Nina Metz
@ninametz.bsky.social
12K followers 570 following 8.7K posts
TV and film critic for the Chicago Tribune https://www.chicagotribune.com/author/nina-metz/ Newsletter: Nina Watches Everything https://buttondown.com/NinaWatchesEverything
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ninametz.bsky.social
Why is the reboot of “Law & Order” so bad?

I get into it in this week’s newsletter

Read! Subscribe! It’s free!
Why is the reboot of “Law & Order” so bad?
It’s as if everyone forgot how to make the show.
buttondown.com
Reposted by Nina Metz
rickporter.bsky.social
The mid-90s had a whole run of LA-is-hell movies (Falling Down, Volcano, Escape From LA among them) in the same way there were a bunch of New York-is-hell movies in the late 70s/early 80s. “Strange Days” is the best and most interesting of the LA batch by a good distance.
satyrosphilbrucato.bsky.social
It's about time Strange Days finally begins getting the retrospective love and respect it deserves. To me, it's the best pre-Matrix cyberpunk film other than Blade Runner and Robocop, and still better than most cyberpunk films made since.

www.polygon.com/strange-days...
30 years ago, Katherine Bigelow made a sci-fi flop that changed her career for the better
Strange Days is a noir-soaked science-fiction thriller set against a backdrop of racial tension, police brutality, sexual assault, and disruptive tech
www.polygon.com
Reposted by Nina Metz
kathleenbelew.bsky.social
My neighbors have filled the Little Free Libraries with whistles so we can warn each other about ICE. Chicago is not afraid.
ninametz.bsky.social
He does. And also someone who doesn’t pretend he is perfect or without flaws
Reposted by Nina Metz
mayascade.bsky.social
quite touched by this kevin tighe interview in @thereveal.bsky.social.

the conversation gives him space to reflect on his extensive career and the ways PTA made allowances for his disability on set of “one battle after another” and didn’t shy from casting him once the disability was known.
Interview: Kevin Tighe on ‘One Battle After Another’ and a great career on stage and screen
The great character actor talks about his return to the screen in 'One Battle After Another' and a half-century journey in the business.
thereveal.film
Reposted by Nina Metz
sophiacbess.bsky.social
“Calling genAI a “tool” has become the standard way of referring to what is, in fact, a political technology. Tools are seen as neutral and unaccountable. This notion rests on several false assumptions:”
petertarras.bsky.social
Andrea Reyes Elizondo @altibel.bsky.social and I have responded to a blog, recently published on @leidenmadtrics.bsky.social, which argued that using AI responsibly in research means being transparent about it. We object that supposed transparency obscures more fundamental ethical questions.
Why AI transparency is not enough
Recently, a taxonomy to disclose the use of generative AI (genAI) in research outputs was presented as an approach that creates transparency and thereby supports responsible genAI use. In this post we...
www.leidenmadtrics.nl
ninametz.bsky.social
In the upcoming Netflix miniseries he stars in about the 1881 assassination of president James Garfield, he takes a real slap to the face and talks about why they didn’t fake that. He also didn’t fake the mutton chops, those are real whiskers!

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/15/n...
Q: Perhaps there was a slight cushion with the mutton chops that Arthur sports. I always assume everything is fake, so maybe those were applied to you each morning, but you seem like someone who would want to grow your own!

A: Those are fully my own facial hair. The only time I would use fake facial hair is if I need a big beard and I don't have time to grow it. But 95% of the whiskers I have in my career are my own. Ariana Grande can sing like an angel; for me, it's growing facial hair. An image from the Netflix series “Death by Lightning” starring Michael Shannon as James Garfield, seen here with a full beard and top hat, standing next to Nick Offerman as his vice president Chester Arthur, also in a top hat but with different facial hair: He has a thick mustache, his chin is clean-shaven and two mutton chops (long, full sideburns) on either side of his face.
Reposted by Nina Metz
clintsmithiii.bsky.social
Thirty-one years ago, there was a slave auction reenacted at Colonial Williamsburg.

Some thought it powerful, many thought it insulting.

This summer, I traveled to Williamsburg myself to see how the country’s largest living history museum today tells the story of Black life at America’s founding.
What Is Colonial Williamsburg For?
Telling the full story of the town’s past is an easy way to make a lot of people mad.
www.theatlantic.com
ninametz.bsky.social
“the idea that AI is an inevitable, formidable force to be reckoned with basically amounts to propaganda for tech companies”
britthates.bsky.social
studio execs & major outlets claim AI is "inevitable" and poised to take over Hollywood. the reality is much different. i spoke with filmmakers, producers, and editors about how AI is actually showing up in productions – and what it still can't do:
Hollywood Has a Major AI Hype Problem
Studio execs and major media outlets claim that AI is "inevitable" and poised to take over film and TV. The reality is much different.
movieweb.com
Reposted by Nina Metz
ourobororoboruo.bsky.social
This is a rhetorical question. AI is a labor issue, and it’s ultimately a tool to further exploitation.
ninametz.bsky.social
Aw, thank you for reading and passing along the Orbach heir compliments lol
ninametz.bsky.social
What to do if ICE stops you

"numerous U.S. citizens and others have reported being detained ... So we asked a legal expert, what documents should people be carrying when stopped by agents?"

