This is an almost shockingly wise essay. I'm glad I've finally read it.

Amongst tiresome "Is Die Hard a Christmas film?" discourse, this collection from the BFI is a refreshingly open approach to the idea of Christmas films. "Christmas films [...] become emotional time machines – reminding us who we were and how we’ve grown." www.bfi.org.uk/features/mem...

important

Always makes me feel slightly better to know that Roxane Gay has the same problems with students as I do. My version for this semester was the anon feedback that wanted the assignment brief to be available earlier (it was on canvas since day 1!)

Apparently they made Terry's Chocolate Oranges small and I am INCENSED.

I got the Bonne Maman jam advent calendar but I am having trouble keeping up with all the jam and am becoming overwhelmed by tiny jam jars.

Can't stop laughing to myself about discovering that Craig took our rabbit for a routine vet appointment, only to discover that the vet is someone he recently played - and argued with - in a tennis match.

He's right.

There should be a Monster Mash for Christmas, about Jesus and Santa and Krampus and that Icelandic cat that eats people, all having a groovy party

Are you a PG research student based outside of London? Did you know that you may be eligible for a bursary of up to £500 to take one of our short courses in 2026? Find out more on our IHR Research Training and Short Courses page: www.history.ac.uk/study-traini... Applications open until 31 Jan 2026!

I have read the article in question (link in comments of the QT) and just want to point and laugh at this para, which implies with a straight face that men are being discriminated against, without acknowledging that men are statistically more likely to apply for jobs they are underqualified for.

I wrote about Rob Reiner: www.vulture.com/article/rob-...

insanely good thing to say when you enter a room

"Special awards go to the students who obviously had no help from AI." It's getting to the point where I am so happy to see a clumsy but earnest sentence that I would actually support this.

As I'm no a parent, I don't often share judgemental parenting tips videos, but I feel this one is worth it. (Please, watch to the end...)

So kind for Bryan Fuller to have made a movie just for me (a children's horror movie, about a monster bunny, maybe??)

When I was admissions tutor I saw a lot of borderline applications from local applicants who had applied to us and nowhere else. Just speculation on my part but it seemed likely that for many the choice was basically go to uni locally or not at all.

Not that I keep track of these things (👀) but I seem to be at 99 total citations on Google Scholar. Who wants to be lucky #100?

Even though this particular instance was worth it, I was supposed to go to another gig in London tomorrow night, but I resold the tickets, and I feel AMAZING about it.

lmao

Lady in Wicked: 'Welcome to Shiz!' My dad: 'Welcome to what? Shit?'

Trying to help my parents work out how they can watch Wicked pt. 1 online is going to drive me mad, I'm wishing for halcyon days when we could just nip down to Blockbuster.

in love

Bought some limited edition chopsticks from US ebay as a Xmas gift, only for them to be rejected (not sure where, exactly, but UK customs I assume?). Presumably pointy metal sticks are automatically considered weapons. Is this a lot cause or or is there any way I can still get these to me?

Look I know Spotify is problematic but there isn't a more accurate pair of images to sum up my 2025 in pop culture tbh

wow the combination of marking and the UCU ballot turnout has got me GROUCHY today, sorry if you need to interact with me for any reason

I'm scared

fucks sake man

For World AIDS Day, which is Dec. 1 and which is being ignored by the Trump administration because they dislike the World Health Organization, other countries, science, and queer people, I'm reposting a piece I wrote earlier this year. (They also hate history.) www.vulture.com/article/hiv-...

truth coming out of her well to shame humanity

10월 28일의 포식

I'm excited to be taking part in the University of Birmingham's Year 12 Christmas lectures on Dec 16th. I'll be delivering an outreach lecture on Christmas horror movies! If are local to Brum and teach Year 12s please bring along your students app.geckoform.com/public/#/mod...

The second problem with this — after the fact that it will bankrupt a bunch of institutions — is that the government doesn’t seem to know if it wants to a) raise lots of money from intentional students or b) discourage universities from relying on international students. You can’t have both!!

You might not think you needed to see Kate Bush dressed as a bat today, but you were wrong.

Ban this sick filth

Great thread on the dubious ethics of improvised AI sleuthing by well-meaning but fundamentally misguided profs.

What To Know About ‘Pluribus’ https://theonion.com/what-to-know-about-pluribus/

If you want to see what real disappointment looks like, it's the turn from hopefulness to despair when my cat sees me reach into the treat cupboard, only to put said treats into a puzzle feeder.

My neck hurts and it's cold out so I'm having some regrets about committing to go to a gig tonight to see an artist who I like but who's new album I'm meh about. Wishing I'd at least have opted for seated tickets but standing for 2 hours it is! Hopefully I'll change my tune once it starts 🤞

The Martin Scorsese documentary on Apple TV 😍

the gasp I gasped when I realised this wasn't fake.

I know this doesn't reveal much but what we do see confirms my worst fears, i.e. that this Zelda film will be a boilerplate LotR-esque fantasy adventure. I don't really know what I *do* want from a Zelda film, because I mostly think it shouldn't exist, but I don't want *that*.

I'm so thankful for this video essay for reassuring me that I'm not insane for feeling like so many recent movies look like ass

Petition to stop the closure of Film Studies at the University of Leicester - please sign! c.org/6GJL5fBct8

Looking forward to concluding my Intro to Film module with this movie in a few weeks. Currently reading Lumet's 'Making Movies' to prep, which is a great book.

Exciting! My roof is leaking and dripping directly onto a light switch.

Some extenuating circs have required me to really go above and beyond this week in terms of student support, so it helps that I also happened to receive a very touching letter from an entirely different student saying how much my teaching shifted their attitude to learning. Every little helps ❤️

Purgatory is sitting on a train, a bit drunk, with only 4% phone battery

Today I posted my UCU ballot immediately after a meeting of my local branch, where we heard from the awful situation facing colleagues in other departments at UoB having redundancies forced on them in the name of chasing a league table stat.