Instagram served me a goofy little post suggesting that calling someone “mon pain” has become a big compliment in France and a French friend DMed me
Alissa Wilkinson
@alissawilkinson.bsky.social
Critic @nytimes.com. Author of WE TELL OURSELVES STORIES (paperback out now!), SALTY (2022), AFTERGLOW (forthcoming). Teaching at NYU XE.
I used to write about movies for a Christian audience so it’s been mildly funny to see people exploding over classic texts being deviated from the way they did about Bible epics
"Nolan’s film is not a misbegotten attempt to modernize a classic—it is a deft and purposeful reflection of America in this moment, seen through the glass of mythological metaphor." Jeff Yang writes about THE ODYSSEY and the “people from the sea.”
The People from the Sea: How "The Odyssey" is About America
A reading of Christopher Nolan's blockbuster as a commentary on the current state of America.
rogerebert.com
I don’t buy megaplex tickets enough (I know, I know) to join AMC Stubs AList but my husband recently introduced me to the Popcorn Pass and let me tell you something folks: THAT is worth every penny when you go to a lot of all-media screenings lol
One thing we had not realized (or maybe remembered) was that Patrick Page had ruptured his Achilles tendon (uh, somewhat ironically I guess) and did the whole thing in a boot dressed up to make him look semi-mechanical
Alissa Wilkinson@alissawilkinson.bsky.social · 2d agoThe pro shot of Hadestown is delightful
Weirdly I have been reading three different books this week (two of which are galleys) and all have had extended riffs on the Odyssey
I didn’t want it updated to modern sensibilities, just wanted a random new character whose consciousness is modern to provide exposition and explain everything that I don’t understand
Aaron Bady@zunguzungu.bsky.social · 3d agolol
This movie will present many challenges to me, a person with tryptophobic issues
Every Film Now@everyfilmnow.bsky.social · 6d agoFirst look at Alexander Skarsgård as the wicker husband in ‘WICKER’. The film follows a lonely fisherwoman who asks a local basket maker to weave her the perfect husband out of wicker. #Wicker #AlexanderSkarsgård
This is what I wrote that doc AI thing about last year. Like, who even is sitting around deciding the benefits outweigh the consequences for these things? What possible malformation of intellect can cause that
Joseph Cox@josephcox.bsky.social · 5d agoNew from 404 Media: Google Earth has introduced an AI feature that lets anyone fabricate completely bullshit satellite images. In our own tests, we added a “bomb blast and crater” to an area of Los Angeles. This is a misinformation time bomb, will 100% be abused www.404media.co/google-earth...
Kinda surprised they didn’t meet sooner since Patti Smith is the backbone of the Vatican’s pavilion at the Biennale in Venice, but, cool
Christopher Hale@christopherjhale.bsky.social · 5d agoThe godmother of punk Patti Smith met Pope Leo XIV this morning.
Though I think the new Spidey suffers largely for having to drag around a bunch of MCU weight, I am thrilled that it is opening so well; this franchise + Black Panther remain the best chunk of the films and that’s largely because they feel like movies.
This InfoWars caper is going a little too well. We need to staff up a bit. We're hiring a Social Media Lead, who will help make InfoWars the network of the future. We need someone who is extraordinarily online, has big ideas for how things break through in 2026, and can pull those ideas off quick.
Social Media Lead, InfoWars at Global Tetrahedron
jobs.gusto.com
Something I like about @elazic.bsky.social's careful read here is that it points out a fatal flaw with a lot of pieces of writing that pass for "reviews" (even from critics!) because they talk about a movie: saying "this is bad!" as if it's self-evident, rather than arguing for *why* it is bad.
Elena Lazic@elazic.bsky.social · 7d agoEmily Wilson's piece on Christopher Nolan's THE ODYSSEY for the LRB went viral and was received very positively by many — but not by virtually every film critic I know. For @animusmagazine.bsky.social I wrote about why: animus-magazine.ghost.io/a-tale-as-ol...
lot going on here, including the phrase “producer credits on Babylon, Joker, Longlegs, and House of Gucci”
Vulture@vulture.com · 7d agoJason Cloth, a producer on ‘Joker’ and ‘Longlegs,’ was arrested in Chicago on federal wire-fraud charges. He is accused of running a $100 million Ponzi scheme.
Utterly fascinated and tickled by this choice of header image by whoever’s doing comms over at Vanguard
This is precisely the kind of book I would enjoy but nonetheless: I recommend it bookshop.org/a/6775/97818...
How to See Like a Machine: Images After AI
We once looked at pictures. Then, with the advent of computer vision and machine learning, pictures started looking at us. By the award-winning artist, filmmaker and thinker.Today our world is under t...
bookshop.org
I have pre-filed piles and now am off for a week (previously reserved with an obligation I offloaded) and will be ignoring everybody’s stupid takes
Only just learned about this, I think this casting is perfect and now want to know who will play Ginger variety.com/2026/film/gl...
Tom Holland Is Filming Fred Astaire Biopic Next and Plans to ‘Do All of the Dancing’ Himself: ‘I’ve Got So Much Work to Do’
Tom Holland is planning to do all his own dancing in the Fred Astaire biopic he's signed up to star in.
variety.com
The Spidey movies are probably my favorite, pound for pound, in the MCU, but this one has some issues (none of which are named Tom Holland): www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/m...
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Review: Can We Do Whatever a Spider Can? (Gift Article)
The Spider-Man series is about growing up. Now its superhero has become an adult.
nytimes.com
I also would enjoy reading Oscar Hammerstein II’s review of Daniel Fish’s Oklahoma, sure