Technology

MARKET VALUE: As of Nov. 14, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Elite Trainer Box is $79.95 at Amazon, which is market value compared to TCGplayer.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Mega Evolution Elite Trainer Box $79.95 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $20.04   Get Deal

Looking for your Mega Evolution fix? Phantasmal Flames drops today, but I'm still chasing that Mega Lucario SIR goodness, and Amazon has just made it that little bit easier to do so. Right now, Mega Evolution Elite Trainer Boxes are at market value compared to TCGplayer.

In the X and Y era of Pokémon TCG, Mega Evolution mechanics were ridiculous. Every EX card from the time was a basic Pokémon, so no need for evolution, just Mega Evolution and Spirit Link cards to help you play them sooner. It kind of broke the TCG for many, with strategy and deckbuilding coming down to who could afford the best Mega Evolution beatdown cards.

SEE ALSO: Where to buy Pokémon cards in 2025 — avoid overpaying or missing out on new sets

With the exception of Pokémon like Absol who would have a basic ex card anyway, Mega Evolution this time around requires the comon and uncommon evolution lines to play Mega Evolved Pokémon, skipping the standard ex stage and straight into Mega Evolution. It flows very well, bringing in hard hitting moves without turning gameplay into a one-sided argument.

Promo Illustration Rare Alakazam features in the Gardevoir variant, with the Mega Lucario ETB featuring a Promo Illustration Rare Riolu alongside themed card sleeves, dice, card dividers, eight booster packs, and a tidy box to store your bulk cards in.

Most valuable Mega Evolution Pokémon cards Credit: Mashable Photo Composite / The Pokémon Company

We're seeing Mega Evolution finding a new floor value-wise when it comes to single cards, which is in part thanks to the availability of the set. If you're chasing the heavy hitters of the new era of Pokémon TCG, you'll likely save money just buying the card you want over opening infinite booster packs. Here's the top five Mega Evolution case cards including where to buy and up-to-date market values:

1. Mega Lucario ex - 188/132
   Near Mint Holofoil: $488
   Market price: $496.44
   Most recent sale: $495

2. Mega Gardevoir ex - 187/132
   Near Mint Holofoil: $365
   Market price: $408.31
   Most recent sale: $350

3. Mega Lucario ex - 179/132
   Near Mint Holofoil: $224.85
   Market price: $222.45
   Most recent sale: $222.95

4. Mega Gardevoir ex - 178/132
   Near Mint Holofoil: $245
   Market price: $220.31
   Most recent sale: $205

5. Mega Venusaur ex - 177/132
   Near Mint Holofoil: $185.15
   Market price: $166.71
   Most recent sale: $135

SAVE $100: As of Nov. 14, the 2024 Mac mini is on sale for $499 at Amazon. This is $100 off its list price of $599.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple 2024 Mac mini M4 $499 at Amazon
$599 Save $100   Get Deal

Early Black Friday deals have arrived — if you've been looking to invest in new tech, now is a great time to do it. So many popular items have already gone on sale ahead of the event's official start date at the end of the month, including plenty of Apple products.

The 2024 Mac mini M4 is currently marked down to below $500 at Amazon. The 2024 Mac mini is listed for $499 at Amazon, to be exact. This is $100 off its usual price of $599, which is an excellent deal to consider ahead of Black Friday. Packed with an M4 chip, this tiny but mighty device is more than worth the investment for Apple users.

SEE ALSO: Target Black Friday ad: The best deals you can buy online early

The M4 chip in the 2024 Mac mini provides speedy performance so you can zip through work and personal projects. This model also comes with 16GB of Unified Memory and a 256GB SSD. On top of that, it features a variety of connections — including Thunderbolt, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet ports, USB-C ports, and a headphone jack — all in a wonderfully compact footprint that can fit neatly beside a monitor. At only five by five inches, its sleek design can be tucked away so it doesn't stand out too much on your desk.

No need to wait for Black Friday. Score $100 off the 2024 Mac mini at Amazon today.

There are plenty of Apple deals to explore right now ahead of Black Friday. Scroll through our roundup of the 30+ best early Black Friday Apple deals to see what else is available. We even have a breakdown of the best early Black Friday deals from Amazon.

Though open earbuds share the common feature of sitting on the exterior of the ear, they come in many shapes and sizes, from clip models to ear hook models. Some are more geared toward working out, while others are better for everyday use. The Bose Ultra Open earbuds are an especially popular pick thanks to their sound quality and many colorways, but they're far from your only option (or the most affordable, at $299).

SEE ALSO: We've found the 9 best headphones of 2025 after extensive testing

Below, we've compiled some of the best open earbud models available in 2025. For each of our picks below, one of the best times of year to grab a good deal is during Black Friday. As sales start to ramp up, the Bose Ultra Open earbuds are $100 off, and the Anker Soundcore Aerofit 2 earbuds are down to $77.99 for Amazon Prime members.

Note: This guide is a work in progress, so we'll possibly be shifting (or expanding) our recommendations as we continue to test pairs.

What are open earbuds?

Open earbuds allow you to get as close as you possibly can to the feeling of not wearing earbuds at all. Unlike in-ear earbuds which sit in your ear canal (as the name states), open earbuds sit just outside your ears. Some models hold the speaker component in place with an ear hook while others opt for an ear cuff.

SEE ALSO: We tested the top fitness trackers of 2025: See our favorite wearables and smart rings

People generally opt for open earbuds for three main reasons:

1. They provide a private listening experience while leaving you almost completely aware of the world around you. It's like the best transparency mode you've ever used.

2. For some people, not having an earbud physically in their ear is generally more comfortable.

3. The hooks and cuffs (along with the general awareness of your surroundings) make them a great option for keeping them in place, and keeping you alert, while you're working out.

What are the drawbacks of open earbuds?

As you may have gathered from the section above, open earbuds don't generally come with active noise cancellation. That's mostly thanks to how much sound they let in (by design) and the difficulty of cancelling out sound without having the device covering your actual ear canal.

Also thanks to the whole open ear-canal situation, these aren't going to be the earbuds for audiophiles. That's not to say open earbuds sound bad — if you've never tried them, we promise they sound much better than you're imagining — but you will lose out on some of the nuance of a song without having the earbud actually in your ear.

SEE ALSO: I tested sleep earbuds for over a month: Here are the 3 I'd buy

That said, many pairs still have equalizers on their companion apps to help you make them sound their best. Our upgrade pick, the Bose Ultra Open earbuds, even have a spatial audio feature that worked surprisingly well.

Most open earbuds will also boast some form of special technology that keeps them from leaking too much sound. While these pairs do pretty well in keeping the sound just to you, most pairs (including our picks) while be prone to some leakage, especially at higher volumes.

Finally, some open earbuds — mainly those with ear hooks — tend to have slightly bulkier cases. If you like to travel light, it's something to be aware of.

What about bone conduction headphones?

Bone conduction earbuds work exactly like the name implies they do — they use your skull to conduct sound waves, instead of projecting the sound into your ear, like most of the picks are on list. Typically, a band runs from either side of the users head to help hold the headphones in place.

Shokz, the brand behind our top pick, is a popular maker of these kinds of headphones. While we do consider them open earbuds, we have yet to test any bone conduction earbuds — look out in the future for that update. On that note:

What's next in our testing pipeline

The open earbuds market is rapidly expanding, so we'll be testing more as we can get our hands on them. Up next, we'll be trying out budget pairs of open earbuds under $100, as well as more pairs from Shokz.

In addition to the earbuds that made our final guide in May 2025, we tested out the Nothing Ear (Open) earbuds ($149), the Sony Linkbuds Open ($199.99), the Anker Soundcore AeroClip earbuds ($169.99), and the Shokz OpenFit Air ($119.95). While none of the above were bad earbuds by any means, we found our picks to outshine them in their comfort and sound quality, especially when considering their respective prices.

