My copy of Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams finally arrived. Took a whole month in the post. It is considered one of the seminal cyberpunk novels. Pleased to add this to my collection and I look forward to reading it. #cyberpunk #books

Amazing stuff. So proud of @discobooks.bsky.social for writing their first novella, a dystopian tale called This Is How The World Ends. Out this autumn.

Watching the final season of Stranger Things youtu.be/6eWsFFQP0gA?...

For my latest article I've written about the return of buttons! Specifically the mechanical analogue kind, and I've focused on cars and mobile phones, as an area where we're likely seeing a return to older tech that worked well. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

Just finished The Walking Dead games and was not prepared for how invested I'd be in Clementine's story. She's 8 when the apocalypse starts, and 16 by the end. I rooted for her every step of the way. I haven't cared as much about the fate of a character since Red Dead Redemption 2's Arthur Morgan.

For my latest piece I've done an epic 2026 video game preview: all the games I'm most excited to play, or at least interested in. There's a few surprises in there too, like the ‘80s coming-of-age game Mixtape, and the 2.5D cinematic cyberpunk platformer, Replaced. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

We got all of Stranger Things before GTA 6.

I was just looking at my Letterboxd for 2025, and I've watched about 50 films. It felt light, but apparently the average person watches about 35 a year. Mine is a mixed bunch. The winter months at each end being the high points. I am going to try and watch more older movies in 2026, I think.

To end the year I've written about AI, and how filmmakers and video game makers appear to be fighting back, and flying the flag for human creativity. Or at least trying to, in the face of the relentless AI assault by big tech open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

Forget Nolan, this is my Odyssey.

I've found myself humming the tunes to Chip n Dale, The Bill and Gladiators recently. This is what I get for taking a trip down ‘90s TV memory lane. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

Some people stand in the darkness. I, however, am not afraid to step into the light. Because I decided to write about the death of the TV intro theme song, with a trip down televisual musical memory lane. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

Earlier this year I wrote about games I've played, plan to play and stopped playing. I've now written another piece reflecting on my year of gaming this year. It's quite a mixed bunch, from RPGs to shooters, horrors and story-driven games. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

For @twistedwonderland.substack.com I had a few thoughts on the 2025 Game Awards: from Expedition 33 winning almost everything to Larian's announcement of a new Divinity game. Have a read. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

For my latest @twistedwonderland.substack.com piece I've written my go-to list of cyberpunk media (film, TV, video games and books). Be warned, it's big, but has links so you can jump to sections of interest. Or if you're an absolute fiend, read the whole thing. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

I know everyone in gaming has now said at least something about the new Steam Machine, but I thought I'd throw a few thoughts and a bit of reporting in there myself, so to speak. I like to think Gabe’s new cube will shake up the industry. But we will see. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

For my latest @twistedwonderland.substack.com piece I decided to profile or list a number of up-and-coming women directors whose work I like, and whose films we should talk about more, and watch, and so on. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

I finally watched horror-comedy The Lair of the White Worm (1988), with Peter Capaldi and Hugh Grant. It was a little slow in the first half, but things picked up in the second, with moments involving a UV tanning bed, bagpipes, a mongoose and a grenade, and Hugh Grant swinging a longsword.

For @twistedwonderland.substack.com I've written a piece on Hollywood and the issue it has with casting the same small group of actors in every high-profile project, and how it seems like this problem is getting worse open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

For my latest @twistedwonderland.substack.com article I've written about why streaming studios continue to fail fantasy as a genre, with many examples, as well as some thoughts from acclaimed author Brandon Sanderson. Have a read. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

Some shots from comic con in London today. For those that come after... and, er, Mario.

Saw The Hunger Games play today, at the newly built Troubadour theatre at Canary Wharf. It had solid performances and impressive production. The venue was barely built in time for the opening, so it has some issues. Hopefully they'll fix those. It's worth seeing if you like the books and movies.

Apparently this isn't a detective show, but an actual photo from the scene of the Louvre heist. I swear at least twenty Hollywood screenwriters are working on this movie as we speak. Someone on social I saw said 'heists are sooo back'. Love it, ha ha.

For my latest @twistedwonderland.substack.com piece I've written about frogs, pirates and the One Piece flag, and increasing symbols and icons taken from pop culture as forms of protest. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

I'm busy, so alas, cannot go, but should you be free this Sunday morning, in London, and like Halloween and tiny dogs, get yourself to Hyde Park for the Halloween costumed sausage dog walk. And yes, I said it right. www.instagram.com/p/DQABFxWjSd...

I decided to rewatch Blade Runner, as I don't really remember it, and half suspect I never properly watched it. Anyway, the dark and dystopian future it is set in... is LA in 2019. The world is behind on the flying cars and replicants (or are we?), but fully on course for the dark dystopia bit.

