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  • Jonathan Majors’s Interview, Wikipedia Plagiarism, and Apologies

    Jonathan Majors’s Interview, Wikipedia Plagiarism, and Apologies

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    Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay start today’s episode by bringing back a previous topic to talk about the disappointing update and regrets (02:48). They give their take on the internet’s reaction to Druski’s Omega Psi Phi–inspired skit (33:25) and Jonathan Majors’s interview (49:35). They are then joined by Molly White—researcher, writer, and Wikipedia editor—to give us more insight into the Neri Oxman plagiarism accusations (01:30:56).

    Hosts: Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay
    Producers: Donnie Beacham Jr. and Ashleigh Smith
    Additional Production: Aleya Zenieris

    Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Stitcher

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    Van Lathan

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  • ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Episodes 3 and 4 Deep Dive

    ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Episodes 3 and 4 Deep Dive

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    Mal and Jo are here to dive into Episodes 3 and 4 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. They begin with their initial thoughts on these two episodes and the general reviews the show has gotten (8:20). Then they dive into each episode, discussing the journey we’re on with each character, new characters that appear, and much more (20:09). Later on they talk about some Easter eggs and some book spoilers that could potentially show up in future episodes (2:12:53).

    Hosts: Mallory Rubin and Joanna Robinson
    Producer: Isaiah Blakely
    Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman
    Additional Production: Arjuna Ramgopal
    Social: Jomi Adeniran

    Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Stitcher / Pandora / Google Podcasts

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    Mallory Rubin

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  • 7 days sober

    7 days sober

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    I know it’s not really a big feat but I’ve not gone a full week without drinking in about 2 months. I’m shooting to stay sober all of January, and maybe February too. So far, so good. Will see how it goes but I kinda wanted to tell someone because I’m proud of myself

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  • Rise of the Tomb Raider is still peak Lara Croft

    Rise of the Tomb Raider is still peak Lara Croft

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    It’s been more than a decade since Crystal Dynamics, the developer best known for the Tomb Raider series, first introduced players to its reimagined take on Lara Croft. 2013’s Tomb Raider painted Lara as someone capable of adapting and overcoming nearly any situation while maintaining a level of emotional depth and self-awareness, a quality the game’s sequels would go on to further explore.

    The original was an excellent game that I’ve completed on no fewer than three occasions, and while her most recent outing, 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider, has its merits, I still stand by 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider as the most engaging and interesting version of Lara Croft for how it emphasizes her vulnerability. The result is a story that combines all the hallmarks of what you’d expect from a great Tomb Raider game: suspenseful supernatural elements and a thrilling and romantic notion of archaeology, all tied together with an intriguing and surprisingly emotional story.

    Image: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix

    Following the events of the first game, Lara is still traumatized by her trial by fire on the island of Yamatai and her father’s recent disappearance. Her quest to find her father and restore her family’s legacy leads her to the frigid peaks of Siberia and into the path of Trinity, a “Knights Templar meets military contractor” organization with a pseudo-religious goal of world domination. Unfortunately, this places Lara alone in the unique position to foil their plot, by saddling her with a truth that no one else will believe.

    Lara fully understands the gravity of the situation, but never lets this inflate her ego. Instead, she’s more preoccupied with the specter of death that inevitably follows her attempts to do the right thing. Lara can never fully atone for how her choices led to the deaths of so many close to her in the past, regardless how well equipped or tough she is. This theme is so pervasive, it even echoes in Rise’s gameplay by presenting us with a Lara who needs to be more resourceful and cunning to overcome her environment.

    Lara Croft in a red winter jacket walking up the snowy steps of a temple in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

    Image: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix

    Rise of the Tomb Raider doesn’t quite elevate Lara to the level of apex predator we get in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, but she’s clearly far more capable than she was in her first adventure. The result is a character in the midst of becoming the Lara Croft known to players around the world, a more confident and prepared protagonist who can still be humbled. This version of Lara shines when she’s on the back foot, and Rise of the Tomb Raider does everything it can to keep her off balance with a more capable foe and a relentlessly adversarial environment.

    I’ll admit that on its standard difficulty, Rise of the Tomb Raider doesn’t present much of a challenge. Because of that, I consider Survivor Mode, the hardest difficulty, to be the definitive Tomb Raider experience. While you won’t succumb to starvation or dehydration, at this difficulty, the player’s health doesn’t regenerate, checkpoints are disabled, and foes are far more deadly. As if that wasn’t enough, by default, the game also will not highlight interactable items in the environment. While you can turn on the “Survival Instincts” at any time during your playthrough, dialing down the difficulty isn’t an option, which further reinforces that there’s no going back once the journey starts.

    Lara Croft perched on a tree branch overlooking an enemy camp in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

    Image: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix

    This dialed-up difficulty has the benefit of making the game more immersive and forcing you to carefully consider and prepare for every encounter. A handful of bad guys normally wouldn’t be an issue, but when just a couple of bullets can put Lara in the ground, things get a little more tense. For an added challenge, I like to rely almost exclusively on stealth kills and Lara’s trusty bow during combat, resorting to firearms only when absolutely necessary.

