Mike Russell
@culturepulp.bsky.social
Here's an essay years in the making:
In 2019 I decided to run the Dipsea Race because of a movie I saw in 1986. The race got pandemic-delayed. So I started interviewing the people who made the movie — Bruce Dern, Pam Grier, and many others.
The result:
bymikerussell.substack.com/p/the-runnin...
In 2019 I decided to run the Dipsea Race because of a movie I saw in 1986. The race got pandemic-delayed. So I started interviewing the people who made the movie — Bruce Dern, Pam Grier, and many others.
The result:
bymikerussell.substack.com/p/the-runnin...
The Running Movie
Liner notes for a lost sports film.
bymikerussell.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Here's an essay years in the making:
In 2019 I decided to run the Dipsea Race because of a movie I saw in 1986. The race got pandemic-delayed. So I started interviewing the people who made the movie — Bruce Dern, Pam Grier, and many others.
The result:
bymikerussell.substack.com/p/the-runnin...
In 2019 I decided to run the Dipsea Race because of a movie I saw in 1986. The race got pandemic-delayed. So I started interviewing the people who made the movie — Bruce Dern, Pam Grier, and many others.
The result:
bymikerussell.substack.com/p/the-runnin...
As the Shane Black fan who commissioned this bit of handcrafted glory, please believe me when I tell you @briannaduggan.bsky.social
Is the goods and hiring her to make things is the smartest move imaginable
Is the goods and hiring her to make things is the smartest move imaginable
October 13, 2025 at 4:28 PM
As the Shane Black fan who commissioned this bit of handcrafted glory, please believe me when I tell you @briannaduggan.bsky.social
Is the goods and hiring her to make things is the smartest move imaginable
Is the goods and hiring her to make things is the smartest move imaginable
Proper advice from the great @lubellwoo.bsky.social ….
And here's Lucy Bellwood with some INCREDIBLY useful advice for comics writers. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXO1... @lubellwoo.bsky.social
September 19, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Proper advice from the great @lubellwoo.bsky.social ….
Pencils down on a longform essay I've been researching off and on for the past six years. Started as a pandemic hobby, ended with me on the phone with Bruce Dern for three-and-a-half hours. Whoops! Now in edits. More at some point.
July 12, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Pencils down on a longform essay I've been researching off and on for the past six years. Started as a pandemic hobby, ended with me on the phone with Bruce Dern for three-and-a-half hours. Whoops! Now in edits. More at some point.
It is possible that if you zoom in on Steve's extraordinary "Jimmy Olsen" cover and scan the crowd, you'll find a Sabertooth Vampire t-shirt under the face of a familiar-looking man. This man may be making the agonized expression of someone who bet his entire 401k on the fight's outcome.
The hardcover Jimmy Olsen omnibus will be in stores in August. If you haven't read it and wonder what the big deal is about a Jimmy Olsen comic, visit at @shelfdust.bsky.social where their critics have published TEN responses to the series, with more to come! shelfdust.com/tag/jimmy-ol...
June 16, 2025 at 5:51 PM
It is possible that if you zoom in on Steve's extraordinary "Jimmy Olsen" cover and scan the crowd, you'll find a Sabertooth Vampire t-shirt under the face of a familiar-looking man. This man may be making the agonized expression of someone who bet his entire 401k on the fight's outcome.
"If you go on there and manage to stick it out for a month or two, you will get 100,000 Instagram followers, and then you can spend the rest of your life doing sponsored content and making paid appearances at nightclubs on the Gold Coast."
samkriss.substack.com/p/dreams-nev...
samkriss.substack.com/p/dreams-nev...
Dreams never end
On Married at First Sight Australia
samkriss.substack.com
May 10, 2025 at 5:55 PM
"If you go on there and manage to stick it out for a month or two, you will get 100,000 Instagram followers, and then you can spend the rest of your life doing sponsored content and making paid appearances at nightclubs on the Gold Coast."
samkriss.substack.com/p/dreams-nev...
samkriss.substack.com/p/dreams-nev...
“I’ve realized that feeling … is the multi-billion-dollar business that these companies know they’re building. It’s not fascist anime art or excel spreadsheet automation, it’s preying on the lonely and vulnerable for a monthly fee.”
www.garbageday.email/p/this-is-wh...
www.garbageday.email/p/this-is-wh...
This is what ChatGPT is actually for
Read to the end for Meatloaf and his little hat
www.garbageday.email
May 5, 2025 at 8:09 PM
“I’ve realized that feeling … is the multi-billion-dollar business that these companies know they’re building. It’s not fascist anime art or excel spreadsheet automation, it’s preying on the lonely and vulnerable for a monthly fee.”
www.garbageday.email/p/this-is-wh...
www.garbageday.email/p/this-is-wh...
