Joshua Rivera
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jmrivera.bsky.social
Joshua Rivera
@jmrivera.bsky.social
writer for hire. bylines at Vulture, Slate, The Ringer, and Vanity Fair. movies and tv and games and books and
Pinned
Oh I never did an intro post. So:

I’m a writer interested in pop culture and how we make meaning from it. I was entertainment writer at polygon, and before that had stints at EW, GQ, and freelanced everywhere. Stories saved my life and I want to help people understand them, and each other, better.
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
A great end-of-year read from @jmrivera.bsky.social
Solving mysteries in a world without answers
aftermath.site/mystery-games-...
December 31, 2025 at 9:10 PM
been working all through liminal week so I am a very strange kind of stressed that is out of step with the world. I am basically like the daywalker, blade
December 31, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
Just hit publish on @avclub.com's year in review, which could not possibly include ALL of our favorite pieces of 2025, but it does reflect where we've been and where we're going.

www.avclub.com/best-of-the-...
The best of The A.V. Club: Our favorite pieces from 2025
The best of The A.V. Club: Our favorite pieces from 2025
www.avclub.com
December 31, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
BREAKING:

The House Judiciary Committee just released — on New Year's Eve — the 255-page transcript of Jack Smith's closed door deposition.

House Republicans continue their attempts to bury Smith's testimony.

Read it all here: tinyurl.com/cndtn3ez
December 31, 2025 at 7:35 PM
how many comas do people fall into every year on average in Hawkins, Indiana do you think
December 31, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
In one of my final two pieces for the year, I wrote about why I couldn’t stop trying to solve mysteries in 2025

aftermath.site/mystery-game...
Solving Mysteries In A World Without Answers
I spent 2025 solving mysteries in order to survive 2026
aftermath.site
December 31, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Love the party these two throw for their listeners at the end of every year. Stick around and you might hear a little message from me, among many other illustrious guests
✨ IT'S HERE ✨

Join us in celebrating Into the Aether's 2025 Game of the Year Spectacular, an unsurprisingly lengthy mp3 file for you and yours packed to the brim with the very best games the year had to offer.

Listen at intothecast.online, and share it with a friend if you're feeling generous. 💞
December 31, 2025 at 5:38 PM
so much of stranger things is seeing a bunch of people do the @rangedtouch.bsky.social “Blaze is psychic” bit but with deadly seriousness
December 31, 2025 at 5:02 PM
This is something that makes the new season of stranger things incredibly annoying once you clock it

www.tiktok.com/t/ZTh1YF9xV/
The new season of Stranger Things is awesome #strangerthings #milliebobbiebrown #randynewman #vecna #sadiesink
TikTok video by Kevin T. Porter
www.tiktok.com
December 31, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
*serenely watching the sunset from the porch of a picturesque farmhouse* This life — the wife life — is all I ever wanted. But it ain’t for everyone. Some folks don’t wanna be tied down. Some folks prefer solitude. Some folks are even gay fer fellas, and heck, I reckon they’re doin just fine
January 13, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
one of the underlying premises of One Battle After Another is that revolutionaries are people, not political archetypes, and they are flawed—cowardly,selfish, impatient, short-sighted—in the way people tend to be flawed
one issue with the Takes on OBAA is that it is a layered and dense movie that demands viewers actually watch it and try to take it on its own terms which a lot of people are terminally unable to do
December 31, 2025 at 3:53 PM
In one of my final two pieces for the year, I wrote about why I couldn’t stop trying to solve mysteries in 2025

aftermath.site/mystery-game...
Solving Mysteries In A World Without Answers
I spent 2025 solving mysteries in order to survive 2026
aftermath.site
December 31, 2025 at 3:16 PM
do you know how many hours I spent today trying to write an ending to one fucking piece.
December 31, 2025 at 6:32 AM
really only one way to end a year like this one

youtu.be/K0pp-wxMaw4?...
INLAND EMPIRE - NINA SIMONE - SINNERMAN (embeddable)
YouTube video by guestninethousand
youtu.be
December 31, 2025 at 5:59 AM
RIP to a goddamn legend
RIP Isiah Whitlock Jr. We loved all the characters you played, especially as Clay Davis.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UXJ...
The Wire: Shit Clay Davis Says | HBO
YouTube video by HBO
www.youtube.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Oh shit what a cool graphic! Look at my beautiful team, we’re gonna go far
Here's a recap of our Game of the Year draft. Thanks to everyone who tuned in to Button Mash during this crazy good year of gaming!

open.spotify.com/episode/2Syq...
December 30, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Now that more of you have seen the movie
December 30, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Get ahead of the game, anyone who’s anyone is gonna be talking about twin peaks next year.
Give yourself a present: From today through January 1, Barnes & Noble Premium and Rewards members can get 25 percent off their preorder of A PLACE BOTH WONDERFUL AND STRANGE: The Extraordinary Untold History of Twin Peaks with coupon code PREORDER25:
A Place Both Wonderful and Strange: The Extraordinary Untold History of Twin Peaks|Hardcover
For the first time, the complete history of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks—from the landmark, original cult series that changed the course of television to its 25-years-in-the-making sequel—i...
www.barnesandnoble.com
December 30, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
for the holidays: I went blog mode on my modern Star Wars pet peeve: people quoting Kylo Ren like he’s right

kotaku.com/star-wars-la...
Star Wars: The Last Jedi's Most Famous Line Is Still Misunderstood
The real duel of the fates is between me and everyone who keeps taking this quote out of context
kotaku.com
December 29, 2025 at 7:14 PM
I’ve come around to thinking Eternals is the funniest thing marvel has ever done. The hubris! Of thinking they could just buy awards bait. And zhao, someone with zero need to do a paycheck job, doing one anyway? Also the way the movie ends with them all getting yeeted out of the MCU? Comedy!
December 30, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
the release of the annual @headexposure.bsky.social Action Year in Review is the true reason for the season. can't wait to dive in!!!
It's here! The 2025 Action Cinema recap!

An overview of the year's most interesting action films. Everything from Ne Zha 2 and Avatar 3 to Last Bullet, Kantara and The Prosecutor, to smaller gems like The Forbidden City, Tatsujin Warriors, and many more!

youtu.be/74ckedulSgo
The Action Year in Review - 2025
YouTube video by Kinemotions
youtu.be
December 30, 2025 at 3:56 PM
you know how expensive beef is now that’s like a million dollars
a second Slidell meat heist has hit the towers www.wlox.com/2025/12/29/s...
December 30, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
Someone wrote the article I’ve been threatening to for eight years!

Finally an analysis of that line and THE LAST JEDI in general that engages with the film!
December 29, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
This is good!! Read it!
December 29, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
one of the actors from the movie Goldmember is a billionaire now like how does that happen?
December 29, 2025 at 11:10 PM