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Today's Connections: Sports Edition requires expertise in women's tennis.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Yellow: Quit

• Green: Scoring moves

• Blue: Headwear components

• Purple: Same second word

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: Give up

• Green: Shots in basketball

• Blue: Parts of a hat

• Purple: ____ hill

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 #389 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Give up - ALLOW, CONCEDE, SURRENDER, YIELD

• Shots in basketball - DUNK, FINGER ROLL, HOOK, JUMPER

• Parts of a hat - BILL, BUTTON, CLOSURE, EYELET

• ____ hill - CHAPEL, CHESTNUT, GRANT, RICH

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

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

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

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

Strange, narrow channels threading through some of Mars' sand dunes have intrigued scientists for years. 

These Martian features don't look like anything on Earth. Early theories proposed that flowing water created these gullies, perhaps when the Red Planet had a warmer, wetter climate billions of years ago. That idea thrilled scientists because it meant Mars might once have supported life. 

But newer space images have revealed that these gullies aren't relics of the past but forming and changing with the seasons now, making them all the more perplexing. Though Lonneke Roelofs is an Earth scientist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, she was determined to solve the extraterrestrial mystery. She describes herself as "broadly interested," and that curiosity has led her to study surface processes far beyond our own planet. 

"Mars is currently the only planet on which we have observed these types of gullies," she told Mashable, "so they are a pretty special and exciting landform."

Rather than rely on computer simulations as other planetary studies so often do, Roelofs and a graduate student went to a lab at The Open University in the United Kingdom and recreated Mars-like conditions, complete with very low air pressure and fine sand. In the end, their experiments were able to reproduce the gullies — in a surprising way. 

SEE ALSO: A giant black hole is lost in space. Here's how it's shocking astronomers.

These Martian ditches, called linear dune gullies, often run parallel and end with small pits. They range from about three to 30 feet wide and 65 to hundreds of feet long, Roelofs said, depending on the size of the dune.

Despite the name, many of the ditches squiggle instead of forming straight lines. With the help of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter images, scientists have observed these surface features changing during the Martian spring. 

A closer view of the linear dune gullies at Hellas Planitia, taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and shown at the top of this story, reveals how these channels twist and curve through the sand. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UArizona

"How quickly they are eroded is dependent on how quickly the dunes move," Roelofs said. "Over the time span of 10 years, we have seen gullies fade. But some exist for longer."

Since the Red Planet has no running water on its surface today, scientists have considered other possible explanations. One idea has pointed to chunks of frozen carbon dioxide, aka dry ice. 

During the Martian winter, frost and dry ice accumulate on top of desert dunes in the southern hemisphere, sometimes forming a layer over two-feet thick. But when spring sunlight returns, the ice begins to warm and break. Pieces then slide down the slopes. 

In short, some scientists have wondered if the gullies are caused by avalanches. But it was unclear how an avalanche of dry ice under the thin Martian air would differ from how it works with snow on Earth. 

In the lab's Mars chamber, the team released blocks of dry ice onto slopes of different angles and watched how they moved. The experiment yielded two distinct behaviors. Their findings appear in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

On steep slopes, the dry ice just slid, creating thin, shallow etches. But on gradual slopes, the blocks did something wild: The bottom of the ice touching the dune converted directly into gas, skipping the liquid phase, and blasted surrounding sand away, due to its high pressure. The ice burrowed downward like a mole, digging deeper and more twisted trenches. 

Suddenly, a simple chunk of ice seemed to move more like an animal. That process caused ridges, called levees, to pile up on either side. Video recordings of the experiments, shared above, demonstrate how it works. Roelofs likens the strange behavior to sandworms in Dune.

The tests also revealed that the ditches only develop on dunes with very fine, evenly sized sand grains. Coarser or more jagged material prevents the burrowing motion, which could explain why the gullies only appear in certain Martian regions, according to the paper.

Many planetary scientists have assumed that undulating channels always indicate a past presence of liquid water, streams rushing over and carving out the surface. But, when it comes to Mars at least, that's not necessarily true.

TL;DR: Bring home a MacBook Air for only $179.97 (reg. $999) through Nov. 2.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air 13.3-Inch 2017 (Refurbished) $179.97
$999 Save $819.03   Get Deal

A MacBook Air for under $200? It may sound like a pricing error, but it’s a reality when it comes to this 13.3-inch model. This MacBook Air proves top-quality tech doesn’t always have to come with top-tier pricing, because you can currently snag this laptop for just $179.97 (reg. $999) through Nov. 2, while supplies last.

Whether you’re in the market for a new laptop or you just can’t pass up this kind of deal, this MacBook Air can be your new on-the-go device. Weighing in at just under three pounds, it’s easy to bring along anywhere — but don’t assume its lightweight status means it skimps on power.

SEE ALSO: Everything Apple announced today: Meet the new M5 MacBook, iPad

This MacBook Air packs an impressive 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor so you’ll enjoy power and performance in this portable device. The 13.3-inch widescreen display offers a 1440 x 900 resolution and Intel HD Graphics 6000, providing vibrant visuals, and you can tackle both work and play thanks to an impressive 12 hours of battery life.

If you like to keep your important files easy to access, you’ll appreciate the 128GB of built-in storage. It also features Bluetooth and WiFi to make connectivity easy.

If you’re wondering how you’re getting this MacBook Air for over $800 off, it’s thanks to the grade A/B refurbished rating. This means it will arrive on your doorstep with light to normal wear and tear, while you enjoy the deep discount.

Act fast to secure your MacBook Air for only $179.97 (reg. $999) through Nov. 2.

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TL;DR: Create whatever images you can dream up with this lifetime subscription to Imagiyo AI Image Generator, on sale now for just $39.97 (reg. $495).

Opens in a new window Credit: Imagiyo Imagiyo AI Image Generator: Lifetime Subscription (Standard Plan) $39.97
$495 Save $455.03   Get Deal

Whether you’re new to the world of AI or you’re a veteran who knows the ropes, creating AI-generated images is endlessly entertaining. Imagiyo AI Image Generator makes it easy to do, and you don’t need any artistic abilities or a background in graphic design.

Right now, you can snag a lifetime subscription to this limitless image generator for only $39.97 (reg. $495).

SEE ALSO: How to filter out AI on Pinterest

Thanks to the power of artificial intelligence, you can turn words into stunning art with Imagiyo AI Image Generator. There’s no art or tech knowledge required — just put in your prompt and watch it come to life.

Imagiyo lets you create images for commercial use or personal, so you can design social media content, brand logos, or make special gifts for loved ones. The images will be high-quality and ready to print, so they make great gifts. And multiple image generation sizes are available as Modelslab LLMs.

There are no watermarks or ads to deal with, and unlike other image generators, Imagiyo doesn’t have any limitations. You can even have it generate NSFW images if you’d like. Just make sure your privacy settings are set to private for that type of content.

The Imagiyo AI Image Generator standard plan lets you make 500 images a month, and also includes two images per request.

Generate images forever with this lifetime subscription to Imagiyo AI Image Generator, on sale now for just $39.97 (reg. $495).

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If you took a shot for every corporate euphemism in No Other Choice, you'd be circling back, going in a different direction, finding your services no longer required, rightsized, downsized, and as plastered as one of the characters.

The very title itself evades responsibility, a phrase used by big companies to hide behind intentional, cold decision-making. In this superb dark comedy-thriller, legendary South Korean director Park Chan-wook delivers a biting social commentary on the brutal job market and its associated hyper-competitiveness that sees candidates out for blood, literally.

SEE ALSO: 'No Other Choice' trailer: Park Chan-wook's latest is a black comedy about capitalism and murder

Based on Donald E. Westlake's 1997 novel The Ax and written by Park, Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee, and Don McKellar, the film presents an anti-capitalist fable about workplace politics, where merciless company restructuring drives a desperate family man (Squid Game's Lee Byung-hun) to violence — despite his lack of skills in that department. While not as ultraviolent as Park's lauded Vengeance Trilogy or as seductive as his recent Hitchockian film Decision to Leave, the director hypothesises the fallout of corporate redundancies through this bumbling self-made assassin — one whose inept, maddening decisions will make you consider the morality of it all.

Under pressure to provide, is murdering his way into a job the only option in this economy? 

No Other Choice sees a family man scorned in a hyper-competitive, capitalist reality. Son Ye-jin and Lee Byung-hun in "No Other Choice." Credit: BFI London Film Festival

In an unhinged, uncomfortably empathetic performance by Lee, the nucleus of the film is Yoo Man-soo, a hardworking, proud, and long-serving employee at specialist paper company Solar Paper. He's saved enough to buy his father's stunning house and provide his wife Mi-ri (Crash Landing on You's Son Ye-jin) and two kids a comfortable, upper-middle-class life, full of cello lessons, outdoor barbecues, and designer goods. It's all captured in a saturated golden light and dynamic cinematography from Kim Woo-hyung — with whom Park worked on The Little Drummer Girl series. But when Man-soo is suddenly fired after decades of company loyalty, bills stack up and pragmatic Mi-ri declares their need to adjust — and it's not just creature comforts that are sent packing but actual creatures too, including their pair of adorable, obedient golden retrievers.

