or


[09/25/20 - 10:00 AM]
"The Perfect Weapon," A Compelling Overview of Worldwide Cyber Conflict, Debuts October 16
Directed by John Maggio, the film explores the rise of cyber conflict as a primary way in which nations now compete with and sabotage one another.

[via press release from HBO]

THE PERFECT WEAPON, A Compelling Overview Of Worldwide Cyber Conflict, Debuts October 16

John Maggio Directs The Revelatory Documentary Based On David E. Sanger's Best-Selling Book

THE PERFECT WEAPON, an HBO documentary special based on the best-selling book by New York Times national security correspondent David E. Sanger, will debut FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 at 8:00PM ET/PT. Directed by John Maggio, the film explores the rise of cyber conflict as a primary way in which nations now compete with and sabotage one another. Cheap, invisible and devastatingly effective, cyber weapons are the present and future of geopolitical conflict - a short-of-war pathway to exercising power. THE PERFECT WEAPON draws on interviews with top military, intelligence and political officials for a comprehensive view of a world of new vulnerabilities, particularly as fear mounts over how cyberattacks and influence operations may affect the 2020 U.S. election, vulnerable power grids, America's nuclear weapons arsenal, and the global networks that are the backbone of private enterprise. The film also explores how the U.S. government is struggling to defend itself from cyberattacks while simultaneously stockpiling and using the world's most powerful offensive cyber arsenal.

THE PERFECT WEAPON will be available on HBO and to stream on HBO Max.

The events covered in THE PERFECT WEAPON demonstrate how the cyber landscape has shifted over the past decade and how the pace of conflict - especially with Russia and China - has accelerated as the 2020 election approaches. These events include:

· How the U.S. and Israeli attack a decade ago on Iran's nuclear program using the "Stuxnet" malware inspired nations and rogue hackers to develop increasingly sophisticated retaliatory attacks against the U.S and its allies.

· How the Iranian government aggressively retaliated against the casino empire of billionaire political donor Sheldon Adelson after he suggested the U.S. consider the use of a nuclear weapon against Iran.

· How the pending release of a Seth Rogen comedy film so inflamed North Korea's Kim Jong Un that he directed a wholesale hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment's computer network. The hack led to the release of a trove of private and proprietary information about Sony, its executives, and major Hollywood talent, and cost the studio millions of dollars in physical damage.

· How Russia's remarkable success in 2016 with targeted social media disinformation operations and hack-and-dump of emails belonging to the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign manager created a new, more sophisticated playbook for election manipulation -- and inspired other U.S. adversaries to build on Vladimir Putin's accomplishments.

· How the U.S. government's loss of its most secret, powerful offensive cyber weapons allowed foreign governments like North Korea and Russia to launch global cyberattacks such as NotPetya and Wannacry, costing companies and governments billions in damage.

· How criminal elements have used ransomware attacks to paralyze major American cities like Atlanta and Baltimore -- and new fears that a similar type of attack, if used to target key battleground states, could be used to sow chaos in the upcoming election.

· How the U.S. has struggled to deal with the immediate threat of Russia, while flailing in its efforts to take on its most significant long-term cyber challenge: China. The Trump administration's inability to keep up with the spread of Chinese-made 5G-networks, the undersea cables that carry global traffic, and now popular apps like TikTok, has contributed to a splitting of the internet -- half free and half subject to control by authoritarian leaders.

· How the effort by the National Security Agency and United States Cyber Command to regain the upper hand in cyber conflict and deter cyber adversaries in the runup to the 2020 election has been undercut by a President who has believed Putin over his own intelligence officials and often fed the conspiracy theories that make Russia's operations more potent.

Interviewees include former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, former NSA Director and first commander of U.S. Cyber Command Keith Alexander, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, current Director of DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Christopher Krebs, former Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton, filmmaker Seth Rogen, former US Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, and Microsoft President Brad Smith. A full list of interview subjects can be found here.

THE PERFECT WEAPON is directed by John Maggio ("Panic: The Untold Story of the 2008 Financial Crisis," HBO's "The Newspaperman") and comes from Ark Media, the production company headed by Maggio, Barak Goodman and Rachel Dretzin. Former Vice News head Josh Tyrangiel and Sanger served as executive producers of the documentary along with Maggio.





