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Pokémon TCGs Prismatic Evolutions Premium Figure Collection is near market value in the Amazon Black Friday sale

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 12:00

TL;DR: Pokémon TCG's Prismatic Evolutions Premium Figure Collection is down to $149.99 at Amazon, which is near-market value compared to TCGplayer's price of $118.90 including shipping.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Prismatic Evolutions Premium Figure Collection $149.99 at Amazon
  Get Deal

Mega Evolution and Phantasmal Flames are kicking of the new era of Pokémon TCG with a massive bang, and Scarlet and Violet era print runs are still going strong. Prismatic Evolutions was ridiculously hard to grab at launch, but it looks like that's finally changing thanks to the Pokémon Company increasing production earlier this year.

Prismatic Evolutions is pretty much laser focused on Eeveelutions, but there's some stunning Secret Illustration Rares of non-Eeveelution Pokémon in this set. Roaring Moon ex, Ceruledge ex, and Dragapult ex all have ridiculously stunning artwork, for example.

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The good news is Amazon is near-market value on Prismatic Evolutions Premium Figure Collection. The $149.99 price is pretty much at market value when compared to TCGPlayer's lowest price at $118.90, especially when you take shipping into account.

TCGplayer Cyber Weekend 10% cashback event Credit: Mashable Photo Composite / The Pokémon Company

Prismatic Evolutions is some to the most expensive Pokémon TCG product in the modern era, and the other chase cards are up there in value. TCGplayer is running a 10% cashback event, which boosts up to 16% providing you've been a TCGplayer subscriber for long enough. This event comes at a time when Pokémon TCG in general is finding a new floor when it comes to sealed product and card value, so this is 100% the best time to buy up the chase cards you need and build up your collection:

  1. Umbreon ex - 161/131
    Near Mint Holofoil: $1,000
    Market price: $1,111.08
    Most recent sale: $1,099.99

  2. Sylveon ex - 156/131
    Near Mint Holofoil: $300
    Market price: $332.45
    Most recent sale: $340.94

  3. Leafeon ex - 144/131
    Near Mint Holofoil: $240
    Market price: $270.48
    Most recent sale: $250

  4. Glaceon ex - 150/131
    Near Mint Holofoil: $189
    Market price: $207.36
    Most recent sale: $190

  5. Vaporeon ex - 149/131
    Near Mint Holofoil: $181
    Market price: $194.77
    Most recent sale: $187.29

Categories: IT General, Technology

Timekettle W4 review: Not the sci-fi voice translator of your dreams

How-To Geek - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 12:00

The Timekettle W4 semi-in-ear bone conduction earbuds are designed to translate face-to-face conversations in over 40 languages—and it can definitely help with that, but don't expect magic.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The delightful Lego Botanicals Mini Bonsai Trees set is down to its best-ever price this Black Friday

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 11:51

SAVE $20: The Lego Botanicals Mini Bonsai Trees are discounted to $44.99 in Amazon's Black Friday sale. This is their lowest-ever price, saving you 31% off their list price of $64.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Botanicals Mini Bonsai Trees 10373 $44.99 at Amazon
$64.99 Save $20.00   Get Deal

This year's Black Friday sale event has had plenty of excellent Lego deals. If you've been on the lookout for a new set, whether to buy for yourself or to pick up as a gift for someone over the holidays, now is a great time to buy. Amazon is offering some of our favorite deals at the moment, including the delightful Lego Botanicals Mini Bonsai Trees down to their lowest-ever price of $44.99.

This is a 31% discount from the usual price of $64.99 for the Lego Mini Bonsai Trees, which allows you to pocket $20. If you're a fan of the botanical builds, this miniature tree trio is certainly worth picking up while it's at this low price.

SEE ALSO: Black Friday 2025: Live updates on the latest deals from Amazon, Target, Walmart, and more

The Lego Mini Bonsai Trees are sure to be lovely additions to a display shelf. The set's 709 pieces create a colorful ginkgo bonsai tree with yellow leaves, a black pine bonsai tree that has green needles, and a wisteria bonsai tree with lilac flowers hanging from its branches. Keep in mind that it's a set angled towards adults (18 or older), though younger builders can piece it together if they're interested with an adult's helping hand.

A deal like this may not last long beyond Black Friday, so be quick to score the Lego Botanicals Mini Bonsai Trees at their lowest-ever price in Amazon's Black Friday sale.

There's Lego deals aplenty to look through right now, though. To see even more deals that have crossed our radar, check out our breakdown of over 20 Lego deals available during Black Friday this year.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Amazon Black Friday deal: $100 Apple Gift Card comes with $15 in free Amazon credit

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 11:50

GET $15 FREE CREDIT: Spend $100 on an Apple Gift Card and get $15 free credit to spend at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple $100 Apple Gift Card (Free $15 Amazon credit)   Get Deal

If you’re stuck for something to buy for a friend or loved one (or yourself, of course) this Black Friday, why not opt for an Apple Gift Card. Yep, it’s not just tech and TVs that are on offer for the year’s biggest sale event. There’s a limited time offer on the Apple Gift card, too.

When you spend $100 or more on an Apple Gift Card, you’ll automatically get $15 of Amazon credit.

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The Apple Gift Card can be used on everything Apple related: Devices, accessories, apps, games, music, Apple TV, in-app purchases, iCloud storage, and more. It’s a great gift idea whether you’re stuck ahead of Christmas or you just want to show some love via the medium of Apple goodness.

Spend $100 or more on an Apple Gift Card during Black Friday to receive $15 Amazon credit. This offer is available for a limited time only.

Still looking for more deals? See the biggest discounts at Amazon’s epic Black Friday sale and save up to 70% on popular gifts, gadgets, and more goodies.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Hisense Canvas 85-inch TV just got a $700 discount for Black Friday

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 11:45

SAVE $700: As of Nov. 28, the 85-inch Hisense Canvas TV is on sale for $1,797.99 at Amazon. That's a 28% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense 85-Inch Canvas TV $1,797.99 at Amazon
$2,497.99 Save $700.00   Get Deal

Black Friday deals are bringing great new deals on TVs, and if you've been hoping for a fancy new model, you'll love this deal on the 85-inch Hisense Canvas TV. As of Nov. 28, this TV has a $700 discount, bringing down the price to $1,797.99. And if 85-inch is a little too big for your living room, every size of this TV is discounted, including 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch.

This TV has so much going for it, but one of its main selling points is its ability to transform into art when not in use. In Art Mode, the screen can display a single image or a rotating slideshow of paintings, photographs, or digital artwork. It has a hi-matte display and low-reflection coating to make each image look like a real piece of art, rather than a typical TV screen. You can even change the magnetic frame to match your home decor.

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Aside from this, it also has a special Filmmaker Mode that preserves the original aspect ratio, frame rate, color, and audio as the creators of movies and shows intended, as well as a 4K QLED panel with Quantum Dot technology that displays over a billion colors.

Looking to use this TV for gaming? Enjoy a 144Hz Game Mode Pro with Variable Refresh Rate, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, Auto Low Latency Mode, and Low Latency MEMC, plus a New Game Bar to adjust settings directly on the TV.

You can snag this great TV deal in Amazon's Black Friday sale now.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The best Black Friday Pokémon Funko Pop! deals: Low prices at Amazon, GameStop. and Target

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 11:43

TL;DR: I've been out in the wild tracking down the best Pokémon Funko Pop! deals this Black Friday. I've managed to catch quite a few deals from Amazon, GameStop, and Target, including price cuts and BOGO offers for trainers looking to bulk up their collections. Let's get straight into it.

Best Black Friday Funko Pop! deal at Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company / Funko Funko Pop Moments Deluxe: Pokémon Starters Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle $56.86 at Amazon
$69.99 Save $13.13   Get Deal

Kicking the hunt off in style, this gorgeous and iconic moment from Pokémon Red and Blue (Red and Green in Japan) is 19% off at $56.86. This deluxe Funko Pop Moment set tells the story of when trainers in the 90s picked their first-ever Pokémon. Having been there from the beginning, this is the best and most meaningful Pokémon Funko Pop! deal for me. I picked Bulbasaur and I'll die on that hill.

More Pokémon Funko Pop Black Friday deals from AmazonBest Black Friday Funko Pop! deal at Target Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company / Funko Jumbo Gardevoir Pokémon Funko POP! $44.99 at Target
Buy 2 Get 1 Free Get Deal

Target doesn't have any individual Black Friday deals on their Pokémon Funko Pop! lineup this year, there's a BOGO deal instead. This is a great time to build out your collection and grab some Jumbo Pokémon Funko Pops! in the process.

More Pokémon Funko Pop Black Friday deals from TargetBest Black Friday Funko Pop! deal at GameStop Opens in a new window Credit: Funko / The Pokémon Company Funko POP! Jumbo: Pokemon Dialga $34.98 at GameStop
$40.99 Save $6.01 Buy 2 Get 1 Free Get Deal

GameStop have the same offer as Target but with a much wider selection.

This Jumbo Dialga is a 2024 New York Comic Con Exclusive. You can also get a further discount by becoming a GameStop Pro member, which is $25 per year and includes a $5 welcome credit, 2% back in rewards, and another $5 monthly reward alongside other benefits.

More Pokémon Funko Pop Black Friday deals from GameStop
Categories: IT General, Technology

The Roku Streaming Stick HD has dropped to just $15 for Black Friday

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 11:24

SAVE $14.99: As of Nov. 28, the Roku Streaming Stick HD is on sale for $15 at Amazon. That's a 50% savings on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Roku Roku Streaming Stick HD $15 at Amazon
$29.99 Save $14.99   Get Deal

Black Friday deals are really impressing this year, and if you've been on the lookout for a great streaming device deal, you need to check out this new price on the Roku Streaming Stick HD. As of Nov. 28, this TV Stick is down to just $15, saving you $14.99. Not only is this a great deal, but this particular model has never been this cheap before.

The Roku Streaming Stick is a great option if you want to make streaming easier on a non-smart TV. It provides access to all the most popular streaming apps as well as free movies, shows, and live TV. The setup is so simple too, just plug it into the back of your TV and you'll be ready to start streaming with Roku. And the remote can control both the Roku device and the TV, including power, volume, and basic voice commands for searching and playing content, so you don't need to keep several remotes on the go.

