De Niro plays a former president named George Mullen, who’s put back into motion by the present president (Angela Bassett) after a nationwide cyber attack. Who is behind it? Mullen heads the commission that it has commissioned to seek out out, and he received all styles of powers that bring concerning the structure. Complaining matters are a unruly public Gaden of an opportunistic conspiracy theorist (Dan Stevens) and the crabting politicians who need to rating points, including Mullen's Nepo-Baby Congress Daughter (Lizzy Caplan). In addition, Mullen can have some problems with memory and hallucinations. His two helpers, played by Jesse Plemons and Connie Britton, do their best to cover him.

The problems with the show are uncomplicated. De Niro looks bored and bassett was asked to be little greater than serious and anxious in some scenes. It is surprising to see the abilities of two of probably the most clever actors of Hollywood, but this is applicable to the occupation as a complete who should not asked to play characters as much as chess pieces. And writing is chunky. When Mullen arrives to work on the Commission, someone tells him with a straight face: “It will be an honor to keep the jackals back in chess while saving the country, sir.”

We often see that something is going on, then there may be an assembly of reports reports, which what we’ve just seen tells a way that I’m for a strategy to paddle the term. So there are several secret meetings wherein one person is threatened after which threatened again. These are the kinds of delay tactics that juice energy from history when it should feel tight and exciting. Filled with images of men who collapse their pine and pour themselves a stiff drink, the recurring topic of the show “They are stunning to the chaos of their own flaw”, but there are more interesting ways to visualise this. In any case, there isn’t any room within the narrative for somebody who just isn’t an elite that goals at “political thriller”, minus a convincing political perspective.

Two of the three creators of the show, the previous president of NBC News, Noah Oppenheim and journalist Michael Schmidt, don’t have any previous experience with script dramas. But Eric Newman (whose credits “Narcos” and as a producer of “Children of Men”) could be learned quite a bit to clarify such a gobbledygook story with empty moral platta studies. Was the “Zero Day” more clearer in its original conception with a view to lose its way as a consequence of executive notes and algorithmic dictations? Difficult to know.

Do not buy an evaluation that tries to suggest that the show has its finger on the heart beat of the nation, with a megaloman tech billionaire (Gaby Hoffmann) with the assistance of chosen civil servants and the word “coup d'état” was briefly pronounced in them The last episode of the show. Ultimately, it’s unclear which story “Zero Day” desires to tell.

No matter how intensely the missions get, de Niro never lifts his voice and it’s the one fascinating alternative that makes the show. But it's not enough.

“Zero Day” – 1.5 stars (from 4)

Where to observe: Netflix

Originally published: February 21, 2025 at 1:44 p.m. PST

Each of the last three years, San Jose State's football season ended with a loss in a bowl game. This time there was a 41-39 five-overtime loss to South Florida within the Hawaii Bowl.

In the fifth extra time, the Bulls began with the ball and converted the 2 points with a reception from Keshaun Singleton. As SJSU attempted to reply, a pass from SJSU quarterback Walker Eget intended for Justin Lockhart was deflected, ending the ballgame.

The Bulls led 21-10 at halftime but were outscored 17-3 by the Spartans within the second half.

SJSU took its first lead after linebacker Noah McNeal-Franklin took the ball to the two-yard line following a 27-yard return.

The Spartans' freshman running back Lamar Radcliffe struck out and gave them the lead.

But Floyd Chalk IV, his fellow tailback, was stuffed on a third-and-1 on their final regulation possession, forcing the Spartans to punt with 53 seconds left.

A 13-yard return by USF's Sean Atkins put the Bulls in prime position to push downfield.

Six plays later, Bulls kicker John Cannon converted a 41-yard kick that sent the sport into extra time.

Each team scored in the primary three extra time periods and neither reached the tip zone within the fourth period.

SJSU wide receiver Matthew Coleman, filling in for 2024 Fred Biletnikoff Award finalist Nick Nash, led the Spartans with 119 yards on 12 receptions, including a touchdown in the primary extra time and a two-point conversion within the third third extension.

Eget was 33 of 58 passing with two touchdowns and one interception.

Originally published: December 24, 2024 at 9:51 pm PST

I don't often watch movies within the cinema, let alone horror movies. But a couple of weeks ago I saw “Heretic“, which fascinated me for private and skilled reasons.

I watched loads of Hugh Grant romantic comedies within the late Nineties and early 2000s. Today it’s me a scholar of gender and culture and religion, including Mormonism. And in “Heretic,” two Latter-day Saint missionaries knock on a door only to search out it opened by a personality named Mr. Reed, played by Grant himself.

As I sat within the theater, my mind wandered to the time recently once I watched the complete reality show.The Secret Lives of Mormon Women.”

