More importantly, the biggest architectural change for Windows is getting antivirus and other security software out of the Windows kernel. This is why CrowdStrike’s disastrous update was so difficult to fix: Because the security software runs at such a low level in Windows, Windows couldn’t say “Oops, this didn’t work, let’s fix it” — instead, the whole system crashed.
When Microsoft was designing Windows Vista nearly 20 years ago, the company wanted to get security software out of the Windows kernel. But, with Microsoft starting to offer its own antivirus at the time, security companies argued it was being anti-competitive and would hurt their business. Stung by the US government going after it allegedly monopolizing the web browser market on Windows, Microsoft backed off and let security companies continue to integrate at a low level with Windows, despite tightening down other parts of the operating system.
With CrowdStrike’s explosion, though, Microsoft decided to take another crack at this. The result is the “Windows endpoint security platform,” which will arrive in private preview form for Microsoft’s antivirus partners this month. They’ll be able to create antivirus and endpoint security software that runs outside the Windows kernel, ensuring they won’t cause the operating system to fail if they encounter a problem.
The People Have Spoken: Online Casino Support Crosses Party Lines!
A comprehensive new survey by BonusFinder US reveals 63.5% of voters are ready to embrace legal online casinos, with support spanning across ALL demographic groups for a potential $1.5B available in revenue.
In true Illinois fashion, residents are showing that Midwestern practicality trumps political division! While our neighbors Michigan already cash in on the digital gambling gold rush, Illinois voters are sending a clear message: it’s time for the Prairie State to claim its rightful place in the online casino landscape.
During the survey, BonusFinder asked participants to choose up to three priorities to reflect what they think is the most necessary facet for the tax revenue to go into.
Show Me the Money
When asked what they would do, the people responded. Voters had their priorities clear from the get go.
Fund public education (61.4%) Support mental health and addiction services (54.8%) Fix crumbling infrastructure (44%)
Let’s play responsibly!
Here’s the kicker—26% of Illinois survey respondents admit they’re ALREADY playing at unregulated online casinos! That’s money flowing straight out of state coffers and into offshore operators’ pockets.
Why force residents to roll the dice with sketchy offshore sites when the state could provide safe, regulated Illinois voters aren’t gambling naively. They want strong protections in place:
70.6% worry about gambling addiction
64.2% fear scams and fraud
49% are concerned about underage access
The message is crystal clear: “YES to online casinos AND do it with responsibility in mind.”
The clock is ticking, and with each passing day, Illinois leaves millions in potential tax revenue on the table. The voters have spoken—will lawmakers listen?
Survey methodology: BonusFinder.com surveyed 1,000 Illinois residents in April 2025, representing diverse ages, genders, political affiliations, and geographic locations across the state.
Brits planning to jet off for a summer holiday in Europe could be facing major turmoil as strike action looms at airports across Italy and Spain, hot on the heels of French air traffic control chaos. Last week’s strikes by French air traffic controllers wreaked havoc for holidaymakers, with over 30,000 passengers caught up in delays and cancellations on Thursday (July 3) and Friday (July 4).
Disruption wasn’t confined to France-bound flights — services flying through French airspace also took a hit. With further industrial actions planned, Italian and Spanish airports are bracing for a bumpy ride this week and again later in July. Come July 10, travellers using key Italian hubs such as Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, and Venice Marco Polo can expect setbacks due to baggage handlers staging walkouts, as reported by TimeOut.
Further upheaval is predicted as staff at Cagliari Elmas and Naples Capodichino airports are set to abandon their posts on that day for several hours—specifically from 1pm to 5pm and 11am to 3pm respectively.
Holidaymakers flying in or out of Palermo might find their plans disrupted on July 11, with a 24-hour strike scheduled by aviation service staff at Falcone Borsellino Airport.
Anticipate substantial hitches on July 26 when a comprehensive airline and airport strike is due for a four-hour spell from 1pm to 5pm, threatening “significant delays for travellers”.
Spanish skies will not be calm either, as airline and airport workers plan to down tools in unison with their Italian counterparts on July 10, 11, and 26.
In Finland, ground staff are preparing for walkouts on numerous dates throughout July – the 16th, 18th, 21st and 23rd. Finnair has warned on their website: “Due to industrial action, many important services at Helsinki Airport, such as customer service, baggage handling, aircraft maintenance, cargo and catering services, will be affected.”
After legal interference, the planned strike by KLM ground staff scheduled for Wednesday (July 9), will not proceed. This follows cautionary statements from the airline and Schiphol airport regarding the potential risks to safety the industrial action may pose.
