Technology

Microsoft has a pretty long history of bringing out ambitious products and then, sometimes really quickly, just stopping them. Its graveyard of discontinued projects is full of promising, and sometimes much-loved, software and hardware that, for various reasons, just didn't fit into the company's long-term plans. This whole process is a big part of how Windows has changed over time, often leaving you scrambling for other options. From simple, nostalgic apps that were too pure for today's Windows and were killed, to clever hardware platforms that maybe launched a bit too soon, a new bunch of services and features have officially been retired. We're going to look at several recently discontinued Microsoft products and features that you may not know are dead.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition is easy for people who like golf.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Baseball no-no's

• Green: Teams in the Peach State

• Blue: Winners on the green

• Purple: Famous college matchups

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Banned in Baseball

• Green: A Georgia Athlete

• Blue: Golf Awards

• Purple: College Football Rivalries

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #537 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Banned in Baseball - BETTING, CORKED BAT, SPITBALL, STEROIDS

• A Georgia Athlete - BRAVE, FALCON, HAWK, YELLOW JACKET

• Golf Awards - CLARET JUG, GREEN JACKET, SOLHEIM CUP, WANAMAKER TROPHY

• College Football Rivalries - BACKYARD BRAWL, BEDLAM, EGG BOWL, THE GAME

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Connections.

I want to love OpenClaw… I really do. But I just can’t bring myself to accept the security vulnerabilities and complicated setup that comes with it. Perplexity Personal Computer? Now that’s something I can get behind, as it might finally deliver my dream of a proper AI personal assistant.

There aren't a lot of things that are as annoying as it is to spin up a new SSD, only to find it's not even close to the performance that was advertised.

Back in 2015, Microsoft announced Windows Continuum, a feature that could transform Windows 10 Mobile phones into full-blown desktops, complete with a desktop-like interface, full-screen apps, and support for keyboards and mice. The catch was that Continuum was impressive on paper, but not in practice.

Excel is easy to use, right? You put some data in, write a few formulas, sort the columns, and you're done. While that might work for simpler tasks, it's a recipe for disaster if your workbook grows. In this scenario, your data should sit in the background while you do the work elsewhere.

I have a large number of Home Assistant automations, from the simple to the incredibly complicated. While complex automations are often necessary, the best automation I have is the simplest one of them all.

Streaming has become the default option and is arguably trying to take the role of traditional cable. However, that doesn't mean that streaming is the only option, or even a good one. Subscriptions and entertainment costs are constantly rising, but the TV antenna has only gotten better and cheaper in some cases.

We all tend to imagine ourselves as the hero of our stories. The trouble with that is it requires someone to be the villain. That way of thinking can get dangerous when tumbled into our personal wells of prejudice, paranoia, and need for validation. From this well of mind-bending emotions springs The Saviors, a clever genre thriller with a lot to say beneath its slippery surface. 

Following in the footsteps of eavesdropping-centric thrillers like Rear Window and The 'Burbs, The Saviors begins with a middle-aged white man with too much time on his hands. In an average suburban American town, Sean Harrison (a smartly cast Adam Scott) is unemployed and on the verge of divorce from his wife, Kim (Till's Danielle Deadwyler). He's hungry for a purpose when he meets Muslim siblings Amir (Theo Rossi) and Jahan (Nazanin Boniadi), who are renting the Harrisons' guest house for a few days. So, when Sean notices some strange things around his home after their arrival, his suspicious eye travels to the guest house's door. 

What follows is a provocative tale with a sharp sense of humor and an ending that'll make you want to watch it again — immediately. 

The Saviors blends sci-fi spookiness with comic paranoia. 

Co-written by Travis Betz and Kevin Hamedani, and directed by the latter, The Saviors begins with a trippy dream sequence. Sean and Kim awake in a crisp, white bedroom, whispering sweet nothings to each other as if this were the final act of a Nancy Meyers rom-com. Then a strange sound draws them away from the bliss of their bed. 

