Entertainment
Netflix Has The Most Perfect Comedy Of Errors, And An Underrated Thriller
By Robert Scucci
| Published
When the Coen Brothers fire on all cylinders, you really can’t beat them. Unfortunately, they’ve put out so many certified bangers that some get overlooked more than others, like 2008’s Burn After Reading. Whenever I talk to anybody about the duo’s films, the same titles always come up. Blood Simple (1984). Raising Arizona (1987). Fargo (1996). The Big Lebowski (1998). No Country for Old Men (2007). You get the point.
Burn After Reading, while not the most talked about Coen Brothers film, remains one of the best comedies of errors in their filmography because everybody miscommunicates and acts on impulse at a level so insanely stupid that it’s actually awe-inspiring. There’s espionage and blackmail, love triangles, paranoia, and, my favorite part, J.K. Simmons somehow being both subdued and completely exasperated whenever he shows up in a scene.
We Really Can’t Talk Too Much Plot Here
Normally, when I lay out a plot for a review, I talk about the beats at a high level so I don’t spoil the film. You can’t really do that with Burn After Reading because every single scene reveals something important. It’s a cumulative exercise in escalation, and the best I can do without robbing you of the experience is give you a quick and dirty rundown so you know what kind of people we’re dealing with here.
Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) is a disgraced CIA analyst who gets demoted because of his drinking problem. Unable to handle the blow to his ego, he quits and decides to write his memoirs. His wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton), is thinking about filing for divorce for many of the same reasons his bosses pushed him out, and, on her lawyer’s advice, starts gathering financial documents to get the ball rolling. In the process, she accidentally snags a rough copy of Osborne’s memoirs. She’s also having an affair with U.S. Marshal Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), who compulsively works out and constantly falls into paranoid spirals.
This information gets burned onto a CD-R by her lawyer’s assistant, who accidentally drops it out of her gym bag while working out at Hardbodies, the gym where everybody just so happens to cross paths at one point or another. This is where Burn After Reading introduces the dumbest criminals of all time in the form of Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) and Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), two personal trainers who collectively have an IQ of about 50.
Chad looks at the disc, which mostly contains Osborne’s bank statements and some laughably bad prose, and becomes convinced he’s uncovered sensitive government material. He and Linda come up with a plan to blackmail Osborne, though in their minds they’re really just holding onto his “important assets” until he pays them to return everything safely. From this point forward, loyalties shift, incriminating information comes to light, and the Russian Embassy gets dragged into the mess because Linda desperately wants a payout so she can finally afford cosmetic surgery. Meanwhile, her manager Ted (Richard Jenkins), who’s secretly in love with her, watches the whole thing unravel in horror from the sidelines.
We’ve Barely Gotten Into This, Trust Me
While it may sound like I’ve already given you the full rundown for Burn After Reading, we’ve barely scratched the surface. Every interaction spirals further out of control, pushing each character into increasingly ridiculous territory. It would probably take three more pages to unpack everybody’s motives, affairs, and missteps. It’s a masterclass in everything going wrong in the worst way possible, no matter how smart, flawed, or downright idiotic the people involved happen to be.
The second-hand exasperation you feel while watching Burn After Reading can basically be summed up through J.K. Simmons’ character at the CIA, known only as “CIA Superior.” He’s such an inconsequential character, but his position in the hierarchy being dismantled here perfectly illustrates how inconsequential everything else in the film actually is. Every time he gets an update about Osborne’s missing files, Linda and Chad’s extortion attempts, or Harry’s involvement, he rubs his temples and tells his guy to come back when any of it starts making sense.
In Burn After Reading, the stakes couldn’t be any lower, but everybody treats the situation like their lives depend on things going exactly their way, even though most of them barely understand what their own goals even are. That’s what makes it so beautiful to watch. Nobody is operating on the same wavelength, and every misunderstanding snowballs into another slapdash disaster waiting to happen.
If you’re a Coen Brothers fan but slept on Burn After Reading, I strongly recommend you stop what you’re doing, fire up Netflix where it’s currently streaming, and watch it as soon as possible.