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/14/w...
“That is a really good question, especially in light of all the rights violations that ICE is doing. It’s hit or miss,” said Veronica Garcia, a senior staff attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. “There’s what you should carry and whether they’re going to take your proof of what you’re carrying as truth, like what happened with that woman who’s a U.S. citizen.”
Reposted by Nina Metz
zoewithasword.bsky.social
Would it surprise you that the owner of Scientific American's parent company, Stefan von Holtzbrinck, invested $37 million in Inkitt, an AI firm?

What a SHOCK
Reposted by Nina Metz
paris.nyc
i was surprised to learn that bc most protein powders are considered dietary supplements, they basically fall into a regulatory grey area

there's no federal limit on the amount of lead they can contain and neither manufacturers nor the FDA have to prove these products are safe before they're sold
Protein powders and shakes, like all dietary supplements, fall into something of a regulatory gray area.

There is no federal limit specifying the amount of lead allowed in protein powders. And while the FDA requires that manufacturers keep their products free of harmful contaminants, it largely leaves it up to companies to decide what counts as harmful and test their own products for compliance.

Before 1994, manufacturers had to prove herbal products were safe before selling them. That changed after Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. The law sharply limited the FDA’s authority, leaving supplements far less regulated than drugs.

Today, supplements are “presumed safe unless found otherwise,” says Cohen at Harvard Medical School, and most products face scrutiny only after reaching the market—meaning unsafe or contaminated supplements can reach consumers before problems are caught.
Reposted by Nina Metz
paris.nyc
my latest investigation for @consumerreports.org is based on months of reporting and 60+ lab tests of leading protein supplements

we found that most protein powders and shakes have more lead in one serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day (🧵)

www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...
Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead - Consumer Reports
CR tests of 23 popular protein powders and shakes found that most contain high levels of lead.
www.consumerreports.org
Reposted by Nina Metz
aaroncynic.bsky.social
The absence of street vendors (and really, just...people) in my neighborhood is so haunting I don't really have words for it.
unraveledpress.com
Thinking about how much of their violence has been normalized already, how scenes that caused shockwaves 6 weeks ago are now part of the rhythm of daily life. Watched a TikTok from a daughter who has to do her parents' laundry & get their groceries because they're in hiding. This is just it now
Reposted by Nina Metz
jimdaleywrites.bsky.social
NEW: The People’s Law Office is representing Debbie Brockman, the WGN producer who was detained by feds.

“Ms. Brockman and her legal team adamantly deny any allegation that she assaulted anyone. Rather, Ms. Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work.”
Statement on Behalf of Debbie Brockman, WGN
Employee Assaulted by Federal Agents

Debbie Brockman, the WGN employee who was physically attacked and arrested in Chicago, Illinois by federal agents on October 10, 2025, would like to provide the following information to clarify any misunderstandings or misrepresentations that have been previously reported.

First off, Ms. Brockman wishes to clarify that at the time of this incident she was not acting in any professional capacity as an employee of WGN. During the morning hours this past Friday, Ms. Brockman was walking to the bus stop as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents.
Ms. Brockman, who is a U.S. citizen born in this country, was violently detained on Foster Avenue, on the north side of Chicago. As this occurred, individuals on the street began recording the incident and asked Ms. Brockman her name. In addition to providing her name, Ms. Brockman stated that she worked for WGN. She added this information because she hoped someone would notify her employer so her coworkers would know that she would not be arriving at work that day.  
Ms. Brockman was detained and held in federal custody for approximately 7 hours before being released. She has not been charged with any crimes and she intends to pursue all legal avenues available to her to vindicate her rights and hold the federal authorities accountable for their actions.
Ms. Brockman is being represented by attorneys from the People’s Law Office in Chicago. Ms. Brockman and her legal team adamantly deny any allegation that she assaulted anyone. Rather, Ms. Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work. Ms. Brockman feared for her life multiple times throughout this terrifying experience.
“This incident should be alarming and horrifying to every single person in this country,” said Brad Thomson, one of Ms. Brockman’s attorneys at People’s Law Office. “If armed, masked, federal agents are sn…
Reposted by Nina Metz
roxana-hadadi.bsky.social
from me -- a profile of Jafar Panahi, a filmmaker whose work has perfectly met our age of surveillance and interrogation and asks the imperative question of: Who are we, and what comes next? IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT = masterpiece, imo.
vulture.com
Since his 2010 imprisonment, the director has been in an endless game of chicken with the Iranian regime. In his defiant new film, ‘It Was Just an Accident,’ a group of Iranians consider killing the man who tortured them in prison.
Jafar Panahi’s Cinematic Rebellions
Since his 2010 imprisonment, the director has been in an endless game of chicken with the Iranian regime. In his defiant new film, ‘It Was Just an Accident,’ a group of Iranians consider killing the man who tortured them in prison.
www.vulture.com
Reposted by Nina Metz
ninametz.bsky.social
💯

Life is filled with so much absurdity and recognizing that (and the inherent humor in that ... even bleak humor) is the only way to fully capture the human experience
poniewozik.bsky.social
A humorless writer can never be a great writer. Not saying all writing needs to be a laff riot. But a sense of humor is a sign of a lively mind, and if you don't have it, you are lacking some part of the imagination.
rachelfeder.bsky.social
Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat