Jay Kelly will be released in select theaters on November 14, and will debut on Netflix on December 5.
The cacophony of noises on the set of a major motion picture is enough to drive any person crazy. There’s yelling from all over, person after person after person trying to get someone’s attention, equipment moving and shifting under your (and everyone else’s) feet. But in director Noah Baumbach’s latest feature Jay Kelly, the title character couldn’t be more at home in the chaos. It’s what he, a generational superstar actor beloved for his work over the course of about 40 years, knows best. But what he finds as he approaches the twilight years of his storied career is that he maybe should’ve gotten to know other things better, namely his two daughters, who seem to be slipping through his fingers like grains of sand as they embark on their own lives.
This is, of course, the heart of this entertaining and poignant examination of the life of great artists – and Baumbach’s emotional resonance as a filmmaker and writer (a duty he shares this time with actress Emily Mortimer) allows him to explore it gently and graciously with nuance, frank comedy, and stark sentimentality in a way that feels truthful and human despite the larger-than-life nature of the film’s subject. Oh, and on that note I should mention: Kelly is played by none other than George Clooney.
Clooney is the heart and soul of this film, not only because he’s an excellent actor who’s proven himself as such over the years, but because he innately understands what Jay Kelly is going through as a person. He’s lived that life, the life of someone who knows a thing or two about the personal sacrifices necessary in the face of great art. Jay Kelly is, ultimately, an obvious stand-in for Clooney himself, but that’s why the character, and the film overall, works. It’s a necessary element of Baumbach’s picture, especially considering the narrative is somewhat less personal to the director than many of his other works. Clooney’s personal connection to the narrative acts as somewhat of a surrogate for the connection Baumbach (Kicking and Screaming, The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story) always has to his stories, imbuing it with the same kind of life his other somewhat autobiographical projects have had in the past. It’s key, because without that kind of smart casting, this film probably would fall way more flat than it does. Kelly, as a product of Baumbach’s direction and writing and Clooney’s choices and instincts, is a beautiful disaster of a man, one who is noble in his trying and human in his errors. He is, ultimately, just like any of us who try and try and try: We’re bound to make mistakes along the way.
Kelly, as a product of Baumbach’s direction and writing and Clooney’s choices and instincts, is a beautiful disaster of a man, one who is noble in his trying and human in his errors.
Kelly is, of course, nothing without the people who helped him throughout his career, the ones who ended up being a surrogate for the family he neglected. That’s where Adam Sandler comes in with an excellent turn as Kelly’s manager Ron, who has been with him for his entire 40-year career. Sandler is of course known for his comedic chops, but has played straight dramatic roles over the years as well, including in 2019’s Uncut Gems. Here his Ron is touching, drenched in charm and sadness in equal measure.
The supporting cast in general – namely Kelly’s team, made up of Sandler and Laura Dern as his publicist, as well as Greta Gerwig as Ron’s wife, Grace Edwards and Riley Keough as Kelly’s somewhat estranged daughters, and an exciting Billy Crudup as an old friend who resurfaces in a movie-stealing scene — brings the entire picture together in the same way an artist's team brings together all the challenging elements of their extravagant and hectic lives so they can just be who the world wants them to be. Dern is hilarious as she lays out some heartfelt truths worth examining about who your friends are in this business. Gerwig also adds a great bit of comedic relief to the project alongside Sandler’s real-life daughters and the young actor who splits sides as Ron’s son.
Edwards and Keough are playing very different women with different goals and ideals, but they each bring a sense of independence and self-preservation to the roles that makes the crucial nature of their characters stand out. They’re both a joy to watch, though their ultimate paths are somewhat tragic for Kelly because he’s missed his opportunity to ride alongside them. Both performers embody that tragedy in their own ways, with Edwards’ quirky, free-spirited, and headstrong soul bare throughout her time in the narrative and Keough’s resentment and anger bubbling over with just the right amount of tension and consideration. As for Crudup, he’s the one-two punch (no pun intended – if you know you know) of the film and his turn, though short, is revelatory for the same reasons Kelly praises him in the film: his ability to perform in every sense of the concept, and to breathe life and truth into every word, biting or tender. These performances are the bedrock of Clooney’s ability to build a full life around Kelly.
