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
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 19, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you have a sweet tooth.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Lippy
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Green: Gowns
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Blue: Played in Vegas
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Purple: Sweet treats
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Cheeky
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Green: Dress measurements
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Blue: Cards in Texas Hold ‘Em
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Purple: Last words of candy brands in the singular
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections #1043 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Cheeky: ARCH, FRESH, SASSY, WISE
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Dress measurements: BUST, HIPS, LENGTH, WAIST
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Cards in Texas Hold ‘Em: FLOP, HOLE, RIVER, TURN
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Last words of candy brands in the singular: CAP, DUD, KID, MINT
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for April 19, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re constantly changing.
Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme linking every solution, along with the “spangram,” a special, word or phrase that sums up that day’s theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you’re feeling stuck or just don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Small change
The words are related to changes.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe fine-tuning.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is There I Fixed It.
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NYT Strands word list for April 19
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There I Fixed It
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Adjust
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Modify
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Alter
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Improve
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Tweak
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Refine
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page has more hints, and if you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 19, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you can never sit down.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
To rise.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
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Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
STAND
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
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