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David Chen

@davechen.bsky.social
17K followers 898 following 2K posts

I’ve been reviewing movies and TV on the internet for 15 years. I host podcasts like Decoding TV and The Filmcast. Check out my newsletter: www.Decodingeverything.com

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Reposted by David Chen
David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 20h
Is the most recent episode of Dark Matter one of the greatest hours of sci-fi TV ever? @patrickklepek.bsky.social and I discuss on Decoding TV youtu.be/PEGQbcXqt-8
youtu.be
‘Dark Matter’ S2E05 Was a Masterpiece of Sci-Fi Television
YouTube video by Decoding TV
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 20h
Is the most recent episode of Dark Matter one of the greatest hours of sci-fi TV ever? @patrickklepek.bsky.social and I discuss on Decoding TV youtu.be/PEGQbcXqt-8
youtu.be
‘Dark Matter’ S2E05 Was a Masterpiece of Sci-Fi Television
YouTube video by Decoding TV
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 23h
"Iñárritu’s new movie Digger wants to be a satire about the dangers of global warming while lacking the specificity and vocabulary to articulate those concerns in a thoughtful way." Today on Decoding Everything, @mattgoldberg.bsky.social tackles DIGGER: www.decodingeverything.com/tom-cruise-d...
decodingeverything.com
Digger Review: Smug, Sanctimonious Satire
Tom Cruise’s broad caricature of an oilman feels like his latest stunt in Alejandro’s G. Iñárritu’s pedantic mess of a movie.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
DIGGER
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
For the first 30-40 mins of DIGGER, I thought I was watching one of the worst films of the year. Then the dynamic of the film shifts in ways I can't talk about (yet). There are still parts of the film that are excruciating. But there are also parts that are wildly ambitious & visually spectacular.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Season 2 of DARK MATTER has been a pretty mixed bag so far but episode 5 was beautiful and moving. It’s about how even when you think you’ve lost everything important to you, life can still go on. And there are always more opportunities to give love and to receive it.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
PRIMETIME comes out in theaters this weekend. I loved it! But do check out @carolinesiede.bsky.social's review for Decoding Everything, in which she finds it a bit of a hollow exercise that doesn't quite live up to its potential www.decodingeverything.com/lance-oppenh...
decodingeverything.com
‘Primetime’ Is Sleazy, Surreal, and Strangely Hollow
Robert Pattinson stars as Chris Hansen in A24’s garish examination of the 'To Catch a Predator' phenomenon
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I read NHJ’s essay about the choices she made for her daughter’s education. It’s super compelling to watch someone grapple with their own shortcomings and what happens when ideology collides with the well being of your kin. But there are portions that are baffling. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/m...
nytimes.com
In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
THE WEIGHT (in theaters now) is great. A pulse-pounding thriller with solid character work and spectacular outdoor set pieces. One of the most gorgeously photographed films I’ve seen this year. A compelling Man vs. Man vs. Nature story. And you get to see Russell Crowe square off with Ethan Hawke!
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
SLOW HORSES season 6 (Apple TV, I’ve seen all eps) was a bummer (by design). Really well-made and with great one-liners. But the central plot is a huge downer and is not as fun as that of other seasons.
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Reposted by David Chen
David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Always love it when @sdavidmiller.bsky.social goes long on the Toronto International Film Festival. Today at Decoding Everything, Stephen breaks down some much anticipated films, including INK and WILD HORSE NINE. Read/susbcribe www.decodingeverything.com/tiff-2026-di...
decodingeverything.com
TIFF 2026 Dispatch #2: Ink, Elsinore, and Wild Horse Nine
Stephen David Miller continues his coverage of the 51st annual Toronto International Film Festival.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Always love it when @sdavidmiller.bsky.social goes long on the Toronto International Film Festival. Today at Decoding Everything, Stephen breaks down some much anticipated films, including INK and WILD HORSE NINE. Read/susbcribe www.decodingeverything.com/tiff-2026-di...
decodingeverything.com
TIFF 2026 Dispatch #2: Ink, Elsinore, and Wild Horse Nine
Stephen David Miller continues his coverage of the 51st annual Toronto International Film Festival.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
In retrospect, POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING was too hard on Macklemore
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Zach Cregger's Resident Evil: Finally a videogame movie for people who suck at videogames! Check out @mattgoldberg.bsky.social's review today at Decoding Everything: www.decodingeverything.com/resident-evi...
decodingeverything.com
Resident Evil Review: 2026 Movie Makes the Game Come Alive
Rather than get hung up on lore, Zach Cregger’s adaptation leans into the thrill of playing the long-running survival horror series.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Cregger’s RESIDENT EVIL is one of the most fun times I’ve had in a theater all year. A non-stop barrage of frequently hilarious set pieces that pay loving tribute to the games. The audience I was with screamed and cackled throughout. And I’m so impressed by how much they kept out of the marketing!
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Now watching
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
It's become an annual tradition for @memles.bsky.social to join Decoding TV to break down the Emmys and it's something I look forward to every year. Because at this point, only the sickos tune in for this stuff.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I like how John Mulaney showed up to the Emmys for five minutes and single-handedly demonstrated why you shouldn’t try to be funny unless you’re really really good at it.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Rhea Seahorn winning Best Actress for Pluribus feels like justice at last for the many years of lack of recognition for her superlative work in Better Call Saul #emmys
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
LIVE RIGHT NOW: I'm chatting with @petersciretta.bsky.social Apple's big announcements this week www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTqr...
youtube.com
Apple's iPhone Duo and 18 Pro Max - Two Online Nerds Weigh In (feat. Peter Sciretta)
YouTube video by David Chen
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Kinda gotta love that one person at The Onion really fucking hates Ted Lasso, apparently
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
There’s been a lot of incredible writing about what happened 25 years ago but this is the piece that stays with me these days www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
theatlantic.com
What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind
Bobby McIlvaine was 26 when he died in the attacks. Two decades later, his loved ones are still grappling with the loss.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
HOPE (in theaters today): This movie has some of the most spectacular filmmaking I’ve seen this year. Incredible camerawork and stuntwork. Only two things hold it back from greatness: some dodgy creature CG throughout, and an ending that is so baffling and abrupt that my audience was in disbelief.
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Reposted by David Chen
David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
From 2025-2026, I spent about 9 months living in Portugal. For my patreon, my wife and I recorded 43 podcasts totaling about 50 hours of podcasting describing our journey. For the first time, I'm selling all episodes as a $20 package. You can buy/listen here: www.patreon.com/collection/2...
patreon.com
The eXpat Files (43 episodes) | Collection from David Chen | 44 posts | Patreon
Between February 2025 and August 2026, @joyofnapping and I recorded 43 podcast episodes about our decision to try and explore what life would look like in…
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I really wanted to love ONSLAUGHT but I ended up very mildly liking it instead. The movie does an amazing job in the first half building up the super soldiers as the ultimate badasses. It then proceeds to not pay that off in an even remotely satisfying fashion. Kind of stunned tbh.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
From 2025-2026, I spent about 9 months living in Portugal. For my patreon, my wife and I recorded 43 podcasts totaling about 50 hours of podcasting describing our journey. For the first time, I'm selling all episodes as a $20 package. You can buy/listen here: www.patreon.com/collection/2...
patreon.com
The eXpat Files (43 episodes) | Collection from David Chen | 44 posts | Patreon
Between February 2025 and August 2026, @joyofnapping and I recorded 43 podcast episodes about our decision to try and explore what life would look like in…
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I just watched Ari Aster’s 30-minute short film THE STRANGE THING ABOUT THE JOHNSONS. It is subversive and provocative and incredibly upsetting and this YouTube comment sums up my reaction
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
The Good Good Gold situation feels like a classic Woke 1 cancellation. It’s good for stuff like this to happen every now and then. The media ecosystem needs a purification like this every once in awhile, kinda like flushing out the transmission in your car
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
My niece and nephew love it when I hoist them into the air and propel them as though they are flying. The other day I did it at a weird angle and tweaked my back. Since then I discovered the McGill Big 3. Incredibly helpful for relieving lower back pain! squatuniversity.com/2018/06/21/t...
squatuniversity.com
The McGill Big 3 For Core Stability
For the last few weeks, we have been discussing the topic of low back pain. In our most recent article, I unveiled a simple step-by-step protocol screening your back along with a few ways to start …
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Really tough year for folks who appeared in Home Alone 2…
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Sad to say THE DOG STARS (in theaters Friday) is kind of a dud. Despite some decent action, the characters are really underwritten and it has a completely bizarre tonal shift that nearly derails the film. It does feature some of the most beautiful aerial photography I’ve ever seen in a movie, tho
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
I really loved MISS YOU, LOVE YOU on HBO Max. A movie about the complex feelings that people leave in their wake when they pass away. Beautifully staged and shot with two incredible lead performances.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Did a claw machine write this
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
DON’T SAY GOOD LUCK (on Netflix): Turned this on because I saw Melanie Lynskey was involved, then almost turned it off when I realized what type of movie it was (nothing wrong with a nice teen coming-of-age movie, just wasn’t what I was in the mood for at the time), then COULDN’T turn it off.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Wow, I loved Matt Johnson’s new film TONY (in theaters this weekend). The type of biopic that requires zero knowledge of its subject to be enjoyable. A classic coming-of-age story about the dignity of hard work and how the choices we make shape who we are. Johnson 2 for 2 this year.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Literally one of the main reasons I tune into FURIOUS on Hulu every week is to hear Ariel Marx's incredible score (she also did movies like Shiva Baby). Sadly I can't share the music yet because it won't be released until the season finale but check out the show if you have a chance!
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Reposted by David Chen
David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
This year's summer box office has challenged a bunch of assumptions about what types of movies do well. Today over at Decoding Everything, @mattgoldberg.bsky.social breaks down five key takeaways. www.decodingeverything.com/five-lessons...
decodingeverything.com
Five Lessons from the 2026 Summer Movie Season
What did we learn from the hits and misses at the theater?
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
This year's summer box office has challenged a bunch of assumptions about what types of movies do well. Today over at Decoding Everything, @mattgoldberg.bsky.social breaks down five key takeaways. www.decodingeverything.com/five-lessons...
decodingeverything.com
Five Lessons from the 2026 Summer Movie Season
What did we learn from the hits and misses at the theater?
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Amazing year for movies about people getting lost in nightmarish liminal spaces and finding themselves unable to escape, wonder if it says anything about our psyche right now, probably not best not to think about it
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
My assessment of Mamdani’s Chinese: It’s good. VERY GOOD even. He nails a bunch of difficult tones 99% of the time when a non-Native person in TV/film speaks Chinese it sounds like dogshit, even if they’re “fluent.” This is way better. But he would not be mistaken for a native speaker.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
I’m a big fan of how the HOUSE OF THE DRAGON opening credits have evolved over time. Initially they tried just straight up re-using the Thrones music with an uninspiring macabre blood-filled sequence. But then they re-orchestrated with a brand new visual language is badass. youtu.be/MvEKGxyJ9Vg?...
youtu.be
House of the Dragon | S3 Opening Credits | HBO Max
YouTube video by GameofThrones
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
One of my favorite movie scenes of the past decade is from TOP GUN MAVERICK. Maverick heads into certain death as the mournful score plays in the background. But Maverick is really a stand-in for Cruise himself, who can't stop making blockbusters the old fashioned way. youtu.be/mvzj6St-kXM?...
youtu.be
Top Gun Maverick - Make us proud! 🇺🇲
YouTube video by lilium bosniacum
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Reposted by David Chen
David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Today at Decoding Everything: @mattgoldberg.bsky.social reviews COYOTE VS ACME (which is excellent!) and @carolinesiede.bsky.social reviews THE WRONG GIRLS (which is fun!). Read and subscribe. www.decodingeverything.com/coyote-vs-ac...
decodingeverything.com
‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Is a Charming, Funny Reminder That You Can’t Stop an Irrepressible Toon
Matt Goldberg reviews 'Coyote vs. Acme.' Plus: Caroline Siede assesses the charms of 'The Wrong Girls'
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Today at Decoding Everything: @mattgoldberg.bsky.social reviews COYOTE VS ACME (which is excellent!) and @carolinesiede.bsky.social reviews THE WRONG GIRLS (which is fun!). Read and subscribe. www.decodingeverything.com/coyote-vs-ac...
decodingeverything.com
‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Is a Charming, Funny Reminder That You Can’t Stop an Irrepressible Toon
Matt Goldberg reviews 'Coyote vs. Acme.' Plus: Caroline Siede assesses the charms of 'The Wrong Girls'
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Today at Decoding Everything: @mattgoldberg.bsky.social reviews THE END OF OAK STREET and finds it’s a throwback to an earlier era (in a great way!) www.decodingeverything.com/the-end-of-o...
decodingeverything.com
The End of Oak Street Review: A Thrilling Trip Back in Time
David Robert Mitchell’s movie sends us back not only to the time of dinosaurs, but to the age of Amblin.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
END OF OAK STREET is the best Dino film since Jurassic Park 1. Incredible (and sometimes hilarious) set pieces that recognize the majesty of these prehistoric creatures while also showing the horror and chaos they unleash. At 90 mins, an efficient and bombastic piece of entertainment. Had a blast.
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Went into MADDIE’S SECRET totally blind (on VOD) & wow did it surprise me. A parody of the made-for-TV film KATE’S SECRET, the film commits to the bit so totally that its aesthetics and tone alone are impressive. But the sheer tonnage of earnest melodrama ended up being strangely, intensely moving.
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Reposted by David Chen
David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Does TED LASSO season 4 recapture the beautiful magic of seasons 1-3? Or is it a shambling corpse version of its former self? @patrickklepek.bsky.social and I discuss in the latest episode of Decoding TV www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOss...
youtube.com
Does ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4 Recapture the Magic?
YouTube video by Decoding TV
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David Chen @davechen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Does TED LASSO season 4 recapture the beautiful magic of seasons 1-3? Or is it a shambling corpse version of its former self? @patrickklepek.bsky.social and I discuss in the latest episode of Decoding TV www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOss...
youtube.com
Does ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4 Recapture the Magic?
YouTube video by Decoding TV
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Reposted by David Chen
Caroline Siede @carolinesiede.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
#OneNightOnly is way funnier, wackier, and self-aware than its trailers let on. Add in insanely charming turns from Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner and it's almost enough to forgive the fact that the romance isn't that well written. My review for Decoding Everything!
decodingeverything.com
‘One Night Only’ Nails Its Satire More Than Its Romance
Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner charm on the one night a year single people can legally have sex
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