Visually, Baumbach is also doing quite a bit of exploring. His surreal approach to embodying Kelly’s mind, and by extension his regrets, is fun and compelling to see. It truly feels as though he is walking through his own mind as he makes his way through every day, unable to help but remember the moments that have defined him and his life over the years. Baumbach has Kelly do this in the literal sense, as one doorway in one locale in the present leads to landscapes of haunting memory in the past. It’s an effective way for Kelly to explore his emotional life, his mortality, and his accomplishments and failures professional and personal – and how they have ultimately affected who he was, who he is, and who he will be throughout the remainder of his career and life.
The complete Calvin and Hobbes book set is the ultimate collector's item for any devoted fan of the comic series and it happens to be on sale ahead of Black Friday. Starting today, you can pick up the premium hardcover edition for just $86.15 after you clip a $43.07 off coupon on the product page. It normally "retails" for $225, although I usually see it for about $130-$150. Don't miss out on this opportunity because this coupon expires in just a few days, and I don't know if it will go back on sale during Black Friday proper.
Complete Calvin and Hobbes Hardcover Book Set
The Calvin and Hobbes hardcover box set consists of three full-color volumes (1,440 total pages) contained in a sturdy slipcase. This collection include includes every Calvin and Hobbes cartoon that ever appeared in syndication, from its initial publication in 1985 to Bill Watterson's retirement in 1995. The cartoons are illustrated in either black and white or color, depending on how they were first published.
If you've always wanted to add this timeless classic to your collection, or you want to introduce this delightful series to someone who's never had the privilege of experiencing it, I'd definitely recommend jumping on this deal. Both the paperback and hardcover editions are well-made, but currently, the paperback set is slightly less expensive and also included in Amazon's buy 2, get 1 free book sale.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Let's make this simple. You want to know if there are any mid- or post-credits scenes in The Running Man. The answer is no, though the entirety of the closing credits are accompanied by some in-universe imagery that does add a bit to the world of the film and where things go after the conclusion.
Be sure to check back on this page Friday for a full spoiler breakdown of the film!
Those who are only familiar with The Running Man thanks to the 1987 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger may be surprised by how different the specifics of the story are in director Edgar Wright’s new version, which is much more rooted in the original 1982 Stephen King novel vs. that earlier adaptation. This version of Ben Richards (Glen Powell) isn’t captured and forced to play the diabolical game show, The Running Man, but instead volunteers for it in his desperation to help his sick baby daughter, Cathy. Even if he is killed within the 30 days he has to try to avoid the game’s five dreaded Hunters – led by the always-masked McCone (Lee Pace) – he’ll at least likely earn a lot of money along the way that his wife, Sheila (Jayme Lawson), can use to buy Cathy the medicine they can’t currently afford.
And so that's the set-up for this new take on The Running Man, which we'll be delving into fully starting on Friday with an ending explained (do people still bookmark pages? Because you should do that right here). But in the meantime, you may be sitting in the theater wondering if there are any post-credits scenes or not...
Is There a Running Man Post-Credits Scene?
No, there’s no actual scenes once we cut to the credits. However, for the entire duration of the closing credits, we see what look like pages from a fanzine in the background, though they’re filled with information written after the events of the film.
Be sure to come back tomorrow for a full spoilery discussion of the movie, and check out some of our other coverage of The Running Man below!
Dell just kicked off the best deal I've seen so far on its flagship Alienware Area-51 laptop. Ahead of Black Friday, Dell Outlet has "Like New" Aienware 18 Area-51 18" RTX 5080 gaming laptops in stock starting at $3,520. For a limited time, there's an additional 18% discount (automatically applied in your shopping cart) that drops the price to just $2,328.80 with free shipping. That is a huge price drop from the current price of $3,000 new from Dell (Alienware). Note that "Like New" models are certified refurbished and include the same 1 year warranty as buying new.
