Author Archives: Carol Edwards

The passengers and crew of Montego Air Flight 828 are getting the ending they deserve, thanks to Netflix.

The streaming service picked up two seasons out of three of the canceled NBC series Manifest in June, and it’s been explosively popular there. (The third season has since been added.) So now, on the symbolically meaningful day of Aug. 28 (8/28, aka Montego Air Flight 828), Netflix has confirmed its plans to give the series a “super-sized” fourth and final season.

“What started years ago as a flight of fancy deep in my imagination has evolved into the jet engine journey of a lifetime. Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned the worldwide outpouring of love and support for this story, its characters, and the team who work so hard to bring it all to life,” series creator Jeff Rake said in a statement accompanying Netflix’s announcement.

He added: “That we will be able to reward the fans with the ending they deserve moves me to no end. On behalf of the cast, the crew, the writers, directors, and producers, thank you to Netflix, to Warner Bros., and of course to the fans. You did this.”

The fourth season of Manifest, which Netflix explicitly refers to as the “final” season, is going to be a big one, with 20 episodes in total. (That’s a lot these days, especially for a show with hour-long episodes.) We’ve heard that the 20 episodes will also be broken up into multiple releases, as Netflix has done before with shows like The Get Down and Masters of the Universe: Revelation.

For those who haven’t hopped on board before, Manifest is a supernatural drama series about the aforementioned flight 828, which takes off from Jamaica one day en route to New York… but doesn’t land until five and a half years later. As the people from the missing-then-found flight return to society, the mystery of what actually happened to them only deepens.

Netflix subscribers hungrily descended on Manifest when the show’s first two seasons arrived for streaming in June. It debuted in the service’s daily “Top 10” at #2 before quickly jumping to #1, and then it hung on in that spot for 27 straight days. That run was enough to make Manifest the second-most enduring “Top 10” view at #1, in a tie with Tiger King, according to TV Line. Only Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia lasted longer, at 29 days.

A phone that doesn’t play sound properly during calls isn’t much of a phone at all. This is unfortunately happening to some iPhone 12 devices, but Apple will fix it for free.

The company posted a new page to its support website advertising a free service to fix phones with busted sound hardware. Specifically, it’s for a “small percentage” of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models manufactured between Oct. 2020 and April 2021. Apparently, some phones fitting that description have faulty components causing sound to not come through the receiver during phone calls, and Apple is offering to fix it without touching your bank account.

This can be arranged through a local Apple Store, an authorized service provider, or just by mailing your phone in and waiting for aPPLE to mail it back. There are a couple of important things to note here, though.

First, iPhone 12 Max and Mini models aren’t eligible for this service, so if you have this issue with one of those prepare for a fight to get it serviced for free. Second, “damage that impairs the ability to complete the repair” like a cracked screen needs to be fixed separately before you hand the faulty phone over to fix the sound issue. That might cost money, depending on the problem and where you get it repaired.

It’s obviously pretty lousy if your iPhone can’t properly make phone calls, and these repairs could take time. Ideally you’d have a backup option available, but you may have to live without that phone for a little while before Apple fixes it again. At least it won’t cost you anything.

When is a quasar not just a quasar? When it’s four (technically, five) views of the same quasar, of course.

Our latest Hubble image drop from NASA is a real treat. See that big shiny pool of light in the center? The one with the halo around it, and four pinpricks of light in the halo? That whole, beautiful mess is an optical illusion that’s a product of Earth’s specific position in the cosmos and the way light travels, and bends, through space.

Let’s pull this apart. The bright center of that halo is, if you look closely, actually two bright spots that appear so close together they almost look like one. They’re two galaxies, and they only look like they’re bumping into each other because of our perspective from Earth.

The two galaxies, which NASA doesn’t identify, are also in the foreground of this image (aka they’re closer to Earth than the quasar). That’s the key to this illusion. Galaxies are extremely large celestial bodies that are held together by immense gravitational forces. When light passes through these areas, its path is warped by that pull. It’s a phenomenon called gravitational lensing.

Light traveling through space is how we see any of the space objects in the above image. So when the warped fabric of space distorts that light, it can produce some unusual effects.

In this case, gravitational lensing caused by the two foreground galaxies creates extra, illusory pinpricks of light in the final image. The four spots of light in the halo are all the same, single quasar, just magnified and bent around the gravitational exertions of the two galaxies. There’s also a fifth point, according to NASA, right in the dead center of that mass, that’s also another view of the same quasar.

