The biggest divide is not between “right” and “left." It’s between democracy and oligarchy. The billionaires who control our economy and democracy seek to divide us. They want us to turn on each other so we don't look up and see that they have all the wealth and power.

If you're an old school horror movie fan and need a good laugh, let me recommend HAUNTED HOTEL on Netflix. They named the town Midwich, and it just gets better from there. The Body Snatchers homage episode even has a Donald Sutherland tribute. #filmsky

I don't know about you, but it feels crazy optimistic to make plans of any kind now. How do I know what next week will be like at this rate, much less 2026?

If you're cancelling certain streaming services today, remember that your library card gives you access to Kanopy, which has heaps of great programming! www.kanopy.com

In case you need an address for a letter (sent mine yesterday): Disney-ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution 500 S. Buena Vista St. Burbank, CA 91521-2515

This is the real reason Jimmy Kimmel is being taken off the air. Brian Stelter: "Nexstar already owns lots of TV stations. It wants to merge with Tegna, which owns lots of other stations. In order to do that, it needs Brandon Carr, the FCC Chair's, permission."

The address to target is: Disney-ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution 500 S. Buena Vista St. Burbank, CA 91521-3515

Nobody who is paying attention is getting much sleep these days.

The legendary actor died Tuesday at 89. "I wasn't learning the way I was supposed to learn ..." he explained in 2013. "I realized that my education was going to happen when I got out in the world."

Robert Redford (1936-2025) should be remembered as much for his social conscience as for his talents as a storyteller. This 1976 interview about ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN is a sobering reminder of what we’ve lost. #RobertRedford #FilmSky

Incredible. Trump drags the reputation of a highly regarded economist, first Black woman to be a Fed gov, thru the mud claiming she committed mortgage fraud. But the documents his appointee to run Fannie & Freddie got for him & that he said showed fraud don’t actually say that.

Sean Astin has been elected as the new President of the actors union SAG-AFTRA

Currently streaming on The Criterion Channel - BUGSY MALONE (1976), which I still enjoy in spite of the dubbing. #filmsky

"I can't believe what you say, because I see what you do" - James Baldwin

A *partial* list of the libraries a merged Warner Bros-Paramount would own. #FilmSky

Though the FDA narrowed criteria for the shots, many people still want them, to avoid illness and protect vulnerable family members. Some are turned down at the pharmacy or have to jump through hoops.

Earl Holliman in "Forbidden Planet" (with Robby the Robot) - BOTD

The professor has been fired and senior administrators removed from their post. No mention of this in the New York Times, The Free Press, The Atlantic or other outlets who drove the campus speech moral panic.

Aw, man. I always want to be in London, but I'd really love to be in London now to see this exhibit.

I continue to think that the one of the major institutional casualties of this era will be the U.S. Supreme Court. The deference to Trump will make it anathema to Democrats and an irrelevance to Republicans.

SCOTUS: considering race as one factor in a college applicant's file is blatantly unconstitutional ALSO SCOTUS: considering race as one factor in targeting whom to detain and deport is cool cool cool

Looks like the original “Tension” clip might be blocked so here’s another with Audrey Totter wanting a little fun with her furs. #NoirCity

My local public radio station is cutting all of its @npr.org programming. We've been regular listeners and donors for decades, but now we'll have to go elsewhere for the programs we rely on for news and smart entertainment. I hate this stupid regime more every day.

Wow. Who knew FRANKENSTEIN was a work of Romanticism and really a critique of crappy dudes and deadbeat dads? Just everybody who actually read the book.

I’m loving the lineup on TCM today! #PeterLorre #MadLove @tcmtv.bsky.social @tcmparty.bsky.social

NEWS: CVS, the largest pharmacy chain in the country, is currently not offering Covid vaccines in 16 states and DC — even to people who meet the new FDA criteria — because the CDC hasn't signed off and isn't expected to do so (if it does so) for at least three weeks.

Boudica out there have her own geological layer.

US regulators approved Pfizer’s updated COVID-19 shot but with limits that could complicate access for millions of American adults and children.

I don't qualify, even though I do a ton of volunteer work with seniors. Time to buy more masks and reconsider my activities for the winter (although my "required to be in the office full time" spouse is the most likely to make me ill).

"The way in which digital transactions are structured...is partly why #physicalmedia is kind-of-sort-of cool again. DVDs offer the ability, now and forever, to bypass the complicated web of licenses that leave fans unable to access their favorite titles." www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/bus...

turns out the thing most of us learned as kids is still true: stand up to bullies and they usually back down — but give them what they want and they’ll *always* be back for more

New on my column at @classicmoviehub.bsky.social - Looking back at 50 years of JAWS and my enduring love for the film. #filmsky

Weekend LEGO project - taking this rather blah sea serpent model from the 3-in-1 Medieval Dragon Creator set and making her into a fabulous gigantic leafy sea dragon. Pics when I'm done with her, but she'll be at the club's library show next month.

Claire Bloom and Julie Harris in THE HAUNTING (Robert Wise, 1963)

Love this movie - great to see @jasondashbailey.com spotlight its many charms.

If you want to continue the broader Starfleet/empire conversation from “What is Starfleet?”, the Women at Warp back catalogue has you covered. Here’s a playlist thread of our episodes touching on the topic of colonialism and empire in Star Trek. 👇 #StarTrek #SNW

Not going to argue with obnoxious twits. You're just going to get blocked.

A lot of the comments are making jokes, but those of us in red states (hi from Alabama) could disappear from this space as our state houses rush to follow Mississippi's example since they're being allowed to go ahead with it.

Accurate, although a sane country wouldn't have allowed a monstrous con man to become President the first time, much less twice.

I'm late to getting around to read SPACE OPERA (2018) by @catvalente.bsky.social but it's so extremely timely to be reading it in 2025 that I sometimes have to stop and reread a passage out loud to myself. The story of the Flus is brilliantly, horrifically familiar right now. #booksky

I have been having the best time finding movies to watch on @kanopy.com - lots of great classics and more recent movies. You can access it through your public library, so it's perfect for folks looking to cut their spending on streaming services.

As we continue our Double Trouble in August: Monsters & Aliens campaign, please tell us your favorite film featuring a mad scientist. Here are some of our favorites: letterboxd.com/kanopy/list/...

New on the blog - I get to interview @sparkytopia.com about the classic movie monsters who inspire some of their adorable animal art.

AI is a bubble that can't burst fast enough. Keep shunning it, complaining about it, and refusing to use it.

As inept as the aliens were in Ed Wood's magnum opus, none of them ever left "Plan 9" in a hotel printer. (L-R) Criswell #BOTD w/ John "Bunny" Breckinridge, Joanna Lee, and Dudley Manlove in PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959). #FilmSky

My kid is playing Umamusume: Pretty Horse Derby, so I obviously had to make them watch YOU NEVER CAN TELL (1951), in which Joyce Holden plays a reincarnated race horse named Golden Harvest.

New on the blog - while MYSTERY STREET (1950) has several flaws, it uses forensic crime-solving in interesting ways, and it features a scene-stealing performance from Elsa Lanchester. #filmsky