SAVE OVER $100: As of Nov. 14, the 85-inch Hisense Canvas TV is on sale for $1,947.99 at Amazon. That's over $100 off the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense 85-Inch Canvas TV $1,947.99 at Amazon
$2,049.99 Save $102.00   Get Deal

Black Friday deals are growing in number, and the latest discount on the Hisense 85-inch Canvas TV is something that deserves your attention. As of Nov. 14, you can save $102 on this impressive TV, a deal that brings it down to its lowest-ever price.

There's lots going for this TV, but its real selling point is its ability to turn your screen into famous works of art. When not in use, transform your screen into something that enhances your surroundings. The hi-matte display makes each picture look like the real thing. You can even change the color of the frame thanks to its magnetic connection. Choose from teak, white, or walnut. Whatever suits your aesthetic or your mood.

SEE ALSO: The 100-inch Hisense Class QD6 QLED 4K TV is sitting at a new record-low price before Black Friday

The TV offers 4K QLED with Quantum Dot technology, so everything you watch is sharp and clear. And if you're a gamer, this TV’s 144Hz Game Mode Pro is built to keep things smooth and responsive. It supports a variable refresh rate from 48Hz to 144Hz, along with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, Auto Low Latency Mode, and low-latency motion processing to cut down on screen tearing and input lag. It also benefits from a new Game Bar to change your settings right from the TV remote.

Get this TV deal at Amazon ahead of Black Friday.

Astronomers have captured the first clear evidence of a giant eruption of charged gas from a distant star, marking a turning point in the study of space weather.

The outburst came from a red dwarf star about 130 light-years away in space. It was identified as a coronal mass ejection, or CME, the kind of explosive event many people just witnessed coming from the sun in the form of psychedelic auroras. Those curtains of colors in the sky are the result of huge clouds of magnetized plasma whooshing toward the planet and interacting with gases in Earth's air. 

Scientists have long wondered whether other stars produce the same kinds of explosions. Many exoplanets orbit extremely close to their small, violent hosts. That proximity places them in the firing line of stellar eruptions that could strip away their atmospheres. If these stars have frequent and powerful blasts, it's unlikely the nearby worlds could support life. 

Detecting a CME beyond the sun ends decades of speculation about whether other stars unleash similar eruptions. Prior to this observation, researchers had only found clues, like sudden dimming or shifts in a star’s light. But an international team was able to make the discovery by detecting a two-minute burst of radio waves racing away from the star. 

"This kind of radio signal just wouldn’t exist unless material had completely left the star’s bubble of powerful magnetism," Joe Callingham of the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy said in a statement. 

SEE ALSO: NASA has a broken giant antenna that could upend its 2026 plans

The finding, published in Nature this week, used data from two major European observatories: the Low Frequency Array, a continent-wide network of radio telescopes, and the XMM-Newton space observatory operated by the European Space Agency. 

Coronal mass ejection effects

As a CME travels, it produces a shock wave that blasts out radio waves sliding from high to low frequencies over time. The team identified this distinct pattern in the signal from the red dwarf, known as StKM 1-1262, confirming that the eruption had broken free of the star’s magnetic field and escaped into interstellar space.

"This eruption would be devastating for a planet around such a star," said Callingham, first author of the paper.

Don’t miss out on our latest stories: Add Mashable as a trusted news source in Google.

On Earth, the atmosphere and magnetic field shield creatures against the most harmful health impacts of solar radiation during solar storms. But these events can knock out satellites and power grids. A solar flare in March 1989, for example, caused all of Quebec, Canada, to experience a 12-hour power outage. It also jammed radio signals for Radio Free Europe.

The red dwarf's blast was extreme even by solar standards. The ejected material was moving at about 5.37 million mph, a speed recorded in only a tiny fraction of the sun’s CMEs. Such force would be enough to strip the atmosphere from any planet orbiting close to the star, leaving its surface exposed to radiation and transforming it into a bald rock, according to the research.

Red dwarf star systems and habitability Astronomers don't know whether rocky worlds orbiting close to red dwarf stars can hold onto their atmospheres. Credit: NASA / ESA / G. Bacon / J. de Wit illustration

Red dwarfs like StKM 1-1262 are smaller and dimmer than the sun but much more magnetically active. They make up most of the stars in the Milky Way and host the largest number of known planets roughly the size of Earth. Because their habitable zones — regions in space where the temperature is just right for liquid water to pool on surfaces — lie much closer to the stars, these planets are likely subjected to far more frequent stellar storms.

"It seems intense space weather may be even more extreme around smaller stars — the primary hosts of potentially habitable exoplanets," said Henrik Eklund, a European Space Agency research fellow based in the Netherlands, in a statement. 

Scientists leading a high-priority observing program with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are trying to answer the question of whether rocky planets circling these stars, also called M-dwarfs, can hold onto their atmospheres. 

The campaign, first reported by Mashable in 2024, will use Webb to look for signs of carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping gas, using a novel method for studying atmospheres, called the secondary eclipse technique. Meanwhile, the Hubble Space Telescope will focus on the stars themselves, studying their ultraviolet radiation output. 

"If you found out that none of them have atmospheres, that would be pretty sad," Néstor Espinoza, an astronomer leading the program, told Mashable, "but also pretty interesting. It would mean that our planetary system is actually really, really special."

Future observatories will build on this discovery to identify more stellar eruptions and map how they influence the environments of planets throughout the galaxy.

TL;DR: Save $159 on Microsoft Office Home and Business for Mac 2021, and never worry about Microsoft 365 renewals or fees again.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021: Lifetime License $59.97
$219 Save $159.03   Get Deal

Why keep paying monthly for Microsoft 365 when you can own the same apps outright? Microsoft Office 2021 provides you with lifetime access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more, all for a one-time fee. Through Nov. 16, you only have to pay $59.97 instead of the usual $219 price.

You can rest assured that this isn’t some watered-down online-only version. It’s the full desktop suite — which means you can work offline, organize your life, manage your business, or tackle schoolwork with all the tools you already know and love.

SEE ALSO: The 8 best tablets of 2025: I compared iPads, the Microsoft Surface Pro, and Amazon Fire

Need to build spreadsheets that auto-calculate your vacation days? Done. Want to make a PowerPoint that actually wows your coworkers? Easy. Would you prefer to write your next great novel in Word while offline in a cozy café? Go for it.

Whether you’re a solopreneur juggling invoices and pitches, a parent managing school reports and schedules, or just someone who likes their digital life neat and organized, the lifetime version of Office gives you the flexibility to handle it all.

And because you’re using the desktop apps — not cloud-dependent versions — you get faster load times, better file control, and zero surprises if your WiFi decides to take a break.

Since this license is tied to your Microsoft Account (not your device), you can reinstall it if you upgrade your Mac down the road. It’s a pretty rare combo: future-proof, fuss-free, and forever yours.

Download Microsoft Office for Mac while it’s on sale for $59.97 until Nov. 16 at 11:59 p.m. PT (reg. $219). No coupon is needed.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: This is your chance to own or gift a 2023 MacBook Air 15-inch M2 for $769.99 (reg. $1,299) — a near-mint powerhouse with premium performance, stunning visuals, and all-day battery life.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air 2023 15-Inch (Refurbished) $769.99
$1,299 Save $529.01   Get Deal

Looking for the holiday gift that’s sleek, smart, and seriously powerful? You might’ve just found it here.

The Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (2023) with the M2 chip is down to just $769.99 (reg. $1,299) — a rare find for anyone who’s been waiting for the right moment to upgrade (or to finally join Team Mac).

SEE ALSO: The 9 best early Black Friday MacBook deals to shop before the main event

This 15-inch model blends everything Apple’s known for — speed, design, and simplicity — into one ultra-thin frame that’s as easy on the eyes as it is to carry.

The M2 chip handles multitasking, video editing, streaming, and creative projects with zero slowdown. The Liquid Retina display is big, bright, and beautifully color-accurate, while the six-speaker Spatial Audio system makes music and calls sound crisp and full.

