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Stereoscope is big on ideas but pretty low on actually delivering—like most low-budget sci-fi. I’m not trying to demean the effort, but the movie suffers from the same problem pretty much all movies of this kind tend to suffer from. Of course, there are examples like Coherence (2013) or Primer (2004), but those are rarities. That said, Stereoscope is fairly watchable thanks to its cool premises. I should mention here that I have a soft spot for people attempting to make science fiction with limited resources, no matter the quality of the end product. In this article, we’re going to discuss the plot of Stereoscope and, of course, take a closer look into the ending of it.

Spoiler Alert

What Is The Movie About?

A man named Lewis is being chased by something called ‘The Reek,’ which is a monster. Obviously, Lewis is no match for such a vicious monster,...

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2024, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.

I’ve often measured the progress of my year by the movies I’ve seen. From the trashy B-movies in ‘dumpuary’ to the summer blockbuster and, eventually, the onslaught of ‘prestige fare’ and an overwhelming amount of screeners in December, movies have been a marker of time. I know, for example, that Halloween is coming up when my wife puts on Practical Magic or that Christmas is close when I make my yearly trip to Boston to see It’s a Wonderful Life with close friends. The same goes for my yearly panic when top-tens are due and I realize I have a pile of screeners begging for my attention.

This year was different. My time was less measured by the things I watched than what happened in...

If ever a film were brought into existence through the sheer force of one man's will, 2004's Primer is it. Over the course of three years, creator Shane Carruth (who was in his late 20s at the inception) wrote, directed, produced, edited, starred in, and wrote the score for the incredibly innovative, super-grounded sci-fi, all on a budget of $7,000. Primer would go on to win the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Alfred P. Sloan Prize and become a beloved sci-fi cult classic.

Javier Marco’s “Face to Face” (“A la cara”), the spin-off from a 2021 Goya winning short, was one of the big winners at this year’s RECLab in Tarragona, Spain which is celebrating its 10th anniversary by doing what it does best: Innovation, which questions many of the often set-in-stone conventions of festivals.

Also among winners at RECLab, part of the Rec – Tarragona Intl. Film Festival, were “Jone Batzuetan,” by Sara Fantova, a director on “This Is Not Sweden,” and “Woman Bites Dog,” from Armand Rovira (“Letters to Paul Morrissey”).

“L’homme Abissal o Phaeophytamón,” by Marina Wagner, an “experimental Gothic tale” as she puts it, won the Málaga Work in Progress Award.

Unveiled at RECLab in true post-production – without color-grading, nor soundwork nor digital effects – the feature “Face to Face” picks up but reworks the basic premise of Marco’s short: Pedro, middle-aged, unshaved, dowdily dressed, opens the door of his house to Lina,...

In his latest podcast/interview, host and screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with leading film researcher Stephen Follows about the epic The Horror Movie Report and “3 Films That Have Impacted Everything In Your Adult Life,” which includes:

The Matrix (1999) Primer (2004) The Bridges Of Madison County (1995)

3 Films That Have Impacted Everything In Your Adult Life is a podcast that explores the transformative power of cinema. From emotional masterpieces to thought-provoking classics, each episode delves into the films that have had a profound impact on our personal growth and perspective. Through engaging storytelling, critical analysis, and cultural commentary, Stuart aims to uncover the lasting influence that movies have had on his guests. Please join him on an emotional journey through the world of film and discover how just three movies can change the direction of a life, cement memories you will never forget or sometimes change how you see the world.

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"It feels like everything is just out of my control..." Electric Ent. has revealed an official trailer for an indie romantic sci-fi film called Futra Days, created by filmmaker Ryan David. This initially premiered in 2022 at Cinquest and is finally on VOD to watch now if anyone is interested in giving it a time travel spin. After undergoing an experimental time travel "process" that sends a man into his future, he investigates the man that he has become, by engaging in a romance with his future self's girlfriend in a mind-bending reality. The movie is about Sean's yearning for escape, about being trapped, and about the price he paid in relinquishing grand ambitions. Sounds like a tragedy. Futra Days stars Brandon Sklenar, Tania Raymonde, Jordan Hearn, Emily McEnroe, and Rosanna Arquette. Director Ryan David lists the films that inspired this one: Certified Copy, Altered States, La Notte, Primer, The Rain People,...

Time travel movies have captivated audiences since the early days of science-fiction, with filmmakers crafting increasingly elaborate ways to send their characters through time. Many rely on pure fantasy, with films such as Terminator giving us naked time-traveling Arnold, but some directors have embraced the challenge of grounding their adventures in real scientific possibilities. From Einstein's theory of relativity to quantum mechanics, these films draw from actual physics to create their frameworks for time travel.

When filmmakers collaborate with scientists, study physics, or commit to logical consistency to create their time travel rules, they create stories that feel more engaging, precisely because they could theoretically be possible. Rather than using time travel as a convenient plot device, these narratives embrace scientific principles as creative constraints. They prove that working within real-world frameworks can enhance rather than limit storytelling potential.

Interstellar (2014) This Little Maneuver's Gonna Cost Us 51 Years

Interstellar

Director Christopher...

There are two types of confusing movies. On one hand are those films that do confuse you while keeping you entertained so that even if you don’t “get it,” the viewing experience feels fruitful. Some examples that come to mind are Donnie Darko, Mulholland Drive, Memento, Predestination, Tenet, Coherence, and Nocturnal Animals. If you tell me to explain what was going on in these movies, I will probably fail miserably, but if you ask me if I am up for rewatching them again and again, I’ll say, “Hell yes.” That said, on the other hand, you have films that confuse you while forgetting to engage you in any meaningful way. I am talking about I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Under the Skin, Primer, Vanilla Sky, Lost Highway, and what I consider my arch-nemesis, Enemy. I’ve rewatched these films more than I have rewatched some of my...

There are some more serious-minded sci-fi movies that explore time travel, sure, like The Terminator films, Looper, and Primer. But time travel is also a somewhat ridiculous and probably even impossible concept in so many ways, and that makes it something filmmakers are more than happy to have some fun with. Enter the more light-hearted time travel movies; those that also function as comedies.

An estranged brother and sister reunite while hiding from the police in a remote barn that holds a secret procedure to transport people into the future

Writer-director Michael Felker makes his feature debut with this trudgingly downbeat sci-fi, an uncanny-realist time travel movie about a couple of criminals hiding out in the future; it’s a little in the style of Shane Carruth’s Primer or Rian Johnson’s Looper – though without the thrills, and without the cerebral frissons and ingenious plot contrivances where those thrills would otherwise go. It is produced by film-makers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who established a kind of authorial stamp on this kind of indie hipster-cosmic fantasy with their own (more interesting) film The Endless.

Things Will Be Different is about a dour and bearded drug dealer called Joseph (Adam David Thompson) who reconnects with his sister, single-mom Sidney (Riley Dandy), from whom he...

Time travel movies can be extremely difficult to get right, not just because of the complicated science thats involved, but because of the endless possibilities for plot holes and paradoxes. However, Project Almanac is one of the few time travel movies that manages to get everything right with the logistics of the story. Like all the best time travel films, It avoids all the potential pitfalls that come with the genre, providing us with a gripping, down-to-earth story that holds itself together and keeps us on the edge of our seats.

The story of Project Almanac follows protagonist David Raskin and his friends, as they discover his late fathers time travel blueprints. When they get to work building the device, the friends quickly realize that theyre out of their depth as they uncover the dangers of bending the laws of time. Its a hugely entertaining and unpredictable story that uses...

Not all sci-fi movies are created equal; some push boundaries in unexpected ways, changing viewer expectations. Genre tropes are subverted in films like "Under the Skin," "Arrival," and "Primer," offering unique storytelling experiences. "Blade Runner," "Moon," and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" challenge traditional sci-fi narratives with complex themes and characters.

Sci-fi is an inherently innovative and creative genre that ignites the imaginations of its viewers. However, not every sci-fi movie is created equal, as some push boundaries in ways the audience would never expect. These films break new ground on the viewer's expectation of formula and the rules of space and time within the science fiction oeuvre. Frequent viewers of sci-fi movies can usually guess how a story will unfold based on previous films, but these projects changed what critics and viewers thought they knew about sci-fi.

Every genre includes plot twists and misdirects to a certain extent,...

What sort of car does Marty McFly drive back to the future?DeLoreanFord PrefectVolkswagen BeetleFiat XI/9Which of these historical figures do Not feature in Bill & Ted’s history report?Queen VictoriaSocratesBilly the KidSigmund FreudLa Jetée inspired which time travel movie?12 MonkeysThe TerminatorTime BanditsTime CopIn Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), to what year are the characters transported by the eponymous time machine?1986198419851987How many Star Trek movies feature time travel?FourOneThreeSixWhich 19th century villain must Hg Wells attempt to thwart in 1979 movie Time After Time, feat. Malcolm McDowell?Jack the RipperMoriartySweeney ToddJohn Wilkes BoothWhat is the name of the time-travelling police force in 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme movie Timecop?Time Enforcement CommissionFederal Bureau of Temporal InvestigationsTime AgencyAgency Against AnachronismIn Christopher Nolan's Tenet (2020) what do they call the process that reverses entropy?InversionReversionConversionIntropyIn Source Code (2011) Jake Gyllenhaal's character Colter Stevens is sent back how many minutes before a bomb goes off?...

Primer is a mind-bending time travel movie that challenges viewers to keep up with overlapping timelines and alternate universes. Despite its low budget, Primer stands out for its intricate storytelling and attention to detail, making it a unique viewing experience. Don't expect to fully understand Primer on your first watch - the complex narrative is a challenge to overcome, and the confusion adds to its appeal.

With 73% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, Primer is an excellent time travel movie that audiences have spent the past 20 years trying to get their heads around. The film follows two friends as they accidentally create a machine that allows them to travel through time, but their obsession over the creation ultimately leads to overlapping timelines and alternate universes that challenge the audience to keep the story straight in their minds. Primer is one of the most impressive indie time travel movies, not just because of the story,...

The Bloody Disgusting-powered Screambox is home to a variety of unique horror content, from originals and exclusives to cult classics and documentaries. With such a rapidly-growing library, there are many hidden gems waiting to be discovered.

Here are five recommendations you can stream on Screambox right now.

Possum

Like Jordan Peele, John Krasinski, and Zach Cregger, Matthew Holness made a name for himself in the comedy space — most notably, creating and starring in Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace — before delivering one hell of a horror movie right out the gate. 2018’s Possum is a psychological slow-burner that follows a disgraced children’s puppeteer back to his childhood home, where the trauma of his past comes back to haunt him.

A lifelike human head tethered to spindly spider legs, the titular puppet would be creepy in any context, but Holness turns it into pure nightmare fuel. Combined with an oppressive tone, unnerving...

Rewatching confusing films like The Big Sleep can reveal hidden narratives and add layers of understanding to the overall story. Films like 2001: A Space Odyssey challenge viewers with complex themes that become clearer upon repeated viewings. Movies like Primer and Mulholland Drive may require multiple rewatches to fully grasp their dense and intricate plots.

When I think of the most rewarding film-viewing experiences Ive ever had, I have to give kudos to the confusing movies that I only properly understood upon a rewatch. While its great to have a film that can be immediately understood, sometimes actors, directors, and writers release more challenging works that must be revisited and reinterpreted through multiple screenings that add to our understanding of the overall narrative. This can be enjoyable as new details reveal themselves, and I pick up on narrative clues that went over my head the first time around.

Ive found...

To say that The Big Bend is set in the American desert is technically true but also a wild understatement. The stark and unsettling beauty of West Texas, with its cliffs and canyons and ghost towns, isn’t mere backdrop to this well-observed drama; it infuses the movie on a molecular level. Brett Wagner’s atmospheric feature — which has begun its theatrical journey a couple of years after playing the fest circuit — revolves around a holiday get-together that proves anything but relaxing for two couples and their school-age kids. With its mixture of laid-back intimacy and stressed-out intensity, the story pushes the characters out of their not-so-comfortable comfort zones and into an uncharted territory that’s variously tantalizing, terrifying and forgiving.

The pull of mystery and adventure is there from the get-go, in the traveling shot that opens the film: a view through the windshield of a car moving down a two-lane highway.

"How do we contain this?" What do you do when more & more clones don't stop replicating? Here's a clever sci-fi short film to enjoy that's now online to watch. Variations on a Theme is an 8-minute sci-fi short by filmmaker Peter Collins Campbell, about a couple that has started splitting into copies of themselves. It was filmed in Chicago and screened at various festivals in the last year, including at Overlook, Beyond Fest, Fantaspoa, Grimmfest, Seattle, Popcorn Frights, and plenty others. A couple has begun physically splitting into many different versions of themselves, and must investigate an uncomfortable mutation. "I'm getting really tired of breaking the news that we already exist to copies of ourselves." This stars Sophia Dunn-Walker as Sam and Peter Collins Campbell as Mark. Reminds of Primer as a smart lo-fi sci-fi concept, keeping it fast-paced coming in under 8 minutes while providing plenty to think about within the narrative.

Spoilers ahead for "Coherence."

There are movies often cited as being confusing or mind-melting, like "Inception" or "Memento," which really aren't that complicated. Then there's something like "Primer," which requires detailed diagrams and hours-long YouTube explainers to begin to unravel its web of twists and turns. Sitting happily in the middle is James Ward Byrkit's "Coherence," one of the best sci-fi films of the past decade and a movie that is complex and mild-melting yet not so complex that it's hard to follow.

The film begins with an alluring premise of four couples meeting at a friend's house for dinner on the night a comet is passing by the Earth. While they all have messy relationships to navigate, the comet causes quantum decoherence, creating split realities and allowing the guests' alternate selves to intrude into their reality, and vice-versa. It's a concept that allows for plenty of twists while also allowing for simplicity,...

The other night, I had a hankering to watch a good high-concept movie I'd never seen before. I saw 2014's "Coherence" on a few lists, and being almost wholly unfamiliar with it, I decided to fire it up and give it a shot. Thankfully, this film gave me exactly what I was looking for.

Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon, Elizabeth Gracen, Alex Manugian, Lauren Maher, Hugo Armstrong, and eventual "Hustlers" director Lorene Scafaria star in this ultra-low budget brain melter about a group of friends gathering for a dinner party while a comet passes by overhead. When the power goes out, a couple of them trek up the street to a neighboring house with the lights on -- only to discover something that shakes them to their core. I won't get into the specifics here, but the film has an incredible conceit, and director James Ward Byrkit, who shot...

This post contains spoilers for "Primer."

It is tempting to describe "Primer" as a time travel film — which it very much is — but the sheer headiness of the subject matter morphs it into something undefinable and elusive, eclipsing the metaphor of a puzzle box by the time the credits roll. Crafted with a shoestring budget of roughly $7,000, Shane Carruth's debut feature demands a certain sense of discipline and meticulous attention to detail, where seemingly innocuous dialogue or subtle character expressions often prove crucial to unraveling its wildly complicated plot. To call "Primer" confusing is an understatement: it is a film that absolutely requires repeat viewings simply to be understood, but engaging intimately with it does not guarantee comprehension of every facet.

Although Carruth peppers enough clues and red herrings to help us arrive at a sound conclusion, "Primer" does not encourage the tying up of every loose end, or...

Primer: Clashing Colors #1 brings fresh young blood to DC Comics, featuring the new hero Primer alongside the classic Teen Titans. Fans are excited about Primer's new comic series, showcasing her colorful powers and her mission to prove herself to the Teen Titans. Primer's story, written by Jennifer Muro and Thomas Krajewski, continues DC Comics' streak of incredible YA comics focused on young superheroes.

The Teen Titans from the 2003 cartoon are back and teaming up with DC Comics’ newest YA superhero, Primer. Fresh young blood is exactly what DC Comics needs to continue its ever-growing popularity. After numerous delays, Primer will finally have her new comic book series alongside the Teen Titans of the 2003 cartoon.

Primer: Clashing Colors #1’s cover art by Gretel Lusky features the new hero, Primer, using her powers to create beautiful spray art of the Teen Titans.

Primer: Clashing Colors #1 (2024)

Release Date:

July 10, 2024

Writers:...

There is a very narrow subset of time travel movies that inspires the creation of graphs and diagrams, along with multiple rewatches. These movies have complex plots, generally involving different versions of the same characters existing at the same point in time. But beyond being too twisty to make sense of in a single viewing, these movies seem to promise that their intricate mysteries can truly be solved – and that the solution will be mind-blowing enough to be worth any amount of effort. Tenet is a movie like this. The legendary 2004 indie microbudget Primer is another. But, there's at least one more movie that belongs in this group, that makes you crack out the pen, paper, and spreadsheet software. That movie is 2009's Triangle. But unlike Tenet and Primer, Triangle isn't a sci-fi movie. Rather, it's the first major entry in the fast growing sub-genre known as "time-loop horror."...

As a fan who’s always ready to warp into the realms of time travel movies, my anticipation for Things Will Be Different was as high as my hopes for a DeLorean to appear on my driveway. Helmed by Michael Felker, in what marks his leap from editing to directing, with frequent collaborators Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson (Something in The Dirt) producing, this film is a time-twisting tale that packs a lot more than just temporal leaps.

Things Will Be Different throws estranged siblings Joseph (Adam David Thompson) and Sidney (Riley Dandy) into a temporal tangle that’s more twisted than spaghetti in a black hole. After a diner meet-up goes awry, they find refuge in an abandoned farmhouse that’s more than it appears. What initially seems like a lucky escape turns into a chronal puzzle, ensnaring them in a time they can’t easily zip back from.

Berlin-based sales agent M-Appeal has boarded queer Brazilian sex worker tale “Streets of Glória,” and will present the film to buyers during the upcoming European Film Market. The project is described as “an uninhibited portrayal of passion and sex work, and a journey toward self-acceptance.”

Brazilian writer-director Felipe Sholl’s second feature, produced by Daniel van Hoogstraten of Syndrome Films in Brazil, was presented at Ventana Sur in Primer Corte, a work-in-progress section, and has already garnered attention for its provocative narrative and emotionally charged performances.

The film follows the story of Gabriel (Caio Macedo), a young literature teacher, who has just moved to Rio. He discovers The Glória, a bar and cruising spot in Rio’s neighborhood Glória, where he soon becomes friends with the magnetic owner Monica (Diva Menner) and is introduced to her tight-knit group of friends: Laila (Jade Sassará), Mateus (Alan Ribeiro) and Roger (Sandro Aliprandini...

Indie sci-fi films offer unique perspectives and explore the human condition, separate from big-budget blockbusters. These hidden gems may lack flashy effects, but make up for it with emotional resonance and thought-provoking narratives. For those tired of formulaic storytelling, indie sci-fi films deliver clever scripts brought to life by talented filmmakers.

The sci-fi genre boasts numerous films, often dominated by big-budget productions with elaborate special effects. However, there are hidden gems with compelling narratives that deserve recognition beyond the Hollywood spotlight. Though sci-fi blockbusters rake in profits, quieter independent films tell thoughtful stories that explore the human condition. Without the pressure of achieving mainstream success, directors have creative freedom to craft unique visions. Their productions may lack flashy computer graphics, but make up for it with emotional resonance and imaginative themes.

For every major sci-fi movie releasing this year, there are several intriguing character studies waiting to transport viewers to fascinating alternate worlds.

Milena Times’ debut feature “November” joins two further titles from Brazil as part of Primer Corte and Copia Final, Ventana Sur’s pix-in-post industry showdown. It participated in various development guises including BrLab – Audiovisual Project Development Laboratory in 2017, and as a finalist for the Cabíria Screenplay Award, also participating in Cabiria Lab 2020. Fully funded at both state and national levels in Brazil, “November” is a testament to the burgeoning film industry in the country.

“When the project for ‘November’ first came to us, there was already great potential in the proposal offered by screenwriter and director Milena Times,” said producer Dora Amorim, who alongside producing partners Júlia Machado and Thaís Vidal, runs Ponte Produtoras. “Milena’s trajectory as a filmmaker and her participation in feminist movements immediately encouraged us to embrace the project in a definitive way. As we began the development stage and the first phase of research, upon approaching the subject of abortion,...

Latin America’s biggest audiovisual market runs November 27-December 1.

The 15th edition of Ventana Sur, the biggest audio­visual market in Latin America, is showcasing some of the best completed films, projects and works in progress (WiP) from across the continent from November 27-December 1.

Genre, animation and WiPs form the main axis of the five-day event in Buenos Aires, which is a collaboration between Argentinian film agency Incaa and Cannes’ Marché du Film. Further sections include Maquinitas, which is dedicated to video games, and Remakes, which reimagines older projects with a contemporary sensibility.

The Blood Window genre section incorporates market...

Backed by the Cannes Film Market and Argentina’s Incaa film agency, the 15th Ventana Sur and its much anticipated works in progress sections, Primer Corte and Copia Final, unspool over Nov. 27-Dec. 1 in Buenos Aires.

This year’s crop of films, either in post-production or completed, make scant reference to the region’s brutal historical past, perhaps with the exception of “Pepe” by Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias, which begins with the capture of drug lord Pablo Escobar who sowed terror and chaos for years in Colombia, or José María Cabral’s “Tiguere,” set in a ‘90s Dominican Republic.

In contrast, they focus more on human interest stories as in the territorial dispute in “El Casero”; family clashes in “November” and “Una casa con dos perros” – also a reference to Argentina’s economic crisis – as well as issues of identity and intergenerational relationships.

In Mexican filmmaker Rigoberto Perezcano’s poignant black-and-white drama,...

A trio of Dark Sky Films titles have made their way onto Screambox this Friday the 13th!

A young couple find themselves face to face with a terrifying evil when they venture into the heart of Bigfoot country in Willow Creek, director Bobcat Goldthwait’s unique spin on the horror genre.

“Looking to make a splash with his research videos into the existence of Bigfoot, Jim (Bryce Johnson) and his skeptical girlfriend Kelly (Alexie Gilmore) take a camping trip to the mountains surrounding Willow Creek, California, a small town where famous footage of the legendary Sasquatch was filmed decades earlier. Jim believes Bigfoot exists and is intent on finding the very spot where the huge, hairy, man-like creature supposedly strode.

But before long, Jim and Kelly are lost in the woods and discover that someone – or something – is stalking them. With each passing night bringing unknowable danger, the two must...

Warning: contains spoilers for The Penguin #1!DC has finally given fans something to call Batman's most R-rated villain, as the former Agent Nuri Espinoza returns to Gotham. A former federal agent, fans last saw Espinoza in Tom King and David Marquez's Batman: Killing Time miniseries, set during the early days of the Dark Knight's career as a vigilante. During that adventure, the foul-mouthed agent was shot in the head by Riddler. While she survived, the resultant brain damage left her unable to speak in anything but curse words, earning her the nickname 'Agent #%@%.'

In King and Rafael de Latorre's The Penguin #1, Espinoza returns, initially introducing herself to Penguin as 'Agent Bleep.' In DC and Marvel comics, curse words are generally censored using grawlix, where typographical symbols replace letters. As Agent #%@%, Espinoza's codename was therefore always implied, but couldn't actually be printed by DC. By swapping...

