Norm Wilner
@normwilner.bsky.social
Consultant! Writer! Programmer! Host! SEMcast, SHINY THINGS, ex-Secret Movie Clubber. I can probably help you with your movie. He/him. https://linktr.ee/normwilner
Pinned
Norm Wilner
@normwilner.bsky.social
· Dec 2
What’s the worst question someone can ask after you tell them your profession? For linguists, it’s definitely “how many languages do you speak?”, but I’m curious what else is happening to the rest of y’all out there?!
"Really? People still go to movies?"
Reposted by Norm Wilner
I'm disturbed by the sheer number of media folks who don't realize they're doing a "Trump on Fallon" with Kevin O'Leary.
January 2, 2026 at 3:53 PM
I'm disturbed by the sheer number of media folks who don't realize they're doing a "Trump on Fallon" with Kevin O'Leary.
It's Friday, so subscribers to the paid tier of SHINY THINGS just got my exclusive reviews of THE PLAGUE, WE BURY THE DEAD and THE COPENHAGEN TEST. And for five bucks a month you can get them too ...
What's Worth Watching - January 2, 2026
Your weekly recommendations for stuff that's not on disc. Yet.
shiny-things.ghost.io
January 2, 2026 at 3:14 PM
It's Friday, so subscribers to the paid tier of SHINY THINGS just got my exclusive reviews of THE PLAGUE, WE BURY THE DEAD and THE COPENHAGEN TEST. And for five bucks a month you can get them too ...
Watched THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER again tonight, hoping to set the year on a better course than the last one. Just a splendid experience from stem to stern, McTiernan charging through the story with all the confidence of a guy who just made DIE HARD.
And there's Jan de Bont's imagery, of course.
And there's Jan de Bont's imagery, of course.
January 2, 2026 at 5:20 AM
Watched THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER again tonight, hoping to set the year on a better course than the last one. Just a splendid experience from stem to stern, McTiernan charging through the story with all the confidence of a guy who just made DIE HARD.
And there's Jan de Bont's imagery, of course.
And there's Jan de Bont's imagery, of course.
Thread. This is what action looks like, folks.
I was wondering what Mamdani's first executive order would be, and I'm not disappointed by this.
He has wiped off the books EVERY Eric Adams executive order issued on or after September 26, 2024, the day Adams was indicted on federal bribery charges.
He has wiped off the books EVERY Eric Adams executive order issued on or after September 26, 2024, the day Adams was indicted on federal bribery charges.
January 1, 2026 at 11:49 PM
Thread. This is what action looks like, folks.
TANK GIRL in 4K. Nature is healing. Thanks, @vinsyn.bsky.social!
Tank Girl
2026 Subscribers: this is NOT included in your Subscription. If you'd like to purchase it, you will need to login to view your special 50% off SRP pricing.
This special limited edition deluxe magnet b
vinegarsyndrome.com
January 1, 2026 at 7:12 PM
TANK GIRL in 4K. Nature is healing. Thanks, @vinsyn.bsky.social!
Reposted by Norm Wilner
Where the banshees live, and they do live well
Trump says construction of the ‘Triumphal Arch’ to begin in ‘2 months’
Trump says construction of the ‘Triumphal Arch’ to begin in ‘2 months’
The monument would be a centerpiece of the White House’s plans for America’s 250th birthday.
dlvr.it
January 1, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Where the banshees live, and they do live well
Reposted by Norm Wilner
Going into 2026 like...
January 1, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Going into 2026 like...
This is oddly sweet. And it's not like the horses care.
January 1, 2026 at 4:50 PM
This is oddly sweet. And it's not like the horses care.
Also worth noting: Trump CALLED THEM to tell them how big and strong he is after becoming irritated by the WSJ's coverage of his health.
Oh my goodness, this Wall Street Journal piece about Trump's ailing health that includes an interview with him (gift link). There are a number of ridiculous details in it and I'll put a few of them in this thread. (1/6)
Exclusive | As Signs of Aging Emerge, Trump Responds With Defiance
In an interview, President Trump—the oldest man to assume the office—said he has eschewed some advice from his doctors and regrets getting advanced imaging.
www.wsj.com
January 1, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Also worth noting: Trump CALLED THEM to tell them how big and strong he is after becoming irritated by the WSJ's coverage of his health.
“'They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,' Trump said.”
This is a really fun read.
This is a really fun read.
