Entertainment
Extremely R-Rated Thriller Is The Ultimate Body Transformation
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Midway through my viewing of 2012’s American Mary, I hit pause and preemptively jotted down a note saying, “There’s not a single moment in this movie in which I enjoyed myself or felt good about watching it.” If I’m being truthful, this one was hard to get through because as much as I love gore, I much prefer the kind that’s so over the top it stops feeling real. You don’t get any of that with American Mary, a film that introduces itself to your eyeballs through closeups of a raw turkey being dissected and sutured by an aspiring medical student.
Right off the rip, American Mary makes you uncomfortable through its visuals before zooming out and making you feel dumb for being so grossed out so soon. If you’ve ever watched an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, you know full well that playing Operation with a piece of poultry is actually an effective way for surgical residents to fine-tune their skillset at home in a way that’s affordable and makes post-practice dinner options a no-brainer.
That’s all well and good, but as soon as American Mary gives you a brief moment of comfort, it escalates into the type of body horror bloodbath that will have you rattling off a litany of questions to any medical professional before going under the knife for even the most routine of surgeries.
From Medical Student To Bloody Mary
American Mary starts out as your typical underdog story, introducing Mary Mason (Katherine Isabelle) as a struggling medical student trying to get through school without any outside financial help. She’s clearly talented and takes her work seriously, but is constantly humbled and belittled by Dr. Alan Grant (David Lovgren), a professor who recognizes her potential while simultaneously pushing her to a breaking point.
Tight on cash, Mary seeks out her strip club owning friend Billy (Antonio Cupo), hoping to land a job to keep herself afloat. It’s at this strip club where Mary is made an offer she can’t refuse. There’s a man bleeding out in the basement who needs immediate medical intervention, and Billy offers her $5,000 to stitch him up and keep her mouth shut.
The surgery is a success, which leads to a stripper named Beatress (Tristan Risk) tracking Mary down with another offer. Beatress is a soft-spoken woman who’s undergone extensive plastic surgery to resemble Betty Boop, has seemingly infinite financial resources at her disposal, and wants a consultation for an extensive procedure involving her acquaintance Ruby Realgirl (Paula Lindberg). Ruby’s request is simple. She wants every part of her body that can be gawked at sexually to be removed, effectively turning herself into a living Barbie doll.
Hard up for cash and on the verge of dropping out of medical school, Mary takes the job and decides to open up a body modification shop for clients looking to undergo similar or even more extreme surgeries under the radar. As Mary gains clout in the underground body modification circuit, she also gets revenge on Dr. Alan Grant, who assaulted her while she was still his student before her residency, by using his now mangled body as a means to practice surgeries the same way she once practiced on raw turkey earlier in the film.
The Most Profound Transformation Of All
Disgusting body modification surgeries aside, the real transformation that threw me for a loop in American Mary was Mary herself. While I was initially disturbed by the film’s gore, I eventually learned to accept it because that’s clearly the vibe the writer and directors, Jen and Sylvia Soska, were going for. One thing I’m far less forgiving about is how quickly Mary’s personality changes.
Since I’ve never been assaulted by a teacher while simultaneously considering dropping out of med school to join the black market surgery circuit, I can’t objectively say that her character evolution is outright wrong, but it certainly feels rushed. Mary starts out timid and reserved, and by the second act she’s an overconfident monster willing to put the knife to anyone with the wallet to pay for their questionable procedures. That includes amputations, mutilation, and in one instance, sewing two twins together.
The gore is fine. The character evolution is fine in theory too. But in my mind, it all happens so quickly that we never really get to sit with the interim phases Mary may have gone through to reach this point of no return. That missing connective tissue made it harder for me to fully buy into her transformation, even as the film doubled down on its increasingly extreme imagery.
All in all, American Mary is a solid body horror film, but one that ultimately fails to stick the landing due to these tonal inconsistencies. I can’t say I’ll ever watch it again, but fans of David and Brandon Cronenberg will likely get exactly what they’re looking for if top-notch gore and practical effects are their primary draw.
As of this writing, American Mary is streaming for free on Tubi.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for February 11, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re a snacker.
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: Crack and snack
The words are related to snacks.
Mashable Top Stories
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe small, crunchy snacks.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Go Nuts.
NYT Strands word list for February 11
-
Pecan
-
Filbert
-
Macadamia
-
Go Nuts
-
Cashew
-
Pistachio
-
Almond
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
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 11, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you’re head over heels.
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.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
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.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
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.
Mashable Top Stories
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:
-
Yellow: Infatuated
-
Green: Money in
-
Blue: Densely packed
-
Purple: Has wheels
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
-
Yellow: Act lovestruck
-
Green: Earnings
-
Blue: Compact mass
-
Purple: Roller ___
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 #976 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
-
Act lovestruck: MOON, PINE, SWOON, YEARN
-
Earnings: GAIN, NET, RETURN, YIELD
-
Compact mass: BLOCK, BRICK, CAKE, PUCK
-
Roller ___: BAG, COASTER, DERBY, RINK
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
Hey, maybe dont apologise for cheating in front of the entire world?
Winning your first individual Olympic medal is a moment worth celebrating. It’s a colossal achievement beyond most people’s wildest dreams. It is not, however, an opportunity to confess to cheating on someone and attempt to win them back in front of the entire world.