(A quasar, short for “quasi-stellar radio source,” is an extremely distant and bright young galaxy. They’re more numerous at the edges of our visible universe.)

This image, like so many of Hubble’s best, is brought to use by Wide Field Camera 3, which was installed in 2009. The aging orbital telescope will soon have some younger, more technologically advanced company in orbit, when NASA launches the James Webb Space Telescope in October.

Don’t trust anything on the internet — until Mashable tries it first. Welcome to the Hype Test, where we review viral trends and tell you what’s really worth millions of likes.

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The concept behind this story is simple. I saw a TikTok about air frying an egg and, listen, I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to air fry an egg.

It’s just such a weird idea. But when I saw the TikTok, I also immediately thought it might work.

TikTok user Jackie Hartlaub posted a video in which she air fried whole eggs — for 15 minutes at 275 degrees — to make hard-boiled eggs. The resulting eggs were not hard-boiled eggs in the literal sense — they were never submerged in water, after all — but they sure looked like hard-boiled eggs. It made sense to me. Hard-boiled eggs are cooked by totally surrounding them with water at a constant temperature. An air fryer, in theory, would circulate air at a constant temp and cook the egg in the same consistent manner.

Lots of people seemed to be interested in the hack, since its racked up 4 million views in a day.

Here’s what the process looked like for Hartlaub, who is also known as @LowCarbStateOfMind on TikTok.

So I decided to test this recipe out. If I could chuck eggs in the air fryer for 15 minutes and they’ll come out perfectly hard boiled, that’d be nice to know. Plus, I weirdly needed hard-boiled eggs — a food I don’t eat a ton of — for this salmorejo recipe, which is a Spanish chilled soup.

I preheated my air fryer to 275 degrees, then popped the eggs in for fifteen minutes, which is the recipe according to Hartlaub. I prepped a bowl of ice to dunk the eggs in for a five minute bath once they were finished cooking, which, again, was part of the recipe.

Here’s what my version of the air fryer egg hack looked like.

I mean, look at the result. That looks exactly like a hard-boiled egg. There were a few issues, though. I had trouble peeling a few eggs but honestly that’s likely a me problem. I am not great a delicate kitchen tasks. Also, a few of the eggs had a speck or two of egg white that had turned a smidge brown, but that did not alter the flavor of the egg at all.

Otherwise, the TikTok hack was a pretty decent way of “boiling” an egg. It took less time than boiling because pre-heating an air fryer to 275 degrees takes vastly less time than boiling a big pot of water. From there, I had ready-to-go eggs in 20 minutes, accounting for 15 minutes of cook time and five minutes in the ice bath. The recipe also provided consistent results across five eggs, which is about all you can ask for. Also, if you prefer your eggs a little runnier, adjusting the cook time slightly should produce softer eggs.

So there you have it, you can air fry an egg.

RIP Milk Crate Challenge, 2021-2021.

The latest viral sensation that takes extreme liberties with the idea of personal safety might live on elsewhere, but it won’t be on TikTok. That’s because searching for the videos, which feature people trying to walk up and then down precariously stacked milk crates, will direct you to a big fat page full of nothing instead, per CNN.

Indeed, searching for the hashtag in its most basic form on TikTok right now brings you to a page explaining that whatever lived there before violated the app’s content guidelines and thus had to be purged.

“TikTok prohibits content that promotes or glorifies dangerous acts, and we remove videos and redirect searches to our Community Guidelines to discourage such content,” a TikTok spokesperson told Mashable in a statement. “We encourage everyone to exercise caution in their behavior whether online or off.”

TikTok’s decision here is understandable, as people have suffered injuries while attempting the Milk Crate Challenge. With hospitals already buckling under the weight of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it makes sense to stop people from harming themselves in ways that could lead to them getting turned away from hospitals or, you know, getting TikTok in legal trouble.

You might argue that the challenge is less dangerous than half the stunts in an episode of Jackass, but Jackass has doctors standing by, while the average person stacking crates on their lawn probably doesn’t.

Maybe TikTok can get rid of people telling viewers to ingest horse paste next.

Psychonauts 2 is a lot like a brain, which is fitting given the game’s premise. It’s kind of goofy-looking from the outside, but far more complex once you peer beneath its soft, mushy surface. And soft and mushy it is. Psychonauts 2 unabashedly wears its heart on its sleeve, unafraid to be vulnerable and, at times, downright saccharine. It’s bursting at the seams with empathy and understanding for its world, characters, and the player themself.

