Entertainment
Star-Studded Raunchy Comedy On Prime Goes Completely Off The Leash
By TeeJay Small
| Published
Fans of raunchy adult comedy may recall seeing trailers for the film Strays last year, featuring a host of big-name talent lending their voices to a pack of foul-mouthed dogs. The film, which looks like something you might throw on for your kids at first glance, offers an off-the-walls joyride complete with copious cursing, chaotic K-9’s, and a staggering list of voice talent.
Though Strays failed to make a major splash during its theatrical run, as is par for the course with R-rated comedies, the film has found a new streaming audience on Amazon Prime Video.
The Dogs Of Strays
For those who missed out on this one upon release, Strays centers on a Border Terrier dog named Reggie, who is abandoned by his absolutely horrible owner, Doug. Despite suffering years of abuse at the hands of Doug, Reggie holds an upbeat and oblivious attitude in life, and fails to realize at first that he isn’t playing some kind of long-form search and return game. Things turn around for the dog when he encounters a group of life-long strays by the names of Bug, Maggie, and Hunter.
After a few nights on the street, Reggie starts to become accustomed to the harsh realities of the real world, as well as the abuse he suffered from his disgusting owner. These realizations make him bitter, but never detract from his whimsy, as Reggie hatches a bizarre plot to get revenge by tracking down Doug, and biting his genitals clean off. The strays are highly perturbed by this plan at first, though they ultimately agree in spirit, and accompany Reggie on his harrowing trip back to the suburbs to locate his evil owner.
A Bonkers Ride
I’m not going to sugarcoat it, Strays is one of the most bizarre movies I’ve ever seen in my life. It sort of offers a narrative commentary on abusive relationships, much in the same way that 2016’s Sausage Party offers a commentary on organized religion. It’s also needlessly violent, loaded with vulgar language and references to sex, and pretty funny, if you can get past the overall vibe that this feature film may have worked better as an SNL short.
Strays originally came together after comedy icons Phil Lord and Christopher Miller agreed to finance the project through their first-look deal with Universal Pictures. American Vandal series creator Dan Perrault penned the screenplay for the project, while filmmaker Josh Greenbaum joined to direct. Though Strays touts an array of comedic talent behind the camera, the biggest selling point before release was its massive cast of voice talent, including Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, Randall Park, Rob Riggle, Sofía Vergara, Josh Gad, and Will Forte as Doug.
Streaming On Amazon Prime
Though I can definitively say that Strays is not for everybody, you can definitely gauge whether or not you’ll enjoy it by watching the trailer. Critics seem to have mixed opinions on it, earning a middling Rotten Tomatoes score of 53 percent.
Personally, I can’t say I would have spent the money to catch this one in the theater, though it’s a perfectly serviceable comedy to kill a quick 90 minutes. Those interested in checking out Strays today can be sure to stream the film on Amazon Prime Video.
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.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for July 23, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re a veteran.
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: Hail to the chief petty officer
The words are related to the military.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe military titles.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
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NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Navy Ranks.
NYT Strands word list for July 23
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Recruit
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Admiral
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Ensign
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Navy Ranks
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Lieutenant
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Commander
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.
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