On Tuesday, Sturla Holm Lægreid won his first individual Olympic medal in the 20-kilometre individual biathlon in the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
Shortly after winning, Lægreid gave an interview to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, divulging that he had been unfaithful to his now ex-girlfriend and that he had told her one week ago. The confession exploded on social media and even the most cursory glances at the comments reveal that the internet is almost unanimously not on his side.
“Six months ago I met the love of my life — the most beautiful and kindest person in the world. Three months ago I made my biggest mistake and cheated on her,” Lægreid said, breaking down mid-confession.
“I had the gold medal in life, and I am sure there are many people who will see things differently, but I only have eyes for her,” he continued. “Sport has come second these last few days. Yes, I wish I could share this with her.”
Why share this very private information with the world, you may well be wondering? Lægreid later elaborated on his reasons for doing so in an interview with Norwegian newspaper VG.
“My only way to solve it is to tell everything and put everything on the table, and hope that she can still love me,” he said.
“I’ve done that for her, and now for the whole world. I have nothing to lose,” he added. “I want to be a good role model, but I have to admit when I make mistakes.”
Lægreid didn’t stop talking, though. In yet another interview, he said he had not received a response from his ex-girlfriend. “I haven’t got any reactions from the girl that I mentioned,” he said during an Olympic press conference. “I’m happy because maybe she hasn’t seen it, maybe she will see it at the right time. I hope I don’t make anything worse for her.”
Mashable Trend Report
“I hope there’s a happy ending in the end,” he said.
Firstly, she has almost certainly seen it. Secondly, there’s a high risk that going public in this way will make the situation worse for her. Thirdly, expressing the hope of a “happy ending” now puts additional pressure on his ex. And commenters are commenting.
“This is emotional manipulation packaged as a grand gesture,” reads one comment on the BBC Sport Instagram Reel of Lægreid’s follow-up interview. “The happy end is: she won’t forgive him!” declares one comment on the same post, which received over 15K likes. “If guilttripping were olympic, he’d win gold,” writes another commenter.
TikTokkers have started posting. Podcasters too.
“It’s hard to forgive. Even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world. I did not choose to be put in this position, and it hurts to have to be in it.”
The problem with televised declarations of remorse is that they expose the wronged party to the court of public opinion, a court that has already delivered its verdict. And yeah, it’s not looking good for Lægreid.
By opening this story up to the press and social media, Laegreid has invited further attention to the already painful situation. VG, for one press outlet, said it “has been in contact with Holm Lægreid’s former girlfriend. She wishes to remain anonymous in this matter, a request VG has accepted as she has not sought publicity regarding a private matter.” VG later reported that Lægreid’s former girlfriend had provided a written statement: “It’s hard to forgive. Even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world. I did not choose to be put in this position, and it hurts to have to be in it,” she wrote. “We have had contact and he is aware of my opinions on this.” When asked by VG, Lægreid declined to comment on her response.
Perhaps Lægreid thought this would come off as a romantic gesture to grovel for forgiveness at the expense of his own reputation. For all we know, he may have exhausted all other private options for communicating his remorse. I’ve heard tales of guys who’ve been blocked by all means of communication, so they resort to trying to contact their exes on Vinted or via transferring small sums of money (we’re talking pennies) over bank transfer along with the word “sorry” as the payment reference. These acts of desperation are almost always unwanted. And in many cases, they are intrusive and manipulative.
This private pain has now been turned into public internet fodder. But, what about the woman who might be sitting at home nursing a broken heart, who now has to deal with the additional pressure to react, respond, or even acknowledge his apology?
If this woman were to take him back, she would also face the judgement of large swaths of the internet which is currently imploring her to not give him another chance. Conversely, she may also be judged if she chooses not to respond further. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Whether he wanted to or not, Lægreid may have added to this woman’s pain and has placed her in a difficult, public position.
It’s only been a week since she learned of his betrayal and this woman could still be processing hurt feelings. Even if she were to take him back — heavy emphasis on the ‘if’ here — it would probably take a hell of a lot longer than one week for her to reach a point of even considering that.
Let the record state: it is perfectly acceptable — and dare-I-say advisable — to ignore this gesture. We all make mistakes in life and some of those inflict real emotional pain on people. But these are sensitive conversations which should happen in private, behind closed doors. You can’t force someone to forgive you. Send her an email instead. And if she doesn’t respond, you need to respect that silence.
Lægreid later released a statement expressing regret for his confession:
“I deeply regret that I brought up this personal story on what was a festive day for Norwegian biathlon. I am not quite myself today, and I am not thinking clearly,” he wrote in a statement published by VG.
“My apologies go to Johan-Olav, who deserved all the attention after the gold. It also goes to my ex-girlfriend, who involuntarily ended up in the media spotlight, I hope she is doing well. I can’t change this, but I will now put this behind me and focus on the Olympics. I will not answer any further questions about this.”
I hope that this woman has turned off her phone and gone to a spa with some supportive friends. It’s time to log off.
All-Star break timely for feisty Hornets, revamped Hawks
Alabama moves on without Charles Bediako, faces rival Ole Miss
