Blogroll

Google Maps navigation now has the option to show 3D buildings around you.

The feature seems to have been live for a while, though it was only recently picked up by news outlets which cover Android, after AssembleDebug shared a screenshot on X.

Tweet may have been deleted

The feature has been in testing since at least January, both on mobile and in Android Auto, but now seems to be rolling out more widely. For beta users, it should be available in Google Maps beta 124 or later. It's available under Settings – Navigation – Show 3D buildings.

While this feature is just now arriving to Android phones, it's already available on the iPhone and iPad; see screenshot, taken on my iPhone, below.

3D buildings while navigating are arriving on Android, but they're already live on iOS. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

While the "Show 3D buildings" feature is on by default, there's a small trick to getting it to work. If you start navigation while in Google's standard map view, the 3D buildings will not show up even if the aforementioned feature is on. You need to first tap on the "layers" icon in Google Maps, and hit the "3D" icon. This will enable 3D buildings in normal map view, and they will also keep showing while in navigation mode.

You need to have the 3D layer on in Google Maps and the "Show 3D buildings" setting on in Navigation setttings for this to work. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The 3D buildings sound like they could be a distraction, but they're shown as semi-transparent outlines on the map, ideally making it easier to find your way around, especially in big cities with lots of tall structures.

Sesame Street's writers have unanimously voted to go on strike, with picketing to begin as early as next week. It seems the air on the famous Manhattan street isn't quite as sweet as we've been led to believe.

All 35 of Sesame Street's writers authorised a strike in a vote held by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), without a single one abstaining. Negotiations between the writers' union and Sesame Street's management have been ongoing since Feb. 13, as their current contract is set to expire on Apr. 19. Unfortunately, they've reached an impasse. 

The writers will now begin picketing Sesame Workshop's New York offices from Apr. 24, unless a deal is reached beforehand. Sesame Workshop is the non-profit organisation which produces Sesame Street, alongside other children's shows such as Bea's Block, Esme & Roy, and Ghostwriter.

SEE ALSO: 'Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson teaches Cookie Monster about kindness in sweet 'Sesame Street' clip Tweet may have been deleted

The union outlined its demands in a press release shared by both the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) and Writers Guild of America West (WGAW). It stated that Sesame Street's writers are pushing for a deal which includes "industry standard annual raises, improvements to residuals, and union coverage for Sesame Workshop’s popular animation and social media segments."

"Our demands would be extremely meaningful for the affected writers, particularly those in animation who are currently being excluded from basic union benefits and protections like pension and healthcare," said the WGA Sesame Workshop Negotiating Committee. "We hope for a speedy and amicable resolution to these negotiations so that we can continue to do the work of helping the next generation grow smarter, stronger and kinder."

"Our writers are integral members of our creative team, and we are engaged in good faith negotiations with the WGA," a Sesame Workshop spokesperson told Mashable. "We’re still hopeful that we’ll come to an agreement in advance of the expiration."

Mashable has reached out to WGAW for comment. WGAE declined to comment further.

Tweet may have been deleted

First airing on PBS in 1969, Sesame Street has become a beloved children's television stalwart across the world, and still brings comfort to viewers even after they've aged out of its target demographic. A Twitter/X post from Sesame Street cast member Elmo went viral earlier this year after the furry red four-year-old's inquiry about people's wellbeing sparked a mass online trauma dump.

"No one wants to see a picket line on Sesame Street," said WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. "Millions of parents and families around the world are going to have a lot of questions. They might ask why the bosses at Sesame Workshop are ignoring their company's own messages of kindness and fairness."

If there's one thing the U.S. entertainment industry has learnt over the past year, it's that you should never underestimate writers. Hollywood ground to a halt in 2023 after the entire WGA went on strike, setting down their pens for almost six months as they negotiated a new agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The historic industrial action ended with the WGA securing a deal that ensured better streaming residuals, minimum staffing requirements for TV writers' rooms, and a prohibition on the use of AI for generating source material.

It seems unlikely the Sesame Street strike will last as long, assuming it does end up going ahead. But unless a new contract is negotiated within the next few days, it may still be a while before any writers are around to tell you how to get to Sesame Street.

UPDATE: Apr. 18, 2024, 11:14 a.m. AEST This article has been updated with comment from Sesame Workshop.

This iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 15 Pro deep-dive comparative analysis will give you clarity on what, exactly, are the differences between the two phones. Don't worry; we'll explore how the cameras differ, too, a popular request among prospective iPhone 15 buyers.

The iPhone 15 costs $800, but the iPhone 15 Pro is more expensive at $1,000. That being said, I know what you're wondering. Does the iPhone 15 Pro really have features that are worth the extra $200?

No, I won't tell you which phone to get. Instead, I'm going to tell you the differences between the two and let you decide which device is best for your lifestyle. Let's dive into this iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 15 Pro face-off, shall we?

SEE ALSO: iPhone 16 rumors: Release date, price, specs, features, and more iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 15 Pro: price

The iPhone 15 has a starting price of $800 via Apple's official website and it comes with the following specs:

• 128GB of storage

• 6GB of RAM

• A16 Bionic chipset

• 6.1-inch display

Keep in mind that you can get more storage, but it'll cost you. If you want 256GB of storage, the iPhone 15 will set you back $900. Speaking from experience, I'd recommend getting the 256GB variant, particularly if you love hoarding photos and videos. Otherwise, the 128GB model will haunt you with a "storage full" error, forcing you to delete your treasured media content within a year (or less) of use.

The base iPhone 15 model comes with 128GB of storage. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

If you're a big spender, you can get the iPhone 15 with 512GB of storage, which costs $1,100. But if you have enough money to spend on that, you'd be better off upgrading to the iPhone 15 Pro with 256GB of storage, which is exactly the same price.

Speaking of the iPhone 15 Pro, it has a starting price of $1,000 via Apple's official website and comes with the following specs:

• 128GB of storage

• 8GB of RAM

• A17 Pro

• 6.1-inch display

The most expensive iPhone 15 Pro, packed with 1TB of storage, will set you back $1,500. But again, if you have that kind of money to blow, you might as well upgrade to the iPhone 15 Pro Max with 512GB of storage, which costs $100 less at $1,400.

Again, I'd recommend upgrading to at least 256GB of storage if you have a treasure trove of media you'd like to store. However, if you don't mind deleting a few stuff along the way, or you have cloud storage, the 128GB variant should be fine.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple iPhone 15 Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple iPhone 15 Pro Get Deal Featured Video For You A brief history of the iPhone iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 15 Pro: design

Cue Sia singing "Titanium" at the top of her lungs! The iPhone 15 Pro's biggest selling point is that it consists of a titanium frame, making it lighter and more durable than its predecessor's stainless-steel chassis.

The iPhone 15, wrapped in an aluminum enclosure, doesn't have a hint of titanium. Womp, womp! It is, however, a little lighter than its Pro sibling (6.03 ounces vs. 6.6 ounces).

As far as colors are concerned, I'd argue that the iPhone 15's colors are more fun.

The iPhone 15 comes in five fun colors. Credit: Apple

It comes in five colors:

• Pink

• Yellow

• Green

• Blue

• Black

The iPhone 15 Pro is a little bit more bougie — more mature and sophisticated.

The iPhone 15 Pro's colors are a lot more neutral. Credit: Apple

Its colors are more urbane, subtle, and minimalist:

• Natural Titanium

• Blue Titanium

• White Titanium

• Black Titanium

One subtle difference between the two phones is the iPhone 15 Pro's Action Button feature located on the left side of the chassis. The iPhone 15, on the other hand, still has a very boring mute switch instead. What's so great about the Action Button? You can customize it to launch any app or task you want.

