By LINDSEY BAHR

Ever wanted to soar through the skies on the back of a friendly dragon? The new “How to Train Your Dragon” may be the ticket, from a decidedly safer, though possibly still vertigo-inducing, distance.

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This live-action adaption of the underdog adventure story sends the audience cascading through the clouds with the teenage Viking boy Hiccup and his dragon friend Toothless. It’s the kind of immersive sensation and giddy wish fulfillment that might just have you forgetting momentarily to breathe and, maybe more importantly, that you’re still in a movie theater. Credit to veteran cinematographer Bill Pope, no stranger to fantasy worlds, whether it’s “The Matrix” or “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.”

“How to Train Your Dragon” doesn’t stray far from the original, from shots to story beats. Gerard Butler once again plays Berk’s Chief Stoick the Vast. The new Hiccup, actor Mason Thames, even sounds a bit like Jay Baruchel. But unlike so many live-action remakes of animated films, it also doesn’t feel superfluous, or, worse, like a poor imitation of its predecessor that trades the magic of animation for photorealism.

Perhaps that’s because filmmaker Dean DeBlois, who made the three animated films, stayed in the director’s chair. Who better to kill their darlings than the one who brought them to the screen in the first place? And, crucially, to know where live-action might actually enhance the fabric of the world created by author Cressida Cowell.

It helps that dragon technology has come a long way since, say, “DragonHeart.” These fire-breathing CG creatures feel disarmingly real. And though it might look like “Lord of the Rings” or “Game of Thrones,” the tone stays light enough for younger filmgoers. There are a few intense sequences, but none that takes it any further than the animated film did 15 years ago.

“How to Train Your Dragon” does start a little slow, however, which is odd because it also begins with a fiery battle between the Vikings and the dragons on the Isle of Berk. There’s a lot of exposition and introduction that needs to happen before you can just give yourself over to the story. In this more multicultural version, the warriors on Berk have been recruited from tribes around the globe to try to defeat the dragons.

Hiccup is a Viking nepo baby. As the chief’s son, he sits in a place of privilege, but he’s also a general outcast in this world of ruthless warriors — skinny and weak, he just longs to be part of the action, not sharpening the weapons. Killing dragons is currency in this society, and his crush Astrid (Nico Parker) happens to be one of the most promising up-and-comers. His sole champion is Gobber (a delightful Nick Frost), the blacksmith and dragon slayer teacher, who convinces the chief to give the clever Hiccup a shot.

The film finds its internal engine when Hiccup finds Toothless, the wide-eyed “Night Fury” dragon whom he can’t bring himself to kill. Instead, he decides to study this discovery, who he finds is not as nearly fearsome as everyone assumes. “How to Train Your Dragon” teaches empathy and ingenuity without a sermon.

Thames, a teenager himself, is the perfect embodiment of adolescent awkwardness and boldness. You can have all the cute dragons you want, but the audience would be lost if the human conduit to the relationship isn’t up to the task. Butler seems to be having a good time, resplendent in fur and chest-thumping ideas about ancient duties. And Parker gives Astrid a relatable depth — the best in the bunch who is outshone in an unequal fight.

Kids deserve movies that are made on the biggest possible canvas. “How to Train Your Dragon” is one that’s worth the trip to the theater. It might just spark some young imaginations, whether it’s to go back and read the books or dream up their own worlds. And, chances are, no one is going to be yelling “chicken jockey.”

“How to Train Your Dragon,” a Universal Pictures release in theaters Friday, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for “sequences of intense action and peril.” Running time: 125 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

The Education Department reopened the application for all income-driven repayment (IDR) plans on Mar. 26, after a month-long suspension that blocked federal student loan borrowers from enrolling in an IDR plan or recertifying their income.

Servicers will resume processing IDR applications no later than May 10, Acting Education Department Under Secretary James Bergeron wrote in an Apr. 8 court filing. In the meantime, borrowers who submitted an IDR application should automatically be placed in a processing forbearance for up to 60 days. Call your servicer to confirm it has received your application and put you in a forbearance.