Add 18-hour battery life and a MagSafe charger, and you’ve got the kind of laptop that goes wherever you do — without needing a power outlet every few hours.

And yes, it’s refurbished — but don’t let that word fool you. This unit comes in Grade A condition, meaning it looks and performs like new. For under $800, you’re getting one of Apple’s most beloved laptops at a price that makes sense for gifting or upgrading.

Because when it comes to tech gifts, nothing says “I nailed it” like a MacBook that’s 40% off. Get this near-mint MacBook Air with M2 chip while it’s only $769.99 (reg. $1,299) for a limited time.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

I fell in love with Arco from its very first frames.

In these opening moments, a flock of birds soars towards a cluster of towers jutting into the clouds, each holding up platforms covered in greenery and wind turbines. The image is utopian, yet there's a slightly foreboding to it. What led humanity to move to the sky? What lies below the clouds? The answer, unsurprisingly, is ecological disaster of our own making.

SEE ALSO: Neon's 'Arco' trailer is the prettiest thing you'll watch today

That tension between beauty and hard truths fuels the entirety of Arco, as French director Ugo Bienvenu pairs a charming tale of friendship with a sobering look at the realities of climate change. It's a glorious sci-fi journey, one told through the most remarkable animation you'll see this year.

What's Arco about?

The people who live on the platforms from Arco's opening scene are able to time travel. They fly to the past with the help of colorful cloaks and light-refracting crystals, bringing rainstorms and rainbows as they go.

Kids under the age of 12 are not allowed to use this technology, which doesn't sit right with 10-year-old Arco (voiced by Juliano Valdi in the English-language dub). So what does this aspiring adventurer do? He steals his sister's cloak and jets off to 2075, only to find himself stuck there. Thankfully, he has a newfound friend in Iris (voiced by Romy Fay), who is determined to help him get back to his own time.

Arco is another formidable animated film about climate change. Credit: Courtesy of NEON

While Arco's future is an idyllic one, fueled by renewable energy and a deep connection to nature, Iris' version is far more troubling — and hits closer to home.

Iris lives in a suburb that would seem right at home in our current moment, apart from a few changes. Her robot caretaker Mikki (voiced by Natalie Portman and Mark Ruffalo), as well as her town's hordes of robot laborers, speaks to significant technological advancements. So, too, do the holograms her workaholic parents (also voiced by Portman and Ruffalo) use to communicate while they're away at work.

But the most telling difference between our present and Iris' future is that of the protective bubbles that pop up around people's houses during ever-frequent destructive weather events. The threat of severe storms looms over the town, while kids talk casually about their families preparing for disaster in the face of encroaching wildfires. Clearly, this is a society that lives with the impacts of climate change, yet makes no large-scale attempts to mitigate its effects for future generations. (Sound familiar?)

SEE ALSO: 'The Wild Robot' and 'Flow' are quietly revolutionary climate change movies

Arco knows that climate change — and humans' acceleration of it — is what led his ancestors to make their way above the clouds. Through his eyes, everyday elements of Iris' world become accelerants of oncoming ecological collapse, such as the town's cars, or the excess of grocery stores, as opposed to his family's homegrown approach.

Bienvenu is never too heavy-handed in his messaging around climate change. Still, each of these world-building details combine to build a growing background sense of dread, one that only makes Iris and Arco's friendship all the sweeter by comparison. They offer up hope in a rapidly deteriorating world.

Arco's treatment of climate change recalls two of 2024's most outstanding films, Flow and The Wild Robot. Like Arco, each present worlds impacted by ecological calamities. However, these are not grand, sweeping stories of saving the world, but rather stories of the innocents — like Flow and The Wild Robot's animals, or Arco's young Iris and Arco — who have no choice but to endure these storms. In addition to Flow and The Wild Robot, Arco is further proof of animation's ability to communicate the realities of climate change to younger and older audiences alike.

Arco is a downright stunner.

And what animation is on display in Arco! A comic book artist himself, Bienvenu translates his 2D illustrative style to the big screen. The effect is glorious, reminiscent of the fantastical works of Jean Giraud (aka Mœbius) and the films of Studio Ghibli.

In addition to the rainbows and solarpunk sky towers of Arco's future, Bienvenu finds wonder in the 2075 timeline. The forests of Iris' town are lush wonderlands, while her school provides unexpected opportunities for escapism. Each classroom can transform into a variety of environments, from galaxies to underwater landscapes, offering Bienvenu and his team opportunities to flex their animation muscles and take Iris and Arco's adventure to new heights.

Another highlight of the animation is the mysterious trio of men (voiced by Will Ferrell, Andy Samberg, and Flea) who are tracking Arco down. They each rock colorful suits, bowl cuts, and rainbow glasses, and their bumbling attempts to find Arco are among the funniest and most visually distinct moments of the film.

In a mainstream animation landscape dominated by 3D-animated films, Arco's visuals are a testament to the enduring power of 2D work, as well as French filmmakers' commitment to the medium. If you love animation, run, don’t walk — or better yet, fly by rainbow — to catch it.

Arco is now in theaters.

If you're watching The Running Man, don't expect to outpace the Stephen King universe of it all.

There's a small connection between Edgar Wright's 2025 adaptation of the horror master's 1982 novel, and King's extended realm of stories — and it has to do with IT's dreaded sewer-dwelling Pennywise the Clown.

In The Running Man, desperate man Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is chased all over the Eastern states of America by hunters for televised entertainment. From New York to Boston to Maine, Richards is pursued, and it's in this latter location he ends up in a familiar fictional town: Derry.

SEE ALSO: Stephen King shares his 11-word review of 'The Running Man'

After encountering locals watching The Running Man on an outdoor screen together, Richards meets Elton Parrakis (Michael Cera), a covert rebel and anarchist ready to take down the all-powerful Network with The Truth, his homemade zine filled with exposés. We hear Elton's mother, unaware of her son's guest, worrying about Richards being somewhere on the run nearby, as she asks, "What if he's in Derry?"

"What if he's in Derry?" Credit: Paramount Pictures

Derry is, of course, Stephen King's go-to fictional Maine town, based on the town of Bangor. Notably, Derry is also Pennywise's base of terror in IT. As Mashable's Sam Haysom explains, "[Bangor] is the town where the horror master was living when he wrote his novel — a note at the end of IT says King started writing the book in Bangor in 1981 and finished a little over four years later. The author has also confirmed in interviews that Derry is essentially a fictionalised version of the Maine town."

Featured Video For You Cooper Hoffman and 'The Long Walk' cast compete for ultimate Stephen King film knowledge

In King's The Running Man novel, Richard indeed makes it to Derry, though the events are slightly different. Another fun element in the film is that Elton and his mom live in a Victorian Gothic mansion with vertical architecture and a turret, like many Stephen King characters do (and King himself does). That includes Pennywise and the dreaded Neibolt House, too. We're not saying Pennywise lives in Elton's house in The Running Man, it's just a bit of a creepy coincidence.

The Running Man opens in theaters Nov. 14.

People will tell you that you should run a marathon because it's a mental and physical challenge. People will say it requires dedication and perseverance. People will tell you it encourages community and dares you to test yourself.

But the best reason to run a marathon is to test seven fitness trackers for your job at Mashable dot com. So that's what I did.

Me and my trackers Credit: Christianna Silva / Mashable

Two years ago, I wore an Apple Watch SE during my first New York City Marathon, and it died before I crossed the finish line. Say it with me: Boooooooo.

In its defense, the NYC Marathon is notorious for killing fitness tech because there is so much waiting around before and after.

I started the race in the fourth wave, which means I started running at 10:50 in the morning. But I started my day around 5 a.m., left my apartment at 6 a.m., got to the Staten Island Ferry for a 7:20 departure, and then got on a bus, which took us on a 20-minute drive to the start village, where you walk through security and find your corral. By the time you start, you've been on a long, cold journey for hours — and then you have to run 26.2 miles, walk almost a mile out of the marathon finisher area, get to the subway, and find your way home (this took me a little over an hour).