Surprisingly good running songs (an ongoing series):
Heard this in a bar not long ago and proceeded to listen to it on a loop for an embarrassing amount of time.
The groove is smooth and impeccable and rolls like a good run. Satisfy should set a vibes video to this.
youtu.be/8ob0J3gi6b8?...
Heard this in a bar not long ago and proceeded to listen to it on a loop for an embarrassing amount of time.
The groove is smooth and impeccable and rolls like a good run. Satisfy should set a vibes video to this.
youtu.be/8ob0J3gi6b8?...
Memory Box
YouTube video by Peter Cat Recording Co. - Topic
youtu.be
April 12, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Surprisingly good running songs (an ongoing series):
Heard this in a bar not long ago and proceeded to listen to it on a loop for an embarrassing amount of time.
The groove is smooth and impeccable and rolls like a good run. Satisfy should set a vibes video to this.
youtu.be/8ob0J3gi6b8?...
Heard this in a bar not long ago and proceeded to listen to it on a loop for an embarrassing amount of time.
The groove is smooth and impeccable and rolls like a good run. Satisfy should set a vibes video to this.
youtu.be/8ob0J3gi6b8?...
All clown emoji (emojis?) aside, this is really really really really really bad.
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.
www.theatlantic.com
March 24, 2025 at 7:26 PM
All clown emoji (emojis?) aside, this is really really really really really bad.
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Post your favorite Doctor Who. Wrong answers only:
March 20, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Post your favorite Doctor Who. Wrong answers only:
Post your favorite Doctor Who. Wrong answers only:
March 20, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Post your favorite Doctor Who. Wrong answers only:
Post your favorite Doctor Who. Wrong answers only:
March 20, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Post your favorite Doctor Who. Wrong answers only:
Surprisingly good running songs, an ongoing series: youtu.be/Kg1JS69kEuE?...
Funkin' Fever
YouTube video by Jay Glover - Topic
youtu.be
March 19, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Surprisingly good running songs, an ongoing series: youtu.be/Kg1JS69kEuE?...
An old friend made a website that rounds up local Portland repertory screenings in an easy-to-scan list. I now pass this cinema blessing along to you: pdxmovie.club
Portland Movie Club | Repertory Movie Listings
A select list of upcoming repertory movie screenings in Portland, Oregon.
pdxmovie.club
March 19, 2025 at 12:58 PM
An old friend made a website that rounds up local Portland repertory screenings in an easy-to-scan list. I now pass this cinema blessing along to you: pdxmovie.club
This scene from THE WIZ scared the ever-loving crap out of me as a child. Those growing puppets were RETURN TO OZ-Wheelie-level terrifying!
I hope Criterion (which apparently just announced a WIZ disc) devotes an entire extra to its psychological scarring.
youtu.be/6Ul-LwLX6Nk?...
I hope Criterion (which apparently just announced a WIZ disc) devotes an entire extra to its psychological scarring.
youtu.be/6Ul-LwLX6Nk?...
The Wiz - subway scene
YouTube video by Fuck you, UMG!
youtu.be
March 19, 2025 at 12:55 PM
This scene from THE WIZ scared the ever-loving crap out of me as a child. Those growing puppets were RETURN TO OZ-Wheelie-level terrifying!
I hope Criterion (which apparently just announced a WIZ disc) devotes an entire extra to its psychological scarring.
youtu.be/6Ul-LwLX6Nk?...
I hope Criterion (which apparently just announced a WIZ disc) devotes an entire extra to its psychological scarring.
youtu.be/6Ul-LwLX6Nk?...
Aw man, I love CROSSING DELANCEY and had no idea there was a Criterion edition (a delightful ‘80s rom-com with Peter Riegert and Amy Irving if you’ve never checked it out): youtu.be/CgaVmNJscms?...
Carrie Coon’s Closet Picks
YouTube video by CRITERION
youtu.be
March 19, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Aw man, I love CROSSING DELANCEY and had no idea there was a Criterion edition (a delightful ‘80s rom-com with Peter Riegert and Amy Irving if you’ve never checked it out): youtu.be/CgaVmNJscms?...
New GODFATHER making-of podcast. airmail.news/issues/2025-...
Air Mail Presents "Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli"
In the new podcast, hosts Nathan King and Mark Seal chronicle the making of "The Godfather," with interviews from Bob Evans and James Caan.
airmail.news
March 19, 2025 at 8:11 AM
New GODFATHER making-of podcast. airmail.news/issues/2025-...
