tv review
Reviewing insightful and thought provoking science fiction TV and technology.
'Star Trek' Booze: 50 Years Of Drinking With The Starship Enterprise
For the proud accomplishment of lasting half a century, a 50th anniversary is golden. It deserves a celebratory toast for any species in any part of the galaxy, and in the latest Trek film, fans get a fun tip of the glass after a fashion. Early on in Star Trek: Beyond, director Justin Lin’s action packed entry in Paramount Pictures feature film franchise, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and Bones (Karl Urban) share a rare quiet moment by drinking together in Enterprise’s officer’s lounge. The two friends and Starfleet officers take the time to down a little Saurian Brandy—an alien drink all too familiar to fans from way back in the day of the start of the original series.
By Will Stape8 years ago in Futurism
Confessions of a 'Star Trek' Writer
In 1996, director Jonathan Frakes (Cmdr. William Riker) helmed the movie celebrating Star Trek's 30th anniversary. Co-starring Alice Krige as the seductive Borg Queen and Alfre Woodard as the resourceful Lilly, First Contact was a big box office hit and a favorite with both audiences and critics. Although that particular film Starship Enterprise was commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and had Data, an android science officer, instead of a Vulcan, the spirit of Star Trek was alive and well. Now, fans celebrate of 50 years of content that has not lost its relevance or, thanks to a new generation of Star Trek writers and creators, its style.
By Will Stape8 years ago in Futurism
Black Mirror Series Consistently Challenges
“The black mirror is one you’ll find on every wall, on every desk, in the palm of every hand: the cold, shiny screen of a TV, a monitor, a smartphone,” says series creator Brooker, but unlike Jason Reitman’s what-the-Internet-is-doing-to-us flop movie “Men, Women, and Children,” the Black Mirror series challenges the intellect and eschews stark portrayals of teenagers texting and not making eye contact (oh, the poignancy!) and concocts futuristic-scenarios that are only slightly far-fetched, poised on the outer rim of the technology we already have.
By Glenn Kenny8 years ago in Futurism
Carol Burnett's Captain Kirk Impersonation
American comedy can’t be neatly categorized into one absolute style, like the country from which it springs, it’s a big melting pot. From early, formative clowns such as The Marx Brothers, Milton Berle or Abbott & Costello, to the shock chuckles of Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin and Chris Rock, American funny is a uniquely varied thing. However, it’s not only a boy’s club - one thing’s clear for awhile; we’ve been blessed with several of the funniest ladies history has ever known. There was lovable Lucille Ball, pioneer in the flexible art of the sitcom. Then came the outrageous Phyllis Diller, ground breaker in stand-up shtick. And then there's the comedy chameleon, Carol Burnett. Today’s funny ladies - Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy owe a lot to those original gals, but with Burnett, the modern sketch comedy we know today was basically shaped and fine tuned. If that wasn’t enough, Burnett has more than earned her ‘Geek Cred’, after she lampooned one of the most important sci-fi icons, none other than Captain Kirk. Carol Burnett's Captain Kirk impersonation is the original spoof on the iconic sci-fi figure portrayed by William Shatner.
By Will Stape8 years ago in Futurism
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Best & Worst Episodes
One of the most popular television shows ever developed for the Star Trek franchise, Deep Space Nine (DS9), came to an end in June of 1999. Its growing popularity did come as a bit of a surprise, especially to the community of Trek fans. When the show began airing in January 1993, Star Trek: The Next Generation was at its prime, and it had taken long enough for the fans of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to warm up to that show. Deep Space Nine had quite a few other strikes against it. Not only was it a darker vision of the future, but it was the first Star Trek ongoing series to be developed after the death of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
By Futurism Staff8 years ago in Futurism
Making Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica was one of the most expensive series ever created for television in its time. Its price tag averaged nearly a million dollars per hour for the episodes seen in fall of 78. The usual fees for a big budget series were compounded by an inspired move from creator/writer/executive producer Glen Larson. In signing John Dykstra, multiple Academy Award-winning special effects supervisor for Star Wars, Larson hired a formidable talent. Dykstra created the dazzling array of effects that highlight this otherwise pedestrian program, making Battlestar Galactica the hottest new series of its time.
