e z sports Travel will be dodgy for drivers up in cottage country as the area is once again be pelted with snow. School buses in Gravenhurst and West Parry Sound, after several areas east of Lake Huron were hit particularity hard by intense snow squalls that developed off of Lake Superior Thursday, according to Environment Canada, as the agency warned that travel may be “nearly impossible at times.” School buses in Gravenhurst and West Parry Sound are cancelled for today. Earlier this month, with intense squalls that dumped more than 140 centimetres of snow and left drivers stranded on the roads, including Highway 11, for over 24 hours. As Toronto and the rest of Ontario begin to get their first taste of winter weather, here’s how to prepare you car. Public Safety Canada recommends keeping a winter safety and emergency kit in your car at all times. It should include: One motorist told the Star he’s been stuck on Highway 11 for more than 24 hours in Gravenhurst, Various other organizations such as the Ontario Provincial Police, provincial government and CAA recommend a similarly stocked emergency kit, with the addition of a phone charger and special needs or health-related items (like medications, infant formula or equipment for people with disabilities). The federal organization also recommends keeping in your trunk: sand or salt, antifreeze and windshield washer fluid, tow rope, jumper cables, a fire extinguisher and a warning light or road flares. If you are stuck in the snow or on the highway, Public Safety Canada recommends: Temperatures will be on the cooler side with a high of -5 C on Thursday and -1 C forecast on Other organizations also recommend keeping your gas tank at least half full at all times. The OPP, in a release from mid-November, also warned drivers about fines for passing a snowplow that is clearing the roads. “Not only is passing these plows illegal, but it is also incredibly dangerous,” Sgt. Ted Dongelmans with the OPP said in the release. “Offenders may face a fine ranging from $150 to $1,000 if found passing a snowplow while they are clearing the roads.”Edinburgh eventually got their ­Challenge Cup campaign back on track with a convincing bonus-point win against Bayonne. Having seen his team get a losing ­bonus point out of their opening Pool 3 game at Gloucester last Friday, Sean Everitt, the home coach, had identified this match as a must-win. And although Edinburgh found it hard to unpick the Bayonne defence in the opening half, they cut loose in the second 40. Edinburgh had a lot of early pressure in which man of the match Darcy ­Graham figured prominently, and at first Bayonne soaked it up in relative comfort and looked dangerous on the break. Eventually, though, the visitors failed to deal properly with the winger. A turnover just inside the home half set up the

Manchester United teammates Rasmus Hojlund and Amad Diallo exchanged words after the final whistle of a 2-1 victory on Thursday. And manager Ruben Amorin has no problem with it. “For me, it’s a very, very good sign,” Amorin said after his team beat Viktoria Plzen to stay unbeaten in the Europa League. Hojlund scored two goals and hoped for a centering pass from Diallo to go for a hat trick in the final minutes. The Denmark striker didn't get the pass, though. Viktoria had been pushing forward looking for an equalizer, which created space for United counters. On another break shortly afterward, Hojlund opted to keep the ball. The pair then had a heated post-game exchange. “We need to feel something,” Amorin said. “If we need to fight each other, it's like a family. When you don't care, you don't do nothing. When you care — you fight with your brother, with your mother, your father.” ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer Plzen,Czech Republic, The Associated Press

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'You're an idiot': Santa wannabe gets stuck in chimney trying to evade policeUS wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale costs in the United States picked up sharply last month, signaling that price pressures are still evident in the economy even though inflation has tumbled from the peak levels it hit more than two years ago. The producer price index — which tracks inflation before it reaches consumers — rose 0.4% last month from October, up from 0.3% the month before. Measured from 12 months earlier, wholesale prices climbed 3% in November, the sharpest year-over-year rise since February 2023. Higher food prices helped fuel the November wholesale inflation reading, which was higher than economists had expected. Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is pushing toward a vote on legislation that would provide full Social Security benefits to millions of people. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer began the process on Thursday for a final vote on the bill, known as the Social Security Fairness Act. It would eliminate policies that currently limit Social Security payouts for roughly 2.8 million people. The legislation has passed the House. The bill would add more strain on the Social Security Trust funds, which are already estimated to be unable to pay out full benefits beginning in 2035. The measure would add an estimated $195 billion to federal deficits over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Trump offers support for dockworkers union by saying ports shouldn't install more automated systems WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is offering his support for the dockworkers union before their contract expires next month at Eastern and Gulf Coast ports. He posted on social media Thursday that he met with union leaders and that any further “automation” of the ports would harm workers. He wrote that the “amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers.” The International Longshoremen’s Association has until Jan. 15 to negotiate a new contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies. The Maritime Alliance says the technology will improve worker safety and strengthen our supply chains, among other things. IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power WASHINGTON (AP) — IRS leadership on Thursday announced that the agency has recovered $4.7 billion in back taxes and proceeds from a variety of crimes. The announcement comes under the backdrop of a promised reckoning from Republicans who will hold a majority over both chambers of the next Congress and have long called for rescinding the tens of billions of dollars in funding provided to the agency by Democrats. IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said improvements made to the agency will help the incoming administration and new Republican majority congress achieve its goals of administering an extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. From a 10-year-old to a Muppet to a president-elect, NYSE bell-ringers range from famous to obscure The first guest invited to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange in 1956 wasn’t a company executive, a politician or a celebrity. It was a 10-year-old boy, Leonard Ross, who received the honor by winning a television quiz show. Since then, business titans, political giants and global film stars have all been among those ringing the opening bell at the NYSE. Ronald Reagan rang the bell as president in 1985. Billionaire businessman and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr. have also rung the bell. The even list includes famous Muppets: Miss Piggy was once a bell ringer. Trump is named Time's Person of the Year and rings the New York Stock Exchange's opening bell NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange after being recognized by Time magazine as its person of the year. The honors Thursday for the businessman-turned-politician are a measure of Trump’s remarkable comeback from an ostracized former president who refused to accept his election loss four years ago to a president-elect who won the White House decisively in November. At the stock exchange, Trump was accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump, daughters Ivanka and Tiffany and Vice President-elect JD Vance. Trump grinned as people chanted “USA” before he opened the trading day and raised his fist. Ontario to restrict electricity exports to US and bar American-made alcohol if Trump tariffs applied TORONTO (AP) — A senior official in Canada’s most populous province says that Ontario could bar American-made alcohol and restrict electricity to three U.S. states if President-elect Donald Trump imposes sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products. The states are Michigan, New York and Minnesota. An official in Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government said Thursday that it's contemplating restricting Ontario's liquor control board from buying American-made alcohol. Ontario is also considering restricting exports of Canadian critical minerals required for electric vehicle batteries. Stock market today: Wall Street’s rally stalls as Nasdaq pulls back from its record NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes fell following some potentially discouraging data on the economy. The S&P 500 slipped 0.5% Thursday for its fourth loss in the last six days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.7% from its record set the day before. Reports in the morning showed more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits than expected, while inflation was hotter at the wholesale level than economists had forecast. Adobe helped drag the stock market lower after giving forecasts for profit and revenue in its upcoming fiscal year that fell a bit shy of analysts’. Average rate on 30-year mortgage hits 6.6%, its third straight weekly decline The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. has eased for the third week in a row. That's a welcome trend for prospective homebuyers during what’s typically a less competitive time of the year for the housing market. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate dropped to 6.6% from 6.69% last week. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.95%. Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, including the moves in the yield on U.S. 10-year Treasury bonds, which lenders use as a guide to price home loans. YouTube TV is hiking its monthly price, again. Here's what to know NEW YORK (AP) — Are you a YouTube TV subscriber? Your monthly bills are about to get more expensive again. YouTube has announced that it’s upping the price of its streaming service’s base plan by $10 — citing rising content costs and other investments. The new $82.99 per month price tag will go into effect starting Jan. 13 for existing subscribers, and immediately for new customers who sign up going forward. YouTube TV has rolled out a series of price hikes over the years. When launched back in 2017, the going price of its streaming package was $35 a month. By 2019, that fee rose to $50 — and has climbed higher and higher since.Thanksgiving Travel Latest: Airport strike, staff shortages and weather could impact holiday travel

