Teenage drama is interrupted by extraterrestrial phenomena in this exclusive clip for 'Watch the Skies' (video)
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Flying saucer enthusiasts and curious Ufologists will be craning their necks toward the heavens after checking out our exclusive clip for "Watch the Skies," a refreshing Swedish sci-fi movie being released on May 9, 2025, from XYZ Films ("Ash").
Titled "UFO Freak," the uncanny 2-minute sneak peek reveals strange phenomena erupting around a group of teens hanging out at a late-night gathering in an abandoned building, causing them to scatter.
This charming, nostalgic film is also being billed as the world's first "AI-dubbed" international flick using a procedure developed by Flawless to match up the lip movements of the characters from Swedish to English, and the results are pretty impressive. The process required the original foreign actors to record their dialogue in English prior to applying the pioneering TrueSynch technology.
Directed by Swedish filmmaker Victor Danell, "Watch the Skies" involves a spunky teenager named Denise whose father has vanished and was possibly abducted by extraterrestrials seen in the nearby forests.
She hooks up with a local investigative association called UFO Sweden and its misfit band of colorful characters who help her discover the truth of this UFO mystery.
"Watch the Skies" arrives in U.S. theaters on May 9 with an ensemble cast that includes Inez Dahl Torhaug (Denise), with Eva Melander, Jesper Barkselius, Sara Shirpey, Håkan Ehn, Isabelle Kyed, Niklas Kvarnbo Jönsson, and Mathias Lithner.
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Geek Vibes Nation
25 minutes ago
- Geek Vibes Nation
What Every Startup Can Learn From The Gaming Industry's Epic Business Model Evolution
By Matt Lhoumeau, CEO of Concord I'll never forget the first time I played World of Warcraft. It was 2005, I was working at a telecom company in France, and I couldn't understand why anyone would pay €13 every month just to play a game they'd already bought. Fast forward to today, and that 'crazy' subscription model generates billions annually. The gaming industry didn't just change how we play – it revolutionized how businesses think about customer relationships, revenue models, and long-term value creation. As someone who's built a company serving over 1,500 businesses, I've watched countless startups struggle with the same challenges game developers faced 20 years ago: How do you create sustainable revenue? How do you keep customers engaged? How do you scale without losing your soul? The answers, surprisingly, come from an industry that turned 'Game Over' into 'New Game+'. From One-and-Done to Games as a Service The gaming industry's transformation mirrors what every modern business needs to understand. In the 1990s, game developers had one shot: ship a cartridge, hope it sells, move on to the next project. Sound familiar? That's how most businesses still operate – one transaction, one customer interaction, hope for the best. Then everything changed. Games became services. Relationships became ongoing. Revenue became recurring. This shift didn't happen overnight, and it wasn't without casualties. For every Fortnite generating $5 billion annually from a free game, there's an Anthem or Babylon's Fall that crashed and burned. The difference? Understanding that the business model is as important as the product itself. The Free-to-Play Revolution: When Giving Away Your Product Makes You Rich Here's where it gets interesting for startups. The gaming industry discovered something counterintuitive: sometimes the best way to make money is to give your product away for free. League of Legends, one of the most profitable games ever created, costs nothing to play. Yet it generates over $1.5 billion annually. How? By fundamentally rethinking the value exchange. Instead of charging for access, they charge for enhancement. Instead of one big payment, they enable thousands of micro-transactions. Instead of hoping customers stay, they continuously provide reasons to engage. This isn't just about games. When we built Concord, we applied similar thinking. Instead of charging huge upfront fees like traditional enterprise software, we made it accessible to small businesses with flexible pricing. We learned that lowering barriers to entry while providing continuous value creates stronger, more profitable relationships than any one-time sale ever could. The Contract Behind the Controller What most people don't realize is that every modern game is essentially a complex web of contracts and agreements. When you download Fortnite, you're not just getting a game – you're entering into terms of service, privacy agreements, content licenses, and potentially hundreds of micro-contracts for every in-game purchase. This is where my world intersects with gaming in fascinating ways. Modern game companies need sophisticated procurement contract management software to handle relationships with: Platform providers (Steam, Epic, PlayStation, Xbox) Payment processors for multiple currencies and methods Cloud service providers for massive multiplayer infrastructure Content creators and licensing partners Localization and distribution partners globally One AAA game studio we work with manages over 3,000 vendor contracts just for a single game launch. Miss a renewal with your cloud provider? Your game goes offline. Mess up a licensing agreement? Your soundtrack disappears. The stakes are massive, and