Entertainment
Perfect 70s Mystery Thriller Is Legendary Director’s Paranoid Classic
By Robert Scucci
| Published
As somebody who works regularly in audio, I can’t believe that I never laid eyes on 1974’s The Conversation. Written, directed, and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, The Conversation is a straight-up neo-noir mystery thriller that would make any audiophile want to immediately start tinkering with their setup just to see what it’s capable of. If you find yourself sitting in that camp, however, err on the side of caution, because you never know what kind of conversations you’ll pick up on, or what kind of trouble they might land you in.
From a technical standpoint, The Conversation is a great watch even for those who don’t care about audio engineering at all, because you’re never slammed with needless jargon or those dreaded junk-science explanations that tend to derail movies like this. There’s poetry in every switch flip and dial turn, each one nudging you closer to the truth as the paranoid conspiracy takes shape without giving away the entire farm too early.
Not A Private Eye, But A Private Ear
The Conversation wastes no time establishing its conflict as we’re introduced to Harry R. Caul (Gene Hackman), a savant-like surveillance expert whose claim to fame is wiretapping his subjects and documenting his findings. Haunted by a past investigation in which his work resulted in a triple murder, Harry is a deeply private man, as well as a painfully meticulous one. He’s supposed to maintain a strict level of emotional detachment due to the nature of his work, but his conscience has a habit of creeping in when it’s least convenient.
When tasked by his client, known only as The Director (Robert Duvall), to eavesdrop on a couple walking in circles around Union Square, Harry’s expertise becomes immediately clear. He uses multiple microphones planted at various vantage points to capture fragments of wandering dialogue, all with the intention of splicing the recordings together later to construct a single, unbroken conversation.
While isolating dialogue buried beneath a sea of static, one sentence slowly emerges from the noise: “He’d kill us if he got the chance.” Disturbed by what he’s uncovered, Harry attempts to seek clarification from The Director, only to be intercepted by Martin Stett (Harrison Ford), the Director’s guarded and vaguely menacing assistant. Fearing that his work may once again result in innocent bloodshed, Harry finds himself trapped between his talent, his trade, and his conscience, struggling to serve his client while grappling with the possibility that the people he’s listening to may be in real danger.
It’s Not What, It’s How
Francis Ford Coppola was smart enough to lean into The Conversation’s technical aspects without alienating the audience through overexplanation. Thanks to Gene Hackman’s effortless handling of complicated audio technology, we’re shown a workflow that reveals an enormous amount about Harry’s personality without a single line of exposition spelling it out. The muscle memory on display as he spools tape, wires together homemade EQ boxes, and obsessively hunches over his workstation to dial in just the right amount of clarity before delivering his findings to The Director makes for a remarkably rich character study. Harry playing the hell out of his saxophone as a way to blow off stream when he’s stressed out is just the icing on the cake.
The Conversation’s mystery itself is packed with twists and reversals that force you to question where everyone’s loyalties lie, and where Harry fits into the larger picture. This isn’t a traditional whodunit so much as a “who will do it?” and that distinction matters. The tension comes from watching Harry slowly realize that he may not just be an observer, but a participant, all while his paranoia feels increasingly justified. The added unease from the assumption that other surveillance professionals could be listening in on him as well only deepens the dread, leaving you to wonder which tapes will end up in the wrong hands as Harry desperately tries to close out the job without any blood on his hands.
The Conversation is currently streaming on Prime Video.
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for March 22, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
Parasite.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
LEECH
Hurdle Word 2 hint
A memorial.
Mashable Top Stories
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
VIGIL
Hurdle Word 3 hint
To fret.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
PANIC
Hurdle Word 4 hint
Came to life.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
AWOKE
Final Hurdle hint
The source.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
CAUSE
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
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.
$429.97
$1,999
Save $1,569.03
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.
Key features:
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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.
Mashable Deals
Want to see more deals? Visit the shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Cubs OF Seiya Suzuki (knee) will not be ready for Opening Day
Hurdle hints and answers for March 22, 2026
