Soviet-era sci-fi TV: The first adaptation of “Solaris” (1968)…

*****SPOILERS!***** In this column, I’d previously reviewed both cinematic adaptations of noted Polish sci-fi author Stanislaw Lem’s “Solaris” (1972/2002). The book, arguably Lem’s most celebrated novel, tells the story of psychiatrist-cosmonaut Kris Kelvin, who visits a dilapidated space station in orbit over the distant planet Solaris, which is covered by a living ocean. The Solaris…

HBO’s “Chernobyl”: Denial can be fatal…

April 26, 1986. I’ve just finished the five-part HBO miniseries “Chernobyl” (2019), a powerful depiction of the events and aftermath of the worst nuclear disaster the world has ever seen (a ranking which includes the horrific Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011). Interestingly, the miniseries isn’t necessarily a statement against nuclear power. In fact,…