For example, with my iPhone 15 Pro Max, I've set the Action Button to launch the Notes app since I use it so frequently, but the possibilities are endless. You can set up the Action Button to launch whatever app you want.

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 15 Pro: display

The iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Pro actually share the same display size: 6.1 inches. If you want something bigger (e.g., 6.7 inches), consider getting the iPhone 15 Plus or the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Dynamic Island is here to stay. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

They also have the same resolution: 2,256 x 1,179 pixels

Although the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Max share the same screen size, they do not have the same display tech. The iPhone 15 does not have ProMotion technology nor does it have an Always-On display — but the Pro model has both of these perks.

What's ProMotion? It's just a fancy term for, "This phone has a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz." In other words, the iPhone 15 Pro has a zippier display that adapts to your workflow. If you're simply scrolling through an article, the refresh rate will slowdown. However, if you fire up a fast-paced mobile game, the refresh rate will pick up.

Conversely, the iPhone 15 has a refresh rate of 60Hz, which will feel slower only if you've ever owned a phone with a refresh rate of 90Hz or higher. And for the uninitiated, an Aways-On display lets you get information like time, widgets, and more at a glance because — well — the screen is always on. I can't say the same for the iPhone 15.

Both have the snazzy Dynamic Island featured at the top of the display, and plus, the duo can climb to a peak brightness of 2,000, according to Apple.

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 15 Pro: cameras

Cameras are one of the biggest selling points smartphones, and as you might have guessed, the iPhone 15 Pro has an edge over the iPhone 15. Here's a break down of the camera specs:

iPhone 15

• Wide camera - 48MP

• Ultrawide camera - 12MP

• Selfie camera - 12MP

• No telephoto

iPhone 15 Pro

• Wide camera - 48MP

• Ultrawide camera - 12MP

• Selfie camera - 12MP

• Telephoto (3X optical zoom)

Unlike the iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 15 does not have a telephoto lens, which means that zoomed-in shots will have a dip in quality. It's also worth nothing that the iPhone 15 Pro's ultrawide lens has a slightly wider aperture, which means low-light shots should be better.

If you're a telephoto lens stan, you're going to want to go Pro. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

The iPhone 15, unlike the iPhone 15 Pro, does not support macro photography, Apple ProRAW, nor Night Mode portraits. (This isn't to be confused with Night Mode, which the iPhone 15 does have.)

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 15 Pro: performance

The iPhone 15 Pro, without a doubt, is zippier and beastlier than the iPhone 15, thanks to its new A17 Pro Bionic chip. Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 sports the chipset featured inside the iPhone 14 Pro models: the A16 Bionic.

The iPhone 15 Pro is more of a powerhouse. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

Truth be told, the A16 Bionic is still a stellar, breakneck chip that is actually overpowered for what's needed for mobile tasks, so imagine the herculean power behind the A17 Pro.

Without getting into the weeds of things, just know that the A17 Pro is capable of cutting-edge AI computations and graphics. So much so that high-fidelity games like Resident Evil Village, Death Stranding, and Assassin's Creed Mirage will be headed to the iPhone 15 Pro soon.

It's also worth noting that the iPhone 15 has 6GB of RAM while the iPhone 15 Pro has 8GB of RAM. This means that latter will do a better job at juggling multiple tasks simultaneously (e.g., switching between a bunch of apps should be faster).

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 15 Pro: battery life

Apple ran a video playback test on the iPhone 15 and it lasted 20 hours on a single charge. Compare that to the iPhone 15 Pro, which lasted 23 hours on the same test.

iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 15 Pro: Which should you buy?

To sum it all up, the iPhone 15 Pro has an Action Button that I believe is totally underrated — the iPhone 15 doesn't have one. Plus, the iPhone 15 Pro has a better camera system. If taking better zoomed-in shots are important to you, it'd be worth it to shell out an extra $200.

If you enjoy mobile gaming, with the iPhone 15 Pro getting a GPU boost from its A17 Pro chipset, the upper-tier model is a better choice for you.

However, if neither of those bells and whistles tickle your fancy, you'll be fine with the entry-level iPhone 15.

The best managers are good listeners, and the best listeners exude empathy. And despite what you may think, empathy is a skill that you can practice and develop. Here are some ways to build the muscle. First, try “looping”: When you ask your employee a question, listen carefully to their answer, then paraphrase it back […]

257257

TL;DR: A wide range of online courses from the University of Michigan are available to take for free on edX.

Another week, another batch of free online courses from one of the most respected educational institutions in the world. We've already made stops at MIT, Stanford, and Harvard, and now it's the turn of the University of Michigan.

You can find online courses from the University of Michigan on Python programming, JavaScript, and so much more, and you don't have to pay anything to enroll. We have checked out everything on offer and lined up a standout selection of courses to get you started.

These are the best free online courses from the University of Michigan this month:

• Advanced Literature Searching in the Health Sciences

• Building Web Applications in Django

• Community Engagement: Collaborating for Change

• Database Design and Basic SQL in PostgreSQL

• Data Science Ethics

• Django Features and Libraries

• Finance for Everyone: Smart Tools for Decision-Making

• Grant Writing and Crowdfunding for Public Libraries

• Intermediate PostgreSQL

• Introduction to Data Analytics for Managers

• JSON and Natural Language Processing in PostgreSQL

• Leading Change: Go Beyond Gamification with Gameful Learning

• Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python)

• Public Library Marketing and Public Relations

• Python Data Structures

• Storytelling for Social Change

• Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills

• Using JavaScript and JSON in Django

• Web Application Technologies and Django

The catch is that these free courses do not come with a certificate of completion, but you can still learn at your own pace with unrestricted access to all the course materials. It's also worth noting that a lot of the courses featured are not exactly beginner friendly.

Find the best free online courses from the University of Michigan on edX.

Opens in a new window Credit: University of Michigan University of Michigan Online Courses Free at edX Get Deal

TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to a Matt's Flights Premium Plan is on sale for £64.26, saving you 95% on list price.

If you’re planning a spring holiday, make sure to get your tickets early. Every year, travellers end up snatching up a ton of tickets, and finding affordable airfare isn’t easy to begin with. You may be able to lighten the load of planning if you let Matt’s Flights show you where the deals are. This premium flight finder service scans ticket prices every day looking for the best deals, then immediately emails them to you, and a lifetime subscription is only £64.26. 

Skip the stress of finding cheap flights. Matt’s Flights could find them for you, and all you have to do is select your departing airport or location and check your inbox. Every week, you’ll get three or more notifications of flights leaving your chosen airport for domestic and international locations. 

It doesn’t happen too often, but sometimes an airline will post a ticket for the wrong price. Those mistake fares can end up being way cheaper than they should be. If you can buy it before the airline notices and corrects the mistake, you may be able to secure a much cheaper flight. Normally, you’d have to scour the web looking for mistake fares, but Matt’s Flights sends any relevant ones it finds to your inbox automatically. 

Matt’s Flights automatically sends you any enticing ticket deal they find leaving your airport, but you can talk about a specific destination you have in mind by accessing your personal one-on-one travel planning support that’s available 24 hours a day. A premium membership gets you three to five times more deals than the basic members instantly. If you don’t see your airport on the supported list, all it takes is an email to get it added for custom searches. 

Planning a holiday? Take some of the stress off and get a lifetime subscription to Matt’s Flights Premium Plan for £64.26.