No corporate mindfulness workshop could assuage Man-soo's fears of eternal unemployment and the societal shame of it all. Meanwhile, Mi-ri gets her own job at a dentist's office, where the handsomeness of her new boss fuels Man-soo's jealousy and determination to reclaim his breadwinning pride.

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Suddenly, the perfect opportunity (or any opportunity at all) appears on the horizon at the rival Moon Paper, with Man-soo facing an intimidating ocean of potential candidates and AI-powered replacements. Not seeing a snowball's chance in hell of getting the position, he writes a shortlist of candidates (Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min) that could beat him to the job, intending to eliminate them — for good. That means luring them into applying for jobs at his fake company and killing his way back into employability, one by one.

Park Chan-wook subverts his signature vengeance mode to scrutinise morality and responsibility. Lee Byung-hun and Lee Sung-min in "No Other Choice." Credit: BFI London Film Festival

The quest for vengeance and self-satisfaction runs rivers of blood throughout Park's work, with revenge fueling his lauded 2000s triptych Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Lady Vengeance. But where the protagonists of the Vengeance Trilogy had a particular set of skills and life-defining scores to settle, Man-soo of No Other Choice embodies both amateur killer-to-be and believer of himself as a Good Person. 

As the title suggests, Park's film is a hard lesson in individualist finger-pointing and evasive corporate euphemisms that sees its protagonist deflect any form of responsibility for his actions. Man-soo believes he has, after all, exhausted all options. Here, as in Park's line of retaliatory narratives, No Other Choice explores moral and ethical boundaries; Man-soo believes his behaviour is justified for the benefit of his family and his own sense of pride as provider.

With a spectacularly physical performance of pure desperation from Lee, Yoo Man-soo flails his way through violent encounters, one of which is darkly comedic (and stolen by the hilarious Yeom Hye-ran as a target candidate's wife), another gruesome and calculated. It's these scenes that see Park in glorious contained chaos mode, the master of escalating, brutal pandemonium within one set-piece. Park consistently shows Man-soo on the precipice of violence: The family man standing on the edge of an apartment roof holding a heavy pot plant above a competitor perfectly encapsulates the film's ongoing "Will he actually do it?" tension. Here, Park deploys Kim's stylised cinematography and bold editing by Kim Sang-bum to heighten the more operatic elements of the story. 

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As a viewer, we're simultaneously rooting for Man-soo and unnerved by his capacity for calculated manipulation and murder. No Other Choice poses the question: Would you kill for the life you want? In fact, the film doesn't even ask it, instead presenting a man believing himself forced into making such a decision due to cold, hard corporate strategy. It's out of his hands. It's a top-down decision. When you really consider it, Man-soo's simply delivering on blue sky thinking.

No Other Choice was reviewed out of BFI London Film Festival. The film will hit select cinemas in late December before a broad release in January.

Ever wandered through an established art gallery and thought about prying those valuable masterpieces from the wall and running out the door, all in broad daylight? That's what Josh O'Connor's character cooks up in The Mastermind. But it's not the entire story of Kelly Reichardt's latest, with the writer/director leaning on the art heist genre to take a deeper look into the reasons behind such a decision — and follow a family man on the run during social and political upheaval in America.

Set in '70s Massachusetts and loosely based on the high-profile Worcester Art Museum robbery, The Mastermind plays out such a scenario with charming realism, wholesome comedy, and a rich, seductive score. But its most valuable asset is O'Connor, whose magnetic performance is as hilariously deadpan as it is moving.

The Mastermind plans a highly cosy crime. Josh O'Connor in "The Mastermind." Credit: Mastermind Movie Inc. All Rights Reserved

With a clear pivot in the film's centre, The Mastermind is essentially a story in two acts: the first involving a farcical art heist frankly best left to professional thieves, the second a rambling road trip through American towns, all tainted by the inescapable but subtle presence of the Vietnam War.

As for the heist, Reichardt keeps things characteristically minimalist and as far away from Ocean's 11 flamboyance as possible. We're talking no surveillance tech, limited security staff, and small-town cops on their lunch break. There are no nail-biter safe-cracking scenes, no lasers to avoid, no bait and switch. Instead of a motley crew of specialists pulling "one last job," it's a trio of regular guys led by middle-class family man and unemployed carpenter JB (O'Connor). With his chic and cool-headed wife Terri (Alana Haim) and adorable young sons (Jasper and Sterling Thompson) in tow, he cases the fictitious Framingham Art Museum in order to steal four works by American modernist Arthur Dove. 

SEE ALSO: NYFF 2025 preview: 14 films you'll want to see for yourself (and how)

Everything about this relatively cosy crime feels soft and overtly autumnal, from Rob Mazurek's mellow jazz score to costume designer Amy Roth's array of plush sweaters and cardigans, to the homemade pillowcases Terri sews to transport the stolen works. JB uses paper maps to brief his co-conspirators and hands out beautifully hand-drawn flashcards of the works they need to steal. Cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt captures each scene with a nostalgic, low-contrast glow akin to the classic '70s movie aesthetic of The Holdovers, and Anthony Gasparro's production design is a crunchy-leafed suburban landscape of American modernist architecture — and all the wood panelling that goes with it.

Those flash cards. Credit: Mastermind Movie Inc. All Rights Reserved

That being said, there are some sharp edges here once reality hits. Quietly confident he can pull off such a daring crime with ample preparation, JB unwisely puts his faith in his skittish collaborators (Eli Gelb, Cole Doman, and Javion Allen), leading to a bungled execution that is both stressful and comical to watch. Reichardt deploys slapstick comedy sparingly but effectively. At times, The Mastermind even veers into Buster Keaton territory, especially in one of the film's best scenes involving O'Connor's dalliance with a barn ladder and the valiant aim of loft storage. Reader, I cackled. In fact, O'Connor's ability to channel a Keaton-worthy deadpan stare continues throughout the film, one of the many subtle skills the History of Sound actor wields.

Josh O'Connor is a master of deadpan comedy in The Mastermind. Eli Gelb, Javion Allen, and Josh O'Connor in "The Mastermind." Credit: Mastermind Movie Inc. All Rights Reserved

Though The Mastermind precedes the technology by a few decades, O'Connor's JB feels like personification of the deluded shrug guy emoticon, assuring the people around him (especially his exasperated parents, played by Hope Davis and Bill Camp) that everything's going to work out. Despite the title of the film, JB is far from a criminal mastermind, despite one or two Frank Abagnale Jr. moments. However, Reichardt is less interested in following the flashy finesse of a master thief, more in the string of life decisions JB makes to try and provide financial stability for his family (and yes, a sense of personal accomplishment for himself). 

As much as The Mastermind gives O'Connor to play with, it sadly does not bestow the same opportunity on his co-star, Alana Haim, whose role as JB's wife seems bizarrely restricted. Aside from a brief spell of camaraderie during the planning of the heist, Terri is given little to do but glare and seethe at her bumbling husband, though Haim miraculously finds nuance and expression within her allotted silence. JB quite literally pleads with his wife to "say something" and express her feelings. And while women onscreen shouldn't always be required to flip tables to speak their minds, Terri deserves more characterisation than an alarm clock thrown offscreen.

Alana Haim in "The Mastermind." Credit: Mastermind Movie Inc. All Rights Reserved

Where The Mastermind does extrapolate a truly marvellous character is in JB's old friend Fred, an absolute highlight of the film played by John Magaro who is jubilant at having his "mind blown" by his friend's extraordinary actions. The Past Lives actor brings a brilliant sense of levity and warmth to the film (and JB himself) when it's needed, offset by the bristling disdain exuded by Fred's partner Maude (Gaby Hoffmann). We're not privy to every detail of the relationship between these three, with Reichardt leaving the audience to fill in more than a few gaps for themselves. And that's half the magic of The Mastermind.

Featured Video For You 'Challengers' Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist on the significance of the 'I Told Ya' shirt Kelly Reichardt leaves the audience to piece together The Mastermind. Vietnam War-era America is omnipresent. Credit: Mastermind Movie Inc. All Rights Reserved

Showing no intention of tying The Mastermind up in a neat bow, Reichardt doesn't overexplain in her film. Relationships between characters emerge slowly through dialogue; historical context isn't shoved down our throats. But the omnipresence of the Vietnam War is impossible to miss.

The advent of television broadcasting sees JB's father glued to the nightly news while our protagonist sweats about the details of his hometown heist. Anti-war protests and demonstrations pepper the media and the streets on differing scales. This crucial moment of political turbulence in America comes into sharper focus once JB hits the road, where he notices a naval officer on the Greyhound bus shipping out and sees young student activists lambasted by older nationalists. The social and cultural shifts of the '70s seep into the central narrative through offhand comments; a conversation between JB and Fred mentions Canadian communes full of "draft dodgers, radical feminists, dope fiends — nice people."