Julie Appleby | KFF Health News Unauthorized switching of Affordable Care Act plans appears to have tapered off in recent weeks based on an almost one-third drop in casework associated with consumer complaints, say federal regulators . The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees the ACA, credits steps taken to thwart enrollment and switching problems that triggered more than 274,000 complaints this year through August. Now, the annual ACA open enrollment period that began Nov. 1 poses a real-world test: Will the changes curb fraud by rogue agents or brokerages without unduly slowing the process of enrolling or reducing the total number of sign-ups for 2025 coverage? “They really have this tightrope to walk,” said Sabrina Corlette, co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. “The more you tighten it up to prevent fraud, the more barriers there are that could inhibit enrollment among those who need the coverage.” CMS said in July that some types of policy changes — those in which the agent is not “affiliated” with the existing plan — will face more requirements, such as a three-way call with the consumer, broker, and a healthcare.gov call center representative. In August, the agency barred two of about a dozen private sector online-enrollment platforms from connecting with healthcare.gov over concerns related to improper switching. And CMS has suspended 850 agents suspected of being involved in unauthorized plan-switching from accessing the ACA marketplace. Still, the clampdown could add complexity to enrollment and slow the process. For example, a consumer might have to wait in a queue for a three-way call, or scramble to find a new agent because the one they previously worked with had been suspended. Given that phone lines with healthcare.gov staff already get busy — especially during mid-December — agents and policy analysts advise consumers not to dally this year. “Hit the ground running,” said Ronnell Nolan, president and CEO of Health Agents for America, a professional organization for brokers. Meanwhile, reports are emerging that some rogue entities are already figuring out workarounds that could undermine some of the anti-fraud protections CMS put in place, Nolan said. “Bottom line is: Fraud and abuse is still happening,” Nolan said. Brokers assist the majority of people actively enrolling in ACA plans and are paid a monthly commission by insurers for their efforts. Consumers can compare plans or enroll themselves online through federal or state marketplace websites. They can also seek help from people called assisters or navigators — certified helpers who are not paid commissions. Under a “find local help” button on the federal and state ACA websites , consumers can search for nearby brokers or navigators. CMS says it has “ramped up support operations” at its healthcare.gov marketplace call centers, which are open 24/7, in anticipation of increased demand for three-way calls, and it expects “minimal wait times,” said Jeff Wu, deputy director for policy of the CMS Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. Wu said those three-way calls are necessary only when an agent or a broker not already associated with a consumer’s enrollment wants to change that consumer’s enrollment or end that consumer’s coverage. It does not apply to people seeking coverage for the first time. Organizations paid by the government to offer navigator services have a dedicated phone line to the federal marketplace, and callers are not currently experiencing long waits, said Xonjenese Jacobs, director of Florida Covering Kids & Families, a program based at the University of South Florida that coordinates enrollment across the state through its Covering Florida navigator program. Navigators can assist with the three-way calls if a consumer’s situation requires it. “Because we have our quick line in, there’s no increased wait time,” Jacobs said. The problem of unauthorized switches has been around for a while but took off during last year’s open enrollment season. Brokers generally blamed much of the problem on the ease with which rogue agents can access ACA information in the federal marketplace, needing only a person’s name, date of birth, and state of residence. Though federal regulators have worked to tighten that access with the three-way call requirement, they stopped short of instituting what some agent groups say is needed: two-factor authentication, which could involve a code accessed by a consumer through a smartphone. Unauthorized switches can lead to a host of problems for consumers, from higher deductibles to landing in new networks that do not include their preferred physicians or hospitals. Some people have received tax bills when unauthorized policies came with premium credits for which they did not qualify. Unauthorized switches posed a political liability for the Biden administration, a blemish on two years of record ACA enrollment. The practice drew criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle; Democrats demanded more oversight and punishment of rogue agents, while Republicans said fraud attempts were fueled by Biden administration moves that allowed for more generous premium subsidies and special enrollment periods. The fate of those enhanced subsidies, which are set to expire, will be decided by Congress next year as the Trump administration takes power. But the