tv review

Reviewing insightful and thought provoking science fiction TV and technology.

Review of 'Dark Matter' 1.1-1.4
Dark Matter, the first two episodes of which debuted on Apple TV+ two week ago, is the third alternate reality narrative I've seen on the screen in the past month (see my reviews of Quantum Suicide, a film created by Gerrit Van Woudenberg which should be streaming on some major place by the Fall, and Constellation, another series on Apple TV+). All three bounce off the at-once famous and infamous Schrödinger's cat. Quantum Suicide has the feel of Primer and the work-at-home scientist. Dark Matter has a similar feel. And I'm beginning to think I don't want to think about these matters too hard, because the more I think about them, the more I think it's possible that I could be in an alternate reality myself, right now. But, hey, I'm so dedicated to doing this review, I think I'll risk it, anyway.
By Paul Levinson2 years ago in Futurism
US Military's New Robot That Will Change War Forever
In the battle of urban combat, only blocks from the battleground, a team of men Please Analyze the given sentence and rephrase it in your words to have a better understanding Even at the midst of destruction, a single figure shows at the bottom of the street, move faster than normal. The unnerving figure with arms raised then fires its gun accurately and the enemy tumbles automatically. Shooting a grenade and blasting it towards the enemy, watching them get engulfed in flames is simply spectacular. The dejected soldiers dashed to meet the figure that landed just before them, and found their rescuers was not a human, but a robot.
By Amine Oubih2 years ago in Futurism
What is Happening Inside Your Brain When You Die
Death which is the inevitable and the final chapter of living being still more puzzling than the other mysteries of life. While we are wide awake in the dead quiet of the night, our thoughts are likely to stray to the morbid consideration of what taking those steps into an afterlife might one day feel like. Near-death experiences and scientific inquiring irresistibly leave us with the mystery and the concept of the true nature of death is still elusive. In this article, we venture into the beautiful world of dying, where we extract what science says about the feelings, experiences, and biological developments that we go through just before we exit the planet.
By Amine Oubih2 years ago in Futurism
Fans Fear For Echo In 'The Bad Batch' Finale: Let's Recap The Fates Of Domino Squad
WARNING! SPOILERS for The Bad Batch 3x14, 'Flash Strike' We are now just a week away from seeing the series finale of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and it's sure to be a heartstopper. As Clone Force 99 attempts to infiltrate Tantiss base and rescue Omega, Omega is formulating her own escape plan with the other children held captive in The Vault. However, fans have developed a particular fear for the fate of Echo, the only member of the Bad Batch to have made it inside the base proper so far.
By Kristy Anderson2 years ago in Futurism
Ex Machina and the Disconcerting Way That Sci-Fi Movies Age
One of the interesting things about the development of technology is that it changes our relationship with the sci-fi movies of yesterday. "Today's sci-fi is tomorrow's science," as many have pointed out.
By Ben Ulansey2 years ago in Futurism
The Best Projector to buy right now
In the ever-evolving landscape of visual technology, projectors have undergone a remarkable transformation, propelled by the relentless pursuit of superior image quality and user experience. Among the latest advancements, the integration of Eyesafe Display technology represents a significant leap forward, promising not only stunning visuals but also enhanced eye safety for prolonged viewing sessions. Within this realm of innovation, the ADEPTICO 450 ANSI 5G WiFi Native 1080P Portable Projector emerges as a beacon of excellence, redefining the standards of portable projection with its comprehensive feature set and cutting-edge capabilities.
By Home Depart2 years ago in Futurism
Review of 'Constellation'
I've read and seen many alternate reality stories. Some are caused by quantum entanglement -- the mega version of two subatomic particles colliding and then moving in opposite directions but still intimately and instantly connected -- and some just happen or are already there. I just reviewed a movie here on Vocal with that schema, and have written a few double realities stories and a novel with that premise myself. But none explore the existence and impact of that on families the way that Constellation does. Indeed, none do much of that at all in the at once deep and startling way that this new series on Apple TV+ does.
By Paul Levinson2 years ago in Futurism
V (Mini-Series)
I remember sitting in grandma's living room in 1983, watching the premier of V, which was a two-night mega sci-fi "special event." I was probably all of seven, so the film had an extra special appeal to me. The special effects, state of the art for the era, were awesome, ominous, and frightening. But it was the characterizations of both humans and aliens in V, and the eternal questioning of what is good, noble, human, and true, that underscored the allegory at the heart of the entertainment.
By Tom Baker2 years ago in Futurism
Star Trek - "The Squire of Gothos"
Greetings and felicitations! "The Squire of Gothos" is an extraterrestrial Liberace (redundant?) who sits at an old-fashioned Eighteenth-century harpsichord and kidnaps the Trekkers so he can reap hallucinatory mind control hijinks on them, in much the same manner as "Next Generation"'s "Q" (actor John de Lancie, who puts one in the mind of a cross between Howie Mandel and Jello Biafra) would do, decades later, long before anyone even THOUGHT about having a "Star Trek" spinoff series.
By Tom Baker2 years ago in Futurism
Star Trek - "The Enemy Within"
I thought I better stop and write about "The Enemy Within," the fifth episode of Season One, TOS, while it was still fresh in my memory. Of course, I'd seen it before, many, many years ago, and it always sticks out in my mind because it's referenced in the liner notes of G.G. Allin's Roir cassette compilation Hated in the Nation, which I'm sure most other "Star Trek" fans are unaware of and, even if they were, would not be proud of. The liner notes, by Mykel Board, use the metaphor of the Evil Kirk (the putative "enemy within"), who is a violent, tantrum-throwing uglification of Captain Jimmy T., pitted against the meandering Milquetoast Kirk, who is a weak sister who can't make up his mind on any pressing concern. Board suggests Allin is (was), "the enemy within," as well.
By Tom Baker2 years ago in Futurism
The Outer Limits: "The Special One"
My special affinity for "The Outer Limits" is virtually supernatural; I like it almost as much as "Friday the Thirteenth: The Series" (which I haven't written nearly as much about), which isn't nearly as smart (but which does have Louise Robey, which makes it somewhat superior).
By Tom Baker2 years ago in Futurism
The Outer Limits: "Don't Open 'Till Doomsday" (Season 1, Episode 17)
Note: I was originally going to title this review, "A Box Full of Turds," but then thought better of it. "The Outer Limits" is a superior science fiction show from the Sixties that, individually, has some long-haul episodes, much in the manner of Boris Karloff's "Thriller," which I also find myself finding tedious as the midway mark of some episodes rolls by. Both of them have roughly the same sort of cinematographic look and feel about them, and both of them are every bit as ding-dangly dong good as that OTHER famous era anthology show--the one with the guy who is always smoking. Smoking. Smoking. (Dude died of a massive coronary, dig? So maybe that much smoking is NOT recommended after all.)
By Tom Baker2 years ago in Futurism