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“Gladiator II” asks the question: Are you not moderately entertained for roughly 60% of this sequel? Truly, this is a movie dependent on managed expectations and a forgiving attitude toward its tendency to overserve. More of a thrash-and-burn schlock epic than the comparatively restrained 2000 “Gladiator,” also directed by Ridley Scott, the new one recycles a fair bit of the old one’s narrative cries for freedom while tossing in some digital sharks for the flooded Colosseum and a bout of deadly sea-battle theatrics. They really did flood the Colosseum in those days, though no historical evidence suggests shark deployment, real or digital. On the other hand (checks notes), “Gladiator II” is fiction. Screenwriter David Scarpa picks things up 16 years after “Gladiator,” which gave us the noble death of the noble warrior Maximus, shortly after slaying the ignoble emperor and returning Rome to the control of the Senate. Our new hero, Lucius (Paul Mescal), has fled Rome for Numidia, on the North African coast. The time is 200 A.D., and for the corrupt, party-time twins running the empire (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger), that means invasion time. Pedro Pascal takes the role of Acacius, the deeply conflicted general, sick of war and tired of taking orders from a pair of depraved ferrets. The new film winds around the old one this way: Acacius is married to Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, in a welcome return), daughter of the now-deceased emperor Aurelius and the love of the late Maximus’s life. Enslaved and dragged to Rome to gladiate, the widower Lucius vows revenge on the general whose armies killed his wife. But there are things this angry young phenom must learn, about his ancestry and his destiny. It’s the movie’s worst-kept secret, but there’s a reason he keeps seeing footage of Russell Crowe from the first movie in his fever dreams. Battle follows battle, on the field, in the arena, in the nearest river, wherever, and usually with endless splurches of computer-generated blood. “Gladiator II” essentially bumper-cars its way through the mayhem, pausing for long periods of expository scheming about overthrowing the current regime. The prince of all fixers, a wily operative with interests in both managing gladiators and stocking munitions, goes by the name Macrinus. He’s played by Denzel Washington, who at one point makes a full meal out of pronouncing the word “politics” like it’s a poisoned fig. Also, if you want a masterclass in letting your robes do a lot of your acting for you, watch what Washington does here. He’s more fun than the movie but you can’t have everything. The movie tries everything, all right, and twice. Ridley Scott marshals the chaotic action sequences well enough, though he’s undercut by frenetic cutting rhythms, with that now-familiar, slightly sped-up visual acceleration in frequent use. (Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo are the editors.) Mescal acquits himself well in his first big-budget commercial walloper of an assignment, confined though he is to a narrower range of seething resentments than Crowe’s in the first film. I left thinking about two things: the word “politics” as savored/spit out by Washington, and the innate paradox of how Scott, whose best work over the decades has been wonderful, delivers spectacle. The director and his lavishly talented design team built all the rough-hewn sets with actual tangible materials the massive budget allowed. They took care to find the right locations in Morocco and Malta. Yet when combined in post-production with scads of medium-grade digital effects work in crowd scenes and the like, never mind the sharks, the movie’s a somewhat frustrating amalgam. With an uneven script on top of it, the visual texture of “Gladiator II” grows increasingly less enveloping and atmospherically persuasive, not more. But I hung there, for some of the acting, for some of the callbacks, and for the many individual moments, or single shots, that could only have come from Ridley Scott. And in the end, yes, you too may be moderately entertained. “Gladiator II” — 2.5 stars (out of 4) MPA rating: R (for strong bloody violence) Running time: 2:28 How to watch: Premieres in theaters Nov. 21. Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.NoneOne of the interesting facts about Scott Morrison’s period as prime minister is that he managed to squander public approval twice. The second came via a long, protracted slide through most of the pandemic. But in fact his popularity had sunk as low – and much, much faster, at least in Newspoll – just a few months after his 2019 election victory. The main event involved was that summer’s bushfires. His trip to Hawaii is the symbol of that failure, but the actual problems were long and drawn-out. There was the slowness to act and the failure to meet with emergency leaders, the mangled handshakes, “I don’t hold a hose” and the sidestepping of the climate debate. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton are neck and neck in opinion polls. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen The political ramifications of a natural disaster are the least important thing about it. I recount this because it’s always worth keeping in mind, in politics, how quickly things can change. Also: how dominant a crisis can be. Morrison’s disastrous summer, in fact, was only really rescued by the advent of another crisis – the early part of the pandemic, when his numbers soared – before that crisis, too, destroyed him. Recent weeks have seen at least two significant shifts, with another at least possible. For a long time, it seemed as though the Albanese government would get a rate cut – even two – before the election. As I wrote a few weeks back, this had the potential to act as tangible affirmation of its economic strategy , the other elements of which – wage growth, job creation – had been lining up nicely. Last week, Westpac joined NAB in predicting the next rate cut would come on May 20 – three days after the last possible date for the election. The government now has to hope voters’ moods improve without that rate cut. It’s possible. Essential poll last week found a small fall in people who say they’re struggling. There was a small but notable shift in one of the more interesting indicators: whether people believe the country is on the right track. It’s too early to spot a trend, and more people disagree than agree – but the “right direction” figure was (just) the highest it’s been since May 2023 . Illustration by Joe Benke Credit: The second change is the victory of Donald Trump. There are signs – like his retreat from the nomination of Matt Gaetz as attorney-general – that Trump’s term may be as bizarre as his first. One veteran observer suggested to me some time ago that a Trump victory may play into Albanese’s slow-and-steady approach: that in an era of messiness, boredom becomes appealing. At present, though, the opposite is the case. Last week, a Freshwater Strategy poll in the Australian Financial Review found 36 per cent of voters believed Albanese was best placed to deal with Trump – against 47 per cent who favoured Dutton. Finally, we should all hope this is a quiet season for natural disasters. Recent weeks have reminded us, this can’t be taken for granted. There have been bushfires in Queensland, the ABC reporting that amid the smoke last month Mount Isa was briefly “the most polluted city in the world”. There were evacuations in response to fires in Victoria (arson seems to have played a role in several of these). How bushfires might affect the political situation would depend, to a great extent, on the prime minister’s response. This close to a poll, major conclusions drawn would be about him personally. How Albanese handled the question of climate change would be significant. (That same Essential poll found only half of voters believe hotter summers are the result of climate change.) But what would also move into the spotlight would be the continuing climate change splits within the opposition. Here we come to another recent shift, one that is sharpening the political contest. At the beginning of this term, it seemed Peter Dutton wanted to oppose most things: he had not yet learnt the fine art of picking his battles. In recent months, he has avoided fights on some key issues: aged care, disabilities and social media. Even his apparently “bold” foray on nuclear energy, as I’ve argued before , is best understood in this context: wanting to avoid a battle, either within his party or with Labor, over whether climate change action is necessary. Yet Dutton has picked a very specific fight: he will oppose Labor’s bill to bring down international student numbers – even though he has long suggested that’s his aim too. As journalist Bernard Keane observed , this is a mirror of Donald Trump’s successful move to block an immigration bill to keep the problem alive. This is of a piece with Dutton’s earlier decisions to make Labor’s life difficult on immigration detention bills. Dutton has learnt to use the parliament to narrow the political contest to his preferred issues, with immigration top of the list. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what happens when Labor finally announces its universal childcare policy. Labor is hoping for significant political credit. But what if Dutton simply says he agrees? Meanwhile, there are some fights the nation should be having but isn’t. Bill Shorten, farewelling parliament last week, pointed out “our system still taxes property preferentially and lightly – and income heavily”. Anthony Whealy, chair of the Centre for Public Integrity, pointed out that the government and opposition seem to have reached an agreement, funnily enough, on donations changes that don’t do enough about money in politics while also giving the major parties advantages over independents. As Albanese told Sky News, “we’ve already chosen our slogan as you know, ‘building Australia’s future’.” Dutton seems to have chosen his issues, too. Given how much has changed in the past few weeks, and how much might still change in the months before polling day, both men would be wise to keep their options open. Sean Kelly is author of The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison , a regular columnist and a former adviser to Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd.
Micah Compares Himself to LeBron?
Target Corp. stock rises Wednesday, still underperforms marketEnergy Drink Company Curated Art Basel Rubbish, Selling Pieces of Art For A Good Cause MIAMI , Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucky Energy , known for its full-flavor, deliciously refreshing energy drinks, kicked off its first-ever Art Basel appearance with an unforgettable activation that was as trashy as it was inspiring. Dubbed "Trashy Art," the activation featured models picking up garbage outside the Miami Beach Convention Center on days 1 and 2 of the art fair. The brand curated 30-40 pieces of this rubbish and sold them on ArtBaselTrash.com . All pieces went on sale for $13 - typically an unlucky number, but the brand finds that the most unlucky moments encourage us to "create our own luck." Proceeds of the sale will go towards DonorChoose. "Lucky Energy is a beverage and entertainment company that draws inspiration from pop art and fashion, so showing up in this format at Art Basel is an important milestone for us," said Lucky Energy Founder and CEO Richard Laver . Our "Talking Trash" initiative is a unique expression of our brand identity - it challenges conventional thinking and encourages deeper reflection. We believe it will resonate with our audience, who appreciate our delicious beverages, humor, and charm. Developed by Lucky Energy's in-house team, the website sold tickets to a Miami Heat Game, an unopened can of Lucky Energy Drink with lipstick on the rim, a long piece of black hair (rumored to belong to a famous sister that was once married to a rapper), an empty can of Redbull and more. "As the saying goes, 'art is art is art.' Art exists as its own entity, regardless of definition. With this insight, we ask, why can't trash fall into that category if everything is Art?" said Hamid Saify , CMO of Lucky Energy. "Our depiction of Art was designed to spark conversation and curiosity. As a brand, rethinking cultural norms is in our DNA. When told we can't or shouldn't, we are inspired to prove otherwise. We aim to instill that same 'can do' attitude and motivation in people, giving them the fuel they need to keep going. To make their own luck. This is why we are committed to supporting social causes, with the proceeds of "Trashy Art"' and an additional donation to funding a Miami -based kid's art program through DonorsChoose." Richard Laver founded Lucky Energy after experiencing tragic lows and dizzying heights; he launched the company to inspire people to persevere and keep going as he learned to do. He's the youngest survivor of the Delta 191 flight that killed his father and 136 others. After surviving the crash at just 12 years old, Laver suffered from depression and was homeless by 27. He eventually found the love of his life, Michelle, but during the premature birth of their first child, Kate, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and would need a feeding tube for nourishment. Through a medley of medical complications, he founded Kate Farms (now the #1 recommended plant-based tube-feeding formula) to save her life. In thinking about his next chapter, Laver landed on creating a cleaner alternative to the energy drinks on the market. To learn more about Lucky Energy and Trashy Art, visit www.luckybevco.com and follow @luckyenergyofficial on social media. Please contact Valeria Carrasco at valeria@hallettsconsulting.com with any questions. ABOUT Lucky Energy Drink Lucky Energy is a cleaner, better-for-you energy drink company founded by serial beverage entrepreneur Richard Laver . The brand creates high-quality products to motivate people to keep going . The product line features five flavors—with 5 super ingredients, including maca and beta-alanine, 0 sugar, 0 aftertaste, and only 5 calories. Products are available on Amazon. For more information, visit www.luckybevco.com and follow @luckyfckenergy on social media. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/talking-trash-lucky-energy-debuted-at-art-basel-302329542.html SOURCE Lucky Beverage CompanyMIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Mike McDaniel has seen a change in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa over the past month. “He's found a way to improve the way he plays the position throughout the game,” the Dolphins coach said Sunday, after Tagovailoa threw for four touchdowns in a dominant 34-15 win over the New England Patriots. “The most monumental thing that you have to overcome as a quarterback is playing the position regardless of the ebbs and flows," McDaniel added, "so not changing how you play based upon positive or negative results and letting every play stand on its own.” Tagovailoa has mastered that