#sci-fi-dark-comedy

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Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 days ago

The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror review roundup

Marc Winters investigates a cult's past while facing existential threats in a climate-changed Britain.
Television
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 day ago

There's no shortage of terrifying technology': how AI became TV drama's new go-to villain

AI is portrayed as a powerful and dangerous tool in modern surveillance and military operations.
Independent films
fromInverse
1 day ago

30 Years Later, A Long-Dormant Sci-Fi Noir Is Finally Coming To Netflix

Brad Bird is creating Ray Gunn, an adult neo-noir sci-fi animated feature set in a retro-futuristic world.
Artificial intelligence
fromLos Angeles Times
2 days ago

Commentary: Wipe out a 'civilization'? Minor stuff compared with what just happened in AI

Anthropic warns its powerful AI could disrupt civilization by hacking secure systems, raising severe concerns for economies and national security.
Graphic design
fromdesignyoutrust.com
3 days ago

Breathtaking Cinematic Illustrations That Will Make You Rethink Sci-Fi Concept Art

Katerina Belikova is a renowned Ukrainian digital illustrator known for her work in science fiction and dark fantasy, particularly with the Star Wars franchise.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 days ago

I'm not a commercial director I'm not even a professional film-maker': Jim Jarmusch on the seven-year journey to make his new film

Jim Jarmusch's film Night on Earth features Gena Rowlands, who brought depth and melancholy to her role as a casting director.
Video games
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 days ago

How games capture the awe and terror of cosmic isolation

The Artemis II mission evokes feelings of solitude and vulnerability in space, reminiscent of experiences in classic and modern space-themed video games.
fromABC7 Los Angeles
4 days ago

First look at new comedy series 'Not Suitable for Work'

The series follows five twenty-somethings obsessed with work and striving for success, with the occasional quick break for personal happiness if they can find the time in their schedule.
Silicon Valley
Brooklyn
fromBrooklyn Paper
4 days ago

Date night gets deadly in Lane Moore's comedy show, 'Heart-Throb Slasher' * Brooklyn Paper

Lane Moore's 'Heart-Throb Slasher' combines improv and audience interaction to create a unique, comedic horror movie experience.
fromThe Verge
4 days ago

Apple's sci-fi thriller Dark Matter is back in August

Dark Matter first premiered in 2024, following the story of physics professor Jason Dessen, who gets abducted by a version of himself from another timeline.
Apple
fromLaughing Squid
5 days ago

A 'Smile' Horror Movie Parody Poking Fun at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's Famous Grin

The Mayor's Office poked gentle fun at Mayor Zohran Mamdani's famous grin with a parody of the horror movie franchise for the annual Inner Circle fundraiser gala.
NYC politics
Relationships
fromInsideHook
6 days ago

What Men Can Learn From 17 Unforgettable On-Screen Proposals

Real-life proposals differ from romantic comedies, but lessons from memorable on-screen moments can guide men in crafting meaningful proposals.
Arts
fromHyperallergic
5 days ago

The Unbearable Strangeness of Being

Cinga Samson's paintings evoke a haunting, incomprehensible world reflecting historical scars and spiritual alertness through unsettling imagery.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 day ago

The Guardian view on dystopias for our times: the American nightmare | Editorial

Dystopian fiction reflects current societal issues, as seen in adaptations of Atwood's works and films like One Battle After Another.
#horror-films
fromFast Company
1 day ago
Independent films

'Exit 8' and liminal space horror: A low-budget movie trend shaped by Gen Z's most traumatic formative years

Independent distributors are focusing on low-budget horror films set in liminal spaces, appealing to Gen Z's love for horror.
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 days ago
Independent films

The Cure review eat-the-rich horror fable with a sinister life-extension twist

Women are now recognized as a primary audience for horror films, seeking representation of their fears and anxieties.
Independent films
fromFast Company
1 day ago

'Exit 8' and liminal space horror: A low-budget movie trend shaped by Gen Z's most traumatic formative years

Independent distributors are focusing on low-budget horror films set in liminal spaces, appealing to Gen Z's love for horror.
Television
fromFast Company
3 days ago

Satirizing Silicon Valley is pointless in 2026. This show proves it

The Audacity critiques Big Tech's ethics through a darkly comedic lens, but its timing may render it less impactful.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 days ago

Charli xcx's Brat movie marks the moment the mockumentary died | Zach Schonfeld

The mockumentary genre has become stale, lacking the innovative spirit that characterized earlier works by directors like Christopher Guest and Rob Reiner.
Humor
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

Why do this spring's blockbusters feel so smug?

