Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian is so deeply rooted in the golden age of cartoonishly hypermasculine pulp fantasy that it’s hard to imagine a bold, feminist take on the character. But Altered Innocence’s new film She Is Conann, from French writer / director Bertrand Mandico, takes the classic Conan myth to new heights with its mind-bending visuals and story of how humanity’s capacity for violence transcends gender.
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She Is Conann is a glamorous fever dream about finding beauty in barbarism
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25318354/10400314_Conann35SanjaVoiture_color_resultat.jpeg?ssl=1 "She Is Conann is a glamorous fever dream about finding beauty in barbarism")
Set in a shapeshifting world where time and space morph in a chaotic, dream-like way, She Is Conann tells the story of how an unassuming young girl goes on to become a legendary barbarian after her village is ransacked by a band of bloodthirsty marauders. At 15 years old, Conann’s (Claire Duburcq) fate seems all but sealed after her mother is murdered and she’s enslaved by Sanja (Julia Riedler) — a vicious warrior who stalks the land in search of vulnerable targets to hunt for sport. But with nothing but her own life left to lose, Conann chooses to embrace the currency of her world — grotesque barbarism — in order to save herself. In making that decision, she inadvertently sets into motion events that go on to shape the course of human history.
In She Is Conann’s most basic plot beats and its depiction of a nightmarish world where sexualized ultraviolence is the norm, you can see flashes of John Milius’ testosterone-soaked 1982 Conan the Barbarian movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. But rather than simply trying to subvert Howard’s hypermasculine creation with a story centering women characters, She Is Conann taps into one of the most fascinating aspects of the original Conan mythos to stunning effect.
Before Conan was a fully realized person, the barbarian was merely the past life of another character featured in “People of the Dark” — Howard’s 1932 short story originally published in Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror about a man discovering the existence of his previous incarnations. She Is Conann takes the idea to the next level by introducing Conann not just as an ordinary singular girl but also as an older woman (Françoise Brion) taking stock of the many lives she led on her way to becoming an icon of war and destruction.
Fifteen-year-old Conann is just one piece of the puzzle, and her terror speaks to how she’s at the very beginning of her epic. But that fear gives way to something more complex and dangerous as Conann meets the demon Rainer (Elina Löwensohn) and her own 25-year-old self (Christa Théret), who must literally murder her past counterpart in order to move forward into their shared future.
Instead of chronicling Conann’s life in a traditionally linear fashion, She Is Conann zeroes in on these pivot moments of self-annihilation / realization as a way of exploring the many different forms that barbarity can take. This is all long-forgotten history to the elder Conann — an ethereal woman wandering the depths of hell in search of her memories. But it’s all new and terrifying to the film’s younger Conanns, who enter the film as representations of specific decades in which the titular barbarian truly established herself as a force to be reckoned with.
Through Anna Le Mouël’s production design, you can see how She Is Conann came into shape as a film after Mandico spent time cultivating ideas for other Conan-focused projects at the Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers. Especially in its opening act, as the elder Conann’s first finding herself in the underworld, the film feels like an abstract stage play meant to evoke the sense of shock that can come with looking back at the arc of one’s life. The film’s play-like quality makes its brutal, beautiful transitions from one Conann to the next easy enough to understand as a metaphor for the barbarity of destroying one version of yourself to become another.
But while She Is Conann presents the decades of Conann’s life as vignettes, they are each so richly textured that it’s hard to imagine any of them being as powerful without cinematographer Nicolas Eveilleau’s ability to highlight their intricate details. Despite its gory portrayals of disembowelment, She Is Conann is often a shockingly beautiful film defined by an exquisitely high-fashion aesthetic that costume designer Elise Cribier-Delande brilliantly uses to explore the many facets of Conann’s identity.
No two Conanns are exactly alike, but they are all women whose desires — for vengeance, for understanding, for other people — ultimately drive them to be the best at what barbarians do. As She Is Conann hurtles toward its conclusion, Conann herself becomes an increasingly fascinating and macabre figure, but it’s the film’s ideas about what barbarism looks like that are most inspired. Though it might be hard to imagine depictions of murder, cannibalism, and war as poetic things of arresting beauty, that’s the mode She Is Conann exists in, and it’s a sight to behold.
She Is Conann also stars Sandra Parfait, Christophe Bier, Karoline Rose Sun, Holly-Rose Clegg, Yuming Hey, and Anna Raisson. The film is currently scheduled for a limited number of theatrical screenings in various cities across the US, but the film is also available to preorder on DVD and Blu-Ray.
