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Tom's Guide
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Prime Video just got an overlooked sci-fi thriller movie that's already crashed the top 10 — and it's a pleasant surprise
I like to think I've got a pretty good eye for new movie releases. But every so often, a title slips through the cracks — especially when it skips theaters altogether. That's the case with 'The Fix,' a 2024 sci-fi thriller directed by Kelsey Egan. It premiered at the Chattanooga Film Festival before heading straight to digital, never receiving a traditional theatrical release so it was very easy to miss. But now that it's cracked Prime Video's top 10 movies list, curiosity got the better of me. 'The Fix' is weird, bold, and not exactly polished, but there's something gripping about its chaotic mix of corporate horror and body mutation. It features 'Stranger Things' star Grace Van Dien as a model turned reluctant mutant hero, and while the story leans into B-movie territory at times, it's also surprisingly self-aware. It's always fun when a lesser-known movie finds a second life on streaming, and 'The Fix' feels like one of those unexpected hits that people are going to be talking about in group chats. So if you've seen this one pop up on Prime Video, here's everything to know before streaming it. 'The Fix' is set in a dystopian future where Earth's atmosphere has become toxic. The pharmaceutical giant Aethera monopolizes a drug called AIRemedy, claiming it protects users from the toxins, effectively controlling humanity's survival. However, Aethera cannot produce enough to meet global demand, keeping this a secret from the public. The story follows Ella McPhee (Grace Van Dien), a model employed by Aethera, who becomes disillusioned after her mother's suicide. At a party, she consumes a stolen vial of what she believes is a new designer drug. The substance causes her to undergo mutagenic changes, granting her enhanced strength, gliding ability, and chitinous spurs. As she grapples with her transformation, Ella discovers that her mutations could be the key to humanity's survival. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. I'll admit, the fact I'd never heard of 'The Fix' had me a little worried. I figured it might be one of those forgettable sci-fi flops I'd regret adding to my watchlist. But surprisingly, it turned out to be a decent watch and I can see why it landed in Prime Video's top 10. The first 15 minutes are definitely a bit shaky. It has that low-budget, slightly awkward setup that might make you wonder if it's worth sticking with. The first 15 minutes are definitely a bit shaky. It has that low-budget, slightly awkward setup that might make you wonder if it's worth sticking with. But if you push past that, the story starts to pull you in. It's weirdly compelling, even if you're not totally sold on the production quality. 'The Fix' could have easily spiraled into a mess (and I was expecting that), but Egan keeps it feeling coherent. The story doesn't rush to explain itself or force exposition like most sci-fi flicks do nowadays, but instead, it unfolds at its own pace. The movie kicks off with a model, Ella, filming an ad for a company called Airem. On the surface, she's got a dream gig as their brand ambassador, but beneath it all, she's struggling. It's the one-year anniversary of her mother's suicide, and emotionally, she's barely holding it together. Feeling hopeless, she downs the entire vial of a mysterious drug. And from there it gets pretty chaotic. 'The Fix' blends dystopian sci-fi with a bit of a superhero origin story vibe. And like a lot of stories in that lane, it weaves in themes around shady corporations and questionable science. But it doesn't get overly preachy about it. The heroes and villains are pretty clear from the start, and the movie trusts the audience to pick up on what's going on without spelling everything out. 'The Fix' blends dystopian sci-fi with a bit of a superhero origin story vibe. Grace Van Dien, who you might recognize from 'Stranger Things' season 4, is the only real standout given how forgettable the side characters are, including the research scientist Eric O'Connors (Daniel Sharman) and drug supplier Spider (Tina Redman), who are only there to drive the narrative in a specific direction. Van Dien's character Ella starts off in this glossy, surface-level world and gradually unravels (physically and emotionally) into something totally unrecognizable. The transformation stuff gets weird (think: Cronenberg-lite body horror), but it works. And I appreciated that the movie doesn't shy away from getting gross or uncomfortable; it leans into its premise instead of playing it safe. One thing to keep in mind: if you're expecting tight pacing or slick production value, this probably isn't your movie. The script doesn't always do the story justice and there are a few effects that look like they were done on a shoestring budget. But if you're in the mood for something different that takes risks and isn't afraid to be a little rough around the edges, 'The Fix' might actually surprise you. You don't need to take my word for it either. Audiences gave 'The Fix' a solid score of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, with four out of seven critic reviews being positive. Joshua Polanski from In Review Online said: 'It's renewing to see a film that functionally challenges rather than reinforces the same paradigm it seeks to critique.' Meanwhile, Warped Perspective's Keri O'Shea stated that 'being derivative isn't necessarily the end of a new film, but feeling like a scant retelling of elements which are more consistently fleshed-out in pre-existing films…kinda is.' These are takes I agree with, and 'The Fix' isn't something that should be at the very top of your Prime Video watchlist. Its low budget and lack of blockbuster sheen is bound to put a lot of people off. However, the central story is very interesting, and in a sea of formulaic streaming content, that counts for a lot. You can stream 'The Fix' on Prime Video now. However, if you're not feeling it, see what else is new on Prime Video in May 2025.