In the blink of an eye, the tone shifts from serene to panicked. Sean is bleeding. The future is uncertain and threatening, and then he wakes up for real. This time he's on the couch. He's rumpled, real, and really annoying his wife, who's readied herself to welcome their Airbnb guests to the house out back. 

Dressed primly, Amir and Jahan are polite and warm, expressing appreciation for two strangers giving them space in their home. Through sign language, Jahan praises Sean's cooking, the smell of his chili lighting up her face with a broad smile. But as they share a meal, Sean finds some of their comments strange, like their unfamiliarity with the sound of crickets. Soon, a hummed melody ("Seven Nation Army") spurs him to suspect Jahan isn't deaf as her brother claims. Then there are the tremors that shake their house, and the inexplicable green lights that suddenly pierce their windows. Things are getting undeniably strange, in a Twilight Zone way. 

Still, Sean's uneasy about broaching the topic with a wife who already finds him ridiculous. But neither does he want to confide in his parents (Colleen Camp and Ron Perlman), who've fallen down a right-wing conspiracy rabbit hole. His construction worker sister, Cleo (Kate Berlant) isn't much better, and eagerly fans the flames of Sean's paranoia. After all, isn't the president coming to their cozy town for a visit? And isn't he visiting a landmark near Sean and Kim's home? 

While Kim initially dismisses Sean's suspicions, demanding he think outside his "white bubble," TV news hums about increased security and fear of terrorist threats. Before long, she too grows nervous about their guests. From there, the couple plays amateur spies, and the adventure of it all has reignited their connection — and their sex lives. But at what cost?

The Saviors delivers a surprising parable without getting preachy. 

Hamedani doesn't shy away from modern American politics through ambiguity. Though he avoids dropping the names of real politicians, his characters speak frankly about neo-Nazis, Islamophobia, and white privilege — particularly when it comes to life in suburbia. Yet, the film never veers into feeling like a lecture, because of the propulsive thrust of its central mystery: What are these guests up to? 

Some clues are strange, but potentially innocuous. However, a second act sequence that reveals a peek into what even Sean and Kim can't see dares the audience to buy into Sean's suspicions. After all, the film is bound to his perspective, setting him up as the hero of The Saviors. But this movie would be boring if things weren't what they seem. Still, even if you'd guessed that, I doubt you'll predict where Hamedani and Betz's sci-fi story winds up. I was not just surprised, but elated to be surprised. Watching the clues stack up, I was confident — cocky, even — that I'd unlocked the mystery that The Saviors ticks down to in its climax. I was wrong, and so I wanted to see The Saviors again to see where I, like Sean and Kim, went wrong. 

The first time through The Saviors works as a solid genre thriller. The deceptively simple story is about a couple torn apart by ennui, but reunited through an adventure built on voyeurism and paranoia. But the sci-fi flourishes of unworldly glows, bizarre devices, and mysterious visitors heighten the stakes beyond divorce to life and death. Our imaginations are tantalized, enticing us to seek out exotic elements, and thereby ignoring more domestic red flags.

Like a great whodunnit, The Saviors opens up on reflection, blooming with the clues we overlooked the first time. The story shifts as our understanding of Amir and Jahan has. So, in a sense, you get two movies in one, just by watching The Saviors a second time. Better yet, the performances work both ways. All four leads — Scott, Deadwyler, Rossi, and Boniadi — are tasked with playing performances that work in two contexts. Some scenes that were once funny, flip to become menacing, and vice versa. It's all about perspective. 

A true find out of SXSW, The Saviors is a marvel. Hamedani and company have carefully constructed a film that's part dark comedy, part sci-fi thriller, part cautionary tale. And yet for all this, it never feels muddled or messy. Keenly helmed and sharply performed, The Saviors is a must-see. 

The Saviors was reviewed out of its world premiere at SXSW. 

Everyone loves to blame PowerPoint for their boring meetings, but the problem isn't the software—it's your workflow. While you were making beige bullet points, Microsoft quietly spent the past decade turning PowerPoint into a professional-grade motion graphics engine. If your presentations feel like a relic of the past, the program isn't what needs an update.

