Schrödinger's Dinner Party: Hour of the Wolf Movie Review of <em>Coherence</em>

There's nothing particularly wrong with employing the time-space continuum for the pure fun of the concept.makes good sport of it, but, given the mind-bending possibilities inherent in the genre, it seems almost a crime not delve for deeper meanings than just "craven coward becomes kick-ass action hero."
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2014-06-25-Coherence_COH_Still5_410.jpgThere's nothing particularly wrong with employing the time-space continuum for the pure fun of the concept. Edge of Tomorrow makes good sport of it, coming up with a pretty keen action film and allowing Tom Cruise to play comedy beats better than he did in Knight and Day. But, given the mind-bending possibilities inherent in the genre, it seems almost a crime not to delve for deeper meanings than just "craven coward becomes kick-ass action hero." Groundhog Day did it. So did Timecrimes. So did Futurama (numerous times).

And now, so does Coherence. The tale of a Los Angeles dinner party that goes all kinds of wrong when a comet begins warping the dimensions, the film -- directed by James Ward Byrkit, the man who helped create the freaky "family" film Rango, and starring Buffy's Nicholas Brendon, Emily Baldoni and Maury Sterling, among others -- manages to be as much a commentary on relationships and the fragility of the social contract as it is an sf mindfreak. I delve into the film in my review for Hour of the Wolf, and, as bonus, also take a look at the latest episode of the fan-produced Star Trek Continues and IDW's first Star Trek: New Visions photo-novella, both of which, in another example of the crossing of the timelines, deal with the aftermath of the Enterprise crew's visit to the mirror universe in "Mirror, Mirror." Weeeeeeeird. Click on the player to hear the segment, or right-click the title below to download.

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