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'It's a Tribute to Domestic System': Rahul Dravid on Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill's Success at International Stage
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'He’s Got a Tremendous Competitive Instinct': Ex-ENG Skipper Hails Stuart Broad for Entering 600 Club
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Gullermo del Toro shares his ominous thoughts on the looming threat of AI

AI is seeping into every facet of our lives more and more every day, and now, Pinocchio director Guillermo del Toro has joined the chorus of voices speaking out against the powerful tool.
The issue is particularly contentious right now in the world of cinema and performance as it has been brought up as a point of negotiation in the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. Some studios have refused to rule out the use of AI for future projects. Of course, there shouldn’t be much need to explain why this would be bad for the industry and yet the idea resurfaces time and time again.
Of course, it goes much further than that; AI poses a much bigger threat long term. It’s been the subject of movies and old stories for decades, but the idea that artificial intelligence could eventually wipe out humanity is becoming more and more of a possibility. James Cameron already spoke a little on the topic with The Wrap and del Toro has his own thoughts to add on the subject.
“Unregulated AI. Unchecked. Unreigned and underestimated by anything but greed- could be the last chess move we make before we checkmate ourselves out.”
His words perfectly encapsulate the problems with how AI is being used right now. There is very little regulation as to how it’s used, furthermore, the incentive for profit is high, there are little costs associated with using an AI but there is potential to maximize profits by removing the creative people behind projects. Just look at how many people were credited for the AI-created Secret Invasion opening sequence.
If the motivation to use AI is purely to make a profit then we’re teaching it greed. Fans of Del Toro took to the replies to express their own opinions on the use of AI in the creative medium with most agreeing with his statement.
“Well said sir!”
“I have hope that audiences will feel how passionless a movie made by AI is. They can already tell with movies that are made just to make a quick buck, they know quality even if they don’t know how they know it.”
“dang ai nerds just want another way to sell nfts”
There is a future where AI can still be relevant. However, the current situation is alienating a lot of people from film and TV. It hasn’t happened yet, but it only seems like a matter of time before we get a whole TV show written and acted by a robot. This over-reliance on AI can only be a bad thing for everyone long term.
As del Toro says, it needs to be regulated and reigned in before we give robots too much authority and we end up living the next Terminator film rather than just watching it.

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ENG vs AUS Live Score Ashes 2023, 4th Test Day 2: James Anderson Strikes Early as Australia Nine Down
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John Boyega is already pouring cold water on rumors of an imminent ‘Star Wars’ return

John Boyega didn’t hold back when reflecting on Finn’s treatment during Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy. In September 2020, he gave an interview to GQ in which he made his thoughts on Finn’s story very clear:
“What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”
That being said, the ice may have thawed a little since then. Daisy Ridley will be returning as Rey in a new Star Wars movie set after The Rise of Skywalker, and if she’s back it makes sense for Boyega’s Finn to also be along for the ride. Rumors are flying that this is already a done deal, though the actor has taken to Twitter to urge caution:

An obvious dangling plot thread would be to explore the hints in The Rise of Skywalker that Finn is Force Sensitive. The non-canon The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special went as far as having a scene in which Rey attempts to instruct Finn in the ways of the Force, and we think it’d be a smart way to move these characters’ arcs forward, deepen their relationship, and show what lessons Rey learned from Luke’s style of teaching.
Then again, as per Boyega, let’s not speculate too much until we hear confirmation from him. There’s historic bad blood between Boyega and Disney, but it sounds like he’s not ruling out a return to a galaxy far, far away.

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Review: ‘Talk to Me’ showcases Australian storytelling while evolving from online content

It’s very rare to witness someone who started on YouTube end up directing an A24 horror movie. What makes Talk To Me even more interesting is that it’s based on a short comedy premise written by Bluey‘s executive producer, Daley Pearson. Given the Philippou brothers’ history as comedic VFX content creators and the success of Bluey as a children’s show, is it enough to make a successful horror story?
Talk to Me is a film that combines grief with supernatural horror storytelling; during the anniversary of her mother’s death, Mia (portrayed by Sophie Wilde) attends a party with her friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen), and brother Riley (Joe Bird). The party is known for using an embalmed hand as a paranormal connection to the dead, and those who hold it can communicate with spirits, but the connection must be severed within a specific duration.

What makes Talk to Me fascinating is that it was written and directed by two YouTubers. However, unlike the current trend where the film aligns with their brand, the Philippous utilize the lessons they learned as online content creators to bring the story to life. At the same time, it’s no secret that they took some risks during production, as this doesn’t feel like your average Hollywood horror.
Australian stories often go under appreciated, with only a handful finding international success. The use of Australian accents and vernacular gives Talk to Me its charm, making the storytelling feel authentic. Unlike other projects that have bee set in Sydney because of “familiarity,” Talk to Me is set in a random South Australian neighborhood. Finally, other states are slowly getting the limelight.
Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman have done an amazing job transforming the original premise into something that gets your heart racing. The film manages to connect to past events in earlier scenes and comes full circle. You have to pay attention, though, since it scatters hints about the plot at the start, and the callbacks to those moments provide a satisfying feeling.