manual management is impossible. Data: The Real Power-Up Gaming companies were among the first to truly understand the power of analytics. Every click, every purchase, every rage quit – it's all data that drives decisions. Riot Games processes 500 billion events monthly from League of Legends alone. That's not just impressive; it's instructive. Modern contract analytics software applies the same principles to business operations. Just as game developers track player engagement to optimize experiences, businesses can track contract performance to optimize relationships. Which vendors deliver on time? Which contracts generate the most value? Where are the bottlenecks in your approval process? The gaming industry learned that data without action is just expensive storage. The same applies to any business. It's not enough to collect information – you need systems that surface insights and enable rapid response. The Subscription Economy: Lessons from the MMO Masters Remember when buying software meant getting a box with CDs? Gaming killed that model first. World of Warcraft proved that players would pay monthly for ongoing value. Xbox Game Pass took it further – why buy games when you can access hundreds for $15/month? This shift required fundamental changes in how companies operate: Continuous Content Creation : You can't charge monthly for a static product. Game developers learned to ship updates constantly, creating reasons for players to stay engaged. Every business needs to think the same way – what's your content strategy? Community Management : Subscription models live or die on retention. Gaming companies invest heavily in community managers, moderators, and engagement specialists. Your customer success team is your guild leader. Predictable Revenue Operations : When players subscribe, you can forecast revenue months in advance. But this requires sophisticated systems to manage billing, renewals, and churn prevention – exactly the kind of operational excellence that modern contract management enables. The Platform Play: Building Ecosystems, Not Just Products Perhaps the biggest lesson from gaming is the power of platforms. Steam didn't just sell games – it became the place where PC gaming happens. Epic Games leveraged Fortnite's success to launch a competing store. Roblox turned players into developers, creating a $45 billion ecosystem where users generate the content. For startups, this means thinking beyond your immediate product. How can you create a platform that others build upon? How can you turn customers into partners? How can you enable ecosystem growth? This requires sophisticated partner management, clear agreements, and scalable operations – challenges that multiplayer game developers have been solving for years. The Dark Side: Lessons from Loot Box Controversies Not every gaming innovation should be copied. The loot box controversy teaches valuable lessons about customer trust and sustainable practices. When EA's Star Wars Battlefront II locked progression behind randomized purchases, the backlash was swift and severe. The game that was supposed to print money became a cautionary tale. The lesson? Short-term monetization tactics that exploit customers will eventually backfire. Building sustainable businesses requires balancing value creation with value capture. Your pricing model should feel fair, transparent, and aligned with customer success. Your Next Level Awaits The gaming industry's evolution from product to service, from transaction to relationship, from single-player to massive multiplayer, offers a masterclass in business model innovation. But these lessons only matter if you can execute on them. Here's your quest log for applying gaming wisdom to your startup: Rethink Your Revenue Model : Are you still selling products when you could be providing services? Consider how subscription, freemium, or platform models might transform your business. Invest in Infrastructure : Just as modern games require robust backend systems, your business needs operational excellence. Automate what you can, starting with critical processes like contract management. Embrace Continuous Delivery : Ship early, ship often, respond to feedback. The days of 'fire and forget' are over. Your product should evolve constantly. Build Community, Not Just Customer Base : Your most engaged users are your greatest asset. Invest in tools and processes that enable community growth. Make Data-Driven Decisions : If game companies can analyze billions of events, you can track your key metrics. Start with the basics and scale from there. Prepare for Global Scale : Gaming went global because digital distribution made borders irrelevant. Is your business ready for international growth? The gaming industry transformed because it had to. Faced with technological change, shifting consumer expectations, and intense competition, developers either evolved or disappeared. Every industry faces similar pressures now. The question isn't whether you need to transform – it's whether you'll learn from those who've already blazed the trail. Game Over? Not even close. For smart startups willing to learn from gaming's epic evolution, it's just the beginning of a whole new adventure. Ready Player One? Matt Lhoumeau is the co-founder and CEO of Concord, a contract management platform trusted by over 1,500 companies. A lifelong gamer turned entrepreneur, Matt discovered parallels between gaming's digital transformation and the operational challenges facing modern businesses.