    Rise of the Tomb Raider still keeps some of the Metroidvania elements of its predecessor to guide you along its critical path, while the world feels more open and encourages exploration of its various regions. This is further reinforced by a more robust crafting system, which forces you to scrounge and hunt for many of the materials you need to upgrade your gear. The tomb puzzles hidden throughout the world aren’t quite as challenging as those found in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, but still do a great job at shaking things up between scavenging and combat encounters.

    2013’s Tomb Raider did a fantastic job of establishing Lara as a character, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider makes for a fitting capstone to the latest trilogy. But for me, Rise of the Tomb Raider was the peak of Crystal Dynamic’s trilogy. Beyond its challenging gameplay, Rise offers a robust and complex narrative that shows us that the personality archetype of badass archeologist doesn’t have to constantly revolve around snappy one-liners.

    Rise of the Tomb Raider is available on Xbox Game Pass.

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    Alice Jovanée

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  • Pokémon Go ‘Timeless Travels’ Special Research and rewards

    Pokémon Go ‘Timeless Travels’ Special Research and rewards

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    A new Pokémon Go Special Research set has launched now that we’re in a new season. Named after the season, “Timeless Travels” will be available to anyone who opens the game and starts the research during the season, which ends March 1, 2024.

    The research is meant to be completed over the span of the season, so you don’t need to rush. (You won’t need to rush in general, since it’ll be permanently available after unlocking.) That being said, there’s some pretty good rewards in here and the tasks just involve you pretty much playing the game as you would normally anyway.

    You can check out the list of steps and rewards for the “Timeless Travels” Special Research below.

    ‘Timeless Travels’ step 1 of 14

    • Catch 25 Pokémon (3 Charged TMs)
    • Make 15 curveball throws (15 Poké Balls)
    • Catch 15 different species of Pokémon (3 Fast TMs)

    Rewards: 1,000 XP, 500 Stardust, Pikachu encounter

    ‘Timeless Travels’ step 2 of 14

    • Catch a Pokémon on 7 different days (2,500 XP)
    • Earn a heart with your buddy on 7 different days (2,500 Stardust)
    • Visit PokéStops on 7 different days (2,500 XP)

    Rewards: 2,000 XP, 500 Stardust, 1 Poffin

    ‘Timeless Travels’ step 3 of 14

    • Open 10 gifts (5 Razz Berries)
    • Send 10 gifts to friends (5 Pinap Berries)
    • Catch 20 different species of Pokémon (25 Great Balls)

    Rewards: 3,000 XP, 1,000 Stardust, Eevee encounter

    ‘Timeless Travels’ step 4 of 14

    • Catch 3 Pokémon (1,000 XP)

    Rewards: 1,000 XP

    ‘Timeless Travels’ step 5 of 14

    • Hatch 3 eggs (5 Razz Berries)
    • Power up Pokémon 10 times (15 Poké Balls)
    • Explore 10 km (5 Pinap Berries)

    Rewards: 1,000 XP, 750 Stardust, 1 Egg Incubator

    ‘Timeless Travels’ step 6 of 14

    • Complete 10 Field Research Tasks (2,500 XP)
    • Power up Pokémon 10 times (10 revives)
    • Earn 15 hearts with your buddy (2,500 Stardust)

    Rewards: 2,000 XP, 750 Stardust, Rockruff encounter

    ‘Timeless Travels’ step 7 of 14

    • Catch 25 Pokémon (15 Ultra Balls)
    • Use 25 berries to help catch Pokémon (3 Fast TMs)
    • Catch 20 different species of Pokémon (3 Silver Pinap Berries)

    Rewards: 3,000 XP, 1,000 Stardust, and 1 Premium Raid Pass

    ‘Timeless Travels’ step 8 of 14

    • Catch 3 Pokémon (1,000 XP)

    Rewards: 1,000 XP

    ‘Timeless Travels’ step 9 of 14

    “Professor Willow is currently performing an investigation regarding this research. Check back soon!”

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    Julia Lee

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  • Claudine Gay Is Out and Katt Williams Goes In

    Claudine Gay Is Out and Katt Williams Goes In

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    Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay react to the resignation of Harvard University’s president, Claudine Gay (7:58). They then discuss the competitive nature of comedy following Katt Williams’s appearance on Club Shay Shay (30:28) and Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix special (45:38). Plus, unpacking the release of the Jeffrey Epstein documents (55:01).

    Hosts: Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay
    Producers: Donnie Beacham Jr. and Ashleigh Smith

    Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Stitcher

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    Van Lathan

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  • The Classic Pokémon TCG set is available for its lowest price ever

    The Classic Pokémon TCG set is available for its lowest price ever

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    For those who grew up with the Pokémon TCG, the Classic box is one of the best ways to get back into it. Normally $399.99, this collector’s box set is currently discounted to $319.99 at Amazon and Best Buy (its lowest price ever). And while the cards may bring back memories, the rest of this set takes a more mature approach to the game you remember.