While Talk to Me is a supernatural horror, it also has some comedic moments. That’s expected, considering the Philippou siblings’ background as online comedians. Some scenes had people in the theater laughing (including myself). I’ve never watched a horror movie where the source of the problems is treated like a party game. Yet, it highlights something that we see in real life, with people using Ouija boards and other means of spiritual communication for fun. However, there is one possession scene intended for comedic effect that feels uncomfortable to watch.
All the cast members do a phenomenal job, most specifically Bird’s portrayal of Riley. This kid starts as weak and innocent, only to become this horrifying being that you not only want to save but also consider killing due to the mistakes made by your friends. You feel bad for this person, and he becomes the perfect catalyst to get the ball rolling.

Meanwhile, Wilde is such an amazing actress able to pull off some emotional, yet suspenseful scenes. You want to empathize with her, yet you don’t know if she’s worth trusting. Lastly, while we barely see The Lord of the Rings star Miranda Otto onscreen, she did help elevate the comedic moments, whilst also doing a good job on playing the “clueless victim” who has zero idea on what really happened to her children.
As someone who grew up with RackaRacka‘s content, the VFX feels like an evolution of their previous work. There is a scene where Riley brutally self-harms due to the spirit lingering too long, and his friends scream and panic. That scene bears some resemblance to their origins, but with a higher production budget. It avoids using cheap effects that you’d see in their videos or other low-budget indie projects, goig the extra mile to make it not only realistic, but also very grueling.
These guys did not forgotten their roots as YouTubers, though, as they give their friend KSI a small cameo by using one of his videos. This is an interesting callback to their internet days, and a fun Easter Egg.
As someone who has watched multiple productions starring or produced by YouTubers and influencers, this one sets the bar even higher. This is not just some run-of-the-mill cash grab featuring RackaRacka characters. This is something that’s filled with love and passion, and it’s no wonder it was accepted into Sundance.
Talk To Me is more than just a horror film. It represents an accumulation of years of viral videos and memes, supported by a growing industry in Australia. It knows what type of story it is trying to tell and ensures it doesn’t fall into clichés. This film is definitely a must-watch, especially if you want to support the nation’s growing Australian industry through unique storytelling.

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‘There has to be a reason I’m chasing Ethan’: ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ star demanded a worthwhile backstory

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One crams a lot into every action set piece. For example, the movie is never content to simply have Ethan Hunt pursuing his target through an airport. He’ll also have to deal with the intervention of an enigmatic lady thief, a US government hit squad out to assassinate him, a mysterious digital ghost and, oh yeah, a ticking miniature nuclear bomb.
That director Christopher McQuarrie is able to keep all these plates spinning at once is a testament to his skills, though even in a two-and-a-half-hour epic there’s some stuff that gets left on the cutting room floor. For example, Shea Whigham’s Briggs, the government agent in charge of neutralizing Hunt, simply shows up in the franchise with an unexplained beef.
However, in an interview with SlashFilm, Whigham teased that answers may be on the way in Part Two:
“I told them that there has to be a reason why I’m chasing [Ethan]. Otherwise, it’s not going to play for two and a half hours, to have egg on my face in every country, that I just miss him. So I just wanted to ratchet that up without explaining anything. I didn’t want to explain it, other than going into, possibly, the next one. But also, man, I wanted to honor the Midnight Run of it all, The Fugitive of it all. I’m big on paying homage to films that I love, and so we sprinkled some of that in there and I just wanted to make Briggs a wild card. By any means possible, he’d tried to take Ethan in, with it being real and personal underneath.”
Cards on the table, Dead Reckoning was the first Mission: Impossible I’ve seen since III back in 2006. I’ll catch up, but when Briggs showed up with no explanation as to why he has a bone to pick with Hunt, I assumed that he was a returning character from a previous movie.
Whether we ever learn Briggs’ true motivation in a future movie or not, the world is now eager to see how this sci-fi Hideo Kojima-esque espionage adventure plays out. Sadly we may have to wait a little longer than expected, as production on Part Two is currently on hold due to the Hollywood strikes.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two is scheduled for release on June 28, 2024.

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A star-studded treasure-hunting bomb better than anything ‘Indiana Jones’ has done in 30 years strikes gold on Netflix

With Kingdom of the Crystal Skull remaining one of the century’s most polarizing blockbusters and follow-up Dial of Destiny struggling to avoid a box office embarrassment that could lose Disney up to $200 million, it’s fair to say Indiana Jones has lost his luster. As a result, maybe it’s time to check out or revisit The Lost City of Z, a treasure-hunting archeological adventure that’s genuinely excellent.
Netflix subscribers seem to have taken the hint anyway, with FlixPatrol naming the overlooked and egregiously ignored bomb as one of the top-viewed features on the entire platform. Despite boasting a Certified Fresh critical approval rating of 86 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a star-studded cast full of recognizable names and faces, audiences ignored James Gray’s atmospheric biographical tale like the plague.

Even though it was made for a comparatively cheap $30 million, The Lost City of Z barely made it past $19 million in ticket sales in spite of Charlie Hunnam, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Harry Potter veteran Harry Melling, and Star Wars icon Ian McDiarmid all swinging by to say hello at one stage or another.
The riveting story finds Hunnam’s Percy Fawcett trekking deep into the Amazon to try and root out the bounty left behind by an ancient civilization that had gone undiscovered by history. Of course, his peers think it’s nothing more than a ridiculous flight of fancy, forcing him to go it alone in an effort to rewrite what the world knows about its own past.

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