Entertainment
Raunchy, R-Rated 90s Sci-Fi Comedy Is A Messy Fembot Misadventure
By Robert Scucci
| Updated
I’ve got to say that my life is pretty good these days, as the biggest problem I’m having lately is looking up information about obscure sci-fi flicks on Tubi only to realize they all have multiple titles depending on the markets they were trying to reach. One such Fred Olen Ray film, 1995’s Cyberzone, loves to change the stationery, as it also exists as Droid Gunner and Phoenix 2. Really, none of these titles work, and I would much rather call it Blade Runner, But with More Sex Bots, but that would be too on the nose.
The reason I constantly seek out schlocky, trashy B-movie titles like Cyberzone is because they’re just so fun and outside the box. You can expect that from any one of the over 200 Fred Olen Ray joints in his filmography, but this one is absolutely bonkers compared to 1988’s Terminal Force while still carrying the same sleazy energy that keeps bringing me back to his filmmaking.
Oh, Jack! Fetch Me My Sex Bots!
Cyberzone is a straight-up blast and wastes no time introducing us to Jack Ford (Marc Singer), a futuristic bounty hunter living in the year 2077. Fifty years prior, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake destroyed the West Coast, submerging California entirely and making Phoenix, Arizona, the busiest sea and spaceport on the New West Coast. Jack spends his days hunting down androids for chump change, but his life changes when he’s offered the gig of a lifetime. He’s summoned by the exceedingly wealthy Mr. Reginald (Cal Bartlett), who operates out of the same set used in Bio-Dome (1996).
Mr. Reginald lives in a fortified suburb, far removed from Jack’s stomping grounds, which are irradiated, polluted, and relegated to the dregs of society, where every man fends for himself. Mr. Reginald has deep pockets, and he needs help tracking down his four pleasure bots, which were stolen by an intergalactic smuggler named Hawks (Matthias Hues), who plans to deliver them to a crime lord named Chew’Bah (Robert Quarry), who lives beneath the newly constructed New Angeles, an alleged utopia that forbids any form of carnal pleasure. In Chew’Bah’s ideal world, he’ll have a monopoly on sex, drugs, and gambling, giving people what they want, but at a steep price.
Jack is reluctantly teamed up with a robotics expert named Beth (Rochelle Swanson) because he’s not trusted to bring the fembots back in one piece. The problem is that Jack doesn’t trust Beth to fend for herself in the futuristic ghettos, where bodies are sold as currency and she could easily be sold into slavery for $10,000. It’s a classic odd-couple setup because Beth claims to be fluent in martial arts thanks to her extensive simulated training protocols, but she dresses like a sheltered bureaucrat.
Since this is a Fred Olen Ray film, we know that Beth is actually an absolute smoke show, and when she’s forced to throw hands, she’s not only competent but frighteningly good at close combat, impressing Jack, who just wants to finish the job and collect his bounty.
The Humor Comes From Lack Of Enthusiasm
While it’s obvious that Cyberzone has taken more than a few pages from the Blade Runner playbook as far as its aesthetic goes, we get more of a buddy-cop experience here. Jack and Beth’s dynamic evolves into your typical romantic tug-of-war because they come from two very different worlds, but the real charm comes from Matthias Hues’ portrayal of Hawks, the most reluctant smuggler you’ve ever seen in a film.
When he first successfully captures the sex droids under the guise of “reconfiguring their oral programs,” he couldn’t look more bored. The only things he cares about are making sure his ship reaches its destination in one piece and collecting his fee. He’s surrounded by babes who will do anything he wants, and he brushes them off on several occasions because they’re distracting him from his navigation system. The look of frustration on his face is not only palpable but reliably hilarious every time this happens.
Beth’s shift from prude bureaucrat to smoking-hot femme fatale of the wasteland is sudden, but she leans fully into it when it’s time to deliver a proper beatdown, and her character arc is surprisingly satisfying when all is said and done. She evolves from a blissfully ignorant cog in a sanitized world into a ballsy heroine after finally catching a glimpse of how the other side lives.