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
High Seas Treaty gains momentum as 18 new countries pledge support
NICE, France — Eighteen countries ratified the High Seas Treaty on Monday, bringing the total to 49 — just 11 short of the 60 needed for the ocean agreement to enter into force. The surge in support, occurring during the U.N. Ocean Conference in Nice, France, adds momentum to what could become a historic shift in how the world governs the open ocean. Here's what the treaty is, why it matters and what happens next. Formally known as the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, the High Seas Treaty is the first legally binding agreement focused on protecting marine biodiversity in international waters. These waters, which are beyond the jurisdiction of any single country, make up nearly two-thirds of the ocean and almost half the surface of the planet. Until now, there has been no comprehensive legal framework to create marine protected areas or enforce conservation on the high seas. Despite their remoteness, the high seas are under growing pressure from overfishing, climate change and the threat of deep-sea mining . Environmental advocates warn that without proper protections, marine ecosystems in international waters face irreversible harm. 'Until now, it has been the wild west on the high seas,' said Megan Randles, global political lead for oceans at Greenpeace. 'Now we have a chance to properly put protections in place.' The treaty is also essential to achieving the global '30x30' target — an international pledge to protect 30% of the planet's land and sea by 2030. The treaty creates a legal process for countries to establish marine protected areas in the high seas, including rules for destructive activities like deep-sea mining and geo-engineering. It also establishes a framework for technology-sharing, funding mechanisms and scientific collaboration among countries. Crucially, decisions under the treaty will be made multilaterally through conferences of parties (COPs) rather than by individual countries acting alone. Once 60 countries ratify the treaty, a 120-day countdown begins before it officially enters into force. That would unlock the ability to begin designating protected areas in the high seas and put oversight mechanisms into motion. As of Monday evening, 49 countries and the EU had ratified, meaning 11 more are needed to trigger that countdown. The first Conference of the Parties (COP1) must take place within one year of the treaty's entry into force. That meeting will lay the groundwork for implementation, including decisions on governance, financing and the creation of key bodies to evaluate marine protection proposals. Environmental groups are pushing to surpass the required 60 ratifications, and to do so quickly – the more countries that ratify, the stronger and more representative the treaty's implementation will be. There's also a deadline: only countries that ratify by COP1 will be eligible to vote on critical decisions that determine how the treaty will operate. 'To reach 60 ratifications would be an absolutely enormous achievement, but for the treaty to be as effective as possible, we need countries from all over the world to engage in its implementation,' said Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance. 'So the next step will be to go from 60 to global.' The surge in support on Monday has raised hopes that 2025 could mark a turning point for high seas protection. 'We're on the brink of making high seas history,' Hubbard said. ___ Follow Annika Hammerschlag on Instagram @ahammergram ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit
Geek Girl Authority
2 hours ago
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THE LIBRARIANS: THE NEXT CHAPTER Recap: (S01E04) And the Thief of Love
