Entertainment
Edward Norton's Forgotten, R-Rated Comedy Thriller Is A Killer Case Of Mistaken Identity
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Not only do twins look and sound alike, it’s said they often act alike and even make similar life choices, regardless of how far apart their lives drift. 2009’s Leaves of Grass, starring Edward Norton in a dual role, pushes that idea to its most absurd extreme. When its long-awaited family reunion goes sideways almost immediately, the film spirals into a hazy comedy of errors that has no business being as funny, or as sharp, as it is.
Thanks to its extremely limited theatrical release, Leaves of Grass was a box office disaster, pulling in just over $1 million against a reported $9 million budget. Despite that blink-and-you-missed-it rollout, the film earned high praise from critics willing to give it a shot. Roger Ebert famously gave the Tim Blake Nelson film four out of four stars, calling it a “sweet, wacky masterpiece,” and it’s hard not to see his point. Norton fires on all cylinders, twice, and his ability to convincingly play off himself turns what could have been a gimmick into something genuinely engaging, especially if you’re a fan of his earlier work and somehow missed this one entirely.
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Leaves of Grass first introduces Bill Kincaid (Edward Norton) by putting his pristine life front and center. A respected professor of classical philosophy at Brown University, Bill is the definition of academic prestige. His published work has given him serious clout in his field, he’s articulate to a fault, and his female students openly adore him, which causes more problems than he seems prepared to deal with. Still, the point is clear. Bill has built his entire identity around intellect, discipline, and distance from the chaotic upbringing he left behind.
That distance becomes even more apparent once we meet his identical twin brother, Brady (Edward Norton, but a lot shaggier looking). Living in Oklahoma, Brady is every bit as intelligent as Bill, but he’s applied that intelligence in a very different direction. Instead of chasing degrees and tenure, he’s become a hydroponic farming savant with a thriving pot operation. Unfortunately, that operation was funded by local drug lord Pug Rothbaum (Richard Dreyfuss), and Brady’s profits haven’t yet caught up with his debts. He owes a dangerous amount of money to someone who is not known for patience, pushing Leaves of Grass’ conflict front and center.
After faking his own death, Brady has his business partner Rick Bolger (Tim Blake Nelson) call Bill to deliver the news at the worst possible moment. Bill is on the cusp of a major professional promotion and wants nothing to do with Brady, or with their mother Daisy (Susan Sarandon), whose fast-and-loose approach to life never provided him with anything resembling stability as a child. That instability is what pushed Bill into academia in the first place, determined to become the exact opposite of the family he grew up with.
Things truly kick off in Leaves of Grass once Bill learns why he was summoned home. Brady intends to violently confront Pug, but needs an airtight alibi for when things inevitably go south. Since Bill and Brady are identical twins, the plan is deceptively simple. Bill is to pose as Brady while visiting their mother at her retirement home, while Brady takes advantage of Bill’s public visibility to move freely while committing a string of illegal acts. During this wildly reckless setup, Bill catches the attention of Janet (Keri Russell), a writer and intellectual who just so happens to be one of Brady’s closest friends, while also checking every box someone like Bill would be drawn to in a romantic partner.
A Pitch Black Comedy Of Errors
Leaves of Grass works as well as it does because of how completely Edward Norton commits to both halves of the equation. Bill is rigid, cautious, and desperate to keep his past at arm’s length. Brady is impulsive, reckless, and brilliant in his own way, but disproportionately confident in his ability to outmaneuver the wrong people. Watching Bill get dragged back into his hometown’s criminal underbelly forces him to reconcile his polished, high-status life with the chaos he thought he’d permanently escaped.
