Reviews

Like most kids, you absolutely knew what you wanted to be when you grew up – a firefighter, a police officer, or even an astronaut, destined for intergalactic exploration. As an adult you gained experience and worked hard, making that dream possible. However, a five second genetic scan determined you unable to accomplish that goal.

We bounce around in a desperate, wild chase around the solar system, as the young protagonists try to contain an ever-worsening situation. The story draws from several influences – The Matrix meets Ready Player One, with elements from Lord of the Flies and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

For a series deeply invested in being innovative and futuristic, Black Mirror seems to have lost its sense of imagination. The highly-anticipated fifth season of Charlie Brooker’s sci-fi anthology follows the December release of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, an interactive film in which viewers are active participants in the development of the storyline. Black Mirror Season 5 marks both a return to the show’s standard format and also a notable decline in quality.

Fresh off a successful Kickstarter, Datura #1 is due to be shipped soon to eager readers.  Created by Trevor Talbott and Diego Olortegui, this science-fiction fueled, family driven action adventure is a trip for readers.  

This month will mark the 20th anniversary of David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ. While the film may never escape the shadow of the similarly-themed The Matrix, also released in 1999, many consider eXistenZ to be severely overlooked.

Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s aptly-named We Cast a Shadow is a harrowing exploration of the extremes that govern the psyche of the oppressed–light and shadow, good and bad, white and black. This debut novel offers a bleak satirical depiction of a man mentally (and physically) warped by a lifetime of racism and brutality.

To view the film on its surface, this is a beautifully crafted world of top notch CGI filled to the brim with dark themes and horrifying implications about the state of reality, and yet already we’ve arrived at my main criticism: the world is vastly more interesting than the story being told.

Focusing on Aaron Swartz and Edward Snowden, filmmaker Ali Akbarzadehan captures a clear message of activism for our own freedom of expression, the freedom of the press and other civil liberties that are challenged by bumbling bureaucracies attempting to legislate that which they do not understand.

Carly Chaikin assured fans that they will be pleased with the final season, noting that she texted Sam Esmail to ask how he came up with extraordinary aspects of the scripts. Despite multiple viewer requests for spoilers, Carly did not reveal any information about events or developments to come. Shooting for Season 4 will begin in approximately two and a half weeks.

For the first installment of our series, Cyberpunk Collectibles, we got our hands on a hardcover, first-edition of Mirrorshades on eBay.  A hardcover first-edition in good shape is easily $100+.  If you can find a paperback copy for under ten bucks, you should snatch it up, but good luck, chum.