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The closest model, if this does not count as a spoiler, is Arthur Hiller’s enormously successful, now largely derided, Love Story, from 1970. Andrew Garfield (always on hand when a director needs a character to splutter through barely suppressed tears) and Florence Pugh (who could liven up a scene even if playing a congenital narcoleptic) stand in for Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw. That almost counts as an upgrade. But, though the actors work hard at fleshing out their roles, they have, if anything, even thinner characters to deal with. Erich Segal’s source novel for Love Story at least bothered to inject a degree of ham-fisted social division. O’Neal was spoilt scion of a rich eastern family. MacGraw was what counted for working class in mainstream US cinema. In contrast, the leads here seem to have emerged from the Richard Curtis Posho Factory with few concessions to England as it is lived in by the majority of its citizens. As the script tells us more often than is necessary, Tobias (Garfield) works as a top-end representative for Weetabix. Almut (Pugh) was a top figure skater but now works as a chef. Not any chef, mind. She does not put bacon between bread for the commuters at Waterloo Station. She is a Michelin-starred genius who, in the later stages, competes in a culinary variation on Eurovision that I haven’t bothered to check is a real thing or not. Too many in the media, where the definition of “romcom” has become clouded, have already described We Live in Time in those terms. One is tempted to point out that, structured around a developing tragedy, the thing could not, even at the greatest stretch, be described as a comedy. Yet Nick Payne’s screenplay dips its toe in so many of Curtis’s pools that one can almost forgive the error. Does this insufferable upper-middle-class world even exist without Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral? Did he invent it in the same way that Dickens invented Christmas? It fast becomes clear that not all is as paradisiacal as Stuart Bentley’s crisp cinematography might suggest. Payne’s so-so script reveals grim tidings through a structure that zips backwards and forwards from sad aftermaths to merry beginnings to challenging middles. Almut and Tobias (honestly, those names) meet in the cutest fashion as chef runs over Weetabix magnate while he is wandering the streets in his bathrobe. They struggle to have a child. There is good news from the doctor. Then there most definitely is not. We Live in Time is unquestionably a quality release. It looks beautiful. The music swirls evocatively. For all the facetiousness above, one must admit that it makes a sincere effort to contemplate mortality and, unlike Love Story, to detail the specific challenges of grave illness. Many will be won over by the emotional surge of the closing moments. Others will wonder if there is a word for a manipulative drama that fails to satisfactorily manipulate. This a perfectly respectable genre. Last year’s TV adaptation of David Nicholls’s weepie One Day travelled similar roads in triumphant fashion. So what doesn’t quite land here? It’s too calculated, it’s too sweet, it’s too complacent. Most damaging of all, the two leads, for all their gifts, seem to be acting in different registers. An odd creature. In cinemas Wednesday, from January 1st Donald Clarke, a contributor to The Irish Times, is Chief Film Correspondent and a regular columnistJayden Daniels dazzles again as Commanders clinch a playoff spot by beating Falcons 30-24 in OT LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — The Washington Commanders clinched a playoff spot by beating the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 in overtime. Jayden Daniels ran for a season-high 127 yards and threw for 227 and three touchdowns to make the postseason in his rookie year in the NFL. He outdueled fellow top-10 draft pick Michael Penix Jr. in a game each had an interception. The Commanders can move up to the sixth seed in the NFC if they win at Dallas next weekend. The Falcons lost control of their playoff chances and now can only get in if they beat Carolina and Tampa Bay loses to New Orleans in Week 18. NFC's No. 1 seed comes down to Vikings-Lions showdown at Detroit in Week 18 The NFC’s No. 1 seed will come down to the final game of the regular season when the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday night. The winner takes the NFC North and gets a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. The loser becomes the No. 5 seed and must play on the road in the wild-card round. The Lions hold the tiebreaker if the teams enter with identical records and play to a tie. The Vikings held on for a 27-25 victory over the Green Bay Packers to set up the high-stakes showdown in Week 18. Darnold gives Vikings another gem with career-high 377 yards in 27-25 win over Packers MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold added another exploit to his career-altering season, passing for a personal-best 377 yards and three touchdowns as the Minnesota Vikings hung on to beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25 for their ninth consecutive victory. The Vikings are 14-2. They set up a final-week showdown in Detroit next Sunday night for both the division title and the No. 1 seed for the playoffs in the NFC. Jordan Love’s only touchdown pass for the Packers came with 2:18 left to pull the Packers within two points. Darnold responded with two completions