#modern adapation

[lemonadeandlanguages]

why is it so hard for the maigret tv adaptations to cast all four of maigret's detectives?? there's no janvier in the 60s one, no torrence in the 90s version and no lucas in the 2016-17 one :(

[the-feathered-dragon-hoard]

ORV Wingfics in vrac, by lenght order

For you, @ukkikuro :3. By default, they can all be interpreted as Gen.

---

I’ll put those two together since they’re adapated one from another:

Maybe Here is Where I Belong [DISCONTINUED] by orphan_account, 16k words

AU. Half-blood Avian dokja in fantasy setting gets captured and whumped (forever alone). Dehumanisation at its peak. The kind of AU I adore most.

Maybe Here Is Where I Belong (ADAPTED) by CorruptedScarf ( @corruptedscarf ), 38k words

The new direction has the rest of the cast more involved and a bit more sympathic. You don’t need to read the old version to read that one.

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Wings of blackest night, of quietest hour by Cuddlebearable ( @cuddlebearable ), 13k words

Wing whump! First chap is Gen, second chap is shippy

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Wings and Horns by WaywardTravler, 11k words

Dokja denies his demon king side, get back pain from it, until his instincts explode and a feral demon king (of the chirping and hoarding kind) has to be babysat by a begrudged Han Sooyoung and Yoo Junghyeok.

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Winged squid-bastard gets stripped (gone right?) by GoldenPurpleDahlia, 3k words

Forced wing care (and washing) operated by YJH since dokja is chronically unable to take care of himself.

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The Demon King of Salvation has Soft Wings by ying_oneshots ( @localapparently ), 3k words

Demon transformation fluff

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you were the song that I’d always sing by cryptidwriters, 2k words.

AU. Avian lab-runaway dokja in modern setting.

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zugzwang by unluckyolive, 2k words

Canon Div. Well that one you know. How YJH plunder his star from the sky. Personally i read it as Gen.

(So violent 0.0 ☆.☆)

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Sheltered beneath my wings by GardenCliff, 2k words.

AU. Everyone is an avian. YJH whump but overall it’s feel good

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The humanity of demons by namci ( @namci ), 2k words

Dokja winged whump!! (YJH to the rescue)

-- Bonus --

Kim Foxja’s Company by AokazuSei, 5k words

Foxja bcs I loved that fic. Fox!Dokja is a chaotic little shit only YJH can wrangle XD

--- List of wingfics I found but haven’t read yet ---

Surviving as the King of a Lost World by autumn_miist, 25k words

Fight or Flight by TeaCatssss, 6k words

herbs, orange peels, and steam (it was supposed to be relaxing?) by 49percent_squid (nebulous_squid), 3k words

grounded in flight by EATSTOES for Kitsune_Scribe, 2k words

How do they feel like? by ShadowTanin, 2k words

And that’s all i spotted for now~

--- Orv Bookmarks ---

I tend to bookmark everything i read but tag and note them so they can serve as ’recs’ as well. So if anyone else around is a fan of crack-angst-Gen, don’t hesitate to check my bookmarks out :3 (well my notes might contain spoilers about the work itself though ���)

Here is a link towards the Orv ones:

I just arrived in the fandom so my tally is still small, but it will get bigger fast XD

[sailorbarkovitch]

thoughts on the casting and trailer of tlw movie? who are you most excited to see on screen and is there anything that disappointed you/you wish they did or cast differently?

The trailer was kinda weak in my opinion but that doesnt mean the movie is gonna be weak. I still have hope.

I think I like pretty much the entire cast with exception of buff Stebbins (no hate on the actor though) and maybe Olson. I thought the decision to cast a black actor to play Baker was weird considering the character was a nightrider in the book, but Tut Nyuot really did give Baker vibes in the trailer so I accept this cast decision.

Blond Barkovitch also caught me by surprise but when I saw him being annoying as shit in the trailer I knew he still had a bit of the old Barkovitch in him.

For the last question. I wish they kept the iconic outfits of book walkers in the movie. Stebbins' purple pants and green sweater, Garraty's fatigue jacket, Baker's red striped shirt, etc, etc...

Also. Also. I have a feeling the director is going to Hunger Games-fy the story. He already changed Garraty's backstory to the point he's a completely different character now. There's no heroic teen revolution in The Long Walk, it's a brutal and depressing book and I wish they kept it that way. But it seems like - when it comes to modern adapations these days - most directors try to soften up the source material because they're too afraid to offend or challenge the audience.

[jihef03]

Official Lucky Luke live-action series cast so far

The Lucky Luke series has started shooting in Spain ad I'm scouring infos like a vulture, so here's the official cast for now :

Alban Lenoir as Lucky Luke:

I mostly know if from his role in the Kaamelott series where he played a dimwitted thug -not unlike a Dalton ironically-. He can poke fun at himself and he's branched into bieng a action movie lead since then. I didn't expect him as the role but he can pull it off, especially if the show takes inspiration from the "Pat Poker to Phil Wire era" Lucky Luke.

Jerome Niel as Joe Dalton:

Potentially, this could be modern " Jack Nicholson as Joker" moment. Like yeah, he's an obvious choice, his used to that kind of performance and he looks the part. I think Joe's a tough character to get right, especially in live-action but I'm not worried here/

Camille Chaboux as Calamity Jane:

Just like Lenoir, I'm not too familiar. But I did watch some of her videos online and she's a good fit, both in looks and energy, so again great choice. Sylvie Testud did a great job as the character in the 2009 movie, I think Chaboux's gonna do great too.

Victor Leblond as Billy the Kid:

Again, perfect choice in terms of look. Haven't seen anything of him but I'mma change that.

There's also Billie Blain and Alice Taglioni starring in the show but they play characters specifically made for the show :

Kinda my big fear when it comes to adapations, if you feel the need to creat madeup character when there's already a slew of characters to pick from. Then again, it happens and woman roles are kinda sparse in Lucky Luke so.

Tldr: great cast so far. Obviously' the real is gonna be the script and the humor, but you know, I'm cautiously optimistic.

[andros-paidophonoio]

My other controversial trait is I don't care for but I also don't hate Lore Olympus lmfao. I think it's frustrating to me for various reasons but all of them are completely different from the main reasons I see people hate it and I rarely see MY complaints and critiques come up which is pretty funny. Not that some critiques don't have merit, but a lot especially I remember from several years ago were ur run of the mill "sexualizing fetishizing & the young women r being led astray" from the same people also being nostalgic about their effervescent Twilight phases and problematic cartoon husbandos and it's like, let's be fucking real

I understand the being concerned about it giving the Wrong Impression of the mythological characters etc but it's just visually and stylistically SO different and distinct and basically looks and comes across like Teenybopper Inside Out. I feel like thinking it represents anything realistic to the irl material feels a little idk.....losing chess to a dog-ish. Losing chess to an archie comic. Personally I get more concerned about adapations that have an appearance and sheen of being "accurate" or educational and serious while peddling more misinformation XD So that in mind, most of my evaluation of the story is a bit separate from that aspect, which has already been discussed and analyzed a lot–i generally try to evaluate based on the internal world that a story creates and how it comes across to ME.

More of my thoughts (playing defense AND personal haterisms)

I personally find the main Fantasy of the comic to be extremely vanilla LMAO and Fine...its basically "what if I was a super hot and pretty girl but ALSO sort of underdog-ish but ALSO I had sexy older BF who was kind and listens to me and wants to worship the ground inwalk on and we have cute little fluffy conversations and dates and ALSO I'm super sexy and evil and powerful but ALSO Good and Innocent and Blameless--" it's kind of an incoherent mess, but it's trying to appeal to a variety of fantasies all at once, and I think the desires that are expressed are pretty basic ones lol. I know there's also the rumor (?) of the Hades basically being authors self insert Mads Mikkelsen au crush or whatever which ppl made fun of but like genuinely What is Wrong With That. It's a bit silly but how is that problematic or my business.

I actually liked Perse's character and parts of her arc, I think the strongest parts of the comic was parts like the gentle romance portions where characters got to "be themselves" and just hang out in more slice of life style stuff (before it weirdly delved into therapist talking). There are some really great expressions of emotion and nervousness around sex and desire and shame. And the fantasy of having an understanding person to be a friend and talk to and open up to and speak in a respectful way was pretty sweet, and a lot MORE gentle than tbh a lot of Edgy Romance where theove interest is just Mean and Insulting for a while. So while I find aspects of maybe the characters getting flat, I found that personally kind of more positive in terms of "lessons and takeaways." So it's funny to me when ppl talk about the comic as The Most Evil Fetishizing Ever when so much of it honestly feels sanded down to Niceness lmfao. I also weirdly found that it felt at times very sexually or sensually restrained–like I get it's for more younger audience, but the kind of coy dancing around stuff at times (I wonder from webtoon meddling) felt weirder than maybe being more open about it. In a weird way, the rape scene from earlier on in the story felt more explored in how it had an impact than later parts. I wonder if that's because it was before it became so popular and also started getting more attention and criticisms that then seem to have subsumed into the work in weird ways.

I guess it's overall, in the end, one of those stories that is very much speaking to the modern age and the modern (straight ig) young women; where the OG Story and hymn was about grief of losing child to a marriage out of ur control (and includes the comfort of other mothers or matriarchs), I feel this (clumsily) speaks to a kind of different struggle. Aka the issue of wanting to express and enjoy sexuality freely but being faced with the prospect of interpersonal sexual violence, or people seeking to control said sexuality either out of protection or their own gain, the idea that you become seen as "evil" once u express ur sexual desires or become "tainted" by association with a man in a way that isn't a Socially Sanctioned way. It's clumsy, but it's real, and a lot of stories I see in this subject are grappling with this a lot. Esp for an era where many women do have a lot more freedom to pursue and find partners by choice than in ancient times, but the journey to that kind of happiness can be held up by such adverse experiences and subsequent emotional states/expectations.

