tv review
Reviewing insightful and thought provoking science fiction TV and technology.
Review of 'For All Mankind' 4.3-4.5
So, at this point in the story, episodes 4.3-4.4 of For All Mankind, Gorbachev didn't make it too far into the 21st century. He's been forcibly replaced in the Soviet Union by Korzhenko, a hardliner. So my hope that Putin would not come to power was fulfilled only by one fascist leader replaced by another, or a Putin coming to power with just a different name.
Paul LevinsonPublished 4 months ago in FuturismThe Outer Limits: "Cold Hands, Warm Heart"
Poor William Shatner! He goes rocketing off to Venus and comes back possessed by the spirit of a space mermaid--a very ugly one to boot. It makes him ice cold, and we know this because he can drink whole boiling cauldrons of coffee, and likes to turn the thermostat up to 90.
'Doctor Who': Could These Other Doctor-Companion Duos Survive The Events Of 'Wild Blue Yonder?
The fan reception to Doctor Who's second 60th anniversary special, 'Wild Blue Yonder', has earned mostly positive reception from fans. After the defeat of Beep the Meep in the first special, The Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble's plans to visit Donna's Grandfather, Wilf, are disrupted when Donna spills coffee on the Tardis console, with the damaged Tardis then hurtling The Doctor and Donna to a seemingly abandoned ship at the edge of the universe. Things get worse when The Tardis's Hostile Action Displacement System is activated, and it leaves The Doctor and Donna behind to face the Not-things, creepy creatures who attempt to become perfect copies of our two heroes.
Kristy AndersonPublished 5 months ago in FuturismA Who-Tastic Year: Ranking The Best Events Of 'Doctor Who's' 50th Anniversary
In recent years, things have been a little shaky for long-running British sci-fi classic Doctor Who. For some fans, the decision to cast a woman, Jodie Whittaker, as the Thirteenth Doctor was a controversial one, while patchy writing, long gaps between new episodes, and the equally controversial 'Timeless Child' storyline saw others struggle to get into the Whittaker era. However, things seem to be picking up with the approach of the show's 6oth Anniversary, which will see David Tennant, previously the Tenth Doctor, return as The Fourteenth Doctor in three TV specials alongside Catherine Tate as popular companion Donna Noble, before passing the torch to The Fifteenth Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, just in time for Christmas.
Kristy AndersonPublished 5 months ago in FuturismReview of 'The Lazarus Project' Season One
So, a friend in the UK -- James Harris -- who knows how much I enjoy time travel stories (as a reader, a viewer, a reviewer, and an author) recommended The Lazarus Project, and sent me a link to a trailer, for its second season. I figured before I watched even a trailer for the second season, I might as well watch the first season, which I just did -- and thought it was brilliant -- and then discovered that although the second season debuted in the UK this month, it has not yet made it over to this side of the Atlantic. Why TV series can't be released at the same time all around the world, I have no idea. But rather than keep complaining about that, I thought I'd tell you why I not only think the first season of The Lazarus Project (which I binged on TNT) is brilliant, but the best time-travel series I've ever seen on television, bar none.
Paul LevinsonPublished 5 months ago in FuturismReview of 'For All Mankind' 4.1-4.2
For All Mankind is back with its 4th season on Apple TV+, and it's excellent in all kinds of ways. [Mild spoilers ahead ... ]
Paul LevinsonPublished 5 months ago in FuturismWhom Gods Destroy
I had a dream last night I shoplifted an old DVD of "Star Trek," so I got up this morning, signed into my telephone job, and watched the second episode (the second pilot, after "The Cage"), which by now featured familiar faces acting in familiar ways, including Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), a now emotionless Mr. Spock (the late, great Leonard Nimoy), Sulu (George Takei), Scotty (James Doohan), etc. However, still no Bones (the late, great DeForest Kelley, who died back in 1999). Instead, we have the brief (very brief) tenure of Paul Fix as "Dr. Piper."
‘Her’: An Essential Revisit
When ‘Her’ initially released in 2013, its predictions about the future ahead may have seemed nebulous. In the year 2023, though, it’s a difficult film to watch without an unnerving awareness of the reality we’re marching into.
Ben UlanseyPublished 6 months ago in Futurism'Tenet': Time-Bending Masterpiece or Misfire?
Released in theaters before the arrival of coronavirus vaccines, many had hoped in September of 2020 that Tenet would be the movie that proved why theaters were still necessary. But in a world reeling from the first pandemic in a century, it never managed to achieve the acclaim it strived for. When compared with so many of Christopher Nolan’s previous films, its reception was fairly tepid.
Ben UlanseyPublished 6 months ago in FuturismThe Believable Dystopia of Black Mirror Season 5
So what if I'm doing a review for the fifth season of Black Mirror a few years late… and? Maybe I wanted to put off my fears for the future for as long as I could. Maybe I wasn't particularly excited to watch the singer of "Party in the USA" starring in a Black Mirror episode. But now that season 6 is upon us, I guess I can wait no longer.
Ben UlanseyPublished 6 months ago in FuturismThe Evolution of Black Mirror: Embracing a Strange Present and Exploring a Familiar Past
Black Mirror is a show like no other. With few exceptions, each episode in its first four seasons centers around a futuristic technology, and the depictions are disturbingly well-realized.
Ben UlanseyPublished 6 months ago in FuturismBrexit Fallout: Navigating the Uncertainties and Shaping the Future
The United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union, commonly known as Brexit, has had far-reaching consequences that continue to reverberate across various aspects of society. From immigration policies to trade deals and economic relations, the fallout from the Brexit referendum has created a landscape of uncertainty and challenges. In this article, we will explore the ongoing implications of Brexit and the efforts being made to navigate this new era while shaping a prosperous future for the UK.