Entertainment
Angelina Jolie's Sexiest R-Rated Thriller Is A Violent, Wicked Romance
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
What do you get when you pair Angelina Jolie with one of the sexiest leading men in Hollywood? Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Brad Pitt, but that’s not her sexiest movie. Gone in 60 Seconds with Nicolas Cage is another good guess. The answer is 2001’s Original Sin with Antonio Banderas. A historical romance that would fit right in with today’s new wave of bodice rippers, this 19th-century bodice-ripper is currently streaming for free on Tubi.
Original Sin Is A Romance Novel Come To Life
Set in Cuba, Original Sin starts off as most historical romances do: Luis (Banderas), a rich landowner, wants a wife, and no one in Cuba will do. He’s been writing letters to Julia (Jolie), a young woman living in Delaware, who’s on her way to Cuba for their first face-to-face meeting. Julia looks nothing like the photos she sent, and Luis has also been lying about being a poor clerk. From the get-go, the two are madly in love with each other, even as they agree neither one is to be trusted. Luis thinks it’s a bit of a jest, not knowing that “Julia” is an imposter.
They get married that day, consummate the marriage that night, and the next morning. “Julia” soon gets access to all of Luis wealth as a sign of his trust as her plan comes to fruition. Until Detective Downs (Thomas Jane) arrives on the island, and now the early scene of “Julia” narrating the story to a priest from inside a prison cell starts to make sense. Thankfully, that’s only the start of Original Sin’s twisted love story.
The Best Historical Romance Of The 2000’s
There’s a reason romance is the most popular genre in every bookstore. Original Sin is 25 years old but the story it tells is timeless. Attractive people doing bad things to each other is the bedrock of Hollywood. Erotic thrillers, historical romance, those films have mainly migrated to streamers with most of the sex scenes stripped out. Original Sin is from long before that trend started, and yet, both Banderas and Jolie look stunning in their period garb both in and out of the bedroom. Unlike other thrillers, this book adaptation, based on the 1947 Cornell Woolrich novel, Waltz into Darkness, remembered to make the story and characters as appealing as the stars themselves.
The problem with Original Sin is that everyone is playing their roles with all the subtly of a soap opera, which led critics and viewers at the time to rip it apart with negative reviews. Critics went after the dialogue and the plot for being unbelievable, likely because they hadn’t opened up a romance novel in decades. A bodice ripper, an erotic thriller, a historical romance, Original Sin is all three of them, and fans of all of those want the type of wild fantasy romance that lets them get swept up and carried away.
Original Sin isn’t the best movie for either Antonio Banderas or Angelina Jolie. Those are Mask of Zorro and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, respectively, but among their thrillers, it’s untouched. Every single campy trope you’d want is found in its under two-hour runtime. There’s nothing wrong with turning off your brain and enjoying gorgeous stars acting out a telenovela against the beautiful backdrop of 19th-century Cuba, and thanks to Tubi, it’s a free experience.
Entertainment
Cordless power tool deals are already live at Amazon before Prime Day starts
Best early Prime Day deals on cordless power tools:
Summer is the ideal time to tackle home DIY projects. The paint will dry quicker, there’s more hours of daylight, and maybe some friends around to help out. If you have a list of home and yard projects to take care of this summer, make sure you have the necessary tools. Nothing sidelines a weekend project quite like realizing you need to run to the hardware store.
Lucky for us, early Amazon Prime Day deals already have great discounts on cordless power tools. Of course, we expect to see more as we get closer to the June 23 official start of the sale. But for now, here are the top deals worth shopping.
Best DeWalt deal
$169
at Amazon
$249
Save $80
Why we like it
Perfect for anyone building a new tool collection, the DeWalt 20V MAX Cordless Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit is on sale for $80 off before Prime Day. The kit comes with the 20V compact drill/driver, 20V impact driver, two 20V batteries, a battery charger, and a durable carrying case. Both tools have a built-in LED light so you’ll get a better view for optimal accuracy. The comfort grip with ergonomic design is also a major plus.
Best Craftsman deal
$299
at Amazon
$369
Save $70
Why we like it
Packing in seven tools, the Craftsman V20 Power Tool Combo Kit is an upgraded starter pack. It comes with a drill/driver, oscillating tool, impact driver, grinder, reciprocating saw, circular saw, and even more. You also get two 20V batteries and a battery charger.
Before Prime Day kicks off, the Craftsman Power Tool Combo Kit is on sale for $229, down from the normal price of $369.
Mashable Deals
Best Hoto deal
$79.99
at Amazon
$99.99
Save $20
Why we like it
Hoto makes some excellent cordless tools that are useful to have around any home, even if you’re not taking on DIY projects soon. The Hoto SNAPBLOQ S-A01 3.7V Electric Screwdriver is the perfect example given that it comes with 56 bits to cover every possible scenario. It also has three torque settings and an LED light. Use it to repair your glasses or sunglasses, get access to tiny screws in a watch or your laptop, while still having access to more standard bits.