I think my problem with a lot of romantic stuff, including this, that wants to balance these twin fantasies–one of being Very Powerful and Dangerous, but also of being Blameless and Good, are often kind of at odds and can result in some pretty Bad Storytelling that often ends up kind of trying to backtrack and do apologism for the Bad Actions in a way that just feels weak And noncommittal (if ur gonna be evil girl BE EVIL), and also kind of gets weird because The Protagonist, and the Couple(tm) must Always Be Good, and this cannot always be the case!!! In fact, it can make characters end up looking worse lol. Solomon's Crown does this too and that I am offended by for the same reasons!!!

Anyways, I haven't finished the whole comic, although I found a lot of the later arcs very intriguing although it took too fucking long to get to it because of the other problems that irritated me which consist of the following in no particular order:

THE VERY UNFUNNY HUMOR. I hated the jokes so much. I feel this is a problem with a lot of serials where they try to stay topical but boy I do not give a shit. That and when characters started speaking more like therapists, it brings the Drama to a screeching halt. And we are supposed to be HERE for drama!!! This is the main reason it always takes me so long to read like there will be an interesting serious scene and then the jokes will be so bad and deflating the impact. Sad!

Minthe. Treatment of her character left a bad taste in my mouth; last I left off I kind of liked more time spent on her, but in general i just felt really weird about the role her character played

Generally disinterested in all the other characters aside from the main couple. Perse is really fun and I feel there's the most "real" experience poured into her mixed with fantasy.

The opening episodes are indeed extremely off-putting to me so I don't blame people for not getting into it bc it starts off with some bro-y behavior that is corny. And it never quite feels "established" in its setting which is an issue to me with a lot of webtoons but for here especially it feels very like I said earlier like Teenybopper Inside Out. These characters are fantastical concepts, but only at times do they feel real as People

Anyways it's one of those things where I can genuinely see the charm in it--i can see exactly why it blew up how it did, but also like most webtoon it invites the most simplified types of comments ever where every single character has to be Good or Bad and if anyone does anything complex everyone throws a riot. So I don't doubt that the environment in which the story was produced affected the way that it is formatted and created. In this sense it's an interesting work to consider culturally and sociplogically. I think it is part of the greater conversation of why such works connect to people for greater or ill at all. Still, the Bad Jokes will keep me from probably having the true knowledge and I definitely will continue going my own way

(I do have a few AU concepts tho I'd like to think about sometimes....infeel like some aspects of the story I think a transmasc perse is interesting to think about, especially the whole weird definitions of the "fertility goddess" and "pure maiden" aspect, and the desire for LO!Apollo to want them to embody kind of an Ideal Wifepartner to gain power and prestige...more disturbing but also interesting implications and stakes to think about. canon LO I see seems to be about moving from maiden to the fertility goddess aspect but what if there were other identity avenues to be explored? Also I was thinking that a lot of the LO haters I get it we don't like cringe heteros that's fair but I know a lot of y'all r reading BL that use the EXACT SAME TROPES but even more corny and it's like.....sometimes humans crave corniness I get it. It would be too many layers of gender for the original to even be considering lmfao but since a lot of the story is about finding the Self and also facing resistance for it, I don't think it would be unthinkable....the fantasy worldbuilding going on is like ??? But sometimes it produces some stuff I think more deeply about)

[brokehorrorfan]

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio will be released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on December 12 via The Criterion Channel. James Jean designed the cover art for Netflix's 2022 stop motion animated adapation of Carlo Collodi's 1883 novel.

Guillermo del Toro co-directs with Mark Gustafson from a script by del Toro and Patrick McHale (Over the Garden Wall). Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton star.

Pinocchio has been digitally mastered in 4K, supervised by del Toro and Gustafson, with Dolby Atmos sound. It's presented in 4K with Dolby Vision HDR.

Special features are listed below, where you can also see the full packaging.

Special features:

Handcarved Cinema - Making-of documentary with co-directors Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson and cast and crew (new)

Directing Stop-Motion - Featurette with Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson (new)

Interview with Guillermo del Toro by film critic Farran Smith Nehme (new)

Interview with curator Ron Magliozzi on The Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition devoted to the film (new)

Featurette on the 8 rules of animation that informed the production (new)

Panel discussion with Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, production designer Guy Davis, composer Alexandre Desplat, and sound designer Scott Martin Gershin, moderated by filmmaker James Cameron

Conversation with Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, and author Neil Gaiman

Booklet with essays by film critic Matt Zoller Seitz and author Cornelia Funke

A classic tale is reborn through the inspired imagination of cinematic dream-weaver Guillermo del Toro, directing alongside Mark Gustafson. Realized through boundary-pushing, breathtakingly intricate stop-motion animation, this dark rendering of the fable of the puppet boy and his maker daringly transfers the story to Fascist Italy, where the irrepressible Pinocchio gradually learns what it means to be human through his experiences of war, death, and sacrifice. This Pinocchio imbues the oft-told tale with a bold new resonance about living with courage and compassion.

Pre-order Pinocchio.

[ryin-silverfish]

You said that the execution of S4 failed, so how should it have been or what were the steps that should be followed? Genuine interest. Might help anyone who is writing about Jttw.

Basically: Extraordinary twist requires extraordinarily good explanations, and the big honcho of the Celestial Realm getting killed by a Bodhisattva's cat is one such twists. Yet it isn't explained properly other than JE's vague statement that "his time is up".

(Is this an attempt at alluding to the concept of "Peril" (劫), something even immortals and celestials must endure in order to continue existing, and the Buddhist idea that beings of the Path of Heaven are still not free from the cycle of life and death, however near-infinite their lifespan is?)

(If so, then SAY IT.)

But my biggest issue is the huge Show-not-Tell problem regarding the corruption of the Celestial Realm.

Like, due to the influence of 1961 Havoc in Heaven and the "SWK as peasant rebel" reading that became the dominant narrative during the Maoist era, the Celestial Realm ("feudal" regime), as well as the Buddha and the Buddhist pantheon (religion), get demonized a lot in Chinese JTTW media.

Through that lens, Havoc in Heaven is the story of a grassroot hero fighting against a huge, ancient, corrupt institution, and either winning or losing, and even when he loses, it's the crushing of a revolutionary martyr by the old reactionaries: tragic, but the nobleness and righetousness of his goal is never in doubt.

(I dislike the "class warfare" reading too. A lot, in fact. But that's a story for another day.)

Which is what LMK S4 seems to be going for…and where it flounders.

Like, a Chinese viewer has that context, because most of our popular JTTW adapations dial up the Celestial Realm's prejudice against SWK and its corruption to some extent, as a justification for Havoc in Heaven.

A western viewer who hasn't watched the '61 film, or the '86 TV show, or the '99 cartoon, doesn't have that context, and LMK's oddly empty Celestial Realm that seemed to be populated entirely by Nezha, JE and nameless NPC soldiers doesn't help in the slighest.

(As a JTTW novel liker, my personal opinion is that book!Celestial Realm, even though it is not cartoonishly evil, still sucks ass, and the JE is a typical, mediocre dynastic ruler who's good at upholding the status quo, but extremely petty and vicious to subjects who have personally offended him, like Sha Wujing or the governor of Fengxian Prefecture.)

(They did show more leniency to SWK pre-Havoc in the book than in most modern adaptations, however, despite their fuck-ups.)

And that's how you get fans claiming "SWK never wants the Havoc in Heaven!"

After all, we haven't seen the Celestial Realm being assholes, or, y'know, subjecting a prefecture to an eternal-in-all-but-name drought until people sold their children for three bushels of grains and were driven to cannibalism, because the governor spilled JE's offerings and fed them to the dogs (novel canon, btw), and Nezha seems like a nice guy! How bad could the regime be, really?

Like, you can absolutely show a rebellion falling apart, becoming corrupted from the inside, causing just as much damage to the commoners as the regime they are fighting, and rebels who are far from heroic.

Or how popular rebellions like these were against the corrupt officials and laws, but seldom the emperor himself, and even those that did aim at deposing an emperor were about putting their guy of choice on the dragon chair, instead of dealing away with the dynastic system itself.

Yet the grievances behind those rebellions were also 100% real. The corruption, the abuse of power, the massive human sufferings that led to armed uprisings thoroughout Chinese history, many of which failed while others became the last straw that toppled a dynasty.

And that part, I feel, is neither shown well nor explored properly.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Fossil Novembirb 14: Lost in the Woods

Eurotrochilus by @iguanodont

Even though parts of the landscape were opening up, the forests of Europe weren't done yet - in fact, many began transitioning to the drier temperate forests we know from Europe today! This transition through the Oligocene would have major consequences for bird evolution - I mean, why else would I bring it up? The formation of the first permanent ice sheets in Antarctica made the world drier, and in turn lead to many of the European Islands of the Eocene connecting with one another, forming an actual continent. Well, sub-continent.

So we saw h ow birds were adapting to the plains - how did they adapt to the temperate forests? Well, by more modern groups appearing, too! In fact, this was a busy period of evolution for most animals, as early forms gave way to modern clades and the early adapations that make those clades unique begin to pop up.

Aviraptor by @otussketching

Eurotrochilus, known from Germany during the Oligocene, is a prime example of this phenomenon: it looks almost identical to living hummingbirds, but - unlike living hummingbirds - it was in Europe, not the Americas! Though it wasn't quite a modern hummingbird, having long finger bones like ancestral forms, it had the adaptations needed for feeding on nectar and hovering while foraging for food. As a pollinator, it would have been a key component of the forest ecosystem, helping to pollinate flowering plants and keeping the forest growing. It was also exceptionally common, and may have lead to many plants co-evolving with hummingbirds in the Eastern Hemisphere - so that when hummingbirds disappeared from the region, the niche was left open for the passerine Sunbirds to one day fill it.

We also start to see more and more flighted birds of prey, like Aviraptor. Though small in size, it had long slender legs and sharp talons, and was thus the first raptor adapted for eating other birds as prey - to capture them in the air mid-flight. Sure, it mainly ate small ones, but we all have to start somewhere! And, with all of those lovely hummingbirds and early passerines and barbets around, it certainly had enough food to eat.

Rupelramphastoides by @drawingwithdinosaurs

Yep, I said barbets - the earliest known barbet-like bird comes from the Oligocene European Forests, Rupelramphastoides. One of the smallest members of the Toucan-Barbet group, it had a lot of very modern traits from the group for its early evolution - including long and slender foot bones like living Toucans! It had a small beak, like barbets, and squat wings for flitting about between the trees. Like its living relatives, it probably ate fruit - which would have been plentiful - as well as insects.

Wieslochia, which I discussed on Passerine day, was also present in these forests - it was just a great place for modern tree-dwelling birds to really get their start! Relatives of hoopoes and hornbills, like Laurillardia, were also present - and had long wings and tails, probably for display in addition to movement. Palaeotodus was present in these forests as well as in the savannah, indicating that it was flexible in its preferred habitat - like the living todies of the Caribbean today. Why todies today are only limited to the Caribbean islands, however, remains a mystery.

Oligocolius by @quetzalpali-art

Mousebirds haven't been limited to their modern range yet, either! Though not a Sandcoelid, Oligocolius was a weird Mousebird with the hooked bill of a modern parrot! So, clearly, Mousebirds were experimenting with lots of different niches prior to the modern day - and this is a neat example of convergent evolution to boot! It had a crop, unlike its living relatives, which allowed it to digest tougher plant material. It was common in its environment, found both in the forests and in more lacustrine and coastal areas, indicating it was flexible in this changing world - an extremely helpful adaptation as the ecosystems evolved!

Primotrogon, an early relative of trogons, breaks the pattern of "Like Modern Relatives but Slightly Off" that we've been seeing with these birds - unlike living trogons, it had long wings, a short tail, and small eyes! In addition to it's weirdness, we actually know the color of this bird - it had green secondary coverts, with grey secondaries and primary coverts, though the color of the primaries is not known. Given the rareness of green in animal colors, but how commonly it comes up in birds, this is another example of that phenomenon!

Primotrogon by @albertonykus

Tree dwelling birds aren't the only birds that live in forests, and they aren't the only ones that underwent radiation during this period of environmental change. A weird group of "shorebirds", the Buttonquails, first appears in this ecosystem in the form of Turnipax. Like quails, they are small round ground dwelling birds, but weirdly, their closest relatives are gulls and sandpipers! Turnipax seems to have already been much like its modern relatives, and its possible that the lower diversity of landfowl allowed other avian groups to fill these niches. Rupelornis, a relative of albatross, also lived in the forests of this time - and probably was an ocean going bird, living like modern storm petrels and plucking food carefully from the surface of the water. Like other sea birds, it may have been in forest habitats for the protection - for nesting, rearing young, or other activities. It's a lot easier to hide in the trees than it is to hide at the beach!

This time of environmental turmoil gave dinosaurs new opportunities to diversify - and required flexibility to do so, as the landscape ebbed and flowed between savannah and forest much as it does today. Alas, the climate would not remain stable, and as we continue through the Cenozoic, more and more ecological turmoil will continue to have lasting effects on the evolution of living dinosaurs.

Sources:

Mayr, 2022. Paleogene Fossil Birds, 2nd Edition. Springer Cham.

Mayr, 2017. Avian Evolution: The Fossil Record of Birds and its Paleobiological Significance (TOPA Topics in Paleobiology). Wiley Blackwell.

[grigori77]

Movies of 2025 - My Pre-Summer Rundown (Part 2)

The Top Ten:

10. UNTIL DAWN

Okay, first off the bat, not being a gamer I was not at all familiar with PlayStation’s property going in, although the trailer made the premise easy enough for me to understand (and pretty interesting too). Then again, I get the impression that, given what the FILM'S about, doing a straight faithful adap would probably defeat the purpose, so if this IS different, that can't REALLY be a bad thing, can it? Anyways … Shazam director David F. Sandberg returns to the genre on which he first cut his teeth (with Lights Out and subsequently Annabelle: Creation), directing a screenplay from Gary Daubermann (The Nun and It) and Blair Butler (2022’s The Invitation) that focuses on a group of friends following the trail of one of their number who vanished a year earlier, the sister of their troubled nominal leader Max (The Girl From Plainville’s Ella Rubin), which leads them to a mysterious hotel in the middle of nowhere where things seem to be distinctly OFF. When the sun goes down they’re picked off one-by-one by a brutally efficient masked killer who finishes them all off in short order … then the day suddenly seems to reset to the moment of their arrival and they discover that, in order to escape, they have no choice but to endure an increasingly nightmarish series of persistently LETHAL supernatural encounters in order to find a means of escape ...

Taken purely in terms of a MOVIE, I enjoyed this A WHOLE HELL OF A LOT. The premise is a banger, a brilliant way of taking a bunch of the classic 80s slasher AND supernatural horror tropes and doing something fresh and exciting with them (a la Cabin In the Woods, a film which, in my opinion, it stands up impressively well in comparison to), and the execution rewardingly lives up to the very strong potential. It's unpredictable enough to hold our attention, and while YES, there are some dumb choices made by some of the characters, they fall comfortably into the best horror trope argument of "these people don't actually KNOW they're in a horror movie", so they’re easy to forgive. Sometimes it even turns a few of these into a virtue, and I loved when one character, faced with something particularly ominous, quite rightly NOPES RIGHT OUT, which is one of the moments that TRULY won my heart.

The cast are all very pretty, very strong and very game for what they were clearly put through during the shoot, by and large playing well-rounded and complex, nuanced characters, and thankfully NONE of them commit the cardinal horror movie sin of being either irritating or terminally unlikeable. Peter Stormare is, just as expected, having the absolute time of his life in a deliciously hammy role, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see my girl Odessa A'zion get to play another meaty horror role after I completely fell in love with her on 2022's Hellraiser. I especially loved that she wasn't the classic dumb slut I feared they might have been setting her up as, instead turning out to be pretty smart, resilient, resourceful and loyal, but in a realistically fallible way, and even got to be a proper badass on more than one occasion.

There are some genuinely brilliant ideas in this, the creature and production designs are very strong and frequently gorgeous in a really nasty way, and I was VERY thankful for their predominantly practical execution. I WAS a little miffed we never got a werewolf in the end despite the hint, but I guess we can't have everything ... I was also EXTREMELY impressed with the way the film managed to resist the danger of taking the timeloop element and making it too repetitive, so the tight pace doesn't suffer and the film even manages to have cheeky fun with some of the more out-there elements without sacrificing its powerful sense of dread. Overall this is a top-notch post-modern supernatural slasher and I throughly enjoyed this whole experience. The video game adaptation hit-rate remains frustratingly low, but I'm happy to rate this as one of those rare successes.

9. BLACK BAG

As much as I admired Presence, Steven Soderbergh’s first release of 2025, on an academic level, I’ll admit it left me somewhat cold on an emotional one, and I need both to hit for me to really resonate with any film, but particularly with HIS work. Thankfully he had another coming out less than a month later, and THIS ONE turned out to be a hit with me in EVERY ASPECT. Black Bag is a genuinely GREAT MOVIE, worthy of counting among some of his greats. It also has the same screenwriter, David Koepp, but the two seems to be on surer ground here, delivering a wire-taut psychological thriller more akin to their similarly ingenious previous offering Kimi, weaving an effective spell of deep-seated paranoia revolving around the hunt for a double agent selling dangerous secrets in the key titular branch of MI6.

The main selling point of this film is the cast, a meaty collection of supremely classy livewire talent who all deliver top-notch performances in a succession of exquisitely written exchanges rife with double-meaning and duplicitous danger. The powerful double-threat of Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett is, of course, the ultimate driving force – their smouldering chemistry, while seemingly restrained, has a palpable intensity simmering deep within colouring every exchange, while the two are just as strong on an individual level as they perform an increasingly fraught dance of deception while trying to feel out the truth between them. Pierce Brosnan, meanwhlle, is clearly having a lot of fun sending up his Bond era persona, while Tom Burke, Regé-Jean Page and Naomie Harris sink their teeth into their own similarly complex characters and twisted relationship dynamics.

This is one of the most rewardingly Machiavellian spy thrillers I’ve had the pleasure to watch in a good long while, and despite the overall absence of any real ACTION there’s SO MUCH TENSION on offer throughout its splendidly tight 94 minutes that I basically spent the whole time tensed up tight and thoroughly on edge, desperate to find out what was REALLY happening. There’s so much intelligence in this, it’s genuinely smart enough to give the best of this potent genre a run for their money, a particularly idiosyncratic and uniquely offbeat piece of work that can very comfortably stands apart from most. Mostly, though, it’s a quintessential STEVEN SODERBERGH movie ...

8. HAVOC

It's been a long wait, but the patience has definitely been worthwhile because Gareth Evans is finally BACK in a big way. This essentially winds up feeling like a more expensive-looking extended episode of his Sky crime thriller series Gangs of London, albeit with a far more American bent - which is a little hilarious because the whole thing was shot in Cardiff (although you'd never know it), and granted, it's NOWHERE NEAR as good as The Raid movies, but those were SO FUCKING AWESOME we can forgive the failure in comparison, because in action cinema terms this is still BLOODY GOOD.

