Charles Johnston
@charlesjohnston.bsky.social
Emmy Award winning screenwriter. "Detentionaire" co-creator. Writer for Spectrum Culture. charlesjohnston.ca
Pinned
Autism Awareness Month: Interview with Children's TV Writer Charles Johnston - Skwigly Animation Magazine
2023 marks the third year of our series of interviews for Autism Awareness Month, where we speak with those who have made stories and characters in
www.skwigly.co.uk
An interview I'm featured in on 'Skwigly': www.skwigly.co.uk/autism-aware...
Reposted by Charles Johnston
The Tom Henry Show Episode 23 with Nick Flanagan & Celeb Gossip
YouTube video by The Tom Henry Show
youtube.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Reposted by Charles Johnston
Let’s hope the sun shines some
Light also on how dangerous reality TV is for someone as sick and badly raised as Jacob Hoggard. Fingers crossed it’s not the fallen star 📐. ❤️
Light also on how dangerous reality TV is for someone as sick and badly raised as Jacob Hoggard. Fingers crossed it’s not the fallen star 📐. ❤️
In 2022, a runner-up from Canadian Idol was sentenced to 5 years for sexual assault causing bodily harm. This Wednesday, November 19th, at 9:00pm on CBC TV and CBC Gem, “Breaking Idol” shows how one survivor took on a flawed legal system and secured this historic conviction.
November 17, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Let’s hope the sun shines some
Light also on how dangerous reality TV is for someone as sick and badly raised as Jacob Hoggard. Fingers crossed it’s not the fallen star 📐. ❤️
Light also on how dangerous reality TV is for someone as sick and badly raised as Jacob Hoggard. Fingers crossed it’s not the fallen star 📐. ❤️
In 2022, a runner-up from Canadian Idol was sentenced to 5 years for sexual assault causing bodily harm. This Wednesday, November 19th, at 9:00pm on CBC TV and CBC Gem, “Breaking Idol” shows how one survivor took on a flawed legal system and secured this historic conviction.
November 17, 2025 at 4:23 PM
In 2022, a runner-up from Canadian Idol was sentenced to 5 years for sexual assault causing bodily harm. This Wednesday, November 19th, at 9:00pm on CBC TV and CBC Gem, “Breaking Idol” shows how one survivor took on a flawed legal system and secured this historic conviction.
Reposted by Charles Johnston
I've now heard from 3 authors targeted on X by a scammer impersonating Lois McMaster Bujold. Bujold impersonator refers author to "Eleanor Wood at Spectrum Literary", also an impersonation. Goal: to sell editing svcs. Scam is impersonating multiple authors & agents writerbeware.blog/2025/11/14/i...
If a Famous Author Calls, Hang Up: Anatomy of an Impersonation Scam - Writer Beware
You open your email program one morning. The usual work stuff. Some spam (annoying that it got past your filters!). A couple of newsletters (maybe later). You sip your coffee, scroll down. Wait. What’...
writerbeware.blog
November 16, 2025 at 6:22 PM
I've now heard from 3 authors targeted on X by a scammer impersonating Lois McMaster Bujold. Bujold impersonator refers author to "Eleanor Wood at Spectrum Literary", also an impersonation. Goal: to sell editing svcs. Scam is impersonating multiple authors & agents writerbeware.blog/2025/11/14/i...
I've been approached twice from these scammers twice in the last month. "Book clubs" wanting to "feature" one of my books and of course there's a "feature fee" attached. Apparently if it's an email from a gmail account that's just one of many red flags.
Folks, a famous author isn't ever going to contact you out of the blue to offer you literary services. It's always a scam. Also, speaking as an at least semifamous author, you wouldn't want any services we did offer, we're just barely handling our own shit, much less anyone else's.
I've now heard from 3 authors targeted on X by a scammer impersonating Lois McMaster Bujold. Bujold impersonator refers author to "Eleanor Wood at Spectrum Literary", also an impersonation. Goal: to sell editing svcs. Scam is impersonating multiple authors & agents writerbeware.blog/2025/11/14/i...
November 16, 2025 at 9:39 PM
I've been approached twice from these scammers twice in the last month. "Book clubs" wanting to "feature" one of my books and of course there's a "feature fee" attached. Apparently if it's an email from a gmail account that's just one of many red flags.
Reposted by Charles Johnston
NEW DUST BUNNY POSTER!!! Also @alamodrafthouse.bsky.social is having early screenings of the film with a livestream Q&A with Mads Mikkelsen & @bryanfuller.bsky.social on November 17th! Get tix here drafthouse.com/nyc/event/fa...
