Lauren Davis, Author at Gizmodo

Documentary On Biggs Darklighter, A Character Mostly Cut From A New Hope

Biggs Darklighter was Luke Skywalker’s best friend in the first Star Wars movie, but most of his scenes were cut from the final version of the film. In this installment of Jamie Benning’s Filmumentaries, Garrick Hagon, who played Biggs, talks about his experience on the Star Wars set and his feelings about the movie. Benning,…

io9 Lauren Davis

Oscar-Winning Director Films Intimate Portraits Of Praying Mantises

Inspired by a dream about mantises, photographer and photographer Zana Briski created Reverence, an exhibit featuring photos, film, and music devoted to better understanding and appreciating these insects. The video below is actually just the trailer for Reverence, but it teases how Briski (who won an Academy Award for her film Born into Brothels) frames…

io9 Lauren Davis

A Powerful Short About A Refugee In 2020 Offered A Dubious Opportunity

The short film Refuge is set year in the year 2020 when a cyberwar is brewing between the United States and Iran. Sonia, a young journalist and refugee from Iran, is in danger of being deported, when a new research project offers her an opportunity to stay, but at great personal cost. Mohammad Gorjestani wrote…

io9 Lauren Davis

First Jem And The Holograms Trailer Is Truly Outrageous—In How Bad It Is

The trailer for the Jem and the Holograms movie is out and… no. Just no. We get a Jerrica who goes from shy girl to diva, no Misfits, no artificial intelligence, and NO ACTUAL HOLOGRAMS? It’s like the people who made this thing never actually watched the show. We’ve been very, very worried about Jem…

Trailers Lauren Davis

Small-Scale Marvel Movies We’d Love To See (But Will Never Get Made)

As much as we love the wham-bam-pow of the Avengers fighting larger-than-life foes, sometimes we wish that we could have smaller Marvel movies, focused on what the characters do when they’re not punching robots. Here are our pitches for lower budget, character-driven movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After The Avengers: Age of Ultron came…

Movies Lauren Davis

A Must-Watch Flash Gordon Fan Film Made By A Disney Animator

A few years back, animator Robb Pratt, who worked on Pocahontas, Hercules, Tarzan, and a number of other Disney movies, gifted us with a pair of 1940s-style Superman fan cartoons. Now he’s turned his retro pen on Flash Gordon, giving us an animated fan film with a touch of Disney flair. https://gizmodo.com/what-if-superman-was-a-disney-cartoon-5755105 https://gizmodo.com/this-superman-fan-cartoon-is-good-enough-to-warrant-an-5922922 [via GeekTyrant]

io9 Lauren Davis

This Week’s TV: M. Night Shyamalan Debuts His Own Version Of Twin Peaks

M. Night Shyamalan launches us into a new mysterious town with his series Wayward Pines — and it might not be completely awful. HBO’s latest true crime documentary asks: should we arrest a man for talking about planning to commit a crime? Plus, we’ve got the season finales of Arrow, Grimm, The Vampire Diaries, and…

Television Lauren Davis

Sibling Bonding Gets Pretty Gross On Orphan Black

Oh, family. On Orphan Black, it’s never as simple as sibling rivalries or uncomfortable family dinners. No, here it’s all about bullet wounds, freaky medical experiments, banishment, and literally digging for secrets. Plus, we’ve got a heaping side of romance real talk and a drug-dealing surprise. Last week, I bade farewell to Castor Mark, but…

Television Lauren Davis

A Goofy Webcomic About Everything The T-Rex Regrets

Yes, we’re all familiar with the jokes about the Tyrannosaurus Rex having big heads and itty bitty arms, but they’re funny when you apply the right amount of slapstick. And it’s endlessly fun to watch the dinosaur of Jerry Teo’s Rex Regrets try — and regret — all sorts of modern activities. Teo has kindly…

Books & Comics Lauren Davis

The Panels In This Quilt Combine To Form A Famous Horse Animation

In 1878, photographer Eadweard Muybridge solved an enduring mystery: Do galloping horses ever lift all four of their hooves off the ground at the same time? Animator Nina Paley pays tribute to Muybridge with a quilt whose panels are based on his galloping horse photos. Muybridge used multiple cameras and a clever shutter system to…

io9 Lauren Davis

You’ll Change All Your Passwords After Watching This Creepy Short Film

One day, while on his computer, Luke is contacted by a mysterious figure who calls himself “Keith” and offers to help him. On a whim, Luke agrees, not realizing that he’s surrendering control of his digital life to someone who knows everything about him. Luke Kondor wrote, directed, and narrated the short film Keith. We’re…

io9 Lauren Davis

Concept Art Writing Prompt: A Tour Down Mech Alley

In this week’s Concept Art Writing Prompt, by artist Ville Ericsson, we see a pair of armed fellows patrolling a city alley. But who are they? And what’s their relationship, if any, to the robot ahed of them? If you’ve been looking for writing inspiration, take a crack at our Concept Art Writing Prompt. See…

io9 Lauren Davis

An Animated History Of The PG-13 Movie

The PG-13 rating wasn’t introduced Motion Picture Association of America’s film rating system until 1984, but why and how did it impact the ways that sex and violence are portrayed in mainstream American films? This video from Pitchfork takes a quick look at the history of PG-13 cinema. [via Neatorama]

