Entertainment
Mind-Melting, R-Rated Sci-Fi Thriller Makes Every Decision Worse Than The Last
By Robert Scucci
| Published
I’ve been making a conscious effort to check out more foreign-language films because it’s interesting to see how other cultures play with the tropes I’ve grown bored with stateside. I made this decision after watching 2017’s Veronica and its prequel, 2023’s Sister Death, which both serve as perfectly terrifying Spanish-language analogs to The Conjuring film series while still doing enough of their own thing to make you want more. The worldbuilding is top-tier in the sense that the lore explained everything you needed to know, but not in such a heavy-handed way that it overstayed its welcome.
My search ultimately led me to another Spanish-language film, 2007’s Timecrimes, which follows similar logic to low-budget sci-fi thrillers from the US like Primer (2004), Coherence (2013), Empathy, Inc.(2018), and Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox (2024). All of these films are cut from the same cloth, but offer their own unique blends of existential dread in the face of free will and determinism, making you wonder who’s really in control of the situation. None of them offer clean answers either, which makes them perfect to revisit as you search for clues you may have missed the first time around.
Hector And His Duplicates
Timecrimes is a time-loop thriller where a man named Hector (Karra Elejalde) finds himself reliving the same few hours of his life on repeat, each time making matters worse for himself. His strange foray into the unknown begins while renovating his new house with his wife Clara (Candela Fernandez), who’s so busy unpacking and tending to the garden that she doesn’t initially realize anything is off.
When Hector sees a woman stripping naked in the nearby forest (Barbara Goenaga), he sets out to investigate. It’s not that he’s a peeping tom or anything creepy like that. He also notices somebody else in the woods and has reason to believe she might be in danger. After their first encounter, where he finds her nude, seemingly lifeless body, he runs off after spotting a strange man whose face is wrapped in bandages.
Fearing for his life, Hector runs toward a nearby building, where he communicates with a nameless scientist (Nacho Vigalondo) running a series of unsanctioned experiments over the weekend. The scientist stuffs Hector into what looks like a sensory deprivation tank but is actually a time machine. Hector emerges from the tank an hour earlier on the timeline and quickly realizes he may need to prevent the incident that led him to the building in order to restore some sense of balance.
The scientist, now referring to him as Hector 2, insists that he stay put and let the next hour play out as it originally did. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Hector 2 runs off and tries to intervene with the girl and the masked man, only to learn the man’s origins, which adds another layer of confusion. The cycle continues in Timecrimes with a third Hector materializing, and this time Hector 2 is certain that Clara is in danger. Not quite sure how badly things will unravel if he keeps interfering, Hector 2 takes his chances, and it’s all but guaranteed he’s not going to like what happens next.
A Low-Budget, High-Concept Thriller
Sharing the same DNA as the thrillers I mentioned earlier, Timecrimes stands on its own thanks to its willingness to trust the audience and let events unfold naturally. There are no heavy exposition dumps outside of the scientist laying out the most basic time travel logic we need to follow. Most of the suspense comes from Hector trying to recreate events to control the narrative, even as he realizes he has no real control over anyone’s actions, even if those actions are coming from slightly earlier versions of himself.
The amount of care Hector puts into not breaking the space-time continuum, even while suspecting that fate will play out the same way regardless, makes his journey all the more unnerving. There’s a lingering sense that he may have been stuck in this loop far longer than we realize, and we’re only witnessing one iteration of a much larger cycle. With that possibility in play, it becomes nearly impossible to pinpoint where the story truly begins, where it ends, or whether it’s meant to land on a clean conclusion at all.
As of this writing, Timecrimes is streaming for free on Tubi.
Entertainment
BookCon 2026: Authors Rachel Reid, Stephanie Archer talk hockey romance and how it could change the sport for the better
With the fervor of Heated Rivalry, there’s a fierce desire among book readers for even more hockey. On Sunday, April 19, at BookCon, the “You Had Me at Hockey: A Look at One of Sports Romance’s Hottest Genres”, authors Rachel Reid (Heated Rivalry, Game Changer), Emily Rath (Pucking Around), Ngozi Ukazu (Check Please), Stephanie Archer (The Wild Card), and Kate Cochrane (Wake Up, Nat & Darcy) were joined by moderator and fellow author Bal Khabra (Collide) to discuss the rise and continued success of hockey romance.
Khabra kicked off the panel, asking just how hockey became so popular. Ukazu joked that it was as if the genre “escaped containment,” like when the Omegaverse went mainstream, while Reid described the mystery around hockey, saying, “what [the players] are doing seems impossible.” Archer also added that the sport itself is exceptionally hard on the body, and the celebrity around players, especially in Canada, is fun to play with.
