Michele Mitchell
@michelemitchell.bsky.social
Filmmaker. Champagner. Crosswalk aficianado.
If you haven't yet checked this out, please do. What Sophie has to say about Netflix, AI and what this merger means in terms of turning human creativity into AI scrapings is truly alarming & probably not wrong:
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
dear ted sarandos
An open letter to the Netflix co-CEO.
substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:59 PM
If you haven't yet checked this out, please do. What Sophie has to say about Netflix, AI and what this merger means in terms of turning human creativity into AI scrapings is truly alarming & probably not wrong:
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Reposted by Michele Mitchell
Jesse Pinkman voice: "She wasn't covering the RFK jr campaign, she was covering *for* the RFK jr campaign."
November 27, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Jesse Pinkman voice: "She wasn't covering the RFK jr campaign, she was covering *for* the RFK jr campaign."
Reposted by Michele Mitchell
I’m interested in the money trail.
November 12, 2025 at 3:57 PM
I’m interested in the money trail.
Reposted by Michele Mitchell
A List of Things Said to Have Been Ruined by Women
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November 6, 2025 at 8:43 PM
A List of Things Said to Have Been Ruined by Women
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🧵
Reposted by Michele Mitchell
the president claims the right to declare civil or criminal emergencies based solely on his belief anywhere in the United States and to then deploy US military including a new military rapid reaction force and other federal policing agencies to those cities even if local and state officials object
August 26, 2025 at 3:26 PM
the president claims the right to declare civil or criminal emergencies based solely on his belief anywhere in the United States and to then deploy US military including a new military rapid reaction force and other federal policing agencies to those cities even if local and state officials object
It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to say about the passing of my former boss and mentor Bill Moyers. But, here it is, with a side of gossip and indie filmmaking:
thecocktailconversations.substack.com/p/fearless-m...
thecocktailconversations.substack.com/p/fearless-m...
Fearless Minds
No, Bill Moyers was not Bill Maher....
thecocktailconversations.substack.com
July 11, 2025 at 7:42 PM
It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to say about the passing of my former boss and mentor Bill Moyers. But, here it is, with a side of gossip and indie filmmaking:
thecocktailconversations.substack.com/p/fearless-m...
thecocktailconversations.substack.com/p/fearless-m...
Hotel Oloffson is gone. The iconic Port-au-Prince gingerbread was set alight and burned to ash last night. #Haiti
July 8, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Bill Moyers was one of the best I've ever worked for. I have so many stories of his intellectual generosity, but for now I'll just repeat the best advice he ever gave me: "Michele, there are some people you cannot engage in conversation." Taught me a lot about telling the truth.
June 26, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Bill Moyers was one of the best I've ever worked for. I have so many stories of his intellectual generosity, but for now I'll just repeat the best advice he ever gave me: "Michele, there are some people you cannot engage in conversation." Taught me a lot about telling the truth.
Reposted by Michele Mitchell
RIP Bill Luers — a great American ambassador, who used the power of artistic and cultural influence to extend protection to the great anti-Soviet Czech dissident, Vaclav Havel, so that Havel might one day lead his country to democracy, which he did.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/u...
William H. Luers, Diplomat Who Backed Czech Dissident Leader, Dies at 95
www.nytimes.com
May 11, 2025 at 10:49 PM
RIP Bill Luers — a great American ambassador, who used the power of artistic and cultural influence to extend protection to the great anti-Soviet Czech dissident, Vaclav Havel, so that Havel might one day lead his country to democracy, which he did.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/u...
My last Chicago/sports comment on the new Pope....and I say this as a Cubs fan, but: The Pope grew up on the South Side (cough, cough).
May 8, 2025 at 8:11 PM
My last Chicago/sports comment on the new Pope....and I say this as a Cubs fan, but: The Pope grew up on the South Side (cough, cough).
Reposted by Michele Mitchell
"And frommmmm Chicaaaaaago, standing 6'1", 6'6" with the papal mitre, your starting pontiff, Rrrrrrobbbbberrrrtttt PREEEEEEEEVOOOOOOSSST!"
May 8, 2025 at 6:05 PM
"And frommmmm Chicaaaaaago, standing 6'1", 6'6" with the papal mitre, your starting pontiff, Rrrrrrobbbbberrrrtttt PREEEEEEEEVOOOOOOSSST!"
A+ (says the former ChiTrib sportswriter)
I can't believe we have a Pope from Illinois. People from Chicago usually hate the Cardinals.
May 8, 2025 at 7:03 PM
A+ (says the former ChiTrib sportswriter)
Pete Hegseth bragged about cutting the Women, Peace & Security program at the Pentagon--something he called "woke" which was written by Kristi Noem, co-sponsored by Marco Rubio and signed into law by President Trump. 🤦♀️
April 29, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Pete Hegseth bragged about cutting the Women, Peace & Security program at the Pentagon--something he called "woke" which was written by Kristi Noem, co-sponsored by Marco Rubio and signed into law by President Trump. 🤦♀️
Reposted by Michele Mitchell
Female cinematographers are far and few between. Per the annual industry report the Cellulod Ceiling, female DPs shot just 12 percent of the 250 top-grossing movies in 2024. So, when a high-profile male director hires women it’s a big deal; when he keeps hiring women it’s a big fucking deal.
If you’ve seen “Sinners” you may enjoy this (spoiler-ish) interview from @jazzt21.bsky.social with the movie’s terrific cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who also shot “The Last Showgirl.” ALL of Coogler’s features have been shot by women DPs. variety.com/2025/artisan...
