I dont know how she did it, but Amy Seimetz wrote and directed a movie in late 2019 that describes with almost clinical accuracy how it feels to be alive in America this week. Its called She Dies Tomorrow, its newly available on demand, and it is about contagion. Not a contagion of disease but a contagion of dread.

It starts as an art-house puzzler before swimming out past horror into less easily defined waters. A young woman, Amy (Kate Lyn Sheil), holes up in a dark house, drinking too much and Googling funerary urns. When a concerned friend, Jane (Jane Adams), stops by, Amy insists with barely contained terror that she is going to die tomorrow. Exactly how is beside the point. She just knows.

Jane returns to her house deeply rattled and gets back to work on a scientific art project, photographing microbes that look like big, beautiful bacteria. And then it hits her, too, with the punch of a freight train: Shes going to die tomorrow. Its like the day before you get a cold, she says. Or feeling that your home is about to be invaded and they will show no mercy.

Whats going on here? Is it a literal virus? A vector of existential panic passed along like the flu? Or is this just what its like to wake up to the human condition after a lifetime of keeping it at bay? As the sensation of imminent doom spreads from character to character to character, She Dies Tomorrow takes shape as an allegory with just enough genre trimmings to keep us off balance. A spatter of blood on the walls here. A surge of suspense music there. The movie has been co-produced by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, whose own films Resolution (2012), Spring (2014), The Endless (2018) similarly blur the line between horror and the queasily ordinary. There, as here, we are invited to sail off the map into the metaphysical.

She Dies Tomorrow is about waking up to fear and embracing it as a constant. Janes brother Jason (Chris Messina) and sister-in-law Susan (Katie Aselton) have a brittle tension to their marriage that dissolves after theyre infected and the first wave of despair passes over them. We say such stupid things, says the formerly caustic Susan as the sun comes up on what she is certain will be her final day. Reassures her husband, I like the stupid things you say.

You could take this material and turn it operatic, as Lars von Trier did with Melancholia (2011), where Kirsten Dunst waits with the rest of the world for a rogue planet to smash into Earth. Seimetz keeps her vision more tightly focused and intimate. Jay Keitels brooding cinematography sometimes dips into the surreal, as when a character catches the bug and the screen flashes colors of the spectrum. At other times, She Dies Tomorrow zeroes in on the tiny bits of beauty we never notice, like Janes microbes, or the bubbles in a wine glass that suddenly resemble a murmuration of birds.

What would you do if you knew today would be your last? Run home to your loved ones, like Janes initially disbelieving doctor (Josh Lucas)? Get the breakup over with, like Jason and Susans friends Tilly (Jennifer Kim) and Brian (Tunde Adebimpe)? Just hang out by the pool, like Sky (Michelle Rodriguez) and Erin (Olivia Taylor Dudley)? The hardest moments of Seimetzs parable occur offscreen, and involve Jason and Susans daughter (Madison Calderon). Youth, remember, is a belief in immortality, and to take that away seems especially cruel.

There are the occasional heavy-handed touches: those blasts of Mozarts Requiem in the early scenes. (On the other hand, what would you play as exit music?) But She Dies Tomorrow takes a preposterous premise if one that stares us in the face every day and keeps on the right, eerie side of dramatizing it. That the movie arrives at this particular time of slow panic, when a disease has driven us into postures of denial and acceptance and when a country feels as if its about to fly off the rails, isnt Amy Seimetzs fault.

On the other hand, maybe she knew. Maybe we all know. Underneath the artful dread of She Dies Tomorrow lie the Five Remembrances of Buddhism, which include the lines There is no way to escape death. All that is dear to me and everything I love are of the nature of change. There is no way to escape being separated from them. Or as Amy says in the bleak light of this singular movies dawn, Its OK. Its OK. Its not OK.

SHE DIES TOMORROW

Written and directed by Amy Seimetz. Starring Kate Lyn Sheil, Jane Adams, Chris Messina, Katie Aselton. Available on cable systems and on demand services. 84 minutes. R (language, some sexual references, drug use, bloody images)

Ty Burr can be reached at ty.burr@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @tyburr.

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Eerily, memorably, She Dies Tomorrow captures the moment were in - The Boston Globe

The beauty ofWisdenis that every time you go back to it, you discover something different

Here is a little quiz for those who think they are masters of Test match trivia. Which Indian played Test cricket for two countries? The second question is a case for Feluda the mystery of the disappearing Banerjees. Which three Banerjees played one Test each for India and were never picked again?

The answers are hidden inThe Wisden Book of Test Cricket 2014-2019, edited by Steven Lynch, covering 223 matches from September 2014 till the end of the English summer season in 2019. That brought the total number of Tests played since 1877 to more than 2,350.

Test statistics are a bit like fine wine they improve with age. One of the most intriguing sections is at the back with individual Test career records in alphabetical order. India merits nine pages.

The Nawab of Pataudi Senior played three Tests for India in 1946, while his son, the ninth Nawab, Mansoor Ali Khan Tiger Pataudi (Sharmila Tagores late husband), played 46, with a top score of 203 not out. It was Dad who also played three times for England, including twice in the infamous 1932-33 Bodyline series in Australia, scored 102 on debut but was dropped after a row with his skipper, Douglas Jardine, over the ethics of bowling at Donald Bradmans head and body.

Wisdenrecords that S.A. (Sudangsu Abinash) Banerjee and S.N. (Sarobindu Nath Shute) Banerjee got a solo Test each between 1948 and 1949 and S.T. (Subroto Tara) Banerjee in 1992.

The beauty ofWisdenis that every time you go back to it, you discover something different. You could make a whole squad out of the Indians who played a solitary Test among them, M.J. Gopalan (1933-34); Gursharan Singh (1989-90); L.P. Jai (1933-34); K.R. Meherhomji (1936); and the Yuvraj of Patiala (1933-34).

Each of the 223 Tests in the book is allocated a page with a remarkable amount of detail packed in, from the match report and scorecard to the identity of debutants, substitute catchers, award winners, umpires and referees, plus close of play scores and changes of batting and bowling order in the second innings.

The period, 2014-2019, is said to have been a good one for India. Part of the credit must go to Indias batsmen, notably Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma, and the spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin (342 wickets in 65 Tests) and Ravindra Jadeja (198 wickets in 43 Tests). But maybe what tipped the balance are the fast bowlers, such as Jasprit Bumrah (62 wickets in 12 Tests); Ishant Sharma (278 wickets in 92 Tests); Umesh Yadav (119 wickets in 41 Tests); Mohammed Shami (153 wickets in 42 Tests); and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (63 wickets in 21 Tests). That is something new to Indian cricket and the real lesson from the overview offered byWisden.

However, there is some way to go. England, which once had Fred (Fiery) Trueman (307 wickets in 67 Tests) and Brian Statham (252 wickets in 70 Tests), has had James Anderson (575 wickets in 149 Tests) and Stuart Broad (467 wickets in 132 Tests) in modern times, with Jofra Archer (22 wickets in 4 Tests) appearing on the horizon.

Whats missing are India-Pakistan contests because there havent been any. But the book begins with a Pakistan-Australia encounter in Dubai in October 2014, which Pakistan won by 221 runs, with Younis Khan scoring 106 in the first innings and 103 not out in the second. Pakistan also won the second game in Abu Dhabi by 356 runs. This time Younis scored 213 in the first innings and 46 in the second, while Azhar Ali scored 109 and 100 not out in the match. Man of the Match, though, was the skipper, Misbah-ul-Haq, who scored 101 in the first innings and 101 not out in the second. This was only the second time that two batsmen from one team had scored two hundreds in a Test, after the Chappell brothers in New Zealand at Wellington in 1973-74.

A few pages along is the Australia-India series in 2014-15 which Australia won 2-0 with two Tests drawn. This was the series in which Kohli scored 115 and 141 in the first Test, 169 and 54 in the third, and 147 in the fourth. India returned in 2018-2019 and won 2-1. This time Kohli got only one century 123 in the second Test in Perth, while Pujara scored 123 in the first Test in Adelaide, 106 in the third Test in Melbourne, and 193 out of Indias 622 in the first innings in the fourth Test in Sydney which India probably would have won had it not been for rain.

Many decades from now, these stats will take on an ethereal quality. That is the magic of Test cricket for those who choose to walk down memory lane.

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Cricket: Numbers blessed with the touch of immortality - Telegraph India

This will only hurt a little or a lot if youre under Nurse Ratcheds care. Netflix dropped the first trailer for Ryan Murphys new seriesRatched on Tuesday, and, yes, Sarah Paulsons take on the iconic villain is every bit as menacing as Louise Fletchers Oscar-winning turn in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1975).

A prequel to Cuckoos Nest, the series imagines the origin story of Mildred Ratched (Paulson), tracing her evolution into the most terrifying nurse etched in pop culture immortality. Set to a disarming rendition of Big Spender, the trailer shows Mildred beginning her new job at a Northern California psychiatric hospital that has started utilizing new and unsettling experiments on the human mind, per the logline. Cue a bevy of footage of incinerators, bloody knives, needles and marionettes.

You have been subjected to enough pain, but you deserve someone to show you mercy, Mildred tells a patient. How different I would be if someone had.

SEE Sarah Paulson teases Netflixs Ratched: Dizzying experience going from villainous nurse to Mrs. America character

Later, when Judy Davis Nurse Betsy Bucket eats Mildreds peach at lunch, she makes the mistake of antagonizing our antihero.

What are you gonna do about it? Betsy bellows. What are you, deaf?

No, Mildred coolly replies. Just thinking of all the things Im gonna do about it.

Tbh, she reacted better than Ross did.

The show takes place in 1947, nearly two decades before the events of Cuckoos Nest, and Murphy, who executive-produces alongside Ian Brennan, once again spared no expense. The bright, lush colors are reminiscent of the look of his other 1940s-set Netflix series this year, Hollywood.