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The United States of America recently turned 250 years old. What a spectacle! The fireworks were amazing, and millions of proud people celebrated across the nation — even around the world. France lit up the Eiffel Tower; Japan had fireworks. French fighter jets flew above New York City with trails of red, white, and blue — our first major ally streaking our shared colors through the sky. Meanwhile, shameful white nationalists paraded through our nation’s capital. This has always been a country of paradoxes.
Our 250th birthday counts back to the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The declaration was a radical and astonishing document that still serves as America’s soul. But the beating heart of the nation wouldn’t come until more than a decade later, when the Constitution was ratified. That document is why I’m able to write this to you today. And we need you to help protect it.
The First Amendment to the Constitution is so potent that people across the world who live in places untouched by US law often seem to think they have the same rights it establishes. The First Amendment is our day-one theory of what makes a free society. It’s literally the first cure by the framers for a project they knew would be forever imperfect and incomplete — fixable only by way of the right to free expression.
The Verge exists today because of this great project. We believe in it deeply. The First Amendment affords us the knowledge that we’re likely free from imprisonment from expressing our freedom to speak. But journalism and speech are always under assault. It’s one of the reasons why we’ll always need lawyers despite likely having the strongest editorial ethics policy in the industry.
Here’s what the First Amendment says:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
This is a compelling and beautiful idea. But we’ve had to fight to keep it alive from the beginning..
John Adams, one of the fiercest revolutionaries who railed against British tyrrany and helped secure independence, completely fucked up the First Amendement when he became the second US president. Adams’ series of Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 look positively Trumpian in retrospect, railing against foreigners, expanding presidential power to arrest, imprison, or deport people, and perhaps most insidiously, making it a crime for American citizens to print “scandalous and malicious” writings against the government. Adams surely loved the country he created, but nonetheless shrunk before the magnitude of its liberties.
Fast-forward to World War I, when the First Amendment was again under attack, this time by the Supreme Court. The court’s awful decision under Oliver Wendell Holmes was later overturned, but its fearful message about free speech still sticks with us. You’ve probably heard the phrase “you can’t shout ‘fire’ in a crowded theater” — not actually true. The misquoting and misinterpretation here is darkly funny: Trevor Timm, in The Atlantic, notes the court decision the phrase refers to was actually about whether an American socialist “could be convicted under the Espionage Act for writing and distributing a pamphlet that expressed his opposition to the draft.” It almost sounds ripped from contemporary headlines. (Nearly a century later, the Espionage Act would be used again to target, this time, a New York Times journalist.)
Misunderstandings about the First Amendment still abound. On the front lines we most readily see it in police confrontations where armed agents of the state bungle their constitutional duties with disastrous results.
Cops are routinely so terrible at understanding America’s foundational law that there’s now a cottage industry of streamers and influencers who work as “First Amendment auditors” — people who intentionally flex their right to record in public to bait dummies into abridging their freedom of speech. It’s easy to go down TikTok rabbit holes where you’ll find someone recording an illegal traffic stop from inside their car, or a fully kitted streamer recording harassment on a public sidewalk. When the police inevitably show up to hassle someone for exercising their rights, the stakes are immediately raised.
In a best-case scenario, a higher-ranking cop arrives and dispels their colleagues’ unconstitutional conduct. In other cases, someone ends up getting detained or arrested for completely protected behavior.
It’s even worse than usual in 2026, because we now live under an administration that’s flooding cities with barely trained federal agents who see constitutionally protected behavior as a threat. This has resulted in deaths, assaults on reporters, and an untold broader cost of regular people having to endure the immense burden of confronting the justice system simply for doing things they have the fundamental right to do. The right to speak and assemble is especially valid when it’s in protest of the government. That’s the whole point of this thing! And yet.
The latest assaults on the First Amendment have been encouraged by people all the way up the chain of command. We’re being betrayed by officials who are supposed to protect us, people who swore an oath to the Constitution and ought to know better. The FCC is not supposed to regulate speech but has nonetheless become a nightmare of incompetence and civil rights suppression. Do you miss Stephen Colbert on The Late Show? Thank the Trump administration, which now operates a mob-like patronage system that has cowed the billionaire princes who own America’s broadcast networks. Or ask Jimmy Kimmel, who got kicked off the air after conservatives went nuclear over his tame remarks about Charlie Kirk, a man who spent his time poisoning our national discourse with none of the grace or wit employed by national talk show hosts.
The Trump regime in general has an incredibly disturbing record on free speech, from science to the operations of the largest social networks. Donald Trump rails against anyone who doesn’t bow to him, and the list of his victims is too long to enumerate. But here’s an important one: The president once threatened to jail Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for life. Zuckerberg is far more wealthy and powerful than Trump in many respects, but what did he do? Two years after the threat, Zuckerberg showed up on the White House lawn to celebrate Trump’s insane UFC fight show. He tapped out against a bully.
