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What has A Quiet Place wrought? The alien-invasion horror hit that used silence to amp up tension in its rural setting was brilliantly executed. Because the movie's ravenous extraterrestrial creatures chase sound, the characters don't speak aloud, and even their audience feels the pressure not to scream. A Quiet Place's success with critics and audiences not only spurred a sequel (A Quiet Place Part II) and a prequel (A Quiet Place: Day One), but also opportunistic imitators, eager to take the muted gimmick to make their unaffiliated movies stand out. 

SEE ALSO: What to watch: Best scary movies

Last fall, writer/director Brian Duffield hit Hulu with a strikingly similar concept in No One Will Save You, in which Kaitlyn Dever stars as a country girl plagued by invading aliens while she doesn't say a word. With Christmas came John Woo's deeply dismal action dud Silent Night, in which Joel Kinnaman plays a vengeance-fueled anti-hero who, because of a scarring act of violence, is unable to vocalize — but for no apparent reason, no one else talks around him either. Now comes Azrael, a horror collaboration from Cheap Thrills director E.L. Katz and You're Next writer Simon Barrett. Despite the noteworthy talent attached, it too leans hard into this scream-free gimmick that can't make up for its flimsy storytelling. 

What's Azrael about? Credit: IFC Films

Written by Barrett and helmed by Katz, Azrael stars Samara Weaving as the titular young woman who is not only named after the Angel of Death but is also part of a post-apocalyptic cult living deep in the woods, under a vow of silence. Blood-red text splashes across the screen to succinctly introduce the big rule of the cult: Don't speak, or else evil will come. 

In a rugged village, the cultists worship the wind that rips through their drafty church bedecked with crucifixes. They communicate with each other through stern glances and huffs of air. It seems a relatively peaceful place, save for their ritual of human sacrifice. Silence or not, something needs to be fed to the vampire-like creatures that shamble through the woods seeking human blood.

Selected by her community to be fed to the Nosferatu-looking ghouls, Azrael is bound to a chair, where she is left like that poor goat in Jurassic Park — a meal to be enjoyed tied up and alive. But this clever girl breaks her way free, not only setting the ghouls upon her traitorous community but also hunting them down so she might live. It's a tale full of graphic violence that's best described as gloppy, but the plot is achingly thin: Survive. 

Azrael feels like a short film stretched beyond its limits.  Credit: IFC Films

Barrett and Katz have histories with horror anthology franchises ABCs of Death and V/H/S, which stitch together a collection of creepy shorts with some tenuous throughline or framing device. Azrael feels like it began as a short pitch that wasn't developed to its full potential before being unleashed on the world. 

Part of the problem is that the plot line is thinner than Weaving's well-groomed brows. Despite plopping in a boyfriend (Candyman's Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) for Azrael to try to rescue, a camp leader who has serious glower power (Katariina Unt), and a hapless passerby bewildered by her predicament, there is nothing substantial to this story. The lore around what happened to the world, what the creatures in the woods are, or how the cult came to be all are largely irrelevant. And frankly, that's fine. Those details don't matter to Azrael as she's just trying to get through the night, so they don't need to matter to her audience. But there's something crucial lacking here: character. 

Because Azrael has no dialogue, her actions become her primary character definition. And that leaves us with very little. She likes to kiss her boyfriend. She made him a bracelet from twigs. And she doesn't want to be eaten alive by forest vampires. It's relatable, but not much to get invested in. Azrael is a gesture toward a Final Girl archetype — sweet and resilient, but with no depth to make her come alive. 

Basically, Barrett and Katz take for granted the audience might want to understand the heroine they follow through a grueling night of mayhem and murder. Or maybe they thought casting Weaving would carry with it enough audience goodwill to paper over the lazily scripted protagonist. After all, genre fans lapped up every wicked smile, snarky rejoinder, and curse-laden rant Weaving delivered in The Babysitter, Guns Akimbo, and Ready or Not. But Azrael isn't like these movies.

This silent premise rob audience's of Weaving's sharp comedic timing and her undeniable charm as a foul-mouthed badass. It's not a frolicking collision of playful plotlines and ultra-violence. It's a grim and grisly religious pilgrimage that's gleeful in gore yet just not fun. 

The silent gimmick suffocates Azrael.  Credit: IFC Films

In A Quiet Place, the family couldn't vocalize safely, but they did talk to each other through sign language. This gave the actors a way not only to express their character's thoughts, but also a grounded world from which to build the supernatural scares. In Azrael, the cult theatrically scowls or smiles or sighs heavily to get their points across. The result is a near-comical pantomime, reading as a crude reenactment of silent film acting. All the performances here rely on stricken faces, stern brows, or silent screaming. It's off-putting and goofy more than impactful or frightening. 

Perhaps Katz was striving for an atmosphere that felt far from grounded in the familiar, vibrating instead with raw emotion, heady atmosphere, and terror. But with no dialogue nor any defined characters to cling to, plus an episodic structure nakedly designed to favor sloppy slays over story, this religious horror flick feels horrid but humdrum. There's not enough for audiences to sink their teeth into. While full of blood and slicked with religious symbols, Azrael plays like an empty parlor trick — not even a cheap thrill. 

Azrael is now streaming on Shudder.

UPDATE: Oct. 24, 2024, 4:30 p.m. EDT Azrael was reviewed on March 13, 2024, out of SXSW 2024. This review has been updated to reflect current streaming options.

Somewhere along the way, M. Night Shyamalan went from a classy, "elevated horror" auteur — "The Next Spielberg," Newsweek called him in 2002 — to a purveyor of cheap thrills. It was the best thing that ever happened to him. Trap follows in the footsteps of the schlockier work he's made in the last decade, beginning with the self-funded found footage thriller The Visit. The film's story is tightly wound around a dopey premise, but it's also buoyed by incredible heart and soul, and seldom slows down while twisting every possible screw. In short, it’s an absolute blast.

