Elections

A simulacrum of a spy movie offers few pleasures and plenty of headaches.Last year, while Hollywood’s actors and writers were on strike, people often asked me why the unions had such a bee in their collective bonnet about artificial intelligence. A.I. could never write a screenplay as well as a human, they said. Wouldn’t that ultimately spell doom for any studio that tried to replace their writers, and the whole thing would right itself on its own?My answer, then and now, was that it wouldn’t matter if the screenplay was good. Audiences have become so accustomed to watching movies and TV shows — excuse me, content, half-watched from behind a phone screen — that resembles something they liked once that A.I.’s regurgitations will not feel out of place. It doesn’t have to be better, I said. It just has to be adequate.“Argylle” was not, to my knowledge, written by A.I. (It was written by Jason Fuchs.) But it perfectly embodies the soulless, human-free feel that I worry about. It is ostensibly a tribute to spy movies of an earlier age, not clever enough to be a spoof and certainly not satire. But a homage shows affection for, understanding of and respect toward the thing it is honoring. “Argylle” feels pasted together by a robot manipulating some kind of spy Magnetic Poetry.What pleasure is extractable in “Argylle,” directed by Matthew Vaughn, lies in its mild surprises. Let’s just say the protagonist, Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard, very wide-eyed), is a best-selling spy novelist and, despite her protestations, the very epitome of a cat lady. (Her Scottish fold cat, Alfie, appears entirely computer generated even when I think they surely were using a real cat, and his presence seems calculated to add some whimsy to the plot. It does not.) She lives alone in a nicely appointed cabin nestled between mountains in Colorado, and she is afraid of dating and of flying. Instead she taps away at her novels, which have legions of fans.But stuck on the ending of the latest installment, she hops on a train to visit her mother (Catherine O’Hara), and has the bad luck to find herself seated across from a grungy-looking guy named Aidan (Sam Rockwell). He is reading her latest novel, “Argylle,” named for the fictional spy she both writes about and sees everywhere (played by Henry Cavill, sporting an overemphasized widow’s peak). She tries not to let on who she is; she fails; and then, out of nowhere, things go haywire.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?  More

Around New York City, there’s a robust circle of film enthusiasts showing offbeat movies in bars and shops, where lingering afterward is welcomed.At Heart of Gold, a cozy bar in Queens, a mad scientist recently brought to life a corpse that went on a blood-drenched rampage. But the people nursing their beers there didn’t call the authorities. They cheered.That’s because the undead were marauding on a screen, set up at the front of the bar, that was illuminated by “Re-Animator,” Stuart Gordon’s 1985 horror-science fiction splatterfest. The occasion was a Monday night gathering of the Astoria Horror Club, which meets regularly to watch scary movies over hot dogs, mulled wine and other anything-but-popcorn concessions.Before the film, Tom Herrmann and Madeleine Koestner, the club’s co-founders, introduced “Re-Animator” with a trigger warning about a sexual assault scene and a reminder to generously tip the staff. About 35 people watched the movie seated, but others stood, complimenting the onscreen mayhem with shrieking, gasping and, as a decapitated head got tossed around, an explosion of applause.The Astoria Horror Club is just one of many film clubs that, while not new in concept, are quietly thriving in and around New York City. At many of these events, movies are shown not in traditional theaters but in bars, shops and other makeshift spaces, for small groups of people, many of whom arrive early for good seats and stay afterward to gush and vent.The screenings are open to the public, but mostly it’s Gen Zers and millennials who are joining strangers to watch movies that, in many cases, are for niche tastes and were made before streaming was a thing.These kinds of films are programmed regularly at the city’s revival houses, like Film Forum and Metrograph. But what these film clubs offer is ample space and time, where debate and friendships can blossom without leaving your seat. For cheap, too: At chain theaters, tickets can be more than $20 apiece, not including food and drinks. Many of these film clubs are free to attend, although patrons are asked to pony up for beer or bites.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?  More

