Entertainment
Chris Pine's R-Rated Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Proves Friendship Can Be Deadly
By Robert Scucci
| Published
While I’m not necessarily wishing for an upcoming global apocalypse, I think if I had no other choice but to go with the flow, it could be kind of fun. Stealing a couple of road sodas from the gas station, loading the car up with my best friends, and stopping at the driving range to blast out some windows with golf balls sounds like a great time until you remember all the other horrible stuff happening around you.
This exact setup is what you’ll experience with 2009’s Carriers, the Chris Pine-starring post-apocalyptic thriller that was released shortly after the actor’s breakout performance as James T. Kirk in Star Trek.
The Usual Setup And Exchanges
All the familiar post-apocalyptic beats are present in Carriers, and it genuinely feels like the United States is in the early stages of a pandemic-induced extinction event known as “The World Ender Virus.” We’re introduced to our world-weary protagonist, Brian (Chris Pine), who is immune to the infection and driving his girlfriend Bobby (Piper Perabo), brother Danny (Lou Taylor Pucci), and Danny’s friend Kate (Emily VanCamp) toward Turtle Beach. In Brian and Danny’s minds, their family’s old vacation home is the perfect place to lay low while the infection slowly runs its course. The area has been abandoned for years, which hopefully means it will remain untouched.
Along the way, we learn the precautions they take as they barrel down open roads toward their destination. They siphon gas from abandoned vehicles, but only before sanitizing every surface, including themselves, with bleach whenever the opportunity presents itself. The complications they face come in the form of other desperate survivors they encounter, including Frank (Christopher Meloni) and his infected daughter Jodie (Kiernan Shipka). It’s here that we see humanity pushed to its most extreme limits.
Frank is simply trying to get Jodie to a nearby high school after hearing reports of a possible cure, hoping to give his daughter a chance at survival. Against their better judgment, and after experiencing car trouble, the group decides to take the trip together. Brian, who is a dangerous combination of hopelessly nihilistic and living for kicks, warns everyone of the risks. He doesn’t mince words when he tells his friends that if they show any signs of infection, he will leave them on the side of the road without hesitation.
You Need Believable, Relatable Characters For This To Work
Despite its gritty, end-of-days aesthetic, Carriers struggles because none of its characters feel particularly relatable. Brian, who is clearly the leader of the group thanks to his immunity and willingness to get aggressive when necessary, doesn’t come across like a real person. His mood swings are erratic and hard to reconcile. As far as I can tell, the world hasn’t been like this for very long, yet his grip on reality already seems to be barely holding together.
He pivots from nonchalant to violent at the drop of a hat, and even the people closest to him don’t seem to know how to handle it. While I understand they’re living through unprecedented circumstances, your protagonist still needs to be at least somewhat likable. Instead, Brian comes off as disproportionately mean-spirited and self-serving, even during moments where he doesn’t need to be acting like that.
When the group finally finds a place to bunker down and regroup, they’re ambushed by survivalists who were already secretly occupying the same space. This should be the moment where Brian’s aggression and leadership actually matter. Instead, he immediately accepts that he’s outnumbered. He doesn’t mention that he’s immune, doesn’t suggest that he could be key to finding a cure, and doesn’t try to reason with anyone. After the fact, he takes his frustration out on his friends rather than taking control of the situation in any meaningful way, which feels completely at odds with how he was initially presented.
Great Vibe, But Ultimately Falls Flat
Carriers disappointed me because it shows so much promise early on, but its inability to pick a lane makes for a tonally inconsistent journey through the wasteland. There are lighthearted moments that play like an end-of-days comedy, where the group is fully in their element and making the best of a terrible situation. Unfortunately, that levity is almost immediately undercut by tension, violence, and dread.
The tonal whiplash kept pulling me out of the movie. Just as I started having fun, I was reminded that this isn’t supposed to be a fun experience. Then, when things finally get serious, the tension is quickly broken up by more comic relief, which creates the opposite problem. Films like The Dead Don’t Die manage to balance morbid subject matter with humor in a way that feels intentional. I was hoping Carriers would find a similar rhythm, but it never quite gets there.
The threat is real, and there’s potential for these characters to turn what may be their final road trip into something memorable. But if I’m being completely honest, I was relieved when this one ended for all of the reasons above.
Carriers is currently streaming on Paramount+.
Entertainment
Raunchiest Sitcom Of The 1980s Now Streaming Free
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
In 1987, Fox debuted Married…With Children, a subversive sitcom about the most dysfunctional family ever put onscreen. The show is filled with “how did they get away with that” jokes and, as an added bonus, happens to star two of the decade’s hottest actors. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a dime to experience these raunchy laughs for yourself, as Married…With Children is currently streaming for free on Tubi.
The basic premise of Married…With Children is that a slobby, schlubby shoe salesman is raising a family that includes a lazy wife, a ditzy daughter, and a dirtbag son. They get into various TV show shenanigans, but what sets this show apart is its dark humor and complete subversion of the family sitcom formula. Basically, this was a show as hilariously mean-spirited as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but it premiered back when the airwaves were dominated by more family-friendly fare like Who’s the Boss and Growing Pains.
A Shockingly Great Cast
The cast of Married…With Children includes David Faustino (best known outside of this show for his voice work on The Legend of Korra) as young Bud Bundy and breakout bombshell Christina Applegate (best known for Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead) as young Kelly Bundy. Katey Segal (best known for voicing Leela on Futurama) plays Peg Bundy, a stunning housewife who is despised by her husband. That husband is played to hapless perfection by Ed O’Neill, someone best known to younger sitcom fans for his long-running role as a perpetually-perplexed patriarch on Modern Family.
When Married…With Children came out, it was a smash with audiences looking for something other than another cookie-cutter sitcom about another overly perfect little family. The show’s comedy has also stood the test of time, and it currently has a 97 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While there are not enough professional reviews for the show to have a critical score (poor Al Bundy gets no respect), most of the critics who reviewed the show agree that it is perfectly cast and filled with writing as acidic as it is infectiously hilarious.
Everyone Fell In Love With TV’s Crankiest Husband
It’s almost impossible to overstate what a monster hit Married…With Children really was. To this day, it is the longest-running sitcom ever aired on Fox, and at 11 seasons and 259 episodes, it’s also one of the longest-running sitcoms in television history. Whether you’re an old fan looking for some comedy comfort food or a new fan looking for a few dark laughs, this is the dirty, binge-friendly pleasure you’ve been looking for.
As an ‘80s kid, I watched Married…With Children at a young age, and if I’m being honest, I didn’t really process what was so subversive about its humor. All I really knew was that Kelly was hot, Peg was hotter, and Al’s cranky punchlines were funny. Returning to the show now as a family guy (complete with a Peter Griffin-like waistline), though, I find myself appreciating its dark humor now more than ever.
The Darkest Laughs The ’80s Had To Offer
You see, the central gag of Married…With Children is that Al Bundy has achieved the American dream: he has a steady job, a beautiful wife, two healthy kids, and a big house to raise them in. Nonetheless, he has inexplicably found that the dream has turned into a nightmare.
His customer service job offers endless abuse from the public, his children are idiots, and his wife has transformed henpecking into an art. All Al really wants to do at the end of a long day is disassociate and obsess about the good old days, which makes him an almost shockingly modern figure in the world of ‘80s television comedy.
Another way that Married…With Children was ahead of its time was how it focused on the comedy that can only come from dysfunctional and hilariously broken people. Seinfeld debuted two years later and became a cultural phenomenon, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (which debuted 18 years later) arguably perfected the formula of “jerks behaving badly.” Arguably, those other shows’ outsized success would have been impossible if Married…With Children hadn’t shown how hungry audiences were for an alternative to saccharine-sweet sitcoms.
The Original Doomer
In this way, Married…With Children is weirdly timeless: it still works well as a kind of antisitcom, and if you grew up watching ‘80s staples like Who’s the Boss, you’ll still laugh (and laugh hard) at how transgressively this show breaks all the rules. But if you’re a bit young for those vintage sitcoms, you’ll still enjoy the adventures of Al and Peg Bundy because they are of a piece with later cynical programming like It’s Always Sunny. Basically, Al Bundy is the original doomer, and whether you’re here to laugh at his jokes or ogle his wife, there’s a lot to love in this vintage sitcom.
Will you agree that Married…With Children is one of the best raunchy sitcoms in television history, or would you rather work in a shoe store than finish a single episode? The only way to find out is to run for the remote (go channel your glory days as a high school running back!) and stream it for free on Tubi. Come for the killer theme song and stay for the hottest ladies the ‘80s had to offer!
Entertainment
New Extremely Graphic, R-Rated Thriller Lets You Toot Your Own Death
By Chris Sawin
| Updated
In a nutshell, Whistle is about a group of high school kids terrorized by an Aztec death whistle. Originally thought to “summon the dead,” once someone is inclined to blow on this obviously very deadly, skull-shaped, probably doesn’t feel great to rub all over your lips, contraption, this whistle actually summons your death.
Directed by Corin Hardy (The Hallow) and written by Owen Egerton, Whistle dictates that your specific death is chasing you the moment you are born and is trying to catch up with you your entire life. Sometimes we die of old age, and sometimes we die young and far too soon, but blowing the whistle makes your future death find you in a matter of days. Death looks exactly like you and suffers from whatever you would have on your deathbed.
The Whistle Is Much Better Than It Should Be
Chrys (Dafne Keen) moves in with her cousin, Rel (Sky Wang), and starts at Pellington High, where she meets Grace (Ali Skovbye), her jock boyfriend, Dean (Jhaliel Swaby), and Grace’s friend, Ellie (Sophie Nelisse), whom Chrys likes. Hoping to blend in and forget her past, Chrys finds a whistle in her locker. After a shared detention, someone blows the whistle, and those who hear its piercing screech soon face death. Now, the survivors must uncover if they can escape the whistle’s deadly power.