But there’s more to the genre’s success than the tropes. “It has to be said,” Rath argued, “that the cornerstone of why this is so popular in publishing is racism.” She went on to say that straight, white women’s voices dominated the romance genre for so long, pointing out that hockey is also the whitest sport. Among major league sports, the NHL is the most predominantly white. In 2022, ESPN reported that 83.6% of league players and staff were white, compared to the NFL, where 25-27% of players are white, or the NBA, where white players make up 17.5% of the league.
Mashable Top Stories
Zooming into the genre, the authors also spoke about the writing process. They dove into the deeper aspects of their work, even the smut. Rath said, “I think the least sexy thing you can ever do is write a sex scene.” A similar sentiment came up during Reid’s Saturday panel, where she described using the sex scenes to further the emotional arc. When readers ask authors if they can skip the spice, Archer says of her own books, “No, you can’t skip the sex scenes. You’re missing so much character development if you don’t go on the journey with them.”
The panel turned to the future, too. Many of the authors write BIPOC and queer representation into their novels, in a genre that often centers on whiteness and homophobia. “We’re writing the world as we want it to be,” Rath said.
Reid has found that there is progress toward a future that these authors and their readers want to see, saying that the NHL is interested in working with them. “People on the inside, they really want to work toward change and want to make this happen.”
With the hockey fandom at an all-time high, there’s a whole team behind these authors ready to drive change.
Entertainment
Save on gas (and everything else) with a $15 BJ’s membership
TL;DR: Score a one-year BJ’s membership for $15 (reg. $60) and save up to 20¢/gal. on gas through April 30 — just in time for spring shopping and road trips.
Credit: BJ’s Wholesale Club
The warmer weather tends to sneak up fast, and so do those grocery bills and gas receipts. A one-year membership to BJ’s Wholesale Club is one of those simple upgrades that can make everyday shopping feel a little more manageable.
You can currently grab a Club Card Membership with BJ’s Easy Renewal for just $15 (reg. $60) through April 30, which opens the door to savings across groceries, household essentials, and even your weekend cookout prep.
Mashable Deals
Let’s start with the obvious, though. Gas prices. Members already get everyday savings at BJ’s Gas, but during this promo window, you’ll get an extra 15¢ off per gallon stacked on top of the usual 5¢ discount — bringing your total to 20¢ off per gallon through April 30.
Inside the club, it’s all about stretching your dollar further. BJ’s is known for offering competitive pricing on national brands, plus a wide selection of fresh produce, meats, bakery items, and deli favorites. Whether you’re planning a backyard BBQ, stocking up for a party, or just trying to cut down on weekly grocery runs, buying in bulk can help simplify things.
Mashable Trend Report
There’s also something to be said for convenience. Fewer trips to the store, more options in one place, and access to seasonal items that make spring and summer feel extra special.
Get a one-year Club Card Membership with BJ’s Easy Renewal® for just $15 (reg. $60) and enjoy an extra 15¢ off per gallon at any of the 199 BJ’s gas stations through April 30.
Grabbing this deal? Build your cart to $100+ and score a lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2021 free with code GWP4MAC (for Mac) or GWP4WIND (for Windows) through April 19.
Gift with $100+ purchase promo ends April 19, 2026. Exclusions apply. Only one promo code applicable per order. Prices subject to change.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
This $43 bundle quietly upgrades your entire PC experience
TL;DR: This rare Microsoft bundle deal gives you a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows and Windows 11 Pro for only $42.97 (reg. $418.99) through May 17.
$42.97
$418.99
Save $376.02
Looking for an affordable way to make your old PC feel new again? If you don’t have the funds to buy a brand new computer, don’t worry. The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows lifetime license and Windows 11 Pro Bundle is the next best thing, offering your computer a total upgrade for only $42.97 through May 17.
Don’t count out your dusty old PC. This Microsoft bundle is here to give it a total facelift for less than $50. It kicks off with a lifetime license to some of the brand’s most popular tools — Microsoft Office, which you’ll pay for once and enjoy without any subscription fees.
Mashable Deals
You’ll get permanent access to a suite of eight helpful apps with Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows. It includes staples that have been around for decades, like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. You’ll also get newer favorites like Teams, OneNote, Access, and Publisher.
Once you’ve loaded the apps onto your device, you can upgrade your OS to Windows 11 Pro. It’s an operating system made for modern professionals, with tools that support your workflow. Enjoy a more powerful search experience, improved voice typing, a seamless interface, snap layouts, and much more.
You can rest easy knowing Windows 11 Pro takes your cybersecurity seriously. You’ll have biometric logins, encrypted authentication, and advanced antivirus defenses to keep your data secure.
Mashable Deals
Show your PC some love with the Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows and Windows 11 Pro bundle for only $42.97 (reg. $418.99) now until May 17.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
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