Opens in a new window Credit: Matt's Flights Matt's Flights Premium Plan (Lifetime Subscription) £64.26 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

TL;DR: Watch Gujarat Titans vs. Delhi Capitals in the IPL for free on JioCinema. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Another day, another exciting round of the IPL.

Starting in March, the new season is now well and truly underway, with the Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals gearing up to compete. The spotlight will be on team captains Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant as they prepare to go head-to-head.

If you want to watch Gujarat Titans vs. Delhi Capitals for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Gujarat Titans vs. Delhi Capitals?

Gujarat Titans vs. Delhi Capitals starts at 3 p.m. BST on April 17. Wednesday's match takes place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India.

How to watch Gujarat Titans vs. Delhi Capitals for free

JioCinema is offering free live streams of every IPL cricket match this season in 4K resolution on its app.

JioCinema is geo-restricted to India, but anyone can unblock this free streaming service with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in India, meaning you can access JioCinema from anywhere in the world.

Unblock JioCinema to stream the IPL 2024 by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in India

4. Visit JioCinema (you will need an Indian phone number to subscribe)

5. Watch Gujarat Titans vs. Delhi Capitals for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) £82.82 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

Most of the best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By taking advantage of these offers, you can watch IPL live streams without committing with your cash. This is clearly not a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select IPL fixtures for free.

If you want permanent access to free streaming platforms from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for JioCinema?

ExpressVPN is the best service for unblocking JioCinema, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including India

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream the IPL for free with ExpressVPN.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game 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 April 17'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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Structural beams

• Green: Being obedient to rules

• Blue: A given amount

• Purple: Confidential documents

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Upright Support

• Green: Heed, As Rules

• Blue: Allotment

• Purple: Gathered by Spies

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 Connections #311 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Upright Support: COLUMN, PILLAR, POLE, POST

• Heed, As Rules: FOLLOW, MIND, OBSERVE, REGARD

• Allotment: INTEREST, PERCENTAGE, SHARE, STAKE

• Gathered by Spies: DIRT, INFORMATION, INTELLIGENCE, SECRETS

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for April 17's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A small monetary gift given to the church.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter T appears twice.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter T.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. What's the answer to Wordle today?

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to Wordle #1033 is...

TITHE.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

How to watch 'The Sympathizer' at a glance: BEST MAX DEAL FOR MOST PEOPLE Max (With Ads) annual subscription $99.99/year (save 17%) Get Deal BEST MAX DEAL WITH NO ADS Max (No Ads) annual subscription $149.99/year through April 9 (save 22%) Get Deal BEST FOR CRICKET CUSTOMERS Max (With Ads) Free for Cricket customers on the $60/month unlimited plan (save $9.99/month) Get Deal

The Sympathizer, one of our most anticipated shows of 2024, is now streaming. The new limited series from legendary filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Decision to Leave, The Handmaiden, Oldboy) brings Robert Downey Jr. to the small screen following his Oscar win for Oppenheimer. In The Sympathizer, Downey Jr. plays not one, not two, but four different roles. The series also stars Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, and the lovely Sandra Oh.

HBO and A24's take on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is already seeing a flood of excellent reviews pouring in (including our own). If you want a taste of it for yourself, here's everything you need to know about how to watch The Sympathizer online.

What is The Sympathizer about?

Adapted from Viet Thanh Nguyen's novel of the same name, The Sympathizer follows a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy in the final days of the Vietnam War, as well as his new life as a refugee in the United States. It mixes classic espionage thrills with dark comedy and cross-culture satire, making for a story that blends multiple genres.

"Our narrator, simply known as "the Captain" (Hoa Xuande), struggles under duress to recall the events of his life as clearly as possible. The purpose of this recollection? A confession he's writing in a Vietnamese reeducation camp, where any lapse in memory or particularly clear detail could mean the difference between life and death," Mashable's Belen Edwards writes in her review of the series. "Given the confession's context, The Sympathizer is never far from a brutal reminder of the stakes at play. Tragedy haunts its blend of satire and espionage thriller throughout, resulting in challenging, can't-miss TV magic."

Read our full review of The Sympathizer.

Here's the official trailer:

When is The Sympathizer streaming?

The first episode of The Sympathizer premiered on HBO and Max simultaneously on April 14, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET. The seven-part series will air new episodes weekly on Sundays, with the season finale falling on May 26.

Is there a Max free trial?

Sadly, there's no active Max free trial through HBO directly or through third-parties like Prime Video or Hulu. Keep an eye out, though, as we've seen free trials pop up sporadically (then disappear just as quickly). However, Max does offer free episodes through its Watch Free portal. There are tons of HBO originals included on the platform, including White Lotus, Succession, The Last of Us, and Euphoria, so you can test the waters with a single episode of each before committing to a subscription.

The best Max streaming deals

Before you sign up for a Max subscription, make sure to double check that you don't already have access to Max through a previous subscription, a third party, or a cable, internet, or wireless provider. If you do still need to sign up for access, check out the two streaming deals below.

Best Max deal for most people: Save up to 20% on an annual plan Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max annual subscriptions Save up to 22% on Max Watch Now

Rather than paying a monthly fee, you can sign up for a Max annual plan and save up to 22%. The Max with ads monthly subscription will run you $9.99 per month, which adds up to about $119.88. With an annual plan, you'll pay just $99.99 per year — that's 17% in savings. The Ad-Free annual plan goes for $149.99 per year (reg. $191.88), which saves you 22% (the biggest savings of all three plans), and the Ultimate plan is $199.99 per year (reg. $239.88), which saves you about 17%.

Best Max deal for Cricket customers: Free Max with ads for customers on the $60/month unlimited plan Opens in a new window Credit: Cricket / Max Max With Ads Free for Cricket customers on the $60/month plan Watch Now

Being a Cricket Wireless customer certainly has its perks. If you're on the $60 per month unlimited plan through Cricket, you get Max With Ads for free (as long as your account remains in good standing). Just head over to the Max app or navigate to Max on a browser, then sign in with Cricket as your provider. Your Cricket credentials will then unlock full access to Max With Ads (typically a $99.99 per year value) without you having to pay any extra money. If you're a Cricket customer on a different plan, you can upgrade or switch over to secure the deal at any time. Check the terms and conditions on the Cricket website to learn more.

What are the different Max subscription tiers?

Similar to the former HBO Max streaming tiers, Max offers three different subscription plans: With Ads, Ad-Free, and Ultimate Ad-Free. Here's a breakdown of the differences between each tier.

Max With Ads — The most affordable option includes two concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, and 5.1 surround sound quality. There are no offline downloads and only light ads for $9.99 per month (or $99.99 per year).

Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max With Ads $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year Watch Now

Max Ad-Free — As the name suggest, this option cuts out the ads and offers two concurrent streams, 1080p resolution, 5.1 surround sound quality, and 30 offline downloads. It costs $15.99 per month (or $149.9 per year).

Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max Ad-Free $15.99 per month or $149.99 per year Watch Now

Max Ultimate Ad-Free — The most expensive of the tiers, this option includes four concurrent streams, up to 4K UHD resolution, Dolby Atmos sound quality, and 100 offline downloads. It'll cost you $19.99 per month (or $199.99 per year).

Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max Ultimate Ad-Free $19.99 per month or $199.99 per year Watch Now

2024 has not been good to Tesla so far. 

EV sales are on the decline, which led to the Elon Musk-led company laying off 10 percent of its workforce on Monday. Now there's a major problem with Tesla's newest vehicle, the Cybertruck, which has apparently forced the company to halt production, sales, and deliveries.

