Critics

Google is working on a system to fight fraud and make the internet “more private and safe,” but it’s just come in for some blistering criticism from software engineers behind the Vivaldi web browser. According to them, it’s a “dangerous” idea that could lead to greater surveillance of ordinary people. The subject of all this kerfuffle is Google’s Web Environment Integrity project, or WEI. Its purpose, Google says, is to stymy bad actors by providing a piece of code on a website that can be checked with a trusted…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeZachary Levi has shared his dismay at the critical reaction to his DC superhero sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which came out in March.The movie, a follow-up to 2019’s Shazam!, stars Levi as a superhero in a battle of survival after vengeful gods arrive on Earth in search of the magic.While the first film was very warmly received, the second was such a critical and financial bomb…

Barbie director Greta Gerwig has responded to the onslaught of criticism from rightwingers in the US by saying it’s “an invitation for everybody to be part of the party”.In an interview with the New York Times, Gerwig was asked if she had anticipated “the degree to which rightwing pundits are bashing the movie as being ‘woke’ and burning their Barbies”. Gerwig, who co-wrote the movie as well as directing it said: “Certainly, there’s a lot of passion. My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be…

The reviews are rolling in for Barbie, and the overall sentiment so far is that the movie based on a toy has a whole lot more to say than you might expect, both in its visual dazzle and on an intellectual level. Though many more reviews are sure to flood the site soon, review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes has crowned Barbie with a 94 percent based on 63 reviews so far. On Metacritic, the 39 reviews counted so far have generated a score of 81 and labeled as a “Metacritic Must See.” The reviewer Mario Alegre with Próxima Tanda…

In early July, managers at G/O media, the digital publisher that owns sites like Gizmodo, the Onion, and Jezebel, published four stories that had been almost entirely generated by AI engines. The stories — which included multiple errors and which ran without input from G/O’s editors or writers — infuriated G/O staff and generated scorn in media circles. They should get used to it. G/O executives, who say that AI-produced stories are part of a larger experiment with the technology, plan on creating more of them soon,…

Many repair shops, especially those who opt in and pay to be part of those certified networks, say they have no trouble finding the information they need to fix cars, even before this week’s agreement. Michael Bradshaw, vice president of K & M Collision in Hickory, North Carolina, and vice chair of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists, one of the groups that signed the new agreement, says his shop pays to keep up with 30 automaker certification programs, including for Kia, General Motors, Bentley, and Rivian.In…

‘He always looked as though he was up to mischief’Stephen Frears, directorFrears in 2010. Photograph: Arun Nevader/WireImageHe’d come up to you at solemn occasions with some wonderful, deflating phrase. With his wickedly impish face, he always looked as though he was up to mischief.He wrote of My Beautiful Laundrette that it was “groundbreaking” and what he said changed my life and the lives of others. He was endlessly irreverent and yet absolutely committed to the best of cinema.‘He let us all speak, then told us which…

Looks like Christopher Nolan has another winner on his hands with his latest release, Oppenheimer. Based on ‘father of the atomic bomb’ J. Robert Oppenheimer, the film releases worldwide on July 21 but had its premiere in Paris on Tuesday. The first reactions have been nothing short of ‘explosive’. (Also read: Mission Impossible 7 live updates: Cruise surprises fans at theatre, review out) Cillian Murphy plays the 'father of the atomic bomb' in Oppenheimer. Steve Weintaub of Collider called it 'incredible'.…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeOne critic’s harshly-worded review of Adele Lim’s directorial debut has ironically backfired.Lim’s raunchy new comedy Joy Ride stars an all-Asian lead cast of Oscar-nominee Stephanie Hsu, Ashley Park (Emily in Paris), Sherry Cola and Sabrina Wu, as four friends who embark on an epic, no-holds-barred trip throughout Asia. Although, what’s intended to be a journey of self-discovery, soon…

New York Times: UK convenience stores are increasingly using facial recognition to combat shoplifting, something critics say is a disproportionate solution for minor crimes — British merchants are increasingly using the technology to combat shoplifting, raising questions about its spread as artificial intelligence rapidly improves it. New York Times: UK convenience stores are increasingly using facial recognition to combat shoplifting, something critics say is a disproportionate solution for minor…