I can’t seem to avoid 3D printed slop like articulated dragons and octopi with dangling legs. It wouldn’t be so bad if these models didn’t remind me of some of the worst aspects of 3D printing.

Most days, my terminal is a purely practical space, a place for important commands, logs, and the occasional script. It’s efficient, minimal, and not particularly exciting to look at. But every once in a while, a tool comes along that reminds you that the command line can still surprise you.

iPhone owners have AirPods, but what about Android users? The answer should now be the Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro. They sound terrific, are comfortable to wear, and block noise well. These headphones can do it all, from fitness and commuting to long days in the office.

TL;DR: Banish ads with a lifetime subscription to the AdGuard Family Plan, now just $19.97 through April 16.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdGuard AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription $19.97
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You can’t escape ads. They’re on your laptop, your smartphone, and even your tablet, disrupting your flow and popping up everywhere. If you want to take back your peace and browse the web without interruptions, AdGuard can help.

Right now, you can even secure a lifetime subscription that works on nine devices for just $19.97 until April 16.

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It’s time to browse the web as it was meant to be experienced — ad-free. AdGuard makes it happen, thanks to its advanced ad-blocking module. It eliminates all types of ads that can appear on your screen, allowing you to enjoy the internet without distractions.

Aside from giving you a more delightful internet experience, AdGuard can also keep you safer online. It hides your data, blocks trackers, and stops malware, phishing attempts, and cyberattacks in their tracks.

This AdGuard Family Plan lets you extend this peace and safety to others under your roof. You’ll be able to safeguard up to nine devices — from smartphones to tablets and computers — and it works on both Android and iOS. If you have little ones in the home, there are parental control features available to help keep them safer online, too. You can restrict access to inappropriate and adult content on their devices, allowing AdGuard to serve as another set of eyes.

Not only does your lifetime subscription allow you to pay once and enjoy the benefits forever, but it also includes access to future updates and new features.

Secure your own lifetime subscription to the AdGuard Family Plan, now for only $19.97 until April 16.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Get a feature-packed Apple MacBook Air for only $199.97 (reg. $999) through March 22, while supplies last.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air 2017 (Refurbished) $199.97
$999 Save $799.03   Get Deal

Not all laptops are created equal. While they’re all meant to be portable, the MacBook Air weighs less than three pounds, so it’s a breeze to take along anywhere. The only problem? It usually comes with a hefty price tag. Fortunately, you can snag a 13-inch MacBook Air for only $199.97 (reg. $999) until March 22, while supplies last.

If you’re in the market for a laptop you won’t mind bringing along everywhere, the MacBook Air is an excellent option. This Apple laptop weighs only 2.96 pounds, letting you tackle your to-do list from anywhere. But don’t think this means it skimps on power — a 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM help you get everything done efficiently.

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This MacBook Air comes equipped with 128GB of storage, so you can store files locally and download your go-to apps. A 13.3-inch widescreen display is great for binge-watching, while the Intel HD Graphics 6000 ensures you see everything in vibrant colors.

Get a full workday and then some with a 12-hour battery life, and connect from anywhere thanks to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Wondering how you’re saving $800 on this model? It’s due to the grade A/B refurbished rating, which means you may see light scratches, dents, or scuffs, but you can rest easy knowing it will be clean and operational.

Get this Apple MacBook Air for only $199.97 (reg. $999) through March 22.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Make your workday a little easier with this Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license, on sale now for just $39.97 through April 12.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License $39.97
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Whether you work from home, the office, or a coffee shop, one thing is certain — the suite of Microsoft Office apps can help you get your tasks done. If you’ve been living without these essentials, now is a great time to add them to your arsenal.

You can currently score eight tools for life for one low price — just $39.97 — now through April 12 with this Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license.

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You can’t get much for $5 these days, but that’s exactly how much each app costs for life with this Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows license. This edition includes eight tools ready to help you work on personal and professional tasks, with no monthly subscriptions or cloud connectivity required.

Curious what’s included with this lifetime license? You’ll have permanent access to staples that have been around for decades, like Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. You’ll also receive newer favorites like OneNote, which helps you upgrade your note-taking, Teams, to help you stay connected with others, Access, for your large database needs, and Publisher, a great way to design professional documents.