It's Reichardt's ability to thread such tempestuous historical context through comedy and the heist genre that makes The Mastermind such a unique and endearing film. And it's O'Connor's magnetic performance that makes the film a masterpiece of subtlety and deadpan humour. There are no heist movie archetypes here, only crunchy leaves, modernist art, and bumbling realism. It's a combination worth the steal.

The Mastermind hits U.S. cinemas Oct. 17 and UK and Ireland Oct. 24, after showing at the New York Film Festival and BFI London Film Festival.

With Challengers, Queer, and now After The Hunt, director Luca Guadagnino is on a streak of exploring the wild ways desire and love can warp our views of the world and each other.

With Challengers, Guadagnino presented a love triangle so twisted that leading lady Zendaya insisted audiences needed to see the movie twice to get a proper feel for all the character dynamics. With Queer, Daniel Craig wound himself up into a frantic and sometimes pathetic obsessive, pining for a rather unremarkable younger man who couldn't handle such intensity or devotion. Now, with After the Hunt, there's no need for the rush of a tennis championship or the frenzy of an ayahuasca trip to crank up the pressure on the central characters, who are less a love triangle and more a pyramid of longing, etched with resentment. 

SEE ALSO: NYFF 2025 preview: 14 films you'll want to see for yourself (and how)

And yet After The Hunt was met with mixed to negative reviews out of its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in August. The film currently sits with a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest score for a Guadagnino-directed film. So, what about his latest is not clicking with critics?

Well, the screenplay by Nora Garrett explores the he-said-she-said drama of a rape accusation within a prestigious university's philosophy department. In that setting, what is "truth" becomes a headier thing, folding in dialogues about race, gender, sexual orientation, generational divides, and how all of this impacts the views of the characters within After the Hunt. 

Some critics have felt Guadagnino's approach to the material is didactic and intellectually hollow. But I found the film's heavy-handed intellectualizing is wisely employed as a shield against emotional truths that risk tearing its characters to shreds. Basically, this is a movie about people — specifically white people — who believe they can out-think their problems, even when they can't. 

After The Hunt is a tale of desire and betrayal.  Julia Roberts, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Chloë Sevigny co-star in "After The Hunt." Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Julia Roberts stars as Alma Olsson, a philosophy professor at Yale who's poised for tenure. The film begins in her sophisticated home, where an elegant cocktail party is the perfect stage for Alma to espouse the freedom and impenetrability that tenure status grants an educator. Her close colleague Hank Gibson (Andrew Garfield) shares her desire for such elevation, and from their public displays of affection — flaunted even in front of Alma's adoring husband Frederik (Michael Stuhlbarg) — it seems that they've shared much more than a tenure track. 

When not fawning over each other with an undeniable sexual chemistry, Hank and Alma talk up their protege, Maggie (The Bear's Ayo Edebiri), who is currently working on her dissertation with the guidance of both philosophy professors. Where Hank seems almost outrageously at ease in Alma's world, curled up on her couch, taunting her husband and his homemade tarts for the party, Maggie is ill at ease in this predominantly white space. She stares down the African artifacts that sit casually on Alma's shelves. She speaks with an almost apologetic tone, with Hank all too eager to interrupt her. Yet, it's clear she admires Alma, and urgently wants to be as close to her — as respected by her — as Hank. In fact, Alma's husband Frederik is all too ready to whisper this gossipy epiphany while the others are in the next room. 

Within this opening, Garrett's script sets up the power dynamics at play, where Alma is at the top, not only of the department but also in the estimation of all around her. Hank, Maggie, and Frederik regard her as a queen who is hard to impress but worthy of almost pathetic devotion. Yet these three vying for Alma's heart — or if not her heart, then at least her attention — are coming from different playing fields.

Frederik is on her level in terms of age and respectability; he's a Gen Xer who works in mental health, he's dapper and educated, and he has the socially acceptable hobby of gourmet cooking. Hank is a swaggering millennial man with a sharp wit and an oozing sex appeal, which he flings about as cavalierly as his opinions of Friedrich Nietzsche. Maggie is more reserved, a Gen Z student who is clearly self-conscious about being the lone Black woman in this gathering of white intellectuals. But she's trying to blend in. Her clothes mimic Alma's tailored but soft business attire, often in a brilliant white that suggests a gracefulness that would never spill a drop of red white in an inconvenient spot. Yet where Alma looks comfortable, Maggie looks like she's ready to run.

This party proves to be the "before" for all four. That night after the party, Hank will walk Maggie home, and what happens then will be the focus of the rest of the film. 

After the Hunt doesn't give audiences easy answers.  Julia Roberts stars in "After The Hunt." Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

The next evening, Maggie turns up on Alma's doorstep, rattled, soaking wet, and insisting that Hank raped her the night before. Like Asghar Farhadi's A Separation or Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall, After the Hunt won't show audiences the event that is its inciting incident. It's up to us to probe the perspectives of Alma, Hank, and Maggie to understand not only what happened, but what's next. Alma's resistant to Maggie's story because of her feelings for Hank. However, Hank's side of the story is far from vindicating. Unlike many legal dramas on sexual misconduct, After the Hunt moves quickly in cause and effect. 

After Hank is swiftly fired, Maggie is pressured by a Yale journalism student to make her story public. Both turn to Alma for help. Far from a warm or maternal figure, Alma is brusque, pushing for what she sees as pragmatism and coming off as "unfeeling." Yet there's something from her past that begs for her attention. Introduced ambiguously in the first act, this secret thumps like the eponymous Tell-Tale Heart, demanding Alma confront her past. 

Yet while Alma is the film's central protagonist, Garrett's script is mindful to give richness to Maggie. Scenes in Maggie's apartment with her non-binary partner (Lío Mehiel) give a sense of who she is outside of Yale, where she's striving to live up not only to Alma's precise standards but also those of her wealthy parents, who are major patrons of the university. Within her queerness and youth, Maggie has a space to be vocal about her truth and her pain in a way that absolutely baffles her older professors. At one point, Alma challenges Maggie, declaring, "Not everything is supposed to be make you comfortable." And herein lies a crucial divide between these women, who have shared experiences but taken different paths in the aftermath. 

Throughout the movie, Alma and her peers — including Hank — eye-roll over the perceived oversensitivity of their Gen Z students. Phrases like "trigger warnings" are slung with disdain. Yet, After the Hunt explores how this may be a sign of defensive cynicism masquerading as intellectualism.

Alma is pushing away feelings by talking about philosophy and politics, as if arguing for practicality can wall out pain. Her own body is testament to such an approach being a failure. Throughout the film, she's plagued by a recurring pain problem that she refuses to talk about with her friends — including her colleague Kim (Chloë Sevigny) — and goes to criminal lengths to cope on her own twisted terms. All of this makes for a movie that treats the intellectual arguments as a diving board, from which we're urged to jump into the emotional depths hidden beneath them. 

Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, and Michael Stuhlbarg are perfect in After the Hunt.  Ayo Edebiri character poster for "After the Hunt." Credit: Amazon MGM Studios Andrew Garfield character poster for "After the Hunt." Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Let's begin with Andrew Garfield, who has been a thinking woman's sex symbol since playing Spider-Man. He's funny, handsome, and radiates good man energy with his broad smile and his love of RuPaul's Drag Race. In After the Hunt, Garfield's charisma makes Hank instantly alluring. Then, Guadagnino urges Garfield to lean into his sensuality, starting by unbuttoning his shirt to tease a bit of chest hair. Hank is hot and popular. It's not a subjective question; even Frederik, who loathes the younger man, recognizes his allure. And so when Maggie comes forward, there's a desire to wish she got it wrong, because Hank is so initially appealing. From there, however, Garfield pulls in less beguiling elements, a short fuse and a snarling defensiveness among them. In this role, he blooms and then festers. It's masterful, exposing an ugly underbelly that will and should make audiences uneasy.

Opposite him, Edebiri shows once more how she can do drama with the same ease as comedy. Where Alma expresses herself chiefly through stinging dialogue, Maggie becomes clear in silent moments alone, regarding a piece of paper or a jarring interaction with quiet yet vivid reflection. In Maggie's journey, Edebiri must shrink then rise, developing an arc of ache and resilience that is electrically charged. Not just any actor can stand up to the star power of Julia Roberts, but both Garfield and Edebiri do, which makes this movie absolutely riveting. 

Michael Stuhlbarg character poster for "After the Hunt." Credit: Amazon MGM Studios Julia Roberts character poster for "After the Hunt." Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Roberts is measured excellence here. Playing a character who is devoted to keep her psychological mess to herself, she begins a gorgeous, glamorous goddess of light, surrounded by her devout followers. But as Alma is pushed out of this comfortable pose, Roberts' physicality tightens. Her ease ebbs away and bursts of anger erupt, destabilizing her chill persona and her academic reputation. Where Maggie sheds her Yale facade at home, Alma maintains hers rigidly, keeping all of this drama away from her husband, who dances around her like a satyr, desperate to please. 