SEE ALSO: Tesla to cut more than 10% of workforce, report claims

While Tesla has yet to confirm the problem, some Tesla Cybertruck owners have reported on social media that they have experienced a major safety issue in which the accelerator pedal gets stuck when it's being pressed down.

Tweet may have been deleted

Tesla customers who had ordered the Cybertruck have posted on the internet that their deliveries have been suspended due to either a recall or a "stop-sale."

A well-known Elon Musk fan account on X, which usually reports on Tesla news, also reported that the company has stopped Cybertruck deliveries due to the accelerator issue.

One Cybertruck owner uploaded a video on TikTok to demonstrate what's going on with the accelerator. It appears a pedal cover is coming loose and sliding up the pedal. It can then reportedly get wedged in an indent on the floor of the Cybertruck. This issue happens when the accelerator is pushed all the way down causing the vehicle to go "full throttle," as the Cybertruck owner in the video puts it. The individual says he was able to stop the vehicle by holding down the brake pedal, which overrides the acceleration pedal, but the Cybertruck would immediately accelerate again if he took his foot off the brake.

Tesla's long-awaited Cybertruck was first delivered to customers who had preordered the vehicle late last year. However, since the very beginning, Cybertruck has been plagued with complaints from customers about a variety of issues.

As Tom's Guide reports, Cybertruck owners have blasted the car over everything from shoddy build quality issues to braking and accelerating at random.

"My truck has been in service longer than I've owned it," said one Cybertruck owner on X who has faced numerous issues with his brand new vehicle.

The previously mentioned Musk fan account said the delivery halt was for seven days, but it's unclear exactly when Tesla will fulfill Cybertruck deliveries again. It's also unclear what the company is doing about what appears to be a major design flaw with its accelerator pedal given that such an issue could potentially have fatal consequences.

Sony is gearing up for the launch of the PlayStation 5 Pro and encouraging developers to optimize their games for the new console.

Aiming to overcome the original PS5's limitations, the PS5 Pro focuses on enhanced ray tracing performance, which has been a challenge for the base model. The Verge reports that the upcoming PS5 Pro will dramatically improve how games handle ray-traced graphics, aiming for stable frame rates and higher fidelity — in stark contrast to the current model's performance.

When ray tracing isn't on point, the result can be glitchy or unnatural light or reflections — including stutters or low frame rates — which can break your feeling of immersion. 

SEE ALSO: Sony PlayStation 5 Pro leak: New PS5 Pro console may arrive for the 2024 holiday season

Developers are being prompted to prepare not only new games but also to update existing titles under the "Trinity Enhanced" label, after the console’s codename. This label assures players of enhanced features such as superior ray tracing, higher resolutions, and better overall performance.

According to leaks, the PS5 Pro will boast a significant speed advantage, approximately 45 percent faster than its predecessor, with enhanced titles supporting better resolution and frame rate. This upgrade mirrors the enhancement strategy seen in Xbox Series X and Series S games, although Sony’s focus appears to be meant for native PS5 games only.

The necessity of these upgrades is evident, as even high-profile PS5 games like Dragon's Dogma 2 and Final Fantasy 16 have struggled with performance issues on the original PS5. With the introduction of the PS5 Pro, Sony aims to not only address these issues but also to enhance the gaming experience significantly, making it an exciting prospect for gamers looking to upgrade.

We still haven't seen the iPhone 16, but we keep learning more about it every week.

This week's revelation is that the cameras on the iPhone 16 Pro might feature a small, but meaningful, improvement over last year's models. According to an aggregator called "yeux1122" on the Korean news platform Naver (as spotted by MacRumors), Apple is using advanced manufacturing techniques to improve future iPhone cameras.

SEE ALSO: Gaming emulators are now on the App Store after Apple relaxed the rules

To be more specific, Apple is reportedly looking into using atomic layer deposition (or ALD) equipment for making iPhone cameras. In layman's terms, that would allow Apple to put anti-reflective coatings on its cameras. This would theoretically fix iPhone camera issues like lens flare and ghosting, which can happen when shooting directly at or behind a bright light source.

In other words, Apple would be killing a couple birds with one stone at the hardware level. This may not be a flashy feature to be advertised in press releases or trailers, but it's a small improvement that iPhone photographers would probably enjoy. However, as MacRumors pointed out, this could potentially be something Apple introduces next year instead of with the iPhone 16.

We'll find out in September.

SAVE $194.29: The Sunny Health & Fitness Magnetic rowing machine is just $205.70 at Amazon, down from the usual price of $399.99. That's a 48% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sunny Health & Fitness Sunny Health & Fitness Magnetic rowing machine $205.70 at Amazon
$399.99 Save $194.29 Get Deal

Don't feel like spending spring at the gym? Bring home a machine that offers one of the best whole-body workouts at a huge discount thanks to today's deal at Amazon.

As of April 16, the Sunny Health & Fitness Magnetic rowing machine is $205.70, marked down from the normal price of $399.99. That's a 48% discount or a savings of $194.29.

SEE ALSO: Get deep into fitness tracking by saving 10% on a Whoop annual membership

The Sunny Health & Fitness Magnetic rowing machine uses a magnetic tension system that's designed to be both smooth and quiet. Dial resistance up or down between eight levels of tension while getting a comfortable ride on the padded and ergonomic seat.

You can track your rowing progress and speed on the large LCD console while the non-slip foot pedals keep you securely planted on the rowing machine. The handlebars are also made with a slip-resistant material and a soft, padded foam for a more comfortable grip.

The rowing machine's steel rail folds upward, creating a more compact footprint for easy storage. The built-in wheels are also ideal for when you need to roll the rowing machine into a different room or into the closet and out of sight. Since we're well into the spring season, you could even roll the Sunny Health rowing machine outside for a workout in the fresh air.

If you're looking to work out at home, the Sunny Health & Fitness Magnetic rowing machine is just $205.70 at Amazon and offers a full-body workout at a fraction of the usual price.

Amazon deals of the day at a glance: OUR TOP PICK Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ (64GB, WiFi) $159.99 at Amazon (save $60) Get Deal BEST SMARTHOME DEAL Amazon Echo Pop with TP-Link Kasa smart color bulb $22.99 at Amazon (save $39.99) Get Deal BEST FITNESS DEAL Sunny Health & Fitness magnetic rowing machine $205.70 at Amazon (save $194.29) Get Deal BEST KIDS DEAL Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 $69.99 at Amazon (save $20) Get Deal

Whether you're hoping to use your tax return to do some retail therapy or you're simply a sucker for a sweet discount, we've handpicked some of the most impressive deals we could find at Amazon today. It's not a big shopping holiday or anything, but that doesn't mean there aren't all-time low prices on big-name products — like Samsung Galaxy or Amazon Echo.

Here are the best Amazon deals of the day for April 16, handpicked by us. And don't miss out on our picks from Monday, April 15, as many of those deals are still live.