Movies Lauren Davis

Geologist Races To Learn Mars’ Secrets Before The Planet Is Terraformed

In the short film Red Witch, an aging geologist hopes to learn Mars’ history before terraforming alters the planet’s landscape forever. But she finds that the people she’s working with aren’t interested in hearing Mars’ story — they just want to prepare the planet for colonization. Aron Bothman made Red Witch as his fourth year…

io9 Lauren Davis

Incredibly Cool Cartoon About A Toad On Trial For The Murder Of A Frog

In the short film Dodoba, a toad is discovered over the murdered body of a frog in an Edo period Japanese village. But while the townsfolk are convinced he is guilty, the toad tells a strange story about the true culprit. Dodoba is animator Yon Hui’s graduation film from CalArts (and we’re seeing just a…

io9 Lauren Davis

Sandman Tries To Kidnap A Naive Nightmare In This Creepy-Cute Webcomic

Miyuli’s webcomic Lost Nightmare has the feel of a malevolent children’s book, one where the classically wicked characters, like the Bogeyman, are less frightening than the luminous shepherd known as the Sandman. And a sweet little nightmare named Ink is about to learn the truly scary aspects of the dreamscape. Ink is still a little…

Books & Comics Lauren Davis

100 Years Ago, This Man Was The Original Patent Troll

The term “patent troll” wasn’t coined until the late 20th century, used to describe someone who filed a patent in order not to manufacture products, but to collect licensing fees. But more than 100 years ago, a patent attorney was a proto-patent troll, exploiting the system to profit off of the burgeoning auto industry. George…

io9 Lauren Davis

Delightful Short Film Traces A Rock’s Journey Over Millions Of Years

In the short animated film An Object at Rest, we see a sleepy, anthropomorphized rock changing and moving over the course of eons. But the rock’s journey really speeds up — and its rest interrupted — once humans enter the picture. Animator Seth Boyden already wowed us with his cheerful short film about a Venus…

io9 Lauren Davis

Fan Remakes Batman V. Superman Trailer In Style Of DC Animated Universe

Animator James Strecker imagined what the upcoming superhero film Batman V. Superman might look if the movie was made in the style of the DC Animated Universe. So he played with the visual style and audio of DCAU TV shows and movies to remake the trailer. [via Geeks are Sexy]

io9 Lauren Davis

What Does It Take To Become A Professional Faerie Princess?

After seven years working in the tech industry, Jenny Richman decided that she needed more magic in her life. So she traded her keyboard for a pair of shimmery wings, taking a job as a professional faerie at children’s parties. There, she found the job fulfillment she had been hoping for. Illustration by Tara Jacoby.…

io9 Lauren Davis

Lauren Davis

Documentary On Biggs Darklighter, A Character Mostly Cut From A New Hope

Oscar-Winning Director Films Intimate Portraits Of Praying Mantises

A Powerful Short About A Refugee In 2020 Offered A Dubious Opportunity

First Jem And The Holograms Trailer Is Truly Outrageous—In How Bad It Is

Small-Scale Marvel Movies We’d Love To See (But Will Never Get Made)

A Must-Watch Flash Gordon Fan Film Made By A Disney Animator

This Week’s TV: M. Night Shyamalan Debuts His Own Version Of Twin Peaks

Sibling Bonding Gets Pretty Gross On Orphan Black

A Goofy Webcomic About Everything The T-Rex Regrets

The Panels In This Quilt Combine To Form A Famous Horse Animation

You’ll Change All Your Passwords After Watching This Creepy Short Film

Concept Art Writing Prompt: A Tour Down Mech Alley

An Animated History Of The PG-13 Movie

Geologist Races To Learn Mars’ Secrets Before The Planet Is Terraformed

Incredibly Cool Cartoon About A Toad On Trial For The Murder Of A Frog

Sandman Tries To Kidnap A Naive Nightmare In This Creepy-Cute Webcomic

100 Years Ago, This Man Was The Original Patent Troll

Delightful Short Film Traces A Rock’s Journey Over Millions Of Years

Fan Remakes Batman V. Superman Trailer In Style Of DC Animated Universe

What Does It Take To Become A Professional Faerie Princess?

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Adds ‘Succulent Chinese Meal’ Guy

Feds Sniffing Around Polymarket After Suspicious Bets

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Don’t Get Too Attached to Any AI App

‘Paradise’ Writer Teases What’s Coming in Season 3 After That Huge Twist

Trump’s New White House App Is Mildly Concerning and Weird for a Lot of Reasons

Bloodsucking Ticks Can Survive Inside Your Home Longer Than You Might Think

The Best New Toys of March 2026

Judge Denies Liking LinkedIn Post Critical of Elon Musk But Reassigns His Cases Anyway

Amazon Slashes 50% Off Keurig K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker, Now a Budget Alternative to Breville and Nespresso Espresso Machines

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets