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In Harry Lighton's feature-length directorial debut Pillion, a gay introvert's delayed coming-of-age — catalyzed by the advances of a suave, reclusive biker — kicks off a raucous tale of physical and emotional exploration. Although initially sketched in broad strokes, the movie gradually digs into its sexual complications, centering on a dominant-submissive dynamic that lives in the gray area of consent.
Like its 1970s-set source material — Adam Mars-Jones' 2020 leather subculture novel Box Hill — Lighton's electric, modern-day British drama explores a master-slave relationship that's as upsetting as it is invigorating. Led by a pair of fine-tuned performances from Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling, the movie walks a fragile tonal tightrope with remarkable flair, resulting in one of the finest (and most crowd-pleasing) experiences at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
What is Pillion about?Named for the backseat of a motorcycle, Pillion is as much about function as it is companionship, and what happens when those wires are crossed. Worrywart parking attendant Colin (Harry Melling) and secretive motorcycle club leader Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) ought to be ships in the night, as evidenced by the movie's dreamlike, tongue-in-cheek opening.
SEE ALSO: The best LGBTQ films to stream right nowColin sits quietly in the backseat of his parents' car as they drive him to a pub performance by his barbershop quartet — of which his father (Douglas Hodge) is also a member — which also happens to be a blind date organized by his mum (Lesley Sharp). Colin is gay, and his parents are politely supportive to the point of overcompensating. In a fleeting tryst with destiny, Colin's vacant gaze out the car window falls upon a mysterious biker as he zips by, his face obscured by his helmet visor, and his slender, toned body clad in leather gear. For a moment, it seems like they lock eyes, but Colin can't be sure.
After his uptight, old-school acapella performance — complete with pinstripe suit and bowtie — his eyes fall once again on the very same biker, sitting across the room: Ray, a dashing American keeping to himself. The timid crooner extends his boater hat for a tip. Ray ignores him. However, as the night wears on, Ray eventually makes his approach, buys Colin a few bags of crisps — like an adult humoring a child — before slipping him a note, asking him to meet him the following evening.
The inexperienced, scraggly-haired Colin is immediately taken. His parents are enthusiastic too, since their son is finally leaving the house for a social engagement. It's funny and sweet, but the movie soon swerves headfirst into the awkward comedy-drama of wildly differing expectations. What Colin figured would be a romantic evening dovetails quickly into a skeevy, back-alley blowjob. As the cruising, cocksure Ray bosses him around, Colin realizes he likes being told what to do.
Before long, Ray conscripts Colin into a dynamic that the young virgin doesn't understand at first (though Ray assumes he does). What Colin thinks is a booty call turns out to be a demand to clean Ray's house and make him dinner. A request to spend the night at Ray's apartment gives way to orders to sleep on Ray's bedroom carpet, alongside his black Labrador. Their sexual encounters involve humiliation rituals and wrestling, which Colin isn't fully prepared for, though he takes a liking to it.
The rest of Ray's biker club — subs and doms of all stripes, played by real members of the leather scene — are a delightful bunch, and they welcome Colin with open arms, but Ray is a closed book who won't so much as reveal his occupation. The more Colin tries to push Ray to open up, the more he shuts him out, insisting their dynamic is not, and cannot be, one of emotions.
Pillion is an impressive tonal balancing act.As the film goes on, it centers the questions of how far Ray will push Colin on the presumption of enthusiastic consent, and to what degree Colin will let himself be dominated if it means being desired for the very first time. These combine to create a prolonged and riveting tension, which isn't so much cut by humor as it is enhanced by it.
Colin, for instance, is so hung up on the idea of a traditional romance that he meets even Ray's distinctly untraditional treatment with naïve requests, like asking Ray to dinner with his parents. These scenes are downright side-splitting thanks to Melling's straight-faced delivery, and Ray's silent bewilderment in response. However, Lighton isn't satisfied with letting these instances slip away. They are, after all, some of the movie's most dramatically interesting moments too, and some of its most thematically lucid.
While neither man comes right out and lists their desires, they fight to express their wants and expectations in the only ways they know how, jogging right up to the line of explicitness before walking back. The film probes ever deeper into what this relationship — or any relationship — becomes when there's a breakdown of communication, and both parties start acting out. It just so happens that Colin and Ray exist at an extreme end of the spectrum when it comes to socially acceptable taste, though the movie never calls their desires into question.
SEE ALSO: 'Babygirl' finally shows us what subspace feels likeIf anything, the fact that Colin does not (and perhaps, cannot) explain their relationship to his parents is about the only thing that leads to incredulity, when their sweet boy suddenly shows up with a shaven head and a bike lock around his neck. The film derives its humor not from condescension, but from the unease of transformation. However, it also uses this as a source for some of its most affirming moments too — often shot in slow-motion, with a gentle hand — both when Colin finds unexpected self-confidence, and when Ray realizes he might just enjoy something more intimate in return.
Harry Melling and Aleksander Skarsgård deliver career-best work in Pillion.In a film so dependent on neither lead character speaking their mind, you need actors who can do the heavy lifting in silence. You also need actors who can meet Lighton on his complicated tonal wavelength, and who neither get bogged down by the story's slowly rupturing emotions, nor swept up in its energetic humor.
Melling and Skarsgård are more than up to the task. Lighton uses their respective "types" from their mainstream genre success — as Harry Potter's oafish cousin Dudley, and True Blood's sexy vampire antihero Eric Northman — as jumping-off points to launch an investigation into how being seen a certain way can mold your outlook on the world, and your sense of self. This is especially true when sex and relationships are involved, and neither actor is afraid to access the vulnerability required for its many sexual moments, verging on pornographically explicit.
Featured Video For You Does the 'Murderbot' cast relate to Murderbot?If anything, that's the easy part. What's more challenging is the way Melling navigates the gestures, the body language, and the all-permeating uncertainty of the kind of character whose embarrassment in social situations is generally the root of comedic scorn. Pillion is the kind of movie that knows full well what people find funny, and it doesn't begrudge them that. But it also forces them to confront the reasons why in the long run, using Melling's moving, captivating performance as a prism, and eventually, a mirror to lifelong anxiety and self-loathing. As a young man in search of himself through the demands of another person, he compliments each broad comedic stroke with a tremendously nuanced look at its effects, whether they gradually break him down, build him up, or some combination of the two.