    In addition to vintage decks, inside the box you’ll find enough sleeves for all 180 holofoil cards, and a trio of classy leatherette deck boxes with magnetic closures. Perhaps the coolest addition to this set, however, is the collection of stackable metallic damage and status counters, which carry some serious heft and are a massive improvement over the Mancala beads that came packaged in the original set. The classic box also forgoes the usual double-sided coin in favor of a roulette-style wheel in the middle of the organizer box to determine heads or tails.

    Everything is neatly organized in a folding case (with felt cutouts for your decks and damage counters), which doubles as a matte playing board with a convenient carrying handle.

    Image: The Pokémon Company

    While none of the cards contained in this set, except for the energy cards, are tournament-legal, the Pokémon TCG Classic collector’s box is an awesome way to show off your love for the game and elevate your experience with this childhood classic.

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    Alice Newcome-Beill

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  • ‘What If…?’ Season 2 Awards and Midnight Predictions of 2024

    ‘What If…?’ Season 2 Awards and Midnight Predictions of 2024

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    The Midnight Boys are here to ring in the new year and give you their full-on impressions of Marvel’s What If…? Season 2 (08:04). Then, they give out their superlative awards for the best that season had to offer, including Best Episode (39:18). Later, they offer up their big predictions in fandom for 2024 and see who will be right in the new year (73:49).

    Hosts: Charles Holmes, Van Lathan, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman
    Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman
    Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopal
    Social: Jomi Adeniran

    Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts

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    Charles Holmes

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  • Pokémon Go ‘Eggs-pedition Access: January’ research steps, and is it worth it?

    Pokémon Go ‘Eggs-pedition Access: January’ research steps, and is it worth it?

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    “Eggs-pedition Access: January” is a ticketed limited timed event during Pokémon Go season “Timeless Travels”.

    For $4.99, it unlocks a Timed Research that will be available until Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. in your local time.

    The Timed Research steps, ticket bonuses, as well as whether or not it may be worth it, is discussed below.

    What are the ‘Eggs-pedition Access: January’ ticket bonuses?

    As well as the Timed Research, the ticket also gives you these bonuses until the end of the January:

    • 1 single-use Incubator for your first spin of the day
    • Triple XP for your first spin and catch of the day
    • Gift opening limit increased to 50 per day (up from 20)
    • Gift sending limit increased to 150 per day (up from 100)
    • Gift storage limit increased to 40 gifts (up from 20)

    ‘Eggs-pedition Access: January’ Timed Research quest steps

    You have until the end of the month to complete the following Timed Research:

    Step 1 of 4

    • Catch 30 Pokémon (2,500 XP)
    • Catch 15 different species of Pokémon (2,500 XP)
    • Transfer 20 Pokémon (2,500 XP)

    Rewards: 2,500 XP

    Step 2 of 4

    • Use 25 berries to help catch Pokémon (2,500 Stardust)
    • Send 5 gifts to friends (2,500 Stardust)
    • Hatch 3 eggs (2,500 Stardust)

    Rewards: 2,500 Stardust

    Step 3 of 4

    • Earn 25 hearts with your buddy (5,000 XP)
    • Open 5 gifts (5,000 XP)
    • Catch 20 water- or flying-type Pokémon (5,000 XP)

    Rewards: 5,000 XP

    Step 4 of 4

    • Make 30 curveball throws (5,000 Stardust)
    • Explore 5 km (5,000 Stardust)
    • Evolve 10 Pokémon (5,000 Stardust)

    Rewards: 5,000 Stardust, Togetic encounter

    Is the ‘Eggs-pedition Access: January’ ticket worth it?

    If you love hatching eggs, then yes — the ticket is worth it for the incubators alone. If you spin a stop every day, you’ll get 31 single-use Incubators, which means you can hatch 31 eggs. 31 single-use Incubators equal about 10 regular Incubators (which are priced at 150 PokéCoins individually, meaning 1500 PokéCoins for 10 Incubators costs approximately $15) making it a good deal for $4.99. You will have to remember to spin a PokéStop every day to make the most of this deal, though.

    Meanwhile, the increases in gift storage, sending and sending is particularly useful for players who routinely trade gifts en masse. Regularly opening gifts and levelling friendship is one of the best ways to get XP in Pokémon Go, so if you want to maximize your gains, then this is well worth factoring into the price of the ticket.

    Otherwise, if you are buying this for research alone, it offers just a smattering of Stardust, XP, and a single Togetic (which was found regularly in the wild over the recent December Community Day weekend), which are rewards which you will gain through regular play with little effort.

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    Matthew Reynolds

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  • Our 2024 Movie Resolutions, ‘Anyone but You,’ and ‘The Color Purple’

    Our 2024 Movie Resolutions, ‘Anyone but You,’ and ‘The Color Purple’

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    ‌

    Sean and Amanda give some box office thoughts from the last couple weeks, before honing in on two films in theaters right now: Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell’s sex comedy Anyone but You (15:00) and the musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple (49:00). They close by each sharing three New Year’s movie resolutions that relate to the show (1:04:00).

    RSVP for a chance to attend The Big Picture’s OPPENHEIMER screening at the IMAX campus in L.A. here: uni.pictures/oppenheimerbigpictureevent‌.

    Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
    Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

    Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Stitcher / RSS

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    Sean Fennessey

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  • Jason Hehir and ‘Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning’

    Jason Hehir and ‘Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning’

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    ‌Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay are joined by filmmaker Jason Hehir to discuss the new docuseries Murder in Boston (1:25), explain Boston’s history of racial strife (13:24), and the city’s reckoning with its past (24:18).

    ‌Hosts: Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay
    Guest: Jason Hehir
    Producers: Donnie Beacham Jr. and Ashleigh Smith

    Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Stitcher

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    Van Lathan

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  • Fortnite Crew Pack and skin for January 2024

    Fortnite Crew Pack and skin for January 2024

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    Fortnite Crew is a monthly subscription service for Fortnite.

    Members who subscribe to Fortnite Crew receive access to the current Battle Pass, a top up of V-Bucks to their account, and perhaps most importantly, exclusive cosmetics through the Fortnite Crew Pack.

    As an additional incentive to keep subscribing, you also receive bonus Legacy Styles for certain skins for each additional month you remain a subscriber.

    What is the Fortnite Crew Pack and skin for January 2024?

    The Fortnite Crew Pack for January 2024 is the Silas Hesk set, and features Silas Hesk (skin), The Serpentine (back bling), and the Fangs of Hesk (pickaxe).

    Image: Epic Games

    The skin has a number of Legacy Styles to unlock the longer you keep your Fortnite Crew subscription — with a total of six styles (across five additional months) to unlock.

    You have until the last day of the month to claim the skin — you can see the following section for the exact time for when each Fortnite Crew Pack changes — from which point it’s then unavailable to new subscribers.

    At least, for now; Epic has said “previous Crew Packs’ items may be made available again to Crew members at a later date,” but practically, if you have your heart on a certain pack, be sure to subscribe and claim while you can.

    Fortnite Crew release date and time: When does each new Fortnite Crew Pack release?

    Each new Fortnite Crew Pack is available on the last day of each month for the proceeding month at the following times:

    • 4 p.m. PST for the west coast of North America
    • 7 p.m. EST for the east coast of North America
    • 12 a.m. GMT for the U.K. (the following day)
    • 1 a.m. CEST for western Europe/Paris (the following day)
    • 8 a.m. JST in Japan/Tokyo (the following day)

    For example, Nov. 2023’s pack (featuring the Drakon Steel Hybrid skin) was released on Oct. 31 at the above times in the Americas, and on Nov. 1 elsewhere.

    This means if you’re thinking of subscribing for the first time, it’s worth starting just before the above date and time to ensure you get the current Fortnite Crew Pack before it changes over.

    What is Fortnite Crew?

    Fortnite Crew is a subscription where, for $11.99 each month, you’ll receive the following:

    • Access to the current season’s Battle Pass
    • 1,000 V-Bucks
    • The latest Fortnite Crew Pack (with an exclusive skin and “at least one” matching cosmetic accessory)
    • The next Legacy Style for any unlocked Fortnite Crew skins
    • Rocket Pass Premium for Rocket League

    As with all V-Bucks purchases, your currency could be locked to the platform you chose to start subscribing, so choose carefully. (At the time of writing, Nintendo Switch is the only platform where your wallet won’t be shared across other platforms.)

    What happens if I cancel Fortnite Crew?

    If you cancel Fortnite Crew, you’ll keep all unlocked Fortnite Crew Pack cosmetics — including Legacy Styles — as well as any awarded V-Bucks and Battle Passes earned during that period.

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    Matthew Reynolds

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  • Netflix’s The Brothers Sun, the Golden Globes, and more new TV this week

    Netflix’s The Brothers Sun, the Golden Globes, and more new TV this week

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    Brand-new year, brand-new TV! We’re not totally done with last year’s television, though: This Sunday will be the Golden Globe Awards, honoring a lot of the best films and TV shows of 2023 (along with some duds — award shows, what’re you gonna do?). That will be airing at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST, and will be streaming at the same time it’s on CBS.

    But that’s not the only big offering in television this week — Michelle Yeoh is back on TV! This time, she’s the mom in Netflix’s The Brothers Sun, a charming action comedy about how little you know your family (sorta).

    Here are all the best new TV premieres this week to start off 2024:

    New shows on Netflix

    The Brothers Sun

    Genre: Action comedy family drama
    Release date: Jan. 4 with all episodes
    Showrunner/creator: Byron Wu and Brad Falchuk
    Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Justin Chien, Sam Li, Highdee Kuan, Alice Hewkin, Jon Xue Zhang, and more

    After somebody takes out a hit on his dad, Charles (Justin Chien) flees to make sure that his mom (Michelle Yeoh) and brother Bruce (Sam Li) in America are safe. Only, Bruce didn’t know his family was rich… let alone the head of a Taipei gang.

    Gyeongseong Creature

    Photo: Lim Hyo Sun/Netflix

    Genre: Horror
    Release date: Dec. 22
    Writer: Kang Eun-kyung
    Cast: Park Seo-joon, Han So-hee, Soo Hyun, Kim Hae-sook, Jo Han-chul, Wi Ha-joon, and more

    Part 2 of this show arrives, and not a moment too soon — the final three episodes are here to conclude the mystery of the strange creature haunting Gyeongseong in 1945, as Jang Tae-sang (Park Seo-joon) and Yoon Chae-ok (Han So-hee) try to untangle the mystery around its existence.