Our top pick Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Amazon deal of the day: Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ (64GB, WiFi) $159.99 at Amazon
$219.99 Save $60.00 Get Deal

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ may not be as fancy or impressive as the brand's new Galaxy Tab S9 lineup, but not everyone is looking for a tablet that practically doubles as a computer. Some shoppers just want a reliable tablet that can handle basic tasks proficiently without breaking the bank — and that's exactly what you'll get with the A9+. Our friends at PCMag (which is owned by Mashable's publisher, Ziff Davis) called it the "best low-cost Android tablet you can buy," noting that it "succeeds at everything a low-cost tablet should." The A9+ sports an 11-inch screen, quad speakers powered by Dolby Atmos, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, and expandable storage up to 1TB. It's typically pretty affordable at $219.99, but as of April 16, you can keep an extra $60 in your wallet and snag it for only $159.99. That's 27% in savings and the lowest price on record.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon / TP-Link Echo Pop with TP-Link Kasa smart color bulb $22.99 at Amazon
$62.98 Save $39.99 Get Deal

Yesterday, April 15, we featured the Echo Pop as one of our top Amazon deals of the day at $22.99. Today, April 16, you can snag that same deal and pick up a free TP-Link Kasa smart color bulb. Who doesn't love free stuff? The Echo Pop is the cheapest way to add Alexa to your home via smart speaker. "For people who like to keep music playing, and who also use Alexa as a home assistant, the Echo Pop is a perfect addition to any room in the house," Mashable's reviewer wrote.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sunny Heath & Fitness Sunny Health & Fitness magnetic rowing machine $205.70 at Amazon
$399.99 Save $194.29 Get Deal

If you're looking for the best bang for your buck in a rowing machine, check out the Sunny Health & Fitness magnetic rowing machine. On any given day, it's relatively affordable at $399.99, but as of April 16, it's practically a steal at $205.70 — that's 48% in savings and just $5 away from its lowest price in a year. With eight levels of adjustable magnetic resistance, an extra-long 48-inch slide rail, and an LCD panel that displays time, count, calories, and more, this rower is basically customizable for any type of rower.

Opens in a new window Credit: Garmin Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 $69.99 at Amazon
$89.99 Save $20.00 Get Deal

The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is sure to get your little ones excited about moving their bodies. The swim-friendly tracker offers fun rewards via a parent-controlled app, which can help keep your kiddo both intrigued and safe. And as a bonus, the battery lasts up to a year, so you don't have to constantly throw it on a charger. As of April 16, it's on sale for just $69.99 — that's a savings of 22% and matches its lowest price to date.

None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.

YouTube is ramping up its enforcement against ad-blockers, by blocking certain third-party apps. On a totally unrelated note, did you know YouTube offers a paid ad-free subscription?

SEE ALSO: YouTube Premium might let you automatically jump to the most interesting part of a video

On Monday, YouTube posted an update saying people who use third-party ad-blockers "may experience buffering" or get a playback error. YouTube's terms of service bans ad-blockers and now the video streaming giant is getting serious about enforcing this. [An ad-blocker] prevents the creator from being rewarded for viewership, and Ads on YouTube help support creators and let billions of people around the world use the streaming service," said the announcement.

Last October, YouTube announced a "global effort" to crack down on ad-blocking services on the platform, per The Verge. Previously, this was rolled out to smaller groups and targeted specific ad-blockers. Users could still find a workaround by downloading a third-party app via YouTube's API. But now YouTube is closing off all ways of ad-blocking by prohibiting third-party apps that do this as well.

This is undoubtedly a good thing for creators who make money from YouTube content, but a bummer for casual viewers, although we kinda get it. YouTube is in the delicate position of having to keep creators happy in addition to its advertisers and users. But this time, users are losing out. On the surface it's a classic case of enshittification, or locking in users by offering a free service then gradually making it worse to force users to sign up for the premium version, but on the other hand, you could just sit through the ads.

By making YouTube videos unplayable, viewers are forced to turn off their ad-blockers or sign up for a YouTube Premium account which is $14 a month. Revenue from subscription fees is shared with creators in the YouTube Partner Program.

All right, you want the best of the best? Then we're gonna give it to you.

After scouring Netflix for the best thrillers, best action flicks, best romantic comedies, best horror movies, best family films, and more, it's finally time for us to narrow down our streaming suggestions to the best movies, period. That's right — it's superhero sagas vs. biopics vs. war dramas vs. musicals vs. comedies vs. so much more. This is the ultimate film list for when you have no idea what you want to watch outside of the general concept of an excellent movie that delivers top-tier performances, a killer script, and an engaging world.

Without further ado and in no particular order, here are the 25 best movies now on Netflix.

1. My Best Friend's Wedding Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

Few '90s rom-coms are better than this one directed by P.J. Hogan, in which a messy love triangle finds Jules (Julia Roberts) trying to sabotage her best friend Michael's (Dermot Mulroney) wedding when she realizes she's in love with him. The whole thing hinges on a pact the two friends made years ago, promising they'd marry each other if they were both still single by 28, an absolutely wild age to agree to such a thing. With only days before the wedding, Jules pushes her way into Michael and Kimmy's (Cameron Diaz) life to try and break them up. This movie's got Rupert Everett as gay BFF icon of the '90s George, an entire restaurant breaking into a sing-along of "I Say a Little Prayer," and Julia Roberts stealing a bread truck. My Best Friend's Wedding is perfect, always satisfying comfort food. — Oliver Whitney, Contributing Writer

How to watch: My Best Friend’s Wedding is streaming on Netflix.

2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Five years ago we got what remains one of the best superhero movies of all time with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. That's an incredibly hard act to follow, and yet the sequel to Miles Morales's journey, Across the Spider-Verse, is absolutely fantastic. 

SEE ALSO: 'Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse' is full of glorious Easter eggs. Here are 13 of the best.

In the second part of the Spider-Verse saga, Miles is grown up, but he's struggling to balance his life as Brooklyn's web-slinger with his studies and being a good son to his parents. After a visit from Gwen (Spider-Woman in her universe), Miles becomes tangled up with a daunting new villain, a whole new team of Spider-Peoples, and a mission that could change the fate of the multiverse. I know, I know, we're all a little burnt out by the overabundance of multiverse narratives these days, but Across the Spider-Verse manages to inject its story with some truly clever world-building. The newest characters are a blast, with a killer voice cast that includes Issa Rae, Oscar Isaac, Daniel Kaluuya, Karan Soni, and Greta Lee, among other fun cameos. The action set pieces are exhilarating and funny, and the animation is somehow more dazzling than the first film. We can only hope the third Spider-Verse film is half as good as the first two. — O.W.

How to watch: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is streaming on Netflix.

3. Paddington Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

The truth is, you haven't known joy until you've experienced Paddington, one of the most charming movies imaginable. It's well agreed upon that the titular Peruvian-British bear, voiced oh-so-sweetly by Ben Whishaw, is the epitome of cuteness. You could watch Paddington on mute and, by the laws of nature, melt into a puddle over his marmalade-smeared little face. This isn't just a movie about gushing over cute animals, though, but one that gently tells a story about British colonialism, immigration, and xenophobia through the wacky adventures of a bear on the run. 

After Paddington's jungle home in "Darkest Peru" is destroyed by an earthquake, the young bear arrives in London on a cargo ship. A British family takes pity on the lost little orphan and invites him to stay for a night. But things turn complicated for the red-hatted bear when Nicole Kidman's evil taxidermist sets out to hunt him down and stuff him. Dark, silly, and visually inventive, Paddington is there whenever you’re having a rough day and need a joyous pick-me-up. — O.W.

How to watch: Paddington is streaming on Netflix.

4. May December

On its surface, the latest from Todd Haynes (Carol, Velvet Goldmine) may seem like a thinly veiled reexamination of a true crime tale that had '90s tabloids absolutely obsessed. Screenwriter Samy Burch uses this familiar framework to construct a story that not only delivers a dishy parody of a melodrama, down to a string-zinging score and comically banal dialogue about hot dogs. She's also built a keen device to evaluate our obsession with true crime, for better or for ghoulish.

In May December, Julianne Moore plays a wife and mother who has a shameful (and criminal) past, which involves how she met her current husband (Charles Melton). When a TV actress (Natalie Portman) wants to turn their lives into a movie, old wounds are reopened. Beneath the blistering domestic drama, Haynes and Burch weave in a sharp and sophisticated humor that invites audiences to bark with laughter, even as their jaws drop in shock.* — Kristy Puchko, Film Deputy Editor

How to watch: May December is streaming on Netflix.