It also helps to be paired opposite an exceptionally attractive Skarsgård, who's always had a magnetic presence but whose build and poise are practically otherworldly in this film. As Ray, he runs so hot and cold as to sear your flesh and give you frostbite in alternating strokes. After a while, his behavior becomes its own form of mystery, assisted by Lighton's lingering medium shots that capture both his body language and expressions at once — his naked torso and his obfuscated sense of self. However, Pillion doesn't seek to present answers that Ray doesn't want to give, or that Colin cannot find. Because in a film about the complexities of being pushed away — how it devastates and allures in equal measure — being presented with something concrete would mean losing out on the abstract mysteries Ray represents for Colin's mutating sense of self.
To call a queer performance involving nudity "brave" is an age-old cliché, but Skarsgård and Melling's bravery is revealed not through performing queerness. Rather, it's a result of accessing male vulnerability, to such a riveting degree that you perfectly understand the emotional deadlock of what one character desperately wants and the other deeply needs. The slow collision of these two forces is the heart and soul of Pillion, and it makes for some of the most entertaining drama and comedy you're likely to see this year.
Pillion was reviewed out of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. It is slated for a 2025 release.
On May 19, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump beamed to press and allies as they signed the administration's first major piece of tech regulation, the bipartisan Take It Down Act.
It was seen as a win for those who have long been calling on the criminalization of NDII, or the nonconsensual distribution of intimate images, and a federal pathway of redress for victims. Cliff Steinhauer, director of information security and engagement at the National Cybersecurity Alliance, explained it may be a needed kick in the pants to a lethargic legislative arena.
"I think it's good that they're going to force social media companies to have a process in place to remove content that people ask to be removed," he said. "This is kind of a start; to build the infrastructure to be able to respond to this type of request, and it's a really thin slice of what the issues with AI are going to be."
But other digital rights groups say the legislation may stir false hope for swift legal resolutions among victims, with unclear vetting procedures and an overly broad list of applicable content. The law's implementation is just as murky.
SEE ALSO: Trump administration detonates expansion of rural broadband access The act's notice and takedown provision could pose major problems"The Take It Down Act’s removal provision has been presented as a virtual guarantee to victims that nonconsensual intimate visual depictions of them will be removed from websites and online services within 48 hours," said the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI) in a statement. "But given the lack of any safeguards against false reports, the arbitrarily selective definition of covered platforms, and the broad enforcement discretion given to the FTC with no avenue for individual redress and vindication, this is an unrealistic promise."
Exacerbating free speech and content moderation concernsThese same digital rights activists, who had issued warnings throughout the bill's congressional journey, will also be keeping a close eye on how the act may affect constitutionally protected speech, with the fear that publishers may remove legal speech to preempt criminal repercussions (or flatly suppress free speech, such as consensual LGBTQ pornography). Some worry that the bill's takedown system, modeled after the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), may over-inflate the power of the Federal Trade Commission, which now has the power to hold online content publishers accountable to the law with unlimited jurisdiction.
"Now that the Take It Down Act has passed, imperfect as it is, the Federal Trade Commission and platforms need to both meet the bill’s best intentions for victims while also respecting the privacy and free expression rights of all users," said Becca Branum, deputy director of the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT)'s Free Expression Project. "The constitutional flaws in the Take It Down Act do not alleviate the FTC's obligations under the First Amendment."
A lack of government infrastructureOrganizations like the CCRI and the CDT had spent months lobbying legislatures to adjust the act's enforcement provisions. The CCRI, which penned the bill framework that Take It Down is based on, has taken issue with the legislation's exceptions for images posted by someone that appears in them, for example. They also fear the removal process may be rife for abuse, including false reports made by disgruntled individuals or politically-motivated groups under an overly broad scope for takedowns.
The CDT, conversely, interprets the law's AI-specific provisions as too specific. "Take It Down’s criminal prohibition and the takedown system focus only on AI generated images that would cause a 'reasonable person [to] believe the individual is actually depicted in the intimate visual depiction.' In doing so, the Take It Down Act is unduly narrow, missing several instances where perpetrators could harm victims," the organization argues. For example, a defendant could reasonably get around the law by publishing synthetic likenesses placed in implausible or fantastical environments.
Just as confusing is that while the FTC's takedown authority for applicable publishers is vast, its oversight is exempt for others, such as sites that don't host user-generated synthetic content, but rather their own, curated content. Instead of being forced to take down media under the 48-hour stipulation, these sites can only be pursued in a criminal case. "Law enforcement, however, has historically neglected crimes disproportionately perpetrated against women and may not have the capacity to prosecute all such operators," the CDT warns.
Steinhauer theorizes that the bill may face a general infrastructure problem in its early enforcement. For example, publishers may find it difficult to corroborate that the individuals filing claims are actually depicted in the NDII within the 48 hour period, unless they beef up their own oversight investments — most social media platforms have scaled back their moderation processes in recent years. Automatic moderation tools could help, but they're known to have their own set of issues.
No cohesion on AI regulationThere's also the question of how publishers will spot and prove that images and videos are synthetically generated, specifically, a problem that's plagued the industry as generative AI has grown. "The Take It Down Act effectively increases the liability for content publishers, and now the onus is on them to be able to prove that the content they’re publishing is not a deepfake," Manny Ahmed, founder and CEO of content provenance company OpenOrigins. "One of the issues with synthetic media and having provable deniability is that detection doesn’t work anymore. Running a deepfake detector post hoc doesn’t give you a lot of confidence because these detectors can be faked or fooled pretty easily and existing media pipelines don't have any audit trail functionality built into them.”
It's easy to follow the logic of such a strong takedown tool being used as a weapon of censorship and surveillance, especially under an administration that is already doing plenty to sow distrust among its citizens and wage war on ideological grounds.
Steinhauer still urges an open mind. "This is going to open a door to those other conversations and hopefully reasonable regulation that is a compromise for everyone," he said. "There's no world we should live in where somebody can fake a sexual video of someone and not be held accountable. We have to find a balance between protecting people, and protecting people's rights."
The future of broader AI regulation remains in question, however. Through Trump championed and signed the Take It Down Act, he and congressional Republicans also pushed to include a 10-year ban on state- and local-level AI regulation in their touted One Big Beautiful Bill.