Gods bless Michael Stuhlbarg. The award-winning actor awed audiences in Call Me By Your Name as Elio's dad, who delivers an unforgettable monologue about daring to love. Here, he's once more a merry fool for love — but not a fool in life.

From that first scene it's clear that everyone, Frederik included, thinks that he's married out of his league. And so, Frederik does everything to amuse and please his much-coveted wife. He cooks for her every night and even for her snooty colleagues. He dances about, flinging a towel with enchanting whimsy. He hears her out while giving her a foot rub. And yet, she regards him as a bit of an idiot, oblivious because he is joyful. However, in the final act, After the Hunt offers a scene of heart-wrenching revelations and breathtaking vulnerability. While Edebiri and Garfield are excellent opposite Roberts, this movie is at its most exciting when it's just her and Stuhlbarg, because there is finally a space where Alma will let go. It's incredible and yet… it's not the end. 

What is going on with the end of After the Hunt? 

Sadly, this is a question I can't get into without major spoilers. So, let me say this. While much of the film is bound up in intellectual debate and emotional arguments, the final sequence feels like it's plucked from a different movie altogether. The tone shifts radically and bizarrely to feel like the jaunty conclusion of a comedy. It feels almost like recompense for all the darkness and drama. Chatty diner dialogue is efficient in wrapping up loose ends, but this is frustrating in its suggestion that such a thing can be so easily done after all the tears and hurtful words that have been spilled. Maybe that's the point. Maybe, despite the cheery tone, the end is supposed to suggest these characters are finding new ways to cover up rather than cope? But that might be me giving Guadagnino too much credit. Frankly, the end had me bewildered as I walked out of the theater, and it still does. 

Aside from this baffling conclusion, After the Hunt is a captivating drama, thanks in large part to impeccable performances from Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, and Michael Stuhlbarg. Garrett's script indulges in overeager intellectual debate at every opportunity. But these debates aren't the driving force of the film. That would be the heart, the secrets, and the gnarly self-reflection that each of the four characters must grapple with in the face of consequences they can't shirk. While this movie isn't saying anything radical or groundbreaking, it is an engaging exploration of the labels we apply to unite, divide, and protect ourselves. In the end, After the Hunt is stellar drama with a cast to match. 

After The Hunt was reviewed out of the New York Film Festival. The movie opens in New York and LA on Oct. 10, before expanding on Oct. 17.

Few things in cinema are as wonderful as Keanu Reeves playing a “dum-dum,” to use a term uttered by the angel he plays in Aziz Ansari’s feature directorial debut, Good Fortune.

For more than 30 years, going back to films like Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, Reeves has offered a breezy surfer bro appeal that makes his dum-dums funny and deeply lovable. Even when playing smarter characters in Bram Stoker’s Dracula or The Matrix, Reeves permeates lines like “I know kung fu” with his authentic, child-like awe. And sure, we might laugh at him in the moment. But his characters are full of passion and goodwill, so while they are bewildered by the world around them, we are invited to share in that sense of surprise and wonder.

SEE ALSO: 'Good Fortune' trailer: Keanu Reeves is a literal angel in Aziz Ansari's directorial debut

And Good Fortune’s Gabriel the Angel, who Reeves plays with rich sincerity, is the actor at top form, in comedy and absurd authenticity. 

Be warned: Good Fortune could use more Keanu.  Credit: Eddy Chen / Lionsgate

It should be noted, however, that this is just true of most movies. But if you watched Good Fortune’s trailer and thought the handsome angel in the trench coat was giving City of Angels main character vibes, you’re only half-right. The earnest guardian angel Gabriel does carry the film as if he’s its star, which is perhaps the unavoidable effect of casting Reeves. But the film itself is a two-hander following the life-swap comedy model of movies like Freakier Friday or Trading Places. And neither swapper is Gabriel. 

Instead, Ansari and Seth Rogen star as two men living very different lives in Los Angeles, all because of their income level. Educated but underemployed, Arj (Ansari) is subject to the whims of the gig economy, where he’s essentially DoorDashing and doing TaskRabbit chores to make ends meet. That’s going so well that he’s living out of his car.

Meanwhile, Rogen plays Jeff, a tech bro living the good life in the Hollywood Hills complete with his own sauna and pool. The two cross paths and very nearly become friends, but an unexpected incident instead tosses Arj back on the street and worse off than before. Like It’s a Wonderful Life, our hero is on the brink of giving up when an angel appears.

The thing is, Gabriel is not the kind of high-ranking angel who’s supposed to deal with lost souls. His low-level job (reflected by his small wing span) is to prevent people from texting while driving. In a well-meaning but decidedly dum-dum move, he decides to swap Arj and Jeff's lives to prove money wouldn’t solve all of Arj’s problems. But as Gabriel confesses to his annoyed high-angel manager Martha (Sandra Oh), money does solve most of Arj’s problems! 

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From there, Good Fortune pivots to Jeff, who is having A Christmas Carol–style awakening as supernatural intervention shows him what a rich, selfish Scrooge he’s become. Through this, Good Fortune digs into class politics, not going full “eat the rich,” but certainly calling out privilege and societal disadvantages that can get glossed over in talk of the American dream. 

Keanu Reeves outshines Aziz Ansari and Seth Rogen.  Credit: Eddy Chen / Lionsgate

As in The Studio, recent winner of 13 Emmys, Rogen plays a specific brand of L.A. doofus — the deluded rich kind. And there’s a schadenfreude in watching Jeff get his comeuppance, forced to live hand-to-mouth like those he previously employed. Rogen smartly calibrates his signature freak-outs for this section, mirroring Ansari’s stressed-out energy in the film’s first act. Once the tables are turned, Ansari gets to play it suave, digging into a romantic subplot with Keke Palmer, who, while well cast as a compassionate and enchanting union advocate, is not given very much to do. 

While these human dudes are learning what really matters in life, Gabriel gains life lessons of his own. Demoted by heaven to being human, he must find a job, and swiftly picks up bad habits like chain smoking. But as a man, he enjoys non-angel experiences, like dancing and tacos. Reeves is absolutely sensational in these moments of discovery. When waxing poetic about the glory of a milkshake, Reeves plays it straight and is both convincing and sensationally silly. But even when he’s not saying anything, this true movie star knows how to position himself in such a way that is inherently hilarious. Watching a fallen angel take a smoke break, for instance, becomes a simple moment of side-splitting humor. 

It’s no question that Reeves outshines his costars, but that’s not really a problem. This is a role perfectly suited to his powerful, even otherworldly screen presence. Ansari is definitely in on the joke, pitting his and Rogen‘s deeply flawed mortals against this kind and smoking, hot angel, which results in them only looking like bigger clowns. 

Undoubtedly, Keanu Reeves as a dopey angel is the film’s hook Good Fortune uses to lure us all in. And it’s an effective one, for as much as I wish there were more in this movie, it’s not a bait and switch. Maybe a better analogy is that Reeves as an angel is the sugar that helps the medicine go down, sugarcoating a political comedy with his divine presence. 

Overall, the film feels a bit clunky, lacking a sense of flow, but there is a charm to that as well. This is effectively a funny fable asking us to consider what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes. There are consistent laughs and heartwarming moments. As a director, Ansari will probably grow in style. But for a first-time effort, the brilliance he brings to pulling together a cast can’t be denied. Good Fortune is a good time, and Keanu Reeves in Good Fortune should not be missed.

Good Fortune was reviewed out of its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film opens in theaters Oct. 17.

It's a love story as only Guillermo del Toro can tell it. For ages, the Mexican filmmaker, who has awed audiences with wondrous films like The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, and the Academy Award–winning The Shape of Water, has dreamed of turning Mary Shelley's Frankenstein into a movie of his own. And what he has accomplished here — notably with some of Hollywood's most beautiful men in the lead roles — is absolutely astonishing. 

Ahead of the North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, del Toro explained to the audience how for him, Frankenstein is a story of fathers and sons, exploring his relationship to his own father and his own children. But audiences won't need a curtain speech to understand this inspiration point, as del Toro's script is unabashedly about the ties that bind and sometimes suffocate. 

With the help of a star-studded cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz, this rightly heralded writer/director resurrects a classic horror story with a romantic flair that makes it gruesome, beautiful, and deeply poignant all at once. 

Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein focuses on cycles of behavior and abuse. Charles Dance as Leopold Frankenstein and Christian Convery as young Victor in "Frankenstein." Credit: Ken Woroner / Netflix

This version of Frankenstein begins with a framework that recalls Shelley's 1818 novel. In 1857, in "farthest north," a crew of freezing sailors chips away at their ice-seized ship as their captain hollers about reaching the North Pole. Then, they find a man, bleeding and broken, barely alive on the icy terrain. 

They pull him aboard only to discover he's being pursued by a mighty, bellowing "thing." The man is Victor Frankenstein (Isaac), the thing is his monster (Elordi). After a swarm of sailors beats the latter back in a dynamic and fiery action sequence — taking heavy, grisly losses — they sail on, but Victor warns the Creature will return, and so begins his story to the captain. 

