Worker solidarity to save the day and a mining colony in “Alien: Ore”
Kailey and Sam Spear, “Alien: Ore” (2019) To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror film “Alien”, the film production company 20th Century Fox…
Science Fiction Films
Ryoko’s Qubit Summer: a human-AI romance culminating in transformation
Yuichi Kondo, “Ryoko’S Qubit Summer” (2018) Here is a sweet film about an unusual love affair between an AI researcher and an AI creation. In the…
CTRL Z: gentle romantic time-travel comedy with a sting in its tail
James Kennedy, “CTRL Z” (2017) Cats may have nine lives but the characters in this very funny sci-fi romantic comedy end up having nearly 4,800 lives…
Vikaari: how war and instability might breed a new species of predatory, psychopathic human
Sandun Seneviratne, Charlie Bray, “Vikaari” (2020) Cunningly disguised as a TV current affairs article / mini-documentary, complete with different styles of filming including videotaping, this short…
Tunnelen: an underdeveloped film of future dystopia as experienced by a generic family
André Øvredal, “Tunnelen” (2016) Even something as seemingly innocuous and commonplace as driving to the seaside – and then getting stuck in peak-hour traffic on the…
Australian and New Zealand Films, North American Films
Red Rover: a sparing character study of human behaviour in extreme situations
Brooke Goldfinch, “Red Rover” (2015) In less than 15 minutes, “Red Rover” explores very minimally in a character-driven study the reactions of individuals and a community…
Pinki: a modern fairy-tale of self-discovery through memories of old technology
Hyunsuk Kim, “Pinki” (2018) Initially looking like a Korean mash-up of Neil Blomkamp’s “District 9” and “Chappie” with The Transformers film series and Joonho Bong’s “The…
Final Offer: implausible plot made enjoyable by great acting and fast minimal dialogue
Mark Slutsky, “Final Offer” (2018) The premise is the height of implausibility but great acting from Aaron Abrams and Anna Hopkins as protagonist and antagonist lawyers…
Hard Reset: a predictable and tired short film on human and AI relations in a future materialist society
Deepak Chetty, “Hard Reset” (2016) The premise and the plot are predictable and rather tired, as are also the “Blade Runner” urban setting and that film’s…
Unregistered: living authentically versus living a comfortable but insecure lie
Sophia Banks, “Unregistered” (2018) This short film commenting on the treatment of undocumented immigrants in the United States during Donald Trump’s presidency (2017 – 2021) has…