This edition may be dated 2021, but each app has been redesigned and features a ribbon-based interface that makes it easier to access features, tools, and customizations. Your purchase provides an instant delivery and download, so you can get started right away — just make sure your device is running Windows 10 or 11 for compatibility.

Get this Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license for just $39.97 now through April 12.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

One of the most common questions asked about AdultFriendFinder is also one of the most basic: is the site safe to use? Everything from the dating site interface and design to the ubiquity of adult content sets off some understandable warning bells in veteran internet users, so the question makes a lot of sense. 

To better understand the risks of using AdultFriendFinder, we consulted Anna Larkina, Web Data and Privacy Analysis Expert at Kaspersky, one of the leading cybersecurity services in the world, about the nature of the threats users might face and the ways they can mitigate the risks.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdultFriendFinder AdultFriendFinder   Learn More Understanding the risks of online dating

First off, understand that there is a risk inherent to using any online service, and that even the most reputable websites have experienced major hacks or exploits. “Users should remember that any service can potentially encounter various cybersecurity issues,” Larkina told us, including “data leaks, attacks on third party contractors, or issues related to the human factor.” 

But the stakes are higher for some websites than others. For example, with a typical merchant website, you’re only providing them with your credit card information, but on a dating site, you’re potentially providing your credit card details and crucial personal information, from your date of birth to your phone number, that can all be exploited by bad actors. 

SEE ALSO: Is Hinge really 'designed to be deleted'? I tested it to find out.

While this is a risk you take with any dating service, AdultFriendFinder is perhaps more vulnerable than most dating sites, so it’s important to understand the potential pitfalls.

What risks are specific to AdultFriendFinder?The “adult content” angle

While there is absolutely no obligation for AFF users to share nude photos of themselves, or get naked on a webcam feed, many, many people opt to do so, and while we have no objection from a moral perspective — let your freak flag fly — it’s important that you know you’re risking more than an awkward conversation with the odd coworker or family member who comes across your account.

Unfortunately, bad actors who wish to do you harm can use your personal information against you. “Data from services with adult content or dating services can be especially sensitive for users, because it’s more personal,” warns Larkina. “If fraudsters somehow obtain such private data, they can use it for more ‘efficient’ blackmailing or targeted phishing.” Needless to say, you should be wary of how you use the site and what information you share, especially if you have a public-facing job.

AFF security breaches

While dating sites invest heavily in cybersecurity protections, another unfortunate reality of the online world is that the threats are constant and ever-evolving, and hackers eager to discover treasure troves of personal and financial information will always be incentivized to target online dating sites.

AdultFriendFinder has had two major security breaches in its 30-year history, which actually demonstrates a very stellar record of security, but it’s still worth being aware of these events. In 2016, hackers managed to gain access to the personal information of four million AFF users before the breach was found and stopped, while a larger breach occurred in 2016, impacting 300 million AFF accounts, including 15 million accounts that had been officially deleted by the user but whose data had not been properly expunged from their servers.

Phishing scams

Another common hacking technique, and one particularly effective on dating websites is phishing, which is when a bad actor assumes a false identity to gain your trust and deceive you into revealing compromising or sensitive information.

SEE ALSO: All your Tinder questions, answered

To combat phishing, AFF offers users the ability to verify their identities using government-issued identification, but this verification process is still an optional extra on the site rather than a mandatory step towards account creation.

Can your AFF account be found?

While the private information you offer to AFF during account creation (your real name and email address, for example) is not public-facing, that doesn’t mean no one will ever discover your account. AFF’s dating profiles are public by default, so if you include a picture of your face (as many accounts do), you can be recognized by friends, co-workers, and family members. 

Additionally, because AFF has had two major hacks before, you should assume there’s at least an outside chance that the site is hacked in the future, which may result in your email address ending up in a hacked database.

How to protect your online identity when using AdultFriendFinder

Does all of the above mean you should never use an online dating website, or never use AdultFriendFinder in particular? Absolutely not. We shared the risks to make you aware of them, and to better help you protect yourself, not to discourage you from signing up. 

