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In Errol Morris’ new Netflix documentary “Chaos: The Manson Murders,” the Oscar-winning director explores how Charles Manson was able to convince four “Manson girls” along with Tex Watson to savagely kill for him.

Based on Tom O’Neill’s 2019 book “Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties,” the film explores the covert motives that may have sparked the 1969 Tate-labianca murders. The doc is built around O’Neill’s theory that Manson learned mind-control techniques from the CIA’s MKUltra mind-control program and was programmed to become an assassin.

“It’s surprising, I believe, on Manson because it takes you deeply into the mysteries rather than lecturing you or telling you that this is what happened or that is why it happened,” says Morris. “It’s asking you to actually consider the evidence and to think about what the motivation might have been.”

Variety spoke to Morris about “Chaos: The Manson Murders,...

It's probably not unreasonable to think high school is the most common setting for anime. It's so common that there are even high schools for specific genres, like high schools for superheroes or for vampires. For fans who'd prefer to graduate to college anime though, there aren't many to choose from. Often, high school anime prepares its characters for college, and then the story ends.

However, many know that college is where the true adventure begins. No longer restricted by parents and allowed to make their own decisions, college anime characters can find themselves in wackier situations than their high school counterparts. Not to mention, they also deal with adult things older fans can relate to. While there aren't as many college anime as high school ones, the ones out are perfect for college student otakus or the adults who want something to relate to.

Updated by Sage Ashford on November 10th,...

The recently released Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything with Low-Level Spells anime series based on the light novel series written by Kaoru Shinozaki has become quite trending within the shonen world. However, the recognition that the series has earned might not be for the best.

Failure Frame Anime Series | Credit: Seven Arcs

The series follows the adventures of Mimori Touka, who was a nobody in his school. However, when he and his classmates are summoned to a magical world by Goddess Vysis to become heroes, he thinks that his life will change. But he suffers the same fate in the new world too, which forces Vysis to discard him.

However, the powers he gained might not be useless after all, as he decides to take revenge on the goddess, revealing his true intentions. While the story is intriguing, the anime series might not be so entertaining,...

The first track on This Is Lorelei’s upcoming debut album is a sweet, sad song called “Angel’s Eye.” “So long, my lonely friend/Goodbye, my only love,” a high voice sings over gently rolling strums. It’s a pure, earnest country weeper, full of feeling in every note.

If you don’t already know, you might be surprised to learn that This Is Lorelei is an alias for Nate Amos, one of the mad-scientist minds behind the Brooklyn duo Water From Your Eyes. In that band, he twists strange,...

Nothing about Einstürzende Neubauten’s “Everything Will Be Fine” suggests anything could be fine. The track, from their new album, Rampen: Apm (Alien Pop Music), begins with creaking, like the warning sounds of a structure about to break. It could be the “collapsing new buildings” of the band’s name. And when frontman Blixa Bargeld opens his mouth, it’s not words of reassurance, instead he’s rasping moistly in English and German about voids and nothingness. Every second feels unsettling.

Then in comes the funk, as Alexander Hacke plays some wah-wah inflected electric bass,...

Paul McCartney has nothing but praise for Beyoncé’s cover of “Blackbird.”

In an Instagram post shared Thursday, McCartney said he gave the superstar his blessing to include her rendition of The Beatles’ classic on Cowboy Carter. “I spoke to her on FaceTime and she thanked me for writing it and letting her do it. I told her the pleasure was all mine and I thought she had done a killer version of the song,” he wrote.

McCartney also shared that he’s “so happy” with Beyoncé’s cover, as she “does a magnificent version of it and it reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song in the first place.”

Over the years, McCartney has given various answers as to what the song was written about, from being inspired by hearing the call of a blackbird while the Beatles were in India, to penning it...

Paul McCartney applauded Beyoncé’s rendition of the White Album classic “Blackbird” in a statement posted Thursday on the Beatles legend’s social media.

“I am so happy with [Beyoncé’s] version of my song ‘Blackbird,'” McCartney wrote alongside a photo of the singers together. “I think she does a magnificent version of it and it reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song in the first place. I think Beyoncé has done a fab version and would urge anyone who has not heard it yet to check it out.

The Beatles’ 1962-1966 (‘The Red Album’) and 1967-1970 (‘The Blue Album’) collections are today released in 2023 Edition packages by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. Since their first incarnations appeared 50 years ago, these albums have introduced successive generations to The Beatles’ music. Now, both collections’ tracklists have been expanded, with all the songs mixed in true stereo and Dolby Atmos. New 4Cd and 180-gram 6Lp vinyl collections pair ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’ in slipcased sets. The UK single version of “Love Me Do” now kicks off 1962-1966 (2023 Edition), and the smash hit single “Now And Then” is featured on 1967-1970 (2023 Edition) to complete the career-spanning collections.

