Jason Morehead

A wonderful — though sadly all-too-relevant — Superman story that tackles bigotry and racism with wit, charm, and nuance *and* serves as a great Superman origin story.

My ★★★★½ review of @geneluenyang.bsky.social and @gurihiru.bsky.social’s “Superman Smashes the Klan” (2020): opus.ing/diet/480461

Humble Comics Bundle: The Frightening and Fantastic Worlds of James Tynion IV Explore the frightening and fantastic worlds of James Tynion IV with our latest graphic novel bundle—feel the fear and help support charity!

This is an awesome deal. @jamesthefourth.bsky.social is one of the best comic writers working today, and is the brains behind “The Nice House on the Lake,” “Something is Killing the Children,” and arguably my favorite comic series right now, “The Department of Truth.”

25 of the Best Titles Now Streaming on Howdy - Opus Roku’s new ad-free service features thousands of titles from Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FilmRise.

Howdy is a new — and cheap — ad-free streaming service from #Roku with hundreds of movies and TV shows. I took a quick look through their archives to find some of their best offerings.

This deeply researched account of how scholars and librarians helped defeat the Nazis — and create modern espionage — is a fascinating look at a side of history most of us probably know nothing about.

My ★★★★ review of @elysegraham.bsky.social’s “Book and Dagger” (2024): opus.ing/diet/479396

Not as good as season one, but still a fascinating/disquieting look at the evangelical Christian subculture and how a sincere desire to serve the Lord can be coopted.

My ★★★½ review of Nicole Newnham and Cori Shepherd Stern’s #ShinyHappyPeople: A Teenage Holy War (2025): opus.ing/diet/479280

Let’s go #Nebraska!

I enjoyed seeing Richard Norton (RIP) in a lead role but this #MadMax rip-off never escapes the limitations of its budget, nor is it bizarre or crazy enough to be all that memorable.

My ★★½ review of Cirio H. Santiago’s “Equalizer 2000” (1987): opus.ing/diet/479255

I love when I can see the work in a piece of art. Practical effects in film, brush strokes on canvas, strange sounds in music, "impossible" visuals in games. It puts me in conversation with the artist. That's why - ethics aside - art created with AI is just so disappointing. There's no work to see.

Review of “Squid Game, Season Three” by Hwang Dong-hyuk (Cultural Diet) - Opus Music, movie, and anime reviews as well as other bits of pop culture coverage by Jason Morehead.

Leaves you wondering what might’ve been had series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk not written himself into a corner.

My ★★★½ review of #SquidGame, Season Three (2025):

Awesome New Robotech Items Announced at San Diego Comic-Con - Opus Toynami has some truly impressive collectibles from Robotech: The New Generation (aka, Genesis Climber MOSPEADA).

I’d never announce that I won the lottery, but there would definitely be signs. Like, for instance, a $450 #Robotech collectible displayed prominently in my office.

Nobuhiro Yamashita’s Linda Linda Linda Is Returning to Theaters in 4K - Opus The cult classic about an all-girl rock band turns 20 this year.

Nobuhiro Yamashita’s #LindaLindaLinda is an absolute delight of a film, so I’m delighted to see that @gkids.com is planning a 4K theatrical release for its 20th anniversary.

Happy Friday to everyone who might be concerned that he has possession of the nuclear codes, blames the messenger for tanking the economy & would gladly pardon a monster to save his own thin orange skin.

August 2025’s Best Streaming Titles: King of the Hill, Alien: Earth, Wednesday, Blazing Saddles, Wayne’s World - Opus Hank Hill, xenomorphs, Netflix’s macabre hit, Mel Brooks, party time, and more.

A new month means a slew of new titles arriving on your favorite streaming platforms. This month’s offerings include a revamped #KingOfTheHill, the return of the xenomorphs, and a new season of #Wednesday.

Trump fires labor statistics boss hours after the release of weak jobs report Without evidence, Trump called the data "rigged" and implied that BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer manipulated the numbers "for political purposes."

“Without evidence, Trump called the data ‘rigged’ and implied that BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer manipulated the numbers ‘for political purposes.’” What a weak, thin-skinned little man.

That moment when the GOP tries to promote “the return of the great American car” by using the image of a *Russian* car.

“Sugar in the Wound” by Louse - Opus The post-punk outfit’s new single signals a turn towards brighter, poppier fare.

Now available from Feel It Records, the new Louse single gives their gloomy post-punk a shot of pop in the arm and evokes some long lost “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” B-side.

Review Roundup: Akiva Schaffer’s The Naked Gun - Opus Critics respond to the reboot of the classic spoof comedy franchise.

Does the rebooted #NakedGun live up to its predecessors’ comedy legacy? Or is its humor out-of-place and old-fashioned in 2025?

Review of “Ran” by Akira Kurosawa (Cultural Diet) - Opus Music, movie, and anime reviews as well as other bits of pop culture coverage by Jason Morehead.

Packed, start to finish, with some of cinema’s most iconic and perfectly framed images — and pointed observations of human greed, selfishness, and cruelty.

My ★★★★½ review of Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran” (1985):

The subtitles on the movie actually tried to transcribe Cocteau Twins lyrics and I am dying this is amazing (shaky cam work because @avantdumb.bsky.social and I kept full-body laughing)

When all of the sound cuts out during the battle *except* for Takemitsu’s score = Pure cinema.

I was fortunate enough to see Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran” in the theater earlier today. It is, of course, a masterpiece. But what was *really* cool was hearing the audience get caught up in the 40yo film and react to its twists, turns, and tragedies. Just more proof that great art transcends time.

The nation’s highest current peacetime honor:

“Wandering Mind, Drifting Weather” by Julia Gjertsen, Gustav Davidsson (Review) - Opus A masterful album that effortlessly straddles the lines between jazz, modern classical, and ambient.

The new collaboration between Julia Gjertsen and Gustav Davidsson is a sublime and quietly devastating album that effortlessly straddles the lines between jazz, modern classical, and ambient. Now available from @whitelabrecs.bsky.social.

RIYL Julia Andersson, Arve Henriksen, Supersilent.

Godfrey Ho’s Infamous “Cut and Paste” Ninja Movies Had Suitably “Cut and Paste” Soundtracks - Opus You never know what you’re going to see with a Godfrey Ho ninja movie… or what you’ll hear.

Who knew that Tangerine Dream, Cocteau Twins, A-ha, Barry White, and Lalo Schifrin could make the perfect ninja movie soundtrack? Godfrey Ho, that’s who.

It's time for modern CSS to kill the SPA Native CSS transitions have quietly killed the strongest argument for client-side routing. Yet people keep building terrible apps instead of performant websites.

Excellent stuff from @jono.id: “If you’re still building your site as an SPA for the sake of ‘smoothness,’ you’re solving a problem the browser already fixed – and you’re paying for it in complexity, performance, and maintainability.”

It’s occasionally mind-blowing what modern #CSS can do.

Weekend Reads (July 26): Wu-Tang Clan, Ozzy Osbourne (RIP), “South Park,” Toronto International Film Festival, AI Sycophancy Recommended weekend reading material for July 26, 2025.

This weekend’s Opus newsletter features articles about Wu-Tang Clan, Ozzy Osbourne (RIP), “South Park,” Toronto International Film Festival, AI sycophancy, and much more. Enjoy!

I’d like to believe that somewhere in this big, beautiful world of ours, there exists a truly kick-ass “ninja vs. the KKK” film. Sadly, this is definitely *not* that film.

My ★½ review of Karl Armstrong’s “Ninja Vengeance” (1993): opus.ing/diet/477983

The roller-skating ninja car chase is fun, I always enjoy seeing Yasuaki Kurata on the screen, but this one ranks pretty low on the Godfrey Ho scale — which is saying something.

My ★★ review of Godfrey Ho’s “Ninja Thunderbolt” (1984): opus.ing/diet/477968

10 of My Favorite Anime Openings: Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, Last Exile, Paranoia Agent & more - Opus The best openings offer condensed versions of everything that’s good and promising about the title in question.

The best #anime opening sequences are like great movie trailers; they offer a perfectly condensed version of everything that’s good and promising about the title in question, and immediately pique your curiosity.

Much of my enjoyment stems from the fact that I probably would’ve loved this book had I read it back in 4th or 5th grade.

My ★★★½ review of Lloyd Alexander’s “The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen” (1991): opus.ing/diet/477934