Grant Watson
@fictionmachine.bsky.social
Rotten Tomatoes-accredited film critic. Award-winning playwright. Noted international education analyst. Serviceable theatre director. Has multiple sclerosis.
www.fictionmachine.com
www.fictionmachine.com
I must admit to being a fan of the 90-minute movie.
Exhibition Exec: Please Make Shorter Movies
www.darkhorizons.com/exhibition-c...
www.darkhorizons.com/exhibition-c...
January 20, 2026 at 10:34 PM
I must admit to being a fan of the 90-minute movie.
NEW REVIEW! The job of a TV series' second episode is to showcase how things will work on a week-by-week basis, and "Beta Test" bodes well for the future of Starfleet Academy.
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/20/t...
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/20/t...
TV REVIEW: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, 1.2 “Beta Test”
First broadcast on 15 January 2026. Starfleet Academy’s first regular episode shows a series rapidly settling into its groove, with some further character development, a healthy dose of humou…
fictionmachine.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:16 PM
NEW REVIEW! The job of a TV series' second episode is to showcase how things will work on a week-by-week basis, and "Beta Test" bodes well for the future of Starfleet Academy.
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/20/t...
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/20/t...
With the colour scheme and the title this would make a great double bill with Conclave.
January 20, 2026 at 10:38 AM
With the colour scheme and the title this would make a great double bill with Conclave.
Why is the captain bald? Why is there a therapist on the bridge? Why is there a Klingon in Starfleet? Why is Wesley? I hate this. The uniforms are wrong. Starships can't separate. What the fuck is a Ferengi? This isn't real Star Trek.
January 20, 2026 at 6:48 AM
Why is the captain bald? Why is there a therapist on the bridge? Why is there a Klingon in Starfleet? Why is Wesley? I hate this. The uniforms are wrong. Starships can't separate. What the fuck is a Ferengi? This isn't real Star Trek.
Actual complaints made on social media about #StarTrek #StarfleetAcademy (an ongoing list of idiots) 1/?:
1. Captain Aki sits in chairs weird.
2. Klingon cadet Jay-Den's make-up is inaccurate.
3. A joke about a cadet swallowing their comm badge made a mockery of Star Trek's legacy.
1. Captain Aki sits in chairs weird.
2. Klingon cadet Jay-Den's make-up is inaccurate.
3. A joke about a cadet swallowing their comm badge made a mockery of Star Trek's legacy.
January 20, 2026 at 4:29 AM
Actual complaints made on social media about #StarTrek #StarfleetAcademy (an ongoing list of idiots) 1/?:
1. Captain Aki sits in chairs weird.
2. Klingon cadet Jay-Den's make-up is inaccurate.
3. A joke about a cadet swallowing their comm badge made a mockery of Star Trek's legacy.
1. Captain Aki sits in chairs weird.
2. Klingon cadet Jay-Den's make-up is inaccurate.
3. A joke about a cadet swallowing their comm badge made a mockery of Star Trek's legacy.
I don't think Stephen Miller was fooling anybody when he asked for William Shatner to take over Star Trek. He clearly never saw The Final Frontier. He's clearly not a Trek nerd.
January 20, 2026 at 3:19 AM
I don't think Stephen Miller was fooling anybody when he asked for William Shatner to take over Star Trek. He clearly never saw The Final Frontier. He's clearly not a Trek nerd.
Essay time! In the first FictionMachine essay for 2026, I take a look at how the makers of horror film Saw IV solved a key creative challenge (everybody in Saw III died) before creating one of the best sequels ever made.
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/19/i...
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/19/i...
“I Am Still Among You” | Why Saw IV is one of the world’s best sequels
Sequels are an inevitable aspect of commercial filmmaking. If the ultimate purpose of a company making a feature film is to earn a profit, and that film is particularly profitable, common sense dic…
fictionmachine.com
January 19, 2026 at 10:03 PM
Essay time! In the first FictionMachine essay for 2026, I take a look at how the makers of horror film Saw IV solved a key creative challenge (everybody in Saw III died) before creating one of the best sequels ever made.
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/19/i...
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/19/i...
Reposted by Grant Watson
I get that batteries die, but having the battery die on my laptop and my car in the same week feels somewhat unfair.
January 19, 2026 at 12:13 AM
I get that batteries die, but having the battery die on my laptop and my car in the same week feels somewhat unfair.
And I bet they complained about having to do it.
These ancient designs may be the first evidence of humans doing math | CNN
Images of plants painted on pottery made up to 8,000 years ago may be the earliest example of humans’ mathematical thought, a study has found.
edition.cnn.com
January 18, 2026 at 11:46 PM
And I bet they complained about having to do it.
RIP Roger Allers, artist, animator, and co-director of The Lion King.
January 18, 2026 at 10:57 PM
RIP Roger Allers, artist, animator, and co-director of The Lion King.
Bradley Cooper's comedy-drama Is This Thing On? opens in Australian cinemas on 5 February. It is a crushingly mediocre work.
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/18/r...
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/18/r...
REVIEW: Is This Thing On? (2025)
Bradley Cooper’s new comic drama Is This Thing On? is far from being a terrible movie, but it is important to note it is hardly a great one either. For one of Hollywood’s more enthusias…
fictionmachine.com
January 18, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Bradley Cooper's comedy-drama Is This Thing On? opens in Australian cinemas on 5 February. It is a crushingly mediocre work.
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/18/r...
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/18/r...
