Spoilers ahead for Infinity Pool. Will elite travellers ever receive justice? Infinity Pool, Brandon Cronenberg’s terrifying satire on the hedonistic exploits of wealthy tourists might have the answer. By commenting on the Western gentrification of developing countries and the class disparities within the justice system, Cronenberg pairs science fiction with[Read More…]
Tag: science fiction
1899 is a brilliant mosaic in nine different languages
1899 is a multi-everything show: Multilingual, multicultural, multigenerational, and with multiple plotlines. Even the most intuitive of viewers are guaranteed to be thrown by one of the plot twists—because spoiler alert, there are multiple! The eight-episode Netflix series, released on Nov. 17, follows passengers on a cross-Atlantic naval voyage thrown[Read More…]
Fictionalizing science: How literature and film have shaped modern technology
Science fiction has always focussed primarily on imagining the future and coming up with inventions far beyond what was possible at the time. Whether science fiction directly inspired inventors or because writers were able to predict the future, several technologies first featured in fiction are now part of everyday life.[Read More…]
Soviet life on Mars
For as long as humans have looked to the stars, we have wondered what lies beyond the scope of our stratosphere. This wonder particularly piqued the imagination of artists and writers in Soviet Russia. On Feb. 20, a crowd gathered in the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) to hear Asif[Read More…]
NYRB publishes ‘Moderan,’ a delight of poetic science fiction
In the far-future conceptual world of Moderan, master of literary science fiction David R. Bunch forces readers to consider what it would be like to leave mortality behind. Originally published in 1971, and recently reissued by New York Review Books with 11 previously unread tales, Moderan is a refreshing departure from[Read More…]
‘Blade Runner 2049’ sets a new standard for Hollywood sequels
For decades, it seemed like a Blade Runner (1982) sequel was doomed to be an artistic failure. Arguably Ridley Scott’s magnum opus, the cyberpunk cult classic lives on in major part because of its absolute disinterest in offering clear answers to the questions it raises. The prospect of a follow-up threatened[Read More…]
