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‘Oppenheimer’ review: A bomb and its fallout hit with maximum impact

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:52:02 GMT

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is a kinetic thing of dark, imposing beauty that quakes with the disquieting tremors of a forever rupture in the course of human history.“Oppenheimer,” a feverish three-hour immersion in the life of Manhattan Project mastermind J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), is poised between the shock and aftershock of the terrible revelation, as one character calls it, of a divine power.There are times in Nolan’s latest opus that flames fill the frame and visions of subatomic particles flitter across the screen — montages of Oppenheimer’s own churning visions. But for all the immensity of “Oppenheimer,” this is Nolan’s most human-scaled film — and one of his greatest achievements.It’s told principally in close-ups, which, even in the towering detail of IMAX 70mm, can’t resolve the vast paradoxes of Oppenheimer. He was said to be a magnetic man with piercing blue eyes (Murphy has those...

Trial for former UC Davis student accused of 2 fatal stabbings to begin Monday

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:52:02 GMT

The jury trial for Carlos Dominguez, the former UC Davis student accused of killing two people and injuring a third in a string of stabbings in Davis earlier this year, is set to begin Monday.Dominguez appeared in Yolo Superior Court briefly on Wednesday for the trial readiness conference alongside court-appointed public defender Dan Hutchinson and prosecuting attorney Matthew De Moura.In May, Dominguez pleaded not guilty to two counts of premeditated murder and one count of attempted murder. Criminal proceedings were paused shortly after when Hutchinson questioned Dominguez’s mental competency and requested the court order a psychiatric assessment.A doctor found Dominguez not competent to stand trial last month. However, De Moura disputed the doctor’s findings and requested a jury trial. At the trial, the burden will fall on the defense to prove the defendant’s mental incompetency. If the jury agrees that he is not competent, Dominguez would undergo hospitalization until his compet...

Judge nixes Trump bid to move NY hush money case

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:52:02 GMT

By Michael R. Sisak and Larry Neumeister | Associated PressNEW YORK — A federal judge on Wednesday rejected Donald Trump’s bid to move his hush-money criminal case from New York state court to federal court, ruling that the former president had failed to meet a high legal bar for changing jurisdiction.U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein’s decision sets the stage for Trump to stand trial in state court in Manhattan as early as next spring, overlapping with the 2024 presidential primary season in what could be a frenetic stretch of legal action as the twice-indicted Republican seeks a return to the White House.Separately, Trump is charged in federal court in Florida with illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and impeding investigators. Prosecutors want that case to go to trial in December.Trump’s lawyers can appeal Hellerstein’s ruling to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan.The judge signaled his decision at a hearing...

Death toll rises from heavy rain, flooding in Northeast

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:52:02 GMT

Associated PressMAYFIELD, Ky. — High-water rescue crews pulled people from flooded homes and vehicles Wednesday in Kentucky, where waves of thunderstorms prompted flash flood warnings and watches. A search continued for two children swept away after torrential rains in the northeastern United States.The National Weather Service issued flash flood watches and warnings, estimating that as much as 10 inches of rain could fall in the area where Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri meet at the convergence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The weather system will then move Thursday and Friday over New England, where the ground remains saturated after recent floods.Atmospheric scientists say the global warming responsible for unrelenting heat in the Southwest also is making this kind of extreme rainfall a more frequent reality, because clouds hold more moisture as the temperature rises, resulting in more destructive storms.With so much rain falling so quickly, it was a “life-threatening...

‘Barbie’ review: A life in plastic looks fantastic

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:52:02 GMT

For someone who’s 11½ inches tall and weighs under 8 ounces, poor Barbie’s had to carry an awfully heavy load over the years on that slender, plastic back of hers.Welcomed as a trailblazer in 1959 — An adult doll! With actual breasts! — she was nonetheless branded an anti-feminist a decade later when women’s rights marchers chanted “I Am Not a Barbie Doll,” referring to her unrealistic body type (and perhaps ignoring the fact that she was single, a homeowner and a career woman).As years went by, Barbie had her hits (adopting a more inclusive body type, running for president) and misses (exclaiming “Math class is TOUGH!” — ouch). Through it all, this lightning rod in tiny pink heels remained uniquely talented at reinventing herself.Which is why it makes sense that now, writer-director Greta Gerwig takes Barbie in more than one direction — in every direction, really — in her brash, clever, idea-packed (if ultimately TOO packed) and...

