Entertainment
Christina Ricci’s Paranoid, R-Rated Thriller Brainwashes You In Your Own Home
By Robert Scucci
| Published
2018’s Distorted, starring Christina Ricci and John Cusack, has an 18 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. As somebody who genuinely loves bad movies, I had to check it out. What really caught my eye, though, was the 74 percent Popcornmeter score supported by over 500 ratings, suggesting this low-budget flop might actually be better than critics would have you believe. My takeaway is that it’s a pretty run-of-the-mill, boilerplate psychological thriller. It’s adequately acted, shot well, and sells its paranoid premise like any other film cut from the same cloth.
The screenplay, on the other hand, doesn’t do the film any favors. Cusack and Ricci play off each other tremendously, and there’s a lot to be said about their on-screen chemistry as they unpack a conspiracy involving a suspicious luxury apartment, subliminal mind control, and mental illness. It’s a great concept with solid production values, and everybody on screen is doing what they can with the material. But it also feels like they were working from a first draft that wasn’t fully realized before going into production.
When Bipolar Paranoia Becomes Justified
Like most second-rate psychological thrillers, our unreliable female protagonist has to have some sort of mental illness. Lauren Curran (Christina Ricci) suffers from bipolar disorder, which concerns her husband, Russel (Brendan Fletcher). Since Russel is a successful businessman, though you never actually see him working, he decides they need to move out of the city and into a futuristic apartment complex off the beaten path. These smart homes are everything you could possibly want, with top-notch amenities and security, which is especially important to Lauren because an earlier home invasion resulted in the death of their child, rightfully triggering her illness.
Right away, nothing is as it seems in Distorted. Lauren, and only Lauren, hears strange buzzing noises and sees odd images on her television screen. When she checks the CCTV feeds she can access through her iPad, she witnesses other tenants behaving strangely. Her paranoia is fully primed after speaking with a resident named Phillip Starks (Vicellous Reon Shannon), who works in consumer psychology and talks endlessly about subliminal messaging.
When Lauren expresses her concerns to Russel, they’re written off as bipolar delusions, making him question her mental state. Of course, there are plenty of shots of Lauren staring down a pill bottle, likely Lithium, as if taking an extra dose or skipping one would send her into a psychotic break, which isn’t really how that works. Her suspicions, however, are validated by John Cusack’s Vernon Sarsfield, a journalist, hacker, and conspiracy theorist who’s been keeping tabs on her apartment building for his own reasons.
In so many words, Lauren isn’t paranoid. Vernon is about to expose a massive subliminal mind control conspiracy that’s using her and her fellow residents as human test subjects, and he needs her help to dismantle it before it’s too late. Meanwhile, Russel tries checking her into a psychiatric hospital because, to his credit, Lauren has had episodes like this before, and he’s not seeing what she sees.
You Get What You Get
Though Distorted tries hard to play with the “unreliable female protagonist with a mental illness” setup, it doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. Christina Ricci does an excellent job acting terrified when the moment calls for it, and Cusack delivers at a high level as well, but the story is structured in a way that makes any seasoned psychological thriller fan immediately clock what’s going on. You’re not left wondering if Lauren is crazy. You’re thinking, yeah, something weird is happening here, and she will eventually be vindicated.
Because of this, there’s no real tension. Lauren’s “hallucinations” are visually interesting, but I never bought them as hallucinations. It’s obvious she’s being manipulated, and picking up on that early completely shatters the illusion Distorted is trying to sell.
My experience watching Distorted is one of those rare instances where the critic versus audience split actually favors the critics. I wouldn’t call it 18 percent bad because it’s shot and acted well, and it has enough striking visuals to keep things engaging. But the story is both sloppy and obvious, which is a death sentence for any psychological thriller.
If you’re a fan of the talent involved, it’s worth a watch, but it’s not going to rock your world. It’s still way better than The Glass House, though.
As of this writing, Distorted is streaming on Netflix.