Set largely at a pop concert, and featuring narrative zig-zags that stretch incredulity, it's easy to see how Trap might lose viewers eager to nitpick plot holes and logistics. However, that would be missing the forest for the trees. At the movie’s core is a surprisingly layered story of parenthood, which is entirely in service of the kind of thrilling goofiness Shyamalan brought to 2021's Old — a movie whose visual and narrative framing is similarly (and intentionally) off-kilter while remaining utterly committed to sincere melodrama.

SEE ALSO: Josh Hartnett compares his new role in 'Trap' to his character Zeke from 'The Faculty'

Trap is wonderfully good. It might even be great. And if it's not attuned to your sensibilities, chances are, you'll have a hoot of a time regardless.

What is Trap about? Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Man, what isn't Trap about? 

In the broadest possible strokes: it's about a well-to-do Philadelphia firefighter, Cooper (Josh Hartnett), who takes his teenage daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a show by her favorite popstar, only to discover that the concert is also a trap to capture him — as it turns out, he's secretly a notorious serial killer known as The Butcher.

That's all you really need to know going in, though the film is surprisingly spoiler-proof. Long gone are the days when even Shyamalan's most prestigious works hinged on major reveals — such has been his reputation, even though it's only really happened in three or four of his 16 features — because he's proven much more adept at telling stories with numerous, cascading twists and turns. But perhaps the biggest twist in Trap is that it's a thoughtful father-daughter story at its core. 

Trap is a film about 'girl dads.' Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

As much as its plot concerns Cooper discovering the scale of this police operation, and wriggling through whatever cracks he can find, the reason it feels urgent — and why he can't simply go on the run — is that he truly, deeply cares about Riley. She's been having a tough time at school with bullies and seeing the spark in her eye as she sings and dances means the universe to him. As much as Cooper might want to find a way out of the labyrinthine concert venue, he doesn't want to arouse her suspicions, and he needs to make sure she has a good time too.

Which is to say: if the premise didn't seem loopy enough from the trailers, it's also a girl-dad movie in saccharine, sentimental ways. After all, the pop singer at its center, Lady Raven, happens to be played by R&B artist Saleka (Shyamalan's daughter), who features heavily on screen (not to be confused with his other daughter, Ishana, who directed The Watchers this year). Trap is practically an ode to his daughters and their teenage years, though it also wrestles with some of the darker implications of fatherhood. It plays, at times, like a confrontation of what it means for a daughter to challenge a man's view of the world, and of himself.

Featured Video For You Josh Hartnett compares his new role in 'The Trap' to his character Zeke from 'The Faculty'

During Trap, it's fun to see the uncommon sight of a western pop star of South Asian origin (quite fitting for brat summer, the doing of British Asian sensation Charli XCX), but the inclusion of Saleka is more than just a gimmick. Sure, Shyamalan attempts to highlight her musical talents, but the young singer-songwriter proves a surprisingly key (and radiant) presence, a bastion of aspirational goodness who vitally contrasts with Cooper. Shyamalan casts his daughter as a symbol of absolution, who suggests that her fans hold up their phone flashlights in the name of forgiveness and acceptance — traits Cooper doesn't adhere to when the movie occasionally delves into his backstory. It's a moving meta-text, made all the more tragic by the fact that Cooper is constantly trying to escape Lady Raven's orbit, and willing to make innocent bystanders his pawns.

There is perhaps no more fitting a venue in which to wrestle with casual misogyny than a pop concert aimed at teenage girls, and the film incorporates this idea with surprising subtlety. Cooper is quick to put several young women and girls at the concert in harm's way to create distractions, and he doesn't appear to take Lady Raven very seriously (his ultimate folly, Shyamalan, you old softie). Protecting Riley from bullies may be just as important to him as evading the cops, but he also has a casually violent misogynistic streak. One gets the sense that Cooper might trot out a defense like "as the father of a daughter…" as though it were a get-out-of-jail-free card. 

Trap is a cat-and-mouse game where the mouse has a head start. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

However, Trap isn't a film of learning moments. It's far too mischievous for something so didactic. Rather, it uses Cooper's relationship to Riley as a kind of rubber band. He often leaves her to enjoy the show while scouting the venue for exits, like some kind of serial killer 007 — it's hard not to root for him each time he pulls off a small heist to slip past security guards. But his role as a chaperone means he constantly finds himself back with Riley no matter how much progress he makes.

The more Cooper's suspicions are aroused by the increased police presence, the more he tries to sleuth out their strategy. It's a cat-and-mouse game where the mouse has a head start (the police don't know what he looks like). Minor characters are surprisingly forthcoming with what they share — in part because he can turn on the charm, but also for plot convenience — and new opportunities to slip out unnoticed seem to arise as soon as existing ones are thwarted. Some of these exit strategies are ludicrous, from Cooper trying to score a backstage pass, to a featured artist inexplicably appearing through an illogically placed trap door (heh).

But Shyamalan has a secret weapon amid all this: the talents of Josh Harnett. 

Josh Hartnett's fine-tuned, operatic performance keeps Trap on track.

Trap does for Harnett what Shyamalan's Split did for James McAvoy: both films provide their actors with some truly madcap material that allows them to flex their most unexpected thespian muscles. Hartnett and McAvoy ham it up like nobody's business, but they have so much god damn fun with it.

In Harnett's case, the first layer of this fun takes the form of well-meaning dad jokes and stilted delivery that hints at a kind of pretense. Shyamalan's dialogue has never felt polished or naturalistic, but its floweriness here beats with distinct purpose. It feels robust during fleeting moments of exposition, allowing Cooper to create a detailed roadmap to his origins through implication, and paint pictures of his daily life using words alone. It also creates a sandbox for Hartnett, in which he plays with polite pleasantries and laces them with devious implications, accentuating the character's white, suburban, middle-class façade. The actor wields Cooper’s friendly front with precision, luring other characters in with his charm while winking to the audience. 

Trap is effectively about an all-American father trying, and slowly failing, to maintain a work-life balance, while keeping an addiction to bloodshed under wraps. The film isn't particularly interested in any realistic serial killer psychology, and it's also not concerned with his actual methodology, or any of the salacious tenets one might expect from Dexter or Criminal Minds — trauma, motive, trophies, what have you. However, the film is deeply invested in the mask of normalcy Cooper wears.  