There’s a strange art to Whistle; it shouldn’t be as good as it is. The film is a cliché high school drama, infused with the year’s bloodiest deaths so far. Chrys, being a lesbian, feels like a natural, non-stereotypical progression in the story. She’s gay and facing a world of trouble. That’s the main draw, aside from the Native American kazoo of death, massacring people for fun. The youth pastor-drug dealer-switchblade wielder isn’t essential, but horror films always find a use for such characters.
Chrys’s situation was already difficult before her introduction: she recently recovered from an overdose and her father’s death. Keen’s performance is withdrawn and hesitant, yet eager for normalcy. Chrys and Ellie are the film’s most grounded characters, likely explaining their attraction.
Yes, The Whistle Is Basically Final Destination
Whistle is not unlike any other horror film revolving around a cursed artifact; in fact, it’s incredibly similar. This is The Monkey with a different toy or Final Destination with a skull-faced instrument calling the shots. Whistle is Jumanji with fatalities and a little bit of The Frighteners just for good measure.
The film opens at a Pellington High basketball game. A player named Mason (Stephen Kalyn) is haunted by a burnt figure (I nicknamed him Crispy Carl) lurking in the bleachers. Mason noticeably freaks out during the game, but makes the game-winning shot. Not before the burnt figure, still smoking with embers glowing all over his body, lunges at him. Back in the locker room, Mason screams about it not being his time yet and takes the whistle out of his locker before smashing it on the ground. Later, thinking he’s cheated death, the burnt figure finds him in the shower and puts his burning arm down his throat. Mason’s teammates find him flailing about as his engulfed body burns to a crisp.
The Most Creative, Entertaining Horror Deaths In Years
The deaths in Whistle are super creative and among the most entertaining in a horror film in a long time. Some of them range from lung cancer to old age, but there are two deaths that are unbelievable. One involves drunk driving, and the other involves working at a sawmill, but what makes them special is that the causes are invisible.
You see the effect and know the cause, but since the death is instantaneous, it’s just this gruesome display that makes little sense to anyone not familiar with the whistle. The drunk driving death sees the victim get bent up and contorted while floating in the air, and it’s as nasty and memorable as it sounds. The saw mill death is more of a presentation as it sprays blood everywhere and leaves the victim in this crumpled, limbless ball.
Whistle‘s writing is standard and mediocre, typical of films about summoning death with percussion. However, horror fans will appreciate the creative deaths, solid acting, and an ending that leaves you wanting a sequel.
Whistle was released nationwide in theaters on February 6.
Entertainment
This high-performance LG UltraGear gaming monitor has hit a record-low price at Amazon — save over $200
TL;DR: The LG UltraGear 27-inch QHD IPS gaming monitor has dropped to just $226.99 at Amazon. That’s over $200 off its usual $449.99 list price and the lowest price we’ve seen for this model/
$226.99
at Amazon
$449.99
Save $223
LG has been continuing its surprising streak of major gaming monitor discounts, and this $200+ price cut is perfect for lovers of top-tier performance. As of Feb. 10, LG’s 27-inch UltraGear QHD IPS gaming monitor is down to $226.99, cutting its original price almost in half. At this price, you’re getting the best-ever price for this particular model (confirmed by price tracker camelcamelcamel) with specs typically reserved for far pricier displays.
First of all, the 27-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) IPS panel, with a standard 16:9 aspect ratio, offers a sweet spot for competitive gaming and everyday use. With the added IPS technology as well, you should ensure wide viewing angles and consistent color reproduction, alongside support for up to 95% DCI-P3 and VESA DisplayHDR 400 adds an extra layer of vibrancy to supported games and media.
Mashable Deals
As you’d expect from the UltraGear range, performance with the 27G640A-B SKU is another winner. A blistering 300Hz refresh rate paired with a 1ms (GtG) response time delivers ultra-smooth motion in fast-paced titles like Valorant or Call of Duty. NVIDIA G-Sync compatibility and AMD FreeSync Premium help keep gameplay tear-free across a wide range of PC setups.
Depending on what level of gamer you are — whether a casual or a competitive streamer on Twitch — connectivity is equally flexible, with HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and USB-C on board making it easy to slot into both modern PC and console setups. With full height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustments, it’s also built for long gaming sessions.
Mashable Deals
If you’re willing to invest a little more into OLED, the 240Hz UHD/OLED version of this monitor is also on sale at Amazon — at $300 off. Meanwhile, the QHD Acer Nitro is even cheaper at $199 on Amazon.
Raunchiest Sitcom Of The 1980s Now Streaming Free
The first signs of burnout are coming from the people who embrace AI the most
