Organizer
Gadget news
Wake Up Dead Man is the best Knives Out mystery yet, and that’s not just because of Benoit Blanc
3:09 pm | October 9, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Netflix Streaming | Tags: | Comments: Off

Rian Johnson, I owe you an apology. After trashing the first Knives Out movie and reluctantly warming up to Glass Onion (though that was mostly Kathryn Hahn's doing), Wake Up Dead Man has knocked it out of the park, and might just be the best crime caper I've seen in the last few years.

When I was 14, I was a huge fan of the legendary crime author Agatha Christie. I hoovered up her books, watched every TV adaptation known to man and even tried getting into Doctor Who in 2008 when they randomly decided to do an episode on her disappearance.

Ever since those glory days, I've been trying to chase the same feeling Christie's stories once gave me. We're spoilt for choice when it comes to incredible crime dramas, but nothing quite fills her shoes... until now. Wake Up Dead Man takes the likes of The Murder at the Vicarage and elevates it for 2025, and boy is there a lot to like.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is the Agatha Christie classic for 2025

In Upstate New York, a shy and charming young priest (Josh O'Connor) joins a rural community as the assistant pastor of their church. It's run by a totalitarian monsignor who looks a little like a Walmart version of God (Josh Brolin) and instills fear into his flock every week.

In the middle of an Easter week sermon, the monsignor is fatally stabbed in the back, and only Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) has the foresight to solve the case. Local police chief Geraldine (Mila Kunis) is at her wits end, the church's right-hand woman Martha (Glenn Close) is in religious turmoil, and local author Lee (Andrew Scott) wants to make as much money from what's happened as possible.

Every bone in my body said Wake Up Dead Man should be set in England when I watched the trailer (there are a lot of Brits playing Americans here), but its location is actually crucial to the subtext. Being set in 2025's America means the movie can easily poke fun at Western culture and the cultural landscape, particularly given where its politics is at.

The jibes are well-covered, but they're there if you look hard enough. The monsignor's style of preaching with vengeance reflects how we're seeing people communicate with each other in the wider world, weaponizing faith and opinions to use against one another. But it's not all doom and gloom (except for our victims, obviously).

Thanks to a whip-smart script, there's almost a laugh every minute peppered in between Blanc's exceptional monologues we've come to know and love. Netflix, the cast and absurdness of what's happening around them are all in the firing line, and the metaphorical shots fired make for the most enjoyable surprises. Nothing is too scathing or overt, and there's no 'woke brigade' here. It's just smart craft, and that's what we want.

Our A-list cast get in the way of... well, our A-List cast

Josh O'Connor covered in mud raises a knife above his head

Josh O'Connor is our breakout star in the Knives Out 3 cast. (Image credit: Netflix)

Not only has director Rian Johnson raised his game when it comes to how Wake Up Dead Man has been visualized, but his casting choices have excelled themselves. Daniel Craig has Blanc down pat and that hasn't lost its shine, but our attention returns to Josh O'Connor time and time again throughout the film.

Struggling with a troubled past and a community that would rather eat a pile of worms rather than embrace him, O'Connor's role as Father Jud is pivotal to the main mystery. He's stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to testing his faith, and it's truly beautiful to see him tested on all fronts thanks to such a nuanced performance.

As for the rest of our suspects, they fall victim to something else entirely. When you have so many names in one place, you inevitably compromise your time with them. As a result, most of them (including Kerry Washington, Daryl McCormack and Jeremy Renner) leave you wanting more, fleetingly presenting us with their intriguing backstories before vanishing into the background.

Still, we can't complain too much. Yes, the runtime is longer than I'd like it to be and my butt went numb watching. Yes, I needed more of Kerry Washington's quietly savage lawyer onscreen. Yes, the story took an oddly supernatural turn I wasn't expecting.

But as a girl who loves her classic crime capers, Wake Up Dead Man is up there with the best. It has a stacked cast who deliver a well-crafted story that's the ideal bridge between old and new, with every element keeping you in the dark. Most importantly, I didn't guess whodunnit, and that's a rare feat these days. I'm now ready for the Knives Out franchise to continue on for so long that Craig eventually has nobody left to act along except for the Muppets. Make it happen, Johnson.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

You might also like

Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing turns Austin Butler’s cat-sitting gig into a chaotic crime caper that’s a white-knuckle ride
4:00 pm | August 27, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Entertainment Gadgets Streaming | Tags: | Comments: Off

Caught Stealing is a nostalgic slice of '90s New York City life that comes out swinging. Set in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Darren Aronofsky’s new movie captures the nostalgic atmosphere of the time in this cat-and-mouse crime caper chase.