The film circles the question of what fatherhood means for someone who has such horrific, secret impulses, a theme that may as well reflect the desire to create horror movies, as though Shyamalan were turning the camera on himself. However, this self-reflexivity is more of an echo than a linear conclusion. Harnett is far from an avatar for Shyamalan. Rather, he seems to represent Shyamalan's movies — his cinematic essence — which tend to wrestle with beliefs about the world, and about oneself.

Cooper, in the process, embodies the kind of spiritual war Shyamalan's movies have come to fight in the latter half of his career, with works like After Earth, Old, and Knock at the Cabin. These films ask what it would take for parents to protect their children from the world, and from themselves, and Trap is no different. But as thoughtful as it may be, the reason it works like a charm is because it's unrelenting in its use of themes of family and fatherhood as fuel for a genuinely raucous thriller.

Trap is a propulsive visual romp. 

As much as Shyamalan is responsible for Trap as its writer-director, an equal degree of credit must be given to cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, the Thai maestro behind Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Uncle Boonmee and Luca Guadagnino's Challengers. Shyamalan's thriller wouldn't be nearly as impactful without Mukdeeprom's visual trickery and his evolving use of space.

When the movie begins, it features a sense of vast, open possibility while framing Lady Raven's performance as a distant feature. Her show is always seen through Cooper's point of view, literally and metaphorically, as something far away, and something he doesn't understand (or really care to). But the film takes surprisingly intimate turns, and contorts geography until it feels like every wall is closing in on Cooper, à la non-stop concert thrillers like Grand Piano and the opera scene in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. Mukdeeprom employs techniques like split diopters to compress space when it feels like authorities are close, and in immediate response, awkward framing with an excess of emptiness whenever Cooper finds some kind of escape hatch. The film practically controls your breathing through its aesthetics, alternating between claustrophobia and a bizarre form of relief, where you find yourself rooting for a guy to get back to his hobby of dismembering innocent people.

Trap is also impeccable in its use of close-ups, which become tighter and more discomforting as the film progresses. Each time Harnett is in frame, Mukdeeprom lights him in ever-so-slightly eerie ways. Nothing feels overtly "wrong" with Cooper, but his eyes feel just a little too obscured by shadow. He feels a little too duplicitous, or a little too asymmetrical, in ways that your brain may only register subconsciously.

Something just feels off, much in the same way cinematographer Michael Gioulakis made each camera movement feel off in Shyamalan's Old. In this case, what's most puzzling is an inescapable stillness that's as alluring as it is uncanny. You can't look away, but you also don't want to. Trap is filled with these opposing dichotomies. At the end of the day, it's about following a serial killer as he finds his way out of a corner like a wounded animal, if only for his daughter's love — until a sly switch in POV turns it tense, tragic, and downright terrifying, both thanks to Hartnett's performance, and thanks to Shyamalan's fable-like approach to perpetuating cycles of bad parenthood.

His masterstroke, however, is that all throughout every thematic and tonal turn, and each gonzo narrative escalation, Trap  remains wildly and consistently entertaining, with laugh-out-loud dramatic ironies that collide headfirst with a sincere father-daughter story in the most fucked up packaging.

Trap is now streaming on Max.

UPDATE: Oct. 24, 2024, 12:48 p.m. EDT This review was originally published on Aug. 2, 2024, when "Trap" opened in theaters. It has since been updated to reflect streaming options.

SAVE $21.04: As of Oct.25, the Waterpik Pearl Water Flosser is on sale at Amazon for $48.95. This is a 30% saving on list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Waterpik Waterpik Pearl Water Flosser $48.95 at Amazon
$69.99 Save $21.04 Get Deal

Water flossers are having their moment, and that's not a bad thing. After trending on TikTok, we can only imagine that dentists are all taking a huge sigh of relief that we're finally taking flossing seriously.

A water dental flosser is a fantastic way to remove plaque and debris from hard-to-reach areas between teeth and along the gum line, and as of Oct. 25 you can score a great deal on the Waterpik Pearl Water Flosser at Amazon. Reduced by 40%, it's now $48.95 down from $69.99. This deal is specific to the White model, however you can snag the Black flosser for just $49.99.

SEE ALSO: The best water flosser for cleaning up your oral hygiene

This is a great all-rounder water flosser, featuring four tips for a variety of dental needs, a rechargeable battery, and a portable design that makes it handy for travel. Waterpik is also the first water flosser brand to earn the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance for safety and effectiveness.

This flosser works by using PrecisionPulse technology to deliver a combination of water pressure and pulsations, removing plaque and bacteria from the teeth and gums. This helps reduce the risk of issues such as gingivitis, cavities, and bad breath.

This deal is only available for a limited time at Amazon, so don't miss out.

SAVE $12: As of Oct.25, the YLL Mini Karaoke Machine is on sale for $24.99 at Amazon. That's a 32% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: YLL YLL Mini Karaoke Machine $24.99 at Amazon
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Whether you partake or observe, you have to admit, karaoke can give you some of the funniest memories and the best nights. Is there anything better than embarrassing yourself in a room full of strangers? Yes, watching your loved ones embarrass themselves in a room full of strangers.

But for those times when you're feeling the need to burst into song alone, judgment-free at home, or you want to liven up your next party, you need the YLL Mini Karaoke Machine.

A stylish, portable machine that you can take to your friend's house or your next family gathering, the two-microphoned machine is ideal for a night full of laughs. And as of Oct. 25, it's on sale at Amazon for just $24.99. This deal is specific to the Pink, Two Mics model, but there are discounts available on all product variations.

SEE ALSO: Upgrade your sound system for less with this powerful soundbar deal

The microphones are wireless, connected to the speaker via an advanced digital signal processor, so if you feel the need to spontaneously burst into dance, the space is your dancefloor. Connect your phone or other device to the speaker via Bluetooth, so you can sing along to your top songs on Spotify, Apple Music, or Deezer.