Tom Hardy stars as Patrick Walker, a grizzled, thoroughly BENT Homicide detective working the mean streets of an extremely grimy, crime-riddled American city at Christmas time, who becomes embroiled in an increasingly dangerous manhunt after the son (The Umbrella Academy’s Justin Cornwell) of the city’s corrupt mayor (Forest Whitaker) becomes the chief suspect in the murder of the son of a vicious Triad crime boss (Wet Season’s Yeo Yann Yann). As he uses his street-smarts and criminal connections to try and find the boy before the bad guys do, he finds himself besieged on all sides by dangerous foes, from a particularly lethal triad assassin (Michelle Waterson-Gomez) to his own even more corrupt former partners, led by the similarly brutish Vincent (Timothy Olyphant), while his only ally is his straight arrow new rookie partner Ellie (Jessie Mei Li).

After a balls-out bonkers high speed chase opening the first half of the film becomes a bit of a slowburn, finding its narrative feet while navigating a pretty overblown and unnecessarily twisty plot, but it does also introduce us to some interesting characters too, and the cast are all VERY SOLID, with Hardy definitely acting everybody else off the screen (much as we expected him to), but Mei Li makes a strong impression throughout too and it's very rewarding to finally see her get a major role to shine in now Shadow & Bone's dead in the water. Meanwhile Evans shows plenty of his characteristic visual flair across the board, so even the slower scenes still carry a strong sense of dynamism.

Then we get to the nightclub section and it all kicks off BIG TIME, and from this point on the film barely lets off the throttle before its particularly gritty climax. THIS IS, of course, what we've REALLY come here for – there are few directors who’ve mastered cinematic action to the level of Gareth Evans, he has visual storytelling skill and a mastery of action choreography like few others (rightly respected peers like Chad Stahelski, David Leitch, Timo Tjahjanto and Ilya Naishuller would be among the very few I'd really count there), and through the final hour he unleashes some of the very best controlled mayhem we're likely to see on either big OR small screens this year. This is exactly the kind of magnificently brutal balletic bloodbath we've come to expect from the man who revolutionised big screen violence in the early 2010s, a film which EASILY lives up to its extremely apt title. Here's hoping he won't leave us waiting QUITE so long for his next offering, though ...

7. NOSFERATU

So yeah … okay, fine, I’ll admit that this IS a proper MASTERPIECE of a film, I can’t deny it’s one of the most incredibly stylish, spectacularly well-written and unsettlingly unnerving horror movies I’ve ever seen, easily one of the very best VAMPIRE MOVIES I’ve ever seen, and another stone-cold TRIUMPH from writer-director Robert Eggers. If this were a purely CRITICAL review/list/whatever, I’d be putting it pretty much RIGHT AT THE TOP, and it would probably be one of the top favourites for MOVIE OF THE YEAR. It’s incredible, amazing, an absolute WORK OF ART. Problem is, this is MY FAVOURITES. I loved it, yeah, but I just didn’t LOVE it, if you will. Maybe it just felt a little TOO technically particular, or there was something else that left me a bit cold. But I just couldn’t connect with it QUITE as well as I’d like …

Even so, I would still HAPPILY sing its praises to high heaven. Like I said, this is a towering achievement, definitely the very best adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula I’ve seen to date (sorry, Coppola!), and certainly leaves previous incarnations of Nosferatu in the dust. The lion’s share of the praise must, OF COURSE, be heaped upon Lily-Rose Depp, who went ABOVE AND BEYOND in the role of Ellen Hutter, a woman psychologically torn apart by a dangerous obsession and nerve-shredding abhorrent TERROR over her deep-seated connection to an unspeakable, unholy monster. Her performance is SEARED in my mind, I can never UNSEE the incredibly unsettling things she does as she contorts herself into unnatural forms, unleashes terrifying banshee howls and guttural groans, or simply breaks our hearts with her soulful sad eyes. No-one else can touch her, and only Bill Skarsgard comes CLOSE, completely unrecognisable as the titular monster, the dread Carpathian Count Orlok, who oozes supernatural menace while, I will admit, also somehow managing to be weirdly SEXY despite being completely subsumed by one of the most hideously magnificent prosthetic make-ups I’ve EVER SEEN. Both are simply AMAZING throughout this film, but the scenes when they’re TOGETHER are so thoroughly mesmerising that everything else here kind of pales in comparison (hey, maybe THAT’S the problem).

The rest of the cast are similarly enthralling too, not a single bum-note in the whole ensemble. This might be the finest turn I’ve EVER seen Nicholas Hoult deliver, he’s incredible in this, fallible but TRYING to be a good, forthright man as Ellen’s husband Thomas, whose dangerous naivete ultimately sets the horror loose upon their world; he even manages to hold his own in his scenes with Depp and Skarsgard, although I’ll admit it’s a pretty close run thing … meanwhile Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the always reliable Ralph Ineson, Emma Corrin (Deadpool & Wolverine, A Murder At the End of the World) and a particularly enjoyably overripe Simon McBurney all offer sterling support, although they’re all left in the dust by another PRIME HAM performance from Eggers’ most consistently game collaborator, Willem Dafoe.

Like I said, from a technical standpoint this movie is genuinely incredible, probably the most astounding film we’re likely to see this year in terms of visual and auditory MAGNIFICENCE. The cinematography from Eggers’ other most reliable collaborator, Jarin Blaschke, is truly astonishing, every shot, sequence and composition a genuine moving work of ART, with their use of shadows in particular showing genuine auteur levels of inspiration, and there’s an extremely impressive lack of digital trickery on display here, from what I can tell virtually everything seems to have been achieved PRACTICALLY with in-camera effects, and this just makes the film even more AMAZING. Meanwhile the sound design is PEERLESS, often bordering on OBSCENE in its levels of unpleasantness, which coupled with the delightfully moody score from relative newcomer Robin Carolan (whose only other credit to date was The Northman) perfectly captures the uncomfortably exquisite levels of discomfiting moral DREAD that this project definitely NEEDED to reach. All round, this is an absolute TRIUMPH.

Yeah, I really should ADORE this. And I was definitely really IMPRESSED by this, it’s a hell of a cinematic achievement. There’s just something about it, something I can’t quite put my finger on, that keeps me from fully connecting with this, from genuinely giving it my whole heart. I had the same problem with The Lighthouse, that was also amazing but somehow … I don’t know, it’s probably not the FILM’s fault, just mine. I just preferred The Northman. That’s a film I love UNCONDITIONALLY ...

6. DEATH OF A UNICORN

I never bought into the whole "unicorns are pretty and nice and sweet and kind and magical" idea, I always preferred to think that REAL unicorns would be the most ferociously monstrous killing machines in the entire supernatural world. I'm so glad somebody else felt the same – this is totally my shit. Needless to say they’re the perfect monster for a deeply satirical horror comedy, and debuting writer-director Alex Scharfman has done an ASTOUNDING job of distilling this concept into a particularly potent leftfield offering from A24.

Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega have sweet but believably brittle chemistry as Elliot and Ridley Kintner, a corporate lawyer and his daughter going through a rough patch after a recent loss, who find themselves in a tough spot after accidentally running down a mysterious beast in remote mountainous woods while travelling to meet Elliot’s employers, pompously self-absorbed Big Pharma tycoon Odell Leopold (Richard E Grant) and his similarly odious family. When they discover what the Kintners have loaded into the back of the SUV, a revolutionary magical cure-all is found, and the Leopolds begin formulating a plan to exploit it … but then they discover that the dead creature wasn’t alone, and that the rest of its herd are very dangerous and VERY angry ...

Like all the best horror movies, this eases us in but doesn't drag, taking its time to set up the situation and characters before finally settling into the FUN STUFF. Thankfully our debuting writer-director has got some real talent with writing interesting characters that actually feel organic, even in a decidedly heightened piece like this, and while there are some genuine deplorables here (Grant, Téa Leoni and Will Poulter all do a FANTASTIC job of making us thoroughly HATE them), the ones we're supposed to root for are easy enough to care about, so even if Rudd's fallible father is a bit of a drip, there’s enough good in him to help us care, while Ortega is an absolute SWEETHEART here. Meanwhile seeing these horrible rich people get killed off in particularly nasty ways is HUGE FUN all round, which is also EXACTLY what we've come for.

Going from the trailer I was concerned the unicorns themselves might look a bit clunky, but I didn't have anything to worry about. These are some SCARY ASS BEASTS, and the digital effects hold up impressively well even once we get into clear sunlight, which is a relief. They're just as vicious as I was hoping too, proper letting rip once the carnage starts, and BOY does it go off in the goriest way. Horror comedy's my favourite kind, especially when it's JET BLACK dark humour like this, and the final hour of this is just one long GAS without letting up once. This was SO MUCH FUN.

5. COMPANION

Personal sex bots have been a sci-fi trope for so long they’ve passed far beyond a joke of the genre, but even so it’s a concept that’s still ripe for compelling content if done right. Leave it to Zach Cregger, the guy who made Barbarian, to usher in what’s likely to go down as the DEFINITIVE cinematic take on the idea, producing the brash, bold, inventive and delightfully snarky feature debut of promising young writer-director Drew Hancock.

