Amazon has put out a slough of science fiction offerings, mostly tv series. They’ve released two sci-fi movies, one big dumb action movie (Tomorrow War), the other a smart small drama (Vast of the Night).
Outside of sci-fi they’ve distributed some great work in both film and tv. “Paterson” by the auteur Jim Jarmusch is one of my all time favorites. “Love & Friendship” from an unfinished Jane Austen manuscript, directed by talented Whit Stillman, is an utter delight. They’ve also distributed a couple of award winning foreign films. “The Salesman” by Asgard Fahardi is amazing as is the beautifully shot “Cold War” by Paweł Pawlikowski.
On the tv side: Catastrophe and Fleabag are great. I’ve also enjoyed Sneaky Pete, Modern Love, and The Romanoffs. Of course, the greatest show of all is the resplendent Danger & Eggs.
But I am in the bag for sci-fi, so let’s look at what they offer in an No Spoilers kind of way.
One quick note: this ranking does not include The Expanse, since it’s a continuation of a series, nor does it include the anthology series Solos because I haven’t seen it yet. That gives me ten shows in total, which means we’ve got a Top 10 List of the Best Amazon Sci-Fi Originals!
10. Night Sky has J. K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek, who are wonderful, but it felt like a nice show about an older couple that was jazzed up with a sci-fi portal to strange worlds and secret societies. The two threads of the story never really fit.
9. Paper Girls suffers from a lot of wheel-spinning and hand-wringing. You know the part of Stranger Things where all they had Winona’s character do was to freak out for three episodes? PG is full of that.
8. The Feed is a show about the internet being connected to your head and all the murderous thoughts that would ensue in such a world. The premise was interesting, but the acting was a step down, a cardinal sin in this age where it seems like every side character in a commercial could hold down a franchise.
7. Utopia is a big wild violent adventure with a sprawling plot of secret societies and comic book prophecies. It was inadvertently topical in 2020 being about a fake virus and plot to vaccinate society so that they could be sterilized. Oops.
6. Outer Range was quite a mess, but it was so audaciously put together that I can’t help but applaud its bold choices. I was delighted even as I was appalled by the storytelling. Brolin is awesome, but it was Noah Reid who stole the show. It didn’t add up to much, but what a ride for your eyes.
5. Upload is a comedy about a man who was uploaded into a virtual afterlife against his will. Discovering that it is more Purgatorio than Paradiso and that his customer service rep is more comely than his possessive girlfriend leads straight to audience tickles. (I should write copy for Amazon.)
4. Man in the High Castle might be underrated by me. I watched the first three seasons long ago and I realized, when I was making this list, that I haven’t watched the last season! Egregious, I know. I’m might rewatch the whole shebang and give an update in a future newsletter…
3. Electric Dreams is another anthology that is uneven, but even then, it’s still based on work by Philip K. Dick. The highlights are great, but even the meh episodes have something to offer. I will say this about Amazon Originals, it is rarely production values that drag them down.
A New(esque) Release!
Let me interrupt this top ten list by admitting that my summer was more dreams and outlines than the production of new material. One successful task was to put out a print version of my short stories. DESOLATIONS collects the nine stories of Progeny, the nine stories of Rupture, and the 40 micro-tales of Oddly Concerning into one volume. Desolations, the collected stories of H. W. Taylor, is available in hardback or ebook at your local amazon.com.
Remember: Oddly Concerning is free on Amazon if you want to sample my esoteric uncanniness. Now back to the list.
2. Tales from the Loop is a delightful little series based on the retro sci-fi art of Simon Stålenhag. There is a larger narrative, but the glory of the show are the little human elements amidst a tapestry of Asimov-cum-Rockwell Americana. Beautiful little moments abound.
1. Undone is a time-bending adventure to save a life already lost. It’s rotoscoped animation, a technique that lends itself to the imaginative storytelling of Undone. It’s also from the creative team of Bojack Horseman.
In the Category of “Be Careful What You Wish For”
In my last newsletter I requested ratings and reviews for Rupture and even gifted several review copies. Well, I got my first review. I’m pretty happy with it, tbh. As far as One Star Reviews go, this is a great one.
That said, if you would like to rate and review Rupture, I’d be grateful.