Travel disruption expert Jessie Chambers, a Senior Travel Advisor at Global Work and Travel, commented: “We’ve already seen major airlines forced to cancel or reroute hundreds of flights. Travellers need to act fast-check flights, speak to airlines, and prepare for delays.”
Passengers should note that if strike action leads to flight delays or cancellations, airlines may be exempt from providing accommodation or compensation due to it being classified as an ‘extraordinary circumstance’ beyond their control.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority, there might be a possibility of claiming compensation for cancelled flights notified with less than 14 days’ notice, but they advise: “If It wasn’t the airline’s fault, don’t expect to receive any compensation.”
The CAA clarifies that no compensation is due for disruptions stemming from ‘extraordinary circumstances’, which could include severe weather conditions or strikes by airport or air traffic control staff.
It’s also worth checking whether your travel insurance covers you in the event of strike action, as policies can differ significantly between providers.
Prime Day is a great time to pick up gear and upgrades you wouldn’t normally think about. In case you’ve never used a solid-state drive (SSD) before, it’s a class of add-ons that bolster a device’s built-in storage. Not only will your phone, laptop or console be able to hold more data, but more of those files will be quickly accessible, which can vastly improve your speeds. If you have used an SSD before, you know what you’re looking for — the best discounted drives on Amazon. We’ve curated a list below for your Prime Day shopping.
Best Prime Day SSD deals
Crucial BX500 for $57 ($38 off): The Crucial BX500 SSD is compatible with any computer that uses a 2.5-inch SATA drive — which is still plenty of them. For very cheap, you can get ahold of 1TB storage space and read speeds up to 540 MB/s, close to the very best possible for a SATA SSD.
WD_BLACK SN850X for $150 (25 percent off): Our current favorite Gen4 NVMe drive is on sale for Prime Day, making a read speed of over 7,000 MB/s more accessible than ever. In our tests, we found the 1TB SN850X significantly boosted our Windows operating speeds without adding much heat.
WD Blue SN5000 for $210 ($90 off): Here’s a great deal on an internal SSD with 4TB capacity and compatibility with the fast-performing NVMe protocol. Western Digital, the same brand behind the WD_BLACK (see above) claims the Blue model can hit read speeds of 5,500 MB/s.
Lexar 1TB NM790 for $67 (29 percent off): The NM790 is a single-sided SSD that can post sequential read speeds of 7400 MB/s. The one-sided design means it stays cooler for longer, and this 1TB deal includes a heatsink. It’s a great budget alternative to the also single-sided Samsung 990 Pro (see below).
Sabrent Rocket 2230 for $150 (15 percent off): The Sabrent Rocket 2230 is a thumbnail-sized NVMe card that we found to be perfect for the M.2 slot on a Steam Deck. Thanks to this deal, you can save a lot by buying a lower-end Steam Deck and upgrading it with one of these.
Samsung Fit Plus for $23 ($12 off): The Fit Plus is our favorite thumb drive, and it’s not close. Running on USB 3.1 with transfer speeds between 300 and 400 MB/s, it even comes with a keychain hook. The current deal takes 34 percent off an already cheap product.
Samsung 870 EVO for $76 (24 percent off): The 870 EVO is a great budget choice for general users, who are likely to get a speed boost on any PC activity once it’s installed. At 560 MB/s of maximum reading speed, it’s not for hardcore gamers, but everyday users should see real benefits.
Samsung 990 Pro for $150 (29 percent off): The whole Samsung Pro line of SSDs is excellent for gamers, with PS5s in particular seeming to run much faster with one installed. The 990 Pro can reach read speeds of up to 1,400 KB/s — and yes, that’s kilobytes, not megabytes.
Samsung 9100 Pro for $220 ($100 off): Samsung’s first NVMe SSD dropped earlier this year, and currently, they’re still a bit faster than most people can use. However, if you want to get a jump on the next console generation with 14,800 MB/s sequential reading speed, this deal is your opportunity.
Kingston Fury Renegade for $420 ($210 off): Although it sounds like a Jamaican kung fu movie we’d watch the hell out of, the Kingston Fury Renegade is actually a 5th-gen NVMe SSD that can reach hardcore read speeds of up to 14,800 MB/s. It’s expensive, but Prime Day discounts knock off 33 percent.
Corsair MP600 Pro LPX 2 TB for $160 (20 percent off): Earlier this year, we named the Corsair MP600 Pro LPX as the top SSD for PS5, partly due to its affordability. It’s even more affordable now — and the low price even includes a heatsink.
Acer FA100 1TB for $51 (15 percent off): The Acer FA100 isn’t the fastest SSD, but it is at least competitive, and may be one of the cheapest ways to harness the considerable power of NVMe 3.0. Only the 1TB version is marked down for Prime Day.
Best Prime Day portable SSD deals
Samsung T7 for $114 ($74 off): The T7 spent a long time as our reigning champion portable SSD, and it’s still an amazing deal — being technically outdated means record-low prices on hardware that’s more than fast enough for a Steam Deck or Switch.
Samsung T9 for $170 ($130 off): We once named the Samsung T7 as our favorite portable SSD, but the T9 handily outdoes it, nearly doubling data transfer speeds. It’s marked down 43 percent from now until the end of Prime Day on the 11th.
SanDisk 1TB Extreme for $78 ($52 off): SanDisk designed the Extreme for portability, and it shows — this is an almost indestructible SSD you can keep in just about any bag or pocket. It’s also reasonably fast, though it only works with USB-C
Crucial X9 Pro 1TB for $75 (17 percent off): As a Gen 2 USB drive, the Crucial X9 Pro loses out to some newer competitors on speed — but it’s much cheaper, and far more compatible with everyday personal computers. The 1TB model is on sale at 17 percent off its normal price.
Crucial X10 1TB for $82 (24 percent off): The Crucial X10 is a portable SSD for power users, only working at full strength on devices that support the latest version of USB 3.2. If that’s what your build needs, you’re not likely to see it much cheaper than this.
Crucial X10 Pro 2TB for $150 (28 percent off): The Crucial X10 Pro is perfect for a fairly small range of users. If your PC build currently works with USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 but isn’t yet handling USB4 or Thunderbolt, you won’t find a faster portable SSD for your needs.
Kingston XS1000 for $80 (15 percent off): We named the Kingston XS1000 the second-best portable SSD in our current roundup, so it’s great to see it going for 15 percent off today. It’s almost as fast as the Crucial X9 Pro, just not quite as tough.
ADATA SE920 for $142 (5 percent off): The piddly 5 percent off is disappointing, but there’s nothing disappointing about the ADATA SE920 itself. This is the ideal model for anyone regularly making huge downloads. The SE920’s maximum read speed of 3,800 MB/s would be impressive for a full-size SSD, but it’s fully portable, weighing less than half a pound.
Garmese 1TB Portable SSD for $64 (20 percent off): This portable SSD uses USB3.2 to achieve read speeds of around 1000 MB/s, which is very impressive for a device not much larger than a flash drive. While it downloads fast, it’s not fantastic for transferring multiple files at a time.
Best Prime Day microSD card deals
Lexar Professional Silver Plus for $38 ($35 off): Our tests showed this to be the fastest microSD card on the market, beating out the whole Samsung line. Not only is it fast enough to download and upload 4K files without trying your patience, it’s also waterproof, cheap and squeezes in both USB-A and USB-C ports.
Lexar E-Series for $31 (15 percent off): While the Silver Plus beats it out, the Lexar E-Series remains more than fast enough for 4K video, and is sufficiently rugged to fit in your adventure camera. This deal includes a five-pack of microSD cards, working out to about six dollars per 64GB of storage.
Samsung Pro Plus for $17 ($9 off): The Samsung Pro Plus is a great microSD card for most needs, so if it’s cheaper than the Lexar option, go for it. We’ve found that it’s particularly good in handheld game systems. Just make sure to get the version rated for 180 MB/s, nothing less (it should say on the package).
SanDisk Ultra 256GB microSDXC for $17 (15 percent off): If you’re still rocking the Switch 1 (thanks, Target) and want a cheap storage expander, this deal on a SanDisk 256GB microSD card is for you. It’s going for $17 right now, far less than most of the games you’re likely to store on it.
Samsung Evo Select for $22 (27 percent off): This one’s by far the best option if you’re after a cheap microSD card — we’ve seen it on sale for less than $25 more than once. It’s a bit too slow for cameras, but fine for any kind of undemanding passive storage.
Best Prime Day external hard drive deals
Seagate Portable for $65 (19 percent off): All the Seagate hard drives we’ve used are refreshingly good at combining thin, light hardware with consistent speeds, and the Portable is no exception. At 4TB, this is a great deal on an external HDD with no tradeoffs.
Seagate Game Drive for $76 (16 percent off): Seagate’s Game Drive is a prime choice for adding extra space to a PS5 or Xbox Series X. Formerly overpriced, it’s now dropped down to $90 for 2 TB, and that’s before Prime Day makes it even cheaper.