And even with the president's signature, the future of the law is uncertain, with rights organizations predicting that the legislation may be contested in court on free speech grounds. "There's plenty of non pornographic or sexual material that could be created with your likeness, and right now there's no law against it," added Steinhauer. Regardless of whether Take It Down remains or gets the boot, the issue of AI regulation is far from settled.
Jupiter, the largest planet orbiting the sun, used to be much bigger and stronger when the solar system was just beginning to take shape, a pair of astronomers say.
Two scientists at Caltech and the University of Michigan suggest that early Jupiter was at least double its contemporary size. The primitive version of the gas giant could have held some 8,000 Earths within it, said Konstantin Batygin, lead author of the new study.
What's more, young Jupiter probably had a magnetic field 50 times more powerful. A magnetic field is an invisible force surrounding a planet that interacts with charged particles coming from the sun and cosmic rays.
To calculate those measurements, the scientists looked at how Jupiter’s moons move through space and how the planet spins. This unconventional approach, which didn't rely on traditional models, may fill gaps in the solar system's history. Many scientists refer to Jupiter as the "architect" of the solar system because its immense gravity influenced the orbits of other planets and carved up the cloud from which they all emerged.
"More than any other planet, Jupiter played a key role in shaping our solar system," Batygin said in a post on X. "Yet details of its early physical state are elusive."
SEE ALSO: Private spacecraft circling moon snaps photo with strange optical illusion NASA's Juno spacecraft snaps images of Jupiter and catches the tiny moon Amalthea as it orbits the planet. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald EichstädtThe paper, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, rewinds the clock to just 3.8 million years after the first solid objects formed in the solar system and the cloud of gas and dust from which everything formed started to evaporate. This period — when the building materials for planets disappeared — is thought to be a pivotal point, when the general design of the solar system was locked in.
Jupiter, roughly 562 million miles from Earth today, has nearly 100 moons. But Batygin and his collaborator Fred Adams' research focused on two of the smaller ones, Amalthea and Thebe. Both are inside the orbit of the much larger moon Io, the most volcanically active world in the solar system, according to NASA.
These smaller moons have curiously tilted orbits, and their paths around the planet seem to hold clues about how Jupiter and its bevy of moons moved in the past, Batygin told Mashable. As Io migrates away from Jupiter, its gravity causes a kickback — sort of like how a gun recoils when it's fired — that has contributed to the tilts of the smaller moons.
"Similar to how our moon gradually moves away from Earth due to tides, Io is slowly drifting outward from Jupiter," Batygin said.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.By measuring Amalthea and Thebe's tilted orbits, the scientists reconstructed Io’s previous position. That location, they said, should help determine the outer edge of the disk of gas and dust that once surrounded the planet. Based on where they believe the disk ended, the researchers extrapolated how fast Jupiter was spinning back then: about once per day, comparable to its spin now.
Knowing Jupiter's early spin also helped them calculate its size. By applying the physics rules of spinning objects, they figured out how big Jupiter had to have been to match that rotation. The size of a young planet sheds light on its heat and interior dynamics as well. The scientists have concluded that early Jupiter must have started out extremely hot — about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a far cry from its modern average temperature of about -170 degrees.
The heat suggests Jupiter had a much stronger magnetic field. That allowed the team to calculate how fast Jupiter was collecting gas and growing — about the weight of one modern-day Jupiter every million years.
"It's astonishing," said Adams in a statement, "that even after 4.5 billion years, enough clues remain to let us reconstruct Jupiter's physical state at the dawn of its existence."
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TL;DR: Live stream Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Game 3) in the 2025 NBA playoffs for free on YouTube. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The 2025 NBA playoffs are slowly coming to their dramatic conclusion. The conference finals have already delivered a lot of massive moments, and we're expecting more of the same from the next contests.
The challenge facing the Minnesota Timberwolves is enormous. The Oklahoma City Thunder are 2-0 up in the series, and haven't looked particularly uncomfortable so far. It's time for Anthony Edwards to step and take over.
If you want to watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Game 3) in the 2025 NBA playoffs for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Game 3)?Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Game 3) starts at 8:30 p.m. ET on May 24. This game takes place at Target Center.
How to watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Game 3) for freeMinnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Game 3) in the 2025 NBA playoffs is available to live stream for free on YouTube.
This free live stream is geo-restricted to India, but anyone can access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in India, meaning you can access this free live stream from anywhere in the world.
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Watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Game 3) for free
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select games from the NBA playoffs before recovering your investment.
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There's an earnest thread of hope in Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme, despite its anti-hero being a monument of corruption. Like many of Anderson's movies (The Royal Tenenbaums, Asteroid City, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr. Fox), his latest film focuses on a deeply flawed father who is determined to better connect to his brood. The biggest obstacle in his mission is always the man himself. But Anderson finds new flair in this film by playing within a new genre: the espionage thriller.
Anderson has long been condemned by those critics unmoved by the flattened delivery of his ensembles and his cinematic worlds painted in muted hues of pink and yellow, often condescendingly described as twee. Within these pillars of his style, Anderson has been rigorously interrogating toxic masculinity and how it collides with professional ambition and personal relationships. With The Phoenician Scheme, he brings assassins, spies, poisonous gas, gunplay, and explosions into the mix. These pops of blood and violence are more shocking because of how they visually disrupt Anderson's picture-book aesthetic. Yet, the father at the film’s core might be Anderson's most tender yet.
The Phoenician Scheme is a father-daughter story. Benicio del Toro as Zsa-zsa Korda and Mia Threapleton as Liesl in director Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme." Credit: TPS Productions / Focus FeaturesBenicio del Toro stars as notorious businessman Zsa-zsa Korda; he has no loyalty to nations, an unfettered ambition for wealth, and a reputation for international scheming and rampant corruption. He also has 10 children, including his eldest and only daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton), who is preparing to take her vows as a nun. Well, that is unless the irreligious Korda has his say.
Hated by world governments, spy agencies, and business rivals, Korda has the peculiar accomplishment of having survived a series of assassination attempts, including six plane crashes. Fearing his time may be running out, he reconnects with his estranged novitiate to compel her to leave the church and become the heiress to his fortune. But first, she has to be the assistant in his latest enterprise, "The Phoenician Scheme."
