Robert Stinner
@rwstinner.bsky.social
Essayist, critic, fiction writer. Published in Electric Literature, The Rumpus, LitHub, Bright Wall/Dark Room, River Styx.
Website: robertstinner.com
Website: robertstinner.com
Pinned
Robert Stinner
@rwstinner.bsky.social
· Mar 6
Death and the Bachelor — River Styx Magazine
“His kiss was mist off a waterfall.”
www.riverstyx.org
I have a new story in @riverstyxmag.bsky.social called “Death and the Bachelor,” and it’s for all the Old Hollywood obsessives, queer cinephiles, romantics and existentialists out there. 🤍✨
Reposted by Robert Stinner
Cleopatra lights Marc Antony's cigarette. (Claudette Colbert and Henry Wilcoxon on set of DeMille’s CLEOPATRA in ‘34)
September 9, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Cleopatra lights Marc Antony's cigarette. (Claudette Colbert and Henry Wilcoxon on set of DeMille’s CLEOPATRA in ‘34)
Reposted by Robert Stinner
a really wonderfully considered piece from @nymag.com.
cultural criticism is the heartbeat of american cultural production and its history. the form gives tangibility to how we remember and how critique brings us to a place of societal betterment…. there is no life worth living without it.
cultural criticism is the heartbeat of american cultural production and its history. the form gives tangibility to how we remember and how critique brings us to a place of societal betterment…. there is no life worth living without it.
Do Media Organizations Even Want Cultural Criticism?
The grim calculations involved in publishing traditional written reviews.
nymag.com
September 8, 2025 at 3:05 PM
a really wonderfully considered piece from @nymag.com.
cultural criticism is the heartbeat of american cultural production and its history. the form gives tangibility to how we remember and how critique brings us to a place of societal betterment…. there is no life worth living without it.
cultural criticism is the heartbeat of american cultural production and its history. the form gives tangibility to how we remember and how critique brings us to a place of societal betterment…. there is no life worth living without it.
Reposted by Robert Stinner
Wow, this is a fabulous poster for a wonderful film that conceives of Death as a handsome young man—Fredric March. A swift, elegant pre-Code (it came in just a few months before the Hays hammer fell) that clocks in at just 79 minutes.
Swedish poster for DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY (1934), directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Fredric March - BOTD in 1897
August 31, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Wow, this is a fabulous poster for a wonderful film that conceives of Death as a handsome young man—Fredric March. A swift, elegant pre-Code (it came in just a few months before the Hays hammer fell) that clocks in at just 79 minutes.
"It isn’t so much that movies are being made by algorithm as that, by continually surfacing the mass-market or safe choice, the algorithm itself has a flattening, coarsening effect on our overall tastes."
Bland, easy to follow, for fans of everything: what has the Netflix algorithm done to our films?
When the streaming giant began making films guided by data that aimed to please a vast audience, the results were often generic, forgettable, artless affairs. But is there a happy ending?
www.theguardian.com
August 29, 2025 at 7:47 PM
"It isn’t so much that movies are being made by algorithm as that, by continually surfacing the mass-market or safe choice, the algorithm itself has a flattening, coarsening effect on our overall tastes."
Happy to see essays back at @animusmagazine.bsky.social, which always features thoughtful and engaging work. Loved reading this piece on how Hollywood films portray, distort, and avoid climate change
After a long hiatus… Animus long-form essays are back!
John Kidwell writes about cinema’s response to the unfolding climate crisis over the last 30 years: animus-magazine.ghost.io/be-scientifi...
John Kidwell writes about cinema’s response to the unfolding climate crisis over the last 30 years: animus-magazine.ghost.io/be-scientifi...
August 25, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Happy to see essays back at @animusmagazine.bsky.social, which always features thoughtful and engaging work. Loved reading this piece on how Hollywood films portray, distort, and avoid climate change
Reposted by Robert Stinner
The only remotely wise thing I can say is to directly support outlets that are still writing thoughtful, eloquent criticism. Shell out a few $ for a subscription to those who offer it, hit the free sites with your traffic, share good pieces here and elsewhere. It's a tiny thing, but it's something.
shrinking. There are enough reasons to be discouraged about the world these days, and Vanity Fair (and WaPo, and the NYT) just keep giving us more. I apologize if you've read this whole thread hoping I have something wise to say, because I don't. I just need to pour my despair somewhere—but also...
August 13, 2025 at 1:43 PM
The only remotely wise thing I can say is to directly support outlets that are still writing thoughtful, eloquent criticism. Shell out a few $ for a subscription to those who offer it, hit the free sites with your traffic, share good pieces here and elsewhere. It's a tiny thing, but it's something.
Reposted by Robert Stinner
Whenever another shitty media thing happens I always see people say 'support Teen Vogue!' and it's true that Teen Vogue are doing amazing work contrary to all their sister publications but they are still a Conde brand. You could also champion supporting indie media!
