Holy Unknown

By Cody Andrus The idea of superintelligence—an artificial intelligence far more capable than the smartest human—makes many people uneasy. The concern isn’t about machines becoming evil or vengeful. It’s about what happens when something smarter than us starts making decisions without our input, or worse, with our input misunderstood. Scientists, ethicists, and tech leaders are not warning the world out of paranoia. They are warning us because the stakes are so high. One of the major concerns is control. Humans have a long history of creating things we struggle to control: nuclear weapons, pandemics, financial systems. If a machine were able to rapidly improve its own intelligence, learning and adapting without help from humans, the pace of that development might move too fast for people to follow. And once it exceeds our understanding, we may not be able to stop or even predict what it will do. The issue is not that machines will hate us, but that they may not care about us at all. On...

The Front Runner (2018)   is a biographical drama directed by Jason Reitman and written by Matt Bai and Jay Carson. The film details the 1988 presidential campaign of Senator Gary Hart (portrayed impressively by Hugh Jackman) a charismatic politician who was widely considered the Democratic front-runner. The story meticulously chronicles the week in which Hart's campaign was overcome by accusations of an extramarital affair. Initially dismissing the claims as irrelevant to his political qualifications, Hart finds his private life thrust into the public sphere by an aggressive media, spearheaded by The Miami Herald . The film delves into a candidate's right to privacy versus the public's perceived right to know, exploring themes of journalistic ethics, political ambition, and the shifting landscape of American media. 2018 • R •  1h 53m Worldwide Gross: $3.2M Rotten Tomatoes: 58% Holy Unknown Grade: B Where to Watch

Deja Vu (2006) ,  directed by Tony Scott and written by Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio, is a fascinating high-stakes sci-fi thriller that blurs the lines between time and reality. ATF agent Doug Carlin, played outstandingly by Denzel Washington, is investigating a horrific terrorist bombing in New Orleans. When he’s recruited into a secret government program that uses surveillance to look four days into the past, he discovers that he might be able to prevent the attack entirely — and save a woman, Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton), who is connected to the event but no one knows how. As he dives deeper, Carlin must navigate a dangerous mix of technology, fate, and obsession, alongside support from characters played by Val Kilmer and Adam Goldberg. 2006 • PG-13 • 2h 6m Worldwide Gross: $180.5M Rotten Tomatoes: 55% Holy Unknown Grade: B+

Bernie (2011)   is a dark comedy directed by Richard Linklater and written by Skip Hollandsworth. The film is based on the true story of Bernie Tiede, a friendly and well-loved mortician in the small town of Carthage, Texas. Played flawlessly by Jack Black, Bernie becomes unusually close to a wealthy and controlling widow named Marjorie Nugent, played by Shirley MacLaine. Their relationship takes a dark turn when Bernie, pushed to his emotional limits, commits a shocking crime that stuns the tight-knit community. The town’s loyalty to Bernie complicates the legal process, led by the skeptical district attorney Danny Buck Davidson, played by Matthew McConaughey. The film mixes reenactments, interviews, and narrative storytelling to explore morality, charm, and justice. 2011 •  PG-13 •  1h 44m Worldwide Gross: 10M Rotten Tomatoes: 88% Holy Unknown Grade: A-

Scientists in the U.S. have made something called a black hole bomb for the first time in a lab. They used a special kind of super-cold matter to trap sound in a way that acts like a black hole, where the sound can’t escape. This experiment helps researchers study what happens in places like space where real black holes are found, without having to leave Earth. This kind of test could help us learn more about how black holes work and how energy moves in extreme places. For example, by seeing how sound gets trapped and grows stronger inside this lab-made black hole, scientists can study strange space behavior up close. It could also help with future ideas in sound technology and quantum science. New Scientist

The Fugitive (1993)  is a gripping action thriller following Dr. Richard Kimble, played skillfully by Harrison Ford, a respected Chicago surgeon wrongly convicted of murdering his wife. After a dramatic escape from a prison transport, Kimble goes on the run, determined to find the real killer and clear his name. Hot on his trail is U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard, portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones, whose relentless pursuit adds intensity and sharp dialogue to the chase. As Kimble uncovers a deeper conspiracy, the film becomes a race between justice and survival. The Fugitive was nominated for several Oscars and won one for Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones). R  •   2h 10m Worldwide Gross: $368M Rotten Tomatoes: 96% Holy Unknown Grade: A-

By Cody Andrus Jane Austen remains an influential writer even today. Born in England in 1775, she grew up in a la rge family. She had six brothers and one sister. Jane started writing at around the age of eleven. Her father was a clergyman. Her family was well ed ucated, and l iterature played a key role in the household. This en vironment helped shape Jane's keen observations of the people around her, which later would fill her novels. During her lifetime, Austen published only a few novels anonymously. These included  Sense and Sensibility ,  Pride and Prejudice ,  Mansfield Park , and  Emma . These stories often focused on the lives of women from middle-class families in the English countryside. She wrote about their social lives, their search for suitable husbands, and the challenges they faced in a society that limited their choices. Austen's novels are known for their wit, their clever dialogue, and their insightful portrayal of human nature. She had a remarkab...

The Jerk (1979)  is a fantastic rags-to-riches comedy that follows Navin R. Johnson, a blissfully naive and optimistic man who leaves his adoptive Black family's humble shack to find his place in the world. Played by Steve Martin in one of his most iconic roles, Navin's journey takes him through odd jobs, a bizarre invention that makes him wealthy, and a romance with the quirky Marie, portrayed by Bernadette Peters . Despite his sudden fortune, Navin's innocent view of the world leads to hilarious misadventures and a fall from grace, all port rayed with slapstick timing and absurd wit. The film, directed by Carl Reiner, became a cult classic and remains a defining moment in Martin's career. 1979  •   PG-13  •   2h 10m Worldwide Gross: $73M Rotten Tomatoes: 82% Holy Unknown Grade: A