Hoto says you’ll get about 60 minutes of runtime before the cordless electric screwdriver needs to recharge its 800 mAh battery.
More cordless tool deals to shop before Prime Day
Entertainment
The Decade's Funniest Sci-Fi Series Is Finally Complete On Netflix
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Comedy is hard to do right. Science fiction is hard to do right. A sci-fi comedy is nearly impossible. That’s what makes Resident Alien one of the best series of the decade. It’s a funny, well-written sci-fi comedy allowed to tell a complete story from beginning to end. After originally airing on SyFy, the series went to Netflix, and now, the final season has arrived for you to easily binge Alan Tudyk’s greatest performance.
The Perfect Role For Alan Tudyk
Tuidyk plays “Harry Vanderspeigle,” or rather, the alien with a name humans can’t pronounce, impersonating the town doctor (also played by Alan Tudyk in flashbacks), whom he accidentally killed when landing in Patience, Colorado. Harry learns medicine by watching Law & Order, and slowly picks up on human emotions, customs, and social cues as the series goes on, all to further his mission to exterminate the human race. Early on, he realizes that a young boy, Judah, can see his true alien form. He tries to exterminate the witness, but fails, and ends up befriending him instead. Be a different series if the bone saw had worked.
The first few episodes have the other residents of Patience playing the straight man to Harry’s quasi-murderous antics, before Resident Alien finds its groove and settles in. As the seasons go on, Harry finds an ally in Judah’s mom, Asta (Sara Tomko), and a new enemy when the government moves into Patience, which, as with Stranger Things, is represented by Linda Hamilton as a no-nonsense extraterrestrial hunting General. Hamilton isn’t the only sci-fi cameo. Resident Alien is filled with familiar names and faces having the time of their life on the show.
Alan Tudyk’s Firefly co-stars, Nathan Fillion and Jewel Staite, turn up as a telepathic octopus and an FBI Agent respectively. Clancy Brown, Terry O’Quinn, George Takei, and Stephen Root all drop by while behind the camera, Star Trek Voyager’s Robert Duncan McNeill is often directing the big episode of the season. When the star of the show is one of the most beloved performers in Hollywood, it’s easy to get everyone to show up.
Resident Alien Is The Decade’s Best Sci-Fi Series
Resident Alien is an absolute blast of a series. It’s a throwback to the old SyFy slate of Eureka and Warehouse 13, and the only show this decade to nail that vibe. It took a while to catch on. Season 1 flew under the radar with barely a million viewers for each episode. Once it was available on streaming, it became a social media hit, and viewership boomed. Now that it’s complete on Netflix, expect it to again experience a new surge in popularity.
There’s a lesson to be learned here by studios about producing original sci-fi, or well, almost original, since it does adapt the comic book series by Peter Hogan and Steven Parkhouse, and then giving them room to grow, develop, and find their audience. Too often, sci-fi shows are canceled after one season before anyone even knows how great it is. Resident Alien did everything right, barely survived for four seasons, and is now going to be your new favorite series
Entertainment
The best early Prime Day air fryer deals you can shop right now
Best early Prime Day air fryer deals at a glance:
Prime Day is almost here — and Amazon isn’t waiting for the official start to roll out discounts. This year’s sale kicks off on June 23, but early deals on small kitchen appliances are already live, and air fryers are among the standouts.
Whether you’re after a compact basket-style fryer for weeknight meals or a larger oven model that can roast a whole chicken, brands like Ninja, Instant Pot, and Chefman are already seeing price cuts. Here are the best early Prime Day air fryer deals worth grabbing now.
Mashable Trend Report
Best mini air fryer deal
$64.99
at Amazon
$129.99
Save $65.00
Why we like it
If you live alone, like making apps or quick side dishes, or just want an air fryer that won’t take up your entire counter, the Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Mini Air Fryer (4QT) is on sale for $64.99 at Amazon, down from $129.99. This little air fryer can bake, roast, broil, dehydrate, reheat, and air fry small meals in minutes. Just press the preset button, and it does the rest.
Best large air fryer deal
$89.99
at Amazon
$149.99
Save $60.00
Why we like it
For households with more mouths to feed, the Chefman XL 6-in-1 Air Fryer (14QT) can make family-sized meals in no time. (There’s also a Hi-Fry button for those who prefer an extra crispy finish.) It comes with three removable wire racks, a rotisserie spit, a fetch tool to remove the rotisserie, and a dip tray/baking pan. And right now, you can get it for $89.99 — the lowest price we’ve tracked on this model to date!
More air fryer deals
Topics
Kitchen
Air Fryers
Cordless power tool deals are already live at Amazon before Prime Day starts
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