5. Everything Everywhere All at Once Michelle Yeoh kicks butt in "Everything Everywhere All at Once." Credit: A24

Want a movie with a little bit of everything? Then you can't beat the 2023 Oscar winner for Best Picture. Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh stars as a disgruntled laundromat owner who's at her wit's end between her obligations as a boss, wife, mother, and daughter. And just as she's braced to deal with a tax auditor with a surly attitude (Academy Award winner Jamie Lee Curtis), a dashing version of her husband (Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan) bursts onto the scene from a parallel universe to loop her into a quest to save all existence. Packed with absolutely bonkers action, outrageous jokes, dizzying style, and performances as silly as they are deeply poignant, The Daniels' Everything Everywhere All at Once is the kind of movie that'll have you laughing, crying, gasping, and maybe even reconsidering your life up to now. — K.P.

How to watch: Everything Everywhere All at Once is now streaming on Netflix.

6. Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park is never a bad decision for a movie night when you’re itching for suspense and action. There’s nothing quite like the first installment of the franchise, which perfectly weaves the wonder of witnessing live, giant dinosaurs right in front of your face...with the utter horror of witnessing live, giant dinos right in front of your face. Spielberg whips us from the awestruck wonder of walking among these ancient monsters to total action-packed chaos as everything goes haywire on Isla Nublar. Every set piece is pounding with adrenaline, from the iconic T-Rex Jeep chase to the kitchen sequence to Laura Dern fighting off a raptor. Ultimately, it’s Spielberg’s fine attention to detail that makes Jurassic Park such a masterwork, forever etching those sequences into our mind. You will never look at a glass of water or a spoonful of Jell-O the same after Jurassic Park.* — O.W.

How to Watch: Jurassic Park is now streaming on Netflix.

7. The Woman King Credit: Sony

The Oscars might have missed the boat on Gina Prince-Bythewood's relentless action thriller about a real-life group of female warriors (led by a remarkably buff Viola Davis) fighting slavers in 1800s Africa, but that doesn't mean you should do the same. Looking like no other action movie ever made, this collective of kick-ass women (including a stellar Lashana Lynch and Thuso Mbedu among their ranks) will have you leaping off your sofa and cheering as they slice their way through jungle and clay and mankind alike. — J.A.

How to watch: The Woman King is streaming on Netflix.

8. Phantom Thread 

If Daniel Day-Lewis is really and truly permanently retired from acting (and let's hope he's not, for acting's sake), then he went out on a darn high note with this profoundly romantic anti-romance from director Paul Thomas Anderson. DDL's persnickety couture bastard Reynolds Woodcock (a name the director and his star came up with as a gag, which stuck) and his right-hand sis Cyril (Lesley Manville, who will go right through you) have the disgustingly wealthy eating out of their satin-lined gloves when the film begins.

SEE ALSO: Why has 'Phantom Thread' given us so many great memes?

So, how does a stumbling bumbling nobody waitress named Alma (Vicky Krieps in a blow-the-doors-off performance) flip their entire pristine world upside down with nothing but a well-calculated blush and a basket of mushrooms? That's the stuff of romance, in all of its violent, push-pull swirl. And Phantom Thread captures the dunderheaded swoon of that first blush, plus all of the fallout that necessarily falls after in order to keep that flame forever burning. — J.A.

How to watch: Phantom Thread is streaming on Netflix.

9. Hunt for the Wilderpeople

This 2016 adventure about bad egg Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) and his curmudgeonly foster father Hec (Sam Neill) is the kind of eccentric delight that writer/director Taika Waititi specializes in (this time co-writing with Barry Crump, who wrote the book it's based on). 

After losing his foster mother, Ricky flees into the forests of New Zealand, pursued by Hec, only to learn that the older man also feels no need to return to civilization. Together they become the wilderpeople, living off the land and evading capture from authorities, including Thor: Ragnarok's Rachel House. Wilderpeople is equal parts stirring, hilarious, and absurd — a story of found family and adventure that can be loved by all.* — Proma Khosla, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Hunt for the Wilderpeople is streaming on Netflix.

10. Da 5 Bloods

Mashable's Adam Rosenberg reviewed Da 5 Bloods in summer 2020, writing: "In the midst of widespread IRL social upheaval that many hope will finally start to undo the trauma wrought by centuries of deeply embedded prejudice, this new movie delivers a powerful sense of perspective." Spike Lee's war film, a keenly impactful meditation on systemic racism, stars Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, the late Chadwick Boseman, and more. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Da 5 Bloods is streaming on Netflix.

11. The Mitchells vs. The Machines Credit: 2021 SPAI

Take your typical family road trip comedy, toss in a robot apocalypse, and top it all off with a heavy smattering of meme-worthy filters, doodles, and GIFs, and you might end up with something like The Mitchells vs. The Machines: a truly fun-for-the-whole-family feature that hinges on whether an artsy teen (voiced by Abbi Jacobson) and her luddite dad (voiced by Danny McBride) can set aside their differences long enough to save all of humanity from being launched into space by Siri Pal.

Come for the jokes about our impending AI-led dystopia, stay for the heart-tugging moments of Mitchell family bonding. Seriously, we might never hear T.I. and Rihanna's "Live Your Life" without tearing up ever again.* — Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor

How to watch: The Mitchells vs. The Machines is streaming on Netflix.

12. The Power of the Dog Credit: Kirsty Griffin / Courtesy of Netflix

The Power of the Dog is a masterful Western from director Jane Campion, who made history as the third woman to win the award for Best Director. Benedict Cumberbatch dazzles with quiet menace as cowboy Phil Burbank, while his co-stars Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, and Kodi Smit-McPhee also deliver award-worthy performances. A gorgeous film layered with subtle dangers, The Power of the Dog is proof that it's Campion's world. We're all just living in it.* — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: The Power of the Dog is streaming on Netflix.

13. Crimson Peak 

Justice for Crimson Peak! Those of us who love Guillermo del Toro’s camp gothic romance really love it, and we will defend it with our last heaving guttural ghostly gasp. From those balloon-sized, puffy-shouldered nightgowns that Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) sports while running up and down hallways and staircases and staircases and hallways while clutching candelabras, to Tom Hiddleston's heaving buttocks, to fresh and inventive ways of smashing a dude's face in, Crimson Peak is peak del Toro. Total goth nirvana. Make like Jessica Chastain, and stab, stab, stab this beauty into your heart today! — J.A.

How to watch: Crimson Peak is streaming on Netflix.

14. Okja Credit: Jae Hyuk Lee / Netflix / Kobal / Shutterstock

Fall under the spell of Parasite director Bong Joon-ho once more with Netflix's Okja. When a terrible fate befalls a genetically modified kind of "super pig" named Okja thanks to the evil Mirando corporation, Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun) will stop at nothing to save her friend and take down Mirando's CEO Lucy (Tilda Swinton). — A.F.

How to watch: Okja is streaming on Netflix.

15. Marriage Story

Yes, interpretations of Noah Baumbach's Academy Award-winning film have varied substantially among audiences. But, for the most part, critics agree that the character-driven divorce film saga represents a resonant and important viewpoint in modern relationships. Career-best performances from Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver will turn you into a sobbing puddle while Baumbach's artful narrative-building slowly makes you whole again. — A.F.

How to watch: Marriage Story is streaming on Netflix.

16. tick, tick... Boom!