Paulson also serves as executive producer on the show and told Gold Derby earlier this summer that Ratched was the first project of hers that shes watched since her Emmy-winning performance in 2016s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Since O.J. I have not watched my work, but I had to watch all of Ratched because Im executive producer on it and Ryan was kind enough to let me weigh in with notes and thoughts, and so I had to really kind of [watch between my fingers], she said.

Created by Evan Romansky, Ratched also stars Cynthia Nixon as Gwendolyn Briggs, Sharon Stone as Lenore Osgood, Jon Jon Briones as Dr. Richard Hanover, Finn Wittrock as Edmund Tolleson, Charlie Carver as Huck, Alice Englert as Dolly, Amanda Plummer as Louise, Corey Stoll as Charles Wainwright, Sophie Okonedo as Charlotte Wells, Brandon Flynn as Henry Osgood and Vincent DOnofrio as Gov. George Wilburn.

Ratched premieres Friday, Sept. 18 on Netflix.

PREDICT the 2020 Emmy winners now; change through September 20

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Sarah Paulsons Mildred is anything but a peach in the first trailer for Netflixs Ratched [WATCH] - Gold Derby

Action-packed family adventure fun; thats what you can expect from The New Legends Of Monkey. Partially inspired by the Japanese show, Monkey, its an international co-production between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, New Zealands TVNZ and Netflix, and gained a cult following, particularly with children and teens, when it launched in 2018.

Its now returning for a second series, with fallen God, Monkey (Chai Hansen), and his band of fellow misfits, Tripitaka (Luciane Buchanan), Sandy (Emilie Cocquerel) and Pigsy (Josh Thomson), continuing their search for sacred scrolls.

They need seven of them to overcome the chaos of demon rules in their kingdom, but so far only have the scroll of immortality. In the new episodes, we will see them trying to get their hands on the scroll of knowledge but there will be plenty of battles (and funny moments) along the way.

Here, Australian star Hansen, 31, who was born in Thailand, and 39-year-old Kiwi actor and comedian Thomson, whos of Tongan heritage, tell us more.

WHERE DO WE FIND MONKEY AND PIGSY AT THE START OF SERIES TWO?

Josh: Running for their lives! We do a lot of running.

Chai: They put the camera up on this huge wire, which was like a 100m long a cable cam. It looked like we were running like a 100 miles hour. It was amazing.

Josh: Chai was at the front; he was setting the pace, so we had to keep up with Chai. And we did take after take They did the wide shots with Chai at the front and then they did a single of everybody, with me in the background!

SO DO YOU FEEL REALLY FIT AFTER FILMING THEN?

Chai: Oh yeah! After I finish a season of The New Legends Of Monkey, I have my six-pack back and everything and two months after, its gone.

Josh: Theres heaps of action in the second series theres a lot more action than in the first series. But, without going into it, Pigsy gets incapacitated, so I didnt have to do as much running.

These guys were fighting around me, trying to carry me up a mountain, drag me around on a stretcher; that was really good.

Unfortunately, Chai sort of accidentally dropped the stretcher and sat on my head which I found quite funny. But not from my angle

Chai: The whole crew was on the ground laughing. I hope they use it in the show!

WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT PLAYING THESE CHARACTERS?

Chai: The costumes. I love getting into costume. It just makes me feel like an actual superhero.

Josh: Youve got a very hero-y vibe Im basically wearing a blanket. We filmed in winter, so it was very snuggly.

When I was young, and I would watch TV, there was a lot of fun action stuff that I could watch with my family, and I think being part of something like that is something really rewarding because Ive got friends that watch it with their kids and they get a kick out of it.

And knowing the messages that are in it, friendship, strong female characters, and its got an incredibly diverse cast, its a good buzz.

YOU HAVE TO DO A LOT OF MARTIAL ARTS IN THE SHOW. HAVE YOU KEPT UP WITH THAT IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

Chai: I havent, no. Ive been a little bit lazy.

Actually, because of the pandemic, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to give my body a rest because being actors youre constantly having to be at the top of your game, be in peak physical condition and whatnot.

So, I was like, perfect break for me to just not do any workouts, just relax and watch movies.

Josh: I wish I could, but you go into different roles; Im in another series playing a funeral director now. And Ive got two babies, so its just hard trying to do stuff.

HAVE YOU BEEN RECOGNISED A LOT SINCE THE FIRST SERIES OF THE NEW LEGENDS OF MONKEY LAUNCHED?

Chai: Yeah, actually; quite a lot in Europe. I was doing a couple of conventions there for some of the other shows I do and a lot of the people that come up to me they just rave about Monkey and how theyre excited about the second series.

Its great to see the support, it really helps with everything.

I had a 12/13-year-old kid come up to me and recite the Sutra (an ancient religious text or scripture). I still dont get it right! And I looked it up on Google and I was like, That was word for word youre amazing.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A ROLE MODEL IN A SHOW THATS SO DIVERSE?

Chai: Im half-Chinese, half-Australian, and throughout my entire career, I constantly get just mainly Asian roles.

Theres a lot of people out there who are half like me, and to see people messaging me saying, Youre an idol because Im just like you, it does make you feel so much better to just be able to represent a community like that.

And especially because this is such a historical source material Its reimagined in a very multicultural context which, as the West we are now, were a huge melting pot, and its great to see more diverse casting in shows. Series two of The New Legends Of Monkey launches on Netflix on Friday August 7.

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Five minutes with Chai Hansen and Josh Thomson - The News International

I can pinpoint the exact moment in my life when I knew I had to watch the movie Money Plane. It was when I saw a 15 second-long clip of five-time Emmy winner Kelsey Grammer explaining what a Money Plane is to WWE superstar Edge, aka Adam Copeland:

Its called a Money Plane. Some of the baddest motherfuckers on the planet are on that plane, all craving action. Whatever you want to wager on, the Money Plane has you covered. You want to bet on a dude fucking an alligator? Money Plane.

This clip, setting up the very concept of Money Plane, captured my imagination like nothing before. The specific line, You want to bet on a dude fucking an alligator?, rocked the foundations of my world. I didnt know a dude could have sex with an alligator, much less that the rich and mighty would want to bet on it! I was so transfixed that I rewatched this clip upwards of 12 times before furiously texting two of the only friends I have in my pandemic bubble: WE HAVE TO WATCH MONEY PLANE!!! And watch it we did

Money Plane is a movie about a casino heist in the skies. It tells the tale of an ordinary man, Jack Reese (Copeland), charged with leading an impossible mission at the behest of an evil man named Darius The Rumble Grouch (Grammer). It is profane, bizarre, and, at $10 to own on VOD, arguably one of the best summer movie deals of 2020.

However, like the wild bets those bad motherfuckers make in the sky, watching Money Plane is a gamble in and of itself. Yes, its a deliciously bad movie and watching bad movies can be its own brand of fun but that also means youre signing up to watch a bad movie. Money Plane is the best and worst of what a bad movie experience can be. It is shameless in its boorish approach to entertainment, but fails to really go as gonzo as it could, making it ultimately disappointing, with one major exception.

The biggest complaint I have about Money Plane comes down to quality. Made on a shoestring budget, its hard to buy that the rather meh commercial style flight we see our heroes take over would actually be this mythical casino of the skies. Blank, bland rooms try their best to double for VIP sky suites and the fake stewardess costume worn by one of Jacks team is laughably out of style. Plot-wise, the story is also rather wanting. Ultimately Money Plane isuhkind of boring? At times it drags like a dead weight and still there are moments of unhinged wildness.

Money Planes most gloriously ridiculous moments come courtesy of director Andrew Lawrences brothers, Joey and Matthew. Yes, Money Plane is a Lawrence brothers joint. You remember Joey Lawrence from the show Blossom, right? The heartthrob and his two younger brothers co-starred together in the short-lived sitcom Brotherly Love in the 90s. Money Plane proves they still have a healthy working relationship. Director Andrew co-stars as one of Jack Reeses crew while oldest brother Joey plays the John Wick rip-off character, The Concierge, and middle brother Matthew gets to ham it up as a high-roller called The Cowboy. The latter two characters are introduced with a whiff of camp that this film could have honestly used more of.

Money Plane definitely features a scene where acting titan Kelsey Grammer talks about betting on a dude fucking an alligator, but it peaks in that moment as well. No other moment has the insane bluster of that one line or the creative majesty. Thats because the best part of Money Plane is Kelsey Grammers performance. He powers through every line of dialogue as though hes delivering Shakespeare and sells Grouchs pernicious plots from beginning to end. While other actors in the film seem to be phoning it in, Grammer gives Money Plane his all. What does Money Plane give him back? Immortality in the guise of that damn alligator line.

Money Plane is a monstrosity of a movie, but hey, that just makes it the perfect summer movie for 2020, eh?

Where to stream Money Plane

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Kelsey Grammer is the Best Part of 'Money Plane,' the Zaniest Summer Movie of 2020 - Decider

Episode 158 of the Boruto anime exposes the true, disheartening cost of the Fourth Great Ninja War from the Naruto series.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 158, "The Man Who Disappeared," now streaming on Crunchyroll.

In the Boruto anime and manga, we've seen that the Fourth Great Ninja War fought in the Naruto series hasn't had the positive effect we first thought it did. Sure, the shinobi alliance saved the planetbut only the major nations benefitted, with smaller ones and those considered to be at-risk, such as the Village Hidden by the Rain (aka Amegakure), left tofester with criminals.

In the latest episode, "The Man Who Disappeared," we learn the true cost of the war, and it's a dismal truth -- exposing leaders like Naruto and villages like Konoha as being ignorant, or perhaps even uncaring, about the collateral damage of old.

RELATED:Boruto: Kara's Anime Arrival Is REALLY Underwhelming

Boruto, Sarada and Mitsuki are sent by the Hokage to investigate a missing scientist for a medical/tech firm by the name of Anato. His wife, Mia, sent word from the Land of Valleys as she thinks the company's covering up his absence so the ninjas are here to find out if he's dead or kidnapped, especially as Kara's coming out the shadows. With Konohamaru mentoring Boruto's Team 7, Mugino joins them, but rather than impart happy-go-lucky advice, this senior ninja is despondent, revealingto Boruto that smaller villages have been sufferingover the years.

Small-scale crime is still occurring but the greater nations are preoccupied with the glitz, glam and politics, making the alliance look more or less like a faade. Victor, the owner of the firm, later confirms this, admitting that smaller villages don't have resources, infrastructure and money like the other big nations. In fact, promises haven't been kept at all, leaving them by the wayside after terrorists like the Akatsuki, Orochimaru, Kabuto, Madara and Kaguya plundered their lands. The war took a heavy toll on them: a lot of soldiers joined the alliance only to die or suffer severe damages without proper compensation.

RELATED:The Boruto Anime Just Made Progressive Changes to Konoha's ANBU Unit

It's why Victor formed his company, to experiment on DNA to help them regrow limbs, eyes and even brains. He lost his limbs in the war, too, and with the elite turning a blind eye to areas like his, it's his duty to find some sort of road to immortality. Poor people can't afford healthcare after all, so Victor has a humanitarian agenda to try to fix them himself permanently. There aren't many who can do what he does, though, leaving many villages vulnerable without people to commit to similar ventures. It's why the smaller nations basically become filled with ghettos and crime, because with no health industry, jobs or diversification -- not to mention tech -- they're left to suffer.

This caused Victor's workers to take great risks to harvest animals and plants, endangering themselves in the name of medical and tech advancement, which appears to be the case with Anato's missing team. As a result, Boruto appreciates Konoha even more as he sees how the outside world is lagging behind, but it hits home hard that his dad might be a typical politician whose alliance is filled with lies and a lack of compassion for the very people that helped them win the war. It might not resonate much with Mitsuki and Sarada but Boruto's ambition has always been to unite all the people, so this may well be a lesson he needs to see for himself firsthand -- one that might not be found in textbooks back home. And it seems like Naruto himself is interested in revisionist history rather than the truth, which leaves Boruto torn as to who to look up to when he gets back home.

KEEP READING:The Boruto Anime May Have Just Solved the Manga's Biggest Mystery

Dragon Ball Z Is Anime Porn, Warns Florida Congressional Candidate

I'm a former Chemical Engineer. It was boring so I decided to write about things I love. On the geek side of things, I write about comics, cartoons, video games, television, movies and basically, all things nerdy. I also write about music in terms of punk, indie, hardcore and emo because well, they rock! If you're bored by now, then you also don't want to hear that I write for ESPN on the PR side of things. And yes, I've written sports for them too! Not bad for someone from the Caribbean, eh? To top all this off, I've scribed short films and documentaries, conceptualizing stories and scripts from a human interest and social justice perspective. Business-wise, I make big cheddar (not really) as a copywriter and digital strategist working with some of the top brands in the Latin America region. In closing, let me remind you that the geek shall inherit the Earth. Oh, FYI, I'd love to write the Gargoyles movie for Disney. YOLO.

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The Boruto Anime Reveals the Real Cost of Naruto's Last Great Ninja War - CBR - Comic Book Resources

The Old Guard, Netflixs newest superhero film based on the comic of the same name, is an engaging and clever look at immortality through fun action set pieces and interesting characters.

The film doesnt do anything particularly special or new with its genre, but its a smart movie, and certainly worth watching. The most compelling superhero worlds are the ones where heroism has serious downsides and consequences.

Batman will forever be isolated by his duty to Gotham. The X-Men face rampant discrimination. Spidermans powers put everyone he loves into jeopardy. Likewise, the titular heroes must face the brutal problems associated with their expanded lifespans.

The concept of immortality is played with beautifully in The Old Guard. The film doesnt bombard audiences with information or deep mythos surrounding their powers, as the characters themselves dont know all that much. Bits and pieces of the films lore are peppered throughout the film, with hopefully more to be fleshed out in the likely upcoming sequel.

There is a profound sorrow throughout the film, but it never overindulges in bleakness to the point of banality. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood handles the tone nicely, allowing a surprising sense of hope to what could have been a boring, depressing mess.

The air of mystery surrounding the groups powers is welcome in a genre that often attempts to over-explain the more magical aspects of their story in order to ground them in some sense of realism, only to inadvertently reduce the realism due to unforeseen plot holes. By not creating a convoluted explanation for everything, but rather create lived-in, set rules, the film can abide by its own internal logic much better than its genre compatriots.

The effects for their healing are fairly standard, nothing that hasnt been done before and done better by cinematic portrayals of Wolverine. Nevertheless, it never gets old, watching the slow reversal of wounds as our heroes recover.

The central team is fantastic, sharing an easy and believable chemistry for a groups supposedly working together for centuries. Likewise, each character in the eponymous Old Guard comes from a different era, which plays into their characters and relationships.

Charlize Theron has cemented herself as a fantastic action star in recent years, turning in excellent turns in the phenomenal Mad Max: Fury Road and underrated Atomic Blonde.Here, she shines as Andromache of Scythia, or Andy, a 6,000-year-old woman who has dedicated her incredibly long life to protecting humanity. The oldest of the group, Andy is a woman wearied by seeing the worst of humanity for millennia, and, despite lifetimes of effort, evil still exists and thrives.

Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) fought for Napoleon, and primarily views his immortality as a curse. Forced to watch his wife and children age, suffer, and die in the 1800s, he knows immortality means slowly losing everyone youve ever loved.

Joe (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) met while fighting against each other in the crusades, ultimately falling in love.Their relationship leaves the two of them the least resentful with their immortality, as an extended lifespan means more time together. Further, it is a nice change to see two immortal beings in a stable, committed relationship lasting centuries.

The newcomer of the group, Nile (KiKi Layne) was a marine who discovered her immortality upon being killed in the line of duty and awakening with her wounds entirely healed. It is through her eyes, as well as Andys, that we are primarily seeing the film. Nile serves both as an effective audience surrogate and an interesting character in her own right, as her emotional journey of dealing with newfound immortality is compellingly treated with nuance. Layne was excellent in 2018s If Beale Street Could Talk, and The Old Guard cements her as a talent as someone to keep an eye.

The villains are likewise each individualized, with disparate motives and degrees of humanity. All three are after the secret behind the protagonists immortality, but with disparate methods and motives.Chiwetel Ejiofor plays the primary antagonist, James Copley, who is likewise the most sympathetic. A former CIA agent who lost his wife to a long battle with ALS, he is desperate to understand how wounds can heal and death can be undone to make sense of his wifes suffering.

Pharma Mogul Steven Merrick (Harry Melling) is driven by one motive profit. He sees the potential in using the immortals DNA to market lifesaving drugs and make a fortune, not caring if he has to imprison and torture five people for decades to do so. Lastly, the desire for scientific discovery and helping people is worth the cost of human suffering for Dr. Kozak (Anamaria Marinca). Rather than make the villains a generically evil monolith, the trios respective complexities deeply enhances the story.

The action in the film is very enjoyable.Therons dance training allows for longer choreographed fight sequences, rather than an over-reliance on quick cuts to simulate action. Prince-Bythewood uses that to its full potential. In a film with immortal characters, it can be tough to generate high enough stakes to make anyone care about the outcome of fights aside from watching pretty movements.

Prince-Bythewood, however, leans on the immortality aspect of the story, emphasizing their ability to survive many deaths, which can be in and of itself a curse when faced with endless torture. The most horrifying sequence in the film shows one of the immortals former teammatesstuck in an iron maiden at the bottom of the ocean for centuries, drowning over and over again in perpetuity.

I do hope that we get more films in this series. The characters are engaging and sympathetic, and theres a lot more that can be done with them. Im looking forward to seeing the continued adventures of Andy, Nile, Joe, Nicky, and Booker.

Paulina Enck is an intern at the Federalist and current student at Georgetown University in the School of Foreign Service. Follow her on Twitter at @itspaulinaenck

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Netflix's 'The Old Guard' Is The Superhero Movie We Need Right Now - The Federalist

"I look up to the sky. And now the world is mine. I've known it all my life. I made it, I made it.

For the best part of the past decade, Judd Trump, the very best of a delightfully brimming Bristol cream, has been bounding into various outposts across the globe to the lyrics of Kevin Rudolf's club banger I Made It.

World Championship

When he officially did make it as a made man by becoming snookers world champion for the first time last May, Rudolf's rap number had been replaced by Dutch DJ Martin Garrix's High On Life as Trump's walk on tune of choice.

An absorbing anthem when you are giving it large under Ushuaias sultry lights in Ibiza, but arguably not so apt upon entering the potting promised landed under the Crucible Theatre's heavenly light bulbs.

Which ironically suggests that time spent at the table is a bit like the wider world when you are making symbolic song choices: you can control so much in life, but you are always relying on a little bit of luck to get the right split when you plunge into the pack. In the pursuit of happiness, timing remains everything on the old green baize and off it.

Amid the furnace of rolling balls and rolling the dice, especially amid a summer World Championship delayed and damaged like much of sport by a global health pandemic, there is seemingly always a battle against the wider narrative as much as yourself. For Trump, a little slice of snooker folklore could soon be his exclusive property, an elusive ornament not afforded to any other man since the Steel City of Sheffield first steeled itself to host the World Championship in 1977.

If he emerges victorious for the second successive year, Trump will have lifted the Crucible Curse that has hung over various potting protagonists like the Sword of Damocles, or perhaps the cue stick of Tony Knowles, for the past 43 years and counting.

It is a bit like British tennis and its 77-year wait for a mens winner of Wimbledon until Andy Murray emulated Fred Perry in 2013. One year it will happen, you just aren't sure if the end of days will arrive before the hex, rather than the Hexagon, is finally lifted.

It sounds like something out of Harry Potter's Cruciatus Curse, but has nothing to do with pot luck or the horse racing tips of John Parrott, the 1991 world champion and another victim of the odd phenomenon. Even The Wizard of Wishaw has been unable to escape the voodoo beyond the infamous disappearing act of Alex Higgins legendary large vodkas and a dash aided by a Crucible ice bucket back in the day.

John Higgins was responsible for dashing the defending champion Ken Dohertys brave bid when he overcame The Darlin of Dublin 18-12 in the 1998 final and another 22 years have rolled relentlessly by.

Higgins was himself gazumped 17-10 by Mark Williams in the semi-finals in 1999 as the curse struck him down with as much venom as an Alexandra Palace wasp.

Only Doherty and Bradfords swashbuckling Joe Johnson have returned to the final a year after lifting the old trophy for the first time. Johnson was a 150-1 outsider when he stuffed Steve Davis 18-12 in 1986, but The Nugget was not ready to be ambushed a second time as he prevailed 18-14 in 1987.

Davis was on the receiving end of one of the biggest upsets in the sports history after lifting his first world title in 1981 with an 18-12 win over Doug Mountjoy. He came across Boltons Knowles, a firm housewives favourite, in the first round in 1982 and was promptly roundhoused 10-1.

The ghosts of champions past haunt maiden winners at the old joint with more focus than Cliff Thorburn stalking a cigarette prior to compiling the first 147 at the venue in 1983.

Stephen Hendry lost 13-11 to Steve James in the quarter-finals in 1991, Mark Williams was eclipsed 13-12 by Joe 'The Outlaw Swail in the last 16 in 2001 and Ronnie OSullivan was bullied into submission by Hendrys scoring power of five centuries and eight breaks over 50 in a grudge match in the 2002 semi-finals.

Mark Selby, a three-times champion, lost 13-9 to Anthony McGill in the second round in 2015 a year after denying OSullivan a sixth title 18-14 in 2014. The list is long and seemingly endless.

Trump was only 21 when he himself toppled Neil Robertson 10-8 in the first round in 2011 a year after the Melburnian had become Australia's first world champion.

All the true prospectors of the green baize have returned a year later to defend the trophy and have been struck down by fate in the longing for unique sporting gold.

Will the curse of the black ball see the champ swallowed up by Davy Jones locker or Davy Gilberts dressing room this time? Do such stats truly matter? Too many classy players have come up short over such a long period of time to render it a meaningless quirk. Form, pressure and expectation levels tend to take hold with greater strain than an ill-fitting bow tie rather than a curse.

It could be argued that none of the previous have-a-go heroes were better equipped to successfully defend the trophy than Trump, snookers greatest undisputed world number one since Hendry used to wash up at the venue in the 1990s with room for the trophy already earmarked in his motor.

His 18-9 filleting of John Higgins in the final last year was something to behold as he ran in a record seven centuries and 15 breaks over 50 in a final that became as much a procession as an exhibition of snooker sovereignty. It was the best standard we have witnessed at the annual cueball conference.

I think I can play better, he told me after last years final. Hopefully I can take the game to standards that havent been seen before. Im going to put in the work, go back and practice even harder to produce a new standard that no one has seen before.

Trump has made good on his promise by casting a spell over the sport in carrying off an unprecedented six ranking events at the International Championship, World Open, Northern Ireland Open, German Masters, Players Championship and Gibraltar Open before coronavirus halted play.

As a rightful 5/2 favourite with 879,600 officially banked already this season, tournament sponsors Betfred will not be overly displeased if this snooker sorcerer comes up short.

As is tradition, the defending champion begins his campaign against Tom Ford at 10am on Friday morning before they play to a finish in the evening. He has won 10 out of 14 meetings with his fellow Englishman, but it should also be noted that he lost 10-3 to Ford a decade ago in a qualifier for the main Crucible draw.

How times have changed. At full throttle, his game is pristine, full of cavalier potting possibilities and studied safety solutions. His level of natural ability and adventure has rarely been witnessed in the modern era. Certainly not since OSullivan became UK champion at the age of 17 in 1993.

Therein lies the importance of Trumps attempt for a career-defining second world title at the age of 30. It is a time limited, one-off offer and he only gets one shot at it, but the pieces of a career tapestry in any sport are forged by such timeless trivia.

OSullivan continues to be recalled as the youngest winner of the UK Championship. His world record 147 in five minutes and eight minutes in 1997 is timelessly celebrated. Trump could become the first original champion to win back-to-back titles which would instantly separate him from the rest in the history of the game and ensuing debate of who is deemed worthy of all-time greatness.

The 500,000 first prize would go a long way to putting down a lasting deposit on whatever legacy he wishes to leave in the sport. If he has notions of taking the game to a new level, sometimes the pieces of the puzzle, indeed lifes endless challenges, do not begin and end in a natural order. It is how you make sense of the enfolding chaos that is key.

Like the longing to clear the table at one visit, solving the matrix more often than not separates the good from the great in snooker as regularly as they split the balls.

Trump has already enjoyed the days of his life, but one of the final missing pieces of the jigsaw is there for the taking this year and this year only. For Trump, immortality is within potting distance.

Desmond Kane

World Championship

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Judd Trump's bid to end 43-year-old Crucible curse is a shot at World Championship immortality - Eurosport.com

Honestly, I think at least once a week I hear someone invoke the phrase, This is why Jesus died on the cross or ask the question, Why did Jesus have to die? or some other variation of the concept.

Heres the thing: Jesus did NOT have to die on the cross.

In other words, God did not require Jesus to be crucified to fulfill some mystical prophecy.

However, it is clear that the death of Jesus was expected from the very beginning. So, whereas we might say that Jesus didnt need to be crucified [specifically], it was inevitable and necessary for Jesus to die [or to taste death].

How do we know this? Because once Christ became flesh, death became inevitable. Once Immortality became clothed with Mortality; once the Incorruptible took on Corruptibility; Once God became Man, death was a foregone conclusion. It couldnt have ended any other way.

The decision for Christ to take on flesh indicated an intention to experience death, one way or the other.

So, once the Incarnation took place, the death of Jesus was already in play. Just as everyone one of us who is born must one day taste death, so, too, did Christ agree to die simply by virtue of being united with us in our mortal bodies.

And, I would argue, that the death of Christ no matter how it had taken place would have resulted in the salvation and transformation of all mankind, with or without the cross.

The plan all along was for Christ to become incarnate in a body of flesh so that the seed of immortality could be planted into the soil of mortality [death] and the resurrection power of Christ could forever liberate us from the power of the grave.

As Jesus phrased it: Truly, truly, I say to you,unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. [John 12:24]

So, it was always the plan for Christ to die. This is how the power of death was broken. The resurrection life of Christ invaded the realm of death and turned it inside out. The light of the world descended into the depths of outer darkness and illuminated it from within.

Or, as Paul phrases it in the inverse here in 1 Corinthians 15:

For thisperishable must put onthe imperishable, and thismortal must put on immortality.But when thisperishable will have put onthe imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, Death is swallowed upin victory.Odeath, where is your victory? Odeath, where is your sting?The sting ofdeath is sin, andthe power of sin is the law;butthanks be to God, who gives us thevictory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [1 Cor. 15:53-57]

See, because Christ the imperishable one took on perishable flesh, and because the immortal one became mortal, we [the mortal ones] are qualified to take on immortality [now that we are all in Christ and Christ is now in us].

Whether Jesus had died from cholera, or typhoid fever, or old age, or yes, by the hands of men who nailed him to a Roman cross, is irrelevant. Regardless of the how, the what was always in full view: Christ became flesh and experienced death so that we could put on immortality and share in the life of Christ forever.

Paul says as much in the very same chapter of 1 Corinthians:

But now Christhas been raised from the dead, thefirst fruits of those whoare asleep.For sinceby a mancamedeath, by a man alsocamethe resurrection of the dead.Foras in Adam all die, so also inChrist all will be made alive. [1 Cor. 15:20-22]

So, Christ knew he would die from the start. But how he would die wasnt inevitable, or even contingent upon the success of his mission. Once Christ took on mortal flesh everything was set in motion.

To be clear, God did not send Jesus to be crucified. We [humans] decided that Jesus would die in this way. But there was nothing magical or specific about crucifixion itself that accomplished Gods plan. Christs obedience, even unto death on a cross, is what mattered most.

Over the years I think too much has been made about the cross, specifically, as if drowning Jesus wouldve thwarted the entire salvation operation, or as if food poisoning wouldve been insufficient for us to have counted his death as a victory over sin and death.

We chose the cross as the means of Christs death. Peter and the other Disciples say it over and over again:

thisMan, delivered over by thepredetermined plan and foreknowledge of God,you nailed to a cross by the hands ofgodless men and putHimto death. Acts 2:23

but put to death thePrince of life,the onewhomGod raised from the dead,a factto which we arewitnesses. Acts 3:15

The God of our fathersraised up Jesus,whom you hadput to death by hanging Him on across. Acts 5:30

Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming ofthe Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderersyou have now become; Acts 7:52

What we did was kill Jesus.

What God did was to raise him up again.

We crucified Jesus.

God did not.

Certainly, Jesus knew that he would most likely be crucified by the Roman authorities. That wasnt hard to guess. Even Plato predicted, hundreds of years prior to Christ, that a truly righteous man would be beaten and crucified if we ever got our hands on him. [SeePlatosRepublic, Book II.360-61]

So, while the death of Christ was inevitable, his crucifixion was not.