Company insolvencies hit a three-decade high, with businesses under pressure from high debts, prices and interest rates. The Bank of England held rates steady on Thursday.Britain’s economy faces a bracing fact: The number of companies that folded last year was the highest in three decades.More than 25,000 companies registered as insolvent in 2023, the most since 1993, according to government data published this week. As pandemic-related support measures for businesses ended, the wreckage from years of high debt and interest rates, soaring prices and a cost-of-living crisis become clearer. Insolvencies have spread from small to larger businesses, analysts said.Businesses still dealing with relatively high costs, demands for higher wages, supply chain uncertainties and wavering consumer confidence are hoping for brighter economic times. Slower inflation, stronger growth and cuts to interest rates are expected to come this year, but not soon.On Thursday, the Bank of England held interest rates at 5.25 percent, the highest since 2008, and where they have remained since August, after rising from just above zero in a series of increases over a year and a half.Policymakers said inflation had declined, including wage growth and services inflation, but some measures of persistence remained “elevated.” Two members of the nine-person rate-setting committee voted for a quarter-point rate increase, while one voted for the first time to cut rates.There has been good news on inflation, “but we have to be more confident that inflation will fall all the way back to the 2 percent target and stay there,” Andrew Bailey, the governor of the bank, said on Thursday. “We are not yet at a point where we can lower interest rates.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?  More

Atkins, the only person since the late 1800s to have held the top positions in both houses of the Legislature, is now running for governor.Toni Atkins, president pro tem of the California Senate, in November. She will step down from her role next week.Gregory Bull/Associated PressFor years, Toni Atkins has been one of the most powerful politicians in California, even though her name is unfamiliar to many people in the state.A state lawmaker for 14 years representing San Diego, Atkins has served as the speaker of the Assembly and, more recently, as president pro tem of the Senate — the first person in more than a century, and the only woman, to have held both of the Legislature’s top positions.During her tenure, she has quietly negotiated eight state budgets and helped enact some of California’s most impactful legislation: Medicaid expansions that extend health insurance to all eligible adults, regardless of immigration status. Laws that increase access to reproductive health care and protect providers after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Free meals for public school students. Tax credits for poor families.Atkins, a Democrat, is leaving the Senate after this year because of term limits, and she is ceding her leadership post next week. Senator Mike McGuire of Healdsburg is expected to succeed her.But her career in politics is hardly over. A few weeks ago, Atkins announced that she would run in 2026 to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who cannot seek a third term.She agreed to an exit interview, and we spoke by phone right around the time she was announcing her campaign for governor. I intended to focus on her political legacy, but we ended up talking mostly about her roots in Appalachia. Here’s our chat, lightly edited.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?  More

This week’s properties are six-bedroom in Danbury, Conn., and Millwood, N.Y.Realty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansRealty PlansFairfield | 196-200 Franklin St. Extension, Danbury, Conn.Six-Bedroom Contemporary$2.199 millionA six-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bath, 7,563-square-foot home built in 1988 that has an open family room with a kitchen and dining area, lots of windows and deck access; a first-floor en suite primary bedroom with a fireplace, walk-in closet, soaking tub and patio; a formal dining room and a sunken living room with skylights; two offices; a lower level with a dance floor, indoor pool, screened porch, wet bar, kitchenette and gym area; an attached six-car garage and a detached two-car garage, on 14.3 lush acres with a footbridge, waterfall and gazebo. LM Homes Team, William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, 203-644-6172; williampitt.comCostsTaxes: $28,499 a yearProsWith 18 rooms, there is ample space for living and entertaining. An additional en suite bedroom is on the second level.ConsSome buyers may want to update the upper level for a more modern and cohesive interior.Joseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerJoseph KellerWestchester | 62 Taconic Road, Millwood, N.Y.Six-Bedroom From 1966$1.68 millionA six-bedroom, four-bath, 5,034-square-foot home from 1966, with a stone front porch and spacious foyer; hardwood floors, crown molding and a built-in sound system throughout; formal living and dining rooms; an eat-in kitchen with an island, granite countertops, a ceramic cooktop and French doors to a deck; a family room with a brick fireplace; an office; an en suite primary bedroom with walk-in closets, a European-style bath with a jetted tub, a steam shower, double sinks and a towel warmer; a laundry room; a finished lower level with a recreational area and storage; an attached two-car garage; and a yard with a stone patio, tennis court and aboveground pool, on 2.06 acres. Alicja P. Bohmrich, 914-469-1156, Houlihan Lawrence, houlihanlawrence.comCostsTaxes: $32,836 a yearProsNatural light is abundant, and there is ample space to entertain yet plenty of private areas. The yard has much to offer and the deck is inviting.ConsThe bathrooms are outdated and some wallpaper may not be appealing to all buyers.Given the fast pace of the current market, some properties may no longer be available at the time of publication.For weekly email updates on residential real estate news, sign up here. More