Apple has since improved the battery life of its smartwatches, but the SE dying before I got my medal was a trauma I was unwilling to face a second time.

SEE ALSO: With Strava, no one runs alone anymore. That's the problem. A poster my best friend made for me during the marathon... lol Credit: Christianna Silva / Mashable

I want a lot out of a fitness tracker (comfort, readability, aesthetics, recovery metrics, workout metrics, a reasonable price), but I need a tracker with an impressive battery life. So, I began my search.

While training for the race, I used 10 different fitness trackers and smartwatches in total. I still had my Apple Watch SE, but upgraded it to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and, eventually, the Apple Watch Ultra 3. I also tried its Android counterpart, the Pixel Watch 3, which I upgraded to the Pixel Watch 4. I also wore the Garmin Forerunner 570, the Whoop MG, the Suunto Run, the Oura Ring 4, and the Fitbit Charge 6. In total, I ran 508 miles, had 30 weightlifting sessions, rode a bike for 110 miles, and practiced yoga or Pilates about once a week — and did all of that while wearing seven fitness trackers.

In the end, I liked the Apple Watch Ultra 3 the best for actually running the race; the Garmin Forerunner 570 for training; and the WHOOP MG for health data. I wrote all about why in my guide to the best fitness tracker for running a marathon, but now I want to talk about what it was like running the actual race.

Full disclosure: It was messy.

Apple Watch Ultra 3: I love you

Contrary to what many will tell you, the biggest challenge at the New York City Marathon isn't the hills or the late start time — it's finding your friends cheering for you on the sidelines. With nearly 60,000 runners and more than two million spectators, it's not easy to find your friends. Enter: the Notes app.

Using the Notes app on the Apple Watch Ultra 3 to find people during a marathon Credit: Christianna Silva / Mashable

To be completely honest, I find the size of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 to be a negative quality. It's massive, it's bright, and that's kind of annoying during a normal day around the house or, god forbid, a Pilates class. But during the marathon, I discovered the size really is a feature, not a bug. The notes in your iPhone's Notes app are automatically uploaded to your watch, and because it's larger and brighter than anything I've ever put on my wrist, it's really easy to read, even after you've run 26 miles.

In general, that's what I liked about the Apple Watch during this race. It's easy to see texts from your friends, it's easy to text back, it's easy to check your notes app, and it's also really easy to see your pace and time. The significant size and brightness of the watch showed up.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 $699.99 at Amazon
$799 Save $99.01   Shop Now at Amazon Whoop MG 4.0: Thank you for the validation

Looking at my stress monitor on the Whoop MG 4.0 wasn't what I would call "helpful." The Whoop MG is a great tool for long-term training — it shows you how much your body can handle for a future workout, how much you can push yourself, and recommends when you should pull back. For me, it helped me recognize patterns. For instance, I tend to sleep better when I smoke weed, spend time outside, and connect with friends and family; caffeine doesn't have nearly the impact on my body readiness that I thought it would; and it takes me a lot longer to recover from a single beer with dinner than I thought.

So I didn't anticipate that it would be the most useful device for actually running a marathon, and I was right. There's no screen or display, no GPS, and no immediate heart rate feedback during workouts, which makes it essentially useless for live training metrics.

Then I threw up.

This is not an uncommon experience for the New York City Marathon, but it is for me. I have a stomach of steel. It never fails me. And here, after 18 weeks of solid training, boom: vomit on the Queensboro Bridge.

My first thought was, obviously, "Oh god oh god no oh god please no," but then it was, "Oh this is gonna look interesting on my Whoop stress graph." And it was interesting.

My stress metrics on the Whoop MG 4.0. Credit: Christianna Silva / Mashable

You can see a peak of stress right around 1:50 pm, when I hit mile 15 and got sick. Then you can see that I started walking, recovered, started running again, and you can see another spike around 2 pm when it turns out I started running too soon, and once again pulled back. Then you can see me recover, start running, and have a solid time before, at 2:45, I got sick again and my stress peaked, again. Then you can see my very chill time at the NYRR medical tent, where they gave me salt, a bag to get sick into, some water, and a yellow Gatorade.

Then I headed out around 3:05. My stress stayed alright before — you guessed it — I got sick again around 4:10. The rest of the run is a bit of a mess as I forced myself over the finish line.

You can see the stress dip once the run finished, peak again during my ill-fated attempt to get home, and never really settle.

You can see most of this data mirrored in my strain graphs, too.

My strain metrics on the Whoop MG 4.0 during the 2025 NYC Marathon. Credit: Christianna Silva / Mashable

Overall, the Whoop MG was one of the least useful tools while actually running the marathon, but it was great for before and after the race.

Opens in a new window Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable Whoop MG Fitness Tracker $359 at Best Buy
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Neither of these machines is my number one pick for actually training — that'll be the Garmin Forerunner 570 or the most economical Suunto Run — but I loved having them on during the race.

The perfect fitness tracker will not make a marathon any easier to run. But it can get you to the start line more prepared, it can give you a more reasonable outlook on your potential, and it can help you decipher when, where, and why your stomach was so adamantly attempting to turn itself inside out at mile 15. I probably won't run another marathon with seven fitness trackers, but I'll definitely be running another marathon (Berlin? Chicago?) — and I can't wait to see what tech will help me get another medal around my neck.

Of course The Running Man was going to have some kind of Arnold Schwarzenegger cameo. But how does the film pull it off?

In Edgar Wright's new adaptation of Stephen King's 1982 novel, Glen Powell leads the dystopian action thriller as Ben Richards, a desperate man who signs up for a deathly TV show in which he's hunted for entertainment across America. It's not the only film version of King's novel, with Paul Michael Glaser's 1987 film starring Schwarzenegger arguably the most famous.

So, how does Wright give a nod to Powell's protagonist predecessor?

SEE ALSO: Stephen King shares his 11-word review of 'The Running Man'

While Schwarzenegger doesn't make a personal appearance in The Running Man (2025), his face appears quite early on in the film. In fact, in a TV show run by the all-powerful, state-controlled Network, you'll see Schwarzenegger's visage printed on money, as if he's a big deal in this totalitarian United States.

When Powell's Richards is watching TV at home, he's tuned into a game show called Speed the Wheel, in which contestants run for their lives in a giant hamster wheel while answering trivia questions like "who invented pepperoni" (or fall to their deaths). When prizes of $100 and $1,000 flash on screen, you can see Schwarzenegger's face on the bills.

We're not sure whether Schwarzenegger's Ben Richards would be happy to see his face on the currency of the very police state he had to outrun in the '80s, but it's nonetheless on there.

The Running Man hits cinemas on Nov. 14.

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Comedy is tragedy plus time. There may be a day when critics look back on Ari Aster's COVID-19 comedy Eddington with kinder eyes. However, just five years after this virus threw the world into lockdown, we are still living in the brutal realities created not only by the pandemic that killed millions but also further polarized American politics to horrifying results. So, watching movie stars crack wise about face masks, conspiracy theories, and political rivalries? Right now, it's not funny. It's mostly irritating. 

Props to Aster for his continued fearlessness. The writer/director broke through with his daring debut feature Hereditary, then cemented his reputation as an American filmmaker to watch with its chilling follow-up Midsommar, which in turn helped launch Florence Pugh to stardom. Then, he threw his fans (and critics) for a loop with Beau Is Afraid, which starred Academy Award–winner Joaquin Phoenix in a prolonged anxiety attack of a movie that skewed genre and concluded with the epic revelation of a giant penis monster. 

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For Eddington, Aster reteams with Phoenix, who once more plays an anti-hero gripped by his failings instead of his virtues. But this time, the punchline isn't one of mommy issues or social anxiety. Instead, the New Mexico-set Eddington pokes fun of both sides of the political divide. But far from being even-handed or even all that funny, the result is a movie that might be seen as a wild ride if it nailed the landing. Instead, it's a wonky head-scratcher that feels more smug than sharp. 

Joaquin Phoenix is a right-wing clown in Eddington.  Joaquin Phoenix plays Sheriff Joe Cross in "Eddington." Credit: A24

At a glance, Joe Cross (Phoenix) is a familiar American archetype, with his white hat, cowboy boots, and sheriff's badge. He's a lawman who fights against the injustices of a wild world that knows no decency. In Westerns, he'd be the good guy, except Aster steadily undercuts this American icon, both visually and contextually in this Western/thriller/comedy. For instance, Joe is introduced patrolling an area that's outside his jurisdiction on tribal ground, sparking a confrontation with the Native American police, who chastise Joe for trespassing and for breaking the mandate by not wearing a face mask (both tribal officers are masked). 

On one hand, Joe's sitting alone in a car. So, yeah, wearing a face mask is unnecessary, even absurd. But Joe will continue to push the masking issue, knowingly making his neighbors uncomfortable as he strides into a grocery store where everyone is masked and keeping a six-foot distance from each other. His frustration over what he sees as an attack on his freedom even sparks him to begin a haphazard campaign against the beloved Eddington mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal). But the more Aster reveals about Joe, the more it's clear the mask is not about freedom, but about Joe asserting dominance wherever he can, so he can feel like a man. 

At home, Joe is emasculated by his vicious mother-in-law (Deirdre O'Connell) and barely acknowledged by his depressed wife, Louise (Emma Stone). At work, he cowers in the shadow of the admired sheriff who came before, who happens to have been his late father-in-law. Unable to live up to the ghost of the man who haunts him figuratively in his personal and professional life, Joe picks another target for his wrath: Ted Garcia.

Joe chooses Ted not only because the mayor is more well-liked than he, but also because Ted is Louise's ex. Joe burns with jealousy over their shared past, which he imagines as scandalous. All of this leads Joe down a path that feels vaguely Coen Bros.-esque in its rancid Americana and self-destruction. But whether he makes hasty campaign posters with embarrassing misspellings or dives into the violent fantasy of being an American action hero through bonkers and abrupt battle scenes, Joe is unquestionably a clown.

Though the protagonists of Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau Is Afraid were deeply flawed, Aster also found room for us to relate to their heartache and anxieties. We were as scared as they were, or even more scared for them than they could be for themselves. Joe, however, is not richly developed or relatable. He's a vexing sketch of the anti-masker movement and all its toxic masculinity and privilege. Pushing this symbolism past its breaking point, Aster also wedges in subplots where Joe must deal with the online conspiracy theories about child exploitation and a flurry of Black Lives Matters protests organized by a local white girl (Amélie Hoeferle), who is often on the verge of tears. 

The criticism is uneven and shallow in Eddington.  Emma Stone and Deirdre O'Connell play daughter and mother in "Eddington." Credit: A24

In a Q&A for press following a screening of Eddington, Aster expressed his hope that the film would speak to both sides of the political divide. He further noted the final act — which features a prolonged shootout — could read totally differently depending on what side of the divide you're on. But frankly, he misreads his audience. The film is not that textured. The climax, chaotic and grisly, is shocking, but not awing. 

Joe and his family offers plenty of opportunities to mock the right for their anti-masking attitudes, Pizzagate conspiracies, and general "fuck your feelings" MAGA attitude — though Aster tries to have it both ways by not using such explicit buzzwords. By contrast, Mayor Garcia is a gentle lampoon of liberal politicians. Where Joe is stern, speaking like he's spitting, Ted is determinedly soft-spoken, and listens to Katy Perry while entertaining. ("Firework," naturally.) In a promotional video for his campaign, Ted reenacts a tragic personal memory to win sympathy, then inexplicably plays piano in the middle of Eddington's dirt roads. It's a gentle ribbing of quirky political ads. But even as Aster mocks the virtue signaling of the left through a subplot about Ted's son (Matt Gomez Hidaka) using political patter to impress the aforementioned female protester, the barbs feel like a nudge instead of a punchline. 

Perhaps this is because both sides of the argument, as Aster presents them here, just aren't equally worth mocking. Maybe that's because the foibles of one side lead to cringe moments, while the other might lead to death and disaster. But for a runtime of two hours and 28 minutes, Aster doesn't uncover anything all that deep or surprising about this divide beyond how dangerous it can be. Neither side will learn much new about themselves or their perceived opponents by watching Eddington. It's hard to say if more time would make a difference.

While the cast is committed to Aster's vision of this New Mexico town, the depth is lacking. That a cop has a thirst for control, that a smiling politician has a dark side, that a depressed woman has a hidden heartache — none of this is a surprise. Yet Eddington treats each reveal with a ghoulish giddiness, as if they're all deeply transgressive. The result is a movie that feels passionate, but is ultimately shallow and messy.

Far from the thriller its trailers suggest, Eddington is a cynical dark comedy that mistakes empathy for weakness, offering plenty to react to but little to provoke thought.

Eddington is now streaming on HBO Max.

UPDATE: Nov. 12, 2025, 5:17 p.m. This review was first published on July 18, 2025, to coincide with the film's theatrical premiere. It has since been updated to reflect at-home viewing options.

If Netflix's In Your Dreams feels reminiscent of Pixar's fantastical worlds and heartfelt life lessons, that's no accident.

The film is the feature debut from director Alex Woo, who served as a story artist on Ratatouille, WALL-E, and more before departing Pixar and founding Kuku Studios. In Your Dreams is Kuku's first film, and if it's anything to go by, there's a promising new animation studio in town.

What's In Your Dreams about? Stevie, Baloney Tony, and Elliot embark on a new adventure. Credit: Netflix

In Your Dreams begins with a scene so sweet it'll make your teeth ache. A young girl named Stevie (voiced by Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) makes French toast in the kitchen with her parents (voiced by Simu Liu and Cristin Milioti). They dance, crack inside jokes, and are all together too cloyingly cute to be true. That's because they aren't. All of this is a dream sequence, and it's about to become a nightmare.

The nightmare manifests in the form of Stevie's younger brother Elliot (voiced by Elias Janssen). His in-dream sobbing prompts pacifiers to rain down from the sky, triggering an argument between their parents.

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Like most dreams, Stevie's nightmare reflects her current anxieties. She, a consummate perfectionist, shares a room with the human tornado (and amateur magician) that is Elliot. But his messiness is only one part of her stress. She's also picking up on tension between her parents, and all she wants is for their family dynamic to go back to the idyllic, French toast-making days of the past.

She gets a surprising opportunity to make that dream come true when she and Elliot stumble on an enchanted book named The Legend of the Sandman. The book transports her and Elliot into their dream worlds. There, they hope to find the Sandman (voiced by Omid Djalili) so he can grant their wish for a happy family.

In Your Dreams delivers cute dreams and spooky nightmares. Welcome to Breakfast Town. Credit: Netflix

In Your Dreams' dreamscapes are sweet childhood fantasies. At one point, Stevie and Elliot venture down a river that can only be described as Disney's It's A Small World ride crossed with Chuck E. Cheese. At another, they arrive in the mouth-watering world of Breakfast Town, a feudal kingdom populated by sentient muffins and bacon. It's there that they cross paths with Elliot's treasured stuffed giraffe Baloney Tony (voiced by Craig Robinson), who becomes a delightful wisecracking (and laser-farting) guide to the siblings as they undertake their quest.

SEE ALSO: 'Death by Lightning' review: Matthew Macfadyen and Michael Shannon weave a gripping tale of political assassination

These worlds come to vivid, colorful life, a nice contrast from In Your Dreams' more muted take on Stevie and Elliot's waking world. But what truly makes them pop is how In Your Dreams turns them from dream to nightmare. Every time Stevie and Elliot panic on their journey, a storm of nightmare energy blows in and taints their dreams. Breakfast Town, for instance, slowly molds over in a neat visual trick, turning its citizens from cute treats to nasty food zombies.