Have finally started seeing the whiny Trek fanboys complaining about the stupidest things in Starfleet Academy. The answers to their bitchy questions are "she talks like that because she's deaf", "it's been 900 years", "it's been 900 years", and "because your tiny penis".
January 18, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Have finally started seeing the whiny Trek fanboys complaining about the stupidest things in Starfleet Academy. The answers to their bitchy questions are "she talks like that because she's deaf", "it's been 900 years", "it's been 900 years", and "because your tiny penis".
RIP Kenny Morris of Siouxsie and the Banshees.
January 18, 2026 at 12:13 AM
RIP Kenny Morris of Siouxsie and the Banshees.
I think Criterion may have just announced one of the must-have bluray sets of the year.
www.criterion.com/boxsets/8685...
www.criterion.com/boxsets/8685...
Eclipse Series 48: Kinuyo Tanaka Directs
Kinuyo Tanaka was already one of Japan’s greatest actors—celebrated for her collaborations with auteurs such as Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujiro Ozu, and Mikio Naruse—when she took a brave leap by embarking ...
www.criterion.com
January 16, 2026 at 11:22 PM
I think Criterion may have just announced one of the must-have bluray sets of the year.
www.criterion.com/boxsets/8685...
www.criterion.com/boxsets/8685...
Post a moment you love from Kathleen Kennedy’s stewardship of Lucasfilm
January 16, 2026 at 7:02 AM
Post a moment you love from Kathleen Kennedy’s stewardship of Lucasfilm
William Riker: "I am the weirdest sitter on chairs in the history of Starfleet."
Nahla Ake: "Hold my beer."
#starfleetacademy
Nahla Ake: "Hold my beer."
#starfleetacademy
January 16, 2026 at 4:43 AM
William Riker: "I am the weirdest sitter on chairs in the history of Starfleet."
Nahla Ake: "Hold my beer."
#starfleetacademy
Nahla Ake: "Hold my beer."
#starfleetacademy
NEW REVIEW: A bonus review today, because there's a new iteration of Star Trek out and it's got Holly Hunter in it.
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/16/t...
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/16/t...
TV REVIEW: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, 1.1 “Kids These Days”
First broadcast 15 January 2026. It is quite the revelation to realise that Starfleet Academy, which premiered this week on streamer Paramount+, is the twelfth series iteration of Gene Roddenberry&…
fictionmachine.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:41 AM
NEW REVIEW: A bonus review today, because there's a new iteration of Star Trek out and it's got Holly Hunter in it.
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/16/t...
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/16/t...
I think whether or not Dave Filoni is a smart choice for Lucasfilm chief creative officer honestly depends on what Disney's goal is for Star Wars in future.
If the goal is to shift toys and videogames, he's a great choice.
If the goal is to shift toys and videogames, he's a great choice.
January 16, 2026 at 4:01 AM
I think whether or not Dave Filoni is a smart choice for Lucasfilm chief creative officer honestly depends on what Disney's goal is for Star Wars in future.
If the goal is to shift toys and videogames, he's a great choice.
If the goal is to shift toys and videogames, he's a great choice.
NEW REVIEW! Kleber Mendonça Filho’s new feature The Secret Agent is previewing in Australian cinemas this weekend, riding a wave of critical acclaim and international film awards. It is the first must-see film of 2026.
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/16/r...
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/16/r...
REVIEW: The Secret Agent (2025)
Kleber Mendonça Filho’s new feature The Secret Agent is finally hitting Australian cinemas, riding a wave of critical acclaim and a growing pile of international film awards. It marks the fir…
fictionmachine.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:10 AM
NEW REVIEW! Kleber Mendonça Filho’s new feature The Secret Agent is previewing in Australian cinemas this weekend, riding a wave of critical acclaim and international film awards. It is the first must-see film of 2026.
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/16/r...
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/16/r...
Yet to finish episode 1 of Starfleet Academy, but what I will say so far is that getting the cadets to all swear at each other feels like an unintentional A+ tribute to Grange Hill.
January 15, 2026 at 10:32 PM
Yet to finish episode 1 of Starfleet Academy, but what I will say so far is that getting the cadets to all swear at each other feels like an unintentional A+ tribute to Grange Hill.
Stop scrolling and post two characters who bring you happiness.
January 15, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Stop scrolling and post two characters who bring you happiness.
Not sure why this came out as pink.
January 15, 2026 at 7:29 AM
Not sure why this came out as pink.
I saw these streaming via Facebook, and it's bluntly offensive that they exist.
The ‘Bush Legend’ is bringing us short videos of an Aboriginal person teaching us about native animals. But he isn’t real.
👉 Read the full story: theconversation.com/this-ti...
👉 Read the full story: theconversation.com/this-ti...
January 15, 2026 at 4:35 AM
I saw these streaming via Facebook, and it's bluntly offensive that they exist.
NEW REVIEW! Yonebayashi Hiromasa's Arrietty (2010) is a quiet and sensitively composed animated film that just might be one of Studio Ghibli's most underrated.
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/15/r...
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/15/r...
REVIEW: Arrietty (2010)
There is always a problem for Studio Ghibli productions that are not directed by co-founder Miyazaki Hayao, which is that they suffer by comparison. After all, Miyazaki is arguably the greatest dir…
fictionmachine.com
January 15, 2026 at 12:57 AM
NEW REVIEW! Yonebayashi Hiromasa's Arrietty (2010) is a quiet and sensitively composed animated film that just might be one of Studio Ghibli's most underrated.
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/15/r...
fictionmachine.com/2026/01/15/r...