In explaining this complicated building project of tunnels, trains, and dams, Korda presents a number of various shoe boxes, harkening to Anderson's adoration for a static shot of personal relics. (Later, a so-called family reliquary will also relish the delicate beauty of treasured objects.) He'll take her on a cross-country trip through 1950 Phoenicia, during which they'll meet an array of colorful characters, played by the likes of recurring collaborators Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, and Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as new-to-the-troupe members Michael Cera and Riz Ahmed.
Though Liesl insists she wants a life of simplicity and devotion, Korda peppers her with a series of elaborate gifts, like a bejeweled rosary. Despite her protests, his effect on her can be seen in her changing appearance. Over the course of their adventure, Liesl's all-white novice uniform becomes peppered with color: red lipstick, green eye shadow, vibrant green tights, and a golden dagger. Her effect on her father is slower to show, but more profound, as he begins to question whether slave labor and man-made famines are not suitable business practices after all, and indeed may be "damnable — to hell!"
Benicio del Toro and Mia Threapleton are terrific together. Credit: TPS Productions / Focus FeaturesIt’s more than a generation gap that lies between the two, as Liesl harbors deep resentments against a father too emotionally guarded to accept responsibility for his shortcomings. This emotional disconnect grounds Anderson’s style of dialogue, which sprinkles abrupt honesty and intellectual curiosity in dialogue delivered softly yet sternly. When Liesl accuses her father of murdering her mother, her tone is restrained yet resolute. In response, he may bluster. But his bellowing is typically reserved for business partners in negotiations, where figures of traditional masculinity in formal finery or athletic gear roar sharp and fast at each other, much like the growling animals in Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Del Toro manages both modes, the softly grumbling patriarch and the hollering con man, with aplomb. As in The French Dispatch, he brings a bedraggled, world-weary texture to Anderson’s script, which silently speaks of a vulnerability beneath Korda's invincible persona.
Credit: TPS Productions / Focus FeaturesThreapleton proves a perfect scene partner for del Toro. With her big eyes and naturally frowning face, she ripples with tremors of emotion, ranging from annoyance to curiosity to protectiveness and love. Like her father, she speaks flatly. So even when she says of a particularly gaudy gift, “I love it,” her lack of enthusiasm amuses. But her swift action of immediately using the item speaks of her sincerity.
This conflict between the aural and visual plays out in several wonderfully throwback bits of comedy. Anderson harkens back to the era of the Great Stone Face, Buster Keaton, with characters facing off against deadly threats with comic physicality and pouncing into action with exaggerated poses of attack despite stoic expressions. Whether facing down another assassin or chasing a familial foe, the film’s stars have a winsome hilarity. Cera in particular, as a tutor besotted by Liesl, is laugh-out-loud funny.
Michael Cera was born to be in a Wes Anderson movie. Michael Cera as Bjorn and Mia Threapleton as Liesl in director Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme." Credit: TPS Productions / Focus FeaturesAs bug expert Bjorn, Cera is on the sidelines for much of the film, perched in the background with a curly wedge of blonde hair and carrying an array of baggage, a constant reminder Bjorn is but another acquisition of Korda's. Until he is not.
In his pursuit of Liesl, Bjorn reveals another, more swaggering side to himself. It’s an amusing and surprisingly sexy on-screen makeover. Cera plays both versions of Bjorn masterfully. With his gentle Swedish accent, he has a soft silliness as he earnestly speaks about the wonders of insects or gently tempts Liesl with a cold beer. Later, however, he is the rare truly self-confident Anderson character, an eccentric who owns up to his secrets but refuses to shrink from them. Joining with del Toro and Threapleton, Cera engages in a delicate dance of silliness and sincerity, nailing every step.
Of course, a Wes Anderson movie is always stuffed to the brim with terrific actors in quirky roles. The Phoenician Scheme does not disappoint on this front. It’s a thrill to see longtime collaborators like Bill Murray and Willem Dafoe pop up in a black-and-white series of heavenly visions. Recent collaborators like Bryan Cranston and Tom Hanks pop up for a brief yet splendidly entertaining sequence about bruised egos and competing masculinity. Where some Anderson movies have an actor who can’t quite find the tone and so ends up sticking out like a sore thumb, every piece of The Phoenician Scheme ensemble fits into its peculiar puzzle of corruption and family just right.
Credit: TPS Productions / Focus FeaturesOut of the Cannes Film Festival, several critics have condemned this film as one of Anderson’s very worst. Sincerely, I cannot connect to that reading. The Phoenician Scheme employs the pillars of style that have long supported Anderson's stories, while diving more deeply into a tale of a big, powerful man who's trapped by his own stodgy view of what being a man means. It is not Korda’s fleet of sons who might save his soul, but one pushy daughter who can’t resist a bit of shimmer. In that, The Phoenician Scheme becomes a charmingly hopeful tale about how even with our flaws we might find love, family, and salvation.
The Phoenician Scheme was reviewed out of the Cannes Film Festival. The movie will open in limited release in the U.S. on May 30 before going wide June 6.
In 2025, dating app fatigue is real, and frankly, who can blame daters? Popular apps are starting to look (and function) more and more like copies of each other and adding more and more AI features. Some daters are going to IRL events, even dungeon sound baths, to find love.
That being said, for those of us who are busy and/or a bit more introverted, dating apps have their pros. You can meet a wide range of people you wouldn't otherwise if you go to your local bar, and you can find out more about them from their profiles than what drinks they order.
SEE ALSO: The best dating apps worth downloading in 2025The truth is, dating apps aren't going away — and they're a big way potential partners meet each other.
So, are dating apps worth it?Even using the right app for you may still bring moments of uncertainty and frustration (you're dating, after all), but finding the app with the features that most align with your style of dating and the type of partnership you're looking for can absolutely still make online dating worth it.
According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 44 percent of adults say they use dating apps to find a long-term partner rather than just casual dating or hookups. This survey also found that one in 10 partnered adults met their current partner through a dating app. So, even if you've yet to find that magical, swoon-worthy connection, the statistics show that it's definitely possible to find true love through online dating. Some of our own writers and editors have even found lasting love on these apps.
If you've been using apps for a while and are experiencing serious burnout, it's always fair to take some time off and come back to them when you feel ready. Our guide will be here for you! Even the best app can feel exceptionally tedious when you simply don't have the energy.
