Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Daniel Carlson

@danielwcarlson.bsky.social

3.1K followers 500 following 5.2K posts

Lapsed film critic. Writer, reader, bearder. Seen at Crooked Marquee, Musings, Bright Wall Dark Room, Plex, several others. Sucker for ’90s country. Hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home. https://authory.com/danielcarlson

authory.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · Aug 29

We built a calculator that doesn't work, but don't worry, it's also a plagiarism machine that will tell you to kill yourself. It runs on the world's oceans and costs 10 trillion dollars.

130 5.3K 17K

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 2h

You don't like TRON movies, you like Daft Punk and Nine Inch Nails

2 10

Reposted by Daniel Carlson

britt hayes @britthates.bsky.social · 4h

studio execs & major outlets claim AI is "inevitable" and poised to take over Hollywood. the reality is much different. i spoke with filmmakers, producers, and editors about how AI is actually showing up in productions – and what it still can't do:

Hollywood Has a Major AI Hype Problem

Studio execs and major media outlets claim that AI is "inevitable" and poised to take over film and TV. The reality is much different.

movieweb.com

31 85

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 5h

This is the problem with the US; the average voter is about as smart as a 7-year-old

1 2

Reposted by Daniel Carlson

Gaius (from Tribunate) @gaius.bsky.social · Aug 18

Sad news everyone, I’m officially pulling the plug on Brightsiders, my super fan podcast for the 2017 movie Bright. I still feel like there were many interesting topics left to discuss but after 7 years of weekly episodes I’ve learned that no one has ever listened to the show.

27 210 1.6K

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 7h

And so many actors leak or broadcast this in a scene; their eyes and tone of voice say "I don't know about this!" in a way that's neon-bright to viewers but somehow missed by the other character, which just makes it feel less real. Keaton was *believably* conflicted. So subtle, so sharp.

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 8h

An hour drive, an elevator, a six-block walk, an escalator, an elevator, a keycard, then setting up to have video calls all day with people in other time zones; truly the best use of all resources

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 8h

Been noodling over what made Diane Keaton so special. I think it's that, in every performance, she always seemed to be in on a joke that the other characters didn't even know about. She was fully present and engaged, but also able to visually convey that her inner thoughts might differ. So good.

1 3

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 8h

Seth Simons is doing important (if grim) work with Humorism, highlighting the labor and class abuse in an industry that's usually free of oversight: www.humorism.xyz

BILL RYAN @faceyouhate.bsky.social · 9h

i'm falling down a "modern stand-up comedians are, except for maybe three, all awful people" hole this morning, which is probably not the best way for me to spend my morning. Though I have learned that Dane Cook originated the "Karen" meme. So think about that the next time you make a "Karen" joke.

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 8h

It’s 7:30 a.m. and I have to wait in line for a bathroom stall to open, office culture is so wonderful, why would we ever want to work from home and have dignity

1 1 6

Reposted by Daniel Carlson

Alan Cernobite @alancerny.bsky.social · 1d

I think my favorite all-time Coen Brothers joke is:

"Lord. You can imagine what happens next."

"He fixes the cable?"

"Don't be fatuous, Jeffrey."

5 1 30

Reposted by Daniel Carlson

Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 10d

There are any number of legitimate reasons to use the passive voice, including not knowing who did the action you’re describing, or the whom is more interesting/germane than the who.

Exonerating the Gestapo is not one of those legitimate reasons.

8 190 1.3K

Reposted by Daniel Carlson

Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 1d

The hostage release is a reminder of how bad the Dems are at politics. Not only did Biden refuse to force this deal on Netanyahu & thereby help Harris win, but most people aren’t even aware that Biden got way more Israeli hostages (over 100) released with his 2023 ceasefire than Trump did with his.

200 910 3.8K

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 1d

I want age verification on social media solely so I can hide posts by age group. It should be illegal for you to make me read something a 19-year-old wrote. It's going to be idiotic.

Reposted by Daniel Carlson

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 1d

"The two greatest crime dramas of all time and two of the greatest romantic comedies of all time, in a single decade, all of which have Keaton at their center. Not a bad legacy, particularly when forty-five more years were to follow."

ICYMI @sonnybunch.bsky.social www.thebulwark.com/p/diane-keat...

Diane Keaton, 1946–2025

The leading lady of the 1970s.

www.thebulwark.com

1 12 160

Reposted by Daniel Carlson

Preeti Chhibber @runwithskizzers.bsky.social · 1d

this girl Gloria who got into my local newspaper for seeing Titanic 50 times in Rome and who I have remembered since reading about her in 1998

Published March 14, 1998|Updated Sept. 12, 2005

A 12-year-old from Rome, identified only as Gloria, goes to the movies every day. Same time, same place, same movie: Titanic. So far, the girl has seen the hit film about 50 times, leading the pack of Italy's fervent Titanic fans. And she's still not tired of it. She even has cats named Jack and Rose. The young movie buff was discovered by the newspaper La Repubblica. "She comes to the 9 o'clock feature every night," said Giancarlo Malferrari, the owner of the only movie theater in Castelfranco Emilia, a town of 11,000 in central Italy. "And every weekend, she watches two shows in a row." Now the theater has started saving her favorite seat and even letting her in free. Neither he nor La Repubblica used the girl's last name, citing Italy's privacy law. Gloria told La Repubblica it isn't heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio that attracts her, but the character he plays: Jack Dawson, a struggling artist who wins his passage on the Titanic in a poker game. "Jack is cuter than Leo," she said. "And it's for real; it's a true story. That's what makes it so beautiful." Gloria's mother, a cleaning woman who works at night, says she hasn't seen Titanic yet but she's not worried about her daughter's obsession. "She's not doing anything bad," she told the newspaper, adding that Gloria has to do her homework first every night.

6 110 410

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 1d

Is there an audience/demographic out there clamoring for Jared Leto? Who say "I love him and will automatically see something if he's in it"? Why is this shitty dude everywhere when no one seems to want him anywhere?

1 7

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 1d

That second parenthetical is so good. More critics should do that.

Reposted by Daniel Carlson

Siddhant Adlakha @siddhantadlakha.bsky.social · 1d

At the center of “Tron: Ares” is a woefully miscast Greta Lee (“Past Lives”) and an unfortunately visible Jared Leto ("accusations from underage girls"), making even more unpleasant an already haphazard cinematic headache. joysauce.com/tron-ares-is...

‘Tron: Ares’ is a waste of time and talent

Greta Lee gets stuck inside a digital mess alongside Jared Leto in Joachim Rønning’s threequel to the 1980s classic.

joysauce.com

5 21 150

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 1d

- Born in 1981
- Shell of its former self by 2025
- Original goals lost to memory
- Desperately trying to stay in touch with culture
- Going through the motions
- Waiting for someone to pull the plug on the whole thing

Congrats MTV, you are the ultimate Elder Millennial

bring on the headless horses @ihavethatonvinyl.com · 1d

like most people my age, i've been with mtv since the first day. the channel was formative for me, the videos always leading me to more and more music. it was all i watched for a long time. this is really sad but expected news
cordcuttersnews.com/mtv-is-shutt...

MTV is Shutting Down Its Last Music Channels, Marking the End of an Era | Cord Cutters News

Paramount Global has delivered a devastating blow to music fans worldwide, announcing the permanent shutdown of five iconic MTV music channels by December 31, 2025 according to the BBC. For 44 years, ...

cordcuttersnews.com

1 5 23

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 1d

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."

Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 2d

Absolutely crucial point here by Greg Sargent. When we don’t call propaganda what it is, we co-produce it, and hasten disaster.
newrepublic.substack.com/p/maga-implo...

MAGA Implodes over Kristi Noem’s “Stare Down” with Man in Chicken Suit

A good New York Times piece on Portland nevertheless demonstrates how the conventions of objective reporting fail to accurately capture the bad faith driving pro-Trump propaganda.

newrepublic.substack.com

1 3

Reposted by Daniel Carlson

Yell In a War @jelenawoehr.bsky.social · 1d

they think the government forces total adherence to an extreme set of beliefs on a population that would otherwise be radically different because they all grew up in churches that operate exactly that way

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 2d

a key thing about vought — and all of these guys — is that they have a totally top down and hierarchical vision of the world. they believe that the cultural changes they hate can be turned off by destroying the federal government because they can’t imagine that they emerged bottom-up in society

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 2d

What he’s railing against is a profound shift in culture, status… He’s obsessed with the idea that America is controlled by a leftist “ruling elite” - but “elite” isn’t defined socio-economically or by political power, it means something like: Getting to define “real America” and who gets to belong.

23 100

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 2d

If a masked thug shot my dog, I would forfeit the rest of my life to destroying the rest of theirs

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 2d

Kristi Noem’s America, folks. That poor dog. That poor family.

Tweet by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “Border Patrol reportedly shot a dog and then the agent fled rather than deal with any kind of accountability whatsoever.”
Below is Keith Edwards’ tweet: “BREAKING: A family in El Paso says ICE shot and killed their dog, Chop. The agent who fired reportedly ran as the family screamed for help. No one came.”

Photo of a large black and brown Rottweiler sitting calmly on a tiled floor next to a white chair and a window with blinds.

A black-background screenshot of text describing an incident: the sender says no Border Patrol agents rendered aid after their dog was shot, and that the responsible agent fled the scene with help from others. They emphasize that the agent’s name was never released and that their family lost a member “for no lawful reason.”

2 3

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 2d

Damn girl are you Garret Dillahunt? Because you always turn up when I least expect you

Daniel Carlson @danielwcarlson.bsky.social · 2d

The Coen brothers are secret superfans of STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP

The great actor Michael Stuhlbarg bringing as much energy and believability as possible to his role on the very bad tv show STUDIO 60

Reposted by Daniel Carlson

britt hayes @britthates.bsky.social · 3d

Jared Leto *is* AI: a tacky thing corporations keep forcing on consumers by putting him in everything even though he’s unprofitable and nobody likes it

1 67 230