Outer Frontier

The line between fantasy and reality gets a work-over with a metaphysical eraser in this duo of stories about the existential and philosophical dimensions of entertainment and pop culture. In "The Collection of X,oraan," a nerdy teenager's innocent purchase of a mysterious plastic monster figure in a comic book shop ignites a 30-year obsession with a collection of toys that only one other person in the world seems to have heard of...and which may not be as benign and playful as they seem. Meanwhile, "Outer Frontier" asks you to imagine yourself in distress: laid up in your apartment with a broken leg during a ferocious heat wave, your supply of painkillers dwindling, what price are you willing to pay for a momentary escape? Binge-watching a cheesy 1960s science fiction TV series may seem a harmless enough diversion, but be warned...the series finale involves you losing your mind!