dumb

It’s the equivalent of a cinematic Snickers bar, and that’s sort of what it needs to be. We’re talking about the remake of “Road House,” an action-packed guilty pleasure that takes off once a particular person arrives to flex his muscles. Too bad some of that actor’s hyperactive energy didn’t spill over into “Palm Royale,” a huge, lethargic disappointment from Apple TV+. We also review the documentary “Carol Doda Goes Topless,” two worthy horror movies, a bad Netflix rom-com and a beautiful drama about the relationship…

For writer-director Peter Farrelly, it was love at first laugh when he read the screenplay for “Ricky Stanicky,” his new R-rated comedy starring John Cena and Zac Efron. That it took more than a decade to get it made? Eh, that’s just Hollywood, the Oscar-winning filmmaker says. “I’m used to it,” says Farrelly, who won Academy Awards for best picture and best original screenplay for “Green Book” in 2019. “Like, ‘Dumb and Dumber’ took five years. ‘Something About Mary’ took 10 years. ‘Kingpin’ was an old script. “It takes a…

T he first time Ethan Edenburg, Eric Jackowitz, and Tom McGovern hung out, they wrote a song. It was March 2022, and they were in Los Angeles, toying around with their instruments, when the conversation turned to what it would be like to have a midlife crisis while visiting Las Vegas.  “It’s a Sunday on the Strip. My divorced-ass moved to Vegas,” McGovern started singing as he played piano. “My wife left and took the kids. And it’s a good thing that she did ’cause they were annoying as shit.” Edenburg…

There are many reasons why couples break up. Likewise, there are more or less as many reactions one could have to a breakup.And when it turns out that the reason is “we just don’t have that much in common” and it gets re-interpreted into “oh you just dumb,” you can bet the reaction is going to be of appropriate intensity. Like gathering up all your friends and trashing your ex’ apartment. Yeah, that’ll show her who’s the smart one!Breakups are often an extremely negative experience, but they can be tackled and led into…

“An artist friend of mine got me an AI-generated painting as a gift. I can see she tried to personalize the concept, and it’s nicely framed, but part of me still feels a little cheated. Is that fair?”—No ReturnsDear No Returns,There’s something implicitly paradoxical about feeling “cheated” by a present. A gift is, by definition, something that comes into your possession at no cost or effort, an object that exists outside the economic concepts of debt and fair exchange. But the fact that these offerings do often leave us…

In comic book movies, oftentimes the antagonists are the most important piece of the puzzle, as they are the most blatant foils for the heroes and strongly and actively challenge their ideals. Sadly, the villain of "Madame Web" is perhaps one of its weakest qualities, choosing the character of Ezekiel Sims to be Cassie's foe, but he's not a very intimidating one. The character played by Tahar Rahim bears few resemblances to his comic book counterpart, as he's also a successful businessman who has gained…

The Supreme Court heard arguments on Thursday in the case over whether states can toss Donald Trump off their ballots. Much of the discussion centered around a wildly inane legal question: whether America’s president qualifies as “an officer of the United States.” The case will review Colorado’s decision to disqualify Trump from its ballot on the grounds that he committed “insurrection” by inciting the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as lawmakers were preparing to certify President Joe Biden’s…

Viral videos of people driving while wearing Apple’s Vision Pro have horrified the public in recent days and forced the White House to come out and say: Please don’t be dumb. Mr. Tweet Fumbles Super Bowl TweetIt only took a few hours after Apple released its new $3,500 headset for videos to pop up of people using the gadget while driving, an act that clearly endangers the public, and rack up millions of views. Two of the most viewed videos feature people in Tesla vehicles, including a monstrous Cybertruck, which are…

Apple Vision Pro, a $3,500 mixed reality headset with strong “Google Glass 2.0” vibes, is now on sale, and it has already proved as divisive as its failed predecessor. On one side are the multitude of haters dismissing the bulky computer goggles as “stupid.” On the other is an army of tech influencers and Apple zealots who don’t mind looking stupid as long as they get to feel like the hero of a sci-fi movie (while racking up social media engagement). Any early adopter with this device strapped to their face is…

Mass Effect 2 is celebrating its 14-year anniversary today, January 26, 2024. Below, we look back at one of its strangest aspects, and how it set up a broader subplot that went almost entirely unexplored.The Suicide Mission of Mass Effect 2 is one of the all-time great climaxes of a video game. After tens of hours building relationships with a crew of characters you've recruited from all over the galaxy, you take them into a final battle where you have to make use of their specific skills and any missteps…