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Josh Bell

@signalbleed.bsky.social
3K followers 296 following 1.6K posts

Freelance writer and film/TV critic at KTNV, Tom's Guide, Crooked Marquee, The Inlander, Inverse, Desert Companion, Awesome Movie Year, and more. For hire: signalbleed@gmail.com

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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 9h
For @knpr.org, I talked to Las Vegas filmmakers Ryan and Cody LeBoeuf and producer Rachel Alterman about their return to UNLV to work with students on a proof-of-concept short for an upcoming creature feature.
knpr.org
It Came From Good Teachers
A team of UNLV grads and filmmakers return to the university for a professional-student collaboration
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 11h
Soderbergh is the one who really bums me out. I guess I should learn not to expect better from anyone.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 11h
Yeah, it's incredibly disappointing (and also unnecessary).
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 11h
Of the two epic documentaries about tech-industry villains opening in theaters this week, Alex Gibney's 'Musk' is the more conventional, which means it's informative but also kind of superfluous. My @inlander.com review:
inlander.com
Alex Gibney’s nearly 4-hour documentary Musk is an exhaustive and exhausting look at Elon Musk’s misdeeds
“Elon is a nuke,” says former conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair in director Alex Gibney’s nearly four-hour documentary Musk, and that encapsulates the thesis of Gibney’s exhaustive (and exhaust...
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Speaking of movies that are definitely not misunderstood masterpieces, this week's Awesome Movie Year 1991 episode features Bruce Willis' dreadful vanity project 'Hudson Hawk.'
awesome-movie-year.captivate.fm
Hudson Hawk (1991 Box Office Flop) - Awesome Movie Year
The third episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1991 features the year’s biggest flop, Michael Lehmann’s Hudson Hawk. Directed by Micha...
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Premiering today on FX and Hulu, the second season of 'The Lowdown' is nearly as good as the first, and Betty Gilpin steals the show. My @tomsguide.com review:
tomsguide.com
'The Lowdown' season 2 review: One of my favorite TV detectives returns with another funny, freewheeling mystery
Ethan Hawke is back as nosy journalist Lee Raybon in the appealing second season of the comedic noir set in Oklahoma.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
I was mixed on Mike Flanagan's 'Carrie,' but I love his early horror movie 'Oculus,' which is now streaming on Netflix (as well as Amazon Prime and Kanopy). For @tomsguide.com's Trick or Stream, I wrote about its inventive structure and great Karen Gillan performance.
tomsguide.com
Before 'Carrie' and 'Haunting of Hill House,' Mike Flanagan made a brilliant horror movie you probably haven't seen — stream it on Netflix
Mike Flanagan's 'Oculus' uses the familiar horror plot of a cursed mirror for an unsettling story of family trauma that blurs past and present.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
All four seasons of 'Felicity' are now streaming on Netflix, so for @tomsguide.com I wrote about my close personal friend Felicity Porter and the enduring brilliance of the show about her college experience.
tomsguide.com
See Keri Russell's breakout performance in one of my favorite teen dramas of all time, now on Netflix
Felicity was my friend throughout college, and she can be yours, too
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
For @inverse.com, I celebrated the 40th anniversary of Wes Craven's bonkers 'Deadly Friend,' which is like 'Short Circuit' crossed with 'Bride of Frankenstein.'
inverse.com
40 Years Ago, Wes Craven Put His Own Bizarre Twist On 'Frankenstein'
The silly and the disturbing mix effectively in 'Deadly Friend.'
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Aaron Sorkin's 'The Social Reckoning' (in theaters starting tonight) is not a good sequel to 'The Social Network,' but it's a perfectly okay Sorkin-fied take on some recent historical events. My @inlander.com review:
inlander.com
Aaron Sorkin returns to the story of Facebook in the uneven The Social Reckoning
When The Social Reckoning was first announced, it was billed as The Social Network Part II, a sequel to director David Fincher’s Oscar-winning 2010 drama about the founding of Facebook,
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
'Carrie' screen adaptations, ranked: 1. 'Carrie' (1976) 2. 'Carrie' (2013) 3. 'Carrie' (2026) 4. 'The Rage: Carrie 2' 5. 'Carrie' (2002)
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Mike Flanagan's 'Carrie' series (now streaming on Amazon Prime Video) has its strengths but makes some questionable decisions in expanding Stephen King's novel. My @inlander.com review:
inlander.com
Mike Flanagan turns Stephen King’s Carrie into a drawn-out teen TV series
Despite the sheer number of Stephen King novels and short stories that have been adapted into films and TV series over the past 50 years, there’s no shortage of the
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
It was an interesting and surprising experience revisiting John Singleton's 'Boyz n the Hood' for the first time since 1991 in this week's Awesome Movie Year episode.
awesome-movie-year.captivate.fm
Boyz n the Hood (1991 First Feature) - Awesome Movie Year
The second episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1991 features our pick for a notable debut feature, John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood. Wr...
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
This also happens in The Social Reckoning! Did they share style guides or something?
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
A documentary about Dolph Lundgren is the bright spot of an otherwise kind of dire week for VODepths.
crookedmarquee.com
VODepths: What to See (and Avoid) on Demand This Week — Crooked Marquee
Our mini-reviews of “Backpay,” “Dolph: Unbreakable,” “Tie Die,” and more of this week’s on-demand treasures and trash.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Before Mike Flanagan's new 'Carrie' series premieres this week, for @crooked-marquee.bsky.social I looked back at the three largely forgotten 'Carrie' movies that came after Brian De Palma's masterpiece.
crookedmarquee.com
Carrie After Carrie: The Misbegotten Variations on a Horror Icon — Crooked Marquee
Between Brian De Palma and Mike Flanagan, three other filmmakers made flawed but fascinating attempts to bring Stephen King’s horror classic to the screen.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Rewatching the brilliant takedown of toxic masculinity in 'The Social Network' and then reading the names in the opening credits (Scott Rudin! Armie Hammer! Kevin Spacey!) offers quite the study in contrast.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Watched two terrible new crime movies in the past two days with the hilarious joke that a dumbass criminal's passcode is 6969.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Alejandro G. Iñárritu continues his career path of never making a good movie with the smug, belabored climate change satire 'Digger,' in theaters starting tonight. My @inlander.com review:
inlander.com
Tom Cruise and Alejandro G. Iñárritu match each other’s self-regard in the mostly insufferable Digger
Tom Cruise never does anything halfway. After spending the past 15 or so years focused almost exclusively on big-budget action franchises (or would-be franchises), Cruise makes his return to what
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
So bizarre to call my doctor's office and have to talk to the "AI assistant" when I can clearly hear someone typing in the background. Like what are we even doing?
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There was a period when 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' was my favorite movie of all time, and I think it still holds up remarkably well, so I had plenty to say about it in the premiere of our Awesome Movie Year 1991 season.
awesome-movie-year.captivate.fm
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991 Box Office Champ) - Awesome Movie Year
The first episode of our season on the awesome movie year of 1991 features the box-office champion, James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Direct...
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
All three seasons of 'Party Down' are now on Netflix, so for @tomsguide.com I wrote about why it's still one of the great underrated sitcoms of the past 20 years.
tomsguide.com
Netflix just got all 3 seasons of this canceled cult comedy with Adam Scott, Paul Rudd and a shocking number of Hollywood stars
'Party Down' is a sharp, funny comedy about cater waiters
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Peacock's October schedule showing quite the misunderstanding of horror, calling the first three 'Friday the 13th' movies a "trilogy" to make it sound like they have the whole franchise to go with 'Crystal Lake,' and also offering up this "trilogy" that I honestly wish existed.