SAG strikers lament lack of A-listers on picket line: ‘Where the f–k is Ben Affleck?’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:52:02 GMT

By Holly Aguirre, New York Daily NewsLOS ANGELES — By 9 a.m. on Tuesday, hundreds of SAG/AFTRA and WGA members and supporters had gathered outside the Netflix studios on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood. Armed with signs, water and sunscreen, the picketers represent the 160,000 actors in the Screen Actors Guild who went on strike last week, joining the Writers Guild of America.While there are several bones of contention, the strikers are fed up with lack of residuals from streaming services and threats of having their likenesses used in perpetuity with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for no additional compensation.Some are also frustrated by the lack of an A-lister presence on the picket line.“I would love to know where the one and two percent actors are,” said a SAG member who goes by the Instagram moniker @strikesigns.US actor Tim Jo (C) walks a picket line with members of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild outside of Paramount Studios in Lo...

Judicial overhaul: Cracks appear in Israel’s military

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:52:02 GMT

By Tia Goldenberg | Associated PressJERUSALEM — Cracks are emerging in Israel’s military.The Middle East’s best equipped and most powerful force is under one of the worst assaults it has encountered — a battle within its own ranks.A contentious government plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary has cleaved deep rifts within Israeli society. Those rifts have infiltrated the military, where reservists in key units have pledged not to show up for duty if the legislative changes are pushed through.The letters, signed by thousands of reservists over the last seven months, have up to now mostly remained threats. But this week, 161 critical air force personnel announced they will stop their service, raising concerns about the military’s readiness in the face of similar refusals at a time of heightened violence and tensions on several fronts. On Wednesday, hundreds of reservists from various units joined a rally in Tel Aviv, declaring they would not report for duty ...

North Korea silent on fate of border-crossing US soldier

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:52:02 GMT

By Hyung-Jin Kim, Kim Tong-Hyung and Lolita C. Baldor | Associated PressSEOUL, South Korea — North Korea stayed silent Wednesday about the detention of an American soldier who sprinted across the Koreas’ heavily fortified border as members of his tour group looked on in shock. Some observers said heightened tensions between the two countries made it unlikely that he would be sent back any time soon.Pvt. Travis King bolted into North Korea while on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone on Tuesday, a day after he was supposed to travel to a base in the U.S. He was released from a South Korean prison July 10 after serving two months for assault and was scheduled to return to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he could have faced additional military discipline and discharge.King is the first known American held in North Korea in nearly five years. Each detention has set off complicated diplomatic wrangling, and this one comes at a time of elevated animosity. On Wednesday, North Korea test-fired ...

Pac-12 football: Five storylines to watch Friday at the summer media showcase

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:52:02 GMT

The most anticipated Pac-12 football season in recent memory begins Friday (unofficially, at least) with the annual media showcase.Here are five storylines to watch in Las Vegas.1. The main eventWe know what commissioner George Kliavkoff won’t say during his state-of-the-conference address. He won’t say the Pac-12 has signed a media rights deal and secured its future. That colossal issue has not yet been resolved (and could take another month, at least).Instead, Kliavkoff will focus on the upcoming football season and the star-studded lineup of players and coaches in attendance on Friday.That won’t be easy.The question-and-answer session with the media that follows his opening remarks undoubtedly will focus on the contract saga and the potential for schools to leave for the Big 12.Kliavkoff hasn’t commented publicly on the negotiations since December and has never provided a timeline for resolution.Will he offer any details? A series of non-answers would mere...

San Jose teen makes triumphant homecoming in starring role of hit musical

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:52:02 GMT

Isabella Esler is going back home.And she’s doing it in a very cool way.The San Jose teen, who graduated from Archbishop Mitty High School in 2022, makes her way back to the 4-0-8 as one of the stars of the hit Broadway musical “Beetlejuice.”Esler plays Lydia — the role that Winona Ryder made famous in the 1988 film version of “Beetlejuice” —  in this touring production, which checks into San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts for six nights, Aug. 1-6. Tickets are $33 – $153, broadwaysanjose.com.It’s a huge achievement for Esler, who honed her acting and singing skills in numerous Children’s Musical Theater San Jose (CMTSJ) productions over the years. And it’s certainly not something that she expected to be doing so soon out of high school.“In my head, I was convinced I was going to college,” she says. “Then this whole thing happened.”Yet, her success certainly hasn’t surprised those who’ve known ...