As you would expect, the special effects in Cyberzone are crude, but they succeed in getting the job done. If anything, a big-budget production might actually take away from its charm. Thanks to its willingness to lean fully into its schlock and awe delivery instead of trying to be something it isn’t, Cyberzone remains a memorable outing because it embraces its sleaziness while operating within a familiar retro-futuristic framework that any sci-fi fan can get behind.
As of this writing, you can stream Cyberzone for free on Tubi.
Entertainment
Dreames newest vacuum mop basically pressure-washes your floors
TL;DR: You can grab the Aero Ultra Steam on Amazon or Dreame’s website starting July 15 for $799.99.
If you’re tired of scrubbing sticky kitchen floors or dealing with stubborn pet messes, Dreame’s newest wet/dry vacuum mop is basically built to pressure-wash your house.
Launching on July 15, the Aero Ultra Steam is the latest flagship in the company’s lineup and, according to an email from the brand, the first in its class to combine high-temperature steam, hot water, and foaming detergent into one seamless system. (I’m particularly excited for this release — I have two beagles and the Dreame L60 Pro Ultra robot vacuum has literally changed my life.)
Mashable Trend Report
It features a “Tri-Force” cleaning system that hits your floors with 392°F SaunaClean steam for chemical-free sanitizing, dissolves tracked-in mud and other non-mentionables with 194°F ThermoRinse hot water, and dispenses a floral-scented FoamWash to neutralize 99 percent of pet odors. (And this is all at 30kPa, Dreame’s most powerful suction yet.) It also uses a specialized TangleCut 2.0 scraper to keep the brush roller tangle-free — which is non-negotiable when you’re constantly cleaning up hound hair.
The Aero Ultra Steam dispenses a floral-scented foam designed to neutralize 99 percent of pet odors while you clean.
Credit: Dreame
Bonus: You’ll get 100 minutes of runtime in Eco mode, and the super-slim 3.88-inch profile makes it super easy to reach underneath your couches (or wherever) without moving all the furniture.
You can grab the Aero Ultra Steam on Amazon or Dreame’s website starting July 15 for $799.99.
Entertainment
Stargate Stars and Fans Over 100,000 Strong In Petition To Save Reboot
By Jennifer Asencio
| Updated
For one brief moment, it looked like fans were going to get a beloved show rebooted into something new, but it was not meant to be. Amazon Studios cancelled their planned revival of Stargate, which devastated the cast, crew, and fans in equal measure. It was going to be helmed by veteran Stargate writer Martin Gero. The other executive producers included those who had a direct hand in the creation of the original movie, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis. Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin co-wrote the movie, and Emmerich directed it.
Brad Wright and Joe Mallozzi, who have long been associated with the Stargate franchise, were also brought on board, along with Joey Harold and Tory Tunnell. This revival with this creative team behind it had the power to bring Stargate back to the present time. And that is where the show ran into the snag that ultimately led to it being cancelled by Amazon Studios.
Gero and others involved, including actors like SG-1 star Michael Shanks and sci-fi staple Robert Patrick, urged fans to push back against this decision by Amazon Studios. Creators and actors were so invested in the quality of their content that they were willing to speak out so publicly. Fans rallied behind the actors, and soon #SaveStargate gained momentum on social media. There was a Change.org petition that gained over 113,000 signatures as of this writing. Fans created websites dedicated to saving Stargate. That is how deeply fans feel about the Stargate franchise.
A Flawed Reboot Logic
The reason that Amazon Studios gave for canceling the reboot is that they felt the show would appeal only to the original fans and not to a broader “modern audience.” We really need to just move beyond that descriptor. The modern audience doesn’t watch science fiction; they just demand that everyone else hold their worldview and have diversity and messaging that so deeply twists the story it wouldn’t be what fans wanted anyway.
Many other revivals that were cancelled or died after the first season often saw the cast and crew blaming fans for not tuning in to their show. We’ve since watched Sabrina and a rebooted Charmed come and go with characters that remind us nothing of what we used to love about the original series. We are given lectures on what the message should be. You can no longer really watch any sort of programming without the “modern agenda” being forced into it, bludgeoned with such force that it resembles nothing about the original, but checks corporate boxes on gratuitously inclusive metrics. That is all the studios seem to care about, even if it costs them billions of dollars.
That is the thing that Amazon did not fully understand or want to understand. Maybe the revival didn’t check enough of their corporate boxes for them to avoid backlash from a vocal minority that demands these companies bend the knee.
Here it is, though: if the quality of the show and the storytelling is good, you will bring in fans. With Gero and the others at the helm, the original fans would’ve flocked to Stargate. Word of mouth of how great it was would spread. Those fans would want to share it with their friends and family. That brings in more viewers and more of those metrics a company looks at. SG-1 ran for a decade. Atlantis lasted five seasons, and Universe lasted only two before it was cancelled with many plots unresolved. They later released a comic book to help tie up some of those loose ends.
When done properly, Stargate has staying power with fans who wanted to watch programs that had great storytelling and emotional weight. It was axed because it did not appeal to the modern audience. That is not to say that Amazon Studios is done with Stargate; they are just not moving forward with the production helmed by Gero and the others. We will see if this bold strategy pays off for them, or if their future revival fails to generate traction with the modern audience, as we’ve seen many times already.
Entertainment
National French Fries Day 2026 deals: Score free fries from McDonalds, Five Guys, Sheetz, Chick-Fil-A, and more
If you’re not eating free fries this week, you’re doing life wrong. Just kidding (kind of).
Friday, July 10, is National French Fry Day, which means a bunch of your favorite fast food chains are giving away free fries. While some require a minimum purchase of some kind or a (free) rewards membership, others require nothing but your will to face the crowds at a local establishment. Regardless, this is a made up holiday I, for one, can get behind.
If you’re curious which fast food chains are participating in the free fry celebration, we have a running list below. Just be sure to check the details before rushing out to the restaurant of your choice.
Arby’s
Arby’s Rewards members can get a free fry of any size on July 10 with the purchase of a Cheesesteak online or in app.
Checkers & Rally’s
Celebrate National French Fry Day at Checkers & Rally’s from July 10 through 12 with BOGO free Famous Seasoned Fries of any size and $1 sauce trios.
Chick-Fil-A
From July 7 through 13, Chick-Fil-A is giving out free medium-size Waffle Fries as a reward in the restaurant’s app. Just play the in-app “Spot the Cow” game to get the deal. It’s limited to one fry reward per person.
Mashable Trend Report
Del Taco
July 10 through 13, you can score a free regular fry at Del Taco with with a $3 minimum purchase.
Five Guys
From July 8 through 10, customers who buy a burger, hot dog, or sandwich through the Five Guys app or Five Guys.com will get one free Little Fry. Sign in or create a Five Guys account and enter promo code FRYDAY26 at checkout to get the freebie.
Jack in the Box
Sign up to be a Jack Pack Rewards member if you’re not already and you’ll be able to grab a free fry of any size on July 10 with a minimum purchase of $1.
McDonald’s
On July 10th, National French Fry Day proper, McDonald’s is giving out free medium-sized French Fries to Rewards members. Just make a purchase of at least $1 through the McDonald’s app to get the deal.
Sheetz
From July 10 through 16, Sheetz is giving away one free bag of fries with any purchase of $10 or more through the Sheetz app (under the OFFERZ tab). The freebie is limited to one per My Sheetz Rewardz member.
Wendy’s
Are you a Wendy’s Rewards member? Head to the app and make a purchase of at least $5 and you’ll get a free fry in any size on National French Fry Day, July 10.
Whataburger
Whataburger rewards members can score a free medium fry with no purchase required on July 10. The offer is valid online or in the app.
White Castle
Head to White Castle on July 10 and pick up free Cheese Fries by using the promo code CHEESY when you place an online or in-app order.
Joey Bart, Braves win after Pirates lift Jared Jones (6 perfect IP)
Jonathan Aranda drives in 3 as Rays blank Yankees