Through this framework, the film flashes back to Victor's youth, where he was in a bitter battle with his cruel father (Dance) over his beautiful mother (Goth). As a boy, Victor sought the love of his mother but the approval of his father, if only to avoid the lashings the latter considered parenting. When Victor's mother dies in childbirth, he blames his surgeon father for failing, and seeks to best them both, though he only articulates his wish to outmatch his father. 

Years later, as a fanatical scientist, Victor experiments with electricity on corpses, seeking to resurrect them into a new living thing. Like James Whale's iconic Frankenstein, there's the fantastical element of a man creating life without the intervention of a woman. Here, because of Victor's pronounced love of his mother, his experiment feels like a backwards way to prove she need not have died. But in a bigger way, it is to defeat death as his father never could. 

His victory comes when he successfully stitches together and electrocutes to life a son. But Victor's failing is falling into the same cycle of abuse his father modeled. At first, Victor is in awe of his towering creation as it toddles in awkward steps and begins to explore its dungeon containment, splashing in puddles of water and reaching curiously for the fire that lights the space. But when his monster's intellectual development doesn't meet Victor's standards, it will be the lash, just as Victor experienced when he flunked his father's lessons. 

Oscar Isaac is great in Frankenstein.  Oscar Issac as Victor Frankenstein in "Frankenstein." Credit: Ken Woroner / Netflix

Isaac brings a frightening fire to the role of Victor Frankenstein. He is not the raving mad scientist of the Universal Monster movies. He is not the egotistical showman of Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Isaac makes the part his own by digging into the paternal determination to mold his "creation" in his own image. 

Furthering the Oedipal thread that began in his childhood, this Victor is given a softer side through a romance subplot and a clever bit of casting. Victor becomes instantly besotted with Elizabeth, a young maiden who loves sciences and insects, and who is also played by Mia Goth.

Her girlish beauty gives an impression of innocence and gentleness, but del Toro's script bolsters Elizabeth with a sharp scientific intelligence, something she shares with Victor though their morals differ intensely. When she sees the monster, she sees someone impressive and pure, despite his scars and lack of academic accomplishment. She sees a soul that Victor cannot grasp. She becomes the foil to Victor's drive, echoing the warmth and joy of his mother. Thereby, the monster becomes a reflection of both his "father" and "mother," an accomplishment the cold, violent Victor failed to achieve.

Jacob Elordi is iconic as Frankenstein's monster.  Jacob Elordi as the Creature in "Frankenstein." Credit: Ken Woroner / Netflix

At six feet, five inches tall, Elordi easily towers over his co-stars. But rather than sporting bolts in his neck or gnarly lumps of sullied flesh, del Toro's monster is lean and muscular, pale to the point of nearly being blue, and precisely constructed. There's a slight resemblance to the Engineers, the tall, robust, alien race from Prometheus. However, the scars along his wrists, limbs, torso, and face will never let us forget his origins. 

Elordi has a difficult role because the Creature's arc is one of pain that often has no voice. Much of the performance is doggedly physical. After his birth, he is a child, though his father cannot see that. Elordi reflects this with a portrait of exploratory physicality so much like a toddler's that it's both wondrous and wretched, as we know what horrors will come next for this innocent.

At Victor's hands, the Creature experiences physical, emotional, and psychological abuse; he's chained, beaten, and insulted. Meeting Elizabeth, however, gives the Creature a greater understanding of the possibilities of the world and people. The second half of the film focuses on the monster telling his own story to the ship's captain, the framework device switching perspectives. While sound effects are employed to give Elordi's voice a harrowing, monstrous echo in these scenes, the delivery of the Creature's words as he finds his voice is bedecked with pain and earnest wonder. 

The Creature's story, where he is cast out by one family and so chooses another, is one that will speak to many, especially as Elordi's crackling voice explains the heartbreaking realization that the world may try to destroy you just for being yourself. This misfit monster becomes a radiant analogy for self-love, as he is both horrid and beautiful, misunderstood and full of potential and love. For this monster, del Toro carves out a different ending from Shelley's — one that is bittersweet and glorious.

None of these risky deviations or romantic embrace of the monster would work were it not for Elordi's performance. He wears a full body of prosthetic scars and putridly pale skin, but he suffuses every movement, every glance with purpose and emotion. Escaping his well-recognized handsomeness and the expectations that come with being a dashing leading man, Elordi is del Toro's perfect monster, wretched and wondrous. 

Del Toro's Frankenstein is a romantic fairy tale and a horror movie.  Mia Goth as Claire Frankenstein and Christian Convery as young Victor in "Frankenstein." Credit: Ken Woroner / Netflix

Like Crimson Peak, perhaps Del Toro's most misunderstood film, Frankenstein embraces a romantic fairy tale tone that urges audiences to indulge in its impressions and emotions. Because the film is told from one perspective then another, there's a suggestion that what we're shown is not what happened but how it felt. 

So, a preposterous tower shoots into the sky like a dark, threatening blade, its insides riddled with rot, overrun with vines, and yet glistening with top-of-the-line tech, funded by an eccentric arms dealer (Waltz). And here, a young woman is both Victor's dream girl in intellect but also wears the face of his mother. Could that be real? Or is Elizabeth as Victor dreams her? Likewise, the violence the monster inflicts on others feels impossibly powerful, as he chucks wolves away with the slash of a forearm and rocks an ice-bound ship loose of its frigid bonds. At times, del Toro's story feels impossible, and that's precisely the point. 

Every element of this film is like a fairy tale, not the kind we tell to children to help them fall asleep but the kind used in dark forests and evil-plagued eras to warn them of a world that won't see them as beautiful but as meat. So, the design of the monster follows this idea, being both splendid and scarred. The experiments of Victor's process are gruesome, but also reveal the natural beauty of human's internal design.

The costumes by Kate Hawley (Crimson Peak) are extraordinary, ranging from dark shrouds, so charred and befouled you can practically smell them, to gossamer gowns and veils that float almost impossibly, draping Goth in vibrant colors. And details along the spine of both the Creature's crusty trench coat and Elizabeth's corseted gowns remind us of the bones that lie beneath, a connection between them and their fortitude against the abuses of the world. 

The score by Alexandre Desplat is sumptuous in its agony. Stringed instruments call out in longing and loss, enveloping the audience and the monster with the same, overwhelming surge of hurt and awe. The sound design as a whole embraces del Toro's signature blend of horror and romance. Sounds of violence snap and squelch, but in a symphony all their own. Across the production design, a vicious, brilliant red ties everything together, from Victor's mother (who drapes herself head to toe in the color) to his leather gloves as he operates, a book here, a funeral wreath there, and of course, in the end, blood. Yet the juxtaposition this sharp color serves against so much high-contrast blacks and whites of cloaks and dead flesh doesn't seem threatening; instead, it's a reminder of life — vibrant, pulsing, and unstoppable. 

As a whole, del Toro's Frankenstein is a marvel. His vision is clear and mesmerizing. His ensemble is electrifying. His adaptation is unique, soulful, and unforgettable. The man who loves monsters has just made his masterpiece: It's rich, rapturous, and ruthlessly interrogates what it means to be human, with all of our glory and our flaws.

Frankenstein was reviewed out of its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie will open in select theaters in Oct. 17 (and this critic suggests you go see it big!). A Netflix release will follow on Nov. 7. 

Andrew Scott is a marvel of a modern actor. From Sherlock to Fleabag to All of Us Strangers and Ripley, he burns onscreen. His dark eyes can reflect a murderous intensity or an unholy longing, or — in the case of Ripley — both. It's little wonder that Scott's performance in Blue Moon earned him the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year. It's just a shame it's for the supporting role in Richard Linklater's latest. 

The star of this insufferable biopic about American lyricist Lorenz Hart is Ethan Hawke, who's previously won praise from critics for his work in Linklater movies like the Before trilogy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight) and Boyhood. Perhaps Hawke deserves props for taking on the role of Hart, as this depiction is not just miles away from the cool but flawed men Hawke tends toward, but light-years from them. Written by Robert Kaplow, the novelist behind Me and Orson Welles, which Linklater adapted in 2008, Blue Moon oozes with maudlin sentimentality over this lost artist, but lacks depth.

Where Scott's performance as Hart's creative partner, composer Richard Rodgers, is riveting in its intensity and authenticity, Hawke's performance is a clown show, making a mockery of a musical genius who was tragically overwhelmed by his worst impulses. 

Blue Moon feels like a clumsy adaptation of a one-man off-off-off Broadway show.  Credit: Sabrina Lantos / Sony Pictures Classics

Most of this movie is set on March 31, 1943, the opening night of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! on Broadway. Sulking in box seats as cowboys and farm gals sing joyfully is Hart, a middle-aged mope with a comb-over that's long lost the war. As the packed house applauds, he exits early, eager to get to Sardi's, the iconic bar where the afterparty will be held.

There, Larry (as he's generally addressed) hopes to reconnect with Rodgers, with whom he worked for 25 years, creating such beloved songs as "The Lady Is a Tramp," "My Funny Valentine," and of course, "Blue Moon." But Hart can see from the audience's rapture that Oklahoma! ("with an exclamation point," he laments) could be the end of his partnership with Rodgers, as Hammerstein's lyrics are getting a lot of love.

However, before that setup, Kaplow begins the movie with Hart's end. Drunk, drenched, and dying in a dark, rainy alley in New York City, Hart crumbles next to a dumpster, pathetic and alone. This image hangs over the entirety of the film like a storm cloud, making it difficult to find the humor in Hart's desperate attempts at charm and conversation.

For an insufferable first act, he blathers resolutely to a beleaguered bartender (Bobby Cannavale), an eager pianist (Jonah Lees), and a patient patron (Patrick Kennedy). Kaplow dumps biographical backstory into these exchanges, so not knowing much about Hart isn't a hindrance. But for all those details, Blue Moon is most interested in three things: Hart was drunk, gay, and short. 

Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater make a queer clown of Lorenz Hart.  Credit: Sabrina Lantos / Sony Pictures Classics

While historians today regard Hart as queer, he wasn't public about his sexual orientation in life. Yet Kaplow writes him slinging gay jokes that employ slurs and gleefully calling himself a "cocksucker" to the dismayed straight bartender. When pressed on whether he likes boys or girls, Larry expresses that as a lyricist, he's "omnisexual," finding beauty in men, women, and horses because it helps his art. So here we are in 2025, conflating homosexuality and bestiality in a film meant to resurrect a tortured artist, displaying his agony and genius. 

As Linklater did with Jack Black in Bernie, he casts a straight American movie star to play a gay antihero, and the result is a caricature less subtle than anything hanging on the walls of Sardi's. Even before Larry starts drinking, Hawke commits to a bounciness that's buffoonish. His performance is playing the cheap seats, with arched eyebrows and an endlessly winking attitude that's better suited to Hollywood Squares. Making this more ridiculous are the lengths to which Linklater goes to get across that Hart was short, 5 feet tall at most. 

The Sardi's set is built so that Cannavale absolutely towers over Hawke, who, at 5 feet 10 inches tall, is himself dwarfed by the furniture around him. Seated at the bar, he strains to reach the ledge for a shot glass. Wide shots get even sillier, recalling the extent to which Peter Jackson went to make hobbits believably wee next to Gandalf. Perhaps this visual effect was meant to reflect how Hart's physical stature may have fed into his feeling small before others he admired. But it looks ludicrous.

Margaret Qualley exudes old-school elegance in Blue Moon.  Credit: Sabrina Lantos / Sony Pictures Classics

Thankfully, after an aching stretch of Larry clowning around to a nearly empty bar, other characters show up who refuse to be "extras" — as Larry snidely writes off the bartender. Among them is Margaret Qualley, playing a Yale art student named Elizabeth Weiland, who is as free-spirited as she is glamorous. She is Larry's protégé and current fixation. Before her arrival, he rants about her beauty and brilliance as if she not only hung the moon, but created it whole cloth. But this too feeds into a tedious trope, in which a gay man idolizes a gorgeous, bold woman in a way that is objectifying, even if not sexual. 

Despite his loud, earnest pining for Elizabeth, no one — not even she — believes him. Instead, it seems he envies her as he envies Richard — as someone beautiful and talented who is easy to love.

Blue Moon is so steeped in Larry's self-loathing that he denounces its title song, even as others praise it. He lies, sneaks, and steals to achieve even the slightest adoration from others, be they a flower delivery boy or the idolized Elizabeth. And in this desperation, Hawke's performance might evoke Jon Lovitz's dated Harvey Fierstein impersonation, with the screeching catchphrase, "I just wanna be loved, is that so wrong!?"

To Qualley's credit, she shoulders the role of this dream girl well, bringing a deeper inner life to Elizabeth through a cringe-inducing monologue about a sexual exploit gone comically wrong. In this scene, at least, Linklater and Kaplow make Elizabeth more than an ideal for their needy hero to fawn over. As she enters Sardi's, with her comes a different tone, a more grounded performance style that makes Hawke's over-the-top capering all the more jarring.

Andrew Scott is the best part of Blue Moon.  Credit: Sabrina Lantos / Sony Pictures Classics

Finally, at long last, the Oklahoma! contingent arrives, and with their glitz and excitement, they sweep away the maudlin clouds of Larry's monologuing. Sardi's is swinging. Rodgers (Scott) and Oscar Hammerstein (Simon Delaney) are the toast of New York! And Larry is trying and failing to be a good sport.

Sure, when he first arrived at the bar he was spitting bile about how lame this Broadway musical is, but now he's all praise. Yet from the moment Richard locks eyes on Larry, something tender and genuinely tragic takes root in Blue Moon. 

Richard is polite but guarded as Larry begins to chatter at him, speaking of how they ought to do a show together about comedic cannibals. While Larry is essentially hustling for his very livelihood, well-meaning glad-handers interject to shower praise on Richard. To them, Larry is practically invisible.

Scott switches focus from the drowning man to the smiling fans repeatedly with a striking eloquence that suggests Richard has done this dance with Larry many, many times before. Even now, as their partnership seems at its end, he's shielding him from embarrassment, protective and pained by the need to. 

As the afterparty drags on, Larry pushes Richard more and more, provoking him into a confrontation about who they were together as a creative partnership, how far they've come, and what could be next. But where Larry is lost in the past, Richard sees a future that moves beyond him. Amid the frustration and patience Scott brings into these achingly public heart-to-hearts, which grow messier with each reconnection, he also brings in heartbreak. As he's publicly drinking himself to death, Larry might joke that everyone acts like they're eulogizing him prematurely. But Scott plays Richard as if he can see it's not so premature, because the only person who could stop this downward spiral has been sneaking shots of whiskey all night long.

Scenes where Larry's loves — be they platonic or romantic — challenge him are when Blue Moon works. The capering of this clown collides with characters aching and elegant who don't buy his act, and in that Linklater scratches at the profound. All Larry wants is to be seen and loved, not as he is but as he wishes he could be. He spends enormous, exhausting energy trying to convince handsome young men, gorgeous young women, and his closest friend of this facade, and that is perhaps his greatest flaw. There is a bittersweet and beautiful tragedy in that, but with all the buffoonery, Blue Moon won't let this heartbreaking thread shine. 

Blue Moon was reviewed out of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. It opens in limited release on Oct. 17, before going wide Oct. 24.

Happy Thursday and welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 17, 2025

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for October 17, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Oct. 17 Pips

Number (12): Everything in this red space must add to 12. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally; 6-4, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add to 2. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally; 0-4, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add to 6. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 5-4, placed vertically, 6-4, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add to 10. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 6-6, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Oct. 17 Pips

Number (5): Everything in this space must add to 5. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally; 6-2, placed horizontally.

Less Than (1): Everything in this orange space must be less than 1. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally; 6-2, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 0-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 4-5, placed vertically; 4-2, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 5. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally; 4-5, placed vertically; 6-5, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (5): Everything in this orange space must be less than 5. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically; 1-1, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Oct. 17 Pips

Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 4-4, placed vertically; 4-3, placed horizontally; 4-1, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add to 10. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add to 4. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 2-0, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (5): Everything in this orange space must be greater than 5. The answer is 5-6, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 3. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 4-3, placed horizontally; 4-1, placed vertically.

Number (30): Everything in this space must add to 30. The answer is 5-6, placed vertically; 6-1, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed vertically; 6-4, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add to 3. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally; 1-0, placed horizontally; 1-2, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.

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

SAVE $103: As of Oct. 17, the LG 45GR75DC-B Ultragear curved gaming monitor is on sale for $696.99 at Amazon. That's a 13% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 45GR75DC-B Ultragear Curved Gaming Monitor $696.99 at Amazon
$799.99 Save $103   Get Deal

Your gaming setup just called, it needs an upgrade.

It's time to treat yourself to a great new monitor. And you can find just the thing at Amazon for a discounted rate. As of Oct. 17, the LG 45GR75DC-B Ultragear curved gaming monitor is reduced by $103, taking the price down to $696.99. It's a big, 45-inch screen ideal for all setups. This deal is only available for a limited time, however, so don't miss out.

SEE ALSO: Grab the ASUS ROG Strix gaming monitor for its lowest-ever price at Amazon

If you're a stats person, here's what you're getting: a 5120 x 1440 resolution screen with a 32:9 aspect ratio, so there's plenty of screen space to stream and game. It also supports up to 95% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and VESA DisplayHDR 600 for better colors, contrast, and brightness. The OnScreen Control feature also includes Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture modes, so you can view content from two input sources at once. It's fast, too, running at a 200Hz refresh rate with a 1ms (GtG) response time.

The design also includes a three-sided borderless display, LED backlighting, and adjustable height, tilt, and swivel settings, to minimize any neck discomfort. For connectivity, you'll get HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and USB-C connections, as well as a four-pole headphone jack that supports DTS Headphone:X.

Ready to upgrade? Get it at Amazon now.

SAVE $72: As of Oct. 17, the DJI Osmo Action 4 Adventure Combo is on sale for $327 at Amazon. That's an 18% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Osmo Action 4 Adventure Combo $327 at Amazon
$399 Save $72   Get Deal

If you're a vlogger or content creator, chances are you've heard of DJI. Known for its incredible portable cameras and drones, it's one of the best names in the field. And as of Oct. 17, you can get a great bundle deal on the DJI Osmo Action 4 Adventure Combo that includes the Osmo Action 4, three Osmo Action Extreme Batteries, as well as other handy accessories. And right now, it's $72 off, bringing the price down to $327.

This is a great camera for all types of filming, but it comes into its own with more adventurous activities (as the name would suggest). And as it's made for adventure, it's robust, and can last in temperatures as cold as negative four degrees Fahrenheit for up to 150 minutes. For dramatic shooting, you'll feel the benefit of the camera's three stabilization modes that keeps your footage smooth.

SEE ALSO: The DJI Power 2000 portable power station has never been cheaper — save over $300 at Amazon

For quality, you won't be disappointed. It has a large 1/1.3-inch sensor so it can still take amazing images, even in low or harsh light. It also has 10-bit and D-Log M color, so your shots will always look vivid and bright.

With this combo, you'll get: one Osmo Action horizontal-vertical protective frame, one Osmo Action quick-release adapter mount, one Osmo Action quick-release adapter mount (mini), one Osmo Action curved adhesive base, two Osmo locking screws, one Type-C to Type-C PD cable, one Osmo Action multifunctional battery case, one Osmo 1.5m extension rod, one Osmo Action lens hood, one Osmo Action anti-slip pad, and one DJI logo sticker.

Get this DJI deal from Amazon now.

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, Oct. 17, 2025:

Across"The Naked Gun" or "Scary Movie"

• The answer is Spoof.

___ cut (short hairstyle)

• The answer is Pixie.

Napoleon's punishment after the Battle of Waterloo

• The answer is Exile.

Surrendered

• The answer is Ceded.

They travel up and down snow-covered hills

• The answer is Sleds.

DownGlasses, informally

• The answer is Specs.

Dot on a computer screen

• The answer is Pixel.

Nitrous ___ (laughing gas)

• The answer is Oxide.

De-squeaked, as a bike chain

• The answer is Oiled.

Scrollable features of social media

• The answer is Feeds.

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 the latest Mini Crossword.

SAVE OVER $100: As of Oct. 17, the ASUS ROG Strix 32-inch 4K HDR gaming monitor is on sale for $449 at Amazon. This is 25% off its list price of $599 and marks its lowest-ever price.

Opens in a new window Credit: ASUS ASUS ROG Strix 32-Inch 4K HDR Gaming Monitor $449 at Amazon
$599 Save $150   Get Deal

A high-quality monitor is key to a great PC gaming setup. If you've had your heart set on picking up something new, or you're simply in need of an upgrade, there are some great deals available on select models at the moment, particularly at Amazon. One that's caught our eye is the ASUS ROG Strix 32-inch 4K HDR gaming monitor, which is currently down to its best-ever price.

Get 25% off the ASUS ROG Strix 32-inch monitor at Amazon with the new price of $449. Considering it's down to its lowest-ever price right now, why wait to grab it? Not to mention, it's currently listed as a limited-time deal, so don't think too long before making a move.

SEE ALSO: Mashable readers know best — here's what our readers bought during October Prime Day

This ASUS ROG Strix 32-inch monitor is sure to make your games pop with vibrant colors and detail thanks to its 4K (3840x2160) resolution display. It even has a dual-mode feature that allows you to swap between 4K at 160 Hz or FHD at 320 Hz, so you can choose to play at 1080p with a much higher frame rate instead, if you prefer. The games you play will run smoothly with the help of a 0.3ms response time and ASUS Extreme Low Motion Blur Sync technology.

Don't wait to pick up a new gaming monitor — score the ASUS ROG Strix 32-inch 4K HDR gaming monitor at its lowest-ever price right now at Amazon.

Looking for even more PC gaming deals? Walmart has a wide variety of PC gaming deals at the moment, whether you want to check out more monitors, prebuilt gaming PCs, gaming keyboards, and more.

We're on day 26 of the lunar cycle which can only mean one thing: it's nearly the New Moon. Over the next few nights, the moon will fade from view as it moves between Earth and the Sun, as we transition into a new lunar cycle.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Friday, Oct. 17, the moon phase is Waning Crescent. Tonight, only 14% will be lit up, according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation.

Visibility is decreasing significantly each night. Tonight, you'll only be able to see the Aristarchus Plateau without a visual aid. However, if you have binoculars, you'll also see the Grimaldi Basin. A telescope will also bring the Reiner Gamma into sight. This is a lunar swirl on the moon's surface.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on Nov. 5.

What are moon phases?

The Moon follows a continuous cycle that lasts about 29.5 days as it travels around Earth. These shifts occur because the positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon are always changing relative to one another. From Earth, we might see the Moon as full, partly lit, or completely dark, but the same side always faces us. What varies each night is how much sunlight reaches and reflects off its surface.

The eight main moon phases are:

New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

The best NBA streaming deals at a glance: Best for ESPN and ABC games ESPN Unlimited annual plan $299.99/year (save $59.89) Get Deal Best for NBC and Peacock games Peacock Premium annual plan $109.99/year (save $21.89) Get Deal Best for Prime Video games Prime Video only $8.99/month (save $6/month compared to Prime subscription) Get Deal BEST FOR OUT-OF-MARKET GAMES NBA League Pass starting at $16.99/month Get Deal

For the first time in more than two decades, the NBA has new broadcast partners. That means that, like other sports leagues, watching games is about to get even more complicated.

A new NBA season is about to begin, and whether or not you still have cable, you're going to need a streaming service or two to catch the action live. Between regional sports networks, blackout games, and national broadcasts, we have a lot to cover. Buckle up, basketball fans. We've got your guide to watching the 2025-2026 NBA season, including all of the best streaming deals.

When does the 2025-2026 NBA season start?

The NBA season officially tips off on Oct. 21 with a primetime double header — Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers. The 82-game regular season wraps up April 12, 2025.

What channels do I need to watch live NBA games this season?

The NBA's long-standing contract with TNT has officially concluded. This season, you'll need NBC instead. After 23 long years, the league struck up a new deal with NBC — the network and its streaming counterpart, Peacock, will air up to 100 regular season games on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights. It will have been 8,532 days between NBC's last NBA broadcast and the 2025-2026 season opener. In addition to the games broadcast on NBC, there will also be several games exclusively streaming on Peacock.

Besides NBC, the NBA has also struck up a landmark deal with Amazon this season. For the first time, Prime Video is getting a slice of the basketball schedule. It was only a matter of time, TBH. Prime Video will present exclusive global coverage for 66 regular season games, as well as a new Black Friday NBA game, all games from the knockout rounds of this year's NBA Cup, the play-in tournament, and select playoff games.

In addition to NBC, Peacock, and Prime Video, you'll also need ABC, ESPN, NBA TV, and, of course, your regional sports network, as in years past. Here's a breakdown of the general TV schedule for national broadcasts:

• Sunday — ABC/ESPN and NBC/Peacock

• Monday — Peacock

• Tuesday — NBC/Peacock

• Wednesday — ESPN

• Thursday — Prime Video

• Friday — Prime Video and ESPN

• Saturday — ABC/ESPN and Prime Video

How to watch NBA games this season without cableNational broadcasts

There will be 247 national broadcasts this season, with games airing on ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock, and Prime Video, compared to last season's 172. As noted above, even if you have cable, you'll still need Peacock and Prime Video in order to watch those exclusive games. No cable? No worries. Peacock has you covered with NBC broadcasts as well as Peacock exclusives, and ESPN's new direct-to-consumer streaming service has you covered with ESPN and ABC broadcasts. You can watch nearly 250 games this season with Peacock, ESPN Unlimited, and Prime Video alone.

Local broadcasts

Unfortunately, national broadcasts only make up a small fraction of the full slate of games. Most games are broadcast locally via regional sports networks (RSNs). For these games, it will largely come down to whether or not the team you want to watch is in-market or out-of-market.

In-market games:

In order to watch in-market games, you'll need access to your local RSN. Many of these networks (but not all) offer their own streaming subscriptions, like FanDuel Sports Network, Monumental Sports Network, or Gotham Sports. If you're unsure which RSN you need to watch your local team, you can check out the FAQs below.

The most direct way to access these RSNs is through their individual subscription offers, but not every RSN has its own streaming counterpart. For those that don't, you'll need a cable alternative like Fubo or DirecTV Stream, which can cost a pretty penny.

