Director Steven Soderbergh has always been something of a prophet of the future. Remember Bubble, his 2005 film set in a doll factory? The film was released simultaneously in cinemas, on DVD and on cable.
Theatre owners were up in arms, but it was the perfect prediction of the streaming age business model to come. Now, the director behind such illustrious films as Traffic and Erin Brockovich, is trying his hand at a different type of crystal ball-gazing with his new series Command Z.
A secret project that’s caught everyone unawares – until it dropped this week – the show is divided into eight episodes of varying length. Available via the internet (for $7.99, the fee is being donated to charity), it’s a sci-fi comedy starring, among others, Michael Cera, who is having something of a moment after appearing in the first episode of the new Black Mirror season and Barbie, as Ken’s friend Allan.
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Here he plays Kerning Fealty, an Elon Musk-like billionaire entrepreneur who died years ago on a trip to Mars, when his rocket was hit by an asteroid.
Spoilers ahead
Now, Kerning is incarnated as an AI image – just his head appearing on a screen. He’s gathered three employees, the naively enthusiastic Jamie (JJ Maley), the cynical Emma (Chloe Radcliffe, also one of the show’s writers) and the largely disengaged Sam (Roy Wood Jr) for a 10-day top-secret mission, Command Z. With this threesome collected in a dingy room – they all arrive in yellow hazmat suits, suggesting the outside world has already succumbed to ecological collapse – the plan is to send them back in time to subtly influence future events.
There will be no physical departures here; rather, it turns out Fealty has bankrolled a band of physicists back in the early 21st century, who were creating an artificial space-time wormhole. Thanks to the pandemic, when everyone was using hand sanitiser, they were able to smuggle nano-bots hidden inside the antiseptic gel into people’s blood stream.
What does all this mean? That Jamie, Sam and Emma can each access the interior consciousness of select people – people who are close to those in positions of power. It’s rather like the film Being John Malkovich, where John Cusack’s puppeteer finds a portal into the mind of the titular actor.
So suddenly, this trio of influencers – “the great American fix-it crew”, as they’re known – are able to whisper in the ears of titans of tech, politicians and religious leaders to change the course of history. In episodes three and four, titled The Pryce is Wrong and The Pryce is Wrong II, for example, the target is an amoral Wall Street asset stripper, Kohlberg Pryce, played by Liev Schreiber (last seen in more gentle surrounds, in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City).
After trying to inhabit his assistant, they go for the jugular – with Sam’s consciousness invading the man’s dog, Benny. Suddenly, much to the shock of Pryce, the pup can communicate with him.
“I really wish you were a better human,” Benny tells him, as Pryce starts unburdening himself, confessing all his sins (“I bought the Jonas Brothers just to keep them off the air,” he says). Needless to say, he changes his path after this once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
Each episode is followed by cinematic recommendations in the credits. “For more information on time travel,” we’re told to watch The Terminator, Brother Future (a very obscure TV movie from 1991) and Run Lola Run. Later, in an episode that deals with nuclear energy, we’re told to check out The China Syndrome, Chernobyl and 2022’s Atomic Hope, a documentary about a small band of activists who believe nuclear power is the solution to the energy crisis. Amongst the wacky comedy, then, are tools for education if you wish to find them.
Soderbergh is not a director known for out-and-out comedy (unless you count the unintentionally hilarious Magic Mike’s Last Dance). But he certainly has an oddball sense of humour. One of his best films was Schizopolis, from 1996, in which he starred – a very surreal knockabout farce that took inspiration from the energy of Richard Lester, director of The Beatles’ movies A Hard Day’s Night and Help! This isn’t quite on that level – it’s more like Soderbergh’s own riposte to Black Mirror – but it’s got a streak of silliness running all the way through it.
Filled with ideas and invention about the shape of things to come, it’s also populated by surprise guests. Zoe Winters, who plays Kerry in Succession, pops up as a crusading politician, while The Usual Suspects’ Kevin Pollak also appears. While the final episode, where we come to realise Fealty’s true intentions, is a bit of a let-down, underneath it all lies a positive message: “Small improvements can lead to big improvements,” Fealty says.
Surely that’s something we can all embrace before our futures are ruined.
Available to buy and watch on commandzseries.com
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Esperance de Tunis 0
Al Ain 3 (Ahmed 02’, El Shahat 17’, Al Ahbabi 60’)
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Men's football draw
Group A: UAE, Spain, South Africa, Jamaica
Group B: Bangladesh, Serbia, Korea
Group C: Bharat, Denmark, Kenya, USA
Group D: Oman, Austria, Rwanda
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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