Latest news with #Whack-A-Mole
The Hindu
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Poker Face' Season 2 review: Another winning hand from Natasha Lyonne and Rian Johnson
Even with an extra two episodes than Season 1, Poker Face still leaves us wanting more. After the three- episode premiere where Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) with her lie detector at full throttle and solving crimes, dodges hits ordered by Beatrix Hasp (Rhea Perlman), the mob boss she crossed last season, Poker Face settles to its episode/murder a week format. At the end of episode 3, 'Whack-A-Mole', Hasp agrees to go into witness protection and call off the hit on Charlie. As she drives through the country, Charlie has a fellow radio user, a trucker with the call sign, Good Buddy, (Steve Buscemi) for company. FBI agent Luca (Simon Helberg) also looks out for Charlie. Poker Face Season 2 (English) Creator: Rian Johnson Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Simon Helberg, Rhea Perlman, Steve Buscemi, Patti Harrison, Cynthia Erivo, Giancarlo Esposito, Katie Holmes, Kumail Nanjiani, Awkwafina, Justin Theroux, Haley Joel Osment Episodes: 12 Runtime: 41 – 55 minutes Storyline: From an alligator named Daisy and a murderous funeral director to an ambitious eight-year-old, Charlie meets them all as she drives through the US in her powder blue Barracuda Poker Face works for many reasons from the cast to the writing. Starting with the criminal's point of view and then introducing Charlie's connection and figuring out the crime from her perspective is ingenious and engaging. The ensemble cast features a dream line-up. There is Cynthia Erivo playing four siblings, who were child actors, abused and exploited by their evil mother. Giancarlo Esposito plays a funeral director who sees an opportunity to get rid of his wife (Katie Holmes) when his house is used to shoot a thriller. Kumail Nanjiani plays a Florida police officer with a pet alligator called Daisy and Awkwafina plays a bike messenger who wants to save her grandmother from her sketchy new girlfriend. Justin Theroux might or might not be the world's top assassin as he infiltrates a wedding to kill Hasp's son, Kirby, played by Haley Joel Osment. The people Charlie meets on her pilgrim's progress include the owner of a floundering gym who would do anything to keep it afloat, a baseball player who loses his fastball and gets it back in a horrific manner, an eight year old who does not think murder is too high a price to pay for success, a bunch of smooth con artists and an employee at a big box electronic store who decides to turn his reel inspiration real. By Episode 9, Charlie ends up in New York and meets Alex (Patti Harrison), who seems to be the one person who does not lie to her. The two-episode finale sees Charlie and Alex supplying oysters at a posh society wedding. When Alex is accused of murder, Charlie needs to find the real killer. That Thelma & Louise style finale is pure gold. Poker Face's writing is thoughtful and detailed (Daisy the alligator has little daisies on her collar). The movie references are beyond fun, including a character saying Anatomy of a Fall has a great dog performance and the close ups from Heat on the television as the electronic stores is being shot up. The fact that the crimes are intimate, human ones and not the result of some impossible master criminal, is another plus point. Lyonne is the beating heart of the show as she turns in another brilliant performance as the 'compulsive do-gooder.' Rian Johnson, whose third edition of Knives Out will be dropping later this year, has delivered a cracker of a show. Hopefully the song at the end of episode 12, Bob Dylan's 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue', is not true and we will get to spend many more hours with the warm-hearted redhead with a voice like a rusty saxophone. Poker Face is currently streaming on Jio Hotstar
The Independent
22-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Get motivated to exercise regularly like these gym rats in their 70s and 80s
You know you should develop a regular exercise routine, but you lack motivation. Promises to yourself are quickly broken, and you never establish enough of the workout habit to experience any rewards. Exercising as you age is important. It's not only good for physical health to help prevent falls or enable you to do basic tasks — exercise is also superb for the mind. 'If you want to be cognitively active, it is so important to be physically active,' explained Dr. Amy Eyler, a professor of public health at Washington University in St. Louis. 'There is a such a strong connection between these two behaviors.' Why make exercise part of my routine? First, regular exercise helps maintain bone density and muscle strength. It also lowers the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. For older people, regular exercise helps maintain strength and balance and allows them to live independently. Research also suggests the immune system may get a bump from physical activity. There is also a psychological component. Successfully completing a daily exercise can improve one's mood and sense of self-satisfaction. How to get started Getting into the habit of doing regular physical activity can be difficult for some. The motivation to get moving is different for everyone. Initially you'll need external motivation — I want to be able to play with my grandkids or keep driving the car — until you see results and the motivation shifts to internal, Eyler said. 'When you set a goal, you should ask yourself on a scale of 1 to 100, how confident am I that I can do this?' Eyler explained. 'It has to be over the 90% level of confidence or you're not going to do it. Lots of people set these goal too high and then fail." Build to your goals. 'Just walk whenever you can,' Eyler said. 'You can walk for 10 minutes pretty much anywhere — indoors, at work, at home.' And, if you're trying to encourage others, look for positive reasons rather than nagging. 'Telling someone they will be more independent if they take their blood pressure medicine is better than — take your blood pressure medicine,' she said. Here are some tips about how to start — and how to stay with it — from three gym rats between the ages of 77 and 86. All got started late and have stayed with it. All three work out with Dr. Irv Rubenstein, an exercise scientist who runs STEPS Fitness in Nashville, Tennessee. I always hated gym class Kathryn Dettwiller, 77, got pushed into exercising 34 years ago by her husband. 'I always hated gym class,' she said. 'I always hated getting down on the floor.' She works out in a gym twice a week with a trainer, which she said gives her added discipline and motivation. 