    New shows on Hulu

    The Great North season 4

    The central family in The Great North acts in surprise at something while wearing very warm clothing

    Image: Fox

    Genre: Animated comedy
    Release date: Jan. 7 on Fox; on Hulu Jan. 8
    Showrunner/creator: Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin, Wendy Molyneux, and Minty Lewis
    Cast: Nick Offerman, Jenny Slate, Will Forte, Dulcé Sloan, Paul Rust, Aparna Nancherla, and more

    Beef Tobin (Nick Offerman) is just trying to look after his four kids in the remote, fictional town of Lone Moose, Alaska. He loves his family and tries his best — which is the perfect premise for a good ol’-fashioned family sitcom.

    New shows on Paramount Plus

    The 2024 Golden Globes

    81st Golden Globe Awards Nominations Announcements

    Photo: Michael Buckner/Penske Media via Getty Images

    Genre: Awards show
    Release date: Jan. 7 at 8 p.m EST/5 p.m. PST
    Host: Jo Koy

    The 2024 Golden Globes will be airing live on CBS. But they’ll also be streaming on Paramount Plus and in the CBS app. Comedian Jo Koy will be making his hosting debut for the program.

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    Zosha Millman

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  • The year I read 20 Hercule Poirot mysteries and fell for Agatha Christie

    The year I read 20 Hercule Poirot mysteries and fell for Agatha Christie

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    For years I’ve enjoyed one-off murder mysteries that friends recommended, but the genre hadn’t really gotten its hooks in me. I’ve simply never been the kind of reader who actively tries to solve the case. My friends who champion these books tend to care deeply about tracking red herrings and attempting to out-sleuth the author. I’m just as content to know whodunit from the very start, as long as the novel itself has enjoyable pacing and character writing.

    All this is to say I’ve lived three decades without reading anything by the “queen of mystery” Agatha Christie, despite her being one of the best-selling authors of all time. But after burning through tons of romances this year and looking for other books with brisk pacing and a consistent ending, I gave in. I ended up getting so sucked in that I started a passion project of reading every one of Christie’s Hercule Poirot mysteries in order of publication. It helped me find commonalities in some of my favorite books, shows, and movies, and ultimately led me down a wormhole of so many others. I love to collect hobbies. In 2023, murder mysteries became my latest.

    I started with the books friends most passionately recommended: And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. They both thrilled me — the former with its macabre and perfectly calibrated deaths, themed to each of the invitees, building and breaking suspense. I understood, immediately, why And Then There Were None is considered one of her best. But Murder on the Orient Express stuck in my mind even longer, specifically because of its bombastic murder reveal at the end — and also because of the detective at the heart of the story, whose illustrious mustaches stole the show. This is, of course, the beloved Belgian mastermind Hercule Poirot.

    In Orient Express, I got an immediate sense of his memorably peculiar habits: his need for order, his taste in clothes, and his sense of pomp (that he never owns up to). But I was struck especially by Poirot’s morality; his decision not to turn these people over to the police after having solved the crime, because the victim was himself a heinous murderer. Here was a train quite literally full of murderers, confronted by a master detective, and yet all of them walked away unscathed. Poirot, I immediately understood, was in this for the joy of using his little gray cells to solve the case. Is he in more of her books? I wondered, like a spring chicken. I was immediately rewarded.

    Photo: Nicole Clark/Polygon

    Since July, my Libby app has been a long string of Poirot mystery holds. I made a list of the books in order so that I could strike them off with my handy highlighter. 20 books later, my hunger for them has only grown. I’m extremely fond of Poirot’s eccentricities: his continued attempts at retiring and growing vegetable marrows, his tendency to meddle when he can help two people find love, and his insistence on never explaining what he’s doing to his lovably dimwitted friend Hastings (the narrator of the early books in the series). Even if the murder mystery isn’t always resolved in my favorite way, I cherish passing time with Poirot so much it hardly matters. Luckily, Christie was masterful at plotting out her mysteries, and never seems to run out of inventive set-ups and solutions.

    Reading through Hercule Poirot’s foibles has also been like opening up a skylight in my mind. Very early on, Poirot helped me realize I loved a locked-room mystery, and so I spent a month spiraling into other reading lists. Some of my favorites from Edgar Allan Poe belong in this legacy — which gave color to my memories of being the weird kid who carried around her dad’s battered Poe omnibus plastered in sticky notes. From there, I added tons of Dorothy L. Sayers to my library hold list, before getting into a pocket of Japanese Honkaku mysteries (Shimada Soji, Seishi Yokomizo). Impulsively, I looked for contemporary American authors who write locked-room mystery but for the Instagram era, and landed on Lucy Foley’s The Guest List. I don’t know that I would have found these authors otherwise, and enjoyed each of their unique approaches to my new favorite tropes.

    I’ve also gotten distracted by hoovering up contemporary movies and shows that play with some of Christie’s most famous set-ups. Like a detective with red yarn and thumbtacks, I’ve taken notes while rewatching much of Rian Johnson’s recent work: Knives Out and Poker Face. I’ve honed a particular love for a pairs of colluding con artists like the husband and wife in Death on the Nile, in which a man marries a woman for her wealth and then works with his true beloved to murder said wife and share the newly inherited money. In Poker Face, I delighted at episode five, which similarly showcased a scheming pair — but in the form of two former activists in a retirement home committing a murder together.

    Ironically, it’s the direct adaptations that I haven’t deeply engaged with. I haven’t yet watched any of the Kenneth Branagh movies, nor have I watched the beloved show Agatha Christie’s Poirot. Since Orient Express is what got me into Poirot, the one adaptation I have watched is the 1974 movie directed by Sidney Lumet, with an outrageous cast that includes Sean Connery, Anthony Perkins, Ingrid Bergman, and Lauren Bacall. It’s wonderful as a historical object, and as a film, it holds up as having a distinct perspective, with its memorably climactic stabbing scene, well-performed monologues, and beautiful establishing shots of the train chugging along. It feels distinctly like something that could not exist in the streaming era, where IP is increasingly recycled, and adapted so faithfully it seems to squish a director’s attempts at interpretation.

    As I’ve read deeper into Christie, I’ve consistently found modern stories that pay homage to her work are more fun than those that approach it as straight adaptation. Why reproduce a facsimile of Christie’s work when her style and inventiveness leave so much room for play? She wrote in the 1920s through the ’70s — the world is so different now, and rife with opportunity for lighthearted sleuthing. I’m eager for the new stories her work will lead me toward as I keep reading into the new year. For now, though, I can be grateful for all the newly beloved stories my journey with Poirot has brought me — from Christie or those she directly inspired.

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    Nicole Clark

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  • The 7 best anime openings of 2023

    The 7 best anime openings of 2023

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    2023 was a banner year for anime. From beloved continuing series like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Jujutsu Kaisen to long-awaited passion projects like Pluto and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, there was pretty much something for every type of anime fan. While we’ve already published our picks for the best anime of the year and where to watch them, we also wanted to highlight one of the important yet overlooked elements of any great anime: the opening title sequence.

    Opening title sequences in anime have a lot of purposes, from crediting the staff of animators who pour their hearts and craft into creating an excellent production to foreshadowing significant moments in the series itself. Combined with a particularly memorable theme song, a well-done title sequence has the potential to create a lasting impression on audiences and fans, if not even possibly eclipsing the quality of the show itself.

    With that in mind, we’ve pulled together a list of some of our favorite anime openings of the year to highlight the work of the animators who created them while sharing our favorite anime theme bops.

    Scott Pilgrim Takes Off — “Bloom”

    Director: Masamichi Ishiyama
    Music by: Necry Talkie

    Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was one of the year’s big surprises, despite being highly anticipated. The anime adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s action rom-com comic series turned the story of Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers’ whirlwind romance on its head, reinventing its world as a way of reintroducing characters that fans knew and loved.

    Chief animation director and character designer Masamichi Ishiyama’s opening sequence was the perfect reintroduction of Scott to new and old fans of the series, taking the video game-inspired visuals of the comic and injecting them with vibrant anime flair. Aside from a very clever blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nod to the opening sequence of the 2004 anime Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad, what makes the opening sequence for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is for how much it doesn’t tease the big twist of the series. It’s just a brilliant distillation of what made Scott Pilgrim such a beloved hang-out in the first place, and that’s all that it really needs to be. Combine that with an awesome track “Bloom” courtesy of the Japanese pop rock band Necry Talkie, and you’ve got a certified banger.

    Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 — “SPECIALZ”

    Director: Yuki Kamiya
    Music by: King Gnu

    This season of Jujutsu Kaisen took a significantly darker turn, and the series’ second opening title sequence encapsulates that. Just as Shōta Goshozono took on the role of directing the show’s second season from previous director Sung Hoo Park, so too did Yuki Kamiya inherit the role of crafting this season’s opening title sequences from Jujutsu Kaisen’s former animation director Shingo Yamashita.

    Of the two sequences Kamiya directed for this season, it’s the second one, created for the “Shibuya Incident Arc,” that stands out as one of the year’s best. It’s dark, ominous, and foreboding; foreshadowing not only Yuji Itadori’s fraught battle against the cursed spirit Mahito and the increased prominence of the malicious jujutsu sorcerer Sukuna, but also the tragic passing of one of the series’ most beloved characters. It’s an apt opening for a bracing, violent, and heartbreaking season.

    Heavenly Delusion — “Innocent Arrogance”

    Director: Weilin Zhang
    Music by: BiSH

    Heavenly Delusion was one of my favorite anime premieres of the year, so it’s little wonder the series’ opening title sequence would also win a place in my heart. Weilin Zhang absolutely nails it with this opening, translating the already excellent character designs by the artist known as Utsushita into scenes that feel as unruly and adventurous as the series’ protagonist.

    One particular moment in the sequence that stands out to me is at the one-minute mark, when Kiruko is running against a pink and purple sunset sky, the outline of their body racing out of sync alongside them before eventually merging. It’s a memorable and impressive artistic decision that feels, in hindsight, like a symbolic metaphor for Kiruko’s struggles with body dysmorphia throughout the season. The gorgeous sequence is made even more impactful for how perfectly BiSH’s original theme song “Innocent Arrogance” complements it.