When the party really gets going, enjoy the colorful LED lights that flash in beat to the music. Who needs stage lighting? You can even alter your voice with different effects including monster, baby voice, male voice, and female voice. And don't worry, the party won't stop because of battery issues, this little machine has a battery life of 5-10 hours, with fast charging.

This is a limited-time deal at Amazon, so be quick so you don't miss out.

SAVE $100: As of Oct. 25, the Ultimea 5.1 Surround Sound System is on sale for $99.99 at Amazon. That's a 50% saving on the original list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ultimea Ultimea 5.1 Virtual Surround Sound System $99.99 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $100.00 Get Deal

If you're on the hunt for a new sound system, you'll find some great offerings at Amazon. And we love this incredible deal on the Ultimea 5.1 Surround Sound System, currently reduced by 50% on list price.

As of Oct. 25, you can treat yourself to this epic sound system for just $99.99. This bundle includes a 5.1-channel TV soundbar, two rear speakers, and one subwoofer to bring you a truly amazing cinematic experience. A 19.6-foot cable is used to connect speakers to the subwoofer so you can place surround sound speakers anywhere in your room.

SEE ALSO: The best soundbars for upgrading your home entertainment

If you're a sound connoisseur, this system uses SurroundX technology to convert 2.0 PCM to a 5.1 surround signal, making sound travel dynamically around you. It also uses aerospace-grade magnets to ensure precise and clear surround sound.

To deliver rich, powerful bass, the system integrates BASSMX technology, an enhanced magnetic circuit, and a larger cabinet. You can even adjust the bass and surround settings for a personalized listening experience. You’ll also find tailored audio modes for movies, dialogue, and music, all easily changed with a single button on the remote.

This is only a limited-time deal at Amazon, so be quick so you don't miss out.

The title Venom: The Last Dance suggests this wacky and wild Spider-Man spin-off franchise could be coming to a close. However, much of this sequel (too much even) is devoted to setting up a big bad dead set on wiping the symbiote out of existence. So, barring a box office bomb on par with Morbius or Madam Web, it seems Venom 4 could rise. And the mid-credits scene for this third entry into this freaky franchise lays out how.

Written and directed by Venom: Let There Be Carnage scribe Kelly Marcel, Venom: The Last Dance unveils Knull, a big bad who doesn't really get a chance to shine. But there are clues early on he's being set up to wreak havoc.

In an early scene in the film, a frustrated bartender (Ted Lasso's Cristo Fernández) is explaining to Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) about the terrors galactic titan Thanos brought down on the MCU's timeline. Then Eddie and Venom (also played by Hardy) get jettisoned back to their own dimension. Could this conversation be a hint of what's to come back on Eddie's home planet?

Who is Knull?

Both in the comics and Venom: The Last Dance, Knull is the creator of the symbiote. Depicted in the movie as a gray figure with long locks and a grumbling voice, this ancient god of darkness saw his creations turn on him and imprison him. And he's ready to get them back for their betrayal.

First, he sends out his monstrous xenophages, giant bug-like beasts who can track the codex key that could free Knull's binds. Ultimately, Venom manages to keep him bound through a grand act of self-sacrifice. But the post-credits scene suggests this wily symbiote might resurrect. And the mid-credits scene promises Knull isn't out of the fight yet either.

What's the mid-credits scene inVenom: The Last Dance?

If you stay through the playful montage of various Venom-animal combinations, you'll see Knull once more on his throne, grumbling about his quest to take down his symbiote children once and for all.

Andy Serkis plays Knull, which might seem like a cheeky Easter egg as he directed Venom: Let There Be Carnage. However, Serkis is a pioneer in mo-cap acting, bringing to life Caesar in the recent Planet of the Apes movies and Gollum in the Lord of the Rings film franchise. So, if Marcel is bringing in this heavy hitter to play her CGI villain, you can bet Sony has big plans for Knull.

In fact, in an interview with Games Radar, Marcel said of Knull, "[He's] way too big to be one and done. So, [his role in The Last Dance] is just a little introduction to him. It's just a kind of taster of where he might potentially be able to go with his own movies, in the same way that they introduced Thanos very carefully through the Marvel movies." 

There it is. The Thanos allusion is confirmed. Watch out, Eddie. Your war is just beginning.

Venom: The Last Dance opens exclusively in theaters Oct. 25.

Venom: The Last Dance promises in its tagline "Til Death Do They Part." But is Sony really ready to end the adventures of their most popular Spider-Man villain? That seems unlikely when Madame Web and Morbius failed to catch on. And if you're wondering how Eddie Brock and Venom can go on after that world-rocking ending, look no further than the post-credits scene.

In the third Venom entry, a new problem is foisted upon Eddie and Venom (both played by Tom Hardy). They discover they carry a codex that could be the key to free Knull, a ruthless villain older than time itself. Determined to escape his throne/prison, Knull (Andy Serkis) unleashes deadly xenophages upon the earth to hunt the codex down, whatever the it takes. In a heroic move, Venom destroys the codex at great personal cost. But then what?

Well, the mid-credits scene promises this may have worked to shut Knull down for now. But it's not the last we'll see of this grumbling extraterrestrial warlord. What other questions are addressed in the post-credits scene?

What happened to the bartender from Ted Lasso? Cristo Fernández and Chiwetel Ejiofor co-star in "Venom: The Last Dance." Credit: Screenshot / YouTube

Cristo Fernández first popped up as a bewildered bartender in the mid-credits of Spider-Man: No Way Home. There, he tried to explain to an incredulous Eddie the horrors of Thanos' genocidal snap. But before Eddie can make sense of all that, he got snapped back to his dimension. That scene is recreated in Venom: The Last Dance, with Eddie and Venom popping into a similar bar where the bartender is also played by Cristo Fernández. This poor guy not only witnesses the drunken symbiote make a mess of his bar while trying to make a cocktail, he also gets abducted by the U.S. military, simply because he's a witness to the strange wonder that is Venom.