This is what makes everything really messy. We live in an age dominated by communication platforms that are so wealthy, powerful, and pervasive that they seem practically unrestrained by the US government, but paradoxically must still cozy up to a regime that has no actual respect for them or for their free speech. Trump once threatened to blow up the entire internet because he wanted platforms to censor things to his advantage. The CEOs of those companies still indulge him with flattery and photo ops.
This blurring of public and private interests has fueled a funhouse-mirror idea of “free speech culture” that’s actually designed to crack down on free speech. The loudest people crying about free speech culture do so as if theirs is not the freest ever in history, while simultaneously supporting actual government censorship, like banning books.
I can’t say it better than Ken White has, so just go read him on this point. White explains how “free speech culture” has emboldened the Trump admin and others to engage in real censorship. “When enough people think that all of free speech—including free speech law—is bullshit, then free speech rights won’t be enforced,” he writes.
Our constitutional punchbowl has been spiked by madmen who profit from confusion about our rights and the rule of law. It doesn’t have to be this way. Just remember: The First Amendment is a restraint on the government that prevents it from prohibiting your speech.
Moreover: Actual censorship is government suppression of speech. It’s entirely understandable that we’re confused about what censorship is because of how hard many people have worked to keep us confused. A social media platform moderating your post is not censorship — it’s actually free speech. Yes, that sounds completely counterintuitive, but it’s true. The alternative is a situation where the government forces private citizens to publish things they don’t want to, including hate speech.
Much was unsaid here, including the history of immense pain and suffering that has kept the First Amendment and our broader rights alive. I won’t claim to know what the fix is for our current mess, but I’ll say I really hate when our leaders say things like “this is not who we are” when they talk precisely about the things that define who we are. And part of who we are is a coalition that claims to want free speech in theory while simultaneously suppressing it in practice.
So what can you do? Yes, of course, vote. But there’s much more to do. Write or call your congresspeople (I promise this does matter). Participate in local elections, especially for school boards, which are on the front lines of book banning. And if you’re reading this, thank you for subscribing — but consider also supporting other newsrooms.
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Google general counsel explains AI-powered phishing rise
Halimah Delaine Prado, Google General Counsel, reveals the rise of AI-powered phishing scams originating from China’s ‘outsider enterprise.’ She explains how these criminals use artificial intelligence to create highly convincing fake websites, impersonating trusted brands like T-Mobile to defraud hundreds of thousands of Americans, causing millions in losses. Prado highlights Google’s strategy to combat these evolving threats.
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Summer travel already costs enough. So, an email promising a $500 Booking.com travel credit can feel like a lucky break.
That is exactly why this message we received deserves a closer look. It uses a familiar travel brand, a big reward and a deadline to push you toward a blue “Redeem Now” button. The email also uses my real name in three places, which makes the message feel more personal and convincing.
However, the details in this email raise several red flags. The sender address does not even appear to relate to Booking.com. The subject line feels vague. The reward sounds broad. The deadline adds pressure.
Scammers know people are booking flights, hotels and last-minute trips right now. A fake travel credit can catch someone at the perfect moment.
BOOKING A SUMMER TRIP? HERE’S WHAT YOU’RE GIVING SCAMMERS
A fake Booking.com email promises a $500 travel credit while using pressure tactics and suspicious sender details to target travelers. (iStock)
Before you click anything, let’s break down what makes this email look suspicious.
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Fake Booking.com email starts with pressure
The subject line says “(1) Pending.” That wording is a red flag. It sounds urgent, but it does not clearly explain what is pending.
Scammers often use vague subject lines because they spark curiosity. You may open the message just to find out what needs your attention.
Also, the number “(1)” makes the email feel like an account alert. It hints that one item needs action. That can push you to click faster.
A real travel reward email should explain the offer clearly. It should not rely on mystery to get your attention.
Sender address does not match Booking.com
The biggest giveaway is the sender address. The display name uses a Booking. com-style label. However, the actual email address does not appear to relate to Booking.com at all. That is a major warning sign.
Scammers can copy a logo, brand colors and a button. Still, the sender address often exposes the fake. Always open the full sender details before clicking. Look past the display name. If the real address uses a strange domain, random letters or an unrelated company name, stop. That one detail can save you from a stolen password or a fake payment page.
Fake Booking.com email uses your real name
One detail makes this scam feel more personal: the email uses my real name in three places. That can make a fake message feel more legitimate.
Scammers use names, account-style details and fake customer IDs to lower your guard. They want you to think, “Well, they know who I am, so this must be real.”
