Tag Archives: sci-fi

Stranger Things (2016)

Jez, ,

Stranger-Things-PosterSet in the 1980s in small town Indiana, this new Netflix series is everything you could want from a science fiction horror series. As the title suggests, strange things are happening in Hawkins, Indiana, a quiet town that rarely sees any kind of crime—that is, until 12-year-old Will Byers goes missing and a strange girl with special powers appears. The 8 episode season features multiple storylines with Will’s mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder), and the town sheriff (David Harbour) uncovering government conspiracies, teens going monster hunting, and a group of kids looking for their lost friend and trying to protect their new one.

Drawing on popular culture of the 80s and infusing elements from E.T., Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, Alien, and Stephen King, this show hits all the right notes when it comes to spooky nostalgia. Once you enter Hawkins, you’ll be glued to your screen and won’t be ready to leave at the end. Stranger Things is available as a full season through Netflix, which you can access for free by checking out one of our roku devices.

Already obsessed with Stranger Things? Check out Book Riot‘s list of recommended reading.

Jurassic World (2015) PG-13

Kuldeep, ,

jurassicworld2In this action movie that is full of adventure, two boys go to visit their aunt who works at Jurassic World, a theme park. When a carnivorous dinosaur escapes, it causes other dinosaurs to run from their territories—which results in huge mayhem. An animal expert (Chris Pratt) takes charge and uses his special skills to save two brothers and all the tourists from the assault of the dinosaurs in Jurassic World.

Ant-Man (2015) PG-13

Joe, ,

antmanAnt-Man is a fun movie. Although it has more comedic moments than your typical Marvel superhero film, Ant-Man faces serious threats, and there is plenty of action. Paul Rudd is great in the title role, especially when he unexpectedly battles one of the Avengers, and Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly give great performances. This origin movie is a must see for Marvel followers as Ant-Man will definitely be appearing in future films in the Marvel universe.

iZombie. Season 1 (2015)

Jez, , ,

izombieMedical resident Liv Moore (Rose McIver) has just had her life turned upside down when what starts out as a boat party turns into a zombie outbreak. Liv escapes with just a scratch, but that scratch makes her one of the undead, forcing her to break off her engagement, leave her residency program, and take a job in the city morgue. So long as she eats the brains of the bodies that come in, she’s able to maintain her own cognitive functions and pass as living, but the brains come with an unfortunate side effect: the memories of the deceased. Armed with these memories, Liv pretends to be a psychic and teams up with police officer Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin) to help find justice for the murdered victims that get sent to her morgue. Meanwhile, her new boss and friend Ravi (Rahul Kohli) works to find a cure, one that could help Liv, but would interfere with the plans zombie Blaine (David Anders) has for infecting and exploiting Seattle’s wealthy community.

Despite its grisly premise, this unique crime procedural has a lot of humorous moments, loving relationships, and witty dialogue. This is a must-see for fans of Pushing Daisies and Veronica Mars. The first season of iZombie is available on DVD and is streaming on Netflix, which can be accessed by checking out one of our roku devices. To experience this story in a different medium, check out volume one of the iZombie comic series, the show’s source material.

The Avengers (2012) PG-13

Joe, ,

avengersIf you only saw one superhero movie in your life, this would be the one to see. Earth’s greatest heroes are thrown together to fight against an alien invasion led by the powerful villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Can they work together, though, to stop this overwhelming threat?

The Avengers has many characters, including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), not to mention S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives like Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Despite such a large cast, the movie provides enough backstory to fully develop each character without detracting from the almost constant action and stunning visual effects. The Avengers is not simply a superhero movie, it is THE superhero movie.

Back to the Future (1985) PG

Joe, ,

backfutureMarty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, is accidentally sent back in time 30 years to 1955 by his friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). While Marty works desperately to find a way back to the future, he inadvertently interferes with the relationship of his high school age parents. If he does not get them to unite, he may cease to exist. Christopher Lloyd is brilliant as nutty Doc Brown, and Michael J. Fox has just the right combination of awkward and cool to make you laugh and cheer at the same time. Back to the Future is a fun adventure comedy that the whole family will love.

Sense8. Season 1 (2015)

Jez, ,

sense8Netflix’s newest original show Sense8 is an intriguing and addicting sci-fi drama about eight different people from all over the globe who share a connection. “Sensates” are individuals who are all born at the same time and later become telepathically linked. Their powers begin to reveal themselves as the sensates enter their thirties, and the individuals start hearing, seeing, and feeling things happening to the others, even in different countries. The eight begin talking to each other, sharing experiences, falling in love, and doing their best to escape being captured by those who want to eliminate sensates.

This cast is one of the most diverse and fascinating group of characters I’ve seen on anything in a long time. Riley is Icelandic, living in London, and becoming a DJ. Sun is the daughter of a prominent businessman in Seoul who spends her time fighting in the ring. Capheus is a bus driver in Nairobi who will do whatever it takes to get his mother her medicine. Lito is a dramatic actor in Mexico trying to hide his relationship with his boyfriend. Kala is in Mumbai, about to marry a man she does not love. Wolfgang is a safecracker in Germany about to pull off a major heist. Will is a cop in Chicago and Nomi is a transwoman in San Francisco. All of the stories alone are engaging and well-written, but together they form an emotional, dramatic, and even romantic and hilarious sci-fi thriller.

Check out one of our rokus to watch this show’s first season on Netflix.

Orphan Black. Season 1 (2013)

Jez, ,

orphanblackSarah Manning has been running away from her life for some time, but wants to return home to see her daughter. While waiting at the train station, Sarah runs into a woman who looks exactly like her, who then commits suicide by stepping in front of a train. In an attempt to clear out the woman’s bank account, Sarah steals her identity, only to discover Beth Childs wasn’t the only one with the same face. Soon Sarah finds herself caught up in a scientific mystery, which exposes her own past and brings her face to face with her “genetic identicals” and the ways in which their upbringing influenced their personalities.

In addition to Sarah and Beth, the clones include an uptight soccer mom named Allison, a geeky grad student named Cosima, and a crazed zealot named Helena—all of whom are played by the enormously talented Tatiana Maslany. Maslany’s acting skills alone are reason to watch this show, as you’ll quickly forget there’s only one actress on screen in most scenes.

Orphan Black is a sci-fi drama full of danger and intrigue, with phenomenal acting, writing, and memorable characters. Season 2 was recently released and quickly raises the stakes while introducing new twists and clones–making the wait for season 3 (airing on BBC America in April) all the longer!

The Dead Zone (1983) R

Bill, ,

This 1983 film is described as a horror film and in some ways it is, but it is very difficult to slap a label on this film. To be truthful, many hardcore horror film fans probably wouldn’t like it. If asked, I could not give a one or two word description of this film. The Dead Zone is sort of a time travel movie, it’s a love story, and a tragedy, but it also a story of redemption and a story of hope.

Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) is a young teacher very much in love with fellow teacher Sarah Bracknell (Brooke Adams), who is very much in love with Johnny. While coming home from a date, Johnny gets into a horrific car accident. He goes into a coma and when he awakes, he finds he has lost five years. He is physically disabled in that he has very limited walking abilities, and he finds that Sarah has married and has a son. As crushing to his spirit as this is, he soon finds that he has undergone another dramatic change. He finds that when he holds a person’s hand, he can see a part of either that person’s past or their future.

Walken gives a great performance. There is a haunting melody that plays off and on through the movie and for its time, there are some great special effects. The film is an adaption of Stephen King’s novel The Dead Zone. Many people have described this movie as the best adaption of a King novel and I agree. If you have never seen the film or read the book, I suggest you do both.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Bill, ,

Starring Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is listed as one of the top ten sci-fi films of all time by the American Film Institute. It is probably my personal favorite sci-fi film and far superior to the subsequent remakes. And this is despite the fact that the special effects are very limited and there is very little action.

So what makes this film so special? It’s the story, the acting, the musical score, and
perhaps the cinematography. And it contains maybe one of the scariest scenes you’ll ever see in a film that does not involve a monster, a slashing knife, or something that jumps out at you.

And a word of warning, you may have trouble sleeping after you see this film, but if
you haven’t seen this film, you should. Also, just before you do go to bed, you might
want to check your basement, under your bed, in your car, and any other place in or
around your home where a body might be waiting.