It's that time of year where I remind #filmsky of the "Micklewhite's" store in "The Muppet Christmas Carol" behind Michael Caine's head, from his real name (Maurice Micklewhite).

"Describe your Bluesky account in a single image."

As it's getting increasingly unlikely I'll ever be featured in the Criterion @criterion.bsky.social Cupboard, I went through the whole list and pruned it down to the ranked couple of hundred tops of mine (quite a few I already own.) Here's my Top 20 Criterions.

It's Friday, people! Normally the Weekend...and you know what that means...but it's Peace On Earth for everybody for a few days (aside from everybody the Toxic Orange Oompaloompa touches), so...continue precisely what you'e doing! Eat Mince Pies! Slurp the Advocaat, and Mulled Wine! Merry Xmas!

"Bugonia" feels like a Von Trier movie made by Terry Gilliam: "Ruthless People" meets "Buckaroo Banzai". Plemons and Stone good. I was entertained. But a $45-55 million budget?! Bonkers, bloody, occasionally violent. Why were the aliens pronounced "AndromeDONS"? Ending went-on too long. #filmsky

Saw "Jay Kelly". Perfectly-okay time-passer. Lovely Tuscan locations, and Clooney looks so good in places I refuse to believe there wasn't CG enhancement on him. Unsatisfactory ending. Beyond me wanting to see Clooney in a scene with Billy Crudup, I kept agonizing over Jim Broadbent's neckerchief.

Saw Linklater’s "Blue Moon". Had no idea Ethan Hawke had a performance like that in him. Give him the Oscar. As a writer I felt pummelled and humbled by Kaplow’s finely-wrought wordplay. Also as a writer I was itching to take a red pencil to scenes that went on too long. Liked it, didn't love it.

The #1 movie when you were 10 years old is how your 2026 is going to go.

Boys and girls - another Friday! Hell encroaches daily, yet we cheerfully jab it back with wit, pointy sticks, and debonair flair. Congratulate yourself! Press play on your stacking-up flicks. Pinch your beloved's bottom. Uncork that special Japanese whisky, before next week's nukes evaporate it.

"I don't like movies that *rely* on 'CGI'" is a ridiculous thing to say. "Nouvelle Vague" (2025), directed by Richard Linklater, visual effects by CGEV. youtu.be/1p0G-lGZkL4?...

Not a fan of Godard’s "À Bout de Souffle", but LOVED Linklater’s "Nouvelle Vague". Guillaume Marbeck plays Godard hilariously, as everyone around (especially wonderful Zoey Deutch from "Zombieland 2" as Seberg) thinks he’s a nut and the film a disaster. Honestly, a PERFECT "Ed Wood" Double-Bill.

"I don't care what anyone says, I like that movie."

An ILM chum sent me a bunch of in-house goodies for my birthday. I was particularly excited by the @officialsuper7.bsky.social Magician Action Figure. I never thought I'd even see one, never mind have one! I love friends. Friends are great.

I never met Rob Reiner, but once got through my then-manager his seat tickets for the L.A. Dodgers...the only time I've been to a baseball game. A few years after I sat next to him and Carl Reiner at the Starbucks on Vineland and Ventura. I chickened out of saying "thank-you". R.I.P., Rob. Thanks.

I was fairly startled, watching @edgarwright.bsky.social new "Running Man", to see the number of the address of Michael Cena's Derry safehouse that Glen Powell turns-up at: "1708" I flashed right back to the lengthy post Edgar made about the death of Terence Stamp back on August 17th... #filmsky

Okay, never mind Dick Van Dyke (although I did sit next to him and Peter Falk at the Universal Commissary about 13 years ago). It's MY birthday! Give me some cheer! :)

Watched "The Long Walk" last night. Wondering when the casting call will go out for its inaugural Season competitors on Paramount Plus in '26...

I don't know. I don't know, guys. I'm trying to keep upbeat, but it's all feeling very "Fall Of The Roman Empire" right now. We made it, though. While madness prevails, chalk another one up. Love your loved ones. Watch a cool movie. Gird your loins and refocus. It's the weekend. Relax...

In 2026 I need to read fewer comics, more books. My #BookSky "bedtime reads" for November. @tgreiving.bsky.social "John Williams: A Composer's Life" Sam Wasson "The Big Goodbye" @michaelconnelly.bsky.social "Nightshade" Guy M. Snodgrass "Holding The Line"

Come on, @netflix.com. Pull your finger out. Stephen Frears, and this cast, in a movie about Billy Wilder!? No-Brainer! There's got to be an Oscar Nom or two in there for you! You've nearly bought Warner Brothers, so you owe Frears for "Dangerous Liaisons" from 1988, at the least!

21st Century List. Tarantino's, and mine. 1. Gladiator 2. The Lord Of The Rings: Two Towers 3. Casino Royale 4. A Star Wars Tale: Rogue One 5. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith 6. Batman Begins 7. Matrix Reloaded 8. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 9. Avengers Endgame 10. Chicago

Hey, @ogmatthewlillard.bsky.social. You follow me, and I just saw this. Obviously Tarantino never saw you in "The Bridge", because you were phenomenal in that. And I always smile when I see you pop-up in a guest starrer. I'd hire you. We know your worth.