But a real name does not prove an email is legitimate. Your name may already appear in old breaches, data broker lists, leaked marketing databases or public records. That personal touch should make you more cautious, not less.
GLOBAL SCAM CRACKDOWN LEADS TO 276 ARRESTS
Booking.com says travelers should keep communication and payments on its platform and report suspicious messages through official channels. (KairosDee/Getty Images)
Booking.com email shows a suspicious date mismatch
Another strange detail appears near the top of the message. The email itself shows “March 2026,” but it was actually sent to us on June 23, 2026.
That mismatch matters because real travel reward emails usually have consistent dates, campaign timing and account details. A March label on a June email can suggest a reused template, a sloppy scam setup or a copied brand-style message.
Scammers often move fast and recycle old layouts. So, when the date inside an email does not match when it arrived, treat that as another reason to pause before clicking.
Fake Booking.com credit uses a tempting reward
The message says you are eligible for a CA$500 Booking.com travel credit. That amount feels big enough to matter. It also feels believable enough to make you curious.
That combination is dangerous. Scammers do not always use wild dollar amounts. They often choose a number that feels exciting but still possible.
The email also says the credit can be applied toward hotels, flights or a Booking.com reservation in Canada. That broad wording makes the offer sound useful to almost anyone planning travel.
However, real travel rewards should be easy to confirm inside your official account. You should not need to click an email button to find out if a credit exists.
Booking.com scam email borrows loyalty language
The message mentions a Spring Genius Loyalty Event. That sounds official because Booking.com has used the Genius name for its loyalty program. Scammers use familiar program names because they make fake emails feel more believable.
Still, the email does not give enough proof. It does not explain real terms. It does not tell you to verify inside your account. It mainly pushes you toward the “Redeem Now” button.
That is another red flag. Real rewards usually appear in your official account, app or wallet area. A surprise email should never be your only proof.
Fake travel email uses flattery
The message says your activity placed you among a select number of loyal members. That line tries to make the reward feel personal. It suggests you earned something special because of your booking history.
However, the wording stays broad. It could apply to almost anyone. Scammers often use flattery to lower your guard. When a message makes you feel chosen, you may spend less time checking the details. That is exactly what the scammer wants.
Booking.com scam creates deadline panic
The message says you must respond before June 23, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.. That exact deadline adds pressure. It makes the credit feel like it could disappear at midnight.
Then the email says the allocation will be released if you take no action. In other words, it wants you to move quickly before you inspect the sender, links or account details.
Urgency is one of the most common scam tactics. When an email mixes a reward with a deadline, slow down. A real company will let you verify rewards by logging in safely through the official app or website.
The ‘Redeem Now’ button is the danger zone
The blue “Redeem Now” button is the part to avoid. A scam link can take you to a fake Booking.com sign-in page. From there, scammers may try to steal your email address, password, payment details or verification codes.
Some fake pages look convincing. They may use the same colors, fonts and logo style as the real site. However, the link behind the button tells the real story. Since you cannot fully trust a button in a suspicious email, do not click it. Open Booking.com through the official app instead. You can also type the website into your browser.
FIVE DATA BROKER OPT-OUT MYTHS THAT LEAVE RETIREES EXPOSED
Travelers should avoid clicking links in suspicious reward emails and verify any travel credit through the official Booking.com app or website. (martin-dm/Getty Images)
Junk folder warning should not be ignored
This email landed in our junk folder, and that is worth noting. Spam filters can flag suspicious sender patterns, bulk messages, strange links or known scam behavior. They are not perfect, but they can give you a useful warning.
So, when a reward email appears in junk, treat it with extra caution. Do not click first and investigate later. The safer move is to delete the message and check your account directly.
CyberGuy reached out to Booking.com about the suspicious email. Booking.com responded with general safety guidance for travelers and said it uses dedicated teams and machine learning tools to monitor, detect and block suspicious activity around the clock.
Booking.com responds to phishing concerns
Booking.com responded to CyberGuy after we reached out about the suspicious email. The company did not specifically verify this email, but said cybercrime and online fraud are not new or unique to Booking.com or the travel industry.
“At Booking.com, the security and data protection of our partners and travelers is a top priority. We have dedicated teams and employ machine learning tooling to monitor, detect and block suspicious activity around the clock and continuously work to enhance the robust security measures we have in place,” Booking.com said.
Booking.com also advises travelers to keep communication and payment on its platform, watch for unusual host requests or last-minute listing changes and report suspicious messages through its official customer service channels.
How to stay safe from Booking.com travel scams
A fake travel credit can look convincing at first, but a few quick checks can help you avoid a stolen login, fake payment page or follow-up scam.
