Claim About Abortion Seems Strained

Our expectations were pretty low when Alex Christy listed 30 questions the CBS moderators should ask Tim Walz and J.D. Vance. But they asked none of our suggested questions. The topics came up between the candidates, but no questions. The closest they came was on the national debt, a topic usually too boring for network TV to consider. Alex suggested: "Since the last debate it was reported that interest payments on the debt topped $1 trillion per year for the first time. How do you and Harris plan to tackle the national debt without serious spending reforms?" They did ask both candidates about their proposals "ballooning" the deficit. Norah O'Donnell asked Walz: "The Wharton School says your proposals will increase the nation's deficit by $1.2 trillion. How would you pay for that without ballooning the deficit?" And then O'Donnell turned to Vance: "Similarly, the Wharton School has done an analysis of the Trump plan and says it would increase the nation's deficit by 5.8 trillion. My question is the same for you. How do you pay for all that without ballooning the deficit?" Now how are the Republicans going to be more than four times as bad on the deficit? Extending the Trump tax cuts.  Moderators in both presidential debates focused on abortion, and it happened again in the VP debate. Why is this in every debate? Let's guess because Democrats think this is a great issue for them. Alex suggested this framing to Walz:  Why did you sign a law that ended the requirement that babies who survived abortions be given life-saving medical care? That's way too severe a tone for Democrats. Margaret Brennan offered a version of that: "After Roe v. Wade was overturned, you signed a bill into law that made Minnesota one of the least restrictive states in the nation when it comes to abortion. Former President Trump said in the last debate that. You believe abortion, quote, in the 9th month is absolutely fine. Yes or no? Is that what you support? " Walz lamely claimed that wasn't accurate, and then started fearmongering about Project 2025. Alex suggested this question for Walz: "Why are you fearmongering about Project 2025 proposing that all pregnant women register with the federal government?" Instead, they asked Vance if that was going to be Trump's policy.  Alex also suggested: "Why is Kamala Harris repeating a ProPublica story about pro-life laws killing two Georgia women despite there being nothing in state law that justified denying them life-saving treatment after complications from the abortion pill?" Here again, Walz brought up one of the ProPublica cases, Amber Thurman, dying after taking an abortion pill, claiming she'd still be alive if she lived in Minnesota.  We suggested Vance be asked about Trump moderating the Republican platform's abortion language for a federal limit on abortions. There was no question on that, but Vance stuck to the new Trump line about each state deciding their own abortion limits (or no limits). We could have updated our list of Tim Walz lies about his biography with the new one on being in China during the Tiananmen Square protests. CBS asked that question, which was the most difficult question Walz was asked, and he couldn't admit to lying about it. 