This is a BIG MOVIE born from a deceptively simple premise – Josh (Jack Quaid) and Iris (Sophie Thatcher) seem to have the perfect relationship, they’re young, sweet, good looking and OH SO VERY into each other, everything seems to be going great for them … until they go to a gathering of friends at the remote home of sleazy Russian businessman Sergey (Rupert Friend), who tries to force himself upon Iris the morning after a drunken party, and she has to defend herself. When he ends up dead everything’s turned on its head, and Iris suddenly discovers that everything she’s come to believe is a lie …

Thatcher OWNS THIS MOVIE, I’ve been avidly following her carer ever since Prospect and she’s impressed in everything I’ve seen her in to date, rightly coming to larger attention thanks to last year’s incredible Heretic, and this TOTALLY builds on that impressive breakout buzz with her best performance to date. Quaid, meanwhile, has been coming up for about the same amount of time, and this is a similarly big deal for him, although thanks to The Boys he’s definitely still the most recognisable face in this cast. To an extent he’s very much playing in his comfort zone here, but he adds some interesting new layers to his role which take things in interesting new directions, especially in the film’s surprising final act. There’s excellent support from Friend, the always reliable Harvey Guillén and Megan Suri (Never Have I Ever) too, although the most impressive turn vy far, besides the film’s phenomenal lead couple, comes from Lukas Gage (Euphoria, The White Lotus) as the sweet and dorky Patrick.

Despite its overly-familiar subject matter, this is an effortlessly inventive and endlessly surprising film, Hancock throwing a robust series of effective twists at us as the situation becomes increasingly complicated and Iris discovers what she’s truly capable of. It’s also frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious, sometimes quite adorable but also capable of some far more wickedly DARK humour, while there are some genuinely shocking moments that turn deadly serious too. As satirical sci-fi goes, this has some VERY sharp teeth, and it definitely makes you THINK, Hancock clearly intent on tackling some very challenging big ideas and posing some hard questions about the prevalence of AI in our increasingly tech-dependent society. Mostly, though, it’s just a gleefully dark but also thoroughly delicious slice of cinematic fun, less the romance you might go in expecting but far more of a stone-cold ANTI-romance. Which makes it much closer to perfect, if you ask me.

4. THE GORGE

Scott Derrickson has been responsible for the birth of some pretty hardcore horror movie franchises in his time – his major breakout came when he both wrote AND directed Blumhouse mainstay Sinister, which led to his landing the role ushering Doctor Strange to the big screen for the MCU (okay, not TECHNICALLY horror but he definitely put a lot of what he learned working in the genre to work in making THAT such a rousing success), and most recently he turned a Stephen King short story into a runaway smash hit with The Black Phone – so I was all the way in for his latest project, a fascinatingly dark sci-fi action thriller with a cracking premise. The result was my first official Top Movie of this year, I absolutely LOVE THIS FLICK, so I’m thoroughly BAFFLED with how poorly received it’s been by so much of its audience since it released on streaming. This DOES NOT deserve the hate, I think it’s AWESOME.

Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy star as Levi and Drasa, two top-tier snipers from opposite sides of the East-West political divide assigned as the lone watchmen of twinned towers overlooking the titular mysterious crack in the earth somewhere in a remote wilderness, charged with making sure that whatever it is that dwells in the mist-shrouded depths never gets out to plague humanity. The two leads are both PHENOMENAL, effortlessly holding up the entire film as they take seemingly minimalist characters and crafting richly nuanced personalities for themselves, and their POWERFUL chemistry goes ALL THE WAY to make this film such a compelling, rewarding JOY to watch. I was completely invested within five minutes of their first long-distance interaction and it just got BETTER from there …

The first half of the film does a beautiful job of both building the world the story inhabits and drip-feeding the stakes as it teases the mystery of what lies below, the mostly slowburn pace nonetheless maintaining a growing tension alongside some charming organic romance as we watch our protagonists fall in love. Then the second half turns everything on its head and we find out what REALLY lies within the Gorge, and from here on the film turns into a full-blown action-packed nightmare fest fuelled by some gorgeously NASTY world-building and creature design brought to horrifically vivid life through some genuinely AMAZING effects work. Building to an enjoyably cathartic climax and scored to PERFECTION by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, this is a magnificent work of genuine cinematic ART, and in my opinion it was FAR TOO GOOD to wind up wallowing on Apple TV+ ...

3. MICKEY 17

On the surface, Bong Joon-ho’s latest could definitely be forgiven for coming across ultimately as something of a greatest hits mix from his most well known past offerings – a bit of Okja here, a healthy dose of Parasite there and a sprinkling of The Host for flavour, with a robust base of Snowpiercer to hold it all together … but there’s a lot more to it than that. This is EASILY his most original film to date, bristling with intriguingly fresh ideas and challenging themes which make this one of the most interesting and refreshingly OFF-THE-WALL science-fiction films I’ve seen in a good while.

Robert Pattinson stars as Mickey, a shy and retiring underachieveing slacker who tries to get out of a doomed existence on a dying Earth which looks set to become a good deal more violently SHORT in the very near future by signing up to be an “Expendable” on a colony ship destined for the distant frozen planet of Niflheim. The problem is that the role essentially turns him into the crew’s “canary”, whose job is to be the first person to set foot in any potentially hostile new environment where that any nasty, lingering death from unseen pathogens or vicious predators happens to HIM first so they can then plan ahead for whoever follows him. Then his corpse gets shoved into a furnace that melts down all biological waste products and printed back out as a fresh new clone … only to repeat the whole unpleasant experience the next time round. Needless to say in the process of colonising a new planet this happens A LOT, and Mickey’s on his SEVENTEENTH go-around when he’s left for dead after his latest gruelling encounter, only to inexplicably survive and return to his home on the ship. Which is a BIG PROBLEM, because there’s only supposed to be ONE Expendable at a time ...

The RPatz haters are either gonna love this movie or absolutely LOATHE it. The latter because there's gonna be WAY more Robert Pattinson in this movie than they could ever stand ... but at least they'll get to watch him die in the most horrible ways, over and over again. And again. And AGAIN … in all serious, though, I've always thought he's a way better actor than Twilight let him be, and he's gone just as far out of his way as Kristen Stewart trying to prove it since. It's been a pleasure getting to watch him land so many great roles that have gotten to prove it since (particularly The Batman). This is just another in a long line of pure proof performances that just prove that point, and indeed this might be THE BEST YET because this time we get to see him play a whole BUNCH of characters ... even if they are still ESSENTIALLY the same one … Mark Ruffalo, meanwhile, frequently steals the film out from under him as the expedition’s loathsome leader, Kenneth Marshall, a failed politician, egomaniacally arrogant religious zealot and preening self-promoter obviously modelled after a certain American president. Toni Collette, Naomie Ackie (I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Blink Twice), Steven Yeun and Anamaria Vartolomei (Happening) all offer up uniformly sterling support, and there’s a deliciously pathetic turn from British comedian Tim Key as the Pigeon Man, the expedition’s much put-upon mascot.

This is also yet another bloody brilliant film from the best writer-director to ever come out of Korean cinema. Bong continues to prove he's essentially the Jean-Pierre Jeunet of Eastern cinema with another quirky, off-kilter and distinctly ODDBALL piece of work, his best work always seeming to come when he fully embraces science-fiction as his genre of choice (sorry Parasite). The world-building is SPECTACULAR, deeply inventive in its frequent unabashed WACKINESS, and the effects work, from skilfully nuanced use of typically PREMIER-quality CGI to some truly ODD creature effects, is completely off-the-charts AMAZING. The result is definitely his most full-on batshit black comedy effort to date, skewing into some of his most unabashed levels of absurdity as he delivers a delightfully vindictive indictment of capitalism, political corruption and religious fervour that feels all the more topical right now. The end results are EASILY the year’s most impressive sci-fi offering (so far), and another stone-cold MASTERPIECE from one of the most interesting filmmakers out there right now. I guess a little extra RPatz for our money's a good thing after all …

2. WARFARE

A24 making an intense, gruelling boots-on-the-ground war movie? What’s THAT all about? Is THE “boutique indie” film studio selling out? Even if it’s helmed by Ray Mendoza, a first-time director telling a story cribbed directly from his own personal experience as a Navy SEAL operating in Ramadi during the Iraq War, co-writing/directing with Alex Garland, this is gonna be a far cry indeed from what we’re used to from this particular cinematic imprint. Right?

Not exactly. Taking place almost entirely in the dusty confines of a commandeered Iraqi home, the main action unfolds largely in real time as a squad of SEALs, looking to counteract some insurgent activity, wind up on the short end of a very violent stick when their location’s compromised and they start taking fire before an IED critically wounds two of their number, leaving them stranded and in a desperate pitched battle under HEAVY FIRE while their comrades try to extract them. The first half of the film unfolds slowly but with perfectly-pitched rising tension while the operators kill time, then realise they’re in a tight spot … and then it all goes horribly wrong.

The entire cast are incredible in this, but particular praise must, OF COURSE, be heaped upon Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, Will Poulter and Kit Connor, who all acquit themselves especially well in their much put-upon roles. The standout turn, however, comes from Cosmo Jarvis, who’s finally getting the respect and attention he’s long been due for early roles in the likes of Lady Macbeth and Calm With Horses before FINALLY breaking out spectacularly in last year’s hot-ticket miniseries Shogun. If THIS doesn’t finally make him into a full-blooded STAR there’s no justice in the world. EVERYBODY here is put through hell, and the fact that they were ALL able to perform to SUCH high standards throughout is definitely a testament to their collective talents and commitment.