premiums and subsidies that come with 2025 plans that people are enrolling in now will remain in effect for the entire year. The actions taken this year to thwart the unauthorized enrollments apply to the federal marketplace, used by 31 states . The remaining states and the District of Columbia run their own websites, with many having in place additional layers of security. Related Articles Health | Feds suspend ACA marketplace access to companies accused of falsely promising ‘cash cards’ Health | How to stay healthy during the holidays Health | More foods are making us sick: What to know as foodborne outbreaks hit Health | Which health insurance plan may be right for you? Health | Pay first, deliver later: Some women are being asked to prepay for their baby For its part, CMS says its efforts are working, pointing to the 30% drop in complaint casework. The agency also noted a 90% drop in the number of times an agent’s name was replaced by another’s, which it says indicates that it is tougher for rival agents to steal clients to gain the monthly commissions that insurers pay. Still, the move to suspend 850 agents has drawn pushback from agent groups that initially brought the problem to federal regulators’ attention. They say some of those accused were suspended before getting a chance to respond to the allegations. “There will be a certain number of agents and brokers who are going to be suspended without due process,” said Nolan, with the health agents’ group. She said that it has called for increased protections against unauthorized switching and that two-factor authentication, like that used in some state marketplaces or in the financial sector, would be more effective than what’s been done. “We now have to jump through so many hoops that I’m not sure we’re going to survive,” she said of agents in general. “They are just throwing things against the wall to see what sticks when they could just do two-factor.” The agency did not respond to questions asking for details about how the 850 agents suspended since July were selected, the states where they were located, or how many had their suspensions reversed after supplying additional information.

Google's New Computer Chip May Tap 'Multiversal' Power to Function Billions of Times Faster than Supercomputers; Alphabet Stock SoarsProposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons is halted by federal, state judges The proposed $24.6 billion merger between supermarket giants Kroger and Albertsons floundered on Tuesday after judges overseeing two separate cases both halted the merger. A federal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked the proposed merger until an in-house administrative judge at the Federal Trade Commission considers it. Shortly afterward, a judge in Washington state issued a permanent injunction barring the merger in that state, saying it lessens competition. Kroger and Albertsons in 2022 proposed what would be the largest grocery store merger in U.S. history. But the Federal Trade Commission and the state of Washington sued earlier this year. Biden says he was 'stupid' not to put his name on pandemic relief checks like Trump did WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says he was “stupid” not to put his own name on pandemic relief checks in 2021, like Donald Trump had done in 2020. He noted Tuesday in a speech at the Brookings Institution that Trump likely got credit for helping people out through this simple, effective act of branding. Biden did the second-guessing as he defended his economic record and challenged Trump to preserve Democratic policy ideas when he returns to the White House next month. Trump’s decision to add his name to the checks sent by the U.S. Treasury to millions of Americans struggling during the coronavirus marked the first time a president’s name appeared on any IRS payments. Former chairman of state-owned bank China Everbright Group jailed for 12 years for corruption BEIJING (AP) — Chinese official broadcaster CCTV says a former chairman of the state-owned bank China Everbright Group has been jailed 12 years for embezzlement and bribery. Tang Shuangning, who had also held senior posts at the People’s Bank of China and the China Banking Regulatory Commission, was arrested in January, part of a wider wave of prosecutions of senior officials accused of financial crimes. A court in the city of Tangshan, about 100 miles east of Beijing, found him guilty of taking advantage of his position at the state-owned bank in “seeking convenience for others” in jobs and loans, in exchange for illegal payments. The court said he had accepted illegal property with a total value of more than $1.5 million. GM to retreat from robotaxis and stop funding its Cruise autonomous vehicle unit DETROIT (AP) — General Motors says it will retreat from the robotaxi business and stop funding its money-losing Cruise autonomous vehicle unit. Instead the Detroit automaker will focus on development of partially automated driver-assist systems like its Super Cruise, which allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel. In a statement Tuesday, GM said it would get out of robotaxis due to what it described as the considerable time and resources that would be needed to scale the business, along with an increasingly competitive robotaxi market. What did you Google in 2024? From the elections to Copa América, here's what search trends show NEW YORK (AP) — Remember what you searched for in 2024? Google does. Google has released its annual “Year in Search," rounding up 2024's top trending searches. It shows terms that saw the highest spike in traffic compared to last year. Sports — particularly soccer and cricket — dominated overall search trends, led by queries for Copa América, the UEFA European Championship and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, the U.S. election led news-specific searches worldwide. Queries about excessive heat and this year’s Olympic Games followed. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump topped searches in Google’s people category this year — followed by Catherine, Princess of Wales, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. US defense secretary in Japan to support alliance as Osprey aircraft safety causes concern TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has met with officials in Japan to reaffirm the importance of their alliance and Washington's commitment to regional security as threats rise from China and North Korea. Austin’s visit on Tuesday also came amid growing concerns over the safety of Ospreys. The military aircraft have been grounded in the United States following a near crash at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico last month. The incident was caused by weakened metal components. It was similar to a fatal crash off southwestern Japan last year. The U.S. measure prompted the suspension of Ospreys operated by Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force. Trustee over Infowars auction asks court to approve The Onion's winning bid A trustee who oversaw the bankruptcy auction of Alex Jones’ Infowars is asking a judge to approve The Onion’s winning bid for the conspiracy-filled platform. Trustee Christopher Murray took the stand Tuesday in the second day of testimony at a hearing where a judge is scrutinizing the satirical news outlet’s winning offer. He told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston that he was there asking a court to approve the sale of Infowars’ parent company to The Onion’s parent company. It is not clear how quickly Lopez will rule. The Onion wants to turn Infowars’ website and social media accounts into parodies. Small businesses plan events, start marketing earlier to deal with shorter holiday shopping season The holiday shopping season is underway, and this year small businesses have less time to capitalize on the busy shopping period. Only 27 days separate Thanksgiving and Christmas — five fewer than last year. But there are still ways to make the most of a shorter season. One key strategy is for owners to promote deals to customers wherever they can, from social media to physical ads. The National Retail Federation predicts that retail sales will rise between 2.5% and 3.5% compared with same period a year ago. Online shopping is expected to grow too. Adobe Digital Insights predicts an 8.4% increase online for the full season. 10 notable books of 2024, from Sarah J. Maas to Melania Trump NEW YORK (AP) — Even through a year of nonstop news about elections, climate change, protests and the price of eggs, Americans still found time to read. Sales held steady according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of the print market. Many chose the release of romance, fantasy and romantasy. Some picked up the tie-in book to Taylor Swift’s blockbuster tour, which had the best opening week of 2024. Others sought out literary fiction, celebrity memoirs, political exposes and a close and painful look at a generation hooked on smartphones. Boeing is building new 737 Max planes for the first time since workers went on strike Boeing is resuming production of its bestselling plane, the 737 Max. It's the first time that Max jets have moved down the assembly line since September, when about 33,000 workers went on strike for higher pay. Boeing said Tuesday that work on the Max has resumed at its factory in Renton, Washington, near Seattle. Both the Max and another Boeing plane, the 787 Dreamliner, have been plagued by manufacturing problems in recent years. The Federal Aviation Administration is limiting Boeing’s production of Max jets until the agency is convinced that Boeing has corrected quality and safety issues during manufacturing.

Thanksgiving Travel Latest: Airport strike, staff shortages and weather could impact holiday travelInterview: Bloody Axe Wound’s Hilarie Burton Morgan on Creating Practical Gore for New Horror Movie By ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to about Bloody Axe Wound. She discussed her experiences producing the , creating practical gore, and more. “Abbie Bladecut is a teenager torn between the macabre traditions of her family’s bloody trade and the tender stirrings of her first crush. In the small town of Clover Falls, Abbie’s father, Roger Bladecut, has built an infamous legacy by capturing real-life killings on tape and selling them to eager customers, but as Abbie delves deeper into the grisly family business, she begins to wonder if it’s time to take the family tradition in a new direction,” the synopsis reads. Bloody Axe Wound will be released in select United States theaters on December 27, 2024. It’s weird! My husband [Jeffrey Dean Morgan] and I have been producing things separately for about a decade. It was the pandemic, we were watching movies. We had kind of gone through all the things that everyone else was watching. Then there was this weird, little independent movie called Uncle Peckerhead by a writer/director named Matthew John Lawrence. We watched it and were like, ‘What the f— did we just watch?’ Right? Like it was so weird and so funny, the practical effects were so appealing to me because the CGI thing is a lot for me. Jeff is like, ‘I’m not used to you liking this genre, this is special.’ We reached out to Matthew on Twitter and were just like, ‘What else do you have?’ He sent us a stack of scripts. We read this one and it really was the perfect marriage of all of Jeffrey’s horror genre, blood and guts, killing zombies, gross stuff. And my teen drama years, where I was in high school for like a decade! Being able to do a project that appealed to both of us, our histories, and our fanbases was exciting. We signed on and just hit the ground running, trying to call up all our friends that cared about it as much as we did. Yeah. That was something that was important to me because that’s what I liked about Uncle Peckerhead. That’s what I like about vintage slasher movies. I like a practical effect because it’s artistry, right? I like knowing there’s a person mixing blood behind the scenes. I just like the backstory of a practical effect. With this, we were really lucky. Our head special effects artist came from The Walking Dead world, he works on Dead City with Jeffrey. He’s just incredible. Having someone from within the family come in and take the lead on this movie was great. There were certain parts of the script where we were like, ‘How is this going to work? We don’t know!’ Our team was so great. We teamed with Mary Stuart Masterson, who is a very dear friend of ours in the Hudson Valley. In terms of telling the story about cool, leather jacket-wearing girls, she’s the OG from Some Kind of Wonderful. I got to do it on One Tree Hill, and now we’ve got this new crop of cool girls that we got to bring in. So Mary Stuart was also incredibly important to understanding our budget, what we could do, and how to shoot it so that it made sense. I think we ended up with a really fun story that’s kind of gross. Aren’t they? We play fast and loose, man, that’s us! Sari and Molly were names that were floated very, very early on. We knew that we wanted them, but we didn’t know if we could get them. So a lot of the casting process was kind of working on contingencies — like, if we can’t get them because they’re so great, what else can we do? We had a great casting agent, here, in the Hudson Valley. And we got to incorporate some lovely actors. It was a great opportunity for me to meet them and see what they’re capable of. Molly is working with Christian Slater right now on Dexter, and his son is one of the kills in this movie. Yeah, he’s the guy who is killed at the lake. That’s Christian Slater’s son. So it was cool to have this small little world where everyone was playing nice in the sandbox. You’d hang out on set and everyone was so happy to be there. So the casting process was pretty easy. Once we had Billy Burke in place and Sari and Molly, like, what a dream. Because Sari has such a great friendship with Eddie [Leavy], having Eddie join was also like, this was our wish-list. We really felt very lucky that, as one person signed on, it opened the door for another person, and then another person. It speaks to the reputations of all the people involved, you know? When you read all those names, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah. I want that.’ I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was, the world is a f—ed up place. But as someone who was not born in the 90s, there were certain video rental places we could go to in high school that weren’t Blockbuster. Erol’s was also another one that predates your lifespan. They weren’t chains. They were just independent, mom-and-pop rental places. That’s really what this space was based on. And I liked that Matthew grew up in the same world that I did, where you’re a kid in the suburbs and those video rental places are your escape. That’s your one outlet to see what it looks like on the outside. We found the sh—iest little corner, strip mall place. And it’s great! It’s a place that I would have hung out in high school. It might be! Who knows? Yeah, no, for me, the social and political undertones of the story were really important. Because if we’re telling the story of misogyny in the genre, but also violence against young people in our country, yeah, you’re right, super touchy issues. When people have asked, ‘Oh, this is a fictional world?’ I’m like, ‘No, this sh— is happening every day.’ Crazy, awful things are happening every day. So we’re going to address it and we’re going to have a sense of humor about it so you guys see how ridiculous it is that it keeps happening. It wasn’t the comedy that I was worried about. It was the violence against women that I was worried about. We needed our kills against the boys to be every bit as grotesque as the kills against women are. So, no, make sick jokes all day. Just be careful about how you cut someone on screen, that was my concern. Everyone needs a trophy. I wish we could just send trophies to everyone in a gift box who is watching this movie, like the screeners. . Brandon Schreur has been writing about comics, movies, television shows, and all things pop culture for roughly five years. He's a lifelong cinephile who spends way, way too much money buying Blu-rays and trade paperbacks. You can find him on twitter at @brandonschreur. Share articleAnti-fraud efforts meet real-world test during ACA enrollment period

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