This bartender — who gets stun-gunned by order of solider Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) — is taken to Area 51, along with a sample of Venom's ooey-gooey flesh. While the film's finale shows Area 51 get razed, it's not clear what becomes of the handsome unnamed bartender. But the post-credits scene reveals his fate.

Cautiously coming out of a cavern, the bartender has survived the obliteration of Area 51. While around him lie the ruins of buildings and the corpses of various extraterrestrial and terrestrial beings, he runs for the hills. But he's not alone in this sun-beaten desert.

What's in the vial at the end of Venom: The Last Dance?

The post-credits scene ends on a small, broken glass vial lying in the dirt. Inside is a bit of purple glue that lets off a lighting-like spark of electricity. This is the shedding of the purple symbiote who joined with Dr. Teddy Payne (Juno Temple) to save her assistant Christmas (Clark Backo). This is a flickering reminder that there's still a powerful symbiote alive and kicking on Eddie's Earth. As shown by Teddy flexing her formerly paralyzed left hand, her symbiote is inside her and strengthening her. But what else might this shot mean?

Could it suggest the bartender's time with symbiotes is not over? After all, we saw in the white rapids scene how a symbiote can use various hosts to leapfrog across a rough terrain.

The key to Venom's return is in The Last Dance's post-credits scene.

Sure, Venom sacrifices himself to destroy the codex that had Knull chasing Eddie. In doing so, he saves his friend and the Earth. But is that really the end for Venom? Eddie's tip for the bartender in the opening sequence suggests not. When he leaves a coin on the bar, a closer look reveals he's also left behind a bit of Venom's slippery black goo.

Strickland takes both man and symbiote back to Area 51. And if that bartender, with his very penetrable human flesh, could make it out of there alive, it seems certain Venom's shedding could too.

The glint of that vial in the end may have been purple, suggesting it might be Agony, not Venom. But it is nonetheless a remind that Venom's shedding might also have survived the explosion and escaped its glass bonds. And we did see a cockroach scurrying about. Could that shiny black bug be how Venom begins his long trek back to Eddie?

For now, all we can do is speculate. But here's hoping Venom 4 will bring the big guy back, wild as ever.

Venom: The Last Dance opens exclusively in theaters Oct. 25.

Did you walk out of Venom: The Last Dance with your head spinning, your heart racing, unsure how to feel? Well, welcome to feeling like Eddie Brock. And we hear you.

Sure, it's a pretty happy ending, all things considered. Writer/director Kelly Marcel even offers fans a finale montage of BFF moments between Eddie Brock and Venom (both played by Tom Hardy) set to sentimental music. It's a real Fast and Furious-style moment of macho reflection. But is this really —as the title promises — Eddie and Venom's last dance?

Following Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Venom: The Last Dance pitches these gruff but affable anti-heroes up against an array of obstacles and foes. While road-tripping on a half-assed mission to clear his name of a murder allegation, Eddie discovers he and Venom are being chased by an elite military squad, dedicated to locking them up in Area 51. They're also the key that could unlock an ancient evil upon the Earth, so the target on their backs is now multiverse-wide. Amidst battling extraterrestrial beasts and surly soldiers, they also need to keep their weirdness in check while bumming a ride from a relatively normal human family of van-living hippies.

But once the big battle has led to explosions and much death, what are we left to look forward to if there is to be another Venom-verse movie? Let's dig into it.

Obviously, spoilers below.

Venom flies in style. Credit: Sony Pictures Is Venom really dead?

In Venom: The Last Dance, Eddie discovers that because Venom brought him back from the dead on a past misadventure, they'd forged a codex. That convenient MacGuffin works as a key that could unlock the merciless Knull, who once ruled over the symbiotes until they locked him up and ran away from his prison.

To retrieve this codex/key, Knull (Andy Serkis) sends out his version of hunting dogs — gigantic, scorpion-like creatures called xenophages — to Earth. These gnarly monsters can track the codex, but only when Venom fully takes over Eddie's body. Of course, as established in Let There Be Carnage, Venom doesn't like being kept in the Eddie closet!

SEE ALSO: Surprise! Venom is the superhero who defines this pandemic moment

However, the codex will vanish if Eddie or Venom die, meaning Knull's escape plan would be foiled. For soldier Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the answer to avoiding alien invasion and Earth's annihilation is simple: execution.

Initially, Eddie and Venom reject this annihilation option, teaming up with hordes of freed symbiotes and scientists to try to battle back the xenophages. But in the end, Venom realizes there's only one way to keep his friend — and the planet he loves — safe. So, using his powers, his shiny shapeshifting sludge ropes in all the attacking xenophages, dragging them to what is essentially a matter-melting acid shower. With the help of Strickland, Venom sacrifices himself to save Eddie. But is he really gone?

The movie would have you think so, ending with Eddie in New York City, where he'd promised to take Venom. In a bittersweet moment, he bids farewell to his friend while looking at the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of welcome to aliens arriving in this storied city. But hey, remember that first sequence in the bar in Mexico?

When tipping the bartender (Ted Lasso's Cristo Fernández), Venom shed a little bit of himself on the coin he left behind. When Strickland recovers this "shedding," the soldier notes this is how the species survives. The sample is then taken to Area 51, where it's placed under the care of Dr. Teddy Payne (Ted Lasso's Juno Temple). In the ensuing battle between symbiotes and xenophages, it's not totally clear what happens to the tiny glass vial holding Venom's shedding. But there could be an answer in the post-credits scene.

What's the deal with Dr. Teddy Payne and Agony? Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, and Clark Backo in Columbia Pictures' "Venom: The Last Dance." Credit: Laura Radford / Sony Pictures

It seems Marcel is combining some characters from the comics. There, Dr. Thaddeus Paine is a Venom foe who ironically can feel no physical pain, but conducts inhumane experiments on others who definitely can. In The Last Dance, Teddy Payne seems to be a gender-swapped spin on the character. Or perhaps Teddy's twin brother — struck down by lightning in their youth — was this dimension's Theodore? In either case, the movie's version of Payne doesn't seem a villain at all. She is very empathetic to the symbiotes in her care, and eventually joins their ranks.

In the finale, Teddy watches her colleagues either be swept up by symbiotes or volunteer to join them in the battle against the xenophages. But she has something up her sleeve, or, well, in her pocket. When it seems her assistant nicknamed "Christmas" (Clark Backo) is at risk of death by fiery explosion, Teddy breaks the glass vial she'd pocketed, which contains a small, purple symbiote. Immediately overtaking her body, it appears she becomes Agony, a symbiote who has feminine curves, purple skin, and long, flowing hair. Agony has the same enhanced strength, impenetrability, and speed of her brother Venom. Plus, this purple symbiote also has lightning powers, making her unique — and tying back to Teddy's tragic past.

Though many of the other symbiotes introduced for the climactic fight are wiped out, Agony slithers back into Teddy at the end of the battle. And we can tell her influence remains by the fact that Teddy's left arm, formerly paralyzed from her childhood brush with death and lightning, can now move and flex without issue. What will this mean, should there be a Venom 4? Will Agony and Teddy Payne be allies to Eddie and Venom? Will they be enemies? Will they double-date?

We're eager to find out.

Has Knull been defeated for good?

No. But that's a matter for a mid-credits explainer.

What happened to Cristo Fernández's bartender?

Well, that's definitely a matter for a post-credits explainer.

Venom: The Last Dance opens exclusively in theaters Oct. 25.

Apple is launching new Macs next week.

While we already sort of knew that, based on numerous reports and a leaked MacBook Pro, Apple's SVP of Marketing Greg Joswiak made it official by pre-announcing the announcements on X.

"Mac (😉) your calendars! We have an exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning," he wrote. "Stay tuned…"

Tweet may have been deleted

A whole week of Apple announcements sounds swell, though one of those announcements could simply be Apple's earnings results, which are scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 31.

Still, this style of hyping up product launches before they happen is new for Apple, which typically either hosts a big event in which it shows all the new products, or simply drops the products via a newsroom post (as the company recently did with the iPad mini).

SEE ALSO: The real AI update: Apple launches iOS 18.2 developer beta

So what's coming next week? M4 MacBook Pro devices are nearly certain, and a redesigned Mac mini and iMac (also with an M4 chip inside) are very likely. But given how Joswiak is framing this as a "week" of announcements, perhaps the company has more in stock? We'll (start to) find out on Monday.

Pho Restaurant has given up its trademark on the Vietnamese word "pho" after receiving widespread international condemnation online. After almost two decades, Vietnamese businesses in the UK are finally able to have "pho" in their names without risking legal reprisal.

As per the UK's Intellectual Property Office, Pho Restaurant filed a request to surrender its trademark on the word "pho" this Monday. The process was officially completed two days later on Wednesday, meaning the Vietnamese word is now free and available for all businesses in the UK to use.

SEE ALSO: Restaurant chain which trademarked 'pho' responds to TikTok backlash

Pho Restaurant's trademark surrender was first reported by Daily Mail's Femail, with a spokesperson telling them that the chain had "been listening to the comments from the past week" and "understand[s] the concerns that have been raised." 

Vietnamese TikTok creator iamyenlikethemoney confirmed the news as well, stating that Pho Holdings Ltd. informed her that it had filed to surrender its trademark. The controversy was initially brought to many TikTok users' attention via one of her videos, which has 2.7 million views at time of writing. She stated in a subsequent video that she'd reached out to ask Pho Restaurant to drop their trademark.

"This was a community effort," iamyenlikethemoney said in her latest TikTok on the matter. "I truly believe in the power of community. Every single comment, every single video that was produced on this matter has helped us in reaching the goal of dropping the trademark of 'pho'."

The uproar surrounding the UK restaurant chain began earlier this month, after TikTok users became aware that the white-founded business held the trademark to the Vietnamese word "pho." Pho Restaurant trademarked the words "PHO," "Pho," and "pho" in 2007, and even threatened legal action against at least one Vietnamese business for using the word in 2013.

Social media outrage caused Pho Restaurant to back down at the time, though it still retained its legal grip on the word "pho." Now almost a decade later, this issue is finally being rectified. It seems as though this time the fury was loud enough that Pho Restaurant couldn't just wait it out or explain it away.

"We did it," said iamyenlikethemoney. "I hope they learn from their mistakes."

TL;DR: Live stream Al Ahli vs. Al Akhdoud in the Saudi Pro League for free on 10Play. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Saudi Pro League brings together some of the best players in the world, and that list very much includes Riyad Mahrez. The Algerian winger currently stars for Al Ahli, but even with his talent, The Royals have struggled to climb the standings this season.

Al Ahli will be looking to move up from seventh in the standings against Al Akhdoud, a team languishing near the foot of the table.

If you want to watch Al Ahli vs. Al Akhdoud in the Saudi Pro League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Al Ahli vs. Al Akhdoud?

Al Ahli vs. Al Akhdoud in the Saudi Pro League kicks off at 2 p.m. ET on Oct. 25. This fixture takes place at King Abdullah Sports City.

How to watch Al Ahli vs. Al Akhdoud for free

Al Ahli vs. Al Akhdoud in the Saudi Pro League is available to live stream for free on 10Play.

10Play is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming service with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Saudi Pro League from anywhere in the world.

Access a free live stream of Al Ahli vs. Al Akhdoud by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia

4. Visit 10Play

5. Live stream Al Ahli vs. Al Akhdoud for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Al Ahli vs. Al Akhdoud in the Saudi Pro League without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select Saudi Pro League fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for 10Play?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on 10Play, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Al Ahli vs. Al Akhdoud in the Saudi Pro League for free with ExpressVPN.

The Daily Mini Crossword is one of the many popular daily word games available on Mashable. Powered by Arkadium, the mini crossword offers a speed round of puzzle fun with clues that are sure to challenge experienced crossword enthusiasts.

