Steven Spielberg has a reputation for crowd-pleasing uplift‚ and rightfully so. Even &;quot;Schindler's List&;quot; had enough of a &;quot;Hollywood ending&;quot; that &;quot;Seinfeld&;quot; got a decent gag out of it. But Spielberg does go dark. And when he does‚ buckle up. His 2001 movie “A.I.” is neither for actual kids nor for kids “at heart.” It's a brutally effective existential dread generator‚ a disturbing meditation on humanity's folly and cosmic insignificance hiding beneath a lavishly-produced and star-studded Hollywood fairy tale. Which is probably why it's one of Spielberg's least commercially and critically successful outings. Which is not to say it's not well worth your time. Try to get the final scene between Haley Joel Osment (the artificial boy David) and Frances O'Connor (his “mother”) out of your head. It's a moment of tenderness staged before a black hole. &;quot;A.I.&;quot; confronts us with our duty toward our creations. Most obviously‚ of course‚ it asks us to ponder the popular question of whether a significantly advanced artificial intelligence could be deserving of some kind of autonomy. (The movie should come with a trigger warning for robot abuse). More broadly‚ though‚ you can take it as being about our autonomy. We don't like to think of ourselves as creatures‚ because that comes with implied obligations to a creator. David's quest to be real mirrors our own frantic attempts to forget how real we are. In both cases‚ the journey ends in illusion. Spielberg's 2005 &;quot;War of the Worlds&;quot; also hides a howling void at the bottom of the popcorn bucket. When the aliens come‚ they don't waste time scaring us; they don't even bother getting out of their eerie tripod spaceships. Just a causal zap from the onboard death ray‚ and fleeing‚ screaming humans are turned into a pile of dust. The dust evokes 9/11 (shooting commenced two months after the third anniversary)‚ as does the greater New York City setting (Tom Cruise's protagonist is a longshoreman whose backyard affords a view of the Bayonne Bridge). Most chillingly‚ so do the homemade missing persons posters plastered by the Hudson Ferry terminal. Cruise as always is inexplicably good at being both Tom Cruise and a convincing everyman. Here‚ his trademark cockiness is muted by his genuinely terrifying struggle to save his estranged kids from unthinkable calamity — all the while warding off thoughts of his own helplessness. To watch Cruise hold back tears as he sings &;quot;Little Deuce Coupe&;quot; to his terrified‚ exhausted daughter (Dakota Fanning) is to be reminded that the world's biggest star can also act.

1: Burbank‚ always. Burbank and Long Beach are the only two airports on earth that recall the gentlemen’s era of flying‚ artifacts you should enjoy while you still can. In general‚ you should always opt for smaller‚ local airports‚ but only if they’re not ridiculously far from your destination. You’re gonna let them force you to take your shoes off like a criminal&;#63; Give me a break. 2: Avoid LAX at all costs. If you must‚ make sure to get an Uber Black upon arrival at LAX. Your family should go hungry before you step on the LAXIT bus. What’s the opposite of a wonder of the world&;#63; That’s the LAXIT bus. Also‚ avoid layovers at Dallas airport‚ where the air conditioning is always on too high (you will likely get a cold) and where the only restaurants seem to be various forms of Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen. Connecting in Denver is much preferable. 3: Spirit Airlines: never‚ ever. Never. 4: Get both CLEAR and TSA PreCheck. Best money I’ve ever spent. You’re gonna let them force you to take your shoes off like a criminal&;#63; Give me a break. 5: Centurion lounges are fine — but they’re not that great. Often cramped and over crowded‚ and much like soho house‚ they’re mostly a money trap for middle class people to falsely signal high class. Often‚ a good airport bar is preferable to a lounge. That said‚ they have much healthier food than the rest of the airport. 6: Never wait in line for an espresso at the airport. This is not espresso‚ it’s machine caffeine. Just get a normal coffee‚ it’s all the same. 7: Do not wear sweatpants. Do not look like a slob. You will feel so much better the whole day if you dress decently and not like a cretin. 8: The fastest way to pass time on your flight is to work on your computer‚ blast music on headphones‚ and drink. In fact‚ flying is one of the best “liminal spaces” to get work‚ particularly creative work‚ done. Remember the Kanye video of him making music on the plane&;#63; It’s a great feeling‚ one of the best in the world. 9: If delayed‚ don’t sit there frowning and lamenting your fate. Nothing looks stupider than an angry person sitting and waiting for their name to be called for a crumb of standby status. Delays are another opportunity to work and drink in the fertile liminal space of air travel. Same goes for layovers — do not fear layovers. Getting air and moving the muscles is healthier than more time in the poop tube‚ and you’ll feel much better upon arrival. 10: If your Uber driver asks‚ “How’s your day going&;#63;” that means he wants to chat. Chat with him; it’s good for you.Isaac Simpson (@disgracedprop) is the founder of the dissident marketing agency Will and host of &;quot;The Carousel&;quot; podcast.