One brother is too stoned on his own supply to ever make the right judgment call, and the other is too risk-averse to do what needs to be done when family is on the line. Norton’s heightened exchanges with himself land far better than expected because he understands the sibling dynamic and leans into it completely. The constant bickering between Bill and Brady feels eerily authentic, especially if you’ve grown up getting into trouble with your own siblings. They’re both functional adults at this point in their lives, but they’re still brothers, and they still tattle to their mother whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Leaves of Grass is one of those overlooked gems that deserves a second look for its escalating absurdity, its far-fetched yet oddly grounded story beats, and, most importantly, Edward Norton’s strange and compelling chemistry with Edward Norton. It’s an excellent example of rising chaos and sudden deescalation, anchored by characters who feel believable even when the circumstances spiral completely out of control.
Leaves of Grass is currently streaming for free on Tubi.
Entertainment
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on March 22
After several nights of near darkness, the Moon is finally illuminated enough that keen sky gazers can start to spot some features on the surface again. Keep reading to find out what you may be able to see tonight.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Sunday, March 22, the Moon phase is Waxing Crescent. According to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide, 14% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.
Tonight marks the return of enough of the Moon’s surface to see some exciting features. For example, without any visual aids NASA tells us you can spot the Mare Fecunditatis and the Mare Crisium. These are situated on the middle right of the moon, or middle left if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere.
With binoculars or a telescope, you’ll see these and also the Edymion Crater, positioned at the top right, or bottom left.
When is the next Full Moon?
In North America, the next Full Moon is predicted to take place on April 1.
What are Moon phases?
NASA says the Moon takes about 29.5 days to orbit Earth, going through eight different phases. We always see the same side, but the Sun lights up different portions as it moves, which is why it can look full, half, or just a thin sliver. These changing shapes are called the lunar phases, and there are eight in total:
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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).
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
This $430 MacBook Pro deal wont stick around for long — act fast to save
TL;DR: Get a near-mint Apple MacBook Pro (2020) for $429.97 (reg. $1,999) — featuring a Retina display, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD while stock lasts.
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MacBook Pros are known for their performance and build quality, but they’re also known for their price tags. That’s why refurbished deals can be worth paying attention to, especially when they involve higher-end models.
Right now, a near-mint Apple MacBook Pro (2020) is available for $429.97 (reg. $1,999) for a limited time. With Grade A refurbished condition, it arrives in like-new condition, while delivering the same performance the MacBook Pro line is known for.
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2GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz
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16GB RAM for smooth multitasking and demanding workloads
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13.3″ Retina display (2560×1600) with Apple’s True Tone technology
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Intel Iris Plus Graphics for creative work and streaming
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Touch Bar for shortcuts
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Touch ID fingerprint login
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Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports
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Up to 10 hours of battery life for working on the go
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Optimized for the latest macOS
If you’ve been waiting for a reasonably priced MacBook Pro, this refurbished 2020 model is on sale for just $429.97 (reg. $1,999) while stock lasts.
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Want to see more deals? Visit the shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply.
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Entertainment
6 AdultFriendFinder features other hookup sites lack
For 30 years now, AdultFriendFinder has quietly positioned itself as the internet’s premier adult dating site and a go-to destination for singles chasing casual flings and hookups. Their success hasn’t been an accident. They’ve stayed on top of the game, and even survived the emergence of dating apps, by forging a unique identity to help them stand out in an incredibly crowded and competitive field.
If you’re looking to let your freak flag fly, AFF offers you the greatest variety of ways to do it — here are six features AdultFriendFinder has that you won’t find on any other dating site.
Credit: AdultFriendFinder
Naked content
One of the first things you’ll discover after creating an AFF account is that the site doesn’t shy away from hosting nudity, nor is it hard to come by. In fact, it’s extremely common for people’s profile photos to contain genitalia or full-frontal nudity rather than the typical headshot you’re likely to find on most other dating sites.
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AdultFriendFinder
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Tinder
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Hinge
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popular choice for regular meetups
The nudity isn’t confined to photos, either. You can host videos on your profile, including explicit videos, and there are webcam feeds live at any given time that feature amateur and professional models in various states of undress.
If you find yourself distracted by all of the nudity or just want to browse the site in public without getting arrested, you can turn on the adult content filter by navigating to your profile settings in the top right of the screen, scrolling down to Content Filter and then selecting either No Nudity, Some Nudity or Everything (the default setting, naturally).