This is an intense experience, definitely not the film you think you're going to get given the title (and maybe the trailer, too). This is definitely NOT anything like the sort of gung-ho action-heavy war thriller you usually get with this genre, even though once shit proper pops off there is A LOT of fighting. This is war as a stone-cold SURVIVAL HORROR, after the almost CASUAL buildup of the first half, once the first really big bomb goes off we are suddenly thrown headfirst into pure disorienting CHAOS just like the soldiers themselves experience it, thoroughly rattled, largely deafened by the blast, confused and COMPLETELY fucked up. The rest of the film is essentially a desperate recovery action, everybody just trying to get out of this terrifying living hell in one piece, and the results are truly HARROWING. LIke I said, this is NOT a war movie. This is, quite simply, the purest, most full-on ANTI-war movie I've ever seen. It's amazing, and it managed to last AN ENTIRE DAY as my movie of the year ...

1. SINNERS

Gods yes, that's it ... TRUE early candidate for MOVIE OF THE YEAR located, folks! This is an INCREDIBLE FILM, a genuine undeniable MASTERPIECE from a filmmaker who's been flirting with true auteur GENIUS for a while now. I know how picky the Academy can be when it comes to genre cinema, but if Ryan Coogler doesn't at least get NOMINATED for an Oscar for this there's no justice in the world. This is NOT AT ALL what we expected it to be going in, we thought we were getting a straightforward vampire action horror but this ultimately turned out to be something very different, something ultimately EXTREMELY unique. Granted, this is NOT going to be a film for everyone, but this is a genuine EXPERIENCE which rewards patient viewers who go in with an open mind.

Set in early 1930s Mississippi, it follows gangster twins Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B Jordan), newly returned from making their fortune working with a Chicago outfit and looking to retrofit an abandoned sawmill in their hometown into a happening new juke joint catering exclusively to their black community. Enlisting the help of their astonishingly talented young guitarist cousin Sammie (newcomer Miles Caton) and a selection of old friends including washed-up drunkard pianist Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) and Stack’s estranged lover Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), their opening night looks set to be a roaring success … until an unexpected trio of white vampires turn up at the door, looking for trouble ...

Michael B Jordan once again proves he really does bring his VERY BEST game whenever he works with Coogler, and this might well be the best performance he’s EVER DELIVERED, the way he makes these twins effortlessly FEEL like actual genuine super-close twin brothers while still investing each with their own vital, distinctly unique personality is a genuine MASTERCLASS at pulling off multiple characters effectively in a single sitting. Steinfeld, Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country, Loki) and Omar Miller (Ballers, The Unicorn) similarly impress in their meaty roles, and Jack O’Connell is simply CHILLING as Irish immigrant master vampire Remmick, one of he very best villainous bloodsuckers I’ve EVER seen brought to the big screen. The film’s undeniable standout, however, is Miles Caton, a truly astounding find of a previously untried acting talent, who turns out to be as flawlessly gifted in this capacity as he is a genuinely prodigious musical WONDER. Sammie is the beating heart of this film, and he instantly proves his mettle carrying it every bit as much as Jordan.

This is, ultimately, less a horror movie and more just a film about a place and time in the Black South and the people who lived and loved in it. Most of all it's about MUSIC, black music in particular and how incredibly important it's ALWAYS been to the people who made it what it is, and who continue to make it, all the generations from its birth to now, and I'm sure far beyond. The fact that this has THE VERY BEST score we've heard from Coogler's good friend and regular collaborator Ludwig Goransson TO DATE (and this is from the guy who scored Oppenheimer!) just makes it all the sweeter …

That one particular sequence that everyone is talking about COMPLETELY DESERVES all that attention. It's fucking MESMERISING. I swear I spent the whole time with my jaw hanging open, I was just LOST in awe for what felt like an eternity, just boggling at the magnificence. Most definitely LOST IN THE SAUCE. Talk about the transformative power of music …

That being said, after the slowburn first half, which does a BEAUTIFUL job of setting the scene and introducing the myriad collection of BRILLIANT characters, once the horror DOES finally take hold this is extremely effective and properly TERRIFYING stuff. It’s gruesome and joyfully NASTY in all the best ways, Coogler showing an impressively deft talent for bringing the scares in a big way, although there’s also a dark sense of humour to the film which keeps it sufficiently light to prevent it from becoming gruelling. Meanwhile the guy who brought Black Panther to the screen also injects a hefty dose of hot-blooded, high-octane ACTION to proceedings too, and handles the effects work with his usual consummate skill too. Most importantly, though, there’s also some serious emotional heft here too, leading to a powerful climactic denouement and a fitting coda which rewards sticking around through the end credits. Altogether this is a soaring cinematic achievement, and proof, once and for all, that Coogler’s well on his way to becoming one of the truly GREAT filmmaking talents of his generation. Seriously, this film is going to be a tough one to beat ...

*PS ... once again, many thanks to Letterboxd for the posters.

[beatrixacs]

My final thoughts on Shogun

Overall rating: 9/10.

The show has its ups and downs - the downs mainly being the way they handled the romance in the show that could have been much better and much more impactful for a casual viewer, and the ups everything else.

I have never read the book - actually, I'm reading a copy I was lent by my colleague right now - but I have seen the 80s version many, many years ago and fell in love with it. By 'fell in love' I mean that I was up to 4:30 AM on Saturday because for some reason, the airing time was in the middle of the night.

I've always wanted to read the book (in my native language which is not English) but it was one of those that is rarely re-printed or found in second-hand bookshops. When they finally re-printed it in 2009, I preferred a different book with the money I could afford to spend, thinking that I would buy Shogun later when I save enough money.

Well, it was a mistake I regretted for long 15 years because the copies were quickly sold out and begging for re-print went unheard. It has a good ending, though. I can buy a new brand copy in May.

And I have FX Shogun to thank for that because they revived the interest.

When the news about the show broke out in 2018, I was excited but of course that my second thought was 'please, don't suck'. But then it seemed that the project was called off or something because I heard no news about it. You can imagine by happiness when the airing date was finally announced.

From the cast and photos to the trailers, podcasts, making of videos and the episodes themselves, the whole ride was amazing. The attention to detail was exceptional. The cast was superb. The whole feel of the show and the story was magnetic. Shogun Tuesdays rightfully became a concept people were looking forward to.

As I described above, I can't really comment on the changes as opposed to the book since I'm in the process of reading it for the first time but from my understanding, some of the changes were actually pretty good some of them less.

While I am the fan of "don't take too much liberties with the source material", one has to keep in mind that the source material might not be always as perfect or as easy to translate on the screen. That is why I am open to changes if they make sense. Since I haven't seen much outrage from the book fans (aside the romance), I suppose most of the changes were okay. At this point, I expect the book to give me better insight on the characters I saw on the screen because that is something only book can do.

As for the 80s show that has a special place in my heart, I actually want to avoid comparing them. You can feel that FX Shogun has a great respect for the legendary adaptation but they were bold enough to go their own way in some points and I'm glad for that. I don't want to watch a modern copy of something that has been already filmed, I want to watch a new, fresh adaptation of the book that shares some similarities but it's not the same.

Boths adaptations deserve praise. Both adapations are excellent in their own right. Those who haven't seen it yet, I say - do it.

All in all, I want to thank FX for bringing Shogun back on the screen (and on my bookshelf) and giving us one of the best series of 2024. I hope gets a lot of awards so the creators get the appreciation they deserve.

Arigato gozaimasu.

[wot-tidbits]

The Darkfriend Social

It is not like we haven't seen the previous 8 episodes but this is new content and new reminder for us of how adaptation works on that production.

I would like to describe one very quick example of how you can do both - make good storytelling and satisfy your pretentious audience. You want to show the girl and the indoctrination of the Shadow (because oh my god, you whiny babies, dont you know how all this is in the books?!?!) - get her out of the Darkfriend Social and use the girl as our introduction scene to Mesaana. The proper Chosen One for the association you want to create. I would be the first to applause and praise this kind of solutions in the adapation process. This is good example of how to do adaptation that satisfies every point of expectations.

There is no such scene in the books between any girl and Mesaana and yet this kind of approach to adaptation's process shows us: respectful nod to the source material, clever use of the limits of the visual medium which cannot present the actual line from the books, creating distinctive character through distinctive trait which the audience will immediatdly remember for the rest of the series, and showng how people can be manipulated and indoctrinated into following the Shadow. We have only heard glimpses of what Mesaana was doing in the Age of Legends, so yeah, show us now through that special visual medium of television even that it is not the Age of Legends anymore. So much stuff in just one scene. One example.

Why anyone would be against such example which is definetely not 1 to 1 adaptation from the books?

The whole process of the production boils down to get this stick from here and get that stick from there and match them together with tape. And pray that no one notices the tape.

The same thing with Ishamael for whom they want to show the audience his stick - his edge lord's views of intellectual philosopher. Ok.

But what the other stick is doing taped to the first? Ishamael revealing his view of the world to unknown little girl? Ishamael has very specific mantra of thoughts which are very different than the school of indoctrination the Shadow would create and which people try to quote from the books. Ishamael is unique on that point of view from any other Chosen One. This is why Mesaana is the teacher in those schools, not Ishamael.

Why Ishamael behaves in such manner to that girl? Ishamael acts respectful only to other Chosen Ones and Lews Therin/Rand. His actual equals. When we see Ishamael in the presence of subordinates he never acts that way. We have plenty of evidence and not only at the Darkfriend Social. He doesn't care for subordinates. They are nothing but mindless zomara. And at the end Ishamael is sitting on the table with his subordinates as his equals...

So what is that second stick doing in the match again? Because it is not what you think is from the books. It is just a random stick taped to another well known stick and expecting people to not notice the incompetent work on that tape.

Again, Exhibit A above, Mesaana - use one stick, the indoctrination of the child, to match it effortlessly with another stick, the teacher.

Even if we leave the scene untouched as it is presented, the decision Ishamael to sit on that table is enough evidence, again, that these people do not know what they are doing with the scene. Oh, yeah, focus on all these other details and try to identify all these other figures while we totally forgot the most important detail from that very specific scene which we are supposed to adapt. Ooops.