WD My Passport for $160 (14 percent off): The Western Digital My Passport line is ancient by computer hardware standards, but it’s been updated as far as USB 3.0 and 3.1, and remains one of the cheaper options for a 6 TB hard drive. This version includes automatic backup software.
WD Elements for $149 (15 percent off): The Elements HDD from Western Digital has gotten consistently positive feedback from our staff over the years, and as an older model, it’s now wildly cheap for 6 TB of storage. It’s compatible with both PC and Mac out of the box.
WD_BLACK P10 Game Drive for $161 (15 percent off): We’re big fans of the WD_BLACK SSD, and the gaming-focused external P10 is a worthy companion. It comes with 6 TB of storage for your PC, PS5, or Xbox gaming library.
UnionSine 500GB External Hard Drive for $27 (19 percent off): UnionSine’s HDD is fast and USB3 compatible. Despite how thin and light it is, we’ve found it remarkably hard to damage. 500GB may be a bit tight with the size of files these days, but at this price, you could just buy two of them.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders chose to spend his time at a HELP Committee hearing discussing one of the most pressing issues in the country.
Sanders discussed the healthcare crisis that the reconciliation bill, signed into law by Trump, is expected to cause.
Sen. Sanders said:
There is no question that cybersecurity and protecting the privacy of Americans’ health care records are important issues that we need to deal with.
But, Mr. Chairman, let me be very clear. That is not the issue that is right now on the minds of the American people. What people are worried about is the catastrophic impact that the reconciliation bill that was passed last week will have on the health and well-being of the American people. And that is the issue that I’m going to be focused on today.
That legislation, passed by one vote here in the Senate, will be making the largest cut to Medicaid in American history to pay for the largest tax break for billionaires in American history.
At a time when our current health care system is broken, dysfunctional and cruel — 85 million today are uninsured or underinsured. This bill will make a horrible situation even worse.
This legislation will cut Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act by more than $1.1 trillion.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that this bill, along with the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits, will cause 17 million people to lose their health insurance.
Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health and health care economists at the University of Pennsylvania have found that these health care policies would cause over 50,000 people in our country to die unnecessarily every year. That’s what happens when you can’t get to a doctor.
I am delighted that one of the lead researchers of this report, Dr. Alison Galvani, is here with us today to talk more about that study.
Mr. Chairman: it is not rocket science. You’re a doctor, you know this. If people don’t have access to health care, if they can’t get to a doctor when they need to, people will suffer and tens of thousands will die. It happens today and it will only get worse.
Make no mistake about it: This bill is a death sentence for working-class and low-income Americans.
Further, as a result of this bill, more than 300 rural hospitals are now at risk of closing down altogether or substantially reducing their services. That is not my estimate. That’s what the Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina recently estimated.
And we are already beginning to see the devastating impact this bill will have on rural America: The Curtis Medical Center in Southwest Nebraska has already announced that it will be shutting down because it cannot withstand the cuts to Medicaid contained in this bill.
It’s not just rural hospitals that are now in crisis as a result of this legislation.
According to a recent survey from the American Health Care Association, as a result of this bill, 27% of nursing homes have indicated that they will be forced to close their doors and 58% will have to reduce staff. And it’s not just nursing homes.
Health care researchers at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University have found that this bill will be a disaster for community health centers.
They have estimated that as a result of the passage of this bill, over 40% of community health center sites will shut down. Today, there are over 15,000 community health center clinics throughout America. This could result in the shutting down of some 9,000 of them.
And it’s not just community health centers, it’s not just nursing homes and it’s not just individuals.
This legislation will substantially increase the uninsured rate in every state in this country.
As a result of this bill, the uninsured rate in my own state of Vermont would go up from 3.3% to 6%.
In Louisiana, the Chairman’s state, the uninsured rate will go up from 6.7% to 12.4%.
In Florida, the uninsured rate will go up from 10.4% to 18.8%.
In Texas, the second largest state in this country, the uninsured rate will go up to 20% — in the United States, in the richest country in the history of the world.
Mr. Chairman, this is an issue that needs to be explained to the American people, and I look forward to discussing it with all of our panelists.
Video:
Republicans want to pretend like 17 million Americans getting kicked off of their healthcare is business as usual. Now that the GOP has caused the number of uninsured to skyrocket in the United States, they can go back to holding hearings about other topics.
The American people aren’t going to move on and forget about what Republicans have done.
Democrats and their allies like Bernie Sanders aren’t going to allow the crisis that Republicans have created to be forgotten.
Trump and his party want the people who are losing food and healthcare to be forgotten. It is up to everyone else to make sure that it doesn’t happen.