The constant conundrum of time travel films can be summarized succinctly — if someone changes the past in any way, then that action will have ripple effects which completely change the future; what happens to the future when you change it out of existence? That's the essential paradox of time travel, and it's just as complicated in a multiverse with free will as it is in one deterministic linear universe. Time travel is thus more complicated than most people think.

Some films actually treat time travel with the respect it deserves, such as Primer, which meticulously grapples with the ramifications of even the smallest jumps in time. The new film Lola, directed by Andrew Legge and written by Legge and Angeli Macfarlane, is another great example. Lola takes the concept of time travel very seriously, even if it is injected with a kind of whimsy and fantasy. It's a confounding film...

Have you heard of a new movie about a team of quantum physicists who build a revolutionary device that, once it’s set off, may change the course of the world forever?

In the case that you have, you’re probably not thinking of Aporia, a cleverly crafted sci-fi indie whose budget was only an infinitesimal fraction of the one used for Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, but whose emotional repercussions are just as palpable, if not more so at times.

Written and directed by Jared Moshé (The Ballad of Lefty Brown), the high-concept and extremely low-fi feature follows a trio of Angelenos who utilize a homemade particle accelerator to kill people in the past, causing unpredictable fallout in the present. Subtly acted and deftly scripted, if a bit generic in its execution, the Well Go USA release should find a few cult followers in theaters and a bigger audience on streaming platforms.

Morgan Freeman and Josh Hutcherson team up in the sci-fi thriller 57 Seconds, which follows a blogger seeking revenge after his family is destroyed. The film is based on Edwin Charles Tubb's "Fallen Angel" and introduces a time-altering device for the protagonist's quest for justice. The official trailer, unveiled on IGN, gives a glimpse into the action-packed and suspenseful experience, featuring an unexpected pairing of actors and a storyline involving time travel and a pharmaceutical company.

The 57 Seconds trailer reveals an unexpected team-up between Morgan Freeman and Josh Hutcherson. Directed by Rusty Cundieff, the sci-fi thriller is based on the story "Fallen Angel" by Edwin Charles Tubb and follows a tech blogger who discovers a time-altering device and uses it to seek revenge against those responsible for destroying his family. Other than the pairing of The Hunger Games' Josh Hutcherson and Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman, the cast also includes Lovie Simone,...

It's never been a more exciting time to be a fan of science fiction, and this genre has been able to truly thrive in cinema over the past decades. The ballooning budget of studio blockbusters allows for greater levels of grandiose spectacles, some of which work best when in a sci-fi setting.

Sci-fi is a versatile and evergreen genre because it covers such a wide range of ideas, all of which come down to mankind's desire to build and improve upon a world that they don't want to accept. There are some unavoidable tent pole sci-fi films like the Star Wars and Transformers franchises or most of the filmography of Christopher Nolan. However, there are also some hidden sci-fi gems out there that audiences deserve to give a shot.

Related: 15 Sci-Fi Films That Bombed At The Box Office But Became Cult Classics

Upstream Color Release Date: 2013

Upstream Color explores the...

Welcome to the latest instalment of a brand-new feature here on Nerdly, where one of our comic gurus, Ian Wells, delves into comics history and dissects Comics Interview, the long-running journal of interviews and criticism from David Anthony Kraft.

Up Front

Dak uses the Up Front space in this issue to plug upcoming releases from Fictioneer Books. Both in fact have had adverts run in every issue of Comics Interview so far. The first is Omniverse #3 by Mark Gruenwald (work on Ohotmu has held him up). Second, is a Don McGregor-penned James Bond series. From now on I won’t be dedicating a space to any new additions to the credits page. I will just mention any newcomers as and when the articles they contributed to come up. Also, I will not be calling out the letters pages every issue. Of course, if they get lively I will reconsider this decision,...

Time travel is one of the most used themes in science fiction, and it allows artists to make their own rules – however, this has led to many nonsensical stories about time travel, but there are also many others that actually make sense. Time travel in film can be traced all the way back to 1949 with the adaptation of Mark Twain’s 1889 novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, starring Bing Crosby, and one of the earliest, most influential time-travel movies was George Pal’s 1960 adaptation of H.G. Well’s 1895 novella The Time Machine.

Since then, time travel has been a fascinating topic to cover in film, and it has made its way to various genres – from drama (such as About Time) to horror (like Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness) and even the world of superheroes (Avengers: Endgame). As time travel is a concept rather than a reality,...