Which dating app is best for serious relationships?There are so many dating apps, but not all of them are created equal when it comes to finding a serious, committed relationship.
Some free dating apps are better suited for casual flings or hookups (e.g., Tinder, Grindr, etc.), while others have matching algorithms and profile features specifically designed to help users find meaningful connections (e.g., eharmony, OkCupid, Hinge, and Coffee Meets Bagel).
The good news is that we've done the research (and hands-on testing) to figure out which apps work best for long-term relationships, and Match Group isn't the only player in the game. Plus, all of these platforms are available via Google Play and the App Store, so having an Android or iPhone won't limit your options. Some of the old-school dating sites still maintain a desktop version as well.
To find your match, here are the best dating apps for serious relationships in 2025:
Netflix has a lot of shows and movies from which to choose. Like, a lot. Sifting through all the streaming options can cause chronic indecision, leaving us scrolling down the Netflix main page just trying to pick something to watch.
Instead of getting overwhelmed and rewatching a Netflix OG classic like Stranger Things, Bridgerton, or Squid Game, how about trying something new? Sure, even that selection can be overwhelming. But we've done the hard part of watching them, and can confidently vouch for these.
Here are the best new Netflix original series released in the past 12 months.
1. Adolescence Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller in "Adolescence." Credit: Courtesy of NetflixThe buzziest title to hit the streamer since Baby Reindeer (and just as unlikely a success story), Adolescence is a four-part series created by British playwright Jack Thorne and actor Stephen Graham. It tells of the murder of a 13-year-old girl and the resulting investigation that narrows in on her classmate Jamie (an astonishing performance from young actor Owen Cooper), who is quickly accused of the crime. The story is refracted through several different perspectives, including Jamie's family (with Graham giving a deeply affecting turn as Jamie's conflicted father, Eddie), the police, and the psychologists grappling with the aftermath. Heralded as an incisive commentary on modern boyhood and parenting, Adolescence is about as can't-miss a television event as there is these days. You should expect this series to win all sorts of awards in the near future. — J.A.
How to watch: Adolescence is now streaming on Netflix.
2. The LeopardItalian author Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's 1958 novel has only been adapted one time previously. But since that adaptation, which dropped five years after the book, was from the legendary director Luchino Visconti and starred gorgeous movie stars Alain Delon, Claudia Cardinale, and Burt Lancaster (among many others), it's understandable it took another 60 years for anybody to want to go near the material again.
Still, the story — which focuses on an aristocratic family during the tumultuous unification of Italy in the 1850s — is epic enough that it made sense for it to now get the big-budget streamer miniseries treatment, and in the re-making, Netflix spared no expense. Costing $45 million, shot on location across Sicily, and utilizing thousands of extras on top of the main cast, The Leopard's six episodes are ones you'll want to watch on the biggest screen you've got in your home. More than one reviewer used the word "sumptuous" to describe it, and it's fitting to a T. — J.A.
How to watch: The Leopard is now streaming on Netflix.
3. Forever Michael Cooper Jr. as Justin Edwards and Lovie Simone as Keisha Clark "Forever." Credit: Elizabeth Morris / NetflixJudy Blume's 1975 novel has long been the subject of controversy thanks to its honest depiction of teenage sexuality — it's pretty much been on banned-book lists since its release. With book bannings in schools getting more frequent, it feels pointed in the best way to finally get a proper adaptation here. Starring Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr. as young lovers-to-be Keisha and Justin, Blume's classic has been modernized a bit by series creator Mara Brock Akil (Girlfriends). Now set in 2018, the two teenagers are Black athletes who, besides the usual high-school anxieties (including getting into college), have dreams of athletic greatness. Produced by Oscar-winner Regina King (who also directed the first episode), the series takes its time across eight episodes to immerse us in Keisha and Justin's lives, making us feel like we're right there in the confusing hormonal tumult of their teenage love story. — J.A.
How to watch: Forever is now streaming on Netflix.
4. The Glass DomeWe do love a dark Nordic crime thriller, and The Glass Dome is checking all of those boxes. Léonie Vincent plays Lejla, a big city criminologist who returns to her small Swedish hometown when her mother dies only to find herself then sucked into the murder of a childhood best friend. Of course Lejla has her own troubling past — she was abducted as a child — and her methodical uncovering of this new mystery begins to dig up long buried memories of her own traumas. And yes, all of this sounds like a dozen other series we've seen before, but if it's an itch you find yourself getting, this is a great way to scratch it, as the six episodes of The Glass Dome are awash in plenty of moody atmosphere and exquisitely disturbing imagery. — J.A.
How to watch: The Glass Dome is now streaming on Netflix.
5. Ransom Canyon Josh Duhamel as Staten and Minka Kelly as Quinn in "Ransom Canyon." Credit: Anna Kooris / NetflixBased on a series of Western romance novels by writer Jodi Thomas, Ransom Canyon should be considered the gingham-sexy flip side to the Yellowstone franchise. Starring Josh Duhamel as the rancher Staten Kirkland and Minka Kelly as the local dancehall proprietress Quinn O’Grady, who catches his stoic eye, it's all very "what Kathleen Turner's character Joan Wilder was writing in the movie Romancing the Stone." Handsome men in denim, handsome women in denim, and their tumultuous love affairs set against the prairies, yadda yadda. Which very much has its place! And Ransom Canyon fits said place like a ranch-hand's beaten up and dusty glove. —J.A.
How to watch: Ransom Canyon is now streaming on Netflix.
6. The Four SeasonsUpdating Alan Alda's 1981 film by the same name into an eight-part limited series, Tina Fey co-wrote and stars in The Four Seasons, a light dramedy of sorts that follows three couples across four vacations, one landing in each season of the year. Fey plays Kate, who is married to Jack (Will Forte), and who is longtime besties with Danny (Colman Domingo) and Nick (Steve Carell). For their parts, Danny's married to Claude (Marco Calvani) while Nick is going through a divorce from his wife Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver)...
If that sounds confusing, no worries, it all sorts itself out quick enough for anybody who's ever seen The Big Chill (which this series also gives off distinct vibes of) or any other generational friendship comedy of this kind. Which is to say that The Four Seasons is sweet and slow and observant, nothing like the manic laughs of 30 Rock, so we can properly sit back and watch these relationships shift and change with time while everybody's doing stellar lived-in work in their roles. (Domingo in particular continues being one of the great blessings of our age.) — J.A.