Exclusive | As Signs of Aging Emerge, Trump Responds With Defiance
In an interview, President Trump—the oldest man to assume the office—said he has eschewed some advice from his doctors and regrets getting advanced imaging.
www.wsj.com
January 1, 2026 at 2:41 PM
“'They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,' Trump said.”
This is a really fun read.
This is a really fun read.
I only found out about lemon pigs last night, and now there are so many of them.
when god sings with his creations will lemon pigs not be part of the choir
January 1, 2026 at 2:35 PM
I only found out about lemon pigs last night, and now there are so many of them.
You know what, yeah, 2026 is going great.
January 1, 2026 at 5:19 AM
You know what, yeah, 2026 is going great.
Whoever samples this will have THE club hit of 2026
December 31, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Whoever samples this will have THE club hit of 2026
Rage, rage against the dying of the light
Trump announces he’s pulling the National Guard from Portland, LA, and Chicago but threatens that “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again - Only a question of time!”
December 31, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Rage, rage against the dying of the light
Taking a cooking class just to meal something
Finding wild boars in the forest just to squeal something
getting sunburnt* just to peel something
*i wish 🥶
*i wish 🥶
December 31, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Taking a cooking class just to meal something
The
Toronto
Sun
Toronto
Sun
Inbox: "A new Liaison Strategies survey ... has identified a profound disconnect ... While official police data from Toronto, Peel, and York Regions highlights historic declines in high-profile crimes like homicide and auto theft, the vast majority of residents believe these crimes are surging"
December 31, 2025 at 8:16 PM
The
Toronto
Sun
Toronto
Sun
Reposted by Norm Wilner
I'd also accept a meteor or tsunami. Or both! It can be two things!
December 31, 2025 at 7:58 PM
I'd also accept a meteor or tsunami. Or both! It can be two things!
And he wonders why he's not getting into Heaven.
unvarnished gutter racism and Nazism from the president. a disgrace to our country.
December 31, 2025 at 7:34 PM
And he wonders why he's not getting into Heaven.
Few films can match END OF DAYS for go-for-broke batshit wildness -- and Hyams is such a straight-edge director that he shoots it all like he can't believe it either. Which is, indeed, awesome.
END OF DAYS rules. Schwarzenegger makes a coffee/Pepto Bismol/Chinese takeout/pizza smoothie for breakfast and gets his ass kicked in hand-to-hand combat with Miriam Margolyes, and Gabriel Byrne punches a hole through Udo Kier's head, and Mark Margolis plays the Pope.
December 31, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Few films can match END OF DAYS for go-for-broke batshit wildness -- and Hyams is such a straight-edge director that he shoots it all like he can't believe it either. Which is, indeed, awesome.
Update: I'm in a No Frills and "Golden" is playing. The whole song. Therefore No Frills is better than the CBC.
I don't understand it either.
I don't understand it either.
... seems unfair to do a radio item about how massive "Golden" was this year and then only air thirty seconds of it. You're the radio! Play the whole song!
December 31, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Update: I'm in a No Frills and "Golden" is playing. The whole song. Therefore No Frills is better than the CBC.
I don't understand it either.
I don't understand it either.
This is a great read, and I'm really happy to see DIE MY LOVE on Sam's list. Feels like that one's not getting the representation it deserves.
I wrote about the Top 10 Movies of 2025, which were all about resistance, but also, more crucially, about loss.
The Best Movies of 2025 Were Oddly Prescient
These films and documentaries speak to our current political moment.
slate.com
December 31, 2025 at 3:14 PM
This is a great read, and I'm really happy to see DIE MY LOVE on Sam's list. Feels like that one's not getting the representation it deserves.
One last SHINY THINGS before the new year, everybody! And if you wanted to subscribe for 2026 that really wouldn't be the worst thing.
Sprinting Towards the New Year
In which Norm catches up to the Blu-rays of I'M STILL HERE, SEEDS and TIMESTALKER before the year runs out.
shiny-things.ghost.io
December 31, 2025 at 3:07 PM
One last SHINY THINGS before the new year, everybody! And if you wanted to subscribe for 2026 that really wouldn't be the worst thing.
Reposted by Norm Wilner
... this is just John Mulaney's "horse loose in a hospital" bit, they should cite the source
Real "oh my god, she admit it" moment here. Trump is treated as an uninteresting figure without agency so we can dump endless criticism on liberals for how they react to his "natural disaster." He "doesn't participate in moral frameworks" lmfao
December 31, 2025 at 1:50 PM
... this is just John Mulaney's "horse loose in a hospital" bit, they should cite the source