mdw0526

I've been watching "Black Mirror" since it first aired in the UK back in December 2011, when we still downloaded torrents because streaming wasn't a thing yet. I've stuck with it through the years, and several of S07's episodes rank among the stronger recent installments. The unsettling truth though is that reality may have finally caught up with the show. What once felt like distant, dystopian sci-fi now feels uncomfortably familiar. As I wrote back in 2019 about S05, "It does seem to be as much about the distorted reality in which we all now live as any unevenness in various episodes." That still holds. Maybe it's harder to shock us now, but the show continues to provoke and disturb in the best ways. If you've drifted away from "Black Mirror", this season is a good reason to come back.

The new-ish series "Adolescence" on Netflix is a 4-part British drama that left me stunned and still mulling over days later. Each episode unfolds in a single, hour-long take, a feat of technical mastery that only deepens the emotional impact. The story is raw, riveting, and painfully relevant, exploring how vulnerable teenage boys can be pulled into the dark corners of the internet, radicalised in the manosphere by misogynistic grifters and red-pill rhetoric. It's a gut-punch to watch parents grapple with the unthinkable: how a child who seemed "safe" in his room with an internet connection could spiral into violence. The performances are uniformly excellent, and the storytelling is sharp, urgent, and unflinching. If you've ever asked yourself, "How does this happen", this series is a must-watch. It's heartbreaking, brilliant, and unforgettable. Highly recommend.

We just saw the new Ryan Coogler film "Sinners" yesterday, and I'm still buzzing today. It's really not just a movie, but an experience. Yes, it's a horror film and yes, there are (very) scary vampires. But it's one of the most beautifully shot, emotionally resonant, and musically rich films I've seen in ages. There's a sequence midway through that left me stunned, a breathtaking and soul-stirring tribute to the roots of American music past and present, and the profound and irreplaceable influence of formerly enslaved Black Americans. The cast is phenomenal, the storytelling bold, and the entire film pulses with life, fury, and beauty. I don't want to spoil anything, but just go in with an open heart and mind. Trust me on this one; drop what you're doing and see it in a cinema. It's that good.