The answer, then, to the question, Why did Jesus have to die? is answered simply: Because he became human at his Incarnation.

But the answer to the question, Why did Jesus die on the cross? is answered by admitting that our reaction to Christs innocence, righteousness and radical love was to nail him to a cross.

Yes, Jesus died for our sins in that it was our sins that nailed him to the cross. But, even as we were in the process of nailing him there, his forgiveness was instantaneous and complete. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

In Christ, we are reconciled to God. In Christ, our sins are not being counted against us. In Christ, we experience freedom and newness of life.

Our choice was to crucify. His choice was to love and forgive.

**

FREE DOWNLOAD: The e-book Unraveled: More Thoughts On Christian Entanglement by Keith Giles is available now as a free PDF. If youd like a FREE download of the entire 85-page book, you can grab oneHERE

Keith Gilesand his wife, Wendy, work withPeace Catalyst Internationalto help build relationships between Christians and Muslims in El Paso, TX. Keith was formerly a licensed and ordained minister who walked away from organized church over a decade ago to start a home fellowship that gave away 100% of the offering to the poor in the community. Today he is the author of several best-selling books, includingJesus Undefeated: Condemning the False Doctrine of Eternal Torment which is available now on Amazon.

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Why Jesus Did NOT Have To Die On The Cross - Patheos

Shravan Purnima 2020: Raksha Bandhan wraps up the holy month of Sawan ends

Shravan Purnima 2020: One of the most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar, Shravan or Sawan Purnima, is being observed by devotees ofLord Shiva today. This year Shravan Purnima assumes even more significance as it coincides with Sawan Somwar - a day dedicated to Shiva. Sawan Somwar is observed on every Mondayin the month of Sawan, which corresponds to July-August.

On Shravan Purnima, a key puja is performed at the Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir. This yearAmarnath Yatra was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic but all rituals were held at the shrine. The traditional 'Pratham Pooja' or the first prayer was done in early June when the annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Amarnath starts. Shravan Purnima marks the end of the puja.

Mahant Deependra Giri, the custodian of the holy mace of Lord Shiva, along with few others travelled from Srinagar to Amarnath shrine on Monday by a helicopter. Only a few people were allowed to accompany the Mahant due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Mahant Deependra Giri along with few others travelled from Srinagar to Amarnath shrine by a helicopter

"Chhari-Mubarak (holy mace) Swami Amarnath Ji - one depicting Lord Shiva and another Shakti Goddess Parvati Ji - led by Mahant Deependra Giri was carried to holy the shrine from Dashnami Akhara (in Srinagar) on August 3 by air," news agency ANI quoted a press release from Amarnath shrine authorities.

The rituals are performed while Vedic hymns are chanted during the puja at the holy shrine. According to scriptures, Lord Shiva recounted the 'Amar Katha' (the story of immortality) to Goddess Parvat at this time.

On Shravan Purnima devotees observe a special fast and offer prayers at Shiva temples. Sawan is significant not only for festivals, but for farmers as well as the month starts with the first showers of the monsoon season. The month also marks the beginning of the Chaturmas or the four holy months of the Hindu calendar. During these months most of the important festivals like Teej, Raksha Bandhan, Navratri and Diwali take place.This year Sawan began on July 6 and ends on August 3, with Shravan Purnima.

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Shravan Purnima 2020: Know The Significance Of The Day - NDTV

Former featherweight world champion Barry McGuigan once said that "Cuban boxers are genetically predisposed to boxing, and when you look at their success rate at an amateur level, its hard to disagree. Since 1972, fighters from the Carribean island have won 37 gold medals at the Olympic Games in boxing, more than any other nation.

It could, and should, have been more. Of those 35 gold medals, three were won by Tefilo Stevenson in the heavyweight division, perhaps the finest amateur boxer to ever step foot in the unpaid ranks.

Stevenson, born in Puerto Padre in 1952, took the heavyweight gold medals at the Munich, Montreal and Moscow Olympic Games in 1972, 1976 and 1980 respectively, becoming only the third boxer after Hungarys Lazlo Papp and fellow Cuban Felix Fabre to win three Olympic golds in boxing. It could have been five, an achievement never before seen or likely to be ever seen, but Cubas withdrawal from the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, along with many several other Communist nations in response to a US-led boycott in 1980, meant that Stevenson would never get the chance at fighting for immortality.

Affectionately known as Pirolo in his native Cuba, Stevenson was famous for his crunching right hand, deft technique and footwork that laid the groundwork for many Cuban pugilists that followed, and was a gentleman inside and outside of the ring. Were it not for Cold War politics, Stevenson could have been one of the most famous, and richest, fighters in the world.

To illustrate the sort of money Stevenson could have made, while the Cuban was the undisputed king of the amateurs, there was a lot of talk in the US of matching up Stevenson with another, much more famous heavyweight in a potential fight of the century - the heavyweight divisions greatest ever amateur against the heavyweight divisions greatest pro; Communism vs Democracy; Red vs Red, White, and Blue: Stevenson vs Muhammad Ali.

Stevensons prime in the 1970s coincided with Alis own glory years, so much so that American media often dubbed the Cuban as Alis Communist twin. The fight sadly never happened for a number of reasons - Stevenson had no intention of relinquishing his status as a Cuban amateur and when the two finally met in Havana, they disagreed on the number of rounds. Stevenson preferred three or four round bouts, whereas Ali wanted the standard championship fifteen. Ironically, as Stevenson was fighting for his third gold in 1980, Alis career was essentially ended by Larry Holmes. Stevenson was quick to point out that maybe it should have been The Louisville Lip that had picked three or four rounds.

Stevensons narrowly missed dance with Ali wasnt the only attempt to bring the gifted amateur into the big time. Bob Arum was interested and where theres money to be made, you better believe Don King is lurking in shadows. The wacky-haired promoter said Stevenson "would have been phenomenal as a pro, he could have been in the same class as Muhammad Ali or Joe Frazier. But we'll never know."

Sadly well never know what he could have achieved or how much he could have earned but to Stevenson it was irrelevant - he was a king in Cuba and had no remorse over supposed missed opportunities. I prefer the affection of eight million Cubans, he once said.

There was an appropriate outpouring of grief in Stevensons homeland when, aged 60, he died from a heart attack in 2012. At his funeral, hundreds of Cubans flocked the streets of Havana for his final procession. The Cuban sporting family was moved today by the passing of one of the greatest of all time, read a statement on Cuban news.

Hell never get the worldwide recognition his Democratic twin Ali had, but to the people in his home country, Tefilo Stevenson, the greatest ever heavyweight amateur, is just as beloved.

Original post:

Alis Communist Twin: The Boxer Who Turned Down Millions To Stay Amateur - The Sportsman

Looking for the next Netflix film to watch? The Old Guard might just be the movie youre looking for! Based on the graphic novels by Greg Rucka and illustrator Leandro Fernndez, The Old Guard is an instant blockbuster on track to reach 74 million households, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love and Basketball), the story follows four immortal warriors, Andy, Booker, Nicky, and Joe, who have secretly protected humanity for years and are now being hunted down for their powers just as they discover a new immortal, Nile.

Now, this may seem like your usual action movie, but watching it myself completely took me by surprise. Perhaps it will be the same for you, so here are a few reasons why you should watch The Old Guard!

The only expectation or forethought I had prior to watching this movie was that its about immortal warriors, but when are they ever queer?! Nicky and Joe are lovers who fought each other in the Crusades before realising they were the love of each others lives (enemies-to-lovers trope anyone?). Andy herself is pansexual and the movie has hinted something more between her and another female warrior just like them. In the books, Andy was in fact sleeping with another woman.

The fight scenes in The Old Guard will repeatedly leave you in awe. Everything is beautifully choreographed and formed, and some will even seem like a dance.

As expected, immortality and humanity are recurring themes in the movie. For thousands of years, Andy and the others have been fighting, protecting, and trying to save humanity. But now, Andy herself is starting to doubt if what theyre doing is actually bringing something good in the world. Niles addition to the group also brings a touch of humanity, not just to the characters but also the story itself.

There are a lot of action and major WTF moments throughout the movie. Your jaw will probably drop 15 minutes into it. That said, there are also a couple of emotional and mellow moments that will also touch your heart. Grief, guilt, and regret circles around some of the characters and the more you get into the movie, the more youll also hurt for them.

Background music and soundtracks have the power to make a movie atmospheric and incredibly exhilarating. The Old Guards soundtrack does exactly that! Now some might say some choices were cheesy, but they could still be fun. From the first title sequence to the fight scenes, to the emotional conversations, to the end credits, the soundtrack will have you invested in every part.

Do I need to say more?

If youre just like me whos an absolute sucker for the found family trope, you definitely need to watch this film. Andy, Nicky, Joe, and Booker are more than just an army or a band of warriors. Above all, they are family, and they would go to incredible lengths for each other. Nile learns this when she joins the group and finds out that they would do whatever it takes to keep each other safe.

Overall, The Old Guard is an exciting new, and dare I say it, superhero movie you do not want to miss! Watch it on Netflix today!

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Seven Reasons Why You Should Watch 'The Old Guard' - The Nerd Daily

Cursed season 1 saw Gawain die as a result of various injuries - here's how season 2 could see him revived and more literally become The Green Knight.

Though Gawainappeared to die in the Cursed season 1 finale, season 2 could see him come back to life and become the Green Knight in a more literal sense. Cursedoriginally began life as an illustrated book by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler. Reimagining the characters from Arthurian legend, Miller and Wheeler signed on to adapt their source material for Netflix. Commissioned for a 10-episode first season, Cursed premiered to a warm audience reception on July 17, 2020.

Played by Matt Stokoe, Gawain first appears in Cursed season 1, episode 5, "The Joining." As many will know, Gawain is a knight of King Arthur's round table in the original stories. In Cursed, however, he is revised to be a childhood friend of Nimue (Katherine Langford). Fey-born, Gawain serves as a leader in the rebellion against the Red Paladins a group of religious zealots eager to see the Fey tribes made extinct. Reuniting with Nimue at Nemos, he becomes acquainted and forms a bond with Arthur (Devon Terrell) on the battlefield. Unfortunately, soon after he is captured by The Weeping Monk (Daniel Sharman). While he is being tortured by a member of the Paladins called Brother Salt (Terence Maynard), Nimue attempts to negotiate his release. Though he is turned over to her, it's revealed that hehas already succumbed to his many injuries. Immediately grief-stricken, Nimue tearfully attempts to perform a spell over his body.

Related: Cursed Cast & Character Guide: Who Stars In The Katherine Langford Series

At first, it appears to be unsuccessful. After Nimue is dragged away by the Paladins, however, the spell began to take effect. As grass comes out of the ground to cover him, what exactly the spell willdo was one of the many questions left unanswered in Cursed season 1. Having thought of Gawain as an older brother, it's no doubt a safe bet that Nimue was trying to resurrect him.The Fey Queen having such power was teased earlier in the season when she brought a dead apple tree back to life. Should he return for the as-yet unconfirmed second season, it would be the perfect opportunity to give him a mystical upgrade and make "The Green Knight" more than just a nickname he carried.

In Arthurian legend, the Green Knight is a completely separate figure from Gawain. The details of his character varied from story to story. In some incarnations, the Green Knight is named Bertilak de Hautdesert and transformed by Morgan le Fay to test King Arthur's knights most notably Gawain and frighten Arthur's wife: Guinevere. In others, he is himself one of Arthur's knights and named Bredbeddle. Though Curseddrew some criticism for not adhering to Arthurian canon, there is no set continuitywithin the legends;Miller and Wheeleractually honor a long-standing tradition of combining and remixing disparate elements from several tales. As such, rather than being tested by the Green Knight, Gawaincould actually become him after enduring the test of torture and not giving up Nimue and the Fey. Rather than one version of the character, he will embody them all, developing the green skin that is synonymous with the characterand also becoming one of Arthur's most trusted knights.

That could mean that audiences will see a very different version of Gawain in future episodes and not just because he will be green. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the latter is able to survive a beheading at the very start of the story. As a result, Nimue might have not just resurrected him, but also made him similarly immortal. Such beings have already been established in the world of Cursed, with Merlin said have lived for millennia and the brief introduction of such shadow lords as Rugen. If this is what Nimue's spell did to Gawain, immortality would certainly be useful against the lingering threats of the church, Iris, and the Trinity guard. Plus, Gawain's conflict with the Green Knight could manifest not with an external foe but him having to come to terms with new aspects of his nature and sense of self. Whatever the case, all will become definitively clear when Cursed season 2 is eventually released.

More: What To Expect From Cursed Season 2

The Umbrella Academy: Why [SPOILER] Was Recast For Season 2

John Atkinson has been a news and feature writer for Screen Rant since late 2018. Before that, he had articles published across a number of different outlets. A graduate of the University of London, John was raised on a small island by television and movies. As such, he pursued a career in screenwriting and film journalism when it became apparent that actually becoming Spider-Man was impossible. John's fondest wish is to one day produce a film of his own. Until then, he's more than happy to spend countless hours just talking about them. John's love of film and television defies genre and sometimes even logic. Nothing is off-limits to his passion - be it Marvel, DC, Rian Johnson's Star Wars, or Tommy Wiseau's latest cinematic offering. Away from screens, John can often be found in a park reading mystery and/or fantasy novels, jumping up and down at various music events, or thinking too deeply about Keanu Reeves' career and why Edgar Wright doesn't have an Oscar.

Original post:

Cursed Season 2 Theory: Gawain Will Truly Become The Green Knight - Screen Rant

"Many of the big books for this year have been moved out of the last few months due to COVID and delayed until later this year or even next year. Even without this title movement, a book from Stephenie Meyer would always be one of the biggest releases of the year," Ms Sherwin-Stark said.

Booktopia's children's and young adult category manager Sarah McDuling said the online retailer had pre-sold nearly 3000 copies of Midnight Sun, "far outstripping" the sales for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the prequel in Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games series released in May.

Midnight Sun is narrated by moody and broody "vegetarian" vampire Edward Cullen, whose love affair with the lip-biting, breathy-sigher Bella Swan provokes an existential crisis for both that dominates the four novels in the Twilight series. The books were transformed into five record-breaking movies, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.

Ms Meyer had originally abandoned writing the prequel after a rough draft of it was leaked online in 2008, saying it was "a huge violation of my rights as an author, not to mention me as a human being".

Stephenie Meyer published her debut novel Twilight in 2005.

Twihard Annie McCann is one reader who still has Bella and Edward in her blood. Ms McCann said she was "obsessed and addicted" when she first read the series more than a decade ago and she started a blog Read3rz Re-Vu to provide a forum for Twilight chat. While her taste has moved away from paranormal fiction, Ms McCann said she is keen to delve back into the fantasy and has organised a Midnight Sun bookclub.

"I am really keen to see whether or not Stephenie Meyer has grown as an author, how differently she writes and the different perspective," Ms McCann, 34, said. "It's so nice to look forward to. Given the state of the world, I think tapping into an old fandom is exactly what we need right now."

Oof. Human Kristen Stewart and her vampire crush Robert Pattinson in a scene from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.Credit:AP

But not all Australian booksellers are convinced of Meyer's immortality. Bricks-and-mortar bookstores, including Melbourne's Readings and Sydney's Kinokuniya, haven't placed huge orders or experienced significant pre-orders for Midnight Sun, although that could be down to reduced foot traffic and the absence of launch events due to the pandemic.

"Im not expecting Midnight Sun to reach the same heights as the earlier books in the series, though I did increase my initial order as I heard the internet buzz intensify," said Kinokuniya's English books division manager Allyx Lathrope.

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"Itll certainly be interesting to see if those teens who read Twilight and are now grown-ups will come back to Edward and Bella."

Readings managing director Mark Rubbo said Melbourne's lockdown had made it hard to gauge sales with the bookshop's overall business down by almost half.

"Once it comes out it will get massive publicity and that will generate the interest. It always does with these kinds of books," Mr Rubbo said.

Ms McCann has fond memories of staying up all night to read the last Twilight novel, Breaking Dawn, and longs to recapture a little of the magic again.

"I remember my heart beating a lot...I remember being on the edge of my seat. I hope I can have the same experience as I did before."

Melanie Kembrey is Spectrum Deputy Editor at the Sydney Morning Herald.

Read more from the original source:

Readers ready to bite into first Twilight novel in more than a decade - Sydney Morning Herald

To save this word, you'll need to log in.

a : unending existence

b : lasting fame

She believed in the immortality of the soul. He found immortality through his films.

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'immortality.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Cite this Entry

Immortality. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immortality. Accessed 31 Jul. 2020.

More Definitions for immortality

1 : the quality or state of living forever : endless life She wished for immortality.

2 : lasting fame or glory

Comments on immortality

What made you want to look up immortality? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

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Immortality | Definition of Immortality by Merriam-Webster

Kakine Teitoku (A Certain Magical Index) achieved a form of immortality by creating a human tissues (and a new body) out of his Dark Matter, however he was killed by his own Dark Matter after overusing it with his newly created body which he was not used to.

Ladylee Tangleroad (A Certain Magical Index) is an immortal, in that when she grew weary of living, she sought to use powerful magic to kill her, which did not work.

Tenzen Yakushiji (Basilisk) having his symbiote "eat" away his wounds and restoring any ravages of time or battle, even reattaching his head by sealing the cut.

10 years after Tenzen's death, Joujin (Basilisk) gained the symbiote that was Tenzen's spirit, "eating" away any wounds aging the same way Tenzen's symbiote did.

Skull Knight (Berserk), the mysterious 1,000 year old enemy of the God Hand and Apostles.

Nosferatu Zodd (Berserk), the 300 year old "God of the Battlefields and Combat".

Wyald (Berserk), the 100 year old leader of the Black Dog Knights.

Behelits (Berserk) are stone fetishes of unknown supernatural origin said to govern the fate of humanity. They are used primarily for summoning the angels of the God Hand, at which point their owners are granted a wish in exchange for a sacrifice.

Creed Diskenth (Black Cat) possesses the God's Breath nano-machines within his body, regenerating even fatal wounds in seconds and maintaining his youth, thus granting him immortality aside from any brain damage being irreparable.

Ssuke Aizen (Bleach) gained immortality after fusing with the Hgyoku.

C.C (Code Geass) is immortal.

V.V (Code Geass) is immortal.

Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba)

Majin Buu (Dragon Ball series) is nigh-impossible to kill unless every last molecule of his being is vaporized at once.

Future Zamasu (Dragon Ball Super) wished for immortality upon the Super Dragon Balls, allowing him to never age, never be killed, and causing any injury to heal instantly.

Due to the contradiction caused by the fusion of the absolutely immortal Zamasu and the mortal Goku Black, Fused Zamasu (Dragon Ball Super) has imperfect immortality.

Angels (Dragon Ball Super) are immortal as long as they do not break the divine laws they have to obey.

Garlic Jr. (Dragon Ball Z) succeeded in making a wish for immortality with the Dragon Balls, allowing him to regenerate from all bodily damage.

Zeref (Fairy Tail) was cursed by Ankhseram with his contradiction curse which gives him uncontrollable Death Magic and Immortality.

Mavis Vermilion (Fairy Tail) was cursed with immortality after casting an incomplete Law spell.