November 13, 2025 at 10:40 PM
NEW DUST BUNNY POSTER!!! Also @alamodrafthouse.bsky.social is having early screenings of the film with a livestream Q&A with Mads Mikkelsen & @bryanfuller.bsky.social on November 17th! Get tix here drafthouse.com/nyc/event/fa...
Reposted by Charles Johnston
Art on the street.
November 13, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Art on the street.
Reposted by Charles Johnston
"Stripped of morality and riddled with confounding studio choices, Teen Witch is a film best enjoyed with a group of friends — preferably inebriated — and discussed at length afterward."
I wrote about Teen Witch on @spectrumculture.bsky.social
spectrumculture.com/2025/11/12/f...
I wrote about Teen Witch on @spectrumculture.bsky.social
spectrumculture.com/2025/11/12/f...
From the Vaults of Streaming Hell: Teen Witch - Spectrum Culture
Teen Witch is a film best enjoyed with a group of friends — preferably inebriated — and discussed at length afterward.
spectrumculture.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:02 PM
"Stripped of morality and riddled with confounding studio choices, Teen Witch is a film best enjoyed with a group of friends — preferably inebriated — and discussed at length afterward."
I wrote about Teen Witch on @spectrumculture.bsky.social
spectrumculture.com/2025/11/12/f...
I wrote about Teen Witch on @spectrumculture.bsky.social
spectrumculture.com/2025/11/12/f...
"IT'S ALIVE!!!" (Thankfully, never uttered in this rendition.) My review of Frankenstein for @spectrumculture.bsky.social.
Frankenstein - Spectrum Culture
This faithful adaptation of Frankenstein aches with affection for the source material, but it can sometimes feel like being trapped inside a cabinet of curiosities.
spectrumculture.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:24 PM
"IT'S ALIVE!!!" (Thankfully, never uttered in this rendition.) My review of Frankenstein for @spectrumculture.bsky.social.
A gorgeous, experimental film about an artist's typical day, where the most mundane parts can be profoundly precious. My review of Peter Hujar's Day for @spectrumculture.bsky.social.
Peter Hujar’s Day - Spectrum Culture
Sweet, beautifully shot and extraordinarily well acted, this experimental film explores the minute details that make up a typical day, as well as the intimacy in sharing them.
spectrumculture.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:48 PM
A gorgeous, experimental film about an artist's typical day, where the most mundane parts can be profoundly precious. My review of Peter Hujar's Day for @spectrumculture.bsky.social.
Reposted by Charles Johnston
For @spectrumculture.bsky.social I wrote about A BETTER TOMORROW, whose balletic violence Hollywood has long ago absorbed spectrumculture.com/2025/11/10/r...
Revisit: A Better Tomorrow - Spectrum Culture
While Hollywood caught up long ago with Woo’s bloody ballet, American filmmakers never reached his high emotional pitch, his world one of more than just physical violence but an emotional intensity th...
spectrumculture.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:15 PM
For @spectrumculture.bsky.social I wrote about A BETTER TOMORROW, whose balletic violence Hollywood has long ago absorbed spectrumculture.com/2025/11/10/r...
Hallow Road is getting mixed reviews because it can be interpreted so many different ways. I think it is essentially a ghost story and it really got under my skin. spectrumculture.com/2025/11/03/h...
Hallow Road - Spectrum Culture
An eerie film with a ghostly atmosphere that can be interpreted many different ways, where every possible scenario is a nightmare.
spectrumculture.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Hallow Road is getting mixed reviews because it can be interpreted so many different ways. I think it is essentially a ghost story and it really got under my skin. spectrumculture.com/2025/11/03/h...
Reposted by Charles Johnston
Our weekly Kurosawa series continues. Up next: THRONE OF BLOOD!
Oeuvre: Kurosawa: Throne of Blood - Spectrum Culture
Throne of Blood still feels strikingly contemporary, not just for the sheer intensity of its performances, but for the canny way that Kurosawa translates his character’s deteriorating psychological st...
spectrumculture.com
October 31, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Our weekly Kurosawa series continues. Up next: THRONE OF BLOOD!
Reposted by Charles Johnston
FINAL call for new writers for 2025. We're looking for folks to review music, film and/or books. DM for more info.
October 28, 2025 at 5:17 PM
FINAL call for new writers for 2025. We're looking for folks to review music, film and/or books. DM for more info.
Kathryn Bigelow completes her triptych on the impacts of the military-industrial complex with A House of Dynamite: spectrumculture.com/2025/10/27/a...
A House of Dynamite - Spectrum Culture
Fully committed performances and white-knuckle tension are gradually undermined by the film’s stop-and-start structure and frustratingly ambiguous conclusion.
spectrumculture.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Kathryn Bigelow completes her triptych on the impacts of the military-industrial complex with A House of Dynamite: spectrumculture.com/2025/10/27/a...
Reposted by Charles Johnston
Spectrum Culture's deep dive into Kurosawa's rich oeuvre continues. Here I examine I LIVE IN FEAR, a movie deeply infused with the long-term trauma suffered by the only country to ever experience a nuclear attack. spectrumculture.com/2025/10/23/o...
Oeuvre: Kurosawa: I Live in Fear - Spectrum Culture
I Live in Fear serves as a stark warning about living in denial, while expressing the importance of living life without every waking moment being consumed by fear.
spectrumculture.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Spectrum Culture's deep dive into Kurosawa's rich oeuvre continues. Here I examine I LIVE IN FEAR, a movie deeply infused with the long-term trauma suffered by the only country to ever experience a nuclear attack. spectrumculture.com/2025/10/23/o...
Reposted by Charles Johnston
We have openings for writers to review music, film and/or books. DM for more info!
October 22, 2025 at 6:33 PM
We have openings for writers to review music, film and/or books. DM for more info!
One of Robert Redford's lesser known works. Though its director more or less disowned it, Arthur Penn’s The Chase seems seminal and way ahead of its time and holds up to this day as a film of substantial potency. spectrumculture.com/2025/10/20/r...
Rediscover: The Chase - Spectrum Culture
Though its director more or less disowned it, Arthur Penn’s The Chase seems seminal and way ahead of its time and holds up to this day as a film of substantial potency.
spectrumculture.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:41 PM
One of Robert Redford's lesser known works. Though its director more or less disowned it, Arthur Penn’s The Chase seems seminal and way ahead of its time and holds up to this day as a film of substantial potency. spectrumculture.com/2025/10/20/r...
Reposted by Charles Johnston
Scene Report: Purity Ring makes us ask - what the fuck did we just see?
Concert Review: Purity Ring - Spectrum Culture
The Canadian witch-pop duo cast a transfixing spell and served an audiovisual feast.
spectrumculture.com
October 20, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Scene Report: Purity Ring makes us ask - what the fuck did we just see?
Reposted by Charles Johnston
Our trip through Kurosawa's oeuvre finally hits the big boy.
spectrumculture.com/2025/10/16/o...
spectrumculture.com/2025/10/16/o...
Oeuvre: Kurosawa: Seven Samurai - Spectrum Culture
Kurosawa’s masterpiece is spellbinding regardless of its popular narrative influence decades later, not only for its status as the first modern team-up action film, but also for its seamlessness at in...
spectrumculture.com
October 17, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Our trip through Kurosawa's oeuvre finally hits the big boy.
spectrumculture.com/2025/10/16/o...
spectrumculture.com/2025/10/16/o...
Reposted by Charles Johnston
Over 18 months and more than 100 pieces later, I can say working for this site has been an overwhelmingly positive experience and has put me in touch with some really cool people.
Worth reaching out...even if you're only just a little curious.
Worth reaching out...even if you're only just a little curious.
We have openings for folks to review music, film and/or books. Send us a DM for more info.
October 15, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Over 18 months and more than 100 pieces later, I can say working for this site has been an overwhelmingly positive experience and has put me in touch with some really cool people.
Worth reaching out...even if you're only just a little curious.
Worth reaching out...even if you're only just a little curious.
I responded to a message just like this one a year ago and writing for Spectrum Culture has been a deeply rewarding experience ever since.
We have openings for folks to review music, film and/or books. Send us a DM for more info.
October 15, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I responded to a message just like this one a year ago and writing for Spectrum Culture has been a deeply rewarding experience ever since.
Reposted by Charles Johnston
Our trip through Kurosawa's oeuvre hits the Tolstoy-inspired "Ikiru."
spectrumculture.com/2025/10/09/o...
spectrumculture.com/2025/10/09/o...
Oeuvre: Kurosawa: Ikiru - Spectrum Culture
One of Kurosawa’s finest films, Ikiru is a stark criticism of capitalism and Japan’s overly dedicated salarymen, showing how this devotion affects not only the men working these jobs, but also their c...
spectrumculture.com
October 10, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Our trip through Kurosawa's oeuvre hits the Tolstoy-inspired "Ikiru."
spectrumculture.com/2025/10/09/o...
spectrumculture.com/2025/10/09/o...
This was the best film I saw at TIFF this year.
Watch the official trailer for Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal ✨
In theaters November 27 via @focusfeatures.bsky.social
In theaters November 27 via @focusfeatures.bsky.social
October 9, 2025 at 5:18 PM
This was the best film I saw at TIFF this year.