Latest news with #TheBigFight
Mint
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Lounge Loves: ‘Asterix and Obelix', a foldover pizza sandwich and more
Earlier in March, I carried my entire Asterix and Obelix collection from my parents' home in Bengal to Mumbai. I wanted to introduce the popular French comic series to my seven-year-old son, who surprisingly got hooked in no time. So you can imagine our excitement when Netflix released the comic adaptation of Asterix and Obelix recently. We binge-watched all five episodes of the The Big Fight series, that go back in time to the beloved Gaulish warrior duo's childhood, including an incident where Obelix accidentally falls into a vat of magic potion and acquires superhuman strength. What got us most excited are some new characters like Apothika, an old friend of the village druid Getafix, and Metadata, the cool rebel girl, who helps Julius Caesar strategise the big fight between the Gauls and the Romans. This one's an absolute riot of fun. Like most boys his age, eight-and-a-half-year-old Palash Ranjan Sen, aka Poltu, loves reading Phantom comics. But unlike his peers, he has a scientist mother who is headed for an Arctic mission, and an uncle with an odd job—rehoming ghosts ousted by the forces of climate change and urbanisation. Sudeshna Shome Ghosh's delightful middle-grade novel takes you on a night-long taxi ride through the spookiest neighbourhoods of Kolkata. With fun illustrations by Pankaj Saikia, the story will not only resonate with readers around Poltu's age, but also their seniors. Weren't we all eight once, looking for friendly ghosts to spice up our boring lives swamped with school and holiday homework? I have a WhatsApp group with two friends—each of us in our 30s, navigating very different life stages—united by a love for home improvement finds. I call it calming capitalism. We trade notes on bedsheets, diffusers, label makers, and most recently, sunscreen for the group's only man, who's new to skincare. When I needed a spray bottle that could handle both my plant babies and my unruly curls, I turned to the youngest in the group, our resident make-up artist. She suggested Inovera (Label)'s mist spray bottle, and it's been a quiet joy. My leaves are perked up, and taming my hair feels like less of a chore now. The group chat? Still going strong, fuelled by product recs, tiny upgrades, and the everyday thrill of making life feel a little nicer. Hipsters everywhere will hate me for saying this: I hate sourdough. Don't mess with sandwich bread, I say. So it was with great suspicion that I tried a 'foldover pizza sandwich' at Breakaway Pizzeria and Café in Panaji last month, and—you know where this is going—I loved it. It's a take on the panuzzo, and has roots in Naples, like the Neapolitan pizza they serve. Breakaway's dough is 70% hydrated, which means there's 700 grams of water for every 1,000g of flour, and fermented for 44 hours. The bread is pulled by hand and baked fresh for every sandwich, which gives every panuzzo that perfectly mild char and the light little pockets that make Neapolitan pizza special. There's the comfort of bread, without it overwhelming the filling itself, whether it's fresh tomatoes and stracciatella with basil pesto, or meatballs with mozzarella.
Indian Express
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Asterix & Obelix – The Big Fight review: By Toutatis! Netflix quenches thirst for nostalgia with magic potion for the soul
Unlike his fellow Franco-Belgian comic book icon Tintin, Asterix has a rich history of representation in cinema and on television. While Tintin has inspired mainly the beloved Canadian cartoon adaptation and a criminally underrated feature film directed by Steven Spielberg, the adventures of Asterix the Gaul have spawned 18 films, 15 board games, 40 video games, and one theme park. The latest is a glossy Netflix mini-series, originally announced in 2021 but released only this week. Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight is based on the 1964 comic of the same name, and will likely delight generations of readers who've grown up with the character. Co-directed by Alain Chabat and Fabrice Joubert, The Big Fight is a lovingly crafted homage to the classic comics that feels both fresh and familiar. For one, it's largely faithful to René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo's original book. The show doesn't assume that audiences would be familiar with the source material, but it would certainly help if you were. For instance, a sudden altercation between the characters Fulliautomatix and Unhygeinix will be meaningless to folks who have no idea about their endless beef. But those who are aware of it will simply be glad to see a glimpse of it in the show. A still from Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight. Among the smartest creative decisions that Chabat and Joubert have made here is to devote the entire opening episode — there are only five in total; animation is time-consuming and expensive — to Asterix and Obelix's childhood. We learn that they share the same birthday, and actually get to witness the events that led to Obelix — the 'weakest' member of the tribe — falling into a vat of magic potion. It's like watching the moment