Entertainment
The Forgotten Tom Hanks Sci-Fi That Paired Him With Halle Berry
It doesn’t matter if it up being more than the sum of its parts when the parts are this good.
By Joshua Tyler
| Published
Defining just exactly what Cloud Atlas is, is nearly as hard as explaining why it works as well as it does. I can tell you that the movie tells six separate short stories by mixing them together and attempting to draw connections to them.
Two of those stories are hard science fiction. One involves a future where genetically engineered women are used as slaves. The other involves an even farther-off future where civilization has fallen, and the last remnants of humanity seek to escape.
As directed by The Wachowskis, the directing duo behind The Matrix trilogy, the connections between all six stories work spectacularly, though the threads between them, beyond an inexplicably recurring birthmark and the recurrence of the same actors playing characters of different ages and sexes, are fairly thin. This shouldn’t work, but it does.
It works because each of these short stories is so engaging that the world going on outside fades away in whatever moment you happen to be in. It works in a broader sense, too, because Cloud Atlas has grander ambitions than simple storytelling. There are big ideas here, ideas too big to be told with only one tale. Unfortunately, not all of these big ideas always ring true.
The idea that does is the one that most clearly links all six stories together. The thing all six have in common is the idea of people working together to defy conventions.
Whether it’s a white man (Jim Sturgess) helping an escaped slave (David Gyasi) in the past, a group of elderly nursing home patients hatching a plot to escape an evil nurse (Hugo Weaving), or a villager (Tom Hanks) in a far off future defying the devil (Hugo Weaving) to help a visitor (Halle Berry) send an SOS, every story follows rule breakers. Sometimes, doing the right thing means breaking with tradition.
If that were the only big idea in Cloud Atlas, then maybe I wouldn’t have walked away feeling a little muddled. But it tries to cram so many big ideas into its stories that those tend to muddy the tenuous connections the film forms on its own.
I’m not sure it matters, though, that the movie never coalesces into the soundly constructed, ideological whole I wanted it to be. The truth is, I’m not even sure if that’s what Cloud Atlas directors Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski, and Tom Tykwer are going for.
If you’ve read any other reviews of the film, you’ll find that no one really seems to understand what Cloud Atlas is. If you watch it, you probably won’t either.
What I can tell you is that there’s not a boring moment in it, anywhere. Spend time with Cloud Atlas, and you’ll be entranced, excited, and utterly engaged by one of the most ambitious movies of its time. It doesn’t matter if Cloud Atlas ends up being more than the sum of its parts when the parts are this good.
Released in 2012, Cloud Atlas was the last good movie the Wachowski siblings made together. They made one more attempt at collaborating, but the result was the disastrous 2015 sci-fi movie Jupiter Ascending. Now, they work separately, and their days of collaboration seem to be over.
Entertainment
Upgrade your tech with the best early Prime Day Amazon Fire Tablet deals
The best early Amazon Fire Tablet deals
Everyone knows that Amazon loves to discount its own devices during its Prime Day events. So far, though, the early Prime Day tablet deals are a little thin on the ground, at least where Amazon’s Fire Tablet line is concerned. There’s one excellent standout right now, and it’s the Amazon Fire 7 Kids tablet at 50% off, which is a solid drop on a family-friendly pick anyone could use.
Beyond that, most of what we’re seeing on Fire tablets is bundle-based rather than straight markdowns, so the value you’ll get per bundle depends on whether you actually want the extras. But you can expect the selection to widen dramatically as we get closer to the main event.
Mashable’s team of shopping experts is tracking the best early Prime Day Fire tablet deals as they land. We’ll likely see even more pop up in the next week or so, so keep an eye out for additional savings.
Best kids Amazon Fire tablet deal
$54.99
at Amazon
$109.99
Save $55.00
Why we like it
This model may be aimed toward kids, but the entire family can use it — and no one would blame you at this price. This rugged tablet comes in three fun colors and features a year of Amazon Kids+ so you can give your little ones plenty of kid-friendly content to peruse. It also has on-board parental controls with the Parent Dashboard, so you can filter out content based on your kids’ ages, set time limits, and give access to other apps to keep an eye on what your tots are up to. It also features a 10-hour battery so you don’t have to keep recharging it. And if you want to use it yourself, it’s still a great casual tablet that can do all you want it to do.
Best midrange Amazon Fire tablet deal
$149.98
at Amazon
$156.98
Save $7
Why we like it
The 10-inch Fire HD 10 is a fantastic all-around pick. It’s also a Mashable Choice Award winner, thanks to its excellent display, lengthy battery life, and lightweight frame. It’s affordable and sturdy, with a zippy processor and “surprisingly decent’ sound quality. This like-new bundle also nets you a Stylus Pen in addition to the tablet, which means you can take notes, doodle, and sketch within apps like OneNote and more. If you’re on the market for an everyday tablet that you’ll keep reaching for, this bundle is worth snapping up while it’s still available.
Mashable Deals
Best high-end Amazon Fire tablet deal
$229.98
at Amazon
$236.98
Save $7
Why we like it
This speedy tablet is all about the luxury experience when it comes to the Fire line. It has an 11-inch screen with 2 million pixels to give you the most crisp picture possible as well as an octa-core processor to handle everything you want to tackle at once. On top of that, it has 14 hours of battery life per charge and comes in a thin, lightweight frame that makes it a joy to tote around and use. This bundle also packs the Stylus Pen, so you can sketch, mark up PDFs, or jot down notes. If you’re going to get a pricier Fire tablet that’s still on sale, this one is the way to go right now.