Our intrepid Librarians team has dealt with monsters, witches, and ghosts so far. So, of course, they need to deal with a god next. Specifically, in The Librarians: The Next Chapter Season 1 Episode 4, 'And the Thief of Love,' their mission is to contain the magic of Cupid's arrows when someone starts using them to rob banks and steal dry-cleaning. RELATED: Catch up with our recap of the last episode of The Librarians: The Next Chapter , 'And the Ghost Train' The mention of love steers us to Vikram's (Callum McGowan) lost love, Anya, who we know was engaged to Gregor (Adnan Haskovic) of hammer fame. Vikram's close personal acquaintance with Cupid (Celyn Jones) won't stop the mischievous deity from telling tales to the team. How much will his gossip reveal? Photograph by Aleksandar Letic The Librarians: The Next Chapter, 'And the Thief of Love' At the Paris Credit Alliance, a woman in blue jeans and a brown suede jacket carries a large briefcase in through the front doors. She secures the doors, opens the case, and pulls out a bow with a quiver of arrows. Notching the arrow, she announces that it is a robbery. When a man approaches her, trying to talk her into putting the arrow down, she shoots him. The arrow disintegrates into red glitter. It regenerates in the quiver. A woman security officer approaches. The archer shoots her. When that arrow disintegrates as well, the two bank employees begin kissing passionately as all the bank customers run away screaming. The archer hits a few more targets. Each time a pair is hit, they start kissing. With chaos rampant, the archer walks to a nearby counter, reaches over to open a box, and removes a large gold key. The bank tellers hide and watch as she takes it to the giant vault door on the far side of the lobby, ignoring all the kissing couples. RELATED: Olivia Morris Shares How The Librarians: The Next Chapter Hooked Her From Page One In the Annex, Mrs. Astolat (Caroline Loncq) interrupts Vikram's manic dance break to point out the pendulum's frantic activity. Noting that the magical activity is in Paris, Vikram offers up the information that Anya was a Parisian. Before leaving with the team, Charlie (Jessica Green) confirms with Mrs. Astolat that Anya is buried in Paris. Mrs. Astolat warns her that Vikram can't find out since he still harbors hope that he'll be reunited with Anya. Paris At the Paris Credit Alliance, the team questions the bank's employees who are still acting like infatuated lovers. In reviewing the surveillance video, they learn the archer stole the contents of one safety deposit box. They discuss the case as they stroll through Paris. Vikram spots the Eiffel Tower. He does not approve. The Librarians: The Next Chapter – Photograph by Aleksandar Letic To solve their dilemma, Vikram believes they should look for Cupid. However, when they find him, Cupid is aged, depressed, and drunk. He declares that Love is dead in the 21st century. The team debates the benefits of modern dating apps with Lysa (Olivia Morris) and Connor (Bluey Robinson) pro-apps and Cupid and Charlie anti. They get a little off-track when Cupid spills the tea that Anya was engaged to Gregor. He reveals that Vikram asked him to make Gregor fall in love with someone else. RELATED: Read our Leverage: Redemption recaps They ask Cupid how to track down the archer. He says he's retired, that he buried his arrows a long time ago. Of course, he literally buried them (with his bow) and now can't remember where. Shot Through the Heart Returning to the Annex, Vikram explains that the bow will corrupt a mortal wielder and leak magic residue everywhere they go. Connor tracks the pendulum's seemingly random movements and narrows down their search to the place the pendulum points to the most often. They find a building in the 14th arrondissement . Connor doesn't consider it breaking in because they're Librarians. Vikram argues that they aren't, that The Library has to grant that title. Connor looks chastened by this. In a storage room, they find a rack of dry cleaning and several crates of wine. The archer is hiding behind some boxes. Vikram senses her presence just before she jumps out with an arrow notched. Vikram dodges her shots and confronts her. She runs away, and he follows. Outside, she shoots him in the back. Turning to face her, he falls deeply in love with her. She runs again, leaving him standing there with a besotted look on his face. RELATED: TV Review: Leverage: Redemption Season 3 The team returns to Cupid's haunt. He reasons that the archer isn't committing random petty crimes. She's targeting someone specific. Cupid advises that they just give up. Lysa offers to leave him alone if he helps them contain the arrows' magic. He wagers on his dart skills, hoping to get them to leave him alone that way. Connor takes the bet. Cupid passes out and loses the bet. God of Love At the Annex, Mrs. Astolat wakes Cupid up with a bucket of water. Charlie notes that Mrs. Astolat