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It's clear that Woo and the In Your Dreams team had a fun time crafting the film's nightmares, showcased in a madcap montage that explores both classic nightmare scenarios, like being naked in public, and some wilder ones, like being eaten by a giant hot dog. The dream-centric conceit allows the film's animators to go wild, with shipwrecks and riffs on The Shining and Sailor Moon thrown in the mix. The result is a blast of an animated adventure, but it also carries a deep weight when it comes to exploring Stevie and Elliot's worries about their family life.

In Your Dreams doesn't shy away from parental conflict. Get ready for a moving family tale. Credit: Netflix

None of In Your Dreams' dreamland chaos would mean anything if it wasn't rooted in Stevie and Elliot's anxieties about their parents' marriage, which the film portrays with unflinching honesty. There are no overwrought screaming matches, no demonizing of either the kids' mother or father. Instead, there are quiet conversations about whether the two need to spend some time apart, and how they've changed since the beginning of their marriage. It's a thoughtful, mature portrayal of how parents can grow distant yet still love each other.

In Your Dreams also acknowledges that kids are more than capable of noticing marital tensions, and that that can cause them stress. Take Stevie's tries to play peacemaker — not just in the dream world, but in real life, too. They're hopeful attempts to recreate the good old days, but they're also proof that she's putting undue pressure on herself over something she can't control. In Your Dreams meets young people going through something similar at their level, telling them it will be okay. In a film full of magic and imaginary creatures, it's this thoughtful messaging that keeps In Your Dreams feeling closer to a dream come true.

In Your Dreams is now in select theaters. It premieres Nov. 14 on Netflix.

After Hours. Do the Right Thing. In the Heights. When Harry Met Sally. They're movies with very different plots and vibes, and yet all are definitively New York. Now the canon of exceptionally New York movies has grown, thanks to Bunny. 

The directorial debut of Ben Jacobson, Bunny centers on an East Village tenement resident whose very bad birthday is a tapestry of chaos, community, and characters that are undeniably the fabric of New York City. Like the iconic cinema listed above, Bunny channels the energy of this great city, while also embracing its funkier elements. This fantastic, funny, and surprising indie is also an unapologetic and unsentimental love letter to New York. 

But what's it about? 

Bunny is a story of a hustler and the motley community that loves him. 

Co-writer Mo Stark stars a Bunny, an East Village resident whose life — and tenement apartment — is very, very hectic. "Today I fucked up," Bunny explains in a voiceover over home movies of his wife Bobbie (a sizzling Liza Colby), his best friend Dino (co-writer/director Ben Jacobson), and their maternal landlady Linda (Linda Rong Mei Chen). "I upended the lives of the people I love most, my family." 

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At the start of the day, this eponymous protagonist is racing down the street. His long, dirty-blond hair whips behind him as blood dribbles from his chin and goatee, down his neck, and onto a cream-colored knitted top. We won't learn what he's running from until later. But it relates to his job, being a "gigolo, like Richard Gere, but not that fancy." 

Bunny won't slow down to explain what's going on. Instead, no sooner has he washed the blood from his body than Bobbie — wearing translucent lingerie and a big smile — introduces him to his birthday present, a threesome with her friend Daphne (Eleonore Hendricks) and "the best Molly that can be found in the tri-state area." But Bunny's in no mood to party. There's business to attend to. 

For starters, an Airbnb guest named Happy Chana — never just "Chana" — is coming to rent their spare room. As an Orthodox Jew, she (Genevieve Hudson-Price) has specific needs that Bunny must meet or else lose the needed rental fee. Then, while Bobbie's out, her estranged father (Tony Drazan) drops by, only to be swept up by Dino's influence — and his edibles. Before Bunny can catch his breath, there are a couple of corpses to deal with and a murder to cover up. It's a real bad birthday, but at least he has his family to help him through. 

Chaotic comedy makes Bunny brilliant. 

This East Village tenement is stocked floor to ceiling with colorful characters who have little in common but their love for each other. Bunny and Bobbie are adored by real-talking Linda, impulsive but protective Dino, an elderly neighbor with moxie named Ian (Richard Price), and a trio of twentysomething party girls, all of whom will have a part to play in helping Bunny through the worst birthday of his life. Far from hiding a homicide from them, Bunny drops a corpse of a "bad man" on the linoleum floor for a brainstorming session. How do they dump a body in this bustling neighborhood — especially when there's a pair of chummy cops (Liz Caribel Sierra and Ajay Naidu) hanging around outside? 

Stark, Jacobson, and co-writer Stefan Marolachakis create a script that is joltingly alive. Cultures collide from scene to scene with the enthralling melting pot energy of hundreds of NYC neighborhoods. As a character-driven film, there's a panoply of minor conflicts, about birthday plans, roommate etiquette, and the best way to fold a corpse into a rolling suitcase. But when it comes to helping one of their own, these free spirits, neurotics, and weirdos all come together as the family they are, bound by years of shared space and energy. 

The superb casting of this film lends authenticity, avoiding famous faces and leaning into an effusive and even volatile chemistry amid the ensemble. Watching Bunny, New Yorkers might not only recognize figures from their own neighborhoods, but will also feel a part of this tenement, tangled in the intoxicating energy of excitement, gossip, and community. New York is a city of strangers who form families, and Bunny explores those bonds through a funny and unpredictable family drama. Because what's a corpse between friends?

Mo Stark is a star in Bunny. 

Too often, when filmmakers write and star in their movies, the result can be a bloated vanity project (Belfast) or a treacly bit of fluff that paints their character as an underappreciated genius (Cha Cha Real Smooth). Bunny avoids these pitfalls as Stark and Jacobson firmly commit to the goofball core of their characters. 

Bunny is a himbo with a heart of gold but a much messier past than Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Dino is ride-or-die, but also dangerously impulsive. Together, they are a duo I'd watch go on a bodega run, just because they are so vivid and fun. Every moment together vibrates with their deep love for each other, and a broader, radiant interest in those around them. This is the New York I know and love, and it's a pleasure to see it captured, warts and all. Because yeah, for every hot baddie stomping down the sidewalk to the beat of her own drum, there's a mercurial oddball looking to fart into a cop car window or otherwise quirk up your day. 

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Yet within this swirl of eccentrics, Stark keeps his head above water, maintaining a focus and direction as Bunny forges ahead. Far from taking control of a situation like some stodgy suit or cop might, Bunny is more wrangling alley cats as he leaps from problems personal, professional, and criminal with the agility of an Alvin Ailey dancer. He's a rock to his tenement mates. And the joyful reveal of this crime-comedy is that when he needs a rock, they will be that for him, too. Stark so beautifully grounds the film in its unconventional opening of voiceover and unexplained blood that for the whole film, whatever wild shit goes down, we are bound to Bunny, rooting for him just like the rest of his circle does. We truly feel like one of them, caught up in the warmth and ferocity of their bond. 

Simply put, Bunny is a quirky, gritty indie crime-comedy/New York family drama that achieves a lot with a little. Primarily set in one location, with no major stars in its charismatic ensemble, it's an underdog story both on and off screen. You feel the hustle of Bunny in every frame. Alive, exciting, funny, and original, Bunny is gem not to be overlooked. 

Bunny opens in select theaters and will be available to purchase on Apple TV on Nov. 14. Early access screenings in New York begin on Nov. 7.

George Clooney delivers one of the best comedic performances of his career in Jay Kelly. As a long-time devotee of his Coen Bros' comedy O Brother, Where Art Thou?, I don't say that lightly. However, Noah Baumbach has created a role that feels tailored to Clooney's particular brand of star power. And Clooney struts, takes pratfalls, and soars with grace, goofiness, and pathos.