Alienware 18 Area-51 RTX 5080 Laptop for $2,328.80
Like new (refurbished) with 1 year Dell warranty
This particular configuration comes well-equipped with a 18" 2560x1600 300Hz G-Sync display, Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, RTX 5080 16GB GPU, 32GB of DDR5-6400MHz memory, and a 1TB SSD. If you think the amount of memory and storage are insufficient for your needs, rest assured that both are easily user upgradeable.
There aren't very many 18" gaming laptops around, and even fewer that are equipped with the RTX 5080 mobile GPU. Of the ones that are available for purchase at the moment, this is far and away the least expensive deal. In fact, it's one of the only laptops I've found with a price tag under $3,000. Take a look at its competition (and note these are sale prices):
The Area-51: new color, curvy design, metal construction, and upgraded cooling
The Alienware Area-51 is a considerable upgrade compared to the previous generation's Alienware m16. For starters, it's clad in anodized aluminum for both the lid and bottom chassis and features a unique iridescent finish that sparkles in direct lighting. The frame is made of a durable and lightweight magnesium alloy. Cooling has been upgraded with generous amounts of copper and a new thermal interface. Dell claims that it can handle up to 240W TDP without raising acoustics.
Design-wise, the Area 51 has a sleeker, more contoured shape compared to previous models, with rounded edges and soft corners replacing the traditional squared off design. The hinges are internally positioned so that they're near invisible. There's a transparent window on the undercarriage to show off the internal components. There's also plenty of RGB illumination, although most of it can be turned off if you don't like that sort of thing.
The GeForce RTX 5080 mobile GPU is better than the RTX 4090 mobile
The Alienware Area-51's aggressive cooling allows it to accomodate the RTX 5080 mobile GPU without throttling it. The RTX 5080 is roughly 15%-20% more powerful than the RTX 4080 that it replaces. In fact, it's even more powerful than the RTX 4090, which was the previous generation's flagship card. You'll be able to play any game at frame rates of 60fps or higher on the 1600p display. You could even enable ray tracing in most games, something that was unheard of in laptops just a few years ago. The general consensus is that upgrading from an RTX 5080 (mobile) to RTX 5090 won't yield significant performance gains relative to the huge price difference.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
The Legion Tower 7i is a clean and neatly packed gaming PC with a powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 and Intel Core Ultra 9 285K tamed by a 360mm AIO cooler – which makes it a solid high-end prebuilt gaming rig, even if it is quite expensive. It’ll give you that powerful performance you want in a premium gaming PC, but if you’re into shiny RGB components, you may want to opt for RAM that doesn’t look like a naked piece of circuit board.
However, if all you’re interested in is graphics performance, there are certainly cheaper gaming PCs out there. And while I do like the RGB lighting, the case screams budget more than anything else. That may be a dealbreaker for some, but the Legion Tower 7i still offers everything you need in a gaming PC to take on modern AAA games at high settings.
Design and Features
The Legion Tower 7i slimmed down from last year’s model, which is great because it was quite chunky. It now measures 18.8 inches tall (previously 19.37 inches) and 16.34 inches wide (previously 18.27 inches). It’s still kind of chunky, but it’s an improvement.
But the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i is still your average 35-pound mid-tower blasted in a stormy gray paint that will make you mistake it for any other nondescript gaming PC until you turn the lights on. Then, you’ll get blasted with the bold RGB, highlighting the tower’s caged honeycomb aesthetic alongside its bright Legion logo. Meanwhile, the rounded edges and fans on top add to the mechanical aesthetic. If you’re looking at the tempered glass panel when the lights kick on, white LEDs glow and highlight the components in the chassis, while the liquid cooler, GPU, and rear fans alight in RGB. However, the RAM remains to be naked in the motherboard.