By Futurism Staff8 years ago in Futurism
Seinfeld Episodes Wax Philosophical
Seinfeld, the defining 30-minute sitcom that dominated the entire decade of 1990s entertainment, was the brainchild of Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. For over a quarter of century, many viewers remain consumed and entertained by this masterpiece of television production. More than just a comedy, the show reflected a new found appreciation for philosophical musings and existentialism. The characters have become pop culture icons immortalized with bobble heads and Funko Vinyl Idol action figure. For some, Jerry Seinfeld was a spiritual guide preaching through observational humor. For others, it was a sociological study of religious stereotypes and codecs. For a small group of existential intellectual highbrows it was an academic study characterizing the philosophical and anthropological identity of the 1990s. This small group of Ivory Tower Mensa Members live in their Upper East Side Manhattan apartments with their German made cars parked below in the garage, looking over the park at what appears to be a different species populating the Upper West Side. These New York west siders are best kept to their 60 square block enclave. When they stray beyond their territory to the Garden State Mall in Paramus, NJ, they enter the Twilight Zone. "The Parking Garage" is perhaps one the of the top Seinfeld episodes ever. Jerry Seinfeld, Elaine Benes, George Costanza, and Cosmo Kramer find themselves in a deep existential dilemma – one of the many.
By Claire Evans8 years ago in Futurism
Neil deGrasse Tyson's StarTalk
“The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.” Neil deGrasse Tyson doesn’t care if what he says upsets you; it’s all based in science and science is fact. The astrophysicist has been very outspoken about science for decades now. In fact, he and fellow scientist Bill Nye celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Planetary Society—an organization dedicated to all things astronomy, planetary science, and exploration—in October of 2015.
By Futurism Staff9 years ago in Futurism
Netflix's Marco Polo Historical Accuracy
Marco Polo is a political drama soaked in blood and sex, but does Netflix's historic epic capture the historical truths of the famed explorer? The answer is vague. Marco Polo did travel to Mongolia, but whether he engaged in politics and combat is ambiguous. Polo wrote his works omitting any personal interactions, choosing to record accounts of the varying cultures and locations. However, lack of information did not stop the streaming service from delivering a show to rival shows on HBO and Starz, with engaging scenery and stunningly choreographed martial arts. Whether or not Marco Polo dabbled in political shenanigans is left to the imagination. Regardless, Bob Weinstein and Netflix have created an engaging series. For the sake of human curiosity, as most adventures begin, it is worth exploring the historical figure of Marco Polo.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
The Strain is an Infectious Vampire Gore Fest
For the past few years vampires have been effectively defanged. All of the initial menace from these terrifying blood suckers has been drained out. In their place we’ve seen then transformed into erotic creatures of lust and desire. Immortal beauties so far removed from their horror roots they become the erotic fixation of teenage fantasy. Stories like Twilight have served to delude and neuter vampires of their menace much to the dismay of longtime horror fans. But famed filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro has had enough of it. No more beautiful lovelorn vampire designed to be fawned over by teenage girls. With The Strain Del Toro sought to create a new kind of vampire that stripped the monster of any sense of romanticism. That was the impetus for the creation of The Strain. Originally Del Toro saw it as a tv series, but he was unable to find anyone interested in producing it amongst the major networks. He took an alternate path by collaborating with novelist Chuck Hogan to turn his idea into a trilogy of books. Ironically enough, a few years later after the runaway success of The Walking Dead, his books were optioned for a tv series so Del Toro got have his original desire of seeing The Strain turned into a TV series.
By James Sullivan10 years ago in Futurism