This week’s properties are in Kips Bay, Turtle Bay and on the Grand Concourse.Tyler Stuart of Real Estate Production Network and Douglas EllimanTyler Stuart of Real Estate Production Network and Douglas EllimanTyler Stuart of Real Estate Production Network and Douglas EllimanTyler Stuart of Real Estate Production Network and Douglas EllimanTyler Stuart of Real Estate Production Network and Douglas EllimanTyler Stuart of Real Estate Production Network and Douglas EllimanTyler Stuart of Real Estate Production Network and Douglas EllimanManhattan | 140 East 28th Street, No. PHAKips Bay Penthouse$1.695 millionA one-bedroom, one-bath, roughly 1,000-square-foot co-op with 10-foot ceilings, a windowed kitchen, a wood-burning fireplace, an en suite bedroom with a windowed bath, ample closets, a solarium, a 300-square-foot terrace and basement storage, in a 13-story prewar doorman building by Emery Roth and Bing & Bing with a live-in super and a roof deck. Benjamin Dixon and Matthew Mackay, 646-645-8154; elliman.comCostsMaintenance: $3,273 a monthProsThe board permits central air-conditioning and a compressor can fit on the terrace. The kitchen can be opened up. The solarium is spacious and has new shades.ConsThe maintenance fee is high. The only bathroom is in the bedroom. Washer/dryers are permitted only for buyers who combine two or more units. The bike room has a wait list.MW Studio for Brown Harris StevensMW Studio for Brown Harris StevensMW Studio for Brown Harris StevensMW Studio for Brown Harris StevensMW Studio for Brown Harris StevensManhattan | 434 East 52nd Street, No. 3ATurtle Bay Studio$650,000A roughly 500-square-foot co-op studio with a wood-burning fireplace, a windowed galley kitchen, a windowed marble bathroom, custom grasscloth wallpaper, built-in cabinets, a linen closet, through-the-wall heating and air-conditioning and a smart thermostat, on the third floor of a 13-story prewar doorman building by Emery Roth and Bing & Bing with a garden, shared laundry, a property manager, a bike room and a waiting list for storage cages. Gillian Bland and S. Jean Meisel, Brown Harris Stevens, 203-687-0433; bhsusa.comCostsMaintenance: $1,100 a monthProsA studio with a working fireplace is a find. The whole apartment was beautifully renovated last year. The maintenance fee includes electricity.ConsThe living area is small, as are the refrigerator and freezer drawers.Alex Staniloff Gotham InteriorsAlex Staniloff Gotham InteriorsAlex Staniloff Gotham InteriorsAlex Staniloff Gotham InteriorsAlex Staniloff Gotham InteriorsAlex Staniloff Gotham InteriorsAlex Staniloff Gotham InteriorsBronx | 860 Grand Concourse, No. 6FGrand Concourse Co-op$475,000A two-bedroom, two-bath, roughly 1,100-square-foot apartment with a windowed eat-in kitchen, a formal dining room, a step-down living room, an en suite primary bedroom, windowed bathrooms, window air-conditioning, built-ins and ample closets, on the sixth floor of a seven-story prewar building with a part-time doorman, a virtual intercom, a live-in super, shared laundry, a bike room, and weight and breed restrictions for dogs. Matthew Bank, Bank Neary Real Estate, 917-608-6309; bankneary.comCostsMaintenance: $1,727 a monthProsThe apartment is well maintained, nicely updated and has prewar features like bordered hardwood floors, crown moldings and French doors. Both bedrooms can accommodate king-size beds.ConsThe building is close to Yankee Stadium, which could be noisy. The primary bath is small. In-unit washer/dryers are not permitted.Given the fast pace of the current market, some properties may no longer be available at the time of publication.For weekly email updates on residential real estate news, sign up here. More