    Spy x Family season 2 — “Ado Kura Kura”

    Director: Masaaki Yuasa
    Music by: Ado

    Who do you choose to direct the opening title sequence for the second season of Spy x Family, one of the best animated action comedies in recent memory, if you want it to be an absolute legendary effort? Why Masaaki Yuasa, former president of Science Saru, of course!

    The opening sequence for Spy x Family feels like the anime equivalent of an Avengers-style team up, with Yuasa’s whimsical polka-dotted animation backed by a theme song performed by Ado (of One Piece Film: Red-fame) and composed by none other than Cowboy Bebop’s Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts. The result is a sequence that feels every bit as auspicious as the creative team behind it, a wild and rollicking adventure that finds everyone’s favorite family of undercover spy-assassins-psychics enjoying a good cup of tea in-between performing donuts in their car.

    Trigun Stampede — “TOMBI”

    Director: None listed
    Music by: Kvi Baba

    Much has been said about Trigun Stampede, the latest 3D CG anime adaptation of Yasuhiro Nightow’s space western manga, and the differences between it and the beloved 1998 anime produced by Madhouse. One of the key points of contention that fans of the original anime have is the absence of any equivalent to the 1998 Trigun’s rock-’n’-roll-inspired score by Tsuneo Imahori, with Trigun Stampede composer Tatsuya Kato taking on a more electronic and orchestrally inspired approach for the new series.

    As a fan of the 1998 anime, I totally get it. But I will happily go to bat for it, and I absolutely loved the western-inspired title theme song by Kvi Baba and its accompanying sequence. Without fail, every time I watched this sequence before a new episode of the series, I was locked in and ready to take in the latest chapter in Vash the Stampede’s mission to protect the people of the planet Gunsmoke from his murderous brother Knives. It sets the tone for the series perfectly, striking a balance between mournful, adventurous, and appropriately epic.

    The Fire Hunter — “Usotsuki”

    Director: Kenichi Kutsuna
    Music by: Leo Ieiri

    The Fire Hunter flew under the radar of many anime viewers this year, despite the pedigree of talent attached to its production. Make time to watch it — Ranma 1⁄2 director Junji Nishimura reunites with Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) on an epic apocalyptic fantasy story and the opening title sequence for the series absolutely rocks.

    Directed by Kenichi Kutsuna, who previously worked as a key animator on Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Dororo, the opening for The Fire Hunter is a beautiful and memorable sequence that expounds on Takuya Saitō’s delicately rendered character designs and pairs them with elegantly pictorial backgrounds. I mean, look at that shot at the 23-second mark with the shafts of light piercing through the thinly outlined mass of clouds! Art!

    Vinland Saga season 2 — “River”

    Director: Yūsuke Sunouchi
    Music by: Anonymouz

    Like Jujutsu Kaisen season 2, the second season of the historical adventure epic Vinland Saga took a sharp tonal shift from the vibe of its first season. Far from a revenge story, this season’s focus was on Thorfinn’s search for a sense of meaning and a life separate from the vengeance that previously drove him.

    Directed by Yūsuke Sunouchi, who previously worked as an episode director on the first season of Vinland Saga, the opening title sequence for Vinland Saga season 2 perfectly captures the feeling of someone emerging out of the darkness and grasping after a sense of renewed clarity and direction. It’s a sequence that drops you directly into Thorfinn’s mindset at the outset of the season and primes the audience for the next chapter of his story.

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  • The Holdovers, It Lives Inside, and every new movie to watch at home this weekend

    The Holdovers, It Lives Inside, and every new movie to watch at home this weekend

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    Season’s greetings, Polygon readers. We’re smack-dab in the sleepy, liminal interzone between the Christmas holiday and New Year’s Eve. Be that as it may, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a couple new movies on streaming to watch this weekend as we barrell into 2024.

    This week, The Holdovers, the new Christmas comedy-drama starring Paul Giamatti, is finally available to stream on Peacock. That’s not all: The supernatural horror-thriller It Lives Inside arrives on Hulu this week alongside the new Ray Romano-directed comedy Somewhere in Queens. Finally, a controversial crime thriller starring Jim Caviezel is now streaming on Prime Video. And… that’s it for this week!

    Here’s everything new to watch this weekend.

    New on Hulu

    It Lives Inside

    Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu

    Genre: Supernatural horror
    Run time: 1h 39m
    Director: Bishal Dutta
    Cast: Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa, Mohana Krishnan

    This horror movie follows two young girls at an American high school who each relate to their Indian heritage in a different way: One embraces it, and one rejects it. When a Pishach, a vengeful spirit imprisoned in a strange glass jar, latches onto one of them, the other must reconnect with her past in order to stop it. It Lives Inside is the feature debut from Bishal Dutta, known previously for his work as a writer on the 2017 drama series Triads.

    Somewhere in Queens

    Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu

    Image: Roadside Attractions/ICM Partners

    Genre: Comedy
    Run time: 1h 46m
    Director: Ray Romano
    Cast: Ray Romano, Laurie Metcalf, Jacob Ward

    Ray Romano directs and stars in this new coming-of-age comedy about Leo, a father trying desperately to help his son apply for college and win a basketball scholarship. After going to extreme lengths, from alienating the rest of his family to cajoling his son’s ex (Sadie Stanley) to get back together with him, Leo must learn to allow his son to make his own decisions. From the trailer, it comes across as an earnest comedy about learning to embrace the peculiarities of one’s own family and accepting the uncertainty of what life has to offer.

    New on Prime Video

    Sound of Freedom

    Where to watch: Available to stream on Prime Video

    Jim Caviezel as Tim Ballard comforting a child in Sound of Freedom.

    Image: Angel Studios/VidAngel Studios

    Genre: Crime thriller
    Run time: 2h 11m
    Director: Alejandro Gómez Monteverde
    Cast: Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino, Bill Camp

    One of the most surprising box-office hits of the year, Sound of Freedom purports to be a true story about a mission to stopping child trafficking. The truth is much more complicated than that.

    New on Peacock

    The Holdovers

    Where to watch: Available to stream on Peacock

    Dominic Sessa, Paul Giamatti, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph gather around a table with a Christmas tree in the background in The Holdovers.

    Image: Focus Features

    Genre: Comedy drama
    Run time: 2h 13m
    Director: Alexander Payne
    Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa

    A strong late awards-season contender, The Holdovers is a holiday-themed comedy about three people left at a New England boarding school for Christmas in 1970, all pushing through their own personal drama to survive the holiday. It’s also one half of this season’s best double feature.

    From our list of the best movies of the year:

    The Holdovers is full of sudden twists, mostly backstory reveals suitable for a particularly startling stage play. But the real surprise is how personal and specific it becomes, and excellent writing and acting help it dodge the expected parameters for this kind of story. Eventually, it settles into a three-hander between Professor Hunham (Giamatti), his troubled adolescent student Angus (Dominic Sessa, in an intense star-making performance), and Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the school’s head cook, an older Black woman mourning her son’s recent death in the military.

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    Toussaint Egan

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  • Favorite Things From 2023, and a 2024 Look Ahead

    Favorite Things From 2023, and a 2024 Look Ahead

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    Juliet and Amanda return for their ACTUAL last episode of 2023! The two discuss their favorite things and moments from 2023, including the Beckham docuseries and WAG culture (1:55); “the summer of women,” giving shout-outs to Greta Gerwig, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and more women later on (4:45); Lauren Sánchez’s Vogue profile; and Jeff Bezos’s future clock (8:37). Plus, a GILDED AGE SPOILER at 9:34! Then, the women discuss what they are looking forward to in 2024, including a plethora of books (14:57); a few movies, including Challengers and Civil War (21:46); the 2024 Summer Olympics and, more importantly, the celebrities that will be there (23:33); and more!

    Hosts: Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins
    Producer: Jade Whaley

    Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Stitcher

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    Juliet Litman

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  • Gender War, Civil War, and the Loyalty of a Barber

    Gender War, Civil War, and the Loyalty of a Barber

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    Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay check back in to discuss Simon Biles’s recent interview with husband Jonathan Owens (18:28), and Kevin Hart’s lawsuit against Tasha K (36:49). Plus, Nikki Haley struggles to say “slavery” (51:59), and a barber gets petty (1:16:22).

    ‌Hosts: Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay
    Producers: Donnie Beacham Jr. and Ashleigh Smith

    Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Stitcher

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    Van Lathan

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  • ‘The Iron Claw’ and the 10 Most Underrated Movies of 2023

    ‘The Iron Claw’ and the 10 Most Underrated Movies of 2023

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    Sean and Amanda each share five movies from the year that they feel were either under-discussed or underrated (1:00), before inviting The Ringer’s David Shoemaker on to dive deep on pro wrestling, the Von Erich family, and the way they’re represented in Sean Durkin’s new film, The Iron Claw (28:00). Then, Durkin joins to talk about the unique challenges of recreating pro wrestling’s pseudo-reality in cinema, casting stars such as Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson, what movies he took inspiration from, and more (1:12:00).

    Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
    Guests: Sean Durkin and David Shoemaker
    Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

    Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Stitcher / RSS

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    Sean Fennessey

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  • The Townies: Hollywood’s Best and Worst of 2023

    The Townies: Hollywood’s Best and Worst of 2023

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    It’s podcasting’s most exclusive event of the year: The second annual Townie Awards! This is a show made up of awards created by us, based on our own interpretations of the craziest year in Hollywood, maybe ever? In Part 1, Matt is joined by Lucas Shaw, the Amy Poehler to his Tina Fey, to give out the first round of awards, including Most Destructive Behind-the-Scenes Drama, Publicist Fail of the Year, Most Annoying Media Narrative, Deal of the Year, Larry David Spite Store of the Year, Sneaky Success of the Year, and much more.

    For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, What I’m Hearing …, click here.

    Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com

    Host: Matt Belloni
    Guest: Lucas Shaw
    Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
    Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

    Subscribe: Spotify

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    Matthew Belloni

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