Rob Zombie’s Halloween
Rob Zombie’s Halloween II
Rob Zombie’s Halloween III
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
One of the contestants on the new season of 'Love Is Blind' is in "AI infrastructure sales," and I've never watched 'Love Is Blind' but I'm hoping there's some sort of provision to, maybe, keep him from finding any kind of love for the rest of his life?
List of Love Is Blind contestants including "Rob - 40, AI Infrastructure Sales"
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
For @inverse.com, I celebrated the 20th anniversary of Michel Gondry's underrated fantasy romance 'The Science of Sleep.'
inverse.com
20 Years Later, A Sci-Fi Legend's Forgotten Masterpiece Deserves To Be Remembered
Michel Gondry's 'The Science of Sleep' is more than an Eternal Sunshine runner-up.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Thank you! I think you were the only constant during all my time there, and I was always glad to follow or precede your forecast and get to hear your responses.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The last six years were less fun, recording the segment from home, but it was still a privilege to feel connected to the legacy of people like Siskel & Ebert. I hope I can be back on the air in some capacity eventually.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I had the pleasure of interacting with some great on-air talent over the years, including Dayna Roselli, Lisa Remillard, Todd Quinones, Jackie Kostek, Jessica Janner, Kalyna Astrinos and @justinbruceweather.bsky.social (the only one on Bluesky). I'll miss being a small part of the KTNV team.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
After 15-plus years, today was my final movie review segment on KTNV Channel 13 here in Vegas. Given the dire state of local news, I'm grateful it lasted this long. (I'd link to the review but KTNV stopped posting my segments online years ago.)
A man in glasses sitting on a couch with news ticker below him
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The hokey Brad Pitt man-and-his-dog drama 'Heart of the Beast' (now in theaters) reaches Peter Berg/Mark Wahlberg levels of pandering patriotism. My @tomsguide.com review:
tomsguide.com
'Heart of the Beast' review: I wanted to love Brad Pitt's new survival thriller. Then it got really cheesy
A military veteran is stranded in the wilderness alongside his dog, but the story of their journey barely tugs at the heartstrings.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
It's weird when your former co-worker marries one of your favorite singer-songwriters, and listening to a playlist offers a reminder that one of his most achingly beautiful songs is about that lady who used to sit two cubicles over.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Rinko Kikuchi is great as a grieving woman who expresses herself via dance in the colorful and energetic 'Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!,' out tomorrow in select theaters (including Sunset Station in Vegas). My @inlander.com review:
inlander.com
A widowed dancer gets her groove back in the exuberant Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!
For Haru (Rinko Kikuchi), dancing with her husband Luis (Alejandro Edda) is something magical. Director Josef Kubota Wladyka expresses that magic literally when Haru and Luis take the floor during
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Our Awesome Movie Year bonus episode from our 1985 season, featuring Savage Steve Holland's 'Better Off Dead,' is now out on our main feed. (Patreon subscribers get episodes like these months early, hint hint.)
awesome-movie-year.captivate.fm
Better Off Dead (1985 Bonus Episode) - Awesome Movie Year
This bonus episode for our season on the awesome movie year of 1985 features Savage Steve Holland’s Better Off Dead. Written and directed by Savage St...
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Not the greatest week for VODepths, but there's a nice low-key Icelandic drama and a basic but informative Twiggy documentary in the mix.
crookedmarquee.com
VODepths: What to See (and Avoid) on Demand This Week — Crooked Marquee
Our mini-reviews of “The Depths,” “Twiggy,” “Battle Cabin,” and more new under-the-radar on-demand offerings.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
We probably don't promote it enough, but Awesome Movie Year has a shared Patreon with @piecingpod.bsky.social, and subscribers can now check out a bonus episode from our recently concluded 1946 season, on Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller 'Notorious.'
patreon.com
Notorious (Awesome Movie Year 1946 Bonus Episode) | Produced by David Rosen
Notorious (Awesome Movie Year 1946 Bonus Episode) by Produced by David Rosen on Patreon. Join Produced by David Rosen's community for exclusive content and updates.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I know that we have moved on to pleading with documentary filmmakers not to use AI, but I am still pleading with them not to stretch archival footage into the wrong aspect ratio to fill a widescreen frame.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I'll take Rose Crazy as well.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I had a bit of luck with this last time, so I'm trying another prompt post for the sake of Awesome Movie Year content. We recently announced 1991 as the year for our next season, so what are some of your favorite movies from 1991?
