​Truth be told: I fell in love with Lucy Griffiths back in the days of her appearances aboard the BBC’s occasionally campy Robin Hood (2006-2009).  A few years later, she turned up aboard HBO’s True Blood, though her character – Nora Gainsborough – was sadly relegated to second-tier status, essentially a supporting player to Alexander Skarsgård’s Eric Northman.  Today, I was delighted to discover her as one of the leads aboard 2015’s UNCANNY, a clever and thought-provoking SciFi potboiler that deserves to find an audience as big as its ideas.
 
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the product packaging: “For ten years, inventor David Kressen has lived in seclusion with his inventions, including Adam, a robot with incredible lifelike human qualities.  When reporter Joy Andrews is given access to their unconventional facility, she is alternately repelled and attracted to the scientist and his creation.  But as Adam exhibits emergent behavior of anger and jealousy towards her, she finds herself increasingly entangled in a web of deception where no one’s motives are easily decipherable.”
​

​Readers are quick to lambast me for taking more than a few words to tell you what I thought of a new release, so I’ll try to keep all of this as simple and sweet as possible, tying that in with my affection for the simple and sweet Lucy Griffiths.  She’s at times subtle, at times luminescent in this star-crossed triangle where woman meets man and machine.  In ways, it’s a mildly predictable tale – anytime testosterone edges out the estrogen there’s bound to be a conflict – but it’s still nonetheless ably delivered and smartly performed by Griffiths and her co-stars, Mark Webber and David Clayton Rogers.
 
Andrews (Griffiths) meets this cybernetically-inclined Odd Couple, and sparks don’t exactly fly.  Because she’s established her credentials in the publishing industry as the ‘go-to’ gal for most things robotics, she’s naturally intrigued by what she learns Dr. Kressen (Webber) has achieved in the comfort and privacy of his own home/lab/condo: the all-too-obviously-named Adam (Rogers) might just be the real deal – the first walking, talking, fully humanoid Artificial Intelligence … suddenly starts to veer into creepy territory when Adam begins exhibiting some inclinations both ‘hot’ and ‘bothered’ for our lady Andrews.  (Wink/wink: can’t say that I blame ‘im!)
 
From there, Shahin Chandrasoma’s smart script traffics in some far more conventional and bubbly territory (“Do androids dream wet dreams?”) as Adam’s fatal attraction starts to look more DEMON SEED than it does SHORT CIRCUIT.  Sequences show him in his private time exploring live porn on the internet, and he even manages to cleverly position a webcam (of sorts) in Joy’s apartment, a development that earns both the android and audiences the welcome turn at Joy’s partial butt crack.  (The things a robot does for love!)  From there, his obsession grows, but – as cruel plot subroutines would have it – the reporter is drawn to the inventor’s more stoic and subtler genius (Webber is full-on channeling THE BIG BANG THEORY’S Jim Parsons at this point), and this is where UNCANNY draws much of its uncanniness for its final act.
​

​Like many SciFi thrillers that have come before have done, UNCANNY’s story relies on a narrative sleight of hand (things are decidedly NOT what they seem, kinda/sorta in that ol’ M. Night Shyamalan way of motion picture storytelling), and no doubt viewers might notice some of Chandrasoma and director Leutwyler’s more obvious misdirections (I won’t spoil it).  This certainly isn’t a perfect potboiler, but I’d argue it was never entirely meant to be: instead, UNCANNY finishes as it starts, always being more about the human condition that it ever truly was anything robotic … and that may be the harshest lesson for both man and machine of all.
 
Granted, this is the kind of film that nerds, geeks, and general SciFi enthusiasts will have a blast with (with, as a said, some reservations for its more ‘soapy’ elements); but it’s also the type of feature which might win the genre some crossover appeal: Griffiths and her suitors are all lookers, and UNCANNY might just turn out to be one of those unheard-of releases that finds itself the recipient of solid word-of-mouth.
​

​UNCANNY (2015) is produced by Accelerated Matter, Shoreline Entertainment, Emergent Behavior, Ambush Entertainment, and Uncanny.  DVD distribution is being handled by the reliable RLJ Entertainment and Image Entertainment.  As for the technical specifications?  Director Matthew Leutwyler does an impressive job sighting and sounding the picture, though some of the close-ups seemed a wee bit too high (or too low) and the flick is adorned with those God awful JJ Abrams’ lens flares far too often.  Packaging states that there is closed captioned for the Hearing-Impaired (though there was no specific subtitling track that I could find).  Lastly, if you’re looking for special features, then you have about 10 minutes of deleted scenes (nothing all that grand, so far as I found).
 
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.  I’m a SciFi junkie, and that means there are parts of UNCANNY that I just couldn’t get enough of – the classic misdirect, the nuanced discussions of artificial intelligence, etc.  Granted, I could’ve done without the JJ Abrams’ lens flare effects constantly peppering the screen and some of the more obvious potboiler elements could’ve been dialed back just a bit … but – in the end – I’m still left with a smart, excellently conceived, and well performed cautionary tale about what’s likely going on psychologically behind-the-scenes in the whole man-versus-machine smackdown.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Image Entertainment and RLJ Entertainment provided me with a DVD of UNCANNY by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.

It isn't every day that we at SciFiHistory.Net can celebrate the birth of a bona fide SciFi franchise, but -- as the calendar reminds us -- exactly 31 years ago today James Cameron's The Terminator caught us entirely unawares up on the silver screen.  On a budget of just over $6M, the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle went on to gross (domestically) right near $40M, but it would be seven years before audiences were given the chance to return to that universe that first introduced us to killer cyborgs, Sarah Connor, and hints of a coming nuclear Armageddon we'd eventually fear as 'Judgment Day.'

Be sure to check out all of the day's SciFi highlights:

          October 26th

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

Like so many of us, I grew up watching some wonderful television shows.  Back in the day, TV wasn't nearly as grim, gritty, and dark as it's largely become in this modern era: I'm not complaining, rather only pointing out a bit of the obvious for those in-the-know.

Still, I can remember many Saturday mornings I wasted away captivated with the classic Flash Gordon serials.  Perhaps every time I found them on the dial (ask your parents what a dial is, kids) I tuned in, even if this was the fifteenth or sixteenth time.  I couldn't get enough of Flash and Dale and Ming's encounters, and -- back in that era -- entertainment wasn't available at the drop of a coin, the press of a button, or the click of a mouse.  Consequently, me (and those like me) scarfed up whatever we could get whenever we could get it, and I've seriously lost count of the number of times I've watched many of these dated adventures.

But ... can you imagine my glee when two of my icons -- Gil Gerard and Buster Crabbe -- actually got the chance to work together "in a very special episode" of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century?  "Very special" doesn't cut it as a descriptor.  How about 'momentous'?  'Stupendous'?  'Serendipitous'? Yes, it was indeed a wondrous October 24th all the way back in 1979 when "Return of the Fighting 69th" brought two worlds together for SciFi fans of a certain era.

Be certain to check out all of today's SciFi highlights:

          October 25th

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

All too often it's been said that ladies can't make for a successful Science Fiction franchise, and -- all too often -- I've said "hogwash" right back.  Peeps, I encourage you to take a good, hard look at all of the popular franchises and tell me there isn't more than a fair share of quality estrogen worked in there at some point.  In fact, one could argue that many of the best properties rely heavily on the kinder, gentler gender.

What does it take to be a successful SciFi lady?  Well, it never hurts that most of them are downright sexier-than-Hell (never a disadvantage), but there's much much more working beneath the surface for these women.  It takes Aayla Secura's commitment to justice.  It takes Sikozu's cunning.  It takes Clarke Griffin's persistence.  It takes Diana Skouris's faith.  And, yes, it even takes just a wee little bit of Miss Hartigan's deceit.

Why ... who would've guessed that all of this would be available from the ladies of SciFi who celebrate a birthday on October 24th?

Be certain to check out today's full accounting of highlights:

          October 24th

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

Well now.  It isn't every day of the SciFi year that SciFiHistory.Net gets to celebrates a genius the likes of which Al Yankovic remains throughout his illustrious career, and that's sayin' somethin', peeps.  With his hits 'Yoda' and 'The Saga Begins,' Al has helped the cause of Star Wars so much that he's even received affectionate nods from no less than George Lucas.  Kudos there, and kudos to the great parodies and satires that have to date sprung from Al's fertile mind.

I'll leave it at that today.

Be certain to check out and share today's highlights:

          October 23rd

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

One of the truths involving great Science Fiction is that it takes any idea -- no matter how complex -- and makes it accessible for the reader, viewer, or general enthusiast.  Like Steven Spielberg did in bringing Michael Crichton's bestselling Jurassic Park to big, bold, brash cinematic life.  In it, Jeff Goldblum gives a great little verbal dissertation about Chaos Theory in such a way that it becomes part and parcel of the main story.  That's exactly what I'm talking about, and that's exactly why we'll give Mr. Goldblum a big shout-out today for his birthday.

Be certain to check out all of the day's SciFi highlights:

          October 22nd

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

As I've mentioned before, Science Fiction stylistically looks different with each successive generation.  Much of this is obviously owed to the evolution of big- and small-screen special effects, but it goes further than that.  For example, take a look at the vehicle above -- the massive rover featured in 1977's Damnation Alley (which premiered on this day back then) -- and just compare it in your mind's eye with the vastly more gritty, functional, and complex vehicles of the most recent visit to the Mad Max apocalypse -- Fury Road.

Designs change, and what works in motion pictures changes.  That alone is one reason why I've always been captivated by the various worlds created in our beloved genre, and that alone keeps me coming back for more, more, and more.