Yes‚ Donald Trump is a mess at times. And‚ from the church’s perspective‚ there is an undeniable element of Barabbas about him for too many people who are not content with “he’d clearly be a better president than the current dementia patient” and who must instead must elevate him as a 21st-century Charlemagne. But we have a far bigger problem than that as believers and citizens. Its name is Judas. In our era‚ we have created a new heresy — we have “sanitized” scripture.Witness the bipartisan betrayal that played out in Congress this week. In the face of an ongoing border invasion‚ House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) violated every morsel of his mandate as a public servant to betray his base while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) similarly violated every morsel of his mandate to reward his. Anybody know the exchange rate these days for 30 pieces of silver&;#63; Johnson‚ aka Mr. Biblical Worldview‚ has taken the baton boldly from his nicer-than-God forebear‚ Mike Pence. Both men rose to a level of political power beyond that of any other evangelical in their generation. And both men sadly‚ but perfectly‚ personify the piety-over-conviction‚ flight-over-fight cowardice that has infested too many of America’s evangelical pulpits at great cost to the message and the mission of Christianity. (See Pence and his feckless leadership of the COVID Task Force as Exhibit A.) To that end‚ let me share with you my “Bible in a year” scripture reading from one morning last week: Moreover‚ [Jehoram] made high places [altars to the demon Asherah to perform sex rites as worship] in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray. And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet‚ saying‚ “Thus says the Lord‚ the God of David your father‚ ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father‚ or in the ways of Asa king of Judah‚ but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom‚ as the house of Ahab led Israel into whoredom‚ and also you have killed your brothers‚ of your father's house‚ who were better than you‚ behold‚ the Lord will bring a great plague on your people‚ your children‚ your wives‚ and all your possessions‚ and you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels‚ until your bowels come out because of the disease‚ day by day.’” And the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabians who are near the Ethiopians. And they came up against Judah and invaded it and carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king's house‚ and also his sons and his wives‚ so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz‚ his youngest son. And after all this the Lord struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease. In the course of time‚ at the end of two years‚ his bowels came out because of the disease‚ and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor‚ like the fires made for his fathers. He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign‚ and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one’s regret. They buried him in the city of David‚ but not in the tombs of the kings. If you're a Christian‚ you believe the God who cursed this wicked political ruler in a very violent‚ painful‚ and graphic way for demonically influencing the people was none other than Jesus Christ. Because to be a Christian is to believe Jesus Christ is God the Son of the holy trinity. But how many Christians even knew this message was in the Bible&;#63; I was talking to a sincere believer this week‚ and a real man’s man‚ too. Yet‚ when I quoted Nehemiah 13 about beating people and pulling out their beards for defiling the temple‚ he was stunned. He had no idea that was in the Bible. It’s a big problem. If you do go to a church that you can foresee never preaching on this passage‚ find another church. That church is part of the problem with the dying culture you are living through. Unfortunately‚ that is going to be a good many of the churches many evangelicals enjoy attending. In our era‚ we have created a new heresy — we have “sanitized” scripture. Most evangelical churches aren’t preaching open heresy‚ but they’re not preaching an open Bible‚ either. They are self-editing. They are determining‚ as if they were their own papacy‚ what scriptures you are to hear and which you are not. Which you can handle and which you cannot. Which will fill their seats and coffers and which will not. Nehemiah 13 won’t inspire another hit from Hillsong or another wave of false converts from the suburbs to tithe. And though that is no excuse for any believer‚ because part of our individual relationship with Christ is to seek him individually through his word‚ this new heresy plays right into our convenience-driven culture. Just as many parents were “too busy” to find out what their kids were learning at the government schools and now we are reaping a harvest of communists‚ degenerates‚ and God-haters (but I repeat myself) as a result‚ we also delegated our time spent in God's word to nothing more than Sunday mornings at church because we are otherwise “too busy” to do it ourselves every day. And now‚ just one generation later‚ we have ended up with soft-headed‚ sweater-vested‚ pleated khakied beta males like Pence and Johnson who think they are “loving their neighbors as they love themselves” by siding with the enemy against their own God. Many evangelical churches cater week after week‚ year after year‚ to those who have rejected God but are repackaged as “$eeker$.” If that sounds like a grift‚ it is. But you ask‚ doesn’t mercy triumph over judgment&;#63; Yes. But it doesn’t cancel it. There is still a hell‚ and people are sadly going there each day. And one of the reasons why is this sanitized-for-your-comfort heresy that makes church normies think they’re saved when they’re really false converts. We simply don't take making disciples seriously‚ which is a fundamental denial of the Great Commission to &;quot;disciple the nations&;quot; (disciple being the root word of discipline). Mere conversion is only the first step to discipleship. Just as your marriage may have been announced on your wedding day‚ and a marriage can’t proceed without a wedding‚ the ceremony itself is just beginning. How successful will your marriage be if it peaks on the wedding day&;#63; Not very&;#33; And neither will the bride (the church) adequately succeed her groom (Christ) by peaking at mere conversion. “By their fruit you will know them‚” our Lord says. Well‚ Pence and Johnson may be the most high-profile and influential evangelicals of their generation. In Johnson’s case‚ he’s one or two heartbeats away from holding the most powerful office on the planet. Yet what does the fruit of their public service reveal about them and the pastors who mentored them&;#63; The verdict is in. The evangelical church clearly failed such men and legions more. We needed Daniels. We needed Nehemiahs. Instead‚ they gave us Jezebels.