and Cupid have a history as well. While she and Mrs. Astolat try to sober him up, a challenging task as he has an infinite number of flasks stashed in seemingly bottomless pockets, Lysa and Connor try to figure out the archer's target while Vikram behaves strangely even for him. Connor identifies the logo on cufflinks he took from the storage space as the symbol for the Travelers Paris, an exclusive gentleman's club established in 1903. Looking up the member list, they find Guy Leroy (Jadran Malkovich). The wine in the storage space is Chateaux Leroy vintage, and his initials and crest are on the dry-cleaning garment bags. His assets are tied up in the Paris Credit Alliance. RELATED: On Location: The Belgrade Fortress on The Librarians: The Next Chapter Vikram, Lysa, and Vikram meet with Guy Leroy, a wealthy hedge fund manager who treats his assistant terribly. He mentions his last assistant was a disappointment whom he fired recently. Vikram asks if he has a photo of her. Guy shows them a picture of the archer. Her name is Marie (Jasmine Blackborow). He doesn't believe her capable of targeting his assets. Vikram becomes incensed at what he deems Guy's gross underestimation of Marie. Connor and Lysa run interference, but Guy gets uncomfortable. Noting the time, he mentions that he's expected at the Paris Museum, where he is donating a priceless Faberge egg to the collection. Man With a Mission Left alone, Vikram declares his hatred for 'pompous, self-important, egocentric men who look down at the brilliant women working beside them.' Lysa's delighted to hear this. Then he describes the punishments he plans for Guy, and her delight fades. The Librarians: The Next Chapter – Photograph by Aleksandar Letic At the Annex, Cupid digs into a massive feast. He and Charlie discuss their respective roles and responsibilities. Cupid tells her that none of it matters. The world's a mess, and neither a god of love nor a Librarian is going to fix it. Especially not Vikram, he notes, since he's obviously been shot by one of his arrows. Charlie runs off with this news. Vikram, Lysa, and Connor follow Guy to the museum. They wait outside for Marie to show up. Vikram spots her but doesn't alert the others. He proposes they split up. While they watch the front, he'll watch the back. He finds Marie and warns her against going inside. Offering his assistance, he promises they'll get her revenge on Guy. RELATED: Read our The Lazarus Project recaps Charlie finds Lysa and Connor just as Vikram and Marie escape on a moped. Charlie explains that Vikram was hit by an arrow and has been working against them the whole time. Outsmarting the Librarian Charlie, Lysa, and Connor report back to the Annex and Mrs. Astolat. She insists that they fix the situation. On the streets of Paris, Marie tells Vikram why she's targeting Guy. He promised to mentor her, but instead, he tried to kiss her. When she rejected him, he fired her and made sure no one else would hire her. She plans to use Cupid's arrows to show him how love can truly be weaponized. In the Annex, Connor looks up the Faberge Egg Guy showed them. Marie plans to steal it from the museum when Guy's in attendance, so he knows it was her. Charlie cautions that with Vikram at her side, Marie's use of magic will increase significantly. Connor points out they won't be able to succeed without Cupid. RELATED: Dean Devlin Dishes on The Librarians: The Next Chapter 's Magical Homecoming Outside the museum, Vikram explains that Marie can use the arrows to enslave every person in the museum and command them to bring her all the art and artifacts in the museum. They'll shoot an arrow into the air conditioning system. Once everyone has breathed in the magical effects, Vikram will play a video of her promising her love in return for their obedience. The Librarians: The Next Chapter – Photograph by Aleksandar Letic Cupid, now sober and angry, refuses to help the team save Vikram. He accuses Lysa, Connor, and Charlie of being too scared of love to take a chance on it. Besides, without his arrows, he can't do anything. Mrs. Astolat, taking a break from her knitting, proposes that they make replacement arrows that he can charge with the essence of true love. Cupid argues that if true love still existed, anyone hit by his arrows would shake off the spell in favor of the true stuff. The Power of Love Back in