Entertainment
Liam Neeson’s Explosive Airplane Thriller On Netflix Is Die Hard In The Sky
By Robert Scucci
| Published
I have a Liam Neeson problem that I don’t think I’ll ever get over at this point in my life. After he absolutely crushed it in the 2025 Naked Gun reboot, I can’t, for the life of me, go back to his more intense action roles and take him seriously. Now, I’m constantly waiting for a witty bit of wordplay, or for him to play it completely straight, only for the camera to zoom out and reveal that he’s wearing a miniskirt. It’s causing all sorts of problems, and I couldn’t help but enjoy 2014’s Non-Stop for all the wrong reasons when I fired it up on Netflix this past weekend.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing inherently terrible about Non-Stop. It’s a serviceable action thriller, like most films Neeson attached himself to after 2009’s Taken transformed him into a bankable action star at 57 years old. You also need to go into movies like Non-Stop knowing how unrealistic they are because realism isn’t the point here.
In case you’re wondering what the point of films like Non-Stop is, it’s really a simple formula: good guy with gun looking for bad guy with bomb on plane. That’s all there is to it. Switch your brain off for this one, and just know that you’re not going to get any cheeky one-liners here, as much as I would like for you to.
By-The-Numbers, But Does It Well
Going into Non-Stop, you need to know how incredibly generic its plot is. Liam Neeson plays Bill Marks, a U.S. Air Marshal who’s afraid of flying and has a troubled past. He sits down next to a woman named Jen Summers (Julianne Moore) on their non-stop flight from New York City to London, and the two hit it off. Between exchanging pleasantries and Bill getting up to use the restroom, he receives menacing texts on his secured line stating that if he doesn’t wire $150 million to a specific routing and account number, a passenger will be killed every 20 minutes.
Not knowing whether somebody’s pranking him or not, Bill confronts another Air Marshal who’s on board, Jack Hammond (Anson Mount), who suspiciously writes it off and tells him to forget about it. Twenty minutes pass, and an altercation in the restroom results in Bill killing Jack in self-defense. Bill receives another text telling him to reset the 20-minute clock and realizes that he needs to solve this problem himself.
Against the wishes of everybody he works with back on the ground, Bill kicks off an investigation immediately because this entire movie is a never-ending series of zero-hour tropes. Along the way, he butts heads with a flight attendant named Gwen (Lupita Nyong’o), a surgeon named Dr. Fahim Nasir (Omar Metwally), and a disgruntled NYPD officer named Austin (Corey Stoll). Not only is everybody under Bill’s watch acting incredibly suspicious, which for some people you could chalk up to airplane anxiety, but they’re also suspicious of him. Not knowing about Jack’s death, all the passengers see is a frantic Liam Neeson running around the plane trying to figure out who’s texting him and whether they’re even on the plane.
Things take a turn for the worse when it’s revealed that Bill is being set up, possibly by somebody on the inside, as the bank account he says needs to be funded was opened in his name, suggesting that this is all an elaborate plot on his part to get a quick payday and disappear.
You Know Where This One Is Going Before It Even Starts
Every single action movie trope is shamelessly celebrated in Non-Stop, and I’m not saying that as a criticism. Despite its February 2014 release, this is very much a summer popcorn flick that you throw on to enjoy the drama within a very specific set of parameters. You know the good guy is probably going to make it out alive after his trials and tribulations, and you know stuff is going to blow up. You know that the bomb is going to count down to the very last possible second before it’s defused, and you know that our hero, who was wrongfully set up, will be vindicated and considered a hero before the credits roll.
You’ll know all of that going into Non-Stop, but you won’t care because Liam Neeson is the most badass action hero in his age bracket, and you can’t argue otherwise with me. Had he gotten into the genre when he was younger, he would have given both Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger a run for their money. What’s upsetting about this fact is the confirmation of everything we expected when The Naked Gun came out last year: Liam Neeson is a fantastic comedian when he goes full deadpan with a wink, making me wish some of the thrillers he made in the 2010s had a little more humor in them.
