Entertainment
The Perfect Political Satire That's Exactly What We Need Right Now
By TeeJay Small
| Published
In these bizarre times, it almost feels like satire is dead. Even South Park has struggled to make sense of American politics and societal trends, with mixed results. If you’re concerned that topical comedy might never be funny ever again, there’s one film that you need to watch today: 2017’s The Death of Stalin.
Despite being a period piece centered on the fall of the Soviet Union’s most enigmatic leader, the movie manages to make some extremely prescient points about unchecked power, lines of succession, and the lack of consequences for wealthy oligarchs.
A True Story, Mostly
The Death of Stalin centers on, well, exactly what it sounds like. The film begins during the final days of Joseph Stalin’s life, as he presides over a nation gripped by fear. Over the course of three decades, Stalin has ruled as a totalitarian dictator, murdering anyone suspected of suspicious activity. In the Soviet leader’s endless paranoia, Stalin has created a council of sycophants who kiss up to him at every turn, each prepared to destroy the others if they dare to step out of line. So, when the supreme leader drops dead in the middle of his private quarters, there’s a massive power vacuum left in his absence.
History buffs will know going in that Nikita Khrushchev (played by Steve Buscemi) is destined to take on the mantle, but this isn’t obvious in the first act. In fact, most of the narrative of The Death of Stalin centers on other real life soviet politicians attempting vain power grabs, all while wrangling Stalin’s insufferable adult children. Though the film takes a lot of liberties to tell the actual true story of the USSR following Stalin’s death, the broad details are generally accurate, including some of the off-the-wall comedic beats. Somehow, The Death of Stalin manages to take this dark and twisted true story, and make it easy to watch, simple to grasp, and laugh-out-loud funny.
Politics Are Funnier In The Rear View
I won’t get too political here, but surely we can all admit that American politics have become a circus in the last decade or so. Whether you love Donald Trump more than life itself, or hate his guts like you’ve never hated anyone before, it’s hard to ignore how unusual things have become.
For that reason, it’s nearly impossible for comedians to lambast our politicians for any one gaffe, blunder, or controversy, as the media cycle struggles to keep up. Does anybody remember the “Covfefe” tweet, or the “little tiny rocket man” comments, or the entire existence of Anthony Scaramucci at this point? The Death of Stalin shows that sometimes, you need to wait for the absurdity to come and go before you make an attempt to comment on it, because you never know what will actually stick in the public consciousness.
The Death Of Stalin Is A Must See Movie
No matter your political leanings, I think The Death of Stalin is an excellent movie that everyone can enjoy. The movie is also based on a French graphic novel of the same name, which is a must-add to the bookshelf of any aspiring political satirist. For those interested in giving this one a spin, The Death of Stalin is currently streaming on Hulu.
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