"There's no future here. Just one, long spiral into forever..." Elli Films, Unfolding Entertainment and Mind Engagement Productions have debuted the first official trailer for a British indie sci-fi film titled Breaking Infinity. It recently premiered at the Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival, where it won Best Director, and will open in UK theaters this June in the summer. Sounds like it could be good. Liam is a scientific researcher who has been "unstuck in time", who must visit the ancient past and distant future. As his jumps through time get more extreme, he is guided to the future by a mysterious old man where he witnesses the end of the world that he may have caused. The sci-fi thriller stars Neil Bishop, Zoe Cunningham, Martin Bishop, Zed Josef, and Jonny Phillips. "We're thrilled that audiences will get the opportunity to see Breaking Infinity on the big screen where it belongs!

With the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in full swing, and our own Chris Bumbray covering the event, we wanted to know what film is your favorite of Sundance’s top prize: The Grand Jury Prize- Dramatic. From the very first winner (Old Enough) in 1984 to the most recent winner (Nanny) in 2022, let us know your favorite. If you’ve been to Sundance, please share your experience(s) in the comments section.

Favorite Sundance Grand Jury Prize WinnerNanny (2022)Coda (2021)Minari (2020)Clemency (2019)The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)The Birth of a Nation (2016)Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)Whiplash (2014)Fruitvale Station (2013)Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)Like Crazy (2011)Winter's Bone (2010)Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (2009)Frozen River (2008)Padre Nuestro (2007)Quinceañera (2006)Forty Shades of Blue (2005)Primer (2004)American Splendor (2003)Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002)The Believer (2001)Girlfight (2000)You Can Count on Me (2000)Three...

When they’re done right, big-budget sci-fi films can offer viewers a thought-provoking, intelligent story tied to a grand spectacle. While there are many examples of big-budget sci-fi’s that hit the mark, there are just as many that fail to meet it, often featuring clichéd plot points with less than stellar visual effects.

The beauty behind a great low-budget sci-fi film is that it doesn’t have the luxury of money behind it to potentially mask its shortcomings with whiz-bang action and special effects. A low-budget sci-fi must rely purely on its story while using clever filmmaking techniques to build a sense of mystery surrounding the world and characters it’s presenting.

Update: 2023/01/20 12:00 Est By Shawn S. Lealos

Avatar: The Way of Water will dominate the box office in 2022's holiday season as the sequel to James Cameron's original Avatar, the highest-grossing movie of all time. However,...

Spanish director Manolo Munguía, who made a splash on the festival circuit with his feature debut “H0us3,” is prepping his lo-fi sci-fi follow-up, “In Another World.”

Set up at Munguía’s Barcelona-based Ghostdog label and produced by Sergio Martínez, a co-scribe with Munguía on “H0us3,” “In Another World” has been selected for next March’s Malaga Festival Fund & Co-Production Event (Maff), one of Málaga’s industry centerpieces.

It forms one of six Spanish productions at a talent-packed 22-title lineup of first and second feature projects from Spain and Latin America and part of Málaga’s predictably powerful Spanish Screenings Content spread.

“H0us3” won best film at the Speculative Film Fest in Seattle and best director at the Miami Intl. SciFi Film Festival, alongside vying in main competition at the Edinburgh Intl. Film Festival in 2019. It shone a dystopian light on the many pitfalls advanced technology may drift us towards.

Spanish Screenings on Tour, video games section among anticipated highlights.

Ventana Sur organisers anticipate a record number of participants to descend on Buenos Aires for the in-person return of Latin America’s leading audiovisual market running November 28–December 2.

This year’s edition is loaded with animation and genre, a profusion of works in progress as well as video game projects and the arrival of Spanish Screenings On Tour.

Ventana Sur is heading towards a record attendance this year as organisers said more than 2,500 participants including 400 from Europe, 100 from North America and 400 from Latin America (excluding Argentina) have registered so far.

Does the DC Universe's newest and powerful hero Primer have what it takes to join the Teen Titans? A sequel to the hero's debut graphic novel has gotten the green light and will see what the Titan hopeful is truly capable of.

13-year-old hero Ashley Rayburn first appeared out of the blue in the middle grade graphic novel Primer in June 2020. After discovering a collection of special body paints developed by her adoptive mother, Yuka Nolan, Ashley realized each color could give her a special power. By using a combination of any three paints at a time, Ashley becomes the powerful hero Primer, and starts a journey of heroism. Though she's still learning the ropes, she has a large cast of friends and family to help her on the way. Primer was such a hit with audiences, the character even made a canonical appearance in DC's Prime Earth in...

Time travel movies are amongst the most well-trodden in the sci-fi genre. Why is that, exactly? What makes them so appealing? It's tough to pin down but they can be just about anything, from the all-timer, family-friendly blockbuster "Back to the Future" to James Cameron's R-rated "The Terminator," and even the wildly creative low-budget "Primer." One of the best additions to the genre from recent memory came in 2012 courtesy of filmmaker Rian Johnson in the form of "Looper," which sees Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis playing younger and older versions of the same contract killer.

