Countless movie productions are currently on hold with theater releases pushed back nearly a year, but some filmmakers are still managing to work from home. That’s the case for David Sandberg, director of 2019’s Shazam! and 2017’s Annabelle: Creation. He’ll eventually get back to work on crafting a sequel for Billy Batson’s superhero family, but for now, Sandberg has used his self isolation time to make (and release, for free) this short horror movie, Shadowed.

Sandberg’s been doing the at-home thing for awhile in between studio projects, so he knows his stuff, including how to light a film with an IKEA trash can. That’s bonkers, but horror directors get used to operating on slim budgets, and Shadowed would be no exception. He’s got an actress, a darkened room and hallway, and (as the title indicates) homemade shadow effects to terrorize his lead character. Add some well-placed creaks and minimal use of jump scares, and damn, it works, almost too effectively.

As Sandberg also explained on YouTube, Shadowed is a companion piece to another horror short (from way back in 2013, a lifetime ago), Lights Out. I think this project is even scarier? You be the judge.

Watch more of Sandberg’s videos, including behind-the-scenes clips and filmmaking tips, on his YouTube channel.

Cardi B showed her appreciation for New York City’s medical workers and first responders during the ongoing coronavirus crisis with a donation of meal supplements to help them through their long, strenuous shifts. According to TMZ, Cardi donated 20,000 bottles of OWYN — a plant-based meal supplement drink — to New York hospitals for their medical staff and ambulance crews, who sometimes don’t get a chance to eat.

The drinks are vegan and said to exclude dairy, egg, gluten, fish, peanuts, and soy. Cardi is just the latest hip-hop star to make a donation, as Lizzo donated lunch to hospital workers around the nation earlier this week, Kanye West donated to charities in Los Angeles helping to feed the elderly, DJ Khaled donated over 10,000 protective masks to healthcare workers, and G-Eazy is providing free meals for Bay Area kids affected by school closures. Cardi also volunteered the proceeds from the viral EDM single sampling her first coronavirus rant on Instagram to charity.

Cardi has been at the epicenter of hip-hop’s engagement with COVID-19 concerns, with her videos on the subject dominating Instagram’s top ten most-watched videos last month. She’s pondered conspiracy theories, battled xenophobia, and showed off all the weird ways she’s handled quarantine boredom.

Follow more of Uproxx’s coronavirus coverage here.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The former Dr. Harleen Quinzel may not have received the right movie (one that brings in droves of comic book fans) with Birds Of Prey, but the Harley Quinn animated series is an entirely different creature. Notably, the DC Universe streaming service has shown that they’re willing to cut bait with shows that don’t work, like James Wan’s Swamp Thing, which received an immediate axe without ceremony. So, it says a lot that DC Universe is running hard and fast with more Harley, four months after her first season celebrated her free-wheeling, feminist romp on the way to finally ditch the ultimate bad (and abusive) boyfriend, the Joker. He’s gone, after attempting during last season’s finale to erase Harley by tossing her back into the transformative Ace Chemicals vat and ending up there himself. And the show’s now even better for his omission.

When Mr. J laughed his last laugh, though, he also found a way to leave Gotham City (and the Legion of Doom) in shambles, which gives this sophomore season a marvelous jumping-off point. Basically, we’re looking at the apocalyptic version of Gotham right now. The U.S. has disavowed the city, and the police force can’t cope with the increasing pandemonium. Harley’s just fine with all of this — actually, she’s thrilled — and the season launches with more inappropriate humor, along with rampant profanity and violence, but it all feels more amplified. The F-bombs are strategically placed, with none going to waste, and the rip-roaring ride feels even faster than last time.

Granted, DC Universe has not released almost the whole second season to critics, like they did last year, so I can’t assure you that the whole season is consistent, but it’s off to a bang-up start. Harley has achieved her own sense of self, and she’s pumped. She’s no longer weighed down by a clown, but the enormous Gotham power void that he’s left must be filled by someone, and as the season premiere reveals, is now filled by about 1000 a-holes. It’s up to Harley and her gang (all guys, and that’s kind-of marvelous with her as the leader) to narrow down that field of a*holes. Can she rise to that challenge? Fortunately, this version of Harley (voiced by Kaley Cuoco) has her head in the game (unlike Margot Robbie’s hollow character, who’s in the DCEU wind), and the series keeps pretending that Suicide Squad doesn’t exist.

Where does this Harley go after her emancipation has been established?

A new principal challenge awaits, but also, this Harley is a tough-as-nails lady with heart. I mean, she actually saves a sushi chef from becoming a meal for King Shark. This shouldn’t come as a surprise for existing viewers of this series, which sees her as less of a supervillain than an antihero. However, there’s still a hell of a lot of guys behaving badly in Gotham, and even though she’s the one who took out the Joker, Harley’s now also a target of a new male power structure that wafts into view. She’s keen to charge in like a bull in a china shop at them, for better or worse, but there are lessons to be learned for impulsive choices. Harley initially encourages every Gotham henchman (and she counts herself among that crowd) to rise up for themselves — she doesn’t want this anarchy to die — but reality (at least, a comic book version) rears its head.

