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Ted Chiang's 'Exhalation' Calmly Stares Oblivion in the Face

With his second collection of short stories, Exhalation, master of existential science fiction Ted Chiang explores AI, time travel, and alternate realities with the studious eye of an anthropologist.

Books

Faster than Fassbinder! An Interview with Filmmaker Michael Fredianelli

The prolific independent filmmaker Michael Fredianelli doesn't let the microbudget scale of his productions limit his imagination -- or his creations.

Film

'The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot' Will, Like 'Donnie Darko', Surprise

The title suggests that this would be a schlocky B movie with a '70s-style grindhouse aesthetic, but The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot is, in fact, a finely crafted and emotionally charged drama about ageing, loneliness, and lost love.

Film

Of Botany, Hacking, Biosurveillance, and Boredom; Or, Pola Oloixarac's 'Dark Constellations'

Pola Oloixarac's Dark Constellations is what the late Michael Crichton might have written if he had grown up in Argentina and fancied himself a high postmodernist.

Books

The 'Twilight Zone' Reboot Is an Uneven Anthology of Schlocky Horror

The first five episodes of The Twilight Zone (2019-) developed by Jordan Peele, Simon Kinberg and Marco Ramirez, vary wildly in quality, but even the best of the bunch lack nuance and bite.

Television

Intimacy in World Building: Christopher Caldwell and Zeek Earl on their Indie Sci-fi Film, 'Prospect'

Directors Christopher Caldwell and Zeek Earl reflect on a lack of wisdom for their practical film school with their debut feature, Prospect, and an aspiration to evade the trappings of sci-fi filmmaking.

Film

Claire Denis's Splendid 'High Life' Engages and Repulses

In existential nightmare, High Life, Claire Denis explores the darkest intersection between outer space and the human psyche.

Film

'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' Amplifies What Happens to Us When We Experience Narrative Without Form

Without a set form, there can be no water-cooler talk about Bandersnatch, no collective reflection and analysis, because each viewer watched a different movie.

Film

'Ancestral Night' Is a Sweeping Space Saga for Intelligent Readers

Mystery and discovery in Hugo Award-winning novelist Elizabeth Bear's latest work, Ancestral Night, initially hooks but it's the speculative and complex world she constructs that's most rewarding.

Books

'Made in Abyss: Journey's Dawn' Will Be Familiar to Those Who Know the TV Series

Made in Abyss: Journey's Dawn compresses the first eight episodes of the series into a two-hour film.

Film

'Captain Marvel' Sees the MCU Through a Woman Character's Eyes

Captain Marvel is a solid start for a strong, compelling character that will grace the big screen for years to come.

Film

'Captain Marvel' Is Predictable

Directors Boden and Fleck skimp on the character development and emphasize the action in the disappointing misfire from the MCU, Captain Marvel.

Film

'Iron Man 3' Finds Its Hero in Crisis

Marvel Studios launched its second phase of films with Iron Man 3, a film filled with bold storytelling choices and irreverent humour that would become hallmarks of the MCU.

Film

M. Night Shyamalan's 'Glass' Doesn't Recognize Its Own Strength

James McAvoy's impressive acting and fleeting moments of powerful imagery dazzle in M. Night Shyamalan's Glass, but that can't make up for the film's shattered second half.

Film

Ursula K. Le Guin: Old Soul, New Worlds

Arwen Curry's documentary, Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin, shows how, in Le Guin's writings, fantasy can be viewed as both a different way of seeing and understanding the past, and a new way of seeing the present -- and what the future could be.

Film

Through the Looking-Glass of Black Mirror's 'Bandersnatch'

Netflix's interactive movie, Bandersnatch, doesn't really offer choices, but it does offer something else: a warning.

Film

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