Entertainment
Extremely R-Rated 80s Sci-Fi Action Flick Has No Conscience, Takes No Prisoners
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Every so often, I stumble upon a forgotten sci-fi action film that makes absolutely no sense and has absolutely zero likable characters. I normally find these on Tubi, the only streaming platform brave enough to host cinematic punishers like 1989’s Future Force, a movie that doesn’t have a critical score on Rotten Tomatoes and only a 14 percent approval rating on the Popcornmeter across more than 100 ratings. Normally, I watch movies like this because most of them don’t deserve the hate, but Future Force absolutely does in every conceivable way.
You Have The Right To Die
Future Force boasts a sloppy narrative centered around a protagonist who’s a total jerk on his best day. It’s incredibly hard to root for David Carradine’s John Tucker, a bounty hunter working for an organization known as C.O.P.S. (Civilian Operated Police Systems), for a multitude of reasons. The most egregious is his signature catchphrase when he’s out on patrol: “You have committed a crime and are presumed guilty. You have a right to die. If you choose to relinquish that right, you will be placed under arrest and imprisoned.”
That’s how our protagonist operates. He gets a ping on his communications device from his wheelchair-bound sidekick Billy (D.C. Douglas), tracks down somebody accused of a crime, and assumes they’re guilty until proven innocent. He doesn’t ask questions. He just does his job. The problem is that his job involves being a fascist who takes the law literally and never thinks for himself. Deep down, he probably knows this, but he just goes through the motions, wearing a prosthetic laser-shooting arm and murdering people who either commit petty crimes or simply happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
When he’s not fighting crime, he spends his time at a strip club with other bounty hunters like Becker (Robert Tessier), or as I like to call him, “Bargain Bin Plissken,” sitting around with a scowl permanently plastered on his face. By the time John Tucker learns that the C.O.P.S. organization is run by a corrupt man named Adams (William Zipp), you have no reason to believe he’ll suddenly do the right thing. In this case, the right thing involves protecting a reporter named Marion (Anna Rapagna), who’s preparing to expose the advanced police force for being hopelessly corrupt and cooking the books so they can arrest anybody they want.
It’s worth noting, though, that Tucker doesn’t really care about any of this until a bounty is put on his own head and he has to figure out how to save his hide.
No Glove, No Love
The biggest problem with Future Force is that we have to root for a guy like John Tucker. He doesn’t feel morally conflicted at all, and we’re not getting a Dredd-style treatment here. Instead, we bear witness to a man who simply does his job and collects a paycheck. He’s not a tragic hero trapped in a system he disagrees with. He’s cynical about this fictionalized police-state version of 1993, but only enough to squeeze in some R&R at a nudie bar while shooting the breeze with other officers who operate exactly the same way he does.
What’s truly baffling, though, is John Tucker’s weaponized glove that he constantly uses to shoot first and ask questions later, assuming there are any survivors left to question. Normally, an officer doesn’t take their eyes off their weapon, or their sidearm (get it?), because they have to be extremely careful. If a criminal gets their hands on an officer’s weapon, that’s obviously a very bad thing, especially when you’re as trigger-happy as this guy.
Instead of wearing the prosthetic arm all the time, Tucker casually removes it and tosses it into the back of his often-unlocked Jeep Cherokee Chief. He schleps it around town like it’s an empty Gatorade bottle or a pile of fast food wrappers instead of some insane piece of future tech. The mental image of this thing sliding around in his trunk and accidentally popping off rounds while he’s hitting up a drive-thru is honestly the only thing that kept me watching Future Force. Our hero is practically begging for somebody to jack his gear and use it to commit crimes against humanity. Then again, that thought probably never crosses his mind because he’s already one of the primary people committing those kinds of crimes in the first place.
There Needs To Be A Likeable Protagonist
Listen, I have no problem with flawed antiheroes doing what they do, but there has to be some sort of arc or evolution that gives the character depth or an honest shot at redemption. Or even better, make him so kickass and cool that I end up rooting for him, even though I know I shouldn’t. What bothers me to no end here is how John Tucker does all these horrible things, and we’re somehow supposed to sit back and say, “Yeah, he’s on the right side of history.” He never convincingly has that “come to Jesus” moment where he realizes he’s actually the bad guy. Without that kind of self-awareness, the entire thing falls apart.
