tv review
Reviewing insightful and thought provoking science fiction TV and technology.
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.
Home DepartPublished a day ago in FuturismReview 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.
Paul LevinsonPublished 8 days ago in FuturismV (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.
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.
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.
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).
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.)
Lost in Space
I always wanted to be an astronaut, to go see what outer space felt like. The charm of adventure. I thought I might become a NASA Intern or an Astronaut, or if not that, maybe get a Job as an Astrophysicist there. Those privileges are just for US Citizens, I came to know when I actually applied for it. Well that's a sad story. Isn't it?
Syeda Ayesha ArshadPublished 2 months ago in FuturismHangar 18
Hangar 18 stars Darren McGavin, Robert Vaughn, Gary Collins, John Campanella, and John Hampton, as well as several other notable television actors of the era, in a sci-fi drama about a downed UFO that is scooped up by the government and taken to a supersecret government test facility where they can back engineer it so as not to provide us with free energy, but to advance their guided missile systems and whatnot. Because, baby, aliens or not, WAR IS MONEY.
Review of 'For All Mankind' 4.9-4.10
"Without competition, there is no progress," Sergei says to Margot and Aleina, near the beginning of Episode 4.9 of For All Mankind, on Apple TV+. Later, he suggests that he and Margot leave the US and go to Brazil, which already has started an impressive space program (a nice alternate history touch). And ...
Paul LevinsonPublished 3 months ago in FuturismReview of 'For All Mankind' 4.6-4.8
I usually focus on the alternate history flourishes in my reviews of For All Mankind, but the story of Aleida and Margot in episode 4.6, up on Apple TV+, was so good that I wanted to devote this review to that.
Paul LevinsonPublished 4 months ago in FuturismReview 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 Futurism