Month: June 2025

With Talk to Me, the 2023 horror opus about a spirit-conjuring mummified hand wreaking havoc on an unlucky group of teens, Australian filmmakers (and brothers) Danny and Michael Phillipou instantly solidified their place in the ranks of the genre’s greats. Much like Ari Aster’s Hereditary (2018) and David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows (2014), to which the Phillipou’s debut owes much, Talk to Me unequivocally heralded a new Big Thing in horror cinema at a boom time for the genre. Their follow-up, Bring Her Back, which hit cinemas on May 30 and is now streaming, boasts a similar mix of occult chills and shocking violence. Is it as good as Talk to Me, or is it in a different league altogether?

Oscar-nominee Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) stars as Laura, certainly the world’s worst foster mother, who comes into the possession (not quite “care”) of teenage Andy (an exceptional Billy Barratt) and his blind sister Piper (Sora Wong) following their father’s suicide. The siblings join Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), who recently lost his parents and sister and has since refused to speak. As it happens, Laura is also grieving a recent loss. Her daughter, Cathy (Mischa Heywood), drowned in the backyard pool, which now lies drained. Laura has little interest in Andy, but she’s drawn to his sister. Cathy, Laura pointedly tells Piper, was blind, too.

As it turns out—and this is a bit of a spoiler, but it’s also given away in the trailers and, in fact, the title—Laura wants to use Piper’s body to revive Cathy’s spirit. According to the cult to which Laura subscribes, the soul lives on in the body for a short time after death. Until she can wrangle herself a foster child who suitably resembles Cathy, Laura is keeping the dead child’s spirit alive in Oliver. Cathy herself, meanwhile, lies desiccated in the tool shed.

As you can surmise, Bring Her Back is remarkably macabre and frankly grisly, and it’s rendered in an admirably straightforward fashion. There’s little humor to undercut the dread; the scenario is taken seriously rather than played for baroque camp. Talk to Me benefited from a similar approach, but it suffered from too often showing its influences. Bring Her Back feels like the work of immensely talented filmmakers who, in the wake of a well-deserved success, have now become immensely assured filmmakers.

An equal amount of credit falls to Hawkins, a consistently spectacular actor who here gives a performance that’s on par with Toni Collette in Hereditary, which has become the watermark for horror performances which really should’ve won a few awards but tragically didn’t. Hawkins, who’s best known for the Paddington movies and The Shape of Water but got her start collaborating with Mike Leigh in his ultra-realistic, frequently bleak domestic dramas, gives a startling against-type turn which is so heartfelt and effective that it almost undoes the movie’s conceit. She imbues Laura with such empathy and desperation that you find yourself not only sympathizing with her plight but subtly hoping she succeeds. Of course, we’d never help her. But if the plan goes off, good for her. It’s an astounding piece of work, one of the best on-screen performances of the year.

As for the film itself, it’s largely exceptional. Talk to Me was greatly entertaining and possessed a real vision, but it was so indebted to other films that at times it was hard to tell if the Phillipous had the goods or were simply exceptionally able imitators. (The same debate rages on about Brian De Palma to this day.) With their second feature, the filmmakers prove to be studious disciples of horror but crucially of cinema as well. They have an innately satisfying sense of pacing and structure, infusing an old-school rhythm with dashes of modern violence and perversion which make what you’re watching seem oddly out of time and especially harrowing. Hawkins’ presence is especially suitable as Bring Her Back invokes Leigh’s work in both its naturalism and specific, occasionally nihilistic, world view, though admittedly the horrors here are far more externalized.

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That’s not to say Bring Her Back is a wholly original work which will rewrite the conventions of horror forthcoming, but it does feel a far more singular creation than Talk to Me. Here, the Phillipous are particularly skilled at delivering tried-and-true genre tropes (doomed is the well-meaning social worker who makes a third-act trip to the house of horrors) whilst simultaneously sending those conventions out the window. The situations are familiar, but their outcome less so. Yet there are certain tricks on which the directors fall back that threaten to wear out their welcome. Like Talk to Me, Bring Her Back contains a toe-curling moment of demonically possessed self-harm—two, in fact, both of which will send you retching. Admittedly, both instances are horrifically effective and so disgustingly nasty, so positively demented, that it provokes a sense of wonderment. But one does wonder in how many more movies that card can and should be played.

