T. J. Dobbin
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tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
T. J. Dobbin
@tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
800 followers 350 following 2K posts
I write about Bugs Bunny cartoons and other facets of old animation along with general cinema interests at www.strawberrypenguin.ca . I am based in Atlantic Canada, where it is very cold and very windy.
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tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
T. J. Dobbin @tjamesdobbin.bsky.social · Dec 12
My Bugs Bunny Project reaches its 10th installment and enters 1942 with an unusual cartoon from Friz Freleng and Michael Maltese.
The Wabbit Who Came to Supper (1942)
Bugs Bunny fanatics had three full months to wait after Wabbit Twouble (1941), with nine other Warner cartoons – starring the likes of Porky, Daffy, Conrad the Cat, and sometimes no character…
strawberrypenguin.ca
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
Quick, someone time machine back to the 1970s and pitch Richard Matheson on writing this short story sequel to "Button, Button". I need his angle on this immediately.
joelastname.bsky.social Joe @joelastname.bsky.social · 17h
if you could press a button and eliminate the possibility of ever feeling the sensation of itching ever again, knowing you would also never feel the sensation of scratching an itch, would you do it? hard no for me
January 26, 2026 at 12:32 AM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
willowcatelyn.bsky.social
You can also read a sample of this essay over here. Stay safe. Love y'all.

letterboxd.com/catelyn/film...
A review of Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (2012)
Writer and Director M.J. Bassett was in an unwinnable position when she agreed to take over the reigns of Christophe Gans’s Silent Hill sequel after he sought to adapt the video game Onimusha. She has...
letterboxd.com
January 24, 2026 at 7:24 PM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
willowcatelyn.bsky.social
Feels very silly and useless to be posting right now, but here's the third essay in my four part series on SILENT HILL. This piece is on SILENT HILL: REVELATION and its trans allegory, which is sometimes resonant

www.patreon.com/posts/148966...
Writer and Director M.J. Bassett was in an unwinnable position when she agreed to take over the reigns of Christophe Gans’s Silent Hill sequel after he sought to adapt the video game Onimusha. She has said that if she had been left to her own devices then she would have liked to have made a straight adaptation of the third video game in the series (her favorite). Silent Hill: Revelation was to be a continuation of the 2006 film while including elements from that game. Like Gans, she came to this series as a fan, but the expectations were different for her, and she has been on record since that the film didn’t turn out the way she wanted. Bassett was a closeted trans woman at the time, and she came out shortly after the release of the film, and with this information, it might lead the viewer to look for clues that might resonate under the scope of transgender allegory. It doesn’t absolve the film of its incoherence, or its stiff characterizations, but it does engender an urge in myself to give it some grace that I otherwise didn’t when I saw it in 2012. Gans’s film is expressionistic and occasionally bears the same poetic quality as the games, and while Bassett’s film is lacking in beauty, its images are searching, and grasping for a meaning that comes through here and there in fragments. The period shortly before coming out can be one of dishonesty—perhaps going through a last ditch effort in refusing to admit the truth to yourself—and I get that sensation when watching Silent Hill: Revelation. The truth comes through in the images that are charged, such as a lingering shot of a woman paralyzed on a gurney, and screaming as she transforms into a mannequin from her feet up, while the camera tracks up her evolving plastic body. The lie is in the business as usual approach to the coverage shots that comprise so much of the image-making. In this respect, Silent Hill: Revelation’s best qualities cohere most clearly with I SAW THE TV GLOW a still image from Silent Hill Revelation of two female characters embracing
January 24, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
itslayspodcast.bsky.social
We want to hear your opinions on PULSE (2001)! Would you give it a NAY, OKAY, YAY or SLAY?