August 13, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Whenever another shitty media thing happens I always see people say 'support Teen Vogue!' and it's true that Teen Vogue are doing amazing work contrary to all their sister publications but they are still a Conde brand. You could also champion supporting indie media!
Reposted by Robert Stinner
so, in the course of a month, the New York Times reassigned four veteran critics, the Washington Post’s film critic took a buyout, Vanity Fair decided it doesn’t need a film critic at all, and the Associated Press got rid of book criticism altogether?
Cool.
Cool.
August 13, 2025 at 12:38 PM
so, in the course of a month, the New York Times reassigned four veteran critics, the Washington Post’s film critic took a buyout, Vanity Fair decided it doesn’t need a film critic at all, and the Associated Press got rid of book criticism altogether?
Cool.
Cool.
There's no other publication like BW/DR for longform essays on film that aren't tied to a news cycle or a release calendar (plus their team is full of great people). Give them your support!
Real talk (reel talk?):
BWDR recently lost a partnership that covered nearly half our operating budget, so things are suddenly very tough. If what we do has ever meant something to you, or you’ve ever thought about subscribing, now’s the time—it *truly* makes a difference.
BWDR recently lost a partnership that covered nearly half our operating budget, so things are suddenly very tough. If what we do has ever meant something to you, or you’ve ever thought about subscribing, now’s the time—it *truly* makes a difference.
Subscribe - Bright Wall/Dark Room
Subscribe for $29 a year Subscribe now to receive immediate access to each new essay we publish, plus our entire 135+ issue archive. Bright Wall/Dark Room is 100% independent, runs no ads, and strongl...
brightwalldarkroom.com
August 17, 2025 at 2:03 PM
There's no other publication like BW/DR for longform essays on film that aren't tied to a news cycle or a release calendar (plus their team is full of great people). Give them your support!
Reposted by Robert Stinner
Increasingly convinced the main damage cell phones have done to creativity isn't decreased attention spans or what not but the elimination of productive boredom. Inspiration comes from the mind filling the void inside. Hard to make art when you're constantly silencing the silence with "content."
July 22, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Increasingly convinced the main damage cell phones have done to creativity isn't decreased attention spans or what not but the elimination of productive boredom. Inspiration comes from the mind filling the void inside. Hard to make art when you're constantly silencing the silence with "content."
Reposted by Robert Stinner
The gleeful doxing of someone cheating in public is bad even if they are a CEO and even if they are a Coldplay fan. It's bad because this kind of thing is happening to random people on TikTok for such crimes as "sitting silently on a plane" or "being attractive"
www.404media.co/the-astronom...
www.404media.co/the-astronom...
The Astronomer CEO's Coldplay Concert Fiasco Is Emblematic of Our Social Media Surveillance Dystopia
Facial recognition and crowdsourced social media investigations are constantly being used not just on cringe CEOs, but on random people who are simply existing in public.
www.404media.co
July 17, 2025 at 6:59 PM
The gleeful doxing of someone cheating in public is bad even if they are a CEO and even if they are a Coldplay fan. It's bad because this kind of thing is happening to random people on TikTok for such crimes as "sitting silently on a plane" or "being attractive"
www.404media.co/the-astronom...
www.404media.co/the-astronom...
Reposted by Robert Stinner
Julianne Moore giving you this important reminder to buy enough hot dogs for your 4th of July festivities.
July 2, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Julianne Moore giving you this important reminder to buy enough hot dogs for your 4th of July festivities.
My review of NATCHEZ, Tribeca’s documentary competition winner this year, which is a truly impressive film that I hope will get to be widely seen very soon. Scalpel-sharp editing, deep historical and anthropological detail, and a group of captivating—sometimes disturbing—subjects
Natchez — Suzannah Herbert [Tribeca '25 Review] | In Review Online
A new film review of Natchez, directed by Suzannah Herbert, for film review site In Review Online.
inreviewonline.com
June 19, 2025 at 6:12 PM
My review of NATCHEZ, Tribeca’s documentary competition winner this year, which is a truly impressive film that I hope will get to be widely seen very soon. Scalpel-sharp editing, deep historical and anthropological detail, and a group of captivating—sometimes disturbing—subjects
Reposted by Robert Stinner
Can I just put in a plug for book events at local bookstores? Please go to them if ever you can! They’re (usually) free to attend (though of course you can choose to buy the book) and the happiness it brings authors for you to be there is like 10x the effort of getting there!!
March 14, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Can I just put in a plug for book events at local bookstores? Please go to them if ever you can! They’re (usually) free to attend (though of course you can choose to buy the book) and the happiness it brings authors for you to be there is like 10x the effort of getting there!!
Reposted by Robert Stinner
Tune out this story at your peril. www.usermag.co/p/right-wing...
Right wing creators are dominating Lively-Baldoni coverage
Conservative commentators are leveraging the case to dismantle support for #MeToo and amass unprecedented audience growth.
www.usermag.co
March 7, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Tune out this story at your peril. www.usermag.co/p/right-wing...
