Entertainment
Invasive, R-Rated Netflix Thriller Will Infiltrate Your Safe Space And Destroy Your Life
By Robert Scucci
| Published
2020’s The Occupant, when you break it down, is essentially the Spanish-language answer to films like the 2019 Korean-language satire, Parasite. If you’re looking for an English-language variation on similar themes, you could also point to 1991’s The People Under the Stairs (1991) or Jordan Peele’s Us (2019). All of these films are about haves versus have nots, and the desperate, oftentimes insane measures people take when they feel like society has wronged them.
This is obviously a universal theme because this kind of push and pull transcends languages and cultures, which is why this particular subset of psychological thrillers can get under your skin so easily, especially if you don’t quite belong to either camp. I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck at a few different points in my life, but I’ve never gotten to the point where I’ve been evicted from my apartment and become obsessed with the new tenant who took my place like in The Occupant.
Watching films like The Occupant, I feel like a helpless spectator because I don’t belong to either world. I rent an apartment and have a crappy electric oven, which kind of sucks, but I’m also not going to sneak into a wealthy acquaintance’s house while he’s away so I can use his gas range and start seducing his wife either. Sitting on the sidelines, all you can do is hope that the film’s protagonist comes to his senses before he does something incredibly stupid.
Like Parasite, But Tells Its Own Story
Parasite tells the story of an impoverished family who slowly infiltrates a much wealthier household over the course of several weeks. One family member lands a tutoring job, and slowly refers the others for various odd jobs around the house. Over time, they essentially “move in” and live like wealthy people whenever the owners are out. It’s a horrifying look at how quickly desperation can spiral into entitlement once people start convincing themselves they deserve a lifestyle they never earned.
It’s also worth mentioning that Parasite is a dark comedy, meaning it has fun with its satire while pointing to larger systemic issues involving working-class families trying to get a fair shake in life. One of the film’s biggest subversions is that the wealthy family are not cartoon villains. They’re just wealthy people who don’t realize they’re being manipulated by people they trusted.
The Occupant, however, goes incredibly dark, and there’s nothing funny about what’s happening here. When we’re introduced to Javier Munoz (Javier Gutierrez), he’s selling his pristine luxury apartment after losing his executive job and realizing he can no longer afford to live there. He moves into an apartment he believes is beneath him with his wife Marga (Ruth Diaz) and son Dani (Christian Munoz). Instead of getting introspective or figuring out how to improve his situation, Javier becomes obsessed with the man who moved into his old home, Tomas (Mario Casas).
Tomas is, by all measures, a decent guy. He has a troubled past, but he’s also a recovered alcoholic doing his best to keep his life together. Javier learns this after sneaking into the apartment and finding Alcoholics Anonymous chips that track his sobriety milestones in Tomas’ desk drawer. Tomas is happily married to his wife Lara (Bruna Cusi), and together they have a daughter named Monica (Iris Vallés Torres). In Javier’s mind, this is the idyllic family he deserves to have for himself.
Now that Javier has Tomas in his crosshairs, as well as the completely irrational desire to move back into his old home, he gets to work sabotaging Tomas’ life. He starts attending Tomas’ AA meetings and shares fabricated stories about his own troubled past. Slowly, he gains Tomas’ trust, and the two become friends. While Tomas and his family are out for the day, Javier lets himself into the apartment and pretends he still lives there. As you’d expect, Javier’s behavior escalates, and he starts manipulating Tomas’ family into believing he’s a terrible person who can’t keep his vices in check.
As Javier gains the upper hand with Tomas’ family, his own personal life slowly falls apart, but he doesn’t care. He’s so obsessively fixated on becoming a have instead of a have-not that he turns into the absolute worst version of himself and eventually pushes himself past the point of no return.
A Slow Burn Procedural Thriller
One thing I really appreciated about The Occupant is how little room there is for ambiguity. Javier’s fall from grace feels inevitable from the start, but we still get to watch him escalate over time. Meanwhile, Tomas remains completely clueless to the fact that Javier is manipulating him every step of the way while he’s genuinely trying to be a good husband, father, and productive member of society. Tomas isn’t perfect, but he doesn’t deserve what Javier is doing to him.
Javier can’t see things that way, though. In his mind, he already “made it” and had the perfect life, only for it to be ripped away from him. Because of that, he views Tomas as an enemy who needs to be eliminated. Instead of looking inward and trying to rebuild his own life, he dedicates all of his energy toward destroying somebody else simply because they’re living the life he thinks should still belong to him. It’s terrifying how much time and effort he’s willing to spend sabotaging Tomas when he could have used that same energy to improve his own situation instead.
