Kinda, unfairly, has a reputation as one of the worst episodes of Davidson-era Doctor Who, largely based on the slightly duff effects at its climax. OK, sure, the ‘terrifying embodiment’ of the villainous Mara is pretty poor by today’s standard…or any time, frankly.
But, as Rob and Clive make clear, there’s a hell of a lot more to Kinda then one ten-foot-tall rubber snake. Cycles of life and death, good and evil, peace and war. A satirical take on colonialism. And some eerily effective dream sequences, that still have the power to un-nerve us even now. A deeply atypical episode of Fifth Doctor goodness. Join our gestalt mind and discover more…
The A To Z Of SFF: T Is For Trials And Tribble-ations
Star Trek: Deep Space 9 is often thought of as the darkest of the franchises, but it had its lighter moments. Take the 20th Anniversary commemorative episode, a goofy, utterly delightful celebration of everything that makes the show such a beloved SF benchmark for so many people.
It’s got time-travel, Terry Farrell in THAT dress, a proper cantina fight and an exploding Tribble! What more could you want?
Hey, if you have Netflix, you can check out Trials And Tribble-ations right snecking now! If not, here’s a taster…
The A To Z Of SFF: S Is For A Sound Of Thunder
In which Rob fanbois so hard over Ray Bradbury that he nearly breaks something.
Seriously, though, A Sound Of Thunder is a formative SF text, and hence very worth of a one over from the Curiosity Crew. Just stay away from the movie, ok?
Once again, we believe you should read the story before you listen to the podcast. Not such a hard grind when it’s this good…
The A To Z Of SFF: W Is For The Women Men Don’t See
A classic piece of short SF, and a landmark story in all sorts of ways. Join Rob and Clive as they look at this dark parody of masculinity, which comes to some pretty brutal conclusions about the role and future of women on this planet.
We recommend you read the story before listening to the podcast. Check it out here.
The A To Z Of SFF: X Is For X-Men: Apocalypse
2016’s X-ample of mutant heroics may not have got the love of First Class, and it does have problems. But allow us to X-plain why there are still X-citing moments that make the film worth your time.
Fair warning: there’s some pretty hard core X-men geekery on display. Rob and Clive have no shame. I’m not X-aggerating.
Rollerball: The Harmony Of Havoc
As a follow-up to our A To Z piece on Rollerball last week, friend of the blog and avid Rollerball fan Chris Rogers approached us with a piece that digs into the themes and visual style of the classic SF movie. We’re delighted to present it, in full Multivision.
The A To Z Of SFF: R Is For Rollerball
One of the classics. A gem of dystopian SF, and a great example of a sports movie to boot. A rare example of an intelligent box-office hit: a film that lets its audience make up their own minds about Jonathon E and the society that both embraces and rejects him.
Clive mentioned William Harrison’s 1973 short story “The Rollerball Murders”, the source material for the film. Read the whole thing here.
The A To Z Of SFF: H Is For Hard To Be A God
Over a decade in the making. Three hours long, black and white, an uncompromising political allegory and treatise on the dangers of anti-intellectualism.
Sounds like a laff riot, right? But Aleksei German’s Hard To Be A God has a lot to offer, if you’re prepared to put in the effort. Let Rob and Clive be your guides through a visit to Arkanar…
The A To Z Of SFF: W Is For We3
It’s been described as a mecha-suited Watership Down or The Incredible Journey on acid. But Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s We3 is a beast of a very different colour. It has its flaws, but the book is also a bold and brilliant example of proper comics storytelling.
Join Rob and Clive as they take a walk on the wild side…
The A To Z Of SFF: A Is For Alternative 3
There is a history under the history you think you know. A history where the space race never ended. Where Mars was explored back in the early 60s. Where the elite are preparing to evacuate a world dying in the face of catastrophic climate change.
Join Rob, Clive and Curiosity as they explore the secret conspiracy known only by the codename Alternative 3…
Those of you with appropriate secure clearance codes (level A323 and above) have access to the full briefing.
EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS 