Is David Lynch’s Dune an incomprehensible mess, a misunderstood masterpiece or somewhere in between? In setting out to adapt Frank Herbert’s seminal 1965 novel for the screen, Lynch ventured where few other filmmakers dared to tread—with decidedly mixed results. We begin with a woman’s face projected against a field of stars. She is Princess Irulan […]
After the End: ‘Panic in Year Zero!’ (1962)
In January, the Doomsday Clock remained set at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever come to tolling the hour of the apocalypse. From climate change to global conflict, unregulated AI and predictions of the next pandemic, the world is teetering on the brink. A film like Panic in Year Zero!, which imagines […]
Far Out: ‘The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension’ (1984)
This post is part of the Jeff Goldblum Blogathon, hosted by Realweemidget Reviews and Emma K Wall Explains It All. See the other posts here. Faced with an indecipherable plot, I am occasionally tempted to cry, “It’s not rocket science!” In The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, it really is—and brain surgery […]
Rocket Men: ‘From the Earth to the Moon’ (1958) and ‘First Men in the Moon’ (1964)
Fifty years ago today, humanity first set foot on the moon. TCM has been celebrating with a month-long sci-fi festival, beginning with George Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon: one of the first science-fiction films ever made and over a century later, still one of the best. Alongside the robots, metropolises and things from another […]
A Trip Into ‘The Twilight Zone’
Submitted for your approval, The Twilight Zone, a science-fiction/fantasy/horror anthology series created by Rod Serling that first aired in 1959—and remains one of the most influential television shows ever made. Over the course of five seasons and 156 episodes, Serling—who was also the show’s executive producer and head writer—presented […]
A Thing About Machines: ‘Westworld’ (1973)
What happens when man’s reach exceeds not just his grasp, but also his common sense? That’s the premise of Michael Crichton’s Westworld, in which visitors go to an amusement park for the experience of a lifetime—and get it. Welcome to Delos, the resort which promises its guests “the vacation of the future, today”. For a […]
Adventures in Time and Space: ‘Dr. Who and the Daleks’ (1965) and ‘Daleks – Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.’ (1966)
At 5:16 PM on 23 November 1963, a new science fiction show premiered on the BBC. What started out as a mild curiosity in a junkyard has grown into the world’s longest-running science fiction series, a grand adventure spanning over 50 years across television, radio, comics, videogames and novels (plus a marvellous, fan-made stop-motion animation series). […]
To Boldly Spoof: ‘Galaxy Quest’ (1999)
This post is part of the Outer Space on Film Blogathon, hosted by Moon in Gemini. See the other posts here. Resistance is futile. Live long and prosper. By Grabthar’s hammer. The last of these is not like the others. Grabthar hails from Galaxy Quest, a cinematic love letter to Star Trek that boldly parodies […]
Blast Off: The Outer Space on Film Blogathon
Hailing frequencies open. Debbie Vega of Moon in Gemini is hosting the Outer Space on Film blogathon this weekend, April 13-15, and I’m joining in. See the full roster here.