How to watch: The Four Seasons is now streaming on Netflix.
7. Zero Day Robert De Niro as George Mullen in "Zero Day." Credit: JoJo Whilden / NetflixWhile the political thriller Zero Day suffers from the both-sides-ism rampant in our current spineless media landscape — god forbid anyone takes sides when corporations are paying the tab! — it can still be enjoyed as a tangled-up spin on '70s paranoia thrillers with an exceptional and starry cast. You've got Robert De Niro (in his very first TV leading man gig) playing the former president, with Angela Bassett as the current one, and the two forced to work together after terrorists shut down the country via cyberattack. Lending ample support from there, you've got Jesse Plemons, Lizzy Caplan, Joan Allen, Connie Britton, Matthew Modine, Bill Camp, and Dan Stevens — a real who's who of hell yeahs. — J.A.
How to watch: Zero Day is now streaming on Netflix.
8. Tastefully YoursYou know the plot of the classic Jimmy Stewart movie The Shop Around the Corner? What about the plot of You've Got Mail then, since that's Nora Ephron doing a remake? It's the basis for basically every other rom-com in the 80 years since — two people in opposition at work because one values the thing being made while the other values the money the selling of the thing makes. But they fall in love despite their differences! Romance bridges the gap! Well, that's Tastefully Yours, a Korean meet-cute about food conglomerate heir Han Beom-woo (Kang Ha-neul) and picky chef Mo Yeon-joo (Go Min-si) who are forced to work together and end up finding love buried beneath all the kimchi. Bonus: besides the show's two leads being gorgeous and having buckets of chemistry, Tastefully Yours is spectacular food porn to boot. — J.A.
How to watch: Tastefully Yours is now streaming on Netflix.
9. Pulse Colin Woodell as Xander Phillips in "Pulse." Credit: Courtesy of NetflixA bit of an also-ran that got lost against the tidal wave of love for Noah Wyle's heart-pounding E.R. drama The Pitt, Netflix's similarly themed medical show Pulse still has plenty to recommend. Set in a Miami hospital that's engulfed by a hurricane, the show's first season is aided immeasurably by the ticking-clock feelings you get from its condensed time period — it's as if everything in Mother Nature's arsenal is being tossed at these beleaguered professionals all at once.
That includes a whole subplot about sex in the workplace when it turns out the chief surgeon (Colin Woodell) has been suspended after a report of inappropriate behavior with our lead, Dr. Simms (Willa Fitzgerald). That story lurks in between the show's chaos though — the main event is all of the shock and awe of an emergency room, and Pulse delivers that stuff in spades, staying compulsively watchable enough to keep your heart pitter-pattering the way these medical series are best intended to. — J.A.
How to watch: Pulse is now streaming on Netflix.
10. You (Season 5)If you've made it all the way to the fifth and final season of You, Netflix's sicko serial killer anti-romance starring a devilishly charming Penn Badgley, congratulations — it has plenty of the outlandish twists and turns you've come to expect. Now a prince of New York in a happily-ever-after marriage to a rich and influential woman (Charlotte Ritchie), Joe's promised to leave all of that nasty murder business in the past.
But that wouldn't make for a very entertaining series of episodes, now would it? Sure enough, before long Joe's back to his old dirty business again, and it's all gotten so over-the-top that you're best off just slamming shut the thinking part of your brain and taking the silly, sexy, sickening ride to its silly, sexy, and sickening conclusion. Don't stop to consider the amorality of it all until tomorrow, once your binge is done. Bad boys for life! — J.A.
How to watch: You is now streaming on Netflix.
11. The Gardener Álvaro Rico as Elmer in "The Gardener." Credit: Niete / NetflixRomance with amoral psychopaths is really in right now. Just in general — in the world at large, obviously. But also in entertainment! And so it goes with The Gardener, a slick Spanish six-part thriller starring the swoon-worthy Álvaro Rico as Elmer, a contract killer with a green thumb. Or vice versa. While the sign on the door might be for plant rescue, everybody's really buying murder when they walk into this greenhouse.
And that's fine for Elmer, because he was injured in a car accident as a child and doesn't have any of those fussy "emotions" that other people are always whining about. Not until he meets a sweet kindergarten teacher named Violeta (Catalina Sopelana) — nevermind that he's been hired to kill her too. These crazy kids will work through it, I'm sure! If Elmer's mother (Cecilia Suárez), the diabolical brains behind the operation, doesn't get in their way, that is. — J.A.
How to watch: The Gardener is now streaming on Netflix.
12. Bad ThoughtsComedian Tom Segura isn't for everybody, And not every skit in this twisted six-episode sketch comedy series lands. (Anybody so obsessed with "pushing the limit" can and will occasionally grate.) But when the bits do land, they make for a smorgasbord of hilariously disgusting surrealism and the lesser moments in between seem to fall away. Presented as a series of Segura's worst instincts brought to fantastical life, Bad Thoughts is a lot of shock and awe — mostly shock. (If explicit shit-plop potty humor ain't your cuppa, you'll probably wanna run in the opposite direction.)
And while there are guest stars like Dan Stevens, Rachel Bloom, and Shea Whigham popping up in every episode, Segura saves the biggest humiliations for the characters Segura plays himself. Which, as Johnny Knoxville proved back in the day with a million kicks to his own nuts, is as it should be for any respectable jock o' shock comedy. Transgress unto yourself before transgressing unto others. — J.A.
How to watch: Bad Thoughts is now streaming on Netflix.
13. The Residence Uzo Aduba as Cordelia Cupp in "The Residence." Credit: Jessica Brooks / NetflixSince we can only get a new Benoit Blanc mystery every couple of years, here comes The Residence to save the day. Starring Emmy-winner Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black) as the colorful sleuth slash bird-watcher Cordelia Cupp, a murder has occurred at a White House state dinner, and everybody's a suspect! And that's a lot of mustache-twirling everybodies — eyebrow-raising representatives from across the globe are on hand, played by a wide world of comedy wizards including Jane Curtin, Jason Lee, Ken Marino, Giancarlo Esposito, Randall Park, Bronson Pinchot, Taran Killam, and, naturally, Kylie Minogue as herself. Among many, many others. Produced by Shonda Rhimes, The Residence maybe stretches a single mystery a little thin at eight episodes, but everybody's having so much fun it mostly whizzes by and goes down easy nonetheless. — J.A.