There is 2 ways to do it:
1) Comment
2) Send a voice note to [email protected]
January 23, 2026 at 8:56 PM
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
I think what the world needs right now is a Steve Martin Pink Panther 3. It's certainly what I need right now.
January 22, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
feminaridens.bsky.social
our intro episode, where we talk about this pod's origins, and run down the several years' worth of double features we'll be taking, will drop later this week!

we will be recording our first official episode this Sunday and that should drop in early February so stay tuned!!
feminaridens.bsky.social Katie @feminaridens.bsky.social · 11d
PREMIERING THIS MONTH

'The Power of '73 Compels Us: A Year in Film Pod'

each month, @palguy88.bsky.social & i will discuss a 1973 double feature. we've got over 40 curated, several years of eps!

an intro ep will drop this month, including the line-up reveal, and we'll start proper in february!
logo for The Power of '73 Compels Us: A Year in Film Pod', a new podcast hosted by katie stebbins and bri
January 21, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
Wholesome entertainment for the entire family.
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit hanging himself from a tree.
January 21, 2026 at 5:12 PM
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
Everyone talks about the surreal qualities of Fleischer animation. Not enough people discuss how frequently Walter Lantz' early 30s Oswald cartoons drop some of the scariest mouth-horror images ever seen by human eyes.
A close up of a lady hippo nightclub dancer. Her mouth is open, tongue protruding out, a contraption stuck to her tongue, which has it forcefully stretched out so far, and then dangling out of the mouth. Her eyes appear to be hollow. A close up of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit with his mouth open. His teeth have taken on the quality of piano keys, and his tongue is playing a song on his teeth.
January 21, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
feminaridens.bsky.social
i will be starting to ship these out in a couple of days!!!
feminaridens.bsky.social Katie @feminaridens.bsky.social · 22d
🔊the Top Ten By Year: 1949 Film Zine available NOW for pre-order🔊

📗20 pages of original collage work & writing on the films of 1949. writing on over 25 works, dozens more referenced. support this diy labor of love, curation, and curiosity📗

ships in 2-3 weeks
www.etsy.com/listing/4435...
collage cover of the top ten by year: 1949 film zine, available to pre-order now
January 20, 2026 at 7:31 PM
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
I've been having a rough personal time, but this new Box Office Gross got a lot of laughs out of me. Kudos to Brian and Rob and Daniel for making my day a little better with their seriously silly discussion of some January Trash (one of the best movie genres).
schmanthonyp.bsky.social Brian Schmid @schmanthonyp.bsky.social · 6d
FOLKS, today begins season 2 of @boxofficegross.bsky.social!! We begin looking into the films of the 2006, and we start with a January-ass classic: we grab our dear pal @danielgorman20.bsky.social to delve into the UNDERWORLD franchise with UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION!!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...
January 20, 2026 at 2:15 AM
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
Taking advantage of gift card money and free tickets for a free double at the cinema tonight. Just had a blast with Primate. Now about to watch Gus Van Sant's return to film, Dead Man's Wire.
January 18, 2026 at 1:20 AM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
Movie Club was popping last night.

The follow-up to Zombi 2?

Anguish (1987) starring the singular Zelda Rubinstein!
jacobeantragedy.bsky.social Mike @jacobeantragedy.bsky.social · 10d
Seated for 4K!!
Tv showing the menu of the arrow edition of Fulci’s zombie flesh eaters.
January 17, 2026 at 12:13 AM
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
Movie Club was popping last night.

The follow-up to Zombi 2?

Anguish (1987) starring the singular Zelda Rubinstein!
jacobeantragedy.bsky.social Mike @jacobeantragedy.bsky.social · 10d
Seated for 4K!!
Tv showing the menu of the arrow edition of Fulci’s zombie flesh eaters.
January 17, 2026 at 12:13 AM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
Mail day. The Walt Disney Treasures DVD line was a little before my time in home video collecting, so they were already OOP collector's items when I started building a cartoon library. These are my first ones. Just bought the 2 sets collecting all 74 black and white Micky Mouse films.
Walt Disney Treasures two side by side Mickey Mouse in Black and White DVD cases The liner notes booklets inside both DVDs listing all the films contained within
January 14, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
In browsing Letterboxd's database for every single movie from 1930, this jumped out: a presumably lost single reel film titled either "Kuster Beaton" or "Keaton Buster", a "Marionette parody of Buster Keaton". I love how absolutely unhinged the Keaton puppet looks. Clearly a demonic cursed object.
poster for KEATON BUSTER, but Letterboxd calls is KUSTER BEATON. Great title regardless.
January 15, 2026 at 7:09 PM
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
In browsing Letterboxd's database for every single movie from 1930, this jumped out: a presumably lost single reel film titled either "Kuster Beaton" or "Keaton Buster", a "Marionette parody of Buster Keaton". I love how absolutely unhinged the Keaton puppet looks. Clearly a demonic cursed object.
poster for KEATON BUSTER, but Letterboxd calls is KUSTER BEATON. Great title regardless.
January 15, 2026 at 7:09 PM
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
Welcome to the three-timers club, @feminaridens.bsky.social !

I was NOT expecting this podcast to begin with Norman McLaren and Karel Zeman. I loved the 1949 film discussion at the start here. Katie has an enthusiastic, intelligent voice for podcasting, and I'm excited for her upcoming pods.
schmanthonyp.bsky.social Brian Schmid @schmanthonyp.bsky.social · 13d
FOLKS, the penultimate episode of @boxofficegross.bsky.social season 1 might be our very best, the great @feminaridens.bsky.social returns for a tremendously in-depth conversation on the prickly Christmas rom-com THE FAMILY STONE! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...
January 15, 2026 at 1:24 AM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
itslayspodcast.bsky.social
We're just monkeying around!

On NOW SLAYING, Colton & Rowan go bananas for PRIMATE! Is this the best looking chimpanzee since MVP? And, why does the score slap THIS HARD!?

Tune in to find out if we gave this film a NAY, OKAY, YAY, or SLAY!

Available NOW on your favourite podcast app! 🦍📱
January 14, 2026 at 11:49 PM
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
Mail day. The Walt Disney Treasures DVD line was a little before my time in home video collecting, so they were already OOP collector's items when I started building a cartoon library. These are my first ones. Just bought the 2 sets collecting all 74 black and white Micky Mouse films.
Walt Disney Treasures two side by side Mickey Mouse in Black and White DVD cases The liner notes booklets inside both DVDs listing all the films contained within
January 14, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
feminaridens.bsky.social
PREMIERING THIS MONTH

'The Power of '73 Compels Us: A Year in Film Pod'

each month, @palguy88.bsky.social & i will discuss a 1973 double feature. we've got over 40 curated, several years of eps!

an intro ep will drop this month, including the line-up reveal, and we'll start proper in february!
logo for The Power of '73 Compels Us: A Year in Film Pod', a new podcast hosted by katie stebbins and bri
January 14, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
willowcatelyn.bsky.social
These images are in the essay but here are some artistic points of influence in SILENT HILL
Utagawa Kuniyoshi's portrait of Oiwa. Dahlia in Silent Hill Francis Bacon "Lying Figure in a mirror" straight jacket monster from Silent Hill 2
January 13, 2026 at 7:38 PM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
willowcatelyn.bsky.social
The second essay in my four part series on SILENT HILL is live. This time around I looked at the Christophe Gans adaptation from 2006. I've been a fan of this movie since it came out and I am still quite fond of it.

www.patreon.com/posts/148139...
There is a monument to a bible verse on the outskirts of Rosa Da Silva’s (Radha Mitchell) hometown. It catches the eye, Corinthians 6: 2-3, “Do you not know that we will judge angels? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?”. Paul wrote these messages to the Corinthians after he reconfigured himself as a fire and brimstone messenger of God, and much of his scripture acts as a prelude to all the gnashing of teeth and plagues in the book of Revelations. His faith is the threatening sort, (if you don’t behave exactly like how I say then you will be damned) and his prophecy is a favorite among Southern Baptist preachers who use ideology to punish those who are different. Rosa’s adopted little girl Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) sleepwalks and seems disturbed by memories that aren’t hers. In her waking sleep she screams for the abandoned mining town of Silent Hill, and director Christophe Gans’s adaptation of this popular video game begins with the beckoning of mother and daughter to this haunted place. In the midst of an elegant prologue on a cliffside, the camera lifts into a crane shot and into a wide frame of the horizon, and in the deep dark of night, a cross can be seen shining in the horizon. Mother, daughter, and father Christopher (Sean Bean) shield themselves from despair by latching onto one another in close-up. Gans, being a Frenchman of taste, and an obsessive fan of genre, was certainly familiar with the socio-political aesthetics of horror filmmaker Jean Rollin, and this particular bit of scene setting, with the cross, and the family, lurches forward with the same unsettling and provocative thematic integrity of his work. The prologue also allows us to observe the intimate details of a protective mother, and a wounded child, and it is an image that Gans returns to with some frequency. When they are separated from one another after arriving in Silent Hill, the negative space of the distance between them endows the film with genuine torment. a still from Christophe Gans's 2006 adaptation of SILENT HILL. It's a wide frame, foggy and Radha Mitchell is in the center, moving forward, looking for her daughter.
January 13, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
willowcatelyn.bsky.social
I'm catching up with some films that I didn't review last year. I liked HIGHEST 2 LOWEST & I'm always eager to see Spike Lee add to his canvas

www.patreon.com/posts/148050...
Notions of a film being good or bad are largely uninteresting to me when a director reaches the point in their career that an artist like Spike Lee has. When a filmmaker has made this many films it’s usually more prudent to quantify the way he does and doesn’t fit into the cultural landscape, and how he is, or is not, evolving alongside it, or rebelling against it. Lee is one of the most important American artists of his generation, and he’s still on his own wavelength, against the wind, but his centrality within his own aesthetic is worth celebrating. As is his distinct point-of-view, his personality, the way he repeats his prized images, or modifies them only slightly. A Patrick Ewing Jersey has transformed into a Jalen Brunson one, and Larry Bird is still the enemy. Lee remains true to the integrity of what he wants to communicate, even if his communication surrounding certain trends can be read as cringy. In his Akira Kurosawa remix Highest 2 Lowest, he approaches the material with an old-man’s paranoia at what he’s seeing in the modern world, but that anxiety breeds fruitful results of personalization within the text. Denzel Washington plays Y2K-era record producer David King, and the glory days of his Stackin’ Hits record label are behind him. They want him to sell the company to a venture capitalist who sees A.I. as the future, and King gets riled up at the thought, “Hits with no soul! No voice!”, and he’s right to be angry sitting in his office with portraits of geniuses of the craft like Curtis Mayfield, James Brown and Run D.M.C. resting behind him like saints in his church of sound. The money he’s made in the decades since making it big has made his golden ears ring, and he can’t find the hits anymore, and everyone is telling him that the only way forward is liquidation. One last sum of money for all his work, transferred in exchange for the dream he made true. He could ride off into the sunset and listen to the old songs, but something nags at him a still image from HIGHEST 2 LOWEST of Denzel Washington in a subway car in New York. He's dressed all in black and wearing a yankees cap, diamond stud earring, and black hoodie and black sunglasses
January 12, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by T. J. Dobbin
willowcatelyn.bsky.social
I wrote a short essay on the pilot episode of TWIN PEAKS. It's a perfect episode of television. Almost everything that you need to understand about the series is shown in the first half hour.

www.phantasmag.com/articles/twi...
'Twin Peaks' at 35: Re-examining the Haunting Pilot — PHANTASMAG
www.phantasmag.com
December 27, 2025 at 6:24 PM
tjamesdobbin.bsky.social
My buds are tackling one of the all-time greats.

(Everybody had better love it!)
itslayspodcast.bsky.social It Slays Podcast @itslayspodcast.bsky.social · 16d
We want to hear your opinions on NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)! Would you give it a NAY, OKAY, YAY or SLAY?

There is 2 ways to do it:
1) Comment
2) Send a voice note to [email protected]
January 10, 2026 at 4:35 PM