What do you think about Sen. Sanders’s remarks? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Apple has updated its iCloud for Windows app with support for Firefox.
Apple’s iCloud Passwords for Windows app now officially supports the Firefox web browser, making it possible for PC users to access and autofill credentials straight from Mozilla’s web browser.
Apple Passwords debuted in iOS 18 as a destination for iCloud Keychain items that were previously only available via a Settings app section. It has spread to other operating systems in some form to ensure universal access to logins, passkeys, and other credentials.
On Wednesday, Firefox for Windows became the latest browser to support in-app iCloud password management, thanks to an update to Apple’s iCloud Passwords extension. As noted by 9to5mac, the same functionality has been available for the Mac version of Firefox since December 2024, and it’s also offered for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge on Windows.
There is a caveat, however, as Reddit users have pointed out that the iCloud password autofill feature appears to be only compatible with Windows 11, the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system. Windows 10 users, meanwhile, are seemingly out of luck for the time being.
Apple’s iCloud for Windows app gained iCloud Keychain compatibility back in August 2021, and the app has received various updates over the years. To access and use your iCloud passwords directly from Firefox on Windows, you’ll need both the iCloud for Windows app and the dedicated iCloud Passwords extension for Mozilla’s browser.
The iPhone maker’s iCloud for Windows application lets PC users get access to information stored on the company’s cloud platform, including photos, videos, mail, calendar dates, and other data. It also helps Windows users access and manage iCloud Keychain passwords on their PCs, and enables password autofill in supported browsers through a dedicated iCloud Passwords extension.
For years, people have been yearning for new and original stories. Having sequel and franchise overload has led to plenty of people becoming more inclined to watch TV series than movies these days. It can be hard to get amped for a movie that’s a reboot or one where audiences think they already know what will happen. For every Top Gun: Maverick, there’s a The Crow.
While some might argue that it’s too soon to consider writing a movie about the COVID-19 pandemic, that didn’t stop many artists from doing it. Now that it’s been five years since the onset of the pandemic, Hollywood has started to make bigger films with COVID lockdowns as the backdrop. Ari Aster’s upcoming drama Eddington is set during the pandemic and features Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Austin Butler, and Emma Stone. Before audiences are immersed in the New Mexico-set story, take a look at some other films that are set during the COVID-19 pandemic and the disastrous year that was 2020.
7 Days is a humorous and sweet take on traditional Indian arranged marriages and two people from traditional households trying to find love. They meet over a matchmaking website and go on a first date. On the date, they both get alerts about the COVID-19 pandemic. They go back to her apartment and see that everything she had said about herself in her dating profile and on the date had been a lie. Despite being different people, they are forced to shelter in place together.
Karan Soni and Geraldine Visnawathan star in the film, bringing together the uptight angst of Soni’s character with the slacker energy of Visnawathan’s. The film has some scary scenes, as the couple learns about all that the COVID-19 pandemic brought as the film progresses. Mark Duplass, Zenobia Shroff, Aparna Nancherla, and Gita Reddy costar.
On the brink of breaking up, a couple agrees that their relationship has seen better days and it’s probably time to move on. When the pandemic hits, the couple is forced to quarantine together and, in turn, face their problems head-on. The End of Us stars Ben Coleman and Ali Vingiano as Nick and Leah, a couple who try out a separation while stuck in the same place. All the issues of their relationship come to a head as they are forced to evaluate their goals, themselves, and their relationship.
This dramedy has a decent amount of comedy in it and the performances of Coleman and Vingiano are captivating and funny. It also does look at the tough parts of relationships and tackles them head-on. It portrays real-life scenarios that plenty of audience members will relate to, such as all of a sudden feeling more enclosed and close with the people around you.
Adam Goodman, Andrew Sugerman, Jason Clark, Jeanette Volturno, Marcei A. Brown, Michael Bay, Michael Kase
One of the first movies made during the pandemic was Songbird, which was written in March and April and began shooting in July 2020. The movie is set in 2024 during a phase in the pandemic where the virus has mutated into COVID-23 and the U.S. government has become authoritarian, demanding everyone do daily temperature checks on their cell phones and anyone showing signs of the virus or who are currently infected are brought to quarantine zone camps, where many are left to die. The Michael Bay-produced movie stars KJ Apa, Sofia Carson, Craig Robinson, Paul Walter Hauser, Alexandra Daddario, Demi Moore, Bradley Whitford, and Peter Stormare.