But there's no need to let the challenge get in the way of your enjoyment! If moments are turning to minutes after getting stuck on a clue, find the answers you need to progress right here.

And when you're done, check out the many other word games you can play on Mashable, including a full-size crossword.

Also, if you get stuck on any other daily word games, such as Wordle, Connections, or Strands — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for October 25 SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to Daily Mini Crossword for Friday, October 25, 2024:

AcrossInbox filler

• The answer is Spam.

Garage occupant

• The answer is Auto.

Twelve dozen

• The answer is Gross.

Musical TV show

• The answer is Glee.

"If all ____ fails..."

• The answer is Else.

DownHang loosely

• The answer is Sag.

When all crime is legal for 12 hours

• The answer is Purge.

Bikini, e.g.

• The answer is Atoll.

Said to have parted the Red Sea

• The answer is Moses.

Witness

• The answer is See.

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

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

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 today's Mini Crossword.

TL;DR: Through 27 October, you can grab 3-month stackable GamePass Ultimate memberships for only £28.12 (reg. £39.28). Customers can buy up to five passes, scoring access to hundreds of games for just £9.37 per month.

It's a pill that's hard to swallow, but games are definitely not getting any cheaper. Any Xbox user knows the pain of a hobby that now demands an arm and a leg, with new titles averaging around £54 each. If you're on a limited budget, it's simply not sustainable to shell out that much every time you want to try out a new game — not unless you have Xbox GamePass Ultimate.

Every gamer's favorite hack, GamePass Ultimate is a subscription service that nets you unlimited access to a wide repository of games, updated regularly with shiny new titles. A subscription normally costs £13.09 a month, but through 27 October, you can score a 3-month stackable code for just £28.12, or £9.37 per a month. You can stack up to five codes in total for up to 15 months of access.

With this Xbox GamePass Ultimate deal, you'll never be stuck replaying the same old games. A subscription nets you unfettered access to over 500 high-quality games, playable on your console, PC, phone, or tablet. Fresh titles are added on a regular basis, including day-one releases, allowing you to be the first to play new favorites. Recent releases include Starfield, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.

GamePass Ultimate features cloud gaming, so you can play your games regardless of the device you're using. You also get premium member benefits, deals, and discounts for even more savings. And if that wasn’t enough, you get a free EA Play membership. That means you get to revel in franchises like The Sims, Madden, and Battlefield, plus save 10% on EA digital purchases.

Why fork out £54 on a single game when you can play hundreds for way less? Through 27 October, grab a 3-month GamePass Ultimate stackable code for only £28.12. Just be sure to redeem your code within seven days of purchase.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: 3-Month Membership - Stackable & Global - (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows - Digital Code) £28.12 at the Mashable Shop
£39.28 Save £11.16 Get Deal

TL;DR: Live stream Benetton vs. Bulls in the United Rugby Championship for free on TVNZ+. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The United Rugby Championship is looking particularly competitive this season, with a number of teams battling it out at the top of the standings. One of those teams is the Blue Bulls, currently sat in fourth position after three wins from four games. Next for the South African side is a visit to Benetton.

If you want to watch Benetton vs. Bulls in the United Rugby Championship for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Benetton vs. Bulls?

Benetton vs. Bulls starts at 7:35 p.m. BST on Oct. 25. This fixture takes place at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo.

How to watch Benetton vs. Bulls for free

Benetton vs. Bulls in the United Rugby Championship is available to live stream for free on TVNZ+.

TVNZ+ is geo-restricted to New Zealand, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These helpful tools can hide your IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in New Zealand. This process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can stream on TVNZ+ from any location.

Access free live streams of the United Rugby Championship by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in New Zealand

4. Visit TVNZ+

5. Live stream Benetton vs. Bulls for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming aren't free, but leading VPN providers do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By signing up for these deals, you'll be able access free live streams without actually spending anything. This is a temporary fix, but it gives you enough time to stream Benetton vs. Bulls (plus more United Rugby Championship fixtures) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the United Rugby Championship?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to live stream the United Rugby Championship, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including New Zealand

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months of coverage for free — 49% off list price. This deal includes a year of unlimited data backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Benetton vs. Bulls for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Al Kholood vs. Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League for free on 10Play. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Saudi Pro League has plenty of interesting storylines, but most fans are only interested in watching Cristiano Ronaldo. The footballing icon just keeps on going, most recently scoring a last-minute penalty to secure a victory over Al-Shabab.

Ronaldo's Al Nassr take on Al Kholood in the next Saudi Pro League fixture. Al Nassr need to keep winning to keep pace with Al-Hilal at the top of the standings.

If you want to watch Al Kholood vs. Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Al Kholood vs. Al Nassr?

Al Kholood vs. Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League kicks off at 11:05 a.m. ET on Oct. 25. This fixture takes place at King Abdullah Sports City.

How to watch Al Kholood vs. Al Nassr for free

Al Kholood vs. Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League is available to live stream for free on 10Play.

10Play is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming service with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Saudi Pro League from anywhere in the world.

Access a free live stream of Al Kholood vs. Al Nassr by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia

4. Visit 10Play

5. Live stream Al Kholood vs. Al Nassr for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Al Kholood vs. Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select Saudi Pro League fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for 10Play?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on 10Play, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Al Kholood vs. Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League for free with ExpressVPN.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

California rolls are a popular example.

SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for October 25 Hurdle Word 1 answer

SUSHI

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Good to have insurance if you ever have one of these.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 25 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

WRECK

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Abrupt, possibly rude.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for October 25 Hurdle Word 3 answer

TERSE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A neck warmer.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for October 25 Hurdle Word 4 answer

SCARF

Final Hurdle hint

Something you probably didn't want to be late for while growing up.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

CLASS

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

Connections: Sports Edition is a new 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 October 21's 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 SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for October 25 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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for October 25 Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Not losing

• Green: Tracking America's pastime

• Blue: Ball movement

• Purple: A group of teams

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow - Win

• Green - Found in a baseball box score

• Blue - Types of basketball passes

• Purple - ____ League

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 #31 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Win: CONQUEST, SUCCESS, TRIUMPH, VICTORY

• Found in a baseball box score: ERA, H, LOB, R

• Types of basketball passes: BOUNCE, CHEST, OVERHEAD, SKIP

• ____ League: AMERICAN, CHAMPIONS, G, PREMIER

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new 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.

SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for October 25

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 today's Connections.

Elon Musk's X appears to be adding yet another fee for third party apps, according to an affected app developer.

After acquiring then-Twitter, Musk made big sweeping changes to the platform's API, which allows third-party developers to integrate X into their platforms. The biggest change? Charging thousands of dollars just to access X's API, which used to be free to use for most developers.

Under Musk, many app developers found that they'd have to pay $42,000 per month, in order to continue using X integration. 

Some third-party companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo just removed X from their app. Many apps that depended on X API access had to shut down. However, some companies had no choice but to fork over the $42,000 per month just to access the lowest-priced tier of X's Enterprise API plan. 

SEE ALSO: Why Elon Musk is skipping around on stage for Donald Trump

Now, those companies that are paying tens of thousands of dollars to X per month are being asked to pay additional fees to the tune of $1 per month for each account that will be connecting to X's API through their app. Again, this monthly $1 per account fee is on top of the $42,000+ per month companies are already paying for X API access.

Musk squeezing developers dry for a buck

Social media management app Publer was the first to go public with the most recent X API changes.

"I just got off a call with our Enterprise Partner Manager at Twitter/X, and unfortunately, I have some bad news for those using the free version of Publer," Publer founder and CEO Ervin Kalemi wrote in a post on X. "In addition to the hefty Twitter/X API Enterprise fee ($42K/month), starting November 1st, we will also have to pay $1 monthly for each Twitter/X account connected to Publer. Long story short, we can no longer support Twitter/X for free."

Mashable reached out to X for confirmation and any more information about this apparent change to the platform's fee structure, and we will update if we hear back.

To get a better understanding of what these fees mean to third-party app creators, here's an example: According to Publer's own reports, the company was making between $125,000 and $140,000 per month at the beginning of the year. Based on those numbers, X currently takes more than one-third of Publer's revenue each month due to the $42,000 per month API cost.

Let's say a social media management company like Publer charges users $10 per month to manage their social media through their app. Based on Publer's previously reported revenue, that means Publer could have up to 14,000 paying customers. If each paying user connects just one X account to use on Publer, those new X per account fees could now cost Publer an extra $14,000 per month or $168,000 per year. Again, this is in addition to the $504,000 per year a company like Publer already pays X for the lowest tier of X's Enterprise API access.

And if you're wondering how much other social media companies like Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube charge developers and companies for API access, it's nothing. All those companies provide API access at zero cost, free to use.

X's once-lively app ecosystem barely exists now

Charging exorbitant fees for API access is easily one of the more controversial decisions that Elon Musk made after acquiring then-Twitter. Before Musk, Twitter was known for having a robust third-party app ecosystem. 

Indie developers as well as larger companies were freely creating their own apps that provided Twitter users with additional functionality not built-in to the platform itself. Some found financial success with their apps that utilized Twitter's free API. However, in return, these third-party apps encourage content creation, engagement, and overall Twitter platform usage.

Since Musk took ownership, however, many of those apps have since shuttered. The once-bustling forums and message boards where developers shared daily news and tips about Twitter's API are now dead. The developers that can afford it are being forced to pay dearly to keep their apps afloat. With the latest additional API fees, it'll be interesting to see how many developers continue to allow themselves to be squeezed by Musk.

In just a few days, we'll all have access to Apple's latest iPhone software update, iOS 18.2, but the beta is already available to some developers.

Of course, the most news shattering feature of the new iOS update is Apple's AI-related features. Among them are Genmoji, AI-powered custom emojis; image playground, which allows users to create images based on a text description from their library; and Image Wand, which Mashable's Stan Schroeder described as "essentially Image Playground integrated into the Notes app." Siri can answer your questions using ChatGPT now, and there are expanded AI writing tools. Finally, there's Visual Intelligence, in which AI gives you info about something your camera is pointed at — like, say, hours of a place of business.

SEE ALSO: The real AI update: Apple launches iOS 18.2 developer beta Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

If AI isn't really your thing, there's still something for you in the new update. You can turn off game previews in your Apple Arcade, use built-in categories for organizing your emails in the mail app, layer voice memos on top of each other and mix them in the voice memo app, and change your default apps in your settings. You can change up the volume limit, there are new sections for managing data in Safari, and you can favorite categories in the Podcasts app.

Overall, lots of changes and updates to look forward to.

TikTok is bringing its STEM feed to all users in the U.S., UK, and Ireland. Previously, it was only enabled for users under 18.

SEE ALSO: TikTok's retro dating dance trends harken back to the days of courtship

Launched last year, the STEM feed is a designated hub for vetted science, technology, engineering, and math content. Since its launch, nearly 200 million videos have been uploaded to the feed. It also spurred an 18 percent increase in STEM-related content on the platform. One-third of teen users in the U.S., UK, and Ireland use the STEM feed on a weekly basis.

All videos on the STEM feed must be approved by Common Sense Networks and The Poynter Institute for Media Studies. Common Sense assesses a video's age-appropriateness, and Poynter checks its reliability. Misinformation runs rampant on the platform — Newsguard recently found that AI-enhanced videos spreading election misinformation garnered over 380 million views — and the STEM feed provides a rare haven of vetted content.

The STEM feed has been used to counter claims that the platform is damaging to teen mental health — despite overwhelming evidence of social media's impact on teen mental health. In two U.S. congressional hearings, TikTok CEO Shou Chew pointed to the feed as an example of TikTok fostering a love of learning and science and math.

The STEM feed is one of several Topic Feeds available on the platform. These hubs serve as topic-specific alternatives to your FYP and Following feed. They've launched Sports, Food, Gaming, and Fashion feeds.

While the feed is now enabled for all users in the U.S., UK, and Ireland, you can turn it off in the app's settings under "content preferences."