tv review
Reviewing insightful and thought provoking science fiction TV and technology.
Review of 'The Orville' 3.1
Well, I said in my review of the fifth episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds that its attempts at humor paled in comparison to the funny stuff in The Orville. I watched the debut episode of the long awaited third season of The Orville last night, and although there was a funny line here and there, there wasn't much occasion to laugh in this episode which was as profound and philosophically probing as any episode I've ever seen in any Star Trek series.
Paul LevinsonPublished 2 years ago in FuturismReview of 'The Time Traveler's Wife' 1.3
A powerful third episode of The Time Traveler's Wife on HBO this past Sunday night, in which Henry and Clare both lie to each on crucial, life-shaking matters.
Paul LevinsonPublished 2 years ago in FuturismReview of 'The Time Traveler's Wife' 1.2
A powerful episode 1.2 of The Time Traveler's Wife on HBO last night, because-- [Spoilers ahead ... though, actually, a lot of the story of The Time Traveler's Wife is Henry telling his younger selves, as well as Claire at various ages, spoilers of one kind or another about what's going to happen, and/or what can't happen, regardless of what Henry or anyone at any age may want or not want to happen. So maybe, if I'm being true to this story, I shouldn't warn you about spoilers. Though, come to think of it, you and I live in a world in which there is no such thing as time travel, as far as we know, so what goes on in a time travel story doesn't really apply. Anyway ... ]
Paul LevinsonPublished 2 years ago in FuturismReview of 'Night Sky'
Just finished binging Night Sky on Amazon Prime Video, another travel to other worlds narrative that does it not through space ships or time machines, but some kind of conduits or portals built by some interstellar or intertemporal civilization. Outer Range did a good job of this with a time-travel hole out on the range. Night Sky does this with a portal to another world in a shack in the backyard. And it's lifted immensely by two peerless lead performances by J. K. Simmons as Franklin York and Sissy Spacek as Irene York, an aging married couple in the fictitious town of Farnsworth, Illinois.
Paul LevinsonPublished 2 years ago in FuturismReview of 'The Time Traveler's Wife' 1.1
The Time Traveler's Wife debuted on HBO this past Sunday night. Based on the 2003 novel by Audrey Niffenegger which I haven't read, made into a movie in 2009 which I saw and really liked but didn't review (because I was too busy promoting the first edition my then new book, New New Media), HBO's offering is a brand-new series. I thought the first episode was excellent.
Paul LevinsonPublished 2 years ago in FuturismReview of 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' 1.4
How cool and meta-perfect is The Man Who Fell to Earth new series on Showtime? Well, in episode 1.4, just up last night, we learn that Thomas Newton, who came to Earth all those years ago, in the 1976 movie starring David Bowie in the role, lost his memory,
Paul LevinsonPublished 2 years ago in FuturismReview of 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' 1 & 2
I saw the first two episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+ late last night and really enjoyed them. More than Picard and a lot more than Discovery, to rank the new Star Treks that Paramount+ has been rolling out. Strange New Worlds brought back a lot of the verve and joy of watching TOS aka the original Star Trek series. And here are some of the more specific reasons why:
Paul LevinsonPublished 2 years ago in FuturismReview of 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' 1.3
The Man Who Fell to Earth just keeps getting better and better. The last few minutes of episode 1.3 were the best so far in this very fine series. Faraday tells the audience -- assembled in the narrative and whoever's watching the episode on Showtime or Amazon Prime or any way else on Planet Earth -- "I've come with a prototype for a quantum fusion process," and proceeds to make good on his claim by lighting London up in the night. England swings like a pendulum do.
Paul LevinsonPublished 2 years ago in FuturismReview of 'Outer Range' 1.7-8
Well, Outer Range certainly saved the best for last -- the last two episodes (of what I hope will be the first of at least a few seasons) -- waking us up like after a fever has broken and everything is clear, or at least, a little clearer.
Paul LevinsonPublished 2 years ago in FuturismReview of 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' 1.2
Well, I just loved the second episode of The Man Who Fell to Earth, especially the ending. [Spoilers ahead ... ] I mean, with the world and this country in the states that we're in, it was especially good to see this happy ending on the science fiction screen. And it was set up perfectly. Faraday aka The Man Who Fell to Earth had said earlier that it was time for Justin's father Josiah to die (always great to see Clarke Peters on the screen). He had lived his purpose. And we'd previously seen that guy up in Alaska take his life, after almost killing Spencer. So ...when Faraday walked into Josiah's room, and put his hands on Josiah, asleep ... well, I thought the worst. And instead: Faraday cured him, draining out and taking in what had wrecked Josiah's body. And he was whole and healthy again. Good to see on this day.
Paul LevinsonPublished 2 years ago in FuturismReview of 'Outer Range' 1.5-6
Well, here's my idiosyncratic review of one of the most idiosyncratic series on television. Ever. As in -- as I said in my previous Outer Range review -- in Twin Peaks territory, or west of The Twilight Zone, certainly when it comes to the west pasture.
Paul LevinsonPublished 2 years ago in FuturismReview of 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' 1.1
The Man Who Fell to Earth, which debuted last night on Showtime as a ten-episode television series, has a long and distinguished history. The novel of the same name by Walter Tevis was published in 1963 to critical acclaim. I didn't read it, because I had just switched as a teenager by then from science fiction to rock music as my passion, and I didn't go back to science fiction until a few decades years later -- Philip K. Dick's 1962 The Man in the High Castle had made it just under wire. Meanwhile, The Man Who Fell to Earth was made into 1976 movie starring David Bowie which I saw and loved, and which also received critical acclaim. A 1987 made-for-television movie followed which I'm pretty sure I didn't see, and certainly can't remember. A now this new Showtime series.
Paul LevinsonPublished 2 years ago in Futurism