tv review
Reviewing insightful and thought provoking science fiction TV and technology.
Review of 'Jacob's Paradox'
I figured I would expand my reviews of time-travel feature movies and TV series on Netflix to time-travel shorts on Amazon Prime (Netflix doesn't have many if any time-travel shorts). First up is Jacob's Paradox from 2015, a 36-minute narrative, written, directed, and starring Michael Peake (this is a common configuration in shorts—Jay Kensinger wrote, directed, and starred in The Chronology Protection Case, based on my novelette of the same name).
Paul LevinsonPublished 6 years ago in FuturismReview of Travelers 2
I had high praise for the first season Travelers (on Netflix) a year ago. I have even higher praise for the second season (of 12 episodes, like the first). I'll try to talk about it with a minimum of spoilers.
Paul LevinsonPublished 6 years ago in Futurism'Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams' 1.1 Real Life
I watched Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams - the 10-episode anthology of separate stories, all based on the work of Philip K. Dick - on Amazon Prime. Here's what you can expect by way of reviews from me:
Paul LevinsonPublished 6 years ago in FuturismThe Triumph of the Doctor: Jodie Whittaker Makes 'Doctor Who' History with Debut Appearance
It's the end... But the moment has been prepared for. On Christmas night 2017, Doctor Who fans all gathered around their televisions to witness Peter Capaldi bow out of the hit BBC science-fiction show.
Lewis JefferiesPublished 6 years ago in FuturismThe Joys of a Show Like Mythbusters
The beauty of a show like Mythbusters is their longevity in a world where a lot of television fans are very specific about what they do and don't like. Things have to follow so much of a plot or have so much drama to keep interests. They have to cover similar or the same ideas over and over, and the show definitely cannot focus on anything other than its hosts. Mythbusters breaks a lot of conventions while holding up their own television traditions though. I want to take some time to discuss some of the things that make this show great, because it really does need saying.
Noel WillettPublished 6 years ago in FuturismMy Day as a 'Supporting Artist' on Starz 'Outlander' Season 2
#Outlander, one of the tent-pole shows currently showing on #Starz is a show steeped in rich Scottish history. I confess, however, I'd never heard of it until I joined a local talent agency offering background extras roles for tv and film in Scotland. This is something I'd never seriously considered but since I'm a You-tubing filmmaker by day and Movie-Pilot writer by night (or whenever the hell I can get to a keyboard) I figured what the hell! This opened up a chance to gain some much-needed experience on a real film set and getting paid to boot! Not bad for a sassenach like myself aye?
Matt LoftusPublished 6 years ago in FuturismAbout The Paternoster Gang. Is A Spin-Off For Them Likely To Happen?
The Paternoster Gang are made up of 3 people. Vastra the Silurian, Strax the Sontaran and Jenny Flint who is human. These 3 are detectives in Victorian London and are named after Paternoster Row in London. Vastra, along with fellow Silurians, had awoken during the construction of part of the London Underground and had wanted to take revenge on innocent tunnel workers for the deaths of her sisters. Eventually Vastra hired Jenny. There relationship has now become romantic.
Lewis JefferiesPublished 6 years ago in FuturismWhat Mulder and Scully Mean to an X-Files Virgin
For a twenty-something who never really blossomed into their geekdom until adulthood, The X-Files was something that passed me by. A John Carpenter style soundtrack, use of profanity and a show that squeezed somewhere between Independence Day and The Twilight Zone meant TXF was a no-go in my household. But 2016 heralds a new era for the show. Condemned to that "finished forever" graveyard *cough* LOST *cough*, The X-Files has risen. As a self proclaimed X-Files virgin what do I know, and what is it all about? Tune in... The truth is out there.
Tom ChapmanPublished 6 years ago in FuturismThe Orville: Hello Sassy Trek
*Spoilers for the show ahead* Let's first get some things clear here....I thought the Orville was going to be a joke when the tv trailer came out. Poor Star Trek parody from Macfarlane? Yikes, this had all the features of a flop written all over it. The first episode didn't disappoint. Barely good CGI, forced jokes, barely interesting story, yeah I didn't have much hopes for it. Which was why it is surprising to say, this is now my all time favourite sci-fi right on right now.
Abdullah MasoodPublished 6 years ago in FuturismReview of Outlander 3.7
A rip-roaring, excellent episode 3.7 of Outlander last night, in which Jamie reveals a secret — to us, the audience, at this point, and not yet Claire — and his life as A. Malcolm the printer goes literally up in flames.
Paul LevinsonPublished 6 years ago in FuturismReview of Outlander 3.6
Well, some things are worth waiting for. And that would be an apt description of this past Sunday's Outlander 3.6, in which Claire and Jamie finally get back together.
Paul LevinsonPublished 6 years ago in FuturismReview of Outlander 3.5
Outlander 3.5 finally got Claire and Jamie back together — 20 years after they last were together, in the 1700s, with Jamie now in Edinburgh. There were lots of nice touches, including Jamie being located by a literary device — literally — I first noticed in Isaac Asimov's The End of Eternity (still my all-time favorite time travel story) back in the 1950s. The person in the past wanting to let someone in the future know where to find him or her puts an ad in a newspaper with some reference to some event that hasn't happened yet (Asimov's method) or a poem from the future (Jamie's method) as a marker for the future to see. It's a nice, soft touch, and usually does the trick.
Paul LevinsonPublished 6 years ago in Futurism