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“Gladiator II” asks the question: Are you not moderately entertained for roughly 60% of this sequel? Truly, this is a movie dependent on managed expectations and a forgiving attitude toward its tendency to overserve. More of a thrash-and-burn schlock epic than the comparatively restrained 2000 “Gladiator,” also directed by Ridley Scott, the new one recycles a fair bit of the old one’s narrative cries for freedom while tossing in some digital sharks for the flooded Colosseum and a bout of deadly sea-battle theatrics. They really did flood the Colosseum in those days, though no historical evidence suggests shark deployment, real or digital. On the other hand (checks notes), “Gladiator II” is fiction. Screenwriter David Scarpa picks things up 16 years after “Gladiator,” which gave us the noble death of the noble warrior Maximus, shortly after slaying the ignoble emperor and returning Rome to the control of the Senate. Our new hero, Lucius (Paul Mescal), has fled Rome for Numidia, on the North African coast. The time is 200 A.D., and for the corrupt, party-time twins running the empire (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger), that means invasion time. Pedro Pascal takes the role of Acacius, the deeply conflicted general, sick of war and tired of taking orders from a pair of depraved ferrets. The new film winds around the old one this way: Acacius is married to Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, in a welcome return), daughter of the now-deceased emperor Aurelius and the love of the late Maximus’s life. Enslaved and dragged to Rome to gladiate, the widower Lucius vows revenge on the general whose armies killed his wife. But there are things this angry young phenom must learn, about his ancestry and his destiny. It’s the movie’s worst-kept secret, but there’s a reason he keeps seeing footage of Russell Crowe from the first movie in his fever dreams. Battle follows battle, on the field, in the arena, in the nearest river, wherever, and usually with endless splurches of computer-generated blood. “Gladiator II” essentially bumper-cars its way through the mayhem, pausing for long periods of expository scheming about overthrowing the current regime. The prince of all fixers, a wily operative with interests in both managing gladiators and stocking munitions, goes by the name Macrinus. He’s played by Denzel Washington, who at one point makes a full meal out of pronouncing the word “politics” like it’s a poisoned fig. Also, if you want a masterclass in letting your robes do a lot of your acting for you, watch what Washington does here. He’s more fun than the movie but you can’t have everything. The movie tries everything, all right, and twice. Ridley Scott marshals the chaotic action sequences well enough, though he’s undercut by frenetic cutting rhythms, with that now-familiar, slightly sped-up visual acceleration in frequent use. (Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo are the editors.) Mescal acquits himself well in his first big-budget commercial walloper of an assignment, confined though he is to a narrower range of seething resentments than Crowe’s in the first film. I left thinking about two things: the word “politics” as savored/spit out by Washington, and the innate paradox of how Scott, whose best work over the decades has been wonderful, delivers spectacle. The director and his lavishly talented design team built all the rough-hewn sets with actual tangible materials the massive budget allowed. They took care to find the right locations in Morocco and Malta. Yet when combined in post-production with scads of medium-grade digital effects work in crowd scenes and the like, never mind the sharks, the movie’s a somewhat frustrating amalgam. With an uneven script on top of it, the visual texture of “Gladiator II” grows increasingly less enveloping and atmospherically persuasive, not more. But I hung there, for some of the acting, for some of the callbacks, and for the many individual moments, or single shots, that could only have come from Ridley Scott. And in the end, yes, you too may be moderately entertained. MPA rating: R (for strong bloody violence) Running time: 2:28 How to watch: Premieres in theaters Nov. 21.Climate finance's 'new era' shows new political realitieslodi129 。

One of the key components of this initiative is the installation of smart fire alarms that are capable of detecting smoke, heat, and flames in real time. These cutting-edge devices utilize state-of-the-art sensor technology to swiftly identify potential fire hazards, triggering immediate alerts to the school's security personnel and fire department.

Ventive Hospitality shares are set to make their stock market debut today after receiving strong response for its initial public offering (IPO). Ventive Hospitality IPO listing date is today, December 30, and the equity shares of the company will be listed on both the stock exchanges, BSE and NSE. Ventive Hospitality IPO issue was open from December 20 to 24, and the IPO allotment was finalised on December 26. “Trading Members of the Exchange are hereby informed that effective from Monday, December 30, 2024, the equity shares of Ventive Hospitality Limited shall be listed and admitted to dealings on the Exchange in the list of ‘B’ Group of Securities,” said a notice on BSE. Ventive Hospitality shares will be a part of Special Pre-open Session (SPOS) on Monday, and the stock will be available for trading from 10:00 AM. Ahead of the share listing, trends for Ventive Hospitality IPO grey market premium (GMP) today indicates a positive debut. Analysts also expect Ventive Hospitality shares to list at a premium to the IPO price. Ventive Hospitality IPO GMP Today Ventive Hospitality IPO GMP today is ₹ 70 per share, according to stock market observers. This indicates that in the grey market, Ventive Hospitality shares are trading higher by ₹ 70 apiece than their issue price. Ventive Hospitality Listing Price Considering the Ventive Hospitality IPO GMP today, the estimated listing price of Ventive Hospitality shares would be ₹ 713 apiece, a premium of 11% from the IPO price of ₹ 643 per share. Analysts also predict Ventive Hospitality share listing to be at a premium of around 10% to the issue price. “ Ventive Hospitality IPO received a decent response despite being priced at high valuations. So, I am expecting a positive debut for the company shares. One can expect the Ventive Hospitality IPO listing at around 10% to 12% premium,” said Arun Kejriwal, founder of Kejriwal Research and Investment Services. According to Akriti Mehrotra, Research Analyst, StoxBox, Ventive Hospitality IPO, oversubscribed 10.33 times, is set to debut today, with an 11% premium above the upper price band. “The company operates 11 luxury properties, including flagship hotels like JW Marriott Pune and The Ritz-Carlton Pune, benefiting from strong partnerships with global brands such as Marriott and Hilton. However, its reliance on third-party operators for 78% of its keys exposes it to reputational risks. Ventive also generates 41% of its revenue from annuity assets, providing stable cash flows. With a strong financial track record, including a 44% revenue CAGR, and plans for expansion, we recommend holding shares for medium to long-term growth,” said Mehrotra. Ventive Hospitality IPO Details The ₹ 1,600-crore worth Ventive Hospitality IPO was open for subscription from December 20 to 24 and the IPO allotment was finalised on December 26. Ventive Hospitality IPO listing date is today, December 30 and the Ventive Hospitality shares will be listed on BSE and NSE. Ventive Hospitality IPO price band was set at ₹ 610 to ₹ 643 per share, and the issue was entirely a fresh issue of 2.49 crore equity shares. Ventive Hospitality IPO received 9.82 times subscription in total as it garnered bids for 14.17 crore equity shares as against IPO size of 1.44 crore shares. The retail investors portion was booked 5.94 times, while the Non Institutional Investors (NII) portion was subscribed 13.87 times. The Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) category received 9.08 times subscription. JM Financial, Axis Capital, HSBC Securities & Capital Markets, ICICI Securities, IFL Securities, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, SBI Capital Markets are the book running lead managers of the Ventive Hospitality IPO, while Kfin Technologies is the IPO registrar. Read all IPO news here Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.Hookipa Pharma ( NASDAQ:HOOK – Get Free Report ) had its target price dropped by stock analysts at JMP Securities from $24.00 to $7.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “market outperform” rating on the stock. JMP Securities’ price target points to a potential upside of 225.58% from the stock’s previous close. Separately, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Hookipa Pharma from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on HOOK Hookipa Pharma Stock Down 6.5 % Institutional Trading of Hookipa Pharma Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hookipa Pharma by 85.8% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 882,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $627,000 after acquiring an additional 407,532 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in Hookipa Pharma by 38.4% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 302,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $179,000 after purchasing an additional 83,800 shares during the last quarter. Ikarian Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hookipa Pharma in the third quarter valued at about $228,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hookipa Pharma in the first quarter worth about $31,000. 63.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Hookipa Pharma Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) HOOKIPA Pharma Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops immunotherapeutics targeting infectious diseases and cancers based on its proprietary arenavirus platform. The company's lead infectious disease product candidate is HB-101, which is in a randomized double-blinded Phase 2 clinical trial in cytomegalovirus-negative patients awaiting kidney transplantation from cytomegalovirus-positive donors. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Hookipa Pharma Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hookipa Pharma and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Traders, students unite against PTI’s protests Islamabad : Protests by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have drawn widespread criticism from traders and students, who deem the demonstrations illegal and detrimental to their daily lives which have severely impacted the local economy and hindered students'' access to education. Traders and students have strongly condemn the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) protests, labelling them ‘senseless’ and detrimental to the economy and education. “The protests have brought economic and educational activities to a standstill, causing significant disruptions to daily life,” said a student. Sohail Mehmood Bhutt, President of the Mall Road Traders Association talking to PTV news channel has strongly condemned the daily protest calls by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), stating, "They have severely disrupted businesses and negatively impacted the livelihoods of poor individuals associated with these businesses.” “The protests are illegal and causing immense suffering for the people,” Bhutt emphasised. He highlighted the devastating effects of the protests on traders and the local economy. Sohail Mehmood Bhutt urged traders not to fall prey to the PTI''s activities and to keep their businesses open despite the disruptions. Muhammad Afzal Kiyani, another trader leader also strongly condemned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) chaotic protest calls, labelling them a threat to the country’s peace. Kiyani emphasized that political parties should utilize democratic platforms and processes to resolve issues, rather than resorting to destructive tactics that harm businesses and the economy. Muhammad Arshad, an Associate Professor has expressed deep concern over the daily protest calls, lamenting the devastating impact on the education. Professor Dr. Aneela Durrani has vehemently condemned the ongoing protest calls, describing them as immature and undemocratic. As a female academic, she expressed deep concern about the disproportionate impact of the protests on female students. “The demonstrations have created an insecure environment for women, forcing them to miss classes and lose valuable semester time,” Dr Durrani emphasized. “The financial burden on students and their families is also a significant worry,” Dr. Durrani pointed out. “Despite paying hefty fees, students are unable to attend classes due to road blockages and disruptions caused by the protests,” he added. “This is a gross injustice and a violation of the fundamental right to education,” she argued. She urged the protesters to adopt a more democratic and peaceful approach to expressing their grievances, one that does not harm the education and future of the country’s youth.Levis throws 2 TD passes to help Titans outlast Texans 32-27