» MORE: What is administrative forbearance for student loans?

The department initially took down the IDR application after a court action in the lawsuits against SAVE, a new IDR plan introduced by the Biden administration.

The application reopening came a week after the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) filed a lawsuit against the Education Department, alleging the department broke federal law by blocking borrowers’ access to IDR plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

Still, the situation remains in flux, creating a confusing situation for borrowers.

“With this chaos, and with the uncertainty about which [repayment] plans are available and whether or not they can get onto these plans, and whether or not they’re going to get the loan cancellation that they’re entitled to, a lot of people are delaying very real life choices,” says Persis Yu, deputy executive director and managing counsel at the Student Borrower Protection Center, which is representing the AFT in the lawsuit.

Here’s what we know — and don’t know — about IDR plans, as of Apr. 16.

What we know about income-driven repayment

The IDR application is open, but looks different

SAVE is no longer on the updated IDR application. Additionally, you no longer have the option to check a box asking your servicer to place you on the repayment plan with the lowest monthly payment, says Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance.

As a result, you must do your own research about which plan works best for you. Use the Education Department’s loan simulator to estimate your monthly bills and the total amount you’ll repay under various plans. Note that SAVE still appears on the simulator, though you can no longer enroll in it.

Income-Based Repayment is the safest IDR plan

SAVE is likely done for, says Robert Kelchun, a professor of higher education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who studies income-driven repayment. However, there are three other IDR plans that borrowers can apply for right now:

Income-Based Repayment (IBR).
Paye as You Earn (PAYE).
Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR).

If you need an income-driven repayment plan, experts say the IBR plan is the safest option. Unlike the other three IDR plans, IBR was established by Congress, so Congress would need to vote to change or remove it.

You can also opt for a repayment plan that doesn’t tie payments to income. The standard repayment plan, which splits your total debt into 120 installments over 10 years, is the best repayment plan for borrowers who want total certainty about their future payments, says Kelchun. But for borrowers with a large amount of debt relative to their income, monthly payments could be too high on the standard plan, he says.

“Borrowers need to keep in the back of their mind there’s always the possibility that they have to go back to standard payments,” Kelchun says. “Before January, I would have said that’s not going to happen, but given everything that’s happened the last few months, who knows anymore? I think borrowers need to at least keep an eye on that possible worst case scenario for them.”

You retain forgiveness credit when switching to the IBR plan

If you decide to switch from a different IDR plan to the IBR plan, you’ll retain any forgiveness credit you earned under your previous IDR plan, according to the Education Department website.

The department “can and will still process loan forgiveness for the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) Plan, which was separately enacted by Congress. Payments on PAYE, SAVE, and ICR are counted toward IBR Plan forgiveness if the borrower enrolls in IBR,” the website says.

The Education Department does not explicitly say if IDR credit transfers to PAYE or ICR.

Keep in mind that forgiveness under SAVE, PAYE and ICR is currently on hold, as a result of the SAVE lawsuits. Servicers are only permitted to process IBR forgiveness at the moment.

Some IDR recertification deadlines extended to February 2026

While the IDR application was down, borrowers already enrolled were also blocked from recertifying their income, since the process requires the same form. This left some borrowers unable to meet their recertification deadline and risk getting kicked out of their IDR plan — through no fault of their own.

Your IDR recertification deadline may have moved to February 2026 if your original deadline was March 18 or later. Some borrowers with recertification deadlines before March 18 also got an extension. See the Q&A section on the Education Department’s webpage for more details.

If you have questions, don’t see a new recertification date in your servicer account or notice an issue with your payment amounts, call your servicer and verify what’s going on.

What we don’t know about income-driven repayment

When exactly your IDR application will be processed

Servicers will start processing IDR applications again by May 10, under current guidance, though the timeline could change.

“We’re basically having to update the systems to go back to what they were prior to the SAVE regulation,” says Buchanan. “Until we know exactly how long system updates will take, I don’t think we can exactly say when processing will resume, but the goal is to get processing going as quickly as possible.”

Once processing resumes, submitted applications won’t necessarily be processed in the order they were received, Buchanan says. More likely, servicers will process them in order of complexity, he says, with straightforward applications processed first, followed by those that require manual work or communication with the borrower.

Applications with eligibility requirements — having to prove financial hardship, for example, which the IBR plan requires — may take longer to process, Buchanan says.

What happens to existing SAVE borrowers

Eight million borrowers are still enrolled in SAVE, as of Dec. 31, according to Education Department data. These borrowers have been in indefinite, interest-free forbearance since July. They don’t owe payments and no interest is building on their debt, but they’re also not earning credit toward PSLF or IDR forgiveness.

With SAVE on the chopping block, we don’t know what options these 8 million borrowers will have in the future.

What else should you do right now?

Watch out for student loan scams

Student loan scammers prey on borrowers during times of confusion and uncertainty. A scam might be someone calling and offering to get you into a different IDR plan — in exchange for a $300 fee.

It never costs money to change your repayment plan. Generally, servicers only call you if there’s an issue with your account, Buchanan says. Any information about repayment plans would come over email, he says.

“So if someone calls and says, ‘Hey, you know, I can help you get into the right plan,’ it’s probably not us,” says Buchanan. “We will call if you go delinquent, we will call if there’s a problem with your account, and we will certainly email and send you information about repayment plans, but that only will come from your actual servicer or the [Education] department.”

Keep meticulous student loan records

With mass Education Department layoffs and general chaos in the student loan system, you need to keep your own records and advocate for yourself. Download or screenshot this information in case any discrepancies or issues come up:

Your payment counter on studentaid.gov.
Monthly billing statements and payment records.
Progress towards PSLF or IDR forgiveness.
The master promissory note you signed when you took out the loan.
Any emails or letters from the Education Department or your servicer.
Notes or recordings from calls with your servicer.

Reach out for help if you need it

Start by calling your student loan servicer with any IDR questions. If you need further student loan help, contact your college’s financial aid office (even if you left school years ago), vetted nonprofit organizations and state-based student loan ombudsman offices.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think we can rely on the [Education Department’s Federal Student Aid] ombuds office, which has been gutted by this administration, or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,” Yu says.

Yu also suggests reaching out to your congressional representatives’ constituent services offices, if student loan issues remain unresolved. Find out how to contact your elected officials on USA.gov.

More From NerdWallet

Income-Driven Repayment: Is It Right for You?
SAVE Lawsuits: 4 Options For Borrowers Right Now
How to Get Student Loan Help

Eliza Haverstock writes for NerdWallet. Email: ehaverstock@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @elizahaverstock.

The article Key Student Loan Repayment Applications Reopen, Processing to Resume Next Month originally appeared on NerdWallet.

The St. Paul Downtown Development Corporation, a new nonprofit created by the Downtown Alliance, has purchased the bank note for the troubled Alliance Bank Center on Fifth St., the first step toward placing the recently-vacated property under the control of a legal receiver.

“There’s no greater example of the challenges and opportunities in downtown St. Paul than the Alliance Bank Center site,” said corporation president Dave Higgins, in a written statement. “We can’t create a strong and vibrant downtown St. Paul without creating a stable and robust core, and the Alliance Bank Center site is critical to making that happen.”

Officials with the Downtown Development Corporation said details behind the bank note purchase are private. The nonprofit plans to initiate legal proceedings to place the 300,000-square-foot vacant building into receivership and ensure it is properly maintained and secured, according to the written statement from the corporation.

Current skyway closures will continue.

The Downtown Development Corporation plans to “assess opportunities to restore the property,” which it says “faces significant structural and mechanical issues following years of disinvestment and neglect.”

The city of St. Paul has been providing emergency building services since Madison Equities stopped paying for maintenance and utilities, effectively shuttering the building in March.

Some retail and office tenants impacted by the closure have found new homes in other parts of downtown.

