Josh Berman
@joshbermanwrites.bsky.social
Writer. Sometimes screen, sometimes ghost. Mostly decent. Life is increasingly far stranger than fiction, but still trying to make sense of it through stories. Here because the other place got a little too fashy.
Anyway I'm sure the Amazon and Washington Post workers recently laid off can sleep well at night knowing their employer is focused on paying for the important things and their salaries just couldn't make the cut.
January 30, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Anyway I'm sure the Amazon and Washington Post workers recently laid off can sleep well at night knowing their employer is focused on paying for the important things and their salaries just couldn't make the cut.
And for what? Jeff Bezos, second richest man in the world, slobbering at the feet of the king for some tax cuts and government contracts amidst a fascist takeover? Getting humiliated for THAT?
What - in the parlance of the manly men who voted for Trump - a little beta bitch.
What - in the parlance of the manly men who voted for Trump - a little beta bitch.
January 30, 2026 at 7:03 PM
And for what? Jeff Bezos, second richest man in the world, slobbering at the feet of the king for some tax cuts and government contracts amidst a fascist takeover? Getting humiliated for THAT?
What - in the parlance of the manly men who voted for Trump - a little beta bitch.
What - in the parlance of the manly men who voted for Trump - a little beta bitch.
And keep in mind, the vast costs associated with forcing a movie no one wants to see into 1500 theaters don't even go to the Trumps. It goes to the theater chains and to the loss column on Amazon's spreadsheets. Bezos basically bribed Trump with $40 mil and then set $35 more on fire to show fealty.
January 30, 2026 at 7:03 PM
And keep in mind, the vast costs associated with forcing a movie no one wants to see into 1500 theaters don't even go to the Trumps. It goes to the theater chains and to the loss column on Amazon's spreadsheets. Bezos basically bribed Trump with $40 mil and then set $35 more on fire to show fealty.
$40 million to acquire? $35 million to market? In this economy?
No one, except perhaps Melania herself, thought this was going to make money. Bezos didn't. Brett Ratner, ghoul that he is, didn't. Trump's narcissism doesn't extend far enough to his wife to even believe in this as a business move.
No one, except perhaps Melania herself, thought this was going to make money. Bezos didn't. Brett Ratner, ghoul that he is, didn't. Trump's narcissism doesn't extend far enough to his wife to even believe in this as a business move.
January 30, 2026 at 7:03 PM
$40 million to acquire? $35 million to market? In this economy?
No one, except perhaps Melania herself, thought this was going to make money. Bezos didn't. Brett Ratner, ghoul that he is, didn't. Trump's narcissism doesn't extend far enough to his wife to even believe in this as a business move.
No one, except perhaps Melania herself, thought this was going to make money. Bezos didn't. Brett Ratner, ghoul that he is, didn't. Trump's narcissism doesn't extend far enough to his wife to even believe in this as a business move.
Farenheit 9/11 was released in 800 theaters and that was a gargantuan push for a political doc at the time. The Obama movie started out in a little over 100.
Of course MELANIA was going to flop like nothing has ever flopped before. It was a financial black hole to begin with.
Of course MELANIA was going to flop like nothing has ever flopped before. It was a financial black hole to begin with.
January 30, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Farenheit 9/11 was released in 800 theaters and that was a gargantuan push for a political doc at the time. The Obama movie started out in a little over 100.
Of course MELANIA was going to flop like nothing has ever flopped before. It was a financial black hole to begin with.
Of course MELANIA was going to flop like nothing has ever flopped before. It was a financial black hole to begin with.
Even if this country didn't hate Trump on a biblical level, even if this wasn't being dropped on a nationwide General Strike day after her husband's thugs murdered two Americans in the street, this is just a comically catastrophic distribution strategy. Many studio films don't get this release.
January 30, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Even if this country didn't hate Trump on a biblical level, even if this wasn't being dropped on a nationwide General Strike day after her husband's thugs murdered two Americans in the street, this is just a comically catastrophic distribution strategy. Many studio films don't get this release.
It’s everything the cranks and bigots populating this vile administration will never understand and, try as they might, will never ever be able to turn back
January 23, 2026 at 3:14 AM
It’s everything the cranks and bigots populating this vile administration will never understand and, try as they might, will never ever be able to turn back
It also rules that a movie like this, conceived, starring and almost entirely assembled by black artists at the top of their game, steeped in their history and culture, the sins of our past and present, can be so celebrated right now, even during these wretched times
January 23, 2026 at 3:14 AM
It also rules that a movie like this, conceived, starring and almost entirely assembled by black artists at the top of their game, steeped in their history and culture, the sins of our past and present, can be so celebrated right now, even during these wretched times
An institution with this overriding ethos can’t be reformed, it’s infected to its core and whether ICE or CPB were ever legitimate law enforcement units, they are now clearly hostile entities at war with our own citizens. They can’t be reformed.
Disband, fire, prosecute.
Disband, fire, prosecute.
January 7, 2026 at 7:20 PM
An institution with this overriding ethos can’t be reformed, it’s infected to its core and whether ICE or CPB were ever legitimate law enforcement units, they are now clearly hostile entities at war with our own citizens. They can’t be reformed.
Disband, fire, prosecute.
Disband, fire, prosecute.
They are so insular in their bubble they see anything as a threat, any question of their authority as a terrorist assault against the mainland, but the “mainland” is just themselves.
They are consumed by this toxic “warrior ethos” mentality because it’s the only way to justify half of what they do.
They are consumed by this toxic “warrior ethos” mentality because it’s the only way to justify half of what they do.
January 7, 2026 at 7:20 PM
They are so insular in their bubble they see anything as a threat, any question of their authority as a terrorist assault against the mainland, but the “mainland” is just themselves.
They are consumed by this toxic “warrior ethos” mentality because it’s the only way to justify half of what they do.
They are consumed by this toxic “warrior ethos” mentality because it’s the only way to justify half of what they do.