Austin Butler (Elvis; Eddington) plays Henry Thompson, a former baseball player turned bartender with a drinking habit, who insists on being called Hank. Tormented by a car accident that ended his promising sports career, the San Francisco Giants fan has been lifted straight from the pages of Charlie Huston’s novels that the movie is based on.

Hank gets caught up in a case of mistaken identity when his neighbor Russ, played by Matt Smith (The Crown; Doctor Who) – who looks like a punk-rocker that just stepped out of Camden in London (mohawk, studded leather jacket, piercings – the full uniform's here) – asks him to look after his Maine Coon cat named Bud (who you might recognize from Pet Sematary), setting in motion a chaotic chase with a growing group of eclectic goons across underpasses, subways and basements through East Village.

Austin Butler sits next to a cat

Caught Stealing is a chaotic crime caper crashing into the summer box office (Image credit: Columbia Pictures; Protozoa Pictures)

You wouldn’t expect that cat-care could get you killed, but that’s exactly the catalyst that drives the next 107 minutes of the white-knuckle drama. The bone-splitting violence splattered throughout does not hold back, letting you hear every crunch and snap against the backdrop of a soundtrack composed by Rob Simonsen (The Whale; Deadpool & Wolverine).

What starts with Russian mafia, played by Yuri Kolokolnikov (Tenet; The White Lotus) and Nikita Kukushkin (Attraction), beating up Hank (Kukushkin's mobster has a signature headbutt move) quickly snowballs as more players become involved to look for a mysterious key that they all believe Hank is hiding.

This hunt has got the attention of not just the Russian mobsters but a Puerto Rican gangster, played by Benito Martínez Ocasio aka Bad Bunny (Bullet Train; Happy Gilmore 2), and two extremely ruthless Orthodox Jewish brothers.

These last two might be the most threatening characters of the movie, but who also happen to have the most comedic lines. That's largely down to menacing performances from Liev Schreiber (Spotlight; X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and Vincent D'Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket; Men in Black) that make for a humorous contrast when you find them slurping soup or refusing to drive during Shabbat.

Austin Butler walks down a street with Liev Schreiber and Vincent D'Onofrio as Orthodox jews

Liev Schreiber and Vincent D'Onofrio provide some of the best laughs in the film (Image credit: Columbia Pictures; Protozoa Pictures)

There may not be any baseball in this film (apart from the brief opening scene) but funnily enough, it's the more violent scenes where it really comes out as we watch Hank sprinting past pedestrians like he's on a home run and swinging a baseball bat at his assailants as if he's a deadly batter.

The sport offers a bridge between the violence and Hank's soft nature. After all, Hank's not a fighter – a fact we're reminded of throughout by police detective Roman, played by Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk; Ray), as well as by his relationships with people (and creatures) around him, from his mother to the homeless man on the street outside of his apartment that he helps out.

Zoë Kravitz’s (The Batman; Blink Twice) Yvonne, Hank’s girlfriend, is a welcome respite from all the violence, breaking up the gut punches and shootouts with a softer charm that shares the heart of the film with the weight of a drink driving accident from when Hank was younger.

Bad Bunny stands next to Yuri Kolokolnikov and Nikita Kukushkin in Caught Stealing

Bad Bunny joins Russian mobsters played by Yuri Kolokolnikov and Nikita Kukushkin. (Image credit: Columbia Pictures; Protozoa Pictures)

The biggest highlight of the movie is the nostalgic set created by production designer Mark Friedberg (Joker; Noah) that immerses the characters in the gritty streets of East Village in 1998 during its transformation into the trendy art scene it is today. This is complemented by a soundtrack that includes '90s hits such as Bitch by Meredith Brooks and Wandering Star by Portishead.

However, unlike the secrets of Bud’s litter tray, Caught Stealing isn’t too mysterious, relying on action movie ideas you've seen many times before. From the reluctant hero to the classic revenge storyline, it goes exactly where your brain naturally expect it to go based on the familiar elements – despite it coming from an interesting an unpredictable filmmaker in Darren Aronofsky.