Popping open the glass panel was easy; I just removed two thumbscrews in the back and slid it off (getting it back on required similar minimal effort). While the RTX 5080 is a relatively average size, it does take up the size of two PCIe slots. Below that, there’s one PCIe 4.0 x16 and PCIe 3.0 slot, but if you want to plug anything into those ports, they’ll need to be relatively thin cards. But even with the tight packing, this is an extremely clean build, with the cables neatly packed.
Getting the back panel off was a bit harder. The thumbscrews were tight as heck (I had to pull out a screwdriver), and I had to put way more pressure than I should have to slide it off (and back on). The cables in the back were zip tied and shoved in the empty space in front of the PSU slot. It looks neat, but if you wanted to replace anything, you’ll need some scissors and some dexterity to avoid knocking a cable out of the PSU.
The front panel connectors are located at the top instead of the front, near the power button. There’s a headphone jack, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, two USB 2 Type-A, and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C slot. It’s great to see a Type-C port on the front since it was missing last year, and gaming PCs need more than one Type-C slot in 2025.
You can find the other Type-C port on the back, which supports Thunderbolt 4. You also get four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, two USB 2.0 Type-A, an RJ-45 Ethernet, and six audio ports. The number of audio ports is confusing, for sure, but its the same amount as on the previous model. There’s also a DisplayPort on the motherboard, which most people shouldn't use, but can be useful for troubleshooting.
The Legion Tower 7i also comes with a generic keyboard and mouse. If you’re buying an expensive gaming PC like this, you probably shouldn’t play games with a keyboard and mouse you could find in a lost and found bin. That seems brutal, but after playing a few matches of Marvel Rivals, the mouse could not keep up with my movements to defend myself before I got ganked. The keyboard is less offensive, but it’s still at the bottom of the barrel. Its membrane keys are mushy and don’t offer the satisfying feedback you need from a gaming keyboard, and the kickstand on the underside barely lifts it up, providing nearly no support for my wrists.
Software
Unfortunately, the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i does have some bloatware, like the Lenovo Vantage app, which keeps track of your warranty, system information, and can maintain hardware health with scans and driver updates. That is useful, especially if you don’t want to deal with Windows 11’s built in hardware management. Lenovo also pre-installed the ‘Lenovo Now’ app, which is essentially a link to the Lenovo Subscription Marketplace, which will try to sell you stuff you probably don’t need – you should probably uninstall that.
However, one tool you should actually keep on the machine is LegionSpace. This is where you can monitor your CPU, GPU, and RAM, change the lighting profile of your PC and adjust performance profiles between Quiet, Balance, and Performance. You can also use this app to overclock your GPU, which I wouldn’t do unless you’re comfortable doing the necessary tinkering.
Performance
That chunky card you see in the Legion Tower 7i is an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 GPU with 16GB of VRAM – that's as premium as you can get if you want to stay around $3,000. It's paired with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and 64GB of RAM. You won't be getting triple-digit frames in every game you play, but you won't need DLSS 4’s frame generation for 4K, 60 fps gaming.
Jumping into Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K with the Ray Tracing Ultra preset and DLSS set to Performance, the Legion Tower 7i hits a strong 76 fps. If you want to take advantage of that high refresh rate display you got for your birthday, throw on Frame Generation (x2) to get 124 fps. Jumping to Multi-Frame Generation (x4) will net you 198 fps.
Similarly, the Legion Tower 7i managed a strong 62 fps in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, while frame generation took it up to 94 fps. The Legion struggled the most with the Metro Exodus benchmark, hitting 59 fps, but that tracks since it’s a heavy workload without all the upscaling. A competitive game like Black Ops 6 runs smooth, at 121 fps, which is enough to catch the enemy slipping.