'The external has become internal because I realize I need it,' she said. She cautioned beginners to expect some setbacks — minor injuries — and not to be discouraged. 'Try it as soon as your body starts playing out on you,' she said. 'It's like a game of Whack-A-Mole. One time your leg hurts, the next time it's your back.' It added structure to his life Rick Bolsom, 82, enjoys the structure of having a trainer. In his case, his wife got him started almost two decades ago and he's into a three-times-a-week routine. 'I kept doing it because I had a sense of feeling better,' he said. "The key to me was probably doing it with a trainer. The structure really helped me to continue with it. Now it's just become part of my life.' 'I couldn't imagine quitting it,' he added. 'I work out as vigorously as I did 15, 18 years ago. It turned out to be the smart thing to do.' Bolsom also added in the social aspect to training in a gym or studio. 'I retired a few years ago. You do miss the connectivity with people.' Flattery will get you everywhere Dr. Grover Smith, a retired radiologist, is 86 and still going strong. He attributes this partly to training regularly in a gym three times a week, a habit he didn't start until he was 74 and well into retirement. He was coaxed to go after several visits to his cardiologist. He said he went after the fourth time his cardiologist suggested it, although he was not having any specific heart problems. His plan was to go once to appease the cardiologist and that would be it. That was more than a decade ago. ' Medicine was basically my life and it was very time consuming,' Smith said. 'It was sometimes seven days a week and I didn't have time for a lot of other things.' He's not only fit, but now he also gets flattered. He tells the story about a recent visit to a doctor who, after looking at his charts, told him: 'Dr. Smith, you look 15 years younger than your age.' Smith laughed as he added the punchline. 'I would have told her to get her eyes examined — except she's an ophthalmologist,' he quipped.
Associated Press
22-02-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Get motivated to exercise regularly like these gym rats in their 70s and 80s
You know you should develop a regular exercise routine, but you lack motivation. Promises to yourself are quickly broken, and you never establish enough of the workout habit to experience any rewards. Exercising as you age is important. It's not only good for physical health to help prevent falls or enable you to do basic tasks — exercise is also superb for the mind. 'If you want to be cognitively active, it is so important to be physically active,' explained Dr. Amy Eyler, a professor of public health at Washington University in St. Louis. 'There is a such a strong connection between these two behaviors.' Why make exercise part of my routine? First, regular exercise helps maintain bone density and muscle strength. It also lowers the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. For older people, regular exercise helps maintain strength and balance and allows them to live independently. Research also suggests the immune system may get a bump from physical activity. There is also a psychological component. Successfully completing a daily exercise can improve one's mood and sense of self-satisfaction. How to get started Getting into the habit of doing regular physical activity can be difficult for some. The motivation to get moving is different for everyone. Initially you'll need external motivation — I want to be able to play with my grandkids or keep driving the car — until you see results and the motivation shifts to internal, Eyler said. 'When you set a goal, you should ask yourself on a scale of 1 to 100, how confident am I that I can do this?' Eyler explained. 'It has to be over the 90% level of confidence or you're not going to do it. Lots of people set these goal too high and then fail.' Build to your goals. 'Just walk whenever you can,' Eyler said. 'You can walk for 10 minutes pretty much anywhere — indoors, at work, at home.' And, if you're trying to encourage others, look for positive reasons rather than nagging. 'Telling someone they will be more independent if they take their blood pressure medicine is better than — take your blood pressure medicine,' she said. Here are some tips about how to start — and how to stay with it — from three gym rats between the ages of 77 and 86. All got started late and have stayed with it. All three work out with Dr. Irv Rubenstein, an exercise scientist who runs STEPS Fitness in Nashville, Tennessee. I always hated gym class Kathryn Dettwiller, 77, got pushed into exercising 34 years ago by her husband. 'I always hated gym class,' she said. 'I always hated getting down on the floor.' She works out in a gym twice a week with a trainer, which she said gives her added discipline and motivation. 'The external has become internal because I realize I need it,' she said. She cautioned beginners to expect some setbacks — minor injuries — and not to be discouraged. 'Try it as soon as your body starts playing out on you,' she said. 'It's like a game of Whack-A-Mole. One time your leg hurts, the next time it's your back.' It added structure to his life Rick Bolsom, 82, enjoys the structure of having a trainer. In his case, his wife got him started almost two decades ago and he's into a three-times-a-week routine. 'I kept doing it because I had a sense of feeling better,' he said. 'The key to me was probably doing it with a trainer. The structure really helped me to continue with it. Now it's just become part of my life.' 'I couldn't imagine quitting it,' he added. 'I work out as vigorously as I did 15, 18 years ago. It turned out to be the smart thing to do.' Bolsom also added in the social aspect to training in a gym or studio. 'I retired a few years ago. You do miss the connectivity with people.' Flattery will get you everywhere Dr. Grover Smith, a retired radiologist, is 86 and still going strong. He attributes this partly to training regularly in a gym three times a week, a habit he didn't start until he was 74 and well into retirement. He was coaxed to go after several visits to his cardiologist. He said he went after the fourth time his cardiologist suggested it, although he was not having any specific heart problems. His plan was to go once to appease the cardiologist and that would be it. That was more than a decade ago. 'Medicine was basically my life and it was very time consuming,' Smith said. 'It was sometimes seven days a week and I didn't have time for a lot of other things.' He's not only fit, but now he also gets flattered. He tells the story about a recent visit to a doctor who, after looking at his charts, told him: 'Dr. Smith, you look 15 years younger than your age.' Smith laughed as he added the punchline.