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And with the Roku OS, all your apps are accessible from a single home screen, so navigation is nice and easy. You'll also get over 500 free live TV channels, including news, sports, and weather.

Pick up this streaming stick deal in Amazon's Black Friday sale.

Still looking for more deals? See the biggest discounts at Amazon’s epic Black Friday sale and save up to 70% on popular gifts, gadgets, and more goodies.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolutions ETB is now below market value at Amazon for Black Friday

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 11:23

TL;DR: As of Nov. 28, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Elite Trainer Box is now below market value for $79.69 at Amazon vs. TCGplayer.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Mega Evolution Elite Trainer Box $79.69 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $20.30   Get Deal

Pokémon TCG's Mega Evolution Elite Trainer Box is still $79.69 at Amazon, which is now below the cheapest listings on TCGplayer. It's officially below market value for Black Friday.

This is one of the cheapest listings I've seen for Mega Evolution Elite Trainer Boxes since launch, making this an awesome opportunity to grab an Illustration Rare promo card and rip open the nine Pokémon Booster packs included.

Mega Evolution kicked of its era with a bang thanks to the return of the most-loved Pokémon mainline game gimmick to ever hit the franchise. Mega Lucario ex, Mega Garedevoir ex, and Mega Venusaur ex headline the set alongside some of the best artwork I've seen in the modern era. Special shoutouts to Mega Lucario ex SIR alongside the Bulbasaur Illustration Rare and Special Illustration Rare line in that regard.

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

Mega Evolution has some awesome cards, including Mega Lucario ex SIR, Mega Gardevoir ex SIR, Mega Venusaur ex SIR, and Mega Sharpedo ex SIR with some epic Illustration Rares such as Bulbasaur and Ivysaur, which match up nicely with Mega Venusaur SIR.

Get 10% cashback at TCGplayer for Cyber Weekend Credit: Mashable Photo Composite / The Pokémon Company

This is the best time of year to buy up your favorite chase cards, especially with Pokémon TCG finding a new floor with overall valuations. It's good for the hobby overall as it will help move on the sneeky bros and scalpers, leaving more stock and better prices for us who just want to collect and battle.

Here's the top chase cards for Mega Evolution right now with up to date values and links to catch it yourself on TCGplayer:

  1. Mega Lucario ex - 188/132
    Near Mint Holofoil: $420
    Market price: $459.96
    Most recent sale: $419.99

  2. Mega Gardevoir ex - 187/132
    Near Mint Holofoil: $350
    Market price: $345
    Most recent sale: $300

  3. Mega Gardevoir ex - 178/132
    Near Mint Holofoil: $210
    Market price: $205.27
    Most recent sale: $206.45

  4. Mega Lucario ex - 179/132
    Near Mint Holofoil: $193
    Market price: $197.89
    Most recent sale: $180

  5. Mega Venusaur ex - 177/132
    Near Mint Holofoil: $154.95
    Market price: $153.29
    Most recent sale: $147

Categories: IT General, Technology

Dont wait! The Lego Ideas Insect Collection set has dropped to $40 at Amazon during Black Friday sales.

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 11:14

SAVE OVER $30: As of Nov. 28, the Lego Ideas The Insect Collection set is 50% off at Amazon during Black Friday. This has dropped its price from $79.99 to $40, a brand-new low.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Ideas The Insect Collection 21342 $40 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $39.99   Get Deal

Black Friday is finally here, and if you've been hoping to see Lego sets on sale, there's already been plenty of bargains worth buying during the sale event. The Lego Ideas The Insect Collection set is among the wide variety of deals available this year, dropping a whopping 50%, down to just $40 at Amazon.

While not exclusively part of Amazon's Black Friday sale, this is still a very exciting deal to have pop up at the retailer. It marks a brand new all-time low price for the set, according to price tracker camelcamelcamel, which is well worth jumping on if you've been waiting for it to be discounted.

SEE ALSO: Black Friday 2025: Live updates on the latest deals from Amazon, Target, Walmart, and more

If you're looking for a colorful display to piece together over the winter months, this is the perfect build to pick up. The Lego Ideas Insect Collection comes with 1,111 pieces that create three models: a blue morpho butterfly, a Hercules beetle, and a Chinese mantis, each in their own natural habitats. If you're a big fan of bugs, this is a delightful set to work on. Keep in mind that it's recommended for adults ages 18 and up as well.

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This incredible discount is one you don't want to miss, as we're not sure how much longer it'll last after Black Friday. Act fast to grab the Lego Ideas The Insect Collection set at its lowest-ever price at Amazon during Black Friday.

There are plenty of Lego deals alongside this one to explore right now, too. Have a look at our breakdown of the best Black Friday Lego deals to see even more builds that have caught our eye.

Still looking for more deals? See the biggest discounts at Amazon’s epic Black Friday sale and save up to 70% on popular gifts, gadgets, and more goodies.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Rococos 2025 revival, explained

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 11:00

You might know Rococo as the late Baroque-period art style from 18th-century France. It's known for ornate, playful, and lighthearted qualities, often expressed through pastel colors, asymmetry, intricate curves, and shell or flower motifs. Basically, whatever makes you think, "Wow, that's whimsical." 

Rococo lacks the grandeur of Baroque, instead incorporating more intimate and decorative elements without appearing too delicate. Think: the Catherine Palace in Russia, or Sabrina Carpenter.

If you're reading all of this and thinking, “That sounds a lot like 2025's most ubiquitous accessory, the Labubu,” you and I are on the same page. They're (arguably) whimsical. Their colorway is (predominantly) pastel. They are (undoubtedly) useless beyond aesthetics. They're frivolous, lighthearted, playful, and ornate. Fellas, they're Rococo.

Mashable's Christianna Silva dives deeper into the topic in their feature Rococo revival: Why pastels, whimsy, and Labubus are everywhere.

Categories: IT General, Technology

If you need a solid everyday Mac, this is just $500 on Black Friday

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 11:00

TL;DR: If you don’t need ultra-heavy performance but want a dependable Apple laptop, this Grade A refurbished 2017 MacBook Pro is a budget-friendly, everyday solution worth considering while it’s just $499.99 (reg. $1,499).

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Macbook Pro 2017 (Refurbished) $499.99
$1,499 Save $999.01   Get Deal

Not every laptop needs to be the latest model to do the job well.

If your everyday needs look more like emails, documents, browsing, light content editing, streaming, and general productivity, this Grade A refurbished 2017 Apple MacBook Pro might be exactly what you’re looking for — especially at its Black Friday sale price of $499.99 (reg. $1,499).

This MacBook Pro has been professionally cleaned, inspected, and tested to perform like new, with only the possibility of very light cosmetic blemishes.

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In other words, you’re getting dependable Apple performance at a fraction of the original cost — without sacrificing quality where it counts.

Inside, the 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor paired with 8GB of RAM keeps everyday tasks smooth and responsive. Whether you’re multitasking between tabs, working in Office or Google Docs, or editing photos for social media, it offers solid performance for regular use without feeling sluggish.

The 13.3-inch Retina display brings crisp visuals and vibrant color, making it a pleasure to use for everything from spreadsheets to Netflix. Add in the Touch Bar and Touch ID, and you get modern convenience for quick shortcuts and secure login.

Connectivity is another strong point, thanks to four Thunderbolt 3 ports that support charging, external displays, and data transfer in one streamlined setup.

While it may not be built for intense video rendering or high-end gaming, it’s an excellent option for students, remote workers, busy parents, freelancers, or anyone who simply wants a reliable Apple brand device for everyday tasks — without spending over a grand.

Sometimes, the best tech choice isn’t the newest one. It’s the one that still works beautifully — and fits comfortably within your budget.

Pick up this like-new MacBook Pro while it’s on sale for just $499.99 (reg. $1,499) for a limited time.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Make your PC feel new again with Windows 11 Pro for $10

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 11:00

TL;DR: If your computer feels sluggish or outdated, upgrading to Windows 11 Pro could dramatically improve speed, security, and usability — and it’s on sale for just $9.97 (reg. $199) for a limited time.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Windows 11 Pro $9.97
$199 Save $189.03   Get Deal

If your computer hasn’t been running like it used to — slower load times, weird glitches, or just a generally outdated feel — the problem might not be your hardware. It might simply be your operating system.

Now that Microsoft no longer supports Windows 10, sticking with an older OS could mean missing out on essential security updates, performance improvements, and modern productivity tools. That’s why Windows 11 Pro has become an essential update — and during this Black Friday sale, it’s available for just $9.97 (reg. $199).

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Windows 11 Pro was designed by Microsoft to feel more intuitive and less cluttered, with a clean interface that helps you find what you need faster. Features like Snap Layouts and improved virtual desktops make multitasking feel far more natural, especially if you juggle multiple windows, apps, or workflows throughout the day.

On the security side, Windows 11 Pro introduces stronger protection through TPM 2.0, biometric login, Smart App Control, and advanced encryption tools like BitLocker.

There’s also performance to consider. From smoother everyday navigation to enhanced gaming through DirectX 12 Ultimate, Windows 11 Pro is built to take full advantage of modern hardware for better speed and visual quality.

And with built-in Copilot, Windows’ AI-powered assistant, you can quickly adjust settings, summarize content, generate writing ideas, and even get code suggestions while you work — all from within your operating system.

With a lifetime license included, this isn’t just a temporary fix. It’s a long-term upgrade that gives your computer the tools it needs to perform at its best — without replacing the device altogether.

Grab Windows 11 Pro while it’s just $9.97 (reg. $199) for a limited time.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Categories: IT General, Technology

It was tough, but we found the best movies on HBO Max

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 11:00

HBO Max has become a streaming service we can't live without.

The library boasts thousands of hours of endless movie magic, from hallowed Hollywood favorites in the Turner Classic Movies collection to nerdy essentials like The Lord of the Rings, not to mention arthouse favorites like Chantal Akerman, Wong Kar-wai, Robert Altman, and Akira Kurosawa... and Barbie.

Picking the best (and distinguishing them from our personal favorites) was no easy task, but we somehow managed.

In no particular order, here are the best movies on HBO Max.