Harry Potter got his scar. Concocted by the druid Getafix, the potion is of vital importance to the story; it's what makes our central characters 'indomitable' in the face of Roman opposition. While the rest of Gaul will fall to Julius Caesar, Asterix and Obelix's village will always hold out. In the second episode, the narrative leaps forward to the present day, that is, 50 BC. Caesar remains irritated at not being able to conquer all of Gaul, while his sneering mother never stops reminding him of the difference between being an all-powerful emperor and someone who is routinely defeated by a village-full of boar-eating, wine-swigging, potion-pounding men. Caesar won't tolerate this humiliation. And so, he instructs a chieftain named Fastandfurious to kidnap Getafix; no Getafix, no magic potion; no magic potion, no advantage. The druid out of the way, Fastandfurious enlists his bright niece Metadata to put together a gladiatorial duel between the chief of Asterix's village, Vitalstatistix, and a puppet leader named Cassius Ceramix. The rules dictate that the winning chief will take over the loser's tribe, meaning that if Ceramix defeats a potion-less Vitalstatistix, all of Gaul will finally be under Caesar's control. Ridiculous and slapstick as The Big Fight consistently is, like the comics, it's a sneakily political satire of authoritarianism. It's a whole other argument that France itself has occupied many territories across history, and continues to exploit various regions in Africa for their natural resources. The (French) man's folly is indirectly explored in episode four, when it is proposed that Obelix temporarily become the chief, seeing as he's the only one left with superpowers. The proposal encourages other members of the village to throw their hat in the ring as well; for a while, defeating Ceramix and protecting the sovereignty of the village is forgotten, as the Gauls begin fighting among themselves. There mere whiff of power awakens something inside them, a latent desire to be dictators themselves. The pure-hearted Obelix, on the other hand, turns down the offer. He's more than happy chipping away at his 'menhirs'. A still from Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight. The Big Fight combines Uderzo's instantly recognisable character design with brand spanking new animation. It takes a moment to train your mind to accept Asterix and his friends as 3D characters, but not too long. What's most striking about this new series is the obvious attention to detail that Chabat and Joubert have paid to the visual language. The lighting is extraordinary, adding a dimension that was wholly missing from the comics — mainly because of the medium's inherent constraints. The story is based only one book; it plays like a two-and-a-half-hour-long movie, and not an episodic show. While this might deter television purists, it'll certainly appeal to Asterix enthusiasts. There's an opportunity here to adapt other books in the series, but you'd wonder if a four-year turnaround is a feasible production model. The obvious move would've been to make hour-long episodes based on individual books, like the Tintin series, but they clearly wanted to create something more expansive. As vibrant as the show is, it's the flashback-centred first episode that delivers a charm-offensive so powerful that it might've gulped a glass of magic potion itself.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'The Golf 100' isn't so much a pecking order of greatest players. It's an index of lively profiles
'The Golf 100' isn't so much a pecking order of greatest players. It's an index of lively profiles From left to right, Jack Nicklaus, Mickey Wright, Tiger Woods and Bobby Jones are among author Michael Arkush's greatest players of all time. (Photo Illustration by Los Angeles Times, Photos by Associated Press) From John McDermott's fragile psyche to the sustained excellence of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods — or Woods and Nicklaus; no spoiler here on who's No. 1 — this countdown of the top golfers is less a list than an index of insightful, lively profiles rife with anecdotes centered on their most joyous and miserable moments. Advertisement "The Golf 100: A spirited ranking of the greatest players of all time" is the 16th title by author Michael Arkush, most of them from the sports realm including New York Times bestsellers "The Last Season" with Phil Jackson and "The Big Fight" with Sugar Ray Leonard. This one is all Arkush and displays his storytelling — some sweet, some savory, a few bitter — in bite-size pieces. He includes greats from the early 20th century. He includes greats from other countries. He includes women. Why? Because their stories are compelling, even if ranking them became messy. So, yes, there are 100 in all, spread over 366 pages. Lists of the greatest golfers aren't a novel conceit. GolfDay published one a year ago. Golf Digest has its own. Folks have concocted lists on Reddit. Bleacher Report took a swing. There is even the website Advertisement Read more: Looking for a tee time? Here are 9 pleasant public golf courses in L.A. Times sportswriter Houston Mitchell got more than 12,000 readers to respond in 2009 to a poll ranking golfers. The top five are among Arkush's top 