After the emotional rollercoaster that was 2020 and the realization that the foreseeable future may be just as treacherous, Psychonauts 2‘s central lessons are ones that I think we’ve desperately been needing to hear. It’s one of my favorite games of 2021, and serves as proof that even after 16 years, Psychonauts has always been a story that was worth revisiting. Perhaps now, more than ever.

It’s bursting at the seams with empathy and understanding for its world, characters, and the player themself.

But let’s set the scene, first.

The long-awaited sequel to Double Fine’s 2005 action platformer picks up shortly after the events of the first game and VR one-off Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin. (Don’t worry if you’re fuzzy on the details of the original game and subsequent VR entry — Double Fine included a helpful recap at the start of Psychonauts 2 that quickly brings you up to speed.)

Razputin “Raz” Aquato, now a top PSI cadet after completing his training at the Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp and saving the Grand Head of the Psychonauts, has been recruited to embark on an Inception-style mind-heist with his fellow cohorts to extract vital information from the dastardly Dr. Loboto. Of course, Loboto quickly finds out what you’re up to, and so begins a merry chase through his twisted mind, which is overflowing with horrifying depictions of corporate bureaucracy and teeth. Lots of teeth (he’s an ex-dentist).

That’s just the intro. Soon after, you’ll be let loose into Psychonauts HQ, The Motherlobe, a wide-open area that’s ripe for exploration, worldbuilding, and optional (but highly encouraged) character interaction. It’s rich with lore, introduces a great new supporting cast, and its reach only grows as your adventure continues, constantly presenting new and exciting opportunities for discovery.

From there, the real plot of Psychonauts 2 is set into motion, but it’s something that’s better experienced without prior synopsis. The remainder of the journey will see Raz trek through bizarre, inventive mental worlds to complete his overall mission — all while navigating an unwelcoming internship program, familial growing pains, and most importantly, helping just about every person he comes across process (and in some cases, overcome) their emotional traumas.

This is where Psychonauts 2 solidifies its place as one of this year’s must-play experiences: In its thoughtful, digestible, empathetic handling of human emotions. Throughout the game’s narrative, you’ll encounter folks of all kinds, most of them struggling with all-too-familiar challenges of their own. Like a lot of emotional distress, these challenges are often invisible until you, in true Psychonauts fashion, delve deep into their psyches to see what’s up. Peek inside, and perhaps you’ll find a man who’s consumed with feelings of abandonment, and grieving the loss of a partner that has left him utterly bereft. Maybe you’ll find a woman who has changed her personality to fill so many different roles that she doesn’t recognize herself anymore.

‘Psychonauts 2’ exemplifies how we can talk about mental health with a sense of levity, absent of any and all judgment.

Guilt, addiction, anxiety, and depression are among a few of the other mental hurdles that Psychonauts 2 tackles, all with the type of grace that can only be accomplished when equipped with a thorough understanding of each subject. The Double Fine brand of irreverent humor that permeated almost every moment of the original Psychonauts is still here, but with a far more mature view of mental health lying underneath it. Depictions of serious mental illnesses are presented in a lighthearted, sometimes comical manner, but they never feel like the butt of a joke. Psychonauts 2 exemplifies how we can talk about mental health with a sense of levity, absent of any and all judgment. The game implores you to never judge yourself for feeling them, too.

The past year has been a mess. We’ve lost people. We’ve been isolated. We’ve watched as bad people made bad choices with complete disregard for others, proudly touting their selfishness as a badge of individualistic honor. Psychonauts 2, while not specifically addressing the dire situation we’re still living in, sends a clear message: Be better to each other. Without condescension or looking directly into the camera to teach you how to be nice, Raz and crew put the best parts of human nature in the foreground. Those being our compulsion to help those who need us, and our capacity to understand those who’ve had experiences that are completely different from our own.

The world of Psychonauts exists in a universe where caring about the way others feel and how they’re affected by their trauma is the norm. Hell, the Psychonauts’ literal job, among other things, is to help others fight whatever is plaguing their mind simply because it’s the right thing to do. It made me yearn (and gave me hope, even) for a world that’s more like that. This game isn’t going to correct the world’s flaws, but at the very least, it’s a reminder of what we could be. I don’t think that’s ever been more important to remember than right now.

Psychonauts 2‘s story is high-stakes, but it doesn’t rush to its impending conclusion. Instead, it opts to take its time fleshing out characters new and old. For the game’s message of empathy to come through, it needs you to feel a deep connection to every person you meet. In its avoidance of an all-out sprint, it achieves that with a near-perfect success rate.

