Maria Bäck on ‘Brave New Love,’ Her Provocative Take on Motherhood, Desire and Modern Romance
Swedish-Danish writer-director Maria Bäck (I Remember When I Die, Psychosis in Stockholm) likes to push the envelope. With her new feature, Brave New Love, she invites us to talk about love, relationships and desire — but not within the tidy bounds of what’s considered “normal” or “right.”
Phoebe Bridgers Makes Up for Lost Time on Her Long-Awaited New Album
Album Review
After a six-year break between solo projects, the songwriter returns with Lost Weekend, a spectacular song cycle on love and loss
“Let’s go missing,” Phoebe Bridgers declares on Lost Weekend. That’s exactly what she did, more or less, immediately after ascending to a new level of stardom in 2023 with boygenius, her indie-rock supergroup, alongside Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker. At the 2024 Grammys, where Bridgers won more awards than any other artist, she described her upcoming plans on the red carpet: “Now, we walk into the sunset,” she said.
LISTEN: National Comedy Center’s Journey Gunderson on Preserving Humor as History
On today’s episode of “Daily Variety” podcast, Journey Gunderson, executive director of the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, N.Y., explains why it’s important to have an institution devoted to the study of comedy. Jamestown, which is the hometown of Lucille Ball, will be abuzz with laughs as the center hosts the annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival Aug. 7-9, headlined by Jerry Seinfeld, Bert Kreischer and Seth Meyers.
One Fan's Compelling Spider-Man Theory May Change How You See Brand New Day's Ending
Updated
: Aug 4, 2026 11:04pm UTC
This article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. You've been warned.
A new Spider-Man: Brand New Day fan theory may help explain the ending of the film.
DJI's Latest Osmo Action 6 8K Video Camera Drops to $308 During the AliExpress Back to School Sale While Everyone Else Still Has It for $439
DJI's newest and best action camera just got a humongous discount. AliExpress via FlyingFlightStore is offering the capable DJI Osmo Action 6 8K Camera (Standard Combo) for a low, low price of $308.23 with free shipping after you apply $40 off coupon code "USSR40". This camera sells for $439 everywhere else, including Amazon. This diminutive waterproof action cam features a new 1:1.1 sensor and can record up to 8K video (or 4K @ 120fps).
‘Soulm8te’ Director Kate Dolan on Her Twisty Journey After ‘M3GAN 2.0’ and What That Ending Could Mean
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[This story contains spoilers from Soulm8te.]
Four years ago, Blumhouse struck gold with M3GAN, the story of a roboticist who creates an AI-powered doll to serve as a companion for her niece after the child loses her parents. The horror-comedy became a breakout hit with critics and audiences, grossing $180 million worldwide on a $12 million budget.
Halo: Campaign Evolved Reportedly Had a Troubled Development That Caused Multiplayer Project to Get Canceled
Updated
: Aug 4, 2026 10:16pm UTC
A new report suggests that Halo: Campaign Evolved had a fairly troubled development.
According to Rebs Gaming, a popular Halo insider whose reporting journalists have corroborated in the past, the recent Halo remake underwent major changes during its development. Halo Studios works with a bevy of external teams and contractors, something that may have led to issues during Campaign Evolved's development. A studio known as Abstraction was recruited around 2023 to help modify the original game's work and make it compatible with a new engine and new features.
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Star Jacob Batalon Talks the Ending, Spidey Tracker and the Scene That Shut Down Filming
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[This story contains major spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.]
With their concluding dap in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Jacob Batalon and Tom Holland have joined Predator’s Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers in the pantheon of cinema’s most iconic handshakes.
Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss on the Friendship Driving ‘Elektra/Persona’ at London’s National Theatre: ‘There’s a Lot of Masking and Unmasking’
“Elektra/Persona,” the U.K. National Theatre production fusing Sophocles’ “Elektra” with Ingmar Bergman’s “Persona,” grew out of friendship rather than a directorial concept imposed after casting, according to director Benedict Andrews.
‘The Odyssey’ Star Samantha Morton ‘Hasn’t Worked for a Year’ After Making Nolan’s Epic Because ‘I’m 49’ Years Old and ‘There’s Other Good Actors Out There’
Samantha Morton revealed on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast that she has been out of acting work for an entire year since wrapping production on Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” in 2025. The two-time Oscar nominee attributed her age as the reason why.