1. The Town 

Looking for some heist action? Then look no further than Ben Affleck's The Town. Affleck directs and stars in this enthralling tale of a crew of bank robbers. One of them, Doug (Affleck), begins a relationship with Claire (Rebecca Hall), a hostage the robbers took in a previous job. While she doesn't know his true identity, their romantic involvement causes rifts within the crew, especially as the FBI closes in on them.

Boasting several brutal robbery set pieces — including a very Boston robbery of Fenway Park — The Town is further proof of Affleck's action directing prowess. Add in an excellent ensemble including the likes of Jeremy Renner and Jon Hamm, and it's clear The Town is well worth a visit. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: The Town is now streaming on HBO Max.

2. Love Lies Bleeding Credit: A24

Love Lies Bleeding is the latest addition to the "Be Gay, Do Crime" genre, and we're so lucky to have it. The queer thriller from Saint Maud filmmaker Rose Glass is what you'd get if the Wachowskis' Bound had an affair with the Coen brothers' Blood Simple — a taut crime film with pops of gory violence, a messy criminal scheme, plenty of sex appeal, and a deliciously synth-heavy score.

SEE ALSO: 'Love Lies Bleeding' Interview: Kristen Stewart on the female gaze vs. the male gaze.

Set in New Mexico in the late '80s, Kristen Stewart plays Lou, a quiet gym manager whose whole world changes when a jaw-dropping bodybuilder named Jackie (Katy O'Brian) walks into her gym one night. Jackie is just passing through town on the way to a body-building competition, but once these two fall for each other Jackie decides to stick around. Soon, though, Jackie's muscles and Lou's unchecked temper get the couple wrapped up in some messy family business. — Oliver Whitney, Freelance Contributor

How to watch: Love Lies Bleeding is streaming on HBO Max.

3. Barbie Credit: Warner Bros / Moviestore / Shutterstock

Sweet, smart, and surprisingly subversive for a billion-dollar blockbuster, Barbie is a blast. Movies about toys are not supposed to be this thoughtful or this good, but apparently no one told that to director Greta Gerwig, who wrote Barbie with her long-term partner, Noah Baumbach. The comedy stars Margot Robbie as Barbie, the stereotypical beautiful blonde in a Barbieland populated by every imaginable kind of Barbie, a handful of Kens (led by a delightful Ryan Gosling), and one lone Allan (Michael Cera). She starts having very un-Barbie-like thoughts about, like, death, so she journeys to the real world, where she discovers things are not as idyllic as they were back in female-led Barbieland. 

In addition to being 2023's top-grossing film, Barbie earned eight Oscar nods and one win. However, many believed it didn't get the nominations it deserved for either Robbie as lead actress or Gerwig as director, who perhaps made their hard work look effortless. Some viewers also complained that it was too revolutionary in its feminism, while others found it too moderate, echoing the monologue from America Ferrara's character that undoubtedly got the actress an Oscar nomination. Yet despite its small number of detractors, Barbie remains a crowd-pleasing winner, brimming with intelligence, optimism, and so much pink paint. — Kimber Myers, Freelance Contributor

How to watch: Barbie is now streaming on HBO Max.

4. In the Mood for Love

In the Mood for Love is a favorite among many cinephiles (including this one!) for a reason — it's one of the most sublime examples of how to tell an emotional story through the language of cinema. But you don't need to be a film scholar or know anything at all about filmmaking or foreign movies to enjoy this romance, which relies on the power of showing over telling. 

It's a simple story about two neighbors who soon discover a secret about their respective spouses. Set in 1960s Hong Kong, Tony Leung's Chow Mo-Wan and Maggie Cheung's Su Li-Zhen hardly speak more than a few words to each other, but through their encounters in the hallway of their apartment building and the staircase of a local noodle shop, something begins to blossom — a longing, a sadness, a desire to be seen. The incredible thing about In the Mood for Love is how filmmaker Wong Kar-wai captures these universal emotions and tells a relatable story about love and yearning through visuals, sound, and performances using minimal exposition. Bursting with a radiant red and golden color scheme, stunning '60s womens' fashion, and a soundtrack of multinational music, In the Mood for Love is more of an experience than a traditional romance, and one that grows more beautiful with each rewatch. — O.W.

How to watch: In the Mood for Love is now streaming on HBO Max.

5. I Saw the TV Glow Credit: A24

I Saw the TV Glow is a movie that will resonate with anyone who's experienced a lifelong struggle of feeling like an outsider, or has struggled to come to terms with their identity. But Jane Schoenbrun's surrealist horror drama has also become an especially powerful film for trans audiences in particular with the gender allegory at its center. 

It tells the story of two lonely teens, Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Jack Haven), who bond over their obsession with a '90s late-night TV show called The Pink Opaque. While it's not explicitly about gender identity, I Saw the TV Glow hauntingly captures the feeling of growing up with a painful discordance between who you know you truly are and the life and body you've been born into, and how burying ourselves in fiction can feel like the only escape. With notes of surrealism reminiscent of David Lynch and Charlie Kaufman, I Saw the TV Glow is a film more interested in giving you an emotional experience than explaining things for you. It's a hard and incredibly heart-breaking watch, but well worth it. — O.W.

How to watch: I Saw the TV Glow is streaming on HBO Max.

6. Paris, Texas

Paris, Texas opens on a man named Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) wandering through the Texas desert wearing a red ball cap and an old dusty suit, carrying nothing but a jug of water. Travis doesn't speak much, but in time we learn bits and pieces of the happy life he once had with a young son and a wife who's gone missing, and of the future he's dreaming of. Wim Wenders' film is a difficult one to categorize, but probably best described as a road movie about dreamers and wanderers. We spend lots of time in cars and dingy motels with Travis and his brother, Walt (Dean Stockwell), as they drive from Texas back to Los Angeles, and later, as Travis searches for his wife. It's a slow, meditative film about loneliness and uncertainty, brimming with sun-soaked landscape shots and images lit by neon signs. Once you tune into its wavelength, Paris, Texas is a film that will smack you right in the heart. — O.W.

How to watch: Paris, Texas is now streaming on HBO Max.

7. Logan

Director James Mangold cringes at the idea of defining Logan as a superhero movie, which is a shame, because it's one of the best superhero movies of all time. Playing like a baroque Western, this 2017 drama stars Hugh Jackman as the eponymous X-Man. However, the story begins with Logan years after his mutant fellows have horrendously died. Logan is old, tired, and driven to the brink of madness by the demands of caring for Professor X (Patrick Stewart), who is on a dangerous cognitive decline. And then a young girl with retractable claws and a real chip on her shoulder crashes into their lives. 

A film that's action-packed, drama-rich, darkly funny, and deeply touching, Logan pulls no punches and has a hard R-rating. So maybe tuck in the kiddos before hitting play on this hard-hitting superhero offering. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

How to watch: Logan is now streaming on HBO Max.

8. Sinners  Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

One of the best movie of 2025, Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan as the Smokestack Twins — gangsters looking to open their own juke joint in their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1932. To make their grand opening one the town will never forget, they call on friends and family to cook, perform, and work security. But their revels draw the attention of a vicious vampire, and all hell breaks loose before dawn.

Writer/director Ryan Coogler wowed critics and audiences with this rich, scary, and poignant genre-bender. In my review of the film, I declared, "Sinners is more than a hell of a thrilling vampire movie. Like Black Panther, it expands beyond the expectations of its genre to become a magnificent film, emanating with spirit, power, and purpose. Smoothly blending vampire horror into a unique tale of regret, resilience, and redemption, Coogler and Jordan have made a cinematic marvel that is terrifying, satisfying, and unforgettable."* —K.P. 

How to watch: Sinners is now streaming on HBO Max.

9. Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

You may have never heard of the 1975 Belgian-French film Jeanne Dielman until recently, when the magazine Sight and Sound named it the greatest film of all time. "But wait, don't film people consider Citizen Kane the best movie ever?" you may be thinking. For 40 years, that Orson Welles classic dominated the list, soon followed by Hitchcock's Vertigo. Not anymore. The boys got bumped down for Chantal Akerman's radically feminist, avant-garde marvel to reign, and deservingly so. 

So what makes Jeanne Dielman so incredible? On paper it admittedly doesn't sound like much, but the act of watching it is almost hypnotic. Throughout the movie we slowly see a lonely widow and mother (Delphine Seyrig) meticulously do housework, like peel potatoes, grocery shop, and make the bed. Jeanne also earns money through sex work, hosting men at her home before her son returns from school. Throughout the monotony of it all, a palpable dread grows until Akerman's character study culminates in one of the most shocking endings of all time. If a film could somehow be tedious and enthralling at the same time, Jeanne Dielman is it. — O.W.

How to watch: Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is now streaming on HBO Max.

10. Blood Simple Credit: © Circle Films / Courtesy Everett Collection

The Coen brothers' very first film is a must-see for fans of the versatile filmmakers, or just anyone who loves Fargo. Blood Simple is a lean crime thriller that's oozing with style, taut with suspense, and features an early taste of the duo's signature dark humor. It has all the makings of a slick neo-noir with a simple story involving a secret affair, a murder plot, and a private eye.

SEE ALSO: Every single Coen brothers movie, ranked from 'Blood Simple' to 'Drive-Away Dolls'

Frances McDormand, in her feature film debut, plays Abby, a Texas housewife who begins an affair with a bartender named Ray (John Getz). But Abby's husband, Marty (Dan Hedaya), is Ray's boss, and when he starts to suspect her of infidelity, he hires a private detective (an incredible M. Emmet Walsh) to snoop around and spy on the new couple. The neon and blood-drenched visuals paired with an eerie electronic score from beloved composer Carter Burwell and killer performances all around make Blood Simple one of the all-time best first films. Fun fact: This is also the film where McDormand met now-husband Joel Coen. — O.W.

How to watch: Blood Simple is now streaming on HBO Max.

11. The Player Credit: Spelling International / Kobal / Shutterstock

The Player opens with an eight-minute tracking shot across a Hollywood movie studio as executives and assistants panic over a Variety headline, hear a terrible pitch about a sequel, and chat about the decline in quality filmmaking. "The pictures these days are all cut, cut, cut," one character laments as he praises classic film tracking shots… during a literal tracking shot. 