The Occupant is far from an easy watch, but it’s such an effective thriller because you keep waiting for Javier to stop, and he doubles down every single time. It creates the same feeling you get in a horror movie when somebody decides to investigate the creepy basement even though you already know there’s no coming back once they reach the bottom of the stairs.
It’s also terrifying to think about somebody secretly living in your home while you’re away at work all day. If you want to experience the fear of checking behind your shower curtain every time you walk into the bathroom, you can stream The Occupant on Netflix with an active subscription.
Entertainment
Steven Seagal’s Insane, R-Rated Sci-Fi Thriller Will Make You Wish The Bad Guys Win
By Robert Scucci
| Published
I love watching Steven Seagal movies. Under Siege (1992) is Die Hard on a boat, and it’s actually a great watch thanks to the supporting cast involved, especially Tommy Lee Jones. Hard to Kill (1990) is amazing because the most badass thing Seagal says in the entire film happens when he’s alone in his bedroom, muttering about taking the evil senator on his TV to the blood bank. And how could we talk about Steven Seagal without mentioning On Deadly Ground (1994), a cautionary tale about corporations destroying the environment that somehow involves Seagal, the good guy, blowing up half of Alaska?
At face value, these movies are tremendously entertaining, but not for the reasons you’d think. Most of the entertainment value comes from Seagal believing he’s a living, breathing legend, even though most of the fight scenes involve him talking tough, running awkwardly, and wiggling his hands around. But if you really want a Steven Seagal punisher that could double as a drinking game, it has to be 2006’s Attack Force.
And what would that drinking game be, you ask? Every time Seagal opens his mouth and it sounds like a Martin Sheen impersonator is dubbing over the dialogue, you take a sip of whatever you’ve got. Be warned: you’ll probably need your stomach pumped if you actually commit to this bit.
I Don’t Even Know What This Movie’s About
As of this writing, I’ve written 1,945 articles for this site, most of them movie reviews. Usually, I’ll knock out a quick summary, talk about the themes, break down intention versus execution, and figure out who the movie is actually for. Attack Force finally broke me. This movie isn’t about anything or for anyone, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t laugh my face off the entire time I watched it.
To the best of my understanding, Attack Force follows Steven Seagal’s Commander Marshall Lawson, who, as expected, suffers from a terminal case of “Damn, he’s good” syndrome. On this mission, however, a commander is only as good as his team, and his squad gets wiped out almost immediately by a stripper named Reina (Evelyne Armela O’Bami). Marshall, with help from his girlfriend Tia (Lisa Lovbrand), discovers that Reina murdered his team while high on a new party drug called CTX, which Tia co-developed alongside corrupt nightclub owner Aroon (Adam Croasdell).
Though Tia helped create CTX, she wants nothing to do with Aroon’s comically evil plan to taint Paris’ water supply with the drug because it turns anybody who takes it into a bloodthirsty maniac with an insatiable appetite for flesh, or something close to that. There’s a lot of dialogue about animal instincts and violent mammalian impulses, but none of it really clarifies anything. There are also reports that earlier versions of the film involved aliens, so who the hell knows what happened here?
Long story short, Steven Seagal wears these weird talon gloves that let him punch and slash people at the same time, a bunch of people die, and then the movie abruptly ends with zero explanation or closure. I’m trying to make it make sense, but I’m a writer, not a miracle worker.
It Gets Worse
The most insane thing about Attack Force is the sloppy overdubbing. Legend has it that there were so many rewrites after production wrapped that entire chunks of dialogue had to be replaced in post. The problem is nobody was available for reshoots, so a healthy percentage of Seagal’s lines were redubbed by a guy who sounds more like Martin Sheen than the actor he’s supposed to be portraying. We’re not talking about little touch-ups either. There are scenes where Seagal switches between two completely different voices within the same conversation. He’ll start speaking normally, the next few sentences are dubbed over, and then the exchange suddenly snaps back to his real voice like nothing happened.
To add insult to injury, the hand-to-hand combat sequences in this movie are ridiculous. Most of Seagal’s fighting at this point in his career involves him glaring intensely, waving his hands around like he’s performing interpretive dance, and relying on frantic camerawork to disguise the fact that a past-his-prime action star is basically doing the Macarena while people fling themselves across the room after running into him. I wish I was exaggerating, but if you watch Attack Force for any reason, I hope it’s to study these production disasters for the love of the game because the movie has absolutely nothing else going for it.