10, although not remotely in the same order. Most rankings are based on point systems, assigning weighted numbers to categories such as total tournaments won, top-10 finishes, player of the year awards, career longevity and performance in the four majors — the U.S. Open, Masters, British Open and PGA Championship. Arkush prioritized the majors, writing in the forward that they "feature the strongest fields and, more often than not, are staged on the most demanding courses. When history is on the line." Advertisement Still, Arkush allowed himself license after covering professional golf for 30 years (he was an entertainment reporter for The Times from 1988 to 1995). Once the numbers were tabulated, he shuffled the deck by employing subjective criteria such as a golfer's impact or contributions to the sport. "I was similar to a juror who, despite a stern warning from the judge not to let evidence deemed inadmissible be a factor in the verdict, couldn't help its affecting his thinking in one way or another," Arkush wrote. Read more: L.A. touts success at blocking tee time brokers from city golf courses An example is his inclusion of Francis Ouimet, a name unfamiliar to all but the most serious golf history buffs. He won the 1913 U.S. Open at the tender age of 20 over Harry Vardon, a British golf titan credited with inventing the modern grip and swing. Bobby Jones, the epitome of class, came along next, and the pendulum soon swung to the U.S. side of the Atlantic. Advertisement Like so many writers, Arkush was loath to let numbers get in the way of a good yarn, beginning with ranking McDermott at No. 100. The cheeky son of a mailman became the first American to win the U.S. Open in 1911 — at age 19 — one year after he finished second to Scottish immigrant Alex Smith, telling him as they exited the course, "I'll get you next year, you big tramp." McDermott's penchant for popping off soon got him in trouble, and that was followed by a steep fall. He embarrassed the more genteel of his countrymen by bragging about his Open victories in the presence of Vardon. Then he was saved by a lifeboat after being a victim of a shipwreck. Then he lost a fortune in the stock market. Then he was committed to a sanitarium in 1916 and was never the same. Arkush concludes the profile describing a chance meeting between an elderly McDermott and a gracious Arnold Palmer that provides a poignant connection between the infancy of professional golf in America and its elevation in stature to the "Arnie's Army" level by 1970. Only 99 to go. Advertisement Read more: Trump called Tiger Woods a 'true legend.' Now golfer is dating Vanessa Trump, president's ex-daughter-in-law The list includes 15 women, trailblazers and champions such as Mickey Wright, whose 82 Tour victories included 13 majors and whose swing was lauded as the best of anyone regardless of gender by no less than Ben Hogan. Pioneers of the sport, firmly planted in the wellspring of 19th-century Scotland, are given their due. While the Union and Confederate armies were preparing for war across the pond, Willie Park Jr. and Old Tom Morris exuded geniality and competence on the green, dominating the British Open from its inception in 1860 through more than a decade. Old Morris passed on his mashie niblick — an early term for a seven iron — to his equally talented son, Young Tom Morris, who won the British Open four times from 1868 to 1872. They are the only father-son combo among the 100. Advertisement Americans began to hold their own by the 1920s, and professional golf has increased in popularity as a spectator sport to this day. It's also an endeavor that nearly anyone can try and many become passionate about. One hundred is a somewhat arbitrary number to cap excellence, impact and irresistible storytelling. It's plenty for Arkush to mine, though, and relate the history of golf through the very best golfers. Read more: Classic Hollywood: The best golf movies As for the thorny task of comparing golfers across generations and even centuries, Arkush leans on the wisdom of Jones, whose words can be extrapolated fairly to include women as well as men: Advertisement "I think we must agree that all a man can do is beat the people who are around at the same time he is. He cannot win from those who came before any more than he can from those who may come afterward." Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
‘The Golf 100' isn't so much a pecking order of greatest players. It's an index of lively profiles
From John McDermott's fragile psyche to the sustained excellence of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods — or Woods and Nicklaus; no spoiler here on who's No. 1 — this countdown of the top golfers is less a list than an index of insightful, lively profiles rife with anecdotes centered on their most joyous and miserable moments. 'The Golf 100: A spirited ranking of the greatest players of all time' is the 16th title by author Michael Arkush, most of them from the sports realm including New York Times bestsellers 'The Last Season' with Phil Jackson and 'The Big Fight' with Sugar Ray Leonard. This one is all Arkush and displays his storytelling — some sweet, some savory, a few bitter — in bite-size pieces. He includes greats from the early 20th century. He includes greats from other countries. He includes women. Why? Because their stories are compelling, even if ranking them became messy. So, yes, there are 100 in all, spread over 366 pages. Lists of the greatest golfers aren't a novel conceit. GolfDay published one a year ago. Golf Digest has its own. Folks have concocted lists on Reddit. Bleacher Report took a swing. There is even the website Times sportswriter Houston Mitchell got more than 12,000 readers to respond in 2009 to a poll ranking golfers. The top five are among Arkush's top 10, although not remotely in the same order. Most rankings are based on point systems, assigning weighted numbers to categories such as total tournaments won, top-10 finishes, player of the year awards, career longevity and performance in the four majors — the U.S. Open, Masters, British Open and PGA Championship. Arkush prioritized the majors, writing in the forward that they 'feature the strongest fields and, more often than not, are staged on the most demanding courses. When history is on the line.' Still, Arkush allowed himself license after covering professional golf for 30 years (he was an entertainment reporter for The Times from 1988 to 1995). Once the numbers were tabulated, he shuffled the deck by employing subjective criteria such as a golfer's impact or contributions to the sport. 'I was similar to a juror who, despite a stern warning from the judge not to let evidence deemed inadmissible be a factor in the verdict, couldn't help its affecting his thinking in one way or another,' Arkush wrote. An example is his inclusion of Francis Ouimet, a name unfamiliar to all but the most serious golf history buffs. He won the 1913 U.S. Open at the tender age of 20 over Harry Vardon, a British golf titan credited with inventing the modern grip and swing. Bobby Jones, the epitome of class, came along next, and the pendulum soon swung to the U.S. side of the Atlantic. Like so many writers, Arkush was loath to let numbers get in the way of a good yarn, beginning with ranking McDermott at No. 100. The cheeky son of a mailman became the first American to win the U.S. Open in 1911 — at age 19 — one year after he finished second to Scottish immigrant Alex Smith, telling him as they exited the course, 'I'll get you next year, you big tramp.' McDermott's penchant for popping off soon got him in trouble, and that was followed by a steep fall. He embarrassed the more genteel of his countrymen by bragging about his Open victories in the presence of Vardon. Then he was saved by a lifeboat after being a victim of a shipwreck. Then he lost a fortune in the stock market. Then he was committed to a sanitarium in 1916 and was never the same. Arkush concludes the profile describing a chance meeting between an elderly McDermott and a gracious Arnold Palmer that provides a poignant connection between the infancy of professional golf in America and its elevation in stature to the 'Arnie's Army' level by 1970. Only 99 to go. The list includes 15 women, trailblazers and champions such as Mickey Wright, whose 82 Tour victories included 13 majors and whose swing was lauded as the best of anyone regardless of gender by no less than Ben Hogan. Pioneers of the sport, firmly planted in the wellspring of 19th-century Scotland, are given their due. While the Union and Confederate armies were preparing for war across the pond, Willie Park Jr. and Old Tom Morris exuded geniality and competence on the green, dominating the British Open from its inception in 1860 through more than a decade. Old Morris passed on his mashie niblick — an early term for a seven iron — to his equally talented son, Young Tom Morris, who won the British Open four times from 1868 to 1872. They are the only father-son combo among the 100. Americans began to hold their own by the 1920s, and professional golf has increased in popularity as a spectator sport to this day. It's also an endeavor that nearly anyone can try and many become passionate about. One hundred is a somewhat arbitrary number to cap excellence, impact and irresistible storytelling. It's plenty for Arkush to mine, though, and relate the history of golf through the very best golfers. As for the thorny task of comparing golfers across generations and even centuries, Arkush leans on the wisdom of Jones, whose words can be extrapolated fairly to include women as well as men: 'I think we must agree that all a man can do is beat the people who are around at the same time he is. He cannot win from those who came before any more than he can from those who may come afterward.'
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Two years since Vanderburgh County deputy's death
HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) – Sunday marked two years since the death of Vanderburgh County deputy Asson Hacker. Hacker died after falling ill during a training exercise. The Vanderburgh County Coroner listed Hacker's cause of death as 'exertional sickling' due to sickle cell trait. His family has since filed a lawsuit claiming a hazing incident during training known as 'The Big Fight' led to his death. Hacker joined the sheriff's office in 2022. He was 33 years old and is survived by his wife and three young children. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