for first downs to seal the game. Bills clinch the AFC's No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the undisciplined Jets ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and the Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC’s No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the New York Jets. The Bills put the game away by capitalizing on two Jets turnovers and scoring three touchdowns over a 5:01 span in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Buffalo’s defense forced three takeaways overall and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times, including a 2-yard loss for a safety in the second quarter. The five-time defending AFC East champion Bills improved to 13-3 to match a franchise single-season record. Thompson-Herro fight leads to ejections of multiple players and coaches in Heat's victory in Houston HOUSTON (AP) — Rockets forward Amen Thompson threw Heat guard Tyler Herro to the floor to trigger an altercation that resulted in six ejections in the closing minute of Miami’s 104-100 victory over Houston on Sunday. Thompson and Herro became entangled with Miami about to inbound the ball leading 99-94 with 35 seconds left. Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and tossed him, with referee Marc Davis describing it as Thompson “body slams Herro.” Herro, Thompson, and Udoka were ejected, as were Heat guard Terry Rozier, Rockets guard Jalen Green, and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan. LeBron James at 40: A milestone birthday arrives Monday for the NBA's all-time scoring leader When LeBron James broke another NBA record earlier this month, the one for most regular-season minutes played in a career, his Los Angeles Lakers teammates handled the moment in typical locker room fashion. They made fun of him. Dubbed The Kid from Akron, with a limitless future, James is now the 40-year-old from Los Angeles with wisps of gray in his beard, his milestone birthday coming Monday, one that will make him the first player in NBA history to play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. He has stood and excelled in the spotlight his entire career. Rising Sun Devils: Arizona State looks to pull off another big surprise at the Peach Bowl ATLANTA (AP) — As they prepare for Arizona State’s biggest game in nearly three decades, the guys who made it happen aren’t the least bit surprised to be rated a nearly two-touchdown underdog in the College Football Playoff. That’s a familiar position for the Sun Devils. They've been an underdog most of the season. Of the eight teams still vying for a national championship, there’s no bigger surprise than 11-2 Arizona State. The Sun Devils went 3-9 a year ago and were picked to finish dead last in their first season in the Big 12 Conference. Now, they're getting ready to face Texas in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal game on New Year’s Day. Penn State coach James Franklin says Nick Saban should be college football's commissioner SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Penn State coach James Franklin believes college football needs a commissioner and he even has a candidate in mind: former Alabama coach Nick Saban. Franklin made the suggestion Sunday at Penn State’s College Football Playoff quarterfinals media day ahead of the Fiesta Bowl. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions are preparing for their game against No. 3 seed Boise State on Tuesday. The veteran coach was responding to a question about Penn State’s backup quarterback situation after Beau Pribula transferred to Missouri before the playoff. Pribula’s decision highlighted some of the frustrating aspects of a new college football world in the Name, Image and Likeness era and the transfer portal, forcing players to make tough decisions at inopportune times. Penn State's polarizing QB Drew Allar puts critics on mute and keeps winning games SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Even when Penn State quarterback Drew Allar gets some praise, it’s usually a backhanded compliment. They say he’s a good game manager and stays within himself, or that he doesn’t try to do too much. They mention he might not be flashy, but he gives the team a chance to win. And here’s the thing about Penn State since Allar stepped under center: The Nittany Lions have won games. A lot of them. Sometimes that’s hard to remember considering the lukewarm reception he often gets from fans. The polarizing Allar has another chance to quiet his critics on Tuesday, when Penn State plays Boise State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Fiesta Bowl. Crosby breaks Lemieux's Penguins career assists record in 3-2 victory over the Islanders PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby broke Mario Lemieux’s Pittsburgh franchise career record for assists on Michael Bunting’s power-play goal and the Penguins beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on Sunday night. Crosby has 1,034 assists, good for 12th in NHL history. Only three players — Ray Bourque, Wayne Gretzky and Steve Yzerman — have more assists with a single team. The 37-year-old Crosby has played 1,310-regular-season games. Lemieux played 915. Evgeni Malkin added the deciding power-play goal in the third for Pittsburgh, which has 14 goals with the man advantage in its last 13 games. Anthony Beauvillier also scored to help the Penguins win for the seventh time in their last eight home games. Alex Nedeljkovic made 29 saves in his first start since Dec. 17.

Liverpool may be marching toward the Premier League title but there are looming contract concerns around the status of Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold. All three are due to expire at the end of the 2025 season, and while it hasn't impacted Liverpool's play on the pitch, there could be major changes coming to the side in the future. Arne Slot confirmed that the club is in contact with the trio about their contracts but as long as they're performing on the pitch, he's happy. While Salah's future has been the biggest transfer rumor at Anfield after the links to Saudi Arabia, Alexander-Arnold is also one to watch with links to Real Madrid. Los Blancos love securing free transfers, just like they did with Kylian Mbappe over the summer. So, what if Alexander-Arnold is next? It's no secret that Real Madrid has been interested in the English right back and with Dani Carvajal not getting any younger and coming off of an ACL tear , there's no guarantee that the Spanish star will be back to his best in 2025. Even if he is, for a club like Real Madrid, it's critical to have multiple top-level options at as many positions as possible and it doesn't get much better than netting a player like Alexander-Arnold. Only 26, Alexander Arnold has five assists in 22 appearances in all competitions this season following up six consecutive seasons of double-digit goal contributions in all competitions. Since breaking into the squad, he has established himself as one of the best chance creators in the world and playing behind Salah, he knows a thing or two about setting up world-class options with opportunities to score. Imagining a Real Madrid attack where Vinicius Junior and Mbappe are fed by Alexander-Arnold on the break is a devastating proposition. While it does hurt the Reds if he departs at the end of the season, in 21-year-old Conor Bradley, their right back of the future is in place already but Alexander-Arnold is also a generational talent. Losing him and Salah in the same summer could be hard to bounce back from but if there's a situation where only one of the trio departs, that's a manageable scenario. For Madrid, in a year where creators like Luka Modric could retire at any time, it's critical to ensure that their chance creation won't take a hit. Always a club to stay ahead of the curve, adding players like this before their prime is what Los Blancos do to stay at the top of the global game. It'll be important for Alexander-Arnold to maintain focus amid a title challenge but as long as he's able to do that, even if this is his last season at Anfield, it can be a chance to give Liverpool faithful a sendoff to remember.On the one hand, there’s no sugar­coating how progressives feel at the close of 2024: rough. Donald Trump won back the White House with a campaign that was openly bigoted and fascist. And from President Joe Biden’s backing of Israel’s ghastly war in Gaza to his ill-fated decision to seek reelection, progressives aren’t celebrating his tenure either. The next few years will see an onslaught of challenges. If you look closely, you’ll see signs people aren’t just going to roll over and accept it. Here are five that caught my eye. Populist anger is boiling over The American public has had it with economic elites. Union activity has been on an upswing for a few years, with union petition filings in 2024 significantly up over 2023. Trump likes to play a populist on TV. However, if he moves to slash workers’ rights, cut taxes for CEOs and erode health care access, he’ll have a fight on his hands. The peace movement is back The movement for a ceasefire in Gaza drew support from a vast, diverse coalition of young people — with additional support from faith communities, unions, environmentalists and others who’d previously stayed “in their lane.” They haven’t succeeded yet, but they’ve won broad, bipartisan public support for a ceasefire, arms embargo on Israel and, more generally, a foreign policy informed by human rights. Democratic politicians, in particular, won’t be able to avoid this issue. Climate wins are adding up Temperatures continue to rise, natural disasters worsen and our leaders fail us on climate. The Biden administration’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, is unleashing record investments in green jobs, fueling unprecedented growth in renewable power across the United States. Meanwhile, indigenous-led efforts are quietly reintroducing species to their natural habitats. In Oregon’s Klamath River basin, salmon recently appeared for the first time in 100 years after a dam was removed. Some people showed up for their immigrant neighbors One of the worst moments of the 2024 campaign was the ridiculous slander of Haitian Americans in Springfield, Ohio, by Donald Trump, JD Vance and other right-wing figures. Springfield natives turned out to support their Haitian neighbors. Locals flocked to Haitian restaurants, churches and community centers to show their solidarity, prompting state and local Republicans to speak out against these dangerous lies. There’s a lesson here. While hard-line immigration measures can attract support in the abstract, people feel much differently when they realize members of their own communities could be affected. Even where Democrats lost at the polls, progressive issues won Forget “red states” and “blue states” — there’s support for progressive ideas in all 50 states. Just look at the election. Several “red states” passed ballot measures to raise the minimum wage, guarantee paid leave, protect abortion access and liberalize marijuana laws. This latest election was no exception — a trend that’s been building for years. Once you filter out the noise around candidates and ask people about progressive policies directly, even “red state” voters tend to say yes. The key is to make candidates run on those policies — without watering them down. In short, our politics are a mess right now. Our country isn’t “lost” — only our leaders are. When Americans organize around our common decency, it’s going to get a lot harder for bullies like Trump to walk over us. Peter Certo, communications director of the Institute for Policy Studies and editor of its OtherWords.org op-ed service, wrote this for InsideSources.com.

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President-elect Donald Trump has yet to make his decision for Treasury secretary. Wall Street is still waiting for the official announcement as market watchers speculate who could be chosen for the high-level position. Scott Bessent, a billionaire financier, and Kevin Warsh, a former Federal Reserve Board member, are the heavy favorites to lead the Treasury Department. Kyle Bass, founder and chief investment officer of Hayman Capital Management, believes Bessent is the right person for the job because he has invested across the globe for decades and already maintains relationships with global finance ministers and central bankers. “He has a masterful knowledge of the architecture of the global financial system and its players,” Bass told The Epoch Times. “To be an effective Treasury Secretary, you have to deeply understand the U.S. bond market, trade, tariffs, the political process, how to properly sanction America’s enemies, and the U.S. budget. Bessent has the gravitas one needs to operate on day one.” The president-elect has concentrated his economic agenda on tariffs, something that Bessent supports. Trump has proposed a 10 to 20 percent universal tariff and levies between 60 and 100 percent on Chinese imports. Despite his advocacy of tariffs as a trade policy negotiating tool, Bessent has recommended a more conservative approach. Speaking to CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in October, the Wall Street veteran said the economic measure can be “layered in gradually” to ensure higher prices appear over time and will be offset by disinflationary policies. Additionally, speaking to the Financial Times, Bessent stated that Trump’s “maximalist” positions on trade can be watered down. “My general view is that at the end of the day, he’s a free trader,” Bessent said. “It’s escalate to de-escalate.” Billionaire Elon Musk, however, preferred Howard Lutnick, who was selected to helm the Department of Commerce. Warsh is a former investment banker at Morgan Stanley. He was an economic adviser to President George W. Bush from 2002 to 2006 and is presently working on Trump’s transition team, shaping economic policy and staffing. Since resigning from the Fed, Warsh has been a member of the board of directors at UPS. He is also a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Shepard Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution. While Warsh is a favorite on the betting website Polymarket, he has garnered mixed perceptions from market experts. Economist Mohamed El-Erian said he would bring two things to the table: solid proficiency in economics and better economic communication. Bass says that Warsh “will be more ‘business as usual.’” Even if Trump were to select Warsh for chairman of the Federal Reserve, Bass said he would not “have confidence that Warsh ... has what it takes to be Fed president.” While serving on the Federal Reserve Board as a governor from 2006 to 2011, Warsh helped craft the central bank’s response to the global financial crisis. He was a staunch critic of then-Fed Chair Ben Bernanke’s endeavors, expressing skepticism that the central bank could stimulate the economy and bolster the labor market by lowering long-term interest rates. Instead, he urged his colleagues to pull back on their monetary policy easing in September 2009. After Trump’s 2016 election victory, Warsh was considered a frontrunner to helm the Federal Reserve. Jerome Powell was eventually chosen as the central bank chief. “The central bank needs to be very clear about its reaction function, be clear about its goals, and not look like it’s lurching. That’s what put us in the mess we have,” Warsh told the business news network. In the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, the Fed purchased trillions of dollars in Treasury and mortgage-backed securities and corporate bonds to cushion the economic blows of the public health crisis. The central bank’s balance sheet reached nearly $9 trillion. Since March 2022, when the Fed launched its tightening cycle, the balance sheet has fallen to about $7 trillion. Warsh also raised inflation concerns, stating that the Fed will rekindle the inflation flame if it does not continue reducing its balance sheet, which is equal to about 25 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. “Price stability would be more easily achieved if the Fed continues to shrink its holdings,” Warsh said. He co-founded private equity titan Apollo Global Management in the 1990s, an investment giant with approximately $700 billion in assets under management. Rowan presently serves as the CEO. In the past, Rowan has stated that he would be open to serving as head of the Federal Reserve or secretary of the Treasury if asked. When he appeared at the Economic Club of Washington in February, Rowan stopped short of declaring whether he was a Republican or Democrat. “I don’t even know what the labels mean anymore. We are in a very confusing time, politically, but at the same time, when the dust settles from this election, something tells me we will need as a country to turn our attention to the fiscal disorder of our house,” he said. Rowan has expressed optimism surrounding the president-elect’s team and its proposal to fundamentally overhaul the government. Musk has been tapped by Trump to lead the proposed new Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE, one of the Trump team’s leading projects. The billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors believes DOGE could eliminate about $2 trillion from the federal government’s budget. “Our financial situation is fixable,” Rowan said. “It is fixable in a way that is positive for the base that the president-elect has said that he wants to help. But it is not fixable by small amounts of tinkering. It is about wholesale change.” The U.S. government’s annual budget is about $7 trillion. Rowan has also criticized the Federal Reserve’s recent unwinding of restrictive monetary policy. “To the extent we accelerate the economy and have to go in the other direction, that would not be a good day,” Rowan told Bloomberg Television . A former private equity investor, he recently accompanied the president-elect to the Nov. 19 SpaceX launch in Texas. He served as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development from 2011 to 2014. He was also the ambassador to Japan in Trump’s first term.