The terrible state that Gotham finds itself in is no joke with no Batman around to do the vigilante thing. The rising power players (including Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Riddler, Two-Face, and a ridiculously muffled Bane) call themselves the Injustice League and claim “New Gotham,” as it’s now called, whether Harley endorses them or not. Yes, evil will always attempt to take root, and it’s up to Harley to make sure that the updated Gotham doesn’t end up being more dangerous — and sh*tty for women — than the old one.

Not that this means the series has grown serious. Not even close, for this TV show has already proven itself capable of balancing deep, soul-searching moments on Harley’s behalf with uproariously wicked humor. The challenges for the title character have simply shifted, and become less intermittently heavy because Harley’s no longer acting codependent within an abusive relationship. She does, however, still need tough love from Poison Ivy (Lake Bell), who seems to be the only one who can talk sense into her friend. It’s not a spoiler to say this, really, since the trailer already revealed as much: Harley and Ivy’s friendship starts to edge toward the type of relationship that the fans have really wanted to see. On an unrelated note, the season also promises to feature an ice vagina, folks. We are pushing into bold new frontiers, alright.

Underneath it all, though, the sophomore Harley Quinn season is still the same show, only more chaotic as new obstacles unfurl. It’s as unapologetically profane and absurdly violent as always, and breezy, 23-minute episodes are still the name of the game with the pink-and-blue ball gleefully bouncing down the street into the absolute pandemonium of where Gotham once stood. This is also a show that also values connection, and friendship, and furthering one’s own development without being obnoxiously preachy about it. New Gotham can’t survive without a leader, and thankfully, Harley’s gathering of henchmen — including Doctor Psycho (Tony Hale), Clayface (Tudyk), and King Shark (Ron Funches) — think she’s the gal for the job. So hang on tight while Harley fights for her right to anarchy and, along the way, enjoys the parrrty.

DC Universe’s ‘Harley Quinn’ returns (on the DC Universe streaming service) on April 3.

Alex Garland‘s ‘Devs,’ starring Nick Offerman and Sonoya Mizuno, has launched as FX on Hulu’s first original series. The sci-fi show oozes futuristic paranoia and pairs a beautifully frightening aesthetic with charismatic performances, all of which bring a disturbing parable to life. Here, we’ll break down the show’s many mysteries as the season unfolds around the works of a tech CEO with a possible messianic complex.

The sixth episode of Devs finally got down to doling out answers about what Amaya’s mysterious Devs program does and what Forest (and his right-hand, Katie) believe. The answers are not entirely comforting ones, neither for Lily nor the audience, but this week, writer-director Alex Garland gives everyone tons to think about while staring down the two remaining episodes. It’s particularly nice to receive these answers after last week’s agony-filled turn from Nick Offerman after we saw the accident that killed his family and forever changed his outlook on life.

Now, we’ve got an exposition-filled installment that doesn’t answer every question, but it sure gives us some hefty clues. As far as recapping goes, the structure of this episode is startlingly simple: a fed-up Lily (and an accompanying, doting Jamie) decides to visit Forest and Katie at his home. No one is surprised to see them show up because this probably popped up as a vision in the Devs machine. What does it all mean, though?

Is Forest good or evil?

Throughout this season, and even more so during this episode, I kept thinking about that quote that’s frequently misattributed to Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” The actual quote comes from John Stuart Mill and goes like this: “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” Same effect, and both condemn Forest.

Basically, we’ve watched Kenton do bad sh*t all season long while Forest stands there, looking haunted but doing nothing. He watched Sergei’s murder happen, and the Devs group accepted the death as predetermined. Forest truly believes that he cannot interfere in such things (even after he orders them to happen) because whatever happens was meant to happen. It sure looks like Forest is attempting to justify his own bad behavior (at best, he’s an accessory to murder!) by claiming that nothing happens without a reason. It’s all in the cards. In the machine. Don’t blame him, man.

The infuriating aspect of Forest’s belief system is that he genuinely appears to think he’s inherently “good.” As in, he’s doing nothing wrong, and he actually extends this claim to Jamie while reasoning that he had no idea that his “attack dog” broke Jamie’s hand. Sure, Forest knew that someone was terrorized, but damn, he’s so sorry this happened. And he paints himself as free from culpability because of predetermination. On one hand, that’s convenient for Forest, but do we really want someone insane running an incredibly powerful machine that can predict the future? The answer seems obvious, and let’s make things very clear: Forest might not be straight-up evil, but he’s definitely not a benevolent entity. He’s only in this whole thing to resurrect his daughter, and anything else is an obstacle or gravy to him.

What is Lily’s role in this hot mess, and what is Devs?