How to watch: The Residence is now streaming on Netflix.
14. UnseenNow into its second season, this South African action drama stars Gail Mabalane as a wallflower of a cleaning lady named Zenzi whose search for her missing husband leads her into a labyrinthine John Wick–like criminal underworld. Like in the original French series this is a remake of, it's Zenzi's ability to not get noticed that works in her favor… for a while, anyway! Until Zenzi's in way over her head with all of the piling-up bodies. Thankfully for as over-the-top as things get (wait til you see her fight off an attacker while chained to a table in prison early in the second season!) Mabalane remains extremely easy to root for, and Unseen is as addictive as ever. — J.A.
How to watch: Unseen is now streaming on Netflix.
15. Black Mirror (Season 7) Chris O'Dowd and Rashida Jones in "Black Mirror" Season 7 episode, "Common People." Credit: Robert Falconer / NetflixThe latest season of Charlie Brooker's astonishingly long-legged science-fiction anthology series is as good as anything the show's put out since premiering in the UK a full decade and a half ago. Brooker is somehow still finding new and stomach-churning ways to mine the unease of technological advances, gifting us with Twilight Zone–ish affairs of humor and horror in equal measure — there's Issa Rae and Emma Corrin starring in a black-and-white classic-Hollywood queer romance by way of AI; you've also got Paul Giamatti mining his memories for public display at an old friend's memorial service.
The real gut-punch of the season (there's always at least one) is the one called "Common People," starring Chris O'Dowd and Rashida Jones as a couple who get sucked into a nefarious medical program run by a terrifyingly chipper Tracee Ellis Ross. Lambasting the nightmare state of healthcare in this country, this episode, the very first of the season, will knock you on your ass if you've ever had to deal with the real-world equivalent of the industry's hamster wheel economics. It's too close to home, Mr. Brooker! — J.A.
How to watch: Black Mirror is now streaming on Netflix.
Netflix Starts at $7.99/Month at NetflixConnections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Teams located in the Volunteer State
Green: Baseball stats
Blue: Recent world champions
Purple: Cup Competitions
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Tennessee Pro Teams
Green: Baseball Stat Abbreviations
Blue: Last Four Teams to Win A Super Bowl
Purple: Soccer "Cups"
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #243 is...
What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition todayTennessee Pro Teams - GRIZZLIES, NASHVILLE SC, PREDATORS, TITANS
Baseball Stat Abbreviations - HR, PA, SO, WHIP
Last Four Teams to Win A Super Bowl - BUCCANEERS, CHIEFS, EAGLES, RAMS
Soccer "Cups" - CARABAO, FA, MLS, WORLD
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
TL;DR: Live stream PSG vs. Arsenal in the Women's Champions League for free on DAZN. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
This weekend is absolutely stacked with huge games across a number of sports, including the Women's Champions League final. Arsenal take on defending champions Barcelona in this showpiece event.
The last time that Arsenal won this competition was back in 2007, and they are going up against a dominant force in this final. Barcelona has competed in the last four Women's Champions League finals, winning three of them. Another win here makes it four from five — that's the challenge facing Alessia Russo, Leah Williamson, and Katie McCabe.
If you want to watch Arsenal vs. Barcelona in the Women's Champions League final from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is the 2025 Women's Champions League final?Arsenal vs. Barcelona in the Women's Champions League final kicks off at 12 p.m. ET on May 24. This fixture takes place at the Estádio José Alvalade.
How to watch the 2025 Women's Champions League final for freeArsenal vs. Barcelona in the Women's Champions League final is available to live stream for free on DAZN.
This free live stream is not available all around the world, but anyone can access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock this live stream on DAZN to watch the Women's Champions League final for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream the Women's Champions League final for free by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit DAZN
Watch Arsenal vs. Barcelona for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Women's Champions League final without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Arsenal vs. Barcelona before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for DAZN?ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on DAZN, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream Arsenal vs. Barcelona in the Women's Champions League final for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream PSG vs. Reims in the Coupe de France final for free on France TV. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
PSG are on the brink of a truly special season. They've already secured the Ligue 1 title and they face off against Inter Milan in the Champions League final on May 31. But there's another massive game on their schedule: the final of the Coupe de France.
PSG meet Reims in the final of this competition. PSG will be favorites to win this showpiece event, but we've already seen plenty of surprise results this season. Can Reims follow the lead of the likes of Bologna and Crystal Palace by upsetting the odds and winning the domestic cup?
If you want to watch PSG vs. Reims in the Coupe de France final for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is the 2025 Coupe de France final?PSG vs. Reims in the Coupe de France final starts at 3 p.m. ET on May 24. This fixture takes place at the Stade de France.
How to watch the 2025 Coupe de France final for freePSG vs. Reims in the Coupe de France final is available to live stream for free on France TV.
France TV is geo-restricted to France, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in France, meaning you can live stream on France TV from anywhere in the world.
Live stream PSG vs. Reims for free by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in France
Visit France TV
Live stream PSG vs. Reims for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch PSG vs. Reims without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream the Coupe de France final before recovering your investment.
if you want to retain permanent access to free streaming platforms from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for live sport?ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on France TV, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including France
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream PSG vs. Reims in the Coupe de France final for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream Aberdeen vs. Celtic in the Scottish Cup final for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Aberdeen last won the Scottish Cup in 1990, but they've got an opportunity to put 35 years of hurt behind them as they face off against Celtic in the 2025 Scottish Cup final. Sure, Celtic will be favorites as they look to add to their 41 victories in this competition, but anything can happen in a final.
We've already seen Crystal Palace upset the odds in a domestic cup final this season, so why can't Aberdeen do the same?
If you want to watch Aberdeen vs. Celtic in the Scottish Cup final for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is the 2025 Scottish Cup final?Aberdeen vs. Celtic in the Scottish Cup final starts at 3 p.m. BST on May 24. This fixture takes place at Hampden Park.