‘Psychonauts 2’ treats its characters with incredible empathy, and makes you do the same.

Players of the first game will recognize some familiar faces, a few of which end up taking the back seat throughout the main story, but their brevity makes room for some truly fantastic new members of the Psychonauts universe to shine. The most notable additions include Hollis Forsythe (played by Kimberly D. Brooks), and Brain in a Jar (played by Jack Black, who turns in an extremely Jack Black performance). The latter had my favorite story arc in Psychonauts 2, but it’s a revelation that I won’t spoil here.

In terms of gameplay, the strongest aspects of Psychonauts 2 are the various obstacles you’ll be tested with inside each mental world that you enter. Each one is brimming with personality, and acts as a reflection of who the owner of each brain is, as well as what they’re going through.

One area sees Raz navigating through a sadistic hospital-slash-casino, in which he’ll rub elbows with everything from a skeleton couple that’s desperate to win a baby from a rigged roulette wheel, to a talking urine cup that runs a cardiac-themed horse race. Entering Brain in a Jar’s mind brings you into a cel-shaded landscape straight out of Yellow Submarine, in which you’ll drive around in a Volkswagen Bus-style tour van collecting bandmates to put on the concert of a lifetime.

Combat is the weakest link. Due to sluggish controls and a lack of feedback, I found myself wanting to rush through enemy confrontations to get to the next jump-and-glide section as soon as I could. I wish that using and switching between powers in the heat of battle was snappier, but instead, it just felt I was constantly winging it.

Luckily, Psychonauts 2 also gives you the option to turn on a few key assist features right off the bat, including an invincibility mode, if you need some extra help — I certainly did for a specific quest that saw me battling wave after wave of relentless enemies. There are other difficulty modifiers, too, like the ability to turn off fall damage completely, or add a significant damage increase to your attacks. I didn’t end up having to use these, but their presence drives home developer Double Fine’s stance on accessibility: That letting people play how they want is never a bad thing. As I already said, Psychonauts 2 is a judgment-free zone.

The Psychonauts aren’t here to fix people. They simply aim to help others fight their own demons.

Psychonauts 2 doesn’t preach to you. It doesn’t judge your knowledge of the intricacies of mental health and emotional intelligence, or lack thereof. It just presents you with the tools to build on those things and do the work yourself, so that hopefully you can use them when you finally put the controller down.

It’s is an incredible joy to play. It’s a delight to look at, too. But that’s not what makes it special. What makes Psychonauts 2 special is its gigantic heart, which can be heard beating throughout every one of its necessary lessons on empathy and healing.

After a long day of school and work, it’s time to settle in with the whole family and enjoy a marvelous movie night at home. But what to watch? With so many options on streaming, picking something that appeals to everyone’s tastes can be as tricky as ordering pizza for all. Don’t fret. Whether you’re hungry for wacky musicals, outrageous adventures, whimsical fantasy, sweet nostalgia, or fresh fun, we’ve got you covered. Bonus: all of them pair great with popcorn!

Here are the best family movies now available on HBO Max:

1. All Dogs Go To Heaven

Don Bluth is the visionary director behind such beloved animated adventures as Anastasia, The Secret of NIMH, and An American Tail. Yet the most fun of his filmography may be this 1989 adventure, which centers on a stray dog who hustles the heavens but finds his soul. Burt Reynolds leant his bravado and voice to Charlie B. Barkin, a rascally mutt who flees the afterlife to seek revenge against the rival who sent him there. Despite this dark premise, All Dogs Go to Heaven has a sugary sweetness, born from Charlie’s soft spot for an orphan girl in need. With the help of his whimpering sidekick (Dom DeLuise), this bad dog sets out to do good. Along the way, they’ll run into kooky characters, wild situations, and some wickedly catchy song numbers.

How to watch: All Dogs Go to Heaven is streaming on HBO Max.

2. Spies in Disguise

The premise of this 2019 movie is so bird-brained that it’s sort of shocking it was even made. But the result is of Troy Quane and Nick Bruno’s high-concept comedy soars into splendid silliness. Will Smith and Tom Holland star as an unlikely team of heroes. Lance Sterling (voiced by Smith) is an ultra-suave super spy, who never makes a misstep on a mission. That is until he crosses paths with socially awkward inventor Walter Beckett (Holland), who has concocted a potion that can turn a human into a pigeon. One mistaken swig, and—poof! Sterling is a bird. No only must he fight the forces of evil, but also, he has to survive an outrageous fish-out-of-water premise. And his only help is a goofy kid-genius and a fowl but fiercely loyal band of birds! Action-packed and deeply wacky, Spies in Disguise is sure please kiddos, while parents can additionally enjoy some spunky spoofing of espionage movies.