After Tuesday’s vice presidential debate, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel desperately tried to portray JD Vance as the weird one and Tim Walz as the “normal” one, to the point where he brought back the couch sex jokes and had a skit of Joel Osment as Vance incompetently making his way through a donut shop. However, later in the program, he welcomed Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who used Kimmel’s platform to talk about period empowerment, of all things. From his military service to Tiananmen Square to his political origin story, Walz may have a history of making things up, but Kimmel declared, “Tim Walz is a very likeable guy, he’s very normal, which is a problem for Fox News, especially because he looks like all of their viewers. He looks like he—so, they are now desperate to exploit any tiny bit of oddness they can conjure up.”     In the clip, Jesse Watters scoffed, “Timmy was at the Michigan-Minnesota game Saturday and hugged the Gopher mascot like it was his husband returning home from war.” After mocking Watters’s response, Kimmel switched to Vance, “There was a lot of pressure on JD Vance tonight. JD Vance hasn't been under a microscope like this since his wife asked him why the couch was so sticky. But Trump had good advice, he told him, just have fun, and you know what? It seems like he did.” Walz has also spread the fake story about Vance and the couch, but Kimmel thinks Vance is the weird one. Nevertheless, Kimmel then played a clip of Vance’s opening statement with his face made to look like that of a cat. Afterwards, Kimmel retorted, “That's how you get the single cat ladies back on your side.” Later, Kimmel recalled, “Over the summer, JD had a lot of trouble with a donut shop and the damage from that was significant, which is why his campaign has made his donut shopping a top priority.”     In a skit, Osment played the role of Vance, “Hi. I'm Ohio Senator JD Vance. The mainstream media, they want you to think that I'm weird. They call me creepy. Cringy. Awkward. That I give people something called “the ick.” They want you to think I can't order a simple doornut. Donut. [Bleep].” In the scene that followed, Osment was seen struggling to order a donut, punching the glass display, asking a black man how long he’s been black, dunking his donut in the man’s coffee, asking a pregnant woman “when do you spawn,” telling a child “you must be the father,” providing suggestions on how to have sex with a couch, and struggling to do the end-of-ad message. If your campaign strategy is to paint your opponents as weird, you probably shouldn’t go on national TV and talk about your bodily functions. Unfortunately for Kimmel, Whitmer took his softball in a weird direction, “You have a very positive attitude and you go in that way, that’s—you call yourself the happy warrior. Is that something that you came up with or someone else did?”     Whitmer recalled, “Someone else did. So, I was getting ready for my first debate as governor, and EMILYs List sent me a debate coach and he said, you know, ‘The happy warrior always wins the debate' and his big tip was, 'Go to the podium right when you get there and put a big smiley face on your notes so you remember to be happy,’ and most women who are told to smile, you know, it elicits the opposite.” Instead, she told herself, “I'm not going to do that, but I went to a Kevin Hart show in Detroit and one of the guys who opened for him, Na’im Lynn, told the story about how women are empowered and it was this hilarious Shark Week story and that’s what helped me cultivate my happy warrior.” After Kimmel tried to clarify “Shark Week?,” Whitmer continued: ‘Shark Week MF’ was basically the call to action and it's about, women today are so much more empowered and used to be back in the day when a woman was having their period, she wouldn't want to tell you. She'd be demure and say something like, ‘Aunt Flo is in town.’ And how now when a woman's having her period, you're more empowered and you say, ‘I want to come over and see you.’ ‘You're not coming over, it's Shark Week, mother–’” Try not to cringe too hard. Here is a transcript for the October 1 show: ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live! 10/1/2024 11:36 PM ET JIMMY KIMMEL: Tim Walz is a very likeable guy, he’s very normal, which is a problem for Fox News, especially because he looks like all of their viewers. He looks like he—so, they are now desperate to exploit any tiny bit of oddness they can conjure up. JESSE WATTERS: Timmy was at the Michigan-Minnesota game Saturday and hugged the Gopher mascot like it was his husband returning home from war.  KIMMEL: Oh, you really got him there. Jesse Watters must be a lot of fun at Disney world with the kids, huh? "Don't touch that mouse, Bobby, the other boys will think you're gay."  There was a lot of pressure on JD Vance tonight. JD Vance hasn't been under a microscope like this since his wife asked him why the couch was so sticky.  But Trump had good advice, he told him, just have fun, and you know what? It seems like he did. JD VANCE [WITH A CAT FACE]: I want to answer the question, but I want to give an introduction to myself a little bit because I recognize a lot of Americans don't know who either one of us are. KIMMEL: That's how you get the single cat ladies back on your side. … 11:44 PM ET Over the summer, JD had a lot of trouble with a donut shop and the damage from that was significant, which is why his campaign has made his donut shopping a top priority. JOEL OSMENT [AS JD VANCE]: Hi. I'm Ohio Senator JD Vance. The mainstream media, they want you to think that I'm weird. They call me creepy. Cringy. Awkward. That I give people something called “the ick.” They want you to think I can't order a simple doornut. Donut. [Bleep]. But that's ridiculous. Follow me. Uh -- hello? ACTRESS: Hi. OSMENT: Okay. Uh -- uh -- how long you worked here? ACTRESS: A year. OSMEN: Okay. Donut.  ACTRESS: Yeah. OSMEN: Yeah. Yeah. ACTRESS: Which donut, though? OSMEN: Uh -- just -- whatever makes sense. No pickles. Hold the pickles. ACTRESS: Hold -- what -- now, I didn't get that for you. OSMEN: The Democrats say I don't know how to talk to people, but that is just not true. Hello, worker, may I sit? ACTOR: Sure. OSMEN: So, how long you been black? ACTOR: What the [Bleep]. OSMEN: I smell pregnant woman. Hello, ma'am. When do you spawn? ACTRESS 2: That's none of your business. OSMEN: And you, sir, you must be the father. ACTOR 2:  I'm nine. ACTRESS 2: Please get away from us. … 12:46 AM ET KIMMEL: You have a very positive attitude and you go in that way, that’s—you call yourself the happy warrior. Is that something that you came up with or someone else did? GRETCHEN WHITMER: Someone else did. So, I was getting ready for my first debate as governor, and EMILYs List sent me a debate coach and he said, you know, "The happy warrior always wins the debate” and his big tip was, “Go to the podium right when you get there and put a big smiley face on your notes so you remember to be happy," and most women who are told to smile, you know, it elicits the opposite. KIMMEL: Yeah, it’s annoying. Yeah. WHITMER: So, I'm not going to do that, but I went to a Kevin Hart show in Detroit and one of the guys who opened for him, Na’im Lynn, told the story about how women are empowered and it was this hilarious Shark Week story and that’s what helped me cultivate my happy warrior. It's in chapter 10-- KIMMEL: Shark Week? WHITMER: "Shark Week MF" was basically the call to action and it's about, women today are so much more empowered and used to be back in the day when a woman was having their period, she wouldn't want to tell you. She'd be demure and say something like, "Aunt Flo is in town."  KIMMEL: Right, yeah, yeah, yeah. WHITMER: And how now when a woman's having her period, you're more empowered and you say, "I want to come over and see you." "You're not coming over, it's Shark Week, mother–

It's always refreshing to find a new game that has a real sense of attitude and energy to it. Over the past decades, the best example of this spirit is probably something like Hotline Miami, which announces itself with a shotgun blast of pounding music and kinetic, bloody action. The original Doom and its 2016 semi-reboot have a similar sense of verve, as does nightmarish arcade shooter Devil Daggers. The spirit of these latter games appears to be present, too, in Kill Knight, an exceptionally named isometric shooter that's just launched on Steam. Continue reading Diablo 4 and Doom collide in stunning new Steam shooter Kill Knight

What are dynamic events in Throne and Liberty? Much like other events in MMORPGs, dynamic events in Throne and Liberty happen at a specific place and at a specific time. Unlike other MMORPGs, they’re not completely random with ways to tell when they’re going to happen, so you can come back when you’re ready to take them on. That said, it can be a little confusing to get a grasp on them as the map will show their location but not how to activate them. Do you have other pressing questions about Throne and Liberty? You should definitely read up on the best Throne and Liberty weapon combos if you want to make the most out of your build. Furthermore, if you’re bored with how your character looks, we’ve got all you need to know about how to change your Throne and Liberty appearance. Continue reading Throne and Liberty dynamic events explained MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best MMORPGs, Throne and Liberty codes, Throne and Liberty weapons

Where is the giant goblin butcher in Throne and Liberty? You likely received an Exploration Codex to kill a Giant Goblin Butcher upon reaching the Urstella fields, northeast of the beginning town of Kostella. But you’re not the first nor the last unable to find him, as he’s on a fixed timer at a fixed location. Furthermore, other players can kill him quickly, meaning you’ve had no chance to do so yourself. Here’s all you need to know. Want to know more about Throne and Liberty? From how to change Throne and Liberty appearance to the best Throne and Liberty weapon combos, we’ve got all you need to know about this huge MMORPG. Continue reading Throne and Liberty Giant Goblin Butcher location MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best MMORPGs, Throne and Liberty codes, Throne and Liberty weapons

Darkest Dungeon and its sequel are fantastic turn-based strategy games. Still, their relentlessly grim atmosphere may make venturing into their dripping catacombs and facing off against mind-shattering creatures an unwelcome prospect for some players who prefer their digital combat to occur in less oppressively gloomy settings. Fortunately, a new fantasy tactics RPG game called Thyria has just launched, providing a version of Darkest Dungeon's side-by-side strategy battles and mind-rending premise that takes place within a slightly friendlier fantasy world. Continue reading Darkest Dungeon gets a fantasy twist with Thyria, out right now