Attack Force may genuinely be the worst movie I’ve ever seen. I say this as somebody who once gave Buttcrack (1998) a five-star review. At least Buttcrack knows exactly what it is. It’s a bunch of people trying to make the dumbest movie imaginable and somehow landing a distribution deal in the process. I can respect that, and I do respect that. Attack Force, by all appearances, was a legitimate attempt at a sci-fi action thriller, but there’s barely any sci-fi, no thrills whatsoever, and action scenes that feel like they’re on life support waiting for somebody to pull the plug. I respect none of this.
As of this writing, you can stream Attack Force for free on Tubi. Seriously, don’t pay for this one.
Entertainment
Durobos Krono e-reader is the perfect palm-sized e-reader — and a great Kindle and Kobo alternative
Table of Contents
In my hunt for the best e-readers, I’ve been determined to find a great alternative to a Kindle or a Kobo. Don’t get me wrong, I love both of these e-readers and generally think they are the best e-readers you can buy, but I know there’s a hunger for variety in the e-reader community beyond the big two. I’ve tried Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Remarkable e-ink tablets, and Boox e-readers, but none of them have impressed me. But the Durobo Krono caught my eye at CES 2026.
I’ve often called an e-reader a library in your pocket, and the Durobo Krono is more than that. It’s a library, bookstore, notebook, and MP3 player all in one. But that’s a lot of promise in a palm-sized device. Luckily, it totally nails it. Here’s what you need to know about the Durobo Krono and why I named it the best open-source Android e-reader.
Durobo Krono e-reader: Our quick verdict
Have lots of different books on different apps? The Durobo Krono might just be for you.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
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Best for: The person with books in multiple apps — Kindle, Kobo, Audible, Libro.fm, and Libby. Plus, great for the person who likes to listen to audiobooks and read at the same time, and people seeking an on-the-go voice notetaker.
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Key tech: 6.13-inch Carta 1200 e-ink display, 128GB of storage, 6GB RAM, 300 ppi resolution, adjustable warmth and brightness, octa-core processor, and Android 15 OS.
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MSRP: $279.99
Your entire digital library on one device
Access your Kindle library from the Durobo Krono.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
I find myself in a unique conundrum as an e-reader tester: I have collections of books across many different e-reader platforms. While I could just get used to cycling through different e-readers regularly, that’s a lot to keep track of. The dream is to have them all on one device, and the Durobo Krono is that dream realized.
Running Android 15, the Google Play Store comes preinstalled on the Krono, so any app available in the store is available on the e-ink tablet. Suddenly, all the apps I use regularly from Audible, Kindle, Kobo Books, Libby, and Libro.fm are now on my Durobo Krono.
The apps appear on a separate page from Krono’s built-in library, so you will need to navigate between them. A small price to pay for the convenience of accessing them from one device.
Technically, you could get this convenience from a tablet, too. Except an iPad doesn’t have the matte, easy-on-the-eyes e-ink display that the Krono does.
Since it’s an Android device, Apple apps (like Apple Music and Apple Books) aren’t available, so as an Apple Music listener, I couldn’t use the device as a music player.
It’s fast — until it’s not
In my testing, I find open Android e-readers to be too slow, especially compared to Kindles and Kobos, which are zippy e-readers. The Boox Go and Boox Palma 2, similar devices to the Durobo Krono, have both had disappointing performance, even right out of the box. Yet, the Durobo Krono is brilliantly speedy. Even when moving between different books on different apps, I was impressed by how quickly it sped through them.
Its speed is conditional. Too many apps, or more demanding apps, will slow down the device. After a week of use, I added the Substack app to the Krono, which was too demanding for it. Even when I wasn’t using the app, it slowed down the whole device. Once I deleted the app, it sped back up.
Other demanding apps I found were audiobook players like Audible. I especially noticed this when listening to an audiobook while reading an e-book on a separate app. It’s disappointing that two apps geared toward readers slowed down an e-reader device. For the best performance on the Krono, use one app at a time and avoid high-demanding apps.
A perfect palm-sized e-reader
The Durobo Krono is perfectly palm-sized.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
The Durobo Krono has a 6.13-inch screen, slightly bigger than the basic Kindle‘s, but the entire device is narrower than the Kindle. It’s about the same size as my hand and weighs 6.1 ounces. The small size makes it comfortable to hold for hours at a time — especially if you add a PopSockets grip on the back as I did. But that doesn’t make the screen size feel cramped either.
It needs better battery life
When you’re used to the months-long battery life of a Kindle, it’s a hard adjustment to go to an e-reader with significantly less. With a couple of hours of use per day, the Durobo Krono e-readers have about one week of battery life. Compared to a smartphone or tablet, that’s pretty good, but when you’re coming from a Kindle or even a Kobo, the Krono e-reader’s battery life feels too short.
More features to enjoy
Access Durobo AI on the Krono e-reader.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
Easily scroll through articles and apps with the Krono’s smart dial.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
The features on the Krono Durobo are extensive. It has a smart dial on the side that refreshes the screen, starts recording, and scrolls on the device. It has a built-in AI called Spark, which captures voice recordings and produces transcripts and summaries. It’s a lot more than just a standard e-reader, but in the months of use, I never used the Spark AI. The Smart Dial is a fantastic addition for smooth scrolling.
Is the Durobo Krono worth it?
Looking for an alternative to a Kindle or Kobo? Try the Durobo Krono e-reader.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable
The Durobo Krono is the best open Android e-reader. If you’re exploring the world of the Boox Palma or the Remarkable Move, the Krono is my preferred pick for its fast processing and support for third-party apps. In a perfect, palm-sized package, it provides access to all your digital libraries. It’s more expensive than other e-readers, but for its extra benefits, it’s worth the extra price.
Entertainment
James Gunn Finally Answers Superman's Biggest Plot Hole, But Fans Aren’t Convinced
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
When James Gunn’s Superman premiered, it leapt fan expectations in a single bound and did the seemingly impossible: made us care about DC movies again. It was perfectly cast, had plenty of action and humor, and generally felt like a fun, lived-in superhero universe. As a result, most audiences loved this film, but it did leave tights-and-flights fans with a seeming plot hole. Namely, if Lex Luthor created a clone of Superman, how the heck did he not know that Clark Kent was secretly the Man of Steel?
Recently, James Gunn took to Bluesky to answer this question. According to the Superman director, Clark Kent uses “Hypno Glasses” to fool those around him, plus Lex Luthor would never assume that a godlike alien spends his time walking among humans in a secret identity. Finally, he claimed that Luthor, like most brilliant people, still has blind spots even his genius might overcome. While these explanations work on paper, some in the fandom are disappointed because Gunn accidentally made Superman unethical and Luthor downright stupid.
Superman Or Super Creep?
What’s wrong, exactly, with James Gunn’s answers here? Let’s start with the Hypno Glasses. Gunn didn’t invent this concept. It’s actually been part of Superman comic lore since the late ‘70s. The glasses don’t give the Man of Steel broad hypnotism powers or anything. Instead, they simply keep people from making the connection that Clark Kent is actually Superman. This helps explain why the award-winning journalists who work with Clark every day and regularly have contact with Superman (like Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, and even Lois Lane at first) can’t figure something so basic out.
However, some fans find the idea of Hypno Glasses to be a bit icky. Superman is always presented as this moral exemplar, but it seems more than a bit unethical for him to constantly hypnotize the people he cares about by using creepy alien technology. It’s even weirder when you consider that he spent a fair amount of time hypnotizing Lois Lane, basically making her fall in love with the man she sees in the glasses and not the real thing. Also, did Lois simply figure out his secret identity on her own? It’s unclear in the film, but if so, that means these glasses are about as effective as they are unethical.
Super Genius Or Super Stupid?
As for Lex Luthor, James Gunn claims that just because the man is a genius doesn’t mean that he can’t “miss basic things,” and that Lex was so worried about an alien trying “to take over the world” that he never considered a human identity. However, this explanation arguably makes the franchise’s genius supervillain look like something of an idiot. He knows how to fight Superman because he has studied him for years, but he can’t figure out that the guy who keeps disappearing for eight hours a day has a job? Also, he can hack the entire Fortress of Solitude, but he can’t figure out some tricked-out alien glasses?
Of course, I’m being a bit hard on James Gunn here. Superman’s titular character is a kind of modern myth, and his secret identity is part of the mythology. The idea that a guy completely obscures his identity with a pair of glasses has never made much sense in a real-world context, and, if we’re being honest, it never will. Unfortunately, Gunn’s attempt at an explanation makes Superman look like a creep, and Lex Luthor look like an idiot. At the rate the bar is lowering, the booze-swilling, party-hearty Supergirl may end up being the real role model of this entire franchise!
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