Gulf Insider
21-02-2025
- Health
- Gulf Insider
500+ COVID Studies Retracted for Unreliable Data
Retractions are driven by pressure to produce studies quickly, watchdog co-founder says More than 500 studies on COVID-19 have been withdrawn due to 'bias,' 'unreliable' information, or unspecified reasons, a blog that tracks retracted documents, found. Retraction Watch co-founder Ivan Oransky told The College Fix via phone interview one reason for the high number of retractions is the academic system's incentive structure which pressures researchers to rapidly produce studies and get them peer reviewed as quickly as possible. 'Why do they feel the need to rush papers through? Well, it's because that's how they get or keep their jobs, that's how they get grants, everything is based on that,' he said. 'When you know that your whole career depends on publishing papers in particular journals, you're going to do what you have to do to publish those papers. Most of the time that means you work hard, you hire the smart grad students and postdocs,' he said. Oransky also said researchers may feel 'too desperate' or that 'incentives are so stark' that there's no 'humanly possible way' to do it. 'So you start engaging in misconduct,' he said. The articles in the list pertain to risk factors related to COVID-19 vaccines and various alternative treatments for the disease. 'It's really a range of everything from essays to big clinical trials,' he said. Oransky pointed The Fix to one of his research letters examining the differences between retractions of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related research papers. The results showed that papers on COVID-19 had a higher likelihood of being retracted or withdrawn within the first six months of publication and that they were more likely removed 'without detailed explanation or for non-misconduct-related concerns.' He said retracting papers is not necessarily a bad thing, as it can correct information that was potentially wrong or misleading. Ensuring clear and concise reasoning for retractions is crucial, he told The Fix . 'The problem is when papers aren't retracted. The problem is when papers sit in the literature, people know there's a problem, but everybody refuses to do anything about them,' Oransky said. Further, many people use retractions to argue the government, drug companies, and others are untrustworthy. Generally, those people either 'have an axe to grind' or are 'just trying to sell the public something,' he said. A retraction simply says the information 'is unreliable.' 'It doesn't remove it from the world,' he said. However, the transparency of the process varies. Some retraction notices provide no explanation, while others include detailed reasons for the retraction. One of the retracted papers in the list, which question why children are being vaccinated against COVID-19, was withdrawn due to 'unreliable' findings stemming from 'inappropriate bias,' according to the retraction notice. Another paper on COVID-19 vaccination risks was completely withdrawn without any explanation. Oransky told The Fix that full withdrawals are not considered best practice. In other instances, retractions occurred because the author or editor sought further information they wanted to include or because of a technical error that occurred during the study that affected the results. The College Fix reached out to the publisher of the COVID vaccination risk study, Elsevier , seeking an answer as to why the paper was removed without an explanation. The publisher said because the article was published in 2020, it wouldn't be able to determine why it was withdrawn within a reasonable amount of time. Click here to read more Also read: Trump Could Be About To Ban COVID Vaccines; Report
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
WATCH: Runners return to Knavesmire for first charity race
ONE of the first running events of the year got underway this morning in York. Crowds gathered on a cold Knavesmire this morning to take part in the Winter Warmer 10K challenge - one of the first running events of the year to be held so far. Organised by national running group, The Fix, Winter Warmers is an event held in multiple cities across the UK in aid of homelessness charity Shelter. RECOMMENDED READING: Two events, one in York and another in Nottingham, were held today with others scheduled to take place later in the month. Organiser Dave Krangel explained the motivation behind the event, saying: 'We just started the winter warmers as a motivation for people to get outdoors, train and focus on their health and wellbeing at the start of the year. 'We decided Shelter was a good charity as during the winter months they need the support for all those that may require it.' Runners prepared for the event on Knavesmire (Image: Dylan Connell) Starting with a half marathon at 9am, Winter Warmers composed of three races – a 5k, a 10k, and a half marathon – with a little under 600 people taking part in total. Runners for 5 and 10k races got their starting gun at around 10am with the fastest 5k runner, Kingsley Firth, completing the race in 23:05 minutes. The 10k was won by Ben Wright in exactly 37 minutes and Jonny Brownridge completed the half marathon in just over 1 hour, 26 minutes. A full list of winners can be found on the Fix's website alongside details of their other events.