1) Check the sender address first
Do not trust the display name alone. A scam email can say Booking.com, while the real sender address has nothing to do with the company. Open the sender details and look closely. Strange domains, random letters or unrelated addresses are clear warning signs.
2) Be cautious when an email uses your real name
Do not assume an email is safe because it knows your name. Scammers can get names from data breaches, people-search sites and marketing lists. If a message uses your name while pushing a deadline, reward or login link, treat it as suspicious.
3) Skip email links and open the app
Do not click “Redeem Now” from the email. Instead, open the Booking.com app or type the website into your browser. Then check your account for rewards, wallet credits or official messages. If the credit is real, it should appear there. Booking.com also advises travelers not to move communication or payment outside its platform because scammers often use that tactic to avoid platform protections.
4) Watch for pressure words
Words like Pending, Confirm, Final notice and Limited time can push you to act fast. Slow down when an email adds a deadline. Scammers use urgency because it keeps you from checking the facts.
5) Protect your login details
Never enter your password, payment details or verification codes from an email link. Also, use a password manager. It can help you avoid fake sign-in pages because it usually will not autofill your saved password on the wrong site.
6) Turn on two-factor authentication
Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) or passkeys for your Booking.com account, email account and payment accounts. That extra step can help block a scammer who steals your password. Never share a one-time code with anyone who contacts you by email, text or phone.
7) Use strong antivirus software
Use strong antivirus software on your devices to help detect malicious links, fake websites and suspicious downloads. That extra layer can help stop a scam before it steals your information or infects your device. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.
8) Use a data removal service
Scammers can use your exposed personal information to make phishing emails feel more believable. A data removal service can help reduce how much of your personal data appears on people-search sites and data broker lists. That can make it harder for scammers to target you with personalized travel scams. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting CyberGuy.com.
9) Report the fake email
Report the message as phishing or junk in your email app. You can also forward suspicious Booking.com-related emails to Booking.com’s customer service or report them through your account. This helps the platform track scams that impersonate its brand. Booking.com says travelers should report suspicious listings or communications through its official customer service channels so they can be investigated quickly.
10) Mark the message as junk
Since this email already appeared in the junk folder, your spam filter likely spotted something suspicious. Mark it as junk and delete it. If you already clicked, change your Booking.com password through the official site. Then check your card activity. Also, watch for follow-up scam messages that mention travel credits, refunds or account problems.
Kurt’s key takeaways
This fake Booking.com email works because it shows up when travel is already on your mind. A $500 credit sounds helpful when hotels and flights feel expensive. But the warning signs are clear. The vague subject line creates curiosity. The sender address does not appear connected to Booking.com. The use of a real name makes the scam feel more personal. The deadline adds pressure. The “Redeem Now” button pushes you toward a risky click. That is important because travel scams often work fast. One fake login page can hand scammers your account, payment details or personal information. The safest move is to ignore the email and check your account directly. If the credit is real, it should appear inside your Booking.com account. If it is fake, you just avoided a costly summer scam.
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With scammers using trusted travel brands to push fake credits, should companies like Booking.com do more to protect customers before they fall for the click? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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- Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide free when you join.
Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Most Americans don’t trust AI. It’s proven that it doesn’t know what safe toppings for pizza are. People don’t even want to listen to AI music. But none of that matters for some of America’s wealthy, who are turning to AI to teach their kids instead of traditional schools.
Companies like Forge Prep and Alpha School are charging families tens of thousands of dollars to turn their kids into beta testers for AI tutors and “interactive project-based workshops.” Unsurprisingly, Silicon Valley have been major adopters of this new model. Shaun Johnson, a San Francisco-based venture capitalist, told the Wall Street Journal that he plans to send his son to a $75,000 year Alpha Kindergarten. He said, “We recognize that education is likely broken the way it is and there’s going to be entrepreneurs that try to fix it… You want someone to be able to think on their feet and navigate the world, not necessarily a recitation of facts in a particular discipline.”
Ignoring Johnson’s fundamental lack of understanding about modern pedagogy, it’s unclear how notoriously sycophantic AI will train children to “think on their feet and navigate the world.” It’s also concerning that Alpha School co-founder MacKenzie Price has said she plans to keep “hot-button social issues” out of the classroom. Which, in the current political climate, could cover women’s rights, America’s history of slavery, and our immigrant past. That might not seem like a major issue when you’re talking about kindergarten, but in some locations, Alpha School goes through high school.
Companies like Forge also don’t share performance metrics, so there’s no evidence that these AI-guided private schools are improving educational outcomes.
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