How to watch: Spies In Disguise is streaming on HBO Max.

3. Follow That Bird

HBO Max is the home of 50+ seasons of Sesame Street from which you can choose. But don’t overlook Ken Kwapis’s wonderful 1985 feature film, which spills these memorable Muppets across America in a rollicking road trip. The trouble begins when Big Bird (Caroll Spinney) is sent to live with a feathered family far away from his friends. Realizing home is where your heart is, he begins to hitchhike back to Sesame Street. Meanwhile worried friends (Cookie Monster, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, Burt, and Ernie) set out to find him. Along the way, they’ll be a slew of misadventures, song numbers, and celebrity cameos, including Waylon Jennings, Chevy Chase, Sandra Bernhard, and John Candy. Human or Muppet, they all revel in this magical world dreamed up by Jim Henson.

How to watch: Follow That Bird is streaming on HBO Max.

4. The Lego Batman Movie

Want a superhero movie that won’t give the little ones nightmares? Scroll past the live-action Batman movies (there’s plenty of time for those later), and press play on this toy-centric treat. A whiz-bang spinoff of The Lego Movie, this animated adventure follows a snarling—yet silly–Batman as he battles a barrage of baddies with a little help from his friends. Far from the why-so-seriousness of the other Gotham films, this 2017 cartoon celebrates the wackier aspects of Batman lore, from ludicrous costumes to the Z-listers of his Rogues Gallery. (Looking at you Condiment King!) Director Chris McKay masterfully stacks this brightly colored romp with exciting action, loony laughs, fan-favorite foes (from the DC universe, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and far beyond), and a flurry of familiar voices, including Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes, and Michael Cera as a very plucky boy wonder. Bursting with energy, whimsy, and wit, it is little wonder critics were wowed by this charismatic crowd pleaser.

How to watch: The Lego Batman Movie is streaming on HBO Max.

5. Happy Feet

Want a toe-tapping good time? Then, check out this cool cartoon about a band of penguins, who love to sing and dance. Elijah Wood lends his voice to Mumbles, an emperor penguin who feels left out because he’s not much of a singer, like the rest of his raft. Instead, he prefers to shake a tail feather. Rhis winsome fable about learning to love yourself is directed by George Miller. Along with sweeping musical numbers, he brings together a star-studded cast that boasts Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Steve Irwin, and many more. Together, they lend their voices to cuddly critters who burst into a panoply of popular songs, like “Somebody to Love,” “Kiss,” and “Heartbreak Hotel.” A beak-to-toe delight, it’s only natural Happy Feet won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2007.

How to watch: Happy Feet is streaming on HBO Max.

6. A Little Princess

In uncertain times, a good story can sustain us. This is the lesson learned by Sara Crewe (Liesel Matthews), an imaginative young aristocrat whose doting father places her in a boarding school before joining the fight in World War I. Sarah’s battle will be against the strict headmistress, a snooty classmate, and cruel twists of fate that threaten to rip her away from her father forever. Yet in this darkness, she finds the light by sharing stories of heroism and love, making friends, and illustrating how every girl might be a little princess. Frances Hodgson Burnett’s turn-of-the-century children’s novel is brought to glorious life by acclaimed director Alfonso Cuarón. Upon the film’s 1995 release, critics loved the richly realized world of fantasy and friendship that Cuarón constructed through vivid color, lush production design, and a keen eye for casting.

How to watch: A Little Princess is streaming on HBO Max.

7. Ponyo

HBO Max boasts a whole hub dedicated to Studio Ghibli productions. So, subscribers have their pick of Hayao Miyazaki gems, including My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle. The best for a fun family night in; however, is this 2008 treasure about a magical goldfish who yearns to become a real girl. It all begins when a kind-hearted boy rescues the little fish, sparking a friendship that will enrage her sorcerer father and shake up land and sea alike. In this critically acclaimed cartoon, Miyazaki’s artistry is on rapturous display whether he is animating crashing waves, frolicking children, or homemade ramen. Kids will feel seen in the free-spirited young heroes, while parents will revel in the fantasy and heartfelt storytelling. Best of all, viewers can choose between the original Japanese language track or the English overdub, which features voice performances from Tina Fey, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, and Liam Neeson.