By itself, Non-Stop is serviceable, with the expected production values you’d see in a movie that’s basically Die Hard on a plane. With The Naked Gun in mind, I wish it was a comedy because there’s so much potential here, but that’s just me nitpicking. Still, if he pulled out his gun and said “welcome to the mile high club” before popping off rounds and diving through air, I’d like this movie even more.
As of this writing, Non-Stop is streaming on Netflix.
Entertainment
The smartest language lessons still start with human experts
TL;DR: Get Babbel Language Learning for life for just $159 through July 31 and unlock all 14 languages with one purchase.
Language learning usually starts with good intentions. The trick is sticking with it long enough to order dinner confidently, ask for directions without panicking, or actually hold a conversation.
That’s where Babbel truly shines. Through July 31, you can get lifetime access for a one-time $159, giving you unlimited access to 14 languages without worrying about another recurring subscription.
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Babbel keeps lessons short — just 10 to 15 minutes — making it much easier to fit learning into a lunch break, commute, or quiet evening at home. The lessons focus on real-life conversations, covering everything from travel and dining to shopping and business situations, so you’re learning phrases you’re actually likely to use.
Plus, the biggest win is that the lessons were created by 100+ professional linguists, not just bots.
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The platform also includes an AI Conversation Partner for speaking practice, speech recognition technology to help improve pronunciation, personalized review sessions to reinforce what you’ve learned, and offline access so you can keep studying without an internet connection.
More than 15 million people worldwide have used Babbel, and the app holds an impressive 4.6-star rating on the App Store.
Whether your goal is planning an overseas trip, connecting with family, or simply learning something new, Babbel offers a flexible way to build practical language skills at your own pace.
A lifetime of Babbel Language Learning is available for just $159 (reg. $299) through July 31, making it an easy way to invest in a skill you can keep using for years.
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Entertainment
Meta avoids another trial over social media harms as teen plaintiff drops lawsuit
Meta has skirted another jury over claims its platforms are facilitating a youth mental health crisis.
The company was set to go to trial in the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles next week, but the 15-year-old plaintiff, referred to as R.K.C, has now dropped the lawsuit.
“In light of the overall successful result of the litigation and his concerns about enduring a grueling weeks-long trial, he has elected to withdraw his claims against Meta. He’s ready to close this chapter and focus on his recovery and engage in therapy as he aspires to have a normal life,” attorneys for R.K.C. said in a statement.
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According to the lawsuit, R.K.C. said he became addicted to social media over the last seven years, and linked his anxiety and depression to extensive time online. Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube were also named in the initial lawsuit, but the companies reached settlement deals with R.K.C prior to going in front of the jury.
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“Days after settling with other social media companies, the plaintiff dropped his case against Meta, the only remaining defendant, without receiving any payment,” a Meta spokesperson said following the news. “The claims never held up, and this outcome makes clear that we will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits.”
Meta’s spokesperson said the facts of the case could not prove that the company’s platforms caused R.K.C.’s mental health struggles. Meta previously called attention to the fact that R.K.C. had not spent significant amounts of time on Meta platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, in a Motion for Summary Judgment. The company also said they could not verify that R.K.C. had a long-standing account history on Meta platforms.
In March, Meta and YouTube were ordered to pay $6 million to another teen plaintiff who accused multiple social media companies of knowingly investing in design features that would hook users, despite knowing of their potential harm. The jury found the two companies liable for mental health-related harms caused by negligent design features and “social media addiction.” It was the first time a jury found social media companies responsible for the psychological effects of their platforms on teens.
At the time, Meta said it was appealing the decision. The company has faced multiple lawsuits brought forth by teens, parents, school districts, and state leaders. “Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app,” a Meta spokesperson said following the March verdict. “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 23, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you’re a frequent flyer.
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: Rounded
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Green: Nervous Nancy
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Blue: Catch a flight
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Purple: Math words
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Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Spherical things
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Green: In an anxious state
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Blue: Parts of an airport
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Purple: Ending in geometry terms
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 #1138 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Spherical things: BASEBALL, GLOBE,
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In an anxious state: EXCITED, FEBRILE, FRENETIC, INTENSE
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Parts of an airport: PINS, SNAPS, TWEETS, VINES
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Ending in geometry terms: APPOINT, DEPLANE, FELINE, JANGLE
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.
The smartest language lessons still start with human experts
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