Out-of-market games:

If you're a fan of an out-of-market team, you'll need NBA League Pass. League Pass streams practically all regional broadcasts for teams that aren't in your local market. For example, if you live in New York City, you'll be able to watch every team via NBA League Pass except the Knicks and Nets. NBA League Pass costs $16.99 per month to watch on one device with commercials or $24.99 per month to watch on up to three devices with in-arena streams (no commercials).

What is an RSN, and which one do I need?

Unlike the NFL, which offers national broadcasts of most games with specific in-market choice games, the NBA (as well as the NHL and MLB) complicates things with regional sports networks (RSNs). These are essentially sports-specific TV channels dedicated to a local market or geographic area. If you live in the same region as your favorite team, you'll need to know which RSN broadcasts your team's games. Some examples of RSNs are FanDuel Sports Network (which replaced Bally Sports), NBC Sports, and Altitude Sports. Head over to the NBA schedule if you aren't sure which network your team plays on. For a complete list of each team's RSN, see the FAQs below.

If you really only care about your local team, many RSNs offer subscriptions for you to tune in without cable. For example, Fan Duel Sports Network Southeast (which includes Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies games) is $19.99 per month or $124.99 for the whole NBA season. Monumental Sports Network (which includes the Washington Wizards) is $19.99 per month or $199.99 per year. A quick Google search for your team's RSN will let you know if there's a separate subscription available. Of course, these RSN subscriptions will not include nationally broadcast games on ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock, Prime Video, or NBA TV.

The best live TV streaming deals for NBA gamesBest for ESPN and ABC games: Save 16% on the ESPN Unlimited yearly plan Opens in a new window Credit: ESPN ESPN Unlimited annual plan $299.99/year (save $59.89) Get Deal

ESPN's direct-to-consumer streaming service, launched this past summer, unlocks access to the entire suite of ESPN networks and services in one subscription. You'll get to stream NBA games from ESPN and ABC (as well as plenty of other sports and leagues). It typically costs $29.99 per month, but if you commit to a full year, you'll save about 16% or nearly $60. Of course, you can watch more than just NBA games, making the yearly plan worth it, particularly for fans of multiple sports.

Best for NBC and Peacock games: Save 17% on Peacock annual subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium annual subscription $109.99 per year (save 17%) Get Deal

When Peacock isn't running any sort of special (which it does a few times per year — keep an eye out around Black Friday), the best Peacock deal for most people on any given day is the annual subscription plan. When you pay upfront for the year, you'll end up getting 12 months for the price of 10. A monthly subscription with ads usually costs $10.99 per month (which adds up to $131.88), but paying upfront drops that price to only $109.99 (which breaks down to $9.17 per month). That's a total savings of 17%.

The Peacock Premium Plus plan costs $169.99 per year (which breaks down to about $14.16 per month instead of $16.99) and offers ad-free content. Live sports, however, will still include ads. If you're subscribing to Peacock specifically for NBA games, you might as well go for the cheaper option.

More Peacock deals:

• Free Peacock Premium for eligible Xfinity customers

• Free Peacock Premium for Instacart+ subscribers

• Free Peacock Premium for Walmart+ subscribers

• Students save $8/month on one year of Peacock Premium

• First responders, medical professionals, military personnel, and teachers save $7/month on Peacock Premium

Best for Prime Video games: Save $6 per month on Prime Video only Opens in a new window Credit: Prime Video Prime Video only $8.99 per month Get Deal

If you're only interested in Prime Video for the NBA games, you probably don't care about all the extra perks of being a Prime member. In that case, you don't need to pay $14.99 per month for Prime. You can simply subscribe to Prime Video as a standalone service for only $8.99 per month instead and save yourself $6 per month.

Of course, Amazon makes it unnecessarily complicated to sign up for Prime Video on its own. When you go to sign up for a subscription, be sure to select the option to "see more plans" or "change plans." Then, navigate to the option for Prime Video on its own. You can still cancel whenever you want, just as you would a full Prime membership.

More Prime Video deals:

• Save 22% on an Amazon Prime annual membership

• Students save $7.50 per month with Prime for Young Adults

Best for out-of-market games: Save over 40% on NBA League Pass annual subscription Opens in a new window Credit: NBA League Pass NBA League Pass annual plan $109.99 per season with ads, $159.99 per season without ads Get Deal

Similar to NFL's Sunday Ticket, minus the outrageous fee, NBA League Pass gives fans access to live out-of-market games. Plus, you'll get to enjoy games from the NBA's archive, analysis, documentaries, highlights, and more. Local games on NBA TV, as well as nationally broadcast games, will be blacked out live. You can tune into locally blacked-out games three days after the live broadcast and nationally broadcast games three hours after. It costs $16.99 or $24.99 per month, but if you pay for the whole season upfront, it'll only cost you $109.99 or $159.99. The more expensive option unlocks ad-free viewing and the ability to stream on three devices at once.

SAVE $900: As of Oct. 16, get the Bluetti AC200L Portable Power Station for $699, down from its usual price of $1,599. That's a discount of 56%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Bluetti AC200L Portable Power Station $699 at Amazon
$1,599 Save $900   Get Deal

How many times have you found yourself without electricity after a storm? Or maybe you like to go camping and stay off-grid for a while, but you need some power to use appliances? Whatever the case may be, a portable power station is a great thing to have, and you can get an excellent one right now for a significant amount of money off thanks to this Amazon deal.

As of Oct. 16, get the Bluetti AC200L Portable Power Station for $699, down from its usual price of $1,599. That's a discount of 56%.

SEE ALSO: The 5 best portable power stations to stay charged up at home and on the go

This model boasts a 2,048Wh capacity and a 2,400W output (including a 3,600W Power Lifting mode) that means it's capable of running up to 99% of home appliances, like your microwave, toaster, and even a fridge. You can add more batteries to it for it to run longer if need be as well, so you'll have even more electricity to play around with.

Once your power station is depleted, it only really takes about 45 minutes to get it back up to 80 percent as long as it's plugged into a wall outlet or via solar panel. That means you can get it juiced back up significantly quicker than most of the other power stations you might have in your repertoire.

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to get everything charged up and ready when you're in various electricity-less situations, this is a fantastic power station to pick up.

SAVE $500: The 85-inch Hisense Class U7 QLED 4K TV is on sale at Walmart for $998, down from the normal price of $1,498. That's a 33% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense 85-inch Hisense Class U7 QLED 4K TV $998 at Walmart
$1,498 Save $500   Get Deal

Welcome to indoor season. Unless you're one of the few people who thrive in chilly weather, you're probably switching out your outdoor activities for inside ones these days. Inevitably, that means more movies, TV shows, and gaming. If your current living room TV is no longer offering an impressive viewing experience, consider upgrading to this 85-inch model that's on a sweet discount.

As of Oct. 16, the 85-inch Hisense Class U7 QLED 4K TV is on sale for $998 at Walmart, marked down from the standard price of $1,498. That's a 33% discount that takes a whopping $500 off.

Hisense consistently makes some of the best budget TVs which means it's a great brand to check out if you're hoping for an 85-inch model. The Class U7 QLED 4K TV uses a bright QLED display that will be great for daytime viewing of sports as well as evenings spent rewatching your favorite Apple TV series. Peak brightness reaches 1,000 nits.

SEE ALSO: The Hisense U8 Mini-LED ULED 4K TV has dropped to an all-time low price at Amazon

This Hisense is also suitable for gaming since it comes with a 144Hz native refresh rate. Another major benefit is the built-in Google TV which gives you access to your favorite apps in a user-friendly display.

Before this deal sells out, upgrade to the 85-inch Hisense Class U7 QLED 4K TV for under $1,000 at Walmart. Your holiday gatherings with Christmas films or cozy fireplace scenes will thank you.

SAVE $100: As of Oct. 16, shop the Apple Mac Mini (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for just $499. That saves you $100 off its usual $599 list price for 17% in savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Mac Mini (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $499 at Amazon
$599 Save $100   Get Deal

We're seeing lots of discounts on the Apple products today, maybe no surprise considering it's following the brand's product drop on Oct. 15. Apple debuted new silicon, the M5 chip, which is coming to the Vision Pro, MacBook Pro, and iPad Pro. That means the previous M4 chip is no longer the latest processor, however, it doesn't mean it's obsolete.

The M4 chip is still the best silicon we've tested from Apple, given that we haven't gotten our hands on the M5. However, we've been finding discounts on the Apple's M4 products since the launch, including on the Mac Mini.

As of Oct. 16, the Apple Mac Mini (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) is down to $499. That saves you $100 off its MSRP of $599. Is this the lowest price ever on the Mac Mini? No. It's lowest price was $469, but we didn't even see this desktop return to that price during Amazon's July or October Prime Day, meaning $499 is the next best price.

The Apple Mac Mini, is an affordable desktop from Apple. This little computer has 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD but tucks away next to a monitor where you can enjoy the devices quick and efficient power. It's built for Apple Intelligence, if that's your thing, and has a variety of ports including a Thunderbolt, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet ports, front-facing USB-C ports, and a headphone jack.

Shop the Apple Mac Mini (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) now for just $499 at Amazon and save $100 on the desktop computer.