Of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Halloween director John Carpenter famously said: “It rode the knife edge of terror like no other. It pacified my soul. [After watching it,] I went home and slept like a baby. Perhaps there is no greater compliment than that.” If you’re of a similar persuasion, if you enjoy the darker side of cinema and find a particular comfort in celluloid terror, Bring Her Back will provoke that sort of reaction. It’s one of this year’s very best films, and though its more gruesome elements prevent an endorsement for squeamish viewers, it’s the type of horror movie which transcends the genre to appeal to those who would not usually plump for such a nightmarish ordeal. In fact, Bring Her Back is the best type of horror movie: one which uses the genre’s template to craft a supremely human drama about the everyday horrors which surround us.

Bring Her Back is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video and other major rental platforms.

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The wildly popular, massive convenience store chain Buc-ee’s already has two locations in Georgia. 

However, the chain is expanding in that state as of July 1, when it will open a new location in Brunswick, GA.

That’s according to the Texas-based chain’s website, which reveals the new store will be located at 6900 Hwy 99. The store opening comes the day after Buc-ee’s continued its expansion by opening its first-ever Virginia store in Rockingham County.

Buc-ee’s is known for its Texas-sized array of merchandise and food, along with dozens of gas pumps.

The chain is located in 11 states, with most stores by far in Texas, with 36, according to USA Today. The chain first launched in 1982, according to its website.

According to WJCL-TV, the new Georgia Buc-ee’s will swing open its doors to customers for the first time at 6 a.m. July 1. When the Virginia store opened on June 10, people were lined up outside and thousands ended up visiting.

WJCL-TV reported that the Brunswick Buc-ee’s was in the works for two years, and another is planned nearby in South Carolina, in the community of Hardeeville.

Fox 5 Atlanta described the Buc-ee’s experience as “like walking into a theme park for snack lovers and gas guzzlers alike.”

The locations are known for their 120 gas pumps, the station reported. USA Today noted that Buc-ee’s claim to fame includes “reputably clean bathrooms and beaver mascot.”

According to Fox 5 Atlanta, the new Buc-ee’s in Georgia will open in Glynn County “about 6 miles from Darien and 8 miles from Pinehurst.”

The new facility is expected to employ about 200 people, the television station noted.

There are 69 Buc-ee’s stores in the U.S., according to USA Today.

“Brunswick is a natural stop between our Florida and South Carolina locations; on a stretch of interstate near the beautiful Georgia coastline. The community has welcomed us with open arms, and we are excited to finally get started here,” said Stan Beard of Buc-ee’s to Grice Connect.

Related: Opening of 1st Buc-ee’s Store in Virginia Draws Thousands

There’s a reason that Buc-ee’s is often considered the Walmart of convenience stores.

From the brisket to the merchandise, the massive gas station/convenience store concept has become a popular one. Thus, when a new Buc-ee’s opens up in a state, it can generate excitement.

And that’s what happened on June 30 when the chain opened its first ever location in Virginia. Virginia marks the 11th state to have a Buc-ee’s, according to the company’s website. There are also stores on the East Coast in Georgia and South Carolina, but Virginia marks the chain’s first location outside the southern U.S., according to NBC Washington.

Thousands of people came to Mount Crawford in Rockingham County for the grand opening, according to WHSV-TV.

The new store opened at 6 a.m., but many customers were already outside, lining up “in the early hours of the morning,” the television station reported. 

“Thousands more cycled in and out of the center throughout the day,” WHSV-TV reported.

According to WJLA-TV, the Virginia Buc-ee’s has 120 gas pumps and a 74,000 square foot building. 

The Buc-ee’s chain is based in Texas, and is known for its Texas super size concept.

The chain is also opening a new store in Brunswick, GA, on July 1, according to its website.