  [september 2020]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[10/17/25 - 01:16 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Hits Season Highs with Best Audience Performance Since July
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 139 consecutive weeks across all key measures.

[10/17/25 - 10:38 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues Historic Hot Streak - Rising for Fourth Straight Week Since Premiere with 6 Million Total Viewers
Plus: "High Potential" dominated the 10 p.m. hour with 4.15 million Total Viewers and a 0.33 rating among Adults 18-49.

[10/17/25 - 10:01 AM]
51st Season of "Saturday Night Live" Continues with Three Back-to-Back Shows in November
Miles Teller is on tap to host on November 1, followed by Nikki Glaser on November 8, and Glen Powell on November 15.

[10/17/25 - 09:05 AM]
All-New Season of "The Last Woodsmen" Premieres Friday, November 14 at 9PM ET/PT on Discovery
Deep in the untamed wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, veteran logger Jared Douglas returns to put everything on the line in the new season.

[10/17/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia" - Sneak Peek - Netflix
A brutal mob war between John Stanfa and Joey Merlino plunges '90s Philadelphia into chaos and bloodshed in this captivating true-crime series.

[10/17/25 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Me late que si" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A desperate, ordinary man, fed up with his misfortune, hatches a daring heist and assembles a very unusual group to attempt the impossible: stealing a live lottery jackpot.

[10/17/25 - 08:00 AM]
"Weapons" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max October 24
When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at 2:17 a.m., a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.

[10/17/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "My Secret Santa" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A vivacious single-mom (Alexandra Breckenridge) in need of a job decides to disguise herself as a man in order to get hired as the seasonal Santa at a luxury ski resort.

[10/17/25 - 07:01 AM]
"Euphoria" Season 3 Is Coming Spring 2026
Newly announced cast members include Gideon Adlon, Bill Bodner, Colleen Camp, Danielle Deadwyler, Homer Gere, Jessica Blair Herman, Natasha Lyonne, Hemky Madera, Kwame Patterson, Trisha Paytas, Rebecca Pidgeon, Bella Podaras, Cailyn Rice, Eli Roth, Madison Thompson, Jack Topalian, Sam Trammell, Matthew Willig.

[10/17/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Eloa the Hostage: Live on TV" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This gripping documentary explores the case of a teenage girl who was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend in one of Brazil's most shocking hostage situations.

[10/17/25 - 06:01 AM]
Apple Is the Exclusive New Broadcast Partner for Formula 1 in the U.S.
Apple TV will deliver comprehensive coverage of Formula 1, with all practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions, and Grands Prix available to Apple TV subscribers.

[10/16/25 - 02:11 PM]
Video: National Geographic Unveils First Look at "Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember" - A Powerful and Heartfelt Special Featuring the Global Movie Star on His Most Personal Journey Yet
The one-hour documentary, from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa, Jane Root's Nutopia, and Chris Hemsworth and Ben Grayson's Wild State, premieres November 23 at 9:00/8:00c on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

[10/16/25 - 12:58 PM]
Lifetime Announces Annual "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" Holiday Movie Slate Kicking Off November 29th
Featured talent this year includes Brandy Norwood, Kane & Katelyn Brown, Loretta Devine, Debbi Morgan, Arielle Kebbel, Tyler Hilton, James Lafferty, Vivica A. Fox, Jackée Harry, Sy'Rai Smith, Nischelle Turner, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, and others.

[10/16/25 - 12:31 PM]
Video: "The Witcher" Season 4 - Character Trailer - Netflix
Scattered to fates unknown, Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri traverse the war-torn Continent and its countless enemies in the hope of finding each other again.

[10/16/25 - 11:32 AM]
A+E Global Media and Rachael Ray's Free Food Studios Cook Up Expanded Programming Partnership with Over 100 New Episodes Ordered
The network has ordered 110 new episodes of Ray's programming, including new episodes of "Meals in Minutes," that will continue to focus on her approachable and comforting cooking style.