Good read about the Jeremy Strong / Kieran Culkin approaches to craft and “hunger” that gets into why people like dunking on Strong so much: www.thatfinalscene.com/p/jeremy-str...
jeremy strong, kieran culkin, and the cost of caring too much
On visible ambition and the mortifying ordeal of being too earnest for your own good. When did effort become our culture's ultimate ick?
www.thatfinalscene.com
March 7, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Good read about the Jeremy Strong / Kieran Culkin approaches to craft and “hunger” that gets into why people like dunking on Strong so much: www.thatfinalscene.com/p/jeremy-str...
"He led me past a refrigerator cloaked in an Indian tapestry and into an emptied living room, where I found Parker Posey perched cross-legged on a mat, facing a row of gongs."
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/m...
The Singular Charm of Parker Posey
For years, the "indie queen” has had trouble finding satisfying work in Hollywood’s shifting landscape. Then, along came “The White Lotus.”
www.nytimes.com
February 24, 2025 at 7:47 PM
"He led me past a refrigerator cloaked in an Indian tapestry and into an emptied living room, where I found Parker Posey perched cross-legged on a mat, facing a row of gongs."
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/m...
Unexpectedly good running songs, an ongoing series: “Jaguar” by John Gregory, used to good effect here: youtu.be/So4bRpIxdBY?...
Rallye d'Afrique #softtempo
YouTube video by Soft Tempo Lounge
youtu.be
February 23, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Unexpectedly good running songs, an ongoing series: “Jaguar” by John Gregory, used to good effect here: youtu.be/So4bRpIxdBY?...
"This is not strategic genius, it’s a human Dali painting: melting, distorted, and utterly incomprehensible."
claireberlinski.substack.com/p/impeach-him
claireberlinski.substack.com/p/impeach-him
Impeach Him
Trump's psychopathology and the suicide of a superpower
claireberlinski.substack.com
February 21, 2025 at 12:12 AM
"This is not strategic genius, it’s a human Dali painting: melting, distorted, and utterly incomprehensible."
claireberlinski.substack.com/p/impeach-him
claireberlinski.substack.com/p/impeach-him
“LOCAL HERO wouldn’t work with an antagonist who had no hidden depths, one who wants only to obtain and dominate.”
open.substack.com/pub/therevea...
open.substack.com/pub/therevea...
The '80s in 40: 'Local Hero' (February 17, 1983)
Bill Forsyth's gentle comedy constructs a bulwark against the harsh times surrounding it, and the harsher times to come.
open.substack.com
February 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM
“LOCAL HERO wouldn’t work with an antagonist who had no hidden depths, one who wants only to obtain and dominate.”
open.substack.com/pub/therevea...
open.substack.com/pub/therevea...
“I’m one of many people who are being unfairly blamed for something I didn’t want. Okay? I didn’t want the mayor to blow up the city like he mentioned many times; I just wanted him to fix the old bowling alley like he promised in passing once.”
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/vot...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/vot...
Voting for the Mayor Who Promised to Blow Up the City Doesn’t Mean I Approve of the Mayor Blowing Up the City
It’s so easy to label people these days. From the way folks have been talking, you’d think everyone falls into two buckets: those who voted against...
www.mcsweeneys.net
February 11, 2025 at 4:06 PM
“I’m one of many people who are being unfairly blamed for something I didn’t want. Okay? I didn’t want the mayor to blow up the city like he mentioned many times; I just wanted him to fix the old bowling alley like he promised in passing once.”
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/vot...
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/vot...
“The clashing advice formed a din of white noise, leaving me free (I mirthfully concluded) to follow no advice at all.”
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/30/b...
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/30/b...
Pregnant With One Child and 295,233 Words
During the months before she gave birth, our critic wrote — a lot. What happens when the impulse to put pen to paper becomes extreme?
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2025 at 3:39 AM
“The clashing advice formed a din of white noise, leaving me free (I mirthfully concluded) to follow no advice at all.”
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/30/b...
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/30/b...
"I tried to explain to my boyfriend, who was at that point literally taking a bath, why I needed to drive the 6-hour round trip from Oregon to Washington to visit a place where an artist I loved had chosen to set a television series I’d started watching in high school." longreads.com/2025/01/30/r...
David Lynch Was Here: A Visit to the Real Twin Peaks - Longreads
Notes from the Northwest on mourning, remembrance, and black coffee.
longreads.com
February 10, 2025 at 6:16 PM
"I tried to explain to my boyfriend, who was at that point literally taking a bath, why I needed to drive the 6-hour round trip from Oregon to Washington to visit a place where an artist I loved had chosen to set a television series I’d started watching in high school." longreads.com/2025/01/30/r...