I hopped into a few matches of Marvel Rivals (trying to do those weeklies) at 4K, with the Ultra preset and DLAA, 4x Multi-Frame Generation. I averaged about 167 fps with 44 milliseconds of latency as I scorched a Jeff from across the arena with Phoenix’s cosmic flame. You won't be able to fill out a 4K, 240Hz display on max settings, but the Legion Tower 7i offers more than enough for the average gamer, even a competitive one. If you turn down a few settings, or play less demanding games, you’ll definitely be able to saturate a 240Hz refresh rate
If you don’t want to compromise, you can just get the Legion Tower 7i with an RTX 5090, but then you start getting to prices that make the Origin Millenium or the Maingear Apex Artist Series look a little more reasonable – and that’s saying something.
Rami Tabari is a contributing writer at IGN with over 9 years of experience in the tech and gaming industry. You can find his bylines at Laptop Mag and Tom's Guide (and on a random Predator review at Space.com). When Rami isn't wading through a sea of the latest gaming tech, he's agonizing over the worldbuilding in his upcoming novella.
The Empyrean series has been my guilty pleasure since I first read Fourth Wing. Rebecca Yarros's approach to weaving together fantasy, romance, and character development makes it one of the best romantasy reads out there. The series has been extremely popular at Amazon's Kindle store all year long with the release of the third book, Onyx Storm, but it's also sold extremely well in terms of physical book sales.
If you're like me and chose to devour these novels via reading tablet, you'll be happy to know that the special edition hardcover versions are currently part of the 'Buy 2, Get 1 Free' sale at Amazon ahead of Black Friday. The Wing and Claw collection includes beautiful stenciled edges that bring a striking visual element to each book.
Fourth Wing Books Sale at Amazon Today
If you aren't familiar with how Amazon's "3 for 2" sale actually works, it's fairly simple to explain. All you need to do is add all three of these books to your cart and Amazon will automatically discount the price of the cheapest one when you go to check out. So in this case if you were to buy all three of the Wing and Claw editions in the Empyrean series, you'd save an additional $21.39 on top of the already discounted prices. This means you can get the full hardcover collection for only $49.06 while this sale lasts.
There is some weirdness with how the Wing and Claw collection was released. Onyx Storm was released back in January 2025 (alongside the special edition), but the rest of the series hadn't received the Wing and Claw treatment yet. It wasn't until September that both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame received a Wing and Claw edition. So for those of you who purchased Onyx Storm at launch and are looking to complete your set, this sale is a great opportunity. You'll just need to buy a third book from the sale to take advantage of this promotion.
What is the Empyrean Series about?
The story follows Violet Sorrengail, a seemingly fragile young girl who has been forced by her powerful mother to enter the very dangerous academy of dragon riders. As she finds ways to overcome her weaknesses and survive, Violet must also battle her own complex emotions about her mother, her old friend, and a boy she thinks wants nothing more than to see her dead. All the while, there's more going on with the dragons and her world than meets the eye, and she finds herself at the center of it all whilst in the heat of an epic romance.
Amazon is planning on bringing Fourth Wing to the screen after the success of the books and a TV series is already in the works for Prime Video.
Should you wait for Black Friday to buy?
We're only halfway through November, so there are still plenty of Black Friday sales on the horizon. And those sales are arriving quickly. Amazon recently announced that its own Black Friday sale will be kicking off on Thursday, November 20 this year and will include book deals up to 65% off. As for what book deals will be included in that sale, we are still in the dark. So with that in mind, this early book promotion is absolutely worth taking advantage of before Black Friday truly begins.
While it's certainly possible that retailers will reduce the prices of the Fourth Wing books individually, it's unlikely that those discounts will be as steep as getting an entire book for free. If you only want to buy one of these books, It's probably worth waiting, but if you're going to buy the full collection then right now is the best time to do so.