Kager (Flame of Recca) using a forbidden spell that opens a time portal, but it traps her outside of space-time, rendering her completely immortal.

The Truth (Fullmetal Alchemist) is invincible, immortal and invulnerable.

Over 500 years old, Utsuro (Gintama) possesses immortality by harnessing the Altana energy of Earth to prevent aging and recover from wounds and diseases.

Kouka (Gintama) possessed immortality by harnessing the Altana energy of Kouan to prevent aging and recover from wounds and diseases. However, when she left the planet for good, she weakened overtime and died.

China (Hetalia) is the only nation stated to be truly immortal.

DIO Brando (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) become a vampire and gain immortality by using the Stone Mask.

The Stone Mask (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Parts I Phantom Blood and II Battle Tendency).

The Pillar Men (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part II: Battle Tendency)

Through the unknown power of his Stand or since merging with DIO's flesh bud, Nijimura's Father (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part IV Diamonds Are Unbreakable) is effectively immortal and possess extraordinary healing capabilities.

Yta (Mermaid Saga) is a 500 years old immortal since unwittingly eating mermaid's flesh.

Mana (Mermaid Saga) is a 15 years old immortal since being fed mermaid's flesh.

Masato (Mermaid Saga) is an 800 years old immortal since eating mermaid's flesh.

Setsuna F. Seiei (Mobile Suit Gundam 00 The Movie - A wakening of the Trailblazer)

Meliodas (Nanatsu no Taizai) was cursed with the immortality by the Demon King.

Orochimaru (Naruto) considers himself immortal with his Living Corpse Reincarnation to transfer his soul to another body and his Cursed Seals as anchors of his conscious.

Hidan's (Naruto) main advantage is his inability to die by physical damage, though he is vulnerable to death by lack of nutrient.

Kakuzu (Naruto) attained a form of immortality (though he denies to think of it as such) by tearing hearts out of others and integrating them into himself, extending his lifespan. He kept five inside him at all times.

Madara Uchiha (Naruto) claims he has achieved complete immortality due to hosting the Shinju, as he regenerated form his torso being blown apart. Only when the tailed beasts were all pulled out of him did he die.

Kaguya tsutsuki (Naruto) is immortal, in that she has tremendous regenerative powers, and that the only way to defeat her is to seal her person away by splitting her chakra into the nine tailed beasts.

Gemma Himuro (Ninja Scroll) putting his severed body parts back together, even his head is possible, rendering him immortal.

Due to her race, Jibril (No Game No Life) has reached 6407 years of age, she also has incredibly vast knowledge and high magical abilities, in two words; she gathers many old and new knowledge, in other words; she can no longer age or die.

Yume Hasegawa (Pupa) is an immortal monster incarnated into human form, possessing regenerative abilities that rendered her very difficult to kill.

Utsutsu Hasegawa (Pupa) has been fed the flesh of her immortal "sister", giving him tremendous regenerative powers that made him more or less immortal.

Rin Asogi (RIN ~Daughters of Mnemosyne~) is immortal, due to a magic spore from Yggdrasil.

Free (Soul Eater) is a werewolf from the Immortal Clan, and therefore, immortal. He can only be harmed and killed by the "Witch-Hunt".

Koj Akatsuki (Strike the Blood) is revealed to be immortal, even by vampire standards after regenerating from complete decapitation.

Tta Konoe (UQ Holder) cannot regrow limbs unless they are completely destroyed, but otherwise is immortal and can reattach any of it, including his head.

Karin Yki (UQ Holder) has one of the highest ranked forms of immortality, stating that she's "not permitted to get hurt or die".

Elder Toguro (Yu Yu Hakusho) stated that his regenerative powers keep him from dying. This prevented him from dying from Kurama's torturous Sinning Tree.

Kyubey (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) the Incubator.

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Immortality | Superpower Wiki | Fandom

IF YOURE under 40 reading this article, youre probably not going to die unless you get a nasty disease.

Those are the words of esteemed futurologist Dr Ian Pearson, who believes humans are very close to achieving immortality the ability to never die, reports The Sun.

Humans have been trying to find a way to dodge death for years.

Ancient Greek alchemists tried to create a philosophers stone that would let people live forever, but humans have yet to beat death.

However, Dr Pearson tells The Sun that there are a number of different ways we could live forever as long as you can make it to the year 2050.

If you kick the bucket before then, you might be part of the last generation of humans to die of old age.

METHOD #1: RENEWING YOUR BODY PARTS

There are quite a lot of people interested in living forever, explains Dr Pearson. There always has been, but the difference now is tech is improving so quickly, lots of people believe they can actually do it.

He reveals that one way to extend life would be to use biotechnologies and medicine to keep renewing the body, and rejuvenating it.

No one wants to live forever at 95 years old, but if you could rejuvenate the body to 29 or 30, you might want to do that.

This could be done in several ways, including genetic engineering that prevents (or reverses) the ageing of cells.

Alternatively, you could replace vital body organs with new parts.

Many scientists around the world are working on creating human organs using 3D printers loaded with living cells, which could one day make human organ donors redundant.

METHOD #2: LIVING IN ANDROID BODIES

But Dr Pearson thinks its much more likely that well extend our lives a different way: robots.

A long time before we get to fix our bodies and rejuvenate it every time we feel like, well be able to link our minds to the machine world so well, well effectively be living in the cloud, he explains.

The mind will basically be in the cloud, and be able to use any android that you feel like to inhabit the real world.

He says that in 50 years time, we might be able to hire an android anywhere in the world just like a hire car, and upload your consciousness into it.

If you wanted to spend the evening in Australia, going to the Sydney Opera House, you could use an android.

This means that even when your original bodies dies, youd still be able to use your digital mind stored on a computer and live in the world using highly realistic robot bodies.

The current state of sex dolls are starting to look quite human-like. Give them another 30 years of development and theyll be extremely human-like, Dr Pearson reveals.

You can take any android body and they will look human-like, and download whatever mind you want. You could share one with someone else, or have one yourself, or own dozens of them.

You might even have ones of different genders and different ages, some old, young, female, male there might be new genders by 2050 as well, so several other ones you can pick too.

He explains that well have to wait until around 2045, 2050 before well be able to create these strong brain-to-machine links, and says the cost will be very high initially.

The first people to use robot bodies to become immortal will be the rich, but then the price will gradually come down.

One day your body dies maybe you get hit by a bus or a nasty disease but it doesnt matter, because your mind will still be there. Youll be able to use an android body instead of the organic one you just lost.

For normal people on everyday salaries, its more likely that youll have to wait a little longer.

IMMORTALITY ON BRITAINS NHS

By 2060, people like you or I will be able to buy it, and by 2070 people in poor countries on modest incomes will be able to buy it.

Everyone will have a chance to have immortality, a sort of electronic immortality.

After 10, 15, 20 years, the price comes down to hundreds of pounds, rather than millions.

It could be provided as part of the NHS (National Health Service). You might be able to buy premium offerings on a private subscription, or you might get a basic presence on a network and be allowed to use an android body.

Dr Pearson says well have to limit the number of android bodies people can own, however.

You might be given one free on the NHS, but you might be limited to no more than two or three.

Rich people that can afford it would probably want to have loads of different bodies, and if your mind is online, theres nothing to stop them replicating it millions of times over.

You wouldnt want to live in a world where there are millions of Kardashians walking around, where they can afford to do it and nobody else can.

We would need to limit the number of bodies for environmental impact.

Imaging taking everybody in the UK. Once the economics allows everyone to have 10 bodies each, there would be 600 million people living here.

METHOD #3: LIVING IN A VIRTUAL WORLD

But if our minds are online, do we even need robot bodies? We could all just live in a computer simulation quite happily, according to Dr Pearson.

You could spend most of your time online in the virtual world, of course anywhere in the world on any computer.

If youre online all the time, you could have a fantastic life online. It would be all virtual, so you could have anything you want. 72 virgins if thats what drives you; all of that, because its totally imaginary.

You could make as much fun as you could possibly imagine online. You might still want to come into the real world.

You could link your mind to millions of other minds, and have unlimited intelligence, and be in multiple places at once.

THE CUT-OFF HOLDING ON FOR DEAR LIFE

The tricky bit is surviving until the technology becomes widely available.

By 2050, it will only really be for the rich and famous, Dr Pearson said.

Most people on middle-class incomes and reasonable working-class incomes can probably afford this in the 2060s. So anyone 90 or under by 2060.

If you were born sometime in 1970 onwards, that would make you 48 this year. So anybody under 50 has got a good chance of it, and anyone under 40 almost definitely will have access to this.

Most of your readers are probably going to live forever, Dr Pearson tells us.

This story first appeared in The Sun and has been republished here with permission.

Excerpt from:

Immortality by 2050: Humans very close to everlasting life

Financial advisers help clients achieve a richer, fuller life and death.

Financial planners often urge clients to envision their passing and its effect on their loved ones. Its a grim but necessary part of the job. The fear of death can shut down such conversations. Clients may change the subject and refuse to engage, leaving advisers struggling to broach estate planning, life insurance and other priorities.

All of it is uncomfortable, said Tracy Sherwood, a certified financial planner in Williamsville, N.Y. No one wants to think of their untimely demise.

Rather than pressure clients to confront the Grim Reaper, Sherwood prefers to proceed in baby steps. She might begin by asking them to complete advance directive forms. At a subsequent meeting, she may invite them to consider their legacy and list core values they want to pass on to family members.

Instead of leaving them with their fears, Ill remind them that everything were doing puts them in the best position to make the best decisions today while they can, she said. If we can agree to meet with an estate-planning attorney, thats one way of moving forward.

Some clients will avoid the topic and wave off their advisers repeated attempts to address it. Others will engage in what Russell James, a professor of personal financial planning at Texas Tech University, calls symbolic immortality imagining they will never die.

Indulge clients who seem reluctant to acknowledge the inevitability of death. How? Kick off an estate planning discussion by saying, Lets look at how you can elevate the lives of your children and grandchildren and give back to your community for generations to come.

Use language that has a long-term, lasting, positive impact, James said. If the client has a desire for social approval, provide solutions that have a permanent social impact and satisfy a yearning to leave an inspiring legacy.

Word choice is critical. Ironically, the most productive death-related discussions rarely involve mention of death.

Advisers who recommend an annuity are better off describing how it continues as long as you live rather than as long as you live until you die, James says. He suggests that advisers underscore how an annuity can protect an inheritance for your family or increase the benefit of your bequest.

Beware of introducing too many hypothetical scenarios (If you die in 10 years, then the annuity would, but if you die in 20 years., then). Certain clients wont mind plugging in their death date and running the numbers. But its possible they will tune out after a certain point if the adviser keeps adjusting their projected longevity.

Even the way an adviser crafts an agenda in advance of a meeting can influence how the client responds. James recommends listing topics such as asset protection, tax planning and protecting your retirement savings as opposed to estate planning or survivor benefits that can trigger death-related thoughts.

Appealing to a clients eagerness to exert control can prove effective as well. One reason that some individuals dread thinking about their death is their anxiety about losing stewardship over the lives of those closest to them.

If people see there are ways to control things from the grave, they can be more receptive, said Elliot Herman, a certified financial planner in Quincy, Mass. They might want to take steps now to preserve family harmony later.

Examples include accounts of clients who did not update the beneficiary on their life insurance policy (thus causing the payout to go to an unintended recipient) or estates held up by probate where an ex-spouse fights for a greater share and embroils the whole family and the media in the ensuing court battle.

More: Annuities can help your retirement portfolio stay afloat. These are the best ones

Also read: Living in retirement during COVID-19? How to keep your cool

Excerpt from:

What top financial advisers will tell you about creating a lasting legacy for the important people and causes in your life - MarketWatch

Modern wellness brand Zolt has been combining plants and science to give consumers a portable and convenient way to incorporate CBD and full-spectrum hemp into their daily routine. THE DAILY SUMMER enlisted two of our staffers to try the latest offeringsRise+ and Dreamyto get the real scoop on why theyre everyday essentials.

Alexs Zolt Rise+ Diary

Alex Dickerson, CMO, Daily Front Row

As The Daily Summers resident health and wellness nut, I was delighted when I was tasked with incorporating Zolt Rise+ into my everyday routine. I already work regularly with adaptogens and CBD, in tinctures primarily, so I was excited to test-drive a new product that combines my favorite wellness ingredients into one easy on-the-go Mixie Stick powder serving. Carting around 15 different vials of liquids just isnt realistic or efficienttrust me, Ive tried.

A word on adaptogens for anyone not familiar: They are a select group of herbs and mushrooms that support your bodys natural ability to deal with stress. Hence the word adapt thats nestled neatly in there. This can be physical, emotional, or mental stressand lets be honest, we all have plenty of each these days! Zolt Rise+ uses two of my all-time favorite adaptogens in its unique blend: astragalus and reishi. Astragalus has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and is often used for its antiviral properties, which stimulate the immune system. Reishi, aka Queen of the Mushrooms, has been used for more than 2,000 years in China and Japan to support well-being and just help you chill out. Combine that with the power of full-spectrum hemp, and youre basically drinking magic immortality juice.

I really felt the benefits of Zolt Rise+ throughout my week. It gave me more sustained energy during the day, but without any of the edge of having too many coffees. And it didnt keep me up at night if I had more than one serving. (You can have up to eight Mixie Sticks per day.)

Specifically, I loved it as a substitute for coffee. It was a replenishing lifesaver during Tracy Anderson streaming workouts, and was a refreshing treat to sip on during hikes. The tropical orange flavor is delightfulnot overpowering, just a nice little boost to water. It may have even tricked me into hydrating more than I normally would because it was so tasty. I give Zolt Rise+ two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Nandinis Zolt Dreamy Diary

Nandini Vaid, Marketing Manager, Daily Front Row

Im always on the go. Living and working in NYC, I have an active lifestyle. But the past few months in lockdown totally threw me off balance, and my sleep schedule was completely upside down! With life getting back to somewhat normal now, I wanted to try something to help me relax and get my routine back in sync. So when I was asked to try out Zolt Dreamy, I was excited to see how it would work for me.

This CBD drink mix is everything! I got a 30-day pack and have been drinking it before bedtime every night for the past two weeks. It has helped me reset, relax, and Im sleeping so much better. And I have noticed that throughout the day I have a lot more energy than before. Also, its easy on the taste buds. I love the taste of Zolt Dreamy. It has a light honey-citrus flavor, and has 20 mg of CBD in each individual packet, called a Mixie Stick, which is so easy to use. Its perfect with hot water as a tea, or over ice as a refreshing treat before bed.

This organic delight is full of antioxidants, so not only are you getting your beauty sleep, but it also protects your skin and body from free radicals that cause damage. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to kick in, so its a great combination with my bedtime read. Zolt Dreamy gets me feeling completely relaxed; its CBD and adaptogens help soothe and repair your mind and body, while its melatonin (3 mg) whisks me off to dreamland quickly. Zolt Dreamy has worked wonders for me, and Im now a fan. I wake up each morning well-rested from a full nights sleep, feeling fresh and bright, ready to take on the day.

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A Daily Staffer Checks Out Wellness Brand Zolt - Daily Front Row

Another dark Pokmon fan theory claims Ash doesn't age because he died in the first season, and he is actually a ghost possessing his own body.

One of the most talked about theories among Pokmon fans revolves around why the shows protagonist, Ash Ketchum, never ages. Ash first started his journey to become a Pokmon Master back in 1997. Twenty-three years and 7 seasons later, Ash is still portrayed as a 10-year-old boy.

Its easy to just dismiss Ashs perpetual youth as an intentional trope to maintain a sense of continuity over the last couple decades, not dissimilar to Matt Groenings The Simpsons. However, fans have thought of more clever theories to explain Ashs seemingly immortality. Whether hes been in a coma since Pokmons premiere or has been granted the wish of eternal happiness by the legendaryPokmon Ho-Oh, theorists have had a lot of fun contemplating Ashs ageless mystery.

Related:Pokemon Theory: Why Ash Never Grows Up

A few years back, Reddit user u/askthetyrant2 brought up the popular theory that Ash is actually dead, and gives some compelling reasons to back this claim. One episode in particular supports this theory: Pokmonseason 1 episode 22, The Tower of Terror, in which Ash does appear to die.

After losing to the psychic gym leader Sabrina in episode 21, Abra and the Psychic Showdown, Ash, Misty, and Brock head off to Lavender Town in search of a ghost Pokmonso he can have an advantage against Sabrinas powerful Kadabra. Upon reaching the Pokmon Tower, where ghosts are rumored to hang out, the gang decides to wait until morning in hopes the setting will be less scary. That doesnt turn out to be the case, and after hearing screams from inside which are actually coming from Team Rocketthe gang decides to enter. Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar are the ghost Pokmonresponsible for scaring Team Rocket, and they continue to pose their spooky tricks on Ash and friends.

The heroes run out of the tower in a fright, but Ash is determined to go back in. He gives Pikachu and Charmander a pep talk, and they re-enter the tower. Misty and Brock arent as easily convinced, deciding instead to stay outside. Ash and his Pokmon quickly encounter Haunter, whose Lick attack paralyzes Charmander, forcing Ash to recall his Pokmonto its Pok Ball. Gengar then joins Haunter, but their goofy antics are lost on Ash, and his unamused bewilderment saddens the ghosts. They sink through the floor, and Ash and Pikachu try to stop them. They crash on the ground forcing the chandelier above to fall and crush them, rendering them unconscious.

The theory states that this crash actually killed Ash and Pikachu, which doesnt seem too improbable considering Haunter then pulls out their ghosts from their physical bodies. Ash and Pikachu are startled when they see themselves lying on the floor, and Ash exclaims that he doesnt want to be a ghost yet!The ghost Pokmon end up getting specter Ash involved with their pranks. After spotting Brock and Misty outside, he pulls Misty up into the air, causing her to suspect something bad has happened to Ash. She and Brock go back into the tower, concerned for their friend. Theyre devastated when they see Ash and Pikachu lifeless on the floor. Not wanting their friends to worry, Ash and Pikachu descend back into their bodies and wake up.

The haunting fan theory surmises that Ash and Pikachu died, and their ghosts have possessed their corpses. Thus, Ash and Pikachu continue the rest of their journey as apparitions controlling their own bodies, never aging with the times. Of course when considering that both Brock and Misty make later appearances in Pokemon the Series: Sun and Moon looking just as young as they did in the originalPokmon series, its easy to go back to the notion that the characters agelessness is just a trope. Nevertheless, Pokmonfans continue to have fun with some of the darker theories surrounding the franchise, allowing this kid-friendly series to keep fans of all ages engaged many years after it was first released.

Next: PokmonTheory: Ash's Dad Died In The Pokmon War

Source: askthetyrant2/Reddit

Pokmon Theory: Why Starter Pokmon Can't Be Found In The Wild

Ever since being gifted a Super Nintendo as a young child in the mid 1990's, Alex has been a lover of video games. She also has an affinity towards animals, art, and writing. After being praised by friends and family for her writing skills, she received a BA in English at the University of Central Arkansas. Since then, she has worked in a tax office, has been a bookseller, receptionist, studio coordinator, and Licensed Massage Therapist/pain management specialist. Based in Colorado, Alex continues to pursue her passion for writing in her downtime.

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Pokmon Theory: Ash Doesn't Age Because He & Pikachu Are Ghosts - Screen Rant