iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Last night I watched The Love Hypothesis. After a slightly clunky, voiceover-heavy start, it settles into an amiable, feelgood rom-com. Lilli Reinhart and Tom Bateman are easy to root for, Rachel Marsh elevates the sassy best friend role, and I liked how there was no "mean girl" rival. I enjoyed it.

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Anne Billson @annebillson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

An oldie from a few months back. (It cropped up in my timeline again, not sure why.)

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Yesterday I made my first trip to The Nickel Cinema to see 1981 curio Strange Behavior, a slasher-inflected B movie throwback. (There's a killer in a Tor Johnson mask.) Fitting that I passed the Scala on the way, as that's the spirit The Nickel self-consciously recreates. I'll definitely be back.

The former Scala cinema, seen from the top drck of a bus, stopped at a traffic light.

The Nickel Cinema on Clerkenwell Rd, displaying a Scala-style calendar poster.

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Steven Sheil @scsheil.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I've written a brand new Adrian Chills story (short horror stories inspired by the Guardian columns of Adrian Chiles.) This is #84 and it's called "Chard".

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Lavie Tidhar @lavietidhar.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Much ❤️ to anyone who bought the ⚰️⚰️⚰️Problem (🧛) so far, hugely appreciated! And if you haven't and want to support a poor human (definitely not a vampire honest) author in these difficult time, it's available everywhere! Fly, my creatures, fly!

Sometimes all you need is a vampire and a girl

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I watched 70 Up. It's a warm-hearted farewell to the Up series, but it does feel like something is missing - and that something is the unflinching questions from Michael Apted. The programme makes space for both tributes and criticisms, and as a whole it will always be a monumental piece of work.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I finished Hamas and Its Two Million Hostages, a book / essay by Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib. He describes his own experience of how Gaza changed as Hamas came to power and his hopes for a post-Hamas future. Recommended for anyone who wants to read a pro-peace and coexistence Palestinian perspective.

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Anne Billson @annebillson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Happy birthday Stephen King! Here (for the umpteenth time, sorry) are some photographs I took of him encountering a fish-paste sandwich in London, 1983.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I finished Evil. Did everything wrap up in a satisfying way? Of course not! This isn't Better Call Saul, this is a story-of-the- week supernatural procedural that began on network television. It's also the best show of its kind I've seen. Katja Herbers and Michael Emerson are so good. I'll miss it.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Me too! (Although most of mine have already been said in the quoted posts.) Favourite films of 1979: Alien Apocalypse Now The Brood Buffet Froid The Jerk The Muppet Movie Nosferatu the Vampyre Radio On Phantasm The Warriors Zombi 2 (though to me it will always be Zombie Flesh Eaters on VHS)

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

On Friday I saw Resident Evil, which succeeds as a video game adaptation by *not* adapting the video games. Austin Abrams is a perfect stand-in for any gamer who panics when shooting oncoming monsters and (until maybe the last five minutes) the tonal balance is spot-on. 90 minutes. I liked it a lot.

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Lavie Tidhar @lavietidhar.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Just a reminder that if you want one of the strictly limited signed hardcovers of this, grab one now! www.newconpress.co.uk/info/book.as... limited to only 60 hardcover copies

blood. blood, blood, blood, blood, blood. and bits of brain!

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Last night at the glorious Garden Cinema I saw The Last Of Sheila. It was my "Member's Pick", so I had the honour of introducing it. It was as good as I remembered, though I had forgotten just how terrific Dyan Cannon is in it and how problematic the ending is. Anyway, I loved it all over again.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Last night I watched Call My Agent! The Movie. My affection for the characters (and that sad refrain whenever anyone has a reflective moment) runs too deep for me to criticise anything. The performances are great and it's like a solid mid-season double episode. I laughed a lot and loved it.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I don't subscribe to any substacks, but I've read some of course. Apparently they have my email, because they sent me "highlights" and links they think I'd be interested in. But the stuff being promoted to me is all very right wing / anti-woke / anti-Ukraine. Anyone else experiencing this?

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Matt Bors @mattbors.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

It was exactly ten years ago today, on my 33rd birthday, that I posted this comic online.

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Anne Billson @annebillson.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

CATS ON FILM (kindle or paperback) "possibly the greatest book ever" "original, diverse, intelligent, & multi-cultural" "a smart, shrewd & at times laugh-out-loud study of cats in film" "one of the finest pieces of specialist film scholarship published in recent years”

amazon.com

Cats on Film: in black & white

Cats on Film: in black & white [Billson, Anne] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Cats on Film: in black & white

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Coffee shop. They're playing Bowie, As The World Falls Down. I love Labyrinth as much as the next person, but a song from a fun puppet movie has no business being so heartbreakingly good.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I finished The Shards S1. Curious show. We're repeatedly told "this is the moment everything changed" but then nothing changes. Beautifully cast, with a soundtrack of pure Gen X melancholy for lost youth. I can't tell yet if the inconsistencies are unreliable narration or just a mess. I liked it.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Last night I watched neo-noir, Shimmer Lake. It has lots of elements you've seen before, but (literally) not in that order. A fine cast, fun twists - kind of like a streamer thriller series, only you don't have to sit through nine more episodes (and then wait two years) to reach the end. I liked it.

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Stephen Graham @stephengraham.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

*tears up treatment for Salò, or The 120 Days of Sodom: The Stage Extravaganza'

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

You don't have to turn *every* movie into a stage musical. You can just not do that.