Future Force could have been satire, but it isn’t. It could have been a commentary on how people raised inside a broken system eventually realize everything they know is wrong, but our hero never gets there. He just scowls his way through every scene, causing an unthinkable amount of collateral damage while wondering why the tables suddenly turned against him. And instead of getting introspective and realizing he’s part of the problem, he just keeps doing what he’s always done.
As of this writing, Future Force is streaming free on Tubi. If I’m being honest, the movie does have a certain amount of charm in its action sequences, but nearly everything else about it is irredeemable. If you’re a fan of B-movie sci-fi action, it’s probably worth a viewing, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about how stupid this one is.
Entertainment
The Best New Show Of The Year Is A Supernatural Comedy Horror On AppleTV
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
The 2026 television season has been a little lackluster so far when it comes to original, new series. The Boroughs was a fun binge on Netflix, Margo’s Got Money Troubles was a good comedy, but nothing can compare to the surprising success of Widow’s Bay on AppleTV. It’s a horror comedy, which might be the hardest combination of genres to pull off, that plays out like Twin Peaks meets Parks and Recreation. No show will leave you laughing so hard in one episode, before traumatizing you in the next.
Widow’s Bay Is The Most Original Show In Years
That odd mix of shows makes sense since Widow’s Bay was created by Katie Dippold, a writer for Parks and Recreation. The series takes place in the island town of Widow’s Bay in New England when Mayor Tom (Matthew Rhys) decides to boost tourism to the small community. The catch is that the community, primarily Wyck (Stephen Root) believes the island is cursed.
It’s not a spoiler to say that yes, yes it is cursed, and yes, there are real horrors at work on the island. That’s not surprising. What is surprising is the dry humor and Matthew Rhys’ perfect facial expressions, as the town’s residents will deliver the most absurd lines with a perfectly straight face. If you vibed with the humor of Parks and Recreation, you know what you’re getting into with the odd residents of Widow’s Bay, especially Kate O’Flynn as Tom’s assistant, Patricia. There’s a sequence with her involving a shotgun that is destined to be a social media hit for years to come, and one of those moments that you’ll think, “I’d do the same thing.”
Slapstick Comedy, Horror, And Amazing Sight Gags
Before starting your binge of the first season, avoid as many spoilers as you can. Widow’s Bay sets up mysteries early on with the chained church bell, the strange basement room, a rolling fogbank, and, while it’s not a supernatural mystery, how many Diet Cokes can Town Hall employee Dale consume? His desk is filled to the brim with cans. That can’t be healthy.
Keep your eyes peeled while watching Widow’s Bay as the production team was heavily influenced by The Simpsons usage of sight gags. Some are called out with blatant shots, others exist in the background of a conversation, but put together, they make the town of Widow’s Bay an absurdist version of Twin Peaks.
No one had supernatural slapstick down on their 2026 Bingo card, but here we are. While Netflix pulled the plug on The Boroughs, Widow’s Bay has already been confirmed for a second season, which is good considering the stakes-raising season finale ends by revealing a whole new layer to the mystery of the island. We have a long wait until Season 2 premieres, giving you plenty of time to watch the show of the Summer, and you can still convince your friends you were a fan of Widow’s Bay before it was cool. ]
Widow’s Bay Season 1 is now streaming on AppleTV.
Entertainment
Don’t pay $199 for Windows 11 Pro when it’s currently just $13
TL;DR: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro is down to just $12.97, giving users an easy OS upgrade with advanced security, productivity tools, gaming features, and Copilot AI.
Some upgrades just feel right. This is one of them.
If your PC has been running a little sluggish or you’ve been meaning to bring your system up to speed, Windows 11 Pro is just $12.97 (reg. $199) — a rare, time-sensitive offer that rewards quick, savvy decisions.
Mashable Deals
This isn’t about chasing trends; it’s more about giving your computer the modern foundation it deserves. Windows 11 Pro brings a sleeker UI, better multitasking, and enhanced security — all in a one-time lifetime license.
Think of it as the difference between driving a reliable car and suddenly upgrading to one with a smarter dashboard, smoother handling, and built-in security features.
