SciFi Fans Rejoice Over Megalopolis Release Date?
Francis Ford Coppola’s highly divisive and unconventional sci-fi film, Megalopolis, has finally found a North American distributor in Lionsgate, and its release is set for September 2024, with the film breaking cinematic tradition and featuring a controversial fourth wall-breaking scene that presents a major challenge for theatrical showings.
Solarpunk in New York City
Local Law 97 in New York City requires buildings over 25,000 square feet to meet specific emissions limits by 2030 or face fines, leading the owners of a 17-story building at 345 Hudson Street to install heat pumps now to meet the requirements and reduce emissions by 70-90%, through a thermal circulatory system and a miniature district heating system that will also be connected to a nearby building’s energy efficient ground source heat pump system, potentially leading to a reduction of emissions from over 6000 high rise buildings in New York City.
‘Quiet Place’ Scifi Monsters Are Dumb
The monsters in A Quiet Place Part II behave in a confusing and contradictory manner in regards to their motives and reactions to sound, leading to questions about whether they kill for food or because of the sound itself, with possible answers in future films.
Filoni Fails: Acolyte Writer Blames for Star Wars Low
The highly anticipated Star Wars TV series, The Acolyte, has received a dismal 14% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the worst-rated Star Wars television series of all time and surpassing the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special; the show’s writer has subtly placed the blame on Dave Filoni, a prominent figure in the Star Wars universe, for the decline in quality, sparking controversy and discussion among fans.
Watchable? Apple TV’s SciFi Trailer for ‘Sunny’
Apple TV’s newest addition, the sci-fi series Sunny, has surprised and excited fans with its intriguing plot and visually stunning trailer, and is set to premiere on July 10th on the streaming platform.
Breakdown: SciFi’s Influence on Psyop War
Annalee Newitz argues that the current intense cultural conflicts can be better understood as psychological warfare, which has been a permanent facet of American military doctrine since World War II and has deep roots in the 19th and 18th centuries, as seen in the work and research of science journalist and speculative novelist Paul Linebarger, who wrote the classic Cold War handbook “Psychological Warfare” and also created far-future science fiction under the pen name Cordwainer Smith, and Salon interviewed Newitz about their new book “Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind.”
Can’t Stop the Signal: Malcolm Reynolds’ Firefly Prequel
Boom! Studios’ Firefly: Malcolm Reynolds: Year One #1 promises to finally reveal the definitive origin story of Captain Mal Reynolds, adding depth to both the beloved protagonist and the world of Firefly, and tapping into untold story potential that fans have craved for decades.
Jonathan Majors Isn’t Going Away Yet
Jonathan Majors will star in the revenge thriller Merciless, directed by Martin Villeneuve, which follows a CIA interrogator who must go to dark lengths to defeat a malevolent force that has overtaken the woman he loves, and will be produced by Christopher Tuffin, who aims to showcase his new disruptive media venture that stands against public opinion and selective prosecution, and the film will mark Majors’ return to acting after his conviction and participation in an intervention program following a domestic violence incident that led to his removal from the MCU and shelving of Magazine Dreams.
Another Solar Power Startup Chasing Perovskites
Startup Swift Solar has received a large amount of funding to develop a new type of light-absorbing material called perovskites, which have the potential to greatly improve upon the current dominant solar technology of crystalline silicon and increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of solar panels, but there are still challenges and uncertainties to overcome before perovskites can become a widely adopted alternative.
Bryce Dallas Howard Wants to be Scifi’s Next Big Director
Bryce Dallas Howard, known for her work on the Star Wars franchise, has expressed interest in directing Star Trek and has praised Terry Matalas’ work on Star Trek: Picard, with her next directorial project being an episode of the upcoming Star Wars: Skeleton Crew series, following in the footsteps of her father Ron Howard.