It also lacks the intensity that his movies are known for, and can feel disjointed at times as it transitions from scene to scene, sometimes brushing over key moments. For instance, a lingering shot of a chameleon seems like it could be a reference to Hank's resourcefulness, but this idea isn't hinted at again, making it feel like a stray musing rather than an interesting theme.

Caught Stealing is not a deep psychological character study like Aronofsky's The Whale or Black Swan, it's an action-packed adventure centered around a self-destructive protagonist that's trying to turn the corner.

Indeed, the sunny grasses of California where Hank is originally from are in real contrast to the grimy streets of the Lower East Side, where he now finds himself, is not the subtle backstory that we're used to seeing from the filmmaker. They say stealing third base is a high risk, low reward play in baseball; unfortunately, I think that phrase captures the end result of Aronofsky's push into a new genre.

You might also like

With all of time and space to explore, Doctor Who season 2 episode 1 ‘The Robot Revolution’ is a curious re-tread of the hit sci-fi show’s best ideas
10:00 pm | April 7, 2025
Author: admin | Category: Computers Disney Plus Gadgets Streaming | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Mild spoilers follow for Doctor Who season 2 episode 1.

Doctor Who is, in many ways, the ultimate comfort food for sci-fi fanatics. There are times when the iconic British TV show will surprise you with its storytelling, character evolution, and/or thematic exploration. By and large, though, you know what you're going to get with Gallifrey's greatest export: a mostly fun-filled romp across time and space.

For better or worse, that's a well-established formula that Doctor Who season 2 (or, for those of us who've watched it since its 2005 revival, Doctor Who season 15) doesn't tamper with. This season's opening chapter, titled 'The Robot Revolution', isn't as narratively revolutionary as its name suggests. Still, while season 2's premiere is predictable in its make-up, I largely had fun with what its 46-minute opener had to offer.

Paranoid android

Belinda standing next to a human and two robots in Doctor Who season 2 episode 1

'The Robot Revolution' introduces us to The Doctor's new companion Belinda (Image credit: Disney+/BBC One)

Season 2 opens with the titular Time Lord (Ncuti Gatwa) racing to find Belinda 'Bel' Chandra (Varada Sethu), a London-based nurse, for unknown reasons.

Unfortunately, no sooner does The Doctor track her down at her home, he can only watch as Bel is whisked away by a group of menacing robots – who, for reasons that'll become clear, claim she's their planet's Queen – to their home world.

Long story short: Bel is taken to a planet where everything is bizarrely named after her. That includes the world's moniker (Miss Belinda Chandra-1), its race of humans (Belinda Chandra-kind), and its main city (Belinda Chandra-Ville).

Bel's ties to a world that she has no recollection of are the least of her worries. Indeed, she's been kidnapped to marry this world's de-factor ruler and be fully assimilated as a human-robot hybrid not like classic Whovian villains The Cybermen (more on this comparison later). So much for a peaceful evening.

Hope is at hand, though. The Doctor has not only infiltrated Miss Belinda Chandra-1, but also teamed up with a group of human freedom fighters looking to overthrow their android oppressors. Cue a typically audacious rescue mission to save Bel and work out what's actually going on.

The Doctor looking at Belinda in Doctor Who season 2 episode 1

The Doctor tries to get to the bottom of what's happening on Belinda Chandra-1 (Image credit: Disney+/BBC One)

For those who recognize Sethu's Bel but can't quite place her, allow me to help: Sethu also played Mundy Flynn in 'Boom', which was arguably season 1/season 14's best episode. She also appeared in season 1 of Andor, FYI, and will do so again in Andor season 2, which arrives on Disney+ later this month.

But I digress. Unlike Peter Capaldi and Karen Gillan's supporting roles in season 4 episode 'The Fires of Pompeii' before they secured central roles in later seasons, Sethu's casting as Bel is deliberate.

Season 2 doesn't hide the fact that Bel and Mundy are related. Indeed, The Doctor confirms as much during an expository sequence where discussing a so-called Time Fracture that's a temporal border issue between Miss Belindra Chandra-1 and planet Earth. Continuity in a 70-year-old-plus TV series can be difficult to maintain, so cast additions like this – where an actor can play two versions of the same character – in any project is most welcome.