Robert Altman's 1992 film isn't just a meta film about Hollywood, it's one of the best, funniest, and smartest satires about the movie business. Tim Robbins plays the vice president of a major studio who's been getting threatening postcards from a scorned screenwriter he never called back. Paranoia builds as his life starts to mirror the plot of a classic crime thriller — there's a murder, a mysterious girl, and probing detectives — all while he greets celebs at elite restaurants at his day job. It's all hilarious and perfectly meta, poking fun at the state of Hollywood and modern blockbusters in commentary that remains relatable even today. Come for the sharp sardonic humor, stay for the 65 cameos of celebrities playing themselves, which are some of the film's best punchlines. — O.W.

How to watch: The Player is now streaming on HBO Max.

12. A Woman Under the Influence

In A Woman Under the Influence, Gena Rowlands gives what many have rightfully deemed one of the greatest performances in film. She plays Mabel Longhetti, a mother and housewife who's known to exhibit some rather erratic behavior. Mabel is often giddy and bursting with childish excitement one moment, then erupts into angry outbursts or desperately clings to affection the next. Perhaps she struggles with bipolar or borderline personality disorder. Or maybe her troubled marriage to Nick (Peter Falk) and the housewife box she's been confined to are ushering her into a full-on nervous breakdown. That's essentially what the John Cassavetes film is — a harrowing portrait of a woman, and a marriage, falling apart at the seams. 

A Woman Under the Influence is a prime example of what makes Cassavetes' filmmaking so riveting, and it's a great introduction for anyone interested in exploring the filmmaker who's known for laying the foundation for American independent cinema. But still, this is Rowlands' film. She captivates every moment she's on screen with a performance that feels so real, off-the-cuff, and lived in that you may mistake it for improvisation. It isn't, and it proves why Rowlands was one of the best of her generation. — O.W.

How to watch: A Woman Under the Influence is now streaming on HBO Max.

13. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Credit: HBO

The worlds of art and activism collide in this Oscar–nominated documentary from Laura Poitras (Citizenfour). All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is about the life and work of Nan Goldin, the acclaimed photographer most known for her raw, intimate photos of gay, trans, and underground artist communities in 1980s New York City during the HIV/AIDS crisis. Told with the help of her photographs, the documentary weaves Goldin's personal story as a young artist with her present-day activism around the opioid epidemic.

The doc shows that in recent years Goldin has been involved in fighting against the Sacklers, the billionaire pharma family behind Oxycontin who've played a major role in opioid overdoses. The Sacklers are also major donors in the art world, and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed follows Goldin and other activists as they stage protests everywhere from The Met to the Louvre. It's a captivating story whether you're familiar with Goldin's work or not. — O.W.

How to watch: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is streaming on HBO Max.

14. The Dark Knight

It's daunting to pick just one Batman movie from the literal dozens available on HBO Max, but in the end the top spot could only go to 2008's The Dark Knight, written and directed by Christopher Nolan (Mask of the Phantasm, we will avenge you — someday).

The Dark Knight is more than the obvious peak of Nolan's Batman trilogy and the final, mesmerizing performance that won Heath Ledger an Oscar. Over a decade later, the film's exploration of nuance within the poles of good and evil remains as prescient as ever. We're drawn to the chaos and fury of Ledger's Joker, yes, but we are just as compelled by Bruce's struggle (Christian Bale) and Harvey's (Aaron Eckhart) fall from grace. You don't get a line like "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain" without seriously contemplating its meaning. — Proma Khosla, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: The Dark Knight is now streaming on HBO Max.

15. Singin' in the Rain

Easily one of the greatest movie musicals ever made, Singin' in the Rain tells the story of Hollywood's shift from silent films to talking pictures. Caught in this transition is leading man Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), whose leading lady Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) has the most grating voice imaginable. With the help of his best friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor) and aspiring actor Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), he plans to make a movie musical. What follows are some of the best musical numbers in history, with show-stopping choreography accompanying catchy tunes. The title number is an absolute joy, as are "Good Morning" and the comedic masterpiece "Make 'Em Laugh." But it's the 13-minute "Broadway Melody" sequence in all its Technicolor glory that solidifies Singin' in the Rain as one of the all-time greats. — B.E.

How to watch: Singin' in the Rain is now streaming on HBO Max.

16. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Credit: Pierre Vinet / New Line / Saul Zaentz / Wing Nut / Kobal / Shutterstock

Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy remains the gold standard for fantasy adaptations: It's epic in scope and full of memorable characters and performances. Most impressively, the trilogy is consistently great. Choosing the best movie from the three is tricky, but I've got to give the edge to The Two Towers. The battle of Helm's Deep is still the best fantasy battle put to film, and the introduction of Rohan, the Ents, and Gollum (Andy Serkis) deepens the already well-established world of Middle Earth. Gollum in particular elevates the movie to a whole new level, with Serkis and the visual effects team nailing one of the most iconic characters of the books. HBO Max has the entire trilogy in its library, as well as the extended editions if you want even more Middle Earth goodness. — B.E.

How to watch: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is now streaming on HBO Max.

17. Police Story

There's nothing like watching Jackie Chan in action, and Police Story features some of the all-time greatest stunts from the martial arts icon. The first film in the still-ongoing franchise stars Chan as Kevin, a Hong Kong police sergeant trying to take down a criminal gang and protect the key witness of the case (Brigitte Lin). Needing to protect a random woman while fighting bad guys poses some problems for Kevin's personal life when his girlfriend (a young Maggie Cheung) gets the wrong idea and becomes jealous.

But the plot matters less than the action and fight choreography in Police Story. From the jaw-dropping opening sequence of cars plunging through a hillside village to one of Chan's most iconic scenes hanging off a speeding bus — plus plenty of parkour-infused fight and chase scenes — Police Story will never leave you bored. — O.W.

How to watch: Police Story is streaming on HBO Max.

18. Rashomon Credit: Daiei / Kobal / Shutterstock

Akira Kurosawa is rightly considered one of Japan's greatest filmmakers, and Rashomon is his best-known film in the United States. When it premiered in 1950, its unique storytelling device in which the same events are told from the perspective of four different witnesses (one of whom is actually dead) was such a revelation in filmic structure that the movie became eponymous with the concept — hence, the Rashomon Effect. Through this effect, the relatively simple tale of a priest, a bandit, a samurai, a woodcutter, and a woman becomes a complex analysis of truth and perspective that earns its place as a keystone of 20th century filmmaking. — Alexis Nedd, Senior Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Rashomon is now streaming on HBO Max.

19. Grey Gardens Credit: Archive photos / Getty Images

In their famed 1976 film Grey Gardens, brothers and documentary team Albert and David Maysles pay a visit to a dilapidated mansion in the Hamptons. There, they profile the intriguing and tragic lives of a reclusive mother and daughter, both named Edith Beale, in a strange and winding character study unlike any other.

Relatives of First Lady Jackie Kennedy, the life stories of "Little Edie" and "Big Edie" are sensationalized in the documentary, and many argue that the film takes an inherently exploitative view of its subjects and their apparent mental health conditions. But as far as fascinating footage goes, Grey Gardens is a must-watch — capturing a unique family at the heart of a broader dialogue about the decline of political royalty and '60s-era Americana. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Grey Gardens is now streaming on HBO Max.

20. Spirited Away

If you want to get into the beautiful, captivating films of Studio Ghibli, the vast majority of which are on HBO Max, Spirited Away is a great place to start. It's the story of Chihiro, a young girl trapped in a spirit world who must work to free her parents from a witch's curse — and it's also a perfect movie. Everything about it, from the visuals to the characters to the score, grabs you tightly and immerses you in director Hayao Miyazaki's imaginative world of spirit bathhouses, soot sprites, dragons, and more. There's beauty in Spirited Away's most elaborate sequences, but also in its quiet moments too, like a train ride or a meal shared between friends. These are the moments when you'll find yourself crying without fully knowing why. All you'll know for sure is that Spirited Away is amazing, and you never want it to end. — B.E.

How to watch: Spirited Away is now streaming on HBO Max.

21. Dune: Part 2 Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

With 2021's Dune, director Denis Villeneuve proved he could do justice to Frank Herbert's sci-fi masterwork. Three years later, he topped himself with Dune: Part Two, which will go down in history as one of the greatest sci-fi films and sequels ever made.

Dune: Part Two continues the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), who finds himself among the planet Arrakis's indigenous Fremen. There he becomes entangled in the impossible position of hoping to avenge the Harkonnens' attack on his house, while also trying to avoid a future in which he unleashes holy war upon the universe. As Dune: Part Two moves closer and closer to that violent inevitability, Villeneuve and co-writer Jon Spaihts don't shy away from the darkness of Paul's story. They build his relationship with Chani (an extraordinary Zendaya) into an immaculate tragedy. More sandworms and Austin Butler's gleefully evil Feyd-Rautha only add to Dune: Part Two's excellence — now bring on Dune Messiah! — B.E.

How to watch: Dune: Part Two is now streaming on HBO Max.

UPDATE: Nov. 25, 2025, 5:30 p.m. EST This article has been updated to reflect the latest streaming options.

* denotes that this blurb appeared in a previous Mashable list.

Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max   Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

25 excellent Oscar–winning movies you can watch on Netflix

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 11:00

The Academy Awards may come once a year, but the joy of Oscar movies is eternal. Whatever the season (awards or otherwise), you might well crave a drama, comedy, or horror film that is not just good, it's Academy Award winning. And Netflix has a terrific array of such prestigious titles.

Whether you're in search of a deep-dive documentary, a drama with luxurious production design, an action movie with epic fight sequences, or a movie with an unforgettable performance, we've got you covered.

Here are the best Oscar–winning movies now streaming on Netflix

1. My Octopus Teacher Credit: Netflix

Won: Best Documentary Feature 

My Octopus Teacher may have a title that'll raise some eyebrows, but there's a more profound story of unexpected friendship waiting to surprise you. The documentary follows Craig Foster, a free diver who befriends a young octopus living in a bay near Cape Town, South Africa. We watch this young octopus grow fond of Foster as she plays around with him and invites him into her world. It's a gripping story of our relationship with nature and the lessons waiting to be learned from our many beautiful animal friends. — Yasmeen Hamadeh, Entertainment Intern 

How to watch: My Octopus Teacher is streaming on Netflix.