For professionals, creators, and power users, this upgrade also unlocks features like Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, BitLocker encryption, and seamless Azure AD integration — tools that make a real difference when you’re working across projects or managing sensitive data.
And yes, Windows 11 comes with Copilot, Microsoft’s AI-powered assistant that can summarize pages, change settings, or even help you generate code on the fly. It’s like having a co-pilot (literally) inside your OS.
Mashable Deals
But you don’t need convincing — you already know a smart upgrade when you see one. Get Windows 11 Pro for just $12.97 (reg. $199).
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Gene Roddenberry Secretly Fixed Star Trek’s Earliest Plot Hole
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Star Trek is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Part of why that is so impressive is that this franchise has managed to maintain the same continuity for so many years. Sure, the Kelvinverse rebooted everything for a few movies, and we occasionally get glimpses of alternate universes with their own twisted history. But the main Trek timeline, from The Original Series through Starfleet Academy, has remained the same, which is an amazing creative achievement. But it also leads to something as annoying as it is inevitable: plot holes!
There are many seeming plot holes throughout the franchise. Heck, Starfleet Academy introduced more than its fair share in only one season. However, the earliest plothole goes back to William Shatner’s very first episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” This episode features a mock grave for James Tiberius Kirk that reads “James R. Kirk.” This weird screwup inspired decades of attempts by fans and creators to explain what happened. However, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had a simple explanation from the very beginning. That is, the godlike character who created the tombstone was still fallible, meaning that this would be an in-universe screwup rather than a production error.
A Ghoulish Plot Hole
“Where No Man Has Gone Before” was actually the second pilot episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. It’s the episode that sold NBC on this new show, which isn’t surprising, because this is a great hour of television. Strange energy from the galactic barrier gives one of Captain Kirk’s best friends, Gary Mitchell, godlike powers. Those powers are getting stronger by the minute, so Kirk eventually has to make the difficult decision to kill his buddy in the name of keeping the entire ship (and quite possibly the entire galaxy) safe.
At one point, Mitchell uses his powers to summon a tombstone that reads “James R. Kirk.” It makes for a great threat, but there’s just one problem: the character’s name is James Tiberius Kirk. Incidentally, Gene Roddenberry seemingly knew Kirk’s middle name early on, even though it wasn’t officially revealed (outside of The Animated Series) until The Undiscovered Country. In the introduction to Star Trek: The Classic Episodes 1, Original Series writer D.C. Fontana claimed that once Roddenberry noticed the mistake, he came up with a quick and easy explanation. “Gary Mitchell had godlike powers, but at base he was human. He made a mistake.”
Powers Like A God, Mind Like A Human
Unfortunately, Roddenberry kept this plot hole explanation to himself. I say “unfortunately” because this mistake sent fans into a tizzy trying to explain the discrepancy. On top of that, various Star Trek writers tried their hands at providing explanations. One such explanation came from Michael Jan Friedman’s non-canonical My Brother’s Keeper series. In these books, when the future captain meets Gary Mitchell, he claims his middle name is “Racquetball.” Later, when Kirk steamrolls through a discussion, Mitchell says the man’s middle name should be “Rhinoceros.” Therefore, Friedman explained that the “James R. Kirk” on the tombstone is just an in-joke between former friends.
Additionally, the late, great Star Trek writer Peter David tried his hand at an explanation. In his novel Q-Squared, the events of “Where No Man Has Gone Before” take place in a parallel reality in which Kirk’s middle initial really is “R.” In this non-canonical book, we also find out that Mitchell’s powers came from briefly being possessed by Q, who had to pull himself together across all of time and space. Quick side note: while Marvel has really played out the concept of multiverses, Q-Squared is an amazing novel, and every Trek fan should read it at least once.
These writers did their best to explain where “James R. Kirk” came from. On top of this, fans have constantly debated this issue, all trying to one-up each other in coming up with a suitable explanation for this plothole. As it turns out, though, none of this debating and speculating was necessary because Gene Roddenberry had the perfect explanation ready. Namely, that having the power of a god isn’t the same as having the unlimited knowledge of a god. It’s short, it’s simple, and it’s effective. Most of all, it does what Star Trek has always done best: keep the sci-fi storytelling centered around humanity.
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