How to watch: Ponyo is streaming on HBO Max.

8. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure

If you’re searching for something off the beaten path of family fun, check out Tim Burton’s lively feature directorial debut. The weird but enchanting worlds he’d come to create in films like Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, and Batman Returns got their start in this bombastic road trip movie about a boy in search of his stolen bicycle. Cheeky comedian Paul Rubens stars as Pee-wee Herman, a live-wire (loner and rebel) whose determination to reclaim his beloved bike takes him on a jubilant journey across the nation. At every pit stop, he finds friends, trouble, or both! With this giddily odd movie, grown-ups can revel in the nostalgia of the madcap humor of the “Tequilla” dance and the frightful thrill of Large Marge. Kids can freshly enjoy Pee-wee’s wackiness and marvel over what a PG-movie looked like in 1985.

How to watch: Pee-wee’s Big Adventure is streaming on HBO Max.

9. Early Man

The Stone Age and Bronze Age collide with silliness and soccer in this 2018 comedy. Caveman Dug (voiced by Eddie Redmayne) must defend his tribe from invading tyrant Lord Nooth, who is armed and armored to the teeth! Rather than going to battle, they go to the soccer pitch in a winner-takes-all match full of shenanigans. Directed by Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park, Early Man delivers his signature British humor and charming stop-motion animation, creating slapstick and laughs out of clay and a top-notch cast. Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall, Miriam Margolyes, Richard Ayoade and What We Do In The Shadows’ Kayvan Novak lend their voices, bringing plenty of spirit to these gleefully goofy characters. If you’re family has giggled over Aardman animation offerings like Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep, or Flushed Away, then you’ll cheer for this unconventional sports movie.

How to watch: Early Man is streaming on HBO Max.

10. The Wizard of Oz

Relish in the wonderful world of Oz with this 1939 classic. Adapted from L. Frank Baum’s fantasy novel, The Wizard of Oz follows Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), a brave farm girl who is magically whisked away to a far-off realm of flying monkeys, deadly poppies, and a cascade of curious characters. On her quest to get back home, she—and her little dog too–befriend a daffy scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a cowardly lion (Bert Lahr), and a tin man in want of a heart (Jack Haley). Together, they must face off against the fearsome Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) and meet the mysterious wizard. With radiant colors, imaginative production design, and a panoply of jaunty songs, director Victor Fleming ushered audiences along the yellow brick road on an adventure that’s been treasured for generations.

How to watch: The Wizard of Oz is streaming on HBO Max.

Having seen Candyman (2021) only once, I remember it in pieces. Like Bernard Rose’s 1992 film of the same name, Nia DaCosta’s story of a couple living in Chicago’s gentrified Cabrini-Greene plays like a waking nightmare — a pulsing bloom of terror that’s putrid yet intoxicating.

A waking nightmare — a pulsing bloom of terror that’s putrid yet intoxicating.

To fully appreciate what the filmmaker achieves with her part-reboot part-sequel triumph, which not only resurrects the urban legend of the original but retroactively imbues it with new meaning, would take multiple viewings. That’s good or bad, depending on your personal patience for nonliteral horror and faith in others’ commitment to unpacking Candyman’s complex themes of racial injustice and Black artistry.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris lead the film as Anthony and his girlfriend Brianna. An artist and an art gallery director, the vibrant pair begin the film as an effervescent symbol of young, Black success but soon transform into vessels for a chilling tale of multi-generational horror.

We learn the couples’ upscale apartment, decorated eerily like the studio of white protagonist Helen Lyle from the first film, exists on the lacquered wreckage of the projects. Though Anthony and Brianna’s happiness seems to float above that haunting reality, the pernicious specter of racist marginalization and oppression looms.

When Brianna’s younger brother Troy, played by Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, visits the pair’s home and playfully asks, “Do you guys want to hear a scary story?” Brianna smartly says no. “Too bad,” Troy spits back, before opening the metaphoric gate for the Candyman’s violent shadow to return.

The inevitability of his arrival — this demonic man surrounded by bees with a hook for a hand and a heartbreaking identity tangled up in those gruesome details — propels the blisteringly short fright fest that follows. Said into a reflection, the words “Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman…” are believed to summon him. The question of why someone would knowingly invite the Candyman to kill emerges as an intriguing undercurrent to the bigger mystery of who he is and what he represents.

The frantic symbolism of Candyman, which encompasses themes ranging from police brutality to systemic disenfranchisement, isn’t subtle. In fact, it’s so literal Brianna remarks of Anthony’s first artistic musings on Candyman that they take “a pretty literal approach.”