2. The Hateful Eight

Won: Best Original Score (Ennio Morricone)

Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025, the eighth film from Quentin Tarantino now feels underrated among the director's fairly perfect filmography. A chamber piece Western that traps eight outlaws with overlapping murderous motives (played by Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern) inside a cabin during a blizzard, it might just be the director's nastiest piece of work. It certainly lives up to its title, since pretty much every character is an asshole to the nth degree.

But all the actors are very clearly having the times of their lives twirling their metaphorical or literal mustaches — perhaps none more than the lone female in the bunch, Jennifer Jason Leigh, who scored a Supporting Actress nomination for her unhinged, nigh rabid turn as "Crazy" Daisy. And DP 's Robert Richardson's also-nominated cinematography, which maps the cabin's claustrophobic interiors out via wide-screen scope, is really something astonishing to behold. The Hateful Eight is a gem hiding in plain sight worthy of rediscovery and appraisal. — Jason Adams, Contributing Writer 

How to watch: The Hateful Eight is now streaming on Netflix.

3. Mad Max: Fury Road

Won: Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Production Design

The dusty dystopia of Mad Max: Fury Road is not one we'd ever wish to live in, but it's one that enthralls us every single time we visit. In some ways, this is a pretty simple film: The meat of the plot is, basically, one long car chase followed by a second long car chase in the opposite direction. What George Miller does with that basic template, though, will leave you positively giddy. There's the striking look of its universe, all rusty reds and dirty browns. And the pounding score by Junkie XL, working as your own Doof Warrior to get your heart rate up. Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy lead the cast with two perfectly matched, tough-as-nails performances. And the film even gets in a sharp message about toxic masculinity and female agency. But above all, there's the action: propulsive and inventive, employing mostly practical effects and a minimum of CG to deliver blows that actually feel like they land, and races that get your adrenaline pumping. Don't blame us if you find yourself running in circles around your own living room by the end of it.* — Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor

How to watch: Mad Max: Fury Road is streaming on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: There's no CGI in this 'Mad Max: Fury Road' video and it's off the chain 4. Godzilla Minus One

Won: Best Visual Effects

Returning the big lizard to literal basics, the 37th (!!!) film in the franchise might just be its best? Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One transports us back to the tail-end of World War II, where the Japanese defeat via atomic weaponry once again gives birth to our favorite fire-breathing kaiju monster — the big difference being that this movie gives us a human story set in the rubble down under the beast's rise that's every ounce as moving and devastating as the sweep of his big rear-end. 

Kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), filled with regret about his own survival when so many others (including his own parents) perished, returns home crippled by shame. But he's forced to get on with life anyway as a stranger named Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and a child she's adopted show up one day and become, before he even realizes it, his makeshift family. And Godzilla Minus One gets us caring deeply about these people, so when the nuclear dinosaur starts stomping around, we're truly invested emotionally in their safety and security. Add on that Yamazaki also oversaw the film's Oscar-winning visual effects, which cost an unbelievably low 15 million dollars (aka the lunch budget on a Marvel movie), and Godzilla Minus One is a blast on all fronts. — J.A.

How to watch: Godzilla Minus One is now streaming on Netflix. 

5. Roma Credit: Carlos Somonte / Netflix

Won: Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography

Alfonso Cuarón's Oscar-winning drama follows Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a housekeeper working for a wealthy family in Mexico City. Thanks to Cuarón's writing, direction, and cinematography (each of which garnered its own respective Oscar), the film is remarkably immersive, enveloping us in Cleo's world in a way most movies strive for and can never even touch. We feel the comfort in her mundane day-to-day, the sting of her boyfriend's betrayal, and blinding panic and trauma in the film's final act. It's a stunning piece of cinema that should be talked about for decades to come. — Proma Khosla, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Roma is streaming on Netflix.

6. American Factory Credit: Aubrey Keith / Netflix

Won: Best Documentary Feature

This 2020 Best Documentary Feature winner takes viewers inside a shuttered General Motors factory in Ohio, recently purchased and re-staffed by a Chinese billionaire, for a stunning look at worker exploitation in the modern age. A complex presentation of multiculturalism and its impacts on the global economy, American Factory is an uncomfortable watch that remains steadfastly objective from start to end but still manages to make its point. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: American Factory is streaming on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: 10 documentaries to watch on Netflix if you want to learn something new 7. 8 Mile

Won: Best Original Song, "Lose Yourself" (Eminem)

In 2002, it seemed, to put it mildly, improbable that a movie starring Eminem in a lightly fictionalized retelling of his rise through Detroit's "rap battle" scene would go on to become an Oscar-winner — heck, it seems improbable now in retrospect. But it was foolish to underestimate the formidable powers of late director Curtis Hanson, who'd previously made movie magic out of everything from killer nanny thrillers (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) to James Ellroy adaptations (L.A. Confidential), and sure enough, he turned this rough-and-tumble biopic into a legitimate critical darling and awards contender. Also on display here – two fine and fiery performances from Brittany Murphy (RIP) and Kim Basinger as the rapper's love interest and mother, respectively. — J.A. 

How to watch: 8 Mile is now streaming on Netflix. 

8. Marriage Story Credit: Wilson Webb / Netflix

Won: Best Supporting Actress (Laura Dern)

Writer/director Noah Baumbach’s tense tale of a couple ending their marriage divided audiences, with some viewers reporting they were surprised by whose "side" they ended up on. But critical reception for the film was almost universal in its praise of the story's execution and impact, with leads Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver singled out for their magnetic scene work.

At the 92nd Academy Awards, Marriage Story took home only one Oscar from the six categories in which it was nominated. Still, this artful depiction of intimacy remains a triumph of romantic storytelling, venturing far beyond the Happily Ever After audiences know so well. — A.F.

How to watch: Marriage Story is streaming on Netflix.

9. Parasite Credit: Neon / Moviestore / Shutterstock

Won: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film

From the mind of legendary director Bong Joon Ho, Parasite made waves thanks to its historical Academy Award win for Best Picture and its phenomenally layered story that’ll have you digging beneath its surface, much like its characters' homes. 

A story of class disparity and capitalism (the scariest monster out there), Parasite follows the Kim family, a painfully penniless bunch, as they sneak their way into the affluent home of the Park family, a painfully penny-full bunch, by pretending to be unassuming, unrelated employees who are just trying to find jobs around the Parks' home. The harmony of their symbiotic relationship is soon cut short when a secret reveals itself, and the film beautifully stumbles into a cinematic second act that asks you: How do you get rid of a parasite when everyone is one?* — Y.H.

How to watch: Parasite is streaming on Netflix.

10. Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Won: Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup

In 1984, Arnold Schwarzenegger awed audiences with his iconic portrayal of a ruthless cyborg-assassin in The Terminator. But in 1991, this bold (and even better) sequel rewired this towering robo-foe into a compelling hero. ("Come with me if you want to live.") Now, instead of trying to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) to ensure a robot uprising, T-800 (Schwarzenegger) is sent back in time to protect her teen son, future revolutionary John Connor (Edward Furlong). Together, this unlikely trio must not only survive but defeat an upgraded terminator (Robert Patrick) whose skin can go liquid metal to form any weapon he needs. The word "epic" gets thrown around a lot. But then and now, T2 is epic.* — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

How to watch: Terminator 2: Judgement Day is streaming on Netflix.

11. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Won: Best Live Action Short Film

In 2023, Wes Anderson directed a series of short films based on Roald Dahl stories for Netflix. It was the longest and most substantial of the four that finally got the director his long-overdue Oscar statue. (Let's pretend it's an apology for the crime that was not giving his 2023 masterpiece Asteroid City a single nomination.) The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (taken from the 1977 collection of short stories with the same name) tells the tale of a disaffected gambler (Benedict Cumberbatch) who learns how to harness the power of his mind from a legendary yogi (Ben Kingsley) to win big. But what happens once you have everything? This 39-minute short hits that final mark beautifully. 

If you love Anderson's signature aesthetic, you'd be wise to watch all four of the ones Netflix commissioned. They're all wonderful. (My particular favorite is The Rat Catcher, which more than any of the other four really nails Dahl's nasty streak as we watch an hilariously aggressive Ralph Fiennes as a sharp-toothed rodent-hunter on the prowl.) — J.A.

How to watch: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is now streaming on Netflix.

12. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Credit: Netflix

Won: Best Animated Feature

You know when hitting play on this movie that the fantastic horror visionary Guillermo del Toro isn't going to be telling Walt Disney's version of Pinocchio. Meaning no offense to that 1940 animated masterpiece, but del Toro took that classic's scattered-about scary moments — the donkeys, oh god, the donkeys! — and multiplied them by infinity. 

Setting the story of the little wooden boy who gets wished to life by his depressed carver Geppetto in WWII-era fascist Italy, del Toro slathers his version of the fairy tale in politics and righteously disturbing anti-war propaganda. And that's before he violently kills off our main character multiple times. Featuring voice acting by Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, and Christoph Waltz, plus revelatory stop-motion work from the animators at ShadowMachine, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is like no other. — J.A.

How to watch: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is now streaming on Netflix.

13. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Won: Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling

The final film of Chadwick Boseman (released posthumously and netting him another acting nomination) is a fitting tribute to the Black Panther star's non-superhero skills – he tap-dances the screen on fire as the over-ambitious trumpeter working in the band of the titular blues singer Ma (Viola Davis, having a blast). Based on August Wilson's 1982 play, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is set across a single scorcher of a July 1927 day as Ma's band tries to wrangle her to record a single track, with every conceivable interruption getting in their way. Directed by stage director George C. Wolfe (who went on to direct Rustin in 2023 with Colman Domingo, who plays another band member here) the movie is stagey but electrifyingly so — you really feel like you're trapped in this airless hot basement with these extremely talented musicians, making music that sizzles while living just as loud. — J.A.

How to watch: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is now streaming on Netflix.

14. Whiplash Credit: Sony Pictures Classics

Won: Best Supporting Actor (J.K. Simmons), Best Editing, Best Sound

When he was just 29 years old, writer/director Damien Chazelle's second feature film, 2014's Whiplash, took Sundance by storm. By the time he was 30, he had snagged himself a Best Adapted Screenplay nom, along with a slew of other honors for the adrenaline-fueled indie. Thank goodness he didn't let all of that early success go straight to his head and blow all his movie-making capital on a great big vanity project next! (He waited, making two more movies and winning a Best Director Oscar for La La Land before bestowing upon us the toxic epic that is Babylon.) 

Still, it's easy to see why everybody fell for Whiplash, a ferocious music school tale where we watch an overly determined drumming prodigy (Miles Teller) meet his match in an abusive teacher (J.K. Simmons). Asking questions about the dangerous lengths we're tempted to go to be the best, the film was ahead of its time in taking a hard look at the excuses we make for the sake of so-called genius. — J.A.

How to watch: Whiplash is now streaming on Netflix.

15. Icarus

Won: Best Documentary Feature

This one tells the tale of Russian scientist Grigory Rodchenkov and his whistleblowing against the Olympic doping routines of the Russian state, which he was intimately involved in as the head of the country's Anti-Doping Center for several decades. Filmmaker Bryan Fogel, an amateur cyclist when not directing films, started his documentary off as an experiment to see if he could get around the sport's doping rules without being caught. This test led him to Rodchenkov, and before you knew it Rodchenkov was fleeing his home country and being put into witness protection as his former colleagues were being murdered around him. It's quite the terrifying snowball of a tale, and an excellent explainer of the ways a fascist state will insinuate itself into every aspect of our existence. — J.A. 

How to watch: Icarus is now streaming on Netflix.

16. Mank Credit: Netflix

Won: Best Production Design, Best Cinematography

Director David Fincher's father Jack had a decades-long obsession with the story of the making of Orson Welles' masterpiece Citizen Kane. Specifically, he was fascinated by screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (aka Mank) and how much credit he deserved for the final product, given the well-known fact that Mank was a fall-down drunk. And so Jack wrote a film script about the story, hoping he and his son could make the movie together. But the project languished and Jack passed away in 2003, never seeing it realized. 

David Fincher stayed determined though. In 2020 he finally delivered a film starring Gary Oldman as Mank that feels unlike almost anything else the Social Network director has done. Awash in nostalgia and a hard-fought sincerity, you can feel Fincher's love for his father thrumming through the movie — most especially in the ways the film itself side-eyes a creator's ability to twist truth into fiction. Amanda Seyfried, wonderful in the role of real-life actress Marion Davies, sees straight through to how Mank can spin truth into fiction with one clack of his typewriter key, and gives the movie its tremulous heart. — J.A. 

How to watch: Mank is now streaming on Netflix.

17. Ghost Credit: Paramount / Kobal / Shutterstock

Won: Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Whoopi Goldberg)

This Best Picture–nominated drama centered on the love story between a dynamic banker (Patrick Swayze) and his sculptor girlfriend (Demi Moore). It was a love so strong that when he dies in a robbery gone wrong, she is is his unfinished business. Yet it was Whoopi Goldberg as reluctant clairvoyant Oda Mae Brown who delivered the most memorable (and Oscar–winning) performance.

Along with a stirring story, Ghost offers several truly iconic scenes, like Swayze and Moore turning a potting wheel session into foreplay or the creepy rampage of a subway ghost played by Vincent Schiavelli. But none compare to the comic genius of Goldberg, whose voice echoes across decades of cinema: "Molly, you in danger, girl."

How to watch: Ghost is streaming on Netflix.

18. The Power of the Dog Credit: Netflix

Won: Best Director (Jane Campion)

Adapted from Thomas Savage's 1967 novel, The Power of the Dog sees Benedict Cumberbatch slip his twisted beanpole self into a pair of dirty dungarees as Phil Burbank, a deeply closeted cowboy in 1925 Montana at the tail end of the time for such ranch-haunting relics. One day in town, Phil's brother George (Jesse Plemons) finds himself a wife named Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and Phil does not like that one bit! Once Rose and her weirdo son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) move in with the brothers, it's a war of the wills, and only one queer cowpoke's gonna be left standing. A psychotic marvel of a movie that only Jane Campion could've delivered. — J.A.

How to watch: The Power of the Dog is now streaming on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: The (very) brief Oscars history of women nominated for Best Director 19. RRR

Won: Best Song (M. M. Keeravani and Chandrabose)

A Tollywood spectacle, this three-hour-plus epic from director S.S. Rajamouli tells the 1920s-set story of the best buddies Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) and Raja (Ram Charan), who end up on opposite sides of the revolution against the British Raj. Will they fight? Will they make up? Will they sing and dance? Absolutely. 

All of these questions, many tigers, and much, much more make RRR's three hours an absolute breeze. A truly over-the-top endeavor with action and romance and several musical sequences, it was the latter that got the Academy's attention, with the unforgettable dance number "Naatu Naatu" stomping all its rivals out of the way for the little gold man statue in the end. — J.A.

How to watch: RRR is now streaming on Netflix.

20. 1917 Credit: Universal Pictures / Moviestore / Shutterstock

Won: Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects

Sam Mendes' 2019 film drops us right into a day in the life of two British soldiers (George Mackay and Game of Thrones' actor Dean-Charles Chapman) fighting in France during the first World War. It doesn't let up to take a breath — using camera trickery old and new, 1917 makes its two-hour run-time seem like it was captured in a total of two massive shots. (The truth is not that, but it sure looks like it anyway.) 

As the two painfully young soldiers work their way across fields, both green and battle, tasked with delivering a message trying to stop the advance of a doomed mission, we're sucked right in alongside them. The you-are-really-there is strong with this one, capturing the unfathomable horror of war in scale simultaneously epic and intimate. — J.A.

How to watch: 1917 is now streaming on Netflix.

21. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Won: Best Animated Film

As cemented as our favorite cheese-loving inventor and his whip-smart dog sidekick seem now in pop culture, there have only been two feature-length Wallace & Gromit films released to this day — most recently, 2024's Vengeance Most Fowl and then this one, from 2005. Of course you add on the four short films that span 1989 to 2008 and you've got more of a complete picture, but still — feels like there should be more. (This is really just me begging for a new Wallace & Gromit every other year, if that wasn't clear.)

But if there's one thing Aardman Animation masterminds Nick Park and Steve Box have proven it's that taking one's time to get it right pays myriad dividends, since all six chunks of the ongoing Wallace & Gromit story spread out across four decades now (!!!) are sparkling little masterpieces. And The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is perhaps the masterpieciest of all, telling a Jekyll-and-Hyde inspired tale of gigantic bunny terrorizing our twosome's quaint little hamlet on the eve of its annual Giant Vegetable Competition. A hysterical riff on old horror movies (Universal and Hammer-flavored alike), the Were-Rabbit's imagination and laughs are endless. — J.A.

How to watch: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is now streaming on Netflix.

22. Phantom Thread Credit: Annapurna Pictures / Kobal / Shutterstock

Won: Best Costume Design

Early on in the filmmaking process, very serious artists writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson and actor Daniel Day-Lewis were trying to figure out a name for the lead character in their next collaboration. Naturally, their text thread led to a dick joke that, in turn, birthed the moniker "Reynolds Woodcock."

That movie became Phantom Thread, a darkly hilarious romance about a stuffy fashion designer who meets his match in a blushing waitress (Vicky Krieps). There's something perfect about it all being built on a dick joke. Phantom Thread is ultimately a satire of male domination, and an ode to the armies of women who've trussed up the egos of pampered men and gotten the jobs done in spite of them. 

Pulling their female lead out of nowhere (aka Luxembourg), Anderson gave a role for the ages to the relative newcomer Krieps, who goes toe to toe with the greatest actor of his generation. And, much like Alma the blushing waitress does to Reynolds, she shows DDL how it's done. Incredibly, while both Day-Lewis and Lesley Manville, who played Reynolds' deliciously stern sister Cyril, got nods — Krieps was snubbed. It's a crime, considering the effortless way she steals the entire movie away from them all with just her Mona Lisa smile and a basket of suspicious mushrooms. — J.A. 

How to watch: Phantom Thread is now streaming on Netflix.

23. Still Alice

Won: Best Actress (Julianne Moore)

Remembered now primarily as the vehicle that finally landed Julianne Moore a long overdue Oscar, Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland's 2014 film is a small-scale heartbreaker of a character study that deserved more appreciation both at the time (it got knocked as a bald Oscar grab) and now, a decade later.

Adapting Lisa Genova's book about a linguistics professor at Columbia celebrating her 50th birthday as she grapples with the effects of early on-set Alzheimers, Still Alice can't be separated from Moore's tremendously affecting work, but that's just because it smartly remains so resolutely laser-focused on her. And when is staying laser-focused on an actor as perceptive as Moore ever a bad thing? That said, it's the scenes between Moore and Kristen Stewart as Alice's stubborn daughter that truly linger all these years later; two fine, delicate actors speaking histories with just their eyes. — J.A.

How to watch: Still Alice is now streaming on Netflix.

24. All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) Credit: Reiner Bajo / Netflix

Won: Best International Feature, Best Score, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design

This is one of the rare instances where a remake of a classic film ended up being a terrific idea. The original 1930 All Quiet on the Western Front was one of the very first Best Picture winners, and it remains great to this day. So, how did they make a remake work? It was a pretty simple idea, actually. Director Edward Berger took the original story, which drops audiences down in the dirt with the German soldiers during World War I, and he filmed it in Germany with German actors. Wild, right? 

Still, the 90-year update on film techniques also helped in situating viewers in the middle of that maelstrom. Taking a page from Sam Mendes' 1917, Berger and his DP James Friend really make us feel like we're right there in the trenches, dodging the bullets and bombs as often as they hit their deadly mark. The anti-war message of the original comes through loud and clear, bolstered by the unforgettable drone of Volker Bertelmann's score. The baton-pass nature of the script, which introduces character after character only to see them get ground up in the horrible machinery of war, is a correctly unsubtle hammering home of combat's cruel dehumanization. — J.A. 

How to watch: All Quiet on the Western Front is now streaming on Netflix.

25. Moulin Rouge! Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

Won: Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration

Baz Luhrmann awed audiences with this 2001 jukebox musical that plunged into pop music, anachronisms, and star power with equal relish.

Set in 1900, Paris, Ewan McGregor stars as Christian, a writer with big dreams who falls for Satine (Nicole Kidman), a showgirl with a rich and dangerous admirer, and a secret up her sleeve. Though poor and subject to the whims of a cruel duke (Richard Roxburgh), Christian and Satine embrace art and each other, creating song-and-dance numbers bursting with earnest romance, gaudy dazzle, and hit songs from Queen, Elton John, Madonna, David Bowie, and many, many more. To match this outrageously flashy soundtrack, Luhrmann had costumes and production design that were eye-poppingly bold in color and glamor. Like Satine, they were impossible not to fall in love with.

How to watch: Moulin Rouge! is now streaming on Netflix.

Asterisks (*) indicate the entry has been modified from a previous Mashable list.

UPDATE: Nov. 20, 2025, 5:52 p.m. EST This list has been updated to reflect Netflix's current selection.

Opens in a new window Credit: Netflix Netflix   Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

The Thing with Feathers review: Grief is a hulking, wheezing crow

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 11:00

Grief is many things, uniquely indescribable and specific to us all. For British author Max Porter, in his lauded, no-bullshit, deeply personal novella, it’s a thing with feathers. Specifically, a giant, hulking, wheezing crow ready to read your inner pain to filth as clichéd, unoriginal.

In his formidable debut feature, director Dylan Southern adapts Porter's book into a moving drama that gnaws on loss through the hallmarks of horror. It's by no means the first film to lean on terror to explore grief — Pet Sematary, The Babadook, Talk to Me, the list is long. However, with a raw, anguished performance by Benedict Cumberbatch and production design that makes walls literally bleed ink, The Thing with Feathers will pluck at your heartstrings while threatening to devour them.

And for a film involving a massive talking bird, it's a shockingly accurate depiction of bereavement.

The Thing with Feathers channels the horror and grit of Max Porter's book.  Credit: BFI London Film Festival

Using magical realism to convey the inexplicability of loss, Porter's novella practically caws to be visualised — and Southern's adaptation could not be more aware of this.

The plot is human and simple: An illustrator and his two young sons are faced with life after their beloved matriarch suddenly dies. Characters in the story do not have names beyond their proper nouns — Dad, Boys, Mum — and where the book uses a polyphonic perspective structure, the film concentrates on one viewpoint per act for a fluid arc. Cumberbatch is Dad, now "Sad Dad," who privately struggles while keeping his two young Boys (twins Richard and Henry Boxall) fed, bathed, and picked up from school at the very least. However, one dark and stormy night, a colossal, gruff-voiced Crow descends upon this house of mourning, as the personification of grief (hence the title). And he refuses to leave "until you don’t need me anymore," which is... when?

SEE ALSO: 'A Private Life' review: Jodie Foster is magnifique in comedic Parisian mystery

Where Porter's writing most brightly shines through Southern's film is in this crucial character of Crow (impeccably voiced by David Thewlis). An onyx-winged, glossy-eyed creature of seemingly eternal origin, Crow is an otherworldly, rasping presence whose status as friend or foe remains in constant flux.

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Behind the film's bold creature design and animatronics, and Eric Lampaert's physical performance, Thewlis is nothing short of marvellous as the voice of Crow. Both terrifying and hilarious, the lugubrious creature "finds humans incredibly dull except when grieving," and persists in mocking "Guardian-reading" Dad when he's not completely terrorising him (and us) with jump scares. Crow's croaking dialogue is predominantly a splintered and spat-out stream of consciousness, freely associated words making strange sense through the lens of death and loss. The character is much more crass and explicit in his ramblings in the novella, with the film version sticking to more PG utterances, but George Cragg's razor-sharp editing echoes Porter's fragmented writing style. 

Featured Video For You Weapons, and the comedian turned horror director

The film's surrealist sequences between Crow and Dad are its strongest, with one scene using horror elements to see Cumberbatch pursued by his avian assailant through a regular ol' supermarket. Probably one of the best scenes sees Dad's guard completely down while being mocked by Crow in his own living room, as the feathered presence ditches Dad's "white widower music" for a more gravelly Screamin' Jay Hawkins. The camera circles the two in a raw, urgent dance, and Cumberbatch lets it all go.

What's undeniably missing from the film is Porter's inescapable olfactory descriptions, with the novella so descriptive you can practically smell the "rich smell of decay" and "sweet furry stink" off the pages. It's a tough ask of filmmakers to convey scents through the screen, and we get glimmers of it — Dad's brother Paul commenting on the "Tracey Emin's kitchen" state of the house, for one. But where the film does one-up the book is in the pure talent of Cumberbatch.

The Thing with Feathers is as much a film about grief as it is about fatherhood. Credit: BFI London Film Festival

While The Thing with Feathers' primary emotional theme is grief, the film's exploration of fatherhood is just as multifaceted, brutal, and magical. Dad and the Boys are surrounded by reminders of Mum, in drawers, in wardrobes, in splintered memories, and Dad becomes instantly aware of how much he relied on his wife for "everything." As the Boys begin to act out in their own young grief, tension in their now-silent house reaches a boiling point for the forever-changed trio.

In the novella, which Porter wrote after the death of his father, the author writes of such specific aspects of grief they're frankly staggering. He describes Dad as a "trader in clichés of gratitude," a facade which Southern softens for the film but makes plain through a few scenes. Deleting the voicemails of concerned friends like Amanda (Vinette Robinson), family members like his brother Paul (Sam Spruell), and other — as Porter dubs them — "orbiting grievers," Cumberbatch's Dad doesn't allow himself to grieve in front of others, especially the Boys, instead burying his anguish until they're tucked up in bed.

Constantly surrounded by his new solo-parenting reality, Dad isn't as buoyed by imagination as the Boys are. Together, these two build "worlds full of life, full of possibility" while they're forced to process something not even their go-to grown-up is able to understand. Spiralling through torment and hinging on surrendering to total despair, Dad begins to replicate Crow-like behaviour, with vocal "krrraaa!"s and agitated movements that Cumberbatch embodies convincingly. Giving it everything he's got, the actor undergoes a full-bodied emotional upheaval throughout the film, unsuccessfully attempting to "keep things as normal as possible" for the Boys and always accompanied by the looming presence of Crow.

The Thing with Feathers is a barrage of wild sound and production design. Credit: BFI London Film Festival

The power of art to convey what words cannot runs through the whole film, taking on a literal presence. Dad's profession is a comic illustrator, with his drawing style a violent array of charcoal and ink drawings sketched with urgency and desperation. Southern extends this artistic form off the page and down the walls of the house, which results in some of the film's most striking visual sequences.

Suzie Davies' impeccable production design moves Dad and the Boys' melancholy home through a sense of ruin and abandonment, of dark creative impulses leading to neglect. Blood and ink become one in some genuinely brutal scenes. Paired with this is an absolutely maddening triumph of abrasive foley work, with sound designer Joakim Sundström crafting visceral dread (and many a jump scare) through the omnipresent flurry of flapping wings, incessant cawing, scratching charcoal sticks. All this functions alongside Dad's soundtrack of everyday parenting, of scraped burnt toast, metal spoons clanging on ceramic bowls, and juvenile resistance. It's all punctuated by Zebedee Budworth's melancholy score of plucked staccato strings and haunting a capella, and the effect is all-consuming.

It's this constant flux between reality and fantasy that both Porter's novella and Southern's adaptation obsess over, and it's a strangely accurate representation of just how surreal and, well, fucked-up daily existence can be after a sudden loss. Stranger than fiction is the order of the day, every day, and confronting such pain can feel like being haunted by a giant winged geezer. You just learn to live with Crow.

UPDATE: Nov. 20, 2025, 5:19 p.m. EST "The Thing with Feathers" was reviewed out of BFI London Film Festival. This article was originally published Oct. 11, 2025.

The Thing with Feathers releases in U.S. cinemas Nov. 28.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Fire Stick 4K Max is down to its lowest price this year – save $25 for Black Friday

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 10:47

SAVE $25: As of Nov. 28, the Amazon Fire Stick 4K Max is on sale for $34.99 at Amazon. That's a 42% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Fire Stick 4K Max $39.99 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $20   Get Deal

Black Friday is here and the deals are rolling in. You'll find discounts on everything from robot vacuums to gaming monitors, and if you're looking to upgrade your streaming set up then look no further than the best deals on Fire TV Sticks.

Fire Sticks are one of Amazon's most popular devices, and are such a brilliant but simple method to make streaming easier. Whether you have an older, non-smart TV or just want to use the Fire OS, all you need to do is plug the Fire Stick into your HDMI port and to a power source. And that's it, your device will now be displaying all your favorite apps and streaming services on the home page.

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It comes with a remote with an Alexa button that lets you search by voice control. This is extra helpful when searching for a specific movie or TV show, without having to manually trawl through each platform. The remote also becomes the one control for your TV, even for powering on and off and controlling the volume, so you don't need to keep two.

And as of Nov. 28, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for $34.99. Not only are you saving $25, but this is the lowest price it has been all year, surpassing both of Amazon's Prime Days. You can get this deal in Amazon's Black Friday sale right now.

Still looking for more deals? See the biggest discounts at Amazon’s epic Black Friday sale and save up to 70% on popular gifts, gadgets, and more goodies.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Sony 85-inch Bravia 9 TV is discounted over $1,000 this Black Friday

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 10:23

SAVE $1,001.99: As of Nov. 28, the Sony 85-inch Bravia 9 TV is on sale for $3,798 at Amazon. That's a 21% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony 85-inch Bravia 9 TV $3,798 at Amazon
$4,799.99 Save $1,001.99   Get Deal

Black Friday is officially here, and if a massive new TV is on your wish list, you need to check out this latest deal on the Sony 85-inch Bravia 9 TV. It currently has a huge savings of over $1,000 ($1,001.99, to be exact) bringing the list price down to $3,798. At this price, this won't be an impulse buy, but if you've been searching for a 85-inch TV for some time, it's one to strongly consider

What all are you getting for your money? Picture quality-wise, it's unmatched. You'll get thousands of Mini LEDs controlled by the XR Backlight Master Drive to give you a strong brightness and contrast, and the QLED panel with XR Triluminos Pro will cover billions of colors. It also has a XR Processor that adjusts each scene as it plays. This improves the color, clarity, and contrast.