Entertainment
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on May 10
The Moon is now in its Waning Crescent phase, which means we’re getting closer to the New Moon and a start of a new lunar cycle. Over the coming nights, visibility will reduce significantly. But for now, there’s still some features to be seen, so keep reading to find out what you can see on the Moon tonight.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Sunday, May 10, the Moon phase is Waning Crescent. Tonight, 46% of the moon will be be lit up, according to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide.
Without any visual aids, tonight you can see the Kepler Crater and the Aristarchus Plateau. If you have binoculars, pull them out to catch a glimpse of the Gassendi Crater, Clavius Crater, and Mare Humorum. Finally, if you have access to a telescope, enjoy gazing at the Apollo 14 landing spot and the Schiller Crater.
When is the next Full Moon?
There are two Full Moons in May, with the next due to take place on May 31.
What are Moon phases?
According to NASA, the Moon takes around 29.5 days to complete a full orbit around Earth, passing through eight different phases along the way. Even though we always see the same side of the Moon, the way sunlight falls on it changes as it moves, which is what creates the familiar full, half, and crescent shapes. In total, there are eight main phases in 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
Review: Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2 are the best headphones you (probably) cant afford
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After spending a few months with them, I think the Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2 wireless headphones are the best headphones money can buy in 2026. That is — if you can afford them, which you probably can’t.
That’s not a knock on your earning capacity, but I’m making an educated guess that the average person can’t afford to drop $799 on a pair of headphones, no matter how good they are.
And they’re really good.
Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2 is a true luxury product
The PX8 S2 uses Nappa leather and aluminum.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
I have to admit — my favorite thing about the PX8 S2 may just be the design. I’m a sucker for headphones with metal and leather components, and I’ve often criticized Sony for its all-plastic approach to headphone design.
Like other B&W products, these headphones use a combination of die-cast aluminum and Nappa leather, which his known for its subtle grain and ultra-soft feel. Most headphones feature “vegan leather,” which is just a tricky way of saying synthetic leather, which is usually a petroleum and plastic-based product. (Side note: Rebranding a plastic product as vegan is one of the crueler marketing tricks in the consumer world.)
The controls on the PX8 S2 are simple and intuitive.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
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I love the design of the PX8 S2. The aluminum frame slides smoothly in and out of the leather-covered headband, and an exposed braided cable connects the earcups to the body. The metal touch controls are finely etched, and even the Bowers & Wilkins engraved on the earcups appears almost pixelated upon close examination. Every little detail is elegant and finely considered.
These headphones look similar to some other Bowers & Wilkins products like the Px7 S3 headphones, but with some nice upgrades. I will say, the headphones don’t look quite as good on you as they do on their own, and I have to give it up to the Apple AirPods Max 2 for overall cool factor.
But as I said when these headphones first came out, I still think they’re the best-designed headphones for sale right now.
How does the PX8 S2 sound? Really damn good.
These headphones are well designed down to the tiniest details.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
For its newest flagship headphones, Bowers & Wilkins engineered a reference-quality pair of headphones, and while I’m not an audio engineer, I think they succeeded. These headphones produce a rich, balanced sound that sounds vivid and clear across the audio spectrum.
I don’t hear any sacrifices in bass, mids, or treble when listening to Radiohead’s Kid A, one of my go-to albums for testing headphone quality. The chaotic instrumentals of “National Anthem” have never sounded clearer to me, and that holds true whether I’m listening to Radiohead, Florence + The Machine, or Vivaldi.
To produce such deep sound, B&W uses custom-designed 40mm Carbon Cone drivers, which the brand promises deliver “our best sound quality ever.”
Now, let’s get technical. Unlike the new Apple AirPods Max 2, these headphones support high-resolution lossless audio over Bluetooth, not just via a USB-C connection. The headphones support aptX Lossless, AAC, and SBC codecs. They deliver 24-bit digital signal processing for the highest resolution audio.
If you consider yourself an audiophile, these luxury headphones won’t disappoint you.
Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2: ANC is great, but not elite
The sound quality is superb, but noise cancellation is outshined by Bose and Sony.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
These headphones offer decent passive noise cancellation and high-quality active noise cancellation. On a commute, on a plane, or in a crowded office, they deliver more than enough noise cancellation for my needs.
That being said, if you’re looking for the best possible ANC, then the Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra (Gen 2) headphones still offer superior noise cancellation. At launch, these headphones were also missing the kind of spatial audio you’ll find on most flagship headphones. This has since been made available in an over-the-air update (look for the “True Immersion” setting in the app), but, once again, it’s not quite on the level of Apple, Sony, or Bose.
Likewise, while Sony and Apple both support Dolby Atmos, B&W doesn’t. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As a Bowers & Wilkins representative told me, most music isn’t produced for spatial audio. So, if you’re chasing true high-fidelity, reference-quality sound, immersive audio features can actually compromise the audio.
B&W PX8 S2: Battery and call quality
The PX8 S2 headphones have up to 30 hours of battery life with ANC on.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
The PX8 S2 offers 30 hours of battery life with ANC engaged, which is exactly on par with the Sony XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2. (Apple AirPods Max 2 have only 20 hours, in comparison.) You can also get seven hours of playback with a 15-minute quick charge. So, pretty much in line with what you’d expect.
That said, there are some outliers. The Dyson OnTrac headphones offered 55 hours of ANC listening all the way back in 2024. More recently, the Soundcore Space 2 and Sennheiser Momentum 4 also offer 50+ hours.
Lastly, I’ve been happy with the call quality (and the noise cancellation on call quality) with the PX8 S2. They have eight microphones total, which is four fewer than the Sony XM6, but I haven’t had any problems here.
How comfortable are these headphones?
Even the carrying case looks good.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
Mashable puts a big premium on comfortable headphones that can be worn for many hours without interruption. In recent years, the Bose QuietComfort line has been completely unmatched in this regard, and that remains true.
Because of the metal components, these headphones are heavier than some competitors. Notably, at 310 grams, the PX8 S2 do weigh less than Apple AirPods Max 2 headphones, which weigh 386.2 grams. However, the latest flagship QuietComfort Ultra headphones are lighter at 264 grams.
If you’re wearing headphones all day at work, you will notice the difference. That said, I haven’t found these headphones to be uncomfortable, even when wearing my glasses. You’ll have to decide if comfort or premium design is more important to you. Ultimately, you may prefer the lightweight feel of the Sony XM6 (254 grams).
The $799 question: Are the PX8 S2 worth it?
This question is really hard to answer unless I know how much you would miss that $799 in your bank account. For people who’d barely notice, these headphones are absolutely worth it, IMO. I’ve been using them for six months, and I’ve been unable to switch back to my Sony XM6.
I also think these headphones are durable and fairly futureproofed, so they shouldn’t need replacement anytime soon. I’m all for spending more for a longer-lasting, higher-quality product.
And yet… $799 is a big ask, and these headphones would probably be wasted on the average Spotify listener. But for audiophiles and people in the premium market, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
One last note: If you’re waiting on these headphones to go on sale, don’t hold your breath. Virtually all gadgets are getting more expensive in 2026, and these headphones almost never go on sale. When they do, they typically get a measly $10 discount. So, womp, womp.
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Make the upgrade to Windows 11 Pro — on sale for $9.97
TL;DR: A lifetime license for Microsoft Windows 11 Pro is on sale for $9.97 (reg. $199).
If you’re still running Windows 10, here’s the deal – Microsoft pulled the plug on support back in October of 2025, meaning no more security updates. If you’ve been putting off the upgrade, you can switch to Windows 11 Pro right now while it’s on sale for just $9.97 (was $199).
Windows 11 Pro brings a noticeably cleaner interface along with improved multitasking tools like snap layouts and virtual desktops, both of which are great tools if you regularly juggle multiple windows or work on several projects at once.
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On the security side, you’re getting biometric login, Smart App Control, and BitLocker encryption, which is a huge step up from an OS that isn’t getting security updates at all. These enhanced security tools add an extra layer of security when you’re logging into your computer, block untrusted or dangerous apps, and lock down your information if anyone gets their hands on your device. They’re a must for anyone handling sensitive files or working remotely.
Think about what’s actually changed since Windows 10 launched over a decade ago. The way we work, the security threats we’re up against, and the tools we rely on daily have all evolved. Windows 11 Pro is built with consideration for these changes. Whether you’re working from home, managing files, or just tired of your OS feeling dated, this upgrade brings day-to-day improvements that people truly notice. At $9.97 for a lifetime license, it’s an easy call if you’re still on Windows 10.
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Protect your PC and upgrade to Windows 11 Pro for $9.97.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
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