Paris, Charlie, Lysa, and Connor consider how they could charge up arrows with enough love to make them work. They need a powerful source of intense love energy. Connor points out that the Eiffel Tower is the biggest, most iconic symbol of true love in the city. In order to harness the love energy, Connor has to climb the tower and set a rocket that they'll launch into the incoming storm cloud, which will draw lightning through the tower and into the arrows rigged at its base. The love that saturates the tower from the millions of visitors will imbue the electricity with the power they need. RELATED: Read our Doctor Who recaps While Connor climbs the tower, Vikram and Marie lie in wait on a rooftop near the museum. After he successfully sets up the rocket, Lysa launches it, and energy fills the tower. From their rooftop, Vikram realizes the team is up to something and goes to investigate. At the base of the tower, Charlie picks up one lone arrow from the bundle. The surge of power incinerated the others. Vikram arrives, vowing to stop them from using the arrow. Charlie challenges him to take it from her. Breaking the Spell Charlie leads Vikram into a nearby cemetery. He attacks her, demanding that she leave him and Marie to live happily ever after. Charlie reminds him that as his Guardian, everything she does is to protect him. Spinning away, she leaves him facing a gravestone that reads, 'Anya Besson, 1820-1897, Aimer c'est vivre. ' [Translation: 'to live is to love'] The Librarians: The Next Chapter – Photograph by Aleksandar Letic Seeing Anya's gravestone breaks the arrow's spell. Charlie apologizes. Vikram crawls up to the gravestone and lays a hand on it, tearing up as he speaks to Anya, sorry for letting her down. Cupid, cleaned up in a white suit, touches his shoulder. He asks Vikram if love is worth all this pain. Vikram tells him he wouldn't trade the pain he feels for anything. His love for Anya is real because it broke the arrow's spell. Furthermore, this proves that his love for her was real when they were together. 'This pain exists,' he says, 'because she exists.' This inspires Cupid. RELATED: 5 Great Books About Libraries and Librarians On the rooftop, Marie tires of waiting and shoots an arrow at the crowd below. Cupid grabs the arrow mid-flight. He shoots his single-charged arrow into the sky. Marie tries to shoot him with her arrows, but he knocks them away as he explains who he is and why she cannot harm him with them. His arrow falls back to earth and strikes Marie. The bow and quiver disappear and reappear on Cupid. Marie faints, but he catches her. Love Hurts In the aftermath, Marie comes to her senses, wishing there was something she could do to make up for the harm she did. Cupid assures her that his arrow cured her and anyone she hit with arrows during her crime spree. Vikram asks if Cupid is back in business. Cupid admits that he is. Connor asks Marie what she stole from Guy's safety deposit box. She pulls out an envelope that contains proof that Guy has been stealing from his company. She admits she still wants him to suffer for what he did to her. Cupid states that karma gets everyone eventually. The team returns to the Annex. Vikram thanks Charlie for helping him break the spell. He also takes a moment to thank Connor and Lysa for cleaning up his mess. Again. As they walk away, Mrs. Astolat enters and congratulates Charlie on her successful Guardianship. Charlie apologizes for breaking her rule about showing Vikram the grave, but Mrs. Astolat replies that in this instance, rules were meant to be broken. RELATED: Read our recaps of The Librarians: The Next Chapter In Guy's offices, tax agents are taking his files. As the head investigator questions him, Cupid hits him with an arrow. When she tells him the truth will make her happy, he spills everything about his embezzling. He also confesses that the Faberge Egg is a fake. Cupid winks at the camera. New episodes of The Librarians: The Next Chapter air on TNT on Mondays at 9 pm ET. New TV Shows This Week (June 8 – 14) Diana lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where she invests her time and energy in teaching, writing, parenting, and indulging her love of all Trek and a myriad of other fandoms. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. You can also find her writing at The Televixen, Women at Warp, TV Fanatic, and TV Goodness.