Live webcam feeds
There’s certainly no shortage of webcam sites on the internet, but it’s rare to find a dating site that hosts live webcam feeds, not only of professional models but also of regular men and women looking for connection.
Navigate to the Live Action menu at the top of your AFF window and choose between either Member Webcams or Pro Models. Once you’ve made this choice, you’ll be able to create even more specific search filters, including by gender (Men, Women or Trans), Nude or Non-Nude, and even by proximity to you.
The Looksmaxxing Glossary: Every term you need to understand the internet’s most unhinged subculture
One thing to note, however: while free members can view webcam feeds (including more than one at a time), only Gold members and above can actually chat with models.
Discussion forums, blogs, and group chats
Unlike traditional dating sites, which only seek to match people in one-on-one interactions, AdultFriendFinder encourages group dynamics, especially in their Community section. Here you’ll find not only personal blog posts by AFF users commenting on their experience, sharing stories or posting queries, but also group discussion boards organized around literally hundreds of interesting topics.
Many of these are sexual in nature (there’s a polyamory group, for example, and a “women who like older men” group), but many are organized around interests and hobbies, including politics, tech, travel, movies and music.
Mashable Trend Report
Best of all, you can participate in these communal discussions without having to subscribe to AFF’s Gold membership, which helps to keep these places more lively than they would otherwise be if only paying members could access these spaces.
Erotic stories
Fun fact: erotic fiction now accounts for approximately 25 percent of all fiction sold in the United States, so it’s hardly surprising that erotic writing (“literotica” for those in the know) would be a major draw. What is surprising, however, is how few online dating sites take advantage of it.
AdultFriendFinder members who wish to read or write sexy stories, real or imagined, can navigate to the Community menu and select Stories, where they’ll uncover a near-unlimited array of stories, novels, fan fiction and even erotic poetry.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can explore the stories at random, but AFF also deploys a clever tagging system that allows you to search by topic, with popular options including First Time, Sci-Fi, TSTV (trans and transvestite), and Voyeur.
Popular stories achieve higher ratings and greater on-site visibility, and popular authors can actually build a large following on the site, so whether you’re eager to read more erotic fiction or aspire to write some, AFF has you covered.
Contests
One of the more fun aspects of AdultFriendFinder is that it genuinely seeks to cultivate a sense of community and actively encourages its users to spend more time on the site, especially in the public-facing sections. Their on-site contests are a fantastic example of this in action.
About once a month, the site hosts a themed photo contest, asking members to submit photos and then allowing the rest of the site to vote on which submissions best reflect or embody the contest caption.
The most recent photo contest theme was “Velvet Secrets: Valentine’s Masquerade,” while prior contests include “Naughty & Nice” for the holidays and “Midnight Mischief.” Winners get a special badge they can display on their profile, as well as tons more profile visibility, so there’s a strong incentive to participate.
To enter, scroll to the Community menu and then find Contests at the very bottom of the options list. If there’s an active contest and you are logged in to your account, you’ll be given the option of participating.
Kink-based profile search
Every online dating site or app has a profile section, where you can fill out pertinent personal information such as your sexual orientation, level of education, and whatever hobbies, interests or special skills you have that might make you stand out from the crowd, but AdultFriendFinder takes things a step further by offering members the opportunity to list their kinks.
If you navigate to your profile name in the top right of your AFF screen and then select Dating Profile and Edit Profile, you’ll have the opportunity to add to your My Kinks section. Popular options here include BDSM, voyeurism and cross dressing, but the full list is far more extensive.
Best of all, these kink lists aren’t merely decorative. If you have a premium account, you can actually search out other members by their chosen kinks, allowing you to find the people in your area who like exhibitionism or have a foot fetish, for example.
There’s no shortage of online dating sites, and even no shortage of hookup-first sites, but when it comes to adult dating, AFF clearly separates itself from the competition with its wide array of kink-friendly features and accommodations.
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