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Animals

Coyotes review: Justin Long stars in a very silly movie about when animals attack

by admin September 21, 2025

Coyotes stars Justin Long and Kate Bosworth as a couple doing battle with a pack of rabid dogs, in a comedy-horror that leans into laughs rather than scares.

Coyotes concerns a very real problem facing the people of Los Angeles, and over the opening credits, that phenomenon is explained via news reports.

Thanks to a spate of wildfires, coyotes have been pushed deeper and deeper into LA neighborhoods, and these opportunistic predators are now doing whatever it takes to survive.

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That’s the jumping off point for director Colin Minihan’s new horror movie, which addresses a serious subject, in the silliest way imaginable.

What is Coyotes about?

Aura Entertainment

Following a prologue that sees a Paris Hilton type mauled by one of the title characters, the story proper introduces a family living in the Hollywood Hills – Scott and Liv (played by real-life couple Justin Long and Kate Bosworth) and their teenage daughter Chloe (Mila Harris).

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They seem happy, though have an apparent problem with rats in their beautiful home, which is revealed to them by an eccentric exterminator called Devon (Keir O’Donnell, channelling John Goodman in the similarly themed Arachnaphobia).

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While they’re waiting for Devon to wipe the rodents out as a way of sending a message to all other vermin in the area, a storm arrives on their doorstep, knocking down trees, and killing their power.

Which is when the coyotes appear, seeming vaguely threatening at first, before becoming more direct by growling, bearing their teeth, and then going on the attack.

“I think it wanted to eat you” a confused Liv tells Scott during a particularly concerning coyote interaction, and as more of the rabid beasts congregate on their lawn, then try to get into their house, it becomes apparent that the family is facing a fight for their lives.

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Wild animals vs wild characters

That story is told with its tongue firmly in cheek, as potential victims are painted in the broadest of brush-strokes, and oftentimes asking for the doggie assault that’s coming their way.

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From the coked up neighbor and drunk Irishman in a shell-suit to the sex worker obsessed with conspiracy theories, Coyotes is filled with colorful characters that aren’t to be taken seriously.

Meaning each ultra-violent death is played for laughs, from a tragic barbecue demise to a shocking ribcage cameo, they’re memorable deaths, but the type that will inspire more laughs than scares.

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That said, there are moments of levity in the movie, thanks to Liv’s issues with Scott’s workaholic tendencies. Indeed, his comic book career and obsession inspires some interesting visuals, character introductions, and jokes, but also threatens to tear his family apart.

Though every time Coyotes flirts with getting serious on that front, the script by Ted Daggerhart, Daniel Meersand, and Nick Simon undercuts the tension, most notably in a hilarious scene where Scott pours his heart out to a wife who can’t hear him.

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Is Coyotes good?

Aura Entertainment

Coyotes is a fun film that delivers on the promise of wild dogs doing battle with dumb humans, while Justin Long – as ever – is a likeable lead, who has you rooting for his character, in spite of some truly terrible decisions.

But there’s a fatal flaw in many of those scenes, as the coyotes rarely look real. Indeed, there are times when the movie feels like live-action merged with bad animation, and all that computer-generated imagery frequently takes you out of the movie.

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If audiences can put up with that issue however, the horror and comedy elements complement each other nicely, while Coyotes deserves bonus points for not demonising the coyotes themselves, thanks to a surprising sting in the tale/tail…

Coyotes score: 3/5

If you can ignore the bad CGI, and like a broad comedy about even broader characters, Coyotes is a decent entry in the ‘when animals attack’ genre, that manages to sneak in an important environmental message.

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Coyotes was reviewed at Fantastic Fest, while the film hits theaters on September 29, 2025. While for more scary stuff, check out our list of the best horror movies ever.

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September 21, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

How to get new farm animals in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar

by admin August 27, 2025

Outside of cultivating fields of crops, knowing where to buy farm animals in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar is a great way to make more money. You can use animal materials like milk and eggs to make items such as mayonnaise and cheese at different windmills, which are perfect for snagging additional profit at the weekly bazaar. But, finding these animals in the first place can be a challenge.

Unlike a lot of farming simulators, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar doesn’t have a one-stop-shop in town for you to visit each time you need a new creature, at any time during the week. There’s a specific character you need to visit each week if you want new animals, and there’s no way to guarantee which species or age he will have of each creature either. Here’s where you need to go if you want to get some new animals.

Where to buy farm animals in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar

Farm animals can be purchased from Ramon’s stall in the top left corner of the weekly bazaar. The stall is open from 10 am to 7 pm every Saturday, so you’ve got plenty of time to browse too. The field behind his stall will display all of the available animals that day, so you don’t even need to speak to him to see what you can purchase.

The available animals change each week, so if the creature you’re looking for isn’t in stock one week, it might be a bit of a wait before you can get it, especially since there’s no way to order them in. The table below lists every animal available at Ramon’s stall and the byproduct they produce when an adult:

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Animal

Byproduct

Cow

Milk

Sheep

Wool

Chicken

Eggs

Cria

Wool

When you purchase an animal, you’ll name it on the spot and it will be immediately transported to your farm. It won’t have been fed that day either, so be sure to lay some food out for it when you get back between your bazaar shifts. Baby animals tend to be cheaper, but they won’t produce any items until they are fully grown, which is worth remembering too if you’re looking to make a quick buck.

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August 27, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Scientists discover how to gene edit animals & fast forward evolution by millions of years

by admin August 19, 2025

Researchers in Japan have discovered that, through gene editing, it’s possible to completely change the behavior of animals. By simply swapping the gene, that animal’s body has been shown to adapt and grow to form the new trait that was manually edited in.

This technology is still early on in testing. We’re a bit away from cats barking and dogs meowing, but the roots of the tech are there and have already been proven to work on fruit flies.

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By swapping just a single gene, scientists were able to completely rewire the brains of two genetically distinct species of fruit fly to swap their mating rituals.

And, while that may not sound like a big deal, their bodies physically adapted around the new gene just because scientists edited it. While small now, this science applied at scale could be revolutionary.

Japanese researchers discover how to swap animal traits

Researchers at Nagoya University accomplished this by swapping the genes between two fruit fly species, one belonging to Drosophila suboscura and the other being D. melanogaster. They’re in the same family, but that’s still pretty distinct in genetic terms.

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New Atlas describes the process of bringing back genes that are this far apart in fruit flies as turning back literal tens of millions of years’ worth of evolution. And scientists managed to do that in one go, all by altering one gene.

D. melanogaster flies perform singing as their mating ritual, while Drosophila suboscura give “gifts” to potential mates in order to court them. Nagoya researchers reversed these rituals naturally. Aside from the gene alteration, no environmental changes were introduced to push them more toward one behavior. The flies just did it of their own accord.

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Pexels/Erik Karits

Additionally, their bodies grew and changed to support the new gene. The singing fly developed stronger muscles to produce the right sound, and the other made changes to its visual and motor functions in order to throw up a “gift”.

In other words, scientists skipped millions of years’ worth of evolution in one fell swoop. And, considering that flies are around 60% similar to humans, the idea of jumping traits from one animal to another is now within feasible reach. It’d take time to figure out and implement at scale, but this could be a huge breakthrough across pretty much any industry that relies on animal products.

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And, while it will surely be a while until things like gene therapy are applied to humans, it is possible for this tech to be used in that way.

Scientists have also recently discovered how to turn back time. Though it’s only for a single particle, it could theoretically apply to much larger objects.

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August 19, 2025 0 comments