How you can forget how Ishamael behaves?

Oh, you want to create different kind of evil guy that subvert expectations of 21st century modern audience who is tired of old kind of evil. You are doing it better than some boring insane guy. Now look he has class, kindness, humanity, he is so much more than Baal-Zamon. Ok. Do you know why this "intellectual philosopher" stick was successful in the first place? Because we have seen his other face of insanity first. Ishamael is so good at getting our attention the whole time because of his duality. You do not show any duality of him in that scene. Ishamael is not just a boring evil guy or just an intellectual philosopher. But this is getting too long to go on another tangent. Wrap up. You don't get it. Ok.

About that humanization of the trollocs, of the monsters. This would be nice touch and "subverting expectations", I guess. If there wasn't a catch later. We ain't gonna humanize the Seanchan, are we? My bet is that they won't do the same approach for Seanchan. Because Slavery Bad! The Seanchan are the real monsters! But literal manifestation of The Evil... is not so. On that note we wait and watch.

Let the Light keep you safe.

LightOne

P.S. Well, I lied yesterday. That one post, one glimpse of sanity in the tag, inspired me to get further today.

[keploy]

Automated Test Equipment (ATE): What It Is and Why It Matters

Modern electronics and software systems require precise, fast, and scalable testing processes. That’s where automated test equipment (ATE) comes in. ATE plays a critical role in manufacturing, validating, and maintaining electronic components and systems with minimal manual intervention.

In this article, we explore automated test equipment—what it is, how it works, common types, key benefits, and its role in today’s software and hardware testing environments.

What is Automated Test Equipment (ATE)?

Automated Test Equipment (ATE) is a machine that automatically tests devices for functionality, performance, or defects. It is commonly used in electronics manufacturing and software testing to ensure that products meet required specifications before being shipped.

ATE systems are programmable and can simulate multiple test scenarios, record results, and quickly identify faults.

Key Components of ATE

Test Controller: The brain of the system, typically a computer running specialized software.

Test Interface: Hardware used to connect the ATE system to the device under test (DUT).

Instruments: Oscilloscopes, signal generators, multimeters, etc., used to perform measurements.

Software: Scripts and test sequences that define what and how tests are run.

How ATE Works

The device under test (DUT) is connected to the ATE system.

The ATE software executes a predefined test sequence.

Instruments measure voltage, current, response time, and other parameters.

The system compares actual results with expected outcomes.

A pass/fail report is generated.

This process is fully automated and can be repeated for hundreds or thousands of units with consistent accuracy.

Applications of ATE

Semiconductor Testing: Ensures microchips function correctly before packaging.

PCB Testing: Validates solder joints, circuit paths, and component integrity.

Consumer Electronics: Phones, TVs, wearables are tested in the factory using ATE.

Automotive Systems: Safety-critical systems like ECUs are tested for reliability.

Software/API Testing: Automated testing platforms like Keploy help simulate and validate backend systems and microservices.

Benefits of Automated Test Equipment

1. Speed and Efficiency

ATE systems test products far faster than manual testing, boosting production line efficiency.

2. Consistency

Automated systems reduce human error and ensure every unit is tested under the same conditions.

3. Scalability

Perfect for mass production—test hundreds of units per hour without increasing staffing.

4. Data Logging and Analytics

ATE software records data for quality control, trend analysis, and root-cause diagnostics.

5. Reduced Labor Costs

Once configured, ATE systems need minimal supervision.

Types of ATE

Type

Description

Semiconductor ATE

Tests integrated circuits, chips, and SoCs

PCB ATE

Used in circuit board assembly lines

Functional ATE

Tests a device's full functionality as a black box

Optical Inspection Systems

Uses cameras and sensors for visual defect detection

API / Software Testing Tools

Tools like Keploy automate API validation

ATE in Software Testing

While traditionally associated with electronics, the concept of ATE has been extended to software systems. Tools like Keploy serve as automated testing platforms for APIs, enabling test case generation, mocking, and regression testing based on real traffic.

Keploy automates the validation of REST APIs and microservices by:

Capturing real user traffic

Generating test cases and mocks

Running automated validations in CI/CD pipelines

Challenges of Using ATE

Initial setup cost can be high, especially for custom solutions

Requires specialized expertise to develop and maintain

May need updates as products evolve (especially in agile environments)

Hardware-specific tools might not scale well across different platforms

Future of Automated Testing

With advancements in AI and machine learning, future ATE systems will:

Predict potential failure points

Adapt dynamically to changing conditions

Integrate seamlessly with digital twins and Industry 4.0 initiatives

Combine hardware and software validation into unified platforms

Final Thoughts

Automated test equipment is a game-changer for ensuring quality, reducing errors, and scaling testing in both hardware and software environments. Whether you’re testing semiconductors or APIs, automation boosts efficiency and reduces costs. For software engineers looking to bring ATE principles to API testing, tools like Keploy offer smart test case generation and validation without manual effort—perfect for modern DevOps workflows.

[velvetvampireelemental]

Top Modular Kitchen Manufacturers in Delhi NCR – Your Perfect Kitchen Awaits

A modern kitchen is just more than a cooking place - it is the heart of your home, a place where style fulfills functionality. In Sharma Home Interesting, we bring your dream kitchen into life with our premium modular kitchen manufacturers services at Delhi NCR. It is necessary to find reliable and experienced modular kitchen manufacturers, with increasing demand for smart, space-savings and esthetic kitchen solutions. This is the place where we step up to offer the correct mixture of design, durability and strength.

Why choose us for modular kitchen manufacturers in Delhi NCR?

Choosing the right modular kitchen manufacturer can be heavy, especially with many options available in Delhi NCR. In Sharma Home Interiors, we are standing out due to your commitment to give world -class kitchen solutions to your lifestyle, preferences and budget. We believe that each kitchen should reflect the personality of the homeowner by offering maximum functionality. Our team of experienced designers, craftsmen and technical experts works with you who are stylish, practical and long lasting to design a kitchen. Whether you live in a compact apartment in Noida, a huge villa in Gurgaon, or anywhere in Delhi NCR, we provide a custom kitchen solution that fit perfectly into your space. Our modular kitchens are not only visually attractive, but are also designed for everyday convenience. We only use high quality materials, advanced manufacturing techniques and modern designs to ensure that your kitchen remains beautiful and functional for the coming years.

What makes us the best modular kitchen manufacturers in Delhi NCR ?

What really makes us the top option for modular kitchen construction in Delhi NCR, it is our focus on expansion, quality craftsmanship and personal service. Our kitchen is designed with accuracy, taking into account the latest trends and ergonomic layouts that enhance cooking experience. Unlike generic kitchen setup, our modular kitchens are perfectly adapable. From selecting the right color palette and content finish to choosing smart storage solutions, each element has been made to suit your taste and requirements. We understand the importance of space adaptation, especially in urban homes, and providing intelligent storage solutions such as bridge-out cabinets, corner units and underlying equipment. We offer a wide range of modular kitchen styles including L-shape, U-shape, parallel, straight line and island kitchens. No matter what the size of your home, we have a design that fits perfectly. With state -of -the -art production facilities and experienced installation teams, we ensure innocent execution and timely distribution of your modular kitchen project.

Benefits of choosing our modular kitchen manufacturers in Delhi NCR

One of the leading modular kitchen manufacturers in Delhi NCR, Sharma goes beyond the benefits of working with home interiors, beyond beauty. Our kitchen is designed for efficiency, durability and ease of use. We use water-resistant materials, termite-proof cabinets and long-lasting hardware that can withstand daily wear and tears. Our modular kitchen is designed to make your cooking routine simplified with proper ventilation, organized storage and easily clean surfaces. Additionally, our expert team provides full assistance for final installation in initial consultation, ensuring a stress-free experience. Investment in a modular kitchen with us not only adds value to your home, but also enhances your lifestyle. With our expert guidance, innovative design and quality materials, you get a beautiful, functional and durable kitchen place that meets your needs and exceeds your expectations.

[ariqraiar]

Karir di Industri Penyiaran: Prospek dan Keterampilan yang Dibutuhkan

Halo para calon profesional dan pembaca setia! Pernahkah kamu membayangkan diri bekerja di balik layar sebuah program TV, menciptakan podcast yang viral, atau merancang konten yang ditonton jutaan orang? Jika ya, itu artinya kamu punya minat besar pada dunia penyiaran!

Industri penyiaran adalah salah satu sektor yang paling dinamis dan terus berkembang. Dulu, kita mungkin hanya membayangkan stasiun TV atau radio konvensional. Tapi sekarang, dengan pesatnya perkembangan teknologi dan munculnya platform digital, industri ini telah melebar jauh. Ada Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, dan segudang platform lainnya yang terus mencari talenta-talenta baru. Jadi, kalau kamu bertanya soal prospek karir? Sangat cerah!

Prospek Karir di Industri Penyiaran Modern

Industri penyiaran saat ini tidak hanya mencakup penyiaran tradisional (radio dan televisi), tapi juga digital broadcasting dan produksi konten multi-platform. Ini membuka banyak sekali pintu karir menarik, antara lain:

Produser Konten: Kamu akan bertanggung jawab dari awal hingga akhir produksi, mulai dari pengembangan ide, scriptwriting, shooting, editing, hingga publikasi. Ini bisa untuk program TV, web series, podcast, atau konten media sosial.

Jurnalis Penyiaran/Reporter: Bertugas mencari, meliput, dan menyajikan berita dalam format audio visual untuk TV, radio, atau platform berita online.

Editor Video/Audio: Spesialis yang memotong, menyusun, dan memoles rekaman mentah menjadi konten video atau audio yang kohesif dan menarik.