How to watch the 2025 Scottish Cup final for freeAberdeen vs. Celtic in the Scottish Cup final is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Aberdeen vs. Celtic for free by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Live stream Aberdeen vs. Celtic for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Aberdeen vs. Celtic without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream the Scottish Cup final before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for live sport?ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream Aberdeen vs. Celtic in the Scottish Cup final for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream Arminia Bielefeld vs. VfB Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final for free on ServusTV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Not many fans would have predicted that Arminia Bielefeld would be facing off against VfB Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final, but here we are. Arminia Bielefeld are taking part in the DFB-Pokal final for the first time in their history.
Could the third-division team go all the way and do something incredibly special? We've already seen Crystal Palace upset the odds this season by securing their first domestic cup, but no side from Germany's third tier has ever lifted the trophy. It seems unlikely, but Arminia Bielefeld have already knocked out holders Bayer Leverkusen at the semi-final stage. Anything is possible at this point.
If you want to watch Arminia Bielefeld vs. VfB Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is the 2025 DFB-Pokal final?Arminia Bielefeld vs. VfB Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final kicks off at 2 p.m. ET on May 24. This fixture takes place at the Olympiastadion.
How to watch the 2025 DFB-Pokal final for freeArminia Bielefeld vs. VfB Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final is available to live stream for free on ServusTV.
ServusTV is geo-restricted to Austria, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Austria, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access this free live stream on ServusTV from anywhere in the world.
Unblock ServusTV by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Austria
Visit ServusTV
Stream Arminia Bielefeld vs. VfB Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final for free
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to provide free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to ServusTV without committing with your cash. This is not a long-term solution, but it gives you plenty of time to stream Arminia Bielefeld vs. VfB Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for ServusTV?ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport on ServusTV, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Austria
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream Arminia Bielefeld vs. VfB Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal final for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream Northampton Saints vs. Union Bordeaux-Bègles in the 2025 Champions Cup final for free on France TV, RTÉ Player, or S4C on BBC iPlayer. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The eyes of the rugby world will turn to the Millennium Stadium as Northampton Saints take on Union Bordeaux-Bègles in the final of the Champions Cup. The Saints stunned everyone by beating Leinster in an epic semi-final matchup, but can they go all the way and beat the talented team from Bordeaux?
If you want to watch Northampton Saints vs. Union Bordeaux-Bègles in the 2025 Champions Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is the 2025 Champions Cup final?Northampton Saints vs. Union Bordeaux-Bègles in the 2025 Champions Cup final kicks off at 2:45 p.m. BST on May 24. This fixture takes place at the Millennium Stadium.
How to watch the 2025 Champions Cup final for freeNorthampton Saints vs. Union Bordeaux-Bègles in the 2025 Champions Cup final is available to live stream for free on a number of platforms:
France — France TV
Ireland — RTÉ Player
UK — S4C on BBC iPlayer
These streaming platforms are geo-restricted, but anyone can access these free live streams with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure servers in other locations, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Champions Cup final from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Northampton Saints vs. Union Bordeaux-Bègles for free by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in France, Ireland, or the UK
Visit France TV, RTÉ Player, or S4C on BBC iPlayer
Watch Northampton Saints vs. Union Bordeaux-Bègles for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions Cup final without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Northampton Saints vs. Union Bordeaux-Bègles before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming platforms from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for RTÉ Player?ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream Northampton Saints vs. Union Bordeaux-Bègles in the 2025 Champions Cup final for free with ExpressVPN.
FREE LEGO: On June 11, build a Lego Planet model at participating stores and take it home with you for free. Find participating stores here.
Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego: Free Planet for World Play Day Learn MoreHere we go again. Lego has been running make and take events all year, providing fans with the opportunity to build and take home exclusive models for absolutely nothing. Looking for the catch? There isn't one.
Following on from the generous Steering Wheel, Valentine's Day Heart, Mother's Day Bouquet, Grogu, and Father's Day Paddle events, the Lego World Play Day Planet make and take event is confirmed.
SEE ALSO: Building the 'Twilight' Lego set was the therapy session I didn’t know I neededVisitors to select Lego Stores on June 11 (from 5-7 p.m.) will have the chance to participate in a World Play Day make and take event. During this event, participants can build and take home a Planet model for free. This event is intended for participants aged 6+ years, and the model will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis while supplies last. Find participating stores here.
What's important to note is that this free Planet model is not available for purchase. So by taking part, you're getting your hands on an exclusive item without spending anything. You are limited to one build per participant, but that feels fair.
Build and take home an exclusive Lego Planet model for free on June 11.
The best deals this week, hand-picked by Mashable's team of expertsRoku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $99.00 (List Price $99.99)
Beats Pill Bluetooth Speaker — $99.95 (List Price $149.95)
Roborock Qrevo Master Robot Vacuum and Mop — $899.99 (List Price $1599.99)
Peloton Bike — $1,145.00 (List Price $1445.00)
Apple AirTag (4-Pack) — $74.99 (List Price $99.00)
TL;DR: There are only three days left to hop on this BitMar offer. Grab this lifetime content aggregator and get access to millions of free shows, movies, etc., for only $14.99 with code BITMAR5.
If you're tired of hopping between streaming platforms to catch your favorite shows, movies, and music, BitMar offers a refreshing alternative. With your one-time payment of $14.99 (reg. $150 with code BITMAR5, you can unlock lifetime access to an all-in-one streaming platform that consolidates content from various sources into a single, easy-to-navigate interface.
What is BitMar?BitMar isn't just another streaming service — it's a content aggregator powered by AI, similar to Bing's search engine. It scours the web to bring you millions of free, on-demand movies, TV shows, channels, videos, and songs from platforms like YouTube and TV networks. Whether you're in the mood for a classic film, the latest TV episode, or international content, BitMar has you covered.
Check out all the other perks of owning BitMar:
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With streaming costs on the rise and content spread across multiple platforms (we're looking at you, Netflix), BitMar simplifies your entertainment experience. Instead of managing multiple subscriptions, BitMar consolidates all of the best free content into one platform, saving you time when choosing what to watch and putting extra money back in your wallet.
Grab this BitMar lifetime subscription for just $14.99 — enter code BITMAR5 at checkout to grab it at this low price.
StackSocial prices subject to change
Opens in a new window Credit: BitMar BitMar Streaming Content-Finder: Lifetime Subscription $14.99
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