On its website, Buc-ee’s boasts about holding a number of world records, including the largest convenience store in the world (based in Luling, TX). 

The website also says the chain holds the world record for the longest car wash.

All Buc-ee’s are open year round for 24 hours a day, according to the website.

The Virginia Buc-ee’s drew enough excitement that a Washington D.C. television station informed viewers it was only about two hours away by car.

According to that station, the Virginia Buc-ee’s is the company’s 69th store. It’s located off of Interstate 81, that station reported.

Related: Major Starbucks Competitor Opens First Locations in U.S.

Residents of Hendersonville, NC, claimed to see a bizarre sight the night of Sunday, June 29.^.

They reported seeing rings of black smoke floating in the sky, sparking curiosity and confusion.

People flocked to social media to post pictures and videos of the odd sight and sent photos to local news stations.

Facebook posts from the Hendersonville, NC, group speculated on the weird occurrence.  One user asked for insight, stating. “Mom was driving through Hendersonville today and is wondering what these odd smoke rings may have been caused by. Seeing if anyone has any insight.”

However, local law enforcement later reported that they had solved the mystery. Before they made that announcement, the theories varied. 

Some said that the rings were from tractors. Others claimed aliens as the culprit. A few comments mentioned diesel trucks. One person mentioned, “It was not a diesel truck. It was an Allegiant plane, about 30 of us pulled over on 26.”

The prevailing theory in the Facebook group appeared to be that the black smoke rings resulted from fireworks. However, some people claimed they watched the smoke rings appear and never saw any fireworks.

A comment on the Facebook group claimed ownership of the rings, stating that it was from a firebomb that their neighbor shot off.

Other residents chose to have fun with the sightings. One comment said, “The Jolly Green Giant was blowing smoke rings.” Another blamed the Wicked Witch of the West.

Videos on TikTok and other platforms show similar sightings from across the country. 

Local news station News 13 reported that it had received information from Hendersonville resident Monica Stancato, who sent in photos with this caption: “Seen this evening after loud booms; saw two planes circling, around 9p.m., what is this?”

However, the matter seems to have been put to rest by local law enforcement.

A spokesperson from the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office told News 13, “A lot of those photos have been making the rounds on Facebook and TikTok, but the rings are just from certain fireworks…nothing to be concerned about.”

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In the ever-expanding universe of microscopic life, scientists have uncovered something that might force us to redraw the boundaries of what counts as “alive.”

Meet Sukunaarchaeum mirabile, a tiny cellular oddity recently discovered by researchers in Canada and Japan, according to a new paper published on the bioRxiv server. It’s not quite a virus, and it’s not fully a living cell either, but it carries traits of both.

Named after a Japanese deity famed for its small size, Sukunaarchaeum sports one of the smallest genomes ever recorded—just 238,000 base pairs, less than half that of the previous smallest-known archaeal genome. 

And while viruses are typically excluded from the tree of life due to their reliance on host cells for key functions, this organism complicates that definition in a big way.

Like a virus, Sukunaarchaeum relies on a host to carry out many of its biological tasks. But unlike a virus, it’s capable of building its own ribosomes and messenger RNA. These are the basic building blocks that enable an organism to translate genetic code into protein, which is something viruses can’t do on their own.

Its stripped-down genome reveals an obsessive focus on replication. It contains little else besides the machinery needed to copy itself. 

“Its genome is profoundly stripped-down, lacking virtually all recognizable metabolic pathways, and primarily encoding the machinery for its replicative core: DNA replication, transcription, and translation,” the researchers wrote.

This means it leans heavily on its host for everything from energy to nutrients.

The discovery happened almost by accident. 

Molecular biologist Ryo Harada and his team at Dalhousie University were examining the DNA of a marine plankton species when they found a strand of genetic material that didn’t match any known organism. After digging deeper, they identified it as part of the Archaea domain—a group of ancient microbes from which modern complex cells likely evolved.

If Sukunaarchaeum proves anything, it’s that nature doesn’t follow strict definitions. In fact, this discovery could fundamentally reshape how we think about cellular evolution and the blurry line between life and not-life.

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