The biggest and most powerful gaming laptop that anyone can get is an 18" laptop equipped with a GeForce RTX 5090 mobile GPU. Normally such a system would cost you over $4,000, but there's a pretty outrageous deal going on right now. Dell Outlet currently has "Like New" Alienware 18 Area-51 RTX 5090 gaming laptops in stock starting at $2,840. Even better, there's an additional 18% discount (automatically applied in your shopping cart) that drops the price to just $2,886.40 with free shipping. That is a huge price drop from the current price of $4,550 new from Dell (Alienware). Note that "Like New" models are certified refurbished and include the same 1 year warranty as buying new.
Alienware 18 Area-51 RTX 5090 Laptop for $2,886.40
Like new (refurbished) with 1 year Dell warranty
This particular configuration comes very well equipped with a gorgeous 18" 2560x1600 300Hz G-Sync display, Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, RTX 5090 24GB mobile GPU, 64GB of DDR5-6400MHz memory, and a 2TB SSD.
There aren't very many 18" gaming laptops around, and even fewer that are equipped with the RTX 5090 mobile GPU. Of the ones that are available for purchase at the moment, this is far and away the least expensive deal. In fact, it's one of the only laptops I've found with a price tag under $4,000. Take a look at its competition (and note these are sale prices):
The Area-51: new color, curvy design, metal construction, and upgraded cooling
The Alienware Area-51 is a considerable upgrade compared to the previous generation's Alienware m16. For starters, it's clad in anodized aluminum for both the lid and bottom chassis and features a unique iridescent finish that sparkles in direct lighting. The frame is made of a durable and lightweight magnesium alloy. Cooling has been upgraded with generous amounts of copper and a new thermal interface. Dell claims that it can handle up to 240W TDP without raising acoustics.
Design-wise, the Area 51 has a sleeker, more contoured shape compared to previous models, with rounded edges and soft corners replacing the traditional squared off design. The hinges are internally positioned so that they're near invisible. There's a transparent window on the undercarriage to show off the internal components. There's also plenty of RGB illumination, although most of it can be turned off if you don't like that sort of thing.
The RTX 5090 mobile is undisputedly the best GPU for gamers and creators
The RTX 5090 is the most powerful mobile gaming CPU available and performs about 15% better than the RTX 5080. Currently you can get an Alienware Area-51 RTX 5090 gaming laptop for as low as $3,299.99. It's about $400 more expensive than the RTX 5080 model, which is a fair price premium for a more powerful graphics card that also has a lot more VRAM (24GB vs 16GB). The extra memory is useful for 4K gaming as well as generative AI.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
Absolum is a roguelike beat ’em up, and given the genre’s arcade roots, it’s a very sensible combination. The constant cycle of death and restarting the campaign, once fueled by quarters, is now reimagined through runs, unlockable upgrades, and character-specific quests. It’s a smart evolution that honors the spirit of old-school brawlers while embracing the … Continue reading Absolum – DSOGaming Review→
Ubisoft is currently giving away Immortals Fenyx Rising for free on Ubisoft Connect. Until December 2nd, PC gamers can visit its Ubisoft Connect store page and acquire their free copy. Immortals Fenyx Rising is an open-world action adventure game. The game features dynamic action, combat, and stories inspired by Greek mythology. Moreover, players can roam … Continue reading Immortals Fenyx Rising is free to keep on PC for a limited time→
Bandai Namco and Rebel Wolves have released a new gameplay overview trailer for The Blood of Dawnwalker, which packs 30 minutes of gameplay footage. This trailer packs some gameplay mechanics, features, and stories that you will find in it. So, if you are “Witcher” fans, you should definitely check it out. The Blood of Dawnwalker … Continue reading The Blood of Dawnwalker gets a 30-minute gameplay overview trailer→
AMD has just announced that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will be the first game to support AMD FSR Redstone. According to the red team, thanks to AMD FSR Redstone, owners of AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series GPUs will be able to enjoy crystal-clear reflections. From the looks of it, Call of Duty: Black … Continue reading Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is the first game to support AMD FSR Redstone→
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