It runs on Google TV, so you'll get easy access to apps like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, YouTube, and Apple TV, and it supports both AirPlay 2 and Chromecast. It also has studio-calibrated modes for services like Netflix, Prime Video, and Sony’s own app, and PS5 features such as Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode are built in.

Pick up this great Sony TV in Amazon's Black Friday sale.

Still looking for more deals? See the biggest discounts at Amazon’s epic Black Friday sale and save up to 70% on popular gifts, gadgets, and more goodies.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This Roborock robot vacuum is a bargain on Black Friday — save $450

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 10:10

SAVE $450: The Roborock Qrevo Edge S5A Robot Vacuum is on sale for $549.99 in the Amazon Black Friday sale. That's 45% off the list price of $999.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Roborock Roborock Qrevo Edge S5A Robot Vacuum $649 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $350.99   Get Deal

A robot vacuum is what Black Friday is all about: Luxury tech items that are usually out of our price range. But with major discounts dropping for Black Friday itself, it’s the perfect time to clean up with marked-down luxury tech — items such as the Roborock Qrevo Edge S5A Robot Vacuum.

SEE ALSO: Black Friday 2025: Live updates on the latest deals from Amazon, Target, Walmart, and more

As of Nov. 28, Roborock Qrevo Edge S5A Robot Vacuum is priced at $549.99, which gives you a huge saving of $450. This robot vacuum is usually priced at $999.99, which means a saving of 45% from the list price.

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The Roborock Qrevo Edge S5A is more than a robot vacuum. It’s actually a robot mop, too. It automatically switches between the two functions and also features a side brush for getting into the corners and edges of your rooms. The Roborock finds its way around your home using multi-floor mapping and PreciSense LiDar navigation tech. It also empties itself automatically and has the smarts to avoid any obstacles in its path.

Pick up the Roborock Qrevo Edge S5A Robot Vacuum for $549.99 in the Amazon Black Friday Sale. That's an overall saving of $450 from the list price of $999.99.

Still looking for more deals? See the biggest discounts at Amazon’s epic Black Friday sale and save up to 70% on popular gifts, gadgets, and more goodies.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The best Black Friday gaming monitor deals: Record-low deals on ASUS, LG, and Samsung

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 10:08
The best Black Friday gaming monitor deals at a glance: LG 45-Inch Ultragear OLED Curved Gaming Monitor $896.99 (save $803) Get Deal ASUS 32-inch ROG Swift 4K OLED Gaming Monitor $899 (save $400) Get Deal Samsung 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 Curved Gaming Monitor $898 (save $427) Get Deal

'Tis the season for a gaming upgrade. Gaming hardware generally comes with a bit of sticker shock, but Black Friday is the perfect excuse to grab those big-ticket purchases — like OLED monitors — for less.

Just like a good TV can enhance your cinematic experience, making the switch to an OLED gaming monitor can completely transform your gaming experience. If your current setup feels a bit lifeless, it's a great time to upgrade. Some major contenders are on sale for record-low prices and we've rounded up our favorites below. Be sure to check out our full list of gaming discounts and follow along with all of our coverage in Mashable's Black Friday hub to score the best deals of the season.

The best Black Friday gaming monitor deals Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 45-Inch Ultragear OLED Curved Gaming Monitor $896.99 at Amazon
$1,699.99 Save $803   Get Deal Why we like it

Curved monitors take some getting used to, but once you've enjoyed the immersive gaming experience they deliver, you likely won't go back. The 45-inch LG Ultragear OLED's WQHD display features a steep 800R curvature and 21:9 aspect ratio, which means the screen will quite literally wrap the action around you. It packs a peak brightness up to 1,300 nits, a 240Hz refresh rate, and a 0.03ms response time, so gameplay is fast, smooth, and vibrant. It's also compatible with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-Sync and offers plenty of ports for your gaming peripherals. Usually an outrageous $1,699.99, it's down to only $896.99 for Black Friday. That's nearly 50% in savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: ASUS ASUS 32-inch ROG Swift 4K OLED Gaming Monitor $899 at Amazon
$1,299 Save $400   Get Deal Why we like it

If you want something that takes up a bit less desktop real estate, the 32-inch ASUS ROG Swift gaming monitor is another standout for Black Friday. At $899, it's a full $400 off its regular list price of $1,299 and down to a new record low. Like the LG monitor, it also boasts a refresh rate of 240Hz and a response time of 0.03ms for smooth, lag-free gameplay, and compatibility with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-Sync for tear-free visuals and low latency. It supports a range of aspect ratios between 24.5 inches and 27 inches, so you can select what works best for specific games. FWIW, our friends at PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) called it a "near-perfect 4K OLED gaming display."

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 Curved Gaming Monitor $898 at Amazon
$1,325 Save $427   Get Deal Why we like it

Our favorite ultrawide gaming monitor, the massive 49-inch Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 features an 1800R curvature and 32:9 aspect ratio that essentially wraps around your entire head. It may be overkill for casuals, but if you're looking for the most immersive gameplay you can get, this bad boy is your best bet. While the curve is the main attraction, it's not the only perk this monitor offers. It also features high-quality visuals with a 5,120 x 1,440 pixel display, a solid 240Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time, 110 pixels per inch, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and HDR support, and the ability to use it as a two-in-one display. Usually listed for over $1,300, this Black Friday deal knocks it down below $900. That matches its best price ever.

More Black Friday gaming monitor deals
Categories: IT General, Technology

The best Black Friday PlayStation deals: Consoles, games, controllers, and more

Mashable - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 10:07
Best Black Friday PlayStation deals at a glance: Best PS5 Console Bundle Deal PlayStation 5 Console 1TB - Fortnite Flowering Chaos Bundle $449 (save $100) Get Deal Best PS5 game deal Astro Bot $39.59 (save $20.40) Get Deal Best PlayStation subscription deal PlayStation Plus yearly membership $107.19 (save $52.80) Get Deal Best PS5 accessory deal DualSense Edge Wireless Controller $169 (save $30.99) Get Deal Best PS5 console deal PS5 Slim Disc Edition $449.99 (save $100) Get Deal Best Portal Deal PlayStation Portal Remote Player $179 (save $20.99) Get Deal

I’m not a "hardcore" gamer. I don’t spend eight hours a day online, and I’m definitely not competing in any tournaments. But I do play my PS5 every single day — usually for about 15 minutes right before dinner to decompress. Lately, I’ve been replaying the entire Tomb Raider trilogy (I’m on the third one now, and it holds up), but I also love the classics like Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, and Kingdom Hearts.

SEE ALSO: The 50+ best gifts for gamers that they won't already have

Because I’m actually buying games and accessories for my own setup (and for my nephews this holiday), I tend to keep an eye on these prices throughout the year, so I know when a "deal" is actually just the standard price in a fancy font.

I’ve combed through the Black Friday ads from Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, and PlayStation Direct to find the discounts that are actually worth it. Here are the best PS5 deals live right now.

Best Black Friday PS5 game deal overall Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment Astro Bot $39.59 at PlayStation
$59.99 Save $20.40   Get Deal Why we like it

Read our full Astro Bot review.

I didn't know anything about Astro until my dad asked me if I'd "found the secret game in the PS5" yet. Once I found Astro's Playroom (the free game pre-installed on every console), I spent all night playing it and bought the full Astro Bot game as soon as it came out. It’s pure joy in game form — creative, colorful, and genuinely fun to play. (It won Game of the Year at the 2024 Game Awards.) My youngest nephew, Aubry, is obsessed with it; he literally has posters of the little bot in his room and begs to play it every time he comes over.

First-party Sony titles tend to hold their value, so seeing it drop this low is a win. You can grab it for $39.97 at Amazon, but if you want to save every penny, it's slightly cheaper at $39.59 at PlayStation Direct.

More PS5 game dealsBest Black Friday PlayStation subscription deal Opens in a new window Credit: PlayStation PlayStation Plus annual membership $107.19 at PlayStation
$159.99 Save $52.80   Get Deal Why we like it

It's not often we see a deal on PlayStation Plus, but the mega gaming company must know we need a treat in 2025, so they're offering a 33% discount. To snag this deal, you'll need to sign up before Dec. 5 for any level of annual PlayStation Plus membership. The subscription gives payers access to hundreds of games from the Gaming Catalog, online multiplayer access, and tons more.

Best Black Friday PS5 accessory deal Opens in a new window Credit: PlayStation DualSense Edge Wireless Controller $169 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $30.99   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: PlayStation DualSense Wireless Controller $54.99 at Amazon
$74.99 Save $20.00   Get Deal Why we like it

If you’re looking for a "big gift" for the serious gamer in your life, the DualSense Edge is a solid option. I bought this controller for my eldest nephew, Landon, last Christmas, and he loved it. It’s the "pro" version of the standard controller, meaning it has customizable buttons, swappable stick modules (a lifesaver for stick drift), and adjustable triggers. It doesn't usually go on sale (unless it's Prime Day or holiday season), so saving $31 is a pretty good deal. You can grab it for $169 at Amazon, or for essentially the same price ($169.99) directly from PlayStation.

If you don’t need all the pro features, the standard DualSense Wireless Controller is also on sale for $54.99 at both Amazon and PlayStation. My mom bought the pink one for my sister last year, and it’s a perfect, practical gift for anyone who needs a spare.

Best Black Friday PS5 console deal PS5 Slim Disc Edition $449 at Amazon
$549.99 Save $100.99   Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Walmart Get Deal at Best Buy Why we like it

We’re skipping the PS5 Pro this year — at $649 without a disc drive or stand, it’s a hard sell for anyone who isn't a hardcore pixel-peeper. Instead, I recommend getting the standard PS5 Slim Disc Edition. You'll get the same great library of games, 4K graphics, and lightning-fast load times, plus the ability to actually play discs (because sometimes you just want to pop in a Blu-ray or a used game you found cheap). It’s currently $449.99 at both Amazon and PlayStation Direct, saving you a cool $50.

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