Although the series differs significantly from the film, each often deal with the lives of ladies who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often called the Mormon Church. Less horror and more hot mess, the TV show sets up a conflict between a gaggle of mother friends who violate lots of their church's rules.

Nevertheless, each character sets reflect one another long-held tropes about women in art: depicted as virgins, moms or sinners in need of salvation. When characters have a spiritual background, their misdeeds are sometimes portrayed as rebellions against the constraints of their faith – evident in a Secret Lives of Mormon Wives episode titled “The Book of Sinners and Saints.”

In the filmReligion is commonly a path that audiences must grapple with Ideas about gender and social change. This is much more true if the faith is taken into account conservative or liable to stereotyping, each of which apply to Latter-day Saints. Female characters' dilemmas are sometimes portrayed consequently of their faith—but their characterization may say more concerning the remainder of America than the church itself.

“Secrets” and stereotypes

“The Secret Lives of Mormon Women,” that was renewed for a second season on Hulu in October 2024 is a reality show a few group of friends in Salt Lake City, where the Church of Latter-day Saints is headquartered.

Although many Americans know little concerning the church, Strong stereotypes persist: these members are healthyfor instance, and accept a family structure with a father who takes care of him and a superbly coiffed mother who stays at home. The show goals to point out how diverse the “secret lives” of Latter-day Saints may be, at the same time as certain characters within the show reflect stereotypes concerning the Church's expectations of ladies.

The Church teaches that members should avoid extramarital sex, Alcohol and caffeine. Nevertheless, many actors proceed to check all these boundaries or break them completely. Before the show began, for instance, the celebs gained a fan base on TikTok via the hashtag #MomTok – which then experienced a boom a “soft swinging” scandal Involvement of their social environment. During filming, one among the ladies is pregnant and never married to the daddy of her child.

These conflicts appear to pique the fascination of viewers, despite the indisputable fact that few people in a spiritual tradition follow its teachings perfectly. Questions about church regulations and Violation of the foundations occur time and again the subreddits dedicated to the show.

Maybe viewers act like women only have feelings in Utah special patriarchal pressure when it comes to money and appearance – including cosmetic surgery. they could conveniently forgotten that two of the most important Christian denominations within the United States, the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention, also ban women from holding leadership positions.

At one point early within the series, Whitney tries to determine whether to simply accept a sex toy company's offer to advertise their products and whether it aligns along with her values. She and the opposite women all grudgingly admit that they earn greater than their husbands, especially through such brand-name deals.

These tensions are hardly limited to spiritual communities. Many people outside of conservative beliefs struggle with the concept of ​​a girl being the first breadwinner of her family. Studies suggest this stands out as the case a better likelihood of divorce when wives earn greater than husbands, and that ladies who earn greater than their male partners are more prone to fake orgasms.

Perfect victims

In its own way, “Heretic” can be about power and control in addition to the oppression of ladies with or without religion. But while faith itself isn’t discussed here in “Secret Lives.” it’s the main target.

The film opens with two young women wearing the modest clothing of Latter-day Saint missionaries – a rite of passage for a lot of young people within the Church – and with name tags on their coats. They rode their bikes to see Mr. Reed, a person who expressed an interest of their faith. He invites her into his perfectly decorated house and says that his wife shall be joining them, although the one clue to her are mugs marked “Husband” and “Husband.”

Mr. Reed is enthusiastic about religion, but to not the extent the missionaries had hoped. He begins to lecture her concerning the supposedly false guarantees of faith and urges her to present up the concept her church has a monopoly on the reality. In particular, he insists that the Latter-day Saint tradition is bad for girls and persists in that tradition former practice of polygamy – while he himself begins to terrorize the young women, who realize that they have to discover a method to escape.

In my opinion, their plight is tied to broader ideas about gender—particularly discomfort with U.S. culture's move away from patriarchal gender roles.

Christine Blythea folklorist and the managing director The Mormon Historical Association argues that sister missionaries were the “ideal victims” for a horror film: characters that the audience associates with innocence and who’re worthy of being protected by men.

But once they leave the security of their homes, they’re persecuted moderately than protected. It is just a while after they enter Reed's house that Elder Kennedy, a person from their church, goes in search of them. Reed's seek for the “one true religion” and his efforts to get the women to desert their very own religion boil right down to his need for pure control over women – which is expressed not only in his violence, but in addition in its manner and the way in which he moves the figures of the 2 missionaries through a dollhouse-sized version of his house.

Audiences might even see the missionaries as scapegoats, as if such dangers only arise when women serve their church—moderately than considering that misogyny is a danger that ladies face no matter their religious affiliation.

Both “Heretic” and “Secret Lives” reflect ideas about Latter-day Saints for a U.S. audience. The audience, in turn, uses it to explore fears concerning the position of ladies in society. While each could also be entertaining in their very own ways, the challenge is to take into consideration why they resonate – and apply those thoughts to our own communities.