If your idea of a vampire movie was ruined by sparkly teen romances, “Byzantium” is the antidote. It's the complete opposite of movies like "Twilight," as fun as they are. It's a moody, grown-up, gothic tale that almost nobody talks about. This 2012 film is streaming free on Tubi right now, and it comes from a director who knows the genre as well as anyone. Directed by Neil Jordan, the Oscar winner behind “The Crying Game” and, more to the point, “Interview with the Vampire," “Byzantium” is an adaptation of Moira Buffini’s stage play starring Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton as its two leads, It's a slow, stylish, character-driven take on immortality rather than a jump-scare machine. Even better for Halloween hounds, it's a mix of delectable bloodthirst with centuries of secrets to draw from. If you want a vampire story with some true sadness to it, this is a hidden gem absolutely worth seeking out since it's available for the low, low price of free right now.

I've reviewed so many earbuds and headphones that I've lost count. Last time I checked, it was somewhere around fifty. That's 5-0. Yep, I've put so many earbuds in my earholes that it's a marvel I still wake up excited to test more. But because I've reviewed so many, I know which are the best earbuds, and which aren't worth your time. And really? Most of the "best" earbuds are below $300. Some of them are well below $300. I'll die on this hill: no one should be spending over $300 on Bluetooth earbuds. No, not even the Sony WF-1000XM6 ($330). No, not even the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 ($499). No, not even the Noble Fokus Prestige Encore ($699).

“Crystal Lake,” the highly anticipated prequel series to “Friday the 13th,” is now streaming on Peacock, taking fans back to the infamous setting of the iconic slasher franchise. Developed as a new chapter in the long-running horror series, the show offers a fresh perspective on the events and characters that helped shape one of horror’s most recognizable stories, with a chance to explore the franchise’s roots in greater detail. Set in the town of Crystal Lake, the series follows Pamela Voorhees (Linda Cardellini) before the events of the original 1980 movie, exploring her life as she raises her son, Jason, and navigates the complicated relationships and tensions within the local community. As the story unfolds, the show digs into Pamela’s past and the experiences that help shape the woman audiences will eventually come to know as one of horror’s most infamous killers. Brad Caleb Kane serves as showrunner, bringing his own vision to the “Friday the 13th” universe. Rather than simply revisiting familiar slasher territory, Kane wanted to flesh out the people and places surrounding Pamela, turning Crystal Lake itself into a character with its own history, secrets and complicated residents. He also uses the show’s longer format to explore Pamela’s psychology and the circumstances that shape her transformation. I had the chance to sit down with Kane to discuss “Crystal Lake,” where we talked about the unexpected inspiration behind the series, Pamela Voorhees’ backstory and the challenge of exploring the origins of such an iconic horror character.

Nvidia and Microsoft just introduced a new laptop category: the RTX Spark platform. While the best laptops are designed for productivity or gaming, these new notebooks give creators and AI coders powerful machines that let them work on the go. The promise of offline AI work will certainly appeal to some customers, but it also makes RTX Spark laptops a relatively niche offering. That was my main takeaway from testing the HP OmniBook Ultra 16. While impressive, it’s too overpowered for everyday work and relatively underpowered for gaming. Due to that, RTX Spark laptops might struggle to compete with their more popular direct competitor, high-end MacBook Pros. To better understand who these machines are actually for, I reached out to Tom Mainelli, Group Vice President of Device & Consumer Research at IDC, for his take on where RTX Spark fits right now and where it might go from here. RTX Spark laptops target a narrow group: AI developers, content creators, and early adopters. These are premium notebooks built for people who already understand what the platform offers and why the price is what it is. “These are outside the budget and needs of mainstream users, for now,” Mainelli said. At the same time, he sees them as a preview of where the PC industry is headed. The various configurations support different workloads, but the overall pitch is the same: a high-end Windows machine that can handle local AI work in a way previous laptops couldn’t.

Ghost of Yotei is one of my favorite games of recent years. Even though I've achieved the Platinum trophy in the base game, I keep coming back to it as Ezo's beauty is just too addictive. So, when the Echoes of Sekigahara story expansion was announced, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. And now that I have finished it, I love the game even more — and it's the puzzle piece Ghost of Yotei was missing all along. This isn't the first time we've heard of Sekigahara. Atsu, the katana-wielding protagonist, mentions it a few times in the base game. She fought in and earned her laurels at the Battle of Sekigahara, but that's all we're told. The Echoes of Sekigahara DLC takes you to Ashoro Foothills, located in the eastern part of the fogged-out map, and introduces you to Nagato from Atsu's past. What unfolds is a touching (albeit short) tale that sheds light on Atsu's humanity and emotions, and left me wanting even more Yotei.

Actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt is worried about who gets to control AI. In a New York Times video following his work at the United Nations, he warned that a handful of companies could gain enormous influence over our livelihoods and personal lives while the rest of us struggle to get a say. “We shouldn’t be scared of an A.I.,” he said. “We should be concerned about the people building A.I.” It is a pointed message from someone whose industry has supplied much of the imagery we use to picture this technology. Gordon-Levitt wants audiences to look past the fictional machines and watch the businesses selling the real ones.