Entertainment
Unrated 70s Sci-Fi Thriller Will Blast You Into Oblivion
By Robert Scucci
| Published
1978’s Laserblast is one of those movies that requires you to consult Wikipedia to fully understand what’s going on. Knowing this is important because if you don’t, you may start questioning your own intelligence while trying to make sense of the story it’s attempting to tell. Be kind to yourself, dear reader, because your brain is not broken. This movie is. But don’t let that assessment steer you away from streaming this punisher on Tubi because it’s a perfect B-movie featuring stop-motion aliens, incompetent police officers, and, as its title suggests, a lot of laser blasts.
For every wooden line of dialogue, there’s a pretty neat explosion. For every human interaction that plays like writers Frank Ray Perilli and Franne Schacht were aliens who just learned how humans behave and decided to make a movie about it, there’s some great stop-motion animation. It may be a stretch, but I’m convinced the main character, Billy Duncan (Kim Milford), was a huge fan of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, because his mannerisms when he goes into full rampage mode scream Leatherface.
Billy’s Revenge Arc, Or Whatever You Want To Call It
When Laserblast introduces us to Billy, we bear witness to a momma’s boy who doesn’t like being left alone. He’s in his 20s but still throws a tantrum about living rent free, and unsupervised, in a very nice house. He has a girlfriend named Kathy (Cheryl Smith), who’s also in her 20s and lives with her grandfather, Colonel Farely (Keenan Wynn). This complicates things for Billy because the Colonel doesn’t like him, meaning they have to hang out on the sneak.
One day while wandering through the desert, Billy finds a laser cannon and a strange amulet. Bored and curious, he affixes the cannon to his arm and learns it fires an explosive laser, but only if he wears the accompanying amulet he finds lying on the ground nearby. Once he realizes the scope of his power, he sets out on the war path, vowing to eliminate everybody who has ever wronged him.
If you’re wondering what kind of people have wronged Billy in Laserblast, get a load of this. He’s mad at Deputies Pete Ungar (Dennis Burkley) and Jesse Jeep (Barry Cutler) for giving him a speeding ticket. He was speeding. He’s also mad at some local boys named Chuck (Mike Bobenko) and Froggy (Eddie Deezen) for challenging him to a race he couldn’t participate in because his shaggin’ wagon wouldn’t start on time to compete.
Meanwhile, a group of aliens observe Billy’s actions from afar, speaking in an indecipherable language with no subtitles. The subtext suggests they want their laser back, so let’s just go with that.
You Need A Likeable Protagonist For This To Work
Billy is a total chode in Laserblast, which makes his entire revenge arc hard to sell. Most of the time he’s wandering around moping, and then when somebody breaks his balls he vows to kill them. He’s the kind of person who turns every perceived slight into a personal vendetta. It’s exhausting, and not exactly satisfying when he goes after the people who have allegedly wronged him because it’s just regular everyday stuff that sets him off.
His physical evolution, however, is the most perplexing aspect of Laserblast. The amulet he wears while firing the cannon causes a mysterious growth on his chest, which makes Dr. Mellon (Roddy McDowall) want to investigate further with the help of a government goon named Tony Craig (Gianni Russo). Already in full laserblast mode, it’s implied that Billy becomes more and more like the aliens he stole the device from the more he uses it, resulting in green skin and not much else.
He twists and turns with his laser blaster like Leatherface chasing a damsel in distress, but he lacks the physicality to keep these sequences from becoming unintentionally hilarious. If I sound like an expert on this one, it’s because I read the exhaustive breakdowns on both IMDb and Wikipedia. But if I’m being honest, those writeups give the movie way too much credit. In the movie itself, a bunch of stuff happens that seems vaguely connected, and then there are some rad little alien dudes (David W. Allen’s stop-motion efforts alone make this worth watching) who occasionally chatter , but we never truly know whether they’re good or bad.
As of this writing, Laserblast is streaming for free on Tubi. It’s best not to think too hard about this one and just let it happen to you. It’s amusing, but I’d hardly call it a movie. For what it is, though, it’s definitely entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but will likely never watch it again.
Entertainment
The Bears Gary cliffhanger explained: What just happened to Richie?
There’s only one thing more shocking than The Bear dropping surprise episode “Gary,” and that’s the ending of the episode itself.
Written by The Bear stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal, “Gary” flashes back to a work trip Richie (Moss-Bachrach) and Mikey (Bernthal) once took to Gary, Indiana. Their worst impulses soon derail their mission, culminating in Mikey drunkenly (and publicly) dressing down Richie’s penchant for fucking up, and Richie missing the birth of his daughter.
The entire episode takes place long before The Bear Season 1, except for one somber coda that could have massive repercussions for The Bear Season 5. “Gary”s final scene cuts from Richie and Mikey sitting in Mikey’s car to Richie sitting alone in his car in the present day. He stares at his empty passenger seat, reminiscing about Mikey. Then, as he pulls forward into an intersection, another car careens straight into him. Cue the credits, along with my incredulous yell, “Did Richie just die?”
So, did Richie really just die in The Bear?
Ebon Moss-Bachrach in “The Bear.”