ability to remain even-keeled during Miami's three-game winning streak, McDaniel noted, highlighted by his 317-yard passing performance on Sunday. The Dolphins (5-6) have a thin margin for error the rest of the season but have kept themselves afloat with a strong stretch that includes two-straight 30-point games. With their win at New England (3-9) in Week 5, the Dolphins have swept their division rivals in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1999-2000. Tagovailoa, who moved to 7-0 in his career against New England, entered the game with a league-high 73.4% completion rate and went 29 for 40. He has 11 passing touchdowns and just one interception since returning from injured reserve in Week 8. “We’re still below the .500 threshold, and it’s a long way to where we want to get to," Tagovailoa said. “We’ll enjoy this win, but this next one is going to be big for us.” The Dolphins have a short turnaround with a game at Green Bay on Thursday. Backup Skylar Thompson replaced Tagovailoa with about 11 minutes left in what was already a blowout, but a bad handoff on his first play resulted in a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Christian Gonzalez and returned 63 yards for a touchdown. It cut New England's deficit to 31-15, and Tagovailoa returned the next drive. Miami's defense held the rest of the way. Linebacker Tyrel Dodson intercepted rookie quarterback Drake Maye on New England's penultimate drive, then Miami stopped the Patriots on fourth down on the next. Jaylen Waddle caught eight passes for a season-high 144 yards and a 23-yard touchdown that stretched Miami's lead to 31-0 entering the fourth. Running back De'Von Achane scored on a 9-yard screen pass and then walked into the end zone for an 11-yard TD in the first half. Jonnu Smith finished with 87 yards on nine catches to continue his strong first season as a Dolphin. One week after catching two touchdowns with a career-high 101 yards receiving, Smith found the end zone for a 7-yard TD catch on the Dolphins' second drive. New England was shut out until tight end Austin Hooper got behind the Dolphins defense for a wide-open 38-yard touchdown catch from Maye to make it 31-7 with 13:43 left. Maye completed 22 of 37 passes for 221 yards with 26 yards rushing. But he couldn't overcome an overall sloppy performance by the Patriots in which they got nothing going offensively until the final quarter and had 10 penalties accepted against them. “I always say I hate losing more than I like to win," Maye said. "We got our butts whipped today, and it’s only up from here. We’ve got a bright future and the right players in there for the Patriots.” New England's best drive of the first half lasted 12 plays and covered 80 yards but included three accepted offensive penalties and ended in a missed 45-yard field goal by Joey Slye. The Patriots forced a Dolphins punt and moved down the field again on the opening drive of the second half, with Maye completing an improvised 10-yard throw on third down to receiver Kendrick Bourne. New England then tried a double pass with Bourne, whose cross-field throw fell short of Rhamondre Stevenson on 3rd-and-17. DeMario Douglas led the Patriots with 61 yards receiving. Antonio Gibson had six rushes for 30 yards. With the loss, the Patriots will finish their third straight season below .500. Its the first time since 1991-93 New England has had three straight losing seasons. “Once those guys cross the white lines, there’s nothing I can do for them,” coach Jerod Mayo said. "There’s nothing any coach can do for them. It’s my job to continue to prepare not only them, but our coaches as well.” Dolphins: LB Anthony Walker Jr. sustained a noncontact hamstring injury in the second quarter. He was helped slowly off the field by trainers and did not return. Patriots: Host Indianapolis next Sunday. Dolphins: At Green Bay on Thursday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Geoffrey Hinton says he doesn’t regret the work he did that laid the foundation for artificial intelligence, but wishes he thought of safety sooner. The British-Canadian computer scientist says the technology has now progressed so fast that he thinks it could achieve superintelligence in the next five to 20 years. Superintelligence is intelligence that surpasses even the smartest humans. When superintelligence happens, Hinton says humanity will have to seriously worry about how it can stay in control. His remarks came at a press conference in Stockholm, where Hinton is due to a receive the Nobel Prize in psychics on Tuesday. Hinton and co-laureate John Hopfield are being given the prize because they developed some of the underpinnings of machine learning, a computer science that helps AI mimic how humans learn. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2024.OTTAWA - Billionaire Elon Musk called Canada’s prime minister an “insufferable tool” on his social media platform today. Musk’s comments were in response to Justin Trudeau likening Kamala Harris’s defeat in the U.S. presidential election to an attack on women’s rights and progress. This afternoon, Trudeau met with provincial and territorial premiers to discuss Canada’s approach to negotiations with the U.S. Canada is facing a threat of a 25 per cent tariff hike from incoming president Donald Trump, who defeated Harris in the November election. Earlier this week, Trump taunted Trudeau on social media, referring to the prime minister as the governor of what he called the “Great State of Canada.” The post was an apparent reference to a joke Trump cracked at his dinner with Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago estate nearly two weeks ago, where the president-elect teased that Canada could join the U.S. as its 51st state. Speaking on Tuesday night at an event hosted by the Equal Voice Foundation — an organization dedicated to improving gender representation in Canadian politics — Trudeau said there are regressive forces fighting against women’s progress. “It shouldn’t be that way. It wasn’t supposed to be that way. We were supposed to be on a steady, if difficult sometimes, march towards progress,” Trudeau said, adding he is a proud feminist and will always be an ally. “And yet, just a few weeks ago, the United States voted for a second time to not elect its first woman president. Everywhere, women’s rights and women’s progress is under attack. Overtly, and subtly.” In a post on X on Wednesday, Musk responded to a clip of Trudeau’s remarks, saying, “He’s such an insufferable tool. Won’t be in power for much longer.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2024.
DALLAS (AP) — Juan Soto gets free use of a luxury suite and up to four premium tickets behind home plate for regular-season and postseason New York Mets home games as part of his record $765 million, 15-year contract that was finalized Wednesday. The Mets also agreed to provide personal team security for the All-Star outfielder and his family at the team’s expense for all spring training and regular-season home and road games, according to details of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press. Major League Baseball teams usually provide security for player families in seating areas at ballparks. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.‘I love fighting for this club’: Guardiola on his drive to stay at Manchester City
Stock market today: Wall Street gets back to climbing, and the Nasdaq tops 20,000
German SummariesTrump calls for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and says a US withdrawal from NATO is possible
US House passes defense bill banning gender care for minors
BOSTON (AP) — JB Frankel hit three of four free throws in the final six seconds to allow Northeastern to hold off Colgate 78-75 on Sunday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * BOSTON (AP) — JB Frankel hit three of four free throws in the final six seconds to allow Northeastern to hold off Colgate 78-75 on Sunday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? BOSTON (AP) — JB Frankel hit three of four free throws in the final six seconds to allow Northeastern to hold off Colgate 78-75 on Sunday. Nicolas Louis-Jacques hit three free throws for the Raiders with :07 left to get within two, 75-73, but Frankel hit the second of two to make it a three-point game and, after Jalen Cox hit a pair at the line to pull Colgate within one, 76-75, Frankel hit both free throws to seal the win. Rashad King had 23 points and added eight rebounds for the Huskies (7-3). Harold Woods scored 13 points and added six rebounds. Masai Troutman shot 2 of 7 from the field and 7 of 9 from the free-throw line to finish with 12 points. Brady Cummins led the way for the Raiders (2-8) with 15 points. Colgate also got 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals from Jalen Cox. Louis-Jacques finished with 14 points. King scored 10 points in the first half and Northeastern went into the break trailing 32-28. Northeastern pulled off the victory after a 15-2 second-half run erased a three-point deficit and gave them the lead at 62-52 with 5:58 remaining in the half. King scored 13 second-half points. Northeastern takes on Old Dominion on the road on Sunday, and Colgate visits Kentucky on Wednesday. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. AdvertisementDejan Kulusevski cannot wait to play Man City again after Tottenham run riot
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