Clooney has built a career on his ability to pivot from swaggering dreamboat (Out of Sight, Ocean's Eleven through Thirteen) to rugged action star (From Dusk Till Dawn, The Peacemaker, Three Kings) to arrogant buffoon (O Brother, Burn After Reading, Hail, Caesar!). In Jay Kelly, he does all three. But more than that, he does all three to interrogate what it means to be a movie star. When you're a public figure known for playing larger-than-life action heroes, what's reality to you? Who are you to your family and friends when your career is dependent on presentation, and you're more focused on that than parenting or loyalty? 

Directed and co-written by Baumbach, who previously channeled his own life into the explosive divorce drama Marriage Story, Jay Kelly is more cutting than its bouncy name and beguiling leading man might suggest. With a supporting cast that includes Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Riley Keough, and Jay Kelly co-writer Emily Mortimer, this showbiz comedy brilliantly displays the highs and lows of working in movies, without losing sight of exactly how high those highs are. 

Far from a woe-is-me movie, Jay Kelly is a shrewdly winsome affair that shows many of the ways stars aren't just like us — and several crucial ways they are. 

Jay Kelly is all about that work-life balance, puppy. 

For decades, Jay Kelly (Clooney) has been a star, collecting fans, building his filmography, growing his entourage, and even having a couple of daughters and ex-wives along the way. You might think that with all the success and wealth he's attained, he'd welcome some time away from the sets and shooting schedules. But what would he do with that? 

Let alone, Jay must face that he's estranged from his eldest, Jessica (Keough), while his college-bound youngest, Daisy (Grace Edwards), is eager to bounce from his house to be on her own. He has no wife. His friends — including his manager, Ron (Sandler), and his publicist, Liz (Dern) — are all on his payroll. So when a run-in with an old friend (Crudup) sends him into an identity crisis, Jay joyously bullies his whole entourage into an impromptu trip across Europe, starting in Paris and ending up in an Italian film festival, where he'll get a lifetime achievement honor. 

Along the way, he'll encounter awestruck fans, ride in transit that has no first class, and be forced to look back on his life, whether he likes it or not. 

George Clooney is absolutely excellent as Jay Kelly. 

The film begins onset, with Jay playing out a death scene that naturally involves a mournful monologue, a fatal gunshot wound, and an adorable dog actor. Immediately, Mortimer and Baumbach gives us a taste of Jay's talent, onscreen and off. As soon as the camera cuts, he's quick to glad-hand and cheer individual members of the crew by name, and they all light up as he looks at them. He's that kind of star. 

Back home; however, he's a doofy dad to Daisy, who eye rolls as he whines he's lonely. "You're never alone," she chides as his security guard hands him a fresh, icy beverage. 

Even in accepting the glass, Clooney has a keen sense of comedic timing. He's long been brilliant at playing the dope. Here, he plays a man who's never been deep, but who has been able to fake it onscreen. So, when he's actually having this crisis of self-reflection, he throws himself into action — including being involved in a chaotic and comedic chase scene. However, nothing in this movie will unfold like the movies. Jay's sweeping gestures, carried off with Clooney's booming charisma, fall flat to those closest to him because they are all show, no substance. And in this, he's forced to face how he pursued his work — which is very image-oriented — over his family and friends, failing to foster deep bonds. And he's not alone in this. 

Adam Sandler and Laura Dern are shockingly well-matched in Jay Kelly. 

Having to wrangle Jay like he's a child (or a swarm of cats), Ron and Liz take on near-parental roles as they prep everything to guide and protect him. Where Ron's the gentle father, always cajoling and calling Jay by the loving nickname "puppy," Liz is the tough-love mom, forced to be frank because someone has got to be when the tabloids are circling. Far from archetypes, however, these characters exhibit complexity in scenes beyond their interactions with Jay. 

As the trip through Europe goes increasingly off the rails, Jay's entourage sheds one member after another as they make choices that aren't him — a bigger client, a sick dog, a child back home, and so on. There's a sense of a party coming to a close, and a question about who will be the last one standing.

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Dern vibrates with frustration at every bump in the road, while Sandler is her foil, ever jovial, maybe even delusionally optimistic. They're a comedic duo who bounce off each other with an ardent emotional understanding. For all Academy Award winner Dern's drama chops, Emmy nominee Sandler's able to keep pace in a role that could get him some Best Supporting nominations. Imagine Uncut Gems with the intensity turned down and the facade of jolly calm cranked way up. Ron is a man desperate to make everything OK, even to the point where he himself is deeply not. And in that, Baumbach grows comedy and agony. Dern is the cherry on top, giving a cool sense of regret that lingers even after her character has gone. 

Jay Kelly is a showbiz comedy with heart.

Incredibly, Jay Kelly becomes an odd love letter to the industry, one that recognizes its warts and still declares devotion. Through this story, Baumbach explores how everyone involved, from movie stars to make-up artists and security guards, struggles to draw the line between their professional and personal lives. Sure, you love your family, but what if you love your job and the people who are a part of it? The line gets blurrier and blurrier. And what kind of life does that build? 

The answer Jay Kelly gives is unexpected and heartwarming rather than pat and sentimental. Clooney, Sandler, and Baumbach come to a conclusion that is both deeply Hollywood and yet sincere. In the end, Jay Kelly is a clever crowd-pleaser, guaranteed to amuse and make you think. 

Jay Kelly was reviewed out of the New York Film Festival. The movie opens in select theaters on Nov. 14, then comes to Netflix on Dec. 5. 

Richard Linklater is having a very busy 2025.

The Boyhood and Before Sunrise director has not one but two projects on the film festival circuit. Both are playing the New York Film Festival, and both pay tribute to real-life artists of song and screen.

Blue Moon, the first of the pair to hit theaters, is a biopic of American lyricist Lorenz Hart, the former creative partner of Richard Rodgers. Linklater's second film of the year, Nouvelle Vague, follows suit, paying loving tribute to the French New Wave movement and to Jean-Luc Godard's debut feature, Breathless (À bout de souffle).

Linklater's reverence for Breathless and the entire French New Wave are evident in each frame. But can that love sometimes get in Nouvelle Vague's own way?

What is Nouvelle Vague about? Guillaume Marbeck and Aubry Dullin in "Nouvelle Vague." Credit: Jean-Louis Fernandez / Courtesy of Netflix

The year is 1959, the place is Paris, and the French New Wave movement is in full swing. Cahiers du Cinéma film critics like François Truffaut (Adrien Rouyard) and Claude Chabrol (Antoine Besson) have made their directorial debuts, focusing on auteur-driven movies above all else. One of their fellow critics, Jean-Luc Godard (Guillaume Marbeck), is champing at the bit to make his first feature film. After all, in his own words, the only way to critique a movie is to make one yourself.

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Godard finally gets the chance with Breathless, the story of criminal Michel Poiccard and Patricia, the American woman he loves. While the film became one of the French New Wave's most influential works, its production was fairly chaotic. Working on a low budget, and filming over just 23 days (Nouvelle Vague cuts that number to 20), Godard basically improvised the film as he went, much to the consternation of producer Georges de Beauregard (Bruno Dreyfürst) and American star Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch). Linklater reimagines that chaos in its entirety, charting the film's journey from development to post-production.

Nouvelle Vague formally pays tribute to the French New Wave, but isn't an outright copy. Matthieu Penchinat, Guillaume Marbeck, Aubry Dullin, and Zoey Deutch in "Nouvelle Vague." Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

In order to submerge audiences in the world of the French New Wave, Linklater adopts some elements of its style. Told almost entirely in French, Nouvelle Vague is shot in black and white with a 4:3 ratio, complete with film grain to give it an older feel.

However, Linklater doesn't totally ape the filmmaking techniques Godard pioneered during the making of Breathless, such as jump cuts. Instead, he focuses more on clueing the audience into how Godard came to these techniques. For the guerilla-style shooting on the streets of Paris, Linklater introduces the false mail cart that hid Breathless' handheld camera, along with cinematographer Raoul Coutard (Matthieu Penchinat). For Breathless' long walk-and-talk sequences, Linklater dutifully follows stars Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin) as they stroll the Champs-Élysées. His prime focus here isn't Godard's filming, but rather his plan to dub over whatever Seberg and Belmondo are saying in post. Instead of speaking in character, the two actors wonder aloud just what the rest of the shoot has in store for them.

SEE ALSO: 'Blue Moon' review: Andrew Scott burns, Ethan Hawke clowns in grating biopic

The focus on process propels Nouvelle Vague, offering up a loving look at the ups and downs of the film's production. But the film's true strengths lie not in Linklater's take on Godard's style, but rather in Linklater's own strength as the master of the hangout movie. Yes, watching Godard choreograph a scene in real time is compelling. But if you've seen Breathless, you've already seen these scenes. You know how they play out!

Instead, what's more compelling is the downtime between filming: the crew hanging out in a café, Seberg teaching Belmondo American dance moves, Godard playing pinball. These scenes allow us to understand the characters better as people, as opposed to the pillars of the French New Wave they'd become.

Marbeck's Godard is the standout here. Eyes perpetually hidden behind sunglasses and a lit cigarette always at his lips, Marbeck plays Godard as part genius, part petulant child. As a result, Nouvelle Vague seems both reverent of and humored by Godard's many, many, many philosophical tirades on the subject of filmmaking. The mix lets Linklater bring a lightness to Nouvelle Vague's numerous production scenes, while also paying respect to the man who made Breathless possible.

At times, Linklater's reverence can overpower Nouvelle Vague. Aubry Dullin and Zoey Deutch in "Nouvelle Vague." Credit: Jean-Louis Fernandez / Courtesy of Netflix

Occasionally, though, the reverence for Breathless can take over Nouvelle Vague, for the worse. Linklater and screenwriters Holly Gent and Vincent Palmo, whose script Michèle Halberstadt and Laetitia Masson adapted into French, dutifully catalog the entire 20-day Breathless shoot. They hit major beats quickly. Here's how Godard filmed Michel's shootout with a policeman! Here's how he got the shot of the Paris streetlamps turning on behind Michel!

Yet after a while, these brief vignettes can begin to seem like Nouvelle Vague going through the motions, as if Linklater has a checklist of every piece of Breathless behind-the-scenes trivia he needs to account for. At these points, Nouvelle Vague loses the improvisational sense of play that its own muse strove so hard for while shooting Breathless.

Overall, though, Nouvelle Vague proves a sweet tribute to an influential film movement, one that doesn't take itself too seriously. If you're a French New Wave fan, come for the Breathless tributes, but stay for the hangout vibes.

Nouvelle Vague was reviewed out of the New York Film Festival. Nouvelle Vague hits select theaters Oct. 31 before coming to Netflix Nov. 14.

SAVE OVER $200: As of Nov. 14, the 2025 Apple MacBook Air M4 is on sale for $749.99 at Amazon. That's a 25% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple 2025 Apple MacBook Air M4 $749.99 at Amazon
$999 Save $249.01   Get Deal

MacBook deals have been the stars of recent sales. During October's Prime Day, we saw several significant price drops, some record breaking. And with Black Friday fast approaching, it seems like we're heading in the same direction.

The 2025 Apple MacBook Air M4 is dropping in price once again. As of Nov. 14, you can find this MacBook priced at just $749.99. That's a $249.01 saving, and its lowest-ever price according to camelcamelcamel. This deal is specific to the 13-inch model that comes with 16GB of memory. It's available in all colors, so you can choose from starlight, midnight, silver, or sky blue.

SEE ALSO: Walmart just dropped a huge Black Friday deal on the Apple AirPods Pro 2 — save $100 right now

This MacBook is super powerful thanks to the M4 chip. It handles tasks like working across multiple apps, editing videos, and running heavy software, and does so seamlessly. The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display supports one billion colors, so everything looks sharp and bright, with colors that pop off the screen.

This MacBook offers a 12MP Center Stage camera, three microphones, and four speakers with Spatial Audio, so video calls look and sound great.

Get this MacBook deal from Amazon ahead of Black Friday.

SAVE OVER $200: As of Nov. 14, the iRobot Roomba Plus 405 is on sale for $398.99 at Amazon. That's a 36% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: iRobot iRobot Roomba Plus 405 $398.99 at Amazon
$626.49 Save $227.50   Get Deal

If you're waiting until Black Friday to buy a robot vacuum, there's no need. A

The iRobot Roomba Plus 405 just dropped to its lowest-ever price at Amazon. The retailer's Black Friday sale hasn't officially got underway yet (Nov. 20 is when you can expect that), but deals like this are already live. As of Nov. 14, you can find the iRobot Roomba Plus 405 reduced by $227.50, bringing the price down to $398.99.

Mashable's robot vacuum expert said this model offers "solid bang for your buck." At this new low price? It's a steal.

SEE ALSO: The best vacuums we've tested at home, from robots to Dyson stick vacs

If you've been shopping around for a robot vacuum, you'll have come across Roomba. They're one of the most popular brands (despite their struggles), and not without reason. This model offers dual vacuum and mopping features. It has seriously powerful suction, strong enough to lift dirt of all kinds. You also get four suction levels, repeat-pass options, SmartScrub deep scrubbing, Clean Zones for targeted areas, and Keep Out Zones for restricted spaces, so you can clean exactly the way you want.

This model uses DualClean spinning mop pads and SmartScrub to apply pressure and tackle tough stains much more easily. It can mop with either water or a cleaning solution, and the pads automatically lift when the vacuum detects carpet. The AutoWash dock then washes, dries, and refreshes the mop pads so they’re ready for the next use, with nothing for you to do.

This robot vacuum deal has a limited-time stamp, so grab it from Amazon now.

SAVE $100: As of Nov. 14, Apple AirPods Pro 2 are on sale for $139 at Walmart. This limited-time offer saves you $100 on list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple AirPods Pro 2 $139 at Walmart
$239 Save $100   Get Deal

Leading retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target are in a constant battle at this time of year. It's all about offering the best deals on the most popular products, thereby gaining the greatest following from all those greedy shoppers and winning Black Friday.

But how do we judge which retailer lands on top over Black Friday? It's tricky to assess the landscape, because there are quite literally thousands of deals to consider right now. But if we're looking for easy ways to make a call, Apple deals are usually the most significant savings on offer. And Walmart has stolen a lead on the competition with its stunning Apple AirPods Pro 2 discount.

SEE ALSO: Apple's new M5 iPad Pro keeps getting cheaper — score it for its best price yet

As of Nov. 14, Apple AirPods Pro 2 are on sale for $139 at Walmart. This limited-time offer saves you $100 on list price. We're going to go out on a limb here and say that this might be the best early Black Friday deal we've seen. There's still plenty of time for other retailers to offer something better, but Apple AirPods Pro 2 are sitting at over $200 on Amazon right now. That's a pretty significant price difference.

In our review, Stan Schroeder said they "sound great and the noise cancelation is stellar." They are look iconic. That's not the most important thing, but its matters, OK?

Score the best early Black Friday AirPods deal at Walmart.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Friday, Nov. 14, 2025:

AcrossEwe said it, not me!

• The answer is Baa.

"Shucks!"

• The answer is Aw Man.

Overly talkative ... or 1-Down with its consonants inverted

• The answer is Gabby.

Say hello to

• The answer is Greet.

"___ out!" (ump's cry)

• The answer is Yer.

DownOverly loose ... or 7-Across with its consonants inverted

• The answer is Baggy.

In the know

• The answer is Aware.

Honey-colored resin

• The answer is Amber.

Civil War prez, familiarly

• The answer is Abe.

W.S.J. competitor

• The answer is NYT.

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

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

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