To help you protect yourself, Larkina shared a list of best practices that will help you mitigate your risks while still having fun, on AFF or any other dating site:

1. Don’t use a professional email address to sign up for a dating site. If you’re especially nervous, consider creating a new email address just for the purposes of signing up.

2. To protect your accounts, use strong and unique passwords, change them regularly, and if possible, enable two factor authentication

3. Be extremely cautious with what you share with strangers, especially when it comes to sensitive information or intimate photos. “Always assess reputational and other risks before posting or sending anything,” cautions Larkina.

4. When using AFF in particular, limit your interactions to users who have verified their identity

Summing up her advice, Larkina urges online dating service users to treat these “platforms as public spaces, not as private ones” as far as possible, and be ever mindful that “every piece of data you provide — email, phone number, username, etc. — becomes part of your digital footprint.” If you’re careful about what you share and who you share it with, you can safely enjoy AdultFriendFinder as you would any other dating site.

What if a flock of ballerinas were stranded in a dive bar, where they must fight a vicious mob boss to get out alive? That's the premise of Pretty Lethal, the new action comedy starring Lana Condor (To All the Boys I've Loved Before), Millicent Simmonds (A Quiet Place), Avantika (Mean Girls 2024), Iris Apatow (The Bubble), and Maddie Ziegler, who was the center of such iconic Sia music videos as "Chandelier" and "Elastic Heart."

The plotline seems like something out of a '70s exploitation film, where ultra-femininity collides with gruesome, graphic violence. However, the cast feels more in line for a reboot of Sugar & Spice or Bring It On, teen comedies that relied on charming ingenues and high-energy antics. Like exploitation movies that capitalized on emerging media trends, Pretty Lethal seems to walk in the footsteps of recent ballerina-does-violence movies, like the 2024 horror-comedy Abigail, about a pint-sized vampire girl who paired her fangs with a tutu, and 2025's Ballerina, a John Wick spinoff starring Ana de Armas. So, audiences might well expect the kind of sleek style and jaw-dropping violence of these sorts.

Unfortunately, Pretty Lethal pales in comparison to all of these potential inspiration points. It's just not outrageous or surprising enough to rise above feeling like an imitator. 

Pretty Lethal feels pretty basic.  Uma Thurman plays a bar owner with a ballet past in "Pretty Lethal." Credit: Prime Video

Written by Kate Freund and directed by Vicky Jewson, Pretty Lethal begins in a ballet studio, where an American troupe of teen ballerinas is preparing for a big competition overseas. 

Faster than they can pirouette, their personalities are clear. Condor is the rich and privileged mean girl who feels entitled to the principal dancer role. Naturally, her name is Princess. And she absolutely loathes Bones, who is poor, tough as nails, and the best dancer, so she's played by Ziegler. Sweet, good girl Grace (Avantika) is deeply Christian and wishes the girls wouldn't fight — and would find Jesus as their personal lord and savior. Meanwhile, sisters Chloe (Simmonds) and Zoe (Apatow) are low-key fighting because Chloe, who is deaf, doesn't appreciate Zoe's overeager babying of her at every turn.

They're struggling to come together as a dance troupe. But when their bus breaks down in Hungary on the way to the competition, the five girls and their instructor stumble across a decadent bar called the Teremok Inn. Inside, they find mementos from the owner's (Uma Thurman) time as a ballet dancer. But the whole place, once luxurious, is stained by years of neglect, bar fights, and resentment. 

It's not long before a confrontation with a handsy patron leads to their instructor being murdered before their very eyes. Can these ballerinas put their personal issues aside and turn their art into a martial art to survive? 

Pretty Lethal lacks a distinctive style. 

There's promise in the Teremok Inn, as its interior immediately suggests a time of splendor and possibility long eroded by something ugly. However, Jewson falls into the tiresome color palette of dingy greens tinting mustards, magentas, and teals. This look has become tediously standard in any action movie trying to affect a chic John Wick vibe (see also: Hotel Artemis). 