1962-1966 and 1967-1970 (2023 Editions)

Stereo mixes:

Both collections: digital; streaming; 2Cd; 180g 3Lp black vinyl; 180g 6Lp black vinyl slipcased set; limited edition Beatles Store exclusives: 3Lp colored vinyl (red for ‘Red’/blue for ‘Blue’); 4Cd slipcased set; 6Lp colored vinyl slipcased set

Dolby Atmos mixes:...

The Beatles’ 1962-1966 (‘The Red Album’) and 1967-1970 (‘The Blue Album’) collections are today released in 2023 Edition packages by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. Since their first incarnations appeared 50 years ago, these albums have introduced successive generations to The Beatles’ music. Now, both collections’ tracklists have been expanded, with all the songs mixed in true stereo and Dolby Atmos. New 4Cd and 180-gram 6Lp vinyl collections pair ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’ in slipcased sets. The UK single version of “Love Me Do” now kicks off 1962-1966 (2023 Edition), and the smash hit single “Now And Then” is featured on 1967-1970 (2023 Edition) to complete the career-spanning collections.

1962-1966 and 1967-1970 (2023 Editions)

Stereo mixes:

Both collections: digital; streaming; 2Cd; 180g 3Lp black vinyl; 180g 6Lp black vinyl slipcased set; limited edition Beatles Store exclusives: 3Lp colored vinyl (red for ‘Red’/blue for ‘Blue’); 4Cd slipcased set; 6Lp colored vinyl slipcased set

Dolby Atmos mixes:...

High school stories may have all the drama, but anime about college life has all the charm. Stories of young adults transitioning from carefree teenagers to mature individuals have their separate appeal and resonate well with their respective audiences.

While the fans get to experience the nostalgia of school festivals, clubs, and over-the-top love triangles, anime about college life highlight the struggles of characters both professionally and personally. From masterpieces like Paradise Kiss to wholesome watches like Golden Time, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

Related: 10 Anime Love Triangles That Overstayed Their Welcome

White Album (2009)

White Album is a typical college-life love story for hardcore romance anime fans. It centers around Touya Fujii, who tries to balance his life as a college student along with barely managing his love life with upcoming idol Yuki Morikawa.

White Album gets a lot of hate for its stereotypical plot and bland characters, but...

No one would ever accuse the BBC detective series "Luther" of being fluffy and light-hearted, but the film, "Luther: The Fallen Sun," is exceptionally bleak. The film, which sees detective John Luther (Idris Elba) try to capture a vicious serial killer named David Robey (Andy Serkis), is somehow even darker than the television series. In fact, there's even a real-life horror story wrapped into the film through a scene that takes place in front of the Anatomical Crucifixion, an ancient and rather disturbing work of art hanging in London's Royal Academy of the Arts. In a scene near the beginning of the film, Robey visits the Anatomical Crucifixion and sort of stares at it while he discusses his plans (via voiceover) for John Luther. Like the depiction of a flayed man before him, Robey wants Luther metaphorically crucified and laid bare, his layers peeled away for everyone to see. 

In...

It’s fair to say that Abbey Road Studios is the most documented recording facility in the world, but only if you count the crosswalk outside. Otherwise, the nine-bedroom mansion turned studio hasn’t really had its day in the cinematic sun, the way that more modest studios like L.A.’s Sound City and Alabama’s Muscle Shoals have. Making up for that with an A-lister-filled movie treatment is “If These Walls Could Sing,” the first feature-length documentary from Mary McCartney, who has a hell of a shared Rolodex to draw upon in gathering the firsthand rock ‘n’ roll anecdotes you expect and want in a film like this. She’s also savvy enough to know that the guy working in the back gluing irreplaceable mid-century microphones back together deserves a few seconds of screen time, too.

McCartney starts her film off by showing a baby picture of herself at the studio,...

The next album by The Beatles to get a remix and bonus-filled boxed-set treatment is ‘Revolver. Apple Corps, not to be confused with Apple Inc, and Universal Music have confirmed that a deluxe celebration of the 1966 release — which, like the Beatle boxes that have preceded it, will include a Giles Martin remix — is in the pipeline for this fall, reports ‘Variety’.

An official announcement is not expected to come until some time in September, at which point details about the deluxe package’s content and a release date will be announced.

According to ‘Variety’, ‘Revolver’ had been widely speculated among fans as the next in the series.

Previously, the boxed sets and remixes in the series started with 1967’s ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ and continued chronologically with 1968’s ‘White Album’, 1969’s ‘Abbey Road’ and, last year, 1970’s ‘Let It Be’.

Having reached the end of the Beatles’ road...

Of all the Beatles’ classic albums, Let It Be is the one with the most daunting reputation. We’re all used to hearing it as their break-up album. The one where the Fabs fall apart. The one they began as a back-to-basics rebirth, until it became their tombstone. The messy film soundtrack that arrived in May 1970, just as the band was breaking up. The one Phil Spector took over. Their darkest, most divisive music. But that’s never been the whole story. This is also the album with classics like “Let It Be,...