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feature directorial debut packs a potent musical theater punch from every angle. He brings to life the selective reality and theatrical phantasmagoria of Rent writer Jonathan Larson’s life and career, based on an autobiographical show from 1992.

Miranda, whose In the Heights was spectacularly adapted for film by Jon M. Chu, proves as adept at moving from stage to screen as he does sucking the marrow of his medium. Andrew Garfield fully inhabits Larson, from voice to body to towering, buzzing hair and a frenetic urgency to create — to write, to sing, to matter, as Larson so clearly did to legions of dreamers who followed.* — P.K.

How to watch: tick, tick...Boom! is streaming on Netflix.

17. Monty Python and the Holy Grail Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

There are tons of great Monty Python films to pick from (including Life of Brian, which is also streaming on Netflix), but The Holy Grail holds a special place in our hearts. It's endlessly quotable, stupidly funny, and captures everything that made this comedy team spectacular. Not to mention it forever changed how we see coconuts, swallows, hamsters, and elderberries. — A.F.

How to watch: Monty Python and the Holy Grail is streaming on Netflix.

18. Frances Ha 

When Frances Ha (a never-better Greta Gerwig), during an ill-planned jaunt to Paris, gives a speech to a group of strangers over dinner about that thing, you know, where you see somebody who perfectly understands you across a room during a party? That’s when the movie gets its hook into me. And when what Frances described plays itself out perfectly at the end of Noah Baumbach’s black-and-white 2012 masterpiece, with her forever bestie Sophie (Mickey Sumner) spotting her across a room and smiling with all the communication in all the world passing between them? That’s when I am dragged into this perfect movie’s loving embrace all over again. And again. And again. 

It's been about a decade since its release, and Frances Ha was already a bit of a time capsule of a precise moment and place in time when it came out. Still, the low-fi indie timelessly transcends those specifics, capturing something ineffable about friendship and self-actualization in the smallest, sweetest, clumsiest of increments. — J.A.

How to watch: Frances Ha is streaming on Netflix.

19. Roma Credit: Netflix

The first foreign-language film to win an Oscar for Best Director, Alfonso Cuarón's Roma greets viewers at the intersection of personal reflection and cinematic excellence. The black-and-white film follows live-in housekeeper Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), an Indigenous woman who works for an affluent family in Mexico City, finding a sense of humanity that is uniquely memorable. — A.F.

How to watch: Roma is now streaming on Netflix.

20. Farha

Based on a real Palestinian girl's story, Darin J. Sallam's debut feature film follows 14-year-old Farha (Karam Taher), who dreams of moving from her Palestinian village into the city so she can go to school instead of getting married. But it's 1948 in Palestine, just as the first Nakba, or "catastrophe" in Arabic, was taking place, and far more horrifying things are about to interrupt Farha's hopes.

Instead of trying to show the expansive historical details of the Nakba, Sallam’s Farha presents everything through the eyes of its young protagonist. We follow Farha as she's forced to separate from her family and best friend as Israel's militia arrives to wreak havoc in her village. Though an incredibly difficult film to watch, it's also a powerful film that tells a rare story of Palestinian history and perseverance through the vantage point of an innocent child. — O.W.

How to watch: Farha is streaming on Netflix.

21. I'm Thinking of Ending Things Credit: Mary Cybulski / Netflix

Emotional demolitions expert/filmmaker Charlie Kaufman destroys audiences once more in the mind-boggling I'm Thinking of Ending Things. Adapted from Iain Reid's novel of the same name, this cryptically titled psychological thriller follows a woman, played by Jessie Buckley, and her boyfriend, played by Jesse Plemons, on a disturbing visit to his parents' remote farmhouse. What follows? Well, that depends on who you ask.

A transfixing meditation on art, existence, value, authorship, isolation, and more, I'm Thinking of Ending Things is a truly one-of-a-kind experience as profound as it is disquieting. You may not have a great time in this house of abstract horrors (especially when Toni Collette is on-screen doing those classically terrifying Toni Collette things), but it will be a lasting one.* — A.F.

How to watch: I'm Thinking of Ending Things is streaming on Netflix.

22. RRR 

Put on your dancing shoes and prepare to punch a tiger in the face, because S. S. Rajamouli's three-plus-hour action epic is here to pound you into submission, and you'll be smiling for every second of it. Making Zack Snyder's grandiosity look like a flea circus, RRR (which stands for "Rise Roar Revolt") tells the simple and modest tale of two revolutionaries (played by human supermen N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan) in 1920 who become friends, enemies, friends again, and on and so forth, until they storm and spin and punch and slash their way across half of the British army.

RRR features about a dozen action scenes that should rank among the most phenomenal spectacles ever put on screen (I'm particular to the fight that nearly burns down an entire jungle, myself), but we all know it's the "Naatu Naatu" dance competition that keeps the boys and girls coming back for more. — J.A.

How to watch: RRR is streaming on Netflix.

23. Catfight

If you loved Killing Eve, you gotta watch Catfight, a movie where two women spend the entire film trying to kill one another. Sandra Oh stars alongside the late Anne Heche in this deliciously nasty black comedy about two former college friends who hate each other and reunite by chance. 

Veronica (Oh) is a miserable trophy wife; Ashley (Heche) is a pissed-off, struggling artist, and both women are raging, toxic jerks. When they meet in a stairwell at a party, years of bottled-up rage explodes, and the two viciously punch, kick, and strangle the hell out of each other. Cut to two years later, when one of them wakes up from a coma. Yes, Catfight is incredibly dark, bubbling with crude humor and gnarly violence, and may not be for everyone. Yet there's something exhilarating about watching female characters — especially with the tremendous duo of Oh and Heche, who fight, yell, and insult with such ferocity — get a chance to unleash their rage in ways male characters have done for decades. — O.W.

How to watch: Catfight is streaming on Netflix.

24. It Follows

Sex kills in It Follows, literally. In David Robert Mitchell's fantastic indie horror film, Maika Monroe's Jay becomes the latest target of a mysterious and invisible entity after she has sex with her boyfriend (Jake Weary). Now she has to have sex with someone else to pass on the curse; until then, she'll be stalked by random strangers who are trying to kill her. A minimalist horror premise, It Follows works so well because it refrains from explaining too much and instead relies on creating a total atmosphere of paranoia. It's a masterclass in suspenseful, style-soaked filmmaking, using creeping zooms and 360-degree POV pans to ratchet up the psychological anxiety, plus a synth-heavy score that evokes the dread of vintage John Carpenter. Beware, you will leave this movie doing a double take at every shadowy corner. — O.W.

How to watch: It Follows is streaming on Netflix.

25. Nimona Credit: Netflix

Nimona transports audiences to a futuristic medieval world where knight Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) is on the run for a crime he did not commit. However, it's his label as a "villain" that brings shapeshifter Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) into his life. More comfortable as a shark than a human girl, Nimona is a delightfully deviant fiend who wants nothing more than to stick it to the all-powerful Institute. She and Ballister make quite the odd pair — she wants to wreak havoc, he just wants to clear his name — but together, they may just defeat an evil lurking in their kingdom.

Between some electrifying fight scenes and its graphic animation style, Nimona is a blast of a viewing experience. But its message and LGBTQ visibility is what truly sets it apart. Not only is Ballister's relationship with knight Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang) a key element of the film, but Nimona's own fluidity and negotiation of her identity calls to mind transness in a meaningful, important way.* — B.E.

How to watch: Nimona is now streaming on Netflix.

Need even more streaming recommendations? Mashable Streaming Guides can help. You can find:

• Best thrillers on Netflix

• Best action flicks on Netflix

• Best romantic comedies on Netflix

• Best horror movies on Netflix

• Best family films on Netflix

• And even the most ridiculous teen dramas. Seriously, we have ALL the streaming advice.