How ‘Sinners’ Cinematographer Pulled Off That Surreal Juke Joint Music Sequence and Made History By Shooting on 65mm Imax Film
How 'Sinners' cinematographer Autumn Arkapaw shot that Juke Joint music sequence
variety.com
April 27, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Female cinematographers are far and few between. Per the annual industry report the Cellulod Ceiling, female DPs shot just 12 percent of the 250 top-grossing movies in 2024. So, when a high-profile male director hires women it’s a big deal; when he keeps hiring women it’s a big fucking deal.
Here's my latest production update with a dash of war crimes, karma and spiders:
thecocktailconversations.substack.com/p/tasty-spid...
thecocktailconversations.substack.com/p/tasty-spid...
Tasty Spiders
And the Gay Marijuana Mafia
thecocktailconversations.substack.com
April 16, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Here's my latest production update with a dash of war crimes, karma and spiders:
thecocktailconversations.substack.com/p/tasty-spid...
thecocktailconversations.substack.com/p/tasty-spid...
This should be required viewing. @carolecadwalla.bsky.social has the shiniest tungsten spine:
youtu.be/TZOoT8AbkNE
youtu.be/TZOoT8AbkNE
This Is What a Digital Coup Looks Like | Carole Cadwalladr | TED
YouTube video by TED
youtu.be
April 10, 2025 at 6:56 PM
This should be required viewing. @carolecadwalla.bsky.social has the shiniest tungsten spine:
youtu.be/TZOoT8AbkNE
youtu.be/TZOoT8AbkNE
Reposted by Michele Mitchell
This is a thousand times more of a threat than the economic devastation we’re all reasonably enough distraught about out. The constitutional order as we’ve known it is hanging by a fraying thread that trump is holding a straight razor to with no one even reaching to withdraw his hand.
Leavitt confirmed that the WH is working on deporting US citizens to El Salvador
April 8, 2025 at 11:19 PM
This is a thousand times more of a threat than the economic devastation we’re all reasonably enough distraught about out. The constitutional order as we’ve known it is hanging by a fraying thread that trump is holding a straight razor to with no one even reaching to withdraw his hand.
My Venmo has always been set to "private"--and I still write checks to pay bills.
March 26, 2025 at 10:43 PM
My Venmo has always been set to "private"--and I still write checks to pay bills.
Well, that would mean DJT would be going up against Paul Kagame, and I'm pret-ty sure who will win that one.
DRC’s president has offered Trump a “minerals-for-security deal,” reportedly “providing access to materials” for “America’s tech industry” in exchange for military aid. Tshisekedi is also “reportedly in negotiations with Erik Prince” to help “collect & secure taxes from mining operations.” 3/20/25
Congo offers Trump minerals deal in exchange for military aid
Felix Tshisekedi proposes ‘formal security pact’ with US to help defeat Rwandan-backed M23 rebels
www.telegraph.co.uk
March 25, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Well, that would mean DJT would be going up against Paul Kagame, and I'm pret-ty sure who will win that one.
Reposted by Michele Mitchell
Incredible detailed reporting from NPR shows pretty much every excuse from the administration falls apart on the Goldberg signal story. for instance just days ago defense department was warned against using signal for any non-public information
www.npr.org/2025/03/25/n...
www.npr.org/2025/03/25/n...
Long before the Signal leak, the Pentagon warned the app was the target of hackers
A Pentagon-wide advisory that went out one week ago warned against using Signal, the messaging app, even for unclassified information.
www.npr.org
March 25, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Incredible detailed reporting from NPR shows pretty much every excuse from the administration falls apart on the Goldberg signal story. for instance just days ago defense department was warned against using signal for any non-public information
www.npr.org/2025/03/25/n...
www.npr.org/2025/03/25/n...
Reposted by Michele Mitchell
Hey look, tech guys are reinventing feudalism.
Balaji Srinivasan suggests giving Elon Musk “control of a huge swath of land surrounding Starbase, Texas” & designate that land as “a military base or … similar, so that [Musk] can fence it off & determine at his sole discretion who can enter.” Then replicate in other states w/ other Tech Bros. 1/
March 16, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Hey look, tech guys are reinventing feudalism.
Reposted by Michele Mitchell
White House continues to make an interesting argument that 3% inflation 4% unemployment and GDP growth over 2% that was inherited was somehow so awful, current disruptive economic policies are necessary to improve things
Starting to feel like the old 'beatings will continue until morale improves'
Starting to feel like the old 'beatings will continue until morale improves'
March 11, 2025 at 5:45 PM
White House continues to make an interesting argument that 3% inflation 4% unemployment and GDP growth over 2% that was inherited was somehow so awful, current disruptive economic policies are necessary to improve things
Starting to feel like the old 'beatings will continue until morale improves'
Starting to feel like the old 'beatings will continue until morale improves'
Reposted by Michele Mitchell
Read my piece about the boycotts/protests of Tesla, the goals, and the how the history of apartheid informs them, and Musk www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Elon Musk, apartheid, and America's new boycott movement
If you think mass protests can’t combat evil, remember what we did in the 1980s.
www.motherjones.com
March 6, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Read my piece about the boycotts/protests of Tesla, the goals, and the how the history of apartheid informs them, and Musk www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
What do you do about an unjust law?
thecocktailconversations.substack.com/p/filmmaking...
thecocktailconversations.substack.com/p/filmmaking...
Filmmaking from Prison
Yeah, Royko, I Do Want A Fucking Medal
thecocktailconversations.substack.com
March 6, 2025 at 7:08 PM
What do you do about an unjust law?
thecocktailconversations.substack.com/p/filmmaking...
thecocktailconversations.substack.com/p/filmmaking...