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice combines multiple genres but relies on repetitive comedic elements that feel familiar and uninspired.
Philosophy
fromApaonline
1 week ago

Dystopian Futures: Anthropic and the Department of Defense

Dystopian visions of AI's impact on society raise significant concerns about control and governance as technology advances.
Independent films
fromSlate Magazine
1 day ago

Steven Soderbergh Sparked Controversy for Using A.I. He Thinks It's Not the Real Issue Facing Movies.

Steven Soderbergh's unique filmmaking process allows him to release multiple films rapidly, showcasing his passion for cinema and experimentation.
#queer-cinema
Film
fromAnOther
5 days ago

Night Stage: Anatomy of a Modern Erotic Thriller

Night Stage explores hidden desires and the challenges queer individuals face in a heteronormative society through its narrative and character dynamics.
Independent films
fromQueerty
2 weeks ago

WATCH: This steamy dystopian film promises to "arouse and petrify" with its all-gay future vision - Queerty

A queer erotic short film explores life in a dystopian future with a toxic couple in an all-gay colony, blending humor with thriller elements.
Film
fromAnOther
5 days ago

Night Stage: Anatomy of a Modern Erotic Thriller

Night Stage explores hidden desires and the challenges queer individuals face in a heteronormative society through its narrative and character dynamics.
Independent films
fromQueerty
2 weeks ago

WATCH: This steamy dystopian film promises to "arouse and petrify" with its all-gay future vision - Queerty

A queer erotic short film explores life in a dystopian future with a toxic couple in an all-gay colony, blending humor with thriller elements.
Independent films
fromInverse
1 day ago

60 Years Ago, Two Bizarre Horror-Westerns Kicked Off A Hybrid Genre

Billy the Kid vs. Dracula and Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter are poorly made films that contributed to the horror Western genre.
#literature
fromSFGATE
4 days ago
Books

'I was just riveted': Plane crashes, dark tech inspire SF book of the year

Kate Folk's novel 'Sky Daddy' explores a woman's obsession with planes and her struggle for connection in a modern, isolating world.
fromThe Atlantic
1 week ago
Books

Unconventional Novels About Conventional People

Aging revolutionaries and conformists share parallel narratives of disillusionment and the loss of youthful dreams in recent literature.
Books
fromSFGATE
4 days ago

'I was just riveted': Plane crashes, dark tech inspire SF book of the year

Kate Folk's novel 'Sky Daddy' explores a woman's obsession with planes and her struggle for connection in a modern, isolating world.
Books
fromThe Atlantic
1 week ago

Unconventional Novels About Conventional People

Aging revolutionaries and conformists share parallel narratives of disillusionment and the loss of youthful dreams in recent literature.
Film
fromThe New Yorker
4 days ago

"The Drama" Is One Long Troll

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson star in a film that explores the fallout of a shocking revelation, sparking significant discourse.
Television
fromConsequence
1 week ago

Stream On This Week: A Brain-Melting College Comedy and the Most Metal Movie of the Year (So Far)

New streaming recommendations include the comedy 'Pizza Movie' on Hulu and the sequel '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' on Netflix.
#exit-8
Independent films
fromInverse
1 day ago

How An Eerie New Thriller Revolutionizes The Video Game Movie

The film Exit 8 adapts a video game premise into an emotional narrative about isolation and personal struggle in a liminal space.
Independent films
fromKqed
4 days ago

A Tokyo Subway Station Turns Into an Infinite Nightmare in 'Exit 8'

Exit 8 is a unique film set in a subway hallway, exploring themes of perception and connection through a video game-inspired narrative.
Independent films
fromInverse
1 day ago

How An Eerie New Thriller Revolutionizes The Video Game Movie

The film Exit 8 adapts a video game premise into an emotional narrative about isolation and personal struggle in a liminal space.
Independent films
fromKqed
4 days ago

A Tokyo Subway Station Turns Into an Infinite Nightmare in 'Exit 8'

Exit 8 is a unique film set in a subway hallway, exploring themes of perception and connection through a video game-inspired narrative.
Film
fromIndieWire
6 days ago

'Faces of Death' Review: One of the Most Notorious Horror Movies Ever Made Gets Smartly Resurrected for the Social Media Era

Daniel Goldhaber's 'Faces of Death' critiques media consumption and violence in a post-modern slasher format, contrasting with the 'Scream' franchise's approach.
#black-mirror
Television
fromEngadget
1 week ago

An immersive 'Black Mirror Experience' is launching in Montreal

The Black Mirror Experience is a new interactive VR event launching in Montreal, blending physical space and virtual reality.
Television
fromEngadget
1 week ago

An immersive 'Black Mirror Experience' is launching in Montreal

The Black Mirror Experience is a new interactive VR event launching in Montreal, blending physical space and virtual reality.
Independent films
fromFilmmaker Magazine
2 days ago

"Personal Storytelling, Experimentation, and a DIY Spirit": A Look Inside LAFM 2026

This year's festival showcases debut features emphasizing personal storytelling and experimentation from both international and local filmmakers.
Books
fromThe New Yorker
1 week ago

The Sci-Fi Novelist Who Disappeared for Decades

Cameron Reed's science fiction explores cognitive estrangement, revealing alien worlds that reflect and challenge our own societal norms and moral dilemmas.
fromThe New Yorker
6 days ago

In Film, Sometimes the Greatest Drama Is Offscreen

"Cinematic Immunity" offers a workers'-eye view of Hollywood on the Hudson, revealing the intricate dynamics of filmmaking in New York City from 1954 to 9/11.
Independent films
Media industry
fromThe Verge
1 month ago

The AI Doc is an overwrought hype piece for doomers and accelerationists alike

Focus Features' AI documentary has excellent access to industry leaders but fails to provide meaningful insights or substantive analysis about generative AI's societal impact.
Film
fromInverse
2 weeks ago

Why The Most Baffling Body Horror Movie Of The Year Is Not What You Think It Is

Julia Ducournau's film Alpha uses an imaginary disease as a metaphor for paranoia during the AIDS pandemic, focusing on family trauma and coming-of-age.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

Black Bag by Luke Kennard review a campus comedy for our end times

An out-of-work actor takes a bizarre role as a silent figure in a black bag, reflecting on modern millennial life and social acceptance.
Film
fromThe Hollywood Reporter
2 weeks ago

Why Has 'Project Hail Mary' Ignited So Much Online Debate?

Project Hail Mary has achieved significant box office success and sparked extensive social media debate on various themes and topics.
#science-fiction
fromThe Independent
1 month ago
Film

Project Hail Mary doesn't suggest great things for the future of cinema - review

Project Hail Mary blends nostalgic 1970s filmmaking aesthetics with modern sci-fi storytelling, following an astronaut and alien collaborating to save their planets through scientific cooperation.
fromInverse
2 months ago
Film

'Zi' Is An Existential Dream Wrapped In A Time-Travel Movie

Zi follows a grieving Hong Kong woman who experiences visions of her future self, blending dreamy existential sci‑fi with minimal plot and striking imagery.
Books
fromSlate Magazine
2 weeks ago

Tech Barons Like Elon Musk Love Sci-Fi. They Also Misunderstand It Completely.

Technology moguls often misinterpret the messages of science fiction, despite their admiration for the genre.
Film
fromThe Atlantic
3 weeks ago

Who Says You Can't Have Fun During the Apocalypse?

Project Hail Mary presents a hopeful narrative of humanity uniting to face an apocalyptic threat, blending humor with high-stakes science fiction.
Film
fromThe Independent
1 month ago

Project Hail Mary doesn't suggest great things for the future of cinema - review

Project Hail Mary blends nostalgic 1970s filmmaking aesthetics with modern sci-fi storytelling, following an astronaut and alien collaborating to save their planets through scientific cooperation.
Television
fromInverse
4 weeks ago

10 Years Ago, One Conflicted Sci-Fi Reboot Dropped A Wild Finale

The 2009-2011 V reboot served as a transitional bridge between eras of science fiction television, featuring Morena Baccarin's standout performance as the alien leader Anna.
#horror
Independent films
fromVulture
2 weeks ago

Sure, They Will Kill You, But Can They Get On With It Already?

They Will Kill You satirizes rich Devil worshippers while contrasting them with the mundane lives of actual Satanists, challenging stereotypes and societal fears.
Independent films
fromVulture
2 weeks ago

Sure, They Will Kill You, But Can They Get On With It Already?

They Will Kill You satirizes rich Devil worshippers while contrasting them with the mundane lives of actual Satanists, challenging stereotypes and societal fears.
Independent films
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

Dodging the wrinkle wagon': why a Brazilian film about ageing is inspiring older women

The film 'The Blue Trail' addresses ageism and the resilience of older women in Brazil through its protagonist's journey of self-discovery.
fromLondon On The Inside
3 weeks ago

Escape Reality with This Blade Runner Double Feature

Kick off with Ridley Scott's 1982 OG Blade Runner: The Final Cut, which stars Harrison Ford as a special agent on a mission to exterminate escaped androids. Ford is joined by Ryan Gosling in the Denis Villeneuve-directed Blade Runner 2049, which is sure to whet your appetite for Dune: Part Three - hitting cinemas this December.
Film
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 weeks ago

The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror review roundup

Three novels blend historical settings with fantastical elements: Jordan's memory-technology narrative spanning centuries, Sullivan's werewolf tale rooted in 18th-century France, and Mitchison's reimagined fairytale featuring an orphaned princess raised by magical creatures.
US politics
fromTruthout
1 month ago

As the Status Quo Shatters, Afrofuturists' Visions Offer a Way Forward

State violence has expanded beyond Black communities to target white protesters, journalists, and politicians, while right-wing authoritarianism threatens multiracial democracy and prompts reimagining of Black freedom beyond the United States.
Film
fromInverse
3 weeks ago

'Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice' Is Time-Travel Action At Its Zaniest

A time-travel sci-fi comedy follows three criminals whose night spirals into chaos when future versions of themselves appear, creating a zany four-person entanglement.
fromTechCrunch
2 months ago

Science fiction writers, Comic-Con say goodbye to AI | TechCrunch

Back in December, when SFWA announced that it was updating its rules for the Nebula Awards. Works written entirely by large language models would not be eligible, while authors who used LLMs "at any point during the writing process" had to disclose that use, allowing award voters to make their own decisions about whether that usage would affect their support.
Writing
Independent films
fromInverse
3 weeks ago

15 Years Later, A Ridiculous Sci-Fi Thriller Is Still The Right Kind Of Stupid

Limitless depicts a man using an experimental drug to unlock mental capacity, enabling financial success through enhanced recall and cognitive abilities.
fromInverse
4 weeks ago

'Undertone' Is Scariest With What It Doesn't Show

The first thing you notice about undertone is how quiet it is; not just in its audio mix, but in how it's shot - primarily steady wide shots that slowly pan across empty rooms, allowing your eyes to frantically scan for something amiss. It's an understated form of filmmaking that allows for the movie's scares to hit all that much harder.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Monsters and madness and men, oh my! The Terror is the unsung treasure of peak television

Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Dan Simmons, it chronicles a doomed Royal Navy expedition dispatched to the Arctic in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. Under the leadership of Captains Sir John Franklin and Francis Crozier, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, manned with 129 crew, set sail from England in 1845. They became locked in pack ice off King William Island in the winter of 1846.
Television
Artificial intelligence
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Requiem for a film-maker: Darren Aronofsky's AI revolutionary war series is a horror

An AI-generated short series about the American Revolutionary War attempts photorealism but results in unsettling, low-quality, uncanny visuals that harm the dramatic intent.
Graphic design
fromdesignyoutrust.com
2 months ago

Artist Turns Cyberpunk Skylines Into Soft PoetryNeon Streets, Snowfall And Silence In A Parallel Universe

A wide variety of contemporary visual art and design projects spanning surreal mash-ups, comics, illustration, generative art, photography, design, and cultural commentary.
Arts
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

'Pillion' is a wildly entertaining dark comedy about sex and power

A bleak 1970s novel about a young man's abusive BDSM relationship was adapted into a lighter, present-day film that reframes abuse as emotional neglect.
Film
fromThe Atlantic
1 month ago

Six Bizarre Movies That Are Actually Fun to Watch

Atlantic writers recommend bizarre films that balance weirdness with entertainment value, including Iron Sky about Nazis on the moon and Jupiter Ascending.
Independent films
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Which are more like life, novels or films?

Films display character thoughts primarily through facial expressions and actions, making them more mysterious and potentially more realistic than novels, which explicitly describe inner thoughts.
Arts
fromBrooklyn Paper
1 month ago

At Caveat, Laibson's tech-heavy Chekhov adaptation The HARMNF examines digital-age alienation * Brooklyn Paper

Contemporary theater uses virtual, mixed reality, and AI technologies to create immersive, interactive performances that blur traditional audience and performer roles.
Film
fromThe Nation
1 month ago

The Cinema of Societal Collapse

Oscar-nominated international films explore survival and resistance under authoritarian regimes, depicting both specific historical tyranny and speculative global oppression.
Television
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Perfect for an apocalypse! How the nuclear bunker became TV's hottest property

Billionaires are building elaborate underground bunkers and cities as doomsday shelters, reflecting both real-world anxiety and growing entertainment fascination with apocalyptic scenarios.
Independent films
from48 hills
1 month ago

Screen Grabs: Iranian films bring fable, black comedy, and social indictment - 48 hills

Iranian cinema demonstrates artistic resistance against censorship while offering humanizing perspectives on a nation facing military conflict.
Film
fromArs Technica
1 month ago

The AI apocalypse is nigh in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

Gore Verbinski returns with Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, a darkly satirical time-loop sci-fi film starring Sam Rockwell that warns against technology addiction while following a time traveler recruiting diner patrons to prevent an AI apocalypse.
fromInverse
2 months ago

The Director Of Britain's Bleakest Apocalypse Movie Has One Big Concern About Its Remake

BBC Threads, directed by Mick Jackson, follows two families in Sheffield as they try to survive a direct hit from a nuclear bomb. It pulls no punches as its characters fall one by one, before ultimately only focusing on pregnant Ruth (Karen Meagher) as she tries to survive and carve out a life for her and her child. Meticulously researched, it presents a bleak picture of what civilization would look like after nuclear winter, including the ozone layer weakening, resulting in blindness and skin cancer, and the degradation of the English language itself.
Television
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

People feel like they're in on the joke': the new wave of pseudo-biopics

Filmmakers increasingly create pseudo-biopics that borrow recognizable elements from real people and events while changing names and details to avoid legal liability and maintain creative freedom.
Film
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

Zombie Movies Should Always Be This Hopeful

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple presents a hopeful vision of postapocalyptic humanity, subverting the genre's expectation of survivors preying on one another.
#cyberpunk
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Else review pandemic-style horror has bad guys crawling out of the woodwork, literally

This isn't your average pandemic thriller; here, the infected meld with inorganic material in their surroundings, until their outward contours and their personhood are gone. Thibault Emin's film starts with a little whiff of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro's Delicatessen. After their one-night stand, hypochondriac Anx (Matthieu Sampeur) and impertinent Cass (Edith Proust) find themselves bunkered up in one corner of a madcap apartment block.
Film
fromKqed
2 months ago

'Arco' Is a Dystopian Tale Imbued With a Surprising Amount of Optimism

In all the dystopian visions of the future that the movies have trotted out over the last few decades, the one that sticks the most, surprisingly, is WALL-E. That's not just because of the chastening sight of an over-polluted Earth or those sedentary humans glued to their screens. It's because those quite plausible possibilities mean something different in a kids movie. It's their future, after all.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Tim Travers and the Time Traveler's Paradox review space-hopping comedy asks the big question

For the sheer quantity of its gibbering, jabbering nonsense, this movie deserves some points. That, and the amusing cameo at the end from Keith David as the Simulator, AKA God, who explains to the awestruck mortals that God is an entirely free creator, rather like a self-published novelist, then grows irritated when the mortals think that being self-published is lame: It's not my fault if you don't understand the industry! This is an exhausting indie romp on the subject of time travel,
Film
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Another World review kaleidoscopic afterlife fairytale with the dark fury of a Greek tragedy

Another World is a visually stunning, violent fairytale animation exploring human destructiveness and the beauty of the human heart.
Film
fromInverse
2 months ago

The Weirdest Existential Thriller Of The 2000s Just Got A Huge Upgrade

Birth portrays a widow's unresolved grief and rising doubt when a child claims to be her late husband's reincarnation, unsettling her attempt to move on.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Grim reapers: what has fertilised the rich new wave of neo-rural noir?

European neo-rural cinema depicts collisions between tradition and modernity in the countryside and portrays nature, not locals, as the primary source of threat.
Film
fromwww.dw.com
2 months ago

An undying trend: How vampires hold a mirror to society

Vampires in storytelling symbolize societal fears and reflect historical social and racial violence, as shown by a 1930s-set horror about community-targeted vampires.
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