But it’s as Candyman beats you over the head with its timeless allegories of racism that you’ll start to see its kaleidoscopic effects. It strobes through the rage, confusion, and anguish that inevitably comes from meditating on something as searingly painful as racist antagonism with a vicious exactness. It lands a collection of prescient ideas with even one viewing, but above all captures a helplessness that seems to question what use making a movie — even an excellent movie — about these ever-present evils has in the contemporary world.

It strobes through rage, confusion, and anguish.

To be sure, Candyman is not perfect. With its lightning-quick runtime, this layered exploration can seem overstuffed by its ambition. A terrific performance by Abdul-Mateen becomes overshadowed by endless sequences building on an already well-established ambiance (you’ll see the same misty skyscraper from about a dozen different angles) even as his character’s story continues off screen.

Conversely, Parris’ nuanced approach to a complex character — Black women, it must be said, exist in an acutely underserved part of the Candyman legacy — has her development truncated by a clumsy conclusion that’s more hokey, sci-fi spin than blunt indictment. What’s more, a number of plot danglers, including a confusing storyline about Brianna’s father told exclusively via flashback, leave tattered edges around what is an otherwise tight and clever expansion on a much-discussed chapter of horror history.

But again, I’ve only seen the film once. DaCosta’s vision of Candyman is a thoughtful progression of the character built by Tony Todd in 1992, that through a honeycomb of introspection and social criticism oozes style and emotional impact. Poking through its sticky caverns won’t be an exploration audiences complete in a single viewing, or even through a weekend of discourse. Like the original, this will be a story we revisit time and again.

Candyman is now in theaters.

Netflix has blessed us with some truly great television shows like Stranger Things, The Queen’s Gambit, and The Crown. It’s also cursed us with chronic indecision, leaving us scrolling down the Netflix main page for hours just trying to pick something to watch. The overwhelming amount of shows and movies can be chalked up to Netflix’s dual gifts of acquiring great shows to stream and producing tons of original content, but if there’s always something new on Netflix, how are we supposed to choose?

Generally speaking, a good strategy is to only watch the good Netflix shows, but finding out which ones are good take time. Let us carry some of that burden and list the best Netflix original series released in the past 6 months.

1. Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone is the rare book-to-TV adaptation that took full advantage of the time between publishing and premiere and used it to improve the source materials in multiple directions. Leigh Bardugo’s original novel was a smash hit, but Shadow and Bone the series makes the cast more diverse, adds a subplot starring characters from the companion series Six of Crows, and brings forth some of the book’s messed-up romantic politics in a thoughtful and entertaining way. Casting Ben Barnes as the Darkling, long thought to be the ultimate fancast, is only the very, very good-looking cherry on top of a series that takes the thematic responsibilities of YA fantasy seriously while being a dang entertaining show. —Alexis Nedd, Senior Entertainment Reporter (*)

How to Watch: Shadow and Bone is now streaming on Netflix.

2. Yasuke

LeSean Thomas’ miniseries follows the life and legend of its title character, a Black samurai who served daimyō Oda Nobunaga. Years after Nobunaga’s death, Yasuke lives as Yassan, a boatsman who shuttles villagers along the water and speaks little of his past. But a young girl with awesome power undoes Yassan’s quiet life and alias, thrusting him back into a world of warriors, magic and more. The show blends together sci-fi, fantasy, and history as only anime can, with LaKeith Stanfield at the mic bringing Yasuke sublimely to life. —Proma Khosla, Entertainment Reporter (*)

How to Watch: Yasuke is now streaming on Netflix.

3. Sweet Tooth

Sweet Tooth was a surprisingly fantastical addition to the Netflix lineup this year and its big bet on childlike wonder paid off in spades. Even though its setting takes place after a deadly virus has decimated the human population and caused the collapse of civilization (yikes), Sweet Tooth is more of fairy tale told from the perspective of one of the other side effects of the apocalypse — a human-deer hybrid named Gus whose father sheltered him from the worst of the world until shelter became untenable. Gus’s journey through the world he barely knew existed is a beautiful coming-of-age story with a talented supporting cast and a flawless cute-to-concerning ratio. —A.N. (*)

How to Watch: Sweet Tooth is now streaming on Netflix.