Asterisks (*) indicate the entry comes from a previous Mashable list.

Opens in a new window Credit: Netflix Sign up for a Netflix subscription! Shop Now

SAVE $50: As of April 16, get the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet for just $99.99. That's $50 off its normal price and a discount of 33%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro $99.99 at Amazon
$149.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal

Tablets are great options for keeping little minds entertained. Stuff them with educational software, kid-appropriate entertainment, and books, and your brood will have plenty to do. This is all even easier with Amazon Fire Kids tablets, which come packed with kid-friendly content in a frame that'll withstand drops so you don't have to worry about cracked screens or grimy cases. Today's a great day to grab an affordable kids' tablet that works for younger and older members of the family.

As of April 16, you can get the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet for just $99.99. That's $50 off its normal price of $149.99 and a discount of 33%. This price applies to three different colors: Rainbow Universe, Hello Teal, and Cyber Blue.

This budget-friendly tablet has a 13-hour battery life, a hexa-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and 1 TB of expandable storage. It also boasts Dolby Atmos sound. It's all housed in a slim case that protects it from drops to make it last a little longer even when in little hands.

The tablet also comes with a year of Amazon Kids+ content for free, which contains hundreds of books, games, videos, apps, and Alexa skills to use. It's priced at $4.99 a month after your free year, so be sure to cancel if you don't want to pay.

If you need an affordable tablet for your young ones that does everything they want (with peace of mind for you), this is an excellent place to start.

SAVE $50.01: Costco members can score a $500 Southwest Airlines gift card for just $449.99. That's a 10% discount. Non-members can grab the gift card for a sale price of $472.49, which is a 5% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Southwest Airlines $500 Southwest Airlines gift card $449.99 at Costco
$500.00 Save $50.01 sale price extends to Costco members Get Deal

Summer is just a few months away. Do you have your travel plans booked? If you haven't booked flights because they cost too much, today's deal could help with making summer travel more affordable.

As of April 16, Costco members can score a $500 Southwest Airlines gift card for just $449.99. That's a savings of $50.01. If you're not a Costco member, you can still grab the gift card on sale for $472.94 which works out to a savings of $27.51.

Travel can come with a shocking price tag these days. If you're looking to score a good deal, this gift card will reduce the price of your flights. Southwest Airlines is one of the best U.S. carriers to book affordable flights, flying to over 100 destinations. The Southwest network covers the U.S. and also includes destinations in Central and South America like Mexico and Aruba.

SEE ALSO: The 5 best Bluetooth trackers for travel and lost luggage

In addition to affordable prices, flying Southwest also comes with some perks. The airline allows you to check two bags for free, which is a joy for over packers. Southwest also doesn't charge a change fee should you need to alter your travel dates.

Grab this gift card deal and hurry to book your summer travel with Southwest Airline's Wanna Get Away sale that drops flight prices to as low as $49 each way.

Even if you're not a Costco member, score a discounted price on a $500 Southwest Airlines gift card and make your next trip a bit more affordable.

From its opening sequence you could be forgiven for thinking Baby Reindeer was a comedy.

Set in a London police station, we watch as Donny Dunn (creator Richard Gadd, playing a version of himself), shuffles into reception to tell a disinterested officer he's being stalked. A woman Donny met in the pub where he works has been following him and sending him hundreds of emails a day.

"Are any threatening towards you?" asks the officer of the emails.

"Yeah," says Donny, holding up his smartphone to show a message that reads, "I jusst had an egg."

"I wouldn't say that's...particularly threatening," comes the confused response.

It sounds light-hearted enough, but there's a current running beneath the scene. A mixture of awkwardness and fear. The comedy in Baby Reindeer, in this way, is like a thin sheet of ice. It masks something darker and more dangerous churning just below the surface.

SEE ALSO: 38 best dramas on Netflix for when you want to feel something What's Baby Reindeer about?

Adapted from his one-man play of the same name, Gadd's limited series is based on his own life. We first meet his protagonist, Donny, when he's in something of a rut, working shifts in a London pub while struggling to make a name for himself as a standup comic.

Donny's private life is more complicated than his professional one. He's living with the mother of his ex-girlfriend and dating a trans woman, Teri (Nava Mau), a relationship he's trying to keep secret due to his own confusion about his sexuality. To make things worse, Donny randomly shows kindness to a stranger called Martha (Jessica Gunning), only for her to latch on to him in a way that goes from endearing to terrifying in the blink of an eye.

Dunn first meets Martha when he gives her a free cup of tea. Credit: Ed Miller / Netflix

"I have a sneaky feeling you might be the death of me," whispers Martha at the end of the first episode, shortly after asking Donny if he ever wishes he could unzip people and climb inside them. Like many of their early interactions, it's a comment that would be amusing if it wasn't so unnerving.

Baby Reindeer is often hard to watch.

Gadd's series is by turns hilarious, harrowing, tense, uplifting, and upsetting. It's difficult to categorise. Perhaps the only thread running throughout the seven episodes is just how uncomfortable things are. The viewing experience is painful, for multiple reasons. For the most part it's the show's honesty. Donny's standup performances are exactly what you'd expect from a struggling comedian: awkward to watch. He's often met with silence, sometimes heckles. More than once the person shouting from the audience is Martha herself, and the resulting exchanges — which, like the script as a whole, feel horribly realistic — make you want to curl up into a ball.

Martha is a character that's so well drawn, and so brilliantly acted by Gunning, that she's difficult to look away from. At times she's like Kathy Bates in Stephen King's Misery, exploding with an anger and violence that makes you recoil; at other times she merely seems like an odd and slightly pitiful figure, making us feel the same sympathy for her that Donny himself struggles with. There's a scene early on where Donny, while trying to get to the bottom of who Martha really is, follows her home to her messy one-bedroom flat and peers in at her through the window. Of course he makes a noise and she spots him before he can fully duck down, and there's another misspelled email waiting for him when he gets home: "babyr ein i saw you looking, ickle wickle peeping tom." Like many instances in the show, whenever Donny tries to take some sort of action to help himself, it ends up backfiring horribly.

Dunn's standup performances make for painful viewing. Credit: Ed Miller/Netflix

But the storyline with Martha, however troubling it is to watch, is only one disturbing facet in the show. Affecting Donny's interactions with his stalker and the way he feels about himself is an incident that happened to him years before, which is told over the course of a longer flashback episode midway through the season. It's very uncomfortable viewing, reminiscent of Michaela Coel's brilliant I May Destroy You, but it serves to reveal more about Dunn's psychology. Gadd, once again basing the story on his own experiences (this time something eluded to in another of his shows, Monkey See Monkey Do), gives a phenomenally raw performance.

Baby Reindeer has some moments that will stay with you.

It's difficult to find fault with Baby Reindeer. The acting is brilliant across the board, Gadd's writing is excellent, and the only thing that might put some people off is the darkness of the subject matter. The show is raw and honest, and the characters don't always make the decisions we want them to make.

The show has moments that will stay with you; little awkward vignettes, some real-life horror, and a few sequences that are powerful enough to hurt. There's one particular scene near the end of the series that takes place on the standup stage, a soul-bearing monologue that's about as heart-wrenching as it's possible for TV to get.

In the end, though, nothing is neat. This isn't the type of show with a clear resolution. It's messy, thought-provoking, and — like a dream that's difficult to shake — you'll find your mind going back to it long after the credits have rolled.

How to watch: Baby Reindeer is now streaming on Netflix.