Entertainment
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on May 31
It’s the Full Moon tonight, and the second this month. This means it is a monthly Blue Moon, which occurs roughly every two or three years.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Sunday, May 31, the Moon phase is Full Moon. Tonight, 100% of the moon will be be lit up, according to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide.
Tonight, with just your naked eye, you’ll be able to spot the Mare Vaporum, Copernicus Crater, and the Tycho Crater. If you have binoculars you’ll also be able to catch a glimpse of the Grimaldi Basin, Posidonus Crater, and the Alphonsus Crater. Finally, if you really want to see more, a telescope will help you see the Apollo 14 landing spot, the Linne Crater, and the Caucasus Mountains.
When is the next Full Moon?
The next Full Moon will take place on June 29.
What are Moon phases?
According to NASA, the Moon takes around 29.5 days to orbit Earth, passing through a repeating pattern of eight distinct phases. Although the same side of the Moon always faces Earth, the portion illuminated by the Sun changes as it moves around the planet. This is what creates the different shapes we see in the night sky, from thin crescents to half Moons and the full Moon. Together, these phases form the lunar cycle:
New Moon – The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).
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Waxing Crescent – A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter – Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.
Waxing Gibbous – More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon – The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous – The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) – Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent – A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
Entertainment
How to watch Germany vs. Finland online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Germany vs. Finland in a 2026 International Friendly for free on ZDF. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Preparation time is almost over. The 2026 World Cup kicks off next month, meaning participating sides need to build momentum and gain clarity on their best 11. That’s the situation Germany find themselves in as they face off against Finland — it’s all about coming into this summer’s tournament with confidence.
If you want to watch Germany vs. Finland in a 2026 International Friendly for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Germany vs. Finland?
Germany vs. Finland kicks off at 2:45 p.m. ET on May 31. This fixture takes place at the MEWA Arena.
How to watch Germany vs. Finland for free
Germany vs. Finland is available to live stream for free on ZDF.
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ZDF is geo-restricted to Germany, but anyone can access this free streaming service with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Germany, meaning you can access free live streams on ZDF from anywhere in the world.
Lve stream Germany vs. Finland for free by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in Germany
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Visit ZDF
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Stream Germany vs. Finland for free from anywhere in the world
$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Germany vs. Finland without actually spending anything. This clearly isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select games before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you’ll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for ZDF?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ZDF, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries including Germany
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
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Fast connection speeds free from throttling
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Up to eight simultaneous connections
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30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Germany vs. Finland for free with ExpressVPN.
Entertainment
Until May 31, get Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT for life for $70
TL;DR: 1min.AI gives you lifetime access to AI models like GPT, Claude, and Gemini, but instead of charging you every month, it’s only $70 for life if you buy before May 31 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Most AI tools do one thing well. The problem is that most workflows need more than one thing, and paying separately for a writing tool, an image editor, an audio platform, and a video tool adds up to a lot of monthly bills fast. 1min.AI new all-in-one AI platform that gives you access to the same popular AI models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, but instead of paying for them every month, you can get them all for life for $69.97 (reg. $540).
1min.AI gives you access to a wide range of AI models so you’re not locked into one tool’s strengths or blind spots. On the writing side, you’ll get access to AI for blog generation, keyword research, rewriting, summarizing, paraphrasing, grammar checking, and social media comment generation across LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
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Image tools go well beyond a basic generator, with editing and manipulation capabilities that cover tasks even a professional designer would reach for a separate app to do. Audio handles voice, music, and translation work. Video covers both creation and editing, including tools specifically for YouTube content. Documents can be chatted with, translated, or turned into presentations without leaving the platform.
The Advanced Business Plan includes 4,000,000 credits per month, which works out to roughly 1,112,500 words, 1,186 images, or 37 videos monthly. On top of that, you can earn up to 450,000 additional free credits per month through daily logins, reviews, and referrals, and those credits never expire.
Stop paying every month for apps you can get for life.
Mashable Deals
Through May 31, it’s only $69.97 to get a 1min.AI advanced Business Plan.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
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