4. High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America

A laundry list of successful titles proves Netflix knows how to make a good cooking show. But High on the Hog is really more than that. In this stunning four-part docuseries, food journalist Stephen Satterfield follows the journey of African cuisine across West Africa and the United States. It’s a celebration of culture and cultural preservation that not only inspires, but urges viewers to appreciate the complex origins of food and family tradition as part of our global history. —Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter (*)

How to Watch: High on the Hog is now streaming on Netflix.

5. Masters of the Universe: Revelation

Masters of the Universe: Revelation is nostalgia first and foremost, but it’s also far more than that. Kevin Smith’s sequel to the classic ’80s cartoon series (which owes its existence to a line of toys) is peddling the idea that even the childhood things we remember most fondly can live on in new and updated forms. They can change as the world changes. Just as it is in He-Man’s Eternia: The magic may be fading, as it is in this new story, but fresh faces and new ideas are always waiting in the wings to save it. —Adam Rosenberg, Senior Reporter

How to Watch: Masters of the Universe: Revelation is now streaming on Netflix.

6. Love is Blind: After the Altar

We’re still eagerly waiting for Love Is Blind Season 2 to send a new batch of sexy singles into Netflix’s infamous dating “pods.” Thankfully, while we wait, we have Love Is Blind: After the Altar — a juicy, three-episode reality event that follows up with the contestants who appeared on the series two years ago. Nearly every member of the Season 1 cast returns, with major life developments and personal news to share. See who managed to make it and who, well, didn’t. (Plus, a highly dramatic crossover event with a cast member from Too Hot To Handle sets off an all-time great reality TV storyline with Giannina Gibelli and Damian Powers…) -A.F.

How to Watch: Love is Blind: After the Altar is now streaming on Netflix.

7. The Chair

The Chair isn’t without its flaws, but you do get a lot for a little with this smart dramedy from creators Amanda Peet and Annie Julia Wyman. Set on the campus of the fictional Pembroke University, Season 1 of The Chair follows English department head Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim (Sandra Oh) as she grapples with a scandal involving her fellow professor and love interest (Jay Duplass). Choppy pacing and some muddled messaging around cancel culture make this an imperfect, yet worthy binge, clocking in at six episodes in just three hours. —A.F.

How to Watch: The Chair is now streaming on Netflix.

Asterisks (*) indicate this entry previously appeared in another Mashable streaming list.

Pretend flat-Earther and aspiring intellectual Logan Paul says he just spent $155,000 on two NFTs tied to pixelated images of rocks. The non-fungible tokens, part of the We Like The Rocks project, represent two of 100 unique pixelated images of rocks which are (as of the time of this writing) listed for sale for anywhere from tens of thousands to millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency.

And while a big sale to an internet celeb might outwardly seem like a good sign for NFT stones, all is not well in Rockville. That’s because there are actually two distinct NFT rock projects, both dating back years, which are simultaneously vying for the internet’s attention.

“The first rock NFT on Ethereum @weliketherocks; actually came before the Ether rock,” wrote Paul on Friday, referencing the competing NFT rock projects. “I know it’s ridiculous but it’s digital history and I think they’re pretty cool”

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The two projects, Ether Rock and We Like The Rocks (the latter of which Paul bought), outwardly appear quite similar. Both are NFTs initially launched in 2017, and both involve 100 unique pixelated images of rocks.

However, with groundbreaking NFT projects like CryptoPunks selling for millions of dollars worth of crypto, whichever project can claim OG status stands to gain a valuable claim to fame — a fact not lost on those behind the competing projects.

“Beware of any other projects claiming to sell rock NFT’s, which may either be scams and/or using buggy exploited contracts (e.g. ‘we like the rocks’ or weliketherocks.com),” cautions Ether Rock.

Meanwhile, We Like The Rocks is dropping meme after meme aimed at tarnishing Ether Rock’s rep.

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So what’s really going on here? One CryptoPunk enthusiast, whose Twitter bio lists them as chief of staff at the company behind Yats, attempted to explain the source of the controversy in a detailed Twitter thread.

“A great debate is happening right now in the world of NFTs,” opened the thread. “Which is the ‘real’ NFT Rock 🪨? Yes, you heard me. A rock 🪨”

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The question, which non-fungible token rock project is the real non-fungible token rock project, reads like a New Age koan — but that hasn’t prevented supporters of each project from hashing it out over Twitter in real time.

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So did Paul get “scammed” into buying a ripoff rock? Or did he score an “original”?

SEE ALSO: Say hello to Yats: Why investors are paying thousands to ‘own’ emoji

The NFT community isn’t 100 percent in agreement, but either way it has a rock bridge to sell you.