Go America. Encouraging to read about. Lest we forget what happened to the mad king in Game of Thrones. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

I recently noticed that both Netflix and Prime have been increasingly pushing '90s and 2000s long-form TV. I decided to investigate what they're up to, as I suspect their latest strategies might be a bit of a sticking plaster open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

I'm enjoying the tears of the cult-like Swifties, after their deity girlbossed too close to the sun.

In the last 24 hours there's news that Microsoft are jacking up the price of the Game Pass by fifty per cent. I wrote something about this (for @twistedwonderland.substack.com) and the reaction of gamers, and how enshittification is destroying every platform. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

I keep forgetting I'm on Bluesky. However, here's a recent piece I wrote for @twistedwonderland.substack.com, about how video game concerts are growing as a form of entertainment. There's a big one coming up too, celebrating the tenth anniversary of The Witcher 3. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

For @twistedwonderland.substack.com I've written a piece on my clubbing history, charting a twenty-year period from 1999 to 2019, going from Bournemouth to Bristol, Brighton and London, with Ibiza and Vegas somewhere inbetween. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw... #clubbing #90s #2000s

For my latest @twistedwonderland.substack.com piece I decided to look at how London lost its cultural edge over the last 20 years, digging into the arts, street art, cinema, club culture and music. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

For @twistedwonderland.substack.com I decided to write a list of actresses over 40 whose work I like. It's turned into rather a large list. Enter at your peril and all that. Hopefully someone will find it interesting. Enjoy! open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

The poster for the new Richard Linklater film, Blue Moon, feels like a breath of fresh air. Or perhaps a return to a more classical movie poster look. Either way, I'm into it.

I recently saw Sleep Token headline Download festival. I didn't really know them or their songs, but was impressed with the show they put on. Afterwards I found out they have a cult-like fan base, and some in the scene seem to really hate them. It felt worth investigating.

I thought I'd only gotten into DnD in recent years, but thinking back to being a kid and watching TV show Knightmare, maybe I was always into fantasy and this sort of game. I remember reading The Lord of the Rings books at a pretty young age, too.

For whatever reason I decided to take a trip down '90s memory lane and write a piece about tv shows Knightmare, GamesMaster and The Crystal Maze, indulging my nerdy fantasy and gaming tendancies. Enjoy. open.substack.com/pub/twistedw...

I've recently started a substack to share curated photos from my street photography. Pictures I take largely in and around London, either just everyday life or particular events, carnivals or at protests. Please subscribe, if you're into street photography: mikeypstreetphotography.substack.com

How a London street DJ set to less than a thousand people got me thinking about a DJ concert I attended in 2002 which made history.

I've just started Elder Scrolls Oblivion. I never played it originally in 2006, so I'm keen to try it now. In recent times I played a bit of Skyrim. Whilst I quite liked it I hear Oblivion is less dark and dreary in terms of world, setting, story and characters. A bit lighter, brighter and funnier.

I recently finished GTA 5 story mode. I never played it at the time of release, as it was my period of about a decade where I'd left gaming. Anyway, GTA 5 good, although the story felt a bit haphazard in its telling, and didn't make me feel, not like Red Dead Redemption 2. Overall it was still fun.

Watching Andor season 2 I'm reminded of Nemik's manifesto. NEMIK'S MANIFESTO There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy. Remember this. Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction.

Andor season 2 is superb. Without giving anything away it takes its time, much like the first season, where the first three episodes maybe feel slow build and it's not as obvious to see where things are leading.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 comes out this summer, which makes a full two years between seasons. Whilst I love the show it really tests the patience of fans. I get why, the writer's strikes, which I fully support. But it does sting a bit.

After wandering around for what felt like hours in Disco Elysium, I finally had a breakthrough, and made it into another section of the map. After almost giving up with the game I felt elated. Is this what being a detective feels like? When you push your case forward another tiny inch.

I want Grace Van Dien and Aimee Lou Wood to play sisters in something.

Just finished Reacher season 3. In some ways, it was a more accomplished affair than season 1. Either way, it was a return to what made Reacher great, compared to the second season which lost its way. Good story, great performance from Ritchson, exciting action. I give season three 4/5 stars.

Just finished video game Avowed, in 60 hours. A bit torn. Whilst I love fantasy, and the world building and game design were good, party characters, dialogue and story didn't grab me. As it wore on, I struggled. Combat also began to get grindy, fighting endless skeletons etc. I give Avowed 3/5

I like the fact that the 1985 track We Built This City by Starship is the thing that finally breaks Wilson Fisk in Daredevil: Born Again.