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Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks star in the eight-episode Amazon series “The Better Sister,” about a wealthy woman and the estranged sister who comes barreling back into her world when her husband is murdered and her teenage stepson is charged with the crime.

Twenty-five years ago, this adaptation of Alafair Burke’s novel would have been an Ashley Judd movie with a tight, hour-45 running time: Part thriller and part mystery, as a woman comes to terms with the lies behind her upscale life. That kind of thing can be fun, if not especially deep, which is why streaming’s tendency to expand stories over multiple episodes undercuts the propulsion needed to keep everything frothy and moving with enough economy that you’re less likely to question whether any of it makes sense.

Biel plays Chloe, the impeccable, girl-bossified editor of a magazine who seemingly has it all. It’s a very thin characterization, but it does convey her supposed flawlessness. She’s married to Adam (Corey Stoll), a corporate lawyer, and is stepmother to Adam’s withdrawn teenage son Ethan (Maxwell Acee Donovan), but there’s a secret: Chloe is also Ethan’s aunt.

Adam’s previous wife was Chloe’s older sister, Nicky (Banks), whose marriage to Adam fell apart — and her parental rights were severed — when she was found face-down in the pool one day, zonked out on pills and booze, and her toddler son nearly drowned. But that’s too sordid a story for Chloe’s public image, so she’s portrayed herself simply as the stepmom who stepped up.

She and Adam travel in high-end circles, befitting their income and ambitions. Their New York apartment has a wraparound terrace. There’s also a house in the Hamptons, and that’s where Chloe finds Adam dead in a pool of blood. What the hell happened? Suddenly, Nicky, who Chloe has erased from her life, is back in the picture and causing havoc as the police investigate the murder and zero in on Ethan, who had tensions with his father. That’s one plot line.

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The more central (and interesting) narrative is the complicated relationship between Chloe and Nicky. Like Meghann Fahy in “Sirens,” Banks is playing a very actressy version of messy and down market, chewing the scenery as a working class addict who is crassness personified next to her sister, who oozes perfection, right down to her razor-sharp bobbed haircut. Kudos to Biel for bucking the trend of long, beachy waves; breaking from that homogeneity is refreshing to see on screen. Biel looks amazing in that bob and it also speaks to who Chloe is, a woman putting intense effort to an idealized exterior meant to mask a more unpleasant upbringing. Chloe’s ruse works for the most part. Even her ultra-fit physique telegraphs competence and control; it doesn’t matter that everything is falling apart behind closed doors because people rarely look past the surface. I’m focusing on the visuals because they’re doing more than Biel’s performance, which is serviceable if not especially gripping.

Adapted by Olivia Milch (daughter of David Milch) and Regina Corrado (whose credits include David Milch’s “Deadwood”), the series keeps you on your toes in terms of the whodunit, while plying you with the kind of aspirational lifestyle content that is so prevalent on television right now. No one is trustworthy. Is Chloe being played? By whom? By everyone? It’s hard to care because she’s presented as such a vacuous picture of faux feminist perfection at the outset.

Chloe’s patron saint is a glamorously formidable, well-connected power player embodied by a terrific and entertainingly slippery Lorraine Toussaint, who treats the role like an exercise in capturing something akin to “Dynasty”-era Joan Collins. I love everything about the performance. Is she Chloe’s friend or her worst nightmare? Then there’s Adam’s cravat-wearing boss, played by an equally slippery Matthew Modine. The cops keep turning up (an itchy Kim Dickens and the more watchful Bobby Naderi) and casting aspersions. And what are we to make of Ethan’s attorney (Gloria Reuben), who seems like she’s on the up and up, but is also close with a colleague of Adam’s (Gabriel Sloyer), and maybe that’s suspicious.

The dynamic between the sisters may be predictable, but it works. When Chloe gets an iced organic matcha, Nicky gives her a look like, “Are you for real?” Their bickering, at turns tense and mildly funny, is where the show is at its best, when Biel and Banks aren’t being asked to play types, but to connect on a more fundamental level.

“The Better Sister” — 2 stars (out of 4)

Where to watch: Amazon

Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.