Beyond that, though, even the ballerina's outfits are frustratingly expected. When they arrive, soaked to the bone from walking in the rain, a snarling bartender demands they put on dry clothes. Obviously, that means their meticulously white uniforms, complete with pointe shoes and long tutus. Now, a white dress (like a white T-shirt) is a perfect canvas for the anticipated sprays of blood as they'll brawl with dangerous Hungarian goons. But the simple design of these dresses does nothing to distinguish the girls from one another or to add panache to the film's production design. 

These uninspired visuals don't help the screenplay, which reads like a mediocre '90s teen comedy. The familiar archetypes of tough girl, mean girl, good girl, and bickering sisters is one thing, but the lack of zinging dialogue is another. None of Princess' barbs are stinging enough to remember. The battling between sisters is frustratingly surface-level. And halfway through, the "good girl" act gets so tedious that Grace is forced into a psychedelic drug trip. There, at least we get some unexpected visual flair, as towering nutcrackers come to life to warn her to run. 

Yet in the midst of those hallucinations, I wondered if the movie would be more visually exciting if Jewson had rejected the cool-toned approach and embraced the brightly colored, high-saturated, ultra-femme color palettes of films like Mean Girls, Bring It On, or But I'm a Cheerleader. Rather than undercutting the grime of the Hungarian bar, such a palette might have made the turn to violence less telegraphed. And to see blood spray in such a vivid setting would have been more surprising and even funnier. 

Pretty Lethal has solid action. 

Be warned: It takes a while to get to the ballerinas-fight-back stage of the movie. Freund attempts some semblance of realism by having the girls scream, run, and panic for quite a while before they decide to weapon up and fight back. However, when we finally get to this point, Pretty Lethal is pretty fun. 

It's not just that a razor blade at the point of a ballet slipper turns out to be the perfect way to slit an enemy's throat with a proper fouetté turn. It's also that seeing one of their number pull this off strengthens the others' confidence. They finally begin to come together, and the energy of the film finally musters excitement. However, because it takes so long to get going, the final act feels chaotic. The turns it takes feel like shortcuts instead of earned. So, even when I enjoyed the bonkers action (like a bunch of ballerinas leaping away from an enormous explosion), I felt disconnected from the vicarious thrill of it all. 

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There's potential in the set pieces of Pretty Lethal, including a sequence where the girls perform ballet on a stage, their once pristine costumes grungy in blood and muck. But Jewson's approach lacks punch in color, attitude, and music. The right song could have made this sequence rousing, but a simple piano isn't enough to sell the undercurrent of emotions that are given a place to explode here. So, it's more a whimper than a roar of a performance. 

Speaking of performances, they're all over the place. Perhaps that's intentional, to illustrate how different these girls are from each other. To Condor's credit, she successfully shakes off the rom-com heroine cheeriness of To All The Boys, recreating herself as a seething bitch. Ziegler, who shone in The Fallout opposite Jenna Ortega, is solid as the guarded tough girl, but is at her best in the dance/fight scenes where she can rely on physicality to speak for her. As was true in 2024's Mean Girls, Avantika's role was thin, but she's solidly amusing as a clueless hanger-on. Simmonds is the best of the bunch, however, managing to work in teen lust and angst, even within a flimsy subplot. Apatow struggles the most with the thinly written characters, playing earnest to the point where she's practically an echo. Thankfully, Thurman is darkly fun as a twisted former ballerina with an ax to grind. 

In the end, Pretty Lethal is fine for a movie to throw on for a night in. But with this cast and this premise, I definitely anticipated something weirder and wilder and more satisfying. 

Pretty Lethal was reviewed out of the 2026 SXSW Film Festival; it premieres on Prime Video on March 25. 

UPDATE: Mar. 14, 2026, 8:57 a.m. A previous version of this review misspelled Vicky Jewson's name and misidentified David Leitch as a producer.

In the last six months, I’ve flown to Argentina for a wedding, Miami for another wedding, South Carolina for the holidays, and Costa Rica for a friend’s birthday. And for every journey, the first thing I packed was my Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds.

These have easily become my No. 1 travel necessity.

Soundcore Sleep A20 sleep earbuds $149.99 at Best Buy
$179.99 Save $30   Shop Now at Best Buy Shop Now at Amazon Why sleep earbuds?

Most people probably bring their AirPods or a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones when they fly — and so do I. So, why choose to bring such a niche audio product with limited bag space? 

Soundcore’s Sleep A20s are our favorite budget sleep earbuds. They have a 14-hour battery life, so they last through the night — or on a long flight — and the Soundcore app comes loaded with soundscapes and white noise options. The biggest draw for me is how comfortable they are.

My AirPods 4 are lovely for going on walks, taking calls, and listening to music for short periods of time. But the ear fatigue I feel is real. I’m not going to lie and say the Sleep A20s feel like they aren’t even there or anything, but they put a lot less pressure on my ear canal, and I can comfortably wear them for longer stretches of time. They’re also better at passive noise cancellation than my AirPods, with a more snug seal.

Plus, I enjoy having an app dedicated to my sleep sounds, so my Spotify Wrapped isn’t skewed by my top song “Deep Sleep Brown Noise.”

I slept an entire long-haul flight

My overnight flight from New York to Buenos Aires was about 10 hours, and I slept for eight or nine of them. I fired up The Bob’s Burgers Movie until I nodded off, then put on my eye mask and knocked out. 

My ultimate travel companion. Credit: Miller Kern / Mashable

The great thing about Soundcore’s sleep buds is that they also function as regular Bluetooth earbuds. So I was able to connect them to my iPad to play the movie audio, and then switch to sleep sounds once my eyes got heavy.

I have a few personalized soundscapes downloaded in the Soundcore app, so I let the sounds of crackling fire, rain on a tent, and cicadas lull me to sleep. Once the buds detect that I’ve truly fallen asleep, they switch to white noise.

It was the same story on the flight back home. It was another overnight flight, and I queued up an episode of Bob’s Burgers until I was ready to knock out. I woke up with maybe an hour and a half left in the flight (just in time for the delicious breakfast service of plain Greek yogurt), and my partner said he kept getting woken up throughout the flight. I felt genuinely rested.

A lifesaver for noisy Airbnbs

The Airbnb I stayed at in Miami was across the street from a nightclub. The music there bumped well into the morning and made it nearly impossible to fall asleep. Luckily, I had my sleep buds handy.

I popped those bad boys in, selected my sleep sound made up of meditation music, a dryer, and rain, and fell into restful sleep. The next morning, my partner, once again, said he had slept horribly and kept getting woken up by the club music. I slept through the night, no problem.

The Soundcore app has preloaded soundscapes. Credit: Screenshot: Soundcore Or you can create your own with up to three white noise sounds at a time. Credit: Screenshot: Soundcore

If you’ve got a snorer in the house, sleep earbuds could be the difference between a frustrating, sleepless night and a night of white noise bliss. I visited my mom over Christmas, and she and her partner both snore like you wouldn’t believe. I could hear them from the guest room, so I popped in the Sleep A20s and blocked them out until the morning.

A permanent spot in my travel bag

I’ve brought the Soundcore Sleep A20 buds on every trip I’ve taken since I bought them, and I plan to take them on all my future trips. They’re small enough that I don’t feel like I’m taking up precious carry-on bag space. Because they act as regular old Bluetooth earbuds, I can also use them as an AirPods replacement — they’re way more comfortable, too.

If I happen to be on a loud plane or stuck sharing a space with someone who snores, I know the Sleep A20s will come to the rescue.

This model of Soundcore’s sleep earbuds doesn’t have noise cancellation, but that doesn’t bother me. The soundscapes mask enough for me to sleep comfortably. However, if you prefer noise-cancelling sleep earbuds, my colleague, Bethany Allard, loves the Soundcore Sleep A30 Specials.

Soundcore Sleep A20 $149.99 at Best Buy
$179.99 Save $30   Shop Now at Best Buy Shop Now at Amazon Soundcore Sleep A30 Special $199.99 at Amazon
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