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Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Rough Draft vs Final Draft

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I'm always in the market for a Seinfeld clip (and Jason Alexander's "alright" at the end of the scene deserves an Emmy.) But the thing that excited me most was that I was able to spot a glimpse of Kim's Video (and it's not even in the right ratio!!) www.facebook.com/share/v/1Ck7...

A glimpse of legendary 1990s New York video store, Kim's Video.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Exciting film news! The lovely people at The Garden Cinemas took my suggestion and will be showing The Last of Sheila!! There are two screenings (one for members only). I'll be introducing the film at one of them, just not sure which one yet. See you there? www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/the-las...

thegardencinema.co.uk

The Last of Sheila / The Garden Cinema

The Last of Sheila was suggested by our member Dan Berlinka , who writes: 'It’s a terrific but underseen whodunnit, with an all star cast. Script by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins. It’s the best...

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I finished Furious S1. I think this is old wine in new bottles - but that's not a criticism - it's very good wine and the bottles feel timely. Excellent performances, and while it didn't all land for me (I can't say why without spoilers) I haven't been this gripped by a thriller in a long time.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Every time I see or hear the words "picky bits" it pretty much ruins my day.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I know Tim Curry had a long and varied career, but I feel that even if all he'd ever done was The Rocky Horror Picture Show he would have been just as beloved and have had just as much impact. And I can't think of another actor / role that could apply to.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Last night at the Royal Albert Hall I heard the Met Orchestra play Richard Strauss (my only Prom this year). The precision of the musicians was incredible and there were amusing encore shenanigans. And before the concert I had the most amazing Pelmeni dumplings at Ognisko. A perfect evening.

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Lavie Tidhar @lavietidhar.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Sadly my new book won't be out this year after all (unforeseen delays), so the only book I have out in 2026 is THE THREE COFFIN PROBLEM. May I humbly entreat you purchase it from all good (or evil) retailers so that I may keep myself in socks for the winter? (The paperback is very handsome!)

Vampires. Murders. Blood. Chees. What more do you want!

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Andrew Male @andrewmale.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

More jazz LP covers drawn by Mad magazine artists, please!

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I finished the new Rusty Lake game, Servant of the Lake. I don't know if the puzzles are getting easier or if I'm getting better, but I did it without any walkthroughs. I love everything these guys have done. My only complaint is that I wish the games were longer and that there were more of them.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Last night I watched Hulu-original horror, Mr. Crocket. Great premise, strong lead performances, inventive practical effects, and the closest I've seen any film come to capturing the tone of Tales From The Hood. (It began as a short, so may have worked even better in an anthology.) I liked it.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I'm on the overground and the big wildfire alert just went off. Train alarm and every phone in the carriage. And damn, that really did feel like some disaster movie scene. But then the woman sitting near me thought mine hadn't gone off and she said pitying, "oh, do you not have an iPhone?"

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I finished Abbott Elementary S2. No big surprises, but everything *works*. The central will they / won't they is adorable (although keeping them apart gets increasingly contrived.) It's unashamedly feelgood. Flawed people that you root for because they're doing their best to make the world better.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

You have to love any list with a category of "Best exploding head".

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Do I know anyone who wants a box of Sight and Sound Magazines from the 80s and 90s? Free to anyone who can collect them from East London in the next week or so. (Please message me if interested.)

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Last night I watched WW2-horror, Overlord. I struggle with this subgenre because it's hard to compete with the *actual* horror of war, so it gets quite cartoony. Still, there's gory fun to be had and I enjoyed seeing John Magaro (the nebbishy husband from Past Lives) as the squad's Tom Sizemore.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

I finished Sinophagia: A Celebration of Chinese Horror, translated and edited by Xueting C. Ni. It's a terrific collection, with excellent explanatory notes, mixing tales rooted in folklore with more modern urban nightmares (which tended to be the ones I connected with most.) I liked it a lot.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Last night I watched The Last House, a Netflix exclusive that channels climate change anxiety and lockdown trauma into an enjoyably undemanding *Big Premise* feature with an unnecessarily good cast. It all gets quite silly at the end but by then I'd been entertained enough not to mind very much.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

I finished playing Go Home Annie. I was new to the SCP genre, though I've enjoyed things adjacent to it, like Alan Wake II and the miniseries The Lost Room. The puzzles and eerie world-building are excellent, and aside from a minor quibble over some lengthy dialogue scenes, I liked it a lot.

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A.Ghost Pasquella 👻🎃 @agpasquella.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Yes YES The tiger is out

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Name a movie where the title character *isn’t* the main character.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Last night I watched The Assessment, which uses a dystopian sci-fi premise to explore couple dynamics and parenthood in a virtual three-hander dominated by an excellent, enigmatic performance by Alicia Vikander. It maybe crams in too many ideas at the end, but it's smart and gripping. I liked it.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Last night I watched The Sheep Detectives. The premise is a bit, "sure, why not?" but if you accept it, it's a charming and surpisingpy touching comedy mystery, with an all star cast, that delivers as entertaining a whoddunit as you could ask for.

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Last night I watched Lucio Fulci's Don't Torture A Duckling. Despite (or because of) its limitations, it has that unique sense of "European uncanny". Fun twists, practical gore, and a streak of perversion that runs through it like the highway that sits above the landscape on vast concrete pillars.

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Anne Billson @annebillson.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Got the day (month, in fact) wrong! As you were. (Can you transfer Garden Cinema tickets? In which case, does anyone want a ticket for Klute on afternoon of 31 August?)

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