Leaving The Discovery Undiscovered

Rooney Mara resting her head on Jason Segel's shoulder at the beach, looking sad.

Hollywood has an unnatural fondness for secular religiosity, desperately wanting the comfort of an afterlife without any of the specificity of an actual religious teaching. This is how we get inoffensively spiritual but otherwise kind of fine films like Ghost and What Dreams May Come. I can now confidently add The Discovery to my carefully curated collection of annoyingly agnostic fables. …read more

Star Trek: Picard’s Problematic Foundations

Patric Stewart as Jean Luc Picard, sullen action hero. Brent Spiner as dream sequence Data. Isa Briones as the clone that dies, or maybe the clone that lives. Harry Treadaway as a double plus secret Romulan operative.

Mr Robot’s Fantastic World of Science Fact

Rami Malek as Elliot. Portia Doubleday as Angela. Christian Slater as Mr. Robot. Portia Doubleday as Angela and Carly Chaikin as Darlene. Martin Wallström as Tyrell.

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The sackcloth simulacrum superstar of the movie 9. 9 faces off against the many-armed red-eyed machine. Two of the stitchpunk heroes from the movie 9.

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John Cusack as the battle weary hit man. Marisa Tomei as the determined reporter.

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Dwayne Johnson as Boxer Santaros / Jericho Cane. Sarah Michelle Gellar as Krysta Now / Krysta Lynn Kapowski. Seann William Scott as Private Roland Taverner / Officer Ronald Taverner. Justin Timberlake as Private Pilot Abilene.

Jericho Ends With a Bang… Again!

Skeet Ulrich as Jake Green. Ashley Scott as Emily Sullivan. Lennie James as Robert Hawkins. Sprague Grayden as Heather Lisinski.

Terror and Triumph Beget Children of Men

Clive Owen as Theo and Claire-Hope Ashitey as Kee. Clive Owen as Theo. Julianne Moore as Julian. Claire-Hope Ashitey as Kee. Michael Caine as Jasper.

A Scanner Darkly’s Timeless Dystopia

Keanu Reeves as Bob Arctor discovers a field of blue flowers. Rory Cochrane as Charles Freck looking particularly disturbed.

Daryl Mandryk

V For Vendetta Voices Our Fears

Hugo Weaving as the enigmatic vigilante known only as V. Natalie Portman as an idealistic citizen in a burgeoning police state. John Hurt as the charismatic dictator.