It is one of the most lived-in films made during the pandemic because it was shot during a time when a lot of cities, states, and countries were still in lockdown. Apa and Carson are in a relationship and one of them is forced to go to a quarantined zone while the other races to get them an immunity bracelet. Many critics had issues with the film, not only due to the fact that it was made when it was, but also with how bland it felt compared to real life.
James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan star in Together, a British TV film that was released in 2021. It was shot in 10 days and premiered on BBC Two in order to reach more people at the time. Directed by Stephen Daldry, the film depicted McAvoy and Horgan as a couple stuck in quarantine, raising their 10-year-old son and evaluating their relationship.
The dialogue is sharp and the performances are terrific, as both McAvoy and Horgan give honest and biting depictions of a couple trying to sort through a lot of feelings as their relationship falls apart. Neither of the characters is given a name and their son is only briefly shown in the film, meaning they are essentially the only two characters on screen and meant to depict a stereotype more than specific people. It won the 2022 Best Single Drama Award at the British Academy Television Awards.
Written and directed by Judd Apatow, The Bubblewas released on Netflix in 2022 and focused on the cast and crew of an action sequel being forced to work inside a COVID-19 quarantine bubble. It gives a humorous look at what being in one place with many people and trying to outlast delirium is like. The movie stars Karen Gillan, Pedro Pascal, Maria Bakalova, Leslie Mann, David Duchovny, Keegan-Michael Key, Fred Armisen, Vir Das, Iris Apatow, and Peter Serafinowicz.
The film is over-the-top outrageous and features a lot of silly scenes with its amazing cast. It depicted a unique situation and was meant to bring light to a tragedy like this. The film was not well-received by critics and is not among Apatow’s best works to date.
An interesting genre mashup that’s a romantic dramedy but also a heist film, Locked Down was directed by Doug Lima and written by Steven Knight. It stars Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor as a separated couple forced to quarantine together. While doing so, they come up with a plan to steal a valuable diamond from Harrods to help with their financial situation.
The film features an all-star cast of Mindy Kaling, Stephen Merchant, Mark Gatiss, Lucy Boynton, Claes Bang, Dulé Hill, and Jazmyn Simon. The movie was released directly on HBO Max, making it easier for fans to see it during the uncertainty of returning to movie theaters.
A fun take on a creepy ritual, Host is a unique horror movie that used the COVID-19 pandemic to its advantage. It’s about six friends who jump on a Zoom call and conduct a séance through their computers. The movie is shot entirely on Zoom and the friends must combat the spirit they conjure. The screen goes from person to person, highlighting what the rest of the people on the call are observing.
The movie represents the early parts of COVID when people would connect with their friends any way they could, especially through video calls. It stars Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova, Caroline Ward, Edward Linard, and more. The film was directed and co-written by Rob Savage.
Ben Wheatley made some notable films prior to 2021’s In the Earth, including Free Fire and High-Rise. His pandemic-set horror film is one of his most critically acclaimed. It features Joel Fry as Martin, a scientist sent to an outpost to help his former colleague continue her experiments. The outpost is located in the woods and Martin is joined by Alma (Ellora Torchia) on his journey there. While traveling, they encounter Zach (Reece Shearsmith), who is not who he seems to be. The duo must battle Zach and others while deep in the woods to try and survive.
The film features a lot of natural and supernatural elements as the backdrop of the deep forest adds to its spookiness. Wheatley wrote and directed the film over the span of 15 days in September 2020, with the deep woods setting coming into play as outdoor films were some of the safest, so to speak, to film. Clint Mansell’s score is one of the best parts of the film.
2
‘Isolation’ (2021)
Isolation
Release Date
August 27, 2021
Runtime
104 minutes
Director
Dennie Gordon, Larry Fessenden, Andrew Kasch, Bobby Roe, Zach Passero, Adam R. Brown, Christian Pasquariello, Kyle I. Kelley, Keir Siewert, Alexandra Neary
Writers
Cody Goodfellow
Producers
Geoffrey Schaaf, Nathan Crooker, Zack Andrews, James P. Gannon, Daniel Feigl
A group of 11 directors churned out nine stories set during the pandemic, all of which were shot during lockdown. Isolation is the ultimate collaborative project, as Nathan Crooker created the first setting, which was set many months in the future of the global pandemic as it was happening. The directors all set their stories in that world and they were edited together to form Isolation.
The biggest catch for the directors was that they weren’t allowed to use Zoom and they were only allowed to use whatever equipment they had with them. It provided a unique scenario for directors Alix Austin, Adam R. Brown, Larry Fessenden, Dennie Gordon, Andrew Kasch, Kyle I. Kelley, Alexandra Neary, Christian Pasquariello, Zach Passero, Bobby Roe, and Keir Siewert. The horror anthology has some quality segments that will gross out even the most iron-stomached audience member.
