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The deadline to extend Obamacare subsidies is approaching, with millions of Americans at risk of having their insurance premiums increase dramatically if no plan is agreed upon. And on Thursday night, Jimmy Kimmel took President Donald Trump to task on it.

"How long has Trump been claiming to have a plan for healthcare?" asks the late night show host in the clip above. "If you had an employee, or like a contractor at your house, who told you he was working on a project – something important like your roof – and he told you during interview before you hired him, he's like 'I have a plan for this roof, it's going to be a great plan, it's gonna be an excellent roof.' So you hire him, and some time goes by and you're like, 'Hey, where's the plan for the roof?' And he's like, 'It's almost ready.' And then a year later you still don't have a roof, and you're like, 'Hey, what's up with the roof?' He's like, 'It's coming, soon.' And that went on for four years until eventually you fire him, you give someone else the job, and then four years later he comes back, he's like, 'That roof you have is terrible, I could build you a much better roof.' And again, you fall for it! [...] This is exactly what Trump has been doing with healthcare."

Cue a montage of Trump clips from the past decade, with the president repeatedly promising a plan for health care.

"He's been saying this since 2015," says Kimmel. "At what point are we the idiots?"

There are a couple of eye-opening revelations in Pluribus episode 6 — and while one of them's somewhat disturbing, the other may give Carol (Rhea Seehorn) a cause for hope.

So, what exactly do we learn about the virus and how it can be transmitted? We've recapped everything below.

SEE ALSO: I have a 'Pluribus' question: What's going on with the animals? What do we learn about the virus in episode 6?

Episode 6 sees Carol travelling to Las Vegas to meet with Mr. Diabaté (Samba Schutte), one of the other few remaining people on Earth that hasn't contracted the virus. Carol travels with the purpose of telling Mr. Diabaté about the milk and what's contained within it, only to find out — via an entertaining John Cena cameo — that he already knows.

It's only as Carol is about to storm off that Mr. Diabaté reveals some new information he's learned about the virus' transmission:

Mr. Diabaté: "They cannot turn us. Not without our consent."

Carol: "What do you mean?"

D: "It seems the only way to make their virus work on us is by tailoring it to our individual stem cells. But to obtain those stem cells, they must first collect them from our bodies."

C: "Um... What? What?"

D: "Apparently that involves sticking a large needle into the bone of the hip. Somewhat painful, and very invasive. Something they cannot do without our permission."

C: "When did you find this out?"

D: "They made this discovery only yesterday."

Carol confirms this with the Joined, who, as we learned in episode 4, are unable to lie. Then she contacts them to explicitly refuse consent.

What does it mean for Carol?

As we can see from Carol's reaction, the news clearly comes as a massive relief. Carol's main fear so far has been that the Joined would turn her into one of them, which they'd given her every indication they planned to do. But now that they can't, Carol is off the hook, right?

Well, maybe. But it's worth noting that Mr. Diabaté also tells Carol that the Joined aren't happy with what they've discovered. We also know that one of their main drivers, alongside survival, is to spread their virus to everyone who doesn't yet have it. The Joined have all of the top minds in the world under their control, so it seems inevitable that while they don't yet have a way to transmit the virus without requiring consent, they'll probably continue looking for one.

Carol may have a short reprieve, but we'd be surprised if she's out of the woods just yet.

Pluribus is now streaming on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you love game night.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. 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 today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

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

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. 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: NYT Pips hints, answers for December 5, 2025 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Complicated

• Green: Circumstances

• Blue: Game night

• Purple: Chatting

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Tricky

• Green: State of affairs

• Blue: Classic board games

• Purple: ___ Talk

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 #908 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Tricky: COMPLEX, DELICATE, STICKY, TOUGH

• State of affairs: DEAL, SITUATION, STATUS, STORY

• Classic board games: MASTERMIND, MOUSE TRAP, OPERATION, SORRY

• ___ Talk: BABY, PILLOW, SMALL, SWEET

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 5, 2025

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

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.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're a foodie.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 5, 2025 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 5, 2025 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Feeling peckish?

The words are related to eating.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe dining establishments.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Dining Out.

NYT Strands word list for December 5

• Steakhouse

• Buffet

• Cafe

• Dining Out

• Bakery

• Bistro

• Brewery

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and 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 Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're always in the mix.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 5, 2025 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for December 5, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Amidst.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter A.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

AMONG

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 5, 2025

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

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 Wordle.

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 December 5, 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 December 5, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 5 Pips

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

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 2-1, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add to 6. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed horizontally.

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

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 5 Pips

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

Not equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 0-2, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed vertically; 5-6, placed vertically; 0-4, placed horizontally.

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

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

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

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

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 5 Pips

Equal (3): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed vertically; 3-2, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed vertically.

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

Equal (2): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 2. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 1-6, placed vertically.

Not equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed vertically.

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

Equal (2): Everything in this green space must be equal to 2. The answer is 3-2 placed horizontally; 0-2, placed vertically.

Number (24): Everything in this space must add to 24. The answer is 1-6, placed vertically, 6-6, placed horizontally; 6-4, placed vertically.

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

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

Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable Expect greater ANC and sound from the AirPods Pro 3

Apple made noise cancellation on the AirPods Pro 3 stronger than their predecessor, and it shows. Most noises across the frequency spectrum are barely noticeable. Very few high-frequency noises (e.g., siren, whistle) will catch you off guard. Transparency Mode is stellar and gives ambient noise a natural presence. Enabling any of the new Hearing Health modes will transform the buds into hearing aids. Conversation Mode boosts vocal capture to engage in loud, clear-sounding chats. Adaptive Audio combines the two ANC modes, so you can get the best of both worlds while enjoying lively sound. Speaking of which, audio quality on the AirPods Pro 3 is awesome. Bass and clarity are amplified, plus the adaptive EQ fine-tunes sound to your environment. Personalized Spatial Audio is ideal for immersive listening; bass receives more oomph on Dolby Atmos tracks. 

Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

The Powerbeats Pro 2 have their own sonic strengths. Bass remains impactful and vibrant. Frequencies are better balanced this time around to create a pleasant mix of lows, mids, and highs. Spatial Audio with headtracking works better on the Powerbeats Pro 2 than the Fit Pro. However, ANC is a major downgrade. We heard endless noise when exercising indoors and outdoors. Mid- and high-frequency sounds were distracting at times. Thankfully, Transparency mode was reliable for increasing situational awareness. 

Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 3

Read our full review of the AirPods Pro 3.

The sportier and longer-lasting buds are the Powerbeats Pro 2

Despite their lackluster IP rating (IPX4 sweat and water resistance), the Powerbeats Pro 2 are built to survive heavy-duty workouts. Hard plastic protects the entire product. You’ll feel at ease if the buds or case accidentally fall on hard surfaces. Beats’ earhook design keeps the buds latched on. My only complaint on the fitness end is the unreliable heart rate monitoring. Up to 10 hours of battery life per charge means more workouts in between recharges. The wireless charging case also holds an additional 45 hours when fully charged. If the buds are about to die, employ USB-C charging to generate 1.5 hours of use in 5 minutes. 

Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

The AirPods Pro 3 were designed with fitness in mind. I used the AirPods Pro 3 for my workouts and got mostly accurate readings from the HRM. It’s nice having the bump in battery life (up to 8 hours with ANC on), though the loss in additional charges from the charging case is a bummer (down from 30 hours to 24 hours). These buds share the same quick charging time as the Powerbeats Pro 2. The longer sound port occupies the concha and keeps each bud stable, but it also causes some discomfort after several hours of wear. Apple’s silicone tips still form a tight fit. IP57 dust-, sweat-, and water-resistance protect both the buds and the charging case. Now comes the real bad news: you must guard the AirPods Pro 3 with your life because they are poorly constructed. A 0/10 repairability score from iFixit says it all. The materials are fragile, and if something breaks on the inside, you’ll risk tearing ribbon cables when attempting to remove components.

Winner: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

Read our full review of the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2. 

Notable trade-offs Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

It’s no surprise that the AirPods Pro 3 deliver the truer Apple experience. That’s fantastic news for anyone with an iDevice (iPhone/iPad) or Mac. Android users receive very little functionality. All previously mentioned listening modes are restricted to Apple’s ecosystem. The same goes for standard features tied to the H2 processor: audio sharing, auto switch, and “Hey Siri,” to name a few. Apple doesn’t even let you enable Google Assistant.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 are more platform-neutral, thanks to a proprietary chip that was developed for optimization with Apple’s and Google’s operating systems. You gain access to most H2 benefits and Android features like one-tap Fast Pair and Find My Device. HRM is even available on Android via the Beats app or third-party fitness apps. These buds also have Bluetooth multipoint to pair them with two devices simultaneously, no matter the platforms. It’s just unfortunate that Apple’s primary listening modes remain exclusive to current AirPods models.

Winner: AirPods Pro 3

Scientists now have proof that Mars' dusty storms can generate mini lightning, putting to rest decades of speculation.

The discovery came from a microphone aboard NASA's Perseverance rover, a lab on six wheels exploring the Jezero Crater region. While it was listening to Martian winds spinning and spitting dust, it also picked up something no one had heard there before: crackles and pops that turned out to be small electrical shocks within dust devils and storm fronts. 

Of course, everything on Mars has to be different from Earth — not even the thunder can sound like thunder. Instead, these tiny bits of lightning give off sounds more like those that people associate with static electricity — the shuffling-of-your-socked-feet-and-touching-a-doorknob variety.

Over two Martian years, researchers identified 55 brief discharges — usually when dust devils passed close by or when the leading edges of dust storms rolled over the rover. Now people can listen to the Martian lightning themselves. NASA released a recording, featured in the YouTube video below, this week. 

"We got some good ones where you can clearly hear the 'snap' sound of the spark," said Ralph Lorenz, a Perseverance scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, in a statement. 

SEE ALSO: NASA's asteroid sample just revealed new clues to life's origins

Scientists have long studied dust devils churning up Martian dirt. About 13 years ago, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter caught sight of an extraordinary one with a column stretching 12 miles into the sky.

Dust devils on Mars form similarly to those on Earth, despite the fact that Mars' atmosphere is much thinner. They tend to happen on dry days when the ground gets hotter than the surrounding area. Typically smaller than tornadoes, dust devils are whirlwinds that make a funnel-like chimney, channeling hot air up and around. The rotating wind accelerates similar to the way spinning ice skaters move faster as they bring their arms closer to their bodies.

About 13 years ago, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter caught sight of an extraordinary one with a column stretching 12 miles into the sky. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UA

As wind-blown grains bang into each other, they swap tiny electric charges. Over time, those charges build strong electric fields that can lead to sparks or even lightning, especially inside volcanic ash clouds. The Red Planet is covered in fine dust and constantly experiences dust devils and massive storms, so scientists have expected similar charging there. 

"On Mars, the thin atmosphere makes the phenomenon far more likely," said Baptiste Chide, a Perseverance scientist at L’Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie in France, in a statement, "as the amount of charge required to generate sparks is much lower than what is required in Earth’s near-surface atmosphere."

Lab experiments and computer models predicted this. That raised the possibility that even modest charging could produce flashes.

Scientists have documented lightning on Jupiter and Saturn, and they suspected for decades that Mars has lightning, too. But no one had ever observed it directly — that is, until now.

Though Perseverance hasn't caught one of these little lightning events on camera, its hot mic has picked up their pops just as dust clouds have swept past. In addition to the audio, the instrument made electromagnetic recordings.

Scientists noticed that the sparks occurred when dust lifted and collided, not simply when it hung in the air. It is the motion and friction of grains, not just having dusty skies, that drive the electricity, they said. Their findings now appear in the journal Nature. 

Although the rover encountered only two strong dust devils during this period, both produced detectable sparks. That means countless other whirlwinds across the planet are likely doing the same thing. Even more significant are the thousands of dust storms that form each year. Scientists suspect those turbulent, miles-long storm fronts produce far more electricity than isolated dust devils.

Electrical discharges from Martian lightning may change the chemistry of the planet's surface. They can create compounds like hydrogen peroxide, chlorine gases, and perchlorates that destroy organic matter. These reactions may help explain why scientists struggle to find well-preserved traces of ancient life at the surface.

Understanding this phenomenon is important to keep spacecraft and future astronauts safe on the Red Planet, according to NASA. Fortunately, decades of rover missions have not experienced any serious electrical damage. Still, the research team notes that the Soviet Mars 3 lander, which stopped transmitting only seconds after landing during a dust storm in 1971, might have fallen victim to a spark-related malfunction.

Generally speaking, the Red Planet is a quiet place, largely due to Mars' low-atmospheric pressure. In fact, it can fall so silent, there was a time the Perseverance team believed the rovers' mics might be broken.

First came Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which was fine. Then there was M3GAN 2.0, which was a flop. Now we have Five Nights at Freddy's 2, a sequel that has all the energy of a dead battery. Behold the steady downward spiral of robo-horror sequels

In each of these franchises, the first film was about a killer robot who, despite being an antagonist, was compelling enough that audiences wanted more. So, Hollywood brings them back for a sequel. But this time, the bad robot has a heart of gold and only wants to protect a child. From what? Oh, a more advanced and even more evil version of the robo-killer that started it all. 

Look, that premise should be fun. In T2, it is because co-writer and director James Cameron kept Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator stiff and macho, then introduced a wiry robo-cop with shape-shifting abilities to bring fresh terror. In M3GAN 2.0, Blumhouse fumbled their new icon of horror by trying to make her a sassy superhero, killing the subversive vibe and losing their audience. With Five Nights at Freddy's 2, screenwriter Scott Cawthon and director Emma Tammi (who collaborated on 2023's Five Nights at Freddy's) follow this pattern to introduce flashy new versions of Freddy, Foxy, Bonnie, and Chica, without abandoning the dinged-up but beloved originals. 

This does make for some fun third-act robot versus robot violence. But mostly this movie is about the living humans who bop around this franchise, clueless and always near death. And that's far more frustrating than entertaining. 

