ArcaMax

'ONSLAUGHT'

Rated R for strong bloody violence, some gore, sexual material/nudity, and language.

What it’s about: A trio of scientifically engineered supersoldiers wreak havoc on a desert trailer park, whose residents fight back.

The kid attractor factor: This bloody horror/action flick does not have any appeal for kids.

Good lessons/bad ...Read more

My 5-year-old twin boys, Mikey and Charlie, started kindergarten a couple of weeks ago, marking the end of their preschool careers. They walked into class wearing backpacks full of back-to-school supplies, like markers and glue. With their summers in the rearview mirror, they stepped into a world not with circle time or naps, but with desks, ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California legislators on Monday sent two bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom that would change how chatbots are made and regulated in the state. The legislation could have ramifications across the country for the still-emerging technology.

Senate Bill 1119 would require companion chatbot operators to analyze the design of their ...Read more

Next to Monopoly and Battleship, Get Grandma is one of the family’s favorite games. No rules, no limits, play as often as you wish, whenever and wherever you wish.

Years ago, both sons-in-laws began jumping out of closets when they realized I had a strong startle reflex and often screamed loud enough to pierce two time zones when surprised.

...Read more

Q: My ex's girlfriend has started texting me about our kids. Pickup times, homework, schedule changes, you name it. She's pleasant, and I don't dislike her, but I'm beginning to wonder why I'm co-parenting with her instead of my ex. Where do you draw the line? What’s good ex-etiquette?

A. Before you send, “I had children with HIM, not YOU,�...Read more

For anyone who has ever closed the Book of Revelation feeling more confused than illuminated, Robert Charley‘s "The Feast of Trumpets: Blueprint to Revelation" offers a fresh lens, grounded in scholarship yet written with the warmth of a friend walking you through a subject he loves.

Charley’s central premise is elegantly simple and, once ...Read more

Rob Pilkenton, author of "Dad, Again," has written an unflinching, deeply honest account of what it actually takes for a man to become the father, husband and person he wishes he’d been the first time around. He does this without ever asking the reader to admire him for it.

The book’s structure alone tells you it was built with care. ...Read more

Over the last five years, efforts to make social networks Facebook and Instagram safer for young people have erupted across courts, classrooms and capitals.

Now Meta Platforms, the parent company of the world’s most popular social networks, faces another big moment of reckoning.

On Wednesday, Meta agreed to pay up to $17 billion over 10 ...Read more

ST. LOUIS -- Cynthia Changyit Levin first noticed her mom’s political views shifting in 2008 when Barack Obama won the presidency.

Levin lived in Chicago at the time, while her mother, Lazette, lived in Oklahoma. The change surprised Levin. She had grown up in Minnesota, where her mom voted for Walter Mondale in 1984, the only state the ...Read more

THE DOG STARS

Rated R for strong violence and language.

What it’s about: A post-apocalyptic tale of survival and finding things to live for.

The kid attractor factor: This is an adult drama with some violence, action and heavy themes, not for kids.

Good lessons/bad lessons: There can still be life after death.

Violence: Some scenes of ...Read more

Five police cars with flashing lights blocked the southern portion of a major intersection. Broken glass, debris and twisted metal spread as far as the eye could see. Partial remains of a horribly disfigured SUV sat on a flat bed. A mangled sedan was on its side in the middle of the pavement.

News reports said an SUV with four passengers ran a ...Read more

Q: My child repeats everything her mother tells her. The problem is that her mother is very angry. I had an affair and eventually told my wife and left. I am a demon in my ex's eyes, and she's trying to convince our daughter to hate me. I understand why my ex is so angry, but making our child hate me isn't going to do anyone any good. What's ...Read more

We’ve all read a mystery featuring the dreaded curtain-twitcher, a beady eye sweeping the street, the busybody, the local gossip, the old lady asking too many pertinent questions for comfort. The nosy neighbor is instantly recognizable and integral to the mystery yet is often an overlooked character. They’re frequently the catalyst to the ...Read more

Author Erin Van Der Meer gained insider perspective and in-depth experience as a journalist, which served her well in writing the bitingly satirical debut novel, "The Scoop."

It’s an irresistible, stay-up-late, guilty reading pleasure about protagonist Frankie Miller, a recently unemployed journalist weighed down by multiple rejections from ...Read more

'MUTINY'

Rated R for strong/bloody violence, and language.

What it’s about: It's "Die Hard" on a container ship! Jason Statham seeks vengeance and justice on the high seas.

The kid attractor factor: This is a bloody action film — not much appeal for kids.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Never let Jason Statham stowaway on your human ...Read more