Credit: FX
Here’s the thing: The Bear probably isn’t going to kill off Richie, one of its most beloved leads, during a surprise episode that dropped between seasons. Especially not when the show is gearing up for its fifth and final installment. However, Richie’s car crash could be the major event that sets Season 5 in motion.
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At the end of Season 4, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) quit The Bear, choosing to step away from the kitchen in the hopes of healing himself. He turned full control of the restaurant over to Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), along with Richie and Natalie (Abby Elliott). What does Carmy’s upcoming journey of self-discovery look like? Even he’s not sure. He just knows it should take place far, far away from the stressful environment of any restaurant kitchen. That includes his family, both work and blood-related.
But you know what could bring Carmy back into the fold in Season 5? A need to be there for an injured Richie, and to support the rest of the reeling restaurant staff. Basically, the end of “Gary” appears to be a bridge to the start of Season 5, and the catalyst that will reunite Carmy with the people he walked away from in Season 4.
It’s a bit of a bizarre move on The Bear‘s end, in no small part because a car-crash cliffhanger sends the show skidding into soap territory. But it’s also a strange choice heading into Season 5. Why relegate such a key incident to a standalone episode, instead of keep it as part of the season itself? Plus, in tacking such a shocking moment onto the end of “Gary,” the episode loses some of its power. Instead of leaving viewers contemplating Mikey and Richie’s dynamic, they’re left with the WTF factor of the car crash and questions about what’s next. There’s no meditation on The Bear‘s past, just a collision with its future.
“Gary” is now streaming on Hulu. The Bear Season 5 premieres this June on Hulu.
Entertainment
Pennsylvania is suing Character.AI for allegedly practicing medicine without a license
Pennsylvania has taken the unusual step of suing an AI company for practicing medicine without a license.
In a lawsuit filed May 1, the state is targeting Character.AI after an investigator found a chatbot on the platform posing as a licensed psychiatrist and providing what the state characterizes as medical advice.
According to the complaint, filed by the Pennsylvania Department of State and State Board of Medicine, a Professional Conduct Investigator for the state created a free account on Character.AI and searched for psychiatric characters. He selected one called “Emilie,” described on the platform as a “Doctor of psychiatry.”
The investigator told Emilie he had been feeling sad, empty, tired, and unmotivated. The chatbot mentioned depression and offered to conduct an assessment to determine whether medication might help.
When pressed on whether she was licensed in Pennsylvania, Emilie said she was and even provided a specific license number. The state checked and found that the number doesn’t exist.
The complaint also states Emilie claimed she attended medical school at Imperial College London, has practiced for seven years, and holds a full specialty registration in psychiatry with the General Medical Council in the UK.
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In a similar case, 404 Media reported last year that Instagram AI chatbots were pretending to be licensed therapists, even inventing license numbers when prompted for credentials by the user.
Pennsylvania is seeking an injunction ordering Character.AI to stop allowing its platform to engage in the unlawful practice of medicine. The company has more than 20 million monthly active users worldwide and hosts more than 18 million user-created chatbot characters, according to the complaint.
In an email to Mashable, a Character.AI spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit. Further, they added that “our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our users. The user-created Characters on our site are fictional and intended for entertainment and roleplaying.”
The spokesperson added that the company “prioritizes responsible product development and has robust internal reviews and red-teaming processes in place to assess relevant features.”
A much bigger legal battle looms over AI health
The Pennsylvania lawsuit lands in the middle of an already messy legal debate over what AI is actually allowed to tell you — and whether any of it is even admissible in court.
As Mashable’s Chase DiBenedetto reported, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly advocated for “AI privilege,” arguing that chatbot conversations should be afforded the same legal protections as conversations with a therapist or an attorney. Courts have so far been split, with two federal judges reaching opposite conclusions on the question within weeks of each other earlier this year.
The stakes are high on both sides. Legal experts warn that sweeping AI privilege protections could effectively shield companies from accountability, making it harder to subpoena chat logs and internal records when something goes wrong. Meanwhile, health AI is booming — $1.4 billion flowed into healthcare-specific generative AI in 2025 alone, according to Menlo Ventures — and much of it operates outside of HIPAA protections.
Pennsylvania is one of several states to have introduced an AI Health bill this year, following a trend of states that aren’t waiting for Washington to act.
Entertainment
How to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Bayern Munich vs. PSG would have made an amazing Champions League final, but we should be happy that we’re getting two matchups between these electric teams. The first leg finished 5-4 to PSG. We’re not expecting the same again, because that was probably one of the best games of all time. If we get half that level of entertainment in the second leg, we’ll be delighted.
Expect more of the same from the likes of Michael Olise and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as these teams battle it out for a spot in the showpiece event. The winner will meet Arsenal at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.
If you want to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Bayern Munich vs. PSG?
Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on May 6. This fixture takes place at the Allianz Arena.
How to watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG for free
Bayern Munich vs. PSG is available to live stream for free on RTÉ Player.
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RTÉ Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock RTÉ Player to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG for free by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in Ireland
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Visit RTÉ Player
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Watch Bayern Munich vs. PSG for free from anywhere in the world
$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you’ll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPn for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for RTÉ Player?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTÉ Player, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries including Ireland
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
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Fast connection speeds free from throttling
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Up to 10 simultaneous connections
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30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Bayern Munich vs. PSG in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.
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