Reposted by Robert Stinner
I have a new story in @riverstyxmag.bsky.social called “Death and the Bachelor,” and it’s for all the Old Hollywood obsessives, queer cinephiles, romantics and existentialists out there. 🤍✨
Death and the Bachelor — River Styx Magazine
“His kiss was mist off a waterfall.”
www.riverstyx.org
March 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I have a new story in @riverstyxmag.bsky.social called “Death and the Bachelor,” and it’s for all the Old Hollywood obsessives, queer cinephiles, romantics and existentialists out there. 🤍✨
I have a new story in @riverstyxmag.bsky.social called “Death and the Bachelor,” and it’s for all the Old Hollywood obsessives, queer cinephiles, romantics and existentialists out there. 🤍✨
Death and the Bachelor — River Styx Magazine
“His kiss was mist off a waterfall.”
www.riverstyx.org
March 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I have a new story in @riverstyxmag.bsky.social called “Death and the Bachelor,” and it’s for all the Old Hollywood obsessives, queer cinephiles, romantics and existentialists out there. 🤍✨
One of my favorite essays I've written, on two basically perfect films from a distinctive director who's never gotten his due. MIDNIGHT is streaming on the Criterion Channel now, it's mostly unavailable otherwise so take the time to watch it!
“If Mitchell Leisen’s collaborative working methods and aesthetically oriented, implicitly queer style have marginalized his body of work, then there is value in reclaiming the best of them as important, unique films in cinematic history.”
Eat it With a Spoon: On Mitchell Leisen's 'Easy Living' & 'Midnight'
Despite traces of his legacy in notable contemporary filmmakers, Mitchell Leisen’s legacy is still small in comparison to his ability.
buff.ly
February 21, 2025 at 5:12 PM
One of my favorite essays I've written, on two basically perfect films from a distinctive director who's never gotten his due. MIDNIGHT is streaming on the Criterion Channel now, it's mostly unavailable otherwise so take the time to watch it!
Reviewed I'M STILL HERE for In Review Online. Solid, timely political thriller, and Fernanda Torres' gives a really exceptional performance
I'm Still Here — Walter Salles | In Review Online
A new film review of I'm Still Here, directed by Walter Salles & released by Sony Pictures Classics, for film review site In Review Online.
inreviewonline.com
February 4, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Reviewed I'M STILL HERE for In Review Online. Solid, timely political thriller, and Fernanda Torres' gives a really exceptional performance
Reposted by Robert Stinner
Director Mitchell Leisen lines up a shot of Claudette Colbert in the classic comedy “Midnight” (1939)
January 25, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Director Mitchell Leisen lines up a shot of Claudette Colbert in the classic comedy “Midnight” (1939)
Oscars aren't the last word on any film's legacy, but a win/nomination can tip the scales on whether a film completely fades from view or is able to stick around. (They also help prop up films that otherwise might get sidelined in favor of franchises)
Good morning! I've never done my "Why Oscars Matter" spiel on bsky! So here 'tis. I talk a lot to programmers and archivists about how hard it is to get corporate permission to screen rare films, let alone restore them. The FIRST question the suits will ask is "Did it win an Oscar?"
Every. Time.
Every. Time.
January 23, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Oscars aren't the last word on any film's legacy, but a win/nomination can tip the scales on whether a film completely fades from view or is able to stick around. (They also help prop up films that otherwise might get sidelined in favor of franchises)
New piece in praise of MULHOLLAND DRIVE, and in memory of David Lynch, at In Review Online
Mulholland Drive — David Lynch | In Review Online
A new Kicking the Canon piece on Mulholland Drive, directed by David Lynch, for film review site In Review Online.
inreviewonline.com
January 22, 2025 at 9:14 PM
New piece in praise of MULHOLLAND DRIVE, and in memory of David Lynch, at In Review Online
Reposted by Robert Stinner
once again thinking about this passage from David Lynch's book Catching the Big Fish
December 11, 2024 at 6:46 AM
once again thinking about this passage from David Lynch's book Catching the Big Fish
Reposted by Robert Stinner
Love you forever 🖤
January 16, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Love you forever 🖤
Reposted by Robert Stinner
Our hearts are with everyone impacted by the devastating wildfires in Southern California. Our Trust & Safety team has created a centralized hub housing all verified fundraisers related to the LA fires, which we'll continue to update throughout the coming days as they come in gfme.co/3DNAIlh
Donate to California Wildfires and Help Those in Need
Devastating wildfires are raging throughout California. Donate to verified California wildfire relief fundraisers, or start your own.
gfme.co
January 8, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Our hearts are with everyone impacted by the devastating wildfires in Southern California. Our Trust & Safety team has created a centralized hub housing all verified fundraisers related to the LA fires, which we'll continue to update throughout the coming days as they come in gfme.co/3DNAIlh