The hook is that crime syndicates use illegal time travel in the future to kill people, with Loopers being the ones to do the deed. But they have an expiration date and will be killed several decades after retirement, and that retirement comes the day they kill the future version of themselves. A tantalizing...

Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson in Meet Cute Image: Mki Distribution Services / Peacock The first day at any “introduction to screenwriting” class worth its salt hammers one thing home: your story won’t connect with an audience if your lead characters don’t want anything. Yes, yes, rules are made to be broken,...

Forget flux capacitors and sports almanacs. Where these underrated time travel movies are going, you don't need mainstream references. This year-hopping corner of cinema may be predominantly dominated by Marty and the Doc's souped-up DeLorean and emotionless machines sent back in time to kill us, but take a deeper look and you'll find a range of stories that take time travel to some pretty unexpected places.

If we were to have our way, this list wouldn't be quite as brief. After all, with the entire space-time continuum at their fingertips, you'd think filmmakers would've put a little more effort into mining time travel for the full mind-bending potential the genre contains. However, as it stands, truly left-field adventures can often seem few and far between.

That said, we're lucky to have a handful of movies that use time and space as a jumping-off point to tell tales that are wild,...

Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2022 Locarno Film Festival. Dark Sky Films releases the film in theaters and on VOD on Friday, August 4.

An immensely clever and resourceful micro-budget movie about time-travel in the tradition of “La Jetée,” “Primer,” and last year’s loopy Japanese wonder “Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes,” Andrew Legge’s collage-like “Lola” seamlessly combines authentic World War II-era newsreels together with fictional home videos to create a (very modern) found footage sci-fi story that strives to feel like it could have been made by someone in 1941, or at least by Guy Maddin in 2006.

The premise is tantalizing enough to keep your imagination tickled for most of the film’s brisk 79-minute running time: In 2021, a mystery cache of meticulously edited old celluloid was discovered in the cellar of a Sussex country house that once belonged to Martha and Thomasina Hanbury. It contained...

Shane Carruth, the director of independent films “Upstream Color” and “Primer,” was arrested last week at the home of his ex-girlfriend on allegations of domestic assault.

Carruth was arrested by Santa Monica police officers on Thursday morning. Police were called to the woman’s home around 4:50 a.m. to investigate the alleged assault, said Lt. Rudy Flores. By the time officers arrived, Carruth had left the area. The ex-girlfriend — whose name was not disclosed — provided the officers with information about the incident.

She then called back around 6:50 a.m., saying Carruth had returned. Police came back to the scene, found him nearby, and arrested him on suspicion of domestic violence and vandalism, according to Flores.

According to booking records, Carruth was released on $50,000 bond on Monday afternoon.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has declined to file felony charges, and instead referred the case to the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office,...

LGBTQ media advocacy organization GLAAD announced a preliminary list of celebrities, shows and networks set to participate in this year’s Spirit Day, the anti-bullying campaign taking place on Oct. 21.

Among the names announced are Zuri Adele, Ryan Michelle Bathé, Michael Judson Berry, Michael Bolton, Bob The Drag Queen, Kent Boyd, Crystal Lee Brown, Sterling K. Brown, Aria Brooks, Ever Carradine, Fernando Carsa, Philemon Chambers, Jeffrey Bowyer Chapman, Chloe x Halle, Malia Civetz, Garrett Clayton, Andy Cohen, Jason Collins, Jasmine Davis, Scott Evan Davis, Ellen DeGeneres, Maxwell Acee Donovan, Lisa Durupt, Gabriel Feitosa, August Getty, Christopher Gorham, Harper Grae, Kat Graham, Frankie Grande, Mollee Gray, The Greeting Committee, Kahmora Hall, Rachael Harris, Ty Herndon, Kathy Ireland, Jeka Jane, Jordy, Natacha Karam, Isis King, Victoria Konefal, Carson Kressley, Matty Maggiacomo, Kevin Mambo, Meredith Marks, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Michael & Matt, Mk xyz, Kron Moore, Jessica Morris, Mya, Amber Nash, Annika Noelle, Eureka O’Hara,...

Erratum's budget probably wouldn't stretch to cover any of the platinum poison pills of Tenet, a film with which it shares a number of features. Not just time travel of sorts, but ambition. On a shoestring, not quite literally, it manages to bounce back and forth to create a pleasing picture that ably marks its way.

I was minded of Primer, another pocket-friendly puzzle of physics fun. That had more to do with intent, however, than execution. Primer's budget was spend entirely on film, requiring rigorous rehearsal to capture exactly what was intended in something symbolic of the film itself. Erratum 2037 is far more ramshackle, endearingly so. There seems to be nowhere where intent was moderated by budget, and it's all the stronger for it.

There are car chases, or at least chases involving things like cars. There's a bit that's cribbed from North By Northwest, among nods to...