Tired of the same old movies circulating your streaming services? Check out these 17 free horror movies on YouTube.
1
‘Language Lessons’ (2021)
Two underrated actors, Natalie Morales and Mark Duplass, came together in 2021 and wrote Language Lessons. In her directorial debut, Morales plays Cariño, a Spanish teacher who is hired by Adam’s (Duplass) husband, Will (Desean Terry) to give him Spanish lessons. They come as a surprise at first to Adam but he quickly learns to enjoy them as his relationship grows with Cariño via Zoom. The movie was shot entirely while Morales and Duplass were in lockdown.
As each Spanish lesson takes place, the audience learns more about each character. A major life event occurs early on in the movie and the duo cope together. While both are known for some secure projects, It was an exciting look at how a movie can be made and how a two-hander can portray a lot of deeper meanings.
Captain America: Civil War saw Iron Man set things in motion for a momentous turn of events in Ironheart. Tony Stark remains one of the most important people in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and even years after his ultimate sacrifice, his presence is still felt.
Six years after Iron Man’s death, Riri Williams is now stepping in to fill a role similar to Stark. As a young genius who is capable of creating highly advanced power suits. However, Riri has some distinct differences from Tony.
Iron Man’s Decision To Make The September Foundation Was One Of His Most Charitable Acts
Tony Stark Helped Countless Bright Young Minds Achieve Their Dreams
Tony Stark experienced one of the most impressive and satisfying character arcs in the MCU. Starting out as a selfish, spoiled billionaire who was selling weapons of mass destruction to the military, Stark transformed, taking his life and impact more seriously.
Iron Man remains the foundation of the MCU, but with Ironheart moving the franchise forward, it’s interesting to note how much they have in common.
Through his time as Iron Man, Tony recognized how much influence he had, and who was being impacted by the choices he made. As a direct result of some of his own missteps, people were killed, and families destroyed. But Tony wanted to do better.
So, by the time things like the Sokovia Accords had become a discussion on the global stage, Tony was trying to give back. And one important way that he set up to do this was the September Foundation. A grant gifted to students at MIT to provide access to much-needed funding.
Looking Back Now, Iron Man’s Decision To Make The Foundation May Have Been To Prevent Supervillains
Iron Man Paved The Way For Creativity To Expand Rather Than Fester And Rot
However, Tony also grew a lot more paranoid and anxious as he saw the fallout of his actions. In an effort to shield the world from future threats, Iron Man designed the Ultron program, which evolved to become a killing machine.
His incessant building of various suits for all occasions caught the attention of dangerous people, and he actually attracted a target to himself and the people he loved. Overall, without oversight and the right support, Tony understood how dangerous his own genius could be.
So, it’s possible that part of his motivation for setting up the September Foundation was to avoid others trying to secure funding through less than honest means. Because desperation can lead to poor decisions, and the path that follows could be dangerous.
Ironheart Underlines Why The September Foundation Was A Practical Decision For Iron Man To Make
Riri Williams Is The Perfect Candidate For The September Foundation
Of course, Iron Man was trying to give back. But his guilty conscious certainly played a part in setting up the September Foundation. With that in mind, it makes a lot of sense why Stark would be looking at other means to prevent the rise of potential supervillains.
Take Riri Williams for example. A brilliant young woman, but due to the circumstances, she was forced to work alongside criminals to get cash quickly. Once she was involved in this lifestyle, it was a quick and easy process to descend to make worse and worse decisions.
As the MCU prepares to bring Riri Williams to television, audiences have a chance to revisit the comics to see her best Ironheart suits.
Tony was constantly looking ahead, and trying to find ways to not only protect the Earth and the people he cared about, but to prevent incidents ever happening. And unfortunately, desperate times call for desperate measures, so alleviating some of that stress could help prevent negative consequences down the line.
The September Foundation introduced in Captain America: Civil War could be a double-edged sword as seen in Ironheart.
Regardless, Tony’s gesture of donating a fortune in order to help the next generation explore their ideas without restraints was a monumental gift. It allowed Riri to pursue her vision without the need to get involved in criminal activities. But when the system breaks down, and the money doesn’t flow, then it also makes sense for people who have less to take a wrong turn.
Tony Stark was a visionary, but without his fortune, some of his greatest ideas may never have been realized. And he certainly would have struggled to find the means to pursue all of his dreams and whims. But the September Foundation introduced in Captain America: Civil War could be a double-edged sword as seen in Ironheart.
It seems the therapists Olivia Rodrigo found for her band really helped.