Sound Designer: Menciptakan dan memanipulasi elemen suara (musik, efek suara) untuk meningkatkan kualitas dan suasana konten.

Sutradara: Mengarahkan proses kreatif produksi, mulai dari pengarahan aktor, tata kamera, hingga visual secara keseluruhan.

Cameraman/Videographer: Bertanggung jawab dalam pengambilan gambar atau video di lokasi syuting.

Social Media Manager/Content Strategist: Mengelola dan mengembangkan strategi konten untuk platform digital, memastikan konten sampai ke audiens yang tepat.

Broadcast Engineer: Memastikan semua peralatan penyiaran berfungsi dengan baik, mulai dari studio hingga transmisi.

Penyiar Radio/Presenter TV/Host Podcast: Wajah atau suara yang berinteraksi langsung dengan audiens.

Dan masih banyak lagi! Industri ini selalu membutuhkan individu kreatif yang punya pemahaman teknis dan adaptif terhadap perubahan.

Keterampilan Kunci yang Dibutuhkan

Untuk bisa sukses di industri penyiaran yang kompetitif ini, kamu perlu membekali diri dengan kombinasi keterampilan teknis dan non-teknis. Apa saja?

Keterampilan Teknis Produksi:

Penguasaan Peralatan: Kamu harus familier dengan kamera (DSLR, mirrorless, broadcast camera), mikrofon, lighting, dan peralatan pendukung lainnya.

Software Editing: Mampu mengoperasikan perangkat lunak editing video (seperti Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro) dan audio (Audition, Audacity).

Penyuntingan Audio & Video: Punya pemahaman tentang rhythm, pacing, color grading, dan sound mixing untuk menghasilkan konten yang berkualitas tinggi.

Literasi Digital: Paham cara kerja platform digital, algoritma media sosial, dan tren konten online.

Keterampilan Kreatif:

Storytelling: Mampu merangkai cerita yang menarik dan relevan untuk berbagai format (naskah, skenario, outline podcast).

Berpikir Inovatif: Punya ide-ide segar dan berani mencoba hal baru yang belum ada di pasaran.

Visualisasi: Mampu menerjemahkan ide abstrak menjadi visual yang nyata dan estetis.

Riset dan Analisis: Kemampuan untuk menggali informasi, memahami audiens, dan menganalisis tren.

Keterampilan Non-Teknis (Soft Skills):

Kerja Tim: Produksi konten adalah kerja kolaborasi. Kamu harus bisa bekerja sama dengan berbagai divisi (penulis, sutradara, kameramen, editor).

Komunikasi: Mampu berkomunikasi dengan jelas dan efektif, baik lisan maupun tulisan.

Manajemen Waktu & Tekanan: Industri ini seringkali punya deadline ketat dan lingkungan yang serba cepat.

Adaptabilitas: Industri ini terus berubah. Kamu harus siap belajar hal baru dan beradaptasi dengan teknologi dan tren terkini.

Kritis & Teliti: Mampu menganalisis konten, mencari kesalahan, dan memastikan akurasi informasi (terutama untuk berita).

Bagaimana Memulai Karir Ini?

Jika kamu merasa tertarik dan ingin serius berkarir di industri penyiaran, salah satu langkah terbaik adalah mendapatkan pendidikan formal yang relevan. Program studi seperti jurusan digital content broadcasting dirancang khusus untuk membekali kamu dengan semua keterampilan teknis, kreatif, dan manajerial yang dibutuhkan. Di sana, kamu akan belajar dari para ahli, mendapatkan pengalaman praktis melalui proyek-proyek nyata, dan membangun portofolio yang kuat.

Selain pendidikan formal, jangan lupa untuk:

Membangun Portofolio: Buat proyek pribadi, ikut lomba, atau bantu teman yang sedang membuat konten. Tunjukkan karyamu!

Jaringan (Networking): Hadiri event industri, workshop, atau seminar. Kenali orang-orang di industri ini.

Magang: Pengalaman magang sangat berharga untuk memahami lingkungan kerja yang sesungguhnya.

Industri penyiaran adalah medan yang luas dan penuh peluang bagi mereka yang punya semangat, kreativitas, dan kemauan untuk terus belajar. Dengan bekal yang tepat, kamu bisa menjadi bagian dari masa depan media yang menarik ini!

[ortagubbense]

Ashwagandha – roten till lugnet av Örtagubben

Ashwagandha har använts i århundraden i ayurvedisk tradition och är känt som en adaptogen som stödjer kroppens förmåga att hantera stress, förbättra sömnen och återställa inre balans.

Men denna uråldriga visdom återspeglas nu av modern vetenskap.

I en dubbelblind, placebokontrollerad studie från 2019 rapporterade deltagare som tog Ashwagandha dagligen i 60 dagar en signifikant minskning av stress och lägre kortisolnivåer – kroppens primära stresshormon.

Naturen rusar inte, men allt blir gjort.

Ashwagandha fungerar på samma sätt. Mild, stadig och djupt återställande.

Ta det konsekvent. Låt det rota dig. Köp här:https://ortagubben.se/ancient-therapy-ashwagandha-120-capsules/

[generativeinai]

Generative AI in HR Solutions: Building a Smarter Workforce

In the modern business landscape, the demand for smarter, more agile workforce management has never been higher. As companies strive to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving global economy, Human Resources (HR) departments are increasingly turning to technology to streamline operations and enhance decision-making. One of the most transformative tools in this arsenal is Generative AI in HR solution—a subset of artificial intelligence that uses algorithms to generate content, insights, and predictive analyses. In this blog, we explore how generative AI is reshaping HR practices, from recruitment to employee retention, and why it's key to building a smarter workforce.

The Role of Generative AI in HR

Generative AI leverages advanced machine learning models, like OpenAI's GPT or similar technologies, to process vast amounts of data and generate actionable outputs. Its applications in HR span various functions, including:

Recruitment and Talent Acquisition

Automated Job Description Creation: Writing job descriptions can be time-consuming and prone to inconsistencies. Generative AI can craft tailored, inclusive, and engaging job postings that attract the right talent while reducing bias.

Resume Screening: AI models can quickly parse through thousands of resumes, identifying candidates who match the job requirements based on skills, experience, and cultural fit. This reduces the workload on recruiters and speeds up the hiring process.

Candidate Engagement: Chatbots powered by generative AI can engage candidates in real time, answering queries, scheduling interviews, and providing updates—creating a seamless candidate experience.

Onboarding and Training

Personalized Learning Paths: Generative AI can create customized onboarding plans and training materials based on an employee's role, previous experience, and learning style.

Virtual Mentoring: AI-driven systems can simulate mentoring interactions, offering guidance and feedback to new hires as they acclimate to their roles.

Knowledge Base Creation: AI can generate and maintain an updated knowledge repository, ensuring employees have access to the latest policies, tools, and best practices.

Performance Management

Continuous Feedback Mechanisms: Generative AI can analyze employee performance data to provide real-time feedback, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Bias-Free Evaluations: AI models, if properly trained, can help reduce biases in performance appraisals by focusing solely on objective metrics and outcomes.

Predictive Analytics: By analyzing historical data, generative AI can forecast trends such as employee attrition or the need for upskilling, enabling proactive decision-making.

Employee Engagement and Retention

Pulse Surveys and Sentiment Analysis: AI-driven tools can analyze employee sentiment through regular surveys or feedback channels, helping HR identify areas of concern and address them promptly.

Career Pathing: Generative AI can design personalized career development plans, keeping employees motivated and aligned with organizational goals.

Customized Benefits and Rewards: AI can help design benefits packages that resonate with employee preferences, enhancing satisfaction and loyalty.

Benefits of Generative AI in HR

Efficiency Gains

By automating repetitive tasks, generative AI frees up HR professionals to focus on strategic initiatives. For instance, tasks like resume screening and report generation can be completed in a fraction of the time.

Enhanced Decision-Making

Generative AI provides HR teams with data-driven insights, enabling informed decisions on hiring, promotions, and workforce planning.

Inclusivity and Fairness

When properly implemented, AI can help reduce biases in recruitment and performance management, fostering a more inclusive workplace.

Scalability

As organizations grow, managing HR processes manually becomes increasingly complex. Generative AI offers scalable solutions that adapt to the needs of growing workforces.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations

While the benefits of generative AI are compelling, it's important to address potential challenges:

Bias in AI Models: If the data used to train AI systems is biased, the outputs may perpetuate those biases. Regular audits and ethical AI practices are essential.

Data Privacy: HR data is highly sensitive. Organizations must ensure robust data protection measures and compliance with regulations like GDPR.

Human Oversight: While AI can assist in decision-making, human oversight is crucial to interpret and validate the results.

The Future of Generative AI in HR

The integration of generative AI in HR is still in its early stages, but its potential is vast. As the technology evolves, we can expect more sophisticated applications, such as:

Real-time employee wellness monitoring using wearable devices and AI-driven analytics.

Advanced workforce planning tools that adapt to market changes and internal dynamics.

Immersive virtual onboarding experiences powered by AI-generated simulations.

By embracing generative AI, HR departments can not only enhance their operational efficiency but also create a more engaged, motivated, and productive workforce. As organizations navigate the challenges of the 21st century, generative AI stands out as a powerful ally in building a smarter workforce.

Conclusion

Generative AI in HR solution is not just a tool for automation; it's a catalyst for transformation. By leveraging its capabilities, HR professionals can reimagine traditional practices, foster inclusivity, and drive innovation within their organizations. As we look to the future, the synergy between human expertise and generative AI promises to unlock new possibilities for the workplace—creating environments where both businesses and employees thrive.