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
We take a last look back at the films of 1946 and announce the year for our next season in today's Awesome Movie Year epilogue episode.
awesome-movie-year.captivate.fm
1946 Epilogue - Awesome Movie Year
In this epilogue to our season on the awesome movie year of 1946, we talk about alternate movies we considered including in all of our different categor...
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I'm thrilled to be back at @certifiedforgotten.com to spread the word about the lovely sci-fi romance 'Same Boat,' which is like 'Before Sunrise' if Jesse was a time-traveling assassin sent to kill Celine.
certifiedforgotten.com
'Same Boat' Marries 'The Terminator' and 'Before Sunrise'
Chris Roberti's 'Same Boat' is a time-traveling love story that makes the most of its modest budget to craft a timeless meet cute.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
So great when the monthly schedule for a major streaming service is like 75 percent podcast episodes. Awesome future for entertainment we're building here.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Me: I'll just pause this movie screener while I use the bathroom. Screener app: What is this "pause"? You will redo the entire multi-step login process and like it!
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
That's fair, although I enjoy her performance so much that I don't mind the disconnect.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I actually really like Swank's performance because it's so against-type for her, and she's completely going for it. She and Fiona Shaw embrace the camp in such a fun way.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Things can't be all bad if Aardman has a new 'Shaun the Sheep' movie out. My @inlander.com review of 'The Beast of Mossy Bottom,' opening in theaters starting tonight:
inlander.com
Shaun the Sheep returns in the funny and sweet animated adventure The Beast of Mossy Bottom
Sheep are having quite a year at the movies. Just a few months after the delightful The Sheep Detectives comes the equally delightful Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
For @crooked-marquee.bsky.social, I celebrated the 20th anniversary of Brian De Palma's unfairly maligned neo-noir 'The Black Dahlia.'
crookedmarquee.com
Sex, Death, and Noir in Brian De Palma’s The Black Dahlia — Crooked Marquee
Released 20 years ago this week, Brian De Palma’s neo-noir is overdue for the critical reassessment given to his other misunderstood masterpieces.
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
We've reached the finale of our 1946 season of Awesome Movie Year with today's audience choice episode, and the audience chose well, picking noir classic 'The Big Sleep.'
awesome-movie-year.captivate.fm
The Big Sleep (1946 Audience Choice) - Awesome Movie Year
The finale of our season on the awesome movie year of 1946 features our audience choice poll winner, Howard Hawks’ The Big Sleep. Directed by Howard H...
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Apple TV's tiresome action comedy 'Mayday' has probably already disappeared into the streaming ether, but my belated @videogame.town review is out now to remind you of its irrelevance.
videogame.town
‘Mayday’ Is Just Another Forgettable, Underwhelming Streaming Flop
This is what you might call “Dadslop.”
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Amazon description and sample pages are clearly for one of those auto-generated "Themes From [Book or Movie]" AI ripoffs. I'm just amazed this low-budget creature feature warrants that kind of treatment. I guess nothing is off-limits for this garbage anymore.
amazon.com
GATOR FACE: Jess’s Fight for Survival Against the Swamp Cult and the Ancient Alligator God
Amazon.com: GATOR FACE: Jess’s Fight for Survival Against the Swamp Cult and the Ancient Alligator God: 9798194287994: MESSI, GERARD: Books
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Josh Bell @signalbleed.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Is that ... an AI-generated slop novelization of an indie horror movie?
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