Be sure to check out today's highlights:

          October 21st

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

​Memories can be powerful instruments to drive personal change.  They teach us.  They guide us.  They serve as cautionary speed bumps as we travel down the road of life, always present to remind us of where we’ve been as well as what we did that caused us pain, remorse, happiness, and even unbridled elation.  But the sad sorry truth is that, inevitably, recollections of events not only help shape us into the people perhaps we were all destined to be but also not necessarily that who we wished we were.
 
This is the realm which writer/director Jose Nestor Marquez fathoms with his melodramatic SciFi potboiler – Reversion – which opens theatrically this October 9th.

In it, actress Aja Naomi King (ABC TV’s How To Get Away With Murder) stars as Sophie Clé, senior marketing executive to her father’s company on the verge of revolutionizing the tech industry with the release of the Oubli, a wearable device that highlights and deeply enhances a positive personal memory of the user’s choosing.  By amplifying all the best that remembrance has to offer, the tool becomes a means to perfect the individual’s ability to achieve a kind of personal harmony, thereby maximizing the possibility to lead a better life.
 
As a Science Fiction film, Reversion rather easily taps into a world “just around the corner,” familiar enough to encourage a more mainstream audience to take notice but willing to ask more than a few cerebral questions about reality that’ll keep the nerdier of us interested.  In fact, the Oubli operates via an APP interface on the user’s tablet or SmartPhone not all that unlike the Bluetooth-enabled ‘fitness’ tech that’s all today’s consumer rage.  Marquez’s script is smart and timely, offering audiences a glimpse into one of the popular ‘what if’ scenarios that drives so much of the better stories that dabble in futurism.  At all times, this tale remains one with a decidedly human focus, but it’s a yarn that relies on the technological inclusion in order to unfold the way it does.
​

From the publicity materials:  “Reversion centers on Sophie Clé, a delighted user of the Oubli, a wisp of high-tech jewelry that wraps behind the ear and uses neuroscience to help users experience their most joyful memories as if they were happening for the first time.  In addition to being the head of marketing for the company that makes this revolutionary memory-enhancing wearable device, she is also the daughter of its inventor, Jack Clé (Colm Feore).  Sophie’s most joyful memory is the last day she saw her mother alive, fifteen years earlier.  But on the eve of the Oubli’s worldwide launch, a stranger named Isa (Jeanette Samano) kidnaps Sophie, setting off a chain of events that remind us all, you can’t escape what you can’t forget.”
 
In traditional mystery fashion, Sophie finds herself drawn further and further into what appears to be a case of mistaken identity behind a fateful occurrence between her parents.  On this quest for the truth, her only confidante remains Ayden, her company-provided chauffeur and bodyguard.  Ayden is played by Gary Dourdan, formerly part of the ensemble of players aboard CBS TV’s powerful CSI franchise.  For my tastes, Dourdan was pretty perfectly cast as the soft-spoken outsider who knows more than he’s willing to let on; as he begrudgingly realizes Sophie will stop at nothing to reveal facts she finds in conflict with reality (or even what she believes it to be), all he can do is walk that fine line between service and loyalty even at the risk of his own life.
 
As a potboiler, however, Reversion isn’t perfect, much like the science it depicts.

​While the premise remains solid, Sophie rarely drives the story forward with her own convictions.  Instead, her character is more often the recipient of other’s efforts – she practically stumbles into revelation after revelation here rather than uncover anything organically – always playing the victim instead of a detective hell bent on getting to the bottom of it … whatever ‘it’ may be.  And actress King occasionally looks perhaps a bit too young at times to convincingly pull off all shades of Marquez’s troubled creation.  Still, that lends itself well to the infomercial-like portrayal Reversion gives to the Oubli: she’s always the beautiful, wrinkle-free face of consumer-sought blissfulness.
 
Both Feore and Dourdan’s performances are reliable – if not occasionally predictable – as it’s clear fairly early on that their motivations were always intended to remain suspect from start-to-finish.  Are they the guilty parties, or are they merely covering up some even darker secret?  As an actor, Feore has always maintained a workmanlike charm even in his more obscure roles; and – though the tabloids have had a field day with his personal struggles – Dourdan remains a bankable talent who easily inhabits alpha males with a tortured undercurrent like his ‘Ayden’ here.  Personally, I’d love to see both of them get more work, but the industry it what it is.
 
In the end, Reversion reverts to what some may find to be solutions all-too-easy, but I’d argue that’s exactly the human condition the film best explores: in our core, we’re all creatures of habit, and those habits will always (always!) take us back to moments of clarity … much like the Oubli’s central purpose.  What we choose to do with that information will define as well as haunt us because we can never fully escape the humanity – or inhumanity – that’s as much a part of our past as it is our future.  Thankfully, there’ll never be an APP for that.