full throttle fun

Eminem, third place battle, and 4 more moments from Texas' F1 weekend

2024 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc won the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday, October 20, with Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen rounding out the top three.

Photo by Daniel Cavazos

The Formula 1 United States Grand Prix grows bigger every year at Circuit of the Americas, and so does our love for the motorsport. Nothing compares to the exhilaration of watching the action up close in person, feeling the energy of the passionate crowds, or rushing to grab a photo of the top three winning drivers after the race ends. And you can't forget about all the fun events and parties leading up to the race.

We were there for it all, and we collected our top trackside highlights to help you catch up on the best parts of the weekend. Stay tuned for more of our favorite moments in a gallery coming soon.

Contentious P3 battle between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had secured first and second place well before the last 10 laps of the race on Sunday, but it was a heated battle for third place between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. Norris finally pushed ahead of Verstappen on lap 52, but both cars went off the track as Verstappen tried to defend his position. The contentious overtake resulted in a five-second penalty for Norris for "leaving the track and gaining an advantage" that dropped him down to P4 at the end of the race, allowing Verstappen to assume third place and add another 15 points to his championship lead.

Sprint race final-lap battle for P2
Day Two of the race weekend started with an action-packed 19-lap sprint race. Race winner and Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen added eight points to his championship lead over McLaren's Lando Norris, who landed in third place after a final lap battle between himself and Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. The Ferraris had been battling each other frequently throughout the race, and it came to a head in the last lap, when Norris locked up the brakes going around turn one, which allowed Sainz to overtake and claim P2.

Jane Leo rocks the Fan Field Stage
Austin-based husband-and-wife duo Jane Leo — Jane Ellen Bryant and Daniel Leopold — brought a lively performance of indie synth rock to the Fan Field Stage on Friday. Bryant perfectly kept her cool by donning a sheer black top with black tights, and Leopold matched her style with high-waisted black pants, a black tank top, and oversized sunglasses. (Big tough Freddie Mercury vibes.) They caught the eyes and ears of race fans who were waiting in line for the Lego Experience activation nearby.

Austin-based band Jane Leo at Circuit of the Americas Jane Leo looked and sounded so cool on Friday.Photo by Daniel Cavazos

Eminem's first concert in five years
It's not every day you get to witness a crowd of tens of thousands of Eminem fans sing happy birthday to the legend himself. And the self-proclaimed Rap God didn’t disappoint when he emerged from a coffin onto the Germania Insurance Super Stage on Saturday night (while brandishing a chainsaw, no less). Eminem rapped through many of his classic hits, such as “The Real Slim Shady” and “Love the Way You Lie,” while debuting new material ("Lucifer," "Temporary," and more) from his recent album The Death of Slim Shady: Coup de Grace. He also had a few friends join him, including longtime collaborators Skylar Grey and Denaun.

Eminem performing at the Germania Insurance Super Stage at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on October 19, 2024. Happy birthday, Eminem.Photo by Daniel Cavazos

Franco Colapinto’s impressive fanbase in Austin
The U.S. Grand Prix was Williams Racing driver Franco Colapinto’s fourth-ever F1 race, but he’s already making a great impression amongst his American fanbase. We saw many Argentine flags flying in support for the rookie driver during the weekend, and overheard loud cheers when he sped by the crowds during the sprint race. Colapinto is the first Argentinian driver to compete in F1 since Gastón Mazzacane, and we're looking forward to following his journey through the rest of the season.

Celebrity sightings galore
British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay was seen in Georgetown earlier in the week, so it felt like a no-brainer that he would make time to stop by the paddock and say hello to his friends this weekend. However, we were delighted to meet two-time World Champion and Olympic medalist fencer Miles Chamley-Watson. He was — by far — one of the most fashionable stars in the paddock on Saturday, stunning in a matching watercolor short sleeve button down and shorts, a fuzzy hat, and an adorable puppy as his accessory. Ramsay and Chamley-Watson weren't the only two stars we saw. More are coming in the photo gallery.

Fencer Miles Chamley-Watson at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Miles Chamley-Watson was all smiles on Saturday.Photo by Daniel Cavazos

We are definitely looking forward to a week of recovery after such a jam-packed (and hot) race weekend. Keep cool, stay hydrated, and we'll see you next year, Formula 1.

f1 formula 1 austin cota circuit of the americas racing

Movie Review

Denzel Washington brings new spectacle to the Colosseum in Gladiator II

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Paul Mescal in Gladiator II.

There are some films for which making a sequel is natural, and others where a follow-up is wholly unnecessary. Gladiator, which made both tons of money and was named Best Picture at the Oscars, told an impactful stand-alone story that ended with the protagonist dead and no real loose ends. And yet because there’s always more money to be made, here we are 24 years later with Gladiator II.

The lead character this time around is Lucius (Paul Mescal), a general in a North African army who becomes a prisoner of war when the Roman army led by Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) bests him and his troops in battle. Taken back to Rome, he is put in the pool of captured men forced to fight at the Colosseum for the amusement of twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracella (Fred Hechinger).

Lucius is controlled by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), an ambitious schemer who bets liberally on his prized fighter and always has an eye to move up in the world. Meanwhile, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), the sister of Emperor Commodus from the first film, is now married to Marcus Acacius and has a unique connection with Lucius that is fairly obvious from the get-go.

Directed once again by Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa, the film commits a number of sins throughout its 150-minute running time, the most blatant of which is that, aside from a few embellishments, it essentially tells the same story as the first film. Lucius, like Maximus, is a deposed military leader who’s out for revenge on the person who killed his family. Instead of one obnoxious emperor, there are now two. And the only way for Lucius to earn his freedom is to fight his way out.

Stories told in the same world can echo each other and, if done well, overcome those similarities. But Gladiator II is shockingly boring for a purported sword-and-sandals epic. Scott and his team try to introduce new elements to the fights, like a gladiator riding a rhinoceros or a ship battle inside the Colosseum (with sharks!), but most of the sequences are inert with no propulsion to them.

The action fails because none of the relationships in the film amount to much. There are stand-out characters like Macrinus and the twin emperors, but instead of creating antipathy or strong feelings of triumph or defeat, the story just kind of happens without any sense of excitement or importance. Much of that issue lies at the feet of Lucius, who simply doesn’t inspire in the same way that Russell Crowe’s Maximus did.

Mescal is a fine actor who’s done good work in more intimate roles, but he’s not up to the task of being an action star, at least not in this film. Any bombast he shows with the character feels forced, and the story doesn’t give him enough opportunities to counteract that lack. Washington, however, fills up the screen with his charisma, and it’s during his scenes that the film comes closest to being rousing. Quinn and Hechinger are a lot of fun as the twin emperors, but in the end they feel like retreads of Joaquin Phoenix from the original.

Any sequel should have a purpose that sets it apart from what came before, but Scott, Scarpa, and the rest of their team fail in that respect in Gladiator II. It’s a mostly lifeless film that delivers scenes that would be exciting if they had any kind of good story to back them up.

---

Gladiator II opens in theaters on November 22.

movies film

full throttle fun

Eminem, third place battle, and 4 more moments from Texas' F1 weekend

Broadcaster Frank Billingsley finds second act at Houston radio station

Gluten-free Austin restaurant picks River Oaks for first Houston store

Houston steakhouse reboots as a more affordable neighborhood restaurant

Movie Review

Denzel Washington brings new spectacle to the Colosseum in Gladiator II