What's Five Nights at Freddy's 2 about?  Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Josh Hutcherson look scared in "Five Nights at Freddy's 2." Credit: Ryan Green / Universal Pictures

Thankfully, this sequel moves away from the tedious story of Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) and his guilt over his long-lost little brother. This time, his role is relegated to sidekick while his younger sister Abby (Piper Rubio) recklessly seeks to reconnect with her ghostly pals, and his sort-of girlfriend Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) grapples with the skeletons in her closet that weren't shaken free last time around.

You see, the Freddy Fazbear's Pizza location at the center of the first film was a franchise, and the original location has its own secrets. Ahead of its time, this possessed pizza place has WiFi-equipped devices, which means its animatronics toys can operate remotely through one seriously vengeful spirit — and leave the restaurant.

In a flashback to 1982, poor Charlotte, draped in black and white stripes with a moody haircut, was just a kid when she was slaughtered before an audience of neglectful parents. (The '80s were a wild time.) So, naturally, this baby emo's soul clung to her favorite animatronic at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a black-and-white figure called Marionette. 

This haunted animatronic resembles a cross between Slenderman and the Insane Clown Posse, filtered through the kiddie-friendly lens of Tim Burton. Which is hilariously creepy for a kid's attraction, but also very true to the '80s, when Cabbage Patch Kids and Chuck E. Cheese were omnipresent. On a mission to wreak havoc on the town that let her die, Charlotte/Marionette sends forth her own fleet of Freddy and friends bots. And it's up to Vanessa and Mike to save the day, along with Abby, who is still bizarrely trusting of creepy androids. But this time, they'll get some third-act help from some familiar (and fuzzy) faces. 

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is tame, even for PG-13. Toy Freddy and Toy Bonnie stand ominously in "Five Nights at Freddy's 2." Credit: Ryan Green / Universal Pictures

It's a PG-13 horror franchise. I get that. But for all its horror potential, Five Nights at Freddy's 2 goes very, very soft. M3GAN was PG-13, and it featured a body count, as well as slaughter scenes that left audiences gasping and howling with laughter. Gremlins was PG and offered nerve-rattling tension and a climax so gross it gave a generation of kids nightmares. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 has off-screen violence, a handful of jump scares, and the same repeated gag of the Marionette scuttling toward the screen. 

Perhaps this is enough to please kids. But frankly, they deserve better. This summer the PG-rated Sketch proved a movie for kids can offer scary monsters and a story with a powerful message about big emotions and family. Nights at Freddy's 2 is just a rambling tumble of scenes that too often feel like filler or absolutely nonsensical. 

Some of it is horror cliché stuff, like someone hears or sees something spooky and reacts with the speed of a tortoise. You've fallen into a weird canal and hear plunking as if something has come in after you? Better stand still and swish around your flashlight instead of getting out of the water, right? Such tropes might be forgiven for being part of the genre expectation. We need to the inept randos to die and show the consequences our heroes face. The off-screen violence that results from these kill scenes — issuing bubbling blood but no image of actual injury — could likewise be excused because this is certainly for a younger audience. But how do you explain how Mike and Vanessa, who have been in this situation before, are still so comically bad at tackling any kind of robotic conflict? 

In one scene, Vanessa clearly lays out how Charlotte can be stopped. And oh hey, wouldn't you know Mike has the exact thing they need to stop her! But we won't talk about this again for another 40 minutes, for no apparent reason. The dialogue is similarly confounding. Vanessa and Mike — in the least interesting will-they-won't-they romance ever put to screen — have conversations as if they are in different rooms. It's not just that they're on the same page. It's as if they're reading off AI prompts from totally different plots. Such scenes made my brain wince.

This only gets more confounding as other supporting players pop up with little motive, like a creepy security guard with a broad smile, a mournful father (Skeet Ulrich in an all-too-brief appearance), and a dead father (Matthew Lillard, terrifyingly intimidating). They exposition dump or menace, then banish us back to a plotline full of tangles and holes instead of scares and fun. 

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 could have hit harder by leaning into its critique of grown-ups.  Matthew Lillard is still scary in "Five Nights at Freddy's 2." Credit: Ryan Green / Universal Pictures

A recurring element of great horror movies is when a kid knows in their bones something is deadly wrong, but the grown-ups around them shrug them off (often to their own peril). The people who are supposed to protect you have left you susceptible to supernatural threat! Now what?! Such a setup reflects a frustration of being a kid and not being heard. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 treads into this trope in the first act, as Charlotte (still alive) desperately tries to get the parents at the pizza palace to see the danger in plain sight. When they don't, she winds up dead, and rightfully wrathful about it. 

As the Marionette, she is solidly spooky. And her gripe with the living is valid. So, Five Nights at Freddy's gets off to a promising start.

Plus, the parents in this opening are comically dismissive of this fretful child, which seems to set up a cartoony tone that could suit the film well. Rather than aspiring to a grounded attitude, Cawthon's script could have embraced the tightly strung energy of the young girls at the film's center. But no. We're back with blah Mike and tragic yet still boring Vanessa.

The only grown-up who keeps up this viciously dismissive energy is Wayne Knight as Mr. Berg, a science teacher who hates Abby for no apparent reason. His scenes are actually pretty funny. Knight commits to the cartoonish villainy of this terrible teacher, and in him, the film actually begins to have some spark and outrageousness. If Tammi had encouraged others in the cast to achieve this level of intensity, the film might have been more enjoyable. But like the first one, this sequel has just a deadly amount of talking, with too little scares, jokes, or surprises. 

But hey, I thought that about the first film too. And it went on to make hundreds of millions of dollars. So, perhaps if you liked the first Five Nights at Freddy's, this sluggish sequel will thrill you far more than it did me.

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 opens in theaters Friday.

TL;DR: Live stream Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks in the NBA for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Select games from this weekend's batch of NBA games are available to live stream for free, including Thunder vs. Mavericks. The Dallas Mavericks have struggled for momentum this season, but the return of Anthony Davis is certainly going to help. And fans will be hoping his return will bring out the best in Cooper Flagg, too.

Things might be getting better for the Mavs, but the Thunder are surely a step too far? The defending champs are 21-1. It's going to be so difficult for the Mavs to take anything from this contest.

If you want to watch Thunder vs. Mavericks in the NBA for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Thunder vs. Mavericks?

Thunder vs. Mavericks in the NBA starts at 9:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 5. This game takes place at the Paycom Center.

How to watch Thunder vs. Mavericks for free

Thunder vs. Mavericks in the NBA is available to live stream for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.

This free live stream is geo-restricted to the U.S. and UK, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the U.S. or UK, meaning you can access free live streams of the NBA from anywhere in the world.

Stream the NBA for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime (if you're not already a member)

2. Subscribe to a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

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

4. Open up the app and connect to a server in the U.S. or UK

5. Watch the NBA from anywhere in the world on Prime Video

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Learn More

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select games from the NBA before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the NBA?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams on platforms like Prime Video, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream the NBA for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The NBA action is looking particularly interesting this weekend, with a number of fascinating matchups on the schedule. Celtics vs. Lakers would usually be the biggest of the bunch, but the Celtics just don't hold the same interest without Jayson Tatum. We're still getting the likes of Luka Dončić, LeBron James, and Jaylen Brown, so you best believe we'll be tuning in.

If you want to watch Celtics vs. Lakers in the NBA for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Celtics vs. Lakers?

Celtics vs. Lakers in the NBA starts at 7 p.m. ET on Dec. 5. This game takes place at TD Garden.

How to watch Celtics vs. Lakers for free

Celtics vs. Lakers in the NBA is available to live stream for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.

This free live stream is geo-restricted to the U.S. and UK, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the U.S. or UK, meaning you can access free live streams of the NBA from anywhere in the world.

Stream the NBA for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime (if you're not already a member)

2. Subscribe to a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

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

4. Open up the app and connect to a server in the U.S. or UK

5. Watch the NBA from anywhere in the world on Prime Video

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Learn More

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select games from the NBA before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the NBA?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams on platforms like Prime Video, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream the NBA for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: 100TB of ultra-secure, private Internxt cloud storage for life — no monthly fees, no storage stress, just massive space and peace of mind at 90% off for a limited time.

Opens in a new window Credit: Internxt Internxt Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription: 100TB $974.97
$9,900 Save $8,925.03   Get Deal

If you’ve ever found yourself deleting photos, moving files to random hard drives, or upgrading another monthly cloud plan just to keep things running, you already understand the quiet stress of running out of digital space.

Internxt’s 100TB lifetime cloud storage plan is designed to flip that experience entirely — offering enough room to stop worrying about storage altogether.

With a massive 100 terabytes at your disposal, this is cloud storage that feels genuinely future-proof. You can back up years of photos and videos, archive creative projects, save high-resolution work files, and still have plenty of space left over.

No more juggling subscriptions, no more “which folder can I sacrifice?” moments, and no more surprise renewal charges showing up on your bank statement.

What truly sets Internxt apart, though, is its privacy-first approach. This platform uses zero-knowledge, end-to-end encryption, meaning only you can ever access your data — not Internxt, not third parties, and certainly not data trackers.

Files are securely fragmented and protected with post-quantum encryption, designed to stay safe even as technology evolves. It’s also fully open-source, GDPR-compliant, and independently audited, giving transparency-minded users added peace of mind.

Despite the advanced security, using Internxt feels refreshingly simple. The interface is intuitive, the syncing is seamless, and your files stay accessible across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and web browsers. Whether you’re a creative professional, a small business owner, or just someone with an ever-growing digital life, everything stays organized and easy to retrieve.

During this Cyber Week sale, lifetime access to 100TB Internxt storage is available for a one-time $974.97 payment (MSRP: $9,900) — valid only through Dec. 14 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Want to watch college football this season? Here are your best options: BEST FOR ESPN ESPN Unlimited $29.99 per month for 1 year (save $15) Shop Now Best for Fox and Big Ten Fox One 7-day free trial, then $199.99 per year (save $39.89) Shop Now BEST FOR SINGLE GAME FuboTV 7-day free trial, then $54.99/month for 1 month (save $30) Get Deal Best for channels Hulu + Live TV 3-day free trial, then $76.99/month Shop Now Best for affordability Sling Season Pass $329 for 5 months (save $50.95) Shop Now BEST for INTRODUCTORY OFFER YouTube TV 5-day free trial, then $49.99/month for 3 months (save $99) Shop Now

The stakes are high in this week's college football as North Texas Mean Green visit the Tulane Green Wave to decide the American Conference Championship.

This showdown will most likely also hand the winner an automatic College Football Playoff bid as both teams are currently ranked in the selection committee's top 25. It would mark the first time that either of these teams has played in the CFP. And North Texas, at 11-1, look like the favorites thanks to a six-game winning streak.

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If you want to watch North Texas vs. Tulane for free from anywhere in the world, here's everything you need to know.

When is North Texas vs. Tulane?

North Texas vs. Tulane takes place at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 5. This game takes place at the Yulman Stadium.

North Texas vs. Tulane is broadcast on ABC.

How to watch college football in 2025/26

Fans can live stream college football on a wide range of recommended platforms, some of which include free trials, allowing you to follow the action without actually spending anything.

ESPN Unlimited (no free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: ESPN ESPN Unlimited $29.99 per month for 1 year Shop Now

Channels: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX

ESPN Unlimited provides access to everything that ESPN has to offer. For college football, you will find live access to games on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, SEC Network, SECN+, ACC Network, and ABC. The Unlimited plan will cost you $29.99 per month, but for the first year, new subscribers can also secure a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu for the same price.

Fox One (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: Fox One Fox One 7-day free trial, then $199.99 per year Shop Now

Channels: Fox, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network

Fox One provides access to live broadcasts on Fox, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, and Big Ten Network. It costs just $19.99 per month, and you can also save $40 by opting for the annual plan at $199.99. You can kickoff with a seven-day free trial, so you've got the chance to watch select games without spending anything.

FuboTV (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV 7-day free trial, then $54.99/month for 1 month Shop Now

Channels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NBCSN, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network, and The CW

FuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and provides the opportunity to watch on 10 screens at once, if that's your thing. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period. 

Fubo takes sports seriously, which we appreciate. With the Pro subscription, you get access to most college football broadcasts. But hardcore fans may want to consider upgrading to Fubo's Elite plan, which unlocks access to ESPNU, SEC Network, Pac-12 Network, and ACC Network. Either way, we suggest you test the waters for seven days before you make any sort of commitment.

Hulu + Live TV (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Hulu + Live TV 3-day free trial, then $76.99/month Shop Now

Channels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, ESPN U, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, and The CW

Hulu + Live TV certainly isn't cheap, but it does offer plenty of bang for your buck. You'll have to cough up $76.99 per month (after a three-day trial), but you get access to over 95 live TV channels, plus Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ (all with ads). The included access to ESPN+ provides bonus access to even more college football games on top of live TV networks like ABC, FOX, ESPN, The CW, ACC Network, and more. Now that's value.

Sling (no free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Season Pass $329 for 5 months Shop Now

Channels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ESPNews, ESPN U, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network

Sling is a comprehensive sporting service that offers a wide range of benefits, but you will need to be careful when selecting your plan. The Orange and Blue packages give you access to FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and more in local markets, but for access to ACC Network, SEC Network, Big Ten Network, and more, you'll need the Sports Extra package. We recommend checking your local market to ensure you get access to the channels you actually want.

YouTube TV (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: YouTube TV YouTube TV 7-day free trial, then $49.99/month for your first 3 months Shop Now

Channels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, NBCSN, SEC Network, and The CW

YouTube TV gives you access to more than 100 live channels. That's a whole lotta content. This huge list includes most of the channels you actually need to watch live college football, including NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and ESPN, plus networks like FS1 and SEC Network. YouTube TV also offers that all-important free trial so you can watch select games without spending anything.

How to watch North Texas vs. Tulane from anywhere in the world

If you're outside the U.S. for this fixture, you might need to use a VPN to unblock your favorite streaming service. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the U.S., allowing you to unblock live streams of college football from anywhere in the world.

Live stream North Texas vs. Tulane from anywhere in the world by following these simple steps:

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

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

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

4. Sign in to your favorite streaming service

5. Watch North Texas vs. Tulane from anywhere in the world

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

• Servers in 105 countries including the U.S.

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free. That means 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (which includes a money-back guarantee).

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

Want to watch college football this season? Here are your best options: BEST FOR ESPN ESPN Unlimited $29.99 per month for 1 year (save $15) Shop Now Best for Fox and Big Ten Fox One 7-day free trial, then $199.99 per year (save $39.89) Shop Now BEST FOR SINGLE GAME FuboTV 7-day free trial, then $54.99/month for 1 month (save $30) Get Deal Best for channels Hulu + Live TV 3-day free trial, then $76.99/month Shop Now Best for affordability Sling Season Pass $329 for 5 months (save $50.95) Shop Now BEST for INTRODUCTORY OFFER YouTube TV 5-day free trial, then $49.99/month for 3 months (save $99) Shop Now

One of the most exciting college football showdowns this week sees the Troy Trojans visiting the James Madison Dukes to decide the Sun Belt Conference Championship. Troy won Sun Belt West Division, finishing at 8-4 overall, while James Madison were the runaway winners of Sun Belt West Division at an impressive 11-1.

Even with that record — which saw them go undefeated in conference games — there's still an underdog story at play here. Currently ranked at 25 by the selection committee, James Madison are within reaching distance of an automatic CFP bid — hugely exciting for the Group of Six program. A win here could secure that auto bid, but only if Duke beat Virginia for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship the next day.

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The implications could be huge if James Madison and Duke win their respective games. Because of the new field of 12 rules, which sees the five highest ranked championship winners get an automatic bid, James Madison would trump the unranked Duke. All of which means a Group of Six program taking a CFP spot over a Power Four program. James Madison would then join the winner of the American Conference Championship in representing the Group of Six on the CFP.

But even with their 11-1 record, James Madison will have their work cut out against Troy, who won Sun Belt titles in both 2022 and 2023.

If you want to watch Troy vs. James Madison for free from anywhere in the world, here's everything you need to know.

When is Troy vs. James Madison?

Troy vs. James Madison takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Dec. 5. This game takes place at the Bridgeforth Stadium.

Troy vs. James Madison is broadcast on ESPN.

How to watch college football in 2025/26

Fans can live stream college football on a wide range of recommended services, some of which include free trials so you can follow the action without actually spending anything.

ESPN Unlimited (no free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: ESPN ESPN Unlimited $29.99 per month for 1 year Shop Now

Channels: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX

ESPN Unlimited provides access to everything that ESPN has to offer. For college football, you get live access to games on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, SEC Network, SECN+, ACC Network, and ABC. The Unlimited plan will set you back $29.99 per month, but for the first year, new subscribers can secure a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu for the same price.

Fox One (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: Fox One Fox One 7-day free trial, then $199.99 per year Shop Now

Channels: Fox, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network

Fox One provides access to live broadcasts on Fox, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, and Big Ten Network. It costs $19.99 per month, but you can save $40 by opting for the annual plan at $199.99. You can also start with a seven-day free trial, so you've got the chance to watch select games without spending anything.

FuboTV (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV 7-day free trial, then $54.99/month for 1 month Shop Now

Channels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NBCSN, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network, and The CW

FuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and provides the opportunity to watch on 10 screens at once, if that's your thing. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period. 

Fubo takes sports seriously, and that's something we appreciate. With the Pro subscription, you get access to most college football broadcasts. But hardcore fans may want to consider upgrading to the Elite plan, which unlocks access to ESPNU, SEC Network, Pac-12 Network, and ACC Network. Either way, we suggest you test the waters for seven days before you make any sort of commitment.

Hulu + Live TV (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Hulu + Live TV 3-day free trial, then $76.99/month Shop Now

Channels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, ESPN U, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, and The CW

Hulu + Live TV is not exactly cheap, but it does offer good bang for your buck. You need to cough up $76.99 per month (after a three-day trial), but you get access to over 95 live TV channels, plus Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ (all with ads). The included access to ESPN+ provides bonus access to even more college football games on top of live TV networks like ABC, FOX, ESPN, The CW, ACC Network, and more. Now that's value.

Sling (no free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Season Pass $329 for 5 months Shop Now

Channels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ESPNews, ESPN U, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network

Sling is a comprehensive sporting service that offers a whole host of benefits, but you do need to be careful when selecting a plan. The Orange and Blue packages give you access to FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and more in local markets, but for access to ACC Network, SEC Network, Big Ten Network, and more, you'll need the Sports Extra package. We recommend checking your local market to ensure you get access to the channels you actually need.

YouTube TV (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: YouTube TV YouTube TV 7-day free trial, then $49.99/month for your first 3 months Shop Now

Channels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, NBCSN, SEC Network, and The CW

YouTube TV provides access to over 100 live channels. Newsflash: that's a lot. This huge list includes most of the channels you actually need to watch live college football, including NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and ESPN, plus networks like FS1 and SEC Network. YouTube TV also offers that all-important free trial so you can watch select games without spending anything.

How to watch Troy vs. James Madison from anywhere in the world

If you're abroad for this fixture, you might need to use a VPN to unblock your favorite streaming service. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the U.S., meaning you can unblock live streams of college football from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Troy vs. James Madison from anywhere in the world by following these simple steps:

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

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

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

4. Sign in to your favorite streaming service

5. Watch Troy vs. James Madison from anywhere in the world

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

• Servers in 105 countries including the U.S.

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

Age-verification laws are sweeping the world. These mandates typically require websites that host explicit content — and some that don't — to obtain personal data from visitors to ensure they're over 18. 

Lawmakers who put these laws forward say they do so to keep minors away from adult content. But experts have also warned Mashable about the privacy and security risks that could arise from these mandates. This year, multiple studies have suggested that these laws don't actually work to keep minors off porn sites. 

SEE ALSO: Porn censorship is going to destroy the entire internet

With that in mind, is age verification, as it stands, ethical? And what would constitute ethical age-verification? Mashable spoke to several experts, and they all had a similar answer: device-level filters.

Current age-verification systems

In most cases, from the majority of U.S. laws to the UK's Online Safety Act, age verification is platform-based. This means that it's the responsibility of websites to install these age checks — and it hasn't been going well. 

"Age gating, especially the current technology that is available, is ineffective at achieving the goals it seeks to achieve, and minors can circumvent it," said senior policy counsel for ACLU, Cody Venzke. 

A study published in November noted that when these laws took effect in different states, searches for VPNs (virtual private networks, which can mask someone's true location) have skyrocketed, suggesting that people are attempting (and succeeding) to circumvent the laws. Searches for porn sites also increase, which might indicate people searching for websites that don't comply with these laws. 

The ethics behind these systems are murky at best, Mike Stabile, director of public policy at adult industry trade organization, the Free Speech Coalition, told Mashable. "In practice, they've so far functioned as a form of censorship." 

Because of the fear around exposure and data processing — and already we're seeing IDs being exposed, like in October's Discord hack — adults are dissuaded from accessing porn sites. That same November study suggested that the cost of impeding on adults' First Amendment rights (the right to free speech and free expression) doesn't outweigh the benefit of limiting minors' access to porn.

"Unfortunately, we've heard many of the advocates behind these laws say that this chilling effect is, in fact, good. They don't want adults accessing porn," Stabile said. 

Indeed, some lawmakers believe that porn shouldn't be accessible to anyone. Project 2025, the blueprint for President Trump's second term, calls for an outright porn ban and the imprisonment of creators. A Project 2025 co-writer, Russell Vought (who heads the Office of Management and Budget) was caught on a secret recording in 2024, reportedly calling age-verification laws a porn ban from the "back door."

But there is another solution: Device-level filters.

An ethical age assurance method?

"Storing people's actual birth dates on company servers is probably not a good way to approach this, especially for minors... you can't change your birth date if it gets leaked," senior director of AI programs at nonprofit Common Sense Media, Robbie Torney, told Mashable. 

"But there are approaches that are privacy-preserving and are already established in the industry that could go a long way towards making it safer for kids to interact across a wide range of digital services."

We can also distinguish between age verification and assurance. While some people use this interchangeably, the difference is that "age assurance" is more of an umbrella term that includes all the methods you could use to determine age without being prescriptive as to how, while verification typically applies to confirming exact age, like checking ID, Torney said. 

One real age assurance approach that's more privacy-preserving, according to Torney, is outlined in California's law AB 1043, which will take effect in 2027. 

AB 1043 requires operating systems — the software that powers phones, tablets, and computers — to request an age or birthday during setup. Then, it creates an age bracket signal (not your exact age, but a range) on the device, and that signal will be sent to applications, blocking someone if they're underage. 

The law, therefore, requires a device-level filter, something that Aylo (Pornhub's parent company) and free speech experts have recommended for years. 

"Any solution should be easy to use, privacy-preserving, and consumer-friendly. In most cases, that means the verification is going to happen once, on the device," Stabile said. 

Founder and CEO of child safety nonprofit Heat Initiative, Sarah Gardner, told Mashable the same. "Device-level verification is the best way to do age verification because you're limiting the amount of data that you give to the apps. And many of the devices already know the age of the users," she said. 

Apple already implements different safeguards at the device level, she explained. The Communication Safety feature, for example, warns children when they receive or send media containing nudity through iMessage and allows them to get help. Apple recently expanded age-appropriate protections to kids aged 13-17, which includes web content filters.

So it's possible for tech giants like Apple to implement this (and in 2027, they will have to, given the California law). 

But AB 1043 doesn't apply to websites, including adult websites. It only applies to device makers and app stores, allowing apps to restrict age.

"Frankly, we want AB 1043 to apply to adult sites," Stabile said. "We want a signal that tells us when someone is a minor. It's the easiest, most effective way to block minors and doesn't force adults to submit to biometrics every time they visit a website."

SEE ALSO: All the states Pornhub is blocked in now

Last month, Pornhub sent Apple, Google, and Microsoft letters urging them to enable device-level age assurance for web platforms. Each of the letters, which were shared with Mashable, mentions AB 1043.

Venzke told Mashable that the ACLU is watching the conversations on device-based verification closely and questioning whether they protect people's privacy. 

Will device-level age assurance be adopted more broadly?

Whether the tech giants will go for Pornhub's proposal is a different story. Microsoft declined to comment to Mashable, while an Apple spokesperson linked to a Newsroom update regarding the changes to under-18 accounts. The spokesperson also linked to a child online safety white paper that states, "The right place to address the dangers of age-restricted content online is the limited set of websites and apps that host that kind of content."

Regarding the letter, Google told Mashable that it's "committed to protecting kids online, including by developing and deploying new age assurance tools like our Credential Manager API [application programming interface] that can be used by websites. We don't allow adult entertainment apps on Google Play, and certain high-risk services like Aylo will always need to invest in specific tools to meet their own legal and responsibility obligations."

Torney said that a layered approach to age assurance will likely be necessary in many cases, and Common Sense's stance is that the responsibility lies on both sites, like Pornhub and operating systems. "This has been a little bit like hot potato" between the two, he said.

Despite all these efforts, no age assurance method will be 100 percent effective, Torney said. "But if you're operating from a vantage point of wanting to reduce harm, to increase appropriateness, and to increase youth wellbeing, a more robust age assurance system is going to go much farther to keep the majority of teens safe."

TL;DR: The NanoPhone is a credit-card-sized smartphone that’s surprisingly practical and undeniably fun — perfect as a quirky tech gift while the limited-time $84.97 offer lasts.

Opens in a new window Credit: NanoPhone NanoPhone $84.97
$199.99 Save $115.02   Get Deal

Shopping for someone who loves quirky tech and clever gadgets? Or maybe you’re just craving something delightfully different for yourself. Either way, the NanoPhone might be one of the most unexpectedly fun finds of this holiday season.

At first glance, it looks almost impossible: a fully functional smartphone that’s about the size of a credit card. But NanoPhone isn’t just a novelty — it’s a surprisingly capable mini device that handles calls, texts, apps, video chats, and browsing, all while fitting comfortably in the smallest pockets, bags, or even your palm.

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Running on Android 10, this tiny powerhouse supports Dual SIM, 4G connectivity, and Wi-Fi, allowing users to stay connected on the go without relying on bulky devices.

You can scroll Instagram, check WhatsApp, watch YouTube videos, or hop on a quick video call — all from a phone that weighs just 2.8 ounces.

Where NanoPhone really shines is in real-life convenience. It makes an excellent emergency backup phone for travel, festivals, or outdoor adventures where carrying a full-sized smartphone feels unnecessary or risky.

It’s also perfect for parents who want a basic connected device for kids, or for anyone who loves the idea of a secondary phone that doesn’t dominate their pocket or attention.

Despite its miniature build, it includes front and rear cameras for capturing quick moments.

And yes — it’s genuinely fun. The kind of gadget people want to pick up, inspect, and immediately say, “Wait, this is real?”

The NanoPhone is available for just $84.97 (MSRP: $199.99), marking a 57% discount with free shipping — but only until Dec. 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

In order to expose the patriarchy for the absurd and dangerous pantomime it is, Julia Jackman literally makes it one in 100 Nights of Hero. Based on Isabel Greenberg's graphic novel, the Bonus Track director's second feature is a playful, strange, and visually magnificent take on the preposterousness of not-so-medieval attitudes toward women and the courage it takes to demand more.

A hyper-coloured, queer, feminist fairy tale, 100 Nights of Hero draws from history through a fantastical lens. You'll recognise the marks of the age of witchcraft persecutions and the long, continuing history of men's institutional power over women and their bodies. They're real, topical elements — they just happen to be drenched in magenta lighting, meticulous production design, and sumptuous costumes. 

SEE ALSO: 'Erupcja' review: Is Charli XCX charting her path to movie stardom?

With touches of commedia dell'arte, sparkling performances from Emma Corrin, Maika Monroe, and Nicholas Galitzine, and a hype-worthy appearance by Charli xcx, 100 Nights of Hero is one of the screen jewels of the year.

What is 100 Nights of Hero about? Maika Monroe and Emma Corrin as Cherry and Hero. Credit: BFI London Film Festival

A pastiche of historical periods that leans on the medieval, 100 Nights of Hero is set in an empire where the political context feels uncomfortably modern at times. Framed with Wes Anderson-worthy symmetrical shots and surreal starburst lenses by cinematographer Xenia Patricia, the film instantly feels like a fable, with stunning visual effects by Paul Rice and razor-sharp editing by Amélie Labrèche and Oona Flaherty.

Through captivating narration from Train Dreams' Felicity Jones over Oliver Coates' dreamy score, we learn the creation myth of Kiddo (Anemone's Safia Oakley-Green). Alas, the misogynist Bird Man (an always flawless Richard E. Grant) ruins Kiddo's joyful realm with rules, parameters enforced by future Beak Brothers, a league of chauvinists who honor their forefather with formidable bird masks. "So wishes Bird Man," they decree, upholding their ancestor's requirements of the ideal wife as "beautiful, obedient, good at chess and falconry." Thanks to the impeccable work of Rice and production designer Sofia Sacomani, majestic stained glass windows honour men and warn of sinful women — fertile, quiet, obedient women are venerated; all other forms of womanhood (including desires outside the heteronormative) are condemned. 

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In this persecutory climate, we meet one of our protagonists, Cherry (Longlegs star Maika Monroe), a noblewoman whose arranged marriage to nobleman Jerome (Limbo's Amir El-Masry) has not been consummated. That would fly in a realm where producing an heir wasn’t the stuff of all-male council meeting agendas, but here the pair is given a rather one-sided ultimatum: Conceive in 100 nights or Cherry will face the executioner's block. Jerome? He's off the hook, couldn't be his fault.

Alas, Cherry waits unsatisfied for a glimmer of passion each night, the couple's castle bedrooms kept separate, her desire buried beneath pious white finery. Despite the literal deadline facing Cherry, Jerome suddenly decides to go away on business (seriously, now!?), but not before a dastardly bet with roguish lord Manfred (The Idea of You's Nicholas Galitzine) that his friend cannot seduce his wife in his absence. Cherry is doomed in either scenario: Face death for adultery or lack of conception.

Luckily, Cherry has a fierce protector in her maid and "best friend" (for the bigots in the back, I SAID "BEST FRIEND") Hero (Nosferatu and Lady Chatterley's Lover star Emma Corrin), the film's titular co-protagonist, who has more than a few secrets hidden away in the floorboards. They're not named Hero for nothing.

100 Nights of Hero is a trove of sparkling performances. Nicholas Galitzine's Manfred insists he's "not like other lords." Credit: BFI London Film Festival

Swathed in the finery of costume designer Susie Coulthard's creations (we'll get to those), the cast of 100 Nights of Hero make for one formidable ensemble.

A walking red flag cloaked in "not like other lords" chicanery, Galitzine's Manfred is the stuff of paperback romance dreams and modern dating nightmares. With aim set for swoon, he's perpetually leaning in doorways, suggestively eating blackberries, strutting through the grounds shirtless and covered in deer blood declaring "LUNCH!" But he's also a narcissistic bastard by every count, who shamelessly damns decorum and flaunts his virility in every scene.

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However, despite the male power swamping every hall, the tale's two heroes are its shining stars. Monroe's Cherry is outwardly a melancholy marble statue, the "paragon of virtue" her husband so describes her as, overwhelmingly finding herself at the mercy of men's decisions. Almost robotic in her movements, Monroe presents a wonderfully absurd idea of pious, decorative womanhood, leaving her only moments of freedom, vulnerability, and burgeoning passion for private scenes with her beloved Hero. And it's these scenes between Monroe and Corrin that prove the most quietly butterfly-inducing of the film.

Corrin plays an outstanding Hero, a twinkle-eyed storyteller and fearless bullshit detector. Clocking Manfred's flagrant attempts to seduce Cherry immediately, Hero fires silent insults with a look while offering Cherry a social escape route: a continually-orated tale of three sisters. Portrayed in dreamy, frost-lit sequences, Hero's Story of the Dancing Stones is a golden thread woven into each scene, as Cherry metaphorically hits the panic button whenever Manfred becomes Too Much. In the tale, we meet three raven-haired sisters (a wonderful Charli xcx, Kerena Jagpal, and Olivia D'Lima) who quite frankly deserve their own movie. They've been "trained for marriage," by their father, but the sisters share a secret talent, one deemed "sinful, wicked, and forbidden for women." Every time Corrin picks up where we left off with the story, I settled further into my chair, the actor's talent for storytelling on full display.

But here, as in the main storyline, there are total champions behind the camera. 

100 Nights of Hero is a surreal triumph of design Felicity Jones not only narrates but shows up in this incredible costume. Credit: BFI London Film Festival

Raise a gilded goblet for 100 Nights of Hero production designer Sofia Sacomani, visual effects supervisor Paul Rice, art director Naomi Bailey, costume designer Susie Coulthard, and set decorator Tatyana Jinto Rutherston, for their artistry makes this film shimmer. A cornucopia of neon-hued hallways, remarkable stained glass, absurdly thin dining chairs, and gleaming bird-shaped suits of armour, the film's meticulous design is a total knockout. Every scene looks good enough to eat, each a violaceous stage for Coulthard's resplendent costumes.

A museum-worthy range of precise tailoring and theatrical spins on historical garb, Coulthard's designs inspire jaw drop after jaw drop. She hammers home the preposterous patriarchal roots of the film's all-powerful religious group, the Beak Brothers, adorning them with bird skull masks and deep red cardinal cloaks, and dresses Manfred in the billowing sleeves of a scoundrel.

Though Hero is limited to a maid's uniform, Coulthard elongates their collar and crowns them with a crisp, white hennin, an outfit that makes Corrin's character both practical and otherworldly. However, the most marvellous outfits are worn by Cherry, embodying her ornamental social role. Exaggerated leg of mutton sleeves, puffed and quilted off-shoulder drapery, delicate lace collars, and feathered neckpieces make up Coulthard's parade of ornate looks for Cherry, with Monroe exuding woe and constraint in each piece — an elegantly boned wooden girdle speaks volumes that Cherry cannot.

At its whimsical heart, 100 Nights of Hero is a story of women's courage and resilience, of pursuing knowledge and passion beyond the perilously high fences of patriarchy. It's a dazzling world of suppressed queer identity and desire, of male bravado and paranoia, and of the power of storytelling itself. Jackman has crafted us a topical treat, finely dressed in splendour and social commentary. It's nothing short of heroic.

100 Nights of Hero was reviewed out of BFI London Film Festival. The film is out in select U.S. cinemas from Dec. 5, with a UK release set for Jan. 2026.

Aquarius and Bacurau director Kleber Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent weaves a complex, time-jumping political crime thriller, focusing on one man's experience of persecution. 

Mainly set in the late '70s in the Brazilian writer/director's hometown of Recife, Pernambuco, but moving fluidly between the past and present, the film predominantly takes place in the tumultuous years of Brazil's military dictatorship. It's a heavy topic explored with humanity, boasting such a compelling script, impeccable acting, and striking 1970s aesthetic that it's impossible to look away.

SEE ALSO: Alex Garland and Wagner Moura on creating an anti-war war film with 'Civil War'

In the lead, Narcos and Civil War star Wagner Moura gives a tremendously interior performance as a man justifiably paranoid in his mission to escape his country's authoritarian regime. There's a reason Moura took Best Actor at Cannes, with Mendonça Filho snatching Best Director; The Secret Agent sees both dive headfirst into the complexities of rampant corruption and desperately searching for a way out.  

The Secret Agent flicks between past and present to craft a complex narrative. Wagner Moura in "The Secret Agent." Credit: Victor Juca

Over three acts superbly edited by Eduardo Serrano and Matheus Farias, Mendonça Filho's film runs on multiple timelines in the past and present. In 1977, we meet Armando (Moura), who's going by the alias Marcelo, a man newly arrived in a residential complex in Recife during the annual Carnival period. A small Kodak box fits all of his possessions, and he gives little away about himself. The apartments are run by vigilant matriarch Dona Sebastiana (Tânia Maria), and Armando is welcomed with open arms. Among omnipresent Carnival celebrations, Armando is warmly introduced by his septuagenarian guardian to his neighbours. They're also political refugees, though not all enjoy using the term. There's Thereza Vitória (Isabél Zuaa), who has fled the Angolan Civil War with her partner; there's single mother Claudia (Hermila Guedes) whose past beyond her dental profession remains her own mystery to bear. Many live under threat of death, like our protagonist.

Meanwhile, corruption runs rife through the city streets, as do careening cop vans full of crooked officials, hooting, hollering, and unabashedly lawless. The most prominent in The Secret Agent is police chief Euclides (Robério Diógenes) and his bodyguard-like sons Arlindo (Ítalo Martins) and Sergio (Igor de Araújo), who enter the story by being pulled out of Carnival when a man's severed leg is found in a dead shark — and this is by no means the limit of the violence ahead in The Secret Agent.

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Slowly, the film reveals the seriousness of Armando's situation: he's a widowed university professor, specialising in electrical engineering, who is fleeing persecution amid the country's military dictatorship. In his past, standing up to corporate greed and corrupt government bureaucracy has left him vulnerable and robbed him of his beloved wife Fátima (New Bandits' Alice Carvalho). Getting out is no easy feat, as corruption, surveillance, and sinister men orbit Armando at every turn — including two unnervingly unflappable hitmen, Bobbi (Ferrari's Gabriel Leone) and his stepfather Augusto (Roney Villela), on his trail. 

As well as Dona Sebastiana, others work under the radar to help those persecuted escape the country, such as Elza (Vermelho Monet's Maria Fernanda Cândido), who offers a form of witness protection, promising passports in a few days. A placement within the city's Identification Institute is Armando's best chance of finding physical proof of his mother's identity before he leaves Brazil with his young son, who lives with his grandparents. 

In the present, two young investigators in São Paulo listen to cassettes of recorded conversations from Armando's time, and we're left wondering where exactly their research is leading. Here, and through Mendonça Filho's use of archival photographs, the film becomes a fictional artifact in itself, a story worthy of study and examination. But it's the lived-in performances by the actors themselves that bring this unstable historical period to life, with Moura out front. 

Wagner Moura gives a tremendous performance in The Secret Agent.

Tasked with multiple roles across time periods, Moura earns every inch of his Cannes Best Actor award in The Secret Agent. The role was specifically written by Mendonça Filho for him, after all. A classic hero brave enough to challenge powerful, corrupt entities while rightly fearing for his life and his family, Armando predominantly internalises the level of serious threat constantly weighing on him. Moura's subtlety and frustration imbues our protagonist with a deeply human valiance, one that makes us as viewers want to protect him at all costs. 

Embodying a true ensemble affair, The Secret Agent sees Moura surrounded by bold, outlandish performances, all the way from iconic German actor Udo Kier as expat tailor Hans to Greta star Diógenes as the city's corrupt chief of police. Notably, Armando finds sanctuary with his father-in-law Sr. Alexandre (a wonderful performance by Bacurau's Carlos Francisco) who owns the local Cinema São Luiz, showing Brazilian films alongside American horror films like Jaws and The Omen that cause outright hysteria in audiences. Here, and through Evgenia Alexandrova's exquisite cinematography, you can feel Mendonça Filho's reverence for cinema as a filmmaker, critic, and curator — and its importance in turbulent times. In fact, The Secret Agent is a perfect pairing with the director's 2023 documentary Pictures of Ghosts (Retratos Fantasmas), which traces cinema in his hometown of Recife.

The Secret Agent runs on a striking '70s aesthetic.  Ítalo Martins, Robério Diógenes, Wagner Moura, and Igor de Araújo in "The Secret Agent." Credit: Victor Juca

Despite the paranoia and corruption that pervades the narrative, Mendonça Filho's film is a stunning '70s affair. Shot in anamorphic Panavision, it's nothing short of a feast for the eyes (before it's not). Each scene comes awash with the decade's signature oranges, browns, and yellows, with production designer Thales Junqueira's meticulous work on full display. Architect Chu Ming Silveira's iconic, egg-shaped, yellow public phone booths known as Orelhões (or "Big Ears") form a vital part of both the storyline and city landscape, while costume designer Rita Azevedo finds glorious authenticity in period-specific outfits.

Despite the political upheaval on the ground, Mendonça Filho also reverently and accurately captures the visuals of Recife, with Armando taking in gorgeous cityscapes from the Cinema São Luiz projection room, bathed in sunlight, and the street scenes often focusing on the members of the community caught up in the chaos. There's also a little magical realism thrown in for unexpected measure, and composers Mateus Alves and Tomaz Alves Souza pull everything together with an immersive, atmospheric score.

Ultimately, Mendonça Filho's film explores a time of political corruption, violence, and warranted paranoia through a human lens, with the director saying in a press statement, "The challenge was to make a film about the logic of that time without ticking all the boxes of the dictatorship movie." With Moura's powerful performance framed by a reverent, authentic aesthetic, The Secret Agent is a deeply humanised look at a historical moment of authoritarianism and government corruption. It's a must-see.

UPDATE: Nov. 20, 2025, 6:14 p.m. EST "The Secret Agent" was reviewed out of BFI London Film Festival. This article was originally published on Oct. 11, 2025.

The Secret Agent hits cinemas in New York on Nov. 26 and Los Angeles Dec. 5, with nationwide release to follow. The film will be released in the UK and Ireland Feb. 20, 2026.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

George Clooney is absolutely excellent as Jay Kelly. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jay Kelly is a showbiz comedy with heart.

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

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

Jay Kelly was reviewed out of the New York Film Festival and is now streaming on Netflix. 

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easy if you know your Joes.

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: Game locations

• Green: National teams

• Blue: Teammates

• Purple: Different names, same sport

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: 2026 World Cup host cities

• Green: Countries qualified for their first World Cup in 2026

• Blue: English men's soccer players

• Purple:" The beautiful game, in different countries

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 #438 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• 2026 World Cup host cities - ATLANTA, EAST RUTHERFORD, MEXICO CITY, TORONTO

• Countries qualified for their first World Cup in 2026 - CAPE VERDE, CURAÇAO, JORDAN, UZBEKISTAN

• English men's soccer players - FODEN, KANE, RICE, SAKA

• The beautiful game, in different countries - CALCIO, FOOTBALL, FÚTBOL, SOCCER

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.