Articles
This section is a space for film writing that hasn't been published by other outlets. The subject is not always science fiction, but most of the time about the relationship between film and technology.
Sep 14, 2021
Dune is a theatrical vibe for the ages, and that’s a problem
Dune is one of the most breathtaking cinematic science fiction experiences of the past decade, but it’s unclear what else it brings.
Sep 7, 2021
Interview: Kenlon Clark about his independent feature debut Synapse
Kenlon Clark discusses memory tech, Philip K. Dick, and how to produce a near-future sci-fi movie.
Aug 19, 2021
Reminiscence blends familiar neo-noir with inventive futurisms
Lisa Joy’s Reminiscence uses its technological vision as far more than a gimmick to build a narrative at the intersection of two genres.
Jul 23, 2021
The Martian Western thriller Settlers is well-made but opaque
Wyatt Rockefeller’s Martian survival thriller Settlers is an ambitious and well-made debut but reveals too little to fully engage.
Jun 9, 2021
Awake could have been so much more
Mark Raso’s Awake has many interesting ideas and potential plotlines, but too few of them are explored to satisfaction.
May 12, 2021
Oxygen offers expertly crafted single‑space suspense
The revelations keep coming until the very end in Alexandre Aja’s claustrophobic and surprisingly transhumanist sci‑fi mystery Oxygen.
Apr 22, 2021
Stowaway is mesmerising but leaves one big question unanswered
Joe Penna’s sci-fi survival drama Stowaway is an intimate and captivating study of cosmic remoteness and the meaning of sacrifice.
Apr 9, 2021
What Voyagers teaches us about societal control
Fear and impulse undermine humanity’s chances at survival in Neil Burger’s space epic Voyagers, a story about the dangers of confining the mind and the illusion of control.
Mar 22, 2021
Infinitum: Subject Unknown – a sinister take on many-worlds quantum mechanics
Infinitum: Subject Unknown weaves a story-driven, imaginative quantum mystery from equal parts escape rooms and time loops.
Feb 3, 2021
The far-reaching world of The Wanting Mare
The equine fantasy tale The Wanting Mare, the first feature by Nicholas Ashe Bateman, aims for the immense and boundless.
Jan 25, 2021
Say it with a scent – a brief history of fragrant cinema
From rose water to scratch cards, follow along for the story of how the film industry tried and failed at making scented cinema a thing.
Jan 17, 2021
Meeting your maker – cyborghood, existentialism and gender in Blade Runner
An exploration of robotic identity in Blade Runner based on my master’s thesis on cyborgs in film and television.
Jan 9, 2021
Machine lust and mindsets in Electric Dreams
Stemming from the tech-enthusiasm of Electric Dreams (1984), the intersection of modern technology and its disintegration is examined by free association.
Jan 1, 2021
Chasing an instant of death
Regarding “natural” and “unnatural” deaths on film, a short analysis of what we might find between the frames.