Entertainment
Cordless power tool deals are already live at Amazon before Prime Day starts
Best early Prime Day deals on cordless power tools:
Summer is the ideal time to tackle home DIY projects. The paint will dry quicker, there’s more hours of daylight, and maybe some friends around to help out. If you have a list of home and yard projects to take care of this summer, make sure you have the necessary tools. Nothing sidelines a weekend project quite like realizing you need to run to the hardware store.
Lucky for us, early Amazon Prime Day deals already have great discounts on cordless power tools. Of course, we expect to see more as we get closer to the June 23 official start of the sale. But for now, here are the top deals worth shopping.
Best DeWalt deal
$169
at Amazon
$249
Save $80
Why we like it
Perfect for anyone building a new tool collection, the DeWalt 20V MAX Cordless Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit is on sale for $80 off before Prime Day. The kit comes with the 20V compact drill/driver, 20V impact driver, two 20V batteries, a battery charger, and a durable carrying case. Both tools have a built-in LED light so you’ll get a better view for optimal accuracy. The comfort grip with ergonomic design is also a major plus.
Best Craftsman deal
$299
at Amazon
$369
Save $70
Why we like it
Packing in seven tools, the Craftsman V20 Power Tool Combo Kit is an upgraded starter pack. It comes with a drill/driver, oscillating tool, impact driver, grinder, reciprocating saw, circular saw, and even more. You also get two 20V batteries and a battery charger.
Before Prime Day kicks off, the Craftsman Power Tool Combo Kit is on sale for $229, down from the normal price of $369.
Mashable Deals
Best Hoto deal
$79.99
at Amazon
$99.99
Save $20
Why we like it
Hoto makes some excellent cordless tools that are useful to have around any home, even if you’re not taking on DIY projects soon. The Hoto SNAPBLOQ S-A01 3.7V Electric Screwdriver is the perfect example given that it comes with 56 bits to cover every possible scenario. It also has three torque settings and an LED light. Use it to repair your glasses or sunglasses, get access to tiny screws in a watch or your laptop, while still having access to more standard bits.
Hoto says you’ll get about 60 minutes of runtime before the cordless electric screwdriver needs to recharge its 800 mAh battery.
More cordless tool deals to shop before Prime Day
Entertainment
The Decade's Funniest Sci-Fi Series Is Finally Complete On Netflix
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Comedy is hard to do right. Science fiction is hard to do right. A sci-fi comedy is nearly impossible. That’s what makes Resident Alien one of the best series of the decade. It’s a funny, well-written sci-fi comedy allowed to tell a complete story from beginning to end. After originally airing on SyFy, the series went to Netflix, and now, the final season has arrived for you to easily binge Alan Tudyk’s greatest performance.
The Perfect Role For Alan Tudyk
Tuidyk plays “Harry Vanderspeigle,” or rather, the alien with a name humans can’t pronounce, impersonating the town doctor (also played by Alan Tudyk in flashbacks), whom he accidentally killed when landing in Patience, Colorado. Harry learns medicine by watching Law & Order, and slowly picks up on human emotions, customs, and social cues as the series goes on, all to further his mission to exterminate the human race. Early on, he realizes that a young boy, Judah, can see his true alien form. He tries to exterminate the witness, but fails, and ends up befriending him instead. Be a different series if the bone saw had worked.
The first few episodes have the other residents of Patience playing the straight man to Harry’s quasi-murderous antics, before Resident Alien finds its groove and settles in. As the seasons go on, Harry finds an ally in Judah’s mom, Asta (Sara Tomko), and a new enemy when the government moves into Patience, which, as with Stranger Things, is represented by Linda Hamilton as a no-nonsense extraterrestrial hunting General. Hamilton isn’t the only sci-fi cameo. Resident Alien is filled with familiar names and faces having the time of their life on the show.
Alan Tudyk’s Firefly co-stars, Nathan Fillion and Jewel Staite, turn up as a telepathic octopus and an FBI Agent respectively. Clancy Brown, Terry O’Quinn, George Takei, and Stephen Root all drop by while behind the camera, Star Trek Voyager’s Robert Duncan McNeill is often directing the big episode of the season. When the star of the show is one of the most beloved performers in Hollywood, it’s easy to get everyone to show up.
Resident Alien Is The Decade’s Best Sci-Fi Series
Resident Alien is an absolute blast of a series. It’s a throwback to the old SyFy slate of Eureka and Warehouse 13, and the only show this decade to nail that vibe. It took a while to catch on. Season 1 flew under the radar with barely a million viewers for each episode. Once it was available on streaming, it became a social media hit, and viewership boomed. Now that it’s complete on Netflix, expect it to again experience a new surge in popularity.
There’s a lesson to be learned here by studios about producing original sci-fi, or well, almost original, since it does adapt the comic book series by Peter Hogan and Steven Parkhouse, and then giving them room to grow, develop, and find their audience. Too often, sci-fi shows are canceled after one season before anyone even knows how great it is. Resident Alien did everything right, barely survived for four seasons, and is now going to be your new favorite series
Upgrade your tech with the best early Prime Day Amazon Fire Tablet deals
Cordless power tool deals are already live at Amazon before Prime Day starts