Currently #10 in my Movie Of 2025. Let's see if it can survive the Cut by year's end.

Just to let you know. If you start to follow me and you already have hundreds (or weirdly, maybe even thousands" of followers), yet somehow have managed never to post a single message here, I'm just going to be blocking you immediately. I'm familiar with Musk's tracking algorithms in The Bad Place.

Very much this. Also, let the goddamned movie you paid a fortune for, stick around longer. ("Predator Badlands" cost $100 mill, and was on my local cinema for about 10 days before it was yanked...and I never got to see it. I saw "Star Wars" again in 1978...5 months after it first opened!) 👇👇👇👇👇👇

Every time I see people be dismissive of the "Star Wars Special Editions" digital additions, it ticks me off how uninformed people are of the painstaking NON-digital work Leon Briggs (no relation) did: diligently recompositing the optical film elements on the movie using new lenses.

Happy #LetterboxdFriday! Time to post your #LastFourWatched 📲 Tron Ares Bugonia The Ipcress File Lawman

Hey, how about that! Joe Bob Briggs (no relation...well, actually, yeah - probably somewhere!) gave me a shout-out on his "Freddy vs Jason" special running on @shudder.com. (I haven't seen it - a friend told me. Talking about the draft I wrote for New Line a gah-zillion years ago.) #filmsky

Oh! Nobody told me about this. Last month, @slashfilm.bsky.social did a piece on the "Hellraiser: Lament" sequel I worked on for Bob Weinstein at Dimension. (Another of those movies I've been involved with where beancounters look at the price and gulp.) #Filmsky www.slashfilm.com/1981045/hell...

The whole Tom King "Mouse Man" Wonder Woman thing has been doing my head in for months with its bonkers audacity.

Saw "Tron Ares". Frustratingly, a third of a decent movie; the characters aren't that bad, the Nine Inch Nails score surprisingly good...but illogically fuzzy cross-world rules and tech (with annoyingly-easily remediable plot-holes) and slack action sequences. Worth it for the '82 Tron Grid scene.

Okay, people. A turbulent week. The real world is chaos, due to get more-so. Will we get through it without Adults In The Room? Who knows. But are we going to be optimistic, even when things look grim? Are we going to try? Kick back. Enjoy a margarita (mental, or real) We made it.

I went to the Wes Anderson Exhibition at the Design Museum. (Yes, the pose is meant to be deliberate.)

"Hey, you should write a movie about my life. I've got so many stories, it would be amazing!" (Pretty sure I could beat you on most of those.) "Yeah, I'm probably going to write a screenplay. How hard can it be, right? Any old rubbish gets made!" (Laughs, then weeps.)

Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen: John Williams Jerry Goldsmith Ennio Morricone Philip Glass The Rolling Stones

If you know, you know.

Remember when we were kids...and there was that advert in the back of comic books for the FULL SIZE submarine you could get into? How many of you lay there in bed at night, fantasizing about submerging into the local lake in it? Well. If you ever DID manage to order it...THIS is what you got!

The Clangers made their first appearance in this Peter Firmin illustration in the Noggin the Nog story "Noggin and the Moon Mouse", published in 1967. If you have no idea what any of this means, you never grew up with the BBC.

For when you really need a valid excuse for the Dalek in your house...

I saw Tutankhamun's bling at the huge security touring exhibition in Britain in the 1970s. I saw it again at the almost zero-security exhibition in Sweden ten years ago. I managed to snap the rear of the headpiece, which I'd curiously never seen before.

Watched the McConaughey movie "The Lost Bus". Apple's publicity made it look like a VHS. Holy crap! NO! McConaughey is a bus driver in the Paradise, California wildfires and it's GIGANTIC. I don’t even know how Paul Greengrass made a lot of it. VFX are gigantic, virtually flawless. #3 for 2025.

"Introduce yourself with four spaceships." (Man, I wish this were at least 6. But, hey.)

As a lover of old movies, I've always hated this show.

Now I remember why I liked Udo.

A movie that takes place where you're from... (Prescot!)

in 2008, I found myself propping up the Berlin Film Festival bar with Udo. This was the first time in many years he'd been, invited by his friend Rolf Moeller. It was the beginning of a crazy night, and he dragged me from one party to the next. Outrageously camp, and twinkly-charming. Very sad. RIP

I don't know how many are aware of "Art Of The Title", which is a fantastic curated repository of Title Sequences from Film and Television. A great inspirational filmmaker resource: www.artofthetitle.com Desperately needing cash to keep them going, they have a fund page: ko-fi.com/artofthetitle

The whole Tom King "Mouse Man" Wonder Woman thing has been doing my head in for months with its bonkers audacity.

Intrigued by the whole crazy Olivia Nuzzi-of-it-all, today. I used to swap Tweets with her in "The Bad Place" during the whole New York hush-money trial last year, before she got booted. Especially hilarious hindsight, given I used to hang-out years ago in L.A. with RFK's old lady, Cheryl Hines...