The 22-year-old “Vampire” singer and her tour manager Marty Hom provided free and accessible therapy for the entire “Guts” tour crew, rhythm guitarist Daisy Spencer revealed on “The StageLeft Podcast.”
“I have never had anything like that,” Spencer, 31, told host Chris Simpson. “And that reignited the importance of therapy to me because I had kind of fallen off for so long.”
Rodrigo and Spencer just wrapped the 102-date “Guts” world tour July 1 and completed a successful headlining set at Glastonbury, where they were joined on stage by the Cure’s Robert Smith. While on the podcast, Spencer described Rodrigo as “the dreamiest boss of all time” and opened up about taking care of her mind and body on the road.
“Suddenly I had this free resource of incredible therapists and I utilized the crap out of that,” she said. “I was going, you know, once a week, once every other week, whenever I could. And it was even during the off time — we also still had access to this resource.”
Rodrigo’s dad, Chris Rodrigo, is a family therapist, and the singer has been very open about starting therapy at 16.
“That was a really big, life-changing moment,” she told CBS Sunday Morning in 2021. “I’ve learned so much about myself.”
And she’s not the only musician promoting therapy. Lewis Capaldi, who returned to the stage after a two-year break from performing to focus on his all-around health, announced Monday that he’s partnering with BetterHelp to provide 734,000 hours of free online therapy. Ariana Grande has also partnered with the virtual therapy platform several times in the past.
Though the “Guts” tour has concluded, Rodrigo still has several festival engagements lined up for the summer, including a headlining set Aug. 1 at Lollapalooza.
A federal judge in Miami has thrown out a lawsuit that accused Karol G and Tiësto of infringing a Cuban-American composer’s work for their 2021 dance-pop hit “Don’t Be Shy.”
A Wednesday (July 9) ruling from Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga granted summary judgment to Karol G (Carolina Giraldo-Navarro) and Tiësto (Tijs Michiel Verwest) while also tossing claims against Atlantic Records, Kobalt, Sony Music Publishing and Warner Records.
Rene Lorente-Garcia sued in 2023, alleging “Don’t be Shy,” which was Karol G’s first English-language release and peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, copied the melody, rhythm and harmony of his 1998 song “Algo Diferente.”
The defendants all denied any infringement and said they’d never even heard of Lorente-Garcia or “Algo Diferente” before the lawsuit. Their expert witness, copyright litigation heavy hitterDr. Lawrence Ferrara, said the 1998 song is markedly different from “Don’t be Shy” and that the two tracks share only common building blocks.
Lorente-Garcia’s lawyers countered this with their own expert report from Richie Viera, a Latin music producer and former A&R executive at Capitol Records. But Judge Altonaga says Viera is not qualified to serve as a musicology expert.
“While his CV highlights substantial experience in the business side of the Latin music industry,” writes the judge of Viera, “none of these roles involves the core competencies of forensic musicology: transcribing compositions, analyzing protectable expression or applying comparative methodologies to determine similarities.”
Judge Altonaga says Viera’s expert report lacks any real musicological analysis and fails to even consider the key element of prior art. When asked to describe his methodology at a deposition, Viera supposedly replied, “I use my ears. I am able to detect when a word is copied, when there is any sort of copy. I operate at that high level… I hold an instinct, something that was granted to me by God.”
“That is not a methodology,” writes Judge Altonaga. “It is, at best, Viera’s personal intuition offered up as professional expertise.”
With Viera’s expert report excluded, Lorente-Garcia’s attorneys would have needed to show that the writers of “Don’t be Shy” had access to “Algo Diferente” in order to defeat the summary judgment motion.
Lorente-Garcia’s case comes up short on this front, too, according to Judge Altonaga, who says the evidence “reveals little more than ‘Algo Diferente’s’ presence in the digital ether, one among millions of songs” and that “no reasonable jury” could find that Tiësto and Karol G heard the track.
Pryor Cashman attorney Donald Zakarin, who represents Tiësto and Karol G as well as the label and publisher defendants, tells Billboard, “This was a misguided case that never should have been brought.”
“There was no possibility of access and, as Dr. Ferrara demonstrated, the claimed ‘similarities’ were commonplace musical building blocks found in multiple pre-existing works,” Zakarin continues. “It is just wrong that successful songwriters and artists are so frequently subjected to objectively baseless claims that are expensive to fight. But fighting these claims is the right thing to do, and we are grateful to our clients and their representatives for standing up to protect all songwriters.”
Lorente-Garcia’s lawyers and Viera did not immediately return requests for comment.