Quite understandably after Sergei’s death, Lily has wanted to know what Amaya’s mysterious “Devs” group was really all about. Katie, surprisingly, does not hold back, and she gives Lily almost the full run-down about how the machine can revisit all past moments and, to a degree, see into the future. Katie acknowledges that she’s the chief engineer of this thing, and it’s only bolstered her belief in determinism. However, and as she explains to Lily, there’s a point in the future where the Devs machine sputters. It can no longer see the future, and that is why Lily is a target. She apparently does something according to the machine, that breaks the very fabric of the universe.

That turns into quite the argument between Lily and Katie, understandably so. Lily, like much of the audience, believes in free will and actions having consequences. Whereas Katie argues that “nothing ever happens without a reason,” and “everything was determined by something prior.” Katie insists that Lily will do this mysterious thing (some unknown event), and that creates a chicken-and-egg type of dilemma. Will Lily show up at Devs (like the machine shows) because she wants to show up, or will she do this thing because Katie convinces her that she’ll show up and do something? Katie conceded that reading the future is a problematic thing, but she still went there. Still watched the future. Still told Lily what she would do.

Well, Katie admitted later to Forest that she didn’t tell Lily 100% of the story. Also, there’s this: either Katie’s telling the truth, and the Devs machine cuts out in the midst of Lily’s actions — triggering “a total breakdown of cause and effect, a breakdown of determinism, a breakdown of the literal laws of the universe” — or Katie’s masterminding what she wants to happen. Lily comes away from the conversation thinking that Katie’s delusional, but we’ll see what happens next week.

In the meantime…

Is frisbee a sport? As all of this enlightenment (and confusion) is going down, here’s what Forest was doing.

I dunno, man. This is like when Forest was stuffing salad in his face, all granola-like, when his motivations for Devs had nothing to do with environmentalism. He’s projecting himself through a facade, and as someone who simply stands by and lets evil happen because “everything happens for a reason.” Like Lily, said, this sounds like “bullsh*t.” It’s scary, and here he is, forcing Jamie to play frisbee in the street while claiming that it’s a “sport.” (I’m no sports expert, obviously, but this ain’t Ultimate Frisbee.) All the while, Forest damn well realizes that Lily’s getting the lowdown on some disturbing sh*t, but he’s just being casual. Like I said, not a good dude.

What of the fixer? All night long, Kenton has been watching everything. He’s already warned Forest that he’s gonna watch out for himself and won’t take the fall for all that murder business, so watch out, everyone.

FX on Hulu’s ‘Devs’ airs new episodes on Thursdays.

This is how Adam Sandler wins. On Thursday, the Uncut Gems star (and Oscar snub) virtually dropped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he debuted a new song. No, it’s not a sequel to “Dip Doodle” (although, not the worst idea) — it’s about the healthcare workers who are going to “save us from this mess.”

The anthem of our time, currently untitled, pays tribute to the heroic doctors and nurses in America and around the world who are risking their lives in the fight against coronavirus. It’s sweet, but not lacking in Sandler’s endearingly silly humor. Lyrics include, “Doctors brought us into this world as babies/Doctors take good care of your grandma / Doctors always give you an old lollipop after hitting your knee with a hamma,” and, “Nurses give you ice packs and pain medication while your doctor is smoking on the roof / Doctors and nurses will save us from this mess if we get them the supplies that they need / And I hope they save us soon ‘cause I’m really, really sick of my family.”

Sandler also thanked the “Italian doctors in Italy and all the Spanish doctors in Spain / And God bless Chinese doctors in China and also Chinese doctors in America,” while issuing a dire warning for the future of the country: “I’m teaching math to my kids, and that can’t be good for America.” You can watch the whole performance above.

Phoebe Bridgers confirmed in February that she worked with The 1975 on their upcoming album Notes On A Conditional Form. It turns out her contributions come on The 1975’s new single, “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America,” which is a folk-leaning duet between Bridgers and Matty Healy.

The song sounds more like a Sufjan Stevens than anything The 1975 have put out lately, and on it, Healy and Bridgers address forbidden loves. Healy sings near the start of the song, “I’m in love, but I’m feeling low / For I am just a footprint in the snow / I’m in love with a boy I know / But that’s a feeling I can never show.” Bridgers later echoes that sentiment, singing, “I’m in love with the girl next door / Her name’s Claire / Nice when she comes ’round to call / Then masturbate the second she’s not there.”

Bridgers previously told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about the origins of her relationship with Healy, saying, “We started DMing. Matty told me he was a fan and then it turned very quickly from talking a tiny bit to then completely no talking and just memes back and forth for months. He has very good taste in very obscure nerdy memes. And then I met all of them and they’re the sweetest and I can’t wait.”

Listen to “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America” above.

Notes On A Conditional Form is out 5/22 via Dirty Hit. Pre-order it here.

“We’re doing much better now because we’re laughing about it.”

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Love y’all with all six feet of my heart.

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It’s only April, but it’s been a looooong year already.

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