The legacy of World of Warcraft is writ large through the MMO genre. There isn't a single MMORPG that doesn't pay homage‚ at least in part‚ to Blizzard's multiplayer titan. In the upcoming free-to-play Tarisland that inspiration is worn clearly on the game's sleeve. Now‚ it's gearing up for a full release and developer Tencent is asking prospective players to sign up in a big pre-registration push. Continue reading Viral WoW-adjacent MMO asks for pre-registration signups MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best MMO games‚ Best RPG games‚ Best free games

While Counter-Strike 2 remains the dominant force on Steam‚ Valve also resolutely holds onto the number two spot with its other landmark multiplayer game‚ Dota 2. Few games can unseat the MOBA‚ with only brief outpacing from PUBG Battlegrounds and Lost Ark and launch peaks from the likes of Palworld‚ Baldur’s Gate 3‚ Cyberpunk 2077‚ and Elden Ring climbing ever so slightly ahead of it. Now‚ in an attempt to capitalize on its continued popularity‚ Valve is introducing Dota 2 Crownfall‚ an “ongoing story event filled with legendary heroes and unique rewards” that’s available to all players of the free Steam game. Continue reading Dota 2 Crownfall is a new‚ ongoing story event packed with rewards MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Dota 2 heroes‚ Dota 2 custom games‚ Best MOBAs

Is No Rest for the Wicked on Game Pass&;#63; Moon Studios‚ the creators of Ori and the Blind Forest‚ and Will of the Wisps‚ have gone in a distinctly more grimdark-fantasy direction with its newest offering. No Rest for the Wicked tells the story of a warrior who has to cleanse the lands of a pestilence that turns people into abominations‚ it’s less of a Metroidvania and more of a souls-like‚ with precise combat and a lot of blood splatter. Lovely Stuff. The early No Rest for the Wicked player numbers have been impressive‚ with players jumping at the chance to play the RPG game despite it only being in early access. If you haven’t had a chance to play‚ you might be wondering whether No Rest for the Wicked will appear on Game Pass. Continue reading Is No Rest for the Wicked on Game Pass&;#63;

What are the newest Aura RNG codes&;#63; The main point of Aura RNG is to roll for the coolest effect possible and apply it to your Roblox avatar. You can earn coins by exploring the world and completing quests to buy potions that boost your chances. However‚ that takes quite a while‚ especially if you're new and want a fantastic look out of the gate. That's where these Aura RNG codes come in‚ as they'll give you free potions that increase your luck. These Roblox games allow you to roll the in-built gacha system without financial commitment. If that thrill appeals to you‚ you should probably check out our Anime Roulette codes‚ as that experience has remarkably similar gameplay. Continue reading Aura RNG codes April 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games‚ Roblox promo codes‚ Roblox music codes

Corsair has just unveiled the new Corsair HS35 V2 and Corsair HS35 V2 Surround‚ improving upon and expanding the company's previous HS35 budget gaming headset offering. The new design includes a new headband and tweaked earcup shape while the Surround version is the first of the company's lowest-tier HS35 range to include virtual surround sound. While it's certainly too early to say if these will be contenders for a place on our best gaming headset guide‚ these improvements should make for more comfortable headsets compared to the quite basic original Corsair HS35 design. Continue reading Corsair’s budget gaming headsets get an upgrade with big improvements MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Corsair HS80 Max headset review‚ Corsair M75 Air mouse review‚ Best gaming keyboard

Blending Escape From Tarkov and The Division‚ and reminiscent of the upcoming Exfil‚ a hyper-realistic simulation FPS is making the move to Steam and PC. An extraction shooter where every bullet can be fatal and weapon customization is crucial‚ it’s already accumulated a devout player base‚ and will soon be available to try thanks to an upcoming beta‚ which you can sign up for right this second. If you like tension‚ tactics‚ and an extremely narrow line between life and death‚ this one’s for you. Continue reading Ultra-realistic tactical FPS and rival to Tarkov finally coming to PC MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best FPS games‚ Best multiplayer games‚ Best simulation games

The Title IX revision does roll back Trump-era due-process protections for students accused of sexual assault.