I'm pleased that loose plot threads from the show's first season on Disney+ haven't been fully discarded

As Doctor Who season 2's first trailer teased, its big mystery isn't just centered on Bel. It's also directly linked to the overarching narrative involving Gatwa's 15th Doctor that, as long as Gatwa is in for the long haul, should run for multiple seasons and, hopefully at some point, explain who or what the returning Mrs Flood is.

This isn't a novel creative and storytelling approach for Doctor Who. Other multi-season stories, such as those involving Matt Smith and Jodie Foster's iterations, have been structured similarly with their breadcrumb trail narratives that eventually lead to a grand reveal towards the end of each Doctor's existence.

Nevertheless, I'm pleased that loose plot threads from the show's first season on Disney+ haven't been fully discarded with the introduction of The Doctor's latest companion. Instead, it appears season 2 will build on the foundations laid by its predecessor and provide a semblance of storytelling pay-off amid this season's primary directive; one that'll see The Doctor attempt to take Bel home.

Companion pieces

Belinda seeing to a IV bag as she looks at The Doctor off-screen in Doctor Who season 2 episode 1

This season's opener suggests Bel will give as good as she gets from The Doctor (Image credit: Disney+/BBC One)

To do so, he'll have to take the long way home. No spoilers for the premiere's ending and one of Doctor Who season 2's big mysteries, but everyone's favorite charismatic yet emotionally-damaged Time Lord will need more than a date and simple TARDIS handle-pull to get Bel safely back on terra firma.

The long journey home will provide ample opportunity to show Bel is a fantastic foil to the 15th Doctor, too.

The duo's dynamic already has the air of a spicy yet respect-laden relationship. Bel has a charismatic, compassionate, and capricious personality to match that of her contemporary, and she's not afraid to speak her mind (and put The Doctor in his place) if she disagrees with him.

The duo's dynamic already has the air of a spicy yet respect-laden relationship

One episode in, the pair's collaboration is more of a marriage of convenience than a bona fide friendship, but I expect that to change as this season progresses, and I can't wait to see how this dynamic evolves as it does so.

Predictably, I have grievances about episode 1 of one of the best Disney+ shows' sophomore season. Aside from its villain-in-chief, who's actually one of the more terrifying Doctor Who antagonists we've seen in a while, The Doctor and Bel's robotic foes are largely unoriginal. In fact, I'd say, unique design notwithstanding, they're an uninspired amalgam of two of the most notorious enemies in Doctor Who's rogue gallery – those being, the Daleks and Cybermen.

'The Robot Revolution' also moves at a break-neck pace. Episodes of Doctor Who are renowned for being breezy, but it feels like this one is particularly guilty of barrelling through its story without stopping to take a breath. That doesn't allow its most pertinent story beats to have the emotional impact they require.

I was hesitant about including this for fear of being labeled 'woke', but I will applaud the season 2 premiere for tackling the difficult and uneasy topic of toxic masculinity in a somewhat child-friendly manner. This is a family-first show, after all. Nonetheless, it's another brave and perfectly valid examination of present-day themes that aid the story and don't, as some may claim, ruin Doctor Who as a visual and/or narrative experience.

My verdict

'The Robot Revolution' doesn't break new ground for Doctor Who as a franchise, but there's plenty that'll entertain families and die-hard Whovians alike.

Visually, I'm eager to see season 2 maintain – and perhaps even build on – the trippy aesthetic that permeates its premiere. Story-wise, I hope it pushes the boundaries of the show and doesn't befall the same fate as past seasons.

Indeed, its forthcoming animated episode suggests the former will occasionally happen but, even at this early stage, I'm praying that the pay-off from season 2's big mystery is better than last season.

Otherwise, it'll do the classic Whovian thing of promising much and delivering little. This is a series that explores all of time and space, after all, so let's see some of that wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey magic return to the fore with increasing regularity, rather than being the exception to the norm.

Doctor Who season 2 premieres on Disney+ (internationally) and BBC One/BBC iPlayer (UK) on Saturday, April 12.

Review: Samsung Galaxy Portal i5700
9:51 pm | April 21, 2012
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones | Tags: , , , | Comments: None

Samsung, the famed Korean jack-of-all-technologies, is having another go at mastering the Android phone scene, after making a bit of a mess of it with[……]

Read more