Tech leaders faced a grilling in the Senate, and one offered an apology. But skeptics fear little will change this time.Five tech C.E.O.s faced a grilling yesterday, but it’s unclear whether new laws to impose more safeguards for online children’s safety will pass.Kenny Holston/The New York TimesA lot of heat, but will there be regulation?Five technology C.E.O.s endured hours of grilling by senators on both sides of the aisle about their apparent failures to make their platforms safer for children, with some lawmakers accusing them of having “blood” on their hands.But for all of the drama, including Mark Zuckerberg of Meta apologizing to relatives of online child sex abuse victims, few observers believe that there’s much chance of concrete action.“Your product is killing people,” Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, flatly told Zuckerberg at Wednesday’s hearing. Over 3.5 hours, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee laid into the Meta chief and the heads of Discord, Snap, TikTok and X over their policies. (Before the hearing began, senators released internal Meta documents that showed that executives had rejected efforts to devote more resources to safeguard children.)But tech C.E.O.s offered only qualified support for legislative efforts. Those include the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, which would require tech platforms to take “reasonable measures” to prevent harm, and STOP CSAM and EARN IT, two bills that would curtail some of the liability shield given to those companies by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.Both Evan Spiegel of Snap and Linda Yaccarino of X backed KOSA, and Yaccarino also became the first tech C.E.O. to back the STOP CSAM Act. But neither endorsed EARN IT.Zuckerberg called for legislation to force Apple and Google — neither of which was asked to testify — to be held responsible for verifying app users’ ages. But he otherwise emphasized that Meta had already offered resources to keep children safe.Shou Chew of TikTok noted only that his company expected to invest over $2 billion in trust and safety measures this year.Jason Citron of Discord allowed that Section 230 “needs to be updated,” and his company later said that it supports “elements” of STOP CSAM.Experts worry that we’ve seen this play out before. Tech companies have zealously sought to defend Section 230, which protects them from liability for content users post on their platforms. Some lawmakers say altering it would be crucial to holding online platforms to account.Meanwhile, tech groups have fought efforts by states to tighten the use of their services by children. Such laws would lead to a patchwork of regulations that should instead be addressed by Congress, the industry has argued.Congress has failed to move meaningfully on such legislation. Absent a sea change in congressional will, Wednesday’s drama may have been just that.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?  More

A Japanese macaque escaped from a wildlife park on Sunday. After five days of “living his best life,” he was back home on Thursday.A Japanese macaque was spotted in a man’s backyard after it escaped from Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland.Carl Nagle, via StoryfulEver since the breakout, the people of Kingussie have been following the whereabouts of a fugitive in the Scottish highlands.There he was, breaking into a backyard to scoop up some food as a couple filmed in shock. A drone spotted him from above, stalking underneath the branches of a tree. Some cheered him on in his bid for freedom; others were simply impressed he had managed to elude his finders for so long.But on Thursday the search was over: Animal keepers finally captured a monkey days after he broke out of his enclosure in Highland Wildlife Park.The Japanese macaque, who some had nicknamed “Kingussie Kong,” was caught and tranquilized Thursday morning, after a member of public called a hotline to report it was eating from a bird feeder in their garden. “The monkey is on the way back to the park with our keepers, where he will be looked over by one of our vet team,” said Keith Gilchrist, an operations manager at the Highland Wildlife Park in a statement, adding that he would be reintroduced to the park’s troop. The monkey’s real name, he added, was Honshu. It was the denouement to a whirlwind that had engulfed — or at least amused — the communities of Kingussie and Kincraig in the Scottish highlands, where about 1,500 humans live. Since the macaque went on the lam, his fate had drawn reporters who waited nearby for updates on the monkey’s location.“Everybody is rooting for this monkey,” said Carl Nagle, a Kincraig resident who spotted the monkey on Sunday in his backyard, apparently snacking on even more birdfeed. “He must be having a ball living his best life.”For his part, Mr. Nagle said he was “hugely relieved,” that the monkey was caught, saying that he needed to return to his troop. “It’s been five weird and wonderful days.”He wondered if the monkey knew it was time to call the gambit off, given that members of the national press were gathered near the park. “This is ridiculous — and yet it is somehow perfect,” Mr. Nagle said.“He’s going to go home and we’re all going to look at each other and go: Why are we here?”The Japanese macaque, also called the snow monkey, is native to Japan, where its population has recovered in recent years. Park authorities had warned the public to report sightings and not approach the animal, and to keep sources of food inside, but added that he was not “presumed dangerous.” He had been one of a troop of more than 30 animals at Highland Wildlife Park, and park officials had told the BBC that the monkey may have run away after tensions during breeding season. More